The Paradox Page 3

  “Like what?” he asks, his eyes filling with concern.

  “You’re the kill guy, remember? Not the question guy.”

  He nods, breaking the eye contact between us. It’s as if he caught himself caring and had to make himself stop. He steps back, clearing his throat, and when he speaks again, he sounds more official, more like he did when he was trying to get me back in out of the rain.

  “The others should be back soon. They’ll have the answers you want.”

  “I’m guessing like the lady in the forest, you know my name. So, what’s yours?” I ask.

  “Rye.”

  “Rye, thanks for saving me from that thing.”

  “It’s a called a Slip Demon. And you’re welcome,” he says, actively avoiding eye contact with me.

  I’m not even going to bother asking him to elaborate. What’s the point? Instead I start for the room at the end of the hall, passing the recreation room. It’s the one I came out of, the one with just a bed. All of this is just too much. I need to get out of this jersey and into these clean clothes. I also need to get away from Rye, because he’s sexy and mysterious, and where I come from that combination is dangerous.

  “Hey, Wonder Woman,” he calls out just before I close the door.

  “Yeah?”

  “You threw yourself between the woman and the demon, knowing it could mean your death. Why? Why would you die for a stranger?”

  “She had kind eyes; like you.”

  I didn’t mean to be so honest but the words flew out before I could stop them. And as I look over at Rye, he is now the one filled with questions. He’s about to ask but thinks better of it and stays silent.

  “I’ve watched a house disappear and a blazing portal fade away. When I am done changing, will you be here or fade away too?”

  “I’ll be right here. Promise,” he says, his voice soft yet certain.

  Given everything that’s happened his words shouldn’t carry weight with me but they do. In fact, looking into his eyes, I am all but certain he is telling the truth. I lock the door behind me and close my eyes.

  I see the Slip Demon and the blood gush out of the woman next to me in the forest. I should be terrified but I’m not. Instead what I feel is excitement and anticipation as the words play in my head over and over again.

  I’ll be right here. Promise…

  ***

  When I step back out in the new clothes, Rye is waiting for me. That feels way better than it should. I feel like his breath catches, but I’m not even sure if gods breathe. It was probably just my imagination. He tilts his head and silently turns, crossing the recreation room to another long hallway. I follow him, noting how the house seems to shift and change, like it’s alive. Or maybe it’s magic, like Hogwarts. I laugh, making Rye turn his head to look at me questioningly.

  “Sorry, I just feel like I either stepped into a new dimension or have been accepted to Hogwarts.”

  His brows crease and I think Rye might be the only person who would have no idea what I am talking about. I just shake my head and he shrugs and keeps walking.

  We stop before an open doorway. Inside is another recreational room. It’s bigger than the first. There’s a full bar and two TVs instead of one. There’s also a big beautiful fireplace where three other people have gathered.

  “She’s too skinny. Demons will use her as a toothpick,” the girl closest to the fire says.

  I’m guessing she’s Middle Eastern. She has long thick black hair down her back. She’s about five nine with deep dark eyes and a heart-shaped mouth. She’s beautiful. And judging by her leather jacket and stern expression, she’s a real badass.

  “That’s Aziza. As you can tell, she recently graduated from charm school,” the guy next to her says.

  He’s tall and handsome with dark brown hair, green eyes, and a dimple that I’m sure keeps his social calendar full.

  “You’re wondering who I am and how I could be so damn sexy, aren’t you?” he asks.

  Aziza rolls her eyes. He comes closer.

  “I’m Jinx.” And like some cheesy movie, he takes my hand and kisses it. “And it’s a real pleasure to meet you.”

  “Yes, and as a general rule, expect everything Jinx says to be about him,” someone says from the top of the stairs.

  I look up and there’s an Asian girl with pretty almond eyes, glowing skin, and long ash-blonde hair. Everyone looks to be about my age but she looks slightly younger. She’s in a big coat, with thick gloves and boots. I look at her strangely.

  “Oh, sorry. It’s super cold in Paris right now. I slipped this on before I went. I’m Grace.”

  Oh great, that’s Grace. Rye didn’t mention she was flawless, gorgeous, with glowing skin.

  “Hi,” I reply, not sure what else to say as she comes down the steps.

  “It’s so good to finally meet you,” she says.

  I don’t have time to wonder how she knew she would be meeting me before two more people enter the house, a guy and a girl. He’s tall with dark hair and intensely sexy blue eyes. Right behind him is a girl who could make any model on the runway jealous. She’s tall with radiant dark skin, perfectly sculpted eyebrows, high cheekbones, and long, loose curly braids. They both look to be about my age, if not a year or two older.

  Why is everyone so damn perfect here? Honestly, I feel even more awkward than when I was standing outside dripping wet in the jersey and Rye was coaxing me back in.

  “Okay, this is the last time I am cleaning up after a demon attack. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get demon blood out of silk?” the new girl says as she joins the others.

  “We have more important issues, Ya-Ya,” Grace reminds her.

  “Oh Grace, you silly, silly little goddess. There’s nothing more important than keeping me in the forefront of fashion, where I belong,” Ya-Ya scolds.

  “Where you belong is a mental institution,” the new guy says, laughing.

  Jinx says, “Sailor, meet Ya-Ya and court jester, Sunday.”

  Ya-Ya is too busy looking over her outfit to pay attention to Sunday, or maybe she just doesn’t care what he thinks.

  “Nice to meet you, Sailor,” Sunday says.

  “Okay, great. Now that we know who is who, let’s get this over with,” Ya-Ya says, looking at me for the first time since she came in.

  “Um…get what over with?” I ask.

  “There’s no point in explaining everything unless we get confirmation that you are in fact the chosen one,” Ya-Ya replies.

  Oh my god. It’s happening. I might be the chosen one? This has to be a dream, yet somehow, I know it isn’t. A phrase comes to mind: be careful what you wish for or you just might get it.

  “Shhh, hang on,” Ya-Ya says even though I haven’t said a word.

  “Mel, we need you,” she shouts to the thin air.

  And out of nowhere, a girl appears. We’re around the same age. Or so I think. She has the same eyes as Sunday and the same hair color. She too is pretty. That’s it. I will never eat another slice of pizza if I can just get out of this place in one piece and to my father. Dad probably already called the police and is combing the photo albums telling them all our embarrassing stories while trying to stay calm.

  “Mel is my sister. She’s the one that healed you. It’s her power. That and teleporting,” Sunday says.

  “Thanks?” I reply uncertainly, trying to file all of this information away somewhere in my mind.

  I don’t know if I’m scared anymore or just pissed that everyone in here looks like they just walked off a runway in Paris.

  “Can somebody please explain to me what exactly is going on?” I say.

  Yup. I’m pissed.

  “We will. First, we need you to let me blow this seed at you. If it attaches itself to you then you are the one we’ve been looking for,” Mel says.

  Blow a seed at me? It could be worse. They could want to cut me open and test my blood or drop me of the rooftop and see if I can fly or something. I look
over at Rye and he nods slightly, signaling it’s okay to trust them. Aziza catches the exchange and for a quick moment I swear there’s anger in her eyes but I can’t be sure.

  “She better be the one. Maya died just so we could confirm it,” Jinx says bitterly.

  “Who’s Maya? You mean the woman in the forest?” I ask.

  “Yeah, she has to bless every human before they can take the seed test. Getting here to us is always risky; normally she can handle it but this time…” Jinx says.

  He sounds a little less bitter, and I risk speaking.

  “I’m sorry about Maya. I tried to help,” I assure him.

  So, the woman with the beautiful silver hair was Maya. Even though I didn’t get to really know her, my heart aches for her and for their loss.

  “It’s okay. She knew the risk. We all do,” Grace whispers, eyes down.

  “Alright, Sailor, come toward me and close your eyes,” Mel says.

  Why not? I’ll do it and see that I’ve been wrong all these years—I’m no hero or chosen one of whatever the hell they’re looking for—and then I can go back to my mundane life in Tiny Town and stop dreaming of adventure.

  I do as she says and hope I’m not making a big mistake. I can hear them whispering amongst each other, discussing me like I’m not here.

  “She really might be the one. I have a good feeling,” Sunday whispers.

  “Yeah, well she stinks like fear. If she is the one, I say we’re all doomed.”

  That was Aziza. Thanks for the confidence. I don’t even know what they are hoping they will discover about me, but her attitude is pissing me off all the same. Maya died to save me, and surely that should mean something to her.

  “I’m with Sunday. I have a feeling too,” Grace adds.

  “Then again, we had a feeling about the last six candidates and look how that turned out,” Sunday adds.

  Nerves start to spread in my stomach. Is he saying that I am one of these candidates? If so, what happened to the last six?

  “Everyone, just shut up,” Rye snaps.

  His voice soothes me even as he is scolding them. Everyone goes stone-cold silent, and I know without a doubt that Rye is the leader of this little group of sexy misfits.

  I feel a soft, warm wind blow toward me. Something makes contact with my chest. I inhale, surprised, and then I’m in pain. Whatever it is, it’s burning me from the outside in. I look at my chest. Something is growing under my skin.

  “What the hell did you do to me?!” I shout at the girl who just passed me.

  I panic and clutch at my chest, remembering the searing pain from the demon’s claws. The group stares at me, dumbfounded, but nobody moves to help me. I fall to my knees in pain. It feels like someone is attaching hot coals onto my skin. Rye is by my side in seconds. His strong arms wrap around me.

  “It’s okay. You’ll be okay. Breathe through it, Sailor.”

  As if the thing is under his command, the pain fades and then disappears.

  “What the hell just happened?” I manage through clenched teeth.

  Sweat beads on my brow and now I know without a doubt that I am pissed. Confused, full of questions, and pissed. Everyone is looking at my chest. I look too, just to see what they are gawking at. There, on the spot where my heart beats, is a tattoo of a dead tree with four crows on a lone branch.

  “What the hell is that?” I yell.

  “That’s confirmation. Sailor, you’re the one we’ve been waiting for. You’re the Paradox,” Mel says like I should know what that is.

  “The para what now?” I ask, still in Rye’s arms.

  “The Paradox. The human who will save all of mankind.”

  “What the fuck! You need to fix this!”

  I am desperately clawing at the tattoo on my chest.

  “Get this shit off me!” I yell.

  I am panicking, and when I panic, I am not the nicest person. Call it my fatal flaw, but then again, it’s not normal for a group of sexier than hell gods to brand me like stray cattle and tell me I am responsible for the fate of all mankind.

  I got a tattoo. My life is over.

  Rye’s mouth makes a fine line as he rubs the back of his neck, trying to release the tension.

  “It’s not that simple,” he says quietly.

  “So, one of you can bring someone back from the brink of death. Another is a portal. I have no idea what other secrets the rest of you are hiding, but you are telling me that none of you can just snap your fingers, wiggle your nose, and make this damn tattoo disappear?”

  They share a look that has my breath catching.

  “It’s not really a tattoo,” Grace says.

  “Would you like to be the one to explain that to my father!?” I snap.

  “It’s the mark of the chosen one,” Grace adds.

  There they go again with that chosen one shit. Chosen one for what? And what about Dad? The kids in the books I read, the ones who are chosen to save the fate of the world, never have parents. Or if they do, they don’t care about them. My dad does care. He cares a lot, and I know he must be freaking out about me being missing, probably even more than me. Oh god, what if I show up with this on my chest? He will kill me and then ground me for life. And then the world will apparently be fucked, because I have to save it. Ha. Like that’s going to happen.

  I pace in the middle of the group.

  “My dad is going to kill me,” I groan, taking a seat in a leather armchair, my hands cradling my head.

  My chest still burns where the seed or whatever the hell it was implanted itself in me.

  Loki comes out from wherever he was hiding, and I focus on him. I think he’ll make me feel better, but instead of climbing into my lap or checking on me, I watch him go around to each stranger and sniff them carefully. They scratch behind his ears, stroke over his back, and Sunday bends down to offer him a treat. And, just as if nothing happened, I watch him head to the corner and lie down. Maybe if he trusts them, I should too, but they didn’t just brand him.

  “I love your dog,” Mel says. Ya-Ya looks at her with her eyebrows raised. “What? He’s cute.”

  “Let’s focus. We have confirmation. Now, how much do we disclose?” Rye says.

  Rye looks around the crowded room, but nobody steps forward to fill in the very large blanks I have floating around in my head. A phone buzzes and Jinx’s face lights up a moment later while his fingers dance across the screen.

  “Jinx!”

  “Sorry, dude, just had to check my Tinder.”

  “Gods use Tinder?” I ask.

  “He’s joking,” Grace says from behind me, her hands resting on the back of my chair.

  While I might hold some reserve jealousy for her, I also like the warmth that seems to radiate from her. Maybe there is something between her and Rye, maybe not. What would I possibly have to compete with a gorgeous goddess like her? And why is that even on my list of concerns now?

  “What you need to do, Jinx, is get off your damn phone and pay attention. We have confirmation. Now, we disclose. Then, hopefully, if you can pull your head out of your ass, we can save the world.”

  Rye is seething. It’s a strange look on him after how soft and kind he was to me earlier. I should be turned off, but instead I think he’s even hotter when he’s mad.

  “You still haven’t explained to me what this all means. Chosen one? Paradox? Dead tree and four crows? I’m freaking out now, Rye. I wasn’t so bad before, but now, I think I am going to be sick.”

  My stomach twists and turns and just when I think I will get a moment of relief, I think of my dad again.

  I am so sorry, Dad. I swear, if I can just get out of here, I will never complain about you moving us to this Podunk town in the middle of Idaho-nowhere again.

  “It’s quite simple really,” Aziza notes, moving around to the fireplace to poke a fresh log with her boot.

  “You, yes you, a simple mortal, are the chosen one to save the world. One girl to rule them all kind of shit. Mel
blew a seed, it stuck, you got some new ink, and we got our confirmation. Did I miss anything?”

  Her Lord of the Rings reference isn’t lost on me, but even Frodo got more than this.

  “Yeah, I got the Cliff Notes version, but can someone maybe give me the...oh, I don’t know, unabridged version?” I say.

  “Yes, but first, why don’t you call your father so he isn’t so freaked. I know you are worried about him,” Grace says.

  She rests her hands on my shoulders and I feel a sense of calm. Dammit, I think I will like her after all.

  “Okay. Yeah. I do need to talk to him.”

  Mel disappears and reappears a moment later with my phone in her hand.

  “Here. I charged it while you were out. I know how exhausting being healed can be on the body. Sorry about that. How do you feel, by the way? You know, your chest.”

  “It’s fine. I don’t even have a mark, not a scratch.”

  She smiles, her eyes big and shiny.

  “Perfect.” She grins.

  Nervous, I open my phone with my fingerprint and command Google to call Dad. It rings once and he picks up. How do I even begin to explain any of this? It’s simple. I’ll have to lie.

  “Sailor! Oh my god, where are you? Are you hurt?”

  “No, Dad, I’m fine. After I told you I would just be a second with Loki, the brat took off on me and I thought I lost him.”

  He exhales loudly on the other line, but at least he sounds less frantic than when he picked up.

  “Biscuit, where have you been? I tried calling, I was scared half to death something happened to you.”

  “I know, and I’m sorry. I got lost and then my cell phone battery died on me. I actually ended up meeting up with a group of kids that go to my new school. Luckily, they knew their way out of the woods. One thing led to another, and I ended up crashing at one of the girls’ houses. You should see it, it’s huge.”

  Rye’s eyes narrow at me and I smile. I like the way he looks at me with those smoky blue eyes, but I wish we didn’t have so many extra sets on us right now.