My eyes locked on her lips. They were full and luscious, making me curious about kissing her. I wondered more and more about her story. Why was she here? What did our captor want with her? Did she have a boyfriend? “No. Sorry. I was just thinking.”
“About what?” She questioned.
“Just wondering why we both are in this situation. And how much of my life I’ve missed.”
Sadness washed over her eyes, and her long limbs swung over the side of the bed. She leaned forward, revealing more skin than I thought she intended. My breath caught in my throat, and I fought to keep my eyes on hers.
“Aiden…I know we’re both in a bad situation. And honestly, I don’t know what is going on or what happened to you, but we will figure it out. I just want to help you make up for lost time right now. We have to get out of here before we’ll truly know what’s going on…” She looked lost in her thoughts.
My head ached, and my flesh burned. I tried my hardest to remember what last happened in my life. It had been at least three years ago. “I had just turned fifteen and my parents took me skiing to celebrate,” I turned to look at her, “I remember losing control and heading towards a tree, but I don’t remember actually hitting the tree…” I rubbed my head, trying to coax the memories to return.
She looked at me intently, her face showing concern. She reached her hand out to mine, although the glassed over look would return. Our fingertips met, and electricity shot through my body. I searched her face for any reaction, but I saw nothing. So I continued. “There was someone skiing beside me. He had on the face mask, so I couldn’t tell you what he looked like. He seemed to stay right with me, though. I remember…,” I paused to reflect. “I remember he skied closer than most would and I thought it was odd. I couldn’t do anything except stay out of his way so we wouldn’t crash.”
She didn’t take her eyes off of me the whole time I spoke. My head was beginning to ache from the strain of trying to remember. She squeezed my hand, and dropped it free. She stood, beside me in two strides. “Relax. We can talk more later. I doubt Mr. Psycho is going to let us go anytime soon, so we don’t have to hurry.” She took the medicine from the side table, and massaged it into my wounds. The glassed over look came and went. Her delicate hands felt like magic, and soon I was drifting back to unconsciousness.
Scott
Grandma called me while I was leaving the center. I could tell she’d been worrying about me lately. I felt like I was losing it. I wouldn’t be able to handle it if I didn’t find Livvie and fix the whole curse situation before her birthday. I couldn’t lose her. I couldn’t.
Grandma wanted me to come back to her house to look over the book. The book full of information about The Crimson Calamitous that mysteriously appeared today. Why wouldn’t she have told me about this before? Did it hold the key to finding my love? My knuckles were turning white from gripping the steering wheel. I shook my shoulders slightly to relax my muscles. My hands loosened, and I took deep breaths. “Relax, Tabors. Chill.” I muttered to myself. Shaking my head, a maniacal laugh escaped my throat. I was talking to myself now. I was definitely losing it. The corners of my mouth turned up as I pulled into Grandma’s driveway. I flung the door open, and closed it as quickly. I bound up the steps to see Grandma waiting at the door, holding the book. I looked at it then back to her. “What’s going on?”
“Little one, come in here. We have to discuss this,” she said, holding the book up level with her face.
I hurried in the door, letting it slam behind me. I followed her to the kitchen, seating myself at the oak table. She looked concerned. “I found that this morning. Before I could look at it, Juniper and Mark interrupted me. Was I not supposed to find it or something?”
She shook her head, “It’s not that, little one. I think this book holds the key to destroying The Crimson Calamitous. I just got it yesterday. I’ve been searching for months. I thought this book was a myth…but I found it. Remember when I went to visit my friend last weekend? I was calling contacts, and ordering this from Scotland. I had to wait until it shipped here to tell you.”
A mythical book? I had no idea what she was talking about, but my heart raced at the thought of destroying the ancient, evil wizard. “Ok. We can’t seem to find Livvie, so why don’t we change course for a bit,” I told her, eyeing the leather bound heap of information waiting for us.
She inhaled deeply and opened it, looking at the index I had already read earlier today. She began muttering to herself and furiously flipped through the pages. I jumped up, racing around to her side of the table, bending to look over her shoulder. She stopped on the page labeled “Vessel.” I didn’t know what it meant, but I didn’t have a good feeling about it.
“It can’t be…but it makes sense…” she muttered. She snapped her fingers a few times, and I backed away unsure of what was happening. “Scottie, I need you to go get the folklore information. Now. Hurry. You must teleport, even though I know you hate it.”
The urgency in her voice was enough to convince me, and I popped over to my apartment. My head spun, and I grabbed for something to steady myself. It was nice to get somewhere fast, but I despised the feeling it gave me. It felt like everything inside my body was left behind, and I generally got dizzy. I regained my balance, and ran to my room to look through my books. I threw my stuff all over the place as I searched my desk. Finally I found the correct volume, and I braced myself for the return journey.
I stumbled after arriving in Grandma’s kitchen. She still sat at the table, absorbed in her reading. I placed my hand on her shoulder, making her jump. “Sorry. I got it,” I said as I held the folklore information up.
“Little one, find the bit about the Red Evil in there.”
I turned the pages, remembering it was about half way through the book. I stopped on page 154. “Found it.”
“Read it to me,” she said without looking up.
I was baffled by her behavior, but I did as she asked. I cleared my throat and began. “Since the year 1413, there have been legends of an evil red magic user. No one knows why, but every time he is killed, he is resurrected. In 1825, the body was actually burned to death. However, by 1840 there were speculations of an evil magic user resurfacing. There must be more than one, since we have documented that the body was indeed destroyed. Non magic users are still seeking the red users to find answers.”
Grandma didn’t look up, just began reading. “The Crimson Calamitous is an extraordinarily magical being. When first destroyed, the soul and all of the powers survived, while the vessel, or body, died. It is believed that the soul and powers transfer to vessels it finds, because there have been many documented events involving one believed to be The Crimson Calamitous. This evil sorcerer is the only full red aura ever reported. No one has come forth with any information on whether the vessel theory is true or not.”
I slowly sat, processing what we just read. “So…Livvie killed a vessel?”
“If she really killed him. He could just be seriously injured. This means The Crimson Calamitous will be back if he finds another vessel.”
“Grandma…this is a disaster. He will be out for revenge. And I don’t even know where Livvie is!” I exclaimed, slamming my fist down on the table. Everything shook, and the salt shaker fell to its side, pouring out tiny grains in the process.
“Little one, we have to find a way to destroy the soul and the powers. It’s the only way. And unless the vessel is evil, we need to find a way to save him. As for your Olivia…we do need to find her. Have you tried espying lately?”
“Yes. Last night. My spirit just shoots back to my body every time. But…I didn’t get to tell you this. I went to the community center today,” I started.
She put her hand up to stop me. “I told you there was no point in going there, I’ve scoured through everything.” She sounded irritated with me.
“I know,” I said sharply. “I found something. It was a note…here.” I handed it to her, smoothing the crumpled paper
out so she could read it.
She gasped and looked at me. “Someone is watching us.”
“The same someone who has Livvie,” I paused, not wanting to believe what I was about to say. “Do you think he already has a new vessel?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. This is the most powerful sorcerer in all our history. We are up for a big battle, Scott.” She patted my hand, but it didn’t comfort me. Her whole body was tense.
Grandma being this worried was enough to send me into panic mode. “I’m going back to search her parents’ house,” I declared. I stood and rushed from her house before she could convince me otherwise.
Olivia
I doctored Aiden enough to make him fall asleep. I was getting set to sit and stare at the wall when my captor, called Mr. Psycho from now on, strutted in. I bolted up, making myself dizzy. I noticed he had a plate of food in his hand. It looked disgusting, but my stomach growled anyway. “Why do you only have one plate?” I asked as I studied his face. I wanted to be able to describe him when I was finally rescued. He was what most would consider handsome. His hair was dark and reached his ears, making a floppy look on his forehead. His eyes were light brown with a deep intensity behind them. He looked like someone I had seen before, but I didn’t know if it was at school or just out in town. Before I could consider it anymore, he interrupted me.
“Are you listening?” he asked me in annoyance.
“Sorry.”
“I said the food is for you. I don’t think he needs any. I just need rid of him, but you…I have to keep you alive.”
Shocked, I gasped loudly. “You’re not going to feed him? You’d just let him starve to death?”
He nodded, setting the food down in front of me. “Eat it.” He turned to leave before I could say anything else. This guy was something else. He kidnapped me, locks me in this room for two months or so, and now he’s going to let an injured man die. It made my blood boil to think there was such evil in this world.
I pushed the muck around with the provided fork. It was gooey and all stuck together. It didn’t even resemble anything I’d ever seen before. It looked like playdough with chunks of chicken. I divided it all in half. I was sharing with Aiden so he could get the nourishment he needed. I’d hide his half of it I must. I forced a bite of food into my mouth, doing my best to not gag at the rubbery feel of it. It felt like what I imagined a dog eating peanut butter did. When I finished, I hurried to the bathroom to drink some water from the faucet. The “food” left a bad taste in my mouth.
I slid back into the springy bed, leaned my head back on the flat pillow, and sighed. Scott obviously couldn’t get to me. Something was blocking this room. I folded my hands over my stomach, staring at the ceiling. There was no way out, but maybe I could find a way to break the magical barrier. I was a magical being, right? I knew I couldn’t conjure fire like I had the night of the dance. But…maybe I could do something else…though I didn’t know what. Heck, I didn’t even know what I could do, yet!
I closed my eyes and thought back to all the times Scott had come to me in dreams. He said his spirit somehow was the only part of him present. I breathed deeply through my nose, relaxing my whole body with each breath. I imagined my soul detaching from my body. Then I snorted, holding back laughter. This was ridiculous.
I calmed myself and tried again. My lungs filled with air, my chest rising and falling steadily. I relaxed enough to feel a peace within me. Somehow I knew this was the way to project my spirit. I don’t know how I knew. I just did. My body felt light as I imagined pushing my spirit out. I tried over and over, but something was holding me back. Frustrated and overwhelmed, I whispered, “Scott, please find me.” That’s when I felt my spirit lift. It was the oddest sensation I’d ever experienced, though it was calming at the same time. I looked around but didn’t see anything familiar. I think I’d somehow gotten out of the room! I walked around, searching for something I recognized. I didn’t see anyone or anything that gave me any sort of indicator of where I ended up. I wandered through the room, inspecting the furniture and small aspects of the room. There was a long table on one side of the room and a couch on the other. There were no pictures or anything to make the room homey in any way. There was a door across from me, and I started towards it when my spirit began flying backwards.
Aiden
She lay rigid and tense when I woke. I thought he had poisoned her. There was a plate of food at her side, and my only conclusion was our captor killed her. I winced, groaning my way to a sitting position. Then I saw she was still breathing. “Olivia.” I said it as loud as my voice would go, but not so loud he would come check things out. She didn’t reply.
I braced myself, attempting to stand so I could get to her. I held on to the bed, then the table, until I made my way there. Her face was angelic and peaceful. Her soft features were bright against the dull white of the bed. Her hair, though dull from the capture, managed to still look a vibrant red. I longed to run my hands through it. I held myself up with one hand, shaking her with the other. “Olivia! Please, please be ok.”
When my skin made contact with hers, she gasped loudly, and her eyes flew open. She looked like she was in some kind of trance or something. She registered where she was, then she glared at me. “Why did you do that?” she exclaimed. She shot into an upright position. I barely had enough time to lean back, afraid her head would collide with mine.
“I’m sorry. I thought you were poisoned.” I confessed.
The shock was wearing off her face. “Oh, Aiden. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you.”
She genuinely looked apologetic. I nodded, and gripped my way back to my bed. She hopped into action, assisting me so I wouldn’t collapse. I was getting situated when the plate of food was in front of me.
“I saved this for you. You really need nourishment. Not that this is that great. Trust me, it’s awful, but it’s better than nothing. Don’t tell Mr. Psycho I shared,” she said, thrusting it into my hands.
“Ok. Thank you. Tell me what just happened while I eat,” I suggested to her. My fork tried to pull the food apart, but it was all glued together. I would have to really work at it.
“Well, before all of this,” she said while waving her arms around, “I was visited in my dreams a lot. So I decided to see if I could figure out how to project myself out in the same way. And Aiden,” she couldn’t contain the excitement in her voice anymore. She jumped up and down a bit, her hair flying around her. “I did it,” she whispered.
My arms covered in goosebumps from her lips near my ear. I didn’t know why I was reacting this way to her, but I needed to control myself. She hadn’t made any indication she was interested in me. I was being ridiculous. I blamed it on the fact I lost years of my life.
“You did it?” I questioned.
“I projected out of here.”
My eyes widened. The fork fell, making a clattering sound that made her jump. She was nervous telling me this. “Tell me more…I don’t understand.”
“Ok, well, I told you I had powers or whatever. I never got to explore them. I only know I can produce fire and see things when I touch someone. After you passed out, I decided to relax my mind and body, to see if I could somehow send my spirit to another place. I was trying to contact Scott so he could find us.”
Scott. Who in the world was Scott? My heart fell at how her face lit up when she said his name. “Go on…” I urged her.
She smiled and said, “I somehow got out of here. It took a few tries. I think he,” she said, pointing to the door, “put some kind of protection on anyone getting in the room. And from me using my fire powers, but I don’t think he knew I may try that. Heck, I didn’t even know if it would work! We can’t let on anything happened though, Aiden. He will do something to make sure I can’t get out. It’s our only hope at this point…” She looked lost in her own thoughts.
“I apologize for waking you then. You looked dead laying there, I saw the food…I just panicked.”
&n
bsp; “Oh, it’s ok. Honestly, I wondered if the food was poisoned too, but he hadn’t fed me in a couple of days, and I took the chance. It’s fine. I’ll just try again later.” She rested her hand on mine. Then she smiled at me warmly, after her initial trance from touching me that is. My body tingled at her soft skin. I shuddered. I must control myself. Obviously, she had a boyfriend.
“Are you ok? Why are you shaking?” she asked me with a concerned look.
“I’m fine. I think I need my blanket,” I lied.
She grabbed it for me and covered me to my waist. “Now eat. It’s disgusting, but you need it. I’m going to tell you about the room I was in,” she said excitedly.
I smiled and worked on getting my food into edible sizes while she talked. Her voice soothed me enough to ignore the garbage I was eating.
Scott
“Scott, please find me.” I kept hearing it over and over again in my head. Livvie had somehow contacted me. I was reading the book on vessels when her voice just appeared, soft and alluring, yet weak and scared. I paced my apartment, waiting for Sadie to get back from Grandma’s. How could Livvie have contacted me? Did she even mean to? This meant she tapped into more of her powers. I at least knew she was alive now, but her voice…she was in danger. I could hear it.
Please find me. I imagined her huddled in a dark room, all alone, cold, scared, and hungry. My fists clenched when I thought about whoever had her. They would pay. I would make sure. I must be ready next time. Somehow, I would find a way to reach back to her. To let her know I’m here, and maybe get a read on where she was.
“Scott?” Sadie asked. She was shaking me.
“When did you get here?” I asked, looking around for some sign of when she appeared.
“About three minutes ago. What’s wrong with you? You look like hell.”
Leave it to Sadie to always be honest. “I heard Livvie.”
Excitedly she exclaimed, “You heard from Livvie??”
The Vessel Page 3