Once I Rise

About the Author

Australian author Tara Ingham began writing at 14, quickly developing a love for the written word. She went on to undertake a tertiary writing course in 2010 and then study creative writing and literature at University. After graduating in 2014, Tara completed her fourth full manuscript and began editing on a casual basis.

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Dedication

For my family, who never told me who to be and have never let me forget who I am.

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Once I Rise

Published by Austin Macauley at Smashwords

Copyright 2018, Tara Ingham

The right of Tara Ingham Irving to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the

Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All Rights Reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with the written permission of the publisher, or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1956 (as amended). Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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.

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A CIP catalogue record for this title is

Available from the British Library.

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www.austinmacauley.com

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Once I Rise, 2018

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd.

ISBN 9781787106697 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781787106703 (E-Book)

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First Published in 2018

Austin Macauley Publishers.LTD/

CGC-33-01, 25 Canada Square

Canary Wharf, London E14 5LQ

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Acknowledgments

This has been a long time coming and I never could have made it without the love and support of those around me. Firstly, I’d like to thank my mum. Even when I was being a massive brat she stood by me, understood what I needed and despite my best efforts at sabotage, gave it to me. She has been my biggest fan since day one and there is no way to express how grateful I am.

Secondly I’d like to thank Miki. We were just fifteen when you looked at me and quietly said, ‘When you get famous, don’t forget about me’. I’ll never forget that moment. You were so sure I’d succeed from the very beginning, and you are, and always will be one of my greatest inspirations. The excitement you exude at receiving a manuscript makes everything worth it.

I’d also like to thank my many siblings. Without even realising it, each of you has provided inspiration and material for me to work with. Your support means the world to me.

And I must thank AJ, we met at a time when I was unsure why I kept going, my head was full of other people telling me how to write and what to think and working with you, helped clear the fog and bring joy back to the thing I love most.

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Chapter 1

She woke with a start, gasping for breath as her body pulled upwards. Glassy hazel-green eyes flickered around as she took in the ragged terrain. Terrain which had recently been soaked through. Her fingers dug into the moist earth beneath them and she pulled herself upright, trembling from cold she hadn’t yet felt. Blonde-streaked brown hair stuck to her face and neck in muddied clumps, and tattered clothes clung uncomfortably to her slender form.

She didn’t know how she’d gotten there, why she was lying on the muddied ground or even how long she’d been there. Her heart raced and fear choked her. This place was wrong. There was no other thought, no question in her mind.

Just run.

On unstable legs, she rose. Her gait was uneven, her pace slow and weak, but she kept moving. Running and running, heart pounding against her ribs so hard she could feel the vibrations through her entire chest. The cold air whipping by did nothing but spur her on as it coupled with the strange and unfamiliar sounds that whirred past. She was so focused on escaping that she didn’t feel the rocks biting into her feet or the road as she ran onto it, freezing as a white four-wheel drive slammed on the breaks. The tires screeched as they slid along the wet bitumen, almost failing to stop.

As the driver began to climb out of the car a scream tore from her and she spun, disappearing into the bushland she’d just emerged from.

She was confused, so confused. The world around her was a twisting of colour without logic or reason, but she had to keep moving. Something joined the fear. It wasn’t pushing her to run, but pulling her towards it. It was a sense, something that demanded her attention. Without realizing it, she was running again but this time it wasn’t away from terror, but towards… she didn’t know what. She couldn’t know. It called and she listened.

Now as she ran across the strange streets, she didn’t freeze or even notice the cars skidding and swerving to avoid her. The pull, that command kept her going. She didn’t notice the people on the street who stared as they went about their morning rituals and it was well into the afternoon by the time she slowed to a walk, the sun shattering off the surfaces of buildings that reached towards the sky as she made her way through the city streets. People pressed to the walls and even ventured onto the road to avoid her as she walked down the footpath, intent on her target.

She didn’t know where she was going before she saw it.

The skyscraper was relatively short next to those around it, but it was dark and imposing with heavily tinted windows glinting back the sun’s beams over the city. She stopped outside. The tint on the windows was so dark that it was impossible to see through. Taking a deep breath she slowly walked on. What was revealed as the doors glided open left the girl wide-eyed as she scanned the large room. Clean, white tiles covered the floor and a high set counter at the very back looked as though it was made from some kind of black stone. A company logo appeared to be made up of a gold ankh with a red feather in it and stood out against the white of the wall behind the counter, the word ‘MAAT’ emblazoned across it in black. For a moment, the girl stood staring, taking in the plush lounges in the high end waiting area.

Her attention wasn’t drawn to the woman behind the desk until she cleared her throat, the girl’s head snapping in her direction. She only had time to notice the kind smile on the woman’s glossed lips before nervousness spread through her body and her eyes dropped to look at bare, bleeding and mud covered feet.

Are you okay, Miss? the woman called from her place behind the desk waiting for a response. When one didn’t come she asked, Do you know where your sire is?

The girl shook her head, eyes flicking in the woman’s direction a moment before they dropped again. She had the most peculiar feeling, like her stomach was twisting inside out and the only way to stop it was to be as small and quiet as possible.

I think… I’m lost.

There was silence for a moment and the receptionist’s voice was closer when she asked, What’s your name?

The girl was quiet. Her name? She hadn’t even thought of it. Perhaps that was because she had no idea what it was.

I… I’m not sure.

Another moment of silence, then a soft coffee coloured hand came to rest on her shoulder. It’s okay. My name’s Selena. Why don’t you take a seat and I’ll see what I can do?

Without a word, the girl nodded. Every muscle in her body had tensed and relaxed almost instantly with that touch. While she was uncomfortable at the thought of so much as looking at Selena, she felt like she could trust her. So she did.

Walking over to the plush looking couches by the closed in side of the reception desk she sat, completely oblivious to the state she was in or the fact that she was smearing dirt and mud all over the pale fabric. Glancing up under her lashes she watched Selena as she returned to her desk and picked up her phone, speaking in hushed tones to whoever had answered.

Selena didn’t look at her as she returned the phone to its station and went back to work. The girl didn’t mind, though. She took her distraction as an opportunity to look around.

The walls were high and met a plain ceiling. Off to the left there was a hallway that disappeared behind the reception area and to the right there were two elevators, their steel doors reflecting the entire room, flawlessly, as though they were made of mirrors. She could see perfectly through the dark tint as she looked out at the street. The couch she sat on was part of one of a few clusters scattered around the room. The only sound was the quiet clacking of computer keys. She didn’t really notice it, but there wasn’t even noise from outside.

The whole room was still and the only thing that didn’t seem to fit into the otherwise pristine environment was the girl, but she was too awed to notice. Curious too, after all she had been drawn here. She wondered what was so special about this place that it had pulled her so insistently to it. It was just some kind of office building, but then, it had been almost as though Selena had expected to see her.

The sound of the glass doors opening dragged the girl’s attention away from the décor and her eyes fixed on the men walking in. One was well dressed in a suit, his dark hair short and tidy. This look was accompanied by the shadow of a beard on his chin. He walked calmly in front of his companion who was in a state similar to her own. His unkempt, dirty blond hair had clumps of mud or sand stuck in it, causing it to stand up comically. His clothes were ragged and torn and he tracked mud across the tiles just as she had.

Neither seemed to notice her and neither looked her way as they reached the reception desk.

The man spoke quietly to Selena while the boy looked around the room. He seemed as surprised as she had been, but more comfortable somehow. There was a laziness to his stance and a boldness to his brown eyes that the girl wondered about. With how uncomfortable she felt, she doubted it would be possible to have such confidence. The boy’s gaze turned to the girl and her own quickly dropped to her lap while warmth spread across her cheeks and the back of her neck.

The silence in the room became oppressive now. It was as though she could feel the boy’s gaze lingering and that made her want to run again. But she didn’t move, barely permitting herself to breath as the heat in her face grew and the feeling of eyes burning into her continued.

The ding of the elevator was a relief, although it startled her so badly that her heart jumped to her throat. A moment later, the sound of doors sliding shut and tiny, light footsteps echoed through the otherwise silent room.

The girl glanced up under her lashes, watching as Selena stood, leaning over the edge to speak to someone. Her gaze shifted back to the man and his companion, whose attention had shifted to the unseen newcomer. The light footsteps started up again and a little girl who couldn’t have been more than ten appeared from behind the counter, walking past the man and the boy as though they didn’t exist. Her eyes were wide as she took in the little girl’s appearance. She was dressed in a neatly tailored pant suit, her long, black hair slicked back into a high pony tail and her small, round face as serious as anything. This child oozed power and authority, everything about her causing the girl’s anxiety levels to rise.

Let me look at you. The small, childish voice held the faintest trace of an accent and left no room for disobedience. Miss, look at me.

Reluctantly, the girl raised her eyes, jaw clenching and her stomach churning as she looked into the olive-toned face in front of her.

My receptionist tells me that you don’t know your name and can’t locate your sire. Is this correct?

The girl nodded, slowly. She had no idea what this little girl or Selena meant when they spoke about a ‘sire’, but she knew she didn’t know where they were.

Interesting. The child cocked her head, large brown eyes bright with curiosity. My name is Kesi. Follow me.

As Kesi turned quickly on her heel, the girl froze, the twisting in her stomach getting worse as she quickly hurried to catch up to the fast-paced, no-nonsense little girl.

The elevator ride was long and silent. The girl spent the duration staring at the glowing ‘50’ button. Her mind jumped about in a flurry as she contemplated a building having fifty floors. She was uncomfortable, even as Kesi stood perfectly at ease by her side. It seemed like an eternity for the bell to toll and the doors to glide open once they reached the top, then the girl felt like she couldn’t leave the elevator until Kesi had. Of course, once she had followed Kesi from the elevator, she instantly moved to go back inside, her attempt hindered as the doors slid shut in front of her.

The room she’d walked into was a huge office, the walls lined with shelves containing ancient artefacts – which included skulls and other forms of remains. In the almost mirror-like reflection of the elevator doors the girl took in the entire room without turning back to it. Walls lined with shelves full of artefacts and knick-knacks, a huge power desk with neatly arranged files surrounding an open laptop and behind it, a leather swivel chair. Everything in the room seemed to reflect a dull golden hue or be made of wood the same colour and the cement floor had been polished so thoroughly that it reflected everything again.

She felt like she was standing in one giant reflective bubble.

Growing impatient with the girl’s still silence, Kesi cleared her throat. Have a seat, she said as she turned on her heel and moved to sit behind her desk.

The girl turned slowly, watching Kesi as she quite literally climbed onto the leather swivel chair and raised her eyebrows impatiently, gesturing to a small chair opposite her. The girl moved quickly, hating the feel of Kesi’s gaze and was relieved when the child finally looked away.

For a few moments there was nothing but the quiet clacking of keys as Kesi typed something into the laptop neatly situated on her desk, then she turned huge, too old, chocolate-brown eyes onto the girl who dropped her gaze again, not having realised she’d even lifted it.

Until we learn your identity, and for the purposes of having something to call you, I will be calling you Jane Doe, she stated simply giving the girl a moment to absorb this as one would a child, before going on to say, "Now I need to identify what you do know so that we can figure out