by Kristen Day
Chapter 9
Stasia
“Willow, NO!” Carmen’s scream sounded far away to my ears as I stood frozen on the sand. I watched Carmen and Phoebe run to her side and willed my own feet to move. I painstakingly turned to see Liam, who had fallen to his knees in shock just up the beach. The two guys I’d seen with him in my vision were running towards Willow as well. This couldn’t be happening.
With legs the weight of concrete blocks, I forced myself to walk towards the heart-wrenching scene unfolding before me. Phoebe held Willow’s limp body in her arms, while Carmen screamed her name over and over; desperately shaking her in an attempt to wake her up. The two Tritons were trying to pull the girls out of the way. The sand beneath me trembled with each step I took, and I felt an empty coldness where Willow’s once soothing essence had been. A roar began to build in my mind and I didn’t have to move any closer to know that the trident had killed her on impact. I felt it. I knew it.
And so did Liam. He was dry heaving on the sand; clutching his stomach. I wanted to go to his side. I wanted to comfort Carmen and Phoebe. I wanted to do a lot of things, but the alien feeling creeping into my heart paralyzed me. A vindictive cloud of gratification seized my soul, releasing a wave of power throughout my essence and spreading a sinful grin across my face. My hand automatically reached up and grasped the now pulsating orb hanging around my neck. I felt the blood drain from my face when I heard a raspy, otherworldly voice in my head.
“Drink from the essence from whence her body bleeds.”
“No!” I screamed more at myself than at Willow. Whose voice was that? What was wrong with me!? Where was the despair? The sadness? My best friend had just been killed in front of me and I was…smiling!? Forcing control over my hand, I clutched the orb and ripped the necklace from my neck; throwing it down on the sand at my feet. It continued to glow as I squeezed my eyes shut and balled up my fists.
“NO!” A guttural shout coming from my throat silenced the entire beach. The waves began to boil, ripples of sand spread out from my feet as if I was suddenly standing on water, and a massive gust of wind swirled around us with the force of a hurricane. Phoebe and Carmen’s hair whipped around their faces as they stared up at me in horrified shock. I suppressed the poisonous feeling coursing through my veins and searched for the cool energy of my essence. As an internal struggle of power ensued, I turned on my heel and began to run.
I vaguely remembered the massive sand dunes shifting to clear a path for me, but my focus was all concentrated internally. I pushed the roaring loudness from my mind and internally cleansed my heart and soul with my own essence; providing an immediate reprieve from the unknown monster that had taken me hostage on the beach. As I threw myself down on my knees in the sand, I finally felt the crushing loss burning behind my eyes and squeezing my heart. As the tears came heavy and fast, I heard a loud wailing echoing off the dunes around me. It was only moments later that I realized it was coming from me. Willow was gone. She was dead.
“Please, no,” I moaned to the sand below me. “This can’t be happening.”
A flame flickered in my soul and burst into a raging inferno as anger flashed brightly in my veins. I peeled myself up off the sand and began to run once more. The ground beneath me shook as I raced toward Lorelei, and I felt the trees’ sympathetic energy reach for me as I passed them at an incredible speed. Seagulls soared above, squawking down at me, and I felt the sea begin to churn from my emotions. I knew I needed to rein them in, because I knew the damage I could mistakenly cause. But I didn’t care. I just kept running.
It wasn’t until I’d reached my Spiti that I remembered I didn’t have the three keys that would allow me entrance. I ran up to the door in hopes of viewing my future and slammed my fist against it in anger.
“Just open, dammit!” At my voice I heard a click, and the door swung noiselessly inward. My feet were inside before I even realized the keys weren’t necessary. I took a deep, staggered breath that did nothing to calm me down, then wiped my tear-stained cheeks and concentrated on my surroundings. The first time I’d crossed the threshold of my future, Finn had been waiting for me. We had seen ourselves with our future children, laughing and playing with my three best friends. Three best friends! Not two!
“Liar!!” I screamed at the walls in accusation. “You lied to me!!”
I stomped to the wall where I’d seen the previous happy scene. To my surprise, it was still there; twitching and phasing in and out constantly. But one thing was clear: Willow was no longer there. The happy eyes of Phoebe and Carmen were holding the hands of our future children, as Finn and I trailed behind with smiles on our faces.
“No!” I screeched at the happy scene and began to pound on the wall. “Bring her back! You bring her back to me!”
“Stasia,” an airy voice behind me stated very carefully. “Try to calm down.”
I twisted around to see who dared to enter my Spiti without my permission. Next time I’d make sure the door was closed and locked behind me! The figure in the doorway was framed by the sunlight streaming in from outside, making it impossible to see who it was. When another figure stepped up behind the first, I turned on my heel with every intention of slamming the door in their faces.
“Leave!” I attempted to shout. Unfortunately it came out as more of a sob than a command, and the two figures walked further inside. When my vision cleared and they walked out of the blinding rays of sunlight, my temper piqued once more. Of all people, Olivia and Avery had tracked me down.
“Stasia-” Olivia began calmly. I had no intention of allowing her to speak.
“And you!” I spit at her with fury. “This is your fault!”
“Stasia, I-” she tried again, but before she could utter another word she was blown against the interior wall; crumpling into a tangled pile on the floor. She grimaced and grabbed her shoulder, but I had no sympathy left within me. I walked toward her and pointed accusingly at her as I stood over her.
“You woke me up,” I accused her with cool venom. “My vision wasn’t finished! I could have stopped it! This is your fault!”
“You could not have prevented this, Stasia,” Avery deflected from behind me. “It was her time.”
“I saw her!” I spun around and pointed at the back wall. “She was there - in my future - she was there! Explain that to me!”
“Our futures are constantly changing.” Olivia winced from her spot on the floor. “Blaming me or anyone else won’t change what happened.”
“You aren’t the only one who loved her, Stasia,” Avery forced out, as tears sprang to her eyes and she walked over to Olivia. She knelt down and placed both hands on her shoulder and closed her eyes only briefly. Olivia sighed once her pain was alleviated, and Avery stood and faced me once more. “Come.”
At the sight of Olivia shaking out her shoulder and Avery’s outstretched hand, something in me cracked and a flood of deep despair took hold of my heart. I took her hand and she pulled me into a hug. What I thought was a gesture of comfort soon became something awe-inspiring. As she continued to hug me, I felt my sadness and emptiness drain from my body. I cried as the frustration and desperation at what I had witnessed slowly disappeared and was replaced by a soft pillow of calm. I was still sad, but the overwhelming despair no longer gripped my soul. I could breathe again. I could think straight again. I leaned back and met her gaze with wonderment.
“How’d you do that?” I asked in surprise. Her light blue eyes softened and she squeezed my hand comfortingly.
“Like Willow, I have the ability to heal - but my ability encompasses both the physical and mental. So when Phoebe called and said…” she trailed off and swallowed thickly. “ I knew you would need me.”
“Her dual abilities are pretty rare in the descendants of Laneira,” Olivia piped up, and she ruffled Avery’s hair with compassion. “You sure know how to pick ‘em.”
I swayed gently as something in my mind clicked into place. The selection. Avery. The sea’s
decision to override my choice for Apothecary. Willow’s death. Olivia reached out to steady me, and I grabbed onto her elbow for support.
“That’s why….” I murmured in deep thought, and mentally kicked myself for not realizing it sooner. “The sea knew somehow…”
“Stasia!?” I heard his voice only seconds after I felt his darkness arrive. Finn. I ran to the doorway and flew into his open arms with enough force to knock us both over. He held his ground with effort, but held on to me like his life depended on it. I felt like mine might. He rocked me back and forth; his voice soothing me to the core. “I am so sorry, Pasha. I’m so sorry.”
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Later that night I insisted on Phoebe and Carmen staying at my cottage with Finn and me. The loss of a best friend was something I knew I couldn’t, and would never, get over. It would simply remain an infinite hole in my heart where her memories would live forever. A place where I could visit and see her smile, listen to her wise words, or hear her laugh one more time. My life was infinitely darker than it had been yesterday while she was still alive. Her absence scarred this world from the violent way she was torn from us, and the Underworld was gaining an exquisite soul that could never be replaced. My only consolation was the fact that she was in the arms all those who had left before. Nicolet, my parents, and the rest of her family would be waiting for her upon her arrival to the Elysian Fields, where she would spend the rest of eternity.
Of course, the selfish side of my shattered heart pounded only one thought into my mind – I wanted her back. She wasn’t done making a difference here in this life! There was so much more left for her to do. So many more memories, so many more dreams to come true, and so many more people to love, to heal, to touch. Although Avery’s healing touch had released me from the dark hand of despair, the sadness was still overwhelming when I allowed my thoughts to rest. I just didn’t understand! It didn’t make sense! How could someone so pure, so amazing, be taken from us? I quietly leaned over to the sleeping form of Finn next to me and lightly kissed his cheek.
“I’m going for a swim,” I sent through my thoughts and hopefully into his dreams. I made my way into the living room with careful steps, so as to not wake Phoebe and Carmen, who were sleeping on the sleeper sofa. I smiled down at their still forms that were snuggled up against each other; several boxes of tissues strewn around the room. A lone beam of moonlight streamed through the window, creating a bright strip of carpet that glowed with a magic I could feel. It took everything I had not to dive into it and roll around in euphoria.
After closing the front door with the utmost care, I padded down the boardwalk on bare feet. The dampness of night soaked the boards with a chill that crept its way up my legs. The moon above was playing hide and seek behind big fluffy clouds, and the cool wind swirling between the dunes convinced goose bumps to pop up on my arms.
By the time I reached the serene beach, my feet were yearning for the soft warmth I knew the sand would provide. As my toes felt the grainy softness beneath them, I felt the ground momentarily stir in response to my midnight visit. It seemed to shiver slightly as if stretching, before relaxing back into its nighttime trance.
Instead of sprinting into the arms of the waves like I wanted to, I noticed the sparkle elicited from the moon rays on the beach. Without thinking, I knelt and ran my fingers over the top of the moonlit sand. My fingers tingled with sudden energy, and I placed both palms flat in an effort to experience it completely. My preoccupation with the moonlight on the sand sent my eyes on a journey from the dry sand, to where the light danced across the wet sand of the surf, and finally to the sea beyond where it mingled with the light cadence of the ocean.
I slowly walked out into the waves, my eyes on the moonlit water stretching out before me. Although I felt the strong pull of the waves and the wonders hiding beneath the surface, I suddenly noticed a more intense energy from the specific areas where the moon rays hit the shimmering ocean directly. It was as if that specific area was energized by the light of the moon and the energy it produced, and I became mesmerized by the glittering moonlit strip of sea before me. I pushed off the bottom and cruised on top of the water; spreading it apart as I cut through it like a knife through strands of silk.
With outstretched hands, I placed one hand on the surface of the ocean darkened by the veil of night, while placing the other on a current of water glittering from the moon above. The difference was instantly noticeable, and I took turns moving from each light to dark until I could put my finger on the difference. The moonlit seawater was infinitely more…powerful. It sizzled with an energy that lifted the essence of the ocean, shook it up, and sprinkled the cool energy of the moon over top. I continued walking until I couldn’t touch the bottom any longer, and allowed myself to peacefully sink beneath the glittering surface.
The moon above shot rays of moonlight through the ocean’s core, creating an illusion of shifting universes converging as one in a dance of enchantment and mystery. I took a deep breath of water and submerged my body in one of the rays.
A light flashed before my eyes and I lost all knowledge of where I was. I could only feel the potent energy streaming across my skin. It infused every part of my body; sizzling and popping like an ice cube across heated skin on a hot summer day. As if menthol had been rubbed the length of my body, I seemed to radiate a certain coolness from my heart and soul that lulled me into surrender. I closed my eyes and floated down to the bottom. I drifted in and out of consciousness as the vigorous chill of the moonlit water stilled my thoughts, my heart, and my soul - sending me into a euphoric delirium where nothing and no one could touch me.
Chapter 10
Olivia
“Oh, come on,” I muttered into my pillow. “You cannot be serious.”
I glanced up at the phone sitting on my nightstand that read twelve-thirteen, and sighed loudly before landing back into my pillow face first. I hadn’t been asleep more than thirty minutes. At first I thought maybe it was just a spider crawling across my hand. That would have been infinitely better than what was really happening at midnight at the end of a very trying day. I’d never known anyone who insisted on getting into trouble between the hours of ten PM and seven AM as much as she did. I knew I had to tell her. I wondered for a split second if it would matter to her if she was aware of how closely it affected me. I knew it was the reason why I was appointed to her Council, but something about verbalizing it made it more concrete, and I wasn’t quite ready for that yet.
So instead, I lay in my bed at twelve-thirteen AM with my left hand itching incessantly. Next would come the cramping. Then the burning. The longer I waited, the more painful it would become. I knew the option of going back to sleep was lost as soon as my eyes opened. Being thrown into a wall earlier today was almost a delight compared to this.
I sat up and shook my hand out, knowing it would do nothing whatsoever to relieve the itching. I inspected the ghost of a trace beginning to bloom on my palm. The all-seeing eye symbol had appeared last summer when Stasia had first come to Lorelei. That was my first clue, but I remained ever hopeful it was just a mistake. Because lots of people have all-seeing eye symbols popping up on their palm, right? Happens all the time. I chuckled in spite of myself. To the unknowing, it was barely noticeable when not active. The skin was slightly discolored, but not enough to warrant questions. But once it began to glow, no amount of makeup, paint, or gloves could hide it. Believe me, I’d tried.
I’d always been proud of the trace that represented my bloodline; the descendants of Calypso. The menacing-looking sea snake that curled around my forearm reminded me of my ancestors and the legacy we harbored. I loved to see the reaction it got when people saw it for the first time. I’d always thought it was much cooler than the other traces. I was actually named after the olive sea snake - a venomous snake that stalked the coral reefs of the oceans of the world, hunting for prey. Whenever I felt vulnerable, one look at my trace reminded me that I was strong. The reminder I got when looking
at the all-seeing eye was much less exhilarating. I glanced down at it with another sigh.
Just as I suspected, it was now shimmering a bright blue. No matter how hard I fought it, I knew this would be my destiny. Whether I wanted it or not wasn’t important. Or as my mother had said:
“It will only feel like a curse until the day it doesn’t. Then and only then will you understand your destiny, Olivia.” I could have gotten more information from a fortune cookie! I grabbed my discarded tank top from the floor where it had been tossed not even an hour before, and began to stand up.
“Where you goin’, babe?”
“Don’t worry about it, Graham.” I shimmied a pair of jeans on and tried to walk away, but he was too quick for me. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me back into the covers. My temper flared and I pushed him away. For someone I’d only been hooking up with for a couple weeks, he was getting way too clingy. It was starting to get on my nerves.
“Stop, Graham,” I hissed at him. “I have to go.”
“But it’s midnight!” he whined. “Where are you going?” I slipped on my flip-flops and headed toward the door.
“Just go back to sleep,” I snapped at him. “And if I’m not back by seven, make sure you’re gone. I’m not getting caught with you in here again.”
“But-”
I shut the door and tip-toed toward the elevator; praying I wouldn’t run into anyone coming in from partying. I peered down at my red tank top and bright turquoise skinny jeans and groaned. It was a good thing it was dark outside. I wiped the skin beneath my eyes to make sure I cleared any mascara that had smeared, and then pulled my hair up. Unfortunately, according to the mirrored elevator doors, I still looked like a hot mess. At least I had the ability to disappear into the background if I needed to. Being descended from Calypso definitely had its upside. The ability of gossamer (also known as camouflage in the last couple centuries) was a particularly good one; especially when your boyfriend was cheating on you with your best friend. I scowled and shook my head at the memory.
