Elysium's Love Triangle

by Aoife Metcalfe

  I honestly can’t believe that she was part of me.

  She meant her threat too. I know her. She is me after all.

  The lights around me all turn blue.

  Out of the corner of my eye I see Daniel.

  I run into his arms without thinking.

  “Are you dead?” I ask, sincerely hoping that he isn’t.

  It’s a bizarre first question.

  Still, he answers, “Nope. The me you see before you now is just a projection of my soul . . . It’s kind of complicated. Best not to think about it too much.”

  I get the sense that it is time for me to make my decision.

  This theory is proven right when Greg appears to my left.

  I pull away from Daniel, slightly.

  “Hi Katy,” Greg says warmly. He isn’t as pleased with the rest of the company, “Hi Daniel.”

  Daniel looks uneasily at him, “Why don’t you just tell her the truth. Don’t you think you’ve been lying for long enough?”

  Greg says that he will tell me the truth.

  He says that Daniel completely changes when I’m around. All of what I know about him is a complete act.

  When it’s just the two of them Daniel is pretty much a complete psycho. I wouldn’t even believe the things he has said to him. On the first day at school he told him that he would kill him in his sleep.

  Daniel accuses him of being a liar. He says that Greg is the one who completely changes when I’m not around.

  They begin arguing this point.

  I know one thing. What Greg is saying must be the truth about one of them. One of them is acting. One of them is completely evil, and extremely good at hiding it.

  I just have no idea which.

  Greg takes my hands and looks into my eyes, “Katy, you’ve know me all your life. You’ve only know him for a few days. Surely you know that I’m the one you can trust.”

  He really does have very pretty eyes. Once again I get just a little bit lost in them as he runs his hand through my hair.

  “Go on,” he says softly, “choose me.”

  I’ve always had a problem saying no to him.

  “Don’t do that, Katy,” Daniel says. “Believe me, you know me a lot better than you know him.”

  They begin arguing again.

  I am getting nowhere. There has to be a way to be sure.

  Then I remember Mr Vale telling me how to choose. He said that I have to say these words.

  You are the one that I have chosen, and will love, forever.

  The universe is very specific. Only those exact words will work to indicate my decision.

  A plan forms in my head.

  I may have just found a way to get the evil one to take off his mask.

  Getting my life back depends on this.

  “I’ve made my decision,” I say, before smiling sweetly at Greg. “You’re the one that I choose, and will love, forever.”

  I know, in a second, that he’s the bad one. The change-up happens that quickly.

  He laughs lowly, “Finally.”

  Daniel sounds quite overwhelmed, “Oh no . . . this is not happening.”

  Greg addresses him now, “I always knew I’d win you know. You’re a chronic loser, you know, by nature. You have no idea . . . We’re both still on earth you know. Maybe I’ll kill you there. Then can you join Katy here. You know, since she won’t be going back now.”

  I really am in pure shock.

  Greg really is a pathological liar.

  He is also extremely charming.

  He has extreme mommy issues.

  He lacks empathy, even for country singers.

  How had I not seen this before? I can practically hear Andrew’s voice in my head.

  Greg Harshaw has all the hallmarks of a complete psychopath.

  “How could you betray me like this?” I ask, still reeling.

  “Do you really wanna know why?” His eyes have a craziness in them now, his voice matches. “I’ll tell you why. You went and killed my soulmate, Ethereal. She and I were meant to rule the world. It was what I was born to do. You just took that all away from me. Consider this my revenge.”

  I understand it all now.

  His relationship with me was all just to gain my trust, so I’d pick him. It was always her he was after.

  He was only trying to keep her from emerging to save his own life. He knew that after he changed me, permanently, she would love him.

  “You really suck,” I say to him.

  “Thanks. My Mom used to say that to me all the time. . . That’s probably one of the reasons why I killed her,” he thinks back for a moment, not a bit remorseful. “Oh well, all’s well that ends well.”

  I stand, completely astounded. His evil is almost more shocking than Riley’s. My uncle did not hide his nearly as well. Greg really is very good at this.

  A king worthy of Ethereal. Indeed.

  Daniel looks desolate now.

  I walk over to him.

  I put my hands on his shoulders and look him in the eyes, “You are the one that I have chosen, and will love, forever.”

  Daniel seems confused. Then his eyes brighten.

  “What are you doing?” Greg asks, perplexed.

  “I’m choosing Daniel,” I say. “I didn’t say the right words to you. I’m glad that I didn’t. The last few minutes were quite revealing.”

  Greg looks amazed, “You tricked me.”

  “I’m a Darkwood,” I smile. “Trickery is kind of our thing.”

  I look at Daniel.

  His tone is so completely happy, “I think Zeus should be hearing of your decision any second now.”

  Joy runs through me as my surroundings fade.

  The golden lights swirling around me spell out words.

  I hereby send you back.

  Chapter Fifteen

  I inhale deeply and sit up straight.

  Nate, Andrew and Angelica are around me. They’d laid me out on a sofa in our House of Agonies.

  Their faces are all pretty shocked now.

  “Hi you guys,” I say.

  Nate goes extremely pale. Then he faints.

  Whoops.

  Andrew grins and welcomes me back. Then he tends to Nate.

  Angelica is still quite speechless, “You’re . . .”

  “Alive, yes,” I finish for her. “It’s a long story. Basically Zeus gave me test. I passed.”

  She nods, still disbelieving. I can tell that she’s been crying a lot. Her eyes are red. Andrew’s are a little bit too.

  I wonder how the people on the plantation are. They lost their two leaders in one day. That would surely be cause for some mourning.

  I ask Angelica about this.

  She tells me that the Cezers are mourning Rejon. They don’t know that I’m dead. She didn’t have the heart to tell them.

  Andrew has managed to bring Nate back with smelling salts.

  I glance out the window to my left. Rejon is gone. This is my plantation now.

  They followed Rejon mainly for one reason. He told them that he could get them back to Elysium. He told them that he would start a war with Zeus. He promised that they would win and break the curse of feeding on fear.

  This was never going to happen.

  I know Zeus better now.

  I will lead these people to be good, kind and fair. Zeus will let us back into Elysium when he sees that we, as a species, have changed for the better.

  I just know he will.

  This is how we shall get back to Elysium.

  I think of how Zeus gave me a chance, when no one else would have. He is amazing really. He is more than fair.

  I reflect happily. I chose love. I won.

  That reminds me.

  “Where’s Daniel?” I ask Angelica.

  She glances around quickly and reflects, “He didn’t take the news of your death too well. He’s up in his room.”

  I say it cheerily as I stand up, “I think I better go see him then. Don’t you?”
>
  I can’t wait.

  Angelica just laughs and shakes her head, “I’m pretty sure that he will be happy to see you.”

  I run to the stairs.

  “I told you that the universe can be kind,” Nate says.

  I nod, giving him a smile.

  Today, I think he might just be right.

  *

  I walk into the room timidly.

  Daniel is turned away from me, curled up, on the bed.

  I curl up like that sometimes, when I’m really upset about something.

  I look around. The whole place has been thrashed.

  Wow, he really didn’t take my death well.

  “I’m sorry I went away like that,” I sit down at the end of the bed. “I didn’t mean to hurt you . . . I’m back now. Everything’s good.”

  His eyes fall on me. I know he doesn’t believe it.

  He sits up, hurriedly, “I’m having hallucinations. . .”

  “No,” I assure him. “I’m really here.”

  I take his hand in mine.

  He grasps it, “I can’t believe how real this feels.”

  He is very hard to convince. His eyes are still raw from tears.

  I tell him all about what happened to me in the afterlife. I don’t leave out anything.

  He listens with interest. All the time examining my face, as to check that all the details are there.

  I’ve just finished when Nate walks in.

  He has a question for us, “Hey, you guys, do you want some food or something? We’re cooking sausages and eggs.”

  “I’ll have some,” I say. “I’m starving.”

  Nathan nods.

  “Wait a minute,” Daniel turns to Nate. “You see her too?”

  Nate smiles, “Yep, she did this whole coming back to life thing a few minutes ago . . . By the way, dude, do you know what kind of flowers your sister likes? Andrew asked me to ask you. He didn’t want you to suspect that he’s in love with her . . . whoops, did I just give that away . . .”

  Daniel looks slightly overwhelmed momentarily.

  He looks at me again.

  The smile he gives me says a million words.

  He knows my story about the incidents after my death is true. He knows that I chose him.

  “Tell Andrew that my sister likes Roses. If he really wants to impress her he should invest in a pet frog,” Daniel says to Nate. “Oh and I will have some eggs and sausages.”

  Nate nods, “I’ll tell Andrew.”

  He turns and leaves, still emitting that positivity of his.

  Daniel and I are left alone again.

  “Katy,” the emotion is back in his voice again. “You can’t leave me again.”

  “I won’t,” I reply.

  “I can’t take that all again, Katy. You really have to promise,” he moves closer to me.

  I see how serious this is to him.

  He probably feels like he keeps losing me.

  It must’ve been awful for him today. I can’t even imagine the pain I’d feel if he died.

  “I promise,” I say.

  He visibly relaxes, “I’m so glad all of that is over. Maybe now we can just move on with our lives, together.”

  “Together,” I agree.

  He kisses me now and soon has me completely captivated.

  This is when we hear the clap of thunder. It sounds so close.

  “Did you hear how loud that was?” I sound as freaked as I am.

  He pulls me closer again, wanting another kiss, “Relax, it’s only some thunder.”

  I lean in to kiss him again.

  The thunder sounds again. This time it almost shakes the house.

  We both jump up, startled.

  “Okay, that’s not normal,” I have an awfully bad feeling about this.

  Daniel looks at the window. He walks towards it, before looking out.

  The fear level in the room rises.

  I wonder what he has seen. He doesn’t say anything.

  I follow his lead. I gaze out through the window and horror fills my heart.

  The ground is frozen, covered in ice and snow.

  The sky is dark. It is only the middle of the day.

  There is only one person who would make this happen.

  Suddenly I just know.

  Ethereal. She’s back on earth.

  I don’t understand.

  Daniel turns to me, “You know when Zeus sent you back?”

  “Yeah,” I say, feeling unsure about everything right now.

  “What exactly did he say?” I can hear the importance of the question in Daniel’s voice now, “Did he specify that the good part of your soul come back.”

  I almost faint. Zeus didn’t specify anything.

  I hereby send you back, he said.

  I freeze.

  ‘You’. Why did he use that word?

  She is me.

  “Zeus made a mistake,” I can’t even believe it as I say it. “He made a terrible one.”

  The universe is always very specific.

  People will follow her. She will use her powers on them.

  I will need to lead, opposite. I will need every Arachne that Nate can gather for me. I will need everyone at the plantation.

  Daniel’s hand is shaking when he takes mine now, “Just how bad is this war going to be?”

  She dislikes humans.

  She detests me.

  She will stop at absolutely nothing.

  I turn to Daniel.

  “This is going to be a war of epic proportions,” I say.

  I grip his hand tighter.

  His eyes tell me that he senses it too.

  Our journey together has only just begun.

  Coming Soon

  True Arachne Princess

  Book Two of Elysium’s Love Triangle