When I got home Charlie was already sitting on the couch watching the TV. I went through to the kitchen, dumped my bag and poured myself a glass of water.
“You’re home early,” I called through to him.
“Yeah,” he called back. “I needed to talk to you.”
Glass in hand; I walked into the living-room. Leaning against the door frame I took a sip of water.
Charlie turned the TV off and turned to look up at me.
“I think you should sit down,” Charlie said, pointing at the armchair that sat across from me. I was confused and panicky as I sat down. What did Charlie need to tell me that was so bad I would have to sit down? Had my mum died? Had Darren died? Did I have to leave?
“What’s wrong?” I asked, nervously.
He cleared his throat before speaking.
“There’s something I have to tell you,” he said. “It’s about our family.”
I nodded. So nothing bad, I thought.
“It’s also about you, Kayla.”
I nodded again. I was still confused but at least no one had died.
He took a deep breath in and exhaled.
“Our family goes back a long, long way,” he began. “It’s not all under the name Swan but it is our family. We go back centuries, right into the Middle Ages. The Swan’s have a long history, Kayla, a long history.”
Charlie seemed nervous and reluctant to tell me whatever he wanted to tell me. I was thoroughly confused now. What about the family history was so important?
“For generations, Kayla, our family is one of importance,” he continued. “You won’t understand at the moment but soon you will. You are chosen, Kayla.”
“What do you mean ‘I am chosen’?” I asked.
Charlie shook his head, unable to simplify it enough for me. I am not a stupid person. I am quite intelligent. I just didn’t understand all this crap he was talking. I thought I would help him along.
“Explain what you mean by ‘our family is one of importance’,” I told him.
He looked at me, eagerness in his brown eyes.
“Our family is the most important through history,” he said, again. “Although it isn’t recorded in any textbook or anything, we are important. Throughout this family there have been chosen people, like you, who have to serve a purpose.”
“What purpose is that?” I asked, wondering if it had anything to do with the police. Was I chosen to be a copper?
Charlie was nearly jumping with excitement. I had never seen him like this before.
“Our family,” he said, carefully. “is what is called an Azdaic family. It means that there are people within it, past, present or future, that are Azdis.”
“What?” I was past confused now. I didn’t have a clue what Charlie was on about. An ‘Azdaic’ family. Is this guy on drugs?
“Kayla, you’re an Azdi. You have been chosen to protect the people of this time.”
“Protect the people?” I repeated. “From what?”
“Danger,” Charlie answered.
“Like a superhero thing?” I asked, scared. “I am not wearing my knickers over blue tights.”
“No. More supernatural.”
“Supernatural how?”
“Vampires, werewolves, shape-shifters, anything that threatens humans or threatens to reveal themselves.”
“And I have to protect people from vampires and werewolves?” I looked at him, stunned. “How can I do that? Werewolves are big, strong and have claws. Vampires are big, strong and have smaller claws. How can I fight them? I’m just a teenager.”
“You will,” he said, almost proudly. “It’s all there in your head. You just need to unlock it. Get past the barrier in your mind that was put there to protect you.”
Charlie had spoken every word so sincerely, his face so serious, I almost believed him. For a moment there I was actually taking in the words he was saying and believing it. But then I thought about it. He must be on drugs or playing a trick on me. I stood up.
“Ok,” I said, loudly. “Where are the cameras? Very funny joke.”
“This isn’t a joke,” Charlie said, looking up at me.
I nodded.
“Where are they, dad?” I asked him, holding out a hand. “Hand them over.”
“Hand what over?” he asked, confused.
“The drugs,” I said. “Why else would you say all this?”
“Kayla, I am not on drugs,” Charlie said, clearly angry I would think this.
I was confused, shocked and scared by what he had just told me. what the hell was he on about? How can I be an Azdi? How can vampires and werewolves and shape-shifters be real? Vampires are mythical creatures, something to scare people. How could what he just said be true?
“Then why say all this?” I asked him. “This can’t be true? Is this some American joke I don’t get?”
Charlie stood up and put his hands on my shoulders.
“I swear to you this is all true,” he said to me, his tone solemn.
I looked down at the glass that was still in my hand. There was a long silence, neither of us speaking.
“So what do we do to get past this barrier?” I asked, eventually.
Charlie rubbed his hands together and flexed his fingers.
“Let’s see if I remember how to do this.” He shook his arms loose, like he was warming up for a football match, and put two fingers of each hand on the side of my head.
His fingers had only just touched my temples when my head started to hurt. It felt like my brain was on fire. I dropped the glass of water and heard it shatter when it hit the lino floorboards. I clutched my head, my eyes forced shut with the pain. I tried to pull Charlie’s fingers away but he was too strong. I screamed but Charlie would not budge. Then suddenly it was like a dam had been burst opened in my memories. Thousands of pictures and words and lines of texts came flooding into the blackness of my closed eyes. Pictures of creatures I had never seen before and words that were their names. A tall, red, ugly creature that looked almost human but with a horned head named a Judan. A small, black, scaly reptilian lizard type animal called a Nahadriah. But a supernatural being that I saw in my mind scared me. it was a vampire. But it didn’t look like any vampire I had ever thought of. The vampire was male with honey blonde hair, had pale white skin and he was very beautiful. His eyes were crimson and the smile he wore showed two rows of pointy white teeth. He reminded me of Edward.
When the pictures and words and text stopped I felt some of the pain lift. But not all of it. Charlie removed his fingers from my forehead and I staggered forwards.
“Kayla?” Charlie said, catching me. “I know it hurts but it will go in a couple of hours.”
“Hours?” I mumbled, slightly annoyed although the pain made me devoid of any feeling but pain.
“Your mind is now making changes to your body. Azdi minds are complex. They have powers of their own. It is now changing you, making you faster, stronger, making your senses sharper and clearer. It is giving you abilities too but it will tell you more when the change is over.”
“I can’t last through this,” I cried to him. “It hurts too much.”
“Don’t worry,” Charlie soothed, stroking my head. “You’ll fall asleep soon.”
“I will?”
“Yes.”
He lay me down on the couch. I was completely blind. The pain in my head made me almost completely senseless. I tried to open my eyes but when only a little light hit my eyes the pain increases so I closed my eyes again and let unconsciousness take me.
“You’re home early,” I called through to him.
“Yeah,” he called back. “I needed to talk to you.”
Glass in hand; I walked into the living-room. Leaning against the door frame I took a sip of water.
Charlie turned the TV off and turned to look up at me.
“I think you should sit down,” Charlie said, pointing at the armchair that sat across from me. I was confused and panicky as I sat down. What did Charlie need to tell me that was so bad I would have to sit down? Had my mum died? Had Darren died? Did I have to leave?
“What’s wrong?” I asked, nervously.
He cleared his throat before speaking.
“There’s something I have to tell you,” he said. “It’s about our family.”
I nodded. So nothing bad, I thought.
“It’s also about you, Kayla.”
I nodded again. I was still confused but at least no one had died.
He took a deep breath in and exhaled.
“Our family goes back a long, long way,” he began. “It’s not all under the name Swan but it is our family. We go back centuries, right into the Middle Ages. The Swan’s have a long history, Kayla, a long history.”
Charlie seemed nervous and reluctant to tell me whatever he wanted to tell me. I was thoroughly confused now. What about the family history was so important?
“For generations, Kayla, our family is one of importance,” he continued. “You won’t understand at the moment but soon you will. You are chosen, Kayla.”
“What do you mean ‘I am chosen’?” I asked.
Charlie shook his head, unable to simplify it enough for me. I am not a stupid person. I am quite intelligent. I just didn’t understand all this crap he was talking. I thought I would help him along.
“Explain what you mean by ‘our family is one of importance’,” I told him.
He looked at me, eagerness in his brown eyes.
“Our family is the most important through history,” he said, again. “Although it isn’t recorded in any textbook or anything, we are important. Throughout this family there have been chosen people, like you, who have to serve a purpose.”
“What purpose is that?” I asked, wondering if it had anything to do with the police. Was I chosen to be a copper?
Charlie was nearly jumping with excitement. I had never seen him like this before.
“Our family,” he said, carefully. “is what is called an Azdaic family. It means that there are people within it, past, present or future, that are Azdis.”
“What?” I was past confused now. I didn’t have a clue what Charlie was on about. An ‘Azdaic’ family. Is this guy on drugs?
“Kayla, you’re an Azdi. You have been chosen to protect the people of this time.”
“Protect the people?” I repeated. “From what?”
“Danger,” Charlie answered.
“Like a superhero thing?” I asked, scared. “I am not wearing my knickers over blue tights.”
“No. More supernatural.”
“Supernatural how?”
“Vampires, werewolves, shape-shifters, anything that threatens humans or threatens to reveal themselves.”
“And I have to protect people from vampires and werewolves?” I looked at him, stunned. “How can I do that? Werewolves are big, strong and have claws. Vampires are big, strong and have smaller claws. How can I fight them? I’m just a teenager.”
“You will,” he said, almost proudly. “It’s all there in your head. You just need to unlock it. Get past the barrier in your mind that was put there to protect you.”
Charlie had spoken every word so sincerely, his face so serious, I almost believed him. For a moment there I was actually taking in the words he was saying and believing it. But then I thought about it. He must be on drugs or playing a trick on me. I stood up.
“Ok,” I said, loudly. “Where are the cameras? Very funny joke.”
“This isn’t a joke,” Charlie said, looking up at me.
I nodded.
“Where are they, dad?” I asked him, holding out a hand. “Hand them over.”
“Hand what over?” he asked, confused.
“The drugs,” I said. “Why else would you say all this?”
“Kayla, I am not on drugs,” Charlie said, clearly angry I would think this.
I was confused, shocked and scared by what he had just told me. what the hell was he on about? How can I be an Azdi? How can vampires and werewolves and shape-shifters be real? Vampires are mythical creatures, something to scare people. How could what he just said be true?
“Then why say all this?” I asked him. “This can’t be true? Is this some American joke I don’t get?”
Charlie stood up and put his hands on my shoulders.
“I swear to you this is all true,” he said to me, his tone solemn.
I looked down at the glass that was still in my hand. There was a long silence, neither of us speaking.
“So what do we do to get past this barrier?” I asked, eventually.
Charlie rubbed his hands together and flexed his fingers.
“Let’s see if I remember how to do this.” He shook his arms loose, like he was warming up for a football match, and put two fingers of each hand on the side of my head.
His fingers had only just touched my temples when my head started to hurt. It felt like my brain was on fire. I dropped the glass of water and heard it shatter when it hit the lino floorboards. I clutched my head, my eyes forced shut with the pain. I tried to pull Charlie’s fingers away but he was too strong. I screamed but Charlie would not budge. Then suddenly it was like a dam had been burst opened in my memories. Thousands of pictures and words and lines of texts came flooding into the blackness of my closed eyes. Pictures of creatures I had never seen before and words that were their names. A tall, red, ugly creature that looked almost human but with a horned head named a Judan. A small, black, scaly reptilian lizard type animal called a Nahadriah. But a supernatural being that I saw in my mind scared me. it was a vampire. But it didn’t look like any vampire I had ever thought of. The vampire was male with honey blonde hair, had pale white skin and he was very beautiful. His eyes were crimson and the smile he wore showed two rows of pointy white teeth. He reminded me of Edward.
When the pictures and words and text stopped I felt some of the pain lift. But not all of it. Charlie removed his fingers from my forehead and I staggered forwards.
“Kayla?” Charlie said, catching me. “I know it hurts but it will go in a couple of hours.”
“Hours?” I mumbled, slightly annoyed although the pain made me devoid of any feeling but pain.
“Your mind is now making changes to your body. Azdi minds are complex. They have powers of their own. It is now changing you, making you faster, stronger, making your senses sharper and clearer. It is giving you abilities too but it will tell you more when the change is over.”
“I can’t last through this,” I cried to him. “It hurts too much.”
“Don’t worry,” Charlie soothed, stroking my head. “You’ll fall asleep soon.”
“I will?”
“Yes.”
He lay me down on the couch. I was completely blind. The pain in my head made me almost completely senseless. I tried to open my eyes but when only a little light hit my eyes the pain increases so I closed my eyes again and let unconsciousness take me.
