Nine

Chapter Nine of The Watchtower Chronicles - Water

The interior of the chest is made of the same wood as the outside, with dark blue velvet lining the bottom.  The two of us search for some hidden trinket or note, but there is absolutely nothing.  Looking up at Coach, I scowl as my displeasure arises.  To my surprise, he begins to laugh.

“You need to prove that you are the Water Watchtower Serenity,” he tells me.  I look at the box and clear my throat.

“I am Serenity...” I begin, but then shake my head.  It isn’t my real name after all, and I must prove I am a Watchtower.

“I am Aquaria, daughter of Lux and Tamesis.  I am the Watchtower of the West, guardian of the water element,” I say in a commanding tone.  The bottom of the box begins to glow brightly, and a large sphere of light rises from out of nowhere.  Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Jax’s mouth hanging wide open, and I quickly turn to Coach for an explanation.

“This is one of the four chests given to the Guardians of the Watchtowers.  It is a way to ensure your siblings are alive and safe,” he explains.  My mouth drops, identical to Jax, and I gaze hungrily into the sphere.

“So...you mean to tell me I am about to see my siblings for the first time?” I ask in a hushed voice, and Coach nods.  Jax leans closer to me and grabs my hand, squeezing it for reassurance.  I barely hear Coach’s gently reminder that this will be just glimpses of their faces, as he cannot be sure whether they have been told their true natures yet.  As he finishes speaking, the sphere flashes and a tall boy with a shock of white-blonde hair appears, running across what looks like a plane of a desert.  He seems to be racing someone unseen in the background, and is evidentially winning by a long shot.

“That’s your brother?” Jax asks, his voice insinuating something else.  I shush him with a soft giggle as my brother disappears.  His image is replaced with a girl with wild, curly red hair who seems to be lounging on a long chaise overlooking a balcony.  Through the mist, I cannot be certain what city she is in, but I swear I glimpse a large clock tower in the background.  She is smoking a cigarette, and I watch somewhat fascinated by the glowing embers at the end of the stick as she inhales, then exhales, the smoke curling out of her mouth towards the ceiling.  Again the image flashes and I see my other brother, on his hand and knees in what looks like a garden.  His hair looks as though it is normally a dark chestnut brown, but is tinted lighter from the evident sunlight.  He seems to be humming to himself as he pats down the dirt in front of him, and I can’t help but smile a little.  The image then fades and the sphere lowers itself back into the chest where it disappears completely.   I look back up at Coach expectantly.

 “So…now what?” I ask.  Coach smiles and beckons me to follow him.  Exchanging glances with Jax, we follow Coach down a sloping hallway into another, more circular room. I see a pool in front of me and I raise an eyebrow with a slight smirk. Coach sees this and laughs.

"It's time to begin your training Serenity.  You have your powers, and you are beginning to learn how to use them.  But to be able to bend the water to your will at any given moment, and learn how to not let your anger get you out of control...” At this Jax stifles a laugh and I elbow him.  Coach continues as if he heard nothing.

“This will be most vital to you when you face Nerine again, which I fear will be sooner rather than later,” he finishes.  I nod, and then realize a flaw in the training.

“Coach?  I, uh, I didn’t bring my suit,” I tell him.  Coach laughs, not unkindly.

“My dear Serenity, I think we’ve learned in the past month that when you’re using your powers, you don’t exactly need a swimsuit,” he says, and I blush.  I can’t believe I had momentarily forgotten about the after part of my surprise party and this afternoon when I came out of the water perfectly dry.

“So...how do I summon the power if I’m you know, not extremely angry or under attack?” I ask.

“Take a seat on the edge of the pool and put your feet in,” Coach instructs.  I obey after taking off my shoes and rolling up my pant legs.  Letting my legs sway gently in the water, I look back up at him.

“Close your eyes.  Let you mind clear of all thoughts.”

“Oh yes, because after today that’ll be so easy,” I hear Jax scoff.  I see Coach shoot him a look before nodding encouragingly at me.  I take a breath and close my eyes.  Immediately the images of Nerine, my real mother and father, and my siblings as young children swirl in front of me.  I take deep calming breaths, and picture the ocean.  The rolling waves crash in my mind, and I begin to relax.

“Good Serenity, very good,” Coach’s voice echoes from far away.

“Now, slip into the water.”  I hear the instruction, place my hands on the sides, and slowly lower my body into the water.  I look back up at him and he gestures for me to go underwater.

“All the way,” Coach urges.  I take a deep breath and dunk under the surface.  My hearing begins to sharpen; I can hear the water flowing in from the jets on the other side of the pool, the drain sucking old water to make room from new at the bottom.

“Take a breath.”  I exhale, and then inhale.  While it is slightly chlorinated, the air I breathe from the water fills my lungs normally.  I laugh, and can feel the bubbles rise up towards the surface from my mouth.

“You can open your eyes now Serenity,” I hear Coach say with a chuckle.  My eyes fly open.  I can see everything so clearly, and I feel more alive than I ever have in my life.  I watch my arms tread through the water, seeing the swirls the water makes with my movements.

“Now, connect with your power.  Do what you wish, see where your mind takes you, this is all you.”  I think for a moment, and then get a fun idea.  Concentrating, I feel the water draining from the sides, towards the center where I stand.  As I manipulate the waves, they come up underneath and gently lift me up into the air like a geyser.  I settle into a seated position, feeling as though I am sitting in a throne carved from water.  Jax claps and cries out with delight, and Coach is smiling as well.  I will the water to carry me back towards them and it sets me gently down.  I turn back and raise a hand to eye level.  The water recedes and falls back into the pool as though never disturbed.

“That was very good Serenity,” Coach compliments, then gets a look on his face that I always see before a big meet.

“Now let’s see what you can do in a fight,” he tells me.  He comes and sets my body straight forward towards the water.

“Now, lift your arms,” he says.   I slowly begin to raise my arms, and the water begins to churn and swirl in front of me.  The higher I raise them, the more the water elevates, churning into a whirlpool as it did at the party.

“Forward,” he instructs, and I push my arms forward.  The whirlpool surged forward, slowly at first, but faster and faster as I concentrate.  It rages towards the wall and slams into it with a tidal wave force.

“Excellent!” Coach exclaims, and I can see Jax pump his fist in the air in approval.

“Now, defense.  Pretend that someone is attacking you, how will you defend yourself?” he says, and then gestures to Jax.

“Mr. Funke, please go make yourself useful,” he says.  Jax jogs around the edge of the pool to the opposite edge of me.  He makes a scary face and pretends to lunge at me.

“Concentrate White!” Coach yells as I begin to giggle.  I clear my mind once more and focus on defending myself from my ‘enemy’.  A wall of water bursts into the air and whirls around me, encasing me in my very own whirlpool.  I can see Coach and Jax try to make their way in, but the churning water blocks their every move.

“You’re getting the hang of this!” Coach says happily, as I release my whirlpool and the water once again settles down.  I sink to the ground, finally realizing how exhausted I am.  Jax runs over and sits next to me.

“Ren, I can’t even begin to explain how amazing that was.  This is SO surreal,” he gushes.  I smile at him, and then look back to Coach who was procuring a bottle of some golden liquid out of his jacket pocket.

“Here, drink this.  It’ll replenish your energy,” he tells me, unscrewing the bottle cap.  I take it and have a sip, letting the surprisingly warm liquid slither down my throat.  A few more sips and I am feeling re-energized.

“Good, so now we can continue,” he says.  Jax looks at him incredulously.

“Coach, aren’t you going a little hard on her?” he asks.  When Coach throws him a glare he backtracks.  “I mean, this is really important and all but Ren just is learning how to control her powers,” he finishes meekly.

“Yes Jax, but you see every minute she lives untrained with her powers is a minute gained for Nerine and the other Daughters to defeat and kill her,” Coach explains, as though this sort of thing happens every day.  I exchange a worried glance with Jax, and then stand back up.

“I’m ready for more,” I say, then turn back to the water and continue my training.

------------------------

Several hours later, Coach finally decides that I have received enough training for the day.  I have gone through two of the golden liquid bottles, but can still feel weariness in my bones.  We go back up through the passage into the study where we had talked earlier and he goes to another bookshelf, pulling out a large black book.

“What’s that? The ancient history of your people?” Jax asks.  I hide my smile quickly as Coach ignores him.  We watch as the bookcase sinks to the ground and he pulls out a large globe.  Jax looks slightly embarrassed as Coach turns around with a bemused smile on his face and places the globe on the round table.

“Sit,” he instructs, and we sit around the table.  He places one of his hands on the globe and sighs.

“When you four turned 18, my brothers and I sent secret messages alerting each other to our locations.  Sometime after you are all trained properly, I am sure you realize you must face the Daughters, and Zalaph himself in a Final Battle to push out the Darkness once and for all.”  Coach nods at the globe, and then looks at me expectantly.

“A blood payment is needed,” Coach says, and then hesitates as the color drains from my face; blood has done well for my stomach.  “Serenity, you must know that the instant your blood touches the stone, the Daughters will be able to find you, your friends and your family.  You will become part of the turmoil that is our world, and to put it simply, you will not be the same.  The fight to end all fights begins with first blood.  I will understand if you are not quite ready to give up the life you know and love so well.”

I can’t help but stare incredulously at him as he finishes.

“You didn’t think to tell me this before?  It’s quite a heavy decision to make,” I sputter, but it is not Coach who responds, but Jax.

“You will always be Serenity, my best friend, and the best swimmer our school has ever seen,” he tells me, squeezing my arm.  I feel moved, and the tear spring up in the corners of my eyes.

“You can get out of here now Jax, I won’t make you do or go along with anything that could potentially be dangerous,” I tell him, but he just waves me off with a snort.

“Did you hear anything I just said dummy?  You’re my best friend, I’m not going anywhere,” he tells me, then pulls me close for one of his big bear hugs.  I allow myself to let my mind go blank for a moment, and hug tightly back.  One final squeeze and I let myself out, turning back to the box in front of me.  Looking over at Coach, I realize I have no idea how I’m expected to do this.  As if waiting, he procures a needle.  I instinctively shrink back, my fear of needles coming to play.

“We could go medieval and get a knife?” Jax suggested, and I shudder.  Taking the needle, I close my eyes and prick my forefinger.  A dull, stabbing pain alerts me that I have hit my target.  I crack one eye open and see the dark red blood beading out of the tiny hole to form a drop on my finger.  I turn it over and shake it downwards towards the globe.  A faint hum emits from the globe as it glows brilliantly, then as soon as it begins, it is over.   I look at the globe and see a blue light emitting from the middle of North America, right over the town which I live in.

“The blue light represents me, doesn’t it?” I ask, and Coach nods.

“Once your brothers and sister accept their destinies, their lights will be on the globe as well.  Since I communicated with my brothers before we went our separate ways I know approximately where each of them is now.  Your brother Aeron is in Melbourne, Australia.  Incendia is over in London, and Terran is currently in Cape Town, South Africa.  We made sure to take you to four countries that spoke a universal language so that when the time came for the four of you to join together there would be no barriers standing in your way.”  I nod; the idea makes sense to me.  I can’t imagine meeting my own sister and not being able to communicate with her properly.

“This globe is obviously not what it seems.  It is a map of your location.  If any of you change locations, this map will reflect them.  When the four of you are in the same place, the lights will converge and turn purple-”  Jax cuts him off, clearly puzzled.

“Purple?  Why purple?” he asks.  Coach shrugs.

“It is what we were told by our father Zane.  I am not really sure if there is anything else specific to the color,” he responds.  Jax clearly isn’t satisfied with the nonchalant answer, but I have other questions on my mind.

“So how are we supposed to find each other?  I don’t suppose it’s going to be as easy as walking up to someone and asking them ‘Hey do you have magical powers that relate to such and such element and are a Watchtower destined to fight all evil?’”  Jax snorts, but Coach raises a hand to stop him.

“That is a fair question Serenity.  I am already in communication with my brother Kiran, who is Aeron’s protector.  He is preparing him now, and will bring him over to the United States soon,” he tells me.  I can feel my mouth twist; the answer is slightly vague but I realize it is the best I can get. 

“Now you two, go home and get some rest.  I will use my power to protect you tonight as you sleep, and tomorrow you will go to your classes as usual; Nerine won’t dare attack you there, not yet.  Then you’ll come back here for more training.”  I nod in understanding, and he takes us out to his car.  It is early evening judging from the sky outside; I had left my phone in my car when I first arrived at the mansion, so I have no way of telling what time it was.  We drive in silence back to our cars on Roseville, and then we all part ways for the night.

When I get home, the lights are on in the kitchen, and I know my parents are waiting for me.  This is going to be one of the harder parts of accepting my true identity, as it meant also accepting that they are not my real parents.  I walk into the kitchen and they abruptly stop talking and look over at me.  My mother rushes over and gives me a hug while my father hangs back.

“We were so worried about you, why didn’t you call and say you were running late?” she scolds.  I give her a half smile.

“Sorry Mom, I forgot my phone in the car.  It’s been a long day,” I say pointedly, and she releases me.  She quickly steps back and looks up at my father, who is struggling to find the right words to say.

“It’s okay guys, I know the truth now,” I tell them.  My father looks relieved, while I see my mother struggling not to cry.  I realize that telling me the truth must have been, at least in part, of what they have been arguing about over the past month.  My father gives my mother a significant look and finally speaks.

“Serenity, first and foremost, please know that we didn’t tell you your real identity because we had to protect you from the Daughters of Darkness.  We couldn’t have a child on our own, and even though protecting your identity from them was a difficult job, we instantly fell in love the moment we laid eyes on you.  To us you will always be Serenity White, our daughter, whom we care about more than anything in the world, regardless of whether or not you have magical powers,” he says.  For the first time as long as I can remember, I see tears forming in my fathers’ eyes.  Overcome with emotion, I rush forward and embrace them both.  He breaks, and it doesn’t take long for my mother and I to join him.  We stay that way for a long time, until finally I step back, hastily wiping my cheeks.

“I’m not mad at you anymore for keeping my true identity for me; you took on the responsibility of being my protector and raised me as your own child.  For that I will always love you, and you will always be my parents.  Although it’s more elemental powers than magic” I tell them tearfully.  My parents both laugh and reach for my hands.  I take them, giving each a squeeze in turn.

“What did Coach....well I suppose we can refer to him as Arlen now do with you today?” my father asks.  I hesitate; I am suddenly nervous to tell them of my earlier faceoff with Nerine.  I decide in the end that it can wait for another time.  I decide to ask Arlen tomorrow the best way to tell them about that, or even see if perhaps he can speak to them about it.

“He taught me how to use my powers both offensively and defensively for battle,” I say, then add “He also explained where I came from, who I am, well everything really.”  My mother nods, pursing her lips together.  I imagine she does not enjoy the idea of her only daughter fighting in a battle, regardless of whether or not it is my destiny.

“It’s a lot to take in, I know.  We were quite overwhelmed when we first got you,” she admits, and I nod in understanding.

“You have a lot of things riding on your shoulders in the coming months Ren, and I’m not just talking about college acceptance letters and decisions,” my father says, and I can’t help but laugh.  It is true, I had completely forgotten about normal life and going to college since I turned eighteen.  I can’t help but wonder if I’ll ever be able to have a semi-normal college experience while the Daughters of Darkness prowl the world, seeking my destruction.

“You can say that again,” I say with a smile, and instantly we are all laughing together, as if nothing had changed.  After a moment we sober and he continues.

“I just want you to know we’re not going to give up and leave you hanging.  We might not have any powers or anything, but we will support you however we can,” he tells me.  I smile and reach forward to embrace him.

“Thanks Daddy,” I murmur, and he chuckles.

“You’re going to make me start getting all emotional again,” he says, and I let go with a grin.  My mother reaches forward and squeezes my arm gently.

“I’m sure you’re tired and hungry sweetheart.  Why don’t you go upstairs and take a shower and I’ll bring you something to eat?” she suggests.  I am grateful, and happy that she would allow me to actually eat in my bedroom for once.  I suppose with the fate of the world landing partially on my shoulders, something as trivial as crumbs on my bed seems like nothing.

An hour later as I am finishing brushing my teeth after my meal, both of my parents come in.

“We came to tuck you in and say good night, and hope you sleep well,” my mother says, and I can’t help but smile; I don’t really mind the young child treatment just for tonight.  Both kiss me goodnight, and I flash back to when I was a child and both of them would come tuck me in.  I snuggle in my bed, hoping this isn't the last time I would have a normal night like this one.  But my gut tells me that something is coming, and I will never have a normal night again until it’s all over.  With that unsettling thought, I close my eyes and somehow slip into a dreamless, undisturbed slumber.