Chaos

by Katie Holland

  Alix told them about her dreams.

  “I think if we can figure out the coin, we can find James,” Alix said.

  “Do you have the coin with you?” Shelley asked.

  “No, we leave it in the safe,” Alix said.

  “I think we need to see it,” Ruth said.

  “I can run back and get it,” Ben offered.

  “I’ll go with you,” Logan added. “I’m a little tired of being stuck here and I’d love to get out, even if it’s only for a few minutes.”

  “Very well then,” Ruth said. “We’ll see you shortly.”

  “I’ll walk you to the fireplace,” Alix said standing up.

  Ben took her hand and they left the kitchen. Logan looked at their joined hands but didn’t say anything until they were out of the room.

  “So,” he said, “are you two an item now?”

  “Yep,” Ben said grinning.

  Alix was happy that she didn’t blush this time.

  “That’s great, I’m happy for you guys,” Logan said smiling.

  They walked to the fireplace and Ben opened it using the secret button on the mantle.

  “See you in a bit,” Ben said kissing her and walked through the secret door.

  She smiled at him but didn’t say anything. His kisses still stole her ability to speak.

  Chapter 38

  Alix watched them disappear into the passageway then closed the door. Instead of going back to the kitchen she sat on one of the couches at the fireplace. A lot had happened in the last hour and she needed to decompress.

  The thing she was feeling the strongest was sadness for Lucie. She knew Lucie wouldn’t have a clue what happened but what kind of life was she going to have now? She would never remember anyone or where she was. She would be scared all the time. Alix hoped that she could eventually find a way for Lucie to at least make new memories.

  “Are you okay?” Merideth said snapping Alix out of her thoughts.

  “Yeah, just thinking about Lucie. I feel so terrible for her.”

  “I know. Shelley filled me in on exactly what happened. It’s awful.”

  “I just can’t imagine doing that to another person. How could anyone be so cruel?”

  “That’s what the Grynn are. That’s all they know.”

  “I hate it.”

  “Can I ask you a personal question, Alix?”

  “Sure.”

  “You and Ben?”

  Despite feeling sad about Lucie, Alix smiled at the question.

  “Yes. I guess you could say we’re dating. But we actually haven’t been out on a date. It’s been crazy.”

  “Well, I think it’s great. Anyone who’s spent any time with the two of you could tell you were meant to be together.”

  Alix wasn’t sure what to say to that. She didn’t think she’d done anything to make people think she liked Ben.

  Merideth let out a small laugh. “I can tell by the look on your face what you’re thinking but don’t worry, it wasn’t obvious. I could tell that you two cared about each other and so could other people. And that’s a good thing, Alix. As the Chosen One, you need people who would do anything to protect you and I think number one on that list is Ben.”

  Alix just nodded. “I’ll agree with that. So, how’s Logan been?” she said changing the subject.

  “Truthfully, I think he misses his family and being back home. He does his work, plays video games and is always pleasant but I can tell there’s a sadness to him.”

  “That gives me an idea,” Alix said. “I need to go talk to Ruth and Gordon.”

  They went back to the kitchen. Both Ruth and Gordon were still there.

  “Hey, can I talk to you guys for a minute?” she asked.

  “Of course, Miss Alix. What’s on your mind?” Gordon asked her.

  “Since Ben, Shay and I are doing our schooling online now, I was thinking that Logan could come back to Sunset Creek and live there. He can continue his education with us and be around people his own age. He’d also be a lot closer to home and maybe his family could come to visit him.”

  “I think that’s a wonderful idea, Alix,” Gordon said. “He’s a pleasure to have here but I know he’d rather be back in the US. Ruth?”

  “I can’t see an issue with it. Your house in Sunset Creek is just as heavily protected as Fox Hollow is and you actually have more Warriors stationed there.”

  “I don’t think he’d have a problem with that. I’ll ask him when they get back. What about his family?”

  “I think I would be better if they went to Sunset Creek rather than Logan going to him. Just let him know the same rules about leaving the property would have to apply to him as they do you, Alix.”

  Alix nodded, happy for Logan. She waited, not so patiently, for them to return. Luckily, she didn’t have to wait that long. About thirty minutes later they were back. And they had a surprise for her.

  “Hey Alix,” Shay said walking into the kitchen.

  “Shay, what are you doing here.” Alix sounded a little suspicious.

  “Don’t worry, mom texted me back and I have permission to be here,” Shay said showing Alix her phone.

  “Okay good. I’m glad you’re here. Did Ben tell you about Lucie?”

  “Yes. It’s terrible and I know you feel bad because you can’t help her.”

  “You’re exactly right. It sucks.” Alix said. “Do you guys have the coin?”

  “Yes,” Ben said taking it out of his pocket. It was still in the plastic bag. “Here you go, Ruth.”

  “I’d suggest you leave it in that bag,” Alix said. “None of us have touched it and we don’t know what might happen if you do.”

  “Okay,” she said and took the bag from Ben and put it on the table.

  Ruth, Shelley, Gordon, and Merideth gathered around it to have a better look. While they were examining it, Alix thought it would be a good time to talk to Logan about school. She motioned for them to follow her across the kitchen.

  “Hey Logan, you know how I said we’re being homeschooled now?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well we’ve really only been at it for two days but so far it’s been okay. I was talking to Ruth earlier and I suggested that you move in with us at the safe house in Sunset Creek and continue your education with us. She said it was okay with her. What do you think?”

  “I’d love to Alix. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great here but I miss being around people my own age and I really miss good TV,” he said laughing. “Would I get to see my family?”

  “I mentioned that too and I think they could come to visit you sometimes. You’d be under the same rules as us which means we can’t leave the property without a Warrior escort and even then that’s kind of dangerous right now.”

  “As long as there’s the possibility of seeing my family I don’t care if I even get to leave the house.”

  “Then it’s settled. As soon as we’re done here, we’ll move you back to the house with us,” Alix told him.

  Logan gave her a big hug. “Thank you, Alix, you don’t know what this means to me.”

  Alix smiled. “I think I might have a little bit of an idea.”

  “This will be great,” Ben said. “Now I’ll have someone to play video games with.”

  Alix and Shay just laughed at him. He’d tried to get them to play but Alix would rather read and Shay would rather do just about anything else. Video games just weren’t their thing. They went over to the table to see if any progress had been made on the coin.

  “So?” Alix questioned. “Any idea what it means?”

  “It’s coordinates,” Gordon said.

  “Really? How do you know?” Alix asked.

  “I’ve seen these before,” he told them.

  “When?”

  “When I was in the military,” he said. “I was in the soldier in the British SAS before I came to Fox Hollow.”

  “But I thought you were a Theorist and not a Warrior?” Ben asked.

  �
�I am. My area of expertise was in intelligence gathering. Our whole unit was Nykara and our directive was to kill or capture as many Grynn as we could across the world. That’s where I’d encountered the coins before. Each one leads to a different location. Once we learned how to decipher the coded language we were able to locate Grynn strongholds and I have no doubt this leads to another one. Possibly where they have James.”

  “But I found that coin at Yellowstone after Jack went missing. That means they have been planning this for months,” Alix said.

  “It’s entirely possible,” Gordon said.

  “We know the coin was left there for me to find but how could they know that I’d figure out what it said?”

  “It was most likely a gamble on their part. They knew it was almost time for the Kaelneth to come amongst the Nykara which is the reason they kidnapped Sara, Samantha, and Jack. Once you found them and made Victor disappear they knew it was only a matter of time before you found a way to figure out the coin. Them taking Lucie and James sped that up right?”

  “Yes. I’d pretty much forgotten about the coin until my dream the other night. Does that mean the Grynn can control my dreams?”

  “I don’t think so,” Ruth said. “The part of you that has visions was able to pick up on what you needed to know to find James. But I don’t like the direction this is going.”

  “Neither do I,” Gordon said. “It has to be a trap for you, Alix. The Grynn’s ultimate goal is to get to you. Once we figure out where this is we’ll mount a rescue operation but you’ll have to stay behind Alix.”

  “No,” Alix said immediately.

  “We can’t risk your safety,” Ruth said.

  “This message was left for me. That means I have to be there.” They started to protest but Alix stopped them. “Hear me out. At the cave where the missing Nykara were, I was the only one who could pass through the barrier where they were being held. And the same thing happened when we tried to rescue my family and friends in London. Ben got through with me, but we think that’s because he was touching me. I have a feeling it will be the same wherever they are holding James.”

  “I hate to say it but I think she’s right,” Ben said. “I was there both times. At the cave, there was no way we could get through and it took both me and a Warrior on each side of the barrier to bring it down last time.”

  “You need me to go. And don’t even think about trying this without me,” Alix said leaving no room for question. “I might be the only one who can get to him. I know it’s risky, but we can’t let them keep James. Figure out where the location of that coin leads and we’ll go rescue him. I have ways of keeping myself safe as well as increasing my abilities. I won’t make another mistake like last time. François and Victor will not get their hands on me and live.”

  “And I go where Alix goes,” Ben said. “So, I suggest we find that location as soon as possible and form a plan. Logan has agreed to come live with us so we’re going to go help him pack. We’ll check in with you when we’re done.”

  Ben walked out of the kitchen door. Alix, Shay, and Logan followed him. No one said a word until they got to the stairs. Then Shay started giggling.

  “Did you see the looks on their faces?” Shay said between giggles. “It was priceless. I can tell they’re not used to being told what to do.”

  Alix had to smile at that. They went to Logan’s room and Alix was surprised it was so neat.

  “Do you always keep your room this tidy?” she asked him.

  “Yeah. My mom was a freak about keeping our rooms clean and the habit just stuck with me.”

  “So, what do you need us to do?” Ben asked.

  “Actually. I think we need to find an extra suitcase. I only came here with one and Gordon bought me a bunch of new clothes and of course, I have to take the video game station you guys got me.” Logan said smiling.

  “Ben,” Alix said, “you’d better call your mom and tell her that Logan is coming back with us. He’ll need a desk and stuff. I’ll text Karin and let her know he’ll need to be set up with our online schooling.”

  Ben nodded and called his mom. Logan started packing his clothes and Alix and Shay started gathering his miscellaneous items like books, magazines, and video games. When Ben was finished with his call he volunteered to go in search of some boxes or a suitcase.

  Just under an hour later they had Logan completely packed up and his stuff in the foyer next to the fireplace. Then the four of them went back to the kitchen to see if they had the location from the coin.

  Gordon was studying a map on the table and Ruth was on the phone. Shelley and Merideth were standing at one of the kitchen counters so Alix went over to them.

  “Any news?” she asked Shelley.

  “Using the coordinates on the coin Gordon has figured out where they lead, but it appears to be in the middle of the ocean so he’s checking to make sure he decoded them correctly. I think he’s waiting on a call back from one of his fellow SAS unit members. Ruth is trying to arrange a boat in case we need it. I’m pretty sure Gordon has it right though.”

  “What part of the ocean?” Ben asked.

  “In the Atlantic, closer to the Caribbean I believe,” Shelley said.

  Gordon’s phone rang. It was a quick conversation and he hung up. Ruth also ended her call. They all gathered around the table.

  “The coordinates lead us to this location,” Gordon said pointing to a spot on the map. “As far as we know it’s in the middle of the ocean. I have an old friend seeing if he can get us a satellite picture of the area.”

  Alix looked at the map. The spot was west of Florida and north of Haiti.

  “So, what’s the plan?” she asked.

  “There isn’t one yet. We need to know what’s on the spot before we do anything,” Gordon said. “It would be useless to go all the way there and find out we were tricked.”

  “So, what happens now?” Ben asked.

  “We wait for more information. If we can determine what those coordinates lead to then we organize a rescue,” Gordon said. “I think you four should head back to Sunset Creek. When we have a better idea of the situation we’ll be in touch.”

  “Gordon,” Alix said turning to him, “I know you’re a man of your word. Please promise me no rescue operation will happen without me there.”

  Gordon gave her his full attention. “You have my word, Miss Alix.”

  “Thank you, Gordon.”

  Alix, Ben, Shay, and Logan went to the foyer, gathered Logan’s stuff and headed back home.

  Chapter 39

  Logan took the room next to Shay’s. They helped him put his stuff away then gave him a tour of the house.

  “This place is great,” he said when they finished. “I like that it’s smaller than Fox Hollow but still big enough that we won’t crowd each other.

  Ben laughed at the comment.

  “What’s so funny?” Logan asked.

  “Despite the size of this place the three of us are almost always together. Everyone that lives here eats dinner together and at some point, each evening we usually all end up in the den watching TV. I never really thought about it before, but we all spend quite a bit of time together.”

  “Huh. I’m not used to that.” Logan said.

  “You’re free to do whatever you want Logan,” Alix said. “But just know you’re always welcome where ever we are.”

  “Okay, sounds good to me,” he said.

  Alix was glad when her mom got home. She worried every time she went to work now. She checked in with Kris and there was still no Grynn activity found in the area. At dinner that night she filled everyone in on what they knew so far of the plan to rescue James as well as telling her parents about Logan. The rest of the evening was spent watching TV.

  She was getting ready for bed when her phone rang.

  “Hey, Gordon. Any news?”

  “Yes, Miss Alix. We finally received the satellite images from my friend, and it appears that there’s a very small islan
d where the coordinates meet.”

  “So, what’s the plan? Should we come there now?”

  “I know you want to do this right now, but we have to do some careful planning. Going out into the middle of the ocean can be dangerous. Right now, we’re trying to figure out the best place to leave from. This isn’t going to be easy and it could take up to two days to get there. Trust me, Miss Alix, we’re doing everything we can and as soon as we have a solid plan, I’ll call you.”

  “Okay, Gordon. Thank you.”

  “Take care, Miss Alix. I’ll be in touch.”

  “Bye Gordon.”

  Alix hung up and then told both Ben and Shay what was happening. With nothing to do immediately, she decided to try and sleep. She made sure the volume was all the way up on her phone and she crawled into bed.

  * * *

  There was still no news when Alix woke up the next morning. She was becoming increasingly worried about James. She didn’t want the same thing happening to him that happened to Lucie.

  She got ready for the day, got her breakfast, and went to their classroom. Ben was showing Logan how to log in. Karin had already gotten him set up and they found a temporary desk for him until the new one arrived.

  “Good morning beautiful. Any news?” Ben asked when he saw Alix.

  “No. I’m hoping we hear something soon. I can’t take much more waiting.”

  Alix logged into her computer and started to work on Math, but she couldn’t concentrate.

  “This is useless,” she said a few minutes later. “I can’t do schoolwork when someone is in danger. I’m going to the Map room. Anyone want to come with me?”

  With any excuse to get out of doing work, the four of them headed down to the room of rooms. Logan had never been inside a Map room and was amazed at all the blue and red dots he was seeing. Alix first zoomed in on Sunset Creek so Logan could see what the map could do.

  “What are those yellow dots?” Logan asked.

  “You’ll see,” Alix said zooming in on their house. Then she took the magnifying glass so she could show Logan what it could do.

  “Wow, that’s amazing,” he said. “So, the yellow one is Shay?”