Gathering of Blackbirds

by M.M. Gavillet

  Chapter Nine

  By the time I got downstairs the next morning, Gabe and Alicia were already gone on patrol. I had a slight aching in my head from last night’s spirits from Shangri-La, as Claire called it. I felt bad about Gabe getting in trouble with Abe and thought I should at least say something in his defense.

  I went into the kitchen hoping to find Abe, but instead Jimmy was there making breakfast and humming a tune.

  “Good morning,” he said. “How about some eggs from a chicken named Bella?” Jimmy smiled at me as he turned off the cooktop.

  “Sure.” I replied as I sat down.

  Jimmy sat across from me. We were the only ones in the kitchen.

  “The eggs are really good.” I complimented as I didn’t realized how starved I was.

  “Thanks, it’s good to be back here as the official cook.” He replied.

  “Is that what you were before you came to St. F?”

  Jimmy took a bite of toast before he answered. “Yes, I grew up here and my brother Abe was leader of the Blackbirds.” His voice had a slight tension to it.

  “So, how did you meet Alice and move to St. F?” I continued with the questions I had.

  “You’re going to want to hear my life story aren’t you?” Jimmy put his fork down and stared at me.

  “Why, I would love to hear it.” I exclaimed as he only rolled his eyes.

  “It isn’t that interesting.”

  “You come from Atlantis, what isn’t interesting about that?” I tilted my head to the side and smiled.

  Jimmy let out a sigh and began to tell me how Alice was a Blackbird as well and came from the island of Meropsis. There are several islands that make up the Blackbird area, but not many become part of the Creed. You have to be sponsored and evaluated by the Alliance. And that is where he met Alice.

  Instead of staying in Atlantis, they were assigned to St. F as it was an old magical implement trafficking route. Jimmy was to watch it and report any unusual activity. He told me was a Sender of messages and that is why he was stationed there. Being an old route, not much happened until just a few days ago.

  “Gee, that does sound kind of boring.” I said teasingly after Jimmy had told me his story.

  “Told you,” said Jimmy with a shrug.

  I wanted to ask him about his son, Thomas, but didn’t. That would only prove that I was snooping at their house that night and I didn’t want to bring up something as sensitive as that.

  “Ah, Emily, I am glad you are here.” Abe came into the kitchen as Jimmy excused himself saying he had to go and help Zach with the horses.

  Abe didn’t seem concerned by Jimmy hastily leaving the room, but I could tell something bothered him.

  “Karinna is going to help you toady and I wanted to ask you more about David.” My skin prickled at the sound of his name.

  “Why him,” I asked meekly.

  “Because he keeps accusing you of trafficking of implements and has brought it to the Alliance many times since the last meeting.” Abe gave me an empathetic look. “I don’t believe him, but too many things are pointing towards you.” His words felt like they had cut me in half.

  “What will happen now? The Alliance, are they going to question me again?”

  “No, at least not now, for now I want to know more about this David other than him just being a prominent member of the Dragon clan.” Abe crossed his arms over his chest. “I know through Gabe that he was your significant other and you were close to him.”

  I looked away for a moment, I didn’t want to talk about him, I wanted to bury him in the past.

  “He was my boyfriend, but we were never really close. He wasn’t a very nice person, so I broke up with him.” I felt that would satisfy Abe.

  “You never saw any suspicious activity with him, or went anywhere out of the norm with him?” His voice was soft.

  “No, he met with Gabe a lot and we would go out to the country and he would drink, that’s about it.” I thought about saying something to him about Gabe and before I thought too much, the words escaped my mouth. “About Gabe,” I paused as our eyes met. “He did try to get the others to listen when we went to Bimini, and maybe I should had said something…” Abe waved his hands in front of me to stop.

  “No, it is something he has to learn if he is leader of the clan,” he said with a slight smile. “He knows now and is learning, but unfortunately time isn’t on his side to reach his full potential unsupervised.”

  I looked at Abe who only gazed at me with his dark eyes.

  “What sort of things is David blaming me for?” I asked breaking the silence.

  “He is trying to tie you into the Meropsis theft and I don’t believe his story. He is trying to cover something up and I have arranged for Pandora to return here. I want to question her.”

  Abe led me to a room downstairs that he called a sitting room. It was an elegant room with small groups of puffy chairs and couches group together, a piano sat beside the windows that lined the outside wall and a large open area behind the piano looked like it was made for dancing.

  “Karinna will be with you shortly.” Abe gave me a half smile.

  Other than looks, He was nothing like Jimmy. Jimmy would have comforted me about David trying to accuse me and probably try to beat him up for doing so. Abe seemed reserved and diplomatic, more likely from being the Blackbird leader for so long. I couldn’t help but wonder what had happened between them.

  “Thank you,” I said standing between the piano and a group of chairs.

  He nodded his head and glanced at me for a moment longer before shutting the door. I sat nervously in the rather comfortable appearing room. I wondered what Karinna had planned for today as I rubbed my hands together.

  I didn’t want to be a Receptor at the same time I did. I thought of what Abe said about it being passed down by generations past. I thought of my mother, could it had been her? I never knew her, or even remember her holding me, the sound of her voice or the feel of her touch. My dad had one picture of her with him standing together on a beach in Mexico he said. She was smiling in it and she had one arm around him and the other holding back her long blonde hair that blew wildly in a gust of wind. I had looked at the picture many times and had it on my dresser that was gone now along with everything else. The tornado had erased the life I could never go back to.

  I jumped at the sound of crashing glass. Immediately I got up and looked over at the door. Someone or something was in the hallway. I waited and heard no voices. I hoped Abe would had heard and investigated it, but everything was surrounded in silence except for the waves crashing to shore outside.

  I had to do something because what if it was David or someone else trying to steal the amulet that was planted on me. Suddenly, my fear was replaced with anger. I hated David and if it was him, I was going to stop him.

  I looked around the room for a weapon and conveniently above the stone fireplace hung a curved sword of silver. It was a delicate looking thing and light in my hand. I had never used a sword before, but I didn’t have any other choice.

  The hallway was abandoned and casted in soft light from the window at the end. Palm trees swayed in the serene landscape before me as my heart pounded in my chest. All the doors were closed except for one that was ajar a few inches. The sound of glass skidding across the floor came from the slightly open door. I hesitated, took a deep breath and hoped it wasn’t David.

  I peeked through the crack and saw no one but an array of flickering colors that danced on the small amount of floor that I could see. Feeling that I wasn’t in danger, I opened the squeaky wooden door slowly.

  A long wood table, plain in design with hundreds of scratches on its top and chunks of wood missing sat in the middle of the long narrow room. Along both walls were shelves that held sheets of glass arranged neatly into individual slots. Under each divider was a name like Sea Foam, Merblue and Jules Green. The out
side wall was solid glass and a kaleidoscope of colors, like the artist couldn’t decide what one to use, so they used them all.

  I cautiously walked in further half expecting someone to yell or jump out at me. Everything was quiet in this colorful room. I walked softly on the hard wood floors until a chunk of glass crunched under my foot. I looked down to see a small piece of red glass broken into sharp angles followed by more glass that littered the floor.

  Suddenly something began to make a scratching sound from one of the vacant glass dividers. I held my breath and stepped back slightly as the sound of a cat meowing came from the empty slot. I sighed slightly in relief as the head of a calico cat popped out and looked both ways, then darted off when its eyes met mine. I was thankful it wasn’t David.

  I knew I should had left and told someone about the mess, but I couldn’t help but to look at the work in progress on the table. Loosely arranged pieces of glass made a partial scene of what looked like a barnyard with a completed cow, roosters, pigs and a brown horse with a barn behind them. The rest of it still looked scattered and undecided, but the detail drew me in closer.

  “She does a really good job.” Karinna’s voice broke the stillness of the room as I pointed the sword at her. “Oh, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “Sorry, I thought there was an intruder.” I lowered it as she took it from me with a half-smile.

  “You look like you have used one of these before.”

  “No, I’ve never even touched one before.” My cheeks began to flush red.

  “I shouldn’t have come in here, but I heard a crashing sound and investigated it.” I pointed towards the broken glass on the floor.

  “Oh, it was Ariel again. She likes to come in here.” Karinna grabbed a broom and began to sweep it up. “Well, at least it was one of Alicia’s least favorite pieces that Ariel broke.”

  “Alicia did all of this?” I asked in surprise.

  “Yes, it is good for her to have a focus and this is it.” Karinna dumped the shards of glass into a metal can and put the broom between the shelves. “Now, we need to go and get started with your focus.”

  Karinna took me outside past the gardens to a cliff that overlooked the Sanudra Ocean. The varying shades of blue water shifted in and out of one another, until it made hundreds of different shades of blue. Palm trees swayed in the cool breeze that blew my hair around violently.

  “It is windy here.” I tried to suggest that this wasn’t a good spot.

  “I know, and distraction is what you need to be in.” Karinna looked at me with her green and blue eye. “The elements are your medium and you must learn to use them.”

  Her red hair was in a neat bun and cinched down, not a single strand flew around in what seemed like a windstorm. Even her clothes were form fitting and she held her eyes wide open, not letting the wind irritate them.

  “Everything around you will pull at you all the time as your ability develops. It is important now that you control it, and be in control. Otherwise, your ability will have you, not you it.” Karinna stood in front of me. “Now, close your eyes and feel your surroundings.”

  She gently took the hand that had control of my hair and placed it to my side. Her touch was light as she then motioned for me to close my eyes. The first thing I noticed was my hair blowing frantically in the wind and hitting my face. The annoyance of that faded and everything surrounding me came into focus. The wind, scents in the air and the crashing waves all had voices. They were not exact voices, but a means of sending messages. They were the paper and the pencil of being a Receptor.

  Suddenly, something surfaced trying to be heard. I tuned in to it, shutting out everything else as it became clearer to me. Like a distant echo, it became stronger. The voice was female and even though no definite words accompanied it, it was clearly a cry for help.

  I opened my eyes quickly as Karinna steadied me as I lost my balance.

  “I heard a voice. They were crying for help.” I looked at her as she gazed out to the ocean for a moment.

  “I couldn’t understand what they were saying, but it felt like they were in danger.” Slowly her lips curled into a half smile.

  “Since the voice wasn’t strong, it could have been an old message, even from centuries ago. Especially, since the voice was weak and you couldn’t understand it. New messages are clear, like a bell. Old ones are muffled and slurred by time.”

  I shook my head in understanding as we went back to the mansion. Karinna had me move to different places around the grounds to pick up different surroundings. Before I had come to Atlantis, I never knew the ability I had that lied dormant in me. I’m not sure if it was Karinna’s lessons or just being here, but I was beginning to enjoy it.

  Even the smallest of things had a voice, Karinna told me as she held a tiny leaf in her hand. Messages, and if you’re good enough, thoughts, can be left on physical objects or carried by the wind. This could only be done by a Sender, Karinna told me. Jimmy was a Sender, but not a very strong one. I thought differently since the last message nearly caused my head to explode. Karinna said that it was because I couldn’t control the volume of messages yet. It would only come with time and practice.

  I looked at the tiny leaf in my hand before the wind carried it from my palm to land several feet away.

  “You see, it is as easy as that.” She pointed where the leaf had made its short flight.

  “This is really new to me, I don’t know if I can do it.” I held my hair tightly in my fist so it wouldn’t get into my eyes from the relentless wind.

  Karinna smiled and took both of my hands so my hair was everywhere. “You can, all you have to do is let yourself.”

  It was simple enough advice, but much harder to actually do.

  “But why am I so important? Aren’t there other ways to communicate now, like the communicators?” I just couldn’t fathom why I was so important.

  Karinna looked at me with a still expression, almost in an analyzing way. I hoped she wasn’t reading my aura like Claire had told me.

  “Receptors are of the past, but just because other things have come along, don’t make them any less important.” Karinna smiled. “Let’s go inside, I think you have practiced enough for today.”

  Jimmy seemed to be very content in the kitchen as well as the vegetable garden in the backyard. He had made a lunch of sandwiches with an array of vegetables arranged on plates like paint on an artist’s pallet. Gabe and Alicia were sitting at the table when we came in.

  I tried to detangle my hair as I followed behind Karinna who greeted Jimmy with a smile.

  “It is good to have an official cook around here.” She sat down across from Alicia.

  Alicia with her dark hair glared at her mother for a moment. I couldn’t understand why she treated her that way. I would love to have Karinna as my mom and sat next to her as Gabe smiled at me.

  “It is good to be back.” Jimmy slightly opened the oven to peek at what was inside and then turned to the sink to wash dishes.

  “Did you see anything while on patrol?” Karinna asked.

  “Nothing out of the ordinary, mostly trading ships and commercial traffic. It is really kind of quiet.” Gabe took his plate over to Jimmy.

  “That isn’t good. It is too quiet, like before a storm.” Jimmy took Gabe’s plate as he looked back at me.

  I thought of the storm that destroyed many lives in St. F, including my own. It was weird to think I was considered dead at home. I wondered if anyone missed me since the only ones that really cared for me were right here.

  “Your project is coming along, Alicia,” Karinna said as she sliced an apple with a small paring knife.

  Alicia’s dark eyes looked up at her mother. “You were in my studio?” Her voice filled with agitation.

  “Well…,I…” Karinna stumbled with her words as if she was trying to find ones that wouldn’t make Alicia mad, but by the look o
n her face, she was past that point.

  “It was my fault.” I blurted out and Alicia’s eyes darted to me. “I heard a crashing sound and went to go see what it was and, it was my fault that I went into your studio. Sorry, but I didn’t know it was your room and your mother was looking for me. She found me in there and by the way, your pieces are really pretty.” I wasn’t sure if I angered Alicia more by giving her a complement or confused her.

  She looked away from me with a flick of her head and stood up.

  “Well, don’t go in there again. It is my room and no one is supposed to be in there.” Alicia’s voice was stern, but the anger had quickly dissolved.

  Alicia went upstairs leaving the rest of us with a sigh of relief.

  “I have never seen her that calm before. Usually she about rips someone’s head off,” Gabe said with a smile that quickly faded as he looked at Karinna. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to say it quite like that.” His cheeks reddened and I tried to hide my smile.

  “No, it’s true. She has to learn to control herself and I believe Emily here helped her do that.” Karinna looked at me. “But, don’t go into the studio again even if the whole room sounds like it is falling apart.”

  Karinna stayed and visited with Jimmy, while Gabe invited me to walk in the garden with him. Claire and Zach were on patrol now and that left Gabe with the afternoon off.

  We went down a winding stone path that ribbon its way around the tall palm trees and lush undergrowth. Brilliant flowers bloomed magnificently surrounding us in their sweetness mixed with the salty air.

  Gabe stopped after we went down several wide steps and were encircled inside the garden itself. We stood on a landing that overlooked the vast ocean in the distance. The view was like looking in a travel magazine and I could have stared at it for hours.

  “It’s really pretty.” I looked in the distance as Gabe stood beside me.

  His smile widened and he turned me towards him. Our eyes locked as he pulled me close. Everything seemed to melt away around us. Gabe’s grey eyes framed in long blonde lashes reminded me of a ring I had that was my favorite. It was a sharply cut stone of smoky clear glass that when I put it in the sunlight, sparkled with unseen colors of blues and purples. It had always fascinated me.

  He ran his hand up my bare arm and around to my back until I was pressed so close I could feel the heat from his body. He bent slightly, brushing his nose across mine and then his lips barely skinned mine.

  He pulled back slightly and then cradled my head with his other hand and kissed me. It was quick, like testing the pool water to see how cold it was. He then pulled back and smiled at me. Other than kissing David, which never had any spark, I had never engaged in what I would call a passionate kiss.

  “I give it a…” He shook his head side to side. “…six, maybe seven just because I like you.” Gabe gave a small laugh.

  “What?” I exclaimed. “You can’t do that, it isn’t nice and it ruins all future kisses.”

  “Yeah, but the most important thing is that there are future kisses.” Gabe held my hand close to him and examined my fingers. “How do you like it here, Em?”

  I looked at him with his golden wavy hair falling just above his eyes. Even in the shadows that surrounded us, Gabe looked like he was standing in sunlight.

  “Well, I like it so far, but I am nervous about what David is saying about me. What if I get accused of something I didn’t do? And back home, Jimmy said…I died in the tornado.” I really didn’t know what to think and much less how to feel, all I could do was make it through each moment.

  “Don’t worry about what David says. He doesn’t have any clout with the Alliance.” Gabe took my other hand and cradled them in his. “And as far as your life in St. F…you have a new family right here.”

  I smiled and looked away. He was right, but it still seemed strange that I will probably never go back and what would I go back to anyhow.

  “What about your dad, is he alright? I never got the chance to ask you before.” His eyes lifted to meet mine.

  “Em, I want to be honest with you.” His eyes were mixed with a sorrow that was slowly surfacing and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know anything different, because I liked Gabe the way he was. Nothing else seemed to matter.

  “He wasn’t my dad, well, not my real one. He was like Jimmy, just watching the trafficking route. They began to see activity when Pandora moved in. That is when David and I came to live there.” He drew in a deep breath and lifted his eyes from my hands. “David spotted you and, well, he told me he wanted to try on a girl from Earth. I hated being with him, he has no respect for anyone really.”

  “I knew I should have never gone out with him.” I shook my head.

  “But then you would have never met me.” He lifted my chin with his long finger.

  I smiled and we kissed again, this time longer. His soft lips slowly left mine and then curled into a smile.

  “What?” I asked feeling embarrassed.

  “I’ll give it an eight,” he replied as I play smacked him on the shoulder.

  We laughed and then went down to the beige colored sand. It was warm under my feet, but felt good to bury my toes in it. Gabe rolled his pants up and we walked along the water’s edge. With our hands laced together, we walked side by side with the waves covering our feet that quickly receded back to the ocean that was the color of a sapphire.