Chapter 10

The Spark. The Origins Of The Greys. During the late Palaeolithic period, a group of twenty hunters embarked on a hunting trip that would alter their lives and the world as they knew it. The hunting party comprised four women and sixteen men, a ratio of 1:4. While tracking a herd of deer, a fierce storm suddenly struck, compelling the group to seek shelter in a cave. Unbeknownst to them, this was no ordinary storm, and the shelter was no ordinary cave. It was believed to house the powerful force of the four seasons and was guarded by a pack of wolf spirits. As they fled through the network of caves, the party became separated into four smaller groups, each escaping into a different tunnel. At the end of each tunnel lay a cavern of precious stones. Trapped at the dead ends by the spirits of the wolves, the groups believed their lives to be over. However, just moments before their demise at the jaws of the wolves, lightning struck, bringing down the cave around them. The first group, consisting of one female and five males, was crushed in a tomb of Rubies. The second group, one female and three males, was crushed by Emeralds. The third and fourth groups, each comprising one female and four males, were crushed by Sapphire and Amber. This might seem like the end of this group’s story, but it was just the beginning. The stones that crushed their bodies infused them with power and bound their souls together, not only with each other but with the spirit wolves. They were reborn part human, part wolf, with abilities beyond their imagination. They were the Greys. “You need to eat something,” Mr Collins‘ voice interrupts my reading. | look up and take note of the takeout bag in his hand. It has the logo of my favourite Chinese takeaway from my hometown on it. “I already ate,” | tell him, swallowing the extra saliva that’s flooding my mouth at the smell of the food. “You've had one bite of an apple in the last twenty-four hours. Don’t be stubborn, you are about to go through changes that require you to have a healthy diet,” he hands a box of stir-fried chicken noodles and chopsticks, and my stomach growls in response. “How do you know what I like?” | ask. “Because I've spent all day researching you,” he says, sounding bored. Which is not surprising, my life has been nothing exciting. “Lucky you,” | snort. “How far did you read?” he nods towards the book beside me. “The origin story of the Greys. Is it true?” | ask before popping a piece of succulent chicken into my mouth. | almost moan at the flavours that burst on my tongue. “As far as we know it is, it seems a little vague and far-fetched, but it’s the only explanation we have for how it can be,” he shrugs. “So what's The Spark?” “It's said that when Greys die, they reincarnate and search out their soulmates in every lifetime. But the original four groups only ever find each other when a threat is on the horizon. Only then will one or all of the bonded groups be reunited to deal with the threat. Together, they are much more powerful than the other Greys. They possess extra abilities. The last tone of these groups were rumoured to have united was when they created this realm as a place for us to be ourselves, as the humans started to discover us and exploit us. The Spark is a way for the reincarnated originals to identify each other. Legend states that as the female of the group comes into contact with her male counterparts, a jolt of power will flow through the pair, stopping the heart of the male and syncing its beat to the female and forming a mind connection. Once the connection is established with the whole group, they will be the Alpha group, a group that will lead the army of Greys to eliminate the threat,” he explains between mouthfuls of food. “And you think I'm one of these originals reincarnated?” laugh in disbelief. “Yesterday |I was just a regular human girl. I'm hardly ready to lead an army.” “It would fit the legend,” he shrugs, “but | agree, it's unlikely. We have no proof that any of this is true. For all we know, the books we follow as factual history could have been written by a Grey with a good imagination. | suggest we wait until the seer arrives and finds your bonds. In the meantime, don’t touch any more unbonded males. When your bonds are identified, we will initiate contact in a controlled environment that we can monitor. Then we will know the truth,” “And what if | don’t want to bond? Because I'm really not a fan of this sharing stuff. I've never even had a long-term relationship. I'm certainly not ready to settle down with multiple men,” | huff. “I understand that this is a very different way of life for you, and may take some time to accept. You will not be forced to bond with anyone you do not wish to,” he reassures. “That's good to know,” | sigh with relief. “When is the seer coming?” “I have her scheduled to arrive a week from now, but given the new developments, | will see if she can attend distance from sooner. For the tbeing attend your classes and the extra tuition | have arranged and keep your the unbonded. A package should have been delivered to your room containing everything you will need and your academy phone. On it, you will find your timetable and all the relevant information you will need. It's how you will receive any official communication, so keep it on you at all times. Now | suggest you go back to your room and sleep in preparation for tomorrow's classes.” “Fine,” | sigh and stand to leave before hesitating, “You don’t happen to have a map back to my room, do you?” | ask, suddenly feeling vulnerable at the thought of navigating this place alone. “Work it out for yourself,” he snaps. “What the hell is your problem? Do you have multiple personalities or something because your mood swings are giving me whiplash,” | quip back. When he ignores| he storms out into the darkness with a feeling of impending doom. | make it out of the building and into the night, chills run up my arms, and I look back at the door to Mr Collins’ building. Should I just go back and plead with him to walk to my room? | take a steadying breath and shake my head. He'd probably just be a jerk and send him back out alone anyway. To pull up my big girl panties and be brave. | make it to the fountain in the courtyard when a low growling sound makes my blood run cold and | freeze in fear.