Sunday looks ahead, but I can hear it in his voice, there’s concern. I mean, I did just appear in the middle of school waterlogged. Mel stops and puts a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it gently. Her eyes are crisp and bright, and her flawless skin makes me want to punch her. Who gets to be so damn beautiful? I mean, I wish I could have a tan like that all year without effort. I bet Rye would notice me if I looked like her.
“He’s right. They have to have a way to deal with this shit. So, they make shit up. A downpour, a random fully clothed shower, a prank. They will circulate whatever they have to if it means staying in their comfort zone.”
And last year I would have been one of those kids staying in her own comfort zone. This year I’m the Paradox who is supposed to save all of humanity. Great. No pressure.
“Okay love, have a good day.” Sunday winks.
Bit late for that, but as Sunday and Ya-Ya wave me off and break away, I wave back, glad to have at least a few friendly faces.
Aziza, Grace, Mel, and Jinx stay with me, which is good because I want to ask them about Rye.
“Hey, guys. Earlier, with Rye. What did happen with his family? I didn’t really get a chance to ask, not with being soaked and confused and all. I mean, I am so glad to be dry now, don’t get me wrong. I just, what was that about with him?”
Aziza scowls, but I am pretty sure that’s just her face. Honestly, it just adds to her allure. Her dark eyes dart around the group and then she huffs and turns, walking away.
“What did I say now?” I ask.
Jinx, Mel, and Grace shift uncomfortably before Jinx steps up to answer.
“You might need to just talk to Rye about it yourself. You know, it could be he doesn’t want to share that little bit of his history. Hell, even we don’t know all the deets, Sailor.”
That’s strange. They live together. Fight together. How can they not know such an important part of their leader’s history?
“Well, that’s not entirely true,” Mel mutters. She crosses her arms over her chest. Jinx and Grace glare at her. “What? We’ve talked.”
“Okay, so?” I press.
“We all know the general gist, but it isn’t a pretty story, Sailor. Once I tell you this...I mean, you’re just a human. So much of this is going to be hard for you to fully comprehend. Hell, being the Paradox doesn’t change that fact.”
“I just want to know. If not for anything else, I don’t want to accidentally trigger him again and I probably will, but I don’t want to if I can help it.”
I might as well get on my hands and knees and plead.
“We don’t have enough time for me to give you the full history lesson, so just the cliff notes. His family, his entire bloodline, were slaughtered. There’s a group that calls themselves the ‘Infinity,’ and they’re obsessed with finding the seven stones that were embedded in Imelda’s crown.”
A group, super loud, comes tromping toward us and Mel stops as they pass. They leave behind a trail of cheap cologne, way too heavy. I fan the air in front of my face but it doesn’t help. Once they are out of view Mel continues.
“Whoever can put all seven of the jewels in place will have eternal life. The Infinity group wants to take the stone and replicate its magic. Their goal is to get eternal life for their group while everyone else remains mortal. Rye’s family was in charge of hiding the stones. He was away training, and when he got home, his family had been tortured and killed for failing to disclose the location of the stones.”
Oh my god. That’s horrible. At some point, my hand had gone to my mouth and a tear slipped out. I didn’t even realize my chest was so tight until I took a breath.
“I...I didn’t know. That’s terrible!”
“Yes. Which is why he doesn’t go around flaunting a hey-my-family-was-murdered flag,” Jinx mumbles.
His hair is standing on end, but shaggy or not, he’s attractive and he knows it. At least he is almost as pale as me. We can look like vampires together. My heart is still hurting though, so the thought doesn’t give me any comfort.
A bell buzzes and the morning announcements come to life overhead.
“And that’s our cue. See ya.”
Jinx gives a two-finger salute and storms off with Grace close behind.
I continue along with Mel, silent as we make our way to our first period, which we happen to have together. My mind is reeling, enough that I need to have some things sorted out. Mel has been the one in the group that seems to be in the know about pretty much everything.
“Okay, so let me see if I’ve got this straight: the Four Horsemen are here and, in a year, they will gather and end the world. The only way to stop that is for the Paradox, me, to kill them all one by one.”
“Yes, that’s right. You already know this, so why are you bringing it up again?”
Mel doesn’t stop walking, not until we are in front of a classroom, the seats full except for two. I know we can’t talk about this once we step into the class, but I really need to ask about this new piece of the puzzle.
“But in addition to the Four Horsemen, there’s a group of crazy Avo called Infinity that wants the seven stones that used to belong on some crown so they can live forever?”
“Yes, but the Infinity aren’t all Avo. Some of the beings are human. It makes sense. Avo live longer than humans most of the time. A human’s lifespan is pretty short compared to say a vampire or werewolf.”
“So even if the world ended, if they get
