We Own the Sky (The Muse Chronicles Book 1)

by Sara Crawford

  “I’ll just give you two a moment,” Erato said, quietly slipping out the door.

  “I’ll have to Summon Lydia and Mercedes, too.” Urania said as Vincent closed his eyes. “What are you doing?”

  “I have to go back; just let me go back.”

  “You don’t understand the danger that she is in. The danger that you’re in. You simply can’t go back.” Urania commanded. And then Vincent found he couldn’t go anywhere, no matter how much he thought about the place. Urania closed her eyes, and Lydia and Mercedes appeared. Lydia was holding a lit cigarette and a bottle of whiskey. Mercedes was obviously pregnant.

  “Mercedes!” Urania exclaimed. “How did that happen?”

  Mercedes looked abashed.

  “Isn’t it exciting, though? Another half-Muse, like Sylvia!” Mercedes exclaimed.

  Vincent looked like he wanted to slap her.

  “What is he doing here? What are we doing here?” Lydia asked, drunkenly laughing.

  “Listen, the three of you need to understand. You are all in danger.” Urania tried to make them see.

  “Even me?” Mercedes asked.

  “Especially you. Clio has assembled an army of sorts of Earthly Muses. They’re going around killing all the half-Muses. They’ve even killed human celebrities. Oh, that reminds me.”

  Urania closed her eyes, and then Jenny Treb appeared in the room.

  “Jenny Treb! You’re a Muse now? What?” Lydia asked wildly.

  “You know you’ve got a party in all the right places!” Mercedes sang.

  “I know!” Jenny exclaimed, clearly ecstatic just to be there.

  “We have to wake Calliope.” Vincent was frantic now. “We have to find a way. They’ve killed Izabella and Matthew Morris and—”

  “What?” Mercedes asked. “She killed Matthew? I thought that he—”

  “It’s a nightmare. I don’t even know how many half-Muses there are or who their parents are, but I’m sure she’s killing all of them, too, if they’re still around.”

  “Sylvia…” Lydia said. She tried to close her eyes, presumably to transport herself back to Georgia.

  “You can’t go anywhere.” Urania said. “Listen, we have to get all of you somewhere that’s safe, somewhere away from any other Muses who Clio may have contact with. And then we’ll wait for Calliope.”

  “No way. What about Sylvia? And Dylan? Won’t they be in danger?” Lydia asked, sobering up quickly.

  “Clio has no way of knowing that Sylvia is a half-Muse if there are no Muses around her. Are there any other Earthly Muses who have a connection with Sylvia?”

  Vincent was clearly flustered.

  “Urania, I have to go back. I can’t simply leave her…” he said.

  “You have to, Vincent.”

  “I’m in love with her!” Vincent shouted. They were all silent. Urania approached him and put an arm on his shoulder. Lydia shot him an angry look.

  “Vincent, you’re right. She can’t come with us now and still have a normal, human life. And that may even invite trouble. But if we simply remove all the Muses from her life, Clio will have absolutely no way to find her or know that she is a half-Muse. Even if Sylvia tells humans, they won’t believe her.” Urania explained.

  “But that means that I would essentially have to abandon her…and on the day before her big show. She would be completely heartbroken.” Vincent was firm. “I told her I would never leave as long as she wanted me there.”

  “I know it’s hard,” Urania said. “But Sylvia is a half-Muse after all. She can still play music without you. And this is only until we can get the Dagger back from Clio or until Calliope wakes. You can explain things to Sylvia then.”

  “What about Brandon?” Mercedes asked. Urania looked at her, confused. “My baby’s…the guy I…”

  “Does he know about the baby?” Urania asked. Mercedes shook her head. “If Clio doesn’t know about him and he doesn’t know about the baby, he’ll be safe. The same goes for Dylan.” Urania looked reassuringly at Lydia.

  Vincent could feel his despair sinking in. It was bad enough that he would have to go without seeing Sylvia. He would miss her terribly—no matter how long they were apart. Now that he knew her, his life without her seemed completely meaningless and empty. He couldn’t bear to think of her playing her first ever show at Cool Beans without him. He pictured her playing “Autumn” and “Lights Out” without him, especially “Lights Out.” She had written that song about him, even if she hadn’t consciously known it at the time. Vincent felt himself tearing up just thinking about it.

  And would she think he had abandoned her? Would she think that Muses were never real if all the Muses abruptly left her life? When Vincent was able to come back to her again, would she have him? Or would she already have moved on with some human like Travis? She could play music without him, too. Did she even need him at all?

  He had never felt so alone. And Izabella—his beautiful Izabella—was gone. She had moved on. He wasn’t sure what happened to immortals when they moved on—the same thing that happened to mortals who didn’t choose to be ghosts or Muses, he assumed. But it didn’t matter now.

  His thoughts returned to Sylvia. After all the times he had told her that he’d never leave her, that’s what she would assume that he was doing. It was almost too much for Vincent to consider. And he could hear her thoughts if he chose to—if she sent any his way—he was sure that she would, especially for the first few days. Could he handle that? Why wouldn’t Urania just let him go back for one moment to explain?

  He had never seen Urania in such a panic. It must have been bad. Vincent suspected that this time Clio had gone too far, and something must be done about her. Would Clio force all the Earthly Muses to move on before Calliope woke?

  Urania closed her eyes. And then one by one, all the Earthly Muses from the entire Atlanta area appeared. Mark, Carrie, others Vincent recognized. But no sign of Mariela.

  “Mariela!” Vincent exclaimed. “Where is Mariela? She knows Sylvia, too.”

  Urania closed her eyes.

  Vincent watched as an expression of horror overtook Urania’s face.

  “Hector is taking Mariela to Clio,” Urania said, opening her eyes.

  “Mariela knows about Sylvia! Summon her here! Now!” Vincent shouted.

  “I can’t! He’s already there. If he sees her disappear, Clio will know what happened. And then they’ll all be here—and so will you.” Urania was panicking. “You shouldn’t even be here now…in case Clio comes back here. You all need to disappear. Go somewhere where you won’t be seen by any Muses—where no one will know where you are.” She addressed the whole group.

  “Can Lydia come with me?” Mercedes asked in a shaky tone.

  “Yes, stay together, that’s a good idea.” Urania nodded. “Where will you go? I will see you, so don’t go to Georgia. I’ll just send you back here.”

  “We can go to Washington. No one knows me in Seattle anymore.” Lydia said.

  “I’d be more comfortable if you went somewhere remote,” Urania said.

  “We’ll find somewhere in the middle of nowhere…in the American Midwest…” Lydia said.

  “Good idea,” Urania said. She turned to all the others. “The rest of you. I need you to hide out in a remote location where there are no artists or Muses.”

  “What about our artists?” Mark asked angrily.

  “You’ll just have to live without them until Calliope wakes! Now, go!” Urania yelled. Vincent had never seen Urania lose her cool. It was frightening. The Atlanta Muses started to disappear in small groups.

  Mercedes turned to Vincent. “Are you coming?”

  “I prefer to be alone,” Vincent said moodily.

  “Suit yourself,” Lydia snapped at him. She put out her cigarette, grabbed Mercedes’s hand, and the two of them vanished.

  “I refuse to go anywhere,” Vincent said to Urania, “until I know what I can do to help.”

  “You can’t do a
nything to help. I’m trying to keep you safe from Clio. Look, just go hide somewhere. I’m going to try to find the other half-Muses and get them somewhere safe until Calliope wakes. But you don’t need to be involved in any of that. She would kill you, and I’m trying to keep you safe. It’s too late for Izabella but…” Vincent was shocked to see tears rising in Urania’s violet eyes. He didn’t even know that she could cry. She took a deep breath and continued. “Just be safe. I promise you, I’ll let you know the moment anything changes. And I’ll watch over Sylvia for now. We just can’t interact with her until Clio has been…controlled.” There was a frown on Urania’s face as she spoke of her sister.

  Vincent held out a hand to Urania’s face and vanished. There was only one place he could think of where no one would find him. There was only one place he could think to go that wasn’t Georgia.

  Vincent sat on top of Constellation Place in Los Angeles, feeling more alone than he had ever felt in his entire existence.

  THIRTY-NINE

  Mariela

  Hector dragged Mariela into a dark room. There were a few Earthly Muses there she didn’t recognize, and standing with them was a woman who looked so much like Urania that Mariela couldn’t help but assume that she was one of the Nine. This woman had fierce green eyes, though, that were full of a crazed hatred, nothing like Urania’s loving violet eyes…

  Hector and an African American male Muse both used the shiny silver fabric to restrain her once more. Mariela was terrified that her dear friend, her former lover, had dragged her into this, demanding over and over that she tell him where the “half-blood” was as he struck her violently. Since when did he believe that half-Muses were inferior, an abomination? If Mariela knew that, she never would have told him she knew a half-Muse.

  “Where am I, Hector?” Mariela asked in a shaky voice.

  “Never mind that,” the green-eyed woman said. Hector looked down, slightly ashamed.

  “My name is Clio. The Muse of History,” the woman with green eyes announced. So, Mariela had been right. This was an Original Muse. “Hector says you have knowledge of a half-blood.”

  Mariela tensed up. Sylvia.

  “What do you want with a half-Muse, chica?” Mariela chose her words carefully, trying to sound casual.

  “Leave that to us,” the African American male Muse said.

  “Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I don’t know anything,” Mariela shrugged. She tried again to release herself from her restraints, but it was no use. She was held in place.

  The Original Muse who called herself Clio slowly walked up to Mariela, holding the Dagger in her hands.

  “Where did you get that? That’s Urania’s!” Mariela spit at her.

  “That’s not your concern,” Clio said. “Why don’t you tell me who this half-blood is and where we can find her.” Clio held the dagger close to Mariela’s skin, her green eyes smoldering.

  FORTY

  The Blood of the Muse

  I am setting up my PA system outside of Cool Beans, taking extra care with each cord that I plug in. My set is in an hour, and I haven’t seen Vincent since yesterday morning. I am starting to freak out.

  It was easy for me to brush it aside yesterday. I was sure he just got caught up in something to do with Izabella. Maybe he needed to be alone. Maybe he was off doing whatever Muses do when they aren’t with their artists. I came up with a million scenarios in my head to explain his absence. Sure, I missed him terribly, but I just kept working on my songs without him. I played my whole set four times last night. My songs had almost gotten as good without him as they were when he was around.

  But now? Surely, something must be wrong if he hasn’t come back. Is he dead? I mean, I didn’t think immortals could die, but clearly, Izabella was able to. Is that what happened to him, too? Izabella, Matthew Morris…maybe even Jenny Treb.

  Vincent, please. Let me know you’re okay.

  I can’t think about that now, though. I have a show to play. I’ll have to assume that he is okay. But if he is okay, that means, he’s left me. And I can’t bring myself to accept that—that he’s choosing not to be with me.

  Can I really do this? Can I play these songs in front of all these people without my Vincent there? Playing these songs in front of people in general is nerve racking. Playing these songs in front of people without my Muse is practically frightening.

  It’s pretty quiet outside of Cool Beans right now. There are a few regulars sitting at one of the tables, chatting. It’s warm enough outside that I can play out here, which is nice. It gets a little crowded when people play inside. I unfold my set list and set it on top of a table near the PA system. I’m playing eight originals and one Florence and the Machine cover. I notice my hands are shaking as I go to plug in the mic.

  I would give anything to see Vincent’s face right now, to hear his whisper in my ear, to feel his touch on my shoulder.

  “Hey!” I hear a voice. “Are you Sylvia?”

  I spin around. A girl with long curly red hair wearing a funky polka dotted shirt and black pants is carrying a guitar case.

  “Yeah,” is all I can say. “You must be Morgan.”

  The barista booked another one of her friends to play before me when I told her I couldn’t take up the whole evening. Typically, it’s just one person playing for two or three hours at Cool Beans. I didn’t want to do that. On the other hand, having a “real” musician play before me makes me nervous, too. What if she’s awesome and then I have to follow that?

  Vincent, where the hell are you?

  “I’m really excited to hear your set!” Morgan says as she takes her guitar out of her case and starts to tune it. All I can do is nod. She looks over at Hemingway’s, a bar that is close to Cool Beans. “Hey, I’m going to go get a beer before I start,” she says. I just nod again. I wish I could be more outgoing, but I can’t find it in me.

  I sit down at a table, trying to focus on my breathing. I see my dad coming up with Jake and Leo.

  “Sylvia! Wooooh!” Jake says. Clearly, they’ve been to Hemingway’s, too. Both Jake and Leo seem really drunk. I can tell my dad hasn’t been drinking, though. I admire him for a brief moment. They all sit down at my table, and I say hi to them.

  “Are you nervous?” my dad whispers to me.

  “Yeah…” my hands are still shaking. This is way worse than Tommy’s party. Playing my own songs…being alone without the help of bandmates or even drums to hide behind. Here it’s just me and my guitar or my keyboard and my songs.

  “You’ll be fine,” he says.

  By this time, Morgan has come back, and she is starting her first song. It’s an original that sounds really cool, but I can’t focus.

  More and more people that I know are starting to wander into the area: Travis, Bianca, Jamie, Derek, Ryan, Cassie, Mr. King, and Ms. Bolton. I vaguely notice that Travis is carrying a flask that he keeps drinking from. It looks like Ryan’s flask, but Ryan has his own. Why is Travis drinking so much?

  Sometimes it really irritates me that anyone thinks they need to drink, especially after I have seen what it’s done to my dad, especially Jake and Leo who know he has a problem and still drink around him anyway. And now Travis? I could understand Ryan. He’s immature, really, but Travis? I thought he was better than that.

  They all say hi to me, but I try to make it look like I am really engaged in Morgan’s set so that I won’t have to really talk to anyone.

  There are a bunch of other kids who I recognize from school coming up but they never talk to me at school so I’m not surprised that they don’t talk to me now, either.

  Morgan is playing a really folksy version of an Eminem song, which makes everyone laugh. Normally, I would love this sort of thing but all I can do now is freak out. I notice that Mark is not with Ms. Bolton and Mariela is still not with Travis.

  I also notice that Morgan doesn’t have a Muse with her, which I find to be odd because she’s really good. There’s no way she just doesn’t have a
Muse, is there?

  It suddenly dawns on me that there are no Muses anywhere right now, which seems really bizarre. Here I am at Cool Beans where there are always Muses, and I don’t see any. Actually, I don’t think I’ve seen any Muses since yesterday now that I think about it. How unusual. No one at all is flickering. An eerie feeling comes over me. Did all my imaginary friends disappear?

  I can feel myself shaking. I can feel the anxiety, the fear. Then I realize it’s turning into anger, to disappointment, to sadness as I think of Vincent. I feel like I am about to start crying in front of these people.

  Are you really not going to show up? It’s my first solo show…ever…Are you really going to let me down? To let your artist get up there all on her own? I thought you’d never leave me, Vincent. I thought you’d never abandon me.

  And then Morgan starts playing a moving cover of U2’s “With or Without You.” It’s the perfect soundtrack to my inner monologue. And I ache for Vincent. I long for him like I’ve never longed for anything in my life.

  I can’t stop remembering the night of my birthday when we slow danced in my room. I can’t stop thinking about the way he tasted. I can’t stop thinking about when he took me to the ballet rehearsal in Paris in my dreams. I can’t stop thinking about him. My Muse. And he’s nowhere to be found. I am about to get up in front of all these people and play songs I never would have even written if it weren’t for him. And now I have to do it all without him.

  And when I think about it so bluntly, it crashes over me. I quickly rush to the bathroom. I lock the door and let myself sob for exactly one minute. My thoughts would be screams if anyone could hear them.

  Vincent? Where are you? Are you dead? How could you do this to me? I thought you were supposed to always be there for me.

  I take a deep breath and step out of the bathroom. I can see Cassie coming my way.

  “Hey! Are you excited?” she asks me.

  “I…” I don’t know what to say.

  “Are you okay?” she asks, looking at me as if I were a ghost. “You’re really pale.”