Found

By Kimberly Odum Wells

Wila wakes on her sixteenth birthday excited about getting her driver's license and hopes of a new/used car. The surprise her mother drops is bigger than a new car. Celestial guardians of the world and its universe, a guardian angel cast from heaven and an unbroken oath that turns into true love. Wila's life becomes the adventure that she's been looking for

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kimberly Odum Wells
• Release date: Jul 21, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301322411

Kimberly Odum Wells

Born and raised in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, after a ten year side-trip to the great state of California, where I discovered I could spin a good story as well as tell one, I moved back to my hometown. I live with my husband, a know-it-all, genius, reader of science fiction, my son, Osiris, our dog, Noodle and six cats that came with our new home. An avid reader, my one wish is to write something worthy of the time people take to read my stories.

Book preview

FOUND

Second Edition

Kimberly Odum Wells

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2013

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Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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Prelude

The girl was small; the top of her head coming to her father’s waist. She worked with her mother in the garden that grew alongside her family hut on most days, but she also went with her father to hunt for meat. It was unheard of in the village, women were gathers. The girl, while strong, looked like a strong gust of wind could carry her away. But she was stubborn and absolutely adored by her father, who denied her nothing. The whole village seemed to hold the girl in high regard, which added to the angel’s overall assumption that she was special.

Hadraniel was one of the angels whose purpose was to find and protect the Guardian Mothers. Since the cleansing of the Watchers, he’d investigated countless girls and women in search of the ones he’d vowed to protect and until now he had never come across anyone he’d felt was the one.

The day was sunny and hot and the sounds of the forest around them were soothing and nonthreatening. The angel followed behind the girl as she picked timber for the evening’s fire for cooking. She hummed to herself, occasionally singing a verse or two of the song. She had a lovely voice and the sound of it lulled her follower, which was why it took him an extra step before he realized she had come to a stop. Hadraniel stepped aside as the girl turned back in his direction, to give her passage back to the village.

As short as she was, she was still all arms and legs, scrawny ones at that. She had not gotten her first markings and her dark chocolate skin was flawless. Her hair was shaved but didn’t take away from her beauty. The multi-strand, bright beaded necklace, the girl’s mother had just given her yesterday, was a nice contrast against her skin. On her slender hips, a piece of sand colored cloth hung precariously. Her feet were bare; her lips full large and intelligent, brown eyes stared in his direction.

Why are you following me?

He’d made no sound and had not revealed himself. Surprised at being addressed, it took a second for Hadraniel to rely. How is it that you can see me?

Dropping the armload of wood, that was no bigger than large sticks, she put her hands on her hips. Her tone was that of an older sibling speaking to an annoying younger one. My grandmother had the sight. Now I am the one who sees.

Angels were emotionless creations but extended time spent on the surface and prolonged time around humans would breach an angels steely reserve. Hadraniel was too strong to fall as the Watchers had but something about the little girl stirred things in the center of him.

Are you here to kill or to protect me? she asked.

Hadraniel cocked his head to the side. There was no fear in her voice as she asked if he was there to take her life. Stories from the surface before the Cleansing said humans were weak and feared the unknown. Maybe the Watchers had been wrong.

I am a protector. Yours, in fact.

The girl gave a single sharp nod and bent down to pick up the wood she’d gathered. She didn’t head back to the village, but continued further into the forest, completely ignoring the angel at her back. Hadraniel had never heard of a human being able to see an angel before a reveal. Any doubt about whom and what the girl was replaced with certainty. He called out to Sariel.

Sariel appeared beside Hadraniel and the girl turned before either said a word; both should have been invisible to her. Sariel was an archangel, almost as strong as Hadraniel in strength and power.

How long have you been able to see angels, Sariel asked before the girl had a chance to question him.

You are the first two.

And are you different in any other way? he asked, bending down to look at the girl like she was a newly discovered species of insect, or in this case human.

We are all different in many ways, but alike in others. Are we not?

Sariel straightened and looked at Hadraniel and then back at the girl. He nodded once and placed a hand over his heart. My name is Sariel. What is yours?

Ife.

They walked behind the girl as she finished with her chore and returned to the village. They were not seen by any of the other villagers and she didn’t mention them to any of her family or the one or two friends she had. Sariel had also taken the vow to protect the line, but Hadraniel refused to leave her as Sariel left to report the girl to Azriel. Hadraniel took a seat on the branch of a tree that had grown low to the ground not too far from Ife’s hut. At his feet grew a tiny, white flower and to pass the time he picked some and began to weave them together. Angels may be emotionless, but beautiful things didn’t escape them. It wasn’t until Ife came to him that he saw he had made a crown.

Ife stopped a few feet from him as Hadraniel stood up. He held his arms out and moved a step closer before stopping. His outstretched hands asking the question he didn’t speak. She bowed her head and he lowered the crown on her head, making contact with her skin. The mighty angel fell to his knees.

The powerful burst of energy had stolen his breath. He knelt in the flowers, head bowed, taking in great gasps of air as he recovered. He raised his head but didn’t stand. Ife had not been affected the same way but she stared at him in amazement. She had been able to see him but there was one thing that had remained hidden. That was no longer the case. Ife could see his wings.

You have brought danger to the line, she said, her voice low, full of awe as she stared at the massive white wings all higher angels had. My grandmother said I must leave as soon as I’m finished.

The Mothers will be born of this tribe and are of my line. As I am in danger, so shall they be. My grandmother says you will find The Queen Mother and only you will be able to protect her. When she needs you the most, you will be there even if the world should stand against her. You will make sacrifices so that she may live. You will be tested many times but you must never give up.

The soft incandescent light from his wings lit her face and Hadraniel flexed his wings to open them. Her breath was warm on his face as she exhaled a quiet gasp. Her thin arm reached out and he watched her face as she stretched it past his face and touched his wing.

Hadraniel put one fisted hand on the ground to steady himself. He was created without emotion but recognize what he was feeling. The love he had for the little girl was instant. The previous feeling from the brief touch was nothing in comparison.

You must not stop or follow me, she said.

She ran her hand over his wing before letting her hand drop back to her side. Only when the Mothers sit in their rightful places will the world be whole.

Ife smiled at him before running into the woods behind him. Hadraniel saw her parents standing just inside the entry of their hut before he turned to see someone standing almost directly behind him. Ife waved before grabbing the old woman’s hand. He didn’t try to stop them. He was still kneeling in the flowers when Sariel came back.

Chapter 1: Wila

Darkness greeted me when I opened my eyes from a dream that I couldn’t quite remember. It wasn’t a nightmare but the dream left me feeling uneasy. I lay staring at the ceiling as I tried to force the memory of a sleeping mind. Declaring it a lost cause, I turned my head to look at the clock on the bedside table. The red glowing numbers read six twenty nine. I rolled over, turned off the alarm before it had a chance to go off, and crawled out of bed. Grabbing my clothes from the chair in the corner, I shook off the last bit of sleep before making my way to the only bathroom in the house. It had been more than a year but I still missed having my own bathroom. We moved into the two bedroom house after my mom decided, for the second time in a year, it was time for a change. I was given a twenty four hour notice, by the next evening we were on the road.

Showered and dressed, I stood in front of the small mirror mounted on the wall in front of the sink. Did I look any different? I’ve looked older than my true age since I was twelve. My mom said I had an old soul. I pulled my hair back with one hand and turned my head from side to side. Same brown eyes that were almost too big for my face, same tiny mouth that was almost too small for the very same face, skin the color somewhere between caramel and paper bag brown. Nope – I looked the same as yesterday. I sighed, pulling the unruly, thick mane I’d been cursed with into a ponytail before turning on the water to brush my teeth.

It was my birthday and I was excited for the usual reason any sixteen year old would be. I was old enough to get my driver’s license. I asked and my mother approved. We both knew I was responsible enough. I’d even secretly wished for a car. We’d talked about it, and while not out of the question, no decision had been made. We hadn’t been looking for one so I was uncertain if it was in the works. I took a deep breath before heading downstairs for breakfast.

When I was younger I asked about my father. My mother only said she didn’t know where he was. I learned that my mother could not be forced, bullied or persuaded to say or do anything more than what she wanted, so I eventually stopped asking about him.

She was a beautiful woman, my mother, though she was not one to flaunt it. I saw how people reacted to her when we were out – men and women. She had a regal manner about her and strength seemed to radiate from her, it said—don’t mess with me or mine. No…Ruth Freeland was not one to be tried.

I knew I was loved but there was no teenage angst in my home. I was obedient and quiet, a good student and daughter. I did what was expected of me before being asked. I was respectful to adults, but had been raised to know I had every right to expect and sometimes even demand respect from the very same adults. I knew my mother’s standards and tried to meet or exceed them at every opportunity. No rebelling, no temper-tantrums; her word was final and she never changed her mind.

What’s that? I asked, spying the small present on the breakfast bar as soon as I entered the kitchen.

Where are your manners Wila.

Sorry, I said as I sat down and grabbed a piece of toast. Good morning.

Even on one’s sixteenth birthday, with the possibility of a car seconds away from discovery, I was being reminded of lessons learned. As she poured me a glass of orange juice, my mom took a deep breath, looked at the box on the table and paused before starting. Butterflies took flight in my stomach as I waited for my lecture on road safety and the statistics on teenage drivers and accidents.

There are some things I need to tell you, but it’s important that you keep an open mind, she said.

For some reason the look on her face made me think about the dream from earlier. My mother words left me feeling off center. I would have fidgeted in my seat but years of training kept me still. I had been reprimanded once already today.

Today is your sixteenth birthday, and there are things that have been kept from you.

Whatever excitement I’d had for a new car vanished. My mother actually looked nervous, a new look for her and it made me nervous. I’d never seen any emotion other than the quiet reserve I’d lived with for the last sixteen years. When I was little I imagined my mother a queen or a princess, watching her graceful movements that were never rushed or clumsy. Each one looking planned and well thought out, whether it is folding laundry or buying groceries, nothing she did seemed spontaneous.

I put down my toast and sat up in my chair giving her my full attention. I had never seen my mother with a man, nor heard her speak of one. Her beauty said that she was single at her own choosing. The thought of the conversation being about my father, or a new man in her life crossed my mind. The idea put me on edge.

I am not your mother.

Just like that, she spoke these words the same as; Good morning, how’d you sleep? The statement knocked the wind out of me like a sucker punch to the stomach. I didn’t have a chance to respond before she continued.

Your mother is the strongest woman I have ever known. Her memory has kept the path clear these last sixteen years.

Still reeling from the news of being adopted, I was unable to utter a single word. There was a ringing in my ears, my heart rate was elevated and I actually shook my head to clear it, hoping I misheard her.

You are one of seven children, all girls. Your mother had three sets of twins before she had you; her only single birth.

What? I finally choked out. Filled with so many emotions, I didn’t know where to start. You’re telling me that not only am I adopted, but I have six sisters?

You were not adopted, my mom said. The look of confusion on her face only added to mine. Wait…maybe she kidnapped me. The thought made me sick to my stomach.

Did you take me from my real mother? I whispered.

What...No! She said quickly. The look on her face was enough for me to believe her. Your mother gave you to me. She gave all her children away—to protect you.

Shaking my head, I looked at the woman I had known as my mother. None of this made any sense. I couldn’t wrap my mind around it… at all.

I should have told you sooner. I kept telling myself next year, and next year turned into many. Last night I realized, as much as I love you, I can’t keep you from your destiny. I’m surprise that I was able to keep it from you this long.

I gaped…with my mouth hung opened. It took me a moment to compose myself enough to ask a question. The conversation was getting more and more…weird…scary…unbelievable.

Destiny, I said, What does that mean?

It’ll make sense once I’ve explained it all, my mom said. She offered me a small, strained smile that told me that while she really wanted that to be true. It was highly unlikely.

Sixteen years ago your mother came to my parents’ house and asked if they would help protect her children. She asked them to help find new homes and guardians for them.

Protect them from what? I asked.

Visions of a crazed and abusive father flooded my metal vision. In addition to feeling sick to my stomach, I also felt like I needed to lie down. I wanted to go to my room and climb back into bed. Maybe I’d never even gotten up. Maybe I was still dreaming.

There were people who wanted to hurt you and your sisters. The next part is where you’ll need to keep an open mind.

She took a resetting breath, all nervousness that I’d seen in her vanished and her confident and regal demeanor returned and oddly enough, it calmed me. I nodded my head for her to go on. I was ready to hear whatever else she had to say, besides, how much worst could it get?

Our people’s history tells the story of the seven mothers. They are the celestial mothers and guardians of the earth, its realms and universe. Two that will walk amongst the heavens, these Mothers are identical, one blind and one deaf. They are the caretakers of the universe and the symbols of justice, the authorities and bearers of conscience. Two to rule the underworld; they are warriors; they guard and supervise the world of lost souls and two to watch over the earth and its realms. They will live in the forest and are the keepers of history, educators and guardians of the earth. And finally the Queen, one that is said to be so beautiful that no human can look directly at her. She is the center and she alone will connect us all. She will be the Queen Mother and the only one able to walk in all realms.

My mother finished the story and looked at me. I looked back at her not really