Endeca (The Escapism Series) (2 page)

“Sure, I’d like that,” I beamed and he seemed at ease. Unlike Orion, he actually expressed concern for my wellbeing. I was grateful to him because of that.

We started with the abandoned mansion, the place of our first date and the very source of lost fragments. After our first date, I often wondered about that place and if it was some type of vortex, drawing Charon’s and Diplozoes alike in hopes of restitution. I soon came to realize it was the energy force surrounding the location; an energy portal for the fragments to resurface and Charon’s were the key to drawing them in.

“Do you know the ratio of Diplozoe to human?” I asked candidly. I needed to know more than I wanted to.

“I can’t be certain, maybe 1 in 4. With every decade, more and more of us are evolving.”

“How is this possible?”

“How is anything possible, Xenia? It just is. You need to accept the reality of nature and its course to perpetuate a viable living population in light of the environment with which we live in.”

“You’re telling me it’s in the food we eat? The water we drink? The very air we breathe? People are changing because of what we’ve done to the world we live in? We’re mutating?”

“It’s for the best.”

“Will everyone mutate?”

“Not everyone. It’s a gradual process that’ll occur over decades. They’d have to be prime as gene expression is key. This gene is in every human’s genetic makeup but it’s dormant. We don’t know what activates it. It’s kind of like cancer. Our cells replicate in an unusual way; when old cells die, new cells that form are impervious to disease. These mysterious super cells can resist any illness, disease and plague. They’re the cells that have endured every possible infection known to human kind. Essentially, the key to longevity lies in us.”

“Uhuh,” I uttered in a daze. “Do they serve alcohol in the mansion?”

Nicholas chuckled, “Come on, I’ll buy you a double.”

“Make it a triple. I’ll need it,” I said, pointing to the mansion. Once inside and with suitable refreshments at my disposal, we viewed the fragments one by one. I had but four fragments to restore, while Nicholas had double. Kiran had triple by the looks of it all. The others weren’t in sight. They were mostly Diplozoes I’d never met whom oddly enough, leered at me in a familiar fashion. That same look of repulsion that Orion first bestowed upon me. Fragments were plentiful these days but it was a consequence that Nyxta implied. Apparently, I had no one to blame but myself.

~

We parked up the street out in front of my house and I couldn’t wait to get into a hot, bubble bath and sink into the abyss away from everything and everyone.

Once we reached the front wooden doors, this unparalleled sense of security swept through me. In my mindfulness, I placed a hand against the center of the door and drew the sensation of cool oaky varnish within my pores. I opened my sleepy eyes, turning to face an equally mesmerized Nicholas. “Home,” I whispered overjoyed. I took a step closer and Nicholas backed away.

“I better not. I mean, aren’t your parents’ home?”

“Nope. They’re on a cruise. Somewhere tropical I think,” I smirked, excited to have the entire place to myself. “I’ll make us some drinks. Rum and coke hold the coke?”

Nicholas chuckled, nodding favorably. “I could really use one, maybe a double.”

I was delighted to be in his company; it was soothing apart from distracting. In his absence, I longed for his presence because a fragment of his once sought me out in need, but now the tables had turned. 
I needed him
. I was once Charon to his lost fragment but what did that make me now? Was I still his
anything
?

“
Shoot
,” I mumbled, fumbling in my jacket pocket.

“What is it?”

“I forgot my keys,” I sighed, frustrated. Nicholas looked rather amused, reaching for the doorknob with his hand.  I quickly realized my hands were my vice.

“No, let me.” I brushed his warm hand aside, replacing it with my own. I concentrated while the warm light appeared in bursts through my palm, burning my cold flesh. With a soft releasing click, the door creaked open. I gasped, thrilled with the outcome. “Huh. Look at that.” Although with everything going on, this was distinctly insignificant.

“Nice job, newbie,” he teased, reinforcing my newfound skill.

“Well isn’t this a sight for sore eyes? How’s about I show you what I can do?” chided a tall, dark, infuriated man. The moon light glistened off his heaving, caramel chest. His eyes smeared watery black to a glowing bright green. Thunder struck and in an instant, a torrential downpour followed.

“That’s Caleb,” Nicholas shouted through the loud and chaotic wind. “He’s rather annoyed with how things ended earlier. You know…with you leaving the portal open and all.”

“You don’t say,” I cried, squinting as the rain pummeled my face. The cold water was rising just above my knees. “Let me guess, he’s an irked Poseidon of the land?”

“He’s not Poseidon, just able to invoke the elements of the deity.
Irked
doesn’t quite cut it.”

“How do we stop him from further
invokage
?”

“Stop
him?” he sighed at my thoughtlessness. “We can’t. We find cover,” he said, quickly pulling me along inside my house.

“Can’t he get inside?” I asked, peering anywhere but into his scrutinizing gaze. Was I to have more insight into the world of the Diplozoe given the enlightenment of my newfound birthright? Nicholas’ expectant eyes made me wonder if there was something wrong with me.

“He can’t, unless he’s invited.”

“Is he a vampire?”

“If only,” Nicholas grimaced peering through the drapes. “He’s a rather scornful immorta of Endeca. The kind you don’t want on your case, being from Kiran’s lot and all.”

“This isn’t over, Xenia. You’ll witness what we’re capable of with an open portal. Come to your senses and unite us before it’s too late,” Caleb’s roar echoed.
I wondered what the neighbors thought…if anyone even noticed.

“I can swim! Flooding the city won’t sway me. Think again!” I snapped, surprising both Nicholas and myself.

“I’m giving you a taste of the beginning before the end nears.” Caleb silently vanished, leaving the aftermath of the storm to a low, whistling rumble.

“How do I close this God damn portal? I need to figure this out and fast,” I hissed, anxiously running my hand through my unruly hair, thanks to Caleb.

“Legend has it one can temporarily close the portal with a human’s blood…a sacrifice.”

“I see. Well, that’s not an option for us, unless we somehow turn Orion back into a human.”

Nicholas smirked, finding solace in the notion before his expression faded. “You need to rest and clear your head, Xenia. You’d be surprised what tomorrow could unfold once you’ve slept.”

“I haven’t the slightest inkling about closing the portal. I’m behind in my readings and I have class tomorrow,” I wined knowing that it was my decision after all to be
normal
. 
Decision-shmision.
I pouted, in self-pity. Nicholas chuckled at my less than humble demonstration of defeatism.

“You could do both, technically speaking. Have your off-source read, while you sleep.” He smirked, raising his brow invitingly.

“W-what? I can…hold on…I can really do that? That so could’ve been useful in high school. Where were you four years ago?”

“You don’t want to know, trust me,” he grimaced, then yawned rightfully. It had been a very long day. The dark overcast faded, and his light grey eyes softened once more.

“You can use…the guest room,” I yawned halfway through. Nicholas smiled angelically shaking his head.

“What?” I demanded self-consciously.

“You look so cute when you yawn and the sound you make,” he mused stroking his unshaven, chiseled jaw with his knuckles, “it’s lovely.”

“
Oh.
Thanks,” I smiled, looking down at my interlaced fingers.
Would now be a good time to ask if we were still together?
Just as soon as I thought it, he softly kissed me goodnight. 
Physical affirmation was good enough
.

“Good night, Xenia,” he whispered, strolling off. I poured myself a glass of water reminiscing in all that had unfolded up until his kiss.

Don’t ruminate, Xenia. It leads to no good.
I shut my eyes and transitioned to the offline world, unloading a list of readings to do; I was equally apathetic in that world.

After I took care of business, I hit the sack sleeping well for the most part.

~

The following morning veered its stallions as the smell of coffee brewing was unlike any other day. The smell was less fresh beanery, and more to the likes of old, stale coffee house.
And
I knew exactly why.

It felt so long ago, mostly because it was a pivotal moment in my life, since Nicholas spent the night. It was then that I found out I was a Diplozoe. I wasn’t just an ordinary human being.  I found out I was capable of otherworldly things. Quintessentially, I was an
alien. ‘Orion spent the night too,’
said my wicked off-fragment. I scoffed at it, repressing the memory
. A malevolent, egotistical man whom I risked my life for walked and I didn’t regret my actions—should I have?
There was no such thing as a mistake. Only life lessons from the universe misinterpreted by my conscious brain. I needed time to decipher the implication behind my thoughts and my actions.

“Good morning, Nicholas,” I sung in a chipper mood. A new day with new prospects—he was right after all. “You found the back-up coffee, I see.”

“Back-up coffee?” he asked, quizzically examining the container.

“There`s the good coffee for everyday use, usually in this container,” I opened the cupboard in demonstration, “and then there`s the new or gifted coffee that didn’t quite cut it, however we couldn`t bear to throw out. Hence, back-up coffee incase we’re ever left high and dry.”

Nicholas chuckled amused. “Back-ups are very wise, Miss Sanders.”

“Tell me about it. I could use a backup seal-the-portal plan right about now, but I don`t suppose that exists,” I languished in the thought.

“I’ll do some research today, while you go to lectures. Xenia, if there’s one thing I’ve learned in life, and
death
, where there’s a will…” he paused brazenly.

“
There’s a way
. I’ve heard of that idiom but have you met my other self? Here, let me introduce you to her. Nicholas, meet dreadful, pessimistic Xenia,” I mirrored another me, playfully aloof.

Nicholas laughed in such a youthful, enigmatic way.

“However many of
you
there are, I’m game,” he said, unequivocally enticed. “I’d like to meet the many sides of you, even dreadful, pessimistic Xenia.
Hello
,” he welcomed, with a wry smile.

My breath caught in my throat, and I squeamishly sought refuge behind a wall. I have never met anyone remotely as handsome and charismatic as him. “Don`t you have something to do at your respective college? Like TAing or working on your research, which is sitting on the fence, if my memory serves me right?”

Nicholas’ soft playful demeanor mixed with dismay. “We’ve more important things to research with the open portal. I’ll instruct Orion too.”

“Okay, so research mode it is. I didn`t expect you to tag team
Orion
, of all people.”

“Who did you expect? We could use all the help, Xenia. You know I dislike him, but he has many resources that could be of use to us.”

“I know,” I listlessly pointed out. “There’s also Kiran.”

“Kiran has other issues to attend to.”

Oh, right
. I forgot about Corlissa. Though I had known her as Daisy, she turned out to be someone else entirely.
Was she really his long lost sister? I wondered if Kiran even knew.

It was a new day and I had another crack at living a human life or a façade of one at the least.  I was going to enjoy every
living
moment of it.

My stomach grumbled something fierce. “Do you like cinnamon-blueberry pancakes?” I asked keenly observing Nicholas.

“I’d love some,” he smiled, appeased by my offer. “Is this the domesticated version of Xenia I’m privy to?”

“I suppose, but I should warn you. She’s rarely around, bask in it while you can, Mr. Wyle’s,” I teased, methodically.

His wide smiling eyes filled with awe before retreating into his seemingly stagnant transition to Styx, evident by the transforming swirl of grey and charcoal black in his eyes.

By the time the pancakes were neatly stacked and ready for a sticky blanket of syrup, Nicholas resurfaced, quickly sketching in a note pad on the kitchen counter.

“Everything I`ve seen points to one and one thing only.  A temporary blood seal. Here,” he said, showing me an ancient looking symbol.

“No problem. To the blood bank!” I said, amidst taking in a mouth full of pancake.

“If only. It must be the blood of one in transition...about to die.”

“Come again?” I mumbled mouth full and unladylike.

“A sacrifice. Right before the fragment becomes displaced,” he stressed, growing weary.

“
Oh
. That’s not happening. Keep looking and I’ll consult with Kiran and see what he knows.”

“Fine. Keep me posted,” he uttered, displeased.
Was he really leaning toward killing an innocent person? I couldn’t kill anyone, but could he?
I shook my head, ridding it of such dicey thought.

“You betcha,” I replied taking another bite of pancake before the doorbell rang, surprising us both.

Calliope stood on my front doorstep, with her usual holier than thou expression. “’Morning sunshi…nuh-” Calliope hesitated, in light of the situation. Nicholas walked past us, heading out.

“Good morning, Calliope,” he nodded, respectfully.

“Indeed it is,” she said, lowering her sunglasses, assaulting him at every angle with her wicked eyes.

“It`s not what it looks like,” I whispered.

“Why the hell not? Especially when it looks like
that
,” she sighed, continuing, “Tis a shame to waste resources and you know me. I’m all about being green.”

I rolled my eyes and grabbed my book bag. “He’s a man, not a recyclable.”

“Oh honey, they’ve been recycling men since the dawn of time.”

I snickered, “Alright, come on now. Marla’s waiting.” I quickly sent her a text.

We’re heading outside

The weather definitely shifted to a colder front, courtesy Caleb’s exhibition. I turned the heat up in Calliope’s car and played around with the settings of her car audio system.

“Avoiding the elephant much?”

“What?
No
,” I shook my head crudely. “Nicholas crashed at my place because his apartment was…was being fumigated and you know me, hospitable girl and all.”

“
Right
. That still doesn’t explain the fact that
nothing
happened. Something must have happened between the two of you.  It was etched all over your horny faces. What do you take me for?” she scoffed, intrusively.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, shaking my head side to side.
Horny faces? God!
  “Oh, there’s Marla.”

“Wait ‘till she hears about what’s transpired between the two of you,” Calliope smirked, delighted.

“Leave it to the two of you to make something out of nothing. If something ever happened, you two wenches would be the first to know,” I said, misleadingly.

Oh what a tangled web…

“Know about what?” Marla inquired, sliding in the back seat.

“Nicholas spent the night and apparently nothing happened between the two of them.
Go
.”

“Start from the beginning and don’t you dare leave out any details. I’m holding the goods here,” she raised the coffee tray and bag in her hand smelling of fresh croissants.

“I-I’d rather not get into this right now. I barely slept,” I stifled after realizing the picture I had painted, evident in Marla and Calliopes widened eyes. “Because of this horrible headache I have. Ouch. The pain,” I said, feigning agony.

“I think I may have something that’ll help with the pain,” Marla said, handing me a coffee. “Let me guess. Back up coffee day? Looks like you’re in serious need, Z.”

“How lucky am I to have such amazing friends,” I quickly took a sip from the paper cup.

“Very lucky,” Calliope crooned. She winked and shot me a sideways grin, dismissing the uncomfortable topic. I sat back in my seat, relieved. “What goodies do we have in the baggie, my dear Marla?”

~