She went to lunch alone. Halyn was decidedly not hungry after their delicious breakfast. Which was fine, because Cheyenne needed to get away for a bit. Anj sat alone at the table. She couldn't help but feel disappointed. She'd been hoping to see them both, but that was selfish of her. Why would Zes want to sit and listen to them talk about homework? He'd be more of a distraction than a help. Still, Anj had said “we” on the phone with her, hadn't he? So where was his brother?
“I'm so sorry about this morning. I completely slept through everything and forgot all about it until your message,” she said, sitting down with her lunch tray.
Anj stirred a bowl of tomato soup and nodded. “I know. You slept so well you never wanted to wake up again, right?”
“Kind of. Why do you ask?” She had slept well. She was happy to wake up feeling refreshed for a change.
“I've been there before. I've been there on a number of occasions actually. I'm not mad. I know you needed it. I certainly did after last night,” he said before dipping a grilled cheese sandwich into his soup bowl.
“What do you mean?”
“You stayed with Mr. Thantos, yes? I was trying to say I relate to the need. It's complicated to explain. You remember how I once told you about having a dream in which you were green and Denver attacked you and so on so forth? Those dreams aren’t uncommon for me. In fact, you could say I have a lot of them. These dreams sometimes have the capacity to hurt. I had another last night about you.”
Cheyenne swallowed hard and nodded, even if he couldn't see it. “Do I want to know?”
“Doubtful, and I'm not allowed to say. Not about it all. I saw what happened last night and it left me worried, as well as paralyzed upon waking.”
“I'm sorry.” She bit down on her lower lip, feeling even guiltier. She had no idea what happened to her was being spread to him.
He gave her a smile, a wide one, which was rare to see on him. “It's not your fault this happens to me. It's happened long before I met you. It comes with the territory.”
“And what's the territory?”
“That,” he said with a smirk, “is the mystery. I can't give away all my secrets in one sitting. You'll just have to stick around to find out.”
She scowled. “Figures you'd say something like that.”
“Are you okay?”
“I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me anymore.”
“But I do.”
“So about this project,” Cheyenne mumbled. They spent the rest of lunch dividing up the work. She felt a little uncomfortable as Anj kept staring at her—more specifically, at the bandage on her neck, his eyes glowing.
“Shouldn't you be focusing the use of your magic on your book?” Cheyenne asked.
His glowing blue eyes glanced at the book. “It's not interesting or reliable. I’d much rather look at you.”
“Why?”
“Because you're interesting.”
She pulled her own book up over her face. “I'm not letting you look at me anymore until you tell me something.”
“Quid pro quo, I see,” he commented with a laugh. He looked up and past her with another wide smile. If only he'd do it more, because it was beautiful to see. “Our time for talking is coming to a close. Zes is on his way, and I promised him I wouldn't hog you all afternoon. Naturally, because I'm worried, he's been doubly so.”
“Wait, but isn't there more we need to do?”
“Not for today. We'll schedule something for later in the week.” He stood up just as his brother was coming to sit down. “Oh, Zes, I'm sorry, I have to run.”
Zes frowned at his brother before raising an eyebrow. “But you told me to—”
“I thought we'd still be working then, but I have to run because I need to see my adviser. And Jewl wanted to talk after that, so as you can see…” Anj said.
“Yeah, I get it. You've got other places to be.” Zes rolled his eyes and glanced over at Cheyenne before shaking his head. He waited until his brother was gone before speaking again. “Probably better he goes over there and gets some rest. I don't know if he told you, but last night he had this panic attack thing. It's how he sees things...knows things.”
Cheyenne nodded. “He mentioned he has some sleep issues and how he sometimes has visions of other people or something.”
“Sometimes? It's more like all the time, but they're not always bad. A few are good, or they don't make sense.” He sighed and shook his head.
“Do you know what it all means?”
“I have a vague understanding of it. He was chosen for something. He thinks he's supposed to be a messenger. And that's why he thinks he never had his sight. They took something away from him in exchange for a great gift, whoever they are. I don't think even he knows that much. If he does, he's not allowed to talk about it. Everything seems to be off-limits with him.”
Cheyenne finished eating and continued to watch him, feeling better now that she knew she wasn't the only one in the dark. For a while she thought he didn't trust her. “I'm sure everything will be better once he gets some sleep.”
“I know, but I don't like it becoming more and more frequent, especially to the point where he has to stay over at Mr. Thantos's. Not that I want him to be exhausted and run dry, but I'd rather he not have to do it period just to get a few hours of sleep. It's kind of ridiculous.” He stopped eating altogether and stared at her.
“What?” Cheyenne asked.
“I just realized something. You ever have a random epiphany?”
“Yes.”
“I have this sneaking suspicion my brother's plotting again and I just caught on to what it was. I'm not sure how I feel about it. I'm probably confusing you more.”
“Only a little. I hope everything gets better with your brother, whatever is going on.”
“I shouldn't be such a slowpoke when you're done and probably wanting to get out of here. I personally can't get anything done in this room. This place is too noisy,” he said as he went back to plowing through his meal.
“Most of the common areas to study have people in them,” she said with a shrug. “I figured with such a diverse and small school, it was normal.”
“I've never been anywhere else but here. We grew up in town, so we were able to live at home for a while and then get dropped off here for classes. I know we're not a huge school, and one of the few made for people like us in the country. So it's busy enough, but there are some nice hidden nooks too.”
“It's okay, I'm just about done studying anyway. I've got everything finished for the weekend, outside of some light reading.”
“Oh.” He bit down on his lower lip for a moment. He opened his mouth again, then bit his lip once more before looking her in the eyes. “I still want to go somewhere more quiet anyway. I think it'd be cool to show you this. Especially while the trees still have their leaves. I think they'd like it too.”
“They?”
“The trees. I know you like them, and I know they like you. I can't talk to them like you can, but I see how they dance whenever you're nearby. I can feel things. My magic is tied to the Earth. I can sense its emotions. Sometimes when bad things are about to happen to it, I can feel that too. I can also control the rocks.”
“All right, let’s go.” She was curious now. How much did he know? How much could he know from the Earth alone? He hardly ever talked about his magic. Anj liked to show off his abilities, but Zes seemed to shy away from them. In fact, she was pretty sure this was the first time he'd ever mentioned to her he had magic. It didn't take long to finish eating and pack up. Going somewhere private would help, because per usual, most of the students were staring at them. She couldn't deal with the attention today.
They crossed the courtyard as if they were going to head to the dorms. However, instead of going inside, Zes gently gripped her elbow and led her into a nearby section of forest.
“I'm not allowed to go—”
“I know,” he said. “I promise we're not going far or outside of
your limits. It's just not on the main path.”
If she had been with any other boy in the school, outside of Anj, she would have thought twice about going through the forest alone with him.
Soon enough, a small well-worn path began to appear beneath their feet among all of the now fallen and dead leaves. Not too far off in the distance was a large gazebo made from white marble. The closer they came to the structure, the more of its fine artistic details were visible. There were flowers carved at the bases of the Grecian columns, and there were glass walls between them. Simple but elegant, it took her breath away.
Zes held the glass door open for her. “This is probably my favorite place in the world. People don't come out this way anymore. I figured you'd like it though. Anyway, there was a reason I wanted to come out here away from everyone. I wanted to ask you something.”
Cheyenne watched him as she took a seat on one of the many stone benches lining the walls.
“I was wondering if you'd be my date to the dance,” he said and swallowed hard.
“I'm already going with you.” That's what she had thought at least. They were all supposed to go together. Was she suffering from déjà vu, or had she missed something?
Zes nodded. He sat down next to her and then quickly resumed his standing position. He began to pace in a small circle in front of her. “Right, I know. I mean, but that was us, I'm talking about being my date.”
“As in…”
“Just me.”
She didn't have to think twice about her answer. “Yes, of course, but what about your brother? Did he decide to ask Jewl? Are they getting back together?” She wasn't sure if she could handle Anj dating Jewl after all of the emotional trauma the girl had put her through. But if she had to suck it up, she would because it made him happy. Maybe Jewl would treat her like a human being if they got back together.
“No. He thought it would be better if he went stag. Plus he feels bad about all of the rumors going around and about some of the other stuff happening because of them. The last thing either of us wants is for you to stress yourself out. I mean, you have enough going on as it is.” He shook his head.
“You have no idea,” she mumbled.
“I know enough, and I agree with him. It's not like much is going to change anyway, just that…” He trailed off. “I don't know how to word it. I hope you can understand what I mean someday. I wish I was better at talking like Anj is. He always knows how to say what he's thinking.”
Cheyenne shrugged before inviting him to sit next to her with a pat on the bench. “Whatever the message is you're trying to convey, you'll get it across one way or another. You're not as hard to understand as you believe, and I definitely don't think you need to be more like your brother.”
He sat with her on the bench, moving slowly and staring at her as he did. “Maybe not completely, but a few things would be nice.”
“Keep it at a few then, because I like you.”
“Are you sure you know me? This could all be a trick. Anj isn't the only one who has a few up his sleeves,” he teased.
“I've got a pretty good idea. I like to think you're being genuine with me. Your ability to be so honest and comfortable with yourself is one of the things I admire most about you. Which is why it bugs me so much when you keep secrets.”
“You're right. I try not to but it's like I already said, I'm not the best with words. Especially when it comes to how I feel about…” He laughed. “Anyway, you know I couldn't trick you even if I wanted to, and not just because it goes against everything I believe in.”
“Then why?”
He chewed on his lower lip. “Because sometimes people need to have something solid they can depend on.”
His words touched her more than she could express, and tears welled up in her eyes. Almost everyone at Vala had some kind of hidden agenda, but not Zes. It meant a lot that he would go out of his way to make sure she had something strong and dependable, even if he didn't see himself as being it.
“Did I say something wrong? Because I didn't mean to upset you,” he said.
Cheyenne shook her head. “I'm not upset, I promise. Thank you for being someone I can count on. It means a lot.”
“You're welcome. You'll always be safe with me.”
“I know, and I haven't forgotten it since the last time you told me.”
“Oh,” he said. “What's your favorite flower?”
It felt wrong to answer truthfully. She was paranoid the forest plants would overhear and become offended. He might as well have asked her which one of her children she loved the most.
“I don't know if I have one. They're all nice, but I like blue ones.”
“I can see why. Your eyes are blue.”
She had to be blushing then, because she could feel the heat from it. He was sweet, near perfect even. The only thing lacking was the fire she felt with Denver.
Chapter Sixteen
She'd been on cloud nine ever since her moment with Zes in the forest. The next day, she found herself frequently drifting into daydreams during her first class. Then she was pulled out of the room. At first she thought maybe she was in trouble as Mrs. Orinda led her through the halls of Lord Reyld's Manor, though she couldn't figure out why she would be, unless someone had been informed of her trip to the gazebo and it was one of the places declared off-limits to her. Then she was led outside, and she found herself face-to-face with two adults she'd never met but recognized instantly. How could she not? She saw too much of herself in each. They had to be her parents.
“Cheyenne, this is your mother, Persephone, and your father, Erik,” Mrs. Orinda said in almost a whisper. She put her hands on Cheyenne's shoulders. “Do you want me to stay?”
She shook her head, her eyes glued to the man and woman. “I'll be okay.”
“I won't go far, in case you change your mind.”
“Thank you.”
Persephone the eighteenth was far more beautiful than anything the plants could describe. Her perfectly styled hair was the same shade of brown as Cheyenne's. She had soft emerald-colored eyes that sparkled in the sun. She was tall and slender and evenly proportioned. In her mother, she saw where she received most of her looks, but she could find bits and pieces of herself in her father, as well.
Her father was handsome. His eyes were blue. In fact they were the same color as Cheyenne's. He wasn't much taller than her mother, and he had black hair that he kept playfully tousled. Erik exhibited such a great amount of energy, Cheyenne almost feared she'd have to hold him to the ground or he might blast off.
They were both so young-looking. Each appeared as though they were older than her by only a handful of years instead of nearly one hundred and fifty. They certainly didn't look as if they could be parents of a girl her age. The Divine apparently didn’t age much after puberty. Cheyenne couldn't even begin to imagine being alive for so long. It didn't appeal to her.
“I know this might seem a little bit of a far-fetched idea, but we were wondering if you wanted to stay with us. We're at one of the guesthouses on campus, so you wouldn't be far away. You'd be able to get to class easily and still see your friends,” Persephone said.
“This isn't easy for us either,” her father added. He shifted his weight a few times, teetering from one foot to the other. His hands flapped at his sides. Where did he get all the energy? “There's a lot we want to do, but we don't want to overstep our boundaries. The last thing we want to do is come in and start running your life. We've obviously got a lot of explaining to do. I'm surprised you're not in complete flames over everything.”
I am angry, but I hide it well, Cheyenne thought. This was the time for rebuilding and reconnecting. Holding on to her anger wouldn't help them bond. In the end, they’d done what they believed best to protect her. She could accept it. Besides, they were at least trying to own up to their mistakes, which she respected.
“Maybe later this week. My roommate's parents are coming up for a visit and are staying for the weeke
nd. I don't want to leave her alone until they come up,” she said.
“Of course. We'll make sure to have everything ready for you whenever you decide,” he said.
There was so much she wanted to say to them, so many questions running through her mind, and she was holding back, choking up at the opportunity. Her mind kept going blank. This was what she’d been waiting for ever since she got to Vala, and now all she could do was stare at them.
Persephone put an arm around her shoulders. She had to resist the urge to snuggle in. All that held her back was uncertainty over how her mother would react. Were they touchy-feely people? Or did they prefer more of the hands-off approach? Her mother wasn't easy to read either. She barely reacted to anything.
“I think it's time we told you everything,” Persephone said.
“That is, if you're feeling up to it,” her father added. “If you're too overwhelmed to talk about it now, we can always wait. We don't want your brain to burst. You've got a lot going on already. I mean, with your friends and your homework.”
“We can talk now,” Cheyenne managed. She took in a deep breath and offered them a small, weak smile. This needed to be done. She wanted to get it out of the way and then enjoy their time together. Answers were what she'd been longing for more than anything.
“This is where we met,” Persephone said. She gazed at the school grounds with a smile. “It feels like forever ago. It's been just about one hundred and forty years since we were here for our own classes. A lot of it looks the same. Obviously, the only one of your teachers we had was Mr. Thantos, but even then he was just starting. I don't know if you can imagine him getting his feet wet with teaching. You could call our class his experimental group, because he had no clue how to do it.”
“We weren't exactly nice to him either,” Erik added with a loud and hearty laugh. “I'm surprised he stuck around. I could have sworn he was at the point of quitting. He kept talking about how we were all hopeless and stupid and immature.”
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