The Four Points: Book 1 (The Four Points Saga) Read online

  “No, I want to hear more. Please tell me about the Four Points.”

  “Have you heard of the four C’s?”

  “No,” I replied.

  “Well, in a normal diamond, like one found in a wedding band, the four C’s describe the quality of that diamond. The best and brightest diamonds are judged using the 4 C’s: cut, color, clarity, and carat. In our case, we are chosen as the rarest and best of the Diamonds because we possess the four C’s too: courage, clarity, compassion, and concentration.”

  “Isn’t it a little conceited to say that we possess all these qualities? I’m not sure I do.”

  “Erika, yes you do. You wouldn’t have been chosen as The Reader if you didn’t. You really have to stop being so self-deprecating; it is not a redeeming quality.”

  I stood up, my blood boiling. Not a redeeming quality.

  I started to walk away, but Liam grabbed my hand.

  “Let go, Liam,” I demanded, trying to shake his grip.

  “Erika, please. I’m sorry. I just want you to see what I see. Do you forgive me?”

  “No.” I turned away. He was still holding my arm, but my body was turned in the opposite direction, ready to sprint away upon my release.

  “Liam,” I said, “let go.”

  Liam gently released my hand. I started to walk away.

  “Plleeeassse, Erika. If you don’t forgive me I will drown myself in the river, right now.” I glanced back to see Liam making his way towards the water.

  I ignored him until I heard the slushing of liquid. I turned around to see Liam’s boots disappear under the water, and then the bottom half of his legs followed.

  “Wow, this water’s cold.” Liam was looking over his shoulder waiting for my reply, for my reaction.

  I still ignored him. I was not going to give in and I knew Liam would not drown himself. He was getting pretty darn wet, though. I looked around to see if others were witnessing Liam’s silliness. They were. People stared and pointed in Liam’s direction, laughter and gasps filled the air. It seemed everyone’s eyes were concentrated on Liam, everyone except for one man.

  He wasn’t looking at Liam. He wasn’t looking at the river at all. He was strangely focused on something else; his penetrating eyes were focused on me. I shivered as leaves rustled and a wind sent chills flowing through my soul; goosebumps covered my arms. You would think the man would have looked away when I caught him staring, but he didn’t flinch. His gaze was frozen on me. I turned my attention back to Liam, ignoring the man and the disturbing feeling of déjà vu he had conjured. An eerie breeze hushed the laughter and the noise of the growing crowds, the gust carried one single word. A whisper. A name, a familiar name, one I had just learned— Adhira.

  My mind awoke from the unnerving place it had traveled when I heard Liam yell, “Erika, are you really going to let me drown?”

  I contemplated his words for a minute. “Liam, stop being silly. Come out. I don’t even know if that water is sanitary. People don’t swim in the Riverton River.”

  “I won’t come back until you tell me you forgive me.” Liam continued to walk further. The water was up to his waist now.

  Is he crazy? “Okay, okay, I forgive you,” I said, relenting.

  Liam turned and sloshed his way up the bank, shaking the water out of his boots as he walked. His clothing was now tinged with a weird greenish color. I couldn’t decide if I was more amused or disgusted.

  “Finally! I was really hoping you would have stopped me earlier. You know Erika, you really are stubborn.”

  “Oh, and is that not a redeeming quality, either?” I asked mockingly.

  “No, that’s actually an attractive quality.” Liam bumped me with his hip, making my jeans wet. We walked back to our original sitting place, the bench. Liam was utterly drenched.

  “Liam, shouldn’t we get you a towel or something?”

  Liam stared down at his sopping clothes before replying, “No, I’m fine. It’s a beautiful day. I’ll just let the sun dry me.” He pressed his body against the back of the bench, his feet outstretched in front of him.

  It was hard to take Liam seriously. He was wringing out bits of his shirt, pressing the water out of his jeans by forcefully pushing and sliding his hands down from the top of his jeans to the bottom.

  I started laughing hysterically. Every time I thought I could contain my laughter I would burst out again, little tears threatened to force their way out of my eyes.

  “Okay, enough Erika. Do you want to hear more?” Liam was trying to be serious now, but he couldn’t help but laugh along with me.

  “Okay, okay, give me a second.” I finally regained my composure and Liam resumed his lesson.

  Liam explained how the evil had been unleashed. I learned that the black diamonds had been hidden in a cave in Africa for centuries. This was prior to Africa entering the diamond trade business. The Watchers must have thought they would be safe there. But with the demand for diamonds growing, Africa became a focal point for rare gems. The country soon became saturated with miners. Miners dug deeper and deeper into the earth, desperate to find diamonds, eventually the secret cave the black diamonds were hidden in were discovered. These diamonds contained the spirits, the souls, of the Collectors who deceived the Hindu Queen in ancient India. When the newly mined black diamonds were found they were sent to the diamond lapidary. As soon as the diamonds were cracked, the spirits were unleashed, attaching themselves to the closest people around, beginning with the lapidary himself. I learned that these spirits, the Collectors, use the body they encompass to hunt Diamonds, increasing evil and their power and that every Diamond killed unbalances the forces of good and evil. As the Collectors work to wipe out all Diamonds, they begin to get rid of good itself. Without good people influencing others, all that is left are evil influences. Evil starts to breed evil unchallenged, the only way these Collectors can live is by inhabiting living people. I continued to learn that Collectors can only jump bodies one hundred times. In order to live for eternity, they have to collect the souls of the Points— of us— and then they can live for eternity, possessing as many bodies as they like. For every Diamond they kill they increase their lives by one, but killing all Four Points gives them their immortality. It is believed that the Collectors received this power when they murderously took the lives of the hundred Hindu gatekeepers. That is why they initially have one hundred lives. The Collectors were said to have been two normal men; bad men, but normal. Something happened long ago in India that created the Collectors, magic that turned normal men into soldiers of evil, soldiers of death. I sat there silent taking in all that Liam had explained, trying to make sense of things that made no sense. Liam gave me the time I needed and didn’t speak until I asked, “What are we supposed to do to kill Collectors then?”

  “That’s the problem Erika, they can’t be killed unless they are on their 100th body. Until then only their vessels can be. All we can do is trap them. They are immortal. Centuries have passed and no one has been able to figure out how to get rid of them forever. We have no idea how many bodies they have encompassed. I think that as long as there is evil in the world, they will live.”

  “So we will be killing possessed innocent people?”

  “No Erika, unfortunately, as soon as the spirit enters someone’s body, that person dies, so if we killed one we would just be killing their vehicle.”

  “Well there is no way to get rid of all the evil in the world, all you have to do is watch the news to see that. So these things will just live for centuries until they are on their hundredth body, which could be in like a thousand years.”

  “Yup, that sums it up. We are just here to keep them trapped.”

  “This doesn’t make any sense Liam. There has to be another way. If we kill the vehicle as you say, can’t they just enter our bodies?”

  “We are immune from them entering our bodies. The Diamond marking on our bodies protects all Diamonds from being possessed.”

  “Alright, I
got it! If we kill them when no one’s around, then they die.”

  “No again, that was tried centuries ago. The evil spirits just inhabit any inanimate object: a wall, a book, a picture.”

  “Okay, so why don’t we keep them in that inanimate object forever?”

  “Because we don’t know what the spirit goes into. They can hide anywhere, then the moment the item is touched by a regular person that person becomes possessed.”

  “Liam, I can’t kill people.”

  “Well Erika, the day may come where you have to.”

  What Liam was telling me was all too much. If I took him at his word— and he gave me no reason not to— then we had two messed up spirits hunting us that we couldn’t kill, and if we didn’t trap them then the world would be overtaken by evil.

  “Liam, how do we trap them?”

  “We surround them. The four of us, the Four Points: you, me, Jayson, and Sofia. We blend our powers together and force them back into a black diamond by repeating the spell created by the first Four Points, the Hindu shamans, the ones who first trapped them in the diamond.”

  “Liam, you do know you sound crazy, don’t you?”

  “Erika, how did I know you were going to use that word again?”

  Chapter 13

  TIME TO GO

  My mom had spoken to Sofia while I was meeting with Liam and after deciding that she was a lovely girl, her words not mine, some of my mom’s worries were laid to rest.

  Sofia had taken my mom on a tour of Oxford, showing her around through FaceTime. She explained to my mom that she’d come to Oxford as a high school freshman and had flourished under the watchful eye of Mr. Blithe. My mom had been happy to hear that Sofia was an honor student, and she gushed to me about all the awards Sofia received for her groundbreaking discoveries in agriculture. My mom was impressed to hear that Sofia combined her knowledge and love of science and agriculture to come up with innovative ways to help underdeveloped countries and impoverished families grow their own food in any environment. My mom believed Sofia would be a great influence over me and was excited that I may actually have friends.

  Just as Liam predicted, my mom was allowing me to go to England.

  My mom was worried about how cold England was, so we spent the whole day before my trip shopping for what I would need. Mr. Blithe promised my mom he would send me home for every holiday and summer. I tried explaining to my mom that if I needed anything else, we could always get it when I came home.

  Kai and I were in hell; we hated shopping. Alyssa, on the other hand, was in heaven. Still, even though I hated shopping, it was the perfect day. That night my mom cooked a huge dinner, Alyssa packed my bags because only she knew the proper way to color-coordinate a suitcase, and Kai gave me his favorite blanket so I could remember him by his smell. I told him I would sleep with it every night.

  It was one of the best family days we ever had. Alyssa even tried to give me some of her favorite outfits, but I knew they were her favorites so I declined. She didn’t show she was relieved, but I knew she was.

  That night as I was contemplating alone in my room, I realized how lucky I was to have such a great family. I regretted what a difficult child I was, how I could have been a better sister to my little brother, and how I never stood up for my sister like she stood up for me. I wondered if they knew I loved them. I worried I would never see them again. I knew I would not be brave enough to tell them how I felt. I could stand in front of a loaded gun, but I could not express my feelings in person. Instead, I decided to write them each a letter.

  To my mom, I wrote how I was sorry that I’d blamed her for so many things and how much I appreciated her, and how even though we never said the words I knew how much she loved me, and I wanted her to know the same.

  I told my sister how much I envied her and wished I could be more like her. I expressed my appreciation at how she always stuck up for me and how grateful and lucky I was to have her as a big sister.

  And to my little helpless brother, I wrote about so many regrets. I knew he would need help reading my letter, yet still I wrote how I regretted the times I was mean to him and how I wish I could take those times back. I wish I would have been the big sister he deserved, through all the hard times when I should have protected him and I didn’t. I wanted him to know I was sorry and that I loved him very much, and that I would miss him with all my heart.

  I went to sleep that night with tears rolling down my cheeks. The next morning, I woke up before anyone else and hid my letters under each of their pillows. After that I made breakfast.

  My mom woke up first. “Erika, why’d you make breakfast? I was going to do that.”

  “I, I just wanted to do something nice before I left.” My mom’s eyes filled with tears. She turned around without a word and walked to her room. I knew it was because she didn’t want to cry in front of me. She came out a few minutes later, her eyes puffy and red. My sister and brother awoke shortly after.

  “Big day, huh sis?” Alyssa and Kai were still in their pajamas when they came out to the kitchen.

  “Yup.”

  “Don’t go Erika, don’t go,” Kai pleaded. I looked down at his sorrowful face, so fragile, so small in his green little dinosaur jammies.

  “Remember Kai, we made a deal. I’m going to buy an Xbox and we can talk through Minecraft all the time.”

  Kai placed his hands in the air, gesturing a cheer. “Oh yeah, I forgot.”

  Soon after breakfast Mr. Blithe and Liam arrived to pick me up. I gave each of my family members a hug and told them to look under their pillows. Even though I’d written the letters telling them that I loved them, I still wished I could have said the words. I kept saying them in my mind, but still I couldn’t force myself to say them out loud. The hugging was already bizarre enough for us.

  On the drive to the airport I didn’t say much. I sat in the back while Mr. Blithe and Liam sat in the front. Gazing out the window, I wondered if I would I ever see my family again.

  I was surprised as the car pulled right up on the airport tarmac. I got out and found myself standing in front of a mini plane, or maybe it was a jet. I didn’t know. What’s the difference between a jet and a plane?

  I decided on plane. “We are going on a private plane?”

  I chose wrong. “Well, more of a jet; it’s the only way to fly.” Liam radiated a proud smile.

  “I’ve never been on a private plane or jet before.”

  “Well Erika, let’s hope it’s not your last time.” Liam’s humor always had a hint of flirtatiousness mixed in.

  Still not funny, I thought.

  The airplane crew came around and gathered our belongings, and then we were ushered on the plane, jet, whatever. I sat first, looking around in amazement at the large beige leather seats. Liam sat next to me and Mr. Blithe sat across from us, his seat facing ours.

  A pretty stewardess came out from the front of the plane. She was in her mid-twenties, blonde, busty, and beautiful in a playboy model type of way.

  “Liam, it’s so nice to see you again.”

  “Hi Cindy, yes, it’s always nice to see you too.”

  I bet. Is this the type of girl Liam likes? Blonde, busty, and nothing like me? I swallowed hard. I immediately felt insecure.

  “Would you like anything to drink?”

  “No thanks, I’m fine. What about you, Erika?” Liam looked at me as the stewardess turned to me with a smile.

  “No, I’m fine, thank you.”

  “I’ll take a whiskey on the rocks,” Mr. Blithe requested.

  Cindy turned to get it, but not before glancing at Liam again. Really, could her flirting be any more obvious? Wasn’t she a little too old for him anyways? I couldn’t help it; I was jealous.

  “Whose plane is this?” I asked, trying to hide the annoyance in my voice.

  “Mine,” Liam answered.

  “So what, are you like… super rich?” I didn’t mean for the question to come out the way it did. But there it was,
out there. I couldn’t take it back.

  “Yeah, I guess you could say that.”

  Great! Rich, handsome, perfect. I am so outclassed.

  “What do your parents do for a living, if you don’t mind me asking?” I continued to probe, my curiosity overtaking my manners.

  “I am not a trust-fund baby, if that’s what you’re thinking. My mother was a waitress and my father is a self-proclaimed writer. Having powers to see the future can come in handy— especially when the lottery jackpot in New York hits $475 million.”

  “What? Wait, isn’t that illegal?” The stewardess walked in just in time to hear my question. She handed Mr. Blithe his amber liquid. I watched him swirl it around in the glass, the ice cubes colliding with each other like bumper cars. The stewardess looked at me suspiciously. I looked out the window, refusing to meet her gaze.

  When she left I reiterated my question, whispering, “Isn’t that illegal?”

  “Not the way I see it, Erika. We were born to protect and to put our lives on the line. The way I see it, we should have some special privileges. Don’t you agree? Plus, who are we governed by, the powers police?”

  Liam had a point, but before I could reply he added in a somber tone, “Every decision always comes with a price.”

  The statement was strange and obviously came from a place of hurt, but I knew it was not my place to ask what it meant.

  “So is that where you’re from, New York?” I said, trying to lighten the mood. It worked, and Liam’s eyes came back to life.

  “I was born in Ireland that’s why I’m the Northern Point, but we moved to New York to follow my dad’s dreams of being a playwright when I was about seven.”

  “When did you know you had powers?”

  “Uhm, I guess it was when I was 10. We were really struggling with money, struggling to get by. My mom would play the lottery like countless others, hoping and wishing their dreams would come true. She wanted it so bad, and I wanted it for her. We would sit in front of the TV every Wednesday and Saturday to check the lotto numbers. My mom played and prayed religiously, praying to the Patron Saint of Hopeless Causes, St. Jude. Then one day I closed my eyes and tried really hard to see the numbers, to predict them, and… I did. Week after week I predicted the numbers, and I knew it wasn’t a fluke. I could accurately guess them. I didn’t tell my mom at first, I just watched week after week. Her disappointment was always overcome by the words, ‘God’s just waiting for the big jackpot to help us win.’ And that was exactly what I was waiting for. When the jackpot grew to the most it had ever been, I knew it was time. I begged my mom to play the numbers I had chosen, and… the rest is history. We were rich, and I knew I could tell the future.”