Destined to be Evil

There weren't always dragons in the Valley. Before I came into this world... this place used to be simple, you could almost say it was normal.

Chapter One: Sacred Tree

1 MONTH B.D. (Before Dragons)

Mom has told me on countless occasions that I'm someone who shouldn't be allowed to be outside for too long. My anti social realism is too much for many to handle. I have come to terms with it.

"Anya, stop starring into the obis.. you have countless chores that need to get done before dinner tonight." My mom shouted across the hall from her bedroom. She always has a beautiful sarcasm that radiates all the way through your spine. I know most mothers have a way of doing so. But mine is a creative, patient one. But when she is upset, stay out of arms reach or else you'll get in the line of fire.

Foot steps approached my doorway,"YOU TOOK MY CAR OUT LAST NIGHT?! I swear Anya you'll be the death of me, Grabbing her keys from my dresser, joy riding moms car at night is my one way to filter my mind. My mom had lots of high hopes for me but they shortly faded once I continued to get in trouble with the law. We aren't to use our powers in public eye. But when someone treats you like you're lower than dirt you tend to find ways to make them think otherwise. I swear I thought her hair would grow back...

"I have to go meet that girls parents and make sure that my casting lasted. I don't need someone ruining our reputation over a silly girl argument. Also, why make her hair fall out? Of all things... her hair?"

"Mom, she said our family were freaks of nature and hope we burn like the witches in Salem. Then she spit in my $12 soup.. that i busted my ass all week for"

"Yeah, maybe she did deserve it a little.. but watch your language or i'll zip your lips shut for a week. Also, drive my car again.. and you won't sit for a week either." Mom winked at me smirking and headed out the door. "Love you bug. Be good, Stay wise."

I smiled as I heard the door shut behind her. I pulled my black untamed hair out of my face looking into the mirror. I had a hidden bruise on my cheek that i have been hiding. My dreams have been becoming more real than usual. No one in the family knows why, or have a way of explaining my visions and unexplainable ability to create realities in my head. Since no one knows whats wrong with me, I don't bother anyone with my wacky nightmares anymore. They don't seem to be getting worse either. Usually it's me falling off the bed, or in this case punch myself in the face. Currently my powers haven't come into fruition yet. They should have by now, but my mom thinks that I may have been the blessed who doesn't have any. They just think my dreams are night terrors from my previous life. But I don't have access to those memories until I master my self ignite. Which is just a fancy way of saying when my magic starts, I will receive my past life abilities as well.

Everyone in my family have some kind of powers, all different and unique to their personalities and responsibilities to the household.

My mom is a protective, she has the ability to control minds and cast shield spells over people and objects.

My brother Liam is an Objective, he has the ability to control anything mechanical, he can also absorb electric pulses and create bombs the size of Asia. He only blew up a field and a grocery store about a half mile from him. Thankfully it was the middle of the night so no one was hurt. But I do remember Mom having a lot of collateral damage to repair that week.

Then there is my baby sister, Jazzy. She is what the books call Earth Walker, she has the ability to speak and control all living things. She tells me that controlling isn't the right word. It's more like asking the animals to come together to protect and keep the balance. Since she has gotten her powers she has become quite the hippy and sleeps out in the woods these days. But she does come in when she gets hungry.

I never knew my father, My brother was the only one old enough to remember what he looked like but he left around the time that Jazzy was born. Mom refuses to talk about him and when he ever gets brought up she gets madder than elves on Christmas.

I made up stories to people when they asked, like he was a war hero and was hit down in action. But I don't really know who he really was. Could be a murderer for all I know.

I stood up with my legs aching from the tense dreams these past couple weeks. They get more intense sometimes when I am stressed, and lately all I could be is stressed.

I walked out onto the porch to see my sister sleeping on a hammock out in a distance and my brother in the garage tinkering with something as usual. Mom didn't trust that we would be safe going to a normal school, so we have always been homeschooled and we all have grown very close because of it. None of us really ever had normal friendships considering how we had to hide our abilities at a constant. Now that we are adults and graduated school by the time we were 16, we pretty much just enjoy life now trying to figure out what incredible things we can accomplish without using "powers". My mom thinks me going to college will help me figure some things out for myself. But I don't see the point, I was never the smart one or talented in anything like my siblings.

"Morning, another nightmare make that?" my brother walking out of the garage covered in grease and filth. Pointing at the bruise on my face.

"You ever think about taking a shower" I smirked trying to avoid the question. "Mom just left, wanna go grab breakfast or something?"

"Can't, I am heading to Ohio in a few hours for a convention, and I need to pack and like you said. Shower." He said with the ultimate sarcasm as he made his way inside.

Before I had a chance to rebuttal, he disappeared into the house. Wind started to pick up, seemed like a thunderstorm was approaching. I walked towards Jazzy as the ground started to grumble. The grass began to shift with a cold wind that grazed my face with a chilling to the bone feeling. I looked over to Jazz and she was sound asleep, sleeping too deep to notice the strange shift of nature. The trees started to sway as the wind picked up cracking one of the oldest oak on the property that my mother called our sacred tree. I jolted toward Jazz to get her awake and move her out from below the tree. I went to shake her awake but it seemed that she was in a trance. I ripped her out the hammock dragging her across the back yard to get her safe. The rocks near the back yard pond started to rumble and almost started floating, blocking the way to the house.

The sky became grey and rain started falling like slivers of ice from the sky. "Jazz!! Wake up! This is not the time to be talking to the earth beings, you need to wake up!! We could be in danger!"

What was this? A dream? Am I still in bed having a twisted nightmare? This one seems way more real than they usually do. I see from afar that the sacred tree is cracking more and tipping closer towards us, Jazz still isn't waking so I attempt to drag her further. I am so small compared to my siblings so this is taking everything I have. "LIAM!! HELP ME!" I screamed towards the house.

The tree begins to fall towards us but her clothes got caught on the fieldstone path. Before I could think twice, I draped my body over Jazz, knowing we both would be lost but this at least gave her a buying chance. Then everything went black.

Moments later... I opened my eyes slowly, with what looked like twigs blanketed overtop of me. I jolted up coughing and panicked unknowing what even happened. My breath was knocked out of me and I felt like a 100 pounds of bricks landed on top of me. I brushed off the debris and thought of Jazz, "Jazz?!" I shouted with my voice echoing further into the woods. Where even am I? I was in the middle of nowhere and far from home. The Erie skies made it feel almost like the sky was on fire. I started shuffling through the debris but it looks like it was just me. Then I noticed dragging marks from a few feet away from me. It trailed off into the woods. A shout came from a distance, "Let me go! You creepy ass, whatever the hell you are!". It was Jazz! She was in trouble, I dashed through the woods towards where I heard her voice, I came up to a creepy shack looking cabin, seeing my sister tied up to a post near a fire with a cast iron pot above it. I went to move from the bush, but when I made eye contact with Jazz, she whispered, "Stop, don't, he's coming back".

I paused in shock, not understanding.. then a large shady figure appears from behind the shack. The large being begins to reveal its horrific face and its large shoulders bulged out of its wheat cloth that draped over his body looking like a worn out old tunic, its fanged teeth were exposed from his lips. He looked like a radioactive Ogre that was scraped up in battle too many times they were scarred over. There is something that resembles him that i've read in a book, or a dream i once had. Almost like I recognized him.

He huffed has he made his way closer to Jazz, she was almost petrified with the sight of him. He sat down on a log that looked almost ready to disintegrate underneath his massive body. Weirdly enough he just sat and stared into the fire. Like he was sitting guard.

I started to make my way around the shack to access her out of sight, as I passed the shack there was a very fragrant smell coming from the structure, and there was a blue smoke coming from the chimney. Then I began to hear a banging and clinking from inside, that Ogre wasn't the only thing to worry about.

With no time to dwell on a second being, I needed to get Jazz. I snuck up behind the pile of wood getting vision of her location and seeing how I can get her loose without raising suspicion. Jazz looked over at me and her eyes were completely overwhelmed with fear. The Ogre was fiddling with something in a saddle sack getting supplies out.

I snuck up behind Jazz and started to untie her. I gazed down at her leg and she had a cut from her inner thigh down to her knee. But it looked clotorizetd and tended too. I whispered in her ear, "Did it help you?" pointing down to her leg with my head movement. "I have no idea, i woke up and it was already like that".

I whispered back, "This would be a great time to do some of your hippy shit sis.".

"I can't I already tried, for some reason nothing happen". She panicked. I scrambled to get her loose but the knots were too tight. Across from me the creatures sword and I launched myself over to it and pointed in his direction. "Slow and steady you ugly bore, where the hell are we and what do you want with my sister?" The creature stood there with a startle, yet still stood strong not quite scared of a human that was ten times smaller than him. But from behind I felt something metal against my back.

"I am gonna need you to lower the sword, and sit your ass down." The stranger from the shack said.

I turned around slowly to get a good look at him. Strong broad shoulders with black hair just like mine. He had shaggy hair and long with a braid holding most back. Large scare across his face and scars all over his chest and stomach. "I mean no harm, I just want to get my sister and go home."

"Sit" the stranger said with a deep intimidating voice. I sat on the almost disintegrated log and dropped the knife to my side.

"Where would home be for two earth walkers like yourself?" He said in a deep calmer tone but still holding the blade up as he sat down across from me.

"Home is Chicago. But I have a feeling we aren't anywhere near there." I said with a hint of sarcasm to see if he would lighten up. As soon as I said Chicago his eyes lightened and went into more of a concern than anger.

"Who are you? What names do you call yourselves?" He demanded as I felt almost like he knew me.

"Why should I tell you, what good would that do me?" I said, wanting nothing more than you just go back home.

"I am not the one to be afraid of. Now no more games or else I will tie you to a tree and leave you to the beasts who dwell in these forests." His voice radiated through my body. His deep tone intimidated every inch of my soul.

"Im Anya Vectore and that is my little sister..." Before I had a chance to finish he said, "Vectore daughters of Kinoba Vectore the great warrior of the South."

"Well yes, I don't anything about a warrior of anything... but... how the hell do you know us. More importantly how do you know my fathers name?" I sat more upright filling with more rage.

"He was my brother. I am Jenika Vectore, Keeper of the Beasts. He and I once ruled these lands before Hell froze over." He stood up calmly and treaded towards Jazz and cut her bindings. "Apologies for the rude introduction of myself. Tups and myself have been traveling alone for years now, rarely ever running into humans anymore."

"So... you're our uncle" Jazz muttered as she rubbed her wrists in pain.

"Yes my lady, its a pleasure to meet you both. I am again sorry for the startle. I had you like that to make sure you didn't steal from me when you woke.

"You were the one who healed her wounds then?" I spoke in a soft tone, trying to make sense of this.

"Yes, Usually we would let you go by morning just to ensure your safety. I meant no harm."

"Well you can tell Tups to maybe loosen the reigns a little next time." Jazz looked over at the creature. But Tups snarled at her making her tumble back a bit.

"He doesn't speak human, he was one of the guardians in my leadership to the gate of the beasts. He only speaks Mitsutive Language. He only knows a few words in english, and only learns a word a day. They are a slow learning people. But very strong and protective of who they know as their family."

"Why name him Tups?" Jazz said, "why not name him big hulk man?"

I rolled my eyes at Jazz, and interrupted, "Can you tell us how we got here? And what all this is supposed to mean to us?"

He relaxed his shoulders, making him seem more warm.. than took a deep breath. "Your mother and father ruled for centuries on this land. You children are the next in line. But there was a battle that happened on your brother's birthday that no one was expecting. A man named Utive brought his dragon army to defeat the lands of Mancove. He had apparently been raising these creatures for hundreds of years to finally make his take over." The uprising was so unexpected that even your father was frightened for your brother's life. The beast's mission was to retrieve your brother and turn him against your father. Unfortunately, Utive succeeded and destroyed your father and mother's legacy they worked so hard for, whilst killing thousands in result."

"What do you even mean? Our brother is fine and has been living in Chicago with us." I said frustrated and having a hard time believing this complete stranger.

"I am not speaking of Liam, i am speaking of your oldest brother Keling. He has become the strongest Dragon rider of the North and South lands. He had become what Utive wanted him to be. He is the one that defeated your father. Ever since, I have been in hiding trying to find someone to help me defeat him."

"How the hell did we end up in Chicago then, if we are to rule these lands and had no knowledge of any of this?" Jazz shouted across the fire.

"Your father and mother didn't want you to live in a constant fear. Your mother knew of a woman who did these transportation spells to worlds of normal humans and no beasts. Only tales and stories of unbelievable rivalries. But all fiction. Your mother was the one to raise you in a world of safety." Jenika looked down with shame and sadness.

"Why would my father come back if he knew he was safe?" I stuttered as my body ached to my core.

"Your father loved you, all of you. But he wanted his kingdom back, and he wanted to bring you back on safe terms when the rivalry was over. He wanted to come home, this Chicago wasn't where he wanted you all to be."

"So he died rather than raise us and be a father to us in a safe place?" Jazz said angrily standing up and pacing out of frustration.

"I am deeply sorry, but in the morning I will take you to the woman who is known for the spell of leaving these lands and I will make sure you get returned back safely. Get some rest and I will answer all your other questions in the morning. Your sister needs to rest her leg and you Anya need to rest your mind." Jenika waved over to Tups and he grabbed blankets from their wagon.

We laid out the blankets near the fire and laid our heads down, I knew Jazz and I wouldn't be able to truly sleep. But when I looked over at Jazz she passed out. Either from pain or exhaustion, at least I knew she was safe.

Laying there looking into the fire, everything was calm. All the words and stories stormed through my mind. Trying to wrap my head around it all. I turned over facing the woods, almost impossible to see past the wall of darkness.

All of a sudden there was a chilling sound of foot steps with the sound of braking limbs. I sat up quickly to see if anyone else hears it. Jenika was out getting more wood for the fire and Tups was sound asleep up against the shack wall. I looked back facing the forest and the screech of a thousand nails on a chalk board came roaring towards us whipping my hair back...