the idea of vampires and demons, and now this...this guy was telling her that she might not live past her seventeenth birthday?
She looked up at Syd and shook her head.
“Is there a way out? I mean, Nana tried to keep this from happening, right? If there’s a way out let’s hear it, because I don’t think I can do this.” Syd lowered himself to a crouch and looked up at her. He waved a hand at the range and the light above it blinked out. A dim glow from the morning light around the edges of the blankets covering the windows bathed the kitchen in a dark gray Rebecca could just see in. Though it must have been very bright for him, she watched Syd reach up and lower the dark glasses covering his eyes.
Rebecca immediately turned her face away and looked at the floor, remembering again what her nana had said about looking into his eyes being rude. Besides, her stomach did weird things when she looked at Syd.
“Please,” she heard him said in a gentle voice. “Look at me. Just...not directly into my eyes. But at least look to me.” Rebecca hesitated for a moment before she obeyed.
“Martha shielded you from what you are for so long, Acolyte, for this very reason. So you would not feel this fear. This weakness. That you would not see yourself as you do now—as not strong enough to be what it is you were born to be. She was hoping that, through her neglect, your power would simply fade and you would not have to endure the weight of the responsibility of it, but that has not happened. Quite the opposite. It’s only grown stronger despite the neglect. Acceptance of yourself and your abilities is the only way you are going to make it safely through your coming of age. The Otherworlds, and those in it, are no more dangerous than this realm is, and it serves no purpose to keep you ignorant. Just as it serves no purpose to fear something because you don’t understand it. I am here to help you to understand it.”
Help me understand. Understand weird things?
Rebecca bit her bottom lip as she remembered something that had happened in algebra during her last exam.
There had been a problem she was trying hard to solve and wasn’t getting anywhere. She’d been thinking on it so hard, staring at the numbers on the paper, knowing she knew how to solve it, but unable to remember the formula she had to use. She had been concentrating so hard, the answer startled her when she heard it.
Heard it. In her head. In someone else’s voice. She’d glanced around the room as much as she dared. It had sounded like someone was standing right beside her, telling her what she wanted to know.
Rebecca looked at him, wide-eyed, and told him about it. “Does that have anything to do with...um...this stuff?”
Syd nodded. “Somewhat. However, that was minor. A trifle. Wait until your power manifests when you come of age. You will be able to hear much more than thoughts, without such concentration or against your will. You’ll be able to use the emotions of other beings for your own purposes. Each of your mortal senses will sharpen, and though your abilities will be nowhere near ‘supernatural’, as you say, they will be ‘superhuman’. That is, they will far exceed those of a Regular. Just wait. Your world will cease to be ordinary and become extraordinary . Nothing to fear about that, is there?” Rebecca smiled and hid her face in her hands, laughing. What had just seemed so terrifying and dangerous was now fascinating and wonderful. He’d taken her fear and her dread and turned them into anticipation and hope.
“However, just as you can hear the thoughts of others, others can hear yours,” Syd went on. “Others like me. Ethereals. Teaching you to shield your thoughts and feelings will be of paramount importance. For now, though, there’s a fledgling vampire upstairs in desperate need of healing.” Syd stood and put his dark glasses back on as he gestured to the range again. The light came back on and he held his hand out
She looked up at Syd and shook her head.
“Is there a way out? I mean, Nana tried to keep this from happening, right? If there’s a way out let’s hear it, because I don’t think I can do this.” Syd lowered himself to a crouch and looked up at her. He waved a hand at the range and the light above it blinked out. A dim glow from the morning light around the edges of the blankets covering the windows bathed the kitchen in a dark gray Rebecca could just see in. Though it must have been very bright for him, she watched Syd reach up and lower the dark glasses covering his eyes.
Rebecca immediately turned her face away and looked at the floor, remembering again what her nana had said about looking into his eyes being rude. Besides, her stomach did weird things when she looked at Syd.
“Please,” she heard him said in a gentle voice. “Look at me. Just...not directly into my eyes. But at least look to me.” Rebecca hesitated for a moment before she obeyed.
“Martha shielded you from what you are for so long, Acolyte, for this very reason. So you would not feel this fear. This weakness. That you would not see yourself as you do now—as not strong enough to be what it is you were born to be. She was hoping that, through her neglect, your power would simply fade and you would not have to endure the weight of the responsibility of it, but that has not happened. Quite the opposite. It’s only grown stronger despite the neglect. Acceptance of yourself and your abilities is the only way you are going to make it safely through your coming of age. The Otherworlds, and those in it, are no more dangerous than this realm is, and it serves no purpose to keep you ignorant. Just as it serves no purpose to fear something because you don’t understand it. I am here to help you to understand it.”
Help me understand. Understand weird things?
Rebecca bit her bottom lip as she remembered something that had happened in algebra during her last exam.
There had been a problem she was trying hard to solve and wasn’t getting anywhere. She’d been thinking on it so hard, staring at the numbers on the paper, knowing she knew how to solve it, but unable to remember the formula she had to use. She had been concentrating so hard, the answer startled her when she heard it.
Heard it. In her head. In someone else’s voice. She’d glanced around the room as much as she dared. It had sounded like someone was standing right beside her, telling her what she wanted to know.
Rebecca looked at him, wide-eyed, and told him about it. “Does that have anything to do with...um...this stuff?”
Syd nodded. “Somewhat. However, that was minor. A trifle. Wait until your power manifests when you come of age. You will be able to hear much more than thoughts, without such concentration or against your will. You’ll be able to use the emotions of other beings for your own purposes. Each of your mortal senses will sharpen, and though your abilities will be nowhere near ‘supernatural’, as you say, they will be ‘superhuman’. That is, they will far exceed those of a Regular. Just wait. Your world will cease to be ordinary and become extraordinary . Nothing to fear about that, is there?” Rebecca smiled and hid her face in her hands, laughing. What had just seemed so terrifying and dangerous was now fascinating and wonderful. He’d taken her fear and her dread and turned them into anticipation and hope.
“However, just as you can hear the thoughts of others, others can hear yours,” Syd went on. “Others like me. Ethereals. Teaching you to shield your thoughts and feelings will be of paramount importance. For now, though, there’s a fledgling vampire upstairs in desperate need of healing.” Syd stood and put his dark glasses back on as he gestured to the range again. The light came back on and he held his hand out
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