The Veiled Grey (Prologue & Ch. 1)

PROLOGUE

St. Cloud’s Academy: Camp Anita Dolor

“Brother Dan by the order of the Brotherhood, you are to take Camilita Ramon to Camp Anita Dolor. We can tell she has the potential to be one of our greatest assets, if we can get her to follow the rules. Camilita has been here for one year and has been exhibiting unruly behavior even after the behavior modifications. If she doesn’t show any progress over the next year-in-a-half—kill her.” Brooks stated while sitting on a chair with a high black velvet back. The other six members sat beside him, although they were sitting in normal chairs. There was no question who ran the counsel—Brooks.

Brother Dan nodded his head in acceptance. He knew of the child they spoke of—she had been disciplined more than any other child in St. Cloud’s Academy history. She spoke out of turn in classes, she refused to say the St. Cloud’s Academy prayer to the Great Ones. The worst offense, she refuses to follow—The Rule.

He was surprised that they were keeping the girl a little longer, although everyone knew that Camp Anita Dolor was the last resort. He also knew his career depended on the success of Camilita becoming an asset. He shook his head, he would need to come up with a different plan if he was to keep his life. He let out a sigh as soon as he was out of the room, he feared this would be his last mission.

(5 Months into training)

Brother Dan smiled as he watched five-in-a-half year-old Camilita—Cam, which she insisted she be called by that name, wield a short knife. She ran through series of offensive and defensive moves almost to perfection. She had memorized all the footwork and had prided herself on coming up with new and creative ways to best him. She was clever, he had to give her that. The first week she was there he found out she could do magic. He finally understood why it was so important that she be trained. Her magic and deadly training would certainly help the Brotherhood. He also found that if he didn’t beat her and force her to follow the rules—she started to follow them on her own volition.

“Cam, do you know what this is?” Brother Dan asked after their evening meal.

“A book.” Cam rolled her eyes. She had noticed the book in his study the night before when she was working on her night stealth skills. Skills, she was sure Brother Dan would kill her for practicing—so, no need to mention that she had thumbed through it already. She grinned as she ran her fingers down the worn leather spine, flipped through the pages and smelled the parchment.

“Not just a book,” Brother Dan ignored the reply. “A spell book.” He proudly presented the book to her. “Now, just a few rules; no eating with the book, no taking the book to the woods, pond, creek, or marsh.” Cam nodded her head barely listening to the man, she was engrossed with looking at the words.

“I can’t read it.” She pouted and threw it on the table, where Brother Dan immediately picked it up and dusted it off as if she had thrown something breakable.

“Of course, you can’t it’s written in an ancient text. It’s meant to keep other inquiring

minds out. Although, against my better judgement I am going to teach you how to read it.” Cam’s eyes lit up. She had been waiting to learn some spells even though she just learned she could do magic. She also just learned how to read and had been sneaking books into her room. She felt that she owed Brother Dan.

“Thank you, Brother Dan. Do you think tonight I could say St. Cloud’s prayer with you?” Brother Dan’s spoon clattered on the table. He was so still that Cam asked the question again. “Can I say St. Cloud’s prayer with you?”

Brother Dan beamed down at her. He finally felt he was doing something right.

(Camp Anita Dolor: Two years later…)

Cam sat back on her bed. She could hear voices outside her door, whispering about her. Another house had been erected earlier in the day to house at least ten people. Brother Dan had brought in reinforcements. She felt sick to her stomach she knew things were changing but didn’t know if they were for the best. Cam had finally mastered her adult skills, she knew it was almost time she selected a career.

She could be an Assassin, Faithful, Grabber, or Solider. She liked them all and she was good at them all, in fact she had mastered all the skills that one must have to become any one of them. She was told that when she graduated from St. Clouds she could choose which of the two professions she wanted to go in, Rangers or Protectors.

Rangers were the Assassins and Soldiers. Where Protectors were Grabbers and Faithfuls. She had asked to be all of them but Brother Dan said it was impossible—hence the extra help.

(Camp Anita Dolor: 3 Months After the Brotherhood Arrived)

“Listen to me little girl, you will never become one of us with that attitude.” Brother Mack brought a wooden cane down on her back. “I told you to be quiet and you stomp around here like rampaging elephants!” He brought the cane down seven more times. “I will beat quietness into you if it’s the last thing I do!” He screamed while veins popped out of the sides of his forehead. His face wrinkled while it lit up like a stoplight.

“You’re just mad because you weren’t watching where you were going and tripped over that rock.” Cam forced out while she up-righted herself. Brother Mack didn’t know she could heal herself. She muttered a few words under her breath but slowly straightened.

“Why you little,” Brother Mack let the cane do the rest. Cam still felt proud even though she was getting a beating. She giggled a little because she had made Brother Mack trip with a little help of her magic. Unfortunately, Brother Dan heard her giggle and in the first time in two-in-a-half years—he took over for Brother Mack and began bringing the cane down on her with extra force.

Rule 3 stated: a pupil must never fight the Brothers. Cam wanted to make Brother Dan proud, but she was so surprised at his twist of character all she could do was fight back. It earned her one week in hot-box hut chained to the ground.

(Camp Anita Dolor: Two-in-a-half years later…testing day)

“I cannot wait to get out of this damn camp!” Brother Mack complained as he swatted another mosquito. They were surrounded by lakes, trees, ponds—anything nature could offer, except for city living.

“Let’s just hope she can pass the tests. It’s four years earlier than any other student. I don’t think she’s up to it.” Brother Sander’s commented.

“You know she’s up to it! You’ve seen her fight and you’ve seen how smart she is. I think she could go into any of the professions and you know it. You’re just jealous. Besides, all of us at some point in our careers at St. Clouds wanted to do it all, dreamed of it even.” Brother Cathy motioned for the others to follow her. The others grumbled and followed her through the trees to the meadow where Cam was supposed to test.

Where Cam was supposed to be standing, a letter stood in her place.

“What is the meaning of this Brother Dan?” Brother Sander’s anger could barely be contained, he hated Cam the most.

“I suggest we read the letter. I think the testing has already begun—but we’re not the ones who are running it.” Brother Dan’s voice hinted with pride. He knew Cam had the whole test planned to go the way she wanted, on her terms. Even though she had followed The Rule, he knew deep down she didn’t truly believe in it with her heart.

Brother Dan calmly walked over to the letter, opened it and read it aloud,

“The test has already started, come find me. I dwell at the place of your treasures.”

*****************

Cam waited for the others to arrive, she was standing outside of their house and she had plans. She knew what was expected of her:

Brother Mack: wanted her to be ruthless and not to back down—an Assassin

Brother Cathy: wanted her to be kind and teach, maybe even heal—a Faithful

Brother David: wanted her to persuade them to do something they wouldn’t normally do—a Grabber

Brother Sanders: wanted her to kill mindlessly—a Soldier.

Today they would all get what they wished for. As the Brotherhood emerged from the tree line, Cam smiled—she just persuaded them to change the location of the test. It was time they followed her rules.

Cam mumbled under her breath and calmed her mind. She smirked as the gray hatched roof caught on fire. The fire was blue and green, something The Brotherhood said was impossible. Another rule broken. The Brother’s house burned quickly. Cam ignored the screams from inside—they wanted her to be ruthless. She was killing their pets, lovers and other precious secrets. There was nothing they could do but watch until there was just dust and ash. They wanted a monster—Cam hadn’t even started yet.

She needed to persuade them with more than a test location change—they needed something that would unnerve them—she was going to kill them. She created air bubbles around each Brother and made it seem as if they were suffocating. Cam stood over them as they withered until lifeless on the ground. Brother Cathy and Brother Dan had tears dripping down their faces. They were still breathing—but the magic she used made them think they were dead.

“I just killed you and your pets—there was nothing that you could do to stop me.” Cam stated. She made it so they could hear her through their air bubbles.

She released the Brothers shortly after and as they came out of their stupors, they blankly sat and watched Cam move around preforming a test they didn’t sanctify.

She began to move her hands in circles creating blue, green, purple, red, yellow, orange colors. The cloud of colors grew and grew until they hovered over the smoking ashes of the house. Slowly as the colors intertwined the house was rebuilt. People and pets ran from the house weeping. Cam put everything back in place not missing a detail for she knew her life would be forfeit if it wasn’t.

Cam smiled to herself, she finally did something right. Maybe they would stop hurting her and she could live her life as a Protector and a Ranger. She turned towards the Brother’s expecting them to bow or congratulate her. What greeted her was; horror, shock, fear and disgust. Brother Dan recovered first and grabbed Cam by her hair. He used his fists and feet, landing them in all of Cam’s soft spots. The others joined in—all their rage was felt with every blow.

“Enough!” Cam screamed. She muttered under her breath and used the air to throw them away from her. They each hit a tree—the tree’s roots and branches held the Brothers secure. She used the last of her strength to heal herself. “You will never lay another hand on me again.” She spat at them and pointed towards the house.

“You wanted me to be ruthless, so I killed everything you loved—an Assassin. You wanted me to persuade you so I did—you all thought you were dead but you weren’t—a Grabber. You wanted me to be kind and heal so I brought everything you held dear back to you—a Faithful. You wanted me to kill mindlessly—I did so when I killed your lovers—a Soldier.

I’ve done everything you wanted and yet it’s not enough.”

Having said that Cam walked into the forest knowing that they couldn’t find her if she didn’t want them to. She knew her life was over, she went too far. She made herself a promise to never intentionally hurt another human being and she would die trying to protect the innocent. She made this oath to the stars, heavens, realms, and the cosmos. She would pay a debt if she ever broke this particular rule. A blinding light hit her and spread out across the land reaching the remote corners of the earth.

The Brothers looked at each other in shock and fear. They had never seen power like that before. In fact, they were terrified of the nine-year-old girl that had bested them using skills they thought only to be myths.

“That was interesting.” Brother Dan understated.

“She’s going to have to be killed.” Brother Cathy glared at Brother Dan, “You did too good of a job training her. Why didn’t you mention in your reports that she could do magic?” Brother Dan shrugged,

“We all have some magic or else we couldn’t be in the Brotherhood.”

“You do realize you will be killed for your success, right?” Brother Sanders stared at Brother Dan until he bowed his head. “You are going to be the one to kill her.”

“You did the dirty work, now you’re going to have to pay for it.” Brother Mack laughed gleefully.

Brother Cathy had more magic than the other five men combined. She let them out of their leafy prisons.

“Alright,” She stated. “I hereby state—in the place of Brooks and label this incident as the Cookie House Incident. It’s also stated that Brother Dan will kill this child—and we shall never speak of this again.” She looked at each of the Brother’s in the eyes and held their gaze until they nodded.

“We will also record what has happened here—so we can learn from our mistakes. Gentlemen, if we have found this kind of power you can guess the other side may have something better. We must prepare our future Rangers and Protectors. Is that clear?” Again, she waited for another round of nods. When she got them, she walked over to Brother Dan and placed a hand on his shoulder,

“You know what you need to do.” She handed him a gun with extra bullets. “Once the job is finished report back to me, I am sorry but you know what has to be done.” She gave him a sympathetic smile and moved to towards the newly created house.

CHAPTER 1

EAST WESTENDON: Present Day

The last time Cam saw her, she was dead. Cam knew she was dead because she attended her funeral. It was an open casket therefor a small child could be seen, dressed in pink surrounded by a sea of yellow lilies. Her mother wailed into a light pink baby blanket while the man sat next to her, periodically wiping at the tears that poured down his cheeks. The room was filled with a low murmur as Cam followed the wake of family and friends. As if on parade she made her way past the red mahogany box. Like the others she stopped to pay her respects. But, she was only there for one reason and one reason only; to make sure the little girl was dead and stayed dead.

Cam leaned in and placed her hand over the small pale one. She whispered a prayer that would encase the little girl forever. As the words flowed from her lips she could feel the familiar burn course through her body and expel into the deceased. For eternity, the girl would carry a little insignia etched into the fleshy part of her palm. It would be the only thing that would remain intact while the rest of her withered away. When Cam was finished, she closed her eyes and let out a sigh. For the past few months Cam had been to many funerals and the bodies kept getting younger. She bet the little girl was barely eight years old. A clearing of the throat and a pat on the back brought Cam into motion.

She straightened her jacket and let lose a couple of tears to blend in with the rest of the mourners. Father Travis nodded his head at her and gave a tight smile, he knew why Cam was there. If he didn’t like it he never said anything, he had to follow The Rule. This was Cam’s assigned domain to protect. Who cared if the Brotherhood priests didn’t like her, she had trained most of her life to protect the innocent. She had given so much of herself to this cause, so much so she began trying not to give a damn about what others thought of her. Cam shook her head and took a deep breath trying to let go of the brief anger she felt from the lack of respect the priests gave her. Once she felt centered, she noticed a difference in the air—it was stagnant. Strange, Cam thought. She turned towards Father Travis but his head was still bowed and hadn’t picked up on the change. Cam’s eyes raked through the crowd looking for something noticeably unreal.

She locked onto a pair of light blue eyes speckled with bits of frosted green. The eyes belonged to a well-dressed young man. As Cam quickly studied him, she realized he seemed oddly familiar. Cam had been trained to blend into a crowd—to have people’s eyes slide right over her without ever registering or remember seeing her. For a fleeting moment, she thought he was looking at someone behind her but there was no one. He raised his index finger and wiggled it at her. He grinned, put his hands in his pockets and shrugged while nodding towards the girl. Cam’s eyes flickered in direction of the casket while her brain flew over the words she had whispered. Cam was positive the girl was dead and her soul was encased, the spell was flawless. Never had a Greater Shadow

Demon show up at a funeral there was something peculiar going on.

Cam glanced towards Father Travis his attention was fixed on the young man. His arms were extended holding onto his rosary beads, they shook as his mouth moved wordlessly. Sweat dripped down his face as he grew paler. The Shadow Demon never took his eyes off Cam. He wiggled his eyebrows up and down as he brushed invisible dirt from his shoulder. With each swipe of his hand screams erupted throughout the room. The demon grinned and winked at Cam before straightening his ebony suit. He was grinning from ear to ear as he disappeared through the back door. Cam turned towards the hysterical crowd, she knew what she was going to find. Sure enough, Father Travis was sprawled on the floor with blood pouring from his mouth. Something dark and cold rubbed Cam’s bones.

She knew Father Travis was dead before he hit the floor. Cam had hunted enough underworld demons to know a powerful Shadow Demon like that would only show itself if it wanted. It was rare to have one show up in the middle of the city. They enjoyed isolation and rarely did business in crowds. The funeral was packed from wall to wall.

Something strange was happening and she had to get to the bottom of it before more humans died. Cam shivered as she zipped up her jacket. She took one last look at the chaotic scene, and shook her head. She was thankful she had gotten to the girl before the Greater Shadow Demon.

Cam began walking towards the park across the street from the church. The weather had grown nasty, gales of wind swept leaves up into their strong embrace and scattered them along the roadside. Cam stuffed her hands into her pockets and ducked her head. She was aware of every moving branch, shadow, and sound that penetrated her ears and vision. She needed make sure the Shadow Demon didn’t follow her home. Well, not really a home, more like a mandated prison. The state insisted that Cam stayed with the Waldon’s since she was under eighteen.

Cam hurried along the jogger’s path, twice she thought she heard the flapping of leathery wings to her right. She bowed her head a bit but her eyes were constantly monitoring both sides of the path. Once she thought she heard a chuckle and that’s when she knew she was being followed. Cam had two choices she could run and try to shake him or she could stay and fight. Cam checked her energy stores and stopped.

“Come out, come out, where ever you are.” She chanted softly into the wind. She knew it could hear her. “Come out and play with someone who can actually stand up to you.” She taunted and for a split second she thought she heard a throat clear. She walked towards that direction.

“What’s the matter—too scared to come out and play. Oh, I know you need to ask permission from your mommy. Oh, that’s right you don’t have a mommy—you’re a demon.” Cam turned in a circle waiting for a response. Usually Shadow Demons didn’t like to be made fun of and would display their short tempers within seconds of an insult or taunt. This was a very unusual day. Cam shrugged off the sickening feeling gathering in her gut. She threw caution into the howling wind.

“Show yourself, you ugly piece of demonic plague.”

“Hmm—is that the best you got?” The wind sent back a soft response.

“Come out and I will show you the best I’ve got. You are in my district trespassing and attempting murder. Show yourself or else I will do it for you. I am done playing games.”

Cam checked her watch and let out a frustrated sigh, she was going to be in so much trouble. She was already three hours late.

“My, my,” Whispered the voice in the wind. “First you insult me, then you make outlandish accusations, moving right onto threats.” The wind scoffed.

“You child, are not quite ready for the truth. I will give you time to hone in on your skills. Better get moving you’re three hours late and who knows what that miserable man has done to the twins.”

The wind tore unmercifully at her clothing, laughter filled the air. In an instant, the laughter and wind were nonexistent. Cam stood in place for a few moments not breathing. Once she snapped out of her shock she realized she was scared. She hadn’t been this scared in years. The worst part of all, she didn’t think she had enough power to stop it for a few seconds before it obliterated her. Strange night indeed, she thought.

**********************

“Where have you been?” Roger shouted at Cam from his perpetual place on the couch as she walked through the doorway. Roger was already burrowed in for the night with a beer in his hand and several empties scattered on the floor.

“Does it matter?” Cam’s voice stayed calm. Roger didn’t care what she did just as long as she kept showing up so he could cash in the hefty checks twice a month.

Two pairs of eyes stared at Cam from the upstairs banister both were wide and scared. She nodded and motioned towards their room. Roger had been after them again she could tell by their pale faces. Cam had finally come to a conclusion; this man was no longer innocent and she was going to make him pay. She inhaled, with the decision made, planted herself in front of the TV.

“Um—Cam? Please come here.” Betty’s voice trembled from the kitchen.

“No. Leave her be, apparently she has something to say.” Roger growled and motioned for Cam to come closer. Inwardly she scoffed, like she was going to come closer to him.

“Picking on little kids again I see.” Cam’s voice was cold with fury.

“What’s it any business of yours? No one wants you or them brats. I can do any damn thing I want to them—and to you.” He belched and scratched his oversized belly.

“I will kill you if you touch them again.” Cam threatened. She was done. She knew there would be a price to pay by killing what the Brotherhood considered innocent. In Cam’s eyes, he had no innocence left and she would gladly pay the price. This was a death she wouldn’t lose sleep over.

Roger’s beer can flew across the room hitting Cam on the forehead warm liquid cascaded into her eyes. For a moment her vision blurred, this had never happened before. Cam’s hatred for the man boiled her anger over the top. Roger launched himself and Cam tried to slide right past him, but something was wrong. Her reflexes weren’t as fast as usual. He slammed Cam up against the wall. Cam’s head went through the drywall. As she was yanked from the wall horror flooded her. She was paying the price right now. She had been stripped of her magic, strength, and combat training. She had the strength of an untrained sixteen-year-old. Cam realized that she was in serious trouble and knew she was going to have to fight as hard as she could, even then she didn’t think that was enough.

Roger grabbed Cam’s hair and swung her onto the coffee table scattering the clutter in all directions. Cam realized he wasn’t as drunk as she thought he was as he punched her in the ribs. She squirmed out of his reach but he grabbed her foot at the last second. He pulled her back ignoring her flailing leg. Roger grabbed the front of her jacket and punched her ribs. Cam let out a small gasp as she felt two give away. He felt it too and reinforced it with a couple more punches. He moved on to the softer parts of her body, her face and stomach getting the brunt of it. She tried fighting back using her nails and fists. For the first time her training failed her, she couldn’t remember any offensive moves let alone defensive.

Finally, she got in a good shot but it backfired as he puked all over her. He threw her on the ground and kicked her in the stomach laughing gleefully while he landed each kick. At this point, all she could do was curl up in a ball and force herself not to cry out.

“Roger, honey, baby. Here’s another beer for you.” Betty ventured out of the kitchen holding a beer as a truce. It seemed to bring him out of his rage.

“You let the other one grow warm you worthless piece of shit!” He yelled advancing towards her. Cam, without thinking grabbed his ankle to trip him up. “What the hell are you still doing here?” He demanded while kicking her a few more times. While he was getting the beer, Cam scrambled to her hands and knees. Fighting the dots dancing in her eyes she began crawling towards the stairs. Betty pulled her to her feet and half dragged her to the kitchen. Roger was back to shouting at the TV as if nothing happened.

The light in the kitchen was bright Cam had to blink several times as she focused on the woman in front of her. Betty had fading bruises on her cheek bones and down her neck. She twisted a towel to keep her hands busy as she stared at Cam with teary eyes.

“How bad are they?” Cam asked biting back the nausea while concentrating on breathing through the pain.

“Not too bad tonight.” She whimpered. “I think he was waiting for you to get home.”

Her lips quivered as she pushed a plate of cold chicken towards Cam. “Here eat up, it will help you heal. I don’t think you should go to school tomorrow, leave the house of course, but not to school.” The last word was barely a whisper.

Cam turned away from her shaking her head at her weakness. Leaving the plate untouched she tiptoed past the living room but realized she didn’t need to because Roger was passed out. She navigated the steps biting back sharp gasps as each step jarred her ribs. She was paying the price tenfold.

“Cam!” Two identical redheads flew at her but stopped short when they saw what shape she was in.

“Hi guys!” She to lightened up her voice but it wavered. The twins took a couple steps backwards when they heard her voice crack. Cam could smell the fear rolling off them as they huddled in the shadows of the hallway.

“Don’t worry about me, come here.” She smiled at them. They ventured out and to her relief the only thing that marked them were their tears.

“Did he hit you?” She whispered.

Both nodded their heads no. She put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot. They sighed and raised their sleeves. Fingerprints wrapped around their arms although faint now they would be dark by morning.

“Alright, let me see if I have any of that special lotion left. But first I need a shower.” Both gave Cam teary hugs as she sent them to their room. She made them pinky promise not to leave their room and to lock the door.

Cam stood in the hallway waiting to hear the click of the deadbolt. She was dreading going to her room because it gave her too much time to plan the perfect death for Roger.

Cam’s room was located in the attic with all of Rogers lost dreams and memorabilia of the past. She didn’t mind too much because he had a hard time getting up the ladder. Tonight, she cursed his name as she attempted the rickety wooden steps. Her muscles screamed at her while she climbed the ladder. She realized the without her strength and magic she was just as vulnerable as humans. Once she reached the top, she laid on the floor gasping for air and taking assessments of her injuries.

Cam’s forehead was still bleeding, several ribs were broken and she had sharp pains in her stomach. She closed my eyes, gritted her teeth as she crawled towards the light switch but it was already on. Cam grabbed one of Rogers’s old baseball bats and hoisted herself upright. A soft chuckle vibrated around the room.

“You know just as well as I do—that little metal toy will do nothing against me.” Fear pulsated her bllod. She was careful he shouldn’t have been able to follow her but then she remembered his last comment, “Better get moving you’re three hours late and who knows what that miserable man has done to the twins.” She began muttering under her breath only to find warmth flow out of her.

“You shouldn’t do that, it will kill you.” His voice softened. Cam, finished the stanza and fell to the floor gasping. In her final breaths, she realized a few things. She would never get the attic dirt free. The moldy smell would never come out of the blankets that covered the mattress on the floor. The bloodstains on her favorite jeans wouldn’t come out no matter how many times she scrubbed them. The last thought made tears fall, Cam would never be able to protect the twins again.

“Shhhhhh—don’t cry.” The voice sounded desperate. The world was growing dark and icy. A pair of hands grabbed Cam’s face, the last thing she saw was a pair of blue eyes ebbed with green staring into her own murky brown eyes. Her last thought was clearer than any other.

This is not possible I should be dead for him to touch me, oh—I am. It’s amazing how cold your world can go in just a few short seconds.