I turned, questioning her with my look. “What do you mean?”
“Think about it. They kept her in this run down place right in town. And what would they want with Aiden. Now that The Crimson Calamitous left his body, he’s just human. They wouldn’t have any reason to have him. And if they really want to find out why this binding didn’t work, wouldn’t they do tests or something on her?” She looked at Grandma, then me, expectantly.
She had a point. I pulled Livvie closer, holding her tightly. I could feel the tense muscles in her arms and back. Her head lay gently on my chest.
“The guy that had us was too interested in me. I think Sadie’s right, it wasn’t them,” Aiden spoke up. His hands were tangled into a fist resting on the table. His now blue eyes, that I still didn’t like, stared into mine.
“We have two enemies,” I said, as realization hit me.
Livvie’s fists gripped my shirt. “I have two enemies, Scott. They don’t want you.”
Olivia
Two sets of crazy people wanted me, possibly to kill me. I kept my body close to Scott’s, reveling in the comfort he brought me. The tears that wracked me had subsided, but the doom I felt was deepening. How could I get out of this alive?
“No, we have enemies, Livvie. You are not in this alone, love,” Scott said fiercely.
“Yeah, we’re all here for you,” Sadie chimed in.
Closing my eyes, breathing deeply, I tried to calm the erratic beating of my heart. These people loved me, they would help me. But my parents…no, I couldn’t think like that. They had to still be alive.
There was no other option.
Sniffling, I raised my head to look into Scott’s deep brown eyes. “What now?”
Brushing a hair from my forehead, he smiled, “I think it’s time I taught you to dream walk, no? You can espy, so I think there’s a good chance you can do this, too.” His grin spread all the way up to his eyes, a glimmer of pride showing.
“Ok. Let’s go,” I agreed, granting him a half smile.
###
I lay on Scott’s bed, fluffy pillows surrounding me. I twitched with uneasiness, praying this would work, yet scared of what would happen when it did. He sat beside me, his face full of seriousness now. The playful Scott was gone, replaced with a stern-gazed man, ready to teach me all there was to know about dream walking.
“First, you have to relax, Livvie. This won’t work if you don’t relax your mind. Second, you have to repeat this spell:
In a state to not be disturbed
I walk and exist as I am in life
Take me to the land of her dreams
Where things stay the way they seem”
He wanted me to say a spell. I’d had powers for roughly three months, and he expected me to know how to recite a spell. I just looked at him, eyebrows raised.
“It’s easy. You just say the words, believing it will happen. You can do this,” he said, reaching out to squeeze my hand.
I nodded. My mind reeled, stomach clenched, and heart beat like a drum. I had to do this. It was our last chance. Closing my eyes, I took several deep breaths. My head lolled to the side, and I heard the words barely escaping my lips:
In a state to not be disturbed
I walk and exist as I am in life
Take me to the land of their dreams
Where things stay the way they seem”
I couldn’t tell if it worked. I was standing outside my house, alone and uncertain of why I was here. I moved closer, looking around for any sign of movement.
None.
I gingerly stepped forward, intending on entering, when I heard leaves crunch to my left. I snapped my head in the direction of the sound, surprised to see the deer that had presented herself to me so many times before. Her majestic body was beautiful, her eyes still deep and moving, staring straight into my soul.
I moved forward, hand outstretched. Her long limbs carefully stepped towards me, eyes never leaving mine. She placed a cold nose against my palm, pushing upward so I would pet her. Smiling, I caressed her rough fur, telling her thanks for allowing me to touch her. She suddenly pulled away, looking back as if she wanted me to follow her. She moved in the direction of the trees she had emerged from. Without hesitation, I followed.
She led me through the thick foliage, stopping ever so often for me to catch up. Where we were, I didn’t know, but it wasn’t an area that was naturally around my home. She walked on, glancing back to ensure I was near. When she stopped abruptly, I almost collided with her rear end. I moved beside her, placing a hand on her back. She was almost as tall as me. Sad, I was as short as a deer.
My thoughts stopped as I saw my mother sitting on a bench ten feet in front of me. I sprinted towards her, ecstatic this worked. I moved much more gracefully while dream walking, I didn’t even trip on the way to her. I threw myself into her arms, grasping her as tightly as I could. “Mom.”
“Darling, are you ok? How did you do this?” she questioned, her eyes dancing with a mixture of pride and happiness.
“I had to find you. Scott taught me how,” I informed her.
“Scott?”
“Long story, he’s a sorcerer. Where are you and where’s Dad?” I asked, glancing around.
“He’s not asleep, I guess. Olivia, you are in danger.”
“I know, Mom. I know. Kyle’s told me, Anna’s told me, everyone has told me. But I need to find you and Dad, so you can help me with all of this. I don’t know how to solve any of these problems,” I poured out.
“Kyle? Your brother Kyle?” She asked, surprised.
I nodded.
Her hands reached out, pulling me to sit with her. She held onto me, then motioned for the deer to join us. Miraculously, it obeyed and came to stand with us. I raised my brows at her, confused. She reached out, scratching the doe underneath her neck.
“This is Abana ,” she said affectionately.
“Abana ? The deer has a name?” I questioned, stupefied.
“Yes, Olivia, this lovely doe has a name. It means constant and everlasting. She is very, very powerful, and she will always be there for you. She’s your animal guide,” she explained.
My what? Maybe my mom wasn’t really here. What she was saying didn’t make much sense.
Sensing my doubt, she went on, “An animal guide only comes to those that are gifted with the most abilities, Olivia. You are very special, my daughter. I haven’t heard of anyone having one in a few centuries. Abana here will look out for you, help you. You only have to trust in her.”
“But she usually only appears in my dreams, or when I’m in some sort of dream walking situation,” I told her, my mind reeling.
“Then that is when you need her most. Don’t worry, she will be there when you need her.”
And with my mother’s statement, Abana wandered off into the woods. I stared after her, disbelief clouding my thoughts.
“Now, you were speaking of rescuing us?” she asked, nonchalantly.
I studied her, wondering how she could be so calm with everything happening and destined to happen. “Yeah, I need to know where you are.”
“Well, dear, we are hidden away so the council can’t find us. I’m afraid I don’t really know where we are…”
“Then how do I find you?”
“Darling, you will have to get help from the council. But know The Destroyers are searching for you, too. They don’t like that your binding didn’t work,” she explained, her eyes filling with tears.
“I’ll find you, Mom. I have people that can help me,” I said, my voice catching. I didn’t want to cry again. Not tonight.
“Before we go…tell me who Scott is?” she asked, a mischievous smile breaking out on her face.
“He’s a guy, a sorcerer, that kind of fell in love with me and made me fall in love with him through dream walking,” I told her, realizing how dumb it sounded.
She laughed, pulling me in for a tight hug, saying, “As long as you’re happy, it doesn’t really matter
how you met. Now, I can feel someone trying to wake me…please be careful. And warn your brother, they could come after him, too....” Her voice faded, along with her body, until nothing was left. I sat on the bench, alone and more afraid than ever.
I sat straight up, gasping for air. Scott towered over me, worry stretching along his face. His mouth moved, but I couldn’t register what he was saying. Pulling my knees up, I rested my head in my arms. I forced back the sob trying to escape.
“Scott,” I said it, trying to calm him of his hysterics.
“Why wouldn’t you answer me?” he screamed, his pitch going higher.
“Calm down. I’m fine. I saw my mom,” I told him, looking up into his eyes.
They widened, looking afraid of what I may say. “And?”
“The Destroyers do have them, Scott. And she can’t tell me where they are. She says we have to get help from the council.”
The council that wanted my powers bound at birth.
The council that would probably take me in for experimentation.
I would be turning myself over to them.
Aiden
Anna insisted I stay with her for a few weeks. We still weren’t sure what to do, but figured it was unsafe to go back to my family yet. The spirit…sorcerer…thing that took me over was still out there somewhere. It could come back.
I was going to go to school. Anna was making up some story about taking me in for a year. I wasn’t completely up-to-date on the details. I had a few weeks until school started, so I would figure it all out then.
I stretched, rolling to my side in the spare bed Anna made for me. It was weird being here. She was kind, welcoming, but it was odd. My body supposedly tried to kill them all; and most of them, Scott not included, just accepted what happened and seemed to forget. I wasn’t sure I could do the same if I was in the position.
A knock on the door ruffled me from my thoughts. “Yes?” I called.
It creaked open, making way for Sadie’s beautiful face. “Hey, you up?” she asked.
“Yeah, come in.” I scrambled to sit and frantically patted my hair down. It always seemed to look like a Mohawk upon waking.
She carefully tiptoed in, glancing around and sitting on the edge of the table near her entrance. It squeaked under her weight, surprisingly, considering she was tiny. Her hands clasped together as her eyes surveyed the room. She was nervous. But why?
“What’s going on?” I questioned.
“Uh…well…it’s eleven a.m.”
“Ok, sorry. Did I sleep too late?” I searched for a clock, but couldn’t find one.
“No, no. I only wanted you to know I wasn’t waking you super early or anything. I’m not a morning person, anyways,” she admitted flippantly.
“Technically, I had already woken up,” I pointed out.
“True. Anyways…Grandma wanted me to talk to you about something.”
“Shoot.” I sat a little straighter, not sure if this would be good or bad news.
“Well, school starts in two weeks, and she insists you have to go. But…everyone knows you as Aiden Cavalier and the whole eye change thing--” She waved her hands in the air as she spoke. “—it will be very difficult to explain.”
I nodded in agreement.
“So, we were thinking…possibly we could place a distortion spell on you. It would change your features enough so no one would recognize you except those who know you. Olivia, Juniper, Mark…and probably me.”
My ears perked at her revelation. “You go to school there, too?”
“Not yet, but I’m thinking of transferring. Grandma thinks it would be better to have me near, in case The Crimson Calamitous appears again.”
“Will this distortion thing hurt? Am I going to look awful? I remember Mark mentioned it once….”
“What?” she questioned shockingly. “No. It doesn’t do any bad distorting. It just changes small things to make you look different. Your eyes are already changed….maybe a more defined jaw line…a higher hair line…straighter nose…things like that,” she explained.
“Alright. I guess I won’t have a choice….”
“Of course you have a choice. We won’t do anything without your approval, Aiden.”
“I appreciate that, thanks.” And I truly did. I couldn’t say I would be so respectful if I was a powerful being.
“You’ll still resemble yourself, however, so we will probably say you are a cousin or something.”
“Sounds good.”
She stood, wringing her hands some more. She was cute when nervous.
“What is it?” I asked.
“I just…Aiden, you have to let us protect you if he comes back. I know it’s a male pride thing or something, but you have to let us.” Her words were strong, convicting. She was worried about me.
“Why is it important?” A smile played on my face. My eyes searched hers for meaning, understanding, something.
“We helped in injuring you, Aiden. Granted, we didn’t know you were a vessel at the time, but it’s kind of hard to think about. We could have killed an innocent person. I don’t want anything like that to happen again.” She was very blunt. I liked it.
“I wasn’t acting very innocent though. It’s ok.”
“No, it’s not. We should have researched more…knew more so we could have been fully prepared.” Her voice held anger, resentment, and something else. I couldn’t place my finger on what she was feeling.
“Ok, but I forgive you all. So don’t worry about it.”
She nodded, “Yeah. Ok.” She moved closer to the door, hand reaching for the knob.
“I’ll be up and about shortly,” I revealed to her.
Her back tensed, a slight smile forming on her porcelain face. “I’ll be around.” And she was gone.
Scott
We had more on our plates than we could handle. Devlin Hart’s descendant still had to be found. The Destroyers were after Livvie, and we had to find The Harmonious Gathering headquarters. Livvie’s life was in danger, any way we turned. She and her friends would return to school in two weeks, while my classes started the same day. I prayed it didn’t interfere with the searching that must be done. My brothers, Santos and Sebastian, were on their way back from wherever it was they went this summer. I couldn’t recall what Sadie told me.
I broke the news to Grandma that I wouldn’t be returning to help her at the dress shop. It was time for me to move on to a new job; which is where I was headed today, to apply for a job at the art supply store right beside my campus. I decided that keeping my life as normal as possible was the best way to not flip myself out about Livvie’s imminent doom.
I parked the truck in front of the shabby building. Graphics masked the bricks, a flurry of colors mixing and blending along the whole building. Classic cars were parked along the side lot, each a canvas for many artists. The rumor on campus was the owner of the store bought these classics that didn’t run anymore, leaving them in the lot for artists to decorate. I personally hadn’t painted anything yet, but I wanted to.
The bell rang as I entered. My eyes were attacked with a myriad of colors. Paints, pastels, canvases, easels, and tons of other supplies lined the walls, the middle area, and the windows. The large island in the middle of the store held the registers, where a young woman with purple and blue streaks in her hair stood chewing gum and drawing on a notepad. I approached, clearing my throat to gain her attention. She looked up, and huge blue eyes peered at me, “May I help you?”
“Yes, I’d like to apply for any job openings for the upcoming semester.”
“Alright, follow me. The manager is in the back, and he will want to see you.” She exited, leading me to a door placed between two of the larger shelves. We walked a small distance, passing a break room and a restroom, finally stopping at what I assumed was the manager’s office. An older man was seated behind a desk, papers sprawled out in front of him, and easels perched beside him with half drawn pictures. He looked up, small beady eyes evaluating
me. Turning to the girl, he asked, “Yes, Ella?”
“He wants to apply for a job for the fall semester.” She left quickly, causing me to wonder if she wasn’t comfortable around this man.
“Hello there, young man. My name is Mitchell Jacobs. Have a seat.” He stood, shaking my hand, then motioned to the seat in front of him. I sat, wondering if I was getting the interview before I actually applied.
“Hello, I’m Scott Tabors. I’m taking a lot of art classes at the university, and I’ve driven by here a lot, so I thought I would apply. I enjoy looking at the cars, by the way,” I explained, smiling widely.
He laughed, bending down to rummage through the drawer. He pulled out a packet of papers, handing them and a pen to me. “We’re looking for a few people. Most of our workers graduated last May, so I’ve been short staffed all summer. Fill all these out, and as long as the background check comes back ok, you can start the first day of classes.”
Surprised, I studied the papers. More than an application was in my hands. I reached my hand out, shaking his vigorously. “Thank you so much, sir. You won’t regret this.”
“I have a good feeling about you, seem to really love art. I like that in an employee. Passionate people bring out others’ passions, resulting in sales. You can take that home and bring it back later if you want.”
I stood, smiling like an idiot. “I’ll do that, Mr. Jacobs. Thank you again.” I nodded before leaving. I hurried out to my vehicle, anxious to tell Livvie the good news.
Olivia
Kyle and I were getting to know each other. Turns out, he wasn’t as awful as I’d always thought. He told me about his college years, the girl he was dating, and about his town. I kept trying to reach mom or dad or both of them through their dreams, but I couldn’t. Anna thought The Destroyers had sensed me and blocked any magic from coming in. Scott wondered if they were on different sleep schedules. Sadie didn’t know what to think, but she was generally pissed at the whole situation.
Aiden was still staying with Anna. It seemed like they were getting along well. He visited me and Kyle at least every other day. We were becoming great friends, but Scott wasn’t too happy about that. Scott was amazing, wonderful, and so supportive…except when it came to Aiden. Juniper was right about him being jealous, I could see that now. Aiden was attractive. There was no denying that, especially now that he wasn’t trying to kill me; but Scott…he held my heart in the palm of his hand. One look from him brought a flurry of butterflies to my stomach, a thundering in my heart. Never did I think I would know a love so strong, so pure, and so real. I felt like I was living in a romance story. Granted, it was one with a bunch of bad guys, but a romance nonetheless.
The Vessel Page 12
