by Mary Ting
Upon entering, her eyes got even bigger when Mason hit the lights. Standing on the caramel marble floor, her eyes went straight up to the crystal chandelier, shaped like an upside down umbrella. It sparkled like diamonds reflecting from the lights above. Underneath it, a grand vase was centered on a round, tall mahogany table. Filled with stargazer lilies, the fragrance permeated the house with a heavenly scent.
“This way,” he directed, reaching for his cell phone from his back pocket. “Excuse me,” he said, making eye contact. He turned his back and spoke into the receiver. “What?” He sounded upset, pausing for what seemed like a minute. “Tell them I’ll be there in half an hour or so.” He paused again. “Don’t say anything. Just wait for me, got it?” Then he hung up.
Seeing two staircases, Skylar wondered which way he would go. She followed when Mason pivoted to his right, heading up the stairs, stepping onto the beige carpet. Lagging behind, she marveled at the elegant furniture and the paintings on the wall. Then her eyes shifted to the white walls as she walked down the long hallway.
“This is my room.” Mason opened the door.
Skylar tried her best not to be overly excited, but she couldn’t help it. His bedroom was three times the size of hers. The first thing she observed was the illuminating moon peeking through the slightly opened velvet curtains, and a feeling of warmth immediately encased her. Then she noted the neatly made king-sized bed with several plush pillows by the headboard. With a huge flat screen television mounted to the wall and elegant furniture, Skylar thought his room was designed for a prince.
“It’s not much, but I hope you’ll find it comfortable. I’ll get you a change of clothes.” Mason opened another door and entered.
Not much? Was he serious? Surely he was being humble. Skylar didn’t know where to sit. Her shorts were still damp. Not wanting to leave a wet spot on the expensive comforter, she stood instead. As she waited for Mason to return, she noted there were no picture frames adorning the walls or on the dresser.
“It’ll be a bit big on you, but at least you’ll feel comfortable,” Mason said, walking out from the closet with a T-shirt on. T-shirt on or off, he still looked the same…hot. Walking past her, he placed a T-shirt, a pair of thin sweat pants, and flip-flops on his bed. “You’re welcome to take a shower if you like.”
Her thoughts returned to the event that happened in the theater, and she blankly stared into space.
“Skylar…you okay?” Mason asked with a tender tone, closing the gap between them.
“Before I do anything, can you please tell me what’s going on? I feel like this is all a dream. I don’t understand how these things appeared in the ocean and…it tried to kill me…and…and…these vultures you called them…they look like monsters. Monsters are not real…and…how does water just overflow from the sink and the toilet? You act like this isn’t weird…like it’s normal to you.” Skylar mumbled it out loud and fast, trying to make sense of it all, trying to tell herself that she was not crazy.
Mason placed his hand on her back, guiding her closer to the bed. “Sit down.”
“My shorts are still damp…I think.” She patted her behind.
“It’s alright. Please sit.”
Skylar did as told. Mason sat adjacent to her, looking at her with a weary expression, and placed his hand on his lap. “You have to promise me you won’t speak a word until I’m finished. What I’m about to tell you will be unbelievable. You may even think I’m crazy. Will you listen and not freak out?”
Skylar nodded, having no choice. She needed to know.
“What we call gods, like Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades, ruled the world once upon a time. As religion progressed, people stopped believing and praying to them. When prayers are no longer received, the gods are forgotten, and unfortunately they vanish.”
“What?” she muffled, arching her brows, wondering if he was joking. But when she saw the look on his face, she knew he wasn’t.
“That’s putting it mildly,” he continued. “They just…die. Knowing their deaths were inevitable, Zeus, Poseidon, and other gods thought it was best to continue their bloodline, so they massively reproduced with mortal women and men. At least then, a part of them would live through their children and the generations to come. Being born from mortal moms or fathered by mortal men, the half blood children were able to live on Earth.
“Unfortunately, Hades found out, and was mad as hell. He believed it was unfair that his brothers were about to continue their family lines, whereas he was forbidden to. Hades swore he would get rid of all the half blood children. The sea creatures and the vultures you saw were Hades’s creations. Are you following me?” Mason asked sternly, looking at Skylar’s impassive expression.
“Then…you are…whose bloodline are you from?” Skylar asked slowly, feeling flabbergasted by what she was hearing, trying to soak his words in.
“Our ancestor line comes from Zeus. We didn’t have the honor of meeting him, of course. This was ages ago.”
“Was?”
“Yes, was.”
“How about Poseidon and Hades?”
“They are gone too. Like I said before, people stopped believing. From what I’ve been told from Nick’s mom, all the gods are dead, even the minor gods. Unfortunately, Hades’s monsters are still out there carrying out his revenge. They have been for decades. My brothers and I are born from different mothers, but the same father. So we are technically half brothers.
“From what I’ve been told, our father confessed his infidelity to Nick’s mother on the night he was attacked by the vultures. He managed to find Nick’s mom first and confessed everything. His purpose was to procreate more children, like himself. You see…our kind was dying. The vultures, sea creatures, and others yet to be seen, have taken vengeance, just as Hades had planned.
“Fortunately, Nick’s mother knew what was going on and found out in the nick of time. She was the one who told the other moms about the gods and the monsters, but she was a little late telling my mom. Remus’s and Everett’s mothers suffered the same fate. Hades’s monsters killed them.
“My mom found out last, and I found out I was one of the god’s children the night she died. Nick’s mother took care of me, along with Remus and Everett. Before Nick’s mom passed away by the monster’s hand, she made sure we were taken care of financially, and that is how our little family of four grown boys came to be.” He paused and took a deep sigh. “But we’d rather have our moms back instead of all this wealth.”
Though he tried not to show it, his eyes were filled with pain. Skylar knew that expression all too well. She had shown that look many times before when people would ask her about her dad.
“There are more of us out there,” he continued. “This I know for sure. We like to keep to ourselves so we’ve never tried to contact the others. That way, we don’t attract too much attention and the vultures stay away. If there are any suspicious activities, we move on to another small town or go away for a while, but we try to come back because this is where we all grew up. It’s been a while, but we haven’t had any activities until you came along, and that is the reason why I believe…you’re one of us.”
Skylar busted out laughing, not that it was something to laugh about. She just couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Standing up, she paced back and forth “So…you’re telling me my mom had sex with one of the god’s descendants? Does my mom know?” Then she stopped pacing when she recalled Nick telling Kayla that his parents were dead. He didn’t give reasons on this morbid topic, and they had never asked the question “how?” “No…it can’t be true. My dad—”
“Left you and your mom.” Mason finished her sentence.
Skylar froze in place, recalling that day when her dad never came home. Being only eight years old, she never understood the reasons why, and her mom seemed reluctant to discuss that specific topic. It took her a long time to get over the hurt. Eventually, the hurt grew into hatred, and then her heart became numb. It was the only way to
deal with the loss of him, but now knowing that her dad could be special and that there was a possibility that he could be dead, it was too much to bear. But this all depended on whether Mason’s story was true. “I…I…don’t understand.” Skylar focused on the floor, trying to grasp his words.
“I know this is a lot to take in, but if it makes you feel any better, there is a chance I may be wrong about you. I’m not sure…you’re quite complicated.”
Skylar shook her head in disapproval of his words. She didn’t want to be complicated. “What do you mean?”
“You can’t defend yourself. You have no powers, so for sure you wouldn’t be one of us. But these water creatures came after you, and they don’t attack humans, so in that case that would make you one of us. You can see the vultures. Humans can’t see them when they morph into beasts, and they don’t go after humans unless they’ve been touched by a god or one of the descendants.”
“Touched by a god?” she asked, confused, needing more explanation. Kayla had been touched by Nick. Was she in danger?
“I meant sexually. I hate to ask you this question, but have you…lately?”
“What? No!” Skylar was appalled. What kind of girl did he think she was? She had almost done it with her ex-boyfriend—thank God she hadn’t. But from the way he was so casual about it, and by using the word “lately,” she assumed he did.
“Good. I mean…you can do whatever you want. I’m just asking. You know…just ruling things out, making sure you’re not pregnant.”
“Why does that matter?”
“Reproduction. Supposedly, when pregnant, or had given birth, the mortal being produces a special scent only Hades’s creatures can smell. I don’t know too much about this. I’ve only been told. That is the reason why our mothers were found.”
“But…they didn’t go after my mom. I mean...if what you say is true, and my dad is or was a descendant of a god, she would have been attacked by them a long time ago…unless…they couldn’t find her? Or…maybe she was one of the descendants.” Skylar suddenly got worried for her mom and Kayla’s safety, but she was mostly baffled as to which parent was one of them.
“I don’t know. I don’t have all the answers. But I’m almost positive she is fine. Like I said, your situation is complicated. All I know is that the fact that they trashed your room, and not so much of your cousin’s, means you have something they want or need.”
“I promise I don’t have anything of value, or god-like.” Having powers would’ve been great, only then it would have meant she was definitely one of them, and she didn’t know if that was a good thing…most likely, not. “So…then…let’s say I’m one of you guys; will I have special powers like you?”
“Most half bloods have some type of supernatural abilities. For example, we are faster and stronger than an average human being, but only to a certain degree. Depending on our DNA structure, some of us have other abilities. Nick and I are similar. We can create heat and produce an electricity-like current at will by the simple touch from our hands. Unfortunately, Everett and Remus are normal; well, at least by godly standards; however, Remus can heal faster than any one of us, and they both are very strong.”
“Create heat? Electricity? Really?” Skylar’s eyes grew wide, wanting to see what that would be like, but she didn’t ask. The word electricity made her revert back to the times she’d been shocked by him. Electricity equaled static, which would create shock. Now she understood. She had been shocked by him several times before. “That was you. I mean…it was from you. I got shocked from your energy, or whatever you call it.”
Mason raked his hair back, looking apologetic. “Yeah…sorry. I didn’t mean to. I think I got a little…I mean…I don’t know why that happened.”
“Oh….” That was all Skylar could mutter. Got a little what? Excited by her presence, she hoped.
He gazed down, seemingly in deep thought. “Wait a minute….” He looked at her. “You made me do it. It never happened before until I touched you.”
“So now the shock is my fault? You shocked me, not I shocked you,” she retorted. Since he didn’t respond, she changed the subject. “If I’m supposedly one of you, and if I have supernatural something, how will I know?”
“The night my mom died, Nick’s mom was there. She explained everything, but I didn’t want any part of it. I didn’t trust her. Who would believe a crazy story like that, right? One night they came after me. Since I had been to Nick’s house several times with my mom, I ran to his house. That is when I discovered I could run faster than I had ever imagined. And when Nick’s mom was attacked by them, Nick and I did our best. We discovered something else we could do, but it was a little too late. What I’m trying to tell you is that I don’t know. It could just happen, but I really think your situation is unique.”
Skylar’s eyes glowed with a sudden revelation. Perhaps the light she thought she saw at the beach wasn’t an angel’s light, but instead was from Mason’s heat. He was the light…but was that even possible? He said he created heat, not light. What did that mean?
She didn’t know whether to feel grateful that he saved her at the beach, or be angry that he lied to her, making her think she was going out of her mind. “You were at the beach…you…you saved me. I wasn’t hallucinating.”
Mason shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. “Sorry…I didn’t know if I could trust you at that time.”
“Trust me?” Anger boiled inside her. Of all the nerve, he had the indecency to say those words. She brushed it off when she thought about the reasons why the monsters would be after her. “I don’t have anything they would want. I don’t understand.”
“I don’t either, but I need to find out why this is happening to you. I’m not sure who to trust, so it may take a while to get our questions answered. Until then…I need to look after you. I guess I’m stuck with you.”
Was that such a bad thing? He didn’t have to make it sound like she was a nuisance. “Oh….”
“But right now, I need to take care of an emergency at work. The phone call earlier was from one of the employees. Stay here. Change and relax. I’ll be back within an hour or so. Do you think you can do that?”
“I...I don’t know. Maybe I should go home.”
Mason lifted Skylar’s chin by his fingertip, forcing her to look into his eyes that were infused with longing.
“Ouch.” Skylar jolted from the shock. Though it wasn’t as strong as the last few times, she was quite surprised that it happened again.
“Sorry. I don’t know why that happens only with you.” His eyes moved to his fingers. “Anyway, you can trust me.”
“Okay,” Skylar said reluctantly, nodding her head. She wanted to trust him. He hadn’t given her any indication that he was a threat to her. After all, he was the one that saved her from almost drowning. Before he could take a step toward the door, Skylar gripped his wrist. The moment her hand touched his skin, she felt some kind of pleasant energy, but not a shock, thankfully. Their eyes matched. Swallowed up by him, she had forgotten why she stopped him in the first place.
The way Mason held her eyes with such care made her almost crumble, making her weak. If only she could break through. She knew there was a kinder side to his arrogant, rude personality, and he definitely had shown it tonight.
“You’ll be fine,” Mason finally said.
“Umm…I…my cousin, Kayla…is she—?”
As if Mason knew what she was going to ask before she could finish, he answered her. “No. I’m almost positive that she’s not.”
“Does Nick…does he care for her that special way?” Skylar wasn’t sure about asking this personal question about his half brother.
“I don’t know. I don’t get into his personal business. Let’s just say, he likes to play around, and he’s never been serious with any girl in his lifetime. I’m quite surprised Kayla is still around. In fact, we don’t take any relationship seriously. So if you’re wondering about Kayla’s heart, it will be broken.”
Skylar’s heart fell out of her chest. Though she had hoped that Mason may take interest in her as more than a friend, hearing his sharp, cold words felt like a stab to her heart. What was even worse, he’d admitted Nick would end up hurting Kayla.
She knew these boys were up to no good the moment she met them, so why did she even bother to give them her time? Besides the obvious, of course, like Mason saving her from death a couple of times, she knew the answer. Kayla was head over heels in love with Nick ever since she’d first laid eyes on him. As for Skylar, she was drawn to Mason in ways she couldn’t explain.
Mason placed his hand on the doorknob, twisting while keeping his eyes on Skylar. “I’ll be back in an hour. Stay here.” He closed the door behind him.
Knowing she was alone in this giant empty house at night gave her chilly goose bumps all over. Feeling a cool draft, she grabbed the extra clothes and changed. The sweats were too long and too big at the waist, and the long T-shirt could almost be a dress on her. Folding them at the waist and the hem helped. Though the flip-flops were big, she’d rather slip on a pair of big slippers than feel the wetness from her soggy tennis shoes.
Chapter 13
After awhile, Skylar got bored. One hour wasn’t that long, but with nothing to do, it seemed like an eternity, especially when she was alone. Debating whether to go out of the room, even though she was instructed to stay, Skylar decided that maybe he meant to stay in the house. Curiosity got the best of her, and she turned the knob.
It was deadly silent in the house. The only sound she heard was her own steps, sinking into the plush, thick carpet. Carefully and slowly she moved, step by step. Though it was dark in the hallway, the light from downstairs was enough to light her way. She thought about opening the other doors, wondering which rooms belonged to Nick and his half brothers. As she was about to open one, she stopped when she heard the front door open.