"I didn't know what to do, so I just stood there like a deer in headlights, unsure if I should try to make an excuse or just run on home like I'd originally planned. Then he walked up to me and told me to close my eyes. I did as he asked, since it didn't seem like he could do anything at that point that would make me feel more embarrassed than I already was. He did exactly what I just did for you, and then created a little circular water mirror for me to see the results."
I smiled, my heart feeling warm, in awe of Junho's actions. Ethan nodded at my expression before he continued. "He told me I better hurry back since we were going to continue the meeting. That left me even more shocked since I'd been gone for a good forty-five minutes. I asked him why they were waiting, and they said because we were a team and they wouldn't have confirmed the case was ours until we were all present."
He had a wide smile on his lips now, while his eyes twinkled with happiness. "It was the first time I felt like it was okay for me to be scared of all these changes. It was perfectly fine to rely on my team when I needed to. A real team of friends will always support you, no matter what troubles you have, and regardless if you share those concerns out in the open, or in the comfort of a closed space."
I gave him a radiant smile, thankful to have him and the others on my side. I didn't need to give him the details about what I was going through for him to be willing to comfort me. It made me realize that he was right, and I should have enough courage to tell them all about the stone.
"Um...after we deal with whatever case we may be assigned with today...or maybe tomorrow before work, can we all go over to my place? I...have something I want to discuss and it may be easier if I do it in my own space. Is that okay?" I asked, a little hesitant for asking such a weirdly worded question.
Ethan nodded. "That's fine with me and I can guarantee the guys will be okay with that, too. Tonight if possible and if not, tomorrow morning for sure,” he reassured me.
"Thank you, Ethan," I whispered, taking a step forward so our bodies were just barely touching before I leaned up and kissed him. He kissed me back with zero hesitation, which made me mentally squeal with joy. He pulled back and gave me another quick peck on the lips before turning around to unlock the door.
He held it open, ushering for me to exit first before he followed. I looked down the hall, thankful no one was present to see Ethan and I leave the women's washroom together.
We walked back to Kendrick's office, but Ethan placed a hand on my shoulder, signaling for me to stop before I could reach for the doorknob. I gave him a curious look and he grinned. "I'm gonna get a can of pop. I'll be back,” he reassured me.
"Pop?" I asked, trying to remember ever seeing Ethan drinking pop.
He smirked, leaning in and claiming my lips in one smooth movement. I blinked in shock for a moment. Then I closed my eyes, kissing him back.
The moment was bittersweet and when he pulled back, glowing eyes met mine.
"Nyx..." I whispered.
He slid his hands into his pockets before winking at me. "I like pop," he admitted, before turning around and walking away down the hall. I watched him turn the corner, clearly heading to the opposite end of the floor to the lone pop machine.
"Is that like a new way of being romantic?" Serenity pondered quietly.
"Maybe. There's probably an underlying meaning to this," Aurora suggested.
I smiled at their commentary, taking a calming breath. Thanks, guys.
Even if I was still getting used to the both of them, I was glad to have them as a part of me. I just had to remember to rely on all of me in times of anxiousness, not just this human side that was all I had known for years.
"You're welcome, Scarlet," they said in unison. I could feel a wave of joy run through me with a hint of acceptance. It was nice and comforting, making me even happier.
I opened the door, expecting everyone's attention to turn to me, but they were all focused on different things. Michael and Jaxson were mid-conversation, Christian and Kendrick looked deep in discussion as they inspected what looked to be different cases of some kind. Junho was relaxing next to the door, his phone in hand.
He lifted his gaze from the cellular device to greet me. "Welcome back, Scar."
I gave him a shy smile before moving to stand next to him. I leaned against the wall, trying to hide my immense relief. "Thank you," I whispered.
He nodded, putting his phone in his pocket before staring at the others, who were still deep in discussion. The guys gave occasional quick glances to make sure I was okay, which helped my anxiety about the whole issue ease little by little.
Seeing as we were waiting for Ethan, I decided to make some conversation. "What did I miss?"
"Nothing. Ethan said he needed to use the washroom, so we decided to take a break before getting into the nitty-gritty of things," Junho replied, turning his head to stare at me.
I shared a look with him, wondering if my relief was evident on my face. Ethan was right. It just shocked me how they acted like they didn't know what was going on and indeed had apparently kept to such a protocol for all these years.
Junho's expression softened and he slipped his hand in mine, leaning over so he could whisper in my ear. "We're all here for you. Don't be nervous or afraid. We will figure this out together and if you ever need us for support, just say the word."
He leaned back, grabbing out his phone again, and pretended to be busy, but he squeezed my hand comfortingly. I grinned, closing my eyes for a moment.
Water.
I opened my eyes to a world of water.
Everything around me was a deep ocean blue.
Various sea creatures surrounded me, from the coral and seaweed, to dolphins, and creatures you couldn't see unless you were deep in the waters.
The peaceful muted scenery was nothing if not breathtaking, leaving me speechless as I stared into its vast perfection, not caring whether I breathed or not.
It felt like home and it was welcoming me back after what seemed like years of hiatus.
"Scar?"
I opened my eyes and the vision I just had was gone in a flash. Suddenly, the office returned, the water from my vision having disappeared.
I slowly turned my head to my left and met Junho's confused eyes. Those turquoise jewels widened for a second before he frowned.
My eyes burned, watering slightly from the stinging sensation as Junho's image began to alter. His short brown hair was longer now, which reminded me of Michael's long locks. I tried to continue my analysis, but then Junho opened his mouth to speak.
"Scar?" he said again, a little firmer this time, which shook me out of my daze. Huh?
I tried not to blink, not wanting the image to fade, but when I could no longer resist the burning urge to close my eyes for just a nanosecond, the image was gone, leaving only normal Junho standing there with a worried gaze.
I noticed the room was quiet and I looked to see the others were all staring at me with worried expressions. "What?" I asked. What was that vision all about? Wait, was that a vision or a glimpse of the future?
Christian leaned in to whisper to Kendrick. "She didn't go into vision mode,” he pointed out, but was loud enough it could hardly really be called a whisper.
"Guess she didn't," Kendrick replied with a frown.
"But she was zoning out for like a good twenty seconds," Michael commented.
"Twenty-five to be exact," Jaxson amended.
"Now you sound like Ethan," Junho added quietly.
At that moment, the door opened. Ethan entered the room with a raised eyebrow. "What sounds like me?" he asked, holding a grape pop in his hand.
"We thought Scar went Visionary on us," Michael revealed.
"Did she?" Ethan turned to me, taking a good long look from head to toe before returning his gaze to Michael. "She looks fine to me. Maybe Scarlet just reached the next level of badass."
I sighed, shaking my head at their conversation. "Scarlet is right here," I hummed.
&nb
sp; The guys all blinked, including Kendrick, before they all started to look a little embarrassed by their behavior. I smiled at them before turning back to Ethan, my eyes lingering on the grape pop.
"Ethan, why did you get pop?" Christian asked.
"Oh." He came over to stand on my left side and presented me the can of grape-flavored pop. "Got it for Scar. Here you go. Thought you might want a drink."
Junho leaned in to whisper in my ear. "Grape pop is one of his favorites, so whenever he's worried about someone, he gets them grape pop so that way if they don't like it or kindly refuse, he can have it for himself."
"I can fucking hear you, and that's not why. I just wanted to get her something to drink. Fuck off, Junho," Ethan complained and Junho chuckled.
I grinned, accepting the cool drink. "Thanks, Ethan. I'll leave some for you," I reassured him. He blushed while the other guys laughed. Even Kendrick was chuckling quietly, confirming what Junho said about the pop was actually true.
"Ugh. I'm back, let's just return to planning," Ethan mumbled. I watched them move to sit back in their seats. Junho gave my hand another squeeze before we returned to our own seats.
"Everyone ready to get back to it?" Kendrick asked, looking at each of us in turn, his eyes lingering on mine the longest. I took a calming breath before nodding, switching to my investigator mode. Now that I'd dealt with my anxiety and fears, I felt more confident with the challenges we may have to face in the near future.
Either way, I had my team, or should I say, my men, on my side and I knew their support would help me overcome any obstacles I might encounter.
Now, we'll have to learn all about these Crystals of Mother Destiny and work to ensure Xerxes doesn’t get his hands on them.
"Are we absolutely sure this magical crystal is going to be here? This is the 20th house we've searched," I complained as I reached the bottom step of the little stairway that led to what I believed was the attic, and last room we needed to search.
It was late in the afternoon with the sun already beginning to set. I glanced at the clock, noticing it was almost six, meaning we'd spent six straight hours searching all the potential houses that could have hosted this crystal, and came out with nothing but dusty clothes and a close encounter with a stray cat.
"Those were the houses I narrowed it down to, and Xerxes' lackeys have been searching the same places. I reviewed the surveillance tapes and that's the only house left on the list," Ethan spoke through our earpieces.
I sighed, pulling my dusty black gloves off so I could remove my hair tie. "Alright, I'll be chilling with the mice up in the attic," I declared with an eye roll, dragging my feet up the small steps. I felt exhausted, making me wonder if it was because of my breakdown earlier with Ethan, or just because of all the manual labor we'd done, just to come up empty. I'd rather chase down criminals and do crazy stunts on bikes than deal with searching old furniture covered in cat hair and who knows what else.
It was just something I disliked and preferred not to do if I had a choice. Situations that got your blood pumping, or the "fun" stuff at least made me feel energized. Probably just the adrenaline, but ya, no more cleaning for Agent Sinclair.
"We'll be there in a sec, Scar," Michael called out. I hummed back. When I reached the top step, I did a quick scan around the old room. It was rather empty for an attic. Aside from a few vintage dressers and boxes, I doubted I'd find anything here.
"Do we have an update on the fire?" Jaxson asked. He was downstairs with Michael, finalizing the search while I looked everywhere else that could possibly hide a crystal we didn't even have an image of.
Christian and Junho were assigned to twenty other houses, but the last one had some weird device that practically self-destructed and they were now dealing with the fire department.
"It's been put out. Junho and Christian investigated what they thought might have been an item of interest, but the outburst seemed to have been triggered from the ground beneath the house. Kendrick's looking into it," Ethan explained.
"Isn't this the fourth fire outburst in three days?" Michael asked. I began doing my search, checking the boxes in the attic first.
"Yes. That's why PINC is getting involved and investigating. It makes no sense. We can't find any evidence that someone was there to initiate a fire spell, and by the time we do get there, any evidence that could be used has already turned to ash," Ethan revealed.
"So someone, or a group of people, are going around and placing spells to cause fire outbursts? Or something along those lines," Jaxson concluded gravely.
"I guess. I don't think Mother Starlight is planning to destroy our realm with fire," Ethan commented with a shrug.
I frowned, wondering what the outbursts were all about and how was someone, or a group of people, were getting into those areas, and out again without a trace. I began looking through the vintage stack of dressers, pulling each drawer out and scanning the contents inside carefully.
I continued my search, zoning out on their conversation as I moved towards the circular window, a white wooden vanity placed to the left of it. I noticed the mirror was cracked, and the top part looked far less dusty than everything else in here.
I ran my bare fingers along the smooth wood, impressed that after many years being up in this dusty attic, the wood still seemed almost new.
I looked through the drawers, finding pearls, beads, and other vintage items that made me wonder just how old these possessions were. It looked like the vanity was more than a few decades old and the items inside appeared to be even older than my great, great, great grandma.
A sigh escaped me and my heart sank, finding nothing yet again. I looked to the mirror, staring into my reflection, my blue-green eyes clearly showing my exhaustion. I think I should call it quits today.
I closed my eyes which had begun to itch, quickly dusting off my right hand to rub my face. I'd left my glasses in the car, seeing as they wouldn't have been much help when I was actually tired.
I opened them again, staring at my reflection. I noticed the bright green glow of my eyes and the tiny bits of gold streaks, which piqued my interest.
* * *
"So you're the Elemental."
I turned my head to my right where the sound came from. My eyes grew wide and I gasped; the attic I had been standing in had changed entirely. It was now beautifully decorated like someone lived here. The vintage furniture was polished and looked new. The room was full of life as the sun shone through the window, its warm rays flickering across the polished floor and making some of the antique crafts and knick knacks on the table sparkle in a multitude of colors.
I lifted my gaze and was surprised to see a young woman. Her dark skin was flawless and her beautiful gold eyes sparkled with amusement. Her black hair was in loose curls and her lips were perfectly made up with ruby red lipstick. She wore a beautiful vintage yellow dress and white heels with little sunflowers on top.
I could tell right away she was a shifter from the power leaking off her and the beautiful gold aura that surrounded her. It wasn't a harsh glow that hurt your eyes, but a gentle radiant one that drew your attention.
Even though she had a young appearance, looking like she was in her late twenties, my instincts told me the woman before me had lived centuries. The level of power that gracefully cloaked her body helped to reinforce that guess.
"How do you know who I am? Where am I?" I asked quietly, unsure if this was a vision or some kind of time warp thing.
She smiled, which brightened her face and heightened her already immense beauty. "You, my dear, are in my home in cycle 2055. Pleased to meet you, though it's too bad. We probably don't have enough time to head downstairs and have some Earl Grey."
She came over to where I was in front of the polished vanity, moving to stand on my left and pulling open the top drawer. She hummed quietly as she dug through the various gems and pearls, finally pulling out a small gold velvet bag that would fit in the palm of my hand.
"Ah, h
ere it is," she gleefully announced, walking behind me towards the window.
She looked outside for a moment as if ensuring no one was out there lurking. Then she turned to face me, lifting her hand and gesturing for me to come stand in front of her.
I moved cautiously to where she stood, glancing outside and noticing the vast difference in the neighborhood from what I had seen upon entering the house. It was so beautiful and full of life.
Flowers of all colors blossomed in the garden in front of the house, and though the sun was setting like how it was in the present, this sunset looked spectacular and made the surrounding homes look so exquisite with all their different colors and clean appearances.
I turned my attention back to the woman. She looked pleased that I'd taken the moment to appreciate the view outside. "You've been good to not give up, my dear. This is your reward."
She reached out for my hand, lifting it with hers and placing the velvet bag in my palm. "May you find my sisters and survive the trials that await you,” she blessed. The bag began to feel hot in my hand, but I didn't let go.
She removed her hand, indicating with a sweep of her gaze that I should open it. I slowly nodded, looking at the pouch for a few seconds before finally opening it.
I pulled out a bracelet; the piece of jewelry looked like either a male or a woman could wear it, but the most eye-catching feature was the bright gold jewel embedded into the surface.
It was magnificent and it was difficult for me to even find a word to express just HOW beautiful it looked to me. I could feel the power within it, like a beating heart calling to me. I hadn't realized until that moment that my free hand was resting on top of my chest, right above my own heart.
I felt warm and fuzzy, excited to have the jewel in my possession for safekeeping and to be feeling a little more powerful, even though I had no idea how to use the power within the stone in my hand.
Visionary Awakened (Paranormal INC Series Book 2) Page 5
