"Yay!" and Chrystal left the dressing room.
**********
Two and a half hours later, the girls were sitting in the food court, surrounded by twelve big bags and five small ones. Chrystal had insisted on accessories. She also took Savannah to get makeup on. To satisfy her new friend, she bought one of the lipsticks that didn't look too bad. She couldn't believe the flip that her life had made. If someone had told her a month ago that she would have access to an unlimited credit card, she would have probably laughed at them and dismissed them for crazy. Not that long ago, she was a common thief who made a little money with homemade candles. That money was saved for the most important things, like a good pair of hiking boots.
Now, sipping her smoothie, she looked around at the expensive and frivolous haul, feeling guilty and dirty. She hadn't been able to visit Tyana and her son, Jacob, this morning. Standing up to Eamon was hard enough, but impossible when he thought she might be in danger. He thought that the market was too close to the library, and with her mother just coming out of her vision, she was lucky to get to the mall.
"What's in this?" she asked Chrystal. It tasted delicious. A mixture of hot food smells were swirling around her. She was glad that Chrystal knew how to navigate the food court because her taste buds couldn't make up their mind-- pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, sweet and sour chicken. Coupled with the brightly colored signs, it made her head swim.
"It said strawberry banana. I know they put other stuff in it, though, cause it's an absolute mess when you just put strawberries and a banana in the blender at home," laughed Chrystal.
Savannah smiled at the thought of Chrystal trying to duplicate the drink. She grabbed another cheesy fry and leaned back in her chair. There were hundreds of people at the mall today, yet she felt a lot more relaxed than the last time she had been here.
"It's nice to see you finally loosening your muscles," said Chrystal.
Laughing, Savannah said, "I've never done this before. I wasn't sure what to expect."
"No. You don't say!" Chrystal said, with mock surprise, fluttering her hand to her mouth for effect.
"It was fun. A little bumpy at first, but I can honestly say that you are the first girl I've been around for a long time. Aside from my mother, that is," said Savannah.
"Your mother? Is she a Morphling too?" Chrystal asked.
This stopped Savannah short. It was an innocent question, and Savannah knew what she was supposed to say. But she had grown to like Chrystal. She was fun and free, so many things that Savannah wasn't. She didn't want to lie.
"Umm, yeah! I mean, so was my dad," Savannah said. She looked down and played with the straw in the clear plastic cup.
"Okay...So, what was New York like? I've always wanted to go. People make it sound really exciting!" asked Chrystal.
"Umm-" started Savannah. Then her phone started buzzing and making the weird music that she had grown to hate. Reaching into her new dark purple cloth purse, she rummaged around looking for it.
"We should really change your ringtone," said Chrystal, scrunching up her face. "That one is bound to drive everyone crazy!"
Finally finding the phone, she saw Eamon's picture on it. She pressed the green flashing light and put the box next to her ear as he had shown her.
"Savannah?!" His voice came over loud and clear.
"Hi, Eamon," she said.
"We are coming to get you now. Be in the front of the mall waiting in fifteen minutes!" he said.
Panic filled Savannah. She could hear the concern in his voice, and it was unnerving. He had also said, 'we'. Her mother had hardly left the apartment since she had arrived, and never in the day, when people could possibly identify her. It was hard enough for Eamon to leave during the day. He had to cover at least ninety percent of himself with clothing just to take her to the mall today. What was so important that they would both come?
"What about Momma?" she asked. She could feel her muscles tensing up again.
"I have her with me. Please be out front," he said, before disconnecting the call.
With wide eyes, she looked up at Chrystal, who was looking back at her with curiosity.
"So, who's Savannah?" Chrystal asked, leaning back and crossing her arms.
Evading the question, Savannah said, "Chrystal, we need to leave. Eamon is going to be out front in a few minutes." Standing up, she looked at all of the bags around them and bent to gather them up.
"What? Why?" said Chrystal.
"I don't know; he didn't say. I just know that it must be important," said Savannah.
Chrystal got up to throw away their trash. Coming back to help Joleen with the bags, she realized that the girl was right. Eamon hated going out in the sun; he probably would have left them in the mall until dusk if he had a choice. Peering at Joleen, the girl wrapped in a mystery, she wondered what was going on. She first met the girl when she started at the high school, but Chrystal knew that she had something to do with Samuel's and Harry's disappearance a few weeks back. She definitely wasn't a normal teenage girl. Chrystal could sense that she was dangerous but in more of a defensive way. She couldn't fathom what Joleen had been through to make her so quiet and lost. To top it off, the most eligible serial bachelor suddenly had a family. She didn't care how much paperwork there was to prove it, she was sure that something weird was going on. Unfortunately, anytime that she asked Harry about it, he dodged her questions.
The girls quickly picked up Chrystal's dress. The store owner was an elderly woman who tailored the dresses herself. After they left, they had about five minutes before Eamon and Lanie were supposed to show up. Grabbing a cart from a nearby store, Chrystal and Savannah shoved the bags in and took off running for the entrance, trying as hard as they could not to knock over anyone. By the time they got there, Eamon and Lanie were idling at the curb in his limo. Chrystal looked over at Savannah, and Savannah just shrugged and got in the back.
**********
Scooting in and dumping the bags on the floor, Savannah crawled her way to the barrier window. "What is going on?" she asked.
Eamon looked in the rear-view mirror at Chrystal and said, "Later! Let's get your friend home, and then we will explain everything."
"Oh, come on! I wanna know," Chrystal whined from over Savannah's shoulder.
Savannah fell to the side in surprise. She didn't know that Chrystal was so close. Struggling to gain her grip as the car lurched forward, she sent Chrystal a deadly glare. As much fun as she found herself having, the girl was too nosy.
"Are you Chrystal?" Lanie asked, turning herself around in the front seat. "Savannah's new friend? It is so nice to meet you!" she said, extending her hand.
Savannah did a hard facepalm as she heard Eamon groan from the front seat. Dragging her palm down her face, she caught Chrystal staring at her with a quirked eyebrow.
"Savannah?" Chrystal said, in a joking accusatory tone. She turned back to Lanie, "Yes, I am! It is nice to meet you, too! Your hair color is beautiful! I've never seen a Morphling sport that before."
"That's because I'm a Kite, dear," Lanie said, shaking Chrystal's hand.
Shock and understanding slammed into Chrystal. She knew that Savannah was a Morphling, but if her mother was a Kite? No wonder she gave out the name Joleen. Looking back at the mystery girl, she saw Savannah slam her head into the back of the seat.
"Lanie!-" "Momma-" Eamon and Savannah said simultaneously, hoping to get her to stop talking.
"What? Samuel and Harry know, and that was when they first met Savvy," argued Lanie.
"Wait! Harry knows? Ooh, he is in so much trouble," grumbled Chrystal.
"Yes! They found out," Eamon said to Lanie. "And yes, they are in more trouble than you know, my dear," he said, glancing back at Chrystal. "Trust me when I say that it's better that you don't know."
"Yes, that is probably true," said Lanie. "I'm sorry, I was just so excited that Savvy finally has a girlfriend."
Savannah rolled her eyes as Chrystal plopped d
own next to her.
"So...Savannah?" started Chrystal.
"Yeah..." she sighed.
"Are you the young Kite that everyone has been talking about? The one who can kill a Siphon?" Chrystal asked. She leaned forward, staring at this girl.
"That's me," Savannah said, sourly.
"I'm also guessing that your last name isn't Thomson," said Chrystal.
"Nope. It's Embers," said Savannah.
"And all that stuff in the woods? Harry was a part of that?!" Chrystal asked, her eyes growing wide again.
Savannah nodded, "And Samuel." She lolled her head to face Chrystal. "I get it if you don't want to be my friend anymore, but please don't tell anyone."
"Are you kidding?! This is awesome!" Chrystal exclaimed, excitedly. "I was afraid you would turn out just like those other boring girls at school. This is way better!"
Looking at her with a newfound curiosity, Savannah asked, "You and Harry, you are really two peas in a pod, aren't you?"
"Better believe it!" Chrystal said. "Harry and I have been together for...well, I'm not sure how long. It seems like forever. We started out as cubs together in the same pack. But then one day, a spark happened. Now, I can't imagine my life without him," she said, with a dopey grin on her face.
"That must be really nice," said Savannah, smiling.
"It is! It's comfortable, but not boring. Not that Harry could be boring," chuckled Chrystal. Rubbing her hand over the smooth soft leather, she looked around the back of the limo. It was posh! Aside from clothes spilling out of the shopping bags all over the place, it was the nicest ride she'd ever had. Maybe she could try to talk Eamon into giving them a ride for prom. "Is that a flat screen TV?" she asked, pointing to the corner opposite them.
"Umm, I guess so," said Savannah, unsure. She knew the apartment had TVs, but she hadn't watched one since she was ten.
Quirking her eyebrow at Savannah, Chrystal asked, "Where do you come from? I know it's not New York, and I know that you haven't known Samuel and Harry long. I've known them my whole life and never heard of you. Those boys tell me everything, and until the last couple of weeks, they never left anything out. Trust me! It's like they go for gross factor or something."
Savannah chuckled, remembering the first couple of encounters that she had with the boys. She had to agree with Chrystal. Gazing out the window, she tried to decide how to respond. Just because Chrystal knew a few things, that didn't mean that she needed to know everything. Something that had been tickling her brain finally surfaced. Grappling to get to the barrier window, she shouted out, "What do you mean the boys are in a lot of trouble?" Trying to think, she added, "You mean more trouble than before?"
Eamon glanced over his shoulder. He hadn't told Savannah of his fears for her friends. "Your mother had a vision about them," he said solemnly. "It seems that the Vampires that you let go shared their names in hopes that the Siphons would spare them." Sighing deeply, he added, "They were not spared."
Fury and fear wracked Savannah's insides. Why did she let them go? She knew why. When it came down to it, she wasn't a killer. Killing the Siphons was in self-defense, and even using her Morphling powers, she was sure that she was a clumsy hunter. Eamon just always got there before she knew whether or not she had killed the animal. Thumping sounded in her ears as she felt her body heat up.
Chrystal screamed as she watched the small girl next to her catch fire. Pressing her body as far into the seat as she could, she watched the flames licking off Savannah's skin. It was almost as if she couldn't feel it. Was it coming from her? There was a red hazy glow that the flames seemed to be making. In awe, Chrystal reached out to touch it, but Eamon had reached back, grabbed her hand, and shook his head. She turned to the flames that were spreading to the carpet instead and worked on stomping them out.
"Savannah! Calm down!" Eamon said firmly. He was desperately trying to find a place to pull over, but they were crossing a large four-lane bridge.
Savannah heard a scream and Eamon trying to talk to her. Suddenly, she felt a calming touch on her shoulder, and her body began to cool back down. Looking at her right shoulder, she saw her mother's hand, then she heard her voice, "Calm down, Savvy. We are going there after we drop off Chrystal."
With her temperature back to normal, she nodded and wiped the tears off her face that she didn't even know she had shed. Her friends-- they were in trouble because of her. Because they helped her. Sitting back down, she turned to Chrystal, "You still sure you wanna be my friend?"
Chrystal waved her off and made her way to the barrier window. "If the boys are in trouble, you are not dropping me off first. I am coming with you!"
Shaking his head, Eamon said, "I don't think that is a good idea. We are not sure what we will find when we get there. Even if everything is safe, I think they will be less overwhelmed with fewer people."
"Mr. Thomson! Harry and I belong to a pack, and Samuel's family might as well be in it. Fewer numbers are less comfortable for us. You are going to need me if you want those families to give you the time of day when you have these two with you," she said, cocking her head towards Lanie and Savannah. "They aren't exactly welcome in the neighborhood after what happened," argued Chrystal.
Thinking about it, Eamon nodded. The girl might be right. Werewolves tended to be very loyal to each other. And while he had always been welcome, he had remained an outsider. "Very well," he said. He pulled into the nearest driveway and did a three-point turn. Samuel and Harry didn't live too far from there.
Chrystal relaxed and sat back in the seat. Turning to Savannah, she said, "And enough of this 'do I wanna be your friend' nonsense. We werewolves make friends for life. Once we make a connection with someone, it stays connected. Face it! You're stuck with me."
Savannah smiled and choked back the tears that threatened to break through again. No one had ever been so adamant about a friendship with her before. Sniffling, she blinked her eyes and held back the new emotion.
Chapter 5
Savannah found herself sitting on the floor of the Bledig's living room, next to Chrystal. In their home, unless you were considered an adult by the pack, you sat on the floor. Unfortunately, it looked like the floor had a run-in with a dumpster. There was no trash, but the amount of stains embedded in the carpet was astonishing. Almost no trace of the original color of the fibers remained. For once, Savannah longed for her old raggedy dress to wear. The plaid skirt she was wearing gave her no confidence that she wasn't showing her bits off to everyone, and she wasn't looking forward to washing it. Touching the floor gingerly, Savannah was sure that she had sat in something sticky.
Chrystal leaned over and whispered, "She carpet cleaned it two days ago; the stains are just stubborn. Our parents never replace the carpet until the last kid has left the house. The Accalias, three doors down, were in their sixties before their last kid left."
Looking at her sideways, Savannah said, "It's okay; I've been in much worse." Which was true. She was sure that the stream that she used to bathe in was filthier than this floor. Looking up at her mother and Eamon, she realized that the couch they were sitting on resembled the floor. She knew that it was still probably more comfortable than the moldy old couch from the cabin. There was a musty smell about the place, mixed with Glade candles and Hi-C. All in all, it wasn't too bad. It was definitely a well-loved home.
In the center of the large rectangular living room was a circular coffee table. On all four walls was sitting-type furniture. Nothing matched. It looked as though everything was either donated to the family or they loved garage sales. Even the walls were painted different colors, as though Harry's parents couldn't decide on a color scheme. At the end of the living room was an arch that led into an area that was probably meant for dining. Instead, there was a modest metal desk covered with paper. Savannah could see the screen of a computer sticking out of the pile.
"Harry and the cubs will be home in about ten minutes," Betty, Harry's mom, called from the kitchen, which was beyond
her office. She had decided to break out the wine and the lemonade. Eamon didn't come to visit often, and when he did, he usually came with updates from Arc Sanctum. She felt unnerved, to say the least, that he brought Lanie and Savannah to their house. She could feel the wolf side of her growling when her eyes rested on the strangers. Rob, her husband, was fulfilling his Beta duties for the pack, and wouldn't be back for at least another twenty minutes.
Frowning, Betty grumbled to herself at the day's turn of events. It had started out great. Harry had actually offered to take the cubs to the movies. It was a rare moment that she got to sit down and listen to the silence. Now, her house had strangers in it, and the only one that she really trusted was Chrystal. She wondered if her son's mate knew that these two were the reason that Harry disappeared a little while ago.
To a point, she was grateful for his friendship with Savannah. He found her dangerous and exciting, so to be around her, he started going to school. He acted as if they were in a secret club and were making nefarious plans. For all Betty knew, they were. Nothing she could do about that; she had decided to leave that up to Eamon to take care of. But her son was finally going to school, and since he was so good at taking tests, she had gotten a hopeful call yesterday. There was a good chance of his graduating now. She knew the Alpha was waiting for Harry to graduate, so they could integrate him into his position for the pack. He was nineteen, and a little old, but the pack was patient. She had hopes for college when he was younger. But like most Supernaturals, he got bored with school. Now, he was destined for a life of construction work for the pack's business.
Betty brought out the wine and lemonade and set it on the circular table along with plastic cups and wine glasses. She poured drinks for everyone and filled her own wine to the brim. With a stern face, she eyed Eamon.
"Out with it, Eamon," she said, taking a rather large gulp of the dry red liquid.
Nodding, Eamon realized that it might not be such a bad idea to talk to Betty before the others got home.
Illuminated Embers Page 5