Fly: A PORTAL Chronicles Novel (The PORTAL Chronicles)

by Melissa Aden

  “What are you thinking?” Everett asked, watching me with his ridiculously luscious green eyes. “Let me in.”

  I wondered if the concerned look he gave me was a persuasive tactic he’d mastered in agency training. Persuade it did, infuriating me enough to want to claw his pretty eyes out. “No thanks. I’ve embarrassed myself enough tonight,” I blurted. Knowing that melting down and spewing passive aggressive comments wasn’t productive, I willed myself to get back on track. “So, who is it that wants to hurt me?”

  “Kill you.”

  “What?” I asked, startled.

  “He doesn’t want to hurt you. He wants you dead. There’s a big difference.”

  Something about Everett’s tone sent shivers down my spine. “Fine. Who?”

  “Will you stop pacing and sit down? You’re making me nervous.”

  “No, because I am nervous,” I shot back. “Answer the question.”

  “Lucian Divaldo. He is very powerful and, unfortunately, has been at odds with PORTAL from the beginning. Long story short, it was prophesied that you have special gifts that will help PORTAL conquer him. Because of this, Divaldo has been after you your entire life, explaining why your family has moved so much. He even placed Hagen at Brightman to woo you into working for him. Since that failed, he’s reverted back to trying to kill you, issuing a death warrant for you.”

  The news came like an icy shower, chilling me to the bone. Someone very powerful wanted me dead. It was a hard concept to wrap my mind around.

  “Is that why Hagen chased after us tonight by the Chinese restaurant? To kill me? If so, then why didn’t he do it earlier at my dorm, or even earlier than that during our date tonight? Or during the countless other times we’ve hung out?”

  “There’s no telling what was going through Hagen’s head tonight, but it wasn’t fueled by Divaldo’s orders. Divaldo is a cruel boss. Once you fail a mission for him, you’re as good as dead. Maybe that pressure is what has caused Hagen to unravel lately. Those claw marks you saw on his neck this week weren’t nothing. He raped and killed a young bar waitress earlier this week and now, he’s cut a PORTAL agent’s neck. It’s a strange theory, but he screwed up wooing you, so maybe he’s trying to win back Divaldo’s favor by committing a bunch of ruthless acts.”

  Feeling very small, I finally relented and sat on my bed, again folding my legs to my chest. “So PORTAL was trying to catch Hagen tonight?”

  “Yeah. The plan was to capture and interrogate him.”

  “And I foiled the whole thing and now Hagen is free to harm more people,” I said, burying my face in my knees. “I’m so sorry, Everett. I didn’t know what was going on with PORTAL and all, but that’s no excuse for how I acted. I should have listened to you. Now I’ve put us in even more danger.”

  “Don’t say that,” Everett said. “It’s my fault.” I looked up, surprised. “On the drive back to Brightman, all I could think about was how stupid I was for not telling you any of this sooner. You’re not to blame for any of it. Jenny’s blood is on my hands. The whole thing is my fault.” He looked down, running his fingers through his hair. “This entire night was doomed from the start.”

  “How so?”

  “Well, it’s also my fault we were near Hagen tonight. I didn’t check in to see where he’d ended up. I assumed he was at JB’s, a favorite bar of his. If I’d have known, I would’ve never suggested eating at that Chinese restaurant.” He looked up at me. “I was trying to get your mind off him, yet almost got you killed by him in the process.”

  I liked this side of him, vulnerable and open. It melted the icy walls that were starting to form. “Yeah, but look what it led to. I’m finding all the answers I’ve been looking for. Since I came here — or even before that — I’ve suspected there were pieces of the puzzle that I didn’t know. Moving all over kingdom come with Dad. Unexpectedly getting shipped off to Brightman. You have no idea how great it feels to have my suspicions validated.”

  “Actually, I know full well how it feels,” he said, lying on Andy’s bed. “Thanks for saying that. I feel a little better knowing what it means for you.”

  Pulling my science sheets up around me, I lay on my back and allowed the information pooling around me to soak in as I rested my tired eyes. I was nearly waterlogged and entertaining the notion of sleep when a random thought struck me.

  “You mentioned Divaldo wants to hurt me because of some prophecy?”

  “Kill you,” Everett mumbled. I shot him a sharp glare and he laughed. “Yes. It’s all because of the prophecy your mom got.”

  “My mom?” I sat up, suddenly feeling reenergized.

  “Ugh! I keep forgetting they didn’t tell you anything.”

  Everett shot me a sympathetic look that was rather brotherly. I didn’t like it. If only there was an off switch for the feelings I had for him. If only feelings worked like that.

  Rolling on his side, Everett propped his head on his hand. “PORTAL is governed by Dio. Your mom was very close to him and he told her a great many things. In fact, that was her job. Since she was one of the only ones Dio spoke to, she worked for PORTAL as a Sayer, relaying his messages to the rest of the agency.”

  “Why would Dio only talk to Mom?”

  “I don’t know and have wondered that myself,” Everett mused, cocking his head to the side. “I guess you can ask him yourself since you supposedly have the same gift.”

  “Really?” I immediately pictured myself in an enormous, cold office at PORTAL headquarters frantically jotting down notes as a frightening, shadowy figure dictated at length. The task sounded rather stressful. “What kinds of things do you think Dio would tell me?”

  “Well, Divaldo is Dio’s worst enemy. They’re polar opposites. Divaldo is selfish and all about world domination while Dio is about restoration and fulfilling the people who serve him, so, in the past, Dio’s messages have always been about giving PORTAL insight on what Divaldo’s next moves will be and how to prepare and protect ourselves.”

  “He sounds kind of nice. Not at all like what I was imagining,” I admitted.

  “Yeah, the more I learn about him, the more I surrender trying to wrap my head around him. He’s sort of unfathomable.”

  I didn’t quite understand what Everett meant, but didn’t think much of it. “What sort of things did Dio tell my mom?”

  “Well, that’s the cool part.” Everett sat up, suddenly excited. “Usually, Dio’s messages were defensive, but when he gave your mom the prophecy about you, it was the first time in a long time he gave PORTAL an offensive strategy to defeat Divaldo in the future.”

  “So what? Like I’m some raging warrior destined to save the day?” I joked.

  “Pretty much,” Everett nodded.

  I was tempted to laugh, but the seriousness on Everett’s face stopped me short. I’d read countless books about knights in shining armor who saved the day, but that wasn’t me. First off, warriors were always male. Secondly, what could Dio want with a clumsy, socially-awkward, seventeen-year-old book worm like me?

  “What exactly did the prophecy say?” I asked.

  “Well… ” Everett looked around the room. Finding Andy’s laptop, he navigated to a web site and began to read.

  “The part about you goes:

  From the mouth of a babe,

  The world will be saved.

  Sired by priest, mothered by prophet,

  Divine wisdom, I will give,

  To the priest’s precious poppet,

  Do not doubt or procrastinate,

  The wisdom she’ll give

  Or it might be too late.

  I will gift her, and lead her,

  and show her the way. A Seer, Heeder,

  Sayer will keep the enemy at bay.

  My strategies, my insight,

  My strength of will and mind,

  Will sustain and carry her

  Into my Power’s great light.

  If all that I tell her is directly obeyed,

  In
the days to come,

  Defeat will be staved.

  I sat beside Everett on the bed. I read the prophecy again and again. It was just as I suspected. “They have the wrong girl. It could honestly be about anyone. How did Mom know this is about me?”

  “I don’t know,” Everett shrugged. He lit up. “But I know someone who will.”

  “Who?”

  “My mom. She was best friends with your mom.”

  I gasped and went back to my bed without another word to lie down. It was such a crazy thought, our moms being best friends. I stared at the ceiling, willing my brain to keep working.

  “Are you okay?” Everett asked.

  “Mmm-hmm. It’s just a lot,” I whispered, dazed.

  “I know. I wish there was a better way to tell you everything.” He laughed lightly to himself. “You know, I’ve spent countless nights trying to figure out how to tell you and when I’d tell you, but after what happened tonight, all my plans went out the window. I guess it happened how it was supposed to.”

  I nodded, my eyes not leaving the ceiling. “Is there much more?”

  “No. You endured the brunt of it tonight.”

  “You did well. Thank you… so much.”

  “You’re welcome,” he replied. I could feel him watching me for a time before he asked, “Time to call it a night?” I didn’t answer and Everett turned out the lights. “Sweet dreams, Sophie.”

  “Good night.”

  Despite my immense exhaustion, I was wired, and lay awake trying desperately to process the shock of information inundating me, as well as the fears and worries that came with a night like this one. Sleep still evaded me by the time the first rays of morning’s light peeked between the metal panels covering the windows. About that time, Everett’s heavy breathing subsided and he rustled in his bed.

  “You’re not sleeping.” I heard him say.

  “No. I can’t.”

  Without another word, he got up and came to my bedside. “Roll over.” I did so and he lay on top of my sheets, draping a blanket from Andy’s bed across him. Securely resting his arm on me, he whispered into my neck, “You’re safe. I’m right here. Now rest.”

  That was somehow all I needed, and I surrendered to sleep, fluidly slipping into the world of my dreams.

  Chapter 29

  The Meeting

  It took me a moment to come to. My dream had been so vivid it stuck fast in my mind, distorting my reality and evading my reasoning.

  I’d had the same dream about the giant as the day I’d arrived at Brightman, yet this time, Everett was there. I could see him off in the distance, watching me but not helping as the giant chased me, slowly getting closer and closer. It boggled me why he didn’t come to my aid. Wasn’t he my protector? I wondered what it meant, but figured he was in my dream simply because he’d slept beside me this morning. Or was that a dream too? My stomach fluttered at the thought of it.

  I opened my eyes, blinking as they adjusted. Everett had rescinded the safe room paneling as I slept, allowing the full light of morning to spill through the windows. Then he came into view and reality rushed my cognizance like a tidal wave. PORTAL. Agents. Parents. Lies. Hagen. Divaldo. Prophecy. Dio. My head suddenly ached.

  Everett smiled. “Morning! Breakfast is almost ready.” He stood beside the steaming electric kettle, rationing peaches from a can into two bowls. “Sleep good?” he asked. I nodded. “Hungry?”

  “Mmm-hmm.” After the mental calisthenics from last night, I appreciated Everett’s simple questions. It was all my head could handle.

  Carefully balancing four bowls and two cups in his hands and arms, Everett walked to me.

  “Thanks,” I said, grabbing a bowl of oatmeal and a bowl of peaches from him. He set my tea on the nightstand between our beds. The sweet aroma of brown sugar revived my stomach. “This whole knowing-Sophie’s-favorites thing is getting a little weird,” I admitted, taking a heaping bite.

  “What do you mean?”

  “This flavor of instant oatmeal is my favorite.”

  “I honestly didn’t know that, but I’ll put it in the bank for next time,” Everett said, tapping his head. “I chose it because I like it, so now you know one of my favorites.”

  “Oh!” I felt silly for being so presumptuous. Everett was assigned to protect me, not to memorize everything about me and ensure my utmost comfort. But then, why did he? Why had he so far? “Why are you so big on knowing my favorites?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I know it’s your job to know things about me, but don’t you think learning my favorite things is a bit extensive?”

  “Yeah, but I can’t help getting to know intimate details about you when I’ve been around for six months.”

  The comment made me congeal a little, but after so caringly lying in bed with me this morning, I was starting to suspect he wasn’t being totally honest. He was the one who had urged me to trust my instinct, and it was telling me not to buy his “just doing my job” song and dance.

  “You make it sound like a dating relationship,” I vexed.

  He unleashed the full force of his green eyes on me, admitting, “It does feel that way, sometimes. I’ve never had time for a girlfriend, but it’s similar to what I’d liken it to.” He laughed to himself. “Except it’s one sided.”

  I smiled as a seed of hope took root and grew. “Until now,” I added.

  He held my gaze for a time before squirming uncomfortably and changing the subject. “Want to go for a walk with me? There’s something I’d like to show you that I think you’ll find helpful.”

  “Ummm… it’s freezing outside… but sure?”

  Everett laughed. “Come on. Some fresh air would do us both some good.

  “Is it safe?”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”

  He said it so confidently that I believed him. “Okay.”

  The more Everett opened up to me and was himself, the more I liked him. I wanted more of this version of him. “I like this new, more-transparent side of you,” I admitted.

  “Yeah?” I nodded and Everett smiled. “I like it, too.”

  Even though Everett’s cover to get us out of the Chinese restaurant was bogus, a freak snowstorm had whipped through the area after all, leaving a fresh dusting of snow and clear, blue skies in its wake. Everett and I walked across Brightman’s campus, admiring how the snow sparkled in the early morning sunlight. This and the warmth of the rays made the frigid air tolerable.

  “Are you sure this is safe?” I asked, scanning the empty campus as we walked. After the revelations from the night before, I was rightfully on edge.

  “Trust me. I won’t let anything bad happen to you,” Everett said, putting his arm through mine and pulling me close.

  The gesture reminded me of how he’d held me as I fell asleep and I again found myself marveling at the sudden confidence with which he moved about me. He was somehow lighter and freer — more comfortable in his skin. Heart fluttering, I relished the moment knowing Everett’s tendency to shut me out at a moment’s notice.

  “Which reminds me, I never thanked you for this morning,” I quietly said.

  He somehow knew exactly what I was referring to and nodded. “When I lost Benson, I couldn’t sleep for weeks. I figured that after all the shocking news I’d given you, it couldn’t hurt.”

  “Well, you were right. It was exactly what I needed and it was really sweet of you.” I swore I saw his cheeks brighten just so. “So, where are we going? I can’t feel my face anymore.”

  “Only a little further,” he answered, looking down into my eyes. The sun brought out the most amazing golds and greens in his.

  “Define ‘a little further.’”

  “It’s a surprise — one of my favorite places.”

  “I think I’ve had enough surprises lately.” Everett shot me a wary look. “Fine. I’ll humor you, but at least tell me what that’s for?” I asked, gesturing to the red blanket he carried.

>   “I’m trying to create a moving target so Divaldo’s thugs can easily find us.”

  “Ugh! You’re killing me,” I moaned. Everett pushed away from me with a disapproving look. It took me a moment to realize what I’d said. “Sorry. You’re annoying me.”

  “Better. Come on,” he smiled. Taking my gloved hand in his, he led me off trail through a tangle of snow-covered trees. We soon came out into a circular clearing.

  “Oh, Everett!” I gasped, scanning the plain of pure white before us.

  “This is one of my favorite places in the spring and summer. You can’t see it because of all the snow, but there’s a pond in the center and flowers grow all around it,” he pointed out. I could see how the land gradually sloped down towards the middle, where a small, flat patch was. “This place isn’t visible from Brightman, so not a lot of people know about it.”

  Leading us to a lone wrought iron bench, Everett dusted the snow from it before draping the blanket over it. I felt like I was inside a postcard: nothing but us sitting on a beautiful bench with a pop of red blanket and glistening white snow in every direction.

  Everett rested his arm on the bench behind me and I leaned into him, my head resting on his arm. I was completely content in this moment with him, savoring the beautiful scenery and the sun’s warmth on my face.

  “Is this all you have planned?” I eventually asked.

  “No. Though I must admit I’m enjoying myself.”

  My eyes were shut, but I swore he snuck a smell of my hair just then. I sat forward and looked at him. “Me too. In all my world travels, I’ve never seen such a gorgeous view.”