by Simone Pond
She didn’t know that I had absorbed the entire book on teleportation. I had also read about the sibyls in the leather-bound book Eli had given me. I was feeling confident in my abilities to give her counsel. We didn’t really have any other options or much time remaining, so I needed to step up and coach her through the process.
“We’re going to practice,” I assured her. “I read all night and got some more background on telekinesis. You all are known as the Energy Changers. You come from a more recent line that doesn’t date as far back as the Lightning Conjurers, Sibyls, or Guardians of the Rock.”
Marlo interrupted me. “I’m clear on the terminology of Lightning Conjurer, but elaborate on Sibyls and Guardians of the Rock, please.”
“Sibyls are divine prophets—like me. Guardians of the Rock are the dog shifters—like Vago. Anyway, the Energy Changers have varying degrees of abilities from the basics of moving matter and energy to the more advanced of redirecting thoughts, quantum manipulation, and picnokinetic combat.”
“Dude! That’s amazing,” Vago said.
“Pretty cool,” Eli added.
“I can do all that?” Marlo asked.
“Probably not right away …” I smiled. “For now, we just need you to focus on teleportation.”
Eli glanced into the rearview mirror. “You’ll be fine, Marlo. Sibyl helped me with my power. If it weren’t for her, I might’ve fried both of us.”
Vago laughed. “Instead, you toasted the gazebo.”
A flashback from the previous night hit me: the blueish-green glow coming up from underneath the gazebo. In all the commotion of the dog attack and going to the hospital, I’d forgotten to mention it.
“Hey, Vago. Before I forget. I saw something in the gazebo last night. It was only for a minute, but something was glowing underneath the platform. Will you check it out?”
“Right now?” he asked.
“Of course not right now. I didn’t think about it until just now, but it reminded me of my dream. That glow that came from under the floor … It has to be related to the Holy Rock.”
“I’ll get on it after class today,” he said.
Eli pulled into the campus parking lot. “I’ll help you. We can pull up some of the planks and see if anything’s under there. Maybe Sibyl’s solved the mystery of the rock.”
Vago patted my head. “Let’s hope so. I’m out of ideas.”
I batted his hand away. “Can you stall Whitmore after class to give Marlo enough time to dig around his office?”
“He’s usually in a rush to leave, but I’ll see what I can do. I’ll text you the second he jets.”
“You okay, Marlo?” I asked.
“She’s a little pale,” Vago teased.
“I’ll be fine,” she muttered.
“It’s a solid plan,” Eli said. “You’re in good hands.”
“I know,” Marlo said. And though I couldn’t see her face, I felt her smile warm through me.
I grinned. “You’ve got this.”
Eli parked the car. We got out and headed toward campus.
“I’ll work with Marlo for a little while until she feels ready,” I told the group. “We’ll go to Whitmore’s office during his eleven o’clock class. Let’s all meet at the coffee shop at noon.”
Eli stared at me with his chlorine blue eyes. “Just be careful, Sib. Okay?”
I nodded.
It was a tough promise to keep when everything in the supernatural realm was so entirely precarious. And though I could see the future, fate was still unpredictable. I made a pact to trust that things would work out somehow. Like that battle scene in Esther’s leather-bound book, I believed the four of us were being guided and protected. I had to believe, otherwise forging ahead would’ve been pure insanity.
***
Marlo and I walked across campus. She picked the Arts Building because she wouldn’t run into any of her professors or fellow students. We found a large unoccupied ladies’ restroom on the first floor. Marlo’s turquoise spirit dimmed, letting me know she was still feeling shaky. But I was determined to change her mind. On my softball team in high school, I’d seen plenty of players suffer the doldrums from no-hitter games or losing streaks. The best solution was a hearty pep talk accompanied by a gentle kick in the ass.
“Okay, Marlo. You’re a scientist.” My voice echoed throughout the stark bathroom. “Look at your powers from that angle. I did some research and figured out that teleportation is interlinked with quantum physics.”
“Quantum physics?” she said with a touch of hope.
“Yes. I’m no expert, but from what I learned, all you’re doing is readjusting the behavior of your matter and energy on the atomic and subatomic level.” The words came out of my mouth, though their meaning had very little relevance to my level of comprehension.
“Did you read that on the internet?” she asked.
“Vago read it to me.”
She chuckled. “Do you know anything about quantum physics?”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “No. But I have a general idea, so that’s good enough for this exercise. I’ve heard of parallel universes and all that. More importantly, I know you understand the mechanics of matter and energy. And, you already know how to teleport. You’ve shown me.”
She didn’t say anything. Just paced back and forth with her shoes click-clacking on the bathroom tiles. Someone entered, a lady with a vibrant orange spirit who really needed to relieve herself. Marlo and I giggled to ourselves, listening to the torrential downpour coming from the woman. A languid moan escaped from the stall.
After flushing, she came out and washed her hands. “Too much coffee for me this morning. I couldn’t even make it all the way to my building!” She let out a hearty laugh, her orange spirit dusting around her in sunbursts.
“It happens,” Marlo said.
“Whitmore’s offices are only one building over, but waiting to get through his security, I definitely would’ve had an accident,” she added.
I perked up. Here was someone who could get into the demon lizard’s building.
“Do you work there?” I asked casually.
“No, I’m volunteering.”
“For what?”
“This and that,” she replied.
Marlo lightly chortled. “Well, I just wanted to catch a glimpse of Mr. Influential in passing—he’s so handsome—but they wouldn’t even let me stand outside the building!”
The lady smiled and leaned closer in. “I’ll let you in on a secret,” she whispered in a husky voice. “If you tell the guard you’re there to volunteer for the invite-only event, he’ll let you up.”
Jack-freaking-pot! Tangerine dream was my new hero.
“You two are just the type of volunteers Whitmore is looking for,” she said.
“Whaddya mean?” Marlo asked.
“Easy on the eyes …” she said with a chuckle. “Gotta run. Good luck with your celebrity sighting!”
Once the door sealed shut, Marlo and I busted up laughing.
“You’re good,” I said.
“I had a feeling she’d give us something. She was the loudmouth type, you know? I could tell from the flamboyance of her pee.”
We laughed again.
“This will help tremendously,” I said. “Now we can get much closer to his office. It’ll be easier for you to teleport at a shorter distance.”
“So relieved. I don’t think I could’ve done it from the outside of the building into his office. I’ll have to work up to that level,” she said.
“Yeah, the hallway or lobby will be a much easier starting point,” I agreed. “Let’s start doing some practice runs. How about you start in one of the stalls and see if you can teleport to me.”
“Sounds good,” she said with much more confidence.
Marlo went into the stall and shut the door. Seconds later, her sparkling spirit was in front of me. She could teleport easily when she wasn’t nervous. She went back into the stall and moved from
stall to stall, shouting to me with each successful teleport. Then she went from inside the bathroom to the hallway. We needed to test her powers when she was under duress. So we waited for someone to enter the bathroom. When they did, I forced Marlo to teleport between the empty stalls. At first she faltered, but when one of the occupants grunted, Marlo giggled and was able to teleport back to me. So laughter relieved her stress and helped her to teleport. We made a mental note.
During these trial runs, she began to master her ability. And as the morning wore on, something bizarre began to happen in that bathroom. Marlo’s body started to fill in. Like I was watching film develop. Suddenly, I could see Marlo. The way I could see Vago and Eli. She stood before me looking just as I remembered her, only a little more defined—as though someone had sucked out the baby fat. Her almond-shaped brown eyes had an edge to them now; sandy-colored hair fell in soft waves over her slender shoulders. She reminded me of an elegant gazelle.
“Okay, Marlo. This is crazy, but I can see you.”
“See me? Like see me, see me? Not just my spirit?”
I nodded, too stunned to speak.
She jumped up and down, then came in for a hug. Together we bounced in jubilation. Until someone walked into the bathroom, interrupting our celebration with a loud cough. We scampered out of the bathroom, thrilled with the success of our morning and this latest boon—Marlo and I were now connected on a deeper level. I was so relieved that I could see my friend again. Although I did wonder why her eyes weren’t the same pale blue color as the rest of ours. But that didn’t matter. It was time to put her powers to use. She was ready. We headed toward Whitmore’s compound, prepping for what we’d say to the security guard when we arrived.
Chapter Seventeen
Vago
When I got to the lecture hall, I couldn’t help but notice Whitmore had two new security guards standing outside the door. This confirmed what we had suspected. He’d sent his goons after us the previous day. I got to class thirty minutes early so I could grab a seat in the front row. I wanted to keep a close watch on the lizard. See if I could detect any magic he was spewing out into the room. I snagged the last spot, causing one of his groupies—a bobble-headed girl with thick layers of eye makeup—to glare at me when she had to find a spot in the third row.
Professor Whitmore strolled into class, giving me a sideways glance. Then he did a double-take at the bandage on my neck. I grinned and gave him an I-see-you nod. I wondered if his telepathic powers meant he could read my mind. Did he know I was a shifter? He must’ve known how incredibly suspicious everything appeared. But he simply gave me a curt nod and began his lecture.
“What is existence?” he asked.
Brooke Thorne sat at a desk just a few feet away, operating the laptop for another one of his vibrant slideshows. Whitmore loved using photographs—exuberant images of the universe—as the backdrop for his highbrow discourse. Maybe it was a method of hypnosis, because I was feeling zoned out. And all I could think about was inhaling Brooke’s delicious spicy scent. I stared at the back of her red dress. The zipper started at the nape of her neck and rode all the way down the curve of her spine. Her jet black hair was tied up high, accentuating her graceful neck and strong jawline. Her beauty was mesmerizing …
Someone flicked on the fluorescent lights, snapping me right out of my daze. When I looked around, the chairs were empty and the students were filing out of the lecture hall. What the hell happened? Did I fall asleep? Where was Whitmore?
“Hey, sleepy head.” Brooke’s sultry voice enveloped me.
I stood up quickly. “Oh, hey.”
“You’re lucky Whitmore didn’t catch you drifting off, you would’ve gotten ejected right out of class,” she said, then smiled with a wink. “I distracted him for you.”
I shuffled out of my chair and flung my bag over my shoulder. My head felt full of cotton. There was something I was supposed to do, but I just couldn’t remember.
“What happened to your neck?” Brooke asked, pointing to my bandage.
“Uh, it’s nothing. Cut myself shaving,” I lied.
“One helluva cut.” She laughed and threaded her arm through mine. “Come on, you have a break now, don’t you? Let’s go get a coffee. Seems like you could use one.”
“Probably not a bad idea. I didn’t get enough sleep last night,” I said, touching the side of my neck with my free hand.
Did that dog bite have some crazy side effect? Was I turning into an evil shifter dog or something? Or a zombie?
“What were those texts you sent?” she purred.
“Oh, those … Yeah, sorry about that. Had a couple beers …”
Brooke laughed, stroking my shoulder. “For the record, I thought they were funny. And I actually would like to go out out with you sometime,” she said, smiling. Man, she was gorgeous.
We exited the building, and the sunlight blazed in my eyes. I squinted, shielding them with my hand. What the hell was going on? I needed to get inside before the rays seared my sensitive eyeballs. As we headed to the coffee shop, the nagging sensation that I was supposed to do something kept pecking at the back of my brain. The sunlight beat down on me like acid flares. I touched the bandage on my neck.
“How are you liking the class so far?” Brooke asked.
“Honestly?”
She chuckled lightly. “Of course, honestly.”
“It makes my head spin. I have no idea what Whitmore’s talking about most of the time,” I confessed.
“I’d be happy to help you. If you’re interested?”
Was I interested? I nodded casually, playing it cool. “Sure.”
As we approached the coffee shop, the aroma of beans roasting smacked up against my nose. Images of Sibyl shot through my head. Sibyl! I was supposed to stall Whitmore after class to give her and Marlo more time to sniff around his office. At the very least, I was supposed to send a text when Whitmore left the lecture hall. Class had ended over fifteen minutes ago. I took out my phone, hoping I wasn’t too late.
Chapter Eighteen
Sibyl
Marlo and I stood outside of Whitmore’s building, her grip on my arm digging into my skin.
“We’ll be fine,” I said.
“How do you know?”
“I just know.”
“And you think he’ll believe us?” she asked.
“You’re a pro. I’m following your lead.” I nudged her forward.
She looked at me with her brown eyes shining. “Let’s do this.”
Inside Whitmore’s building, the temperature dropped about twenty degrees. We approached what I assumed was the security check because Marlo stopped. I couldn’t see the security guard’s spirit against the black backdrop. Then I caught the suffocating aromas of musk, tobacco, and vodka.
“Can I help you, ladeezz?” asked a man in a thick Eastern European accent. Maybe Polish or Ukrainian.
“We’re here to volunteer for Professor Whitmore’s invite-only event,” Marlo said cheerfully.
A weighted silence lingered way too long, deploying my panic button.
Marlo wedged closer to the guard and flipped her wavy hair over her shoulder. “We heard he’s looking for a very specific type of volunteer.”
Marlo Knight, girl genius, flirting with the allure of a supermodel. I stepped back and let her do the talking.
She reached out and stroked the shadow before her, cooing in a sugary voice, “You know the type, right?”
“Well, ahh, yezzz,” he said, clearing his throat.
“Okay, then,” she purred.
“Whatzz yer namezz?” he asked.
“Cagney and Lacey,” I said.
“Whatzz in it for me, Cazzeee and Lazzeee?” he asked.
Gross! I hoped she wouldn’t make a promise we’d regret.
She turned toward me, like I was supposed to have an answer. “Oh, I don’t know … what do you think?”
“How about a double date?” I blurted, feeling like a total idiot.
>
“How ’boutzz a menage-a-date?” He let out a hefty laugh that turned into a long, drawn-out smoker’s cough.
“We can stop by after your shift,” Marlo suggested.
Again, a long uncomfortable and agonizing pause. I touched my watch. We were running out of time. Whitmore’s eleven o’clock would be ending soon.
“Thezz should werkz,” he said.
“Cool, so where should we go?” I asked.
“Volunteerzz, second floor,” he said.
Marlo nudged me through the gate, and then stopped.
“Hey, what are you doing?” she asked the guard.
“You stayzz with me for collateralzz.”
I reached to my messenger bag for one of my baseballs, ready to knock the sleaze bag out cold. But I knew causing a scene in the lobby was a bad idea. Plus, I couldn’t see him, so I had nowhere to aim.
Marlo quickly said, “It’s fine, Cagney. You go on up to the second floor.”
What was I supposed to do? I’d never find Whitmore’s office on my own, and even if I did I’d never get inside. And even if I got inside, I’d be useless.
But Marlo winked at me and said, “I’ll see you in a bit …” And I knew what she was planning.
“Okay,” I said, waving.
Using my watch and the ding of the elevator to navigate, I found my way across the lobby. I watched for evil Spirit Handlers, sensing a dark presence over the entire building. Multi-colored spirits passed by. A few odd-looking shadows with fire in their bellies also passed. I kept walking forward. If I ignored them, maybe they’d go away …
The dinging got louder, letting me know I had arrived at the elevators. I breathed a sigh of relief. I stood by the opening and closing doors. Shoes clapped on the marble floor as streams of people exited into the lobby. I waited, hoping to catch an empty elevator to ride up.
“You coming in?” asked a man with a dull gray spirit, holding the door for me.
“Yes,” I heard myself say.
