by SJ West
“Apparently,” Jules goes on to explain, “Keelan’s new friend has been calling Cal a freak at school and turned a lot of Cal’s friends against him.”
“Doesn’t sound like they were very good friends to begin with,” Liam states.
“I just can’t believe Keelan has turned his back on Cal,” Jules tells us, clearly distraught over the matter. “They basically grew up together like brothers.”
“Has Zane or Verati spoken to Keelan about this?” my mom asks Jules.
“Not yet. I don’t think any of us realized how bad the situation was until today. Now, I feel like I’ve ruined Cal’s birthday, and I’m not sure what I can do to help him.”
“Come on, Liam,” I say to my brother, “let’s go talk to Cal and see what we can do to help. I don’t like the idea of him being bullied.”
“Lead the way,” Liam replies to me.
As Liam and I walk over to Cal in his darkened corner, Luna unexpectedly begins to follow us, even though Lucas stays by our mom.
“See!” I tell Liam. “I knew Luna could understand what we talk about.”
“You say that like I doubted you,” Liam replies with a roll of his eyes. “I knew you were right.”
“Happy birthday, Cal!” I say a little louder than I need to as we approach him.
Cal drags his attention away from where Keelan and the supposed bully are playing. When he looks at me, I try to smile, but I’m pretty sure it looks like the fake smiles my mother gives us sometimes when she’s really not feeling it in her heart. Right now, I would rather go over and call Keelan out for being a lousy friend to Cal. How anyone could be mean to my friend is beyond me. If there is one pure soul in the universe, Cal is in possession of it. I can’t think of one instance when I’ve ever seen him say an unkind word to anyone, and the fact that his best friend ditched him for a bully just makes me even madder.
“Hey, Liana and Liam,” Cal replies rather unenthusiastically. When he catches sight of Luna following behind us, he smiles out of pure delight. “Hey to you too, Luna.”
I hear Luna snort behind us just before we reach Cal. She walks past us until she’s standing beside our friend, as if she plans to protect him for the rest of the day.
“Why are you standing over here in the corner?” Liam asks disapprovingly. “You shouldn’t let those guys over there make you feel uncomfortable at your own birthday party. This is your house.”
Cal sighs deeply and from the contrite look on his face, I can tell he knows Liam’s right.
“I don’t really like confrontation,” Cal tells us. “And Rayden always makes fun of my wings whenever he gets the chance.”
“Just because he’s an idiot doesn’t mean you have to act like a fool,” I tell Cal. “You’re acting like a coward standing in this corner. You’re the prince of Laed-i, Cal. It’s time you started acting like it.”
“He’s only ten, Liana,” Liam says like it’s an excuse for Cal’s behavior.
“So? What’s that got to do with anything? We’re only nine months older than him. If Cal ever expects to lead the people here like his father and mother do, he needs to learn how to deal with someone like Rayden.” I look Cal straight in the eyes. “Don’t give him the satisfaction of believing he can hurt you.”
“But he is,” Cal admits. “He took my best friend away.”
“No one who abandons you so easily is a true friend, Cal. I don’t know Keelan’s side of the story, but maybe he was embarrassed that you didn’t take up for yourself when Rayden started to bully you. Followers will always follow who they perceive to be the strongest leader. Right now, the kids at your school might see Rayden as being stronger than you. You have to earn their respect again, and you’re not going to do that by hiding in the shadows at your own party. Now, come on. Let’s go play with the new holo-tag equipment I saw sitting on the table when we phased in. Is it the newest version? It doesn’t even look like it’s been played with yet.”
“It hasn’t been,” Cal says, looking more excited now that he has me and Liam to talk to. “Mom and Dad just gave it to me this morning. I was waiting on you guys to come before testing it out. Do you think Lucas will want to play with us?”
“He might be a moody teenager,” Liam says, “but he still likes to play games with us. I’m sure he will.”
While we put on the holo-tag equipment, both Keelan and Rayden have the nerve to walk over to us. Keelan has the dark hair and olive complexion of his mother and most of the people on Laed-i. I don’t think he’s had a growth spurt in two years though because he’s still a half of a foot shorter than I am. Rayden, on the other hand, is just as tall as me and Liam and probably twenty pounds heavier, even though he’s Cal’s age. His bulk seems to be due to his muscular frame, which makes me wonder if all he does is work out.
“Heya Liana and Liam,” Keelan says. Frankly, I’m surprised he has the audacity to speak to us, considering his poor behavior toward Cal.
“What do you want?” I ask him brusquely. I can’t seem to keep the hostility I feel toward him out of my voice. I never thought Zane and Verati’s son would betray Cal so readily, and my opinion of him has hit rock bottom.
“I, uh, was going to ask if me and Rayden can play with you guys,” Keelan replies, looking uncertain about if he should have even walked over.
“I guess you should ask Prince Callen,” I reply, reminding everyone present what Cal’s true position on this planet is to the people in this room. “All of this stuff belongs to him, not me, but considering how you’ve treated him lately, I wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t want to play with you.”
Cal instantly looks embarrassed by my words, but I don’t care. Someone should be honest with Keelan and tell him how much he’s hurting one of my dearest friends.
“Liana, we’re supposed to be helping Cal, not causing more problems for him after we leave. Try to be a little bit nicer or just don’t say anything at all,” Liam chastises me.
“I can’t help it,” I reply defensively. “I’m mad, and I refuse to hide how I feel.”
“I’m mad too, but putting them down in front of everyone isn’t going to solve Cal’s problem. Let me handle this if you can’t control your temper.”
“Fine. Do what you can to help.”
“Listen,” Liam says, addressing Keelan while ignoring Rayden for the moment, “Cal’s like family to us, and we thought he was like a brother to you, Keelan. Why have you turned your back on him?”
Keelan glances guiltily over at Cal before returning his attention to Liam.
“I don’t know,” Keelan replies rather unconvincingly.
Liam sighs disappointedly. “Well then, I guess you better go figure it out and decide what kind of person you want to be. You can either be a true friend or a bully, like your new one is.”
“Are you calling me a bully, runt?” Rayden says to Liam threateningly.
“I think your question pretty much answers itself,” Liam snaps back.
Without warning, Rayden throws a punch meant to hit Liam directly across his right cheek. Of course, my brother easily catches the other boy’s fist with one of his hands and bends Rayden’s wrist back until he cries out in pain and ends up on his knees in front of Liam. Both Liam and I inherited superhuman strength from our parents, but we rarely use it, especially not on another person. In fact, I think this is the first time Liam has ever had to use it to protect himself. I look over at my mom and Jules to see what their reactions are to the situation. My mom has a hand on one of Jules’s arms, like she’s holding her back. I know what she’s doing. She’s waiting to see how Liam and I handle the situation first before she tries to intervene. If we’re going to help Cal at all, it’s better to let us deal with the bully on a level he can understand.
I see Liam let up on Rayden’s wrist just enough to stop him from crying, but he doesn’t let go of it entirely. He makes the wise decision to keep the other boy on his knees while he speaks to him.
“I could break you
r wrist if I wanted to,” Liam informs Rayden in a menacing, yet controlled, voice. “But I won’t do that because I’m not a bad person. You should know that Cal has the same strength that my sister and I do, so it would be better if you didn’t make him mad at you. I’m not sure why he hasn’t just laid you out by now, but he must have a lot more patience than I do. I don’t want to hurt you, but I definitely won’t let you hurt me or anyone I care about. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”
Rayden nods his head but remains mute. I’m not sure if he just can’t think of anything to say or if he’s in so much pain he can’t get any words out. Either way, Liam lets go of his hand and takes a step back to retake his position between Cal and me.
“Now,” Liam says as he looks between Rayden and Keelan, “I think the two of you owe Cal an apology for the way you’ve acted toward him lately.”
“I’m sorry, Cal,” Keelan says, looking properly remorseful for the way he’s been acting. “Can you forgive me for being so stupid?”
“I can if you’re really sorry,” Cal tells him, wary of his friend just saying what Liam and I want to hear.
“I am,” he vows.
Cal holds his hand out to Keelan, and the two of them shake hands.
“Then I forgive you,” Cal tells him.
When Cal drops his hand away from Keelan’s, he turns his attention to Rayden, who is rubbing his sore wrist with his other hand.
“Sorry for how I acted,” Rayden tells him. “I just thought no one would want to be my friend since they all seemed to like you so much. I figured if I made fun of your wings, I would be able to get some friends for myself.”
“Why don’t we try to be friends and that way no one has to choose between us?” Cal suggests.
“But you’re like royalty,” Rayden says, looking wary of Cal’s offer of camaraderie. “I’m just the kid of a farmer. Why would you want to be my friend?”
“I’m not sure I do,” Cal answers honestly, “and it’s not because your dad is a farmer and my dad is king. I just don’t know you very well, and what I do know I don’t like. But I’m willing to put what you did behind us if you are.”
“Yeah,” Rayden says with a small nod of his head, “I would like to try, and I actually think your wings are pretty cool. Can you fly around with them?”
“Just a little,” Cal answers. “I’m still working on making them stronger. A friend of mine suggested I do that, and it seems to be working. It’s just going to take some time and more hard work before they can hold me up in the air.”
“I might be able to help you with your workouts,” Rayden offers. “My dad and I lift a lot of weights. I can probably rig something up for you to build up the muscles that control your wings.”
Cal smiles. “That would be great! Let’s talk about it after we play a round of holo-tag.”
Rayden smiles back at him, and I know my brother’s work here is done. Liam’s always been good when it comes to resolving problems between people. He must have inherited that skill from our mother.
While we play holo-tag around the ballroom, I allow myself to be taken out of the game pretty quickly. I just can’t get the people of Stanton out of my mind, and I know exactly what I have to do. As soon as Liam tags me out of the game, I immediately duck underneath one of the tables with white tablecloths and remove the torso harness and glasses that connect me to the holo-tag program. Just as I’m placing the pieces of equipment on the floor beside me, Cal ducks underneath the table too.
“What are you doing?” he asks, looking between me and the discarded equipment.
“Go play with Liam, Cal,” I say, waving my left hand at him to emphasize my words. “I need to go somewhere, but I’ll be back soon.”
“Where are you going?” he asks, looking at me with a great deal of suspicion.
“Somewhere,” I reply, being vague with my answer. “Now shoo, so I can leave.”
“Take me with you,” he requests unexpectedly. “It can be your present to me. Liam got Rayden off my case; now it’s your turn to give me something for my birthday.”
“You know I’m not allowed to take you anywhere, especially not Earth.”
“But I want to go there to see if I can find someone who has wings like mine,” he replies. “Maybe if I do, they’ll be able to tell me how to use them right.”
“I’m not taking you, so stop asking,” I tell him testily.
Cal crosses his arms over his chest, and his expression turns defiant.
“If you don’t take me with you, I’ll go tell your mom as soon as you’re gone, and she’ll be able to follow your phase trail.”
“You wouldn’t …” I say, aghast that he’s threatening me with blackmail.
“Oh, wouldn’t I?” he replies with a determined look on his face.
I know he has me cornered, and I don’t like it one bit.
“Fine,” I finally say, “but you’ll need a coat because it’s cold where we’re going.”
“Phase me to my room so I can get one from my closet,” he practically orders.
I do as he requests. As soon as we reach his room, he heads straight for his walk-in closet. When he returns, I see that he’s taken off his holo-tag equipment and is buttoning a black wool coat.
“I don’t suppose you have a coat that actually covers your wings,” I say hopefully.
“Why would I want to do that?” he asks in confusion. “I’m sure the people on Earth are used to seeing them on other people there.”
“Yeah, but they’ll draw attention to us and make it that much easier for my dad to discover that we’re in the down-world.”
“Is that where we’re going?” Cal asks excitedly. “I just thought you were phasing us to Cirrus. I never thought I’d get to see the down-world! Do you think we’ll see a lion or a bear?”
“Bear maybe, but lions don’t live in our territory. Those are over in Nimbo, and my parents have never taken us there. I think it’s because our Aunt Helena is still married to Emperor Zuri Solarin. At least, I think they’re still married. I’m not really sure how that works since she can’t leave Hell anymore. My aunt never mentions him when we’re together.”
“That’s weird,” Cal says, looking puzzled. “If they’re married, doesn’t that mean they love one another?”
“Not necessarily. My mom was married to someone else before she married my dad. Her first marriage was an arranged one to her best friend, but she never loved him like she does my father. Anyway, are you ready or not? We need to get going before your mom or mine figures out we’re not here anymore.”
“I’m ready,” Cal says as he stands in front of me with his wings completely outstretched on his back and his coat buttoned up.
“Can you at least tuck those things in?” I ask in exasperation. “You’ll definitely get noticed if you have them stretched out like that.”
“I’ll try to keep them in,” he says as they begin to fold into a more compact position on his back, “but I can’t always control them. It’s almost like they have a mind of their own sometimes.”
“Well, do what you can,” I tell him as I take one of his hands with mine. “Are you ready?”
“Yep!” he replies with an excited smile stretching his lips. “Let’s go!”
I begin to second-guess my decision to take Cal with me, but I know he’ll keep true to his word and tell my mom where I’ve gone if I don’t let him tag along. She wouldn’t have a hard time finding me, since all she would have to do is follow my phase trail. I squeeze Cal’s hand firmly in mine.
“Don’t let go of my hand,” I order him. “No matter what.”
“I won’t,” he vows.
Just as I phase us both to Stanton, I feel a cold chill fill my heart with dread, and I fear that I’ve made a terrible mistake.
Chapter 9
(Cal’s Point of View)
I feel kind of bad about tricking Liana into taking me to Earth with her. I never would have told her mom where she went, but how els
e was I going to convince her to let me tag along in such a short amount of time? I love my mom and dad, but they’re so protective of me it’s almost suffocating. Sometimes I get the feeling they’re waiting for me to do something horrible, but I don’t know why. For the most part, I’ve been a good kid. I keep my grades up, clean my room, finish my meals, and almost always do whatever they ask of me. Every once in a while, I’ll do something without telling them about it, but that doesn’t happen very often.
I never told them about meeting my Guardian Angel, Cade. Even though he said I should tell my parents about jumping off that cliff, I didn’t. If I had, my mom would have kept watch over me even more closely than she does now. No. The five-year-old me made a wise decision to keep Cade and my brush with death a secret. I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep this trip to Earth a secret though. Something tells me that I’ll definitely get punished for it when my parents find out, but when I feel snow touch my face for the first time, I know whatever they do to me will be well worth this experience.
Liana and I find ourselves high up on a large pile of rubble. As snow falls all around us, I can see the buildings of an old looking town and hundreds of people rushing back and forth to help the injured who are lying on the ground. Crimson stains dot the scene below us, and I hear the moans and cries of those who are wounded.
“What happened here?” I ask Liana as I feel both shocked and scared by what I see in front of us.
“A bomb went off,” she replies in a hollow voice, and I can tell this is the first time she’s ever seen anything like this too.
I squeeze her hand a bit tighter because I definitely don’t want her to leave me in this nightmare. I want to go home where it’s safe and no one is bleeding or begging for help.
“I think coming here was a mistake, Cal,” Liana says, mirroring my own thoughts. “I should take you back home.”
