Orion (35 page)

The four of us were decked out for the party in “ready for battle” gear.  My favorite all in black, easy movement top and pants outfit replaced my afternoon jeans.  It was shimmery and sleek looking so I felt limber and well, like a spy.  I also felt ill, but my headstrong insides would never let it show.  The darkness moved above me.  A dark curtain of clouds covered the sky like I’m boarding a train leading straight to hell. 

“No frowns t
onight, birthday girl.” Liz popped in my face and looked me over.  “Why the get up?”

I motioned to Calum.  “His idea!” 

She just nodded and pulled me to the center of the crowd.  People were dancing to the loud upbeat music, eating tons of food that seemed to be everywhere, and here I stood, rooted to the center of it all.  And where was Calum?  He’d walked out here with me and disappeared in a manner of seconds.

“Hey there
, princess!”  I spun around eager to see my assailant. 

Lee stood close enough I was forced to step back
.  He looked me over without conscious effort but his eyes darkened a bit more than I would have cared for.  I nervously ticked my head back and forth looking for Calum second guessing my choice of outfits. 

“He
’s with his dad.” He’d guessed my uneasiness. “His father…wanted to give him his birthday present.”  I looked towards the building where Dr. Green’s office is located.  Alone?

“I thought the same thing.  I came to find you so we could go check on him.  Want to come?”

I hesitated only because…  ”Should we find Maze?”

“No time.”  He took my hand.  His touch never buzzed me like Calum
’s.  His hand was cold to me but warmed in my hand.  We snaked through the bodies dancing and made our way to the only lighted room in the Verde Building.    Funny, I never caught the name on the building before was Spanish for green.

Lee dragged me and I tried to nicely loosen my hand from his grip.  He wouldn
’t budge.  Niceties aside, I yanked my hand free.  “Use those Val skills.  That’s the girl I knew.”   He looked at me fiercely.

“When will you let it go?”  I challenged.

“I can’t.   By the gods, I’ve tried.”

I huffed and continued on to the goal at hand.

The two of us were under the window of Dr. Green’s office.  We knew before we made it this close there were three shadows standing just inside the room.

“I want you to have something that marks the turn of a new dawn on your life son.  You
’re life will change.”  That didn't sound like impending death.

Dr. Green was right beside the window now facing sideways towards the very same file cabinet I
’d stolen his stash from.  He was reaching inside the same drawer  and my ill feeling was suddenly being confirmed.  He was about to know what was missing.  I pinched Lee on the arm and signaled to the pouch at my side.  He read my message loud and clear.  We watched, wide eyed.             

His hand was in the drawer and searching.  And nothing came out.  He went in again this time with his head dipped down into the drawer and came back up empty.  I swallowed the only breath I had in me. 

Lee had my arm ensnared with his fingernails and Calum was cornered in the lion’s den.  So, I did the only thing I could! 
Knock!  Knock!

I heard feet shuffling.  The door opened.  I giggled like a school girl and walked into the office with a calm breath after running through the building at breakneck speed.  My nonexistent flirtatious side played well since I came off as a total idiot, but it somehow worked.  Calum
’s look of fear and astonishment at my inept lasciviousness was priceless.

“I found you.  Are you coming back to the party?”  I tried my best to sound jolly.  I
’d never admit it out loud, but I was very glad that Lee was by my side. 

Dr. Green was forced to speak now and I knew he hadn
’t given the gift he wanted yet.  I assumed he would have been giving him the letter.  It so happened, it was just in my pouch and now lying at Calum’s feet.  Tricky, I am.  Let’s just hope that was the intended gift.

“It
’s our birthday guys, shouldn’t we return to the party?” 

Calum looked to his father.  “I haven
’t—

“Whoa!  What
’s that by your feet, Calum?”

All eyes went to his feet.

Dr. Green choked out a cough/squeal like sound.  He bent down and picked up the letter folded and bent by Calum’s shoe.  He handed it off to Calum and moved back enough for him to have space between them, “This will change things forever.”  Calum also took a step backward putting more space between them but it was intended for me.  Calum didn’t speak as he held it stationary in his hand.  He already knew whose hand had it last but he was trying to figure out how I got it back into this hairy situation. 

“Thanks father.  I wanted this back.  I just wish I knew what it meant.”

“In good time, son.  For now, it will explain what your future holds.  I can promise you that.”  His eyes switched to me.  “And I understand you have one also?”

I nodded.  What was he getting at?

Dr. Green put it out there, “You both need to keep your eyes open to all possible allies.  Follow your instinct, Anastacia.  And Calum, let her.”

What the heck?

Dr. Green ambled to Calum again almost reluctantly.  “I have one more thing.”  A box.  Inside was a ring.  To me it looked like a small mini sized potato.

“Will you wear it tonight?” his father asked him.

A confused Calum simply said, “Yes!”

His father let us all out under a watchful Dr. Quinn and we headed back across the lawn.

I leaned in out of sheer worry from all events involved, “Why do you think he wants you to wear it?”  Suspicion clouded my brain. 

“
I don’t know, but I don’t think its intention is harm, but perhaps I should wear it since I know he’s only doing all this out of fear for me.”  I hadn’t heard him say it with his own voice, but his nervous lilt was still there.  I squeezed his arm through his jacket.

The cantankerous Lee spat nails at me as I checked to make sure he was still with us.  “
Still here, princess.”  He angered so easy so I ignored him.  My mind wandered to frivolous matters.  Birthday gifts.  I never got anything for Calum.  I kept going back the idea that he’d possibly never get to appreciate it.

“What are you thinking about?” Calum asks me.

“I’m empty handed.” He looked at my hands.   I was still walking in sync with him towards the party going on without us.  Lee walked past us to Maze.

I felt
Calum’s hands grab mone, sans the gift I don’t have.  I sighed heavily wishing I’d gotten the three or four possibilities I’d tossed around in my head.  Maybe I could give him something else.  Non-tangible.

His hand whipped up to my face so I stopped and turn to face him.  I press into him wholly and kissed him with everything I
’ve ever had because I was scared and it gave me some small amount of joy.  He returned with fast quick kisses that take my breath faster than any fight could have ever done.  I might not ever kiss anyone again. 

We kept
the momentum until finally he pulled back, smacking our lips apart and holding my shoulders just far enough away from his that I was forced to stare at his closed eyes and heavily breathing mouth.  This moved me to want more and I close in for it—

“Stace!  Stop!”

“What?  Why?”  I whined.

“Stace, this is torture.”

I smiled a little.  “Good.  Then you’ll want more after this is all over.”

“Want is an understatement.  This is…you are everything all rolled into one.  I want everything.  Your kisses, your laughs, your whispers, your body, all of it.”

I clucked my tongue, “I can’t give all that. Let’s get this over so we can move on.  This school year will be over in three months and we can move on to whatever happens next.  You never know where life takes us.”  I sure didn’t.  I relished in my wondrous epiphany.

I tug
ged his arm, but he’s not finished.  I spun back from my forward step and find a necklace, shimmery in the moonlight, dangling in my face.

“I didn
’t wrap it.  I didn’t want to waste time letting you see it.”

Interesting conclusion to come to.  I watched it swing back and forth in front of me.  It couldn
’t have been bought hence the missing wrapping and possible box it should have come in.  Plus, it was a ring added to a gold chain.  He was waiting for me to take it, respond, or something else.  I reached out and wrapped my hand around the coldness of the heart shaped pendant around my neck and moved to grab the sparkly new one inches from my face now. 

“It belonged to my mother,” Calum said softly.

I breathed loudly at the resemblance to the one on his hand. This was no accident or sweetly though out gesture. “Why are you giving it to me?”

“Because it
’s beautiful like you.   And…my father told me to give it to you.”  Calum lost any sincerity in that moment.  He could have just told me. 

My face fell.  I shouldn
’t have let it, but the last little comment dampered every part of my classical endearing moment that just ended at receiving my first gift from a guy.

He
didn’t misread me and said, “He wanted me to give it to you when you got here as a welcome gift but then changed his mind and told me it wasn’t time yet.  I thought it weird myself until I met you.  I’d give you anything.  And then after he gave it to me mine, I thought it might make a great surprise for your birthday since he reminded me I hadn’t given it to you yet but wouldn’t explain the mystery behind it.”

Okay, after getting over the fact that this gift was not thought out from any possible romantic vibes I was very reluctant to take it, but I was more curious why Dr. Green felt it important for me to wear it.  And why Calum just lied since he had to have it on him before his father just handed him his own.  “Why do you think he wanted me to have it?  Especially if it belonged to your mother.”

“Because it actually belongs to you,” a voice from the darkness moved in closer.  Dr. Green! We both jumped away from each other farther apart.

Dr. Green actually smiled.  “It
’s okay you two, but remember what I said earlier.”  His glazed over eyes moved over to me alone.  “When my wife died, she left an envelope hidden in a place where I’d predictably find it.  It was with this note among other items and what convinced your father and I of Calum's link.”

             
              He handed it to me.

Dear daughter of Anat,

You will
be magnificent one day.  Take care of my son and keep him safe.  Wear this ring and never doubt its protection.  It belongs to you now.  Your doubts are most likely swimming around you as you read this, but know that your mother and I were very close before I lost her.  I promised to help and this is my gift.  This ring is more than it seems.  It will protect your darkest secrets if the need be. 

             
                                                        With love.

Calum was waiting impatiently.  I hadn
’t shared all the letters my father gave to me with Calum.  Inside the first and only letter I read, my mother told my father that I wasn’t completely human or Valkyrie.  I am half god, goddess, or whatever that means. But either way, I will have to distance myself from Calum if I survive this until I know more.  I can’t lead him on anymore. Even his father’s
fatherly
looks made sure of that.  I am starting to think everyone can see us better than we see ourselves. 

Calum grabbed the letter and read it as I watched his frantic eyes sweep the page.  I knew when he was finished and star
ted to reread the note again probably in total disbelief and confusion that
his
mother wrote a letter to me.

“
I don’t expect you to understand all this.  I only gave one to you first son because it felt right to do.  You have a relationship with the young princess.  I know that whatever happens tonight, the two of you have to survive.  I ask that you don’t hate me after certain events have taken place.  It all had to happen to keep the order of things.  There are other letters telling of the rest of us.  The likelihood of myself surviving is well…”

Calum stepped up to his father but was cut off.  “Son, I
’ve done everything I could.  You’ve taken care of her very well.  Now, protect what you’ve got.  Wear this without fail.  Some who appear as enemies will be your greatest allies.  Others less down on the food chain have ultimate gains at the hands of both of your deaths.”  He wrapped his hand around the ring.  Funny how it transferred hands. 

“And for the record, I think your father raised a very wonderful young lady and I
’m glad your brother recovered well.  As for my son, I can’t lose him.  So be sure both of you survive.”