Ascension

9

9

RAJA AND I CONTINUED TO RUN THROUGH the tunnels, desperately searching for a way out. My eyes searched everywhere, but I didn't see an easy way to escape. Raja and I both paused, trying to catch our breath. In the direction we were running, we saw more cages, and it looked as if a bunch of the city's water had been backed up right there. There had to be an exit on the other side of all of that water, but I couldn't let all of those people stay in those cages. I had to get them out.

"You go ahead, I'm going to try to get them out," I told Raja. I ran back in the opposite direction, desperately trying to get everyone out before someone found us. I arrived back at the cages. I looked down at my hands again as they turned pink. I threw my hands down and all of the gates broke. I smiled in amazement; these powers were fascinating. The woman that had talked to me earlier ran over to me, hugging me. She thanked me over and over again. "All right you guys, follow me," I said, running back towards Raja. There was a small boy who kept up with me, his face covered in dirt, and his clothes covered in sweat. Suddenly, I began to hear gunshots. I looked behind me to see the people I had just saved being shot down by pack members in black. Wolves started coming from in front of us as well.

I swiped up the little boy and ran through a wall with him. I literally had phased through the wall. We ended up not too far from Raja, but I could still hear the gunshots and the screams. I continued to run with him and then I saw Raja.

"They killed them, Raja! They killed them!" I cried.

"We have to go," he said. The three of us swam through the water, I could see the night sky through a circular hole.

"Brace yourselves. It's going to be quite a fall." I grabbed the little boy again, and soon enough, we began falling. We all screamed in unison, but somehow, we appeared in Raja's car.

"Drive!" I yelled. Raja started the car and we sped off. Kane Manor was now filled with cars and cops. How did they know that someone had gotten into the tunnels? I looked at the little boy in the back. He smiled at me.

"Are you ok?" I asked.
"I'm ok. They didn't make it did they? The others?"
"... I'm so sorry, I want you to know that Raja and I are going to

protect you. What's your name?"
"Gabriel. I guess I should show you my true form."
The boy started to glow a bright light color. When the color faded, a

young teenager sat where the boy once did. "What are you?" asked Raja.

"I'm an abomination, half-witch, half-vampire."
"I didn't think that was possible," I replied.
"It's not supposed to be, but nature has a way of balancing everything

out, that's why I almost died during the Purge."
"How did all of you down there almost die?" I asked.
"Honestly, I can't remember, none of us could. One moment, we

were in a field. I dunno why we were there, we just were. The next moment, I woke up in those tunnels. The woman that was with me, her name was Sarah. She raised me when all of that stuff started happening. My real mother- I never met her. I believe her name was Carson Cross."

"That's the same name that Sarah told me. We have to find her." I said. "You guys can crash at my place for the night."

Raja drove us home and I fell to my bed, desperately wishing that I hadn't seen any of this.

The next day, I went into the morgue a little late. Raja had tagged along with me so he could avoid going around Julius. Before I could get to my office, I saw two young men standing at my door. One looked to be mixed and the other one looked maybe Hispanic. Raja froze as he locked eyes with both of the men.

"Dr. Kate Shepard?" asked the mixed one.

"Yes?"

"I'm Agent Gray and that's Agent Keene, we are with the FBI. We are here to ask you about Helena Blackwater."

"What about her?" I asked, unlocking the door.
"We need to see your autopsy notes."
"Ok sure, let me j-" I turned around to see my entire office a disaster.

The filing cabinets were thrown on the ground, papers hid my feet from the floor. Who would do this? It had to be the Kane family.

"I keep an audio recording of notes as well, I can email it to you. Ms. Blackwater didn't die of natural causes. I know this sounds impossible, but it was almost as if someone took her powers, killed her, and then gave her powers right back to her. She also had prosopagnosia."

"She couldn't recognize anyone," said Gray and Raja at the same time. They stared into each other's eyes. Raja smiled but then his stare went cold when he got to Keene.

"I'm sorry, I never caught your name," said Gray to Raja.
"Dr. Raja Jewel, psychologist."
"Nice to meet you. You know, your last name sums up what you

are."
"That was corny." laughed Raja, "but I'll take it anyway."
Just as the two were laughing, Julius and Alex came into the morgue. "What happened in here?" asked Alex.
"Well someone broke in here looking for something, I'm not sure

what. What are you here for detectives?"
"Julius is probably here to sleep with Agent Keene," said Raja. "What was that?" asked Julius, getting defensive. Agent Gray

stepped in front of Raja in a defensive position, looking down a Julius. "Is there a reason you're standing protectively in front of my

boyfriend?" said Julius.
"Seems like your 'boyfriend' doesn't want to be bothered by you,"

said Gray.
"Well how about I give you something to be bothered with."
"I know all about you Julius Hangston. You're not even a wolf by

blood, you're pathetic."
Julius paused. It was like Agent Gray had hit a nerve. He looked to

Gray and then to Raja. There was a tear that was about to come out of his eye. He angrily punched the wall beside my desk, making a hole in it. He walked out of my office. I was in complete shock, that was uncalled for on both ends.

"We are going to get going as well, thank you for your time," said Keene.

After everyone was gone, Raja decided to head out as well. I pulled out the body of Helena Blackwater again and looked at her with sadness.

"What happened to you?" I asked.

There was a man in front of me, his face covered in fog. He passed a book to a young woman that looked like Helena. Helena took the book and opened it, asking, "so if I kill him, I will be free. What about her?"

"That is not your destiny to fulfill."

It was another vision.