New beginnings
The gentle force
By unknown
In quietude, she walks the earth, A beacon of calm, a soothing hearth. Her words, a balm to aching minds, In her embrace, the weary find.Yet deep within her placid core, Resides a strength unseen before. A dormant force begins to grow, Awaiting time to let it show.
Then comes the day the world will see The blooming of her potency. No longer veiled in mild disguise, Her hidden power magnifies.
For kindness is not weakness born, But strength in velvet, softly worn. And when her spirit fully flowers, The meek reveal their boundless powers.
It’s been three days since ‘TLI’ (the letter incident) as Lizzie calls it and since then things gotten tense.
Not between me and Lizzie… its the kingdom, or the people in it to be exact.
It’s no surprised people are wondering where their kings whereabouts are, they always wonder even when there’s nothing going on.
The problem is that i don’t have an answer to give them making it worse especially when ‘The Shadow Council’ is around. It’s like their waiting for me to mess up even more than usual.
“Josie!”
I’m snapped out my trance as I hear mg call out my name.
”Good morning to you to Mg.” I say, He runs up to me, a bit out of breath he must’ve been looking around for a bit.
”Hi, sorry I’m just-tired I guess?” He speaks in between breaths, I’m guessing he didn’t want to camp around the palace and get caught.
”I see the royal pains are back at it.” Lizzie mutters, walking out the room immediately seeing the gossip group. She rolls her eyes.
“Yeah they’ve been there all morning” I let out a heavy sigh. 😔
“Can’t you guys kick them out or something?” Mg responded his voice cracking a bit
“Yeah, this is our palace? I say we get rid of the Knaves and call it a day.” Lizzie says agreeing with Mgs statement. She starts striding towards them, ready to kick them out.
”Wait.” I put an arm out my voice firm enough to stop her. “We can’t do that.”
She’s looks at me as if I’m crazy. “I see no reason why we can’t kick them out.” She argues, arms crossed.
“Lizzie.” My voice soft, trying to keep her from lashing out. I drag them away from them and towards the training grounds.
”If we kick them out it’ll only raise suspicions. Next thing we know they’ve multiplied but 8.” I explain, Lizzie groans and mumbled but doesn't argue further.
We kept walking in silence, i don’t know why exactly but I didn’t mind it. We walked where it was the opposite.
The training grounds, I can hear yelling and growling, a complete mess.
“Well I must meet up with Kaleb he’s been waiting probably fuming by now.” Mg chuckled the last part before departing.
Lizzie lets out a loud scoff “The wicked witch is here I see.” I follow her eyes till they land on none other than Alyssa Chang
”If I remember Saltzman,” Alyssa says a smirk planted on her face. “you’re the only one that needs help with control.”
Lizzie scowls. The two have always fought even if there was nothing to fight over. It all started over a boy when they were young then it just got worse as time went on. Now they just argue to argue and it can get out of hand.
I could hear them in the background arguing about something I couldn’t really focus on them anymore.
A loud ringing fills my ears.
Zing.
Zing.
Zing.
The world tilts slightly. My head pounds.
Something isn’t right.
The ringing grows louder, buzzing in my head like a swarm of angry bees. I squeeze my eyes shut, pressing my palms against my temples, but it doesn’t stop.
Zing.
Zing.
ZING.
And then just like that it stops.
I inhale slowly, my eyes hurting as I slowly open them. My vision unblurs, the world snapping back into focus. My hearing returns, Lizzie’s yelling stands out.
“Alyssa, I would take a step back before you regret it!”
“Or what?” Alyssa yells, grinning wide, clearly enjoying this.
Lizzie steps forward, her eyes locked on Alyssa, sharp and unyielding.
“Lizzie.” My voice is strained, but at least I can finally see what’s going on around me. Thankfully, nothing has changed.
“You can fight her some other time. The new recruits should be here, why don’t we go… greet them?” I suggest. I don’t even know where I’m going with that, and by the glare Lizzie gives me, she doesn’t like the idea either. But she doesn’t argue.
With a huff, she shoves past Alyssa, stomping away. I follow, listening to her grumble under her breath. Every time I try to get a word in, she immediately shuts me down.
Luckily, I get a distraction when MG speaks up.
“There’s a lot to explain,” he announces to the crowd of supernaturals, “and it will be soon.”
Murmurs ripple through the group.
"Now, usually, Alaric would do this, but he's been held up, so the only other reasonable people to handle this would be…" MG trailed off, clearly unsure who to call up.
That’s when Kaleb stands up.
"His daughters!" he announces.
I glance to my side to see Lizzie seething, sending Kaleb a glare sharp enough to cut through steel. He looks unbothered—at least, until he quickly disappears into the crowd. MG, on the other hand, looks completely distraught, unsure of what to do.
"You like to shine, Lizzie. So go ahead—shine, Saltzman," Alyssa suddenly pipes up from nowhere. Her words don’t sound as mocking as usual—almost like encouragement—but I must be wrong because Lizzie stomps up and pulls me with her, dragging us both in front of the crowd.
"Thank you, Kaleb and MG, for that mediocre introduction," Lizzie starts, throwing more glares at the two vampires.
"This program is meant to help you through your supernatural journey. I shan’t like most of you," she continues, earning a few scoffs and eye rolls. "But that doesn’t matter. Well, it does—so don’t get on my bad side.
"You’re here to improve—for example, controlling your bloodlust around humans. Many of you have that problem so badly that you can’t even be outside right now. But more importantly, you're here for your safety. Whether you were found on the street, saved by the bell, or just found out—you're here to be safe. And that’s exactly what they’ll make sure of. And if it doesn’t, then the people running around aren’t doing their jobs right."
Lizzie finishes her speech, and for a second, there’s silence. It was a bit all over the place, but after a few moments, someone slowly starts clapping. Then another. And another.
Soon, the whole crowd joins in.
Lizzie was always in the spotlight— she enjoyed it. She knew how to get a crowd going, even if she had no idea what she was actually saying. Confidence was half the battle, and my sister never lost.
Lizzie smiled, clearly proud of herself. But as the applause faded, a hand shot up.
"Uhm, no offense, but that doesn’t explain anything, malady."
Lizzie scoffed, turning toward the voice. "I did my part. Josie tells you all the boring stuff."
Right. That’s my job.
Lizzie spun on her heel, stepping back as I moved to take center stage.
"Welcome to the Salvatore Order of the Gifted," I announced. A few murmurs rippled through the crowd, but all eyes remained on me.
"As Lizzie said, this place is meant to keep you safe while you hone your skills and learn to exist within civilization. We do not want the world knowing supernaturals exist, which is why many of you will take on roles that blend into society—knights, helpers, maidens. Each has its own set of rules, which you must follow."
The crowd fell silent, most of them digesting my words—some confused, others nodding in understanding.
"To add on," I continued, "Kaleb will be showing you around and answering any questions you may have. So please, take this chance to acquaint yourselves with him."
I gestured toward Kaleb, who looked nothing short of annoyed but still stepped forward with a dramatic sigh.
"Follow me, chaps! I’ll show you around," he announced, flashing his usual grin. "You know, not many people are lucky enough to have a handsome man like myself as their guide."
Groans and chuckles echoed through the crowd as he led them off, but at least they were following.
"Thank you. I owe you—both of you," he said softly, falling in step beside us.
"It’s okay, MG. It was something small, and we expected it. Not a total surprise or anything."
"Uhm, yes! It was a total surprise. Do it again, and you’re dead," Lizzie interrupted, speeding ahead. Even for her, that was a bit rude.
MG looked hurt, but more than anything, confused. He turned to me. "I knew it wouldn’t end well, but…."
I spoke up to calm his nerves. "She’s just a bit on edge. It’s not you, I swear."
"No, I should’ve expected that the second she got called up to fill in for Alaric’s speech," he muttered, sounding defeated. I could tell he blamed himself, but if anything, it was my fault. MG was my closest friend, and I wanted to tell him everything—I just feared it was too soon.
"Oh, and where is Alaric? I know he’s on that little mission, but he should’ve been back by now."
My head reeled. I knew the question was coming—I just didn’t expect it so soon.
"Dad found a campsite out there, so he said he’ll have to stay a bit longer," I lied. I’m not a liar—I don’t usually lie to my friends, especially about something this important.
"Oh. Alright," MG said, sounding suspicious, but before I could respond, someone waved him down. He hesitated for a second, then vamped off in their direction.
I walked back into the main castle and into my room. The space was fitting for me—regal, refined, lined with books and soft candlelight. Lizzie and I had separate rooms, but somehow, she always ended up in mine at night. Unless, of course, she was with someone, or Dad forced her to stay in her own room.
I spent the next two hours studying—brushing up on different languages, reading about recent events, and going over other things I needed to know. By the time I checked the clock, it was half past noon. I should check on Lizzie.
I left my room, walking across the castle halls to hers.
Not there.
I walked down to the training grounds—she flirted with the recruits from time to time.
Not there.
I checked the kitchen in case she’d gone to grab food.
Not there.
Now I was getting worried. I’m probably overthinking this—Lizzie’s Lizzie. She could be on a surprise date or something, and it’s not too late. But my gut was telling me otherwise.
My head started spinning again. I needed water.
I walked over to the refrigerator, grabbed a bottle, and took a slow sip. Then another. Then another—until there was nothing left.
But it didn’t help.
My head still reeled. My throat still felt unbearably dry. I stumbled toward the entrance, gripping the doorway for support. I tried to push myself toward my room, but then—
ZING.
ZING.
ZING.
I could barely walk. My eyes shut on their own, the world tilting around me. Panic settled in.
ZING.
ZING.
ZING.
I tried to move—tried to do something—but before I could hit the floor, I felt a set of hands catch me.
Then, nothing.