The Defender (The Elkavians Book 1) Read online

  THE DEFENDER

  THE ELKAVIANS SERIES

  BOOK 1

  S. H. MAGILLIAN

  Copyright © 2017 S.H. Magillian. All rights reserved.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events and other entities are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any similarities to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events are purely coincidental.

  www.shmagillian.com

  Cover Photography by Artshock.

  The Defender / S.H. Magillian – 1st edition.

  CONTENTS

  I

  First Contact

  II

  The Outcome

  III

  The Volunteer

  IV

  Ethan

  V

  Elkavians

  VI

  The Sleepover

  VII

  The Photo Album

  VIII

  Samil

  IX

  Not a Very Awesome Day

  X

  The Deal

  XI

  Trust

  XII

  Samil leaving

  XIII

  Fingerprints

  XIV

  Samil's Return

  XV

  Revelations

  XVI

  The Enemy

  I

  The beep of the alarm clock woke Alexis up. She could find the will to open her eyes nowhere in her mind or soul. The thought of seeing her classmates again was simply dreadful. She didn’t move. She would stay in bed for as long as possible, maybe her mother would forget that she had to go to school. If only she were a lucky person. Unfortunately, she was a walking magnet for unwanted things.

  “Sleepyhead, get up! School time!” Anna opened the curtains.

  One thing was for sure, her mother was the most enthusiastic person she knew. Alexis felt the heat of the sun on her skin. “Mom,” she murmured, her eyes still closed.

  “What? Today is the first day of your last year of school. You can’t say that’s not exciting!”

  “Wow, I’m super excited!” said Alexis sarcastically.

  “I can tell.” Anna pulled the sheets and grabbed Alexis’s hands pulling her from bed.

  “Gosh, mom.” Alexis finally opened her eyes. She looked out the window. The day was beautiful. It was going to be a great day for someone, for sure, she thought.

  “So, what are you wearing?” Anna opened the closet.

  “Mom, please, just leave me alone,” begged Alexis. “I can choose my clothes on my own.” She went to her closet and gave Anna a fake smile. She’d do anything to get her mom and all her excitement out of her room as fast as possible. All that joy bothered her.

  Anna didn’t move though. She was determined to get Alexis to appreciate that moment, the beginning of the end. She was about to walk into the closet when Alexis stopped her.

  “I’m starving, mom. Why don’t you make us some pancakes, so we can start this awesome day with a great breakfast?” Alexis tried to sound as jolly as her bad mood allowed her. She saw a bit of hesitation in Anna’s eyes, so she insisted. “Please, mom. I’ll be ready in ten minutes, I promise.”

  “Pancakes coming out in five! Be quick!” said Anna leaving the room.

  Alexis rolled her eyes. Very few things could make that day worse than it was already doomed to be and her mother trying to pretend the day was about to be fantastic was certainly one of them. Alexis picked a black t-shirt and black jeans. Perhaps if she wore something more colorful, she wouldn’t be picked on by the other students. She got back to her closet. Black was the only color in there. It was official, school was going to be hell. She needed new clothes, new colors, a new life. The one she was living was not meant for her. She could not explain the void in her soul. While everyone’s world seems to be full of color and warmth, hers was gray and cold. She got her backpack and went down the stairs. She couldn’t deny that the smell was great. She smiled, her mom was a great cook.

  “There you are. Have a seat, dear. We don’t have much time,” said Anna putting some juice in a glass.

  “Are you going to work today? I thought it was your day off.” Alexis was confused.

  “It is. I’m taking you to school,” said Anna smiling.

  “Mom, if there is one way you can make my day any worse is by taking me to school. Just give me the car keys.” Alexis stretched her hand. “You’re not using the car today, are you?” she asked desperately.

  “I wanted to be with you. It is an important day.” Anna was upset that Alexis had reacted so badly.

  Alexis snorted. “If you take me to school, this day will be important because it will be the last one in my life,” she said harshly.

  “Too much drama, Al. It’s just school. It’s a phase. I know it can be a hard one, trust me; I’ve been there. Remember that it is temporary. It won’t last forever, even though it feels like that sometimes.” Anna walked to Alexis. “I love you. It doesn’t matter what other people think of us, what really matters is how we see ourselves. And I hope you see yourself as I see you, a gorgeous, brilliant girl with a great future ahead of her. You were born for greatness. Don’t ever let anyone tell you any different.” She kissed Alexis’s forehead. “You can go by yourself, but first eat your pancakes.”

  Alexis couldn’t help letting a tear roll down her face. She had to be stronger. Why should she care about her classmates' opinion anyway? Screw them. She had to focus on the people that were truly important to her and on herself. She would arrive at school with her head up. She finished her pancakes and got the car keys.

  “Thanks, mom. I love you.” Alexis smiled and left the house. She got in the car and started it. She took a deep breath. The first day of the end, she told herself. School was not far from home, about ten minutes, but it seemed to her that she had got there in less than a minute. School was certainly not distant enough for her to actually want to arrive at it. Perhaps if it were a five-hour drive, she would feel a certain level of satisfaction in arriving. That was not the case though.

  She parked her mom’s car and observed the other students talking, smiling, celebrating the great thing that was being back to school. She felt like disappearing. She was lost in her thoughts when someone knocked on the window almost giving her a heart attack. “Gosh! Do you want to kill me?” she asked chucklingly. She was glad to see Mia’s big hazel eyes staring at her. Mia was Alexis’s best friend and the only one who understood how awful school truly was. Together, they were school’s rejects.

  “Come on, let’s go! We don’t want to be late,” said Mia smiling.

  Alexis left the car and gave Mia a hug. “Great to see you.”

  “Oh, you are emotional today. Nice black outfit.” Mia giggled.

  “Same to you. Don’t you have another color in your closet?” asked Alexis sarcastically.

  “No. Do you?” Mia raised her eyebrows. She already knew the answer to that question, but it was always fun to tease Alexis.

  “No,” said Alexis sadly. “I’m changing that, though.” Alexis raised her head. She would be a better person that year. Things would be better for them.

  “Why?” asked Mia curiously. The jolly tone of that conversation was gone. Mia started walking to class.

  “Aren’t you tired of being an outcast?” Alexis couldn’t hide the sadness in her voice. She followed Mia on their way to the building.

  “Well, I don’t want to change to fit in. Do you? I mean, this is who we are.”

  “Is it? Who are we, Mia? Please, enlighten me because I have no freaking idea of whom I am.” Alexis stopped walking.

  Mia stared at her, inc
redulous. “Wow, that’s more than I can take at 7 a.m., Al. Do we have philosophy class today?” Mia watched Alexis frown at her. “Seriously, that conversation will take hours. We do not have time for that now. We’ll talk about it after school, okay?”

  “Sure.” Alexis knew they would not talk about it because it made Mia uncomfortable. Changing would require a lot of effort, but spending another year being bullied seemed much worse. Alexis wished she would fit in for being who she was, but that was not possible. At least, not at her school. There, she would have to be a completely different person if she wanted to be accepted, if she wanted to be invited for parties, if she wanted to make new friends. Not that she was not happy having Mia as a friend, but having one more friend would be nice.

  When they walked into the classroom, Alexis scanned the room looking for any new faces. Having a new student in class would be a great opportunity to make a friend. Unfortunately, no one moved to Grasslin. She sat beside Mia as usual and that was when she saw Margaret, the most despicable person Alexis had ever met. Unlike Alexis who had dark hair and hazel eyes, Margaret was blond with blue eyes. She was definitely the prettiest but also the meanest girl at school. Sadly, she was in the same class as Alexis. Once again. And it did not take her long to start spitting venom.

  “Seriously, Alexis, if you want to be goth do it right. You look terrible,” said Margaret mockingly.

  Alexis kept her eyes on the board. Responding to Margaret’s provocation would only get her to detention. After all, teachers adored Margaret as if she were an angel. Margaret didn’t enjoy being ignored though. She leaned to Alexis.

  “I’m talking to you, insignificant person. Look at me.”

  Alexis closed her eyes. She would love to punch Margaret, or at least inflict any kind of pain on her, but she knew there was nothing she could do. Margaret had everyone else’s support and going to detention on the first day of school would only disappoint Anna. She would have to give in. She opened her eyes to look at Margaret.

  “That’s better,” said Margaret victoriously. “I’m sure this year will be great for both of us. Maybe not so much for you.” Margaret smiled. “I’ll make sure of that.” She continued smiling maliciously as she walked to her desk with complete disregard for Alexis’s feelings.

  Alexis had known Margaret for five years and she had always been like that: condescending, unscrupulous, cruel, gorgeous, and popular. A true bitch.

  Mia touched Alexis’s hand. “Are you okay?” she whispered.

  “Sure. Why wouldn’t I be? Did you expect anything different?”

  Alexis’s tone bothered Mia. She seemed more aggressive and sadder than ever, as if she couldn’t take any of that anymore. “It’s almost over, Al. We must be strong.”

  Alexis’s wanted to say something, but words didn’t come to her. She knew Mia was right, but she couldn’t help feeling angry. She felt a force that could not be repressed anymore crushing her inside, begging its way out. She had to find a way to let it free. She got up and left the room. Having no idea of what was going on, Mia followed her.

  “Al?” she asked, confused.

  “Go back to class, Mia. I want to be alone,” said Alexis firmly.

  “Where are you going?” Mia didn’t know what to do. Walking out before class started was not the kind of thing Alexis did.

  “I don’t know,” said Alexis harshly. She hoped that her tone of voice had made it clear that she didn’t want company. She walked out the building leaving Mia speechless, perplexed by Alexis’s behavior. Convinced that there was something seriously wrong, Mia decided she would go to Alexis’s house after class. Hopefully, she would be calmer then.

  Alexis got in the car and drove to Atknan park. She needed peace of mind and there was nothing better than being in contact with nature to give her that. The sun was gone leaving the day gray and cold. Atknan was about fifteen minutes from school. She parked and walked into the woods. Not far from the park entrance, there was a clearing where she could lie down, stare at the sky, and let her mind rest.

  Alexis walked for about ten minutes to the clearing. There was no one there. Alexis lay down and tried to relax. She tried to remember if she had ever seen anyone at the park, ever. She had not. People in town did not seem to appreciate the beauty of that place. She watched dark gray clouds cover the sun. A tear rolled down. The sky depicted exactly the way she felt, as if darkness was taking her over, overshadowing every single beam of light inside.

  “Found you,” said a husky male voice.

  Alexis heart was about to jump out of her chest. She looked at her feet and saw a tall strong man with a creepy smile on his face. Before she could move, the man crouched and grabbed her feet. Alexis tried to kick him, but it was in vain. The man showed no sign of annoyance. He continued holding her feet without any struggle. Alexis started screaming.

  “Help! Somebody help!” She screamed at the top of her lungs. The man continued smiling and started pulling her toward the woods. She looked around to see if there was something she could hold on to, but there was not even a branch in the clearing. “Help!” She kicked harder. “Help!” Alexis was hopeless. She was sure that was the end. She was going to die. She thought of her mother. She had already lost so much when Alexis’s father died. Now that. She told herself that she could not give in. “Help! Fire!!”

  The man started laughing. “Oh, that’s a good one. Keep going. What’s next?” asked the man looking at her.

  “This,” said a smooth male voice.

  Alexis felt her feet hit the ground as the strong man’s head fell and rolled down to the trees. Standing right in front of her was a man wielding a sword.

  “Alexis,” he whispered.

  The fact that he knew her name frightened her more than anything else. If she had thought she was in the wrong place at the wrong time, that thought was now gone. She got up and ran back to the car as quickly as possible. She didn’t look back. She just hoped he was not following her. She opened the car, got in and started it. She checked the rearview mirror. There was no one. She drove as fast as she could. Her hands and legs were shaking. She oscillated between desperation and relief. Alexis was too shocked to cry. She kept hearing the man saying her name. A part of her was thankful, after all, he had saved her life. But she questioned herself why a killer would know her name. That was what he was, a murderer.

  Alexis parked in front of the police station. She got her phone and dialed her mom’s number. She was uncertain if she should call her mother before talking to the police. The faster they went to the clearing, the higher the chances of finding the man. They had to find him. She left the car and put the phone in her back pocket.

  It was the first time she entered the police station. Not much happened in Grasslin, so that was a place she never thought she would set foot in. There was a police officer standing by a desk. She recognized him. Martin was one of her mother’s childhood friends. He had been quite supportive when her father died.

  “Hi,” said Alexis nervously.

  “Alexis.” Martin could not hide his surprise. “What happened?”

  “I was attacked in the clearing in the park.” Saying those words devastated her. She finally felt each emotion she had suppressed on her way there. She started crying.

  “I’ll get you some water,” he said gently.

  “No! You must go after him,” she begged desperately.

  “You need to tell me what happened first, Al.” Martin softly touched her shoulder in an attempt to provide some kind of comfort.

  “I went to the clearing to think. I was lying on the grass when a man showed up. He said that he had found me and grabbed my feet. He started pulling me to the woods. I screamed for help. Another man showed up. He had a sword.” She heard herself and stopped talking. Who on Earth walked around carrying a sword? None of that made sense.

  “Al, continue,” he asked. The sooner she finished, the sooner he could act.

  “He decapitated the other man.” She couldn’t
help sobbing. “Right in front of me.” She wiped her face. “He knew my name, Martin.” Of all the things that had happened, the feeling that she was being hunted down was by far the worst.

  “Come here,” said Martin walking with her to a room. “Have a sit. Andrea, can you please come here?”

  Andrea, an old lady, walked into the room. “Hi, Al.”

  “Can you please stay with her?” he asked calmly. “I’ll talk to the sheriff and we’re going to the clearing now, okay? We got this, Al. You’re safe.” Alexis wanted to believe in his words, but she doubted they were true. “I’ll have someone call your mother.”

  “Thanks,” she murmured. She sat there for what seemed to be a lifetime until her mother stormed into the room.

  “Oh, my God, Al. What happened? Are you okay? Were you hurt?” Anna touched Alexis’s hair, face, shoulders, legs, then she hugged her. “Look at me.”

  “I’m not hurt, mom.”

  “Thank God.” Anna looked at Andrea. “Are they back yet?” Andrea just shook her head. Anna got back to Alexis. “Had you ever seen any of them before, Al?”

  “No,” she mumbled.

  “But one of them knew your name, is that right?” Alexis nodded. “What were you doing there? You were supposed to be at school. You realize that if you had disappeared, we wouldn’t know where to look.” Anna’s eyes brimmed with tears.

  “I know. I’m sorry. I just needed some time to think. I always go there when I need some time.” Alexis looked down. Somehow, she felt as if she was the one to blame.

  Over an hour went by before Martin came back. “Can you give us a moment, Andrea?” he asked. Alexis’s heart skipped a beat. Martin didn’t seem to have good news. She wanted to ask him if they had found the man, but she was afraid of the answer. When Andrea left, Martin got a chair and sat facing Alexis. “There was no one there, Al.” He paused for a second. “I mean no one. No corpse. No blood. No foot marks. I mean, no foot marks but yours. Nothing else.”

  “They were there. I saw them. I have just witnessed a murder.” Words rushed out of her mouth. “I know what I saw,” she said with difficulty as she stared at him. Not even for a second had she thought that she would have to say that sentence as if her sanity was being questioned.