Sprite (Annabelle's Story Part One) (7 page)

Blind to the reefs that surround him,

He sees but the vision above.

And lo, hungry waters are springing

Boat and boatman are gone.

Then silence. And this, with her singing,

The Lorelei has done.

“The thing is…” Adrian said. “Others are now following in her footsteps. A little more than a year ago, a large barge was capsized right next to a rock that was named after Lorelei. The rock marks the narrowest part of the Rhine River. The end result was disastrous. Two men were lost in the waters and one of Europe’s busiest waterways was shut down during the chaos.”

“The evil sprites did this?”

He nodded. “Some humans think it was some sort of freak accident, others believe the coincidence to the folklore is too close. And Germany isn’t the only place where questions about the existence of sprites has arisen.”

“Yeah? Where else?”

“Just a few years ago in Israel, a million dollar award was offered to anyone who caught a mermaid. Dozens of people claimed they saw them launching themselves out of the water through aerial tricks and what have you. Fortunately, the prize wasn’t ever awarded and no merfolk were ever caught.”

“The point of this long story that rolls into another…” YaYa explained, “…is that the ‘Second Alpha’ is prophesized to provide another ‘new beginning’ by restoring order to the Tritons. This can only be done by returning the conch shell to us.”

“So where’s the shell?” I questioned.

Adrian answered, “Well the prophecy says that Achillios hid the shell in the deep waters of Elfin Lake.”

“That is right,” YaYa noted. “As I am sure you have gathered, there is a story behind this as well.

“The Fae of Elfin at one time welcomed humans. There was a trapdoor along the shores of their lake where sprites and humans alike were free to enter. The door led to a hidden island in the middle of the lake. From the island, access was granted to the town beneath.

“This next part is significant: humans were only welcomed as long as they did not take any flowers or fruit when they left the island. It was a magical place never running short on beauty. If anyone were to ever take something from the island, a curse was set free. Achillios knew this, and after hiding the conch within the lake, he slipped a flower beneath his clothing and fled. Once back on the shores, he died. The trapdoor also locked.”

“He sacrificed himself?”

“He did. For what he believed was right.”

“And you’re telling me for all these years you guys have a pretty good idea of where the shell is, but you can’t get to it?”

With a slow, graceful nod YaYa went on. “It is truly devastating to our kind. However, the prophecy provides hope. The trapdoor can be opened one time each year.”

“When?”

“Because the prophecy is centered on ‘new beginnings,’ it is only fitting that the single day would fall on New Year’s Day, the beginning of each New Year.”

“Well that’s only a few days away, isn’t it?” I pondered, trying to gauge what day it was. I was kidnapped only yesterday, and Christmas was right around the corner, so tomorrow must be Christmas Eve.

“It is, but there is still more to the prophecy. An offering is the only way the trapdoor can be opened. This offering comes in the form of the flower the ‘First Alpha’ Achillios originally stole.”

Before I could ask the obvious question of what type of flower this was, YaYa said that the kind was unknown. All that the prophecy suggested was that the origin of the flower could be discovered on a coin from the Aba bloodline, safely tucked away in a sunken chest.

For century after century, the Guardians searched for the location of the coins. Every ocean, every sea, every lake, every stream, every body of water was scoured.

Furthermore, the prophecy said that the hand of the “Second Alpha” could only open the chest.

Every time a chest was found, a sense of excitement built amongst the sprites. Unfortunately, it was a fleeting excitement. All the chests that were found could be opened, which meant that it wasn’t the one the prophecy spoke of.

Finally, after countless years, the chest was found.

The problem the Guardians soon realized was the chest’s inability to be removed from its resting spot. Many had tried over the years and just as many had failed.

So for decades afterwards, the Guardians protected the chest from the Trackers. It was unknown if and when the Trackers would attempt to destroy it, preventing the benevolent sprites from ever finding the conch shell.

Although, as time progressed, the Trackers became increasingly malevolent and there was no telling when the “Second Alpha” would be born. In the end, the Guardians needed to use their numbers elsewhere to protect humans and other sprites, so the chest was left unprotected.

“What? And has it been destroyed?”

“No, Annabelle, it still remains.”

Then with a cock of my head, I questioned, “So if the all signs point to the fact the ‘Second Alpha’ has been born, do you know where he is?”

“It’s not a ‘he,’” YaYa corrected. “The ‘Second Alpha’ is a female. And you are her.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“Me?!” I shrieked. “You’ve got to be kidding me. There’s no way I’m any type of
Second Anything
.”

“Annabelle,” YaYa said calmly. “Are you or are you not breathing water right now?”

“Yes, I am, but that doesn’t mean anything,” I insisted. “Adrian told me that I’m half-human, half-sprite.”

“Yes, Adrian is correct. But Annabelle, we don’t believe that you are just any type of sprite. We believe that you are part of the Aba race.”

“That’s absurd.”

“The prophecy says—”

“The prophecy!” I cut in. “I need a little more than just some prophecy to believe that I’m the only person, I mean sprite, or whatever I am, that can restore order to the Tritons.”

“The prophecy says…” she continued with an even tone, “…that the ‘Second Alpha’ would not fully develop his or her affinities until he or she is eighteen years of age.”

“What affinities?!”

“The ‘First Alpha’ and ‘Second Alpha’ are said to display affinities for earth, fire, wind, and water.”

I learned that the affinity for earth came from the blood of Arethusa, a water fairy. This was because the fae were known to have a strong capacity for healing and medicine from the earth.

The remaining affinities… fire, wind, and water… were attributed to Hades, Zeus, and Poseidon.

Since the Aba were the only ones with the same blood that flowed through their veins from both the Olympian gods and the fresh water sprites, they were the only ones who could breathe in all types of water and possess all four affinities.

Impatience overflowed from my voice. “Okay, whatever, the Aba people had these affinities. So what?”

“Ever since Abas turned his back on the water, his future descendants have been unable to breathe underwater. You clearly have developed that trait,” she said, gesturing her arms to showcase the water surrounding us. “It is my guess that only a few days ago that would not have been the case.”

“It’s true, Annabelle,” Adrian said with a comforting edge to his voice. “Think about it, you already started to show some of the affinities before your eighteenth birthday.”

“Yeah, like what?” I objected, folding my arms in defiance.

“Well, my dear,” YaYa cut in. “If we are not mistaken, you once had plans to start at UCLA to pursue a career in medicine. That is a sign of your early affinity for earth. Your affinity for water developed at a young age as well. You are the star swimmer on your team, are you not?”

“Yeah, but I’m sure there are tons of people who want to be a doctor and who can swim!”

“Yes, of course,” YaYa agreed. “However, your affinity for fire has also been developing. Do you not recall the incident you had in Chemistry the other day?”

“You’ve got to be kidding me?” I said, rolling my eyes before I shifted my gaze to the fading fire. “I just used too much methyl alcohol and, besides, no one was hurt.”

I heard insistence in her voice. “No, Annabelle, the correct amount was administered.”

“What? How would you even know?”

Adrian’s face gave him away. A simple look in his direction made it clear he harbored guilt. “Spill it, Adrian.”

I wasn’t in the mood for games.

His hesitation couldn’t be missed. “We’ve been watching you for years to see if you could be the ‘Second Alpha.’”

My words came out very slow, very deliberate. “What do you mean you’ve been watching me?”

“Well as Guardians we imprison those caught doing wrong to try to keep the evil sprites in line. But we also scouted out humans that could’ve been ‘the one’ to protect them from the Trackers.”

“What? The Trackers watched me too?”

“Yeah, but don’t worry, we weren’t ever going to let them hurt you.”

“All right, back up,” I said raising my hands. “You’re telling me that both Guardians and Trackers creepily watched my every move?”

“Why, yes, Annabelle,” YaYa responded, taking some of the heat off of her grandson. “The Trackers have an interest in finding the conch shell as well. They knew we were in pursuit of it to restore order. This is an outcome they wish to avoid at all costs. Their end goal is to destroy the conch shell once and for all. If this happens, mankind will never stand a chance against them.”

“Okay, but why do you need to protect this so-called ‘chosen one’ from the Trackers?”

For once, her eyes didn’t look solely serious. Sympathy lurked in the depths as well. “For many years, the Trackers sought to identify the ‘Second Alpha’ in a not so civil way. They simply kidnapped anyone who they deemed as ‘the one,’ luring the unsuspecting human to the water. There, he or she drowned. The Trackers had one goal: see if the man or woman breathed the water. Of course, none of them did. Many innocent were lost.”

“How were you guys more civil? I do recall Clemente kidnapping me and trapping me in a net before that whole drowning thing.”

With a sigh, YaYa continued, “Yes, Clemente’s actions were somewhat severe, but the circumstances were different this time. He had very little time to react.”

I opened my mouth to speak.

“Ordinarily…” she quickly continued, “…we try to befriend the human to better scout if he or she displayed any developing affinities. This is something the Trackers adopted over time as well. For us, it was to make sure that we were not going to hurt the innocent. For the Trackers, they wanted to draw less Guardian attention to themselves.”

“I don’t recall anyone befriending me though.”

“But, Annabelle—” Adrian started.

“Adrianus,” YaYa said hastily. “I am sure Annabelle has learned a great deal today and she must be hungry and tired. Tomorrow will be a busy day and she needs her rest.”

I really was, I thought. I hadn’t realized it before with all the commotion of the day, but as Adrian led me out of the room it really hit me.

A lot had happened today: I arrived in Tritonis, I caught pieces of my first merfolk football game, there was a lesson on the different types of sprites, I was given a quick look into Greek mythology and this prophecy, and to top it all off, I was bombarded with the fact that I may be this so-called “Second Alpha.”

I understood what the prophecy was saying. There was the first dude, who hid the shell so he wouldn’t be controlled, and then things got crazy with the malevolent sprites, and now there was a second person that could help find the shell again. But it was the part about me being this second person that I wasn’t convinced of—at all.

I accepted the fact that I was some hybrid between a human and a sprite. That part was undeniable due to the fact that I didn’t drown, but I needed more proof before I believed my involvement in this crazy prophecy.

I guess I’d just have to wait and see what tomorrow would bring.

CHAPTER TWELVE

I woke up feeling fresh but still skeptical about this whole prophecy thing. I also woke up with someone else in my room.

“Hello?”

“Oh hi. I’m sorry if I woke you,” the mermaid responded in a quiet voice and a quick bow.

“Um, no. Don’t worry about it,” I said, climbing out of bed. I nonchalantly assessed my appearance in the nearby mirror.

Shutting my wardrobe doors, she added, “I was just checking to make sure you have everything you needed. How do you like your clothing?”

She gave off a practical vibe. She had dark hair and serious looking eyes, a similar height to me, and she was around my age, too. She didn’t wear any type of jewelry, only a shirt that covered her torso. At first glance, it was probably the same type of material that I wore.

I felt the need to reassure her. “Oh it’s great. Really comfortable. Almost feels like I’m not wearing anything at all.”

Her shoulders relaxed.

“That’s good to hear. I was responsible for figuring out what you’d wear. It’s a little different to make clothing for someone who doesn’t have fins,” she said, looking down at her own.

With that, there was a quick knock on the door before it flung open.

A smile spread across my face at Adrian leaning casually against the doorframe.

After a quick scan of the room, he said, “Oh, hi Natasha.”

It was weird, but Natasha didn’t say anything. She just quietly bowed then backed towards the wall until she became part of the decor.

Adrian didn’t acknowledge her movements as he darted across the room and onto my bed, pushing aside my canopy.

“Morning, sleepyhead,” he said with a jovial tone to his voice.

I crossed the room to the window, rays of light streaming in. “What time is it?”

“It’s pushing eleven. Guess you really needed your sleep.”

He was right. I was normally a morning person.

“Are you ready to get our day started?”

“Do I have a choice?” I joked.

“Nope. It’s your first day of training.”

“Training?” I said with a laugh as I swam back toward him. I didn’t see why that was necessary.