Love. Her heart ached at the word.
Is that what I feel for Hunter?
It was an insane notion, lust or obsession yes, but love? Her constant desire to be around him was a drug; draining and controlling her, leaving her with immeasurable highs and devastating lows. When they were together, he consumed her mind, his presence satisfying her, filling her up with life and security. When apart she was lost and not whole, a piece of her was missing.
"Unlike Nephilim’s who aged slowly, I don't age and it would have looked suspicious. I had to leave her; I still kept a watch over her. You could never understand the pain of watching the one you love to grow old with someone else, have a family, and then die. To me, that's just as bad as leaving.
"After that, I swore never get close to anyone, and it worked for a while until my gift broke me. The need to love and be loved was too much. It was an easy transition back, jumping from girl to girl providing them brief ecstasy, or love or lust, always leaving before I got too close. I can influence a woman's desires."
Luxor stilled at his words, surely it couldn't mean what she thought it did? "Is that what you did to me? This so-called infatuation was a sham," her voice cracked. A lump formed in her throat to hide the humiliation.
"In a way, yes."
"Congratulations on the dose of your love magic," she said sarcastically. She bit the inside of her cheek to holding in the angst and betrayal and to showcase a strong front.
"Luxor, wait."
She whipped around and faced him a piece of her resolve snapping. "No. You do not have the right to use my name, or any other name, to look at me or to even think about me. You are a pathetic." She poked an index finger into his chest. "Low life man-whore." She gnashed her teeth against each other and balled her hands into fists, digging her fingernails into the flesh making half-moon indentations.
At any other time, she would have relished in his gift to eradicate pain but not this time. It had given her a false sense of security with a dollop of deceit on top. There's a difference between helping someone to ease their suffering, and doing it for their own personal gain and brushing it off as the act of a good Samaritan.
With the flutters he absorbed her body with, Xavier encapsulated a gilded butterfly, a beautiful soul who projected trustworthiness when on the inside they reeked of deceit.
Walk away.
She'd come for answers and received them, and no matter how much it pained her, she needed this slap of reality.
Luxor held her head up high with dignity and moved forward leaving him, and this special place behind. A whoosh of heat hit her chest with an excessive force, and she tumbled a metre backwards. She groaned, rolled over onto her side, holding her ribs and sitting upright. Sparks of shocks flicked down her thighs all the way to her toes, her legs weak and wobbly when she tried to stand up. Crawling to the exit she held onto a branch to steady herself. Taking a step forward she stretched her arm out, and her arm flung back, a zap crackling again by an invisible force.
"What did you do?" She gritted her teeth, and ignored the pain shooting down her shoulder.
Desperation to escape pushed her to continue. She pushed her hand against the dome time and time again. The more she made contact, the less it hurt, but it didn't change the fact; it was impenetrable.
Xavier materialised in front of her in a whirl, readily able to appear and disappear at will. "Privacy. This place doesn't exist to the outside world until I make it."
"You need to let me go." She banged on the shield, the zapping retaliating harsher with the more force she inflicted. "Faaaaark," she cursed to the high heavens.
"Luxor, you need to listen to me." He pushed his palms outwards.
Humidity fanned her face, and her knees buckled onto the grass, her eyes blurring. She was being held captive, encapsulated in a high-pitched fervour, her mind a whirlwind of beautiful memories of them. Once they had ceased her mind was released, and no longer in control of somebody else. It was then the emergence of facts burst in.
"The waterfall, you blocked that off, didn't you? Does it even exist or is it something you conjured up?"
"I cannot manifest extreme things like that." Xavier swirled his palms about, a flurry of butterflies circled around them and up at the modified baby blue sky.
A pine bench materialised out of nowhere, the flowers on the cherry blossom tree transformed in all seven colours of the rainbow, and hummingbirds danced in pairs dipping and diving. His hand hovered over the lake, and transformed it into a sparkling majestic blue, the reflection projecting against the white feathers of the swans.
Droplets of dew glistened on the leaves falling onto the lush grass. Luxor shifted over and cuddled herself not waiting for anything tainted to touch her. She had been consumed in the mission to find answers she didn't stop and take in the altered atmosphere.
He ceased to create, and stood back to absorb it all. "What you felt for me was real only magnified. It needed to be done for the greater good."
"Greater good? Are you even hearing yourself?"
Luxor rose and injected the venom, her anger stirring, and she welcomed the hate for him into her system, her urge to maim him was strong. She wouldn’t be holding back and similar to a cobra ready to strike, she searched around for any weapons. In an idyllic place full of serenity and beauty all that was available was pebbles. She gathered them, tossing them up.
She retracted her hand about to pitch when her mind eradicated the hate, infusing it with love. The bone in her wrist twinged and twisted, loosening her fists and the pebbles tumbled out.
She growled circling her wrists and rubbed. "Why me? Why pursue me? Am I that pathetic you thought you were doing me a favour?"
"You are the furthest thing from pathetic. I didn't pursue you, meeting you was fate in a twisted way. The first time I saw you in the cemetery you looked scared and I calmed you down. I remember thinking all I wanted was to take your fear away." He shook his head. “It felt insane. A complete stranger and all I wanted to do was to be close to you. Sounds psychotic doesn't it?"
Not psychotic at all, I was the same. But it wasn't real.
"What’s the deal with Ayla?"
"Things have gotten out of hand, it wasn't supposed to be like this." he sighed slumping his shoulders. He ran his fingers through his golden blonde hair. Even though he was ageless he looked haggard and defeated. He looked human.
"How was it supposed it be like then? Obviously, both of you have conjured something up. What was it? You set up a Skype meeting to make a fool out of me."
"It's nothing like that. It's supposed to be simple. We haven't played you. I hardly know Ayla."
"Liar," she screeched, punching a tree. "Why are you here?"
"In my case, we were always fated to meet, just not in a conventional way." He had a faraway look in his eyes, talking in riddles. "I wish things could have been different, that I was different but I'm not and it'll only end badly."
"It already has."
"I'm not talking about emotionally Luxor, the worst is yet to come," Xavier told her cryptically.
Luxor stalked forward, her fists clenched until they had turned an impossible shade of white. Underneath her top her veins throbbed, protruding out from her skin. Her sight blurred and she knew what was coming, and didn't care how it ended.
"That's it," she snapped, her lips turning upwards in a snarl, an invisible dark cloud about to strike. "Explain it to me now, or I'm about to go into demoness mode and go psycho on your ass. Maybe meeting you wasn't fate and you're a creepy stalker, there's no maybe in this sick, perverted game.”
Xavier staggered back, and for the first time he looked fearful. "I can't. I'm sorry," he said, his face contorted in pain.
"Oh, you will be," she lowered her voice, and grabbed his bicep, digging her nails into his shirt.
"Then prepare for the worst." He grasped her head, and the sensations of volcanic spears punctured her skull.
Luxor collapsed in a heap, and her e
yes drooped. She scrambled at the dirt to hold onto anything solid, and will herself to stay alert and in the moment. In her time of need she called out names.
Mumma.
Pandora.
Becky.
And finally, Hunter.
Help me.
As the second ticked on, the smell of freesia and apple blossoms had evaporated, as well as all of the birds. The brightness he provided had reverted the air into the same murky environment in which she'd arrived.
Before she faded off into oblivion Hunter entered into her mind, confirming his warning. The calm was over and the storm obliterated her perfect illusion.
Hours later, Luxor groggily awoke still in The Realm of Possibilities, her mouth dry as dirt. She slumped onto her knees, and rocked as she willed the pain in her head to disappear. She had been wrong all along, the real danger had been closer to her but she'd been too naive to see it.
Xavier had mind fucked her into oblivion and disappeared, but she stayed and contemplated her next plan of action.
Luxor had considered calling Pandora but she needed time to process the information. She swaggered in a haze and entered darkness. The lights in Main Street has been switched off and not a soul was about. She stumbled into the park, alternating between swinging herself and sitting on the see-saw but it stuck on the ground.
When you have no one, you'll be stuck on the bottom.
Luxor had officially hit rock bottom.
Eventually Luxor arrived back at The Chalet, and climbed up the tree into her bedroom. She checked next door to find it empty, and ironically when she needed Pandora she wasn’t about.
Don’t be selfish, she’s probably on patrol.
Luxor collapsed on top of the blanket, weary but her mind ablaze as the pain continued on her head from whatever Xavier had done to her. Sleep eluded Luxor and nothing eased her troubled mind. In the middle of the night tried warm soy milk but all it did was churn her stomach and had her running to the toilet. She didn't want to rely on pills of any kind to eradicate the emotional pain, they would have only dulled her senses and sugar coated them, not deal with the problems. Once the pills wore off, everything would come back and she wouldn't have the capacity to truly deal with it.
In the end, the suffocation had reached its peak and she climbed downstairs and juggled the telescope and tripod and set them on the gravel. Tilting it to the sky she pressed an eye against the lens. Up in the horizon the stars swayed from side to side, glittering like diamonds, even more brightly against the dreamy inky black sky. Even if she saw a shooting star, she wouldn’t wish for what she learned tonight to be erased. Ignorance and naivety weren’t bliss, and now the fog had been cleared.
"Luxor, wake up. Wake up," Pandora's voice called, slightly shaking her. She stirred on the wet surface slowly peeking her eyes open. "What are you doing out here?"
She laid back on the grass, propped up on her elbows, and shivered. Her eyes darted around, feeling disorientated. "I-I fell asleep." She picked off the twigs and leaves tangled in her hair.
"Come, let's get you inside." Pandora swung an arm around her shoulder.
"My telescope." She pointed to where it had tumbled in the bushes.
"I have it." She leant down and single handily cradled the telescope, and assisted a waddling and half-dazed Luxor all the way to her bedroom with no complaints.
Her clothes stuck to her like a second skin, and mud splattered all over the floors and walls coating every surface she touched. Pandora prepared the shower and undressed her. The hot water scorched Luxor’s skin as she lathered up and furiously scrubbed in circles the dirt and grime from all over her body, and removing the nature from her hair. She leaned her head against the tiles gaining her coherent thoughts and running over how last night ended.
Eventually the water had turned cold and after turning it off she dried off then pulled on a pair of her slasher skinny black jeans, rips from the top of her thighs down to the hem. Slipping on a sports jacket she zipped it to the top of her neck, threading her thumbs through the inserts at the end of the sleeves.
While drying off her hair, her phone vibrated from under the pile of her dirty clothes.
Evie: I want a Xavier update.
Xavier. He was the last person she wanted to talk about, and revealing his true nature might have Evie questioning Luxor's sanity.
Luxor threw the mobile on the bed. “I figure you know all the details.”
“I do. And when you’re ready, vent away.”
Would I ever be ready?
Reality was a cruel pill to swallow but created the perfect antidote.
The days fell into an easy rhythm and before long Luxor had established a routine consisting of the utmost stability. She steered clear of everybody but Pandora, to rid the negativity and treachery, and concentrated on her well-being. Ayla had played her like a fool by lying about her involvement with Xavier. Ayla had despised anybody with a less than perfect soul, and yet she had introduced Luxor to him, and pushed him on her at any opportunity.
Mornings started before dawn when Coach Davis would turn up at her house, all the excited to begin the latest torture. Instead of at the school grounds they practiced through the woods behind her home, starting off with sprints before pounding the terrains, through the trees and over logs.
The afternoons were spent at The Renaissance Centre where Valencia dealt with Luxor’s anger issues. On alternating days from Coach Davis, James had her knuckles and thighs battered and bruised. Nights were spent doing school work. Pandora remained by her side at all times and Luxor was grateful for the company, especially on the days when Coach Davis was in his brutal moods.
“Move, move, move,” he bellowed, and blew the whistle.
On one particular chilly morning, instead of the woods behind her house he swapped it for the ones where she had first encountered Cane. The Red Lake taunted Luxor every time Coach Davis threw a rock to make her go faster. Pandora hissed and was on the verge of gouging his eyes out every time he employed the tactic. Luxor snorted and waited for her to do so. Every couple of days he would shorten the sprints; forty-five minutes, thirty minutes and fifteen minutes. After Luxor’s knees wobbled and on the verge of exhaustion he eased up, and only then gave her water.
“I’ll be back, keep going,” Coach Davis said. “Cat, come with me.” He ran through the trees with Pandora behind in her feline form.
Luxor slumped down to take a breather, if his aim was to run her into an early grave, he was well on his way. A reflection off the lake captured her attention and through blurred vision she turned. Nothing appeared, just a sea of bleakness. She shivered and dug her nails into her arms, and just like last time when she needed space from Scarlett and her taunts and ended up at the Red Black, this time she needed to be away from it. At any moment she expected a couple of Habiti to spring out and munch on more squirrels. But even worse, for Cane to submerge and freeze over the lake while she was under.
“Next time you disobey me, I’ll kill you myself. Consequences be damned.”
At the time, Cane’s parting words had chilled her to the bone, and even though she continued to disobey him, they had the same effect.
“I won’t let you win,” she said to the lake.
A violet mist floated on in, and the air was thick with a nauseated stench which blotted out the sunlight and tree tops. A silhouette appeared, and quickly neared with a graceful entrance only Cane could muster.
“You’re not here, I know your tricks,” she said. “I’m stronger now.”
“Darling daughter, keep lying to yourself. How about this. I will leave you be, just give me the gladius domini paradisum.”
“I don’t have your sword, I promise.” She kept her head bowed, unable to meet his eyes. Her eyes. For if she did, the reflection of his evilness would be mirrored.
“You’re a filthy, thieving liar, just like your mother.”
A rumble sounded in the background, plunging the sky into darkness and lighting i
t up with violet hues. She anticipated what came next. She mastered his habit. A swirl whipped her hair around her face, and she screamed, as Cane penetrated her mind with visions of torture, of boys of all ages being murdered in heinous manners; decapitations, stabbings, burnt alive. All different, but with one thing in common; aqua eyes, just like hers.
“The more you make me wait for what is mine, the worse it’ll be for you. I’ll grant you mercy.”
More visions of blood, innards stripped as they were gutted.
Luxor rocked on her knees, and her stomach lurched. “Go away, go away, go away.”
“Heed my visions and I shall.”
"Angel, stop whatever it is and fight it."
An injection of sparks infused her. Firm strong hands gripped her shoulders, immobilising her from the tremors. Luxor inhaled. The forest, sweet succulent wildflowers, fresh pine, and dew on perfect spring day. He eradicated the voice and the glow who lured her closer disappeared.
Hunter.
Her eyes snapped open, and she expected Cane to be about to continue the mind torture, but no longer had he disappeared but so had the heat. But she wasn’t entirely surprised, despite them not have talked since the revelation on who Xavier truly was. Sometimes, just sometimes, he or her guardians would pop up when she would least expect it, and makes sense of a distorted circumstance.
She shuffled back, pebbles grazing her palms, and ran to an unknown destination, jumping in front of cars as she fled as far away as she could. Surely Cane wouldn’t make an appearance out in the public, he would have done so already if that was the case.
Luxor ended up in the middle of the bridge, an impasse on where to go next. She felt, rather than heard, a presence, and a lanky body leaned his arms on the iron railing.
"You sure know how to gather a crowd," Theo's soft voice said. “I think you almost caused a five-car-pile up.”
What does he want?
"I'm guessing you're probably wondering what I want," he asked.
Betrayed: The Chronicles of Luxor Everstone Book Two Page 32
