Tale of Life (Essence Series #2) (29 page)

“I’ve always wanted to do that,” he whispered.

He turned away, leaving Weston standing alone in her yard, and walked down the street back to his home. His last moment with Weston numbed his heart substantially but the pain was still excruitiating. If only he had Weston’s love, everything else wouldn’t seem to back-breaking; it would be irrelevant. But he accepted the loss. Weston would never be his and shouldn’t be anyway—not when he was as dangerous as he was. Even though he was committed to fighting for the Life, he knew that wouldn’t be enough to keep Weston in his life. Weston deserved the best—nothing less.

The Quorum

“So, we are agreed then?” Easton asked, driving down the road toward Weston’s home. “We aren’t going to tell Weston the truth about Calloway—or what we think is the truth?”

“No,” Breccan said. “It’s already unlikely that he’ll be accepted into the White Wing as it is, and that knowledge would just make it impossible. Since we know Calloway has nothing but good intentions I think we should keep it that way—among the three of us.”

“But if they do accept him into the White Wing, aren’t they going to test him to verify that he isn’t a Hara-Kir?” Easton asked.

Calloway felt his body flinch when he recalled the biological test he did with Marquan. “Wait,” he said. “Marquan checked my DNA and said it was one hundred percent human.”

“What does that mean?” Easton asked. “That you aren’t a Hara-Kir?”

“But he doesn’t have an essence,” Breccan said. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Unless someone took it from me,” Calloway said. “But that still doesn’t add up. Why would I still be alive if I didn’t have one? I thought the essence was essential to human function?”

“I don’t know,” Easton said as they approached Weston’s neighborhood. “But doesn’t that mean you aren’t a Hara-Kir? That’s good news, right?”

Calloway shook his head. “Marquan must have done the test incorrectly,” he said. “I have to be a Hara-Kir—there’s no other explanation.”

“But you don’t make hissing noises like Frankenstein,” Breccan said.

“Well, I could if I tried,” Calloway said. He started to hiss like them, trying to sound demonic and frightening, but it wasn’t quite the same.

“Let me try,” Breccan said. His hiss sounded like a high-pitched scream.

“We are getting off track here,” Easton said. “If the test is incorrect, it doesn’t matter—Calloway is still safe. He can work in the White Wing and no one will ever know of his true lineage.”

Calloway shrugged. “I guess,” he said. “It’s still deceitful.”

“Well, it’s for the greater good,” she said. She stopped the car in front of the house and they climbed out. “I hope you and Weston can control your temper around each other today.”

Calloway never told his friends about the evening before, when Weston held him in her arms and ran her fingers through his hair. He said nothing about the innocent kiss. “I think we’ll be fine. I understand her point of view.”

“You understand that it’s stupid?” Easton said, walking up to the front door. “My sister is very smart but she only sees in black and white. Sometimes she can’t see the big picture—she’s a dud.”

“It’s okay,” Calloway said gently. “She’s just trying to do what’s best for humanity. She has good intentions.”

Easton shook her head. “My
sister is annoying—just admit it.”

Calloway smiled. “She can be a little irritating.”

“Well, thank you for the compliment,” Weston said, smiling as she opened the door. “And here’s some advice: don’t ridicule someone while standing on their front porch because they’ll hear you—and they might have a shotgun.” She turned away and let them walk into the house. “Why are you here?”

“We wanted to talk to you,” Easton said.

Weston took a seat at the table and drank from her coffee. “About what?” she asked.

“What is the White Wing planning to do about the attack?” Easton asked.

“That’s none of your business,” Weston said. “But I can assure you we’re taking care of it.”

“Did you tell them about Calloway?” she asked.

“It came up,” she said. She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest.

“And what do they plan to do with him?” Easton asked.

“Nothing at the moment,” she answered. “Some of the members are exploring the portal entrance today while the others are trying to decipher the Kirin Book, in addition to researching Calloway’s father.”

“Let me know if you find anything,” Calloway said.

Weston nodded.

Easton stared at her sister. “Since they know about Calloway, we want you to introduce him to the society. Try to get him in the White Wing. He’s obviously very useful to you and your cause, whether you trust him or not.”

“Like I said before,” Weston said. “I have no control over who they admit into the society.”

“But you could still suggest him or have the quorum meet to discuss it. You know that Calloway is useful—he should be a part of your society.”

Weston sighed. “I don’t know.”

Easton leaned toward her sister. “Answer me this: do you think Calloway is devoted to protecting the Life?”

Weston turned to Calloway, who had his gaze averted, and then back to her sister. “Of course I do.”

“Good,” Easton said. “I was going to slap you if you said otherwise. So isn’t it in our best interest to have him as an ally? He can confide all his knowledge to you, knowing you trust him, and help you reach your goal. He’s been to the Anti-Life so he’s incredibly useful.”

Weston pushed her cup away. “I’ll see what I can do. But If I get the quorum to congregate that doesn’t guarantee anything. After they hear all the evidence, they could kill Calloway for being treasonous. I really have no idea how they will react.”

Calloway swallowed the lump in his throat, suddenly feeling frightened.

“Knowing that, do you still want me to approach them?” Weston asked, looking at Calloway.

He was quiet for a moment. The idea of being killed for doing nothing wrong, just having a bad circumstance made his heart palpitate. Not having an essence made his impending death even more frightening, but he didn’t have a choice. His fight against the Anti-Life was useless unless he had aid. “Yes,” he said. “I want to help, even if I have to risk my life to do it. It will only prove my commitment to your cause.”

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“Yes,” Calloway answered.

“Okay,” she said. “Let’s go.”

“
Now
?” Calloway asked, surprised that this was going to happen immediately. “Don’t you need to organize this?”

Weston grabbed her keys from the counter and walked to the door. “No,” she said. “It won’t take long to organize this. I know they are interested in you, Calloway, so I’m sure they want to address this quickly.”

The three rose from the table and followed her outside the door.

“I’ll meet you there,” Weston said as she got inside her car.

Easton drove them to the campus across town and Calloway sweated the entire time, overcome with the anxiety of the impending moment. His shirt started to stick to his body from the accumulated moisture and his mouth felt parched from the loss of fluid. He had no idea what to expect and he certainly didn’t expect this to happen so suddenly. If they found him too suspicious and untrustworthy, they might just kill him where he stood. Knowing he didn’t have an essence made him even more frightened. If he died that would be the end of it—he would be gone.

When the campus came into view, Calloway clenched his fists together, trying to remain calm.

Easton saw his unease in the rearview mirror. “You’re going to be fine, Calloway. You have Breccan and I to testify for your goodness, in addition to Marquan’s DNA results. They have no reason to reject you.”

Calloway sighed. “I sincerely hope you’re right.”

They parked the car and climbed out of the vehicle, following Weston to the White Wing building. When they walked inside, she pointed to the chairs in the sitting room, which was vacant of other students. “Wait here,” she said.

She turned to the right and disappeared down a hallway that Calloway hadn’t noticed before. He wondered where she was going.

“I would have dressed nicer if I knew this was going to happen,” Calloway said. He felt his knee shake as he sat in the lounge chair, unable to control the spasm in his muscles. Sweat drenched his palms and he wiped the moisture on his pants. “Don’t give Weston the letter if they kill me.”

Easton raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” he answered. “Besides, she already knows how I feel about her.”

“Did you tell her?” Breccan asked.

Calloway sighed. “She already knows.”

They sat together for an hour, talking about irrelevant things to keep Calloway calm. He tried to focus thoughts on something else, anything else besides his upcoming trial, but his mind constantly shifted back to the thoughts that made his heart palpitate.

“You’re going to be okay, Calloway.” Easton smiled.

Calloway was too nervous to even speak.

A woman emerged from the hallway that Weston had disappeared through. She had long brown hair and a petite waistline and she was taller—taller than Calloway. “The quorum is ready for you, Mr. Martins.”

Calloway took a deep breath. “Wish me luck,” he said.

“Break a leg.” Breccan smiled.

Easton grabbed his hand. “If you can travel to the Anti-Life, then you can do this, Calloway. Just remember that.”

He nodded. “Okay.” The woman turned around and walked down the hallway, Calloway following right behind her.

“Is there something specific that I’m supposed to do?” he asked, running his hands through his hair.

“Just answer the questions that are asked of you,” she said without turning around. Her heels echoed on the wood floor and were amplified in the hallway.

“Do I look okay?” he asked.

She smiled. “You look fine, Mr. Martins.”

“Should I bring anything?” he asked, sounding more frantic by the second.

“Just answer the questions that are asked of you,” she repeated. She stopped in front of a wide, black door and stared at him. She was wearing a black skirt and a white blouse. She reminded Calloway of a secretary. “Are you ready?” she asked quietly.

Calloway shook his head.

“Well, you better be,” she said as she opened the door.

Calloway followed behind her and stepped into a large circular room, which was comprised of rows of seats that all faced a single chair in the center of the dais. There were twenty lights pointed at the chair, casting a large shadow on the rest of the room. It reminded Calloway of a theatre stage, where you couldn’t see the people in the audience because of the powerful gleam of the stage lights. He could make out the silhouettes of bodies but nothing more; their faces were cloaked in darkness. He wondered if Weston was among the invisible people.

“Calloway Martins?” asked the man sitting in the podium in the front of the room. He was the only person with a visible face, which was covered with wrinkles and gray hair.

“Yes,” Calloway said.

The woman behind him closed the door and disappeared, leaving Calloway standing alone in the dark room. It felt sinister and creepy, standing under the blazing lights that heated his body. But at the same time he felt frozen, looking out into the blackness of darkness.

“You may take a seat,” the elderly man said.

“Thank you.” Calloway walked into the center of the room and sat in the chair, staring into the black bleachers, wondering who was looking back at him.

“My name is Leo Palmer and I will be the proctor of this trial.” He looked down at the notes in his hand and read aloud. “Calloway Martins has been accepted into the university with a full scholarship. While his grades were mediocre, his SAT scores were remarkable, only a few points away from a perfect score. Mr. Martins wishes to become a member of the White Wing, according the Weston Rivers, who says we should consider him in light of his accomplishments.”

Calloway wasn’t sure what the man meant by his accomplishments, but he didn’t dwell on it, focusing on controlling his face and stopping the sweat that dripped down his forehead.

“Mr. Martins has discovered the portal entrance to the Anti-Life and traveled through it yesterday to discover the plans that the Hara-Kir have made for us, intending to destroy the livelihood of humanity in the hope we will fall prey to despair and give up our essence willingly. Without this vital knowledge about their plans, we wouldn’t be organizing a counter strike at this moment, searching for spies that have infiltrated our society.” He turned the page of his notes and continued to read on. “However, Calloway has special circumstances that need to be addressed. According to Ms. Rivers, Calloway has possession of Anti-Life gifts, which can only be found on the other side of the portal, and he claims they were given to him by his late father. This arouses concern for it elicits many questions: how did his father locate these gifts and what is there purpose?” He looked from his notes and stared at Calloway. “What is your explanation for this?”