Becoming A Legend Part 1

Becoming a Legend.

By B. Kristin McMichael.

Learning my fate was the first task.

Becoming my fate was a completely a different story.-Ari.

ONE.

Arianna Grace stepped on the brake much harder than she expected, and the occupants of the car all jolted against their seat belts. Arianna blushed as she put the car into park. She had officially been driving with her permit for three months now, but she still couldn't step softly enough on the brake to keep everyone from jerking forward each time.

"Sorry about that," she said with a giggle.

Thomas Collins scowled in the back seat, being shaken out of the book from which he was studying. Thomas' one year stint as Arianna's personal guard was coming to an end in less than two weeks, and he was anxious to get on with his life. Part of 'getting on with life' included getting his grades back up so that he could get into a good college.

"Stop apologizing," Andrew Lucan said, flipping his dark curls out of his face. Andrew was a constant puzzle to Arianna. His rocker image, with ripped jeans and a t-s.h.i.+rt, was at odds with his soft-spoken manner around Arianna. "Everyone is a bit choppy when just learning to drive." Arianna nodded, not completely rea.s.sured. Legally, Andrew was old enough, at eighteen, to be teaching her how to drive, but he was really only a year older than Arianna.

"Do you have a date for your birthday party at Gabriel's yet?" Andrew asked as nonchalantly as he could, stretching his arms to the ceiling of the car and flexing his nicely-shaped arms. Arianna tried not to look. After the birthday party her uncle threw year ago, she already knew that there was some sort of physical attraction between her and Andrew. Since last year, she had tried her best to keep everything in the realm of friends.h.i.+p, because everyone she was surrounded by tended to view Andrew as the enemy.

"No, are you asking?" Arianna teased, wondering if he knew how good he looked. Arianna tried to stifle her sigh. The physical attraction was still there. Now after a year of meeting up with him, always with a guard present and thankfully never alone, she actually considered Andrew her friend as well.

"Only if you'd say yes," he replied. Andrew looked across the movie theater parking lot that they were now sitting in. After concentrating for only a few seconds, Andrew looked back to Arianna, who refused to look in the same direction.

"You didn't tell him that you were out with me?" Andrew asked.

"Um, no," Arianna replied. Thomas' head snapped up from the back seat.

"Not again," Thomas complained quietly to himself.

"Ari, how is he ever going to trust me if you keep running around behind his back to see me?" Andrew scolded. Technically, there was no running involved, since they were driving, but Arianna didn't think it was appropriate to add that.

"He's never going to trust you." Arianna wanted to elaborate as to why but had promised Devin she wouldn't. Devin and Andrew were exact opposites in every way possible. Everything about them was at odds, the bold Andrew to the clean-cut, all-American Devin. They were two sides to a war that Arianna hoped she could end by being the head of both sides.

Arianna quickly glanced over to Devin Alexander. He looked perfectly relaxed, leaning against his car, staring down the road they drove in on. His sandy blond hair drifted perfectly over his sky blue eyes. To the outside world, he was just a teen waiting for someone, probably to meet up with at the theater. A cool, collected teen standing around on a brisk spring day in just a t-s.h.i.+rt and jeans-his normal attire. But Arianna knew otherwise. His arms crossed over his chest loosely, but his hands were slightly too tightly pressed against his biceps. His thoughtful, aloof look was actually masking his worried, and angry, thoughts. He seemed to be leaning against the car, but he was actually very tense, ready to spring across the parking lot in an instant.

Andrew raised an eyebrow to question Arianna, but chose to not vocalize his opinion. "You'll be back next week for the Grace party?" Andrew asked, avoiding the subject of Devin.

"Yep, as soon as I can get away from the Randolph estate and their planned birthday party." Arianna turned the car off.

"That will give you one more day to practice before your test?" Andrew already knew the test date, but was trying to stall her from leaving. He really did want to be her date for the Grace party, and wished she would finally take him seriously.

"Yes, if you can help me practice just a bit more. I really want to get my license before I turn seventeen, but two days after will have to do," Arianna complained. Everything that had happened in the last year had made it impossible for her to get any time to practice driving. She knew the theory of driving well enough from cla.s.ses she had taken before she even turned sixteen, but experience was an area left untouched. She only saw her guardians Dean and Lilly a few days a week, and they were always busy with the diner they owned. The rest of the week, she was living at her rich late grandfather's estate. There was no reason to drive anywhere with chauffeurs driving anything that had more than two wheels.

"Yes, but you must promise me that next time you'll tell Devin." Andrew nodded across the empty parking lot to his rival. Andrew knew that Arianna would never forgive him if he hurt Devin, and running around behind her guard's back would eventually lead to a confrontation which he was most likely to win.

"Why? He doesn't tell me where he's going, why should I tell him?" Arianna was always stuck between Devin and Andrew. Both cared for her greatly, but neither really trusted the other.

"Ari." Andrew sighed. "I need you to behave. Devin will never trust me if you insist on sneaking around like this." Andrew tried to reiterate his position in that she needed to tell Devin about her meetings with him. Andrew was a night human, baku to be exact, and Devin was not. Trust was hard to come by, being that a baku night human killed Devin's family when he was a kid. Andrew knew this much, but was unaware of the extent of the hate Devin had for Andrew particularly.

"And what do you need his trust for?" In the baku community, Andrew ranked just below Arianna and her uncle Gabriel. Andrew didn't reply, so Arianna changed the subject. "The answer to your question about being my date is yes." Andrew still didn't reply, but she felt the happiness behind his scowl. "Then I'll see you next week?" Arianna asked awkwardly, knowing exactly what he was feeling but pretending not to. On her previous birthday, Arianna became a night human, a very special night human. While night humans were cla.s.sified into four distinct races, Arianna was a mixture of two and was the only one like that who existed. One of her many new powers included feeling what everyone around her felt.

"Yes, same time, same place," Andrew added. He reached across the seat before she could open the door and slightly touched her face. She was getting used to the surge of emotion she felt at the touch of skin in general, but his was always stronger than most.

Arianna wanted to break eye contact, but in doing so, he would just send even more feelings her way. Arianna reached up and touched his hand. He smiled at the reactions that he read from her, knowing that his need of her was reciprocated. The pull of Andrew was like a magnet.

Arianna opened the door and stepped out of the vehicle. Closing the door, she turned to begin her trek across the parking lot to the person waiting for her. Thomas followed Arianna, not waiting to get between them as they began to communicate with their eyes only. Even without the ability to read emotions like the baku night humans, Thomas knew that Devin was angry with Arianna and she was with him. Devin remained casually leaning against the car, now staring at Andrew as he drove away.

"Next time, tell me before you change your plans," Devin said, opening the back door of the car for Arianna.

"You're not my parent," Arianna argued, not getting into the car. Arianna's parents were dead for crossing the line between the races of night humans. One had been baku and other dearg-dul. Their union created Arianna, who was a mixture of both.

"How am I supposed to keep you safe if you don't listen to me?" Devin gripped the car door to keep from moving forward.

"If you haven't noticed by now, I can keep myself safe," Arianna complained. Devin stood, holding the door open for her. Thomas waited behind, not moving until Arianna did. Arianna sighed as she got no response from Devin and slid into the seat.

"Can't you just let me protect you?" Devin asked, exasperated by his attempts to keep her safe, which she kept ignoring. Thomas slid into the seat beside Arianna.

"And what would you've said if I told you I was going to go driving with Andrew?" Arianna asked, already knowing his reply.

"Absolutely not. He isn't safe, and we both know that." Devin started the ignition. "Baku cannot be trusted, and that family is especially unsafe."

"That's where you're wrong," Arianna replied. "His uncle isn't safe, but Andrew is. He would protect me with his life if he needed to." Devin sighed. They'd had this same argument the week before, and possibly the week before that as well. Arianna opened the door before Devin moved the car out of park. "I've changed my mind. I don't think I need a ride home after all." Arianna raced from the car, across the parking lot, to the bus pulling up to the bus shelter. Thomas was close behind, sans his books.

Arianna climbed onto the bus, and found a seat located at the back. Thomas hesitantly stood nearby, wondering if he should sit beside her or not. Thomas was in the position of being her bodyguard, not by choice, but to work off a life debt owed Arianna's uncle. Arianna smiled up at him.

"I won't bite," she said. This was her usual comment when he wouldn't come near her. Tengu weren't very trusting of dearg-dul, and since Arianna was part dearg-dul, he always hesitated with her. "At least not without asking first." She grinned at him. Thomas sat beside her. He had watched her for a year, and knew that was true. He just couldn't stop the basic instincts that every tengu had around dearg-dul.

"I wish he saw Andrew the way I do," Arianna added, staring off to the street as the sky began to dim and street lights turned on. Arianna felt both Devin and Andrew turned around to follow the bus. Running away was never really an option when she was the sun that everyone gravitated to. Arianna really needed girl time with her friends, but again, they were too busy with their normal day human lives. Thomas would have to do as the only neutral person on her team she could talk to about everything.

"You know, he'll never let you be alone with him, so why do you keep pus.h.i.+ng his b.u.t.tons on this?" Thomas asked. Thomas actually sided more with Andrew than Devin, but since his job was to follow Devin's orders, he had to go with Devin on this issue. "I think Devin could be persuaded to let you be near Andrew if you had more guards and not me. You could've had someone else come with us."

"Like who? They all kind of hate Andrew," Arianna replied.

"Turner seems to be able to control himself around him," Thomas added.

"Yeah, but the two of them in one car is way too much for me." Turner and Andrew had both made their intentions for her affections obviously clear. "Have you ever been crushed by love? And jealous love at that?" Thomas laughed. Arianna smiled at the sound. Thomas was serious most of the time, and his laugh was something Arianna never grew tired of.

"So your stint as my protector is almost done. One more week, and you're free. What's next?" Arianna asked trying to change the subject to calm herself.

"Fixing my grades. I think I need to get extra credit in every single cla.s.s," Thomas replied, pus.h.i.+ng up his wire-rimmed gla.s.ses to stare out the window with her. He had slacked on all his subjects in school for the past year.

"Sorry about that. I bet spending half the week away didn't help much," Arianna replied.

"Nah, it was fun," he added. "I just found it was easier to slack since the dog was setting such a good example for me." Thomas had found his year of indentured servitude fun, though he would only admit that to Arianna.

"You always blame Turner for everything." Arianna sounded just like a mother scolding a child.

"Well he's almost always at fault," Thomas added. Arianna couldn't disagree. Turner brought trouble everywhere he went, and slacking off school work was his style. "Let me restate that-not almost. I actually think he's at fault every single time I can remember." Arianna laughed. The war between Turner and Thomas was more personal than just the difference in their night human forms. Lycan and tengu never got along. It was why they each sided with the baku and dearg-dul, who also didn't get along. Arianna figured the dislike came from the food source. Baku and dearg-dul needed blood to survive and thus were in constant compet.i.tion for day humans while tengu and lycan could use blood, but preferred meat to survive, and thus were also always in compet.i.tion for food.

"And after high school?" Arianna turned the conversation back to Thomas' nearing departure from her security detail. "Once you get away from this crazy life, what will you do?" Arianna asked. Thomas heard a slight hint of jealously in her question. Getting away wasn't an option for her. She was born into her life, and she couldn't change her destiny if she tried. Her grandfather had been the head of a family of dearg-dul, and she was the sole heir. The baku based their leaders.h.i.+p on strength, and she was the head there by being twice as powerful as the baku next in line.

"It will be college. I've already been accepted into three colleges, just not my favorite. The eventual plan is for med school, actually," Thomas replied. Arianna turned back, shocked to hear the answer. "What? I don't seem like the doctor type to you?"

"Not really," Arianna replied. The bus reached their stop, and Arianna led the way off. "More the mad scientist type." Thomas pretended to be hurt, but that just made Arianna laugh more. Arianna stopped laughing before they crossed the street.

Turner Winter was standing outside the diner run by Arianna's aunt and uncle. Arianna indicated for Thomas to be quiet. She walked quietly behind Turner and jumped onto his back. Turner laughed as he caught her in mid-jump and twirled her upside down. Arianna slid out of his grasp and twisted to land on her feet. Turner swept her back up and locked her in his arms. It had become a game to practice sneaking up on Turner. He had the best senses out of anyone in her protection unit, and if she could beat him, then she would be able to sneak up on anyone.

"You thought you'd get a jump on me?" Turner asked. He slid his arms around her waist and nuzzled his face into her hair. Thomas moved around the display of affection and walked into the diner. Turner held her hand as she slid to the ground. He began to lead the way into the diner, but Arianna stopped him. Things between Arianna and Turner had moved more toward best friends than boyfriend mode over the past year. It wasn't that Arianna still didn't adore Turner and his freedom, but she just didn't feel for him the same way she felt for Devin. Turner, as always, never pressured her for anything more.

"Um, maybe a walk?" Arianna asked, sensing Devin parking the car behind the diner. Devin walked into view, and Arianna looked away.

"Sure," Turner replied. "Bird brain, we're going out for a walk." Thomas stopped mid stride and turned back around. Turner ignored Devin as well, but already had his approval. Devin trusted Turner, just not Andrew.

Turner held Arianna's hand as they began to stroll down the sidewalk. Thomas was half a block behind them as extra security. Nothing needed to be said as they walked. Turner felt the tension rippling off Arianna from dealing with Devin. Arianna smiled up at Turner and laid her head on his shoulder. He never questioned her judgment, no matter if he agreed or disagreed with her. Turner was the only one that understood her need to be free. Arianna reached up to put her arm around him. She paused and tried to sense the people around her again. It was only slight, but she smelled a new scent coming from somewhere behind them. They were being followed, and she didn't know by whom.

TWO.

Turner sensed her slight hesitation, and wrapped his arms tighter around her. Arianna relaxed a little with her hand on Turner's back, and she signaled to Thomas to back up further. Thomas paused by the bus stop and pretended to wait. Arianna took Turner's hand, and they continued to walk to the nearby park. Soon, two people slowly walked behind them: a rather short guy with dark spiky hair and a bleach-blonde who was taller than the guy. They were close enough to sense, but oddly Arianna still couldn't tell what they were. Turner slipped a protective arm around Arianna's shoulder, which would be interpreted by anyone else as a display of affection.

"You ran off without telling Devin again?" Turner asked, while concentrating on the people behind them.

'I can't tell what they are; they don't even seem like any type of night human I know,' Arianna said in her head, projecting her thoughts to Turner.

"I wouldn't say ran off. I did go to the theater. I just happened to meet Andrew there," Arianna replied. Turner tried to suppress the small growl that slipped out at the mention of Andrew. The two people backed slightly away, misinterpreting his growl.

"You know you can't be alone with him," Turner brought his reaction back under control. "He isn't safe."

"He's as safe as you or Devin," Arianna replied. "Besides, I wasn't alone. Thomas was with us."

"And Thomas is on his side," Turner added. Thomas coughed his displeasure at the bus stop, now over a block away. Thomas had excellent hearing. The guy and girl following them didn't hear or pay attention to Thomas.

'Neither can I. If you hadn't been hesitant, I don't know if I'd have sensed them at all. They seem close to baku and dearg-dul, but not completely,' Turner replied.

"You know someone your size needs protecting," Turner commented, exaggerating his height to make a point.

"I don't need protection," Arianna complained. "At least not from Andrew." All the dominant testosterone drove her nuts. It was hard enough to be caught between them all the time, but the excessive compet.i.tion was crazy.

'They're stalking us,' Arianna commented, not turning around. She felt the followers behind her. Because she was the first female baku on record, Arianna a.s.sumed that the girl must be a dearg-dul, but the girl was just a bit different than what Arianna would call a dearg-dul. Arianna couldn't sense a physical difference, but the girl's scent was just off somehow.

"You know, I'm running out of short jokes." Turner tried to lighten the mood to keep the people behind them guessing. Arianna pulled away from him and punched him lightly in the gut before crossing her arms in protest.

'This is exactly what Gabriel was talking about. We need to take them back unharmed and alive. Something is really off with them.' Arianna continued her pout while they walked.

'They almost smell like you.' Thomas referred to the mixture of night humans that Arianna was.

"I'm not finished growing," Arianna complained. Turner was an excellent tactician. She knew where he wanted this conversation to go. "But if I wanted, I could be as tall as you." Arianna changed from day to night human form. She grew almost eight inches in height. Now she was only slightly shorter than Turner. Turner smiled as she understood his jab at her height.

"But I'm still taller," he added, changing instantly to his night human form also. He was now still a head taller than her. Fur covered much of his body and long, sharp claws protruded at the end of each finger. He was an excellent fighter. Those claws could be deadly when he needed them to be.

"Not fair," Arianna complained, and Turner swooped her off her feet and into his arms, retracting his claws to be safe. The normally overwhelming feeling of love that pulled Arianna to Turner was subdued by his concentration. "Put me down." She playfully hit his chest. Turner nuzzled his furry face to hers to make her squirm.

'We can't strike first,' Arianna complained. 'Devin and Molina are on their way but want us to wait.'

"What's the magic word?" Turner rubbed his furry face against her cheek.

"Now?" Arianna guessed. Turner laughed and put her down. He really did have to follow her command, even if he didn't like to follow rules. Arianna slid to the ground and pretended to pout. Turner then dramatically dropped to his knees and bowed before her.

"Oh, all powerful leader, I am sorry to have offended you." Turner picked up her hand to kiss it. Arianna smiled at his display and his ever-growing plan. With her hand near his mouth, he could take blood from her discreetly so that he was powerful enough to fight anyone. Her team, with the exception of Devin, had grown used to using her blood when fighting to protect her. With a power-up from her blood, her guards and keepers could defend her against anyone, keeping her completely safe.

'So, you want the girl or the guy?' Turner asked. Turner jumped up, swooping Arianna into his arms to carry her to the park. He wanted to keep in the moment with her in his arms, but the strangers behind them were waiting.

'The baku,' Arianna replied, still trying to sense which one was the baku. Arianna guessed the male had to be. 'We don't need a repeat of our exercises with Gabriel.' The previous week Gabriel had taught Arianna how baku could make someone fall asleep with just a tap to the back. Turner, being the smart-aleck he was most of the time, said that it wouldn't work on him. Gabriel proved otherwise.

'Hey, good way to ruin a man's self-confidence.' Turner set her down finally.

'Stay back,' Arianna commanded of Thomas when he made to move. 'We don't know where they came from or if there are more.'

Arianna didn't hesitate as the two people behind them suddenly charged them. In a blink of an eye, Arianna was behind the male, pressing down expertly on his shoulder. He slumped to the ground instantly. Gabriel had been smart to show her that move so recently. Arianna turned to find Turner exchanging blows and slowly winning over the girl as well. He was trying to not hurt her, but the girl fought ferociously. Arianna heard a crack as he landed another blow. The girl fell to the ground and hit her head, leaving her body limp.

"I said not to hurt them," Arianna complained as she approached the girl, and Turner stood over the now unconscious boy. Turner dragged the body of the boy over next to her. Arianna picked up the girls arm. Something was extremely off with her. Arianna was the only hybrid night human that ever existed. Now it seemed like there were more.

"I wasn't trying," Turner replied. "I'm just still not used to your blood." Arianna's unique blood was ten times more powerful than even the strongest night humans. Turner had used her blood several times in the past, but he still couldn't control the great increase of his own strength due to drinking it.

"Devin is on his way with Molina, so we need to just wait," she said quietly, still studying the two unconscious bodies. Arianna walked over to the boy and looked at him. He had to be a baku for sure, but not one of her clan. Arianna had yet to meet the other clans. Between running the Randolph clan of dearg-dul and the baku Grace clan, she had little free time to do anything else. And when she did get a moment or two, Gabriel was always there, trying to train her further for a moment like this.

"What do you think they are?" Arianna asked, looking down at the two people. She stared hard at them, but nothing distinguished where they came from. The girl's bleach-blond hair was noticeable, but not a.s.sociated with a specific location. The guy was just average in height and coloring. Nothing on their clothing placed them from a particular area or clan.

"She smells more dearg-dul than anything. Yet there's another scent on her," Turner explained, leaning down over the girl. He had more knowledge of the night human world because, unlike Arianna, he was raised in it. He looked over the girl first. Something seemed odd about her blond hair, but he couldn't place it. Next, he moved over to the guy.

"Maybe she's been hanging out with this guy too much," Arianna suggested. "Maybe my existence is really changing everything. More night humans getting along..."

It was a stretch to think that night humans could get along. They'd been fighting for hundreds of years, and her birth didn't change a thing. Both sides targeted her parents to kill her mother before Arianna was even born. They couldn't even say for sure who killed her father just before her fifth birthday. The only way to keep her safe was to put her with Lilly and Dean, her mother's best friend who had recently lost a child. They kept her hidden and away from prying eyes for almost eleven years, until Arianna turned into a dearg-dul on her sixteenth birthday like all other dearg-duls had.

"No, it isn't his scent." Turner confirmed Arianna's suspicion with his excellent lycanthrope sense of smell. Turner stared harder at the girl. He reached down to pick up her arm and froze. Over forty people appeared out of nowhere and encircled Arianna and Turner along with the two unconscious forms at their feet.