Chapter 5

I had a plan. I wanted to test whether it was possible for me to ask a guy out. So, I decided to surprise my friend Josh and see his honest reaction. Could I even do this? I asked myself.

"Hey Josh, will you go out with me?"

He laughed, raising an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I let out a small, awkward giggle." Just to prove I could ask a guy out.

He looked at me, stunned. "You’re a jerk, Kaysi, and that is so uncool."

"Why? I said with a slightly smug grin. I was just playing around."

"Because what if I really did want to go out with you?"

I blinked. "Sorry, Josh, it was just a test. Besides, you're too young for me anyway."

"I am just a year older," he shouted in disbelief.

I looked at Beck and shrugged my shoulders. She grabbed him by the ear and dragged him off.

"Thanks, Kaysi. You started this something." She called back, laughing. "I’ll tell the coach to give him a cold shower and some extra laps for you.

"No. Becky," Josh exclaimed, "the coach is already demanding enough of me!"

Despite moments like that, things were improving. My confidence grew, and even my grades started to reflect the change. When I got my report card, I saw the real impact of my efforts.

Of course, I still got teased. Kids started calling me a nerd, so I stopped raising my hand in class. My teachers were kind enough to notice and stopped calling on me, understanding what I was doing. As long as my grades stayed up, they didn’t mind, and neither did I.

At home, I started taking better care of myself. I brushed my hair more, dressed a little nicer, and carried myself differently. The teasing lessened. I hadn’t lost myself, just changed "enough" to stop being an easy target.

Overall, I had a better attitude about things and more confidence.

Some people get heated. I never once turned on my friends or lost myself. I just changed “enough” to stop being a target for most people.

Then, we moved to Plum Street in the middle of the year. Bills were piling up, and my mom couldn’t keep up with them. My older brother had moved out to be more independent, so it made sense to downsize. I made jokes about always living on fruit-named streets—first Cherry, now Plum.

The new neighborhood was pretty cool. I couldn't wait until we were finished moving in. We spent the last night in our old home, cleaning it up and loading the last of our belongings.

On the last night at our old house, I took my dog, Baby, a small but fierce Pomeranian mix, for a walk before loading the final boxes.

As we turned a corner, she growled, and her fur bristled. A massive, red-eyed black wolf was digging in someone's backyard. Something about it felt… unnatural. We lived in the city; wolves didn’t belong here.

My heart pounded. Baby had plenty of bark but no bite. I quickly scooped her up in mid-attack, ready to protect her as the wolf lunged in our direction. It barely missed us, its teeth grazing my arm.

The wolf barely missed both of us. Although we didn't get much injury, I still have a small scratch on his teeth.

I ran as fast as I could back to the house, clutching Baby to my chest. When I glanced back, the wolf was gone. I looked around for the wolf. I was confused. It must have left, no longer interested.

Once I thought it was gone, I walked outside alone. I did not want to provoke another attack because of my little dog.

Was this for real? I thought, or was it a spirit demon of some sort? I thought I was doing good for the most part, ignoring them lately, so why was one showing up now?

I suppose curiosity was killing my rhetorical cat. Carefully, I retraced my steps, scanning the area—no sign of the wolf. But then, under a streetlight, I saw a man with long white hair wearing a black coat that reached the ground. An old leather hat shadowed his face. He hadn’t seen me—I was hidden behind a building.

Something about him was off. I decided to follow him, keeping my distance. He moved fast, almost unnaturally so. I noticed a strange-looking knife strapped to his leg. Was he hunting that wolf thing? Or was he looking for someone… Could it be me?

No, I am just being paranoid, I thought to myself. Secretly, I thought my gifts could one day get me into trouble, but this was overthinking at its best.

He walked far ahead of me; I could no longer see him. He was blocked by the end of an abandoned train station. Either he vanished into thin air, or he jumped the fence. I debated whether to keep searching.

As I stood there, debating whether to turn back or continue looking for him. Just then, something yanked me back.

A large dog with long, flowing brown fur stood before me.

At first, I thought it was the wolf, but no—this one was different.

Then, it spoke.

"It is time."

I stumbled back. "What in the world?" I exclaimed;

"A talking animal?! What's going on?"

"It's time for you to wake up."

Looking at the animal, I realized it was Baby, my dog!? She had grown enormous and was speaking to me.

"I am your guardian," she continued. "Sent in this form to protect you. You’re being hunted. You have gifts—sight beyond the physical realm—and you’re drawing attention. Yet, you foolishly chase spirits. What are you thinking?"

She sounded like my mother scolding me. As if my dog talking didn’t throw me off guard, my brain struggled to catch up.

I argued back, instinctively playing along as I usually did when she did something sassy, just as I would with her when she was a regular dog.

"Now look here, I was trying to figure out what’s up with these (things) coming around here."

"You’re a target, coming into your Seer powers. Your eyes are awakening to see the spirits. I am sure you've been seeing visions as well. This proves that you are growing stronger, and the following steps will help you unlock your Waymaker powers."

"Unfortunately, you have awakened much too early than you were supposed to. This isn’t supposed to happen for the next several years; you are only 13." There is nothing we can do now; you must take caution. "You're not strong enough, so you'll likely get attacked."

"Now, could you look here?" I jokingly said that I had just changed everything about myself to get targets off my back! I have been trying to get stronger as a backup safety precaution in case I were to get into a fight, but I didn't expect this."

"Yes, that’s just it. You are getting stronger, and that’s why waking your powers so early can kill you."

"You only feel weak because your body gets weaker as your spirit strengthens. You're going to die soon if you don't take caution." "The demons are attracted to your light, and their numbers are growing."

"Kaysi, now that you have started waking, there is no going back; you must fully awaken your powers, or you will indeed be killed."

The weight of her words crushed me. My head spun. I thought I was about to be sick. How could this be happening to me? Standing there outside in the street, the nights began to blur. I started to feel like my heart was racing. I swayed, feeling the darkness growing around to consume me. This is not good. I am losing myself as I begin to lose consciousness.

When I last looked, the unseen wolf creatures were surrounding us.

My senses were being overwhelmed by them, five or six massive, shadowy, wolf-like creatures.

Why was their spiritual presence so powerful and suffocating, and where had they come from?

What could be next for me? I felt powerless—merely a feeble, helpless middle school girl. I was neither armed nor possessed any unique abilities to oppose them.

Was I born like this? I felt tortured. Were these gifts given to me to witness my own death so soon? What a cruel fate! What could I do now to change this?

I collapsed. My vision blurred. I barely could see Baby fighting them off, outnumbered and outmatched. I faded in and out, catching glimpses of the battle before I lost consciousness.

I woke up in my bed the next morning. Baby lay on her pillow beside me, her leg injured, and she looked beat up. I didn’t remember how we got here. Did she… carry me?

I decided not to ask questions and let her rest. I didn’t ask questions anyway. I wasn’t ready for answers from what happened last night. So I got dressed and went to school. Acting like nothing had happened.

I didn’t know who I could talk to about this anyway, so it was awkward, but I wanted to get things off my chest.

I met up with Beck outside of school at our usual spot, where we hung by the bleachers, waiting for the bell to ring.

"Hey, Kaysi," Beck said in a sincere voice.

I kept my head down, still feeling a bit weak. "Yeah, Beck,"

"What's going on with you today? You look a little pale. Are you sick?" She said with concern as she looked at me.

"Well," Trying to figure out what story to tell her. She looked worried, as if I was going to drop dead at any moment.

For laughing out loud," I joked, "it's hard to say. I just got into a dogfight last night with a group of large dogs. They were trying to kill my dog, Baby."

"Are you serious, Kaysi? Are you hurt anywhere?"

"No… just sore, that’s all." I lied, not wanting to scare her anymore.

Before she could press further, a dodgeball came flying out of nowhere. My body reacted instinctively—I dodged as fast as humanly possible; I completely lost my balance and began to fall to the ground.

I braced for impact, but to my surprise—once more, out of nowhere, D was miraculously there to grab me before I could touch the ground like he was my own personal shining hero.

Even so, where had he come from? We kept our little hangout place hidden from view.

Beck's eyes brightened, and her jaw dropped. in amazement

I made a short grin toward Beck as if to say, "Yeah, this is him." Becky was shocked; I was trying to indicate to her that this was the guy I told her about.

I was happy that Beck got to meet him, and she seemed thrilled to learn about him. She smiled quickly as if to say, "You're lucky."

Here was the best opportunity that I could have asked for. It distracted Beck; I didn't want to talk about last night anymore, anyway.

As he helped me back on my feet. But before I could enjoy the moment, a sharp pain lanced through my stomach. I gasped, doubling over as I dropped to the ground.

"KAYSI," WHAT'S WRONG?" they both yelled"!