Man, I had forgotten how nice it was finishing training earlier, it had gotten darker sooner recently so it was exciting to jog around the island before it went pitch black. I had called Anastazie to see if she wanted to join me and surprisingly she said yes, normally she had other things to do; not all school based... actually it was never really school based, not that I minded, it was up to her what she did her private life, I just hoped she was careful, she could be a little naive at times. However, she had been a lot more protective and watchful over me since I was up and about again, I think she was either worried I'd run off again like when I had gone to find Lucy, a once dear friend of mine or maybe she thought I was in danger or even perhaps guilty, I knew she often blamed herself for things because I was the same way. Although, I don't think it was my place to ask, I didn't want to embarrass her. "So how have things been lately for you then?" Anastazie panted as we curved around the pathway, I had a feeling she was slowing down her pace to my own which sucked, I was almost dying already and we had only done a couple laps but it felt like I had been jogging all day. "Yeah, okay. Got a ton of homework to catch up on but Phoenix finally started training me again today" I told her through my heavy breathing while watching my step because I really didn't need to fall flat on my face right now, especially not in front of Anastazie because her long legs made her running so graceful like a deer running through a forest, I on the other hand did not. "No, I meant about what happened, Kaley. Me and Cole are so worried because we haven't seen you much lately and you haven't even mentioned about what happened... we don't even know the full story and if you haven't told us then I certainly know you haven't told anyone else about it properly" Anastazie replied, pushing the hair away from her face that had gotten stuck by sweat before pulling off her hoodie over her head then wrapped it around her waist all while keeping the same pace as before; I envied her multi-task skills, actually I just envied most things about her. "Oh well you and Cole are in higher academic groups than me so I guess we don't get to see each other often but you see me every day in training, Anastazie," I tried comfort her anxiety, I knew she and Cole were scared over me; Cole was my other best friend who was also protective but he was also caring and not to mention insanely enthusiastic in everything he did. I just knew his friends meant a lot to him but I didn't need them to worry, I could handle myself, I had to if it meant I wanted to stay here and the path of becoming a Sentinel. "I've pretty much told you everything and anyway I'm okay, haven't really been able to think about anything been how busy I am these days" I continued now forcing a laugh to cover my lie, of course I had been thinking about what happened, I was having daily nightmares about being groped by that freak but I didn't want to tell anyone about that bit, that part would die with me. It was like I needed some serious therapy but funnily enough I didn't get given the insanity leaflet from the school nurse when I had any of my check-ups and trust me there was quite a few I had to attend. In addition to this, they probably didn't even know what therapy was and even if they did I knew they wouldn't have it. After a couple more minutes of trying to reassure and lying through my teeth to Tazie, that's when we went back to silently jogging, going across the training building then into the garden area, I had been here a couple times recently between lessons and sat on a nearby bench for a quick alone time break before heading to my next lesson, it helped clear my head sometimes. I had so much going on and no one to talk to about it, I mean yeah I had Anastazie and Cole but I didn't want to brag. I didn't want to show my problems got to me because I mean how could I be a Sentinel if I couldn't handle my own small and not to mention silly, mental and probably just mundane problems. So, it was good to just figure out things on my own here and I knew it would be so beautiful in the summertime, filled with lots of different flowers and plants but right now it was just icy mud piles but it gave a great view of the sea just down the pathway and it looked especially striking right now when the full moon hung over the surface of ink black water. "Kaley watch out!" Anastazie yelped suddenly. I shot my eyes forwards to find an elderly woman appear in front of me. I instantly forced myself to skid to a halt, landing roughly on my backside right in front of the woman before me, the tip of my sneakers touching against her brown leather flip-flops. Okay, odd choice of footwear for the beginning of wintertime. "Holy shit are you the oracle?" Anastazie exclaimed like she had just seen a ghost. My face went pale as I stared up at the woman, gulping madly; she had silvery grey hair that was wrapped and knotted around multiple beige scarfs and I saw one or two brown, broken leaves in her hair along with it. She had stunning chocolate, wrinkled skin and dark brown almost black eyes now stared down at me. She was a short, plum type of woman and had lots of wild mismatched colours and styles of clothing on which somehow in the end resembled a dress and to finish it off she had different type of stones around her neck forming as one of the many necklaces she was wearing, some looked like daisy chains and other looked like charms and other just looked like she had pulled off coke can tops and put them on a piece of string but she did looked like she smiled more than frowned which was a good sign. This lady right here was the one and only oracle? I slowly rose to my feet, brushing off the dirt on my backside area of my grey joggers, my eyes not leaving her for one second like she wouldn't let me look away, there was like a hidden glow to her, sort of like a sign saying 'Oracle', you didn't need to ask, you just knew somehow. "Kalena, my dear... we finally meet" She spoke in a croaky voice, totally ignoring Anastazie's question because we all knew she was but my breath still caught, she was speaking to me, pretty much no one in their lifetime saw the oracle and here she was talking to me and so casually too. "You have many unanswered questions, young one" She continued after a silent moment after I didn't reply, I was too stunned to. I felt my mouth go dry and Anastazie tugged at the sleeve of my hoodie, trying to get my attention subtly but I could sense she was nervous, unsure with the situation. "You were the one who warned me" I mumbled, partly to myself as if I'd be able to process it by hearing the words come out my own mouth and into my own ears. While my one hand wrapped itself around Anastazie's to stop her tugging my clothing because now it was becoming annoying while staying in this trance like state with the old woman. "When one is in danger, one must send help" She spoke in a soft voice, taking my other hand in her own crinkly one; she had a warm and gentle touch that sent calming sparks through my entire system and I felt like I was practically glowing, I couldn't even begin to comprehend anything at this point but suddenly she yanked me down to her level and her eyes were now burning holes with me as they went pure white... it was like how Alexis had been. I felt my breath catch and it was like we had just been sucked into a deep, dark black hole, leaving the base and Tazie behind, just us in the world now. "Dark times are only becoming darker, Kalena. The ones you love will die, the ones you trust hide many secrets. Night dreams will be conquered but at a price. Everything hidden for seventeen years will finally be uncovered and they will be free once more!! New people will enter your life whom you will love for not very long." The sweet croaky voice was gone and now replaced with a dead, unemotional one and it was like every word she said was burning in my brain as my mind raced in circles, what did she mean? I didn't understand the riddles she was giving me, none of it made sense. Suddenly, her grip was gone on my hand, the world seemed to focus around us and her eyes went back to black but I only saw them for a split second as she had already begun to turn away from me; beginning to shimmer like she was slowly dissolving... disappearing. "Wait! I don't understand! What was that person, thing in my dreams warning me away from here? Why did you warn me not to come here?" I questioned madly as I rushed up to her, trying to bring her back, I wasn't done, I still had more answers that only she knew. She smiled gently at me, her almost transparent hand reached up to touch my right cheek, her old dry thumb rubbing up and down on my cold, numb cheek soothingly, it was a little peculiar but almost caring in a way but it wasn't what I needed right now, I needed her to talk to me, making everything clear for me, explain what the hell she had just said to me. "You seek the wrong things, special girl. All will become clear soon through blood and death, they will be free once more. The clock has only started ticking inside of you, Kalena" She spoke before she vanished into thin air, just gone leaving a sweet, flowery scent behind. It felt like the air had just been kicked forcefully from me, my legs buckled and I fell to my knees. "Kaley!" Anastazie squealed in a frightened voice as she zoomed over to me and crouching down next to me, her hands on the back of my shoulders. I couldn't breathe, it was like the Oracle had punched me in both of my lungs. No, this couldn't be right my Mom was gone, I had killed her, there was no more threat on me anymore, things couldn't just be beginning... they had just ended! My head began to sting and go dizzy from over thinking and I was struggling to make sure oxygen got to my lungs at this point. I had no idea what any of it meant... maybe besides the clock part but that seemed wrong in itself, surely it would have started when my Mom had turned into a diamon and killed Alexis? That's when it all this mess had started. "Did you understand anything she said?" I asked dazed to the core, looking up to Anastazie with dull, hallow eyes. I now noticed she was breathing hard as well and she looked worried, seriously worried as her purple eyes reflected back my own reflection before she gave an apologetic shake of the head to me causing me to sigh inside a little. Another message for me to de-code, for fuck sake, clearly the Oracle had to know by now I was shit when it came to de-coding things. "No, sorry. It's been said she speaks in muddled riddles" She told me with a weak smile, while I on the other hand could only gulp back the tears and looked down at the gravel floor, my joggers were now covered in odd dirty soil patches around my knees and I could feel little nugget gravel stones digging into my shins. I needed to keep calm but that was easier said than done, I covered my face with my hands as I tried to control my breathing so I didn't end up having a panic attack as I could feel the sensation building up in my chest. "Look, don't read too much into it, Kaley. The woman is crazy, she doesn't know what's going on half the time" Anastazie replied in a soothing tone as she pulled me up, I felt wobbly and confused but I nodded back to Anastazie and she let go of me. However, her hands were still out just in case I decided to collapse again or something, believe me it was a high chance of possibility right now. "You said most people in their lifetime don't see her" I asked Anastazie, making sure I was correct and that she didn't give fortunes to everyone because that would make me feel a load better but I wasn't that lucky as she gave a slow nod unsure of how that'd make me react as she confirmed my worst nightmare. "What sort of people does she show herself too then?" I spoke, gaining firmness in my voice, clutching on to the only pocket of my hoodie, looking back at the floor. I still was trying to process that I had just seen the Oracle and the crazy experience of feeling like I was falling down a black hole in the middle of space. "People who achieve great things, Kaley" She told me softly and I could practically see the kind smile she would have with that, she was trying to cheer me up but that only made me realise what that meant then. "So people who end up dying then" I told her sharply as my voice cracked a little. Anastazie went to speak but trailed off, realising the truth in my words. I looked back to her and gave a smile and a quick shrug with my one of my shoulders, half-heartedly. She looked blurry and I realised it was because I had tears in my eyes but they didn't fall. Did I really expect for this to be over? Guess I was just as naïve as Anastazie then.
.
After my encounter with the oracle neither me nor Anastazie felt like running anymore. Instead she insisted on walking me all the way back to my room and honestly I was too overwhelmed by what just happened to protest against her even when she was continually asking if I was going to be okay, all I could do was nod my head until she finally left. I knew I should've been grateful for Tazie trying to be there for me but the Oracles' words felt like a curse, wrapping around my throat slowly squeezing me into nothing but skin. I was trapped in something I didn't even understand. This was all meant to be over my Mother was dead, gone. I had killed her with my own hands, I had scars to prove it. Sighing, I turned on the shower and stripped myself of my sweaty and sticky training clothing before hopping in, I had left it on cold as if it'd be able to wake me up from this trance I was in. Unfortunately, it didn't help; only goose bumps rose along my entire body and I was now shivering but it was oddly distracting in a good way even though I knew as soon as I got out of here I'd have a massive migraine and probably a cold. With that in mind I turned the shower off and got out, wrapping a large white towel around myself then another around my head. 'The ones you love will die' that particular riddle stuck in my head for some reason. I mean I didn't have any 'loved ones' my Dad had died when I was a child and I had no Mother anymore, Alexis had already been taken away from me so who else would there be? Unless she meant Anastazie and Cole, I suddenly felt very hallow from the thought of that being the conclusion. They meant so much to me if not everything to me now. I was desperately trying to rack my mind for any of parts of the other riddle I could try and make sense of. 'Night dreams will be conquered but at a price'? Nope, no idea about that part. 'New people will enter your life whom you will love for not very long' Yeah, again not a clue of any sort, did that just mean the people I love are going to die because I think I got that already so there was just no need to rub it in anymore, I got it, anything good in my life would be crushed again which just sucked. 'They will be free once more!' Now that part practically terrified me, what the fuck was coming free?! The oracle seemed to like that part for some reason too which freaked me all the more out, honestly. Meanwhile, in the present I groaned loudly, pulling the towel roughly out of my hair. I was on the verge of a meltdown or a serious child tantrum. Why was nothing ever easy at this place? I just wanted to know clearly what was going on and how to stop it, stop whoever the person was who threatened to take away the people I love. I heard the shocked breath my body took in as a lightbulb exploded in my head as the obvious sign hit me in the face and I felt my legs give again and my hands hit the bed to support myself. How could I forget something so important? The more I thought about it the more likely it seemed and even if it wasn't they were still a problem for me. The Apollyon.
YOU ARE READING
The Apollyon's Revenge. Book #2.
Romance*SEQUEL TO THE LAST HALF-BLOOD* Kaley Leandros is the Last Half-Blood on the planet ever but until recently she had been growing up in the mortal world. Not knowing what she was or who her family and friends were too. After months of training from...
