The Leader

The Leader: Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen: Talia

I'm writing this down because it is the most important part of my relationship with Liam so far. A week ago we made love for the first time, and now we have no secrets, no fears, and no doubts. I love Liam more than ever, and I treasure every moment that we spend together, especially while dreading the day that my vision comes to pass. Our friends at school have noticed something in us, an urgency that was never there before. They see how close we've become, and they cannot deny that we share a deep connection, a bond rare among couples such as us. We just fit together so perfectly, and it's obvious we're soul mates. I never believed in any of that, but now, whenever I'm with Liam, it's impossible to think it's a myth. There are people who have soul mates, and we are two of them. I just worry about how long we can stay alive and together on earth. Well, I know that even if I die, if Liam is there I will be okay.

I close my diary and hide it under a loose floorboard in my room, making sure no one can ever find it. I turn out my light and close my eyes, awaiting my mother's snores from her room which will signal Liam's entrance into my room. Finally the time comes, and then I greet Liam properly. He lies down as I curl up next to him and rest my head on his chest. I fall asleep this way and wake up in the same position. At school the next day, I walk into my English lit. class to find someone there that I haven't met. He has black hair and dark eyes, and there is a surreal beauty to him that suggests that he is one of us, though Initiated. He looks a lot older than me, though I know he can't be older than nineteen, which is still too old to be at school.

"Hey, I'm Talia," I say, introducing myself and offering a hand. He ignores it and stares at me instead.

"So, you aren't Initiated yet either. Interesting. I'm Nathan, by the way. I'm a new student here. I only came to observe other halfies like me. Humans bore me." I feel a small buzz of recognition at his name, and I vaguely remember Santia mentioning it.

"Halfies?" I ask.

"Half human, half angel. It's a common nickname. You really aren't very educated, are you?" I finally pick up on his foreign accent and realise it's Scottish.

"So, you're from Scotland?" I ask, changing the subject.

"Obviously," he replies, scowling. I look behind me and see a group of students file in and then stare at us too quietly. I resume the conversation.

"Are you newly Initiated, Nathan?"

"Yeah, I received The Blessing at the same time as Santia. But I'm a natural angel. I didn't need time to adjust like everyone else. Honestly, I think I might be descended from one of the fallen, because my powers are so dark. I control lust, I can make people have nightmares of my choice, and I can travel. And my wings are black." He relaxes once he finally has that off his chest, then leans back to observe me.

"Well, I'm telekinetic, and I can control the fire element."

"I wonder... those aren't exactly good powers, though they aren't quite as dark as mine. Maybe..." He trails off, thinking, as the teacher walks in. We're sitting at the back of the class, so we continue our conversation even when class begins.

"Mr. Zeley, could you please answer my question about the novel we are reading?" asks the teacher, interrupting our talking.

"Sorry, I haven't read it yet, because my copy's arriving tonight. Nice to pick on the new kid," he adds to me, and I laugh.

"How about you, Talia, since it is so funny?"

"Sorry, but I was busy talking about something important, sir. In other words, not the novel." Half the class laughs, and the other half watches as the teacher turns red in the face and tells me to leave his classroom. Nathan stands while I'm leaving and silently follows me out, ignoring the teacher's demands to stay in the room.

"Why'd you follow me?" I ask him.

"Why not? I need to build up my reputation as a rebel, and having a girl surpass me is not good enough." I laugh.

Over the next two weeks, he proves himself right. We both get into trouble and sent out of classrooms an immense amount of times, and I watch as Liam's eyes follow me out of the room each time. Eventually he joins us, not caring what anyone thinks of him, and uses the time to show Nathan who I belong to. Nathan and I become friends, and I finally tell Santia about our friendship. She freaks out completely, and then I remember what she told me about him. I tell her my side of him, and she seems to accept that he likes me better than her. Well, that is until one night at my house. We are waiting for Liam to come and hang out with us, and he suddenly pushes me onto the bed and kisses me passionately. Though he controls lust, he doesn't need to use much power on me before I kiss him back. I used to do this kind of thing every night, and now it's an instinct. I automatically turn into this mode, even when I'm with a stranger. He pulls away and gasps for breath, before standing up.

"We can't tell Liam," he says to me, and I nod, still buzzing with energy. This continues for a number of days, and I begin to feel guilty about lying to Liam. I say this to Nathan one night as he kisses me hungrily.

"I can't do it anymore," I tell him. "I have to break up with Liam." And so, I make a plan of how to break up with the boy I love so that I can have a physical relationship with a guy I just met. Funny how it seemed like a good idea at first.