“Of course, I’ll be right back.”
“Thank you.”
Alix made sure the door was unlocked for Natalie and got in the shower. It was amazing how much the water helped her to feel better.
“Alix, I’ve left your clothes on the sink. And I got you a towel too.”
“Thanks, Natalie. I totally forgot about the towel.”
“When you’re done, we’ll have some food ready for you,” Natalie said and closed the door.
Alix took her time in the shower. With every minute the water ran over her she could feel some of her strength returning. When she was done, she dried off and got dressed. She brushed her hair and went to find Ben.
She found everyone in the living room watching TV. She noticed it was dark outside.
“What time is it?” she asked.
Everyone turned to look at her.
“We’re so glad to see you’re okay,” Rick told her.
“And look at you, walking on your own and everything,” Ben teased her.
“You must be starving,” Natalie said. Have a seat and I’ll bring you something to eat.”
Alix sat down on the couch beside Ben. She still didn’t know what time it was and she didn’t know where her phone was.
“No one told me the time,” she said to Ben.
“It’s almost 10:00 pm on Thursday.”
“So, I pretty much wasted an entire day sleeping?”
“ I wouldn’t say it was wasted, you needed the rest, Alix. What you did took a tremendous amount of energy, even for you.”
Natalie was back in the room with a plate of food for her. As soon as she smelled it her stomach started growling, loud enough for Ben to hear making him chuckle.
“I didn’t realize I was so hungry,” Alix said taking a bite.
“It’s not surprising considering what you had to do and how long you slept,” he told her.
She was about to ask Ben about the Grynn when something on the news caught her attention.
“The citizens of Rio de Janeiro are once again safe. What was at first thought to be a new and deadly virus turned out to be a chemical leak from one of the city’s large factories. The leak has been fixed and the air has tested as one hundred percent safe. Unfortunately, almost five hundred people died as a result of the chemical leak. The company responsible is going to do anything they can to help the families affected by these deaths.”
“Why a chemical leak?” Alix asked.
“The Council figured it was the best way to explain how people were suddenly sick and then almost as quickly no one was.”
“Huh. So what else has been going on?”
“I only told you about what happened to you after you destroyed all of the Grynn magic. More happened that you don’t know about. So, you remember how we used Sonya as a decoy? Well, it worked, but a little too well. The Grynn ran the car off the road and she was taken. Kris and our Warriors, as well as some local help, are out looking for her right now.”
“What!? This should have been the first thing I was told. We have to go find her.”
“That’s exactly why I didn’t say anything. The last thing you’re going to do is put yourself in danger. Kris and the other warriors are trained to do this, let them do their jobs. You can’t help anyone if you get captured by the Grynn again.”
Alix knew he was right, but she didn’t like it. “What progress have they made in finding her?”
“Truthfully not much. It’s been over twenty-four hours since we lost contact with Sonya,” Ben told her.
“I have to do something,” Alix said. “Maybe I can find her from here.”
“Do you feel strong enough to try?” Ben asked.
“Yes. The shower and food really helped. At least let me give it a shot.”
“Okay, what do you need from me?”
“I’m not sure. Let me try something first,” she told him.
Alix closed her eyes and started gathering energy from the jungle that surrounded the house. She immediately felt like her old self again. Then she concentrated on what she knew about Sonya. The way she looked, how she moved and her voice. She held onto that and sent her magic out. When she’d done this previously, she didn’t have a specific thing she was looking for so this time her magic was like a rocket rather than a wave. Sonya lit up like a light bulb.
“I found her,” Alix said excitedly.
“Where is she?” Ben asked.
“Give me another minute.”
Alix couldn’t actually see Sonya but could only feel her. She had to figure out a way to find her location. She could sense that Sonya was far away but still in Brazil, she thought and being held in a small building. She could sense there was a forest or jungle surrounding the building, but that was a lot of Brazil. She needed something more.
She expanded the area around Sonya to see if there was anyone around her. Close to the building she could sense seven Grynn. She opened up her search and found ten more in the forest. That was how they were going to find her.
“I need to get to the Map room,” Alix said.
She got off the couch and headed to the closet door they’d come through to enter the safe house. Luckily it was a relatively short distance to the room of rooms. She was in the Map room before she realized that anyone was following her. Ben, Natalie, and Rick were with her.
“She’s far from here in a heavily forested area being held by seventeen Grynn. Seven are close to her and ten are further away.”
“Do you know what direction to look?” Ben asked.
Alix concentrated on Sonya again and pointed to her left. “That way.”
It was Rick who figured out that direction was northwest so that’s where they looked on the map. It was Alix who found the most likely place. One red dot and seventeen blue ones.
“This has to be the place. I’m going to zoom in.”
Alix zoomed in as close as she could then got out the special magnifying glass that allowed her to see who it was. She was right, it was Sonya.
“We have to tell Kris where to find her, but we need someone familiar with the area to tell him where to go,” Alix said.
“I’ll call Kris and tell him what we know,” Rick said taking out his phone.
“And I’ll call Celia to see if there’s anyone she can recommend,” Natalie said.
A minute or two later they were both off the phone.
“Kris and his team are going to start heading that direction, but it’ll take them a few hours to get there,” Rick said.
“One of Celia’s co-workers is from Brazil and knows a lot of the country. She’s going to send him here right now,” Natalie told them.
“All of that is good news but now all we can do is wait,” Alix said. “I hate waiting.”
“I know Alix but there’s nothing more we can do here,” Ben told her. “Let’s go back to the living room and you can get caught up on what else has been happening since you were resting.”
“Fine,” she replied.
The news channel was still on and Alix really did want to know how the rest of the world was doing. She just hated that Sonya had been taken because of her.
Alix sat down on the couch and watched the news. It had been four days since the series of chaotic events had begun. Hopefully, she’d hear some good news. The flooding in Scotland had stopped and the water was receding. There was a lot of property damage but thankfully no one had died as a result of the flooding. The massive snowstorm in Russia had subsided and power was slowly being restored. Japan was starting to dig out from the earthquake, but it was still going to take years for them to recover.
In India, they found the person responsible for the murder of the President, so the rioting had stopped, but the whole country was still in mourning. No new fires had started in California even though it hadn’t rained in two days.
The biggest problems were still in the Middle East and South Africa. The escalated violence showed no sign of letting up and no one knew the reason beh
ind it.
Now that Alix was caught up on the news all she could think about was Sonya.
“Does the rest of the Council know everything that’s going on here?” she asked Ben.
“I think so. Your phone kept going off while you were sleeping so I started checking it. I hope that was ok. Most of the messages were from Shay. She was worried that you weren’t checking in with her.”
“My parents?”
“Mom’s been in contact with them, but they’d probably like to hear from you.”
“Do you know where my phone is?”
“It’s plugged in in the bedroom you were in,” he told her.
Alix went and got her phone and checked her texts and missed called. Shay had texted almost thirty times in the last twenty-four hours, she had about twenty other texts and numerous missed calls.
“Thank you for checking my phone Ben,” Alix said when she walked back into the living room. “I’m surprised Shay didn’t call you.”
Ben let out a laugh. “How do you think I knew to check your phone?”
Alix smiled. “I should have known. I’m going to call my parents,” Alix said dialing her phone.
“Alix honey,” her mom said. “I’ve never been happier to hear your voice.”
“Hi mom, sorry if I’ve scared you but I did what I had to do to save everyone here.”
“I know Alix and I think I’m going to have to get used to this but that doesn’t mean I have to like it,” her mom said in a very mom-like voice.
“Do I apologize again?”
“No honey. It just scares me that you are the only one that can fix some of the things the Grynn are doing. In some ways, I still see you as a little girl. I know you’re just about all grown up but sometimes I wish we could go back to the days when you would chase butterflies and play with dolls.”
“Me too mom.”
“So now that you’re all rested up what are you doing now?”
Alix told her about Sonya and the rescue team.
“I’m sure you wanted to be there but honestly I’m glad you’ll be away from the danger for once.”
“At least I was able to help out in some way.” Alix turned when she heard a new voice. “Mom, I have to go. Celia’s friend is here, and I need to go with him to the Map room.”
“Okay honey, please be safe. I love you.”
“Love you too, mom,” Alix said and hung up.
Alix got off the couch and introduced herself to Celia’s friend.
“Hi, I’m Alix.”
“It’s an honor to meet you Kaelneth. I’m Miguel. I’m at your service,” he said with a strong Brazilian accent.
“Thank you for coming on such short notice. Please follow me.”
She took him straight to the Map room and showed him where Sonya was. Luckily, he was familiar with the area and would be able to get the team close to her location. Rick called Kris and had Miguel talk to him. Once he was sure that Kris had the correct directions he hung up.
“Kaelneth,” he said.
“Please call me Alix.”
“My apologies. Alix, if it is okay, I’ll stay here until I know they have located your friend.”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
“Nice to see you again Miguel. Would you like some coffee?” Natalie asked him.
“That would be great, thank you,” he said.
Alix gave them a look. “You two know each other?”
“Miguel is the one who came here to check on you. He’s a Healer.”
“Oh. Um, then I guess I owe you a thank you,” Alix said to him.
“No thanks necessary. It was an honor to take care of the Chosen One,” he said and followed Natalie to the kitchen.
Alix and Ben went back to the living room.
“So, we’re waiting again,” Alix said. “I …”
“You hate waiting, I know,” Ben said grinning at her. “It’s midnight and there’s not much to do here. Normally we’d be sleeping but I slept next to you a lot of the time you were resting. So, how would you like to go for a walk?”
“A walk, where?”
“Outside, just around the grounds here.”
“Uh, yeah, sure. That sounds great,” she said and followed Ben out the front door.
Everything there was so different from what Alix grew up with. Different plants, trees and smells in the air. They walked behind the house into a courtyard area with benches and a fountain. It was a very peaceful place to be. When they walked past the fountain Ben took her hand in his. With only the moonlight to guide them, they walked through the forest exploring the area. Neither one said much and neither one let go of each other’s hand.
When they made their way back to the courtyard, they sat down on one of the benches. Alix was admiring how the water in the fountain looked in the moonlight when Ben’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
“Alix, I have to confess something to you,” he said in a quiet voice. “I was so scared when you collapsed in that restroom in Rio. You seemed perfectly fine and then you were falling to the ground. All I could do was make sure you didn’t hit your head on the floor. When I couldn’t get you to wake up, I felt so helpless. The whole ride back here I was telling you that you were going to be okay. I said it over and over, but I think I was trying to convince myself more than you. I’ve never been more scared in my life. The thought of losing you was terrifying. So, I have to tell you this before I lose my nerve.” He took both of her hands in his and looked her in the eyes. “I like you, Alix, as more than friends. I care a great deal about you and, well … um … I’d like you to go out with me.”
Alix sat there processing what he’d just said. Thinking about everything that it could mean. She’d already admitted it to herself that she liked him so why wasn’t she telling him that back.
“Alix, please say something, I’m dying here.”
“You mean on a date?”
“Yes, but more than just a date. Lots of dates, holding your hand, you know, be my girlfriend.”
Alix was quiet for a moment before saying, “I’m not very good at this stuff Ben. I’ve never had a boyfriend. I’ve only been on two dates with Shay that were disastrous,” she told him.
“None of that matters Alix. Do you like me?”
She nodded.
“As more than just friends?”
She nodded again.
“Do you want to go out with me?”
It was barely a whisper, but she managed to get out, “Yes.”
She’d never seen a bigger smile on Ben’s face, but her heart was pounding in her chest. She hoped that she didn’t just make a mistake. Ben could tell something was on her mind.
“Talk to me, Alix. I feel like I just won the lottery and you look like you just got a D on an essay. What’s going on in your head?”
“I might as well just tell you. I’m scared Ben. I realized a while ago that I liked you but then I started thinking, what if it doesn’t work out? You and I are stuck together forever as the Chosen One and my Protector, what if we end up hating each other?”
“Alix, you think too much. Don’t forget that it was the magic of the Nykara that brought us together in the first place. I’ve yet to hear about the magic being wrong in anything. And remember, this is all new to me too, I’ve never had a girlfriend before. I’ve never wanted to have one until I met you. On the day we met, and I took you for the tour of the house, when you bumped into me I felt little tingles where I touched your arms to keep you from falling. I knew then that you were more than just the one I was going to protect.”
That got Alix’s attention. “Oh my God, you felt that too. I thought it was only me. I told Shay and we had no idea what to think about it. When I learned I was a magical being I was thought it was just something about being Nykara, that everyone experienced it.”
“No Alix, that wasn’t normal. Yes, when two tattoos touch, like in a handshake, people can feel that but it’s usually very mild. After I touched your arms, I could feel it i
n my hands for a while after I let go.”
“Me too. And at Yellowstone, when you took my hands to help me concentrate, I was so distracted by that feeling it took me forever to finally focus.”
“Yeah, I remember that,” he said with a smile. “I wanted to say something then, but I knew you’d have thought I was crazy.”
“I thought I was going crazy. At least becoming a Nykara made me realize that what I’d been experiencing was because of that and not that I was losing my mind. If I hadn’t had Shay, I know I would have thought I was crazy. Speaking of Shay, she’s just going to love this. She’s been telling me for a while that you liked me, but I was too stubborn to give in.”
Ben laughed. “I think stubborn should be your middle name.”
“I can’t even argue with that. So … now that we know how we feel about each other what does that mean for us?”
“There you go thinking too much again,” Ben said with a smile. “It doesn’t have to mean anything for us. We don’t have to act a certain way. Let’s just be who we are and see what happens. But I need to know one thing … well, two things, I guess. Can I call you my girlfriend?”
Alix nodded. Ben grinned.
“And, can I kiss you?”
She wasn’t prepared for that but found that she wanted to kiss him too. “Yes.”
Ben leaned over and placed a very sweet, gentle kiss on her lips. She could feel her face burning but she liked the feel of his lips on hers. It only lasted a second or two, but it was something she’d remember her entire life.
Ben pulled back and looked at her. “Was that okay?” he asked.
“Mmm hmm.”
He let go of one of her hands and ran his thumb over her cheek. “I love that you blush like you do. It makes me smile every time I see it.”
“At least one of us likes it,” she mumbled.
Ben let out a full-on belly laugh. “You’re so cute when you’re embarrassed.”
Alix didn’t have a response for that, so she just looked at him and willed her red face to calm down.
“We’ve been out here a while,” Ben said. “Should be going back in and see if they’ve made any progress?”
“Sure. Wait, what do we tell everyone?”
“We don’t have to tell them anything if you don’t want to. But just know that I’m going to want to hold your hand, a lot,” Ben said.
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