by Todd, E. L.
He sprinted through the forest, following the black pieces of cloth tied to branches and bushes, until he reached the portal entrance, where Breccan and Easton were both sitting, waiting for his return. Calloway had never seen Easton smile so wide before, elated that he returned to safety.
“What happened?” Breccan asked immediately.
“There isn’t time.” He breathed. “Let’s—go.”
He grabbed them both by the hand and dragged them through the portal. They landed on the other side, collapsing on the hardwood floor. Calloway ripped off the Hara-Kir robe, disgusted that he was touching something that an evil fiend wore, and he kicked it away.
“What happened?” Easton asked. “What’s wrong?”
Calloway paced through the library, running his hands through his hair. He breathed heavily though his mouth, unable to control the fear coursing through them. In one long sentence, Calloway rambled on about everything that he heard, including their plans to sabotage the world, making everyone so delirious with despair that they would willingly give up their rights to the After-Life.
Easton gasped as she listened to him. “What would have happened if we hadn’t gone?” she asked hysterically. “We never would have known.”
“We have to tell Weston,” Breccan said. “This is bigger than the three of us.”
“You’ll have to tell her everything, Calloway,” Easton added.
“That’s fine,” Calloway said in a rush. “At this point it’s irrelevant.”
“And you better tell her how you feel,” Breccan added.
Calloway rolled his eyes. “Clearly, this isn’t the best time. I doubt she is going to want to listen to my declaration of undying love right after I tell her about the plans of the Hara-Kirs and their goal to destroy us,” Calloway said sarcastically.
“Then tell her before.” Breccan shrugged.
Calloway shook his head. “Let’s go.”
They grabbed their belongings and jogged to the car, piling inside of it like circus clowns. Easton took off before they even buckled their safety belts.
“We should return and investigate further,” Easton said. “Since they can’t detect you, you would be a perfect spy. You can infiltrate into their complex and learn by observation.”
“I agree,” Calloway said. “Even though the idea of returning makes me sick to my stomach.”
“I don’t blame you,” Breccan said. “I thought I was going to die at any moment.”
“But you won’t be alone, Calloway,” Easton said. “We’ll come with you.”
“No,” Calloway said firmly. “You are only a liability for me. I am more likely to get caught if I bring you around. Plus, they are just going to kill you.”
“He’s right,” Breccan said. “I think it’s best if we stay behind. Before we even explored the complex we were attacked twice and no one even looked at Calloway when he was in a coliseum full of them.”
“I’ll ask Weston why,” Easton said.
No,” Calloway said quickly. “Don’t mention that.”
“I thought we were telling her everything?” Easton asked.
“Except that,” Calloway said. “I don’t want to discuss it unless I know what it means. She may keep the information to herself, hiding it from us.”
“My sister would never do that!” Easton snapped.
“She would if she thought it was threatening to her cause,” Calloway said. “Just don’t mention it—please. You can tell her that we kept getting caught in the complex, but that’s it.”
Easton parked the car at the curb outside Weston’s house. “Fine,” she said. “Let’s go.”
They marched up to the house and knocked on the door loudly. Weston opened the door immediately and her face fell when she saw their serious expressions. “What is it?”
Easton walked inside without being invited and the boys followed behind her. “We need to talk to you.”
Weston stared at Calloway for a moment, reading his expression through the look in his eyes. “What is it?” she asked quietly.
Easton took a deep breath. “We found a portal and used it to travel to the other side—”
Weston stepped towards her sister. “WHAT!”
“Just let me finish!” Easton shouted. “You can yell at me later. We traveled to the Anti-Life and explored the complex. Calloway snuck into a meeting and heard everything. They plan to steal the essence of everyone—not just a few people.”
Weston turned to Calloway, commanding him to speak with only her eyes.
“Their leader, Talon, plans to poison our water supply, damage out crops, inflict illness on our children, and collapse buildings and bridges until everyone becomes so distraught that they give up and hand over their essence willingly. He says this is best way to gather enough to reach eternal salvation.”
Weston ran her hands through her hair then took a deep breath. She closed her eyes for a moment and breathed through the anger that she felt. Even now, when the fate of their world hung in the balance, Calloway was entranced by her beauty. Even when she was livid, Calloway thought she was breathtaking. “Okay,” she said. “How did this all happen? How did you find the portal to begin with?”
Calloway took a deep breath. “Well, it’s a long story.”
Weston pulled out a chair and pointed at it, commanding him to take a seat. They all gathered around the table, and Weston stared at him silently, waiting for him to tell the tale.
“My father left me a note detailing the whereabouts of the Kirin Book, which was located in the Grandiose Historian Library. I retrieved the book and asked Easton to decipher it. We’ve been working on it for a long time.”
“That’s what happened to our decoder,” Weston said quietly.
Calloway nodded. “My father also left me those gifts, the ones from the Anti-Life, but he didn’t explain what they were. I’m not sure if I was even meant to have them. In his notes, he said that I should be wary of the Hara-Kirs and protect the book with my life, keeping it away from the evil fiends. That’s how I know he isn’t working with the Hara-Kirs—he stated he was working against them. And then we started working in the Grandiose Historian Library, where Hara-Kirs randomly emerge and attack us, and we discovered that my father owns the building—which makes us believe that he’s still alive, running from the Hara-Kir because they are trying to kill him. And this how the tale relates to me. I believe the Hara-Kir think that I am my father or will lead them to my father, which is why they are friendly with me. Also, on the night of prom, I didn’t pursue the Hara-Kir because it made a gesture at me, trying to communicate with me. I panicked and didn’t know what to do. It was obvious that it had no harmful intention. We discovered the portal because we knew my father bought the building to protect the innocent bystanders, knowing that the portal was inside.” Calloway ran his fingers through his hair then stared into Weston’s eyes. Her face appeared stoic and passive, hiding the true anger she felt. “And then we traveled to the portal to learn more about the Anti-Life and how we could stop them. That’s everything.”
Weston pushed back her chair and paced the room with her arms crossed over her chest. “Easton, I am very disappointed in you,” she said quietly. “For a valedictorian you seemed to lack any credible intelligence.”
“I was just trying to help!” she yelled.
“By getting killed?” Weston snapped. “You are such a fool! You kill a few Hara-Kirs and now you think you are unstoppable? I can’t believe you kept all of this from me! This is pure betrayal, Easton!”
Easton jumped up from her chair. “I didn’t mean to be deceitful,” she said. “I never meant to hurt you, Weston.”
Calloway stood from his chair. “It isn’t her fault,” he said, holding his hand up, trying to bridle Weston’s rage. “I asked her to keep this from you. In the beginning, she said we should show you the Kirin Book but I said no, unsure if I could trust you.”
“And what about months later after you learned I was the leader of t
he White Wing? What stopped you then?” She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. Her hair was uncombed and her face was clean, absent of any make-up. She still looked gorgeous, even in anger. “WHAT WAS IT, CALLOWAY?”
Calloway closed his eyes as her verbal attack washed over him. “The reason why I didn’t tell you was because I knew you wouldn’t trust me.”
“And now you think I will?” she snapped. “Now that you’ve kept all of this from me, traveled through the portal that we’ve been searching for, take my baby sister, and now you think I’ll start trusting you?” Calloway remained quiet, letting her finish her verbal raid. “Now I think you are just an arrogant and foolish boy that doesn’t care about anyone but himself. I can’t believe you did this to me!”
Calloway couldn’t stop himself; he felt himself explode. “IF YOU HAD JUST TRUSTED ME FROM THE BEGINNING THIS WOULDN’T HAVE HAPPENED! The only reason why I kept any of this from you was because I was scared that you would kill me or take away everything we’ve worked for. I wanted to prove I was an advocate for the Life before I told you everything, hoping you would understand.”
“You are unbelievable,” she snapped. “I did trust you, Calloway, but you kept giving me a reason not to. And here you are doing it again! You crossed a line you can never uncross. You took my sister to the Anti-Life and risked her immortal soul!”
“Calloway begged me to say behind but I refused!” Easton yelled. “And I can make my own decisions. That’s not Calloway’s fault and you know it.”
“I trusted you more than anyone, Calloway. And of all people I would expect you to protect my sister, and more importantly, to confide all of this to me!” Weston yelled.
Calloway shook his head. “You didn’t trust me because you thought I was involved with the Hara-Kirs and now I have proven that I’m not. So yes, you can trust me! And secondly, my actions were justified. There was no other way this could have played out, and to be frank, if I hadn’t made this decision, then I wouldn’t be here telling you about the plans of the Hara-Kirs. And lastly, you can’t uphold me to a higher standard than everyone else unless you tell me that I’m at a higher standard. I love Easton just as much as you do and the last thing I want is for something to happen to her, but I’m not going to control her. She reminds me of you; strong and hard, willing to sacrifice anything for the greater good. How can I take that away from her? Why are you and I allowed to risk everything but she is not?”
Weston shook her head. “If you had told me everything, I could have planned a move with the White Wing and could have avoided the three of you risking your lives to begin with.”
“But you would have killed me!” Calloway said. “How can I reveal all that knowledge without being questioned about my loyalty? Now I went all the way to the Anti-Life, risking my life, so you wouldn’t have to risk yours. I am more than trustworthy—I am admirable. So knock this off, Weston. You can trust me!”
“No,” she said. “When I tell the White Wing everything I have no idea how they will react. They may throw you out as an outcast, possibly kill you, and I have no control over that.”
“Yes, you do,” Calloway said. “You know I’m good, so stand by me. I understand your duty to your cause because I have the same allegiance. Please accept me.”
Weston shook her head. “If you were truly selfless you would have handed over all the information, understanding you could be held accountable, but you still would have presented it to me knowing how essential that information was. Instead, you traveled into unexplored territory on your own, neglecting your true allegiance to me.”
Calloway ran his hands through his hair, trying to calm the anger that was coursing through his body. “There is no winning with you, is there?” Calloway stared at her and felt the anger shine through. He always admired Weston as a pragmatic person but everything about her was complicated and confusing, at least when it came to this subject. Their relationship shouldn’t be this difficult. “I’m sorry about everything,” he said. “If I could change it, I would, but the fact is that I can’t. I did my best to prove I’m loyal to your cause and I’ve handed over all the information that I know regarding this situation, including their intentions to destroy our world. Can we move past this?” He held his hands together and stared at her, hoping she would pardon all his crimes because of his good intentions. Calloway never meant to be malicious and he made that very clear. Even though her unforgiving attitude was driving him insane, he still wanted her as much as he did at the prom, or even the first time he saw her. The rift between them needed to be broken, and they needed a real chance to be together. “Please?”
Weston sat down. “No.”
Calloway felt his heart fall. “What?”
“I can’t trust you, Calloway. While I admire what you tried to do, your actions are still unforgiveable. I can’t be—friends—with someone who would keep things from me.”
“But don’t you understand why I did it?”
“Yes,” she said. “But it doesn’t excuse your behavior. You act like you know what you’re doing but in reality you don’t have a clue. That is also unacceptable.”
Calloway dropped into his chair and placed his head in his hands, shielding his face from everyone at the table. Breccan and Easton sat in silence, saddened that their conversation had headed in such a devastating direction.
“How did you move through the camp anyway?” Weston asked. “They should have spotted you immediately.”
Calloway didn’t look at her, choosing to stare at the surface of the table in silence. Easton turned to her sister. “Well, we were caught a few times, but killed them before they could hurt us. They could even see us through walls.”
Weston nodded. “Well, that’s how they see. They see the essence in humans and that’s how they always know where you are. They can even see through solid barriers. I’m amazed that Calloway was able to listen to the meeting at all. The only aspect they can see of humans is their essence. Without it, they are practically blind.”
Calloway looked up and met the gaze of his friends. No words were spoken but he knew what they were thinking—Calloway didn’t have an essence.
Revelations
The drive home was spent in silence. Calloway stared outside the window but he didn’t see the neighborhood trees or the streetlights that lit the roadway, nor did he see the houses placed along the lawns—he didn’t see anything. Easton glanced at him in the rearview mirror every few minutes, studying his features in the darkness, but she said nothing.
When they reached the house, they left the car in the driveway and entered their dark home. All the lights were off and everyone on the block was asleep in their beds. Calloway wasn’t sure what time it was but he knew it was late. His aunt and uncle had been asleep for hours.
Calloway walked inside and sat on the couch, facing the blank television that reflected the light from the porch. Easton and Breccan sat next to him, saying nothing. Easton grabbed Calloway’s hand, holding it in her own.
The night couldn’t have gone any worse. Now he didn’t have an essence, the woman he loved trusted him even less, and Calloway didn’t have an After-life. The overwhelming grief piled on his shoulders and made him want to collapse, giving up the fight he had left inside him.
“So, this is what it feels like,” he said quietly.
Easton stroked his hand. “What?” she asked gently.
Calloway shook his head. “Nothing.” He pulled his hand away from Easton’s and returned it to his lap. “I don’t want to see you anymore—either of you.”
“Why?” Easton asked. “You need us even more now.”
“No,” Calloway said firmly. “I want you to stay away from me.”
“We aren’t going to do that,” Easton said.
Calloway finally looked at her. “I’m a Hara-Kir. Don’t you get it? I’m dangerous and you need to stay away from me. Weston was right from the beginning—she’s always right.”
“It doesn’t matter if yo
u’re a Hara-Kir, Calloway. This doesn’t change anything between us,” she said.
“It doesn’t,” Breccan answered.
“Yes, it does!” Calloway snapped.
“You couldn’t be dangerous if you tried, Calloway,” Easton said. “And this doesn’t mean that you’re a Hara-Kir. There could be another explanation.”
“There is no other explanation!” Calloway shouted. “Hara-Kirs look human but they aren’t, just like me. They don’t have an essence—I don’t either. It is the only explanation. My father was a Hara-Kir and I am one, too.”
Easton shook her head. “I still think there’s more to this story.”
“There isn’t!” Calloway yelled. He rose to his feet and stared at his friends. “And I don’t want to see either of you anymore. I mean it.”
Easton stood up and met his gaze. “It doesn’t change anything, Calloway. Even if you are a Hara-Kir, does that mean you’re going to fight for the Anti-Life? Are you going to abandon us?”
“Of course not,” Calloway answered.
“Then knock it off!” Easton shouted. “We are your friends—Hara-Kir or not.”
Calloway shook his head. “I feel so stupid now. Weston was right from the beginning but I didn’t believe her. She saw me for who I really was, and she had every right not to trust me. I never should have fallen for her—there is absolutely no possibility of us ever being together. She would kill me if she knew the truth—that I’m a Hara-Kir.”
“We don’t know that.” Eason said. “You still had a human life—a human mother.”
“She was probably a Hara-Kir, too,” he said. “They flock to me because they want me to return to their side. Danger follows me everywhere I go. You would be stupid if you continued to be my friend.”