Chapter 5
"I told you before—I hate bullies and those who hurt the weak."
D's voice was sharp, barely containing his rage.
"Leave now. He won't be out for long, and if you're still here..." His jaw clenched. "I might take things too far trying to protect you."
He couldn't bear to look directly at me as he spoke; even without meeting his eyes, I could feel the fury radiating from him.
I didn't argue.
I rushed out just as the gym teacher rounded the corner to check on Brent.
D said he'd been friends with the gym teacher since last year. If it had been a different teacher, he might have been expelled or punished more harshly.
The next day, Becky came to me with some strange news.
"Did you hear what happened to the gym doors?"
I looked at her. "No. What happened?"
"Somebody knocked the heavy metal door completely off its hinges and slipped it down the middle!"
Becky lowered her voice. People say it looked like him."
"Beck, there's no way," I said, uncertainty creeping into my voice.
"I hadn't told her I found D again after losing touch since summer school. It had been several months; I thought he was gone."
"I don't think that is possible, even for a grown man. I Protested to Beck."
I knew D was strong compared to most guys our age, but this?
By lunchtime, the whole school was buzzing with rumors. Statements were flying about the guy responsible. Some kids even claimed they knew who it was.
Curiosity got the better of me. I couldn't stop overthinking this, so I went to check it out myself.
I stood there studying the mangled door. It was exactly as they said. I stared at the wreckage on the ground, trying to understand how much force would have been required to do this.
"Hey!"
Lost in thought, he was behind me unnoticed.
I nearly jumped out of my skin.
"Jesus!" I gasped, spinning around, hitting his chest.
"Sorry, you gave me a heart attack!"
D caught me as he gave a small smile. "Are you scared of me now?" he asked, his head lowered, his eyes filled with sadness.
"No," I suddenly became self-conscious, replying quickly. "I am just amazed that someone your size could do this."
I let out a small but awkward chuckle, offering a half-hearted smile to lighten the mood.
Lifting his head slightly, I could see the peak of a slight smile; he said, "You know what they say—big things come in small packages," he joked.
"That's very true," I said as we laughed together.
He looked me over.
"I took your advice.' I said before he could ask.
"My advice?"
I nodded.
"I upgraded; I wanted not to look so weak- an easy target. And I stood up for myself."
I knelt, running my fingers along the massive split.
"Did you hit it repeatedly?"
"No. I hit it once; I was just trying to leave after..."
He paused and stepped closer.
"- Trying to hurt you." He continued, his gaze changed. Why? Why didn't you fight back? You just—accepted it,
"It was a matter of time. I just thought I would make things worse by fighting back."
Before he could speak, I spotted his raw knuckles.
"D...Are you okay?" I grabbed his hand before he could protest.
The blood on his hand strangely showed me that he was human, at the very least. His punch hadn't been without some consequence.
D laughed. Haha, you should have seen the other guy." He said it in an exaggerated voice, like he was quoting some cheap movie.
That line was so tacky I couldn't help but laugh.
I reached into my backpack and pulled out some bandages.
"Good thing I carry these."
"Why?" He asked?
"Because I fall a lot. That's also why I wear these long socks"
I began wrapping his hand, shaking a bit because we were so close.
I continued, "My legs are weak, so I get banged up pretty often."
He watched quietly as I finished. Once done, he flexed his fingers and gave me an approving look.
Then, with a crooked smile, he said, "Not bad. Next time, it won't hurt as much when I hit a fool."
"No!" I burst out laughing.
"D, it's for healing, not for cushioning your punches!"
"Sorry, he said with a grin. I had to lighten the mood. It was getting too serious."
"I am sorry you had to see me like that."
His voice was quiet now.
"I didn't mean for you to see the... Monster inside."
I watched him for a second.
"When I saw the fear in your eyes before you closed them, I lost it." He spoke in an almost whisper.
I had seen his anger, and now the person underneath.
"Why did you date Brent?"
His comment took me back. He knew?
"I hadn't seen you in months, and I thought that by going out with him it would put a stop to the bullying, but instead I was a pawn in his game. And when I stood up for myself, well... You know."
"I'm sorry you had to live this way."
His voice carried a new conviction.
"I may be small, but the bigger they are, the harder they fall. I will always protect you."
He said as he slowly walked back into the school after the bell rang.
Later, I finally told Becky everything.
Brent, D, the fight, and the gym door.
Her jaw dropped. "No fair, you never told me about this!?"
She grabbed my arm and shook me.
"Girl! He's like your own personal masked hero!"
I had been so overwhelmed when everything happened that I hadn't really had time to let anyone in.
I had found D again, or at least we found each other.
I felt relief talking with Beck, and her excitement was contagious. I squealed.
I regained my composure and straightened up my shirt.
Becky gave me a sarcastic look.
"So, did you forget?
"Forget what?"
"You wanted to thank him before saving you all the other times and asking him out?"
My face immediately turned red.
"Oh, I did thank him," I tried to play it off.
"And the other part?" She pushed on.
"Well? I have a plan." I grimaced.
The thought crossed my mind, but I didn't know if I had the confidence to ask someone out.
When I met up with Josh, I awkwardly asked him out.
"Will you go out with me?"
Josh looked so confused. "What? Why?"
Beck rolled her eyes but just waited.
"Never mind, I just wanted to see if I had the confidence to ask someone out."
"Were you that cruel? What if I wanted to go out with you?"
"Sorry, Josh?" I laughed awkwardly
Beck grabbed him by the ear and dragged him down the hall.
"Come on, Josh! Thanks, Kaysi. You started something"
She shouted over her shoulder.
"I'll make sure coach gives him extra laps and a cold shower."
"No, Becky!" Josh shouted as his voice drifted off down the hall. "Coach is already putting me throught the ringer!"
I laughed. Maybe asking someone wasn't as hard as I thought.
My confidence had grown since meeting D, and even my grades started reflecting it.
When I received my report card, I could see the fruit of my labor.
Of course, I still got teased. Some kids still called me a nerd, so I stopped raising my hand in class.
My teachers caught on and were kind enough to stop calling on me. As long as my grades stayed up, that is.
I never lost myself; I simply changed enough that people didn't want to mess with me anymore.
At home, I started taking better care of myself, brushing my hair and dressing a little nicer. The teasing gradually became less frequent.
For once, I felt I was gaining some control over my own life.
Then, in the middle of the year, everything changed again.
We moved to Plum Street once I moved back in with my mom.
Her bills had piled up since my brother moved out. As I got older and more independent, downsizing made sense.
I couldn't help but joke as I put another box in the moving truck.
"First Cherry Street, now Plum. Apparently, we're destined to live on fruit-named streets.
Mom didn't think it was funny the way I did.
The new neighborhood was actually pretty nice.
I was excited to get settled. We spent one final night at our old house cleaning and loading the final boxes.
Before everything was packed away, I took Baby out for one last walk of the night.
"Head straight to bed when you get in; long day tomorrow. I am going ahead and lying down."
Mom shouted back to me as she walked up the stairs.
Baby, my small but fierce Pomeranian mix, walked like she owned the entire neighborhood.
We turned the corner as she stopped.
A low growl came from her throat as her hair bristled.
I followed her gaze to a massive black wolf that stood in someone's backyard.
Its eyes were red as it looked my way after eating something.
I froze.
Something about it felt wrong, very wrong.
We live in the city. Wolves didn't belong here.
"Baby..." The wolf turned toward us.
My heart hammered. Baby barked and lunged.
"No! O I grabbed her midair as the wolf's fang barely scratched my arm with a sharp sting.
I clutched Baby to my chest and ran back into the house.
I looked back; the wolf was gone as I slid her into the door and closed it.
I stood there breathing heavily.
Where did it go?
I didn't want to risk another attack, especially with Baby beside me.
I carefully went down the street looking for it. Was that a real wolf or a demon? I thought I had been doing well ignoring spirits here lately, but now?
A man appeared; I kept my distance, watching from afar.
He had long white hair with a silver shine and wore a long black coat that reached almost to the ground. An old leather hat shadowed his face.
Something about him felt wrong.
Was it the way he walked, or the strange knife strapped to his leg? Was he hunting something, someone? Could it be me?
No. I was just being paranoid. Still, I followed him.
He moved quickly. Too quickly; soon he disappeared ahead of me near an abandoned train station.
I reached the end of the street and looked around.
Nothing.
Either he had disappeared, or he'd jumped the fence.
I debated whether to keep searching.
Something yanked me backward.
I stumbled.
A large dog with long, flowing brown fur stood in front of me.
At first, I thought it was the wolf. But this dog was different.
Then it spoke. "It is not your time. You are messing with things you shouldn't"
"Baby?" I questioned, as if everything was normal.
You are awakening too early. But now you need to wake up, or you will be killed."
"I am your guardian angel."
My brain hasn't caught up with my dog talking and becoming enormous.
She continued. "You're being hunted, and right now we need to get you back to the house."
"Hunted?" Ignoring the other part.
"Your Seer powers: you're seeing spirits and most likely experiencing visions."
She was right; for some time now, things had been getting stronger.
"As your abilities awaken, becoming stronger," she continued. " They will begin unlocking your Waymaker powers."
I swallowed.
"Wait..."
"Unfortunately, you have awakened far too early; you're only thirteen. This wasn't supposed to happen for several more years."
"So what am I supposed to do?"
"Be careful and get to the house."
Baby's expression became serious.
"You're not strong enough yet. That makes you vulnerable."
I looked down.
"I just changed everything about myself to keep people from seeing me as an easy target. I've been trying to become stronger as a backup in case I ever had to defend myself."
I gave a nervous laugh.
"I didn't expect this."
Baby's expression didn't change.
"That's just it. You are getting stronger."
She looked directly into my eyes.
"And waking your powers this early can kill you."You only feel weak because your body weakens as your spirit strengthens. If not trained properly."
She paused.
"The demons are attracted to your light, and their numbers are growing."
My heart began pounding.
"Kaysi, now that you have started awakening, there is no going back."
Baby's voice was firm.
"You must fully awaken your powers, or you will be killed."
The weight of her words crushed me. My head spun.
I felt like I was going to be sick.
How could this be happening?
I stood there in the middle of the street, trying to process everything.
Then I noticed movement around us.
One shadow.
Then another.
I looked around.
The unseen wolf creatures were surrounding us.
Five.
Maybe six.
The wolf was back with friends: massive, shadowy, wolf-like creatures.
Their spiritual presence was overwhelming. It felt suffocating. Where had they come from? I couldn't move. What could I possibly do?
I felt powerless.
I was still just a thirteen-year-old girl.
I couldn't fight or suddenly use some incredible ability.
I didn't even understand what was happening to me.
Was I born like this with these gifts? Had they been given to me so that I could witness my own death?
What a cruel fate.
I wanted answers. I felt helpless. But my body was giving out. My vision blurred and I collapsed.
The last thing I saw was Baby fighting.
She was surrounded and outnumbered, but she fought anyway.
I faded in and out of consciousness, catching only fragments of the battle.
Then everything went fully dark.
I woke up in my bed the next morning.
For several seconds, I just stared at the ceiling, remembering.
I looked at Baby lying in her bed. One of her legs was injured, and she was covered in scratches.
How did we get home? Did she...Did she carry me?
I decided not to ask. Besides, I wasn't ready for the answers.
So I got dressed and went to school. I acted as if nothing happened.
I didn't know who I could even talk to about what happened anyway. But I wanted to get this off my chest.
When I arrived at school, I met Becky outside at our usual spot near the outside bleachers.
She immediately noticed something was wrong.
"Hey, Kaysi."
I kept my head down.
"Yeah, Beck."
She studied me.
"What's going on with you? You look pale. Are you sick?"
I hesitated.
I had to think of something.
She already looked worried enough.
I didn't want to tell her about demons, guardians, or Waymaker powers.
So I did what came naturally.
I joked.
"Well...Hard to say. I got into a large dogfight last night. The dogs were trying to kill Baby."
"Are you hurt?" She asked, more concerned now than before.
"No. Just sore." That was a lie. But it was better than the truth.
Before Becky could ask anything else, a dodgeball suddenly came flying toward us.
My body reacted before I could think.
I dodged it. I completely lost my balance.
I fell backward. I braced for the impact.
But I never hit the ground. Someone caught me. I opened my eyes. D!
He saved me again.
Like some kind of personal shining hero who always appeared whenever I was about to fall.
I stared at him. Where had he even come from?
Our little hangout spot was hidden from view.
Becky stared too.
Her eyes widened. Then her jaw dropped.
I looked at her. I gave her a tiny grin. It was my silent way of saying:
Yeah. This is him.
Becky's expression immediately changed.
She looked at me as if to say:
You're lucky.
I couldn't help smiling.
For once, I was actually happy that she had met him.
Maybe this would distract her long enough that she wouldn't ask me any more questions about last night.
D helped me back onto my feet.
But before I could enjoy the moment, a sharp pain suddenly ripped through my stomach.
I gasped.
My hands flew to my abdomen as I dropped to the ground.
"KAYSI, WHAT'S WRONG!"
Both D and Becky shouted my name.
And everything around me began to blur.