Chapter Twenty-Two
Jasmine may not have completely understood why I was so terrified that it was finally my birthday, but she did understand one thing: how to throw an amazing party.
I can't help the small smile that spreads across my lips as I gaze about my surroundings in enchantment. Even though I'd never mentioned it to her, Jasmine had someone managed to throw the perfect party for me; a bonfire, on the beach, surrounded by the people I cared about. I could see Ria, Josh and Alex, a few other supers I'd gotten to know a little more over the past couple of months; even Spencer and Kenzie were here (although, from the way Kenzie was berating for Spencer, I suspected they weren't going to remain for much longer). And if there weren't so many people, or such loud music reverberating through the otherwise serene Autumn night, the party would be just about flawless.
"So? Whaddya think?" Jasmine asks me, grinning as she twirls around with her arms held out wide. "Did I do good, or did I do good?"
"You did... alright." I reply neutrally, refusing to stroke her ego. Jasmine rolls her eyes.
"Girl, I did good and you know it." She retorts, tossing her hair over her shoulder with and overly dramatic pose. "And hey, added bonus; I told everyone not to bring presents, so there are no presents in sight; killer or friendly" She beams happily at me and winks. "So I guess your blackmailer hasn't delivered their 'killer present' like they promised."
My smile diminishes somewhat. "It's only the beginning of the night, Jas. Anything could happen."
"You're absolutely right; anything could happen! Like the birthday girl indulging in a little fun for once in her life. Fun who's name rhymes with cleric, am I right?" She wriggles her eyebrows, siddling up to me.
"Stop." I groan, squeezing my eyes shut in mortification and covering my face with my hand to muffle my laugh. "Or I will turn invisible and leave right this instant."
"That sounds awfully like an empty threat, my dear Elliana. We both know that you wouldn't do that." She teases, linking her arm through mine and dragging me after her. Giggling, I open my eyes just in time to see her throw her free hand up in the air and announce, "The birthday girl is here!"
The whole area abruptly descends into complete silence, and all the party-goers turn to shout simultaneously, "Happy birthday Ellie!"
I blush so hard that I'm surprised my face doesn't spontaneously burst into flame.
"I am so not happy." I mumble under my breath.
"Liar." Jasmine laughs. She tightens her hold on me though, an action which I find bizarrely hilarious. I guess she does know me well after all. "Come on birthday girl, it's time to get your partying boots on!"
"Do I have to?" I say dryly as she drags me over to a wooden table overflowing with what looks like hundreds of different types of drink; all of which are alcoholic, I have no doubt. "I would much rather sit on the edge of the beach in silence and just watch the waves."
"Who are you, my mother?" Jasmine scoffs, shaking her head. She grabs a couple of plastic red cups and pours one of the drinks into them. I eye the bright green colour of the drink dubiously. Okay, I'm ninety-nine percent sure that nothing that colour is ever healthy. "No, you're partying and you're going to have a good time, because I know if I leave you alone for more than a minute you'll go back to stressing about the-subject-we-must-not-name."
"'The-subject-we-must-not-name'?" I echo. "You mean the prophecy? The one that could bring about the end of the supernatural world as-"
"Ah duh duh!" She shoves her hand over my mouth, giving me a hard look. "What did I just say? No speaking of those words! No discussing of the-subject-we-must-not-name! You're not even allowed to think about thinking about it! I told you I would whoop your ass if you did any of those things, and I was not kidding!"
I raise an eyebrow at her, and obtusely summon a ball of my power to blast her away with. She rockets back several meters to land hard on the sand, and a few people standing around us burst out laughing at the spectacle. Jasmine puffs her hair out of her face, scowling up at me, and I hold my hands up in the air. "And like I told you when you professed that earlier, I highly doubt you will succeed in that endeavour."
Jasmine huffs, pushing herself up to her feet and pointing her finger in my face. "Don't make me regret throwing this party for you."
"I do not think that is even a considerable possibility." I reply bemusedly. She pokes her tongue out at me and shoves the cup of green alcohol into my hand.
"Shut up and get drunk." She grumbles. I chuckle and obediently take a small sip of the drink to pacify her, but the moment she looks away I toss the rest out onto the sand.
There is absolutely no way in hell I am getting drunk tonight. Tonight, of all nights, is the one time I most definitely need my wits about me; especially if my blackmailer follows up on their promise. And despite Jasmine's assurances that they won't, from their track record, there's a 99.9 percent change that they will.
I clutch the cup closer to my chest, glancing around me surreptitiously. Unsurprisingly, nothing seems to be out of the ordinary, but I know better than to let that lull me into a false sense of security. My blackmailer has proved in the past that they're much smarter than I initially gave them due credit for, so I know that they'll pounce the moment I let my guard down. And I'll be damned before I'll let them get the slip on me this time; Jasmine's right, there's no way I can hope to control the future, but I can control whether they get away with whatever it is they have planned for tonight.
I'm settling this once and for all, so I have at least one less problem to worry about going into the uncertainty of the future.
"Ellie!" I jump, and refocus my attention just in time to see Ria, Alex and Josh walking over to Jasmine and I. The former offers me a smile and pulls me into a warm hug. "Happy birthday."
"Thank you Ria." I reply slowly, intrinsically shocked by her uncharacteristically compassionate embrace. Just as I step back again, I unintentionally lock gazes with Alex, and hurriedly avert my gaze to the cup in my hand, embarrassment stealing over me.
I still can't believe the way I acted toward him last night.
He must think I'm absolutely insane.
"You're welcome." Ria replies amicably. "Have you been enjoying your birthday so far?"
Oh, you have no idea.
"It's been...stimulating, to say in the least." I say after a moment, and Jasmine snorts next to me. I elbow her surreptitiously. "It is definitely not what I expected."
"That's not surprising." Ria says bemusedly, and when I glance up at her, her brown eyes are twinkling; almost like she knows exactly what I'm talking about. If she does, though, it wouldn't surprise me; the wise Indian nymph always seems to know what's going on.
"Where's Otti?" Jasmine asks curiously, echoing a question that had been bugging me too.
"Late, I suppose." Josh responds nonchalantly, but from the tight undertones in his voice, I can tell it's bothering him too. I study his body language quietly, bashfully deterring my gaze when he catches me watching.
Why does her lateness worry him? Something does not seem right.
Jasmine seems to accept his explanation much more readily than I do, because she shrug with an impatient sigh and moves on. "Well, she better hurry her ass up, because I need my drinking buddy."
"Why do you need a drinking buddy?" I ask, and she rolls her eyes.
"So I can get drunk with someone, duh."
"You're going to get drunk at a party your parents are at?" Alex asks incredulously, staring at her. "I didn't think human parents encouraged that."
"Dude. My stepfather is literally the god of drunken revelry. Do you really think he's going to stop me?" She scoffs, gesturing to him. We all glance over at Spencer concurrently, and he holds two thumbs up with an incredibly overdramatic wink when he notices us all looking at him.
"Make terrible decisions kids!" He hollers at us, like he's been a part of our conversation the entire time, and Kenzie thumps him so hard that we hear it over the other side of the bonfire. He protests loudly. "Woman, I really don't understand why you came along if you don't agree with my parenting methods; there is nothing wrong with your daughter getting disgustingly drunk at one of my parties every once in a while."
"I rest my case." Jasmine snorts, throwing back the rest of her drink.
Chuckling, I go to return my attention back to her, but my progress halts abruptly as it unwittingly meets the piercing emerald gaze of a very particular someone standing by the huge roaring fire. I freeze, a shiver rocketing down my spine.
Well. I guess it's now or never.
"I... I'll be right back." I tell Jasmine, unable to tear my eyes away from Eric.
"Wait what? Where are you—" Jasmine starts to reply, but I don't wait around to hear the rest of her statement, heading over to Eric like I'm being pulled by an irresistible magnet.
When I stop next to him, Eric doesn't say a single word, keeping his gaze fixed on the flickering orange flames dancing in front of him. I cross my arms tightly over my chest, kicking my feet together and trying to ignore how fast my heart is racing.
"Hi." I speak up softly, timidly glancing over at him.
He doesn't move, and for a terrifying second I think he's not even going to acknowledge my presence. But then his head turns slightly and he meets my gaze, the flames sending a mirage of light and shadow across his handsome features. "Hi."
I clear my throat, and we both glance back at the bonfire at the exact same time. "I've never seen a real fire up close before."
"Really?" He asks, shock filtering into his expression for a respite of a second. "Not even in the Underworld?"
"No." I shake my head. "It's not possible. All the fires in my father's palace aren't real; they're just an extension of a very elaborate facade."
"Well. That'll disappoint all the people who think they're destined for the fiery pits of Hell." Eric replies, surprising a small laugh out of me. He glances over at me, the corners of his mouth quirking up into the ghost of a smirk. "I'd maybe keep that inanely mediocre piece of information about Hell under wraps if I were you, Bambi. Otherwise, next thing you know, you'll be scaring everyone into wanting to go to Heaven."
I can't help the small smile that blossoms over my lips when he calls me Bambi. It feels like forever since he called me that. I never thought there would come a day where I'd actually look forward to it. "Ah. We would not want that, would we?"
"You're the demon; you tell me."
I roll my eyes. "How many times must I reinforce my assertion that I am not a demon?"
"At least another ten times." H tells me seriously, and I scrunch up my nose in confusion. "Maybe by then I'll actually figure out what you're saying."
I laugh, ducking my head so my hair hides the blush in my cheeks, and Eric grins, a little of his usual cheeky bravado returning to his expression in the form of a twinkle in his eye. Silence descends upon us once more, sinking her nimble fingers into the skeleton of our conversation. It's almost like we've lost our natural repertoire and reverted back to being complete strangers; both of us hanging on the tenterhooks of what we're dying to say and dancing around the edges of a conversation that we both know is going to change our own little world, no matter what direction it leads us in. I know exactly what I want to say — what I should say — but I'm terrified that my flighty response last night ripped apart any chance I had with him. Who exactly would want to be with a person who ran the moment they confessed their feelings to them; especially Eric, who openly admitted that he was scared of giving into said feelings in the first place?
I swallow hard and look back up at him again, deciding to just bite the bullet and get it over with. I have to stop being afraid of the future.
We both start talking at the same time.
"Eric, I—"
"Ellie—"
Both of us pause, our eyes growing wide, and burst out laughing.
"You go first." I tell him, smiling.
He shakes his head. "No, I can wait. You go."
"Okay." I let out a long breath, pausing for a moment to collect my thoughts. "Eric, I'm really sorry for the way I acted last night. I shouldn't have run away; you were only telling me the truth, something I had specifically asked you to do, and I reacted by—"
"I'm going to stop you right there." He interrupts me, stepping forward. The words dissipate in my throat the moment he closes the distance between us, so I just stare up at him through wide eyes. He offers me a small smile that momentarily blinds me with its unabashed authenticity. "Don't apologise, honestly. It was a lot of information for you to take in, especially with everything else you have on your plate. I didn't really think about that, and it was unfair of me to dump all my crap on you like that. I should really be the one apologising."
"Don't be sorry. I'm glad you did, truly." I bite my lip, hesitating for a second. "I do have one question I meant to ask you last night, though."
"What is it?" He inquires, watching me curiously.
"Why did you feel you needed to protect me from yourself?" I ask softly, and his eyes widen a fraction. "If anything, it should be me trying to protect you from me and my destiny. So why did you feel you needed to protect me from yourself?"
Eric sighs, running a hand through his hair. "Like I said yesterday, I'm messed up, Ellie. And I always will be; that's never going to change." Then he pauses, lowering his gaze as he delivers his next sentence; almost like he's afraid of the very words coming out of his own mouth. "I won't change who I am; I can't. But I refuse to change you."
"You already have, Eric." I reply, and he jerks his head up to stare at me. "And you've changed me for the better. You taught me how to come out of my shell, to step out of my comfort zone and to stop caring about every little detail in the world so I can just live. I'll forever be grateful to you for that."
"You honestly think that?" He asks, genuine shock dusting his tones. I nod, smiling up at him.
"Of course I do." I say, softening my voice. "Eric, I know you think the things you have done in the past have damaged you, that who you are and what you embody has permanently broken your view on love, but it's just not true. The very fact that you're worried about changing me just goes to prove that you care, and you have all along. Love is not some damaged, cornered wild animal, just waiting to strike and maim anyone who dares to come close to it; it's a small, delicate shoot, just waiting for the sun to shine on it. Sure if you ignore it, neglect it, and cease to believe in it, it can die or grow into something twisted and ugly; but if you nurture it, it can blossom into something truly beautiful." I step closer to him, my fingers lighting skimming his wrist. "That is what you embody Eric; not the destruction of life, but the beauty that makes it shine. You're the nurturing sun the shoot so desperately needs for survival, and that is what you bring into the world; I've seen it, with my very own eyes. Life is cruel enough as it is; if you cease to believe in love, in that small, vulnerable shoot, what is there left to live for? What would we live for?"
By this point, I'm standing so close to him that I notice the very moment his breath catches in his throat. He tucks the hair that's fallen over my face behind my ear, never once taking his eyes off me.
"You are, without a doubt, the most extraordinary person I have ever met, you know that?" He murmurs, shaking his head. "What did the world do to deserve you?"
"I'm still trying to figure that out." I reply, blushing a little.
A smile ricochets over his lips in response. "Do you want to see something else extraordinary?"
"I don't know Eric, I..." I bite my lip indecisively, glancing around. I meet Jasmine's gaze, and its almost like she speaks straight to me. Stop being afraid of the future. I square my shoulders, steeling myself. Stop being afraid. "You know what? Yes. Yes I do."
"Perfect." He grins a pearly white grin and grabs my hand, dragging me away before I have the chance to second-guess my decision. My heart skips a beat in my chest at the small, simple action, and I don't miss the smirk Jasmine sends my way when she catches us sneaking away into the shadows.
"Kiss the Cupid!" She mouthes, winking at me. I resist the very strong urge to bury my face in my hands, and if Eric hadn't been holding one of my hands, I very probably would have.
I'm going to kill her when I get back.
The loud raucousness of the party fades into the distance as Eric silently leads me down the waterfront, heading for the small cove of trees shrouding the outskirts of the beach. I let my eyes wander around the shadowy scenery, my curiosity growing the further we walk.
"Where are we going?"
Eric doesn't even hesitate to reply. "Far enough into the forest that the others won't hear you scream when I kill you."
"Ha ha." I reply sarcastically. "Very funny."
His teeth glint in the moonlight when he turns to grin at me. "Do you think I'm kidding? That's adorable."
"Even if you weren't kidding," I begin, poking my tongue out at him when he snorts. "Which I know you are, you would not be able to kill me."
"What makes you think that? I'm pretty good with a bow and arrow, I'll have you know." He flexes the bicep on his free arm to prove his point.
I roll my eyes at his narcissism. "Be that as it may, you would still not be able to kill me."
"Why's that?"
"I once had someone teach me how to defend myself against brutes like yourself."
Eric stops and raises his eyebrows at me. "I'm a brute now, am I?"
"Yes." I nod seriously.
"Well." He turns around so he's facing me properly, catching my other wrist and holding me powerless in his grip. He smirks at me. "Your teacher must have been exceptionally talented to have you so sure you can beat a brute like me, then."
I narrow my eyes at him, twisting my wrist and snapping it out of his grip in the simple way he taught me all those months ago. Then, in the same fluid motion, I kick his legs out from underneath him and slam him down hard onto the ground on his back. I rest my boot on his throat, a smirk of my own dancing over my lips at the stunned expression on his face.
"Yes. He was." I reply simply, before taking my boot off his throat and sashaying away.
Oh, that was so much more satisfying than I thought it would be.
"Hey Bambi." Eric calls after me after a moment of silence, and when I glance back at him, he's sitting on the ground with a funny little grin on his face.
"What?"
"As impressive as that grand exit was, you're going the wrong way."
"Oh." I blush hard, halting my progress. "Well, why don't you get up off your ass and tell me where we are going so I can continue on in the right direction?"
He chuckles, pushing himself up to his feet and dusting the dirt off his hands. "I already told you where we're going."
I put my hands on my hips and give him a look. "Eric."
Eric laughs and walks over to me, grabbing my hand again and leading me in a slightly different trajectory. "It's a surprise, Bambi."
"But I don't like surprises."
"I know. I guess you're just going to have to trust me on this." He glances back at me. "You know what that is, right?"
I don't respond, rolling my eyes and grudgingly letting him drag me closer.
We walk for another ten minutes before we finally break through the cover of the trees, emerging into what looks like a small clearing. Eric leads me further out into the open air before he finally stops, and I realise where we are. My eyes widen in pure wonder, and I forget all about Eric as I run forward to take in the awe-striking view in front of me. We're standing at the edge of a cliff-face overlooking the beach, the orange flicker of the bonfire like a small pulsating light hovering above several tiny black specks dancing all over the sand. The sea is so calm in the breadth of the night that it looks like a clear blue mirror reflecting the rich night sky, and the stars, the beautiful, bright, shining stars, just about dazzle me with their innumerable radiance.
"Oh Eric." I breathe, completely overwhelmed by the exquisite magnificence of the sight before me. "It's beautiful."
"I know." Eric responds just as quietly, appearing next to me. When I glance over at him, he's smiling at me. "I knew you'd like this place."
"Why?"
"Because you love beaches; I've known that since the very first week I met you." He says, and my heart glows. "And I had a feeling you'd love the stars just as much."
"I do. I really, really do." I whisper, and his smile transforms into a triumphant grin. "Thank you for bringing me here."
"You're welcome." He replies sincerely. I smile up at him, before returning my attention to the sparkling scene in front of us, letting it envelop me like a warm blanket.
"Do you know why I love beaches?" I ask him softly after we stand in comfortable silence for several minutes. He shakes his head. "Because they're always there. No matter what happens, they'll always be there, and they'll always be telling stories, like the stars."
"Stories?" He echoes, prompting me to elaborate further.
"No matter what beach you go to, the sand is always marred by countless footsteps, each set of footsteps telling different stories written by countless individuals throughout the day." I say. "We're all different, from different walks of life with different aims and purposes, but whenever people come to the beach, we're all the same. We all imprint our own story on that impressionable surface. We all leave our mark, whether we mean to or not. I just love to think about all the stories each beach has read and collected in its lifetime."
"So what story are you leaving behind?" He asks, watching me with those piercing green eyes of his.
"I'm still not sure yet." I smile a little. "I'm waiting to see what will happen in the future before I decide the ending."
The corners of his mouth quirk up into a grin. "Well, I may not be able to tell you what the ending is going to be, but I can tell you right now that you're going to love what's going to happen next."
"What is that?" I ask, my forehead furrowing in confusion. Eric's grin widens, and he grabs my hand and pulls me closer.
"That." He whispers in my ear, pointing up just as the sky explodes with colour.
I jump in fright as a loud boom echoes all around us, reverberating in time to the big colourful balls of stars erupting in the sky. Eric chuckles at my reaction and wraps an arm around my shoulders, and suddenly, just like the night Eric and I danced in the thunderstorm, I find my fear evaporating up in an instant. My eyes grow to the size of saucers as I watch the show lighting up the sky in avid fascination.
"What is that?" I ask, raising my voice a little to be heard over the loud booms.
"Fireworks."
A wide smile spreads across my face, and I can't help but laugh in pure delight. "I love them! They're incredible!"
He doesn't respond, and when I glance fleetingly over at him, I realise he's not watching the fireworks at all: he's watching me. I freeze, trapped in place by his magnetic gaze.
"They truly are." He murmurs, and I get the sudden feeling that he's not talking about the fireworks anymore.
Almost unconsciously, I step closer to him, my heart hammering away so erratically that I'm half worried it's going to burst right through my chest. Reaching forward, he tucks my hair behind my ear, his hand cupping my cheek, and for a moment, time just seems to pause, preserving us in our little bubble, surrounding by the kaleidoscope of exploding fireworks.
His eyes flicker down to my lips. He leans down. I close my eyes.
Then, just as I feel his lips breezing over mine for the most tantalizing of seconds, I hear a loud thunderclap that's so loud it feels like it resonated right beside my ear.
Then, the next thing I know, I'm flying back through the air in the most excruciating pain I've ever felt in my entire life.
"Ellie!"
Just as I'm tumbling off the cliff a hand grabs my wrist, halting my unanticipated flight. I gasp loudly, my eyes flying open, and it takes several seconds for the pain to abate enough for my vision to clear. Eric pulls me up over the edge of the cliff, wrapping his arms around me and helping me to my feet. I groan, holding onto him tightly as every cell in my body screams out in pain.
Well. That wasn't exactly the kiss I was expecting. I guess you could say that, in a way, it was electric.
"Josh. What the hell was that for?!" Eric roars, his tone the deadliest I've ever heard it. I look up to see Josh standing in front of us, lightning bolts flashing all over his skin and his expression livid. Josh completely ignores his leader, blasting him to the side with another powerful lightning bolt and running at me again. He grabs me by the neck, slamming me up against a tree-trunk.
"How could you?" He snarls. "How could you?!"
"Do what?" I choke out, desperately scrabbling at his grip with my hands.
"You know exactly what!" Josh snaps. "How could you kill her? How could you kill Otti?!"
SO.
WHO WASN'T PREPARED