The Calling

by Destiny Hawkins

  Soren took a deep breath and turned his head to face me. “Are you ready?”

  I slowly shook my head.

  He placed his hand on my shoulder. “It’ll be alright.”

  I really wanted to believe him, but I couldn’t be sure of anything until I saw the color of my light with my own eyes. Not in my head, and not in my dreams, but with my eyes.

  When we stepped into the tent together, somehow Grandmother Emerald was already ready for us. She sat behind a low fire with her hands on her knees and her intimidating green eyes locked on mine.

  Soren and I sat down together, facing her, and waited for her to speak.

  Emerald looked at me, and then to Soren with a slight smile on her face, but when she turned back to me her smile faded. “The gods are odd when it comes to you, Rayah.”

  My eyebrows furrowed, and I bit down on my lower lip.

  “Ever since I met you, I’ve been trying to connect with the gods to find out more information on your gifts, because they should know all.” She tilted her head to the side. “But when it comes to you, it’s black. There are no images and no visions. Just darkness.”

  “Grandmother.” Soren straightened. “That’s what we’re here for.”

  “I know why you two are here. Rayah wants to learn more about herself, but I don’t have the answers that she’s looking for.”

  My heart sunk, and I tensed. “I don’t understand. You’re a Vessel, and they’re gods. How don’t they know anything about me?”

  Emerald chuckled. “I didn’t say that they didn’t know anything. I said that the images were black. I don’t believe that the gods want to show me anything. It’s as if you’re special somehow, and the only way to protect you is to keep you in the darkness.”

  “But,” I was starting to panic. “I can’t stay in the dark. They can see what Lytonia is like. If I don’t produce my light in the standardized colors, then they’ll kill me. They’ll label me as a Gods Daughter, and then I’ll be executed on the spot.”

  Emerald raised an eyebrow in thought; “I do believe that the gods already know this.”

  “Then how are they protecting me?” I balled my fists over my knees, causing Emerald to smile.

  “Ah, emotion, not something that you display very often. Lytonia has raised you to be that way, which could lead to your downfall.”

  I took a deep breath through my nostrils, irritated that she hadn’t answered my question before changing the subject. “What do you mean?”

  “Rayah, haven’t you ever thought that maybe deep down, your lack of emotion is what makes you weak? To others, that may represent strength, but deep inside it weakens you. Breaks you down into nothing. It’s emotions that help drive your light, it ignites that fire within you, and without it, you’ll never be able to use your powers.”

  “But what about the energy flowing? Wasn’t that helping at all?”

  “Maybe a little, but you’re missing that small piece of the puzzle that you need to complete the flow. You need to feel. Once you are able to fully connect with yourself, then I do believe that you’ll be able to produce light.”

  I sighed and dropped my eyes to the fire. I didn’t know how to become any more connected to myself than I already was. It just didn’t make any sense to me. What was I supposed to do? Cry? Scream? Was anger the emotion that I needed? Or was it happiness? Maybe it was love?

  Soren took a deep breath. “Maybe a Hot Spot would work? Grandmother, you told me about those once?”

  Emerald smiled at her grandson. “Yes, maybe.”

  “What is that?” I asked, looking from one to the other.

  “Soren?” Emerald nodded.

  Soren turned his head to face me. “From what I can remember, it’s a spot in the earth that’s filled with Lighter energy. They’re used as meditation grounds for Lighters to become more connected with their energy. Once one is fully connected with themselves, they gain strength. Only Vessels and Gods Children can sense those spots for that very reason.”

  I straightened, feeling hopeful again. “So, you think that this could help me somehow?”

  Emerald licked her lips. “It’s possible, but are you sure that bringing out your light is what you really want?”

  “It doesn’t really matter what I want. I have to do this.”

  “Will the gods be angry with her if she does?” Soren asked.

  “Well, as far as Rayah goes, they won’t tell me anything, so I can’t be sure. If anything, Rayah should do what she thinks is best.”

  The both of them turned to me, waiting for me to speak, but I had already made my mind.

  “Then I’ll go,” I said. “I need to do this.”

  Soren gave an uneasy smile. “Well, I’ll lead you there. There’s a Hot Spot not that far out, maybe only a day away.”

  Emerald nodded. “Well, I’m glad that we all have this sorted out. Soren, you should have your sister go with you, and the three of you should get going. The sooner the better, right?”

  “Right,” Soren nodded.

  I nodded and stood to my feet, then Soren got back to his. He walked out of the tent first, but before I followed behind him, I turned to Emerald. “Thank you.”

  “Of course, dear Rayah. May the gods be with you.”

  I nodded, then turned and walked out of the tent.

  May the gods be with me. Of course, they seemed to be against me.

  Looking around, I couldn’t seem to find Soren anywhere, but after a few seconds, I knew exactly where he was.

  “You ass-hole!” I heard Sora yell from a few tents down.

  Soren laughed as he sprinted out of her tent and back towards me. Sora used her powers and bolted after him, then stopped in front of me with water dripping from the tips of her hair. Her angry green eyes made me step back, but when they turned to Soren right next to me, he started laughing again.

  “Stop. Laughing,” she said through gritted teeth.

  “I’m sorry, Sis. Grandmother told me to get you for our little adventure, and I was having a hard time waking you up.”

  “You didn’t even try!” She angrily pushed her curls back. “Now, where are we going!? What stupid adventure am I going on with you now that I have to babysit you.”

  “It’s not stupid,” I stated. “We’re going to a Hot Spot to try and draw out my powers.”

  Sora’s face relaxed, and she dropped her shoulders. “Oh…”

  “Yeah,” I sighed. “Sorry about this－”

  “No, it’s okay. You using your powers is important, so let’s get moving.”

  I nodded, and then smiled at Soren, who smiled back. “Let’s go then.”

  Chapter 7

  “Learning about oneself is usually enlightening, unless you discover something that you never truly wanted to know.” — Sandra

  Our first night on our quest was short since the sun came up soon after we left the village. It was a burden having to wake up in Lytonia this morning, because we had to stop moving for the night and couldn’t continue until I got back to the Wild Lands. I wasn’t even sure that I could jump back to that specific spot that we set camp in. I knew that I was gaining a little control over my jumps, but not to the point that I could jump to a specific area. I still didn’t even know how I was jumping to the Wild Lands when my physical body had never even been there before. It should have been impossible for me.

  When Carmen came to get me, she was full of energy; smiling, laughing, and talking. I hadn’t seen her like this since Tristan was here. We both knew that it was because of the energy flowing but didn’t speak on it in fear that someone would hear us. All Carmen could say was thank you on our way to History class, and even though the main purpose of flowing was to help me, I was happy that it helped her instead. I needed it to work to resolve my problems, but the happiness of my friend felt more satisfying.

  I was anxious to end the day so that I could get back to Soren and Sora, but Carmen ended up making me come to lunch after noticing that I had bee
n skipping meals. Lately, I hadn’t been hungry, and luckily it didn’t show. I still looked healthy, vibrant even. This morning was the first time that I actually really looked at my appearance and liked what I saw. I never thought that I was as repulsive as everyone else made me seem, but I didn’t see myself as beautiful before either. I just never thought about it.

  Carmen watched in amazement as I scarfed down my food, then let me leave to head back for my dorm. I felt bad about leaving her in such a hurry but needed to get back to the Wild Lands so that I could start heading for the Hot Spot.

  I was in such a hurry that I didn’t even notice the three familiar faces heading in my direction from down the hall. All three of them had their eyes set on me, but I wasn’t paying them any mind, because well, the students here always had their eyes on me.

  As I neared the three, I was finally able to put a name to the blond-haired blue-eyed boy walking in between the other two.

  Kaydar.

  I instantly slowed my pace, noticing that the other two were Sandra and Cleo. They were giving devious grins, but Kaydar wasn’t smiling. His expression was blank.

  I took a deep breath and finally came to a stop, but the other three were still walking towards me. When I looked around, I noticed that there was no one else around but them. Everyone must’ve cleared the halls once they noticed the three bullies. They messed with everyone around here, but for the most part, their sights were always set on me. I was an easy target, and apparently, a fun punching bag.

  Kaydar, Cleo, and Sandra were too close to escape from now, and even if I ran, Sandra would catch me with ease.

  “Long time no see,” Cleo said, holding his palm facing himself with white sparks popping at his fingertips. “Last time I saw you, your face was swollen.”

  I didn’t respond, but kept my eyes on their ring leader, Kaydar. He stopped in front of me with a blank expression still on his face, but after a few moments of silence, he drew his eyebrows in together.

  “What shall we do with her, Kaydar?” Cleo asked. “She’s all alone.”

  “Nothing.” Kaydar sighed, flaring his nose. “Unless you want to go back to solitary confinement.”

  Sandra smacked her teeth. “We won’t. No one’s around－”

  “No,” I blurted, growing anxious by the second. “I don’t have time for the three of you right now.”

  “Right, you don’t. How many months do you have left?” Sandra asked, smugly.

  I stared at her, wanting to make her pay for what she did to me the day that the three of them cornered me in my dorm. Kaydar stabbed me in the leg, but Sandra had done most of the damage.

  At first glance, one wouldn’t think much of Sandra. She had silky black hair, dark olive skin, dark brown eyes, and a smile other girls would kill for. In my opinion, she was a very pretty female, but her attitude was anything but. After a while, everyone else came to that conclusion as well, and she became the second most disliked person in the school next to me.

  I sighed and tried to walk around Sandra, but she quickly grabbed my arm and yanked me back in front of her, then leaned in close to my face. “I didn’t tell you that you could leave.” Her grip became so tight that I thought she would crack the bone. She was very much capable of doing so.

  I kept my eyes on her. Angered at the fact that she had the upper hand, and also because there was just something about her that made my blood boil. I had no problem with people being confident in their ability to fight, but Sandra was just arrogant and used her powers for the wrong reasons. “Get off of me,” I said in a low and surprisingly threatening tone.

  Kaydar sighed. “Let her go, Sandra.”

  Sandra squeezed tighter with her eyes locked on mine. “No. She looks like she wants to fight,” she chuckled. “It’s cute.”

  I clenched my teeth and flared my nose. I could feel heat building in my chest and shoulders, but it wasn’t enough for me to tell if it was my energy yet. “Let. Go.” My words were clipped with anger.

  Sandra’s eyebrows furrowed with a smirk. “Are you trying to be intimidating?”

  I guess because I was just a Null that she didn’t see it coming, but without hesitation, I slammed my head into her face hard enough to stun her. Sandra let my arm go and stumbled backwards to the floor. When she felt the blood leaking from her nose, she quickly covered it.

  “Stay away from me!” I yelled, walking up to her, feeling the heat in my chest rush to my head, but when the lights began to flicker, I froze…and then the flickering stopped. What was that?

  Sandra held her nose with a deep frown but didn’t make a move, and the other two boys had their wide eyes on me. It wasn’t uncommon for me to fight back, but it was uncommon for me to land a hit. Even though I was skilled at combat fighting, I still never seemed to stand a chance against the other students, but today, I wasn’t helpless.

  “What’s going on here?” A dreadful voice asked from behind me.

  I took a deep breath when Sandra smiled, revealing bloody teeth.

  “Nothing, Sir,” Kaydar mumbled.

  I slowly turned around to face Major Artemis St. James. He always seemed to be present when there was barely anyone ever around. “Major St. James,” I said, locking my hands behind my back.

  “Rayah, Kaydar, Cleo, and Sandra…bleeding?” Artemis stopped in front of me. “Why don’t I have the feeling that this was a pleasant meeting between the four of you?”

  Kaydar took a deep breath. “It wasn’t a meeting, sir. We were just simply passing by when we came across Rayah. She and Sandra collided, because Rayah wasn’t paying attention to where she was going.”

  Artemis brought his icy blue eyes to me. “Is this true, Rayah?”

  I looked at Kaydar, and then down to Sandra. Bullies or not, I wouldn’t want anyone to be sent back to solitary confinement. “Yes, Sir.”

  Artemis’ eyes lowered as he cracked a slight smile. “Well, if that’s all, then you four may go. I was just coming to remind Rayah of her Pain Testing coming up in a few days.”

  My stomach sunk at the thought, and my mind went back to the hot iron rods. The strength I had previously displayed seemed to vanish, and fear had taken its place. I didn’t want to be burned. I really, really didn’t.

  “Aren’t you going to thank me for reminding you? I’m going out of my way to do this so that you aren’t penalized for missing it.”

  I was tense but managed to nod my head. “Thank you.”

  Artemis gave a condescending smile. “You’re welcome, Rayah. You enjoy the rest of your night.” He locked his hands behind his back, turned around, and began to walk away.

  I turned to Kaydar, who only stared back at me with a flicker of regret in his eyes. Ignoring him, I turned and walked away.

  I can’t think about this right now.

  But I couldn’t help it. I could practically feel the iron burning my face.

  —

  Soren and I were walking a few feet behind Sora. She decided to lead the way since she knew where the Hot Spot was by heart, leaving Soren and I alone. If I had to choose, I would have only chosen Soren to be on this quest with me, but because it was so dangerous outside of the village, we needed Sora with us. I didn’t mind her coming, but I guess I just wanted Soren and I to do this alone. Plus, the two of them bickered so much that it could’ve driven a person crazy.

  “Is everything alright?” Soren asked.

  My eyebrows furrowed as I pulled up a fake smile. “Yeah, of course. I’m fine.”

  Soren sighed through his nostrils. “You just seem distraught. Did something happen today?”

  All I could think about was the pain testing to come, and I really didn’t want to. “Something did happen, but if you don’t mind, I’d rather not talk about it.”

  “No, I don’t mind. When you’re ready you can come to me.”

  This time I gave him a real smile. “I’ll remember that.”

  “Good.”

  “Ugh, Soren, are you always this awkward?”
Sora asked. “Tell her that she’s beautiful or something. Everyone at the village knows that’s how you feel.” She didn’t look back at us, but I knew that she was smiling.

  Soren’s eyes widened, and then he looked in the opposite direction of me. I wasn’t sure of what that meant, but I felt slightly rejected. I shouldn’t have, since I knew that Sora was just joking. Soren couldn’t really think that I was beautiful, could he?

  I tried to break the tension, but I think that I only made it worse. “Soren doesn’t think that. Besides, I believe that I’m just kind of average. In Lytonia, our appearances are supposed to be intimidating, so beauty isn’t something that’s given much attention.”

  “Well, you are.” Soren turned his head to face me again. “Beautiful, I mean.”

  I blushed, slightly embarrassed now.

  Soren turned back to his sister. “And everyone in the village feels that way too, so it’s not just me, Sora.”

  “Whatever,” Sora shrugged but slightly turned her head to reveal a smile. “I’m gonna go to the stream ahead. I just got thirsty.” She shot off into the trees, leaving a trail of blue light behind her.

  Soren sighed with a chuckle, then shook his head. “I can’t believe her.”

  I drew my eyebrows together in confusion. “What’s wrong?”

  “Oh, uh－nothing. Just Sora being Sora, I guess.”

  “Yeah.” My mind went right back to where is wasn’t supposed to be, and we were quiet again. I found myself uncomfortable with the silence between us, because I enjoyed hearing Soren talk. He and I rarely exchanged words, but we still connected somehow. It was like he could read my mind, and I was just starting to learn how to read his.

  “Rayah, can I ask you a question?” Soren asked.

  “Sure.” I nodded, stepping over a fallen branch.

  “What do you like?”

  I drew my brows together in question. “What do you mean?”

  “What do you like? You never talk about the things that you like doing, or eating, or playing, or anything. I see you almost every night now, and I still barely know a thing about you.”