Flight of Life (Essence Series #1)

by E. L. Todd

  “What if that orb belongs to Sven, and since that’s how they see, they think Calloway is his father. They look alike, too.”

  Easton sighed. “It’s impossible that Sven was a Hara-Kir. If his son is human, so is he. You can’t be human if you’re a Hara-Kir.”

  “But the orb responds to Calloway, therefore it’s his—or his father’s—that’s the only explanation,” Breccan said.

  “I forgot about that.” Easton sighed. “But that still doesn’t make sense. Perhaps Sven took it from the other side so that’s why it works—the owner isn’t dead. That sounds more plausible.”

  “And why did my father steal it?” Calloway asked. “What the point?”

  “Perhaps he was trying to save the essence inside of it?” Easton said. “Maybe he realized there were trapped purposes locked inside.”

  Calloway leaned forward. “So he was trying to help?”

  “Yes,” Easton said. “It makes sense. He traveled to the Anti-Life to gather information then he grabbed the orb while he was there. Then he escaped the Anti-Life and deposited the supplies in the trunk for safe keeping before he went into hiding. Perhaps he really was killed by the Hara-Kirs during his flight. Or he’s still running to this day. That’s still up in the air.”

  “So you think my father was good?” Calloway asked.

  “It’s more likely. The only way he could be a Hara-Kir is if he isn’t your biological father, which I find unlikely since you look so similar. And if he was evil, he would have stolen your essence, Calloway, but the Hara-Kir in the library said he could see your essence; therefore, you have one.”

  “And the Hara-Kirs are pursuing Calloway because they are trying to find his father.” Breccan said. “That’s possible.”

  Calloway leaned back and sighed. “I’m so glad to hear that.”

  “This is all speculation, Calloway,” Easton said. “We could be completely wrong. For all we know, you’re the leader of their group but hit your head and forgot everything. We don’t know,” Easton said.

  “But that story sounds more likely,” Calloway said. “The idea that my father is a Hara-Kir is impossible because I’m human. And he can’t be in league with them because he would have killed me already. It makes sense.”

  “Then why does he own this library?” Breccan asked. “The Hara-Kirs are always here.”

  “Maybe this is the place he killed them,” Easton suggested. “The fireplace is huge, big enough to fit a grown person. Or he understood that the Hara-Kirs are always here so he eliminated human attacks by purchasing it—it keeps people away.”

  “That explains it,” Calloway said quickly. “And that’s why he left me. He was on the run and couldn’t risk my safety by taking me along.” The theory answered all of their questions and made Calloway feel better. His father was a good man that didn’t abandon him—everything was okay. If his father was actually working for the Anti-Life, Calloway wasn’t sure what he would do—it would be too much. “You should tell Weston this.”

  “Why?” Easton asked. “These aren’t facts—just speculation.”

  “But it’s the only thing that makes sense,” Calloway said. “I don’t want her to hate me.”

  “She doesn’t hate you,” Easton said quickly. “She just can’t trust you as much as she would like to.”

  “Well, I want her to trust me,” he said.

  “Wouldn’t you want her to trust you because she has faith in you like we do?” Easton asked. “She’s a very logical person with no emotions. Even if we explain our theory it wouldn’t change anything—it isn’t absolute.”

  Calloway sighed. “I don’t want to lose her.”

  “She doesn’t see you like that, Calloway,” Easton said gently. “I’m sorry.”

  Calloway shook his head. “That isn’t what I mean. I don’t want to lose her as a friend. She is strong and powerful. Plus she has connections to the White Wing. She defended me at the dance and has become a close friend. I don’t want to lose a friend—that’s all.”

  “I don’t think there’s anything we can do,” Easton said. “She won’t aid you in any way and speak about the White Wing to you. As far as she’s concerned, you’re just my friend and nothing more.”

  “That isn’t fair.” Calloway sighed. “We might need her for something.”

  “If I asked her for aid she would help me,” Easton said. “As long as it didn’t involve aiding any evil plans you may have.” She opened the Kirin Book and pulled her notes from the paper. Calloway leaned back in his chair and sighed, frustrated that he was being punished for something out of his control. Easton turned a few pages in her book. “I deciphered another page.”

  “That’s it?” Breccan asked incredulously. “I thought you would be done with the book by now.”

  “Even with the decoder it’s a slow process and can be time consuming,” Easton said. “I’m doing my best.”

  “We appreciate everything you can do,” Calloway said. “What does it say?”

  Easton met his gaze. “I’m going to give you the abridged version.” She cleared her throat. “Basically, it said the glowing orb is the key to the portal that connects the two planes and that’s how the Hara-Kirs are transported from one world to the other. It is also the soul trapper that we already discussed and every Hara-Kir possesses one. It didn’t mention anything about the light from the orb when you squeeze it,” Easton said. “I’m not sure if that’s unique to your orb. The soul rapper is used to store the essence then they place it inside of some sort of catalytic supernova and the power will destroy both worlds.”

  “A supernova?” Breccan asked incredulously. “Where the hell is this other world?”

  Easton shook her head. “I don’t know,” she said. “But that’s what the chapter said.”

  Calloway pulled his glowing orb from his pocket and studied the surface. “Did it say how to release the essence from the orb?”

  “No,” she said. “It doesn’t address that. I’m not sure if it’s possible to return the essence back to the individual, especially if they’re already dead.”

  Calloway squeezed the orb and the light returned. He clenched his fist again and the brightness dissipated. The glow inside the ball made him wonder what the source of the illumination was. What if the glow was from an essence that belonged to someone else? “Do you think that’s what the light is?”

  “What?” Breccan asked.

  “That the light is the essence from someone else?” Calloway asked. “Perhaps a few people?”

  Easton crossed her arms over her chest and shivered. “I hope not,” she said. “That would be disturbing.”

  “That must be why it glows,” Callow said sadly.

  “How do we remove the essence stored inside?” Breccan asked.

  “I have no idea,” Calloway said. “But we’ll find out.”

  Calloway leaned back in his chair and stared at the bookcases that surrounded the library. It always seemed like a Hara-Kir was lurking in the shadows, waiting to pounce on them at any moment. Some of the shelves were still on the ground from his flight from the Hara-Kir weeks ago. He hadn’t cleaned up his mess.

  Their constant presence made Calloway wonder what their fascination was with this place. Yes, it was abandoned and deserted, making human contact minimal, but if they were on this side of the portal weren’t they looking for humans? Calloway still didn’t understand why they were always here. What was it?

  The realization suddenly dawned on him. “The Hara-Kirs are always here,” he said quietly. “The last time we fought a Hara-Kir we were here for an hour before it attacked us. Why did it wait?”

  Easton stared at his frightened expression. “What are you saying?”

  “It didn’t attack us right away because it wasn’t here.”

  “What?” Breccan asked.

  “I’m saying that the Hara-Kirs aren’t hiding in the library,” Calloway said. “They are coming from it. The portal is here—in the Grandiose Historian Library
.”

  Easton ran her hands through her hair. “You’re right,” she said. “I didn’t realize it before. That explains everything.”

  “That’s creepy,” Breccan said.

  “Very,” Calloway said.

  “That explains why your father bought the building,” Easton said. “He protected the innocent people from being killed.”

  Calloway nodded. “Now we just have to find it.”

  A New Look

  “Let’s get out of here,” Marquan said as they walked out of the sandwich shop. “If I have to look at any more sandwiches I’m going to heave.”

  “It’s not that bad,” Calloway said. “It’s free food.”

  “Well, you haven’t been working here for three years.” Marquan laughed. “You’ll get there.”

  “I sincerely hope not.” Calloway laughed. “I wasn’t planning on working in college. I want to focus on my studies.” They got inside the car and Marquan drove down the street.

  “Don’t you need food and water? You know—the basic necessities.”

  Calloway shrugged. “I’ll get a loan.” He assumed he would qualify for a scholarship to cover his basic needs but he didn’t mention this to Marquan. There was no way to discuss his outstanding exam scores without Calloway sounding arrogant or pretentious. He decided to keep it to himself.

  “Loans are dangerous,” he said. “I try to avoid them as much as possible.”

  “We’ll see,” Calloway said. “I have time to figure it out.”

  Marquan nodded. “Yeah, that’s true.” He drove down the road and approached the house. “You got plans tonight?”

  Calloway shook his head. “No,” he said. “I think I’m staying home. What are you up to?”

  “I’m going to a friend’s party,” he said. “It should be cool.”

  “Well, have fun,” Calloway said as he got out of the car. “And be safe.”

  “Who are you? My mom?” He laughed. “I’ll be fine.”

  The phone on the wall was ringing when Calloway walked into the house. His aunt and uncle weren’t home so he took the call.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, it’s Easton.”

  “Are you coming over?”

  “No,” she said. “Weston wanted me to invite you guys to her New Year’s Eve party. She assumed you didn’t have any plans.”

  “I thought she hated me,” Calloway said. “Wants nothing to do with me?”

  Easton sighed. “That isn’t what she said. She just can’t be affiliated with you politically, if you understand my meaning. She still cares for you. So are you coming or what?”

  “I guess,” Calloway said. “It should be fun.”

  “Okay,” she said. “I’ll be there soon.”

  Calloway ended the call and walked upstairs to his bedroom. Breccan was sitting on the bed with Calloway’s laptop in front of him. The laptop was a communion piece of equipment and Calloway shared it with his whole family. The sound of Breccan typing echoed in the room and Calloway assumed his cousin was completing his school applications.

  “Weston invited us to her New Year’s Eve party,” Calloway said. He sat on the bed across from his cousin and leaned against the headboard.

  “She did?” Breccan asked. “I thought she didn’t trust you.”

  “She still doesn’t.” Calloway sighed. “Maybe I can convince her tonight.”

  “I would let it go,” Breccan said. “You’re just going to irritate her.”

  Calloway nodded. “You’re probably right.”

  “Wait,” Breccan said. “How did you know about the party?”

  “Easton told me.”

  “When?” Breccan asked. “When did you talk to her?”

  “She called the house a few minutes ago,” Calloway answered. The unusual questions were odd coming from Breccan.

  “She called you?” he asked.

  “No, she called the house phone,” Calloway answered. This conversation was so awkward and unexpected that Calloway wasn’t sure what to think. Why did Breccan have such an interest in Calloway speaking to Easton? “So, are you coming?”

  “Yes,” Breccan answered. “I love college parties.”

  “You’ve only been to one.” Calloway laughed.

  “Well, I’m sure there will be plenty more,” he said. “Are you going to talk to Weston?”

  Calloway shrugged. “If she talks to me,” he said.

  “Are you going to tell her about the Kirin Book? Maybe she’ll trust you if you hand it over.”

  “No,” Calloway said. “She would confiscate it and never return it. After we decipher the whole thing, I have no problem handing it over. But for now, it’s ours. Since we can’t count on any help from Weston, I think we should move forward. Our next step will be finding the portal inside the Grandiose Historian Library.”

  “Are we going to cross it?” Breccan asked.

  “Yes,” he said. “We have to. There’s no other way to learn about the enemy.”

  Breccan nodded. “Weston will be angry if we hide this—especially since Easton is involved.”

  Calloway shook his head. “She doesn’t want to be associated with us,” he said. “I wish I could confide in her. It would be nice to have help.”

  “Yes, it would.” Breccan sighed. “But we’ll prove your loyalty to her eventually. You can’t be shut out forever. After you kill a hundred Hara-Kirs people are going to realize it.”

  “That’s a lot,” Calloway said. “I sincerely hope it doesn’t take that many.”

  “It might even take more.” He shrugged. Breccan closed the laptop and looked through his clothes to find something to wear to the party. “All my clothes are dirty, worn, and too big. I wish I had something else to wear.”

  Calloway recalled the night of the formal and how different he looked in the mirror. Just a change of clothes and a shower had transformed his appearance. Since he was going to a social gathering he wanted to look presentable even though no one care about how he looked. He wanted to look his best. “Let’s go shopping,” he said. “I’ll buy us new outfits.”

  Breccan stared at him. “Really?”

  “Yes,” he said. “Since your parents rejected my money I’ve been saving my checks—I have some spare change.”

  “Let’s go!” Breccan said as he jumped up. “No one is going to say anything to us now.”

  Calloway laughed. “They didn’t say anything last time we were there.”

  “I wonder what Easton will say,” Breccan said.

  “I doubt she will care,” Calloway said as they walked down the stairs. “We can ride our bikes to the department store then shower when we get back.”

  “That sounds like a plan,” Breccan said as they walked out the front door and locked it behind them. They traveled down the street to a mens clothing store and picked out an outfit they could wear to the New Year’s Eve party. Calloway found a pair of dark jeans and a thin blue sweater to match. Breccan found an outfit with plain jeans and a gray long-sleeved shirt. After they bought the clothes they rode their bikes home and showered before the party.

  When Calloway looked in the mirror, he was pleased with his appearance and wondered if anyone would notice him. When he was dressed in clean clothes he felt more confident and calm, knowing he wouldn’t be teased about his looks. Now he could blend into the crowd like a normal student. Instead of being identified based on his low income, people would know him based on his personality—who he actually was.

  “How do I look?” Breccan asked.

  “Like a million bucks,” Calloway said.

  “Cool,” he said.

  The doorbell rang and they knew Easton had arrived. When they opened the door she stared at them both for a moment. “Did you get new clothes?”

  “Yes,” Breccan smiled. “Calloway bought them.”

  “That was nice,” she said. “What’s the occasion?”

  “Not having anything else to wear.” Calloway laughed. “Our jeans have too many hole
s. It looks like one big rip.”

  “Are you guys ready?” she asked.

  “Yes,” Calloway said.

  They got into Easton’s classic car and drove to Weston’s small house on the other side of town. Calloway turned to Easton while they drove. “I think we should search for the portal at the Headquarters soon. We aren’t going to be getting any help so we are on our own. We need to start moving forward.”

  Easton sighed. “I suppose you’re right. I’m not sure where to begin.”

  “Neither do I,” Breccan said.

  “We’ll figure it out,” Calloway said. “I’m certain the portal is in the library. That’s the only explanation for the plethora of Hara-Kirs.”

  “In the spirit of the season, let’s forget about the end of the world and the Hara-Kirs and try to have some fun,” Easton said.

  Calloway laughed. “We can give it a shot.”

  New Year’s Eve

  There was nowhere to park when Easton reached her sister’s neighborhood. Every curb and driveway was occupied by a vehicle, and Easton was forced to park down a different street away from the house.

  “Someone is popular,” Breccan said as they climbed out of the car.

  Easton locked the door and headed toward the house down the road. “My sister is known for her parties. The basement is really convenient. She doesn’t have to worry about making a mess because it’s concrete and it’s impossible to break anything down there.”

  “That’s good to know,” Breccan said. “How many people are going to be here?”

  “I have no idea,” she said.

  When they reached the house they heard the faint bump of music from the underground basement as it thudded against their eardrums. The beautiful rustic house on the front yard appeared vacated. All the lights were off and there were no cars in the driveway. It seemed like everyone was already asleep. When they came to the front door, Calloway felt his heart hammer in his chest, and he felt immensely nervous, unsure how he should act around Weston. Would she tell everyone in the White Wing to stay away from him next year at school? Would he be just as much of an outcast as he was now? But then he became more pragmatic when he realized Weston would never do that to him. Only if he was a threat would she tell everyone about his circumstance.