His jaw dropped and then he made an ugly noise in the back of his throat.
“You’re lying,” he accused with a grimace.
“Am I?” I asked and pretended to be smug. He suddenly looked very ready to be out of this echo. “Now it’s your turn.”
He wasted no time in giving it to me.
“There’s a prophecy, that there would be a time of great tribulation. No one knew what that meant until the imprints stopped. That meant the ascensions stopped and we understood that this is what it had been talking about. The prophecy says this.
‘Two will come forth to become one. That one will end what was done. One will possess power to birth, a new day of justice, strength and mirth. Then two to keep our spirit pure and strong, start anew, end the wicked and wrong.’
“It’s dumb but that’s what it says. And Sikes is set on believing it. I’m sure it’s not hard to see who would be viewed as the wicked in this prophecy,” he spouted almost proudly.
“How did you get a prophecy? Did it miraculously appear on a hamburger bun in ketchup?”
“No, smarty pants. It was foreseen and written down by another seer over seventy five years ago. We’ve kept it safe and hidden.”
“So, you want me to believe that Caleb and I are the one? The two become one?”
“That’s what Sikes believes. From the first second he heard of your imprint with Caleb he was dead set on stopping your ascension. On stopping you from becoming the ‘one’.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“You thought I’d skip out without telling you the truth, huh?” he said with a malicious little grin.
“Yes.”
He laughed at my honesty.
“Sikes’ and my agenda don’t end up on the same page anymore I’m afraid.”
“What does that mean?”
He made a sound like a buzzer on a game show.
“EHHHH! That’s all the time we have today folks, but thanks for playing. Now if you’ll excuse me, I gotta be getting back before Sikes knows what I’m up to.”
“Wait, how can you use Sikes gift like that?”
He gave me a droll look.
“You really think I care if I hurt his precious feelings?”
“No, no, I didn’t mean how ‘could you’; I mean how can you like, literally? How can you?”
He shrugged, looking really pleased and superior.
“Don’t know how it works. It’s only you though. I can’t pick anyone I want, believe me I’ve tried. So now, don’t you feel special?” he sang.
I shook my head in aggravation.
He started to walk around me to the door and with me lost in thought I didn’t think to be cautious until it was too late. I felt him grab my hair from behind and yank it hard holding me captive to the chair. He leaned over to speak to me close, but not touching me.
“I can’t just leave. Caleb will know that you had an echo and he’ll think I’ve gone soft if I let you leave without doing something to you.”
I saw the gleam of silver and thought it was a knife. Then I saw it was scissors and cursed my stupidity.“What are you doing? You told me all that just to kill me?” I said frantically.
And then it hit me. That’s probably exactly what he was doing, trying to play nice for kicks.
“No, silly human,” Marcus said. ”Oh wait, dang. I guess I can’t call you that anymore, huh? But no, I’m not going to kill you. I’m just going to make it look to Caleb like I still hate your guts. Which by the way, I still do,” he growled in my ear and I winced as I saw his arm move.
Maggie! Wake up!
I heard Caleb but it was too late. There was nothing to do. I waited for the sting and pain of the scissors in my chest but felt nothing but the tug of Marcus’s hand in my hair.
Listen to me! Wake up now, Maggie!
Then I heard a snip. I gasped awake on the chair and saw Caleb sitting beside me, leaning over me, face etched with concern.
“Maggie?”
“Marcus,” I croaked.
“I know. You fell asleep on the chair,” he chastised softly. “Did he hurt you? What happened?” he asked as he looked me over.
“I don’t know, he- he told me some things and then he had scissors and-” I sat up and bits and strands of hair fell all around my shoulders and lap. I realized what he had done with those scissors. That bastard cut my hair! “He cut my hair!”
I felt Caleb digging around in my mind, seeing Marcus.
“What the hell did he do that for?” Caleb said vehemently, knowing exactly what had transpired.
“He’s an insane jerk, that’s why.” I picked at the strands on my shoulders and then felt the hair still on my head with trembling fingers to feel it was cut up passed my shoulders. I felt a sudden loss. I wanted to cry but jeez, it was only hair...right? “He cut my hair,” I repeated softly.
Caleb grimaced and pulled me under his shoulder.
“I’m sorry. Let’s get you upstairs and dressed before Bish gets out of the shower. Then I’ll take you to the salon around the corner and we’ll see if they can fix it. Ok?”
He rubbed my shoulder, the hair strands showering around us as he did so making me wince like it was painful.
“Yeah, ok.”
Just as we got up from the chair, Kyle rounded the corner. Ugh! He couldn’t have waited five seconds?
“Mags, what the hell,” Kyle replied.
“Marcus,” Caleb explained. “Now move,” he barked.
“But I thought he could only get her in a dream?”
“I fell asleep. It was my fault,” I said quietly.
“No it wasn’t,” Caleb said. “I’m the one that told you he couldn’t reach you when you were this far away. You felt safe. It was my fault you let your guard down.”
“But why did he cut your hair?” Kyle asked me, looking at me closely. “What did that accomplish?”
“He said some things to me. He told me some things about Sikes. Then he said he needed to do something mean to me so that Caleb-” I looked up at Caleb and smiled sadly. “So that you wouldn’t think he’d gone soft.”
“I could kill him,” he growled, his grip tightening on me. “What an evil little bast-” Caleb started in a rage but I stopped him.
“No, don’t, please? This is why he did it.” I put one of my hands on his chest and one on his neck to draw off his anger. “He knew you’d go nuts when you saw me and do something crazy. Please?”
He visibly took a deep breath and I heard Kyle’s mutter as he walked away.
“I’ll go clean up the chair before Bish sees it.”
“Ok,” Caleb said gruffly. “Come on, you gotta take a shower and wash all that off before we go.”
“Ok.”
I let him tow me upstairs as I self consciously stroked the stringy strands left on my head. Once we reached the upstairs bedroom he pulled my hand away.
“Hey, it’ll be ok. We’ll fix it. Don’t be self conscious around me.”
I glanced up into the hall mirror and grimaced at the mess of my head.
“Oh my-”
“It’s ok.” He turned me so I didn’t look anymore. “Come on. The sooner the shower’s done, the sooner we can go.”
He yanked my shirt off over my head and directed me into the huge stand up stall shower with my bathing suit still on. He turned on the water for me and shut the glass shower door.
“I’ll go get dressed,” he said.
“K.”
I kept pulling handfuls of hair away as I let the water wash over me. I took off my suit and started to wash what was left of my hair. It felt so different. I’d never worn my hair short before, ever. It felt wrong. I hated it. I knew there was no way to make it right again without having to take more off to even it out. I was so furious I started to cry, hot angry tears. It was so stupid crying over hair but it was my hair! I had been attached to it, literally!
I sat down on the floor with my knees up and let the water rinse me as I sniffled and felt utterly ridiculous. After a few minutes, Caleb came in. I didn’t hear him or see him. I just felt him and knew he was here.
“Baby,” he soothed and leaned on the glazed glass door, his silhouette showed him with a hand against the glass. “Don’t cry. It’ll be ok and you’re not stupid.” He’d been reading me and heard my inner rant. I felt even worse. “Alright you, come on. We’ll get it taken care of, right now.”
He pulled open the door and held a big black towel up in his hands. His eyes were closed. I smiled despite myself.
“Cute,” I muttered. “But haven’t you already seen me naked?”
He peeked and saw I was standing. He looked at my face over the top of the towel that he still held out.
“Yep, and that memory is burned into my mind for life. But I’d rather not see you again until we’re ready.” I knew what he meant by ready. “I’m trying to be a gentleman here,” he joked and shook the towel to get my attention focused on it.
“Oh, sorry,” I turned and let him wrap it around me. “So, you don’t want to see me naked?” I asked as I turned back around.
That seemed strange to me.
“Of course I do. Don’t start your girly insecurities with me, Maggie Masters.” He smiled; a real smile. “I just don’t want the temptation. You saw me before, this morning...and that was with your suit still on.”I blushed, recalling the look on his face.