by Amber Garza
I peer through a crack in the books when I hear the voices of other students nearby. My gaze catches a glimpse of some kids checking out books and the librarian sitting behind the desk.
“You said that Superman – I mean, Micah — knows about us. So why do we still have to hide our relationship at school?”
I squirm. “I don’t know. I’m just worried, that’s all.”
“Newsflash, Delaney, your parents don’t attend here.”
I smile at that, determined to keep our conversation light. “Thank goodness. Can you imagine how weird that would be?”
Sam’s lips curl into a bemused look. “My girlfriend is an Ekloge Warrior who can see into the future. At this point I’m not sure my life could get any weirder.”
I shush him, while desperately looking around to make sure no one heard him.
“I was whispering.” He kisses me swiftly. “Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me.”
Something about his words cause my stomach to clench. Even though I completely trust him, uneasiness settles inside my stomach and I don’t really understand why.
Chapter 27
Micah
“YOU’VE BEEN REALLY quiet today.” Dad crouches down on a nearby rock.
I find a boulder to sit on and take in the view. From up on top of the mountain I can see all of Edenly spread before me. The first time Dad ever took me up here I was only eight, and it took my breath away. Just below us the vast expanse of blue water stretches out like shimmery hands reaching for the shore. After that, rows of houses and streets weave toward the center of town where Zerach’s headquarters shine like a beacon of light.
“I’ve just had a lot on my mind.” It’s silent all around us. That’s the other thing I love about being up here. You can’t hear any of the noises you can on the ground. It’s amazing.
“Yeah, I can tell. Wanna share?” Dad turns his brown eyes on me. Sweat slicks his forehead and his black hair mats against his head. He blows out a breath and fans himself.
I take a swig from my water bottle. “How did you know Mom was the right one?”
Dad chuckles. “Son, there was never a doubt in my mind that your mom was the woman for me. From the minute I saw that gorgeous woman, I knew I was a goner.”
“But, I mean, was it just because she was pretty or was it more than that?”
“Oh, it was much more than that. I loved everything about Felicia. Still do.”
I smile, thinking about how in love my parents still are. “Did you have any other girlfriends before her?”
“A few.” Dad takes a long pull from his own water bottle and wipes his forehead with the back of his hand.
“What made Mom different from them?”
Dad looks at me for a minute as if pondering the question. “The other girls I dated were nice enough. There wasn’t anything wrong with them, they just weren’t right for me. Your mom and I, well, we just clicked. It was like we were made for each other.”
I think about Delaney and how well we’ve always connected. There have been times when I thought we were made for each other. We have the same calling, the same weakness, but more than that, we share inside jokes and similar experiences. I know everything about Delaney. Then my mind drifts to Ariel. She’s so vibrant and beautiful, but she’s also mysterious and elusive. At first I think that was part of her charm. For once I was with a girl I didn’t know everything about. Learning about her has been part of the attraction. But do I feel connected to her like I do with Delaney or am I just into her because she’s new and different?
The last thing I want to do is string her along. Not to mention the fact that if I do want to be with Delaney I need to make my intentions known now before I lose her to that idiot, Sam. Just the thought of him makes my blood boil.
“Did Mom date other guys?”
“Yeah, pretty girl like Felicia, of course.” Dad’s eyes darken. “The guy she dated before me was bad news. I was a little worried when she got with him, you know? But eventually she dumped him and, well, you know the rest of the story.” He smiles and throws me a wink.
“What made her finally choose you?” The air is still around us. I shift forward and rest my elbows on my knees.
“I wish I could say it was my dashing good looks and charming personality.” Dad laughs. “But really it wasn’t my doing at all. The other guy broke her heart. I offered her a shoulder to cry on.”
My stomach tightens. “But I thought you said she dumped him?”
“She did after he cheated on her.” He shakes his head. “He was a real piece work, that guy.”
Sam’s face emerges in my mind. I’m positive he’s going to hurt Delaney, but the thought gives me no pleasure. I always figured if we ever got together it would just happen organically. Never in my wildest imagination did I picture that she would get her heart broken by some loser and then fall back on me. Truthfully, as much as I believe in my parents’ love for each other, that’s not the love story I want to have. I want to be chosen first.
I wonder what Ariel’s past is. She hasn’t shared much of it with me. I get the feeling that she’s had boyfriends before, but she’s never come out and told me. What if that’s all I’m destined to be? Someone’s rebound?
When did my love life become so complicated? Just a few weeks ago everything was simple. Delaney was the only friend in my life the way it’s always been. Of course, if memory serves me right it was Delaney who was upset when we found Ariel. I was taken with her from the moment we found her. And the truth is that I still am.
“Does all this talk have to do with Delaney, son?”
“Sort of.”
“I figured.” Dad turns to me with a smile. “Ever since last night when I saw the heart on her skin, I knew something was up.”
My head jerks up at his words. “What heart?”
“One just like this.” He points to the marking near his wrist of the bright red heart. “Only hers is pretty faint. Probably because love hasn’t fully blossomed. It will brighten with time.”
I struggle for air, feeling sick. Delaney’s falling in love? How can that be? She’s only been seeing the guy less than a month. Then again, I know they’ve been attracted to each other for years. I’d be stupid not to notice the way they’ve always stared at each other and how charged the air gets around them. For years I’ve watched her face redden in his presence. Only I just thought it was some crazy infatuation. Like Delaney had some bad boy fantasy. But I never thought she’d act on it.
I stand up, taking deep, steadying breaths. The world around me seems to spin on its axis. I double over and clutch my knees.
“Son, are you okay?” Dad moves to me, puts a hand on my shoulder.
“It’s not me.” The words burn as I spit them out. When I stand back up, Dad looks at me with his brows furrowed in concern.
“What do you mean?”
“The heart isn’t for me. Delaney’s been seeing someone else.”
Dad takes a step back. “Oh, this isn’t good. Is he at least a follower of Zerach?”
I press my lips together and shake my head.
“You should’ve told us sooner. How long have you known about this?” His face is grave.
“Not very long. I guess I’d been too wrapped up in Ariel to notice.”
“Ah. I see.” Dad’s eyebrows shoot clear up to his hairline. “So, you weren’t really asking about Delaney because you’ve got your eye on Ariel.” He clucks his tongue. “Things have gotten pretty complicated in the last couple of weeks, huh?”
“It seems like it.” I run a hand over my head. My dreadlocks swish along my back.
“Wow. I guess your mom and I always assumed you and Delaney would end up together.” Dad strokes his chin while staring out over the town. “But Ariel seems like a nice girl.”
“I don’t know if I want to be with her, Dad. I mean, I like her, but I’m still trying to sort out my feelings. Before I found out about Delaney and Sam I was really falling for Ariel,
but then when I realized I was losing Delaney, my feelings sort of shifted.”
“Well, you can’t go for one girl and then just expect that there’s another one waiting in the wings.”
I realize I have been kind of a jerk, thinking that Delaney would just be waiting around for me. This is not a situation I ever thought I’d be in.
I remember Delaney’s accusations about Ariel. Even though I don’t want to believe any of it, I know that Ariel is hiding something. “Also, I’m not sure that Ariel’s been completely honest with me about everything, and that worries me a little.”
“Get used to that, son. Women like to be mysterious.” Dad laughs gruffly.
I sigh. “Dad, what should I do?”
“I can’t answer that for you. I do know that we have to deal with this Delaney and Sam thing though. Her parents need to know if she’s dating a guy who isn’t one of us.”
My chest tightens. “She’ll kill me if she knows I told.”
“Son, she’s put herself in a very dangerous position.”
“Can you just give it a couple of days? I’ll talk to her. I think it would be better if she told her parents herself.”
Dad is silent for a moment and then he slowly nods his head. “Okay. A couple of days, but that’s it.”
I just hope I can get her to listen to me in the next couple of days. Maybe if I’m lucky Sam will be out of our lives by then.
After the hike, I shower and then head to Delaney’s. When I get there, Ariel informs me that Delaney isn’t home. I know she’s with him and it makes the anger and resentment surface. The kiss I witnessed pops into my mind, and I involuntarily ball my hands into fists.
“Are you okay?” Ariel asks, glancing down at my hands.
I force my fingers to relax. “Yeah. Are Mr. and Mrs. Scott home?”
“No.”
For a minute I’m hopeful. “Oh, are the three of them together?”
Ariel shakes her head. “I don’t think so. Delaney left after them.”
“Oh, hi, Micah.” Camille enters the room.
“Hey, Mom, do you know where Delaney went?”
“No. That girl is always running off. Her parents really should keep better tabs on her with all that’s going on.”
My stomach tightens. I don’t think Delaney’s parents know that she keeps running off. It’s something they’ve never had to deal with before. Since I’ve always been her only friend, they’ve never had any reason to worry about her sneaking around.
“Thanks, Mrs. Starling.” I smile at her and then look back at Ariel. “Can I talk to you about something?”
Ariel glances over at her mom.
“Oh, you two talk in here. I just put Asa down for a nap and I could use one myself.” She smiles briefly before heading back down the hallway.
I move to the couch and sit down.
Ariel follows me. “What’s up?”
I think about how I said the same thing when Delaney wanted to talk to me. I imagine this conversation will be just as challenging as that one.
“Um…I need to ask you about something, and I need you to be honest.”
Panic flashes over her features, but then just as quickly she composes herself and clears her throat. It’s then that I know I have to continue. Delaney’s right about one thing – Ariel is hiding something. The thing that bothers me is that she seems to do it well. She’s gotten good at wearing this mask, at putting up a wall between herself and others. I just hope she trusts me enough to take off the mask and tear down the walls.
Even though we haven’t known each other long, I have hope that she might. She’s opened up so much already. These past couple of weeks we’ve spent a lot of time together, and because of the crazy circumstances we’ve bonded a lot.
Finally she speaks in a tiny voice. “Okay. What is it?”
I look right into her eyes. “I need you to tell me about the guys who attacked you.”
“I already did. Why doesn’t anyone believe me?”
“Ariel, I know there’s something you’re not telling me. How did they know your secret?” I plead with her. “Please tell me. You can trust me.”
She bites her lip, and I can see the walls start to crumble. A tear slips down her cheek. She makes no attempt to wipe it off, and I’m too afraid to move — afraid that any sudden movement will keep her from continuing.
“They don’t know my secret.”
“But…I…don’t understand.” I stammer to find the right words.
“They didn’t cut my hair.”
“Then who did?”
“I did.”
The floor flies out from under me. I was not expecting that.
She continues, “I had to. They have my dad. They’re holding him hostage.”
It’s like I have whiplash. All these bizarre, unexpected statements keep flying out of her mouth. I’m having trouble keeping up. “But I thought your dad was dead.”
“Asa’s dad is. My dad is still alive.”
“What?” My mind is reeling. I remember the picture on Asa’s arm, and how odd I thought it was that Ariel didn’t have the same tattoo. Also, Asa’s coloring is so different from Ariel’s. I almost wonder why I hadn’t noticed it before.
“My dad took off when my mom was pregnant. He never knew about my gift. In fact, I never knew about him at all. Vincent was my dad in every sense of the word. He raised me from the time I was an infant. But after Vincent died I started getting letters from a man who claimed to be my dad. I looked through my mom’s room one day and I found my birth certificate, and I finally learned the truth about my father. I still haven’t met him, but a month ago I got a note from the Sarafites saying that they’d kidnapped my dad and wanted to meet with me. I didn’t know what to do or how to help him. I’m not even sure what they wanted. It was sort of like a ransom note only it didn’t demand anything, other than a meeting with me. I don’t think my dad knows about my gift, but maybe the Sarafites suspect I’m a Warrior. Either way, I knew I could I leverage it to save him.” She swallows hard. Her whole body is trembling now. I reach over and place a hand over hers to steady it. It quivers in my palm.
“So I cut my hair and planned to give it to them.”
I am dubious. “But you know that your power’s not in your hair, right? I mean, you lose it when your hair’s cut, but someone else can’t gain it just from having our hair.”
“Yes, but they don’t know that.” She bites down on her lower lip, which quivers between her teeth. “I know it was totally stupid, but I thought it would work. It was the only thing I could think of.”
“Then what happened?”
“I planned to make a deal with them — my power in exchange for my dad. So I went to meet with them in the abandoned field near the bridge, just like they told me to in the letter. Only when I showed up I didn’t see my dad anywhere. I figured I was walking into a trap, so I took off and they chased me. That’s when you found me.”
“And you never gave them your hair? You never told them the secret?”
She shakes her head. “You must think I’m the biggest idiot on the planet, huh?”
“No. I’ll admit it wasn’t the smartest plan, but I understand why you did it.” I brush her hair back from her face. “Do you think they still have your dad?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t heard from them, but then again I’m not exactly at my house.”
“So the things you went back for, those were the letters from your dad and the Sarafites?”
She nods. “And the one picture I have of him. He sent it to me in a letter.”
I remember what Delaney said about the envelope with the symbol of Saraf on it. Now that makes sense. It must have come from one of the letters. It is all coming together now. I also remember how strange it was when she looked inside the mail box and how desperate she seemed to go to the store to get me Sprite. “Were you hoping to check the mail at your house to see if they’d sent anymore letters?”
“Yeah.” Her e
yes are even wider than normal. “That’s the only way they’ve contacted me. I have no idea how else to hear from them.” Lips trembling she says, “I’ve been so worried. And they don’t know I’m here, so they have no way of contacting me again.”
I swallow hard. As bad as I feel for Ariel, I also know we have to take action. This is some pretty serious information she’s been holding on to. “Do you still have all the letters from your dad and his captors?” I ask.
“Yeah.”
“Have you told your mom?”
She presses her lips firmly together. “No. She can’t know about this.”
“You want to help your dad, right?”
“She’ll never let me. She thinks that Vincent was murdered by Sarafites. That’s why she’s so afraid now.”
“Was he?”
She shrugs. “I have no idea, but yeah, I guess it’s a strong possibility. You see, that’s why she would kill me if she knew I planned to make a deal with them.”
I squeeze her hand. “Ariel, I know you’re scared, but we have to tell her. We have to tell all of our parents. This is too important to keep to ourselves. You know that, right?
I can see her waver for a minute, but then she slowly nods. I gather her in my arms and let her cry on my shoulder. “But I’ll be right with you when you tell everyone. I won’t leave your side.”
“You did what?”
I feel Ariel flinch beside me at her mom’s reaction. I firmly grasp her hand in mine. After I called everyone together, we convened in the Scotts’ family room. Ariel and I are seated on the couch with Delaney. My parents are crammed on the loveseat, while Rebecca and Paul sit on the carpet near the fireplace. Camille sits facing us in the recliner. Thankfully Asa is already in bed for the night.
Camille looks angrier than I’ve ever seen her. Her eyes are like fire. “Didn’t you ever wonder why I kept the information about your dad from you?”
My heart goes out to Ariel as she shakes her head. Her pale face looks so frightened and her eyes are filled with tears. I glance over at Delaney who gives me an I-told-you-so look. Irritated, I turn away. For a compassionate person, Delaney sure lacks it when it comes to Ariel. I wish I understood what she has against the girl. The rest of our parents look as disgusted and shell-shocked as Camille.