Glimmer (5 page)

Although try telling that to Delaney’s friend Micah. That dude has a major Superman complex. He’s always walking around school flexing his muscles. I just want to tell him to lay off the steroids. It’s unnatural looking.

No matter what anyone else thinks, I know that Delaney has supernatural powers. It’s the only thing that makes sense. And when I use this leverage as my way to become a
Sarafite
, Dad will see that he’s wrong about me — that I’m not worthless.

Smiling, I fling my backpack over my shoulder and saunter out the front door. I slam it behind me, shutting out my dad’s voice as he drones on.

We live on the outskirts of town, so I have to drive far to get to school. In my battered pick-up truck I careen through the maze of rural streets. Tall weeds and yellow grass hug the asphalt. Acres of stinky farmland surround me. Mom always hated it out here. She wanted to move into town, but Dad wouldn’t hear of it. Not that I blame him. Who wants to live close to all those do-gooders? Besides, we don’t follow the rules of
Zerach
like the townspeople he governs. We’re not one of them. We don’t take orders from anyone. 

Tumbleweed blows past in the wind. A cloud of dirt fills the air. Flicking on the radio, I turn it to my favorite rock station. The pulsing beat fills the cab of the truck. I press harder on the gas and continue on.

By the time I get to school, the halls are almost cleared out. Only a few straggling students remain. Not wishing to be late again, I race toward room five. My shoes squeak on the linoleum and perspiration gathers on my neck. I fly into the classroom just as the bell peals. As I weave through the classroom to my desk in the back corner, my gaze catches her red hair. Delaney peers up at me, flashing me a timid smile. My heart rate quickens despite my best effort to keep it even. I narrow my eyes and keep my lips pressed together as I plop down on the hard wooden seat. My knees push against the bottom of the desk. Mr. Chauncey clicks on the overhead projector and starts his lecture, and his nasally voice swirls around me. I pull out a notebook and pen, determined to actually focus and take notes.

I glance up, the pen poised over the binder paper. Before I can write anything, a flash of scarlet distracts me as Delaney throws a long strand of hair over her shoulder. She is only two rows up and the scent of apples wafts through the air.
Temptation.

I grit my teeth and turn away. When I do, Micah’s eyes connect with mine. He glares at me from his desk. I roll my eyes. Like I said, the guy has a major superhero complex. Just because every other guy in the school drools over Delaney, it doesn’t mean I do.

Get a life.
I waggle my eyebrows at him defensively and then look away.
Bree
smiles at me from across the room with her shimmery lips. I tip my head toward her and she throws me a seductive wink. Now, that’s the kind of girl I’m into. Grinning, I return my eyes to my paper. It’s still blank.
Great.
  If I don’t pay attention I’ll get another F, and I can’t afford that. I try to hone in to Mr. Chauncey’s words, but the two girls behind me distract me with their whispering.

Light bounces off the wall, piercing my eye. When I attempt to locate the source, Delaney’s sparkly barrette winks at me from where it’s nestled in her shiny curls. Irritated, I lower my gaze. Why do I always let her get under my skin like this? I can’t afford to be even the least bit attracted to her if I want to find out her secret and hand her over to the
Sarafites
.

I am more convinced than ever that she has magical powers. Maybe she’s a witch or something. Yes, that has to be it. That’s why everyone’s under her spell.

Everyone but me, that is. I am not now, nor will I ever be, enchanted by Delaney Scott.

Micah

“I DON’T LIKE the way he looks at you,” I say to Delaney as we pass Sam on the way out of history class. The minute I glance over at him he averts his gaze, but not before I catch the predatory way his eyes rove over Delaney’s body.

Delaney just playfully swats my arm. “Why, Micah. You sound jealous.” There is a teasing gleam in her emerald eyes.

The corners of my mouth twitch in irritation. “I’m serious.” I glance behind us. Sam stands at the edge of the classroom in his standard all black attire, watching us as we make our way down the hallway. His face wears a pensive look. Shivers brush over my skin. “His arms are bare. He doesn’t have any of our markings.”

“So?”

“So?” I’m incredulous. “He’s our enemy.”

“Oh please. Just because he’s not a follower of
Zerach
, that doesn’t make him a bad guy. He lives on the outskirts of town, that’s all. It’s not like he has the symbol of fire on his forehead. Then he’d really be our enemy.”

“Just stay away from him, okay?” I grind my teeth. For years I’ve observed Delaney watching Sam with fascination. He’s the only guy in our school, other than me, that she even seems to notice. Only he’s bad news, I can tell. The way he looks at Delaney is odd. I wouldn’t call it attraction, really. It’s something deeper, something strange — maybe even sinister.

“I’m surprised you care,” Delaney says.

I stop in my tracks. Students shove past us, bumping me with their shoulders and backpacks.

“Why would you say that?” I ask.

Delaney’s face is serious. The teasing look from earlier has completely vanished. “Oh, come on. You don’t think I noticed how you looked at Ariel last night?”

My face warms. “What does Ariel have to do with anything?”

“It’s obvious that you’re attracted to her.”

“I was just trying to help her. Nothing more.” Anger rises up in me. Why is she acting like this anyway? It’s not like we’re together. We’re best friends, and that’s all. However, even as I think it, I know it’s not entirely the truth.

“I wonder where she came from.” Delaney squints, her forehead creasing into squiggly lines. She looks bothered by the entire thing. Like she wishes we never found Ariel. This furthers my irritation. She should be happy we found another person like us. It’s what we’ve been waiting for since we were kids. Actually, it’s what
I’ve
been waiting for since I was a kid.
I
have been the one hoping, waiting, and praying for this moment. I’ve always wanted to meet the other eight. Delaney, on the other hand, would just as soon forget all about it. If she had her wish our gifts would disappear and we would be regular people like everyone else. It’s been the source of many fights between us over the years. I don’t get it. I don’t even try to understand her anymore.

“I mean, if she lives in
Edenly
how come we haven’t seen her before?” Delaney taps her chin with her finger. 

I shrug to keep her from noticing how uneasy I am. I think of the secret I’m keeping and feel slightly guilty.

Her gaze fixes on me. “You don’t think it’s odd at all that she just showed up out of nowhere?”

“Not really.
Edenly’s
a very big town. She could live up in the mountains, or out in the rural areas, or even on the other side of the bridge near
Gardenbrook
High. You know that the other eight probably all live in
Edenly
somewhere.” As a crowd of students descends on us, all flying in opposite directions, I move up against a row of lockers. Delaney moves with me, pressing her shoulder into the wall.

“Yeah, then how did we get stuck working with the police and doing all these rescues all the time? Guess the other eight are smarter about keeping their gifts under wraps.” Delaney keeps her voice low and her eyes shifting around to be sure we aren’t heard. Although I don’t think anyone would be able to hear us over the loud chatter that echoes off the walls.

“Or their gifts haven’t manifested yet. Who knows what ages all the others are, and you know the gifts appear at different ages for everyone.”

Delaney shakes her head. “Wow. You’re seriously a walking textbook when it comes to this subject.”

Being an
Ekloge
Warrior is the most important thing in the world to me. It’s what sets me apart. It’s my purpose in life
. But I reply simply, “That’s because it means a lot to me.”

“I know.” Delaney raises a brow.  “Anyway, what do you think Ariel’s gift is? It must not be that great if she couldn’t even save herself. I mean, if we hadn’t shown up when we did, she totally would have died.”

My stomach tightens at the memory of Ariel’s car sinking in the cold water. “Seriously, Delaney? You saw what they did to her. They stripped her of her gift.”

Delaney’s face pales. “Oh, right. Sometimes I forget how easily our power can be taken away.”

I glance around.  The halls are almost cleared out.  Before Delaney can say anything more, I nudge her arm. “C’mon, we’re
gonna
be late for class.”

As I walk forward, Ariel’s face swims in my mind. I see her full lips, pale skin, short hair and large eyes. My fingers buzz when I remember the way her soft skin felt against mine. My pulse quickens. At the sound of the bell, I shake away the memory. 

PE is the worst part of my day.  It’s so hard to go through the motions of physical activity all the while holding back my true strength. The most difficult are the days we play a sport. Once my adrenaline kicks in, it’s painful to hold back. However, it’s better than the alternative. I cringe remembering the few times I let loose at school. I’m lucky a few lacerations and broken equipment were the extent of the damage I caused. It could have been much worse.

Today we’re running the mile, and I work hard at keeping a steady, even pace. If I wanted to, I could lap all these kids. In fact, if I went at full speed I would have finished several minutes ago. I certainly wouldn’t still be on my second lap. When I feel my legs pump faster, I bite my lip and force them to slow. My muscles practically pulsate under my skin, itching to be used. I stay a safe distance behind Chad Nelson. He’s the fastest runner in my class and, therefore, I always use him as my benchmark. If I pass him, it will draw attention to me. Something I can’t afford to do right now.

As my feet thud on the dirt track, I think about when Delaney and I were in elementary school and my gift first manifested. Delaney had just started getting her weird visions, and I teased her about it all the time. The truth is that I was really jealous. My parents peppered my childhood with stories about how one day I would be a real superhero. It wasn’t supposed to be
Delaney. It was supposed to be me. Besides, she didn’t even want her gift. She kept whining about it like it was some kind of curse.

So one day while Delaney and I played on the monkey bars at school I decided to show off. I jumped up and grabbed the first rung, determined to get across faster than her. I swung for a moment and then propelled my body forward. Only I propelled it too far and went flying though the air, landing clear on the other side of the bars. I landed with a thud so hard that dirt kicked up like a wall in Delaney’s face. She coughed and sputtered.

Kids whooped and hollered all around me. The yard duty ran in my direction. Delaney’s eyes widened. I wasn’t hurt, but it was the first time I realized my strength far exceeded others. From then on, I could always run faster, jump higher, and break things with my bare hands. Until I learned how to control myself, my parents had to replace doorknobs and faucet handles in our home as often as we went grocery shopping.

A couple of girls jog past, their long hair fanning around their faces. They both stop talking and throw me smiles. I immediately stare at my feet. I know everyone thinks I’m an arrogant jerk, but it’s the way it has to be. I can’t encourage interaction with anyone but Delaney. She’s the only safe person for me.

Ariel’s face surfaces in my mind, and a smile breaks out on my face. Until now, that is.

Amber Garza lives in California with her amazing husband, and two hilarious children who provide her with enough material to keep her writing for years!