by J. J. Melvin
“Wow, I wish I could have done that for my mom.”
“Erika, you did. She’s buying a new house, right?”
Liam was right and the satisfaction I felt knowing I helped my family bubbled from deep within, spilling over on my face as I beamed with delight.
Liam returned my glee with his mischievous grin. “And just to add Erika, I will always make sure you and your family are well taken care of.” Liam’s smile turned mysterious and I knew he was up to something.
I stared at him, wondering what it was, but it was no use— I couldn’t read his mind. Liam had told me before that our powers didn’t work on each other and he appeared to be correct. His secrets were his to share with me only if he desired.
“When did you meet Mr. Blithe?”
“Good question. The lottery is also how Mr. Blithe found me; he saw an interview I gave where I explained that I saw the lottery numbers in my mind. He put me through a series of tests and realized that I was The Seer, and at thirteen I started my freshman year in Mr. Blithe’s Oxford University Program for Diamonds, known to the outside world as Oxford’s Program for Accelerated and Gifted High School Students.”
I was talking too much now, but I couldn’t help it. I continued to bombard Liam with questions. “Are you an only child? Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
“I had a brother, he was the only one. He was two years older than me. He died a couple of years ago of a drug overdose.”
“Oh my god, Liam, I’m so sorry.” I knew I was asking too many questions. Why couldn’t I have just sat there with my big mouth closed?
“It’s okay. I wish sometimes that I could have predicted that winning the lottery would have contributed to his death, then I would have let us stay poor. Like I said, every decision has a price.”
I wondered why Liam could not see his brother’s death coming, but I didn’t want to pry. “What’s New York like?” I asked, changing the subject once again.
“New York is amazing, I’ll have to take you one day, but… you have to be able to take the subway rats.”
“Rats! What rats? That is disgusting. New York has subway rats?”
Liam’s lopsided smile appeared, giving away his playful nature as he chuckled at my revulsion.
“Well, let me tell you a story.” Liam exaggerated a cough to clear his throat in preparation. He positioned himself in his seat and started. “It was my family’s first day in New York. The weather was cold and hazy. We were walking to the subway, exhausted and cranky from traveling. We took our descent down the long subway stairs, it was late, and it seemed like we were pretty much the only people in the deserted city. That’s when we saw it— we all stopped dead in our tracks, hoping it would not see us. It was huge! It had dark black beady eyes, a tail the length of a mile, matted muddy fur.” Liam’s ominous tone changed as he began smiling ear to ear. “The rat was just chillin’, walking right next to us: first on the handrail, and then moving down to our level on the steps. It was as if he too were going to take the train. My mother screamed hysterically while my brother, my father, and I laughed uncontrollably until... until the rat climbed up my brother’s leg onto his arm to steal the sandwich he was holding.”
“No, it didn’t! That is so gross! Did your brother freak out?”
“Freak out? That is an understatement; it was hilarious. My brother was jumping up and down screaming like a little girl.” Liam was laughing uncontrollably as he reminisced. With the way his eyes were shining, it looked like he was transported back to that day, reliving the moment again.
A warm feeling reverberated through my body. Liam’s laughter warmed every inch of me, forcing a huge smile on my face.
“The rat ran up my brother like this.” Liam walked his fingers up my arm until he tickled my neck.
My laughter joined with Liam’s. Mr. Blithe looked up from his magazine, appearing annoyed.
“Hey Erika,” Liam whispered as he leaned into my ear. “Try to read Mr. Blithe’s mind. What’s he thinking? I’m trying to figure out his next action, but he hasn’t made up his mind yet.”
I closed my eyes. Before pondering what Mr. Blithe’s thoughts meant, I blurted out, “He thinks we are getting too close; he’s trying to decide how he’s going to separate us.”
“Just let him try,” Liam whispered back.
I was hit by an overwhelming uncomfortable feeling. It was immediate, like being jolted awake. I didn’t like getting close to people, and Liam was getting too close.
“You know Liam, I’m getting tired. I’m going to sit over there so I can take a nap,” I said, motioning to the seats across the aisle.
“Okay. I didn’t do anything wrong, did I?” Liam looked confused; disappointment filled his eyes. The look was familiar. It was the same look Robert had given me when I told him I had to leave.
“No, I’m just tired,” I lied.
No matter how cute Liam was, no matter how much I wanted him to like me, I wanted to protect myself more: protect myself from disappointment, protect myself from being judged, and protect myself from heartache. I would keep my crush on Liam from a distance. I knew I was pushing Liam away. I didn’t want to, but I couldn’t help but do it.
I carefully walked over to the empty seats, feeling Mr. Blithe’s relief. The plane barely felt like it was moving. We had been in the air for a while and besides the roar of the engine I probably wouldn’t have even noticed take-off. The chairs on the plane completely reclined into little beds. Partitions came up from the floor for privacy. It was as if I were in my own little box bed. Liam asked the stewardess to bring me a blanket and pillow, which she obliged. I never knew a person could be this comfortable on a plane; it was as if I were in a 5-star flying hotel. My eyes grew heavy, and I let sleep take me away.
“Adhira, Adhira, what are you doing here? You must leave.” A man held my arms tightly.
In my dream I was once again Adhira. Refusing to look at the man, my eyes wandered around. I was in a dark cave, with blue lights illuminating the walls. Dust filled my lungs from the disturbed earth. The chopped walls stood before me, pocked with gaping holes. They’re stealing the diamonds.
“Erebus, I trusted you, how could you do this to me, to my people?” Regret, disappointment, betrayal, and heartache filled every part of my soul. My body wanted to collapse. I fell to my knees, looking at the iridescent glow from the basket of diamonds glistening in front of me. Before Erebus could reply, before he could even help me to my feet, the cave was stormed by what looked like warriors.
A man, a king’s piercing eyes stared at me, giving away his rage and hurt “Kill them!” he ordered his army.
“Akeldama, use the diamond’s powers!” Erebus commanded his comrade.
I watched in horror as Akeldama summoned the powers of the diamond. Aggressive dust swirled, condemning winds blew, thunderous noise on shaky ground, I shielded my eyes from the particles that blinded me. Through the haze I watched as spears were magically snatched from the warriors, their own weapons turning on them. Despair— blood— death surrounded me. I watched as people, my people, died at the hands of the man I trusted. Bodies lay strewn across the floor. I was able to make out a man’s figure, ornate in jewels and white clothing, laying on red tinged scorched earth. I tried to crawl to him, my knees bleeding, pain piercing me with every movement. As I neared, his eyes opened.
Watching me move to him, he mouthed words that penetrated my heart, “Why Adhira?”
The words halted me. I sat up against the balls of my feet, kneeling as if in prayer. I mouthed back, “I’m sorry.” Tears of anguish streamed down my face until I felt a different pain, sharp and physical. Halting my sobs, I cried out. I looked down, grasping the front of the spear that protruded through my stomach.
“Nooooo!” I heard an agonized voice scream. The dust settled, weapons and people fell to the floor in thunderous blows. Erebus held me in his arms. I could hear his voice fading. I watched as his once beautiful green eyes turned a crimson bloo
d red, then morphed into a dark deep black. His arms let go. I fell hard on the ground. I could faintly hear what sounded like a chant ringing in my ears. As I lost consciousness, I breathed out my final words, “Erebus.”
I felt my stomach drop and my eyes bolted awake. I was unsure of where I was until the pilot came on the intercom, telling us we were experiencing turbulence. We were instructed to put our seatbelts on and bring our chairs to an upright position. Cindy the stewardess came out and pushed the partitions back into the plane floor, disassembling my comfortable bed. Mr. Blithe ignored the instructions; walking over to me, he sat in the seat across from mine.
“Erika, are you okay? Were you dreaming?”
“Yes, I’m fine, why?”
“I thought I heard you say the name Erebus in your sleep. How do you know that name?”
Mr. Blithe was acting strangely. He looked worried— didn’t he remember that he’d made me read the ancient book?
“The book, Mr. Blithe.”
Mr. Blithe’s mood changed, and he smiled. “Oh of course, the book. Were you dreaming about the book?”
“Maybe, I don’t remember,” I lied. This had been my second dream about Erebus and Adhira. I blushed remembering my first dream about Erebus, and wondered why in my dreams I was always Adhira.
Mr. Blithe accepted my answer and asked if I needed anything. I didn’t, so Mr. Blithe retreated back to his seat.
I wondered what time it was. The next hour was really bumpy; the pilot informed us that he was trying to get to a higher altitude to fly over a storm. As I looked over at Mr. Blithe and Liam, they seemed to be completely unworried. I, on the other hand, held tightly to the arm of my chair.
“Erika, you okay over there?” Liam hollered.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“Nothing to worry about my dear, nothing at all, just a little choppy air.” Mr. Blithe joined in the conversation, looking over his newspaper then folding it and placing it down on the seat next to him. “But since we’re all awake and not going to sleep anytime soon, Erika, I’d like to fill you in on the others. Can you make your way over here?”
“I think so.” I got up and carefully walked back to my original seat. I swayed back and forth with the plane, steadying myself by grasping at the tops of the chairs. I sat in the same seat as before, almost falling into Liam’s lap as I tried to maneuver my landing.
Mr. Blithe leaned forward. “We can’t go into too much detail around people,” he said, referring to the flight crew, “but we can cover the basics.”
“You, Erika, are our Western Point, our Reader. Liam the Northern is our Seer. Jayson Moon is the Eastern, our Healer, and Sofia Wilson is the Southern Point, the Naturalist.”
“How old is everyone? Are they all around my age?” I asked.
“Yes, everyone is similar in age. You are turning 17 next month, Liam is 19, Sofia is 20, and Jayson is 18. All the other Diamonds are around the same ages as well. We are collecting them to keep them safe.” Mr. Blithe was whispering as his eyes searched the cabin for eavesdroppers. “We have almost all the Diamonds. We just have to find the last 15.” Mr. Blithe had a desperation in his voice. You could tell he really cared about protecting us all.
I lowered my voice to a whisper. “If it’s all of the Diamonds against just two Collectors, won’t it be easy to defeat them?”
“It’s not just two, Erika, and it’s not all the Diamonds, just The Four Points. The other Diamonds do not have powers like us, they are our backups. They don’t even know they are Diamonds. Also, the Collectors will not be alone; they will recruit an army.” Liam’s eyes were intense as he explained the gravity of our situation.
“What army? I thought we just had to fight the two Collectors.”
“There are people out there, cults, organizations formed that follow the stories and legends of us. There are people out there who want evil to reign free, unchallenged. The Collectors will seek those people out, and with the invention of the internet it will be much easier this time. Many organizations have been searching for the Black Diamonds, Erebus, and Akeldama. It just so happens that regular people found the hidden cave first.”
My body tensed at the name Erebus. “And when you say our backups, what does that mean? I read it in the book, but I don’t quite understand.” I knew we had little time and I wanted to gather as much information as I could.
“If one of us dies, then one of the Diamonds inherits our powers,” Liam declared.
“But Liam you said all Points have to have the four C’s, that is how we are chosen.”
“Yes, but we are not the only people in the world who hold these qualities, we are the best. Our powers will go to the next most deserving person, the universe determines who is deserving.”
“You also said that if all the Points are killed then the Collectors are immortal. It doesn’t make sense if Points live on as other Diamonds.”
“Yes, but how can Points live on as other Diamonds if all the Diamonds are killed and how can the spell be cast if all four Points are needed to trap the Collectors?”
I saw Liam’s point and knew that killing the Collectors was going to be a nearly impossible task.
My lesson was interrupted by Cindy announcing, “Dinner time!”
Dinner was brought to us on sparkling covered silver trays. When the stewardess removed the tops of the dishes, steak and lobster lay steaming beneath. A table was lifted from the floor. I felt like royalty, and for just a second my thoughts turned to Adhira, the Hindu Queen. Over dinner Mr. Blithe explained that the Four Points— myself, Liam, Jayson, and Sofia— would be staying in Liam’s castle with him, and that the other Diamonds would stay in student housing being monitored by the other Watchers. He went on to say that Oxford was the safest place for us all. I would continue my studies just as the others were required to do, but I would also train to prepare for battle. The word castle didn’t escape my attention, but I decided not to ask any questions. Prepare for battle. I knew Liam had said that my doubt was not a very redeeming quality, but I wondered again if they had the right person.
Chapter 14
My New Home
We arrived at Liam’s castle in a shiny black town car.
“Wow, you weren’t kidding, this is a castle.” I gazed at the expansive estate complete with castle gates. As I looked at the castle I felt as if I had been transported back to medieval times. The castle was complete with turrets; the only thing missing was the moat and perhaps King Arthur and the round table.
We stood in front of a large fountain in a circular driveway when a man dressed in formal wear came out to gather our things. He articulated in a formal English accent, “Master Liam, so nice to have you home.”
I had never seen a butler in real life. Now I felt as if I were in a Batman movie with Alfred.
“Nicholas, this is Erika. She will be staying with us for a while, please make sure all her needs are attended to.”
“Ms. Erika, a pleasure to meet you. I will be at your beck and call.” Nicholas bowed, making me extremely uncomfortable.
“Uhhh, thanks.”
We walked through the massive castle doors, my shoes making a tapping noise as they met the polished white marble floors. My mouth dropped open as I gazed at the staircase before me— or rather, the two staircases before me. Four large white marble steps led to two large winding staircases; one set of stairs was to the right, the other to the left, both meeting at the top. Hung high above the circular staircase was a beautiful chandelier.
“Wow, this is insane!” I tried to take in the overwhelming sight.
“You like?” Liam asked, smiling proudly.
“It’s amazing!”
A young man and woman ran down the stairs to meet us. From what Liam and Mr. Blithe had told me, I assumed I was about to meet Jayson and Sofia.
“Dude, you’re so right, she is pretty!” Jayson knocked into Liam and took my hand.
“Excuse my poorly behaved friend, Erika; this is Jayson.” Liam
punched Jayson in the arm.
“Pleasure to meet you.” Jayson bowed while kissing my hand.
I immediately liked Jayson. He had this boyish fraternity charisma about him. He was Asian and spoke with a slight English accent. He was handsome, standing at least 6 feet tall, maybe a little taller. He had a thin muscular build, shiny black hair, and beautiful olive-pale skin.
Sofia was gorgeous. She had this ethnic ambiguity to her, and I wondered what nationality she was. She possessed waist-length long wavy blondish brown hair, golden caramel skin, and light hazel eyes. She was about 5’ 6” and by the appearance of her body, she was obviously an athlete or worked out. I immediately felt insecure and envious.
Sofia stared at me, looking me up and down. “Are you sure she’s our fourth point? She looks a bit too small.” She posed the question to Liam, ignoring me.
“Erika, please now excuse my rude friend; this is Sofia.” Liam appeared obviously uncomfortable.
“Hi, I want to thank you for convincing my mom to let me come.” I placed my hand in front of Sofia to greet her.
“I didn’t do it for you, sweetie, I did it because Mr. Blithe asked me to.” Sofia did not raise her hand to meet mine. Embarrassment enveloped me, and I slowly placed my arm back to my side awkwardly. After speaking to Sofia, she suddenly seemed a lot less attractive.
“We’ve all had a very long flight. I am exhausted, and I am sure Erika and Liam are as well. Please Nicholas, show Erika to her room.” Mr. Blithe gave a disapproving look to Sofia.
