Flight of Life (Essence Series #1) (30 page)

Aunt Grace placed a plate of cookies on
the coffee table and Calloway took a seat on the couch and ate one.
He leaned back in the chair and focused his thoughts on something
that didn’t make him depressed. There was one topic that came to
mind and he concentrated on the memory.

A knock on the door shattered his
thoughts. He opened the front door and saw Easton on the porch.
“Weston said we can go to the White Wing,” she said without
preamble. “I’m going to try to steal the decoder.”

Calloway nodded. “Okay,” he said. “Come
inside.” Easton walked inside as Breccan came down the stairway.
“We’re going to the White Wing,” Calloway said before Breccan could
ask. “Hold on a second.”

The brown purse that Aunt Grace used
every day was hanging on the coatrack. Calloway grabbed her wallet
and shoved five hundred dollars inside. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s
go.”

“
Mom,” Breccan yelled into
the kitchen. “We’re going out.” He shut the door behind them and
got inside Easton’s car.

They drove to Fresno University across
town and took the back roads to the White Wing hidden in the small
forest. There were cars in the dirt parking lot and Calloway
wondered how many students were inside. When they reached the front
door, they saw Weston waiting for them.

“
Hey,” she said. “Are you
ready to start your research?”

“
Yeah,” Easton said.
“We’re thrilled about completing a bogus assignment.”

Calloway stopped in front of Weston.
She was wearing black tights with high-heeled boots and a long
sleeve sweater. Her hair fell across her shoulders and he smelled a
hint of vanilla. He stared at her for a moment before he addressed
her. “Thank you for letting us use your library.”

“
Of course.” She smiled.
She turned to Easton and glared at her. “Why is Calloway the only
who has any manners?”

“
Because you embarrassed
Hawk in front of the whole school,” Easton said. “Calloway is
indebted to you.”

“
No,” she said. “He’s a
gentleman. You should try it sometime.”

“
Since I’m not a guy, I’ll
pass,” Easton snapped.

Weston ignored her comment. “Let’s go,”
she said as she opened the front door. They followed her into the
lobby and saw the chairs filled with students that were reading by
the light of the different hearths. They were drinking cups of
steaming liquid and they looked comfortable in the cushioned
chairs. Calloway wanted to fall asleep every time he walked into
that room.

They walked up the staircase and moved
into the library down the hall. Weston took a seat at the table and
looked at them. “How can I help you?”

Easton shrugged. “We aren’t sure what
we’re looking for yet,” she said. “We’ll just look
around.”

Weston stared at her. “I don’t think
so,” she said. “Tell me what you need and I’ll retrieve it—if it’s
approved.”

Easton sighed. “This is stupid,” she
said. “How do you expect us to help you if you won’t let us do
anything? And we don’t know what he need until we see
it.”

Calloway agreed with Easton. He wasn’t
sure why Weston allowed them to help if she wouldn’t grant them
access to anything. After a few moments of thinking, he realized
what Weston was doing—she was trying to figure out what they
already knew. If they asked for something specific, that would be
an admittance of knowledge.

“
Then bring me a book
about portals.” Easton sighed.

“
Such a book doesn’t
exist.”

“
Well, that’s convenient,”
Easton said. “A book that details the Anti-Life?”

Weston shook her head. “None of us have
been there,” she said. “We have no information about
it.”

Breccan leaned back in his chair. “Do
you have anything about the Hara-Kirs in general?”

“
Well, that is irrelevant
to your search,” Weston said.

Even Calloway was growing frustrated
with Weston. It was obvious she was devoted to this cause and would
give her soul to protect the Life but she was being too secretive.
This was a waste of their time. If they could just get the decoder,
they could leave.

“
Then bring me a
pre-approved book,” Easton said. “Anything you’re willing to
share.”

Weston stared at her for a moment then
rose from her seat and walked into the bookcases. Easton turned to
Calloway. “You have to distract her. Do whatever it takes—flirt
with her.”

“
Why me?” he
asked.

“
You get along with her
the best,” Easton said.

“
When should I talk to
her?” Calloway asked.

Easton sighed. “When an opportunity
arises.”

“
That’s not vague at all,”
Breccan whispered sarcastically.

Weston returned to the
table with a book title,
The Anatomy of
the Hara-Kir Heart
. Since they already
killed two Hara-Kirs it was evident they were already aware of
their unusual hearts. Callow knew that was why she chose this book
specifically.

Easton looked up at her sister. “This
has no relevance at all.”

“
You told me to bring you
an approved book,” Weston said.

“
You’re so annoying,”
Easton spat.

“
That makes two of us.”
She smiled.

The textbook was short with only a few
hundred pages and was mostly comprised of illustrations of the
heart. Easton browsed through the book while Breccan and Calloway
stared at the images. The heart was the same size as a human’s, but
the arteries were wired differently. The heart was separated into
sections that were connected to different sets of veins that
combined with the other arteries of the body. Now Calloway
understood why the heart had to be cut into three different places;
the heart could still function as long as one section was opened.
It was a defense mechanism that impressed Calloway—he wished humans
had it.

They forgot about Weston sitting across
from them and concentrated on the images of the book.

“
That’s why it has to be
stabbed in three places,” Breccan said. “It makes
sense.”

Weston raised an eyebrow.
“You didn’t know that already?” she asked. “So you
were
just
lucky?”

Breccan ignored her comment continued
to stare at the illustration. Easton turned the page and they read
the text silently. Even though the text was irrelevant to portal
information it was still interesting—fascinating.

A student walked into the library and
looked at Easton. His height surpassed Calloway’s and he was larger
than most men. He looked older—perhaps a senior in college. The
sleeves on his shirt were cut off and he was sweating. “Hey,
Weston,” he said. “Can you help me in a demonstration for a
moment?”

Weston looked at the three of them for
a moment. None of them met her gaze and concentrated on the book,
appearing so mesmerized by the text that they were oblivious to the
conversation. The man patiently waited for her response with his
arms crossed over his chest.

“
How long will it take?”
she asked.

“
Just a minute,” he said.
“I want to show them the kick-flip.”

“
I’ll be back in a
moment,” she said. “If you touch anything, I’ll kill you.” The
chair squeaked as she pushed it back and got to her feet. She
walked to door and disappeared down the hallway.

Easton jumped to her feet. “Breccan
help me,” she said quickly. “Calloway, stand in the doorway and
talk to her if she comes back.”

“
And what am I supposed to
say?” he whispered.

“
We don’t have time for
this!” she snapped. “Figure it out.”

She and Breccan disappeared into the
bookcases and began their search. Calloway moved to the doorway and
looked across the hall into the other room. The area was decorated
with swords on display and there were students leaning against the
cushioned walls, watching Weston and the man stand in the middle of
the room.

They stared at each other for a moment
before Weston charged him and ducked under his arm, pulling it
behind his back, and then she kicked the man in the back of the
knee and sent him to the floor. Weston held a wooden stick to the
back of this heart, and Calloway didn’t see her place it there—she
was too fast. The lightning speed and dexterity she showed made him
feel more intimidated than he already was. She was strong and
quick, faster than the eye could see, and she was powerful despite
her petite frame.

Now that the demonstration was over,
Calloway knew Weston would be returning to the library. He walked
back inside and searched for Easton. “She’s coming,” he whispered.
Easton and Breccan emerged from a bookcase with a large book. She
shoved it into her backpack as fast as she could and closed it.
They all sat down and stared at the anatomy book right when Weston
returned.

Calloway controlled his breathing and
retained his calm composure. If he was sweating or breathing
heavily he knew the sight would be a dead giveaway. Weston was
smart—too smart—to be tricked. Easton faked a yawn while she read
to hide her distress and Breccan stared at the image on the
page.

“
You’re still on the same
page?” Weston asked.

Calloway felt his heart accelerate—she
knew.

“
The diagram is difficult
to understand,” Easton snapped. “We haven’t been studying these
beings for years like you have. And we aren’t geniuses.”

“
Well, you certainly
aren’t smart” Weston smiled.

Easton looked at her sister. “This is
very fascinating but this is irrelevant to what you wanted us to
do. So what are you really trying to achieve?”

Weston smiled at her
sister. “What are
you
trying to achieve?” she asked.

“
We have the same goals,”
Easton replied. “Now what more do you want?”

“
I want you to
stop.”

“
Then why are you
encouraging us to research the Hara-Kirs?” Easton asked.

“
She wants to know what we
know,” Calloway answered. “She’s trying to figure that out based on
our questions and book selection.”

Weston looked at Calloway. “At least
one of you is intelligent.”

“
What’s the purpose in
that?” Easton asked.

“
She wants us to stop,”
Calloway explained. “If she can figure out what our goals are, she
can stop them—protect us.”

“
You haven’t left me a
choice,” Weston said as she leaned back in her chair. “Calloway
said you’ll never stop.”

“
And we won’t,” Easton
said. “You just need to accept it.”

“
You’re my sister,” she
said. “I have to protect you.”

“
Then you shouldn’t have
told me about the Hara-Kirs to begin with.”

Weston sighed. “I had to warn you,” she
said. “I couldn’t let you live in ignorance.”

“
You’re right, Weston,”
she said. “But to do nothing to help is unacceptable. If you’re
allowed to risk your life for the greater good, so am
I.”

Weston leaned forward. “You don’t
understand what I’m saying,” she snapped. “You have every right to
pursue your passion but you aren’t old enough to start now. When
you’re an adult, I will accept your decisions, but not now. None of
you are trained and accepted as a trusted member of our society—I’m
just asking you to wait.” She looked at all three of them, and her
eyes lingered on Calloway’s. “Is that so much to ask?”

Calloway sighed. “We don’t pursue the
Hara-Kirs—they come to us. If we are attacked we will not run—we
will fight back. That is all I can promise you. We aren’t looking
for trouble. Somehow it always finds us.”

“
Then you need to make an
effort to stay out of harm’s way,” Weston said. “I mean
it.”

“
But we aren’t going to
stop pursuing information,” Calloway said. “Nothing you say will
stop us.”

Weston looked at her sister. “Just
promise me you won’t hunt Hara-Kirs,” she said. “Stay out of their
way until you are properly trained—that’s all I’m
asking.”

Easton sighed. She looked down at her
backpack then looked at the two boys. They both nodded their heads
slightly and she turned back to her sister. “Fine,” she said. “We
promise we won’t hunt them.”

Weston leaned back in her chair and
sighed. “Thank you.”

The Darkness in
Light

“
You’ve got to be kidding
me,” Breccan said when he and Calloway approached the classic car
in their driveway. “This is a joke, right?”

Calloway looked at the Christmas tree
in the backseat, which was already decorated with ornaments and
lights, and it stretched across the back of the car, sticking out
of both back windows. He wasn’t sure where he was going to
sit.

Easton got out of the car. “Just get
in,” she yelled.

“
Where?” Breccan asked
incredulously. “Or should I ask the elves to build us another
car?”