Lost Seraphine (The Seraphine Trilogy #2) (8 page)

“You’re on.”

We tiptoe past Mabry and Principal Armstrong, still caught up in debate over the map Mabry has spread out as we head out the back door and into the woods.

“Thanks for rescuing me from the dark, depressing duo,” Cori says after we’ve walked a ways into the forest.

“Mabry means well. It’s the human guy that worries me,” I answer, thinking of the way Principal Armstrong goes against everything Mabry suggests. It’s almost like he doesn’t want to see us succeed.

Eventually we come to a clearing in the forest behind the house; a place where all the fledglings train without the need to worry about damaging anything besides their rear ends.

Forming a bolt requires the use of an ancient magic that existed long before the first human man walked the earth. As Cori and I get ready for our girl-to-girl challenge, I’m reminded of the days the Razors, my skateboard team, and I spent preparing for tourneys. I miss this sensation, the rush of adrenaline making me feel invincible. I think those skateboard competitions prepared me for this new life I’m living more than I realized.

The bolt I form contains all the colors of my aura’s essence; light blue, white, sea green and silver. Seeing white magic form in my hands for the first time in almost a year energizes me. The familiar scent of vanilla surrounds me, too. I inhale deeply, taking in as much of the sweet scent as I can in one breath.

“I knew it!” Cori yells, scaring the crap out of me. “I knew you weren’t a complete lost cause, Princess.” She’s got this crazy excited look on her face and is grinning so wide that I think her skin might break.

Extending her bolt, a weapon that’s an intriguing mixture of various shades of purple—colors that match the amethyst bracelets on her arms—she leans over and forms the strike position while I do the same.

You need to tell Caleb about Raze’s ghost. He’s going to be mad when he finds out you’ve been keeping secrets.

That worrisome voice speaks in my head again. I shake it off and focus on Cori who’s saying something about me being pristine. So not true. I’ll give her a fancy girl. This little play fight of ours should be the perfect distraction, right?

Wrong!
I can think of nothing except Caleb.

I’m so hopelessly hooked.

He doubts our love. No, hold on. He doubts his self worth. Deep down, Caleb feels like he’s responsible for my exile. I wish he wouldn’t be so hard on himself.

I’m aware of making the motions I need to do with the bolt. Suddenly, I go airborne and wind up on my back, the air knocked out of me at the same time that my bolt flies across the clearing.

“Slam bam! You’re dead, Princess,” Cori says, her bolt aimed at my chest, the tip a glistening halo of death waiting for those of us unfortunate enough to get caught off guard. “You weren’t paying attention. If I were one of Bernael’s fallen, you’d be dead. You’re like a walking shell. Unfocused and weird.” She straightens up and holds out her hand toward me. I take it and shuffle to my feet.

Her words sting. “What happened to the girl I found a couple days ago? You know, the one who was all about kissing my ass.
Princess Gia, I’m here to serve
,” I say, imitating her voice as best I can.

“Still here. She wants her Princess back, though. The one who would take out a loser like that Melusine witch’s sister without even flinching.”

A sharp pain shoots through my chest. I double over, using my palm to support myself. It has been a long time since I felt something like this and if I’m not dreaming, then I’m experiencing a call; a feeling shared among my people when one of us is in trouble, the opposite of the Tear. I’m not completely sure, but I think this one has something to do with Caleb.

“What’s wrong? Gia!” Cori’s voice rips me back to the present. I open my eyes and stare into her brown ones. Her face is less than two inches away from mine.

“I gotta go.” I toss my bolt to the ground and start toward the path leading back to the house. Cori and I have been out her
e
,
practicing the parry of light—the technique used by the Seraphine to defend ourselves—longer than I’ve realized in my worrying state. Almost an hour has passed since we escaped Mabry and Principal Armstrong’s strategy meeting.

“Where on Poseidon’s Trident do you think you’re going?” She starts to trot behind me.

“Caleb needs me. Something isn’t right. I can feel it.”

“Okay, I think he’s a big boy who can handle himself well enough.” I turn and face her. The other three kids—two girls and a boy with expressive green eyes—stare at me, too. I didn’t see them sneak out here.

I’m torn. Part of me wants to tell Cori to jump in a lake. She’s used to the old ways. In my world, the girls don’t get involved with boy troubles. This carries over into adulthood, too, but my connection to Caleb involves something different. I’m not sure what that is, however it has something to do with my link to the Dark Seraphine. It’s the one thing I haven’t been able to figure out; the bond between the girl who’s destined to do terrible things and me.

“I’m sorry, Cori, and everyone. I have to go.” I lock gazes with my sister. She steps toward me, grabs my elbow and leads me off to the side. I don’t like the way she wrinkles her nose and her face is slightly pinched, too. Cori plans to say something that’ll most likely make me angrier than I need to be at the moment. Anger and fear together make for an unpleasant response almost every time.

“You know what everybody’s saying about him, don’t you? They believe he’ll somehow be the one who causes the Apocalypse.” I’m right; this isn’t going to be good.

“Seriously, Cori. Does Caleb look like he’s capable of stomping on an ant? Let alone being the destroyer of worlds,” I scoff, more so for my own protection and peace of mind than hers.

“Looks don’t matter this time, my Princess’s life does.” Cori’s eyes show her fears.

“Caleb would never hurt me.”

“I know you want to believe that.”

“Because it’s true. I love him, Cori.”

“But he’s human. You can never be a real couple. The law forbids it,” she reminds me, her point hitting hard the way it always does when one of my people mention my forbidden relationship. “Two days ago, I was a wandering, lost guppy. Not anymore, thanks to you. Give me a chance to pay you back. To show my loyalty.”

I don’t want to believe Caleb will team up with the Dark Seraphine and enslave mankind. There has to be some way to prevent these events. I fully agree with Caleb now. Finding the man my father has always called the Wanderer will provide that answer. I can feel it.

“You want to prove you’re on my side?” I ask. Cori nods. “Good. Then you can start by easing up on the Caleb bashing. Trust me. Cover for me while I’m gone?”

“You got it, Princess.” I hear the unspoken meaning behind her words. Giving her a slight smile, a confirmation of our silent pact, I turn and head toward the house.

* * *

Our connection has grown even stronger. It’s as though I know where Caleb is even though he hasn’t said a word. This inner compass tells me he’s near water right now and he’s feeling conflicted. His pain, the questions, the doubts; all of these things flow through me as well. Links such as this one are common among boyfriend and girlfriend, the betrothed and his or her beloved, but Seraphines are forbidden to marry humans. We’re not even allowed to have one as a mate. The Seraphine have been forced to stick with our own kind or suffer the consequences of a harsh trial
by the Council. I try not to think of the future. The present contains enough grief and troubles to make up for anything else.

The pull in my chest says it all, though.

I’m pretty sure this thing I’m feeling with a human boy is our most sacred connection of all. How has this happened? I don’t know. Don’t care. What I feel is real. What Caleb and I have is special. No one will take this away from us.

The hollowness in my chest starts up. It has been this way ever since I made the Change to a human girl. The only way I’m able to ease the sensation that’s similar to pins being jabbed into my chest is to find Caleb. If my senses tell me he’s near water that can only mean one particular spot, his favorite; the beaches located just outside his Uncle Mashu’s house.

I walk toward my car, the one Principal Armstrong’s nursing assistant—yep, she knows about the safe house, too—has taught me how to drive. Since I can no longer use the veil to travel back and forth, I’ve literally become a genuine human teen complete with an adorable Mini Cooper given to me by an arrangement Father made with Mabry.

The drive toward the beach only takes about fifteen minutes. I find Caleb standing along the shores, his bare feet covered in thrashing waves. He holds his head down and his navy shirt blows in the wind. Dark, wavy hair flaps around his face, shrouding him in mystery.

He stands so still. Almost inhuman.

I can tell he’s in deep thought. The way he holds his posture against the wind reminds me of the sad creatures Father used to tell me about when I was a baby. The ones cursed to roam the seas throughout eternity. A mythical race with characteristics that are something like a cross between a fallen angel—power of the celestials—and a human—free will to use those abilities as they please. They’re called the Watchers.

He possesses a graceful, though boyish, type of beauty. Whatever race the Wanderer belongs to must truly be a gorgeous one. The boy standing before me, the one who makes my heart skip a beat each time I glance at him, holds the key to one of the darkest prophecies ever written. Yet he still looks so young and completely innocent.

I’ll do whatever I can to help relieve him of this burden he carries.

I ease toward him, stopping only a couple of feet away from where he stands. “Caleb, are you okay?”

He doesn’t look at me right away.

“What’s it like? Your old home, I mean.” He continues to stare at the water rushing through the rocks scattered around the area in front of us. Dark hair flapping around his face continues to hide my Caleb. I want to touch him, but I can still hear the sound of the bluebird’s cage crashing inside the dream I had, so I wait.

“It’s beautiful. Colorful. I lived and trained in something similar to a French Castle. Five other families lived with us; Father, Raze and me. I had a ton of friends. Lots and lots of birds,” I answer.

He does look at me this time. The faraway look in his eyes, the one hiding his true gaze, startles me at first. He’s glancing at me yet looking through me at the same time. This worries me. Lately, I’ve seen this expression cross his face more times than I care to remember.

Why hasn’t he pulled me into his arms the way he usually does?

“Birds? How is that possible?” I shrug. “Never really thought about it.”

A lazy smile crosses his lips. “I guess anything’s possible in the land of a sea god, right?” He glances back out toward the ocean again.

The tension is killing me. Each day, I watch more and more of the carefree boy I first met, the guy who loves to watch those silly Naruto shows, fade into a place inside his mind; a hidden area where not even I’ll be able to reach soon enough.

“Want to hear something funny?” he asks, resting a mischievous gaze on me.

“Sure.”
Why won’t you touch me?

“I used to embarrass the hell out of my uncle when I was a little boy.” He chuckles, his eyes taking on yet another faraway look, this time he’s recalling the memory he’s about to share.

“What did you do?”

He turns and points at a trail running alongside his uncle’s house. “See that path up there? It leads to a touristy part of the beach, a real popular place during peak season. It was one of those nights when Mom had gone out on one of her Darren dates. I was mad. She was always leaving me. I know it was selfish. I didn’t care, though. Guess I was already practicing the art of the selfish asshole.” He pauses for a moment as though he’s waiting on me to confirm his observation.

“You were just a baby. Babies miss their parents when they go away. That’s normal, not inconsiderate.”

I get a quick side glance, a tiny smile. “Anyway, I’d wait for him to run my bathwater, get undressed, act the part of the naked little angel.”

“That wasn’t acting,” I do confirm this time.

I get a warm, yet still very mischievous, smile. “I’m not finished, my water angel girl. You’ll change your mind in a sec.”

I don’t think so, but I love when you call me a water angel.

“As soon as my uncle’s back was turned, I bolted out of the house, butt-naked!” He makes a swooshing noise and motions with his hands. “Ran as fast as I could down that path. I was quick, too. Exceedingly fast for any normal dude to keep up. It took my uncle an hour to find me.”

I can already envision an image of a naked, dark haired boy running down the beach and can only imagine what the tourists thought when they spotted him. “I bet it was cute,” I say unable to contain my grin. “All boys love to be naked.”

Caleb returns my grin with a curious glance, a crooked smile playing onto his lips. “What makes you say that? Do the Mer-dudes swim butt naked back at your place?”

“Like I said, all boys love to be mischievous, especially when they’re naked. Doesn’t matter whether they’re land or sea kids.”