Danger

 'Vmmm Vmmm Vmmm' The soft vibrations of my alarm clock flooded my pillow and thus, commenced the arduous task of raising my eyelids. 

 "Waking up an hour late. 'sigh' I thought we were past this." My mother's disappointed voice filled the circles of my ears.

"Sorry mom" I responded, sounding sheepish even to myself.

My dark oak door drifted to reveal a seasoned yet youthful woman. Age had left negligible traces on her, and a youthful exuberance permeated the contours of her face, while the curl of her mesmerizing lips was as enchanting as ever. 

Unfortunately, a frown now marred her face as she chastised me. I could only silently nod at her remarks, for I had grown to hate any expression of discontent that trespassed her angelic face.

The way I saw it, no from of negativity should have appeared within a mile radius of her.

 "Do you need a drive?". She asked warmly.

"For the nth time mum, school is just a mile away" I said in slight exasperation. This was the most important woman in my life. One that went by the name Rebecca Bree-Cane, while she had named me Adam Embry-Cane. Quite an unorthodox name, considering the fact we hailed from the African continent and had arrived in Canada a few months ago.

"Stay safe!" she said with a clear expression. However just a little worry crept into her voice. Within those two simple words. I could feel an illusory premonition.

Afraid I would stay if I endured the full force of her sudden inexplicable concern, I trudged towards the door, staring at a strange mirror embedded into our wall the split second before the door closed behind me. 

After I came home once with an undone tie, I had used the excuse of not having a mirror outside of my room. She had bought this mirror that very day.

It was something of a private joke between us. But the truth was that I had never needed a mirror to dress in the first place. I was perfectly aware of where everything went. Nor was I a particularly superficial person. 

Rather the mirror only reminded me of the reasons I was an outcast. During the short blip where I stared into it, deep crimson pupils stared back at me!

My doctors called it a benign mutation. As for whether it was an illness, or any of its effects. I knew none of that.

Besides my creepy red eyes, my skin was chocolate coloured and my hair sprang up in jet black curls. My mother always said I had a flawlessly chiseled face, however the expressions of revulsion that erupted whenever anyone saw me disputed that immensely.

After leaving my home, my body leaped into a pronounced jog as the trees blurred past and the gates of St. Reece's academy appeared in greeting.

I had to hand it to the city of Vancouver. Everything was always where it should.

The academy was reasonably large. About half a mile in fact. I was a form five student, and my class was allocated at the southern gate.

Not too far away from me two lecherous boys conversed. "Hehe you send the best 'research' material Kael. Almost worth my mom yelling at me for using all the tissue".

"Of course I cannot be negledgent when it concerns such 'important' matters'. You should come over today. We can watch [Step bro I'm stuck!] in DVD."

I sighed when I recognized the two familiar voices. These two were regretfully my closest friends. Roman Wesley and Kael Da Costa. Roman was how you would picture an average Caucasian sixteen year old. His head was shaven and he always wore a camera. He claimed to be a part of the photography club but we his friend new that the photographs we would find on his camera could earn him 15-20 years in prison.

The other one was Kale Da Costa. He moved here a few moths ago from Columbus Ohio. He was quite the brainiac. His neatly combed hair and the large pair of glasses that rested on his nose only served to aggravate his scholarly air. Again, we his friends new that should the formulas and calculations in his book ever get to the school authorities, after their incredulity at his resourcefulness. Being able to apply mathematical laws to the curvature of women was no easy feat mind you. They would probably be torn as to whether they should expel him or clap at his genius. 

 My mother got oddly defensive when she saw me around them before. And now I knew why. Sadly they were my only friends. The only ones who didn't seem to care about my appearance or my heavy African accent for that matter. I cringed internally as the contents of their earlier conversation dawned on me.

Don't get me wrong. I am a teenage boy, and as such I experience all the feelings that come with my age. But I was no pervert.

I strutted towards the southern gate. "Hey wait up." The two of them called as they quickened their pace to reach me. We soon reached the senior block. Receiving several expressions of revulsion en route. Something that had become as routine as breathing for me. But as we made it to the stairs a celestially beautiful figure flitted past us gracefully.

The elegance she exuded made her fairy like figure ever more surreal. Her face looked western yet it's intrinsic delicacy surpassed human standards. I was vaguely aware of the two perverts breathing heavily beside me as her crystalline purple eyes held my gaze. Eyes that were incomparably dark and beautiful. Now all they conveyed were a slight interest and frustration at some sort of unmet expectation.

Her glossy jet black hair was tied in an elegant ponytail. Her skin was snow white and flawless. Her visage held me for far longer than I would like to admit.

Unfortunately, the next second her expression warped into a furious, jarring one. Despite the school setting, in that split second I sensed a vivid threat to my life.

Then it was over. Her killing intent vanished as if it was never there. 

When I came to myself, she was already a few paces behind me. I glanced at the two idiots flanking me tacitly, curious as to whether they had born witness to the strange occurrence that transpired.

The expressions of infatuation on their faces answered my question before they could.

"Jesus Christ, that face. That bod, if only I could…" Roman said with the same dazed expression.

"I'm not sure Jesus would appreciate you invoking his name before such utterances" Kale replied snarkily.

"Yo Adam, you okay?" Roman asked.

He was always the more perceptive one. I shook my head and then replied with a smile "Just a slight vertigo. I'm ayt."

Kael looked deeply at me before saying with a concerned expression.

"Hmm I've seen this before." Kael begun "It plagues monks and nuns all the time. The build up of estrogen and testosterone can interfere with the reabsorption in the proximal convoluted tubes of the kidney. We must help you release it at once. Join us today. We have countless DVD's to remedy this situation".

I'll admit, he had me for a second. I shook my head with a sigh and begun on the stairs, anxious to reach my class and escape these two.

The rest of day was as fleeting as a breeze. Somehow my morning was the longest part of my day.

Before I knew it, the previously brilliant golden sun had darkened into a serene scarlet as its light wilted and it sunk over the horizon. Night descended quietly. There was something dangerous about the darkness I trekked through. A feeling I had never felt before. [Danger!] The obsidian sky seemed to scream.

Ghastly shadows filtered through the moonlight, enunciating a foreboding aura carried by the dark clouds.

" How was your day?" My mother asked brightly. Her expectant eyes appraising me. I was shocked again at how the boring details of my life always seemed to genuinely interest her.

Despite all of the prejudice and revulsion I faced I would always be content. No one had a better mother than mine. I then proceeded to go through all the boring calculus lessons, every uncomprehending and unwelcoming stare I had received, and every stupid thing Roman and Kale said.

"hmph those perverts. If they weren't so nice to you I'd….." She paused when she took not of my expression.

'Trying not to laugh' was written all over my face. She just didn't have it in her to sound threatening.

"Which poor girl were they ogling anyway?". She asked.

"She was an upper sixer, in their defence she was actually quite pretty." I replied with a bit of a blush on my face.

"Oh this is the first time I've actually heard you praise a girl, what is the name of my future daughter in law?" She smilingly asked with a teasing voice.

As a mother how could she not understand the meaning in my bashful expression. " Theia Gradyl." I announced shyly. 

"Gradyl!?". She repeated in a strange mixture trepidation and resignation. The gravity of the emotions I felt from her astounded me. When she calmed down, she had already passed me a set of clean clothes. My favourite close fitting burgundy v-neck as well as a pair of black ripped jeans and leather boots. She was suddenly dressed in outdoorsy clothes to. Army patterned cargo pants and a fog shirt.

A dark grey leather jacket was tightly wound around her. "Do you still have the necklace?" She inquired breathlessly. My palms instinctively closed around the metallic thread that graced my neck. Three silver canines ornamented it.

 It was the present my mother had given me on my 7th birthday. [ "Its proof that you're my son. No matter where you are, what you've done, or what you become. It is proof that before all else you will always be the son of Rebecca Bree Cane"] I still remembered the warmth of her voice as she assured me. I had never taken it of since then.

Even as a seven-year-old I had that much sense. To treasure what was important. " Mom what is going on?" I asked worriedly, closing the passenger hood beside me.

"No, no, no, how did the obsidian ones find us. Dark shuras tooth and claw." She mumbled with a fearful expression, impervious to my questions. "St. Reece's spindle, it's the only way." She muttered

Driving through the night, the menacing aura of the all-encompassing darkness bore wholes through my soul.

For a moment I lost myself to it. Giving way to a convoluted trance. When I shook myself free. A strange feeling lingered in my mind.

A jarring voice spoke [she will not survive]. My mother continued with her incoherent mumbling as I saw the car take an unfamiliar path through a strange forest. "Mom!!!. 

Where are we going?" I asked. Completely afraid now.

She seemed to have sensed that. Her mumbling came to a stop and her right arm cupped my left cheek. The tear stains on her face burned two equally long scars into my soul. " Adam, my son, you have to-"

She never finished her sentence. The air hummed with power, and our car exploded. My nostrils inflated with a sulphureous smell. And my ears bled from massive shockwaves. For a moment I felt completely weightless, then I was sailing into wet patches of grass. I rolled without end until a sizable igneous rock nudged me into place.

I moved groggily as my senses returned. 'I was….fine!?' 

Besides the miniscule burns and bruises that now decorated my skin I was completely fine. Even my hair was entirely unsinged.

"Get up. He is almost upon us." A pair of concerned arms helped me to my feet as a familiar voice phased through my eardrums. 

 I belatedly recognized the figure that helplessly dragged me over to a 50 meter tall statue. 'St. Reece's spindle?' I wondered. A landmark that had existed even before the Anglo-American era. Its was more than a mile away and there was no way my mum should have been able to make it there in her exhausted state, let alone whiles dragging another person.

Miraculously though, I could see the stone spindle nearing with every powerful step the woman next to me took.

I didn't know what was going on. Nor why reaching a statue was suddenly a matter of life and death however when I felt a ghoulish cold tickle the nape of my neck, and a reapers whisper permeate the surroundings.

I sensed that death had never been closer.

Mum seemingly sensed as I did as she turned a full one-eighty degrees.

The darkness veiled a peculiar figure. Seemingly, a large man holding an umbrella. A soft sigh of resignation escaped the lips of the my mother as she turned to me with a grave expression. "Adam, memorize what I'm about to tell you.

'Blurring through the surreal. Transient beyond the orthodox. Existence within the meta physical. 

Infinity bars origin. In its denial it flows endlessly. No beginning must mean no end. For a thousand cycles must come back to one.' Now listen carefully. 

Run my son, run as fast as you can. When you reach the needle place your hands on the pedestal and whisper the words. 'Ewa epsol memphfa'ar Theo'"

"Mum!" The tone she was using scared me. "No matter what you hear!!. Do not turn back" She had left my side now, and was making her way towards the veiled giant.

Over the years I had seen several different expressions from her. However, I had never seen one so crippling.

I didn't do like she had commanded…no I wouldn't run. I just wasn't wired that way.

But as the monster got closer, taking large plodding steps my conviction began to waver. Large burly hands….no pincers. Vicious green Crustacean pincers from the elbows. But it had a human torso. From the waist down a large arachnid abdomen as well as eight insectoid legs took dominance.

Another pair of pincers erupted from the edges of its thick lips. Ruining the human features of its face. The entirety of its eyes were coal black and they flashed with an intelligent but demonic glint. 

Bristling spines erupted from its head all the way down its shoulders to its waist. As if its creator wished to justify its horrendous appearance with one beautiful feature, a long curved horn a quarter meter long rose out of its forehead and jutted forward proudly.

It glittered proudly in the moonlight due to its crystalline appearance. Occasional flashes of light gracing its entire length. My emotions had balanced on the fence of incredulity for a while before leaping into the domain of malignant terror. I turned to my mom for solace only to realize that the despondency I had sensed from her earlier had vanished.

Her expression was calculating, fearless. " Adam." She said as she made her way towards the monster. "Life is only meaningful because it ends. You've stayed with me thus far. I'm already incomparably grateful. But you cannot die with me. If you really have seen me as a mother all of these years, if I bore any weight in your heart, then promise me. Promise me that you will always survive no matter what."

Her voice brooked no smidgen of compromise. Her warm brown eyes were had never been so indomitable. " I promise." I answered. "But I will not leave you".

My expression was as firm as hers had been. However this time, a brilliant smile painted itself onto her lips. The monster was now a few yards away.

The smile on her face vanished, and immediately the surroundings dimmed as if the world new this was the last time it would be graced with the smile of Rebecca Cane. 

 "You have to do as I asked you before. If you are able to summon the gate than I will join you. Otherwise our death is certain." She said, still smiling as the monster barreled into us.