See How She Runs (The Chronicles of Izzy #1)(18)

“I promise, but not until I think you are ready, do you understand? This could take a long time. This place is secure. We are too far away from anything for them to be able to mentally track you. But if he hacks into your visions again, you must be careful. You have to block him. You have to keep him from reading the images in your mind.”

“Um, I am assuming this is something you will be able to teach me, right? Along with maybe some jujitsu or something equally as ninja like?" I smiled hopefully up at him. If I was meant to be some sort of super Seer, I should at least get some cool action-figure moves.

“Maybe we should work on you being able to do a single pushup first?"

He snickered to himself as he put the dishes away. I threw the balled-up wrapping paper at his head and quicker than my eyes could track he spun and caught it. He looked at my astonished face and winked. Okay then, apparently he had super speed. Awesome.

“Alright, smarty pants. I am assuming you have some sort of training plan. Obviously I am not in fighting condition, so maybe we should start there?" Now that I had gotten past the initial shock of it all, I felt like I needed to move forward and do something productive.

“Easy there, Skipper," he said, with that same old twinkle in his eyes. “Yes, I do have a plan. Prepare for some major suckage. My plan involves both physical and mental training. You will start having more and more visions and getting you through those will be the biggest challenge. The ones you share with your mother are relatively safe. You can control them easily because she is there to help filter the information. Eventually we will get to the ninja skills." He winked at me as he headed toward the door.

“So are we starting now?" I asked, since he was giving me absolutely nothing.

“No, today is your birthday. It is the last day you get to rest and be comfortable. And there is something else I need to give you. Your mother gave me some letters long ago. She told me to keep them safe until they found you." He looked at me with the same sad cast in his eyes as he pointed to the coffee table. There lay a bundle of three letters wrapped with twine.

“I need to go chop some wood and get some stuff done around the property. Don’t leave the cabin. I don’t want you tripping over a root and breaking something. Give me a yell when you are done."

With that, he left me alone with the pile of letters.





**********





NINE





I looked at the bundle of letters as I heard the door shut behind him. Well, there was no time like the present. Maybe she could help explain some things. A girl could hope right?

With a sense of trepidation I reached for the pile of letters and opened the one dated as the oldest. As I pulled it from the envelope I was assaulted by a vision.



My mother was in a summer dress spinning around in the yard and making me fly. I could feel the sticky humidity and hear the cicadas and frogs chirping in the background. The sun was getting ready to set and my mom was going to take me inside soon. She led me through the door still flying me like an airplane and took me to my father. She leaned in to kiss his cheek then left the room to head to the office.

I followed her, there, but not there. She sat down at a desk and inhaled deeply. Just before she began to write, she looked over her shoulder at me and smiled sadly.





I jerked, surprised by the vision of the past. It was as though my very soul was walking through her memories. Even stranger, it was as if she expected me to be there. She knew I was coming. She knew all those years ago that I would grow up without her. Embittered that she would still set herself on that course, but strangely comforted in knowing she did all she could for me. I wiped my eyes and began reading the first letter.



My dear girl,

I never wanted you to live the life that you are about to be forced to live. I hope you know that I did not want to leave you. I tried to prevent it as long as I could. This day, I know I will only have at the most three more years with you.You have been the best thing I have ever done on this earth.You have a light that shines from you and touches even the darkest of places. Don’t lose that sense of wonder and optimism. No matter what they do to me Izzy, or what you must face in the days to come. I have tried to see the life that awaits you, but I am never able to get beyond the fog and see what is to come. I hope that you live a life of calm and thatyou are never forced to deal with the madness and greed that is coming for me. I hope that you grow old, you have babies,and you are free from the insanity that has been brought down upon so many Seers. I wish for you a fate vastly different than my own.

I know that you feel alone. I know that I have left you with a terrible burden to bear. But know that you do not have to do this without help. Kennan is there for you. He may be hard to crack in the emotions department, but I saw the way he lit up around you. He left today. Your father had a talk with him. I think he was beginning to feel the guardian’s pull toward you. Even though you are so very young. So he and your father felt it best that he left. Most Guardians don’t meet their charges until they reach the age of seeing. What happened with you and Kennan is almost unheard of. He would have started aging had he stayed. So, for him to be fit to protect you, he left. He sacrificed finally having a place to call home in order to do what was best for you and your father. So please, dear daughter, trust him.

I love you more than you will ever possibly know. I know you will be faced with so many obstacles. Your future is not something I can see, so it is something you must create for yourself. Be brave, be smart, and above all trust your heart, my dear one. I will miss you so very much. Just remember to be the very best version of yourself you can possibly be.