The Calling

by Destiny Hawkins

  My cheeks warmed. “Thanks.”

  Soren’s eyebrows furrowed. “For what?”

  “For being confident in me.” I turned from him and looked up at the stars. I could still see him watching me in my peripheral, but then he turned away a moment later.

  “You’re welcome.” He smiled, the simple act setting me at ease. “So, you ready for this?”

  I lowered my chin and drew my eyebrows together in wonder. “Ready for what?”

  Soren chuckled. “Look back up before you miss it.”

  I did as I was told and noticed an orange beam of light shooting into the sky from miles away. “The Calling,” I said in almost a gasp. A familiar childlike excitement filled me when I noticed a pink beam on my right, and then a red beam on my left. There were two more, a purple and a yellow beam further out. I wondered why they were all doing The Calling at the same time before turning to Soren in question

  Soren smirked and shrugged. “It’s traditional. We do them every full moons.”

  My lips slightly curved upwards in excitement. “Do you know them?”

  “All of them. They’re kind of like long-distance friends of mine. They aren’t close, but I guess you could say that they’re closer than most. There are way more where they come from, but the others are on different parts of the world.”

  I smiled to myself at the thought of meeting another Gods Child. They fascinated me, and I wondered if they were all as nice as Soren. “Why do you guys even do The Calling? I’ve learned about it, but I was also taught that your kind were evil and sadistic, which doesn’t seem to be the case.”

  “It’s to communicate really. Most of the time, it’s just to say hi. Like now, I don’t feel like they’re in any kind of danger, but I would be able to tell if they were by the signal coming from their light.”

  “Oh.” I rubbed my hands over my leather covered legs. I was still in my daily suit instead of my grey one because I hadn’t fallen asleep in my dorm.

  “So,” Soren smiled at me. “Are you ready?”

  I bit my lower lip and nodded, knowing exactly what he meant, and butterflies began to swirl in the pit of my stomach.

  “Good.” He grabbed my wrist to stop my nervous rubbing, then slid his fingers between mine to hold my hand. It was an intimate act but came across as friendly, which was nice. With Carmen’s recent attitude, it was refreshing to make physical contact with another friend. “Let’s start a new tradition.”

  Excitement rose within me as I watched the lime green markings form over his chest the same way they had the night that I met him. It was kind of like a tribal tattoo, only it glowed and was spreading down his torso. Once it stopped spreading at his waist line, a small white circle formed in the center of his chest over the tribal markings, and then shot into the sky, tinting the open field in front of us with lime green.

  Soren squeezed my hand and turned his head to face me with a confident half grin, and I smiled back.

  —

  When I opened my eyes, I was staring up at the night sky again, but it was less beautiful than what I had just been watching previously in the Wild Lands.

  I was still on the rooftop, and surprisingly, I wasn’t alone.

  I propped myself up on my elbows to place my eyes on Carmen’s glowing face. She was facing towards the city with her knees pulled up to her chest, and her chin resting on her arms.

  “I went to your dorm to come and get you for the full moons, but you weren’t there, so I figured that you just came up here on your own,” she explained, her despondent voice low.

  I didn’t respond to her, but not because I was angry. I just didn’t know what to say.

  “I didn’t want you to have to watch them alone,” she continued.

  “I didn’t.” A slight smile formed on my lips, but when she looked over her shoulder at me, it dropped. “Because you’re here.” If Carmen wasn’t so about the rules here, I would have told her of my trips to the Wild Lands, but she might just fall apart with that kind of information. Especially, if I told her about Soren.

  Carmen turned back to the city. She was quiet for a moment before taking a deep breath. “I’m sorry.”

  I licked my lower lip and pushed myself upright, leaning forward with my elbows on my knees. I already knew what she was apologizing for, so there was no need to ask her why. “It’s okay.”

  Carmen blinked a few times, ridding herself of tears that hadn’t fallen yet. “I just don’t know how to deal with this. With Tristan being…” She brought her eyes to mine. “I was jealous of how you were able to cope so well with him being gone. It was as if you didn’t care, but then I realized that you never actually show your true emotions.”

  I bit my lower lip. She was right about that. I didn’t know how to display or say what I was really feeling, because it was all too hard to explain. When I heard that Tristan died, I felt like dying myself, but I knew that I couldn’t. I had to keep living for my mother, and now that I was thinking about it, I had to keep living for Carmen and Soren as well.

  “I was so mixed up in my own feelings that I didn’t take the time to see how you were actually doing.” Carmen sniffled. “I forgot about just how close the two of you were.”

  I turned away from her and faced towards the city. I was trying to think of the right words, but couldn’t come up with anything, so I just said the first thing that came to mind. “He said that he loved me.” I turned back to her widening eyes. They were glossed over with tears, but none had fallen. I figured that at some point, she had somewhat run out. “I didn’t say it back.” I offered a sad smile. I wasn’t sure why I was smiling at all with the way that I was feeling. The thought that I didn’t return his words tortured my mind and caused my stomach to twist. I had to be broken inside not to love him back. I liked him and was drawn to him, yes. I even admired him, but I wasn’t in love with him. I probably wasn’t even fully capable of having those kinds of feelings. “I regret that.”

  Carmen’s mouth slowly parted, but then she bit down on her lip.

  “It’s okay.” I continued to smile, but my thoughts of me and Tristan’s last night up here caused it to finally fade away. “I’ll learn to live with it. I just hope that I can forgive myself one day.”

  Carmen shook her head and slid her arm across my shoulders, then pulled me into a side hug and didn’t let go. “I love you.”

  “…I love you too.” If only I had said those words before.

  Before it got entirely too late, Carmen and I left the rooftop to head back to our dorms. The hallways were empty, making me uneasy about walking through them alone, so she walked me all the way to the entrance of my dormitory. I was lucky to have her, and I appreciated her protectiveness of me.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, leaving me with a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

  “Yeah.” I nodded. I watched as she walked back down the hall, then turned around to slide my key and enter the dormitory.

  When the door slid open, I started for my dorm. As I neared my door, I thought of Soren and his extraordinary beam of light that shot from his chest. The Calling was something amazing. The school didn’t go over it much, but they did mention that it was another way to find Gods Children. Soren mentioned that it was how Psycho and the Depleters always found him, but that wouldn’t stop him from doing it. He had to stay in contact with the other Gods Children.

  Once I was at my door, I swiped my key and waited for it to open. In only a few seconds my key registered, then my door slid open for me to enter. Before I could even fully register what was happening, a deep fear penetrated my heart and oxygen caught in my throat. I sensed that I was in danger — I could see that I was, but I couldn’t move. I couldn’t run, and I really wished that I could.

  Artemis was sitting on my bed with his back against the wall and his legs crossed over one another. He wore an all-black one-piece suit with white tribal-like designs starting at his shoulders and stopping at his wrists, and his black hair was pulled into a
long pony tail that hung over his shoulder. “Rayah.” He smiled with a sigh, his voice deep and low. “How lovely of you to enter your dorm past curfew.”

  My eyes widened, only causing Artemis’ smile to grow. He sat up from the wall and stood from my bed, then straightened as he turned to face me. “I honestly don’t know how you can sleep on that thing. I’ll have to make an order for more comfortable bedding.”

  I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came to mind. For some reason, the thought of him being near brought me fear of being burned. My heart thudded against my chest, and I was frozen, mentally screaming at my legs to move.

  “Rayah, step inside,” Artemis commanded.

  I hesitated. The only lighting in my dorm was the moons shining through my window and coming from the hallway. Once I was to step in, I’d be surrounded by darkness and trapped with Artemis. The rooms were soundproof, so no one would hear me scream.

  Aretmis’ smile slightly faded, growing impatient. “I gave you an order.”

  My breath quickened, becoming difficult after stepping into my dorm with the door sliding shut behind me. As soon as we were surrounded with darkness, Artemis’ smile completely faded, and his eyes narrowed. “Where were you tonight, Rayah?” he asked. I opened my mouth to speak again but was cut off. “Because it’s against the rules to have any sexual relations with any of the males here.”

  My eyebrows furrowed, and I swallowed. I was confused, “I…wasn’t.”

  Artemis steadily approached me, the sound of each footstep causing the alarms in my mind to blare louder. “Are you lying to me?”

  “No,” I whispered as I pressed my body against the door. I was surprised that it didn’t open, but figured that Artemis had something to do with that. He always thought ahead.

  Once close enough, Artemis took a deep breath and slid his hand up the wall by the side of my head. “If you’re lying to me,” he used his free hand to lift my chin. His eyes were piercing into mine, causing me to tremble. “I’ll find out who the boy is, and then I’ll fail him in testing…just like I did with Tristan.”

  I thought that there was a lump stuck in my throat, but it was actually Artemis’ hand wrapped around my neck. I hated that I couldn’t fight him back, not only because I had no powers, but because he was the Major. The other reason was that I was too afraid to even move. If I had the mental and physical strength to avenge Tristan, then I would, but right now, I was the weakest person in the world.

  “I’m not usually the one doing the judging, but one of the council members unfortunately couldn’t make it in, so I filled the empty seat,” he chuckled. “I was so happy that I got to judge your dear friend. He held an important place in your heart, so what better way to prepare you for life than to rip him out of it?”

  When I began to feel light headed, I grabbed at his wrist with both of my hands, but that did nothing but make him squeeze tighter.

  Artemis leaned in closer to my face, forcing me to look into his enraged, sadistic eyes. “No man can have you but me. You belong to me, Rayah. You always have.” When he laughed, it sounded like far away echoes as I slowly lost consciousness. Before he let me go, I felt his lips gently press against my forehead.

  I must’ve lost consciousness for a moment, because the next thing I knew, my face had cracked against the tile floor near Artemis’ boots. They stood by my head for a moment before I heard him walk to the door, press the security buttons on the wall next to it, and exit the room.

  Drool drizzled from the corner of my mouth as I panted on the floor, tears blurring my sight. My hand trembled beside my face and I focused on trying to control it, but I couldn’t. After what Artemis just revealed to me, I could barely control my thoughts.

  Even though he let me go, I still felt as if I were choking, like a lump was stuck in my throat. Tristan died because of me…

  Chapter 4

  “Practice, practice, practice, perform, achieve, survive. The only way a Lytonian was allowed to live.” — Carmen

  “Come on, Rayah!” Carmen yelled from across the room. “You won’t even make level two at this point. Show me your powers!”

  The two of us were in the Training Sector trying to bring about my light energy. I knew that she was only coaching me, but she was starting to get annoying. I was dripping with sweat after tightening and releasing my muscles for hours. It wasn’t the correct method for using light energy, but it was all that I could think of doing. The burning in my chest wouldn’t move elsewhere.

  “I can’t do it.” I released a deep breath.

  “Yes, you can,” Carmen said through gritted teeth. “Now come on, try again.”

  I frowned but did as I was told. No point in making her any angrier. I raised the palm of my hand and tried to force the warm energy in my chest to my arms. I knew that the heat in my chest was my Lighter energy, but I couldn’t direct it like everyone else could. I didn’t know how to control it. How did one control something that they couldn’t physically touch?

  Carmen slowly walked towards me. My eyes were closed, but I could hear her footsteps. Still, I concentrated on my stubborn energy. It was hard, but I－

  A strong force slammed into my stomach and sent me crashing against the metal wall with an echoing thud. I was caught by surprise but knew exactly what had hit me. An energy ball. Carmen’s energy ball.

  I landed back on my feet and was about to fall to my knees when I saw another dark blue ball of light shooting in my direction. It was fast, but when I was under stress, I tended to be able to dodge almost anything.

  “What are you doing!?” I yelled at Carmen.

  Carmen cocked her head to the side with a blank expression on her face. She held her palm out and suddenly there was another ball of light. Lighters under level eight still had to actually shape theirs out to bring about n energy ball, but Carmen’s just appeared out of thin air. Her abilities and intelligence were what intimidated others. They all recognized her as a superior in our school.

  When Carmen threw another energy ball at me, I moved out of the way and it slammed against the wall with a bang, then faded into smoke.

  “No matter what class you’re in, we all can form energy balls. All of us. So, why can’t you?” She threw another one. “What’s holding you back?”

  I froze. That was a good question. What was holding me back? I always just figured that something was wrong with me, but I could feel the energy in my chest. I knew that it was there. I just didn’t know how to use it.

  Carmen threw two more at me, trapping me in a corner. “I’m not watching you get collard. Artemis can’t have you.” She threw another one at my head, and I ducked. Getting hit with an energy ball could do some serious damage, so I was glad that the blow to my stomach didn’t break anything. “I want you to graduate, and I want you to be free. You’re family to me.” She threw another one but was so close that I didn’t have time to dodge, and it slammed into my shoulder, slamming me against the wall.

  “Carmen, stop,” I grunted.

  “Stop me with your own energy ball.”

  I wanted to be angry with her, but I couldn’t. She was just trying to help me. I understood that, but I still wanted her to stop. “I can’t!”

  “Yes, you can. Something’s holding you back, so I have to force it out of you. Stop me!” Carmen threw another one, hitting my other shoulder. “I can do this all day. If there’s a chance that this will help you, I will keep this going.” When she raised her palm again, I took that chance to go in for the tackle. It was all I could think of. Carmen, still energized, swiftly stepped out of the way and slammed the ball down in the center of my back as I lunged for her legs. I could tell that this one wasn’t as strong, because nothing in me cracked when I hit the floor. “You. Will. Pass. Leveling.”

  I rolled over to my back and stared up at her, seeing the love and sadness in her eyes. She was still trying to cope with losing Tristan for good. She was like a mother that had lost her child and was too afraid to lose another one.<
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  Carmen sighed and ran her fingers through her loose hair. “We’re done for today.” When she walked off, I slightly felt like a disappointment to her.

  I’ll do better next time…

  “You coming?” She sighed. “I’m not leaving you in here alone.”

  I rolled over and pushed myself onto my feet, relieved that she didn’t just leave me by myself. “Where are we going?”

  “Studying, I guess.” Carmen shrugged, now looking exasperated. “There’s nothing better to do around here.”

  For once, I dreaded studying. I wanted to go and ride my horse, Vexodus, or play soccer with the children from Soren’s village. Instead, I was stuck studying with Carmen, because she was right, there was nothing better to do around here. The rec. room wouldn’t be open until tomorrow, and even when it did open, I wouldn’t go there. Why would I want to be in a room full of people that hated me on my day off?

  I got to my feet and followed behind her through the halls, but then stopped. I could just go to bed early and, hopefully, end up in the Wild Lands. I could even practice jumping to other places. That actually sounded like something worth working on.

  Carmen slowed and looked at me over her shoulder. “Everything alright? I wasn’t trying to do any real damage.”

  I gave a nervous grin. “Everything’s fine. I’m just actually…a little tired.” I lied. “Do you mind if I just went to bed?” I wasn’t used to lying, which made my heart skip a beat, but apparently, I pulled it off well, because Carmen gave me a nod.

  “Sure, I’ll just be back to get you first thing in the morning so that we can get started on training again. Are you sure I didn’t hurt you?” Carmen’s worried expression made me smile. She always seemed to worry about me, which was okay, because someone had to.

  “No, I’m okay Carmen,” I chuckled. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Carmen watched me a moment longer, her eyes only flickering with disbelief. “Okay.” She nodded and walked away.