Shine: The Knowing Ones

by Amy Freeman

  Trin blinked, stunned, looking from Sam to his palm. He blew out a sharp breath and shook his head glancing to the ceiling. “Блядь.”

  He concentrated on the cut. Within seconds it disappeared. He glanced at her, breathless. “Better?” he asked.

  Sam smiled with relief, catching her own breath. “Better.” He stared at her, eyes swimming with unresolved stimulation. He picked up the knife, closing the blade, his heart beating double time.

  She glanced at him. “You say that a lot. What does it mean?”

  “Never mind.” He leaned in front of her, putting the knife back in his glove box and sat back against his seat. His muscular chest rose with an intake of breath as he pushed his fingers through his hair. After a big exhale he turned again to Sam, crystal eyes gleaming.

  “Sorry,” she said.

  He stared at her, then shook his head with a quiet laugh. “You’re gonna kill me, you know that.” Sam flushed, a sheepish grin on her face.

  “Come on,” he said, pushing his door open. Sam waited for him, thinking about his hand. He pulled her door open and she climbed out. “Will I learn how to do that?”

  Trin shut her door. “You mean will you remember you already know how?” He took her hand. “Yes.”

  Sam considered this as they walked to the dorm entryway. “Okay,” she said. “But you haven’t just gone around healing yourself all of your life. Or have you?”

  Trin grinned “No, for obvious reasons. You’re the only one here and I’m trying to save time and explanations tomorrow.” He looked at his watch and blew out an exhausted breath. “I guess it is tomorrow.” He pushed the door open. “Let’s go. We’ll talk more inside and then we both need some sleep.” She stepped inside, contemplating the glowing shield around her. She glanced up. “Won’t he see this?”

  “Only if he tries to touch you,” he said. “It isn’t visible to anyone but the Oracle and her Keeper. Remember what you saw at the castle? The shield became visible only when he touched the doorknob. He expected it, but he couldn’t see it before then.” Sam thought about that. “So, if no one can see this shield, including a Veduny enemy, then why not use it all the time?”

  Trin took her hand and began walking down the hall. “Because it weakens me,” he replied. “Basically, I just shared my energy with you. Part of my energy is gone from me and is now covering you. When I break the shield it will come back to me, but until then I’m not as strong.”

  “Wow,” Sam said. “I guess that makes sense.” She looked up. “Wait,” she asked. “Will this affect your swim meet tomorrow?”

  “It doesn’t work that way,” he said. “I’m a good swimmer because I train hard, just like anyone else. Significant physical achievement doesn’t come from just muscle and bone,” he said. “It’s the same concept I taught you when we were sparring. I keep my body in top condition in order to maximize what my spirit is capable of. The spirit is limitless. That’s the power behind my skill. If you tap into the spirit it will push the body further than you ever imagined possible. It works that way with everyone.”

  Sam lifted his hand, once again admiring the strength and power. He leaned over and kissed her cheek, then continued guiding her to her door. “The short answer is I’ll be fine. What I have given you isn’t going to affect my performance.”

  Sam inclined her head. “Okay.”

  They reached her dorm and went in. It was quiet. As expected Anna was not there. “I really need to call her,” Sam said. Trin said nothing. He felt horrible about Vig. “He’s fine, Trin.” She pulled her phone out, dialed, and put it to her ear. Anna picked up after the first ring.

  “How’s Erika?” Anna asked.

  “She’s going to be okay,” Sam replied. “Her mom was there when we left. They’re doing a CT scan and X-ray to be sure, but they think it’s just a bump and a cut. How’s Vig?”

  Sam glanced at Trin, who eagerly awaited the answer. He could hear laughter on the other end followed by muffled dialogue.

  Sam laughed. “Anna says they’re wiring his jaw shut and he’s going to be in a coma for the next few months.”

  Trin glowered.

  Sam wrapped an arm around him, still talking. “He’s fine,” she repeated. Trin held out his hand for the phone. Sam rolled her eyes and handed it to him.

  “Anna, how is he really?” The muffled dialogue continued on the other end. Whatever Anna had said didn’t make him feel better. Trin let out a breath. “Put him on.”

  A moment passed and then another muffled voice came on the line.

  “Vig, bro, I’m so sorry.”

  Sam couldn’t hear what was being said, but she could still make out the sweet, laidback nature of Anna’s man on the other end, and she started to feel badly too.

  “I was in a zone, man. I had no idea. Yeah, I know.”

  Sam waited as his part of the conversation played out. Trin listened for a moment and then laughed “Seriously, I’m so sorry, bro. Keep some ice on it, okay? Later.”

  He hung up the phone and handed it to Sam. “Anna’s going to call you tomorrow before your performance.”

  Sam wrapped him in a hug. “What did he say?”

  “Anna said he’s pretty bruised. I can’t believe I hit Vig.”

  “You act like you did it on purpose. Stop it.”

  Trin shrugged. “He was really cool about it. He said he understood...and asked me to remind him never to get on my bad side.”

  Sam laughed, squeezing him. He squeezed her back harder, lowered his head, and nudged her face toward his. She lifted her chin and kissed him. He drew her closer, kissing her softly at first and then more passionately, her hands pushing up his back into his flaxen hair. A muted groan emanated from deep within him. Breaking the kiss, he buried his face in her hair, breathing deeply. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s get you to bed.”

  She grabbed his hand, dragging him to her room, and went to her dresser for some pajama pants and a T-shirt. Trin went to a gym bag he had brought over with some of his things.

  “Go ahead and change,” she said. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Please be careful.”

  Sam turned and smiled. “I’m good now,” she responded. “Remember? I’m covered in you.”

  He gave a weak smile. She turned and went into the bathroom.

  Shutting the door, she turned to the mirror, studying her aura. One hundred percent Trin. She smiled. She loved him more than she could put into words. She threw on her pajamas, brushed her teeth, and went back into her room. Trin sat on her bed, facing away from her, looking at something in his bag. He had changed into his own sweats and T-shirt. She was grateful. Even covered up, his magnificent body beckoned her.

  He turned as she entered the room and smiled. “Hey,” he said. He reached into his bag, replacing the item. Sam climbed onto the opposite side of the bed as he set his bag aside. He watched her, silent adoration shining in his light eyes. Sam felt the familiar rising desire. This night was going to be sheer torture. “Come here,” he said, an arm outstretched.

  She moved toward him as he placed a hand to her cheek, kissing her lips. “I love you,” he said.

  “I love you.” She snuggled into him as he lay down on his back. Sam rested her head on his chest as he began rubbing her back, staring at the ceiling, his mind racing.

  “You okay?” she asked.

  “I hate leaving you,” he replied. “It’s really hard for me.”

  Sam’s hand drifted across his chest, feeling the muscled definition beneath her fingertips. His right wrist rested on his torso and she soon found herself playing with the beautiful chain he always wore. Scooting her head up further onto his chest, she turned the gold plate, exposing the underside. “What does all this mean?”

  Trin pulled her closer, pointing out details. “This is alexandrite, just like the stone Anvil showed us,” he said. “Every Keeper wears a piece fashioned out of the materials from the mine. Alexandrite has properties specifically linked to who we are a
nd what we represent,” he said. “It’s symbolic of the power of the mind. It’s also a prophetic stone and, when worn by the right person, it creates a barrier against negativity.”

  She studied the stone, a ruby red. “I swear this stone is green sometimes.”

  “It is,” he replied. “Natural light turns it green, artificial light turns it red. Again, this ties into our tribe. Human blood has a duality; arterial and venous. It is by blood we accomplish certain rites, like your protection. Everything we do naturally this stone enhances. We wear it because our way of life draws out its positive properties, making it difficult for negativity to filter in.” He brought his arm back down around her shoulders and pointed to the upside down triangle surrounding the stone. “This is our symbol for water,” he said, “my element.”

  “Why an upside down triangle for water?” Sam asked.

  “Like a chalice,” he said, “a vessel. For a Keeper, it’s the ability to “contain” water.”

  Sam considered this. “The symbol on Anvil’s bracelet was different.”

  “His element is air,” Trin replied. He pointed to the word on the left side of the stone and then to the right. “You already know this says Veduny and this says Keeper.”

  Sam relaxed against him taking it all in, then pointed to the three letters above the stone. “What about this?”

  “Those are my initials.”

  Sam looked down at them. “What’s your middle name?”

  “Vadim,” he said. “My mother named me. She was given my full name in a dream before I was born. Trinton means ‘torrent‘ or ‘he who lives in water.’ Vadim means ‘to know.’ It all made sense when you were born and my aura sealed.”

  Sam looked back down, gently holding it between her fingers. Even his name had symbolic meaning. Everything about him was so beautiful. “It’s so pretty,” she said.

  “You have one.”

  She looked up at him. “I do?”

  “It’s a pendant, not a bracelet, but you have one,” he said. “You’re the Veduny Oracle, Sam. You’ll receive it during the ceremony in Ivanova.” If I ever get you there...

  Sensing a new hint of tension, she wrapped her arms around his torso. “Nothing is going to happen,” she said. “I’m totally protected now, right?”

  Trin lay there as Sam’s description of Ashbel disabling Anvil’s shield played out in his mind again and again, and he pulled her in tighter. “Right,” he replied, cloaking the gnawing uncertainty.

  Sam drifted off to a sound sleep.

  CHAPTER THIRTY NINE

  T he next morning came early. Trin woke at five o’clock to get ready. His team left the night before, but he had promised the coach he would be there early, citing a family emergency as the reason he couldn’t travel with them. He showered, brushed his teeth, and dressed in his warm-up suit. Walking out of the bathroom he grabbed his swimming duffel, eyes drawn to Sam. She lay asleep looking more beautiful than ever. Affectionate warmth soaked through him, followed by dread, the gnawing feeling still pulling at him. He crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed next to her, gently stroking her hair.

  She stirred, eyes fluttered open.

  Trin winced. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  Sam stretched, glancing up at him. “I would have killed you if you’d left without waking me, you know that.”

  He smiled.

  Sam breathed him in, his luminescent eyes, golden hair, tousled and wet from his shower framing his tanned masculine face. She reached up, stroking his cheek. “Are you going to be okay today? You barely got any sleep.”

  “I’m fine,” he said. “The water will wake me up.” He stared, hesitant.

  “What is it?” she asked. Not that she minded him lingering.

  Doing his best to cloak his anxiety he said, “Just wish I didn’t have to go.” He stroked her hair again, studying his own aura radiating around her as if looking for holes and cracks, then looked back into her eyes, and smiled. “Veduny looks good on you.”

  She remembered the shield and smiled. His broad upper body bent toward her as he leaned in, gently kissing her lips, the scent of soap, shampoo, and Trin wafting around her as she breathed in the decadent taste of his soft mouth. The thought of him leaving tore her apart. She pulled him into her, holding his kiss with a heightened urgency. Trin responded with that of his own; his cloaked anxiety beginning to crack, one anxious kiss disengaging as another began and another after that. Trin finally pulled free, leaning his head into her neck. She ran her fingers through his dampened, sweet smelling hair. “Why is this so hard?” she whispered. “I feel like you’re not coming back.”

  He drew back. “I am coming back, Sam,” he said. “Nothing could keep me away. This has been one hell of a ride so far. It’s our first time apart really, a lot of uncertainty.” He traced her cheek with his fingertips, electrifying her. Lifting her chin, he looked into her eyes. “You’ll be fine and I’ll be back before you know it.”

  “Tonight?”

  “Tonight,” he promised. He took her face in his hands. “I will never allow anything to happen to you...ever.”

  “I love you, Trin.”

  “I love you, Sam.” He kissed her one more time and stood, keeping her hand in his. “I’ll be right back. You’re shielded. You are safe.”

  Sam nodded, pushing out the lingering angst. “Good luck today,” she said, the corner of her mouth turning upward. “Not that you need it.”

  Admiration lit up in his eyes. “You too, on both counts.” Holding her gaze a moment he bent to kiss her one last time, brushing his lips against hers leaving her dizzy, then locked eyes with her one last time before getting up and forcing himself out the door.

  Sam lay in bed for a while fighting back tears. A horrible finality lay stagnant in her chest. As he released her hand and walked out the door, half her heart went with him. She nestled into her pillow, grabbing his, hugging it to her chest. The absence of sleep and chaos from the night before began to settle in and though her heart ached in her chest she slipped back into a deep sleep.

  Drip...drip...drip...Sam floated in darkness, weightless, at ease. In the distance a repetitive sound persisted.

  Drip...drip...drip...A necklace—floating before her in the darkness, a golden chain with a rounded stone the size of a quarter. Shiny and smooth; cabochon cut, rounded like a marble that had been cut in half and set in gold. Morphing hypnotically back and forth from red to green, its most intriguing characteristic was a slash of white light shooting through its center giving an eerie cat’s eye quality. It floated, beckoning as its color continued to shift—red...green.

  The darkness peeled back, revealing her dorm bedroom. She hovered above her bed watching herself sleep. A sudden shift in the corner. Ashbel appeared in the room. Panic pouring through her, she watched him move toward her sleeping body. She screamed out in warning—no sound. Ashbel reached the side of her bed. The everchanging pendant still floating with her, watching, waiting.

  He reached out, touching her shoulder. Upon contact Trin’s shield erupted around her, shielding her from the enemy, daring him to come forward. Sam watched, heart hammering.

  Twisting his head, his gaze lifted to the ceiling with a feral, mocking grin, his eyes searing into hers. In frenzied hysteria, Sam grabbed the pendant, and plunged into darkness, falling, plummeting faster and faster. With an abrupt jolt she found herself standing in her childhood bedroom. Pale yellow carpet, floral white wallpaper, and a twin sized bed covered in a yellow bedspread trimmed in white lace.

  Drip...drip...drip...

  Sam turned, walking across the room and out into the hallway, all familiar, taupe, lush carpet, white walls, and a wooden banister at the stairs. At the end of the hall an open area offered three doorways, one to a bathroom. Sam moved toward it, hypnotized.

  Drip...drip...drip...

  The bathroom door was ajar, the dripping more pronounced. She pushed the door all the way open, small in size, pink porcela
in fixtures, a bathtub to the left, sink and toilet to the right. The window in front of her reflected night, dark, alone. She turned to her right, expecting a dripping faucet. She found it, but also saw Trin standing beside her in the mirror above the sink.

  She broke into a huge grin, fear gone. “You’re back!” she exclaimed, turning around to embrace him, but he wasn’t there. She jerked back to the mirror. His reflection remained. “Trin?” She reached out to him, fingers meeting the glass. “Trin?” She pushed against the mirror in frustration. “Come get me!”

  He didn’t move, his gaze troubled, vacant. “I can’t.”

  “Trin!” she screamed, pounding at the mirror. “Please!”

  The drip became a torrent of gushing water colored by Trin’s energy. She jumped, her eyes shooting to the faucet as the radiant golden blue gushed forth. She looked back to Trin. He reached for her, drifting further away. “Don’t leave!” she screamed.

  Sam’s gaze snapped back as the roiling, churning water began steaming, temperature rising, boiling before her eyes. She looked to Trin for help only to find sinister jade eyes staring back at her through the glass, masculine jaw set in victory, eyes reflecting rancid light. Sam turned with a cry, slamming right into his massive chest, muscled arms catching her in a vice grip.

  Sam woke, jolting forward in a sweat, shaking all over, hazy, disoriented, her eyes darting around the room. A stab of horror flashed as she caught sight of the corner—Ashbel. Crying out she clutched her blanket to her mouth, switching on the lamp. The corner was empty.

  Sam stared. She had seen him. It was a good few minutes before she was able to move. Her hands went to her face, covering her eyes as she took a deep breath. She turned to look at the clock on her bedside table. Nine thirty a.m.

  She jumped as her cell phone began to ring. Looking around for her purse she saw it in the corner, the same corner she had seen Ashbel standing in. Fighting back her irrational fear she pushed the blankets aside and scrambled across to the foot of the bed, grabbing her purse, retrieving her phone. She hit talk without checking the I.D. “Hey,” she said.