History: Boaz was made known to the Deific in 1863. Agent Matthew Thomas found him in Pennsylvania working as an advisor to General Lee during the Civil War. After careful observation, the Deific determined his actions dangerous to society. Agent Thomas and Agent Smith were sent to restrain him. Both Agents and Boaz came up missing shortly after. All attempts to locate them have failed. Boaz reappeared in 2012 when he made contact with Eve Segur (daughter of Erik and Sable Segur—see file). Eve claims Boaz is dead but death not witnessed. Agents unable to find proof of life or death.
I looked away, frustrated by the rush of feelings toward Boaz. It wasn’t revulsion like I expected to feel when seeing his face again. Instead, I felt a longing for the incredible power that we had experienced together. It frightened me to think I still had a desire for dark magic.
I quickly changed the picture before I allowed my thoughts to linger on him any longer. I hit next through many more pictures, even coming across my parents files whose status both read ‘deceased’. My own record contained a picture that looked as if it had been taken at the airport, although I hadn’t been aware of it at the time. There was a brief account of my history along with a short mention of my time with Boaz. I was glad to see my threat-level was nonexistent.
Several more images flashed—supernatural beings that roamed the earth in secret. There were so many! Only occasionally would I see one whose file indicated that they were not a threat. A couple of them I recognized as employees of The Deific. I clicked next.
All of a sudden, I came face to face with Him. I glanced to the right of his picture, anxious to put a name with his face: “Lucien.”
The sound of his name felt right upon my lips as if there could be no other. The photo was taken ten years ago in Seattle, his last known location. He stood in a crowd of people, staring up. His face was easy to pick out among all the others whose faces emanated worries and frustrations, hope and joy. But his expression was blank, void of any emotion, except for his eyes. They were full of pain.
An immediate longing washed over me, and I yearned to be near him, to remove him from the crowd of people who took no notice of his suffering.
I was surprised by my feelings toward him. I barely knew him, and yet here I was, unable to tear my eyes away from his face. I searched his features, wondering again if it were possible that I’d somehow met him when I was younger. A friend of my parents, perhaps?
After several minutes, I finally glanced down to read his history but was disappointed to find there was none. Under priority it said, “Use caution.” I connected the laptop to a printer on my desk and printed his picture, studying it for a few more minutes before I got ready for bed.
Instead of going through my usual nighttime routine, I went straight to bed, anxious to see if I could visit Lucien in my dreams again. It took me awhile to fall asleep, but eventually my eyes closed, his image engraved on my mind.
I “awoke” in his world, recognizing it immediately. It was night again, yet blacker than the night before—thick clouds overhead blocked the moon’s light. I was standing on wood planks and water sloshed nearby, but the same fog blocked my view to anything around me. I pursed my lips, wondering if the haze was real or part of the dream. Maybe it was time I used a little magic. I closed my eyes and concentrated, thinking not of dark things, but of all the good that had recently come into my life. With little effort, I willed the fog away. When I opened my eyes, the mist had cleared, giving me a clear view of the surroundings.
I was at a marina. Boats bordered the dock, swaying gently to the rise and fall of the water. Occasionally one of them would rock hard enough to ring a bell. An old boardwalk followed the outline of the water, and on the other side, cramped shops with chipped wood and faded paint reflected a dying part of what was once probably a bustling area. In the distance, lit up skyscrapers protruded sharply into the sky.
Not far from me, a lone figure sat on a bench. Lucien. I approached him slowly. He was leaning forward, elbows resting on his knees, chin in hands. He stared out over the water, unmoving. Cautiously, I sat next to him. He was completely unaware of my presence. I didn’t dare touch him for fear of disrupting whatever magic was making this possible. Instead, I relaxed, enjoying the peace I felt simply by being near him. I only wished he could feel it, too, but he seemed to be beyond feeling.
I remained with him for several hours, as still and quiet as he, but when I felt the sun in New York tug on my senses, I fought it. I did not want to wake up. It felt right to be with him.
But then I remembered I was due at the Academy.
I turned to Lucien one last time and lifted my hand to his face. When my fingers grazed his skin, his head snapped in my direction just as I disappeared. I sat up, my eyes opened wide, and glanced down at my hand. It was tingling where I’d touched him.
Chapter 36
Before school started, I stopped in the Deific to return the laptop to Charlie, but he wasn’t in his office.
“Sarah, do you know where Charlie is?” I asked at her desk.
She placed her hand over the telephone’s mouthpiece. “He’s training on the second floor.”