The Chronicles of Winterset: Oracle (5 page)

My hands continued to burn, and I cried out in a bathroom stall as they ached. I was so angry, I wasn’t sure if the pain was from clenching my fists tightly or something else.

I didn’t have to wait long to find out.

The pain increased the more I thought about my embarrassment, and I shrieked in agony as tiny little red and blue flames danced from my fingertips. I scurried out of the stall and practically fell over trying to get to the sink to extinguish the fire.

The water poured cold and harsh onto my hands, and I blubbered like a baby as I stared at my blistered skin. I was in shock. I was hallucinating. I had a brain tumor.

So many things spiraled through my head, trying to explain away what had just happened, but none of them did it. Something was happening to me, and I was terrified.

Hugging my tender hands to my chest, I whimpered, and when the bell rang, I didn’t bother leaving the bathroom, grateful when no one came in. I sat in the stall clutching my hands, wanting them to not hurt anymore. Wanting the fever to go away. Wanting whatever was happening to me to stop.

I fell asleep with my head against the wall of the stall and was jolted awake later by the bathroom door slamming shut.

“Can you believe he jumped up and pushed Jared like that? All for her?” Courtney’s angry voice cut through the silence.

“I know! And what was up with Calix? He acted like he was going to help her! He doesn’t even know her. At least Kellin has been around awhile,” Sasha piped up.

“She’s pathetic. She pretends to be so shy and timid, but I know exactly what she is. She better watch herself around Kellin. He’s mine,” Courtney said evenly, her voice filled with poison. I bit back tears, wishing I could tell them that both of the guys were safe from me. There was no way they’d want an uptight circus freak anyway.

They left the bathroom soon afterward, and I looked down at my hands. They were completely healed, with not a trace of the burns. I gaped in shock, unsure if I should believe what I was seeing.

I tried to push the memory of the strange dream out of my head as it prodded me to remember, and I trembled when I recalled the men in it. Had that been real too? What was happening?

I rushed from the bathroom and ran down the hall, not caring if someone had something to say about unsafe hallway procedures.

I needed air. Fresh air. I was suffocating in madness it seemed. I was hot. I had a fever. My head felt like it was going to explode. My hands could burst into flames. I was going crazy.

Air. I needed air.

“Ana? Ana!” Kellin called from behind me. I kept running out the doors and straight to my car, the cool autumn air on my face.

I dropped my keys in my rush to get into my car and fell to my knees, tears flooding my eyes as I tried to find them, desperately trying to gulp in the fresh air.

“Hey, Ana, what’s going on?” Kellin asked, bending down in front of me and grabbing my shoulders. “Talk to me.”

“I-I need to find my keys. I need to go home,” I cried, wiping angrily at my eyes. “I need air!”

“Calm down,” he said gently. “Let me help you.”

He tightened his grip, and I bit my lip as a tremor of pain nipped at me.

“You’re burning up, Ana,” he murmured, pushing strands of my blonde hair out of my sweating face.

“Just leave me alone, Kellin. If Courtney finds out you’re out here with me there will be hell to pay,” I said frantically, trying to push him away. He lifted me to my feet and stared at me, his blue eyes quickly sweeping my face.

“Let me help you, Ana,” he repeated, his voice soothing. My head felt numb inside and I stared dazedly at him. “Calm down.”

“I’m calm,” I whispered, wondering how that was true. It was like his words had commanded me to be calm and my body had obeyed without question. My mind flashed back to the field of the dead and how the Nihilist in my dream seemed to obey willingly. I visibly shuddered at the memory.

Kellin placed his hands on either side of my face and studied me closely. “What’s going on, Ana?”

“I-I don’t know,” I answered, my voice shaking. “I had a bad dream last night, and my head hurt yesterday. Then all that stuff happened today and . . . and . . .”

I didn’t want to tell him about my hands bursting into flames. I already seemed like a big enough nutjob; no sense in adding to it.

“I took care of Jared and Courtney,” he said gently. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry they were doing that to you.”

“She’s your girlfriend,” I said softly, my heart thumping unevenly in my chest. “What’s that say about you?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, narrowing his eyes and dropping his hands to his sides.

“I-I don’t know. Never mind. I’m sick or something,” I muttered, wiping at my eyes hastily. “I just need to get out of here.”

“I’ll come with you,” he replied, taking a step forward and reaching for me.

“No. No, I-I don’t want you to. Just . . . just leave me alone, Kellin,” I whispered, backing away from him. I didn’t know what I was capable of. I’d just had my hands on fire in the bathroom, and then I’d suddenly healed the burns. I could be a walking bomb or a hallucinating psychopath, neither thought comforting and neither one something I wanted anyone to know about.

I got into my car and backed away before he could say anything. When I looked in my rearview mirror, he was still standing where I’d left him, a deep frown carved into his features.

I wasn’t surprised when my phone rang later that afternoon and Mel’s name popped up on the screen.

“Hello?”

“Is everything OK? You weren’t at cheerleading,” she said the moment I answered.

“Yeah, I just needed to get away. I don’t think I could’ve managed an afternoon listening to Courtney pick at me,” I sighed and flopped back onto my bed.

“Well, listen, Ana. We all know how Courtney and Sasha are. They’re jealous and cruel. That being said, I think I have the perfect solution!”

“What’s that?” I asked slowly, wondering what scheme Mel had cooking in her pretty little head.

“It’s obvious she thinks you’re after Kellin, right?”

“Obviously,” I agreed, exasperated.

“So get a boyfriend!”

“Uh, I can’t even get a date to homecoming, Mel. How the hell am I supposed to just acquire a boyfriend?”

“That’s where I come in! I talked to Chad, and he said he has a friend named Brandon who is in the market for someone to hang out with. You could be that someone!”

“Mel, I appreciate where you’re coming from on this, but maybe it’s not something I should be pursuing right now,” I answered, my voice tiny as I thought about what would happen when I went out on a date with someone and accidently lit him on fire. I could see the headlines in the newspapers:

Crazed Teenager Sets Date on Fire While Reaching for Popcorn

I winced at the thought.

“Maybe it’s exactly what you need right now, Ana,” Mel cut in before I could let my tragic thoughts wander further. “Think about it—they all think you want their men. Get one of your own and problem solved!”

I sighed and picked at a piece of lint on my sweater, wondering how bad it could possibly be to try. Maybe it would take my mind off all the strange things happening to me.

Or maybe it would make things worse.

“No, I don’t think so,” I responded softly, the terror from the flames still fresh in my mind. “I think right now I really just want to be left alone, Mel. I want some time to sort through things. Maybe in a couple of weeks if I’m feeling better, you can set something up for me.”

“Ana, what’s going on?” Mel asked, the concern evident in her voice. “Just a few days ago, you were all about dating and homecoming, and now you’re acting all weird. If it’s Courtney and Sasha, then let’s do something about it.”

“It’s . . . it’s not them. Not really, anyway. I’ve just not been feeling well these past few days. I think I really need to relax and not stress. I’ve been having bizarre dreams, and I’m tired, Mel. I promise everything is OK. I think I just want some time to myself right now.”

“OK,” Mel answered slowly. “I’m not going to push you. But I know you aren’t telling me everything, so I’m just going to say this, you know where to find me when you’re ready to talk.”

“Thanks, Mel,” I smiled sadly at her intuitive nature. She knew me so well.

We hung up shortly afterward, and I rolled over in my bed, terrified of what might happen when I closed my eyes.

I wasn’t disappointed.

He’s nearby. I can feel him. The air crackles whenever he’s too close to me.

I take a small, quiet step to the large, heavy, wooden door and push my hand against it, making it slowly creak open. He’s standing there, his back to me, shrouded in his long, black cloak as he stares out over the balcony to the dark city below.

This place, it’s his home. The walls are made from coarse dark stone, and the candelabra holds the stubs of barely there candles, their flames dying as the cold night wears on. His bed is messy, but I know he hasn’t been sleeping in it. He’s been busy doing things that make my stomach twist into knots.

He’s whispering, upset. The electricity in the air magnifies, and I can feel the hairs on my arms stand on end.

Without warning, he reaches out and overturns a table laden with scrolls and various other trinkets. The sudden movement causes me to take a frightened step back.

He continues to trash the room, the air thick with his anger. He moves swiftly, and my eyes are barely able to follow his movements as he rips apart pillows and shatters the delicate stoneware on a nearby table.

When he runs out of things to break, he falls to his knees, buries his hidden face in his hands, and sobs. I want to go to him. I need to go to him. He is my flame and I am his moth.

I approach him hesitantly, wanting to see his face, to see the tragedy written upon it. I reach out and place my hand on his shoulder, and the despair and bleakness that engulfs me makes me want to vomit.

His head snaps up at my touch and he looks around trying to find me, but I am just a dream. I catch the moonlight reflecting off his dark eyes and recoil.

I see no face. There is only the bottomless blackness of his dead eyes, the whites completely gone. The eyes of the hopeless, of a darkness so grand and tragic, it takes my breath away.

He is the Nihilist, the Destroyer, a puppet for his Master. All is lost in his eyes, and I know if I give in, I too will fall victim to this tragic story.

Our story.

I awoke the next morning with a desperate need to clear my head. The fever had abated, but it was still there. I wanted to push past it, though, so I quickly got ready for school, making sure to stuff my running clothes into my backpack. I had every intention of walking to school and then going for a run afterward since there wouldn’t be cheerleading practice today.

I kept my head down and made it to my first class without a hitch. The seat Calix sat in was empty, and I felt my heart thrum a little for whatever reason. I wondered where he was. It didn’t feel right—I didn’t feel right—without him beside me. I glanced around and saw Sasha was in class so that couldn’t have been the reason.

Fifteen minutes into class, my head snapped up, and I looked expectantly toward the door. It was like a weird sixth sense I had about it, and moments later, there he was, all tall and swoon-worthy, waltzing through the doorway.

Mr. Gillis didn’t say a word to Calix as he sauntered into the room and over to his seat. He slouched down into it, a bored looked on his handsome face. I fidgeted uneasily in my seat as his presence threatened to suffocate me.

When Mr. Gillis cut us loose, I turned to Calix and studied him for a moment, wondering if I should say anything.

“Like what you see?” he inquired with a raised eyebrow.

I felt my face stain red with embarrassment and shook my head quickly, then looked away. I made sure to busy myself with our lab supplies.

“You know, it’s OK to want, Ana,” his soft voice cut into my embarrassment.

I looked at him wide-eyed, wondering what he was talking about.

“I-I don’t want anything,” I stammered, letting out a nervous laugh.

“Are you sure? You look like you know exactly what you want, but are too fearful to grasp it.”

“Uh,” I said breathily, feeling like my entire body was on fire, and then silently praying I wouldn’t be demonstrating my newfound ability for my classmates.

“What’s wrong?” he persisted, his desire to make me feel uncomfortable working.

“N-nothing. I think we should work on our lab,” I said, wiping at my sweating, feverish brow. How is it I could be feeling entirely normal, but one word from him would make me feel like I’d stepped into a circle of raging fire?

“I think life would be so much easier for you if you just let go once in a while,” Calix continued, his eyes tracing my every movement as I nervously rattled around beakers and chemicals.

“What makes you think I don’t let go?” I asked, trying to gain control of the conversation.

“Kiss me,” he stated evenly. “Right here.”

“W-what?” I blubbered, dropping my pencil. It rolled off the table and fell to the floor with a soft clatter.

“You heard me, Princess. Or are you too uptight?”

“I-I,” I stammered, my tongue and stomach both twisted into knots. What was happening? He couldn’t be serious. He was crazy. And the worst part about it was that in the back of my mind, I was considering it.

I shook my head at how ludicrous this entire situation was. “You’re with Sasha,” I said softly, breathing out as my hands shook.

“Am I?” he asked quietly, sliding closer.

The heat from his body came off him in waves and made my head spin.

“I don’t make out with other people’s boyfriends,” I stated evenly, desperately trying to come to my senses. Calix had an intoxicating effect on me, one I could feel all the way to my toes.

“Oh, I’m sure a title wouldn’t stop you,” he coaxed, his fingers tracing my knuckles gently.

I sucked in a breath as the electricity zinged through my body. The feeling was delicious, making my head feel muddled, confused, like I was lost in his words, willing to do whatever he told me to.

“Despite your apparent thoughts about me, Calix,” I said acidly, finally able to pull myself together, “I am
not
the type of girl to intrude on someone else’s relationship, no matter how new it is or who it’s with.”

“You have no idea what I think about you,” he said, the silkiness gone from his deep voice. “Besides, I’m fairly certain that soon enough, you’re going to lose your holier than thou persona, and you will be sharing stolen kisses with someone. I just figured since it’s bound to happen, it may as well be me.”

“Ugh,” I rolled my eyes at him. “You have the personality of a snake, the attitude of someone more important than yourself, and the emotional range of a pebble. I’m sorry if I’m not interested in canoodling with the great and powerful Calix Night!”

Calix grinned at me, and the smile reached his eyes, lighting up his impossibly dark demeanor.

“I’m more snake-like than you know, more important than you can imagine, but you are right. My emotions are a little stagnant.”

I shook my head at him and was just about to let him know what I thought about his existence when Sasha interrupted with a breathy giggle.

“Hey, Calix. I missed you last night,” she said touching his arm.

He winked at me before turning his attention to her, and I rolled my eyes. I busied myself with our lab and ignored them, lost in my thoughts about the conversation we’d just had.

Where did he get off thinking I’d want to kiss him? And in the middle of class in front of everyone? He was crazy. Insane. But I scolded myself because deep down, I had wanted to throw caution to the wind and do as he asked.

I had enough problems. Making out with the boyfriend of one of my enemies didn’t seem like the best plan of action, and I grimaced as I thought about the repercussions.

“Right, Ana?” Calix’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts, and I looked at him, exasperated.

“What?” I ventured wearily.

“We were just talking about what rejection is like,” he continued smoothly, a dangerous glint in his midnight eyes. “I was telling Sasha to go easy on you. It’s hard on someone like you, when rejection is all you know. I mean, you’ve never been out on even one date, right?”

“Oh, go to hell,” I snapped at him. “And for the record, I have been out on a date before. Just because I rejected you doesn’t give you the right to start crap with me!”

A triumphant grin swept his handsome features. I stuffed my books into my bag and caught sight of the confused look on Sasha’s face as I stood up to leave.

“You shouldn’t run away from me, Ana,” Calix scolded sweetly. “After all, the chase is the sweetest.”

I gave him a rude gesture, which made him chuckle as I swept from the classroom, not in the mood for any more of his crap.

I managed to make it through the rest of the day without a hitch, thanks to staying in the third-floor girl’s bathroom at lunch and the fact that I didn’t see Calix for the remainder of the day.

I hurried outside when the bell rang without so much as a look over my shoulder. I wanted to go running. I was going to suffocate if I didn’t get out of there soon.

“Ana!” Kellin shouted, jogging over to me. I sighed and pulled my long blonde hair up into a ponytail as I waited for him. I’d already changed into my running clothes before the final bell had gone off. I had made sure to have an entire homework-free night, too, so I didn’t even worry about bringing my bag with me.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, stopping in front of me and looking down at me with his impossibly blue eyes.

“I feel tired. Overwhelmed, annoyed, confused,” I said, the words tumbling out of my mouth before I could think.

“Wow. OK. Do you want to talk about it?”

“No, I don’t,” I sniped, looking past him to see Courtney and Sasha watching us from the sidewalk with nasty looks on their faces.

“Where are you going?” he asked, looking me up and down, concern etched on his face. “Why’d you walk to school this morning? It’s getting cold out, and you’ve been sick.”

“I’m going running, Kellin,” I sighed. “I just want to be outside. I need to clear my head.”

He reached out instinctively and touched my forehead. “You’re still running a fever, Ana,” he said, frowning at me. “Just go home and rest. You need to rest, not run. Not with this . . . illness.”

“Please, don’t,” I said, looking away from him.

“Don’t what?” he asked, confused, dropping his hand to his side.

“Act like you care, Kellin. Leave me alone. Courtney is watching, and I don’t have it in me to combat two enemies at once. I mean, thanks for your concern, but I’m fine without it.”

“Ana,” he said, his brow furrowed as he looked from me to Courtney. “Let me help you.”

“With what, Kellin? Getting over you?” I snapped my mouth shut the moment the words had fallen from my lips. I hadn’t even wanted to admit them to myself, but there they were, ugly and exposed, which is exactly how I felt in that moment as he stared down at me in shock.

“Getting . . . what? Ana?” he asked, sucking in a deep breath, his eyes widening at my revelation.

“Just forget it. I’m sick, Kellin. Delirious even. I-I have to go,” I said, my face flaming red.

I ducked my head and walked as fast from the scene as I could, feeling mortified. I couldn’t believe I’d just admitted my feelings to Kellin.