Epsilon

by Dezirae Bates

  “Hey, how- how did you know where I live?” she asked, before he could get a word out to explain why he was there.

  Chase’s eyebrow shot up at her accusatory tone, shifting his weight on the balls of his feet before a short laugh escaped his lips. “Uh, small town? Your address was in the funeral announcement for your Dad. I just thought—that I’d come by and check out how you were doing,” he said, glancing over her shoulder to spot Ruca finishing her food. Cassidy shifted over, blocking the rest of his view to the house behind her, clearing her throat as she looked him over.

  “Oh, right, well, uh, I’m good. I mean, I’m okay. Considering,” she said, pursing her lips together and giving a gentle shrug. “I’m actually about to head into work so if that was all you came by to talk about…” She trailed off, one hand on the door and she went to close it. It wasn’t that she was a rude person, she just had issues trusting random strangers, even strangers who saved her life.

  Chase nodded his head, feeling the cold shoulder coming from her and letting it not set into his head. He had a purpose in being here and she needed to listen to him, whether she liked it or not.

  “Right, well, I need to talk to you about some stuff, regarding that night, and I think, if you could spare the time, you should give me a listen.” Chase shifted once more, looking away from Cassidy and towards all the area around her. He stared at the front door, the porch, over near the bushes and back to where Ruca was now sitting a few feet behind Cassidy, presumptively protecting her from a distance. It was clear as day that the dog was unsettled. Cassidy could feel the bit of tension in the air rising, swallowing back the suddenly uncomfortable wave in the air.

  “Uh- yeah, now’s not really a good time,” she said, glancing back at Ruca for a moment who had edged a step or two closer, trying to be within striking distance if need be. Her grip on the door strengthened, glancing from Chase to the bushes over to the edge of the porch. She could feel her heart throbbing in her chest, the blood pumping so fast that her cheeks were growing warmer and warmer. “I think you should go,” she finally finished, moving to close the door in his face but Chase’s arm went to stop her, easily stopping the woman from closing it on him.

  “Cassidy, I’m not here to hurt you. You just need to trust me. Let me in,” he said, glancing from over his shoulder back to Cassidy. Before he could plead with her once more, a stunningly green light whipped across the porch, an intense wind following with it. The stray hairs on Cassidy’s head spiraled out of control around her head and where Chase once stood, he was now a decent ten feet away. It was as if a tornado had came and ripped him from her porch.

  “Chase!” she exclaimed, glancing to where the light came from and spotting a blonde woman, probably a few years younger than Cassidy, around eighteen or nineteen, a pulsing green crossing over the tips of her fingers. She could feel her jaw drop at the sight of some kind of light show over the woman’s hands.

  Chase quickly got to his feet, disoriented for a moment before finding the blonde in the bushes to the side of Cassidy’s home.

  “Geneva, you have no business being here,” he snapped, a quick red light shooting from the top of his hand which moved the porch swing and hurled it towards Geneva faster than Cassidy could blink. Geneva matched Chase faster than he anticipated, a green burst simply moving the swing out of her way.

  “Getting predictable in your old age, I see,” she laughed, glancing from Chase to Cassidy. “We found her first, back off, wave the white flag and let us have her, Williams.” She said, moving a foot or two closer to Cassidy’s front door.

  “And let a leech take her? There’s no chance in hell. Besides, you didn’t get to her first. She’s joined to me. So, if you think I’m just going to let you take her, you’re dead wrong.” A quick smirk rose over his features, glancing from Cassidy to Geneva, a whoosh of sharp red light enveloping around him and pulsing as it teleported him from where he was to directly in front of Cassidy.

  “Invite me in,” he said quickly, glancing at Geneva who’s green pulse started to grow as the wind began to whip around her. Cassidy still was processing the fact that he moved in front of her without actually walking, Ruca snarling behind her at the rukus outside.

  “Now, Cassidy!” he exclaimed, Cassidy nodding her head and quickly giving him an invitation and he moved into the door frame, a thin vale dropping over the house after the invitation was extended as a sort of protection. Geneva cursed slightly under her breath, moving within visual distance of the doorframe and dropped the pulse of green around her hands.

  “You can’t keep her locked in there forever, Williams. Joined or not, there are ways to break that bond,” Geneva cried out, looking Chase over before looking to Cassidy. “He’s got a cute face but that’s about it. Don’t fall for everything that boy tells ya,” she said, giving her as best of a warning she could before the green light and wind wrapped around her and she was gone before Cassidy could speak a word.

  “What the hell was that?! And you, what are you?!” Cassidy exclaimed, swallowing hard as she backed herself up to the wall behind her, grasping an umbrella by the door and wielding it in front of her.

  Chase placed his hands up in the air, a brief laugh leaving his lips at her attempt to protect herself from him by using an umbrella. “Don’t worry, I’m not here to hurt you, like I already said. I’m here to help. And to explain. Plus, what are you gonna do with that?” He asked, the red leaving his fingers and calling the umbrella to his hands, twirling it around before setting the tip against the ground and leaning against it.

  Cassidy’s heart was still on fire, pumping all of the blood in her system faster than she ever thought possible as she looked him over. He literally seemed to be oozing a sort of hubris that only came along when men were used to getting their way. Her eyes narrowed at his demeanor, greatly unimpressed with his attitude before grabbing up the other umbrella in the holder by the door and holding it up to face him.

  “Useless or not, it’s staying right here in my hands,” she said, her voice firm as she looked him over. “Now, answer my damn questions or get out of my house,” she repeated, trying to hide the fact that her hands were shaking.

  Chase had to be impressed that someone lacking the ability to ward him off was so keen on trying but he could sense her fear more than anyone else. He took a few steps back and sat on the arm of the couch.

  “Well, what you saw was magic. The real stuff. Not the crap you see in movies or tv. As real as you and me, magic.” He glanced to his fingers and watched as the red spark moved eagerly over his fingertips, a warm smile crossing his features. “And I am—well, it’s hard to explain if you don’t know all the information so I guess this goes back to the ‘you need to trust me’ bit from earlier. It’s easier if I show you rather than tell you. Think you could come and have a listen?” he asked, arching a brow and crossing his arms over his chest, waiting for her answer.

  “Show me? You really think I’m going to go anywhere with you after all of that? You’re pushing it just being here,” she said, angrily, more and more furious that her questions weren’t getting answered.

  “And you think you’re safe here? The leeches know where you live. Geneva is right. You’re not going to stay here forever so you can either come with me and I can lead you down the rabbit hole of information oooor you can stay here and just wait for them to give up looking for you. Your choice,” he shrugged.

  Cassidy hated ultimatums. Or, at least, she hated being placed in them. She just wanted to know why they were looking for her. Why in the world did she have anything to do with this whole mess. And, it seemed, the only way to get that information answered was to follow Chase and give him a minute to show her what was going on.

  “Fine. I’ll go. But, I swear to God, if something happens…” She trailed off, Chase tossing his hands up in the air to stop her from continuing.

  “Don’t worry, couldn’t hurt ya even if I wanted to, promise,” he said, crossing his fingers across his c
hest as he stood in front of her. “I’m gonna need your hands,” he said, holding his out as Cassidy set the umbrella down and rolled her eyes slightly. “Don’t worry, I don’t bite,” he said with a grin as Ruca growled at him. “Settle Ruca, I’ll be back soon,” Cassidy said to her dog, taking a hesitant breath before putting her hands in his. It only took a second for the bright red light to rope around them, first at their hands and then all over their bodies. The energy was warm and electrifying, making the hairs on Cassidy’s arms spark all over as they moved from her living room to a rather ornate building. She felt slightly queezy, swallowing back the dizzy feeling as best she could before letting go of Chase’s hands.

  The walls were lined with books, the air smelled of an old library and it made Cassidy feel oddly soothed. There were a few candles lit in the room and a dim light fixture in the center of the room but other than that, it was rather dark. There was a man, an older gentleman, seated in a rather ornate chair behind a desk at the far back of the room. It only took her a moment to recognize where Cassidy had seen him before. It was the man who was speaking to the doctors at the hospital after her accident.

  “Hello Cassidy, I hope Chase was able to retrieve you without any major issues,” he said, a warm smile fell over his lips before looking to Chase who shrugged.

  “Leeches but, we’re here in one piece. Even witha few minutes to spare,” he said, glancing at his watch as he sat down at the table next to him. The Chancellor sighed, shaking his head at Chase before looking back to Cassidy.

  “Well, you’re here now and that’s all that matters. Cassidy Hawkins, welcome to the Exodus.

  Chapter 4

  Cassidy had absolutely no idea what was going on in the moment. All she thought today was going to be about was bartending a bit, possibly dodging a drunkard or two and accepting condolences. But now, now she was facing something way over her head.

  “Ohkaaay,” Cassidy said, laughing softly at the rather lavish introduction of the word Exodus, trying not to feel like she was in the Matrix or some other alternate universe for the moment. “You mind telling me what that means or are you just gonna have me google the word and see what I get? I’m thinking lots of bible references,” she said, shoving her hands into her pockets. Chase chuckled, shaking his head as he glanced to the Chancellor. “Hey, you just said I had to bring her here, not that she had to be compliant or informed. I thought that was your job with the whole ‘welcome to the Exodus’ thing. Far fancier than what I had drummed up,” he laughed, the Chancellor’s face not showing the humor in it by any frame of the imagination. Chase’s smile dropped and he swallowed hard, settling back into his chair and shutting up instead of digging his hole even deeper.

  “As I said, this, where you are, where Chase has brought you, is called the Exodus. The fact that you ran into some trouble on your way here means you’ve at least seen some aspects of our work here. Or, at least abilities,” he said, offering her a chair to sit as he leaned against the back of the desk. Cassidy waved off the chair, refusing to sit until her questions were finally answered.

  “He said he’d show me the answer to my questions. I was just attacked by some blonde chick on my front porch. So, if we could skip the how do you dos and just get on with it, I’d appreciate it,” she said, licking her lips in frustration as the Chancellor nodded. “Sure thing,” he said, rolling up his sleeves to show off the small quarter sized blotch on his left forearm.

  “This is what brings you here,” he said, pointing to his on his arm and then pointing to her foot, already knowing where her mark was. “We call it a signet. It’s a brand, of sorts. When magical folk are born, they have this mark somewhere on them and it lies dormant until triggered. Once triggered, it activates the magical blood inside you,” he said, pausing for a moment. “And, that’s where we come in. The Exodus is a home for magical people, like yourself, who’ve become triggered and need guidance. We’re the home away from home, the elders, the beginning and end for many members of this community.” Cassidy moved to the seat that was previously offered to her as he spoke, knowing that she’d need the support to accept everything he was saying.

  “Years ago, we were founded once we found out there were more than just a handful of us. And then, the structure came when we all started talking to one another. Each story of the signet getting triggered was different but one simple element remained constant. Death. The only way to trigger the signet on your body was for you to die, like you did when you drowned in that lake before Chase jumped in after you.” The Chancellor paused as Chase looked over to Cassidy, cracking a somewhat genuine smile.

  “We’ve discovered over the years that there are five origins of magic, all routed in different parts of a person’s soul. Each Origin is completely unique to you, personally, and connects you to the group as a whole. First there is Omicron, which is a healing Origin. Those that end up there have various abilities in one’s lifesource. Their magic is branded in blue. Next is Epsilon, which is an elemental Origin. Those who find themselves in Epsilon have abilities in fire, water, earth, wood and metal and as you saw with Geneva who is a powerful elemental, their magic is rooted in green. Then you have Chi, which is where Chase finds himself. Chis are powerful telekinetics, being able to use a vast range of mental abilities and whose magic is branded in red. There’s Sigma, which is connected to Necromancy, or the ability to control and aide the dead. Mediums, manipulation of life sources, they’re the equal opposites to Omicrons and are branded by orange magic. And finally, there is Delta, which finds itself with the ability to manipulate themselves into animals and possibly control them, dependent on their abilities. Our magic...” He paused, a bright silver coursed over his body as he called a wolf to his side, emerging from the wall behind him. “...is branded in silver.” The Chancellor looked down at the wolf who whined and stood at attention next to his leg, ready to pounce should she need to.

  “So... why me? I don't... I'm not some witch or something. I'm a bartender for Christ's sake. Sure we have a similar little birthmark but other than that, I got nothing,” Cassidy said, glancing around. That was when Chase perked up.

  “And that's where you're wrong,” he said, his voice as strong as ever as he stood up in front of her. “The night of your accident, we were tracking the leeches. They only ever surface when they have found something worth risking their lives for and, it didn't take me long to stumble upon you. When your signet triggered, it sent out a pulse to anyone within range. It's how I knew where you were. It's how I got to you just in the knick of time. That mark saved you,” Chase said. He wasn't going to play loose with the truth. If she was going to be one of them, she needed to know what was going on.

  “Alright, say I believe you. Say I believe this isn't just some weird concussion nightmare I'm having because I thought the guy who saved me was hot,” she said, rolling her eyes when Chase’s smirk grew. “What the hell are leeches? Why were they wanting me?”

  The Chancellor perked up at her question, taking the reigns of the conversation once more. “Leeches is a derogatory term. There are members of our group that are no longer with us. While we tolerate almost any kind of behavior, knowing that magical or not, issues arise, there are a few rules we will not allow to be broken. No member of the Exodus shall kill another member or expose themselves to a human. The biggest rule is no one can forcibly trigger a signet. The beauty of the evolution of our bodies is that the trigger should be honest and untouched. Forcing someone to trigger before they are ready or before they have been deemed able by the powers above is the biggest law we have. If you break said laws, you will be expelled from our community. No help, no communication, everything severed. We are very much a family and your Origin, wherever you find yourself, will become like a part of you. And to break yourself off from the Exodus is nearly like giving up a part of yourself. So, the members that have been excommunicated banded together, to try and tear us down. They named themselves the League but most Exodus members call them Leeches because th
ey go out and find recently triggered signets and try to suck away their abilities or recruit them for themselves. It really is a dangerous and deplorable group of people.” The Chancellor’s disdain grew tenfold as he spoke of the League. The hatred was nearly palpable as he spoke but his demeanor changed when he glanced back at Cassidy with a smile.

  “But, none of that matters because you're here, where you're supposed to be. And we will keep you safe, teach you how to become a powerful Origin wielder. And Chase will be your help along the way, even if you're in separate origins,” he said, beckoning to Chase who moved closer to Cassidy.

  “Why him?” she said, arching a brow at the man and then glancing to the Chancellor.

  “Because, you and he are joined,” he said simply and the confusion on Cassidy's face made him chuckle.

  “I'm sorry, I forget how many people don't know our cultures. Being joined isn't a rarity but it isn't terribly common either. Since forcibly triggering someone is illegal, when it happens, a bond is made, and it's the reason it's illegal in the first place. When a member brings someone back to life, in the event of them becoming triggered themselves, they become joined. You two will be stronger together. You'll learn his ins and outs, possibly predict movements, be dependent upon one another in a fight or even just every day. It's a bond that connects your souls and connects to your magic as well. It is something that the two of you will work on once an Origin picks you,” he said, Cassidy's cheeks turning flush as he explained what joining is. She did perk up at the end of the conversation, when he mentioned when the Origin picks her.

  “There's another thing I don't get to pick?” she asked with a slight of anger. She didn't appreciate being linked to someone whom she didn't know or even possibly like. The Chancellor smiled and went behind his desk, flipping through his pages before his eyes rested on her.