Endeca (The Escapism Series) (9 page)

“Xenia?” he asked, still transitioning from wherever Sebastian had sent him to. His eye color swirled beautifully into a grey-white mix, slowly settling into a distinct form. “Sebastian came for you and before I could warn you, he seared me far-off.”

“You’re okay, right? I told them you were sleep-walking.”

“Smooth. Give me a few more seconds,” he whispered. His pale face revitalized and his grey eyes were solid once more. We walked back to the car facing scrutiny.

“Good morning, big fella. How was your morning stroll?” Calliope asked, playfully killing the awkwardness.

“Just fine, thank you. I’ve been taking many of those recently. Must be a side effect from traveling,” he said withholding an ominous grin.

“Jet lag can really do you over,” Marla reaffirmed, appeased.

We drove to campus in relative silence, while Edric and I secretly conversed about Sebastian’s plans.

“He thinks you’re involved with the E-SOM. Viola and Sebastian seared your subconscious thoughts…something must’ve tipped them off.”

“It’s true what they say. You are your own worst enemy,” I said to myself but forgot to shield my private thoughts.

“You said it,” he snickered.

“The extent of my involvement with the E-SOM lies in me being their lab rat. Why would they think otherwise?”

“You might not recall your time in the dome, but there’s still a hole in your memory and it’s sparked interest in Sebastian and the others.”

“They can read minds?”

“No. They can, however, gaze into your subconscious but only if there’s a window of opportunity, like maintaining eye contact for one,” he scolded annoyed.

“I’ve learned my lesson, trust me.”

Meanwhile, the girls were in a discussion of their own. “I know why it’s called Blueberry Hill,” Calliope said, actively protruding her abdomen.

“You? Fat? Please...besides, you could always come ru—”

“Don’t you say it,” she intercepted, snootily, “I’ve not yet made amends with the idea of
that
.”

Marla and I giggled at her obvious aversion to running.

“Don’t you have a lab at nine?” I asked.

“I don’t know, do I?” she rebuked. “Do you guys have my schedule memorized or something? Relax, I can always crash another lab, no biggie.
How often do I get to have breakfast with my dearest friends?”

“Almost every other day,” said Marla.

“Well then, I can’t break tradition for one measly lab, now can I?”

“I wouldn’t dare ask you to break tradition,” I surrendered. It was easier that way.

We arrived on campus and parked. It was a gorgeous day and the scenic walk through campus was delightful; it rid me of worrisome thought. A few inches away from the entrance, I felt a familiar shiver travel down my spine.
A bad, bad sign.

“There’s a table on the patio—perfect!” Marla yelped.

Soon as we sat down, we ordered coffee and an assortment of fruit, pancakes and juice. I discretely looked behind me and there, by the far end of the patio, sat Sebastian.

But I thought we had an agreement?

Our eyes never met, but he eerily smiled in acknowledgment. I didn’t like feeling out of control, especially seeing as it was an indirect threat. My friends weren’t safe anywhere.

“Ladies, be right back.” I stood up without hesitation, heading toward the restroom. I didn’t have to wait very long. He trailed behind like a puppy except he was no puppy—he was like a wolf, ready to attack if provoked.

“Why are you here? I thought we were crystal clear on the arrangement. I find the spy and you leave my friends out of this?” I whispered, looking over my shoulder.

“Nothing’s changed, Xenia. Just thought I’d insure your word,” he said with a crooked smile.

“I can’t start now. I have a life in case you haven’t noticed. I’ll travel after my last lecture,” I said, turning away.  He grabbed hold of my arm, halting me in my tracks.

“At the summoning, I thought Nyxta would surely end you but she didn`t. Now that I know why, I don`t empathize with this masquerade of a human life,” he condescended, slowly releasing my arm.

“What do you know?” I pried.

“I know you’re more powerful than you let on. You can travel quite readily, without so much as straining a muscle.”

“But I don’t.”

“And why not?” he scolded. How could I expect an immorta to empathize with me? Maybe because Nicholas could, I assumed the others would too.

“Fear, I suppose.” It wasn’t the unknown world that instilled fear, it was the E-SOM and my bio-parents. Each time I cracked another piece of the puzzle, it was monumental and scary. I was avoiding the inevitable discovery of my history and painfully so.

“I think it’s about time you paid a visit. A little motivation can go a long way,” he smirked, enticed. He seared me not only with his eyes, but with his presence. He infiltrated my eyes far deeper than Viola. Once I came to, I realized I was no longer on campus. I was in another world altogether,
offline
. Everything looked and felt the same but there was something in the air that said otherwise. I immediately felt the surge of panic course through me, quickly finding shelter in the apices of my lungs. I gasped, deliberating an exit route.

Sebastian delivered me but I could willingly travel back—
so I thought
. He didn’t sear me to the offline world out of the goodness of his heart. I was a pond in his divine plan but the next move was mine to orchestrate. Although I actively shielded myself from the offline world, I wasn’t opposed to it…entirely. The very thought of guaranteed access between two worlds in a heartbeat was unsettling because I hadn’t come to grips with what had always been a part of my nature. If that wasn’t enough, I was also consumed by fear of being tracked by the E-SOM. They knew my off-source was impermeable, but what if they kept tabs on my online fragment? Too many risks with traveling and thanks to Sebastian, I was thrust into the hot zone. I tried traveling back to the online world but with every endeavour, I hit a painful barricade. With Styx along for the ride, she vied for danger and thrived off the fear willing me to stay.

With father time working against me, I did what anyone in my place would. I went home just to see if it still was
home
. I purchased a pair of cheap sunglasses from a local shop and boarded a bus. As I swayed back and forth, holding onto a moveable rubber handle, the bus came to an abrupt halt. Bright lights flashed between the heads of the annoyed passengers.
The officials had found me or coincidentally, an accident of some sort.
I couldn’t stay on and risk being spotted. Just as an official entered the bus, I exited with a group of passengers in a busy time of day; they looked frantically amongst the people as I swiftly blended in with the crowd.

I wasn’t far from home, my offline home that was. Apart from my travels to Styx and the dome, I hadn’t explored much of the offline world. I’d never know just how parallel these worlds really were without venturing into the unknown. It was my time to explore even though Sebastian had ulterior motives. I couldn’t sense my surroundings online, but my idle self would make due.

Upon arrival, I stood outside my family’s home. Just seeing it instilled a sense of calming familiarity. I sighed heavily and walked up to the door and knocked. I felt an unparalleled amount of anxiety once the door creaked open.

There before me stood my mother, except her eyes scrutinized in the way they normally did when she was accosted by someone unfamiliar.

Shit! I was a stranger?

“Can I help you?” she asked. Everything about her felt distant; from her stare to her body language.

“I-I must have written down the wrong address. I’m looking for a…friend,” I murmured.

“That’s quite alright,” she smiled, warming up.

I stood on tenterhooks. With Styx along for the ride, all my emotions felt heightened. I was on the verge of, what felt like, an emotional outburst.

“If you’re looking for someone in the neighborhood, maybe I could direct you,” she offered generously.

“That would be great, thanks.”

She waved me in and I followed. I inspected my surroundings carefully. The interior was exactly the same except the pictures were dated. I picked up a picture frame and stared at myself as a child.

How couldn’t she tell?

“Is this your daughter?” I asked, clearing my throat.

“Yes,” she whispered, taking the picture frame from my hands, straining a smile.

“Is she home?” I asked, curiously.

Her reddened, faraway eyes glazed over. “No.”

“Is she in college?” I asked, hopeful.

“She’s dead. Ten years now.”

Blood drained from my face. “How?” I stifled, continuing, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

“No, it’s alright. You wouldn’t be the first or the last to ask. She was taken in for a life threatening ailment and sadly didn’t make it.”

I swallowed the lump of information fed to her by the Elite Society of Mortals. “I’m so sorry for your loss. Thanks for your hospitality. I should go.”

“Who’re you looking for again?” she asked disarrayed.

“Marla Holmes,” I quickly replied. Another idea I had to dismiss.
Sebastian wouldn’t be too thrilled…

The pond quickly became a bishop in the schematics of things.

“I know her mother. She lives just a few seconds from here,” she explained, writing down the address. “Here you go.”

“Thanks again,” was all that I could muster.

She looked as though she’d seen a ghost. She stared down at the picture in her hands in a silent moment of thought. “Have we met?”

“I don’t believe so, ma’am,” I managed to cough up. I forced a smile quickly before heading out the door. Mother Nature’s cool breeze hugged my warm worried face, nurturing it in a familiar way irrespective of the world I resided in.

I walked the plank over to Marla’s, knocking with a trembling fist. I gasped once the door opened. Suddenly, I was out of breath and induced into a panic stricken state; that only meant one thing—I was being seared from afar. Next thing I knew, I was by a pier in the presence of another.

My biological mother
. I could only think of two reasons why she’d summon me: either to help or exploit me to the E-SOM.

“What’s happening to me?” I asked, confused.

“Xenia, you’re here because I asked Sebastian to send you. I need to tell you something very important,” she urged, cautiously.

“Why don’t you travel online?”

“Because it isn’t safe there for me,” she said, troubled.  “And pretty soon, it won’t be safe for you either.”

“Who’re you running from?” I asked, frantically.

“You mustn’t act any different around him because he would know—”

Just then, I transitioned back to the online world, against my will. I stood before Sebastian, who looked unimpressed. “What did we learn?”

“My mother thinks I died as a child, and my bio mother was trying to warn me about something right before I was yanked back—thanks for that,” I said, chagrined.

“She said she needed a minute. Your friends would start to wonder if there was something wrong with you and being seared to the other world doesn’t leave your idle self user friendly if you know what I mean,” he said, imitating a zooned out expression and robotic movement.

“While I appreciate the sentiment, you need to send me back,” I demanded.

“She sought me out. Otherwise, I don’t know where she is. It’s really up to her. You come from a powerful lineage, that’s for sure,” he said, continuing, “You’ve tried yourself. She can’t be found unless she wants to be.”

Kiran could track her
but the less Sebastian knew, the better.

“Why’re you even helping?”

“She had a lead on the spy…since Orion backed out,” he explained. “A spy is a spy is a spy—that’s where it becomes relevant to me.”

“Ah,” I yelped.

“I’m true to my word, Xenia. Your friends haven’t seen us conversing, but I don’t think I’m your major concern right about now,” he said, gesturing behind me.

He
was sitting amongst my friends in what looked like a pleasant conversation, whereby the girls were giggling shamelessly, especially Calliope.

“Ugh, must he really?” I cried scurrying off. Sebastian’s chuckle faded in the background.

I halted in front of the table, feigning civility when all I wanted to do to him was inflict a lot of pain. Styx sensed I loathed him and rejoiced in the trail of ideas that fluttered through my furious mind.

“What do we have here?” I strained through my teeth.

“Xenia, good day,” he smiled carefree. He stood offering his seat.
It was my seat to begin with but leave it to him to make it feel like he was doing you a favor.

“Orion was passing by and I invited him to join us,” Calliope said, jumping to his defense. She knew I wasn’t a fan of his but she didn’t know why, thankfully so. “Besides, you were lingering by the drink stand for a while.”

“I see,” I coolly addressed Orion with my red-hot eyes. “And you relished in the opportunity?”

“Who wouldn’t? I’d never decline an offer from such beautiful women,” he said, smiling cheekily.

“Of course you wouldn’t,” I laughed contemptuously before halting abruptly. “Suddenly, I feel sick to my stomach.”

“
Xenia
,” Maria whispered rigidly. “You’re making things awkward.”

“I can’t quite put my finger on it, but something about you has changed. Hairstyle?” he mocked, continuing, “Listen, I don’t want to ruin breakfast for Xenia, I should leave.”

I could show you what has changed, I thought, gritting my teeth.

“No,
you
should stay…really,” Calliope intercepted. It was evident by the look of daggers she shot me; she wished to be rid of both Marla and I.

What God-awful plague would I have to inflict upon him so that Calliope would lose interest? I agreed with part of Styx’s thought processes but her wrath had no bounds.

“Thank you, Calliope, Marla…
Xenia
,” he said smugly before leaving.

“Z, why d’you have to be such a royal biatch?” Calliope scorned.

“I don’t like him,” I said, reiterating it, “I hate him.”

“You could just smile like a lady and pretend to like him. After all, Calliope has a thing for him,” she giggled.

“I can assure you both that I just threw up in my mouth…just a little.” I twisted my face in disgust.

“You need to get laid, seriously,” Calliope snapped.

“But we’re taking it slow…” Marla replied aloofly. Once she realized her mistake, she averted her eyes self-consciously. “I mean, yeah…Xenia’s strung up and stuff.”

“About that…I actually kind of already hooked up with Nicholas, but don’t shoot me. I was going to tell you,” I said, hesitantly, bracing for the unknown.

Jaws dropped in awe. They stared at each other and then at Landon who stood behind me.

“Okay, we really need to work on some kind of entry strategy, no pun intended, Z,” he winked, playfully tooting his own horn. “I’m not a fan of the girl talk, nor do I want to stumble upon it ever again.”

“Stop sneaking by then,” Marla scolded.

“Next time, I’ll wear a little bell around my neck,” he twisted his face comically.

“Perfect. Thanks hun,” Marla pecked him on the cheek.

“You guys know I was joking right?” asked Landon. The girls and I smiled at one another, while Marla playfully coddled Landon.

“I have to go,” I announced abruptly.

“Well don’t leave on my account,” he said, concerned.

“Uh, no, I have to go. Lectures and labs are calling for me,” I said, ill at ease.

I scampered off, making way for the library to sign out a textbook for my computer lab. I needed a nice brisk walk with just me, myself and, as of late, Styx. A part of me said, take the pledge and become immorta. Meanwhile, the other part of me, the rationale part, delineated that being a Charon was respectable work, but it was unpaid work. I’d not only need to learn a trade to survive in this world, but also in the offline world. My silent deliberation was interrupted when Nicholas appeared in my periphery. To the untrained eye, he appeared like any other graduate student
. Not a double dead guy in existence for near two centuries.

It took him longer than usual to notice my presence, but once he did, he cut his conversation short.

“Xenia. How are you?” he asked, aloof. He appeared indifferent, even after
everything
.

“I’ve been busy lately…college busy. Trying to catch up with all I’ve missed.”

“If you need anything, let me know,” he smiled and walked away.

“What the hell, Nicholas?”

“I’m sorry, did I say something wrong?”