Poison

by Dejana Vuletic

We released each other until we were only holding hands, and I suddenly noticed that I was still in my underwear.

  I started laughing. “Oops, I forgot I wasn’t wearing any clothes,” I told him as I started running for the house.

  He followed after me, his laughter ringing through the trees. “Careful when you get in there,” he warned. “We don’t want your brother and Pa seeing you like that.”

  “What the hell are they even doing here?” I asked in insanity. “You told them?!”

  He put up his arms like he was being arrested. “I’m sorry. I was freaked out of my mind. Wouldn’t you be? What else was I supposed to do?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t blame you, I suppose,” I admitted. “Sorry,” I apologized with a sheepish grin.

  “Not a problem,” he replied as he opened the door for me. “Rick, Pa, shut your eyes for a minute, would you?” he asked to the house.

  “Uh, okay?” I heard Ricky say in confused agreement.

  “Okay!” I heard Pa shout excitedly.

  Chris gazed sideways at me. “I’ll go in first, to make sure they aren’t cheating,” he whispered.

  “Yeah,” I told him. “You do that.”

  I watched him with a smirk as he entered his own house like freaking James Bond and followed him nonchalantly a few seconds after.

  Ricky and Pa were sitting together (. . . again) on one of Chris’ amazing leather couches with their eyes closed when I walked into the big open room. I darted up the stairs with Chris into his bedroom. I plopped myself down on the bed the moment I got in, and let Chris hunt through his dresser for some clothes for me.

  He tossed over a pair of sweats and a wife beater, which miraculously seemed to fit me and waited patiently while I dressed myself.

  I could feel his gaze on me, so I turned and asked, “What?”

  He shrugged. “Nothing. Your body is just . . . wow . . .”

  I laughed. “Wow?”

  “You shine like the sun,” he said admiringly. “Not to mention that it’s one of the most perfect bodies I could ever dream of.”

  I laughed again. “Seriously?”

  “Yeah,” he admitted sheepishly, looking like a little lost puppy with his ice blue eyes gazing at me like I was a goddess. “You’re beautiful.”

  I smiled. “As are you,” I said as I gazed dreamily into his eyes and—Ah, enough with the sentimentality. I’d bet you’re tired of hearing about that, anyway . . .

  Chris and I walked downstairs and joined Ricky and Pa, who both still had their eyes clamped tightly shut.

  “You guys can look now,” Chris said with a scoff. “Sheesh, I said for a minute,” he added. “Not for like . . . fifteen or whatever.”

  “Oh, you did?” Pa asked with a giggle. “Whoops.”

  Ricky laughed. “Our bad.”

  “Yeah, duh,” I retorted, punching him playfully before I plopped down on the opposite couch beside Chris. “So guys,” I said, suddenly more serious, “What are we going to do about this whole mess?”

  “Whoa,” Ricky suddenly said.

  “Huh?” I asked back, confused.

  “Dessa’s just been awakened,” Chris said, and Ricky leaned forward to look at me curiously. “All her wounds from . . . from the alley are healed.”

  It hurt me to see how much pain it caused Chris to even think about what happened earlier today. I had almost died, but he'd been there for me. He saved me, regardless of how much he felt like he'd failed.

  “Amazing,” Ricky said in admiration. “Way to go, lil’ sis.”

  I chuckled. “Thanks, big bro.”

  “Notice how her skin is glowing,” Pa said happily. “That’s amazing! She’s recovered completely, and to her full potential, too!”

  I smiled. “I try.”

  “You should have been out there when it happened,” Chris whispered anxiously. “She touched me and my skin lit from inside. She chanted perfectly in our ancient language, and it was just . . . wow . . .”

  He trailed off in wonder, and the others looked at me in much the same way.

  “Well wait a minute,” Ricky suddenly said. “How did that happen?”

  “How did what happen?” I asked.

  “How could you possibly become awakened?” he repeated. “We needed all four of the Keepers to be awakened before you would awaken as well. And yet, here we are . . . three of us and now you.”

  “Ricky has a point,” Pa said. “How did that happen?”

  I shrugged. “I have no idea . . .” Suddenly a spark lit in my mind. “Wait! What about Skylar? Did any of you bring him here?”

  All three of them shook their heads slowly, and I felt the anxiety returning to my stomach. It was starting to spread at a feverish rate.

  “There’s a lot more going on here than we first realized,” Chris said unexpectedly.

  I nodded. “I mean guys, just think about it. First the skirmish with Skylar in the restaurant, then the bomb being planted in the band room at the school, then the . . . situation in the alley, and now I’m awakened with only three other Keepers backing me up. There’s something going on here.”

  “Yeah, but what?” Ricky asked in irritation, scratching his head. “Who the hell's behind all this stuff?”

  “I don’t know, but whoever it is doesn’t like me too much,” I said grimly. “I’ve been the target of all the bad news lately. Not to mention the fact that I’ve been seeing some things that I don’t understand.”

  “You’ve been seeing things?” Chris asked suddenly. “What do you mean?”

  I wanted to answer him, but suddenly my breath was cut off and when I looked beside me, Chris was no longer there. I was in a dark room with a mirror on the far wall, and Skylar was facing the mirror. His irises were a vibrant reddish-orange, gleaming against the shine of the glass. His reflection seemed to be speaking, but the real Skylar’s mouth was stagnant.

  I watched soundlessly, my body locked in place. Skylar touched the surface of the mirror gently, but his reflection reached out of the mirror and touched him on the shoulder. Skylar’s eyes closed and when they opened, I saw something that made me want to throw up again like I had just days before.

  The whites of Skylar’s eyes had transfused to black, and the irises of his eyes had gotten even brighter. His blond hair was spiked in every direction, and he turned sharply to stare at me.

  I wanted to run, but I couldn’t find a way to communicate to my legs. I was trapped there, locked in his gaze.

  He reached behind him and pulled out a sword—the most beautiful sword I had ever seen. The blade of the sword was beautiful shining silver, but the moment Skylar’s hands came in contact with the hilt, the blade erupted in flames, creating a blade of living fire.

  I swallowed as he raised the sword and twirled it around him in admiration. His reflection watched from inside the mirror, a complete duplicate of the Skylar that was now walking toward me with the sword in his hands.

  I felt a rush of air and I was back in the room next to Chris again. I drooped forward, my eyes closing as I realized where I was.

  “Holy crap,” I murmured sharply.

  “What? What just happened? What the hell?” Ricky kept spewing profanities while Pa came to hold me up with her tiny arms.

  “What happened?” she asked. I was still facing Chris, my eyes wide and confused.

  “I have no idea,” I replied honestly. “I just got pulled away from where I was, and put into a different place. It was like really weird. It’s like I saw what’s going on in a totally different place.”

  Chris smiled. “She has clairvoyance,” he said grandly. “She can see what happens in another place just as it’s happening.”

  “Uh oh,” I muttered. “That’s bad, then, considering what I just saw.”

  “What did you see?” Pa asked, returning to sit beside Ricky again.

  “I saw Skylar . . . and he was standing beside this mirror. He wasn’t talking at all, but the mouth of his reflection was moving. And then he t
ouched the surface of the mirror and the hand of the reflection left the mirror. It touched him. And then he closed his eyes and reopened them. And his eyes were different.

  “The whites of his eyes were black, and his irises were brighter, glowing with darkness. He pulled out a sword, and when he touched the hilt it ignited and became a sword of fire.”

  “He has Haikai,” Chris said in a mesmerized state. “This isn’t possible. He has his weapon, but how?”

  “Maybe he awakened himself,” Ricky interjected quietly. “It’s the only suitable explanation we have at this point.”

  “I suppose so,” Chris admitted. “I find it strange. When could he have been here?”

  I thought I knew the answer, but I thought twice before saying anything. Skylar didn’t like me. He looked like he wanted to kill me the last time I had looked him in the eyes, and now I had just seen him in a strange room with Haikai in his hands. Something told me we weren’t done with Skylar just yet.

  “Where did he get Haikai from?” I asked sharply. “Where are they kept?”

  Chris’ eyes looked at me. “That’s why I’m worried about this. The swords are all locked in display cases.”

  “Where?” I asked again.

  “In the basement of this house,” he answered. I felt the blood drain from my face and my heart go cold as all the dots started to connect with one another.

  “We need them,” I said urgently.

  “Not tonight,” Chris argued. “You need to be ready for them. I can get them after school. And another thing,” he added, “I think you guys should all stay here for a while. Bring your stuff tomorrow after school. It isn’t safe for us to be separated any longer.”

  I nodded solemnly, looking over at Ricky.

  “I’ll have your stuff packed when you get back,” he promised me. “We’ll drive over together tomorrow.”

  “It’s a deal,” I said. “Pa, I trust you’ll be fine on your own?”

  She nodded. “Oh yeah, and if I need anything, Rick is just a phone call away.”

  “Why don’t we all try to get some sleep?” Chris suggested calmly. I nodded, still stiff and frozen with anticipation.

  What was going to happen? Who was behind all this? Why was Skylar holding his sword before any of us? How had he gotten here without being seen by any of us? Just what the hell was going on?

  I stood up and followed Chris mechanically to his room, letting sleep claim me as quickly as possible. Whatever was going on here, I needed to get to the bottom of it all. And fast.

  Akarusa

  Morning came quickly, but I remembered what Pa had said earlier and decided to close my eyes. Was it really wise for me to go back to school the day after a bomb had been planted there to kill me?

  Hell, no.

  I opened my eyes when I felt Chris’ arm brush against me, and I sighed in contentment, pulling him closer. He smiled at me and pulled my body against his. He sighed in delight whenever I touched him with my fingertips, and his lips moved in perfect harmony with mine, creating a heavenly sensation that filled both of us equally.

  Then, much to my disappointment, he pulled slowly away.

  “Are you going to school?” I asked, rotating my body until I lie facing him on my side.

  He shrugged. “I’m not going to miss anything,” he said with a smile. “Besides, I’m your protector. How can I protect you if I’m at school while you’re here?”

  “This is true,” I said, laughing when he pulled me against his chest again.

  “You’re more interesting than anything,” he said. “I have a lot to learn in this area,” he added. “A lot more than I need to learn in History or Calculus.”

  I chuckled. “That makes two of us,” I said.

  Chris leaned in toward me, breathing his sweet scent in my face. I inhaled the smell deeply, smiling as it caused my heart to flutter like a trapped butterfly.

  “You know something?” I asked suddenly, kissing his collar bone.

  “Hmm?” he asked softly as I laid my head against his chest.

  “I’m perfectly content to stay right here to learn all about you,” I told him. He grinned at me and I felt his hands run up my side to touch my bare shoulders.

  “As am I,” he replied, and that was all I had left of my self-control. My lips found his, and our tongues twisted in harmony with one another while our bodies simultaneously did the same thing.

  The sensation I was feeling was so intense, so amazing, that it’s almost impossible to express it in words. I felt complete, like my soul had found what it had been searching for all this time . . . Like after a lifetime of searching for something that I knew nothing about, I had finally found it. After a lifetime of climbing over obstacles as numerous as the grains of sand upon a beach, I was finally able to rest and know that my tribulation had all been worth it. That’s what love felt like . . .

  The pain was dimmer now, not as potent as the first time, but it was still there. But this time, it was a pleasurable pain—a pain that felt good.

  I gasped as the pain reached its peak, but my cry was interrupted by the feelings of soft hands upon my face and sensuous lips massaging my own, calming my nerves. My body was tired, but my soul was still so alive. The cool touch of Chris’ body against mine did something to my soul, fueled it and drove it forward, but left my body behind, fatigued, yet overjoyed.

  I pulled away and looked into his eyes. He was smiling at me, and his hands were still touching my sides, wiping away the sweat that was gathering in beads along my hip. With another look at his face, I noticed that sweat was dripping slowly through his hair and down onto his cheeks, making him look like a crying angel.

  The sapphires buried deep inside his eyes began to glow again, and I felt that security return to me, and my eyes closed in contentment. I opened them again to see Chris turning away.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked in concern, sitting up.

  “Nothing,” he answered honestly, and something in his voice made me believe him unwaveringly. He just moved deftly over to the bathroom and grabbed his clothes from where they were in a huge clump on the floor nearby. “Just felt like moving around a little bit.”

  “Ah,” I said matter-of-factly, catching my own clothes as they were sent flying in my direction with a flick of his wrist. I got dressed and walked over to him. He was still shirtless, so my fingers decided to develop minds of their own and trace the contours of his beautifully sculpted muscles.

  “That feels nice,” he said. I looked up to see that his eyes were closed and his mouth was slightly open, his lips tilted up into a slight smile. “Don’t stop,” he added when I paused to look at him.

  I chuckled and continued to trace the lines of his body, from his hips to his chest and finally his collar bone with the tips of my fingers. When my fingers moved to his face, his sigh was so deep that I smiled even wider. I traced the line from his collar bone to his mouth and from his eyes to his nose. Then I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and pulled him into an embrace.

  “You know something?” I asked.

  “What’s that?” he asked with a chuckle.

  “You give really, really good hugs,” I told him. He started laughing, but didn’t let go. He pulled my body against his and we just stood there together.

  “Oh crap,” he said suddenly.

  “What?” I said, snorting at his sudden outburst.

  “I forgot to call the school to tell them we wouldn’t be there,” he said.

  I laughed even harder. “Wait, wait. If you called the school, wouldn’t that kind of be a little suspicious considering you’re ‘sick in bed’ or whatever the crap excuse you’re going to use?”

  He shook his head, but smirked. “Not exactly,” he replied. “I’m good at the imitation thing.”

  “Aha!” I said in mock discovery. “So you’re imitating your parents?”

  “Why, of course not,” he said in a voice that was so much deeper and older than his. I stepped back in shock. “I am C
hristopher’s father. There’s no doubt about that.”

  “Yeah, not with that voice there isn’t,” I assured him. “That’s insane!”

  He laughed again. “Yeah, I can even do female voices,” he bragged.

  “Let’s not go there,” I warned, and he walked away with a fake pouting face. He came back with the phone in his hand and he clicked in the school’s phone number. The old secretary answered on the second ring.

  “Hello?” I heard her ask in her reedy voice. Chris hit the speaker phone button and put the phone on the table. He cleared his throat and started speaking in that deep voice.

  “Yes, this is Darius Calder. I'm Christopher’s father. I apologize for not having called earlier, but my son unfortunately cannot make it to school today. Yesterday he and his girlfriend were in a hunting accident—”

  “Oh dear,” the secretary interrupted. “Are they . . .?”

  Chris smiled when he looked at me. “Yes, both are just fine. Just very shocked from their ordeal is all. We took them to the doctor this morning and he authorized that they take a day off school to recuperate.”

  “Yes, well, I will inform the principal and the nurse immediately, so they have their eyes on them when they return to school,” she said.

  “Very good,” Chris said. “My wife and I appreciate your amiability.” He looked at me again and caressed my cheek, and I felt a warm rush pass through my skin at the word “wife.”

  “I shall talk to you later, Mr. Calder,” the woman said. “Have a nice day.”

  “Likewise,” Chris said, and hung up the phone. He turned to me and said in his normal voice, “How did I do?”

  I laughed. “You did just fine, don’t worry.” I paused and cocked my head to the side. “A hunting accident?”

  He chuckled. “It sounded the most reasonable. It’s hunting season anyway, and I know how outgoing you are, so you seem like the type who would actually hunt with her boyfriend.”

  “Oh, okay,” I said, trying to stop laughing. “I thought you were going to say that one of us died or something.”

  “No, I was thinking about that, but then I’d have to be away from you, or you from me, in order for that to work,” he said, taking my hand. “I can’t be away from you. For so many reasons.”