Chosen (39 page)

But before that dream was realized, they were both blind to when a crystal was being used.  That is, except with his pendant.  The ruby hanging from his neck could
detect
the after-effects of an activated crystal.  It could detect the leftover aura that seeped away from a crystal that had been used.  Moreover, it marked the intensity of that use.  It could tell them how much power had been drawn through the crystal based on how hot it grew.  His father laughed at the cheap toy the first time he had brought it to him, but he knew, that on the darkest nights, his father was working to replicate the ruby’s secret.  His father had never been able acknowledge his son’s accomplishments much less to praise them. 

“I saw her today, son.”  His father’s voice took on a more conciliatory tone.  “And you were right.  She is the one.”

The boy’s eyes widened in surprise.  Never before had he heard those three simple words. 
You
were
right
.  Elation, such as he never felt before, flooded his entire body.  He had been
right
, and his father admitted it.  It was the closest thing to praise he could ever expect.  He reveled in the moment.

“Don’t get too far ahead of yourself, now.”  His father smiled.  The mood swing had passed, and the boy had survived the worst of it.  “There is still plenty to do.”

“Tell me what, and it shall be done.”

“Don’t play coy.  You know what we need yet.”

“Yes, I do.” 

“We’re closer than we’ve ever been, son.  With her here, we can finally unlock the secret of harnessing the crystals.  And with them, you and I will revolutionize the modern world.  The power of the crystals gives us an unlimited source of energy, and when we tap it, it will be the greatest breakthrough in mankind’s history.  We’re going to change how the entire world runs, son.”  His father was trembling with anticipation.  “You know what happens next.  We control the vital resource, and he who controls the resource controls the fate of the world.  We will make billions of dollars together, son.  Trillions!  The crystals will give us power to rule the world, and then everybody will cower before me!  Everybody!”  A bit of spittle flew across his father’s desk.  The man noticed it, took a deep breath, and composed himself.  “The crystals will give us an unlimited source of energy, son.  Do you realize how much that’s worth?”

“Of course I do.”  He had thought about it every day for the past ten years.

“The oil sheiks will pale in comparison to who we will become.  There is no oilfield in the world that is worth a tenth of what we have here.  A hundredth!”

“I know, father.”

“Good.”  The imposing man grinned.  “It will be just like the sorcery of the stories.  And only you and I will know the truth of it.  Together, we will alter the very fabric of entire nations!”

Together
.  That was what the boy was searching for this whole time.  Companionship, accompanied by a sense of worth.  Fulfilling father’s requests would finally grant him that.  But there was one problem, a contingency of sorts.  While he knew the solution, he was not quite ready to face up to it.  “…others know of it too, father.”

His father waved a hand dismissively.  “They will be taken care of in time.  You understand, of course, that it is vital for us to be the
only ones
to know how this works?”

“Yes.”

“Good.  Once we get Tracy on our side, we can set about disposing of the others.”

The boy gulped.  “Yes, father.”

“And so, the next time we speak, you will have accomplished what I expect?”

“Of course, father.” 

“Good.  You will need to bring her to us.”

“I understand.”

“Good.  You may go.”

He started to turn away, but hesitated for a sliver of a second.  His father’s sharp eyes caught the pause.

“There is something else?” his father prodded.

The boy closed his eyes.  He had hoped to avoid speaking of this.  “There is… a complication.”

“Oh?” His father raised an eyebrow.  “You’re not having second thoughts at this stage, are you?”

“Of course not!  But… it’s something else.”

“Yes?  Do not be afraid to tell me, son.”

He took a deep breath.  What he had to reveal could threaten his father’s entire life work, and he did not want to think of it.  But he could not hold secrets at this stage.  “There is someone else.”

“
What?
” his father hissed.

“Another guy.  A brat, really.” 
Rob.
  How he detested him.  “I’m afraid there might be something between them.”

“Well, son, I trust that he will not be a problem?”

“I… I don’t know.”

“Come now, my little Casanova.  I am sure with your charm and wit you can win her over for us.”  Was his father
mocking
him?  No.  He refused to believe that.  “But if this truly is the case, it means that time is running short.”

“I understand.”

“She is not slipping away from you, is she?”

“No.”

“You need to bring her to us.  She has to be on our side.  This… other boy… he
cannot
stand in the way.”

“Yes, father.  It is a complication, but…” he lied, “…I can take care of it.”

“See that you do.”

He bowed slightly, and turned away.  Just as he reached the great doors, his father called him again.

“Chris?”

The boy looked back.

“Bring her to us,
tonight
.”

Chapter Twenty-Five – A Confrontation

A knock at the door made me turn from my bed.  I was wearing my robe, bundled under the covers after a hot bath, daydreaming about Rob.  Could that be him?  My heart skipped a beat at the thought.  I jumped out of bed and ran to the door.

My hopes plummeted.  It wasn’t Rob.  It was Chris, and he looked… not angry exactly, but somehow glowering. 

“Tracy,” he nodded, letting himself in.

I gaped as he walked into my room.  Wow.  Talk about awful timing.  Chris, who was the other boy I kissed.  How did that happen again?  After a moment it all came back, and I was ripped rudely from my daydream.  It was the moment after he saved my life, when I was trapped in a whirlwind of emotions.  In comparison to Rob, Chris had been fumbling and inept.  When I kissed Rob, I could feel the passion explode between us.  He had wanted me more than I’ve ever been wanted before.  In comparison to him, Chris was a mere child.

“Chris,” I said, caught off-guard.  “What are you doing here?”

“We had to talk.  Remember?”  He sat down on the edge of my desk.  “I was waiting for you that day, but you never showed up.”

“Right.  I…”

“And I’ve been to your room many times since then, but you never answered the door.”

“You were?” I said, mocking surprise.  “I never heard…”

“Don’t lie to me!  I know you were in here.  You’ve been avoiding me after what happened.  Why?”  For a second, the mask he wore broke, and I could see the hurt in his eyes.  But then it was covered up again.

“Chris,” I said slowly.  I was in unchartered territory here, and had no idea what to do.  “I wasn’t avoiding you.  I was just… busy… with other things.”

“Busy with other things, huh?”  He sneered.  “You’re lying, Tracy.”

“I am not!  That’s the truth.  School’s started, and—”

“I know
school’s
started, but you can’t pretend you’ve been busy with that.  Hell, the teacher’s haven’t even handed out a single assignment yet!”

“Maybe not in your classes,” I said desperately.

“We’re in the
same classes
, just at different times!” Chris yelled.  I was taken aback.  I’d never seen him angry before.

“Look,” I started, “I’m sorry if I’ve done something wrong.  There’s just been so much going on, and I’ve been feeling very overwhelmed…”

“Not good enough, Tracy.”

“Will you just listen!  I know I said we needed to talk, and I meant it.  But other things just kept getting in the way.  If you can’t tell, I’m not very good at this yet!”

“Good at what?” he asked enticingly.

“At everything!  People, relationships, everything that’s new here!  If you haven’t noticed, I’m a little bit out of my element.”

His face lit up at the mention of a relationship.  “Does that mean… you wanted to have a relationship… with me?”

I exhaled.  How to let him down easily?  “Chris, listen.  You’re a great guy.  Really, you are.  And I treasure our friendship—”

“So no!” he spat.

“I didn’t say that!” I defended.  “Just listen, will you?  What we shared that night was amazing.  I had a great time.  And I want to spend more time like that with you in the future.  But… maybe back then I was a little lost… in a different way than right now.  And even though I thought I did want a relationship back then, I’m just not sure I’m ready for it now.” 

“So no,” he repeated, more slowly this time.  “I knew it.  It’s Rob, isn’t it?”

“What? No!”

“I can tell you’re lying to me, Tracy.”

“I am not,” I defended, crossing my arms.  “If you’re going to make false accusations like that, you might as well just leave.”

He smiled ruefully.  “Except that we both know it’s not a false accusation, don’t we?  I saw you and Rob together today.  He took you up to the observatory, didn’t he?  That’s where he takes all the girls.”

“No,” I denied.

“You thought you were special to him, didn’t you?  They all fall for that.  He’s cunning, manipulative.  He preys on vulnerable girls here, just like you.  Didn’t it seem odd to you that he appeared right at the moment you were at your weakest?”

I shook my head.  “That’s not what happened.”

“Except that we both know that it is.”  He stared right at me, until I had to lower my gaze.  “Rob isn’t the prince charming you think he is.  He doesn’t actually care about you, Tracy.  He has a slippery tongue, and will say whatever it takes to get a girl to fall for him.  You were just his latest victim.”

“That’s not true!” I whispered.

“Oh, but it is.  He’s developed quite the reputation for that around here.  I know you don’t want to believe it.  But, think!  He’s not always so smooth and composed, is he?  Don’t you remember?  That night at the party, when he yelled at you?  That’s who he really is.”

“You weren’t even there…”

“I hear things.  I see things.  I
know
things, Tracy, and I know you rejected me for him.  But the truth hurts now, doesn’t it?  Your precious Rob is just using you as his latest exploit.”

“That’s not true,” I said again.

“It is!  It is, Tracy.  You’d see it if you just opened your eyes.”

“Get out,” I said quietly.

“What?”

“Get out!” I screamed.  “Get out of here, Chris!  Just leave me alone!  I don’t want to hear your lies anymore!”

He pushed himself up from the desk and spread his hands.  “Fine,” he said calmly.  “If you want me to go, I will.”  He walked toward the door, and I stepped to one side to let him past.  I was seething inside.  He left the room, and I went to slam the door behind him, but his foot in the doorway stopped me.

“One last thing, Tracy,” he said in a very level voice.  “I had hoped you wouldn’t push me to this, but you leave me no choice.  If you truly value your friends, you’ll meet me tonight, at midnight, in the crystal cave.”  With that, he strode down the hall.

I slammed the door after him.  What did he mean by that?  I didn’t know.  But, I was so angry I didn’t care.  How dare he accuse Rob of such things?  Of course everything Chris said was a lie.  Why, then, was there a sliver of doubt in my mind?  Could it be that, deep down, I believed what he told me?  That I wasn’t the only one to be taken up to the observatory?  Mired in frustration, anger, and uncertainty, I threw myself on the bed and started to cry.

***

It had been dark for a few hours when I got a knock on my door.  It sounded urgent.

“Go away!” I yelled.  I didn’t want to see anybody now – least of all Chris, whom I suspected might be coming back to apologize.

The knock came once more.

“I said, go away!” I yelled again.

There was a pause.  And then I heard a muffled voice.  “Come on, Tracy!”  It sounded like Ashley’s voice.

What was she doing here?  The knock came again, and I got out of bed.  “Coming!”

I opened the door, and found Ashley there.  Except that she wasn’t alone.  Behind her were Madison and Eve.  But – strange, I thought – there was no Liz.  All three of them were soaking wet, like they had run through a rainstorm.  A
 
clap
of thunder shook the entire building.  What were they doing here?