Author's Notes

Hello everyone! Thank you for the wonderful reviews of the second chapter! 8 reviews! I was really happy! It could be better, but for me it was great! I saw in my stats that this story had 300 hits! Wow! This chapter has a lot of revelations, the plot begins to thicken but I have MUCH more plans for this. I hope you like this chapter. Please review! I have been a good author and updated quickly, and it's your reviews that encourage me to write more and better and to update soon.

PS: I need a beta-reader. Any volunteers? PM me!

Suddenly everything went white…

When she opened her eyes she was standing in a whole different place. She was standing in what seemed to be the rooftop of a skyscraper in a city. Actually, she was standing on the edge of it, looking down at all the other buildings and feeling a very strong wind blowing against her body. The sky was blue and the sun was in the horizon, almost at the sunset. When she looked at herself, she was wearing a long white dress, long-sleeved and with a V-cut.

"Where am I?" She was confused and a bit scared. One minute she was in her bathroom and the other she was standing in God-knows-where wearing different clothes. Was this a dream? It looked and felt so real…

"You're not dreaming" a voice behind her said.

Hitomi turned around to see a young woman a few steps away smiling softly at her. The woman was older and taller than Hitomi, had very light blonde hair that reached her shoulders, gray-blue eyes and was dressed in a long white robe. Everything about that woman just screamed purity. It was like seeing a superior entity, an angel almost.

The wind was blowing strong, messing the two females' hairs, agitating their clothes. They were at such high altitude that clouds surrounded them.

Hitomi spoke with a very confidant and uncharacteristic voice, like she was a whole new person, much braver and wiser than herself. "Who are you and why did you bring me here?" Her eyes held a strong look of confidence and authority.

The angelic woman's smile grew wider at the look and words of Hitomi "I am Selena. Oh, you look so much like your mother…"

Hitomi's temper was rising. What was going on? Suddenly strange people told her she looked like her mother! Being clueless was really beginning to get in her nerves. Why do people go and speak about her when I don't want them to? Can't they see it hurts me to think about her? And father? They're dead! I wish they'd stop reminding me of them, of how I'll never see them again…

But even being weak in her thoughts didn't change her brave look and fearless gaze. No, she would be strong!

"I know. In fact, lately I've been hearing that a lot. But don't run from the question. Why did you bring me here?"

Selena gave a defeated sigh and her face took on a sad look. Suddenly the sky became gray, like it was a reflexion of her thoughts. The wind stopped and everything became silent. Hitomi was startled by the change, but didn't let it show. She just looked from on side to the other and then at the woman. Selena looked to be reflecting on her next words.

Then the woman finally spoke, slowly, carefully, like speaking too loud or fast would activate a bomb "I've come to warn you, Hitomi. The time is near…"

Hitomi interrupted her, her heart was leaping in anticipation and she couldn't help the words from escaping her lips "The time? Time for what?"

The interruption didn't bother Selena, who took a step closer and looked straight in Hitomi's eyes "The time to claim what is rightfully yours. Your mother's legacy."

Her eyes widened "My mother's legacy! And what's that?" Suddenly she felt lightheaded. I really must be dreaming this! Who are these people who seem to know more about my mother that I do?

"Her powers" Selena clarified softly.

"But I already have her powers" she blurted out. Oh no! Why did I just say that? How do I know I can trust her?

"Calm down. You can trust me."

Whoa! How did that woman know what she was thinking? Hitomi tried not to look intimidated and just raised an eyebrow "Are you a mind-reader?"

"Yes I am. Don't be scared. I'm on your side."

"My side? What is my side? And is there another side?"

Just then the sky seemed to fail. Then all the buildings that surrounded the skyscraper where Hitomi was standing disappeared. The «world» was reduced to that one building, those two women and the big gray sky.

Selena looked frightened "Oh no! We must hurry! My powers are failing. I think I can only sustain this for another couple of minutes."

"So this isn't real! I thought you said it wasn't a dream!" Hitomi protested.

"It is neither. It's just an illusion I've created so I could reach you. Listen to me, Hitomi." Then she started to tell the story:

"A long time ago a man, before he died, gave his pregnant wife great powers to use to protect her family and fight the evil in this world. Since then, there have always been females among the descendants of that woman. Her powers have been passed on to the oldest female of each generation. Do you understand what I mean? You, Hitomi, are a descendant of that woman. Your grandmother had powers, your mother had powers and now you will have yours. Right now what you have is only a sample of the power that will be entrusted to you. Your full powers will come only on your 18th birthday." Then she paused, giving Hitomi a second to take in all the new information.

Hitomi stood there, open-mouthed, eyes huge, completely shocked. Right now the only thought her mind could process was Oh my god, Oh my God, Oh my God!

Selena wished she had more time to let Hitomi absorb all the new information, but right now time was a luxury she couldn't afford. "But you are in great danger. Somehow other people found out about your family's powers and I'm afraid they'll try to use you. Be very careful Hitomi."

At that moment, everything around them went black. The sky and the skyscraper disappeared and the two women stood in mid-air surrounded by darkness. They could only see each other because their bodies were glowing white.

"What! There are people after me? What can I do?"

Selena's body began to fade, starting at her feet and rising. Just before her neck started to fade, she said "Don't be afraid. We'll be there for you" then she disappeared.

Hitomi woke up suddenly. She was lying on her back on the bathroom floor. Her head was throbbing and she all was covered in sweat. Her heart was beating furiously, her breathing was rash and she felt absolutely drained of all energy.

She was so shaken up that she started crying and sobbing, overcome with all the emotion. This is all crazy! How could this be happening to me? After about half an hour she finally gathered the strength to crawl to her room and get into bed.

While she was lying on her bed, millions of thoughts went through her head "Does Uncle Dryden know about my mother's powers? He was her brother, after all…"

"Oh god! Did daddy know too? Or did she keep him in the dark like she did with me? Sure, I might have been very young but…" she trailed off.

"She probably wanted to tell me when I was older, only she died before she could. I suppose it wouldn't be reasonable telling a 5-year-old "Hey honey, guess what? You'll get these big powers when you turn 18. And what else? You be approached by crazy people with weird powers who'll know more about those powers than you!". No, I suppose mom was right not to tell me then…"

"I bet that Allen guy is one of them too. Was he stalking me or what? He probably was, or else he'd never be there on the ice-cream shop when I needed him. Oh great! Now I have these wacky dudes with a knight-in-shining-armor Syndrome!"

It took another two hours for her to finally drift off to sleep. The last thought in her mind before unconsciousness was: Only two months to go until my 18th birthday…

The next day Hitomi woke up before the usual time. It was actually due to two reasons. First, she didn't sleep very well. Second, she was determined to talk to her uncle before going to school. Everything in her mind was blurry. What was she suppose to feel? Happy to be getting powers? Afraid of the crazy people who would supposedly be after her? She felt many things, but happiness wasn't one of them. She was very aware that with power came responsibility.

She was getting dressed, going through the usual ritual of getting ready. Her thoughts were miles away and her movements were mechanical. Today she didn't even look at herself in the mirror, not wanting to remind herself of the events of the previous night. She grabbed her bag and exited the room.

When she got to the kitchen, Dryden was sitting at the empty table, reading the morning's paper. Hitomi had a very serious face when she walked towards him. He heard her coming and turned to greet her, but the smile that started forming on his face quickly vanished when he saw the look on her face.

She sat down in front of him and finally spoke "Where's Aunt Millerna?"

He replied with the same serious tone she used "She's still asleep. It will still be awhile until she wakes up" He was both curious and worried about what his niece had to say.

Hitomi didn't want to waste time. Events had occurred in a short period of time, so you could say time was of the essence "Uncle Dryden, I need to know something. Promise me you'll tell the truth." At his nod she continued, "What did you know about my mother? I mean, was there something unusual about her?" her hands were trembling with fear and anticipation. Deep down she wished it was all a lie and she was just a normal teenager with a few odd capacities.

"Well, to be honest, I didn't know much about your mother. All I know is that mother spent a lot of time with her, doing god-knows-what, in her room. I never knew what they did because they were very secretive and kept the doors locked. I do remember hearing strange noises coming from the room, like stuff exploding and such. Then, when she turned 18, she said she was going to study abroad. It all seemed very suspicious to me, but our parents didn't even doubt her. After that, she'd come to visit once a year bringing gifts from European countries. When she was 25, she brought your father with her when she visited. Apparently they were already married for almost a year and instead of staying and settling down, they left again. I got a letter from her a year after that, saying she gave birth to a beautiful daughter named Hitomi and that everything was good. And then…" he paused, covering his face with his hands.

"Then, five years later, me and Millerna were having dinner with my parents when the doorbell rang. Your grandmother went to get the door and came back several minutes later with a little girl with a certain pink pendant on her neck. She said your parents had died in a car crash and then she told us that you were Hitomi. I couldn't believe it… it was surreal! What convinced me was your striking resemblance with your mother and grandmother and the pendant. Your mother never, ever, took it off. Our mother had given it to her when she was a little girl. So, that's it… you know the rest. You came to live with Millerna and me."

Hitomi sat there, staring at her hands on the table, completely shocked. Now she was sure of two things. One, her uncle knew nothing about her mother's powers. Two, all that he said matched the crazy theory about her powers. Oh no…

She started hyperventilating, anxiety taking over. Her uncle came to her side "Hey Hitomi, are you feeling alright?"

He ran to get her a glass of water and after she calmed down he said "Did I say something wrong? What's upsetting you? Do you know something that I don't?"

Oh I wish I could tell you, she thought, but if mom never told you in all those years then I can't either. "I'm okay It was just sad to hear the story"

Dryden didn't believe seem to fall for it, but he let it go and just said "I'll start making breakfast then". Millerna and Chid came for breakfast a few minutes later.

Hitomi left the house to go to school early today. She refused going with Chid and Dryden in the car. All she wanted to do was walk and clear her head.

Walking along a street, watching the streetlights turning off and the sun slowly appearing in the horizon made her calm her nerves. But still, she couldn't stop thinking about her mother.

How could she keep all those secrets for all that time? What do I really know about her? Now I know she was in Europe, which makes sense, since I remember hearing French songs playing from her old records. I remember she liked them a lot. What else do I remember? I remember we traveled a lot, but I don't remember where…

"Wow. You can know so little about someone so close…" she said quietly.

"You're right." Another voice behind her said.