Quantum Entanglement

by S R Watson

  Chapter Fourteen

  Elysian

  My eyelids struggle to open, but the noise from outside is too loud to allow me to sleep. I grumble noises under my breath. They clearly weren’t anything close to actual words because none of it made any sense in my own head. I finally pull the curtain to see what’s happening outside so early, and to my disbelief, a class was already in session out in the yard. This can’t be … classes don’t begin till nine a.m. today. At least to my understanding. I found my phone mixed up in the middle of my sheets. I must have fell asleep with it. I usually have it on the nightstand plugged in at night. The screen lights up, and the first thing I see is a big 9:07. I panic for a split second because there is no way. My alarm hasn’t even gone off yet. I give it a harder thought now that my brain is more alert at the moment.

  Shit!

  I remember being on the phone late last night trying to clear my mind from things that happened earlier, and I definitely forgot to set the alarm before my body was sent into a coma-like sleep. I rush to fling on the lame school uniform. Without any time to eat or brush my teeth, this is just going to have to do for now. Racing through the halls, I wonder if it is going to be awkward to see Genesis. Gosh, I hope not. I don’t think she would be that type of girl to make a big deal about it. If anything, she’s the type to hold things in. I need to keep these thoughts out of my mind. There are more important things to think about currently. Like one, getting my ass to class. This is the one class I have with other students and not just her and I. She’s not in this class at all.

  I work my way stealthy out to the schoolyard to merge with the rest of the students. I’m only twenty minutes late, so I couldn’t have missed too much. There are another forty minutes left. Pleased I made it in without any embarrassing attention for arriving late, I tap the kid next to me.

  “Hey, man, what has happened so far? I accidentally slept in.”

  “You’re good, dude. He has just been explaining some stuff about practicing skills and safety. Generic stuff that applies to all magic.”

  “Alexo!” a loud voice calls from the front.

  “Yes, Professor Richey?” he replies.

  “Please tell me that you’re catching Elysian up to date on what he has missed for being late to class. I would hate to have to repeat myself.” The professor clearly saw him join the rest of the class late.

  “Yes, sir. He is ready for today.”

  “Alright, that is what I like to hear. For everyone, allow us to finish covering some safety and boundary information before we begin to test our gifts with a partner. Elysian, I would like to see you after class. Alrighty then, let us get started.”

  As the class continues, we break into partners, and I jump in with Alexo. Everyone seems to have a decent grasp on their gift or power, and each one is not like the rest. Everyone is so different. They are all so incredible. Not to mention Alexo’s ability to harden his body. His skin seems to legit transform into a substance so tough and impenetrable it’s practically metal. He’s a warlock. He explains it’s an illusion spell that makes the shield he’s holding look like it’s a part of him. He’s going to be so badass. Sucks that I can’t even figure out how to access my own power… fire. And I’m a demigod … supposedly. I sure don’t feel like one. Even with my impressive strength, I’m not nearly as talented as the rest of these guys. From all my tests, they say I can create fire, and I’ve struggled all class period with nothing to show for it. Not even a puff of smoke. I don’t even know that I felt warm. But I can’t give up. There has to be a reason I have this power and a reason I was born in the first place. I don’t know what that is yet, but when that time comes, I do not want to let anyone down. Like what if the world is at stake?

  “Elysian,” Professor Richey calls for my attention.

  I quickly turn. “Yes, sir.”

  “Come over here when you are done daydreaming.”

  That’s right. He wanted me to stay after, and class is just ending. All because I was late this morning. Now I have to sit here longer and listen to some speech about being more responsible and on time. I say my goodbyes to my classmates and head in his direction.

  “I hope you understand why I’m keeping you after,” the professor starts.

  “It either has to do with me being tardy or that I suck as a student here.”

  He laughs. “Oh no, neither of those are any of my concerns. I already know that you will have difficulty learning your fire power. And there’s a reason for that. You are too much of an optimist.”

  “And that is bad?” I question with confusion. “And I prefer to think that I’m a realist.”

  “In this specific case, yes, it is. You see, the ability to bring forth fire is mostly derived from pain and anger. Fire is an incredible force, one that must be taken seriously because it destroys everything in its path. And because of this, you must learn to control it. Fire is power, but without full control, you can hurt someone.”

  “I can understand that.”

  “This is the moment your journey truly begins, Elysian. And it will be the toughest journey anyone will have to go through. You will be tested and forced to dig into some dark moments of your life, and then while you are there, it is imperative for you to learn to become absolutely calm with your emotions. Only then will you develop complete control.”

  “Uhhh, okay.” I respond without actually understanding what he means.

  “I need you to think back to a time that caused you excruciating pain.”

  “But sir, I don’t think anything like that has ever happened to me.”

  “Close your eyes and clear your mind. Don’t think about responding to me. Inside yourself, you need to open the book of your own life, flip through the years, and find the good times.”

  I see so much love from my parents and friends. They were always there to support me at my games and gave me all the opportunities a boy could want. My dad taught me how to be a young man he was proud of.

  “Now, between those moments, remember the bad times. All the way throughout your childhood and teen years.”

  Ah yes, some kids would pick on me because I was different. I always went along with their jokes and laughed too. I remember the pain from sledding one year where I hit a tree and broke my arm. I remember not being allowed to be in the play at my school in fifth grade.

  “Dig deeper,” he encourages, reading my mind. “Bring back a moment that was so painful you repressed it completely and ended up believing it never existed. A moment that you made disappear as if it never actually happened.”

  I do what he asks of me. I close my eyes and think as hard as I can, but nothing comes to mind. My brain jumps through all my years. Was there possibly something? I just don’t know … I’ve lived a fairly good life.

  “You need to remember; you need to find what your heart longed for the most, Elysian.”

  And there is was! It hit me like a fucking train. My heart sank into a bottomless pit, my body shaking uncontrollably … my breath panicked, short and choppy.

  “Nooooo!” The word explodes out of me. “I don’t want this.”

  “Don’t let it go. You must harness this feeling, kid.”

  The pain is overwhelming. As I pour sweat, I strive to keep it close. Like a wick, the center of my chest is a burning flame. Suddenly, I open my eyes, and he tells me that they’re glowing red.

  “Yes, Elysian, you did it!” Professor Richey cheers with excitement.

  But I don’t know how excited he should be. I have this overwhelming rage swirling through my bones. My skin feels like it’s on fire, and I feel different. The only thing I desire right now is to kill. Kill everything around me.

  “Professor! You need to leave right now,” a thunderous voice comes out from inside me.

  “I can’t do that; I am here to help you! You need to ease your emotions in the state you are in. Remember the pain but allow the anger to simmer away!” He continues to yell at me. “Fire that is produced from anger i
s wild, but fire that emerges from understanding is yours to control.”

  “I can’t do that, though!” I scream again. “It was all my fault! I am the one to blame.”

  “Elysian, listen to me! You need to let it go. To forgive yourself because it wasn’t your fault. You were just a child. You need to find peace.”

  “But how? How do I do that?” The enormous power radiating from me pushes back the professor even farther.

  “I know it hurts, and it seems impossible to get past. But you will only be hurting yourself if you do not try to move forward. Your true potential will never be realized. Accept what happened and release yourself from it all.”

  I bring the pain back to the center of my body. Isolating the presence it has within me. I grit my teeth and dig my toes into the ground, holding onto all the confidence I can muster. It seems as if things are getting easier or maybe I am just adapting to it. It was so long ago, but how did I not remember at first. I have to believe it is best to let go. What good am I doing to myself? To anyone? People depend on me. I do not want anyone else that I love to ever get hurt again!

  The world goes silent.

  I look down at myself, body no longer tense. I’m warm, but I don’t feel like I am going to explode. I look back up at my professor. He confirms that my eyes are no longer bright red but maintain a slight glow to them.

  “Well done, kid! Well done!” He claps with enthusiasm. “Now, open your palm and create a flame.”

  I raise my clenched fist and slowly open my fingers, palm toward the sky. Channeling my mind to the middle of my hand, I send all my heat there, and a floating ball of orange appears. Controlled in my hand. I have fire. I did it.

  “Terrific. You conquered your fear, and you just made your biggest step to becoming something absolutely amazing, Elysian. Now release that feeling inside you, and lower your body temperature back to normal.”

  I do just that, and everything returns to the way they were.

  “Whoa, that was wild.” I collect my thoughts. “Thank you so much for everything, Professor Richey. You have helped so much more than you know.”

  “You are welcome, kid. You will continue to grow your control and ability, and I will be right beside you to help. Now, you must be exhausted. Go get some lunch and rest. You have more classes to attend later.”

  “Yes sir, will do. Thank you again.”

  I have so many questions for my parents now that I know I was adopted too. I’m not upset. They’ve given me the best life. I need to talk to Genesis first. I need to tell her what I’ve discovered today and show her that I can now access my fire power. We’re more alike than we both thought. But first, we’ll have to get through the possible tension and awkwardness of last night’s kiss.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Genesis

  I throw my book bag to the floor and flop onto my bed. Today has been an exhausting mind fuck. Class today poured salt all over my wounded pride. I had to endure watching Elysian make progress with his ability to produce and manipulate fire at will while I failed over and over again at any attempt to summon any of mine. Professor kept coaching me to relax and concentrate, to allow meditation to clear whatever was blocking my abilities. Unbeknownst to him, that blockage was a person, and he had a front row seat to my repeated failure. The tension between us was palpable, and the pity reflected in his eyes made me nauseous. He was at least concerned over how our night ended.

  “There you are. How did last night go?” Loren asks as she slams the door behind her. Talk about timing. The salt just keeps pouring. “You were asleep when I came in last night, so I missed getting the deets.”

  “Well, you didn’t miss much,” I deadpan. “It was a disaster.”

  “Oh, no. What happened?”

  I force myself to sit up and face her. She’s the one that help put the crazy notion in my head that things between Elysian and I can be more than platonic.

  “You want the CliffsNotes version?”

  “If that’s what you prefer,” she agrees, nonchalantly.

  “I kissed him. He kissed me back before realizing his mistake but then rejected me. His exact words were that the kiss was a mistake.” I wait for her to say I told you so—that she knew I had more than friendly feelings for him and that last night was indeed a date. To my surprise, she doesn’t say any of those things.

  “Maybe he just wants to take things slow,” she ponders, now sitting on her bed across from me.

  “No. And you have to stop doing that.” I breathe out a frustrating breath.

  “Doing what?”

  “Pushing for something that not going to happen. I’m clearly not his type. Because of you, I started seeing him as this sexy, virile man instead of the unattainable guy out of my league.”

  She rolls her eyes before coming to stand directly in front of me. “First of all, your eyes work. You didn’t need me to point out just how hot he is. Second, he kissed you back. It takes two to tango. My guess is that he is in denial same as you. If he’s holding back, it’s not because he’s out of your league. Have you looked in a mirror? You’re stunning.”

  Now it’s my turn to roll my eyes. “Well, to add insult to injury, I totally looked inferior today in class. He is already progressing while my powers are starting to look like a fluke.”

  I tell her about today and how each class made me feel like an utter failure.

  “I’m not surprised. Not by the failure part, but the inability to summon your abilities. You have to learn how to channel all that power, and it takes focus. Nothing at that moment should matter but the power you’re conjuring. You possess powers, but if you’re distracted, it will cause blockage. That’s why you’re here—to learn.”

  “Honestly, I’m starting to doubt all of this. What’s the point? I wish I could go back to my old life where things made sense. Unseen and unbothered.”

  “Things will get better. With or without him, you will be the best damn demigoddess there is. This isn’t a race to see who can harness their abilities the fastest. Your powers will appear when you’re ready.”

  “That’s the thing. I don’t know if I’ll ever be. How can I keep putting myself through repeated defeat yet manage to maintain optimism?”

  She sighs, worry creasing her brows. “I think I may be able to help, but you have to promise you won’t tell anyone. Not even Elysian.”

  “Why would I tell him anything? He’s the reason for my blockage and self-doubt. I have to face him every day, knowing I don’t measure up to his abilities or his ideal woman.”

  “Fine. Come on,” she insists as she pulls me to my feet.

  I follow her out of the room, her strides eating up the pavement once we’re outside. She doesn’t speak a single word until we reach the campus library.

  “The library?” I quirk an eyebrow at her.

  She doesn’t waste time with a response. She takes the elevator to the top floor with me on her heels. The floor is unoccupied. She disappears around a stack of books before reappearing again. She holds out a hand full of papers. She leads me to one of the study rooms before pushing out a piece of carved drywall. Hidden are several artifacts that I’m unfamiliar with.

  “What’s all of this?” I ask as she sifts through the copies.

  “These are spells,” she admits. “I copied them from the Grimoire.”

  “You have the Grimoire?” I ask a little too loudly. She puts her hand over my mouth to shush me, looking around to confirm we’re truly alone.

  “I don’t have it but know where it is. My uncle doesn’t know that I know. I didn’t have time to review it in its entirety, so I stole it long enough to make a few copies before returning it.”

  “What spells did you copy, and what’s all this other stuff for?”

  Twine, a compass, a granite mortar and pestle, and a small zip bags of herbs are among the individual items spread out on one of the study tables.

  “I have a spell in here to help you focus and concentrate on what it is that y
ou want. This should allow you to better access your abilities. A few of the things on the table are needed to conduct the spell.”

  “Okay,” I agree. I have my doubts, but I don’t voice them. She took a big risk showing me all of this. Besides, she’s the one that found a way for us to sneak off campus, so she clearly has a handle on this kind of stuff.

  I watch as she reads from the paper and mixes herbs in the mortar, using some unknown liquid as the wetting agent. After a paste forms, she spreads it onto my left inner wrist where my branding lies dormant underneath my skin.

  “Just let that dry and infuse into your skin overnight,” she remarks while putting everything back into its hiding place.

  “Do you have to chant something for it to work?” I ask.

  “Nope. No incantation needed. The magic is in the poultice.”

  “Thank you,” I say as we head back to our dorm.

  There is only a hint of daylight left, so I’m guessing it’s almost nine. A soak in the tub after today’s assault sounds inviting. I need to make sure I don’t get my wrist wet. I can feel the tingle underneath the surface of my skin although I don’t feel any more focused than usual. We arrive back at our dorm after a brief walk. Loren pauses in the doorway, her step faltering.

  “How did you get in here?”

  This piques my interest. I look around her to see Elysian sitting on my bed. “Sorry. Your door was cracked, and it opened when I knocked. I came in figuring you wouldn’t be gone long if you left your door open. Just needed to talk to Genesis.”

  “Didn’t realize we left it open,” Loren admits. She looks back and forth between Elysian and me. “I’m going to go pay Bethany a visit. It’s almost time for curfew, so keep your voices down.”

  When she looks at me one more time, I can’t read her subliminal eyebrow wagging, but it doesn’t take much to guess. I close the door behind her. I look over at Elysian who hasn’t moved from my bed. He’s wearing more of his fitted gym shorts and tank— not what he was wearing earlier. I have to tear my gaze away from his muscled thighs. This man told me kissing me was a mistake. I’d do well to remember that.