“Just give it a second,” he said, holding up one finger. He waited and finally nodded. “Okay, it’s fine.”
I wasn’t sure what he had done, and I narrowed my eyes at him.
“Riley it’s okay, come on.”
Saying my name assured me further, so I slipped off my shoes and slid in to find that the water was considerably warmer. It was like bath water, and I looked at him in shock.
“You—you did this, too?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he said, smiling almost sheepishly. “Pretty handy, yeah?”
I agreed while he pulled me further from the edge where the water was deeper. When I stood I was submerged up to my collarbone.
“Is it warm enough for you?” Linden asked, taking my hand beneath the surface. His palm was warm, almost hot; was it because he had heated the water himself?
“This is good,” I said, smiling and laughing slightly. I was a little more at ease now, and I let my feet tread the water as my hair got wet all over again. My mood seemed to put Linden at ease, and he ducked underwater for a second, coming up a few seconds later, blinking the water out of his eyes.
“This is definitely one of the perks of living in mild seclusion,” he said. “I wouldn’t exactly be able to do this if the neighbors were any closer.”
“True,” I replied. “They might think all this clear, warm water is a little strange.”
He shrugged nonchalantly and swam closer, tugging at my loose clothing to get me nearer. I held onto my boxers with one hand since they threatened to float everywhere, and Linden’s hands kept my shirt down. His lips were wet and they glided over mine easily, though my mind was preoccupied.
“Is it hard for you to do this? Keep it warm and keep all the debris away?” I asked while he still tried to kiss me.
He groaned. “Do you always ask questions?”
“Only the important ones.”
He sighed and shook his head. “I don’t know, I don’t notice anymore. I guess that means it’s easy.
“Hm. Maybe things will get that easy for me after this ceremony,” I said, almost talking to myself.
“It takes time and practice. At least it did for me. But I’m not sure how different it is for you.”
“I bet it’s the same. I’m just impatient.”
“I can tell.” He was joking, but he tried to seem serious about it. I shoved his head a little and looked beneath the surface at his tattoos. Covering both arms, they stopped just over his shoulders, leaving his chest bare.
“And these? Are you going to keep going?” I asked, touching the point where the art stopped at his shoulder.
“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “I might, but somewhere else maybe.”
“How long did it take you to get it all done?”
“A long time,” he replied. His voice took on that vague air that I recognized when he had talked about his mother. I glanced up at him, seeing that vagueness on his face as well.
“How old are you?” I asked firmly.
“You know already,” he replied.
“No, really, how old?”
He seemed a little taken aback by my tone, but he kept up his barrier. “Can’t we just keep it as it is? I’m a little older than you and—”
“Five years if you keep up with your story about being 23.”
“My ‘story’? How much more truth can I tell you? I’m 23, the end.”
“Okay, 23 in what years?”
He stared at me blankly for a second. “What?”
I sighed and gestured wildly in my impatience. “23 according to who? Humans or Elementals?”
“What the hell does age have to do with anything? Weren’t we just talking about tattoos?”
Aha. He was getting angry, which I translated meant he had something he didn’t want to admit. I tried to reign back for a second. “I was just curious, that’s it. I’m not going to walk away if you say you’re really 2,000 years old. But if you’re saying you’re 23, then you’re 23.”
He gave me a long calculating look as I waited, wondering where this spark of confidence in me came from. I guess impatience brought it out, but I had to get over that. I couldn’t be quiet and nervous all the time.
“Okay. I’m 23—in ‘human’ years,” he said slowly. “But that’s all I’m saying. I can keep some things to myself, can’t I?”
“Sure, like your real age and all about your mother,” I replied.
His face darkened immediately. “I really do wonder if you’ll always keep asking me things. I’m suspicious; somehow I still think you might just be doing this for the knowledge of it.”
I was a little hurt by his accusation, but I guess it was probable. If he were always drilling me, I would probably think the same. Still, I couldn’t help feeling the blow.
“I’m sorry … I’m just curious. I just can’t believe what you are sometimes,” I replied, then quickly added, “But I’m trying to forget it.”
He looked very reserved now, and was the slight movement in the water around us just my imagination? Either way, I stepped closer to him and kissed him lightly, afraid he would remain still. But he kissed me in response, a firmer, more assuring kiss than I expected. My back was pressed against the edge of the ground, and I kept my arms around his neck so I wouldn’t sink.
“No more questions for the day?” he mumbled when he pulled back for a second.
“Okay—no more,” I agreed.
We stayed in the water for about an hour until the air was warmer. Climbing out wasn’t so bad except I dripped all the way back to his house. I left a trail of water droplets up the porch and all the way up to the bathroom where I showered quickly and put on the clothes I had brought with me.
The rest of the time we had together, we talked about menial things and further explored the attic. Once we got around talking about my ceremony, I considered telling him about the things I’d seen when I journeyed. But I still wasn’t quite comfortable discussing it with him, so I kept it to myself.
When I admitted I had to go home for dinner, Linden didn’t seem too disappointed; he hinted at sneaking out again, to which I replied with maybe. I promised I would call him first to let him know, though I knew I had to see him the next day anyway. I could tell he was going to become a frequent habit of mine.
I went home in a hurry, knowing I was already late. I had to take the long way so it at least looked like I was coming from Meryl’s. I could see everyone in the house sitting at the kitchen table, and there was another car in the driveway that I didn’t recognize. It seemed vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t remember where I’d seen it. Ignoring it for the moment, I rushed up the stairs and into the house.
I was definitely out of breath, but I took off my shoes and went straight to the kitchen, seeing the table was full already. My chair beside Alysana was occupied by Aidan.
“Just in time, Riley,” Rene said as she stood. “We weren’t sure if you were going to be here or not. Grab a chair from the living room.”
Still confused, I nodded and went for the chair. Rene was asking Justine and Beau to clear a space for me, and I managed to squeeze some of the chair between them. I felt distanced from everyone, but I was handed a full plate and a glass of water before Rene went back to talking to Aidan.
“So you say you got it from your mother’s side?” she asked him as she sat down again.
“Yes, but only a small portion. That’s why I’ve got a little bit of it in me. Apparently enough to categorize me for all the right schools,” Aidan replied. He had a smooth deep voice, something I didn’t quite expect from his slim frame. He spoke congenially to Rene, seeming more like an adult than his age, which didn’t seem that much older than say, Hunter.
“Well that’s an excellent trait to have,” Rene commented, winking at him. “Oh, I’m sorry, I got wrapped up in things. Riley, this is Aidan, one of Alysana’s future classmates.”
Rene was absolutely beaming and Alysana was blushing. Aidan looked at me across the long table
and smiled warmly. “Hello, Riley. It’s good to meet you, Alysana has mentioned you a lot.”
“Yeah, it’s nice to finally meet you,” I said, glancing briefly at Aly as she gave me a scolding look.
He smiled and looked back at Rene as she continued to ask about him. I wondered when all of this had been arranged. It was a complete rarity that anyone but us came to this house. Meryl was the only exception. But from what I gathered, Aidan must have had some kind of power, or else he would have never been allowed here.
I watched him closely as I ate, observing everyone else as well. Most were intently listening to him speak. Alysana couldn’t seem to stop smiling to herself while he spoke. I had to admit though, besides his charm, his looks leant a lot to his charisma. He had a strong square jaw and full lips all topped off with almost unnaturally blue eyes. This, along with his calming voice, seemed to keep everyone entranced.
Dinner went by almost too long. Even when people were done eating, they stayed in place to hear Aidan talk about his hometown in Arizona. I was the first to get up to put my dish in the sink, and that seemed to snap everyone out of it. Rene apologized and took Aidan’s plate and added that everyone was excused. Hunter, Omar and a few others got up to do their own thing, while some stayed put to listen. I was one of them that lingered casually, migrating from the kitchen to the living room. Rene kept walking with Aidan while she asked Alysana and I to clean up a little. As soon as we were alone in the kitchen, I was ready to talk.
“What is going on?” I asked her in a whisper.
Alysana shrugged, but was still overflowing with excitement. “I don’t know! He was just dropping me off and Rene yelled for us to come in. She’s been gushing over him ever since.”
She suppressed a laugh as we went to the sink to load the dishwasher.
“Wait, wait, wait, just to clear things up: are you and him … ?” I asked quietly, gesturing what I was trying to say.
“What, going out?” The words came out awkwardly, as if she weren’t used to saying it. I nodded and she shrugged one shoulder. “It was never an official thing, like will you go out with me? I just sort of assume. Should I not assume?”
I scoffed, putting the dirty dishes on the rack. “I think it’s safe to assume after what I saw this morning.”
She seemed embarrassed that I brought it up, but she grinned. “Well good, because I’m fine with that. And I still can’t believe Rene likes him so much!”
“I know, that’s a shocker,” I replied, suddenly feeling my stomach sinking. This could have been me in a similar situation had no one found out about Linden’s nature. Maybe if he were just a ‘witch’ or a normal guy this could have happened. I could have shown up at home with him, and Rene might have invited him for dinner. I was sure she would have even liked him just as much as Aidan.
“This is all so weird, but I love it. Oh!” She grabbed my arm, her grip hard. “Is it okay if I invite him to your ceremony? I mean not the thing itself, but the celebration afterwards?”
Another mild blow to the heart. I could have invited Linden to the reception-like thing afterwards …
“Sure, go ahead,” I replied, trying to keep my tone light. I really didn’t care who showed up.
She thanked me a few times too many before she took off for the living room to sit next to Aidan on the couch. I finished the dishes alone and stood at the sink, gazing up at the sky. Gray clouds were coming closer; Linden had said there would be rain tonight. I had explained that I got headaches whenever it rained, and he thought about this for a long time before saying he could make it a light storm, if that helped. I didn’t want him to have to change his ways for me, but it would be nice if it actually worked.
I casually stayed around downstairs while Aidan was still around, curious as to what kind of person he was. Omar joined me at the table once, but I didn’t mind.
“So what do you think of him?” he asked lowly.
I shrugged. “He seems all right to me.”
“Yeah, he’s a nice guy. Alysana made a good choice there.”
I wasn’t sure if he was indirectly insulting me, or if it was just a statement. Still, I let it go.
We made small talk afterwards, something that came with remarkable ease. Omar seemed to be acting like his old self again, and it put me in a good mood. By the time Aidan was getting up to leave, I felt like we were almost on old terms again.
“It was nice to have you over,” Rene said as she stood, preparing to go upstairs. “You’ll come by again, won’t you?”
“Of course,” Aidan smiled. He thanked her before she could go up the stairs, obviously trying to give him and Aly a second alone. I took the hint and Omar and I hurried up to our rooms.
“I guess PDA is allowed in the house,” Omar muttered as he veered into this room. I laughed as I went to mine, shutting the door slightly behind me. I flicked on the light and took off my shoes, noticing that my bra still had a damp feeling to it. I’d dealt with it all day, but now it was really bothering me.
As I changed, I heard voices coming up the stairs, one of them being Aidan’s. I hurriedly turned off my light and hovered near my door, feeling a little guilty. But Aidan was talking so lowly I couldn’t hear, but I understood Alysana’s replies.
“No, she said you could come, she wants you to,” she was saying. If she was talking about my invite to the ceremony, she was definitely stretching the truth.
“All right, as long as no one minds,” Aidan replied, now close enough that I could hear him. Peering through the crack in my door, I could see the two of them standing in front of Aly’s door. They were in silhouette, the light at the end of the hall being the only way I could see. Aidan was holding both of her hands in his, and as he leaned in he put his cheek against hers.
“I’ll see you in the morning,” he said, and I heard the faint sound of a kiss. As he pulled back, Alysana went with him, seeming to not want to part.
“Okay,” she replied, out of breath. I’m sure he smiled, but he said goodbye and escorted himself down the stairs. Alysana stood in place until she heard the front door close.
“Oh wow, you are hooked,” I laughed as I opened my door.
“Were you standing there the whole time?” she asked angrily.
“Maybe not the whole time, but enough time.”
She sighed, but I just said it was sweet. “At least you have that freedom, you know?”
She looked at me in all seriousness then, and even in the near dark I had to look away. “Riley, you have someone who’s right under your nose.” She pointed to Omar’s closed door.
I shook my head. “No, it’s not right. It doesn’t feel right.”
She opened her mouth to reply, but then waved my comment away. I could almost hear what she was thinking. Well the Elemental was definitely not right.
COMING OF AGE
The next week went by faster than I expected. I spent most of the time bouncing between home and Linden’s house. Some days I had to stay away; it was getting a little risky for both Meryl and myself to say I was with her all the time. In that case, I had to wait till the evening to sneak out of the house and make my way across the swamps. I didn’t mind it so much after a while, and Linden got used to it as well.
The whole house was seeing much more of Aidan lately, too. After his successful dinner, he was invited over more. Some mornings I would wake up to find Alysana was already dressed and in the greenhouse with him, showing him all her plants and the things she could do. Omar and I were united in our hesitation towards him, though Omar seemed to be warming up to him faster than I.
The day before my ceremony came up quickly, and the night before I was sitting on Linden’s bed watching him put the final touches on his tiny fish tank.
“I wish you could be there tomorrow,” I said for about the millionth time that night.
“Me too,” he replied. He flicked on the tiny light in the tank and stood back to admire it. “It’s not the end of the world though.”
&n
bsp; He turned to me and I nodded, trying to tell myself that it was okay. He smiled at my reluctance and lay down beside me. “Don’t think of it as just the ceremony; it’s your eighteenth birthday, too. Have a little fun with it.”
“I’ll try,” I replied, still sitting up. I watched the fish swimming around for a second. I was tense and nervous about the following day, and I kept bringing it up even as Linden tried to talk about other things.
“What did you do when you turned 18?” I asked, turning around to look down at him.
He pursed his lips in thought, tucking his hands behind his head. “Honestly, I don’t remember. If I don’t remember, that means nothing special. It wasn’t a big year for me.”
“Which year was big?”
“21, but only because I was with friends.”
I couldn’t imagine what kind of twenty-first birthday an Elemental would have, but I assumed it was something relatively normal. Or maybe they didn’t celebrate human years … I was tempted to ask, but I promised I wouldn’t ask questions that day.
“It’ll be fine,” he assured me, holding back a yawn. I smiled at his exhaustion; he’d been tired all day. He stretched hard, his shirt riding up to expose the dark line of hair trailing down his navel. As he rolled onto his stomach, I checked the time. I bit my lip; it was already 11:30 and I had to be up early the next morning.
“I really need to go,” I sighed, lying across his back. Most of my apprehension towards touching him was gone, and now I wanted nothing more than to always be close to him.
“So soon?”
“You’re falling asleep anyway.”
He didn’t try to deny that as I sat up and forced myself to stand.
“Will you be busy all night, too?” he asked, rolling over again onto his back.
“I’m not sure, but I’ll let you know if I can escape for a little while,” I said, backing towards the door.
“Fine, fine.” He hauled himself to his feet and ambled down the stairs with me to the door. “Do you want me to walk you back?”
“No, it’s okay, you wouldn’t make it back,” I pointed out.
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