The Chosen Ones: Red Smoke

by Mitchelly Melo

  I smiled and saw Uri cover her mouth to hide a grin. Uri was obviously not accustomed to Runne. But my smile wasn’t mockery, it was happiness.

  "Then we'll make it happen," I said. "Right, Isys?"

  Isys turned to look at us and smiled.

  "Of course," she said.

  After my shower, we we’re all busy. Maena was already dressed and went to make Runne's hair. A few minutes later, her fierce hair was tamed. The curls gave way to wavy threads. Uri replaced the two braids with only one that turned her hair into a tiara. Isys made a side bun with her long hair.

  Mine was the simplest. Loose and wavy. It combined with the simple makeup of light colors. Nothing that Isys didn’t try to convince me otherwise.

  "Here's the shoe I told you, Liz," Maena said, coming back into the room.

  Somehow, the shoes seemed to have been made for that dress. It had lace details and huge heels.

  "It's beautiful, Maena, but I don’t know if I can use it," I explained, turning the shoe into my hand. "I've never worn high heels in my life. I'll probably fall.”

  "You throw fire out of your hand and you're scared of high heels?" Maena sneered.

  I rolled my eyes and grabbed my shoes. I sat on the bed and adjusted them. I got up and took a step forward, smiling at the fact that I was still standing. I took another step and Uri held me the second I started to fall. I walked around the room for a few minutes until I got used to being a few inches taller.

  I heard music downstairs and Isys jumped up. At the same time, Runne left the bathroom. She looked like someone else. No. She looked like her. The real her. The one that didn’t have so many demons haunting her. Her eyes seemed to be bluer. Probably because they were not being wiped out by deep circles.

  "You look beautiful, Runne," I said.

  "Yeah…" she said, turning and looking at herself in the mirror. "I really do, don’t I?"

  The music got louder and I looked at myself one last time in the mirror. I ran my finger to my lips taking out a thick layer of the rosy lipstick that Isys insisted on putting on. I wiped my finger on a handkerchief and turned to look at the others.

  "Can we go now?" I asked.

  "You may go," Isys replied. "I'm going to be a little longer up here. After all, I have to make an entrance.”

  "You look wonderful, Isys," I said. “We will be waiting.”

  She smiled. It was the first time I had seen her nervous. I gave her a comforting hug before leaving the room.

  "Let's find a hottie for Runne," Maena said as we left the room.

  Runne blushed. I stopped and let them pass in front of me. I bent down and squeezed the shoe a little more to make sure I wouldn’t humiliate myself by falling in front of everyone. When I got up, the girls were already starting down the stairs. I hurried and followed them.

  I reached the top of the stairs and the view down below was stunning. John was waiting patiently on the last step.

  He smiled when he saw me and I went to him.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  John held out his hand as soon as I reached the last step. I picked it up and he directed us to the room that now had a small crowd together. He stopped and turned to me.

  "Honestly, I have no words to describe how beautiful you look," he said, taking my face in his hands and kissing me slowly.

  I felt my cheeks heat up.

  "You're not so bad either," I said, but it was the euphemism of the year, I thought. He was wonderful. His hair was carefully in place, combed back, but the rebellious ones were always loose on the forehead. The black tuxedo seemed to have been sewn directly into his body. Sometimes I didn’t believe how beautiful he was. I stared at him for a little while longer to make sure the image was stuck in my brain.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “Nothing. It's just that you look amazing.”

  John shook his head, smiling.

  “What?” I said. "I can’t say you look beautiful?"

  Out of nowhere, he took my hand and dragged me onto the improvised dance floor.

  "Let's dance," he said.

  "I can’t dance," I said, raising both hands in the air, horrified at the thought of having to dance in front of people.

  “You just have to, literally, move your feet. Only that.”

  Like a signal, slow music began to play. A malicious grin spread across his face and I admitted defeat. I put my hands on his shoulder and he grabbed me by the waist.

  "If I step on your foot it'll be your fault," I said.

  "It will be worth it," he replied.

  For the first time I realized that now the height difference between us wasn’t so absurd. I could look him in the eyes without my neck starting to ache. As we danced, I watched the room. A scene caught my interest. Eimée and Liam together. And they didn’t seem to be just friends. They chatted within inches of each other's face and Liam touched her hand casually.

  Was that why Eimée was being "nice" to me earlier? Did she finally forget John? Anyway, it was still strange to see them together.

  "I think they're together," John said, seeing what I'd been staring at for so long.

  "They're clearly not keeping it a secret."

  “It's that problem?” John asked, frowning slightly.

  "Liam not having time to hang around me is a problem?" I asked smiling.

  John smiled and lifted my arm, making me whirl. We danced the rest of the song and went to sit at our table. Not long after, Isys arrived. Whistles and clapping accompanied her as she entered the hall. Any nervousness she'd been feeling before was gone. She grinned from ear to ear and waved to the crowd that only had eyes for her. After greeting some people, she joined us.

  A short time later, we spent a minute that seemed like an hour trying to convince Isys to let Uri sit at our table, and she finally gave in.

  "You can read, can’t you?" Isys asked. "Every table has a chart for a reason. Or are you really wanting mayhem?”

  "Isys, I got a table full of old people. Torim has been complaining about the dwarfs for almost half an hour, and the others have just encouraged him. Please.”

  Uri picked up her chair and set it on our table. A few minutes later her brother came to look for her. No doubt they were really twins. Her brother had the same angelic face, which only made him disconcerting. His straight hair was at the height of his jaw and he was constantly putting it back behind his ear.

  His eyes were the same color as his sister's, but they looked softer. As soon as he saw me he opened a smile, showing his perfect teeth.

  "Hello, my dear," he said, taking my hand. “I'm Lucius.”

  John's discomfort was almost palpable. Lucius was just saying 'hi,' but his face said so much more.

  "Hi," I said, smiling. “I am...”

  "Yes, I know who you are," he said and kissed my hand. “Elizabeth.”

  "Liz," John corrected him.

  "Liz," Lucius repeated, savoring each letter. “Even better. Small and delicate, just like you.”

  "Lucius, stop being an idiot," Uri said, sounding ashamed but strangely accustomed to the situation. “Her boyfriend's right there. And he is not small.”

  He cleared his throat and stepped back.

  "Forgive me," he said, glaring at me.

  "Don’t worry," I said.

  "You were not the first, and I'm sure it won’t be the last," John said quietly.

  "Uri," Lucius said, redirecting his attention. "You won’t leave me at that table alone. I demand a place here.”

  "Great," Isys snapped. "I don’t even know why I bothered to organize the places.

  With two more seats at our table, we continued to enjoy the party. Runne, who was at a different table, also seemed to be having as much fun as us. I even saw her agreeing to dance with a guy. I'm not sure if it could be called dancing, but they were both trying.

  "Isys, did you invite outsiders?" John asked, looking around.

  "Of course, I did," she snapped. “I have friends. I've spent too much t
ime stuck in this hotel without seeing them.”

  "And you, my dear..." Lucius began. “Liz. Do you have friends outside the hotel?”

  "I don’t make friends, really”I said. "I have a friend, Emma,but she doesn’t live in the city anymore.”

  In the old days, the fact that I had no friends bothered me. It made me feel different. But now I had more friends than I've had my whole life. Just another thing that changed when I found out who I really was.

  "But I have you guys," I finished, smiling.

  John took my hand and pulled me onto the dance floor again. This time I went without complaining. A few songs later, Maena came to us.

  “Can I borrow him?” She said, pointing at John.

  His expression of despair was funny. Clearly, he didn’t want me to take it the wrong way. For some reason — maybe because now I had known the other side of Maena — I didn’t really care. I smiled, nodding, and she took John's hand.

  I walked back to the table until I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned and saw Liam. I was surprised. Ever since he asked if I loved John, our interactions were minimal. The words we exchanged were mostly monosyllables.

  "Hi," he said, giving a shy smile.

  “Hi.”

  “Can I have this dance?”

  I had no feeling for him, so I had no reason to refuse. And as I said it, it was time to move on. In fact, we both had already done that.

  "Of course," I said, doing my best to look genuinely kind.

  As if to annoy him, Liam took us to where John was dancing with Maena and took me by the waist. Clearly the feud between them wouldn’t go anywhere. John frowned and took his hands off Maena's back. He was ready to come to us, but I shook my head and smiled.

  I saw his fists relax slowly and he returned to dance with Maena.

  "Was that really necessary?" I asked.

  Liam gave a shameless smile.

  “What? I didn’t do anything.”

  "And Eimée won’t be too happy about this. She doesn’t like me very much.”

  "That's her problem," he replied, the smile not leaving his face.

  "I thought you two were dating."

  "Dating is too strong a word. We're just getting to know each other better.”

  “And does she know that?’

  He just smiled and dropped me back, skillfully catching me with one arm. I smiled and decided mentally not to get in the way of their "relationship". If it could be called that.

  Seconds before the song was over, John came up to me. Without asking for permission, he took my hand from Liam's shoulder and pulled me close to him. I let out a loud laugh and grabbed John's neck. Liam deserved that. With an angry look, he stepped away and went back to Eimée. Something told me that any good feelings she had felt for me had completely disappeared.

  Maena was dancing with Lucius now. He seemed to flirt with anyone he could. And she didn’t seem to mind, dancing as close to him as she could.

  John and I went to the back of the hotel, which was by far the most beautiful place. Now all the candles and little lights were on. The contrast with the darkness and starlight was unbelievable. I didn’t see many people, since the party was in the hall. Just a few people talking and two couples kissing.

  We stopped at the edge of the pool and John put his hands on my shoulders. He stared into my eyes and slowly lowered his hands to my waist. It began to move slowly from side to side. I smiled and put my hands on the back of his neck.

  “What are you doing?” I asked, following him in slow steps.

  “We're dancing.”

  “Without music?”

  “Yes. The environment inside is not very good. Lots of unwanted faces.”

  I laughed.

  "Out here I see the only face I want to see.”

  I couldn’t, or wanted to, say no, so we kept dancing without music for a while longer.

  When we returned to the hotel, the party seemed even more lively. Even Torim ventured on the dance floor. Rogi and Grace waved at us as we passed them. They danced as if no one was watching. Lucius and Uri now danced together. Isys, Zal, Maena and Runne were also all on the dance floor enjoying the lively music.

  John fetched us drinks. While I waited for him I began to eat a cake pop. I watched everyone enjoying themselves. Lucius started to pull Uri by the hands and she tried to let go. Even as she frantically let go of her brother's arms, she smiled loudly.

  In the next second, I saw a small strand of energy coming out of Uri's hand. I thought I was seeing things. I couldn’t have seen that. I put the cake pop on the table and observed her hands. I didn’t have much time.

  In one of their plays, a huge ray of energy came out of her hands, which when lifted directed the beam to the chandelier that was exactly above them. The noise caught the attention of some people, but the music was loud, making it difficult for everyone to hear. I saw a strange expression on Lucius and Uri's face and then they left the dance floor.

  The chandelier fell off the bracket, only being suspended by the wires that were now flickering. In a second I had to make a decision. I looked up and calculated the impact mentally. Only one person was in the danger zone. Grace. John's mother danced as the object dangled dangerously over her head.

  The chandelier took a final swing and I ran to Grace. In my mind, everything happened in slow motion. She looked at me in surprise and I took her by the hand. A moment later the chandelier fell and we reappeared where it was safe. Probably because everything happened so fast, we fell.

  The music now was gone. There was only the frightful expression on everyone’s faces; some staring at the chandelier on the floor and others at Grace and me on the ground. She looked at the damage and then at me.

  "Thank you, my child," she said, her voice shaking. “Oh my.”

  She hugged me and I patted her back. I saw John coming into the room and his eyes came straight at us. He released the cups he held and ran. Grace still held me. John pulled her off the ground, hugged her quickly, and then helped me up.

  "What the hell happened?" Rogi asked before John had the chance.

  I looked at Uri and saw an expression of fear. Most people now stood around the chandelier on the floor, watching the damage. Zal, Isys, Maena, and Runne came quickly to me. I saw Liam take a step towards me and soon give up.

  "I think we have another Chosen One," I said, wiping my hands together.

  Isys saw my expression and turned to face them all.

  "It was just an accident, people," she said, smiling. “You can have fun again. There's cake in a little while.”

  "We should talk privately," I said.

  Rogi nodded.

  "And that thing will stay on the ground?" Grace asked, still looking a bit shaken.

  "I'll take it," I said.

  "No, let me do that," Zal interrupted. "You've done enough."

  He smiled, left and took the chandelier along. Some people came and cleaned the broken lamps and a few seconds later it didn’t look like anything had happened there.

  "Thank you," Rogi said as we left the room.

  "That's what we're here for, isn’t it?"

  I stopped when we approached Uri.

  "You should come with us," I said.

  “Why?” Lucius asked.

  "Did you feel when it happened?" I asked and she finally looked at me.

  Uri nodded and stood up, beginning to follow us. Lucius did the same. The music returned as we left the hall toward the office. Uri and Lucius sat on the same couch that just some time ago I sat on. Liath and Torim also joined us.

  "Isys, you can go back there," I said lowly to her. “It's your party.”

  "Like I'm going to miss this," she said, smiling.

  "Can you explain what happened, young lady?" Rogi directed the question to Uri.

  After a few minutes without any response, I told my version of what happened.

  "So, you saw electricity come out of her hand?" Liath asked.

  "Yes, and just a second late
r, a larger bolt went directly into the chandelier, causing it to fall. It wasn’t on purpose.”

  "You acted fast," Liath congratulated me. “It saved Grace's life.”

  I smiled, but I was too worried to accept the compliment. I knew the feeling of not knowing what was happening to you. I walked over to her and sat down.

  “Uri, how was it?” I said.

  "I felt electricity coming out of my fingers," she answered some time later. “and then I realized something was wrong.”

  "Then it's official," Torim said. “We have one another Chosen One.”

  Something didn’t seem right. Uri wasn’t the only one afraid. I realized this only happened when she was with Lucius. And he hadn’t been affected by the lightening. An idea quickly crossed my mind.

  "Wait," I said, catching Torim by surprise. “I think there's something else.”

  The twins gave me a piercing look.

  "Try to do it again," I said.

  "You want her to kill us?" Torim replied. “She clearly still doesn’t know how to control it.”

  "She won’t kill anyone."

  I nodded and Uri closed her eyes. As her hands trembled, tiny wires of electricity danced at the tips of her fingers. I was right.

  "Now, Lucius, take her hand," I said.

  “Why?” he asked.

  “You know why. You felt it too, didn’t you?”

  He sighed and took his sister's hand. At the same moment, the same wires of electricity sprouted in Lucius's fingers. I heard someone hiss behind me. The electricity got louder, a ball piling up in the palm of each of the twins. They let go of each other’s hands before they could actually kill anyone.

  "They charge each other," John said, impressed.

  "They each have their own electricity, but together they get more powerful," I said. "Has this ever happened?"

  "Yes," Torim replied quickly. “There are stories of twins sharing a power.”

  "It's like they're one person," Liath said. "They divided the womb together, and now they will divide a power."

  "Does that mean I'm going to have to spend more time with my brother?" Uri said, now looking calmer.

  Lucius clearly moved from the stage of fear to the stage of animation. The excitement of having a power was stamped on his face.