“I’m reading his waves and they are fading. That means he’s dying. How can he be fine?” Rio asks.
“Well, Gentum tells your Rah and your soul that you’re not in love. When your true feelings start to fight back, Gentum goes into overdrive and tells your body other crazy things; like, ‘Hey you’re dying.’ Or, ‘Hey, you have no wings.’ It becomes a matter of your mind tricking your body.”
“Okay, so how do we help him?” Marcus asks.
“I can wake him up, and fix him. But he has to stop taking Gentum or it will happen again.”
“So, he took Gentum because he didn’t want to feel what he was feeling,” Miku says to herself.
“Yes. Are you the reason he took the mixture?” Raphael asks.
“Yeah, I’m the girl he’s trying to not love,” She says sadly as she runs out of the house.
We try to go after her but Rio tells us she needs to be alone. Meanwhile, Raphael places Jay on an empty table and prepares the mixture. Relived that Jay is in the clear, Marcus tries to gather the information we came for.
“Rahell said you were coming to ask about an unexpected force of good,” he says as he skillfully mixes colorful liquids together.
“Yes, that’s why we’re here. Is there any such thing?” I ask.
“As an unexpected force of good, no,” he replies.
Damn…
“But there is a force of good that was purposely placed on Earth,” the Para tells us.
Just then, Miku enters. Before we can say anything, she tells us she’s fine and does not want to talk about Jay. She turns her attention to Raphael and tells him to keep talking.
“Before I tell you about it, who came up with the idea to look for the opposing force to the Goumy?” He asks.
“It was Emmy,” Marcus replies.
“A human, of course. You guys come up with the best things. I mean, yeah sure, we gave the world courage, wisdom, blah, blah, blah. But you guys gave us the iPhone. That’s true power,” he marvels.
“Well, you know, we humans do what we can,” I say, not sure what my reply is supposed to be.
“Tell me something, what does a hamburger taste like? It looks so good.”
“Um...it’s okay,” I reply, looking at Marcus for some help.
“If you don’t mind, we came a long way and we really are pressed for time,” Marcus explains to him.
“You won’t be able to go anywhere until your friend is healed. That will take another hour or so.”
“Fine, but can you finish what you were saying about a force of good?” Marcus asks.
“As I said before, there is no unexpected force. But there is a reserve of perfect power that has been added to by many, many Paras over the past cycles. You see, when Omnis first made this world, we Originals were overjoyed; the humans were engaging and innocent.”
“Once that changed, and we had to come to earth to fight evil, we felt sorry for them. There were times when we wanted to clean up the mess humanity had gotten into, but we weren’t allowed to interfere. So, in order to give the humans some extra help, without actually being there, we created the Lyris.”
“Lyris, what is that?” I ask.
“The Lyris is a reserve of perfect power that has been gathering over thousands of years. We Paras started it and every time we’re on Earth, we would add to it. It’s like a savings account, except we didn’t deposit money, we deposit power.”
“What did the Lyris look like and where is it kept?” Marcus asks.
“The Lyris looks like a stream of plasma, surrounded by beams of light. We placed it in a little hole in the ground. But over time, the Lyris became more and more powerful. Soon, the hole could not contain its power. It expanded and what was once a small unremarkable hole, is now the Grand Canyon.
“As you can imagine, it was impossible to hide it from evil now that it had grown so big. Yet Lucy found out about it and she insisted that Omnis get rid of Lyris, because it offset the balance of good and evil. But after having seen what some of the Goumy could do, Omnis was reluctant to comply.
“So, in the end, Lucy agreed to help put the Goumy in prison and Omnis agreed to get rid of the Lyris. But here’s a secret about Omnis: he’s pretty crafty.”
“You mean he didn’t get rid of the Lyris?” The Twins ask.
“Well, yes and no. He did, in the sense that it can’t be found in the ground. But he allowed the Lyris to seek out its own home. That is to say, every cycle, the Lyris resides in someone of its choosing.”
“So, this great force of good is inside a human being?” I ask.
“Yes. After all, it was our gift to humans. The Lyris places itself inside a being that is pure of heart and deserving.”
“Why didn’t we know about this?” Miku asks.
“Both sides have secrets from each other. That’s just the way the game is played.”
“This isn’t a game, Raphael,” Marcus replies, heatedly.
“I have faith in your team. We all do, Marcus.”
“Where can we find the Lyris?” I ask, hoping to give Marcus a chance to calm down.
“Every cycle, we are told where the Lyris is and the name of the being it has entered. This cycle, I believe it’s in a woman named Bailey Coulter.”
“Great, where is she?” I ask.
“She can be found in a monastery in Tibet.” He gives us the location and tells us the fastest way to get there.
“I don’t get it. You guys had this info and you never told us. Why would you let things get this bad if you could have stopped it?” Marcus snaps.
“Guardian, we saved the world a few times. It’s your turn.”
“That’s what this is about? Whose turn it is? That doesn’t seem unfair to you?”
“Yes, it seems unfair and awful. But what is it that makes you think unfair and awful things won’t happen? For Omnis’ sake, your mother murdered you. Do you still need me to tell you the world is unfair?”
“You could have at least told us about the Lyris before this,” Rio replies.
“And then have IM Trouble make it front page news?” Raphael asks.
“There is hardly a Splash anymore,” I counter.
“It doesn’t matter, human. There are Believers everywhere. One word about the Lyris and whoever it is that it’s inside will be killed. So please, guard this information with your lives.”
“You went to all that trouble to give us humans the Lyris, but you hid it. How were we even supposed to know it was there?” I ask.
“I have faith in humans. A great being once said “Humans are noble, honorable and some really smart. I have a very optimistic view of these individuals.””
“Who said that, Omnis?”
“No, Steve Jobs.”
I suppress a smile and Marcus shakes his head.
“Can you at least tell us what this Bailey woman is like?” I ask.
“I have never met her. But rumor has it she is difficult, stubborn, selfish and unyielding.”
“The Lyris went into someone like that?” Rio asks.
“I can’t explain why, but it did.”
“So, is she being guarded or what?” Marcus asks.
“She is watched by Cravens, so that her power can be neutralized. But it takes nearly a hundred of them to subdue her powers and, even then, she can be very dangerous.”
“What are her powers?” Miku asks.
“She inhales evil.”
“Seriously?” Marcus replies.
“She is the best weapon we have against Lucy. That’s why it was important no one know about her. Honestly, we all hoped we would never need to use her. But Sage has lost touch with reality…” Raphael says, lost in thought.
“Once we find her, we just walk up to her?” I wonder.
“She has a built in shield. If she doesn’t like you, you won’t be able to touch her. In fact, no one has touched her before, because she hates everyone.”
“Sounds charming,” Rio chimes in.
??
?Okay, so suppose we get to her and she somehow lets us near her, what then?” Marcus inquires.
“Then you take her and journey to a small fishing town in Greenland. That’s one of the places our power is strongest on earth. There are many different theories as to why that is, but more on that at another time.”
“And that’s it, we take her to Greenland, she stands there and sucks in air?” I ask.
“She will be airborne; she’ll rotate in a circle of awesome, perfect, power. The Goumy will begin to get weak. At that point, they will be drawn to her location and will fight like hell to stop her. But so long as her shields are up, she will be unstoppable. She will kill them all.”
“Okay, don’t be mad, but I need a human minute to recap,” I reply.
They all look at each other and permit me to continue.
“Okay, so the Lyris is a reserve of perfect Para power. Every cycle, it enters a human being that it thinks is worthy. And in this cycle, the woman’s name is Bailey. She can be found in Tibet. Once we find her, we take her to Greenland, and she will use her power and defeat the Goumy. Right?”
“Right.” Raphael assures me.
“Am I crazy or does that sound too simple?” I ask the team.
“Getting Bailey to come with you will be difficult. She has never left the monastery,” Raphael tells us.
“Well, she’s leaving with us, one way or another. I don’t care if we have to use force; we will not let this world end,” Marcus vows.
“Glad to hear it, Guardian. One more thing, the Lyris can only be used once. So wait until you get to Greenland where her powers are greatest. Your friend is now awake.” We look over and Jay’s eyes are open. His wings are back.
“What happened?” He asks us.
“The mixture you were taking had side effects,” Marcus replies.
“Oh,” Jay says, looking away.
“Where did you get it?” I ask.
“Tony-Tone,” Jay replies.
“I swear I’m going to kill him. I’m done with that snake,” Marcus swears.
“It’s my bad, yo. Not Tony’s. He said it could have side effects but I didn’t listen.”
“Because, you wanted so badly not to love me?” Miku asks.
We all look at each other and silently wonder if we should leave them alone. But since they continued talking anyway, everyone just stayed put.
“It’s complicated, Miku,” Jay replies.
“No, it’s not. I thought the guy I had feeling for was…courageous. Honest. But you’re not. You’re just a scared little boy and I’m done wanting you, Jaden. I’m done.” She turns to Marcus and tells him she’s ready to go whenever he is ready. Then she heads outside to wait for us.
“She’s really mad, huh, baby girl?” Jay asks me.
“How could you put yourself in danger like that?” I ask.
“I’m trying to stay focused on this mission. I don’t want to be distracted. I don’t want to end up like…”
“Like what?” I push.
“Like you and Marcus.”
“What does that mean?” I ask.
“All love has done is hurt you two. It will never end. I don’t want to be in love; ever.”
“Well, I hate to break it to you, but you’re already in it. You’re just pretending not to be. I’ve been there. It doesn’t end well.”
Jay is good as new but he’s being given the cold shoulder by Miku. And frankly, I’m not really a big fan of his right now, either. I can see how much he is hurting Miku by not wanting to admit his feelings.
But we do finally have good news; I was right and there is a power that can combat the Goumy.
I’m sure we can convince Bailey to come with us. Even if she isn’t the nicest woman in the world, I’m sure she’ll help us.
We fly all night in crazy weather. More than once we have to take detours to avoid homes and bodies, whizzing by us inside twisters and hurricanes. Rio isn’t the only one having a hard time knowing so many people are dying. But like Marcus pointed out, this is the best way to help, not just a few people but everyone.
By the time we arrive on top of the mountain, where the monastery is located, I’m drenched to the bone; we all are. But we are so taken with meeting this Bailey woman, we don’t pay attention to how wet we are.
There are Cravens standing all around the monastery. Marcus told me about them. They have two powers. They can naturalize other Demons and they can tell instantly what your desires are.
But the thing that gets me about Cravens is how their veins are on the outside. It’s almost like they are turned inside out.
“We have come to see the Lyris,” Marcus says firmly.
“She is not seeing anyone today,” The Carven nearest us replies.
“She will see us,” Marcus says with a steely tone.
“The Lyris does what she wants,” he replies.
“We will see her. The question is, will we have to kill you in order to do so?” Ameana replies with certainty.
“Fine,” The Craven says, smiling as if he knows something we don’t. They step aside and allow us inside the monastery.
Once inside, we see the being that the Lyris has chosen to reside in. She is looking out the window. Her beauty is unique and breathtaking.
She has albino skin. It’s so white it’s almost translucent. Her unruly red hair forms a mass of curls atop her head. She turns to face us. Her eyes are an intense grey that makes it nearly impossible to look away from them.
The combination of red hair, colorless skin and deep grey eyes make Bailey an odd and intriguing sight. But it’s not her hair, or her even her skin that renders us speechless. What gets us about Bailey Coulter is she’s only three years old.
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO:
INTRODUCTIONS
Bailey is by far the cutest toddler I’ve ever seen. She has a spark in her eyes that makes everything she beholds seem special. Her long, graceful, colorless lashes seem to go on forever. And she’s so low to the ground; she looks up at us like we are towering Gods.
But Bailey is not happy to see the ‘Gods.’ In fact, she does her best to show us just how unhappy she is that we are here. She crinkles her button nose, purses her heart shaped lips with suspicion, folding her arms over her chest. So far, Bailey has the world’s best and biggest pout.
The thing about toddlers is that the more upset they try to be, the cuter they get. I learned that with Ben, my neighbor. When he was two, he hated when I was babysitting and would make him go to bed. He would give me his best ‘I’m mad at you’ face.
But the ‘meaner’ he looked, the more adorable he was. Sometimes, I’d pretend it was bed time just to see his ‘mean’ face. Bailey is no different. Yes, the toddler standing before us wearing jeans and a long sleeve balloon print shirt wants nothing to do with us.
“It’s a mistake, right?” Ameana asks.
“This is crazy,” Marcus replies.
“No, this is good. This is the first break we’ve had in a long time. All we have to do say hello to her and she’ll be eating out of our hands,” Miku says.
But something in the way Bailey furrows her brows makes me think Miku may be wrong. She walks up to the little girl and says hello.
As soon as Miku gets within reach, Bailey’s shield goes up. It’s a see through barrier, like Rio’s, but a much smaller version. Miku touches the shield and it hurls her to the other side of the room. We run to see if she’s okay.
“This may be a job for candy; a lot of it,” Miku says as she sits up and massages her bruised shoulder.
“Why would the Lyris go into a kid?” Jay asks.
“Well, it actually makes sense; when I read kids, mostly they’re joyous, courageous, pure,” Rio informs him.
“Okay, well we need to get her to come with us - so, any ideas?” Marcus asks.
“I could try,” I volunteer.
I walk up to Bailey, smiling. When I get within reach, I have to stop myself from reaching out and pinching her p
uffy cheeks. Or placing my hands on either side of her face and smooching it like a big gooey sweet marshmallow.
“Hi Bailey; I’m Emmy,” I say kneeling down so we are eye level.
She furrows her brow again and looks at the rest of the team with even more uncertainty.
“Bailey, can you say ‘hi?’” I ask her.
“NO!” She shouts stubbornly.
“This is great. This is just, great,” Rage says, irate.
Ameana takes a turn. She goes up to Bailey and asks to see her collation of stuffed animals by the window. Bailey shouts “No!”
The Twins, Jay and Marcus all try to get the little girl to lower her shields but she has only one answer to that: No.
“Can you Convince her?” Marcus asks.
“I can’t get close enough to whisper to her. And besides, I’ve never Convinced a little kid. It might really screw with her head,” Jay looks concerned.
“Well, we have to go and we can’t leave without her,” Marcus reminds us.
“Can you air lift her?” Rage asks Ameana.
“Not with her shields up.”
“C’mon, Angel, you wanna take a ride with us?” Jay asks in sticky sweet voice.
“No!” Bailey replies, with absolute resolve.
“She’s never gonna lower her shields if she doesn’t like us,” Rio says.
“Jay, why don’t you whip up a quick little mixture to make her forget her feelings; you’re good at that,” Miku says snidely.
“C’mon, yo, let it go!” Jay snaps.
“That was reckless, Jay,” Marcus agrees.
“Really, Marcus you’re gonna tell me what is and isn’t reckless? You, of all people?” Jay counters.
“What the hell does that mean?” Marcus asks.
“He means you put your love for a human ahead of your mission. So, you are the last person to judge him,” Ameana informs him.
“Someone who’s dating Rage shouldn’t talk,” Miku reminds her.
“Guys, can we focus? She just a kid, we should be able to get her to lower her shields.” I tell them.
“I could fire at it,” Rage says casually.
“You would really throw fire at a toddler?” Marcus asks.
“He was kidding,” Ameana comes to his defense.