"I'm sorry, Bunny. George had to keep the Prius in the garage to wait for some part or other. Mr. Thomson told me to use the limo," Hannah said. She knew that Savannah hated the limo. Eamon had offered it several times, and the girl always told him no. Savannah didn't respond, and Hannah decided to let it be. Pulling away, she thought about asking how school went, but the poor girl just looked exhausted.
Savannah had met Hannah and George a couple of weeks ago. They showed up shortly after Eamon did, bringing the rest of his luggage. They cleaned up the dusty apartment and went right to work. She thought that they seemed nice enough, but Hannah always called her Bunny. Savannah had asked Eamon why she did that, and he told her that Hannah thought she was tiny and timid and seemed out of place, like a cute little bunny. She hadn't decided whether she liked it or not yet, so she just let it continue. What she wasn't okay with was how protective Eamon seemed to be. He wouldn't even let her walk to school. And she found herself rarely alone. If she didn't know better, Savannah would have thought that she was as grounded as the boys were.
Lanie, her mother, had explained time and again that he was just worried. There was an entire unpredictable race searching for Savannah, and they had to be careful. With everyone constantly looking over her shoulder, she never found time to practice her Morphling powers. It felt an awful lot like when her mother first told her that she couldn't use her Kite powers anymore.
After Hannah passed a couple of stop lights, Savannah pulled herself back into a sitting position, making herself comfortable in the limo. Something had been bugging her for most of the day, and she wasn't sure that her mother or Eamon would be able to help her. Biting the bottom of her lip, she decided to take a shot with Hannah.
"What is prom?" she blurted out. She had heard a lot of the students talking about it in the hallway, but never enough to tell her what it was, other than epic.
A look of shock covered Hannah's pudgy face. "Prom?" Hannah narrowed her eyes at Savannah in the rear-view mirror. "I'm sure they have proms in New York! You really led a sheltered life, didn't you, Bunny?" she said.
Feeling indignation rise in her, Savannah said, "Never mind! I'll figure it out," and slumped back in her seat, staring at the buildings as they passed.
"No, Bunny, it's okay. Ummm...it's a dance. A very fancy dance. Most kids look forward to their prom night for a long time. Usually, it's only for juniors and seniors, but anyone can go if they are asked by an upperclassman." Hannah wondered if the petite girl was asked by someone. If she was, Lord help the poor soul who came to pick her up. She had never seen Mr. Thomson take to a young child before. He seemed very protective of her, and he had a dangerous side to him that Hannah was sure she never wanted to see. She and George talked about it sometimes at night, but Mr. Thomson had always been really good to them. As long as they did their jobs, they were given the chance to live all over the world and never want for anything. He never asked them to do anything nefarious and always treated them with respect. Aside from a gut feeling that they both had, there was no reason for them to think badly of Mr. Thomson.
A dance? Savannah thought about this. She had never been to a dance before. She had read about them in some of her borrowed books, but each one described different types of dancing. The only kind of dancing that she had ever done was in her old living room with her mother. At least she had a couple of years before having to worry about prom. The more imminent threat was girls' day and trying to talk Eamon into letting her go. Part of her thought that it sounded like fun, and the other part thought that it sounded daunting. Either way, she was determined to go and find out.
Hannah dropped Savannah off in front of the apartment building. From this point of view, the building almost looked condemned. To even taste the beauty of what awaited, she had to crane her neck and look straight up. After about five stories, she could just make out the beautiful floor length glass windows that wrapped around the front and side. The only visible front door was boarded up. Tucking her nose into the front of her shirt, Savannah headed around to the right side of the building, down an alley that smelled of dead cats, human pee, and overripe dumpsters. She suspected that Eamon kept it that way, to deter people from snooping around. He never let Hannah or George clean the alley, no matter how much they begged.
Morphing her eyes into cat eyes, she swung open the battered brown metal door and stepped into the grungy dark stairwell. The carpet was smelly and stained, but she knew that as soon as she made it home, her environment would vastly improve. She imagined it was like walking through the Human's Purgatory to get to their Heaven. Pumping her leg muscles up, Savannah took the stairs three at a time.
**********
Pausing on the twelfth-floor landing to morph herself back, Savannah cautiously opened the door. Her mother was known for her visions, but nobody ever knew when she was going to have them or how erratic she would be. It used to be Savannah's job to keep her mother safe and try to figure out what was important about her episodes.
Lanie's visions were very helpful, but unfortunately, she could never remember them. She counted on others to help her piece them together. Because of this, Eamon installed motion sensor video cameras around the apartment. After Lanie would go loopy, they would sit down and review the tapes.
Stepping quietly into the apartment, Savannah listened for any odd sounds telling her what her mother was up to. Sounds of laughter floated towards her, and she relaxed. It sounded like Eamon was charming her again. He seemed to be very good at that.
She inhaled the lovely smell of lavender that her mother had permeated every corner of the apartment with. Savannah had come to appreciate it after being in school all day.
"Savannah? Are you home?" her mother's voice called out.
Lanie bounded around the corner to meet her daughter. She noticed how tired Savannah looked. She greeted her daughter with a big hug and kissed the top of her head. "I missed you, Savvy," she whispered.
Savannah wrapped her arms around her mother and squeezed tight, "I missed you, too, Mama."
Pulling on her daughter's arm, Lanie half-dragged Savannah towards the dining room. "Come see what Eamon's doing. He's got a big surprise for you!"
Confused, Savannah followed her mother, dropping her bag in the nearest overstuffed chair. Lanie dropped her hand when they got to the kitchen and handed her daughter the cocoa that she had made for her. She loved that she could do more things for Savannah now. It also made her sad to think of all the years she had lost, when Savannah ended up taking care of her. That wasn't the way it was supposed to be, and she was determined to make up for it, somehow.
Gazing at Eamon, Lanie felt an immeasurable amount of gratitude. When she first saw Eamon sprawled on the living room floor a few weeks ago, her heart stopped in her chest. She didn't think the world could be that small. Eamon! The one person she used to go to for advice back in the Arc. He was her best friend and confidant for so long. Everyone else around Keystone and Arc Sanctum didn't understand her interest in other races. Other than holding seats in the government, they had nothing to do with one another. When she fell in love with Kane, a Morphling, she didn't know who else to turn to. Eamon was such a good friend and so supportive of their relationship. After she left Keystone, she never thought she would see him again, let alone need to revive him after he almost died at the hand of her daughter. But here he was, almost exactly the same as she remembered him. He looked a little more stressed and tired, but he was the same Eamon. She definitely wasn't the same Lanie anymore and found herself entertaining ideas that she would have never thought possible twenty years ago.
Inhaling the cocoa, Savannah walked over to the dining room table where Eamon was standing, hunched over several large blue sheets of paper. The paper covered almost the whole table and had thin white lines that made up geometric shapes covering them.
"What's going on here?" she asked. She sipped the chocolaty goodness, letting a sweet marshmallow pass her lips so she could chew on it. Savannah pe
ered over Eamon's shoulder at the drawings, trying to make sense of them. She noticed that he seemed tenser, and his brows were furrowed in concentration. He hadn't seemed to hear her, so she looked back at her mother and shrugged her shoulders.
"It's really exciting!" Lanie said, trying to hold herself back from jumping up and down like a little Kiteling. "Eamon?" she said, in an attempt to get his attention.
"Yeah?" he asked, straightening his back.
Within a matter of seconds, Savannah noticed that he was back to his usual relaxed stance, and the stress seemed to disappear from his appearance. Noticing Savannah, a big smile spread across his face.
"Come here, I've got something to show you," he said to her, sweeping his arms over the blue sheets of paper.
Getting closer, she asked, "What is all this?"
Feeling rather proud of himself, he shared a secret smile with Lanie before explaining. "I had this idea. These are plans for a special building that I'm having made for you."
Stepping back, Savannah felt fear and panic grip her. "You don't want me living here anymore? What about my mom?" Tears started welling up in her eyes, and she had trouble seeing through them. Turning from Eamon, she looked to her mother with questioning, wet eyes. Part of her had been terrified that this new life was too good to be true. She couldn't help the rush of strange emotions spilling out of her.
"No! Savvy! Let him finish. Of course, you'll be living here. Eamon?" Lanie said, frantically. She wrapped her arms around her daughter.
"No, sorry. I should have worded that better. It's a practice building. A special building where you can practice your Kite and Morphling powers. I'm having it made out of materials from Keystone so that other Supernaturals won't be able to find you," he said gently, mentally smacking himself. Eamon knew that their situation didn't sit well with Savannah. She still seemed skittish about being out in the open and accepting his help. He should have realized that she didn't feel secure and grounded yet. "I will never force you out. You need to understand this. Even if we all get into a disagreement, I have other homes that I can go to. This one is now just as much yours as it is mine." Using caution, he slowly moved closer to her, as he would a frightened animal. He looked down into her petite face. "Are we okay?"
Sniffling, Savannah nodded and ground her palms into her eyes to get rid of the last bit of wetness. She took deep, shuddering breaths to calm herself. Feeling foolish for her reaction, she tried to process everything Eamon had said. After a few seconds, her face lit up as she finally understood what he had told her. A practice building! "Really? A whole building to practice in?" she asked, in disbelief.
Finally, Lanie let go, "Yes! Isn't that exciting?" she asked, spinning her daughter around to face her.
"And you won't have to worry about the smells or residue from your energy manipulation. I've called in some Dwarves from Cairn Mountain. They assure me that with the materials we have and the help of an old Wizard friend of mine, Thalia, it won't be an issue," he said, proudly. "Your mom is also helping me decorate it and equip it with an obstacle course and training tools."
"Wow! Really?" Savannah said, feeling the excitement build up in her. It was comforting and a bit confusing to witness others going out of their way to make things better for her. It was going to take some getting used to.
Eamon nodded. He wanted to give the girl a reassuring hug, but he wasn't sure how well it would be received. Knowing that it would take time, he tried to shift the subject. "So, how was school today? Are you still testing?"
Rolling her eyes, Savannah nodded.
"Well, I'm sure they will place you soon. Did you happen to talk with Samuel about tutoring?" Eamon asked. He was sure that he already knew the answer.
Nodding again, Savannah said, "He seems very excited about it. I'm just not sure that his parents will go for it." Then a thought occurred to her. "Would he be able to use the practice building with me? He gave me a little training, but I really don't know much about being a Morphling."
Sighing, Eamon dropped his head and placed his hands flat on the table. It was a tall enough order to get Samuel's parents to agree to the school tutoring. He was sure that he could get them to come around on that, but the boy was still grounded to the no-change room. How would he get them to agree to let Samuel join Savannah at the practice building? Part of him was afraid that the Siphon rumors had reached the local Supernatural community. If that happened, a good chunk of the community would move away. He wasn't so sure that the Waldrons, Samuel's family, wouldn't be among them. There was already talk among the Vampires that Savannah was accompanied by two boys. Eamon was trying to dig deeper to find out if anyone knew who they were. If Samuel and Harry's identities became known, he would have to provide protection for them and their families as well. As much as he cared about Lanie and Savannah, he knew that contact with them was dangerous for anyone. They had become a magnet for the most dangerous creatures on Earth.
Feeling the added weight to his shoulders, he nodded and said, "I will do what I can, but I make no promises."
Understanding, Savannah said, "Thank you, Eamon." Then she leaned in close to him and asked the question that she asked every day since she started school. "How was she today?"
At this, Eamon perked up, "There was only one episode," he whispered. "It lasted about five minutes. We reviewed the data already, and it doesn't seem like an imminent or fatal threat. Just some scouts looking for you. Which reminds me, you need to stay away from the library for about two weeks."
Savannah threw her head back and sighed, before assenting. The library was her favorite place. The smell of ink on paper and leather binding made her feel warm and fuzzy all over.
"What are you two whispering about?" Lanie asked, pulling out a chair at the beautiful mahogany dining room table.
"Library, Momma," Savannah said.
"Oh," said Lanie, pursing her lips. "I'm sorry, Savvy. It should only be for a couple of weeks, though. So how was school?"
Savannah scrunched up her face in thought, "What is a girls' day, exactly?"
Surprise and happiness flitted through Lanie. Savannah hadn't really been a social child. Lanie had always attributed it to her Morphling side. Morphlings had been created by Wizards to be a type of spy, mostly used for gathering information on what was going on in the world or around the Arc. After their population grew, most of them were allowed to leave the Wizards and have normal lives with families. Most Wizards still kept on a couple of Morphlings as personal assistants, though. Because they could change into any living thing that they touched, Morphlings were naturally the best spies and also the biggest recluses. This was also why a large portion of the Supernatural community didn't trust them. They could be anywhere and therefore weren't treated well. Because they were created, some of the community wouldn't even acknowledge that they were real people.
"You made a new friend!" Lanie said, excitedly.
"Um, I guess. She's Harry's girlfriend," said Savannah. She liked Chrystal well enough but didn't think she could really call her a friend yet. She didn't know much about her.
"Okay, well, a girls' day is when girls get together and do things that they both enjoy. Sometimes, it's movies, makeovers, going out to lunch; things like that," said Lanie. "It's usually a lot of fun!"
"She said something about a makeover and new clothes. So if it's girls' day, does that mean you can come, Momma?" Savannah asked. She hadn't been shopping with her mother since she was a little girl. In fact, they never did anything together outside of the home.
"I promise that we will have our own girls' day, soon. But I'm pretty sure you should get to know this girl on your own," said Lanie, smiling on the inside.
Savannah nodded, trying to understand the new social situations that she was finding herself in. "All right, well, Chrystal is supposed to be calling tonight. She said we would be going to the mall tomorrow. I wanted to go see Tyana, so I hope she doesn't want to go too early."
"The mall? I don't know if th
at is such a good idea. And the market is too close to the library, Savannah," Eamon said. He had been staring at the blueprints, making sure that every detail was accounted for. He had vaguely heard what Lanie and Savannah had been talking about.
"No, Eamon! She needs this!" Lanie said, putting her foot down.
Nodding, he said, "All right! You Embers are so stubborn. But Hannah is taking you to the mall. And don't go to the market!" Then he went back to his blueprints.
Chapter 3
That night after sundown, Eamon and Savannah went hunting. Savannah loved this part of her day. She got practice in with her bow, was able to talk with her little bee friends, and reveled in the time she got to spend in her forest. The world seemed more alive here, and she felt more at home.
Most nights, she and Eamon would walk and talk for hours. Not that he was a chatty guy, but she noticed that he was quieter than usual. It wasn't the calm kind of quiet that they sometimes shared; he seemed preoccupied and worried.
"Anything I should know about?" she asked. He didn't answer her, though he must have heard the question. Savannah knew that Vampires had incredible hearing. Using her Morphling powers, she had turned into one a couple of times. After the last time, she decided that the bloodlust was too much for her to deal with. "Eamon?" she tried again.
"Yes?" he asked, pulling himself away from his thoughts. "What is wrong?"
"Nothing, you just seem preoccupied. Is there anything I should know about?" she asked again.
"No. Everything is fine," he lied. He let his dilated eyes wander through the copse of trees in front of them. He was overdue for some blood. The last few nights that they had hunted, he stuck with small animals, but it was wearing on him. He needed more blood than that to function properly. He was going to have to go big tonight. Finding that Savannah liked to challenge herself with small prey, he was going to need to talk her into something more substantial. They had an agreement, so they wouldn't hurt the animal population too bad. She would shoot, he would drink, then they would bring it home for meat. It gave her practice, and he couldn't argue with that. She liked that she didn't need to bleed out the animal before bringing it home.
Illuminated Embers (The Kites of the Arc Book 2) Page 3