From Deities (19 page)

I debated if I
should go after I got the text from Ian regarding the study session—especially since Mason asked me not to be friends with him—but wanting to find out more about Mia gave me the drive to go. The fact that I really
did
need some tutoring was another reason.

Ian texted me to meet him at one of the classrooms in the math building. Heading there, I still didn’t know if it was a good idea, yet my gut feeling said Ian wasn’t the one I needed to fear. Pushing the door open, I entered a large room that was set with tables and chairs. Scanning from one end to another, I saw Ian looking at me with a grin. It made me feel uncomfortable…it was the kind of grin that was a bit too friendly.

“Hey, Skylar. You made it.” He guided me to his group.

Seated were his friends, three guys and one girl. They looked like normal human beings; I couldn’t believe I was thinking like that. With the vultures evolving, who knew? After the introductions, I tossed my backpack down and pulled out my notes.

Ian started talking about mode and medium while looking at his lecture notes. I tried to follow as best I could. Missing a few classes had really screwed me over. I was going to have to pray to pass this class. Hopefully, today’s study session would be enough for the test that was scheduled for tomorrow.

The noise caught my attention. The guy across from me, named Todd, kept tapping his pencil annoyingly. His dark hair and body structure reminded me of one of the vultures that had attacked us at the restaurant. When I glanced up to meet his eyes, he stopped tapping, and spoke. “Ian, why don’t you give the real definition of statistics?”

I could tell Ian didn’t like his question and wondered why.

“I already did.” Ian scowled and gave him a confrontational look.

“No, you didn’t.” Todd uncrossed his legs, leaned forward, and bored his eyes to mine. “Statistics is the collection of analysis, explanation, and data for science usage. You see, Sky…lar, statistics is used to measure the outcome of what happens when blood mixes with blood. What is the percentage mode of creating that perfect specimen when given a percentage of the component?”

What was he talking about?

“That’s enough.” Ian’s tone was commanding and sharp.

Todd was explaining statistics all right, but it was definitely not math. Wanting to be as far away from there as possible, I grabbed my bag and stood up. At that moment, I knew if I didn’t get out of there, I might not make it out at all. Now, the rest of his friends were darting their eyes at me as if I was some kind of freak. “I gotta go. Mason is on his way.” I purposely looked at Ian and started heading out the door.

When it didn’t seem like anyone was going to stop me, I sighed in relief and was just about to turn the knob when it opened itself.

“Going somewhere?” Mia goaded. “Now that I’m here, let’s start this session.”

I didn’t get a chance to say a word, nor did I get out of the door. Mia grabbed my arm and tugged me back to my seat. When she pushed me down, she purposely shocked me.
Dammit, she’s gonna get one back!

I looked to Ian for support, but he couldn’t offer any. “What do you want?” I asked.

“We know who you are,” Todd said, glaring at me with disgust. “We need you to help us find a stone.”

Stone?
Zara talked about stones, but I wasn’t really listening. I recalled her mentioning that her sister had the stone and it would help them with the war that was supposedly coming. Now, my curiosity was piqued. I needed to find an out. “You could have just asked me instead of luring me here,” I snapped. “And what makes you think I’m going to help you? Who are you guys, anyway?”

Todd seemed irate. His eyes turned the color of silver, as his hand sparked with light. He tried to hide it, but how could anyone miss it? “We’re the same as you, but we’re not like you.”

I flashed my eyes to Ian, but he wouldn’t look at me. My gut feeling told me he was a descendant of a god, but I guessed he would let me know when he was ready. “So…why do you need a stone? What kind of stone?”

Mia’s pacing back and forth was driving me nuts. Her high boot heels were clicking away. A part of me was thinking she may do something I wouldn’t like behind my back, such as shock me just for fun. Mia leaned down and hissed in my ear, “Do you have the stone? We know you were with the others.”

They were spying on me?

My anger brewed, and I whipped around, staring her squarely in the eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You guys are crazy.”

“I already told you, she doesn’t have a clue what we’re talking about,” Ian said to Todd.

“She’s Victor’s kid. She has to know,” Todd retorted.

“She doesn’t like her father. They don’t have that kind of relationship.” How did Ian know? My heart dropped hearing his words. He was acting like a friend when all along he was trying to gather information about me. It was the act of betrayal that hurt me the most, not so much from missing his friendship. For sure, from this day forward, I wanted nothing to do with him.

“Are you sure you’re not hiding anything from us?” Mia asked Ian. “I have eyes. I see the way you look at her.” Her tone was full of jealousy.

Ian didn’t say a word.

“Let’s try this again.” Mia lowered herself to me. Her eyes were dark and demanding, as if to show me she was in charge. “Where…is…the…stone?”

“Again. I have no idea what you are asking me. You want a stone, go to the park and find one.” I grabbed my backpack and headed for the door, but just before I turned the knob, Ian was standing there.

“I’m sorry. I should have handled this better. I’ll talk to you later. Just cooperate or there will be consequences by a higher order.” His tone was serious and worried. It didn’t feel like a threat; it felt more like he was concerned for my well-being.

I didn’t care what he had to say to me. As far as I was concerned, our friendship was over. It happened so fast that I didn’t realize I had done anything. My hand went straight for his chest, and because of my powers, he flew back, crashing into a table. Looking over my shoulder, I checked to see if he was hurt, though I didn’t know why I cared. Seeing he was okay, I bolted out the door. Since no one came after me, I assumed they finally got the point. Either they believed that I had no idea what they were talking about, or they would find another way to get an answer from me.

IAN never showed
up for the Statistics final exam, which made me wonder if he was even enrolled in the class at all. I was more than happy winter break was starting and I didn’t have to see him, at least for a while…or never, which would be even better. However, his last words stayed with me: “Just cooperate or there will be consequences by a higher order.” 

I planned to tell Mason about the incident as soon as I had the chance. I was happy we were going to the lake house—it was going to be a great distraction—somewhere I didn’t have to constantly look over my shoulder. However, it also meant we would have to make the decision about whether we were going to help Zara search for her sister. Although my dad hadn’t paid a personal visit, I knew Noah and Tim were around at times. They never showed themselves, but I felt their presence when I was on campus. I might have protested if I saw them, but honestly, it gave me comfort so I welcomed it.

“You have a beautiful place,” Kayla squealed, glancing around.

I had to agree; the lake house was as beautiful on the inside as out. With simple décor and furniture similar to the cabin, I felt right at home. Just like the cabin, there were no other houses near us. It was peaceful and secluded.

“Why don’t we unpack first?” Nick suggested. “Then we can take a tour of the house and have dinner outside by the lake.”

“That sounds good. Everett and I will kick start the grill.” Amanda grabbed Everett’s arm and tugged him out the door.

After we settled our bags, I called my mom to let her know I was with Mason, then we headed out to the back. It was the coolest thing to see the lake just a short distance away. The grand body of blue water was calm and peaceful. Since there was no one around, we had the whole lake to ourselves.

The smell of chicken and steak roused my hunger pangs and made me turn to the grill. Everett was standing there, humming a song while flipping chicken. Amanda was next to him, doing the same. It was comforting to see them having fun, as if nothing bothered them, but I was certain they had a lot on their minds, just like me. The side dishes they’d brought from home looked delicious, too: salad, corn, rice pilaf, and even cheesecake for dessert.

“I’ll be right back.” I thought that was what Mason said, but I wasn’t sure.

I was just about to help Everett flip the steak when Mason pulled me so fast, I didn’t have a chance to get ahold of the tongs. I guessed when he said “I” he meant we.

“Mason,” I giggled. Having no choice, I ran beside him, down to the lake. His hold was too strong. “What are you doing?”

Mason stopped when we reached a small rowboat next to the dock, which he gently pushed into the water. “Get in.”

After Mason helped me get in, he shoved it away from the dock, giving it momentum and jumped in. Picking up the oar, he stared to push through the water.

“I wanted some alone time with you. I didn’t think you would mind.”

“Nope, not a bit.” I moved next to him. Watching him use his forearm to shift the oar made me want to touch where it flexed. It was hard not to admire that god-like body, perfectly toned with all of the right curves.

Mason grinned. “What are you staring at?”

“You know I’m staring at you, so don’t give me that sexy smile…or I’ll just have to do something about it.”

“You can take me to the naughty corner.” His lips curled into a crooked smirk.

“Now you’ve done it.” I couldn’t help myself; I dove in for a kiss. Mason dropped the oar inside the boat and placed his hand on my face. His tender lips were hard, devouring me with hungry passion, and I was returning it with the same desire. My body started to tingle and become warm; I felt it from the tips of my fingers down to the tips of my toes.

When Mason reached lower and his hand skimmed down to my waist, I lost control. I knew we were lighting up like a light bulb when I had to squeeze my eyes shut to block the brightness. When I opened them out of curiosity, electric lights glowed between us. Not only that, they wrapped around the boat, lighting it up, too. Mason pulled back with laughter, looking at what we had done, and I couldn’t help but laugh, too.

“Well, at least we didn’t shock the hell out of each other.” Mason chuckled, stroking my cheek. Then he became serious, gazing deeply into my eyes. “Always be safe, Sky. I would die if something were to happen to you.”

I snuggled against the palm of his hand. “How do you think I would feel if something were to happen to you? Just keep that in mind before you do something crazy.”

Mason gave me a quick peck on my forehead. “That’s the reason we are all staying close to home.”

Mason put a picnic blanket down and gently lay me next to him. I snuggled against him, stretching our bodies the length of the boat. While we cuddled, Mason stole a few kisses here and there as we stared up at the blue sky. The extra blanket on top of us kept us warm from the winter’s breeze.

“I should probably wait till Christmas to give you your gift, but since I have you all to myself….” The blanket ruffled when Mason reached into his pocket. He lifted my arm and sat up. “I like to think that you’re always mine, Echo, but the truth is…I’m forever yours.” He placed a bracelet in front of me. It was engraved Forever Yours.

“Mason,” I murmured, sitting up, admiring it. “And I’m forever yours. It’s beautiful. I love it.” I gave him a long kiss. “You’ll have to wait till Christmas to get yours.” Little did he know that I had planned ahead. I had asked Nick to place a package in his room for when we got back from our lake trip.

Mason slipped his hand on my waist while the other one pulled me in. “I don’t need anything. I just need you.” Then our lips collided; it was long and sweet. Mason pulled back and rested his head on mine. “We should go back before I kidnap you and never let you go home.”

“Maybe I’ll let you.”

Mason chuckled at my words and settled back into a rowing position. Once we got back to land, he lifted me out of the boat, swung me around, and placed me on dry land. While holding hands, we walked back to the gang.

After we’d had our fill of dinner, we kicked back on the patio sofas and stared out at the lake, except for Nick and Kayla; they went back inside the cabin. The body of water became black and murkier when the sun started to set. I could see the small boat that Mason had tied next to the dock, which seemed endless from here. What gave that area a romantic feel were the dimly lit lights along the dock. It surely stood out from the darkness.

I shivered from the soft cold breeze that brushed against my face, but the blanket kept me warm, and so did Mason’s body next to mine. Feeling me shudder, he pulled me closer and tightened the blanket around us.

“Have we made our decision, yet?” Amanda asked, crossing her legs and leaning back on the reclining lounge chair.

Everett pressed his back against a tree, twirling a stick in his hand. “If we’re voting, I agree with Mason. We stay behind. Something could happen to one of us and I won’t take that chance. We’ve been safe for this long. We’ll be fine.”

Mason kissed my forehead and idly rubbed his thumb on the top of my hand. “What do you think, Sky? I have my own opinion, but I want to know how you feel about this.”

I nestled closer to Mason’s body. We were already aligned together, but I needed more of him. “I don’t know what to do, but I’m concerned about what she said at the end. It’s like she knows it’s going to happen whether we agree to it or not.”

“I hate this,” Amanda added. “Being in constant danger sucks. We can’t catch a break.”

Everett picked up a pebble off the ground and flung it to the lake, but it was difficult to see how far he had thrown it due to the darkness. “It’s better to be safe than sorry.” Everett started walking. Our conversation stopped as we watched him walk across the dock in silence. When he was far enough that he couldn’t hear our conversation, Mason spoke.

“He’s had the worst among us,” Mason explained, keeping his eyes on Everett. “His whole family was wiped out from the vultures…his younger brother, sister, and his mother. Honestly, I don’t know how he survived. He was a mess at the beginning, but now he seems at peace with all of it. I’m sure he has rough days, but he has never complained. He never felt sorry for himself. In turn, he became like a big brother to us. He was the one that kept us safe all these years.”

“He’s a big guy, with tough skin and a big heart,” Amanda said, her eyes locked on Everett.

It was funny that Amanda would say that, because it was exactly how I would have described him.

Mason lifted the blanket halfway. “We should get to bed. It’s getting late and we have a full day of fishing tomorrow.”

Amanda uncrossed her legs and sat up straight. “Yeah, let’s go.”

I swung around to plant my feet on the dirt and looked down when I felt water underneath my shoe. At first I thought I had spilled a drink, but there were no cups around. When I saw more water flowing, I panicked and jolted up so fast that I bumped into Mason. My eyes flew to Everett, who was the closest to the water. I released a sigh of relief, but when I saw yellow specks of light glistening across the body of the lake, my heart took a dive and I lost my voice to call out to Everett.

My wide, frightened eyes and me pointing at the water got Mason and Amanda’s attention. They both shot their eyes to my line of vision. Mason shouted for Everett while he ran toward him, but he stopped suddenly. The calm, steady lake started rocking back and forth, creating waves like the ocean.

What I saw next didn’t seem possible, but it happened. Tiny, ball-shaped water drops started rolling out of the lake, heading toward us. It looked like thousands of small, florescent, glow-in-the-dark marbles. Before they reached us, they gathered into several groups. Then the water balls rapidly started to build and stack on top of each other. It was creating something…lots of things. The only good thing about them was, they were lighting up the darkness. We could clearly see what was around us.

“Everett!” Mason yelled, unable to reach him.

Everett ran toward us, but he had to stop. A wave of water jetted out from the lake and froze in place. It was the same colors as the glowing balls—yellow, orange, and red, overlapping. It completely surrounded Everett, imprisoning him. “Mason, run,” he bellowed. “Take the family and run! Now!”

Mason didn’t respond; I knew he wouldn’t. Our focus was now on what was coming toward us. It was the most amazing, overwhelming sight. The water balls were taking on the shapes of human beings, yet they were as clear as water and they glowed. As I watched them move, they became more solid in appearance, but continued to remain translucent.

At first, I thought they were the water creatures that had tried to drown me, but then I recalled Noah talking about water vultures. Either way, my legs were planted firmly, unable to move from fright. Mason used god-like speed to come stand beside me. I knew he was torn between saving his brother and protecting me.

“Amanda, go get Nick,” Mason ordered.

Amanda snapped out of her shock and took off as fast as possible.

I panicked. “What about Everett?” 

“I’ll go after him as soon as Nick is by your side. Ready, Sky? Can you light up?”

My fingers were already twitching. “I’m ready.”

“Whatever you do, stay away from the lake and stay close to Nick.”

“I’ll try.” I nodded.

“That’s not good enough, Sky.” Mason’s tone was stern and urgent. “Do you understand? Nothing can happen to you. Stay. Close. To. Nick.”

Mason twitched when Nick appeared. I’d seen him in action before, cool and collected, but he wasn’t right now. Was he sensing the same feeling as me? That something bad was about to happen?

“What the hell?” Nick had to take a moment to calm down.

“Where’s Kayla?” I asked.

“She fell asleep. I was asleep, too, until Amanda woke me up.”

“Stay beside Sky, I’m going after Everett. Don’t lose sight of Sky.” Mason took off, flashing his bolts. One went through the core of the water creature. It exploded into tiny little water drops, only to fall right back to the shape of its entity as if nothing had happened.

Nick and I followed behind Mason, shooting bolts to help Mason get a clear path to Everett, but when icicle-like spears started coming toward us, it was getting difficult to do our part. Even Amanda’s sword went straight through without harming them.