Chapter 13

“Don’t be frightened,” Naeemah said.

Allie focused on putting one foot in front of the other as she crossed the courtyard to join her. As expected, she didn’t resemble the older woman Allie had grown to love. She was stunning and not a day over thirty. Her exotic lapis-lazuli eyes gleamed with that same strange golden light as her children’s.

A family trait? But how could that be when both Sasha and Aidan were adopted?

“I see Aidan found the right words.” She offered Allie a seat. “I wasn’t certain he could strike such a terrible blow, but he felt it was his responsibility.”

Allie nodded dumbly.

“I know how unsettling this must be for you,” she said, “but we have much to cover, beginning with the most obvious—our appearance. Mortals are incapable of seeing our more unusual features, but that does not mean they don’t notice how slowly we age. However, there are ways we can deceive them: a few mental tricks that allow us to project the illusion of normal aging. Several thousand years ago, only a select few were capable of such a feat. Over time, most of us have adapted so that we blend with the changing world, like chameleons. Now that you have experienced your own Awakening, the scales have fallen from your eyes and you see clearly, but your family and friends will not acknowledge this monumental change.”

“So, I have to pretend like nothing’s changed?” Allie’s whole world had flipped upside down overnight, and she had to play along like everything was fine?

“I am so sorry, sweetheart. This will not be easy. You have a lot to learn rather quickly. I’m afraid we don’t have all the time in the world. Despite my son’s jokes.”

“You heard that?”

“We have extraordinary abilities; a strong sense of hearing is just one of many. Come.” She opened her arms. “Let me mother you since your own mother can’t.”

Allie didn’t need to be asked twice; she hurled herself into Naeemah’s arms and let her tears flow.

“It is possible that Lily and Carson know something of who you really are, but for now, we feel it is best to keep them out of it.”

“I love my parents, but what about my birth parents?”

“Perhaps you’ve noticed the prevalence of adoption among our families? We are often orphans of strange circumstances, just like you. Our family bonds are powerful, but in most cases, we are not related by blood. Something stronger binds us together. Natural born Immortals are extremely rare. I am one of those lucky few.”

“If we’re abandoned at birth, then who abandoned us?”

“I’m afraid I do not have a definitive answer to that question. There are many theories about our origins, but it is mostly conjecture.”

“I forget sometimes that Aidan and Sasha are adopted,” Allie said. “They seem so much like you and Gregg.”

“Yet, they look nothing like us. But just watch Aidan and Greggory together and you will see how strong their father-son bond is. And when you meet all the McBrien boys, you’ll wonder how I ever survived them all! They have the same charisma, even the same infuriating grin and wink, rushing headlong into trouble without giving a thought to how they’ll get out of it. But there are no genetic ties among them because our family bonds supersede biology.”

Allie stared at her feet, unable to fathom how this had happened to her.

“Why don’t we go for a walk while we talk?” Naeemah suggested. “There is so much you need to understand,” she said as they headed up to the grassy hills along the cliffs. “For weeks, we have considered how we might tell you everything you need to know without overwhelming you. I think it’s important to take this slowly over the next few days, but I’m afraid that is all the time we can allow. After that, you must sink or swim.”

Allie shuddered as they approached the edge of the precipice. The metaphorical one in her mind loomed large as she stared at the water far below.

“I love this place.” Naeemah gazed across the lake. “I’ve lived all over the world, but Kelleys Island reminds me of home.”

“How old are you, Naeemah?”

“I was born in Alexandria in fifteen-twenty-seven. Just ten years before my birth, the Ottoman Turks took the throne of Egypt that once belonged to my mother, Queen Hatshepsut, the notorious woman who dared name herself Pharaoh during the eighteenth dynasty of the Middle Kingdom.”

“Shut up!” Allie gasped.

Naeemah chuckled at her enthusiasm. “My father is Senmut, the man who tutored the young princess before she became the strong ruler we know from history.”

“Your mother was the most powerful woman of the ancient world?”

“Yes, she is remarkable and continues to amaze me with her ability to adapt to the modern world. She goes by Nadira now, and my father by Sayid.”

“She must be over three thousand years old.”

“She was three thousand when I was born.”

“Wow,” Allie said. “I must seem embryonic in comparison.”

“Yes, you are very young, and you need to understand you will be considered an adolescent for many decades.”

“Decades?” The thought of herself as a thirty-year-old teenager seemed ridiculous.

“You’ll need guidance. There is much a young Immortal must learn before they can truly be on their own.”

“Like what?”

“Come, let’s sit.” Naeemah gestured toward the lone laurel tree along the grassy slopes.

“We are powerful beings, capable of astonishing things, but it takes long years of training and hard work to realize our potential. You have a very difficult road ahead of you, but you will soon discover what you’re capable of through our guidance. Nearly all Immortals possess superior senses, strength, speed, and stamina, as well as certain abilities many of us have in common. You’ll spend the next several years learning to adjust to your more powerful nature. But the power manifests differently in all of us. Your gifts will be unique to you as an individual, and they are probably already emerging.”

“You mean like superpowers?” Allie’s heart hammered in her chest.

“For lack of a better comparison, yes, but that is a bad analogy.” Naeemah was obviously struggling to find the right words.

“My powers are of a kinetic origin, which means I can manipulate the movement of objects. I have a strong connection with the physical world that allows me to see the geometry and physics that control an object’s movement as a tangible thing.

“Unfortunately, I am also known for a much more sinister gift. I can influence others, utilizing a hypnotic control that takes place deep within the mind, but I do not use it lightly.”

Mind control? Allie recoiled at the thought.

“How will I know if I have a-a gift?”

“You, my dear, are a very talented young woman, but the manifestation of our gifts is a slow progression. You’ve undoubtedly experienced some development over the last year, but it may take weeks for you to feel the initial stirring of your power. When I was a child, I was always sensitive to the physical world. I could sense the things around me so strongly it was as if objects were people, and I instinctively knew what kind of ‘person’ those objects were long before I truly understood my gift.”

Allie thought about her strong intuition and the way she just knew things so certainly sometimes.

“I can do that with people.” She leapt to her feet in a rush of clarity. “I’ve always had this perception, but it’s grown stronger over the last year. With Vince, it was like I just … got him. And it was the same with Kayla. I didn’t have to get to know her before I knew how great she was. Even with Aidan, I knew we would be best friends almost instantly.”

“I am astounded that you’ve recognized even this much so soon. If I had to guess, I would say you might be Clairvoyant, which is a very rare and powerful gift.”

“Like seeing the future?”

“Clairvoyant gifts are often simply a result of a powerful intuition, but yes, seeing the future is a possibility.”

Allie couldn’t control her pacing. She wrung her hands in frustration, trying to absorb everything at once.

“I wish I could make this easier for you, sweetheart.”

“What’s with the sleeping thing?” Allie asked, wanting to steer the conversation to less frightening topics.

“I imagine you haven’t slept very well in a long time,” Naeemah said.

“Understatement of the year,” Allie muttered.

“When approaching an Awakening, it is difficult to rest comfortably. It’s as if you are caught between the before and after, and your body does not know how to function. You will adjust to a much longer day, and you will find it’s best to sleep only a few times a week. We have a powerful nature with strong stamina and endurance. We simply do not tire easily. As you age, your need for sleep will lessen.”

“That’s really freaking weird.” Allie sighed. “So, what about the aging thing? How are you a gazillion years old but look like you could be Sasha’s sister?”

“We age normally until our sixteenth year. After our Awakening, we continue to age almost normally for quite some time. As our powers manifest and we train to master our gifts, our aging begins to slow. For most, the slowing is almost imperceptible. For me, it began in my late twenties, but here I am nearly five centuries later, and it’s as if little more than a year or two has passed. But it will never truly cease.”

“Can you still die of old age?” Allie asked.

“I suppose it’s possible, but I have never met anyone so old.”

“Show me what you can do, Naeemah. I think it will help.”

Allie watched her gather a pile of twigs and rocks and stared in wonder as she sent the debris swirling and dancing into the air.

“That is amazing!”

“I keep waiting for the moment when this becomes too much for you and you run away screaming. I shouldn’t underestimate you,” she said. “There is one more thing you should see to help put things into perspective.” She took a small sharp knife from her hip and sliced open her hand.

Before Allie could even react, Naeemah began to heal. Allie watched, mesmerized, as the bleeding slowed, and the gash became an angry line against her golden skin. Within minutes, the wound faded, and soon, no evidence of the injury remained.

“This is too much.” She reached for the knife.

“Allie, No!”

“Ahh!” she cried as the knife bit into her skin and blood filled her palm.

“I’m so sorry, I should have warned you. You’re still very young. You will not regenerate as quickly.”

“It feels different. The pain is dull.” Allie watched, transfixed as the minutes passed and the bleeding slowed. Soon the ache subsided almost completely. Her eyes swam with fresh tears when she realized this was no nightmare. Life as she had known it was over, and nothing would ever be the same.

“I’m Immortal.” She cried on Naeemah’s shoulder for the normal life she thought she finally had but would never know.

“How is she?” Aidan asked as he approached.

“She’s just having a moment.”

“What’s wrong? Eternal life is good news.” His tone held such concern that she choked on a sob as she reached for him.

“Please don’t cry, Lex.” He settled her on his lap. “Your tears are like a knife in the gut, and there’s nothing I can do to make it better.”

“We have covered the essentials.” Naeemah rose to leave. “She’s going to need your friendship more than anything right now, son. You need to let her mourn her loss.”

Allie saw the worried look on her face as she left them sitting silently under the laurel tree. She couldn’t tell if her concern was for Allie’s situation or the way Aidan held her, gently stroking her hair.