The Four Points: Book 1 (The Four Points Saga)

by J. J. Melvin

  “I like the rain,” both Liam and I said in unison.

  “Me too,” Sofia admitted, “but… I don’t like hundreds of muddy footprints during a party.”

  “Wait, hundreds Sofia? How many people did you invite?” I asked.

  “Well, I had to invite all the Diamonds and some friends of ours, plus people bring dates.”

  “I would have a date, if someone didn’t have a problem with just two extra people coming,” Jayson mumbled. Louder, he asked, “Who’s your date, Sofia?”

  “I don’t have a date,” Sofia replied. “Do I need one? You know the year is 2016; women can go to a party alone.”

  “Jeez, it was just a question. Why do you always have to jump down my throat?”

  Sofia leaned forward, ignoring Jayson. “The party starts at six p.m., so I will be in your room to do your hair and makeup at four, okay Erika?”

  “Sofia, two hours, do we really need that much time?”

  “Yes Erika, we do.”

  Chapter 22

  THE PARTY

  “Erika, I think you should wear your hair up. What do you think?”

  “Do whatever you want Sofia, you’re the expert.” A knock came at my door as I finished my sentence.

  “Erika, these are our stylists,” Sofia announced as two girls and a guy walked into the room carrying suitcases of supplies.

  “Wait, I thought you were doing my hair and makeup.”

  “Well I am, kinda. I’m going to tell them what to do.” Sofia sat in a chair next to me.

  For the next hour and a half, the three stylists worked tirelessly plucking, curling, and polishing every inch of my body. When they were done, they helped me carefully place my white dress over my perfectly positioned hair. I looked in the mirror and didn’t even recognize myself. I looked… beautiful.

  Sofia did as well. She came up to me handing me the diamond earrings Liam had given me for my birthday. I placed them on, and they sparkled brightly in the mirror.

  “I wish I had a diamond necklace that matched those earrings for you, Erika,” Sofia touched her bare collar bone. “A necklace would definitely round out the outfit. But other than that, I think you look perfect.”

  We thanked the stylists as they exited the room, then Sofia and I complimented each other. I usually hated parties, but I was excited for this one. I was excited for Liam to see me and I was excited to see him.

  Sofia left to put her finishing touches on in her room. I stared at the person in the mirror. Wow, what a difference a couple of months could make! I wondered if the past couple of months had made the change, or if the person in the mirror had always been there and I had just never noticed her before.

  It was six p.m. when Sofia came to get me. “Liam is waiting for you at the bottom of the stairs. Are you ready?” she asked.

  “Yes, I think so.” I pulled on my white gloves and positioned my mask.

  At the bottom of the winding stairs stood a handsome figure in a black and white tuxedo holding a single red rose. A thin black mask covered his eyes as he gazed up at me. I knew it was my Liam.

  White lights wound through the staircase banister, creating a dim soft glow. The light’s spark illuminated the perfect structure of Liam’s chiseled face. I was so utterly in love with this man. As I walked down the stairs, I could not take my eyes off him; everything and everyone else in the room disappeared. I walked directly into his arms, kissing him softly, cherishing the feel of his soft lips on mine.

  “I love you,” I whispered into his ear.

  “I love you too,” he whispered back. He held my hand and twirled me around. “You look like a princess. You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. You take my breath away every day.”

  I smiled, still not knowing how to accept a compliment.

  “Wait, something’s missing!”

  Liam’s words startled me. “What, what’s wrong?”

  Liam reached into his coat pocket and handed me another gift. “One last present.”

  “Liam, you’ve already done and given me so much.”

  “Please take it Erika, it’s the last one, I promise. Open it.”

  I opened the black velvet square box. Inside was a sparkling diamond necklace. The light from the banisters danced on the diamonds reflecting their prismatic glow onto the walls. Little flickers of light danced around like beautiful night stars. Everything was perfect, everything was right, yet the unnerving feeling of doom was always around.

  I knew Sofia had been involved as soon as I opened the gift. I looked to the top of the stairs where she still stood. She smiled as I gave her a look and silently mouthed the words, “Thank you.”

  Liam latched the necklace behind my neck and I thanked him again with a soft kiss on his cheek. I took his arm as we walked into the ballroom. It was early and people had just begun to arrive. The large room seemed empty at the moment.

  “My lady, may I have this dance?” Liam asked as he bowed and placed his hand out, requesting mine.

  “I, I can’t, I don’t know how.”

  “It’s okay, all you have to do is hold on to me and follow my lead. I won’t let you fall.” Liam was an amazing dancer and teacher. As we floated around the room, it became fuller and fuller. By the end of our dance the room was filled with over a hundred people.

  A masked man tapped Liam on the shoulder and asked in a British accent, “Dear sir, may I cut in?”

  Liam looked worried.

  “It’s just me dude, I’m not going to steal your girlfriend,” Jayson said in his normal voice. “But I could see how you would be scared. I do look pretty good tonight, don’t I?”

  “Ha ha, just make sure you give her back.” Liam kissed my cheek and walked away.

  Sofia was dancing nearby with a guy that I’d seen around campus.

  “Jayson, who’s dancing with Sofia?”

  “Oh that over there is Sir Maxwell, he is the rowing captain. I thought everyone knew him,” Jayson rolled his eyes.

  “A little jealous, are we?”

  “Maybe a little. Erika, I think our plan made Sofia hate me.”

  “Yeah, I was worried about that too,” I admitted. “But you can fix it, Jayson. Go cut in. Talk to her before it’s too late.”

  “No, I can’t. I think I am just going to have to give up on Sofia.”

  “Jayson, if you truly do like her, what’s it going to hurt to give it one last try? Don’t let someone else steal her tonight.”

  “You’re right, Erika!”

  Unfortunately, my pep talk worked a little too well. I was not prepared for what Jayson did next. I watched as Jayson walked over to Sofia, spun her around, dipped her, and then brought her up for a passionate kiss right on the dance floor. Sofia was stunned, and she slapped him hard across the face.

  I ran to where they were to stop Maxwell from punching Jayson. Jayson lifted his mask.

  “What did you do that for, Sofia?” Jayson was rubbing his already hand printed face.

  “Well dummy, you are wearing a mask. I didn’t know it was you.”

  “And if you did?” Jayson looked at Sofia with hope.

  “Then I would have done this,” Sofia grabbed Jayson, kissing him solidly on the lips.

  Everyone went back to dancing and poor Maxwell was left alone. I watched as he sadly walked away. Even though I felt bad for the man Sofia had left standing on the dancefloor, I was thrilled that Sofia and Jayson were finally together.

  I looked around for Liam, but he was nowhere in sight. A guy around my age walked up and introduced himself as Thomas and asked me to dance.

  “I’m sorry Thomas, but this dance and my girlfriend are spoken for.” Liam appeared out of nowhere and patted Thomas on the shoulder.

  “Liam, my man. I’m sorry, I didn’t know this was your girlfriend. A word of advice man, if I were you I wouldn’t leave such a pretty girl unattended for long.”

  “You are right Thomas, so right.” Liam took my hand and led me towards the fireplace. />
  “I leave you with Jayson and I find you flirting with other men?” Liam looked upset.

  “I wasn’t flirting, Liam.”

  “I know, calm down. I was just kidding. By the way, have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?” Liam leaned in, kissing my neck. I closed my eyes as chills ran through my body.

  “Liam, let’s leave. Let’s go upstairs. Do you want to?”

  “Tempting, very tempting my dear, but it’s your birthday. We have guests and we have cake.”

  He was right, and I was embarrassed that I had suggested it. Liam and I mingled. He introduced me to almost everyone there as his girlfriend. A lot of hearts were broken that night. I could read the minds of the other girls wondering who I was, where I was from, wondering how long we had been together and hoping we wouldn’t last. I tried to smile and be polite to those girls, but I couldn’t help being standoffish to the ones who were waiting for our relationship to fail.

  Everyone went home around midnight. Sofia, being as polite as she could, pushed the remaining stragglers from the house. I went to Liam’s room that night. After taking a shower and washing away the beautiful made-up girl that I was, I laid on the bed by Liam’s side.

  “You know Erika, I like you this way the best. No makeup, just you and your natural beauty.”

  Liam kissed me passionately. He was on top of me, kissing me with his full weight bearing against me. He pulled the strap down from my nightgown and started kissing my neck, my shoulders. Is this going to happen? Am I ready for this?

  “Erika, do you want me to stop?” Liam paused, his blue eyes peering deep into mine.

  “No, please don’t stop.”

  He continued to kiss me. I wanted more, and I could feel he wanted more too. He placed his hand under my shirt, heaving his body up and down.

  “Wait, wait, I’m sorry. I don’t think I’m ready. I want to, I really do, Liam. I’m just not ready.”

  Liam breathed heavily, exasperation in his eyes. “It’s okay Erika, I told you I can wait for as long as you want.”

  We continued to kiss for hours. At times I wanted more, but we kept our clothes on.

  “Erika okay, we have to stop. You are literally killing me, I want you so bad.”

  I agreed, and Liam went to take a cold shower. I fell asleep in his bed with the smell of his cologne all over my body.

  Chapter 23

  TRAINING RESUMES

  At breakfast Monday morning, we were all so tired from the party we begged Mr. Blithe to halt training for the day. He refused, but did concede to giving us an extra hour to rest.

  “I pondered this last night and I am putting some house rules in place. I’m not blind. I can see you guys have paired off into couples. So what that means is we now have to set some boundaries. No Point can be in another Point’s room after ten p.m., understood?”

  “Wait, that’s not fair, we are adults,” Sofia protested.

  “Yes Sofia, you are the oldest here. But Jayson is only eighteen and Erika is seventeen. That’s way too young for sleepovers,” Mr. Blithe said, calling my minor status out in front of everyone.

  “I think it’s actually a good idea,” Liam agreed.

  “Why do you think it’s a good idea, Liam?” I asked, annoyed.

  “Erika, Mr. Blithe’s right. You are really young,” Liam answered.

  “Whatever.” I threw my napkin down and ran up to my room. I knew what Liam was doing. I’d known it would happen. Liam was getting tired of me. I knew he was bound to leave me. Who cares? I don’t really care for him that much. I lied to myself.

  A few minutes later I heard knocking at my bedroom door.

  “Erika, let me in!” Liam said from the other side.

  “I’m busy!” I yelled back.

  “Erika, stop being a child. Let me in!”

  “I am a child, remember?”

  Liam unlocked the door. “I do have keys to every room in this house, Erika. What’s wrong with you? Why are you acting like this?”

  “In front of everyone you just made it clear that you don’t like spending time with me. Is it because of yesterday? Because I wouldn’t sleep with you?” I yelled.

  “Oh my silly Erika, it’s because I want to respect you. I can’t sleep in the same bed as you; it’s too hard. I don’t think we should complicate our relationship with sex, but it kills me to be that close to you. Do you have any idea how sexy you are?” Liam lifted up my chin. “It’s better this way. Then we both won’t be tempted. We have to keep our heads clear. How can I focus on the Collectors and my training if all I can think about is your body next to mine in my bed? It’s too much for a guy to handle. My mind has to be clear— both of ours do. We have to protect ourselves and the others. I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you. I would never forgive myself.”

  I knew he was right, and I put aside my unsubstantiated fears. I was getting so wrapped up in Liam I was forgetting why I was in England in the first place and what would happen if the Four Points failed, the lives that would be lost. Liam was being a responsible adult, and I had to be too.

  My day was primarily focused on mind control. Mr. Schwartz and I were making breakthroughs. I took over his mind and made him bark like a dog and quack like a duck, but I could only control his mind for a few seconds. He was pleased, though, that we were making some progress. I was getting better as the days went by and could control his mind longer and longer. The others found it funny when I had him doing cartwheels on the lawn.

  I practiced on all the teachers, seeing how many I could control at once. Day after day I was getting stronger. We all were. On Friday, Mr. Schwartz told me that next week we would focus solely on telekinesis.

  Friday night at dinner we were all so tired of training and had cabin fever from not being allowed to leave the castle.

  “Mr. Blithe,” Sofia pleaded, “we have to get out of this castle! We are all going to go crazy. Jayson and I want to go to Audrey’s to listen to music, can we go pllleeease?”

  “I don’t know Sofia, it’s dangerous.”

  “We will all go, together,” I said. “I’ve never been to Audrey’s. I wouldn’t mind getting out of this house too.”

  Liam and Jayson agreed, we all needed a break.

  “Okay, but… just for a few hours, and you guys all have to promise to stay together.”

  We agreed.

  Audrey’s was a cool, dim, little English coffee house. The smell of coffee permeated my senses the moment we walked through the door. Sofia and I made ourselves comfortable on a beige sofa while Liam and Jayson sat in chairs across from us. The boys turned their seats to get a better view of the acoustic folk guitar player. We were all able to forget our duties to the world, and for just one night we were regular young kids.

  “Hey Erika, I need to go to the bathroom,” Sofia stood up. “Wanna go?”

  “No, I’m good, I don’t have to go.”

  “K, I’ll be back in a sec then.”

  As Sofia walked away, an eerie feeling came over me, a nervous feeling. I chalked it up to having too much coffee. The jittery sensation was possibly caffeine overload, but it also felt like the same kind of premonition you get when something bad is going to happen. Why didn’t I go with her to the bathroom?

  I was getting nervous; Sofia was taking a long time. I excused myself to check on her. I searched the restroom, but she wasn’t there. Instead of going back to the table, a force beckoned me to the back door through an area that was marked Employees Only.

  The door squeaked as I hesitantly pushed it open. Before me stood a large, familiar man holding Sofia by her throat. Sofia’s feet kicked the air as she struggled to gain her freedom. Her hands looked tiny clawing at the big man’s hands that encircled her throat. I hesitated for a moment, realizing I had seen the man before in Riverton Park. He looked at me with the same eyes that had been fixated on me by the river.

  “Adhira, finally. A diamond in the rough.”

  The same feeling of déjà vu
saturated my senses. It was similar to the way I felt when I met a Diamond. Staring at the Collector in front of me, the Collector who held Sofia’s life in his hands, I couldn’t help feeling an odd connection. I felt as if I knew him. I shook my head to rid myself of the weird friendly feeling I had towards the man who was trying to kill Sofia.

  I looked at a trash can lid to the left of me, willing it to move. I watched it fly through the air colliding with the Collector’s head. A crunch sounded as it connected with the side of his temple. He dropped Sofia. His deep black eyes looked into mine. I tried to control his mind, but I kept hearing screams.

  “Help me! Help me, please.”

  I was confused. Who was it? Who was screaming? Where was the voice coming from? It sounded like it was coming from the Collector himself. He started walking slowly towards me. It was pouring rain, and Sofia used that to our advantage. She stood up and made a tornado of water that engulfed the Collector, pushing him away from me. He walked through the wall of water and went after Sofia again. I ran towards him, kicking him in the stomach using all the training Mrs. Kwan, Mr. Blithe and Mr. Vijack had taught me. Sofia and I surrounded the man and took turns hitting and kicking him, but nothing seemed to faze him.

  He grabbed Sofia with his left arm, me with his right. He loosened his grip on me, almost being gentle with me as he held both of us against a brick wall. Rain dripped from his eyelashes as his piercing eyes searched mine. “Adhira?”

  Something inside me responded, but it didn’t feel like the voice came from me even though I knew it had. “Erebus.” Upon hearing that name, he dropped both Sofia and I. He stared at me in disbelief, his eyes and expression softening.

  “Erika, we have to kill him!” Sofia ran towards the Collector and he grabbed her once again. This time he brought her close to his face as if to kiss her, but instead of a kiss he started to breathe in. Sofia gasped for air, the Collector was sucking out Sofia’s soul.

  I looked around for a weapon, anything I could use. I noticed a mop laying against a wall. I ran to the mop and broke it against the wall, then closed my eyes and threw it like a spear, picturing it plunging into the heart of the Collector.