Gryphon

GRYPHON

FLAVIO OLCESE

Gryphon

All Rights Reserved.

Copyright © 2013 by Flavio Olcese

Published by Flavio Olcese at Smashwords

Note: This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

*****

Chapter 1

I had an X in my eye. It was like the Xs you draw on dead people when you draw a cartoon. Except I wasn’t dead. And I didn’t have two Xs. I just had one, in the iris of my left eye. I asked my mom about it but she just told me it was from surgery I had had when I was a child. I asked why it glowed. She thought I was just joking around, but I wasn’t. I had an X in my left eye and it glowed.

The optometrist had put drops in my eyes to dilate them. I didn’t understand the reason for it but I’m sure he did. Probably. He did tell me I needed glasses. That was great. My first year of high school and I was going to walk in wearing glasses. It wasn’t the proper accessory for the young woman that I was. Mom, and the optometrist, gave me no choice. There were few words to describe how it feels to hear your doctor say what he said to me. Suck was one of those words.

It wasn’t like I wasn’t pretty. I could technically pull of wearing glasses and still be semi popular. But given the choice, which wasn’t given to me, I would have rather not had to wear the four eyes contraption.

I didn’t mention the glowing eye thing to anybody. I learned very fast that I could see it but nobody else could. It didn’t bother me much, and after a while I was okay, as long as I didn’t look in the mirror.

Summer had dragged on, as far as summers go. Boring as it was I had taken the obligatory one week vacation with my younger brother and mom. I had spent some time at Dad’s place up in Northern California. And I had milled around Southern California for the rest of my summer.

The second to last weekend of my summer vacation I was at a point where even I was ready to go back to school. I spent all of that weekend with Alice and Aaron. They were technically going out and I was technically the third wheel. But I didn’t care. Alice was my best friend and Aaron was just a guy. A nice guy at that, but he just couldn’t grasp the intricacies of soon to be high school girls. We did what teenagers usually do when they have no money and no direction. We walked around the mall.

Come Monday mom wanted to go shopping. I dreaded the idea but I had to do it sometime. Mom was determined to buy my brother and I new back to school clothes. We could hardly agree on any choice of clothes for me. Mom wanted conservative things. She just didn’t understand that this was high school now. Conservative was just not going to cut it for me. She finally relented and gave me a bit of room to buy what I wanted.

After shopping, mom took us to the food court. I went for my favorite, Chinese food. Mom had a salad and my brother had a burger. As we were eating I looked up, just for a second, and thought I saw a man with a glow in his left eye. He quickly turned around and vanished into the crowd of people. I must have been seeing things. Still, I was intrigued. Was I the only glowing eye freak or where there more freaks like me? I let it go and quickly forgot about it.

The last week before school started I was getting nervous. Not only was I going to go to school with my old friends but there would be a ton of new faces from the other two middle schools that joined in the high school. Alice and I talked about what it would be like. We came to no definitive conclusions. We just didn’t know and couldn’t accurately guess. What we did know was that now we would be going from class to class instead of being taught everything in the same class. I was nervous about my grades. I had heard that high school was a different animal altogether.

It wasn’t like I ever struggled in school. I was a regular B student with an occasional A thrown in for good measure. It kept mom on her toes. As for popularity it was a good thing but I didn’t cling to it like many of the other girls at the school. I would just take the friends I could get and leave the rest behind.

Mom drove me to school that first day after she had dropped of my younger brother, Josh. I was so nervous and scared I almost didn’t want to get out of the car. Mom told me it would be alright and calmed me down a bit. But not much.

I walked out in awe and I realized that now I was just a small fish in a large pond. I still had fifteen minutes to find my locker and get to my homeroom class. I had memorized the school map last week so I wouldn’t have to walk around with the map all day long but now I had forgotten everything. I wished I had brought the map.

I found my locker easily but now I had to find the class where homeroom was in. I asked a couple of upperclassmen where the building was but they just ignored me. Finally I found a teacher who told me he was heading that way. Apparently he was an English teacher. His name was Dr. Norman. He showed me where my homeroom was and then went off down a long corridor.

Homeroom ended up being where they took attendance and also where they gave you information that might be permanent to the students. There were no such announcements except that we were going to be in testing for the last two hours of the day for our summer reading essays. Aside from that they had school maps I grabbed one before I headed to my first class. Having no text books and already having my notebook and a pen I didn’t have to go to my locker. I headed to history class.

American history wasn’t my favorite history but it was easy enough. War for independence, blah, blah, blah, civil war, blah, blah, blah, presidents, Louisiana purchase, gold rush. It was all easy stuff I had already learned. The term paper though threw me off. Ten pages researched and typed. They had to be kidding. We did some basic work to find out what each of us knew and then we got our text books.

By lunch my locker was half full with textbooks and other first day garbage. I already had homework in two classes and reading for two other classes. After lunch I would miss a study hall and my English class so we could do the stupid essays.

I had read the summer reading book early in the summer and didn’t understand a thing. Mom bought me the study guide for the book and I read that cover to cover, twice. Then I read the original summer reading book again. I was ready for this test. I knew everything there was to know about it, theme, plot, characters, everything.

I blew through the test. The questions were detailed and complicated but I had no problem with them. I wrote my three essays in an hour and a half and then had half an hour to go over them and make sure I hadn’t missed anything.

That afternoon I realized that for the next year I would be hauling a very full backpack home and then back to school the next day. It was a very somber thought.

I did homework most of the afternoon and half the evening of my first day of school. Suddenly I hated high school. All the teachers gave you homework as if you didn’t have any other classes. They just didn’t care about your work load.

My eye was still bothering me. The glow was sometimes on and then sometimes it would flicker. I couldn’t understand what it was or how nobody else saw it but me. It was starting to weird me out.

On my second day of classes everything went fine until my last class, English. To tell you the truth most of that class was fine too except the teacher kept picking on me. After class he asked to stay for a few minutes.

Your friends call you Gable is that short for Gabrielle? asked Dr. Norman.

Yeah, I answered.

Which do you prefer me to call you?

Gable is fine.

Do you know what your name means? asked Dr, Norman before he went ahead and answered his own question. It means little one with the strength of God. Very fitting if I do say so myself.

Uh, okay. Why am here Dr. Norman?

Oh yes, that. I was wondering what the light in your left eye is? It was very distracting in class.

You can see that? No one else seems to be able to see it, I answered.

Do you know how to turn it off?

No.

Try to will it off. You know, think about it being off and that should do the trick. Try it at home tonight. Let me know if it works.

Uh okay. Can I go now?

Yes go ahead.

That was weird. How would he know how to turn it off. I let it go and went to see if my mom was waiting for me. As it turned out she wasn’t there. I waited for about half an hour but she never showed. I guess I would have to walk home. The walk wasn’t too long except that I had to lug the heavy back pack around.

Nobody was home when I got there but my brother arrived soon after I did. I went straight to the bathroom and locked myself in. I stood in front of the mirror and looked right at my reflection and of course, my glowing eye.

Turn off, I said out loud.

The glow just kept glowing at me. Nothing happened.

Will it off, I remembered my teacher saying.

I closed my eyes and thought of my eye not glowing. I slowly opened my eyes and the glow was gone. And then it came back on. Okay try again. I closed my eyes and thought of the glow being gone and staying gone. I opened my eyes and the glow was gone. This time it didn’t pop back on. I turned to get the door so I could go do my homework. I looked at the mirror one last time as I was walking out of the bathroom to make sure it was gone and it was back. I closed the door and sat on the edge of the bathtub. What was I doing wrong? I wanted it off and to stay off but I couldn’t figure out how to make it do just that. Or not do that. Whatever.

I made an executive decision and decided to give up. I didn’t have the time for this. I got up looked in the mirror and it was gone. I wasn’t even sure what I had done to make it go away and I didn’t even know if it would come back. I just didn’t care anymore.

I plowed through my homework until dinner. I went to check my eye in the hallway mirror before I ate and the glow was gone. After dinner I checked again and the glow was back. I checked one last time before I went to bed and it was off. I couldn’t figure it out.

The next day during my English class Dr. Norman kept looking at me and I kept trying to will the damn thing off. I was never really sure if I succeeded or not. After class I sat at my desk waiting for everyone to leave. Dr. Norman sat on his desk looking at me smiling.

You weren’t paying attention today, Gable. May I ask why?

My eye kept going off and on yesterday. I can’t make the glow go away and stay away. It’s frustrating.

You have to practice. Be patient with it. You’ll conquer it soon.

What is it anyway and why can only you and me see it? I mean, is it like a birth defect?

No, no, no, it’s not a birth defect. It’s more like a gift. I’ve seen this before. It’s very rare but the people that have it are extraordinary.

Extraordinary? So I’m special?

Yes, very special. You just need to learn how to use your gift and then the world will open up to you. Tell you what, why don’t you spend an hour with me every Wednesday after school and I’ll teach you how to control it.

I dunno. I would have to ask my mom if I can stay.

Well then let me. I’ll call her this week and if she says yes then maybe next week we can start meeting.

His cell phone went off and he picked it up.

I’m sorry Gable but this is a personal phone call. I’ll see you tomorrow?

Okay see you then, I said as I walked out of the room. I hung around at the door as I put my books away and heard the conversation Dr. Norman was having.

She’s here, he said and paused. What do you mean who? Her, She, The One, she arrived, he paused again. Yeah I know she’s early, by about a decade and a half, but what do want me to do? She’s here and she needs to be taught.

There was a lot of yeahs and uh-huhs before Dr. Norman finally hung up. I hurried to my locker. I wondered if he was talking about me.

I didn’t mention the conversation I had had with Dr. Norman to my mom. She would probably think he was a pervert who wanted to keep me after school for sinister reasons. Mom was so dramatic.

By Friday Dr. Norman had not yet called my mom. I wondered when he was going to get around to it. My eye kept flickering on and off. I had been practicing trying to permanently turn off the glow but to no avail.

Saturday afternoon I went to the mall by myself. Mom had given me a bit of money and I figured I could get some clothes without her giving me a hard time.

I walked around the mall aimlessly for about an hour. I stopped at a couple of stores but didn’t really like anything. I stopped to look over one of the balconies and saw a very pretty woman who had stopped and was turning her head towards me. Her left eye glowed. She made her way to the escalator. I started walking away from the escalator. I saw a man across the way that looked over at me. He also had the glow and started coming towards me. I started walking really fast. When the man was behind me and gaining on me, I started running. I turned to look at the man and suddenly I hit someone without looking. It was a security guard.

Whoa there. No running in the mall.

But that guy is following me, I said out of breath.

What man? asked the security guard, looking up.

I looked but the man was gone.

There was man there, I swear.

Maybe we should call your parents."

Hi Gable, said a voice behind me.

I turned to look and to my surprise it was Dr. Norman.

You know this girl? asked the security guard.

My English teacher pulled the guard aside and they started talking softly. Finally the guard left.

Come on Gable. I’ll buy you lunch and then take you home so nobody will bother you.

I walked with Dr. Norman down to the food court and we both got lunch.

There’s something you should know Gable. Remember I told you you were special? asked Dr. Norman while we both ate our Chinese food.

Yeah.

Well, you are so special that seven people have been assigned to protect you. To call them all you need to do is turn on the light in your eye and leave it on. They will find you. The two people you saw were not following you, they were coming to your aid."

What? Are you serious Dr. Norman because it sounds like you’re crazy.

You had your light on and it’s off now. If you don’t believe me turn it on again and you’ll have seven of them here within fifteen minutes.

So I turn on my light and they come to protect me? Protect me from what?

Whatever you need help with.

Okay Dr. Norman. Look maybe I’ll just catch the bus home but thanks for lunch, I said as I was getting up to leave.

Gable, he called after me. Practice turning the light on and off at home. It’s very important. I’ll call your mother on Monday regarding our tutoring sessions.

*****

Chapter 2

Monday when I got home from school my mom was waiting for me She was pissed about something.

I got a call from Dr. Norman today, said my mom.

Oh, what about?

He wants me to come in after school tomorrow. Said it was something really important. Don’t tell me you got in trouble so early in the year?

Mom, do I ever get in trouble? Come on, it’s probably nothing.

It better be nothing or I’ll ground you for the rest of the year.

I walked past her and headed to the bathroom. As usual I locked myself in. I looked in the mirror. The glow was off. I willed it on and it came on. I willed it off and it went off. I willed it on and off and it flashed on and off. Ha, I had it. I decided to try one last time. I willed it on and it came on so brightly I had to close my eyes. My fingers were tingling. I found myself screaming at the bathroom mirror.

Off, off, turn off damn it.

When I opened my eyes it was off. What the hell had that been? I had had enough for one day. I walked out and headed to my room. Suddenly I was really tired.

I woke up early the next morning with last night’s clothes on. Crap, I hadn’t done my homework. I showered and got dressed quickly and sat down before breakfast to do what I could. I skipped the reading but I did do my math homework really quick. I hadn’t understood it very well in class yesterday but suddenly today it all made sense to me. My Spanish homework was also a breeze. I usually had to work my butt off in language class to scrape by with a B but I was having no trouble this morning. I skimmed the reading in science and then handedly answered the questions. They seemed right even though I hadn’t read the chapter all the way through. In less than an hour I had done all my homework except my reading for English. I would do that during lunch.

I went to school that day dreading the meeting Dr. Norman would have with my mom. I thought it was about the tutoring, but why would he call my mom in? He could have just talked to her over the phone. What was so important?

During lunch that day I read the three chapters of the book for English class. It usually would have taken me