Hey so this is the first time I've written a story from Alek's POV so make sure you let me know how it is!
I knew she was Mai. I'm not stupid. Why would Jasmine think I was gonna kiss her though? It's not like I've ever talked to her before. Ever. Her name is Chloe King, I know that now. And her friends are Crazy Amy and that dorko Paul. But it's all just part of the job, knowing about what you have to protect. Valentina had put us up to this. I personally thought it was a waste of time. Who cares if she's Mai anyway? It's not like she's anybody important... like the Uniter. Wouldn't that be just grand, Chloe king the Uniter. Not in a million years. Ha.
"We were right about Chloe being one of us," Valentina said. I tried to make it look like I was listening, but honestly I couldn't care less. Jasmine elbowed me. Apparently I wasn't doing a very good job at it.
"There's something else," Valentina continued. Still didn't care. "We have reason to believe that she is also the Uniter. I have been informed that she was pushed off Coit Tower, and lived."
I almost choked. The Uniter? You have to be shitting me. If I didn't know better, I would've thought that Valentina was trying to pull one on me.
"But who would push her off of the tower, and why?" Jasmine asked. They now had my undivided attention.
Valentina sighed. "I believe that the Order has already found her. We must act quickly, before they can take any more of her lives. Each one is more valuable than the last. You two are to be her protectors and mentors. She does not yet know what she is. Tomorrow you will explain it to her, bring her here after school. You must train her to fight, to defend herself. You must teach her about the Mai, our history, our future, what it means to be one of us. And you must watch over her day and night. All nine, now eight, of her lives are more valuable than our own combined. Do not hesitate when protecting her, you must fight for her at all costs. I am sending you now to guard her. I recommend you take shifts. Other Mai will be available to assist you, should the need arise, but there is no one I trust more than you two. Go, now."
As if a teenage life with a crazy superhero-like alter ego wasn't complicated enough. Now I was responsible for the freaking Uniter. Great.
I got up and followed Jasmine out the door. We ran down all 18 flights of stairs, too impatient to wait for the elevator, and outside into the cool nighttime air. As we flew across the rooftops, I realized I had no clue where we were going.
"Jazz? Where exactly do we find her?" I was pretty sure Jasmine didn't know either.
"Well, if you had been paying attention like you were supposed to, then you would've remembered that Mom told us where she lives, dummy." Jasmine gave me a disapproving look.
"You know I never pay attention to Aunt Val. It's boring." We had stopped on the roof of a house in the middle of a San Francisco neighborhood.
"Okay, well here we are," Jasmine announced, somewhat unnecessarily. Since it was like three in the morning, I assumed Chloe would be asleep. Sure enough, I heard deep breathing and a slow, steady heartbeat. She was definitely asleep. I listened carefully for signs of anyone else who lived in the house. I only heard one other heartbeat.
Jasmine read my mind. "She lives with her mom. Her name is Meredith King."
She paused.
"You heard what Mom said this time, right?" she asked, giving me that look. "That we should guard her in shifts?"
"Yes, Jasmine, I heard her. I'll watch her first." As much as I didn't want to spend my night on a rooftop, I'm sure Jasmine didn't either. Also, if I went back home it meant having to listen to more of Aunt Val's boring lectures. I'll pass.
"Okay, but Alek," Jasmine started, "Alek look at me. You have to take this seriously. I know you think it's dumb, but it's not. This is the Uniter we're talking about here. Don't. Mess. It. Up."
"Got it," I said. And with one final glare, she left.
Now what am I supposed to do? Sit here and twiddle my thumbs until dawn? And at dawn, then what am I supposed to do? I couldn't very well just stay on her roof in broad daylight. That would be an awkward confrontation. 'What are you doing on my roof?' 'Well you're this part cat crazy superhero with nine lives so I'm protecting you.' Yeah, no thanks.
I decided to start by checking the perimeter, to make sure there was no one else here. There wasn't. Go figure, right? Then, I started to look for a place to hide once the sun rose. I decided that a large evergreen in the back of the house would be sufficient.
And now, I wait. Wait for what, I'm not exactly sure. Nothing happened. I periodically checked the property for anything suspicious, but there was nothing there. This was just stupid. I sat there on the roof, listening, focusing on each individual sound. I was really that bored. An animal was digging in the neighbors' lawn; an owl took flight down the street; Chloe rolled over in her bed; Chloe's steady, continuous heartbeat…
I jolted awake. The sun was just starting to rise. Shit. I should already be off the roof. Looking around quickly to make sure no one was watching me, I climbed down from the roof, dropping behind the tree in the back yard.
I stayed where I was for half an hour. From here, I had a clear view through the back door and into the kitchen. In that time, Meredith King had come downstairs, made coffee, and eaten breakfast. I could hear Chloe banging around upstairs, but all of a sudden she sprinted down the stairs, grabbed her bag and left after yelling bye to Meredith. I took off, staying about a block or so behind Chloe the whole time. My phone buzzed in my pocket. It was a text from Jasmine.
I have your backpack. Meet me at my locker in 5. –Jasmine
While I had my phone out, I checked the time. Damn girl was going to make me late for school! I started to run a little bit faster; I still had four blocks to go. Right before I turned the corner, I started walking. I quickly ran my hand through my hair as I walked through the doorsof the school.
Jasmine was waiting at her locker, holding my backpack.
"You're the best cousin ever!" I told her as I took it and hurried to homeroom, sliding into my seat just as the bell rang.