“The four Elementals are the closest creatures to Gods in Pandemonia and are worshipped as such by the Luminar,” explained Faru. “They are as old as time itself and can see past, present and future simultaneously. They are mostly benevolent and seek only to exist in peace, rarely ever making contact with the world. Dragons however, the creatures worshiped as divine by the Umbra were malevolent. They were the first to pass through the veil, wreaking havoc on both sides. Eventually the other Elementals joined together to block Dragon’s foresight, allowing them to be slain by Chosen. After that, the Elementals retreated back to where they came from. But sometimes they release their words into the ether, and on certain occasions those words are picked up by those who can reach into the ether.
“Do you mean like a prophecy?” frowned Gabriella.
“I suppose you could call it that yes. Because their words transcend time, they can often speak of events that have not yet occurred.”
I suddenly remembered the tapestries I’d seen in the Temple. “Wait a second…when Selene touched me, I saw an image of a giant face made from trees and grass and stuff, like that picture in the Temple,” I said.
Faru nodded. “Then that confirms it. The words are Lafelei’s, the Earth Elemental. Hades has somehow managed to hear the words before we did.” “But what has that got to do with Alex?” asked Gabriella gesturing towards me. Faru took in a deep breath. “Actually it involves both of you, something that I had discovered recently and has now been confirmed by Lafelei’s words.” I could feel my heart pounding against my chest. “Go on.”
“Firstly you must understand that each soul is completely unique, like a fingerprint. The energy it gives off carries its own unique frequency. That is how I am able to single out and communicate with individual people when I need to. However, I noticed something when I compared the two of yours together.”
“What did you notice?”
“They are identical.
I frowned. That doesn’t make any sense. “I don’t understand. How is that possible?” “When were you born Alexander?” “Seventh of August, nineteen ninety four,” I answered. “Why?” “And you Gabriella?” “The same day,” she answered. “At what time?” “Twelve noon exactly.” I almost fell out of my seat. “That’s when I was born!” “But what does that mean Faru?” asked Gabriella. He clapped his hands together. “You are twins.”
The words hit me like a sledgehammer, shattering my world. I felt the colour drain from my face. I stared at Gabriella, who wore the same expression of utter shock that I was probably wearing. No, that’s not fair. No! No!
“Not actual twins of course. That would be impossible. But rather your souls are twins.” Faru scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably. “Or in simpler terms…you are quite literally soulmates.”
Relief washed over me. I had to restrain myself from leaping over the desk and kissing the Sage right on the lips. I couldn't stop my mouth from stretching into a delirious smile. I looked over at Gabriella, who appeared shell-shocked. We’re soulmates! I wanted to jump up and do a victory dance. Now it all made sense. Why I felt drawn to her. Why I felt so much calmer when she was near me. Why I could feel all those strange vibrations when she was touched me. Why I was able to “Wait. Does that have something to do with the fact that I was able to heal Sophia? “I asked.
Faru nodded. “I believe so yes. I think that when near each other, your souls somehow act as amplifiers to one another. So in touching Gabriella whilst she had a hand on Sophia, you were able to project your gift temporarily. I cannot be certain, but I would expect that the same would work in reverse.”
“But what does it mean?” she asked. “Us being soulmates?”
Faru shook his head. “That I simply do not yet know. All I do know is that you both act like magnets to one another. It is my belief that you were always destined to meet one another, and that a series of infinitesimal events transpired to make that meeting possible. I have never seen anything quite like this before. Only time will tell what it truly means.”
“So Lafelei’s words, about the twins-” Gabriella started.
“Are relative to you, I’m certain. However, Hades does not know that you are soul twins. All he knows is that the second twin, the one he believes to be a threat, had his Awakening this year. And since there has only been one…” he said trailing off.
“You mean me,” I said. “But how can I be a threat to Hades? I’m not a threat to anyone!”
“Only time will tell Alexander. But regardless, I believe this is why you are being targeted. However, only the three of us know that you are soul twins. And to keep at least one of you completely safe from The Sorrow, we must keep it that way.”
Gabriella stood up. “To hell with that. I don’t want Alex going through this alone. If we are soulmates, then that means we fight side by side.”
I was touched by her passionate words, but I stood up too, shaking my head. “No way. I’m not letting you get involved in this. You’ve done enough for me.” I lowered my voice, so only she could hear. “The other night, you asked me if I was going to protect you. This is how I can do that. By keeping what we know a secret.”
Gabriella tried to protest but I refused to listen to her arguments. I turned back to Faru. “We’ll keep it a secret.”
He nodded. “Good. Then I believe we should draw the meeting to an end here. I will attempt to decipher more of Lafelei’s words. I shall of course inform you if I discover anything further. In the meantime, carry on as normal and please try not to worry. I will ensure that The Sorrow never gets anywhere near you.”
“Thank you Faru,” I said and saluted him. Gabriella did the same and started to leave.
“Alexander, may I have a brief word in private?” asked Faru. I looked at Gabriella and made an I don’t know face. She headed through the doors.
Faru pulled something from his robes and threw it at me. I caught it and opened my hand. I felt a jolt of panic as I stared at the silver marble I’d dropped in the Temple.
“Please give that back to Delagio,” he said. “And the next time you decide to spy on one of my meetings, do try and be a little more discreet.” He smiled and then waved me out.
For the next few days, nothing happened. Still, after the chaotic events of the previous week, my anxiety levels had set themselves at high alert and seemed confused by the lack of threat around me. Every little noise would cause me to snap to attention. I felt constantly on edge. The next time I saw Gabriella at school, I asked her about it and she laughed, telling me it was a common for new Chosen to feel that way and that it would eventually subside.
I had decided to stay at home to keep an eye on Mikey. Even though I knew there were Guardians watching the house constantly, I felt better being around. Gabriella understood. We spent all of our free time at school together. Sometimes Tim would be with me, so we’d be forced to talk about ‘normal’ things. When he wasn’t, she filled me in on the happenings around the base. I learned that Sophia was getting better by the day and the doctors expected her to make a complete recovery by the end of the week. I was surprised to hear that Midnight had been in talks with Faru to convert her to the Coven, even though it made Sophia seriously pissed with him.
I’d made the decision to tell Mikey everything — I just hadn’t found the right opportunity. Not to mention the fact that he spent ninety per cent of his evenings hidden away in his bedroom with his new girlfriend. He only ever surfaced to grab food and drink and then retreated back into his love nest. I still hadn’t met her, because whenever she slept over, she’d be gone by the time I got up. I didn’t really care. I hadn’t seen him so besotted in a long time. As long as he’s happy.
On the Wednesday evening, I drove home determined to tell him everything. He’d been there for me when I felt scared and alone. The least I could do was tell him the truth. I settled the Audi into the driveway and climbed out. Leaning against the door, I took a deep breath. Okay Alex, just walk in there and tell him. If he�
��s with his girlfriend then demand he talks to you privately. You can do this. I jiggled the lock open and stepped through the door. “Mikey?” I called out. “In here bro,” he replied. I scattered my bag onto the sideboard and headed towards the blare of the television coming from the lounge. Mikey was curled up on the sofa with Scarlett.
My keys fell from my hand as I stared at the scene. I blinked slowly, convincing myself that my on edge brain was playing tricks on me. But they were still huddled there, watching the TV. They looked up together. “Hey Alex, how’s things?” “Uh… good,” I said, swallowing. “This is Scarlett,” Mikey said, gesturing towards the Vampire. “I know,” I said “Oh right, have you met?” “She’s uh…Gabriella’s friend.” Mikey’s eyebrows shot up. “Really?” He turned to the redhead. “You never told me that! Great, we can double date.” “Gabriella and I aren’t dating,” I said. He rolled his eyes. “Ok mate, whatever.” “Um, Scarlett, can I talk to you for a second in the kitchen?” “Sure,” said the Bloodling in her husky Irish accent and detangled herself from Mikey. My brother gave me a suspicious glance, which I pretended not to notice. “What the hell are you doing?” I hissed when we were alone in the kitchen.
Scarlett hopped into a sitting position on the counter. “Watching a really bad film. You know, your brother has awful taste in movies.”
“You know what I mean! Why are you here?”
She shrugged. “Protection.”
“I know that. But why aren’t you outside with the others?” I clapped a hand over my forehead. “Oh sweet lord, this is what Faru meant by special protection!” I pointed towards the lounge. “Does he know?” She shook her head, a flicker of fire. “Not yet.”
“You can’t be around him! What about if you get…urges?” She gave a devilish grin. “Oh you little pervert!” “Stop messing about Scarlett!” I growled.
The Bloodling pointed to her eyes with a slender finger. “Look at the colour Alex, bright as a new coin. Do you really think I’m stupid enough to hang around a human hungry?”
I stormed up and down the kitchen. “Great, Faru forced a Vampire to seduce my brother.”
“Whoa, hold on — no.” She used a chalky hand to stop me pacing. “It isn’t like that at all. My mission was to become part of Mikey’s life, that’s it. To keep an eye on him — especially when he wasn’t at home, in case someone tried to kidnap him to get to you. How I did that was my choice.” “But he thinks your dating!” “We sort of…are.” “Oh god!” I leaned over the work surface, placing my hands in my head. “This can’t be happening.” “Alex, I…really like him.” The words seemed to struggle from her mouth, like she wasn’t used to confessing. “He’s fifteen!” I barked, lifting my head up. “So? I’m only sixteen! Well…technically.” “But you hardly know him!” I retorted. “You met him what, a week ago? You can’t like someone that soon. It’s ridiculous!” “Was it ridiculous for you to like Gabriella so soon?”
I tried to respond, but had nothing to say. Seriously, is it stamped on my forehead or something?
Scarlett jumped of the counter and marched close to me. “Look, you want Mikey protected right? I’m protecting him. What happens between us beyond that is none of your business. Christ, you think because I’m a Vampire I have to sacrifice my life? I may be dead, but I still have feelings!”
The sound of a throat clearing made me jerk my head around. Mikey was standing in the doorway. “Does someone want to tell me what the hell is going on?” he said.
Scarlett and I exchanged a glance.
“You better take a seat.”
“I can’t believe you’re a Vampire,” Mikey whispered, his back pressed against the kitchen cupboards. Scarlett let her fangs slide back into her gums until they resembled normal teeth. Even after I’d explained everything it had still taken a demonstration to convince him that we weren’t winding him up. It was understandable — what sane person would believe it unless they saw it first hand?
“So I was just an assignment for you?”
I could see the hurt in his eyes. I imagined it was how I’d looked when I’d thought the same thing about Gabriella. It was the first time I’d ever seen him react emotionally to a girl in his life. “At first,” she said, “but then I started to like you.” He looked at me and then Scarlett. “Are you like…dead?” he asked. “Sort of. Yes.” He pulled a face. “B-but we…oh god!” He ran to the sink and threw up. “Perfect,” said Scarlett.
The Bloodling moved away from us with the lithe speed of a wildcat. She wrenched opened the back door and I watched as she vaulted onto the roof. The cold chill rolled in behind her. I walked over and shut the door.
“I think you offended her,” I said, keeping my voice low.
Mikey was still rinsing his mouth. He spat water into the sink. “Offended her?” He wiped his hands on the towel. “I was the idiot tricked into falling for a bloody Vampire!” I raised my eyebrows. “Falling? You really like her don’t you?” He shrugged, but his face gave the secret away. “You do.”
“Okay fine. I’ve never felt this way about a girl before. She’s just so intelligent and fun and sexy and great in…” he balked and put up a finger.
I walked over and put my hand on his shoulder. “Listen Mikey. Now you know what she is and what I’m a part of, you have a choice.”
“Do I?”
I nodded. “I can get Gabriella to make you forget all of this. She can do that. You can carry on none the wiser. Scarlett will still protect you — but from a distance. Or…you can chose to accept all this, at least for now. Hopefully without puking,” I added with a weak smile.
My heart hammered as I waited for his response. He clenched his jaw and let out a deep sigh.
“I need to talk to her first,” he said pointing upwards.
“Come on,” I said and opened the door. He followed me outside. In the unruly backyard, nature had regained control. Gardening had never been a family strong point. The one trait we all shared. A rusted lawnmower — promised restoration and use by John — lay abandoned by the dilapidated shed. The grass reached our shins and weeds strangled their way around most of the flowers which lay dotted around, distributed by nature alone.
Moving over to the overgrown patio, I crouched down. “Hold on tight.”
Mikey grabbed onto my shoulders and I sprang into the air, landing on the roof. Scarlett was sitting at the other end, watching the setting sun. As we neared, I could see that her eyes were damp and the corners of her mouth were turned down at the ends.
Mikey noticed too.
He sat down next to her. There was silence for a few moments. “Sun not a problem?” he said eventually, pointing towards the sinking orb.
“No,” she replied. “Not for us dead ones anyway.”
Mikey grimaced, but persevered. As their conversation continued, I made my way back down, wanting to give them privacy. I smiled as I saw him stretch his fingers towards hers and she took them, curling them into her own.
*
I was lying on my bed, reading the last part of the hand guide when I heard someone knock on my door.
“Come in.”
The door nudged open and Mikey stepped in, a smile wide on his face. I set the book down on the table, using Dad’s picture as a marker. He sat down on the edge of the bed and took a deep breath. I could hear Scarlett pottering around downstairs, clattering pans about and opening the fridge. “So,” he said. “So.” “So my brother is a superhero whose job is to protect Earth from monsters from a parallel world.” I gave a slow shrug. “In a nutshell, yeah.” Mikey nodded. “You could probably use a brother to talk to about all that then.” I sat up. “You mean-”
“I’ve decided that I want to be part of your new life, yeah. Even if that does mean being afraid of the dark for the rest of my life,” he added with a grin.
Inside, something released. A tension I wasn’t aware of slipped away. I hadn’t realised, but I’d wanted to hear him say that. Needed him to. Before I knew what I was doing,
I’d grabbed him into a hug. “Thank you,” I whispered. He patted me on the back. “That’s what brothers are for right?” We let each other go and I settled back against the headboard. “And Scarlett?” I said, gesturing towards the door.
He raked a thumbnail along his eyebrow and made a noise with his throat. “Ha, that was a bit trickier. I think puking in reference to your girlfriend is a general no-no, even if they are a Vampire. But, she forgave me eventually. I think I’m going to try and get used to it. I mean my bird is a Vampire. How cool is that? And besides, it’s not like she’s dead-dead. Although she is pretty cold. I mean this one time-”
I put up a hand. “Enough said.”
He laughed. “Anyway, I want her as my protection. I want her…around full stop. See where it goes.” He pulled a face “Wow, who’d of thought I’d give a crap about a girl this much? Anyway if it doesn’t work out, I still have my solid big bro to look after me don’t I?” he gave me a light punch on the arm and stood back up. “You know, Scarlett ate food I cooked her, even though it makes her feel ill. How sweet is that? Anyway, she’s offered to cook for us both tonight. Apparently she’s quite good. Used to be a cook’s assistant or something when she was still human.” “Sounds great.” “Okay cool, I’ll go and tell her you’re in then.” He motioned to leave. “Mikey?” He turned to face me. “I’m really glad you know.” “Me too bro.” He vanished from the room. A second later, his head reappeared in the doorway. “Oh, you know you’re a badass and everything now?” “Yeah?” “I bet you’re still crap at football!”
I jumped from the bed and he sprinted away down the hallway, laughing his head off. I lay back down, chuckling to myself. Picking up the guide, I carried on where I left off, reading a passage about Lamiae; rare Umbra that could send their ethereal forms through the Veil and possess humans.
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