Glancing at him, I noted the sincerity he was giving me. I wanted a better definition of ‘anything’ but just nodded, “Okay.”
He smiled slightly and deftly pulled me closer, just grazing his lips across my cheek. He really knew how to make someone feel better. Carefully taking my wrist, he kissed the bruises before I pulled my hands away, wrapping my arms around his neck. I sat in his lap and just hugged him tightly, taking note of the warmth coming from his body. I wanted to stay so badly … Aidan, a stranger, wouldn’t be able to provide any of this. Omar better not try anything.
I stifled anything Linden was about to say. I just wanted to forget about everything that was going on and anything bad I could think of. Kissing him fiercely seemed to help.
He was breathing raggedly through his nose, body shoving into me as his hands kept me from falling. I got a weird sense of vertigo every once in a while, but it seemed to only add to the moment.
“Okay, we should get down,” Linden said, suddenly pulling away. “I don’t want either of us to fall.”
I agreed, but kissed him one more time and smiled at the way he leaned forward when I moved away.
“Tease!” he keened as I carefully made my way down.
“Work, work … I can go to work, it’s not hard. Meryl’s there and she said she wouldn’t leave.” I was whispering to myself the whole morning as I got ready a few days later. I had purposefully been slacking off, and Meryl kept insisting she didn’t mind, but that didn’t stop my guilt. Finally, after two days of lounging around with Linden, I convinced her to let me go in. No one really thought it was the best idea; Linden was completely against it and even Alysana was hesitant.
“I could just stalk you in the parking lot,” she offered when I had called her. I told her it was okay, I didn’t need everyone’s protecting. I was sure if Omar tried anything—if—he wouldn’t do it in public.
“Nothing’s wrong with work,” I whispered at my reflection, staring myself down.
“Only that you’re vulnerable to everyone.”
I glared at Linden as he appeared in the doorway. “You are so paranoid. I should be the one talking about being jumped and cursed from a distance.”
“Quit putting ideas in my head.”
“You’re right, I’m just going to stop talking now.” I went back to brushing my hair, annoyed with the snarls that had developed in the back.
“If I stare at you long enough you’ll start up again,” he challenged. I was intent on ignoring his obvious gaze even though I could clearly see the intense gold from the corner of my eye.
“I’ll speak again to at least say good bye,” I said as I put the brush down. “So, bye, and I’ll see you when I’m off.”
“You didn’t think you were walking there, did you?” he asked, blocking the doorway.
“Kind of.”
He scoffed and moved aside. “I’m driving you there. And picking you up.”
I sighed loudly. “Fine, if it makes you happy.”
“And it does,” he smirked.
The Swamp Market looked almost foreign as we pulled up to an abrupt halt. There were a few people inside and Meryl stood behind the register looking outside anxiously.
“Three o’ clock sharp,” Linden said before I could get out.
“Yes, I’ll see you then, in one piece,” I replied, getting a little tired of this. But I was trying to just let it go, and I stepped out and headed for the door.
Meryl nearly pounced on me the second I stepped in. There was the usual question as to if I was okay, what had I been doing, had anyone bothered me. I answered her quickly and truthfully, hoping no one nearby happened to be listening too hard.
“I just told everyone you’ve been really sick,” she muttered when she noticed my wariness.
Sick, I could go with that. I was close to the truth anyhow.
It was weird being back in the work environment. I kept looking to the door whenever someone came in; I tried to shake it off, I was being just as paranoid as everyone else. The regulars greeted me most of the morning, asking how I was doing and such. I noticed some of them glanced at the fading bruises on my wrists, but no one outwardly mentioned it. I don’t know what I would have said otherwise.
Everything was going smoothly until after noon. I was feeling better since no one in particular came in for their lunch break, but when I saw the Bug pull into the lot, my mouth instantly went dry. Rene stepped out of the car, looking around as if expecting to see someone. I found myself looking around frantically; Meryl was busy helping someone in the corner and she couldn’t see out the windows. I was stuck.
I acted like I was busy with sorting through receipts since it was too late to go to the back. Through my hair, I could see her slowly coming towards me.
“Riley.”
I hesitated before I looked up, surprised at the flare of anger that turned my cheeks red. Even though I didn’t smile she breathed a sigh, maybe relieved, and smiled. I didn’t mean to seem inviting at all, but she approached the counter anyway.
She struggled for words for a good minute. “How are you?”
“I’m fine,” I replied, an instant response.
She nodded and seemed very unprepared for this encounter. “Are you—are you staying with Meryl?”
I frowned at her. Her tone suggested she was not sure about that at all, and I was positive she knew where I was really staying.
“No, I’ve been with Linden,” I said. “You knew that.”
She shifted on her feet. “I hoped they were lying about that.”
I scoffed and slammed the receipts into the drawer. “So after everything you’ve heard the only thing you hope is a lie is who I’m staying with?”
I’d raised my voice loud enough that the customer and Meryl looked in my direction. I didn’t see Meryl’s face, but she quickly excused herself and started walking over.
“No—Riley, that’s not what I meant. Everything I’ve heard is … is horrible,” Rene tried to explain.
“Rene,” Meryl said gently, standing beside her, “what’s going on?”
“I’m sorry, I wanted to talk to h—”
“Then talk Rene. Just say what you need to and leave,” I yelled. Anyone who was in the store was now looking at me. I was the mild-tempered girl, the one who was nice to everyone, and here I was yelling at my foster mother.
Rene was put-off by my outburst. She glanced around nervously, her eyes landing on my hands where they gripped the counter. She must have seen the bruises by now.
“Omar left. No one knows where he went. If you want to come home, you can. I want you to. I wish you would let me talk to you there where it’s safe,” Rene said urgently.
“No—no, I can’t,” was my simple answer.
Now she was plain angry. Her next statement was about to come out, but Meryl spoke first.
“Rene, listen to her,” she said in a low voice. “I told you what happened, everyone’s told you. You have to believe her now.”
She didn’t believe it? Did she think I was lying?
My mind couldn’t even wrap around that thought. How could she not believe the story?
She was arguing with Meryl when I came back into the present. “Meryl—Meryl I have to go in back.”
“It’s all right, go,” she said, stopping her conversation.
I turned and bolted as Rene called after me. “Wait, Riley!”
How old did she think I was, how immature? Why would I ever make up a story like this? I slammed against the furthest wall in the back and slid to the ground. Sure, maybe Omar could come off as pure of heart, but why would she pin me as the liar? What kind of person would make up that kind of thing?
I could only fathom the reasons she had come up with. Where she seemed to have turned on me, I couldn’t remember. She was just blinded by this whole Elemental thing, that had to be it. Before, she had never treated me like I was lying all the time.
I balled my hands into fists in my hair. Of all the days to
come to work …
I was trying to breathe normally when I heard the back door open. It creaked slowly as I watched it, wondering if Lisa was coming back in for the day. I was caught off guard when Alysana stepped in, followed by Aidan.
“Aly?”
She didn’t see me crouched beside the bins, and she was just as surprised as I had been. She rushed over and kneeled next to me, hugging me tightly. It was like she didn’t hold back now that Linden wasn’t around.
“Hi. Are you okay?” she asked when she held me back to look at me.
“Stressed, but fine,” I answered.
“I didn’t think Rene would be here today, I didn’t tell her you were working.”
“She has her ways of finding things out,” I sighed, slowly getting to my feet. “Hi, Aidan.”
He smiled kindly. “Hey. It’s good to see you back on your feet, from what Alysana was telling me, I was getting worried.”
“Thanks,” I said, making sure to hide my hands behind my back. “I thought it would be good to get out.”
“Do you want to go?” Alysana asked, suddenly eager. I’m sure Meryl would understand. Hang on.”
She reached into her back pocket and pulled out her phone, asking me for the phone number of the store. I gave it to her, confused, but watched her dial quickly and duck into the corner.
“Brilliant,” Aidan whispered as he watched her. I still hadn’t caught on until I heard Meryl answer the phone in the front. Alysana had her hand cupped in front of her mouth as she whispered as quietly as she could.
“Yes of course, miss,” Meryl said. Aly went on whispering. “Okay, thank you. Bye now.”
Alysana smiled at me triumphantly and stood, motioning for Aidan and me to follow. “Take off the apron.”
I stopped and undid the knot, tossing the apron near the sink. Then I slipped out the door behind her.
“What did you do?” I asked when we were outside.
“I just called Meryl and asked if we could get you out of there,” she said, smiling widely.
“You didn’t! I can’t believe it,” I said, now smiling with her.
“I told you it was brilliant,” Aidan said, taking Alysana’s hand. She beamed and pointed out Aidan’s car, parked away from the store windows. Aly said she was taking me to lunch, a place that was secluded.
Aidan ended up driving us to a small teahouse on the other side of town. Tucked between large oak trees, it was the best place to go and relax. It was relatively busy when we walked inside, but we found a table big enough for the three of us. Alysana quickly ordered three bubble teas before turning to me and taking a deep breath.
“Okay—now that we’re successfully gone we can act like normal people,” she said. “Well, as normal as we can get.”
“Yeah,” I replied. It had seemed like such a long time since I’d been out, I was a little overwhelmed. But Alysana was determined not to mention anything about the negative, only saying that Rene would be disappointed to find I wasn’t there anymore.
I almost felt totally at east sipping bubble tea. Chewing the tapioca pearls when they came up the straw, I thought this could easily become a habit of mine. I would take Linden here, too; it seemed like a place he would haunt.
Alysana was in a great mood as we sat there. Since she’d actually met Linden now she didn’t seem to hate him so much. She asked what it was like being there and if him being an Elemental bothered me.
“Would I be there if it did?” I asked, nervously glancing at Aidan.
Alysana noticed right away. “Oh, he already knows. I kind of let it slip … do you think he’ll mind?”
“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “I don’t think so.”
“It’s all right, I’ve been around one before,” Aidan said. “I mean, it wasn’t an undine, but I’m sure they’re all the same to some extent.”
“Maybe.”
Alysana then launched into a million questions about Linden. She asked about his family, friends, if he had used his power in front of me. Her fear seemed to have been replaced with intense curiosity. I answered her as well as I could, a little unnerved at the way Aidan listened so intently. Alysana apologized for ever discouraging me from seeing Linden, saying lessons had really gotten to her, to what witch didn’t feel that way?
After an hour at the teahouse, I only had ice in my glass, and we were ready to go. Since it was only one thirty, I asked if they could just drop me at Linden’s house on the way to wherever they were going. He would be surprised—and worried—that I was there early, but I was itching to see him again. I promised Aly I would see her again soon, and hugged her one more time before I got out of the car.
As I walked up the steps of the porch, I hoped Linden was in another part of the house where he couldn’t see us pull up. The chances of him not hearing were slim, but I still opened the front door silently anyway. I heard his voice as soon as I stepped in, but I paused before I closed the door. He was on the phone.
“Yeah, I know that, but you don’t get it,” he was saying, his voice traveling from upstairs. “No, you haven’t been here to see anything—come on, don’t be biased.” There was a long pause and he groaned with exaggeration. “Jesus, people change. I’m not ready to go, all right? This place is fine. Don’t—don’t give me that! To hell with instinct—yes, Calder, I am serious about settling this time. That good enough for you?”
Again a pause, and I could hear my own heartbeat in my ears. Who is Calder? Maybe a relative he was talking about, but what they were talking about concerned me most.
“Right, whatever you say. Call me when you’re not shoving this down my throat … uh-huh, never … sure, tell her I said hi. And no, I wouldn’t take a plane so keep your money. I’ll need gas.” A laugh. “Whatever. Bye.”
I heard the phone click and I allowed myself to breathe again. How much more would come at me? His footsteps were resounding through the floorboards, so I stepped onto the porch again, pulling the door shut. I waited a few seconds, calming down before I opened the door again. He was just walking down the stairs as I smiled up at him.
“Hey,” I said.
He frowned and kept walking down, checking the kitchen clock. “It’s 1:45. Did something happen?”
“Not really—but I can go back if you want me to,” I said, reaching for the door.
“No, no, I didn’t mean that, I just wasn’t expecting it. You didn’t walk, did you?”
“Nah, Aly and Aidan bailed me out,” I smiled. I explained to him what happened with Rene as he shook his head to himself.
“I should have hung around in case that happened,” he said.
I put my arms around his waist, shaking him a little. “No, it wasn’t a crisis, calm down. It was unbelievable and annoying but I made it out alive.”
“Barely. I can tell something’s wrong.”
My good mood waivered a little at the thought of my eavesdropping. “It was just unexpected. I’ll be totally fine in a few hours. Movie?” I made the quick suggestion, anything to get us both concentrating on something else.
“Sure,” he said, steering me towards the living room. “But you’ll tell me eventually.”
“Wishful thinking,” I quoted.
DISTURBANCE
Rene tried calling multiple times the next few days, but I never answered and told Linden to let it ring. It would be a long time before I was up to talking to her again. Luckily, she hadn’t tried coming over yet, but I’m sure those days weren’t far ahead.
It had been a little over a week since I had been staying with Linden. I only tried working a few more times, these experiences being a little less traumatic. Besides trying to put some things behind me, Linden’s last phone call was still a nagging disturbance in the back of my mind. Words like drifter and instincts kept going through my mind. He said he moved around a lot, and were his Elemental instincts too strong to ignore? I could only guess; I was too ashamed to flat out ask him about the whole conversation.
Even his acti
ons seemed to point to something. Though he didn’t know I was awake, I knew he didn’t sleep at night. I would wake up when I felt the bed move and he would sit on the edge, his head in his hands, once for almost an hour. Sometimes he would stand and leave the room, and I would lie there holding my breath listening for the sound of the door shutting or his car starting. But he always came back, his skin cool as he lay against me.
What a whirlwind of ideas: someone trying to find me, someone maybe leaving me, everyone against my word. The negativity was mounting.
“Are you … tired?” I asked one night as we lay on his bed, rephrasing the common question of the month. He didn’t seem ‘okay’, so I tried the other approach.
“Yeah, kind of,” he replied, struggling to get out of his shirt while lying down. “I haven’t slept all that great lately.”
Yeah, that was an understatement. “Why not?”
“I don’t know, stupid reasons I guess. The family calls and they bring up a whole new slew of problems.”
“They called again?” I asked innocently.
“Yeah. Reunions are rare, but I can wait till next year.” I nodded, wondering if I should bring up what I’d heard. “I just can’t wait till everyone is out of this rut.”
“Me neither,” I said, fully believing that.
He paused for a second, wadding up his shirt before throwing it across the room. “Do you feel better when you project?”
“What?” The change of subject was random enough, but his question caught me completely off guard.
“Oh—ah, I was going to pretend like I didn’t know about that,” he said, grimacing. “Sorry, I can just tell when you do it.”
Oh no. I thought about the few times I had projected near him, especially the most recent event when I detached from the plant on his desk. Now I stared at the plant accusingly. I rolled over in embarrassment, my cheeks burning.
“What? Is that some big secret or something?” he asked.
“No—no it’s not that. But how do you know? Can you—can you see me?”
“Not if I’m not on another plane. I can only feel it.”
The Evensong Page 20