It would have been comical if I hadn’t witnessed it. Some things are just funnier when you hear them secondhand.
“What? Gwen, come on.” Tim sat up as the nurse came over and patched him up. “I mean, I know your parents don’t like me, but still–”
“I know. I’ve thought about it a lot too, I promise you. But my parents are right, as horrible as it sounds. I need someone who wants the same things I do, and that’s worth giving Hamilton a chance. Besides, he needs me, you know.”
“What do you mean?” Tim asked, his tone beginning to sound more and more accusatory.
“Hamilton’s not like you. You have such a good, loving heart and you’re ready for true love,” Gwen told him.
“With you!”
“No.” It sounded weak though. “Hamilton needs a special kind of love. In fact, I think on some level he is afraid of love. And I want to be the one to be there for him. To help him.”
“No,” Tim echoed. “Gwen. Please. I’m sorry if I did something–”
“No, it’s not you. It’s my decision. And I’m sorry if it hurts you–”
“Of course it hurts me!”
As I was hearing this, I was secretly relieved; Gwen hadn’t been using me as some kind of distraction to society and her parents while we were going out on dates. But I even began to feel bad for Tim, and after all the trouble he’d caused me, that was a miracle. I didn’t hear the rest of the conversation as I headed down the hall and sat down in the waiting room; the same one I’d been in, just moments before kissing Starry Knight and rekindling my Wingdinger routine.
I probably sat there for ages, thinking about that.
“Hammy.”
I jumped as I realized I’d fallen into a daze. “Hey, Gwen. Didn’t know you were coming in today.” I stood up and gave her an easy smile. “I was just here to see Mikey.”
“Yeah, I actually thought about going up to see him too, while I was here,” Gwen agreed. “Is he awake still?”
“No, he just fell asleep actually. Maybe you can come visit tomorrow. I’m sure he’ll need you to help him through math homework.”
Gwen laughed. “I’m sure.”
“How’s Tim doing?” I asked, nodding over to the door she’d just come out of.
“He’s sleeping a lot, I guess.” She smiled back at me and laughed. “Although, to be fair, it’s easier than taking one of Mrs. Smithe’s tests. She was discharged and I hear we’re going to have a test on all the movies the subs made us watch while she was out.”
“Oh, great. I didn’t pay attention to any of them.” I laughed.
And then a moment of awkward silence passed; it was like we telepathically agreed on it, as though we were mourning the loss of our dignity.
I was grateful Gwen was the one to speak up first. “Hammy.” She blushed and cleared her throat. “I thought about what you’d said before. And after seeing all this stuff on the news, and everything, I realized something.”
“What’s that?” I asked, my mouth drying out. Why is she making me nervous?
“Life is unexpected and just, I don’t know, full of second chances.” Her hands waved around in a jittery pattern as she explained. “Sorry, that’s so . . . cliché but I thought about what you’d said and I remembered how last year, I’d watched you date Via–”
“Please, keep going with the cliché if you’re going to move onto horror stories,” I interrupted, feeling more like my old self.
“Sure,” Gwen agreed, before continuing. “I had a big crush on you then, and then with everything that happened this year, I wanted to grow up and grow away from what I thought were childish things. And I grouped you in with those things, even though that’s not true at all.” She glanced up at me, as though she was expecting me to say something. And I didn’t have a clue what I would say.
Again, I was relieved when she spoke up. “So, yes, I’d like to be your girlfriend. It’s what I want.” Then she laughed. “Gosh, isn’t that just the most awkward way to say that? Sorry about that. I guess I’m just nervous.”
Oh, Gwen, you don’t know how awkward it really is, I thought.
Before I could say anything, she came up to me and kissed me.
It was a light brush of her mouth against mine. Like a butterfly landing, it was soft and swift, pressing into me the tenderness of springtime, and it was over before I really even began to decide how much I liked it.
Gwen pulled back from me and smiled. “That’s how they’re doing it in all the movies these days,” she said with a giggle.
“Well, uh, thanks, Gwen,” I started, but I wasn’t sure what to say.
“Did you like it?” she asked.
“It was definitely a surprise,” I told her with a smile.
“Great. Let’s try to hang out soon, okay?” Gwen held up her phone. “My mom’s here. She just texted me.”
“Oh, ok. Well. Uh, bye. Bye then. See you tomorrow in class.” That was it. That was all I could get out. It was fortunate that by the time Monday did come, all the girls who had heard about it had mistaken my stammering for some kind of true love rather than uncertainty. (Women!)
I’ll never understand women. But at least there are some I can understand, I thought, as I glanced up and saw Raiya walking back to her desk behind me.
“Hey there, Humdinger,” she smirked as she passed me. “You must have had a busy weekend; you're too tired to even try to trip me today.”
I gritted my teeth. “No, I didn't have a busy weekend,” I told her simply, almost grudgingly.
“Really? You don't look like your normal self. Usually you’re telling people all about how you think the world should be bowing down to you by now.”
The wave of irritation hit me hard. She was sure pushing it. “Why don’t you just–”
“Time to start class,” Mrs. Smithe called out, waltzing into the room. “Dinger, Raiya, get out your pencils!”
It was so nice to hear Martha’s voice, authoritative and commanding as ever. I glanced up and smiled before reeling with shock.
Martha was glowing. Not just because she’d been released from the hospital, or that she had a test for us to take, but glowing, as in supernatural healing. Starry Knight must have stopped by her room, I realized. But why? Did she know Martha too?
I thought about what Starry Knight had told me before. I’d seen her, but I’d never know her.
Ugh, more problems to settle. But at least I would get to them; this kind of stuff was a priority now. So Elysian should be happy, I thought wryly.
There had been other changes, I knew, from the events of this weekend. There had been something in me which had awakened–much more subtle than power, but infinitely more important.
I could tell it was just a small change; so, I grimaced, it was probably one of the most significant ones I would ever make. And while I couldn't exactly explain what it was, I knew I was more aware–and somehow, more alive–because of it.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Dear Reader,
There is something terribly seductive about a good story.
After Book 1 finished, I was more than ready to work on what would eventually be Calling. But much like the storyline of Calling, my intention was muddled down with other pressing matters . . . most of which justified or demanded my endless coffee runs.
Appropriately, and coincidentally, this book, Calling, focuses on the idea of commitment. While Slumbering introduced the idea of belief, the fearsome question after acceptance remains yet to be answered, and sometimes even asked: What's next?
A lot of people have this terrible habit of believing stuff, and saying they belief this stuff, but not really changing how they live to reflect it. It is irritating, and I can't blame people for hating hypocrites–but I have been on both sides enough to know there is pain on both ends of belief or failing to act like I believe: sacrifice on one end, and condemnation on the other.
That is more or less the issue Hamilton faces now. In my interim short story, the "Ch
ristmas episode," entitled "Awakening," Hamilton is given some hope despite his troubles that everything will work out. But now, after all his time and experiences, pain and suffering and loss, it is time to commit, or to reject, his power and his identity.
Commitment is hard. I know it is hard. To commit to anything is to lose free will in some other area. Commitment means an intense, incisive, goal-orientated approach to something. Whether it is your spouse, your faith, or your duty as a fallen star to fight evil, it is hard not to sit back and think: "Why did I decide to do this again?" And then there is the added pressure we face from others: bad mentors, like Elysian; the discouragers, like Starry Knight; and the idealistic pursuits of everyday life, such as the perfect date, social acceptance, familial duty, jobs/school, and the deep yearning, the desire to make a difference in the world.
What is the best way to commit? Learn more, spend time on it, interact with it, and practice. These are things which I am laughing at while I write this, because I am terrible at taking my own advice. So Hamilton and myself are good company for those who try, or even want to try, but feel overworked, under motivated, and need coffee way too often.
Yet we are both keeping on. We will see you again in Book 3!
Until We Meet Again,
C. S. Johnson
AUTHOR’S ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
EDITOR
Jennifer C. Sell
Jennifer Clark Sell is a professional book editor and proofreader. She works from her home in Northern California. With her years of professional and personal experience, she offers several quality packages for authors. Find her at https://www.facebook.com/JenniferSellEditingService.
Photo Credit: Savannah Sell
AUTHOR’S ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
COVER ILLUSTRATOR
Amalia Chitulescu
Amalia Iuliana Chitulescu is a digital artist from Campina, Romania. Raised in a small town, this self-taught artist has a technique which is delineated by the contrast between obscurity and enlightenment, using dark elements in a dreamy world. Her areas of expertise include the use of theatrical concepts to create a macabre and surrealistic world that still maintains a highly recognizable attachment to reality. Bridging a diaphanous environment with light elements, an eerie view, she creates a dream world of dark beauty, done with a blend of photography and digital painting. Find her at https://www.facebook.com/Amalia.Chitulescu.Digital.Art
Photo Credit: Amalia Chitulescu
Table of Contents
☼1☼Awkward Games
☼2☼Problems
☼3☼Reprieve
☼4☼Insights
☼5☼More Problems
☼6☼Swim Team
☼7☼Adam
☼8☼Date Night
☼9☼Fear
☼10☼More Fear
☼11☼Break
☼12☼Elysian
☼ 13 ☼ Emptiness and Anger
☼14☼Swim Meet
☼15☼Whispers
☼16☼Adversary
☼17☼Hollow
☼18☼Regret
☼19☼Courage
☼20☼Sparks
☼21☼Regret
☼22☼Reclamation
☼23☼Confidence
☼24☼Strength
☼25☼Aftermath
C. S. Johnson, Calling (The Starlight Chronicles Book 2)
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