Illumine (11 page)

"He died as al mortals do," she replied dryly. I felt my

"He died as al mortals do," she replied dryly. I felt my

cheeks start to burn and started to apologize when Kayden

shushed us both.

Pointing to a part in the book he frowned. "This whole

damn book is in scripture." He looked at Ursula. "Do you have the

key?"

"Somewhere in here, I think," she said slowly, biting her lower

lip. "I don't know where, though."

"You mean to tel me you don't have al of this in a computer

for reference?"

"Be my guest," she snapped. "I stil only have 24 hours in a

day to get things done, immortal or not."

They both began to bicker, arguing over keeping up

appearances for humans. I stared at the page Kayden had left

open. A smal picture in the top right showed two people, one of

them extending a book to the other. The one with wings, an angel I

presumed, accepted the book.

"It doesn't look like scripture to me," I said aloud. Both

stopped arguing and turned to look at me. "I can read it just fine." I

understood the scribbles on the pages perfectly, as if I had known

it al along.

"What?" Kayden paused for a moment before smacking

his head. A huge grin spread across his face. "Of course you can

read it. Don't know why I didn't think to ask you first. Wel, what

does it say?"

I started at the top of the page and worked my way down.

The aged paper crinkled under my touch. "'Their bodies are not

temples like their creators, but prisons of fire and destruction.

temples like their creators, but prisons of fire and destruction.

Once they come into age they ignite the matches of war against al

of the unholy and inhuman, leaving none safe in their path.'"

I could feel their eyes on me, their silence deafening to my

fears. "What does that mean?"

"It means you were created for war, Essalie. You're the

perfect soldier."

T E N

The next few days withered by in an uneven haze. I went

through the motions like any other person, only inside I felt

trapped. The words
'prisons of fire and destruction'
sounded

inside me with every heartbeat, as if my own blood was agreeing

with it. It made me feel sick.

I had barely even realized I was distancing myself from my

friends. Abigail was the one who took it most to heart. She

continued to make it a point to come over to my house and do

something, anything, just to see if she could snap me out of my

frozen mind. Each day ended virtualy the same; her heading off to

her car while I watched from the window, emotionless. It was like

I had been drained of every emotion in my heart.

Sitting down in the cafeteria, I couldn't help but feel like

things were spinning out of control. Each second felt like a blessing

and a curse in the same breath, and here I was choking on it. Had

it been anyone else they would have relished in the thought of being

able to wield fire like some freak-show person you see in the

movies. I didn't want any of it.

"...Essalie, did you hear me?" Abigail's voice buzzed into

my thoughts, cutting off the notions of how long it would take to

down myself. Maybe with fire retarded gloves Kayden could even

help.

Looking up from my tray of untouched food I shook my

head. "Sorry, lost in thought." I absentmindedly picked up a fork

head. "Sorry, lost in thought." I absentmindedly picked up a fork

and started to play with the pile of mashed potatoes on my plate.

"I was asking Thomas about that movie we've been

wanting to see, Witch in White. Remember the trailer?" She

paused long enough to rol her eyes. "Oh wait, of course you don't

remember. You've been too busy moping in your corner for

freaking ever."

"Easy, Abigail," Thomas muttered.

I set my fork down delicately, locking eyes with Abigail in

what I hoped was a perfect death stare. "No, Thomas. She has

something to say, let her say it. What's the matter, Abby? Am I not

fun enough for you anymore?"

"Not when you're whining like a wannabe emo and shutting

yourself in at home every day after school," she snapped. Her lip

curled into the tiniest sneer. For a split second I could see exactly

why everyone in the school found her annoying. "It never ends with

you. You're just like al those other drama queens frolicking around

this school sucking up the air."

"Good to know my problems are just a waste of your

precious air," I hissed. The burning sensation in my palms began to

streak up my arms. I could practicaly taste the fire begging to be

freed from my skin.

"What is wrong with you, Essie?" Her tone dropped to a

calmer sound. "You shut me out so fast. Aren't friends supposed to

help each other out with their problems?"

I stood up from the chair with a rough shove at the table,

my bag swung over my shoulder in the same movement. "Maybe

that's just it, Abigail. Maybe you're not so much of a friend to me

that's just it, Abigail. Maybe you're not so much of a friend to me

as I thought you were." I launched past her and out of the room,

weaving through the thinned crowd in the halways toward my car.

As soon as I was sure I was alone I yanked up my sleeves. The

sharp pinpricks of winter air made my skin practicaly steam,

crackles of blue sparks dancing off of my skin in short bursts.

Another minute and I probably couldn't have controled the fire to

protect Abigail or anyone in that room. I climbed into my car and

made sure to drive safe home, taking deep breaths to reign in my

anger.

Dinner that night was quiet. I stil hadn't quite found my

appetite.

Jayson seemed to have caught onto my mood. "You

normaly love chicken alfredo," he pointed out over a mouthful of

something fishy. "Did I overcook it?"

"No no, it's fine." I shook my head, eyes glued to the plate.

We were eating on the ceramic plates we'd both made as kids.

Flowers of al colors and sizes decorated mine. "I'm just sort of

thinking of when we were younger. Back when Mom was stil

around."

I heard him scoff and looked up just in time to see him

raise his eyebrows in shock at me. "Why would you want to think

of that? Don't you remember what she did to you?"

My eyes drifted back down to my plate. How could I not

forget running around the house al night long, hiding in the smalest

spaces just to avoid her finding me? Sounds of her thundering

footsteps and shril screeching echoed in my ears. "Can't blame me

footsteps and shril screeching echoed in my ears. "Can't blame me

for wondering if sometimes she was right."

Jayson reached out a hand to place over top mine. His

expression was one of pity. "Don't ever think that, Essalie. She

was bat-shit and everyone knew it. They say it started long before

you came around."

I swalowed a piece of pasta and ignored the churning in

my stomach. "What do you mean?" He looked away from me, his

expression guarded. "You know more than you're letting on."

He refused to meet my face. Pushing his plate away he

blew out his cheeks. "I heard Gram say something once, about

how-" he started slow like each word kiled him to speak it then

cut off with no warning. Shaking his head he rose from the table

and took his plate to the sink, the sound of running water hitting his

plate as he scrapped of leftovers. "Mom wasn't exactly a liar. You

were a little weird growing up."

Oh, wel that was good to know. I heard my voice crack

as the words ran over like a broken record in my head. "Weird like

she said? A devil's spawn, right?"

The water shut off and Jayson came up behind my chair to

place a hand on each shoulder. "No! No, Essie, not like that. You

just had a lot of imaginary friends as a kid." He laughed in my ear.

"You used to cal them your angels. I think that's what freaked

Mom out the most."

My mind replayed the night I broke out in my wild fever

and the break that came afterwards. Jayson had said I even swore

I saw our father. I inched out from the chair and swung around him

to dump my plate into the trash. "Thank you for dinner but I'm not

to dump my plate into the trash. "Thank you for dinner but I'm not

realy hungry." I didn't wait for him to come up with any reason to

save the food; I had the sinking feeling it wouldn't be long before I

stopped eating altogether. "Thanks for teling me about my past."

Jayson came to stand in front of the doorway, blocking me

in. He waited until I was looking up at him before he spoke. "Our

past. Even though we weren't before, we're in this together now."

"Why did you stay here?" I blurted out and instantly

regretted it. One heartbreaking truth was more than enough for the

day, I wasn't sure if I'd be ready for another. "I always wondered

why you never came with me to New York."

He looked oddly confused, as if I had asked him if we

lived in Switzerland. "They never told you?" When I shook my

head he frowned. "Gram had said it'd be better if we grew up

apart. That we'd do better meeting later when you'd be ready."

I felt the air deflate from my lungs as I tried to picture

Gram teling her first grandchild to stay away, like he was poison.

Or maybe it was me. Maybe I was the poison she had been trying

to protect him from. Had they known al along that I wasn't

human? That blood like fire that I could never control ran rampant

in my veins? Forcing myself to breathe I asked the only question

burning on my tongue. "Ready for what?"

"I don't know Essalie. I don't know."

Saturday came with the perfect break in the weather that I

needed. The sky opened up like the heavens spreading their arms

wide, the glowing sun offered as the perfect antidote to the

constant barrage of snow that had covered everything in town.

I had made sure that I appeared as perfectly normal as I

could to Jayson in the morning as he busied himself around the

kitchen table before work.

"Could you stop shaking your leg so much? It's kind of

creeping me out," Jayson said out of nowhere as he stood in the

halway. His Eskimo suit made him look like an over-puffed

marshmalow.

Shoot. I quickly relaxed my leg and shifted my anxiety to

tapping my fingers on my arm instead. "So you guys are going to

be trying to clear as much of the town as possible?" Apparently

some freak storm had hit in the middle of the night, leaving a freshly

polished war zone of pure white outside.

"That's the goal. I'd stay home for the day if I were you.

That tiny little thing you cal a car isn't exactly built for this kind of

weather." He turned around and looked like he was going to have

a heart attack. "Jesus, Essie, what the hel happened to your face?"

"What?" I picked up the untouched spoon for my cereal to

see what he was gawking it. A large purplish bruise crested over

my cheek bone and trailed al the way down to my jaw.

Surprisingly it didn't hurt. "Oh, hit the door frame last night going to

bed, no worries. And you leave my car alone, Shely does just

fine!" I pouted but quickly hitched a grin to get him to smile. "I

don't think I'm going anywhere. But I am going to cal the local

don't think I'm going anywhere. But I am going to cal the local

book store and see if they have the one paperback I need for

English."

He nodded as he wrapped his scarf around his neck

several times. "Sounds good. I've got a fire going in the living room,

don't touch it. It should last until I get back home late this

afternoon. And stay away from door frames, sheesh."

"Yes, Mr. Dril-Sergeant. Bye Mr. Dril-Sergeant," I

waved him out of the door, doing my best to ignore the glaring

white outside. I had a plan on how to take care of that faster than

any shovel or snow plow could ever accomplish.

Double-checking the door was shut and Jayson was gone I

sprinted up the steps, rounding the corner and stopping at the first

door on the landing. The dark mahogany wood held ornate crested

swirls like al of the other doors on the landing, only this one held a

subtle shimmer to it, as if someone had meticulously inserted little

gems into the wood. Wrapping my hand around the brass knob I

twisted it gently to push open the door.

Everything had been covered twelve years ago, back when

Mom had been taken to the sanitarium in Portland to
get better
as

Gram had told me. Thick cream sheets draped over the canopy