by Kay, Jenna
She shot me a “DUH” look. “You know why.” Her eyes fell to my chest.
“Yeah, Clare,” Janey barged in. “Your boobies are as big as the hoochies’ boobs on screen.”
Kora giggled. “No, Clarity's are actually bigger!”
“They are not,” I said defensively.
“Oh, they soooo are!” Janey alleged through a mouthful of candy.
“Do they float or not?” Kora inquired.
“Yeah, answer the question,” Janey urged.
“Yes or—”
“No!” I answered, maybe a little too loud. So loud that someone in the back told me to shut-up. I glanced back and shot whoever they were an evil eye. Then I turned back to my buddies.
“No. They do not float,” I told them in a whisper.
All three of us turned our attention back on the movie, which was painful because it sucked so badly. Only after a few minutes I surprised myself by actually getting involved with it. Not on all the blood and gore, but on the romance between the main characters. The samurai dude was trying to kill the boyfriend and the girlfriend was trying to save him. I found myself on the edge of my seat, inwardly rooting for the guy to live so the couple could live happily ever after.
I was so into the horrible movie that I almost didn't notice the searing pain in the palms of my hands.
Almost.
Observing my hands, I saw they were glowing red, pulsating on and off like a light switch, my personal alarms communicating that something supernatural was amiss. The burning was so intense it took my breath away.
All at once the temperature dropped to freezing, causing my lungs to ache with each breath I took. Shivers assaulted my body, inside and out, and my heart was thumping like a cold rock in my chest. Shock swam through my veins and dread clutched its nasty claws into every inch of my body. I knew right away why my alarm systems were going off, wreaking havoc over my entire being, mentally and physically.
Demons were near.
Jumbled thoughts began swirling inside my head. Why here? Why now? What do I do?
Immediately I turned my thoughts to Sam. He was here, that I was for sure. Even if I could not see him.
I thought about Daria and the dream—I thought about the conversation I'd shared with her earlier that day.
Glancing over at Janey and Kora, I knew full well that they were not feeling what I was feeling or seeing what I was seeing. Their eyes were glued to the screen, both seemingly enthralled with the revolting movie. Slowly I turned my head to peer behind me. For reasons unknown I knew there were eyes on me—I could feel them drilling holes in the back of my head. The brightness from the projection light plagued my vision so I had to squint to see the back of the theater.
“Show yourselves,” I said under my breath. I knew someone, something was there, watching me.
Finally my eyes zeroed in on what they were searching for. That was the moment I felt my blood freeze in my veins and my body turn into an ice glacier.
Standing in the very back of the theater I found Nick, his eyes fixated in my general direction—and he wasn't alone. Three other bodies stood around him, blending into the darkness. Three very familiar bodies.
Lukus, Markus, and Stone.
For the briefest of moments, I wondered what happened to the fourth demon, Raine; but that was the moment Nick saw me staring right at him. A look of outrage distorted his features; then he turned around and quickly exited the movie. Markus and Stone followed close behind him, leaving Lukus standing alone.
His dark eyes trapped mine with his, a hostile jeer forming on his pale face. A voice, Lukus' voice, echoed in between my ears, evilly taunting me. Even though I could hear his words, his lips never moved.
Seeeeer. Come and get us.
He walked backwards still harboring his vicious jeer, his gaze holding mine. Again, he spoke to me inside my head, walking out the doors.
Come out and play, little Ra'ah.
As soon as he was out of sight the temperature became normal, though I was still chilled to the bone. My hands, though, were still scorching and now glowing a steady red. I knew they wanted me to follow, but at what cost? What if it was a trap?
The sensible part of my brain was telling me to not follow, but the curious part of my brain was demanding that I follow and find out what's up. I didn't want to listen to the curious part, but that was the part that won in the end. Standing to my feet, I began ascending up the aisle, my attention focused on finding Nick and the demons.
Kora and Janey apparently took notice at my leaving, both casting confused looks at each other.
“Clare?” Kora called out carefully. “Where ya goin'?”
Without glancing back I mumbled something like, “Gotta check on something.” Then I started running up the aisle, adrenaline taking over in a huge way. I could hear Kora calling my name but I didn't look back. All I could think of was catching up to the monsters.
So much for a normal, fun girls day.
I busted out the theater doors and into a cold breezy night. For a Saturday night, the town square was strangely quiet—too quiet. Along with the eerie silence, there was not a single person walking around. Even Granny Mae's Creamery wasn't busy, and that was a teenage hotspot on the weekends.
Where is everybody? It was like I'd walked out of the movies and stepped into an isolated town, population Clarity Miller.
Of course I knew better than that. I knew that everything around me was not what it seemed. What I was experiencing was part of the supernatural world, a world full of angels and demons—and really hot hands!
My ears caught the sound of a girl crying, the cry very familiar. I walked toward it, listening until I stood at the entrance of an alley, déjà vu ramming so hard into my skull I thought I was going to faint.
The orange glow of one crummy light post, an unpleasant smell, one overflowing dumpster, trash strewn on the ground—it was my dream all over again. I looked up at the cloud-filled sky as a rumble of thunder growled in the distance.
Nervousness gnawed ravenously at my stomach and a bitter taste splashed over my tongue, probably due to the sulfurous smell that stung my eyes and throat. I was cold, scared, and anxious all rolled into one big bundle of disarray.
“Sam, what do I do?” I whispered, little cotton puffs floating from my mouth.
“Please...help me,” a girls voice, Daria's voice, pleaded weakly.
That was the answer to my question. Adrenaline pumped through my veins, warming my blood as I ran to the lone dumpster. On my way, I saw rats scatter in all directions but I paid them no mind. If I was being forced to live out my dream, then I knew what needed to be done.
Two things: Get Daria and run!
“Daria!” I shouted breathlessly, reaching the side of the dumpster. “It's me. Let's get you out—” My words hitched in my throat, my eyes not comprehending what they were seeing—or what they were not seeing.
Daria was not there.
Confused, I turned around and stopped cold, frozen solid in my tracks.
My worst nightmares had me cornered.
“Well, well, well. We meet again.” Lukus hissed through his teeth. Their black orbs pierced through me, an orange glow reflecting out of them, thanks to the light post.
A few heartbeats of silence went by, giving me time to calm the stampede storming inside my chest.
I glared at them and said, “You tricked me.”
Lukus laughed, quickly closing the gap between us, his face inches from mine.
“Anything goes in this war,” he growled.
Before he could grab me, I shuffled backwards as far as I could, my back hitting the brick wall. There was no escape.
Markus and Stone casually walked forward, catching up to Lukus, and now I was being stared down by three hungry-for-souls demons. I tried to start-up my brain, trying desperately to come up with some way to stall until...until what?
“I thought there was four of you,” I blurted out. Sam, if you can hear me no
w would be the perfect time to show!
Lukus shrugged his shoulders. “He ran off after your angel appeared,” he answered through clenched teeth. “He showed that he was not strong enough to get the job done.” The other two snickered, their heads tilting from side to side as their eyes glared hungrily at me.
“And what is the job?”
He wagged his finger at me. “No, you know what we're here for. We've had this conversation before.”
“Yeah,” said Stone.
“Tasty Ra'ah,” added Markus, licking his lips.
Taking a step forward Lukus asked, “Are you ready to play, Seer?”
“Where's Nick?” I asked quickly, doing whatever I could to stall.
“Nick?”
“Yeah, Nick. The guy ya'll were followin'.” Sam, where are ya?!
Lukus pondered, then smiled.
“Oh, Nick. The human pawn.” He paused, narrowing his dark eyes. “He ran home crying, wondering why his new girl didn't show tonight—and let me tell you, we had some big plans for her.”
Stone barked out a laugh. “Yeah, that wench was going to get what she deserved.”
“But then a Seer came by and our plan went up in smoke.” Lukus tilted his head, his eyes unblinking, and his expression unreadable.
I swallowed a massive lump in my throat.
“Lukus, what are we going to do with her?” questioned Markus.
“What we do to all the other humans on this pathetic planet.” Lukus' eyes changed from black to red, his voice becoming inhumanly deep. “Devour her soul.”
Panic struck me as his words sank in, the change in his eyes confirming the monster that hid underneath his human skin.
“This is one soul you will not devour.”
I jumped at hearing Sam's voice. He had appeared beside me, minus his wings. He leaned against the brick wall with arms crossed, his bright blue eyes glowing and fixated on the angels of the dark.
Lukus looked surprised to see Sam, his eyes changing to black.
“What makes you say that, angel?” he questioned, his voice back to normal.
“Because that's what my Father told me,” Sam responded.
The demons looked at each other and then began to crack up with laughter.
Looking at Sam, I said urgently, “We've got to get out of here!”
“Clarity,” he said calmly, his eyes still focused on the demons.
“Sam, please!” I pleaded, grabbing at his arm. “We have got to get out—”
“Touch his arm.”
“What?!” I exclaimed in total disbelief.
His gaze drifted over to me. “Do it.” His voice was surprisingly soft, even with the danger I was in.
I could not understand why he wanted me to do such a thing, but I found myself taking shaky, unsteady steps toward Lukus. Reaching out, my hands burning like fireballs, I grabbed his arm just above the wrist and squeezed with all my might.
Instantly he halted his evil laughter, a look of stupor overtaking his pale face. Then something new happened.
An electrified power deep within me began to emerge as every nerve in my body tingled to life and all my muscles tensed with an unknown anticipation. I watched his face as I felt the power release from my body and into his, his shocked expression disintegrating into tortured pain.
The feeling was difficult to explain. It began as a warm, heavy feeling, and as it released, I felt so light I thought I would fly away like a wayward helium-filled balloon. The feeling was exhilarating, but the agonizing wail coming from Lukus' mouth told me he wasn't feeling any exhilaration.
He looked down at his arm and tried to wiggle it free from my grasp but it seemed his efforts were futile, because for a few brief seconds, I was stronger than him. Markus and Stone stared open-mouthed at us, taking a few slow steps back before disappearing into fast blurry blobs of black.
I held on to Lukus for maybe ten seconds, but had to let go because his tormenting howls were close to bursting my eardrums. A bright red mark surfaced on his arm. I gasped, shocked to see the red mark was my Seer mark, the marks I held on my palms.
He stopped screaming, turning his attention to his newly marked arm. Raising his eyes back to me, his face contorted into a mess of agony and hate, his whole body a big tremble. I heard growling coming from deep inside his chest. Gradually the growl grew louder and louder, even louder than his screams had been.
Wind came out of nowhere, swirling dirt and trash in the air. It was like a tornado had infiltrated the alley, its target being Sam and me. The howling of the wind was deafening, causing me to cover my ears with my hands. I leaned into Sam, who in return held me in his strong arms, shielding my body with his. I closed my eyes and waited out the supernatural storm.
A few strained moments passed and then all was quiet, the storm gone—and so was Lukus.
“What. Just. Happened?” I glared at Sam, wanting answers.
He squared his shoulders with mine. “You used your abilities against a demon.”
“Is he dead?” I asked in a whisper.
“No,” he replied softly. “Your powers are still growing. Each time you use them they'll get stronger and stronger.”
“They tricked me,” I told him, feeling a hint of embarrassment. “They tricked me, used my dream against me to get me alone.” I looked up at his heavenly face with tears in my eyes. “What good am I if I can't tell when I'm being duped?”
Anger boiled red hot in my blood just thinking of how stupid I had been to fall into their devious trap. At that moment, all I wanted to do was go home, grab a bottle of wine, and crawl under my covers. Sam, obviously reading my thoughts, took my hands in his. That familiar calm crawled up my arms.
“Satan is the father of lies,” he told me gently, adding, “He fights dirty. Don't feel bad for falling into their hands. As your powers grow, you will be able to see and feel the difference, determine fact from fiction. One day soon you will see the picture in a clear manner.”
Shaking my head, I pulled my hands from his grasp and took a few steps away from him. “I don't want this,” I confessed.
He narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”
It all came out in a rush. “I mean earlier, I was happy. So happy thinkin' I'd helped Daria. I felt so good about myself! But this, tonight, has made me realize that I'm not strong enough. I'll never be strong enough. This life with angels and demons, feeling fear, terror, worry, no sleep.” I swallowed down a sob. “I don't want this life. I want to go back to the way it was before. Going to parties, hanging out with friends, dates with Brenton. Don't ya see? I wanna go back to bein' clueless! I'm not cut out for this!”
“Clarity, your are strong.” He reached for me but I put my hands up and backed away.
“No, I'm not.”
“Clarity, I—”
“Stay away from me. I don't want to see you again.”
He looked as if I had smacked him in the face. Dropping his hands, he shook his head and closed his eyes. Then he disappeared.
Staring at the place he had just stood, I broke down, tears pouring down my face. What had I just done? I had just told my guardian angel to basically get lost. Is that what I really wanted?
Walking back to the movie theater, I spotted Kora and Janey in deep conversation. When they saw me, they ran to me.
“Where the heck have you been?” Kora demanded.
“Sorry,” I told them quietly. “I just needed some air is all.” Thankfully they believed me, not questioning me any farther. We decided to get some ice cream before heading home.
Making our way to Granny Mae's, I could not help but feel empty inside, like there was a hole in my heart where Sam was suppose to be. I was not sure if I had done the right thing but I'd already made up my mind.
That day had made me realize that whatever life threw at me, that whatever happens in the future, there was absolutely no way I would be a Seer. I wanted to be clueless once again, be in the dark. I didn't want to think about heaven or hell,
good or evil, God or Satan. I just wanted to be free from it all.
That was the day I decided I would never succumb to my Seer abilities.
Chapter Seventeen
Excited voices sounded throughout the halls of Garlandton High the whole week before the Thanksgiving dance. Girls were buzzing about hair appointments and manicures, while guys were trying to figure out the best way to impress their dates. Posters adorned the walls announcing the date and time of, in my opinion, the lamest of all dances.
Discussions on where to have the after party was now the topic of the hour on this Friday. Most likely the top dogs of school would choose either an abandoned house or barn to party in, whatever they thought would be most private. Alcohol and pot would be among the party favors, and old couches would be available for those who were hoping to get lucky.
Yes, a magical fun-filled evening where every teen’s dream would hopefully come true. All I was hoping for was a normal night with my friends. It had been a week since I had seen a demon—a week since I had seen an angel. My angel.
Sam.
Slamming my locker shut I told myself not to think about Sam. He was gone. I had told him to go away; I had told him to leave me alone. That was what I had wanted. He knew where we stood—no way was I going to be a Seer; so what was the point of him hanging around?
So six days pass and no sign of anything supernatural. I was getting exactly what I wanted. My life was going back to the way it was before, back to when I was a clueless, carefree teenager who knew nothing about the invisible world around me. My mind was cleared from the faces of hideous demons and the beautiful faces of glorious angels.
Only that wasn't reality.
The truth was I knew about the invisible world around me. The truth was I knew about hideous demons that lurked in the darkness, waiting to devour the souls of the lost. The truth was I knew there were glorious angels watching over mankind, ready to battle the evil forces of the dark.
The truth of the matter was that I knew too much. I would never be free of the images in my head and the knowledge I had earned. There was no going back—and that totally ticked me off.
Walking to my car after school I felt more weighed down than ever, and the hole in my heart ached with a loneliness so profound that only a celestial being could cure.