Echo (The Halo Series Book 2)

by Melody Robinette

  “I guess that’s just a risk I’m going to have to take, Sevastian. You two have fun in here.”

  Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but Chord thought he saw a look of disappointment in Sev’s eyes. Then Betsy cleared her throat in a repugnant, rattling, phlegmy way and Chord was out of there. He didn’t want to return to his townhouse all alone, so he did what he told Sev he would do: bother Aurora.

  He found her sitting on that tree branch of hers sketching something in the journal she always had in her hands now. “For someone so hot, you’re really weird. You know that?”

  Aurora didn’t flinch, indicating she'd heard his approach. He wasn’t the lightest of walkers.

  “Tired of pining after your bisexual British boyfriend already?” she muttered.

  “Shut up. I hate you. What are you drawing?”

  “Nothing.” Aurora shut her journal, eying him obliquely.

  Chord climbed onto the branch to sit beside Aurora. “Someday I’m going to steal that from you and see all the secrets of Aurora Coel.”

  “Not if you would like to keep your testicles.”

  Chord shrugged. “Eh. It’s not like I’ll be procreating anyway. Go ahead and take ‘em.”

  Aurora laughed. “I forgot how much I love you. You’re as twisted as me.”

  “Come on, Aurora. Give me some credit. No one else is quite that twisted.”

  “True…” Aurora said with a melancholy air.

  Chord worried their joking had gone a little too far. “I’m just kidding, you know.”

  “No, you’re not.” Aurora flashed him a small smile. “But it’s okay. I know I’m twisted. Sometimes too twisted”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I dunno. Sometimes I wish I could just…feel more. Like the other girls in the group. Even Logan has more feelings than I do.”

  Chord picked at a small leaf on the branch. “How do you figure?”

  “Like, when I found out about Gray and Luna? I was happy for them. Happy. Gray is my literal soul mate, and I was glad he and Luna got together. Most girls would sob their eyes out. But not me.”

  “Or you’re even sicker than you thought, and the real reason you’re glad Gray got with Luna was because now he's hard to get again. You’re like everyone else in that way. You like the chase.”

  Chord realized the same was true for him and Sev. The spark hadn’t faded by any means by the end of their brief love affair. But Chord would be lying if he said he hadn’t worried about it. How long would it take Sev to grow bored of him? Just like Jonathan, the supposed love of his life.

  When Sev broke things off and moved right into the arms of ugly ol’ Betsy, Chord had been crushed, sure. But, now he thought about it, a small voice in the back of his head thought, Good. Now he can pine after me again. Pine in a way people only do when they want something they can’t have.

  Maybe he was as twisted as Aurora after all.

  Eleven

  BRIELLE

  Loud banging woke Brielle Sunday morning. The previous week of training had been the most grueling ever and she'd planned on sleeping in as late as her body wanted to. But evidently, someone had other plans.

  The front door of her townhouse swung open to reveal Logan.

  “I thought I locked that,” Brielle grumbled, pulling the covers over her head to block the light streaming in.

  “I learned to pick locks when I was five.”

  Why wasn’t Brielle surprised by this? Logan bounced up onto the bed and poked at Brielle’s side, making her groan in response.

  “Come on. You wanted me to teach you how to live, and I can’t exactly do that while you’re sleeping.”

  Brielle pulled the covers down enough to peer up at Logan in surprise.

  “I thought you were joking.”

  “You also thought I might be joking when I told you to kiss me up on that building, and you still did it.”

  Brielle went silent. She didn’t want to admit that she’d replayed that moment over in her head every day since it had happened. It simultaneously confused and invigorated her. It made her scared and excited. Sinful and empowered. All at once.

  “We aren’t doing anything like that again, are we?”

  “Which thing? Climbing a building or kissing?”

  “Either.”

  Logan shrugged playfully. “Who knows?”

  Brielle's mouth tugged down, her brows meeting in another wave of uncertainty.

  Logan laughed and nudged Brielle. “I’m kidding. No climbing buildings. No lesbian stuff. Just living stuff.”

  Brielle sat up, suddenly hyper-aware of her thin sleep shirt and lack of makeup—something she usually never worried about around other girls. But, for some reason, Logan didn’t feel like just another girl.

  “Can I at least get ready?” Brielle asked timidly.

  “Sure. Brush your teeth, throw on clothes, and we’ll head out.”

  Brielle frowned. She had meant get ready as in take a shower, fix her hair, put on makeup, take time to assemble an outfit.

  So much for all that.

  After brushing her teeth, tugging her hair into a topknot, and throwing on a pair of shorts and a plain shirt, Brielle followed Logan out of the townhouse. The morning sun made the glass buildings look like crystals glinting in the light. The river running through town sparkled as it moved. Brielle took a deep breath of the clean air.

  “So, how’re we going to live today?” she asked.

  Logan chuckled. “First off, you don’t analyze life. You just live it. That’s like saying to someone, “I’m going to love you,” instead of showing them with a passionate kiss or romantic gesture. Which one means more?”

  “I guess I see what you mean. So, where are we—”

  “Brielle, chill. Just walk with me.”

  Brielle let out a huff of breath but obliged by shutting up.

  Before boarding Etheria, she’d had her entire life planned out, down to the last detail. Her parents were loving, of course, but also rather strict. She grew up in a tidy playroom, wearing dirt-less dresses and taking manners lessons. Her mother grew up in Georgia as a pageant queen and cotillion queen and every other southern belle queen you could be. She’d expected the same of Brielle, who, up until recently, had never questioned it.

  Logan led her to the water’s edge, pulling off her shoes.

  Brielle hesitantly did the same. “What are we doing?”

  “We’re swimming in the ocean with our clothes on,” Logan stated simply as she proceeded to walk into the water, soaking her cargo pants.

  “What?” Brielle looked down at her favorite pair of shorts with regret. “How is this living?”

  Logan laughed and shook her head at Brielle, the crystal water now up to her hips. “Living isn’t always some grand gesture or outrageous act, Brielle. Sometimes it’s just doing something you wouldn’t usually do. Sometimes it’s as simple as getting your perfectly dry clothes wet. Now, come on. I told you not to over-think it.”

  Brielle reluctantly kicked off her flip-flops and walked forward into the waves until they rose to just below the material of her shorts. She stopped. These shorts were so expensive. Maybe she could just take them off and swim in her underwear. That would be living too, right? Even more so than swimming in shorts, you’d think. But then Logan might think it was an invitation to—

  “Come on, Bri,” Logan urged. “Quit thinking.”

  Taking a deep breath, Brielle sighed dramatically before doing a summersault into an oncoming wave, soaking every inch of her in salt water. She emerged, laughing and taking a deep gulp of air.

  Logan had been right. Excited energy pulsed through her as she ran her hands through her sopping wet hair, pushing it off of her face. She laughed again, a giddy sound.

  Logan shot her an amused, crooked smile. “See?”

  Brielle twirled in the water, reveling in the feel of the heavy material of her shirt swirling around her in slow motion.

  “Yeah. I do.”<
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  AURORA

  Aurora decided her day had been quite introverted enough—Sundays always were—and when Chord invited her to join the rest of their Halo group at the little coffee shop on the river, she gladly accepted. Coffee was always welcome in her mind, especially since angels made the best lattes in the universe.

  “Enjoy sitting on that branch of yours all day?” Chord said with a chortle as Aurora trampled down the hill after him. “You’d think you were a damned bird in a past life or something.”

  “Maybe I was.”

  “I think if I were a bird, I would probably be a flamingo.”

  Aurora laughed, shooting him a bemused look. “Why a flamingo?”

  “Think about it. How many pink birds are there? Flamingos. That’s all. And they own that shit. They’re pink and they rock it. They’re like, ‘So what if we’re different? More people come to see us in the zoo than you, ya’ damned ugly pigeons.’”

  Aurora snorted. “I guess I see your logic there. Okay, just for curiosity’s sake, do the other Halos. Bird-ify them.”

  Chord pursed his lips in thought. “Brielle would be a peacock, all flashy and brightly colored and inappropriate.”

  “Inappropriate?”

  “Yeah, peacocks are super inappropriate... And then Luna would be a turtledove, all quiet and cooing and stuff. Logan would be, like, a hawk or a buzzard, or some other predatory bird. Sev—the bastard—would be a scary black bird like a crow or a raven.”

  “What about Gray?” Aurora said.

  “Right. I knew I was forgetting someone, duh. Gray would be a penguin.”

  Aurora shot him a look of admixed amusement and confusion. “A penguin?”

  “Yeah. You know how the male penguin goes out and finds the prettiest and most perfect pebble on the beach and gives it to the lady penguin he wants to mate with?”

  “No.”

  “Well, they do that. Penguins mate for life. Gray’s just that kind of loyal, devoted, good guy. And he's grounded. Like a penguin.”

  Aurora laughed almost humorlessly. “Guess you’re right. He’s totally a penguin.”

  “Totally.”

  They walked on for a minute before Aurora spoke, “Hey, you never said what kind of bird I would be.”

  Chord looked sideways at her, pondering. “You're an eagle. Migratory, doesn’t stay in one place for too long, but strong and regal. Usually spotted alone.”

  The talk of the Halos and their fowl counterparts ceased as Aurora and Chord entered the coffee shop to join the others already seated on a cluster of couches in the corner of the shop.

  “The elusive Aurora Coel in the flesh!” Logan exclaimed in exaggerated shock. “It’s a Halo miracle.”

  Aurora shot her a deadpan look. “Why don’t any of you have coffee? Isn’t that the point of hanging out in a coffee shop?”

  “The point was socialization,” Logan said. “But, we were waiting for you two before we ordered. Actually, I was going to order, but Luna suggested we wait.”

  Luna’s face turned rosy. Aurora found this mildly comical. The frail blonde seemed to get embarrassed if the wind rustled her skirt. Gray stood beside her, looking uncomfortable. Luna’s hand clasped loosely in his was not missed by Aurora.

  Logan and Brielle went to order their drinks first. The two of them seemed closer than usual. Aurora had seen them walking back from the shore fully clothed and soaking wet earlier that morning. She had to admit they were the last people in the group Aurora had expected to get all buddy-buddy, what with Brielle’s homophobia and the fact that Logan was a lesbian. She hoped, at least, Logan was opening the southern belle’s mind in a way Aurora hadn’t been able to when they’d roomed together on Etheria. Mostly because she hadn't tried.

  Glancing at Chord, Aurora chuckled when she noticed his stone cold stare at Sev who was, as always, oblivious to the world as he scribbled notes in that demon book of his. Poor Chord. He clearly wasn’t as skilled as she was at feigning nonchalance.

  After everyone had received their magical, energy-imbued liquid, an uncomfortable silence fell over the group. Aurora realized they hadn’t done much sitting around and talking lately. There had always been an activity to partially distract them in some way, whether it was white water rafting or Halo training. Now all they had were massive cups of coffee and words…which no one was using. Instead, they sipped their drinks and looked surreptitiously around the circle for someone to make the first move.

  Surprising everyone, Aurora spoke first. “So, Gray and I learned how to make things levitate.”

  Chord snorted into his drink. “What?”

  “It’s true.” Gray flashed a lopsided smile at Aurora. Something Luna didn’t miss. Aurora wanted to feel guilty, but couldn’t quite get there... Perhaps Aurora wasn’t as unaffected by their relationship as she’d originally thought.

  “Well, let’s see it then,” Logan challenged.

  Aurora shrugged and placed her latte in the middle of the coffee table. She fixed Gray with a penetrating stare, making sure to keep the coffee cup in her periphery. The familiar tightening sensation kicked in like a cord pulling at her sternum. Aurora could tell Gray felt it too because his pupils always dilated when their eyes connected.

  After several seconds, everyone watching with bated breath, the cup rose slowly into the air.

  “Holy shit-balls,” Chord said, nearly causing Aurora to break the connection as she stifled a laugh.

  “That’s incredible,” Brielle breathed.

  “Think we can make it move?” Aurora said to Gray.

  “Move where?”

  “Back to me.”

  Gray’s brows furrowed in concentration, his eyes narrowing. Aurora imagined the cup moving towards her. And then it did.

  It took a while, but eventually the latte floated close enough for Aurora to reach out and grab it, breaking the link with Gray.

  “I want a Stellar,” Chord whined. “Then I wouldn’t ever have to get up.”

  Aurora chuckled. “I think getting up takes less energy.”

  “So, that’s what those two Stellar angels have been teaching you guys?” Logan said with a raised brow. “How is that even kind of helpful?”

  “We’re just now learning this,” Aurora said with an edge of defensiveness to her voice. “Ultimately, we should be able to kill demons without touching them.”

  “You already do that, though,” Brielle noted.

  “Yes, but only while making physical contact with each other,” Aurora said.

  Luna shifted in her seat, clearly uncomfortable with this conversation. Another awkward silence fell over the group.

  “So, when do you think we’ll all finish training?” Chord asked. He could always be trusted to pull the talk out of whatever rut it had fallen into.

  Logan lowered her drink from her red-lipped mouth. “Can you ever be ‘finished training?’”

  “S’pose not.” Chord sipped at his mocha. “I don’t feel any more capable of defeating Lucifer 2.0 than I did when we got here.”

  At this statement, Sev looked up from his writing. “Even after all of the demons we’ve sketched and studied?”

  Chord shrugged. “Writing about demons is somewhat different from actually fighting them.”

  “But it gives you knowledge on what you’re fighting,” Sev said with an edge of frustration. “Sometimes knowledge is better than physical training.”

  “Whatever you say, Sev,” Chord grumbled.

  “If you don’t think this,” Sev held up his journal, “is doing any good, then why on Earth are you contributing your sketches to its cause?”

  Chord’s cheeks filled with color, and he took another long gulp of his mocha to hide it. Aurora imagined this was likely because the answer to Sev’s question was: because Chord wanted to be closer to him.

  Before Chord could attempt to dig himself out of the hole he’d walked right into, an echoing, disembodied voice permeated the air of the shop.

  “Good evenin
g, Halos. Some unexpected events have occurred on the mainlands. The Powers will hold a gathering in the amphitheater in approximately half an hour. Your attendance is mandatory. Thank you.”

  The Halos looked around at each other with stunned expressions, a nervous energy oscillating throughout the air. This wasn’t the first time the Powers had called them to a mandatory meeting. It had happened twice on Etheria.

  But, one thing was for certain, neither of those times had they been delivered good news.

  Twelve

  CHORD

  Streams of Halos poured out of various shops and town homes along the channel, making their way to the center of town. The oppressive feeling of foreboding hung heavily in the air.

  Of course Sev made sure to give Chord the cold shoulder as they walked with the others to the Halo amphitheater. Dramatic.

  “What do you think this is about?” Chord asked him as they fell slightly behind the rest of the group.

  Sev clenched his jaw and remained silent.

  “Really, Sev?” Chord muttered so the others couldn’t hear them bickering. “You’re being sort of childish, don’t you think?”

  “I just can’t fathom why you essentially said you don’t believe in what I’m doing—what we are doing—with the demon compendium. After all the time and effort we’ve put into it.”

  Chord rolled his eyes. “I didn’t say I don’t believe in it.”

  “You may as well have said it,” Sev snapped back.

  Chord shook his head in frustration. “I don’t know why you care so much, anyway. It’s not like your precious Betsy said it.”

  “Betsy isn’t contributing anything to this project. You are. Which I’m not sure is a good idea anymore.”

  This stung Chord more than he would ever admit, but he lifted his chin a bit higher. “Fine by me. It’s clear you were just using me anyway.”

  Sev’s head whipped around to Chord, wearing an incredulous look. “Why would you say that?”

  “Don’t worry about it, Sev,” Chord said. “Your burden is now lifted.”

  With this statement, Chord quickened his walk, leaving Sev behind, staring after him with a look of mingled surprise and what looked a lot like hurt, but couldn’t possibly be. Damned heartless robot bastard.