Among the Stars

  Chapter 14

  The rest of the day is spent with Orion acting as my personal tour guide. Even though he says it’s been awhile since he was in the city, we never get lost and I wonder if he has some kind of direction power I don’t know about. We go to Central Park and watch as people hustle about. Joggers and bikers zip through and people on their lunch break sit and eat on the benches. Orion buys us lunch and we sit peacefully under the trees that are just starting to turn color for fall. A couple sits not too far from us playing with their daughter. She sits in the grass picking dandelions and braiding them together. When she’s done she walks over and puts it on her dad’s head. Laughing, the family takes pictures together and eventually leave the park; the dad still proudly wearing his flower crown.

  Afterwards, we go to the museum. Orion has me almost in tears laughing as he tells me the real stories behind some of the events and exhibits. He told me about how Greek mythology was built around them and their powers. They weren’t hiding their powers as much during that time and the humans saw them as gods and legends began to circulate and change over the years. He assured me that most of the stories were completely made up, especially the ones about him. He raved about how never has nor would he ever force himself on a woman and he has never forgiven Corvus for helping spark that story. The Loch Ness monster was actually Hydra in one of her forms. She had loved vacationing in the Loch but after pictures and news spread she hasn’t been able to return except in human form. When I asked if Bigfoot was one of them too he simply laughed.

  “Now why would you think we are behind every tall tale you humans come up with?”

  “Well, so far you have been,” I say in defense.

  “Stick around and maybe you’ll find out which ones are real and which ones aren’t,” he says winking at me.

  “So Bigfoot isn’t real?”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “But you said?” I stammer in confusion.

  “Just because we aren’t behind Bigfoot, doesn’t mean it’s not real,” he says ominously.

  “So what is it?” I ask fearfully. John had always tortured Stacy and I with tales of Bigfoot when we went camping. Little me had been scared spitless but I grew out of it knowing it was just a story. Now I wonder if I really should have been watching out for him all these years. Orion looks around to see if anyone is listening then motions for me to come closer. I move closer and he leans down to whisper in my ear. His breath is hot on my ear and I don’t know if my heart is beating fast because of the conversation or how close he is to me.

  “Maybe you should ask the abominable snowman,” he says with a laugh. I jerk back to look at his face and he’s smiling from ear to ear.

  “That wasn’t funny!” I punch him in the arm. “You had me freaked out.”

  He knew I wasn’t seriously mad at him and he laughed again as we moved onto the next exhibit. When we got to the Egypt area he tells me another story.

  He gets a big grin on his face as he talks about how the Sphinx was actually constructed in honor of Leo. When Orion and Leo got into a fight over him bragging about it and exposing himself to the humans, Orion had thrown him into it thus breaking off the nose.

  “You’re kidding me? That’s what he was upset about when you brought up Egypt at the club?” I chuckle.

  “Yep. You should have seen his face. I wish Pictor had been there to paint a picture of it.” Orion joined me in laughing and the other visitors gave us weird looks before walking quickly passed us. I’m sure we looked really odd standing around the museum laughing at random things together but I didn’t care. I was seeing a side to Orion that I had only caught glimpses of before. He seemed to enjoy walking me through history from his point of view. I loved hearing him talk about history and seeing how things differed from what I knew. Things were so easy between us again. It was like when we first met except I felt closer to him now.

  After the museum we decided to go for a walk. The streets were crowded and I moved closer to Orion so we wouldn’t get separated. As I moved closer he looked down at me and grabbed my hand. Smiling, we walked hand in hand through the city.

  Orion pointed out things that had changed over the years. The coffee shop on the corner used to be a bowling alley. That skyrise used to be a vacant lot where Canis found a starving stray dog and gave it a home. The pastry shop I had just dragged Orion into used to be a night club.

  “Why did you want to come in here?” he asks, curious.

  “I saw the maple bar in the window. I have to try it, they are my favorite.” I walk to the counter and tell the guy behind it what I want. He puts it in a bag and I turn to Orion. “Do you want anything?”

  “No but I’ll pay for it.” He reaches for his wallet and I stop him.

  “I got this one.” I smile at him and take out my own wallet. He furrows his forehead and I can only imagine the internal battle going on in his mind. I pass my money to the guy while Orion stares at me. I get back my change and we leave the pastry shop.

  “That wasn’t so bad was it?” I ask him playfully.

  “I suppose not,” he says stiffly.

  “You’re very old fashioned,” I laugh.

  “Well, I’m very old,” he replies.

  That makes me laugh again and he takes my hand and leads me to a tiny playground where we sit and I eat my maple bar. I sigh as I take the first bite. It’s one of the best ones I’ve ever had.

  “Is it good?” He asks me with a smile.

  “Mmhmm,” I mumble with my mouth full. I shallow and hold it out for him. “Here. Try it.”

  “I’m okay.” He shakes his head.

  “Come on. You won’t regret it.” He thinks for a moment then takes a bite.

  “You’re right, it is really good,” he says after swallowing.

  “Right?”

  I take another bite and together we finish the maple bar. Kids run around on the playground; yelling as they chase each other. A boy sits feeding the pigeons bird seed from the bench across from us. Countless people march by on the sidewalk on their way to who knows where. Everything is so noisy but there’s also a strange rhythm to it. After a while we make our way back to the car.

  Orion takes me to a little pizza place for dinner. The restaurant is cozy with that old family business atmosphere and the food is delicious. I’m completely stuffed by the time we’re done. It’s dark when we leave and the city has changed. The crowds seem less rushed as they bustle about and signs light up the streets.

  “You have to see one more thing before we go back to the hotel.” Orion takes my hand and we walk along the street. It’s become natural to hold hands as we walk through the busy crowds. I don’t think he’s doing it just so he won’t lose me amongst the people. More hints I’ll have to use.

  We wind through streets and around corners before Orion finally stops. I look around and realize where we are. Advertisements flash across big screens. Billboards broadcast the latest Broadway shows. Cars and people race across the streets. It’s fast pace and bright. It’s Times Square.

  “Wow. It’s just like in the movies,” I say.

  “You can’t go to New York City without seeing Time Square.”

  “I can see why.” I was amazed at the amount of people bustling about. There has to be more people in Time Square than there are back home. We stand there for a bit but the night air is cold and I can’t suppress a shiver.

  “Here.” Orion takes off his jacket and puts it around my shoulders.

  “Won’t you be cold?” I worry even as I stick my arms through the sleeves. It’s big and warm and smells like him.

  “I’ll be fine. Ready to head back?”

  “Sure.”

  We walk back the way we came and weave through the crowds. Eventually they thin out and the streets become quieter. Orion’s jacket keeps me nice and warm as we make our way back to the car.

  “How’d you like the city?” Orion asks me.

  “I liked it
. It’s like a totally different world. There are so many new things. Although I’ve never realized it before now but I don’t think I’m a city girl. I loved visiting all the cool places but I don’t think I could live here. It’s too busy and there are too many people.”

  “I’m glad to hear that city life hasn’t corrupted you. I could never live here either for the same reasons.”

  “Have you ever lived in a city?”

  “In the smaller ones, yeah, but the big ones never for longer than I had to. I get antsy being away from nature too long.”

  “You seem to be doing really good so far.”

  “That’s because I have such great company.”

  He smiles at me and I smile back. Today has been full of smiles. If only every day could be like this. As we turn another corner a voice pierces the quiet.

  “Please stop!” It sounds like a little girl.

  Orion’s head snaps to look in the direction the voice came from. A split second later he’s running. He still has my hand and I’m running as fast as I can to keep up with him. He sprints through alleys and crosses streets until finally the cries are crystal clear. He stops abruptly at the entrance to an alley and turns around to face me.

  “Stay here.” Then he turns the corner and disappears down the alleyway. I’m breathing so hard trying to catch my breath that I wouldn’t have been able to reply even if he’d waited for me to. I peek around the corner and see Orion walking up to a group of four men. They are standing in a circle around an old man and a little girl. The old man is lying on the ground while the girl stands over him in a protective stance. She’s trembling but her face is brave.

  As Orion draws closer the men turn and face him. Orion says something but it’s too low for me to make it out. Whatever it was the men must find it funny because they all laugh. One of the men waves his hand dismissively and turns back towards the two in the circle. That was a mistake.

  Orion grabs him by the collar and throws him into the wall. The other three rush forward to get at Orion. One guy swings at his head but Orion easily dodges it and sweeps the guy’s legs out from under him. The second guy tries to tackle him but Orion steps out of the way and the guy goes flying past into the wall the first guy went into. The third guy, seeing what just happened, tries to run away but Orion easily catches him and throws him against a dumpster. Orion glares at them and they scramble to get out of the alley.

  In their haste to escape they don’t even notice me standing there. Obviously if they can run away, Orion didn’t hurt them like he could have. I watch the guys disappear down the street and then go into the alley to check on the old man and girl.

  Orion is crouched down helping the old man up while the little girl helps from the other side. Hearing me approach she looks up suddenly and I see a flash a fear in her eyes. I realize it’s dark and I’m still wearing Orion’s huge coat.

  “It’s okay, I’m with him,” I say kindly, stepping into the light. The girl visibly relaxes.

  “Are you alright?” Orion asks the old man.

  “I’m fine, no permanent damage.” He stands shakily for a minute and the girl picks up a cane off the ground and brings it to him. “Thank you my dear.”

  “Can we see you home?” Orion asks.

  “Oh no you’ve done more than enough. It’s not too far, we should be fine.”

  “Can we at least get you a cab?” I can see in Orion’s face he wants to make sure they get home safe.

  “That would be very kind of you. I can’t thank you enough,” the old man says. We walk out of the alley and Orion hales a cab. Luckily cabs are everywhere in this city. Orion helps the old man into the cab. Before the girl gets in she throws her arms around Orion legs.

  “Thank you,” her tiny voice squeaks. Orion crouches down and hugs her back.

  “You were very brave protecting your grandfather like that. Don’t ever forget how strong you are.” Orion lets her go and she hops into the cab. Orion passes a few bills to the cab driver and says to take them wherever they need to go. The two wave as the cab drives off. We watch until they disappear around a corner.

  “That was really sweet what you said to her.” I turn towards Orion.

  “What do you mean?” He tilts his head to the side.

  “About her being brave and strong. I think a lot of people don’t think they have it in them but everyone does. A little girl had the courage to stand against four men to protect her grandpa. She was scared but she still stood her ground. I think sometimes people forget being scared doesn’t mean they aren’t brave.”

  Orion looks at me for a while then smiles. “She’s not the only one who’s brave. Come on. Let’s go.” He reaches for my hand and we start walking.

  “Are you sure you know where we are?”

  “Of course I do.” Just then we round a corner and there’s the car parked exactly where we left it.

  “Of course,” I sigh.

  -------------------------------------------------

  “How about some dessert?” Orion tosses me the room service menu.

  “How about,” I scan the menu, “New York Style Cheesecake?”

  Orion gives me a look, trying to figure out if I’m making a joke or not.

  “Hey, when in Rome, right?”

  He smiles and orders a variety of desserts including the cheesecake. I give him a look and he shrugs.

  “Just in case the cheesecake isn’t good.”

  While we’re waiting we both take quick showers to wash off the activities of the day. Just as he walks out of the bathroom, room service knocks on the door. I make us some coffee in the kitchenette to go with dessert and we sit on the balcony to eat. We sit enjoying the night air and each other’s company. We end up sampling everything he ordered and putting the left overs in the fridge. When we’re done cleaning up I flop onto the bed.

  “I didn’t realize how much my feet hurt from walking until I stopped walking,” I groan. I hear Orion laugh and then I feel someone sit on the bed. I sit up and Orion is sitting on the edge of the bed smiling.

  “Was it worth it though?”

  “Very much so. I had a great day.”

  “I did too. I’ve never had so much fun in the city.”

  “Not even with Canis? Seems to me you guys party pretty hard.” I laugh.

  “Ailey,” Orion stares at me seriously.

  “Yeah?” I ask, nervous at his change of tone.

  He leans closer and his green eyes gaze into mine. My heart is racing. His hand comes up and gently touches the side of my face.

  “I want to kiss you now,” his voice is deep and my heart beats faster in response.

  “I want you to kiss me now too,” I manage to whisper.

  “Then I will.” And with that, his lips touch mine.

  I was expecting a reserved kiss; one that goes with his more restrained personality. It was anything but reserved. He let everything out with that kiss and held nothing back. It was filled with so much emotion that I had no doubts to what he felt for me. He tilted my head to deepen the kiss and I was lost in feelings and sensations. His lips were soft yet commanding and I let him lead the kiss. When we broke away we were both short of breath. I took a moment to collect myself and when I opened my eyes, black and silver ones stared back at me.

  “Your eyes,” I gasp.

  “Sorry,” he looks away and they start to fade.

  “No wait,” I turn his face back so he’s looking at me, “I want to see.”

  Surprised, he tilts his head and his eyes slowly start shining with power. For the first time I really get to study them. I didn’t notice it before but the silver parts are actually made up of tiny dots of silver amongst the black. I thought the silver and black just blended together but that’s not the case. The night sky stares back at me from those eyes.

  “They look just like stars,” I say in awe. I touch the side of his face. “They’re beautiful.”

  Orion closes his eyes
and covers my hand with his.

  “I’m glad they don’t scare you anymore,” he sighs.

  “What are you talking about?” I don’t think I’ve been scared since the night Alex attacked me and I found out Oliver was actually Orion.

  “There’s always a tiny part of you that is apprehensive around us, especially when we use our powers. Just now was the first time there hasn’t been any trace of fear.”

  “I didn’t even realize. Even you and Canis?” He nods his head.

  “I’m sorry.” I think back to the times he’s used his powers around me. For the most part I felt a sense of curious awe but there was a part of me that was afraid of that power. Afraid of how powerful it actually was and what it could do.

  “Don’t be. It’s natural to fear the unknown and that’s what we are to you. It takes a while to adjust, I’m just glad you have. At least with me that is.”

  He smiles and kisses me again, this one not so intense.

  “You should get some sleep. Tomorrow we need to check in with the Siblings and see when the meeting is exactly. Then you get to be the first human to sit in on an Elite meeting.” He gets up from the bed.

  “The first?” I exclaim, feeling nervousness shoot through me. “Maybe it would be better if I just stayed here. I don’t want to cause any issues by being there.”

  “You won’t be. They won’t even ask you any questions. You can just sit and observe.”

  “Okay.” The nervousness weighs like a stone in my stomach. Orion taps me on the head.

  “Don’t be nervous. Everything will be fine.”

  “Okay, I’ll try.” I climb into bed and pull up the covers.

  My phone beeps and I remember that I haven’t texted Stacy yet today. I’d been so preoccupied with spending time with Orion that it completely slipped my mind. Quickly, I send her an update on my day and tell her I hoped she’s all packed for college. Every day we exchange stories about how our days went. She’s been busy spending time with her family before she leaves for college the day after tomorrow. Because I couldn’t tell her the truth, I made up stories about the places I went. Right now she thought I was on my way to see Lake Tahoe. Still, I enjoyed our short conversations.

  I didn’t expect her to reply because it was so late but I forgot about the time difference and I got a reply almost immediately. She was all packed except she still hadn’t picked which shoes to take yet. I wished her luck and said I’d talk to her tomorrow.

  “How’s your friend?” Orion asks.

  “She’s good. Eventually she’s going to ask to see pictures of where I’ve been and I’m going to be in trouble.” I laugh humorlessly.

  “We’ll figure something out.” He turns off the lights and walks over to my bed. He leans down and presses a gentle kiss on my forehead.

  “Goodnight, Ailey.”

  “Goodnight, Orion.”

  Finally, I think to myself, I solved the puzzle.