The Chronicles of Winterset: Oracle

by K. G. Reuss

  “Leave me alone,” I snapped at him, attempting to push him away.

  But he was strong and held onto me tightly. “What did you just say?” he demanded, shaking me slightly.

  “I said leave me alone!” I shouted at him, once again trying to shove him away but failing. God, he was seriously like pushing against a brick house.

  “No, before that, Ana! What did you say about the darkness?” he asked, his teeth ground tight as he stared at me.

  “I said I am the darkness!” I answered, wondering why the hell I would say that to begin with.

  Sure, I had weird visions and dreams and I could burst into flames, but darkness? That was new. Must be my drunkenness, I reasoned. Or my brain tumor.

  “No. No, you are not!” he shouted, shaking me roughly. “You are not the Darkness, Ana! You are the Light! You are our Light! My Light! Don’t ever say those words again!”

  “Ow, stop it, Kellin!” I shouted at him. “You’re hurting me!”

  He continued to shake me, his face contorted in some sort of torturous, unrelenting pain, and I winced as his fingers dug into my skin.

  “Stop it!” I cried out, tears leaking from my eyes in rivers of fear and pain. This wasn’t the Kellin I knew.

  I fell to the ground as he let go of me and he took a frightened step back. His eyes raked over my tear-stained face, and I saw a look of profound sadness, sorrow, and panic wash over his. He turned abruptly, leaving me on the ground, and jumped into his truck.

  He roared past me without bothering to stop to pick me up and take me home. I stared after his angry taillights in disbelief and shuddered as they disappeared into the night.

  I wrapped my arms around my sore body and curled into a helpless ball on the cold ground in the middle of the woods. This would definitely help me to get over him.

  Kellin clearly hadn’t been the friend I’d thought he was, and that hurt more than him shaking me.

  Chapter 18

  When I woke up, I wasn’t in the forest anymore. I sat up, confused, and stared around at the unfamiliar bedroom I was in. I knew I’d fallen asleep on the ground in the woods after Kellin had left me, so how the hell did I end up in someone’s bedroom?

  I glanced down at myself and saw I was wearing a familiar oversized black hoodie. I pulled it back to look down my shirt and gave a sigh of relief when I saw I was still dressed in my outfit from last night underneath. My mind skirted back to how I had ended up in someone else’s bed, though.

  Panic began to rise in my chest, and I was just about to lose my senses when the door cracked open and Calix’s familiar dark head of hair popped into my view.

  Instead of relief flowing through me, confusion blossomed, and I stared at him wordlessly as he walked into the room and stood at the foot of the bed.

  “I-I,” I stammered, wincing as my head throbbed.

  “You’re confused,” he filled in the blanks and sat down on the edge of the bed, giving me a kind smile.

  I nodded without a word, waiting for him to continue.

  “I have a confession,” he said softly, not meeting my gaze.

  “What?” I asked uncertainly.

  “I followed you and Kellin out to the woods. I was worried about you having drank so much, and I didn’t want harm to come to you because of it. I’m sorry I didn’t get there sooner, though. I got lost on some of the trails back there and it took me a while to find you. I’m sorry I was late, Ana. I knew this was going to happen.”

  “Thank you,” I answered without hesitation. If he hadn’t come out there and picked my drunk butt up off the cold ground, I’d probably have frozen to death.

  “You aren’t upset that I followed you?” he asked, his dark eyes narrowing.

  “No,” I replied. “I’d have probably died out there in the cold in that outfit. You probably saved my life.”

  “So I’m your hero?” he asked, his face breaking into a look of relief.

  I chuckled at him and nodded. “I guess you are,” I answered.

  “You know, back in the day, when a hero rescued a damsel in distress, the hero was rewarded with a kiss,” Calix continued slowly, a sly smile touching his lips.

  I rose to my feet and sank down beside him on the edge of the bed. I leaned in and kissed him gently on his cheek.

  “Really. Thank you, Calix. You’re one of the last people I’d expect to come to my rescue,” I said with a sigh.

  “Then you have an awful outlook on me,” he replied softly. “I’d come to your rescue if it meant I had to claw my way through Hell itself.”

  I stared at him dumbfounded. What was with these guy professing their feelings for me lately?

  “Don’t look so shocked, Princess,” he said, nudging me with his shoulder. I winced in pain at the bruises from Kellin’s grip.

  Calix narrowed his eyes the moment the pain shot through me, and he focused directly on my arms. Without asking, he grabbed my arm, pulled the sleeve of the oversized sweater I was wearing up, and sucked in a breath.

  “Kellin did this to you?” he asked sharply as he inspected the small fingerprint bruises on my arms.

  I nodded wordlessly as I studied Calix’s face. It was smooth and almost porcelain-like. As if he had been carved from ivory. His lips were full and pouty, and his ears came to a slight point, making them seem almost elvish. He had a chiseled jaw and wide, dark eyes with incredibly long lashes that fanned out to his cheeks whenever he blinked or closed his eyes. His dark, shaggy hair was cropped closely at the sides, leaving the center long.

  And his tattoo.

  I could see the tattoo clearer now, and I wasn’t surprised it was what I’d originally thought—what I’d known it was. The enormous snake protruded out of the collar of his shirt and I traced it down his arm and saw the snake coiled around his wrists.

  “He was drinking. He was upset about something I said. I’m sure he didn’t mean it,” I said absentmindedly, knowing I sounded ridiculous trying to make excuses for him. Maybe they were true, or maybe he was just a jerk. It was open for debate.

  “He had no right,” Calix hissed between his perfectly straight, white teeth. “None, Ana!”

  He turned his eyes toward me, and I gazed into them, noticing flecks of violet within the iris. Such beautiful, mesmerizing, strange eyes. I was surprised I’d never noticed them before.

  “I’ll get you some aspirin,” he said, getting to his feet. He promptly disappeared and returned within moments with two aspirin and a glass of water.

  I swallowed them gratefully and let out a soft sigh.

  “I need to go, Calix. My parents are going to wonder where I am,” I said as I watched him pace the bedroom, his mind clearly elsewhere.

  “Don’t they think you stayed with Melanie?” he asked, stopping to stare at me.

  “Yes,” I answered, not surprised he knew that. It only seemed logical.

  “Stay with me,” he said suddenly, and I looked at him in surprise.

  “What? Why?”

  “Because I want you to,” he said with a shrug.

  “We hardly know each other,” I scoffed.

  “Which is why you should stay. Get to know me, Ana. You might actually end up liking who I am.” He smiled sweetly at me and I laughed.

  “I shouldn’t,” I said, getting to my feet. “I had a bad night last night. The last thing I need is both Courtney and Sasha on my ass about you guys. Besides, it makes me feel like a hussy.”

  “A hussy?” he mused. “Are we in eighteenth-century Europe or something now?”

  “No,” I chuckled. “I just didn’t want to say the word they would use.”

  “They,” he said stepping close and smiling down at me, “are complete idiots. You should never give a damn about what a bunch of nobodies have to say about you. You are so much better than they are, and you do it without even trying.”

  “It’s funny you should say that since you’re dating one of them,” I pointed out.

  “Dating one of them? I’m not d
ating anyone,” he replied easily. “I don’t date. Not really. I mostly just take what I want and walk away.”

  “Well, aren’t you just the best catch?” I tossed out in disgust. I hated guys like that. The ones who used women and left them heartbroken and wrecked somewhere.

  “I’m not the best, Ana,” he admitted. “I’m actually a terrible person, and I hurt people. I’m honest about it, though. I won’t hide from the truth. I am who I am, regardless of how bad it sounds.”

  “Gee, you just get more and more appealing,” I sighed with a shake of my head.

  “Don’t you feel better knowing, though?” he asked softly. “I could lie to you and tell you everything you want to hear, but I’m not that guy.”

  “Does Sasha know who you are?”

  “Sasha doesn’t matter, Ana. Like I said, she’s a nobody. She’s at her peak. This is as good as it’ll ever get for her.”

  “Then why be with her, Calix? Why put the two of you through the effort? You know, she genuinely likes you,” I said forcefully, wondering why the hell I was sticking up for her. “If you don’t like her then let her go.”

  “You’re right,” he agreed. “I have my eye on something way better anyway.”

  I swallowed thickly and looked away as his eyes fell on me. I couldn’t deal with this right now, especially not after my evening with Kellin.

  “I need to go, Calix. I’ll . . . um . . . talk to you at school on Monday or something,” I said, getting to my feet again and pulling his sweater over my head. I was back to wearing the skimpy outfit from last night, and Calix practically drank in my presence.

  “If you want to go, then you may,” he murmured, a storm churning behind his dark eyes. “But Ana, I know things are tough for you. I can see it with every breath you take. You’re hiding something from the world. You make excuses for who you are, but that’s all they are—excuses. You’ll never be happy if you never embrace what makes you different. I will be here for you when you’re ready to confide in someone.”

  I stared at him in shock, his words hitting too close to home for me. I nodded tightly and left his house, my head swirling with the words he’d said.

  Calix Night was about as ordinary as I was.

  And that was frightening.

  Chapter 19

  I made it through another week of school without so much as being looked at by Kellin. I had gone back to being distant, not knowing what to even say to him if given the chance and not sure I even wanted it.

  Kellin looked tired whenever I saw him. Dark circles shadowed his once brilliant blue eyes, and his face sagged with stress. I felt a pang of sympathy for him, but I quickly reeled it in when I thought about how he’d left me lying in the middle of the woods drunk, in tears, and in pain.

  Calix, on the other hand, seemed to find me regardless of where I went. He even knew which bathroom I hid in during lunch and made it a point to wait for me by the doors. I had started out being exasperated with him and had pushed past him each time, making sure to close the door firmly behind me. I always caught a grin out of the corner of my eye and knew this was fun for him. He enjoyed our cat and mouse game, and truth be told, I sort of enjoyed it too.

  That Friday, I had decided to have lunch in the commons with Mel and Chad, and I wasn’t surprised when Calix flopped down in the seat next to mine. Mel looked at me with wide eyes, clearly demanding an explanation for his sudden presence. I shook my head at her, hoping she wouldn’t say anything. I’d told her about Kellin, and he was on her list, as she had put it, boycotting him right along with me.

  “Hello, ladies,” Calix greeted us with his smooth voice. “Chad.”

  Chad smirked at him and said hello. Chad could get along with practically anyone, and just because Kellin hated Calix didn’t mean Chad would. I thought secretly Chad might be boycotting Kellin too because I’d hardly seen the two of them talk since the party last weekend.

  “How are you feeling?” Calix asked me softly as he leaned into me. “I haven’t had a chance to really talk to you since last weekend.”

  He hadn’t been making it to his classes, but I’d seen him randomly walking the halls. I had wanted to inquire as to where he was going when he was supposed to be in class, but I decided against it, knowing he was probably doing something he wasn’t supposed to be doing, so not knowing his whereabouts was probably best on my end anyway. I didn’t want to be an accomplice to any shenanigans he was getting himself into.

  “I’ve been OK,” I shrugged. I’d been having the dreams and visions just as before. They seemed shorter, though, and hazy, like I was trying to view them through a pane of glass while it poured rain outside.

  “You know, they say you can tell if someone is telling the truth by looking at their eyes,” he commented as he pushed a strand of blonde hair out of my face. I caught Mel and Chad watching us closely as I gave Calix a small, nervous smile.

  “Really? Do my eyes tell you I’m lying?” I asked breathlessly, turning to him and letting him study me for a moment.

  “Ana, your eyes say many things to me,” he replied gently, his voice a soft purr. “For instance, they tell me you haven’t been sleeping. You toss and turn all through the night, plagued by what an average person would call a nightmare. Instead, you refer to them as bad dreams because you know you have yet to see a true nightmare.”

  “My eyes told you all of that?” I gulped uneasily as a chill rushed down my spine at his words. My mind swung back to when I thought he was planting thoughts in my mind, when I thought he was one of the voices in my head. I shook the odd thought off and focused my attention back on him.

  “They also tell me you have a secret,” he continued. He reached out and touched my hand, causing a jolt of electricity to flood through me. It was uncomfortable at first, but it became a pleasant hum as his large, warm hand rested on top of mine—like it belonged there.

  “What’s my secret?” I whispered, praying he didn’t know about my flaming hand parlor trick.

  “That you want me to go to homecoming with you tomorrow night,” he finished, a smirk on his face.

  Mel burst into laughter and Chad chortled along with her. Ah, he was so slick, and it made me smile. I looked up and saw Kellin glaring at us from across the commons, Courtney cuddled up beside him, while Sasha looked like she was going to throw up at the sight of Calix next to me.

  Calix loved to be challenged. He wasn’t the only one who could read people.

  “Actually, I’ve been hoping to get you all alone so I could ask you, but since we’re here and you mentioned it, yes, I do want you to go to homecoming with me,” I stated matter-of-factly, bravely rising to his challenge.

  Instead of him being shocked, he grinned at me. “As the beautiful princess commands,” he said, bowing his head to me. “And so it shall be.”

  He got to his feet and without pause, leaned down and kissed me on my cheek, gentle as can be. His lips were hot and the energy emanating from him soared into me, making me feel like I’d just taken an hour long nap. I felt awake and refreshed. Something I hadn’t felt in a long time.

  “Wear red. It’s my favorite color,” he whispered quickly in my ear before disappearing back into the school. I stared at him in disbelief, surprised at his sudden display of affection.

  “Wow,” Mel murmured, watching him go. “He is so hot.”

  Chad just shook his head and bit into his hamburger.

  Chapter 20

  I had pushed the weird dreams, visions, and even my infrequent flaming hand trick out of my head by ten o’clock that night as I sat with Mel in our favorite booth at Crust Lust. We’d gone shopping after school for a homecoming dress for me and had such a good time, the awesome mood had followed me throughout the night. Mel had skipped cheerleading practice and I had quit the squad earlier in the day, much to Courtney’s apparent frustration. Now she’d have to find new ways to torment me.

  “I can’t believe you’re going to homecoming with Calix,” Mel gushed, biting in
to her pizza. “He is so ungodly hot.”

  “I know,” I grinned as I sipped my drink and bit into my breadstick.

  “He has those dreamy eyes and a great butt,” she continued, grinning wickedly at me.

  I laughed at her accurate description.

  “So tell me about how you two started getting along!” she pressed on eagerly.

  “Well, after Kellin left me in the woods, I guess I passed out. I told you I woke up in Calix’s bedroom and how he said he’d followed us. I guess I just sort of realized maybe he wasn’t as big a jerk as I originally thought he was.”

  “But didn’t he tell you he was a bit of an ass?”

  “Yeah,” I said with a sigh. “But it’s whatever. We’re just going to homecoming together. It’s not like I’m destined to be with him forever or anything like that.”

  “Not that I’d mind being with him forever if I were in your place,” Mel remarked dreamily.

  “You have Chad,” I pointed out.

  “I do,” she grinned at me.

  We ate our pizza in silence before Mel spoke up again. “You are going to look killer in that dress you bought tonight!”

  “I hope so,” I said through a mouthful of pizza. I’d gotten a long, slinky, bareback red one with a plunging neckline. It was a little more daring than I’d typically wear, but when I looked into the mirror, I felt like a million bucks, which sold me on it. It helped that I’d remembered the look on Calix’s face when he’d seen me in my outfit the previous weekend at the party, and I sort of wanted a repeat, even if I still did feel a little apprehensive around him.

  “Honestly, though, I’m really nervous,” I admitted. “Calix is so different, you know? I kind of feel like he knows me without actually knowing me. It’s weird. He says the things I’m thinking, and it’s almost like he’s in my head sometimes.”

  “I think you’re right to be nervous. I mean, Calix is hot. Like lava hot, Ana. He’s intense, and I kind of feel like he’s dangerous. Like he has this mysterious vibe coming off of him. He even makes me nervous. I would be all over that, though, if I were you.”