Ch 2: Identity

Rescued by a rogue energist, Amy realizes she must rely on his strength. Her new ally is a mystery, and while he seems trustworthy, is there more significance and danger to this meeting than it seems?

            Amy awoke to find herself in a rather cramped space. Struggling to sit up she realized she was in the back seat of a small hover car with a dark red paint job parked outside the gates of one of the outdoor storage facilities in the Celestis storage district. By now the sun was setting. It had been hours since her encounter with the two men. In sudden realization she looked around for the mysterious young energist, and noticed him in the driver’s seat, asleep with both arms on the steering wheel and his head resting on them. Looking at this boy, who couldn’t possibly be much older than her, if at all, she could hardly believe him to be the powerful energist she knew him to be. Sound asleep, with seemingly no cares in the world, he looked just like an average person. Staring at him, she thought, “This is the guy who saved me? He’s dangerous in a different way when he’s sleeping…” Then she quickly started shaking her head furiously as she thought, “No, no, no, what am I saying?! I have to get home! I hardly know anything about him anyway…” Reeling in her thoughts, she realized she really didn’t know much about him. Thinking about what to do, she decided she might learn more about him if she woke him up and asked him some questions.

            Mustering her courage, Amy reached out to tap him lightly on the shoulder, and quietly said, “Umm… excuse me but… uh…” Her finger touched his shoulder, and suddenly her mind flooded with flashes of images, as though a screen had been placed in front of her face and was showing all sorts of videos in fast-forward. She saw visions of a rural town, a small boy with his family, then what looked like an older version of the boy as a student, walking with others to school. Suddenly, the scene changed to flames, the inside of a burning house it seemed, and through the door of a flaming room stepped a dark figure with white hair, his face hidden by shadow but with eyes glowing red. Not only was she seeing things but she was feeling things, and the powerful terror that overcame her made her pull back her hand in alarm. Terrified, she screamed, but as suddenly as it began the vision was over and the irrational fear left her. Now the boy was quite awake, sitting turned around in his seat with an alarmed look on his face as he stammered, “Wh-what? What the hell are you yelling about?” Amy didn’t quite understand it herself. Never before had she lost control of her abilities in such a way. Simply by touching him, she had seen into his memories without even trying! As a child she had once peeked into a classmate’s memory, but upon telling her father was harshly scolded, told that, “It’s not right to look into other’s minds without permission!”

            Feeling guilty, Amy blurted out, “I’m sorry!” The boy was a bit taken aback by her apology, and simply said, “Uh, no it’s fine… I guess you had a nightmare or something?” He had no clue what she was really apologizing for, and as bad as Amy felt about it, she was afraid he’d be angry if she told him. She merely replied, “Uh yea, I guess so…” The boy turned the key to the ignition and started the hover car, and as he turned the wheel and checked the traffic, he said, “Well, after what you just went through I’m not really surprised. Where can I drop you off?” Amy was about to answer when something dawned on her. They didn’t even know each other’s names. With the intention of prompting him to do the same, she decided to introduce herself and said, “I live at the old apartment complex on East Street, near the plaza, my dad owns the complex. By the way, my name’s Amy, Amy Grant.” 

The boy glanced back at her quickly, obviously sensing she was fishing for his name, and for a moment seemed like he was deciding if he would bite. At first he simply said, “Nice to meet you.” With another moment’s pause, he went on to say, “I don’t really have a proper name anymore. You can just call me Grey.” The hover car pulled out from the curb and they were on the road heading north. Feeling even more curious now, she pressed on, asking, “What do you mean by ‘don’t have a proper name anymore’?” This time, Grey didn’t look back or show any sign of hesitation as he said, “Long story, I don’t feel like talking about it.” Amy got the feeling she wouldn’t get much more, so she took a moment to look around the car, and realized something that raised another question in her mind. She hadn’t just been sleeping on the seat. The back seat was made up with pillows and blankets into a makeshift bed. Amy asked him, “Um, where are you staying Grey? Have you lived around here long?” As they stopped at a red light, Grey said, “No. I just arrived here a couple days ago, and I’m not really staying anywhere. I just sleep in my hover car.” Then Grey looked back at her and showing some curiosity of his own said, “I’ve been wondering, are you actually an energist? There’s no way those goons were with The Guild, but they were sure interested in you for some reason. Any idea why?”

            Feeling put on the spot, Amy hesitated as to whether she should actually reveal her secret to someone. She had thought to talk with him about so many things, as she had always wanted to meet another energist, someone who could understand. But then there was still the fact that Grey was still more like an acquaintance then a friend. No one but her father, and her deceased mother, had known her secret. It was easier to hide than it would be for most energists, as her abilities seemed to use very little EDE, and as long as she didn’t use them there was no need even to try suppressing her almost non-existent aura. She had escaped the registration process with this fortunate trait. Still, she had to be careful as EDE detection technology had improved since then. Aware that Grey could be an undercover agent of The Guild’s Special Forces, Amy still decided to trust him. Slowly she said, “Yes, I am an energist. You were right before though, I’m not very strong or anything… The only things I can really do are move small objects a little with my mind and, rarely, have dreams that seem to predict the future. Though sometimes they’re hard to understand…” Amy was unable to add that she could see into people’s minds, with a little effort, especially when in physical contact. It still bothered her conscience having seen into Grey’s mind, and she felt worried if she told him he would distance himself.

            As they drove on, with a smirk Amy could clearly see from the rear view mirror, Grey said, “So you really are a rogue energist. You’ve got guts.” Then he quickly added, “You can trust me, don’t worry. I’m not with The Guild, and I really have no reason to be telling anyone.” Amy noticed a serious look on his face as he muttered, “I got my own problems to worry about…” Then, as though he hadn’t meant to say that out loud, Grey quickly changed the subject as he said, “More of those thugs might show up, y’know. Their friends came and picked them up after you passed out. Can’t say I’ve got any clue who they are, but I got the impression they’re from some shady organization. I doubt putting a couple of them in the hospital will make them back off for long…” Grey glanced back at her with a serious look and said, “Plus, if they’ve got the resources to find out about you, they’ll definitely have figured out where you live.” Amy’s heart sank as she thought, “Oh no… What do I do now? He’s right! It’s only a matter of time before they track me down again…” Seeing her depressed expression, Grey let out a sigh and said, “You said that apartment complex you live in is being run by your dad right?” Unsure where this was going, Amy replied, “Y-yeah. We collect rent from the tenants and live in one of the rooms ourselves.” Grey turned back to look at her with a big grin on his face and said, “Got any rooms available?”

            The hover car pulled up to the curb outside the apartment complex. Truly ancient looking compared to the city’s many sleek, modernized structures, it was only a two story building but it was wide enough to accommodate a decent amount of tenants. Its olive green paint was starting to peel, and its windows looked as though they needed to be cleaned. Grey and Amy got out of the car, and made their way to the building. Grey had agreed to stay at the apartment complex and keep an eye out for her. Filled with hope, Amy hardly felt concerned at all that she had missed work and her father was probably worried sick. They passed through the front door and headed down the hall, to come to their room at the very end of the first floor. As Amy started to unlock the door with her key, the door burst open as she fit it into the lock and the bearded Mr. Grant, who must have heard them come to the door, stepped out and exclaimed, “Thank heaven!” 

His hair was brown with a bit of gray and his eyes a match to Amy’s blue. On his face was a look of great relief, but after a moment his relieved face became stern and he added, “Where have you been?! You didn’t come home after school to get ready for your job at the diner, your boss has called wondering where you are, and Mia said you had headed home from school already when I called to see if you went over to her house! I’ve been so worried I actually thought of calling the police to put in a missing persons report if you didn’t show up soon!” Amy, struggling to come up with the words to explain what happened, managed to say, “I-I’m so sorry, I just… well…” Grey, who had been standing off to the side, stepped into Mr. Grant’s view and said, “Why don’t we talk about this inside? I know you were worried but calm down. She’s been through a lot already.” Mr. Grant looked at Grey for a moment as though he’d seen a ghost, then in a confused voice asked, “Who is this?” Grey extended a hand with a grin and said, “Name’s Grey, your daughter tells me you have a room available?”

            “I see.” said Mr. Grant in a hushed tone. Now in the living room of the Grants’ apartment, Mr. Grant and Amy sat together on the sofa, while Grey leaned against the wall opposite them, next to the entertainment center. With a tone of gratitude, Mr. Grant said to Grey, “We owe you a debt we can never repay young man. Thank you so much for bringing my daughter back to me safely. I… I don’t know what I’d do if something had happened to her.” Mr. Grant’s face was serious as he continued, “I’m not quite sure what to do about the situation though. As things stand we neither know who is after my daughter, nor what they intend to do with her. You’re certain this could not be The Guild’s doing?” Grey closed his eyes as if thinking for a moment, and then said, “I don’t see much of a reason for them to care about her. They have plenty of soothsayers, and she doesn’t seem all that talented. Anyone with basic telekinesis can move small objects a bit without much practice at all.” Demonstrating this, he opened his eyes and stared at a glass on the coffee table in front of the two Grants. It rose to hover in the air for a moment, and then slowly placed itself back on the coffee table. Grey continued, “If it were just about enforcing the Registration Act, they wouldn’t launch some kinda covert operation. They’d have come here and arrested you both, you would be charged with harboring her in an illegal zone… All that stuff.” 

The grandfather clock over in the corner of the room chimed nine o’clock, and Mr. Grant rose from his chair saying, “Well, for the moment all we can do is rely on you, young man. It would be hard to explain this to the authorities without raising suspicion as to Amy’s secret, and as much as it pains me to admit it, I would be able to do little to protect her on my own.” Grey was starting to get the suspicion there was something on Mr. Grant’s mind by the way he kept looking at him. Grey simply replied, “I already agreed to help. I have some business here in town, but I can do that on the side.” Mr. Grant turned to Amy and said to her, “It’s getting late Amy. You’d better go do your homework. I’ll be back after I show the young man to his room.” Another suspicious thing Grey noticed, not once since he had introduced himself had Mr. Grant called him by name. Grey thought to himself, “Usually something like that wouldn’t bother me, but it seems strange…”

            Heading to her room, Amy turned as Grey and Mr. Grant were leaving and said to Grey, “Um, see you later!” Grey gave a small wave as he walked out the door. Together he and Mr. Grant made their way to another room just by the top of the stairs on the second floor. Mr. Grant fumbled through a ring of keys with numbers taped on them, looking for the one that matched the number on the door. Finding the right key, he stuck it into the keyhole and opened the door, saying, “Well I do hope this room will be suitable. Don’t worry about rent, after all you’ve done the least I can do is give you a place to stay.” As Mr. Grant turned to leave, Grey said, “Mr. Grant, is there any reason you’ve been looking at me like that since the moment you saw me?” Mr. Grant paused for a moment, and then in an innocent voice he said, “I’m not quite sure what you mean, young man. You must be imagining things…” Not fooled, Grey continued, “I gave you my name you know, why do you keep calling me ‘young man’ all the time? Sorry but something seems strange about you Mr. Grant…” Once more Mr. Grant paused. Then in a slightly mischievous tone, Mr. Grant said, “Oh I’m sorry, would you prefer Matthew Greyson?”

            Grey’s eyes widened, and from Grey’s hand a glowing mass of EDE formed. Within a split second it crystallized into a sword, its guard gray and blue with a yellow gem studded into it, as well as at the bottom of the handle. Grey leveled the point of the blade at Mr. Grant’s throat, who simply stood there calmly as Grey shouted, “Who are you old man, and how do you know that name?!” The moment Grey heard that name, images and thoughts came pouring into his head and filled him with fear and rage. Mr. Grant was silent for a moment, seeming unaffected by Grey’s frightening temperament as he finally said, “I see. You don’t remember me. Well, you were still a child after all. You’ve grown so much I’m surprised I was able to recognize you.” Grey held his blade firmly in place, as Mr. Grant continued, “Though with the current state you’re in, it’s probably not just the age at which we met that kept you from recognizing me. I can tell you remember very little of your past.” Again Grey’s eyes widened, and he quickly came to the realization that Amy was not the only energist in her family. Certain of his conclusion, Grey exclaimed, “A mind reader!?” Mr. Grant gave an apologetic look and said, “Forgive me, I felt it was necessary. I am not one to abuse my powers. It would be hypocritical of me after raising my daughter to be so considerate with hers.” 

Grey was in disbelief as he thought, “How was it I couldn’t sense another energist when he had been right there in front of me this whole time, using his powers all the while to tap into my mind?!” Furious, Grey yelled, “ANSWER ME! How do you know that name?! Did you pick it from my brain as well?!” Mr. Grant sighed and said, “You don’t listen very well do you? This is not our first meeting, nor was it your first meeting today with my daughter.” Grey faltered, and slowly Mr. Grant raised a hand and pushed his blade away as he explained, “Eight years ago I visited a Sanctuary in the Kingdom of Gaian with my family, at the request of… an old family friend. It was there that I was introduced to the Greysons, Jonathan and Samantha, and it was explained to me that their young boy, Matthew, was very ill and no one could figure out what was wrong with him. I worked as a doctor at the time, discreetly using my ability to interface with the mind in order to diagnose the body. I was quite successful at the job. So much so that I went into early retirement, as my colleagues grew suspicious of my skill in diagnosing patients." 

            A bit of nostalgia showing on his face now as he briefly paused, Mr. Grant soon continued, "I must say I was quite shocked at the diagnosis for the young boy, but that’s a story for another time. Needless to say I was successful in providing the information needed to cure him. He recovered quite quickly, and as we stayed there a while after my work was done, it turned out that that he and my daughter became fast friends. That however, was cut all too short. My wife, whom Amy no doubt inherited her powers of foresight from, had a vision one night that terrified her.” Mr. Grant’s face became very grave as he said, “A vision of my daughter’s future should she remain near you.”

            Grey’s blade clattered to the ground as he clutched his head. It was too much to take in, he fought to keep his mind clear, but the old man’s story was causing the thoughts and images to multiply, and added to it all was the horror of this revelation, that he would bring misfortune to that girl. Mr. Grant simply continued, “We quickly left the village after that, and also… in order to ensure that vision did not come to pass, my wife did what was probably the hardest thing she’d ever had to do. She used her incredible abilities to completely erase any memories Amy had of you.” Grey could only stare at Mr. Grant in horror as he went on, saying, “Fate, however, seems to be as merciless as ever. By its hand you’ve made the long, winding road back to her. To be honest, I felt certain when I heard you had been killed three years ago that we’d successfully protected her. It’s so chaotic inside that head, even I can’t tell. Just what have you been doing these last three years?” Suddenly the two of them heard the clanking of someone coming up the metal staircase behind Mr. Grant, and a voice called out, “That’s quite enough Thomas…” A man who looked to be in his late twenties with short brown hair stepped onto the second floor and faced the two. He wore dark shades over his eyes, and his clothes were red colored and dignified looking, like those of a high ranking soldier or noble. A black cloak hung from his shoulders, fluttering slightly in the draft that blew through the hall. In an irritated tone, Grey said, “You…” Mr. Grant smiled casually and said, “It’s been a long time, Alexander.”

Reviews

[Laura Lynn]

I loved Amy Grant! I thought she was so cool when I was a kid! Your writing is really good. I wish I had time to write like this. I've got so much else to study and another project I already have been working on, which is devoted to the acrostic form, but it's more helpful to see "snippets"/parts of the diverse styles on here to round out one's writing interests or even capabililities rather

[KeithKVH]

Thank you once again! To be honest, Amy's name was not really based on anything other than what came to mind, I may have heard of Amy Grant and used it subconsciously, but I still am myself unable to really recall who you're referencing. The fact is many of the earlier names were done on the fly, and it's really scary how well they fit if you look into some of the history behind them.

Grey's real name (Not yet revealed so): Traces back to a Hebrew name meaning "Gift of YAHWEH" or in other words "Gift of God".

Amy's name: English form of the Old French name Amée meaning "beloved"

Alexander's name: Latinized form of the Greek name Αλεξανδρος (Alexandros), which meant "defending men" from Greek αλεξω (alexo) "to defend, help" and ανηρ (aner) "man" (genitive ανδρος)

Alastor's name (Villain soon to be introduced): His name is the same as the name of a Greek demon, whose name translates in English as "avenger". Alastor was an epithet of the Greek god Zeus, according to Hesychius of Alexandria and the Etymologicum Magnum, which described him as the avenger of evil deeds, specifically, familial bloodshed.

If you read on, you'll find these all are extraordinarily fitting. In any case, good luck with your studying and other projects, hopefully you will find time for such a story. I'll be glad if anything I've written can further your writing style. I will be looking at your work soon. ^^

[Ryan Henderson]

Very interesting so far! Much like chapter one, it grabbed and held my attention! This chapter had nice flow, great depth and thought, good dialogue, and it set the mood for the story quite well! I love how this story is original, as on this site I mostly find 'spin-offs' of already existing stories. Very well done, I will be reading chapter three!

[KeithKVH]

Thank you again! This story has evolved much from it's original origin. I think the original basis for Grey's character came to me when I was around 12, and back then I was really only using him as a fan character for stories I'd daydream about involving one of my favorite animes at the time. I eventually started forming a basic story line of his own, and this is the result.

[Ryan Henderson]

Well, you did a very nice job! And I see, and forgot to mention in my review, one of the characters in your story has the same name as in my 'Book One: A Hero's Journey' Mr. Grant. Lol nice job on this one!

[David Jae]

Grey is an interesting character, with an edge and dark sense of mystery about him. He could easily become my favourite. He is very reminiscent of the kinds of deutagonists that are popular in anime.

Ganbare

[KeithKVH]

He is more or less the main character, though this story focuses on a large number of people. I don't want to spoil too much, though I can say it's a good thing you're seeing similarities to anime, it is highly influenced by and I myself hold hope in my heart that it can someday be an anime.

[David Jae]

If that's your goal, it's not impossible. Technology is being more accessible now. Find an animation student, or suchlike, who'll work with you and it'll become reality.

Ganbare