“Stop it, Lyssa!,” Thomas said, ringing his arm around her waist.
She fought him, trying to break free, desperate to save her home.
“It’s gone, Lyssa!” He held her tight. “It’s done!”
She stopped fighting and looked at the flame-engulfed house, watching as its grand structure sank into a broken, black pile. The black smoke thickened around them and the tears rolled down her cheeks. It was gone, all that she had fought for was just gone.
Anger suddenly replaced pain. For the first time she realized what everyone else had been saying. It was just a house; just wood and boards and nails. The house didn’t own the magic and spirit of her family. The house wasn’t a living breathing memory of her parents and her childhood. It was simply a house, easily taken down by fire; powerless against something as simple as a struck match.
The sirens slowly came closer as Lyssa fell apart in Thomas’ arms. Her eyes were wide open and tearless as the trucks pulled in and strangers assessed the damage. The water from the fire hoses sizzled against the remaining flames as Lyssa watched helplessly. She had no awareness of time passing as she watched the events unfold in front of her; the trucks finishing, the police tape being wrapped around the burnt house, the voice of the officer who said that the arson investigator needed to be called, or Zack pulling up in his truck and demanding that she talk to him.
Her entrapment in a vague haze ended with only one sentence being uttered from her trembling lips, “Someone did this; someone will pay for this.”
Hours later, she sat silently on the lawn with Thomas standing off to the side and Zack quietly watching her. The yard was almost dark. The afternoon sun laid its light across the ashy ground that had once held everything she cared about.
“I’m sorry, Lys,” Zack said, looking into her eyes, trying desperately to reach her.
“There’s nothing to be sorry about,” she said, feeling the numbness fade. “It’s done.”
“What are you going to do?” he asked.
“I’m going to the island, Zack”
“That’s next month. I mean, what are you going to do now?”
“No,” she stood, feeling a sudden strength in her legs. “I’m going now. I’m going to join the Clutch.”
“The Clutch!” he stuttered, as he got to his feet. He was clearly shocked. “You can’t! Why?”
“Because,” she looked over her shoulder at Thomas and then back at Zack, “It’s the only thing left for me to fight for. I’m tired of sitting back and watching things happen. I can’t be here anymore. There is nothing left of me here.”
Zack took a step back, “Nothing, huh?” He shook his head as a sad smile turned the corners of his lips down, “Don’t lie, Lyssa. It’s him. You’re choosing him over me.” He looked angrily at Thomas.
“That’s not it, Zack,” she said, frustrated. “It’s not him. I want this. I need this. Besides, it’s not safe for me here anymore.”
“Well, I guess there’s nothing left to say.” He bent to pick up his jacket, “You’ve obviously already decided.”
“Zack, you can’t be mad at me about this. I’ve done a lot of things that you can be mad at me about, but this is nothing to do with you or anyone else. This is just something I have to do. You should come with me.”
“I don’t want to join the Clutch.”
“No, I mean for our birthday.”
He was silent for a moment, “I’m not even sure I want any of this anymore, Lyssa.”
“What are you talking about, Zack?” She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You have been waiting for this since I met you. Are you thinking about not accepting your magic; turning it down?”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking about doing,” he said as he walked away. He paused for a second before he opened his truck door. “I don’t want to be a freak.” The corners of his lips pulled down painfully, “I’m done with it all, Lyssa!” He got in the truck and slammed the door before she could say anything else.
As she watched him pull away she realized that she had not even had a chance to tell him about Ms. Shelby. She looked at Thomas and wished she could bridge the space that separated them.
Chapter Eleven…What does it mean?
…Ava…
The clear blue water sparkled brilliantly under the afternoon sun. It seemed as if everyone on the island was holding their breath as they stared at the spot in the water where the small white boat rocked back and forth. Two Clutch guards were down there searching and two waited in the boat as anxious as everyone else to see what might be brought up from below the glistening surface.
Even the animals seemed to sense the pause in the air. Normally the island was alive with the sounds they made as they went about their daily routine; today, not even the wind stirred to brush the leaves against each other. It was eerily silent.
Ava and Brea were on the balcony; their binoculars up and at the ready. “They’ve been down there forever.” Brea said, her voice sounding even louder than normal in the quiet.
“I know,” Ava said. Brea looked back towards the boat. “I bet Alec wishes he could be here.”
“Yeah,” Ava glanced out across the ocean before looking back to where the divers were, “Especially since it was his idea. He should be back anytime now.”
“Look, they’re coming up and it looks like they have something!” Brea grabbed Ava’s arm excitedly.
“I can’t tell what they have from here,” Ava said.
“Let’s go down.” Brea’s eyes lit up with excitement, “They have to tell you, you’re the True Elementris.”
“Yeah, I am.” Ava’s smile was strained, “Let’s go!”
The girls moved down the stairs together. By the time the boat reached the dock, a large crowd, just about everyone on the island, had gathered around the front of the castle. The two Clutch guards approached the castle carrying something inside a small crate. They were moving as if the thing would explode. Ava indicated that they should enter the castle and directed them to carry the object into the meeting room.
Ava looked over at Brea.
Brea looked wide-eyed towards the crowds outside, “Everybody is wondering what it is.”
Ava addressed the people gathered, “I’ll make sure you are updated as soon as I can.” Then she walked inside the meeting room.
The council members and the two Clutch guards were clustered around the far end of the table. They all turned to look at Ava.
Ava drew closer to the table, aware of the strange looks on their faces. They all stared silently at her. She felt her heart begin to thump harder. She noticed the clack of her shoes as she crossed the floor and she wished fervently that Alec was here with her right now. “What is it?” she asked, stopping behind them.
The two Clutch guards moved out of her way revealing what was on the table. Ava stepped forward and gasped. Her eyes widened as she stared down.
“It’s you!” Vincent said, looking at her and then back to the old drawing lying on the table.
Ava shook her head and leaned closer to examine it. It seemed to be ripped out of a very old book. The parchment was wrinkled and obviously fragile. There was no denying that it was a drawing of her. “What does this mean?”
“This is very odd indeed.” Vincent said in an unsteady voice. “It’s not all that strange that someone drew what appears to be a picture of you or that it was drawn a long time ago. It could quite easily be explained away as being a drawing of one of your ancestors. However, what cannot be explained is how someone could draw a picture of you with your hairstyle and dress exactly matching the way you look right this very minute!” He pointed down at the picture, “You’re wearing the same dress and your hair is pinned back exactly the same way it is today!”
Ava blinked, shocked.
Gale gasped, “Look at the bottom.” She pointed “Look at the artist’s signature and the date, it’s today’s date.”
Vincent leaned over the drawing and read the artist’
s name out loud, “Ann Marie.” His voice trembled across the room.
“What could this mean?” Ava asked.
The door burst open behind her. She whirled around to see Alec standing there, “What did they find?”
Ava gasped and ran over to him.
He held her in his arms, “What’s wrong?”
Ava pointed, “Go look.”
Alec looked at the drawing for a long moment and then spoke to Ava. “Do you know what this means?”
“What?” Ava said stepping closer.
Alec shook his head and locked his eyes on hers, “The story about Ann Marie is true, somehow she knew we would find this on this day. This means Ann Marie was here before the five women, before the shipwreck.”
Gale smiled, “The legend of our kind is much older than any of us imagined.”
Vincent looked up slowly, “You’d better get out there and tell them all what we found. They’re waiting.” His eyes flickered towards the door.
“What am I supposed to tell them?”
“The truth,” Alec said taking her hand.
Ava and Alec walked together out to the front of the castle. Ava scanned the crowd trying to find Brea, knowing she would be mad that she hadn’t shared this news with her first. She couldn’t find her and she had no choice here, she had to let everyone know what they had found. Everyone was so eager that she didn’t even have to hold up her hands to request silence before she began to speak. “They did find something in the ship,” she reported in a steady voice that didn’t sound like her own, “It was a drawing, a drawing of me, with today’s date.”
There was an immediate response as people began to shout questions. Eventually someone yelled out the one question they all wanted to know the answer to, “What does it mean?”
Ava felt her chest tighten. “We don’t know yet what it means. As soon as we do we will let you know.”
Alec led her back inside the castle and upstairs.
She looked at him, “Why are you back so soon? How is your grandmother?”
“She’s doing a lot better.” He shook his head, “Good enough to give me a two-hour lecture.” He looked into her eyes as they reached her door, “She really loves you, you know.”
Ava was smiling as they entered her room, but her smile quickly disappeared as she looked around.
“Someone’s been in here,” Ava said, rushing over to her dresser.
“What?” Alec tensed and ran to the balcony doors and then to the bathroom. He came back out and went to Ava’s side.
Ava picked up the broken box on her dresser, “It’s gone!”
“What’s gone?” he asked.
“The ring! Someone has stolen the ring!” she exclaimed.
…Lyssa…
As the boat bumped against the dock, Lyssa realized how real her decision was. She felt slightly panicky as she climbed out behind Thomas. Three years, she thought. “I could be stuck here for three years. Thomas says Greens only get three years to pass the test to become a Clutch Guard. What was I thinking? What if I can’t do it?”
Thomas seemed to notice the indecision on her face, “You’ll be fine, Lyssa.”
She forced a smile, “I am fine.” She looked away from him and forced her feet to keep moving, “So what happens now?”
“Well,” he glanced up at the guard tower, “We tell Queen Vangeretta what happened and then you will be assigned to a room in the castle and begin training in the morning.”
“How bad is it?” she asked, trying not to allow her voice to shake.
“It’s rough at first—you gotta earn your keep, but you get used to it.” He shrugged, “Plus, you got me.”
Lyssa smiled up at him, not sure how to feel about everything. She wondered what would happen with Thomas now that they were here. She followed him towards the castle. “What’s going on?” she heard him ask.
She looked up to see clusters of people in front of the castle.
Thomas hurried over to two Clutch guards and nodded his head as they spoke in a whisper.
Lyssa waited, feeling awkward and trying to look like she wasn’t eavesdropping on their conversation.
Thomas pointed at Lyssa and then walked back towards her
“What’s going on?”
“Things are a little busy right now. Apparently they found the ship, from the First Five and it turns out they were not the first. They found a drawing of Queen Vangeretta down there and that caused some excitement. After the Queen made the announcement about the drawing and returned to her room, she discovered that someone had stolen a ring she had in a box on her dresser. It’s not an ordinary ring. It’s one that allows a regular person to see the island and come and go as they please without being released by the True Elementris.”
“So, what’s going to happen now?”
“No one knows, that ring could expose us all.” He jerked his head for her to follow him. “Come on. Let’s go down to see Markson and get you assigned to a room.”
“Markson?”
“Yeah,” Thomas moved through the clusters of people. “He’s the guy who assigns everyone to whatever they are doing for the day. He takes his orders from the council and the queen.”
“I thought Alec was the lead guard.”
“He is. Markson is our set-up guy. Alec can override his orders if need be, but Markson does the daily assignments. I don’t think the guy has been out with the Clutch in over twenty years. You’ll really like him.”
“So, Alec and Ava are like a thing?”
“Yeah.” He paused before two double-doors, “Unofficially. I mean everyone knows it, but they’re not married or nothin’ like that.” He looked back at her and then pushed the doors open.
A silver-haired man with broad shoulders looked up at them from behind a desk. “So, I take it this is the young lady I have heard so much about.” His thick brows shadowed his gray-blue eyes, “Lyssa Relic?”
Lyssa nodded, “Yes, sir.”
Thomas stepped forward, “She’s decided to join.”
“Has she now?” Markson smiled, making wrinkles suddenly appear around his mouth and eyes, “So you may be our second lady Clutch guard?”
“Hopefully,” Lyssa smiled sweetly.
Markson looked at Thomas, “She is aware of the conditions?”
“Yes,” Thomas glanced back at Lyssa, “She knows.”
“Okay, then.” Markson rose from his desk chair and walked over to a closet door. He opened it and pulled out a green duffel bag. He turned back to them and held the duffel bag out towards Lyssa.
Lyssa grunted as she took the heavy bag.
Markson smiled again and looked at Thomas, “I still remember giving you your green duffel bag just a few years ago.”
“Yes, sir,” Thomas said proudly, “I remember, too.”
Markson reached down and pulled out a drawer behind his desk. He set a key on the desk. “You will have the privilege of a private room since you are our only female Green.”
Lyssa swallowed hard.
“Okay, yes sir, I mean,” she said, with an uneasy smile.
“Don’t worry,” he eased back down into the leather chair behind his desk, “This is a good thing. This outfit has been stuck in the stone-age far too long. I would love to see another female Clutch guard join the ranks.”
“Thank you,” Lyssa said nervously.
“Come on,” Thomas said, walking towards the door, “I’ll show you where your room is.”
Lyssa moved to follow him, working to hold onto the heavy duffle bag.
Thomas led her back into the main area of the castle. Everything seemed quieter than when they’d passed through just a moment ago. Thomas walked through the furthest archway and they went up a narrow, twisting, staircase. “Do you want me to carry that?” he asked.
“I have it,” Lyssa said, and then immediately regretted it as she stared up the staircase. She took a deep breath and followed him up the stairs.
At the last door at the end of the
narrow hallway, Thomas pulled the key out and unlocked a door. “This is your room.”
Lyssa followed him inside, “So, I have this room all to myself?”
“Yes.” He looked around the small room, “Count yourself lucky. I had to share with three other guys when I started and I was the youngest.”
Lyssa set down the duffel bag and inspected the bunk bed.
Thomas appeared suddenly behind her.
She turned around, noticing the anguish on his face.
He ran his hand through his short brown hair, “I have to tell you the truth about something.”
Lyssa looked up at him, “What?”
“It’s about what I said at the lake,” He paused, “When I said I have a thing for somebody else.”
“Yeah?”
“Well, that wasn’t exactly true.”
“Then why would you say that?”
He reached forward and touched her shoulder. “The truth is, there is no one else. There was once, a long time ago, just after I joined the Clutch. She was in my circle, like you and Zack. We were just kids, twelve when we met. I went to see her every time I got a break from training. She begged me not to go back the last time I saw her. We were fifteen and it was right before my second trial. I,” he paused, “I didn’t listen to her, I left her crying on her front porch.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I need you to be sure. I left her to join the Clutch. I told you that there was somebody else ‘cause I didn’t want to be the reason you chose the Clutch. I didn’t want to be the reason you left Zack.”
“It’s not like that between me and Zack.”
“I realized that when you told him that you were joining. I wasn’t sure before then.”
“So, you told me all that about my age and then all that other crap because you didn’t want to take me from Zack?”
“Pretty much; the age thing does bother me a little. I know it’s not that big of a difference, but when I met you, you seemed so young that I... The thing is, I never really let go of Wendy and then you came along stirring up all these feelings...”
Elementris, Exposure, Eruption Box set: The Vangeretta Curse Series Page 46