Fire Stones (The Fire Wars #2) (5 page)

            I turned to Brandon, judiciously avoiding eye contact with Varun. “So, uh, what did you want to talk to me about?”

            “Sorry – didn't want to intrude. I'm actually in a rush – need to change out of these clothes. But I just wanted to let you know that my mom asked me to pass along the message from yours – we're both on Cleanup Duty next Thursday at the Hotel after the Bowerman party.” He rolled his eyes. “Sorry, I'm sure you're not thrilled about Haven's birthday! But what can we do? Follow the money, right?” He laughed and took a step towards the door. “Right – anyway, I've got to change.”

            “Wait!” I called out after him, but I was too late. He sauntered out, leaving me alone with Varun. I looked down at my shoes, not wanting to make eye contact. “What are you doing here, Varun?” I muttered. “Brandon could have delivered the message without you.”

            “I wanted to see you,” he said, taking a step towards me. “I came by your house yesterday, but your mom said...”

            “Yeah, I was sick,” I said, feeling a bit defensive. “I wasn't feeling so good, after...”

            “I just wanted to see how you were doing. Is that so wrong?”

            I sighed. “No, Varun, it isn't – and I appreciate you caring, but...”

            Before I could finish, Varun had stepped towards me, pressing me up against the wall, his hand against my cheek. “I know you think you're with Chance,” Varun began, “but you must know that I care for you. You almost died out there – in the cave, with the shark...if you're going to risk your life like this... I know you want to prove that you're Vesta. I know you feel like you have to be her in order to fulfill your destiny, but you don't. I don't want you hurt, Mac. I don't want you killed. And especially not for
him.
” His eyes grew dark with envy. He leaned into me, pulling me toward him.

            Instinctively, I pulled away. “Varun, please...” I raised my voice, growing angry now. “I know what you are – you're the Water King. Of course you're going to try to convince me to abandon all this...”

            “You think that's what this is about?” Varun growled.

            “I don't know what to think!” I sighed. “Please don't try to convince me not to. I want to be your friend, Varun, but not if you don't take no for an answer. You need to respect that...you're Water, I'm Fire. We're not meant to be, and I hate hurting you.”

            “But do you feel nothing for me?” Varun was so close to me, so painfully close. “You do care, don't you?”

            I could say nothing, but only wrest myself from his arms. “I have to go,” I heard myself saying, before I rushed into the girl’s locker room and closed the door behind me.

Chapter
5

           
I
was furious as I changed out of my gym clothes and into my dress. How dare Varun refuse to take no for an answer? How dare he try to make things more complicated than ever... My cheeks were burning with anger. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. My eyes were blazing bright and my cheeks were crimson. My whole body was glowing with the flame-like force of my anger. And yes, I thought,
flame-like
was the word. As if the whole energy of Fire were flowing through me. I recalled the flames at the celebration on my first night at Aeros – how I had seen the blazing tongues of yellow, white, and red; how the sight of the fire had inspired me, had filled my whole being with an ineffable sense of power. There was no denying it, I thought; whatever I was, it was the element of Fire that suffused my entire sense of self.

           
Did this mean I really was Vesta?

            I refused to think of Varun, willing myself to forget his words all day long. How dare he tell me to abandon my quest? Was he speaking as the Water King, wary of the return of the power of Fire to the world? Or was he merely jealous of Chance? I sighed as I thought back to his lips on mine – the oxygen that connected our two mouths.

            But I put him out of my mind. It was time to focus on Chance. He had texted me his plans: we were to go out for an elegant dinner at one of Aeros's most fashionable restaurants, located on the top floor of a high-rise building in the heart of Aeros's commercial center. I'd heard Haven talking about having her last birthday at the place – Gabriel’s – bragging about the 360-degree views and incredible panorama as well as the incredible food. Seemed like Chance knew how to pick them.

            I changed for dinner, even applying a daub of makeup to cover up the sweat and exhaustion of that day's wrestling. But when I saw Chance appearing at my doorstep, his suit elegantly and immaculately tailored to fit his perfect body
just so
, I flushed. “I guess I'm underdressed,” I said.

            “You look perfect,” Chance said, kissing me. “Effortlessly beautiful – just the way you are.” He stroked my hair. “Some girls spend hours to look just half as good as you, but you, my love, don't even have to try.” He took me by the elbow, leading me to his car. “Gabriel is one of my favorite restaurants in the city,” he said as we drove. Aeros Island was even more beautiful than usual in the moonlight; the main road went along the seaside, and I could see the white face of the moon reflected in the dark, palpitating waves. Yet I looked away from the water – waves only made me think of Varun. I looked inland – at the flaming torches that lit the driveway.
Yes,
I thought,
Vesta's element – fire. This is where I'm meant to be.
Near the hot, scorching beauty of the flames.

            Dinner was a formal affair, but despite the French accents of the waiters and the unpronounceable names of the dishes (six courses, all of which were more delectable than the last), Gabriel was far from stuffy. The panoramic vistas of the island, the tantalizingly dim candlelight at our table, the taste of the chocolate soufflé on our forks – everything was just as I hoped it would be. Just as romantic.

            “Do you realize?” Chance said to me, laughing. “That this is our first real date?” He was right. Our previous relationship had been a mixture of conflicts and stolen kisses, fighting and making up – a relationship as fiery as the flames that were apparently our destiny. But now we were dressed up, sitting indoors, conversing like a normal couple. We held hands as we talked of lighter things than gods and destinies – our childhoods, our favorite books, memories long-forgotten. It was good to see a lighter, wittier side of Chance than the glowering, brooding figure I had come to know. His levity was welcome after the stress of the weekend.

            “So?” I asked Chance as we finished our dessert. “What's the special occasion this time? For all of this.”

            He laughed. “Come, my love. I don't need a special occasion to take you out, do I?”

            He took my hand, pressing my fingers to his lips, one by one. “Mac,” he whispered, looking happier than I had ever seen him look before. “My Mac. You found it.” He smiled. “The first stone of Vesta. That's impressive. Jana only thought she did – but what she found were only fakes. Decoy traps, set by Vesta.”

            At the sound of his ex-girlfriend's name, I went quiet. I had not forgotten how Jana had died – trying to prove herself as Vesta, just like I was. My face fell. After all, had not Jana, too, been
so sure
that she was Vesta? And had she not been burned by the flames, just the same?

            “How are you so sure that mine are real?” I asked.

            “You said you only found one,” said Chance. “I should have known – Vesta would never have left all the stones together in one cave. That's how Jana found them. All five at once. After...” his voice became choked. “After she died, I looked at the stones. They were not as bright as I remembered Vesta's being. Their magic was not real. I should have examined them more closely, should have made sure, but I was so happy...” His brooding look returned.

            “But the one I found – is it real?”

            “Vesta liked to set challenges,” said Chance. “She wouldn't have made it easy. It wasn't her style. From what I know of Vesta, hiding a stone in a shark-infested cave is exactly in character for her.”

            I swallowed hard. Abandoning Mars for Neptune or Poseidon – setting up challenges designed to lure innocent girls to their deaths; was I so sure I wanted to be Vesta, after all?
Was this really who I was?

           
“Plus,” added Chance darkly, “when Vesta...went away...it was the sea she fell in love with. With Varun. It would make sense that she left this stone by the sea, by the place with which – or should I say with
whom
– she had fallen in love.”

            My head was swimming as he spoke. How was it possible that Vesta could have fallen this in love with Neptune – willing to give up her whole life, her whole world, for him? No wonder Varun wanted me so much. He, too, thought I was his love of old.
Really, Vesta,
I thought,
you sure got around...

           
After we finished our dinner Chance took me out to the restaurant's roof terrace. A telescope sat on the edge of the deck, and Chance pointed out to me all the constellations of the night sky, making sure to note the ones associated with the great gods and goddesses of old. “That's Orion,” he said, keeping me warm with his embrace, “and Cassiopia!” He sighed. “You know...” he began. “About wrestling class today. I couldn't get you out of my mind all day after that. It drove me crazy – seeing you with Brandon. The biggest flirt in the school.”

            “So you were jealous!” I almost laughed. How could Chance have ever thought I'd be interested in anyone else?
But then again, Vesta...

           
He nodded mutely, turning a bit red.

            I laughed and kissed him in turn. “You don't have to worry about Brandon,” I said. “He's just fun to talk to – not my type.”

            Chance pressed his cheek against mine, and in ecstasy I felt my desire for him increase. I wished we could spend the whole night like this: me entwined in his arms, safe at last, his body keeping mine alive with his heat.

            “Good,” he said. And then he said something strange indeed. “I don't know if you'll start to develop feelings for him. I hope not. But there's a strong possibility.”

            I laughed aloud. “What kind of crazy theory is that?”

            “Because Brandon is more like you than I am.”

            “What?” I grew concerned. Chance didn't sound like he was joking.

            “He's an embodiment, too – haven't you guessed? He is the Fire God Zhu Rong – and yet he is Varun's best friend. So he has taken on some of his friend's qualities: fire and water together. Not surprising, in a way. According to legends Zhu Rong had fire powers, but also controlled water. So perhaps his attraction to Varun is natural. But you, too, are a mix, aren't you? Fire and water. When Brandon and I were younger, we were the best of friends. Our fire natures joined us together. But now...water is ever more his element.  He is powerful – more powerful than you'd think.”

            I remembered Brandon on the wrestling mat and nodded.

            “The only other immortal to have power over both elements is Vesta.”

            I gulped. No wonder Chance was so jealous of Brandon. This seemingly innocuous jokester seemed to have more in him than bad one-liners and cheap attempts at flirtation. Apparently he was more dangerous than I thought.

            Was anyone safe?

Chapter
6

           
T
he rest of the date passed by in a lovely haze. We spent the evening looking at the stars, wrapped in one another's arms as we huddled around the telescope for warmth. We drank cup after cup of strong, sweet coffee on the restaurant terrace, enjoying every glorious moment together.
How I wished it would always be like this.
I had never been so happy. Lying in Chance's arms, his rough, stubble-lined cheek against mine, with the stars glimmering above us like the gemstones of my vision. When I was with Chance, I didn't care about Brandon; I didn't care about Varun. I wanted only to be with him. Whatever Chance was afraid of – he didn't have to be. My heart was his and his alone. Whatever Vesta had done, whatever Vesta had felt...I had to ignore it. Vesta's relationship with Poseidon was nothing to me. Chance was all that mattered. I had to forget Varun's piercing eyes, the way his fingers tightened around my wrist, the way he pleaded with me to remember,
to remember
whatever it was I was supposed to know about our past.
That was Vesta's choice – not mine.

           
But what if I was Vesta, as Chance was so sure I was? I wasn't sure I liked Vesta – the more I came to know about her, the less sure I was. Vesta who had set up a decoy to trick Jana, Vesta who had betrayed both Mars and Neptune. Was
this
my destiny?

            The next day at school seemed to go by in a blur. I couldn't concentrate on schoolwork; my head seemed to throb feverishly with every step I took. I was too distracted, too worried. Thinking about Vesta was taking up all of my time. How could I possibly be expected to learn about post-Erosion history when more important things were taking place?