“I guess there are a few areas I could work on. Maybe you can help me?”
“Maybe.” I blushed.
We both grew silent, savoring the moment.
“Linda is at the bank right now, and then she is headed to the café,” I said. “Just thought I would give you a heads up.”
“Thanks. We’re leaving shortly. We are going to the dock to see Ezra. Will I see you later?”
“Yes, later.” I smiled, knowing he was doing the same on the other end.
There was a good turnout at the swim meet, most of the school came. The bleachers were full, and as usual, we sat front and center. Two rows up and watching me like a hawk sat Mellie with Thing One and Thing Two sitting on either side of her.
Silvia and Tom sat on the other side of Linda, who sat next to me. Penelope linked her arm in mine protectively. She had decided to come and show some support, a.k.a. be my bodyguard.
In front of us, Tyler went through his usual warmup routine, stretching his arms high above his head then swinging them in quick succession. His unkempt hair was tucked neatly under his cap, and his eyes were lit with the fire of competition. His swimsuit left nothing to the imagination. His body was lean and muscular, and his strong legs were made for the water.
We all cheered when it was time for him to take the starting block. He gave a quick wave to us before he set himself up. First was the freestyle round.
The horn blared, and Tyler pierced the water with his signature scorpion dive, taking an unassailable lead right from the start. It never ceased to amaze me the way he was meant for the water. I could never tell when he took a breath because his mouth hardly broke the surface for air. His hands slapped against the water like a dolphin’s tail, and his feet kicked so fast they barely looked visible. He hit the wall seconds before the rest, and when the race was over, he ripped off his goggles and let out a primal victory scream that lifted to the rafters.
At the break, I excused myself to go to the bathroom.
“I’ll come with you,” Penelope offered.
“I’m perfectly capable of going to the bathroom by myself, Penelope—I’ll be fine.” She was on high alert, and it was making me paranoid. I kept my cell phone close in case Daylan called with news from the dock. So far—nothing.
I walked down the familiar school hallways. They still smelled the same: like books, old shoes and pool water all mixed together. The once white lockers were yellow, and the walls were adorned with the same “Don’t Drink and Drive”, and “See the school nurse if…” posters. Next to those was a poster advertising the Masquerade Ball. A gold mask next to a silver one and below them the words “Find a mask and wear it well, your true identity is a secret to all”.
I stopped at my old locker and tried to picture myself walking those halls again on a daily basis. I did not miss the staring, the wondering and the constant gossip that surrounded me and my illness. But I did miss learning and the satisfying feeling I used to get when my paper had an “A” written at the top. The almost daily arguments from Tyler causing me to be late, or the smug look on Penelope’s face when Tyler’s locker hit him in the face.
The bathroom was empty, but soon after I occupied one of the stalls, Mellie and her minions entered. I could see them through the small crack in the door, standing in front of the mirror checking their makeup.
“Have you talked to Tyler lately?” Thing One asked Mellie before she pouted her lips to apply more lipstick.
“I will after the meet. Maybe I’ll take him out for a celebratory dinner.” She smiled, “Or maybe I’ll just take him to my place to celebrate in another way.” She winked.
Gross.
“He does look pretty hot in his swimsuit,” Thing Two added.
“He’s spoken for,” Mellie barked, marking her territory.
“Oh, so him and Swayzi are a couple?” Thing Two asked.
Mellie set down her lipstick. “No, you idiot. Me!”
“Oh, got it.” Thing Two mumbled.
“As if he would ever be with her anyways. Look at her. She looks like a poor waif, like get a haircut already. Have you noticed the way she’s been dressing lately? It’s like she’s begging to be made fun of. That hideous floral dress with yellow tights and mismatched shoes? Are you kidding?”
I looked down at my yellow tights I had purchased at the thrift store a few weeks before and wiggled my purposefully mismatched converse, one pink, one black. I loved these shoes.
“Nobody even notices she’s not at school anymore, so nobody will care when she dies. If the Universe could get on that, that would be great.” She looked up to the ceiling, her hands clapped together in mock prayer.
I slammed the stall door open. Thing One and Thing Two’s faces fell when they saw me in the reflection of the mirror. They looked scared. Mellie looked only slightly annoyed. I shouldered past her, washed my hands, and left the bathroom without saying a word. Linda always said, if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all.
The slam of the bathroom door echoed in the empty hallway as I hurried back to the pool. My face was hot with anger, but I took a deep breath and shook my head clear, willing myself to forget Mellie before sitting back down.
Tyler was on his last lap of the individual medley, his favorite. It was the final race of the day, and he was ahead by a full length. When he reached the wall, his fist came up proudly, his smile wide, his teeth beaming as he laughed and high fived his coach from the water. His eyes looked to the bleachers, finding mine.
Mellie arrived at the bottom of the bleachers waiting to pounce when he finished. Tyler toweled off and walked towards the bleachers, shaking his hair free from the swim cap. His confidence awakened butterflies in my belly, finally allowing myself to enjoy Tyler in all his glory. I bit my lip as my eyes traveled over his broad shoulders and tanned skin. His don’t-care hair, sparkling green eyes, and infectious smile was the icing on the cake.
How could I have missed this? I could have been enjoying this view for years. I felt robbed. Tyler only had eyes for me, but I had been fighting the urge to be with him because I was scared I would be giving up everything we had.
I smiled when he walked past Mellie without even acknowledging her desperate attempt to get his attention. I wondered if maybe I could make her jealous, to show her that, yes, someone as perfect as Tyler could love someone like me.
I pushed my way through the crowd and in front of the entire school, Mellie, Linda, Tyler’s parents and Penelope, I kissed Tyler.
At first, his lips were tight with shock, and it took a moment for him to breathe. Then he dropped his bag and towel to the ground and pulled me closer, his muscles flexing when he held me even tighter. His familiar smell of chlorine was somehow intoxicating. I melted into him. Enjoying the kiss much more than our first one.
My hands cradled his face. His jaw line was uncharacteristically smooth—like Daylan’s. I gently pulled away, thinking about how complicated my life had become. How my actions could affect someone so gravely.
Tyler smiled with a laugh of joy and amazement. “Aren’t you just full of surprises lately?” he whispered. He was called to the podium, and while he walked away, I tried to make sense of how I felt. I had this stubborn idea that I wasn’t supposed to fall in love with Tyler. But why? Love was waiting for me. It had been right in front of me this entire time.
When he bowed for his medal, I cheered proudly, my eyes welling up. He and the other swimmers retreated to the changing rooms, Tyler gave me one last knowing smirk, sending shivers through my entire body.
I found my way back to Linda and Penelope, both of them snickering and celebrating. I suspected their cheers weren’t for Tyler—but for me. As I sat down, Tyler’s father Tom grunted, “It’s about time,” making me blush.
Mellie stomped by us in a huff. Seeing her disgusted face was the cherry on top.
Being selfish had never felt so good…or bad.
Daylan.
The announcements were coming to an end,
and new chatter erupted amongst the crowd. People began scrolling on their phones, followed by a chain reaction of horrified faces.
“What’s going on?” I asked Penelope.
“I don’t know.”
“Linda, can I see your phone?” I asked.
She passed me her phone and immediately I saw the headlines: Multiple Terrorist Attacks Rock the Globe, Over 3,000 Simultaneously Commit Suicide in Fiji, 41,000 Feared Dead in Buenos Aires Stadium Fire.
My prepaid phone rang. “Daylan?”
“Have you heard?” He was running as he spoke.
“Yes, I’m looking at the headlines now.” I kept scrolling down.
Suspicious Circumstances Surround Worldwide Mass Casualties
“How do you know? Tell me this isn’t…” I paused, my throat growing tight.
“I just left the gas station, it was on the news. We need to meet now, at the café. Bring Penelope.” He didn’t wait for me to respond before hanging up.
“Penelope, we need to go, now,” I whispered to her, the volume of the chatter amongst the crowd was beginning to increase.
I passed Linda her phone back, and she looked around the room. “What’s going on?”
“There was some kind of terrorist attack, I think in South America.”
“Oh, that’s awful,” she said, her hand covering her mouth.
“Will you be alright to go home alone? It’s just that we told Tyler we would take him out for—.”
“Okay, okay, I can take a hint. Don’t be too late.”
I kissed her on the cheek trying not to reveal the panic I was feeling. “You should get some rest before the big reopening tomorrow,” I said, hoping she would stay away from the café for the night. Home seemed the safest place for her under the circumstances.
“Alright, Baby, go—have fun.” She smiled.
I held Penelope’s hand, and we maneuvered through the departing crowd and into the boy’s locker room. There were some surprised gasps and quick towel grabbing while we looked frantically for Tyler.
“Hey ladies,” Brad Kasey said, making no attempt to cover himself.
“In your dreams, Brad,” Penelope scoffed.
“Sway?” Tyler called from behind us.
He was already in his jeans but still shirtless, barefoot and towel drying his hair. His mouth fell when he saw my face. “What’s wrong?”
“Just want to take the big winner out to celebrate is all.” I forced a grin, knowing all eyes were on us.
Please turn it off,” I murmured, my eyes burning from the disturbing images on the TV screen. Tyler turned the café TV off and we sat in silence, digesting all the horrors.
The stadium fire in Buenos Aires was horrifying. A sold-out soccer match had been suddenly engulfed in flames, and the doors had been welded shut so no one could escape. Seventy-nine thousand people, more than half of them dead. There was cell phone footage of the aftermath: smoke everywhere, burnt children looking desperately for their parents, people trampled to death and bodies burnt alive. The official body count was still unknown.
In Suva, Fiji, over three thousand people had stood at the top of several tall buildings, their toes hanging off the edges. Helicopters circled the buildings with police imploring the people to step back. None of them spoke or showed any emotion at all. They only looked vacantly ahead, then all at once, stepped off and plunged to their deaths. The video footage with sounds of the bodies slamming against the pavement, mixing with the screams of the bystanders was absolutely haunting.
“You’re sure this is Medallion?” I asked Daylan and Ezra. Fay was pulling her shift at the docks.
“There are only four portals to Earth,” Ezra said. “Buenos Aires, Suva, Trouville, and here. Trouville-sur-mer is a small town in France but that portal has been out of commission for years. Attacks being in two portal cities is too much of a coincidence.”
“But how was Suva an attack? They jumped.” I was puzzled.
“They were possessed by demons,” Daylan explained. “Which means things are far worse than I thought. Medallion has succeeded in opening the portal from Hell to Empress.”
“So, Empress is now a gateway from Hell to Earth?” I sighed.
“Yes, I think so,” Daylan answered, saddened by his own realization.
“Demons can do that? Possess someone to the point where they will walk off the edge of a building?” Tyler asked, more alarmed than ever.
“Yes, they can. There’s a reason demons are supposed to stay in Hell,” Ezra replied.
I got up and began pacing in the café. “Why now? He’s been in power for eighteen years.”
“The portals have always been controlled by the eclipse,” Daylan said. “If Medallion can now control when they open and close, he must have The Aura. The Aura’s energy is enough to open the portals from Hell as well as control the passages from Empress to Earth, but how did he get it?” he looked at Ezra and they both shook their head in disbelief. “The Aura is guarded by angels, and if he has defeated those angels…” He stopped and looked up, whispering something inaudible.
“If angels guard The Aura, why can’t God just stop Medallion?” I argued.
“It doesn’t work like that,” Ezra said.
That just made me angry. How could God allow this to happen? Innocent people were dying. “How does it work then?” I snapped.
Daylan’s head dipped into his hands, his fingers massaging his temples. “There isn’t one man in Heaven named God looking over every person on Earth. God is within you, Swayzi, just as it is in every single being in our world and yours. Each individual has the power to change things for the better, or for the worse.”
That only disappointed me more. Millions of people found comfort in God, as I had once. If Daylan was right, they were praying to nothing, at least no single entity who could solve everything. But that also meant I could have the power to change things for the better. If so, I had to find that power within myself.
“How can I help?” I asked.
“No,” Tyler snapped. “You’re not going to fall on your sword for people you don’t even know.” He knew exactly what I was thinking.
“I am Oren’s daughter, Tyler. If my blood allows me to change this, why wouldn’t I?” The screaming children from the video echoed in my thoughts.
“You barely know this world, these people, these faeries!” Tyler shouted. “You don’t even know what all of this means.”
“I don’t have to!” I shouted back.
Tyler went silent, his eyes pleading with me.
“I’m going to die anyways,” I said. “At least my life will mean something this way,” I mumbled. The café suddenly felt smaller with watching eyes on our argument. It almost felt like Daylan was invading this vulnerable moment, he could never understand the history between us.
“You said you would protect her!” Tyler shifted his anger to Daylan.
“I am.” Daylan was defensive. “It’s only a matter of time until Medallion opens the portal here. The fact that he hasn’t yet confirms my suspicion. He already knows about Swayzi. If we could draw him here and battle Medallion on our terms, we could end all of this. Swayzi would be safe and she could live a long healthy life in Empress.”
The harsh implications of what Daylan was saying struck me. If we did end this and left for Empress, what would that mean for Tyler? For Linda?
“Using her as bait doesn’t sound safe,” Tyler spat.
“You know nothing, human.” Daylan’s eyes went dark.
“Only someone or something as twisted as you could think being human was a bad thing. I’m not stupid, I know you have a vested interest.”
“You talk about her like she is a delicate frail creature who can’t make her own decisions!” Daylan shot back. “You say you love her, but you only love the sick, weak, dying girl. Look at her.” Daylan’s eye pointed at me, and Tyler’s followed. “She’s strong and capable. If you unleash her from your idea of who she’s supposed to be—she c
ould move mountains.”
Was Daylan right? Was Tyler holding me back? Or did Daylan have an unrealistic notion of who I could be?
The way Daylan spoke made it seem like it was Tyler’s fault that I hadn’t completely embraced my new role as the Queen of Empress, but the fault was mine. No matter how hard I tried, I remained the insecure girl who didn’t think she was worth the trouble.
I had to remember that I wasn’t completely a faerie, but I wasn’t completely human either. Instead of letting Daylan and Tyler define who I was, I had to find that on my own.
“It’s not your decision, Tyler,” I said.
Tyler grew silent, stunned at the finality of my words.
“Tyler, I love you, and thank you for protecting me, but this is my choice.”
“I won’t lose you.” His voice shook, refusing to surrender to my decision.
“You won’t.” I squeezed his hand to reassure him as we absorbed the gravity of what was to come. Daylan turned away and remained silent.
“Penelope, can you contact our friend in Empress?” Ezra asked more amicably than any of us expected. A first sign of respect for Penelope.
“Yes.” She nodded. “It will take a few minutes to set up.”
When she was ready, we sat in a circle with Penelope in the center of it. She was chanting in Latin with her eyes closed and her hands resting on her crossed legs. The café was dark, lit only by the candles scattered throughout.
Tyler kept glancing at me, and I knew what he was thinking. This was something out of a horror movie. I too kept waiting for demons to appear, or for Penelope’s head to spin around like in The Exorcist.
She was attempting to contact a faerie friend of Daylan’s, one who could coordinate the uprising in Empress. Daylan encouraged me to be confident when speaking with her, which sounded like a good plan in theory, but hearing about all the deaths—human deaths—so much more was at stake.
I had already seen what just three faeries and a witch were capable of. Humans didn’t stand a chance against supernatural beings. If Medallion had already succeeded in attacking humans at two portal cities, then this was the beginning of the end. To survive, we needed an army from Empress. And that army needed to believe the person leading them could defeat Medallion. I desperately searched inside myself for that leader.
Empress Unveiled Page 16
