But I didn’t stop. I just kept going. I kept going until I couldn’t go anymore. My vision went black and my feet fell out from under me. My head reintroduced itself to the sidewalk and my breath escaped me. The frantic call of my name was the last thing I heard before I surrendered myself to the healing darkness still trying to figure out why that voice made my heart beat faster.
When I woke up, I panicked. My breath quickened and my heart started to pound. I shot upright and immediately regretted it as the world dipped and turned like a tilt-a-whirl. A hand gripped my shoulder and gently laid me back down despite my tense posture.
“Easy there, Sky. Calm down. It’s just me.” A cool cloth touched my head and I sighed as my body absorbed the cold. The soothing voice unclenched my body and I sank into the covers. Wait. Covers? I looked around and saw the cream-colored walls of my bedroom.
“We’re in my room. How’d I get here? How’d you find me?”
Daris chuckled. “I was the one following you, Blossom.”
“You grabbed me?” I don’t think I had ever been so angry, but Daris looked pissed.
“No.” He paused. “What happened?” His hands were fisted and the sheets were crinkled. My anger fled and I suddenly felt awkward. I rubbed the back of my head, wincing slightly when I felt the bump there.
“Okay,” I drawled out, “so it wasn’t you who almost kidnapped me.” I took a deep breath and started explaining before Daris tore my sheets in half. When I pointed it out to him, he let them go like they were on fire. I told Daris about the person and how I thought he kept following me after I thought I scared him off. I kept my escape pretty vague, but he still noticed.
“How did you get away? From what you’re telling me, this guy should have been able to knock you out and drag you away easily.”
I swallowed. I didn’t even know what happened. How was I going to explain this without sounding insane?
“I don’t know. The guy was about to punch me. I hid my face and felt all this energy and then he was gone. I think he pushed me to the sidewalk, but after that surge, I don’t remember much. I was just trying to get away.” I looked to the side, suddenly interested in the dips of the wall paint. I was certain I sounded like a lunatic, but I gave him the only explanation I had.
I never heard the laugh I expected or felt the bed shake. Instead, Daris just stayed quiet; and that was killing me. Eventually, the bed did shift and I was forced to look at Daris while he replaced the towel, trying to figure out why he wasn’t doubled over in laughter.
He noticed my expression when he looked back at me. “What’s wrong?”
I made a sudden move to get up, but his hand on my shoulder made it clear I wasn’t going anywhere. I huffed. “Are you serious? Did you not just hear the BS explanation I gave you?”
“The energy thing? I don’t think that’s BS. I think it’s completely plausible.”
“How? How on earth does that sound remotely believable?”
Daris laughed and smiled softly. “When I was little, my mom used to tell me a story. The way she told it, I believed her wholeheartedly. I still do. It’s always made me feel closer to her.”
I sat up slowly. “Oh, I’m sorry. When did she die, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Die? She didn’t die.”
“But you just said—”
“My mom and I don’t see each other much because of how much she travels. I haven’t seen her in a few months and I miss her.” He chuckled. “I think you would like her. You have a lot in common. You have similar tastes in fashion and you both love to misinterpret what I say.” He shot me a pointed look and I shrunk. “Then again, if you ever meet her, you’ll probably butt heads more than once.”
“What was the story about?” It wasn’t the best shift in conversation, but it kept the focus away from me. He smirked and pinned me with his eyes again.
“You’ve already heard it.”
“Yeah,” I scoffed, “Like that narrows it down. Which one?”
“It was the one about the Acerlums and Luxators.”
“Okay, I’ve decided I like your mom. That’s a really good story.”
He chuckled and I felt a bit lighter at the sound. I joined him but soon found myself holding my head in my hands. Daris stopped laughing and rested his hand on my back. He started rubbing small circles and my eyes began to droop. I felt his other hand move to cradle my head, but I fell asleep before I was lying against the pillow.
“Sleep, Blossom. You’re going to need it.” He sounded sad almost, but I was too knocked out to even care.
One month. That was how long I had to wait before Camille and Melanie would stop pestering me. Every day was something different. First, it was a color theme. They had their hearts set on a bright pink, a color they knew I detested. Next, it was the place. Camille wanted it to be in a ballroom and Melanie wanted a bonfire. Each time, I simply walked away without listening further. Third were the flowers. They had decided on the ballroom idea—no surprise there—and needed to set up the flower arrangements. I spent all of lunch hiding from the books of possible bouquets they had brought. The two of them were making my eighteenth birthday more elaborate than a wedding.
Now, I had been dragged to our usual lunch table and been handed a copy of the school directory, the one with over 1000 students’ names. They each had their own copy as well. Camille had highlighted names she wanted in pink. Melanie highlighted hers in purple. My copy was littered with green and blue highlights. Based on how animatedly the girls were talking, I could only assume some were a “must-have” and the rest were still in question. I just stopped listening. Instead, I turned my thoughts to my daily run I was desperate for.
After Daris and I had spoken about his mom, I had fallen asleep. I stayed that way well into Saturday and left all my homework for Sunday morning. Daris refused to let me go running over the weekend, going so far as to give my mom either a brief summary of what I told him or a pretty good excuse for him to barely leave my side. Needless to say, I was kept under a strict form of house lockdown. Even this past week, every time I was ready to go running, Daris was already at my apartment, sometimes having to wait until I got home from school. My legs twitched underneath the table and I felt my blood get hot.
Thankfully, the bell rang and I sprinted to my class. I’m sure I was a sight, too, running at top speed through the halls. I must have been the only kid in the building anxious to get to class; I just had to get away from those two. When I finally sank into my desk and the bell rang again, this time signaling the start of class, I exhaled, never more excited to have to sit through an hour and a half of Spanish.
Instead of conjugating verbs and reading passages, I sat in the back of the room with my notebook, a pencil, and a sharpie, drawing and redrawing whatever came to mind. I sat quietly for all of five minutes before an elegant glass slipper began to take form. It was only appropriate. I may not have an evil stepmother, but Camille and Melanie might as well be stepsisters. The final stroke of the sharpie was timed evenly with the last bell of the day, but by the time I left my class, my Anastasia and Drizella were waiting by the door, each of them holding more supplies than a wedding planner.
“Sky!” Melanie shouted.
“Sky, we’ve done it. We’ve planned the perfect eighteenth birthday bash fitting for the most popular girl in school.” Camille looked so proud of the party I didn’t want.
“Guys, I don’t want a party.”
“Isn’t she cute, Mel? Sky, this is our present to you.”
“I don’t want it.” I moved past them, but Camille grabbed my arm.
“Come on, Sky. You’re at the end of your high school career and you’re ending as the number one girl in popularity. You not having a party is like cookies without sugar; it can’t happen. Everyone’s expecting it to be the biggest party of the year. It will probably be bigger than mine.” She sounded bitter.
“Then make the party you’re planning your party. Move back the dates and cha
nge the name on the invites. Just leave me out of it. I’m not part of your group. The only reason the school knows my name is because of how often you scream it.”
“But Sky!”
“Bye girls. See you Monday.” I walked away, hearing their vain protests echo down the barren hallways.
“It’s about time.”
I jumped and turned to see my bodyguard leaning against the lockers, more specifically, my locker. The conversation with Camille and Melanie was gone the moment I saw Daris because my focus was more centered on me not falling over. After all, a girl can only do so much when her attractive friend just happens to be at her school to walk her home. Instead of tripping over my feet, I managed an exasperated smile.
“Here to take me back to prison?” I muttered. He smiled and moved away from my locker, ruffling my hair when I got closer. “Did my mom send you?”
“Nope,” he beamed, “I’m here by my own choice.”
I looked at him skeptically before opening my locker and exchanging my books.
“What? Is there some sort of rule against attractive guys walking you home?”
After the incident, Daris had taken to picking me up from school and walking me home whenever my mom couldn’t, which was pretty often. I didn’t mind; it was an excuse to spend less time waiting after school and he kept me company on the way.
“No. Just annoying ones.” I nudged him when he frowned, grabbing the last of my textbooks and shutting the metal door with a clang. He snatched the books out of my hands and I glared.
“What?” His eyes flashed and I felt the air charge with the challenge he was issuing.
“Skyler!” The shrieking voices of Camille and Melanie echoed down the hall, disrupted out conversation and shattering the potential game.
Daris grimaced at the voices and I looked behind me in horror.
“Run,” I whispered.
“What?”
“Don’t ask questions. Just run!” I took off without waiting, the threatening sound of clicking heels coming from around the corner making me leave Daris behind.
“Sky?” He called after me and I heard his feet chasing me. Just a bit further away, the clacking of heels on tile could be heard fading, but Daris’s maniacal laughter drowned it out completely. Soon enough, we emerged into the sunlight and continued to run home with grins splitting our faces.
“What was that?” Daris panted when we entered the apartment.
“Oh, heh. I’ve gotten fed up with Camille and Melanie over the past few weeks. Usually, they’re somewhat tolerable, but lately, they’ve been driving me up and down every stupid wall in school.” I unlocked the door and threw my stuff on the counter.
“From what you’ve told me, they can’t be that bad.”
“What I’ve told you doesn’t include the party planning hell they’ve been dragging me through.”
“Why are they planning a party?”
In my worst Camille imitation, I answer, “Because it’s imperative the party make a statement. And why not make it on Valentine’s Day, Sky.” My voice returned to normal. “It’s only the most cliché holiday in the calendar.” I hit the counter so hard that my hand stung. “I hate them so much.”
“Then why do you hang out with them?”
“I don’t. They find me. All they want is for me to join their little group and all I want is for them to stop hounding me.”
“Hounding?”
“Yes. Hounding. There isn’t a place in school they haven’t searched to find me, so I’ve run out of hiding spots. Usually, I can dodge them in the mornings and get away from them in between classes, and it’s almost impossible during lunch; but if I stay more than five minutes after school, they find me.”
Daris chuckled. “No wonder you snapped at me the first time I was late to pick you up.”
I nodded and went into my bedroom.
I screamed when I opened the door, and Daris ran in to see the same thing I did. My room was trashed. My clothes were all over the floor. My mattress was on the opposite side of the room. My drawers were emptied onto the floor. My closet and bathroom were emptied, too. First, I was furious. Someone came into my room and destroyed it. Next, I was scared. Someone came into my room. My body started to shake and I felt hot.
“Skyler?”
My clothes and furniture turned red in my fury. The room started to shake and spin. Daris touched me slightly and I shrugged him off.
“Blossom?” He cupped my face and I realized I was crying. Then, the shaking got worse. Anything that was standing was knocked over and the few things on the wall were falling. My eyes were shut and my anger and fear took over. Daris removed his hands from my face and shook me by my shoulders until I opened my eyes. I was met with bright blue eyes darkened with concern and shock. The shaking didn’t stop, though. Daris shook me harder.
“Blossom, stop!” The sudden command did the trick and the room stilled, but my vision didn’t. It dipped to the side and I went with it, collapsing into Daris’s chest. He exhaled in relief.
“What—what just happened?” I asked, feeling tired. There were bits of shattered glass on the floor and some of the light fixtures were swinging slightly.
“You.”
My eyes widened before my legs gave out, the exhaustion taking over. I didn’t hit the floor like I thought I would because of Daris’s arms still around my waist. I wasn’t unconscious, and I felt an instant desire never to move, but I didn’t know if it was from fatigue or comfort. He carried me to the sofa and brought me a bottle of water and a piece of bread.
“Eat this. You’ll feel better.”
“Thanks.”
“Skyler, you’re eighteen, right? You said your birthday was near Valentine’s Day?” I shook my head.
“I’m 17. I’m turning 18 next month.” His eyes widened. He started mumbling quickly. I caught words like ‘powers’, ‘early’, and ‘special’.
“Daris, what’s going on? What powers? What’s early? What’s so special?” I was confused. What was he talking about?
“I need you to trust me, Blossom, alright? I need you not to run away and I need you to stay calm.”
“Then start explaining, Daris. You just told me I was the reason for that mini earthquake. Not the earth, not tectonic plates, me. Tell me what’s going on!”
“Do you still remember my mother’s story?”
I nodded. “As interesting as that story was, Daris, I’m not understanding how a bedtime story is related to the earthquake you believe I somehow caused.”
“Believe, no. Know, yes.”
“I’m still not understanding how I’m involved in everything.”
“The earthquake you just caused. Think about it.” He patiently waited as I let the puzzle pieces fit together. I looked at him like he was insane when I came to one conclusion and he just nodded his head.
“No.” I laughed. “There is no way. That is not possible. It’s just a story. I can’t be a Luxator. They don’t exist. That’s just a story!” I was shooting words faster than a machine gun until Daris shook me by my shoulders.
“Blossom, you need to calm down.”
“Never tell a girl to calm down, Daris!” I started pacing furiously, terrified out of my mind.
“Can I ask a girl to relax before she literally brings the house down? Seriously, the building is starting to shake again!” Daris yelled.
I slowed my pace and looked around to see more rubble joining the shattered glass, but it didn’t stop.
“Why won’t it stop?” My panic levels were rising and I felt the stress sticking to my skin.
“You need to calm down before the building collapses!”
I closed my eyes and took some deep breaths but the pile of debris was continuing to grow and my breaths just came faster.
“I can’t!”
Daris seemed to freeze for a moment before yanking me to my bedroom doorway and shielding me with his body. When he spoke, his voice was lower and more soothing than it had been
moments before.
“You have to calm down, Blossom. Just close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Don’t think about school. Don’t think about your problems. Don’t think about what’s happening. Just close your eyes and relax.”
I let my body sink into the warmth of his and my eyes fluttered closed. The air entered my body without my knowledge and my mind wandered into the depths of my imagination. I took one more breath before I heard Daris mumble, “Keep going.” One more breath and his arms left my waist only to return milliseconds later when I was too tired to keep myself up. My running stamina may be high, but if he was right about me being a Luxator, I needed to up my training.
“I think it’s time for a nap.”
“Mhm. I like that idea.” I sank to the floor and leaned my head against the wall.
He chuckled. “You need to walk, Blossom.”
I looked at him and he must have seen something in my face that blatantly told him I was not willingly moving anytime soon.
“Come on. Time to get up.”
“No.”
He sighed. “If you don’t get up, I will be forced to drag you.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” I challenged, glaring weakly at him. He shrugged his shoulders and grabbed my feet before painfully dragging me across the carpet, but all I could do was laugh.
“Let me go!”
“Okay.” He dropped my legs and they and slammed the floor with a thud.
“You could have been gentler.”
“I could have, but that wouldn’t have been fun.” That damn smirk lit up his face again.
“True, but it would have made me less inclined to do something stupid like this.” I hooked my legs around his own and pulled, sending Daris tumbling to the floor. As he gathered the air he lost, I burst into a laughing fit that brought tears to my eyes. His glare was blurry and slowly faded to a smudgy smile until his deep laugh joined my own.
“Was that necessary?” Daris asked as our deep-bellied chortles diminished to giggles.
Marked by Time (The Mark Series Book 1) Page 3