She shut the bathroom door and locked it. She had so much crap going on in her head; maybe a long, hot, shower would wash some of it away. She stepped into the shower and thought again about the note. She turned her face to the spray and watched the steam rise up around her. She resolved to find Zack first thing in the morning. He had to give her answers. No one could have left the note except him. There’s no way her birth-mother could have known about their secret hideaway. Dana didn’t even know about it. And Lyssa was almost a hundred percent sure that the note wasn’t there when she first plopped down on the couch. “It had to fall out of Zack’s pocket; or maybe he took it out and put it in the couch?” Lyssa sighed as she tilted her head back to rinse her hair.
After she dried her hair and put on her P.J.’s, she walked back to the bedroom to find Thomas sitting against the wall by the window, his big arms crossed tightly over his chest.
“You’re not going to go to sleep?” She asked, slipping under the covers.
“I’ll get to it,” he paused, “Later.”
“After I’m asleep,” she muttered.
He nodded once.
“Yep”, she thought, “I’ve definitely got a babysitter. Thanks for the trust, peeps.”
She turned over and pulled the covers up around her neck. As strange as it was to have a guy in her room, she was exhausted and sleep quickly found her.
In her dreams she found herself standing at the edge of the stream she and her father used to camp by when she was younger. Her father’s hair was dark again, just lightly dusted with gray around the edges. He cast a line and then handed her the fishing pole. He slowly brought his finger up to his lips and smiled at her. Lyssa remembered how he always told her if the fish weren’t biting, then she wasn’t holding her mouth right. Just as she always had, she tried desperately to find the perfect position for her lips and hold it there.
She felt the pole jerk and pull in her hands. As she jumped to her feet and struggled to reel it in, she looked back to her father. Only he wasn’t standing there anymore. He was lying in a hospital bed with tubes in his arms and nose. His hair was missing in patches and his cheeks were sunken. The world around him fell away and the bright sky was replaced by his dark bedroom walls. Lyssa ran over to him and dropped the pole on his bedroom floor. “Daddy!,” she cried.
He couldn’t hear her anymore, and then, right before her eyes, he grew skinnier and so frail he looked like the blanket over his legs might be too much weight for his fragile body to bear.
“Help him!” She screamed. Then it happened again. She watched helplessly as he took his last desperate breaths.
“You’re okay,” she heard distantly.
Suddenly she felt heavy weight on her arms. She fought against the weight. It just got heavier and then her legs were weighed down too. Her eyes popped open and she came face to face with Thomas; his chocolate brown eyes burning into hers. “It’s just a dream, girl,” he stroked her hair gently from her face. “Simmer down now.”
She shook her head feeling hot tears on her cheeks.
“You good now?” he asked.
She nodded as she took in the details in his face; his dark eyes and the soft indent of the dimple on his left cheek. He released her arms and got up. “You were screaming in your sleep.”
“Sorry,” she managed as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. She kicked back the covers and moved her legs just to be sure they still worked. She glanced at the clock; she had an hour before it would be time to get up for school.
She forced herself to lie back down and, knowing that Thomas was there, she drifted easily back to sleep.
…Ava…
Ava woke to find Alec in the bed next to her. She smiled at him, “Hey.”
“Hey,” he whispered back, emerald eyes dancing in the morning light.
She looked into his eyes and her heart shook with happiness as he reached over and traced her lips with his finger. She could feel the roughness of it as it moved across her soft lips. She didn’t want this moment to end, but she knew it had to. There was too much going on, too much to deal with.
“I’ve missed you, Ava.”
“I’ve missed you too,” she whispered.
“Come on.” He jumped to his feet and pulled her up with him.
“Where are we going?”
He pulled her towards him, “To watch the sunrise.”
She laughed and followed him out onto the balcony. “When did you become the romantic type?”
He shrugged, “I don’t want to miss a single sunrise with you.”
The day he’d left for his mission flashed through her mind. It was quite similar to this morning. They had sat on the balcony together until five minutes before he left. Ava had promised him she would be watching from here every morning until his return. Suddenly lead dropped into her stomach, it pooled there and finally settled. She felt like she would throw up.
“When do you have to leave again?”
He smiled and tucked her under his big arm, “Not for a while.”
“Can you promise me?” She looked up at him.
He smiled, “I promise.” He took her hand and pressed his lips against it.
Ava’s face heated, “Go, you have to get out of here before someone sees you.”
“What would they do?” he smiled.
“Just go,” she laughed.
He brushed back a loose strand of her hair, “Okay.” He kissed her, “I’ll meet you down at the council room.” He lifted his leg over the railing and climbed down silently.
Ava watched him until he reached the ground.
He looked up at her, grinned, and disappeared into the back entrance of the castle.
Ava dressed herself in the outfit that Nisca had set out. Nisca was supposed to be Ava’s assistant, but Ava was pretty sure she took her orders from the council. She was always ordering Ava long flowing dresses to wear and was sure the council was behind that. At least they were pretty. This morning a long, shimmery, sundress was laid out. It was beautiful, but not something Ava would pick out for herself if she was the one doing the choosing. If she had it her way she would wear her t-shirts and jeans, but according to Vincent, “Clothing such as that does not give one the air of authority one needs when one is the ruling Queen.”
“Whatever.” Ava couldn’t see what her choice in clothes had to do with her leadership abilities. She slipped into the dress and had to admit that it was pretty spectacular as she spun in a circle and noticed the faint shade of lavender that stained the bottom and seemed to fade perfectly into the white. She added a pair of white sling-backs, fixed her hair in a loose pony tail that draped over her left shoulder, and the look was complete. She left her room and descended the stairs in plenty of time for her meeting with the council. Alec met her there, grinning devilishly as he gave her an extra-long once over, and opened the door to the meeting room.
“Go ahead,” he said, trying to drop the sexy smile from his lips before they walked in. It was nice to know that she affected him the same way he did her.
Ava caught his smile and had to bite her lip to keep from grinning as she walked into the room ahead of him.
Everyone took their seats and they began to discuss the day’s business. First, they discussed a new Green, a recruit from The Waevern that Alec and Shawn had brought back with them. Apparently Reid was already causing some trouble and they had to decide what punishment he should receive. The council was nervous about allowing him to join, but Alec insisted that he would watch him closely. He had no family and had only joined The Waevern a year ago.
The next subject for discussion was Lyssa’s Keeper. Alec cleared his throat, “We still haven’t been able to locate her. We do have a Keeper that may be willing to take her place temporarily. Her name is Heather.”
“Good.” Vincent said, “We are having trouble finding a Keeper. No one is anxious to take Lyssa on. We need someone firm to keep that girl under control.
Ava shook her head, “I don’t t
hink Lyssa will be causing any more problems.”
“We’ll see.” Vincent said, definitely sounding dubious, and hurried on to the next subject. Blake Sanders. She thought about the strange interaction she’d had with him.
“Blake Sanders, the wash-up.” Vincent tapped his finger on a file.
Alec shook his head at the mention of the name. “This could be really dangerous. Sanders is pretty well known. It’s not good that he’s snooping around here.”
“It’s not like he knows the island is here, or what it actually is.” Gail Summers, the older of the two women on the council said in a firm tone.
“No, he doesn’t,” Vincent said, and closed the file.
Alec shook his head again, “He is getting closer though. What if he’s found a shipwreck to investigate?”
“What’s your point?” Vincent eyes narrowed.
“The shipwreck,” Alec said.
Ava swallowed hard, “You mean Quintessence; the ship the First Five were on? The wreck the five pregnant women survived?”
“Yeah,” Alec said, “We don’t know what’s on that ship. After we found that cave in Mount Ella we learned that the First Five,” he looked around the table stopping at Ava, “were not the first to occupy Element Island. What if there is something on that ship; some kind of evidence of those born of the Element?”
Whispers and speculation shot around the room. All of the council members had toured the cave. Two people born of the Element who study artifacts had determined the age of the cave drawings. They couldn’t pinpoint the exact year they had been created, but they’d concluded that the cave drawings were there before Quintessence went down. The volcano erupted just over a hundred years ago so everyone suspected that the room was carved out just after the eruption.
“Now, let’s not jump to conclusions,” Vincent said. “Why would there be anything on that ship?”
“Why else would he be spending so much time this close to the island? Besides that, think about it for a minute.” Alec looked at Ava, “What are the chances that five women pregnant with five children born of the Element would all happen to be on the same boat. What if they were not coming here for the first time? Or, what if others born of the Element were bringing them here for some reason? Maybe somehow they knew they were carrying children of the Element.”
“That would be impossible,” Vincent almost shouted. He quickly controlled his tone, “Only someone psychic would know that those women were carrying children born of the Element for certain. As long as I’ve been alive I’ve never come across anyone who actually is psychic.”
Gale, sat forward and cleared her throat, “What about the legend of Ann Marie Havoc?”
“What about it?” Vincent retorted. He was obviously agitated.
“What’s that?” Ava asked.
“Nothing you need concern yourself with, Your Majesty.” Vincent said in his normal condescending tone.
“Thank you, but I will decide what concerns me and what doesn’t.” She looked at Gale, “Who was Ann Marie Havoc?”
Vincent shook his head, “It’s all nonsense and old wives tales.”
Ava shot him a warning glare. She might be the newbie here, but she wouldn’t be pushed around. She had always given the council the respect they had earned and it was time for that effort to be returned. She was expected to be a ruler, not someone ruled by those surrounding her.
“No, I don’t believe that it is nonsense or an old wives tale for that matter,” Gale said firmly, her grayish eyes sparkling. “When I was a young girl my mother told me about the True Elementris that had Ann Marie as her assistant. The True Elementris took everything she said into consideration when making a decision and there are stories of others like Ann Marie in the Havoc family.”
“Nonsense,” Vincent repeated.
The room shook suddenly. Ava’s anger at Vincent had exceeded the control she was exercising over the elements. Having that connection could sometimes reveal more of your temper than you might like. They all looked at her. She took a deep breath and worked to keep the elements under control.
“I think we have to consider the possibility that Sanders might find something,” Alec said looking directly at Ava. “With everything else going on, I want to be careful.”
“What do you suggest we do, Alec?” Vincent said in a much calmer tone.
Alec glanced at Ava, “I say, just to be safe, we make the hunt uncomfortable for them.” He turned back to the council members, “Ava could send a storm every day to that particular area and then, when they are gone, we send our own divers to see what exactly is down there.”
“If anything,” Vincent added sarcastically, glancing nervously at Ava right after he said it.
“I agree with that, but I don’t want to hurt anyone,” Ava said.
“You will have to send enough of a storm to scare them away.” Alec met her eyes.
“Okay,” Ava nodded and took a breath. She didn’t want to use her gift to hurt anyone.
Vincent lifted his chin and straightened the file, “Are we decided then?”
“Yes,” Ava felt the room thicken with tension.
They all stood up and Ava noticed the quick scowl that Vincent shot Gale. He was definitely angry that she had mentioned Ann Marie. Gale met his gaze evenly, nodded at Ava, and exited the room.
…Lyssa…
Lyssa hurried into the bathroom to get dressed for school as Thomas silently checked the house to see if Dana had returned. She slipped on her uniform; black skirt and white shirt. She rubbed at the stain on the front and with a sigh gave up. She pinned her hair back and took a long look in the mirror. She wondered when exactly the council would have the news fixed to make her look like a liar and a trickster. She knew she would have to face all of those brats at school. Would they go back to treating her the way they used to, or would that intimidated look continue to radiate from all of their eyes. “I don’t know which would be worse,” she thought.
She found Thomas standing by her door. She brushed past him, and then stopped, “Are you starting at my school today?”
He nodded. “I reckon I am.”
“Well, um,” she looked at his white t-shirt and jeans. “You can’t wear that.”
“Why not?”
Lyssa smiled, “You didn’t go to a private school did you?”
A smile flickered across his face, “What do you think?”
“You have to wear a uniform. Some schools are kind of lenient about the uniform, but my school is not one of them.
“That’s great.” He shook his head, “They shoulda’ told me that. I don’t like to get caught with my pants down.”
“What?!” Lyssa half-laughed, half-choked.
“It means caught up, you know, caught off guard.” He shook his head.
She nodded, holding in a laugh, “Oh, are you already enrolled?”
“Not yet, we’re meetin’ a lady there who’ll be acting like she’s my mama. She’ll do the paperwork and all this mornin'.”
“That’s fast. Just like that you got a fake mom?”
“Yep,” he nodded and looked down at his white t-shirt.
Lyssa followed his gaze, noticing the way his tight muscles bulged under his shirt. She looked away, feeling her cheeks heat. “Maybe I can get something from Zack for you to start with.”
“Zack?” He shook his head, “No one is supposed 'ta know about this 'cept me and you.”
“Zack’s one of us. He’s in my circle.”
“Can ya trust him?”
“Uh, yeah,” Lyssa said quickly. In her head though, sudden doubts circled like water shooting down a drain. “The letter! Can I still trust Zack?” She looked back at him, and pulled open her bedroom door.
“Hold up.” He reached for her arm, “Shouldn’t we go out the window? There’s still a news crew stationed outside, and a few protesters.”
“Yeah,” she shook her head and turned towards the window, “I forgot, I guess I was hoping they had alread
y gone.”
After both of them were out of the window, Lyssa peeked around the front of the house and saw that the front yard was a lot emptier than it had been yesterday. She wondered if the rest of them just hadn’t come today or if the news had already been fixed. Wouldn’t they need her to change it? “Where the hell is Dana?”
“How do ya normally get ta school?” Thomas asked.
“I usually walk to Zack’s and go with him,” she answered.
He stood up, “We’ll take the bike.”
Lyssa looked up at him, “Why? Big, bad, Clutch guard scared of a little walk?”
“Not at all, baby girl.” He frowned, “I wanna have a quick getaway if we need it.”
“Baby girl? Not even.” Lyssa said and popped her gum. “Come on, Jethro,” she said with a smirk as she headed towards where they had hidden the bike. “More like if he needs to catch me quick before I do something stupid. I won’t, but they evidently don’t believe that…”
“I see how it is.” Thomas said with a sexy little half smile, “Jethro. That’s all good. I got me a live one.”
“A live what?”
“Don’t sweat it, girl. Tighten up.”
“I know what that one means.”
He smiled and shook his head.
They walked the rest of the way to the bike in a hurry. Lyssa noticed how Thomas seemed to scan all around them as they went. One thing was sure, babysitter or not, she felt safe with him. She didn’t know if she could trust herself though. How could a guy piss you off and get you all hot and bothered at the same time? When they reached the bike, he pushed it out of the trees. Thomas climbed on, leaned back and stuck the key in, “C’mon, let’s get at it.”
“What?” she laughed, “Oh, you mean go.” Zack lives four blocks down, the big blue house on the corner.”
He nodded silently, holding his hand out for her.
She paused, remembering the way her stomach had flipped the last time she touched his hand.
“Come on, girl. Either fish or cut bait.”
“I need a southern dictionary or something.” She laughed, ignored his hand, and climbed on. She reached back and gripped the edge of the seat behind her.
Elementris, Exposure, Eruption Box set: The Vangeretta Curse Series Page 33