Fearlings Two (The Fearlings Series Book 2) (5 page)

The eight-year-old James Kelly sits beside his dad, listening to Jeff and the others. He sees his dad looking down at him. He smiles. “What?”

“You ok?” Rob asks. He knows what his son is going to say.

“Yes,” James says.

“This is his first time at a gathering,” Rob says. “Jeff will tell us his story then asks questions. We answer and then some of us may share a story with him.”

James gets a thought that he doesn’t like and it shows on his face and in his tone. “I don’t have to do that do I? It’s my first time, I don’t want to.”

“You will be fine,” Rob says. He points to the long lights across the ceiling. “Wait till you see how we pin them. Now listen. It is very important to give him his respect; it’s not always easy sharing your experiences.”

James stares at the lights then back to Jeff talking.

“My parents died in a car crash when I was five,” Jeff says. He is nervous. This is the first time he has been around other
Vauns
. The Professor found him a few weeks ago and he welcomes the ability to share his story with those who will be able to understand and relate. “My brother Chris was three. No one had told us about the Fearlings, about our family secret. We were not prepared. Three years later when I saw my Fearling,
Rel
, for the first time, I couldn’t move. My brother just screamed and when they came in they turned the light on and he vanished. They never saw him.”

“Did they let you sleep with the light on?” Rachel asks.

“Yes they did,” Jeff says, “and we slept with the lights on for the next three nights but on the fourth night,” He hesitates at the memory but his understanding of their lack of knowledge shows in his tone. “Sheri and Arthur
Krichek
, they were an older couple who fostered kids. They were good people but they didn’t know what was happening. They were old fashioned. Arthur believed we were just two kids scared of the dark. On the fourth night he unplugged every light in the room.”

PAST

Jeff Miles and his five-year-old brother Chris sit up in the bed. They stare at Arthur standing in the doorway. Their eyes are full of tears as he talks to them about being afraid of the dark. The light from the hall behind Arthur provides light into the children’s room as he stares at the frightened kids on the bed. He hesitates, he wants to leave the lights on but this is what his dad did for him when he was younger.

“You will be fine,” Arthur says. His voice cracks with sympathy as he sees their tears. “When you wake in the morning you will realize that there is nothing to be afraid of in the dark.”

“Please don’t,” Chris cries. “Please.”

“You will be fine,” Arthur says. “Just shut your eyes. You’ll fall asleep. You will see.” He turns and closes the door. His wife is standing in the hall shaking her head as they hear Chris on the other side of the door crying.

“Let those boys sleep with the lights on Arthur,” Sheri says.

Inside the room, Jeff and his brother sit up in the bed. Their tearful eyes slowly start to adjust as they scan around the darkened room. A second later, the Fearling
Rel
appears and is standing at the end of the bed.

“Please turn the light on!” Chris cries. He stares at
Rel
as he holds his brother tight, “Please!”

Jeff feels his brother’s grip tighten around him as the shadowy
Rel
slowly walks around to the side of the bed.

“Friend,”
Rel
whispers to the children. He leans his head forward closer to Chris’, “Friend.”

Jeff is petrified of the shadowy being. He cannot move. His eyes focus on
Rel
as the Fearling steps back. His brother continues to cry in his arms.

“Please Jeff! Please turn the lights on! Please!”

Then another Fearling fades through the darkness to stand on the other side of the bed. His name is
Setah
and he is here for one or both of the humans. He leans his shadowy head to the kids on the bed, “M
i
n e.”

“Protect,”
Rel
whispers from the other side of the bed.

Jeff is frozen in fear. He hears
Rel
but his young mind doesn’t understand what the Fearling means. He holds his brother as Chris continues to fearfully beg him to turn the lights on. Outside in the hall Arthur stands beside his wife. They are listening to the kids on the other side of the door. They hear the terror in Chris’ voice as he cries.

“Get in there,” Sheri demands.

He opens the door, both Fearlings vanish in the light, and he doesn’t see them. He sees the two brothers on the bed crying in each other’s arms. A second later, the Fearling
Setah
fades into the darkness of the sidewall in the room.

“Get back Sheri!” Arthur yells to his wife. He stares at the shadowy
Setah
in fearful disbelief. He steps further into the room towards the boys on the bed.

Sheri steps back. She hears the demand in her husband’s tone and knows something scares him. “Arthur?”

“Stay in the hall Sheri!” Arthur insists. He reaches his arms out to Jeff and Chris on the bed. “Come here boys.”

Chris rolls out of the bed and reaches for Arthur’s hand.

“M
i
n e,”
Setah
whispers as he moves fast. He stays within the darkness as he reaches out and slams the door shut darkening the room. The smaller
Setah
slams into Arthur from behind.

Arthur stumbles forward and falls head first into the nightstand. He drops to the floor
semi conscious
.

Setah
reaches out for Chris as he turns to his brother on the bed. He grabs the boy and wraps his arms around the five year olds face and chest silencing his screams.
Setah
eerily moves his head and stares at Jeff on the bed.

The Fearling
Rel
fades into the darkness on the other side of the bed behind Jeff. He steps forward and climbs up onto the bed. He crawls to rest on his hands and knees beside the frozen Jeff. He stares at
Setah
and whispers. “Protect.”

Setah
stares at Jeff and whispers his acknowledgment of Chris’ capture. “M
i
n e.” He releases his grip around the
boys
face and grabs the crying kid by the shoulder. He starts towards the closet, dragging Chris behind him.

“Jeff!” Chris cries as
Setah
drags him into the darkness of the closet. “Jeff!”

“No!” Jeff yells. He hops off the bed and runs into the closet after his brother. He slams into the closet and falls down. He scans the small closet and there is nothing but clothes. His brother and
Setah
are not there.

“Gone,”
Rel
says. He feels the boy’s pain and sadness, “Gone.”

Sheri enters the room and sees her husband struggling to move on the floor. “Arthur?”

“Get the boy out of here,” Arthur says as he rolls over. He reaches out and struggles but he plugs the lamp on the nightstand in and the light comes on.

Jeff watches
Rel
fade into the light. He sees Arthur on the floor across the room as Sheri walks towards him.

“Jeff? Jeff? Where’s Chris? Where’s Chris?”

PRESENT

“That was the last time I saw my brother,” Jeff takes a breath. “The police ended up saying that Chris was kidnapped. Arthur and Sheri went along with the story.”
 
He stares around at the other
Vauns
, ending his focus on the little James. He tries to move the conversation away from the attack. “It did not take long. I learned what it meant to be a Vaun. I started listening to
Rel
and learning. Now my foster parents tried everything they could but they were not able to handle the life.”

“Very few are able,” Professor says.

“I know,” Jeff says. He smiles. “That’s why when you contacted me I was happy. Finally people who can relate, understand.”

“Everyone here,” Professor says. He stops and stares at Rachel. “Well everyone here but Rachel, has had a similar tragedy.”

“
Rel
went into resting when I was seventeen,” Jeff says. “It was right after I was attacked. He said he needed to become stronger. So for five years I did everything I could to never see the dark.”

“Did
Setah
attack when
Rel
was gone?” Rob asks. He wants to know because he is entertaining the idea of
Kynar
going into resting.

“No,” Jeff says, “and I don’t know why.”

“I know why he didn’t attack you,” Rachel says. She doesn’t like her thought. “He was resting too.
Setah
is no longer a Fearling. Is he?”

“No,” Jeff says, “he’s not.”

“He could be more powerful than
Rel
,” Rob says.

“Three years ago
Setah
attacked. He shattered lights and put me in the dark. But
Rel
was able to defeat him and keep me safe.”

“Or at least he was the last time that they fought,” Professor says. “We do not know who is stronger now. We just don’t.”

“How would
Setah
be stronger?”

“When they rest, they can simultaneously travel out to many worlds,” Rachel says. “The take on a character in that world and the more worlds that they travel, the more experience that they gain, the stronger they become.”

“Now they are bound by different rules in each world,” Professor says. “Like here in ours they appear as they do when the darkness allows.”

“The more worlds that they travel to, the more they divide their consciousness,” Rachel says, “the weaker their characters in each world becomes.”

“What?” Jeff says. “How can they be in different worlds at the same time? And where is their world? Where do they come from?”

“They are from many worlds, one of them is known as
Ciren
,” Professor says. “Sadly we don’t know much about it.”

“We know that if we kill a Fearling or
Molawner
in our world it doesn’t kill them in theirs,” Rachel says. “But they can never travel here again. Their connection to our world is lost.”

“This is crazy,” Jeff says. He shakes his head. “I mean. I know it has always been crazy but this, it’s just more than I was expecting.”

“What were you expecting?” Professor asks.

“I don’t know,” Jeff says. He sees the focus and lack of fear on the young James sitting next to his father. He tells himself if the boy can keep his focus then so can he. “Give me an example of what you are talking about.”