Tale of Life (Essence Series #2)

by Todd, E. L.

  Mr. Avey rose from his desk and approached Calloway. “I suspected that you would stop by.”

  Calloway nodded, too emotional to speak. He pulled a note from his pocket and handed it to him.

  His teacher took the letter and opened it, reading through the lines. “There are no words to describe how thankful I am for everything you have done for me because I feel that it is impossible to express this level of gratitude. You are the father away from home, the educator that extends beyond the classroom, and the mentor that never fades from the mind. I’ll never forget what you did for me, and not just in the academic scene, but in my personal life as well, and I want you to know that I’ll never forget about you.” Mr. Avey moved his eyes to last line of the page. “And the most important thing you taught me, advice given from the first poet—and to thine own self be true.”

  Mr. Avey folded the letter and held it in his hands for a moment. The note wasn’t wordy but Calloway knew it said everything that needed to be said. It was the only way that Calloway could express his gratitude to the teacher that changed his life for the better. Without him, he wouldn’t be going to college at all—stuck working at Togo’s. Calloway didn’t even realize he was gifted until Mr. Avey told him so. For the longest time he thought he was an idiot who would never live up to anything.

  “Thank you, Calloway,” he said. “But I just led you in the right direction. You are the one that walked the path alone. Teaching such an inspirational person such as you has been an honor for me. I am excited to see what your future holds.”

  Calloway nodded. He realized he wouldn’t see his teacher anymore and this was the last moment he had with his greatest mentor. The knowledge filled him with despair. “I’ll miss you, Mr. Avey.”

  “Why?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “You are still going to see me every day—much to your misfortune.”

  Calloway didn’t understand his meaning. He was certain he passed all of his classes—at least he hoped so. The idea of repeating senior year was too humiliating to even think about. “What do you mean?”

  “I’m teaching at Fresno University in the fall,” he said. “And if English is your major, then you’ll be seeing a lot more of me.” His eyes twinkled in an amused way. He patted Calloway on the shoulder. “Don’t look too excited now.”

  Calloway shook his head. “I had no idea,” he said. “That’s great. I didn’t know you taught at the college level.”

  Mr. Avey shrugged. “An instructor can teach at any level,” he said. “I even taught elementary school for a few years.”

  “I can’t picture it.” Calloway laughed.

  “Yes, it wasn’t a good fit.” Mr. Avey smiled. “There were buggers everywhere.”

  Calloway laughed uproariously and the pain that clenched his heart melted away. He was going to miss Mr. Avey the most and he was thankful that he wasn’t losing him after all. It was ironic that his teacher decided to be an instructor at the university he was attending. “I’m starting to think that you are following me.” He smiled.

  Mr. Avey shrugged but didn’t reply to his comment. “Have a good summer, Calloway. I expect nothing but the best from you in the fall, so enjoy your vacation while you can.”

  Calloway nodded. “Of course, professor.”

  “And if you think I’ll grade your work favorably because of our relationship, you are in for a surprise—I will grade your work on a higher scale.”

  “Well, that isn’t fair.”

  “Deal with it.” Mr. Avey smiled. He grabbed Calloway and hugged him tightly. “You’re a good kid.”

  “And you’re a good teacher.”

  “We’ll see about that.” He smiled.

  Calloway grinned at him then turned away. “Have a good summer, Mr. Avey.”

  “Goodbye, Calloway.”

  Graduation

  When Calloway handed his aunt and uncle the check, they were more than ecstatic—they were crazed.

  “The principal gave this to you?” Uncle Scott asked incredulously.

  “Yes.” Calloway nodded. “He said that he sends his apologies as well.”

  “How did this happen?” Aunt Grace asked. “His son broke that camera months ago. Why is this coming up now?”

  “Well, Beatrice came forward and told the truth—that Hawk broke it with a malicious intent,” Callow answered.

  “The same girl that finally told the truth about the prom?” Aunt Grace asked.

  “The very one.” Calloway nodded.

  Uncle Scott stared at the check in his hands. “Well, I wish this entire thing hadn’t happened but I’m pleased that our funds were returned.”

  Aunt Grace nodded. “Now we can buy Breccan and Calloway new outfits for graduation.”

  “I can get my own,” Calloway said quickly. “I’ve been saving my money from Togo’s.”

  “That’s nonsense,” Aunt Grace said. “It’s our graduation gift to you.”

  Calloway shifted his weight, uncomfortable by their generosity. “You’ve already done enough,” he said quietly.

  “And there is plenty more,” Uncle Scott said.

  Aunt Grace took them to the mall and they picked out their outfits for the evening. Calloway found a pair of black slacks and a blue collared shirt to wear under his gown. The heat would make him slightly warm in the evening humidity, but knew it was worth the discomfort. Breccan bought the same pair of dress pants and chose a gray collared shirt.

  When they returned to the house, they showered and prepared themselves for the ceremony. Calloway asked his aunt to comb his hair the way he liked, making it look presentable, and asked her to place the tie around his neck, which he still wasn’t sure how to do. It was the same one he wore to formal and prom, when he had Weston as his date. The memory of her still clenched his heart painfully.

  Easton rang the doorbell and both boys sprinted down the staircase, knowing that Aunt Grace would be ready with the camera as soon as they entered the parlor. When they reached the bottom floor, Calloway was blinded by the camera light that dilated his pupils, and it made feel disoriented.

  “And there will be plenty more after the ceremony.” Aunt Grace smiled. “There is no point in trying to shy away from it.”

  Breccan sighed and opened the door. Easton was wearing a dark green dress with gold earrings hanging from her earlobes. She looked poised and sophisticated, and Calloway swallowed the lump in his throat when he thought of Weston, her older sister.

  “You look great,” Calloway said.

  Easton looked at their new outfits. “You guys aren’t too shabby either.”

  “Let’s go,” Breccan said. “We are already running late as it is.”

  The three of them piled into Easton vintage car and drove to the high school, which was redecorated for the graduation commencement with balloons and ribbons tied around every pole. The bleachers were already filled with family members and loved ones.

  “I can’t believe this day is finally here,” Easton said.

  “I know,” Calloway said. “I was so anxious for its arrival, and now that it’s finally here, I realize how much I’ll miss it.”

  “I’m glad these four years of social torture are over.” Breccan laughed. “I don’t even care about the ceremony. If my mother hadn’t forced me to attend, I wouldn’t have bothered.”

  They sat in the parking lot for several minutes. Easton didn’t move from the driver’s seat and she took a deep breath, seeming extremely nervous. The golden bracelet around her arm flickered in the light as she played with her hands, unable to stay still. Her legs were also shaking under her dress and Calloway caught the distressed look on her face.

  “It will be over in an hour,” Calloway assured her.

  Easton nodded but didn’t respond.

  The ceremony didn’t make him feel nervous—he was worried about afterwards. Easton’s family was going to be in the stands, alongside Calloway’s aunt and uncle, and the impending interaction made him feel anxious. Calloway’s thoughts tu
rned to his usual muse, Weston, and he voiced his concern. “Is she here?” he asked.

  Easton nodded. “Yes,” she said. “So are my mother and her boyfriend.”

  “Okay.” Calloway sighed. “After the ceremony, I’ll just meet up with Aunt Grace and Uncle Scott, staying away from you.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” Easton said sadly. “That’s unnecessary. My sister wouldn’t want you to feel uncomfortable on your night of achievement.”

  “You were there,” Calloway said. “She never wants to speak to me again—ever. The last thing I want is to make her angrier, especially today.”

  Easton sighed. “Okay.”

  They left the car and grabbed their graduation gowns in the trunk then donned themselves in the robes. Easton was the only one who received a colored cord, showing her academic excellence and honorary achievement. Calloway and Breccan only had sashes that displayed the name of the high school.

  After they fixed themselves up, they left the parking lot and walked to the congregation of students waiting outside the gym, forming a line before they marched onto the field and received their diplomas. Calloway tried to jog but he realized Easton couldn’t keep up in her tall heels, so he slowed his pace to let her walk astride him. When they reached the line, Easton’s face fell.

  “I forgot my cap!”

  “Well, go get it!” Breccan snapped. “Hurry!”

  “We’ll come with you,” Calloway said as he turned back to the car. “Let’s go.”

  Breccan was stagnant for a moment but then he followed them back to the car. “You are the smartest dumb person I know!” he snapped. “You can decipher an ancient text but you can’t remember your cap?”

  “You aren’t helping!” she yelled, walking quickly to the parking lot. Her heels clapped against the concrete and the sound echoed as they moved through the buildings. Easton opened the trunk when she reached the car and pulled the hat out.

  “Help me get it on,” she said.

  Breccan grabbed the cap and placed it over her head, tilting it to reveal her face. He pulled back the strands of hair away from her cheeks, making it curve around her cheekbones. Calloway thought the action was odd. They had never hugged before, and even when they went to the dances together they didn’t touch each other, so the unexpected proximity made Calloway suspicious. He wondered if his cousin had feelings for Easton but assumed he would have said something by now, or made a move toward Easton. But it didn’t seem like anything had happened between them. But since they argued so often, Calloway wondered if it was best that they weren’t together—they would probably fight more often.

  “It looks good,” Breccan said, dropping his hands to his sides.

  Easton ran her fingers through a strand of hair. “Are you sure?” she asked hesitantly.

  Breccan nodded. “You look amazing,” he said. Easton’s cheeks blushed at his words. “Now let’s head back before we miss our own graduation!”

  When Calloway turned back to the school, he felt his heart stop at the sight before him. Two Hara-Kirs stepped out of the shadows of the gymnasium then returned to the darkness a second later. His body froze from the fear coursing through his veins.

  “Did you see that?” he asked.

  Easton nodded. “Everyone has their weapons, right?” She lifted up her dress and pulled the knife from the sheath around her thigh. Breccan’s eye widened at the sight of her bare flesh.

  It took a moment for Breccan to collect himself. “But we can’t do this now,” he said harshly. “The graduation is about to begin. There is no way we’ll make it in time.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Easton said.

  “And what will we tell our parents?” Breccan asked incredulously. “That we just forgot where to go?”

  “Who knows what their plan is,” Calloway said as he tightened his hold on his blade. “Perhaps they intend to attack the students.”

  “I doubt it,” Breccan said. “It seems like they are always looking for you.”

  “We can’t assume anything,” Easton said. “Let’s go!”

  They were about to step away from the car when they saw Hawk emerge from the parking lot, donned in his cap and gown. He looked at them for a moment, not noticing the blades tucked behind their backs, and then glared at Calloway before he continued forward. Instead of meeting with the other students, he walked the opposite way of the line, directly toward the two lurking Hara-Kirs.

  “This is too perfect.” Breccan smiled. “I’m so happy right now.”

  “You better be joking,” Easton snapped. “Those Hara-Kirs are going to kill him!”

  Calloway stepped forward. “We have to save him.”

  Breccan stared at them both, his eyes narrowed with an incredulous gaze. “You know that’s Hawk, right? He’s the guy that tortured us all year, the one who broke the camera, which my parents had to pay for.” He shifted his gaze to Calloway. “He’s the same guy that pushed Weston. Face it; the world would be a better place if he wasn’t in it. We aren’t killing him by not intervening—we are just letting him be killed.”

  “We aren’t wise enough to make that decision,” Calloway said simply. “I can’t determine who should live and who should die—it isn’t my place.”

  Easton walked to the sidewalk, almost running in her tall heels. “We don’t have time to discuss this—we need to move before it’s too late.”

  Breccan followed her with an annoyed expression. “This is so stupid.”

  “We are committed to protecting the Life,” Calloway said to his cousin, running to the building. “It isn’t our purpose to determine who should be saved.”

  “I can’t believe we are doing this,” Breccan spat when they rounded the corner. “If I even get a scratch from the Hara-Kira, I’m going to kill you! I can’t believe that I’m risking my life for this jerk.”

  When they reached the back of the building, they saw Hawk walking toward the football field with the Hara-Kirs following right behind him, almost upon him.

  “Run!” Calloway yelled.

  They sprinted along the wall until the Hara-Kirs sensed their approach, hearing their loud footsteps hammer against the hard surface of the concrete. They faced Calloway and his friends with defensive stances. Hawk continued to walk forward, oblivious to the impending battle behind him.

  Calloway reached the Hara-Kirs first and pierced his blade into the heart of the closest one. The creature hissed as the knife was impaled deep into his flesh, releasing a river of blood from the open wound. Calloway ripped out the knife and took another swing.

  Easton ran behind the Hara-Kir and stabbed it in the back while Calloway slid his knife into another section of the heart, killing the Hara-Kir instantly. When he pulled out his blade, he turned to the second Hara-Kir, who was slashing at Breccan with a knife. Breccan kept his distance and ducked out of the way of the weapon as it swirled by his head.

  Easton ran to the creature and forced her knife into his back, while Calloway grabbed the arm that was swinging for Breccan’s throat and pinned it to the creature’s side. Then he stabbed his blade inside the chest of the Hara-Kir, making it scream. Now that the knife wasn’t aimed at his throat, Breccan approached the Hara-Kir and added his blade to the trio, severing the last section of the heart.

  The creature fell to the floor alongside his comrade. When Calloway pulled back their hoods, he saw that they both looked identical to humans. They were both male.

  “Can only men be Hara-Kirs?” Breccan asked as he wiped the sweat from his brow. “It would be nice to have a woman for once—a lot easier to kill.”

  Easton glared at him. “Women can be just as powerful as men.”

  “No, they can’t!” Breccan said. “It’s a known fact that men are physically superior to women.”

  “Most of the time,” Easton snapped. “But not all the time.”

  “We don’t have time for this,” Calloway interrupted them. “We need to drag these to the car and dump the bodies later.”r />
  “I don’t want those in my car!” Easton yelled.

  “It’s only for a few hours,” Calloway said. “We can’t leave them here.”

  “Fine,” Easton spat as she grabbed the wrist of one Hara-Kir. “I better not get blood on my gown.”

  “I’ll grab this one,” Calloway said as he tightened his grip on the ankle of the Hara-Kir. “You two get that one.”

  They pulled the bodies back to the car and deposited them into the trunk. Fortunately, there was no one around because everyone was attending the graduation, so there were no witnesses to their suspicious activities.

  “We need to hurry,” Calloway said. “We may have already missed it.”

  They ran to the staging area of the students and barely reached the end of the line before it disappeared onto the football field. Easton fixed her hat and Calloway tried to wipe away a drop of blood on his robe, hoping that someone wouldn’t notice the dark stain.

  They followed the line until they were led to their chairs on the football field, which were organized into rows all the way down the grass from one goal post to the next. The three of them sat in the very last row, away from the stage where the commencement was held. Calloway wondered where his aunt and uncle were seating. He felt someone staring at him, and when he looked toward the source his gaze locked with Weston. She stared at him for a moment before she looked away. Her indifference broke his heart. Calloway forced his gaze to the stage and he listened to the principal make his speech, along with the superintendents and a few of the teachers, but he wasn’t really listening.

  “What do you think they wanted?” Easton asked, not interested in the speeches that were being made. She kept her voice low so the other students couldn’t hear her words.

  Calloway shook his head. “I really don’t know,” he said. He raised his hand over his brow, blocking out the setting sun that was beaming onto his face, making him sweat. “But I would prefer it if you didn’t mention this to Weston.”

  “Why?” she asked. “She would be happy knowing that you defended Hawk out of duty, not letting your personal feelings cloud your judgment.”