The prophecy by Selena Rico (top 100 novels of all time TXT) 📖

Preface

The war outside the small cottage raged on. The clash of metal on metal and the cries of the wounded filled the ears of all who huddled inside. Rain pounded against the roof, thunder and lightning striking every so often. The children’s sobs were hushed as they whispered in secrecy, the noise outside shielding there voice from uninvited ears. Ten men and ten women, the last of the unpunished neutrals, together discussed the future. “How can we conform to either side? Both condone violence and bloodshed!” A man argued in a hushed voice. “I refuse to raise my children with such confusing values.”
Chastity sat in the corner behind her husband, futilely trying to rock her two children to sleep. Her husband turned around, “What say you my love?” He asked her, falling to one knee to stare into her eyes. She sighed, biting back her angry tears.
“This is an endless battle, one my children will never partake in. I don’t care how you do it Reginald, but that is what I say.” The room was quiet, seconds ticking by. Reginald stood up, turning his back on his wife again.
“Then we hide. All of us, we raise our children as humans, not one the wiser and we never take to the skies again.” Reginald told his peers. Conflict played over every man and woman’s face.
The door of the cottage flew open, eyes turning toward the enchantress that stood before them. “I’m here to retrieve the book.” The woman said, strolling in and closing the door behind her. She shook off the rain water that soaked her and straightened her cloak.
“Oh yes, Angelica, we’ve been waiting for you.” Nathanael said, reaching behind him, to take the children from his wife. His wife stood, motioning her hands in front of her as a thick, leather bound book began to appear out of air. She held it out to the woman named Angelica. The enchantress took it, running her fingers along the cover. They watched as the book began to disappear again.
“Then I’ll be leaving now.” The woman said, stopping as she reached the door. “I do not mean to pry, but isn’t your plan a tad risky? None of these children are human and they will know just like we knew.”
“How so?” Reginald asked her.
“Well for one they are all sexless. The ritual at five, where your kind chooses your gender, is still permanently etched in my mind and I’m sure the same goes for every man and woman here.” Angelica answered. “How exactly do you plan to get around that Reggie?”
“Same as how we get around everything else. We lie through our teeth. I can assure you I can keep my children ignorant. As long as each child is kept in the dark, we need not worry.” He answered her, but addressing everyone in the room.
“Alright then, but what about when they start exhibiting their powers?” Angelica countered.
“You still have not discovered the pattern? Lie, lie, lie and I’m sure doc could brew up something to stump their powers for a while.” He turned to the old man, who nodded quickly.
“How lying can come so easily to an Angel I will never understand.” Angelica scoffed.
“For my family to live I would do anything Angelica.” He said. “What would you do?”
Angelica frowned, looking around at the resigned faces of her peers. “I will follow your plan Reginald, for your kind has always been a great ally to mine, but heed me sir. Lies can be stretched far and thin and built one on top of another and you may create an extravagant castle of deceit, but in a storm it is the small house of truth that will surely hold.”
“Maybe so, but I can always rebuild my castle if I so wish.” Reginald answered with a smug smile. The men and women cheered, ready to descend upon earth and into hiding. As the men and women plotted and planned Angelica sat next to chastity, her sister in the ancient arts, her last resort.
“I have something to tell you sister prophet.” Angelica whispered taking one of the children from the woman’s arms and rocking the innocent child back and forth.
The woman carefully laid the two children down on a pallet and turned to the enchanting woman. “Reginald’s plan will crumble. That I know, but it’s the best we have. It’s all we have.”
“I understand that. I will fulfill my side of the promise. Remember to keep true to yours.” Angelicas voice faded away. Shocked, Chastity turned to find the witch gone, a single, black feather in its stead. Chastity picked it up, her finger tracing the softness of it. Instead of tossing the cursed thing away, she tucked it into the hem of her dress. Angelica had made a point of leaving it and prophets never did any action lightly.
Neutrals latens, neutrals in hiding, it was the title of the prophecy. The last her kind would ever write before descending, the likes of which was scratched into the cover of the book Angelica had received. Chastity closed her eyes, channeling the last of her energy into one final prophetic thought, prophecies set in stone cannot be dissolved, but if enough stone is chipped, it may change. She sighed, her guilt subsided only a bit. She got up, joining her husband and their friends to plan their new life.

Chapter 1

I hated planes. Hell, I hated the sky period. There was something rueful about the sky and the clouds every time I looked up. I closed the curtains of the window and turned to my side, watching my best friend snore the rest of first class into an annoyed mass. “Lana, wake up! You’re pissing everyone off!” I exclaimed in a hushed voice, shaking her until I saw a hint of blue peaking beneath her eyelids. She stretched like a cat and I returned back to my iPod, playing the loudest music I could stand. Paramore, not very hard core, but it did the job. It kept me out of the darker recesses of my mind.
“Earth to Temper! Anyone in there?” Lana asked, pulling the head phones from my ears. “God, you really shouldn’t listen to your music that loud. You could go deaf.”
I switched my IPod off, turning toward her. “It’s not like it was any louder than the mower you were starting in your mouth.”
“Haha. Where is everyone anyway?” She frowned.
“Probably deciding whether or not to tell us about whatever stupid thing they did over break.” I answered. She seemed on the verge of breaking, but before a word could leave her mouth Camilla, my cousin, pushed aside the curtain separating the special students in first class from the normals.
“Cousin Quinn! Miss Daphne! You’ll want to come see this!” She cried, ushering Lana and I into the other end of the plane. “We didn’t know what else to do…” I heard her rush out as we entered the very back of the plane. I couldn’t help the shriek that left my throat.
“Holy crap Temper! Tell him to stop!” Lana cried. I took in the scene before me. My brother, Nathanael was beating the life out of a boy I didn’t recognize. Without a second thought I latched onto my brother’s arm.
“Stop this Natty! We’ll get chastised!” I ordered, feeling him stiffen at my reminder. As I felt his resolve waver slightly, I gripped the color of his jacket, forcing him away from the bloodied boy. “What the hell do you think you’re doing little brother?” I cried. “Do you know how much trouble you and I’d be in if one of the teachers caught us?”
“You don’t understand!” He yelled, pushing his blonde waves from his face.
“What don’t I understand? We’re Quinn’s Nathanael! That means we have to be careful with our actions! This could have cost us a lot Natty!” I scolded, my anger reaching toward an episode.
“I know that!” He argued.
“Well if you knew why would you do something so stupid?” I questioned.
He pointed to the boy, eyes holding a tint of an unholy red, “Him!”
“So, what about him?” I cried, my hand going to my forehead as the screaming brought about a migraine. His hand fell and his eyes darted to Lana.
“Ask her,” he said spitting blood onto the floor, “Go ahead!”
I turned to Lana. “Hi Temper. How’s it been?” She asked arms swinging behind her.
“Considering you’re making me paranoid, I’ve been better.” I said, grabbing her arms to stop her swaying. “So what exactly have you been ordered to tell me?” She looked away, back at Natty and the boy I had never seen before.
“Before I tell you this you need to know I was completely against this and it’s entirely your stupid Cousin’s fault.” She said, her eyes pleading.
“Stop scaring me Lana and spit it out.” I said, shaking her a bit.
“Remember those old stories you’d tell us about that one kid who tormented you as a kid and Nathanael couldn’t touch him because he was the son of some guy riding your dads ass?” She said. She really knew how to change the subject.
“Remember? I still have nightmares about him.” I said, mentally shaking away the horrible memories.
“I was hoping you’d say something like ‘kids will be kids’ or ‘the past is the past’ or ‘no use crying over spilt milk’.” She muttered. I placed my hand over her mouth.
“Does your pencil have a point or are you filling up the paper with dull lead?” I asked. Lana pushed my hand from her mouth, taking a deep breath.
“I met him at Camilla’s house a few weeks ago and found out he was transferring here and I tried to call you, but your phone was totaled and Luce started hanging out with him and inviting him to hang and Morgan told him one of the stories you told and he’s been telling us stories and…and… It’s their entire fault!” She rushed out, not stopping for a breath.
I felt my blood lose a few degrees in temperature and I turned to the boy, the one I thought I’d never seen before. He smiled and I knew that smile. I had dreaded seeing that smile. He was taller and a lot skinnier and a shade tanner with his hair dyed. Of course I wouldn’t recognize him, but still I kicked myself. The second I saw those eyes I should have jumped off the jet. Yes, I knew him. It was Cayden, my first love and the source of almost all my deep routed issues. Before I could stop myself my jaw dropped and I let out a loud piercing scream.
Somewhere between the screaming and my brother trying to calm me, my exhaustion took over me and I fainted, praying to god when I woke up the devil would be gone.
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The smell that assaulted my nose was the absolute most delicious scent I had ever smelt. I lifted myself from the grassy floor, racing toward the alluring smell. The forest was beautiful and the furry grass caressed my bare feet. This place was so foreign yet so familiar to me. My body seemed to have a mind of it own as it ran after a smell. I tripped, falling face forward into the grass and my stomach making contact with a squared object.
I sat up, grabbing the leather book. It was dusty and old. As I wiped off the book, two words