“Please, lady,” he implored.
“No, no, I think you had the right idea. I want your attention, but in a different form. I want you to grovel and regard me as your Queen. Better yet, make that Goddess.”
“Okay, whatever you say. Ow, ow, ow, just let me go.”
A large, muscular employee rushed over to them. “Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to leave.”
He made the mistake of grabbing her arm. She swatted him away and he went crashing into the stand of dumbbells. As his head connected to the dumbbell, it made a popping sound like a coconut. This stirred her out of her revelry. She released the misogynist, too, after realizing what she'd done. Gazing down at his still body, she quivered. What have I done? She turned around and bolted through the exit.
As she gained momentum, she felt herself super speeding. Fear of exposure began to spread throughout her entire body. As she plowed through the parking lot, she jolted upright.
It was a dream.
13
May 17, 2008
Amber woke up the next morning, opened her bedroom door, and stood there in the doorway. Eric looked up at her with remorse as he sat up on the sofa.
“Are you normal now?” Amber asked with a little bite.
“Yes, I’m so sorry. I don’t know why I said those things to you.” His eyes were puffy from a restless night and she could see that his apology was sincere.
“It wasn’t your fault, Eric. I single-handedly caused a riot last night at Blissview Mall just by touching people.”
“Ah, man. How did you stop it?”
“Honestly, I didn’t know how to stop it. Once I noticed you were affected, too, I locked myself in our bedroom.”
He stood up from the sofa and reached for her. She recoiled. “Amber, I’m so sorry.”
“I know.” She rolled out a small suitcase.
“Where are you going?”
“I tried to keep a level head about everything, especially when I thought I was getting a handle on my powers. But, the truth is I still don’t know how to control it. And, I can’t keep putting you at risk.”
“Not your choice.”
“It is my choice. If something happened to you that would be on me.”
“So you’re just going to leave, then?”
She didn’t dare to touch him for obvious reasons as she rolled the suitcase to the door, sparing only a glance over her shoulder. She couldn’t bear to look him in the eyes. “Yes. Until it’s safe, I have to stay away.”
“That’s not what I want and you know it.”
“I know, but it doesn’t change anything. Be careful.” She closed the door behind her before she had a chance to change her mind. Protecting those she loved was the only thing that mattered. His anger was preferable over his death. She just had to stay away long enough to get a handle on her powers. Then, she could return to him and figure out what do about Kelly.
She drove to the nearest motel with the windows rolled down. It felt good feeling the sun on her skin while enjoying the afternoon breeze. Once she arrived at the motel, she took the key from the ignition. When she gave herself a once over in the rearview mirror, a hand covered her mouth.
“Hey, sugar, did you miss me?” It was Diem out in broad daylight. She teleported both of them somewhere else and left the car in the Motel Inn’s parking lot. When they appeared in a forest, Amber stared at Diem in bewilderment.
“You really should work on being stealthier, Hope,” Diem said, a smugness behind her words.
Amber sat still, realizing why Diem had always made a point of saying her alias. It was always said with snark and a side of sarcasm, but the subtext was so plain now that she was kicking herself for not seeing it sooner. Diem was mocking her—toying with her, even—because she’d known who Amber was from the moment she stepped on the rooftop of BankTrust. Somehow she’d figured it out, but was that really a shocker? It was Kelly beneath all of this, right? Diem was the mask, but Kelly was still in there somewhere.
“What do you want, Kelly?”
“First, stop calling me Kelly. Diem’s the name, sugar. Try committing it to memory this time.” She grabbed Amber by the collar and punched her. “Second, I gave you explicit instructions about not getting in my way. And here you are as defiant as ever. I see listening skills are not your strong suit. Fine by me, it gives me an outlet to let out aggression. Oh and by the way, I’m taking your power.”
“It doesn’t work that way, Kel—Diem. I can’t just give it to you.”
“Sure you can. Oh, I see. You’re still having trouble controlling the power, aren’t you? Like I was saying…maybe you’re not cut out for this.”
Amber trembled as she stood up; she was still scared, but Diem was insane. If Amber didn’t stop her, then Carrington would fall under her rule. Amber couldn’t let that happen.
“Look at you. What is that a little determination kicking in? I didn’t know you had it in you.”
“You want my power,” Amber stated, transforming into Hope. “Then you’re going to have to take it. Well, you can try.”
“Gladly.”
Plumes of dust and gold flickered around Diem when she charged after Amber. Using her own hyper-speed, Amber seized Diem's lithe arms, rolled backwards, and catapulted Diem over her head. The ground quaked beneath them from Diem's hard landing, forcing her to drag her hands across the ruptured gravel and soil to stop an otherwise endless and brutal tumble.
Diem bounced up into a somersault and drove all her energy into a roundhouse kick. A stick with the right dimensions of a solid staff soared across the forest into Amber’s open hand. In a fluid motion, she spun it about once and smacked Diem in the gut and jaw.
Diem took a beat. This time around Amber wasn’t the easy knockout she’d been during their first encounter. Flustered but determined to remain the victor, Diem tapped into her reserve. She held her hands splayed, creating a sphere of light and propelled it at Amber. The light expanded and sought Amber as she bounded over a thicket of bushes to escape it, but it blasted her through the trunk of an old elm tree.
Then, out of nowhere, another light appeared. Amber assumed it was another assault from Diem based on the timing of it, but this light glowed as bright as a supernova and enveloped Amber.
As the blast of light faded, Amber took in her new surroundings. She stared at a full view of the stars in front of her, realizing she’d been teleported to some sort of facility in space. Then, guards gripped her arms on either side of her. This just wasn’t her day. First Diem, now this. She bucked and fought back, managing to free herself for a few moments before they were able to subdue her again with a strength that rivaled her own. Something she hadn’t anticipated. Either way, she kept fighting until one of them punched her in the ribs, which kept her quiet long enough to transport her to an open forum where a magistrate awaited to preside over her hearing.
“Amber Eve Khalid, you have been summoned to the Quorum for trial.”
“What are my charges?”
“Theft.”
Amber stood there motionless and confused.
“You are using outlawed abilities, Ms. Khalid. A power source, which was held in our vault until now.”
“No, I didn’t steal anything and I think that this was done to me. I’m innocent.” Amber was floored. She hadn’t stolen anything. In fact, she would give anything to not have the powers.
The woman slammed her gavel and the guards returned to take her away. “Wait, that’s it? This is illegal; I’m entitled to a trial,” Amber yelled, but the men shoved her into a small cell, locking it without another word. She sat down on the floor and pulled her knees close to her body. This was a nightmare. Why had they taken her, but not Kelly? They were both using the same powers.
Then her ears perked up, hearing footsteps in the corridor.
“Amber, are you in there?” Amber stayed where she was, crouching in the corner. She could hear the door unlatch. When it opened, she recognized the man. As he pulled bac
k his hood, locks of curly dark hair cascaded across his forehead and he had the most piercing green eyes.
“It's you; I've seen you in my dreams.” Although she couldn't hear his voice in the dream, the one word she was able to make out was that he'd said his name. “Marcus?”
“Yes, but that's not my real name. Come quickly.”
14
May 17, 2008
When Amber didn’t move, Marcus stepped inside of her cell to avoid being seen by guards that were bound to return at any moment. Leaving the door slightly ajar, he took a few tentative steps towards Amber.
“What's going on?” Amber cried.
“I know you're scared and confused, but there's no time to explain. I know a way out and I can take you with me, but we need to move now,” Marcus urged, extending his hand, “Do you trust me?”
Amber nodded compliance and took his hand. Hoisting her to her feet, they scrambled across the hallway. He removed an orb from his satchel, recited a short incantation and they disappeared.
They reappeared on a cliff. It was familiar—the one from her dreams.
“You said you could explain,” Amber prompted once she had her bearings. “Who were those people?”
“They’re called the Quorum.” Ares paused, considering his next statement. “I think you may have consumed the serum I’ve been working on. It made you more like my people, which is the reason they came after you.”
“No, I'd know if I'd eaten—”
“It was poured on a pastry, maybe a custard of some sort.”
Amber mind flashed back to the forbidden flan she and Kelly devoured. “No, Kelly’s dad said it came from Marciello—shoot, I bet he meant Marcus. How do you butcher a simple name like Marcus?”
“I used an appellation spell on Melinda’s family. Any time one of them tried to call me by name, another name came out in its place. We couldn’t risk anyone finding out what we were doing.”
“Clever.”
Marcus admitted he’d known Melinda and given her the serum for safe-keeping, but later discovered it had somehow ended up on the flan. “I’m sorry this is happening to you. I trusted Melinda, but she must’ve—”
“It wasn't her fault,” Amber confessed. “We weren't supposed to eat it. We knew it wasn't for us. Melinda all but labeled it off limits. It's my fault.”
“Sometimes things happen that are beyond our control,” Marcus added.
Amber made a face at his attempt to soothe her with a platitude. Disregarding it, she said, “I don’t understand. If we took the serum a decade ago, why did it take so long for our powers to manifest?”
“I don't know; I never had a chance to test it. I can only imagine that your powers must've been dormant.”
“What should we do? Kelly ate the flan, too, and she’s lost her mind. She didn’t recognize me. She doesn’t even know who she is,” Amber said, pausing, “Is that going to happen to me, too?”
“No, Kelly’s body is rejecting the powers, because she comes from a nephilim bloodline. Nephilim represent the breaking of a most sacred covenant. The Creator would never suffer a union of such immense power. The ambrosial serum is lethal to someone with Kelly’s genetic make-up.”
“Then, why would Melinda leave it in the refrigerator, knowing that it could kill Kelly?”
“Melinda and I were working together. She wanted to be able to mask their nephilim essence. She must’ve thought Kelly would be strong enough to withstand the change—that Kelly would be more Elysian than nephilim, given they only had a fraction of nephilim blood in them. But I warned her—”
“We have to help Kelly. There must be something we can do to help her.”
“Amber, we have to turn Kelly in.”
"Wait, what? No, it's not her fault. Can't you just extract her powers?” Amber threaded her hands in her hair. “She, Kelly—she said she’d take my power. Can she do that? Maybe, I can take her power. Right?”
“It’s not that simple, Amber. When you took the serum, all of our powers were divided amongst the two of you…” Marcus pursed his lips, shaking his head. “She means to kill you. That’s the only way she could get your powers. Kill the vessel and the power would default to the last man standing.”
Amber swallowed. “Okay, a bit harsh, and final, but we still have time?”
“She has to be stopped, and the Quorum will find her.”
“They haven't found her yet. Please, give me a chance to find out what happened to her. She's a good person. Clearly, she didn't adjust to the change and it's making her crazy. You owe us that much.”
He couldn't argue there. It was his serum that changed them.
Amber sat quietly, absorbing it all in. She needed to know everything, soak in every detail. “You said Marcus wasn't your name, what is it?”
“Ares.”
“What, like the God of War?” Amber joked.
But Ares did not laugh; in fact, his expression remained stoic.
“You can’t be serious.”
“Actually, you’re partially right. Your stories depict me as the God of War, but I’m not a God, at least, not by my own proclamation.”
“Zeus, Hera, Apollo…Ares. That’s all real—Greek Gods and Goddesses?”
“Sort of. We’re not from Earth; we’re from a planet called Cronus—born in the territory of Elysia—but your people know it as Saturn. We’re Elysians, not Gods. We can live for thousands of years, but we’re no more immortal than you. Humans used to have longer lifespans, too, until the Creator rescinded that perquisite.”
“Wait, you’re not talking about Adam and Eve, are you?”
“Yes.”
“Unbelievable,” Amber marveled. First, the offspring of angels, now Greek mythology. What’s next?
“Adam and Eve—it’s all recorded in the Bible,” Ares reassured her.
“I know, but faith is in short supply on Earth,” Amber said, boggled by this revelation. She gauged his expression. He looked remorseful. Good, she could use that to get him to explain more. “So you’re born with these powers?”
“No, ascension is not given freely. To access it, you must fulfill a condition.”
“What’s the condition?”
“I don’t know. No one really knows, but the old ones believe ascension is earned.”
“Why is that?”
“Because we don’t ascend at the same time, which implies the Elysian has done something to gain access to it. We’d like to think it was something worthy of being elevated.”
“But, Kelly and I have the power now. How is that possible?”
“A loophole. The spell allows us to extract the powers from the Quorum’s vault and deposit it into anyone who consumed the ambrosial serum.”
“Okay. Why are they—the Quorum—after you?” She wanted to keep him talking, find out as much as possible.
“We have universal cardinal laws enacted to prevent violence. 1) No like entity shall harm another, and 2) No entity shall use its powers to command another. My people broke one of the cardinal laws after we ascended and became Olympians. We used our powers to rule the Greeks and, as a consequence, our powers were taken from us by the Quorum. The powers you possess are specific to my people. Essentially, the Quorum thinks you’ve stolen outlawed powers.”
“But I’m innocent. If you turn yourself in…”
“I’m not turning myself in.”
“But you admit guilt.”
“Do you know the punishment for breaking cardinal laws?”
“I don’t know. Jail?”
“Death.”
“I’m sorry; I didn’t know, but if I’m recaptured, they’ll execute me, too.”
“Which is why I’m going to help you. I created the serum so I could restore my powers and go home, but I’m not turning myself in.”
Amber bit her lower lip, considering his offer.
“If you don’t want my help, that’s fine. I will leave and I will never bother you again.” He sensed her misgivings about the situ
ation.
“No, please, I do want you help.”
“Good.” He turned to walk away.
Amber frowned. He’d gotten her all riled up, afraid that she’d be left on her own to fight this Quorum. It felt like she was being manipulated and it pissed her off. “Where are you going?”
“I’ll be in touch.”
“Wait, you’re leaving me here?”
“No, you’re going home.”
“Uh, no. I’m not safe there,” Amber insisted. “The Quorum snatched me from the Motel Inn.”
“No, you’ll be fine. I’m sending you back to your apartment. It’s hard to see you there.”
“It’s hard to see me there? What the hell is that supposed to mean? No, you can’t just—”
“Evie, send her home,” Ares commanded seemingly to no one, but Amber was plucked from the bluff and dropped into the living room of her apartment.
15
May 19, 2008
Although Marcus was the only source upon which Amber could rely for information about her Olympian powers, she felt ambivalent about him. She didn’t know him and, therefore, wasn’t certain he could be trusted. Literally, he appeared out of nowhere. She hated the way he dangled his help in front of her like a carrot prior to ripping it away with an idle threat of leaving her to deal with her problems on her own. But, her options were limited. She would have to stow her reservations about him for the time being, unless he presented a much more substantial reason to distrust him.
The last time she’d seen Marcus, they parted on bad terms. Although he had admitted guilt, he didn’t deserve to die. To say the draconian practice of sentencing for the offense was grossly unfair would be an understatement. He sensed Amber’s mistrust and threatened to leave her to handle it on her on. It rubbed her the wrong way, but admittedly she’d have the same attitude if the roles were reversed. The truth was: she needed Marcus. All things considered, none of this mattered if she couldn’t find him.
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