The Stelter City Saga: Ultranatural

by Stefany Valentine Ramirez

  “Medallion.” Lotus remarked as if she knew what Lee was thinking, “That’s what dad calls it.”

  Lee glanced down at the spotless white steps. It was remarkable. Even with as many people who had trodden about that staircase, the material stayed stainless white.

  “It’s a compound.” Lotus continued. They had reached the top of the stairs right before the steps forked, and against the charcoal wall waited a single gold elevator. The moment Lotus approached the glass doors sprang open. “It’s made up of all these other elements.” She continued. “Supposedly it’s as easy to make as steel and just as strong except medallion is easier to mold and naturally stainless. I think it naturally comes in white, but dad likes to tweak up the colors.” The trio hurried inside before the glass doors slid shut.

  The elevator shot up like a bullet and through the glass door, Lee watched as the blue dome shrank beneath them to the size of an ant hill. The higher they climbed, the more Lee was noticing that the hotel was in the shape of a doughnut. The blue glass dome was the center and across that, Lee could watch other people glide up or down on the elevators. “You’ve been to Tarrillian’s Art Memorial right?” asked Lotus leaning back and jamming her hands in her granny dress pockets.

  Ace nodded. Normally taking a tour to the Art Memorial was something a family might do in substitution for a pic-nic. But Ace and Lee had only gone there to escape the cops during an epic car chase.

  “Well that iconic conch shell,” began Lotus, “That sucker is all medallion. Most people think medallion is an exclusive Heleow thing, but it’s everywhere. Some North Side buildings even have it, like our corporate tower. It’s so common; there might even be some in your cell phone.”

  Lee gasped as her hand went to her pocket and she whirled around to gaze up at Ace. “We left all our stuff at the hotel!”

  Lotus shrugged, “How important is it because if you packed light, that just gives us an excuse to go shopping.”

  “I’d love to go shopping with you!” beamed Lee, “It’ll give us time to catch up.”

  Ace glanced up at the row of numbers being illuminated as they continued to ascend. “I don’t like the idea of just leaving our stuff in a hotel though.” He mentioned.

  Lotus rocked on her heels. “I can call some people and they’ll bring it back to you if you want.”

  In no time at all, they had ascended all the floors but instead of the glass doors sliding open, the wall behind them did, and opened up their view to Lotus Stelter’s penthouse.

  Ace’s mouth dropped. It was nothing like he had expected. The elevator spat them out into a short dark hallway, and even then, Ace could make out the space in the living room at the end. All the lights were off, but there really was no need since the giant glass wall not only illuminated the space, but allowed them to peer at the rooftop swimming pool and the distant tawny stone gym. Like their home in North Side, the penthouse recognized their footsteps and slowly began to illuminate the rooms.

  “Welcome back, Princess.” The computer’s melodic voice chimed as Lotus stepped down into the living room’s white fuzzy rug.

  “What was that!” exclaimed Lee nearly leaping out of her skin.

  “It’s just the computer.” Remarked Lotus as she flopped down on one of the thin legged chairs. “It won’t talk again unless you want it to.” She explained gesturing to the seats. “Sit down. We have much to talk about.”

  Lee’s eyes wandered about the home as she sat down on the love seat. “Haven’t we basically covered the introduction?” she asked as her eyes continued to study the banister above as it wrapped around the living space. She could see the doors leading into separate bedrooms from where she was seated.

  “Maybe,” muttered Lotus as Ace took a seat beside Lee, “But I’m still not getting this. You- neither of you- remember your childhood?”

  Lee finally pulled her eyes from the surroundings to glance at her sister. “Yeah. It’s like a giant black hole. Every time I try to remember something, I feel like I hit a wall and nothing comes through.”

  Lotus nodded as she put a finger to her lips thoughtfully, “Then how did looking at a picture spark your memory?”

  Ace shrugged. He felt odd staring at Lotus when her face was so much like Lee’s. “My very first memory is walking down a hallway in a suit and tie. At the end of the hall was a room. That’s where I met Mirage and Shadow.” Telling the tale and staring at Lee’s face with blue eyes was beginning to creep him out so he finished his tale with his eyes glued to the rug. “That’s when Mirage gave me that picture and predicted that in several years, I would be able to look at it and remember a piece of my past.”

  “What’s it like?” Lee began, “Having that memory?”

  Ace pulled his eyes from the floor and gazed at her still burnt skin. “Let’s get you something for that sunburn first.” He mentioned.

  Lotus reflexively sprang from her seat and bounded to the kitchen.

  “It’s not that bad.” Lee whispered as Ace gazed pitifully down at her. “I forgot about it until you mentioned.”

  “What do you mean; it’s not that bad?!” repeated Lotus hurrying back rattling a bottle of pills in her hand. “You look like a lobster! This stuff works wonders though. Take two right now and two before you go to sleep and you’ll be pink tomorrow.” Lotus returned to her seat and glanced back at her baby sister as she stared at the label blankly. “They’re chewable.” Lotus coaxed, “They taste like pineapple.”

  Lee nodded and proceeded to pop off the top as Lotus took another big breath. “Alright, no more interruptions. We need to figure this out and this conversation won’t be dropped until we have answers.”

  Her timing couldn’t be more perfect. Right then, the most classic form of interruption rang through the living room. It was a knocking on the door, but instead of coming from the front, the knocking came from the wall of glass behind them.

  “Lozey!” It was Caster’s muffled voice. Lee didn’t have to spin around in her seat to know. “Lozey! Open the-” He stopped and stared at the backs of Lee’s and Ace’s heads before suddenly appearing before them with a newspaper clutched in his hands. On the cover was the familiar image of Lee over Ace as the title scrolled over in Italian.

  “Right,” continued the rock star. He seemed winded; as if he had just sprinted a block and his crazy hair appeared a little more tossed. “Well, I see the two of you already met.” He rolled up the magazine and clutched it like the handle of a scooter.

  “Caster!” gaped Lotus, “You-? How did you-?”

  “Saw this,” he replied tapping the rolled up magazine, “Then I remembered- blimey!” his chocolaty eyes went wide as he stared at Lotus’s gests. “You two just saw me jump from-”

  “I’m a supernatural too.” Ace remarked casually, “Lotus already told us. You’re the King.”

  “I am,” Michael cleared his throat, “You’re Mini Star- holy… you really are the mini star!” he slapped a hand over one of his almond shaped eyes, the one that wasn’t already covered by red hair. “I don’t believe this…”

  “Join the club.” Added Lotus, “Actually, Caster, do you mind? We are trying to figure this out.”

  “Figure what out?” he inquired flopping down on another seat. “Doesn’t seem like there’s much to figure. She’s your sister, he’s her boyfriend-”

  “No, Caster,” Lotus groaned, “There’s so much more.”

  “Like what?”

  Lotus raked a hand through her golden hair and opened her mouth to respond but Ace beat her to it.

  “Like why you tried to kill Lee.” He said. His tone didn’t convey any hatred. In fact, his voice seemed casual, as if he was simply stating a fact, but it was his words that made Michael recoil.

  “What?!” sputtered the rock star. “Kill her?! I didn’t even know Lozey’s sis was still alive until Mirage’s note. Even then, why would I want to kill her?!”

  “That’s what we were wondering.” Lee piped. “You don’t see
m like a killer.”

  Michael continued to sputter, “How do you even know it was me that tried to kill you?”

  “There was an assassin.” Ace answered, “He said he was sent by you.”

  For the first time that conversation, Michael regained his composure. “Sent by me?” he repeated gazing up at Ace. “I know I’m the King, mate. But there are things even I’m not allowed to do, and sending murderers is one of them.”

  A moment of silence lingered as three pairs of eyes locked onto his Highness.

  “What do you mean not allowed?” asked Lotus.

  “Well, that’s what the Council is for.” Explained Michael. “No one person can have all that power, mate. Shadow and Mirage were my enforcers. They made sure no one broke our laws. August is my adviser. He keeps track of what’s going on around the world and lets me know what I should do about them.”

  Ace nodded hesitantly then leaned forward as he asked, “Then who’s in charge of sending out murderers?”

  Michael held eyes with the only other supernatural in the room. “That sounds like something my discipliner would do.”

  “And this person is..?” Lotus inquired.

  “You’ve met her before, Loze.” remarked Michael, “Her name is Ithaca. Ithaca Iglesias.”

  ~“So,” began Josh.

  Ammon didn’t have to glance over to see the smirk on his face.

  “You and Larissa, huh?”

  Ammon rolled over on his hotel bed so that his stomach and cheek were pressed against the gold cotton covers. The boy didn’t look up; instead he watched as his fingers lazily traced lines in the brown hotel room carpet. “She’s hot.” He replied casually, his voice half muffled by the covers.

  Josh clapped his hand, stomped his foot and fist pumped all at the same time before exclaiming, “Yeah she is!”

  A moment of silence followed his statement as the air conditioning kicked in. It rumbled and rattled as if it were about to break, but even at that, the noise wasn’t loud enough to drown out the sound of the girls next door. Cassie had plugged her music into the speaker system and was blasting the same Caring Diaz song for the fifth time in a row since apparently it was the perfect getting ready song.

  “Why do girls have to take forever to get dressed?” Josh huffed falling back on the bed. He stared at the bumpy white ceiling as his legs draped over the foot of the bed. “It’s not like we’re going anywhere fancy. It’s just dinner.”

  Ammon shrugged carelessly as his eyes continued to follow the path of his fingers through the carpet.

  “What’s up?” asked Josh. His head lulled to the side as he glanced over at his lazy friend. “You seem dead. Did you sleep last night?”

  Ammon’s fingers stopped in the middle of a figure-eight. “I’ve got a lot on my mind.” He confessed. His voice was almost so soft, Josh couldn’t hear over the Caring Diaz chorus.

  “Like…?” Josh pressed.

  Ammon glanced up. “Just a lot…”

  “Bro, you can talk to me.” Josh sat up on his elbow just to show a little more interest. “What’s up with you and Larissa? I hear you whispering about secrets all the time.” he hesitated, “You didn’t knock her up did you?”

  Ammon recoiled sputtering. “What? No! Are you kidding me? I mean, sure we’ve made out a couple times, but…” Ammon was sitting up now and swung his legs around to set them over the freshly drawn upon carpet. “We haven’t done that yet.”

  “Yet?” mimicked Josh, “Is that what your secrets are? Are the two of you planning on sneaking out and making love on the beach? We are in Hawaii after all.”

  Even though the hotel workers had just made Ammon’s bed, the boy took a pillow and aimed it for Josh’s chest. His sunglasses were hooked to the collar of his grey tank top and upon collision, went sailing to the ground.

  “Nah, I don’t think Larissa is like that.” Said Ammon snatching up Josh’s shades before he could. “Besides, I know this is going to sound weird, but neither of us are in that mindset right now.”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” It was Josh’s turn to be surprised and he too swung his legs around. “Let me get this straight. Larissa is one of the few solid tens I have ever seen, but right now you aren’t even thinking about having sex with her?”

  When Ammon didn’t respond right away, Josh took his hesitance as a no.

  “What’s wrong with you, man!” Josh exclaimed.

  “It’s complicated.” Started Ammon rubbing his neck.

  “What’s complicated about hot chick, alone with a single guy in Hawaii? I might have gotten a C in science, but I don’t have to be a genius to see this chemistry.”

  “It’s complicated!” Ammon repeated. This time there was a tone in his voice that made Josh want to give him a chance at explaining. “We promised each other…”

  “Holey crap, you two are getting married?!” bellowed Josh.

  “No!” Ammon couldn’t help but to laugh at that. “No, we are not getting married. I’ve been a jerk to her; she hasn’t been telling me everything about herself. So I promised to go back to being myself if she would spill her secret.”

  “How has she been keeping secrets?” inquired Josh. “You mean since that whole car chase thing when she started getting all moody?”

  Ammon thought back. It had been almost four months since that car chase. Four months was a long time. It wasn’t until that moment that Ammon realized Larissa had been forcing quiet her secret longer than he had been dealing with his father’s death.

  If the tables had been turned so that it was Ammon keeping secrets, he knew he would have spilled long ago, or at least taken the first opportunity to get them off his chest. At that moment he couldn’t care how hurtful they might be, or how private they were. If it were his choice, the truth balled up inside would have come tumbling from his tongue. But this was Larissa, and it was her choice to keep them to herself just a little bit longer.

  “I don’t even know if she’ll tell me.” Ammon sighed. “She promised, but what good is that when she hasn’t given me a deadline?”

  Ammon hadn’t realized his eyes were glued to Josh’s sunglasses until the boy didn’t respond. When Ammon glanced up, he caught sight of the slight smirk upon Josh’s face. “Do I even want to know what you’re thinking?”

  “Oh come on!” the boy hollered. “Please don’t tell me you can’t see what I’m thinking.”

  “I can’t see what you’re thinking.” Ammon confessed.

  “You’re Ammon O’Connell!” Exclaimed Josh. He shouted so loudly it almost sounded as if he were shouting the lyrics with Michael Caster. “You have a reputation for spotting detail! Come on kid, you know exactly what I’m thinking now.”

  Ammon sucked in a big breath of air before fidgeting once more with Josh’s shades. Perhaps he did know what Josh was proposing, and it was a shame on Ammon’s part for not thinking of it sooner. They were investigators. They all had a scrupulous eye and a mind set for piecing things together.

  “You want me to stalk her?” Ammon finally concluded.

  Josh sputtered a laugh, “Not even, bro. I’m thinking all you gotta do is just piece things together.”

  “Piece…?”

  Just then a knock on their door interrupted his next words.

  “Josh you ugly monster, let’s get some dinner!” It was Cassie of course and through the front door. Then the boys could hear Cassie’s giggling as she hurried down the hall with Larissa at her heels.

  Josh rolled off his bed, hardly acknowledging Cassie’s comment. “Yes,” he continued, “Piece things together and I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

  Ammon scoffed as he met Josh at the door. “Are you implying you know something already?”

  The flicker of an expression fell over Josh’s face. “Oh, please. You think I have been stalking Larissa since that car chase?” Josh flung the door open and the two boys entered the hall. From all the way at the end of the hotel, they could hear Cassie shouting for the elevator to hurry up
.

  “Just pay a little more attention to her.” Josh whispered as they approached, but Ammon was already doing that. His eyes instantly locked onto Larissa as she leaned against the wall inspecting her fingernails. Of course she looked fabulous in her white sundress. It brought out her tan. “I’ll be that you can figure out her secret if you just keep an eye on her.”

  Josh’s voice was almost so low that Ammon had tuned him out. But just as they approached hearing distance of the girls, he smiled over to his friend and replied, “Challenge accepted.”

  ~“So now what?” asked Kasper.

  Lotus didn’t respond. That wasn’t the first time in their video chat that she had tuned him out. She stared out the window of her bedroom. The curtains pulled back to reveal her glistening city past twilight. Her bright orange towel still hung along the balcony. The balcony with so many memories. It all started with Michael reviling who he was, then lead to a note informing her to a lost sibling. Now she was sitting on her bed staring at the banister as her sister got ready for bed several rooms over.

  “Oh, Princess?” Kasper said tapping on the screen of his video tablet.

  The heiress sat up started and glanced down at the image of Kasper with his white shirt unbuttoned and silky tie hanging loosely around his neck. She snatched up the device and flopped down atop her sheets. “What’s up?” she asked innocently, rolling to her side and propping the tablet against her silky pillows.

  Kasper chuckled, “Now that you’ve found her, what do you plan to do?”

  Lotus inhaled deeply, “Well, Michael says he’ll take us to meet Ithaca tomorrow but I’m hoping Hails and I have some sister bonding sometime in there.”