by S. K Munt
‘Oh good grief…’ Callie shook her head, astonished. ‘That was a huge risk to take Ryan.’
‘I know.’ He grinned. ‘But I had faith in the soul mate thing. So I told her yes, of course, agreed to the terms without giving them a second thought and went into a deep sleep. The newborn baby kind.’
‘You were adopted too? And you never told us?’
‘I didn’t know Cal, they didn’t tell me until they disowned me.’ He shrugged. ‘Memoria had to birth you on the mortal plane to be born mortal, but with me, she simply reversed time, and left me in an orphanage. The Weavers adopted me, and like you, I was raised as a human kid, one who always felt slightly out of place among the other kids, slightly out of step with the human race. I picked up a guitar and I made friends with another boy who couldn’t afford his own yet. We became best friends and when I was eight, swimming at the gorge, this little girl rocked up and saved my best friends ass.’ He grinned at her adoringly. ‘I think it was love at first sight for me Callie. You were so brave that day! So smart! So unlike the other girls...’ He pulled her more tightly against him. ‘And you loved music so much that I made it my mission in life to win as many of your smiles as I could, complete unaware that there was so much more to our connection.’
‘Soul mates.’ Callie had never felt the beauty of the word until then. ‘All along.’
His smile melted her. ‘You just got prettier every day. Cooler, sweeter, more loyal. My need for your attention became a crush, and that crush became puppy-love and then when when we hit that, er age…’ he winced. ‘God I couldn’t sleep.’ He pressed his face into her shoulder and sighed, running his fingers down her arm, making her breathing hitch. ‘But I didn’t know that I had some greater purpose. I was a confused, horny teenage guy and you were the hottest girl in school who I suspected was in love with my best friend.’
Callie’s chest tightened. She burrowed into Ryan, slipping her hand under the collar of his shirt. ‘I was just as confused Ry,’ she whispered. ‘Maybe because the Muse in me is stronger than the immortal in you… but I just knew that my purpose on earth had something to do with Hunter, and music.’ She glanced up at him. ‘But don’t think for a second that I didn’t drool over my other best friend every chance I got.’
‘Oh I know.’ He winked at her and his laugh echoed in his chest. His heartbeat sounded different on Helicon, lighter, more rapid like insect wings. ‘I mean clearly, I was the hottest guy in school, right?’
‘Right.’ Callie pressed her lips to his but they couldn’t kiss deeply for their broad grins so he nuzzled her nose again.
‘But like I said, you were off-limits. I always wanted to take you out on a date, to make it clear that you were more than a pal to me, but Hunter was always right there and I didn’t want to lose him. So I waited. I waited too long and then when I finally worked up the guts to try and kiss you… there was Hunter again.’ He sighed. ‘And you know what happened from there…’
Callie cringed. ‘So when did you work it out? When we were little? When we met here in Helicon?’
A blush stained Ryan’s cheeks. ‘Um… no.’
She sat up, her curiosity piqued. ‘Well?’
Ryan bit his lip, looking down at their hands. ‘The cyclone Callie. When we had you in that uh, compromising position and you had this moment when your eyes… they did that swirl thing and I saw it and it must have been a trigger Memoria left for me…’ he blew out his breath, shaking his head. ‘My world exploded. One moment I’d been chomping at the bit and the next I wanted to shoot myself. Humanity, or should I say, testosterone had me acting more like an ape than a Demigod so to say that realizing that I was about to share my soul mate, the Muse of music, with my best buddy in the middle of a category five storm was mortifying. I freaked the hell out! I was so shocked at first that after you ran, it took me a while to work out what had happened, and how you had vanished, and to convince Hunter that I saw you enter the rainforest.’ He held her tightly. ‘Callie I’m so sorry! I should have come straight away but I couldn’t just leave him, so I waited about two months, then pretended to get a job away from Horizon so I had a good excuse for taking off before I followed you.’
Callie’s eyes widened. ‘Hunter said you were gone a year working…?’
Ryan nodded. ‘One day here. One day with you, trying to give you as much clarity as I could, while you know…’ he made a face.
‘Giving me a hard time?’ She supplied. ‘Omitting details to keep me here longer?’
He nodded. ‘It was low. But there was so much on the line and I truly did have that fresh start with you again only this time, I was aware of it. I could think, plan… try and catch your heart in the hopes that maybe you’d stay for Ardos instead of returning to Hunter.’
‘I returned for both of you.’ Calliope whispered sadly. ‘Hunter and Ryan.’
‘I didn’t know that. He’d kissed you Callie and you’d melted to him. I thought I’d lost again, on both playing fields, and I was shaken.’ He blew out his breath. ‘I left the moment I awoke here and realized you were gone, and knowing that in the end, you would do what was right by music, I returned to Hunter, and tried to do some of the ground work for you- starting a band, keeping him on his toes- pushing him to be more, to enroll in AVPAC.’ He groaned and pressed his face into her shoulder again. ‘It was an eternity. So many times, I started to give up on you, on us- and all I could do was wait.’ He looked down at her lap. ‘And the longer you took, the more despondent I got. For all I knew, you were back to your old tricks, happy to blow Hunter’s destiny off and pursue other avenues until you died and were born as a human again. I mean, I didn’t know what was going through your mind, given the way you’d slipped back to earth while I slept.’
Callie knew what was haunting Ryan; the temptations he’d given into while she was gone. The women he’d bedded in human frustration, the secrets he’d kept from Hunter; the secrets he’d kept from her. She sensed that he wanted to apologize, but Callie brushed her lips against his to let him know that she understood.
‘And then when you came back and I saw you on that stage I swear to Zeus that I had a heart attack. We were on dates, and I damn near shoved her into a trash can in the lobby for fear that you’d think I’d moved on.’ His fingers strummed a silent rhythm down the nape of her neck. ‘That was why I just blurted out the whole: ‘I love you’ thing. Because I’d known you’d come to break Hunter’s heart and in order to do that, you’d have to win his love first. And I wanted to keep you from falling harder than I could pull you back from- keep you divided so it wouldn’t be his arms you died in.’ He grimaced, rubbing his temples. ‘And then… then I saw you flipping out with that Lyre in your hand I knew I’d accidentally left your trigger right under your nose, and that you were being ripped apart because of me.’
‘So it wasn’t on purpose? You didn’t know it was mine?’
Ryan shook his head. ‘I didn’t have memories back when I pinched it. I was just being a rebellious kid trying to impress a girl. I didn’t know how quickly it would escalate things when you played it, that you’d be forced to remember that guy, Harley…’ his eyes closed again- his face contorted in anguish. ‘These have been the darkest weeks of my life Callie. Trying to be everything I needed to be; loyal to you, without being some doormat and turning you off. Loyal to Hunter, who I love more than any man could love a brother, wanting to throw my guitar at his feet and sweep you off yours with my spare hands but knowing that my continued presence as lead singer was not only attractive to you, but necessary to push Hunt to out-do me, and find his destiny when really, I didn’t give a flying-’
Callie pressed a finger to his lips. ‘Okay now, let’s not bad mouth music.’
He smiled, kissed her fingertip and then rolled her onto her back. ‘I love music,’ he whispered. ‘It kept my soul alive when the pain became too much to bear. And that was important, I think. It kept my priorities in check, and reminded me that to win your heart, I had t
o be worthy of it. So I practiced every day, more than you or Hunter were ever aware, trying to impress you.’ He held one of her hands between their chests, while his other continued to rake through her hair. ‘What you do is so important Calliope. There is so much pain on earth and you and your sisters keep The Harmony, give people a reason to live. And you more than anyone, give people a way to celebrate the beauty in life.’
Calliope smiled. ‘And now, you’re my beauty. How does that feel?’
He smiled angelically and rolled so that now she was on top of him. ‘Hmm… I might need a reminder of just how much you love me. I’ve been through quite a lot, you know...’
Calliope threw her knee over his legs, watched the fog skitter away from the heat of their bodies. Now, it was her turn to feel guilty. ‘I’m sorry I hurt you the way I did. But it was only because I cared about you so much Ry- it made using you to make him jealous a pleasure instead of a chore, and though my conscience suffered for it, my body…’ she leaned in and kissed his lips sensually. ‘Making love to you was the weakest thing I’ve ever done, but the best moment of all my lives. I tried to ignore the way my heart was faltering after that, but when I saw you onstage, falling apart, I knew my life wouldn’t be worth living if the man I loved was hurt by my ambition.’
Ryan kissed her back and for a moment, Callie forgot that they’d been talking, that there was so much to know. Ryan wrapped his arms around her and kissed her passionately until they were both panting for breath. Ryan especially, looked exhausted, but punch-drunk.
‘I can’t believe this is happening,’ he whispered, and his eyes were shining with emotion again. ‘I just can’t believe you gave me your heart.’ He bit his lip and a tear slid down the bridge of his nose. ‘Three millennia of trying to catch your eye with flowers and sonnets and in the end, all I had to do was put on some leather pants.’ He smacked her rump playfully. ‘Groupie.’
Callie giggled and the sound was musical even to her. She’d never known such joy or peace. She was the luckiest Muse in Helicon, and the luckiest girl in the world. She would miss Hunter, of course, terribly so, but Ryan would kiss him from her mind. Ryan would lure her from Oblivion, and make a soul mate out of her.
‘I don’t want to leave this place,’ she whispered to him. ‘I want to stay here with you, like this- forever.’ But to her surprise, a shadow passed behind Ryan’s eyes.
‘Oh... Cal…’ He kissed her delicately, and mumbled against her lips: ‘I’m sorry my love, but you have to leave here soon. And when you do…’ another tear slid down his nose. ‘I can’t come with you.’
Callie’s entire body turned to stone. ‘But my powers haven’t returned! And when they do; you go where I go right?’ She counted two more tears streaking his cheeks and felt the fog thickening around them. Fear lanced her heart. ‘Ryan- why are you crying? What are you saying…?’
Ryan sat up, groaning slightly again and Calliope suddenly realized that he wasn’t supposed to be groaning so much. The fear became dread, which deepened to desolation when Ryan pulled her against his chest.
‘Kiss me Calliope.’ He whispered. ‘Please? While you still can?’
Calliope didn’t understand what was going on but the tremble in his voice told her that if she didn’t kiss him now, she might live to regret it. And so she flung her arms around his neck, straddled him and kissed him with all of the love in the universe, knowing she could not let him sink into Oblivion if she could catch him.
33.
Though Hunter’s tears had dried during the police interrogation, his shock and horror had compounded with every passing minute. He couldn’t believe what was happening. He couldn’t believe that The Fork In The Road concert had been cancelled because his best friend had suffered heart failure onstage, in the arms of his other best friend. He couldn’t believe that Marnie was sobbing uncontrollably on the phone to Callie’s parents, telling them what Hunter ought to have, but could not, and he could not fathom the whispers he’d heard when he’d gone to the toilet to vomit up every good feeling he’d ever known; couldn’t fathom that the tech doing the lights and projection had been a computer hacker, and that footage of Callie storming the stage, taking his hat, embracing Ryan and then dying in his arms had somehow been embedded on every single Myspace account in the world, set against Hunter’s bootlegged rendition of Melody.
The guy in the toilet, not knowing that Hunter was the one being sick in there, had whispered to his friend: ‘That is either the best publicity stunt I’ve seen in my life, or the most tragic fucking thing that’s ever happened to anybody.’
‘My sister called me before,’ the other guy had responded. ‘She says it’s been sent to Youtube too and has already gotten twenty thousand hits. That’s insane!’
‘People are creeps.’ The first guy answered. ‘What’s the name of the video though?’
‘Groupie dies on stage at TFITR concert.’
Hunter had shoved his fist into his mouth to quell a scream.
‘I gotta find it when we get home. I loved that fucking song man.’
Hunter bent over the wall and clutched at his chest, feeling like he was being ripped apart inside. ‘Sing it for me Hunter!’ Callie’s command was still fresh in his mind, the delight and fear and excitement in her eyes make his own spill over yet again. Myspace’s newest sensation, sobbing in a toilet stall like a broken man. Well, at least it was Rock. Wherever Callie was, she was probably rolling her eyes and laughing.
After what seemed like an eternity of endless questions (the cops clearly suspected foul play too and it was worse considering Ryan wasn’t anywhere around to give his account) and after the doors had closed on the coroner’s van, closed behind his Callie, all Hunter had wanted to do was go sit on the stage, where she’d smiled her last, and break. Slowly.
But he had to find Ryan first. If they couldn’t lean on each other, they weren’t going to survive this. So he pushed off the wall, promising himself that he’d find Marnie after and comfort her as best as he could, and headed backstage. Nick and Rathe had gone to their own family and friends right after and had been swallowed up in a crowd of reporters that Hunter had no intention of getting within ten feet of, and TFITR had left as the coroner had arrived. Their attitude had altered; they looked shocked, kind of awed and like the police, kind of suspicious. Hunter didn’t care what they thought and he’d stepped away when the congratulations had come to the tips of the confused musicians lips. He hadn’t known why the fuck they’d try and shake his hand but he supposed that they’d heard about the Myspace leak straight away and probably considered it a coup.
Hunter did not. As long as he lived, he would never watch that video and would never talk to anyone who mentioned it. And if he found the video tech, he’d kill him for exploiting his greatest sorrow. Callie’s death, and her life, were his private things and all he had left of her now, except for the hat.
At least the guy had been taken into custody for questioning. That was something!
When he emerged in the corridor, he was surprised to find a bunch of people in uniforms, the groundskeepers and officials and stuff, just milling around near the dressing room door. He paused, wiped at his tears and croaked. ‘If you guys need to clean in there, just give me a minute to get my mate out, okay? He’s been through a lot.’
One maid turned towards him, her face concerned. ‘Please, if you could. The door is locked, and he won’t answer us.’
Hunter stepped up to the door, concerned that Ryan had gone into shock and was incapable of even crying. He knocked quickly. ‘Hey! Ryan!’ He cleared his throat, trying to dislodge the lump. ‘Mate I know… okay? Just let me in. We’ll go home together…’ he squeezed his eyes shut. ‘We’ll get through this together, okay?’
But there was no response. Hunter frowned more deeply, and knocked harder. ‘Ryan just unlock the damn door! We can’t stay here mate. Callie isn’t-’ he swallowed. ‘This isn’t one of those times when we wait and-’ his nose burned, his chest con-c
aved. He rested his head against the door. ‘She’s not coming back Ry,’ he whispered haggardly. He pressed his fingertips into the green wood, almost choking on the scent of industrial disinfectant. ‘Come on mate let me in! If you shut me out-’ his voice broke. ‘I’ll have no-one left!’
But there was no so much as the squeak of shoes against tiles, no crying, not even staggered breathing. Not for the first time that night, Hunter began to feel panic chewing on his nerves. He slapped his hand against the door, praying that the silence and the stillness in the room was the result of it being unoccupied and not… not something he could even consider, considering.
‘Ryan Weaver! If you don’t open this damn door so we can get the fuck out of this tomb I swear to- … Argh!’ Hunter fell back, lifted his foot and kicked the door in. He hit it with probably twice the force necessary and saw the timber around the lock splinter and allow the door to fly inwards. He caught it on the back swing as he stormed into the locker room but he hadn’t taken more than two steps when he saw the empty clip-seal bag on the floor near the end of the first row of lockers- next to Ryan’s limp hand.
No! Hunter caught himself on the rear bank of flimsy steel doors, blinking in disbelief when he saw the folded piece of paper shoved into the strings of Ryan’s neatly propped up guitar. He staggered forward to his best friend, his knees going out from under him and sending him stumbling to the ground beside Ry’s waxen face. His lips were almost blue against his pallid complexion, the corner of which tugged up in a serene smile.
‘No! Ry! C’mon man! Our dream just came true! Our-’ he bowed his head and sobbed into his hands. Not Ryan’s dream- Ryan’s ambition. Stardom was Hunter’s dream and now he had it, at the expense of everything and everyone who had ever put a song in his heart- while Ryan’s dream had died on that stage with Hunter’s happiness.
‘You can’t leave me to do this alone Ry!’ Hunter choked on his horrified tears, reached out, lifted Ryan’s hand. ‘I need you! You’re my best mate!’
