Then he was gone.
26
~Lilim~
Brecken
It was very late, and Brecken sat alone in his room. His little clock ticked the seconds away, and soon the numbers reached two AM. He was still dressed in his school clothes, but he didn’t care. He wasn’t the least bit tired, even though he wanted to be.
His brain wouldn’t shut off with all the crazy things that had happened lately. Squinting, he concentrated, staring at nothing. Something wasn’t right. The details of this last year were fuzzy, and he couldn’t seem to piece them together. He swore he was losing huge chunks of time, and not only that, but there was a sick feeling inside of him that he couldn’t explain.
Something bad was coming, but he had no idea what or why he’d think that. He hadn’t had any spirit visitors for a long time, which made him think he’d made it all up, that he really was crazy. He felt like there was a vacuum inside him, and nothing could fill it. He was directionless, and yet, he wanted a goal to work toward. Something to achieve—to be great at.
He felt so lonely for… someone, but it wasn’t Jill, even though he did still think of her. After she was admitted to the state hospital for a mental breakdown last year, he’d gone on with his life. Their breakup had hit her hard, but he couldn’t really remember it happening. That experience was one of those huge chunks of missing time.
Shaking his head, he picked up a lacrosse ball and tossed it in the air, catching it and tossing it again. Maybe he should take up lacrosse again. He’d always loved it, and maybe that was what he needed to feel satisfied. It had been a long time since he’d been to practice. Surely, the coach would welcome him back.
Brecken turned toward the wall, his eyes wide open in the darkness. If he didn’t go to sleep soon, he’d be a zombie tomorrow. He punched his pillow. More than anything, he wished his mom would appear to him, like other spirits used to. Why hadn’t she?
As though in answer to his wish, he suddenly felt a presence enter his room… just like he had as a child. For a split second, fear trickled over his shoulders and down his arms in a chill. He flipped over and saw her, magnificently beautiful. But she was not his mother, and she did not glow. She almost looked human, but without an aura.
There was only a small bit of light surrounding the spirit being, barely enough to see her with. She stood beside him silently, a warm smile on her face.
“Hello, Brecken.”
“Uh… hey.”
“I am Lilim,” she said demurely. “I have been sent to comfort you.” She sat beside him on his bed, placing her hand over his. “You are lonely, aren’t you?” She caressed his face and his cheek tingled where her fingers trailed, igniting a memory that evaporated as quickly as it came. He didn’t even try to remember, just basked in the beauty of her, hypnotized.
“Your life is just beginning. A whole new world will open to you. Would you like that, Brecken?”
He nodded, unsure, but eager for something different, something new to make his life have meaning. “My mother,” he breathed. “Did she send you?”
Lilim nodded. “Of course she did, but she cannot be here, as she is on another assignment. She sent me to be your companion for the rest of your days, to comfort you, to guide you, and to council you. Is that agreeable?” She smiled again, her lips barely parting.
Brecken gazed into her dark brown eyes, captivated. The longer she sat on his bed, the better he could see her. Long, dark hair cascaded over her shoulders and down her back, and her eyes shined as she smiled, her skin creamy white.
“Fear not,” she said lovingly. “You are no longer alone and never will be again. You have a great destiny. You will rise to it and greet it with open arms. I am here to help you do that. I will never leave your side or lead you astray from this goal.”
27
~Failing Class~
Alisa
Not one space was left in the parking lot at Ocean Side High, and it took a few minutes to find a place to park. I ended up having to park out by the tennis courts—the nosebleed spots. Hurrying inside, I made it to my second period class just as the bell rang, sitting down in my seat with a grunt. I’d missed first period, so I didn’t get my chance to dance with Brecken, but at least Claire had finally shut up, pouting, I assumed.
On the way there, I told her what I’d done, transferring to Ocean Side High. She’d freaked and swore to get even with me for ruining her life, but she was quiet now, maybe too tired to do any more raging. I hoped so.
Some of the kids around me glanced over, and a few even smiled, but most didn’t give me the time of day. I didn’t fit in here. I was a rich girl from the other side of the tracks, and I looked it… I was hoping to change their minds. I didn’t want to be miserable here, but who knew what would happen?
I searched for Brecken and found him two rows back, his arms folded over his chest, which was beautifully rippled with muscle. I never got tired of looking at him, and I imagined running my fingers through his dark, silky hair and kissing his perfectly shaped lips. A sigh escaped me as I stared.
He looked up.
Quickly, I turned back around, a blush creeping up my neck and covering my cheeks. Hiding behind my curtain of hair, I didn’t turn around again for the rest of class. I felt him watching me, or more accurately, watching Claire, but I wanted him to remember me. Remember my soul. Remember our time together. I knew Raphael could give that back to us.
The teacher handed out a pop quiz I hadn’t studied for and knew nothing about. I stared at the questions, not knowing the first thing to do. I shouldn’t have signed up for this class, and if Brecken wasn’t so freaking smart, I wouldn’t have had to. I cursed him under my breath, thinking of all the ways he should make it up to me.
I heard Claire snort inside our head. “Good luck,” she said, before going silent again. I waited for her to explain, but she didn’t. Fine. Whatever. I didn’t really care.
Glancing one more time over my shoulder, I saw Brecken writing quickly, not even stopping to think or remember the answers. He just knew them. Amazing. Then an idea hit me. I should have thought of it earlier. How stupid. I waited on the edge of my seat for class to end, marking whatever answers popped into my head, anticipating his reaction to my proposition.
After class, I rushed to catch him before he left, but it took me forever to get everything into my backpack and then get out of the door with everyone else racing to do the same thing. He was always in such a hurry to escape.
“Hey, Brecken! Wait up!” I called.
He stopped just outside the door and waited for me, his brows creasing in curiosity and amusement as I pushed past the other students to reach him.
“Geez. Can you believe all these people?” I said, laughing, trying to make conversation.
He chuckled and shook his head. It was too noisy in the hall to really talk, so I decided to wait until we were in our next class together. I wondered if he had noticed that all of our classes were the same. He plopped down in a seat on the back row. I sat beside him, placing my pack on the floor at my feet. “So, I have something to ask you.”
He studied me and reclined, crossing his ankles.
I took a deep breath to compose myself, flipping my glorious, auburn hair back over my shoulder.
“So, I was wondering if you would mind helping me in math. I’m totally lost because of transferring, but I don’t want to fail.” I watched him with hopeful eyes, trying to look like a helpless kitten. Maybe if he felt sorry for me, he’d be more inclined to say yes.
Just as he was about to answer, the teacher stood up to start class. Brecken winked at me, and then proceeded to ignore me for the rest of the hour. I tried not to be hurt by everything he said and did, but it was so hard. I couldn’t help but sneak glances at him without him noticing, and I shouldn’t be so sensitive, because he had no idea who I was, but his rejection stung. If he could remember me, it would be totally different.
Finally, the bell rang. I didn’t even try t
o catch his attention. I was tired and lost in all my classes. I was ready to go home, but I had four more classes to go to… with Brecken. Why had I done this? It was torture being so close to him, yet unable to talk with him like I used to. It was as though everything we went through had never happened, and an ache grew in my chest that threatened to explode in the form of uncontrolled tears.
It took monumental effort to remember why I was here, in this class, in an unfamiliar school, chasing a boy who hardly gave me the time of day… because Brecken needed to find a wife, get married, and have kids. I wanted that person to be me, and I was jealous of someone who didn’t even exist in his life… yet.
When I stood up, I was surprised to see him still sitting in his seat, watching me. I stopped and stared back in frustration. “What? We’re going to be late for our next class.”
He smiled and exhaled a chuckle. “I just thought you might want an answer to your question.”
“What question?”
“The one about wanting a tutor for math?” He grinned, and it was totally adorable. My heart melted. I wanted nothing more than to throw myself into his arms, but I refrained and walked away. He followed, which I suspected he would. We stopped in the hall and were so close that I could smell the soap he’d used that morning. I took a deep breath, to soak him in for a moment longer—to bask in the feel of him so near, his crooked smile, his long, black lashes. I wished I could place a kiss on each of his eyelids. His bangs had grown long, and I was tempted to reach up and brush them away from his eyes. I couldn’t stop staring enough to answer his question.
He cocked his head to the side and studied me. “You okay?”
“Um, yeah. I would really like that… the help, I mean.”
He smiled. “Okay. I charge ten bucks an hour.”
“What?”
“You want me to do it for free?”
“Uh…” I stared, incredulous, into Brecken’s beautiful, blue eyes. He was going to charge me?
“I tutor for my job. It’s how I make money. It’s the only way I make money.” The silliness in his voice was gone. Plus, he knew I could afford it.
“Of course. Sorry. Yes, I’d be happy to pay you.” I had no idea he’d started tutoring. So much had changed since I’d been gone. It was almost like we didn’t know each other anymore. He seemed so different, and something inside me cracked just a little. He danced. He tutored. What next?
He smiled, pointed at me, and then turned to walk away. Over his shoulder, he called, “Three-thirty in the school library!”
***
I waited in the library, watching every student walk by on their way out of the school. Large, glass doors separated the library from the main foyer, so I got a good view of everyone. I’d gotten here before him as I’d skipped going to my locker. Actually, I didn’t have one here, but whatever. Ten minutes later, Brecken sauntered in and plopped down beside me.
“Man, what a day.” He looked tired and so was I, but we didn’t have much time. I had to be home early for my stupid ceremony with Adam and Claire. I wasn’t looking forward to it at all, but I pushed it to the back of my mind and focused on the gorgeous hunk sitting beside me.
“So this is why you switched schools?” Claire asked inside our head. “For a guy?”
“Where have you been?” I said out loud… accidentally.
“What?” Brecken asked, his eyes opening wide at my ill-mannered question.
“Oh… not you, Brecken.”
“Well, he is good looking, I’ll give you that.”
“Shut up!”
Brecken was staring at me, his mouth gaping open. “O-kay. So, no math then?”
“Yes, math. Definitely. Sorry.” I nodded, mortified, opening my notebook. My face had grown hot, and I wanted to slither off my chair and down to the floor. I managed to stay in my seat and ignore everything Claire said for the next hour. I was sure Brecken thought I was a complete idiot. I’d certainly given him reason to.
Concentrating on Brecken’s voice, I tried to focus as he worked the problems, realizing that this math might not be as hard as I’d thought. It was easy for him, and he explained it in tiny words so I could understand it. I didn’t know why he hadn’t taken an AP math class instead. I asked him out of pure curiosity.
“I do take an AP math class.”
He was lying. We had all the same classes.
He laughed at the look on my face, which must have disclosed my doubt. “I take it online. I’m trying to catch up to get where I should be this year. In college. Instead, I’m stuck here repeating my senior year, and I’m not even sure why. Last year wasn’t even that hard.”
My eyebrows rose in surprise. Mostly because he was telling me something personal and he didn’t even know me… or Claire anyway. This was the most he’d said to me since his memory lapse, and I could tell he was confused by it all. I was tempted to explain it to him, but I didn’t want to ruin things so early in the evening.
“Sorry. TMI, I know.”
“It’s okay,” I answered. “I like knowing I’m not the only crazy person in the world.” I laughed, but he threw me a funny expression, cocking his head with a half smile. I let it go, and we got back to work.
It wasn’t until the end of our session that Claire piped up with her condescending tone and said, “I know how to do calculus. You could have just asked me.”
Seriously?
She couldn’t have mentioned this earlier? Who cared. I wouldn’t trade this time with Brecken for anything, even if he didn’t know who I was. I didn’t make it home until almost six o’clock, and Claire’s mother was furious. I’d never told her I was staying late at school. My phone, or rather, Claire’s phone, had been on silent.
“I’m so sorry, Mom. I totally forgot to call. I’m having trouble in math, so I stayed after for tutoring.”
She looked at me in disbelief, her arms crossed over her ample bosom. “You needed tutoring… in math.”
I nodded.
“How is it possible you needed tutoring when you take advanced calculus?”
Well now. That was a good question. “Advanced calculus?” That was news to me. “What I meant to say was I stayed after to help tutor.” I laughed, flushed with my lie, convinced she could see right through me. “Yeah, my teacher was swamped with students who are struggling.” I could tell she didn’t believe me, but I shut my mouth, knowing if I kept trying to explain, I’d dig my grave even deeper.
“Well, eat your dinner before it gets cold.”
I sat at the table alone and glanced around the kitchen, feeling the heavy weight of loneliness. I missed my family. I missed the noise of my brothers, the loud, bright kitchen in our house, the fun dinners we used to have, and it made me wonder what they were all doing right now.
If only I could get out of this body.
28
~Bas Iblis~
Alisa
It was almost eight o’clock in the evening, and Claire’s parents were in their bedroom watching TV. I was left to do whatever I wanted, so I headed down to the freaky basement alone. Did her parents have any idea what Claire was up to in their deep, dark pit of despair?
Adam had already arrived, and the candles were lit. He faced me when I got to the bottom of the stairs, motioning to some pillows he’d set up for us to sit on. It felt cozy. Almost. If it weren’t for a chill rippling up and down my spine, I would have been excited. Raphael never made me perform rituals or ceremonies like this, but, like Adam had said, they were implementing a new program.
He inhaled a deep breath and smiled at me. He always seemed so confident, but tonight, I got the sense he was nervous too.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
I nodded, and he began to chant. He closed his eyes and lifted his face to the ceiling. I didn’t understand a word he said because he used some foreign language that I was not familiar with, but Claire was awake and listening. I still had control over her body, which I knew she hated, but I was afraid to let her take
over, of what she might do to us again. After the poison she fed us, I had lost all faith in her.
I closed my eyes and listened to Adam’s earnest, soft voice, but the contented ambiance I had expected to come, did not. The whole situation felt odd, and grew weirder and weirder as time went on, and definitely more uncomfortable. Something was wrong, but I wasn’t sure what or how to fix it. I glanced at Adam, studying his features, trying to understand his role here. My gut told me he wasn’t who he said, but I could not believe that he would deceive me.
In his chant, he kept repeating a word I’d never heard before.
Bas Iblis.
Breath puffed from my mouth in visible clouds as the room grew colder. I was tempted to get up and cover myself with a blanket, but I remained seated, frozen to the pillow I sat on.
As I listened to Adam’s words, a dark foreboding—reminiscent of the how I felt with Lamia not so long ago—filled the room. I began to tremble, unable to calm myself, and when I felt someone materialize from the other world, I panicked. At first, I thought it was Lamia, because her aura felt the same, but it was someone else who stood in the room with us.
Dark, wispy hair framed his overly elongated, pale face. His features appeared lengthened and stretched somehow, like his bones didn’t fit inside his skin. He was tall and very thin, and although he seemed young, there was an agelessness in his eyes. He was not dreadful, per se, but he was not beautiful at all.
He gave me a cold smile and then turned to Adam. “Asmoday, you have done well.”
Adam bowed, his nose touching the floor, his arms outstretched before him. When he rose to his knees, he waved an arm toward me. “Bas Iblis, may I present… the Guardian.”
I got the feeling Adam wanted me to bow too, but I stayed right where I was. Something was not right here. I didn’t know who this guy was, but there was definitely something off about him. Something sinister. He drew the darkness around himself like a cloak, or more accurately, like a black hole, sucking in the light that surrounded him. He didn’t even cast a shadow in the dimness of the cellar.
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