by Kim Cormack
He added, “By the way if anyone asks if you were there. Just agree. I helped Zach give Kayn a bath because she’d puked all over herself and for some reason he added your name to the list of bath attendants. It just sounds better if a girl’s name is involved in the whole bathing while passed out scenario.”
Lexy shrugged and replied, “No problem.”
Grey held open the door for her and they wandered into the large room that had enormous carafes of cereal, tea, coffee and a large tray of bagels.
Grey grabbed them each a bowl and announced, “Raisin bran, Cornflakes, or Bran flakes?”
“Oh, definitely Raisin Bran,” Lexy answered. She grinned as she watched him pour way too much milk into each of their bowls. They had many little routines as most people that had lived in close quarters for many years did. She grinned, grabbed two styrofoam cups and questioned him on his choice of beverage, “Tea or Coffee?”
“Coffee,” Grey replied as he wandered over to one of the minimalistic metal framed tables in the center of the room and found a seat, placing her cereal bowl directly across the table from where he was seated. She filled the coffee right to the rim of his styrofoam cup just to be a pain in the ass and placed it in front of him without spilling a drop.
When she took her seat with her own coffee in hand, Grey beamed at her and said, “You realize that I had a long night last night helping with vomit duty and I’m also completely hung over. Drinking this coffee without spilling it everywhere is going to be impossible.”
Lexy grinned and sighed as she switched coffee cups with him without spilling a drop and teased, “Is that better sweetie?”
He took a sip of the piping hot coffee, winked at her and sparred, “Much better.”
Lexy’s back was to the door as Grey’s eyes lit up and he waved someone over to the table.
Orin’s voice said, “I’ll be there in a second.”
She was a red head and indeed her freckled skin tone usually came with the ability to blush ten shades darker at a moment’s notice but she’d never been much of a blusher. That wasn’t what she was worried about. She was thinking about how she’d snuck out of his bed telling herself he wouldn’t mind, but what if he had? Lexy prepared herself to see her naughty companion from the night before as she casually sipped from her coffee cup. That had been a seriously mind-blowing experience and she did want to repeat it but they weren’t in love and she’d never had a booty call before so she had no idea what she should say or do in the cold light of day.
Orin sat down beside her and Lexy politely said, “Good morning.”
He grinned as he took a drink of his coffee and replied, “It is, isn’t it?”
What in the hell was she supposed to say back to that? She peered over at him trying to gage his temperament. Orin didn’t seem to be upset. He appeared to be amused by her confusion.
Grey piped in, “Oh, yah. How was your movie night? What did you guys end up watching? I forgot to ask Lexy with all of the drunken drama.”
What was she supposed to say?
Orin answered for her, “We watched a movie and had a couple of beers, it was nice. I was exhausted, and I fell asleep. She was gone when I woke up.”
Lexy smiled at Orin. He hadn’t said a word. She replied, “I didn’t want to wake you so I snuck out. I knew you wouldn’t mind.” Lexy couldn’t resist it as she added, “Did you sleep well?”
“Like a baby,” Orin replied while maintaining a completely innocent straight face.
Markus and Arrianna sat down across the table and Markus said, “Hey, what did you guys end up watching last night? We watched that new Comedy. It was absolutely hilarious.” He glanced at Arrianna and said, “What was it called again?”
Arrianna laughed, “It was the one with the brothers…you know what…I totally can’t remember the name. It was really funny though. I’ll probably remember the name in ten minutes when I’m not trying to think about it.” She laughed and added, “I’ll text it to you later.”
Grey got up to get another coffee. He snagged Lexy’s empty cup from in front of her so he could also refill hers.
Markus repeated his earlier question, “What did you guys end up watching again?”
Orin casually responded, “It was one of those long winded dramas. It turned funny and then super dirty half way through the show.”
Lexy choked on her mouthful of soggy Raisin Bran. Orin gave her a couple of friendly pats on her back, then addressed Arrianna and Markus and added, “We’ll have to watch it again because I guess we both fell asleep last night and missed the ending.”
Lexy could read between the lines on this one. Orin was telling her without having to say the words that he wanted to do it again. She glanced up, and both Markus and Arrianna had that blank morning autopilot thing going on. They had no idea.
Most of their clan showed up and they were looking seriously rough. Kayn and Zach were still missing.
Grey came back to the table, handed Lexy a fresh coffee with a travel lid on it and announced, “We should all take a coffee to go.”
Markus stood up and announced, “Do me a favor Grey. Can you go ask that guy in the window over there if they have any apple pie?”
Grey hopped up, strolled over to the window and started to speak to someone.
The door opened again and there they were. All eyes were on Kayn the second she walked through the door, but they carried on eating and nobody said a word about it. It was more than moderately entertaining to watch Kayn try to choke down some toast.
Once everyone had finished eating, they strolled outside and got into the motorhome that was taking up multiple spots in the parking lot. It was time to go. Lexy scaled the couple of steps as Grey announced, “We’re driving first.”
Lexy quickly stowed her backpack and made her way past the group already seated at the table rifling through the cupboards searching for a board game. She smiled at the group as she passed with her fourth coffee of the day in hand. Lexy got into the passenger seat and Grey was messing around with the radio station.
He glanced at her and whispered, “I think Frost is purposely reprogramming every station I like to something else and hiding all of my CDs.”
Lexy grinned. She could totally see Frost doing that just to piss Grey off every time it was his turn to drive. She sighed and said, “Maybe you left them in the other vehicle?”
“Maybe,” he replied as he rifled around in search of his music, succumbing to the frustration.
She suggested he plug in his cell phone and play the one playlist that wasn’t easily tampered with.
“Good thinking,” Grey said as he plugged in his cell.
They pulled out of the parking lot, and hit the highway. They chatted for a while, talking about life and then as a song came on that they both knew the words to they started to sing. The table behind them joined in. It was beginning to feel normal again. The drama of the Testing and the Summit had passed. After a day of taking turns driving with Grey, Lexy took her seat in the passenger side, with heavy eyes caused by her extracurricular activities the night before. The endless humming of the tires easily lulled her to sleep.
She awoke to her Handler’s voice, “I let you sleep, hun. We’ve already set the site up and the campfire is going. We’re roasting hot dogs.”
Lexy stretched, let out an enormous yawn and made her way to the door of the motorhome. She asked, “Do I have to go find a stick and sharpen it or have you already done it for me because you’re the best friend ever?”
He winked at her draped his arm over her shoulder and preened, “I’m the best friend ever. Of course, I’ve already done one for you but if you want a drink you’ll have to grab one out of the fridge. I didn’t know how much you drank last night so I wasn’t sure what you wanted.”
She grabbed a beer. If she was going to have to sit around a campfire in an awkward situation with Jenna and Orin both there with a straight face she’d need something. Grey opened the door for her and it was already
dark outside. How long had she been asleep? Lexy wandered outside into the fresh air and inhaled the familiar campfire scent. The flickering flames beckoned her towards them. It was just Zach and Lily outside sitting on a log. Where was everyone? Grey handed her a pre-sharpened stick and said, “Frost is out searching for more sticks.”
Lexy offered hers to Lily because she’d been sitting there longer.
Lily smiled at her and said, “I’m not that hungry yet. Frost will bring one back for me too.”
Lexy placed her wiener on the stick and held it over the fire. Grey picked up her beer can and popped it open for her. He passed it to her and she laughed, “Alright, what did you do? Why are you doing everything for me?”
He chuckled and said, “I can’t put anything past you can I? I lost the bet. Melody is off with the others doing a job. Do you want your massage now?”
While she was eating a hotdog? That might be a little to phallic for her present state of mind.
She turned to look at Grey and teased, “Why do you ever bet against me? You never win.”
Zach piped in, “So, let me get this straight. You two make bets for massages. Well, that’s a win, win situation isn’t it?”
She wasn’t sure what he meant by that.
Grey scowled at Zach and said, “It’s not like that.”
Yes, it was. She grinned as she shook her head and started to eat her wiener without a bun.
The door squealed as it opened. Kayn walked down the couple of steps to stand in the gravel.
Lily’s voice ominously announced, “It lives.”
Kayn shook her head.
Lexy smiled at her. She’d better get used to the jokes at least until someone did something crazier.
Grey sweetly said, “If you’d like a beer there’s a six pack in the fridge. Kayn’s eyes widened and she shook her head slowly from side to side. He chuckled, “Didn’t think so.”
Kayn looked around for something to cook her wiener with and Lily motioned towards the bushes. “Frost is out there trying to find one for himself.”
Lexy was mid second wiener roast and wondered if she should offer this one to Kayn. She met Lily’s eyes and she motioned no. She had Frost’s back. It was kind of cute.
Kayn asked, “Where did everybody go?”
Grey chimed in, “They’re on a job.”
Kayn nodded and then took the hint as she ventured off into the overgrown brush by herself in search of a stick to roast a wiener with.
Lexy was watching Grey as he disappeared into the motorhome. He popped his head back out and said, “Do any of you need anything?”
Lily called back, “A bag of chips, pretty please with sugar on top.”
He grinned as the door slammed shut behind him. Grey disappeared for a couple of seconds and then reappeared and yelled, “Heads up,” as he tossed a giant bag of chips towards Lily. It landed in the fire and the flames raged. She tried to snatch it out but it went up instantly. Grey was howling with laughter as he disappeared again.
He may be a dork but he was her dork. Lexy stood up and sighed, “I’ll go save the next bag of chips from his crappy aim.”
He appeared in the doorway with two more bags and carried them down the stairs himself, dodging out of the way as Lexy laughed and tried to snatch one.
Grey dashed over to where Lily was seated and exclaimed, “You can pick first. Sorry about that.”
She smiled at him and chose the salt and vinegar. Grey hollered to Lexy as he yanked the bag open and said, “Come sit down over here and share these ones with me.”
Lexy strolled over feeling pouty that she had to share for a second before noticing that Lily and Zach were sharing. What in the hell was taking Frost and Kayn so long? They must have bumped into each other while searching the swamp for sticks.
She plopped herself down next to Grey on the log and reached into his bag, smelling the scent of the chip between her fingers as she placed it into her mouth…It was sour cream and onion. The high light reel of the intensely pleasurable self-satisfying night she’d spent with Orin flashed through her mind. It was still difficult to believe how quickly that had escalated from a harmless game of truth or dare to a full on hot and steamy sensual romp. Not to mention the completely amazing thing that happened when two Healer’s united physically.
Grey shoved her and prodded, “What are you thinking about? I can’t tell. Usually, I just know.”
“Nothing important,” she replied as she snagged another chip.
He casually enquired, “Thinking about Tiberius?”
No, Greydon. I was actually thinking about the other guy, Orin. The friend I randomly slept with last night. Lexy winced as she snatched another chip from the bag and shoved it into her mouth in an attempt to curb the urge to confess the details of the night before.
“You know you can tell me anything,” he whispered as he fed her a chip from the bag as though she were a carb consuming sultan and smiled at her, with his blonde hair shaded by the darkness and the orange of the flames. In the sky above her a trio of fireflies began to dance around the mystical back drop of sparkling stars above them. She pointed towards the heavens and Grey gazed upwards at the lights that were pirouetting in the darkness.
Oh, how much simpler her life would be if she could just love him. Her eyes welled with tears and she blinked them away. What in the hell was going on with her lately?
“Hey,” he whispered. “I know something’s wrong.”
She met his concerned eyes with a smile as she replied with a version of the truth, “I’ve just been stepping out of my comfort zone lately and you know I’m not the biggest fan of change.”
He placed his arm around her, pulled her against him and they watched the flames dance, enjoying the sounds of the night for a while until they heard the muffled sound of voices approaching.
Kayn and Frost were walking towards the flickering flame of the campfire. Frost strolled over and handed one of his sharpened sticks to Lily. She grinned, thanked him and moved over to give him a place to sit beside her on the log.
They sat around the campfire for a while talking about the weeks ahead. The others were eating now as they watched. Lexy felt her stomach muscles constrict and she glared at Grey. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she mouthed the words, “Is this a Test?” Waves of pain wracked her being as she noticed that Kayn was also doubled over in agony as her stomach savagely cramped again. All of the symbols on their palms lit up and flashed. Lexy leapt to her feet but didn’t go anywhere. It wasn’t time yet. She knew the drill. She tried to keep a piece of her there as her emotions began to be swallowed by the pit of rage that engulfed her being.
Grey touched her arm and whispered, “Not yet.”
Lexy could sense Kayn right there with her. The fledgling Dragon was also on her feet and ready to go on a rampage of destruction.
She could faintly hear Frost’s voice as he chuckled and teased, “Hey killer, sit back down. There’s no need for us to move a muscle unless all of them go down. That just means somebody’s been wounded. Six of them are still standing.”
Lexy’s stomach muscles constricted again and a wave of nausea washed through her. Their palms flashed once more in unison. Her head began to pound and pulsate with excruciating pain. This was the war cry that she couldn’t ignore. The flashing symbol on her hand had always taken her from domesticated wild animal to savage beast in about four deaths. The tunnel vision started as their palms flashed again. She could only hear the muffled sound of voices now but she couldn’t make out what they were saying. Lexy looked at Grey as her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath.
He touched her other arm and the sensation of his flesh on hers anchored her as always to the here and now.
Adrenaline shivered through her being and she became aware of the other Dragon’s surges of energy. Being both a Healer and a Dragon gave Lexy quite the wild trip when she was in this state. Everyone had rather trippy vibrant swirling colors surrounding them. Surges of a
drenaline pulsed through her as her palm flashed for the fourth time.
Grey kept the connection between them alive as he pulled her towards him and whispered the words, “It’s not real. It’s a test. We have to stay with her.”
His voice called her back from where she was teetering on the edge of sanity on the verge of succumbing to the rushes of adrenaline fueled fury that swelled within her. She repeated Grey’s words in her mind. It’s not real. It’s a test. We have to stay with her. Lexy heard the muffled sound of Zach’s voice and then an earth shattering shriek pierced her soul and crushed her ability for reason. Her head turned towards the battle cry and she saw Kayn clutching either side of her head and crying out in agony. Their palms lit up once again and this time everyone stood up. Grey released his connection to her arm and nodded. Her headache ceased, and in the absence of his touch she felt a hollow sensation flow through her being, silencing all sense of reason and then there was nothing but the overwhelming drive to find the wounded Ankh and destroy the ones that hurt them.
Somebody hollered something but Lexy was no longer capable of hearing anyone but Grey. She started to run and was aware that she was on a hunt with another Dragon for the very first time. The two wild creatures kept pace with each other, the symbolism of their footsteps pounding a steady rhythm in the damp pliable swampy ground beneath their feet. They darted through the trails with the agility of predators in pursuit of their prey. They approached the group and they were standing there completely unharmed. She fought with her mind as Grey called her name and she saw him and only him as he held out his hand. Lexy took it as she knew she always would. The contact instantly calmed her and soon she could focus in on everyone around her through the swirling colorful hues in the darkness. It occurred to her that her ability made people as glorious as fireflies. It also occurred to her that she may still be quite mentally unhinged.