by Maria Dee
“Well, the part of you that dies, it’s restored to you in Styx—the portal between two worlds where our lost fragments cross.”
“You’re dead?” I exclaimed. “But you don’t look it.”
“Half-dead, actually,” he replied, studying my reaction. “It’s not as bad as it sounds, trust me,” he said, although I wasn’t too convinced. “The strange thing is that I knew you were different when I first met you, but I couldn’t trace you Offline. It doesn’t make any sense.”
“You’re telling me! First Kiran tells me I’m a Diplozoe, and now this! You’re one too?”
“Yes,” Nicholas furrowed his eyebrows. “What exactly has Kiran been telling you?”
“Oh, you know. The old story about the two worlds and Styx being the portal in between. Blah blah blah.”
“Your parents didn’t tell you you’re a Diplozoe?”
“No.” Either someone didn’t want me knowing or there was some other reason my parents concealed this from me—either way, I wasn’t ready to find out any time soon.
“Interesting. Have you ever traveled as a child?”
“I can’t recall. So, who are you? Besides a Diplozoe.”
“Hmm. I am a man who was a boy, who met you along the way and felt like a part of me was drawn to you for reasons that I’m still trying to figure out.” Nicholas leaned forward, taking my hand into his. His hands were warm and big, making my own look small and docile.
“So when we met, it wasn’t exactly a coincidence?”
“I sought you out specifically and I didn’t quite know it then. I saw you and instantly knew you had something that belonged to me.”
“Uh huh.”
“I know this all sounds farfetched to you, but I am sure of one thing.” His eyes softened as he stroked the side of my cheek.
“What’s that?”
“I like you, Xenia.”
“Oh, is that why we kissed earlier?” I sarcastically covered my mouth.
Nicholas smiled as he kissed the back of my hand before placing my hand over his chest.
“My body still functions, see? It’s just a part of me was lost.”
I could feel his heart beating hard before I retracted my hand. I spun my watch around nervously, while he placed a hand over my wrist to stop the compulsion. That’s when it hit me—he liked me and I liked him.
“What tiny wrists you have,” he said softly.
“My wrists aren’t tiny,” I self-consciously retracted my hand.
“Let me get another look.”
He tickled me instead, attempting to regain his hold over me, while I hid my hands behind my back, laughing mercifully. We were out of breath from laughing and things seemed to pick up where they left off before my flash back.
“Come here,” he said, softly.
Hesitant at first, I edged closer and his awaiting arms wrapped around the small of my back. I breathed in the reminiscent cologne against his skin. I rested the side of my face against his, feeling his warm, soft skin gliding across my cheek before our lips grazed. I kissed him impatiently.
“I like you too,” I said, mesmerized.
“Good to know. I’d hate to think you kissed all your guy friends.”
“Kiss me again,” I demanded playfully.
He did just that, to my delight. I wrapped myself around every last inch of his body that I could hold onto as he carried me to my bedroom where he laid me down gently on my back.
“Bedtime?” he asked, distancing himself.
“No,” I uttered, pulling him closer. “Stay here a while.”
He recoiled hesitantly and, out of desperation, I wrapped my legs around his body, raising my hips closer to his. He groaned, relaxing on top of me ever so slightly. He moved his hand slowly up the side of my thigh to the round of my hip. He lingered at the edge of my shirt, softly running his fingers up and down, exciting my skin. He slipped his hand under my shirt, resting his hand on the angle of my ribs. I panted as he kissed the hollow of my neck softly before his lips parted mine.
Thunder struck violently outside, making the whole house tremble in aftershock.
“Did you hear that? I have a feeling we have company,” he asked, alarmed. He flinched, inspecting the room for things that were visible—and maybe even invisible to me.
“I didn’t hear anything.” I listened carefully, attuned to the creaky house sounds. Nicholas moved toward the edge of the bed, away from me.
“Did I do something wrong?” I asked, confused.
“Not at all, Xenia.” Nicholas turned to face me. “You’re beautiful. It’s just that I didn’t come here for this.”
“I see.” I felt humiliated. “I’m sorry if I made you feel like you had to be here with me.” I sat up and crossed my arms. There were too many jumbled, and indescribable emotions flowing through me—I was disarrayed.
“You don’t understand just how much I want to be with you,” his jaw clenched shut. “But I need you right now as my Charon more than I do as my lover. I need you to find my missing fragment, Xenia,” he said, pleading for sympathy.
I stood up in a huff, grabbing a hairbrush from my nightstand.
“I think you should leave. Goodnight.”
“Xenia!” Nicholas shouted after me as I stormed off to the bathroom.
After a long hot shower, my hair felt silky to touch as the conditioner worked its magic. I put on a long T-shirt and tied my damp hair up into a bun. Overcome by successive yawns, I turned the lights off and retired to bed. Just as I fell asleep, I heard a light knock on my door. Slowly, I got up and shuffled toward the door.
“What?” I snarled, annoyed.
A wide-awake Nicholas stood by my door.
“I just wanted to say a proper goodnight,” he leaned in, kissing my cheek softly. “Please don’t be mad. You shouldn’t go to bed angry.”
“I’m not mad at you. I just…I don’t…” I muttered, lost in his smoldering eyes. Somehow, I was chosen to find his lost fragment, though I was afraid to ask the specifics surrounding the matter. “We have more serious things to take care of. I get it.”
“Thanks for understanding. Night, Xenia,” he gently brushed the side of my arm before returning to the guest room.
With every step toward my bed, I felt lighter and lighter—an increasingly familiar feeling. Before I knew it, there was a presence in my room. I froze while something crossed my periphery, trailing along my bedside. Nicholas had felt a presence earlier.
I gasped.
“What’s wrong, Xenia?” he asked, sitting casually on my bed.
“Who are you?” I asked, terrified by his eerie presence. “Why are you here?”
“I am lost,” he uttered.
The child looked around seven years of age with dark brown hair and greyish eyes.
“How do you know my name?” I demanded. The eerie child ignored my question.
“You can help me,” he said, pointing his tiny finger at me.
“How?” I asked as he handed me a piece of a silver pendant.
He simply stared, while his eyes smeared into a grey and black swirl. He got up to leave, but I quickly intercepted.
“No wait! You can’t leave yet,” I exclaimed, right before a series of black spots trickled into my line of vision.
He turned back, examining my wrist, “It’s gone.”
“What is?” I pressed before blacking out into a sea of nothingness.
***
Upon awakening the following morning, I wondered how much of the night, prior to passing out, had actually happened. I rolled out of bed, ventured down the hall, and peered into the guest room. The bed was made up and there was no trace of Nicholas. Was it all a dream? I sure as hell hoped not.
I made my way down the stairwell to the kitchen. I decided on scrambled eggs or my backup plan—cereal, and tons of it.
I could hear rattling in the kitchen and a woman’s voice.
Oh No! It couldn’t be. My mother was home and poor Nicholas was in the
kitchen with her. Chagrin filled me as I slowly pushed the kitchen door open, squinting in preparation for the worst.
“Morning, Xenia. That was some storm last night, huh? I ended up staying at the hotel where our meeting was,” said Chrysanthe.
“How’s my girl?” Marlon wrapped his arm around me, kissing my forehead. He was in a black suit and tie—his regular getup. His briefcase and luggage rested by the patio entrance, fresh from travel.
I was surprised to see my father back so soon from his business trip, but even more surprised that Nicholas seemingly escaped without a trace.
“Morning, Mom, Dad. I guess I overslept. I should get ready soon or I’ll be late.”
“Not so fast, Xeni. Have breakfast with your old man,” he requested, dotingly.
“I can’t. I’m meeting Marla for our parking passes,” I said, pouring some orange juice.
“How’s university treating you?” he asked, feigning innocence.
I knew what was coming—nostalgia over his glory days and lots of it. “I remember walking the grounds way back when I was a York U student. Running into your mother a few times in the library and finally manning up to ask her out.”
“Marlon,” my mother made a face. “Your father is delusional, I swear. I asked him out first because he took too long. It was painful to watch,” she said, nudging me playfully. While my parents debated over who had made the first move, I decided to split.
“Got to run,” I bellowed, pushing through the kitchen door.
I overheard my father’s whispers from behind the wooden door.
“Chrysanthe, our baby girl is all grown up.”
I heaved a sigh of relief, having escaped the dismal scenario that ensued, yet again. The first few times were cute but after a while, the proud parent act got old.
I rushed up the stairs and into the guest room where I found the neatly folded shirt and sweats that, not long ago, clung to Nicholas’ extraordinary body—if it weren’t for these few articles of clothing, I’d have thought I dreamt it all. That would have made for an interesting dream but still, I said to myself amen, thank God, and all that is holy, thanks!
After I showered and found something simple yet college-like to wear, my Cyclopod nearly vibrated off my desk. My morning dose of Marla and Calliope was imminent.
“Hey, I’m in line picking up our parking passes. Once you get here, call me—the line is insane,” Marla grumbled.
“I’m just about ready to leave. I shouldn’t be too long,” I said.
“Okay, cool. What’d you do last night?”
“Nicholas came by…he stayed the night,” I said, carelessly.
As much as I thought it was a harmless slip of the tongue, my subconscious knew better. It was inevitable. I had to reveal one or the other—being a Diplozoe or having a guy over—and the answer was obvious.
“What?” she shrieked, piercing my eardrums. “Did you…did he…?”
“No, it wasn’t like that,” I replied, putting her overactive mind at ease. “His car broke down nearby. He just crashed in the guest room.”
“I bet,” she said, unconvinced. “Hey, can’t you see I’m in line?” she shouted over the receiver. “God! Some people.”
“Contain yourself, Marla. I’ll call you once I’m closer,” I said, ending the uncomfortable conversation.
“I’ll be waiting,” she playfully sung the words.
I hung up quickly thereafter.
I pulled the sheets aside to make my bed and saw something shiny—it was the silver pendant. I freaked out and threw the sheets, leaving the bed in a mess. The significance of the pendant was far too much to endure right then and there—it could wait.
I quickly left through the front door, steering away from my parents who were especially annoying this morning. The weather felt unseasonably warm at twenty-seven degrees Celsius on my walk to the subway station. Just as I initiated a VT—to find out if Calliope would grace us with her presence—my Cyclopod beeped twice, indicating an incoming VT.
“Basketball in the main gym today around one?” Landon asked. He looked flushed as though he had just showered.
“Be prepared to get your ass kicked,” I incited, cordially.
“Ooh, Xenia’s throwing down the smack talk—me likey,” he replied, friskily.
During our friendly banter, I realized that I was about to miss the subway. I could see it from under the bridge heading to the northbound platform. I bolted through the entrance, swiping my transit pass, and running down a flight of stairs in the nick of time. I hastily sent off a VT while the subway was above ground. “There’s a lot more where that came from. See you later.”
The ride was quick, smooth and hiccup free—exactly what every commuter would hope for. Upon transferring on the bus platform, I boarded in time, and found a two-seater; it appeared the bus fairy was watching over me.
Undoubtedly, I spoke too soon, jinxing myself. Naturally, someone much larger sat beside me. I moved my knapsack over onto my lap so that the tank of a man could sit and squish me into the window. I pulled out my Cyclopod and listened to a playlist of unfamiliar artists added by Calliope.
I lost myself in the eclectic music and city noises that seeped in through the earpieces. I welcomed the familiar scenery as the bus swerved around from Sheppard Avenue into a quiet industrial back road. The bus ran over a huge pothole and the person to my left further squished me into my seat. Soon, I reminded myself. I would be getting a parking pass soon.
As I stepped off the bus and breathed in the toxic fumes that filled the air—irrespective of car-pooling and public transit systems—I realized how grimy public transit could be and how much I longed to be in a car of my own. I continued through the campus toward the parking building and hoped that Marla hadn’t strangled anyone.
The green that surrounded the campus cleared the air, allowing me to breathe again. Angrily, my stomach grumbled, groveling for sustenance.
“Xenia! Over here,” Marla hollered, vigorously waving for my attention as I approached the line.
“Hey,” I said, bemused, “You’re still waiting?”
“There’re like three people still ahead of me. You have no idea how insane it was in here. Now tell me about last night. I’m dying for deets,” she burst forth inhaling noisily, catching her breath.
“Well, my dad’s back from his business trip and my parents were super-annoying this morning,” I said, hoping she’d cease her snooping.
“Stop being evasive, Z,” she frowned, displeased. “Just spit it out already.”
“Fine. Nothing happened.”
“Are you seriously going to lie to one of your best friends? If anything, I’m like your sister.”
“I’m being serious—nothing in that way. I mean, he kissed me and I kissed him back, but that’s about it. Oddly enough, he disappeared this morning.”
“What’d you think he’d do? Cook breakfast for you and your parents? Hah! By the way, how is Mr. Sanders? I miss seeing him jog by my place in those retro runners’ shorts.”
I nearly gagged. “Ugh, gross, Marla. You’re talking about my dad.”
“Yeah, your hot dad,” she remained unaffected by my disgust.
We walked over to Tim Horton’s—conveniently located in the same building complex—for breakfast after successfully picking up our parking passes.
“Don’t you have a lecture right now?” I asked.
“Oh shoot. I didn’t realize the time. I mean how could I possibly forget about my super interesting statistics class, right?” she snickered, continuing, “Besides, Cal asked me to take notes because she apparently has an ‘early appointment’.”
“You mean she hooked up with a guy and can’t find her keys?” I alluded, grinning mischievously.
“Precisely,” she enunciated each syllable. “Listen, I’ve got to run. Meet me by Tait’s parking after your last lecture.”
“Good call. If Cal comes at all, it’ll be to use the gym. See ya later.”
&nbs
p; “Ciao, Ciao,” Marla hollered, taking off in a hurry.
***
After morning lectures, I walked over to the south fitness facilities entrance, waiting for Landon. I saw him cutting across the green hill from the chemistry building to Tait Mckenzie.
“Xenia, now that I think of it, you never did mention if you had a good time at my party,” he said, candidly. His lazy drawl continued, “I was a little drunk and my recollection the next day was kind of foggy.”
“A little?” I giggled. “Your party was an absolute hit. I thought you knew.”
Landon beamed. “It’s always nice to hear—and thanks for coming.”
“Thanks for having me,” I replied, pleasantly.
Landon appeared preoccupied. Something was eating at him and it was starting to show in his tense body language.
“So…who was that guy creeping on you?”
“Uh, one of your old friends,” I laughed at his obvious jealously.
“Never met the guy before,” he replied. “So are you seeing him now?”
I distinctly remembered Nicholas’ words that night—old friend.
“I don’t know,” I mumbled, confused.
Landon released a sigh of relief.
“Why? Are you jealous or something?” I pressed, amused.
“Yes,” he replied, candidly.
“I’m flattered, really,” I stuttered, awkwardly.
“A real man can admit his feelings, and so I must say, Xenia I—”
The mysterious guy that Kiran warned me about stood a few feet away. Landon snapped his fingers in my line of vision. “Hello? Earth to Xenia.”
“I’m so sorry. What?”
“I, uh, maybe we should sign out a ball before they’re all gone.”
“Okay. Meet you on the main court.”
While Landon entered the fitness facility, I looked at my mysterious and unopposed foe. He continued down the path toward the parking lot, briskly peering over his shoulder. I wasn’t entirely certain, but I could have sworn he was smiling.
I forced my eyes shut and turned away, hurrying to meet Landon. After changing, I found him sitting by the bleachers in the gym eating a snack bar and drinking something from a large clear container.