I cleared my throat. “Wesley was able to project to me on an astral plane. He didn’t have much strength, and it was only for a few minutes,” I said, my lip quivering.
“Astral projection, huh?” Shawn seemed impressed. “Hopefully, he wasn’t followed. Not that any souls damned in Purgatory would want a sick body to inhabit.”
“Is that good?” I asked, confused. I had always been able to project.
“It’s perfect for a half human.” He frowned. “He probably used all his strength to give you his message. That’s why he was only able to hold on for a few moments.”
“Well, now we have a location,” I said quietly.
Shawn got up and wrapped his arms around me in an awkward hug. “Yes, and now you are a wreck.” He smoothed my hair and rested his cheek on the top of my head.
“I’ll be fine,” I whimpered as I felt another fit of tears coming my way.
“There’s so much goodness in you. You can stop hiding behind the dark exterior,” he whispered in my ear.
I pulled back and looked at him startled. What was that supposed to mean?
Chapter 17
Xic
Midvale was a ghost town after the death of Mr. Walsh. We had our classes at the old Elementary School and then simply went home. There were no afterschool activities; we weren’t even allowed to go to the bathroom alone. Thankfully, the board was able to get us larger tables for the rooms, so we didn’t have to use the small child-size desks.
Shawn had told me about how sometimes the Carriers didn’t know what they were. They carried with them the power of their element but had no idea how to harness it. He was afraid that the three who had been brutally murdered were connected by one common thread. That within them was a piece of an element. It didn’t matter what element it was; all that mattered to him was finding out.
Shawn and I kept the fact that we were related away from everyone else at the school. My very handsome brother was the talk of the female crowd, and it wouldn’t be in my best interests to take away his popularity. He had met Kim, a quiet girl in my Physics class, and asked her to the prom. She had seemed shocked at first but had then agreed hurriedly, with a massive smile on her face. Kim was, like me, an outcast. I knew very little about her, but she had always been friendly enough to me.
Shawn had a theory that if he could just touch something that belonged to the three dead scholars, he would be able to know if they were “storage boxes” (as he called them) for element fragments. Being in the Elementary School made this difficult since all our stuff was still back at the high school, inaccessible behind rows of caution tape. If he could prove that the creature killing people was after those who unknowingly harbored an element, we would be able to pinpoint who was in danger. So, he concocted a stupid plan that involved both me and Adam breaking into the High School with him and pointing him in the direction of Noreen and Nathan’s lockers, plus getting him access to the principal’s office. The plan went well enough until things started getting a little weird.
“Do you smell that?” Shawn said, putting his nose in the air.
“Yeah, it smells like…” Adam stopped.
“Sulfur,” I said slowly, turning on my heel and putting my back to Shawn’s.
“What does that mean?” Adam asked, his eyes shooting up and down the deserted hallway.
“It means trouble,” Shawn said, twining his left hand with my right to keep me close to him.
“It means a demon,” I added, looking at him before the dark pull in me began to surface. “Adam, I need you to find a classroom and go in and lock the door. They aren’t after you so you should be fine.”
I felt my eyes start to burn, which meant the change was coming. Shawn was fueling my spark.
“You might need me,” Adam said uncertainly.
“The human has a point,” Shawn said, his grip on my hand getting tighter. “Whatever you do though,” Shawn’s head shot to the side, “don’t let him touch you.”
“Dawny, Dawny, Dawny.” The voice was so familiar, but the face that went with it was hidden in the shadows.
“Xic?” My brother said, peering into the shadows on my side. His eyes had gone black, so I assumed mine were as well.
“Shawn?” the demon said, stepping into the light.
“We meet again, old friend,” Shawn answered. I could feel his hand tightening.
“Yes, we do.” Xic smiled, his mouth curving unnaturally. “Did you ever think of my little proposition?” He was addressing me now but looking at my brother.
I could hear Adam breathing behind me. I didn’t know if he was terrified or just marveling at what he saw — nothing like receiving a front row seat before the world ended.
“Yes, I did. I am going to have to decline,” I hissed, shaking my head. That was when I caught sight of my eyes in the reflection of a classroom window. One was white the other black… how odd.
“I was so hoping you would join me,” Xic said, pouting. “I see you found another flame-bearer.”
“So?”
“Why always on the defensive? Guys put your fire away. Nobody needs to get hurt,” Xic said, moving his hands towards us.
“Did you kill these people?” I demanded. So much anger was building in me.
“Me? No. Murder isn’t my thing. Alright, I like a good suicide here and there but no, definitely not murder. I’m here just like you.” He grinned again. “I was hoping you would take me up on my offer to rule Purgatory with me, but I understand.” He put his hands in the pockets of his slacks.
Shawn seemed to relax a little but remained on his guard.
“You told me to leave Lilly the Earth and to rule
