Silver Smoke (#1 of Seven Halos Series)

by Monica O'Brien

  "The map," he heard Cora say. "Brie thought it was important."

  Clara scoffed, but Pilot's heart filled with dread. Brie knew about this?

  Pilot crept toward the room, peering in. The room had changed a bit since he'd seen it last. There were papers everywhere—a sure sign that James was home and roaming the study frequently. One wall held a giant map that looked like mere decoration at first glance, but Pilot knew that there were tiny pushpins all over it, marking all the spots James had travelled during his lifetime.

  Pilot watched Clara touch the map, then other various objects around the room—James' computer, his file cabinet, his bookshelf. Her eyes would go completely white, even the pupils. Then, she would blink and she was back to normal.

  The other girl, Cora, stood near the door watching her silently. It struck Pilot as strange that she didn't move to help her sister, yet she didn't seem to be watching the door. Clara was making no attempt to stay quiet, as Pilot could hear the sounds of rustling paper even from where he was standing. The girls seemed completely unconcerned that they might get caught, which unsettled Pilot almost as much as Clara's eyes going white whenever she touched certain objects.

  Pilot was scared and unsure what to do next. There was nowhere to hide in the hallway, but he couldn't enter the study without them noticing. He wasn't sure he could sneak away either; he was too close, and they would probably hear him before he was down the hall.

  Before he could make a decision, Cora spotted him.

  "Pilot?" she said.

  Pilot backed down the hallway toward the door to James' suite. Clara came out into the hallway, and the three of them stared at each other.

  "I thought you said no one was upstairs," Clara said to Cora.

  Cora's eyes were still trained on Pilot. "I didn't sense him." She turned to Clara. "I still can't."

  Sense? Pilot couldn't make sense of their conversation. "What are you doing up here?" Pilot asked.

  Cora gave Pilot a pained look. "Do something, Clara." Her voice wavered with panic.

  Clara closed her eyes, but nothing happened. She opened her eyes, glaring at him. "My powers don't work on him either."

  "I'm going to call the cops," Pilot announced loudly. He turned around, but before he could even take a step, Cora was in front of him with her hands on his bare arms. A calm warmth spread through his blood.

  When he opened his eyes, Clara stood before him. "Now it's my turn," she said. Clara touched him, and Pilot's mind went black.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  James extended his hand to Brie. "Nice game, sweetheart."

  Brie thought she could hide out inside the screened-in porch after their volleyball set, but James had her cornered near the towel stand. "Hah," Brie said, wrapping a bright pink towel around her body.

  The transition from the heated pool to the cool evening left her shivering. "Maybe you'll bring yours next time."

  James chuckled politely. He reached his hand out further.

  She gave a loud sigh with her whole body breathing in and out. She held a limp hand out to James.

  He grabbed the tips of her fingers, extending her arm toward him and moving it up and down before letting go. James' hands were cool to the touch, his fingers rough with callouses. "When did you learn to serve like that?"

  Brie hesitated. She didn't have a great serve; she had used her powers to control where her spike landed. She realized she could return the ball with her mind even when her hands didn't make contact with it at quite the right angle.

  "Sometime in the past fifteen years," she said. "Add it to the list of things you've missed out on."

  James tilted his head, smiling at her. She caught a whiff of leather on his body. That's impossible, she thought . James wasn't even wearing leather today, so why did he still smell like it?

  "Well, I'm proud of you, sweetheart. You're discovering activities that you like, finding out things that you're talented at..."

  Brie held her hand up, palm out. "Stop, please." It bothered Brie that James wasn't getting angry about anything she said. Didn't he see that she hated him, and that they would never, ever be like normal fathers and daughters were, no matter how many games of volleyball they played together?

  James reached for Brie's head and attempted to ruffle her hair. "We have to start somewhere, sweetheart. I'm being honest with you." He dropped his hand; Brie's hair was wet and heavy, falling in clumps onto her shoulders and back. Unmovable, like her heart.

  "Well, my bullshit meter just maxed out." She brushed his arms away, reaching for another towel.

  Brie used the towel to soak the water out of her chlorinated hair. "Maybe you can go harass Pilot now."

  James' eyes became large and heavy, his mouth twisting into a frown. "You can be mad at me," he said quietly, "but you will not use that language with me." He looked at her; his eyes were dark emerald, a reflection of her own eyes. "Am I clear?"

  Something about the hard lines etched into James' cheeks and jaw intimidated her. "Alright," she said. She discarded her towels and folded her arms across her blue swimsuit top.

  A tired sigh escaped James' lips. "I know you probably don't want my advice, but do me a favor.

  Watch out for that guy." He nodded in Justin's direction. Justin was whispering with another girl from cheerleading named Lindsay. He looked up at them and waved.

  James waved back. "That boy is too slick to be taken seriously," he said, shaking his head.

  If Brie weren't so angry, she probably would have laughed at James' phrasing. "I'll keep that in mind." Brie would keep it in mind―if James hated Justin, he was at the top of her list of guys to date.

  "I'm glad we spent some time together, even if it was out of your comfort zone." James gave her an earnest look. "I hope we can do it again sometime."

  "Whatever," Brie said, flicking her hand out. The bright, twinkling lights, the high-pitched squeals of teenage girls, and the sea of bodies that surrounded her, pulsating to an electronic beat―they all made her head spin, like she was drunk motion sickness. "I'm going inside." She couldn't stand how nice James was acting toward her, even when she insulted him time after time. It was too difficult, especially now that she knew her mom had left him, and not the other way around.

  She fumbled with the handle on the patio door, awkwardly forcing the door open with her jittering hands. The air inside was hot and stale, like it had been recycled several times over and now it was waiting for a gust of wind to stir it into circulation. It enveloped her, suffocating her, her insides contracting like her stomach was balling itself into a fist, pumping in time with the faint music from outside. Brie pressed her palms against the kitchen counter, steadying herself. She counted to ten, swallowing her emotions to avoid tears.

  "It's done," Cora said. Brie whipped around, startled.

  "I didn't realize anyone else was here," Brie said, her voice wavering. She ripped a paper towel from the dispenser above her, wiping her eyes and nose. The rough material scratched at her face.

  Clara looked at Brie disparagingly. "Your cheeks are blotchy pink now."

  "Rough night?" Cora asked.

  "I'm fine," Brie insisted, tossing her paper towel in the trash. "What did you find out about James?"

  "Shh," Clara hissed, pressing her finger to her lips. "Now is not the time."

  Brie looked around; there was no one else in the room. She didn't see what the big deal was. "Did you get everything you needed at least?"

  Cora gave Brie a patient face. "We won't know until Clara sorts it all out, but yes, we think we have everything." For some reason, Cora seemed a little on edge.

  "Did everything go according to plan?"

  The twins looked at each other. Cora didn't meet Brie's eyes. "For the most part," she said.

  "There was a complication," Clara said, "but we took care of it."

  Brie looked back and forth between the twins, but neither offered any more information. "What kind of complication?" Brie gave them what she hope
d was an exasperated look.

  "Well," Clara said, "he was tall and kind of hot." She nudged Cora's shoulder with her own. "I think Cora has a crush on him."

  "Who?" Brie asked. "Who was it?"

  "It was no one," Cora said, flushing red. "The point is that we got the information we came for."

  Brie suspected something afoot, but had too many other burning questions to pursue it. "Where's Thessa?"

  The twins looked at each other again. They wore matching black swimsuits with sheer cover-ups hanging loosely over their bodies. Brie had never noticed before how annoyingly in sync they were, but tonight it was grating on her nerves.

  "Something came up with Thessa," Cora said. "She had to leave the island."

  "Is she okay?"

  "Oh, don't worry your pretty little head over Thessa," Clara said, her voice dripping with a tone Brie didn't quite understand. She sounded almost... territorial. "We're in touch with her. We'll know the second something goes wrong."

  "What if she can't call you?" Brie asked. "She can't exactly work her cell phone if she's beaten up or unconscious."

  "Who said we're in touch with her by phone?"

  "How are you in touch with her then?"

  Clara smirked. "Like I said, don't worry your pretty little head, princess." Clara gathered her things. "Now, as much as I adore you, Brie..." Brie's eyes did a somersault; Clara smirked. "I'm going to take off. Are you coming with me, Cora?"

  "I might stay a bit," Cora said, a pinch of worry in her face.

  Clara looked Cora up and down. "Suit yourself," she said, sticking her nose in the air. She threw her bag over her shoulder and walked to the front door. "You girls enjoy the rest of the party."

  "Come on Brie," Cora said, grabbing her elbow.

  Brie could easily have spent the rest of the night in her room, but Cora led her back to the loud music and throng of teenagers. Before Brie could slide the patio door into place behind her, Justin approached her.

  "I thought you sucked at volleyball," Justin said, grinning at her and twirling the volleyball in his hands.

  "I'm going to update Sirena." Cora whispered so quietly that Brie wasn't sure she even said the words out loud.

  Brie bit the inside of her cheek as Cora walked away. "I don't suck," she told Justin. "I was trying to be modest."

  Justin laughed. "Eric wants a rematch. You in?"

  He tossed the ball to her and she caught it. "Sure," she said.

  Justin was a strong player, and between his natural athletic ability and her powers, they won three sets against Eric and Lindsay and another three sets against Todd and Jessica. At one point, Justin high-fived Brie, using the initial contact to casually wrap his arms around her neck from behind. "You're a serious volleyball star," he whispered into her ear. "Is there anything you aren't good at?"

  Brie felt something gnawing at the pit of her stomach. She looked back at the patio and caught Rykken staring at them from near the grill, his jaw set. Brie faced Justin, pulling away from him slightly.

  "Yes, there's one thing I'm not good at. People."

  Justin looked in Rykken's direction inadvertently. Brie had a feeling he saw more than he said. She grabbed his shoulders and used all her strength to push him under water.

  He yelped before going under, and she laughed. He grabbed her legs from below and pulled her under with him. When they surfaced together, flirting and splashing each other, Brie felt many more eyes than just Rykken's on her.

  *****

  Rykken knelt down next to the side of the pool. "Brie," he called, trying not to attract attention to himself. He had spent the last hour watching her, waiting for a chance to pull her aside, but she was always with someone―her dad, Cora, and now, Justin. She looked over at him. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked. "In private?"

  Her entire face contorted in anger. "We're about to start a new game," she said, facing the net.

  "Brie, it's important. It's about Pilot." Brie's eyes flickered with interest at Pilot's name, but she didn't move toward him. Instead, she tossed the volleyball into the air, jumping up and spiking it hard over the net. The spike grazed the top of the net before veering into an arc and smacking the water with a splash. The movement perplexed Rykken; it reminded him of a curveball pitch.

  Rykken tried to ignore Justin, who stared at him intensely. "Brie," Rykken said, "I know you can hear me."

  Brie swam to Justin and put her palm on his shoulder. She looked at Rykken, then whispered something in Justin's ear.

  Justin spoke to her in hushed tones and said something that caused her to giggle. When they looked up again, Rykken looked away. Watching their newfound intimacy was torturous.

  Justin swam to the edge of the pool. "She doesn't want to talk to you," Justin informed him.

  "She's really ignoring me over a silly fight?" Rykken asked loudly.

  Brie didn't hear him though; she was swimming underneath the net to the other side, chasing after the volleyball that floated toward the shallow end.

  Justin shrugged his shoulders. "I guess it wasn't that silly of a fight to her."

  "She's mad at me," Rykken said slowly. He was still surprised that she wouldn't even look at him.

  "Yes."

  "To the point of ignoring me though?" Rykken didn't understand. He had mentioned Pilot; he wasn't sure how else to hint to her that he needed to talk to her about the pendant.

  "Yes. She said she's not interested in anything you have to say." Justin frowned. "Even if it pertained to her family, whatever that means."

  The reality of the situation hit Rykken suddenly. Brie meant what she said earlier, when she told him she hated him. If Pilot's name didn't move her to listen to him, nothing would.

  Justin looked at Rykken in pity. "Look, I don't want to get in the middle of it. But do you want me to give her a message?"

  "No," Rykken said. He stood up, unsure what to do with himself. When Rykken acted like he hated Brie, it had been out of pain. But he wasn't sure about her...

  Rykken wandered to the patio door in a daze. The only thing he could do was find Pilot and get the pendant back on his own.

  As he made his way to the foyer, Pilot came barreling down the staircase.

  "How's the party going?" Pilot asked.

  Rykken ignored the question. "Where's the pendant?"

  Pilot paused. "I'm not sure," he finally said. "The last time I remember seeing it was in my room."

  Pilot yawned, stretching his arms over his head. "Why? Do you want it back?"

  Rykken gave a strange laugh. "You want to give it back to me now? You couldn't even stop looking at it an hour ago."

  Pilot shrugged. "Eh. I got bored with it."

  Rykken stared at Pilot. "Really?"

  "Yeah," Pilot said.

  "Where have you been then? I haven't seen you outside at all."

  Pilot leaned in. "I'm a little fuzzy, to be honest. I must have fallen asleep upstairs." Pilot did seem a little tired, like he had just woken up. His hair was flattened on one side and he was wearing a wrinkled t-shirt that looked like it had been crumpled up in a ball for days.

  They both looked up when the patio door slid open with a whooshing sound. James poked his head inside.

  "Pilot," James said over the muffled sounds of the party happening outside. "Want me to show you my dad's brat recipe?"

  "Sure," Pilot replied, surprised. "I'll be out there in a minute." He walked to the door with Rykken in tow. "The pendant is safe," Pilot said as they walked outside. "It made me feel weird for a little bit, but I'm over it now." Pilot headed toward his dad, who was standing by a stainless steel barbecue grill.

  "I'll catch you later dude."

  Rykken plopped down listlessly at one of the patio tables, about as far away as he could get from the pool. Without Pilot to worry about, he had nothing to distract himself from Justin hitting on Brie, and worse, Brie actually liking it.

  It was only after he sat down that he realized that platters of food a
nd teenage girls surrounded him. He grabbed some ribs from one of the patters and dished them onto a paper plate for himself. When he looked up, he saw Sirena sitting across from him, staring him down.

  "Well that's an interesting development," she said, nodding in Brie's direction. Justin said something to Brie and gave her that stupid wink he always did, and she laughed like it was the funniest thing in the world.

  Rykken met Sirena's eyes but didn't reply; his mouth was full. Cora sat next to her, but she was largely pre-occupied with something over by the grill. He wondered what Brie talked about with Sirena and Cora. Had she mentioned him?

  The skinny, blonde girl with a scrunched nose and thin lips sitting next to him smirked. She was younger, and he vaguely remembered seeing her on the JV girls' basketball bench last year. "It looks like Justin found his flavor of the month."

  Lindsay laughed. "Don't be jealous Paige. Besides, Brie's got a wicked serve. I need to get her to volleyball tryouts next spring."

  "I'm not jealous," Paige said indignantly. "Been there, done that. Don't want to do him again."

  Lindsay laughed harder, but Rykken groaned at the mental image in his mind. The thought of Justin with Brie like that made Rykken's stomach boil.

  Sirena leaned in, interrupting his thoughts. "Did something happen to your chest?" she asked. Cora squinted, craning her neck to get a better look at his body.

  He put his hands on his torso. "Seems to be all in one piece," he said. He hoped Sirena wasn't interested in him.

  Sirena stood up and knelt down in front of him. "Right here," she said, moving his hands away from the center of his rib cage. He looked down. It was then that he saw it―two skinny lines forming a crescent moon next to his heart.

  His hand went immediately to cover it. Sirena gave him a strange look of recognition.

  "Where is the pendant?" she asked quietly.

  Rykken bolted upright out of shock, knocking over his chair as he backed away from the table. "How do you know about that?"

  All around him, people looked up. Rykken ducked his head; what was he thinking? He didn't want to cause a scene about the pendant at the party.