Twisted (Burbank and Parker 1)
DATE: 2 April
TIME: 0530 hours
OBJECTIVE: Tyche
Spring. The season of birth and new beginnings.
The world turning green. The trees starting to bud. And the college campus bathed in a golden glow as the sun rises. Lake Ceva is brilliant. Equally brilliant is the next goddess-to-be as she enjoys her morning jog.
Tyche.
Like the waters of Lake Ceva, she glistens as the sun sheds its first light on her. She’s young, and her gait is smooth and even as she circles the path around the lake.
She has no idea of the glorious fate that awaits her. How could she? Right now she’s still just a mere mortal. Soon she’ll be a goddess.
Church bells. A reminder of the hour. I’d better go. I have a long drive ahead. I’m worried about Gaia. She can’t be left alone. And I must prepare for Tyche’s arrival. Disposing of the cell phones will have to wait. For now, they’ll remain in my pocket. After I have Tyche, I’ll dump them near a crack house in Irvington on my way back to New Olympus.
Even as I force myself to retreat, I can’t help pausing for one last look.
Yes. Perfect. The choice. The timing. Th
e spot.
Soon I’ll have her—her and all the others.
After that, it will finally be time for my ultimate prize. My other half, the part of me that I’ve known was missing since I first read the inscription in my book: To my little Apollo.
Back then, I was too young to understand what that meant. But I understand now. Just as I understand what the gods have in store.
How long I’ve waited to bring her home. To show her the room I’ve built in her honor. To save her virtue by taking her with me.
To leave this mortal world and join the deities on Mount Olympus.
Gaia would determine when.
Eickhoff Hall, The College of New Jersey
Trenton, New Jersey
7:10 A.M.
Tina Carroll felt edgy.
She tossed onto her other side, dragged a pillow under her head, and made another attempt to fall sleep.
It didn’t work.
She sat up in bed, raked her fingers through her hair, irked that her sleep time was ticking away.
She’d followed this same routine every morning since last year when she’d moved into upperclass housing. Along with that came the luxury of a single dorm room. Her rules. Her way. No roommate to compromise with or work around. That meant she could become the night owl that her bio clock naturally urged her to be. She could hang out with her friends—either partying or playing cards—do her schoolwork until dawn, then go out for her jog at sunrise.
Unlike other people, Tina found that exercising relaxed her and helped her sleep. When she got back to her dorm room, she’d take a quick shower, climb between the sheets, and zone out for a solid five hours. She’d scheduled all her classes for afternoons, and none on Fridays—benefits of being a senior. All of which dovetailed perfectly with her Friday all-night poker game. So the pieces of her schedule all fell nicely into place, and her life was just the way she wanted it to be.
Until now.
This past week she’d felt creeped out wherever she went, like she was being watched. She felt it when she came or left the academy, when she walked around campus, even during her morning jog. She never spotted anyone, nor had she seen even the slightest rustle from the trees. But her guard was up at all times. Just to be on the safe side, she also locked her dorm-room door when she was inside, and she kept her blinds shut when she showered or changed clothes. Plus, she slept in a T-shirt now, rather than in the nude.
Those precautions gave her an additional sense of security. But she was still edgy and alert, ready to defend herself if need be.