Fire Stones

Chapter 4

The rest of the weekend passed me by in something of a haze. I spent that Saturday and Sunday sleeping – resting. I needed some time to quiet my heart. When my eyes closed, I saw before me the same visions that had so entranced me that Saturday morning...visions of the beautiful Vesta and her proud, cold beauty, of Mars in all his splendor and power, visions of those five glimmering gemstones that burned brighter in the palm of my hand than the stars in the night sky. When my eyes closed, I felt his lips on mine once again, his hot and cinnamon taste; I felt my blood prickle and burn with longing for Chance. And yet I could not get Varun out of my head. Why – why was he so insistent? His intensity frightened and repelled me – but I could not forget it. His dark-blue eyes seemed to know some secret that I did not. I could never imagine leaving Chance for Varun – but once, Vesta had done it; once she had escaped the love of Mars and run instead into Neptune's arms. How could I have done such a thing? I asked myself. Could I really have betrayed the one I loved like that – could I really have abandoned Mars? The thought disturbed me. Feeling as I felt about Chance now – even being apart from him for mere hours was torment...how could I have ever chosen to leave him forever?

Was I really Vesta?

I tried to ignore my concerns, burying myself in schoolwork and swim practice in the hotel pool. I turned off my cell phone, ignoring calls from Varun and Chance equally. Right now I needed to work, needed to think. Luckily, by Monday morning, my strength had returned to me. I wasn't quite ready to face Varun again, but I was certainly ready to get back into the swing of things after my attack. I was pleased, though not surprised, to note that Alice was absent from Monday morning's First Period wrestling class. I had reported her attack on me to Antonio Cutter – now that I knew that the frail, bird-like Alice was in fact the Embodiment of the strong-man Hercules, I wasn't about to take any risks. Whatever Alice wanted with me, she wouldn't hesitate to take; as long as there was a chance I was Vesta, I was in danger. But it wasn't Alice who worried me now. Whether she was in detention or in Cutter's custody I did not know – but at least she was accounted for. What worried me was the other attacker, the one I had not been able to unmask....

Any one of the girls or guys around me could have been the one, I thought, my face flushing with worry. Any one of them could have attacked me. I felt my heart began to beat faster as I looked around the room – Misty in the corner, Charles and Haven on the sidelines...any one of them could be plotting to stage another attack at this moment? I shook my head. No, Misty, at least, was trustworthy – she was an oracle, and Chance put his faith in her. But what about Brandon?

I turned my head to see Brandon smiling at me from the sidelines. He was new to the wrestling class – he appeared to have taken Alice's place on the team. I remembered him from the swimming pool party we'd held at the hotel a few weeks earlier. He'd casually asked me out on a date, but hadn't seemed particularly bummed about being turned down. I liked him, I thought – even if I wasn't interested in adding another man to my roster just now. I hoped he hadn't been behind the attack in the locker rooms.

But his jocular smile as he approached me seemed to dissuade any such doubts. “Fancy seeing you around here, Mac,” he said with a grin, “Never would have pegged you as one for wrestling.”

I shrugged off his concerns, smiling back at him. “Old story,” I said. “I enrolled late. When I got here, it was the only class open that filled the Phys Ed requirement.” I sighed. “I was pretty dire when we started. But now I'm getting okay – it's turning into one of my favorite parts of the day.”

Brandon laughed. “I was doing Martial Arts before,” he said. “But I got tired of all the 'young Bruce Lee' comments. Being the only Asian guy in school – I started to feel like a stereotype. I thought I'd try something a little different.”

“It's a post-Erosion world,” I said. “There isn't even that much of Asia or Europe, anymore.”

We felt awkwardly silent. Any talk of the Erosion always turned serious.

But Brandon forced out a laugh. “Yeah, well – I'd probably know a lot more if I bothered to show up to history class. But post-Erosion history – I just figure it's all a bunch of islands, now; what else is there to know? Boring! I'm more into the physical than the academic, if you catch my drift.”

Out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of Chance. He was dressed in a black t-shirt and loose black pants – as dark as his jet-black hair – leaning against the wall. My heart started racing at the sight of him. Only Chance could make sports clothes look elegant, I thought proudly. But I noted with concern that he was glowering, staring at Brandon with intense interest and something like anger.

Our coach, on the other hand, seemed to mistake this interest for a keen desire to be first to the mat. “Come on, Cutter,” he said. “You're up first. Whom do you want to challenge this time.”

Chance lost no time as he strode forth. “Brandon,” he said simply.

Brandon looked up in surprise. “Guess I pissed him off...” he said, with a laugh, looking slightly bewildered as he headed to the mat. “Looks like I'm in for a beating.”

But to my surprise, even the strong, powerful Chance couldn't easily pin Brandon to the mat. Chance's brute force – savage and passionate – was evenly matched by Brandon's grace and agility. Brandon had trained as a martial artist – that much I knew. But I was surprised to see quite how good he was – he had been modest earlier. Brandon managed to dart out of the way, dodging Chance's pummeling blows, even as he lacked the offensive strength to match Chance's pure primal power. It was only when the coach blew the whistle to end the match, effectively declaring a draw due to lack of time, that the two stopped fighting, facing each other to shake hands formally, their lithe bodies dripping with sweat. Chance looked over at me, his expression inscrutable.

Was he jealous of Brandon?

Brandon winked at me, and my cheeks turned pink. I knew he was only joking – after all, he was Varun's friend, and even if Chance and I were keeping our romance on the down low at school, Brandon wasn't about to make a move on his good friend's ex. But I knew too that Chance could be jealous, even possessive. And given that Brandon's mom worked at the Cutter Imperial with mine, I knew Brandon would be around me more than Chance would be comfortable with.

Yet jealousy, it seemed, only made Chance more passionate than ever. No sooner had we left the gym than Chance pulled me aside into a corridor, pressing me up against the wall. His mouth was hot on mine, seeking my lips with savage intensity. His hands were tangled in my hair, pulling me into him with just the right balance of roughness and romance. He pulled away slowly, his eyes still boring into me.

“What was that for?” I smiled, overjoyed to be in his arms once again.

“It's been too long,” Chance murmured. “I missed you. I called you yesterday, but your phone was off. I tried your land-line, but your mom said you were in bed, asleep with a cold. That didn't sound like you – you're not avoiding me, are you?” His dark eyes were grave with worry.

“No, of course not!” I kissed him, my mouth convincing him as much as my words. “It's only...I didn't want to worry you. Something happened Saturday night. I went looking for the stones of Vesta. Well, not so much looking – as following. The Book started giving me directions.”

Chance's eyes began to shine brilliantly. “You've found one?”

“Yes,” I began warily. “But it was dangerous. I almost died – there were these sharks, and...”

A loud cough interrupted our conversation. I turned bright red to see the interlopers, who stood awkwardly at our side. Brandon was there, shuffling his feet, evidently not wanting to intrude. And next to him stood Varun, his sea-blue eyes glued to my own.

I could feel Chance's body tensed against my own. “What do you want?” he growled.

Brandon looked at the two of us, his eyes moving up and down our bodies. Well, so much for discreet, I thought. “I'm here to see Mac,” he said. “I want to talk to her about something.

Chance and I exchanged glances.

“I'll see you later?” I said to Chance. He gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod. Then, his eyes clearly fixed on Varun, he leaned into me once again, kissing me deeply, making it perfectly clear to Varun and Brandon alike that it was he who held my heart. I tried to respond in kind, but my embarrassment somewhat dulled my customary passion.

“I'll see you tonight, Mac,” said Chance in husky tones, his eyes blazing with desire as he stalked off.

I turned to Brandon, judiciously avoiding eye contact with Varun. “So, uh, what did you want to talk to me about?”

“Sorry – didn't want to intrude. I'm actually in a rush – need to change out of these clothes. But I just wanted to let you know that my mom asked me to pass along the message from yours – we're both on Cleanup Duty next Thursday at the Hotel after the Bowerman party.” He rolled his eyes. “Sorry, I'm sure you're not thrilled about Haven's birthday! But what can we do? Follow the money, right?” He laughed and took a step towards the door. “Right – anyway, I've got to change.”

“Wait!” I called out after him, but I was too late. He sauntered out, leaving me alone with Varun. I looked down at my shoes, not wanting to make eye contact. “What are you doing here, Varun?” I muttered. “Brandon could have delivered the message without you.”

“I wanted to see you,” he said, taking a step towards me. “I came by your house yesterday, but your mom said...”

“Yeah, I was sick,” I said, feeling a bit defensive. “I wasn't feeling so good, after...”

“I just wanted to see how you were doing. Is that so wrong?”

I sighed. “No, Varun, it isn't – and I appreciate you caring, but...”

Before I could finish, Varun had stepped towards me, pressing me up against the wall, his hand against my cheek. “I know you think you're with Chance,” Varun began, “but you must know that I care for you. You almost died out there – in the cave, with the shark...if you're going to risk your life like this... I know you want to prove that you're Vesta. I know you feel like you have to be her in order to fulfill your destiny, but you don't. I don't want you hurt, Mac. I don't want you killed. And especially not for him.” His eyes grew dark with envy. He leaned into me, pulling me toward him.

Instinctively, I pulled away. “Varun, please...” I raised my voice, growing angry now. “I know what you are – you're the Water King. Of course you're going to try to convince me to abandon all this...”

“You think that's what this is about?” Varun growled.

“I don't know what to think!” I sighed. “Please don't try to convince me not to. I want to be your friend, Varun, but not if you don't take no for an answer. You need to respect that...you're Water, I'm Fire. We're not meant to be, and I hate hurting you.”

“But do you feel nothing for me?” Varun was so close to me, so painfully close. “You do care, don't you?”

I could say nothing, but only wrest myself from his arms. “I have to go,” I heard myself saying, before I rushed into the girl’s locker room and closed the door behind me.