Orion

by Cyndi Goodgame

  My heart died a little. I’d always wondered what might have happened if my father had let him proclaim himself to me. In my innocence and youth, I'd imagined being married to someone I chose. It was not meant to be. His words, and now mine.

  Chapter Seventeen Sentence first…

  The next day, Sunday, formal breakfast was not a joyful noise. Oh, I smiled in all the right places, but the looks Dyer, Lee, kept giving me at admitting his feelings, and secrets, and long bottled in knowledge, were disturbing. I vowed to talk with him again, soon. It still rubbed me wrong that he was straddling the fence on should I go or should I stay. He seemed to battle the odds for me one minute and against me the next. It made me wonder if he knew more.

  It didn't add up concerning his parents and Quinn. Surely two sides of one family wouldn't force their son, or nephew, to do such dirty work as double crossing two factions against each other. If so, he could feed information back and forth like a disease. No one would be the wiser with his mom gone and his father missing since childhood. People simply just stopped questioning it.

  The day passed. Nighttime came. I couldn’t focus.

  I looked at the clock, dressed, sneaked out the already open window and over to the guy’s dorm. Calum had told me he was the first floor, first room. A privilege of a head master’s son.

  I saw the window was open just slightly and wedged it open more. I bounded into the room onto a bed.

  Thankfully, no one was in it. And it appeared no one was in the room. I still didn’t know what I was doing, but I had to be sure Lee kept my secrets. I'd know by the way Calum acted.

  I saw slovenly made beds, clothes everywhere, and ahh, the smell of cologne. Curiosity killed the cat. I headed over to the dresser for the answer to my distraction.

  I eyed something on the way. My jacket. I didn’t even remember leaving it that night at the picnic, but here it is. Assuming this was Calum’s side, I found the cologne and read its cover label. Dark Spice. I raised it to see the contents. Beside it, a pack of opened gum, a razor blade, two dimes, and a nickel.

  I was turning to see the other side of the room when the door spun open and I darted behind the door. The door stayed open a second before anyone stepped in.

  Lee took two slow steps in and closed the door looking right at me. He was the same height as I was so our eyes were level.

  “Care to explain?”

  “How did you know?”

  “Hey! Hello! I can smell you. Every day!” I noticed precisely at this moment that he was standing only in his boxers. Aaa!

  “What?” I was caught off guard by the comment first. I closed my eyes admitting to seeing nothing. He was so filled out now.

  He saw my look, watched me carefully. “Lavender. You always have.”

  How does he know so much about me and I know very little of him? He must read my mind because…

  “I know everything about you.” He was sliding his jeans on now, but without a shirt showing up.

  I sat down on Lee’s bed after he moved some questionables off the side of it. He apologized. Was my brother this messy? No, he has a maid.

  “Repeating myself. Explain?” His eyes aimed towards the window, but he stood where he was.

  “I just wanted to make sure you stayed quiet. You know.”

  He vibed anger at my comment. “What are you afraid of?”

  I forgot already, he is half freaking Valkyrie. That was a major revelation I hadn’t revisited in my brain yet. “Half and half, I get it. I sense your anger, you sensed my fear.”

  He nodded.

  “You tell me?” I shouldn’t have said that.

  “No. Not my place.”

  He’d, no doubt, read my emotions since I’d arrived. I felt sad for him knowing how he felt now. “Do you sense only fear?”

  “All or any, unfortunately.” He didn’t flinch. “Are you here for me or him?” he motioned to the door. “He’ll be back any moment. Showers. You should leave.”

  Um, the thought of him fresh out of the shower. I looked at Lee’s hands still holding his shower bag.

  He tensed.

  Gods! He sensed everything. “I’m here to make sure of your intentions. And two, to make sure Calum doesn’t.”

  He was hurt. “I told you I’d help you. I—

  Just then, the door opened, and Calum was standing there, in boxers only, hair sticking up with a towel draped around his neck covering Orion.

  I stood so quickly, I was dizzy taking in the scent of him and looking at everything I shouldn’t.

  I sighed. My trifecta of ultimate doom. Bewildered as to why I was there, he let me look a second longer before asking, “You’re in my room?” He looked me over slowly. “Alone.” He swung his eyes to Lee. "With him."

  “I just wanted to see you,” I managed to not choke.

  Lee was already standing. He grabbed the doorknob and murmured to the door edge saying, “I’ll leave you two alone.” He left.

  “Did I interrupt?” Calum was puzzled. Fear throbbing his every visible pore and the few I couldn't see.

  “Just an argument over why I should leave.”

  He calmed still in his boxers and dripping. I swallowed trying not to look anywhere but his face again. The air caught in my throat forcing me to choke on it.

  He realized my discomfort and reached across me to grab a pair of jeans on the back of a chair. His towel fell letting his marks show freely. I know somehow that the gesture is not a commonality for him and know that I’m being given a small gift in a way. I smiled to myself. The two of us are like two ingredients in a burning stewpot that mix just perfectly together, but spend most of the time trying to survive the boiling heat underneath their feet. How can we possibly survive the whole electricity thing or whatever else were doomed for if we can't even have a conversation without the sourness of something tainting it?

  He slouched into his jeans. I looked away, blushing profusely. I didn’t peek mostly, but wanted to see Orion again. He caught me. Or let me.

  He left his top button and zipper open leaving Orion in full view. “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”

  Feeling a mixture of bravado and cowardice all in one, I yanked my t-shirt up and over to the side. My yoga pants were low on the waist and did not need to be adjusted thank goodness.

  He stared. I stared.

  He came closer and pulled me to him. So much skin was exposed. I was against him now. Warm, still dripping from his hair, and smelling like—

  “I can’t.” I backed away. “It’s too much.” He chuckled reading me wrong. I didn't want to be a fried lightbulb after touching that much of him.

  AND there were things a girl knew about men, but feeling them was completely different. I couldn’t stand there in his room alone again with him like that. Plus, it seemed more like an infatuation with the unknown, not like love or anything.

  “Um, is that my sweater?” I had to get my mind clear so I looked around the room bringing my eyes on something familiar. My eyes closed for a fraction of a second. I inhaled deeply, then exhaled and knew he was watching my clear display of poor self control.

  “You have no idea what you’re doing, standing in my room, exposed, and smelling as good as you do.”

  I’ve already heard about my scent. What’s with that? “No, but I know exactly what you’re doing.” I proclaimed wanting some air. Half naked men just didn’t fit into the ice princess theory of surviving this mission. Even half naked men who had as much in common as this one did.

  “Am I?” He came closer again.

  “Stop!” I put my hand up. I closed my eyes not thinking about anything male. “You need to—

  And his mouth took over me a little too unkindly. I had to break free, but I couldn’t. My brain was screaming while his lips were doing all the thinking. Break!

  “Calum. I’ve got to stop,” my mouth smothered closed.

  “Understand. But you came in my room.” He was kissing my neck now. It was painful.

/>   “Then I’m leaving.” And I inched towards the window using a little more strength than I should have allowed. He was so distracted, he didn’t seem to notice.

  He pulled my shirt back to him. “Okay, okay!” He chuckled again totally misinterpreting all of this.

  I sat on Lee’s bed thinking it was safer.

  “Why are you over there?” he seemed threatened, still breathing hard and then pinched the bridge of his nose.

  “I’m safe over here. Cooling off place.”

  “Oh!” was all he said. He sat on his bed facing me with a mere two feet between us. I like that I didn’t have a roommate.

  “So,” he somewhat snarled, “why are you here?” he asked as if he didn’t feel he had the real reason.

  “I told you. I wanted to see you,” I shrugged up one shoulder.

  “Sneaking into a guy’s dorm room isn’t the safest thing for a girl like you. One could use it to an advantage.”

  Okay! He was every bit as worked up as I was just for different reasons. “I need to leave then. And what do you mean a girl like me?”

  Calum didn’t answer at first. “Stace, you’re beautiful. What do you expect?”

  Ah, well. Geez! “Sorry. I didn’t mean to make it look like anything. I was just stupid, I guess.”

  Now, that worked. His anger started coming out like wildfire. “Not stupid to see me. Stupid to come here.”

  “Okay. You were right. But,” I stood to go, “why do you have my jacket?”

  “It was on the box from our picnic. I just keep forgetting to bring it to you.” He picked it up and handed it to me. I could have sworn he smelled it as he passed it. Hmm!

  I turned back, wanting the fun kind of kiss he usually gave, but decided I’d not have control. I took a long glance at Orion.

  “Still amazing to think about, huh?”

  “Yeah! It really is.” Calum walked towards me.

  “Just us. Can I?” His hand was close enough I could feel the heat near my skin yelling and screaming to be touched, just not by him.

  “Calum. We shouldn’t, not here.” I looked at the bed.

  “Just Orion. That’s all. Promise.” His eyes were honest.

  “Okay.”

  Calum’s hand pressed against my stomach. Mine on his. Each tracing the pattern we had memorized. It was the most amazing feeling even if it felt wrong.

  Leave, a disembodied voice called to me. And it wasn't Calum's timbre.

  The door opened. We jumped back. I pulled my shirt down and his shorts went up simultaneously.

  Lee looked incredulously at us and looked away as quickly. “Monitor for lights out on the way. You have two minutes tops.” And the door closed.

  Like we’d been caught being naughty, I fumbled with getting out the window. It was past the boy likes girl stage. I didn’t like Calum like that so much as I couldn’t get enough of the fact that someone else was like me and they weren’t scared of me. I was back in my dorm window before he had time to close the window in a goodbye.

  Safe under the covers, I reflected on the sordid events of the night.

  Nothing much made sense, but yet everything was falling in place, one by freaking one. Except, where was my brother?

  Chapter Eighteen …verdict afterwards.

  I woke up a little more on the down side of things. I wanted desperately to make everyone happy, find my brother, and return home. Or did I?

  Knowing how much father had hidden from me over the years is alarming if not devastating. I’m not sure now I want to return to there, without Calum, but honestly, will he still want me when he finds out the truth. I hope Lee is very wrong.

  A day went by. Another. Nothing. Pretty soon a week passed and I had to face some things, solve others.

  I made a breakthrough at lunch one day, or so I thought. Lee stopped by my table and slipped a note in my hand. Unfortunately, Maze saw, so I had to give an explanation. She bought the, “it’s a note from Calum” excuse. It said to meet him, Lee, behind the gym after school.

  Duty to my court and my brother told me all the wrong reasons why I should. First and foremost, my mission.

  Calum and I still continued to study most days in the library together just to see each other, but today we were meeting outside to hang out. The boys were planning a soccer game and the girls were watching them. I laughed at that continuation of teenage normal behavior. When I asked why we were just watching, every one of them seemed to giggle and say things like “why not”?

  After school, Lee was already there when I arrived. I told him quickly that Calum would be there in five and he’d better hurry. He took offense at my nervousness being alone with him and offered to leave. I told him I was fine and to get on with it and that I was just nervous meeting in public about secrets, but I knew it was more than that. Lee was Calum’s best friend and that made me nervous as heck to go behind his back.

  As if reading my mind, “You know you could try telling him. He likes you a lot, you know.”

  I rolled my eyes and bounced a little on my heels in an attempt to expedite matters.

  Once again, reading me well he added, “Yes, he may have said something like that. He can’t get enough of you. He even talks in his sleep.”

  “It’s just the prophecy talking. He’s just enthralled with the whole matching birth defects and everything else we share. He’s just never met me before.”

  “Well, we are finally acknowledging the prophecy then. And yes, he talks about you nonstop. But no, he didn't know about your defining qualities before you revealed them in a dark field."

  "You were watching me?"

  His face blanched at his mistake. I wasn’t sure where the expression in his voice came from his last two statements, but I worried he wasn’t speaking for just Calum. Dismissing it, I focused on what was at hand.

  “What did you need? Uh....” Did he just say Calum talks in his sleep? What does Calum say in his sleep? “What does he say?” I had to know.

  “Just prophetic stuff like ‘she’s the one’ and ‘I will fulfill’ and stuff like that.”

  Stuff like that? No one just says stuff like that. I let it go for the sake of not arguing. It will get me nowhere fast and I’m on a time crunch.

  “Just joking, he says your name mostly.” He paused, a false smile on his face, “Quinn is leaving tomorrow. I think he’s going to where your brother is. He told Green about “making sure the investment is secure”. I only assume he meant Szar. Since I think this whole act is a set up to see what you prove to be… ”

  I smiled hugely and hugged him furiously. Too late, I stepped back when he went stiff.

  “I’m sorry. I was just excited. That’s not like me.”

  “No, it’s okay Anastacia,” he proclaimed like it would change something. "It just...surprised me." He darted his eyes to my lips.

  Uh, oh! I knew that look.

  He was right. The name reminded me--I was a girl from the past. “I’m not that girl anymore. Not when you left.”

  “I know,” was all he said.

  Standing in awkward silence, a low whistle interrupted us.

  “Hanging out with my girl again. Do I need to know something?”

  “No,” I smiled. “He is a super great best friend though. You are lucky.”

  Calum slapped his arm around Lee and tugged at his hair not completely in earnerst, “Lucky for him.”

  Lee grinned anyway and jested me with a woeful smile, “Let’s play some ball.”

  And then they were gone without a word of what to do about Quinn, the uncle. I promise myself to resolve this Lee thing soon or it would destroy us all possibly. Something’s going to go very wrong if I don’t, I can feel it. I just hope Liz and her “feelings” don’t first claim it before I know.

  I joined Maze and Liz on a blanket and found I was quickly joined by Christin, Shell, and Jodi flanking both sides of me. We sat and watched the guys sweat and roll around and accidentally kick the ball in our direction, A LOT! It was
great. How could I go back home?

  I decided right then and there. A school could very well be established with all the species if I’m here and all is fine. No one’s died yet. And there are two of us. Lee! Who else might be here?

  I eyed Lee when the game was ending. He nodded my direction at the dorms. Was he signaling to come there again tonight? I ventured up to him when he was standing away with Calum and Derrick. I couldn’t afford to be seen alone with him again.

  “What?” I whispered.

  “Come to the dorm tonight. Same time. We’ll follow Quinn.”

  What? With him? Tonight? “I work alone.”

  He glared at me, “And I know where they’re going?”

  “What? You knew all this time and didn’t tell me,” I jested.

  He didn’t answer immediately. “Sort of. General direction at least. I wanted to know your intentions.”

  Calum was turning back to me know from his horseplay. He saw my look at Lee. He was analyzing it, I could tell.

  “You going or not?” he was asking me in front of Calum. He DID have other secrets it seemed.

  Deer in headlights, mouth open moment, right here, right now.

  “Our room. Calum will sneak you in. We’ll watch a movie.”

  “Um, that is kind of, well…”

  “Maze already said yes.” He was letting me squirm. Yeah! All kinds of amazing.

  “Oh, ok. What time?”

  Calum was already in on it, his answer coming out in the flow of the conversation, “6:00.”

  I calculated. That ends right at the time I snuck over before. How was Lee going to get us out?

  I stood there seconds longer trying to figure out who is plotting against who. It explained Calum's happy state of unknowing bliss. Lee only invited Maze for show.

  “What are you playing at girl?” Liz dropped her voice to a whisper, but still surprised me.

  I slapped around bumping her hip but offered a sour answer. “I don’t know what you mean?” My ice queen attitude come back. Liz always brought out a little of my defensive side.

  “You mess with my boys here and I will take you down girl. You whiz in here and act like you own them. They are not for sell.”