Rise of Alpha (The Prodian Journey #1) (12 page)

“Isn’t it pretty?” Shannon asked, standing next to me while I admired the work.
 

I traced my finger along its intricate frame. “It’s mind-blowing.” Then for some insane reason, I imagined replacing Romeo’s face with mine, and Shannon’s for Juliet. That would make the picture much, much better.

“Dad got it during one of his trips,” she said, her tone wistful, with pride and adoration in her eyes.

“It’s beautiful,” I said, and then whispered, “just like you.”

Shannon rolled her eyes.

“Miss Shannon, your mother is waiting for you in the sitting room,” Gilbert said from behind us.
 

“Mother, I’m home!” Shannon said. She seized my hand and led me to another humongous room with impressive decor. “Brian’s with me.”

Madame Elizabeth looked deathly pale, and I held my breath, guessing the news she was about to break. I didn’t let go of Shannon’s hand, holding it tight while we sat down opposite her surrogate mother.

“Hello, Brian,” she acknowledged me with a tight smile.
 

“Good evening, Madame—”

“Please call me Elizabeth.”
 

“Sure . . . ”

Elizabeth turned her attention to Shannon.
 
“Honey, there’s something I have to tell you.”

I felt Shannon stiffen, and her hand gripped mine harder. “Mother, what is it?” she asked, her voice rising.

“It’s your Dad.”

“What about Dad? Isn’t he coming back tomorrow? He promised me.” There was the trace of longing in her voice that made me ache to hold her close.

Elizabeth glanced around, as if summoning strength from outside forces to help her. In a moment, I felt a presence around us. My eyes couldn’t see, but my entire being sensed company.

“Mother, what is wrong?” Shannon released my hand and went around the coffee table to sit next to Elizabeth. “Tell me, please.”

“He’s not coming home . . . not anymore.” Her voice broke.

“What do you mean? Is business taking longer than usual again?” Shannon’s pitch rose higher. She looked ill, and her body began to shake.

“He had a car accident. A hiker found him today. He’s gone, honey.”
 

Shannon sagged and began to cry, a shattering wail that penetrated my core and broke my heart. Elizabeth wrapped her arms around her, and they rocked together while they wept.

I sensed despair all around me, not just from the women on the couch, but also from the unseen presence surrounding us. Being an outsider, I held myself back, feeling helpless and wanting to soothe Shannon.

“Dad . . . is gone?” she whimpered.

“Baby, I’m so sorry.” Elizabeth looked up at me and urged me to come over.
 

“Shannon, I’m sorry.” I touched her arm.

She turned to me, and I caught a glimpse of her tears. They were the same color as her real mother’s. I wondered if other humans had noticed. This confirmed that Detherina had been telling the truth all along. I cradled Shannon, her head resting against my chest.
 

She cried until her voice turned hoarse and she couldn’t cry anymore.
 
I continued to sit with her and comfort her with gentle strokes on her back. There was no way I could leave her, not in this situation. I pulled out my phone and sent a text to my parents.

Shannon’s dad passed away. I’m keeping her company. See you in the AM.

I saw a slight movement from behind the curtain, on the veranda. It was Detherina, walking in our direction. Before she reached us, she became invisible, but even though I couldn’t see her anymore, I knew that she was there, sharing Shannon’s grief.

Elizabeth’s cell phone rang, and she left the room to answer it. I heard quiet murmurs in the background, but her voice was too low for me to understand. Still holding Shannon’s hand, I saw Detherina from the corner of my eye resting her palm on her daughter’s shoulder. Shannon’s face began to relax, as if the torment was being sucked out of her. After a long moment, Detherina nodded to me.

“Shannon, do you want me to take you to your room?” I asked, knowing she’d had a long day of school and work before this bombshell.

She nodded, but before I could move, Gilbert appeared in the doorway.
 

“Mr. Brian, allow me.” After I scooted over, he picked up Shannon and cradled her in his arms. “Please follow me,” Gilbert said.

We went through a little hallway to a staircase and ascended it in silence. The only sound was Shannon’s sobbing. When the butler stopped in front of a door, I pushed it open. The room was fit for a princess, which Shannon was, and it suited her.

Everywhere I looked were pictures of her in various outfits, costumes, and activities hanging on the wall. Propped on her nightstand was a picture of her and her father. Judging by Shannon’s apparent age in the photo, it had been taken many years ago.

I pulled back the covers on the bed, and Gilbert laid her down, tucking her in like she was a small child. Then he turned to me. “Will there be anything else?”

“Could you get Shannon a glass of water?” I asked, electing to sit on the chair of the desk at the far side of the room.

He bowed his head and left.
 

“Can you stay with me tonight?” Shannon’s feeble voice was just a whisper.

“Of course. I’ll be around for as long as you need me.” It was the truth.
 

“Hold me?”

I lifted the cover and slid in next to her. She turned toward me, and I placed an arm around her and started humming a tune.
 
I’d never felt needed in my whole life before tonight. Shannon was the only thing that mattered. Not my disease, not school, or even my own life. It was an odd feeling.
 

After a few minutes, Gilbert announced himself and placed the glass on the nightstand, within easy reach. I continued to rock and hum to Shannon until she fell into a troubled sleep. I fought to stay awake, but my eyes drooped several times. Sleep found its way to me.
 

After an hour or so, I jerked, waking myself up from a dream. The pictures had been so vivid, an explosion of orange fire and thick black smoke rising in a moonless night. Although I replayed my vision over and over, trying to find clues that would interpret what I saw, I drew a blank.
 

After some time, exhaustion again got the better of me. This time, I dreamed that Shannon was running away, calling my name for help. Two monsters were intent on pursuing her, and they wanted her dead.

Panicked, I screamed, kicked, and splashed liquid at their grotesque faces, and they fizzled into thin air. I felt spasms coming, tics taking over my body. I cursed and cursed until someone called my name.
 

“Brian. Brian, wake up. You’re having a nightmare.”

The Prodian

At the crack of dawn, I opened my eyes to find Shannon sound asleep and snuggled against me, her arm wrapped around my chest. When I studied her features, I felt an ache deep in my gut. Her face, even in sleep, still reflected her grief. Although I wanted to keep holding her like this, I had to find Elizabeth, so I slipped out of Shannon’s grasp after a few minutes and left her room. Hoping to find Elizabeth in the sitting room, I wandered the hallway, trying to find my way back.

“Mr. Brian, may I help you?” Gilbert appeared at the end of the hallway and eyed me with interest.

“Hey, Gilbert. I’m looking for Elizabeth.” I placed my hands inside my pockets.

He pointed to the wall. “This way, please.” Before I could ask, he tugged on a low-hanging sconce, and the wall split into two.

Bewildered, I stepped into the darkened room that lay beyond. It felt like something out of a superhero comic, complete with sliding walls leading to secret lairs. We reached the adjoining room, where several people had converged around a table, Detherina and Elizabeth among them.

Everyone looked up at our entrance. The unfamiliar faces regarded me with curiosity. When Detherina beckoned me, I hesitated before moving forward. My hands were cold and clammy inside my pockets.

“Brian, I have no words to offer except thank you,” Detherina said in a solemn voice.

“No thanks necessary.”
 

“Sit next to me, please.” She pointed to the vacant chair to her right.
 
Once I did, she looked around at the others. “I want you to meet Shannon’s Prodian, Brian.”
 

At this, everyone started talking at the same time, giving me a round of welcome in English and another strange language filled the room.
 

I waved then returned my hand to my pocket. Keeping my shoulders squared helped control my tics. “What is a Prodian?”
 

Detherina smiled. “A protector.”

“Oh.”

She pointed to a younger man with a rigid black Mohawk, multiple piercings, and dark eyes. “This is Carionis. He is a Binarian. I have assigned him to pose as a transfer student so he can keep an eye on you and Shannon. He’ll be reporting to me.”

I smiled at Carionis, who nodded in return.
 

“And this is Matro.” Detherina gestured to another person. The man was muscular and wearing a tunic similar to Gilbert’s. “He is family and will be keeping an eye on you, too.”

Matro gave me a long once-over before he smiled. His eyes had that disconcerting crystal hue. Even his teeth glistened. “You got into a nasty fight, my boy?” His voice was strong and quite foreboding. Despite his smile, I knew this guy wouldn’t think twice about snapping my neck in two—or anyone else’s, for that matter.
 

“Just a little fight,” I admitted.

“Matro and Carionis will give you a lesson or two on fighting once we all get settled,” Detherina said.

Me, fighting? More power to both of you.
 

Matro continued to watch me. Carionis snickered and I had a sneaking suspicion that he knew what I was thinking.

Detherina threw a glare in the younger man’s direction and continued. “You’ve met Gilbert. He’s the butler and a Binarian, too. And you’ve met Elizabeth, of course.”
 

I gave each of them a quick smile.
 

“The Ergans are going to be aggressive since Arthur is gone. I can feel their wrath spreading, and I want to warn you. They will be hunting Shannon before she reaches her Aarmark maturity.” Distress marred Detherina’s face.
 

I nodded and said, “I think I saw two of them last night outside my house. They tried to follow us here, but I lost them.”

“They will interfere with your dreams, giving you more information than you’re ready for, so you have to be vigilant. It will be a struggle for you since they can manipulate accidents and tragedies around you to keep you distracted and confused. You’ll have moments when you will have to choose who you will help.”

“I have friends who could give me a hand,” I said, thinking of Mark and Darryl. There wasn’t a doubt that they’d help. They’d love a good adventure. Besides, they were human, which was a good selling point.
 

“You have to make them aware of what is in store for them,” Matro said. “And I want you to know that, although humans surrounding Shannon are the best defense, the Ergans could find a way to eliminate them. They won’t be able to kill humans directly, but they can find ways to stage an accident.”

“Like what happened to Shannon’s father?” I asked the obvious.

Matro’s jaw tightened. “Yes.”

Detherina placed both her palms on the table. “So you will have to make sure to keep an eye on them. This is a big load on your shoulders, but you’re all we’ve got. Ergans will play dirty. They’d do anything to incapacitate me.”

“How can I keep Shannon safe?” I asked, wondering about living arrangements in particular. Matro coughed, and I realized that he could read my mind.

“The society you live in would not understand Shannon living with you, so I’ve made arrangements to buy the house next door,” Detherina said.

“But that house isn’t for sale.” I scratched my head, thinking of my neighbors. They’d just moved into the area a year ago.