Kallos (Kallos Series) (8 page)

“You want them to live with us?”

“We do have the spare room, and they would just be there to make sure what happened this morning won’t happen again. I know it was hard on you and Mom, but Dad they are the only ones who can take away my pain. I need them. Please Dad?” He doesn’t say anything for a few minutes; he just typed on his computer.

“You will have one of them in every class.” He looks away from the computer screen and looks at me. “I don't want to see you in pain again, Sweetie. It was so hard to watch you and not be able to do anything. I guess they will just have to stay with us.” She tells herself not to smile even though she wants to. She can tell that he isn’t happy about this, but he knows that it is the only way to relieve her pain.

“Thank you, Dad.” She stands to leave; when she gets to the door, she stops. “By the way, Sean said that they would be there at six.” As she is walking out of the door, she can hear him swear.

Kallos begins walking to her next class when she sees Karissa heading towards her, and Karissa doesn't look happy. Kallos isn't in the mood to deal with drama, so she tells herself to look at the ground and keep walking. Too bad, Karissa stops right in front of Kallos, blocking her path. Kallos slowly looks up her body to meet her hazel eyes.

“So, do you mind telling me what happened at lunch today?” Karissa asks. Kallos knows that living in a small town means that everyone knows your business, but she is not going to tell her. What happened between her and Sean is none of her business.

“I do mind. I need to get to class.” Kallos tries to move around Karissa, but she is faster than Kallos and grabs her arm.

“I told you that Ian is my best friend. I will do anything to protect him. He has had his heart torn out before, and I won’t let it happen again. You're running off with his brother is not a good idea.” Her hold on Kallos tightens. Kallos gasps between the pain and Karissa’s hold on her; she doesn't think she can handle much more. “I want to like you, I really do. But you see you are starting to get this reputation, and it’s not a good one,” Karissa’s face is inches from Kallos'. Looking into Karissa's eyes, Kallos can see that she doesn't think of Ian as a friend. She is in love with him.

“Kallos!” She looks ahead to see Ian coming toward her, and Karissa just turns her head to the side. Karissa is still holding onto her arm tightly when Ian is only a few feet from them. His face shows no emotions. “Kris, what’s going on?” Karissa glares back at Kallos and lets go, but she doesn't step away. Karissa turns around to face him.

“We were having a little girl talk,” she says, sounding sweet as ever. Kallos shakes her head in disgust and looks at Ian. His beautiful sky blue eyes are staring at her.

“Kallos, I’m going to walk you to our class.” He walks to her and holds out his hand. She places hers in his; she feels his heat and calmness pass through her. She can feel Karissa’s eyes on them as they walk to their classroom. Ian teases, “Well, I see that you’re making friends.” Kallos looks over at him and sees that he is grinning.

“I guess you can say that,” she smiles back at him; then, she remembers that Sean told her that Ian had gone home early. “I thought you left.” He stops and looks at her.

“I did, but one of us has to be with you at all times. Your dad caught me right before I found you. He gave me Sean’s and my new class schedule. He also told me that he spoke with each teacher and made sure that we are sitting next to you.” His other hand comes up and caresses her face. “We better get to class before we’re late. I’m pretty sure that would make your dad really mad.” He smiles at her and continues to walk to English class.

The last three hours of the day went by pretty fast. Kallos just opened her locker when a paper with her name falls out. She quickly grabs it, opens it, and smiles when she sees whom it’s from.

My Beauty

I had to head home and grab some things. Please call me if you need me sooner, but I will be there at six. See you soon! Sean

She folds the note back up and puts it in her pocket. The two boys are completely different, but they can both take away her pain. She is going to try to contact Aphrodite and ask her about the soul mates. She has always heard of having one, but maybe she’s special. She closes her locker and heads to her dad’s car. He is already waiting for her, and he’s on the phone. The whole way home he doesn’t say anything, which is weird. When the car stops, his voice surprises her.

“Kallos, your mother wasn’t too happy about two teenage boys living with us. She knows that it has to be this way for you. We don’t want you in pain.” He pauses for a minute and looks at the house. “You don’t know how hard it was seeing you in pain and not being able to do anything. I know it killed your mother.” He looks back at Kallos. “Your mother and I wanted to tell you about being adopted, but we wanted to wait until you were a little older. You are our daughter and that won’t change anything. You know that right?” She nods and can feel the tears burning in her eyes. “Good, now let’s go inside.” They walk to the house, and she notices that her mom isn’t waiting for them. She finally looks at her dad, and he gives me a little smile. She can see the tears in his eyes.

“Dad, I’m going to take a nap.” I start to walk towards the stairs.

“Kallos,” she turns to look at him. “When the boys get here, we all need to talk.” She nods at him and continues to her bedroom. She walks in and closes the door. She places her bag by her desk and walks over to her bed. She lies down and tells herself she has to sleep. It doesn't happen right away; she closes her eyes and remembers what Aphrodite told her.

Kallos thinks about the perfect blue sky, bright green grass, and the beautiful waterfall. She thinks about all the flowers and how they smell so wonderful. The last thing she thinks of is Aphrodite. Kallos pictures Aphrodite in her white dress and her long beautiful hair. Kallos can smell Aphrodite, and she grins. She can feel a cool breeze on her face. She slowly opens her eyes and smiles. She did it. Kallos turns around and is amazed. It seems more beautiful than the last time. She can see Aphrodite sitting by the water. Kallos walks over to Aphrodite who turns her head to Kallos and smiles. Kallos walks over to her and sits next to her.

CHAPTER SEVEN

“Hello my dear,” Aphrodite says and smiles at Kallos. She still can't believe that this is Aphrodite.

“Hello Aphrodite.”

“What’s wrong?” Kallos laughs at her.

“How did you know something was wrong?”

“Kallos dear, I could see it in your eyes. Has the pain started?”

“Yes, but that’s not why I am here. I have a question about soul mates.” Aphrodite nods for Kallos to continue. “Can I have two soul mates?”

Aphrodite's eyebrows go together. “What do you mean two soul mates?” Aphrodite's voice is hiding something.

“Well, when I am with each of them, I don’t feel any pain. When I kiss them, I feel the exact same thing. I’m so confused; please, help me.” Kallos narrows her eyes at the goddess.

“Well, it sounds like you may have two soul mates. I have never heard of that, but if they both take your pain away, that’s a good thing.” Kallos looks down at her feet. She was hoping that Aphrodite was going to help, but it doesn't look that way. She knows it’s a good thing that she doesn't feel pain when she is around both of them. But she really wants to know which one… Suddenly she looks up at Aphrodite and sees her watching her.

“I may have something that may help you. Will you give me a minute?” Kallos nods and Aphrodite vanishes into thin air. Kallos wonders if that would be one of her powers. She is looking at the spot where Aphrodite disappears into thin air, and suddenly reappears just as quickly. Kallos jumps because she isn't ready for that, and Aphrodite just smiles. Kallos glances down at Aphrodite's hands and can see that Aphrodite is holding two necklaces. They have all black polished beads. “Kallos, this necklace will help you find your soul mate. You see how it’s all black?”

She pauses and waits for Kallos's response; Kallos nods. “When your true love puts it on, it will turn sliver. All you have to do is take it from me, but you can never drop it. Bring it to your face, and ask it to help you find your soul mate. Then, you kiss it.”

Kallos reaches out for it, and Aphrodite hands it to her. As soon it touches her hands, she gasps. It feels like it is burning right through her hands. Kallos looks up at Aphrodite who just nods. “It will get better.” Kallos brings the burning black necklace to her face, and can feel the blistering heat against her lips…

“Please,” Kallos has to pause; the burning is almost too much, “help me find my soul mate.” She swears it grows warmer when she asks. As soon as her lips come closer to it, she wants to pull away. When she places her lips on the necklace, she is thankful that it cools down. She sighs in relief; the necklace is like ice cold water relieving a burn. It is almost as if it’s telling her that it’s sorry. She looks back up at Aphrodite, and she is grinning. “So, all I have to do is put it on them, and it will change?” Aphrodite nods and hands Kallos a second necklace. Kallos groans and repeats the process.

“I will make sure that the necklaces will return with you. Normally you can’t take anything from here, but I will allow this.” Aphrodite walks over to Kallos and hugs her. “Everything will be fine, my dear. Remember, I am always with you.” She leans in and kisses Kallos’ forehead. “Good bye, Kallos,” and she vanishes. Kallos really does hope that she gets that power.

She shuts her eyes and thinks about being home in her bed soft and warm; and is surrounded by all of her things. She thinks of her parents and of the Hunter boys, which makes her smile.

Kallos is holding the necklaces tight in her hands and feels the cool air on her face. She knows that she is home. She looks at her alarm clock, and it’s almost time for Sean and Ian to be here. She sits up and takes a deep breath. How many people find their true soul mate? She knows that it can’t be many. She can hear her dad yell for her. She gets up and glances in the mirror. Her hair is a complete mess, and most of her makeup is on her pillow. She sighs; she doesn't have enough time to fix herself up. She sets the necklaces on desk next to her laptop in her room before heading downstairs. Kallos stops just shy of the bottom of the stairs and fingers combs her hair and wipes her fingers under her eyes to clear off the blackness from her eyeliner and mascara. Thank goodness she doesn't smell. She walks towards the voices; she sees Ian and Sean sitting in the living room.

When Kallos walks in, everyone stops talking. She narrows her eyes at the boys, and they look away. She looks at her mom, and Mom looks different. Her mom’s normally beautiful face has no makeup and Kallos can see the dark circles under her eyes. Kallos also notices that her mom's face is red like she is angry. Her mom never gets angry. She is the gentlest person ever. Kallos looks at her dad and he’s the only one who keeps eye contact with her.

“Kallos, why don’t you sit down?” She nods and heads to the couch. Ian and Sean move apart so that she can sit between them. When she is sitting down, they both grab a hand. Her dad clears his throat; Kallos squeezes both of their hands and let’s go. “We are going to have some rules for you two living here. First rule is that you two aren’t allowed in Kallos’ room alone. The second rule is that you will be home by five on school nights. And, the last one but certainly not least is when she is in pain you two will be there, no matter what time. Do you two understand?” Her dad’s voice cracks a little.

“Yes sir” they both say together.

“Mr. and Mrs. Dean, all we want is for Kallos to be safe and not be in pain. We both went through it, and you can’t comprehend the pain. It is the worst pain in the world. It feels like your body is being slashed into million pieces. I watched my brother go through it first, and it frightened me to death,” Ian says. Kallos feels bad they had to go through that pain alone, and they are here to help her.

“Ian is right. We just want to help, and we will follow all the rules you set. We can even help by bringing her to school.” Sean says.

“That would help. But be warned that she likes to take her time in the mornings.” Her dad says with a grin.

“Dad!” The boys and her dad laugh together. Kallos' mom is still not saying anything; she is looking across the room, not looking at anyone. Kallos looks up at her dad and he just noticed her mom. His smile is gone. She knows that her mom isn’t too happy, but she doesn’t realize she was this mad. Each boy grabs a hand; she feels better right away. “Mom?” she asks. She doesn’t look at her, but Kallos knows that she heard her. Kallos squeezes Ian’s and Sean’s hands; then she lets go. She gets up and goes to her mom.

“Can Kallos and I have a few minutes?” Her mom asks. The guys nod and leave the room.

“Mom, what’s going on? Do you hate me?” Kallos' voice is shaking at the last question. Her mom turns around to face Kallos, and she’s shaking her head.

“Sweetie, I could never hate you. Is that what you think?” Kallos just nods because she doesn't trust her voice not to break. Mom comes closer to her and takes her hands. “A week after we adopted you, we got a letter in the mail. It told us about you and what you are.” She pauses and looks down at Kallos and smiles. “We didn’t believe a word of it. We thought some crazy person was messing with us, until what was in the letter started to come true. It told us about what would happen to you. It spoke of your change and your true soul mate. When I noticed that your birthmark was getting dark and more detailed, I knew.”

She looks away from Kallos. “Then this morning, I was so scared and so hurt. As your mother, I felt that I should do something. But I couldn’t do anything to help you, and I felt useless. The letter told us that we couldn’t do anything for the pain. It said we might even cause more pain if we touched you. We have been waiting for over a year now for your change. Since you are sixteen, we were hoping it wasn’t going to happen. I guess we were wrong.” She looks back at Kallos, and Kallos can see the tears welling up in her mother’s eyes. “Now, you know everything.” She smiles at Kallos.