by E. L. Todd
“You shouldn’t be a comedian,” Calloway said calmly. He felt the anger course through his body but he kept his temper under control. Revealing his annoyance would only make Hawk continue. He tried to act as indifferent as possible. “People aren’t going to pay to hear the same jokes.”
“They will if they’re still funny.” Hawk smiled. His friends stood on either side of him and glared at Calloway. Their arms were crossed over their chests and they looked menacing as they stood behind Hawk. Calloway was annoyed with the expression on Hawk’s face. The smile stretched wider when he realized he had Calloway cornered—it was six to one.
“So, this is the guy?” Marquan asked.
Calloway nodded without looking at him.
Hawk stepped toward him until they were a foot apart. “Now it’s my turn to throw you on the floor and watch everyone point and laugh at you.” He raised his hand to push Calloway but Marquan stepped in front of him with a glare on his face. His diamond earrings reflected in the light and the chain that hung around his neck sparkled as he moved. Breccan came and stood beside Calloway while Weston’s friend Scott joined the alliance. Michael appeared through the crowd and stood in the group. Calloway was blocked by so many people he couldn’t even see Hawk anymore. His heart hammered in his chest when he saw the people stand in front of him, shielding him from his biggest adversary.
Marquan was still in the forefront. “I dare you to touch me,” he said as he leaned forward. He stared at Hawk and waited for him to make the first move. The size of his arms was almost as big as Calloway’s head, and his height was over six-feet—he was intimidating to everyone. Hawk shifted his weight but held Marquan’s gaze. “That’s a smart choice.” He smiled.
Weston came down the stairs and saw the confrontation in the center of the room. She pushed the people aside until she reached Hawk. Her eyes widened in hatred. “I don’t invite punks to my party,” she said. “Now get out.”
Hawk glared at her. “I just came by to pick up my girlfriend.”
“Then pick up your trash and get out of my house,” she snapped. Everyone in the basement laughed at her words. Some of the people pointed at Hawk and whispered to their neighbors, clearly talking about him.
When Calloway walked to the front of the gathering he could tell that Hawk was furious. His blue eyes widened at the sound of the crowd and his arm’s twitched in anger. “I can’t believe Calloway needs his girlfriend to fight his battles for him,” he sneered.
“And I can’t believe your own girlfriend won’t defend you.” Weston pushed him hard and he staggered backwards. His friends laughed at him for being pushed by a girl. “Stay away from Calloway or I’ll make you pay.”
Hawk walked up to her and pressed his face against hers. “Or what?” he said. “What are you going to do about it?” Calloway could see the ferocity coursing through his limbs and it matched his own. If he touched Weston Calloway would kill him—he would. Weston met his gaze with equal intensity. She didn’t look afraid as she stared at him with a stoic demeanor, silently challenging him to touch her.
Suddenly, Hawk shoved Weston backwards and she staggered back until she fell to the ground. Calloway sprinted to Hawk before he even made the decision to attack him. The idea of him touching Weston sent him to the brink and he punched Hawk in the face as hard as he could. He continued to hit him as hard and as fast as his arms would move. The blood spluttered out of Hawk’s nose and covered his hands but it didn’t stop him. Calloway wanted Hawk to pay for what he’d done to Weston—no one touched her like that. He could hear everyone cheering him on as he felt the blood on his knuckles. Finally, he felt someone pull him off Hawk and he stopped his pursuit.
“Stop, Calloway,” Weston said. His words sheathed his anger immediately and he obeyed her command without hesitation. The blood dripped from his hands onto the floor but he didn’t mind the sensation—the blood wasn’t his. Hawk’s face was covered in the red liquid and he glared at Calloway. “There is no fighting in my house.”
“I’m sorry.” Calloway caught his breath. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” she said. “I told you I can take care of myself.”
“That doesn’t mean you should have been pushed,” he snapped. “It’s unacceptable.”
Her eyes softened at his words and she patted him on the shoulder. Weston grabbed a towel and wiped off his dirty knuckles. Calloway watched her attend to him and he felt his heart race when her hand touched his. “Are you okay?” she asked quietly.
“I’ve never felt better.” He smiled. “That was a long time coming.”
“Then maybe it’s a good thing he pushed me.” She smiled.
“No. I never want someone to hurt you—any girl. It definitely wasn’t worth it.”
Hawk’s friends helped him to his feet. Hawk wiped his bloody nose on his jacket and turned toward the stairs. “Come on, Beatrice!” The sound of his command seemed like he was speaking to a disobedient dog. He marched to the ladder with his friends surrounding him.
Beatrice stood by the stairs and stared at him for a moment, unsure what she should do, and then looked at Calloway.
“And a drumroll,” Breccan whispered.
“Come on!” Hawk yelled again. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her up the stairs. Calloway watched her go in misery, wishing she would stand up for herself and stop repeating the same mistakes. His friends were right—nothing changed.
Weston rolled up the dirty towel and tossed it into the garbage. “You’re as good as new,” she said. “Now I have to return to my party. Stay out of trouble.” She walked away from Calloway
The crowd started to mingle again and move on from the fight that just ensued. Weston disappeared into the throng and started talking to her friends again. Marquan looked at his watch. “It’s almost midnight,” he said. “I have to find someone to kiss.”
“Don’t get any ideas.” Calloway smiled.
Marquan smiled. “Damn.” He turned to a girl standing behind him. She was attractive with light brown hair and, she wore a gray jacket that highlighted her eyes. It didn’t seem like she knew Marquan. “You wanna kiss at midnight?”
She thought for a moment. “Sure.” She shrugged. “Why not?”
Calloway raised an eyebrow. “It’s that easy?”
“For me.” Marquan laughed. “Not everyone is gifted like I am. Look at this face.” He turned to the girl and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
Everyone started counting down and couples were partnering up for the big kiss. He watched in misery as everyone started to find their significant others in the crowd. He felt immensely alone. Calloway assumed Breccan and Easton would kiss when the countdown ended but it didn’t seem that way. They weren’t speaking or even looking at each other. Easton had her arms crossed over her chest, and Breccan was staring at his shoe with his hands in his pocket. Calloway looked at the crowd and saw Weston talking to man that was standing very close to her. He was tall like Calloway but much larger, and Calloway recognized him from the training room at the White Wing. He and Weston did a demonstration together while Easton stole the decoder from the library. Calloway didn’t want to find someone to kiss—there was only one person he wanted.
The countdown ended and everyone kissed their neighbors. Calloway watched Weston kiss the man lightly on the lips, and when she tried to pull away, the guy grabbed her face and kissed her a moment longer. Weston was smiling at him when they pulled apart. The image made Calloway want to gag.
“I’m ready to go,” Calloway said. “Let’s leave.”
“Me too,” Breccan and Easton both said simultaneously.
They climbed up the steps and left the house without a backward glance. Calloway didn’t say goodbye to anyone at the party and he had no interest in speaking to anyone. The three of them didn’t converse on the way home—suffering silently in their own minds.
Nighttime Musings
The shadows on his bedroom wall were drifting across the r
oom as the glow from the headlights of passing cars chased them away. They formed different shapes that reminded him of creeping spiders that scurried across his bedroom. He turned on his side and tried to close his eyes but he was too restless to sleep—too anxious. The sound of Breccan’s snores was loud and Calloway couldn’t concentrate on anything else besides the noise of his windpipe. He was tired of thinking about his miserable life, but he was too depressed to fall asleep. The melancholy pressed against his heart and made him want to break down in a flood of tears. This was too hard for him—he didn’t want to do it anymore. Why couldn’t he just be normal? How different would his life be if he wasn’t poor and his father never left him that note? Would he be happy? He stared at the ceiling for a few minutes before he finally rose and dressed himself.
Calloway left the house and locked the door behind him. The winter air chilled his bones but Calloway didn’t retreat to the warmth of the house, choosing to let the cold numb his already frozen heart. He walked across the front lawn and heard the crunch of the frozen grass beneath his feet. When he reached the middle of the road he tightened his jacket around him and shoved his hands inside his pockets. The Christmas decorations on the outside of the houses shined in the dark and gave Calloway some comfort on this lonely night. Everyone was sleeping in their warm beds, oblivious to the battle going on around them every day. There was no anxiety that clenched their hearts with every beat.
He walked down the deserted street and didn’t see a car in sight. He felt more alone in the world than he ever had. The holidays were the most painful days of his life and he hated the depression he felt. Even though he had the love of his aunt and uncle and he had great friends, he still felt empty and hollow, like something was always missing.
When he thought about his father he felt more solidified with his decision—that his father was fighting for the Life. He recalled when he received the chest as a young child. His Uncle Scott placed it into his bedroom and said it was his toy box. Calloway knew it belonged to his father but he never corrected him. When he looked through the box all he found was old history books and a few notes, but he was illiterate at the time so he abandoned the contents of the box and left it forsaken.
When he was older he rummaged through the box again and uncovered the notes that were inside. He still remembered the words of the letter.
It is safe at the Grandiose Historian Library but it needs to be retrieved eventually. The Hara-Kir will figure out the location of the Kirin Book soon and they will take it. It’s important that we don’t let this happen. It won’t be on a bookshelf—somewhere out of sight.
S. M.
It wasn’t a direct letter but Calloway assumed it was meant for him. If not him, then he didn’t know who else it would be intended for. His father specifically mentioned that it needed to be kept away from the Hara-Kirs, so why would he be working for them? And it was impossible that he was a rogue Hara-Kir. If the note was meant for Calloway, then why didn’t his father explain his whereabouts and where he was headed? But then again, Easton’s theory could be wrong—he might be dead. Calloway was frustrated that he didn’t know. He remembered the letter that warned him about the Hara-Kirs.
They are devilish creatures, demonic in nature and sound, and they seek to destroy what is good and worth preserving. They are not to be trusted or engaged directly. They need to be avoided at all costs—do not approach them.
Again, the note was written in a way that indicated it was meant for someone else. It had to be a warning, telling Calloway to keep away from these demonic beings. When Calloway searched through the textbooks he found a few drawings of the features of the Hara-Kirs and some details in different notebooks, indicating their life purpose and intent. That was all the information that his father left him.
There was no message that pertained to the gifts in the box, which is why Calloway never knew their purpose until recently. The orb lit up when he needed light and the lock picker seemed to work on every door—he figured that out alone.
He knew in his heart that his father was a good man—he wasn’t evil. Sven wasn’t working against them by aiding the Hara-Kirs. He helped their cause but everyone assumed he had a sinister motive simply because he wasn’t here to explain himself further. Calloway knew his father was committed to doing what’s right—he would never fall into shadow.
Weston’s lack of trust in him was heartbreaking. He had proven himself as her ally and friend, and the fact that she assumed he was related to someone who did evil things angered him, especially since it wasn’t true. Calloway walked for a long time without any specific direction. When he finally looked up from his feet he realized he was at Weston’s house. Her car was in the driveway and all the lights were off. Calloway stood there for a long time before he turned away and walked back home. He wasn’t sure why he came here—he didn’t remember coming here to begin with.
The fact that Weston even suspected he would be tempted to aid the Anti-Life broke him—he would never do that. And of all people in the world, he thought she understood this about him. He always made it clear that he wanted to serve a cause that was greater than himself; to help save the word. The idea of doing anything else was absurd. Weston understood him in a way no one else did—he was certain of that. He didn’t understand why she turned away from him. Calloway would give his life and complete devotion to protect the Life and was determined to finish his father’s work—it was his purpose.
The sight of her kissing someone else made his stomach fill with burning acid. She wasn’t interested in him and made their platonic relationship clear, but the sight still broke his heart. She never misled him but somehow she still stole his heart. He felt connected to her unlike anyone else and he thought the feeling was mutual. Calloway wasn’t sure why it bothered him so much—she was just a friend.
Calloway walked the icy streets for an hour before he returned home. There were no cars on the streets and all the houses were dark while everyone slept in their warm beds. He wondered what Weston was doing, and if she was sleeping, what was she dreaming about? He decided to stop thinking about Weston. She didn’t have feelings for him—she never would. The only person to blame was Calloway himself—he let this happen and he needed it to end. He was just going to get hurt repeatedly if he didn’t halt these feelings now.
When he came inside he ran his hand under warm water to thaw his frozen extremities then he returned to bed but he still couldn’t fall asleep—he just lied there.
He was determined to fight for life, destroy the Hara-Kirs, and survive the rest of the year of high school. He didn’t know what was in store for him, but he suspected the second half would be as worst as the first. But it didn’t matter. Calloway would never give up. That wasn’t an option.
The story continues….
The Tale of Life
(Book Two of the Essence Series)
Available Now
About the Author
E. L. Todd was raised in California where she attended California State University, Stanislaus and received her bachelor’s degree in biological sciences, then continued onto her master’s degree in education. While she considers science to be interesting, her true passion is writing. She is also the author of the Soul Saga Trilogy, The Alpha Series, and her bestselling novel, Only For You, the first installment of the Forever and Always Series. She is also an assistant editor at Final-Edits.com.
By E. L. Todd
Soul Catcher
(Book One of the Soul Saga)
Soul Binder
(Book Two of the Soul Saga)
Soul Relenter
(Book Three of the Soul Saga)
Only For You
(Book One of the Forever and Always Series)
Forever and Always
(Book Two of the Forever and Always Series)
Edge of Love
(Book Three of the Forever and Always Series)
Force of Love
(Book Four in the Forever and Always Series)
/> Fight for Love
(Book Five in the Forever and Always Series)
Lover’s Roulette
(Book Six in the Forever and Always Series)
Happily Ever After
(Book Seven of the Forever and Always Series)
Sadie
(Book One of the Alpha Series
Elisa
(Book Two of the Alpha Series)
Connected by the Sea
(Book One of the Hawaiian Crush Series)
Breaking Through the Waves
(Book Two of the Hawaiian Crush Series)
Connected by the Tide
(Book Three of the Hawaiian Crush Series)
Taking the Plunge
(Book Four of the Hawaiian Crush Series)
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