I open my eyes and look up at him. “Jonas can communicate with me because we share a diamond. I told him to quit eavesdropping.” I smile, reach up, and kiss Chris on the cheek. “Come on, we better get going if we’re going to get to Ohio before dark.”
“What?”
“Isn’t that where we’re going?”
“Calli, Chris,” Maetha calls out. “Come back over here.”
We walk hand-in-hand back to the group that has reassembled on the patio. A few other Diamond Bearers have bi-located to us: Mary, Alena, Hasan, and Fabian stand nearby.
Crimson speaks to the group in her soft, authoritative voice. “Continue to avoid the presence of obsidian. Remove yourself if you detect it in your near future. Preserve the lives of people with powers whenever you can and as discreetly as possible. I will accompany Calli and Chris on their journey.”
Hasan offers, “I’m not far away, I could join in.”
“No, it’s not necessary. The deeds that have to be done can only be accomplished by these two. This is what we’ve been preparing for. This is what they’ve been prepared for.”
What? I wonder.
Jonas speaks to my mind. Calli, don’t you realize? She’s been preparing you all this time. Your whole life has been shaped for this moment.
Why do you know more about me than I do?
Mary told me. Don’t worry. Crimson is going to tell you all about it soon enough. What an honor to have met you back when you were unaware, and to see your progress.
The group stands up from their chairs, and the bi-located Bearers disappear. Crimson says to Chris and me, “It’s time. Let’s go.”
Chapter 5 - Primal Stone
Crimson says over her shoulder, “Keep hold of her hand, Chris. She needs to draw from your energy till hers returns. If you let go, she won’t make it twenty seconds before she passes out.”
“I don’t plan on ever letting her go.” He wraps his arm behind me and clutches my shoulder, pulling me to his side as we walk to Crimson’s car.
I feel my energy levels drop slightly. I tell Chris with my mind, We have to have skin-to-skin contact, Chris. My shirt prevents me from absorbing all of your energy. Oh, and I can hear all your thoughts, by the way . . . you know, because of the diamond.
Skin-to-skin, I like that. He slides his hand from my shoulder to the back of my neck under my hair. He rests his hand on my bare skin and gently caresses my skin with his thumb.
Electrically charged energy courses through my body.
I wasn’t sure if you were telepathic or not. Thanks for the heads-up. He winks at me.
You realize you winked at me right before leaving with Neema, too. I thought about that later, and it really made my head spin. I couldn’t figure out why you would do that, and then . . . well, you know.
I knew nature’s will was being carried out. Although I truly thought Deus would die.
Crimson presses the button on her key ring to unlock the doors of her four-door, eco-friendly, hybrid vehicle. I’m not surprised one bit by her choice of automobile. It fits her personality perfectly. “You two sit in the backseat,” she says, pointing to the back passenger door.
We climb in and close the door. Chris effortlessly pulls me onto his lap and wraps his arms around me. He rests his lips on my forehead. My body naturally melts into his. For once, I’m free of uncertainty and doubt. I can tell he’s feeling the same way, even without reading his mind. It doesn’t matter whether or not Duncan is right about us being destined lovers. What I know is what I feel at the moment: peace, love, comfort, happiness, and, of course, a little lust.
Crimson climbs in the car and shuts her door. “All right you two, enough of that for now,” she says. “Put on your belts.”
I feel my cheeks heat up as I slide off Chris’s lap and pull my seatbelt across my chest. The ten seconds it takes for me to do so without Chris’s skin contact is almost more than I can handle. My vision blackens and my fingers begin to tingle.
Chris’s concern speaks to my mind. The truth came at a heavy price. Your aura is dimming. He takes my hand in his and covers it with his other hand, restoring my energy levels. There, that’s better.
Crimson interrupts us as she drives the car out of Maetha’s driveway. “Let’s clear the air here. I can hear everything you tell each other with your minds so there’s no point in using mind-speak. Plus, Calli, you’ll regain your strength sooner if you don’t use any powers. Give it a rest.”
Chris and I look at each other as if we’d been caught being naughty, and then we both smile. Chris whispers, “When you smile, your aura explodes. I love it.”
My mind is on overload. For one thing, I am ecstatic to be with Chris and to know everything will be all right between us. Second, I am in the presence of Crimson, for goodness sake! I’m not quite sure how to act, what to say, or how to think.
Crimson responds, having obviously read my mind, “Calli, just be yourself. Think of me as Jo Jo, if that helps. I’m not a rockstar, nor am I a goddess. I’m a human, like you, who is an agent of nature’s continuation.”
I ask, “Do you have a Sanguine Diamond in your heart too?”
“No, I have a different stone called the Primal Stone. The power of my stone is what created the diamond you have in your heart.” Crimson maneuvers her car through the streets of Martha’s Vineyard as we absorb and process her words. She answers Chris’s apparent thoughts. “And no, Chris, we aren’t taking an airplane. If my feet are to leave the ground, it won’t be under someone else’s control while confined to a tin can.”
“You said you’ve been preparing Chris and me for this mission?” I ask. “For how long?”
“It is not important how long I’ve been working this out. What you should be asking is: at what point did I decide to use you two, and how many others are aware of my intentions?”
“All right, answer those questions for us then,” I say. She sounds just like Jo Jo, or at least the way I always imagined Jo Jo would sound. When I knew her, I couldn’t hear anything. Her present matter-of-fact personality and actions are exactly as I remember.
“Calli, I have followed you just as I’ve followed each of Maetha’s descendants who are firstborns, and I will continue to do so. When you experienced your accident in middle school, I had already determined you would be a possible candidate to become a Bearer. What I didn’t expect to see at such a young age was your strength and bravery while enduring excruciating pain. The medical professionals had to hurt you to help you, yet you kept your wits and never lost your self-control. I needed a plausible excuse to enter your life officially, so I amplified your injuries, causing your hearing to be disrupted. The months that followed when we spent time together became your qualification period. Each Bearer goes through this, so I can be certain they will be effective agents of nature. I also wanted you to be able to read lips—an ability no other Bearer possesses. I prolonged your recovery until I felt you’d mastered the skill sufficiently.
“I want you to know, Calli, that none of my other Bearers possess the strength, courage, or intelligence you do. That’s why you’re with me at this moment and not someone else. I’m impressed with your ability to think quickly on your feet, with the fact that you ask questions, the way you have a ready acceptance of constant change, and how you have a desire to stay on top of new knowledge. Your science-oriented mind has served you well, and it will now serve humanity to its fullest.”
I feel overwhelmed. I’ve never thought about myself and what comes naturally to me as being unique, especially in comparison to other Diamond Bearers.
Crimson drives her car onto the ferry. She parks in the only space left on the boat, and then the ferry locks up and begins moving. If I didn’t know better, I’d think they had been waiting for her.
“Let’s go up on the deck and wait to continue this conversation until we’re back inside the car,” Crimson says. “Calli, try to avoid using your powers. Instead, focus on absorbing Chris’s extra energy.”
We follow her instructions without question and out of respect for the possible eavesdroppers on board the ferry. Chris and I hold hands constantly, as per Crimson’s orders. We stand by the railing and watch the sailboats off in the distance.
“Calli, I’m going to propose to you someday. I hope you won’t be afraid to accept my little velvet box,” Chris says with a twinkle in his eye.
“We’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we?” I tease him, but I know his fears are genuine.
“What do you think of Crimson, or um, Jo Jo?” he asks, changing the subject.
“I’m in awe, honestly. I don’t know what to think . . . kind of like how you felt when you found out Jo Jo was Crimson.”
“Yeah, that was a bombshell, but no more so than when I learned we’ve been prepared and positioned for this mission our whole lives.”
I realize Duncan must have known this when he tried to convince me predestined love didn’t exist. I definitely want to learn more about Duncan’s life and the fact that Freedom is responsible for training the evil clan of Healers that included Duncan’s wife.
Wow! Bigger picture indeed!
“Hey, where’d you go?” Chris places his hand on my cheek and pulls my gaze up to his.
“Sorry, I—”
Chris leans forward and brushes his lips across mine. A million nerve endings instinctively ignite throughout my body, and I kiss him back, not caring about the dozens of onlookers. I feel an incredible burst of energy surge through my body. Chris breaks the kiss and rests his forehead on mine. Then he pulls me into an embrace, and we both look out over the water.
No one can convince me that I don’t know what love is ever again. As far as I’m concerned, Chris and I are the ideal destined lovers, especially considering the Diamond Bearers and Crimson have been working toward a common goal that utilizes Chris and me and our love for one another. Without our emotional connection for each other, the Death Clan wouldn’t have crumbled . . . literally. Without our love, and the need to defend and protect it, Chris wouldn’t have made the ultimate sacrifice and returned to his father’s side. He wouldn’t be in the prime location—in the only position possible—to bring about closure and protection for people with powers and Diamond Bearers.
The proverbial freight train slams into me with a force strong enough to take my breath away. I look up at Chris and say, “It’s you! You are the solution!”
Before he can respond to my outburst, Crimson steps between us, breaking our contact, and says, “Not here, Calli. Wait till we’re in the car.”
I glance around and find many people watching us. My strength begins to wane once again, and Crimson takes my hand and places it in Chris’s and walks a few steps away from us. I had definitely figured it out, or Crimson wouldn’t have barged in like that. Chris’s eyes find mine again. I figure he’s trying to send me his thoughts, but I know better than to read them. Everything I think about in my head is an open book, and Crimson the Librarian is on duty. We’ll be back in the car soon enough.
Once we are safely locked inside the car and driving off the ferry at Falmouth, Massachusetts, Crimson speaks before either Chris or I can. “How’s your energy level, Calli?”
“It’s getting better.”
“Good.” She directs her next words to Chris. “Our conversation was about when I decided to use you two. Before you were born, Chris, Merlin reported to Maetha that your father was performing experiments through government testing on pregnant women in an effort to create superhuman powers in a controlled setting. I had Maetha set Merlin to work on using his connections in the Senate Budget Committee to hopefully get the funding pulled on the T19 project. Your father was fast becoming a bigger threat to the world’s people than the Death Clan. However, both would need to be dealt with before too long.”
Crimson stops the car at a crosswalk to let pedestrians cross.
She continues, “Then you were born, Chris. I detected that you would become a Runner, which would cause many problems because of the intensive work your father was involved in to eradicate people with powers. I formed a friendship and a bond with you in the hope of having increased opportunities to read your mind and determine the types of research and experiments that were being carried out in the facility once your powers emerged and your father began to study you.
“Merlin was successful getting the T19 program shut down about six years after your birth. Six years after that, when the running power emerged in you, my careful planning and preparation fell into place. Your father did exactly what I suspected he would do: study you like a lab rat. Over time, you and I developed a deep friendship, and yes, I tried to give comfort and aid whenever I could. I never liked using you to get information about your father, Chris, but it was the only way to do so without arousing suspicion.
“Maetha was tasked with giving Calli the opportunity to choose to become a Bearer. I had approved Calli already, and Maetha felt all the pieces were in place to set the plan in motion. When she told me the male Runner who would fall in love with Calli would be you, Chris, I was initially troubled, but then things progressed, I couldn’t have been more pleased.”
Chris interrupts, “Wait, you didn’t already know I would fall in love with Calli?”
“No. I don’t know everything, Chris. I was still busy observing your father, among other things. I know your life has felt out of control. Understandably so. You’ve always been a good boy, one that I’ve admired. Did you know I babysat you several times when you were an infant?”
“No.”
“I did. Wonderful memories. I love holding new babies and marveling at nature’s incredible ability to move the species forward.” Crimson turns off the road at a gas station, parking the car at the pump. She pulls a card out of the glove compartment and hands it to the eager gas attendant, instructing him to fill the tank with premium. She continues, “Once I learned you and Calli would meet at the Runners’ compound, I was astounded by the odds of that happening. I didn’t arrange that, nor did Maetha.”
“We were destined to be together,” Chris says with confidence.
“Well, that’s a matter of perspective,” Crimson responds.
“What do you mean? I saw my own future, and it included Calli.”
“You labeled it as destiny. Humans tend to put labels on many things even though the events we think are foreordained would have happened anyway. We are all where we are because of choices made by us, by others around us, or by those who lived before us. Seers are constantly thrown off by individuals acting spontaneously and out of character. It’s how you were able to walk into one of the largest Diamond Bearer gatherings and not be detected as a possible threat. Consider this, Chris. Because you dwelled on the vision from Maetha, you made decisions that led you to the fulfillment of the vision. Calli also saw your vision and her future physical appearance. She altered her appearance during the last three years to better fit the image she had seen. But those things would have happened anyway, whether or not you two acted on them. You would have ended up at the Runners’ compound in time to take possession of the amulet and be kidnapped. Calli would have grown and her looks would have matured naturally without knowing what she was supposed to look like.”
I interject, “But Maetha said I had altered my looks, as if I was ahead of schedule.”
“Maetha doesn’t know everything, Calli.”
Chris shuts his eyes and shakes his head. “This messes with my mind.”
Crimson says, “I know. It’s why I make it a practice not to look for the future in that way. I won’t be tempted to make sure it plays out as witnessed.”
“Well, if we were always going to end up together, then I call that destiny,” Chris says.
“If you like. Had you not seen the vision of Calli, you wouldn’t be referring to meeting her as ‘destiny.’ Think about that.” Crimson accepts the receipt from the gas attendant, starts the car, and pulls out into traffic again. She continues, “Chris, you’ve always bee
n my pet since you were born and I held you in my arms. Our relationship was one that allowed further insight into the workings of your father’s compound. I didn’t realize I could use you until you made the decision in your own mind to return to your father and become an informant for the Diamond Bearers. You displayed the will to serve nature at that moment. You decided that relieving or preventing the suffering of others was more important than even your own life. That kind of decision can’t be forced upon any person, and not many in the history of the world have actually made that kind of monumental choice. When you made that choice, I decided to open your mind further and allow you to make an even bigger choice: whether or not to work with me. When you participated in the removal of Neema’s stone, you proved yourself to me fully.”
I try to rationalize in my mind exactly what she is saying. It sounds as if she is putting Chris on the same level as the other Diamond Bearers. Also, I can’t decide if I like the way she refers to Neema being gunned down as simply “the removal of her stone.”
Crimson addresses my thoughts aloud. “Calli, when a Diamond Bearer accepts one of my diamonds, they are accepting my rules.”
“I guess I didn’t get the memo.”
“You accept nature’s will, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“You’ve learned the rules and acceptable behaviors of Healers according to the will of nature, and I’ve watched you exercise the rules with wisdom. You accept my rules.”
“Your rules? So what are you? Mother Nature?” I joke.
“Sure, if you want to label me as such. The Primal Stone gave me the ultimate power to shape mankind. I’ve followed the patterns that occur in the world around us and tailored my rules accordingly. People who use their power against others and cause suffering are done away with, one way or another. The Sanguine Diamond was created to facilitate that purpose, and Neema knowingly went against my rules. She knew her time as a Bearer would be cut short. She just didn’t know when I would remove her diamond.”
“She went against your rules?”
The Diamond Bearers' Destiny Page 9
