Fly: A PORTAL Chronicles Novel (The PORTAL Chronicles)

by Melissa Aden

  “Well, Dio remains more powerful, yet Divaldo is still arrogant enough to think he can outsmart, outmaneuver, and overpower Dio. But thankfully for us, Lucian doesn’t have the power to create or restore, leaving his original followers from Alethia awfully tattered after all this time. Our world gets the ideas of ghosts, goblins, and zombies from them. At PORTAL, we simply refer to them as demons.”

  “They sound useless,” I said.

  “Don’t underestimate them,” Everett warned. “Where demons lack in looks and strength, they’ve made up for in craftiness. They have full authority to effect or possess any human not following Dio. Inducting and deceiving humans is a major way Divaldo accomplishes his work.”

  “I always thought that was a hoax to scare people.” I shuddered at the thought of an evil spirit using my body as its host and not being able to do anything about it. “That’s awful.”

  “It is.” A horrified look came over Everett. “I’ve seen the effects of possession. It’s very destructive. But Dio offers protection to his followers, meaning no evil thing can touch you unless you give it permission to. These are all concepts you must become familiar with since you are a Seer. We’ve never had a Seer at PORTAL before, but I suspect it means you’ll have the power to see the spiritual realm, like angels and demons, which is something humans can’t normally do.

  “One of the major things demons have going for them is that people can’t see them, leaving many ignorant of their existence and presence. But when you see them, you’ll be able to alert PORTAL to what they’re doing, helping the agency stop them in their tracks.”

  “So I could quite possibly be the only one on Earth who can see demons and other spiritual things,” I mused. It seemed like a huge responsibility for a teenage girl with no past experience in spiritual dealings.

  Everett noticed me fretting. “Yes, but don’t worry. You can trust Dio,” he said, gently grabbing my hand. “When you are awakened, he will give you many gifts, but also prepare you, showing you how to use them.”

  I processed this in silence for a while before asking, “What is it like to be awakened? It sounds scary.”

  “No, it’s great!” Everett said, lighting up. “But it’s different for everyone, so I can’t exactly say.”

  “Then, how was it for you?”

  “I can’t even explain it. Most people can’t. Like with attempting to describe Dio, there aren’t words for the things you see or feel in his presence.”

  “Can you try?” I asked, desperate.

  Everett must have sensed how important it was to me, for he closed his eyes and concentrated. “It was like… warm fuzzies.”

  “Warm fuzzies?” I laughed at how ridiculous it sounded coming from his mouth.

  “Well, what is the feeling you get here at the portal?”

  I closed my eyes and concentrated on the feeling, only then realizing what he meant. There were no words for it. It was hard to describe. Merely focusing on how good I felt brought tears to my eyes.

  “Wholeness and happiness like I’ve never known,” I whispered, feeling a tear fall down my cheek. “Contentment, like nothing is wrong or can get me down, and acceptance, like I can just be and that’s enough.”

  “What else?” Everett asked, wiping my tear away.

  “Peace,” I smiled, opening my eyes. “Peace like I haven’t felt since before Mom died.”

  Everett nodded. “All the result of lingering in Dio’s presence. Now, being awakened is like that, but multiplied a hundred times.”

  “I don’t think I could take it. My body would explode into a million happy bubbles.”

  Everett laughed. “I know it sounds overwhelming, but it’s really not. The more intense version is just as pleasant as how you feel now, yet more healing and long lasting. It’s sort of like… how a flower thrives on sunlight. All beings created by Dio thrive on the love he gives them. It nourishes and fills a void within us, giving us supernatural energy and power. What you feel now in this portal is only a taste, but when you’re actually in front of Dio himself, it’s… ” He shrugged with awe in his eyes, his mouth silently working. Tears formed in his eyes, revealing just how very moved his experience with Dio had left him.

  “Indescribable? Unfathomable? Unexplainable? I see a running theme emerging.”

  Everett nodded. “Dio is constant and true, the same yesterday, today, and forever, so you’ll find lots of running themes with him. He never changes.”

  “So he’s real,” I confirmed, moved by the fervor with which Everett spoke.

  “Yes. And greater than anything you could ever imagine.”

  Chapter 34

  Walk Away

  “Everett!” Sophie was understandably surprised to see me standing at her front door. “What are you doing here so early? The sun is hardly up.”

  Without a word, I hugged her, our dream from the night replaying in my head. I just needed to feel her in my arms, to know she was safe. But instead of hugging me back, she pushed away, leaving me standing in the doorway. I let it go, knowing she’d had a rough night.

  To my knowledge, she hadn’t shared her dreams about the giant with anyone or put two and two together that I was having them too, though she had noticed me there the past couple nights. Being in the dream but unable to protect her while an angry giant pummeled her was agonizing enough. I could only imagine how tortured she felt, forced to endure the brutal beatings night after night.

  “I had a bad dream about you,” I hinted, sitting on her couch beside her. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

  “A bad dream?” Recognition registered in her eyes.

  “Yeah. You too?” I fished.

  She yawned. “You can’t have dreams if you don’t go to sleep to begin with.”

  She lied. I knew she had slept, though only briefly. Her dream of the giant was scarier than before because now, he reached her. Picking her up, the giant repeatedly threw her to the ground with bone crushing force while she struggled to escape, her pained eyes begging, Do something. Help me. Please! But I was rooted in place, unable to save her.

  “You seemed troubled after leaving the portal last night. I should have stayed with you. What kept you up?” I asked. Refusing to meet my gaze, she wrapped herself in a blanket, protectively pulling her legs to her chest like she so often did. “Don’t shut me out. Talk to me,” I coaxed, pulling her feet onto my lap.

  “I understandably have a big decision to make and a lot to think about,” she shrugged. “I thought visiting the portal and learning more about Dio would help with my decision, but instead, it opened Pandora’s Box.”

  “Take one thing at a time, Sophie. There’s no rush,” I assured her.

  “Yeah, we’re just racing against the clock of my impending demise!”

  “Impending demise?” I faked a laugh, desperate to lighten the mood.

  “I’m not trying to be funny,” she snapped.

  I didn’t like where this was going. I stood. “I take it that’s your low blood sugar talking.”

  “Not again!” Sophie rolled her eyes.

  I smiled, remembering my blunder of mentioning too much that first night with her. “You’ll see things differently after you eat and get some sleep. I’ll make you breakfast and then you can take a nap.”

  “No. I don’t want to sleep and, besides, you look like you have somewhere to be. You’re all dressed up.”

  Undeterred, I continued to the kitchen and got out a pan. “Consider my plans officially canceled. I’m right where I need to be.” I was supposed to meet my parents for breakfast, but they would have to do without a referee for once.

  Sophie lay on the couch with a huff, and I got to work, soon returning with a glass of orange juice and a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, and freshly cut strawberries.

  “Thanks, but I’m not hungry,” she said.

  “I prepared it exactly how you like. Scrambled eggs, fluffy but slightly overdone, and bacon, extra crispy.”

  “Stop doing
that!” she chided.

  “Doing what?” I could disarm complex bombs and security systems with the best of them, but deciphering Sophie was another story.

  “Stop coddling me. I’m not a child.”

  I anxiously munched a piece of bacon. “What is this about?”

  “I’m onto you,” she said. “I know you’ve been sent here to coerce me.”

  It was all I could do not to choke. “Coerce you?” I tried not to smile.

  “Yes. How else do you explain randomly showing up looking so nice and smelling amazing before making me breakfast how I like?”

  She thinks I look nice. She thinks I smell good. I rush went through me. “I was worried about you. I want to help.”

  Judging from how she glared at me, I could imagine her thinking, Like you helped me in my dream last night? I hoped she didn’t think my lack of aid in her dream was a foreshadowing of reality.

  “To help force me into PORTAL’s ranks in order to save the world from Divaldo based on a whim from my late mother,” she said under her breath. “But if they think a handsome boy is all it takes to win me over, they’ve got another thing coming.” She folded her arms over her chest. “You may not be able to do that hypnotization thingy with your eyes like Hagen could, but I’m starting to realize you two are more alike than I thought.”

  I balked, reaching my limit. Being compared to Hagen Dibrom did not sit well with me. “Is that what you honestly think?”

  She glared at me and spooned a huge bite of eggs into her mouth before sulking again.

  “Sophie, if I were trying to coerce you, trust that you wouldn’t know it, and I wouldn’t need Hagen’s stupid hypnotizing powers to get you to do what I want. But I’m not trying to coerce you, nor would I ever date you just to manipulate you like Hagen did. I care about you too much to do that.”

  In fact, I think I’m in love with you. Like so many times before, I stopped short, holding my tongue.

  Sophie burst into tears.

  “Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!” I pulled her into me, hugging her close. “What is up with you? I must say, I am so confused right now.”

  “That makes two of us,” she whimpered. “Though he sounds so wonderful, I don’t think I can serve Dio.”

  “What?” I leaned back to look at her. “Why would you want to serve Divaldo?”

  The thought seemed to shock her. “I don’t. Why would I serve someone who’s trying to kill me?”

  “Beats me. Why would you?” I replied darkly. “There’s no grey area. It’s black and white. You’re either a follower of Dio or you default to Divaldo’s side. Dio gives clarity and truth while Divaldo blinds those under his control to overlook the truth.”

  Sophie frowned. “I definitely don’t have clarity, so do you think Divaldo is blinding me now?”

  “Possibly.” I’d tried to shield her from the severity of the truth, but knew it couldn’t hurt to unleash its full force on her now. If she was serious about choosing Divaldo, she’d be up against much worse. “Once you choose Dio, he’ll be allowed to fully protect you and you’ll be unstoppable, but until that happens, you’re susceptible to Divaldo’s control.”

  “Well, I don’t know if I’m thinking this way because of Divaldo’s influence or not, but I don’t believe I’m the one talked about in the prophecy. I can’t be,” Sophie said, hanging her head.

  “I believe you’re the one,” I said, hoping she heard the confidence in my voice. “And the beauty of working for Dio is that he created you and knows you so well that he’d never give you a task he knows you’re not ready for. He supernaturally empowers you to achieve the supernatural goal he’s given you, so it doesn’t matter if you feel sufficient or ready because he doesn’t ask you to move through your power or ability but his.”

  “That’s great and all, but if I am the one, why don’t I believe it? Why do I feeling so torn?” she asked, tearing up again.

  It broke my heart to see her so lost and confused. The decision was clearly weighing heavily on her.

  “You’re thinking too small. Don’t you think Divaldo has realized he’s made a huge mistake by going up against Dio? Instead of outshining Dio, Divaldo has only added to Dio’s fame, providing opportunities for him to save the day and turn bad situations around for good. So Divaldo is going out of his way to confuse and violate you because he knows you’re still fair game. It’s his last chance. You’re the game changer, and if he can’t kill you, he’ll get you to doubt Dio and your destiny so you never do anything to change the game. Choose Dio already and end this madness.”

  Sophie crossed her arms. “I thought you said there’s no rush.”

  I sighed, making no attempt to hide my aggravation. “There isn’t, but on a purely selfish note, I’m sick of feeling powerless against what Divaldo is doing to you. He has you so sidetracked with inconsequential details that you’re totally overlooking the bigger truth all around you.” I grabbed her hand, praying she’d grasp the graveness of the situation. “Sophie, I don’t want you to become a casualty of Divaldo’s manipulation. I want to see Dio’s gifts and powers manifested in you, for you to experience the joy and fulfillment that comes with becoming all he created you to be. You’ve been kept in hiding since you were four months old, Sophie. There comes a time when you finally stop running and choose to fight!”

  “Yeah, but… maybe we’re giving Dio and Divaldo a little too much credit,” she said. “Maybe I’m coming up with the doubt and fear.”

  “Do you not remember anything we discussed last night? Angels and demons? Even though we can’t see it, the spiritual realm around us still affects us. The fight over this world is not visible to us, but it’s ongoing around us every day.”

  “That’s a scary thought.” Sophie buried her head in a pillow.

  “Choose Dio’s side and you’ll be protected and have nothing to fear.”

  “See, you are trying to coerce me.”

  It was clear she wasn’t getting the seriousness of the situation. Feeling utterly depleted, I spoke so quietly I could hardly hear myself. “No, I just want to know you’re safe. I don’t know what I’d do if Divaldo hurt you, and if you wait much longer, he might get to you before you choose.”

  “Then it makes sense for me to serve Divaldo. Maybe he won’t kill me if I choose him,” Sophie replied.

  I put my head in my hands, shocked at the pure nonsense coming from Sophie’s mouth. It was clear Divaldo had her thoroughly deceived. I would have given anything to be a Seer like Sophie then, to see the demons whispering lies into her ears.

  “Maybe Divaldo won’t kill you in the literal sense,” I agreed, “but if you serve him — or even your own ambitions — you won’t be fulfilling your purpose, which is a long, slow death all the same.”

  “Ugh!” Sophie lay back on the couch. “It’s the same thing again and again. My purpose and destiny. I don’t want my purpose determined by a stupid prophecy. I want to decide what my purpose is for myself.”

  I was exasperated. “Sophie, most people search their entire lives for their destiny and, if they even find it at all, have a limited number of years to fulfill it. You’ve been given such a gift by knowing what it is, yet you question it. This little trip you’re on is only going to lead you right back to your mother’s prophecy, because it’s true! You are the one!”

  “If so, that’s great, but I need to find out for myself.”

  I panicked, realizing this might be the moment I lose Sophie forever. I had pictured coming to her dorm to console her and to possibly even share my feelings with her, but never did I think we’d be discussing her not serving Dio. I honestly had never even considered it as a viable option, but once she made her decision, there was nothing I could do.

  “Sophie, don’t say that!” I begged. “The moment you officially denounce Dio, I can’t protect you anymore. Be careful what you say.”

  Sophie looked alarmed. “I haven’t thought about what things would be like if I didn’t have your or Dio’s protection
,” she said. “But even though I believe Dio is real, I don’t know if I can trust him. Not with the constant suspicion that he used Mom as a pawn in the back of my head. Not with the paranoia of whether he’ll do the same to me.”

  “Sophie!” I choked back a cry. I couldn’t believe this was happening. “Give Dio a chance. Don’t do this!”

  “And even if the prophecy is about me, I don’t want the destiny that comes with it. I want to be a normal girl who goes to a normal high school who maybe even has a normal boyfriend, Everett. That’s it. No death threats, cryptic prophecies, underground agencies, or voices in my head. And no secret agents watching my back, either. I want an ordinary life, and I can’t have that with Dio.”

  I opened my mouth to speak, to dissuade her, to convince her she’d never be normal and would forever be Dio’s chosen, but there were no more words to be said. Oddly enough, I understood her reasoning — related to it, even — and the only remedy to her rebellion was what she suggested: taking the long route and figuring things out the hard way on her own. I just hoped she survived the process.

  My heart fell as I realized the giant dream was possibly foreshadowing after all, for my worst nightmare had become reality. Sophie was being beat down by doubt and fear and — my authority taken away — there wasn’t a thing I could do about it.

  “I’ll miss you,” I whispered.

  “Don’t say that,” Sophie said, trembling. “We’ll see each other around.”

  I shook my head knowing the truth, knowing she knew it too.

  “No. Don’t go,” she cried, grabbing my hand and squeezing it tight.

  I looked Sophie straight in the eyes, wiping a tear from her cheek. “I sincerely wish you all the best in your life. I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

  Sophie stared at me with a broken expression, tears falling faster now. I longed to kiss her, hug her, tell her everything was going to be okay, but she was no longer mine to console, love, or protect.

  The only thing I could do was walk away.