I smiled, leaning over to squeeze his hand. “I think that’s wonderful.”
Oliver brushed from the roots of his hair, and he gave me a
sheepish, but happy smile. “Thanks.”
Oliver’s talk of his father made me miss my own, and a horrible aching in my chest swelled up like a balloon. Was my dad okay? Was he safe at least? I knew the Black Crown had their hooks on him—after all, he hasn’t once called, and I haven’t been able to contact him either. If I went over a week without a word he’d hitchhike back to Savannah to make sure I was okay.
It chilled me to the core to think that the Black Crown could make someone forget their old habits, and live in a blissful, “fake” life until it was necessary. But I had to look at the positives—dad was safe in New York, working an actual real job (the Black Crown didn’t lie about that), I had their word that he would return to St. Mary’s in the fall, and I didn’t have to worry about him, well, worrying about me while I was doing all of this dangerous stuff.
Still. It hurt.
I made the firm resolve that, the first sight I caught of dad, I was going to give him the biggest, best hug I could ever give him in his entire life.
The rest of the journey was quiet except for Oliver bombarding Christopher with endless questions. For a guy who didn’t talk much, Oliver could be quite a gabber when he wanted to be! But seeing the
sparkle in his eyes—eyes that craved for knowledge and strength—I wasn’t going to put any damper on his spirits, even if I doubted that the Black Crown would keep their word to let Oliver do what he wanted in the end.
So I settled back and pressed my head against the window, watching cars zip by on the highway. The whole days ride, I hadn’t once let go of my bag. It was ripped and burned and sagged, but the insides were more precious than anyone could ask. Luckily, nobody found it strange that I walked around with the piece of trash glued to my side (besides, it’s nothing a good washing and some tape and stitching couldn’t fix).
I especially couldn’t keep my mind off a certain dark purple pencil case, where I had carefully stuffed the Elixir shards inside. Nobody would think to look there. The first moment I had to myself, I had locked myself in the small bathroom connected to my room and poured the blood shards on a towel, carefully extracting and tossing every glass shard I could find.
Until I was left with only six pieces.
Not as much as I had hoped for, but it was better than nothing.
Each piece was probably the size of my fingernail, ranging from different thicknesses. A few shards seemed almost paper-thin, and they seemed to glow in an eerie, hypnotizing light. Just those tiny pieces alone, held in
my hand, seemed to draw my breath away. It was like I had the key to peace right in the palm of my hands.
I finally had the key I needed to save Dove, and I wasn’t letting go of it.
CHAPTER 25
It took nearly fifteen hours to drive from New York—making a couple of pit stops along the way, as well as a two hour rest stop in Atlanta for Oliver—until we finally, finally reached Savannah. It was close to midnight by the time Christopher pulled up into Frankie Ann’s driveway, yet my heart was pounding with excitement.
I knew without fail that that house held barely enough room to keep three rambunctious Alchemists, plus a kindhearted Tracker, a tiny yellow kitchen with a large orange tabby resting on the counter, and a large sweeping magnolia tree that brushed the small roof.
I hadn’t even taken one bleary step out of the car when the front door slammed open and a petit but round woman with her hair tied up in a loose bun scooped me up into a suffocating, bone crushing hug. “Oh, you silly, silly girl! How could you go off like that? Don’t you know how worried sick we were?”
Though I only knew Frankie Ann for a couple of weeks, she had been kinder to me than anyone I had ever met. She was like the favorite, bubbly aunt of the family that everyone wanted to see. Frankie Ann wasn’t an alchemist, but she was a Tracker of the Black Crown. That’s
how we found out the information about the orphanage that led me to Atlanta. And she was also in charge of housing Chrys, Ru, and I during the summer.
And I’m guessing she’ll have two more strays to take in…
Frankie Ann lets me go and pushes me away, grasping my shoulders. Her mouth was set in a grim line, but her eyes shone with warmth and relief, and I could only shake there, stuttering an apology as my heart fell, because it felt like I had disappointed a special member of my family, all for my selfish actions.
As Christopher introduced Frankie Ann to Oliver, explaining the situation, the door again banged open so loudly that a nearby stray cat screeched in annoyance, and again, I was tackled in a hug by a tiny girl only one year younger than me.
“Thank goodness you’re back! Thank goodness!” Chrys cried out, squeezing my already bruised ribs from Frankie Ann’s tender hug. I eagerly wrapped my arms around Chrys and hugged her back as tightly as I could. She may look like she was made of glass, but she’s much tougher than anyone expects her to be.
I spotted Ru standing at the doorway like a silent shadow. He gave me a curt nod and I returned the gesture. Ru wasn’t much of a talker—far less than Oliver—but I could see the bit of relief in his face when he greeted me home. If there was really one thing to admire about
Ru is that, once he’s decided on something, he would stick with protecting it—or her, for example—no matter what. It hardly took any convincing to get him to help me with my plan, but only because he trusted Chrys’s words far more than my own.
Chrys was like the glue that sort of bonded us. We both wanted to protect her at all costs, like she was the baby sister of this bizarre Brady Bunch family.
Frankie Ann ushered us all inside, insisting that we get some rest.
She carried on about what kind of big breakfast to prepare for tomorrow and I could only smile, feeling like…even though this house was owned by the Black Crown…it still felt a little like home.
There were good people in the Black Crown, even if they were a little stoic.
I introduced Chrys and Ru to Oliver. Though I could see it in their eyes that they wanted the big story, it would have to wait for the morning. When Oliver gave his charming southern gentleman-like smile, I saw Chrys’s entire body flush a bright pink. And Ru twitch in annoyance.
But even though my body craved sleep, my mind raced like a trapped hummingbird. My knuckles turned white from gripping my bag so tightly. Chrys seemed to understand and took my hand. “We’re going to bed!” she called out in a sing song voice and led me down the short
hallway to the bubble pink room that housed Dove.
I could barely make out Chrys’s words as she told me how Dove had been doing since I left. Was it really…only three or four days ago since I ran away? It felt like a lifetime…
“Dove’s been doing well,” Chrys explained gently, “Gwen has been coming by twice a day to give her healing treatments…”
“Hmm.” The blood was pounding in my ears. Every step took my closer and closer to Dove, and I felt my palms go sweaty and numb.
“Oh, now that we have a new addition in the household,” Chrys’s ears went red as she explained, “I was thinking…once Dove gets better and you’re okay with it…I could move into the room with you two, so Ru and Oliver could share a room instead of having to sleep on the couch…”
The rest of her words trailed off as I stood in front of the door.
Chrys stood silently by my side, glancing occasionally down the hall for any sign of a disturbance. Christopher was still here, but Frankie Ann was busy fussing over him, convincing him to have a cup of coffee before he headed to his own home (wherever that was). A sullen Ru had lead an oblivious Oliver to the living room where they would camp for the night, but it was like it was just the three of us in this entire house: Me, Chrys…and Dove…
Chrys knitted her eyebrows and leaned forward in a whisper. “Did you…find it?”
My grip on the bag was so tight I felt the strap cut into my scarred up palms. My nod was slow and mechanical, like a robot, and my heart pounded so loudly I thought for sure everyone in a three block radius could hear it.
What if this didn’t work?
I shook my head. How could I doubt myself now? It had healed Leon when he had been stabbed by Ivan…it could save Dove!
Couldn’t it?
I felt a gentle press on my hand, and saw Chrys smile; her one cobalt blue eye sparkling like the prettiest stone. In that one eye, all the words that I wanted to say, all the worries that I wanted to confess seemed to reflect in her eye, and all she gave me was a small, knowing, confident smile.
“I’ll make sure nobody comes to disturb you,” Chrys said. “Just go…everything will be okay.”
“Everything’s gonna be okay.”
The spot on my forehead seemed to warm where Rick would usually press his against mine, channeling strength into me with just that once touch. And I felt a swell of confidence burst inside of me like a firework. I shot Chrys an appreciative look and opened the door.
The room was pitch black. Thick curtains had been pulled where only a sliver of silver light peeked its way through. I could make out the
shape of the couch I had slept on just a week ago; even smell the familiar scents of potpourri and cat fur and mothballs mingling together.
And then, on the far wall, was a small bed with white sheets.
Dove was tucked in, like a child. She had been redressed in what looked to be one of Frankie Ann’s night dresses, and I could see the gentle rise and fall of her chest. I gripped around in the dark and felt her hand. It was so cold, like ice.
I sat on the bed, feeling it dip from my weight, and brushed a stray lock of her pale blonde hair away from her eyes. Her lashes were so long and dark, and she truly looked like Sleeping Beauty bewitched by a curse, waiting patiently for her sweet Prince Charming to wake her up with a true love’s kiss.
This will work. It has too.
I fumbled with my bag and extracted the pencil case, stretching the zipper until I found the small wrapped bundle mixed in with an assortment of pencils and pens, nestled neatly on the top. I put the pencil bag away, dropped my bag on the carpeted floor with a soft thump, and slowly, working with only one hand, untied the bundle that held Dove’s future.
Six twinkling shards in different shapes rested on my lap, winking like lost stars. I took the biggest piece, holding it lightly between my thumb and finger, and pressed it to Dove’s heart, praying with all my
might that it would work.
At first, nothing happened, and I let my heart sink like a lead filled balloon. But then the Elixir glowed with a soft, warm, beautiful light…and it dissolved in my hand, disappearing into Dove’s translucent skin.
Please…please wake up! Wake up!
The Dove’s entire body glowed a dull red, as if she was covered in a soft haze of fire, yet she was still cool to the touch. The strange glow burned out as quickly as it came, and Dove’s body went still.
I froze.
Counted the seconds that went by.
One hundred and eighty-eight.
Then the crimson, swirling Runes on her arms burst into light, and I watched in awe as I saw the glow transcend from the tips of her fingers and spread up her arms like liquid golden fire, glowing faintly under her nightgown…
And Dove opened her clear, ice-blue eyes.
And smiled.
CHAPTER 26
“Good morning?”
I let out a wail, and before I could think, I tackled Dove in a hug, weeping into her neck. Dove was as thin as bones, and even the effort she took to lift her arms and cradle me gently seemed like a strain, so I shifted back quickly, tears dripping down my face and snot falling into the hem of my shirt I had pulled up to wipe it away.
Dove blinked slowly, scanning the room with calm eyes until they settled back on me. “I’ve been asleep for awhile, haven’t I?”
I could only nod, my vision going blurry through hot tears. But I knew that, despite her delicate condition, even though I wanted to jump up and get her something to eat—she was probably starving!—one look at her grim face told me not to.
So I told her everything, because that’s what she wanted, and that’s what I would have wanted too if I were in her shoes.
Hours must have passed in that small room. There wasn’t any other sound about except the rattling air condition and the creaks the house would occasionally give off, like sighing in a dream. I could only assume that Christopher had long left and everyone had gone back to
bed.
It was just the two of us.
I told Dove what had happened to her—how a possessed Leon had stabbed her…causing some strange shift inside of her that sent her into an alchemic induced coma, how the Healers claimed she would never wake up…or she might even die. I explained every single thing, never leaving a detail out: my adventure to Atlanta; the orphanage and the little Earth alchemist Gaia; how I befriended Rick and discovered another E-Alchemist in existence; the trip to White’s home; the kidnap and the fires…the Elixir…the fighting’s and the killings…and how the Black Crown came in the end and saved us.
I purposely left the part out about White escaping. I don’t know why…I just couldn’t bring myself to tell her. It was like I was ashamed of the fact, that I should have made sure he was dead or gone…but I couldn’t….I just couldn’t…
I told her about how I had used my alchemy to get out of sticky situations. She seemed pretty impressed with the bullet trick and leaping out of a four story building. And through the entire story, from beginning to end, she said nothing. Occasionally she would nod, or her lips would press into a thin line, or even smile.
But not a word leaked through her lips.
Until I came to the conclusion.
“And Leon?” The words came out hoarse, like a whisper, and I had to swallow the bile that rose in my throat, clogging the air into my lungs.
“I am going to find him and I am going to rescue him,” I said, gripping her hand tightly. “I promise you, even if it takes everything I have, I will save Leon. I’m not going to rest until I see this through.”
Dove only nodded, and even in the dark I could see her ice-blue eyes shine with wetness. I know there was much more going on in her mind that she was letting on, but I refused to press until she was ready.
The story took so much out of me, but I couldn’t even think of sleeping now. So with one last squeeze of her hand, she gave me a tight smile and drifted back to sleep. But this time all the color had returned to her cheeks, and even her blood red Runes seemed to hum with a life of their own.
I closed the door to our shared room with a soft click and found myself in the kitchen, surprised to see Frankie Ann still awake, leaning over the kitchen counter with the cap of a red pen pressed between her lips, and a scatter of papers around her.
The floor creaked and she looked up, and smiled, putting a finger to her lips. “Everyone’s still asleep. I pushed the boys to sleep in my room for the night. Lord knows that they deserve a good bed to sleep on besides the floor. Good thing I keep a blow up mattress in the back of my closet!”
I nodded, feeling numb. I had just bombarded a sickly Dove with my entire adventures, traveling with the enemy, straying from my original goal, and pretty much lying about the fact that there might still be a big threat out there on the loose.
And Leon.
I had no idea how I was going to find him, let alone save him.
“What are you doing up?” I attempted, settling myself on the stool next to her.
“Oh, just going over a list of things I’ll need to get first thing in the morning to accommodate our two new guests.”
“Two?”
She beamed. “Of course, dear. Mr. Nettle’s already explained about our next guest coming to stay. He’ll be my temporary assistant until…well, whatever they decide to do with him. But boys sure eat a lot, d
on’t they? I’ll have to buy three times as much groceries as I normally do—under the Black Crown’s funds, of course,” she giggled, giving me a knowing smile like we were two friends sharing a secret. “Then maybe we out to go out and shop for some new clothes and supplies. But where am I going to let the boys sleep?”
I told her Chrys’s original idea. “Chrys and I can share a room with Dove and the boys can have Chrys’s old room…”
Frankie Ann bit her lip. “Hmm…well, that could work, but little
Gwen has told me that poor Dove needs to have her space…for…well, I don’t know…”
I decided that there was enough excitement for the night, and lied a little. “I think…Dove is going to get better soon.”
“Well, as long as you and Chrys don’t mind sharing such a cramped space.” Frankie Ann murmured, crossing something off her list.
“Oh! Silly me, I forgot all about it! Wait right here Emery!”
Frankie Ann scooted away from her seat and tiptoed around the corner. Before long she came back, carrying a thick, wide envelope that look stuffed to the brim. “This came in the mail for you the other day.
From a classmate, I assume?”
My tongue was thick in my mouth and I could only nod dumbly as she handed me the package—but didn’t release her grip. Frankie Ann gave me a knowing look, but it wasn’t angry at all. “I’m just going to pretend that I forgot to mention this little package to Mr. Nettle’s. After all, how would a classmate of yours know this particular address, instead of sending it to your school?”
I could only stare as Frankie Ann smile, gathered her things, and waltzed out of the room with a little hum, calling to me that she would be sleeping in Chrys’s room for the night. That left me alone under the dull artificial lights of the kitchen’s hanging bulbs.
I tear it open as quietly as possible, surprised to see a small
The Fake Voice (Time Alchemist) Page 15