Chapter 11
Josette had spent hours and hours with Nikki, they had connected and there was very little that would detract her attention from her riding ritual. Nikki loved to jump and Josette would find challenges for them both. Even to the point that Nikki would take the jump and sometimes would leave her partner behind or send her tumbling in mid air.
There was a affinity between the two. So much that Josette would use her powers to protect her horse or her horse would not leave Josette if she was knocked to the ground and did not readily get up or move. There were many times Nikki would return and nudge Josette tryiing to force her to get up. Rising up with her bruised ego, Josette would get back on Nikki and go back to take the jump until the both got it.
On one such occasion shortly after Josette had turned 12 and was just beginning to understand she was different from most pre-teens, her powers were just beginning to develop she also was beginning to develop into a young woman.
It was after her first menses. When her pheremones were off the charts. Something she was not aware she had let alone what they might attract. So blithely had agreed to meet Carolyn and Lydia for a ride. She was excited because her aunt's were treating her like a real grown up.
It was to be the first for many new experiences in her life. Such as her first time she had a run in with a turf war between a troll demon and a hellwolf. That would become a momenteous occasion and one she would not forget.
That was when she first learned of government agency known as SHADOWS OPS, the covert agency that tracked variants, the eldritch and abnormal beings. It was also the first time she learned they had been monitoring her for potential recruitment.
Josette had just ridden Nikki with Lydia and was brushing her out. The day had been filled with fun, with the three girls having a great time riding. Josette had felt close to her Aunts and was feeling particularly happy and the day had proved to be a warm beginning to spring.
Josette had told Marty, that she would take care of Nikki and would he please call her parents and let them know she would be home after she hot walked her horse and brushed her out. It was going to be their time together and she could covetedly be close to her first heart throb Marty.
If her parents had taught her one thing, it was proper care of pets and the equipment. A lesson her father imparted was if it was valuable enough to invest the money then it was valuable enough to take proper care.
So, she would have to wipe down her saddle pulld her blanket to air. This was always a labor of love for her, she knew to keep her horse happy she had to keep the equipment she used for her horse in good repair.
She had finished and was inhaling the sweet smell of horse sweat on her clothing she noticed the moon climbing into the night sky was full. She sighed, it would have been a perfect night for a ride at low tide of the beach, nothing could be hidden now with the moon so bright and full.
Hanging up her riding crop, which she never used, she just like how it made her look, she hung up her hat and moved towards the stable doors. And inhaled the smell of the barn one more time before she headed to the path that would take her home.
It was the bay of the wolf that first caught her attention and she paused on the pathway and frowned. The thrashing sound of the under brush alerted her to the fact that she was being stalked by something.
Taking a deep breath, she could smell two scents. Closing her eyes for a moment she tried to narrow in on the sound of the stalkers heartbeat. Something she thought anyone could do, because she could easily pick out heartbeats.
That is when she picked up two heartbeats. These heartbeats were different and was nothing she had ever experienced before. The smell in the air permeated of wolf and the stench of something rotted and dead.
Feeling her own heartbeat begin to pick up rapidly she began to run towards her home. Fear filled her little sturdy body and she was acutely aware of the danger that surrounded her. She could almost taste it it was so palatable.
Zig zagging down the pathway, she headed to the one spot she knew she would be safe no matter what was chasing her. Dodging past the creek that lined the property lines and moving at break neck speed she made a beeline right for her oak tree.
The old tree had to be over 500 years old, for it stood tall and impervious to the years of hurricanes that had blown threw the town. It was just in front of her all she needed was to run and jump for the upper branch and heft her body up and then it was a matter of scrambling up to the top of the tree to hide in the leaves.
She had just pulled herself up, when she heard the sound of the wolf breaking the brush line of the woods. Clambering up the tree to her favorite perch, it was the very end of the thickest center part of the tree that branched out into a Y.
Looking down she was shocked to see what appeared to be a wolf that was attempting to climb the tree after her. She looked around paniced and wondering what would she do if the wolf was actually to move up the tree after her.
Its eyes were a intense yellow with twin red pin points that seemed to be totally focused on her position in the tree. Not only was the animal huge by most standards for a wolf, it almost seemed to have human features to its face. Josette was no longer afraid, she was mad. She felt her body begin to tingle. She knew what was about to happen, because it had happened before.
Josette discovered that she was not like most kids at school, and this was a monumental change in her life. Bobby Taylor had noticed she had bled onto her skirt when she started her period. He had begun to tease her and call her fishy pants.
Josette had tried to ignore him. Which said bullying was just the icing on an already embarassing situation. So she was was totally embarrassed by her condition and the mess it had made and mad that none of the other girls had told her she had begun her mensus she was growing more angry with her tomentor.
Bobby Taylor had called attention to her and she hated it. Now the girls at school were laughing and pointing at her and the boys were making fun of her along with Bobby Taylor. Josette never liked attention and was always one to hide back or stay shyly behind when others were seeking the center stage.
Josette remembered throwing down her books and punching Bobby in the face. She remembered the shocked look on his face when his nose spurted blood. That is when he shoved her down and sat on her chest and began to beat her chest with the knuckles. He was chanting "You stink like tuna fish, you have fishy pants, fishy pants. Say it bitch, say I have fishy pants."
It had no longer funny to the other girls and they moved away, the boys that stayed were the ones that hung with Bobby Taylor in his group. Josette glared at Bobby and refused to open her mouth.
She felt her body beginning to tingle and then she did not know why Bobby Taylor suddenly stopped pounding her and the look of horror that crossed his features made the other boys stop their chanting and in astonishment, they watched Josette changed before their eyes.
Her eyes were the first part of her change, The white scelara of her eyes began to shift to blood red. Her iris went yellow and the pupil became a glowing like blue twin chips of ice. Her skin appeared to shimmer and her features turned more luminous and began to fade into transparency and then she was gone nothing more than a mist.
Bobby Taylor was looking down as his fist made conact with the blacktop, "Hey! OWWWW!" he looked at his hand beginning to swell and wondered where Josette had gone. "What the hell? Where did the little bitch go?" He looked around to his friends who stood shcoked.
To the amazement of his friends, they watched Josette reappeared behind Bobby Taylor standing over him, with one hand she reached out and caught Bobby Taylor by the scruff of his neckline, lifting him off the ground and flinging him into a set of nearby sticker bushes.
Joey Masters and Timmy Little screamed and ran off, as Bobby's own scream was cut off by the impact into the bushes. They were shouting while they ran off "MONSTER! MONSTER! Spooky Josette is a monster!" They were screaming like little sissy girls running from a small child that looked like she was about to open up a can of whop ass and they were going to be the receipient.
Josette was not about to let Timmy or Joey get away with helping Bobby Taylor bully her, she was not aware that she now took flight In bat form and began to dived down on the boys, tearing at their hair and jackets with her talon feet.
To her own ears her screams of anger and frustration sounded like screeches. Piercing the air with a shrill echoing noise. The boys screamed and covered their heads and ran towards the school. Both were crying and shouting for help while they ran.
Josette felt herself lift and she perched on a tree limb. Once there she calmed she retook her human form. Chest heaving, eyes burning with tears, she sat on the limb and the reality of what happened took hold of her. In her own young mind she could not comprehend what just happened and as she sat there, she felt her body tingle and once again she found she was shifting only this time it was through time.
She felt her head spin seeing the world around her shift and everyone was moving backwards to the point where she was when Bobby Taylor came out of the side door of the school. This was the point where she had turned and he saw she had started her period.
She cringed and wished she had caught it before it had messed her skirt and once again she was moving backwards through time and to a point when she sat in class. Knowing she needed to get up and go to the bathroom. Quietly she stood and moved from her classroom and went down the hallway to the bathroom.
She had caught her self before she had messed her clothing. She stood in front of the mirror and looked at her reflection. What was she? How could she do these things she just done? Was she even human? That is when she saw her elemental aunts for the first time. Sorcha moved forward and hugged her.
"You are a young woman and must be prepared to take your place among those that are called to a speical purpose."
Sorcha stepped back and Aerith smiled cuppin her chin. "My very own precious niece, surely you suspected you were different? That your mother and father were different?"
Canace smiled, "You are along with your sister and brother were born to a higher purpose." Aerwayna held back and studied the young woman before her.
"You Josette will be instrumental in righting the wrongs and protecting your family. When the time is right, you will learn that being different and special are as important as to being normal. You need to ask your mother to home school you. You must tell her what happened today."
Josette looked at those very beautiful women wearing gossamere gowns of a diaphousness material and knew they were not of this world or plane. "Do I tell her about Bobby Taylor and what he did?"
She felt herself about to tear up. Sorcha frowned, "Yes, you tell her how mean he was but you also tell her you folded time to set things right. That no on knows of your talents."
Josette was tearful looking at the women who wanted to fold her into their embrace and shelter her tender feelings. They knew she needed this pain to grow her own powers stronger.
"Your mother will realize she is a far better teacher than those here in this school. In her way she wanted you to have a normal life for as long as you should. Now the time of blossoming is upon you and you have a place to take amongst those of us that carry the balane of nature and Torrel on our shoulders. You tell her you saw your aunts Sorcah, Canace, Aerith, and Aerwayna. She will explain so much more to you and show ou the ways of the white powered eldritch."
The door to the restroom opened and Jeanette barged in, "Yo Jo, what the!"
All four women turned and smiled at the spunkey female. "Ahh the defender, young Jeanette, we have come to introcued ourselves to you. We are your aunts I am Aerith, this is Aerwayna, Canace, and Sorcha."
Jeanette never held anything back, "Woah! Does that mean I am gonna look as hot as you guys some day?"
They laughed together and looked to the door. "It is time for us to go but we will never be far away. They all disappaeared with a subtle pop left behind to let the girls know that they had not been alone.
"What in . . . " Josette glared at her sister, "We are not normal Nettie, something happened earlier and well I just found out that we have a gift."
Nettie ever the forceful one though she was all of ten and she had to add one half because it made her seemed older frowned, "What happened?
Josette took her hand and began to think about what had happened earlier and folded time to the moment where Bobby Taylor had tried to beat up her sister and she was incensed, she watched the whole play as they streamed through time to the here and now.
"That jerk." Jeanette stormed from the bathroom and knew exactly where she was going.
With a full head of steam she marched into the gym class that Bobby Taylor and his two croonies sat on the side lines she forcefully pushed the two doors open, slamming them into the wall. Her gaze were fixed on the two boys and she ran full tilt towards the older boys flipping over the back of one of the boys that had stopped to tie his shoes and landed full force into the three of them knocking them backwards.
She rolled to a standing position moved up and kicked Bobby Taylor in his boy parts then turned and drove her fist into Joey Master's shocked freckled face and then she turned to lay into Timmy Little she saw him cower and wet his pants. "You listen to me, if any of you ever hurt my family my sister or call her names, the next time I will put my fist in your pie holes and I will make sure you never have children. Do you understand?"
All three boys cowered into each other. "NO MORE BULLYING!" The other boys started to laugh at the fifth grader that had thoroughly trouced the seventh graders. Jeanette turned and glared at them. "I am a Collins and I can open up a can of whop ass, so do not even think you will hurt or harm any member of my family." Her eyes blazed, her cheeks were red with anger she leveled that piercing gaze on the older boys.
It was later when Mr. Baldwin had taken Jeanette by the hand and led her to the princepals office that Jeanette had finally calmed down. Her mother and father were called and that is how they found their next oldest daughter sitting in a chair outside the Mr. Goddards Office.
She could hear how he regaled the Collins family with the exploits of their daughter and how incoragible she was. At this point she did not care, what could they do to her? Spank her? She was and never had been affected by such disciplin. She knew she had a temper and she thrived on her temper. It was then the subject was discussed between her parents about home schooling.
As young Josette watch her sister storm out of the girls rest room she knew what or where she was headed and she tried to follow and hung back and watched her sister. Josette watch as she used her gymnastics to go after Bobby Taylor, Joey Masters and snickered when she watched Timmy Little wet his pants.
She had explained to her sister that what Bobby Taylor had done was no longer a part of their life's timeline but she had seen wht they had done and saw how upset her sister was at such callous treament it was as though she no longer heard, her heart was set on making someone pay.
Jeanette was a powerhouse when she got mad and usually her mother allowed her to work out her anger issues and then addressed them when she had calmed her self.. This day had brought about life changes more than just having her first period. She was developing into something far more unsettling than a little blood on her skirt.
She concentrated on her surroundings watching the huge wolf like creature below attempted to climb up the tree, then crashing through the underbrush was a huge lumbering creature of moss green, with yellowing teeth that were long and pointed, long arms with long nailed fingers.
It bellowed at her and the wolf. "What in the name of Hannah is going on?" Josette had been unsetteled for the second time in this week only this time she was seeing things children said hid under their beds at night that wanted to hurt them. In this case she was not in her bed and she knew they wanted to do more than hurt her, they wanted to kill her.
If the stench from the one animal was over powering, it was no more over powering than the smell of jasmine that now filled the air. "Josette?" She looked around for her name-sake, and appearing in transparent form next to her was the ghost of Collinwood, Josette Collins.
"Do not be afraid, help is coming." She felt the strength of Josette's arms around her shoulders and she watched in amazement darkly clad figures with shiny black helmets wearing suits that had spiderwebs connecting small green dots and wearing black leather duster coats appeared stepping from out of the air.
Their faces were covered by what looked like a mesh mask with the same design on their unforms. They came through the a tiny pin hole of light that looked to be growing when they emerged into existence.
Each figure marched through the pin hole of light to break into two groups of three. They held supporting the weapons in their arms long silver cylendrical weapons. They took up a flanking position as a final figure appeared.
He unlike the others wore a black trench coat and a fedora hat, his black-gloved hands moved in a signal. As they watched his hand commands, they began to fire on the two creatures. Josette heard the air compressed weapons when they fired and the thunk sound as the weapons found targets and the loud wail and whimper from the wolf and the other greenish creature that Josette would later learn was a troll demon.
"Captain? Should we grab the girl too?"
Josette noticed one of men aiming his weapon at her. The ghost of Josette continued to hold onto her and she whispered into her ear. "Do not be afraid, it is not your time."
Josette watched as the man referred to as Captain shook his head. "Leave her, we have her tagged for recruitment in six years. Grab and bag the other two and lets move out."
Josette studied the men below as they moved in to hoist the greenish creature by what she thought were its arms and she was struck by amazement as she watched the wolf begin to morph into the shape of a near naked man. "Oh my, Josette what is happening?"
She whispered and turned to where she had sat earlier. Josette was nowhere to be seen and she sighed softly. "Thank you Josette."
The man in the hat watched his men disappeared into that strange glowing door and he moved to peer up the tree at Josette. "You can come down now Josette Collins. Just keep your mouth shut about what you just saw otherwise, we will come in the middle of the night to take you away from your parents before your time." He then tugged on the brim of his hat in a off handed tip of his hat and moved back to the eerily glowing door, disappearing into the evenings twilight.