I set the toothbrush down the countertop. “You think they actually saw a glowing naked man with hypnotic eyes?” I stepped closer to him.
Reese shrugged. “Who knows? If their hallucination was drug induced, then how could all of them have seen the same thing?”
“Maybe they made it up?” I offered with a shrug. Reese didn’t need to start believing that this monster was real and stalking the people of our community.
“Why would they do that?” Reese’s eyes narrowed. “To cover up what they did to Trevor? No.” He shook his head adamantly. “You don’t really believe that.” Reese shifted his weight again to his other foot. “They never found your attacker. They never found the person or people who set the fires at the church. What if all this is related? What if something supernatural is going on?”
I laughed. “Reese… what? Aliens, demons, monsters? What do you think is going on? Vampires or the undead?” I shook my head, trying to get him to realize how ridiculous those options sounded. “You’ve watched too much TV.”
“Sounds crazy, doesn’t it?”
I nodded. “Yes.” I bit my bottom lip. “Your friend from football camp is missing… taken by a weirdo.” Reese’s forearm felt tense under my hand. “But they’ll find him. Trevor’s strong. He’ll be okay,” I said in an attempt to encourage my brother and convince myself that we’d save Trevor in time. I needed to be right. Trevor needed to be okay.
“I hope you’re right.” Reese headed out my bedroom door but stopped and turned back. “I’ll see you at school. And Kate, be careful.”
“I will. You too.” I watched Reese leave and then headed back into the bathroom. As I brushed my hair one last time, I looked in the mirror and thought about Sarah, the original owner of this beautiful necklace. Why isn’t she wearing it today? To not wear the necklace is to put a target on one’s back. I ran my fingers over the chain. There was only one reason I would stop wearing it. Death. How did Sarah die?
“Kate,” Mom called from downstairs. “Nick’s here.”
I grabbed my backpack and jogged down the stairs. “Did you hear the news?” I asked Nick.
“About Trevor? Yes.” Nick shook his head and passed me my jacket. “Hopefully they’ll find him soon.”
Mom clicked her tongue. “Reese knows Trevor from football camp.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Nick said. “I bet there’ll be other people at school who know him too.”
“It’s going to be all we hear about today,” I said. There was no way I would check any of the social media websites today. Everyone who knew Trevor would post pictures or tell stories of their time with him, and I didn’t need him humanized any further. I already knew this was my fault, and I didn’t want to see this great guy’s life ruined because of my mistake. The less I knew about him, the better. If I kept my distance emotionally, then maybe I could keep my focus and actually help him. “Bye, Mom,” I called over my shoulder as Nick and I headed out the door.
Nick opened my car door for me. “Do you have any leads?” I asked. I sat and dropped my backpack on the floor mats between my feet.
“No, we weren’t even in the right area last night.” Nick shut the door and walked around the car. His jeans brushed lightly against the leather seat as he sat down. “Hopefully now that the Dolum has a human body as a host, his killing sprees will slow down.” Nick looked over his shoulder as he backed out of the driveway.
“So that’s what he’s doing with Trevor? Using him as a host?”
“Probably. Trevor gives the Dolum the ability to pass for human. He can go places and blend in. It’ll be impossible for humans to tell the difference, unless he wants them to. Let’s just hope he doesn’t commit any unforgiveable crimes while he’s in Trevor’s body.”
My stomach twisted and knotted as we passed the beautiful houses in my community. As the residents heard the news about Trevor, they would be clueless to the fact that a demon had possessed his body. When they heard about drug use, they would believe it. With the teens’ insane story, they wouldn’t even hesitate to doubt that drugs were involved. And the worst part was, whatever crimes the Dolum committed while possessing Trevor’s body, Trevor would pay the penalty for. Trevor was a helpless pawn in this monster’s game. “You have to help him,” I mumbled. “Trevor can’t go to jail for the Dolum’s crimes.”
“We’ll do our best.” Nick squeezed my knee. “The others are looking for Trevor right now. In fact, I’m going to drop you off at school. Zoe will be with you today. I’m going hunting.”
I laced Nick’s fingers through mine and felt some peace. Since his arrival, he’d been a source of peace and comfort. Through all of this drama, that hadn’t changed. Even as my feelings for Alex developed, I still longed for the stability of Nick’s friendship. “Find him before the Dolum does something terrible. Don’t let the Dolum destroy Trevor’s future.”
“That’s the plan,” Nick said with a wink. I knew the wink was a sign of encouragement, but I wished it was a promise.
Nick dropped me off and Zoe was standing on the stairs at the entrance to the school. It wasn’t that long ago that I drooled over Nick standing there. How quickly things have changed. Now that I know the truth, my world is magically confusing. There’s the wonder and mystery of being an Asteri, an amazing but rare hybrid of human and angel. Who knew Asteri genes could be passed down like handedness and eye color? But the flip side of being an Asteri is the reality of dealing with demons and mythological creatures whose sole purpose is to destroy good. Would I go back to my ‘ignorance is bliss’ mentality, or do I prefer the dangerous knowledge of my Asteri heritage? There’s a superficial freedom that comes with ignorance, but when the ignorance catches up with you… you’re dead.
“Hey,” Zoe said. “Good to see you.”
“Morning,” I said as I made my way up the stairs. “So, it’s just us today.”
“Yep.” She pulled open the door.
“I was thinking. We should go on a field trip after school.” I pulled my hair out from under the strap of my backpack and tried not to hit anyone as we walked through the crowded hallway.
Zoe angled her head and looked at me. “I’m not so sure about that.”
“It’s probably safer there than it is here.” Throngs of students passed by us as we made our way down the center of the hallway. “I have some things I want to work on. Besides, it’ll be easier to work on them there. Please,” I begged.
“I’ll think about it.”
10. Field Trip
Zoe and I stood at the portal with our hands locked together. “You need to stay close to me,” she said. Her eyebrows were raised and her voice was serious and lower than normal. “Nothing can happen to you. Alex would kill me.”
I put my hand up, like a scout, and promised, “I will do whatever you tell me to do.” I really didn’t want a repeat of my last visit. I wasn’t interested in being attacked by another vicious Dolum or any other creature that lived in the other dimension.
She took a deep breath and sighed. “That’s not reassuring.”
“It’s the best I can offer.” I lifted my shoulders in a half-hearted shrug.
“Let’s go.” We stepped together, through the warm droplets of energy and entered the other side. Beauty surrounded us. Sunlight glittered off the lake. The leaves on the nearby trees bent slightly in the gentle breeze. Zoe dropped my hand and stepped towards the trees. “It’s so easy to forget how beautiful and bright everything is over here.” She cradled a flower in her hand. “One gets used to life in our dimension, but this dimension is amazing.” She brought the flower up to her nose and inhaled deeply.
“Each time I come here I have to take it all in again.” I walked to a bush lush with flowers and pulled off a bloom. The petal felt like velvet on my fingertips. “Nothing compares with this place,” I said as I inhaled deeply and took in my surroundings. The colors, scents, and sensations in this dimension were unlike anything I’d ever experienced. Coming to this side
could become addictive.
Zoe placed her hand on my arm. “Don’t forget. You’re not safe here. We don’t know what could be living here. There could be more Dolums or other dangerous creatures. Don’t get caught up in the beauty.”
“I know.” I looked towards the location of where we’d found the vultures feasting on the carcass. “Did you hear about the zebra?”
“Yes, Alex told me. He also told me that you worked on levitation yesterday. How did it go?”
“You tell me.” I held my hand out towards a faded red leaf lying on the ground. The leaf twitched and flew into my hand. It crackled as I crumpled it in my fist.
Zoe smiled. “Pretty good. Now let’s see something bigger.” She pointed to a twig lying beside some bushes.
I looked at the twig and envisioned it meeting my hand. Suddenly its bark scratched against the inside of my palm. “This is fun.” I smiled, amazed and impressed at my own ability to learn how to levitate larger objects so quickly. Yesterday I was working on scarves. Today I’m advancing to objects with greater mass.
“No kidding. Now look over there.” She pointed to a small rock, about the size of a tennis ball, wedged in the dirt beside a tree. “Enough with the small-time stuff. Exercise that mind of yours.”
I bit my lower lip, nervous because I hadn’t done anything that heavy before. I held out my hand, focused on the rock, and envisioned the rock flying towards me.
The rock didn’t move.
I stared at it again, willing it to move, but it remained stuck. I walked over to the rock. “Look.” I knelt down beside it. “Half of it’s stuck in the ground. No wonder I couldn’t get it out.” I grabbed a stick in order to loosen the dirt from the edges of the rock.
“Don’t touch it,” Zoe ordered. She held out her hand and the rock flew past my face, missing me by centimeters, and landed squarely in her palm. “When you’re strong enough, a little dirt won’t hold you back,” she said with a smirk. She cradled the rock on her fingertips like a prized egg.
“Braggart.” I threw the stick to the ground.
She tossed the rock aside and rested her hands on her hips. “Try it again.”
This time, before I extended my hand, I imagined catching the rock, and by the time my hand was in position, the rock slammed into my palm and sent vibrations down my arm. “I did it!” I switched the rock to my other hand and flexed my fingers. “That hurt a little, but I did it.”
She chuckled. “Yes, that’s a trick you have to learn when you work on levitating objects. You have to slow them down before they slam into you. It can get painful if you don’t master that.” She shook her head as she approached me. “Now we’re going to work on a few skills at once. You’re going to run through the woods and use your telekinesis to catch whatever interests you while you try to increase your speed.”
“Okay, so I run and levitate stuff at the same time. That doesn’t sound too hard.”
“Oh, and don’t run into any trees. Just run, catch, and release,” Zoe said. “See how fast you can go.”
“All right. Let’s do this.” I started with a slow jog and focused on small leaves and twigs. I caught and released them, leaving behind a trail of natural “breadcrumbs” just like Hansel and Gretel. With each step I felt the power and energy build within my core. I quickly graduated to pebbles and tiny rocks, and then I ran faster and caught larger branches and rocks. I sped them through the air and slowed them right before they slammed into my hand. The power felt amazing as it coursed through me.
I raced through the forest with Zoe close behind until I came across a bunny nibbling on sweet grass. I slowed, careful to not scare it. The bunny’s ears perked up. Its nose twitched, but it remained frozen. Pebbles, rocks, and branches were great to levitate, but when I’d been attacked, I’d thrown the Dolum. Could I levitate the bunny to my arms? Could I catch it safely? As I held out my hand, the bunny rose and floated through the air. Its feet scurried and kicked in the air but found no ground for traction. I caught the bunny and nuzzled its soft fur against my face. Its pink nose twitched, and its whiskers tickled my cheeks.
“What are you doing?” Zoe stepped beside me. Her eyebrows were pulled down and her lips were in a tight line across her face.
“It’s so cute.” I felt the bunny’s heart race as I rubbed my face against its soft fur. “I wanted to see if I could catch it.”
“And what if you hadn’t?” She took the bunny from my arms and set it on the ground. The bunny scampered away into some thick bushes.
“That didn’t happen.” My voice matched the irritation revealed in her tone of voice. “I knew that if I could move it, then I could catch it. Why are you so upset?”
“Don’t mess with things that are alive. It’s cruel.”
What was she talking about? “Cruel… I promise that wasn’t my intent. I was cuddling the bunny.”
“How would you feel if someone used telekinesis on you?”
“Are you kidding me? I am manipulated and lied to on a daily basis. No one seems too worried about that. I’m told that half-truths and manipulation are critical for our survival. I didn’t realize playing with bunnies was off limits.” I turned and ran as fast as I could. They seemed to have rules that never really made any sense. Kate, be honest with us, but by the way, we’ll never really be honest with you… Trust us, we know what’s best. That seemed to be their modus operandi when it came to dealing with me. I had to completely trust them, but they never trusted me with the truth.
The trees blurred past me. Zoe called out my name, but I kept running at top speed. The air whispered over my skin and the power that surged through me only invigorated me. My ponytail kept a simple rhythm as it swept along the back of my neck with each step.
I stopped suddenly when I heard a loud noise. Twigs broke as something approached me. I looked around and realized that I’d entered a part of the forest where the trees grew closer together. Their branches blocked out the sun. It was darker here and fewer flowers bloomed on the trees.
A low guttural growl and piercing red eyes glinted at me through the dense underbrush. Shivers traveled down my spine as I recalled the sound and recognized the eyes that haunted me in the church hallway the night of the dance recital.
The head of a cerberus broke through the underbrush first; the long white fangs were in stark contrast to the black mane that surrounded the beast’s large head. As the rest of the body came into view, I looked around for a weapon, anything I could use to fight off this creature, but there was nothing. The cerberus outweighed me. It was a true predator, and I was its prey.
More twigs broke behind me. I turned and saw another set of red eyes glinting at me as another cerberus made its way through the thick underbrush and trees. My heart raced as I thought about my options. Could I outrun them? Was flight my best option? I certainly couldn’t fight them, could I? Other than the Dolum, I’d never levitated anything that heavy before. Would I be able to throw them both and escape fast enough? I noticed a thick tree branch and held my hand out to it. It flew through the air and smacked into my hand. I held it like a baseball bat in an attempt to shield my body. I moved so I could keep both beasts in my peripheral vision, but they, unfortunately, had their evil eyes locked on me.
A thick ribbon of drool hung from one of the cerberi’s mouths. The drool dripped to the ground as the beast snarled and bared its teeth. Brittle leaves and twigs crunched under its large paw as it approached me. The snake tails on both creatures were upright, dancing to their own silent song as they watched me. Their forked tongues darted in and out as they tasted the air and surely sensed my fear. I stepped back and felt the bark of a tree scrape my legs. Should I yell for Zoe? Would that just be calling her to her death? Maybe she was better off where she was.
The two cerberi stepped closer. They chuffed and snorted as they closed in on me. I repositioned my hands on the tree branch and prepared to hit whichever one attacked first. A heat grew in my core and pulsed through my body with each h
eartbeat. If they hesitated, and my power continued to grow at this rate, perhaps I could fight them. I shuffled my feet, trying to remain ready to dart in either direction.
One beast growled and opened its mouth wide to reveal the full length of its saber-tooth fangs. Then, in unison, their heads turned, their noses shot up in the air, and they hunched their backs. The cerberi regrouped and moved so they stood next to each other. It seemed that they were no longer interested in me. The hair on their backs rose. Their lips twitched as a low murmur hummed from their chests. The forked-tongued snake tails tasted the air and coiled closer to their haunches.
With a loud crash, another beast broke through the trees and landed a few feet in front of the cerberi. Zoe slid off of the creature’s back and ran to me. “Come on!” she yelled. She pulled my arm and nearly wrenched it from its socket as she dragged me away from the animals.
I looked over my shoulder at the new beast. I’d seen pictures of it, but I never imagined that it truly existed. It had always been a myth, a storybook legend. The griffin towered over the two cerberi. Its lion body was much larger than a typical lion. The eagle head was white and feathers trailed down the neck like a mane. When the griffin opened its beak, the sound that filled the air was a mixture between a squawk and a roar. The two cerberi moved in unison and lowered their bodies into a defensive stance.
“Stop! Stop!” I yelled. I pulled on Zoe and dug my feet into the ground so that we came to an abrupt stop. “What should we do? We can’t just leave.” I looked at the battle that was just beginning. The griffin bobbed its powerful head up and down. The razor sharp beak sliced through the air and forced the cerberi to step back.
“Griffins don’t need our help,” Zoe said. “Besides, it’s here to protect you.” The griffin spread its eagle wings and blocked our view of the cerberi.
Symbiosis (Scintillate Series Book 2) Page 13