“Why would you talk to me at all, when you could just send a group of dangerous men to try to kill me? I understood that message loud and clear!” I said sarcastically. I knew that I should be asking other questions, more important questions, more realistic questions, but I couldn’t get over the fact that all of this time I could have avoided destroying everything I touched.
“Please don’t be angry Eden; we had no idea that would happen,” Aunt Syl looked as if she was going to cry and I instantly regretted my outburst.
“She’s right, child,” Principal Saint glanced at the doorway and then back at me. “I don’t believe those men ever meant you harm. And I would never have let you go on that trip had I known that you would be involved. We assume that they were after Kiran and Kiran alone; you, unfortunately for your attackers, were there to teach them a lesson.” He half grunted a laugh and gave me a wink. “Eden, in my wildest dreams, I never imagined your magic would manifest so powerfully. At this point I am unsure what you are even capable of; but I do know that you are very, very powerful. It is time that you learned how to use your magic, not just for your sake, but for Kingsley’s sake as well,” his grin had turned a bit mischievous.
“So what am I then, some sort of Witch?” I asked, still not losing my sarcastic edge, but softening my tone a little.
“Yes, I think that you are a Witch,” I almost laughed, but realized that Principal Saint was completely serious. “Moreover though, you are an Immortal,” he said the word with a deep reverence, and I knew instantly, that this word…. “Immortal” meant something greater than I could comprehend.
“Immortal?” I asked in a whispered breath.
“Yes, an Immortal. We are your people, you’re kind. You are not human as you have been raised, you are an Immortal,” every time he said the word an electric pulse surged through my veins and I was struck with the same reverence that Principal Saint spoke with.
“So I am a Witch that lives forever?” a small part of me began to believe him.
“Well, the real sense of the word Immortal was taken from us a long time ago, but yes, you possess the attributes in which describe a Witch. The way you are able to control or create events and circumstances with your thoughts, the powers that you possess, all point to Witch-like attributes. Or as our people call your kind: the Lamia. It is just another term for Witch though,” he gave me a genial smile. I found myself slightly out of breath, my head spinning. I could hardly understand his words, but the harder part to understand was that I actually did believe him.
“The term Immortal today, really describes a set of four distinct super-human races,” Principal Saint continued. “Immortal is a way of life set apart from ordinary human life. We have our own justice system, our own Monarchy, our own schools and our own belief system. You are a part of us, as much as we are a part of you. As a Witch you occupy a specific purpose for our people and it is important that you investigate who you are and what you are capable of. It is also important that you no longer identify yourself as a human, but learn our laws, and standards. I believe if you do, you will finally come to terms with who you are. You will finally find your destiny,” something stirred inside of me and the electricity or magic or whatever began to rush through my veins. For the first time in my entire life I realized that I had just been told the truth.
Chapter Eighteen
“So last night was, um, normal for someone like me? I mean someone like us? I mean um…. an Immortal?” I got confused saying the word out loud. Principal Saint had basically just relayed the impossible to me. If what he said was true, then I was not human, or like he explained I was more than human, I was a Witch, or what he called an “Immortal.” The enormity of what that meant began to sink in as my blood pumped charged and furiously throughout my body.
“Yes, well kind of. The extra energy or electricity as you call it you feel in your blood and unexplainable phenomena that you seem to be responsible for are parts of what it means to be an Immortal. When you move something just by thinking about it, or create something from nothing, these are all part of your….. powers. Each Immortal is different and unique. We usually classify ourselves into four different categories, but your powers manifested a little stronger than what should be normal for someone your age, someone who did not even know what she was capable of.”
I was trying to take what Principal Saint said as truth, but it was difficult. Everything I held to be true about my life, about me, about the world in general was not true. I was something different; something I assumed only existed in comic books and action movies. My mind was having trouble wrapping itself around the enormity of Principal Saint’s story; yet at the same time my inner being seemed to believe him without any hesitation. I had a thousand questions that needed to be answered.
“How many Immortals are there? What else can I do? Does this mean I’ll never die? Does this mean I’ll never age? Why are my powers so strong? Can I fly?” he cut me off with his hand and a small chuckle.
“No, you can’t fly. Well, at least I don’t think so,” his eyes twinkled, he was relieved to have gotten passed my anger. His smile softened his face and I saw him in a different light now, almost paternal. “Let’s see, there are thousands of us, living all over the world. There used to be more, maybe millions, we equaled the humans, but over time we have begun to die out,” his expression was suddenly full of sadness. “And you can die, eventually, and you will age. ‘Immortal’ was a term given to us a long, long time ago,” his smile had completely disappeared and he suddenly seemed older… ancient. “Thousands of years ago we did live forever, or at least it seemed as if we would live forever. We outnumbered the humans, although we lived in peace with them. No one knows exactly how we came to be, we were born into this world like everyone else, but we simply did not die. Our people would reach an age of maturity and we would age no longer; and we bore children that were like us, Immortals like ourselves. But eventually we began to die like humans, although our lifespan is considerably longer and we have been able to hang on to our special attributes,” I took each word in, feeling as though my head would soon explode. “I’m sorry to go over this so quickly but we don’t have much time.”
“Oh,” is all I said, my brain was on overload.
“We of course keep ourselves a secret from humans now that so few remain; they would have a hard time accepting us,” he smiled at Aunt Syl, who didn’t seem offended.
“But obviously Aunt Syl knew. So why didn’t I?”
“Well, your parents were gone and I thought this would be the best way for you to…. live,” Principal Saint folded his hands together and looked at me seriously. I realized that he didn’t actually give me an answer, and I had a suspicion that he was hiding something from me, but there was so much information to take in that for the moment his answer was sufficient.
“So I am a Witch? Is everyone at Kingsley a Witch as well?”
“Yes and no, you are a Witch,” he chuckled slightly, “But not everyone is a Witch. There are four distinct types of our kind. All four display very unique qualities and have been given different names; it is much like the different ethnic races in human kind. We are different, but of the same species. At first we did not have names for each other, but over time we have adapted names from the slang that has been associated with us; the names also help us distinguish between ourselves. Recently they have meant the difference between life and death,” he smiled sadly again, “There are the Lamia, or Witches in today’s terminology, the Mediums or Psychics, there are the Transmogrifiers or Shape-Shifters and then there are the Proeliators, they have been called anything from gods, to angels to super-heroes; usually we refer to them in English as Titans.”