Tuesday the 13th of June, 1989
I jolted awake, intense pain hitting me in the chest. Although Catherine’s sister had vanished, only darkness surrounding me, I could still feel her icy spear piercing my flesh, penetrating my heart. Then panic set in, the fear that I was dead gate-crashing my mind. That my soul had been sucked into the Maris rosary, damning me for eternity. Just the thought made me swipe out, desperate to find anything in the darkness, anything to prove that I was still alive. I let out a surprised holler as I tumbled over the side of something. I landed on my front hard, more pain ricocheting through me, my body a minefield of agony. I moaned and rolled over onto my back, nursing my chest as though I was bleeding out, even though I clearly wasn’t, my hand gliding over smooth skin. Whatever was causing the pain, it was obviously all in my head, the passe no doubt behind it.
A loud creak yanked me out of my self-wallowing. A dark form appeared in a doorway, followed by a bright burst of light, illuminating...
...my room.
And my father. He was in front of me within a second, bobbing down to help me up. “What are you doing on the floor?” he asked.
I winced as he settled me on my bed, my chest still killing me. I’d had passi before, but never ones where I’d gotten hurt.
My father pulled my blankets around me, probably because I was shivering, the room ice-cold. “Are you all right?” he asked, shivering himself. He was only wearing boxers. The claw scars running down his bare chest, over his heart, looked pale against his olive skin, while his brown hair was a mess, suggesting I’d woken him up.
Not answering him, I shifted the blanket aside to check my chest, seeing what I’d felt earlier: smooth, unbroken skin, proving the pain was all in my head.
My father brushed my hair back. It was dripping wet like in the passe, but with sweat instead of water. “Chris, tell me what happened. Was it a passe or a nightmare?”
“A passe,” I pushed out, willing the pain to stop.
“What’s wrong with your chest? You keep rubbing it.”
“It feels like I’ve been impaled.”
“There’s nothing there.”
“I know,” I moaned, “but it still hurts. A Merge pierced it with a spear made of ice in the passe.”
“You can’t get hurt from a passe.”
“Well, I did.”
“Let me look at it.”
I removed my hand, wincing as my father gave my chest a prod. “Careful.”
He frowned. “I don’t understand how a passe could’ve hurt you. Maybe you just wrenched a muscle when you fell out of bed.”
“It hurt before I fell,” I said, rubbing where he’d prodded.
“What was the passe about?”
“As I said, a Merge stabbed me with an ice spear.”
His frown deepened. “I’m guessing it must’ve been a Maris. Did you recognise them?”
I shook my head, not wanting him to get on my case about Catherine again.
He pushed to his feet. “Marises are nothing but the bane of our existence. I wish I could wipe them all out.”
“This Maris was only a kid.”
“How old?”
“Sixteen at the most.”
“Do you know why they attacked the person you merged with?”
“Because he attacked her.”
“Where did this passe happen?”
“I don’t know, other than it looked like the land around here.”
“It happened here?”
“No, more like a reserve than the countryside.”
“Did you get a read on who you merged with?”
“A blond male. Can Halos or Terras burn?”
He shook his head. “Why?”
“Because he burned this Maris.”
My father frowned. “But that’s impossible. Only Seraphim can burn, and we aren’t blond.”
I ran a hand over my face, trying to make sense of what I saw. Then it hit me, the answer obvious.
Stellas could burn.
***
The passe bothered me throughout the day. I’d obviously had it for a reason, a reason I had no clue about, other than witnessing the final moments of Catherine’s sister’s life. I wanted to speak to Catherine about it, but she didn’t come to school again. It made me wonder whether she was ever going to return. I was still wondering that when Nicky appeared by my side as I was unlocking my car to go home.
I jolted, the girl giving me one hell of a fright. “Dio, Nicky! Don’t sneak up on people like that.”
She wrinkled her little pixie nose. “Technically, you’re not a person.”
“I am so, just not one of you lot.”
“My lot?”
I rolled my eyes, the girl denser than a slab of concrete.
“Oh!” she squealed. “You mean humans.”
“Keep your voice down.”
She pulled a face. “No one knows what we’re talking about.”
“Just tell me what you want,” I snapped, my patience wearing thin. Though, everything had tested me today, my sore chest putting me in a foul mood. The only consolation I had was that the pain was nowhere near as bad, just an annoying ache that wouldn’t go away.
Like Nicky.
She tsked me. “Be nice, after all I’m doing you a favour.”
“What favour?”
“You wanted to know when Catherine was coming back.”
My annoyance instantly evaporated. “When?”
“Tomorrow.”
I smiled for the first time today.
“You should smile more often, it suits you. Anyway, you free now?”
“For what?”
“I want to take you to McD’s.”
I shook my head. “I like Catherine, not you.”
She smacked my arm. “I know that, silly. I was just going to shout you a Happy Meal.”
“Happy Meals are for little kids.”
“No they’re not, I love ’em!”
I smiled.
She smacked my arm again. “Hey! I’m not a little kid, so don’t get cheeky with me.”
“I just smiled.”
“Yeah, right. Apart from your angelic face, you’re a right devil.”
More like part demon. “Just tell me why you want to shout me,” I asked, my mood souring once more.
“Oh! For getting me that date with Stephen. He’s my boyfriend now!”
My eyebrows shot up. “How’d you manage that?”
She frowned. “Manage what?”
“Get Stephen to agree to being your boyfriend.”
Her face fell. “What do you mean by that?!”
“Um...” I said, not wanting to insult her. I hadn’t thought that my cousin would hang out with Nicky past her putting out. Or maybe she hadn’t put out yet. But then why would Stephen hang around with a girl that he thought was weird if he wasn’t getting any? Maybe he thought he would.
“Stephen’s so hung up on Catherine,” I answered instead.
“Oh,” she said, looking a touch relieved by my reply. “He’s given up on her, said she’s too much hard work, while I’m easy.”
I snorted out a laugh, her reply answering my thoughts. “That’s not a compliment, Nicky.”
She scowled at me. “He didn’t mean it the rude way!”
“Knowing Stephen, he definitely did.”
Her face went redder than her hair. “He still likes me! Otherwise he wouldn’t want to go out with me again.”
“Only because you’re putting out.”
“That’s got nothing to do with it! And Catherine was right, you’re a complete jerk. You say the most horrible things.” She spun around and stomped off, heading for...
Stephen’s car. He was sitting behind the wheel of his turquois Valiant, smirking at me, obviously enjoying Nicky biting my head off. As Nicky rounded the side of his car, he made a circle out of his thumb and fingers and pushed another finger through it, then gave me the thumbs-up, obviously telling me he’d banged her. I shook my head at him, the guy a complete douchebag, only out for one thing. I just hoped he wasn’t going to break Nicky’s heart in the process.