《The Amethyst Witch》


 Chapter 1

    I had always thought dying would be easy. Now, of course I had dreaded my final moments, I had imagined it¡¯d take a special form of idiocy to not fear being powerless and alone, hurting, with nothing but the promise of the unknown on the other side. But I had never truly been afraid of being dead. Once life was over, fear itself shouldn¡¯t matter anymore, so why bother? Because it apparently wasn¡¯t quite that easy, at least not for me. Right now, I was¡­ huh, maybe a bit of context is in order, so you can fully appreciate my predicament before I get into anymore details.


    I had had a good life, maybe not the longest one, but the 15 1/2 years I had been allowed to spend on earth had been¡­ happy, mostly. Loving parents, who hadn¡¯t been around much, a 2 years older, doting sister, who had raised me in their stead, grandparents who had spoiled me stupid¡­ I had even been able to travel and live in a bunch of different countries. School had been a breeze and since I had somehow lucked out in the genetics department, I hadn¡¯t had much trouble getting to know new people, even though I had never gotten overly close to them. Sure, once or twice I had failed miserably in weeding out the assholes and psychos, but all in all, I shouldn¡¯t complain¡­ or maybe¡­ well, ultimately I suppose it¡¯s up to you to decide.


    We had once again moved to a new city, New York, and I had been busy with the usual new girl in town shenanigans. Finding a suitable dojo, puzzling out how I might get to school without too much trouble and of course, dealing with school itself. I was younger than my peers, my education in the more¡­ conservative schools of Eastern Europe had allowed me to skip some classes, but since I had been forced to make new acquaintances over and over again, my social skills weren¡¯t the worst, even though I hadn¡¯t had any real friends. Unfortunately, we had never stuck around for long enough to make that happen. Combined with my self esteem, which bordered on arrogance, and my 1.7 metres of hight, it usually wasn¡¯t much of a problem, though. At least no one had ever put itching powder into my bra. Something I had only ever experienced as the culprit, but luckily I had never been caught. And well, Paris was a whole ocean away by now. Also, she had deserved it, but I digress.


    On the first day, I had followed my usual routine. Be friendly and approachable and ultimately, you¡¯ll most likely get to know the people you¡¯re forced to share your lunch with anyways. Everything else would develop naturally. Long story short, I hadn¡¯t thought much of it when I had been invited to sit with a group of tall, curvy girls, all of whom, as it had later turned out, were part of the cheerleading squad, a fact they hadn¡¯t been able to repeat often enough. I wouldn¡¯t have minded but when they had begun insinuating the social importance of joining them, I had been on guard. The stereotype had almost made me sneer, especially when I had found out that they pretty much had only wanted to recruit me, but in the end I had managed to politely decline.


    One of them, Katie, hadn¡¯t taken my refusal lightly and we had gotten into an argument that had quickly spiralled out of control. I still don¡¯t know why, well, maybe I do, but suddenly she had been insulting me as if I had stolen her boyfriend. With a sigh I had turned away and since I had still puzzled over what had just happened, I had left my bag behind. One of the other girls had returned it later, but¡­


    On my way home, I had been waiting for the subway at 96th Street stop, too lazy to walk the couple of blocks it¡¯d take me to get home, when Katie had called me from the top of the escalator. She had had my phone. With a malicious grin she had thrown it at me but had missed by a landslide, purposefully. Reflexively I had reached for it and¡­ just another unfortunate accident. I had slipped and my head had collided with the rails. The last thing I had heard was a resounding crack when I had found out that steel was a tad bit harder than my skull.


    At first I had been¡­ gone. Maybe there had been something around me, within me, but if there had been, it would have been so far removed from who I was, that it wouldn¡¯t have mattered either way. I had been dead. Don¡¯t ask me how I know, but there was just something¡­ I hadn¡¯t been unconscious or even comatose, I had truly been gone. Which wouldn¡¯t have been so bad¡­


    But now¡­ I was suffering. And I don¡¯t mean the gentle I hit my toe kind of suffering. I was dead and still somehow there, and my body told me resolutely that it didn¡¯t appreciate it. Not one bit. I was distantly aware of the people around me and that I was transported somewhere else, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to care. I just wanted the pain to stop. Imagine white hot needles piercing every cell in your body¡­ that¡¯s not even close.


    The agony was overwhelming, I lost myself, I forgot who I was, where I was from, even my name became hazy. ¡°Evelyne,¡± I repeated the words like a mantra. ¡°Evelyne Helene Paradizo¡±, a bubble of memories I clung onto like a drowning girl to a raft. Second after second I reiterated my name, minute after minute until suddenly, the pain vanished. Form one instant to the next, the fire in my veins petered out and turned into a soothing, gentle throb when darkness finally claimed me.


    When I woke up, I was in a small bed with beeping machines around and a plethora of tubes in me, but to my utmost surprise, I felt¡­ just fine. Exhausted, in a hospital bed and definitely strangled by my colourful collection of IV bags, tubes and sensors, but still fine. Fine enough to mumble: ¡°mum? Dad? Victoria?¡± The three people jolted form their various, indignant positions, draped over the three chairs in my room like forgotten coats, and hurried to my side.


    ¡°Evee,¡± my mum whispered before she buried her head in my chest, her arms slung around me, and began to cry. My dad smiled like a mad men, tears glistening on his face as he took my hand with enough strength to make sure I couldn¡¯t suddenly vanish from his grasp. My sister said nothing, she only stared at me with huge, watery eyes, while her disbelieve was slowly replace by happiness. Judging from the dark circles under her eyes and the crumpled state of her dress, I had been under for a while. ¡°It¡¯s good to have you back, princess,¡± she finally breathed, her voice trembling. I blinked away my own tears and wrapped my free arm around my mum.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to be back¡­ I¡­. I.¡± And that was pretty much all I managed to croak, before I broke down, sobbing like an infant. Within seconds, we became an entangled mess of limbs as my father and sister joined us in our hug and their hot tears mixed with ours. They were still present enough to be mindful of the tubes coming out of me, but the nurse who rushed in a minute later was utterly ignored. Not until she returned with one of my doctors, an elderly, bespectacled man with a shock of grey brown hair, who repeatedly called out to us, did we grudgingly separate.


    ¡°Mr, Mrs and Ms Paradizo, allow me to do my job. It won¡¯t take long, but please, let me have a look at your daughter. I have to¡­¡± he met my gaze and hesitated, his eyes widening behind his wire rimmed glasses. I frowned, a bolt of fear tearing through my insides when I imagined what might have set him off. I felt fine, for god¡¯s sake! I couldn¡¯t¡­ was he¡­ my thoughts spiralled off into undiluted panic, I wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with another surge of white hot pain! There was no way! Please!


    Shivering, I stared at the man, willing him to speak, to tell me all would be well, to reassure me that I wouldn¡¯t have to go through hell, once again. My heart raced, sweat formed on my brow and I clung closer to my family, in dire need of something to hold on to. Just tell me, I thought and suddenly, my vision shifted, suddenly, I wasn¡¯t staring at the doctor anymore.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Instead, I was looking at a family of four¡­ my family. My father, a broad shoulder man in his 50s, tall and blonde with clear, blue eyes, my mother, willowy and elegant, her long, black hair and dark eyes a stark contrast to her white, youthful skin, my sister, slender and lithe, a beautiful blonde with almost black, huge eyes, and finally, me¡­ I hoped, but¡­ my face hadn¡¯t changed, much. Soft lines, a straight, small nose, white, flawless skin and flowing, black hair above a long, slender neck. But my eyes¡­ they were huge. I had always had slanted, violet coloured eyes but those sparkling gems looked light amethysts under the sun. A fairy, I thought, I¡¯ve turned into a fairy! And then: what the¡­ I wasn¡¯t prone to swearing but this particular form of an out of body experience was frightening. Especially when I heard my doctor¡¯s voice loud and clear in my ears.


    ¡°That can¡¯t¡­ she didn¡¯t look like that¡­ maybe¡­ are her eyes glowing? Shit! She should be dead, for fuck¡¯s sake. Is she an alien? No, calm down Tom. There¡¯s an explanation. Yeah, right¡­ gene therapy? Surgery? Bull shit. Even after 40 years, I haven¡¯t seen it all. First I have to make sure how she could even wake up and then¡­ hmm¡­ I¡¯ll have to do the blood work, anyways. Alright, time to do my job. Stop staring, you old geezer, you frighten the girl. She¡¯s still your patient.¡± Caught somewhere between utter confusion and a growing headache, I reflexively closed my eyes and his voice immediately vanished. When I blinked, I was back in my bed, my family slowly moving away to allow old geezer Tom to reach me.


    I had held my tongue while I had been pricked and prodded but after several hours, a MRT scan and a gourmand variety of pills, no one could deny that I was healthy. A major surprise, considering I had had a cracked skull and my brain had been haemorrhaging like crazy. Apparently I hadn¡¯t been supposed to wake up, ever again.


    Time had passed in a blur, questions, examinations and one sided conversations a hazy fog, while I had internally been dealing with the lunacy that had greeted me ever since I had returned to the land of the living. After what felt like years, I was finally cleared to go back home tomorrow, removed from the ICU, and then, I shooed my family from the room, insisting that I¡¯d manage one night alone while they got some well deserved sleep. Also, they would have to return early the next day to pick me up. I wasn¡¯t willing to spend more time in a hospital than I absolutely had to. And someone had been lurking in the halls, unwilling to visit me while my family was still there.


    When the door closed behind Victoria¡¯s double tailed coat I didn¡¯t have to wait long, a lingering shadow moved behind the door and blocked out the light filtering in from the corridor.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to hide, Katie, I know you¡¯re there. Come on in,¡± I said, my voice hoarse. It took a second for her to muster her courage but when she finally turned the handle, the first thing I saw was a gargantuan flower bouquet, the cause of my would be demise hidden behind it.


    ¡°I¡­I brought you flowers,¡± she said unnecessarily, her anxiety palpable in every word.


    ¡°I can see that. Have you been here all day?¡± She slowly lowered the veritable forest she had brought along. Green, red rimmed eyes and flowing golden hair appeared behind violets and evergreens. She was hunched over and obviously hadn¡¯t slept for a while, the impeccable layer of makeup I had seen on her last was gone and honestly, she was even prettier without, despite the faint the-living-dead vibe she gave off as she nodded.


    ¡°My¡­ and I thought I was supposed to look like death, but you got me beat by a landslide. Are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡­ shouldn¡¯t I be asking you that? Evelyne, I¡¯m so sorry. I never wanted to¡­¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± I sighed. ¡°But you have to forgive me, I¡¯m not going to tell you everything¡¯s all right. You¡­¡± I paused, grasping for the right words. I studied her closely. She was about my hight, maybe a centimetre or two shorter. Sweatpants and a tight T-shirt did her blossoming figure justice and I unconsciously pulled the thin blanket to my chin in embarrassment. My legs might be a bit longer, but I¡¯d never be able to compete with her hourglass figure. To tell the truth, none in my family could, even though my sister was already grown up.


    I fidgeted, completely distracted. Why was this bothering me so much? Focus, Evee! With a lopsided grin I raised my gaze from her bust and stared into her eyes. And my vision shattered again while Katie¡¯s voice filled my ears.


    She was staring at an apparition, entirely lost in a set of glowing, amethyst eyes, her thoughts racing. ¡°Oh god, she hates me. She has to! What have I done? At least she¡¯s fine. Even if she won¡¯t talk to me again¡­ why? Why have I¡­ god, she¡¯s beautiful. Am I blushing? Please, no! Fuck¡­ doesn¡¯t matter. Just get it over with. Tell her why you acted like a bitch. The rest is up to her. Right¡­ Hey Evelyne, I endangered your life because I was envious and maybe a little infatuated. When you said you didn¡¯t want to join us I felt rejected so I lashed out¡­ at least that¡¯s what my mum says¡­ right, that¡¯s going to go over perfectly, won¡¯t it? Why¡­ why is she smiling?¡± I blinked and my perspective returned to staring at the pretty, blushing blonde.


    ¡°Come here,¡± I said, scooted to the side and patted my bed. Now, you might be wondering why I was even entertaining the idea of making up with her, never mind trusting in something that, for all intent and purposes, could be a psychotic episode induced by trauma and possibly a damaged brain. Two reasons. One, I was simply happy to be still alive and I didn¡¯t plan on wasting the chance I had gotten. Holding a grudge and gnawing on it like a dog on an old bone wasn¡¯t very high up on my to do list. Two, either I was going insane, in which case I¡¯d try to hold on for as long as possible before the men in white overalls were going to take me, or I wasn¡¯t, in which case I would only invite the men in white overalls sooner rather than later, if I was stupid enough to make a fuss. All in all, going with the flow was the much better option. I¡¯d deal with the rest later.


    Katie timidly approached me, the bouquet held in front of her like a shield. When she finally reached the foot of my bed and walked up, her smell overpowered the sterile stench of disinfectants and I was engulfed by a fragrant cloud of roses and vanilla mixed with the sweet aroma of violets. She seemed like a lost puppy to me when she sat on the very edge of the admittedly tiny mattress, stiff like a board.


    We remained silent for a few heartbeats until both of us started blabbering at the same time.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. Please, I never meant to¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really blame you and I¡­¡± We bit our tongues at the same moment, staring at one another, the electrical buzzing around us suddenly overly loud in my ears. And then, I giggled and the tension evaporated like fog under a midday sun when she joined me. Her laughter, melodious and sweet like a song, filled the room and for a minute or two I almost forgot where I was and that the girl at my side was the reason why I was still hooked up to a beeping behemoth of a machine.


    ¡°What¡¯s going to happen now,¡± she asked breathlessly when our mirth had died down.


    ¡°Beats me. I guess I¡¯ll stay at home for a while and we¡¯ll both probably have to talk to the cops.¡± She eyed me from the side, before she whispered: ¡°and what are you going to tell them?¡±


    ¡°Is that why you¡¯re here?¡± ¡°No,¡± she immediately and resolutely denied the insinuation. ¡°Not really¡­ but I¡¯m already suspended and depending on what you¡¯re going to tell them¡­ I might lose my scholarship. I¡­ I just have to know¡­ I¡­ my family won¡¯t be able to afford the tuition and it¡¯ll take a while to find another school.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll tell the truth.¡± Her expression fell and I could practically feel the waves of despair that radiated off of her before I continued: ¡°I lost my phone and you returned it, although maybe not in the most practical manner. Its not your fault that I¡¯m too clumsy to catch anything.¡± A tremulous smile spread across her face.


    ¡°You¡¯d do that for me? After everything I¡¯ve done?¡±


    ¡°One, it¡¯s the truth and two¡­ Sure¡­ provided you buy me a new one. I can¡¯t imagine the thing has survived¡­¡± with a squeal she hugged me tightly and somehow I knew that I had just found a friend. A real one. And all it had taken was dying and coming back to life. Piece of cake.

 Chapter 2

    ¡°Do you¡­ do you think your parents will allow me to visit?¡± We had been chatting for a while now and even though it was getting late, I was wide awake. Talking to Katie was surprisingly easy¡­ or maybe she was still just guilt ridden and didn¡¯t dare stop me. Probably a bit of both.


    ¡°Sure, why wouldn¡¯t they? But you¡¯ll have to deal with a lecture and weird questions, that should be it. My sis, though¡­ I wouldn¡¯t come over when she¡¯s home, at least not in the next few days. Unless you¡¯re looking forward to a coupe of days in school with a black eye. You could invent a fancy lie about saving an older lady from a bunch of thugs. I¡¯d even collaborate.¡±


    She giggled and asked: ¡°And why would you do that?¡± I shrugged.


    ¡°Seeing you getting knocked flat on your ass should be fun. Easily worth it.¡±


    ¡°And I thought you liked my ass,¡± she pouted. ¡°Or is there another reason why you have been staring?¡± I felt the heat rush to my cheeks. Maybe I hadn¡¯t been as inconspicuous as I had believed.


    ¡®Uh¡­I¡­I didn¡¯t,¡± I stammered but she only smiled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get flustered, I was just teasing. So¡­ how long will you have to stay here?¡±


    ¡°My family will pick me up tomorrow. I¡¯m already more than fed up with hospitals and I¡¯ve only been awake for a few hours. The two days I slept through hardly count.¡± It was the middle of the night on a Wednesday now. ¡°Which reminds me¡­ what happened after I fell? Nobody deemed it necessary to fill me in.¡± She turned her head away from me and stared through the small window, listening to the faint hum of traffic on the streets below.


    ¡°I¡­ you fell and you bled and you didn¡¯t get up. I froze. Luckily none of the other people around did. They immediately called an ambulance and I was shoved to the side while you were transported here. I¡­ I don¡¯t really know what happened directly afterwards. I felt¡­ lost and headed home. I told my parents everything and they rampaged through their contacts, trying to find out where you might have been taken. My dad¡¯s side of the family¡­ they¡¯re all doctors and one of them works here. That¡¯s also why I could sneak in. My mum wanted us to go to the police station first, but I wanted to know¡­ I wanted to make sure¡­ and when we got here, they told us you were¡­ you had¡­¡± she snivelled. I hesitated for a moment before I wrapped my arms around her neck and pulled her back into me.


    ¡°Shh, I¡¯m fine now. Nothing happened. From what I¡¯ve heard, I¡¯ll only have to come back for a checkup in a week. That¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°I¡­I know,¡± she whispered, her whole body trembling. ¡°Almost as soon as we were on our way to the police station, my uncle called. He told us you were still hanging on and that there was a chance¡­ I made them turn the cab around and then we waited. After a few hours my mum and dad had to go to work, but I stayed. And when they rushed you through the aisles, I bought the largest bunch of violets I could find and waited. I¡­ I didn¡¯t have it in me to face your family but when they were gone¡­ I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am.¡±


    ¡°And make sure I wouldn¡¯t blame you,¡± I whispered in her ear. She turned around in my embrace, her eyes still swollen and red.


    ¡°No¡­ really. I don¡¯t¡­ of course I care, but it¡¯s my fault and you¡¯ve every right to¡­¡± I smiled lopsidedly.


    ¡°What do you expect me to say? You acted like a bitch and it went south, majorly. But you didn¡¯t mean to hurt me. And nothing happened. Well, nothing lasting, at least. Why¡­ why did you, anyways? I¡¯ve been going over what I said and I just can¡¯t figure out what triggered you.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ could we talk about that some other time?¡± My curiosity stirred, I really wanted to know if I had just been imagining things when I had heard her thoughts. A second later, even though her lips weren¡¯t moving, I heard her voice again. ¡°When we¡¯re not sharing a bed and I¡¯m not pressed up against you while you¡¯re wearing a flimsy gown?¡± She was blushing again.


    ¡°Sure, but I really want to know, some time.¡± I didn¡¯t let go of her but I changed the topic after a few seconds. ¡°So¡­ I¡¯ve been wondering. Should we head to the police station together? I¡¯m not particularly looking forward to having them in my house and I imagine the sooner we get that out of the way, the sooner you¡¯ll be able to go back to school. Why were you suspended, anyways?¡±


    ¡°My parents¡­ they talked to the police immediately and they informed the school. Two detectives even came down here while I waited¡­ I think they believe it was an accident, but they have to make sure and for as long as they¡¯re still investigating, the principal has suspended me.¡±


    ¡°Then maybe we can clear this up in the next couple of days. I can¡¯t imagine I¡¯ll be allowed back next week so I¡¯ll need someone to tell me what I¡¯ve missed.¡± She smiled again. The more often she did, the more endearing I came to find the gesture.


    ¡°I definitely will. Evelyne¡­ why are you like that?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Why are you so nice to me? I¡­ I can¡¯t imagine what I would do if I was in your place, but I sure as hell wouldn¡¯t bother consoling me. I¡¯d probably have screamed me out the door, the moment I walked in.¡± I paused, unsure of how I could answer her. Katie, I can hear your thoughts from time to time and I know you didn¡¯t mean to hurt me wouldn¡¯t cut it. Even just thinking about it made me worry I was truly losing my marbles.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I¡­ it was a stupid accident and I got through unscathed, more or less. I¡­ I don¡¯t think it¡¯s worth it to close the door on someone who could become¡­ a friend. I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯d feel differently if I was in a wheelchair now, but I¡¯m not. Maybe that¡¯s stupid, considering it actually wouldn¡¯t change what happened, but¡­ don¡¯t you want me to?¡± Her eyes became as large as saucers.


    ¡°Of course I do, I just can¡¯t understand how¡­ aren¡¯t you at least mad?¡±


    ¡°Honestly? No. Look, I fell, I woke up and I was fine. From my perspective, it was much worse when Victoria, my sister, shaved my head when I was in second grade. I could only stay mad at her for a day or two. And that was on purpose. I¡¯m¡­ Katie, I don¡¯t know why, but truth be told, I like you. I¡­ you fucked up, royally, but you owned up, you still do, I admire that. I don¡¯t know if I would have done the same. So¡­ for my part, get me a new phone and tell me what I¡¯m going to miss in school and we¡¯re all square.¡± She stared at me incredulously, long enough that I became worried I might have said something out of line but then, she suddenly broke down. She wrapped her arms around me and cried, her hot breath tickling my ear. Warm tears fell on my hospital gown and I was so perplexed for a moment that I didn¡¯t know what to do. Only when I felt my own eyes burning, did I return the hug.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    I didn¡¯t know how long we stayed like that, wrapped around each other like two trees that had grown together for years, but when I woke up, she was still with me. The sun was blinking through the less than clean window and for a moment I wondered where I was. But when I saw my family, who were staring at me as if I truly was an alien, everything came back to me in a rush.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± I whispered, unwilling to wake the girl at my side.


    ¡°Good mooning,¡± my father replied chipperly in his usual bass, his eyes sparkling. He had ditched the crumbled tweed jacket and was in his usual suit, a bright amethyst tie the only speck of colour in his attire. He was probably going to drop us off and rush to work immediately after. At least he had a duffel bag with him that probably contained a fresh set of clothes for me. ¡°If I had known you had someone to keep you company, I would have taken my time with breakfast. And who¡¯s the little lady I find in my daughter¡¯s bed all of a sudden,¡± he asked as he ushered my mum and sister through the door.


    Katie jolted upright, her expression panicked while she stared from the new arrivals, who eyed her curiously, to me, her mouth working fervently but without producing a single sound.


    ¡°That¡¯s Katie,¡± I said after realising she wouldn¡¯t be speaking up any time soon. ¡°She¡¯s a friend.¡±


    ¡°A friend¡­,¡± my sister slowly repeated while she came closer, edging past our parents who hadn¡¯t caught up, yet. ¡°You know, your school called yesterday. The principal told us what happened. Is she that Katie?¡± Her voice was icy and I saw a dangerous glint suddenly ignite in my mum¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Yes, but you¡¯re not going to cause a scene. We already talked, for most of the night, actually,¡± I stated calmly and took Katie¡¯s hand. Her pulse hammered hard enough that I could easily feel it through her skin. ¡°I¡¯ve forgiven her and so will you. All of you. Promise me, Vicky.¡±


    ¡°Why am I the one who has to make a promise,¡± she inquired while she crept closer, almost like a hunting predator. I shook my head to get rid of the image and explain but before I could open my mouth, my mum said quietly:


    ¡°Victoria, don¡¯t.¡± She then strode over to my bed and kissed me on the cheek before she turned to Katie who had scrambled off the mattress and was timidly watching us. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Clara, Evee¡¯s mum.¡± She extended her hand but the smile she put on didn¡¯t reach her eyes. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to hear what happened. I believe you owe us this much,¡± she added with a sidelong glance in my direction.


    ¡°I¡­ of course,¡± Katie¡¯s voice was trembling as if she was on the verge of tears again but she still shook my mum¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯m Kathleen, Kathleen Donovan. Before I start, I want to tell you that I¡¯m sorry. I never meant to hurt Evelyne, but¡­ I did. It wasn¡¯t on purpose. I¡­ I don¡¯t know how much you¡¯ve heard but we got into a row in school and she forgot her bag. I¡­ I took her phone. I was angry and when I finally cooled down, school was already over. I followed her to the station¡­ and when I saw her again, I didn¡¯t return her phone properly but threw it at her. She tried to catch it and... and¡­¡± she couldn¡¯t go on. The memories were still too fresh and when I saw a fleeting image of myself, unmoving on the concrete floor, blood slowly spreading below me, she started crying again. A faint wave of anguish reached me and I had to struggle to keep from hugging her. At this moment, I realised she had much more difficulties with letting go than I had.


    ¡°I believe her,¡± my dad suddenly said and offered the upset girl his hand. ¡°And if Evee has forgiven her, that¡¯s good enough for me. I¡¯m Gerald, Gerald Paradizo.¡± Katie took his hand timidly and tried for a smile, but it didn¡¯t work quite as intended. She actually looked even more distraught, which, in hindsight, probably wasn¡¯t the worst thing, as it convinced my mum to finally drop the attitude.


    ¡°You know, we¡¯re going to take Evee home now, but why don¡¯t you come over tonight? Your parents are, of course, also invited. We can get to know each other over dinner. I¡¯m not much of a cook but there¡¯s this truly amazing Italian place close by.¡± She reached for her small leather bag and pulled out a business card. ¡°Why don¡¯t you give us a call later, let us know if you can make it. No need to rush. I¡¯ll be at home for the next few days and Gerry won¡¯t be back until 7 or 8.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯d love to,¡± she replied breathlessly while she wiped away her tears. ¡°Thanks¡­,¡± she glanced at the card and her eyes became wide when she saw the address. I almost blushed, but then again, I had gotten quite used to the amount of money my parents earned. Still, when Katie silently formed the words Central Park Tower, I couldn¡¯t help averting my eyes, especially since she had already mentioned that her family wouldn¡¯t be able to pay her tuition for Trinity School without a scholarship. Usually that was the moment when people changed their attitude but I fervently hoped she wasn¡¯t one of them. We were quite normal, after all, at least I thought so.


    ¡°Great, that¡¯s settled, then,¡± my dad said. ¡°Im looking forward to seeing you again. But next time, I¡¯d rather not find you in Evee¡¯s bed,¡± he chuckled. ¡°Dad,¡± I exclaimed, blushing for real now.


    ¡°What? If she wants to, I think it¡¯s my prerogative to grill her appropriately beforehand. Come on then, girls, I¡¯ve got to be in the office in two hours and traffic¡¯s a bust. We should get a move on. Katie, I¡¯m looking forward to seeing you again. God knows Evee hasn¡¯t brought many friends home up until now.¡± Without further ado he opened the duffel bag and threw my favourite top and the corresponding pants at me, the set I always wore at home during weekends. ¡°Your doc will be in any minute now for a final checkup,¡± he added.


    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll be going, then,¡± Katie mumbled, still somewhat shell shocked. ¡°It¡¯s been¡­ I¡­ I¡¯ll see you all tonight.¡± She turned around and hugged me once more, before she strode to the door.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you out,¡± my sister chirped up and rushed to follow her.


    ¡°Vicky,¡± I said warningly. ¡°Don¡¯t you¡­¡± she waved at me.


    ¡°I won¡¯t, just a few things I want to know.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t that wait until tonight,¡± my mum asked exasperatedly.


    ¡°No, it can¡¯t. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t be long. Come on then, Katie, I promise I won¡¯t bite.¡± The girl in question was stricken with panic and looked at me for help but I could only shrug. There was no stopping my sister when she had put her mind to anything at all. Defeatedly, Katie followed her out of the room. When the door closed behind them, my mum sat on the edge of my bed and took my hand.


    ¡°God, it¡¯s good to see you awake again.¡± She paused when she stared into my eyes but seemingly decided to postpone the questioning. Good, for I had about as many answers for her as non trivial solutions to the Riemann function. Maybe uncle Google or auntie Wiki could help me out, but I highly doubted it. What was I even supposed to search for? Near death experience with awakened psychic potential and changed facial features? Didn¡¯t sound like your run of the mill blog topic.


    But then again, I wasn¡¯t even 100 percent sure that was what had happened to me. I hadn¡¯t yet seen a mirror and those¡­ bouts of unintended mind reading could as well have been a hallucination, but honestly, I didn¡¯t think so. What I had heard had just been too plausible. And judging from the few books I had read on the topic before, psychotic episodes weren¡¯t rational, at least most of the time.


    Oh well, for now they didn¡¯t bother me and if what I had seen in Katie¡¯s and old geezer Tom¡¯s mind was the truth, I wasn¡¯t going to lament my changed appearance, either. I wasn¡¯t overly conceited in that regard, but if they were right, I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about my career anymore. If push came to shove, I¡¯d always be able to make a killing as a model.


    ¡°Earth to Evee,¡± my mum¡¯s voice shook me from my reverie. ¡°What¡¯s gotten into you? Are you feeling alright?¡± She sounded genuinely worried.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, just thinking about¡­ last night.¡± The moment I said it, I knew I had blundered.


    ¡°Huh, care to tell us what exactly the two of you have been doing that you¡¯re spacing out just thinking about it?¡±


    ¡°Mum¡­ we just talked. But¡­ it¡¯s been nice. You know I¡¯ve never really connected with people from school. Katie¡­ she¡¯s different. And I think she genuinely likes me.¡±


    ¡°As in¡­?¡±

 Chapter 3

    ¡°God, mum. I was hurt, badly and she feels responsible. Get your mind out of the gutter. I know you¡¯re worried I won¡¯t find a boyfriend but that¡¯s no reason to always jump to conclusions whenever I spend a little time with someone who isn¡¯t part of my family. And by the way, I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve realised, but she¡¯s a girl. Emotional upheaval can only make up for so much.¡±


    ¡°So what? The first time I caught your sister¡­¡±


    ¡°Mum,¡± Victoria complained from the door, ¡°I thought you promised never to tell?¡±


    ¡°I already knew,¡± I interrupted them before they got into a fight in the hospital. ¡°Honestly, did you really think I¡¯d buy that studying crap you told me, every time you brought a new girl or boy over?¡±


    ¡°Every time,¡± my dad echoed. ¡°I thought¡­¡± Oops. Oh well¡­


    ¡°Evee! You did that on purpose,¡± Victoria shrieked and headed for me, arms outstretched as if to strangle me. Yeah, I did. Better you than me. Besides, we were all simply grasping for a piece of normality, weren¡¯t we? Fighting with and embarrassing her seemed much more appealing than thinking about what was happening to me. Especially since I just didn¡¯t expect telling to be the best idea I could come up with. They¡¯d rush me off to see a psychiatrist faster than I could even explain what I had seen¡­heard¡­felt¡­whatever.


    At least that¡¯s what I would have done if I had been in their shoes. Or maybe not¡­ hard to say since I wasn¡¯t a parent, but I knew for a fact that I wouldn¡¯t have believed anyone telling me they had suddenly developed psychic abilities. Only if the person in question had offered to read my palm a second layer, for the unbelievably low price of twenty bucks, would I have abstained from calling the closest asylum. The cops, maybe. For now, we¡¯d be much better off, dealing solely with my changed appearance. That was frightening enough all on its own.


    I had shrugged out of my hospital gown and was stuck halfway into my top when Victoria slammed into me like a brick wall. So much for her consideration of my supposed brush with death. Within seconds we were on the bed again, rolling back and forth, laughing like maniacs. From the corner of my eyes I saw my parents but the expected consternated expressions they usually wore when we acted like children were nowhere to be found. My dad had slung his arms around my mum, ruining his professional flair, and they were watching us with tears in their eyes, as if our antics were the most precious thing in the world¡­


    Again we were interrupted by old geezer Tom, or rather Dr. Crawford, as his tag suggested, but this time around he didn¡¯t speak up, but instead gesticulated for my parents to follow him outside. As soon as the door closed behind them, my sister and I scrambled off the bed and towards the door. A quick scuffle later, she got to listen through the small gap where the door hadn¡¯t properly closed while I was stuck with pressing my ear against the cold, hard wood.


    ¡°¡­ perfectly healthy, as far as I can tell.¡± That was the good doctor. ¡°Which is¡­ improbable, to say the least. Her skull has mended in 48 hours. I¡¯ve never seen nor heard of anything even remotely similar. The coagulated blood has disappeared, as well. And then, there¡¯s this.¡± We heard the rustling of papers and then my father¡¯s deep voice with a slight edge to it:


    ¡°And what am I supposed to make of this? I¡¯m a consultant without a medical degree. All I can see is a colourful picture of a brain and some random numbers.¡±


    ¡°Gerry,¡± my mum admonished. ¡°Let him speak. Dr. Crawford, what are you trying to tell us?¡±


    ¡°Your daughter¡­ I don¡¯t have anything to compare the results to, but her brain activity is off the charts. So much so, that she¡¯s burning more calories while sleeping than most people do when they exercise. She¡¯s lost four pounds in two days. That¡¯s not a bad thing, not per se, but you have to make sure she eats enough when she¡¯s at home, otherwise she might very well collapse in the middle of the street one day. Also¡­ you might think about getting her tested. There¡¯s no proven causality between brain activity and capabilities but I¡¯ve never come across a brain that has shown even a fracture of the activity your daughter¡¯s displays.¡± He paused, allowing his words to sink in.


    ¡°And then, of course, there¡¯s the obvious. Her eyes, I mean. We took a small sample¡­ here, those numbers compare the density and make up from a biological perspective to a normal eye. Nothing matches. The tissue is much denser and¡­ crystalline. I don¡¯t have to tell you that shouldn¡¯t be impossible, right? For all intent and purposes, she should be blind and that¡¯s without even mentioning that there¡¯s not a single, valid explanation for how her body could reconstruct parts of itself. She¡­ she¡¯s an anomaly. One that¡­ can I be frank?¡± There was no response but I assumed my parents nodded.


    ¡°There¡¯s a good chance she¡¯s unique and maybe, with a lot of time and even more luck, we could come to understand what has happened to her. I¡¯m sure you can understand the implications of a regenerating brain and self repairing body. Fatal injuries, Alzheimer¡¯s, Parkinson¡¯s¡­ your daughter might carry the key to cure those illnesses altogether. But¡­¡±


    ¡°But what,¡± my mum inquired, her tone dangerously emotionless.


    ¡°But she¡¯d turn into a Guinea Pig. I haven¡¯t shared the results with anyone, yet and I intend to keep it that way. The decision is yours, or rather hers, to make. I¡­ do you imagine she¡¯d be able to live a normal life once this gets out? She won¡¯t, she¡¯ll be under constant surveillance and maybe even carted off to a specialised facility, at least for a good while, depending on how much can actually be learned about her condition. She¡¯d be cared for but at the very least she¡¯d miss a good chunk of her youth. On the other hand¡­ she might be able to help more people than we can even imagine. It¡¯s a tough call. If you want my advice, take her home. Let her rest and talk to her. If she¡¯s willing, we can discuss what we¡¯re going to do when you return for the next check up. If she¡¯s not and there aren¡¯t any severe complications, I¡¯ll destroy the files.¡±


    ¡°I¡­,¡± my mum was speechless, something I hadn¡¯t seen before.


    ¡°What my wife wants to say is: are you sure? Aren¡¯t you taking an awful risk for a complete stranger?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m just fulfilling my oath. I¡¯ve pledged to care for my patients to the best of my abilities, not the whole world. The way I see it, I¡¯m doing my job, nothing more, nothing less. Besides¡­ my best friend has made me promise to do what I can for the girl, his niece has spent the last two days watching over and I keep my promises. Always.¡± I swallowed dryly and etched away from the door. I had heard enough and from the looks of it, I was up shit creek without a paddle. Come to think of it, I didn¡¯t even have a canoe.


    A spike of fear tore through my insides when imagined what my life might become if I was to turn into an idolised dispenser of bone marrow, eye and brain tissue and I felt sick. So much so that the room began spinning around me and I fell on the bed, as if hit by a club. A second later, warm arms wrapped around my neck and my sister pulled me into her lap.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going,¡± she whispered into my ear with enough conviction for the both of us. ¡°I don¡¯t care what anyone says, mum, dad, or even the whole god damned world. You¡¯re not going to become a lab rat. Don¡¯t even think about it. If we have to, we¡¯ll go live with granny and gramps for a while, but you¡¯ll be able to live your life however you want to. I promise, Evee, this won¡¯t change a thing.¡± I buried my face in her neck and breathed in her scent, a mixture of soap and her own smell that always reminded me of strawberries and instantly calmed me down.


    ¡°Thanks, Vic,¡± I snivelled. ¡°You know, I love you, right?¡±


    ¡°You better, I¡¯m the greatest big sister anyone could wish for. Now, wipe the gloom off your face, we don¡¯t want mum and dad to know we¡¯ve been listening in. And then we¡¯ll take you home. In a few days, this whole episode won¡¯t be much more than a strange memory. I¡¯m not going to let anything happen to you. And if you¡¯re curious, we can still do some digging on our own. You know I¡¯ve been taking some college courses, right? I¡¯ve got a friend who might be able to help.¡±


    ¡°A friend¡­ as in,¡± I echoed my mum¡¯s words in a feeble attempt to lighten the mood. She squeezed my butt in response.


    ¡°As in a guy whom I¡¯m friendly with. Honestly, do you think I¡¯m a slut?¡± Her smile put the lie to her cutting tone. She was playing along to distract me.


    ¡°No¡­ but you aren¡¯t a prude, either, are you?¡±


    ¡°You mean in comparison to you? Definitely not. Have you even ever kissed someone you aren¡¯t related to?¡±


    ¡°You know very well. Once, and it was pretty much the most embarrassing moment of my life. I don¡¯t quite feel like trying for an encore. At least not in the immediate future.¡±


    ¡°You made her pay, though, didn¡¯t you? As far as I remember, she scratched her boobs bloody the next day.¡±


    ¡°You know about that?¡±


    ¡°Of course. If you ask me, she still got off too lightly¡­ when we left, I might or might not have stolen her diary and printed the whole thing out to plaster the auditorium with. It¡¯s a pity we weren¡¯t there. From what I heard, she didn¡¯t have the courage to show up again for more than a week.¡± I chucked weakly.


    ¡°You¡¯re a dangerous woman Victoria. Remind to never get on your bad side.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you even could,¡± she huffed. ¡°Whom will I cuddle with while watching another rerun of Firefly if we¡¯re fighting? Besides, you¡¯re much to nice to really set me off. I don¡¯t know where you got your patience from, but it sure as hell isn¡¯t a trait we share.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ but you¡¯ve always been explosive enough for the both of us, so why bother? As long as I¡¯ve got you, I won¡¯t have to¡­¡± the door creaked open and my parents strode back in, their mien surprisingly chipper, considering what we had overheard. We¡¯d have to see for how long it¡¯d last.


    ¡°Are you girls ready,¡± my mum asked. ¡°Good, I can¡¯t wait to take you home. Hospitals always get under my skin. It¡¯s about time we got out of here.¡± And that we did.


    About an hour later, I leaned my head against the glass wall of my shower, eyes closed while the scorching hot streams of water slowly made me feel more like my usual self. I had already been in there for a while, long enough for my fingers to become all wrinkly, but I hadn¡¯t found the courage yet to face what might turn out to be a rather dreadful conversation.


    The funny thing: I fully expected my parents to keep the lid on what my doctor had told them. They¡¯d probably make sure my files were deleted behind my back. Crap, I should never have listened at the door¡­ now, I had to seriously ask myself whether or not I was willing to ignore the possibility my blood might help save an uncounted number of people I¡¯d most likely never meet. The longer I thought about it, the more I came to realise that it basically boiled down to a simple question: did I believe it¡¯d work? And the truth of the matter was, I didn¡¯t.


    I know how it sounds, but in the end¡­ I knew a bit about biology and crystallised eyes simply weren¡¯t something that occurred in nature. It just didn¡¯t. And I had checked, I still had feeling in my eyes, but they were hard and rigid, like polished marble. Except for the black, contracting pupils, they could as well have truly been sparkling amethyst gems, for all I knew. I didn¡¯t have to blink anymore and I could even stare directly into the sun without an issue. One thing was for certain, if I didn¡¯t want to become famous, I¡¯d have to wear sunglasses much more regularly.


    Which brought me to my actual worries¡­ I had read enough books and watched more than enough flics in which my condition wouldn¡¯t have been too far out of the norm. Did I think I had somehow returned from death with a part of an ancient soul stuck to me, allowing me to pierce the veil of the mundane world and become a sorceress? No, I wasn¡¯t crazy. But I was inclined to believe that the reason was quite esoteric, none the less. It wasn¡¯t necessary to throw science out of the window and still believe in miracles. It was simply harder to make them fit into our world.


    I had never bothered with metaphysics overly much, but I knew enough to come up with a handful of explanations. The most likely, if still utter lunacy, was, that I had truly touched a realm beyond, which had altered my perception. Hence the changed eyes and my ability to hear other¡¯s thoughts. It could also explain the enhanced brain activity Dr. Crawford had attested. God, I sounded like a complete nut job, even to myself. But I couldn¡¯t help it, I just didn¡¯t think I had been hallucinating, I had quite literally read people¡¯s minds.


    In the end, it¡¯d only matter if I acted on anything I was going to pick up. Right then and there I promised myself that I¡¯d be unbelievably careful and thorough, whenever I¡¯d come to even toy with the idea of following through with one of those impulses. Or maybe I could test it first. I¡¯d have to validate the truth of what I had heard. I wouldn¡¯t be able to do much about Dr. Crawford, except maybe ask him if he usually referred to himself as an old geezer, but I might be able to tease the truth out of Katie. Unfortunately, the idea struck me as rather cruel.


    If she truly had feelings for me, I¡¯d have to make sure to have an answer before I was going to confront her. My first impulse was to laugh it off, but after last night¡­ I had never before been able to open up to a stranger to that extent. The hours we had spent talking had felt like a sleepover in my sister¡¯s room¡­ except for the few moments when I had caught myself staring at her ass, her legs, her lips¡­ I groaned. That was about the last thing I wanted to deal with and I had quite the impressive selection of scary options at my disposal. A second later I started smiling, then giggling and soon, I was laughing wholeheartedly.


    What was I even thinking about? I had possibly turned into a psychic with gemstone eyes! A real one! I could star in any fantasy production without a mask, I might be able to hear the thoughts and see through the eyes of others, possibly even animals and I had come back from death! Winning the lottery was a joke in comparison. And there was a cute girl, who¡¯d be coming over tonight who might be interested in me. And not only because my parents could probably buy a good chunk of Manhattan in one go. Even if I was going to become the unluckiest person in the world from now on, it¡¯d still be worth it. I was rudely interrupted when I heard faint knocking and my sister¡¯s urgent voice, muffled by two doors and running water.


    ¡°Evee¡­ drown yourself? Dad¡­ half an hour¡­ Hurry up!¡± She had practically screamed the last part. ¡°Coming,¡± I called back and turned off the shower. Drying my hair would have to wait. A few minutes later I was rushing down the stairs of our duplex apartment, towel still in hand, and nearly fell down the last few steps.


    Victoria and I had our rooms on the upper floor but I usually kept my curtains closed and thus hadn¡¯t been able to take in the view when I had blearily rushed to the shower. The living room, where the stairs ended, sported a massive window front towards Central Park. But it wasn¡¯t the same maze of tress, streets and water I had gotten used to. A golden haze covered the scene and underneath, the flora glimmered colourfully, as if enchanted. Motes of light blinked into existence and vanished again but extraordinary as it was, it paled in comparison to the towering oak that rose at the very centre. A tree, mighty enough to even dwarf the smaller skyscrapers around it.

 Chapter 4

    ¡°Holy fuck,¡± I exclaimed and struggled to regain my balance. A few pirouetting steps later, I had successfully prevented another accident and stared, wide eyed, through the windows. Dazzling colours and strange, twisted shadows distracted me from the throbbing pain in my leg as I pressed my nose against the cold glass. A fairy tale, Central Park had turned into a tableau from an honest to god fairy tale.


    I still recognised the streets I used for my morning run, but the Gill, the Great Lawn, even the Reservoir¡­ the immense body of water sparkled under the sun like a massive gem and a purple and golden sheen turned the late morning light into a kaleidoscope of magical colours I had never seen before. At its centre, an island had appeared, shrouded in thick, bluish swaths of fog my eyes couldn¡¯t penetrate, protected by a gargantuan creature whose shadow moved silently beneath the waves, its scaly back breaking the surface for time to time.


    Further south, the Gill had become a quagmire of towering ash-trees, with long moss braids that almost looked like beards, and small, frothing streams. In between I spotted meadows with beautifully blooming flowers, their petals glowing with an unearthly hue. The crisscrossing park roads were almost entirely overgrown and the people meandering through the otherworldly landscaped seemed¡­ dazed, as if they couldn¡¯t see what was directly before their eyes.


    In between the Reservoir and the Gill, the Great Lawn had turned into a labyrinth of astronomically large roots which fed directly into the tallest tree I could imagine. Reaching up to tickle the underside of the white summer clouds, the colossal oak seemed like a protective father to me, spreading its roots to embrace the whole park. The underside of its leafs shone with a warm, silvery light and the longer I stared, to more convinced I became that it was actually moving its roots, accommodating the kids and families who enjoyed one of the last warm days of the year. Whenever one of them came close to the aged, gnarly roots, a visible tremor shook the oak¡¯s bark and it shifted out of the way, preventing anyone from stumbling into it by chance and if they so happened to be too fast for the ancient tree, its roots became translucent for a moment and they simply passed through without ever noticing what had happened.


    A warm, soft hand brushed against my cheek and jolted me from my reverie. Gasping, I turned around and came face to face with my mother, a deep seated worry in her eyes.


    ¡°Darling,¡± she whispered, ¡°are you alright? You¡¯re white as a sheet and you¡¯re sweating. Should we call the hospital? Are you dizzy?¡± She wrapped one arm around my shoulders and gently steered me away from the windows. ¡°Come on, sit down. I¡¯ll get you a glass of water. You probably shouldn¡¯t be standing this much. You must still be exhausted.¡± No¡­ not really. Shocked, at a loss for words, amazed, a little frightened, curious, happy, dazed¡­ all of the above and more but exhausted wasn¡¯t one them. Truth be told, I felt more energised than I had since I had downed an entire litre of an energy drink in one go. It had been a stupid dare, don¡¯t ask.


    My mum pushed me towards the couch and made me sit between a veritable fortress of cushions and blankets. While she scurried off towards the kitchen, my sister slumped down at my side, shooting me a questioning glance. I shook my head slightly, indicating that I wasn¡¯t overly keen on talking about it and to her credit, she let it slide. At least for now. My dad, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t as pliable and he quickly put his hand against my forehead, continuing the bombardment of questions my mum had just ceased to provide. ¡°Evee, how are you feeling? Do you have problems keeping your balance? Have you already slipped in your room?¡± He paused and turned his head away from me. For a second I believed he had run out of steam but he called over his shoulder:


    ¡°Clara, I¡¯m staying home today! They can very well put the final touches to the Bayer deal without me.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± my mum immediately replied, her voice getting louder while she made her way back. ¡°It¡¯s bad enough that I¡¯m not there. They¡¯ll manage to screw up last minute and that¡¯d be half a year down the drain. We¡¯ll call you immediately if anything happens, won¡¯t we girls,¡± she added in that special kind of undertone parents used when they wanted you to know that you, of course, had the liberty to say whatever you want, but your allowance might suffer accordingly.


    A spark of anger singed my insides when I was once again reminded where her priorities truly lay. I understood that somebody had to put bread on the table, but honestly, they didn¡¯t have to work at all anymore, they were just addicted to it. And while I appreciated that they had watched over me while I had been unconscious, a full day with my whole family afterwards didn¡¯t seem like too much to ask.


    Maybe I was a tad ungrateful, but the switch from worried mother to immaculate business woman had once again caught me off guard and I was peeved she trusted her own employees so little. If they were that incompetent, she should fire them and get new ones who could actually do the job they were paid for¡­ like I said, maybe I was a bit unreasonable, but I believed I had every right to be. It wasn¡¯t everyday your daughter returned from the dead, now, was it?


    Ultimately, I kept my misgivings to myself, whether they were justified or not. I inhaled deeply, savouring the scent of our home, a mixture of soap, leather and perfume, before I said:


    ¡°Sure, don¡¯t worry about me, dad. I¡¯m fine, really. It¡¯s just¡­ I think I¡¯m not up to running down the stairs quite yet. I stumbled and I was dizzy for a moment,¡± I echoed my mum¡¯s words. ¡°But honestly, I¡¯m alright, now. No need to make a fuss. I¡¯ll just take it slow for a couple of days¡­ which reminds me, do I have to go back to school this week?¡±


    ¡°No¡­,¡± my dad slowly replied, torn between his responsibilities for me and his company as his eyes travelled from my mum to me and back again. ¡°Probably not even next week,¡± he added. ¡°We¡¯ll see how you¡¯re feeling come Sunday. Are you really sure? I know your mum makes it sound like the end of the world, but if you need me, I¡¯ll stay here and to hell with that deal.¡± I smiled at him. He really was precious. Most of the time. A pity he wasn¡¯t around more often.


    ¡°Get going already, the sooner you leave, the sooner you can come back home. I¡¯ll be fine, besides, with mum and Vic watching over me there¡¯s hardly anything that can happen now, is there?¡± He held my gaze for a moment longer.


    ¡°If you say so, but promise me, don¡¯t try to play hero, if you¡¯re feeling unwell or dizzy again, tell one of them, alright?¡±


    ¡°I promise,¡± I replied and leaned forward to peck his cheek. ¡°Now shoo, if you¡¯re that worried, you can buy some ice cream on your way back. Chunky Monkey, if they have any.¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°Sure. The doc said you should eat more in any case. I¡¯m off then.¡± He hugged me tightly and kissed his wife. ¡°I¡¯ll try to be back before 6, but no promises. You know how it can be.¡±


    ¡°We all do by now,¡± my sister mumble under her breath, quietly enough that only I could hear her.


    A few seconds later we heard the door and my mum took the chance to vanish towards the kitchen again, calling over her shoulder: ¡°I know we don¡¯t have that much but like your dad said, you¡¯re supposed to eat more. I¡¯ll make some sandwiches. Just relax, I¡¯ll be back in a sec.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, tuna and capers if we still have them.¡±


    ¡°Sure, hon. I¡¯ll make enough for the three of us.¡± Her last words were already drowned out by slamming cupboard doors.


    ¡°Ugh,¡± Victoria said at my side, ¡°capers and tuna? And here I was, hoping a hit on the noggin might change your strange appetites.¡±


    ¡°Better than noodles with sweet cream,¡± I retorted with a smile but turned serious almost immediately again. ¡°Hey, uh, Vic, have you¡­ did you happen to take a stroll through the park while I was in the hospital?¡±


    ¡°What? Of course. Not all of us can keep our figure with two training sessions a week. Besides¡­ I needed the runs to clear my mind. I took our usual route every morning. Wanna join me tomorrow again?¡±


    ¡°Not sure if I¡¯m up to that, yet, but if I can, I definitely will. Did you¡­ have you noticed anything strange?¡±


    ¡°You mean other than the usual junkies and some disgusting leftovers from the night before? No¡­ why? Is that¡­ am I going to find out why you suddenly stumbled down the stairs when you looked out the windows?¡± I quickly shot a glance toward the kitchen entrance but my mum had just turned on the mixer and there was no way in hell she¡¯d be able to overhear us.


    ¡°Maybe¡­ but first you¡¯ve got to promise me that you won¡¯t tell anyone, not a soul and that you¡¯re going to take me seriously, no matter how outlandish my tale might sound.¡± She turned to face me fully and promised without hesitation:


    ¡°Of course. It can hardly be any worse than the time when you painted the Huawei contracts black and I had to cover, can it?¡± I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯ve no idea. Let me ask a question first. Aside from the late night talks about spirituality and wonders¡­ do you actually believe in the supernatural?¡± To her credit, she really thought about my question.


    ¡°Depends, I¡¯d need an example to say for sure. There definitely are things we can¡¯t explain and some of them might appear like¡­ magic, but in general, no. Why? Have you had a near death experience?¡± ¡°I wish¡­ you wanted an example, right? So¡­ how about mind reading?¡± She stared at me, unsure if I was joking but when she saw my anxious expression, she bit her tongue.


    ¡°Some¡­ some people see more than others, you know that. But actual mind reading? No, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a thing. But now¡­ Evee, what have you heard?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not that important right now and can basically still be explained as a subconscious realisation, I think. Do me a favour, think of a number, any number.¡± She raised an eyebrow sceptically but obediently closed her eyes.


    I had no clue what I was supposed to do now, but the few times I had actually managed to hear thoughts, it had been a combination of curiosity, eye contact and some form of strong emotion. All things I could easily replicate with my sister. I already was curious as all hells and while I watched her concentrate, I recalled all the small things she had done for me and also the important bits, like being there for me when we had been left alone once again and I had been afraid or staying home with me instead of going out when I had felt lonely.


    ¡°Open your eyes and look at me,¡± I whispered. She did and the very instant I found her gaze, my world stuttered and splintered.


    ¡°156731,¡± I intoned apathetically. ¡°58932¡­ 713¡­ 78912,¡± I blinked, looked at her and murmured: ¡°could you please pick on? That¡¯s giving me a headache.¡± She turned pale and gulped.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got to be¡­ is that some kind of trick? Evee, I swear to god, if you¡¯re pulling my leg right now¡­¡±


    ¡°Honestly, do you expect me to be joking about this? Do I look like I am? I¡¯m kinda scared and honestly pretty much at my wit¡¯s end.¡± She shook her head slowly and buried her face in her hands.


    ¡°That¡¯s not¡­ you can¡¯t be¡­ god, that¡¯s simply impossible.¡±


    ¡°Says the girl whose sister woke up with gems for eyes and a self mending skull. Is it really that unbelievable? From where I¡¯m sitting, stranger things have happened recently,¡± I replied dryly.


    ¡°I¡­ you¡­,¡± she was starting to hyperventilate and I quickly took her hand.


    ¡°Calm down, that¡¯s not helping, quite the contrary. Slow breaths, ground yourself.¡± She squeezed my fingers in response and after half a minute the colour slowly returned to her face. Just in time to watch my mum return from her hunting trip, a tray laden with half a dozen sandwiches, proof of her successful endeavour.¡°Come on girls, lunch,¡± she chirped and set them down on the table.


    The meal was an exhausting affair. Victoria was still reeling and to keep my mum occupied and convince her that I wasn¡¯t feeling weak anymore, I kept on chattering like a waterfall until my mouth became dry. In the end, it had been worth it. She was considerably more relaxed when I finished my last sandwich, the fourth to be precise and I wouldn¡¯t even have minded another one, if there had been any left. I truly was more hungry than I could remember ever being before.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to lie down for a while,¡± I finally said and pushed back my chair. ¡°You invited the Donovans tonight and I¡¯d prefer not nodding off in the middle of a conversation.¡± Vicky immediately scrambled to her feet and added:


    ¡°I¡¯ll tug her in and clean the dishes afterwards.¡± My mum shrugged, already used to our bond. In a way, Victoria had been more of a mother to me than her and she knew it, the lady was smart as hell, after all.


    ¡°Sure, do you want me to wake you up?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll set an alarm, don¡¯t bother. Thanks mum.¡± I strode to her side and kissed her cheek. ¡°For everything, I love you.¡± She smiled shyly and returned the gesture.


    ¡°Love you, too, princess.¡± She used the pet name Victoria had given me. ¡°Sweet dreams.¡±


    We made our way up the stairs and from the corner of my eyes I realised that Central Park was still looking like a fantasy landscape I couldn¡¯t even begin to understand. With a shrug, I turned away, deciding that I¡¯d be best served with ignoring that particular bit of craziness until I had figured out what was a truly going on with me. Giant trees, impressive as they were, felt much less daunting than the more personal changes I had experienced. And honestly, the both things were probably related, anyways. Two and two equals four, after all.


    The second floor of our apartment consisted of a short, well lit corridor, the sun pouring in through the western windows, and two doors. My room was on the left and the identical twin of Victoria¡¯s. It was huge, with a small balcony, hidden behind shuttered glass windows that also served as a door and an en-suite bathroom as well as a walk-in wardrobe. I had a queen sized bed, several Pop-Art pictures and van Gogh imitations on the walls, an antique, sturdy bureau with a pretty decent laptop on it and a small couch with the accompanying armchairs and a low table. Unsurprisingly, my favourite colour was purple, which was reflected in the bed linen and cushions, as well as the pictures.


    ¡°Take a seat, I¡¯ll be back in a sec,¡± I said and headed for the bath, ready to slip back into my pyjamas. I truly intended to meditate for an hour or two but I imagined I¡¯d have to satisfy Vic¡¯s curiosity beforehand, otherwise she¡¯d be nagging at me constantly and tranquility would be out of the question. Besides, after the bomb I had just dropped, it¡¯d simply be unfair to shut her out.


    When I came back, she was sitting on my bed, distractedly twiddling Mister Tibbles¡¯ horns, my draconic, purple plushie, between her fingers. She had given him to me for my fourth birthday, a mighty dragon to fend off the nightmares, when she couldn¡¯t be with me.


    ¡°So,¡± I began while I dropped down beside her, ¡°I assume you¡¯re bursting with questions. Shoot.¡±

 Chapter 5

    Victoria had calmed down considerably, a bite of food could truly work wonders. Still, she stared at me unblinkingly, her eyes twitching form left to right while she scrutinised my face. After a few moments she sighed deeply, and began:


    ¡°I do have plenty of questions but I assume you don¡¯t have the answers. This all started when you woke up, am I right?¡¯


    ¡°Pretty much,¡± I nodded. ¡°I guess it all began when I¡­¡± I paused but then decided to continue, the words rushing form my mouth in a continuous stream, otherwise I might have chickened out halfway through. ¡°When I died, because that¡¯s what happened, Vic, don¡¯t ask me how I know and I can¡¯t tell you what comes after either, but as surely as I¡¯m sitting in front of you now, I was dead. And then, I woke up again, changed. From the looks of it, I got a set of pretty gems and a form of telepathy out of the deal and maybe some major hallucinations, since Central Park is looking like a place in Narnia to me. Narnia for adults, that is,¡± I concluded, shuddering, those ash trees hadn¡¯t looked overly friendly and judging from the size of its scales, the creature in the Reservoir should have a maw, large enough to swallow me whole.


    My sister massaged her temples. It showed the strength of our bond that she took my words at face value and truly thought about it. Most people would have laughed at me or called the closest asylum outright. But then again, most people didn¡¯t wake up with jewels for eyes, either, and I didn¡¯t have a history of being overly dramatic. That was her schtick.


    After a few moments, which seemed much longer to me than they actually were, she sought my gaze and smiled wryly. ¡°You sure were born under a lucky star. I don¡¯t know whether I should scream, laugh or¡­ Fuck, Evee, are you honestly telling me that you are some kind of psychic?¡±


    I shrugged helplessly. ¡°Beats me, but it definitely seems that way. I¡­ back at the hospital¡­ did you never wonder why I so easily forgave Katie?¡±


    ¡°No, not really. You never managed to stay mad at anybody for more than a day. But judging from your question, I assume you heard more than she was telling?¡± I nodded and haltingly replied.


    ¡°Quite a bit more.¡± When I saw a spark of curiosity ignite in her eyes, I quickly added: ¡°but I¡¯m not telling, that¡¯s between her and me. Maybe you¡¯ll find out, maybe you won¡¯t, we¡¯ll see. But¡­ she wasn¡¯t the first. I also think I heard my doctor¡¯s thoughts. And then there¡¯s the whole I¡¯ve kicked the curb part. Vic¡­ honestly, do you think I¡¯m going insane?¡± She slowly shook her head.


    ¡°I might have¡­ but then you went ahead and plucked random numbers from my mind. That¡¯s hardly something I can ignore. Not to mention the whole,¡± she gestured towards my face, ¡°amethysts for eyes part. So, let me ask one question. What do you think? And please, be honest.¡± I took my time to sort through my feelings before I answered:


    ¡°If you had asked me that an hour or two ago, I would¡¯ve said I¡¯m shaken, lost¡­ scared. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s an hallucination. But now¡­ somewhere down the line I realised that you¡¯re right. I¡¯m just unbelievably lucky. If all of this is real and I¡¯m not stuck in some coma induced dream, I¡¯ll maybe have to start praying every night and thank whoever is listening.¡± She grinned at me and said:


    ¡°There¡¯s an easy way to find out if you¡¯re sleeping.¡± Before I could do more than cock an eyebrow, she threw the plushie away and slammed into me with the force of a truck. An instant later, I was lying on my back, gasping for air through bouts of painful laughter, while she tickled my sides like there was no tomorrow. I tried to fight back, but unfortunately, she was still older and a bit taller, and easily pushed my hands away without ever stopping her assault. Somewhere in between, her giggles joined my own until we were both flushed and sweaty.


    She collapsed at my side and pulled my head into her lap, caressing my hair, the same way she always had when she had wanted to reassure me.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I mumble between deep breaths. ¡°Thanks for¡­ everything.¡± She lightly pinched my ear in response.


    ¡°Save it. Evee¡­ you¡¯re my family and I am yours. Sure, there¡¯s still mum and dad but you know as well as I that they¡¯re¡­¡±


    ¡°Easily distracted,¡± I finished her sentence. ¡°Yeah, I know. But that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m taking your support for granted. And this time, I might really need it. As much as Im glad, that I¡¯m not¡­ you know¡­ dead and even got something out of it, I¡¯m still¡­ I think¡­ uff, this would be so much easier if I could show you what I¡¯ve seen.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? The adult version of Narnia you were talking about?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Vicky, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m the only one. I¡¯ve seen¡­ creatures, or rather one creature. And if there¡¯s one, there are bound to be more, are there not? I just don¡¯t know¡­¡± She paused and studied my expression carefully.


    ¡°Probably, but I can¡¯t¡­ why don¡¯t you tell me exactly what you¡¯ve seen and then we can try to figure out what we¡¯re going to do from there. Maybe a morning run isn¡¯t the best idea, after all.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ maybe it isn¡¯t. Alright. Here it goes. You¡­ I¡­ When I fell, I hit my head and I heard my skull crack. I¡­ there was¡­ I can¡¯t even describe it, but I know I had¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have woken up, but I did and it wasn¡¯t in the hospital, it was much earlier. When they put me on the stretcher, I think. It hurt, Vic, everything just hurt. As if I wasn¡¯t supposed to be there anymore. I finally fell asleep and when I woke up¡­ well, that part you have lived through yourself, except¡­


    When I came down the stairs¡­ maybe I am crazy¡­ there was¡­¡± I began describing what I had seen in excruciating detail. I left nothing out, from the intimidating shadow of a giant creature to the towering oak and the foreboding ash trees. I even explained how the enormous tree had moved out of the way to accommodated the strolling people in the park. Victoria listened with rapt attention, not even once did she interrupt, but the longer I talked, the more anxious she became, the muscles in her thighs tensing with every word.


    After a few minutes I finished and rolled off of her, trying to give her some space. Lost in thought I headed to the glass door that¡¯d lead to the balcony but before I opened the shutters, I hesitated. I wasn¡¯t keen on another glimpse of the park and with a sigh, I turned away again, and dropped down on the couch, closing my eyes.


    ¡°So,¡± I began when my sister hadn¡¯t said anything for a while, ¡°still think I¡¯m sane?¡±


    ¡°I¡­I,¡± she stammered, which was a first. She might be impulsive and brash but I had never seen her at a loss for words.


    ¡°Go on,¡± I said. ¡°Tell me how incredible it all sounds. Believe me, I know. Which begs the question¡­ what now? Maybe I should get medication,¡± I added under my breath, but she still caught my whisper. I heard the rustling of satin and a moment later, I smelled her perfume and felt her slump down at my side, just before she flicked my ear, hard.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even joke about that,¡± she hissed. ¡°Evee¡­ maybe I¡¯m just as much of a lunatic, but I believe you. Every word. Have you¡­ you know¡­¡± she hesitated. ¡°Do you want my honest opinion?¡±


    ¡°Please, no need to sugarcoat your words,¡± I replied and rubbed the spot she had hit. ¡°I don¡¯t think you can say anything I haven¡¯t already thought myself.¡±


    ¡°Fine. Relax, that was just a warning. Nobody gets to call my little sister crazy, not even you.¡± She paused and exhaled deeply. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking¡­ it almost seems like you made your way into one of those novels you were so obsessed with two years ago. If it was one of those, I¡¯d expect you to meet an eccentric old man, either as a homeless beggar or the owner of a rundown magic shop. Who knows, maybe he¡¯d even look like Nicholas Cage¡­ or a young Sean Connery, if you¡¯re lucky. But honestly¡­ I don¡¯t see that happening. Assuming you¡¯re not delusional, there¡¯s a choice you got to make. Either you can ignore all of it, or you have to learn, probably by yourself. I highly doubt there¡¯s a wise old wizard suddenly appearing in your closet. So¡­ what¡¯s it gonna be?¡±


    ¡°Hopefully I¡¯m spared the appearance of a toothless old man in my room,¡± I chuckled. ¡°He might ask for more than I¡¯m willing to give in exchange for his service. But seriously¡­ you know me. No matter what I say right now, there¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to just let it be. Maybe for a few days but sooner or later¡­ god, I¡¯m already brimming with curiosity. Magic, Vic! There¡¯s no other word for it. There¡¯s magic in our world and you think I could just let that go? You¡¯d have to tie me up, first.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I figured as much. So here¡¯s what we¡¯re going to do. First, you¡¯re going to increase your practice at the dojo, you¡¯ll be going at least five times a week. I¡¯m going to talk to mum and dad. Maybe we can get you into some of the more advance physics classes. Who knows, there¡¯s a chance you might learn something useful. And then¡­ well, I guess, once you¡¯re up to it, we¡¯ll resume our morning runs. Let¡¯s have a closer look at Narnia, shall we? But before, I¡¯m going to get you a really good binocular and you¡¯re going to study everything you can see from the safety of your room. Is that clear? I¡¯m not joking. You¡¯re not going to leave this flat before you have some sort of idea what might be waiting for you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am. Whatever you say, ma¡¯am.¡± My smile took the edge off my words. Usually I became quite angry when she tried bossing me around, but this time, I was simply grateful. ¡°Thank you, Vicky. I know I must sound like a broken record, but thank you.¡± She rolled her eyes.


    ¡°Stop that. I¡¯m not only doing this because it¡¯s you. Oh well, I probably am, but still¡­¡± she hesitated and then her face lit up with a gleeful smile. ¡°Maybe there¡¯s a chance I can learn, too. Do you have any idea how jealous I¡¯m starting to feel? The longer we talk and the more it sinks in, the more I want to join you. Magic, Evee! There¡¯s really something beyond the grey veil of normality! And it¡¯s not the self righteous crap about love and the worth of good deeds. If there¡¯s even the slightest chance, I want in. I don¡¯t care how long it takes or what it¡¯s going to cost me¡­¡±


    She didn¡¯t get to finish. I interrupted her with a squeal and threw myself back into her arms.


    ¡°Oh Vic, you¡¯ve no idea how glad I am to hear you say that. I¡­ I was afraid I¡¯d be alone in all of this. Not that you¡¯d leave me hanging, but still¡­¡± I kissed her cheek. ¡°Together?¡±


    ¡°Until death do us part,¡± she replied mockingly. ¡°But we¡¯ve already been there, haven¡¯t we? Now, until tomorrow, you¡¯re going to cool your heels. You¡¯re still supposed to be sick and I want you to have a good night¡¯s sleep. No late night strolls and your balcony door remains closed. I¡¯ll get the binoculars ordered overnight and then we can have a look. Which reminds¡­¡± she cocked an eyebrow and looked at me from the side. ¡°Should I invite Katie as well?¡± I felt heat rising in my cheeks.


    ¡°What¡­ why¡­ why would you say that,¡± I mumbled, about as convincing as a child, caught with its hand in the cookie jar, protesting it hadn¡¯t been trying to steal. She laughed at me.


    ¡°No reason, but your blush says I¡¯m onto something. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t tell. But you¡¯re not going to keep that a secret, you know how sharp mum can be, when she¡¯s not buried to her neck in work. And the Donovans are coming over tonight, aren¡¯t they? I¡¯d fess up, if I were you, before then. Otherwise you¡¯re in for one hell of an evening, as soon as she finds out.¡± I had been getting redder with every word she¡¯d said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that,¡± I quickly cut in, but she only smiled. ¡°No, really. True, I like her, but¡­ we¡¯ve known each other for a few days and most of the time I¡¯ve been unconscious!¡±


    ¡°And? I think you¡¯re chances are much better, if you¡¯re not talking, anyways. You¡¯ve become a real beauty, little sis, but you¡¯ve no idea how to¡­¡± I growled and attacked her, using my position on top of her to hold her hands down and mercilessly tickle her sides. She didn¡¯t take the punishment stoically, though. After a moment of surprise, she fought back and we were soon laughing freely again, until tears streamed from my eyes.


    ¡°I give,¡± Victoria finally croaked. This time I had outlasted her by stubbornness alone. ¡°I recant! You¡¯re eloquence incarnate, the pinnacle of verbal seduction, the greatest minstrels would be honoured to have you teach them! Please, no more, your Highness! Forgive this lowly servant.¡±


    I assumed a dignified poise, as well as I could while I was panting heavily, my hair all over the place, and stated gravely: ¡°you¡¯re forgiven, this time. But to make amends, you shall journey downstairs and brew a fresh pot of tea. You are to return within the hour and not to forget the honey. Do you accept your sentence?¡± She bowed with a twinkle in her eye.


    ¡°Your mercy is without bounds! This unworthy knight shall undertake your quest and return to your side. Even the mighty, spiteful dragoness Clara won¡¯t stop me! Adieu, your Highness!¡±


    With a deep bow, she walked form the room and closed the door, only to open it again: ¡°and when I¡¯m back, we¡¯re going to talk some more about your girlfriend.¡± I threw a pillow after her, but she was already halfway down the stairs before it even left my hand.


    Huffing, I went to the bathroom and combed out my hair, mulling over what she had said. Not the improvised knight and princess comedy, mind you. It wasn¡¯t the first time I had had butterflies in my stomach when I had looked at someone. I had already arrived at the tail end of puberty and I wasn¡¯t going to miss much about it, but consequentially, I had already had more than one crush in my life. Not that I had ever acted on it, the looming idea of being forced to leave the next day had always made it seem so¡­ pointless. But I was slowly running out of excuses and¡­ she really was pretty. It might sound shallow, but I had listened in biology and attraction was based on looks, smells¡­ superficial impressions of the first few minutes.


    And then¡­ well, ultimately I had been through quite a lot with her already and that she had come to me and had apologised, not to mention opening up afterwards, hadn¡¯t been a waste, either. Which ever way you looked at it, I liked Katie and¡­ crap, I was even smiling now. Thank god Victoria wasn¡¯t here. I wouldn¡¯t have heard the end of it. I just didn¡¯t know¡­


    Neither my sister nor my parents had any qualms with same sex couples, which had been proven beyond the shadow of a doubt when Vic had brought home her first girlfriend. Cecile had been great and fun to be around and mum and dad had made her feel at home every time they had met. Which hadn¡¯t been that often, to tell the truth. They had been busy in Japan and had only been around every other weekend. Anyways, I wasn¡¯t really worried, I was¡­ nervous. And I felt slightly guilty for having eavesdropped on her thoughts. On the other hand, there was probably no other way for me to muster the courage to say or do anything. Without that reassurance¡­ Damn it, I didn¡¯t even know if I had the nerves, despite the knowledge I had gained.


    Groaning, I turned on the tap and splashed cold water over my face. ¡°You don¡¯t have to say anything, tonight¡±, I reassured myself. ¡°It¡¯d be highly inappropriate. Just¡­ take your time and once you¡¯ve slept in your own bed, had the chance to figure out what¡¯s going on with your life and¡­ right, Evee. Why not procrastinate until you¡¯re of age? Or better yet, why not wait until the both of you have gotten over it? That would be the easiest choice, wouldn¡¯t it? Coward.¡± I raised my head and looked at my reflection, a derisive smirk on my face. ¡°If you want to change, do it now. Invite her again for tomorrow. Victoria would even be proud. And probably convinced that her teasing had taught you an important lesson. Come to think of it¡­ it might have.¡±

 Chapter 6

    When Victoria had made her way back, she didn¡¯t go through with her threat. We stayed well away from any topic that had even a tinge of seriousness about it, spending our time with two rounds of chess, one of the only games I was better at than her and consequentially one we didn¡¯t play too often. Sometime during the second round, the Donovans called and mom told us that they¡¯d be arriving at 8, which still left us with quite a bit of time. Only when the light, peeking through the shutters, turned a soft red, did we stow the board.


    ¡°You should shower again,¡± she told me. ¡°Your hair¡¯s a mess. I¡¯ll choose something for you to wear in the meantime. No buts,¡± she overrode my protest. ¡°Trust me, I know what I¡¯m doing and if you¡¯re really into the girl, your usual sweater won¡¯t do.¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to get mom to notice,¡± I asked exasperatedly.


    ¡°Not really, but you won¡¯t avoid it anyways,¡± she shrugged. ¡°No, I¡¯m mainly trying to give you a leg up. I know how much you hate dressing up, but it¡¯s the easiest way to show that you care. She¡¯ll notice, I¡¯ll make sure of it. Now, chop chop, off you pop. It¡¯s a quarter past 7. If you hurry, you¡¯ll still have a chance to talk to mom and prevent an embarrassing evening. I¡¯d seriously recommend it. But ultimately, it¡¯s your call.¡± I stuck out my tongue at her and waddled into the shower.


    My trepidation was rising with every step I took as I made my way back into my room, a towel loosely wrapped around my body. I knew Victoria and with just a touch of bad luck, she would have picked one of my dresses for me to wear. A short one. Which wasn¡¯t going to happen, but I also didn¡¯t want to get into an argument with her, I might easily die of embarrassment if she was really going to try to convince me. I sighed with relief when I finally spotted the clothes she had chosen. Skin tight, light blue jeans and a cropped, black spaghetti top with purple waistbands. It wasn¡¯t something I¡¯d usually wear but it wasn¡¯t half as bad as it might have been. That was, until I spotted the underwear hidden underneath. Black and lacy and with the amount of cleavage I was going to show, at least the edge of the bra would be visible.


    I cursed quietly and toyed with the idea of just donning whatever I felt comfortable with, but ultimately, it wasn¡¯t worth it. Vic would harass me until the Donovans arrived and there was no way in hell I was willing to argue my point in front of mom. Besides, after I had dressed and taken a closer look in the mirror, I had to admit, she had known what she was doing. The lack of colour emphasised my glimmering eyes and the cut showed off my figure. I wouldn¡¯t have wanted to go out on the streets like this, but it¡¯d do nicely to impress Katie. Not to sound overly conceited, but I truly looked beautiful, in a fairy sort of way. Even without any makeup. Resigning myself to a rather awkward conversation, involving my mom and a series of bloodcurdling questions, I put my flowing tresses in a tight ponytail and made my way downstairs.


    I hesitated briefly before I turned the corner. The dusk hung gloomily over the city, a bank of clouds came rolling in and the speck of ocean I saw, was covered in frothing waves. Nothing new there, but the park was shimmering in its own light, a warm, golden glow that seemingly emanated from the towering oak at the centre. Reflexively, I focused on the ancient tree and what I saw made my jaws drop to the floor.


    Swaths of winged creatures rose from the canopy. Like tiny gems they moved in front of a darkening sky, illuminating the approaching night with colourful lights. At first, their outlines were hazy, the distance too great to make out any details, but the longer I watched, the clearer my vision became. Crystalline dots transformed into glass like wings and bodies, covered in jewels. They resembled insects, in a way, but I quickly got over my surprise, since the most remarkable parts were the saddles they wore. Dark leather straps held minuscule, humanoid figures in place. They were slim, almost emaciated, with large eyes, sparkling like the colours of the rainbow and long, wild hair in a corresponding hue. Armour, made from something that resembled bark, covered their bodies and they held dangerous looking bows in their claw like hands. Full quivers were strapped to their backs and while I stared on in amazement, they began to slowly form neat columns in the air, like a fantastical, miniaturised army.


    ¡°Fuck me,¡± I breathed and pressed my nose against the window. ¡°How on earth did I not know?¡±


    ¡°Evee? Are you alright?¡± Luckily it was my sister who joined me on the stairs.


    ¡°I¡­ yes¡­ no, maybe? You¡¯ve no idea¡­¡± she gently caressed my cheek and said quietly:


    ¡°Not now. Tell me about it tonight. Unless¡­ is it dangerous?¡±


    ¡°How the hell should I know? I don¡¯t think so, it could happen every single evening, I hope, but¡­¡± I leaned to the side and whispered in her ear: ¡°I see¡­ creatures, people. There are hundreds. I think they¡¯re making ready to patrol the city, at least it looks that way.¡± She stared at me, wide eyed. It didn¡¯t take a genius to figure out what she was thinking. ¡°Either my little sister has truly gone mad or I won¡¯t sleep tonight.¡± I still didn¡¯t believe I was crazy and I definitely wasn¡¯t going to close my eyes any time soon. I was already thinking about how I might seal off my balcony for good. A nice metal wall would be lovely. 10 inches of carbonated steel and maybe bulletproof glass for the rest of our apartment.


    ¡°Are they¡­ do they look like, they¡¯re coming here,¡± she finally dared to ask.


    ¡°I¡­ not specifically. Why would¡­ oh, you fear they might know?¡± She shrugged and put her arm around my shoulder, pulling me into her.


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be the craziest thing I¡¯ve seen.¡± She squinted her eyes and peered through the window but shook her head after a few moments. ¡°It looks perfectly normal to me.¡±


    ¡°I wished I could say the same. They¡¯re moving now. No, they aren¡¯t getting closer. They¡¯re headed towards the sea and to the north, I think.¡± I exhaled deeply, trying to get my muscles to relax, but I didn¡¯t managed until the last of them vanished into the growing shadows between New York¡¯s skyscrapers.


    ¡°They¡¯re gone,¡± I finally breathed and closed my eyes. ¡°Damn it, that¡¯s so much more than I¡¯ve bargained for! God, Vic, what am I supposed to do?¡± She tightened her embrace and mumbled:


    ¡°We¡¯ll figure it out. One step at a time. For now¡­ just try to not think about it. We¡¯re going to have guests to entertain, remember. By the way,¡± she shoved me away and made me to turn on the spot. ¡°You look absolutely stunning. You should show a bit more skin more often. I don¡¯t know why you always want to look like you¡¯re living in a convent.¡± Her forced banter still did its job and I felt marginally more at ease. Still on edge, but I appreciated her effort immensely.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t like being stared at. I know that¡¯s something you can¡¯t understand but¡­ I¡¯d rather not be the centre of attention. It¡¯ll be bad enough with my new eyes, I don¡¯t feel the need to make it worse.¡±


    ¡°Your choice,¡± she shrugged. ¡°Come on then. Dad¡¯ll be home any minute now. Have you made up your mind, are you going to talk to mom,¡± she asked while we made our way to the kitchen.


    ¡°I guess. If I don¡¯t, she¡¯ll be all over me¡­ thanks for the inconspicuous clothes, by the way. You didn¡¯t leave me with much of a choice, did you? She¡¯ll¡­¡± right on cue, my mom rounded the corner, her mobile pressed to her ear. She waved at us but paused when my getup caught her attention. A sly smile spread across her face before she finished her call:


    ¡°¡­ yes, and your Vitello Tonato, twice... that¡¯s it¡­ No, my husband will pick it up in 30 minutes¡­ Paradizo. Right, thanks... Bye.¡± She clicked her phone off and studied me, her eyes twinkling with amusement.


    ¡°Oh my, Evee¡­ it¡¯s been ages since I¡¯ve seen you wear anything but your long sleeves at home. Are you trying to impress someone?¡± At least I didn¡¯t have to breach the topic¡­ the small things.


    ¡°Maybe? If I tell, will you promise to not make my life a living hell for the next hours?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try. But you don¡¯t have that much to offer, do you? Confirmation is nice and all, but¡­ tell you what, answer five questions and I¡¯ll keep my mouth shut tonight. I¡¯ll even do you one better and make sure your father won¡¯t embarrass you. Seems fair?¡± I nodded hesitantly. She always made these deals with us and most of the time, we didn¡¯t get the better end of the bargain.


    ¡°Great. Come on, you both can help me set the table. I assume your sister already knows? Has she picked your wardrobe?¡±


    ¡°Yes and yes,¡± I immediately blurted out and added: ¡°And that¡¯s two questions down. Careful, mom, you¡¯re slipping.¡± She laughed softly while we entered the kitchen and began rummaging for plates, cutlery, glasses and napkins. Vic also chose a red wine, which she poured into a decanter to allow it to breath.


    ¡°Am not,¡± my mom denied quickly. ¡°You just came back from the hospital. I wanted to go easy on you. But fine, if that¡¯s how you want to play. Why Katie?¡±


    I took my time, deliberately placing a handful of crostinis in a bowl, before I answered her. ¡°We fought on my first day. That¡¯s why she acted out. She came to apologise after you guys left, yesterday. Every minute I¡¯ve spent around her has been¡­ nerve wracking, one way or the other. I guess, ultimately, we could only start hating or liking each other. I chose the latter.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ do I have to worry?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. I¡¯m not a child. For all I know she could have a boyfriend. I won¡¯t be heartbroken if it doesn¡¯t work out.¡±


    ¡°She might be, though. I¡¯ve seen the way she looked at you before she left. All right, last question. What have the two of you,¡± she indicated my sister with a jerk of her head, ¡°been whispering about all day?¡± Crap. Of course she had realised. Before I could do so much as avert my gaze, Victoria chimed in:


    ¡°Pretty much exactly what you¡¯ve been harassing her about, right now. It¡¯s the first time Evee is going to bring someone home. Don¡¯t tell me you expected me to hold my tongue?¡±


    ¡°No, somehow I didn¡¯t,¡± my mum replied with a smile but her eyes remained on me. ¡°Is that true, Evelyne? Or is there something else?¡± I hesitated. In a way, Vic had told the truth, but¡­


    ¡°Depends. We¡¯ve been talking for quite a while. But yeah, the most important bits all evolved around what you asked me.¡± My mom had a knack for knowing when she was lied to. But subtle differences didn¡¯t usually register. And she had asked about my newfound peculiarities, after all.


    She studied me in silence for a second before she sighed. ¡°Fine, let¡¯s leave it at that.¡± More cheerfully she added: ¡°you¡¯ve heard me ordering, didn¡¯t you? Is there something special either of you would like?¡±


    ¡°Did you order desert,¡± my sister immediately inquired.


    ¡°Tartufo Classico and some Tiramisu. No ice cream, though. Your father already bought some.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll do. Hey,¡± she turned to me, ¡°do you know what your girlfriend likes?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not my¡­ never mind. No, unbelievable as it seems, we haven¡¯t talked much about the usual subjects. I don¡¯t even know if she likes Italian or what her hobbies are. Except for cheerleading. Oh, and she¡¯s got a scholarship to our school.¡±


    My mom wolf whistled quietly. ¡°That¡¯s not easy to get. She must pretty smart and committed. Is she in trouble?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. I think it¡¯ll all blow over once we¡¯ve talked to the police and informed the dean that it wasn¡¯t her fault. But for now, she¡¯s suspended, pending the official investigation.¡±


    ¡°I see. Do you want me to smooth it out?¡±


    ¡°Not unless she asks us to. You¡¯d do me a favour if you didn¡¯t flaunt your connections tonight, in the first place. I don¡¯t know how well the Donovans will react to your usual anecdotes.¡±


    ¡°Evee, are you embarrassed because we¡¯re successful,¡± she quietly asked.


    ¡°No, but you got to admit, some of you stories can be overwhelming, to say the least. Just stick to the normal stuff, would you?¡±


    ¡°No promises, but I¡¯ll see what I can do. I think we got everything, come on.¡± We set the table in silence and pretended to not see Victoria snatch the occasional titbit. Only when we had slumped down on the couch and had turned on the TV, did my mom speak up again.


    ¡°Say, do you want me to order a new phone for you? I want you to have a new one before you go to school again.¡± I felt the blood rise in my cheeks again.


    ¡°No, but thanks. I think Katie is going to get it for me.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± she bit her lip, buying time, before she continued: ¡°do you think that¡¯s the best idea? If her family doesn¡¯t have that much, it¡¯ll be¡­¡±


    ¡°I never said that. Besides, it doesn¡¯t have to be the newest model, does it? You can get a decent mobile for far less than we normally pay. I¡­ I¡¯ll ask her again, but I¡¯m not going to¡­ look, it¡¯s part of the deal we struck. She¡¯ll share her notes with me, in case I can¡¯t return to school next week, and she¡¯ll get me a new phone. It¡¯s sort of her fault mine broke, after all. Then we¡¯re square. I won¡¯t take that away from her without asking. She already did everything she could, I don¡¯t think she¡¯d appreciate it, if I were to suddenly treat what happened like a minor inconvenience.¡±


    ¡°Oh my¡­ you really learned a thing or two. But do ask her. Not everybody sees it the same way. She can make it up to you in another manner, if she truly wants to.¡±


    ¡°But she shouldn¡¯t,¡± my sister interjected. ¡°I¡¯m with Evee on that one and I¡¯m willing to bet Katie will insist, either way. How about a wager?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I exclaimed. ¡°You won¡¯t. You can bet on anything concerning myself, all day long, but you won¡¯t treat her as another source of entertainment.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really cute when you try to stick up for her. Puffing out your chest and all! Come here!¡± Whether I wanted to or not, I was enveloped in another hug, even though this time around, it was more of a contest of strength than an actual form of endearment. The only saving grace was, that my sister didn¡¯t want to mess up my appearance and hence refrained from tussling my hair.


    A few minutes later, mom finally came to my rescue. ¡°That¡¯s enough, girls. Victoria, if you don¡¯t let go of her, you¡¯ll have to do the dishes by yourself, tonight.¡±


    ¡°Aw, come on, I¡¯m just starting to have fun,¡± Vicky complained while I was gasping for air. ¡°Besides, she¡¯s awfully pale. A little colour would do wonders¡­¡± I never found out what exactly a red face would do for me, since the concierge called right that moment. Rolling her eyes, my mum headed for the door, accepting the call. She nodded once in our direction, mouthing ¡°they¡¯re here,¡± before she said: ¡°yes, they¡¯re our guest, send them up. Thanks, Albert.¡±


    By now we had managed to disentangle our limbs and I was starting to feel slightly nervous, even though there wasn¡¯t a rational reason for it. The beauty of human emotions. They made everything so much more complicated, but yet, life would be boring to no end without them. It didn¡¯t help one bit when Vic whispered:


    ¡°Pull up your pants, your underwear is showing. Or is it on purpose?¡± It was my turn to roll my eyes before I fixed the problem and scrambled off the couch to head for the door. Somehow I wanted to greet Katie¡¯s family before they became entangled in the insanity I called home.

 Chapter 7

    Fidgeting I waited in front of the elevator, watching the lights slowly tick up. To my eternal surprise, neither my sister nor my mom had insisted on coming with me, but by now, I might even have appreciated the company. I felt stupid, standing there with nothing to do, while the most idiotic greetings fluttered through my mind. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m the girl your daughter nearly killed,¡± was probably the worst, but not by far. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Evee, who are you,¡± was a close second. ¡°Damn it girl,¡± I chided myself, ¡°get a grip. Not the first time you meet other human beings, is it?¡±


    I tried to relax, focusing on my breathing, but it all went down the drain when the elevator doors dinged open. Three people were staring at me and at least one of them was just as nervous as I was. Katie was looking beautiful, dressed in a short, checkered skirt and a white shirt, with a touch of makeup to highlight her green eyes. She didn¡¯t need any rouge, since she was already blushing fabulously as soon as she spotted me. God, the both of us were really hopeless.


    Her parents were about the same age as mine, her father was rather on the burly side, like an athlete gone to seed, with full, brown hair and green eyes, dressed in a tweed jacket and khaki trousers. Her mom, a tall, blue eyed blonde, was wearing a dark blazer and beige cloth pants. They smiled at me insecurely, still stuck in the elevator until I finally found my voice.


    ¡°Hello, you must be Katie¡¯s parents. It¡¯s nice to meet you. I¡¯m Evelyne, Evelyne Paradizo.¡± I took a step forwards and offered them my hand. After an awkward moment, when Katie and I were dancing around each other, unsure if we should hug or shake, I wrapped my arms around her quickly and gesticulated for them to follow me.


    ¡°Thanks for coming,¡± I continued while I headed for our apartment. ¡°My father is still out and about, but he should be here in a few minutes.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for inviting us,¡± Katie¡¯s dad replied in a deep, soothing voice. ¡°We weren¡¯t sure¡­¡± he cleared his throat before he continued: ¡°anyways, I¡¯m Vernon, we¡¯ve already heard quite a bit about you. It¡¯s nice to put a face to my daughter¡¯s stories.¡± I fumbled with the lock on our door and said over my shoulder:


    ¡°I hope she hasn¡¯t exaggerated too much. I¡¯m actually pretty tame and even polite.¡± While Katie¡¯s blush intensified, her mom laughed softly.


    ¡°No, judging from what she said, you actually sound like a saint. No need to worry. And I¡¯m Diane. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Likewise,¡± I replied and opened the door. Vicky and my mom were already waiting on the other side, bright smiles on their faces. The usual introductions followed until my mom ushered us to the table and offered a glass of wine while we waited for my dad to come home with food. I¡¯d have loved to join in, but my parents were quite strict when it came to drinking age, the European variety, and consequentially, neither Katie nor I were allowed to participate. It usually didn¡¯t bother me, but right then, I would have liked something to sooth my nerves. I was still nervous and judging from the way her eyes darted across the room, landing everywhere but me, so was Katie.


    ¡°We also brought a bottle, but I fear it doesn¡¯t quite hold up to the standard,¡± Vernon said after he had sipped from his glass. ¡°This is truly excellent. An aged merlot, if I¡¯m not mistaken?¡± Great, another wine enthusiast, I definitely needed more of those in my life.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± my mom answered with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m not much of a drinker, but if I do indulge, I¡¯m quite partial to French grapes. Unfortunately, my husband doesn¡¯t share my view. Which means we more often than not have to open two bottles. Luckily, our eldest seems to have inherited my taste. She chose this one.¡±


    ¡°Then here is to the young lady and a connoisseur in the making,¡± he toasted. I was just beginning to relax, slowly getting used to their company, when the door opened again and my dad waltzed in, still dressed for work and several bags in his hands. The smell of food hit me and my stomach rumbled in response. It would have been embarrassing to no end, but nobody heard it over the commotion my father caused. Outspokenly, he apologised for being late and ordered my sister and me to plate everything while he quickly went to change. I didn¡¯t mind in the least, having something to do was better than sitting around, self conscious and unsure of where to put my hands. That was until her parents told Katie to help us out, which entirely defied the point of the whole exercise.


    In awkward silence, we fumbled through our chores, until my sister had had it. ¡°You two,¡± she admonished, ¡°you act like you don¡¯t known each other. Tell you what, I¡¯m going to bring in the appetisers and when I return, you better have started talking. Unbelievable,¡± she added under her breath, while she was already half way out the door, carrying a silver tray with an assortment of delicious specialities.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± I mumbled. ¡°She always acts like this. I didn¡¯t get a chance to say: you look stunning.¡±


    ¡°So do you,¡± she quietly replied, when she finally met my gaze. ¡°How are you holding up?¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°I feel fine but my family has been all over me for the whole day, especially my sister.¡±


    ¡°She cares about you, it¡¯s pretty obvious. Is she¡­ I don¡¯t think she likes me very much. Not that I blame her,¡± she added morosely, which prompted me to giggle and the tension between us to finally melt away.


    ¡°You¡¯ve no idea how wrong you are. Remember what I told you in the hospital? She hasn¡¯t beaten you up, which probably means that she¡¯s more or less in love with you. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve noticed, but she can be a tad overprotective.¡± A a very unladylike snort escaped her.


    ¡°Really? I¡¯d never have imagined. Have you always been this close?¡±


    ¡°Since I can remember, she pretty much raised me, didn¡¯t you, Vic?¡± She had just returned, empty handed.


    ¡°And I obviously did a poor job. If I had known how you were going to turn out, I would¡¯ve tried a little harder,¡± she teased with a smirk.


    ¡°Oh, I quite like the outcome,¡± Katie admitted, more bold than I would¡¯ve been. She looked at me from under her bangs and hesitantly continued: ¡°But there¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Girls,¡± my mom called from the living room. ¡°We¡¯re hungry. What¡¯s taking you so long?¡±


    ¡°Coming,¡± I called back. ¡°Sorry, what were you going to say?¡± She seemed forlorn for a moment before she smiled.


    ¡°Nothing, come on, this looks absolutely fantastic. I don¡¯t know much about your parents, but mine can get really nasty when they¡¯re hungry. We shouldn¡¯t keep them waiting.¡± She took another tray and brushed past me. I could¡¯ve sworn I saw a tear shimmer in the corner of her eye before she was gone, but I couldn¡¯t be sure.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Vic nudged me lightly. ¡°Did you say anything,¡± she asked quietly.


    ¡°I¡­no, I don¡¯t think so. You saw it too, then?¡± She nodded and slowly replied:


    ¡°She already cried at the hospital, maybe it¡¯s just that. We won¡¯t find out standing here, either way. Let¡¯s have dinner first, then we can try to puzzle out what¡¯s going on.¡± I held her back before she could leave the kitchen.


    ¡°You know¡­ I don¡¯t have to puzzle at all.¡± Understanding dawned and her eyes went wide.


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± she hissed. ¡°That¡¯s worse than reading her diary. Don¡¯t you dare, Evelyne. If you want to know, ask her, but don¡¯t you dare violate her trust like that. Whatever else is going on, she likes you. I¡¯m sure of it. And if you like her as well, you¡¯ll never ever read her thoughts when it comes to something personal like this. Do you understand me?¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am. You¡¯re right, but¡­¡±


    ¡°No buts. And since we¡¯re on the topic, don¡¯t do it to me either, or mom, or dad.¡±


    ¡°Why? Are you afraid I might hear something embarrassing,¡± I asked with a grin.


    ¡°No,¡± she replied evenly. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you might get hurt. Look, there are times when you can be a royal pain in the ass and knowing you, that¡¯d exactly be the time for you to rummage through our minds. It wouldn¡¯t do for you to hear what we think, when we already know it isn¡¯t true. Trust us Evee, just the same way we trust you. Which means you¡¯ll have to allow us our secrets.¡±


    ¡°Huh, does that mean you don¡¯t always think of me as a princess?¡±


    ¡°Wise ass,¡± she quipped and bumped her hip into mine on the way past. ¡°Enough dallying now, I¡¯m hungry. And from what I¡¯ve heard earlier, so are you.¡± And I had believed no one had noticed.


    Dinner was mildly awkward at first, since no one seemed to know what might be an appropriate way to start a conversation, considering our circumstances. Consequentially, most of the first half hour was spent chewing and complimenting the food or wine, interspersed with the occasional, superficial question. I didn¡¯t mind, as my sister had so astutely commented, I was famished. To my and everybody else¡¯s surprise, I could easily keep up with my dad and Mr. Donovan, Vernon, I wanted to say. Diane even asked if I had always had such a healthy appetite.


    I shrugged in response. ¡°No, usually I don¡¯t eat that much, but I was told it¡¯s to be expected. Apparently I have to make up for what I¡¯ve lost.¡± As soon as I had finished, Vic thumped on my foot. Damn it, that¡¯s right, the doc had told my parents as much, but they hadn¡¯t repeated his instructions, yet. I only knew because we had listened at the door. I shot a sidelong glance at my parents and while my father was much to involved with his steak, my mom¡¯s eyes bore into mine. She had heard and she had understood. Luckily, she gave me a small nod and a faint smile, indicating that she was neither surprised nor mad. She probably had even expected it. It wasn¡¯t the first time we had eavesdropped on them and it wouldn¡¯t have been the first time we had been caught, either. Which made Vicky¡¯s small rant about trust and whatnot all the more hypocritical. She wasn¡¯t very keen on allowing anyone their secrets, whether they concerned her or not.


    ¡°Oh, of course,¡± Katie¡¯s mom replied. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, how are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ quite well, actually. For me, it was a fall, a long sleep and then I was back to normal with only one night in the hospital. Katie even kept me company. It almost feels like a week of holidays.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. We¡¯ve all been worried sick. I¡­ I¡¯m really glad you¡¯re okay. I know my daughter already apologise but I wanted to do the same. I¡­ we¡¯re really sorry for what happened. I can¡¯t even begin to imagine how you must have felt,¡± she added, focusing on my parents. ¡°I¡¯m deeply sorry for what you had to go through. If there¡¯s anything we can do to make it up to you, or your daughter, anything at all, just name it.¡± Before my mom could say anything my dad intervened.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need. All is well that ends well.¡± He stared at Katie, a spark of anger igniting in his eyes. ¡°But I do hope you learned your lesson, young lady.¡± She immediately blushed and nodded furiously, her golden hair flowing around her like a halo. That was why I usually bundled mine up in a pony tail, but I had to admit, it looked cute.


    ¡°Of course. I¡­ I¡¯ll never be this careless again.¡± She turned to me. ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t even begin to describe how awful I felt until you woke up.¡±


    ¡°And then all was well again,¡± I teased. ¡°Could have fooled me, the way you looked last night.¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± she immediately said, completely unaware of the humour in my voice. ¡°Only when¡­ after you forgave me, I was starting to feel better. But I¡¯m still¡­¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± I quietly interrupted. ¡°You don¡¯t have to say it. I¡­ why don¡¯t we talk in private, later? You haven¡¯t even seen the rest of the apartment, yet, and I¡¯m sure our parents can keep themselves entertained. Especially since my mom already put several more bottles aside, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    She nodded in response. ¡°Guilty as charged. But I don¡¯t want you running off the second you¡¯ve emptied your plates.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t. At least not the very same second,¡± I added under my breath and winked at Katie. She smiled at me, but the expression seemed somewhat strained and I couldn¡¯t help but remember what had happened in the kitchen. Something was wrong with her but I just couldn¡¯t put my finger on it. Would she tell, if I asked? Maybe, it probably depended on the reason. I was severely tempted to try and pry the truth from her thoughts but even without Vicky¡¯s lecture, I wouldn¡¯t have. She had been right with everything she had said, after all, even though I wasn¡¯t going to tell her. Her head was swollen enough as it was.


    Distractedly, I dug into a third helping of finely braised meat and added some fresh, homemade pasta, for good measure. He might have been a bit strange, but the doc had definitely been right about my appetite. I couldn¡¯t remember ever having eaten that much and I was still hungry. Not quite famished but I wasn¡¯t going to have any difficulties devouring some dessert. Luckily, I had never quite cared too much about being seen as a glutton, otherwise I might have been forced to take my meals in darkness and privacy, from now on. But for as long as my figure didn¡¯t change, I wouldn¡¯t make a fuss about eating more than my mom and sister combined.


    Since the ice had been broken and the elephant in the room had been addressed, the conversation was slowly starting to pick up, our parents gradually warming up to each other. The influence of expensive French wine might also have played a role and when the third bottle had been emptied, it felt more like a family gathering to me, than an evening with people I hardly knew. When even basic table manners went out the window and the cheese platter was consumed with fingers, rather than the wooden toothpicks, I had been forced to fetch from the kitchen, I was truly starting to enjoy myself.


    Even the longwinded stories my parents told about their work, once or twice, were bearable and to my unending surprise, they even stayed within bounds and didn¡¯t flaunt their more extraordinary undertakings, more than necessary. I also found out that Mr. and Mrs. Donovan, or Vernon and Diane, were both working as well. He was a rather successful doctor with a small, private office downtown. He even offered to take over for Dr. Crawford, so I wouldn¡¯t have to return to the hospital for my checkups, but considering what my parents had already been told before we had left, they politely but resolutely declined.


    Diane was a journalist and she covered pretty much everything from local politics to sports. Finance was more or less the only exception, which luckily meant that she hadn¡¯t stumbled across my family¡¯s business before. In her line of work, she came across the most fantastical stories, some of which were plainly incredible, but they made for perfect entertainment, even though none of us could tell when she was embellishing the truth a little. When my sister finally asked her, she responded with a smile and said:


    ¡°You know, I don¡¯t think it matters. Every good story deserves to be narrated in the best way possible. After all, it isn¡¯t what really happened that matters, but rather what your audience makes of it. History is written by the winners and truths are made by those, who have the best knack for making people listen. That¡¯s one of the lessons I¡¯ve learned very early on and one I¡¯ve stuck with ever since.¡±


    ¡°Trust matters as well,¡± I contradicted. ¡°Cry wolf once and everyone comes running, cry it twice..¡±


    ¡°True, maybe you should cry fire, instead, the second time around,¡± she replied with a wink.

 Chapter 8

    ¡°It might work,¡± my dad said slowly, ¡°but it¡¯s not sustainable. Sooner or later, no one would listen.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s even sustainable in our digital world? The truth definitely isn¡¯t. It changes with time, perspective¡­ needs. A good story, though¡­ it can last.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to watch the news again, ever,¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°Is it really that much of a surprise,¡± Katie¡¯s mom inquired. ¡°Everyone has an agenda. Mine is rather harmless, I think. But to answer your question, Victoria, in essence, everything has happened as I¡¯ve described, but I might have embellished the story, a bit.¡±


    ¡°Which is to say, she made a mountain out of a molehill,¡± Katie commented under her breath. I tried to hide my smile behind a napkin, but it wasn¡¯t even necessary. Vic was trying to wheedle the facts out of Diane and everyone was following their exchange.


    ¡°Come on,¡± I whispered. ¡°Let¡¯s clear the table. I want to show you around and maybe have a few quiet minutes.¡± She cocked an eyebrow and asked:


    ¡°Don¡¯t you like my parents?¡± I blushed. Why would she even think that? It was just¡­


    ¡°Relax, I¡¯m teasing. But I have to admit, you¡¯re quite cute, when you¡¯re blushing.¡± That, obviously, only served to make it worse. I was quickly turning from pink to scarlet. Luckily, she took pity on me and quickly got up, reaching for the empty plates. I followed suit and together we waddle back into the kitchen.


    ¡°They¡¯re great,¡± I said, when the door closed behind us. ¡°Both of them,¡± despite her reassurance, I felt the need to point out, that I really liked them. ¡°Funny, pleasant¡­¡± she grinned and put down her tray. With a fluid motion, she whirled around, her tresses dancing.


    ¡°If you continue, I¡¯ll believe they¡¯re the ones, you wanted to invite,¡± she interrupted me, her eyes sparkling. ¡°I don¡¯t know, how that would make me¡­¡± she paused, her expression darkening.


    It took almost more courage than I had, but I finally moved closer and touched her arm.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You¡¯ve been¡­ that¡¯s the second time, you¡¯ve¡­ and I don¡¯t know why. Was it something I said?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she immediately spluttered and leaned into me, a much more intimate gesture than I would have ever managed. ¡°You¡¯ve been¡­ amazing and your family, they¡¯re so welcoming¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, what¡¯s wrong?¡± She looked up at me, her cheeks reddening. My first impulse was to pull her closer and maybe even try to steal a kiss, but something in her eyes held me back. She looked¡­ sad. A few seconds later, I was thoroughly glad I had hesitated.


    ¡°Evee¡­¡± she seemed to savour the pet name, as it rolled over her tongue, but quickly went on: ¡°maybe I¡¯m reading too much into¡­ it¡¯s just¡­¡± she sighed and closed her eyes, uncertainty written across her face. ¡°I have a boyfriend. We¡¯ve been together for almost a year, now,¡± she suddenly explained in a rush. ¡°I¡¯m not even sure, you care, but I just thought¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± was all I managed to press out, my mind reeling. I had known, I had even told my mum it was a distinct possibility, but hearing her say it, while I could feel her quickening heartbeat through the thin layer of cloth between us, was unpleasant, to say the least.


    ¡°I¡­¡± I didn¡¯t find the most eloquent words, but I wanted to make one thing plenty clear. ¡°I do care and you¡¯ve definitely not read too much into anything. I¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I shouldn¡¯t have,¡± I tried to gently push her away, but she wouldn¡¯t budge and, instead, wrapped her arms around my waist.


    ¡°Don¡¯t apologise,¡± she whispered into my neck. ¡°Please, never apologise to me. Not after¡­ I should be the one¡­ again. You couldn¡¯t have known. Are you mad?¡±


    ¡°Mad? No¡­ disappointed, sad, but¡­ Katie, I like you, I truly do. Even more than I should, perhaps, but¡­¡± a thought had been gnawing at the back of my mind, the whole time. I just didn¡¯t know, if I wanted to act on it.


    ¡°Do you love him,¡± I quietly asked. She was taken aback by the question, but still gave it some thought and answered honestly:


    ¡°Love? I don¡¯t know¡­ I guess so. Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re heart is beating fast and you haven¡¯t moved an inch. If you love him, it doesn¡¯t matter, though.¡±


    ¡°It does matter,¡± she breathed, her breath tickling my cheek. Slowly, gradually, she turned her head, giving me all the time in the world to move away. When I didn¡¯t, I felt her lips chastely brush against my skin and her arms tighten around my waist. ¡°I just don¡¯t know, how much,¡± she added. ¡°God, whatever must you think of me? I¡¯m sorry.¡± She pushed herself back, a suspicious wet sheen shimmering in her eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± I mumbled, my fingers forlornly caressing the spot she had kissed. I could still feel her warmth, like the memory of the morning sun. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t change much. ¡°You want to know what I think? You¡¯re beautiful, headstrong, sweet, caring, impulsive, a bit shy... you¡¯re spectacular and you¡¯re taken. Doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t be friends though, does it?¡±


    She gave me a watery smile and extended her hands. I took them, as she said:


    ¡°No, no, it doesn¡¯t. Thank you. Do you¡­ do you still want to show me around?¡± I smiled wryly.


    ¡°Definitely. With a little luck, we might even be able to sneak upstairs, without anyone being the wiser. Come on.¡± Pulling her along, I made my way back into the living room, carefully staying away from few corners, that were visible from the dining table. Considering how lively the conversation had become, I was decently sure, we wouldn¡¯t be missed for a while.


    The stairs were more of a challenge, but years of practice had turned me into something of an expert when it came to moving around unseen. I hadn¡¯t snuck out, much, but when I had been younger, getting to the fridge and back again, when I should have been asleep, had been a regular occurrence. Once upstairs, I started to explain:


    ¡°The master bedroom is downstairs. You¡¯ve already seen almost everything else, except for my parents¡¯ studies. Those are the two doors you passed on your way in. They are pretty much what you would expect. My dad is something of a nerd, though. His room looks like the inside of a spaceship. He¡¯s got more monitors in there, than the rest of us combined. Vic and I are alone up here. That¡¯s her room. I¡¯d invite you in, but she usually,¡± I pressed the handle and rolled my eyes, ¡°keeps the door locked. And that¡¯s my little kingdom. Come in.¡± I opened the door and mimicked a courteous bow. She entered with a giggle and an attempt at a courtesy, which was rather cute, in an innocent, unpracticed sort of way, than elegant. I switched on the lights and she took in the colours and my plushy, but her eyes quickly darted to the closed balcony doors. Right¡­Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    ¡°Would you mind,¡± she asked, while she approached them. Hesitantly I replied:


    ¡°No¡­ of course not.¡± The shutters opened creakingly and Katie¡¯s eyes went wide, as she took in the view. New York¡¯s skyline sparkled behind Central Park, an arch of light and grace, which seemingly grew from a forest, the velvety darkness between its trees broken only by the occasional spark.


    ¡°Amazing,¡± she breathed, her nose pressed against the glass. ¡°How far up are we?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly. We¡¯re on the 115th floor¡­ about 400 metres? Give or take?¡± I moved to her side and anxiously scanned the black treetops for movement, but everything seemed quiet.


    ¡°Can we go outside?¡± I shrugged.


    ¡°There¡¯s a reason, why you usually don¡¯t have balconies this high up, aside from statics. Altitude winds. That¡¯s also why the balustrade is this massive. We can, if you really want to, but it¡¯s not overly comfortable.¡± And I wasn¡¯t so keen on going outside.


    ¡°Just for a few minutes.¡± Her slender fingers were already unlatching the lock and when she shoved open the door, a cold, biting wind made her golden hair dance in the breeze. Laughing, she almost skipped over the threshold, arms spread wide. Shaking my head, I followed much more moderately. I wasn¡¯t afraid of heights, but a drop of about 9 seconds still made me cautious.


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± she said, her sparkling, green eyes reflecting the city lights. ¡°How could you ever close your shutters?¡±


    ¡°I have trouble sleeping when it¡¯s too bright and I¡¯ve gotten used to keeping them closed. The last place we stayed was a city apartment in Paris. The people, who lived on the other side of the street, had a son and I caught him spying, one day. Since then, I¡¯ve almost always kept either curtains or shutters closed. Doesn¡¯t make much sense, here, but it¡¯s hard to break habits.¡±


    She bumped her hip into mine and replied with a smile: ¡°I can see why he was spying, but you shouldn¡¯t punish yourself. At least, allow the sun in, once in a while. Or¡­ are you a vampire?¡±


    ¡°Vampire princess, I¡¯d have you know,¡± I said with more bravado than I felt. She was getting awfully close and I really didn¡¯t want to talk about my eyes, or¡­ anything else, related.


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m terribly sorry, your highness. How could I not have known immediately?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a bit of a nerd, as well, aren¡¯t you,¡± I chuckled.


    ¡°Takes one to know one. But I guess I am. Fantasy books, mostly. Kindle unlimited really is the work of the devil. What about you?¡±


    ¡°Not as much, anymore. A few years ago, I devoured a book every other week, but when my parents made me take dance lessons, I didn¡¯t have the time and I never got back into it, not really. I reread some of my favourites, once in a while, but I hardly ever start anything new. You don¡¯t happen to have any recommendations?¡±


    ¡°Tons, depending on what you like. What are you into?¡± I had to swallow the first word that had popped into my mind.


    ¡°Anything, mostly, I¡¯m not complicated. What¡¯s your favourite?¡± I was starting to get cold and when I turned my head, I saw goosebumps had erupted on her arms, as well. She still answered immediately, even though she was shivering, ever so slightly:


    ¡°Lord of the Rings would be an obvious choice, but it¡¯s exhaustingly epic. At the moment, I¡¯m reading the Rachel Morgan series. It¡¯s urban fantasy. I quite enjoy it.¡±


    She wrapped her arms around her body, the chill slowly getting to her. I hesitated for a moment, but finally decided that it wouldn¡¯t be strange if I hugged her. Quietly, I stepped closer and embraced her from behind, her warmth just as comforting as I had imagined.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give it a try. At the very least, we¡¯ll have something to talk about.¡± She leaned back, her head coming to rest on my shoulder, while the smell of peppermint and lime tickled my nose.


    ¡°You¡¯re probably going to enjoy it,¡± she whispered and turned, just far enough for her breath to caress my cheek. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Evee.¡± Before I could react, she kissed me briefly.


    My heart thundered like a drum and I felt a burning blush rise to my cheeks. My mind was empty, except for the tingling sensation on my skin and a single question, spinning round and round: Why had she done that? Katie must have felt my tension. Immediately, she pushed herself away, her golden hair covering her face. ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry,¡± she mumbled, unable to face me. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have¡­ I¡¯m¡­¡± once might have been a mistake, but twice? What was I supposed to do? As much of a stereotype as it was, I could practically hear my sister scream: ¡°as you goddamn please,¡± while my mum¡¯s sterner voice stated: ¡°whatever you have to.¡± Screw them both.


    It took all my courage, but I managed to reach out and gently lift her head until our eyes met. ¡°Why,¡± I breathed. ¡°It¡¯s the second time. Don¡¯t apologise, just tell me.¡± A tear sparkled in the corner of her eye, like a diamond, like liquid light.


    ¡°Because it¡¯s not going to happen again.¡± She blinked and rubbed the tear away with her palm, smiling sadly. ¡°I hope this doesn¡¯t make things awkward, but I thought, if we can talk like friends, after I almost killed you, this won¡¯t matter, much. We should go back inside, it¡¯s freezing. Come on.¡± She offered me her hand and I was ushered through the door, utterly perplexed.


    ¡°You know,¡± she blabbered, ¡°besides books, I also train quite a lot. There¡¯s a competition coming up and we could really use your help. We were mostly telling the truth, you know, back in the cafeteria. With a body like yours, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve either continued your dance lessons, or you¡¯re some kind of gymnast. Both would be just what we need.¡± I replied almost reflexively, my mind still trying to make sense of the last few minutes.


    ¡°Martial arts, actually. I don¡¯t think I can do much, unless you want me to knock out the opposing teams. That¡¯s not legal, is it?¡± She laughed, even though it sounded a little strained.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it is. But doesn¡¯t that mean you have amazing coordination and muscle tension?¡±


    ¡°Depends on whom you ask. According to my trainer I¡¯m a klutz, but most students don¡¯t want to fight me, anymore.¡± I clumsily sat on the bed and stared at her from beneath my bangs. I was wondering whether or not to insist on continuing our conversation, but, ultimately, I was spared the decision.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that, please,¡± she said quietly and turned her head away, a slight blush rising to her cheeks.


    ¡°Why? Does it make you uncomfortable?¡± She tensed, but then, her chin rose defiantly and she met my gaze.


    ¡°No¡­ alright, Evee, let¡¯s make a deal. We¡¯ll talk until we¡¯re called downstairs. No lies, no omissions, only the truth. We¡¯ll sleep on what we¡¯ll hear and tomorrow¡­ I¡¯ll call. I¡¯ve got your mum¡¯s card. What do you say?¡± I imagine most people would have jumped at the opportunity, but I was scared. The truth¡­ there isn¡¯t much, that can cut deeper. I¡¯d rather have kept Katie as a friend, than risk losing her for¡­ I didn¡¯t even know, what we stood to gain. She had made it clear, that she was taken and I wouldn¡¯t play around behind anyone¡¯s back. Still, on the other hand, I was tempted, sorely tempted. Without realising what I had done, I nodded.


    She sighed and sat on the edge of my bed. We were almost in the same position we had been in, back at the hospital. Closing her eyes, she seemed to steel herself and said: ¡°you first.¡±


    ¡°Why were you trying to punish me? You know, when you threw my phone.¡± She grimaced.


    ¡°No mercy, huh? I was hurt¡­ I felt rejected. I¡¯m not sure if you know, but you¡¯ve¡­ Evee, you¡¯re not only beautiful to an almost insulting degree, but you¡¯re¡­ maybe it¡¯s your upbringing, but you¡¯re a bit distant, even arrogant. At first, I simply wanted to get to know you and I didn¡¯t plan on directly inviting you, but when I did, it was¡­ a gesture. I wanted to¡­ damn it, I had butterflies in my stomach and when you declined, I felt rejected in more ways than one, even though I didn¡¯t even know it at the time. Satisfied?¡± When I slowly lowered my head, she immediately asked:


    ¡°What do you feel for me?¡± My cheeks burned but I didn¡¯t break eye contact.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ infatuated? Ever since I¡¯ve met you, you¡¯ve been on my mind, for one reason or the other. I¡¯m honestly sad, that you have a boyfriend and I would have liked to see where this might go, but I¡¯m not going to ask you to leave him. I¡¯m not in love with you, Katie, at least not yet and I can¡¯t give you any kind of promise. If we¡¯re going to spend more time together, though, I fear it might become rather painful, sooner or later.¡± I struggled with my next words, but still continued: ¡°I¡¯d still like to try, though, but please, don¡¯t take it the wrong way, if I can¡¯t keep going.¡±

 Chapter 9

    When my alarm rang I was already wide awake, staring into nothingness. Even though it was just 5.30, I had been up for almost an hour. Yesterday had been¡­ interesting? Devastating? Confusing? Probably all of the above and more. My stomach still felt like a box of squirming insects, every time I recalled the heart to heart I had had with Katie. Jesus Christ, what had I done? I hadn¡¯t lied, for starters, and that might have been a huge mistake.


    Groaning, I finally scrambled out of bed and waddled into the shower. Scorching hot water had always calmed me down and today was no different. Once the small space was filled with steam, I pressed my forehead against the wall and allowed the warm flood to cascade down my back, the memories of last night swirling through my mind.


    Our little game of truth or truth had gone on for longer than I had imagined, our families merrily chatting away downstairs, and not a single question had been out of bounds. She had even asked me, if I had already imagined kissing her. Idiot that I was, I had confessed. Of course I had and it hadn¡¯t stopped at kissing, either. It¡¯s not that easy to think about someone you like and stick with proper debutante etiquette. At least she hadn¡¯t pressed me for any details. On the plus side, I wasn¡¯t the only one whose fantasy had run wild, but in contrast to my shy mumblings, Katie hadn¡¯t had the slightest problem describing her desires. Holy shit, even thinking about her straightforward replies made me blush.


    Anyways, in the end, there had been no way around a simple truth: trying to pretend like nothing had happened was impossible. If we were going to spend much time together, we¡¯d most likely end up in a very strange place. Which in turn meant she had to make a decision. If she was going to call, we¡¯d see where we might eventually end up. I had asked, or rather demanded, that she¡¯d tell her boyfriend, beforehand. If she called, she would have, if she didn¡¯t¡­ oh well, nothing I could do, either way. Unfortunately, that particular line of reasoning did nothing to stop my thoughts form spinning round and round.


    With a sigh, I turned off the shower, wrapped a towel around my waist and headed towards the mirror. A small smile tugged on the corners of my mouth, when I realised I could actually see the soft, amethyst glow from my eyes, despite the misted glass. Abruptly I brushed over the cold, hard surface and scrutinised my reflection. Yep, I had lost weight again, despite my gluttonous efforts the night before. At this rate, I¡¯d either start eating properly three times a day or I¡¯d soon be nothing more than skin and bones. I had never been voluptuous, but this¡­ I mean, I wasn¡¯t going to complain about the budding abs, but at this rate, I would soon be able to do my shopping in the men¡¯s section. I really needed some chocolate, or rather a ton of it.


    When I had put on a comfy sweater and corresponding pants, I quietly made my way downstairs, briefly listening at Vick¡¯s door. Judging from her deep, heavy breathing, she was still out cold. No wonder, the five of them had drunk their way through 8 bottles and knowing my sister, she hadn¡¯t been the one to drink the least. I was, most likely, going to have the flat to myself for at least two more hours. Mom and dad weren¡¯t early birds, either. They often had to stay in the office until well past midnight and consequentially didn¡¯t come in before 9, unless they absolutely had to. Which meant I had all the time in the world to walk down the stairs and deal with whatever craziness I might spot through the windows. Mine I had closed again, the very moment Katie had left.


    Steeling myself I headed downstairs, eyes closed. Stupid, for sure, but I couldn¡¯t help myself. When I had counted 7 steps, I held my breath, faced the glass front and hesitantly opened my eyes. I could barely stifle a yelp when an otherworldly, terrifying scene rose from the blurry swaths of a morning mist, the fleeing shadows illuminated by the soft, golden light of the rising sun.


    Between the roots of the gargantuan tree, a ritual of some sort was taking place. I couldn¡¯t be sure, but it looked like all of the winged creatures, I had seen the night before, were praying and singing together, facing the rising sun. They were much too far away to hear them, but I could see them just as clearly as if I had been using binoculars. Their arrangement formed an intricate pattern, reminiscent of a triskelion. Seven of them, clad in elaborate, white robes, the hems embroidered with gold, stood at the very centre, a glowing altar, made from what appeared to be crystallised light, between them. Upon the altar, a young man laid in trance, smiling serenely.


    I say in trance, because otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have grinned like an idiot, considering the tallest of the seven was slowly raising a pitch black dagger, ready to plunge the heinous instrument into his chest. The blood froze in my veins and I thought my heart skipped a beat, my mind reeling. I wasn¡¯t stupid, this wasn¡¯t some kind of show. Within seconds, the boy would die, stabbed by¡­ whatever those things actually were.


    I bit my tongue to suppress a scream. The taste of copper filled my mouth and I felt warmth between my fingers, where my nails had dug deep enough into my skin to draw blood. What was I supposed to do? I wasn¡¯t even strong enough to watch, never mind help.


    When the rays of dawn turned the descending dagger into a flash of darkness, I closed my eyes, unable to witness murder. Tears streamed down my cheeks and a dry sob reverberated in my throat, but I didn¡¯t move. As if under a spell myself, I remained rooted to the spot, shivering, crying. What the actual fuck?


    I took a deep breath, forcefully relaxing my muscles. Get a grip, Evee. Open your eyes. Watch, learn, or it might be you or someone you care for, next time. Bile rose in my throat, but I still managed to open my eyes again, even though my vision was blurry. When I had blinked away the tears, I inadvertently took a step back and wrapped my arms around my middle.


    They were bleeding him dry, like a goddamn pig! Frothing bubbles of blood foamed around his mouth while he gasped for air, only to drown in the crimson tide, welling from his throat. The charm broke and his stupefied smile vanished, pain and fear distorting his features. As far away as I was, it was simply impossible for me to hear him, but when his mouth opened in a desperate scream, I imagined a youthful voice, hurling the pain of a whole world at the uncaring heavens. And a moment later, I even felt it.


    I crumbled, a white hot line of fire blazing on my throat while my feverish mind conjured up images I had never seen before, even though I knew the person they depicted all too well. Katie was leaning over me, a caring smile on her face, the setting sun behind her. But while she gradually came closer, her eyes closed, the light behind her became ever brighter until it swallowed me whole, an all encompassing whiteness without shadows, without darkness. The pain moved farther and farther away, like a bad dream under the morning sun, and then, there was nothing left. Nothing to fear, nothing to care about, nothing to mourn. All there was was peace and the last, fleeting memories of myself as they quickly fled, making room for something¡­ new.


    I opened my streaming eyes again, curled up into a ball on the cold, hard steps. I was shivering uncontrollably, a cold sweat covered my body and I could almost taste the coppery blood in my mouth, even though I hadn¡¯t been hurt. No¡­ it hadn¡¯t been me, but¡­ all hells, what was I supposed to do?The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Get used to it, I¡¯d suggest,¡± a quiet, velvety voice whispered in my ear and I froze up completely, even my churning mind stuttered to a hold. It hadn¡¯t been the words, though, that had taken me completely off guard. It had been the very cadence resonating through me. It was my voice, a bit older and much more sensual, but still¡­ ¡°great,¡± she, I¡­ it, continued, ¡°a primordial goddess afraid of blood. That surely bodes well for the future. Never mind, we still have some time but you¡¯re right. You should watch, you should learn, otherwise you¡¯re going to drown and that¡­ well, trust me, if your husband gets his hands on you you¡¯ll wish for an easy way out. Hephaistos has never been known for his gentle touch.¡± I¡¯d like you to take a second to truly imagine what was happening to me. I was still watching a boy my age, presumably Katie¡¯s boyfriend, if I hadn¡¯t entirely gone off the rocker and misinterpreted the vision, being sacrificed by a bunch of blood crazed fairies while a incorporeal voice, very similar to how I might sound once I was going to grow up, told me that a, I was a primordial goddess, whatever that meant, and b, that I was already married at not even sixteen to someone named Hephaistos, who apparently was a brute.


    I¡¯m not sure how well versed in ancient lore you might be, so allow me to add a little context for you. Hephaistos is a Greek name, the god of fire and craftsmanship, the unwanted, deformed son of Zeus and Hera, the king and queen of the gods, thrown off Olympus after his birth. According to legend he was indeed married. To Aphrodite¡­ I guess she doesn¡¯t need much of an introduction. Modern literature is filled with references and if you¡¯re still unsure, google her. Anyways, retrospectively it isn¡¯t that hard to connect the dots but for me it was just a tad too much to take in. I wasn¡¯t even sixteen, yet, I was scared out of my wits and I was mostly busy trying to keep myself from dry heaving, the rivulets of blood, still surging from the boy¡¯s wound, a disgusting mockery of a neckband that would haunt me in my sleep for weeks.


    As unbefitting of someone telling a story as it might seem I shut down. Evee.exe simply stopped working but it didn¡¯t mean that I curled up and passed out. No, that would have been much too simple, the only consequences to be feared a stammered, improvised explanation as to why I had fainted on the stairs. Instead of blissful oblivion I heard a half exasperated, half amused curse:


    ¡°By all the demons in Tartarus, I can¡¯t remember ever being that much of a wuss. Then again, I was already grown up when I was born the first time. Sleep, Evee. I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re safe. We¡¯ll talk once you wake up.¡± And that was that. As I felt my legs jerk into motion and an eerie, amethyst light reflected off the windowpanes I passed out, slipping into dreams of blood and violence¡­ except I wasn¡¯t entirely convinced they actually were dreams. When I woke I couldn¡¯t recall any details but while I had been stuck in a world of mists and memories I thought I had recognised some faces, like friends almost forgotten, and that feeling stayed with me far longer than the lingering dread of the world of nightmares I had been thrust into.


    When I opened my eyes I was disoriented and the decided lack of light didn¡¯t help, either. Neither did the freezing cold slab of marble I was resting on, or the absolute silence ringing in my ears. In my dazzled state it took me a moment to add two and two together but as soon as I did I jumped to my feet, ice cold panic singing my insides, and immediately fled from the altar. Oh no, I wouldn¡¯t be turned into fertiliser for some sick cult I had never even heard of before. I could fight, for Christ¡¯s sake! If they wanted to get my blood, they¡¯d have to¡­


    A clear, stirring laugh, like the chimes of a silver bell, made me flinch and I desperately looked around in the impenetrable darkness until I realised that the alien sound had escaped my very own mouth. ¡°What the actual fuck,¡± I breathed, brining the total amount of curses I had uttered in the last days up to about the same amount I had used in all my previous years.


    As if in response to my voice the smell of roses wafted up and a mirror a few steps away began to glow in a very familiar amethyst light. While I was still debating whether to take my chances with the darkness and pray to find a way home my body had already decided to ignore me resolutely and was moving, almost on its own, until I stood in front of a silvered pane of glass, about two metres high. My own pale and sweaty face stared back at me, the circles under my eyes as dark as my hair. I raised my hand to caress my cheekbones and touch my lips but¡­ I hadn¡¯t moved an inch.


    ¡°Not bad,¡± my reflection said and my mouth dropped to the floor. Not that it was the strangest thing I had lived through these days, but¡­ ¡°before you get any stupid ideas,¡± my mirror image continued, ¡°you¡¯re on Mount Olympus. In your home, to be exact. Everyone thinks you¡¯ve vanished and that your temple has been sealed hermetically. If they knew you were in here¡­ trust me, you don¡¯t want that.¡± I¡­ she raised her hand and the soft, calming glow spread until the whole room was illuminated by a rosy light. ¡°For now, why don¡¯t you look around? Don¡¯t touch the big door, everything else should be fine. Once you¡¯ve walked off the shock we can talk. No need to return to the mirror. Just say our name.¡±


    ¡°Our name¡­¡± I whispered in confusion but she only threw me a pitiful glance.


    ¡°You¡¯ve already figured it out, haven¡¯t you? Once you find the courage to say it, we can move on.¡± An almost imperceptible shudder ran through the reflection and she resumed my own, frightened expression and slightly hunched over posture. My knees buckled and the cold, white marble of the floor came up to greet me, a pained ¡°ouch¡± reverberating through the colossal room.


    Despite myself I glanced around and took in the almost fairy tale like architecture. Huge, graceful, white pillars, carved with abstract scenes from Ancient Greece, carried a sloped ceiling, a giant chandelier, equipped with a myriad of candles, burning steadily with smokeless, amethyst flames, sparkling at the centre like a sea of violet stars. Aside from the massive altar I had woken up on, there wasn¡¯t much to see, except for three doors and a towering statue above said slab of marble. The wall on the opposite side was broken by a humongous gate, made entirely from amethysts, golden runes, the likes of which I had never seen, manifested and vanished again on its polished surface. The longer I stared the less details I could make out, the sigils blurring and churning as if made from some kind of arcane liquid. On the other hand, without a chance to focus I realised that the glyphs formed chains, sealing the double door tighter than Artemis¡¯ thighs.


    I reflexively clamped my hands over my mouth. Where had that come from? Stupid question, really, but still¡­ Artemis, the Greek goddess of the hunt, the moon and the forest, a fair maiden who had never been touched by a man, which made the analogy sort of fitting but that I had naturally adopted an insulting idiom from the past really wasn¡¯t. Fitting, that is. Sweet Jesus, slowly I was staring to fervently hope that I was experiencing a psychotic episode, brought on by brain trauma and stress, but truth be told, I didn¡¯t think so. Not even for a second. This was real, as much as I¡¯d have loved to pretend otherwise.


    In silent wonder and growing fear I scampered back to my feet and focused on the statue above the altar. The next second I was on the floor again, gaping. You¡¯ve probably guessed it. That was me, cut from marble with beautiful amethysts as eyes. I was all grown up with excessive padding in the right places and wearing a tight, short chiton that would have had me blushing like a tomato if I had been forced to wear it in public. A rose, carved out of rubies and emeralds, was climbing up my leg, its shoots teasingly vanishing up my covered thighs. A seashell adorned my forehead like a tiara while my left hand supported the body of a young swan. I held a silver mirror in my right, angled towards the ground like a sword, and a dove rested on my shoulder, nestled tightly against my neck. So much for what I could see.


    What I felt was a different matter. I should have been nervous, probably traumatised and grieving, maybe panicked, but I was giddy, giddy with joy. If I grew up to look like that, even if it was as shallow as all hell, I¡¯d cut my losses and call it a day. It¡¯d be worth it. Easily. Beautiful didn¡¯t even come close to describing that woman. No wonder her allure had endured throughout the ages.

 Chapter 10

    As if in trance I rose, my fingers reaching shyly but I never found the courage to actually touch the statue. What if she suddenly woke up? I wouldn¡¯t have put it past her and if there had been a living, beating heart within her, filling her pristine silhouette with warmth, I probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to leave. Ever. I would have stared at her¡­ at me until the end of days and I¡¯d have been content. With a jerk I stumbled back, coiling my fingers into fists.


    She¡­ I¡­ that thing was dangerous. Beautiful and dangerous. With an Herculean effort I closed my eyes and bit my lip until I drew blood. ¡°Calm yourself, four shallow breaths, hold your breath to the count of five, six deep breaths, hold your breath to the count of seven. Repeat.¡± After the third iteration I felt better, well, at least capable of not looking at the effigy once I was going to open my eyes. Doors. Right. There had been two more doors. And a bloody murder! Fairies had killed Katie¡¯s boyfriend. Now, that got me back on track in an instant. Swooning was better left for less perilous times. Besides, if I was ever going to tell anyone the truth, I¡¯d hardly be able to admit that I had gotten lost in my own likeness when I had just witnessed a kid being sacrificed.


    With a grunt I blindly took a couple of steps, luckily without running into anything, and opened my eyes, the statue already behind me. Two simple, wooden doors, made from applewood I thought, had skilfully been cut into the back wall with barely a hair''s width of a seam. The words treasury and bedroom appeared in my mind and with a decisive shove I pushed the handle on my left. Without a sound the door swung open. A rosy glare blinded me and I had to blink away the tears before I could even guess what laid before me.


    Mountains of silver, hills of gold, heaps of crystals were haphazardly strewn throughout the cave like chamber, each precious coin, each crystal sparkling with a divine, inner light. Weapons, mostly thin, graceful swords, made from gold, silver, steel or sometimes even gems, leaned against the dark, natural granite walls, while Greek, Roman, German and Chinese medieval armours stood side by side with old rifles, chain vests and uniforms. A high tech computer station, that looked like my dad¡¯s geekiest dream, took up most of the back wall while the wall on my left was hidden behind a massive bookshelf, filled with tomes, scrolls and even parchments.


    The acidic smell of black powder and the ancient, dusty taste of old books tickled my nose as I stood there marvelling, eyes wide in wonder. ¡°Aphrodite,¡± I breathed as I suddenly realised how far up shit creek I actually was. Never mind the paddle, I didn¡¯t even have a canoe. It was real, I knew it, just as much as I knew my own name¡­ alright, never mind, bad example, but still it was. And if it was real, I was¡­ I had to find out what I was. And why I had to apparently keep away from my alleged husband, why I had had to die to somehow¡­ awaken and what, by Tartarus, I was supposed to do now. Argh. There we went again. By Tartarus? Vlacas. Damn it!


    ¡°That was quick,¡± I heard her voice¡­ my voice, but for the sake of my sanity let¡¯s stick with hers, ¡°I expected you to have a nice little breakdown. Oh, I see. You¡¯ve¡­ we¡¯ve never been a crybaby, have we? That¡¯s good. Alright, I imagine your first question is going to be what the hell, am I right? It¡¯s not as convoluted as you might think. You¡¯ve always been¡­ you but you had to die, otherwise your powers would have burned you. Let¡¯s try a metaphor. When the cage of your existence yielded to set you free you could finally grow and become yourself. More technically: when your mortal body was on the brink of death your divinity could flourish without harming it. Best case scenario would have been if it had happened 80 years from now with a full life of experiences under your belt. But it didn¡¯t.¡± I couldn¡¯t see her but it felt like I was frowning, the strangest sensation considering I was actually starring blank eyed into nothingness, stunned into silence.


    ¡°Next, who are you? Now, this is a bit more complicated. You¡¯re a primordial goddess. Let¡¯s go bit by bit. Primordial because the principles you embody aren¡¯t tied to a single culture or faith. Beauty, love, desire¡­ every living being - even animals - has some form of concept when it comes to your domain, which means you aren¡¯t tied to the ups and downs of civilisation. Goddess means exactly that, you embody your domain. If you flourish, so does it, if you died, it¡¯d wither. Consequentially it allows you to control what you stand for as easily as your body but you can also channel your power into all sorts of magic. Yes, there¡¯s magic in your world. More on that later. Lastly, before I¡¯m going to stop guessing what¡¯s gotten you tongue tied, who am I? A spell. A spell you cast on yourself about a hundred years ago. You¡¯ve devoured those trashy fantasy novels, haven¡¯t you? Think of me as¡­ a system, fuelled by your own strength. No fancy rewards, only knowledge and explanations. Also, you¡¯ve left me with a few details of your past which I¡¯m allowed to share when they become relevant. For now that¡¯s mostly whom you can trust among the deities. Your husband, if you can still call him that, Hephaistos or Tyr, depending on his mood, Artemis and Ares or Shiva. The latter simply doesn¡¯t care and would only try to capture you out of principle, so I still wouldn¡¯t recommend going near him. So far so good. If you¡¯re going to faint again, please do it now. Time runs differently in here and you wouldn¡¯t get us into another mess.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I actually feel quite calm,¡± I stammered in surprise, my earlier anxiety slowly draining away. In fact, I could almost think and prioritise rationally again. Aside from the inherent, absurd craziness of everything she had said. ¡°Why? How? That¡¯s definitely not normal.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a deity. You were born¡­ about thirty five thousand years ago and became cognisant with the rise of the ancient Egyptians. You went by Hathor back then. I don¡¯t want to sound cruel but a single death¡­ a single sacrifice¡­ do you know how many people have been cruelly tortured and brutally killed in your name? You watched it all. Which is also why you¡¯re standing here, now. Your wish has always been to start anew, to find your hope again and your husband found a way. There¡¯s more to that story but I¡¯m not allowed to tell. You aren¡¯t supposed to interact with anyone, aside from Hephaistos and Artemis, yet.¡± My next question rolled over my tongue before I had even thought about it, as if I had already accepted the boatload of bullshit: ¡°Are we in love?¡±


    ¡°Hephaistos and you? He definitely loves you. Almost every deity does, but between the two of you it was different. I think you did love him. You don¡¯t anymore, though. You¡¯ve risen anew and he knows. I think it¡¯s been his most heroic act to still go through with it, or rather, you thought so.¡±


    ¡°Why did you warn me of him, then? Better yet, why did I think to warn myself?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re weak right now. Aphrodite¡­ Evee, you¡¯re the very embodiment of the term trophy wife, not to mention that your powers are¡­ vast. To subjugate you would be a dream come true for anyone. Hephaistos¡­ he¡¯d lock you up and beat you black and blue until you could stand on your own. He loves you. He¡¯d never let you leave until you became strong enough to force him and face the world. Which would take¡­ even with my help it¡¯d take years. Probably decades. Do you want that? He¡¯d turn you right back into what you fled from.¡±


    ¡°And Artemis?¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Is different. You should call her, one of these days... in the mortal word.¡± Strange how she had phrased that. ¡°Probably when your sister is around. She¡¯ll love Victoria. Two peas in a pot. You¡¯ll also need her help to remain unnoticed, at least for now. Don¡¯t go back to school without seeing her.¡± I pondered for a moment, my gaze roaming over a collection of art in a cornet my parents wouldn¡¯t have been able to afford. Rembrandt, Picasso, Herve, Van Gogh, Pythagoras, Dali¡­


    ¡°Why? Who¡¯s there?¡± She sighed and I felt a tinge of sadness that wasn¡¯t really my own. Or maybe it was.


    ¡°Katie. She¡¯s a halfbreed. She doesn¡¯t know yet, but her Father isn¡¯t really her Father. Her mother¡¯s storytelling, it attracted the wrong kind of attention. It¡¯s that good. She¡¯s¡­ a very distant cousin to you, of sorts.¡± She sighed again. ¡°You¡¯re not related, not really, that¡¯s not the point, but the closer the two of you get, the deeper you¡¯re going to pull each other into the arcane quagmire. Her father. He¡¯s powerful. Not as powerful as you but still¡­¡± My anxiety returned full force.


    ¡°Who is he,¡± I croaked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t know. But I¡­ you recognised her smell, you simply couldn¡¯t understand it. If you¡­ get to know her, her bloodline will surely awaken. I¡¯m surprised it didn¡¯t when she kissed you. When that happens¡­ her father will know and he¡¯ll come for you, whoever he is. Which sort of leaves you with the three choices you predicted. One. Stay here for as long as you like, as long as it takes until you can open those doors without fear. I¡¯ve already mentioned that time flows differently in here. You could spent a hundred years, a thousand¡­ it wouldn¡¯t matter, only if you wanted it to. Two, call for help. Let Hephaistos and Artemis worry and grow up a protected goddess on Olympus. It¡¯s what you did last time. I¡¯ve already mentioned how it¡¯d most likely go. Three. Hide and live your life. Grow in secrecy until you can unveil your true identity. If you want that¡­ you¡¯ll have to either cut ties with Katie or you¡¯ll need Artemis¡¯ help to seal your spark when you get close to her. You¡¯re the goddess of love. If you fall for her, it¡¯ll have consequences. Usually great ones for her but as it stands¡­¡± The grey nothingness her voice faded into was the emotional equivalent of an apologetic shrug. Another question immediately came to mind. Call it hormones.


    ¡°What about sex,¡± I blabbered. ¡°With or without love?¡±


    ¡°Major thing. Especially the first time. Your own advice: if it¡¯s still on the table, don¡¯t. At least until you can weather the most likely fall out which is recognition. Let me be very clear, if you chose a human, you would elevate him to the status of a lower deity. With a halfbreed it¡¯ll be even worse.¡± Surprisingly I didn¡¯t even feel embarrassed. On second thought, considering I was practically talking to myself it wasn¡¯t that much of a surprise. I did feel¡­ miffed, though.


    ¡°At least now it¡¯s not shyness anymore but actually makes sense,¡± I sighed. My brain was slowly resuming its normal functions and I added: ¡°when is Artemis going to arrive?¡±


    ¡°Finally, a spark of intelligence,¡± my voice rumbled. ¡°She was notified when you woke up. I guess she¡¯s giving you a few moments to adjust. Knowing her¡­ a handful of minutes, tops.¡±


    ¡°Anything else I organised beforehand?¡±


    ¡°Me? This entire temple on Mount Olympus?¡±


    ¡°To be specific, any more encounters?¡±


    ¡°Fine. Your handmaiden. He¡¯s waiting in your bedroom.¡±


    ¡°He? I always thought the three Graces¡­¡± she chuckled dryly.


    ¡°Only in public. Being the goddess of beauty doesn¡¯t sit well with most women, especially the vain ones, and those three¡­ let¡¯s just say they aren¡¯t friends. No, he¡¯s of Titan blood, a young dragon you took in.¡± With a smile in her voice she added: ¡°you christened him Sparkles. In his true form he¡¯s pitch black with three slobbering heads, a body the length and size of a train and wings made from actual nightmares but usually he looks like the epitome of a gang member. Tattoos and all. I can¡¯t wait to find out how you¡¯re going to introduce him to your family for he¡¯ll surely want to move in with you. Hello, this is my evil cousin, twice removed. You never met him but he¡¯s going to stay for a while and his name is Sparkles.¡±


    ¡°Move in¡­ wait a second. How can he even be here? Has he waited for a hundred years?¡±


    ¡°Yes and no. A hundred years for the world, a day in here. You set the rules, remember? Which is also why we haven¡¯t been interrupted by Artemis, yet. Outside the doors not even a minute has passed. I assume you still have questioned you want me to answer before she arrives?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ wait, about the handmaiden¡­ no. If Hephaistos knows¡­ has no one ever gone looking for me?¡±


    ¡°Sure they have. For about fifty years. Day and night. Still are, in a round about way. But you were dead, gone. The only reason why they haven¡¯t given up is that your domain hasn¡¯t crumbled. They know you¡¯re somehow still around and as soon as there¡¯s as much as a whisper the gates of all heavens are going to open.¡± I felt worse with every word she uttered. ¡°All heavens?¡±


    ¡°There are a few. There were even more. With the rise and fall of religion, if enough people believe, their deities will become more than a dream. If they surpass the threshold, they¡¯ll become real, strong enough to endure throughout the ages, even if their worshippers perish. Those are the true gods. Not many have reached that level, though. The Greek pantheon. The Roman, even though they¡¯re more or less the same. The Hindu gods¡­ Asatru. And you¡¯re connected to all of them. Love is, unfortunately, universal.¡± If I was to accept this lunacy I had to know the rules.


    ¡°What about the monotheistic religions?¡± Her voice became much more hesitant.


    ¡°Think about God all you like but don¡¯t expect an answer. Nobody knows if there¡¯s an all mighty, all knowing creator. Because the rituals of the Jews and Christians are centred around the creator,there¡¯s no power there to spark the existence of a deity the likes of you. I still wouldn¡¯t recommend gutting a priest in a church, though. I don¡¯t know if anything would happen but I still wouldn¡¯t put it to the test.¡± Fair enough. I didn¡¯t plan on gutting anyone anyways.


    ¡°If I¡¯m that old¡­ that means many projections scientists have come up with are correct. About thirty five thousand years ago the first larger settlements formed, right? What about the world view of my¡­ faith? The Titan Wars? Prometheus¡¯ creation of mankind?¡±


    ¡°Legends come to life. The primordial deities, like yourself but there are a few more, Poseidon, for example, anchor their¡­ you can think of it, in the sense of the whole lore of Ancient Greece, as a bubble on a string. Even the minor gods and monsters can still exist, even though they¡¯ve long been forgotten, because they¡¯re still connected to the real world through the primordial gods of their pantheon. In other words, only the pantheons that have incorporated a primordial god are still around.¡± I took a moment to digest her words before I asked:


    ¡°And how many are there? Primordial gods, I mean.¡±


    ¡°Seven, all in all. You, your former husband, as the embodiment of fire, craftsmanship and endurance, Poseidon, or rather the deep, dark ocean with its uncounted secrets, the embodiment of the rule of law, of the heavens and structure, Zeus, Jupiter, Odin¡­ he¡¯s had many names. Then there¡¯s war and conflict, known to you as Ares, Mars, Shiva and so on. Arguably the oldest is Gaia, the mother spirit, the earth mother and bringer of life herself. And lastly there¡¯s Death.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ do I have to fear them?¡± She chuckled again, but this time it sounded sad.


    ¡°Yes and no. They¡¯d never touch you against your will. They love you. That¡¯s who you are, but they¡¯d want to posses you. Before you face any of them you¡¯ll have to become strong enough to convince them of the futility of the effort. Otherwise it¡¯d be a golden cage without the chance to learn enough to break free. Well. You have me, so maybe we could in due time, but I¡¯d rather not.¡±


    ¡°How long would I have to spend here to get to that point,¡± I immediately wanted to know.


    ¡°That wholly depends on your ability to absorb knowledge. Judging from your recollections it¡¯d take somewhere between two to five centuries. Then you¡¯d be able to hide and run properly. To fight them off? One or two might be possible when you won¡¯t need me anymore but other than that¡­ there were many reasons why you agreed to marry Hephaistos, dallied with Ares and called Zeus father, even though you¡¯re older than all three of them. I don¡¯t know who is the oldest, though. The Earthmother, Death and you were all born around the very beginnings of civilisation.¡±

 Chapter 11

    ¡°Age means strength,¡± she continued, ¡°and now lets put those pesky doubts to rest, shall we? Close your eyes.¡± I hadn¡¯t expected to struggle with such a simple command, but ultimately it took me almost a minute to close my fluttering eyelids. My mind was still surprisingly calm but my body was chock full of adrenaline, ready to bolt if I¡¯d just allow it.


    A small side note: I was entirely aware of how dangerous it¡¯d be to entertain this dream if it truly was a psychotic episode, but¡­ just as I had known that I had died I now knew that this was real. Which meant my break down, if it really was one, had happened way back when and I was screwed anyways. No real harm in going further. And if it was more than just a figment of my imagination I¡¯d be dead or chained up within a week if I couldn¡¯t figure this out.


    ¡°What you¡¯ll remember in a second is a scrying spell from the early Macedonian era. Alexander¡¯s handiwork. It¡¯s almost perfect. You can use it freely. Convince yourself of the truth. You are what I¡¯ve described. And before you ask, I can only impart knowledge directly with the power you¡¯ve stored in this construct when you created me. Which will support a similar feat exactly thrice. As to why¡­ in simple terms the delicate spell needed to imprint a personality can¡¯t support more raw strength without crumbling. We can talk about what you might need after you¡¯ve made sure I¡¯m not the result of a heavy hit on the noggin. Which I¡¯m not. Trust me.¡± She giggled. Great. Somehow I recognised her humour. And then the mother of all migraines hit me and I didn¡¯t really care anymore. My brain was on fire while new pathways formed. Blood leaked form my ears, warm and sticky on my skin, and I was convinced I¡¯d turn into a vegetable. The only good thing I can report is that I couldn¡¯t remember much of the actual agony. It was just too intense, too gruelling to retain a memory and when I came to a handful of minutes later, drenched in sweat and flat on the floor, I felt quite normal, aside from a faint tingling directly behind my forehead, my aching ears and a piece of knowledge that wasn¡¯t really my own.


    ¡°The invisible eye. A complex rune construct that allows the caster to overlook a small, already known area. Based on temporal principles instead of sympathetic or energetic connections the spell can¡¯t be blocked or detected.¡± Coughing I rose to my knees and blinked blearily. Temporal principles. Chronos¡¯ folly, no wonder I had trouble recalling my name. Aphrodite¡­, no, goddamn it, Evelyne. Evelyne Paradizo. To hell with all that ancient rubbish. A spell. I knew an honest to god spell for crying out loud. You¡¯re a wizard, Evee. Or a witch? A primordial goddess. Oh boy, if I wasn¡¯t nuts my parents would have some explaining to do. How did that work, anyways?


    Still slightly confused I had already forgotten all about the spell and blabbered: ¡°how was I born? Did I¡­ high jack an embryo? Please, tell me it didn¡¯t happen any sooner.¡± Construct me¡­ Aphrodite laughed again, an entirely enchanting, captivating sound. Oh wow, not a good idea. What was wrong with me? Did I really think of myself as enticing? Luckily her half chuckled answer stopped that particular train of thoughts.


    ¡°Can¡¯t tell you much. What happened a hundred years ago is not for you to know, yet. But don¡¯t worry, you were actually born, human enough to even die properly. You even have cells and genes but they¡¯re already being absorbed. You¡¯re¡­ changing. It¡¯ll be over soon. A week longer, at the most. That¡¯s also why it felt like your vision was getting sharper. It actually was.¡±


    ¡°What will I become,¡± I whispered as I manoeuvred myself into a sitting position. Even though I wasn¡¯t as scared as I should have been I still understood that we weren¡¯t talking about braces.


    ¡°What you already are. Not much will change for you. Well, you won¡¯t die from hitting your head anymore and you¡¯ll realise that your so called mind reading is actually the manipulation of a person¡¯s emotions through their very soul but other than that¡­ you won¡¯t menstruate ever again. Congratulations.¡±


    ¡°Can I¡­ can I still die,¡± I stammered, my mind now reeling.


    ¡°Not easily. You can be imprisoned, tortured, defiled, reduced to a mindless thing but I don¡¯t think you can be killed. Not really. It¡¯s just not necessarily a good thing. Let me be very clear here. Let¡¯s say you run into a monster as you are now. Most likely outcome: you¡¯ll become its plaything at night and its food at day, only to regenerate every single dusk. Until I find a way to get us out. Never use your immortality as a weapon. It¡¯s a double edged sword. But you should really use that spell now.¡±


    ¡°Spell,¡± I parroted stupidly. Even without a body she managed to roll her eyes.


    ¡°The scrying spell I gave you so you could spy on Katie. Make sure she¡¯s fine and that that bloke actually was her boyfriend. It¡¯ll save us both quite a bit of grief down the line if we get it over with. You¡¯ll need it to fully realise it¡¯s real and she¡­ despite my warnings I think she¡­ they deserve your blessing.¡± The last bit sounded surprisingly warm¡­ maybe even hopeful, but I wasn¡¯t yet up to any form of witty conversation, otherwise I¡¯d have caught the they:


    ¡°My¡­ blessing,¡± I slurred, as the floor seemed to vanish underneath me. It was real. It really was.


    ¡°Your the goddess of love. She deserves your love. We¡¯ll find a way to deal with their parents and hide you until then. Just¡­ don¡¯t go too far.¡± Again I blurted out the most pressing thing that came to mind, even though it might not have been the most relevant issue at the moment:


    ¡°What if she doesn¡¯t want me?¡±


    ¡°Evee¡­ that really isn¡¯t an option. Watch her. Watch them now and you¡¯ll know.¡± Stupid as it was, that little carrot was all it took to silence my questions for a while and serve to entirely distract me from the pronouns she had used.


    I frowned, a series of three dimensional runes appearing before my inner eye. With a thought I pushed a tiny trace of¡­ something from my heart, as naturally as if I had already done it a million times. The first rune turned solid and actually appeared on my pupil. The second one followed a heartbeat later. Then the third and the fourth and then my vision changed. Darkness was all I saw, shapeless, impenetrable darkness. I swallowed dryly, on the verge of blurting out a question, when I realised the problem. The spell had been created to focus on a place, but I couldn¡¯t do that, none came to mind. I could only focus on a person. Immediately Katie¡¯s face flashed before my inner eye only to be followed by Victoria¡¯s the fraction of a second later and the dark, cold world was suddenly flooded with pulsing heat.


    ¡°Evee¡­,¡± two voices moaned my name in ecstatic unison, the sultry cadence immediately surging to my groin like liquid fire, their hoarse desire lingering in the velvety darkness. By the gods, since when could mere sound¡­ thin sheets rustled quietly over silky legs as the first rays of the morning sun blinked through half closed shutters. The shy light caressed alabaster skin, damp and sweaty and naked, still writhing under the subsiding throes of a forbidden secret. I felt my heart beat once, twice and I trembled, a sweet, addictive, musky taste slowly filling my lungs like a heavy wine. Then they spoke again, each in their own bed, but I could hear them both: ¡°Evee¡­¡± Pure, ravenous heat set my blood on fire, the cold marble underneath me sent jolts of exquisite ecstasy through my skin and I couldn¡¯t prevent my own hands from roaming, stroking, reaching further and further, until¡­ ¡°no,¡± I grunted, appalled and aroused in equal measure.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening,¡± I gasped, trembling. My vision was oscillating between the alluring scene and reality, my heart thundering in my chest. If anyone, anyone at all had touched me now¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re growing up, so to say. Again, you¡¯re the goddess of love, of beauty¡­ and a virgin. What did you expect? You¡¯re like a junkie on withdrawal,¡± came the mocking reply. ¡°Convinced, yet? Otherwise keep watching. I give you five minutes until you¡¯re completely gone. Then you¡¯ll lose control and then Artemis will appear. Can¡¯t wait to watch. That¡¯d put her vows to the test.¡±


    ¡°Control,¡± I croaked while I placed my thumb between my teeth and bit down. Forcefully.


    ¡°This place. You¡¯re still controlling it. The settings, if you so will, the time flow. It listens to you. That¡¯s what I meant when I said you obviously still have questions you want answered before Artemis arrives.¡± The dull ache in my hand couldn¡¯t be mistaken for pleasure and I slowly managed to gather my bearings.


    ¡°Questions. Right. Are you telling me my older sister is in love with me?¡±


    ¡°Or very close to it. Don¡¯t fault her. It¡¯s who you are. If you develop an interest in someone they can¡¯t help it. Which makes you the pervert, if you want to go there.¡±


    ¡°Are you¡­ are you telling me I¡¯m in love with Victoria,¡± I stammered, my arousal gone.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ think about it. She raised you like a mother, but she isn¡¯t yours. She protects you like a father, yet¡­ you¡¯re probably just confused but you¡¯re also¡­ you. I¡¯m not so sure if you can distinguish between different forms of love. If you like someone and find them attractive¡­ you¡¯re. not easy to impress but once you are, whether it¡¯s emotionally or physically¡­ Maybe you can learn or figure it out, but for now I¡¯m quite sure you¡¯ve fallen for your own sister without ever realising. And the poor girl felt her own infatuation and she¡¯s the one suffering every time you touch her. Why do you think she¡¯s constantly sleeping around? Sweet irony, I¡¯d say.¡±


    ¡°Can I¡­ is there¡­,¡± I couldn¡¯t even say it.


    ¡°She¡¯s not sick, Evelyn. She¡¯s in love. So are you. Stop the one, stop the other. But¡­ you won¡¯t and the sooner you¡¯re going to accept that little piece of wisdom the happier the two of us will be. You¡¯re going to fall in love with whomever catches your eye and whomever you goddamn please. Even if it¡¯s a grotesque monster. It¡¯s who you are.¡±


    ¡°Then why torture me with¡­,¡± I began shakily but she cut me off.


    ¡°Because you have to know. Those two¡­ they¡¯re gems. One, don¡¯t hurt them. Two. Stay. The. Fuck. Away. From. Everyone. Else. Emotionally, that is. Imagine you started lusting after¡­ well, I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t have to go there to make my point.¡± No¡­ she really didn¡¯t. I was doomed.


    ¡°Oh god, I¡¯m as good as dead, aren¡¯t I ¡° I whispered.


    ¡°You would be, but I¡¯m not here for shits and giggles. Getting your libido under control won¡¯t be a walk in the park, especially with your lack of experience, but we¡¯ll manage.¡± She paused and then:


    ¡°I do fear how you¡¯re going to react to the first few deities you¡¯ll encounter, though. Which is also one of the reasons why Artemis will be the first. She might resist long enough for you to get over her.¡± I opened my mouth in denial but I couldn¡¯t quite complain. My still tingling thighs were a pretty convincing counter argument. If I had been with either of them instead of playing the role of a peeping Tom I probably¡­ surely wouldn¡¯t have been able to hold back and there¡¯d have been two new minor deities. Jesus Christ, I was so screwed. Keeping a bit of distance between Katie and myself would have been possible but I friggin lived with Victoria. What was I even supposed to do?


    ¡°Tell her. The longer you procrastinate the worse it¡¯ll become for the both of you. Especially now. Over the next few days your going to grow into what you are. She¡¯ll¡­ if you don¡¯t talk to her chances are she¡¯ll run away. Maybe¡­ look, I¡¯m not sure, but if it makes you feel any better I don¡¯t think it¡¯s your fault either.¡±


    ¡°How can you say¡­,¡± I hissed but she interrupted me immediately:


    ¡°Double edged sword. Your powers and your immortality are pretty similar in that regard. While you don¡¯t have to worry about ever being lonely you¡¯re also not entirely free of your own rules. If someone loves you unconditionally, selflessly, you¡¯re going to reciprocate the feeling, whether you want to or not. When you were born it was a dream come true for Victoria. Finally a family she could care for, that would care for her. Ever since you opened your eyes she¡¯s loved you unconditionally¡­ selflessly. Unfortunately the difference between desire and love doesn¡¯t matter very much to you. I¡¯m afraid that weird game between the two of you has been going on for almost sixteen years.¡± She sighed. ¡°Honestly¡­ I think it¡¯s much too late to change it anyways. Even if you were to tear out her heart she¡¯d probably still think of it as a mercy. That¡¯s why you had to know. She doesn¡¯t deserve the life she¡¯s caught up in.¡±


    ¡°So what? Am I supposed to knock on her door and kiss her as soon as I return,¡± I snarled.


    ¡°Why not? As long as your pants stay in place I don¡¯t see a problem. Kissing shouldn¡¯t be an issue. I hope. Not a major one, at least, and she¡¯s already wishing for some kind of power to stay by your side anyways. Where¡¯s the harm?¡±


    ¡°The harm? We¡¯re¡­¡±


    ¡°Not really related. Not anymore. Let me save us both the trouble. Right now you¡¯re feeling appalled because she¡¯s your sister. That¡­ hurdle will disintegrate all on its own over the next days. You can do nothing and wait until you feel like you¡¯re ready or you can start acting with a bit of foresight. It¡¯s going to happen, sooner or later. If you take my advice, you won¡¯t wait. I¡¯m not asking you to tear off her clothes, but sit her down and tell her the truth. She¡¯ll never betray you. By Tartarus, Evee, she loves you. And I think it¡¯d be more than fair to give her a few days to wrap her mind around how her life might change. You owe her that, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°And what about Katie,¡± I whispered breathlessly, slowly realising that monogamy probably wasn¡¯t on the table¡­ hadn¡¯t been to begin with.


    ¡°What about her? They like each other, don¡¯t they? Besides, if you abandon her she probably won¡¯t survive the month,¡± she added quietly.


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± I rasped. ¡°Won¡¯t survive¡­¡± I had turned into a parrot.


    ¡°Her boyfriend has been killed by nymphs. She doesn¡¯t know yet but once she does she won¡¯t let go. Without you¡­ she¡¯ll probably become next month¡¯s sacrifice.¡± My first impulse was to brush it off, how was I supposed to protect anyone if I wasn¡¯t even convinced that I didn¡¯t belong in a mental institute, but in the end it was a hollow excuse. I had played coy but I had never really doubted the reality of my fucked up situation. Not to mention that I had almost reached an orgasm for the first goddamn time in my life from simply listening to Vic and Katie. I hadn¡¯t even seen much. It didn¡¯t take a genius to figure out that it all fit, as much as I¡¯d have liked to even deny the possibility. Oh god, what were my parents going to say?


    ¡°Your mother knows,¡± Aphrodite tried to calm me, but in reality she achieved the opposite.


    ¡°She¡­ what? How? When?¡±


    ¡°Since Paris? You were asleep, doesn¡¯t mean I was. Victoria and her had a pretty intense talk before you moved to New York. And before you ask¡­ your mother is strange. Her only condition was that Victoria would never approach you unless you took the initiative. Some kind of progressive parenting, if you ask me. Then again¡­ I¡¯m not supposed to tell you but I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll matter. She knows something about your birth is strange. She didn¡¯t carry you for nine month¡­ only for five. Which is also the reason why your parents didn¡¯t go mental when your eyes suddenly changed. In a way, subconsciously at least, they¡¯ve been waiting for something like this to happen. Again, you¡¯re a goddess, Evee, and she¡¯s carried you in her womb for nearly half a year. Some of your peculiarities were bound to rub off on her. In the end¡­ it¡¯ll be up to you. If you want those two as your first lovers I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll work out if you put in a bit of effort.¡±

 Chapter 12

    A warm, silky blanket, that would probably have fetched a few million dollars on the market, considering it was made of woven starlight, held me in its comforting embrace while it tried to make some sense of the last half hour. With mixed results, I might add. Maybe it was my age or just my character but the revelations Aphrodite had shared about Katie and my sister seemed much more impactful to me than the entire ancient world, you¡¯re a reborn goddess garbage. I had actually managed to accept the latter quite effortlessly but the former¡­


    I couldn¡¯t even deny the authenticity of what she had said. I had never really thought much about it but the way I craved Victoria¡¯s closeness, even her touch¡­ now, with the unbelievably shallow experiences I had been able to make with Katie I realised that it wasn¡¯t just sisterly affection. I imagined her lips, her silky fingers caressingly trailing over my skin¡­ I felt hot and had to forcefully shut down that particular train of thought, otherwise I would pretty soon have found myself in a rather awkward spot. Not to mention that my fantasy was constantly exchanging her face with Katie¡¯s and back again.


    I buried my face in my hands and groaned. Never mind an actual kiss, even my imagination was enough to have me drooling. I had changed. Substantially. In a matter of seconds it felt like and if my so called helpful spell construct was any indication it¡¯d only get worse over the next few days. Oh boy. I was so screwed and if I couldn¡¯t keep it together probably even literally. The worst part: I couldn¡¯t ignore it either.


    As if trying to spit out a mouthful of vinegar I finally asked: ¡°how far can I go without¡­ causing enough problems to alert everyone around of my existence?¡±


    ¡°Do you want a description? Kissing should be fine. But knowing you you¡¯ll have one hell of a hard time stopping there. If you want a rule of thumb, don¡¯t get naked. As long as your panties stay on there shouldn¡¯t be too much of a fall out but I can¡¯t say for certain. Emotional closeness is just as important as the physical aspect. When it comes to that¡­ butterflies in your stomach are fine but ravenous desire, an all encompassing need to be with someone not so much.¡±


    ¡°And how the hell am I supposed to control that?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t, don¡¯t even try. I¡¯m simply warning you. Your best bet would probably be to tell the truth, like I said. Have them worry about restraint. You won¡¯t be able to anyways.¡± Great. Just friggin great. She made me sound like a bitch in heat. The four legged variety. And it wasn¡¯t even an insult, she simply stated facts I had already lived through in a very short, very minor friendly context. By the gods of Greece, just imagining returning back home in the early hours of the morning only to knock on my sister¡¯s door to¡­ confess made goosebumps erupt all over me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a drama queen. Admittedly, it¡¯s a bit strange but you at least know what she¡¯s going to say. Imagine trying the same thing without that reassurance. Go a step further and put yourself in her shoes. Considering how much you¡¯re fretting right now I¡¯m pretty sure you would have jumped off a building years ago if your roles had been reversed. She¡¯s a pretty tough cookie, I¡¯ll giver her that. Now, can we move on from Evee¡¯s love troubles? I¡¯m sure it¡¯s the most important thing to you right now but it really isn¡¯t. Getting you through the next few years without a bunch of deities on your tail is. Assuming you want to return. You do, don¡¯t you?¡± I even managed a dry chuckle.


    ¡°What do you think? Apparently I¡¯m in love with two amazing girls. Even if I wanted to, I couldn¡¯t leave them behind, could I?¡±


    ¡°Probably not. For a few days, maybe, but it¡¯d tear you up sooner or later. Alright, can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised. Which leaves us with two things to figure out. How we¡¯re going to go about your education and which spell you want to learn.¡± I perked up, gladly leaving the swamp of self pity I was wallowing in behind.


    ¡°Spell? Shouldn¡¯t it be spells? Three minus one is two, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°And how do you think you got here? Three minus two equals one. Fortunately you were already passing out, otherwise learning how to reach a divine realm would probably have left a scar. A real one. You left yourself a recommendation, though. So did Hephaistos. Wanna hear them?¡± I nodded hesitantly. ¡°The mechanic advises you to learn a creation spell for automatons, big surprise. It¡¯s versatile and you can build whatever you might need. Provided you can find the materials but with your treasury that shouldn¡¯t be much of an issue. Your own advice is temporal displacement. Pretty much the best way to hide. But, in all honesty, if you¡¯d be forced to use it shit would have already hit the fan anyways and playing peekaboo for a while won¡¯t change that.¡±


    ¡°What do you think, then,¡± I asked after a moment of consideration.


    ¡°Pick neither. You need something you can actually use regularly. I¡¯d go with telekinetic. Especially in todays world the ability to move objects with your will is nigh unbeatable. Think about it. Even a tank will break down if the piston rings crack and they¡¯re about the size of your thigh. Don¡¯t even get me started on bullets or computers.¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to turn me into some kind of Jane Bond,¡± I asked exasperatedly. ¡°Why would I even care? Shouldn¡¯t I learn something that¡¯ll help me hide constantly? Like a veil?¡±


    ¡°It would make sense, but Artemis will be able to help you out there. Don¡¯t squander your resources. As to why you should care¡­ I really don¡¯t mean to sound like a broken record, but you¡¯re a goddess, Evelyn. You will get involved somehow. You need proof? Close your eyes and imagine a pretty stereotypical scene you¡¯ll probably stumble across while you¡¯re still in school. You overhear a confession and instead of gently declining the person in questions takes out a phone and starts filming, maybe even laughing.¡± She didn¡¯t have to go on. A knot of fiery fury immediately formed in the pit of my stomach that made it difficult to even breathe.


    ¡°I see,¡± I pressed out, trying to drown out my lingering anger with an imagine of Katie. It worked but soon it warped into Victoria¡¯s visage and the clothes they both wore became ever more scant. Damn it all to hell and back. The next time I had to choose between being angry and horny I¡¯d go with angry. Any day of the week. No wonder I hadn¡¯t suffered during puberty much. If that was what I had missed I¡¯d rather have stayed ignorant until death. Then again¡­ probably not. Admittedly it hurt, but it was an exquisite kind of agony and I had already become hooked. When Aphrodite had called me a junkie she hadn¡¯t been far off. And now someone had finally handed me a needle. Well, I say someone, but in the end it had been me.


    ¡°No you don¡¯t, not yet, anyways.¡± She sighed again, a pretty regular occurrence over the last hour. ¡°That¡¯s just the tip of the iceberg. Betrayal, abuse¡­ rape. Trust me, the longer you¡¯re going to live the more you¡¯ll turn into a cliched superhero, whether you want to or not. So yeah. Learning how to actually do something besides throwing a tantrum is paramount. Not for your safety but for your happiness. And a few parlour tricks should be enough until you graduate. By then we¡¯ll hopefully have drilled a few more spells into your head.¡± I pinched my thigh to get my thoughts back on track. I wasn¡¯t a masochist, oh, whom am I kidding, maybe I was, but pain really helped.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°Right. Spells. Magic. Some context, please?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easy. There are invisible forces in the world around us. Some have been at least detected. Gravity, electromagnetism, weak and strong interaction. But there¡¯s also something else. In Goethe¡¯s words what holds the world together at its core. You can call it mana, magic, energy, spiritual power, it doesn¡¯t matter. What matters is, that it can be used and that you, my dear, have access to more than you could ever need. Transforming that raw energy into something tangible, usable is magic. Think of it as learning¡­ maths. The simile is quite appropriate. I handed you a calculator that can process three tasks. The rest is up to you.¡±


    ¡°But how does it work?¡±


    ¡°The runes you¡¯ve seen. They¡¯re like¡­ the source code of the universe. Apply the correct ones and fuel them with your strength and you¡¯ll get a result. Fuck it up and you¡¯ll blow yourself to pieces, if you¡¯re lucky, and your surroundings if you aren¡¯t. On the plus side¡­ you¡¯re probably one of the few beings in existence who could survive a mishap. It¡¯d hurt, though. Majorly.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± I scoffed, ¡°no pressure.¡± Then my brain kicked back in. ¡°How many runes are there?¡±


    ¡°Seven hundred and eighty four, by my last count. But someone, somewhere usually always finds a new one. To construct most spells you¡¯ll need about two hundred. But that¡¯s the easy bit. Putting them together appropriately and applying the right amount of power is the tricky part.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s what you¡¯re going to teach me?¡±


    ¡°More or less. I¡¯ll also add some meaningful life advice from time to time and probably use you as the butt for most of my jokes. I guess you haven¡¯t really thought about it, but I¡¯m a part of you. You¡¯re the only creature I can talk to, that even hears me. And you¡¯re a sixteen year old brat. Not to complain but couldn¡¯t you have kicked the bucket somewhere in your thirties or forties? It¡¯d have made everything so much easier.¡± I frowned trying to puzzle out what she meant but I didn¡¯t have to puzzle for long.


    ¡°One you wouldn¡¯t have been a virgin and two you¡¯d have been an adult. Teenage drama is all nice and dandy but unfortunately you sulking or feeling wronged might result in a bit more than a few tears and a temper tantrum. But we¡¯ll cross that bridge once we get there. Another reason why I¡¯m not against you pursuing Katie and Victoria. They won¡¯t hurt you. It¡¯s not who they are.¡± I breathed in deeply, the memories of long forgotten stars rising from my blanket tickled my nose.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get this straight,¡± I finally managed to convince myself to ask, ¡°do you want me to¡­ date them both?¡±


    ¡°Me? I couldn¡¯t care less. You on the other hand¡­ if you want a chance to get a grip on your life you¡¯ll have to acknowledge what you are and the less time you¡¯re going to waste the better.¡± I took another deep, calming breath. ¡°Alright, fine, I¡¯ll worry about it once I get back. What now?¡±


    ¡°Well, you still have a dragon to greet and a sister of sorts to welcome. Before that, though, do you remember how you got here?¡±


    I did. In a way. There were no recollections but the runes I had used immediately popped up in my mind. ¡°I think so. Is that also how I¡¯m going to get back? Incidentally, where am I? My temple on Mount Olympus? What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°The last part is actually a pretty complex question. Let¡¯s start with the rest. Yes. Use the spell again and you¡¯ll open your eyes on the stairs. Right now about 70 seconds would have passed. As to where you are¡­ the Greek pantheon is the only one that includes all seven primordial gods, which makes it a damned sight more real than any other. Consequentially Mount Olympus has become the homestead of almost every enduring god, no matter where they¡¯re from. Think of it as¡­ the Hamptons for deities with Zeus as the mayor. Don¡¯t ask me why the three ancient ones, you, Mother Earth and Death, ever allowed him to play king of the hill but you did. You¡¯re temple is where your power enters Olympus and anchors it. If it were destroyed, you¡¯d suffer until you could recreate something similar. Now, if you were to open the doors you¡¯d first see your own garden, a paradise created with tokens from every age and corner of the world. Behind it¡­ I don¡¯t know. You probably thought it wouldn¡¯t matter since you won¡¯t walk on Mount Olympus freely until you don¡¯t need me anymore.¡± It was the second time she had said that.


    ¡°What¡¯s going to happen to you once I get that far,¡± I asked quietly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she replied, almost inaudibly. ¡°I¡¯m just a spell but I¡¯ve been cast by you. I know I¡¯m not really alive, but¡­ I¡¯m still afraid.¡± I hesitated, unsure of what to say, but when I finally spoke my voice sounded different. Richer, older¡­ self assured.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Oblivion won¡¯t be your lot. Before the end you¡¯ll breathe on your own and follow your desires. I¡¯m not that cruel.¡± She took my words at face value, a treacherous spark of hope surging through her as if it had been my own.


    ¡°I know,¡± she whispered. ¡°Thank you. But for now we shouldn¡¯t dwell on the future. The present is daunting enough. I guess for a first encounter this went rather well. I think we¡¯ve covered most pressing topics, aside from Sparkles, Artemis and the treasury. The former two are your problem, they don¡¯t even know I exist, and the latter¡­ do you want a tour?¡¯


    ¡°Can I even use any of the tools in here?¡±


    ¡°Only the mundane ones and the weapons. A spear and a sword are pretty self explanatory, though. The pointy end belongs in your opponent and if you want to learn how to shoot, go visit a gun range. You have, however, put aside a few baubles you might find interesting right now. And since you didn¡¯t know how much money you¡¯d have you also stashed some actually currency away here somewhere. Not that you¡¯re going to need it. A million or two will hardly make a difference to your family. If you want to see what you¡¯ve prepared boot up those computers. It¡¯s a clever combination of technology and magic. What¡¯s been stored on the hard drives is actually real. You can browse all you want. If something catches your fancy just press print.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious,¡± I stammered, ¡°but you are. How¡­¡±


    ¡°You created a sentient spell construct. That station was child¡¯s play in comparison. If you¡¯re hoping to recreate something similar, though, it¡¯ll take you a while. A long while. Even an archmage would be hard pressed to understand the runes, never mind being able to fuel them without withering away. Get it into that brain of yours. You¡¯re a primordial goddess. One of seven.¡±


    I was already moving, the blanket still slung around my shoulders. I tiptoed past gems and armours, flasks with strange, glowing liquids and clumps of metal that shone with all the colours of the rainbow until I finally settled down in an honest to god gamer chair that smelled of roses. It was already adjusted to my size. Apparently I hadn¡¯t changed much.


    When I tapped the enter button on the keyboard, the four screens hummed to live and two computers underneath the desk whizzed into activity. The usual windows welcome screen greeted me. Aphrodite had been set as the username but I needed a password. ¡°Your name, your full birth name,¡± my invisible twin explained. Evelyne Helene Paradizo I typed and the next second a beautiful rose appeared on the screen with a handful of icons on the left. they weren¡¯t the usual applications, though. Library, one read, weapons and armours was another but I immediately jumped to a winking smiley named starter kit. A CAT-like file opened with a bunch of items already preprogrammed. Clothes, most of them, but the detailed descriptions immediately quenched the pang of disappointment. Those weren¡¯t bras or jeans, they were honest to god artefacts. ¡°Wow,¡± I breathed as I scrolled down the list.


    ¡°You can say that again. It took you the better part of a year to cobble it all together. If you want my advice, print them all and store them at home. Just make sure your mother doesn¡¯t go through your drawer. That might spark a conversation you don¡¯t want to have right now. As for your sister¡­ you know her. You should really tell her the truth, otherwise she might stumble across it all on her lonesome. Or do you think it¡¯s normal to have lingerie that can turn you invisible? And trust me, she¡¯s going to try them on without prior warning.¡±

 Chapter 13

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I just leave the things I won¡¯t wear here,¡± I wanted to know.


    ¡°You can but that¡¯d mean you¡¯d have to crossover all the more often. It¡¯s not a big problem, but with a boatload of bad luck someone might just realise. Not worth the risk. Once a week is enough. We can spend two days every week in here to get you started on the runes. Which means your weekends will consist of four days from now on. Get used to it. Oh, right, sleep. You¡¯ll probably sleep quite a lot in the coming week. Afterwards it¡¯ll be more of a luxury rather than a necessity. I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll even realise, life long habits are hard to break, but you don¡¯t have to sleep anymore. You should, though. It¡¯s quite healthy. To be honest you slept almost twelve hours a day before¡­ you know.¡±


    ¡°My life must¡¯ve been incredibly demanding,¡± I mumbled as I read the description of a gown. Resistant to spells and nigh indestructible. Can mimicking the appearance of anyone you¡¯ve touched while wearing it. Interesting.


    ¡°Well, lolling around in bed is sort of your job description,¡± she chuckled. ¡°But I get your point. It might have been a bit¡­ misleading,¡± she added with a heavy inflection that made me perk up. Was she trying to tell me something she wasn¡¯t supposed to? Oh bother, even if she was, she wouldn¡¯t explicate. ¡°Anyways, if you don¡¯t need me I¡¯ll return.¡±


    ¡°Return? Return to where,¡± I murmured distractedly as I skimmed over another piece. A set of rings that could be used like shackles, even suppressing most mages.


    ¡°The core of your power, your heart if you so will. I¡¯m bound to it. Once you¡¯ve advanced further we can go there but for now that¡¯s just a pipe dream. If you need me, say your name. The old one. I¡¯ll hear you.¡± I looked up from the screen, even though there was no one to focus on.


    ¡°Why would you even want to go back? I don¡¯t get it. Can¡¯t you just stay with me?¡± She took a while to reply. Was she embarrassed?


    ¡°I¡¯d like that, but it¡¯s an unnecessary risk. I can stay until Artemis arrives but I¡¯d rather not be around when you meet her. She¡¯s the hunter. She might¡­I don¡¯t know, pick up my scent? You can call me once you¡¯re back home or she¡¯s gone. You know how.¡± Her words barely registered as I skimmed over an extensive collection of lacy lingerie, the effects ranging from the already mentioned invisibility to a dimensional storage. I whistled softly, the sheer number of matching bras and panties was astounding, but then I stumbled over a pretty peculiar detail.


    ¡°That looks like a Victoria¡¯s Secret collection¡­ and those are jeans. I¡¯m sitting at a PC. Aphrodite, even if I¡¯m a goddess, how could I create something that hasn¡¯t existed 100 years ago? That no one had ever thought of?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t,¡± she explained, ¡°the spells are your doing, the artefact Hephaistos¡¯. It¡¯s not really a computer, that¡¯s just a feature. The thing is synchronising with you constantly and picks quite a few details from your mind, making it easier to use. If you were to open the cases below the desk they¡¯d be filled with bronze wires which are connected to an Archimedes¡¯ sphere. That¡¯s the actual artefact.¡±


    ¡°And the chair,¡± I blabbered and swivelled around to emphasis my point.


    ¡°Similar idea different implementation. In reality it¡¯s the interface that connects you to the sphere. As soon as you get up the machines will power down. As for the clothes, they¡¯re just what you think of as stylish. There should also be a classical section somewhere but I guess you won¡¯t have a need for a chiton anytime soon.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I mumbled while I pressed print all. Why look at a picture when you can touch the real thing? Behind a silk screen to my right, depicting a blooming rose, a faint clacking noise, accompanied by a pink flash of light, resounded, followed by the thuds of soft, light objects hitting the floor in rapid succession. Printing an entire wardrobe had taken about as long as thinking about it.


    Apples, I thought as a faint, sweet smell tickled my nose. I shrugged out of my blanket and peeked around the screen, the corners of my mouth raised in an expectant grin. Jesus Christ, even my mom¡¯s wardrobe paled in comparison. Mulberry-Silk panties, Cervelt coats, Vicuna dresses, Guanaco jackets, baby cashmere trousers, spider silk shirts, brocade gloves¡­ the list went on. But Evee, you paragon of fashion sense, I hear you ask, didn¡¯t you just wear a blanket of woven light? And you¡¯d be correct, but that one I had picked from a pile, those had just appeared out of thin air. Plus, aside from lingerie I highly doubted that I¡¯d get away with something as conspicuous as a jeans made of sapphires or a jacket woven from water. These on the other hand¡­ maybe not everything was as bad as it seemed.


    ¡°Oh my, judging from your grin you haven¡¯t changed that much,¡± Aphrodite chuckled. ¡°You can store the bunch in¡­ ah, you¡¯ve figured it out. Get dressed, then. If you still want to meet Sparkles we should get going.¡± I nodded absentmindedly as I pulled the softest sweater I had ever worn over my head. It even smelled a bit different, mystical, ethereal, like a sunrise over the Aegean Sea. And it came with a hood. Grinning, I put on dark silk pants over a black thong and made the rest vanish into my multifunctional underwear. Comfortable, sexy and useful. I could even feel the clothes I had stored away and the enchantments placed on them. I only needed to concentrate and the corresponding piece would directly appear, either in my hand or on my body. My new job definitely came with a few perks. If it ever came down to it it¡¯d become the world¡¯s best smuggler.


    For now I was equipped with something I proudly named seven miles socks, a lacy storage thong, a bra that allowed me to hover, black camouflage pants and a cream coloured sweater that made kevlar seem like plasticine. There was also a set of soft, high heeled leather boots, which, as far as I could tell, simply looked good and gave me another few centimetres of height.


    My loquacious, imaginary friend wolf whistled when I spun on the spot, my heels clacking loudly on the rocky floor. ¡°You look great, but you should really stop hiding your figure. It doesn¡¯t suit you. Now then, that¡¯s more than enough for one morning, don¡¯t you think? Later today we should have a close look at google maps and I¡¯ll tell you where you¡¯re never going to go again, maybe even why, but for now you should return home¡­ and talk to your sister.¡±


    ¡°What about Sparkles,¡± I immediately interrupted.


    ¡°Are you stalling? Is the mighty goddess afraid of being eaten? Don¡¯t be, it¡¯s fun.¡± I rolled my eyes, a gesture that demanded much more confidence than I had felt in hours.


    ¡°I¡¯m still hoping that the other half of people looking after me has a better sense of humour.¡±


    ¡°Touch¨¦. I wasn¡¯t joking, though. Your call. He¡¯s probably asleep. You can wake him up now or wait for the next time.¡± Inadvertently I stuck my tongue out and grinned.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Waking him up sounds good. And well deserved.¡± She snorted.


    ¡°I¡¯m curious how enthusiastic you¡¯ll be once you¡¯ve seen him. Dragon, remember? Size of a train? He makes Smaug look like a cutie pie. But sure, go ahead. The other door. Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you.¡± She fell into an expectant silence and I¡­ I was starting to brim with curiosity.


    Once I had taken the first tentative step towards accepting this lunacy as my new life I had felt a bubble of excitement slowly grow in the pit of my stomach. By now I was feeling less like a frightened victim of chance and more like a child whose mother had just told them that tomorrow they¡¯d be visiting Disneyland for the very first time. Worse. To stay within the metaphor, once I straightened and marched towards the exit, pocketing a single, ancient Drachme on the way just for the hell of it, it seemed like mum had just parked the car near the bustling entrance and the wonders of a fairytale like world were slowly appearing before me.


    A smile spread inexorably across my face as my addled brain boiled down the last hour of insanity into three simple facts. The two smartest, prettiest and toughest girls I knew were in love with me, the world was chock full of magic and I had every opportunity to explore it for years to come. Fine, on the other hand I was a freak who might or might not get killed by her ovaries, but, on the whole, living through a ramped up version of puberty for the rest of my life seemed like a pretty paltry price to pay in comparison. Heck, even if I had had the choice, I probably wouldn¡¯t have turned down the life of a goddess. Despite the gruesome fate that was destined to befall every mortal who strove for eternity. I was too old to believe in every legend I had ever heard anyways¡­ sweet irony. Luckily, if the legends were true, I wouldn¡¯t have to worry at all.


    The heavy door opened silently and I quickly pushed through the atrium, my eyes darting to my statue for half a heartbeat. ¡°Don¡¯t expect a prayer,¡± I grumbled under my breath. ¡°I¡¯m not that narcissistic. But thanks, I guess. In comparison to most stories I¡¯ve read I got off easy.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t count your chickens before they¡¯ve hatched,¡± Aphrodite taunted, ¡°let¡¯s revisit this topic in a week or so.¡± I barely felt the fabric of my clothes move against my skin when I turned, my heels surprisingly quiet on the polished marble.


    ¡°Can¡¯t be too hard to keep my virginity, can it? I¡¯ve managed¡­¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t count. Like I said, you were a dry alcoholic. Now you¡¯ve had a taste. Just a taste. Can I interest you in a wager?¡± I cocked an eyebrow even though I wasn¡¯t sure if she could see me.


    ¡°What kind?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Thursday morning. I bet you won¡¯t make it through the weekend without bedding one or both of them. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let you lose yourself, but, unless the two of them are much more in control than they have any right to be, you¡¯ll need me before the end of the week. Here¡¯s the deal: if you manage to not have shared a bed with either come Monday, I¡¯ll let you choose the spells I¡¯m going to teach you for a year. If you fail, you¡¯ll let me make the decisions when it comes to any other relationship, but those two. How about it?¡± I was practically giddy by now and felt somewhat¡­ coquettish. Funny, that. In a way it was as if someone had flipped a switch. The longer Aphrodite¡¯s preposterous revelations had had to stew, the more¡­ wondrous, the more rapturing it all seemed to me. Through a soft laugh I replied:


    ¡°Hmm, what¡¯s that saying again? Quid pro quo? I¡¯m fine with my stakes, but yours seem kind of lame. But that you willingly offer to let me run down any path, even the wrong one, tells me how likely it is that I¡¯ll succeed. In case I surprise you I want something of equal value. In case I win I¡¯m going to decide our relationship. Whether we¡¯re friends, student and mentor, or something more.¡±


    ¡°We already are,¡± she chuckled. ¡°I know you must feel really confident right know, at least if that spark in your eye is any indication, but I think I¡¯ll have to douse these newfound flames. Two things. One, I¡¯m a spell, your spell. Take your arrogant aspirations of grandeur and shove them up your arse. They¡¯ll be more useful there. Two¡­ Mathew. That was his name. Or have you forgotten how you¡¯ve ended up here? Evee¡­ you might start feeling like a goddess, especially with another night of sleep, but you really aren¡¯t. You¡¯re a child. An endangered, hunted child and I¡¯m your lifeline. I¡¯m all for you having as much fun as you can, I want you to enjoy, to love life, but never, under any circumstances, should you take me lightly. I¡¯m¡­ so much more than a mentor or a friend, even without you making it weird.¡±


    ¡°A simple no would have sufficed,¡± I huffed, but I already knew that she was right. Paradoxically I didn¡¯t feel ashamed, not even embarrassed, which was a first for me. Additionally I heard myself say without ever realising that I had opened my mouth: ¡°still, now you can gain something from it. Sooner or later, it¡¯ll be my choice anyways.¡± I clasped my hands over my mouth instantly. Not because I was actually perturbed by what I had said, but rather because my sluggish mind was finally catching up. A kid had died. A kid my age had been killed. And I was flirting. I was fawning over magic and clothes. What was wrong with me? Stupid question¡­ again.


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit,¡± Aphrodite mocked. ¡°A bit more and you might eventually convince yourself. Until then I think we¡¯ll stick with me making fun of you, you¡¯ll only embarrass yourself if you try to switch it up.¡± I nodded self consciously, my mood somewhere between the former bouts of exuberance and plain fear. Oh boy, my emotions were turning into a rollercoaster. ¡°You¡¯ve ruined it,¡± she continued, ¡°but I¡¯m still willing to make that wager. No changes, though. Are you in or out?¡±


    ¡°Monday morning? What if I simply lock myself in my room for a few days?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re very welcome to try, but it won¡¯t matter. Who do you think will look after you?¡±


    ¡°Are you that afraid that I might fall for someone else immediately? Besides, what makes you think I¡¯d listen to you, even if I lost?¡±


    ¡°I have my ways. Stop stalling. Yes or no?¡± I had meant to agree from the very beginning, but not for the prize. I actually meant to lose. Having someone else control the brakes seemed like a pretty solid idea over all. And Aphrodite was many things, but a nun she was not. If she didn¡¯t want me to engage with someone, there¡¯d be a very good reason. Not to mention that the thought of having to deal with two girls, when I had never before had even the chance to worry about one, was more than enough. From my point of view she was actually doing me a favour.


    I nodded: ¡°sure. Monday morning.¡± A peculiar sensation, almost as if an idea had struck that I couldn¡¯t quite grasp, came over me, followed by her muffled reply:


    ¡°You¡¯re going to do everything in your power to turn me into a sleep deprived zombie before the week ends, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°If I can. You said it yourself, you¡¯ll keep me safe and now it¡¯s time to pay the piper.¡± A smile of triumph tugged on the corners of my mouth as I came to a halt in front of my former bedroom door. I took a deep breath and placed my slender fingers on the applewood handle. With the gentlest push it opened and revealed a gargantuan, antique boudoir, complete with a massive four poster bed and heavy, pink curtains. On the silken covers a behemoth of a man lay naked, snoring in all his archaic glory. If he had stood, he¡¯d have towered above me by more than a head and I was already pretty tall. Not to mention that his arms were about as wide as my thighs, the muscles underneath his pitch black skin gleaming in the soft candlelight.


    My gaze roamed over his bare, massive, tattooed chest and down his inked abdomen, but then I froze. My muscles contracted as an ugly snarl split my face, my hands balled into fists, and a surge of heat thundered from my heart and into my veins. From a distance, muffled as if underwater, I heard Aphrodite¡¯s frantic screams, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to care. My gaze was glued to his enormous, erect sex and a single, irresistible thought drowned my mind: fight or flight. Otherwise that thing would hurt me. A warm breeze wafted through the chamber, amethyst light dripped from my eyes like water and then the hulking giant of a man blinked sleepily.


    Anger, fear and desperation flooded through me in rapid succession and I just about managed to stop myself from gagging. Instead I raised my hand, my fingers curled into a claw. A deep, dangerous hum filled the room, but then something changed. From far I heard the howl of a wolf and the smell of the forest enveloped me. Silvery light danced across my skin as a warm presence pushed against my mind. The next second everything went black.

 Chapter 14

    ¡°Evee¡­ Evee, wake up! I swear, if you keep drooling on me I¡¯ll throw you off the roof. See if I don¡¯t.¡± I turned my head drowsily without opening my eyes and buried my face in the soft, fragrant belly I was resting against. There was a cold wind ruffling my hair and the sounds of the city reached me from far away, but I was feeling warm, protected.


    ¡°I¡¯m not your pillow,¡± the silky, girlish voice continued. ¡°Will you get up? I know you can hear me.¡± With a defiant groan I finally blinked. I couldn¡¯t quite say where I was or how I had gotten here, but¡­ holy hells! My eyes flew open and my heart sank to my stomach when the entirety of New York sprawled away around me under a rising sun, my dancing tresses a flickering veil before me. I was on the roof of a goddamned skyscraper. Our skyscraper. My home, except¡­ the roof shouldn¡¯t have been accessible. No wonder, really, since it wasn¡¯t flat, but sloped and the drop that beckoned from barely an arm¡¯s length away was long enough to compose an epitaph on the way down.


    Luckily I couldn¡¯t slip, a young, silver haired girl was holding me tight and her fingers felt like soft, smooth vices on my skin. My gaze travelled from her long, slender legs on either side of me, up her leather clad torso and towards her face, where it remained for a very long second. I swallowed. ¡°Artemis,¡± I breathed while a faint blush rose to my cheeks. Oh wow, I was in trouble.


    A sweet smile made her large, moonstone eyes crease and her silvery, luscious lips parted to reveal pearly white, slightly pointy teeth.


    ¡°In the flesh. Hello, Evee. I¡¯ve missed you.¡± Then she pinched my thigh, roughly. ¡°Don¡¯t get any funny ideas, though. I haven¡¯t missed you that much.¡± My clothes rustled silkily when I moved on the coarse cement to look into her eyes. Following a sudden impulse I ignored her warning and arched my back. My lips brushed against her cheek chastely as a taste like moonlight entered my mouth. This time around she was the one stupefied. A soft laugh escaped me and I snuggled back into her, savouring the splendid vistas of the awakening city.


    Silence settled in between us, comfortable and warm, but as I watched a yellow, ant like cab weasel its way through the congested traffic on Lenox, my mind slowly caught up with the last hours. Shit. Now I had a pretty solid idea of why I had felt like I had had to start anew a century ago. My reaction to a naked man had been somewhat of a giveaway. Not to mention that my stomach was still cramping up with disgust and fear every time I remembered Sparkles imposing form. Chances were my last encounter with a man hadn¡¯t gone too well.


    ¡°Who was it,¡± I whispered. In response Artemis¡¯ arms tightened around me and she pulled me up until my back rested against her chest.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know, otherwise he would have long since regretted what he did. Do you¡­¡± I shook my head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember anything, but the feelings are quite real. I¡­ is that why I ran? Does everybody know?¡± She sighed and her warm breath caressed my neck.


    ¡°Hephaistos, Ares, me and Sparkles. That¡¯s it. When it comes down to it we aren¡¯t that different from humans. You could barely talk about it with us, never mind anyone else. You even refused to reveal¡­ In the end¡­ yes, you ran. Unfortunately, you didn¡¯t run far enough. Apparently the wound is still there. Scabbed over, but very much present. I¡¯m sorry. We all thought you¡¯d be fine and that you¡¯d never have to deal with¡­¡±


    ¡°Being raped,¡± I croaked, my voice much closer to a sob than I would have liked. I didn¡¯t even know what, when and why, but I still felt hurt, vulnerable¡­ dirty. ¡°Guess Victoria won¡¯t have to worry about me trying to get into her conquests¡¯ pants,¡± I snivelled in a brave but paltry attempt at gallows humour. ¡°Who¡¯d have thought that the goddess of love is disgusted by men.¡±


    She rested her head on my shoulder, her cheek touching mine. ¡°You¡¯re preaching to the choir. I never understood why you chased after some in the first place. Hairy, smelly, ignorant¡­¡± this time around I managed a watery chuckled and turned my head to bury my face in the nape of her neck. She didn¡¯t push me away, but I felt goosebumps rise wherever my breath tickled her skin.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to argue with you. Not today,¡± I mumbled. ¡°How long can you stay?¡± A soft hum escaped her before she replied:


    ¡°Quite a while. I have an appointment around one. There¡¯s this little private school not too far away. Dunno why but this morning their history teacher won the lottery and quit. I¡¯m toying with the idea of filling in, at least for a little while¡­ what do you think?¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯d like that. You surely have the qualifications, but¡­ I¡¯m not taking many history classes, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re after.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± she sighed, ¡°but, unless they start teaching archery, horseback riding or Ancient Greek there, my options are somewhat limited. Bad enough that I have to walk around as a fully grown woman. I¡¯m not going to add maths to my list of torments.¡±


    ¡°A pity. I think you¡¯d be quite good at it¡­ sister.¡± The knot in my stomach was slowly unwinding and instead a hot, almost elated sensation poured into my heart. ¡°I¡¯ve just met you for the first time, but I¡¯m pretty sure I now know why Aphrodite wants to control my love life. Have I chased after you before?¡±


    ¡°Constantly,¡± she snorted quietly as I felt the weight of her head come to rest on mine.


    ¡°Was I successful?¡±


    ¡°That you¡¯ll have to find out for yourself. It¡¯s already plenty impressive that I don¡¯t feel like pushing you off, but I¡¯m not going to be pulled into the insanity you call love. Not today,¡± she added in a whisper, echoing my words from before. Have I mentioned that Artemis was infamous for killing every men who had dared to hunt her? There weren¡¯t many legends centred around girls, though.


    ¡°Goddamn,¡± my voice whispered quietly in my ear, ¡°the hussy has actually missed you. I¡¯m so sorry, Evee, but now you at least know the reason for all the secrecy. You were never supposed to find out, but apparently it wasn¡¯t enough.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you were so insistent? You practically forced me to try and chase after Victoria and Katie. Is it so I wouldn¡¯t be tempted by a boy?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the smaller part of it. I still think those two will be good for you. But yes, I wouldn¡¯t have minded if you hadn¡¯t come close to a naked man for years. Another reason why I had hoped we wouldn¡¯t meet until your adulthood. The main reason, this time. But that ship has sailed¡­ crashed and burned. How are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know?¡±


    ¡°I do, but sometimes it¡¯s best to say it out loud.¡±


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°I¡¯m scared and I feel¡­ powerless, violated, even though I can¡¯t remember.¡± Then I focused on the girl behind me. ¡°But I also enjoy this moment. Her warmth, her presence.¡± She sighed.


    ¡°And here we go again. You really are hopeless. Well, I¡¯ll leave you to it and keep an eye on your family. I¡¯ll tell you when they¡¯re waking up¡­ or rather when your sister is done showering. She hasn¡¯t slept that much to begin with.¡± A flock of birds was soaring past, high in the sky, and for a moment I was utterly content watching them without a single thought in my mind. Life was beautiful, always. Sometimes it was just a bit harder to see.


    ¡°Do you want to have breakfast with my sister and me,¡± I asked Artemis after a few drawn out moments during which the sun had risen further into the sky.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ surprisingly tame,¡± she commented. ¡°I¡¯d love to, but you¡¯d have to get up, first.¡±


    ¡°It can wait,¡± I mumbled and finally extracted myself from the silky waterfall of silver hair I was buried underneath. A chilly breeze, carrying with it the smell of gasoline and burned rubber, ruffled my tresses, causing raven black and silver strands to mingle freely. ¡°Right now¡­ I want to stay here for a bit longer.¡± I settled back in, leaning into her. ¡°What happened to Sparkles,¡± I asked after a while. ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­ he¡¯s not¡­?¡±


    ¡°Nah, he¡¯s fine. Slightly singed, but perfectly healthy. It¡¯d take a lot more than that to threaten a dragon. He¡¯s hurting, though. He thinks it was his fault. Which, to be honest, it was. As soon as you left back then the pervert stripped and slept in your bed, hugging your pillow. If it hadn¡¯t been so dangerous I¡¯d have taken the Mickey out of him for years to come. But he even managed to ruin that.¡± Another thought struck, half forgotten stories and legends forming a fractured mosaic:


    ¡°Artemis¡­ why are you so nice to me? In every story I read, gods¡­¡± she huffed indignantly.


    ¡°First, you¡¯re my sister, my older sister whom I¡¯ve looked up to for longer than you can imagine. Second,¡± she leaned in closer, her hot breath tickling my ear, ¡°you do remember who you are, don¡¯t you? And now you even look less like a woman and more like a girl. Talk about pushing buttons,¡± she added in a purr, her teeth whispering along my earlobe. A hot, enticing shudder ran down my spine, but I couldn¡¯t savour it properly. Every time my thoughts strayed even close to anything sensual I recoiled, my stomach immediately filling to the brim with molten lead. Now that we couldn¡¯t have, could we? But I already had an idea how I was going to change that. Soon.


    I turned my head and kissed her cheek again to brush away the lingering excitement that had grown between us. ¡°I thought you were the eternal maiden,¡± I whispered as I breathed in her wild, unbound scent. She smelled like a meadow in the forest under the moonlight.


    ¡°That¡¯s never going to change,¡± she chuckled throatily, ¡°but¡­ well, use your own imagination.¡±


    ¡°So I was successful,¡± I retorted with a brave attempt at sounding proud. She radiated heat like a flame as a magnificent, silver blue blush claimed her pristine face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± I breathed, ¡°I won¡¯t tell if you won¡¯t.¡± Her hands roamed up my sides caressingly before she flipped me around effortlessly to pull me into a heartfelt embrace, her face buried against my neck.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you haven¡¯t changed. I wasn¡¯t sure. Still, could you do me a favour? Focus your attention on your two mortal admirers. I don¡¯t know how long I¡¯d manage to resist and that¡¯s a bridge we don¡¯t want to cross. Not yet, anyways. Once you¡¯re a bit more settled¡­¡± she shrugged.


    ¡°Is that a promise,¡± I teased.


    ¡°I was thinking more along the lines of a threat, but then again¡­ it probably is. Maybe I¡¯ll take you to prom. That¡¯d be a fancy scandal and something for Katie¡¯s mum to write about. I can already see the headlines: teacher seduces student and steals the show. If they only knew the truth¡­¡±


    ¡°Somehow you don¡¯t sound like you¡¯re at all disgusted by the idea.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m not. A few thousand years of nagging tend to erode every kind of resistance. And honestly, I haven¡¯t tried too hard to keep you at arm¡¯s length. Even back then. Now¡­ we¡¯ll have to see, won¡¯t we? But first you should get a grip on your own life¡­ without making it even more difficult. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not going anywhere. And neither will you, if I have any say in the matter.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Arty,¡± I sighed, entirely oblivious to the faux pas that would have probably doomed anyone else on the spot. The pet name had rolled over my tongue naturally. ¡°I¡¯m glad you chose to look after me. I must have done something right.¡± Maybe it was my attempt to ignore the whole being violated fiasco thoroughly, or maybe my mind was just unable to keep up, whatever the reason my thoughts were wandering and I blurted out: ¡°there¡¯s a small French bakery close by. Cappuccino and chocolate croissants make everything better. Could you get me back inside? I¡¯ll fetch Vicky. We could meet up at the entrance downstairs in half an hour¡­ maybe an hour. You still have a good while until your interview, don¡¯t you?¡± She cocked an eyebrow but didn¡¯t comment on my timeline: ¡°In case you¡¯re paying I¡¯ll postpone it, if I have to. A fair warning, though, we don¡¯t get full. Might become more expensive than you¡¯re bargaining for.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll manage,¡± I chuckled. ¡°If it matters¡­ I¡¯m actually a pretty good catch. My parents are loaded.¡±


    ¡°You are,¡± she confessed freely, ¡°but that¡¯s not the reason. Come on then, little princess, let¡¯s get you back inside. I¡¯ll wait downstairs.¡± I felt her tense and the flickering, silver light of the moon danced across the rooftop for the fraction of a second. ¡°You¡¯re sister is still showering. Perfect.¡±Before I could make either heads or tails of her sentence I felt weightless, the world vanished behind a silver glare and when I blinked in confusion hot water was already drenching my priceless attire. Victoria and I stared at each other, a soft sponge frozen halfway down her glistening stomach. Without a conscious thought my gaze wandered downwards and the both of us blushed simultaneously before her hiss reverberated through the walk-in shower:


    ¡°Evee? What¡­ why¡­ how,¡± she stammered as the sponge hit the floor.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± I replied pensively, my eyes glued to her perky breasts. ¡°I was brought here by a spell, cast by a goddess, because it surely seems like we¡¯re in love and it¡¯s about time that we talked. Does that answer your questions? Oh, wait, maybe this does.¡± Without thinking, without giving my courage a chance to falter, I leaned forwards and our lips touched for the very first time.


    An electric jolt raced down my spine and directly to my groin as the soft, almost ethereal sensation drowned out every last thought in my mind. A suppressed groan pressed against my tongue when she answered the kiss feverishly, her hands reaching blindly. ¡°Wait,¡± I mumbled against her mouth and pulled back. She was panting heavily, her eyes glazed over, her lips already cherry red. My tongue darted out and I savoured the taste of strawberries and peppermint while I nimbly slipped out of my sweater. My pants followed a second later. With a wet, soaked thud they landed on the black marble floor, but before I had even stepped out of the garments Victoria¡¯s hands had found my stomach. She pushed me up against the wall, her nose only a hair¡¯s width away from mine. A fire I had never seen before burned in her eyes, but deep down there was also a spark of something else. Fear maybe, but it wasn¡¯t going to matter for long. I¡¯d make sure of it.


    ¡°Why,¡± she gasped hoarsely, her cheeks burning, her eyes darting towards my soaked, lacy underwear, something she knew I hadn¡¯t owned before.


    ¡°Really? Now,¡± I complained breathlessly. She closed her eyes and the muscles on the side of her jaws pressed against her soft, smooth skin. I gently placed my hand on her cheek.


    ¡°Yes, now,¡± she stammered, but her fingers were slowly travelling towards my chest, putting the lie to her Herculean effort of self control. A crooked smile tugged on the corners of my mouth and I leaned forward to whisper in her ear:


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen you this morning. I¡¯ve heard and I¡¯ve felt you.¡± Then I bit down gently on her earlobe. My tongue darted out as I licked her neck and a soft tremor shot up her legs. Another moan escaped her and she inadvertently clenched her thighs. Almost without hesitation I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her closer, catching her wandering hands between us. ¡°Yes, Victoria. I know you haven¡¯t asked, but I want to be with you.¡± Her eyes flashed open again, her pupils as wide as saucers. With a snakelike movement I brought my hand back and unhooked the clasps of my bra. I felt the soft, divine cloth rub over even softer flesh before it was caught in the shower stream and swirled towards the drain.


    ¡°That¡¯s all you¡¯re going to get, though. The rest stays on. Also, if we do this I¡¯m not going to share unless I get to choose with whom. Never. If you want me, you¡¯ll have to stop sleeping around.¡±