I respond quickly to get the words out before I talk myself out of it. “Sure. Can we leave at seven? I have to do something after class.”
A huge grin spreads across James’ face. “Of course! I’ll see you at the transport station at seven.” The transport station is how students get in and out of campus on the weekends. It has locations that are deemed appropriate for us to visit already programed into its route.
“James, is it cool if I invite Easton to join?”
I see his face drop. “Sure, he can come,” he answers in a tight voice.
Blake pops his head between us, looking displeased as he says, “No more jibber jabber, get back to work you two.”
I mischievously smile at James. “I guess it’s my turn.”
He nods and opens his energy to me. “I’m open and ready!”
I quickly feel connected to his emotions. He loves his mother more than anyone. I feel pain and rejection aimed at his father. Then there’s lust… I quickly exit James’ mind, not wanting to dig any further.
I turn my powers elsewhere, feeling everyone’s energy within the room. The stronger I get with my abilities the bolder I become as I start to search outside the classroom. I notice a dark energy by the library, someone who was previously hidden from me. I start moving closer to it, trying to see whose energy it is, when I notice a shift in its vigor as it disappears like it didn’t exist at all.
A familiar girl spirit enters my mind. “Disconnect. You’re in danger.” Her warning startles me as I pull my energy back, retreating from the Darkness.
The energy felt exactly like the Darkness in my dream. It has been in the school hiding from me.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Complications
Easton - Find and Seek
I answer my front door and am confronted by Gwyneth in a low-cut shirt and short skirt. She has a cocky grin on her face as she pushes her way into my bedroom. “Happy to see me?”
My answer is obvious and written all over my irritated face. “What can I help you with?”
Her voice turns nasty. “You know, I knew something was up. You almost had me convinced you cared for her.”
Her words worry me. “Your point being?”
Gwyneth pauses for dramatic effect, taking pleasure in making me wait. “I was sent by a mutual friend to ensure you remain on task with Lili.”
Of course, the Darkness would recruit Gwyneth. She’s damaged just like me. My actions must be raising alarms, and I’ll have to be more careful if I’m going to survive. “I see. Well, I’m glad someone else is involved. You can report back that I’m on-track and there’s nothing to worry about.” Our conversation is suddenly interrupted by a loud knock on my door. We both remain quiet, unsure of who’s on the other side.
The knocks turn more forceful, trailed by Lili yelling, “Easton, I can feel you in there! Are you okay?” I push Gwyneth into my closet and give her a threatening look before I rush to answer. I exit my room quickly so Lili doesn’t try to come inside.
Her confused eyes meet mine. “Easton, are you okay? Your energy felt…”
I cut her off before she can finish. “Not here, we will talk about it later, just not now.” I wish I could explain everything to her, but I’m too deep within my own web of lies that I’ve lost sight of everything that matters.
I turn to go back inside my room when Lili grabs my arm and pulls me back to her. “Easton, I felt darkness within the school. We need to find Baxoney, now.”
Her discovery terrifies me to the core. “Are you hurt?”
“No, I’m okay. Just shaken up.”
I’m can’t stop myself from grabbing her in my arms to hold her. Her energy entangles with mine as I quietly tell her, “I’ll be in your room as soon as possible. Wait for me there.”
She responds with a whisper of her own that sends shivers down my spine. “Okay. I’ll see you soon.”
I hesitantly let her go and open my bedroom door to get rid of Gwyneth. To my surprise she’s standing at my room’s entrance, cruelly smiling in my direction. I slam the door and turn towards Lili hoping she didn’t see. But I instantly know she did, as Lili’s pain and betrayal flood my energy. Her eyes fill with tears before she turns from me.
“Lili, please don’t go. It’s not what you think.”
She turns towards me again, and I can feel the hurt coursing through her body. “It’s not? Then what is she doing in your room and why did you hide it from me?” I search for the right thing to say, unable to explain Gwyneth’s presence quick enough. Lili takes my silence as an admittance of guilt. “It’s fine. I have plans tonight anyway. I’m going to Stubbs with friends. Don’t worry about it—it’s not like we are a couple.” She turns again, this time walking away.
I return to my room in a daze, unsure of how to fix this.
My mind is consumed by the pain I felt seeping from Lili. I need to get to her before irreparable damage is done, and to do that I have to get Gwyneth to leave. She stares at me with no remorse, and it takes all my control to not kill her where she stands. The Darkness thinks I’ve gone off script and I need to be brought back into the fold, so I’ve got to play this delicately if I’m going to convince them I’m still on their side.
Gwyneth looks at me with false condolences. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for her to see me.”
My voice raises, and I don’t even try to hide my rage. “I’ve been working on this for months, and you’ve been involved for one day and have possibly ruined everything with your childish games.”
Gwyneth suspiciously asks, “Do you have real feelings for her, Easton?”
I push my feelings for Lili deep down. “Of course not, I have a job to do and that’s where it ends. I’m not like you. I don’t let my emotions control me,” I respond steadily.
I see her face darken as she moves towards me with anger. “That’s not what I heard. You’ve had a lot of time to corrupt her, and yet she’s still good. You don’t seem to be doing your job at all. Maybe I should give it a go.”
My rage comes boiling out as I lift Gwyneth in the air with my energy. I slowly move below her to speak to her the only way she’ll understand. “It’s my job, and I will do what I have to when the timing and circumstances are right. You tell the Darkness if it doesn’t trust me it can talk with me.” I release her, and she drops to the floor and lands on her feet.
She grabs my arm as she lustfully says, “All your power and rage makes me want you even more. We were great together; everyone feared us.”
She wraps her arms around me, trying to kiss me, but I push her away with disgust. “I have no interest in you. You’re a mess who ruins everything you touch.”
“You better be careful, Easton. One word from me, and Lili and you are finished.”
Easton - Party Like it's Austin
I stand in line, waiting for my turn to use Cognosco’s transporter. The school’s transporter is located in a spherical house within Cognosco’s garden. The outside of the transporter room is an ivy covered shed, but the inside is luxurious, with golden columns and glass electricity transporters that line the walls. Celestials use Earth’s natural energy vivacity channels to travel to and from every popular location on the planet, never wanting to waste a single moment performing mundane tasks, like traveling.
I enter one of the transporters and I’m immediately prompted by the transporter program, which sounds androgynous and sterile. “Hello, Easton. Where would you like to go?”
“Austin, Texas.” The exchange is completed, and the transporter moves steadfast through an electrical current. I hear a chime telling me I’ve arrived as the transporter program says, “Austin, Texas, eight PM local time. The weather is sixty-nine degrees. Enjoy your visit.”
I exit the ball into a Celestial club in downtown Austin. The room is dark but lighted by a fake sky with stars and planets on the walls and ceilings. I hurry from the room, determined to get to Stubbs and to Lili as fast as possible.
Stubbs is packed
full of people and Celestials. The music is blaring as the crowd’s emotions flow with the beat of the band, setting my abilities on edge. I search the room for Lili’s energy, but she’s nowhere to be found.
I feel a mass of Celestials in the back of the bar and recognize Sebastian amongst the crowd. I hesitate to speak with him, but decide to head in his direction just in case he knows where Lili is.
Sebastian beams as I near, speaking to me as though we are best friends. “Fan of the band?
I glance towards the stage, noticing men with boots and cowboy hats on. “Never heard of them. I was hoping to run into Lili. Have you seen her?”
”She hasn’t arrived yet, but I’m sure she’ll be here soon.”
I’m relieved that I haven’t missed her, and I sit down next Sebastian.
He playfully smiles at me, and his lively voice dances with each word he speaks. “I got the pleasure of bringing Lili to school. I like her, she’s different from almost every Celestial I’ve ever met.” What does Sebastian know? Does he work for the Darkness? Back when we were friends, Sebastian was always cryptic, almost as though he was playing a game none of us were in on.
I carefully respond to him, trying to find information without giving myself away. “Yes, I agree. You said she’s different from almost every Celestial. Is there anyone you’re refereeing to in particular?” Sebastian’s grin tells me he’s happy I discovered his hidden clue.
“I’ve been around for as long as the Earth has been in existence. Lili has similarities to another Celestial I met many years ago.”
I continue down the rabbit hole. “Which Celestial would that be?”
“Her name is not of importance. Lili’s similarity to her is what really matters.”
“Similarity in what way?”
Sebastian playfully winks. “Exactly.”
I feel Lili enter Stubbs, ending our conversation abruptly. She looks unlike herself, in a tight dress and hanging on the arm of James. My jealousy comes snarling out as I try to tame the beast inside of me using the fear of losing her as my remedy.
Before I realize it, I’m standing in front of Lili, not remembering walking to her. “Lili, can I talk with you privately?” I watch James stiffen up, angry to see me ruin his date.
Lili’s face is devoid of emotion. “I’m here with my friend. We already talked earlier tonight. There’s nothing left to say.”
Her distance to me hurts, but I push through my heavy emotions. I’m desperate to talk with her. “Lili, please, just for a second.”
Her kindness wins out as she senses the desperation behind my words. “Okay, just for a minute.” She turns towards James, saying, “Just give me a second. I’ll be right back.” She walks across the restaurant into the secluded back patio area as I follow behind.
Once we are alone, she asks, “Why was Gwyneth in your bedroom?”
I muster the strength to reply to her. To explain the best I can. “Gwyneth stopped by before you got there.” I want to continue with the full truth, but the Darkness inside of me persuades me to lie. The words come pouring out of my mouth before I can stop them. “Then you showed up and I got scared that you would misunderstand, so I hid it from you. I shouldn’t have done that, but I was scared to lose you.”
She stares at me searching. “If you’re not honest with me I can’t trust you, Easton.” Her eyes are beautifully open, begging me to be honest.
The problem is I don’t know how to explain what I’m dealing with. How when I’m with her I feel lighter, like a better version of myself. How I’ve planned for her arrival for almost a year, hating her the entire time. How when I first felt her energy my hate was replaced with something else, something unexpected. How I’m now trying to stop her destruction, but I was initially a part of it. If I tell her all this, she will never forgive me, and I selfishly can’t risk losing her. “Lili, life is dark and complicated. At least for me it is. You see goodness and kindness in others, and I see death and destruction. I try to be honest and kind, but it feels unnatural, except for when I’m with you.”
Lili stares at me with doubt on her face. “My life is complicated too, but if I can’t trust you, then I can’t see a future together.”
Her words cause my darkness to lash out in jealousy. Envy for a life without lies and plots. “I’m sure spending time with James isn’t complicated. James is superficial and simple, seeing a beauty queen he wants to mount.”
She sharply replies, “James is my friend.” She takes a deep breath in exhaustion. “Easton, just give me some time to think things through.”
“You’re my…I. I’m sorry.” I defeatedly turn to leave and see Sebastian and James watching me. Anger surges from me as I briskly walk towards the exit, the music’s beat pushing me forward.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Urgency
Lili - Making Moves
James is talking to a pretty girl who is obviously into him. I walk towards him and see him gesture to the Miranda Kerr look alike that I’ve returned. She sadly trollops away, like a pixey looking for a unicorn to ride.
James looks down at me with puppy dog eyes as he asks, “Everything okay?”
“We had a good talk.” I brace myself for his disappointment, as I continue. “I hate to be a downer, but I’m not in the mood to be out tonight. Is it okay if I see you tomorrow?”
James’ face drops. “I understand.” He pauses with hidden frustration, then continues to speak. “Can I ask you the same thing Easton did, will you just give me a couple of moments to talk to you? We just got here, and I’d love to have at least five minutes of fun before we leave.”
James has been a great friend, and if anyone deserves a moment of my time it would be him, so I agree. “I’m sorry, five minutes of fun sounds nice.”
James smiles, grabbing me by the hand as he pulls me into the band’s audience. The crowd sways and moves to the beat of the music, and I become overcome by the room’s joy and happiness. The heavy strums pounding through the speakers makes me almost forget about Easton, the darkness and my visions as I dance in the audience.
The song ends and James pulls me back to our table with gentle hands that strongly pull me. “Tell me about your family. We’ve never really talked about them.”
I try to catch my breath before answering. “My parents had problems conceiving. They had given up hope, then boom they were pregnant. I was their miracle baby.” James kindly smiles and I slowly continue. “I never really lived up to the life plan they’d laid out for me. Their purpose for me wasn’t mine, though I did try to be the social, smart, beauty queen they had envisioned. Being able to feel other’s energies isn’t always a positive. We had great moments though, filled with fun and laughter, which I miss.” Luckily the sound in the room hides my wobbly voice filled with pain.
James grabs my hand and squeezes it compassionately. “It must have been hard to feel energies, and not understand it. Can you feel any energies here?”
“Before I went to school, it was impossible for me to be in large crowds. Too many emotions in my head, I couldn’t handle it. But after learning how to block other energies in school, it seems to be manageable.”
Not wanting to linger too long in a conversation about my abilities, I ask James about his life. “What about your family?”
James coyly responds, “We have one similarity with our family lives. My parents had problems conceiving too, but the difference is that their fertility issues started a slow process of driving a wedge between them. I never really saw love there, just bitterness and resentment. Eventually my dad cheated with a co-worker and ended up moving in with her and starting a new family.” I can feel James’ pain within his energy. It’s large and intense, overshadowing all other emotions within the room.
I look at his face and find a mixture of anger and sorrow that’s hard to look at. “You lived with your mom, right? Are you guys close?”
James’ eyes and nose crinkle at the mention of his mother. As he talks about her, love fil
ls his energy. “Yes, she’s very sweet and loving. She always picked me up from school with a humongous smile and curly fries, ready to talk about my day.”
“She sounds sweet. Why curly fries?”
“I don’t really remember how it started, but there was local drive thru in town called Smithy’s, and they had the most amazing fries in town. So crispy! I loved them, so my mom made sure to bring them to me. She did it every day without fail.”
James moves his chair even closer to me as he leans in and asks, “What about relationships? Did you have many boyfriends?”
“I once went out with a guy from my school, and it didn’t go well. He…let’s just say he wasn’t interested in my mind. I was done with the idea of a boyfriend after that.”
James grabs my hand. “I’m so sorry, guys like that are inexcusable. You’re so much more than your appearance.” I feel uncomfortable where this conversation is going. “You deserve a guy that’s going to treat you right.”
I stand up, removing my hand from his as I say, “Thanks. I had fun, but I really do need to get home.” James’ energy fills with anger and rejection, making me feel horrible.
He stands and choppily says, “Copy that. I guess our five minutes are up.”
Right before we walk out of Stubbs, I feel a spirit’s energy approach, quickly recognizing it as the girl who warned me many times before. Her foreboding voice enters my mind. “Don’t trust anyone. The school isn’t safe. Find Baxoney.” She disappears quickly like a light being blown out by a hurricane. The time for having fun is over. I need to find Baxoney as soon as possible if I’m going to survive.
New Celestial : A teen paranormal romance series (The Celestial Series Book 1) Page 10
