Protectors: Prospero's New Dawn Breaks

Chapter 1: Prospero in Danger

PLEASE DON’T CLOSE THIS BOOK UNLESS YOU’RE FAIRLY HEARTLESS!

Now that I’ve gotten your attention [Aden says that most passer bys will ignore/run away at the first signs of trouble— people rather not get involved] I should tell you my story.

Please DO NOT close this book on us because as it happens, you may be the only one who can help us.

Hi, I am Makena. Most people call me Kennie. I am a not-so-normal fifteen year old girl. Unlike many other fake fantasy/adventure story (for one thing, this is reality), I won’t start with a typical fight scene, nor did I just discover my amazing powers. I’ve always known I was a Protector, and an Air elementalist. [Aden says to introduce what a Protector is. Do you truly not know?]

Long ago, in a far away planet called Solitude, there was a really precious book. This book was said to contain the secrets of immortality, as well as how to conquer the world and kill a thousand people with a single sweep of a blade.

This book, naturally, was sought after by many, both good and evil. The writer’s descendant, who was a powerful elementalist got together a few of the most powerful elementalists in Solitude, and picked those with a pure heart to guard the book with their life. These elementalists were called Protectors.

A few generations before though, Solitude was destroyed and Protectors were sent to all dimensions, planets and universe. A couple of Protectors ended up on Earth, and tried to preserve the bloodline. However, soon enough, everyone became relatives of a big family.

Left without a choice, the Protectors began to look towards strong ordinary mortals to continue the blood, hoping that once the relatedness died out, they could intermarry again. So technically, I am a three-quarter Protector.

Anyway, now that the book is nowhere to be found, a Protector’s duty was to search for the missing book, hopefully before it falls into the wrong hands.

As for the other part, I’ll start how it really started. The last day of school.

[BTW, since you’ve come this far, proves Aden is wrong.]



As any rational fifteen year would tell you, school is only good for three things: friends, showing off the latest gadgets and fashion, and doing things your parents shouldn’t know about. [No Aden, I don’t particularly mean anything by that. I meant generally, like copying someone’s homework and such.]

“Kennie!” a familiar shriek echoed across the bustling hallway, over the busy chatter of the students. It was my BFF Annabelle, followed by her twin brother Aden.

Things to note before you meet them: Annabelle and Aden, like me were Protectors. To be exact, they were half Protectors, their lineage so mixed up of the different bloodlines and human blood. It didn’t matter though, they were both strong elementalists.

Annabelle was an Illusion elementalist, which meant while she couldn’t read the thoughts of others, she could accurately determine the direction of their thoughts. This made her very conscious of the way people saw her, and she was always dressed in the latest fashion. Naturally, she was really pretty, with strawberry-blond locks curling around her heart-shaped face like a delicate elaborate crown. Highlights decorated the tip of her hair in dazzling bright colors. Normally, she was cheery and bright, and she could get away with just about anything with every teacher.

Aden on the other hand is an Earth elementalist, which made him very protective of nature— he’s a vegetarian and often counsels people the recycling business. Other than that, he was very loyal and protective of people he cared about. He normally doesn’t care about what he wears as long as it isn’t leather. [No Aden, I am not going to describe you as breathtakingly hot. Fine! You aren’t that… bad-looking, but you’re soooo not my type.]

Anyway, just in case you get the wrong idea, this school isn’t a special school for Protectors, that would be Prospero. This school was an ordinary school for ordinary mortals, which we joined to blend in. No one else outside our trio knew our secret identities, which was probably meant to be a good thing.

I made my way to my locker, which was right next to Annabelle’s (a good thing) but also right next to Gabriella (a bad thing). Gabriella was the school’s “Beauty Queen” with her fake long eyelashes and make-up.

Annabelle chased after me, dragging her brother along. I opened my locker and grabbed my books as the twins maneuvered through the crowd, coming to a stop behind me.

“Hey what’s up?” I greeted absent-mindedly.

“Ooh, look who the ragged cat dragged in today, its fashion disaster #1 and #2,” a voice that was definitely not Annabelle’s said. A couple of voice giggled as if it was the funniest joke they have ever heard.

I clenched my fists, and tried to breathe through my teeth and turned around to meet the speaker, Gabriella. It was never any good when a Protector lost her/his temper. Bad things happened. Outside the school, the wind howled angrily.

Annabelle’s eyes widened as she noticed the unnatural wind and Aden took a step forward, almost as if to restrain me.

“Gabriella honey,” Annabelle interrupted sweetly. “Didn’t you read the latest fashion magazine? Oh right, you can’t read.”

“Whatever,” Gabriella said, stalking off with her clique, unable to come up with a witty response.

“Kennie, you can’t let her get to you,” Aden advised wisely. “She’s just a mean girl dying to get attention. Anyway, we have other problems to worry about.” [No Aden, you are not really wise. You just sounded wise. Now keep quiet and let me tell my story.]

“Earlier we received a note from Prospero Academy. They need us to return,” Annabelle said, lowering her voice, although over the noise, nobody could have heard her. “Whatever happened there, it isn’t good.”

A bell rang shrilly, piercing through the chatter of the students. Like moths to a lamp, students filed out of the hallway quickly, slamming lockers shut, not wanting to be late for their first class.

“When?” I asked, starting to move in the direction of my first class, history. My history teacher, Mr. Stewart was a grouch— a minute late and voila! Here’s your detention slip.

Aden reached out a hand to hold on to me while I did my best to shrug it off.

“Now.”



Just in case you’re wondering, it isn’t easy to return to Prospero. Even with a trained guide, you would have to be able to ‘prove your worth’ by going through a series of challenges based on your strength and skills (in terms of power). The more skilled you were, the harder the challenge was to be. The first time I had gone to Prospero, I was fairly untrained. Even then, I still had to go through a flaming volcano, build an igloo in an eternally warm sea and capture the one-eyed golden flamingo. It’s a long story.

Anyway, this was to protect Prospero from ordinary mortals. Personally, I thought it was just some kind of sadistic entertainment for those dusty bored old elementalists who hid themselves in the ivory building called Prospero Academy.

I would rather be out frolicking in the beach or painting my nails than returning to Prospero, but I was still all for the idea. Anything was better than sitting through Mr. Stewart’s boring history class.

We got off the rickety old bus, and then walked another tiring two miles to a creek, right next to blazing golden gates.

“Here we are,” I announced, trying not to let weariness color my voice. Two miles was a pretty long way to walk.

“Ready?” Aden said, taking a deep breath as if giving a mental pep talk to himself.

Annabelle nodded, placing her pale hands on the gates, ready to push. “Meet you on the other side.”

And then we pushed against the gate, as the heavy golden doors swung open gently, and bright light blinded our visions, we fell into the deep unknown.

It was a different path for every Protector. Unless you’re trained to guide another Protector to Prospero, you are most likely never able to come across another Protector on your way to Prospero. For me, it just so happened to start with a swamp. Just my luck.

Swamps were like water, except thick and way more muddier. If there was anything that Air elementalists hated, it was water. That and undergrounds. And swamps were way worst than water. [I don’t mean the bathing/drinking water. You know that’s necessary Aden.]

So I stumbled through the untrodden muddy ground, sinking to my calves in mud. ‘Why don’t I just float?’ You might ask, but I couldn’t. Occasionally, I could summon a blanket of wind to form a solid surface beneath me, bringing me a few feet above ground, but the air here was so thick, sweltering, humid and damp, not a single gust of wind could come close.

The mud squelched beneath my shoes as I tried to make progress. I could see the ivory building looming ahead, its faded letters reading ‘Prospero Academy’ proudly, but it seemed to get smaller with every moment that passed, just as the sky got darker.

If I were Aden, I could have grown a couple of trees and gone all Tarzan. If I were a fire elementalist, I would have torched the entire area to harden it into a proper path. If I were a water elementalist, I, like every other water creature, would have been able to control the wet mud. But I wasn’t, and my powers were rendered useless. What good is wind (that couldn’t be formed) against mud? I could try building up a storm, but I doubted that would help.

I took another step forward, feeling the wet mud pushing and forming against my legs, as if dragging me in a downwards spiral. A roar erupted from behind me. Uh-oh. This didn’t sound good. Turning around as slowly as possible, so as not to startle the monster into gobbling me up, and not to sink further into the mud, I took a look at the monster.

It was the size of a skyscraper, its body towering over me, its nose breathing wisps of mist. Its muddy scales glinted in the harsh sunlight and it squinted down at me.

It was a water dragon who had decided upon this swamp to be his home. I cupped my hands instinctively together to form a hurricane, totally forgetting that winds just didn’t approach the area. All that came out of it was a gentle breeze that rustled the dry leaves. So maybe the air wasn’t as ‘wind-less’ as I first thought.

Gathering my strength and claiming the power of the wind for my own, I leapt into the safety of the air and catapulted myself over onto the water dragon in a split second. Just in time too. The water dragon, not nearly as fast stuck a clawed paw out to where I was a second ago.

I reached into a secret compartment of my jeans, where I kept a collapsible dagger in case of emergencies. Yeah, sounds dangerous for a fifteen year girl to carry around knives, but as you may have noticed, I’m not ordinary.

I raised my knife to stab at the water dragon’s eye. You might be thinking ‘Is Kennie a cold-blooded murderer?’ As far as I know, Protectors are as warm-blooded as mortals, our blood may be just slightly different, but it wasn’t cold. Also, I was not a murderer. Killing humans or elementalists was murder but when it came down to a vicious fight between a foe or monster, I’d rather not be killed. I used to be squeamish about even touching a blade and practicing on a dummy, but there was a rule in fighting to the death: Kill or be killed.

I still couldn’t bring myself to kill elementalists though, normally, I’d knock my opponent out the first chance I get, and run away as fast as I can.

Just then, as I brought my knife downwards in a deadly arc, the dragon turned into fine mist and I was falling like a wounded bird. Invisible arms of wind twirled out to grab me, cradling me into its gentle embrace. Saved by the wind.

“What happened?” Annabelle’s voice came from behind me. “I was being chased and then suddenly…”

Underneath, the earth groaned and crack lines crept along the dusty ground like nimble spiders.

“Watch out!” I reached out for Annabelle and vaulted into the air, calling the winds to me.

Below us, the cracks turned into long narrow fissures, spitting a single figure into the air.

“Aden!” his twin exclaimed and we coasted swiftly towards him, catching him before he could turn into a grease spot on the dusty earth beneath. I settled us on a relatively safe spot on the ground as the earth slowly healed its gaping hole.

“What just happened?” Aden said, his expression on his face the definition of comically stunned.

“That’s what we are all wondering,” I muttered under my breath, trying not to sound spiteful. It was late in the afternoon. Unknowingly, we had spent a good half of the day ditching school and making our way here. We were all worn out and hungry; controlling the natural elements can take a lot out of you.

I turned around, spotting the academy building. “There!” But something was very wrong.

The ivory tower still stood its ground, its painted golden gates (I know, elementalists just love golden stuff), slightly rusty, as it usually was, due to its long battle with the long battering rains that hammer at it mercilessly, yet gleaming and polished from all the love and care lavished on it. The towers were as spotless as ever, so clean you could easily pick out every delicate crack that crawled up the walls like vines. Once red in bold letters that displayed the name of the school was still faded, like an old photograph taken thirty years ago. Nothing seemed to have changed, so why did it feel so different? So wrong?

A sense of foreboding hung ominously in the air, a gut warning to all those with sharpened senses. Beside me Aden and Annabelle tensed similarly, as if they too had noticed something was amiss.

“Should we—?” I began.

“Sure,” Annabelle replied as Aden nodded. Growing up together had its benefits. They know knew me so well there was no need for words to communicate.

We crept up to the building together, each using our elements to mask the sound of our footsteps. I hovered a few inches in the air; Annabelle had turned her feet into a swirly black mist, all an illusion of course; Aden… Aden just walked as per normal. The earth was his element, and journeying on land was his forte. The earth softened as his placed his foot against its surface, and hardened again when he lifted it up to move forward.

The heavy ornate door was right in front of us now. We’d walked through this door a million times, it was the gateway to our safest haven for years, and every time we’d seen it as we approached from the outside, it meant we were about to be relieved from whatever monster that was swiftly closing in.

Yet today, it felt like we were supposed to run away from this door. A strong wind passed through (one that wasn’t mine) and the door creaked in response, as though warning us to turn around and flee. There was something sinister lurking deep in the belly of the academy building, behind this very door that protects us.

It scared me to realize how certain I was. The number one rule in How to Survive Being a Protector is to always, always, trust your instincts no matter how weak it feels.

“What’s in the building isn’t good,” Aden said, as if we needed a warning.

“No kidding,” his twin chimed in.

Both of them turned to look at me, ostensibly waiting for me to make the final decision. I figured that the real deal was that they needed someone to blame in case whatever happens soon turns out to be trouble and they could say I told you so.

[Oh you’re here Annabelle. Now you try to explain. You were just looking towards me for the final decision because I was the most powerful one there? Flattery won’t work on me, Annabelle…]

“We’re protectors, we can’t just…” I said uncertainly. Trust your instincts .The words echoed in my mind. And my instincts were clear, they were just screaming one word: run, run, RUN!

“She’s right,” Aden said, which was different (to say the least.) He normally reserved his judgment till he could be certain which the winning side was (and which side got to say I told you so). “We’re three powerful elementalists. We can handle this.”

“I hope you’re right,” Annabelle said and took a step closer to her brother. “Stay close, guys. We’re stronger together.”

I stretched out a pinky, controlling the wind had become almost as easy as moving a limb. The wind edged the door open and we entered as silently as we could manage.

Inside, the stone courts and walls were silent, empty of the training elementalists. Of course. They’d still be in their mortal schools, trying to inconspicuously fit into the image of regular school students.

I pointed a finger skywards and mouthed the word ‘Up’. Together we tiptoed across the carpeted floors and onto the padded stairs, watching each other’s backs. We arrived at the main hall, where we held important events such as dances and exhibitions. It was a beautiful place. Chandeliers, velvet carpets plus cushions spread artistically about the room, angled this way and that to catch the sunlight streaming through magnificent colored glass windows.

“Nothing here,” Annabelle said, almost disappointedly. We began to move off when a sound froze me in place. It was soft, but the wind carried it to my ears. It was a sweet tinkling sound, like the sweetest bells with harps made of corals and gold, and a lute of strings woven in love. It was beautiful and strangely familiar. The more I listened, the more enchanting it got and the more certain I was that the music was the song of my life. This song… I was drawn towards it. I wanted to find the source of the music.

“Kennie? Kennie! Makena!” voices interrupted the lovely music. I turned towards the speakers, irritated. How dare they interrupt the song? They were two people, a girl and a boy, someone… I used to know? Were they calling… me? Is Makena my name?

I wanted to turn back and listen to the music but they were persistent, repeatedly saying the rapidly unfamiliar name. I raised my hand, annoyed that two teenagers could keep me from listening to my song. A wind swirled, more powerful than I’ve ever created, ready to burst out at my command. Lightning sparked in its whirlwind, ready to kill.

The girl’s eyes widened. I recognize… that look? No I don’t, what am I talking about. I don’t even know them.

“Kennie fight it! I’m your friend, your BFF since kindergarten. Kennie, you have to remember!” the girl said desperately as the miniature storm moved towards them.

BF…F? What does that mean? Best… something or some other. The music tugged at me, inviting me to return to its embrace, to ignore this strange word the girl had said. But this word was as mesmerizing. Is it a sort of code word? Is it a warning? I had to figure out what it meant. Best friend..? The music beckoned me insistently, this time its sweet sound almost grating to the ear. Best friend… best friend what? I was frustrated, my mind turning over the word again and again like an unsolved puzzle. What is the last word?

I glanced into the hall, my concentration momentarily broken as the music got louder and more insistent. Encouraging phrases had been pressed into the walls. ‘Destiny is created temporarily, nothing is forever.’ Forever. That word… that’s it! BFF means best friend forever! Immediately whatever spell on me was shattered. I was Makena, and that boy over there who was staring at me in horror was Aden. The girl beside there was —

“Annabelle!” It was my turn to swallow a scream. The whirlwind was inches away from them, too far for, and had too much chaotic energy for me to control. Nevertheless I tried, and it might have slowed down a tiny bit. Just long enough for Annabelle to tackle her brother sidewards and push him to the ground. She stood alone, facing the whirlwind, ready to absorb the full brunt of the impact, and who knows how many volts there were in my lightning.

A second later, she slumped lifelessly into her brother’s arms, her entire body wracking with shudders like a major earthquake. If Aden hadn’t been an Earth elementalist, I was pretty sure he would have gotten an electric shock too. [Ever heard of grounding/earthing an electric current Aden? That’s right and your element is..?]

I rushed over, my heart pounding with fear and regret. What have I done? I thought as I replayed the scene in my head. How could I have attacked my friends?

“Annabelle,” his twin whispered, cradling her limp body, shocked tears springing into his bright blue eyes, collecting and running down his cheeks unashamedly. “Hang on, I’m gonna save you. I promise.” He placed his hands over her cold body; she was barely breathing. (Earth elementalists are also healers.)

“Is there anything I can do?” I asked helplessly as I knelt down beside the twins. It’s my fault that Annabelle is… is… No she can’t die! She mustn’t!

“You’ve done enough,” he snapped at me, anger and fear woven into his features.

Guilt rose steadily in my heart. Annabelle…. His expression softened as he saw my guilt-stricken face. “I’m sorry, it’s… it’s not your fault. We should have gotten out of the way sooner. I should have known better? Why hadn’t I noticed anything? I should have…”

There were a millions things we could have done instead. We could have decided not to enter Prospero. We could have decided not to return. We could have decided not to go to school today. We could have… we could have not gotten to know each other.

I looked over at Aden; he had his eyes closed, his lips moving, seemingly in fervent prayer. But I knew what he was really doing. He was healing her.

I don’t know how long we stayed there like this: me kneeling next to them, Annabelle in Aden’s lap, Aden muttering something, eyes closed in concentration, the wind becoming an invisible shield concealing us. His hands glowed with power, transferring energy from healer to patient. My legs were becoming numb, and the wind was abating. Like the charging of a drained battery, color slowly flitted back into Annabelle’s cheeks. Her skin grew warmer to touch, her eyes fluttered, and her pulse grew steady.

“Annabelle? Wake up, please, I can do no more,” Aden said pleadingly. His cheeks were pale, almost grey, having spent all his power it was beginning to suck at his life source.

“Aden you have to stop,” I murmured worriedly. I remembered one of our lessons at Prospero. There was a Protector, who once completed training in the academy, decided that he was powerful enough to become a god. He used his powers, showing off to a great extent. At meals, his element served him. While journeying somewhere, he used his element to speed him up. He was powerful of course, and had a greater reserve of magic. But using elements extensively and intensively can be tiring. And then it saps at your life source. And then you die.

Aden was a half Protector, and we hadn’t completed our training yet. If he spent anymore of his power, he would die. But if he didn’t save Annabelle…

Annabelle’s eyes snapped open. “Aden,” she said, her breath hitching.

Tears shot into Aden’s eyes again, and this time, mine too. But they weren’t tears of shock this time, they were tears of relief and joy. Ever watched/ been on talent shows like X Factor where the judges all decided to give you a Yes? (It doesn’t have to be a talent show, it can be a simple competition, or performance when everyone cheers for you.) Now multiply the feeling by hundred. And you’d know how I felt.

“Annabelle, I’m so sorry,” I said, not daring to come any closer. What if I accidentally hurt her again?

“I can’t see… you, Makena. Come closer,” she said, trying to smile. I obeyed gingerly. “It’s not your fault.”

“Why did you do it?” Aden questioned his twin. “Why didn’t you just get out of the way yourself?”

“Because this is how it’s meant to be… I needed to travel to the Underworld, and I needed… a healer to bring me back,” she said, closing her eyes tiredly.

Destiny is created temporarily. How ironic.

“What do you mean?” Aden said, as confused as I was.

“I met the old Professor. He told me… Prospero is in danger— dying. We must… rebuild it.”





*Note, I wrote this on Microsoft word, complete with italics, but over here, they take out my italics when I copied it in, so if there are a couple of parts which would sound better with italics, please don't mind it too much. Thanks! Read and review please! :)