by Lila Felix
He shrugged one shoulder.
“I know that when you’re exterior is cool that you are worried as hell inside.”
Theo rolled his eyes, “Is it so wrong to be worried about my female?”
When he called me his female, my insides turned to pudding.
“There’s nothing to worry about. I promise to be perfectly diplomatic, polite, disconnected and completely vague.”
“You lie so sweetly. But, I know better. Come back to me quickly, Querida.” He approached me then, placing kisses along my face, across my forehead and on my temple.
“I will.”
“`
Flashing into the Synod’s meeting room was akin to going to the dentist. It wasn’t the most pleasant thing in the world. The people there were all smiley, even when they popped on the masks and cranked up the drill. But you knew that if you could just get the whole thing over with, you’d be relieved. And maybe, if you were lucky, it would be a full six months before your postcard came in the mail.
The only punishment they’d ever really handed down was restraining me from flashing for a month or so at a time. Enduring the punishment was itchy, kinda like having restless leg syndrome all the time, but I dealt with it. Why I dealt with it, I’d never know. The only real power they had was threatening to hand us over to the government. It wasn’t even clear how they came into so much power. I assumed it was the same as any other society. Somewhere along the line, after they decreed the prophets null and void, the ones who spoke the loudest got together and decided they were in charge.
The loudest voices weren’t necessarily right. They were just louder.
We were all scared to be given over to those who would take our gifts from us.
Fear was the biggest conduit of false respect.
The place was intimidating, I’d give them that. You could only flash directly into the ‘welcoming room’ which wasn’t all that welcoming. The place was the opposite of welcoming. It read more like Hannibal Lector’s lair than reigning leaders of our people. It was all gold. Gold wallpaper lined the walls, golden chairs were stuck into corners, and a platinum chandelier with attitude gave you the first impression of the Synod.
It was all façade.
Regina opened the door seconds after I flashed inside and further summoned me with a flick of her wrist. She was cold and aloof as usual. There was no point in making small talk with her. Her tight red suit and ruby choker kept her from making any sudden noises or forming words without sneering. All that platinum hair dye had probably infiltrated her brain as well.
There was once a rumor that she was involved with a male Resin.
I mimicked the curt pop of her hips as we walked. Now wonder these people were always in such a bad mood. There were enormous sticks up their asses and their skin tight skirts stopped them from removing them. My hip popping turned into a dance by the time we got all the way down the embellished hallway. My nervous energy was on overdrive. I didn’t know what to expect. Other than knowing that Theo was the Eidolon, I hadn’t done anything wrong—really.
All conversation halted when I walked in. The other two cleared their throats and fake straightened papers. I covered a smile with my fist. Did they knew they looked like uptight news reporters when they did that?
Almighty help me, I just know I’m going to say something ridiculous.
“Colby Evans, it is a pleasure to see you as always.”
I curtsied, not out of respect, but rather a lack of. Collin would’ve swatted me on the back of the head if he’d seen that.
“A pleasure as always.”
“You know why you’ve been summoned?”
How was that for an open ended question? Did they really expect me to answer? Anything I said would be twisted and turned into an implication. These people needed to up their game.
“I couldn’t begin to imagine.” I pointed my answer at Clarita. She seemed the mot amused at my snippety nature. On more than one occasion, she’d barely stifled a laugh at my antics.
“Please have a seat, Colby.”
That was a punishment in itself. With all their wealth and golden, glorious furniture, the chair that was placed in front of their larger than life, Brazilian walnut table was a six dollar metal folding chair. I’d seen better looking chairs at third world cock fights. I bet late at night they got their jollies off making Lucent sit in the cheap monstrosity while they lounged in luxury desk chairs.
Because their work was so daunting.
The chair protested with a squawk when I sat down. My bracelets banged and clanged against the sides. The sound made Regina squint her eyes.
Maybe I liked this chair after all.
“You haven’t been travelling much. We wanted to make sure all is well.”
I cocked my head to the side and gave her a snide grin. “How sweet of you to be concerned. I assure you, everything is perfect.”
Regina leaned back in her chair and attempted to cross her legs, but her skirt was yelling ‘no dice’. “Excellent. Today’s meeting will be a little off course than our previous ones. We wish to reveal some things to you.”
“Like why in the hell you even exist?”
Regina stood, “What was that, dear?”
“Nothing at all.”
A third member, Arlene, stood after Regina. She was the most frigid. She also reminded me of the bride of Frankenstein with the gray stripe of hair that ran down the sides of her head.
She’d also been my grandmother’s best friend.
And the first one to suggest that the prophets were no longer needed.
“There’s nothing more important to us than the continuation of our species. We want our females to thrive and grow stronger. It’s imperative for our race to follow the path Xoana laid for us. Don’t you agree?”
I threw my head back in aggravation.
Everything I told Theo I was going to do and the way I was going to behave just went out the window. There was no way I could continue to be polite when
“Can we just skip the bullshit here? What the hell did I do and how long are you going to try and keep me pinned down?”
They hated it when I cursed.
A flap in the ceiling opened above Regina and Arlene after they’d flipped some switches. A screen turned and emerged from the opening.
“Oooh!” I clapped in fake amusement. “We’re gonna watch a movie? I hope it’s Beaches.”
“Come now, Colby. You haven’t done anything wrong, correct? We just wanted to show you some pictures. We know how you like history.”
“Aww, no popcorn? Bummer.”
Regina simpered at me and suddenly every light in the room shut off. The last thing I saw were her brighter than white teeth. The bright blue screen flickered to life. Soon, black and white images flooded the screen. And they didn’t ease into what they were doing either. The first two were pictures of old Portugal. But the third—it was a picture of Eivan.
Frost replaced heat in my veins as the pictures rolled along. My heart drummed against my sternum, begging for me to flash out of there and away from the nightmarish images on the screen. Someone crouched next to me. I expected Carlita. She’d always tried to comfort me in one way or the other. But the waft of regal perfume that permeated my nose let me know that it was, in fact, Regina.
The photos bordered on grotesque. Some were Eivan in a hospital bed, patches of his hair missing. In some, his eyes, the glare he gave the camera shone with madness. I couldn’t believe my eyes and I found myself looking for clues that these pictures were fakes.
Pema told me he’d died of old age. But pictures didn’t lie, right?
And just when the edges of numbness began to creep in from the slide after slide, gruesome portrayal of the equivalent of my childhood hero—the slide began to show images of Sevella.
I didn’t know if those pictures hit me harder because of my new position and of who Theo was—or if they were just scarier in general or because she was female. It was Sevella, chained
to a wall, crying out for Eivan—crying out for mercy above all else. She was stripped down bare to her bra and underwear and the only other thing she wore was a key shaped pendant on a long necklace.
Regina clucked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, “Poor thing. Bless her heart. If Eivan had just fulfilled his destiny, the task he was born to complete—none of this would’ve happened. We had to do what we had to in order to maintain his allegiance. You see—the things we do don’t just affect us—they affect the Lucent species as a whole. It’s because of Eivan that the path to Paraíso has been obstructed. And your Theo is our key to regain access. Forget restoring the Resin. They were weak. His purpose is to bring those caught in the fray to their resting place. Eivan refused to do his job—simple as that. Good thing Theo is such a rule follower. And while he’s at it, he may be able to serve a bigger purpose for us. I bet Pema didn’t tell you that, did she? I bet she told you the sentimentalized version of it all. Makes sense, given your place in all this. Lights please,” She arose with a snap, commanding for the lights to come on. I stayed petrified in place. A million insinuations and conclusions flittered through my head beginning and ending with ‘this will not happen to Theo’.
“Answer the question!” Arlene slammed her hand down on that overpriced rainforest wood.
There were very few times I’d been truly scared in my life. The first was my initial experience travelling. The second was when Theo asked me to marry him. The third and fourth were about Theo and his gifts.
But those were fears of the heart. Those were fears that I’d done something wrong—or that Theo would be hurt.
This fear—this fear was palpable, quaking and penetrating me down into the marrow of my bones. This fear wasn’t just one event.
My insides quaking was more like a culmination of the past week’s worth of fear, bubbling to the surface—maybe more than that. I couldn’t even remember what question I was supposed to be answering. Oh, right, Pema.
“Pema did not mention it.” I hated how my voice changed to show them just how shaken I was. I needed to show some strength, but I couldn’t muster a lick of it. My reaction seemed of no consequence to them. Arlene and Carlita went about their scribbling while Regina looked bored.
“I bet not. She will in Portugal. Mark my words.”
Regina returned to the table and just when I expected to be reamed a second time, she snapped and the door opened behind me.
“Wait! What is he supposed to do? What do you want from me?”
“From you? Please. Other than the connection to Theodore, we have no use for you in the slightest. We’ve watched you all this time to see how much you were going to screw up our plans—simple as that. And now we will continue to use you for information only. Aww, sweetie, did you think you were important? How disappointing. As for what Theo can do, maybe the three of you need to study a little harder. What we want is to know what you know. So next time we summon you, maybe you should be more prepared to answer questions. Or maybe you just need a little further coercing. Then again, to help you out, we could get the Resin off your tail for a while.”
Before I could ask anything else, a woman, more like an Amazonian Sumo wrestler, grappled me out of the door and into the golden room—which now didn’t seem so golden at all.
I couldn’t see Theo like that. He would freak and ask me seventeen million questions. I got my phone and dialed the first number I thought of.
“What up, babe?”
“I—I can’t…”
I’d never called Ari upset, but now I needed her.
“Flash to me now. You know where I am. Seek out my location and get to me.”
And I did.
Chapter Seventeen
Theo
Above all—do not get caught travelling.
Collin and I were scouring the few books Colby had managed to swipe from Pema when I felt her flash again.
She’d flashed back to Louisiana, but not to her home. My phone rang and I reached to answer it.
“Hello?” I expected the voice of Colby on the other end, but instead I got Ari, her raspy voice was undeniable.
“Colby’s here, but I expect you already know that. She’s really, really quiet. And she’s eating cake. She will be along soon. I’m not sure how soon, but she’s safe.”
“Good. She loves cake. Keep me updated, okay?”
“Yeah.” And with that, Ari hung up. Those were my clues. The most obvious thing she clued me into was simply in her calling me. Ari didn’t call me and I didn’t call Ari. It just didn’t happen.
And Colby was never quiet. She even talked in her sleep.
Colby was eating cake? Colby didn’t eat cake at her own birthday party. Though maybe that part was true. Since she’d learned that mind over matter thing from Pema, she may have changed her mind.
Either way, these things added up to Colby being very upset.
But, she hadn’t come to me.
That was the worst part. After everything, she still ran to someone else instead of me. When would she learn that there was no one on Earth who could love her like I could?
I didn’t have time to wonder why or to let it fester. I had to figure out what my purpose was. Because without my purpose, nothing made sense.
Finding nothing in the other texts, I lost hope until I picked up the last one. It couldn’t be seen under the others because of its tiny size. My back and neck ached, but I pressed on. The book was small, dark burgundy, and leather bound with a matching leather tie. From the side, some of the pages could be seen. A lot of them were torn and some warped.
Colby was always one to talk about the smell of older books, but it wasn’t until I opened this particular one that I noticed how pungent a book smell could be. It carried a smell of spices along with—woman. The smell of flowers carried through the most.
It’s been seventy three days since Eivan travelled to the other side. He stays for a longer period of time every time he goes. I can’t blame him. If I could go and get a glimpse of the other side, I would. I’d give anything to be able to flash like him—to go the places he can—to do the things he can. He won’t take me with him. I’ve begged.
Instead, I have to sit here, at the mercy of the Synod who watch me constantly. I am forced to endure their threats. I fear one day they will be a lot more than threats. But I have no power over the Eidolon, despite the fact that he is my husband. They say I am a shame to the Lucent people. They say I should’ve moved aside when I found out he was the Eidolon, so that a proper Lucent wife could travel with him.
But no one can help how they are born—not even the perfected Lucents.
Each time they visit, they get sneakier, more pushy—they are looking for something and I just don’t know what it is. For all they know, Eivan has not returned since he first flashed to the other side so many years ago.
I’ll die before I tell him where he is.
I can’t even imagine what they’d do with such a key.
The voices had come back as I opened the book. I didn’t even have to read it. The voices read it to me. Sometimes overlapping, sometimes speaking all at once. It was like being invaded with a thousand radio stations. They read the Portuguese to me word for word until I closed it.
It seemed that every time the voices came back, they multiplied exponentially.
Sevella was from Portugal? How did I miss that? More facts that flippantly landed in my lap and had no meaning. Nothing actually meant anything. It was like being given a treasure chest with a key that didn’t fit.
“Where did he go,” I became intrigued and yelled at the book. I flipped through the pages until an imprint of my thumb curved the corners of the journal upward. But as soon as my hands left the book, the voices faded. Whatever they needed me to know was connected to that book.
Yet, I found no information to give me anything but more questions.
By the time the sun fell in the hotel room, I was nowhere closer to the answer than I had been at the begi
nning. Collin had fallen asleep on his bed with one of the other books still clasped in his hand. He’d studied as hard as I had, if not harder. There was something he wasn’t saying. People don’t just follow other people blindly. I was at least twenty years his younger. To him, I should’ve been just a punk kid who showed up at his door with a pompous attitude and a head full of ego-bloated ideas.
“Is there something I should know about,” the voice of Colby rang close. Just the relief to have her back caused my eyes to close and revel in her nearness.
“You tell me, Querida. You’ve been gone. And I had to talk to Ari. Not the best combination. Are you okay?”
She blew out a great sigh. Without looking at her, I knew her hands were on her hips—her pouted out lips were swishing back and forth, picking her words.
“I will be. I can’t tell you everything yet. It’s too fresh in my head—too raw. What I can say is that they said something about Portugal and Pema. I don’t know in which order, but we should be prepared to go there. There are so many things that don’t make sense, Theo.”
“There’s some things I need to tell you as well. I’m just so tired. I haven’t done anything but sit here all day, but I’m exhausted.”
“Did you eat, Theo? I know how you get.”
I thought about her inquiry. I hadn’t eaten all day. But there were so many more things at stake than a missed meal.
“I just want to sleep. Can we just sleep?”
“Sure.”
She walked over to Collin, tiptoeing all the way. First she slipped the text from his hand. After putting the book down, she pulled a blanket over his monstrous form. He stirred a bit, but soon drifted back to sleep.
We went back to our own room and I stripped down to my boxers, wanting to get into bed as soon as possible. Colby ducked into the bathroom and came out with a different pair of my boxers, rolled at the waist, coupled with the same shirt she had on before. The black gunk she used to rebel against the Synod clung to her eyes, but not nearly as much as she’d had before. Secretly, I loved it when she piled on the black stuff. It made her eyes seem twice as big.
