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Chapter 19
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2022-08-24 22:07:18Related chapters
Fire and Water Chapter 20
He was awash in a sea of darkness. Well, maybe more like an ocean of absolutely nothing. He seemed to be blind, because not a single refraction of light could be seen anywhere. Nor were there any points of reference. He just floated in a cold, numbing . . . nothing. He just was. There was no real way to describe it. All James knew was the alien-ness of . . . wherever he was and how the passage of time didn’t seem to matter. It could have been days or weeks or years even, but maybe only minutes had passed. Whichever. It wasn’t important; it’s not like he had any thoughts or memories of anything before this place, anyway. Suddenly, just when he thought it couldn’t get any stranger, an indescribable warmth began to spread along his scalp. The feeling was such a relief to the cold in this absolute darkness that he shuddered with exhilaration. The warming sensation spread slowly down and after a while, his whole body tingled. He felt as if he was laying in direct sunlight
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The two of them stared steadily at each other, each of them realizing how much their friendship meant. “Well,” Tres shook off the tender moment in typical fashion. “Now that you’re among the living, I’d better go let Dr. Gomez know.” “Alright.” Tres crossed the room and stepped through the door. After it had closed, he turned to look at the various gifts on the table before him. James read the cards in the flowers and saw that both Tres’s parents and Eliza’s parents had bouquets sent to him along with cards expressing their love. He smiled at the thoughtfulness of the gesture. He picked up the first card and saw it was from Ricky. He laughed out loud as he read it.As soon as you’re better . . . you + me = strip club!!! yah! BOI! He shook his head, thinking of his crazy friend, then read through the rest of the cards. Even Jennifer West had sent him a ‘Get well soon’ card. Dr. Mara Gomez entered the room just as he was finishing up with the last card. “You have quite a lot of
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Eliza gathered her thoughts. Finally, she said, “After you collapsed and we saw how bad your injuries had gotten, and so quickly . . . I kinda took off and wound up at the temple of Zeus. I may have yelled at him some . . . just a little bit.” She held her thumb and forefinger fractionally apart. His brows raised in question. “Really?” She nodded. “Yup.” Eliza blew out a breath, then continued. “Well, after some crying and spilling my heart out to Zeus, he sent Apollo to speak with me. Apollo gave me some Ambrosia and told me to . . . put it all over your body,” she finished in a whisper, glancing away as a blush rose up her neck and filled her cheeks. “As in . . . everywhere.” James blinked blankly at her for a second. Then it hit him like a mallet to the head. “Oh,” he said slowly. “Like all over. And this was what again?” “Ambrosia,” she said in exasperation. “The food of the gods, you know. Only it’s closer to olive oil, really. Apollo told me I could put it all over your skin
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Thankfully, after only a few days the side effects of the Ambrosia started to wear off. That first day though, had been ridiculous. Being stuck in a room with limited air movement is not the best place to be when your skin is glowing a dull gold and you smell like the most tantalizing scents in the world. In each class it had seemed every girl—and a few boys—had jockeyed for the position of being closest to him. It had been completely embarrassing to James and he was sure none of his affected classmates were getting any actual work accomplished while he had been around. Even Ms. Allie, his English teach from last year, had stopped him in the hallway and had asked him how he was doing. From the way the incredibly beautiful woman had kept gazing into his eyes and flirting indiscriminately with him, James had feared she would ask him out on a date or something. Gratefully, Tres had shown up acting like a blubbering, love-sick fool. Ms. Allie had laughed at his antics, but the distrac
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He glanced between the two of them and saw the barely contained laughter beneath the surface. James narrowed his eyes petulantly. “Very funny, you two. You know how much I hate this.” Eliza laid a hand on his cheek. “And that’s what makes it so damn funny.” She playfully slapped his face. Blakeney laughed loudly with great mirth. “The two of you keep me feeling young.” “Glad we could be of service,” James mumbled. “Alright. Let’s order some lunch and then Eliza can tell us the big secret.” The older man pulled out his phone. “I think Chef Mariana had some Philly cheese-steaks on the menu today, James you game?” “You don’t even have to ask,” he replied swiftly. Blakeney touched his thumbs to the screen of his phone. “And you Eliza?” he asked her. She pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Can you ask her if she’ll just bring me one of those large chicken Caesar salads?” “I’m sure Mariana won’t mind in the least,” observed Blakeney. He sent the text, then pocketed his phone. “Now, what d
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“You sure you’re good with this?” James asked Tres as he finished packing some hygiene items in a small suitcase. Already a couple pairs of extra clothes had been thrown in, one of which was a nice version of the school’s uniform to wear to meet Christian and his mother. Blakeney had asked he and Eliza to have something nice to represent the Academy properly. His cymbal bag was already waiting by the door and now James was about ready to go meet Eliza so they could be on their way. “What!?” Tres was incredulous. “And miss a perfectly good opportunity to wreak havoc?” His face was filled with indignant disbelief. “Are you crazy? I’m afraid you don’t know me at all.” He turned away and placed a hand to his forehead like a distressed damsel in a Romance novel. “It’s over between us.” James laughed deeply at the antics. “Oh, shut up.” Tres grinned toothily. “Just make sure you and Matt don’t tell anyone,” said James. “And how long do you need again?”
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The clacking of heels could be heard coming from the general direction of the kitchen. Sure enough, Eliza’s mother emerged around the magnificent, sweeping marble staircases and headed in their direction. She was as beautiful as ever. Liz Masters was dressed in a kneelength ivory dress with an ivy-green belt looped around her waist. Her flame-red hair cascaded straight down her back and a single strand of pearls adorned her neckline. Simple elegance. She smiled at the sight of the two of them. “Hello, baby girl.” “Hey, mom,” Eliza said as she and her mother hugged affectionately. He could tell their love had deepened since last year and that they were much closer. Seeing their relationship brought a smile to his own face. Liz stepped back from her daughter. “James,” she smiled warmly at him. “How are you?” He kissed her offered cheek, then said, “Good. Thank you for having me for dinner.” “Nonsense,” Liz waved him off. “You’re always welcome. I just wish you two could stay longer
Last Updated : 2022-08-28Fire and Water Chapter 27
The sky was jewel-like, crystalline blue as James pulled the sleek navyblue Mercedes onto the causeway. Driving towards Melbourne beach, he grinned like a kid playing with a shiny new toy for the first time. He looked out over at the water and saw the blazing sun dancing across the waves, the palm trees waving lazily in the cool ocean breeze. Being in this environment brought the book he had read last night to surreal life. To him, the novel was more than just a representation of a man struggling against nature and age. It was a kind of metaphor for life. Sometimes, thought James, we go after our dreams based on preconceived notions and ideals of success and life doesn’t always work out the way we intended. But like the old man, he figured you had to keep going no matter what. Because as is the case with real life, just as in the book, there is always someone watching and learning from your example. James sighed softly as he studied the beauty all around him, the book’s characters r
Last Updated : 2022-08-29
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James sighed; frustration, reluctance, and pain closed themselves across his features. He searched for Eliza and found her. She was speaking with Tres and his family. Almost as if she could feel his eyes on her, she turned and smiled widely at him. “I understand that you do not want to leave her, James. You love her more than anything and yearn to be near her.” Zeus squeezed his shoulder to recapture his attention. “The choice, of course, is yours. I will never take away your free will. But know this, if you choose to stay, yes, you will be with your loved ones. However, it is almost certain then that you would lose this war. As I told you before, sometimes we have to leave the ones we love in order to protect them, even if our absence is only for a season. I can show you how to unlock the abilities which lie dormant within you and give you a chance to save those you love. More than anything, I wish for you to never feel pain again, but I’m afraid my children cannot always travel th
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At that, James and Eliza stood to lead the procession of surviving students. With a single white rose in each of their hands, the just over three-hundred walked down the aisles and passed before the table which held the framed pictures of the victims. Some wept, some simply said goodbye and moved on, but each of them laid their rose to rest in front of their fallen friends. It was significant of a promise to be kept: A promise to always remember their friends and classmates, a promise to never forget, and a promise that those who died would be carried in the hearts of the survivors for as long as they live. The last mourning student placed her rose on the cold earth, a tear falling from her cheeks and splashing onto the laid flowers, and the gathered assembly stood to move amongst each other. As everyone else began to comfort and converse with those they knew, James remained seated, his eyes searching the faces framed before him. He found the picture of Adonis and lifted on corner of
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James studied his appearance in the mirror and absentmindedly fixed his tie. He wore a black, custom tailored suit which Eliza’s father had purchased for him for the occasion. A white dress shirt, black tie, and black wingtips completed the ensemble-mourning clothes. He had been breathing a little easier ever since he and Eliza and the others had finished their goodbyes to their friends, but when he was alone, as he was now, the pressure in his chest returned. It felt as if a weight was pressing down on his heart; threatening to squeeze the life out of him. He closed his eyes, breathed deep and slow, and willed the pain to subside to an acceptable level. In just a short while, Bill Masters would speak on the events which had occurred earlier in the week- the cover story having been a last time. Though he knew with the passage of time the weight of grief would sail away like a ship on the ocean, the loss of so many lives would never truly leave him. With everything that is within him
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“I know that we’re all in a lot of pain right now, but we don’t know how long this period of inaction on the part of our enemies will last,” said James, eyeing each of the faces gathered in the room. “The task ahead of us won’t be easy, but I’ve had people die in my arms and I don’t want that to happen again.” “What are you saying, James?” Bill interrupted, wanting clarification. He glanced around the room again. “I’m saying it’s time to fight. I’m saying the time for secrecy among us is over. We need to gather everyone together that can fight and train them to go to war. Mr. Blakeney once told me that during the World Wars there were thousands of swords, shields, armor, spears, and arrows made from metal mined from Olympus and forged by Hephaestus and his workers.” His eyes seemed to harden with resolve as if they were marbles. “We need to find this cache and build an army. Never again will we be caught unprepared, not ready.” James elevated his voice as he spoke. “It’s time to ta
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The past few days had been filled with alternating times of mourning and grief followed by periods of clarity and resolve. He and Eliza had spent much of the time on horseback or on foot meandering through her family’s vast estate. Being together and out in the cold, open environment, had allowed each of them to process their emotions and grieve properly for the fallen director. Robert Blakeney had been particularly special to them. Having spent the entire summer together and going out on numerous missions since, they had continued to grow closer. An unbreakable bond had been forged. Or so they thought. Everyone had been completely blindsided by Clurife’s attack and the betrayal of Oliver, but James was giving himself no room for excuses. It was outright stupidity to believe they were safe at the Academy. He, Eliza, and Blakeney had known someone was giving Clurife information and it was only a matter of time before the school itself was targeted, especially after Kali was killed. N
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James had never been inside Romero’s home before. There had never been a reason to because over the summer their base of operations had always been Washington Manor—the Director’s residence. Under normal circumstances, he would have found the house to be warm and comfortable. It was built in a classic American style from a bygone era: wood floors, wood paneling intricate crown molding and lots of fireplaces. He couldn’t help but think it a miniature version of the Director’s place. It was for that reason alone that in lieu of any comfort, he felt stifled and suffocated. Ignoring all else, he made his way through the house and onto the screened back porch. He sat into a wooden Adirondack chair hoping to process more than a few of his rumbling emotions. He studiously avoided thinking about Blakeney and instead focused on the others which had died. There were many he didn’t know, but of the few he did, he had known them well. There was Jennifer West, the beautiful and spontaneous girl
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They pushed their way through the trampled snow and to the fountain where the escaping students had gathered. James set Jennifer down on the cold earth and surveyed the panic-stricken mass. Far too many were missing from their numbers and Blakeney was nowhere to be seen. He turned to Eliza as he shrugged off his jacket and ripped his shirt in two. “Help them, okay?” he told her desperately, handing her one of the two pieces. Eliza nodded and went to work trying to stem the flow of blood coming from Jennifer’s battered body. One look was all that was required, however, for her to know it was hopeless; the girl’s lungs had been severely pierced. Even though they had been at odds in the past, this last semester, they had become acquaintances, maybe, ironically, the pair had even been heading towards friendship. But now... this. She tried to provide whatever comfort she could during Jennifer’s last moments of life. “It’s going to be okay,” Eliza said with a small smile. “You’ll be fine
Fire and Water Chapter 73
Arriving at the end of the hall, James lifted a single foot and kicked the door in. The struggle going on in the room shocked him enough to crack a shallow wedge in his confidence. Svetlana lay on her bed clutching her bleeding chest, while in the far comer by the window, Eliza barely held the attacking soldier at bay with her dagger which was held in a vise-like grip. She was trembling with fear and tears spilled profusely from her eyes. The shattering doorframe had knocked the soldier’s attention from her and as its eerier eyes were coming to rest on the intruder, James flew into action. In barely more than the blink of an eye, he batted away an attempted strike and skid his blade clean through the enemy’s chest. With a flick and twist, the heart was pierced, death instantaneous. James slammed the body into the ground with disgust and moved his eyes to Eliza. “You okay?” he asked gently. She sniffed once and nodded. He secured his sword and shield onto his back, then went to S
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Blakeney had been up and working in his office when the screaming alerted him. Not taking any chances, he grabbed the sword he kept by his desk and marched towards the school’s foyer. As soon as he stepped onto the marble floors from the staff offices, the sight of flames consuming the dormitories filled his eyes. His breath quickened and his pulse pounded in his ears as the building flames engulfed his school. The students I his mind shouted above the growing fear. He sprinted down the thoroughfare, protection of innocent lives the only thing on his mind. But, no sooner had he made his way into the inner courtyard, then a sinister, pleased laugh echoed amidst the granite. “Hello, Director Blakeney,” a deep, steady voice spoke. Blakeney whirled on the spot, searching for the source. Like an image being born from darkness, Nicholas Clurife stepped into the light. He wore all black, his evil Stygian blade held at the ready, and the smile that spread across his face oozed with crue
