by AJ Eversley
Frustrated, I kicked at the sand. My feet dragged as I ran up the hill. My legs burned, but I pushed them harder, pumping my arms faster. It still wasn’t good enough. I didn’t feel any faster than before.
My legs grew tired, and my lungs burned. I was about ready to stop when a mother passed by, walking hand in hand with her daughter. They both had dark brown hair, bronzed skin, and huge smiles on their faces.
Anger burned inside of me. To see a glimpse of what I’d lost, and what that little girl still had. I could never get back the joy I saw in her eyes. And that was all I wanted, to feel that just one more time. A vision of my mom and dad popped into my mind. The two of them stood on either side of me while I held their hands and looked up to them with a smile.
The longing built up inside of me. The warmth grew in my chest and spread throughout my body and down into my legs. The sensation coated my lungs as the burning went away, and my breath steadied. My pace quickened. I did my best not to lose the feeling but chased it as my speed increased.
Passing faces became a blur as I sprinted harder and faster than ever before. Energy pulsed through me like a current, reaching every fiber in my body and every hair on my head. I felt it all like it was a part of me. The anger and longing helped focus my mind and concentrate the power building inside me with each footstep that pounded against the dusty road.
The memory of my parents ran through my mind, and I felt them with me the whole way as they urged me on, like stars in the night asking the moon to shine brighter.
And so I did.
I reached the castle quicker than before.
Lena stood at the top of the stairs with Chevy. “That was better.” She smiled before leaving me on the steps alone.
I slumped onto the steps. My hands trembled with energy as I reveled in this new feeling of power; this new sense of being. I ate it up and allowed it to live inside of me. It didn’t consume me; it motivated me. A smile spread across my face.
Chapter 15
Kenzie
Kenzie’s hands throbbed, but he didn’t ease up, punching harder into the bag hanging from the rafters in his room. His knuckles cracked and bled, but that didn’t stop him. There was no time for rest. Preparation was key to winning this war. Plus the pulse of energy running through him dulled the quiet ringing in his ears that still hadn’t ceased.
There was a soft knock at the door, and he was forced to stop. Kenzie pushed the button on the wall a little harder than necessary, and the door slid open.
“What?” he yelled before looking up. “Oh.”
“Sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to disturb you.” Russo fiddled with her fingers on the other side of the door. “I only meant to stop by to tell you something.” She looked down the empty halls to her right and left.
“Okay, what is it?” He leaned against the doorframe, hardly giving her his full attention.
She caught his eye, and he couldn’t look away. “Remember the stars,” Russo whispered as she took a step forward, and her small hand clamped around Kenzie’s arm.
The room went black. His head burned with pain as he reached for a wall or anything to hold him up. The pain was almost unbearable, and then, it stopped.
He opened his eyes to find himself in a forest surrounded by dense, green trees and shrubs. The sound of footsteps crunched over dead leaves up ahead, but he couldn’t see who the person was. He followed the sound to where it had stopped. Slumped down, leaning against a tree, was a girl. Her hands covered her face as her long dark hair fell over her shoulder.
“Are you okay, Miss?” he asked.
She didn’t stir.
He took another step forward. “Can I help you? Is something wrong?” She released one big breath as her body relaxed, and she pulled her hands away from her face. She looked up at him, or rather through him, as if he wasn’t even there. Her face was beautiful and soft. Her dark brown eyes sparkled with little flecks of amber behind tears that threatened to spill over. She looked so familiar, and yet he didn’t remember her at all.
“Who are you?” he demanded.
She didn’t respond.
“How do I know you?” Kenzie tried again, taking a step back. His anger was building as the girl still ignored him.
She looked down at something in her hand; something tiny that sparkled in a small beam of light sneaking through the forest’s foliage—a star pendant.
He reached out and touched her shoulder, startling her as she looked up again, right into his eyes.
“Kenzie?” She smiled.
His memory recalled her voice and that smile, and he realized she was familiar not only to his mind but also his heart. It began beating faster as if in response to her voice.
The forest faded, and the girl blurred from his vision.
He tried to hold on, but he couldn’t. And soon, he was back standing in his room, leaning against the wall for support. Russo stood before him.
“What the hell was that?” he demanded, stepping forward. His legs went wobbly, and the room spun around him.
“Nurse?” Russo called down the hall. Footsteps came closer as Russo offered her support to Kenzie. “Sir, you should sit down. You almost fainted.”
“Don’t give me that crap. You did something! What was that? Who is she?” he demanded, pushing her away harder than he intended.
A nurse stepped past Russo and grabbed Kenzie’s arm. The nurse tried calming him down.
“Get off me.” Kenzie shook her arm away and turned on Russo again. “Tell me now! Who is she?”
“Doctor!” The nurse yelled into the intercom on his wall. More steps came urgently from down the hall, traveling toward Kenzie’s room.
He lunged at Russo, grabbing her by her throat and lifting her tiny body into the air. She clawed at his hands and kicked the air between them, but he didn’t release her.
“Tell me!” he screamed.
Doctor Irene rounded the corner, and a calm energy wafted through the room. “Put her down,” the doctor said softly, tucking a strand of sandy, blond hair behind her ear. She adjusted her glasses up her tiny nose. Doctor Irene had a serene tranquil voice that commanded attention. Kenzie couldn’t look away from her.
Gently, he lowered Russo to the ground. She gasped for air.
“Leave,” Doctor Irene ordered Russo and the nurse. Once they had left, she faced Kenzie and pulled out a chair. “Have a seat.”
He sat immediately. His body relaxed, and his racing pulse steadied “Now, everything is fine. You are fine. Take a deep breath, please.” Doctor Irene placed her hand on his chest as it filled with air.
Kenzie expanded his lungs and then released the breath long and slow.
“Thank you.” She smiled.
For a second, a small blinking light coming off the watch on Doctor Irene’s wrist distracted Kenzie. Her hand still rested against his chest. He blinked rapidly as his mind became his own again. He was all too aware what was happening. He stood up, pushing her out of his way, and crossed the room. “Don’t do that mind-control, calming thing on me, doctor,” he demanded. “I’m fine. Just leave!”
“I’m sorry, sir.” Doctor Irene scurried off, leaving him alone.
Kenzie took another settling breath. He ran his hand through his hair, trying in vain to get that face out of his mind. Who the hell was she? And how did she know his name?
He punched again at the punching bag and continued until he couldn’t feel anything anymore.
Chapter 16
“We will first start with defense tactics.” Anthony stood in front of me with a long staff in his hand that made even him appear small, but even still, he towered over my tiny frame, causing me to tilt my chin up as I listened.
For the first time in days, I wasn’t forced to run up that damn hill. Instead, Lena had Anthony work with me, and I was happy for the change.
The morning sun was already scorching as we stood in the middle of the courtyard at the front of the castle. The air filled with a flowery aroma coming from
the blooming shrubs near the edge of the courtyard.
Anthony raised his staff to begin, and I moved into position. “Avoid or deflect my attacks, that is all.” His thick accent rolled off his tongue.
I nodded. Sounded easy enough. I had done enough hand-to-hand training that I was confident this would be no problem.
Barely a breath escaped me before Anthony advanced. He swung hard and fast, but I deflected his blows with my arms and ducked down in time to avoid a massive headache later.
Anthony’s skills with the staff were incredible, but I was also skilled, and after a few minutes of this dance, he stepped back and stopped.
“Good. That was good.” His compliment was lost in his stern face.
I flashed a cocky grin, feeling proud of my developed abilities. Before I even had time to gloat, I noticed Max sauntering down the stairs. He took a seat on the courtyard wall, settling in to watch my training session.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“Just came to see the show.” He shrugged.
I clenched my jaw before returning my attention to Anthony, ignoring the slight smirk across Max’s face as he bit into a juicy apple.
“Now, close your eyes,” Anthony ordered.
I listened.
“Defend yourself,” Anthony said.
I wasn’t even able to say one word before the staff connected with the side of my head. “Ow!” I yelled, opening my eyes. Chevy jumped up and barked in defense from the tree he’d been lounging under. Max, on the other hand, bellowed out a laugh, which I shut up with a glare.
“What the hell was that?” I said to Anthony. I signaled to Chevy that I was fine, and he lay down under the tree again.
“You must learn to defend my attacks without using your eyes,” he said. His harsh expression never wavered.
“A little bit of warning would’ve been nice,” I huffed.
“Again,” Anthony ordered impatiently. This time, I put my hands up to protect my head and closed my eyes. The staff hit my side, and when I moved to defend another blow, his staff hit me again on the side of the temple and then struck my ribs. My arms swung wildly, and I ducked when I shouldn’t have. I failed to avoid every hit he aimed at my head.
My eyes flashed opened. “Okay, wait! This is impossible. How am I supposed to stop you when I can’t see what you are doing, or where you are?”
There was a quiet chuckle from Max.
“Don’t you have something better to do?” I shouted at Max.
“Nope,” he said as he leaned against the stone wall and crossed his arms. That cocky grin never dwindled.
“You are a Carbon. Use it!” Anthony drew my attention back as he raised voice with displeasure.
“I’m getting really sick of you guys just throwing me into things and expecting me to figure it out. You’re supposed to be teaching me, aren’t you?” I argued.
Anthony stood in front of me and waited patiently for me to close my eyes.
I sighed and did as he asked. My brow scrunched with concentration as I tried my best to figure out when and where the blows would come, like I had sensed the sparks of embers in the boiler room of the ship, but this was harder. The surrounding area and vast space made it too difficult to detect anything in comparison to the tight quarters of the boiler room, and I failed horribly. We continued all day, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t figure it out.
After hours of trying, my body was bruised both inside and out. I flopped onto the stone walkway and kicked my legs like a frustrated child as I screamed. “This is stupid! Why can’t you guys just tell me what to do?”
Anthony’s expression softened for the first time as he sat beside me. The sun had set. Max and Anthony had spent the entire day watching me fail.
“No two Carbons are the same. Each one of you has a different ability and trigger. So, what worked for Lena won’t necessarily work for you. This is something you must figure out on you own.” Anthony gave me a gentle nudge. My entire body felt like a giant bruise, and I winced. “The key, Miss Sawyer, is not to give up.”
He patted my shoulder and stood, waiting for me to join him. Reluctantly, I pushed my body back up. If he wasn’t giving up on me yet, neither was I.
“Can I make a suggestion?” Max said as he hopped down from the ledge he’d been lounging on all day.
I wanted to say something snappy, but I was all out of rebuttals and could use a little advice, even if I hated to admit it.
“You’ve spent the entire time frustrated and mad,” Max said. “Why not try calming your mind and allowing yourself to be in the moment rather than just winging it?”
Anthony nodded. “Through many different practices, we become aware of what we think and why. What shapes our values and beliefs? Only then, can we step back and look at it with a pure mind. One of the most priceless gifts you can give yourself through this practice is to get to know yourself internally and externally.”
I wanted to argue, mostly out of pure spite and annoyance, but their idea was as good as any. “I’ll give it a try.”
With a deep calming breath, I closed my eyes. Anthony waited this time as I slowed my racing heart and steadied my breathing. Be in the moment, I told myself.
The warm ocean breeze and the smell of salt water filled the air. A tree nearby swayed ever so slightly in the wind, and I could nearly count the leaves on each branch as they all popped into my subconscious. The little hairs on my arm spiked with anticipation. As I took in my surroundings and let out one more calming breath, I nodded to Anthony for him to begin.
He barreled the staff down on me, but this time I felt it coming. My right arm rose before the staff connected with my head. He swung again, and I sensed it moving toward my side. Like a bolt of energy, the staff grow closer as I twisted out of the way just in time. The third swing hit my left leg, but I felt it coming before it hit. I was too late to move.
My eyes shot open in excitement. “It worked! I felt the swings coming. It worked!”
Chevy barked with excitement as he ran circles between my legs.
Anthony cracked a smile. “I knew you could do it.”
I glanced over at Max, who was also smiling at me.
“Thank you,” I said.
“No problem.” He shrugged.
“Again, again,” I pleaded with Anthony, and we practiced into the late hours of the night.
~
By the time Anthony had said that was enough, we were exhausted, and the moon had long since made its appearance. Slowly, I was gaining some consistency. It’d take time to control my abilities on a regular basis, but I was seeing some progress.
Anthony excused himself, and I sprawled across the cool grass. My gaze fell on the stars shining brightly against the dark black sky.
“Wait here.” Max jumped down from the ledge with a wicked smile before he sprinted into the castle. He came back with a bottle in one hand and two glasses in the other.
“I think that deserves a little celebration.” He winked as he sat down beside me on the grass.
“Maybe it will dull the pain and bruises.” I winced. Every movement ached. I was aware that by tomorrow the pain would be gone, but as for right now, it sucked.
Max filled up a glass with mulled wine he had taken from the castle and passed the glass. He filled his glass and raised it to the air. “Here’s to you figuring it out and the good laugh you gave me when you failed.”
With a muted glare, I shoved him. But soon, we were both laughing as we clinked our glasses and took a swig.
The wine warmed up my chest as it flowed down and filled my empty belly. We sat in silence as we looked to the dark island below. Little pops of light sprung up around the city limits, but it was the sparkling from above that astounded me.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Max mumbled as he glanced my way.
“Yeah,” I breathed, taking another sip of wine.
“Back in that forest, I sat as high up to the canopy rooftop as I could, look
ing at these same stars, wondering if anyone else was looking at them too.” Max lit up as he spoke. His expression softened as he twisted to face me.
I found myself holding my breath as my stomach did a weird twist from the way he looked at me. His gaze went from my eyes to my lips before he caught himself staring.
“More wine?” he asked as he spun away from me, grabbing the bottle at his side.
“Sure.” I nodded my head as I collected my bearings. The wine was going straight to my head, and the lack of food all day wasn’t helping the situation, but I didn’t want to leave just yet. Max filled up my glass and then leaned on his elbows, taking a small sip of his own wine.
I leaned back as well and looked up to the sky. The moon was a full circle, filling up the darkness so much I thought I could almost touch it if I jumped high enough.
Max chuckled softly.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing…” he said.
“Tell me,” I demanded, rolling on my side to face him.
Max could hardly control his laughter as he tried to get the words out, “You should’ve seen your face when he first hit you.” He burst with laughter, nearly spilling his wine.
“Shut up.” I glared at him. But his laughter was infectious, and I found myself joining. “I think he did it on purpose.”
Max nodded. “Behind that stern face is a clever, evil man.”
We both howled with laughter. As I threw my head back, my wine tipped from its glass and splashed onto my face, causing us to laugh even more. I wiped off the wine with the end of my shirt before reaching over him to grab the wine bottle. Max put his hand over mine, stopping me from taking it.
“I think you’ve had about enough,” he joked.
“I say when I’ve had enough,” I argued. “Plus half of my glass just spilled! I haven’t even had as much as you have.”