Essence: The E.S.T. Org. Read Free Page B

him from a distance. The Native Americans yelled at him until he woke up sweaty and screaming.
    Nicky’s mom ran to his room. “Honey, are you okay?” Mom asked worried.
    “Yeah, I’m fine Mom, just a nightmare.”
    “What about, dear?”
    “It was nothing, Mom.” Nicky didn’t want his mother to worry any more than she has.
    “Okay. I love you.” She kissed his forehead, “Good night.”
    Dad was still out cold. A bomb could go off and his dad could sleep through it.
    As Nicky laid back down, he noticed a blue tinted light shining dimly behind the closed blinds. “Oh no, they’re here.”
    Suddenly, the light disappeared. He looked through the window and saw a tall, dark figure. He tried to scream but only a powerful roar came out of him, just like in school. The roar made the window explode towards the backyard along with the dark figure. His dad and mom ran in moments later.
    “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. There was someone out there.”
    They couldn’t believe their eyes. Dad checked the back yard. “There’s no one here.”
    The window was gone and pieces of the wall could be seen sitting outside. Some pieces of glass and wall were more than twenty feet away. Neighbors started to gather in front of the house.
    Dad stepped outside to reassure them. “It’s okay. It was just a tree that fell in the backyard. It’s fine.” Dad didn’t like lying, but he had to protect Nicky.
    Now Nicky and his parents were sure something or someone was after Nicky, and his new abilities had something to do with it.
    “Don’t worry about it, Nicky.” Dad placed a flattened cardboard box over the hole and sealed it with duct tape. “That should be fine until we get it fixed. So, how did you do this?”
    “Not sure Dad. I was angry and scared and a noise like a roar came out of me. And well … it made whoever was out there go flying backwards.”
    “What?!” his mom said startled.
    “Amazing … that is pretty cool. You know sonic weapons are said to be in use by our own government right now,” his dad quipped.
    “Gill, please, this is serious,” his mom said angrily.
    “Hey, I wish I could do that,” his dad said back to his mom. Nicky smiled. “Okay buddy, why don’t you sleep on the couch tonight?”

Chapter 10 - Sanctuary
    “Good morning, Nicky.” His dad said on another sunny Saturday morning.
    “Morning Mom, morning Dad,” Nicky said just waking up from the living room couch, his hair sticking straight up.
    “So how was the couch?” asked Mom.
    “It was okay I guess. And I’m sorry about the wall.”
    “Don’t sweat it. Just think of our new hole as a cheap skylight, only … on the wall.” Dad was trying to make Nicky laugh and forget about last night.
    But Nicky was still shaken and his dad could see it. He put his arm around him.
    “I don’t know what’s after you Monkey, but I think whatever it is, you can stop them. You have some pretty amazing abilities now. Just remember how powerful you are and have always been. Maybe you don’t believe it now son, but some day you will.”
    Nicky looked up and smiled at his father.
    His dad tried to change the subject. “I know you have a special connection with animals. Why don’t we go to the animal sanctuary? Maybe you can communicate with some of the animals there.”
    “Sure, sounds good to me,” Nicky replied.
    After eating breakfast, a salmon omelet of course, Nicky and his dad jumped into the car and headed north. This drive was very different from the picturesque mountain roads their vacation provided. It was on a flat highway hugged by concrete barriers; the monotony was only broken up by the sporadic graffiti and aggressive drivers. They arrived at the sanctuary about forty minutes later, parking in the gravel lot next to the main building.
    The Johnson Animal Sanctuary was a beautiful facility with hundreds of acres. Hundreds of animals are rehabilitated to be released into the wild. For some of the animals who can no longer take