s*t*a*r*s/J*A*D*E*S
Jayden, Tegan, Abby, and Sydney arrive in a taxi at the front entrance of Abandon, Jo’s club, to find Rylee sitting against the wall, her head cradled in her arms.
“Rylee,” whispers Abby. She is out of the taxi before it stops and rushes over to Rylee. “Rylee, are you okay? Did something happen?”
Rylee wipes the tears from her eyes and she looks away. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
Tegan and Jayden walk to her, but Sydney holds back. Something is wrong, thinks Sydney but she can’t place the feeling. It teeters on the edge of her mind, ticking her consciousness.
“Rylee?” asks Tegan. Rylee stands, rubs her hands on her jeans and meets Tegan’s gaze. She rushes into Tegan’s arms and starts to cry again.
“She’s going to live forever,” sobs Rylee to Tegan so that no one else hears.
“Ah, baby girl, that will change, you see, it will,” whispers Tegan, rubbing Rylee’s back. “You just can’t disappear on us, okay? We were all worried.”
Rylee sniffs. “I can take care of myself, thanks. I’m the kickboxer, remember?”
A roar of tires and revving engine screeches around the corner. They look to see Spencer taking a black helmet off and setting a very fast looking bike on its kickstand. “Found her?”
“Whose bike is that?” ask Jayden. “You can’t drive that.”
“I can. Jo taught me when I was like eight. Same year I learned Klingon,” says Spencer. She holds the helmet in her hands, not sure if she should approach Rylee. “Are you okay?”
“Everyone needs to quit asking me that,” orders Rylee. “You live forever, I’m not okay.”
Spencer’s lips curl into a smile. “Only means you’re stuck with me the rest of your life. I figure that’s not a bad thing, right?”
Rylee’s emotions hitch up another notch. That was true, wasn’t it? She could have Spencer forever, her lifetime if she wants. What has she done?
Rylee hands the car keys to Jayden. “I want to go home.”
Spencer doesn’t walk to Rylee, she’s too angry, Spencer can feel the feeling ebbing from her but there is something else there too. She can’t place it.
“I’ll ride with Spencer,” says Sydney.
Rylee shoots her a hot glare but Sydney ignores it. “Come on, hot shot, give me the helmet, I’m not immortal,” teases Sydney.
Spencer extends her hand and gives the helmet to Sydney. The others pile into the car and Jayden points to her watch and Spencer nods. “Right behind you.”
The car pulls out of the parking lot. Spencer turns to Sydney, “What happened?”
“I don’t know. She was crying when we got here. Maybe she wanted to get drunk, maybe she wanted to dance.” Then Sydney thinks to herself, maybe she wanted to get laid.
Spencer grunts, slips a leg over the bike and Sydney gets on behind her, wrapping her arms around Spencer. “You can drive this? Even with your leg?”
“Yeah, gear shifter on this baby is on the right side, I have to clutch with my left hand and break with my right hand,” says Spencer. “I’m an excellent driver.”
Sydney laughs. “Sure, come on, let’s go.”
Spencer starts the bike and roars out of the parking lot. Hoping that Rylee really is okay.
s*t*a*r*s/J*A*D*E*S
“Hey, Natalie wants us in the library,” says Abby, leaning into the room
The scene is an unusual one, because Spencer is nowhere near Rylee. They haven’t spoken in the five days since Rylee freaked out about Spencer being immortal. Maybe being immortal. She refuses to talk to Spencer, stating that she can’t talk about it. It’s maddening.
“Now?” asks Tegan. She is reading a book and she folds the page and sets it aside.
“Yeah, I think she means now,” mutters Abby. “Where is Sydney?”
“In the pisser,” says Spencer. She says something in another language, they all glance at her. “Sorry I’m trying to finish this damn song.”
“What language was that? I sounds like you are spitting the words,” groans Sydney coming out of the bathroom. “I don’t want spitting words in my song.”
“It’s Klingon,” says Spencer in an off handed way. “Come on, Lee, let’s go.”
Rylee grumbles. Annoyed that Spencer seems to be treating her the same as always, save that they aren’t touching – at all. Rylee makes sure of that.
They all move from their places, Spencer reaches absently for Rylee but she side steps the touch. “I’m not toxic,” growls Spencer.
“Quit it,” snaps Rylee.
“Just break up with her already,” says Sydney.
Everyone turns to look at her, aghast at the words that the youngest of them has uttered.
“What? I’m tired of her treating my best friend like crap, no matter what language you put that word in its still crap, Rylee,” snaps Sydney. “Grow the hell up.”
They look over at Rylee who just shrugs. “It’s my business, not yours.”
“Let it go,” says Spencer. She walks behind Abby and they make their way to the library.
Abby is the first into the library. She stops short. A tall man, with a perfectly trimmed dark beard is sitting on the edge of the table. He is lithe yet solid looking under his long coat. His gaze rises to look at them.
Spencer pushes passed them. “Dathan?”
He smiles, showing the glint of fangs. “Spencer.”
Spencer rushes to him, hugging him hard, her grabs her, hugging and lifting her off the floor with ease. “You look marvelous,” smiles Spencer. “What – what are you doing?”
“I think you should introduce me before young Tegan or Sydney sends me somewhere where I do not want to be,” whispers Dathan.
Tegan’s hands are curled at her side and Sydney’s fingers are splayed open, ready to send him to the moon if must be.
“Everyone, this is Dathan. My mom and I met him – wow – when I was seven? He’s immortal,” says Spencer. “And pretty cool, he taught me a lot of old never spoken languages. And how to read things, hieroglyphics and stuff too.”
“You’ve grown, you all have, of course,” says Dathan. He strides to Tegan, extending his hand to her. “You must be Tegan, the child of Amy Astin. You, dear, must be Abigail, you have your mother’s wonderful gaze. Sydney Doyle, you are the spitting image of your mother, I must say. And lastly, Rylee Scott,” he has taken each of the girls hands and when he reaches to take Rylee’s, she grits her teeth and closes her eyes to the onslaught of images. She knows that he is old, older than anything or anyone that Rylee has ever touched. She stammers backwards.
“Lee!” says Spencer, she moved to Rylee but Rylee waves her off. Spencer stops short, wanting to growl at this bubble of no touch zone that Rylee has instigated.
“How old are you?” asks Rylee breathlessly. This is what Spencer will feel like someday, aged, old, solid and so filled with memories.
“I am over 3 thousand years old,” says Dathan. “I did not come for a history lesson; I did come for your help. Natalie will be here shortly. Fill me in on what each of you do?”
Abby seeks out Spencer’s gaze, and sees that Spencer trusts him. “I can change things. Sawdust to titanium, whatever I touch I can change to what I want. I’m still not perfect at it.”
Tegan casts a wary look at Rylee, who shrugs. “I see the future and sometimes the past,” says Rylee.
“And what you see, they are malleable?” asks Dathan.
“Yes,” answers Rylee.
Sydney takes a seat by the window. “Teleporter.”
“I’m not telling him anything,” says Tegan. “You’re like Susan. I can feel it, goddamn it, you’re like her.”
Spencer moves to Tegan and touches her hand lightly, “He’s not like…”
“How did you know?” asks Dathan in a quizzical tone, there is humor tainting his tone. He removes his long leather jacket, folds it neatly and places it on the chair.
Spencer turned and Tegan catches her hand. “I can see that time moves differently around him – he’s either her brother, father…”
“Brother, one of many, in fact,” he says. “Spencer this is one of the things I wanted to speak to you about, in time.”
“Oh boy, Spence,” says Rylee dashing over to her girlfriend. She keeps her distance but for the first time in days she feels like touching Spencer, even for a fleeting moment. “Take a breath.”
Spencer’s eyes shimmered from blue to amber then back again. Rylee cups her face, the electric field between them lessens after a moment. Spencer takes a deep breath, feeling that Rylee’s energy is different for some reason – it feels tainted. “Okay, I’ve got it.”
“Your mother is afraid you’d evaporate me on the spot if we told you. She never knew about that side of her legacy, I told her. All she knew was that her mother was some evil entity that wanted her to be a harbinger of death. In reality, Quinn, Susan’s real name, was trying to make sure that she survived. And please, I am not defending Quinn,” he says raising a hand in surrender, “I hunted her for hundreds of years, wanting to put her into the ground in as many pieces as I could. Spencer, I am not evil.”
“I know,” whispers Spencer. Her hand finds Rylee’s and she squeezes it gently. Spencer moves to the table, dragging Rylee with her, not letting her go no matter who much Rylee wants to keep her distance. She inches up onto the tabletop and sits, both feet brushing the floor. “Tegan can stop time, I can re-appropriate energy.”
“Thanks, Spence!” snorts Tegan. “I don’t trust you, you got me? Not one bit. Susan, or whatever her name is, is some nut job that tried to kill Jo and forced my mom to hate her life because all she wanted is Jo. I don’t care who you are. I don’t trust you.”
Dathan bows his head towards Tegan. “A warrior never minces words. Had I known what Quinn was doing I would have tried to stop her. I did not know. I met Jo in an unfortunate accident, where Judas’ Kindred had captured me and she freed me, after taking their lives. In her, I saw my sister – Quinn.”
“Wait, Susan, er, ohm, Quinn is over three thousand years old!” blared Rylee.
“Exclamation marks,” they says in unison.
“On that note,” says Natalie from the doorway. “What Dathan wants to find is the Stone of Iesous, a stone that Dathan’s father had in his possession when he ceased to exist on this plane of reality. He is immortal but he no longer has a body, and as far as we can tell, he isn’t here anymore.”
“Mother of Mary, your father is Jesus F’ing Christ?” says Sydney. They all turn to stare at her. “My mom made me read books,” she explains.
Dathan smiles. “This is what he is called by some, yes. His given name is Iesous and his brother is Judas, the creator of The Kindred.”
“I-I’m a descendent of Jesus?” asks Spencer. “This is our bloodline. It is our bloodline, isn’t it?” She feels her world closing in and broadening at the same time, good god, what is she? Spencer edges away from Rylee slightly. How can she subject Rylee to this?
“Yes,” says Natalie softly. “All of you are in some way or another descendents of those original lines, Judas or Iesous.”
Jayden pushes into the room. “Dathan, Eden is on the phone, she’s – giggling. Sorry to interrupt.”
“Aunt Jay,” says Spencer waving.
“Hey, you guys behaving?” asks Jayden.
“Only because we have too,” says Abby. Abby leans back on her elbows, at ease, very interested in whatever Dathan has in store for them.
“I will return,” says Dathan he sweeps past Jayden and whispers, “Giggling?”
“I think she finds it amusing that you are a teacher here – even if you haven’t been on campus in two years,” says Jayden.
Dathan moves from the room and Jayden sits on the table on the other side of Spencer. She gently leaned into Spencer. They are only a bit more than two years apart in age, but Jayden has lived many lives as many people. Today, Jayden’s hair is her normal color and her eyes the soft shade of olive that she’d been born with. “Are you okay?”
Spencer nods, she licks her lips as if tasting something on them. Rylee pulls her hand from Spencer’s. “I’m okay. I just – this is a little much to take. What does he want us for, Natalie?”
Natalie clears her throat. “To help find the stone, we know where it is, but getting to it will require – well more that what Dathan has to offer.”
“Power,” says Tegan. “Why do we want this stone? Why do I want to waste my summer vacation trotting around, well, somewhere, chasing after something that I don’t care about?”
“Because it may hold the soul of Iesous,” says Jayden. “There are five original objects. The Blade of Artemis, which Jo has, the Rings of Bonding – we have neither, the Band of Ares and the Stone of Iesous.”
“What do all these things do?” asks Abby, she inches closer to Sydney, who pulls her closer, and easy arm swings over Abby’s shoulders.
“The Blade kills anything of demon origin. The Rings of Bonding are for soulmates, of which they will never part, and if one lives as does the other. The Band of Ares, we aren’t sure, but as far as lore goes it can give the wearer great power and the Stone, well, we think the stone can give the possessor immortality,” says Natalie. “Its all – well, guess work.”
“And it shall be unless we possess those items. There are five of you and five Originals. I cannot pretend that is a coincidence,” says Dathan softly. “I would never put children at harm, but you are the Five. The five that Gideon foretold in his book.”
“Oh great another profit, give us more things to think about, some guy who never met us wrote about us,” groans Tegan. She paces the room, filled with energy, not trusting, feeling as if something very bad is about to happen.
“Ah, yes, Garret, a direct line from my gypsy brother, Gideon,” says Dathan. “I see that I have overwhelmed you, at least for the moment. I want to depart tomorrow evening, and if you so choose, I wish you all to accompany me on this adventure.”
“Where are we going?” asks Rylee.
“Greece,” says Dathan. “The lower caves where your mother was hidden away for three years Spencer. This is where my father left us, in Greece.”
“I hate that cave,” groans Spencer.
Dathan takes his leave of them and they all filter back to their rooms.