FAMILY HISTORY-E

Astrid's brain was on overdrive. She could not understand how pop allowed a guest into their house. He was very adamant of having any outsiders be it, friends, or acquaintance. She racked her brain for answers but ended up with more questions. She sighed loudly and finished her shower quicker.

Grandpa Jones motioned her to sit on the mat and she sat slowly, her gaze back at the Enlil. He had a weird name, to begin with, she thought.

Grandpa Jones cleared his throat and spoke `There is something I want to tell you, Astrid. I have been keeping them long and I think it's time I pass the knowledge to you.'

`You must have wondered why we stay in the forest like this, but it is mainly to keep you from interreacting much with humans and vampires. You are different. As a matter of fact, we are different'

Astrid looked at her pop and Enlil in surprise. `I am listening', she spoke in a whisper. Where is this going?

`You are the child of mother nature, Astrid. You have powers to bend forces of nature to your will. We are connected to these forces more than you can imagine. We are a part of nature. Enlil here is going to assist you and me to discover your affiliations'.

Astrid nodded. She had many questions to ask and opened her mouth, but pop put his palm up to stop her and he continued, `Your father abandoned you when he found out that your mother was a different person. She was the creator of heaven, earth, and humans, Nammu. Their love was a forbidden one, shrouded in secrecy until you were conceived, your father was terrified. He chickened out and left, never coming back and your mother died of a broken heart'.

`She trusted someone whom she should not in the first place. Our kind is very little in this world, and the death of Nammu opened our eyes to safeguard you, which is why we always stayed here, away from the city.'

`There are others who wield different powers, but you as the direct child of Nammu, you have untapped powers and ability that only you can unlock. You may doubt me of your grandfather but fear not, Nammu is my daughter'.

`Our kind is as old as civilizations. We hide in plain sight and rarely use our gifts, unless necessary. A few hundred years ago, the mutation which took place between the vampires; it was the doing of Enlil and his brother Enki. They created an antidote to suppress the killing nature of vampires and released it in the water, plants, animals, everywhere which is why we have relative peace.' Grandpa Jones exhales and leans back on the wall.

`Then why are you telling me this now? I mean are in harm now? Why is Enlil here? Where are the rest of the 'gifted' as you say? I mean..' Astrid was cut short when Enlil spoke. This sounds like a piece of amazing news to her, having the powers to bend nature. Is she an Avenger heroine?

`After a certain age, you need to start harnessing your power. Otherwise, it will affect your mood and general well being. We are in no harm right now. And as for others we don't contact anyone out of fear for exposing them, but we meet up if required', Enlil spoke in a deep voice, husky with a hint of authority. `You can say I am your mentor or guide'.

`Enlil will be staying with us until you learn what is needed. These books and parchments are for you Astrid, you will understand better after reading them.' Grandpa Jones motioned her to sit closer to him and she edged nearer to him until she was facing Enlil directly in front of her.

Astrid was excited to learn, to know more about this new piece of info. But she wished pop had told her earlier. She could have used it earlier to save herself from the nightmares in highschool.

`Astrid, I need to hold your hands and observe your affinity.' Enlil raised an eyebrow and Astrid held her hands out. Enlil was surprised by Astrid taking in the news with no tantrums or yells. Most people would blow their brains out when they learn of their newfound abilities.

`Whatever you see, just go with the flow and follow what your heart says.'

Enlil told her to relax and focus on her breathing. She had difficulty at first with all the information going through her mind, but she managed to calm down after a good 15 minutes. As she focused on her breathing, she saw wisps of white mist swirling in her mind. They felt warm and soothed her, so she allowed them to engulf her.

She realized she was walking, with the white mist trailing behind her as if dancing. She stopped when she saw a stone temple. She walked inside of it and the torches on the walls light up on its own, allowing her to see the interior more clearly.

She saw depictions of god and humans along the walls. Carved in stone, a story of a civilization unfolding before her eyes. How it was created, how it developed and fed itself, the wars it fought as if a movie was played along the walls. She came to a large temple hall and saw a lone fire burning in an urn in the middle of the hall. She walked towards the fire and heard Enlil whispering in her ears `Embrace it, Astrid.'

Astrid did now know how to embrace a fire without burning herself, so she thought of embracing the pillar. Just as her fingertips touched the pillar a series of words and cuneiforms glowed brightly in white and brown light, changing the colour of fire to brown and white.

The fire burned louder and higher, Astrid could feel the heat and tried to step back but she couldn't. An unknown force was holding her in place. She panicked, fearing for her life.

The bright fire did not stop in size nor in ferocity, and it moved towards her. Astrid's fear increased and she yelled, but no voice came out of her! She was truly afraid by now. Fear kicked in and she tried to pull herself away from the pillar.

She gritted her teeth and screamed in terror, fat tears dropping out of her eyes. Enlil was gripping her hands tightly and he could see her nearing to an end. Grandpa Jones looked at him and nodded for him to continue.

Astrid did not want to die this way. She thought of her Grandfather, friends, and the Wagner brothers. With one last attempt, she tried to pull herself from the urn of fire which had swallowed her up, blazing heat threatening to erase her existence, but she could not find a release. She did not want to give up.

Suddenly, the white mist which was surrounding her started to spin and increased in speed. It spun around her, fanning the fire, but Astrid felt the heat was reducing. It was working the opposite way! The wind picked up and by now it was howling. The fire had been subdued completely.

She could see the wind, turning into a storm, circling her. Lightning and thunder strike the ground. Every lightning that hit the ground, brought up pieces of dirt into the circle of wind. Soon, it looked like a giant mud storm spinning around her.

It formed multiple funnels all directing towards her. She cried harder; her vision blurred as she tried to focus in despair. As if sensing her fear and misery, the funnels reach out to her; entering through every pore of her skin, mouth, eyes, nose, ears leaving no space to breathe. She could taste the rain, the bitter flavour of mud, her body absorbing all of it, hungry and wanting more. She was afraid of the power it wields.

Astrid could not control her body; it was craving for it. Her body seized every ounce of the wind and earth coming towards her. Soon the circle started diminishing in size until exhaustion took over and she finally accepted defeat by collapsing.