The Otherling Read online

  “He wasn’t really cruel per se, Uncle John,” Annaleah told him, opening the Styrofoam container that held the lunch she had ordered earlier. “He was…” She paused to think about how to describe the strange situation with the professor. “He was more intense and calculating. I know he didn’t want me there, but he never came out and said that either. He was more the energy he radiated and the ambiance of his apartment. It’s like he wanted me to be afraid of him or to quake before him so he could feel some sense of power.” She picked up a fork and stabbed at her chef’s salad, her mind still processing the events of the day, trying to see if she had missed anything.

  “Why would someone want to do that?” Seth asked, his blue eyes flashing with irritation. “It sounds like he is just some sad old man with no self-confidence that wants to make you feel inferior to the point that you concede and leave his class to him. Don’t let him do that to you, Annaleah. You’re strong, bright and gifted, and you deserve this.”

  Annaleah quickly swallowed a mouthful of salad and said, “Oh no, he is far from lacking in self-confidence. It exudes from him like some sort of hypnotic, frightening, glamour enchantment. In fact, on my way home, I was wondering if he had done some sort of spell work toward his home. The level of power behind this guy is unreal. I’ve never felt anything like it. It’s very strange, to say the least.”

  “Can I see the book he gave you, dear?” Uncle John asked. “Just out of curiosity.”

  Annaleah took the book from under her purse and handed it to her uncle. Taking it in his strong, calloused hands, he read the title out loud, “Sacred and Secret Rituals of the World. Well, that sounds rather mysterious. Quite the thing to start the school year with, isn’t it? Have you looked at any of it yet?”

  “No, not yet,” she answered, “but I plan to soon. I only have a few hours before I should go to bed. The first day is tomorrow.”

  “Why on earth didn’t the Chancellor give you more time to prepare?” Seth asked. “Or hire you earlier?”

  Annaleah took another bite of salad before answering. “Well, she did tell me over the phone that initially she was going to hire someone else. There were three other applicants for the job, but she didn’t like any of them, so she had postponed her decision until the last moment, hoping some alternative would arrive. It seems my papers got misplaced, and she only found them recently. She said that she called me as soon as she read my credentials, certain I was the right one for the job. She apologized for the short notice, but said that if I wanted the job, it was mine. I don’t have any time to prepare, but this job is something I need.” She paused for a moment and looked at her uncle, smiling. “It’s something we need.”

  Uncle John blushed and looked away from her. “Oh now, you know I can take care of myself. I still work most days, even if my hours are shorter. If this job turns out to be more of a curse than a blessing, you know I will get along just fine, and so will you.” He returned his attention to the book and flipped through the pages.

  “You are so humble,” Annaleah said gently. “You have taken such good care of me for so long. Let me take care of you just a bit. Even if you don’t feel you need it, indulge me.”

  He looked up from the book, and a piece of paper slipped out and fluttered softly to the floor, landing next to Seth’s foot. Seth looked down curiously, then bent over to retrieve it.

  “What does it say, Seth?” Annaleah asked, getting up from her seat to come over and look for herself. Seth’s entire body went rigid, and when she looked at her friend, his eyes flashed from blue to a deep indigo, and there was something familiar and a bit frightening about it. Before she could be certain of what she saw, the flash and the color were gone, and it was only her oldest friend, Seth, looking at her with a confounded expression and the deep blue eyes he’d always had.

  “I dunno, looks like some kind of occult diagrams to me. Hey, you okay?” he asked, looking at her as if she had gone a bit feeble minded. Still looking at him, Annaleah was mystified at what she had just seen, or what she thought she had seen. What in the world was going on lately? Was she going crazy?

  “No, nothing,” she answered. “I’m fine. Here, hand it over and let me get a better look at it.” She steadied herself with a deep breath, shrugging off what she thought she had seen in Seth’s eyes, and took the paper. It was a series of several odd diagrams, drawn in a particular and precise way.

  “They look like sigils,” she said, turning the paper over to see if there were more on the other side. There weren’t. Uncle John got up from his seat and stood with Annaleah to look at the paper. He adjusted his glasses on his nose and peered at the paper. “What’s a sigil?” he asked.

  “It’s a magical symbol, kind of like a signature. It is used to call forth or to represent the powers of a spirit, angel or demon,” Annaleah answered. Uncle John and Seth glanced at each other nervously.

  “You be careful of this professor, Annaleah. I don’t know that I would trust him if he has things of this sort secretly tucked away in his books,” Uncle John said, a look of fear in his eyes. Seth too, looked concerned.

  “Oh come on guys, you know I can take care of myself perfectly well. I have studied this subject extensively for years. He might have thrown me for a loop and caught me off guard, but trust me; I am going to do my best to make sure it doesn’t happen again. So what if he has a piece of parchment with sigils on it? He teaches World Religions, remember? It’s probably something from a class and nothing ‘woo woo’ or crazy, okay?”

  Annaleah was a bit surprised at both Seth and Uncle John. Didn’t they trust her? What was up with Seth’s eyes changing colors? She thought she’d seen the same thing happen in the diner when she mentioned her nightmare. And why were they looking at her as if they were scared for her? What on earth had been going on the last couple of days? It was almost as if by just meeting this oddly intense professor, he had tilted her world off its axis.

  “I think we’re both just concerned for you,” Seth said, his voice lower than normal, “I know he is a World Religions teacher, but having a sigil to call forth an angel seems kind of odd to me.”

  Annaleah was surprised to hear him say this, she had said nothing of it being an angel’s sigil.

  “How do you know that it’s an angel’s sigil?” she asked curiously.

  Seth looked surprised, his eyes going wide before he regained his composure.

  “I mean, umm…. It looks like an angel’s sigil. It doesn’t look like something evil to me, or at least the energy it puts out isn’t evil.”

  Annaleah and Uncle John looked at Seth. She was still confused at his comment. What had made him say that?

  “In any case, while being cautious is a good thing,” Seth continued nervously, “maybe you should give this guy a chance. It could be that he is really nervous and just put out such a demanding energy because he didn’t know what else to do. I say give him a chance.”

  Annaleah placed the slip of paper back in the book. “I’ll keep that in mind, Seth; really I will. Thank you, both of you, for listening to me. I’ve got to go study now. I only have a little while to try to get things figured out for class.” Kissing them both on the cheek, she took the book and went upstairs to her room to study.

  Chapter Nine

  Curiouser and Curiouser

  Sunday, August 7th

  I must say, this Annaleah Grace creature has garnered even more of my curiosity. As I’m certain she felt a high level of intimidation during our meeting with the Chancellor, I was surprised to find her lurking about the hallway outside of my apartment, in hopes of “having a word with me,” as she put it. She has more courage than I gave her credit for. I know, once inside my home, it must have been even more difficult for her. Surrounded by the energies of so many different things which all hold my energy signature, which would have reflected back to her. Why, it must have been overwhelming. I almost felt pity, watching the pulse of blood surging in her neck, knowing that her heart must be beating as fast as
a tiny, cornered bird’s would have.

  It seems this girl wants my respect, and my cooperation in teaching alongside her. Not such an unusual request, but it interests me that she could even speak to me with the level of fear held in her eyes.

  Her pupils were dilated and her hands shook, which amused me. Yet she still found the words she sought and spoke them well. Most people would have excused themselves and gotten out of the situation that caused such a heightened state of fear, yet she looked me in the eye, and I am well aware of the effects of that.

  I have worked hard over many years to obtain the effects of a certain great charm, so others could not see the true form of my eyes. It has the rather interesting side effect of slightly hypnotizing others if they gaze at me too long. For a moment there, I was certain she would figure it out! Still, there is something about this girl that perplexes me and lures me into deeper pensive contemplations. She hides something vast and important, but she hides it so well that it appears she has erased her own knowledge of it. I have never quite seen the likes of it, in all my many years. She is the first person to have me confounded in so many years that it is useless to try to count them.

  Who is this beautiful woman child, is there a reason she has been thrust into my path? Why do I find myself thinking of her when no other human in all my time here has ever caused me to reflect on them, let alone be interested in them in any way whatsoever? She has the energy of one much more powerful than her age or mannerisms suggest. Who or what is she really?

  Where on earth did the Chancellor find her? She is not a normal girl by any degree. I will not, however, let her or this situation get the better of me. I am here to teach and to do a job. I’m a firm believer in the idea that everything does happen for a reason. Thus, I believe she has a reason to be here. What that reason is evades my understanding at this point, but I have been privy to many, many things in my long life which, when reflected upon, have happened as they needed, and with great reason.

  Tomorrow begins the first day of a new year at the University. I am beginning to think it might not be as dull and monotonous as I had dreaded it would be. While I do not relish the thought of having another person in my class teaching alongside me, potentially derailing my entire course, I find the change in circumstances more...palatable. The fact that Annaleah came and faced me while terrified when doing so, well, that gives me a certain satisfaction. Satisfaction that she fears me, certainly, but also that I shall not have some simple minded, silly girl teaching my class.

  I digress. I must begin the final preparations for tomorrow's class. I am quite interested to see how it will go.

  ~SB~

  Chapter Ten

  The Nightmare

  Annaleah found herself in a familiar, terrifying place. Her bare feet were coated in layers of red Georgia clay. Her white night gown, damp with perspiration, clung to her, also soiled with the thick red mud. The night's air was alive and electric, carrying in it the fear, anguish and pain of the events unfolding around her. Screams punctuated the energies around her, war cries and weeping intermingling with the loud screaming. Tears came to her eyes, welling up as the battle raged around her and she smelled the coppery scent of spilled blood.

  All around Annaleah a battle that had occurred eons ago unfolded. Tall beings fell from the sky, feathers scorched, scarring the land on which they fell. Here, before her, brother fought brother, some with swords and other weaponry, some with bare hands, teeth and claws. These winged men towered over her, and she watched, unseen, as the fangs of one creature tore into the flesh of another, crushing bones and severing limbs. She didn’t want to see, and yet she couldn’t look away, forced for reasons unknown to witness the savagery. Shrill cries shook the trees and vibrated the earth, making her cover her ears for fear that they would bleed. The smell of burned flesh and feathers mingled with the blood and stung her eyes, bringing more tears to blur the horrific vision around her.

  There were thousands upon thousands of these beings. Some were scattered in dead or dying heaps upon the ground, while others who still fought were so engaged in battle that they either did not see or did not care that they stepped on the dying ones, that they smashed with their large feet the remains of the dead as they waged more savagery.

  Annaleah was splashed with blood as she walked on, not knowing where she meant to go. She never knew where to go when she found herself here. The blood staining her nightgown had a terrible, sickly feel to it, dirty with sin, guilt and all manner of contagion. Wiping at the blood in a state of near panic, she felt it sting her skin as if it were poison.

  She wanted to run, but didn’t know where to flee. The winged men and women were everywhere, some with deep indigo blue eyes, others with silver. Some wore armor that glistened and seemed to protect them from the worst blows, while others were naked or nearly so. Sounds of metal piercing flesh, bones being crushed, the screams of the dying and battle cries of victory all assaulted her, overloading her senses as much as the sights which were bizarre and inconceivable. She watched as a tall, muscular being bathed in a golden glow grabbed one of his brethren, and with his bare hands, began to tear the wings off of the struggling creature. The golden light of the attacker seemed to grow as he strained to break the bones and sever flesh from flesh. Already weak, the darker, dirtier creature struggled with as much might as he could, his silver eyes contorted into a mask of perfect misery and excruciating pain. Blood flowed freely from his shoulders, and his cry tore at her heart. It was not the cry of savagery, nor was it the cry of death upon his blood stained lips, rather, it was the cry of utter dejection, pain and suffering. More than that, it was the cry of something that not only had lost, but was lost, utterly, hopelessly and irrevocably. Once the wings had been completely severed, the towering creature above him shouted something in a language both beautiful and terrifying before flinging each wing away in random directions. The wounded creature convulsed, blood and spittle foaming in his mouth, before bursting into flames, screaming his song of pain and dejection.

  Annaleah sank to her knees, covering her eyes and weeping. "No more!" she screamed, not knowing what else to do. Suddenly, the creatures fighting nearest to her paused, and seemed to notice her for the first time. For a moment, all fighting stopped while they looked intensely at her, as if to pierce her soul with their gaze. The ones with the golden glow stood their ground, while those with the silvery eyes seemed to gain new strength. Instead of fighting each other as they had before, those with silver eyes joined as one to advance upon her, eyes and teeth flashing, sinew and muscles flexing in preparation for the wrath they would to inflict upon her.

  In her desperation to escape, Annaleah fell, twisting her ankle and falling into a muddy puddle of wet clay. As she fought for courage, adrenaline surged through her, and she barely felt the deep gash open in the flesh of her leg as she fell against a sharp rock within the mud. Her blood began to flow into the water, a striking, crimson contrast to the texture and color of the soaked earth.

  Cowering and wounded, Annaleah prepared herself for the descent of teeth, claws and nails into her flesh. She screamed until her throat felt as if it were on fire. Instead of her skin being ravaged and torn from her however, she was being shaken. Hard. Her eyes snapped open, her arms and legs flailing in some meager attempt at self-defense. She was slightly shocked at what she saw, further adding to her confusion. Uncle John was holding her, trying the best he could to both shake her awake and bear the blows she was throwing. His glasses had been knocked off his face, and she saw that he was afraid, but not for himself.

  "Annaleah, wake up! It’s just a dream, wake up! You’re safe!" Uncle John said over and over, until finally, she registered the truth of it. She stopped her frantic attempts at defense, and drew her hand to her mouth, horrified that she had been battering her beloved uncle.

  “Oh, Uncle John,” she said, her voice quivering. She could no longer hold her tears back, and she began to sob. She bent her head and placed her face in her palms
, trying not to show Uncle John just how upset she was. She didn’t want to upset him any further. It could hardly be helped though, as her chest heaved as the sobs overtook her. She wept for knowing she had lashed out against him, and for the horrors she had just undergone in her terrible dream.

  Uncle John, seeing her return from her nightmare back to her waking self, released her and spoke soothingly. "Oh my sweet girl, don't you cry. You’ve done nothing wrong. If I could take these terrible dreams from you I would, it isn't fair that you suffer them."

  Annaleah threw her arms around her uncle, and he held her, rocking her and smoothing her hair. After a short while, she looked up at him and said, "They saw me this time, Uncle John. They never heard my screams before, nor have they ever seemed to know I was there at all, but they knew I was there this time. The dirty, battle scarred ones with silver eyes all stopped fighting their enemies and converged together and came at me. I know it was just a dream, a horrible and terrifying dream, but after all these years it has never changed. Why now? Why did they see me now?"

  Looking at his niece sympathetically, Uncle John said, "It's probably the stress you're under, Annaleah. You have a very important day tomorrow, and the stress of meeting the Professor and confronting him likely had something to do with it. Please, try not to worry. Let me get you some warm milk to calm your nerves; it always worked for you when you were a child." He held her face gently in his hands, and raised himself up ever so slightly to place a kiss on her forehead. "I will be right back, sweetheart. Just remember, you're okay."