I, PALADIN
Strange Allies #3
The story of how I
got drafted into the world-savin’ business isn’t so complicated.
Amelia Thornhill
directed a vampire at me.
Turns out, I have
a higher calling and I feel horrible every time I have to lie to Mama about my job.
It's been the two of us since I was five years old, so leaving home is painful,
but Amelia says I put people in danger by staying. Because I’m not a normal girl, there will be
no college graduation ceremony, no wedding to a nice man, and no grandbabies
for Mama to spoil, but I'll let her hold on to those dreams as long as
possible. Making sure she’s taken care of always comes first.
Agent Seven’s
origin story.
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Chapter Two
My days started
early. Mama dropped me off at school at
7:00AM on her way to the diner.
Breakfast service started at nine (except Sundays), but restaurants
required a lot of prep work. After
school, I’d walk to the diner to put in my shift until sundown, and then walk
home, or sometimes if it was a quiet night she’d let the staff run the dinner
shift and we’d come home together. I
wasn’t going to be valedictorian, but I got good grades, participated in
activities, and did some volunteer stuff.
My focus was on
college. Didn’t know what came after
that.
Sunday mornings,
Mama and I went to church together, then she’d be at the diner for lunch hours
while I did any Friday-assigned homework until youth group in the evening.
Like I
said—normal.
Guthrie was a
10,000-ish-people town thirty minutes outside Oklahoma City. The first capital of the state, matter of
fact. We had a Historic District and
everything, but the major point was nothing exciting or seriously dangerous
ever happened here. I would know—my
family had been in the area since the Land Rush in the 1800s.
By the weekend,
there had been no more weirdness and I started to breathe easier.
Nothin’ but a bad
dream.
Until Mom came
home Saturday.
The crazy English
lady met with my mother, spinning a compelling tale about representing a summer
camp looking for smart teens with a penchant for service. Humanitarian aid training, focus on the
downtrodden…all the right buttons to push in a Bible-believin’ mother. Bonus: they were offering a scholarship so I
could attend for free.
“Mama, don’t you
think it’s kinda weird she shows up out of the blue with offers on a silver
platter?”
“Gladys from the
Episcopalian church vouched for her. Oh, Della, it’s only a summer program.
This’ll be good for you! You love hearing about faraway places when the missionaries
visit.”
“I don’t wanna go.
I don’t think she’s tellin’ us everything.”
Her pale blue gaze
pinned mine. “You’ve gotta trust people
sometimes, Della Garvison. Now quit fussin’ about it. I already filled out the
release form and that’s final. If you want out of Guthrie, we’re gonna need
some help and this will look good on your college application.”
There was no
arguing with her once she made up her mind.
“Yes, Mama.” She wanted me to
save the world with good intentions.
Little did either
of us know, it would mostly happen at the point of a sword, but I’m gettin’
ahead of myself.
