“No, and I’m sorry about that. I simply find your discomfort at the situation a bit comical,” he said, coughing to hide another laugh.
“My discomfort? Oh yes, quite hilarious. Why should I be uncomfortable being forced to eat with a stalker who’s been following me around for reasons he has yet to explain? Naturally, I’m overreacting,” I hissed.
“I don’t believe I’ve forced you to do anything, but when you put it that way, I suppose I can see why you might be a little… on edge,” he conceded.
“How very empathetic of you.” I rolled my eyes, picking up a menu to scour the options.
A minute later, a stocky brunette showed up to take our order. “Hi, I’m Aislee, I’ll be your waitress this evening. Are you ready to order or do you need another minute?” she trilled, overly friendly as most servers are.
“I’m ready. I’ll have the meatball sandwich with a lemonade, please,” I said, handing the menu back to her.
The waitress turned to Trent who looked taken aback. He obviously wasn’t ready. “I’ll have the same,” he stammered.
“Excellent, I’ll be back with your food in two shakes,” Aislee said, sweeping Trent’s menu off the table as she turned to head back to the kitchen.
I glanced around the restaurant, avoiding Trent’s eyes. There was only one other couple here and they sat on the other end of the large, dimly lit room. I suppose that would be best if we were going to be talking about my abilities. My palms started to sweat at the thought.
“So, you can run pretty fast,” Trent began casually, as if he were talking about the weather. “A lot faster than I’d assume was normal around here.”
“What do you mean ‘around here’?” I pressed, not missing the slip.
“Nothing. I just meant, you reached that boy a lot faster than anyone else could have.” He stared at his hands as he spoke.
“No, that’s not what you meant,” I said, scrutinizing him.
A lot of puzzle pieces fell into place all at once. He didn’t seem surprised at what I could do. He said he wasn’t from around here. He had come to my school without a car. He had somehow miraculously saved my life. Was it possible he was like me? Like Dad? I’d never met another Cyrun before.
Just then, the server appeared with our food, sliding our plates in front of us. “Anything else you two kids need?” she asked, chomping on a piece of gum in her mouth.
I ignored the slight—we were hardly kids. “No, we’re fine, thanks,” I answered, looking back at Trent, suddenly very excited.
“Tell me again who you are, Trenton—who you really are,” I demanded, ignoring the plate of food in front of me.
“I already told you. My name is Trenton Cavanaugh. There’s nothing more to tell.”
“I don’t think you lied about that. But I think we have a few things in common, don’t we? You seem to be very unsurprised at the things I can do. In my experience, most people don’t take seeing my abilities quite so easily.”
“And what exactly is it that you can do,” Trent asked, leaning closer to me over the table.
I lowered my voice and leaned into Trent so as not to be overheard. “I have abilities, magic, power—whatever you want to call it. But that’s nothing new to you.”
Trent lowered his tone to match my own. “Yeah, I already knew that. In fact, I knew it before you entered the bank or ran out in front of that truck to save the kid. I knew it before I saw you do anything noteworthy. I could feel you, Ava. That’s what drew me to the alleyway that night to save you from the dumpster. That’s how I came to that street precisely when you were going to be there and how I found you at school today. You see, we’re all connected. Anyone from Cyrus has the same magic running through them. We call it Cyril. Each of us is basically just a part of it. That’s why you feel so much more comfortable around your dad than anyone else. Being with him is familiar because you’re part of the same energy. It’s likely why you trusted me today though you had no reason to. It felt right.”
Interesting. I’d never thought of my discomfort around human beings a result of some sort of “Cyrun energy” running through me. It all sounded a little too mumbo-jumbo-VooDoo to me. But then again, with magical abilities like I possessed, I suppose nothing about the supernatural should be all that surprising. I knew the world—or worlds, rather—were not always what they seemed.
For now, I decided to let that issue rest and ask a more important question. “You know about Cyrus?” I asked. “How? Are your parents from there, too?”
“Of course they are. All of our parents are from Cyrus,” Trent rolled his eyes.
“How did your family escape before it was destroyed?”
Trent raised one eyebrow. “What are you talking about, Ava? I told you I’m not from here, remember? I came here from Cyrus.” He said it matter-of-factly, no hint of humor in his eyes. But that couldn’t be possible. Cyrus was gone. Long gone. Dad told me it was.
“You don’t mean you came here from Cyrus recently, do you? That’s not even possible.”
Trent shifted in his seat uncomfortably. “What do you mean it’s not possible, Ava? Of course it is. I mean, you and your Dad got here somehow, didn’t you? Haven’t you heard of Travelers?”
“Dad said they’re people who have the ability to teleport anywhere, including between the realms. He says that ability is rare though. But that’s not what I mean. Cyrus is gone. Destroyed. It was by its own rulers at the time of the Schism. Dad and I were lucky enough to escape, but most didn’t,” I stated sadly, thinking of my mother. “I’m happy to know at least one other Cyrun did too.”
Trent stared at me intensely for a long moment, a strange look in his eyes.
“What?” I asked. This Trent guy was freaky.
“Ava, Cyrus wasn’t destroyed. I don’t even know what you mean by ‘the Schism’. I’m not sure what you’ve been told or by whom, but it doesn’t seem like you know very much about Cyrus. It still very much exists. In fact, I can take you there right now. You see, I’m a Traveler,” Trent whispered, glancing over his shoulder as he said it, “though I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t tell anyone that. I’m not supposed to be here right now, which is why I’ve avoided you every time you’ve noticed me.”
I stared at Trent open-mouthed as I let what he said sink in. Then I stood up from the table, threw down the 20 dollar bill I had in my wallet, and stormed out of the restaurant. I could hear Trent running behind me, but I was faster. I jumped in my car and threw it in reverse as he pounded on the passenger side window.
“Ava, don’t leave! Please! I’m sorry, I should have been more careful. I didn’t know you didn’t know!”
Lies. Everything he said was a lie. It had to be because Dad was not a liar. He had no reason to lie to me about any of this. Angrily, I sped home. I’m sure I broke the speed limit more than a couple times, but I was too distracted to care.
I ran into our little, yellow house, went straight up the stairs, and sunk into my mattress, throwing the covers over my head. I shouldn’t have let Trent get to me. I shouldn’t have agreed to go with him in the first place. He was clearly a crazy person.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. Someone was calling me, but I ignored it.
My phone buzzed again. And again. And again.
Finally, I wrenched it from my jean pocket and looked at the screen. I had 7 missed calls from Lana and several texts. I decided to tackle the texts first.
Where are you?
What happened at track practice?
What did Lance say that made you leave?
Answer the phone or I’ll call your dad and tell him you’re missing!
Okay, no I won’t, but you better pick up your phone!
I mean it, Ava!
I probably should have been more concerned about Lana. She did have a tendency to overreact even when there was nothing wrong—and this time there was. I simply had no desire to ever tell anyone about Trent. Anyway, there’s no way I’d be able to make her understand.
There was a knock on the front door. “Ava, it’s me, Trent! Open the door, please!”
“You have got to be kidding me,” I grumbled as I buried my head under my pillow, clenching it tight around my ears.
“I will come into your house if you don’t come to the door,” he threatened.
I locked it behind me, so he could just go ahead and try.
“I’m serious, Ava. I’ll do it!”
I don’t care if the guy was from Cyrus or Mars, he should be able to take a hint. I did not want to talk to him.
“We need to talk,” a voice said from the foot of my bed. I screamed and threw the blankets off me in surprise as I sat up. There Trent stood, not five feet from me, his hands up in surrender.
“How did you get in here? Get out or I’ll call the police!” I shouted, chucking my purple pillow at his face.
He casually knocked it to the side before it hit him and explained, “I’m a Traveler, Ava. I can go anywhere I want. I usually don’t abuse my abilities like this, but you made it sort of necessary.”
I fished my phone out of the mess of blankets, preparing to call the police.
Trent’s hand shot out, covering the screen. “That’s not going to do any good. I’ll disappear before they’re anywhere near this place.”
“What part of ‘go away’ am I not making clear here, Trent? Just go back to wherever you came from and leave me alone,” I said through gritted teeth. I picked up the next pillow and prepared to throw it at him.
“If you still want me to, I promise I’ll leave after we talk. I want to clear a few things up, that’s all. Then I’ll go. Can you just calm down and let me explain?” he asked, a sincerity in his face that softened me a bit. To be honest, it probably wasn’t the sincerity. He was simply insanely handsome, especially when his eyes got all big like that.
“Fine, I’ll give you two minutes,” I grumbled, crushing the pillow into my stomach instead of throwing it at his head. I brought my knees up to my chest.
Cautiously, Trent moved to sit on the end of my bed. He looked at me with hesitation, as if dealing with a deranged animal. I suppose I had freaked out. But what did he expect when he dropped a massive lie like he did?
“Actually, I was hoping you’d explain a few things first. Will you tell me how long you’ve lived in the human realm?”
“I’m not in the mood to answer your questions,” I grumbled.
“Please, just humor me for a second. I think it will help me explain everything to you.”
I hesitated but decided it was best to get this over with. He promised to leave after we talked. The sooner, the better. “I’ve lived here as long as I can remember. Dad says we came here when I was only a few months old.”
“Did he ever give a reason for why he chose to take you here?”
“Yes, he said Cyrus was at war. The king and his brother were battling for control and using the people as pawns. Cyruns were dying. He wanted us both to be safe. A Traveler was offering to take people to the human realm if they chose to do so. My Dad and Mom both agreed I should come here with him. The Traveler came back a few days later to let Dad know Cyrus was gone. Any survivors now live here, in the human realm. Everyone else was killed.” My voice shook as, again, I thought about my mother.
“How old are you, Ava?” Trent asked.
“I’m seventeen. Why?”
“Ava, please listen to me. I hope you can trust what I’m telling you. For whatever reason, your father and the Traveler who took you here have not told you the truth. Cyrus was not at war seventeen years ago. In fact, Cyrus and its people haven’t been in any serious danger for nearly a thousand years. Overall, it has been a relatively peaceful place.”
I examined Trent’s face, looking for any sign of a lie. I did not want to believe him. Not because it wouldn’t be fantastic news. In reality, I’d longed to visit my home for as long as I’d known about it. No, I didn’t want it to be true because it would mean my father had lied to me. I couldn’t fathom any reason he would keep something like this from me. If what Trent said was true, not only did Dad keep the truth from me, he fabricated some story to keep me from thinking visiting Cyrus was even remotely a possibility.
Bottom line, I didn’t trust Trent, but I could think of only one way to put the matter to rest for sure—I would have to let him try to take me there. When he was unable to, I could prove he was a liar, demand he leave me alone, and that would be the end of it.
“Fine, you say you can take me to Cyrus? Prove it.” I challenged.
Chapter 7
Cyrus
I ran through my mental checklist one last time. I had called my dad’s hotel to check in with him, hopefully buying me a day or two before he’d feel the need to contact me. I called Lana and did my best to smooth things over with her, cancelling our dress shopping plans on the off chance that Trent wasn’t a lunatic. I was tempted to tell her about him but decided I was in enough trouble with her for the time being. Finally, I’d called Ms. Jackson to let her know I was fine as well. All in all, nobody should be looking for me anytime soon.
I slung my backpack—which carried a change of clothes, my toothbrush, and some deodorant—over my shoulder and jogged down the stairs. Trent sat on the couch in the living room, arms folded in his lap, apparently having not moved a muscle since I left him there about a half hour ago. He followed orders well, at least.
“Ready to prove you’re insane?” I chirped.
“I’m ready to show you the truth, yes,” Trent corrected with a smile. His sense of humor had returned since I’d calmed down some.
We stepped outside to a brisk fall evening. The wind whipped my unzipped jacket around me. I quickly did it up and crossed my arms over my chest.
“Where to?” I asked.
“Let’s go back there a ways. We can use the trees for coverage in case anyone is watching.” Trent motioned to the small grove to the east of my house. We walked toward it hurriedly.
“Okay, Ava, Traveling is going to be a bit of a new sensation for you,” Trent said, stopping just inside the cover of the trees. “You don’t need to worry about it, everything will be fine, just remember to hold onto my hands tightly so we don’t get separated. You ready?”
“Let’s do this,” I said, hiding the terror rising in my chest. What if he was right? I wasn’t ready to face a whole new realm I’d been convinced was destroyed my entire life. I took a deep, steadying breath, trying not overthink this.
Trent reached out and took both my hands in his. I met his eyes, and he smiled at me reassuringly. Butterflies rose in my stomach at his casual touch. I pushed away those feelings—now was not the time. Then, before I had time to mentally prepare, we were being yanked off the ground and shoved into what felt like an incredibly bright and stuffy tunnel. Light danced around us as we twisted and turned in the air. I lost all sense of which way was up. I felt Trent’s hands squeeze more tightly around mine, holding me firmly to him.
Then, as suddenly as it had started, we were slammed into solid ground, the bright light disappearing. I fell flat on my back from the jarring impact. I gasped for air as the wind was knocked out of me.
“Ava, are you okay?” Trent asked urgently.
It took a moment, but my eyes adjusted, and I saw Trent’s face hovering above mine. My heart gave an involuntary leap in my chest.
“I’m fine. Just… wasn’t expecting that,” I gasped.
“Sorry, I should have held on more tightly.”
I ignored him, looking around me instead. The light from the sun was fading, coating everything in deep purples and blues, but there was still enough light to make out my surroundings. I sat in a lush, green patch of grass. Immediately to my left, there was a beautiful garden that seemed to stretch on endlessly. Behind us, a thick forest of trees created a foreboding wall. Directly in front of us was the backside of a small, brown cottage. It reminded me strongly of a house from a storybook Dad read me as a kid. It was the only home within sight
. There was a hushed silence that hung in the air.
“Where are we?” I asked.
“We’re in Cyrus. This is my home,” Trent said, nodding toward the cottage in front of us, its windows glowing a soft, flickering yellow.
He straightened out of his concerned crouch and offered his hand to me, pulling me to my feet. I blushed in the darkness.
“It’s charming,” I said, flashing a genuine smile. “But it doesn’t prove we’re in Cyrus. You could have taken me anywhere in the human realm.”
Trent rolled his eyes. “You are completely and totally ridiculous, you know, but fair enough. Give me a few minutes to check in with my parents, and I’ll be back to prove it to you.” His fingers drew quotation marks around the word. “There’s a garden bench over there. You can sit while you wait.” He motioned to a spot next to a very tall vine a couple of feet from where we stood.
I walked around the vine and took a seat on a small, wrought-iron bench which looked out over the rows and rows of plants. Some I recognized, like the tall stalks of corn about seven rows down, but others were not easily identifiable.
I shifted my feet underneath me, trying to get comfortable when a soft, but angry, “Hey! Watch it!” echoed from somewhere nearby. I looked around, trying to find its source.
“You stink, you know. You reek of humans and fast food.”
I jumped in alarm as a tiny man sprung up from the ground to stand on the bench next to where I sat. In all, he was no taller than my forearm. He was round in the middle, his face was deeply wrinkled, and his graying hair curled around his tiny face in sporadic wisps.
“You should be more careful where you step around here. There are plenty of us out in the gardens. You could have killed me!” the little man said, obviously insulted.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize there was anyone around.” I hesitated. “Please don’t think me rude, but what exactly are you?”
“I knew I smelled human on you. You smell like Master Trent every time he comes back from that disgusting realm. Not familiar with the place, are you? I am a garden gnome. Name’s Archie,” he said, extending his tiny hand out to me.
The Cyrun Page 5
