Shadows: A teen paranormal romance series (The Celestial Series Book 2)

  Lisa Champagne

  Shadows (The Celestial Series: Book 2)

  First published by Champagne Stories 2020

  Copyright © 2020 by Lisa Champagne

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

  This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

  Lisa Champagne has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet Websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

  Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book and on its cover are trade names, service marks, trademarks and registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publishers and the book are not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. None of the companies referenced within the book have endorsed the book.

  First edition

  ISBN: 978-1-7353923-2-5

  Advisor: Patricia Balderrama

  Cover art by Lance Buckley

  This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy

  Find out more at reedsy.com

  This book is dedicated to my cousins, Lucy and Marty, who made me finish this book much quicker than I intended to, so I wouldn’t be harassed at our next family gathering.

  Contents

  Preface

  Lili - Reinstated

  Lili - Verve

  Lili - Dreaming

  Adem - New Day

  Lili - Unstable Ground

  Adem - The Unknown

  Lili - Harmony

  Adem - Gamma Beta

  Lili - Serenity

  Adem - Home Sweet Home

  Lili - Hide and Seek

  Adem - The Mist

  Lili -Descending

  Lili - Triangle

  Lili - Team Work

  Adem - Maze Runner

  Lili - Trial by Fire

  Adem -Escape

  Lili - Nirvana

  Easton - Return

  Lili - Missing Piece

  Lili - Goddess Ascending

  Afterword

  Preface

  I walk through the neighborhood I grew up in and it’s exactly how I remembered it. The rows and rows of cookie-cutter homes piled on top of each other. The smell of fresh-cut grass, bacon, and laundry detergent perfectly combining into a scent made only for suburbia. The Smith kids riding their gender colored bikes up and down the street like a scene from a fifties movie. Quaint and idealistic. The very thing the darkness wants to destroy.

  I look around the block, nervous I’m being watched. Wayward, my school’s dean, has been watching me closely, and I need to ensure no one knows I still remember my old life.

  I walk up the driveway to the concrete stoop with a sign that reads Welcome to Our Home. My Mom loves to entertain guests, or at least she used to. My hands shake as I press the cold doorbell. I’m scared of a repeat of Easton, empty eyes who don’t remember me.

  I haven’t been able to talk to my mom since my memory’s eradication procedure failed. I still remember her, but I’ve had to pretend she doesn’t exist, that my memory is empty. The procedure was supposed to erase my memory from every human’s mind who knew me, but I hope since my memory is still intact, my mom’s is too.

  I hear our old wood floor creaking inside the house as my mom walks to the door. I hold my breath as the hinges swing open and she stares back at me in jeans and a plain purple shirt. “Hello.”

  I swallow slowly. “Hi.” A heaviness expands through my body as I quickly realize she doesn’t remember me. If she did, she would have hugged me tightly, bringing me into our home and stuffing me full of snacks and liquids.

  But instead, she stares back blankly. “What can I help you with?”

  I look at her for a long second, committing her image to memory. Her almond eyes are identical to mine. “Sorry. I was looking for the Smiths’ house.” I want to cry, to crumble to the floor, but my grief rapidly begins to turn into something else. Something determined to succeed. To retrieve everything that’s been taken away by the Darkness.

  “No problem,” she says as she points down the street. “They live just two houses down. It’s the blue house, with toys in the yard,” She says longingly before politely closing the door, and leaving me all alone.

  I turn from my mom’s house slowly and begin to walk back to downtown Austin. Slowly at first then quicker, as I get some control of my sorrow and stop uncontrollably gasping for air.

  Last year my search for the Darkness plaguing Cognosco ended horribly. My best friend and roommate, Nora, was killed and Easton, my first boyfriend, had his memories of me erased forever. And now my mom’s memories have been taken. The air feels thick and my lungs heavy with jagged stones, pulling me down. I squat down in the middle of the busy path. I will not let this destroy me, I say to myself over and over again until I begin to believe it.

  The Darkness tried to erase my memories too, but to my great satisfaction, that failed. I still remember everything, and I plan to use that to my advantage. My breath returns and I stand up and begin to walk again.

  Of course, I didn’t do that alone—my godly mother Sax helped. She prevented the procedure from taking away my past and then dropped the bomb that imploded my entire future. I learned that I’m her daughter and put here to rule Earth and destroy the darkness that plagues it. No big deal, just a small request. My pace quickens again.

  For the moment our wants align because after the darkness took everything from me, I plan to obliterate it from the Earth. But first I need to figure out how to return Easton and my mom’s memories, because everyone needs someone to care about them. Otherwise, what’s the point in living?

  Lili - Reinstated

  Wayward’s voice pounds through his thin office walls. “Lili, you can come in now.”

  I steady my thoughts and ensure my face is emotionless and dark, before I sit across from the man who killed Nora and erased Easton’s memories. I spot a young girl with stringy yellow hair sitting in the corner of the room, and my heart beats hard in my chest. Why is she in here? What does Wayward have planned? I try my best to ignore her, focusing on Wayward’s bookcase, looking at the leather-bound hardcovers and ancient artifacts behind him.

  “This is Sara. How old are you, Sara?”

  Sara’s voice is faint and shaky. “I’m twelve, Sir.”

  I meet her eyes, which are a murky ocean blue with waves of fear. I swallow hard, speaking to her in a steady voice that’s meant to calm. “Hi, Sara.” Sara’s lack of smile is contrasted by Wayward’s intense grin, which screams evil and proud of it.

  The happy, encouraging Dean of Cognosco is gone and the wicked that hides underneath is free. “I hear from your energy teacher, Blake, that you’ve been having problems reigning in your powers. That you’ve blown quite a few things to pieces. I’d like to help you. I thought maybe you could move Sara.”

  I swallow hard, as I meet Wayward’s glare. “I’d rather not. It may make your office messy.” I feel Sara’s scared energy permeate the r
oom and I want to hold her and tell her everything will be okay, that I would rather die than hurt her, but I can’t. I need to continue my charade.

  “Now, this is exactly why you can’t control your abilities—you shy away from using them. She only weighs seventy pounds; this should be easy for you.” Wayward lifts Sara into the air, tossing her around like a football. I grip my chair, horrified by my lack of action. What can I do? How long can I sit here and watch him?

  Sara cries weakly, and I can’t stand by idly anymore. “If I were you, I’d put her down. Now.” My voice is harsh and dangerous, and I’m starting to lose control.

  Wayward stares at me, begging me to explode. “Or what, Ms. Araica?”

  I wish he’d just listen. It takes everything I have to speak as my dark and light energy fight inside of me. “You know what. Put her down.”

  He chuckles. “You want her, you can have her.” He raises Sara to the ceiling, then drops her. With no time to think, I reach my energy out, catching her mid-air right before she smacks into the hardwood floor. My breath releases with my hold on Sara, and I drop her only an inch off the floor. She stands up, sobbing as she runs to me.

  “You’re okay,” I whisper in her ear, as I watch Wayward sit at his desk smugly.

  Wayward’s door opens, but I don’t take my eyes off him as I hold Sara in my arms. Whoever entered behind me scares Wayward because his eyes widen with the fear I was looking for.

  “What is happening here?” Adem, the leader of Celestials, walks past me, standing across from Wayward.

  “I was just helping Lili learn how to control her abilities.”

  Adem’s eyes turn to me. “Is this true?” When I first saw Adem, I felt inexplicably drawn to his emotive eyes delicately painted on the walls of Cognosco. But after I discovered he was working for the Darkness, my interest in him was squashed.

  “I’m sure that’s what he thought he was doing,” I say, adding, “Sara needs to be taken home. And I’d like to be the one to do it.”

  Adem looks down at the girl in my arms, whose eyes are still wet. “Would you mind waiting outside, Sara? I’ll make sure you get home safely.” Sara looks at me for approval, which I don’t give. “Do you not trust me?” Adem asks without emotion.

  Is he crazy? Of course, I don’t trust him. “Well, I don’t really know you, do I?”

  Adem’s creases soften as he says, “That’s true, you don’t, but you will soon.” I look at him with confusion, which he squashes quickly. “Your end-of-the-year assessment results came back and you scored exceptionally high, which means you’ll be interning with Celestial leadership. More specifically, me.”

  Adem clearly expects a joyful reaction, and I oblige, giving him a half-grin. “Okay.” His eyes scrunch, making me add, “Good to know.”

  “Just okay?” Adem asks with what sounds like humor. What does this guy want? He’s evil and helped Wayward capture and torture me just two months ago.

  I try to correct myself one more time. “I’m excited,” I say with a lack of excitement in my voice, and face, and soul.

  Adem clears his voice. “You will report to Verve in two weeks. Your advisor will show you around and take you to my office. I look forward to speaking with you more.”

  I move with Sara like a hostage trying to get away from her captors, slow and steady.

  Wayward’s voice stops my escape. “No one dismissed you. Sit down.”

  I stand still, refusing to follow his directions. I move Sara behind me just in case.

  Adem pointedly looks at Wayward. “That’s enough from you.” He then turns towards me, his voice smoother. “It’s okay. That’s all I wanted to say. You can take Sara home.”

  I nod to Adem, right before the bold part of me decides to poke the bear. “Just out of curiosity, is Wayward coming to Verve?”

  Wayward tenses as his malice pours out of the wide hole that he calls a mouth. “I will be there, watching…”

  Adem’s solid voice crushes Wayward’s. “He will be preparing for next year’s classes, in the school’s new location. Wayward will not be in Verve; you have my word on that.”

  “What a pity,” I say with glee as I try to open the locked door. “The door won’t open,” I say aloud.

  I feel the energy begin to change drastically, as Wayward begins to pull power into his core. I ensure Sara is behind me as I do the same. This is it. The moment I knew would come, where I have to kill in order to live.

  Adem’s voice fills the room with a warning for Wayward. “You open that door now. This is your one and final warning.”

  “I will not be diminished and banned from Verve, so you can play games with your pet,” Wayward growls. I stand firmly in front of Sara, preparing a shield that will hopefully protect us both.

  Wayward’s glare moves to me as his hands extend and an unwavering bolt slams into my shield. “You are a waste of space.” His energy tries to find a weakness in my protection. I hear Sara begin to scream behind me as her small hands dig into my shoulder, cutting my flesh.

  I will not let him kill her. My shield remains steady as I pull energy from the earth, sending a bolt that Wayward just barely blocks. His dark expression is unaffected as he prepares to attack Sara and me again.

  This bolt is stronger, filled with more darkness than before, it smacks into my shield, pushing Sara and me back against the locked door. I pull more energy, determined to end this, but Wayward’s bolt dies mid-stream as I watch the calm and unemotional Adem lose his cool, striking Wayward with a bolt aimed at his head. The bolt hits directly, spreading down his body, turning Wayward into an ash that doesn’t linger in the air, dropping to the floor with a thud. He dies silently, without any last words or anyone to care for him.

  I know I should feel uneasy about the murder of anyone, but I don’t. I feel relief. Relief that Wayward is unable to hurt me anymore. Relief that he finally paid for killing Nora.

  I stare at Adem, unsure if I should lower my shield.

  “You have nothing to worry about from me.” Adem wipes some ash from his hands. “He was on my last nerve. I was thinking of firing him anyway.” His lack of emotion frightens me as I stare at him in shock, my shield still up.

  “Okay,” is all I can say in return. “Well, I better take Sara home.”

  “Yes, you should,” he says with a small crease in his forehead. I wait for him to add something to show some kind of emotion, but he doesn’t. Wayward’s office door is now unlocked, and Sara and I exit. Before I close the door behind me, I get one more glimpse of Adem standing there with Wayward’s ashes at his feet. The realization that this is my new boss hits me, and a shiver spreads through my body that I’m unable to stop.

  Lili - Verve

  I sit on the edge of my soft bed, despondently looking around my room with the sizable tree in the center for the last time. My time here was filled with monstrously bad memories and wonderfully good ones. I guess you can’t have one without the other.

  I move to sit at Nora’s bare wooden desk, remembering her love of reading and our study sessions, where she would pretend to be a game show host. Nora was the kind of friend I’d dreamed about having, and I miss her boldness and wit more than I can say. I feel a wave of grief getting ready to crash as an unwanted tear rolls down my tired face, hitting the bureau. I take a deep breath, wiping the painful proof of Nora’s absence away from the antique oak, when I notice a hidden book caught behind Nora’s desk. I try to shimmy it out, but I cut my middle knuckle against the splintered wood behind the dresser. I use all my strength to try to push the desk, but my weak arms are unable to make it budge. Why didn’t I work out more?

  I hesitate to use my powers, but with puny arms and no one to help me, I’m without another option. I carefully use my abilities to levitate the desk a foot to the right. I try to lower it gracefully, but the claw feet thump hard on the floor, wobbling from the impact.

  I gained my full Celestial powers on my sixteenth birthday and I’ve been having issues con
trolling them. So, I’m thrilled my little desk move didn’t explode the school.

  The golden book dislodges from its hiding spot, floating to the floor like a feather in the breeze. I pick it up and am hit by a surge of magic radiating from the cover. The title of the book reads, “Icarus and the Labyrinth.”Wayward must have missed the book when he cleared my room of Nora’s belongings. I wonder if it just fell or if she intentionally hid it. I flip it open and read aloud.

  “Icarus was a young man with everything before him. He was loved by his father and adored by all who meet him, but…”

  There’s an odd rhythmic knock at my door and I hurriedly place Nora’s book at the bottom of my packed bins.

  I take a deep breath, answering the door as my new darker self. “What?” I ask, sounding ridiculous to myself. I see Sebastian staring back at me with his distinctively mischievous eyes. He’s wearing a purple and white striped suit, which reminds me of Beetlejuice, and I can’t help but say, “The ghost with the most!”

  Sebastian, my only remaining friend, looks at me with confusion. He slowly tilts his head to the side. “Should I know this ghost?”

  “It’s from a movie, never mind.” I open the door wider, inviting Sebastian in.

  He walks in my room, shutting the door behind him with a flick of his wrist. “Guess who I saw in the hallway, just outside your room?”

  “Who?” I ask, curious where he’s going with this.

  “The school’s resident hottie, Easton. He was suspiciously lurking.”

  I swallow hard. “That’s strange. I don’t know him well.” I briefly look at my door, imagining Easton on the other side.

  Sebastian throws himself dramatically on my unmade bed. “Lili, there’s no need to pretend with me. I’ve seen you staring at Easton in the halls and I know your memory eradication procedure was a big failure.” He’s right. I miss Easton, and he doesn’t even know I exist. For the last two months, I have been working tirelessly on how to get Easton and my mom’s memories back, but I’m currently at a standstill. If only Nora was here to help me.