Protector (Prologue)

         Brendan sprung up from bed and wiped the cold sweat from his brow.

         “That nightmare again...”

         Ever since that dreaded night so many years ago, Brendan Hale had been tormented by vivid interpretations of the night his sister died. For some reason or another, his memory often failed him when he tried to recollect that horrible night, and in his dreams, blue flashes covered the fragments he couldn’t remember. The shade of blue always felt so familiar to him; like that singular pigment was the answer to unlocking his memories.

         Brendan turned over in bed to face his alarm clock. It read 3 o’clock in the morning. After several attempts to try and have a peaceful night’s rest, he realized he wasn’t getting to sleep anytime soon. Memories of Kaitlyn flooded his mind. She was only a few minutes older than Brendan, they were fraternal twins. Though not identical, the two shared many similarities: their ocean-colored eyes and caramel hair the most prominent. She was taken from him on their sixteenth birthday...

         He shuffled his way into the kitchen toward the sink. As the clear water filled the glass, Brendan noticed a blue tint reflect off of it.

         “Just your eyes playing tricks on you. You’re tired.”
                   
         After he finished the water, he set the glass in the sink and decided on trying to go back to bed. As he passed the threshold into his bedroom, a light flashed in his eyes.

         “What the hell’s going on?!” gasped Brendan as he started to lose his breathe. His head began pounding, blue flashes repeatedly plundering his vision. Falling to his knees, he slipped into unconsciousness.

         Brendan awoke in a strange place, shrouded in darkness. He attempted to step forward, but there was some invisible force holding him back. In the distance, he saw a blue glow, around a small figure. The silhouette had flowing hair, to its shoulders, and walked with a certain stature and grace that reminded Brendan of someone... but who?

         “Kait-!” he was cut off before he could finish her beautiful name. Losing breathe again, the figure came into clearer view.

         It was Kaitlyn. Her wavy caramel hair and small frame stepped forward. The source of the blue light became evident. A charm in the shape of an eye swung from a silver chain around her neck, the pupil was a deep calming blue. As Brendan began to fade back into unconsciousness she spoke, in the voice he longed to hear for so long.

         “Protector, you have been connected.”

         He woke up the next morning to find himself, comfortable under the covers in his bed. Checking his surroundings to make sure he was truly at home, he noticed a small jewelry box on his dresser. Upon opening it Brendan was startled by its contents: the charm from his sister’s neck.

         “This can’t be happening...”

         His thoughts were interrupted as the eye started to glow, illuminating his bedroom.