by Claire Fogel
“Um, Sean, has your dad ever told your mom the truth about his Elven heritage?”
“Yeah, he did. She wasn’t even surprised. I think she always had a hunch that there was something a little unusual about Dad’s family, but since he never talked about it, she never asked.” He chuckled. “I think she’s ready for anything now.
“Uh, I know I should have asked earlier. How’s Adam? How’s his arm?”
“Kathleen took the bullet out that night, and he’s still in some pain, but I think he’ll be fine. He’ll just have to take it easy for a while, which is not something he’s happy about.”
“Is he at your father’s camp or back in Elvenwood?”
“Actually, he’s here with us right now. He’s taken over the living room.”
“He’s living with you?” He sounded a little outraged. Not that he had any right to be.
“Sean, Adam saved my life. My parents and I want him as comfortable as possible while he’s healing. He’s also going to help my father with the Elves being assigned in town. Adam’s a telepath so he can help with communications.”
“I see.” I heard a long, drawn-out sigh. “Well, I’m here whenever you want to talk. I’m just glad we’re spending time together in school. That’s making senior year close to perfect for me.” It was time to change the subject.
“How’s your nose? When do you get the bandages off?”
“Friday they’ll take off the big bandage and replace it with a smaller bandage. The doc says my nose will look great, but he wants it covered up for a while longer. He calls it his ‘work of art.’” He laughed. “I’ll just be happy it will be straight again, and not on the wrong side of my face.”
“Sean, I have a feeling you’ll look good no matter what shape your nose is in.”
“Thanks. Guess I’ll say goodnight. See you in the morning, Cara.”
Sean’s jealousy was showing, but that wasn’t something I had time to worry about. I spent an hour on homework. Then I heard the bell from my laptop; I had new Email.
Sitting down at my desk, I went into my Email program and saw one new message. My heart started pounding. It was from Gaynes Land development. My fingers froze on the keyboard. I didn’t even want to open it.
I must have stared at that unopened message for ten minutes before I heard footsteps pounding up the stairs. My father burst into my room, Mom right behind him.
“The Chief just called. Gaynes used his Email account again. Did you receive anything from him?”
I nodded and pointed to my laptop. “I haven’t opened it. Not sure I want to.”
Mom put her hand on my shoulder. “Tommy’s on his way over. Someone in his office is trying to find out where the Email originated. Why don’t you bring your laptop downstairs and we can read it together.”
I unplugged my laptop and carried it downstairs to the kitchen. Adam was sitting at the table, frowning. “Have you read it yet, Cara?”
Taking a deep breath, I said, “No. I’ll open it when the Chief gets here.”
Mom poured me a cup of herbal tea and we sat down to wait for Chief O’Donnell.
There was no conversation until the doorbell rang. My father went to the front door to let the Chief in. He came into the kitchen and sat down next to me.
“Okay, Cara. You can open it now. We’ll read it together.”
I looked up at his calm face and knew that no matter what threats were contained in this Email, the Chief would handle it. I clicked on the message and it appeared on the screen.
“Hello Miss Blackthorne. They say if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. I’ll be seeing you very soon.
Cordially, Donald Gaynes”
My father said, “That’s not much of a clue to his plans.”
The Chief said, “But we know he’s on his way. Cara, we’ll be ready for him. At least we know what he looks like. Don’t worry. He won’t get anywhere near you.”
Turning to my father, he said, “Let’s plan our coverage now.” He pulled out Thornewood’s street map and they started making notes of who would be stationed where.
Mom got up and made a fresh pot of coffee. When I looked over at Adam, he was still frowning. He looked over at me and said softly, “You have another friend who needs to know what’s going on. Let’s go outside.”
We both stood and went out on the back porch. Leaning against the porch railing, I began singing Rowenna’s song and it was only a few minutes before we heard the sound of wings and felt her magic swirling around us.
I heard her rusty voice before she landed in our yard. Cara, are you all right?
“Not exactly. The evil man is on his way here. He sent me a message saying he’ll see me soon. I know he means to kill me.”
That will not happen, Cara. From the sky, I can see many men in the streets, many vehicles on your roads. And I will be watching from the sky. You must stay with your bodyguards so that he cannot reach you. We will not let anything hurt you.
“Thank you, Rowenna.”
You must call me, day or night, if you see this man.
“Okay. I will.”
Her great wings lifted and she rose into the night sky, her magic trailing behind her. Within seconds, it was just another normal autumn night on our back porch.
“Let’s sit down and talk about this. I know you’re nervous and frightened, so we need to be prepared.” Adam reached over and took my hand, which always made me feel safer.
“What are you most afraid of?” he asked.
“That he’ll kill me, of course. And that he’ll kill anyone who’s trying to protect me. The man’s completely insane. We can’t predict what he’ll try to do.”
“What we can predict is that you’ll never be alone and unprotected. There will be Elves near you that you won’t even see, in addition to the bodyguards with you. And I’m guessing that Rowenna can get to you in a matter of minutes if you call her.”
That sounded good, but I had a feeling that Gaynes would find a way around all those protections.
My parents would be getting married on Saturday, but I was suddenly afraid that I wouldn’t be there to see it.
When I left for school the next morning, I found Ryan and Jason waiting on the porch for me. Apparently they’d both been told about the Email I’d received from Gaynes.
“Cousin, you’ll be so surrounded from now on, Gaynes will never be able to reach you. You’ll never be alone.” Jason chuckled. “I’m sure we’ll all be getting on your nerves by day’s end.” As tense as I was, Jason could still make me smile.
I picked up Kevin and Patrick next and found that they were both aware of this new threat. “Short stuff, we’ll both be close if you need us.”
“I know you will. Last night the Chief told my dad the Highway Patrol would be stopping every car coming into Thornewood, so we should be good.”
Luckily, we were able to park directly in front of the school’s main entrance. And I’d been happy to see police cars and patrolmen on foot all over this part of town as we drove in. Nevertheless, my nerves were on edge, something Amy picked up on as soon as we met outside the principal’s office. She was watching me closely as I handed my knives over to Mr. Weiss. When he went back into his office, Amy whispered, “You didn’t give him all your knives, did you?”
I shook my head. Amy didn’t miss much. I was wearing my waist holster today under my sweatshirt. It held two more knives. Under the circumstances, I’d decided that my safety was more important than school policy.
Sean asked, “Do you really think you’re at risk here in school? There are plainclothes cops patrolling the halls in addition to uniformed police at the entrances.”
“I have a feeling Gaynes will get really creative this time. Think about it. He could even dress as a woman and grab me in the rest room. I wouldn’t put anything past him.”
Gabe nodded. “I wouldn’t either. I think you’re right to be on guard right now.” He looked embarrassed for a few seconds. “Cara
, I finally spoke to Gavin. I know how Gaynes manipulated him. I’m afraid if I’d been in Gavin’s place, I would have done the same thing. Any one of us would have. So you’re right to be suspicious of everything.”
That was the longest speech I’d ever heard from Gabriel. Everyone looked at each other, nodding. They all knew he was right.
We left for our classes when the bell rang. I was sure there would be more discussion at lunch.
Surrounded by Sean, Gabe, Ryan, and Jason, I did feel safe. Our teachers didn’t even question the fact that our group was a little larger. Between classes, Sean held my hand and that helped too.
At lunch, different scenarios were discussed. Kevin wondered if the police were checking everyone who arrived in town by bus. Sean mentioned that Gaynes might hitch a ride on one of the freight trains that ran through town twice a day. Thornewood wasn’t a stop for any passenger trains, so that was ruled out. There was a small private airfield for private planes, another possibility. I wondered if Gaynes knew how to fly a plane.
By the time the bell rang and we left the lunchroom, I was even more on edge.
Amy and I, along with our three bodyguards, drove to the catering office downtown to finalize our food order for the wedding party. Since it was an afternoon party with no sit-down meal, we’d decided on a variety of finger foods. And it gave me something else a lot more pleasant to think about.
There would be tiny sandwiches of all kinds, appetizer-type snacks, fruit kabobs, half a dozen kinds of crackers and cheeses and, at my request, cookies. We also ordered bottles of sparkling water, and Mr. Callahan was taking care of ordering wine and champagne. Amy, of course, was making the wedding cake herself. She promised it would be spectacular!
The catering manager spread out lots of samples for us to try, much to the delight of our bodyguards who always seemed to be hungry. Jason was a huge fan of the little sandwiches. There was ham and cream cheese, chicken salad, tuna salad, turkey with blue cheese, roast beef with Swiss cheese, and even peanut butter and jelly. Of the samples presented to us, not a crumb was left. Amy and I were well satisfied with everything we’d ordered for the party. The deli would have everything prepared Saturday morning. They would deliver and set it up after everyone was back from City Hall.
Amy had arranged for the tables, chairs, and tableware to be delivered Saturday morning. She, Sean, and Kevin would set everything up before we left for City Hall.
Despite all the stress, I was beginning to get excited.
Feeling a healthy sense of accomplishment, I dropped off Amy and headed for home. Ryan sat down on the front porch, pulled a tiny sandwich out of his pocket and grinned at me. “I couldn’t resist. These are really good.”
I had to laugh. I’d hidden one of those little sandwiches in my backpack too. I was going to let Mom try it, providing I didn’t give in to temptation first.
Jason walked into the house with me where we found Kathleen and Adam in the living room. Adam’s shirt was off while Kathleen was removing the bandage to check his stitches. A bare-chested Adam had been present in my dreams the past few nights. He really did look great without a shirt. I was still working on my mind control. Sort of.
Jason asked, “How’s the healing going, Adam?”
I was trying not to stare, with every intention of continuing into the kitchen, but I stopped to hear the answer and got an enjoyable eyeful.
Kathleen looked up at us and smiled. “We heal quickly, providing there hasn’t been too much blood loss. Adam’s doing fine, but he needs to keep his arm in the sling while it’s healing.” She wrapped his arm in fresh strips of linen, tied them off, and stood. “Cara, would you please make some tea for us? Your father went to his camp for a brief visit. I won’t leave until he gets back.”
Jason helped Adam get his shirt back on, unfortunately, and we all moved into the kitchen. I got the largest teapot out of the pantry and made Kathleen’s herbal tea for us, and a small pot of pain-killing tea for Adam.
He said softly, “You don’t have to do that for me.”
Just as softly I said, “It makes you more comfortable, doesn’t it?”
He nodded. “Thank you, Cara. You’re very kind.”
Jason snickered behind me. Over my shoulder, I gave him a raised eyebrow and a look. There was no more snickering, but that didn’t wipe the smile off his face.
Jason started describing the food we’d ordered for the wedding party and admitted he’d had a large part in cleaning up the samples the caterer had put out for us. Kathleen wanted detailed descriptions of everything we’d be serving at the party.
“If I spread the word about all these goodies, I think even more Elves will tear themselves out of Elvenwood and come for the party. I’m afraid some of them are extremely timid when it comes to the outside world. Although, I’m not sure your home can really be considered the outside world, right at the edge of the forest as it is.” She laughed. “I hope you ordered enough.”
I hoped so too. I’d already learned that Elves loved to eat.
My father returned a few minutes later, sat down and had tea with us. Kathleen had to get back to Elvenwood before it got dark, so Jason left with her and walked her back to camp. One of the men in camp would ride back to the village with her.
It seemed that Jason had been appointed, or had appointed himself—I wasn’t sure which—as my second bodyguard until Adam was well enough to resume his duties. In the meantime, Adam was living with us. These were two changes I could definitely live with.
When Mom got home with Conor, she wanted to hear all about the food that was being catered for the wedding party, and I pulled one of the sample tiny sandwiches out of my backpack for her to try. She loved it and praised Amy’s experience and good taste. We both knew it was all Amy’s doing. I was just along for the ride.
Conor stayed for dinner, which was good because I needed to talk to him. He’d been a kind of mentor/big brother to me since I’d met him in the spring. He’d known me, although from a distance, since I was a baby. He seemed to understand me.
After I’d cleaned up the kitchen, I asked Conor to go out on the porch with me. He didn’t ask why, just smiled and opened the back door for me. The only one who looked surprised was Adam.
We sat down on the porch, bathed in the light from the almost-full moon. “Harvest Moon,” Conor said. Turning to me, he asked, “What can I help you with, Cara?”
“I’m trying very hard to keep morbid thoughts out of my head, but they keep creeping back in. I don’t feel I can talk to anyone else about them. My parents will be terribly upset, and I really don’t want to upset them a few days before their wedding. Normally I could talk to Adam, but under the circumstances, he’ll just get upset and frustrated because he’s injured and can’t do much with one arm. My friends would freak if they knew I was afraid I might not live much longer.”
Conor nodded slowly as he reached over to hold my hand. “You seem convinced that Gaynes will carry out this latest threat. And, by the way, I can tell how afraid you are. Your hands are like ice.” I heard his deep sigh.
“Cara, there are over a hundred men, well, men and Elves, stationed all over town, especially around your house and the route you take to and from school. Every car coming into town is being stopped while the police look for Gaynes. Police all over the state are searching for him. Do you really think he can get inside Thornewood?”
“I know it seems fatalistic, but I do. He’s clever the way insane people are clever. He could get here dressed like a woman, or made up to look elderly, or even in a stolen police uniform. The man’s nuts, but he’s smart. And he wants me dead.”
He squeezed my cold hand. “We’re not going to let that happen. You have to have more faith in all the people dedicated to keeping you alive and well. Don’t forget. You have two advantages he doesn’t know about. You’re telepathic and can communicate with your father, Adam, Ryan, Jason, and a certain dragon who can reach you in seconds if you run into any trouble. She wil
l kill him, no questions asked. You’re extremely well protected, Cara.”
He was right, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of dread inside me.
When Conor left for camp, I said good night and went upstairs, saying I had homework to do. I hugged Mom and Dad, and reminded Adam to make more tea for himself before he went to bed. He nodded, but his eyes told me he knew something was wrong.
Some meditation in the shower relaxed me, which helped. I was feeling better when my phone rang. It was Sean, of course.
“Hi Sean.”
“Hey, Beautiful. You sound tired. Are you okay?”
I didn’t know how to answer him. I wasn’t okay, but there was nothing he could do about it. And I really didn’t want to upset my friends.
“Yeah, I’m probably just tired. There’s a lot going on here right now.”
“Just two more days until your parents get married. I know you’ve been worrying about Gaynes, but you have a lot to be happy about right now. When I met you, you hadn’t even met your father.” He laughed. “The first time I saw him, I thought he looked like a combination movie star/superhero.
“By the way, my parents are looking forward to being at the wedding. Mom insists on being at City Hall too. She’s really looking forward to meeting your folks after hearing my dad talk about them. She thinks theirs is an amazing love story. Mom is a total romantic.”
His words made me smile. “She’s right. It is an amazing love story. I think I sometimes forget about those missing years because they’re so perfect together now. So what’s going on in your world?”
“Tomorrow I have an appointment after school with Coach. He wants to talk to me about colleges. To be honest, I’m worried about getting the scholarship I was hoping for. I won’t be able to play football the entire season, and I think that may hurt my chances. I know Coach has spoken to a few recruiters and I want to know what they’ve had to say.”
“I don’t know what your GPA is, but have you thought about applying for other types of scholarships? It doesn’t have to be an athletic scholarship, does it?”