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Break the Fog - Chapter 16
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
CHILDREN OF GODS Tryouts - Chapter 18
The past few days had been among the worst of James’s life. Eliza still was not speaking to him, which had gouged a bit of a rift between their normal group of four. His other group of so-called friends was overtly avoiding him. Rachel refused to speak to him, but she could always spare a pointed glare or two for him when he happened to catch her eye. Since Saturday night, Jennifer hadn’t spoken to him either, not even in any of the classes they shared, which suited him just fine, as he really didn’t have much to say to her anyway. But the problem with that group was Ricky. His friend was probably only ignoring him because of Ceres, since she was close friends with Jennifer and Rachel. However, with tryouts in less than an hour, he and Ricky would have to figure out something if they were to be teammates. James shook himself to the present and checked his lacrosse bag for the tenth time. The gloves, cleats, and crosse that Blakeney had ordered for him were all ready, as were a couple
CHILDREN OF GODS Where You Were Meant to Be - Chapter 19
Sure, James was elated he had made the lacrosse team. He was ecstatic that he would, once again, be playing lacrosse and that even more of his time would be taken up because of this and maybe, just maybe, his mind would have some time off from its ceaseless chipping away at the problem. It was almost as if bits of his sanity were being plucked away at random intervals like a girl plucking away at a flower’s petals saying, “He loves me. He loves me not.” But, no. Because at the end of the day, none of it really mattered. Not training. Not lacrosse. There was only his problem with Eliza that kept pervading into the forefront of his thoughts, be they awake or dreaming. The internal dialogue continued on, endlessly, drowning out all else because, as it happened, the past two weeks had passed with little to no improvement with Eliza. Just when it seemed the gifts were having an effect, she would offer a slight smile only for a wave of confusion, frustration, an
CHILDREN OF GODS An Eagle - Chapter 20
Nothing around him had changed, but in reality, everything had. It was like waking up from a dream or as if the last month had been a perpetual drug-induced state. Colors were more vibrant. Pleasant smells more noticeable. It was like his senses had been heightened or . . . maybe just opened up for the first time in a month. The breeze that tickled his skin was inviting, just like the warmth that spread over him as the sun drenched the atmosphere around him. A smile, which couldn’t be wiped off even if he tried, continually spread across his face. His soul burst with an exuberance of joy he had never known. James understood it wouldn’t all just fall into place and be easy, while at the same time, he acknowledged that he still had a ways to go before gaining full trust from Eliza. But, you can guarantee he was willing to do whatever it took. Another smile swept across his face as he thought about the all-important first kiss of a few nights ago. An even wider smile was brought to his
CHILDREN OF GODS The Archives - Chapter 21
With an easy pull, the wall-door swung open. A large, cavern-like room—lit by several torches along the walls and a massive wooden chandelier high overhead, all of which flared up by themselves—met James’s eyes. There was so much to take in he didn’t know where to look first. Directly in front of them, on either side of the room, stood numerous statues that looked to be made out of pure gold and ivory. He tore his gaze away from the intricately crafted statue of Athena when Blakeney said, “Follow me.” James followed as he led them deeper into the room. A musty smell invaded his nostrils and the dry, cool air raised goosebumps on his skin. A fine layer of dust covered everything, as if the cavern had been vacant for quite a while. It reminded him of the caverns in Carlsbad. Questions danced in his head, but Blakeney answered them before he could speak. “Many of these statues were saved from the Greek and Roman empires. History thought them lost, but apparently they have been i
CHILDREN OF GODS Focus on the Game - Chapter 22
Today was the day, he had decided, to tell Eliza about the Prophecy and all that entails. So, as soon as he sat down at their usual breakfast table, he informed her he needed to talk with her. “What’s wrong?” she asked apprehensively. James shook his head. “Nothing. I just . . . finally got permission to tell you something.” “Okay . . .” Eliza said slowly. He turned back to his plate, wanting to finish his breakfast of French toast. As soon as Eliza was through with her plate, he stood, taking each of their trays, and dumped them in the tray window. He laced his fingers in hers and the pair stepped out into the courtyard. The morning sun was starting to turn the sky from steely gray to a pearlescent pink as James led her over to a secluded bench. The cool scent of winter lingered in the air as the sunshine barely provided any warmth on this early March day. When he was confident that no one could overhear their conversation, he cleared his throat. Eliza hud
CHILDREN OF GODS Touring D.C. - Chapter 23
The Saturday before spring break would surely go down in history as one of his all-time favorite days. Eliza would be taking him around D.C. to see all the sights and basically just play tourists for the day. She had found out a couple of weeks before that James had never been there and proclaimed this as “simply unacceptable.” She proceeded to make plans in secret and told him that his problem would soon be remedied. He was looking forward to being able to spend all day with her and he had kept up his best efforts in refraining from asking what the agenda would look like—not that she would tell him even if he did ask. But, he had to admit, he was incredibly nervous. Because after their tourist day they would be heading to Eliza’s parents’ house for dinner and staying the night. He shuddered as he thought about that: meeting the parents. A great first impression was a must. It was unbelievable how quickly the days had slipped by. It seemed like just yesterday that he was
CHILDREN OF GODS A Certain, White House - Chapter 24
It was not until they crossed East Street NW that James finally understood where Eliza was taking him. The most famous house in the world could be seen just a short distance away. “The White House?” He was incredulous. She smiled deviously. “Mm-hmm. Normally tours are over by now, but having a DNI for your dad does have its perks.” “Wait . . .” he said catching the whole tours being over by this time thing. “So, does that mean like a . . . private tour?” “You are so, so smart!” Eliza’s voiced was laced sweetly with sarcasm. “Just you, me, and a guide for an hour. They’ll even let us go off the normal tour route.” James searched her face. “Are you messing with me again?” She shrugged her slender shoulders. “I don’t know. I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.” Eliza laughed at the rueful expression on his face and hustled him along to the Southeast Gate. Approaching the security guard she politely said, “Hello. Eliza Masters and one guest.” “One minute, miss.” The man stepped
CHILDREN OF GODS Dinner was a Bust - Chapter 25
The sun was setting and twilight was beginning to descend, painting the sky in vivid hues of violet, blue, and deepest red. It had been a pleasant drive along state highway 236, but James’s nerves were rising once again to the surface like a block of wood after a brief submersion in a stream. As they traveled almost directly west out among farmland and woods, their destination loomed. Eliza flipped the turn signal and pulled off into the mile-long driveway. There were horse pastures on both sides, and even a small lake off in the distance. “Uh . . . is all this land your parents’?” James asked in bewilderment. “Yeah.” She grinned. “Just another secret revealed.” He took in the vast entirety of the estate. “How much land?” Eliza shrugged. “I dunno, at least a thousand acres.” “And all these horses are yours?” “Mm-hmm.” She smiled at him as if the keeper of a secret. “I’m taking you riding tomorrow.” James snorted. “What if I had told you I didn’t know how?” “Then you’ll learn o
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“Boom, boom, boom,” the bass blasted from the speakers drawing everybody in the room into a rhythmic trance. As the beat pulsed and vibrated through his bones like the strikes of a war drum, his turquoise-blue eyes raked the dance club hoping against hope to spot a new object of desire. Seeing a possibility, the young man put a hand up to ruffle his sandy blonde hair, swallowed back his nerves, took a deep breath, and made his way through the throng knowing that tonight was going to be a productive night. He saddled up to the bar and turned to his left. “Can I buy you a drink?” he asked the raven-haired beauty. She was resting against the polished metal countertop in a suggestive way: all hips and attitude; she wore a skin-tight black dress that came down to her knees and left little to the imagination. A slight smile broke across her face as her eyes took him in, but then slowly, sarcastic indulgence washed out all else from her expression. “Maybe next time, sweetheart,” she
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The setting sun created a beautiful mosaic of reds, oranges, yellows, and violets as James stared across the waterfront. As the light played across the water as if flames were dancing on the current, he thought about all that had changed in the past few months. He had set out on just another fork in life, or so he thought, but now he had discovered more about himself than he had ever known. He’d also gained more of a family than he had ever had before. His heart had grown as if by magic, and he cared for more people than he ever thought possible. James breathed a heavy sigh. That train of thought brought the tearful goodbye with Eliza this morning to the forefront of his mind. She had been through more than any one person should ever have to go through, kidnapped, tortured, and in fear for her life. He tried to be helpful and sympathize with her, but in truth he knew he couldn’t even begin to scratch the surface of what she had been through. He just didn’t have any experiences to com
CHILDREN OF GODS Cerberos - Chapter 37
The dog, if you could even call it that, was enormous. Cerberos had a wide and stout body like that of a pit bull’s, except this body stood at least ten feet tall. The three, fear-invoking heads, rose a few feet higher. Its skin was completely hairless, the dark, leather-like material stretched taut over sinew, muscle, and bone. Teeth as long and sharp as daggers emerged as each of the heads pulled back its ugly black lips in a show of hatred. Each head reminded James of a decomposing Doberman; ears flat back in agitation, black pits for eyes. The middle head barked a low bass-filled roar. He could feel the rumble in the pit of his stomach. Eliza was trembling uncontrollably in his arms. No doubt a hint of the hallucinogen still lingered in her veins. “Don’t look,” he murmured. She complied and buried her face into his shoulder. “My god . . .” Blakeney whispered fearfully, more to himself than anyone. “Cerberos. But . . . it can’t be.” He was beside himself. “We . . .” He swallowed
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The building where Eliza was being held turned out to be some kind of old factory or manufacturing plant from the early 20th century, only it looked more like a stone castle than a factory. The drive had taken almost two hours in a general northern heading, into the heart of rural Pennsylvania. The place was huge, and the only vestiges of a plan that they’d developed was for Oliver to take the search on the upper floor, Blakeney going through the main and largest level, while James would take the basement. Infrared imagery from a passing satellite had revealed only two human-sized heat signatures—and some kind of large heat blob, likely a heating source for the building—but when dealing with Hades, anything was possible. No kind of advantage could be seen as they made their way to the outskirts of the property. The Academy’s Mercedes was parked a half-mile back. Blakeney held up a corner of the dilapidated security fence. “Go on through, you two,” he whispered, following right after.
CHILDREN OF GODS He has Her - Chapter 35
The sun had reached its zenith and was now arcing towards the western sky on the first leg of its descent. James had barely moved for hours, just sat in the chair, staring emptily at his phone that lay on the bed. Several additional text messages had gone completely unanswered. Nothing. No response. And it wasn’t as if he would be seeing her on Monday. School was now over for the summer. His stomach rumbled, clearly in need of food, but he seemed to be a man completely immobilized. What few scraps of food he had eaten this morning had been forced upon him by Tres, Svet, and Adonis. They had all even tried to get him to come down to the pool with everyone else who had stayed at the hotel, but he had flat-out refused. He didn’t deserve any kind of enjoyment or distractions—at least not in his own eyes. So there he had sat for hours, patiently awaiting that one message from Eliza, that one lifeline thrown that could get him moving again. James closed his eyes and sighed, bringing
CHILDREN OF GODS Bait - Chapter 34
“Have you seen Eliza Masters?” James asked a random passerby fretfully, probably for the hundredth time. The girl shrugged and walked on. Seeing a friendly face, he ran over, desperate. “Ricky, you seen Eliza?” The dark-skinned boy bit his lip. “Um . . . not that I—“ Ricky’s eyes flashed in remembrance. “Oh, wait. I did see her heading to the valet parking lot. Does that help?” “Yeah, thanks,” James declared anxiously as he jogged out the door. He sprinted up and down each row of the car-filled lot, the heels of his dress shoes clacking loudly on the pavement. But it was all to no avail. The Fiat was nowhere to be found. I really screwed up this time. James pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to her. In only seconds there was a reply. It read: Leave me alone. He clenched his jaw and cursed himself as he sent another text. This time, there was no further response. His heart felt as if an Olympic strongman was crushing the life out of him with their bare hands. Once agai
CHILDREN OF GODS An Angel in Green - Chapter 33
“Hey!” said Eliza cheerfully the next morning at breakfast. “Hey.” He gave her a short kiss on the lips. Her searching eyes studied him. “You okay?” “Yeah, I’m fine,” he lied. “Why?” “You just . . .” She hesitated. “…seem a little put off.” He shrugged. “Probably just nerves cause of finals.” Eliza nodded, still not fully convinced. “Speaking of which,” continued James, “Director Blakeney gave me the rest of the week off to study.” “Well, that was nice of him. I know I could use the help.” Apparently, she had decided to let the earlier topic go. “Consider me at your disposal then, your royal hotness.” She rolled her eyes and directed herself at Adonis. “So who are you taking to the dance, Adonis?” “Um . . .” he started, “I didn’t really have any takers.” “Are you kidding me? I could probably name at least twenty girls that would die to go with you,” Eliza pointed out. Tres began to mumble something that sounded like, “But none of them is James,” until Svetlana kicked his
CHILDREN OF GODS Late Night Storm - Chapter 32
The weeks went by like a flash of lightning and before James knew it, the last week of May had arrived, the last week before summer break. At Mount Olympus Academy, instead of a prom for juniors and seniors only, they held one for all the students on the Saturday after the last day of class. Kind of a last gathering before everyone went their respective ways for the summer. Of course, he and Eliza would be going together, and since Tres couldn’t date a computer—no matter how adamant he remained that he could—Svetlana would be his date for the evening. It was a formal dance, and in keeping with such occasions, he and Tres had rented tuxedos from a local formalwear shop. Eliza had flat out refused to tell him the color of her dress, so James just picked a vest color that would flatter her eyes—an iridescent gold with sparse green accents. He was, he admitted, incredibly excited to go to his first formal dance. And, being able to add to the many lists of first-time events he had with El
CHILDREN OF GODS Should've Never Played - Chapter 31
Hades. Just the name had been bouncing around the insides of his skull all day. He had barely been able to concentrate on any schoolwork. How was he, James, supposed to stand up against a force such as that, a god with immense power and creatures at his disposal? The answers would not formulate in his mind and James felt incredibly vulnerable. Even his dreams weren’t safe. He fiddled with the straps of his shoulder pads for what felt like the tenth time as Dieter Hoche spewed on and on about winning tonight in the German’s attempt at an inspirational speech. It was more like a drill sergeant’s yelling, though. Tonight, they were at St. Stephens/St Agnes. Both of the teams were 8-0 and as such, this game would likely be the deciding factor for who would take home the conference title. He checked his gear once more, doing his best to ready his mind for the game. His ribs sure weren’t ready, though. Even taped up as tight and thick as possible, they would still be screaming in pain eve
