Page 34 of Nexus
“You don’t enjoy reading, so I didn’t bother to tell you about them.”
“Them?” I repeated. “How many journals did she write?”
“All of our ancestors wrote about their lives, Saige. So do I. You should, too. I told you to keep a record once Lord Gilden offered you a job as a bounty hunter.”
I made a face at the thought of writing down every detail of my life. “It’s not my fault I can’t concentrate on books long enough to finish them,” I whined. “They’re always so boring.”
“You never even gave reading a chance,” mom reminded me.
“You shouldn’t have gotten me hooked on videogames,” I said to deflect her from my faults. “Why would I want to spend all day reading, when I can kill zombies instead?”
“Good point,” she conceded in capitulation. “Still, I think you should read the journal that predicted your birth. You might learn something that could help you save our world from annihilation.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
“DO YOU REALLY THINK an apocalypse is coming?” I asked skeptically, still torn about the idea that my dream might have been real.
“If it is, there will be signs,” mom figured.
“You mean omens?” I said with a smirk.
“Omens and portents are real, Saige,” she said in a prissy tone. “Finish your food while I get the journal.”
“I can get it,” I said, waving at her to stay seated so she could power her way through the rest of her sandwiches. “Tell me where it is and I’ll grab it now.”
“It’s under my bed. You’ll find it in the third box in the second row. It has a tattered red leather cover.”
Nodding, I gulped down the dregs of my coffee and stuffed a sandwich into my mouth, then headed for her bedroom. The room was neat and tidy, just like the rest of her house.
Dropping to my knees, I saw a bunch of cardboard boxes stashed underneath the bed. I grabbed the third one on the left and dragged it out, then had to lie down on my stomach to reach for the box behind it. Dust motes burst around me in a frenzy when I opened the box. It was full of leatherbound books that looked ancient. Finding one with a red cover, I opened it to see it was written in a foreign language.
“Great,” I muttered. “How the hell am I supposed to read this?”
“You’ll find an English translation in the box behind the one that had the original journal in it!” mom shouted. “It has a dark blue cover!” Her hearing wasn’t as good as Ruen’s, but it was good enough for her to have heard me.
Putting the red diary on the floor, I slithered beneath the bed to grab the next box. It was filled with translations of the original journals my ancestors had written. Finding the correct one, I pushed the boxes back beneath her bed, then carried the two journals to the kitchen. “Who translated them?” I asked.
“My grandmother,” she replied. “It took her several years to make copies. She knew future generations probably wouldn’t be bilingual like she is.”
“That was smart,” I conceded, intrigued despite my usual aversion to reading. “Why did you want me to take the original journal instead of just the translation?”
“You’ll see once you look through it,” she said mysteriously. “That can wait for now,” she added. “We still have a horde of zombies to slaughter.”
“I’ll toss my laundry into the dryer and meet you in the living room,” I replied with a grin. Leaving her to clean off the table, I veered into the living room to stash the books in my kill-bag. Then I headed down to the basement to take care of my clothing. By the time I returned to the living room, mom was waiting in her recliner. We resumed our game, but our mood had become somber.
Mom had a warning for me when we finally ended our game for the day and she escorted me to the door. “Be careful who you discuss your dream with,” she said. “Only tell people you trust about it. If there really is an evil force that works for Chaos or whatever, they might have spies looking for you.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, uneasy at that thought.
“Fate and Crowmon appeared in your dream to warn you about your destiny. Maybe the agents of Chaos also received a warning. It’s possible they know a champion has been chosen to face them. If they find out it’s you, they’ll try to kill you before you can stop the apocalypse.”
“Thanks for putting that possibility in my head,” I complained. “But you’re probably right. I’ll be careful who I talk to about this. They’ll most likely think I’m crazy anyway,” I added sullenly. Working my way up to being the best bounty hunter in Nexus came with a price. Felicity was jealous of me and was spiteful whenever I ran into her at the Den. I knew she would be far worse behind my back. Felicity had probably been one of the mean kids at high school who’d made fun of the less popular students.
“Don’t ever let anyone make you think less of yourself, Saige,” mom said in a hard tone. “You’re a strong, beautiful, capable young woman and you can kick their butts with one hand tied behind your back.”
Her fierce support always perked me up, even when I was feeling at my lowest. “Thanks, mom,” I said in gratitude, then shifted my hamper to my hip so I could give her a hug.
We weren’t particularly demonstrative, but we both needed a bit of comfort. She hugged me back, then gave me a light shove to get me moving. It would be dark soon and nighttime was when the monsters came out to play. I could be called on to hunt a rogue creature down at any time and I needed to be ready for it.