Ella Awakened Read Online Free PDF Page A

isn’t it a
little risky for you to just be growing them in your backyard?  Aren’t you
afraid someone will find them?”
    “Well,
they’re not just in the backyard.  They’re in a greenhouse.  The property here
is pretty secluded; we’re in the middle of a seventeen acre wooded lot.  To be
honest, I don’t think anyone really cares whether or not I have a greenhouse,
much less what’s in it.”
    Ella swirled
her hands through the water catching little bits of herbs, studying them, and
then releasing them back into the tub.  “So you don’t ever have company out
here?”
    “Have I ever
had company out here?  Some.  Have I ever invited some kind of plant expert to
check out the greenhouse?  No.”  Burke smiled a little as he teased her.
    “Okay,
thanks smart guy.”  In spite of her cautious reservations, Ella was starting to
feel at ease with Burke, and she enjoyed talking to him.  “Are you going to
tell me what’s happening to me?  Do I have some kind of alien flu?”  She poured
a little soap on a washcloth and ran it over her skin as she listened to
Burke’s explanation.
    “Back home
there are a few different kinds of people.  Some, like your dad, are warriors. 
Some, like me, are healers.  Others are what we call common folk.  All of us
grow up the same way, but just before our twentieth birthday some of us start
to evolve.  The common folk never go through a change.  The process is
physically a little harder for warriors.  For them, there is a little more
going on internally.  You are becoming a warrior, Ella.  When the change is
complete, you’ll be very strong and very fast.  Your senses will be beyond
anyone of this world, even beyond mine.  Your reflexes will be lightning fast,
and fighting will be as natural for you as walking.  There won’t be a person
alive who’ll be able to take you down.”
    “What about
you?  Will you be able to take me down?” Ella teased.
    “No,” Burke
was serious.  “I’m not a warrior, Ella.  I’m a healer.  I’m a little stronger
and faster than the common folk, but nothing like you.  Healers have other
gifts.”
    “Like…” Ella
encouraged.
    “Like making
the tea I just gave you.  We just know what will help.  We didn’t have chemical
drugs back home like they do here.  Everything was natural.  There are other
things, but we’ll talk about that later.  How are you feeling?”
    “My fingers
look like raisins, so maybe I should get out.”
    “Give me
just a minute and I’ll get you some clothes.”  Burke left and returned a minute
later with a pair of pajamas from Ella’s bag; it was a pair of shorts with a
matching cami.  He laid them on the toilet seat and put a large fluffy towel on
the bench next to the tea.  “I’ll be right outside if you need me,” he told
her.
    Ella rinsed
herself, got out of the tub, dried off, and dressed.  She took her time; the
last thing she wanted was to fall over naked only to have him run in to save
her.  It was weird enough having him go through her bag and bring her pajamas. 
She put her hand over her mouth to stifle a little hysterical giggle.  Of
everything she had been through in the past few days, what she thought was
weird was Burke going through her clothes.  If she came through this without
losing her mind and needing some of those chemical drugs Burke had
referred to, it’d be a miracle.
    There was a
little knock on the door.  “Are you all right?” Burke asked.
    Ella opened
the door in response.  They stood for a moment just looking at each other, and
then Burke moved to pick her up.  Ella took a step back.  “I’m okay; you don’t
have to go carrying me around.”
    “Sorry,” he
said.  “I’ve made you a tray.  Why don’t you go back to the bedroom and I’ll
bring it to you.  You’ll probably want to sleep some more after you eat.  The
pain will continue to come and go, and it will be a little easier for you if
you can sleep through as much