The Diamond Bearers' Rising Read online

  I don’t think anyone will try to harm you now. You must focus on uniting the Bearers in this common cause. They may not all like you or approve of you, but they can still perform their duties as Bearers.

  Okay. Uh, Crimson, may I ask you a question?

  Of course.

  I noticed there’s fourteen slots pictured in the schematics for prisms. Why are there only twelve prisms?

  Crimson doesn’t answer. Instead she walks over to me and puts a hand on my arm. “Call Chris so we can discuss this.”

  Yep, that’s what I suspected. I mentally connect with Chris and ask him to come talk with us. He comes out of the kitchen popping a couple cashews into his mouth. “What’s up?” he asks.

  “Let’s go sit on the couch and talk,” Crimson says.

  I get up from my chair and walk with Chris to the living room area and take a seat on the couch. Chris sits beside me. My mind races with questions and memories of when he must have repeated. I knew he was. He never said he wasn’t, but he deflected the questions. I want to know why.

  Crimson pulls a small chair next to the coffee table and takes us both by the hand. The blue mist surrounds us. She drops the hold on our hands and says, “Calli noticed there are fourteen slots on the machine’s schematics.” Chris’s head turns abruptly to me, eyes wide. He swallows hard, then drops his chin to his chest. Crimson adds, “She wants to know why only twelve prisms were pulled.”

  Chris swallows again and turns his body to me, pulling one of his legs under him. He reaches for my hand, takes it in his, and looks me in the eye. “I held back two of the prisms when we located them in the machine.”

  Struggling to keep a calm demeanor, I say, “We only removed twelve.”

  “I had already pulled out two before you started helping me.”

  I pull my hand away from his. “Why?”

  He wiggles a little in his spot. “Well, actually, the first time around, I didn’t keep two. When I almost tripped over my dad’s boots, and I was still holding half of the prisms, I had a moment of regret, regret for not watching where I was going. That was enough to send me back ten seconds. I decided I’d keep two crystals that time. You were looking elsewhere, so after repeating, I put two in my other hand and gave you the remaining ones.”

  I am flustered. “Why two?”

  “I figured I’d give one to you later on.”

  “But you never did. So why the secrecy?”

  He leans a little toward me and continues. “I didn’t tell you because I saw an opportunity to be able to communicate better and I took it.”

  “Huh?”

  “Calli, I’ve been on edge around you since you rescued me from Justin’s hideout. I seem to screw up everything I say to you. But with the prism, I found I could undo my idiotic words. Plus, I was about to meet with Agent Whitman and I wanted to feel confident. At that time, I wasn’t going to keep the prisms a secret, but . . . ” His head drops again.

  “But what?” I press.

  Crimson answers. “Once he told me about the prisms, I instructed him to keep one and give the other to me. I ordered him to keep everything secret until further notice.”

  I shake my head to keep the tears behind my eyes. “Have you both been repeating with me?” Neither answers. “I don’t like that you made Chris keep a secret from me.”

  “You have the right to be upset, Calli. I’ve been keeping my eye on the long-range future of humanity and lost sight of the present. You should know, though, Chris asked several times if you could have a prism, too. I said no. Every time I look ahead with you holding one, the future is negative. I don’t know why. I know you wouldn’t abuse the ability to repeat, but somewhere along the line things will turn sour if you get a prism . . . at this point, anyway.”

  I don’t know what to say. A sudden nausea wave hits me and I press a hand on my stomach. “Is that why you took the prisms from me after visiting Uncle Don?”

  “Yes.”

  “But why have you let me be in close contact with the bundle of prisms since then?”

  “You’ve never shown any desire to possess anything unless offered to you. I knew they’d be safe.”

  Chris asks, his voice quiet, “Are you mad at me, Calli?”

  I turn to him, feeling frustrated, but understanding that he only did this under Crimson’s request. “No. I’m not happy with the situation, though.”

  Chris lets out a breath of air. He cautiously responds, “I don’t blame you. It’s really hard to use the repeating power. With only ten seconds of a window, you’d be surprised how quickly that time passes and then you can’t undo something. I have a new admiration and respect for Brand. He is a true superhero; just don’t ever tell him I said so.”

  Crimson nods. “I share your respect for Brand. I wished I had a better understanding of how to use the power when Marketa was working on you, taking out the shards. One second the future showed everything was going to be fine, eleven seconds later you were probably going to die. I couldn’t undo the moment to where you’d be all right.”

  “Is that why you let me get shot at the bookstore?”

  “Yes. I could still view a future where you would be fine. The same scenario happened when Marketa was removing the obsidian. But then in the blink of an eye you were going to die. I stepped in, almost too late.” She pauses, clears her throat, then continues. “When I flew you to Tennessee, I used the power to determine how fast I could fly without causing you too much discomfort. I pushed the boundary over and over again, knowing we had limited time to get your name cleared before Max showed up.” Crimson pauses, her focus pulled away. She stands and says, “Would you excuse me?” She leaves the blue mist circle.

  I’m left with Chris, wondering how to best say what’s on my mind.

  Chris is still facing me. He says, “You probably already know most of the times I used the repeating power on you.”

  I say, “I don’t think you realize exactly how much time I’ve spent with Brand. I spotted a few identifying Repeater moves, times when your behavior or tone of voice changed from one word to another.”

  “I wanted everything to be perfect with you.”

  I turn my body to him. “Why? We’ve been over this before, Chris. No relationship is perfect.”

  “I guess I didn’t want you to run you off like what happened with my other girlfriends.”

  “Didn’t they leave you because you wouldn’t open up?”

  “Yes, among things.”

  “You had to keep the secret you were a double agent and that didn’t leave room for relationships.”

  “Exactly.”

  “But Chris, I know all about your past and your father. Why do you still worry I’ll run off like the others?”

  “I don’t know. I guess I worry I won’t be good enough for you. You know, Calli, after I survived having my power removed and I became Unaltered I put two and two together and realized I could possibly be your equal. Frankly, it scared me to death.”

  “You were feeling that at your father’s compound? I couldn’t tell.”

  “Yeah, well, that’s part of my well-disciplined outer demeanor. I’m trained to hide my true feelings. Another reason relationships don’t work out for me. And, another excuse to hang on to the prisms.”

  “Chris, I need you to be honest with me. I understand Crimson made you keep the secret after a while, but in the beginning, you chose not to tell me you kept two prisms. Why?”

  “There wasn’t time to run that by you, Calli. The authorities were on their way.”

  I rub my temples. “All the more reason to tell me. Instead you had me standing by in case you needed me to control minds. Come to think of it, that was probably just in case you couldn’t handle the repeating power.”

  “Calli—”

  I put my hand up. “What bothers me is you and I were alone. You had enough time to realize the prism had repeating power and didn’t tell me. Instead, you made a snap decision, one that can’t be blamed on Crimson.
”

  He moves back a little. His face tightens. “What can I say other than my brainwashing runs deep.”

  Memories start flooding into my mind. “Then, in Denver you and Crimson put on an act when Beth discovered the prisms had repeating power. “I feel like a fool.”

  “Come on, Calli,” Chris says. I can tell he’s worried. His tone of voice is calming, making me wonder if he’s trying a line on me. Is he repeating now?

  I stop rubbing my head and look directly at him. “Do you have a prism on you?”

  “No. That’s probably why we’re fighting.”

  “This isn’t fighting. We’re communicating. I want you to feel you can talk to me about anything, that you can share your innermost worries and concerns. If you already felt that way, you wouldn’t have wanted to keep the two prisms a secret.”

  He takes a deep breath, lets it out, and pulls his brows together. “So, let me get this straight. You’d rather see the real me, my real fears and frustrations?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay.” He scoots to the edge of the cushion and leans toward me. A look of boldness flashes across his face. “This is me not repeating. I’ve seen the way you act around Brand. I totally understand how much time you’ve spent with him. You have inside jokes. He knows what you’re going to say, and that upsets me. I’ve tried to hide my frustration, my worry, but deep down I know I can’t compare to the relationship you have with him.”

  “You’re right, Chris. I am comfortable around Brand, but not in a way you should be worried about.”

  “The same way you didn’t worry when you saw me with Kikee?”

  “I was jealous. Then you reassured me I didn’t need to be jealous and I trusted you. So, I dismissed it.”

  He pauses, and I look across the room at Brand. He’s talking to Maetha. As I watch, Jonas bi-locates to Maetha. Jonas looks my direction and makes eye contact. He smiles and nods.

  Chris must have noticed his arrival as well. He says, “Okay, what about Jonas?”

  “Huh?”

  “How about the way he looks at you?”

  “That’s not my fault.”

  “I was there when you thought Jonas was dying.”

  “He was dying.”

  “Yeah. And you were more concerned with his wellbeing than with the knowledge you got by seeing my vision of us. Do you know how that made me feel?”

  “No. I’m sorry. He was dying.”

  “Well, there he is. He miraculously made it.”

  “Not by my hand. Maetha saved him. I don’t have a relationship with him, Chris.”

  “You’ve been inside his mind and he in yours. You definitely have a relationship with him.”

  “Because of the shared diamond, not because I wanted to be in his mind. Big difference, Chris. I think you’re being overly paranoid.”

  “Paranoid? Do you want to know the real reason Maetha saved Jonas?”

  “She was trying to figure out how to heal DNA and it finally worked with Jonas.”

  “No. He’s the backup guy, Calli.”

  I cough. My voice shakes as I answer. “What?”

  “He’s here in case you and I don’t work. You have to have someone to save for all this to work out. If you and I don’t work, someone else needs to be in place.”

  “I don’t . . . what makes you think . . . ”

  “Crimson told me. When Maetha foresaw the events with the Death Clan, there were two possible love interests: me and Jonas.”

  Why would Crimson tell Chris something like that? Unless she could see the possibility of us not working out.

  Chris continues. “You were so drawn to Jonas, attempting to heal his cancer, feeling like he shouldn’t die at that time.”

  My mind replays how I wanted to heal Jonas once I learned I actually could with Maetha’s help, yet Jonas turned down the opportunity. I meet Chris’s worried eyes. I feel sick. “I’m not attracted to Jonas. I don’t want to kiss him. I don’t want to be with him. He’s like a brother to me. Same with Brand.”

  “Yeah, but he’s a Diamond Bearer now. He’s been placed, strategically positioned, and protected in case I’m not the guy for you.”

  “You’re worrying about things that don’t exist.”

  “Am I? Or am I seeing things you don’t or that you refuse to admit?”

  “Chris, why are you being so jealous and insecure?”

  He makes a scoffing sound.

  I realize the communicating has evolved into quarreling. “Have you asked Brand how many times he tried to pick up on me and I shot him down? He has told me repeatedly that I’m the strongest willed girl he’s met. Brand can get any willing girl. I’m not willing. Don’t you get it?”

  “What’s to get?”

  “I want you, Chris! You. Not Brand. Not Jonas. I love you.”

  He moves forward, taking me by the hand. He cups my cheek and swiftly brings his mouth to mine and kisses me like his life depends on it. I kiss him back feeling as though I’ve finally met the real Chris. And I can’t get enough of him. My whole body warms with passion, the likes of which have me wishing we weren’t presently on display in the living room. He slowly pulls away from my mouth, then he hugs me and rests his cheek on my head. “Thanks for hearing me out. I’ve needed to get those fears off my chest for a long time and I’ve been so afraid of how you’d react.”

  “Thanks for being honest.” The old adage goes through my mind: be careful what you wish for.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t discuss the prisms when I first kept two, but I hope you can understand a little bit better about what goes on in my mind.”

  “I do.”

  He kisses my forehead and stands. He extends his hand to me which I take and stand next to him. “I’m going to miss my flight if I don’t move along. I really wish I didn’t need to leave. I love you, Calli.”

  We hug again, then he leaves the blue mist circle. The mist dissolves and vanishes. I watch him stride across the room and disappear down the hall. My warmth turns to chill. I wrap my arms around myself to try to hold onto the warmth a little longer. I notice the fire needs a log added. I walk over and crouch down, grabbing the last piece of firewood and moving the screen far enough to set it inside on the coals. Closing the screen, I consider that last night Crimson told me there was more information she wasn’t telling me. I guess now I know what she meant.

  I glance over at Brand, Beth, Jonas and Maetha, who are having a conversation about inserting the repeating quartz under Brand’s skin. Ever since I learned about his power, I’ve respected his ability to use it effectively. I agree he should insert it somewhere so it won’t get stolen.

  While watching the four interact, Jonas looks at me and quickly diverts his eyes. Was he not expecting to find me looking at him? I don’t understand his reaction. What about his feelings toward Anika? I don’t know where the two of them stand relationship-wise. I analyze my feelings for Jonas. He is a good-looking guy, with dark hair and thick brows. He’s a Runner by nature so he has the ideal body for that power even though he is now Unaltered. I didn’t want him to die young, I remember. But that didn’t mean I wanted to be with him. Am I attracted to Jonas? Yes. Am I giving him signals of possibilities between us? Not that I’m aware of. Do I feel anything could come about between him and me?

  Chris enters the living room, pulling my attention away. The feelings that ignite to life when I see him are unmistakable. They always have been. I am completely, wholeheartedly attracted to Chris. Without a doubt.

  I decide not to mention any of my inner dilemma and discovery of Jonas being the backup guy to Crimson or Maetha. I already sort of know what they’d say: “The will of nature required a sacrifice for love in order to bring down the Death Clan. Who that love was didn’t matter. In your case there were two options”

  Chris comes back toward me and pulls me into an embrace and holds me for a few extra moments. He continues. Calli, while I was in getting my bag, Crimson told me to take a prism with me back to
D.C. I have one on me right now, but I promise you I won’t use it unless lives depend on it. That includes your life. I won’t use the prism to manipulate anymore conversations with you. Okay?

  Thank you, Chris. I hug tighter.

  Then we kiss and say goodbye. He closes the front door behind him and I feel a wave of uncertainty creep into my mind and take hold. I’m not worried about my feelings for Chris. I’m concerned as to why Crimson and Maetha think they need a backup guy. And why exactly does Crimson want Chris to be able to repeat?

  To get my mind off the matter, I walk to my bedroom. I remember I’d promised Anika I’d charge her a Seer topaz so she could better understand the power. She’ll arrive tomorrow and I’d like to have it ready.

  I strap on a topaz with a piece of medical tape and sit on my bed to meditate. In a little while, Brand and I are going to go to the police station to discuss yesterday’s shooting. I need to be focused.

  Chapter Three - Repeating With Police

  A knock on my door pulls me out of meditation.

  “Come in.” I unfold my legs and move to the edge of the bed.

  Crimson enters the room. “How are you doing, Calli?”

  “As well as can be expected. Don’t you already know?” I point to my head to indicate I know she can hear my thoughts at will.

  She walks over and sits next to me. The blue mist of privacy surrounds us. “Calli, I don’t always hear what goes on inside your mind. I have to pay attention or purposely look. It’s time I pull back and give you and Chris privacy. I’ve intervened many times and protected you from misery, but it’s time you experience life as everyone else knows it.”

  “What exactly do you mean?”

  “I think you know.”

  “Is my life going to fall apart or something?”

  “No, but you may notice more things go wrong or unfavorable simply because I’m not intervening as much. I won’t be reading your mind or inserting thoughts as often, either. You shouldn’t worry, though, you’re level-headed, compassionate, smart, and have a strong grasp on life.”