Chapter One

November 30, 2001

 

“ When someone you love becomes a memory, that memory becomes a treasure.” -unknown

 

They walked into the new house side by side, Marcus’ arm around Zeake and Nicolle walking beside them, connected at the hip with Shaine. They had two bottles of wine, a couple pizzas, and matching smiles bright enough to last a lifetime. Zeake had never seen Nicolle as happy as she had been that day, with Shaine’s tan hand resting gently on her expanded stomach.

They spent the day with Marcus and Nicolle discussing when the baby shower would occur. Nicolle and Shaine could barely keep their hands off of each other, caught no less than three times in the bathroom together. Zeake was disgusted at the sight of his older sister and her husband making out. Nicolle had blamed it on the pregnancy hormones, but they all knew better. The two male warriors, along with the warlock, carried the furniture in and all around the house until Nicolle told them it was perfect. They spent all day there, all of them completely exhausted from the physical labor. After moving Nicolle and Shaine into their first house together, Marcus and Zeake had gotten a cab back to their own apartment to pass out from the exertion. Back then, their lives had been much more simple and Zeake was still capable of a genuine smile. About 14 years after that day, Zeake got a phone call from his sister’s choked voice asking him for the biggest favor of his life.

 

The sound of a phone ringing hardly managed to get Marcus’ attention away from his beautiful husband. He planted another loving kiss to those familiar lips and tightened his grip in the other’s dark hair, causing a content sigh. Zeake smirked up at the other, gently pushing him away from his position of pinning the warrior to the kitchen counter with his own lithe body. Zeake chuckled softly and pressed a quick kiss to his jaw when he sensed the familiar pawing at his feet. He looked down at their obese pug they had adopted a couple years ago and rolled his eyes. The dog was currently giving Marcus the eyes he always used to get what he wanted, and Marcus couldn’t seem to help but fall for it every time. Whether it was asking Zeake to carry the dog up the stairs or giving him more food than he clearly needed. Marcus spoiled the dog more than anything, but Zeake couldn’t help but love him for it, along with many other things.

“Tater-tot, you do not need more food,” he said to the dog and walked to the living area of the apartment to pick up his Nokia cell phone off of the coffee table. Seeing the picture of his sister on the screen and pressed the green button to accept the call.

“Hello?” the warrior asked with what he hoped sounded like an even tone. Nicolle, Shaine and their two kids, Rylan and Kyle, were supposed to be going out that night to celebrate Rylan’s birthday and Christmas Eve. Rylan was turning fourteen, while Kyle was thirteen.

“Zeake,” came the quiet voice that was undeniably his sister, with a hoarse voice. “I need you.” The broken sounds from the other line was like nails on a chalkboard. Muffled high pitched sobs could be heard as well as quiet voices.

“Nicki, where are you? Are you okay? What happened?” the warrior asked quickly, his voice rising in worry and his posture growing tense. He had never heard his sister sound like this. She sounded weak and vulnerable, and Zeake was sure he heard sniffling come from the other line.

“We are on Fifth Avenue,” he heard her attempting to remain calm in what was obviously a heartbreaking scene. He felt a lump in his throat. “We need you now. Zeake, the kids, they- Shaine! Baby, wake up, please! Shaine, no! Just hurry.” Upon hearing this, Zeake heard a low, concerned voice from behind him. He turned to see the tall, handsome warlock leaning against the doorway with a serious look on his face.

“Love, is everything alright?” his husband asked. Zeake turned to face him and nodded. He tried his best to hide his panic, but knew Marcus could always read him better than that.

“I will be there as soon as I can, Nicki.” He silently prayed to every entity that his family was going to be okay. They had to be. He ran to peck his lover on the cheek quickly before giving what he hoped seemed like an apologetic look, rather than a concerned one. “Rogue Experiment attack. I have to go. I will be back in time to finish celebrating, though.”

“It’s snowing, so be extra careful. I love you.” Marcus smiled softly and helped Zeake put his coat on so he wouldn’t freeze in the cold winter night. He opened the door to see snow falling to the ground, covering it in white, like an angels’ tears were freezing in midair and falling from above.

“I love you, too,” the warrior said back quickly, attaching his conveniently placed weapons belt and running out the door. Little did he know the web of lies this first lie would lead to. Zeake knew exactly where he was going: the direction of Central Park. He ran and ran, and even when he was out of breath, he kept running faster, harder, hoping with every fiber in his body that he’d find his sister’s family in good health.

Arriving on Fifth Avenue, Zeake almost stopped from the sudden shock of the stench of something sour- gasoline. He inhaled and ran faster, looking around to see if he could pinpoint where they were. He forced his legs to keep running in the direction that he heard sound coming from. He looked in front of him far enough to see a disaster area. A completely crushed car smashed into a giant tree with now broken limbs. There was thick smoke escaping the top of the car in gray swirls into the white-flaked sky, mixing with the snow. Zeake’s eyes widened in horror at the sight. Of course he’d seen worse. He was a warrior. They all had. But this, seeing it like this, was worse. He denied that it was his family in the car when he heard muffled sounds come from within. He ran to the right side of the vehicle and immediately saw a familiar face in the passenger seat window, like a pale ghost through the glass. He opened the door carefully, though it took more effort because the door was banged up. He ripped it off and saw the horror scene that would haunt his dreams forever.

“Nicki! F**k,” he said loudly, taking in the crash all at once. Nicolle was covered in blood in the passenger seat, beside her was Shaine, who was unresponsive. When he looked into the backseat of the car, Zeake saw poor Kyle was unconscious- at least he hoped to God he was - and Rylan sitting against the seat with dark blood splatters on her once white dress and wide eyes, wailing loudly with tears streaming down her petite face. “Is he-” he started to ask her, but she interrupted him with a wet whisper.

“He is-” Nicolle started.

“Daddy!” Rylan screamed at the man in the driver’s seat. “Daddy, please! Wake up!” Zeake swallowed hard as he saw the raw heartbreak flash on his sister’s face.

“Nicki, are you hurt? Rylan, sweetie, you have to get out of the car.” Rylan shook her head and kept crying for her dad to wake up, to please open his eyes.

“He is dead,” Nicolle whimpered with a wet cough, red liquid dribbling down her pale chin. “Shaine, he is-” She coughed again and more blood appeared, but she seemed unable to wipe it away. “The kids are okay, but Shaine is-” She seemed to release a broken sort of heart wrenching sob, but it only came out as another cough.

“S**t s**t s**t. Nicki, listen, are you okay? Are you hurt? I need to get you guys to a hospital. Better yet, I can call Marcus and-” he couldn’t stop the cascade of words and looked from Shaine to Nicolle to Rylan and Kyle. “Rylan, hon-”

“Daddy! Why is daddy not waking up?” The girl yelled, tears still streaming down her face.

“No. They cannot know, Zeake. Promise me you will not let anyone find out that-” Nicolle took in a shuddering breath, “that Kyle is not mine. No one can know, Zeake. Promise me. Please.” Her eyes fluttered and her breathing seemed slower. Zeake looked back at the kids, who were covered in splatters of blood, with unshed tears and nodded vigorously at his sister.

“I promise, Nic-” he said. She smiled sadly.

“Take care of them, Zeake. I love you so much. I love you all so much. Rylan, honey-” she coughed and took a minute to finish, “I love you so much, Rylan, my baby.” Rylan sobbed harder as she didn’t know what to say.

“Mom- I love you, too. Just let Uncle Zeake help you! Mommy, please!” she said. The tears finally fell from Nicolle’s darkened blue eyes.

“I am so sorry,” she mumbled as her eyes fluttered close for the last time and her breathing stilled.

“Mommy! No!” Rylan screamed at her mother.

“No no no, Nicki! Nicolle, damn it, wake up! Nicki, please just-” he muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. Looking at Rylan and Kyle, he wiped his eyes viciously and pressed a gentle kiss to his sister’s forehead. “You will be remembered, Nicolle Kennedy, beloved wife, mother, and sister. I love you, Nicki,” he said hoarsely.  He looked at Shaine and Nicolle one last time with silent thoughts whirling around his head. When he turned his attention back to the kids, Kyle was still unconscious and Rylan looked at him with angry, teary eyes.

“Why did you save not her? You could have saved mommy! You killed her!” She hissed at him. Zeake opened his mouth to reply, but he couldn’t find it in him to argue with the innocent child. He walked to her door and tore it off the hinges, letting her out. She sat there and shook her head violently.

“Sweetie, please. You have to get out.” He pleaded with her.

“No no no! I do not want to go with you!” she cried quickly.

“Rylan, the car is burning. I need to get you and your brother out. Come on. Please. Let me help you,” he pleaded with her. People were starting to surround the crash, he had to hurry. She gave him a look and finally let him help her out of the vehicle. He lightly set her feet on the ground, leaving his arm around her. Looking down at the girl, he asked, “Can you walk?”

As soon as she nodded in silent reply, Zeake ran to the other side of the car and tore the other door off, throwing it aside. He took off his coat and wrapped it around the boy carefully. He gently put his arms around the boy to pick him up.

“Kyle? Kyle, can you hear me?” he asked once he had the small boy in his arms. Sighing in worry, he looked down and noticed he had a small amount of blood coming from his head. He bit his lip and vowed silently to protect these kids forever. He looked at Rylan and saw how vulnerable she was.

“Hey, Rylan.” He started, the girl looked up to him. “We are going somewhere to get help, okay? I am going to take care of you guys no matter what.” Zeake held an unconscious Kyle in one hand and the hand of Rylan with the other.

“Can you please turn your coat inside out quickly, honey? Do you trust me?” The girl didn’t respond, only did as he asked quietly. He pulled out his cell phone from his pants pocket and dialled a familiar phone number. He decided to call the only person he could imagine going to with this situation. He took a deep breath and pressed the green call button.

“Hey, Rylan.” He started, the girl looked up to him. “We are going somewhere to get help, okay? I am going to take care of you guys no matter what.” Zeake held an unconscious Kyle in one hand and the hand of Rylan with the other.

 

Looking over at the man on the other side of the bed with mixed emotions, Winnie heard her phone continue to ring. She supposed that she should probably answer it. Sighing slightly, Winnie sat up on the bed and pulled the covers around her body.

“What can I do for you?” She picked up the phone and demanded, The man stared at her with emotions in his eyes that she couldn’t seem to read properly as she waited for an answer on the other line.

“It is Zeake. It is-  uh, it is important. I need your help.” Winnie’s eyes widened in worry.

“Is it Marcus? Is he okay? What’s going-” she said.

“No. It is not Marcus. Marcus is fine.” After a moment of pause, he continued, “Can you do a memory spell? It’s a long story, but I think it’s for the best. I will pay you, I jus-” Hearing the desperation in the man’s voice, she obliged.

“Yes, I will help you, but I won’t require payment. Are you on your way to my apartment?”

“We are about to get a taxi,” he said.

“Alright. I need to retrieve the proper spell book for a spell so intricate,” she said, planning for what was to come. Whatever this was, it was bad. If Marcus’ husband was calling her at this time sounding desperate as she’d never even imagined him sounding, she would do everything she could to help. If anything, she owed Marcus that.

“Thank you so much, Winnie,” he said.

“Anything for a friend.” Once she hung up, the warlock stood up quickly and started her search for her clothes. She found her underwear under one of the pillows that had somehow been thrown from the bed. “Daniel, I need a favor.”

“You always need a favor. What is it this time?” he teased, smirking gently. Her mouth twitched into a small smile and she turned to him, putting on her pants.

“I need that book,” she said.

“You mean the memory book?” He gave her a look of concern mixed with confusion. He knew their time was about up, as it always seemed to be, and he would never admit it, but he would miss this. They had broken up almost a hundred years ago, but had spent that long fighting and hooking up and had even gotten back together a few times, only to break up again. It had led to Winnie hating herself for not having the self control to stop wanting Daniel so much. She wanted only for them to be able to be together for real, for him not to constantly break her heart, for him not to be what he had never had a choice in, but she blamed him anyway. At least, she tried desperately to blame him, but found she was blaming it on herself. She pulled on her shirt and nodded, starting to put on her socks and shoes.

“That’s the one,” she said.

“You know how dangerous the spell is, right, what can happen?” He had seen many warlocks break from the pressure of this spell in his 532 years. This spellbook was known to have memory spells and other dangerous spells most power warlocks wouldn’t even consider to attempt. Most warlocks who tried these spells broke from the inside and become corrupt. The experiment had been witness to many losing their sanity and themselves. Those were the powerful warlocks. The less powerful warlocks who tried these spells could die instantaneously. That wasn’t to say Winnie was weak at all. In fact, Daniel knew personally just how powerful she was, in more ways than one. He shifted his gaze down, before feeling a gentle hand on his chin, making him look into her azure blue eyes. She had finished getting dressed and was sitting in front of his lap so they were touching.

“I know what I’m doing, Danny,” she said quietly, pressing a light kiss to his lips before pulling back. She smirked and hummed, “Don’t you have any faith in me?” He smiled softly and pressed his lips to hers one last time.

“I have faith in no one else. I assume it’s urgent?” He asked against her lips, feeling their breaths mixing.

“Unfortunately,” she murmured and pulled back, trying to sustain some sense of self control. She wiped at her mouth and stood up, straightening her clothes. Daniel stood up after her and managed to find his clothes around the room. He pulled them on swiftly with grace.

“Let’s go then.” She nodded, put on a quick cloaking spell, and followed him out the door, on their way to the bookstore.

 

Walking into the bookstore brought back so many memories, but Winnie did not have time for that. She shook her head and followed her lover through to the backroom. When they got there, Daniel opened the secret chamber with his secret code that absolutely no one knew, not even Winnie. He went in, picking out the correct book and walking back to hold it out to the warlock.

“This is what you want?” She nodded and he handed it her carefully. “Be careful, Winnie.” She smiled softly; it always warmed her heart when he made his worry known. Moving on instinct, she took a step forward and wrapped her arms around him, being careful with the book.

“I will, Daniel. Thank you,” she said. He wrapped his own arms around her and ran a hand through her silky hair.

“Go save the world,” he said. Chuckling, she pulled away and took a step back. She steadied the ancient book in her arms.

“Bye, Danny.” Then, she walked out of the bookstore. This was one of the few times their hookups hadn’t left her feeling totally broken. She knew Daniel cared about her, but their relationship wasn’t going to work. Their not being together wasn’t seeming to work, either. Winnie thought maybe they were meant to be in this strange limbo forever.

 

“Hey, Rylan.” He started, the girl looked up to him. “We are going somewhere to get help, okay? I am going to take care of you guys no matter what.” Zeake held an unconscious Kyle with one hand and the hand of Rylan with the other.

“Can you please turn your coat inside out quickly, honey? Do you trust me?” Many questions flowed out of Zeake’s mouth. He was panicked just as much, or possibly more than, the kids themselves. Rylan didn’t respond, only did as he asked quietly and followed him as he walked towards the only place he could trust with his niece and nephew right now. Zeake called for a cab and huddled the children into the dark car. Zeake nodded and took his wallet out of the pocket of his coat that was currently around Kyle. He pulled out an assorted spread of bills and handed them to the man. “Thank you.”

“That’s too much, sir,” the driver said.

“Keep the change.” Zeake delicately got out of the vehicle and repositioned the teenager in his arms. When Rylan was out of the car safely and following silently behind them, the warrior walked a few buildings down the row of typical apartments. He could hear the waves crashing against the shore in the background. He walked into the building and past the doorman. He headed to the elevator and clicked the number two. The doors slid shut with a ding and the elevator began to rise to the second floor. As soon as the doors opened, he walked down the illuminated hall until he found the apartment labeled “Bronwyn”. Before knocking on the door, Zeake looked down to Rylan.

“Are you okay? Can still walk okay?” She nodded and he inspected her to see if she had any wounds of her own. He thought, if anything, she had some minor scrapes from the broken shards of glass shattering from the windows. Kyle seemed about the same, but considering his unconscious state, Zeake was getting worried. He was still breathing, but that didn’t stop Zeake’s concern. He noticed Rylan looking up at her younger brother with a fierce protective look that overcame her empty expression. He recognized it because he felt the same protectiveness when it came to his sister. His sister. Nicolle. Nicki. Nicki, who was- He shook his head, needing to stay in the moment, to protect these kids, not moping about things that he couldn’t change anymore.

“It is going to be okay. We just have to go in here to get help, alright? We are going to get your brother healed,” he said, trying to be reassuring. She nodded and Zeake knocked on the door. The warrior moved the boy in his arms to relieve pressure.

“Who is it and what do you want?” A familiar female voice rang through from behind the door.

“It is Zeake,” he said. The door clicked and just like that, they were opening and walking through the door. Zeake led the way up through the stairs and they walked down the hallway to the correct door. He looked down at the kids again and knocked on the door.

The solid door opened, revealing a blue warlock with inky black hair down her shoulders and glitter all over her body and hair. Her makeup was done up how extravagant it normally was. She was wearing a formfitting denim jacket with tight denim pants to match. She was beautiful as ever.

“Zeake, what’s going on?” Winnie asked. Zeake bit his lip and set the boy gently down on the couch.

“I-” Where was he even supposed to begin? “These are my sister’s kids. They are warriors by blood, but-” His gaze shifted from Winnie to Rylan, who looked curious at the aqua warlock in front of her. Zeake knew it was more her entire appearance, rather than only her skin color. Nicki’s kids knew about the Mystic World. They had seen warlocks before, he was sure. “Kyle- he is hurt. Can you heal him first?” He pleaded with her. She nodded quickly and moved the boy gently so she had better access to assess the boy’s wound. She kneeled beside the couch and closed her eyes, moving her blue fingers to elicit the blue sparks.

“He’s fine. Just a minor injury, Zeake. Nothing too bad,” she said, about a half an hour later. The warrior nodded and walked to her.

“Thank you so much, Winnie. Can I talk to you in the kitchen?” he asked quietly, not wanting Rylan to hear them. She nodded and pulled a blanket over Kyle.

“Darling, if you want a drink or something, just ask, okay?” She directed her question at Rylan, who only nodded, looking worriedly at her brother. Zeake repeated Winnie’s words to the young girl.

“He will be fine, Rylan,” he said. Then, the warrior and the warlock walked together to the kitchen.

“Okay, Zeake. I did what you asked. Now, tell me. What happened, honey? You look wrecked.” She gazed at him with kind eyes and snapped up two small glasses of liquor. She took a tiny sip of one and offered the other to Zeake. He took the glass gratefully and gulped once before explaining.

“Nicolle and Shaine- my sister and her husband- just-” he broke off and swallowed hard. He didn’t have time to be weak anymore. He took another swig of the liquid and berated himself to act like the warrior he was supposed to be. “They just died in a car accident.”

“Oh, sweetie, I’m so sorry.” She was concerned for his well being. Wondering why he had brought the kids here for a simple healing spell, rather than bringing them back to Marcus, the warlock added, “Death is a terrible and cruel thing. No one deserves it, certainly not those poor kids.”

“That is not all.” He mumbled, and swallowed. “Kyle is not my sister’s biological son. He was the result of the rape of one of our mutual friends. Nicolle promised to take him in as her own when he was just a baby and I think Shaine was the only other who knew. No one knows Kyle is even alive. I think our friend, Allison, played it off as a miscarriage. The last thing my sister asked was for me to take care of the kids and not let anyone know that Kyle is not hers. Now, I do not know what to do. I only have so many options.” He was quiet a moment, going over different situations and scenarios. “Can you erase their memories of Mystic World? Make them forget anything mystic they have encountered; their excitement for becoming warriors themselves, their knowledge of experiments, any encounter with warlocks and warriors, all of it. They can remember me, so I can take care of them as secretly as possible. They cannot know who they or their family really were, otherwise it would only cause more problems. Also, we need the Court to believe they died with their parents.” The way he spoke, one who didn’t know him would assume he was emotionless. He sounded as a robot with no feeling, only logic. Right now, though, he had to be strong and do his duty to the kids who deserved so much better. He had to do what he promised to his sister. She held up a finger to silence him and looked sadly at him.

“Does Marcus know any of this?” she said.

“No, and he cannot know a word,” he said with a shake of his head. He felt the words come from his lips feeling like sandpaper in his mouth. He hated the idea of lying to Marcus. He couldn’t stand the idea of not being able to keep their relationship an honest one, of having to go home and lie about what happened to his family, but this was no longer his choice. He had no choice in this. He had to protect Nicolle’s kids more than anything right now. “I came to you because I trust you and have known you to be a great friend in times of need. Winnie, please. You have to understand. I do not have anywhere else to go.”

Thinking on the idea of lying to her best friend was not ideal in any way, but looking at this poor man and all he’d gone through, she could not deny him. All he wanted was to protect his family, after all. The warlock knew he was a good person and loved him for his personality, for his open heart. She remembered first being introduced to the dark haired warrior by her best friend, Marcus, once their relationship had gotten serious. She had had a soft spot for the man ever since.

“You don’t have to ask me twice, and while I don’t like to entertain the idea of lying to my best friend, I trust you. I won’t require payment, though. This spell will take time, Zeake. Maybe a few days. Maybe a week. I can’t be sure. Are you sure about this?” He took a moment before nodding. She quirked an eyebrow at the warrior. “What are you doing with the kids? If you aren’t keeping them at your apartment, where will they stay?” He had thought about it and not come up with a better answer than moving them back into their house after their memories were altered. He looked at Winnie with desperate blue eyes. “Could they stay with you until the spell is over?”

“I must be with them during the spell anyway, so that is fine. She rested a languid hand on his pale cheek and looked into his eyes. “Though it may not seem like it now, it gets better.” She gave him a small smile and walked out the kitchen doorway to make preparations for the spell.

Zeake opened the cupboard and pulled two cups down, filling them with cold water from the silver faucet. Noticing the time was almost midnight, he walked out to the living room, finding Rylan sitting next to Kyle, who was still passed out. He set one water down on the table in front of Kyle and offered the other to Rylan. When she shook her head, Zeake gave her a look and set it in front of her.

“Are you hungry? Do you want anything to eat?” She had to be hungry, right? She shook her head again, still looking at Kyle. “He is going to be fine, Rylan. He has been healed.” Then, he sat down and waited for the warlock to come back. His mind was drawn back to thinking about the accident. How was he supposed to raise these kids in secret? That was not fair to them. He sighed. This was not fair on anyone.

Winnie returned quickly enough with an ancient looking, leather bound book in her hands along with supplies for the spell. She looked over at the absolutely exhausted Zeake.

“Sweetie, you should go home. There’s really nothing for you to do at this point in time. It’s all magic. I can handle it from here and you looked like you’re going to pass out from exhaustion. Go home to Marcus and try to get some sleep. If you want, you can come back here to see them whenever, but this spell might take a while to fully initiate.”

“I do not know how I am to tell Marcus of this and flat out lie to him.” He had been thinking about it, knowing he would need to host a funeral for all four of the Kennedy family members. He needed the Court to be convinced, along with everyone else except him and Winnie. “I do not know that I want to leave them, but I trust you, Winnie. Thank you again.” She smiled slightly and reached her arms out to hug him. He wrapped his arms around her gratefully.

“Be careful, Ezekiel Renick,” she said. Pulling away, she smirked and held a finger to her chin as though deep in thought. “Excuse me, it’s Ezekiel Cruz-Renick now, isn’t it?” She chuckled slightly. “Be safe, Zeake.” He had to smile as she said this.

“Thank you, Winnie. You too.” He walked over to the kids and ran a hand through Kyle’s hair gently. Then, he sat down next to Rylan and ran a hand through her hair. He didn’t know what to expect, but a hug was not what he thought he would get from this broken girl. She leaned forward and tugged him down for a hug.

“I must go for now, sweetie, but I will be back, I swear it. I will take care of you both.” After a minute, before they pulled away, Zeake whispered in her ear, “Happy birthday, Rylan.”

“Thank you, uncle Zeake,” she mumbled and nodded. He smiled softly as he pulled away. Then, he leaned to press gentle kiss to Kyle’s head before walking out of the apartment.