Under the Burning Stars

by Carrigan Richards

  “She didn’t say that.”

  “Why are you defending her? Is there something you’re not telling me?”

  Peter stepped closer. “Ava, I didn’t become an Enchanter so I could be with Valerie. I love you. You know this.”

  Her heart faltered. She hated being jealous and what she had done. She hated fighting with Peter and it seemed like they’d been doing a lot of it lately. She felt her shoulders drop. “I’m sorry, Peter. I just get defensive. But I wish you could understand that it hurt my feelings to see you rush to her side like that.”

  “You just have to think before you act. And not be jealous.”

  Ava rolled her eyes. “Sorry but it was a little difficult last night.”

  “Look, I’m really not in the mood to argue and I just got home.”

  Ava fumed. “You stayed with her all night?”

  Peter pinched the bridge of his nose. “Can I just have my car keys and then we can talk about this later.”

  Ava froze. He didn’t know anything had happened. But didn’t he feel Ava all through the night or was he so busy tending to Valerie? “Didn’t Seth tell you?”

  “Tell me what? I didn’t see him. He came when I had left the room trying to call you. I came back and Val told me he took Amanda home.”

  That bitch. Of all the things Valerie could have done. Seth had probably told Valerie what had happened but she neglected to tell Peter.

  Peter touched her arm. “What’s wrong? Why are you angry?”

  She sighed. “Your car is sorta.” She cleared her throat. “Totaled.”

  His face wrinkled. “What? What did you do? Were you that pissed off?”

  Ava was defensive. “I got into an accident last night.”

  His face twisted into shock. “Are you okay? What happened?”

  “I lost control and flipped the car.”

  His eyes widened. “How?”

  “Trudy McVaine.”

  Peter tensed and the muscle in his jaw twitched. Trudy had tortured him for a month to get him to join their side. He wanted her dead more than Ava, she was sure.

  “I wanted to kill her but I couldn’t. Then this guy came out of nowhere and tried taking Melissa and me away, but I killed him.”

  “Wait, how did this happen?”

  “Trudy was invisible, and I kept feeling something cold around my neck and it was her choking me from the backseat.”

  “How did she even get in the car? I always lock it. Were you hurt?”

  That was an understatement. “I’m fine.”

  “Did she make you see a vision?”

  The image of her mother as a Cimmerian killing someone flashed in her mind. She felt sick to her stomach and her knees seemed to tremble. She sank onto the edge of the bed.

  “What is it?” Peter moved next to her.

  Ava didn’t want to talk about it. She hadn’t told anyone that her mother was a Cimmerian and she wasn’t sure she wanted anyone to know. What would they say? She was the daughter of a Cimmerian. They would look at her differently. Would Peter treat her differently? He was still so attached to his Ephemeral life and if he knew she was connected to the dark witches, he would leave her.

  “Ava, talk to me.”

  “Thomas wants us all to meet him at the cabin. I think he found out who burned his house.”

  “Oh wow. When are we going?”

  “As soon as we can.”

  There was a knock at the door and Ava invited them in. Melissa and Lance came inside and Ava immediately felt apologetic. Melissa didn’t look as if she had been in an accident last night. She looked well rested, but she couldn’t hide the worry.

  “Don’t feel guilty,” Melissa said. “I’m fine. You two wanna ride with us to the cabin?”

  “Sure.”

  Ava and Peter followed them out to Lance’s car. The ride to the cabin was quiet and Ava felt weighed down. The secrets she kept from Peter were piling up and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep them inside. But he hadn’t seemed very understanding lately and no matter how many times he told her he hadn’t regretted his decision to become an Enchanter, she knew part of him did. He hadn’t told his father, and she knew he was struggling just as much as Seth had been. Which only made her feel guiltier. She loved Peter, but she wondered if she had been selfish in convincing him to change his entire life for her.

  Maybe things at school would calm down and then it would be easier for him. She could only hope.

  Peter squeezed her hand as they pulled up to the cabin. She offered a small smile and then they got out of the car. The harsh wind blew her hair all around her and the skies threatened to storm.

  They walked inside and found Gillian, Jeremy, Link, and Nicole standing behind the couch watching Thomas pace in front of the fireplace. His anger and anxiety infiltrated them as their necklaces all blazed red.

  “Are you okay?” Gillian curled and uncurled her hair.

  They all stood around watching him clench and unclench his hands and stare at the ground.

  “We’re all here, man,” Lance said. “What’s up?”

  “Did you find out who burned your house?” Melissa asked.

  Thomas stopped for a second and his eyes drifted from Ava to each of them. “It was me. I killed my dad and almost killed you guys.”

  Gillian gasped.

  Ava’s jaw dropped and she exchanged looks with Melissa and Lance. Peter clutched her hand.

  “What?” Lance asked.

  Thomas started pacing again. “It was me. I’ve been dreaming that my dad was a Cimmerian.”

  Ava stiffened. Her heartbeat felt far away.

  “The dreams have been incessant and powerful. They convinced me that my dad was evil and needed to die. It was the strangest thing though. I really don’t remember doing it. But I did and now I don’t know why.” His eyes watered.

  There was a heavy silence in the room for several minutes.

  “I’ve been having them, too,” Gillian said.

  Jeremy turned to her.

  She blushed and hugged herself. “Yeah. About my mom.”

  Could they be part-Cimmerians, too? How could Savina keep such a secret from them?

  Ava cleared her throat. “My mom was a Cimmerian.” She swallowed hard and refused to meet anyone’s eyes.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” Peter released his grip.

  “I just found out last night.” When she looked up, they all stared at her in shock. “When I went to New Orleans, one of Joss and Gabriel’s friends, Marcel saw a vision of my mom and I saw one last night. That’s why I lost control of the car.”

  “Omigod!” Gillian said.

  “A vision of what?” Thomas stepped closer.

  “My mom standing next to Corbin, like she belonged there.”

  “It was Trudy,” Melissa said. “She gave you the vision.”

  Ava nodded. “Yeah.”

  “How did you find out about your mom?” Link asked.

  “Colden told me.”

  “Does this mean that your dad and your mom were Cimmerians?” Jeremy asked Thomas and Gillian.

  Thomas ran his hand through his strawberry blond hair. “I don’t know. But I killed my father.”

  “Thomas, it wasn’t you,” Ava said. “The Cimmerians are controlling us. Making us have bad thoughts and getting inside our dreams.”

  “It makes sense,” Gillian said. She shifted her weight from side to side. “I’ve been having awful thoughts about Ephemerals.” She bit her lip. “Like hateful thoughts. Probably why I haven’t been nice to you at all, Peter.” Ava knew the nervous way she acted, there was more she wasn’t telling them.

  “I’ve been having them, too, Gillian.”

  “Is that why you punched Valerie?” Peter asked.

  No, it wasn’t the reason and it upset her that he was looking for a better excuse than what Ava had. But maybe what she was about to tell them would help him understand. Ava drew a deep breath. It was time to confess. “I don’t know,
” she finally said. “But I’m the one who killed Drew and Jonah.”

  She heard them all gasp and she was afraid to look at them. Her eyes watered and her throat felt swollen. Her mouth dry. Her heart raced and her hands shook. She wanted to flee the room. Get some fresh air. Anything not to have all of them staring at her in shock.

  “What?” Peter spoke. She could hear the disappointment in his voice. “Why would you do that? What happened?”

  Ava couldn’t breathe and didn’t realize she’d been crying.

  “Don’t jump to conclusions, Peter,” Melissa sternly said. “They attacked her.”

  “Wait, you knew what happened?” Peter asked. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  Ava jumped when she felt Melissa grab her hand.

  “They shot her because they thought she was responsible for the bombing and made claims that they were going to come after all of us.”

  “You were shot? Was this when you were attacked a while ago?”

  “Yes.”

  “And you killed them? Why? You didn’t have to kill them,” Peter said. “You could’ve just made them unconscious.”

  Nicole looked at Peter in disgust. “I’m sure she was defending herself. They shot her, Peter.”

  “I’m sorry. I never meant to kill anyone.”

  “We’re supposed to protect them,” Peter said. “I told you that you would get out of control.”

  “Why don’t you give her a break?” Thomas glared at Peter. “You always act like you’re better than us. Why are you even here? We can all tell you regret your decision. You don’t belong here.”

  “Thomas, stop,” Ava said. She didn’t want another fight to break out.

  Peter got right in Thomas’s face. “You know what? Why don’t you mind your own business? I do belong here just as much as any of you. If you forgot, the Cimmerians tortured me. They know what I can do.”

  “You better get out of my damn face.”

  Ava sighed. “Would you two please stop? Now is not the time for this.”

  After a few seconds, Peter finally backed down. What was up with him lately? He seemed so edgy, but then again so did everyone else. Were the Cimmerians inside his head, too?

  “I did it!” Gillian screamed and tears streamed down her face.

  “Did what?” Melissa asked.

  Gillian’s shoulders shook from the crying. “I compelled Trent to kill those people and then himself.”

  Her weeping was the only sound as everyone exchanged shocked looks. Now Ava realized why Gillian had been acting peculiar. The Cimmerians had to have been the ones making them do those things. But why hadn’t they tortured Melissa, Lance, or Jeremy?

  Thomas cursed which made Ava jump. He punched through the wall, making a hole. “It’s them. They’re making us do these things.”

  Jeremy wrapped his arms around Gillian as she cried into his shoulder. “We have to do something.”

  Lance let out a sigh. “Do the Elders know any of this?”

  “I never told them,” Thomas said.

  Gillian shook her head.

  Ava wiped her tears. “No. I don’t want them to know.”

  “We should probably tell them,” Jeremy said.

  “Why?” Ava asked. “So Savina can feed us more lies?”

  “They can help us keep them from getting inside our minds.”

  “What about Marcel?” Melissa asked.

  Ava shivered at the thought of being around him again. “I don’t know how to get back there.”

  “Could he help us?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. He perceives things that aren’t always true, though.”

  “It’s worth a try,” Thomas said. “We need to know if we’ve got Cimmerian blood in us, too. Maybe he can help us figure out what the Cimmerians want.”

  “Can you ask Gabriel to take us?” Melissa asked.

  Ava didn’t want to drag Gabriel into this. “I don’t think—.”

  “Come on. What other choice do we have?”

  She looked at Melissa’s pleading eyes and then everyone else’s. “Okay. I’ll ask.”

  “Good,” Thomas said and then shook his head. “They must be crazy if they think that we’re going to join them.”

  “The Cimmerian I killed last night mentioned Havok. I want to know who it is, if he or she exists.”

  “Count me in.” Link crossed his arms. “I know I’ve heard that name before. I don’t think Devon was ever in charge. It’s Havok.”

  “If the Elders won’t help us, we’ll just have to do this alone,” Thomas said.

  “Seems as if we don’t have much of a choice,” Lance said.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  BREAKTHROUGH

  The drive back to the Manor was even more miserable than before. Thick tension filled the small space between Ava and Peter. No one talked and Ava peered out the window at the passing colorful fall trees and the drizzling rain. Thousands of water droplets dashed against the window, flowed together, and rolled down the pane.

  Ava glanced at Peter whose eyes were trained on the other side of the road. That certainly wasn’t how she wanted Peter to find out about Drew and Jonah, but she couldn’t keep the secret inside any longer. She wanted to know if he hated her or if what she had done was too much to forgive.

  Melissa twisted around in her seat and Ava met her worried-looking green eyes. “Ava, the night of Thomas’s house fire, Gillian had been saying things that led me to believe the Cimmerians were convincing her to think in a certain way. I didn’t mean to keep you out of the loop, but I also didn’t want to make assumptions until I knew for sure.”

  “Now it seems very plausible that the Cimmerians are controlling us.” Lance slowed to a stop and shook his head.

  Peter sighed and crossed his arms in front of his chest. He chewed on the inside of his mouth, but never said a word.

  “Even if it was them, what do they want with us?” Melissa pulled a cigarette from the pack and lit it. She cracked the window letting the smoke escape.

  No one had an answer, though.

  When Lance pulled up to the Manor, she and Peter got out and he made his way to her car. She guessed he wasn’t going to stay the night.

  “I’ll take you home,” she said.

  Peter nodded in acknowledgment and then they slipped inside her car. They strapped in and then Ava drove away.

  They didn’t speak for the longest time. It was an aching silence and Ava was sick of it.

  “Please talk to me,” she said.

  “I don’t know what to say honestly. You killed two Ephemerals. Thomas killed his father and almost killed Melissa, Lance, and Gillian. Gillian convinced Trent to kill people. Half of your parents were possibly Cimmerians. Maybe Marcel can give us the answers we need.”

  “Are you mad at me?”

  He sighed. “You killed people, Ava. I just need time to process this.”

  “I never meant to. I—.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” he spat. She could feel his frustration.

  Ava pulled into his driveway and put the car in park. “I feared your reaction. It’s not something I want everyone to know. I hate myself for what I did.”

  Peter shook his head. “Ava, I swear. I wish you wouldn’t shut me out. You always hide behind your wall.”

  She was offended. “And you don’t? Peter, you’ve been M.I.A. for months when you’re supposed to be training. It’s like you care more for your past life than anything else.”

  “Are you kidding me with this? Stop changing the subject.” He peered out the window. “I just wish you wouldn’t keep me in the dark so much.” His voice calmed. “If the Cimmerians are making you do these things, why wouldn’t you tell me something like that? And you got shot, Ava. I can’t believe you never told me.”

  Her eyes brimmed with tears. “You were already struggling with everything, and I didn’t want to scare you more. I didn’t want you worrying if they were going to get inside your head. And yeah, I gue
ss I became too stubborn to include you because of Valerie and Amanda. It just seemed like you resented me.”

  He looked at her, his eyes full of regret. “Ava, I love you. I became an Enchanter so I could be with you. I want to seek revenge, but I’m frightened. This is all so new for me, and maybe I wanted to ignore a lot of it because it is a lot to take in. I need you to understand where I’m coming from. I’m a little naïve about everything, but if you would share things with me, then maybe it wouldn’t be so hard.”

  The words made her feel sorrier. That was exactly what her mom did with her dad. Kept secrets from him. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. And as for Valerie, she is my friend. I care about her, too. I will talk to her about what she said to you and how she treats you. She needs to understand that you are my girlfriend, and I’m not leaving you.”

  He placed his hands on either side of her face and pressed his lips to hers. When he drew back, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and kissed her forehead. “We’re in this together, okay?”

  Ava nodded, and he kissed her once more. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Peter got out of the car, and she took a deep breath.

  Why couldn’t she just tell Peter these things? Maybe his reaction wouldn’t have been so negative if she’d told him the night it happened. She still didn’t like that he remained friends with Valerie, but she could learn to live with it.

  Now, she had to worry about asking Gabriel to take all of them to New Orleans to see Marcel. But when she returned to the Manor, she saw Colden in the hallway. He looked better than the previous night, but she could still tell something was wrong.

  “Good evening, dear.” He gave a friendly smile.

  “Hi.”

  “Are you doing okay?”

  She lifted a shoulder. “I guess. Can we talk?”

  “Sure. Let’s go to the parlor.”

  Ava followed him, but she wasn’t sure how to bring up what he said. When they walked inside the room, Colden closed the door behind them and invited her to sit in one of the high-backed chairs.

  She clenched her fist, and tried to keep her heartbeat level.

  “What’s on your mind?”