“Just be careful today. I kinda like you, so please don't do anything stupid.” he pleaded, his face a little red from embarrassment and a flicker of worry.
“Why would I be doing that?” I countered and laughed it off. “I have to go. See you when I get back, Daniel,” blowing him a little kiss as I left.
Once Rick reluctantly agreed to let me go, it had been his mission to fit me up with an entire protection detail. He had me strip searched before we went in the car, made me swallow a tracker, stuck a mic under my bra and I was flanked by three security guards, one of them being a Sensorian. Not seen her before. She was called Irena and was an imposing woman with a slight Eastern European accent. Her voice was reassuring and she emitted a natural sense of calm.
Despite the blindfold I was able to pick up where we were driving as I had manoeuvred myself close to Irena, and was able to tap into her eyes regularly. I knew exactly where we were and couldn't wait to let Zack know the next time I had access to a phone. I hoped it wouldn't be too long.
I spotted my mum immediately on arrival. She was nervously waiting by the entrance door and I couldn't help myself from sprinting towards her, the three guards trotting alongside me. It must have been quite a sight. My mum's eyes spoke volumes. She knew something was up but I didn't give her any time to react or say something. I threw my arms around her and smothered her with my body.
“I've missed you so much,” I sobbed.
After a few minutes she pushed me gently away from her and looked me over with concerned eyes.
“What's all this?” she exclaimed as she waved her arms around wildly at the guards around me.
“What?” I joked, looking quasi confused. But mum gave me a withering look. She wasn't in the mood for jokes.
“Long story; I'm staying with dad for a bit. It's all fine though. Don't worry. I'll let you know more when I can.” I felt her whole body go cold. She wasn't taking it well. “Mum. I'm safe. Really. It's complicated, but I'm fine. Let's go and get my results,” I tried moving on. Mum wasn't buying it. I felt her worry and fear coursing through my body. I had to shield or it would cripple me.
“But...,” she tried again.
“No Mum. Leave it. Please,” I implored and finally she sighed, shrugged her shoulders and started walking to the hall where the envelope with my results was waiting for me.
CHAPTER 31
Zaphire
I could smell her before I saw her. Flowery, with a hint of patchouli, so fabulously sexy. I nearly stopped breathing. My Eliza, diminutive but looking determined and strong, exactly how I remembered her. I love her so much. She hadn't picked up my scent yet as she was shielding heavily from her mother's emotions, making her less alert. Maybe that was just as well. It gave me a chance to work out a plan. Part of me was scared she didn't want to see me at all and may try to avoid me if she was aware of my presence. I kept my distance, just in case.
I noticed the three guards who kept close contact to her. It was going to be damned difficult to get anywhere near her. Then I picked up another complication. The unmistakably scent of my brother. I spotted him, brazenly moving within the crowds of students and parents with the distinct ease of a Sensorian. How had he managed to convince Markus to be working the field on his own? Maybe Vivian was here too, but I couldn't trace her at the moment. Unless he was doing it secretly. I better keep out of his way, even though I was under no illusion he wouldn't have picked up my scent. We were super aware of each other. He knew. Nevertheless, I stayed hidden behind the huge pillars in the lobby trying not to interfere with whatever he was trying to achieve. I'd made him angry enough as it was.
About ten minutes later I heard Eliza and Alice approaching. Eliza sounded pleased and excited. She must have done well in her exams. Alice was proud and exuberant. For a moment I forgot why I was here and could barely stop the impulse to run towards Eliza and congratulate her. I was brought to my senses when I heard other excited voices calling Eliza's name. It was Bella and a group of her school mates enthusiastically running towards them. The next few minutes were filled with high pitched squeals, hugs and kisses and some berating by Bella as to why Eliza hadn't let them know she was going to be there. I felt Eliza's stress levels rising, but Alice came to the rescue with some half arsed excuses of 'being busy' and 'last minute arrangements'.
I gathered myself and waited for their next move. I overheard them planning to grab a drink at the school's canteen so I hurried over there and hid in the nearby toilets. I didn't really need to see them to keep track. I could hear and smell them anyway, even over the typical school loo's odours. I hoped she would take herself to the toilet at some point so that I'd get a chance to speak to her. I didn't have to wait too long. I heard everyone going their separate ways after meeting up in the canteen and soon after I sensed her presence getting closer and her scent becoming strong. I quickly stood on one of the toilets in one of the cubicles, just in case she wasn't alone. I heard the door open and her footsteps approaching. My heart beat wildly. She knew I was there. She stopped. I heard her breath falter.
“Where are you?” she mouthed, barely any sound leaving her lips and rustling a piece of paper or something at the same time to cover the sound, but I picked it up.
“Cubicle three,” I mouthed back, safe in the knowledge she'd hear it.
In less than a second she stood in front of me. I jumped down from the loo, grabbed her face and kissed her passionately. She returned my kiss feverishly but after a second or two she pulled back. I heard someone approach and a look of panic raced over Eliza's face. Before I knew anything I was on the floor, Eliza sitting on top of me with my arms yanked back.
“Irena!”
A woman appeared immediately. She must have been the person entering seconds ago. Eliza hauled me up to my feet but she held onto my arms, pushing them up so I could hardly stand straight.
“I thought I smelt another Sensorian!” the woman growled. Her face inches away from mine, I could feel her spit spraying on me. Gross.
“What are you doing Eliza. Get the hell off me!” I yelled and kicked back violently. Her iron grip didn't loosen at all. We trained her well. “Who's this bitch!” I nodded aggressively towards the woman she'd called Irena. She was a Sensorian but not one I knew or recognised the scent of at all. I caught sight of Eliza's eyes in the mirror. They were like ice. Her face determined and distant, nothing left of the seconds of passion only moments earlier. My blood ran cold. Her voice came sharp as a knife.
“Shut up.”
She pushed me forwards for Irena to take over. The woman held my arms tightly. It hurt. I felt a gun push into my back. Christ! This was serious.
“Take her to the car but wait until I've rejoined mum. I don't want her to see Zaphire,” she ordered and Irena nodded.
“You go see Alice. I'll update the men.”
What the hell was going on? It looked like Eliza was in charge. Maybe I'd been wrong about her all along and she had actually turned and betrayed us. Everything was pointing that way but I still detected something off in her manner which gave me a little bit of hope. The dark look she threw me on her way out did nothing to confirm that though.
CHAPTER 32
Eliza
Bloody hell. I'd acted completely on instinct and as soon as the adrenaline had ebbed away, I had no clue as to how to handle the consequences of what I'd done. I hoped the mic hadn't picked up our kiss. It could blow my cover or, at the very least, it would need a lot of explaining. Why did Irena have to come into that toilet just at that moment. It had ruined everything. I could have tried giving Zaphy some sort of message, even though it would have confused her. She would have listened, she clearly still loved me. But it had all gone horribly wrong; she probably hated me now.
Zaphire's look of shock and hurt at my perceived betrayal had been excruciating to endure. I don't know what she'd expected but it clearly wasn't this. Our kiss, brief as it was, had been so passionate and full of longing. I would have given everything
to have had it last longer.
I needed to put it behind me now and concentrate on my mother, pretending nothing had happened only minutes before. My acting skills were being called upon again.
“Hey, sweetheart. I've ordered you another hot chocolate. Come, sit with me. Are you okay? You look all flustered.” she asked, her eyes full of worry.
I felt close to a sensory overload, but I could not afford a meltdown. I started visualising the sea and willing my heartbeat to slow down, to some effect.
“I'm okay, mum. Just a bit overwhelmed with the whole occasion. I can't believe I have officially passed my A levels!” I managed to say fairly confidently. “And seeing all my friends again just made me realise how the decisions I have made will affect me, and what I have had to leave behind.” I added, quite truthfully.
I felt elated to see my friends again, especially Bella, but drained at the same time. I still found it hard to deal with all their unbridled and uncloaked emotions. It was hard work keeping it all together and I realised the choice to live as a Sensorian was probably the only one that I could have made and stayed sane. But that didn't mean I didn't miss my friends and the relatively uncomplicated life I'd lived before.
“Hmmm. You've done amazingly well considering what you've been through. You should be so proud of yourself,” mum mused for a while, but then started grilling me again. “I was expecting Zaphire and Zack to be here?” She stared at me a little too intensely. I tried to avert my eyes but she pulled me up on it.
“Look at me Eliza. What is going on?” she dug a bit further.
I put my hot chocolate back on the table, too hard. The content spilled over.
“We...er...split up, mum. I don't want to talk about it.”
The room went cold. Or at least for me it did. It was as if every soul literally left the building. I glanced up and caught Zaphire's eye as she was ushered past the entrance of the cafe by Irena, just at that very moment. All I could feel was her pain. Her despair. Her glum eyes, bereft of all hope, told me she'd overheard me. I felt sick.
“Oh sweetheart. Please talk to me. You look like you're really hurting, baby. You know I'm here for you, I won't judge.”
Mum's voice was so full of compassion, I wanted to tell her everything. Right there and then. But I couldn't. I had to get out of there, away from mum before I cracked. I had to get back to the house. Work out what to do next, and deal with the consequences of capturing Zaphire in my mad moment of desperation. I slowly shook my head and, without looking at mum, got up and left, the two men in close pursuit. I couldn't even stay to work out how to get a message to Zack. I knew he was here. I caught his scent earlier. The whole thing had been a disaster. Mum's confusion and pain hurt like hell. I needed to put distance between us as quickly as I could, and was grateful to get outside.
Irena was nowhere to be seen and neither was the car we had come in, but then the BMW raced around the corner and screeched to a halt in front of us. I was pushed into the front seat, one of the men piled in the back, leaving the other on the pavement to sort his own transport home out. I caught a glimpse of Zaphire, passed out in the back seat. My heart grew dark. This had not gone to plan at all. I desperately hoped she could forgive me. Once in the car, I was blind folded again. I didn't care. I knew where we were going.
I wasn't expecting the welcoming committee on my arrival back at the house. Rick came up to me and gave me a hug, whilst the car with Zaphire in it sped off.
“You've given me exactly what I need for the next phase of our mission. I'm proud of you. Welcome on board,” he beamed, with Jean-Pierre and Angelique making appreciative noises.
It left me reeling. What the hell had I done?
CHAPTER 33
Zack
Fuck. Something had gone down. The atmosphere was rank. The stench of utter distress, worry, guilt, disbelief and fear all hung heavily in the air. I'd only just come down from my own struggle with my emotions on first glimpsing Eliza earlier. I hadn't counted on them being so raw and fierce. I'd been fooling myself to think I could just switch off my feelings for her. I'd fallen for her and it wasn't just going to go away. It took all my energy to refocus and push the feelings back where they belonged, buried deeply. And now this.
I quickly glanced through the room and just caught a glimpse of Zaphire being pushed past the canteen entrance by a woman who I was sure was a Sensorian, though unknown to me. What the fuck happened to her. A few minutes earlier when I sensed her here, I gave her a mental bollocking. But I never gave her enough credit for her resolve. If Zaphire wanted something she clearly always found a way of doing it. I admired her but was equally furious.
Eliza had clocked Zaph, but I noticed she tried to distract her mum from spotting her. The dynamics between Eliza and Zaphy was puzzling. Eliza knew what was happening to Zaphire and, though I found it hard to believe, I felt she was responsible for it. What the fuck was she up to? Had I been wrong to trust her? I had a moment of doubt as to why I even agreed to her plans, which were against everything I had previously believed in. I would never have gone against the leadership's wishes, or behind Markus' back before I'd met Eliza. She had affected me in more ways than one. I shook the feeling off. She must have had her reasons. I wasn't prepared to think about any other explanation.
I could do with a partner and regretted not being fully honest about my whereabouts today. I hadn't expected anything much to happen. I just thought me being here may have given Eliza a slim chance to make contact. I sensed Eliza knew I was here, but she suddenly got up and left, followed by the two men who had flanked her side all day. Trust my fucking sister to put a spanner in the works. I had told her to leave it. The stubborn woman clearly hadn't listened and now it looked like she was in deep trouble. On top of that she had screwed up my chance to get some more detailed information from Eli, rather than just that garbled text message. Fucking frustrating.
I quickly moved through the cafe, blending in as much as I could with the crowd, trying to get a glimpse of where they had taken Zaphire, but by the time I got to the door, there was no sign of them. I followed Zaphy's scent which was not hard to pick out, heavy with stress and fear, but it came to a dead end. I could just about see Eliza get bundled into a blue BMW and speed off. Just when I focussed in on the number plate, a little girl ran into me and I lost sight of the car.
“Watch your fucking step!” I hissed furiously, making the poor thing scuttle off to hide behind her mum, who threw me an angry glance.
The man who just seconds ago had pushed Eliza into the front seat had also disappeared from sight. Bollocks.
I knew there would have been no point in trying to follow Eliza, even if I had seen where they went. Rick would have prepared for us to be here and he would have taken precautions to prevent anyone from pursuing them. Not only would it be a complete waste of time, it would also alert them and might push them into doing something stupid. I didn't want to be responsible for that. There was nothing for it than to fess up about my little outing to Vivian. I couldn't sit on this. They got my bloody sister and we needed to find her. Eliza better find a fucking way to send me some useful info. And fast.
Back at the compound I headed straight to Vivian who was in her office agitatedly talking on the phone. As soon as I entered she excused herself from the conversation and stared me down.
“What have you done?” she asked in a low threatening voice, moving slowly in my direction. She knew something was up within milliseconds of me entering the room. She was amazing at reading people.
But I was pretty good too, and had sussed out that although she knew I'd done something she wouldn't agree with, she had absolutely no inkling of what it might be.
“Ma'am. I may have showed a little too much initiative today...”
The start of my confession was met with flared nostrils. Not great, but I persevered.
“I decided to check out if Eliza would attend her exam results day at her school. I thought there was only a slim chance that s
he would, so I didn't want to bother anyone else with it. I went on my own. Sorry Ma'am.”
She looked me over, silently. I felt her annoyance rising.
“That's not all though, is it? There's more to this confession as I would bet my arse on it that if you went there, found she wasn't there and returned, I would never have heard of it. Would I?”
Her dark voice rumbled menacingly through my body. I had to shield somewhat. She was absolutely right. I would never have fessed up had it not been completely fucking unavoidable. I didn't quite know how to explain the next bit, without triggering a major outburst.
“Two things happened. I did see Eliza there. She was flanked by three guards, one of which was a Sensorian, but I didn't recognise her scent or appearance at all. Eliza must have picked up my scent but she didn't show it or try to make contact with me. She received her results, met some friends and had a drink with her mother. Then left.”
I paused there. Vivian's eyes trained on mine. I kept my composure; just. Fuck. It was hard.
“And the second thing?” she asked through gritted teeth.
“Okay. So, try and remember that if I hadn't been there we would not have known what I'm going to tell you and we would have been blindsided by it...”
Vivian raised her eyebrows and, I swear, she growled like a bear. Her whole demeanour uncompromising.
“Out with it,” she demanded fiercely.
I took a deep breath to steady myself.
“The room went thick with heightened emotions and I spotted my sister being ushered past the canteen by the Sensorian. Zaphire was in distress and I think I picked up guilt from Eliza. They must have ran into each other or something and somehow Zaph got captured.”
Silence. Pain. I had to shield again. But no shouting. It was Vivian's turn to steady herself.
The Sensorians: Trust Page 12