by Mary Ting
Gina halted and turned to me. “I thought that was so sweet of you. I’m afraid she’s still sick. I think she caught the flu. She’s sleeping right now. Why don’t we head to the kitchen? Have a seat at the table and I’ll make you some tea.”
I didn’t refuse, though I didn’t feel like having any. Wanting to stick around, hoping Sky would wake up soon, I agreed. I just wanted to be near her.
“Sky has told me many things about you. I feel like I already know you,” Gina said, pouring hot water into a mug, then dunking some kind of tea bag inside. “Here you go.” She set it in front of me.
Cupping the mug into the palm of my hands, I took in the warmth. Being so close to Sky and not be able to see or touch her was torture. I thought about using my super speed to take a look at her, then come back. I could’ve done it while she was making my tea. I guessed I could also use the excuse of needing to use the restroom. Being patient was not on the list of what I did best. Knowing I needed to be, I waited like a good human boyfriend as I continued the conversation and buttered up to Gina.
“I hope they were all good things.” I grinned and took a sip.
Gina sat across from me. “How long have you been dating again?”
Now I was stuck. Here comes the river of questions. I didn’t mind answering them, I just didn’t know what Sky had told her mom, and didn’t want our answers conflicting.
“Not that long. We started dating during the summer.”
Gina nodded her head. That was a good sign. “That’s right, Sky told me. She also told me your brother is dating Kayla.”
“My half-brother,” I said, not really knowing why I had to throw that in.
Gina nodded again with a smile and took a sip. “I’m glad Skylar has someone else looking after her besides me. She lost her dad at a young age. I’m sure she’s told you about him.”
“Yes, she did.” It was my turn to nod.
“Skylar also told me about the restaurants you own and that—” Gina started to say, but stopped. A sound distracted her, and I heard it, too. My body tilted sideways to my left and I saw a figure slowly approaching. Her hand was on the wall for support. It was my Sky.
My heart melted from the mere sight of her, and I probably had the dorkiest grin on my face. I hoped Gina wasn’t looking at me. I also wanted to say that she was welcome to come to my restaurant anytime and that dinner would be on me, but that thought vanished when Sky approached.
Without a word to Gina, I ran to Sky and wrapped her firmly in my arms.
“Mason.” Her tone was weak, but it was the sweetest sound to me. Seeing her well, though feeble, filled my heart with joy.
“I’m here, Echo. I’m right here.” Looking into her dull, sleepy eyes, I stroked her hair and took her presence in.
“Sky, you’re up.” Gina’s hand reached out to Sky, and then lowered, apparently confused about what she should do since I was already holding her.
“Let me take you to the sofa,” I said, guiding her there. Once I lay Sky in a comfortable position, her mom came back with a blanket and covered her.
“I’m feeling much better. I’m sure it was only the flu,” Sky said.
Gina sat on the other sofa. “I’m just glad Steven was here. He gave you a shot. I’m sure that helped.”
“I have to thank him when I see him.”
“Well….” Gina stood up. “I’ll leave you two alone. I’ll be in my bedroom if you need me.” With that, she left.
I planted myself on the edge of the sofa and caressed Sky’s cheeks as I spoke. “I was so worried about you, Echo. I knew you were fine when your mom texted me back to tell me you were sick, but I had to come see you.”
“My mom texted you?” Her tone went up a notch.
“She texted me back from your phone. It was probably because I was texting and calling every minute when you weren’t answering. I’m glad she did, or I would have broken down the door.”
Sky gave me a light giggle. “I’m glad you’re here.” She took my hand in hers and kissed the back of it, but I jerked back when I felt a jolt on the very same spot she’d kissed. Both our eyes grew wide.
“I’m sorry,” she said quickly, looking as shocked as I was. Regardless, I couldn’t help the short laugh that escaped me. Sky gave me a wicked hot smile and her tone was seductive. “I can’t help myself around you. Want to see how powerful my sparks can get? Kiss me.”
I had no time to reply. Sky pulled my lips to hers with the speed I had forgotten she had. At first it was a normal, steamy kiss. As always, it intensified and I wanted more, but knowing her mom was just a bedroom away, I tried to slow down.
Sky didn’t slow down. It fact, her kiss was driving me crazy. I wanted her right then and there, not a second later. She showed me what she meant by how powerful she could get. One by one, the light bulbs started popping like small fireworks. Sparks sizzled, lighting up the room. By then we had stopped kissing, but it was too late.
Gina came running. “What happened?”
How do you explain five light bulbs exploding like that?
Sky and I looked at each other, then we both turned to Gina and shrugged our shoulders.
“I think the bulbs are too old.” It was the lamest excuse I had, but she bought it.
“Are you both all right?”
“We’re fine. If you have extra light bulbs, I’ll be happy to help you change them,” I offered.
“Oh…thanks. I’ll go get them.” Gina was too busy examining the damage; she didn’t make eye contact when she spoke.
When she went to the garage, I turned my attention to Sky.
“I didn’t know that would happen,” she confessed. “I was just flirting. I didn’t know that would happen.” Sky looked concerned.
“It’s all right, Sky. I’ve done that before,” I reassured her, trying to comfort her. I thought it worked.
For the next couple of days, Mom went back to work while Mason took care of me. We watched television, played some card games, and even took naps. I also showed him my photo albums from my childhood. There were a couple of pages with my dad’s photos, but Mason didn’t say a word about them.
“My mom doesn’t know I have these,” I said. “As you can see from the pictures that are hung, none of them have my dad in them. My mom threw all of them away. It broke her. She didn’t want any memories of him, even on the walls.”
Mason shifted his weight on the bed and faced me. One leg was tucked under the other and one arm rested on the comforter. “I haven’t asked you this question because I wanted you to get over the shock, but how do you feel about your dad now?”
I looked to the side to gather my thoughts. This question was complicated because I had no answer. “I don’t know. I’m confused. I’m happy he’s alive, but….” I paused. I tried to find the appropriate words without sounding like a spoiled brat, without telling him I was upset that my dad paid more attention to other kids than to me. “He said he was protecting me from afar. Do I believe that’s true? I don’t know. He could have reached out to me, I guess. I feel like he didn’t love me all these years.” Then I felt anger rise in me. “He can’t just walk into my life after ten years and expect things to be the way they were.”
“I know. It’s okay to be angry and hurt. Just don’t let that cloud your judgment.” Mason rubbed his hand on my shoulder to calm me down, then changed the subject. He must have sensed my frustration. “What do you think your mom would do if she found out you have those photos of him?”
“She would have gone crazy if she knew back then, but I think she would be fine with it now. I was forbidden to speak about my dad when I was young. About a month ago when I mentioned him, she still didn’t want to talk about it, but at least her tone was normal. I think it’s because she has someone to love, and who loves her back.”
Mason took my hand in his. “Love can do that to you. Make you forget the pain and anger. It has the power to heal, to mend, to fix what was once broken, but first, you must accept
it. I know this because of you, Sky. You broke down my wall with your love, and my love for you that I couldn’t deny any longer.”
His touch, his words, ignited warmth through my heart and spread to the rest of my body. I hadn’t realized how cold I was. I also didn’t realize how much I needed to hear that. “And for that,” Mason continued, sweeping my cheeks with his thumbs, “I thank you.”
Gazing into his loving eyes, I rewarded him with the biggest smile I could muster. And I was sure my eyes twinkled just like his.
“Are you hungry?” Mason asked, snapping me out of my daze. “Since you’re feeling better, guess who I invited for lunch?” Mason closed my album and placed it down.
“Who?” I asked, playfully narrowing my eyes at him while wondering what he had done.
Mason took out his cell, texted, and looked up at me. That expression told me he was up to something. Giving me a sideways glance, he twitched his brows playfully. How that expression could put tingles in every depth of me was beyond me.
“Go to the door and find out.”
“Surprise,” Kayla cheered.
“Kayla!” My tone was just as loud as hers. Being beyond happy to see her, I pulled her in for a long, tight hug. That hug meant a great deal to me. It gave me comfort. It gave me normalcy. Mason knew what I needed and I was grateful that he was so thoughtful.
“Don’t forget, I’m here, too.” Nick stuck out his lower lip. There was no doubt that he had a cute pout. After a warm hug from me, he looked over my head to Mason.
“Mason! Oh my God! I haven’t seen you in so long.” Nick was mimicking us in a playful way; he even sounded like a girl with that high-pitched voice.
Kayla and I glanced at each other, and busted out laughing. When we saw Nick trying to hug Mason, the way we had hugged, we laughed even harder.
“Shut up and get off me.” Mason chuckled, shoving Nick away. “That’s so wrong.”
Nick practically tackled Mason. They were huddled together when suddenly there was a flash of bright light. Nick’s body flew backward a few feet, landing hard on the ground. Luckily, Kayla’s back was turned. She didn’t see the light.
“Nick, stop playing around. You might break something,” Mason chuckled, hiding the fact that he’d just stunned his brother with his light.
“Nick,” Kayla squealed, running to him. “Are you hurt?”
Nick glared at Mason and started laughing. “I’m going to get you back for this. That was freakin’ uncalled for. I just wanted a hug.” Then he turned his attention to Kayla. Standing up, he pointed to his cheek. “I bumped my face. I think I need tender loving there.”
Kayla moved in for a kiss. “There,” she giggled.
“I bumped my arm,” Nick purred.
Kayla kissed it. “There. Better now?”
Nicked nodded and pointed to his lips. “I bumped here, too.”
Okay…I had seen enough and knew where this was going. Mason slid his arms around my waist. His chest felt warm and tight on my back when he squeezed me. “You are the only one I want a hug from.”
“Only me?”
Mason let out a small chuckle. “You’re sort of repeating my words again, Echo.”
“Hey, you want to eat or what?” Nick broke our conversation.
Mason released me. “Did you bring lunch like I asked?”
“It’s in the car.”
“What did you bring?”
“What you asked for.”
“Okay, then. It’s not going to walk itself to the front door. Let’s go get it.” Mason and Nick started to head out the door.
“We can set the table and get the drinks,” I said to Kayla. She followed behind me. Just before I heard the door slam, I heard Mason yelp, “Ouch. That freakin’ hurt.”
“Payback’s a bitch,” Nick laughed. It was cut short when I saw lights from the corners of my eyes.
Kayla was too busy chatting away. Her back was turned again so she missed the light show. Those boys. I shook my head, but I couldn’t control the smile on my face. It was good to see Mason being playful and laughing. It was good to see him relax. And it especially felt good to see the bond between the two brothers.
The Grand brothers, Amanda, and I walked behind my dad. Shuffling the sand beneath our feet, I gazed out at the vast ocean. The waves gently rippling gave me a serene feeling, but when I was reminded of how I’d almost drowned, it gave me cold, icy chills.
Amanda seemed annoyed. “Why did you bring us here? There is nothing here except the ocean.”
“Just a few more steps,” my dad answered, leading us to an area where the sand dipped low and the boulders piled up high. He was calm, in spite of Amanda’s sharp tone. She was not a patient one.
It was the strangest feeling; I still couldn’t get used to the fact that my dad was alive and that he was one of the descendants, too. I didn’t know why, but I had a hunch he wasn’t telling us the whole truth.
“A few more steps to what?” Amanda continued.
I didn’t blame her. I was thinking the same thing, but Amanda had a big mouth and I was more than happy to have her speak for the both of us.
Suddenly, my dad stopped. “The only way you can enter the other side is if someone inside allows it. Once you are allowed to enter, you will be able to see it from now on.” My dad turned away from us, stared into space, and started mumbling something.
“O–o–okay.” Nick furrowed his brows, dragging out the word. “What’s he doing?”
“How should I know? Maybe he’s meditating,” Mason snorted softly.
Nick did a double take of Mason and chuckled lightly. “You cracked a joke! Look at that, Sky actually broke down all of your walls.”
“Shut up.” Mason lightly shoved Nick.
Nick was so busy goofing off that he didn’t notice my dad was talking to someone, but there was no one there.
“What the hell?” Amanda looked flustered. “He’s completely lost it. I think we should go back. They say when you get older that you start talking to yourself. Maybe it’s true.”
Everett shook his head at Amanda’s comment.
I took several steps closer to my dad and tried to listen to what he was saying.
“You can trust them. Let us in.” He paused. “Yes, my daughter is with me.” He paused again. “I know what I’m doing.” Then he turned to us with a smile. “Welcome to the New Olympus.”
Suddenly, a dim light glowed, creating a tunnel of colorful waves that spread massively in its space. Magically, a new world slowly started to appear, as if it was being careful not to reveal itself all at once. And behold, there were my dad’s people, standing, waiting for us to enter.
I gasped at the number of people I saw; a number of descendants I would have never have imagined could exist. It was overwhelming at first, but it was also comforting to know there were many of us out there. I didn’t know what we would be up against, but at least I knew we had a chance at this war—the war Noah kept talking about.
Mason slid his arms around my waist, pulling me out of my trance. When we entered, people moved away like the parting of the Red Sea. Some were smiling at us, while others gawked in disbelief.
What I saw beyond the crowd was breathtaking. Valleys and hills surrounded the land. Soft waterfalls flowed down to a stream. Tall trees gave shelter, and the various multi-colored flowers made it look like we were at the center of a garden. Ahead of us was a huge castle that looked like an ice sculpture. It was majestic and grand; one that you would imagine seeing in a fairy tale. I felt like I had just stepped inside of a story.
“Look at this place. It’s so beautiful.” Amanda turned her head in every direction in wonder. “I don’t understand how this place exists.”
When the grand double doors swung opened, Noah, Tim, Aaron, Colin, and Sarah came toward us, all wearing smiles.
“Welcome,” Noah greeted. “Pretty neat place we got here, don’t you think?” After his eyes met ours, they went straight to Amanda’s.
“I couldn’t agree with you more.” Amanda curled her lips into a flirtatious smile.
Colin stepped into our line of vision, wearing his suit and armor. “We’ll show you the rest of the place.”
Walking further in, light penetrated the high crystal-like ceiling and the glass-like walls. It felt as if I was in the middle of a crystal ball. Furniture was simple and elegantly adorned the room, but there was little of it.
“Where does everyone else live?” Nick asked.
“We all live inside these walls,” my dad explained. “This place is large enough to accommodate a lot more than you can possibly imagine. With multiple layers, or floor levels, we make sure everyone is comfortable.” My dad paused, then turned to his people. “Why don’t you give them a tour? I have a meeting with the Elders. Let’s meet in an hour for dinner.” Dad turned to us. “There is someone very important I would like for you to meet.”
After we agreed, we went our separate ways.
“This is our indoor courtyard,” Sarah said.
“How long have you lived here?” Everett asked, admiring the trees bearing various fruits.
The courtyard was full of flowers and trees. In one corner was a fountain of Poseidon, another one was Zeus, and the third one, and the most surprising, was Hades.
“After we saved Victor from the sea creatures we call sea vultures, we lived in Maui for a couple of months,” Noah explained. “When Victor wanted to move closer to Sky, fate stepped in and we ran into Zara. She led us to this place, called New Olympus.”
“How did she…was this place already here? I mean….” Nick paused, unable to finish his question, raking his hair back. I knew exactly how he felt. Before Nick could continue, Noah answered as if he understood.
“Yes, New Olympus existed before we arrived. In fact, it was created before all of the gods vanished. You’ll meet Zara soon. I’ll let her explain.”
“Zara?” Amanda asked. “I’ve never heard that name before. Who is she?”
