Chapter 5: Learning the truth

Grandpa motioned for me to sit on the sofa next to him. My mom looked petrified and tried once last time to change her dad’s decision. I started to fear they had something critical to tell me.

“Angel, there are a few things you should learn about us and you,” my grandfather started.

“Ophelia, if you are tired, or you don’t want to have this conversation right now, we can postpone it for later,” my mom said.

“To be honest you're scaring me right now, but at the same time, I want to know,” I replied truthfully.

“Okay then. But before we start, promise me that whatever we are about to talk is going to stay between us,” grandpa told.

“Angel, all these may sound a bit crazy to you, but we are here to answer all your questions,” grandma said and patted my back comfortingly.

“I understand and I promise secrecy,” I said after a few seconds of thinking.

My grandfather nodded and inquired once again, “What do you know about supernatural creatures?”

I looked at him dumbfounded for a moment. Was he serious, or was he trying to joke? “You mean like werewolves and vampires?”

“Witches, warlocks, vampires, werewolves, fairies…”

“They’re plenty of movies and series produced, or books written about supernatural creatures, but it’s all a myth. Those creatures do not exist; they’re fictitious,” I muttered puzzled.

“Is that what you believe, angel?” my grandma asked with knitted brows.

“That’s the logic thing, right?”

“What does your heart say, Ophelia?”

My mother’s question took me completely off-guard. I thought about it carefully, and I tried to find the right words to describe my feelings. “Sometimes I feel that it isn’t normal to see all these dreams or visions. I feel like something about me isn’t normal. I mean windows burst open when I'm angry, the lights go off, the vase broke without putting the tiny pressure on it. I see people’s wrongdoings; I see glimpses of what is going to happen in the near future. I know it’s not normal, and on the other hand, I know that I'm not crazy. These things feel so real,” I explained. I expected them to think that I'm insane, but instead they all had an understanding look on their face.

“That is because they are real, angel. Supernatural creatures exist and you are one of them; we are, too,” my grandpa said slowly.

My eyes widened from fear, astonishment, and curiosity. Somehow, I believed my grandpa, because my mind and my heart for the first time felt at ease. I felt completed; like this missing part of myself gave my existence a whole different meaning.

“So, what exactly are we?”

“We call ourselves as The Keepers,” grandpa told me, but that name doesn’t ring any bell to me.

“What do you expect us, to be?” my mom asked, noticing my frown.

“I don’t know, maybe witches? I haven’t heard of something like The Keepers before.”

“You think that all these things you’re watching on TV or reading in books are real? I have to admit that humans have a wild imagination, though,” my grandma chuckled.

“Angel, how about we take things from the begging?” grandpa suggested, and I simply nodded. “It’s more than a thousand years ago when Moon Goddesses decided to create her creatures. She wanted to make something different than humans, something that could contain a small part of her magic.

“She took her time deciding what these creations would be. First, came the shifters; their primary form is human, but they can shapeshift into three different animals.

"Then came the werewolves, like shifters they could shapeshift but only to a wolf. That doesn’t happen only in fool moon, but they can turn into their wolf form whenever they want. Unlike shifters, werewolves can communicate with their wolf; it’s like they are one.

“Witches and warlocks were Moon Goddess’ next creation. At the begging, they could draw power from nature and alter the weather, heal injuries, grow plants.”

“Then came the fairies, nymphs, and elves; they were named Guardians of Nature. They are responsible to protect the different species of plants and animals, and prevent their extinction,” my grandmother continued with a small smile on her lips.

“Vampires were created much later, and not directly from the Moon Goddess, but with her guidance. Once upon a time, there was a very powerful witch; she was the strongest of her generation. She fell in love with a human and decided to abandon her family and live with her lover. A war happened; slaughters and massacres killed innocent people; women, children, unarmed men were killed without any exception. That said witch lost the love of her life in the war. Her pain was unbearable; she cried and begged the Moon Goddess to bring her partner back.

“Moon Goddess felt sorry for her and decided to help her resurrect her beloved. But, to do that she had to pay the equal price; a life for a life. The spell she performed brought back to life her lover, and at the same time killed her. That is how the first vampire was born. They need the essence of living creatures to stay alive; that’s why they drink blood. They are thought to be half dead- half alive,” grandpa said, and I was rendered speechless.

“Vampires are ruthless and cold-hearted creatures; partly we believe it’s their curse for coming back from the dead, and partly because the first vampire never managed to get over his lover’s sacrifice. They are incapable of love, and if they get detached from their humanity, they turned into killing machines,” my mom said with a sigh.

“Werewolves have mates; their others half, the one person who makes them feel complete. Mates are chosen by the Moon Goddess herself; they are predestined to meet and fall in love. Usually, both are werewolves, sometimes they can have another supernatural as a mate, and in rare cases, a human. The attraction between mates is irresistible, and since they meet, they can’t be apart for a lot of time. They reflect each other emotions, and that’s why if one loses his/her mate can go mad. The pain, the emptiness, the despair can drive them crazy, to the point to end his life and be united with his/her mate at the other side,” grandma explained, and I tried hard to remember all the details I’ve listened.

Grandpa continued his narration after a few moments of silence, “Werewolves form communities and feel more comfortable if they associate mostly with their kind. It’s possible to find a few wolves reside in human communities, but still, they are the exception of the rule. They have an alpha, who’s the pack’s strongest wolf, and all the others submit to his commands.

“About five centuries ago, a group of vampires went aloof, and they were on a killing spree. They killed humans and supernatural creatures without discrimination. Werewolves and witches joined their forces to stop them. A war broke out, and one of the many victims was the Luna, the mate of the most powerful alpha, who ruled back then. The alpha King swore to avenge his beloved death; he killed the vampires that cause the war. But he didn’t stop there; he started hunting down all the vampires and kill them.

“Moon Goddess was completely devastated. She couldn’t stand still and watch her creations kill each other. Partly she felt responsible for what happened; she broke nature’s balance the moment she decided to resurrect a deceased man. She couldn’t kill all the vampires, because that will be against her beliefs. The only thing she could do was to restore the broken balance. That’s how she created The Keepers of the Balance.

“The Keepers were sent on earth to preserve the balance between supernatural species and mankind. Our first mission was to stop that raging war and establish a peace treaty among the supernatural community. Vampires and werewolves are mortal enemies since this war, although they never had another open conflict.”

“So, we are something like the Police for supernatural creatures?” I asked, completely amazed by this story. 

My mom chuckled, “We make sure everyone abides with the rules and if not, we interfere and make that happen. We can punish someone for their wrongdoings and create new laws when it’s necessary. I guess, we can be considered as the supernatural Law Enforcement Agency.”

It seems to be very interesting and somewhat fun. “But how all the other supernatural creatures follow our orders? Are we stronger or did they accept the cooperation willingly?” I asked.

“We are the last supernatural creation that Moon Goddess made. Technically, we can win over any supernatural, but Moon Goddess won’t let us abuse our power. We are considered to be strong and wise; the majority of the creatures respect us, because in that way they showed their gratitude towards their creator. The ones who didn’t comply they were unfortunately killed.

“It is important to understand, Ophelia that we are powerful, but we don’t rule over anyone. We help whoever needs our help. We keep the balance between species and make sure the rules we have established are followed,” grandpa explained to me.

“I understand, grandpa,” I replied with a nod.

“Ophelia, I know all these are much for you to process. We are here to answer all your questions, angel,” my mom said while hugging me.

“Are we all Keepers, don’t we?”

“No, angel, I am a nymph. To be more precise, I am a water nymph,” my grandma said with a bright smile.

“Something like a mermaid?”

Grandma chuckled. “We don’t have fishtail, nor we live underwater. We usually inhabit close to rivers or lakes, and protect the area,” she explained some more.

“Do we have magic powers?” I asked yet again.

“We can't perform magic, but your grandmother uses herbs to make some elixirs,” my mom explained.

“But what about the dreams and the visions I have?”

“A lot of Keepers can see someone’s misdeeds. Sometimes we have to punish a supernatural. We can invade someone's mind and thoughts to see his/her memories of the crime he or she is accused of,” grandpa said.

“There are very few Keepers that can foresee the future. Moon Goddess sometimes sends visions, so we can be prepared and avoid something evil from happening,” mom added.

“David and Chris are supernaturals, too?”

“They aren’t, angel. We learn to recognize a supernatural’s presence when we are close to him. It’s important not to tell them anything, yet. If your mother is going to be with David, then we can let them know,” grandpa explained.

“Okay. Now that I know what we are going to do?”

“You have to study and learn the basics about the supernatural species and our rules. Then it will be your decision if you want to train and fulfill your destiny as a Keeper,” my mom told me and kissed the top of my head.

I never dared to ask the next question that came to my mind. Do I have this choice, since I was born as a Keeper? How can I ignore that Moon Goddess chose me to be one of her creations? Can we hide or run away from our destiny?