Finding ELE (ELE Series #2) Written By: Rebecca Gober and Courtney Nuckels

by Nuckels, Courtney

  “What, you don’t like?” She asks me.

  I stammer for a few seconds and thankfully Claire steps in for me. “You look wonderful. Everyone will have eyes on you tonight.” She says. Boy is she ever right!

  The three of us finish up and walk towards the stairs. At the top of the stairs I spot Alec and Alec spots me. He looks amazing. He's wearing a pair of black slacks and a black polo shirt that hugs him tightly, showing off the curves of his muscles. His short black hair is combed just right where it doesn't look perfect, but it doesn't look like he just rolled out of bed either. His navy blue eyes widen and his mouth drops slightly. "Beautiful." He says a little breathlessly. Blushing, I take his hand.

  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve dreamt of this moment. Since I was a little girl I dreamed of going to a dance when I was older and having my prince charming pick me up. I always wanted to be dressed to the nines and descend down a staircase. Every time it happened in a movie I would swoon at the way the guy looked captivatedly in love as the girl walked gracefully down the stairs. Because of the virus I never knew if it would be able to happen or not. I guess the big guy upstairs saw to it that I got my wish.

  Claire and Candy are already at the bottom and soon I'm alone at the top of the stairs. I didn’t realize Alec and I were staring at each other that long. I walk down easily in the ballet flats and come to a stop in front of Alec.

  I try and take a million mental images of the way he’s looking at me. With sheer love and respect. He gives his head a shake and says, “I’m going to do my darnedest not to beat up all the guys who can't take their eyes off you tonight.”

  I laugh a bit at that. It wasn’t exactly what I expected him to say. “Well, I appreciate that.” I respond with a large smile plastered to my face.

  He leans in and whispers in my ear, “Now, what exactly is Candy supposed to be wearing?”

  "It's supposed to be a representation of the setting sun. Or possibly, a sparkly vampire?" I joke.

  "Hmm, nice." He says.

  "Wowza!" Connor comes to a standstill behind us. He's wearing a similar outfit as Alec. His light brown hair is growing out and it looks disheveled but it fits his style. His eyes are bugged out and his jaw has dropped. By the way he's ogling her, I'm surprised he didn't whistle and holler 'va va voom.'

  Claire's cheeks turn crimson. She runs her hand through her hair self-consciously, twirling it between her fingers. "Hi." She whispers.

  Connor moves quickly to her side. "You look…hot."

  She giggles. "Thanks, you don't look too bad yourself."

  Connor leans in and kisses her sweetly.

  Alec takes that as a cue to pull me into a quick lipstick smearing kiss then we all head out to the courtyard.

  The party is going strong outside. The sun has fully set and the fire lights the courtyard up nicely. Kids are running around again, stealing marshmallows and popping them into their mouths. More people are dressed up tonight than during the first bonfire. I attribute that to the new items that were found during the most recent scavenging expedition.

  I look around but don't see Tony anywhere. I don't know if I'm happy about that or not. Things are still a little awkward but I think we can work it out.

  Alec grabs my hand, spins me around once and pulls me onto a makeshift dance floor. We dance to a slow song and I lay my head against his chest just like women do in movies. It's nice.

  When the slow song turns into a fast one, we join up with our friends. I have a blast dancing and laughing at Connor and Alec trying to dance.

  Candy found herself a dancing partner and is dancing with the cutest boy at the party. We all smile and laugh as Sebastian sways his hips from side to side and nods his head in unison. He's too cool for school!

  When we are all thoroughly sweaty and our energy levels have dropped a few points, we head over to the refreshments table. Alec serves me a glass of punch and I hand him a skewer with a marshmallow attached to the end. We head over to the fire to make the tastiest smores ever.

  Surprisingly, the flames reflecting off Candy's dress looks pretty cool. A beefy looking blonde who looks to be around seventeen, notices it too. I overhear him introduce himself as Jake. He flirts with Candy and I watch the come on from my peripheral vision. She giggles at one of his comments and unfortunately a little bit of that hyena laugh surfaces. I cringe, worried that he’ll be deterred but he laughs too and accidentally snorts. Maybe there is a perfect match in the making here. He asks her to dance and I look over at her as she walks away. She mouths to me, 'He's hot.'

  I nod my head, even though he's not really my type.

  Once we are stuffed to the rim with sugar and chocolate, we go back to dancing. After a few songs, I excuse myself from our dancing circle that has grown larger with the addition of Jake. I tell Alec that I need to go to the restroom, but really I want to look for Tony. I haven't seen him all night and I want to make sure he's okay.

  I walk around the party by myself for a few minutes, then give up and head to the restroom for real this time. On my way back I run into Tony. When I say, run into him, I mean I literally smack into him at the end of the hallway. I almost fall back, but he catches me just in time. He sets me upright and I smooth my dress down to keep it from riding up too high.

  Tony's copper hair is combed back and shorter than the last time I saw him. He must have recently had it cut. He is wearing low cut jeans and a bright blue polo that makes his eyes look nuclear next to it.

  He gives me the once over. The look in his eyes kicks the temperature up a few notches and I squirm in place. "You are earth shatteringly beautiful." He says to me.

  His comment takes my breath away. My mouth drops slightly and I find myself at a loss for words.

  At my reaction, he shakes his head like he's clearing the cobwebs. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that." He runs his hand through his copper hair.

  I blink a few times then say, "It's okay. I mean, thank you."

  He looks away. "Just stating the truth."

  Ready to change the subject and lower the uncomfortable factor a notch, I say, "Are you not going to the party?"

  He shakes his head. "Well, I was heading down there but I'm probably just going to go join a poker game I saw going on in the dining hall instead."

  "Why?" I raise my eyebrow inquisitively.

  He runs his hand through his hair again. I really wish he'd stop doing that, since it makes him look boyishly cute. I try to think of Tony as being a lot older than me, since he handles his demeanor that way. Most of the time he comes across as rigid and cold. It helps me to not think of other things, like how good he looks in those jeans. Or how his muscles stand out under his polo shirt. No, I don't want to think of those things around Tony. I want to think of him as my hard-core, drill sergeant trainer who just happens to be my friend. That's how I want to think of him.

  He clears his throat. "I want our friendship to work Willow. I'm sifting through a lot of feelings that I can't help having. I don't think spending a night watching you dance around in that dress will be good for me. In fact, that will probably be the end of me."

  I blush at his candid statement. "Okay." I twist a strand of hair in my fingers and look away awkwardly.

  "Have fun." He says sincerely. Then he walks past me leaving me alone in the hallway.

  I stand there for a few moments feeling stunned until I hear someone clear their throat.

  I look up to find my mom. "Hey." I wonder if she saw all of that.

  "Hey." She comes up to me and puts her hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay?"

  I nod my head. "Yes, why do you ask?" Hoping she won't confirm that she was a witness to the interaction between her right hand man and me.

  She gives me a half smile and hugs me from the side. "You know I saw everything." She points to her eyes, "Mom vision." I look up at her embarrassed so she quickly continues. "Do you want to talk about it?"

  I shake my head. "Not really." I can't even wrap my head arou
nd everything, never less be able to talk about it.

  Understanding sparks in her expression. "I understand sweety. Do you mind if I give you some advice?"

  "No." I tell her. "I mean, yes, you can give me advice. You know..." I know I'm not making sense so I'm glad when she ignores my stammering.

  "I think you need to take some time to really figure out who Willow Mosby is. You have two great guys who I can tell like you a lot. I also can see that you seem very torn when you are around Tony."

  I look at her guiltily. I didn't know it was that obvious.

  "I'm not going to tell you that's wrong baby. It's perfectly normal. Tony helped you when you needed him on the outside. Alec helped you when you needed him on the inside. Your feelings for the two of them are natural. You need to take the time to think about what you want."

  My eyes tear up. "What are you saying? Do you think I should not be with Alec because I have these feelings?" I can't do that, I love Alec.

  My mom shakes her head. "No, I'm not saying that at all. Alec is good for you. I'm just saying that I don't want you to beat yourself up over having a small spark with Tony. Of course, I'm also not saying that you should act on that spark by any means while you're with Alec. Over time though, you will get to know more about who you are as you come into your own. Eventually you will know exactly what you want. I know I did." She tells me.

  I blink away the tears. "So there was another guy before dad?"

  She laughs. "Of course honey. There were several other guys that I thought I loved. Your dad and I even broke up for a while back when we first started dating. We both saw other people in between but it was that time apart that confirmed that we were meant to be together." She clarifies quickly. "I'm still not saying to break up with Alec. I just don't want you to think you are a horrible person for having mixed feelings, that's all."

  "Okay, thanks, I think." I feel a little confused by my mom's talk but deep down it does make me feel better. "I love you."

  "I love you too baby." She gives me a hug, then we part ways and I head back to the bonfire.

  I find Alec leaning against the wall with a drink in his left hand. He looks around the courtyard, taking in all the action going on. I walk over to him and put my arms around his sides.

  “Did you get lost?” He asks me.

  I shake my head. “No, I was talking with my mom in the hall.” It’s not a complete lie, but I don’t feel like opening up a can of worms about Tony’s and my conversation.

  Alec doesn’t ask me anymore he just holds me tight against him. I close my eyes and listen to the music playing joyfully in the background. With all the chaos that’s going on around us I can’t help but feel so right in this moment. Things may not be perfect, but with Alec, everything seems right. That's all I can ask for in times like these.

  Alec and I find a spot by the fire and listen to several people tell stories of times past. A few of the older gentlemen tell us about life before the virus. Alec cradles me to him and I rest my head on his chest. The fire brings a comforting heat in the cool air of the night. I learn a lot about our history and ask a lot of questions.

  After an hour or so Connor and Claire join us and then Candy comes over a bit later, winded by all the dancing she’s doing. She claims she had to dance so long in order to burn off the calories from all the smores she ate.

  Yeah right, I think to myself. I’m sure Jake had nothing to do with her wanting to dance so long.

  After the party dwindles down, the guys escort us girls back to our rooms. I can't help but notice Jake go in for a kiss outside of Candy's door. I look away quickly to give them privacy. Inside, I'm happy for her. She can use a little encouragement out here.

  I kiss Alec goodnight and head into my room. I take my few minutes of privacy, with Claire still outside to change out of my dress and throw on some cotton shorts and a tank top.

  Claire comes in several minutes later practically glowing. "He told me he loves me!" She squeals and belly flops onto my bed.

  "So, what did you say?" I ask in a calm voice that I'm putting on only to tease her.

  Her eyes get big and she flips her hair back. She lowers her voice and talks like a guy. "I said that's cool, I like you a lot too."

  I throw my head back laughing at her impression.

  "I really said: Finally! Then I told him I've loved him for a long time now." She says with a wistful smile on her face.

  I match her previous squeal and raise her a high five. "Oh my gosh that's big!" I know that Alec and I have been using the L word for a while, but Connor doesn't seem much like Mr. Commitment. So this kind of step is huge for him.

  "I know! I mean I didn't think he would say it anytime soon. I have to admit that I've felt pretty green every time I hear you guys say it. I had to keep telling myself that Connor will tell me that he loves me when he's ready." She throws her head down into a pillow and screams into it excitedly while kicking her legs.

  "I'm so happy for you Claire." I can't help but feel giddy too, with all of the excitement emanating from her.

  She looks up at me, all sunshine and rainbows like. The girl sitting across from me with a giant smile plastered on her face is a complete reverse from the one I originally met. I'm so happy that she has found happiness.

  "Thanks Willow!" She gives me a hug then goes to the bathroom to change.

  I fall asleep almost instantly once we turn off the lantern. It's a nice peaceful sleep too, one without interruption or dreams.

  CHAPTER 13 (Visions)

  We train a lot over the next three days. My mom has stepped up everyone's training schedule and now we are working not only with our individual partners but also in group settings. I'm getting better at hand to hand combat. I'm not trying to gloat, but I'm a pretty rocking shot now with the pistol too. I don't hit the target perfectly each time but nearly every round hits it at least. That to me equals rock start shooter status.

  Tony and I don't have too many awkward moments thankfully. I can see that he's doing his best to separate his feelings for me from our training. He still hasn't gotten to the point though that he volunteers to hang out with us in our free time. I don't bug him about it. Plus I'm sure he's busy doing whatever he usually did before I came around…whatever that is.

  Having finished a long day of training, I head to my room to shower. I've been hearing about an impromptu meeting my mom is going to hold at dinner, but I'm not sure what it's about. Either way, I'm sure that everyone will appreciate it if I don't come drenched in sweat and smelling like teen spirit.

  After a quick shower, I meet up with Alec and we head down to the dining hall. When we reach the entrance, we find that the tables have been put away and instead there are just rows and rows of chairs.

  Alec and I scoot down a row and take a seat next to Connor and Claire. Even though Claire is sitting between us, I can hear Connor's stomach growl. Mine growls too.

  "So, what does this mean about dinner?" Connor asks me.

  I shrug my shoulders. "I'm not sure. This is the first meeting like this I've been to."

  "Great." He complains.

  My mom walks in and the room grows quiet. "Thank you all for coming here." My mom says in a strong voice. I notice Mr. Leroy standing to the side watching her. I haven't seen him in a few days. This hotel is pretty big though, so I guess that's not uncommon.

  My mom continues. "We've gathered you all here to talk about plans for the future. We've sent out some scouts over the past two days and some of the reports we've received have been concerning. The Reapers seem to be furthering their mission to gain access to the shelters. There's been a lot of activity around the base of the mountain. We have reason to believe that they may have gotten their hands on some demolition devices. We don't know their plans for such things, but we believe they may be planning to rig some explosions. We can only assume that they think that these explosions will help them get inside. I'm sure that you understand what this means. We must make a decision now on how to p
roceed." The crowd starts mumbling.

  Mr. Leroy takes a step forward to add. "This has given us leaders a lot to talk about. Unfortunately we have been unable to come to a unanimous decision on how to proceed. Therefore we’ve come to a fork in the road. Some of us want to move on and leave this area quickly. There are some deserted towns that we believe may be a good place to set up shop only a few days travel down the road." This sends the crowd into another roar.

  Tony steps out from the background and makes a high pitch whistling noise that grabs the crowd's attention.

  My mom steps forward again. "We have decided that we will give everyone the choice. You may leave with Lee tomorrow or you can stay with me and fight."

  Hollering and chaos breaks out with that. My mom does her best to gain the attention of the crowd again. Tony tries the whistling again and that gives my mom a second to add, "You will need to make your personal decisions by tomorrow morning. Anyone wishing to leave will need to be ready at sunrise." Then the crowd dissolves again into its chaotic state.

  Not sure what to do or what to think, we make our way out of the dining hall to find my mom. I run into Tony in the hall. Without discussing with Alec or my friends I raise my chin proudly and say, "I will fight with you."

  Everyone agrees with me except for Candy. Jake has told her that he wants to leave so she's planning on joining him. Not because they are inseparable in such a short period of time, but because she doesn't want to go anywhere near the shelter again. She can't handle it.

  Honestly, I've watched Candy try to train, so I think it's probably in her best interest as well as our own, that she not join us. We let her know that we understand and then part ways to follow Tony who is taking us to my mom.

  Tony leads us to a room I hadn't seen before. When we enter, my mom is in there with my father and a few of my mom's other main soldiers. "I'm fighting with you." I demand the second I walk in. Alec, Connor and Claire stand quietly near the entry to the room as I walk to my mom's side.