by Dee, Maria
“Maybe he did change and the E-SOM blackmailed him,” I proposed. Edric shook his head, dubiously.
“We’re no one to you and you have no reason to join us. Maybe with time your perspective will change. Though, I’m grateful that you brought me back.”
“Thanks Edric—for understanding.”
“Thank you for taking care of Orion. Why did you?” he asked, peaked. I knew where he was going with this.
I risked my life for Orion but not for the eleven aka Endeca.
“I’m not sure why I did what I did. I guess because he was faced with such an unimaginable sentence that I had to extend myself; I knew I was a bargaining tool of sorts.”
“Hmm,” he mumbled something inaudible.
“There’s no other reason, trust me.”
“If you insist,” he smiled, changing topics, “So, where do I bunk?”
“First off, you need to make an entrance through the front door. You know, to keep up appearances and all,” I chuckled. “And why are you bunking with me?”
“Pardon me, it’s been a while since I`ve socialized,” he said, continuing, “I’ll explain later.” He quickly vanished, stirring the air around me.
“Guess we’re meeting by the front door,” I said, dryly.
I wondered if Orion had relinquished anything of Edric’s to help ease the process. I couldn’t help but sympathize for Edric, re-inhabiting his body in a new era with nothing to call his own aside from his errant brother. I had some assistance when I returned to the offline world, the very least I could do was provide the same. I’d be his Betsy for the time being.
As expected, my parents were completely bewildered once Edric showed up; mostly because he was bagless and do-eyed, like a newborn. Reborn in his case.
“Mom, dad, this is Edric. He’ll be staying with us for the next month or so. He’s…a foreign exchange student.”
“Oh? Well, nice to meet you, Edric. Excuse our reaction but Xenia never mentioned this to us—she seldom forewarns us about anything,” Chrysanthe curtly waved a reprimanding finger at me as she always did when caught off guard.
“We have plenty of space, dear,” Marlon jumped in cutting the tension. “I’m Marlon, and this is my wife Chrysanthe. Where are you travelling from, Edric?”
“Afar…” he coughed as I elbowed him in the ribs. “Sweden is where I am from.” His mottled accent, a remnant from travel over the centuries helped.
“I’ve always wanted to go to Sweden, with the clean air and chocolaty goodness. I think it’s time we get Edric settled in. You must be exhausted,” I said, pulling him along.
“You mean Switzerland,” Edric whispered in correction and I frowned. “They have delicious chocolate—do you have any?”
“No…let’s get your room ready,” I feigned a smile.
“Where is your luggage?” Marlon asked, suspiciously.
Edric looked at me for some explanation before answering, “Lost.”
My parents’ critiqued him with expert eyes, scanning for loose ends to our story. Fortunately for us, they both looked very tired.
“That happened to me once on a business trip—the biggest client I had to land and I met him in my wrinkled airplane attire. Fortunately, I landed the account so good things can come from our misfortunes. I have a spare closet full of clothes you can borrow, Edric. We’re about the same size so it’s just your luck, son.”
Chrysanthe smirked at Marlon smacking his shoulder playfully. “Come on, big guy. Let’s finish the movie.”
Edric smiled and nodded, appreciatively. “Thank you, sir.”
“I’ll show Edric to the guest room. Goodnight.”
We quickly walked up the stairs and I felt my parents’ eyes on us. Once the coast was clear, I addressed the real issue.
“Why not stay with Orion? He is, after all, your brother.”
“I know my brother well. I need to be at a distance so he can’t gage what I’m doing, while I investigate.”
“Ah, good plan.”
“Orion isn’t the same rogue spy that he once was. Something about him has changed and I need to find out what that something is—for the safety of us all.”
“I don’t understand, Edric. Why does he have it in for his own kind?”
“All he had left was me, and when I was gone, he suffered a great deal. Had I known, things would’ve been different. His disregard for safety and for our kind means he’s on a suicide mission. The way he sees it, he either goes down unknown, or makes a mark. As a spy, he’ll be known as a rebel, and he is content with that.”
“If I knew Orion was on some suicide mission, I wouldn’t have helped,” I grimaced at the thought. I put myself on the line for a spy with a suicide mission?
“You wouldn’t have done it any other way…trust me. Orion has this way about him,” he grinned devilishly. “It’s the Nordstrom charm—works every time.”
“Are you insinuating he seduced me? Because he didn’t, I have a boyfriend so you know,” I sneered, warily.
“Don’t feel ashamed. After all, he fooled his own brother. I died, remember?” Edric’s youthful face lite up, seeking camaraderie.
I pressed my taut lips together, tongue-tied.
“I’m exhausted. Shall we retire for the night?” he yawned.
“We shall,” I said, intermixed with giggles.
Edric looked confounded. “You find me amusing?”
“We need to work on your vocabulary tomorrow morning before lectures and figure out what to enrol you in as a late registrant—this is where your delinquent brother will come in handy. If he can’t pull some strings, there’s always winter semester.”
Edric furrowed his brow, mystified. The poor guy had his work cut out for him. After spending over a century in the dark, it’d take time for him to reintegrate in our world, worlds.
I showed him to the room where Nicholas had spent the night. It felt so long ago. “This way to your room, good sir,” I said, playfully. I opened the guest room door and Edric stalled awkwardly.
“Thank you, Xenia. This will not be forgotten.”
I sensed he meant that with every grain of his being. “Don’t sweat it,” I replied, coolly.
Edric bounced back onto the bed, sighing blissfully, “Works every time.”
We both retired for the night and I fell into the deepest sleep ever—something I longed for.
~
I awoke in shambles, in fear of some unknown threat. This only happened when I had an encounter offline. I was damp from head to toe, and my heart raced at a speed that pained me to sustain. I laid back in bed, pressing my hands on my pounding chest to subdue its alarming effect. Slowly breathing, I calmed my frantic-self down.
“What’s happening to me?” I asked, aloud. I had never felt so afraid in my life. The only thing that kept me from breaking down was the comfort of my own bed and this home in the online world. A fake family and fake human life that Nyxta alluded to was actually what kept me grounded and safe. Without it, where would I be? Better yet, who would I be?
After a hot shower and warm breakfast, I started to feel like the old, pre-awakened, Xenia. Edric strolled into the kitchen, inspecting every inch of the room. He winced taking in the décor amongst all other things that had changed since he roamed this world. He adjusted his shirt and looked down at his attire, self-consciously.
“How does this look?”
“It looks cool, Edric,” I admired.
“Oh. I thought it was warm out—I’ll go change,” he said, drearily.
“No, wait! It’s just slang. I didn’t mean cool in its literal sense,” I sighed, continuing, “It was meant as a compliment.”
“I see. Thank you,” he gracefully accepted the compliment flashing his pearly teeth. He reached for a donut, eating half
of it with a single bite. “Mmm, this is delectable—sugary.”
I snickered, while basking in Edric’s rawness. He was like a child heading off to school for the first time. I prayed the new world wouldn’t devour him.
“Calliope will be here in any minute,” I reminded, taking a sip of hot coffee.
“Is she our chauffeur?” he asked, haughtily.
“Yes…no….actually, she’s my best friend.”
“Very well,” he said, chewing away. “I had a dear friend who’d accompany me on my travels as well. He—”
“Hold that thought,” I intercepted as I answered a call. “Hey…is Cal out front? Okay…be there in a minute.”
“Who’s that now?” he asked, keenly.
“Marla. They’re out front waiting on us. Let’s bounce.”
“How do you mean?” he asked, bemused.
“Let’s get going, big guy,” I giggled, pointing toward the front door.
“Who’s Marla?”
“My best friend.”
“I thought Calliope was your best friend?”
“You can have more than one, you know,” I sighed, derisively.
“The term implies ones friend who supersedes all others,” he patronized.
“Then shoot me! I have two, lucky me,” I smirked, rolling my eyes.
“I wouldn’t go that far,” he sighed aghast, taking another bite of a crème filled donut.
“Well how do I look?” I asked self-consciously before I grabbed my book bag.
He sighed in frustration, searching for an appropriate response. “You look…cool,” he remarked appeased. He held the door for me. “Time for bouncing?” he asked quizzically.
“Almost…keep at it. Best way to learn is to listen to others. You’ll pick it up in no time,” I patted his shoulder, sympathetically.
I could get used to him very quickly. He was a distraction and I was unequivocally a fan of those.
As soon as we stepped out the front door, all eyes were on us. Edric followed closely, one foot behind me as we approached the convertible. Marla and Calliope looked at one another, awestruck.
“Hey guys, this is Edric. He’s…new to the country and staying with us,” I smiled, nervously. “He’s from Sweden.”
Calliope and Marla’s smiles edged to the corners of their enticed eyes.
“Good morning, Marla and Calliope—the two best friends of Xenia.” He sent me a sideways glance of skepticism.
“Interesting,” Calliope said dryly, nudging her sunglasses back up. “Welcome to our humble abode.”
“Yes, welcome. So, how do you know Xenia?” Marla jumped in eagerly.
“A family acquaintance,” he quickly replied as though he had prepared. Concise responses leaving very little to the imagination—I liked this about him.
I quickly added, “We’re running late. Edric still needs to register and stuff so let’s go.”
“How long are you staying for, Edric?” asked Marla.
“Indefinitely,” he snapped, surprising both himself and me.
“Do you have any relatives here? What are you planning to major in? Moreover, what if it’s too late and you can’t register? What then?” she asked, nervously.
“Okay, calm down, Marla. He’s only been here for like two minutes. No need to overwhelm the guy.”
“No, that’s quite alright. It’s only natural for a dear friend of yours to have reservations about me,” he said, turning to address Marla. “I’m here alone. Physics, I think. There’s always winter semester and a personal project of my own that I am working on, which will keep me quite busy.” The corners of his lips twitched, fighting a grin. Project Orion—crack the self-destructive spy.
“Okay then. Best of luck to you,” Marla quietly retreated, appeased by his diplomatic response.
As we pulled into campus grounds, Edric’s posture stiffened and his expression became stone cold. “Stop the car.”
“What is it?” I whispered anxiously.
“We should go now. It’ll be faster for me to register, while Calliope parks. Thanks for the ride.” Edric gracefully jumped out of the convertible and I followed in tow.
“But registration is...” Marla’s voice faded in the background as I tailed Edric.
He was watching someone….someone familiar.
“She’s one of us,” I uttered, startled. We had a brief encounter at the summoning—cat eyes.
“That’s Viola. She shouldn’t be here,” he whispered evenly.
“Does she pose a threat to everyone?” I asked, observing her chatting with another girl.
“No…just you,” he gazed in awe of Viola.
“Shall I will her away with my mind?” I muttered sarcastically.
“There’s no point. You haven’t reached your full potential—you need a jolt of sorts.”
“Maybe I’ll be struck by lightning and my powers will be released,” I offered, snidely.
“That could very well work,” he replied, grimly.
I cringed in recollection of Caleb…was he trying to give me a jolt of sorts?
My skin prickled from head to toe once Viola laid eyes on us. She winked and walked away inviting us to follow along. She continued down a path toward Winter’s College where she turned to face us. “Edric, are you matriculating here as well? I have bad news for you. Admissions are no longer accepting.” Her wide, evil grin was displeasing.
“You need not worry about me. I can always make a position pop up—yours for one,” he sneered, “What do you want, Viola?”
“You know,” she hummed, floating closer to him.
“The queen exonerated her. You can’t be here,” he hissed in frustration.
“Edric darling, I’m not the only one.” The sun glistened against her long black hair and her constellation of orangey-blue eyes weren’t as threatening in the day light; her eyes were defined this time in blue with fine spokes of orange.
“I’m standing right here!” I replied, annoyingly caught in the middle of two heated, powerful TheoDiplozoes aka immorta of Endeca. I was a part of Endeca although not immorta, but apparently ripe for the picking.
“Now Xenia, have you reconsidered immortality? It wouldn’t only close the portal, but it’d allow for many great things to transpire.”
Edric averted his eyes from Viola, pressing his arm against mine. ‘She possesses psychic abilities and with the summoning of Endeca, quite powerful searing. Never look into her eyes for more than a few seconds, she…’ He moved his arm as she crept closer, suspiciously.
“I should get going. Can’t be late for my first lecture,” she said, casually.
“You should highly reconsider leaving, Viola…indefinitely.”
“Or what?” she challenged continuing, “You look dead tired, Xenia. Trouble sleeping?” she smiled sinisterly before leaving.
“What did you say about eye contact?” I asked, sheepishly.
“She can tap into your subconscious if she holds your gaze. You’d know—it’s intense.”
Crap.
“How long can this tapping in last for?” I asked, clearing my throat nervously.
Edric heaved a sigh, grimacing, “When?”
“I didn’t know. It was at the grand summoning.”
“How long did she sear you for?”
“My memory is pretty hazy…maybe for a few seconds.”
“Okay, that’s not too bad. It may last a day or two—can’t be sure.”
“Great. Between the attempted flooding, alleged electrocuting and sleepless nights, I could only imagine what the others have in store.” I wondered why I had entrusted my home to Edric. It was a leap of faith on my part, maybe even his. He said he wanted to repay me & maybe this was what he meant—prot
ection.
Edric winced at the thought.
“Quick recap, Caleb and Viola have it in for me. What about the others? What are their names?”
“There’s Sebastian, Castiel and Daisy, all of whom are far more worrisome than these two, unfortunately.”
“If that’s the case, why aren’t they popping up to torment me already? Is this some kind of sick game to them?”
“They’re meticulous, Xenia. They hunt and gather information from people of interest first.”
“You mean, they could be watching me this very second?” I asked, yielding to a wave of paranoia.
“No, I’d be able to sense them as should you by now. Oddly enough, Daisy wasn’t at the summoning. Nyxta likely cut you slack because of her absence, but have you felt any changes?” he asked, noticeably agitated.
“Nope,” I lied. I didn’t want him to know of my recent power surge in the event he turned on me. I needed some hidden ammo for the time being, even if it meant straying from the truth a little.
“That’s unusual. With the grand summoning, you should’ve been reawakened partially at the very least.”
“Trust me, I was awakened. Maybe my powers are the slow releasing kind, but so intense, requiring time to settle in so that I don’t spontaneously combust.”
“Hmm, however unlikely that sounds, I suppose anything is possible,” he shrugged.
“I have to get to class. You’ll let me know if the rest show up, right? And Edric, try to blend in…act normal.”
“But of course. Easy as pie,” he smirked, having picked up on someone’s convo.
“See ya later,” I giggled impressed.
“Later,” he said, although it sounded more like a question. “I’m a 204 year old immorta. How hard can it be to find a building and register?” he sighed, looking around the vast college campus unsure of which direction to take. He pressed his eyelids together, stirring the air around him and just as soon as a dark cloud formed above his head, it dissipated. “Hmm…that wouldn’t be very normal.” Instead, he started on foot in search of the admissions building.
“Edric,” he called out, briskly walking over.