Empyreal: Awaken - Book One (13 page)

She sighed in relief. “Court, my
parents just walked in –”

“Are you sure that you don’t need me
to come over?”

“Yes – I’ve got to talk to them about
tonight’s visitor ... something was off...”

“I'll be on standby, if you still need
me,” Court said, reassuring.

“Thanks, I’ll see you soon, Court,”
she said, then pushed
End.

“Mom?” Coralie called out. “Dad? ...
I'm in here –”

“Hey, kiddo!” Cal said, entering the
kitchen.

“Hey sweetie, how was your night?”
Katelyn asked her daughter.

“Umm, good ... Dad?”

“Yeah, kiddo?”

“Xavier stopped by for a visit
tonight...” Nerves were rising up in Coralie’s throat, causing her
voice to quiver. “... He was looking for you?” The quiver is her
voice only showed that the words she had just spoken, she didn’t
believe. She didn’t believe that Xavier had conveniently stopped by
to visit her father. Coralie had a notion that there was something
more. And the look on her parents’ faces confirmed that
notion.

With questioning eyes, Katelyn turned
to her husband, “Since when do any of your students make house
calls?”

“He's an intern...” Cal said, with
emotions rising up within his soul.

“Well then, since when do any of your
interns
make house calls?”

Cal shook his head,
unknowingly.

Katelyn turned toward her daughter.
“Did he say what he wanted?”

Coralie shrugged. “Just that he needed
to give you some documents ... that he forgot to drop by your
office today.”

Cal looked around. “So where are the
documents?”

Uneasily, Coralie swallowed the bad
feeling rising in her throat. “He didn't leave anything ... he
just,” she paused, and shrugged, “... left...” Coralie looked at
her mother and father, “Strange, isn't it?”

“Strange, indeed...” Cal spoke through
a hint of indignation, moving closer to his daughter.

“Cal –” Katelyn started
nervously.

“I will be sure to call Xavier
tomorrow. It was probably just a misunderstanding. I'll get
everything cleared up in the morning. Okay, kiddo?” Cal patted her
shoulders, trying to comfort her. It didn't seem to be working very
well. Coralie was not even sure if her father believed his own
statement.

Though she tried to look placid and
without worry, the looks on her parents’ faces replanted the seed
of fear. Coralie swallowed hard, trying to push the feeling down.
The feeling in the pit of her stomach had returned.

Xavier had been there for a reason.
That reason did not involve documents or papers for her father, but
instead somehow involved Coralie.

* * * * *

Xavier walked into the darkened room,
knocking on the door frame as he passed through it.
“Hello?”

He looked around the room, waiting for
an answer, but the room was silent.

Xavier scanned the room once more, but
he did not see a sign of anyone. He turned to walk out of the
door.

A man’s voice spoke through the
darkness. “I hope that you do not act the same on the errands and
missions that I send to accomplish. Taking a scene at face value,
not investigating your surroundings. Not your best form, Xavier.”
He paused, for a moment. “You never know who may be lurking in the
shadows...”

“Sir, I assure you, that I investigate
every square inch of every single mission of which I am assigned …
which brings me to why I am here...”

“I am listening, young
Xavier...”

“Tonight … I attempted to get a closer
look...”

“And?”

“And … I have good mind to believe
that this will be a much easier feat than you may have once
thought, Sir.”

“And what makes you think
that?”

“I am fairly certain that she still
doesn’t know...”

“Nothing? You mean, they haven’t told
her?”

“It looks that way … This should be
fun … Like taking candy from a baby...”

“That is a thoughtless analogy … How
close did you actually get to her?”

“Close enough...”

“Could you get that close
again?”

“Not a problem – just give me the go
ahead … And I assure you, it will not be a recap of my most recent
assignment...”

“Let’s hope not, for your
sake...”

Buzz.

“Yes, Sir,” Court answered his phone,
while walking down the street, in the early morning
light.

“I am not quite for certain what is
going on, but I need your help,” said the voice on the other end of
the line.

“I will find out for certain,
Sir.”

“You musn't –” the voice began to
instruct.

But Court interrupted respectfully. “I
know what to do, Sir.”

“And no one can know,” the voice
instructed, sternly.

“And no one will, Sir –” Court replied
with calm.

“Okay, then, I will alert the
Elders...” the voice started to give his plans.

“Not necessary, Sir ... I have already
taken the liberty of doing so...”

“Very well, then ... Thank you –” said
the voice on the other end of the line, seemly overcome.

“No thanks necessary, Sir – it is my
duty...” Court said with pride and responsibility.

“That it is, Courtland...”

Court snapped his phone shut, only to
open it again.

Speed Dial 2.

Ring. Ri –

“Hello?” the voice on the other end
answered. It was Criston.

“I need that favor we discussed...”
Court said.

“What could I possibly do from here
that could possibly help you there?” she asked, with a hint of
sarcasm and irritation in her voice.

A grin spread across Court's lips. So
wide, that Criston could almost hear it stretching across his face.
“You know me, always got a plan...” he paused, to make certain that
Criston was following.

“And exactly would this plan consist
of, Brother?” She prompted him, gaining interest.

“Ah – there we go ... thanks for
coming aboard – now, listen very carefully...”

Intrigued, Criston responded, “Okay,
brother – I'm listening...”

“Good...” Court’s smile swelled wider,
knowing that his plan was almost infallible. His plan would soon
give Coralie that answers that she sought. And she would soon have
the answers that would give her all of the keys to her past,
present and future.

Criston listened to her brother’s
every word and agreed upon snapping her phone shut. She didn’t
necessarily dislike Coralie. She just knew that she would do
anything for her brother. If that included helping
her
, so
be it.

Suddenly, Criston heard a deliberated
movement behind her. She turned toward the sound and smirked. “Ah …
It looks like I have a friend or two who want to play … and I have
a little bit of time to kill...”

* * * * *

Coralie impatiently watched the clock
–
tick tock, tick tock
– by slowly, taunting her from the
classroom wall on which it hung. The last hour had not only been
torturous, but also inane.

Coralie's mind was on one thing – or
person, rather – and
that person
was not reciting poetry
from the eighteenth century at the front of the
classroom.

Ring –

The departure bell rang and Coralie
grabbed her belongings and quickly moved towards the
door.

“Remember, class … rough drafts are
due Thursday ... Miss Collier...” Ms. Sieve, broke through to
address Coralie personally.

“Yes, Ms. Sieve...” Coralie said.
This couldn't be good.

“May I see you for a moment?” she
asked.

“Yes, Madam...” Coralie said,
acknowledging her teacher's request. “... If this is about being
tardy to class, I do apologize, I know this makes twice this week
... but it won't happen again...”

Ms. Sieve began, “That’s good to hear
… Actually, Miss Collier, not that I approve of your tardiness,
that's not why I wanted a word with you ... I merely wanted to
express my most genuine concern...”

“Your concern, Madam?” Coralie
questioned.

“Yes, Miss Collier, my concern ... I
am deeply concerned with your daily and most recent performances in
class. I have noticed that you are more tired, more edgy, more
distant ... even more than usual ... Is everything
alright?”

“Oh, yes, Madam ... everything is
perfectly fine, really ... well, not perfectly, I guess ... I mean,
if it was perfectly fine then obviously you would not be so
concerned with me...” Coralie glanced at Ms. Sieve, realizing that
she was rambling, “Never mind ... It's just a bit of late night
cramming, that’s all … final exams are coming up soon … they are
just around the corner, you know. I am just trying to get ahead of
the game, Madam...”

“Well, that's excellent, Miss Collier,
but you should not let the desire for overachievement affect your
daily tasks...”

“Yes, Ms. Sieve, my apologies...”
Coralie said, awaiting her teacher's signal for
dismissal.

The weary teacher looked away from
her. “You are dismissed, Miss Collier...”

“Yes, Ms. Sieve...” Coralie replied.
As she exited the classroom, she suddenly heard a voice say, “You
apologize too much...”

Startled, Coralie jumped.

“Court,” Corlaie began, catching her
breath, “What are you doing here?”

“You still don't believe my secret
mission story, huh?”

“No, sorry...”

“See, there you go again...” he said,
shaking his head.

“Why don't you just tell me ... what
are you doing here, really...”

“Truthfully ... I'm here, waiting on
you...” Court confessed, eyeing her intensely.

“Waiting on me...”

“Yes … I thought you may need an
escort to a destination away from these premises.”

“What did you have in mind?” she
asked, enthralled by his invitation.

“I know just the place ... my secret
... so, are you in?”

“Well, kind Sir, that depends ... do
you plan to defend my honor against evil doers and enemies that
cross our path along the way?” Coralie playfully asked.

Court extended his outreached hand,
beckoning her. “To the fullest extent, ma'am ... shall
we?”

Smiling, she agreed by taking his
hand.

“Good,” Court returned her smile, “…
because there's something I'd like to show you...”

* * * * *

“
How am I going to catch
you, if you just keep running?” Criston called out, sarcastically,
hearing the echo of her own voice bounce around the walls of the
cathedral.

Although it seemed as if she were
alone, she knew that she wasn't.
T
hey
were there.
Somewhere inside this old Romanian Cathedral Church.

Cristian Evangelical,
she had
read on the old, wooden marker.

How ironic it was to have been led
into the same old abandoned church she had been named after. Her
parents had traveled all over the world. Just before Criston’s
mother found out that she was pregnant with her, they had been
visiting Romania. Her mother had loved the gothic architecture and
the stories of the fortress itself.

She had been through this maze of an
abandoned church twice already. She walked through the cathedral in
the black darkness with only her senses to rely on, along with a
few beams of moonlight shining through the stained glass
windows.

She looked around.
They
were in
the old abandoned church. She knew it. She could feel them. She
could hear them.

Even in the silence.

It was best when she was surrounded by
silence. She could hear their thoughts more clearly. This was her
Gift. Though she’d never told anyone. The only person who knew was
the one who shared her Gift. Her brother.

She recalled telling her brother,
Court, that if things didn't
start happening
, that if she
didn't start
seeing some action,
that she was going to pack
up and abort her mission in Romania.

But she knew that wasn't
true.

She had only been venting aloud. She
knew that her brother knew it, too. This had been what she had
trained for, what she'd been waiting on, her entire life. And now
that it was here, she was relishing in the moment, every moment ...
and she knew that she would until her last moment
passed.

She tossed aside her long strawberry
blonde hair from where it had fallen across her shoulder. “Come
out, come out, wherever you are...” Criston called out, taunting
her prey.