Ares had spent years trying to figure out a way to circumvent the side effects, but time was running out. He had to think of something fast. The next time the Quorum might catch up to him again and who knew if Evie would be able to lock onto his location to save him again.
26
May 20, 2008
Amber couldn’t explain it, but she felt drawn to Atlanta. She had found herself in a strip club complete with dancers dressed in diaphanous pieces of fabric that passed for clothing. Although their costumes were tawdry, the dancers had the right idea—less is more—given the humidity. The air was muggy and yet a stream of perspiration travelled along a rising terrain of goosebumps on her arms. Now more attuned to her sense, she realized an Olympian was near.
She followed her instincts and made her way through the crowd and sat at the bar. She asked the bartender for a pint and slipped him five dollars. Then, she turned her attention to the stage as prompted by the DJ announcing the next exotic dancer to hit the stage. The bartender slid a frothy mug to her and she happily took a long sip from it. The hops tasted and felt good sliding down her throat as it dispersed to cool her body. Her dewy glow began to dissipate when her body temperature adjusted to the room temperature.
A Charleston Lounge sign lit up the stage in fluorescent pink. The DJ played Ludacris to set the mood as the dancer, Kandi, graced the stage. Kandi sprinted to the pole with impressive ease given the five inch spiked heels she had chosen to perform in. She launched herself into an upside down grip of the pole and dismounted into a split at the base of the pole.
The audience erupted in appreciation and admiration as she twerked and clapped her cakes while in a split. She threw her hair and arms up in a flourish as she lifted herself up to play up the crowd.
Kandi peeled off her shorts to reveal a sexy, electric purple leather thong. She made eye contact with a front row patron toting a wad of bills.
Amber gasped as she recognized Kandi as Kelly. She moved closer to the stage to look Kelly in the eyes, but Kandi just gave a flirtatious wink and shimmy and kept working the audience.
Amber furrowed her brow and called, “Kelly!” But Kandi didn’t budge nor react to the name.
Amber walked back to the bar and pulled her cell phone out of her back pocket to call Eric. She stopped cold, noting the date on the screen. It read March 8, 2001 at 1:05 AM. She felt lightheaded as though she might faint. Then she slipped backwards as if the floor had suddenly been ripped from beneath her. The club disappeared and the patron voices faded as she continued to fall. It didn't seem real, but it felt more like she was in some sort of trance than a dream.
Then her trance turned turbulent. The darkness surrounded her as she was thrusted into a vacuum, pulling her towards the unknown. It was disquieting not knowing where she was being led as the propulsion of the infinite chasm pulled her deeper inside. Its clutch encompassed her like a girdle, constricting as she struggled to free herself. Opening her mouth, she tried desperately to intake oxygen, but it only intensified the void’s hold on her, effectively obstructing her airway passage. Her flailing arms fell limply to her sides, her extremities grew immobile and numb, and her lips cold to the touch.
“Oh my God, she’s not breathing,” said a muffled voice.
Just as Amber was about to acquiesce to the darkness and surrender her essence, she heard the voice again, in stereo, “Amber, breathe.”
She inhaled sharply, her breathing ragged as her eyes shot open.
“That’s it. Breathe,” Ares said again soothingly.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, nostrils burning as if she’d just inhaled chlorine.
“You summoned me…with your thoughts. It’s a good thing, too. Temporal projection is dangerous for a novice.”
“How did you know?” Amber asked, wiping blood from her nose.
“Process of elimination. There are different versions of projection—astral, mental, and temporal. Temporal is the most dangerous, because your mind travels a further distance.” He gave her a pointed look. “Just don’t try that again unless you know what you’re doing.”
“It wasn’t intentional. I must have fallen asleep, but it felt so real.”
“What year was it?”
She massaged her temple, and replied, “The clothing wasn't outmoded and the surroundings were shabby, but not old fashioned. I don’t know.”
“Okay. What did you see?”
She closed her eyes. “I was in a club—a strip club. It was malodorous with tobacco. The air was balmy, too, which I normally wouldn’t find unpleasant except it was night—it was strange that it was still so warm at that hour. Anyway, I ordered a draft to cool off and I could literally taste the orange notes in the beer. How is that possible if I wasn’t really there?”
“It was real; your mind projected a facsimile of you back in time while your body remained in the present. All of your sensory receptors operate the same even during temporal projection. I know it feels like a dream, but it’s very real. As in you can be harmed.”
“You mean I can die?”
“Yes.” He didn’t give her time to let the idea marinate, “Did you see anything else—anything out of the ordinary?”
She felt the presence of an Elysian, which was undoubtedly the dancer bearing an uncanny resemblance to Kelly. “No, I didn’t see anything odd.”
“Well, there has to be a reason to explain why you were drawn to that specific time.”
She shrugged. “It’s like you said, I’m a novice. If there’s a reason, then it’s unbeknownst to me. I could use your expertise; can you show me how to safely use projection?”
“No, I never mastered the ability.”
Disappointed, she fell silent for a moment. “How do you know I was in the past?”
“No Olympian has been able to project into the future.”
“Oh,” Amber said soberly, quashing any hopes of gaining an edge over Diem. It would have been advantageous to know the future, giving her the chance to prevent it.
“Temporal projection is unstable. The mind cannot be separated from the body for long. You shouldn’t use it anymore, but you should still practice using your other abilities. It’s the only way you’ll learn how to control them.”
He knew she was intentionally not using her powers and he was calling her out on it.
“It’s imperative that you use your powers,” Ares urged. “It’s like a muscle; it atrophies without use.”
“I still don’t know how to control them and using my powers will lead the Quorum straight to me.”
“But Evie has already casted a protection spell.”
“You want me to rely on the promises of a woman whom I have yet to meet?”
“I told you, she doesn’t want to have a direct hand in all of this. If things go south, she shouldn’t be punished, too, for helping us. I assured her that I would keep her out of it if she agreed to cloak you.”
“I get it. We both have people that we care about right in the middle of this, and as much as we want to protect them and keep them out of it, we can’t be in two places at once. Eric doesn’t have powers to defend himself, but he would never leave me in the lurch, because that’s just the kind of man he is, and if Evie is worth her salt, she wouldn’t leave you hanging, either.”
Ares crossed his arms, which wasn’t exactly a no. Defensive, but not a verbal no.
“So I was thinking since you can’t help me with projection, maybe Evie could—”
“The answer is no.”
“But you haven't even asked her yet. How do you know what she’d say?”
“I know her pretty well, and she wouldn’t be able to help you anyway. You can’t use magic and Olympian powers.”
“I wouldn’t use magic, she would. Maybe she could be my tether. I mean, it’s the only weapon we’ve got against Kelly. She’s been one step ahead of us this whole time. This could tip the scales.”
“No, it’s too dangerous—far too unstable for you to try again.
”
“Okay, fine, but I’d still like to meet her.”
“We’ve been through this.”
“Whether you like it or not Evie is in this waist deep. You can’t shield her from this. She’s made her choice, so she should be in the trenches with the rest of us.”
“I will be sure to relay the message.”
“Great.”
“Fine.”
“Perfect.”
Later on that evening, both Ares and Evie stood out on the terrace drinking beers.
“Ares, I don’t have an issue with meeting Amber if it will set her at ease.” Evie offered.
“I do. I promised you that I would protect you.”
“She just wants to put a face with the name. She probably thinks I’m this fabled person you made up.”
“That’s ridiculous. I could have never done all of those things without you.” Ares wrapped his arms around her waist.
“Still, Amber’s asking a lot of questions. Do you think she knows?”
Ares nuzzled her neck. “You and I are the only ones who know. I have no intentions of telling her and…”
“Well, I’ve never met her.”
“There you have it. She doesn’t know.”
“But if she finds out, she won’t trust you much less like you.”
“I can’t worry about that right now. We have more pressing issues to deal with.”
27
May 20, 2008
Josie had stopped by to visit Diamary at Carrington Memorial Hospital and just as she reached for the doorknob, the door swung open. Stumbling backwards, Josie lost purchase with the slick, waxed floor, and nearly toppled over if it hadn’t been for Kelly’s swift action to grab her hand.
“I’m so sorry. Are you alright?” Kelly asked.
“I’m fine, thanks for saving me from a fall,” Josie said, clenching her chest.
“I’m sorry to have frightened you.”
“No, it’s just you look like her,” Josie remarked, pointing at the door. “For a moment, I thought you were her—fully recovered.”
“How did you know I wasn’t Diamary?”
“Well, for starters, you’re nice,” Josie blurted out while dusting off the stray petals that had fallen off of the sunflowers she’d bought for Diamary. “But I knew you weren’t her as soon as I heard you speak. Diamary has a southern accent, which comes off benign until you get to know her. She has to be the vilest person…”Josie caught herself, noting she was likely bad-mouthing Diamary to a relative. “I’m sorry. You’re not related to her or anything, right?”
“No, as far as I know we’re not even acquainted.”
“Okay, good.” Josie sighed; grateful she hadn’t offended Kelly with her ranting.
“You don’t seem to like Diamary much from what I’ve heard. So why are you here?”
“I may not like her, but it doesn’t mean I don’t want to see her well. It was weird how it all happened; the poor thing passing out like that. We all thought she’d been drugged. Hell, they all thought I’d done something to her, because she kept antagonizing me. But I’ve got a little one at home to think of and I’d never stoop so low, not even in retaliation.”
Kelly nodded. “I understand. Do you think she’ll ever wake up?”
“Well, it’s in God’s hands now.”
They both stood in silence. It seemed inappropriate to continue probing Josie, but Kelly saw no other way of getting the information she needed. “When did Diamary pass out?”
“Oh gosh, it was a Friday night, May fourth, I think. No, it was the fifth. It was early, too, because we were still working the patrons and the show hadn’t started yet. So, it was maybe around seven-ish.”
“Okay, thanks, um…”
“Josie.”
“Kelly,” she said, extending a hand to shake. “Nice to meet you, Josie. If you hear anything would you give me a call? Let me give you my information.” She scribbled her phone number down on a spare napkin she had in her pocket.
“Sure. Wow, you really are the spitting image of her,” Josie marveled.
“That’s what I hear which is why I wanted to speak to her.”
“I hope you find what you’re looking for. I wish I had more information to offer.”
“Thanks, Josie. Well, I’ve got to run. So I’ll let you get back to your visit.”
“Okay, hon. Good luck,” Josie said, waving good-bye prior to entering Diamary’s room.
28
May 20, 2008
Amber couldn’t sleep after coming out of her temporal projection to Charleston Lounge. To confirm she was in command of her mental faculties, she looked up Charleston Lounge. There, sprawled across the website as their headliner, was Kandi Cane. Kandi did exist and she was practically the spitting image of Kelly. Yet, Amber was positive they weren’t the same person.
The next day, Amber and Eric went to the campus to use the printer. The printer’s power button blinked an intermittent lime green, which indicated the color cartridge was running low. Nevertheless, the print quality was still decent enough that she could hold the image of Kandi juxtaposed to a picture of Kelly and point out the differences that comprised the two women.
Plucking the photo from the printer, Amber sat in the campus lounge ruminating over the photographs. In her own picture, she and Kelly stood with their arms interlocked and their heads tilted towards each other. Kelly smiled broadly showing off the results of her orthodontia and the sunlight danced off her irises accentuating her hypnotic gray eyes. Amber was beaming with glee as if she’d won the lottery. Of course, Amber felt as though she had won, she counted herself lucky to have stumbled across Kelly. She couldn’t have asked for a better friend.
It was maddening to feel as if she were on the cusp of a breakthrough, but deterred by her own mind’s renitence to comply. It didn’t help that the picture of them was taken eleven years ago when they were fifteen. Aside from the age gap, there was no denying how much Kandi favored Kelly. Amber just had to pinpoint distinguishable features which irrefutably supported her belief that Kandi and Kelly were, indeed, not one in the same.
“I don’t know, Amber,” Eric said, peering over her shoulder. “She looks a lot like Kelly. How can you be certain it’s not her?”
Eric could postulate all he wanted, but no one knew Kelly better than Amber. She just felt it deep down that this woman was not her dear friend.
Amber’s gaze remained transfixed on the photos when Sherry rounded the corner and blurted out, “Holy schnoz!”
Amber snatched the photo away and held it against her chest as if that would quell the sting of the insult. “There’s nothing wrong with her nose.”
She drew a sharp breath. “Her nose,” she said examining the picture again.
Unable to tolerate being ignored by them, Sherry rolled her eyes and kept walking down the corridor.
Amber tapped the photo with her index finger. “I knew there was something different about her. It’s her nose. Kelly has more of a hook-shaped nose whereas the bridge of Kandi’s nose is straight.”
“She could have had a nose job,” Eric guessed.
“Are you kidding? Every time I complained about my love handles and my desire to get liposuction, Kelly would sound off a list of the repercussions and complications that comes with elective surgery. I can still hear her now, ‘Why would you want to take such drastic risks when you’re perfect just as God made you?’”
“So it’s definitely not her?”
“I’m sure. Besides, Diem has a hook-shaped nose just like Kelly’s. I’d bet everything that Kelly is Diem.”
“Okay, so where does Kandi fit into all of this?”
“I don’t know, but there must be a reason why I was drawn to her. Let’s go to Charleston Lounge.”
“Okay, call Ares.”
“No!”
“Why? What happened?
“I feel like he’s keeping something from me.”
“He did save your life…twice,” Eric
reasoned.
“I know and I feel like a jerk for even saying this, but it was his serum and by extension his fault my life is in peril.”
“But it wasn’t intentional.”
“Or so he says. Don’t you find it convenient that he knew about Kelly, but somehow he didn’t know about Kandi?”
“You think he did know about Kandi?”
“Yes and the way he probed me about my projection to the club—it didn’t seem like he was asking for my benefit. It felt more like he was trying to determine how much I knew and if I’d learned anything new.”
“Don’t do anything rash,” Eric cautioned. “Sleep on it. We don’t have to do or decide anything today.”
29
May 22, 2008
Amber had awakened that morning imbued with a resolve to discipline herself and train hard so she could save her friend. Her level of skill had improved, but she wanted to be as prepared as possible to exceed Kelly in battle to subdue her.
Almost without trying, she said, “Ares.”
He appeared in a sunny glow of light, but his presence did not correspond to his entrance. He shielded his eyes from the morning sun, but even under the shade of his hands, she could see the purple circles beneath tired green eyes. The agitated tight-lipped expression that followed told her she probably should have phoned him the practical way instead of plucking him from his bed unexpectedly and likely hung-over.
The appropriate response would have been an apology, but in lieu of that, she blurted, “You seem to drink a lot.”
“That’s my business, Amber.”
“I know, but…why?”
Dark sunken green eyes bore into her determined eyes.
Relics and Runes Anthology Page 164
