by Mary Ting
“I understand your worries. I’ll give you a week to think about it; however, I’ve already foreseen the future. We will be on this mission. You cannot change destiny. I can answer more questions later.” Zara looked at our plates. “Let’s eat. Your food will get cold.”
With her permission, everyone started eating again, but Nick was already done.
After dinner, we went into another room that was furnished with sofas. Everyone trickled in except for Zara, my dad, and the Elders
“You are welcome to move to New Olympus,” Noah said, gazing at Amanda.
“I think that’s a great idea.” Amanda looked at Everett.
Everett raised his brows. “I know you do.”
“What does that mean?” she huffed. “At least we’ll be safe behind the shield.”
“I’m not moving here. Plus, we have our restaurants, and there’s Kayla,” Nick added. “Anyway, do you each have your own rooms? And by the way, where do the others eat?”
Tim uncrossed his legs and leaned closer. “We have a large cafeteria that accommodates all of us. We usually eat there. Today was an exception.”
“How about your sleeping arrangements?”
“Oh, don’t worry; the guys and girls sleep in separate wings, and we are forbidden to cross over during the evening or when the night bell goes off.”
“That’s too bad,” Nick commented. “Could be a lot of fun if you were single.”
“Interesting.” Mason yawned, standing up. “Well, Sky and I are going to take a walk.”
I flashed my eyes at him in surprise. That came out of nowhere. Mason grabbed my hand and led the way. As soon as he closed the door behind us, he took off sprinting, still holding onto my hand.
“Mason, where are we going?” I giggled, keeping my speed with him.
He didn’t answer until we were outside. He swung around, pulled me into his arms, and started to kiss the side of my neck. “I wanted to be alone with you. There are way too many people here. I’m so used to my quiet space.”
I knew what he meant. “I like being alone with you, too.” I smiled, gazing into his loving eyes, which sparkled from the lights that hung above. Straight ahead, the trees lined both sides of the path. They were dimly lit with dangling white lights, creating a romantic ambiance. Besides that, this hidden place was engulfed by darkness. There were no stars, like Colin said, only a blanket of blackness above us. The weather was perfect and no breeze brushed against us. The night was still, and it seemed as though everyone was inside so Mason and I were completely alone.
“Let’s go.” Mason tugged my hand as we strolled down the path.
Being here with Mason with no one around made it feel like we were in our own little romantic world. I couldn’t help but marvel at the surrounding lights as we walked down the path, yet at the same time, I felt uneasy about the darkness. I knew we were completely safe, but who knew what was lurking in the blackness? However, glancing back at the castle was one of the most beautiful sights I’d ever seen.
It glowed brightly like one massive white light. It wasn’t so bright that I had to cover my eyes, but it gave me an enchanted feeling. Knowing that the inside wasn’t as bright as the outside structure, I wondered how that came to be. There was only one answer: it was magical.
Mason pulled me into him again, swinging us from side to side. He seemed so happy and relaxed. It was good to see him like this. He was always the worrier type, but when we arrived here, the tension in his face had eased. “Want to see something?” He gave me a naughty grin, biting his bottom lip.
I replied by giving him the biggest smile I could manage. “What did you have in mind?”
“I’m going to light up this place, Sky. I’m going to do it for you. I want you to see how I feel inside when you’re around. You light up my life like this.” Mason released me and placed his hands on the trunk of a tree. Although he was looking at me, I knew he was concentrating on what he was doing by the serious expression on his face.
Suddenly, his light sizzled out of his fingertips, branching out like slithering snakes, continuously wrapping around the trunk of the tree as it reached higher. The dangling lights from the tree he was touching started to flicker, then steadied, glowing brighter and brighter. It didn’t stop there. I didn’t know how he did it, but the adjacent tree began to light just as bright. It rippled down to the next tree, illuminating the path. I had to cover my eyes to adjust to the brightness at first, but then I was able to take in the beauty.
The whole tree didn’t light up, just the veins from the trunk and the branches. It was the coolest thing to witness. It was like seeing their life source ignite.
I was sure my jaw was dropped and my eyes were wide with wonderment. I knew Mason was pretty powerful, but I would never have imagined he could do something like this. I didn’t think he knew either, from the stunned expression on his face.
“Oh, Mason.” I smiled, marveling at him. Knowing he did this for me touched me deeply, especially at hearing his words. If I made him feel like this from my presence, no wonder he shocked me.
I thought Mason was finished, but he wasn’t. Just as the last tree lit up, the lights started to take on lives of their own. From each tree’s center, electrifying light flashed upward to the sky, looking like a lightning show. It was mesmerizing and frightening at the same time.
Mason moved in the fast speed mode that I loved and took me in his arms. Without him guiding the light, it would fade away as quickly as it came.
“I make you feel this much?” I asked, feeling shy all of sudden.
Mason kissed my forehead. “Yes, you do, Sky.”
“And you don’t feel drained or tired? You used up a lot of energy to do what you just did.”
“I did, but it’s strange. I think my body is getting used to it. When we were chasing the vultures to get to you and I called upon the thunder and lightning, I thought it was going to leave me weak, but it didn’t. It’s like my body is building strength from it.”
We both jerked when we heard his name. Mason. It was loud and clear, like someone was talking into a mic, but she wasn’t. It was Zara, speaking into our minds. I knew Mason heard the same thing when he gave me a troubled look. I felt like we were two young children getting caught breaking the rules.
We both snapped our heads to the castle. Zara was standing there with guards. Besides them were Amanda and Nick.
“Time to go.” Mason slipped his hand around my waist as we proceeded back to the castle. Hopefully, Zara wasn’t upset at what Mason had done.
My dad led us to the same location where we teleported in. The same things happened as before, and we exited to the other side after we said our good-byes. As always, it seemed as though my dad was waiting for me to say or do something…like hug him. I could see it in the longing expression on his face and the small smile he gave me, hoping for me to give one back to him. However, I wouldn’t. Even now, I still refused to trust him, refused to let go of the ache.
This time around, Mason seemed more accepting of Noah and his group. Perhaps knowing he had taken an interest in Amanda was one of the reasons. Either way, I liked how Mason was possessive over me.
Unlike New Olympus, here the stars graced us with tiny specks of light that dotted the dark sky. We trudged on the sand, hearing the soft waves rolling on and off the shore as we headed for our car.
“We’re not going, right?” Mason asked his brothers, as we followed them. “Sky can do much more than she was able to before, but I won’t let Zara use her to find her sister. I don’t care who she is. We don’t live in their community. We don’t owe her anything.” Mason kissed the back of my hand. “I won’t allow it.”
Everett kicked a pile of sand and watched it fly into the air, then stopped his steps. “And what did she mean by the Keeper of Life? Remus died because he had a taste of Sky’s blood.” Everett turned to me. “Sorry. I don’t mean anything bad about your part in his death. I don’t agree with what Remus tried to do to you, but that doesn�
��t make sense. How could he have had evil blood? He had anger issues, but unless…someone fed him vulture’s blood?” Those words came out slowly. “Whatever happened to him, he didn’t deserve to die. Sorry, Sky. Again, not your fault.”
“No…that’s okay.” I meant it. It didn’t matter how many times they apologized for what Remus tried to do to me, Everett was right. Yet, at the same time, killing Remus with my blood was the only thing that had saved me. It also gave me his powers, so did Zara mean that being the Keeper of Life meant taking a life and acquiring their power?
Mason curled his lips into a scowl, obviously unhappy with Everett’s comment.
“Why don’t we go to our cabin at the lake this weekend and make our decision then? We still have a week,” Nick suggested. “We were planning to go there anyway since its winter break for both Sky and Kayla.”
“I like Nick’s idea.” Amanda looked at her watch. “Let’s go. It’s getting late and I don’t like how we’re the only ones here.”
Amanda was right. It was late at night. And I, too, was getting an eerie feeling. I gazed out across the ocean where the full, yellow moon sat just above the water, glistening against the darkness. It was a beautiful sight, but I couldn’t help feeling that something in the water was watching us, giving me goose bumps…everywhere.
“Let’s go,” I murmured, holding on to Mason’s hands tightly. I knew Mason was aware of how I was feeling. It was the way he looked at me. He just knew. He always knew.
I debated if I should go after I got the text from Ian regarding the study session—especially since Mason asked me not to be friends with him—but wanting to find out more about Mia gave me the drive to go. The fact that I really did need some tutoring was another reason.
Ian texted me to meet him at one of the classrooms in the math building. Heading there, I still didn’t know if it was a good idea, yet my gut feeling said Ian wasn’t the one I needed to fear. Pushing the door open, I entered a large room that was set with tables and chairs. Scanning from one end to another, I saw Ian looking at me with a grin. It made me feel uncomfortable…it was the kind of grin that was a bit too friendly.
“Hey, Skylar. You made it.” He guided me to his group.
Seated were his friends, three guys and one girl. They looked like normal human beings; I couldn’t believe I was thinking like that. With the vultures evolving, who knew? After the introductions, I tossed my backpack down and pulled out my notes.
Ian started talking about mode and medium while looking at his lecture notes. I tried to follow as best I could. Missing a few classes had really screwed me over. I was going to have to pray to pass this class. Hopefully, today’s study session would be enough for the test that was scheduled for tomorrow.
The noise caught my attention. The guy across from me, named Todd, kept tapping his pencil annoyingly. His dark hair and body structure reminded me of one of the vultures that had attacked us at the restaurant. When I glanced up to meet his eyes, he stopped tapping, and spoke. “Ian, why don’t you give the real definition of statistics?”
I could tell Ian didn’t like his question and wondered why.
“I already did.” Ian scowled and gave him a confrontational look.
“No, you didn’t.” Todd uncrossed his legs, leaned forward, and bored his eyes to mine. “Statistics is the collection of analysis, explanation, and data for science usage. You see, Sky…lar, statistics is used to measure the outcome of what happens when blood mixes with blood. What is the percentage mode of creating that perfect specimen when given a percentage of the component?”
What was he talking about?
“That’s enough.” Ian’s tone was commanding and sharp.
Todd was explaining statistics all right, but it was definitely not math. Wanting to be as far away from there as possible, I grabbed my bag and stood up. At that moment, I knew if I didn’t get out of there, I might not make it out at all. Now, the rest of his friends were darting their eyes at me as if I was some kind of freak. “I gotta go. Mason is on his way.” I purposely looked at Ian and started heading out the door.
When it didn’t seem like anyone was going to stop me, I sighed in relief and was just about to turn the knob when it opened itself.
“Going somewhere?” Mia goaded. “Now that I’m here, let’s start this session.”
I didn’t get a chance to say a word, nor did I get out of the door. Mia grabbed my arm and tugged me back to my seat. When she pushed me down, she purposely shocked me. Dammit, she’s gonna get one back!
I looked to Ian for support, but he couldn’t offer any. “What do you want?” I asked.
“We know who you are,” Todd said, glaring at me with disgust. “We need you to help us find a stone.”
Stone? Zara talked about stones, but I wasn’t really listening. I recalled her mentioning that her sister had the stone and it would help them with the war that was supposedly coming. Now, my curiosity was piqued. I needed to find an out. “You could have just asked me instead of luring me here,” I snapped. “And what makes you think I’m going to help you? Who are you guys, anyway?”
Todd seemed irate. His eyes turned the color of silver, as his hand sparked with light. He tried to hide it, but how could anyone miss it? “We’re the same as you, but we’re not like you.”
I flashed my eyes to Ian, but he wouldn’t look at me. My gut feeling told me he was a descendant of a god, but I guessed he would let me know when he was ready. “So…why do you need a stone? What kind of stone?”
Mia’s pacing back and forth was driving me nuts. Her high boot heels were clicking away. A part of me was thinking she may do something I wouldn’t like behind my back, such as shock me just for fun. Mia leaned down and hissed in my ear, “Do you have the stone? We know you were with the others.”
They were spying on me?
My anger brewed, and I whipped around, staring her squarely in the eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You guys are crazy.”
“I already told you, she doesn’t have a clue what we’re talking about,” Ian said to Todd.
“She’s Victor’s kid. She has to know,” Todd retorted.
“She doesn’t like her father. They don’t have that kind of relationship.” How did Ian know? My heart dropped hearing his words. He was acting like a friend when all along he was trying to gather information about me. It was the act of betrayal that hurt me the most, not so much from missing his friendship. For sure, from this day forward, I wanted nothing to do with him.
“Are you sure you’re not hiding anything from us?” Mia asked Ian. “I have eyes. I see the way you look at her.” Her tone was full of jealousy.
Ian didn’t say a word.
“Let’s try this again.” Mia lowered herself to me. Her eyes were dark and demanding, as if to show me she was in charge. “Where…is…the…stone?”
“Again. I have no idea what you are asking me. You want a stone, go to the park and find one.” I grabbed my backpack and headed for the door, but just before I turned the knob, Ian was standing there.
“I’m sorry. I should have handled this better. I’ll talk to you later. Just cooperate or there will be consequences by a higher order.” His tone was serious and worried. It didn’t feel like a threat; it felt more like he was concerned for my well-being.
I didn’t care what he had to say to me. As far as I was concerned, our friendship was over. It happened so fast that I didn’t realize I had done anything. My hand went straight for his chest, and because of my powers, he flew back, crashing into a table. Looking over my shoulder, I checked to see if he was hurt, though I didn’t know why I cared. Seeing he was okay, I bolted out the door. Since no one came after me, I assumed they finally got the point. Either they believed that I had no idea what they were talking about, or they would find another way to get an answer from me.
IAN never showed up for the Statistics final exam, which made me wonder if he was even enrolled in the class at all. I was more than happy
winter break was starting and I didn’t have to see him, at least for a while…or never, which would be even better. However, his last words stayed with me: “Just cooperate or there will be consequences by a higher order.”
I planned to tell Mason about the incident as soon as I had the chance. I was happy we were going to the lake house—it was going to be a great distraction—somewhere I didn’t have to constantly look over my shoulder. However, it also meant we would have to make the decision about whether we were going to help Zara search for her sister. Although my dad hadn’t paid a personal visit, I knew Noah and Tim were around at times. They never showed themselves, but I felt their presence when I was on campus. I might have protested if I saw them, but honestly, it gave me comfort so I welcomed it.
“You have a beautiful place,” Kayla squealed, glancing around.
I had to agree; the lake house was as beautiful on the inside as out. With simple décor and furniture similar to the cabin, I felt right at home. Just like the cabin, there were no other houses near us. It was peaceful and secluded.
“Why don’t we unpack first?” Nick suggested. “Then we can take a tour of the house and have dinner outside by the lake.”
“That sounds good. Everett and I will kick start the grill.” Amanda grabbed Everett’s arm and tugged him out the door.
After we settled our bags, I called my mom to let her know I was with Mason, then we headed out to the back. It was the coolest thing to see the lake just a short distance away. The grand body of blue water was calm and peaceful. Since there was no one around, we had the whole lake to ourselves.
The smell of chicken and steak roused my hunger pangs and made me turn to the grill. Everett was standing there, humming a song while flipping chicken. Amanda was next to him, doing the same. It was comforting to see them having fun, as if nothing bothered them, but I was certain they had a lot on their minds, just like me. The side dishes they’d brought from home looked delicious, too: salad, corn, rice pilaf, and even cheesecake for dessert.