New Celestial : A teen paranormal romance series (The Celestial Series Book 1)

by Lisa Champagne

  Lili’s response speeds out to erase her mistake. “I must have just gotten lucky then. I’m not normally so good, I swear.”

  Harper once again stares at Lili, trying to figure out how to proceed. “Yes, you must have gotten lucky. I’ll let you re-do it to see if it’s a fluke or not.”

  Harper places another paper in the start of the assessment then asks Lili to proceed again. This time Lili lifts the paper, then lets it go before she reaches any obstacles.

  Harper turns to Lili, putting a hand on her shoulder. “That’s more like it. Still very good though.” Harper looks at me suspiciously then whispers something in Lili’s ear before she speaks aloud. “Lili, you received an exemplary. You may now proceed to the next station.

  Lili passes the emphatic assessment quickly as well, but this time she pulls back her abilities, only showing a fraction of her true skills. She receives a competent score.

  Lili’s last assessment is on channeling, which is run by Adem. As soon as we get in line, I see his eyes turn to Lili. I try to keep my jealousy at bay as I begin to wonder why he keeps looking at her. I’ve never seen him interested in anyone but himself.

  Lili grabs my hand and shock waves surge through my body. I repeat ‘don’t kiss her’ over and over in my head. Lili is the first to break the silence and says, “This has always been my least favorite ability.”

  “Why is that?”

  “It’s hard for me to control.”

  Gwyneth and James get in line behind us before I can respond.

  Gwyneth sneers at Lili with pure hate seeping from her soul. She leans in, kissing my cheek. “Miss me yet?”

  I quickly respond, “No, I’m good.” Lili bites her lower lip to keep a laugh from escaping as she squeezes my hand.

  Gwyneth turns from Lili and I, moving closer to James. She secretly whispers in his ear as she brushes his shoulder. I think she’s trying to make me jealous, but her antics have no effect on me.

  Lili moves closer to me and quietly asks, “What did you two have in common?”

  With Gwyneth preoccupied by James, I answer Lili in a whisper. “She liked me, no matter what I did. Never judging me, I guess.”

  Lili’s forehead crinkles in thought. “I can imagine it’s nice to feel loved regardless. I understand that. I’ve never had that either.”

  Our conversation is abruptly interrupted by Adem, who repeats in an arrogant tone, “Please pay attention. Next up.”

  Adem once again gawks at Lili. He must have never seen a pretty girl before. Have some dignity, man. He lightly puts his arm on her shoulder as he leads her towards a clear shimmering glass cone with a black levitating ball above it. He begins to instruct her. “The globe above you is filled with thousands of spirits and energies. All you have to do is connect to one and tell me at minimum their name. The more information you obtain, the better score you will receive. Are you ready, Lili?”

  Lili replies in an unsteady voice, “Yes, I think so.” She then enters the cone, shutting the door behind her. As soon as Lili enters her body begins to shake. She starts turning around like she’s being attacked by a mob who’s circling her. I move forward, about to stop this assessment, when Lili suddenly stops moving and becomes completely still. Multiple lightning bolts hit the top of the black ball above the cone, then Lili collapses to the floor. I look around the room and see that everyone’s attention is focused on us. This is a disaster.

  I worriedly move towards Lili, but Adem pushes me back with his cocky energy saying, “I’ll get her.” He then grabs Lili from the floor and brings her out, sitting in a chair with her in his arms. He brushes a strand of her hair off her face, whispering in her ear.

  Lili wakes up, surprised to be in Adem’s arms. Her energy lets me know she’s not too unhappy to be there. She asks, “What happened?”

  Before I can answer, Adem responds, “Nothing, you just passed out during the assessment. It happens all the time.”

  Lili shakily moves from Adem’s arms to my side. Adem glares in my direction before he asks Lili, “Who did you connect to?”

  “I didn’t connect to anything.” I squeeze her hand in a warning and she adds, “At least I don’t remember at the moment. I think I need to eat something.”

  Adem suspiciously stares at Lili. “Are you sure?” he asks. Lili shakes her head yes and Adem unhappily says, “Fine. I’ll give you an incompetent score for today, since you’re unable to answer my questions.”

  Lili politely responds, “Thanks for your help. I completely understand.”

  Lili and I turn to leave, and I hear Gwyneth say, “Freak” as we pass her.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Mission Impossible

  Lili - 1 Book please

  All I want to do after my assessment is locate the book Sax found in the library. When I was in the cone, I heard so many voices that I felt like a satellite spinning the Earth out of orbit.

  Nora has visited the library on a daily basis, always referring to it as her castle, and her it’s queen. Since I’m unfamiliar with all things library and Nora’s a self-proclaimed expert, I decide to tag along with her and try to locate the book on memory eradication.

  As we get closer to our destination, I begin to realize I’ve never been in this wing of the school before. “Nora, what else besides the library is over here?”

  She shakes her head in disappointment. “What have you been doing for the last two months? You really need to start exploring more.”

  “I guess I do.”

  “It’s the hall with all the professors’ and administrators’ offices. You’ve never visited any of your teachers?”

  I have a feeling Nora won’t like my response. “Not yet. Are we supposed to visit them?”

  Nora rolls her eyes as she answers, “Of course! I try to stop by at least once a week to go over questions I have and make sure our teachers know not to mess with me.”

  I see Harper, exit her office, see Nora and quickly turn the other way. Maybe Nora has been visiting a little too much.

  Nora is oblivious to Harper’s aversion to her, pointing ahead of us at two silver doors that shimmer unnaturally with carved foreign etchings. The doors are framed by two large trees that seem to grow from the wooden floor.

  “Ta-Da, the library—the only place in the school with fortified doors. The metal is said to be made with pure energy. Every important book ever made resides here. Even books that were believed to have been destroyed in the great Roman Fire.” Nora smiles with pure joy, then adds, “Though I’m not sure how Celestials obtained it.”

  As we walk through the entrance, I feel like the library’s fortified doors are almost watching me, making me feel unnerved. The library is six floors high and is full of natural light and colorful auras lighting the glass floors. Each level contains thousands of leather-bound and ancient looking books, which are mixed with newer modern books.

  Nora’s eyes shine as she looks around, happy to share something she loves with me. “Isn’t it beautiful. Anything you need to know is here. Nothing is off limits.” Nora and I walk to the librarians’ desk which is wrapped around a large tree with two silver doors in its trunk. Fortified just like the library’s entrance. Without wasting a moment, Nora places her hands on the glass librarian desk, propelling a lightning bolt to shoot into the top of the large tree behind the desk.

  We hear the fortified doors unlock as a male librarian exits with hair like a cockatoo. He walks towards us in a stiff white suit, frowning at Nora and looking at me with suspicion. His voice is tight with tons of attitude. “What can I help you find today?”

  Nora answers his question with a snark of her own. “Hello, Matt. I need these books.” Nora hands him a list of book titles as she continues to talk. “As you requested last time, I put them in order of genres. I also alphabetized them within each genre. I threw that one in for free.”

  Matt’s expression tells me that it’s a long list. He takes a deep breath as he begins to move the books from different f
loors and shelfs with bolts of energy—placing them all on the glass desk in front of us. Matt then turns his attention from Nora to me. “And what can I help you with?”

  I turn to Nora. “I’ll meet you by your books. I should be super quick.” I want privacy when I make my book request. Nora squints her eyes suspiciously but leaves anyway. She knows when to vacate, yet another thing I like about her.

  I turn back to Matt and muster up as much confidence as I can. “I’m looking for a book titled, Celestial Messages and Notes from the 1500’s.“

  Matt’s energy quickly shifts as he glances towards the fortified door behind him, then he begins interrogating me with an authority befitting a police officer. “What class would you need that for?”

  “A friend told me about it. I thought it would be an interesting read…” Nerves push me to continue. “To see how things were back then.”

  His neck tightens like a snake swallowing its prey, turning my stomach. “That’s a restricted book. There’s nothing of interest for you. They are notes written by school officials to Celestial leadership. Are you Celestial leadership or a school official?”

  Getting the book will be more difficult than I’d like, but I’m pretty sure that Matt already gave away its location.

  Before I can escape Matt’s gaze, Nora pops up at my side, and I jump. “What’s the issue? Is Matt being a dick again?”

  I try to defuse Nora—not wanting to draw attention to me or to my interest in the book. “No worries—they didn’t have what I needed. It’s no big deal.”

  Nora’s grin is aimed at Matt as she jabs him with her words. “I thought you said you have every book ever created?”

  Matt is in no mood for either of us as his voice drips with venom. “We do have every book, but the journal she wants is off limits. I’m curious how you even know about it.”

  Nora quickly picks up on the nuances of the situation. She leads me to her desk full of books. Matt watches us closely as Nora strategically arranges her books to hide us from his view. She then turns to me suspiciously. “A restricted book? I’m intrigued, do tell.”

  I take a deep breath, not sure of how to explain. Instead of lying, I decide to ask her a question. “Does Matt always work in the library?”

  She notices my nothing answer, but doesn’t press me further. “No, that Norm is only here during the day. There’s another Celestial at night, but it’s scream-queen Gwyneth.”

  At Gwyneth’s name, I grimace. “Oh man, she hates me.”

  “Yea she does. She’s not the biggest fan of mine either. Know who she pretends to hate, but secretly loves?” Nora raises her eyebrows in a provocative way.

  “Good idea. Thanks.”

  Nora continues to study in the library while I leave to find Easton. I find his energy down the hall, and I walk more quickly in his direction. I catch him exiting an office with an extremely dark energy in his core. He doesn’t notice me, turning away. I yell, “Easton! Easton, wait!”

  He reluctantly turns around, looking at me with wounded eyes he quickly hides. He puts up a barrier between us as he talks to me. “What do you need from me?” His normally hidden emotions seem like they’re out of control.

  I’m alarmed by his mood, and I shut our conversation down. “Never-mind. I just… We can talk another time.”

  I turn to leave, then stop when I hear Easton’s tone soften. “Sorry, I’m just having a bad day. I’m not myself.”

  I move closer to him, wanting to understand. “Completely okay. We all have bad days. I’ve had days where I couldn’t get out of bed, the world seemed too much. If you want to talk, I’m here.”

  His eyes meet mine as he says, “Thanks.” His hand hesitates mid-air, just a few inches from mine. It’s like he’s debating whether to hold my hand, like I scare him.

  I try to ease his battle, grabbing his hand and leading him into a closed room, away from the school’s exposed halls. The room is much smaller than I’d hoped for. It is bare and holds one chair and a desk. Maybe a small office for one of the new teachers?

  The close proximity of Easton does a number on my mind as I search for the right words to say. “I found a book that has a written account of the first memory eradication.”

  Easton’s shoulders tense, becoming bulkier. “Where? How did you find it?”

  “It’s in the school library, behind the fortified doors in the center of the room. It’s apparently restricted.”

  “Of course, it is.” He hesitates before asking, “What’s the plan?”

  I take deep breath. “I was hoping you’d help me break it out.”

  Easton’s eyes widen in disbelief, as he smiles slowly. “Let me get this straight. You want to break into the library and steal a restricted book?”

  “Yes, I do. I need your help.” Our energies connect. This is the first time I’ve ever seen him vulnerable, and it lets me drop my guard.

  His words become smoother as he moves a strand of hair from my face. “I’m always down for breaking the rules.” Electricity moves through my body.

  I desperately want to kiss him but fight the urge. “Are you free tonight?”

  He stares at me as if he’s seeing me differently than before. “I’ll come to your place at nine, or would you rather come to mine?”

  I abruptly and awkwardly answer, “Mine. See you then.” I leave Easton in a rush, afraid my energy will take over and I’ll lose control.

  Lili - No Library card needed

  Easton and I are both dressed for success in dark workout gear, just in case we are forced to perform gymnastics during our heist. We arrive outside the library’s fortified metal doors, and its energy is still unnerving to me.

  I turn from the door and whisper to Easton, “Ready?”

  “Absolutely. I know how to handle Gwyneth. She’ll take the bait, I promise.”

  I take a deep breath, trying to soothe my shaking hands. “What if something unexpected happens? What if I panic?”

  “You can fix it, and if not then we will fix it together. I’ll be watching your energy the whole time. We’ve got this.”

  He says exactly what I need to hear, filling me with the confidence I need. “Okay. Come in one minute after me.” I quickly and quietly enter the library doors, hiding from Gwyneth’s view behind a large bookcase by the entrance. Easton enters exactly one minute after me, and his energy exerts darkness and pure sex appeal as he heads to the librarian’s desk as planned. As Easton gets closer, I spot Gwyneth sitting behind the glass desk right in front of the door I need to enter. My heart aches as I watch him greet her and immediately begin flirting. This was the part of our plan I had the biggest issue with. I didn’t want Easton to play with anyone’s emotions, even if that person is Gwyneth. It felt wrong to me, but without any other ideas, I conceded.

  It’s hard to watch them flirt—almost winking at each other with each word exchanged. My mind imagines sexual innuendoes being spoken. Words I would never say to anyone, let alone Easton.

  I see Gwyneth exit her desk and grab Easton’s arm, then they walk behind a stack of books together. I feel unexpected jealousy, but I need to focus on our plan. My body moves with purpose and force to the fortified doors within the large tree. I look for a panel or something that contains the doors’ energy, but all I see is the door shinning with energy within. This door has a similar hum as the door at the entrance of the library, an energy I can’t understand. Time begins to slip away, and I start panicking. I search for the door’s energy with my own but am unable to find it. It feels disconnected from this location and hidden somewhere I cannot access. Fear shoots through me as I desperately try one more time, unable to abandon my plan. This time I feel a darker energy combine with my own, pushing power through my mind. I recognize the energy as Easton’s and embrace it fully. Our combined energy feels right, filling me with more energy than I thought possible. Together we easily find the fortified door’s energy. With our combined energies, we unlock the door.

  Once I’m i
nside the room, I feel Easton’s energy leave me. I look around at the expensive artifacts and piles and piles of books. Unable to search them all in time, I call on my energy again and try to copy the book calling trick I saw Matt perform earlier. To my shock it works on the first try, sending a book shooting towards me at a speed too quick for me to catch. The book smacks straight into me like I’m a catcher’s mitt in the MBL and knocks me to the floor. I slowly pick myself up, running out of the library as quickly as possible with the book in my hand.

  I stop at the end of the hall, waiting for Easton. The longer I wait the more I long for his presence. My mind goes over the feeling of our combined energy and how powerful we were together. Easton knew I was in trouble and was there for me. I’ve never experienced anyone knowing what I needed or even caring about my needs besides my father, who always knew what I thought before I did.

  I see the library doors open as Easton exits and begins moving towards me. He stops right in front of me—my energy entwines with his as I give in to my impulse and kiss him without guilt or worry. His lips are soft and fierce at the same time. Easton doesn’t hesitate to return my kiss, picking me up as we both get lost in each other.

  Easton - Clues a plenty

  As soon as my bedroom door closes my thoughts come tumbling out of my mouth quicker than I want them to. “I felt panic radiating from you and my energy responded. It was like it already knew what to do.” The truth is, I’ve never heard of any two Celestials combining their energies, and I’m seriously starting to doubt that the Darkness is telling me the truth.

  Lili’s face widens in surprise. “My entire life I’ve been hiding who I really am, afraid to stand out, never really living. Tonight, I felt alive for the first time.”

  She’s radiating energy that makes her golden skin glow. I desperately want to kiss her again, but I’m afraid. Afraid of so many things that it’s hard to pinpoint the root.