In The Mind of Thaddeus (Short Story) Read online

In The Mind of Thaddeus

  a Short Story

  Julia Crane

  Copyright © 2011 by Julia Crane

  By Valknut Press

  Table of Contents

  In the Mind of Thaddeus

  Evolution

  My Family

  A Typical Day

  Vision of Keegan

  Keegan Ruined My Day

  Day 1 of Keegan’s Training

  Fishing Trip

  Met Rourk Today

  My Future

  Long Training Day

  Concert

  Keegan’s Progress

  Scared

  The Vault

  Time is Flying

  Today Was Fun

  Busy

  Cookout

  Weekend With My Grandma

  After Break

  Leave Tonight

  About the Author

  In The Mind of Thaddeus

  I see dead people. Not really, but I can see the future. I also think I’m quite funny even if no one else gets my humor. My dad is making me keep a journal as part of my homework. Personally, I think it’s a REALLY lame idea. It’s bad enough I have to live with the thoughts in my head. Why should I have to put them down on paper? Well, let me write a little about myself to start. I’m 12 years old, an elf; also what we call a seer. I have visions of the future. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that somehow I am supposed to save our kind from extinction. That part I have yet to figure out. Below is the prophecy that I am mentioned in. I am not mentioned by name however; I am what the elf world considers very rare. Not only was I born with the gift of sight, I was also born a warrior. My father’s linage of warriors goes back to the start of the elfin world. There has only been one other warrior with the gift of sight in the history of the elves.

  Prophecy: An elfin child on the side of the light will be born with the gift of sight. The son of a great warrior. His father will lead the great battle, his son by his side. This child is the only chance the elves have to avoid extinction.

  “The Book of Elfin Prophecy” Compiled 112 BCE

  My first vision at the age of 6 was of my sister Keegan dying. Needless to say, I was a little freaked out. I ran to tell my father who happens to be the baddest elf warrior out there. (I just put that in hopes to get a better grade.) He realized I was the elf they wrote about in The Book of Elvin Prophecy. The elves have been waiting generations for the prophecy to come true. The Army of the Light has been training for the Great Battle everyday for hundreds of years. Quite a lot for a six year old to take in. Although, I have never been a normal child. At least that is what my mom says. I have no idea what normal is. I only know what I am. I am an elf, a warrior in training, and a seer. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be a normal human boy. However, I would not trade my place in the elfin world for anything. Being born an elf is a great privilege. It’s getting late so I am going to call it a night. Till Tomorrow... Peace Out.

 

  Evolution

  Through evolution elves have been able to blend in amongst humans. There are slight differences of course, but it is hard to pick an elf from a human. The main difference is we still have pointed ears, however the point is not as dramatic as it once was. We still tend to be on the smaller size especially the female elves. Also elves have flawless skin, and tend to be very attractive, not that I’m bragging or anything. It’s just the way it is. So if you see an attractive petite female check out her ears, I bet they are pointed. If you hear about a heroic soldier in the news check his ears. And let’s not forget our magical powers. Every elf has at least one main power, and they often have several other secondary powers. One of the cool things about elves is we can visualize someone in our mind and locate them. Elves are not the only super natural creature that has evolved. Humans would be shocked to know how many creatures blended in their world on a daily basis.

 

 

  My Family

  Today I wanted to write a little bit about my family. My father is the leader of the Army of the Light. He spent twenty years in the human army in the Special Forces. Once he retired he came back to lead the Elfin army. I’m pretty close to my father. I think he’s pretty cools as far as dad’s go, and I’m not just saying that to get a better grade.

  My mother is a powerful healer. She’s ok I guess. It’s pretty neat that she can fight as well as most seasoned soldiers. I like to train with her when I get the chance. She’s not a very good cook but that’s alright, she does try. My mom still babies me at times and that can be annoying.

  I have an older sister, and her name is Keegan. She’s usually a pain. Once in awhile we get along. I also have a little brother named Warrick, he’s almost two years old. I like being an older brother most of the time. I can’t wait until he is older and I can teach him how to fight. Right now he just likes to play with blocks and run around screaming for no apparent reason. My family is quite important in the elfin world. We are deeply entwined with the outcome of our kind. I will get to that more later. We have a large extended family of many aunts, uncles and cousins. Family get-togethers can get out of hand.

 

  A Typical Day

  I figure I’ll describe a typical day in my life. My alarm goes off at 5:30 in the morning. I wouldn’t say I am a morning person, but I have adapted to this schedule. After getting out of bed I drop to the floor and do some push ups, pull-ups (yes, I have a pull-up bar in my room), and sit-ups. Like all elves that are born to be warriors, I’m home schooled after sixth grade. This is my first year of home schooling. I have to say it’s not so bad. I can pretty much do my schoolwork on my own schedule. I have more time to play Xbox, which is, of course, awesome.

  The time I spend at the camp is strictly regulated. The training is brutal, but also a lot of fun. For elves, the forming of the military mindset starts from birth, but at camp it’s reinforced. I think the other kids think I get off easy, because my father is the leader of the Light, AKA the Elfin Army. This couldn’t be further from the truth. I feel like I have more pressure on me because he is my father. Not to mention the pesky little detail that I am supposed to save us all. I’ve been avoiding it so far, but my father told me I had to write about my visions or I would not get full credit for this assignment.

  My visions are private. The only person I’ve really explained them to is my father. I feel strange writing about them in a journal even though no one will ever read this. My visions are hard to explain, and I’m sure they are different for everyone with this gift. I don’t think it’s a gift at all. To be honest I long for a clear mind free from visions. My visions are almost constant, which can be VERY annoying. The only time I truly get a break from them is when I fall asleep. Some people have to see someone to get a vision or touch them, but that is not the case with me. Of course when I am near a person, my visions do tend to be more vivid. Thankfully, I cannot see my own future. It’s bad enough I can see the future of the people closest to me. I know how my parents will die. Thankfully, they will be old.

  An example of a vision I just had. I saw flashes of red and black; my aunt Brigid looks annoyed about something. More flashes of color and then she tripped down the stairs. I really don’t want to know what goes on at my Aunt’s private house. What I do want to do is pick up the phone and say, “Hey, Brig I’d steer clear of the stairs today.” However, I’m not allowed to. I’m not supposed to interfere in the outcome of fate. Which is ridiculous — if I could save her from falling down the stairs, why shouldn’t I? Most of the visions I get are harmless. But there are some that are much more intense. I really hate when I have a vision of someone dying, which is why I tend to stay home most
of the time. For instance, something as simple as going out to a store turns into a kind of nightmare. I’ll see the death of a cashier in a car crash or an old lady taking her last breath. I feel like I should stop it, but I can’t. The main rule of a seer is you are not to interfere with destiny. You might wonder why I don’t anyway. To be honest, I’m afraid of the outcome if I did. What if I really messed up fate? I did break this rule once. I couldn’t stand the fact of seeing my sister dying. We fight a lot and all, but still she’s my sister. If I can save her from dying I must try. I’ll save that story for tomorrow’s entry.

 

  Vision of Keegan

  First I need to explain what a chosen is. In the elfin society our mates are predetermined. We each have a perfect half and we bring them together once they are both of age. Elves do not divorce, it is unheard of. The bonds between chosen’s are so strong that a divorce has never happened. That is not to say that partners never fight. My parents argue, but they always make up. My mother has such a bad temper, and my father compliments her with his easygoing personality. By the end of most arguments he has her laughing.

  Ok, so I broke the rules once. When I saw Keegan dying in my vision, and I was told I was the child in the prophecy, a whole world opened up to me. I have access to all things magical in the elf world. I can speak to other seers, I’m able to read the books of prophecy, I have access to wizards etc. I pretty much have the elfin world of magic at my fingertips. It took me a couple of years before I made the decision to interfere with the outcome of the vision. I talked it over with my father. He was uncertain at first. However, when you are talking about someone’s flesh and blood, it’s easy to persuade them. I decided to make one simple change. First I should explain what the vision was.

  I can still picture the vision as clear as day. Visions are strange; they do not always show the whole picture, usually just snap shots. She was on the ground, an arrow through her heart. Blood was everywhere. People screamed. Swords clashed. Then there was total blackness. As quickly as that vision ended, another one started. In this one, there was a fork in the road. Keegan, laughing, ran to the right. Behind her came a tall boy with reddish hair who was also laughing. He grabbed her by the waist and swung her around.

  My take on the vision was if Keegan was with the boy with rusty hair, she could live, and if not, she would die. Well, in the vision she didn’t look old enough to be over 18. It took a while to figure out who the boy was. Once we found out it was Rourk, my dad was OK with the whole idea. He was a warrior, and not just any warrior. He was a GREAT warrior. The Army of the Light had already noticed Rourk; he was a natural.

  The best plan I could come up with was to remove the cloak for Rourk. So, we had Keegan’s cloak removed. He would know her, but she was not supposed to know him. You see, chosen’s are cloaked from each other until they become of age, just in case they happen to pass each other in the street. The main reasons chosen’s are cloaked from each other is so we can enjoy our childhood. The bond to your chosen is so strong it would be hard for children to focus on living a normal life without them. I know that sounds dramatic, but it is true. I also decided to plant his name into Keegan’s mind. This was easy enough to do. She was always begging me to tell her about her chosen. I finally agreed to tell her his name and nothing more. I told her if she ever felt in danger to think his name. I have to say I feel kind of bad for Rourk. It must be hard for him to resist the pull she has over him. I know for a fact she thinks of him all the time. I’ve caught her in her room talking out loud to him or making their wedding plans. Girls are so weird.

 

  Keegan Ruined my Day

  Keegan is really getting on my nerves lately. Don’t get me started with her singing. I swear she thinks she is good. News flash: she sucks and it’s beyond annoying.

  Today she really crossed the line. We got called down to a family meeting. A family meeting in my house is something we all wish to avoid. Thankfully, they don’t happen to often. It seems Keegan went to a new age fair, and my parents freaked out. Keegan has been kept in the dark about everything. She had no idea about the war going on between the light and the dark. She had no idea that her life hangs in the balance and has something to do with the great battle. (She still doesn’t know about her possible death in battle.) Today she found out about the war and the consequences of allowing a psychic to read her. Our family is deeply entwined in the fate of our kind. There is a reason for our secrecy, and walking into a place and saying, “Here I am, look into my soul and tell me what you see,” is not a bright thing to do. I can understand why my parents were upset.

  There was also a dark elf at the fair, which is really odd. Dark elves tend to stay up north and they don’t intermingle with humans as much as we do. Because of this my parents are convinced the battle is quickly approaching. I hope it’s not too soon. I have no idea what I’m supposed to do.

  Now let’s get to the worst part. I have to train her! She is a walking mess, how am I going to turn her into a soldier? She can barely make it across the room without tripping. I’m supposed to teach her how to fight. Sounds like loads of fun to me. Headed to bed so I can get these visions out of my head. Night!

 

  Day 1 of Keegan’s Training

  Since she sucks so badly, we started with basic kata moves using a training sword. I have to say I was surprised she didn’t complain. She actually seemed to zone out and get into the movement. Maybe this won’t be as bad as I expected. It’s actually fun to teach someone. I’m usually the student so it’s cool to have the roles reversed for a change.

  I love training. We train several hours a day at the camp. There are so many techniques to learn, it’s amazing. I have a photographic memory so I can memorize books. I’ve read every book on combat training I can get my hands on. It’s pretty cool to be able to flip through my mind and see the pages. My favorite training is close quarters combat; you have to be able to make split-second decisions or you will more than likely die. I love the high intensity of it. Of course, so far I have only participated in training. A real life situation might not be quite as fun.

  I’m going over to Sam’s tonight, which is always cool. We’ll be playing Black Ops all night. He’s my best friend. We’ve been friends for as long as I can remember. Our dads used to be in the human Army together. Actually, Sam is my only friend. That should make me feel like a loser, but it doesn’t. I’ve never felt the need to have a lot of friends.

  As far as visions go, nothing of real interest today. I’ve had the flashes all day as usual, but nothing substantial. I wish I would have more insight into the battle. It can be so aggravating. There’s a prophecy and yet no one knows the outcome. Are they just testing us? Why would they know there was going to be a battle, but not know who will win? That has never made any sense to me. Although, like most things dealing with magic, they rarely make sense.

  I’m starting to like keeping a journal. It’s kinda cool to write down my thoughts. Hopefully no one ever gets their hands on it. I’ll just delete the account once the homework assignment is done to be on the safe side. Can you imagine if this got into the hands of a human? Although, I guess they would just think it was a joke.

 

  Fishing Trip

  Today was awesome. Sam’s father took us fishing. He is so cool. He doesn’t really talk much, but he always smiles and laughs at my jokes so that’s a plus. I’m so glad it was just the three of us. Sam has a huge family that includes five brothers and sisters. And they are all pains... I really can’t stand his older brother; he is always making fun of us. We drove out to Land Between the Lakes. It took about 45 minutes. Sam caught the biggest fish and that wasn’t very big. I caught four puny fish. We got to make a fire pit and cook some hotdogs. I can’t seem to get enough food lately. I want to eat all the time. I think I ate four hotdogs and half the bag of chips. I was still hungry. Sam’s dad said I must be going through a growth spurt. I sure hope so since I’m pretty sm
all for my age. Sam is super tall for an elf, but he’s also skinny as heck. I think I’d rather be shorter and not be a stick.

  Being out on the lake in a boat is so relaxing. I wish I could have stayed out there all weekend. We didn’t head home till dark. I had visions, but nothing of significance. I think perhaps being around nature and few people might dull the visions. I can’t be sure though. I did see a few funny things with Sam’s family. His oldest sister was getting ready for a date and she was throwing a fit because her hair was messed up. One of the younger sisters was crying because she got a C on a test. Seriously, there has to be something wrong with girls’ brains. I told Sam about the vision and he wanted to piss his sister off so he texted her “Thaddeus said your hair looks like crap.” She didn’t reply, but even Sam’s dad was laughing. I’m glad I only have one sister I can’t imagine having to deal with three like Sam. Well, it’s getting late so I need to head to bed. Tomorrow is going to be another long day of training.

 

  Fishing Trip

  Today was awesome. Sam's father took us fishing. He is so cool. He doesn't really talk much, but he always smiles and laughs at my jokes so that's a plus. I'm so glad it was just the three of us. Sam has a huge family that includes five brothers and sisters. And they are all pains'I really can't stand his older brother; he is always making fun of us. We drove out to Land Between the Lakes. It took about 45 minutes. Sam caught the biggest fish and that wasn't very big. I caught four puny fish. We got to make a fire pit and cook some hotdogs. I can't seem to get enough food lately. I want to eat all the time. I think I ate four hotdogs and half the bag of chips. I was still hungry. Sam's dad said I must be going through a growth spurt. I sure hope so since I'm pretty small for my age. Sam is super tall for an elf, but he's also skinny as heck. I think I'd rather be shorter and not be a stick.