Flight of Life (Essence Series #1) (39 page)

Calloway left the house and locked the
door behind him. The winter air chilled his bones but Calloway
didn’t retreat to the warmth of the house, choosing to let the cold
numb his already frozen heart. He walked across the front lawn and
heard the crunch of the frozen grass beneath his feet. When he
reached the middle of the road he tightened his jacket around him
and shoved his hands inside his pockets. The Christmas decorations
on the outside of the houses shined in the dark and gave Calloway
some comfort on this lonely night. Everyone was sleeping in their
warm beds, oblivious to the battle going on around them every day.
There was no anxiety that clenched their hearts with every
beat.

He walked down the deserted street and
didn’t see a car in sight. He felt more alone in the world than he
ever had. The holidays were the most painful days of his life and
he hated the depression he felt. Even though he had the love of his
aunt and uncle and he had great friends, he still felt empty and
hollow, like something was always missing.

When he thought about his father he
felt more solidified with his decision—that his father was fighting
for the Life. He recalled when he received the chest as a young
child. His Uncle Scott placed it into his bedroom and said it was
his toy box. Calloway knew it belonged to his father but he never
corrected him. When he looked through the box all he found was old
history books and a few notes, but he was illiterate at the time so
he abandoned the contents of the box and left it
forsaken.

When he was older he rummaged through
the box again and uncovered the notes that were inside. He still
remembered the words of the letter.

It is safe at the Grandiose Historian
Library but it needs to be retrieved eventually. The Hara-Kir will
figure out the location of the Kirin Book soon and they will take
it. It’s important that we don’t let this happen. It won’t be on a
bookshelf—somewhere out of sight.

S. M.

It wasn’t a direct letter but Calloway
assumed it was meant for him. If not him, then he didn’t know who
else it would be intended for. His father specifically mentioned
that it needed to be kept away from the Hara-Kirs, so why would he
be working for them? And it was impossible that he was a rogue
Hara-Kir. If the note was meant for Calloway, then why didn’t his
father explain his whereabouts and where he was headed? But then
again, Easton’s theory could be wrong—he might be dead. Calloway
was frustrated that he didn’t know. He remembered the letter that
warned him about the Hara-Kirs.

They are devilish creatures, demonic in
nature and sound, and they seek to destroy what is good and worth
preserving. They are not to be trusted or engaged directly. They
need to be avoided at all costs—do not approach them.

Again, the note was written in a way
that indicated it was meant for someone else. It had to be a
warning, telling Calloway to keep away from these demonic beings.
When Calloway searched through the textbooks he found a few
drawings of the features of the Hara-Kirs and some details in
different notebooks, indicating their life purpose and intent. That
was all the information that his father left him.

There was no message that pertained to
the gifts in the box, which is why Calloway never knew their
purpose until recently. The orb lit up when he needed light and the
lock picker seemed to work on every door—he figured that out
alone.

He knew in his heart that his father
was a good man—he wasn’t evil. Sven wasn’t working against them by
aiding the Hara-Kirs. He helped their cause but everyone assumed he
had a sinister motive simply because he wasn’t here to explain
himself further. Calloway knew his father was committed to doing
what’s right—he would never fall into shadow.

Weston’s lack of trust in him was
heartbreaking. He had proven himself as her ally and friend, and
the fact that she assumed he was related to someone who did evil
things angered him, especially since it wasn’t true. Calloway
walked for a long time without any specific direction. When he
finally looked up from his feet he realized he was at Weston’s
house. Her car was in the driveway and all the lights were off.
Calloway stood there for a long time before he turned away and
walked back home. He wasn’t sure why he came here—he didn’t
remember coming here to begin with.

The fact that Weston even suspected he
would be tempted to aid the Anti-Life broke him—he would never do
that. And of all people in the world, he thought she understood
this about him. He always made it clear that he wanted to serve a
cause that was greater than himself; to help save the word. The
idea of doing anything else was absurd. Weston understood him in a
way no one else did—he was certain of that. He didn’t understand
why she turned away from him. Calloway would give his life and
complete devotion to protect the Life and was determined to finish
his father’s work—it was his purpose.

The sight of her kissing someone else
made his stomach fill with burning acid. She wasn’t interested in
him and made their platonic relationship clear, but the sight still
broke his heart. She never misled him but somehow she still stole
his heart. He felt connected to her unlike anyone else and he
thought the feeling was mutual. Calloway wasn’t sure why it
bothered him so much—she was just a friend.

Calloway walked the icy streets for an
hour before he returned home. There were no cars on the streets and
all the houses were dark while everyone slept in their warm beds.
He wondered what Weston was doing, and if she was sleeping, what
was she dreaming about? He decided to stop thinking about Weston.
She didn’t have feelings for him—she never would. The only person
to blame was Calloway himself—he let this happen and he needed it
to end. He was just going to get hurt repeatedly if he didn’t halt
these feelings now.

When he came inside he ran his hand
under warm water to thaw his frozen extremities then he returned to
bed but he still couldn’t fall asleep—he just lied
there.

He was determined to fight for life,
destroy the Hara-Kirs, and survive the rest of the year of high
school. He didn’t know what was in store for him, but he suspected
the second half would be as worst as the first. But it didn’t
matter. Calloway would never give up. That wasn’t an
option.

The story continues….

The Tale of Life

(Book Two of the Essence
Series)

Available Now

About the Author

E. L. Todd was raised in
California where she attended California State University,
Stanislaus and received her bachelor’s degree in biological
sciences, then continued onto her master’s degree in education.
While she considers science to be interesting, her true passion is
writing. She is also the author of the
Soul Saga Trilogy, The Alpha Series, and her bestselling
novel, Only For You, the first installment of the Forever and
Always Series.
She is
also an assistant editor at Final-Edits.com.

By E. L. Todd

Soul Catcher

(Book One of the Soul Saga)

Soul Binder

(Book Two of the Soul Saga)

Soul Relenter

(Book Three of the Soul
Saga)

Only For You

(Book One of the Forever and Always
Series)

Forever and Always

(Book Two of the Forever and Always
Series)

Edge of Love

(Book Three of the Forever and Always
Series)

Force of Love

(Book Four in the Forever and Always
Series)

Fight for Love

(Book Five in the Forever and Always
Series)

Lover’s Roulette

(Book Six in the Forever and Always
Series)

Happily Ever After

(Book Seven of the Forever and Always
Series)

Sadie

(Book One of the Alpha
Series

Elisa

(Book Two of the Alpha
Series)

Connected by the Sea

(Book One of the Hawaiian Crush
Series)

Breaking Through the Waves

(Book Two of the Hawaiian Crush
Series)

Connected by the Tide

(Book Three of the Hawaiian Crush
Series)

Taking the Plunge

(Book Four of the Hawaiian Crush
Series)