Heirs of Avalon

by Alica Mckenna Johnson

  Taliesin fixed a plate and poured a glass of juice, handing them to me before sitting down with his own on the chair closest to the door. The others got food while we waited for Gavin.

  “What’s going on?” Anali asked, tying the belt of her robe. Her face was pale. I wanted to leave so she could go back to sleep. Why had Gavin asked us to his room anyway?

  “I told you we all needed to talk,” Gavin said standing beside her, his hand on her elbow.

  “Yes, I set the alarm so I’d be awake and ready,” she said. “No one told me we were attacking Sapphire.”

  “We’re not,” Gavin said firmly, sitting in an overstuffed chair between us. He wore a layer of calm, trying to hide the worry and anger swirling inside him. At least he was trying.

  Anali snorted and walked and sat down next to me on the loveseat. She reached out to touch me. I pulled my hand back. “I haven’t showered, and I don’t know what’s stuck to me I don’t want to risk touching you.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked.

  I waved my hand at the others. “We had a fight at lunch, and my shields were trashed so I went for a walk. London has a rich history of violence and suffering.”

  “Are you okay?” Anali asked.

  “I think so. I want a shower, and I’ll probably have nightmares.”

  “Oh, sweetie, I am sorry.”

  “See this is what we need to talk about,” Sasha said. “She’s keeping secrets.”

  Anali sniffed. “She’s allowed to have some privacy. She doesn’t have to tell us everything.”

  I love Anali.

  “She does if it affects us,” Kayin said, his tone calm.

  “Sapphire dear, could what happened to you this afternoon affect us in any way?” Anali asked.

  “No,” I wrapped my arms around myself and shivered as the feelings washed over me. “No, it was just an image from the past.”

  “But it upset you,” Gavin said. “We should know what it was. At least I would like to know what happened.”

  “Well I might be willing to tell you if I didn’t feel like I’m being ganged up on,” I said.

  “We have a right to be angry when you have been lying to us, keeping things from us that could affect our safety,” Miu said.

  “As I said before, I haven’t been purposefully keeping things from you.”

  Anali held up her hand. Three mouths hung open ready to speak no words coming out. “What secrets are we talking about?”

  Gavin sighed. “I talked to the others this afternoon. In the hopes of keeping this from getting out of control, I would like to be the one to ask Sapphire about your concerns.”

  Kayin nodded, his shoulders dropping as he relaxed against the arm of the couch. Sasha snorted and glared at the table. Miu crossed her arms but nodded. Taliesin’s foot stopped shaking, not sure what that meant, and Anali smiled.

  “While we were at the museum, Sapphire fell into a piece of jewelry and experienced some of its history. Is that correct?”

  “Yes,” I said.

  “Sapphire, did you get information from that which could help protect us?” Anali asked.

  “No, I don’t think so. I saw devas healing a village of Fae and that changed their magic.”

  “To Earth magic, a magic she can’t sense,” Sasha said.

  “What I saw didn’t tell me that,” I said.

  “Why didn’t you tell us?” Gavin asked. “We should know these things.”

  “I didn’t say anything because I was fine. Kayin was there holding my hand and grounding me. It was Anali’s first outing I didn’t want to spoil it.”

  “Sapphire, it was very kind of you to want to protect me, but I am an adult. Even sick, it is my job to take care of you, not the other way around,” Anali said. “Now, you are becoming a young woman, and you have dealt with a lot. I trust you to decide if you can handle something or not, but please don’t keep from asking for help because you are worried about me.”

  I nodded. “Okay, and thank you for trusting me.”

  “That’s not all she’s been keeping from us,” Sasha said. “She found out that whatever ate the gnome’s magic uses Earth magic which is why we can’t detect it.”

  Anali turned to me.

  “After the party I dreamed in Akasha, and Shamash and Aya explained about Earth magic. And I told Gavin about it,” I said.

  “Yes, you did tell me, and I passed the information onto Philip. He said he’d let me know as soon as he found anything out. In the future, I will make sure everyone knows. I had assumed Sapphire would tell you,” Gavin said, some of his forced calm fading.

  “Okay,” Anali said. “And did you tell the others about the Earth magic or the fact that none of us felt the person who attacked the gnome?”

  “No, no I didn’t. I didn’t think about it. The night was so crazy.”

  Anali hummed and sat back against the couch, her posture relaxed.

  “What about the guy she’s been sneaking off with?” Miu asked.

  “I’m not sneaking off with anyone. I have happened to run into Ramsey several times and we hung out.”

  “And he just happened to be there when you ran into the walk-in and at the party?” Taliesin asked as a wave of worry came from him before he shut his emotions off from me again.

  “Oh,” said Anali. “Is he the handsome young man in the kilt?”

  “Yes,” I said.

  Gavin muttered, “He’s not that handsome.”

  “He has a Scottish accent, right. I love those, they sound all sexy,” Anali said. “Is he nice?”

  “I think so. He’s been nice to me.”

  Anali smiled. “You’ll have to tell me more about him later. So anything else?”

  The others looked at the floor, the wall, their hands, but said nothing. I hope Anali gets better soon—obviously, we can’t function without her.

  “Oh, wait,” I said. “Melusine, the women who hosted the party, was at the show tonight. She gave me her card.”

  “Sasha and I got one too,” Taliesin interrupted.

  “Did she touch you?” I asked. “Because when she touched me, it felt odd. And I could tell that she felt something too.”

  “Odd how?” Gavin asked.

  I shook my head. “The touch was really quick. I didn’t have time to figure it out. Mr. Monroe was there, he tripped and she moved.”

  “Mr. Monroe?” Miu asked.

  “I met him at the party. He asked me to dance,” I said.

  “Another man,” Taliesin said.

  “Sapphire is a lovely young lady,” said Anali. “I’m not surprised she has men taking notice. If it bothers you, maybe you should do something about it.”

  Taliesin’s cheeks turned pink but his sky blue eyes darkened and narrowed. Guess he didn’t like that idea.

  “Well I’m not sure what has all of you in such a snit. I don’t feel like Sapphire kept anything from anyone on purpose. Now that she knows that we would all like to be informed of any magical information, I’m sure she’ll be more conscientious of passing information onto everyone,” Anali smiled.

  “I don’t like that you lied to me, Little Sister,” Kayin said. “I understand why, but I wish you would have told me.”

  “I’m sorry I hurt you.” I said. “Honestly, I didn’t think it was a big deal at the time.”

  Kayin gave me a small smile. We would be okay.

  “I would like to know what happened today,” Gavin said.

  I snorted. I was so not telling them about running into Ramsey and then seeing a Jack the Ripper killing. “It wasn’t anything magical. Can I please go and take a shower now?”

  “I would like to speak with you alone for a minute first,” Gavin said.

  The others filled up their plates before leaving.

  “Good night, Little Sister.”

  “Sleep well, Big Brother.”

  “Good night.”

  “Night, Taliesin.”

  Anali yawned. “I’m headed to bed, to
o. Once I’m feeling better, the two of us will go out so you can tell me all about your handsome Scotsman,” Anali said.

  “I can’t wait. I guess I’ll have to do something exciting with him so I have something interesting to tell you.”

  Anali giggled. Gavin growled.

  “So what did you want to talk about?” I set my plate down. There was no way I could have this conversation and eat at the same time.

  Gavin frowned and looked at the floor. “I believed them at first, well, until Anali calmed me down. I was scared you were in trouble and angry at you for not telling me.”

  “But I was telling you the important things, like the walk-in and about the Dream.”

  “I guess I thought this was how you were acting out.”

  Acting out? What new crazy is this? “Why would I act out?”

  Gavin paced, his hands joining into the conversation. “Because of the new baby?”

  “That doesn’t even make sense. What does the baby have to do with all of you assuming I’m such a horrible person that I would keep secrets that would threaten your safety?” My voice cracked.

  “No,” Gavin knelt in front of me. “No, I never thought that, and neither did Kayin or Taliesin. You’re not the type of person who would do that!”

  “Then why do they think I would? Why did you?”

  Gavin rubbed his face. “I don’t know about Miu or Sasha. Maybe they are lashing out because of the holidays and being separated from family.”

  I nodded. At the group home, kids always had a difficult time at the holidays and would emotionally vomit all over you for the slightest thing. I’d learned not to take it personally.

  “As for me,” Gavin continued, “I don’t think you’re a bad person. I thought you were acting out, because of the baby.”

  “Why?”

  “You aren’t coming to me, or asking for help, or demanding I spend time with you,” Gavin said. “So, I thought you were keeping secrets to see if I would notice.”

  I blinked. What? Adults were so confusing. “Okay. After my dream I did tell you what I needed help with. If I needed you I would speak up. And why would you want me to act like a brat demanding your attention while Anali is sick?”

  Gavin sighed and sat next to me on the couch. “I guess I was expecting it. Once Anali told me she wanted to have a baby, we read books on how older kids can feel when there is a new baby on the way. We wanted to make sure we could understand anything you might be going through becoming a big sister.”

  Laughing, I shook my head. “Okay, but you realize kids have always come and gone in my life. Older, bigger, scarier kids, and younger, cuter, sweeter kids. I usually step back and wait to see what the new dynamic is, or at least I used to. After my second year at Hope House, I stepped up and took charge.”

  Gavin tilted his head to the side. “Why, what changed?”

  “Well it was my home, and I wanted the new kids to fit into what we had, not try to change it.”

  “So, we don’t have a strong enough dynamic for you to try and keep in place?”

  Guh, more adult gibberish. “Gavin, we don’t have a set routine. Anali is pregnant. A baby changes things, we will all have to adapt.”

  Gavin held up a hand. “How do you know so much about all of this?”

  “In an effort to reduce teen pregnancy and stop the cycles of abuse, Four …”

  “Your caseworker before David?” Gavin asked.

  Well, since David was Five, then yes, Four would be the one before him. “Yes. Anyway, she sent me to this family/parenting/pregnancy/anti-drug class. We learned about birth control, sexually transmitted illnesses, how a normal family is supposed to work, read parenting books, learned how to budget and balance a checkbook. All that grown-up life stuff.”

  “How old were you?”

  “Thirteen.”

  “That’s young,” Gavin said with a frown.

  Gavin was so naive. “Gavin, most of the girls in the group home weren’t even virgins at thirteen.”

  “Are you?” Gavin blurted out then turned bright red.

  I raised an eyebrow. “Does it matter?”

  Gavin closed and opened his mouth several times. Poor man, he didn’t know what to say.

  “Because it seems to be important to you, even though it’s not any of your business, I will tell you. Yes, I am still a virgin.”

  Gavin exhaled and relaxed. “Thank you, and I want you to be safe, so when you’re ready Anali or I will take you to the doctor and make sure you have whatever kind of birth control you need.”

  “Thanks, but I already have an IUD.”

  “What!”

  “After the class, I was taken to the gynecologist, examined, and offered birth control. I choose the IUD.” Gavin turned a bit green and started to pant. “Relax, I’m not making any plans to have sex.”

  Gavin snorted. “No, but someone else might have different ideas.”

  I smiled. “If you’re talking about Ramsey, he might. I’m going to go and take a shower.”

  Gavin pressed his lip together, and his emotions swirled around him. I expected him to say something else. Instead, he looked at the bedroom door and nodded. “Okay, if you need anything let me or Anali know. No matter what is going on, we are here for you and want to help.”

  I smiled. “I know, Uncle Gavin. Sleep well.”

  * * *

  Gasping, I sat up in bed. Miu murmured but didn’t wake. After three nights of nightmares, I had finally stopped screaming and waking her up. The clock’s red numbers glowed 5:15. Guh, that is disgustingly early, but I wasn’t going to go back to sleep. I got dressed, grabbed my laptop and phone, and went to the lounge on the second floor.

  I settled down with a cup of tea and looked out the windows. They faced the east so I could watch the sun rise again.

  —Good morning, can you get away today? I texted Ramsey. I set my phone down and opened my computer. One last bit of homework to finish, then I could catch up with friends. I hadn’t seen Ramsey in a few days. He had been busy, or avoiding me after my crazy freak-out on Monday, which was fine. I’d been napping in the afternoons.

  My phone chimed.

  —Why are you up so early?

  —I’m sorry I didn’t think you’d wake up. Go back to sleep.

  —Sapphire, are you okay?

  —Yes, I just couldn’t sleep.

  He didn’t text back. I smiled. He must have fallen back asleep.

  I finished my homework when my phone chimed again.

  —I’m here at the hotel, where are you?

  I frowned down at my baggy yoga pants and sweater. Oh, well, too late now.

  —I’m on the second floor in the lounge.

  —Ok.

  The elevator chimed. Ramsey’s curls were wild, and his cheeks flushed from the cold. I blushed as he turned to get a cup of tea, his worn blue jeans fitting very snugly. He sat next to me on the couch setting his yoga bag next to him. “Morning, hen.”

  “Morning. I'm sorry about waking you up. I didn’t think my texts woke you up.”

  “I changed the setting.”

  I bit my lip and looked up at him through my lashes. “I was a bit worried I’d freaked you out the other day.”

  “Seems like you’re the one who was freaked out,” Ramsey laid his arm over my shoulders and I snuggled in close. “Why are you up so early, again?”

  I fiddled with the edge of his scarf. “I keep dreaming about what I saw, in the alley.”

  “And what did you see? Have you talked about it at all?” Ramsey propped his booted feet onto the coffee table.

  “No. I got into this big fight with the others about keeping secrets and I didn’t want to tell them. Anyway it doesn’t affect them.”

  “So tell me. Maybe it’ll help if you aren’t keeping it hidden.”

  I shrugged and Ramsey started rubbing my arm. “At first I didn’t realize it was a vision because the people had recently been there to see where he killed his victims. Not just
tourists, but those who admired him, wanted to be like him, the sickos. Some of them had blood dripping on their fingers. And then they moved, and I saw her—the woman Jack the Ripper had killed. She was lying on the ground with her hand reaching out and what he’d done to her.”

  Ramsey pulled me closer as I choked back a sob.

  “Then I saw her standing alive in the alley. The man wearing black walking towards her, and his knife flashing before he drove it into her. We both screamed, and you pulled me away before I could see any more.”

  “Bloody hell, no wonder you’ve been having nightmares.” Ramsey pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “I’m so sorry, is there anything you can do?”

  “This helps.” Guh, that sounded stupid.

  “I’m glad.”

  The black sky began to lighten and the stars faded.

  “I can’t remember the last time I saw the sun rise. Sure I must have been on the way home at the time.” Ramsey yawned.

  “I should let you go so you can get some more sleep.” I started to sit up but Ramsey held me tight.

  “You’re fine. If I wanted to be in bed sleeping, that’s where I’d be.”

  I grinned and rested my head on his chest, watching as the clouds turned pink and orange.

  * * *

  My neck ached and my pillow moved. Groaning, I opened my eyes. Light blue sky peeked through the gray winter clouds.

  “What time is it?”

  “Hmm, what?” muttered Ramsey.

  “It’s eight,” snapped Gavin. He sat in one of the chairs, his face a mask of contained anger. And the day had started so nicely.

  “Mr. Marsh,” Ramsey said, as he shifted, putting his feet on the floor and stretching his back. “Oh, I’m going to need a hot shower.”

  “I know my neck is stiff,” I said, rolling my shoulders trying to get the muscles to loosen.

  “What exactly is going on here?” Gavin asked.

  “I texted Ramsey when I woke up, he came over, and we fell asleep watching the sunrise.” I said. “Oh, and I finished my school work.”

  “Why did you leave your room?” Gavin asked.

  “I couldn’t sleep and didn’t want to wake Miu up again,” I said. “I didn’t realize that I wasn’t allowed to leave my room.”

  “It sounds like I should go,” Ramsey said.