Crossroads
Prologue:

I was sitting at my vanity in my Gran’s room, looking at my reflection. Here I was nineteen years old. My own brother was worthless, having left me and my Gran as soon as he graduated high school. Jason was different when our parents died. He somewhat blamed me for their death, saying that if I wouldn’t have been a spoiled brat, they wouldn’t have been swept off that bridge.

They died when I was a little girl, and the whole time he kept his distance from me. He was rude to our Gran, who took us in and raised us. I never told Jason about my telepathy, knowing he would never understand. If it had not been for her, Jason wouldn’t have had the truck he used to peel out of her drive that day and never came back. He left almost two years ago and had called Gran maybe five times in that whole span. In the back of my mind, I never wanted to see him again. He wasn’t a loving brother and he never treated me like he should.

Gran knew something was different and called a nice older man to come and see me. He had pointy ears, and I will never forget when she told me he was my family and that I could trust him. I asked questions all night and he answered them patiently. He explained he was my great-grandfather and I had cousins. I was floored by the news and that brought on more questions. He came by to visit me after that with Claudine, one of my cousin’s. I would see them about twice a month and they would always answer any questions I had.

Then the day came that I lay my sweet Gran to rest. I had found her two mornings earlier, still asleep in the bed behind me. I went to wake her up, seeing as how she never slept past nine but she didn’t stir; and her hand was cold. I knew what happened and made the calls I needed to. Sam, my boss at the local bar, came and helped me for two days to get all the funeral arrangements together. He was a great friend to me and my Gran liked him a lot.

I looked to the clock and saw it was a quarter till five. I got my belongings and got in my car. When I got to the cemetery, I noticed almost everyone was there. Gran was well known as a kind, gentle woman, and she had a lot of friends. I walked over to my seat and Sam came over and hugged me.

“How are you doing, Cher?”

“As well as I can. I miss her already.” My eyes started to tear up.

“I am here if you need me. I’ll sit behind you.” He said, softly lowering me to my seat before he walked away.

I noticed my brother standing to the side; he looked up and met my eyes.

‘ Always knew she would kill Gran too.’

My breath hitched in my throat and I forced back the bile that rose. Jason would forever think I had a hand in the deaths of all our loved ones. I almost felt sorry for him that he could be such a spiteful, hate-filled person. Almost…I was too sad for Gran that day to pay him any real attention. Tears started to well in my eyes as he walked over and sat next to me.

“Hey Sook, how you been?” he asked casually, like I didn’t hear his thoughts only moments before.

“Not ok, but it will get better,” I said and the service started.

The preacher gave a heartfelt talk about all the good qualities Gran had, and how she never stopped helping those around her. Tears welled in my eyes when all her friends went to the podium to speak. When it was my turn, I went to say a few words.

“I loved my Gran very much. She raised me and my brother and I couldn’t think of a smarter or kinder woman. She will forever live on in my life through the things she taught me. She was my best friend and I will miss her.”

I went to take my seat and the preacher motioned to Jason to take the stand. He ignored him showing that he didn’t want to say anything, and it only served to make the tears I was holding back fall down my cheeks. Jason could be so cold hearted.

When the session ended, I thanked all the people that turned up. My brother never bothered to say goodbye to me. Sam offered to stay while I said my last goodbyes, though he left when I didn’t answer.

I stood with my eyes closed for a while, wondering what I was going to do now. The will said she left me the house, but I had no idea where to begin without her. I was brought out of my thoughts when I felt a presence beside me.

“Hello great-grandfather,” I said with my eyes closed, knowing it was him. I could almost feel him smile when he knew I felt him there.

He placed a hand on my shoulder and I felt instantly calm beside him. “How are you doing child?”

“Better, now that you are here,” I answered honestly; his touch always calmed me.

“You know you have the same gift as I do. Have you been practicing it?” he asked, referring to my being able to control the emotions others project.

“A little with Claudine. Not much lately.”

His brow furrowed for a moment and then was replaced with a soft smile. “We will have to correct that then,” he said, taking my hand. “Come with me child, I want to take you somewhere special.”

“Where?” I blurted out.

“I want to take you to the Faery Realm. It will bring you much peace and will help you rest.”

I never knew he could take me there. I had gathered from what Claudine told me that only the fairies were allowed there. I nodded in agreement and within the blink of an eye, we were standing in a vast hall. It was intricately decorated, with art donning the walls – all masterpieces never before seen by human eyes. It was all so spectacular, to look up and seeing beams of different lights shifting back and forth, disappearing and reappearing moments later. He took my hand and led me to a small seating area in the back of the large room. With the wave of his hand he conjured up a serving platter with tea and sandwiches.

“Take this, child. Drink up and I will show you the rest of the grounds,” he said, handing me a cup of tea. He put two sugar cubes in it too.

“This place is amazing. Is this your home?” I asked in awe, looking around as I took a sip of the peppermint tea. The smell hit my senses and calmed me immediately.

He chuckled lightly. “No, I do not live here. This is the main castle grounds. As you know I am the prince, so I can take liberties here as I wish.”

“What are all these lights up above? They are beautiful,” I asked him as I looked up at the ceilings.

When I asked my question, I almost instantly regretted it. One of the lights came down and reformed into a form of a human. It was a fairy; I perceived as much from its ears, but I never knew of others becoming streams of light before. When he noticed I was giving him the look over, he straightened his stance before me, giving me a better view from my position.

“What is your name?” I inquired of him in a language I have never heard or spoken before. I also realized the firmness that was in my voice, almost as if I was commanding him to speak. It was like it wasn’t my own, but it was.

“My name is Warren, my lady,” he answered in the same tongue. I regarded him for a moment looking into his eyes, wondering why I was able to call for his attention. I noticed after a few minutes there were over twenty other forms of light reforming behind him, all looking to me. He looked back at me for a moment before casting his gaze down to the floor in a show of submission to me. All the others did the same in unison as I raised my gaze to meet theirs. Somehow this felt right, like I was expecting this, but it was so very confusing. I looked to Niall.

He was sitting there with an astonished look on his face.

“Niall…” I said, but before I could get out my entire question he interrupted me.

“You all may leave and get back to your duties,” he said in a firm dismissive tone, one I didn’t like. My face showed this as I looked defiantly at him.

“They have done nothing wrong. Why do you speak to them this way?” I, for the first time, questioned my great-grandfathers motives.

He looked at me incredulously for a moment then his face transformed to one of shock. He noticed that none of the fairies had left; in fact, half had come to stand to my side, acting as though they were ready to protect me.

“Niall, answer me. Why are you dismissing them?” I questioned him again with more steel in my voice.

He locked eyes with mine and mumbled under his breath, “I cannot believe it.”

“What do you mean by that?” I demanded from him; I was so confused and couldn’t figure out why I was so protective and defensive of these creatures. I had never met them before, yet in my soul I felt as though I was responsible for them.

“What is your name commander?” he asked me in another language I had never heard. His voice called me to attention like mine did to Warren only moments ago. I stood from my chair, looking into his eyes and I placed my hand over my heart. In succession all those others around me did the same kneeling to the ground. Their eyes closed; they were awaiting my answer.

“My name is Sarette,” I answered him, hearing my own voice, but not fully understanding what was going on.

“Child, I knew there was something special about you. But never did I realize this was the depth of it. Come sit and I will explain.” I took his outstretched hand and sat next to him on the love seat.

He gave me a heartfelt smile. “I never thought I would live to see a guardian leader in my time. There has only been one other and that was thousands of years ago. Sookie…” he paused. “Sarette, you must understand, these ones before you, along with the many others that are most likely on their way here now, they are yours to see fit to govern and command.”

“What?!?”

“You were born for this Sookie. You know the ancient dialect; it is in your blood. You have spoken it here to them with your commanding voice. You are their leader.”

I couldn’t believe what I just heard. I couldn’t wrap my mind around it. Part of me wanted to run and never look back, to say it was just a dream and pray that I would wake up in my bed and it would be over. But the larger part of me knew, deep down, that what he was saying was true. These ones here, I could feel their connection to me. It was very strong, and I could feel the power flowing through me as I recognized who I was by birthright.

“Grandfather…” I began, but noticed that the others were still watching me, listening to every word I was saying. “You all are dismissed. I will speak with you later,” I commanded them. They disappeared quickly but not before bowing deeply to me in unison.

“Niall, what all does this mean?”

“You are the leader of them. That essentially means you will direct them in their duties.”

“What are guardians? What are their duties?”

“They are an ancient race of Fae; the oldest and feared of all species in this and crossed over dimensions. They, from birthright, protect all of the Faery Realm. They are the strongest of all fighters, and even stronger than I am. Sookie, their duties include those I and others of rank need from them. They don’t answer to anyone. They are defiant and very rude. They do not live by our laws here; they make their own. I have been having problems with them, unable to control what they do.”

“If they don’t listen to you, what makes you think they will listen to me?”

“They will respect you. Did you not see how they spoke to you and bowed to you? They have never acknowledged my presence or spoken to me in such a way. They always stay in their light form. I have never seen them reform. But they did for you.”

“But what if I don’t want this? My life is already confusing enough as it is.”

“Child, I will help you hone your powers. I can already sense them coming forth since you realized who you really were. Claudine will help to train you to use and control them. Would you like for me to arrange for this to take place regularly? ”

“I guess I don’t have a choice do I?” I responded, looking up to the ceiling where the lights are now abundant. More had arrived.

“You have a destiny dear one. Embrace it, and we will help you along.”

I went to stand in the middle of the room, noticing hundreds of other fairies gathering around, never witnessing a human commanding a group of guardians. I saw many popping in and casting there gaze to me. I stood there, taking in the crowd, feeling a dormant power flow from inside me. Before I knew it, I had called all the guardians before me. They were all reformed in straight lines, their eyes on me.

In a voice that didn’t feel like mine, I spoke to them, “I am Sarette, your commander and leader. I will demand you all tell me your names and rank mentally when looked upon.”

They all lowered their eyes for a moment, bowing, and then standing straight at attention. I glanced over at Niall who now had Claudine sitting next to him. I realized they were the only family I had left. I was now turning a new page in my life. I was at a crossroad, and I decided to choose my own path for once in my life. Only the future would hold my true fate and I hoped one day I would find it.