Goddess Legacy: Goddess Series Book 1 (3 page)

“I wouldn’t want to be any other place,” he said, smiling and gazing into her eyes. “You look so radiant. Everyone has been commenting on how beautiful you are. You should see yourself. You’re positively glowing.”

“Oh, it’s just my party face.” She shrugged, trying to lighten the conversation. “I’m actually horrified at all this attention. If I let my real emotions show, everyone will think I’m some ungrateful brat.” She laughed.

“I doubt that.” He gave a half-smile.

She continued to stare at him, not knowing what to say. He was still holding her hands. His hands felt so strong, even though he was holding hers gingerly.

“Did your grandma not come tonight?” There, that was a good question.

“No, tonight’s her bunko night. I’ll probably have to pick her up. It was her night to bring the wine, and she got an early start.” Adin chuckled.

So she hadn’t shown up because she had other plans. Not because Adin had told her to stay away so he could come to Legacy’s party and seduce her with his charm. And it would be so easy for him, what with his sincere personality, piercing eyes, delectable scent, strong arms…
Stop it!

“Um…that sounds like fun.” Great, now she sounded like a babbling idiot.

“I wouldn’t know. I’ve never played.”

“Does she play often?” Why were they still talking about his grandma?

“Yeah, once a week.” He nodded as he answered.

“That’s good. I mean, it’s nice that she has a hobby.” Oh for the love of…

He took in a deep breath and exhaled sharply. She assumed he wanted to steer this conversation back away from his grandma just about as much as she did.

“Can I ask you a question?”

He could do whatever he wanted. “Sure.”

“Well, it seems like whenever I give you a compliment, you don’t seem to believe me. I was wondering why that is?”

“What?” Her hands started trembling.

“Do I make you uncomfortable?” he asked with sincere confusion.

“No, of course not.”
Get yourself together!
“Um, I think I’m not used to getting compliments from anyone. It’s not you.”

“It’s just that I say things sometimes without thinking them through, and I’ve noticed that…um…usually happens when I’m around you.”

“Oh.” Huh? What was he trying to say?

“Legacy, it’s time to open your presents,” she heard Calli say as she walked toward them.

Adin kept hold of her hands as Calli approached. She looked over at Legacy, and she glanced at Adin. Then she peered at Legacy’s hands in Adin’s hands and stared back at her.

“Um, whenever you’re ready,” she modified.

“I’m ready,” Legacy said in a slow, flat tone.

Adin slipped his hands away from hers while she was still looking at Calli. She faced Adin, and he was watching at Calli with a pleasant expression on his face.

So this was it. Her moment with Adin Sheppard was about to be over, and she wasn’t sure when she’d see him again. “In case I don’t get to see you before you leave,” Legacy started to say, and he flashed his eyes back over to her, “thanks again for coming tonight.”

He had a strange look on his face. Almost sad, but he was smiling and nodding at her. He then abruptly put his arms around her waist, and she put her arms around his neck for what she assumed was a goodbye hug. He held her tightly like this morning, but for several seconds longer. He turned his head so that his face was buried in her hair. If she wasn’t in complete and total shock at how close he was, feeling his breath on her, she probably would’ve been squealing internally.

“Happy birthday,” he whispered to her one more time.

She couldn’t help herself—she stroked the back of his neck at the bottom of his hairline with her slick palm as they pulled away from each other.

“Thanks,” she whispered back to him.

She walked off in a daze at Calli’s side, sat at the table with a frozen smile on her face, and opened her gifts in a fog of surrealism. After the first couple of gifts, she was able to focus better, and she remembered to thank everyone individually. She got a lot of cash and gift cards. Lissa’s co-workers had chipped in and gotten her an iPad mini, so she couldn’t wait to download her Kindle and Nook apps. Lissa had gotten her a beautiful silk red dress. It had brought Legacy to tears because she knew it was much more than Lissa could afford, but she couldn’t wait to find an occasion to wear it. Adin had given her a watch that had a sun with crystals that reflected the sun’s rays during the daytime and a moon with those crystals turning to stars during the nighttime. She had never seen anything like it. She tried not to act too shocked at his gift, but she wasn’t sure if she fooled anybody. The funniest surprise gift was from Calli because Legacy hadn’t seen it coming. The trip to the mall this afternoon hadn’t been a distraction after all. The red shoes were for Legacy, not Calli. Her BFF knew what Lissa had gotten her and figured she’d use that as a reason to buy her expensive shoes. Calli and her accessories.

After Legacy finished unwrapping her presents, everyone said their goodbyes and left. Adin had sneaked out shortly after she’d opened his gift. Calli stayed to help clean up the remnants of the party, so she’d been the last to leave. Once the house was empty, Legacy kicked off her shoes and plopped onto the couch. Lissa sat down beside her, but when Legacy looked at her, she frowned. Lissa seemed somber, which didn’t jive after throwing a party. She was being eerily quiet.

“What’s wrong?” Legacy asked as she sat up.

“I have something to tell you, and I can’t figure out the right way to do it.”

“Why don’t you just come out and say it? I’m sure whatever it is it’ll be okay.”

“It’s about your mother.”

What? Was Lissa about to tell her another story about her mom? If so, she surely didn’t sound as if she were about to regurgitate one of those trivial, generic ones. She sounded like she had something meaningful to say.

Lissa sighed, and an ominous feeling crept up Legacy’s spine. “Your mom didn’t die when you were a baby.” Legacy gaped at her, and Lissa cupped her hand. “She had to leave. She left you in my care because she was worried about your safety.”

“So she’s still alive?” Legacy barely breathed. Could this really be true?

“It’s not that simple. Your mom was a powerful woman. There were people who tried to hurt her. She knew she couldn’t keep you safe with her, so she trusted me to look after you.”

“I’m not following.” She could feel the tears forming in her eyes.

“It’s time you learned the truth. What I’m about to tell you will change your life forever.”

Chapter Two

Legacy sat there reeling, waiting for Lissa to explain.

“What do you know about Greek Mythology?”

“Um, not much. Why? What does that have to do with my mother?”

“According to the myths, Gaia is the goddess of earth, the great mother of all. All gods and goddess were born of her. One such goddess is Demeter, the goddess of harvest and the circle of life and death. She gave birth to a daughter named Persephone.” Lissa looked at her pointedly. “But some refer to her as Kore.”

Legacy gasped. “That’s my last name.”

“That’s because
you
are Kore. Well, one version of her anyway.”

“What?” Legacy screeched.

“Greek Mythology is not the story of legends. There are actual gods and goddesses on Mount Olympus to this day. Some go way back to the beginning of time, others are newly created. But gods don’t always descend the way people normally do, giving birth to children who then give birth to their own children and so on in a vertical fashion. They also descend horizontally. The original gods and goddess created by Gaia continue to create offspring. They’re just not always offspring in the sense that you think they are. What I mean is they can also create a likeness of themselves with other gods.”

Legacy was too confused and too shocked to say anything. It was hard enough keeping up with what Lissa was trying to tell her, much less grasp the point of this conversation.

“The path to ascension for a new god begins on first day of the seventh year of birth and culminates on his or her eighteenth birthday.”

Did the air suddenly leave the room? That had to be why Legacy couldn’t breathe. She shook her head, refusing to wrap said head around this information.

Lissa nodded. “Yes. Sweetie, your mom, Dora, is a goddess. Whether she descended after several generations that originated from Demeter or if Demeter created Dora directly from herself, doesn’t matter. Either way, you are her offspring with the legacy to one day be a goddess.”

Legacy busted out laughing. “OMG, you really had me going there for a minute.” She stood as she continued to laugh. “Not cool that you brought up my dead mother, but I’ll give you props for creativity. Goddess? Right.” She chuckled as she walked into the kitchen to grab a soda.

Lissa followed her. “I know this is a lot to take in. Your mom didn’t want me to tell you yet, but I felt it was for the best.”

Legacy slammed the refrigerator door shut. “Stop talking like my mother isn’t dead.”

Lissa pursed her lips. “You can get mad at me all you want. It’s not like I can tell you much more anyway. I’m on a need to know basis, and apparently, I don’t need to know all the specifics. It’ll be on you to learn what you can about your change.”

“My change?” Legacy asked mockingly. “Like what? Am I going to grow wings now? Is that it?”

“You’re thinking of angels.”

Legacy scoffed as she opened her can of soda. She wasn’t going to listen to this crap anymore.

“When you’re ready to talk, you know where to find me. I can’t promise I can answer all your questions. I have no idea if you were created for a reason to accomplish some goal or if Dora just wanted a daughter and then realized you’d be safer away from her until you ascended. But I’m here to help you in any way I can. The sooner you accept what is happening to you, the safer we’ll all be.”

Safer?
Whatever. Legacy stormed up to her room and slammed the door. Happy freakin’ birthday to her.

* * * * *

With a faint image of a dream still lingering, Legacy suddenly awoke to the sound of thunder. Her head was foggy, but she managed to sit up and stare out her window. She saw nothing. In the seconds that passed, the rest of her body adjusted to the sound of the thunder and rain in what seemed to be a start to a gloomy day. She tried to think back to the dream she’d just had, but just as she stared out her window and saw nothing, she saw nothing of the lingering images left in her head.

She glanced over at her clock out of habit and slowly slid out of the bed. After slipping on her house shoes, she carefully walked over to the window to watch the rain pouring from the clouds. As she stepped up to the window, a flash of lightning illuminated the dark morning sky, and a crash of thunder erupted in an ominous sound. She stared a few seconds longer in awe. For those living in this part of the country, storms were a common occurrence, but their power never ceased to amaze her. Storms never bothered her like they did some people. Maybe she just enjoyed the distraction that storms provided. Distractions from the mundane processes of regular life. This one was definitely a distraction now. She wasn’t studying the swirls of the clouds, the angle of the rain, or the distances between the sounds of thunder. She was really mulling over the events that transpired yesterday. The storm just gave her something to focus on externally.

She could have stayed at this window and continued to stare all day. Staring at the storm develop was easier than understanding what Lissa told her last night. At least the storm made sense.

As she stood still staring out the window, questions flew in her mind at the same speed lightning flashed across the sky. Too many questions and not a single answer. She didn’t even know how to begin to comprehend all the questions she had about her mom. Or whether to believe anything Lissa had told her. If her mom was really alive, why had she left for Legacy’s protection? And if Legacy suspended reality for like a second, what
changes
had Lissa been talking about?

She sighed and turned away from the window. She didn’t have time to dwell on this. She had to get dressed and go back to the mall because she’d totally forgotten about filling out job applications while she was there yesterday. Fantasies could wait. She got dressed and headed downstairs. Reality was more important right now.

When she neared the kitchen, she smelled blueberry pancakes. Her favorite.

“Why are you cooking breakfast? We have a ton of leftovers,” Legacy asked Lissa as she pulled out a chair and sat at the table.

“I wanted to use these blueberries before they spoiled.”

She looked at her in disbelief.

“Fine. I wanted to do something nice for you. I didn’t know what kind of mood you’d be in when you got up this morning, so I figured I’d take the initiative to try to overt any negative feelings.”

“And you think blueberry pancakes would do the job?”

“I put the blueberries in the shape of happy faces,” Lissa said with a timid laugh while handing Legacy a plateful. “I’m really sorry about last night. I think I probably shouldn’t have said anything.”

“Why?” Was she going to confess it was all a big joke?

“Because now you’ll be worried about it.”

“Worried? What do you mean by that?”

“I meant wondering, not worried,” Lissa said as she put her plate on the table and sat down.

“Of course I’ll be wondering about it. How could I not? You told me my mother is alive, that she a goddess, and that I’m going to turn into one too.”

“You’re not
turning
into one. You’re changing. It’s different. And you must learn to accept this because your life is at stake.
Other
lives are at stake.”

“So you’re really going to stick with this story? You know, they make pills you can take for craziness.”

“Legacy, you being upset and confused isn’t going to change the truth. You have a year to get ready. That’s not a lot of time.”

“And what exactly is the truth here? That my mother is a goddess, and I’ll be
changing
into one by my eighteenth birthday? Is that it? Or is a ghost going to come guide me to the mother ship where legions of trolls will dance in my honor?” Lissa opened her mouth, but Legacy stood and raised her hand. “Save it. I don’t have time to deal with this nonsense right now.”