The Fallen Ones Page 14

CHAPTER 13                      

   

  Ephraim:

  I can’t believe this is what my life has amounted to, I was just bested in a fight by a young female Nephilim, I am living in the woods with my best friend who is consequently also one of the biggest outcasts of my generation and I am reading a book about fairy tales to try to find some answers. If this isn’t emasculating I really don’t know what is. Wait, I know what is more emasculating than this, how dare she push me like that! I didn’t even see it coming, according to her and Levi, she hasn’t even accessed her power during training some days. How could she possibly use so much force on me? It’s not that I didn’t deserve it, but I have never felt a burst of Nephilim power being used against me in that way before. She was like a goddess. I knew she was powerful when I followed the path of the demons she destroyed before, but that was instinct, she couldn’t have controlled it if she tried and her body and mind was so overcome by the experience that she still didn’t even recall anything. But this was something completely different, she was being fueled by anger, towards me. I rest my head in my hands and lean forward on the table, I know she is fragile, I should’ve been more understanding, she is so simple and happy and I was doing everything in my power to complicate her. I deserve her anger and her hate.

  I hear the front door open and my heart stands still for a moment, I listen for her but am disappointed to see Levi rounding the corner. He asks me how training was today and at first I don’t know how to answer “That’s a loaded question if ever I heard one.” He pulls up a chair across from me “Lay it on me, how bad was it?” My eyebrows pull tight as I think about how to say it “She kicked my ass.” His eyes lighten and he laughs and hits me on the back “Well there’s a first time for everything! She’s a really fast runner, but I never would’ve expected that!” he obviously doesn’t know what I mean and I am a little insulted that he so easily believes that she could beat me in hand to hand combat. “Not like that, Levi. I made her mad and she charged me and then sent me flying flat on my back with her powers. She doesn’t run that fast.” I am surprised by how insulted I am at the thought of someone being stronger than me.

  He immediately begins to quiz me on how we trained, I tell him about the running and stairs, then I tell him about our fight, he is hanging on by the edge of his seat by the time I am finished “Dammit, Ephraim! If I had known all she needed was to be pissed off, I would’ve suggested you train with her a lot sooner. That’s phenomenal! I have spent days attempting what you managed to pull off in a few short hours, hell hath no fury and all, I guess….”  I catch his dual meaning and while it would lead to a fight with anyone else, Levi is the brother I never had, he knows of my lineage and never once has he used it against me, so I know better than to be upset with him at this point.

  I ask him about his training techniques, what worked for them and how she accessed her powers when he was around. I feel like we are on the precipice of something here, but I just don’t know what. At first he describes a boring technique to me about shutting of her thoughts and light switches. I begin to lose interest but then he points out that his training exercises are all centered around her learning to gain control. “I just don’t get it. She didn’t show any control whatsoever when she threw me across an arena, it’s like she just lost it and acted without even meaning to. She ran off completely ashamed and shocked. I actually thought that maybe it was her coming home when I heard you come in, I might need to call Alya and begin searching for her, it’s been awhile…” He looks annoyed with me for a moment and I know that he is about to lecture me about letting her run off on her own, but then his expression changes into a look of excitement as he looks down to the table in front of me “Ephraim! I think I’ve got it!” his words are running together and his time in Scotland is beginning to show “We’ve spent the last two weeks searching for the object that is her anchor, the girl never owned any real jewelry or family relics of any kind. What if the anchor isn’t an object? What if instead of looking for a ‘what’ we should be looking for a ‘who’?” I realize my crazy outcast friend may have a point and his words are spilling out faster now “She accessed her power with me using control and her power with you in a fit of rage or passion, if you will. I know when I access my power after some time away from it, there has to be an element of passion and control, or else I am prone to misfire or complacency!”

  I realize he must be right “So, are you saying you think we are her anchors?” he sits back with a satisfied look on his face “Aye, Brother. That we are! Now we just need to prove it.” I am following him but have a hard time believing she would agree to train further with me after our incident today “Levi, I can’t ask her to train with both of us, I have rarely seen someone as angry with me as she was today and after what she did, she was clearly scared.” His expression grows serious as we hear the front door opening once again “Just leave it to me, Brother.”

  She walks through the door and looks completely broken. I have no clue what to say to her or how to approach her. I know that I am the reason for the despondent look on her face and I feel an overwhelming urge to walk up to her, wrap her in my arms and tell her everything will be ok. Instead, like to coward I am, I allow Levi to do it for me. “Little Princess, I hear you’ve had a big day.” I feel annoyed at him freely using a pet name with her, he has always been so good with others, I guess that is because he genuinely likes everyone. He continues on “Don’t be so hard on yourself, Ephraim and I are really proud of the progress you made today and we have a theory I want to run past you.” We both wait for her to respond but she just stares at the ground in front of her for a moment, she creases her eyebrows and pulls her lips together in a tight pout and suddenly there is a mask of regret and sadness on her face, I hate knowing that I am to blame for putting it there she looks to Levi and in a very small voice responds “Well, you’ve certainly earned the right, you can tell me whatever it is.” She looks like she is waiting for us to drop a bomb or send her away, I wish she could see how important she is to me – to us.

  I stand up and she makes eye contact with me for a brief second, I see how broken she is and want so desperately to fix it. Levi continues speaking as he rubs her arm in a way that I believe is meant to be soothing for her, but ironically for me, it is almost enough to make my blood boil “We think we’ve found your anchor, it’s not a relic or an old piece of jewelry, we think it is us, we both want a chance to train with you tomorrow, you and I with our control methods and Ephraim with his, uhh, power methods.” He awkwardly tries to grasp for a word besides passion or rage. She looks at me again and without breaking eye contact responds “I don’t know that it will do much good. But, I just can’t tell you no.” For a moment I forget what she’s talking about but then Levi shakes her arm in an excited way and he laughs “Attagirl! I knew you would be game for it! We should discuss it with you tonight, see how you feel when it happens – that will probably help us figure out what we need to work past to get to your gifts.” She smiles politely and looks up to him “I just don’t know if I can do that tonight, Levi. It has been a long day and I am spent, plus I don’t really know if I can even describe what is occurring in my head when I reach my gifts, it’s a little different every time, there is not one base emotion or thought that makes it happen.” She looks at me again and turns back to him and waits for his response.

  She used to look at me like that and wait for me to respond. I know that I messed up now, even more than before. Just the fact that she feels like she has to ask for rest says a lot about what we – what I, have put her through the last few days. He looks disappointed, but only for a moment, I know that she catches it because her expression falls, but he quickly covers and makes up an excuse about winging it, he tells her it might be best that way and it will help us really access her truest abilities and emotions. I have no clue what he is saying and I honestly don’t think he does either, but she seems satisfied with the response as she smil
es at us both and begins to walk towards her room.

  I don’t know how or why, but I lose control when I see her walk through the door and immediately hurry behind her, I have to bury this hatchet. I can live with kings and queens, the elders and the high counsel all angry at me, but I can’t live knowing that I have upset her.