Fly: A PORTAL Chronicles Novel (The PORTAL Chronicles) (29 page)

“Not again!” Sophie rolled her eyes.

I smiled, remembering my blunder of mentioning too much that first night with her. “You’ll see things differently after you eat and get some sleep. I’ll make you breakfast and then you can take a nap.”

“No. I don’t want to sleep and, besides, you look like you have somewhere to be. You’re all dressed up.”

Undeterred, I continued to the kitchen and got out a pan. “Consider my plans officially canceled. I’m right where I need to be.” I was supposed to meet my parents for breakfast, but they would have to do without a referee for once.

Sophie lay on the couch with a huff, and I got to work, soon returning with a glass of orange juice and a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, and freshly cut strawberries.

“Thanks, but I’m not hungry,” she said.

“I prepared it exactly how you like. Scrambled eggs, fluffy but slightly overdone, and bacon, extra crispy.”

“Stop doing that!” she chided.

“Doing what?” I could disarm complex bombs and security systems with the best of them, but deciphering Sophie was another story.

“Stop coddling me. I’m not a child.”

I anxiously munched a piece of bacon. “What is this about?”

“I’m onto you,” she said. “I know you’ve been sent here to coerce me.”

It was all I could do not to choke. “Coerce you?” I tried not to smile.

“Yes. How else do you explain randomly showing up looking so nice and smelling amazing before making me breakfast how I like?”

She thinks I look nice. She thinks I smell good.
I rush went through me. “I was worried about you. I want to help.”

Judging from how she glared at me, I could imagine her thinking,
Like you helped me in my dream last night?
I hoped she didn’t think my lack of aid in her dream was a foreshadowing of reality.

“To help force me into PORTAL’s ranks in order to save the world from Divaldo based on a whim from my late mother,” she said under her breath. “But if they think a handsome boy is all it takes to win me over, they’ve got another thing coming.” She folded her arms over her chest. “You may not be able to do that hypnotization thingy with your eyes like Hagen could, but I’m starting to realize you two are more alike than I thought.”

I balked, reaching my limit. Being compared to Hagen Dibrom did not sit well with me. “Is that what you honestly think?”

She glared at me and spooned a huge bite of eggs into her mouth before sulking again.

“Sophie, if I were trying to coerce you, trust that you wouldn’t know it, and I wouldn’t need Hagen’s stupid hypnotizing powers to get you to do what I want. But I’m not trying to coerce you, nor would I ever date you just to manipulate you like Hagen did. I care about you too much to do that.”

In fact, I think I’m in love with you.
Like so many times before, I stopped short, holding my tongue.

Sophie burst into tears.

“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!” I pulled her into me, hugging her close. “What is up with you? I must say, I am so confused right now.”

“That makes two of us,” she whimpered. “Though he sounds so wonderful, I don’t think I can serve Dio.”

“What?” I leaned back to look at her. “Why would you want to serve Divaldo?”

The thought seemed to shock her. “I don’t. Why would I serve someone who’s trying to kill me?”

“Beats me. Why would you?” I replied darkly. “There’s no grey area. It’s black and white. You’re either a follower of Dio or you default to Divaldo’s side. Dio gives clarity and truth while Divaldo blinds those under his control to overlook the truth.”

Sophie frowned. “I definitely don’t have clarity, so do you think Divaldo is blinding me now?”

“Possibly.” I’d tried to shield her from the severity of the truth, but knew it couldn’t hurt to unleash its full force on her now. If she was serious about choosing Divaldo, she’d be up against much worse. “Once you choose Dio, he’ll be allowed to fully protect you and you’ll be unstoppable, but until that happens, you’re susceptible to Divaldo’s control.”

“Well, I don’t know if I’m thinking this way because of Divaldo’s influence or not, but I don’t believe I’m the one talked about in the prophecy. I can’t be,” Sophie said, hanging her head.

“I believe you’re the one,” I said, hoping she heard the confidence in my voice. “And the beauty of working for Dio is that he created you and knows you so well that he’d never give you a task he knows you’re not ready for. He supernaturally empowers you to achieve the supernatural goal he’s given you, so it doesn’t matter if you feel sufficient or ready because he doesn’t ask you to move through your power or ability but his.”

“That’s great and all, but if I am the one, why don’t I believe it? Why do I feeling so torn?” she asked, tearing up again.

It broke my heart to see her so lost and confused. The decision was clearly weighing heavily on her.

“You’re thinking too small. Don’t you think Divaldo has realized he’s made a huge mistake by going up against Dio? Instead of outshining Dio, Divaldo has only added to Dio’s fame, providing opportunities for him to save the day and turn bad situations around for good. So Divaldo is going out of his way to confuse and violate you because he knows you’re still fair game. It’s his last chance. You’re the game changer, and if he can’t kill you, he’ll get you to doubt Dio and your destiny so you never do anything to change the game. Choose Dio already and end this madness.”

Sophie crossed her arms. “I thought you said there’s no rush.”

I sighed, making no attempt to hide my aggravation. “There isn’t, but on a purely selfish note, I’m sick of feeling powerless against what Divaldo is doing to you. He has you so sidetracked with inconsequential details that you’re totally overlooking the bigger truth all around you.” I grabbed her hand, praying she’d grasp the graveness of the situation. “Sophie, I don’t want you to become a casualty of Divaldo’s manipulation. I want to see Dio’s gifts and powers manifested in you, for you to experience the joy and fulfillment that comes with becoming all he created you to be. You’ve been kept in hiding since you were four months old, Sophie. There comes a time when you finally stop running and choose to fight!”

“Yeah, but… maybe we’re giving Dio and Divaldo a little too much credit,” she said. “Maybe I’m coming up with the doubt and fear.”

“Do you not remember anything we discussed last night? Angels and demons? Even though we can’t see it, the spiritual realm around us still affects us. The fight over this world is not visible to us, but it’s ongoing around us every day.”

“That’s a scary thought.” Sophie buried her head in a pillow.

“Choose Dio’s side and you’ll be protected and have nothing to fear.”

“See, you are trying to coerce me.”

It was clear she wasn’t getting the seriousness of the situation. Feeling utterly depleted, I spoke so quietly I could hardly hear myself. “No, I just want to know you’re safe. I don’t know what I’d do if Divaldo hurt you, and if you wait much longer, he might get to you before you choose.”

“Then it makes sense for me to serve Divaldo. Maybe he won’t kill me if I choose him,” Sophie replied.

I put my head in my hands, shocked at the pure nonsense coming from Sophie’s mouth. It was clear Divaldo had her thoroughly deceived. I would have given anything to be a Seer like Sophie then, to see the demons whispering lies into her ears.

“Maybe Divaldo won’t kill you in the literal sense,” I agreed, “but if you serve him — or even your own ambitions — you won’t be fulfilling your purpose, which is a long, slow death all the same.”

“Ugh!” Sophie lay back on the couch. “It’s the same thing again and again. My purpose and destiny. I don’t want my purpose determined by a stupid prophecy. I want to decide what my purpose is for myself.”

I was exasperated. “Sophie, most people search their entire lives for their destiny and, if they even find it at all, have a limited number of years to fulfill it. You’ve been given such a gift by knowing what it is, yet you question it. This little trip you’re on is only going to lead you right back to your mother’s prophecy, because it’s true! You are the one!”

“If so, that’s great, but I need to find out for myself.”

I panicked, realizing this might be the moment I lose Sophie forever. I had pictured coming to her dorm to console her and to possibly even share my feelings with her, but never did I think we’d be discussing her not serving Dio. I honestly had never even considered it as a viable option, but once she made her decision, there was nothing I could do.

“Sophie, don’t say that!” I begged. “The moment you officially denounce Dio, I can’t protect you anymore. Be careful what you say.”

Sophie looked alarmed. “I haven’t thought about what things would be like if I didn’t have your or Dio’s protection,” she said. “But even though I believe Dio is real, I don’t know if I can trust him. Not with the constant suspicion that he used Mom as a pawn in the back of my head. Not with the paranoia of whether he’ll do the same to me.”

“Sophie!” I choked back a cry. I couldn’t believe this was happening. “Give Dio a chance. Don’t do this!”

“And even if the prophecy is about me, I don’t want the destiny that comes with it. I want to be a normal girl who goes to a normal high school who maybe even has a normal boyfriend, Everett. That’s it. No death threats, cryptic prophecies, underground agencies, or voices in my head. And no secret agents watching my back, either. I want an ordinary life, and I can’t have that with Dio.”

I opened my mouth to speak, to dissuade her, to convince her she’d never be normal and would forever be Dio’s chosen, but there were no more words to be said. Oddly enough, I understood her reasoning — related to it, even — and the only remedy to her rebellion was what she suggested: taking the long route and figuring things out the hard way on her own. I just hoped she survived the process.

My heart fell as I realized the giant dream was possibly foreshadowing after all, for my worst nightmare had become reality. Sophie was being beat down by doubt and fear and — my authority taken away — there wasn’t a thing I could do about it.

“I’ll miss you,” I whispered.

“Don’t say that,” Sophie said, trembling. “We’ll see each other around.”

I shook my head knowing the truth, knowing she knew it too.

“No. Don’t go,” she cried, grabbing my hand and squeezing it tight.

I looked Sophie straight in the eyes, wiping a tear from her cheek. “I sincerely wish you all the best in your life. I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

Sophie stared at me with a broken expression, tears falling faster now. I longed to kiss her, hug her, tell her everything was going to be okay, but she was no longer mine to console, love, or protect.

The only thing I could do was walk away.

Chapter 35

If Only

“Why so glum, Rett?” Mom asked, rubbing my back.

Could she see the black cloud of depression lingering overhead? Feel the dark rain of despair falling over me since I had left Sophie’s side, unprotected from the strange creatures and people sure to come her way?

I shrugged, not wanting to talk to her since she ratted me out to Dad.

She eyed me dubiously.

I sat at the kitchen table hungrily eyeing the fragrant spread set out before of me, but too upset to eat — a total anomaly for me. “Why did you cook? I thought you and Dad were going out for breakfast.”

I was good at changing the subject. Mom didn’t seem to notice as much as Sophie did. In fact, I never knew how much I did it until Sophie called me out on it. I sighed, realizing I was thinking about her again. Getting over her was going to be a slow and painful process.

“Dad got wind that you canceled, so he did the same,” Mom shrugged. She feigned indifference, though I could see the hurt in her eyes.

“I’m really sorry, Mom. If it’s any consolation, I got burned too,” I said, relegating that telling Mom about Sophie would be a nice distraction from her thinking about what a careless jerk Dad had become. I knew I’d feel better, too.

Mom pulled up a chair beside me. “I knew it. I know that tortured-soul-look you get when you’re mulling something over. What happened?”

“Nothing, really. I don’t want to—” I started, thinking better of it.

“Spill,” she ordered.

“Something happened with Sophie this morning,” I blurted.

“I really like her, Rett.” Mom smiled her approval. “I can see why you have a crush on her.”

“A crush? Mom, this is serious.”

“Sorry,” she said, trying not to smile. “What happened?”

“Sophie denounced Dio.” Mom looked surprised but not as stunned as I expected her to. “Aren’t you shocked? Angry? Scared?” I asked.

“Not really,” Mom shook her head. “Sophie found out about all this a good two days ago. Give her some time. She’ll come around.”

It annoyed me how Mom underplayed the significance of the situation. “But she’s already made her decision.”

“And she can change her mind, which women are known to do.”

I hadn’t thought of that. The idea was definitely compelling. “But I can’t protect her in the meantime. No one can,” I said. “I made it very clear to her and she still chose Divaldo.”

“Oh!” Mom said, her eyes going wide as if she’d received some great revelation. “You feel rejected. When Sophie denounced Dio this morning she wasn’t only rejecting him but also you.”

The truth smarted like a bee sting. “No,” I lied. “It simply kills me that I can’t help her.”

With a knowing look, Mom let it go. “There’s hope, Rett. There’s always hope. Plus, you have one last resource.”

“I do?”

“You can ask Dio to help you and Sophie in this dark time. You know he’s sufficient. As for Sophie, having time to process things will only do her good and give her time to miss you.” She smiled. “I saw the way you two looked at each other yesterday. There’s something there. She knows how you feel about her, and if she feels the same way, she’ll come around.”

I was stopped short. “But… what if I haven’t told her how I feel?”

“Rett!” Mom’s eyes bulged. “Didn’t I teach you not to play games with girls, to be honest? No wonder she rejected you!”