He shook his head and took off.
Lyssa felt her body jerk back and her hands slip, she frantically tried to regain her grip. As he rounded the sharp corner, she locked her arms around his waist. She felt his hard stomach shake briefly with a laugh as he pressed the bike harder.
He didn’t let up on the bike until he stopped about fifty feet from Zack’s driveway.
Lyssa climbed off, “I’ll be right back.” She watched him for a moment to see if he would actually let her out of his sight but he stayed on the bike and watched her. She walked up to Zack’s front door.
As she lifted her hand to knock, she looked back at Thomas one more time. He wasn’t there and neither was the bike. She looked back and forth and then movement to her left caught her attention. She watched as Thomas gave a little wave from the other side of the privacy fence. “Really!” She thought, "This is more than babysitting. This is nuts.”
She rolled her eyes and turned to knock again. The door opened halfway and then started to shut back instantly. She stuck her foot in and used her hand to hold the door open, “Zack, just talk to me for a minute!”
“Why should I?”
“Because you know you will eventually.”
Slowly the door opened slightly and half of Zack’s pissed-off face appeared in the opening. “Not for this, Lyssa. You’re being reckless.”
“I’ve always been a little reckless according to you.”
“This isn’t a joke, Lys,” he said. “This is serious. I meant what I said yesterday. If you’re going to go through with all of this crap, I’m done.”
“So much for a true friend standing by you through the good and the bad,” Lyssa tilted her head giving him her best, sad look.
He shrugged, “It’s different when you’re intentionally being stupid. It’s different when you know the risk and won’t listen to reason. You might as well go order up your tombstone now. That’s if you’re lucky. What do you think people do to different, special talented people like you? They study them! And The Waevern? I guess they won’t mind some girl telling the world their secret. Don’t get me started about what the True Elementris would do to someone doing what you’re doing. Do you want to rot away in a prison on some island?!”
Zack, shhh, your mom.”
“She’s not here!” He lifted his eyes; anger pulled them into slits as they rested on her.
“Zack?”
He didn’t budge.
“Zack?” she repeated
“What?”
“I’m not going to do it.”
He looked up, shifted, and met her eyes with a softer stare, “Really?”
“Really.”
“What changed your mind?”
“Let me come in and I’ll explain.”
He pulled the door the rest of the way open and stood to the side as she walked in.
After the door was closed, Lyssa quickly began to explain everything that had happened, from Alec showing up at her window, talking to the True Elementris, and up to the point where she returned with Thomas.
“So he’s out there right now, watching you?” Zack slipped over to the window and peered between the blinds.
“Yeah,” she shook her head.
“I don’t see him.”
Lyssa walked to the window. “He’s out there, trust me. He practically followed me up to your door.”
“I’ve never seen a Clutch guard.” Zack ducked down and parted the bottom of the blinds.
“Well, you will.” She paused, “He’s going to our school.”
“Our school!?!” Zack spun, “Really!?! Now that is seriously cool.”
“Not cool. Really.”
“What does he look like? I’ll bet he’s huge.”
“Yeah, pretty much.” Lyssa said as she opened Zack’s closet door and started flipping through his clothes. “All Clutch guards have the same tattoo on their necks.”
“The scorpion around the rose!” Zack joined her at the closet. “I’ve heard about that from the…” He stopped.
Lyssa turned on him, “Finish what you were about to say, Zack.”
“The others,” he said quietly.
“I knew it!” Lyssa stepped closer to him, anger stiffening her body. “I knew you had been in contact with them. You just couldn’t let it go, could you? You had to meet the other three in our circle. I bet you all had a great time exchanging stories about discovering your magic.”
“Don’t start, Lys. I just had to meet them myself. I had to know. You never know when we might need them.”
Lyssa suddenly remembered the note, her mother, “Zack, who gave you the letter?”
“What letter?”
She stepped closer to him, “You know what letter!”
He shook his head and looked away, “I was going to give it to you yesterday. I thought for sure you had changed your mind after what happened at school.” He looked back at her, “When you told me you were still going through with everything, I got mad and forgot all about the letter.”
“How long have you had it, Zack?”
He looked down at his feet and shrugged.
“How long, Zack!?!”
“A while.”
“What’s a while?” she felt her whole body begin to shake.
“About…seven months now.”
“Seven months!?” The breath she had been holding caught in her throat, “When the hell were you planning on giving it to me, Zack?”
“There was never a good time. Right after I got it your dad got worse. I was going to give it to you when he got better. Then he didn’t. I was going to give it to you after the funeral but, after the way you flipped out, I didn’t think it was a good time. Then that day I came over and told you I had to talk to you and asked you to meet me down by the tracks, Dana found out about your gift. I was going to give it to you yesterday when we went down to the cabin and you know what happened then... I guess it fell out of my pocket when we got into it.”
Lyssa’s breathing started to calm, the shaking eased, but she had one more question. “How did you get it? Who gave it to you?”
Zack slowly looked up to her, his eyes blazing with something she couldn’t place.
Chapter Five…What is it?
…Ava…
Ava woke up with a pounding headache. She tried to ignore it as she got dressed. She wanted to climb back in bed and sleep a little while longer, but there was work to be done. She walked out onto the balcony. Alec was there looking through binoculars. He looked out at the ocean. Squinting slightly she could just make out the glimmer of white coming from the diving boat.
“They’re still here,” Alec said, without pulling the binoculars away. “The same spot as yesterday. They are definitely on to something.”
“Let me see,” Ava stepped closer to him and held her hand out for the binoculars.
He handed them over. “I can’t wait to find out what’s down there. Vincent says nothing, but people like them find sunken ships all the time. It makes sense with the cave drawings and the five pregnant women. The Quintessence didn’t just happen to sink there. It was coming to Element Island. Someone knew those women were pregnant with children born of the Element.”
Ava pressed the binoculars to her eyes “Or, they were leaving from here. Maybe the five pregnant women just couldn’t remember after the storm or something.”
“Or maybe they just didn’t tell their children the truth for some reason. Maybe they acted like they didn’t know.” He paused, “Maybe the story just wasn’t passed down to us completely. Maybe the five women and their kids knew all about people born of the Element and the island. Maybe the story just got changed over the years.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Ava adjusted the dial on the binoculars. The boat came into focus, “We will probably never know.”
“I’ll tell you one thing,” Alec said in a determined voice, “We don’t want them to find out.” He pointed at the boat, “I don’t like it.”
Ava watched as Blake
Sanders tied off ropes and carefully moved objects that she couldn’t quite make out around the deck of the boat. Two other men joined him and then they all began to strap on diving equipment.
Alec leaned over her shoulder and rested his cheek against her neck, “Better get it over with.”
“Yeah,” Ava lowered the binoculars and closed her eyes. She let the swirl inside her build and used all the emotions she could conjure to build a storm over their boat. As the thunder began Alec grabbed the binoculars to look, “They're looking at the sky now.”
Ava pushed a little harder and a bolt of lightning lit up the dark clouds over the boat. She opened her eyes, “That should do it.”
“I think you’re going to have to give them a little more. They still look like they’re getting ready to go down.”
Ava took a breath and concentrated on the moisture in the air, the electricity in the sky and the hot breeze of the ocean. She felt the waves build and the sky thicken with the storm as she concentrated. The tiny hairs on her arms rose up with electricity as it built up and popped loudly across the sky.
“You’ve got them running now,” Alec said.
“Let me see,” Ava took the binoculars.
Blake and the other two men rushed to pull the anchors and load the objects inside. The boat rocked back and forth dangerously and the rain sprayed a blinding shower from all different directions. They slipped and worked to get everything up and tied off and then the boat began to move away from the island. Ava dropped the binoculars on the table feeling bad for using her gift to endanger someone.
She walked inside.
Alec slipped his arm around her waist, “You had to do it, Ava.”
She nodded.
He spun her slowly around and kissed her. He pulled back, lowering his brows, “We have to protect those born of the Element. People like him and so many others would love to get their hands on such a secret.” He stroked her hair from her cheek, “Maybe that will be it. Maybe they won’t come back.”
Ava looked into his eyes knowing he was just trying to make her feel better. She’d seen the determination in Blake’s eyes. She knew how eager he was. Someone like him would not give up that easily, especially if he really had found something down there. She just hoped she had performed the memory spell right. She shouldn’t have told him where he really was or who she was. What if somehow he remembered? What if that was why he’d come back here, this close to the island?
Alec kissed her on the cheek and went down to help get everyone’s orders for the day ready.
Nisca came in and laid out a flowing mint green dress with tiny flowers at the bottom. “Good morning, Queen Vangeretta.”
“Just call me Ava, Nisca.”
“Okay,” Nisca flashed a quick smile, turning to inspect the room. “You have your schedule and your mail. Do you need me to do anything?”
“No,” Ava touched the dress on the bed feeling the storm she’d created begin to calm. “Why are you laying out an outfit for me today?”
“Guests for the festival will begin arriving today. Vincent said to lay out an outfit for you every day through the festival.”
Ava rolled her eyes, “Vincent makes me crazy. I wish I could just wear my t-shirt and jeans. He really gets into this representing the Council thing doesn’t he?”
Nisca walked over to the bed. A smile flickered quickly across her face, “I don’t blame you, but these dresses we ordered are really nice and that one,” she pointed at the bed, “belonged to your grandmother Nadia.”
“It did?”
“Yes,” Nisca smiled. “My mother was her assistant when she ruled.”
“Really?” “Who was Lareina’s assistant? Nisca?” Ava paused, wondering why she would want to know such a thing. She continued to look at the dress, “Was someone in your family an assistant to Lareina?”
Nisca shook her head, “Lareina refused to have an assistant. I’m kind of glad because it would have been my mother and then me to assist her.”
“Yeah, I can’t imagine having to live with Lareina.” Ava smiled
Nisca smiled back and let out a sigh, “My mother was pleased when I was assigned to you. She really respected your grandmother. They were really close. My mother always asks me how your Aunt Avalene is doing. They were pretty close too.”
“She’s doing well as far as I know. I expect to see her soon since it’s about time for the festival. I’ve got a letter going out for her today. I’ll tell her your mother says hello.”
“Thanks,” Nisca said while writing in the little calendar book she always carries.
“What’s your mom’s name?” Ava asked as she picked the dress up.
“Minya Havoc.”
“I’ll tell her. Do I have a ceremony today when the visitors start to arrive?”
“No, you’re just supposed to greet them. The older Elementor’s and Elementris’ usually come first and then all the others begin to pour in. It’s going to get crazy around here the next few weeks.” She paused and grew still as hers eyes went glassy.
Ava stepped forward “Nisca?” Ava shook her arm, “Are you okay?”
Nisca didn’t respond. She just stood perfectly still, like a statue.
“Nisca!” Ava shouted desperately.
Nisca blinked suddenly and shook her head.
“Are you okay?” Ava touched her arm and got popped by static electricity. She quickly pulled her hand back.
“Yeah.” Nisca smiled, “Sorry, I should have told you. I have absent seizures sometimes.”
“Oh, I’m sorry!” Ava felt bad, “I didn’t know. Do you need to go down and see medical?”
“No, no,” Nisca smiled sweetly and touched her brown braid nervously, “They are mostly harmless unless it happens while I’m driving, or walking down the staircase or something, you can imagine the comical descent.”
Ava gasped, “That sounds horrible!”
Nisca laughed, “I’m joking. It’s never happened while I was walking down stairs and I don’t drive.”
Ava laughed feeling comfortable around Nisca for the first time. She had been her assistant for months now, and they had never shared more than a few words. After Nisca left, Ava got dressed and met Alec downstairs in front of the meeting room. He wore all black as usual and took her hand in his as they walked inside to be prepped for the arrival of the summer guest.
…Lyssa…
Lyssa stepped closer to Zack and repeated the question, “Who gave you that letter, Zack? Was it her? Was it my birth mother?”
Zack shook his head slowly, looking directly into her eyes, “I don’t know. It was a woman. It was raining really hard that day and I ran outside to grab something out of the car. I didn’t even see her approaching me. I shut the car door, turned for the house, and there she was.”
“What did she look like?” Lyssa felt her heart speed up.
“I don’t really know. She had dark hair, I think.” He pulled his brows together, “It was storming, and her hair was wet. She stuffed the note in my hand and said, “I know you will give this to her when she’s ready,” She gripped my arm for a second and said, “You’re a good friend to her,” and then she ran off and disappeared in the storm.
“That’s all she said? She didn’t say her name or anything?”
“No, that was it. I remember standing out in the rain for a few minutes after she left looking for her. I tried to see which way she went or what car she drove, but it was raining so hard and it was close to dark.” His dark blue eyes widened. “I should have given it to you sooner. I’m sorry, Lys.”
“No,” she shook her head and turned her face to one side trying to hide the tear that trailed down her left cheek. She worked to calm the burning pain in her throat, that pain you only feel when you’re truly hurt, and then turned back towards him. “You were right to wait, Zack; I haven’t been ready for this. I’ve been pretty out of it lately.”
“Crap,” he said suddenly, looking at the clock over his bed. “We’
d better go. We’re going to be late. Do you want to ride with me in the truck? It looks like it might rain.”
“No, I can’t.” She glanced towards the window, “Got to stick with my babysitter, remember?”
“Oh, yeah.” He grabbed his jacket from the back of his computer chair, “I forgot about him for a minute there.”
“Me too.” Lyssa pulled open his closet door again, “He needs to borrow one of your uniforms for today. He didn’t know about the dress code.”
“Okay,” Zack said, “but I doubt they are going to fit him if he’s a big muscle freak.”
“He’s not a big muscle freak.” Lyssa said. Choosing a shirt, she said, “He’s actually got that perfect kind of build, not too big,” she pulled the shirt off the hanger, “not too little.” She turned around folding a pair of black pants and a white Mercanny shirt over her arm.
Zack grinned and, lifting his arms to flex his muscles, said sarcastically, “Lyssa likes them big, not too small.”
“Shut up, Zack.” She hurried ahead of him, “I’ll see you at school.” She darted out the front door.
Like magic, Thomas was back, parked just where she’d left him. She hurried over and climbed on the bike, placing the uniform between them as he took off. She noticed Zack peeking out of the blinds in the kitchen as they rode past. She gave a quick secret wave and pointed at him before gripping Thomas’s waist again.
They met Thomas’s fake mother about a mile away from the school. Thomas changed quickly in the edge of the trees and reappeared with a very snug fitting white shirt and the black slacks showing most of his boots.
“Not sure if they are going to let him wear his big black boots, but maybe they will let him get by for the first day,” Lyssa thought as she watched as the woman give him a cell phone, a credit card, and a business card with her contact information. She also gave him a paper that had an I.D. attached to it with his picture and the name Thomas Smith on it. He took it, folded it over, and stuffed it into his back pocket. The woman got back in her car and followed Thomas and Lyssa to the school.
As Thomas pulled in and parked in the student parking lot, Lyssa leaned forward and whispered, “So what’s our story, Jethro?”
Elementris, Exposure, Eruption Box set: The Vangeretta Curse Series Page 34