Ch. 11
Machidiel
Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out! Get out! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET-
My eyes widen as Amber's voice suddenly ricochets around my head, and at the same time Amber drops her hands from mine. I watch in stunned silence as she folds her hands in her lap and stares at the ground, biting her lip hard.
I lean forward slightly. "Amber?"
She shakes her head quickly. "Sorry. I don’t like holding hands. I'm fine."
A lie, right to my face. Something is clearly very, very wrong. I had thought once about teaching her how to properly use the bond, but then I decided that it was not necessary. The bond is truly for my use only, and teaching her how to conceal her thoughts when she wants could ultimately become a problem for me in the future. But this…her thoughts suddenly blasting across the bond against her control…
A part of me starts searching for our bond now. In a matter of seconds, I would know exactly what was troubling her and why she had yelled out like that. Taking a breath, I shrink down into myself, the bond materializing in front of me.
There is nothing but pure white around me. The only evidence of anything else is the small thread I am standing on, stretching out in front of me. Walking along it, I can soon see a small light appear ahead of me. I can always tell when I have reached Amber’s side. Her mind seems to glow brighter than white.
There is a brilliant, shimmering wall surrounding Amber’s mind and conscious, and I stop in front of it. Usually the wall is rock-solid, but now it seems to be flickering in and out, like it might disappear. I can hear a chorus of voices echoing beyond the wall, yet I cannot make out what they are saying. Balancing on the thread connecting us, I reach out to touch the wall. When Amber gets emotional like this, I can usually pass right through it. Does she truly think she can hide anything from me? A mere human hide from an angel of the Lord?
But then, I stop.
I pull that mental hand back. A few months ago, I would not have hesitated to infiltrate her mind and read her through the bond. This is what Guardians are supposed to do. If I know exactly what she is thinking, I can fix the problem and send her on her way. And right now, there is definitely a problem. And yet...
Amber does not like that. In fact, I think she hates it. She reacted so strongly when I revealed her feelings before. She has never yelled at me like that. It might have been the first time she had spoken about what she was truly thinking, at least to me. I find it strange, especially since I almost always know what she is thinking. So why does she still attempt to hide, even from me?
It does me no good to ask these questions to myself. But I know one thing for sure, and it is that Amber does not like it when I use the bond to figure out how she is feeling. And if I am being honest, how she feels about what I do and do not do is really all that matters to me.
But if she is going to lie when I ask her, then I have no ideas. So instead, I say aloud, “Do you have any more questions you would like to ask me?”
Amber drops her head into her hands and sighs. “No.”
I wait. She does not say anything else. Perhaps I should suggest another game. She seemed happy while we played.
Amber suddenly stands, saying, "Well, I don’t want to keep you from doing your thing in Heaven, so you don’t have to stay here."
I stand too, watching her carefully. “Alright, if you are sure.”
Nodding quickly, she wraps her arms around herself and says, “Oh yeah, for sure. This was fun.”
She walks past me then, towards her bookshelf and begins rummaging around on her shelf and desk, her back to me. I watch her for a moment, but she does not speak again. I feel something hard thump in my chest, almost painful. Why is she acting this way?
Shutting my eyes, I contract into myself and lower myself into the pit in my stomach where my magic stays. Slowly, I grip it tight and pull it to the surface. I can feel it rising within me, and my body begins to hum and vibrate. I let myself fall back, allowing the magic to overtake me as I fly from her room.
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I am standing in a bathroom when I open my eyes.
I look around, a little confused. I had meant to fly to Heaven, so why am I still on Earth? My body still feels hot, my magic slowing as it sinks back into its slumber. I need a clear mind to successfully jump between Heaven and Earth, so this must mean I do not have my magic under control fully right now. I will admit, my mind had been wandering as I had been preparing to leave. I honestly did not want to leave her the way that she was.
"No, but that econ exam was some bullshit."
I blink, turning towards the bathroom door. That voice sounds familiar.
"We know, dude." A different, yet still familiar voice. "You haven't shut up about it all day."
"Maybe you should start going to class, then." A third voice, familiar still. My magic sparks again against my will as I put the voices to their respective faces. And I feel...something thrumming in my chest. Something other than my magic now, and something different from what I just felt from Amber. I put my hand to my chest, feeling the pounding there. This one is…quicker. Less painful. I feel at ease with it. I know who is outside the door. And...
I want to go see them.
I pull the bathroom door fully open and step out, staring at the three boys standing outside the door. They have their backs to me, but they turn around like they feel my presence. As their eyes land on me, the pounding in my chest increases.
The human boy, Christopher Layton, looks me up and down. "Did you have a nice wazz?"
Dylan Ende is standing on his right, Silas Omen on his left. Dylan grins. "Hey, Mac!" he exclaims. "It's been a minute, dude! How long have you been standing there?"
I can only stare at them. I have not seen them since the night of the party. I had been walking through the crowd when Chris noticed me and called me over, saying he liked my "fit". I recognized him and the others instantly. They are close with Amber, and I know everyone close to her, yet it had never occurred to me that I might meet them in person.
"Approximately 12 seconds," I tell them.
"Well, we were about to go get food," Silas says. "Wanna join?"
"Oh, I do not eat."
"Dude." Chris rolls his eyes. "He worded it wrong. That wasn’t a question. Shut up and come."
I blink at him, and Dylan throws an arm around my shoulder. "It'll be fun to catch up, man!"
Chris’s harsh words, Dylan’s touch…the human males act very different from Amber and her friends. But a good different, I think. I am not completely opposed to the idea of being around them more. Spending more time around humans other than Amber could be eye-opening.
"Alright," I say at last.
"Yes!" Dylan exclaims, his grin widening. "Come on, Chris has a car."
I follow them as they exit the building and make their way to the parking lot. They talk nonstop the whole walk, occasionally asking me questions or for my opinion on topics.
"Shot gun!" Dylan shouts once we are in the parking lot, running around the side of the car and throwing the passenger door open.
"Man, fuck you," Silas groans. "You know I can't fit in the backseat."
Dylan laughs, and Silas lets out another groan before climbing into the back row of the car. I follow, and Chris climbs into the driver's seat. It takes two seconds for me to realize why Silas put up a fight. My legs are tightly pressed against the back of Dylan's seat, and it is uncomfortable. Am I above the general height for a human male? I did not think so. They should make the backseats bigger.
"How is this even a debate?" Silas suddenly asks, and I look over at him.
"I said what I said." Dylan shrugs.
"Are you smokin', bro?" Chris glances over at him from behind the wheel, a strange look on his face. "You've gotta be. There's no way you actually think that."
"You guys honestly think Uzi is better?" Dylan asks, his eyes wide with shock.
"Dude, I know he is," Chris shoots back.
"Especially over Travis Scott." Silas frowns, rolling his eyes. “Come on, D, this conversation has gotta be, like, a hate crime.”
“And just plain stupid,” Chris adds. “We’ve been talking about this shit for three days now. I thought you were joking this whole time.”
"I’m serious, Chris!" Dylan exclaims, his hair moving wildly as he shakes his head. "He’s a literal god in the music industry, and you can’t say he’s not! Astroworld totally goes in!"
"Yeah, in the trash.”
Silas bursts into laughter, and Dylan scoffs. Then, whirling around in the seat, Dylan locks eyes with me. His are a light hazel, almost green in the sunlight, and I stare at them. How beautiful. "What do you think, Mac?"
I blink at him. “I do not understand what you are talking about."
"Shit, where've you been this whole conversation?" Silas laughs again. "Obviously we need to educate this man."
Chris begins pressing buttons on the screen built into the car. I stare at it in awe. "Lil Uzi first, cause he's a beast," he says, cranking a dial to the left of the screen nearly all the way to the right.
The car instantly begins to thrum with sounds I have never heard before. It feels like a celebration and a sorrowful piece all in one. Up and up the notes build, a voice singing along with them. I feel a deep bass echoing in my chest, the noise crashing around me in waves, roaring through the part of me that was empty and is now being filled. I whirl to face Silas, who is grinning at me.
"What...is this?" That is the best I can muster.
"It's a master at work," Chris says over his shoulder, and Silas nods his agreement.
"Yeah, yeah, play something from Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight next," Dylan whines, reaching for the screen in the car again. Chris slaps his hand away.
I sit in silence as the two continue going back and forth. Leaning back against the car seat, I let the sounds play around me.
"Pretty great, huh, Mac?" Silas asks, tapping my shoulder.
I turn to face him. "Yes…it is."
Silas smiles. “You seem like the type of person who can listen to anything. I’ve got some songs to show you later.”
I nod, and his smile grows. And as I look at his grin, and as I listen to Chris and Dylan, and as the song plays around me, I can feel the thrumming in my chest grow as well.
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TO BE CONTINUED...
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Lil' Uzi > Travis Scott. And if I'm being completely honest, anyone > Travis Scott.
-Zuffy <3
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