Chapter 1- Trash Can Meetings

I know that no one will believe me when I say that I have experienced the most life shaking adventure that anyone could possibly go through.

I found out, that I’m responsible for protecting a whole entire world!

Yeah.

And of course, life couldn’t just hand me the most mind-blowing powers and the knowledge of over two-hundred other freaking worlds besides Earth. Oh no, it had to hand me, him.

He came to my house on Thursday, right as I was about to leave for school.

I walked out of my house, taking out the trash, ‘cause even at six forty-five in the morning, a high school kids work is never done!

School started, at least mine did, around seven twenty, and I am not a morning person by any means.

So as I tiredly pulled the trash cans out onto the curb, yawning widely and walking drunkenly with my eyes closed, I didn’t see the guy walk from the other street over to my driveway and stand in front of me.

That is, until I ran into him and tripped over my own feet, almost falling into the trash can myself and tipping it over. This caused the contents to flow onto the yard like so much water.

“Damn, watch where you’re goin’ man!” I said, my speech as awake and alert as I could say it, though still a bit slurred, my mind not really monitoring what came out of my mouth. Did I mention it was six in the morning?

“I’m sorry, here let me help,” he said, and he picked up one of the many empty cans of soda and other trash now littering the ground.

“No, no, just, uhgh,” I muttered, picking up the stuff and jamming it into the can.

As I straightened, wiping my hands on my jeans, I saw the man still standing in front of me, smiling an odd smile that caught me totally and completely off guard. I wiped my hands once more on the black tank I wore, and the heat of the city drew me to slip my black hoodie from my shoulders and put it around my waist, as I tied my hair in a messy braid and pinned that up quickly and expertly.

“Why are you standing there?” I said, eyes narrowing at him warily.

His smile widened; it made me uncomfortable, it seemed to mock me, as though he knew something I didn’t. I didn’t like that, not at all.

“Okay…whoever you are, tell me why you’re standing on my driveway, at six in the morning, on a school day. If you don’t move my mom’s gonna run over you,” I said, eyes now half closed, feigning boredom.

He took his eyes from me and looked to the ground, dark hair smothering his smile, as he chuckled.

“Krystiana Blair, I presume?” he said, and he used my absolute and complete shock to come closer, as though he was inspecting me.

Silence had claimed me as it seldom did; my brain had begun to work just enough that I registered the rich, creamy tone of his voice. It was arrogant and silky, almost sensual. I looked him up and down to cover for my lack of speech as my brain began to try and repair itself after another massive blow of astonishment.

Clearly young, around twenty per say, he was in good shape, even if he was a bit thinner than most. He had dark brown hair that needed a wash, hanging in his face like a curtain. When he shook his hair out of his face, I held back a gasp. It wasn’t possible to be that pretty. Yes, I said pretty. He was handsome, in a beautiful way. He had a strong, angular face, thin long nose, slim lips and stubble across his chin. You couldn’t mistake him for female, but without the shoulders and stubble, he could pass for one. He was dressed in dark things; a long black jacket, brushing the street, almost navy jeans, loose on his thin frame, and t-shirt, tight enough to show that he was broad shouldered and muscular.

I suddenly felt a heat fill my cheeks as I noticed his eyes on me; he had a gaze which made me feel as though I were being x-rayed with odd, gold eyes. I was rapidly swept with a feeling of self consciousness as he gazed at me, unabashed.

I became very aware that I only had a tank on, which was why I had brought my jacket in the first place, so a strip of white skin was visible between my jeans and shirt, and of course, the shirt was pretty low, as all camisoles nowadays are. I became sentient to the fact that my auburn hair was still in the very badly done braid, even though I had washed yesterday night and it was actually silky for once. I knew my body wasn’t the prettiest in the world, and didn’t care, but the thought heated my cheeks as the man stared at me. My unfeminine broad shoulders, long torso, muscled arms, and flabby stomach, and the extra thirty pounds layered over everything.

“How do you know my name…Mr. Mystery,” I said, haughtily, crossing my arms over my chest, watching his face to see those weird gold eyes turn from my body to my face. I knew my cheeks were crimson and blotchy, I wore no makeup usually, too much hassle, but today I’d forgotten even the cover-up which made my pale skin smooth looking. Now I just looked like a normal teenage girl with pimples on a round, chubby face. I regretted being too tired to put on makeup now. But at least my face was better than my body.

Smirking in that confidant way I hated about many of the guys at my school, he answered in that amazing voice, “I am here to give you your ring and tell you about your job.”

My eyebrows rose to beyond my short bangs, “Come again?”

He smiled, and he sat down on the grass beside the trash cans.

“Sit,” he said, patting the yellowing grass beside him.

I stared, even with that truly entrancing voice, I was still myself, “No.”

“You’ll want to sit for this?”

“Why?”

“Because,” beautiful sigh, “In my past experience, keeling over from shock was a normal reaction.”

I rolled my eyes and glared at him, “Just get on with it, my mom is probably gonna walk out here any minute.” I guess I’m just strange; usually if an odd person, no less a golden eyed, incredibly voiced, scruffy if handsome young man, comes up to you and randomly wishes to tell you something, you run. I was intrigued; forgive me for being curious, the guy knew my name. Besides, I had my knife.

“Oh your mom won’t be a bother,” he said cryptically, shrugging.

“Okay then…” I said slowly, brow furrowing, “First, why are you-?”

“Stop,” he said, putting up a hand to stop me from continuing my questions.

“My name is Meru Asima. I am here to tell you, that…well, eh this harder than I thought,” he said, running a hand through his hair.

“Okay…” I said, giving him a look that said he’d better get over it.

“I’ll start, where else, at the beginning,”- I rolled my eyes- “…okay…you have absolutely no idea about any of the other worlds, do you?” he said, and I only stared blankly at him.

“Thought not. Okay, this is Earth, as you know. But,” he paused, and I nodded for him to continue, “…there are two-hundred and twelve other worlds,” he said, and I just stared at him, not really getting what he was saying.

“Are you kidding m…?”

“Just shut up and let me finish!” he said, and I closed my mouth, grimacing, but I sat down; I wanted to hear this and see how crazy he was.

“Each world has uh- a representative, everyone calls them Gypsies,” he said, “and we are just now losing all of the last generation Gyps. Gypsies, or the technical name Peacekeepers, are born with certain abilities, of which don’t expose themselves until chosen by the former Gypsy. The most recent Earth Gypsy…” he paused with a shallow breath, his eyes darkening, but he continued, “Thus, you are now the Earth Gypsy, your job is to protect this world from finding out about the other worlds, since all of the worlds have a somewhat problem sending their trash and whatnot to their neighbors. Monsters and stuff, not to mention there is the Talrik,” he said, as though this was the most reasonable statement possible.

I sat there, staring at the man in front of me, though not really seeing him.

I burst out laughing.

He looked at me oddly, as though wondering what was funny. I fell back onto the grass, holding my stomach. Then, undoing my braid so that I could redo it in a minute, the wind tossing it in my face, I stood.

“Nice try, Mr. Whoever,” I said, beginning to walk back to my garage.

I didn’t even hear him move, but he was just suddenly there, in front of me, towering over me and setting his golden eyes on me like torches bent on turning me into ash.

I set my hands on my hips, trying with all of my strength of will to ignore his physical beauty, and glared at him, “Move, I have my knife with me.”

He smirked, “I know, the previous earth Gypsy, Belle, told me that.”

I glared at him, “Mhm…right, just move will ya? I got to get to school!”

I had my fingers caressing my silver and blue switchblade, etched with the symbol I made for myself; a crescent moon. He was lucky he hadn’t come up to anyone else. I was most likely one of the only people who wouldn’t cart him off to an insanity ward. Since I was about as crazy.

But then something clicked, and I remembered a name, “Belle…Belle Abrams?”

Meru smiled, “Yeah, you know- knew her? You must have…she got to a lot of people.”

“She was my middle school librarian,” I said, my eyes wide and a smile on my face as I remembered the strong old lady who wore bright green contacts and dyed her hair red, even if it was really going white. Of course I knew her, knew her well. Books and stories were our common love. I remembered all the stories she told me. Amazing places she’d come up with, people she’d imagine. What if she hadn’t imagined them at all?

Meru nodded, a smile on his own lips, “Yes…that was her.”

I turned my unfocused gaze back to the man in front of me, and looked him squarely in the eyes, “Are you serious?”

“Why would I lie?” he said in his lovely voice, shrugging, and I quirked my eyebrows and nodded in agreement.

Then I looked at him, my brow furrowed, eyes barred, lips set in a line. I really wanted to believe him. I did. It had been a dream that I’d only shared with one person, coincidentally, or not so, Belle. A dream to be special; be the one person on Earth to know of a different existence, to have special abilities. I really wanted to believe him. I looked at him, my hope in my eyes, on my face, open for reading. I would hurt him if he was just being a boyish ass. I really would. I wasn’t lying about the knife.

He gave me an answering gaze that seemed to know exactly what I was thinking; exactly what feelings were swirling through me. Hope, fright, excitement, fear. Fear not of the fact that it might be true, but it wasn’t. He was surprised; I guess he hadn’t thought it would be that easy to get doubt into me. Well, I was a bookworm who had read most likely every fantasy book written. I’d been waiting for this my whole life. But I couldn’t trust he was right, that he was telling the truth. And I couldn’t act as though I could believe it.

“Krystiana!” yelled my mother from inside the house.

We both jumped and I looked at my watch, to see it on the same minute it had been when I’d come out of the garage.

I looked to Meru, amazed, eyes wide; he winked at me.

“I got friends up in the higher worlds, bookworm,” he intoned sweetly, smiling that mysterious and infuriating smile.

I rolled my eyes, “You’re almost as irritating as my little brother!”

He moved his feet a few inches forward so his face was close to mine.

“See ya bookworm,” he whispered indecently, his breath warming my face, and I knew my iron gaze faltered as he brushed a finger over my lips, and pressed something into my palm, then walked past me, his shoulder brushing mine. I was frozen by none other than pure desire. Never a good thing; I shook it off as soon as I could, convincing myself it had been anything besides what it felt like.

I turned a minute later to see him gone.

I looked in my hand to a silver band with a single, small black stone on the top.

Looking on the inside of the band, I saw a few inscriptions on the smooth silver.

Krystiana Blair Earth NG Silver