The Hirt

Chapter Four

“We should hire a housekeeper, shouldn’t we?” Damien joked, seeing Heather survey the warehouse. Heather tore her gaze away from the warehouse and met Damien’s old, wise eyes once again.  She faintly smiled, slightly confused by Damien’s quirkiness and humor.

“Sir, should I . . .” Henry began to say, but slowly faded out, implying something that only Damien understood.  Damien sighed.

“Oh, I suppose you should.  I’ll go get it.”  Damien turned around and slowly staggered off.  Henry turned around and faced Heather.  He had a smirk on his chiseled face.

Heather intently studied his face.  “What?” She asked, bewildered by his expression.

“Oh, nothing!  This is going to be fun, don’t worry,” Henry laughed, making Heather worry.  He quickly turned around and followed Damien to the far wall of the Kidellian Headquarters, leaving Heather to scramble and catch up, yelling, “Hey!  Wait!”

Henry carefully took a piece of paper off the wall and slammed it onto the table.  The paper looked relatively new.  It was normal paper, and the words written on it were clearly typed, and not with a typewriter.  Heather squinted at it from the other end of the table.

“This is The Scroll.  The piece of paper where Damien has kept an ongoing list of all the Givines that have ever been seen in a Kidellian.  The piece of paper that lists some of the most powerful abilities the world has ever seen.  The piece of paper that Lykos's army has tried countless times to destroy.  The piece of paper that proves to you and everyone else that you truly are a Kidellian.”

Heather picked up The Scroll.  “Are you serious?  This is the almighty, generation-lasting paper? This looks like it could have been typed up by a fifth grader!”

“Well, it’s not the real one.  We typed it up and made photocopies.  Duh.  We aren’t going to have the actual Scroll just lying around for anyone to damage or take!” Henry replied.  Heather just stared at Henry like he wasn’t right in the mind.  “Come on,” he continued.  “Let’s find your Givine.”   Henry whirled around on his heel, and, Scroll in hand, briskly walked over to the area with the target, leaving Heather straggling behind again.

“Sorry, what’s a Givine again?” Heather asked, quickly catching up to Henry.

“Your special power.  Every Kidellian has one.  We just have to figure out which one is yours,” Henry responded, looking over his shoulder at her.  When they reached the target, Henry continued.  “We already know that you do not have super strength, you can’t turn invisible, you’re not a shape shifter, and you can’t tell the future.  Those are already the Givines of Kidellians in this Hirt.  Everything else, though, is fair game.  Here, stand right about here.”  He positioned her next to the target, and slightly in front of it.  Then he turned around and walked a few feet away. 

“Why . . .” Heather asked cautiously, as Henry bent down and picked up a bow and an arrow lying nearby.

“We’re going to see if you’re immortal,” Henry said casually as he strung the arrow onto the bow and aimed it towards the target.

“Oh, no. No, no no no no.  I can just tell you right here and now that I am one hundred percent, absolutely, not immortal.  I got a cut from my cat one time.  And he doesn’t even have claws! Oh my God, you’re going to try to kill me!” Heather freaked out, rambling.

Henry lowered his bow and arrow, and momentarily stared at Heather, frustrated.  “Heather, I have spent over a year looking for you.  And everyone else has searched even longer.  Do you really think I’m going to kill you after all that?  Now, just put your hand in front of the target.” He restrung his arrow, and took aim once again.