by Carla Thorne
“No, wait. I need help with something.”
He yawned. “All right. I’m awake now. What happened?”
“People are evil. The Destroyer suffocates families and infiltrates lives and kills things. That’s why we’re here. That’s our purpose, to do what we can to help.”
“Uh… We know that, Mary. That’s what our assignments are about.”
“Right, but have you ever considered how big the job is? It’s not just about Stonehaven Academy or limited to our own understanding. We interact with people every day, and we have no idea what their personal battles are.”
“OK, calm down there, superwoman. I don’t think we’re supposed to know all that. We couldn’t handle it. We can only take care of what’s put in front of us.”
“But I just woke up with a bad feeling. Something isn’t right. I thought Shanar was here, but he’s not. But just because he’s not here, doesn’t mean he’s not nearby and tormenting someone I care about.”
“Stop.” Muffled sounds rattled in my ear as Deacon moved around—and probably dropped his phone a time or two. “Listen to me. You need to get some sleep. You’ve already made your choice to stay alive and work for the Creator. You can’t do anything else. We’ll never understand this thing we’re caught in, but it’s happening. We have to roll with it and do our best.”
“That was easier before I knew how big it all is.”
“Girl, you’re gonna have to pull yourself together now. You’ve always known how big it is. It’s just that you did it for so long alone with Shanar, it seemed small and normal to you. The rest of the world’s been either self-destructing or getting stronger as usual, depending on who you ask. We’re not the first Warriors to be called. We won’t be the last.”
“You’re sure there are more of us.”
“Get. A. Grip. Yes, there are more of us. Many more of us. Not only that, I believe there are twice as many of all the others Sebastian talked about. The Guardians and the Protectors.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because I think the Guardians and the Protectors do a lot of work before we’re ever involved. I think they solve a lot of problems before we’re aware. I think the kind of battles we have to fight are at the point of no return. Busting out of those gym doors was big-time Warrior stuff. It’s what we were built for. It’s why we survived. We’re for the last resort battles. And the even bigger guns like the Enforcer Sebastian? That’s our backup.”
My thoughts continued to scatter. I couldn’t pull them all back fast enough. Why did it feel so out of control? Being on the front line for a last resort battle seemed like a lost cause situation that could kill me.
“You’re right, Deac, I know you’re right. It’s been a confusing and upsetting night, that’s all. Sometimes it all creeps up and startles me all over again.”
“No worries. We all have our ups and downs with it. That’s why it’s so important we stick together. Now tell me about Jacob and then try to sleep, OK?”
“Yeah… You know how when we discovered our abilities and started talking about them, we also discovered we all had interesting backstories?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I know Jacob’s backstory now. I understand where he came from, and I can see how he’s been gifted to protect people. He’s been protecting me—and us—since we met him.”
“A lot of people have interesting history. That doesn’t make them heroes for the Creator.”
“Well, it doesn’t make them bad guys for the Destroyer either. In fact, I think there are a lot of good people who have come from bad situations and have turned it around for good. Not only that, I think there are truly good people. And Jacob is one of them.”
“Are you lightheaded from kissing on that muscle head half the night?”
“That is definitely not what we were doing. We haven’t… uh…”
“So, the jock has no game.”
“There are deeper things going on here than making out.”
“There’s always time to make out.”
“Should I ask Claire Cannon about how lightheaded she is from making out with you?”
“This is me hitting end.”
“I don’t want to die, Deac.”
“Awww, Mary, who said anything about dying?”
“This whole thing is getting bigger and more out of our control. That fire was next-level evil.”
“Yes, things are getting more intense, but Sebastian warned us about that. We’re OK as long as we rely on our help. That’s why I have so much trouble trusting Jacob or any new person who comes along and looks too good to be true. I have to be sure someone has my back in a fight.”
“The Creator has your back, Sebastian has your back, and I have your back.”
“And we all have yours. No Warrior is dying on our watch.”
“But death snuck up on me once, Deac. It almost had me.”
“No worries, Warrior. Death can’t sneak up twice on the girl who refused to die.”
Chapter 33
Ivy
The weeks became a blur.
With Thanksgiving so late in the month, it was already December when we went back to school after the break. Finals took the bulk of our time, and long study sessions with students we didn’t know well took away from our Warrior visits. Then, all that was left was as much dog walking, pressure washing, and babysitting time we could all squeeze in before Christmas and our ski trip.
On Christmas Eve morning, I met Scout at his house to finish filling gallon-sized bags of necessities for people on the street and in shelters. I was going to go with him and his grandparents to hand them out that afternoon.
And I had to walk some dogs and tend to some cats for apartment complex people who were out of town…
And spend some quality time with my mom and Aunt Connie…
And pack for the ski trip…
And how was I going to get it all done?
I snuck past Scout as he came down the stairs, and hit the light in the pantry. It was the fastest place I could find to hide his Christmas gift.
It wasn’t like it was small either. I had to put it in a giant Santa Claus handle bag. My mom went a little crazy with the tissue paper.
There may have been too much glitter on Santa’s beard.
Scout was waiting for me as I stepped back out into the kitchen.
“Whatcha doin’ in there?”
“Umm…saltines?”
“No. You don’t eat those. Cardboard and sodium, remember? Your words.”
“Pretzels?”
“Try again.”
“Yeah. I got nothin’. Stay out of the pantry.”
“OK.” He gathered me in one of his tentative friend-zone-like hugs. “Happy Christmas Eve.”
I gave him the usual awkward squeeze-n-pat thing.
Then I tried not to strangle him when he walked away—even though he’d gotten new cologne or soap or fancy-guy, mountain-breeze body spray or something and smelled so, soooo good.
But ser-i-ous-ly?
What did a girl have to do to get a real kiss from a guy?
I’d had enough. I knew for a fact Scout did not think of me as only a friend. He just didn’t. He couldn’t. I’d caught him looking at me certain ways. Nothing rude, sometimes goofy—like a dog looked at an empty bowl—but never disrespectful.
And there’s no way I was that dumb or oblivious.
All the signs were there. He just didn’t freakin’ kiss me!
“We’re all in the dining room,” his grandpa said.
I joined Scout and his grandparents and a few other people who were circled around the large table with piles of supplies.
Scout handed me a bag. “Every bag gets a pair of warm socks, packets of antibiotic stuff, bandages, a protein bar, a toothbrush, toothpaste… You get the idea.”
I joined the assembly line and glanced around the room.
Scout’s grandma paused with a candy cane in the air. “What’s the matter, hon?�
�
“Nothing. I was just wondering if there was anything for the little kids.”
“Not yet, but we did get a late donation check and were wondering what to do with it. You and Scout can run in the supercenter on the way out and grab some coloring books and crayons or maybe some puzzles or card games to hand out at the women’s shelter. They can use everything.”
“Sure. That’d be great.”
I remembered a time me and my mom had been a few dollars away from going to a shelter. There were some rough days before she got her meds regulated and Aunt Connie had to step in. Again. I couldn’t imagine ever going back. I’d been almost homeless, but wound up in private school with good grades, friends, and basic necessities.
And suddenly, I was a Warrior. Somehow, that gave me a sense of added responsibility.
I wanted to help, and I enjoyed it.
“That’s a darling sweater, hon. Did you get it for Christmas?”
I glanced at the basic, but festive, red V-neck. “No, ma’am, I found it in my Aunt Connie’s closet.”
“Well, it’s lovely on you.”
Scout’s grandpa nearly knocked him off his feet when he accidentally bumped into him. “Yeah, Scout. Sweater,” he whispered way too loud and pointed at the neckline.
I don’t know who turned redder. Me, Scout—or Grandpa.
“Yeah, that’s a great sweater,” Scout squeaked out. “It’s red.”
It became painfully obvious I wasn’t the only one who thought Scout needed help in the passion department. Did everyone know how ridiculously lame and innocent our romantic relationship was? No wonder his grandparents never seemed to worry about us being alone upstairs in the rec room. We were as far away from hooking up as we were from the North Pole.
I stood there and tried to let the heat of embarrassment fade from my cheeks.
But I’d already lost my place in the baggie brigade and had to stop and check every one I’d stuffed for toothpaste.
Scout’s grandma sent me a wink and a smile.
Some other old guy I didn’t even know wiggled his eyebrows at me.
“OK, that’s enough.” Scout dropped another pile of socks on the table. “Ivy and I have something to discuss.” He yanked me by the hand and dragged me toward the door.
I kinda liked take-command Scout.
He paused at the entry and looked around. “We’ll be in the pantry. Leave us alone.”
They laughed and snickered behind us, and I forgot all about the gift in there.
He pulled me inside and closed the door.
I wrenched my hand away. “Really, Scout? The pantry? This whole big house, and you drag me in the pantry?”
“I choked. They’re making me nuts, and I remembered you were just hiding in here yourself a minute ago…”
I looked all around though I’d been in there a hundred times gathering snack food for Scout and the others. “It’s fine. It’s a nice big pantry. But uh… Why are we here?”
Scout leaned in and cupped the left side of my face in his hand. “Glitter,” he said and grazed the pad of this thumb across my cheek. “This piece of glitter has been flashing at me like a Vegas marquee since you stepped out of here earlier, and I didn’t want it to get in your eye.”
Breathless, I backed into the shelf. “Oh. Thank you.”
A tower of sugar-free gelatin boxes tumbled to the floor.
Stupid gelatin.
Stupid glittery Santa bag.
Stupid Scout for being so close with that new body spray…
He pressed closer, and by the time he had his other hand on my face, his lips had already gloriously collided with mine. Not in a messy, awkward, hesitant way. More like a soft and perfect, confident, just-right way.
It was a Christmas miracle.
In a walk-in pantry.
He rested his forehead against mine—after a while. “Sorry. I didn’t want to do this here. I had this whole thing planned and wanted to give you your gift later, but then those twisted old maniacs out there and the sweater… I couldn’t wait another minute to kiss you.”
I pushed him back as far as the pantry would allow. “Hold on. You couldn’t wait another minute to kiss me?” I punched him in the arm.
“Ouch! What was that for?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I’ve been waiting for over a year for you to make the first move, and all of a sudden you can’t wait another minute and have to drag me into a pantry on Christmas Eve? What changed? I was beginning to think you didn’t want to kiss me. Or would ever want to kiss me. One minute I think we’re this big thing, and the next you’re shoving me in or out the door when we say goodnight. Do you know what your mixed signals have done to my already busy brain? And don’t even get me started on those times you kissed me on the cheek or patted my arm!”
As usual, he waited for me to stop my rant.
“First of all, we are a big thing. A huge thing. We’re the only thing.”
That sent me back to breathless and wobbly.
“Secondly, we’ve had a long, super-weird year. I knew with the way I felt about you, I couldn’t just kiss you like it was some casual hook-up. I knew once I started kissing you, I wouldn’t be able to stop. And with all the exciting and confusing Warrior stuff, and fires, and ski trips, and your supernatural psychic-like abilities…” He grabbed me by my shoulders. “I didn’t want to mess with your thoughts. I wanted to be sure you were sure.”
“Scout, you are way too wise and too good for this world.”
“And see? That’s another thing. My great-grandmother used to call me an old soul. A very old soul—if you understand and believe that stuff. And I don’t know anything except that I know this isn’t typical teenage stuff. In my head we’ve already been married for fifty years, and no guy my age is supposed to feel this way or say this stupid stuff.”
“It’s not stupid.”
“It kinda is, Ivy, but I can’t explain the way our bond feels to me.”
“It’s not stupid, Scout, because we’re not normal teenagers. I don’t know what we are, but we don’t interact in the world like others do. I don’t know what to do with all the feelings either.” I wrapped my arms around him and pressed my lips near his ear. “I just wanted you to kiss me,” I whispered.
It wasn’t long before he pressed his fingers into my waist and stepped away—and onto a box of bowtie pasta and a bag of egg noodles he knocked down when I punched him.
“Right,” he said. “But just so you know, all this kissing and ear-whispering, and hugging… Well, I won’t be able to leave the house much.”
I literally laughed out loud. Like laughed so hard and fast I lost my breath. “Stop it.”
“No. I’m a gentleman. I need to stand over here in the corner a while.”
“We’ll get through it, Scout.”
A sharp knock on the door startled us both.
“You OK in there?” His grandpa asked. “We’re going to leave in twenty.”
“We’ll be out in a minute,” Scout barked.
“OK, OK, just letting you know.”
I put my hand on the doorknob. “Um… thank you for dragging me into the pantry. It’s cleared up a lot of things.”
“Don’t go.”
I raised my eyebrows toward the door. “You know they’re all standing out there.”
“Yeah, I don’t care. I want to go ahead and give you your Christmas present.”
“OK.” I tapped the giant bag on the floor with the toe of my boot. “I guess I could give you yours too. I wish I could have taken it on the ski trip with us. I imagined us sitting around the fire and watching it snow and you opening it, but it’s too big to lug on a trip.”
“OK, then. You go first. Have a seat with me.”
“We’re in a pantry.”
“Over here at the end. This spot used to house fifty-pound bags of dog food and a step stool. We’ll fit.”
We scrunched against the wall and stretched out our legs as I tugged the giant bag toward
us. “I hope this is OK.”
“Why wouldn’t it be OK?”
“It just might not be.”
Scout pulled the thick, twelve-by-twelve album from the bag. He moved his fingers across the lettering under the plastic cover. “You made me a scrapbook.” He opened it. “Of my family…”
“Yeah, I did. I talked to your grandma about that stack of pictures up there. Seemed more and more of them fell off the shelf every time I came by. She said she always wanted to put them in a photo album for you, and I asked her if she thought it’d be OK if I made a scrapbook.”
“She knew about this?”
“She helped me. When I saw a couple photos of you all someplace like Disneyworld, she’d try to pin down the dates, or give me a better picture from her collection. I documented everything the best I could. It’s chronological. I think it helped your grandma too.”
He flipped to a Christmas page and traced the reindeer and candy cane stickers that decorated the edges. “This was a couple of years ago. We got new phones and video games.”
“It’s a good memory, Scout.”
He turned past Cub Scout camp and his parents’ anniversary party. He smoothed pages and touched tiny 3-D charms that dangled on ribboned birthday packages until his eyes welled with tears.”
“OK.” I tried to close and take the book. “You can do this in small doses. I thought it might help you when you want to remember good times. And we can make more pages and more scrapbooks. Anything that would bring you comfort.”
It took him a while to speak.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “It was too much. Your grandma said it was time. We were wrong.”
“No, Ivy. It’s perfect. I can’t believe you did this for me.”
“I would do anything for you, Scout.”
He paused and lifted up to reach behind a box of corn flakes. “This is for you.”
“Are you serious? You had my Christmas gift hidden in the pantry? How could you have known we’d end up in here?”
He shrugged. “I didn’t. I put it there for later so I didn’t have to run back upstairs if the moment struck to take you for a romantic walk in the park or something.”
I turned the small, wooden box in my hand. The silver hinges and tiny clasp were already an interesting gift. I found the snowflake necklace tucked inside on black velvet. “Scout, this is beautiful…” I tugged the chain loose. “But it looks like it was too much. It looks antique or something.”