by Kristen Day
“Now that’s what success looks like!” Phoebe high fived me as we admired my handiwork. “I can tell you one thing, though: the crabs are none too excited about our little experiment.”
“How can you tell?” I asked curiously.
“The very pissed off crab snapping his claws at you kinda gave it away.” She pointed at my feet.
I jumped back as I noticed the large crab for the first time. He was circling my feet like a boxer in a ring fight; occasionally rearing back on his hind legs to snap his claws at me. I bent down cautiously and sent some positive energy his way. His claws stilled, as he was momentarily stunned by the foreign energy. Thankfully, he calmed down before calling in reinforcements or slicing my toes off one by one.
“I’ll fix it, promise,” I reassured him with understanding. I decided to try something I’d seen Phoebe perform, when she had covered up the turtle eggs we’d buried after the hurricane. I swept my hand back and forth over the sand, and pictured the holes in the beach filling in and becoming smooth sand once more.
“Perfect! You’re a natural!” Phoebe cheered before pretending to wipe off her hands nonchalantly. “My work here is done.”
“And ours is just beginning.” Zara’s ominous tone and close proximity made me jump.
How’d she sneak up on me like that? She sent me a warm smile and her blue eyes sparkled with excitement, as I tried to decide if I should continue to trust her. Seeing as how she was the instigator of my training regimen, I figured I didn’t have too much of a choice if I wanted to be prepared to fight. “Your next lesson is going to blow your mind. Brace yourself.”
I locked eyes with Phoebe, whose mischievous grin crept across her lips in a slow progression; I could tell she was having trouble trying to contain her excitement.
“Are we done on the beach?” Natasha inserted, glancing around protectively. I peered at the ocean and wondered if Nadia’s ‘eyes’ were lurking around. As the hair on the back of my neck rose at the thought, Zara nodded and we all headed back to the cottage at a quicker pace than normal.
As we approached the path to the cottage I could already see two very tall, very businesslike Sons standing watch outside of the door. They were staring off into the distance, with perfect posture and stiff hands clasped around a long sword hanging at their sides. It would appear that I had my very own version of the Queen’s Royal Guard keeping watch outside of my little Buckingham Palace. I couldn’t stop myself from giggling when they refused to acknowledge our presence.
“Don’t forget to breathe,” I poked fun at them as we passed through the door and into the living room. I heard a hitch in one of their breaths as Phoebe tickled his stomach and chuckled. We were met by an indignant Finn pacing the living room. His steely glare easily settled on Zara as we filed inside.
“It’s been nearly three hours,” he accused her. His jaw flexed as he continued, “You should not have left her vulnerable for that amount of time! You know what’s at stake.”
“We wouldn’t have let anything happen to her, Finn,” Zara brushed him off calmly. “You need to trust us.”
“Don’t tell me who I should and should not trust.” Finn’s face darkened and his voice took on a threatening tone. “I trust my instincts and I know first-hand what Nadia and Keto are capable of.
They are not to be underestimated! One missed step or misguided decision and it’s over. There is no room for error.” I looked at Natasha to see her reaction, but she was simply beaming at him with pride. She remained silent and I realized that above all, Finn was the Prime of the Sons; powerful, courageous, and scary as hell.
“Finn, it’s alright,” I attempted to soothe him. “I’m back, everything’s okay.”
He put an arm around me protectively. “You’re right,” he affirmed, before searing the eyes of Zara with his glare. The Prime in him made another appearance, as his voice boomed with a fierceness that sent shivers down my spine. “And if you value your position, Maven…you will respect mine.”
As I caught Phoebe shrinking back with fear on the other side of the room, I was reminded again just how frightening he could be. It was easy for me to overlook the dark and violent side of Finn, because I was one of the select few who knew his softer side; his protective and loving side. I knew without a doubt that he would offer up his life, if it meant keeping me safe.
“I apologize.” Zara’s tone softened as she seemed to remember exactly who she was up against. “I’ll be more cautious with her time while training.”
“The value of her life exceeds that of everyone in this room,” he reminded her, and I got the feeling he was referring to her life in particular. “Do not forget that.”
She nodded to Finn respectfully and excused herself to the bathroom. I wondered if she was going to take my similar path from earlier and throw up instead. I kissed Finn on the cheek and Natasha walked up to him with admiration in her eyes, before heading to the kitchen to get something to drink.
“Whoa,” Phoebe whispered to me as she made herself a sandwich. “I think I need a change of underwear.”
Chapter 32
“ Reflection is the name of your ability that is allows you to see into other places within the present. Your reveries are a part of Reflection,” Zara explained to me as Phoebe listened with interest. Natasha and Elina had left several minutes earlier, and the rest of us were gathered inside the cottage to begin my next lesson. Along with the two Sons blockading the door, the only other person still there was Finn, who was standing watch from the kitchen.
“Only a part of Reflection?” I clarified. “I thought they were the ability?”
Voices coming from outside disrupted our conversation, and before I could blink, Finn was at the door. He listened intently for a moment, his body relaxing as a smile tugged at his lips, and swung the door open.
“Willow!” I bounded to my feet and embraced her in one of those hugs that breaks ribs. I hadn’t seen her since Cyprus and I could tell that she hadn’t been getting a lot of sleep. Healing the old man had taken a toll on her body. Her wide blue eyes had dulled, and they were framed by dark circles under her skin.
“How’s everything going?” she asked, taking in the cottage’s living room and fireplace along with its inhabitants.
“You’re just in time for my next lesson.” I took her hand and presented her to Zara, “This is Zara, our new Maven.”
“Nice to meet you, Zara,” Willow greeted her.
“Likewise.” Zara bowed her head in respect and then patted the couch cushion beside her.
“Find a seat and make yourself at home!”
“How’s Peleus?” Phoebe asked Willow with concern.
“He’s doing so much better!” she answered enthusiastically. “I had to practically tie him to the bed to make him rest. I think he’s getting cabin fever. These hands don’t cure that, unfortunately.
Natasha’s with him now.”
“Peleus?” My heart clinched as a name was attached to the old man I’d saved. Somehow it made him more…real. “Have you found out anything else about him?”
“Not much - he’s been sleeping a lot, but mostly he’s the one asking the questions. He was stuck in that prison for more than sixteen years.”
“Sixteen years,” I contemplated, doing a quick calculation in my head. Zara interrupted before I could ask her anything else.
“Time to get down to business,” she commanded sternly. I sat up straight and tried to remember the last thing we had been talking about. “Now where were we…Oh, yes. Reveries. So, Reflection is a multi-faceted ability; reveries being only one of those facets.”
I tried to remember any other unexplainable instances that had occurred in the last several months, but came up empty-handed. Phoebe, (who was about to jump out of her seat) couldn’t hold it in any longer.
“Affectation!” she spit out, and then clamped a guilty hand over her mouth.
“What’d you call me?” I scrunched my nose at her, making her laugh.
“Affectation,” Zara began, “is the ability to shroud your appearance.”
She allowed her words to sink in for a moment, but it was apparent that Willow and Phoebe had already heard of it. Me? Not so much.
“Like…a shape shifter?” I questioned hesitantly. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I had no desire to ‘shift’ in any way.
“Not quite. Affectation is more of an illusion,” she explained. “You aren’t physically changing whatsoever. The person you plant that image upon will simply see you that way.”
“I’m not sure I want to brainwash anyone.” I bit my lip and heard Finn snicker from the kitchen. I cut my eyes at him, which only made him laugh louder. I didn’t think brainwashing was a laughing matter, but what did I know?
“When you shroud your appearance, you’re just causing the other person to see you differently. You aren’t changing their thoughts or memory. You’re simply presenting them with a mental picture of you that removes what you truly look like.”
“You can’t be serious,” I countered. I could change the way people saw me? Something about that possibility sent excitement pulsing through me, but my instincts were telling me there were consequences.
“Serious as a heart attack,” Zara promised ominously. “But, it’s not an ability you should throw around on a regular basis. There can be major consequences if it’s used out of context.” Bingo.
“So what do I use it for?” I’d always wanted a bigger chest, but I had a feeling that fell under the ‘out of context’ she was referring to.
“For our immediate needs, I’d advise you to use a shroud for protection.” She studied Finn.
“The person seeing the shroud will not know that you’re doing it, but only one person at a time can be fooled. The second anyone else walks up, they’ll see you for who you really are.”
“I could see where that would get tricky,” I contemplated. Something about it just seemed wrong - tricking people into seeing something that wasn’t really there. Needless to say, I still wouldn’t hesitate to use it against Nadia or Keto.
“Let’s practice,” Zara ordered. “Willow, I want you to be our first guinea pig. All you have to do is make sure your mind is open and your eyes are focused on Stasia.”
“Show me something good,” Willow winked at me.
“Alright, Stasia, first you’ll have to decide what you want Willow to see. Then you have to picture a clear image of it in your mind, before transferring it to Willow. It’s similar to seeing other’s memories, except…the opposite.” That made just enough sense for it to confuse me completely.
“Okay.” I pictured what I wanted Willow to see in my mind, and then memorized it before driving my energy to Willow; continually focusing on the image. She squinted several times, but frowned.
“You’re either a really pretty Brad Pitt or a really ugly Jennifer Anniston,” she guessed.
Phoebe collapsed into a fit of giggles and Finn laughed from the kitchen.
“It was supposed to be Phoebe,” I groaned in defeat. Unfortunately, that made everyone laugh that much harder. After tears were wiped and everyone caught their breath, we tried again.
“Okay - this time really fixate on the specific details of the image,” Zara instructed. “But once you send her the image, wipe it from your mind. If you don’t give it to her fully she won’t be able to see the whole thing, or else it’ll be a mixture…like your Phoebe attempt.”
After everyone had again chuckled at my expense, I decided on another image and then sent it her direction. As Zara had suggested, once sent, I dismissed it right away. I even took a sip of tea as I watched Willow’s eyes widen. She placed a hand over her mouth and stared at Zara and Phoebe to see if they were seeing what she was seeing.
Convinced she was the only one to see my new appearance, she finally spoke. “You’re Liam!”
I didn’t know if I could pull off a boy, but I chose one that she would recognize without hesitation.
“It worked!” I bounced up and down on the couch. Willow burst into another bout of laughter.
“Next time you turn into a boy, I’d refrain from talking,” she giggled.
“I didn’t even think about that!” I crowed, and sought out Zara for my next question. “So how do I turn it off? I’d hate to have Willow thinking I’m Liam. That could get real awkward, real fast.”
“Just pull your energy back,” she retorted simply. I gathered up the small amount of energy I had sent Willow and pulled it back to my body.
“Much better,” Willow exhaled with a smile. “That was freaking me out.”
“That is the coolest ability ever!” Phoebe shrieked with wonderment. “Do me next!”
For the next hour we embarked on a diabolical game of ‘Guess Who’ until I was the resident expert on shrouding. The fact that I could do it without even trying was almost unsettling, but the entertainment I got out of watching their reactions to my version of Oprah, Sporty Spice, and Crocodile Dundee was worth it.
Even though I had the most practice with reveries, Zara still wanted me to practice in front of her to make sure I was doing it correctly and efficiently. The fact that I had an ulterior motive for wanting to practice reveries had something to do with my willing attitude. Willow and Phoebe got comfortable on the couch while I coaxed Finn into sitting with me, so that I could lay my head on his chest. It didn’t take much coaxing. While Zara paid close attention, I closed my eyes and allowed my soul to detach and lift from my body.
My soul glided across the island and onto the mainland as I headed for my chosen destination. I just hoped they were still there. When my bare feet landed on something solid, I stood in the middle of a dimly lit bedroom inside Natasha’s house. I twirled around to get a sense of my surroundings and instantly registered the form of a person lying in the bed. I crept towards the bed to get a peek of the person’s face. He was facing the wall, so it took a little maneuvering on my part to see it. As I leaned over, I held my breath and inspected the rough features that somehow appeared more rugged than old.
From the floral scent coming off of him, I assumed that his full head of gray hair had been recently washed with a bottle of shampoo from Natasha’s collection. The coarse gray hair of his beard and mustache wavered ever so slightly as he breathed in and out. He looked perfectly at peace under the veil of sleep, and I got the urge to hug him. It must have been so lonely for him, being in that prison for such a long period of time. I was about to step away when his eyes flickered open.
My heart dropped to the floor and I moved away at an inhuman speed. I pressed my back against the far wall and held my breath. I slowly knelt down beside a chest of drawers, praying I was invisible to him. In some of my reveries Peleus had been able to see me, but as in the last one at the prison on the beach, he couldn’t. I wasn’t taking any chances though, so I tried not to make a sound.
The low light did wonders to keep me hidden. I could have been a shadow. A poorly shaped shadow, but a shadow nonetheless.
He shifted in the bed, twisting onto his other side and adjusting his pillow. Thankfully, his sleepy eyes fluttered closed once more and I remained in my hiding spot for several more minutes as his breathing deepened and I was satisfied he was asleep. With the dexterity of an elephant, I made my way to the foot of the bed.
Oddly enough, three large suitcases had been set out; all overflowing with men’s clothes. I had a good feeling that they belonged to Charon. On the dresser sat a disheveled stack of papers and a large unmarked, manila envelope. The papers were scrawled in a language I couldn’t understand, and there were hundreds of them. It almost looked like diary. I picked up the manila envelope and looked inside when I heard his voice. I dropped to the floor without a second thought, hitting my leg on the dresser drawer that wasn’t flush with the others and slamming my elbow on the wood floor.
Ignoring the pain, I listened for him to speak or strangle me. That’s when I noticed a figurine on the edge of the dresser above me that
was currently teeter-tottering on its side. I watched in horror as gravity won the battle and it fell. In one swift motion I caught it in my right hand, exhaling with premature relief.
As I brought my hand back down, it slipped out and landed onto the floor with a single clanking sound. I covered it with my hand and kicked myself mentally. The role of stealth ninja would never be in my future. Finn was right, I was like a bull in a china shop wherever I went. By some small miracle, Peleus didn’t move or say another word as I peeled myself up off the floor and rubbed my new bruises.
I returned my attention to the bulky manila envelope and slid its contents out very slowly. It was a loose stack of dusty old pictures. I began to thumb through them and marveled at several magnificent landscapes, islands, and flowers. Next was a young man holding a small baby and smiling jovially at the camera. The next was shot over someone’s shoulder as the baby reached for the person’s face. The next was a striking woman holding the same baby in her arms, gazing down at it with unconditional love. A closer picture revealed the woman’s beautiful features and bright blue eyes that I recognized without error. My eyes. My mother’s eyes.
My hands shook with each picture I investigated, but the one that tilted my world upside down was the one of the happy couple; smiling and posing with their newborn child. My mom and a handsome dark-haired man with kind gray eyes at her side.
With legs of rubber, I moved toward the bed and caught sight of the picture frame he was clutching in his hands. It was a photo of a woman. But not just any woman - she was my mother. As my hands trembled uncontrollably, the pictures slipped out of my hands and hit the floor with a loud thump. I saw a large conch shell - just like the one I had in my valise - on the nightstand, right before the old man’s eyes opened and he sat up in alarm.