(Book 1) Hayden Mackay & The Forgotten Kingdom

4. Samagraha

"A what?" I asked, an acute stress reaction passed through me. My eyebrows curved up and eyes enlarged wide enough to look down carefully at the thing shimmering on my palm.

"A Cornelian," Tyrell Kissler repeated, "also called Chalcedony gemstone. I remember once doctor telling me it's the most uncontrollable, most disobedient stone. And the master of such a stone is going to have a rough time with it."

Even though I heard what he said, my brain wasn't able to acknowledge it. I was still staring down at the thing. I could feel the energy radiating out of it as if being ready to charge, only waiting for a signal. I let out a sudden sigh, opened my mouth to speak something, but I snapped it shut and gulped a huge pile rising in my throat.

"Man, I can't say how happy I am, finally finding you," he said adjusting his cap. "And you have been right under my nose, all this time. Celina might now stop taunting me. Don't forget to remind me to teach her a lesson."

I finally took my eyes off the stone. His talkative nature was really getting onto my last nerves.

"Don't you think you are off the topic?" I asked slightly getting irritate, "Who is Celina? Why don't you tell me everything what's going on?"

"Oh! You are right. My bad. You were staying so mum that I thought you wanted me to keep going. Why don't we go inside and chat, now that we have met," said Tyrell looking at my house, "Your relatives might not doubt me anymore."

I was skeptical to let this guy into my house, but my curious brain needed answers. I slipped the stone back into my pocket and gestured him to follow me inside. My aunt was sensitive towards the any kind of noise. She can even name the airplane flying thousands of miles above in her deep midnight's sleep. I didn't want her to know that I was bringing in a stranger in the middle of the night. So I urged him to tiptoe behind me.

"Can I have some water?" he asked loudly when we were climbing the stairs to reach my bedroom.

"Sshhh!" I said hurriedly, watching my aunt shift in her sleep, "Stay quiet. I'll get you some. Go to my bedroom, second to the left and don't touch anything and for god's sake stay quiet."

"Alright," he whispered moving past me, "Can I breathe your air?"

He was still a stranger and it was pretty tough for me to leave the stranger alone in my room. I trotted silently to fetch a bottle and ran back to my room, before he does anything suspicious. I closed my bedroom's door behind, slightly startling him. I found him standing against the window, checking out the surroundings. I handed him a bottle of water and said, "You could have sat on the chair."

"You asked me not to touch anything," he said taking a sip.

I rolled my eyes. I was not sure whether I liked his so called sense of humor.

I pulled the chair for him and I myself sat on the bed waiting for him to put down the bottle.

"So, what's going on?" I asked when he was finally done, "Who are you? What is this stone doing in my pocket? Who put it in there? Why is it..."

"Whoa!! Hold on," he said shutting me up, "One question at a time dude. I was not that eager, not even Celina I guess. Man, you are desperate, aren't you?"

"Of course not," I said sarcastically, "People keep finding stones in their pocket each and everyday, don't they?"

"Okay fine, don't be mad. But let me tell you, your curiosity didn't kill the dog," he smirked before taking a deep breath he said, "Hayden, you are one of us, you are a Samagraha."

I frowned, "What is Sama-whatever?"

"Samagraha," he repeated, "It's a name given to each member of group who are different, a group of twelve actually, born on ninth of every month. Now that you are last, left out Samagraha, you birthday must be probably on August the ninth."