“Sienna!” I half whispered, half shouted.
She’d been a nervous wreck lately. I figured if I didn’t somehow announce my presence, she might accidentally attack. She didn’t seem to hear me, though. I tapped on the back door and called her name again.
No answer. No sound at all.
Uneasiness crept into my stomach.
I tried the lock, and the door opened silently. The entire downstairs was dark. I’d only been to Sienna’s house a few times, certainly not enough times to navigate blindly, but I didn’t want to risk using my fire—not yet.
I carefully reached my hands out in front of me and took slow steps in the general direction of the stairs. My heart was pounding and my fingers shook. I could feel the gemstones vibrating against my skin, working hard to contain my anxiety and power.
My toe bumped into something thick and hard—the couch. I slid my hand along the leather back as I followed it through the living room. My eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, and I could finally see the staircase at the far end. I edged around a coffee table and a matching leather loveseat then quietly bounded upstairs.
Light from her cracked bedroom door crept across the hallway floor. I tiptoed closer, my pulse whooshing loudly in my ears. Rationality had gone completely out the window—I was basically expecting to find an axe murderer on the other side.
Not wanting to prolong the inevitable, I thrust the door open. Ice spikes immediately came inches from my face—Sienna was a Wind Elemental, so it was obviously wasn’t her. I spun the spikes around and pushed them away from me, pinning the intruder to the wall.
When I saw his face, the ice melted into slush on the floor.
“Jay? What the hell are you doing here? Where’s Sienna?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” he said, driving a shaky hand through his faux hawk. “I was at The After Dark when I heard about what happened. I went to Sol and Lune to find you guys, but no one was there but police and fire crews. I checked your house first, then came here and decided to wait until you guys showed up.”
His words formed an itch in my mind that I couldn’t quite scratch. It sounded legit, but for some reason, it felt like a lie—this, of course, coming from the girl who’d expected to find an axe-wielding attacker in her best friend’s room. Maybe I was just being paranoid?
“Well, I’m here,” I said. “Now what?”
“Now we go find Sienna.”
My brain itched again. My stomach chimed in this time, roiling uneasily. For some reason, it felt imperative to not find Sienna.
“Okay…you’ve already checked her house and Sol and Lune, so where should we look next?”
“Who was her date to the opening? Maybe she’s at his place?”
I didn’t want to lie, but I really didn’t want to tell the truth, either.
“I’m not sure,” I hedged. “I didn’t see her much.” That last part, at least, was true.
Jay gestured to the door. “Come on, we’re wasting time.”
“I still don’t even know where we’re going,” I said as I entered the hallway.
“Me either,” he admitted with a sigh. “Maybe Holden’s place?”
“Maybe…” I squeezed the railing and led the way downstairs.
None of this was sitting right with me. Why was he so hell-bent on finding her? She was our friend, yes, but he’d never been overly interested before. Did he have some sort of gut feeling that she was in trouble? Or was something going on that I didn’t know about?
It reminded me of the conversation with Chase.
“How old are you, Jay?” I asked, seemingly out of nowhere.
“Nineteen…why?”
I pushed through the front door and out into the night. The moon reflected brightly off the river out back.
“Just curious,” I said, moving downriver toward Holden’s house. I didn’t think she’d be there, but I still wished I could’ve texted her to be sure. I immediately stopped walking and spun around. “Can we take a quick detour?”
Jay cocked his head curiously. “Sure.”
“I’ve been phone-less,” I explained with an easy smile. “I may as well be armless without the thing.”
We took Jay’s white truck, which was parked down the street—odd, considering there were plenty of empty spaces that were closer. My car was still parked at the restaurant; hopefully it hadn’t been blown up.
We entered the supercenter and walked back to the electronics section. Thanks to the curfew, the store was practically empty. Luckily a few Elementals had been employed to keep it operational twenty-four seven. A handsome guy with pale green eyes and deep olive-colored skin was working the register.
“Hello there,” he said, flashing us a perfectly pearly smile. “Wait…aren’t you the one who just saved everyone at Sol and Lune?”
I blinked. Apparently word traveled fast.
“Um…I wouldn’t say that, exactly, but I definitely tried to help.”
He shook his head. “I heard you used your power to keep almost all the bombs from going off.”
“Uh, I kept five bombs from going off. There were still tons of explosions that—”
“So it’s true, then? You are such an epic badass!”
I clamped my mouth shut and fought a blush. There was probably no amount of talking on my part that was going to change his mind, anyway.
“Thank you,” I said simply.
“No, thank you. You’re really helping to paint Elementals in a brighter light.” His smile beamed. “So, what can I help you with tonight?”
I smiled back. “I need to replace my lost cellphone.”
I described the color, make, and model of the old one and he did his best to find a similar replacement. What I ended up with was great, even nicer than what I’d had before. I thanked the associate for his help and we were on our way.
“That was interesting,” Jay muttered as we exited through the sliding glass doors.
“Yeah,” I agreed, rolling my eyes.
I didn’t like being the center of attention, and I really didn’t like the responsibility of representing Elementals. What if I did something wrong? I’d make us all look bad.
I dialed Sienna’s number as I climbed back into Jay’s truck, and I was sent straight to voicemail. Her cell must’ve been dead, or broken, or lost.
Great.
Next, I tried my dad.
“Valerie!” he shouted after one ring. “Oh, thank God! I’ve been worried to death!”
“Sorry, Dad. I only just got a new cellphone.”
“It’s okay, sweetie. I tried to call that Cade boy you talked about, but I couldn’t reach him. Where are you? Were you hurt during the bombing?”
I shook my head, though he couldn’t see it. “No, I’m not hurt. I’m with Jay, just leaving the store. We’re gonna try to find Sienna. I’m worried about her.”
“She’s fine,” Dad said. “She left with the older Landston boy before the fire trucks arrived.” He paused. “Unless, of course, that’s what you’re worried about.”
I could’ve laughed. “No, no. Trust me, Sienna’s sex life is none of my business.”
“Ugh, mine either. Please don’t say that word again.”
That time I did laugh. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine. Listen, since everyone’s okay, why don’t you head home? I’m just leaving the courthouse and I’ll be there soon, myself.”
“Okay Dad, I will. Love you.”
“Love you too, sweetheart.”
I ended the call and looked over at Jay. “My dad wants me to go home.”
Jay raised a brow but kept his eyes on the road. “He’s not concerned about your best friend going missing after a bombing?”
“No, it’s not that. It’s just”—it only took me a second to decide to lie—“she’s with Holden and Curwen at the courthouse so there’s no need to look.”
“Oh.” I could have sworn his grip tightened slightly on the wheel. “Well, that’s a relief.�
��
“Yeah…” I hoped he didn’t hear the hesitation in my tone.
We were both acting weird and I had no idea why, but intuition told me to be wary. Silence dragged on for countless seconds as he drove in the direction of my house.
Then he surprised the hell out of me by asking, “Did you even care about Charlene?”
“What? Of course I did! What kind of question is that?”
He shook his head, lips drawn tight. “I don’t know…I’ve just been thinking about her a lot lately, and you act like it doesn’t even faze you that she’s dead.”
I took a deep breath and tried to compose my thoughts and feelings. In all honesty, I hadn’t really thought much about it. It wasn’t that I didn’t care, there was just so much other shit going on…I almost felt like it hadn’t had enough time to sink in.
I tried to say that without sounding so callous.
“I do care that she died, and I do miss her…” I sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m just trying so hard to prevent Nicholai from senselessly killing anyone else. It takes up a lot of my time and concentration.”
He didn’t say anything, so I continued.
“I mean, it takes a ridiculous amount of control to just keep myself from accidentally killing people…”
He glanced at me. “You’ve killed people?”
My voice dropped. “Yes. I didn’t mean to, though. Well, except maybe one… It was self-defense, for the most part.”
“Valerie, that is a really big deal.”
“I know.”
“Do you? This world might feel crazy sometimes, but it’s still real. What you did was real, and there’s no taking that back. ‘Accidents’ are spilling drinks or breaking windows. You took someone’s life away.”
Blood pounded violently through my veins. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I was on the verge of puking or passing out—maybe both.
“Thank you for the reminder,” I said quietly. I closed my eyes and pressed my forehead into the passenger-side window.
Jay sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m just…trying to figure you out.”
“Me?”
Sounds were muffled; I could barely hear my own words.
“Yeah, you. Most of your family members are Elitists. You say you want to be good and do the right thing, but then you kill people. You think your family is bad, but then you act just like them. I’m having a hard enough time figuring out what’s right and what’s wrong, but you’re supposed to be a good guy, aren’t you? Charlene was always so good…”
He turned down my street.
The onslaught of verbal battery was starting to feel physical. My lungs and throat burned with the need to breathe, or scream, or cry. My heart was racing, pulse blaring in my ears, and my head was aching. Yet, I didn’t want it to be over. This felt like a conversation that needed to be had.
When he pulled into the drive, I couldn’t just get out of the truck and pretend like things were fine, not while I was practically falling apart.
“Jay…” I said, trying to catch my breath. “I’m doing the best I can. I know that sounds like flowery bullshit, but it’s true. I’ll try harder, though. There’s always room for trying harder. That’s what makes me a good guy—not that I’m perfect and don’t make mistakes, but that I’m continually striving to be better.”
His knuckles were white along the steering wheel.
I took a few deep gulps of air. “And you’re right—Charlene was sweet, and kind, and good. I always admired that about her. I miss having that aura around me.”
He put the truck in park and looked at me. Pain and confusion like I’d never seen swam behind his eyes. It made my heart ache.
“I miss it too,” he whispered. Then he nodded to my front door. “Your father is waiting.”
I forced a smile, opened the door, and slid from the seat, but I couldn’t bring my feet to walk away.
“I love you, Jay. You’re my best friend. Keep striving to be like Charlene. You can keep her memory alive in the things you do.”
He sniffed and wrinkled his lips into a painful smile. “I love you, too, Valerie, and I’ll try.”
“Trying is all we can do,” I said softly, and then he slowly backed out of the driveway.
For some reason, I was unable to shake the feeling that our conversation had actually been about something bigger.
Chapter Twenty-Four
I awoke the next day, and my first thought was of Cade.
Was he awake? Was he worse?
I quickly threw on a hoodie, some black leggings, and a pair of running shoes. Taking the stairs two at a time, I rushed to the front door. When I burst through, I was immediately met with white flashing lights. Soft shutter clicks filled the air. Dozens of faces, obscured by professional cameras, stood in front of me. A jumbled heap of voices shouted at me, fighting for the spotlight.
“Valerie! Tell us about last night!”
“How did it feel to save all those lives?”
“Would you call yourself a hero?”
“Valerie, what’s it like dating Elemental Press Representative Holden Michaels?”
I staggered back inside and slammed the door behind me.
What the ever-loving hell?
I tiptoed to the back door. Luckily, there were no reporters out there. I could make a run for it, but I didn’t want them somehow following me to Aunt Marge’s. Were they that fanatical? I had no idea. I knew word had spread of my actions at the restaurant, but I’d never dreamed it’d be like this.
There was always the river. It didn’t lead directly to the West Woods, but it would at least help me lose the camera crew. They might not even see me before I went underwater…
Quietly, I opened and closed the door behind me. It didn’t creak or click. All was silent. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then, I started sprinting.
I dove into the water without making a splash. Fortunately, I was fairly certain I’d remained unseen. Nonetheless, I swam upstream to the end of town just to be sure. As the last house disappeared behind me and I was preparing to resurface and continue onward by foot, something caught my eye.
A boy, no older than kindergarten-age, stood right at the edge of the river. He had dark hair parted off to the side, big brown eyes, and soft olive skin. His toes were dipped into the freezing cold water.
There were no parents to be seen.
I didn’t want to freak him out, but I certainly didn’t want to risk him drowning. He was too little to be out there alone—one slip on the ice and the river could take him under and never let him up.
I swirled the water above my head until I got his attention. Curiosity and concentration quickly captured his little features. Next I squirted some water into the air like a fountain. That brought a smile to his face. I slowly slipped my hand up and waved. His brows furrowed, but he waved back. His eyes peeked over his shoulder, like he might get in trouble for it.
Once I’d broken the ice, I popped my head above the water and smiled at him.
“Hello,” I said.
He fell back onto his butt in surprise. After scrambling backward up the bank a few feet, he swallowed and licked his lips.
After a moment of hesitation, he quietly said, “Hi.”
My grin spread wider. “You’re awfully little to be out here by yourself. The river is a very dangerous place to play. Did your parents ever tell you that?”
He nodded, but didn’t say anything.
“Well, you should listen to them. What if you fell in? You could drown.”
Confusion slightly furrowed his brows. “But…you’re playing in the water.”
“That’s because I’m a Water Elemental,” I explained sweetly. “It can’t hurt me.”
He thought about that for a moment.
“I think I am too.”
My brows rose. “Is that right?”
He nodded. “I love the water. Plus, my dad is a Water Elemental.”
“Well,” I said, a little flabbergasted. “In
that case, you need to be inside. There’s a curfew, remember?”
He cocked his head to the side and protested, “But you’re out in the daylight.”
I smirked. The kid didn’t miss a beat.
“That’s true. I suppose I’m not the best role model for young children, am I?”
He grinned and shook his head.
“Tell you what. I won’t tell that you were out during the day if you don’t tell that I was. Sound good?”
“Yeah,” he said, giggling.
“All right. You get back home, and I’ll get out of here too, so we don’t get in trouble.”
“Okay,” he said, waving as he ran off into town.
I waved too, smiling as I climbed out of the water and headed to Aunt Marge’s.
See? I told myself. I am a good guy. I wasn’t sure why I needed the affirmation, though.
A few minutes later, I arrived at the little cottage. Bypassing it completely, I veered toward the root cellar out back. Marge was already in there, brewing up more concoctions. Incenses were lit and smoking in the corners. The earthen floor still churned like snakes. It gave me hope, though it made walking a little precarious.
“Morning, dear,” Marge called over her shoulder with a smile.
“Morning,” I said, pulling a wooden stool over to Cade’s side.
He was stirring, but not awake. His chest was wrapped in fresh white linens, and a black tattoo I hadn’t noticed the night before peeked out from under the cloth. I inched closer and cocked my head. It was mostly hidden, but from what I could see, it looked like a tiered fountain beside a tree.
I smiled to myself.
He was such an eco-kid.
“How’s he doing?” I asked, taking his hand in mine. His fingers were warm.
Marge emptied a hot pot of herbal water into a glass and brought it over.
“Cool this, won’t you?” she asked, and then sighed dramatically. “He’s doing marvelously.”
I frowned and drew out some of the heat. “What’s the big sigh for, then?”
“Well…because…he shouldn’t be doing marvelously.”
She shook her head and slowly poured the liquid into Cade’s mouth. He swallowed it unknowingly, remaining unconscious.
“He has a strange connection to the earth like I’ve never seen before. It’s feeding him, not only energy, but life. Yes, my herbal remedies are helping, but by all accounts he should’ve died. Yet, here he is, gaining strength.”
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