Dark Destiny (36 page)

Wednesday, 6:58 am

The morning sun rose in the window, adding a layer of warm light to the living room. Sitting side by side on the plush couch, Sebastian and Sara stared directly across from them at Cole Thompson, their science teacher. He leaned back in the plush recliner, a mug of coffee in his hands, seemingly relaxed. He told them a story that took place five hundred years ago in a muddy English town. The story would have been unbelievable, but so many strange things had happened to Sebastian and Sara in the last few days that anything was possible. The story Cole Thompson told them was about the moment when Death found him in an alleyway and saved his life. He left out the details of Imogen, their daughter, and the promise he had made to not have children. He could only hope that Sebastian would not get his memories back. If he did . . . well, that could be bad.

Cole also explained that some of the Souls of Purgatorium had the ability to listen to their conversations at night, even here in the world of the living. It was wise, he said, to wait until the sun came up to answer their questions about Sara, about why they wanted her, and what a Revenant was.

As for the Archangels, Cole explained that his bell offered some protection from them, indeed was capable of hiding them from the Angels while in its vicinity.

With his eyes on the window and the rising sun, Cole began speaking more quickly. “I think the Seals are at work here, that somehow you’ve been manipulated from the very start.”

Sebastian tilted his head to one side, listening intently.

“The Seals?” he said.

“They are powerful, Sebastian. Some say they rival the power of an Archangel. Maybe stronger.”

“How do you know this?” Sebastian asked.

Cocking his head, Cole gave an uncertain smile. “Sebastian, I’ve been here for a very long time. This whole thing, everything that’s happened, tells me the Seals are at work. From the death of Sara in the first place to your own choice to bring her back.”

This time, Sara interrupted. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand. These Seals? What do they want with me?”

Cole lifted the gaudy “#1 Mom” coffee mug and brought it to his lips. He wanted to draw out this answer as long as possible. He inspected the craftsmanship of the mug. Typical. Something you’d find at a tourist shop or dollar store. He had become accustomed to drinking from his own fine China.

“Mr. Thompson?” Sebastian asked.

“Ah, yes,” replied Cole. He took another sip of his coffee, then took a deep breath and set the cup down on the wooden coffee table in front of him.

“There is a Hierarchy of Souls,” he told them through steepled fingers. “In order to go up the chain, you need to absorb a higher level Soul’s, er, soul. It’s how you take their power.”

“So, what does that have to do with Sara,” Sebastian asked.

Cole bit his lip, unsure how to break the news. He exhaled. “Once you reach the level of Shade, there is only one level higher: that of a Seal. And there is only one way to get to that level.”

“Which is?” Sebastian urged.

“You must consume a Soul who has been ripped from the Light. A
Revenant
. One who has been reborn into life.”

“They want my
soul
!”

“Not happening,” Sebastian added.

Cole nodded. “It’s an extremely rare process, as you can imagine.”

The pieces of the puzzle jiggling around Sebastian’s head started falling into place. “So, that one I saw on the throne. That was the leader I presume, right? And the reason he wanted Sara was to absorb her Soul and become a Seal?” Sebastian asked.

“If he is destined to become so, yes,” Cole answered.

“What does that mean?” Sara asked.

“According to the ancient prophecy, certain humans throughout history are destined to become Seals. The Roman emperor, Nero.” He gestured with his hands, continuing his thoughts, “Cleopatra, the last active pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. I don’t know who the others are, but from the start these individuals were destined for greatness. Even in death.” Cole rubbed a hand over his dark stubble.

“How many are there?” Sebastian asked.

“Last I heard, there are five active Seals,” replied Cole. “Each one with a more dangerous and unpredictable Gift.”

Sebastian frowned, shaking his head.

“So I shouldn’t have . . .” he trailed off and gazed at Sara. “I didn’t know I’d be placing her in such danger.”

Sara reached over and put a warm hand over his, squeezing it gently. They sat in silence for a moment before Sebastian glanced up at Mr. Thompson.

“Five Seals,” Sebastian said distantly. “That means previously, in order to create them, someone must have ripped down five Souls. But who has the power to rip down Souls to create Revenants?”

It hit him like he’d been sucker punched in the gut.

“Me. I’ve done this before, haven’t I? The Seals exist because of me.”

Interlocking his fingers, Cole dropped his gaze down to the coffee table. He could not answer this question.

“But, why?” Sebastian wondered. “I mean, I understand why a Shade would want to become a Seal—to achieve more power or whatever—but, right now, you think it was the Seals who killed Sara and then manipulated me into bringing her back?”

Cole nodded. “Correct.”

“Why would the Seals be interested in creating another Seal? Why would they go through this much trouble?”

“Right now, they are at five. In order to complete their numbers, they need to be at seven. According to the prophecy, they cannot begin their plan unless they are complete,” said Cole.

“Their plan,” Sebastian said, more an echo than a question.

“What happens when they are complete?” asked Sara, leaning in closer.

The words slipped out in no more than a whisper, “The End.”

A car horn honked from the outside, startling them. Sebastian was the first to get up. He hurried to the window. “It’s Hope.”

“Hope Ryan?” Cole asked. “What is she doing here?”

“Looking for her brother,” said Sebastian.

“Oh,” Sara said, her eyes downcast at the living room carpet.

“Am I missing something?” Cole asked.

“Later,” Sebastian answered, hurrying to the front door before Hope could come inside.

Sebastian closed the front door behind him and felt the cold breeze on his face. With a forced smile, he asked, “Hope, what are you doing here?”

She shut her car door and made her way around the front of the car to stand in front of her friend. Her nostrils expanded and contracted, as if she were very angry and trying her hardest to control her breathing. “I’ve been waiting for you to call me and tell me something. Anything. Have you heard from him? It’s been three days and I still haven’t heard from him. Something is seriously wrong.”

Sebastian’s eyes shifted back and forth on the grey asphalt of the driveway.

“I’m sure we’ll hear something soon,” he muttered, hating himself for lying to her.

“Is that Mr. Thompson’s car?” Hope asked, pointing at the metallic blue BMW in the driveway.

“Um, yeah. He came to talk to my mom about what happened with me at school,” Sebastian said, unable to make eye contact with her.

“Oh. Well, I want to talk to your mom. I’ve decided to report Jared as a missing person and I thought it might be easier if I just talk to her about it,” Hope said, walking past him toward the front door.

“She’s not home yet!” Sebastian said, turning toward her.

Hope paused and turned back to Sebastian, her eyes narrowed, giving him a suspicious look. “Then why is Mr. Thompson here?”

Scratching the back of his head, Sebastian knew he’d done a fairly decent job of lying to Hope the first time. Now, it felt like there was a lump in his throat. He was tired, his brain hurt, and he couldn’t think of a proper excuse. “He just
—
um . . .”

“You’ve always been a bad liar.” Then he saw something light up in her eyes. “Is Jared here?”

Before he could stop her she rushed to the front door.

“No, Hope, wait!” Sebastian said trying to catch up to her.

She flung the door open before it occurred to him he should have
blinked
in front of her. Of course,
blinking
would not have gone over well, but it might have been easier to explain than what Hope would find inside.

Hope walked into the house and stopped dead in her tracks at what she saw.

“Sara,” she whispered. An eerie controlled calm washed over Hope’s face.

Mr. Thompson sat primly in the recliner. His eyes were wide with surprise and contained quite a bit of guilt as well. He tried to hide his discomfort by taking a sip of his coffee. It was cold, and he grimaced. His slurp broke the silence.

Sebastian came up behind her. He tried to steady his breathing, to stay calm. He was at a loss. What was there to say? How could he explain this?

Hope stood for a moment, just blinking. Silent.

Sara stared back at her. She shrugged her shoulders casually.

The movement seemed to jar Hope into action. “I—I thought. That Jared was —here. And, I . . . I’ve been worried about him so I
—
”

She swallowed hard. “I—I should go.”

She turned sharply, wringing her hands together, and walked past Sebastian through the still open front door.

With his newfound senses, Sebastian turned and followed her. Her breaths came hard and with a wheeze.

“Hope, wait,” he said, grabbing her shoulder. “I can explain!”

“No,” Hope said, pulling away. “It’s okay. I’m okay.”

She reached for her car door, her head shaking back and forth trying to comprehend an impossible situation. Her keys fell from her hand, clattering on the driveway. She bent to retrieve them and stood, one arm on the car hood for support. “I don’t understand. It’s impossible. It’s
—
”

He stood beside her, not sure if he should touch her or not, not sure what to say. She set her eyes on him, dark green eyes roiling with the storm within her, almost about to cry, but that expression of sadness on her face fell and was quickly replaced by anger.

She breathed in deeply. “Sebastian! What. The.
Hell
!”

“Oh, God,” Sebastian whispered.

Explaining everything might have been easier when she was sad and open to hearing an explanation. But when she was mad, it seemed like nothing could get through to her.

He stared at her as she stood there, hands clenching back and forth from fist to palm over and over again. He saw a flash in her eyes and was pretty sure it meant she was considering knocking him out.

“Just don’t be mad at me,” he begged.

“Sara’s alive? My God, Sebastian, we went to her
funeral
! You
cried
for her. Was that even real?” She pushed forward, her hand clenched in a fist, raising it to strike.

Sebastian had never seen her like this before. This angry. Afraid she was going to hit him, he flinched and took a step back.

“Yes!” he pleaded. “It was real! Just let me explain.”

Stopping herself, she put her hands down and took a deep breath. “Is this like some sort of witness protection thing or something?”

“What? No!” Then he thought about that question. That explanation might actually work. “Actually . . .” he added casually.

“You’re about to lie to me again!” Hope said, pushing him hard in the chest. “You know what? I don’t care.”

She stepped to her car and flung open the door. “I just don’t care.”

“Hope, listen!”

“No,” she cried, pointing at him. “I’m tired of your lies! I’m done, Sebastian!”

She let a beat pass and then said more calmly, “Don’t call me, text me, or even look at me. If you do, I swear to God, I’m going to lose it and straight up murder you with my bare hands.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“Yes, I do,” she said softly. “I can’t take this anymore. A friendship cannot be based on lies. And that seems to be all you ever do anymore.”

Sebastian’s jaw dropped. His eyes shifted back and forth, the wheels turning to think of something. “I—I talked to Jared last night!”

That caught her attention. She turned back to him, tilting her curiously.

“What did you just say?” Her voice came out with eerie calm.

“Sebastian?” They both turned toward Sara’s soft voice. She had come out of the house and taken a seat on the hanging porch swing. She tucked a strand of her dark brown hair behind her ear and stared at him intently, a warning in her eyes.

Sebastian ignored Sara for the moment. He had to tell Hope something. He needed to fix this. “I said, I talked to Jared last night.”

Hope’s resolve stayed, her lips pressed into a thin line. “What did he say?” Her voice was hard.

“He said he’s fine. And he’ll see you tonight.”

“Sebastian?” Sara said again, a little more desperation in her voice. Again, Sebastian ignored her. His eyes remained fixed on Hope’s.

“Are you lying again?” asked Hope, glaring back at him.

“Hope, I swear. As God is my witness, your brother will be home tonight. Alive and well. I will go and get him myself.”

A tear fell from her eye. “You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep.”

“You’ve known me for almost all of my life. Have I ever let you down before?”

“You have lately.”

“Have I ever made a promise I couldn’t keep?”

That gave her pause. Again, she pressed her lips into a thin line. “I guess we’ll just have to see.”

Hope got back into her car, pulled into the street, and drove off. Sebastian stuffed his hands in his pockets, and with eyes fixed on the asphalt, he slowly walked back to the porch.

When he reached the swing, he took a seat beside Sara and decided to lay out his plan.

“What are you doing?” Sara asked, her voice still soft. “You better have been lying to her because you know you can’t bring Jared back. Not after what Mr. Thompson just told you. No way.”

“No. Sara, listen,” Sebastian pleaded. “When I brought you back, I ripped you out of the Light. That’s where I messed up. That’s why the Angels came. To take you back.”

“What if the same thing happens with Jared?” Sara pleaded.