Paden held up a hand to help her climb down, and they both started running in the direction of the house.

“What’s going on? Where are you guys going?” Juliette hollered as everyone followed them.

“Something is going on at the house!” Paden answered.

Ree was irritated she wasn't able to move as fast as the others could. She kept stumbling on roots and sticks. Her breath was coming in short, shallow gasps, and the others looked like they were holding back for her sake.

“Weylin, Bryce, go ahead and see what’s happening.” Paden kept his spot next to Ree, and the other two boys flew ahead of the group.

“Where’s Sophie?” Ree asked between breaths. “Is she hurt? I think she’s in the house.”

“Sophie had an appointment this morning. Her guest must have arrived early.” Roland didn't look concerned in the least.

“Guest?” Paden repeated, confused.

“Yes, I believe the 'disturbance in the force' was the guest’s arrival.”

“You should save the Star Wars jokes for when Weylin is around,” Ree snorted.

Just through the plants of the last bend she could make out the others standing on the edge of the stone path. She came to a stop behind them and tried to look over their shoulders. The warm glow in her chest was radiating out, and the others seemed to sense it because they moved out of her way. She stepped forward to see what they were all staring at, but stopped in awe. Someone nudged her back gently, and she took a few more steps forward.

The red-haired woman turned and looked at Ree in interest. She was wearing jeans tucked into tall, tan leather boots, a cream knit sweater, and a green silk scarf. She looked like a model until you met her eyes. There was so much wisdom and power that Ree felt the urge to kneel under her gaze. This woman radiated strength and intelligence in spades. The glow in Ree's chest became a burning sensation, bubbling up out of her in a green light that ran the length of her body. The others stood where they were, unaffected, but in just as much awe as she was experiencing.

“Alastriana, I would like to introduce you to Brigid.” Roland bowed in the goddess’s direction and, tilting his head, he smiled at Ree.

Chapter 20

Not sure what to do or what to say, Ree merely stared at the beautiful woman. The power was still washing out and around her body, but there was no way to control it. It was almost as if it was responding to being in the goddess’s presence. There was no reining in the energy, because she wasn't the one directing it.

The red-haired beauty walked toward the teenagers. Her steps were purposeful and steady, with Sophie following behind her. She stopped in front of Ree and smiled a small smile. She seemed to be searching Ree for something, looking deep into her eyes. Gently she cupped her cheek and her smile grew. She brushed some of the blond hair out of Ree's eyes and then let go, moving her attention to Paden. Ree realized with a start that Paden was Brigid’s descendant, part of her family. The goddess’s eyes were warm as she looked at him. He watched her curiously; suddenly he smiled and looked down at the ground. Ree had the impressionsomething had passed between them. The goddess stepped back, looked over her shoulder at Sophie, and disappeared. Just like that, she was gone.

“Holy cow. I need to sit down,” Weylin said from the back of the group.

The power seemed to pull back into Ree, leaving nothing but the warm glow in her chest. She continued standing, but the others took seats on the benches and the edge of the water fountain.

“She didn't speak at all,” Ree commented.

“Gods and goddesses often have motives we do not understand.” Sophie put her arm over Ree’s shoulder. “Don't take it personally.”

“Why did she come then? What did she need to tell you?” Ree asked. She stepped away from Sophie and tried to stretch some of the kinks from her legs. It really bothered her that the gods were asking for her to give up everything and yet couldn't even speak to her.

“There have been more deaths than usual, and she wanted to tell me in person. Some of them were people I knew.” Sophie said it all very casually, but Ree sensed the hurt under her words.

“I'm sorry,” Ree said. She knew from experience how hard it was to lose people you cared about.

“Who was it this time?” Roland asked. He was leaning nonchalantly against the trunk of a tree.

“The Sullivans.” Sophie didn't turn to look at him, and Ree felt that was a telling sign. It was like they were trying to keep something from the group.

“All of them?”

“Yes.” She started jogging in place and motioned for the others to get up. “We're going to do another run. This time we are going to keep pace with Ree and try some different things.”

Ree groaned out loud, she couldn't help it. Her legs were already sore from running earlier. Sophie smiled and handed her a water bottle. “Hydrate, it will help with the cramps. The more we practice, the easier it will get.”

“Why are we practicing running? Are we never going to fight these things?” Bryce had his arm in its usual spot, around Juliette.

“The best offense is a good defense.” Sophie smiled at him. “And you guys aren't ready to fight yet. So, we learn to run.” Leaving no more time for bickering, she took off down the trail at a jog. Everyone followed, Ree in the center of the group. As they ran, Sophie had them move in a pattern around Ree, always making sure to keep her in the middle. Occasionally, she would order someone to drop back, and have them fill in the gap. Ree tried to not think what it would really mean if someone left the group and focused on where she was putting her feet. By the time they were back at the house, Ree figured they had run at least three miles. Her legs felt like rubber, and her chest hurt.

“I think I’m dying.” She flopped onto a bench and let her arms hang over the sides. She had long ago pulled her sweatshirt off and tied it around her waist. Her hair was plastered to her head, and her heart was beating so hard she knew it was going to bust out of her chest at any moment. The others sat on the ground around her and laughed.

“Stop being a big baby,” Weylin said and threw some grass at her.

“I'm not being a baby. I'm being human! You aren't even sweating. It's unnatural,” Ree retorted.

“Huh, you're right! I'm going to save a ton of money on deodorant,” Weylin sniffed his armpit.

“Oh my god, you are so gross, Weylin,” Melanie punched him in the shoulder and he winced, rubbing the spot.

“Watch it! That hurts, now,” he whined.

“That’s right, no more picking on the girls.” Melanie high-fived Juliette. “We might just pick back!”

Ree sat up once her heart had slowed and drank the rest of her water. Her stomach growled, and she looked at Sophie, who laughed.

“Don't worry; lunch should be waiting on us.”

Once they were all full of warm, delicious food, Ree wanted nothing more than a nap, but that wasn't on the agenda. Instead everyone was herded into a large work-out room. There were mirrors along one wall, some exercise equipment and several punching bags. Paden cracked his knuckles and smiled.

“So, we finally get to punch things?” he asked, obviously looking forward to it.

“Slow your roll, baby god. We are going to work on technique, today.” Roland lined up the Guardians in front of the mirror.

“What about me? Where should I stand?” Ree asked from the corner. Roland didn't answer, just gave Sophie a 'told -you-so' look.

“You won't be fighting, Ree. I'm just letting you regain your strength before we go train your power.” Ree looked at her in shock, her mouth hanging open, her eyes angry.

“You mean to tell me you’re sending me out there to fight some big, mean, Dark One these evil gods picked, but you aren't going to teach me how to fight?” She looked back and forth between Roland and Sophie. It only added to her agitation that the others didn't look surprised. “What if someone gets through the others? What if I need to protect myself?”

“No one will get through the others when I am done training them,” Roland whispered from behind her. She jumped into the air, swinging around to face him. He grabbed her arms to steady her and gave her his sad smile. “And if they do, the only thing you can possibly do to protect yourself is to use the power the gods gave you.”

She snatched her arms out of his grasp and stormed out of the room. She might not be fast or have super strength, but there was no reason for her to not learn technique. She didn't want to be the little girl huddled behind someone else's back. Surely there would come a time when she would have to defend herself or at least break someone’s hold on her. She fumed as she walked around the house and out to the gardens. Even the cold air didn't dampen her anger.

Eventually she found herself sitting on the dock. Her feet hanging over the edge, she watched the birds circle overhead. The sound of the water slapping the wooden supports helped calm her, but she still thought it was silly to neglect teaching her self-defense. She contemplated trying to get one of the others to teach her, but figured it wouldn't do her any good. She had seen Paden’s face, and she had a sneaking suspicion no one would go against him. He probably thought that if she learned self-defense she would try to do something dangerous. Ree really hated that he knew her so well.

The sun was setting, casting a gold glow to everything. She pulled her sweatshirt over her head and wrapped her arms around herself. She really did like this island with all of its trees and wildlife. It was beautiful and would probably only get better when the weather warmed. Fiddling with the edge of her sleeve, Ree thought about everything that was happening. Chosen to protect the entire planet from vampires and evil gods. Today Ree had met a goddess and even been touched by the mighty Brigid. She chuckled to herself. I wonder if there’s a spot for that on a college application.

She still didn't know how she was supposed to use the power to fight the Dark Ones. She had somehow managed to kill one in front of the Civic Center, but didn't really understand what had done the actual killing. She contemplated the warm glow in her chest, and held out her hand. Very carefully, she urged the power into her hand and watched as a glow formed over her open palm. She moved her hand back and forth in front of her and watched as a slight trail followed her fingers.

“Trying new tricks?”

The glow disappeared and she shot to her feet.

“Dammit, don't sneak up on me!” she hollered at Paden. She was still angry at him for so many different reasons.

“Sorry,” he said and held up his hands. “Just don't throw any green stuff at me, okay?”

She rolled her eyes and sat back down, not in the mood to talk. He sat next to her, his feet swinging over the water.

“The sunset is beautiful,” he said quietly.

“I'm not really in the mood to talk to you, Paden.”

“Look, I know you’re mad at me and mad about not fighting. But hear me out,” he ran a hand through his hair and turned to look at her. “You’re the one that can win this battle, not me or any of the others. Can't you at least understand why it would be important to keep you safe? We just want to make sure nothing happens to you. The Dark Ones are going to be gunning for the Alastriana, and if you were to try and help one of us they could kill you easily. We can't let that happen, Ree.”

“So, I'm supposed to act like some kind of prissy girl and not get my hands dirty? It just doesn't make sense, Paden. What if a Dark One slips past someone – no, hear me out now,” she held up a hand to cut him off. “It could happen. Who knows how many we will be up against? If one of them gets hold of me, wouldn't it make sense for me to know some of the basic stuff? If it delays them for even a second then that gives you guys that much longer to get to me.”

He didn't respond at first, and she figured he was trying to come up with a way to tear apart her argument.

“You're right. You're right about knowing the basics. If nothing else, it won’t hurt you to learn.”

She looked at him in shock, her eyes wide. Thinking he was going to change his mind and take it back, she didn’t say a word.

He looked at her and laughed. “What? I mean it. I’ll talk to Sophie and Roland. Even if you never fight a Dark One, you might get mugged.” He grinned at her expression. “What I’m saying is that it won't hurt anything for you to learn. And, well, you never know when it might come in handy.”

Her whole face broke into a grin but she fought the urge to throw her arms around in him. “Thanks, Pay.” She looked up at him and was relieved to see he was still smiling.

“So, are you going to stop pouting now and learn how to use your power?”

“I wasn't pouting! I was trying to not kill anyone so I removed myself from the situation.” Ree glared at him, then smiled. “Okay, maybe I was pouting a little bit.”

They joked as they walked toward the house, and she was relieved to feel that they were somewhat back to normal. When they neared the steps she noticed a statue surrounded by a flower bed. The woman reminded her of Brigid, beautiful and dignified, wearing robes that appeared to be flowing in the wind.

“What was it like to meet your great, great, great-times-two-thousand, grandmother?”

He chuckled and blushed. “It’s kind of surreal to find out you’re related to a god. And then to meet them?” He shook his head in amusement.

“What did she say to you?” When he raised an eyebrow at her she smiled and shrugged. “I figure she must've said something to make you smile. Only we couldn't hear it.”

“She said she was proud of me,” his voice was embarrassed.

“She should be,” Ree merely nodded.

Neither of them said anything else. Instead, Ree kept her word and sought out Sophie so that she could learn how to kill Dark Ones. She needed to better understand how it all worked, and then make it work for herself. She thought about how she had created that ball of light and smiled. This wasn't how she had planned on spending her winter vacation, but she would make the best of it.

Chapter 21

Sophie didn't seem put off by her tantrum, in fact she looked surprised she had come back so soon. She was sitting at a large desk in an office that had walls lined with books. Her laptop was open, and she seemed to be reading email. She closed it when she saw Ree and gave her a big smile.

“You're back,” she said, standing up.

“I'm back. But I have questions before we get started. I want some answers,” Ree held up her hand to stop Sophie from leaving her desk. This seemed to kill some of the Guardian’s smile, but she nodded.