by Maria Dee
“Don’t tell me you thought he asked you out,” he froze, pulling me aside. “Xenia, Orion may seem like an ordinary guy, but he isn’t some young kid looking for love—he’s quite the contrary.”
“I have to go look for my friends,” I said, quickly removing myself from further embarrassment.
Kiran shouted after me, “He’s old and dirty!”
A scantily clad girl stared at Kiran, confused. “Why is everyone saying that?” she shrieked, storming off, while her much older gentleman friend grimaced.
“Uh. Not him. Sorry dude,” Kiran quickly rescinded from the uncomfortable situation.
It was definitely not going to be a normal college party after all. I continued patrolling the first floor for any sign of Orion, before moving up to the second floor. Besides the first two rooms, the second level was mostly uninhabited.
In a vacant room, I plopped on a bed, breathing in deeply before resting flat on my back, releasing a grunt of relief. The blissful silence quickly faded into faint giggling—I sensed a presence in the room.
“He’s come to play,” Daisy whispered, appearing beside me with her inseparable doll in hand. She pointed to my left, where Lucas stood idly, causing my innards to twist—I thought I would die from sheer agony.
Daisy vanished amidst my struggle to breathe.
“Where’d she go?” I gasped.
“She’ll be back,” Lucas said, tilting his head. “Are you scared?”
“Yes,” I stuttered. My breath crystallized in the cold room.
“I’m scared too,” he whispered, placing his tiny hand over mine. “We all are.” His dark hazy eyes waited patiently. Once he recoiled, I knew what I had to do, or at least attempt to do.
“Lucas, come with me,” I instructed, reaching for his hand. “We’re going to Styx.”
“No. Not there. There were ghosts,” he whispered.
“I won’t let anyone hurt you, I promise. What did these ghosts look like?”
“They looked just like men, but they weren’t,” he explained.
“Come with me and you’ll be free again—I promise,” I said.
Deep down inside, I knew I could restore him to his source. How? I still didn’t know. It took every last drop of energy I had to travel with Lucas by my side. We arrived at a place that looked like the inside of a cave with dark red stone, and a vast river separated one endless side from the other. Everything looked and felt serene, aside from a nose bleed and dizzy spell.
“What now?” he simply asked.
“Give me your hand,” I ordered.
I searched for answers I wasn’t sure I even possessed. Using touch—like how Kiran had demonstrated—I peered into his soul for myself.
He complied and placed his hand not only in my hand, but through it; the cold, God awful pain was unlike anything I had felt in my life. He looked at his tiny hand, perplexed—the poor child had no clue he was dead. While in Styx, he lost the physical form he possessed briefly, Online.
He whimpered, and I tried my best to console him.
“It’s okay, Lucas,” I whispered, reassuringly. I decided to try once more. “I’ll restore you, somehow. Soon, you’ll be all better, I promise.”
Now if only I could figure out how to restore his soul.
As we faced the River, it felt as though the earth trembled from beneath us. I looked down, noticing a light emanating through the creases of my clenched fist. My hand no longer felt painful; instead it felt warm and strong. Lucas apprehensively placed his hand in mine, slowly absorbing the light. I closed my eyes, and we stood by the mystical River Styx, channeling his source until a familiar voice broke the silence.
“Xenia!” he shouted from the other side of the river.
“Nicholas?” I bellowed, nearly in tears. The mystical light flashed through my eyes like a bolt of electricity, unleashing information to every cell in my body. I knew all that I needed to know about him.
On the other side of the River, he waited to accept Lucas—the part of his soul, which died Offline as a child.
He would remember everything up to his death, which until now, was lost to him. He would find closure in having part of his soul restored to him because of me—his Charon.
It was here by the River where lost fragments roamed, while passing through Styx—blinded to their source in both the Offline and Online world.
I was a part of something good and mystical. Why did I feel so rotten?
I walked to the very edge of the river and faced Nicholas on the opposite side, waiting eagerly—for Lucas.
“Ready?” I asked, turning back to face Lucas.
“I am,” he replied, walking toward me. “Thank you.”
Before taking the plunge, Lucas squeezed my hand. He looked past me, horrified.
“What is it?” I asked, confused.
“It’s him—a ghost,” he stammered, hiding behind me.
“Is it still here?” I asked, gazing around.
“No,” he whispered, peering from behind me.
I smiled relieved and he nodded, ready for the leap. We jumped into the body of water and instantly appeared on the other side. Lucas ran to Nicholas, briefly pausing.
“Help her,” he cried, before reuniting with his source, causing Nicholas to collapse. I felt Lucas’ sorrow, pain, and confusion absolve the second he was restored. I kneeled beside Nicholas as he laid semiconscious on the ground.
Across from me, Orion appeared out of thin air. “Bravo, Xenia,” he said, slowly clapping.
“Orion!” I gasped.
“I couldn’t have done a better job myself, and I have done this for more than two centuries and a half, but who’s counting,” he said, condescendingly.
“I don’t understand.” I looked down at a semiconscious Nicholas.
“That’s funny because I couldn’t understand what all the hype was about you either, but now I’m starting to see it,” he replied. He edged toward the river, rocking backward. “Be seeing you,” he bellowed, falling back into the vast mystical river.
I held Nicholas in my lap, while he struggled in and out of consciousness, adapting to his restored self. Oddly enough, I felt more energized than I had in weeks.
Restored
Nicholas slowly came to.
“Xenia, you did it,” he grunted in relief.
“Did you really ever doubt me?”
“There were times,” he teased, continuing, “but I knew you’d follow through.” He got up slowly with his arm around me for support.
“Your name is Lucas?”
“Nicholas Lucas Wyles,” he whispered. “Everyone called me Lucas as a kid.”
“Ah,” I nodded, weary. “My first time restoring a fragment—not as bad as I thought.”
“You’ve definitely found your calling,” he smirked, standing on his own.
“I guess,” I said, straightening out my back. “I didn’t have much of a choice.”
He nodded, sympathetically. “I think I should sit for a minute.” Nicholas looked ghostly pale with dark circles under his eyes. He nearly fell over, but I steadied him once again.
I saw what he saw—my mind was flooded by his images. He was reliving countless childhood memories that were taken from him all too soon. I had nearly forgotten that being restored granted him access to the events that led up to his untimely death—all of which would slowly, and painfully return.
“You need to get some rest,” I said, worriedly. I drew on knowledge from the powerful light deep within me. “You’ll have a series of visions tonight about your life prior to…you’ll find out how you…died,” I flinched.
“Wonderful,” he sighed, noisily.
“I can be there for you, if you’d like,” I offered, speaking as his girlfriend.
“I want to be alone tonight. It’s not something I’m ready to share,” he replied, somberly.
“Someone should be with you,” I insisted.
“Someone will.”
“Oh, I didn’t know. Go
od. Great. Well, I should get home. My mom will think I died or something,” I cringed soon after I uttered the words. “You know what I mean.”
“Yeah—no worries. Thanks, Xenia. I owe you my life.”
“What you owe me is a normal date. No supernatural funny business.”
I held out my hand, awkwardly. Not much earlier, I held Lucas’ ghostly hand, and now I was about to hold Nicholas’ hand to cross back through the River Styx.
“Do you feel any different?” he asked.
“I guess. Kind of enlightened with all this crazy new knowledge floating around in my head. Like, the River contains a vast power so deep, it draws you in. The Rivers influence—it’s almost seductive. If a mortal were to reach Styx, it would lead to their demise,” I said, waiting for more information to flood my immediate memory. “The treacherous water has healing power, but can suffocate the living and immortalize the dead—if granted by Queen Nyxta.” I shook my head, bemused by the influx of knowledge. “Let’s get going. I’m watching a movie tonight with a friend.”
“Oh. With who?” he asked. I sensed a trace of jealousy in his tone.
He was reserved about the someone keeping him company so I embellished a tiny bit.
“It’s just Landon, but we should really be getting back.”
“Right,” he replied, smirking, “Lead the way, my Charon.”
He placed his hand in mine and we plunged into the river. There was no shallow end—just one big deep end.
We resurfaced after a few seconds, but not the least bit wet. Thank God the majestic portal only felt wet for a split second. Otherwise, I’d have to invest in some serious anti-frizz serum if shuttling of souls was going to become a regular gig.
“Guess I’ll see you around,” I said, turning away.
“Wait. There’s one more thing I need to know,” he shouted, anxiously. “What would’ve happened to my fragment had it not been restored by you?”
“Eventually, it would’ve been pulled into the depths of the earth—lost forever—essentially hell. There are only so many times a fragment can pass through the portal.” I was self-assured as my knowledge of the River grew from our second trip.
“Cool,” he mumbled, clearing his throat. “I guess Orion’s party was a blessing in disguise.”
“Sure was.” I granted Orion the benefit of the doubt, although a part of me knew his intentions couldn’t have been honorable.
“Goodnight,” Nicholas said, mimicking a smile.
“Night,” I whispered, relieved. How I longed for this day to end.
On that note, we parted ways.
As I trekked back to the Online world, I remembered the party. I was the designated driver for the night and had to return. No buts about it.
I traveled back to Orion’s place, and found myself in the same bedroom, but in another’s company. Surprisingly, we were in the midst of an animated conversation—none of which I could recall.
“So he said he wanted to try…with me!” Marla said, excitedly. She continued to talk, and my idle-self sequentially filled me in. The room spun as the influx of information hit me all at once.
“I mean, I can understand where he’s coming from. He just broke up with his girlfriend this past summer so he needs time to heal. I don’t want to be his rebound girl, and I told him exactly that. He said it’s more than that—he really likes me!”
“I’m so happy for you, Marla. You deserve the best.”
“I know—right?” she said, in breathless anticipation. “Landon and I have dinner plans tomorrow. I have no idea what to wear.”
Landon? My idle-self clearly hadn’t given me the entire scoop of the night’s events.
“So Landon, huh?” I asked, staggered.
He was just my first college friend and my basketball buddy—there was no need to be jealous.
“He’s super cute and nice. How could I not be into him?”
I nodded aptly. “Yeah. For sure.”
Meanwhile, I felt the entire days’ worth of wear and tear on my body—I was definitely ready to leave. I absolutely had to speak with Kiran before taking off. “Have you seen Cal or Kiran?” I asked.
“Last time I saw Cal, she was with a senior. Kiran was pretty scarce all night. I think I saw him once on the patio,” Marla muttered, inebriated—bitten by the love bug.
On the lower level, the party was still in full effect.
“Where were you guys? I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” Calliope shouted, squeezing between two people. “Let’s go. This guy I met was a total dirt bag. He kept calling me, Kelly. And I don’t know about you guys, but I feel like I’m high,” she rambled, out of breath.
“Dude—that’s how I feel. I’m not a fan of smoking the ganja, but this feels kind of like it, but way better. Maybe the drinks were laced?”
“What is it?” Calliope asked, looking down in her nearly empty glass.
In a panic, I swapped her drink with keys. “Take Marla with you. Go sit in the car and wait for me—I’m driving,” I said, averting the direction of conversation. I desperately needed to talk with Kiran. I found him by the back patio, smoking with company.
“Hey, Kiran. We’re just leaving. Can I talk to you for a second?”
The girl didn’t look too thrilled, but Kiran didn’t seem to mind the least bit.
“Now don’t you go anywhere. I’ll be back before you know it,” he said, lighting her cigarette.
He followed me to the opposite end of the patio.
“I need your help. You said you could find my birth mother, right?” I asked, impatiently. “When can we start?”
“Soon,” he said, vaguely. He took another drag before tossing his cigarette.
“Do you suppose I could track her?” I asked, on tenterhooks.
He rolled his eyes, sighing irritably.
“Fine,” he whined, continuing, “You’d think I’d deserve a night off after guiding lost fragments to their sources—or mortal souls to Styx where I leave their fate with the Gods, instead of leaving them to be sucked into hell—but nooooo, you have to be all cute and helpless. How can I say no to that?” he digressed, sourly.
“Thanks. Wait, you’re a Charon too?”
“What? Did you think you were the only one carrying the torch?” he asked, entertained. “There are many of us—not enough, if you ask me.”
“Huh. The things I’ve learned tonight. I feel like I’m taking a crash course—Charon one-o-one: the essentials.”
Kiran chuckled, amused by my naïveté. “We can start right now if you’d like. I can track her down and we can go from there.”
“Thanks, Kiran,” I hugged him appeased. “What about her?” I pointed to his female companion.
“Oh, her? She’s already in Styx. That’s just her being idle. A word of advice—you never get your way with idle people,” he winked, playfully.
“Ah. Good to know if I ever plan on taking advantage of someone,” I sneered, rolling my eyes.
“You’re not idle…” he suggested.
“Bye, Kiran,” I snapped. He was intoxicated by his very presence and I left before feeling the same way.
After everyone was home, safe and sound, I crashed hard on my bed, exhausted. My first act as a Charon had been grueling, yet satisfying. Shuttling souls was no easy task. For that, I deserved a day off—at the very least.
***
The following day, I had to face my parents, the two people I looked up to my entire life, who were there for me through thick and thin. They had never given me any reason to doubt them, but somehow I still felt so alone and betrayed. I was sad, but mostly angry. And with every step taken toward the kitchen, my hostility grew.
“Morning, Xeni,” Chrysanthe said, in her usual chipper way.
“Morning.” I poured a cup of coffee, glancing up periodically. “I’m running late, see ya.” I panicked.
“Well, eat something if you’re going to drink that,” she said, disapprovingly.
I grabbed a
banana, and quickly left. I could not confront her—not yet, anyway.
I drove to Calliope’s place after picking up Marla. She was quiet and I had an inkling as to why.
“I hope you know that I’m happy for you and Landon,” I clarified.
“So you weren’t interested in him?” she asked, warily.
“No. Not at all. I mean, he’s a great guy, but I’m into someone else.”
“Right. Nicholas. How’s he, by the way?”
“He’s going through a...life altering event at the moment, and I feel like I should be with him, but he wants to be alone,” I explained, frankly.
“He’d have to be a total fool to not see what a great person you are.”
“You’re only saying that to make me feel better—it’s working,” I encouraged.
Marla giggled, amused.
We picked up Calliope and drove to York—except the only lecture I planned to attend was the intro to finding your bio parents presented by Kiran Aldridge. I hoped that he had a lead or something that would help. Oddly enough, I couldn’t get Orion off my mind even with important matters before me. Something about him rubbed me the wrong way.
“There’s this other guy. He’s really starting to freak me out, but I think I might be attracted to him,” I admitted, despairingly.
“Ah. Orion, right? He’s some serious eye candy,” said Calliope.
“I never said Orion,” I replied, defensively.
“Well, excuse me,” she snapped. They snickered at my expense.
“I have things to do, places to be. Get,” I said, forcefully dropping them off by the commons. It was the first year ever in my life that I couldn’t share something major with my best friends—it was unnerving. I could barely say the words aloud, let alone talk to anyone about it aside from Nicholas and Kiran.
Conveniently, I found a parking spot by the west lot beside Kiran’s truck. He was with Orion and I approached them, hesitantly.
“Hey, Kiran. Orion. That was some party,” I sneered.
Orion didn’t seem the least bit troubled. “It was, wasn’t it? Like a cotillion for a young budding Diplozoe. You showcased your special talent exquisitely,” he toyed with me.