The One Discovered (Chronicles of the Diasodz, Book 1)

By Yvette M Calleiro

How do you choose when both options have dire consequences?

Sofia is a 17 year old who is quite content with her life. She has a caring boyfriend who also just happens to be her best friend since birth. She has a loving mother. She is successfully completing her last year of high school and enjoys her part-time job. She can’t imagine wanting more from her life...until Ar’ch (pronounced Ar-rick) enters her dreams, sparking a burning flame inside of her that she can’t seem to extinguish nor does she want to.

Ar’ch is a Diasodz (Die-ah-sodz), a species created by the Goddess back when God created humans. Diasodz were made to heal and protect humans, but when the Diasodz turned their backs on helping humans and left Earth to live in their own world, the Goddess abandoned them. Since then, their powers and their very lives have been fading. A prophecy foretold that a young girl born on Earth would be the Diasodz’s savior. Ar’ch and his brother, Angel, travel to Earth to retrieve her and bring her back to their world before her death day in order to save their kind. Ar’ch knows the drill: find the target, capture her, and safely bring her home. But what happens when the target captures his dormant heart?

Choices create action. Actions have consequences. When faced with the truth, what choice will Sofia make? Will she be able to accept the consequences that follow?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Yvette M Calleiro
• Release date: Jan 27, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311253620

Yvette M Calleiro

Yvette M. Calleiro is a heavily addicted reader of both young adult and adult novels. She spends most of her time pseudo-living in paranormal worlds with her fictional friends (and boyfriends). When she’s living among real people, Yvette M. Calleiro is a middle school Reading and Language Arts teacher. She’s been sharing her love of literature with her students for over twenty years. Besides writing about the various characters that whisper (and sometimes scream) in her head, she enjoys traveling, watching movies, spending quality time with family and friends, and enjoying the beauty of the ocean.Yvette lives in Miami, Florida, with her incredible son who has embraced her love for paranormal and adventurous stories. She also shares her space with an assortment of crazy saltwater animals in her 300-gallon tank.

Book preview

Chapter One

Sofia closed the latest novel that had captured her interest and leaned back against the familiar bark of her weeping willow tree. She sighed as she recalled the last scene. If only she could know that kind of love, where a man would risk heaven and earth simply to fight for the love of the woman who had stolen his heart. But that would never happen to her, not if her mother had anything to say about it. She closed her eyes, welcoming the slumber that carried her to her realm of dreams.

There he stood, her newest creation of fantastical beauty. As he leaned against a white wall of nothingness, his black, wispy hair was a stark contrast to his pale skin and sky-blue eyes. Those baby blues fixed onto her as he smirked, causing her heart to flutter and her mind to feel faint.

She never thought her small imagination could conjure up someone so perfectly put together, but there he stood, staring right at her. She checked behind her just to make sure he was, in fact, focusing on her. Then again, it was her dream. Of course, he was looking at her.

Good evening, he said.

He pushed off and walked toward her. He stood tall, much taller than her 5’6" frame. His fit muscles were tastefully hidden behind his faded denim jeans and dark blue shirt. He approached her slowly, allowing Sofia to absorb him in all his perfection. He walked with confidence, maybe too much confidence. She considered editing that part of her dream but decided against it. He had a right to be a bit smug when he looked that good.

I’ve been waiting for you. He strolled over to her.

For me? Her inner self jumped for joy. Why are you waiting for me?

He smiled. To get to know you, of course.

Of course. She should have known. Why else would he be in her dream? It’s not as if gorgeous guys popped into her dream every time she fell asleep. She smiled, feeling like a little schoolgirl instead of a confident almost-adult.

And what exactly is it you want to know?

He sauntered dangerously close to her, studied her features as if he were absorbing every minute detail, and then looked her in the eyes and smirked. How about we start with your name?

Her heartbeat was barely containable. He was mysterious and delicious, especially at this proximity. She wanted to kiss him. She’d never had such a strong urge to kiss someone. Ever. Her eyes kept looking at his lips, which were still pressed into that sexy, over-confident smirk. He stood close enough that all she had to do was grab him and do it.

A surge of heat coursed through her. Whether it stemmed from passion or the embarrassment of wondering if he somehow knew her thoughts, she wasn’t sure. She had a feeling he knew exactly what effect he had on her, but she couldn’t help herself. She didn’t have the guts to commit a grab-and-kiss, not even in her dreams.

Sofia, she managed to say.

Hi, Sofia. And who do you live with?

My mom. What a weird question to ask?

And what’s her name?

Liana. Why?

Just making sure that you are the one.

The one? What could he possibly mean? And why did her mom have to find a way into the dream? It was almost as if her mom was reaching into her dream to warn her not to get too close to strangers. She was always so wary of others, especially guys. Before she could ask, her mysterious dream guy asked her another question.

So, how old are you?

Seventeen. And you?

He chuckled. My age…is questionable.

Questionable? What is that supposed to mean?

No worries, beautiful. It’ll all make sense soon enough. He looked past his shoulder. She followed his gaze but saw nothing. I have to go now.

"What do you mean, you have to go? This is my dream and I don’t want it to end yet."

She knew she was pouting, but it had been so long since her dreams had given her something so yummy to fantasize about. Normally her dreams were of the mundane sort, like showing up at school in her pajamas, or the crazy kind, such as feeling as if she’s falling out of the sky to wake up right before hitting the ground with a huge splat. But this dream fulfilled her hopes for her real life, and now he wanted to end it. This is MY dream, she mentally whined.

Do you always get what you want?

No. Yes. Well, I don’t want a lot. I mean, I’m happy with all that I already have. Now she was babbling. How did this great dream turn into such a flop?

He laughed, and it melted her. His sky-blue eyes seemed to light up even more when he laughed. Well, we’re going to have to work on that.

Work on what? Her brain just couldn’t process anything while she stood so close to him.

What you want. He winked.

He picked up a strand of her curly brown hair and twirled it through his fingers before kissing it and letting it fall to rest back on her shoulder.

See you soon, he said before disappearing completely.

She sighed, resigned to accept that the dream was done. She shrugged her shoulders. It would be her luck that just when she finally had a dream that showed real promise of giving her some fun, it would end too quickly. There was no sense in staying asleep.

Her body awakened moments before her eyes opened. Dusk had already darkened the day; she had napped longer than she had expected. Her mom would be worried about her, as usual. Back to reality, she thought as she grabbed her book and walked the pebbled path back to her house.

-o-

Ar’ch picked up his ringing cell phone, disappointed he had been forced to end her dream sooner than he had wanted. He hadn’t been able to stop himself from studying every aspect of her. He could pretend it was for the mission, to make sure he had, indeed, identified the correct target, but the reality was that she was beautiful.

Her features perfectly fit her cute, little frame. She seemed a little fragile, but he’d had plenty of experience in the past to let him know how deceiving looks could be, especially among his kind. Her long, brown, curly hair looked so soft that he couldn’t stop himself from touching it.

Her eyes were mesmerizing; they were brown and yet they weren’t. If nothing else told him it was possible for her to be his target, her eyes would have given it away. Of all the tasks he’d been given over the years, this one looked like it might be the most enjoyable one yet.

Yeah, brother. What’s up? he said as he answered the call.

He thought about how Sofia kept looking from his eyes to his lips which had caused him to do the same. And she had the most kissable lips. Focus, he chastised himself.

Did you find the one we are searching for?

Yes. Her name is Sofia. She’s the one.

Sofia, his brother repeated softly. Now that I know my target, I’ll make sure to get to know her better tomorrow at school.

Sounds good to me. The sooner we finish this mission, the sooner we can go back home.

That’s the plan.

Listen, I’m going to track her tonight to see what other intel I can gather. Talk to you later.

He thought back to Sofia’s dream world. It had been surprisingly easy to enter. Reading the minds of others was as easy as breathing for him, but altering their thoughts was an entirely different scenario. He couldn’t remember ever having that much ability, even when he first came into his skill.

Completely entering the dream realm and interacting with the dreamer was even more complex. It had been a while since he had even tried to enter someone else’s dreams. He had given up on his last attempt because of the amount of effort it took. Maybe she was the one. At least she was cute. If he had to track and capture someone, it might as well be someone with whom he could have a little fun.

-o-

Sofia entered her home and heard her mother on the phone in the kitchen. It sounded as if she were arguing with someone, which was very unlike her mother.

Hey, Mom. I’m home. I’m running late, so I gotta rush.

She ran upstairs before her mother could ask her twenty questions. Ever since she was a little girl, her mother had always acted as if something horrible would happen to her. This past year had been the worst yet. Her mother jumped at every phone call and every knock on the door. She would constantly tell her to be careful. It must be a motherly burden to worry more as your child got closer to adulthood. Pushing away those thoughts, she jumped in the shower to prepare for work.

-o-

Liana listened as Sofia’s feet stomped up the stairs. She waited until she heard the shower start before returning to her conversation.

Sofia just entered the shower. Sorry for the interruption. I really think we need to reconsider -

The person on the other end of the line interrupted her. There will be no reconsidering. We made a deal. You must meet your end of it. We made a commitment to see this through, and I have every intention of making sure it is successful. Plus, at this point, you have more to lose than you have to gain if you back out now.

Liana leaned her head back against the kitchen cabinets and took a deep breath. I just didn’t think it’d be this hard. What if something goes wrong?

Nothing will go wrong if you stick with the plan.

Maybe I should talk -

It is not time for talking. When the time comes, I’ll let you know. Now, I must go and take care of a few errands. Do not disappoint me, Liana, the caller said and hung up.

She shook her head in resignation. She heard the shower being turned off and headed upstairs to see Sofia.

-o-

Just as Sofia finished putting on her uniform, her mom popped her head into her room. Her mother was beautiful and looked nothing like her. While she had wavy brown hair, her mother’s locks were thick, curly, long, and blonde. Her mom stood taller than her by two inches and her eyes were a midnight blue whereas Sofia’s were brown with a large speck of red in the lower right corner of her left eye. She loved to joke that her DNA hiccupped when her eyes were being created, especially since she had never really seen anyone else have a speck like hers.

She hoped one day her own body would blossom into her mother’s incredible figure, but so far, the curves were a no show, which seemed to make her mother very happy. She was just average in the sexy figure department, but she accepted her flexibility with pride. Her mom’s golden, tan skin contrasted with her pale, olive tone, but in the summer, her skin usually took more of a golden shade.

Her mother told her she looked more like her father, but she would not know whether that were true or if her mother was trying to appease her. She had never met her father, and there were no pictures of him in her house, so she had no way of knowing. She sometimes wondered if her mother worried her father would come looking for her. She once asked her, but her mother told her he was dead. Still, ever since she was a child, she had hoped beyond hope that her father was out there somewhere.

How was your day, sweetheart? Her mom stood in the doorway.

Same old thing, different day. I fell asleep at the willow, so I’m running late.

She hesitated in sharing her dream with her mom. Usually, she told her everything. As a young child, her mom ingrained in her that family did not keep secrets from each other. Lately, however, her mom had seemed a little distant, almost as if her mind was over-occupied. Even now, standing in the doorway, she looked exhausted.

Sofia increasingly felt as if her mother was keeping secrets. On several occasions, she almost asked her, but she feared her mom would say she was sick with cancer or something equally as horrible. She couldn’t handle that kind of news, so she stayed quiet. She figured no news was good news. Nothing had really happened in this dream, so she didn’t see the point in sharing it. Still, an emptiness enveloped her. She missed the days of giggling with her mom about carefree topics.

You fell asleep again? Her mom laughed.

Yeah. She smiled and shrugged. Guess it’s becoming a habit.

You’ve always loved that tree. It’s special. Her mom’s her eyes misted over.

Sofia pulled her hair up in a ponytail and grabbed her purse. She wasn’t sure what she had said that made her mom emotional, but she knew she didn’t want to see the tears.

Gotta run, Mom. I can’t be late.

She kissed her mom on the cheek and headed out the door as her mother yelled after her, Be careful.

She clocked in just in time.

Another close call, Melinda, another waitress at Fridays, said.

Melinda was one of the few people she let into her circle of friends. Her mom had always told her to be wary of getting close to too many people because most people were not genuine. Over the years, she had learned to trust her mother’s advice.

Mel was one of the exceptions to the rule. She was a great contrast to her. Mel had smooth café mocha skin, as she would call it, with beautiful, soft, ebony hair that hung in waves to her mid-back. She also had distinctive almond-shaped eyes. She had the curves Sofia wished for, and she knew how to use them.

She had already graduated, but she was taking a year off to save up money for college. Sofia believed Mel had no idea what she wanted to do with her life, so she stuck with what she knew.

But I made it. She tossed her purse into an employee locker.

As always. Mel laughed before handing her assigned tables to her.

A basketball game on the screens in the bar area kept her tables occupied, and it helped pass the time. She got home, exhausted. When she had first started working, she only worked Friday and Saturday nights.

With graduation just a few months away, she had started working a few school nights to save up more money. Her grades hadn’t been affected, so her mom didn’t give her a hard time about it. She took another shower before plopping down in her bed. She pulled out her journal from her nightstand to write about her new dream.

Another dream today. I haven’t had a dream like this before. This one was about a guy. A really, really cute guy. Who am I kidding? He was hot. His name was… I guess I never got his name. Well, that’s a shame. It’s hard to fantasize about a guy when you don’t have his name. Maybe I’ll call him Mark. No, that doesn’t fit. Richard? William? Edward? Ian? Haha…no. Still doesn’t sound right. Whatever. It was just a dream. But – wow – was he hot! I’m not really cheating on Rafe if it’s just a dream, right?

Feeling guilty, she picked up her cell phone and texted Rafe, her best friend and boyfriend, good night. He sent a reply text that he’d see her at school tomorrow. She placed her journal in her nightstand drawer and went to sleep.

And there he was again. Immediately, she looked down, hoping she was not in her pajamas. Relief filled her when she saw herself wearing the clothes from her time at the willow tree. She would have been mortified if he were to see her in her sun and moon pajama pant set.

After the panic subsided, she turned her attention to her mystery man. A spark of electricity ignited within her when she saw him. She didn’t feel that kind of attraction with Rafe. Not that she was expected to, but still. This electricity was what she always thought she’d feel if she were ever allowed to have a real boyfriend.

Well, hello again.

Hi. He wore the same clothes from before. How was work?

Same as always. She almost asked how he knew she had been working but stopped herself by remembering this was her dream. So, do I get to ask you questions now?

He smiled and her heart skipped a beat. She braved a chance at looking at his eyes. Specks of white mixed with the blue. Weird, she thought. She’d never seen anyone with white in their irises before.

What would you like to know?

What’s your name?

Ah, yes, I guess you would like to know that bit of information. You’ll know soon enough.

Why can’t I know now?

So impatient. I’m not ready to tell you just yet. I have to make sure you won’t go writing it in that journal of yours.

How do you know… Never mind. This is my dream. Got it. Why can’t I write your name in my journal?

I wouldn’t want your mom to know who I am. He walked around her, almost inspecting her.

Why would that matter? She turned around to continue to face him.

You ask a lot of questions.

And you answer them in riddles.

All in due time, beautiful.

Sofia melted as the word beautiful bounced around in her head.

Well, time for me to let you sleep.

Wait! Do you have to go so soon?

Yes. I have to take care of some…things. Don’t worry. You’ll see me again soon.

He winked at her and disappeared. Sofia took a deep breath, frustrated, and then lost herself in a dreamless sleep.

-o-

Ar’ch reentered his state of awareness next to his brother. They stood a good distance away from Sofia’s house, but they could see Liana picking up in the kitchen. She seemed completely unaware of their presence outside. If he accessed Sofia’s dream world with Liana so close to her, she should have had some inkling of his energy. Yet, she did not flinch or look concerned in any way.

I still can’t believe you are able to enter her dreams. Angel broke Ar’ch’s concentration. It’s been a long time since any of us have had that much skill.

I know, brother. It feels amazing. At first, I could barely feel her thoughts. Now, I can close my eyes and interact with her with very little effort. It’s thrilling. Of course, I always knew my skills would strengthen when I truly needed them.

In truth, he never thought he’d ever develop so much ability. No one his age possessed so much skill nowadays. The Elders would take special interest in his discovery.

Of course. His brother rolled his eyes and laughed. Did you find out anything new?

No. She’s a persistent little lady. She wants to know my name, but she keeps a journal, so I’m not sure how much information I want to give her just yet. We can’t take a chance of Liana reading it.

I don’t think Liana would read it. Do you?

Ar’ch wasn’t the biggest fan of Liana. He had no reason to trust her, but he knew Angel couldn’t help but hope she was still trustworthy. He shrugged his shoulders.

Probably not. Are you using your real name tomorrow?

Yes. It’s just easier for me. Plus, I have a common name.

My name is common.

Maybe where we come from, but not here. I wouldn’t even say it’s too common at home, either. Acceptable, but not used too often.

You have a point. He smiled. It’s only given to those who come from greatness.

Thank the Goddess no one has ever implied that you are humble. Angel laughed.

To thine own self be true. Didn’t some famous human say that?

That would be William Shakespeare, Ar’ch. Dad says he was a great man. If you ever paid attention to our lessons, you would know.

"Whatever. Listen, as much as I’m enjoying my new strength here on Earth, I’d love to get home as soon as possible. This place is just downright boring.