by G. Bailey
“You sure?” Maxx asks. “I would rather pay, I didn’t do much.”
“I’m sure, I won’t let you pay, so forget it,” Louie says and reaches into his pocket, pulling out a key.
“I’ve left the lights on in the caves,” he says, passing Maxx the key. “Make sure you lock up when you’re done and leave the key at the bar.”
“Thanks, man,” Maxx replies, looking grateful.
“Have a good night,” Louie says and grins at us both as he walks away. Maxx slides out his seat and waits for me as I pick my bag up.
“Come on then. You won’t want to miss this,” Maxx says, nodding his head down the pathway. I slide out my seat and walk close to Maxx’s side. I glance over at him, wondering whether being friends is going to be easier or harder than before. I’m thinking being Maxx’s friend might end up ruining me.
Chapter Twenty-Two
I stay just behind Maxx as we walk down a corridor next to the bar until we reach a big door at the end of it. There is a red rope just in front of the door, which Maxx ducks under and I do the same to follow him. I stop at Maxx’s side as he slides the key into the lock, which is newer than the pretty old wooden door.
“How did you save Louie’s life?” I ask, not being able to shake the need to know. Louie looked and sounded so thankful to Maxx, so it must have been something.
“Louie is one of those humans who think they can do anything they want, without thinking through the dangers of it,” he comments.
“A lot of people are like that,” I reply.
“Very true, and they usually end up dead. Louie and I went on a school trip, camping in the woods up these mountains. There were these girls that wanted to go on a midnight walk, and Louie fell into a river, trying to show off that he could balance on rocks,” he tells me.
“Did you jump in?” I ask, a little shocked. Jumping in a river in the middle of the night to save someone couldn’t have been an easy decision to make.
“Yes…he is lucky I am a good swimmer and managed to pull him out. Louie and his family think I am some kind of saint for it, but it is what anyone would have done in my position,” he tells me, shrugging it off like it was nothing.
“No, they wouldn’t have. Not everyone is brave enough to do the right thing,” I tell him.
“I guess I like to think the best of people, even when I’m usually proven wrong,” he admits, and I don’t answer him because I tend to do the same thing.
“So, what is so special about these caves?” I ask, placing my hand on the wooden door that Maxx keeps wriggling the key to unlock.
“The caves are where my mum said the first of our kind came to Earth. She took me here once or twice when I was a kid,” he tells me. “There isn’t enough of the originals left now to remember this cave, or that’s what my mum told me, so it is safe to come to.” I look around, knowing that this is a place half of my ancestors came from.
“Thank you for showing me this then,” I tell him as he pulls the door open, and holds it for me to walk in. There are floor cat lights all down the sides of a tunnel, so you can see all the way down to the end where it looks like it opens up into a big cave. Maxx lets the door close behind us and we walk down the tunnel to the end. The cave is huge, a massive room with smooth walls and an enormous gap at the top so you can see the stars. The cave is much darker than the tunnel as the cat lights are on the edges and there aren’t as many. Maxx walks right into the middle, and I follow him over, stopping at his side and giving him a questioning look as he looks around.
“I feel bad that you don’t know much about half of who you are,” he says, his voice low and softly spoken. “I think it’s time someone was honest with you.”
“How can this cave help that?” I question, crossing my arms, and he smirks.
“This cave is our kinds biggest history book,” he tells me and pulls his jacket off, dropping it on the floor. When he pulls his shirt off, I give him a totally confused look as I try not to stare at his remarkable chest.
“Do you not like wearing shirts or something?” I question, my voice echoing around the cave.
“There is no patience whatsoever with you, is there?” he asks and spreads his arms out. I go to say something when Maxx starts to glow brightly. I watch as swirls appear all over his neck, down his arms, and his eyes glow a purple color. The swirls travel all over his chest, and I can’t take my eyes off him as I examine each one of them. They look so similar to mine, but his are bigger, especially on his right arm. The swirls are large in places, and smaller in others. It is like someone has painted them on his skin. On the right side of his face, there are more lines that go into swirls at the ends, and his whole body has this light blue glow to it. Before, when I thought Maxx was different, handsome and unlike anyone I had seen before, I had thought I was shocked. But this Maxx, what he truly looks like, is astounding.
“Look up, Freckles,” Maxx suggests, his voice gravelly and deep. I do as he asks and gasp as my arms drop to my side in shock. The entire cave is covered with writing on the walls, drawings of people and planets, and all of it glows different colors. The view is breathtaking, and I don’t know where to look first.
“What is this?” I ask, my voice a hushed whisper.
“When my mum and the other survivors landed here, they built a home in this mountain and farmed the lands around it. This cave soon became a library of sorts, a way for them to mark down their history so it wasn’t lost, and their descendants could come back one day to find it,” he explains. I walk away from him a little to look at the wall with the most drawings on it, purely because I can’t read the writing around here. I bet Maxx can though. I feel Maxx move with me, stopping at my side. I can feel the heat blasting off him, warming up my skin and relaxing me.
“That’s when the planets were destroyed?” I ask, pointing up at the drawing at the top of the cave that is bigger than the others. It is of two massive planets, one a pink color and the other is blue. They are both split into little pieces, like this is just before they exploded. There are light bursts all around them that look like stars, but they are so many different colors instead of just white.
“Yes, the pink planet was the dark and the blue was the light,” he tells me. “This was when everything was destroyed. Our home was destroyed.” I follow the drawings to dozens of little circle objects flying away from the planets.
“The escape ships?” I question, and I look over to see him nod at me, before returning his attention to the drawings. I look back and follow the drawings to a planet which is clearly Earth. The ships are surrounding it, and then the next drawing is of dozens of people in a cave. All of them are drawn different colors and only one of them is blue. None of the people in the cave are pink or white or grey. I know that means my ancestors didn’t land here, they couldn’t have.
“Is the blue one your mother or father?” I ask.
“The blue figure is my mother, and the purple one next to her is my father. I only got his light with my eyes when I’m using my powers,” Maxx answers, and I look back at him. His whole body goes tense when I turn to stand in front of him and reach a hand out. Maxx doesn’t stop me as I place a finger on top of one of the swirls. The warm feeling overwhelms me, and I pull my hand back.
“Sorry, I can feel the pull…I just don’t know how to stop it,” I whisper.
“Austin might be able to teach you,” Maxx says, his voice going cold as he steps back. “Being around your own people is better for you.”
“What if I don’t want to just be around my own people?” I ask, feeling my heart beating faster in my chest.
“Then you will get us both killed. I won’t let that happen, I can’t see you nearly dead again, Freckles,” he says firmly, crossing his arms against his chest. “I can’t do that to us.”
“What do you mean nearly?” I ask, and he turns away from me, walking off, but I run ahead, stopping right in front of him and holding out my hands. “Please tell me. I know you were at the car
accident. Tell me what happened. If you care about me at all, you need to tell me.”
“Freckles…” he says, shaking his head.
“Don’t Freckles me! I need to know! I thought I was crazy for a year, and I still think I am in a way…I need this answer from you,” I say, trying to hold in how much I need him to tell me the truth. “Please,” I whisper, and that final plea seems to do something to him as he stops glowing and nods once in defeat.
“When soulmates are in danger, our souls call to each other. Even though we had never met, I felt you just over a year ago for the first time when you were dying,” he explains, and my mouth feels dry as I try to take in what he is telling me.
“The car crash…” I whisper.
“Yes. I didn’t think about it, I just flashed to where I felt you and found the car,” he admits. “I didn’t expect to find you like you were.”
“I was inside, and my dad was flung out of the window,” I say quietly.
“I didn’t see your dad, only you. I ran to the car and opened it. You looked terrible, you looked close to death, and I knew I had to save you, even when I sensed you weren’t one of the light,” he says. “When I sensed that saving you could kill me.”
“The branch…” I drift off, my hand covering the place on my stomach. Maxx steps closer, lifting his hand to my forehead, and traces the mark, never once touching my skin but I feel like he is anyway. All I can do is breath in his sandalwood scent, trying to stay calm as I finally get the answers I have been looking for.
“It went straight through your stomach, and your head was hit badly. I placed my hands on the injuries and pushed light into you, to heal you. It nearly killed me because you drained me with every moment I touched you,” he admits. “I healed your head first, and it took more to heal your stomach after I pulled the branch out.”
“I don’t know how to thank you…you saved me,” I say in awe, and he lowers his hand, briefly pausing with his fingers next to my lips like he wants to touch them before dropping his hand.
“You don’t have to thank me…I just couldn’t let you die,” he explains.
“The marks? The pink hair?” I ask softly.
“The marks were left by me healing you. I don’t know why it did that, I’ve never healed a dark before. I healed Abby once, and it didn’t do that,” he says, and I don’t for a second suspect he isn’t telling me the truth. “The pink hair is because healing you unlocked your own powers. That would have happened if you met any light and drained them.”
“You saved me…why would you not want to tell me that?” I ask.
“Saving you…it cost me something,” he admits. “I was angry at you for so long, I still am. I just didn’t want to bring up the past.”
“What did I cost you?” I ask, my voice cracking a bit and not hiding my emotions as well as I wanted them to.
“My mum. She followed my flash and came to the crash,” he says, his eyes burning with anger as he remembers. “I stumbled out the car, and she helped me flash back to our house, but a flash so far away was picked up on by our enemies.”
“Landon said she isn’t dead,” I whisper, the only thing I can think to say.
“Landon hopes she isn’t, but I know there is a good chance they have drained all of her by now. They attacked us and took my mother while I was warning the clan. I passed out before I could help my mother, and two others of our clan were taken. Iris and Abby flashed us all away and saved us,” he tells me. “I was the next clan leader after my mother, and I should have protected her. Instead, I put everyone in danger because of you.”
I step back at his words, shaking my head.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper.
“That’s why I’m angry. I saved you and you cost me everything, and you still haunt my every move,” he breathes out.
“That’s not my fault. None of it is,” I snap back, tired of him blaming me. “I am sorry your mum is gone, but it is not my fault you came after me and saved me. It is not my fault you think I haunt you!” I shout the end part.
“Freckles…”
“Ura! My name is Ura!” I shout, stepping closer to him, and his eyes burn with anger as he looks down at me. “You blame me for your mum, and you won’t even fight to be with your soulmate. I won’t stand here making you feel better, pretending to be your friend so you feel better. I am not yours, I didn’t choose any of this, and I won’t be blamed for just existing.”
“It’s not like that—” he says, and I shake my head.
“It is!” I snap. “No wonder you don’t want me. You pretend I’m the cause of all your problems rather than trying to fix them.”
“You have no idea what I want, Freckles!”
“Well, show me then!” I retort, and I gasp as his hands go to my hips, pulling me to him, and he slams his lips on mine as I hold onto his shoulders, in shock, as I kiss him back. Maxx kisses me harshly until I can’t think of anything but him and these toe-curling kisses that I know I will never forget. The warm feeling spreads over me, and he suddenly lets me go. I stare breathless as he walks away from me, running his hands through his hair.
“You’re what I want, but it doesn’t mean we can be together,” he tells me, not looking at me once.
“You will never fight for me, will you?” I whisper, and his silence says it all as it feels like my heart is breaking.
“Sounds like you need an escape from your light up boy,” Austin’s dark voice says from right behind me seconds before he wraps his arms around my waist. The last thing I see is Maxx running towards me, his eyes burning with anger, his body glowing so brightly before everything goes black.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“They were arguing, and he upset her! She needed an escape, so I helped her out!” I hear Austin shout, sounding defensive and a tad bit worried.
“You’re a fucking idiot! You can’t flash her out of anywhere, you could have killed her!” Landon shouts as I blink my eyes open, seeing that I’m on Landon’s and Maxx’s sofa in the living room which is spinning. I have to shake my head a few times to realize that it’s not the room spinning but my vision.
“Well, she has to do it once at some time. I am meant to be training her after all,” Austin replies, followed by Landon huffing about idiots. Austin is stood right in front of me, and Landon’s eyes fill with relief when he sees me staring up at him. Austin follows his gaze and turns around, grinning like he won an award or something. I hold a hand to my head when it feels like I have something banging against my head. Oh god, what happened?
“See, told you she could handle it,” Austin says proudly as Landon pushes him out of the way. I struggle to sit up as the world spins.
“You okay, Ura?” Landon asks, but all I can do is gently nod as the room continues to spin and makes me feel sick. I close my eyes, rubbing my head with my hands.
“Maxx is going to beat the shit out of you if he finds you,” Landon warns him. “I would get the hell out of here before he gets home.”
“Too late to run now,” Maxx’s cold, angry voice comes from a distance, and I turn my head slightly to see him standing in the door. Well, I see four of him as everything is still spinning, but I’m sure one of them is Maxx.
“I was only stealing my date back,” Austin defensively says. “She was meant to spend the night with me.”
“Tell me how you found her. You shouldn’t have been able to,” Maxx demands, walking into the room and right up to Austin, who holds his ground.
“A lucky guess,” he grins.
“Do you want me to beat the truth out of you? I’m close to doing it for fun anyway,” Maxx replies.
“Fine. I put a tracker on your car,” Austin admits. “Nothing crazy.” I jump when Maxx suddenly slams his fist into Austin’s face, nearly knocking him over, and Austin starts to glow.
“If you pull that shit with Freckles again, I will kill you. You understand me?” Maxx asks, and Austin looks down at me with a sinister grin before looking at Maxx.
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“Got it,” he spits out, wiping away the blood dripping from his lip. Austin stalks out the room, pulling the door open and looking back at us once.
“Aura, we will train tomorrow at twelve. Be ready for a big change,” he says, his words sounding like they mean more than what he is saying.
“Not alone you won’t. I want training as well, so I will be there at all times,” Landon says, shocking me as I watch Austin’s whole face tighten in annoyance before he nods.
“You are not being left alone with Freckles after this shit, so I will be there too,” Maxx warns, and I notice how Austin looks furious before he walks out.
“Are you okay?” Maxx asks, kneeling down next to Landon.
“Why do you care? Shouldn’t you just walk away already?” I ask and regret it a little when I can only see pain in his eyes from my words.
“I didn’t walk away, give me a chance to explain,” Maxx asks, but most of me doesn’t want to. I know he is only going to hurt me in the long run. I look around him as a creak on the floor alerts me to someone else in the room, and a beautiful blonde-haired girl is stood near the door with a glass of water in her hands. She looks about our age, with waist-length blonde hair that is all curly, and an old-fashioned flower dress on her. The girl is actually really short, but that might be because the guys in here are all tall.
“Hi! I’m sorry about my brother. I brought you a glass of water if you want it. I know after my first flash I needed one,” the girl says, and Landon waves her over. She blushes at him as she runs in, and I know she must be Austin’s sister, Aliana. I see the way she looks at Landon and feel so sorry for her. Nothing good is going to come out of her loving him.
“Thanks, Ali,” Landon says, taking the water and giving it to me. I drink it slowly at first, and then I end up drinking it all quickly when I realize how much I needed that.
“Thank you, I’m Aura,” I manage to whisper even when my voice sounds like it is made of gravel, and she smiles at me as Landon takes the empty glass back, putting it on the side.