The Chronicles of Winterset: Oracle (11 page)

“An apology,” I answered softly.

Chapter 21

I tossed and turned all night with Kellin and Calix’s faces dancing in my dreams. At one point, I was jolted awake because I felt someone or something touch my hair. I groaned as I pulled my pillow over my head.

When I woke up the next morning, I was groggy and irritable. I quickly got dressed in a pair of faded jeans and a soft black sweater. I pulled my long, blonde hair back into a ponytail and dabbed cherry lip gloss onto my lips. That expended just about all the energy I had.

I skipped breakfast, citing my rush to get to school to talk to Mel. I drove slowly to school and arrived a few minutes before the bell rang. When I saw Courtney and Sasha waiting for me by my locker, I cursed under my breath.

“Well, well, well, look who it is,” Courtney simpered, looking me up and down while Sasha glowered at me.

“What do you want, Courtney?” I sighed, opening my locker and pulling out my chemistry book.

“I heard you were out with Kellin last night. In fact, I heard a few things. You’d better stay away from him,” she snarled at me, her eyes flashing menacingly.

“I wasn’t out with Kellin. I was out with Mel. Kellin and the guys showed up and had pizza with us. That’s it,” I explained, not knowing why I was bothering. It’s not like it would matter to her. She was looking for a fight it seemed.

“I don’t really care, Ana,” she hissed, advancing on me. “I want you to leave him alone. If you don’t, I swear I am going to make your life a living hell.”

“That goes for Calix, too,” Sasha added, sneering at me. “Tell him you aren’t going to go to homecoming with him.”

Courtney reached out and knocked my books out of hands. I glared at her angrily, my entire body on fire from embarrassment as people walked by snickering. My hands started shaking and I felt the burning coming on. I quickly turned around and shoved my hands deep into my locker in the hopes no one would see what was happening to me.

“Pathetic,” Courtney snarled. I heard the click of her heels as she and Sasha swaggered down the hall.

“God,” I winced, tears pricking my eyes as I tried to stave off the pain that was overwhelming me. A light blue and red flame danced around my hands and I bit my lip hard, the metallic taste flooding my taste buds.

“Everything OK?” Calix asked from behind me, and I groaned softly. Why did he think now would be a good time to try to talk to me?

“Y-yeah. Everything is fine,” I breathed out, noting how shaky my voice was.

“Are you sure? It looks like you’re trying to crawl into your locker,” he continued, taking a step closer to me.

“Stop! Don’t come any closer,” I said, feeling frantic. The last thing I needed was someone seeing this. “I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not,” he said stepping forward and tugging me away from my locker. A sharp jolt of his electricity zapped me and I felt faint. I stared up into his dark eyes guiltily.

“What were you doing?” he asked.

I looked down at my hands and frowned. The pain was gone, along with the dancing flames. There wasn’t even a mark on my hands. I couldn’t have imagined it. It didn’t make sense.

“I-I don’t know,” I admitted. “I don’t understand—”

“You’re acting weird,” he commented. “Do you want me to take you to the nurse?”

“No, I’m fine,” I said breathing out and wiping my hands on my jeans, looking at them again.

“Yeah, Ana, those are your hands,” Calix said slowly, watching me closely, a peculiar look on his face. I was pretty sure I was losing it.

“I know,” I said, biting my lip again.

“I’ll walk with you to class,” Calix said snatching my books up. I didn’t object and fell into step beside him.

“Calix?” I asked after a moment, having calmed down.

“Yeah?”

“Is there... I mean,
was
there anything going on with you and Sasha?”

“I already told you,” he answered, his voice tense.

“I know, I guess. She’s really adamant about me staying away from you. I sort of figured you two had something more going on than what you said because of how you were together. She told me not to go to homecoming with you,” I finished, feeling lame for asking him about his personal life.

“What did you tell her?” he asked, slowing his pace.

“I didn’t really say anything. I mean, look,” I said with a sigh. “She’s obviously into you, and she and Courtney are not great people to be enemies with. I don’t want any more problems. Believe me, I have enough going on as it is without their added drama.”

Calix stopped and turned toward me, the peculiar look still on his face.

“Ana, what aren’t you saying?”

“I guess I’m saying maybe we shouldn’t go to the dance together. I don’t want any more problems from anyone. I can just hang out at home. I had sort of planned on doing that anyway before this,” I finished, feebly gesturing between us.

“No,” Calix said firmly, his coal-colored eyes flashing. “You are going to that dance with me. You are not a back-down kind of girl, Ana.”

“It’s just—” I started but he silenced me at once by pinning me to the wall and moving up against me so fast that I barely had time to register his movements. I looked up into his eyes, my knees weak from his nearness, the electricity between us jumping back and forth as he gazed down at me.

“Take what you want,” he murmured, his melodic voice dancing on my ears. “You want this, don’t you?”

“Yes,” I whispered without giving it a second thought. I frowned at my immediate response. We didn’t have that great or friendly of a relationship, but now things were different between us, and I couldn’t figure it out. Had I let my guard down?

“Maybe you’ve changed, Princess,” he said gently, nudging my chin up with his soft fingers. “Maybe I’m everything you’ve ever dreamed about.”

His words took me by surprise because they hit so close to home. I had been dreaming and seeing things lately. I looked up at him curiously but his handsome face remained impassive, as if he spoke words that had no bearing on whatever was happening in my life.

Just a coincidence.

Chapter 22

We made it through class without any major issues other than Sasha’s villainous glares. Calix was kind, sweet even, and it was like being around a completely different person—one I liked.

He walked me to every class, and at lunch, he came and sat down at the table with me. Mel and Chad smiled knowingly, and I averted my eyes from them, embarrassed.

“What?” I asked nervously as Calix turned and gave me a tiny, knowing smile. I grinned back shyly, still trying to get used to this new, nicer Calix.

“Come with me?” he murmured, his eyes searching mine quickly.

I wordlessly got to my feet, following him without question, and was surprised when he led me to the deserted third-floor girls’ bathroom.

“Uh, what are we doing?” I asked as we stopped outside the door. He only turned and grinned at me before pushing open the door. I followed him inside and was surprised—no, shocked—to see he had a small basket of food sitting on the sink waiting for us.

“What is this?” I asked with a laugh, looking at him for an answer.

“Lunch,” he grinned, going to the basket and pulling out a sandwich for me. I took it gratefully and leaned against the wall, breathing out a contented sigh.

“I can’t believe we’re eating lunch in the girl’s bathroom,” I said, biting into the delicious sandwich.

He took a large bite of his sandwich and smiled at me. “I thought you liked this place,” he said around a mouthful of meat and cheese.

“It beats sitting in the commons with Courtney and Sasha glowering at me,” I agreed, taking another bite.

We were quiet as we chewed, each of us lost in our own thoughts.

“I wasn’t with Sasha,” Calix’s deep voice said suddenly, and I looked at him with raised eyebrows.

“Calix, you don’t need to tell me,” I said bashfully. “I don’t need to know. It was a dumb question, and it’s not any of my business.”

“No, it wasn’t a dumb question, Ana,” he said coming to face me. “Nothing happened between us. Sasha White just doesn’t do it for me.”

“Oh,” I said nervously. “I just assumed you two were, you know.”

“Silly girl,” he chuckled softly. “Why have a commoner when I can have a princess?”

My face flamed red and I looked away from him. He laughed softly before backing away from me.

“You want to go do something fun?” he asked suddenly.

“Like?” I asked curiously.

“I don’t know. Let’s go swimming,” he suggested with a shrug. I laughed at the suggestion thinking he was joking but saw that only seriousness danced in his eyes.

“It’s autumn, Calix. It’s really cold,” I said with a nervous chuckle.

“So? Don’t be so uptight,” he teased, winking at me.

I shot him a look and nodded. “Fine. Let’s go,” I challenged.

A large grin swept over his face, and he pulled me by my hand out of the bathroom. We ran down the hall, and I couldn’t help but grin as the air rushed by us. I’d never skipped class. My heart thrummed at the possibilities before us as we stole these precious hours.

“Ana?” Kellin’s voice called out to me as we raced out the front doors of the school. I came to a halt and looked back at him standing on the steps to Lincoln High, a pained expression on his face.

“Ana, are you coming?” Calix asked, pulling on my hand. The pinprick of electricity flowed through me like shards of lightning. I frowned and stared down at his hand wrapped around mine. I liked the electricity, the unknown, the excitement Calix produced.

With Kellin, there had been comfort, ease, and predictability.

But no electricity.

I craved that energy, the feeling as it flowed through me. It pulled at me, called me to come home. I was different and so was Calix, I just knew it. It was the only explanation for what I felt whenever we were around one another and whenever we touched. I needed this. It may be the answer I’d been looking for.

“Yes, I’m coming,” I said, looking back at Kellin standing on the steps. His face fell at my words, and it cut me to my very core, but I turned my back on him and followed Calix to his car.

Chapter 23

I stopped to catch my breath.

I did a lot of running, but it was nothing compared to the paces Calix was putting me through. He chuckled as he stared down at me, my hands on my knees as I sucked in as much oxygen as I could.

“Why aren’t you tired?” I snapped irritably at him.

“I don’t really get tired when I run,” he replied easily, shrugging his broad shoulders.

“You suck,” I gasped as I straightened up, which made him laugh harder.

“I thought we were going swimming?” I said, starting to walk past him. “This is running, not swimming, unless you meant swimming in my own sweat.”

“No, I meant swimming, Princess,” he said falling in step beside me. “Come on, you need to push yourself. At this rate, we won’t get there until dark!”

“Where is there exactly?” I asked, my voice sounding a little whiny.

“It’s just past that hill, I promise,” he replied, tweaking my nose and grinning.

“Fine,” I grumbled, breaking into a trot beside him. I didn’t kick it into high gear, but I did manage to keep up with him.

When we broke the clearing, I was shocked to see where he’d brought us. It was the same overlook I’d seen in my vision when they’d first started. I swallowed hard and tried to calm my heart as it thumped unevenly in my chest.

“Look familiar?” he asked softly, watching me.

“Uh, no. No.” I said, forcing a smile onto my face. “Why do you ask?”

“Just figured you ran out here a lot and maybe you’d been here before,” he shrugged and looked off into the distance.

“I’ve never been here,” I murmured taking in the mass of water in the distance. I knew if I walked to the edge of the cliff, I’d see the broken rocks below, and I shuddered.

“Are we … are we just going to jump off the cliff?” I asked, my voice shaking slightly.

“Are you kidding me? If we jump from that cliff, there’s a good chance the only swimming we’d be doing is in our own blood. You couldn’t survive a fall off of this thing. There are too many rocks below,” he said, walking to the edge and staring down at it.

“See? Come look,” he said, gesturing for me to get closer.

“Uh, that’s OK. I believe you,” I said with a shudder. If my vision was correct, I knew exactly what the bottom looked like.

“Are you afraid of heights?” he teased with a laugh and a grin.

“No, I’m afraid of falling,” I sniffed and looked away. He really did like to tease me, although I don’t think he was doing it to be cruel. It was just his personality.

“I’d never let you fall,” he responded solemnly, causing the air to crackle around us. I swallowed hard and stared at him, unsure of what to say. Sometimes he said things that took me by surprise.

“So, um, where are we swimming?” I asked, hoping to distract him.

“Over here,” he said, a tiny smile still on his face. I followed him as he led us down a small trail that sloped down to even ground. It was a pretty spot, but the air was cold, and I shivered as a gust blew through my blonde hair.

“Ready?” he asked enthusiastically, and I grimaced. Now that I was here, I didn’t want to do this. It was too cold and I’d freeze. I should have thought this through more.

Calix pulled his shirt off and my eyes grew wide as I took in his form. His body was sculpted and chiseled in such a way that it left me breathless. Magnificent would be a good word to describe him. And oh so hot.

And the tattoo.

This was the first time I was actually seeing it in its entirety, having only ever envisioned it before, and it made me wonder if what I was seeing was real or not.

Inked deep into his skin was a monstrous serpent with coal-black scales. It seemed they glistened beneath the sun, and I couldn’t be sure, but it looked like it had a life of its own. I stared in wonder as it snaked its way down his arm and around his torso, finally coming to rest on his broad shoulders. I could have sworn I’d seen it wrapped around his wrist before. I shook the thought out of my head. I didn’t trust my thoughts nowadays.

“Are you coming?” he asked, straightening up as he stood staring at me, wearing nothing more than a pair of dark boxers.

“Uh,” I stammered, pulling my eyes away from his body and the enormous, inked snake resting on his shoulders.

“Don’t think too hard,” he replied dryly. “I’ll be in the water so feel free to join me once you’ve decided.”

I watched him wordlessly as he walked into the water and his body slowly disappeared beneath the gentle waves. I wrapped my arms around myself tightly and bit my lip, trying to decide my next move. I couldn’t very well jump into the water with my clothes on, but the next option was in my underwear and that just made me feel uncomfortable.

I watched for Calix to emerge for so long, I started to panic, wondering if maybe he’d drowned.

“Calix?” I called out nervously.

No answer.

“Calix!” I shouted, the panic rising in my chest. Where the hell was he?

I quickly pulled off my shoes and let out a disgusted sigh as my pants followed suit. I left my T-shirt on and ran into the water, waist deep, letting out a shocked gasp as the near freezing waters pelted me.

I gazed around frantically, trying to find him bobbing among the waves, but he was nowhere to be seen. The ice-cold waves had my legs nearly frozen, and I wrapped my arms around myself in an effort to stay warm.

I nearly screamed my voice out calling for him, only to then find Calix right behind me, grinning like a fool.

“Oh, my God!” I shouted hoarsely, slapping at him.

“What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” he teased, his full lips tipped up into that magnificent grin of his.

“You jerk! I thought you had drowned! I thought you were dead!” I snarled, slapping at him angrily.

Calix grabbed my hands easily and let out a loud laugh that echoed off the rocks.

“It would take more than a swim to kill me, Princess,” he laughed, merriment dancing on his face.

“Where the hell were you?” I demanded, taking a deep breath, hoping to settle down my nerves.

“Swimming,” he said with a shrug. “Trying to see how long it would take you to join me.”

“You did that on purpose?” I demanded.

“Maybe,” he grinned. “It worked. You were worried about me. Meaning deep down inside that very beautiful, very uptight body of yours, you care about me.”

“I’m so going to drown your ass!” I snapped at him, moving toward him.

He dodged out of my way and disappeared again into the water. I searched around for him feeling frustrated.

Without warning, my legs were pulled out from beneath me, and I plunged into the frigid water. My hands shot out instinctively as I tried to catch myself but it was no use. I went whole body into the freezing water, my senses obliterated by the piercing cold. When I resurfaced, it was to find a laughing Calix bobbing alongside me.

“I freaking hate you!” I sputtered at him through my chattering teeth. If I thought I was cold before, it was nothing compared to how I felt now. Even my goose bumps hurt as they popped up along my skin.

I turned my back on him and tried to make my way to shore but he caught me by my arm quickly and pulled me to a stop.

“Are you cold?” he asked solemnly.

“What the hell do you think?” I shivered, trying to pull away from him.

“I’m sorry. Come here,” he said, the laughter gone from his voice. He opened up his arms and waited for me to come to him. I chewed my lip nervously before moving tentatively toward him. When I was within arm’s reach, he made the final move and pulled me into him.

It was instantaneous. A warmth so grand flowed from him into me that I immediately stopped shaking and relaxed against his thick chest, his strong arms wrapped around me.

He held me without a word until the sun started to recede on the horizon. I felt like I was in a daze, unable to pull myself away from it. Time seemed to stand still and yet it continued to pass all around us.

“We should go. It’s getting late,” he murmured into my ear. The tickle from his warm breath sent shivers down my spine, and I nodded, my head still pressed against his warm chest.

He pulled me to the shore, my head feeling fuzzy and weird. The moment he released me, the biting cold hit me again, and I shivered. My mind awakened, and I stood blinking rapidly, trying to figure out what had just happened.

The sun was barely peeking above the horizon, and we would be plunged into darkness regardless of how fast we tried to hurry home.

“Here,” he said grabbing his leather jacket and placing it gently on my shoulders after I pulled my jeans back on. “You’re going to need this. It’s a bit colder out than I anticipated.”

I nodded wordlessly and followed him out to the trail leading back the way we’d come. I wasn’t sure if it was the freezing cold that kept me moving or the sudden fear of the impending night, but I pushed myself to run as fast as I could beside him. Something in the air felt different, and it wasn’t good.

Calix seemed to sense it too because he picked up his pace, and I pushed harder to keep up with him. When we reached his car, he put me inside so fast that it was a whirlwind. I watched him as he stopped in front of the car and looked into the darkening woods, a grim expression marring his handsome face.

His lips moved quickly, I couldn’t make out what he was saying, but I could have sworn I saw his hands glow blue for just a moment. When I blinked my eyes, it was gone and he was climbing into the driver’s seat. I must have imagined it just like I did with the flames I’d had on my hands because when he got into the car, there was nothing abnormal about him.

“We should hurry,” he said, putting the car in reverse and peeling out of there.

I couldn’t have agreed more. Something in the air felt off, and I wasn’t eager to find out if my feelings were right or not.