Triple A

2. The Beginning

A sudden rush of energy made me jerk my hand away, two seconds later Anna and Amber had the exact reactions I had. Was there an electrical firewall around the tree, doesn't that seem a bit odd? I quickly looked around the tree but saw nothing.

"Angel, what was that?" I heard Amber ask. Shock and fear were evident in her voice and I recognized the difference in her voice and what mine was on Monday during my incident. Surely my voice had to have sounded like that, but why hadn't it?

"Angelice, answer her!" Anna shouted. She was more angry than panicked, to tell the truth. Maybe that was her way of dealing with things that frightened or confused her.

"I don't know Anna, at first I thought it was an electronic firewall but there's no power conductor or any wires anywhere near the tree. I wonder if I'll feel it again." I pressed my palm against the tree trunk and instantly the feeling returned but this time I felt it fill me like I was a sponge and the tree was water. Though with what I didn't know it filled my body but with something that made me feel alive, more then I've ever felt in years. Not even the painful memories of my father could take away this feeling. I kept my hand on the trunk and willingly let my eyes close, it felt wonderful and strange at the same time.

"Angel, are you alright? Speak to us Angel, do you still feel the..." I could hear Amber's voice but I could not will my mouth to speak. I wanted to but at the same time, I didn't want to do anything that would make me lose the feeling. It was as if I was glued to the tree.

A cold hand gripped my shoulder and pulled me away from the tree, with that small action the reality of our situation returned to me in a blow. What was I thinking? It was just a tree. My imagination must have run off, that's the only logical explanation.

"I said that you should step away from the willow miss, the three of you are in big trouble." It was a man's voice that spoke close to my head, which meant a man was holding my shoulder. Instinctively I jerked my shoulder away and turned to face the man.

My eyes went wide at the sight of him. He was beautiful. Too beautiful, like he wasn't real. I stepped back and acted as our little groups' shield, I knew what I was capable of and if the man tried anything, I would stop him to protect my friends. Even if I didn't know exactly how to, as before it will just happen. I'm sure about it, I think.

"Listen here, ladies. I'll let you off with a warning for now. Don't come near the tree again." He said in a soft alluring voice. Something about him unnerved me and that meant my gut was saying this man was not to be trusted or there was something about him that wasn't right. Something about him made me look closer at his too perfect features.

His black hair was bound behind him with a band and his clothes seemed much fairer then a normal guard's would be. He reminded me of someone. The question was who could it be? I've never seen him in my life before. I was sure of that.

"You're the keeper." The words came out of my mouth before I even thought of them, or understood them. Amber and Anna took small steps backwards to make our escape but Anna stepped on a fallen branch and the man noticed our newly established distance. Something flashed in his eyes, but I couldn't exactly place it.

"What did you call me?" his eyes darted between our faces and feet as he waited for my reply. Why had I said that? I hardly know what it means, why would I blurt something like that out?

"Nothing, I didn't say anything." For once in my life, I couldn't think of a good excuse to cover up something I said.

Suddenly Amber started crying and kept muttering how she didn't know we weren't allowed to be close to the tree and she was sorry. The guard stepped back and tried to comfort her but she wouldn't stop crying.