‘So, these are the decisions we’ve made for the proceedings, let us know if there is anything at all you want to change.’ Stella said, passing Laura a sheet of paper outlining the funeral.
Laura’s heart contracted at the words printed along the top of the page.
Oliver Harmer’s Memorial Service
She took a moment to read over the page before setting it down on the desk, a small smile playing on her lips. ‘I think Dad would like being driven in his Ute.’
Stella smiled also. ‘We thought so too.’
Laura felt her heart swell with appreciation for her two mentors, and it hit her then that, really, she should be the one organising her Father’s funeral. Instead, she’d dismissed the idea, for it hurt too much to constantly be reminded of her loss. She knew then that she should have been more considerate of her Father, who deserved as special a day as possible, and she felt a flash of anger at her selfishness, at her inability to think about others. Then, a longing for her life to return to normal hit her so strong that she actually took a small step backwards. She continuously found herself attempting to do the right thing, yet at the same time, the overwhelming bundle of emotions that permanently stuck with her seemed to blind her from what that even was anymore.
‘Laura?’ Stella whispered, settling a hand on her shoulder, and Laura immediately broke out of her trance.
‘Sorry?’
‘Is this okay for the headstone?’ Leo asked, passing her another sheet of paper with a string of words on it.
In loving memory of
OLIVER HARMER
Beloved Husband of CARA WESTMILL-HARMER,
And cherished Father of LAURA HARMER.
Forever remembered for his humour, kindness and spirit.
September 17th 1968 - July 19th 2013
‘This is lovely, thankyou.’ Laura told Stella, and it was the truth.
‘Anything you would like to add?’ Leo asked kindly.
Laura found herself shaking her head, a very real smile on her face. ‘No, you’ve captured everything perfectly. I think he would have liked it. Mum would have too.’
‘I’m truly glad to hear that, thank you for your help.’ Leo said, taking her hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze.
‘Are you up to speaking at the funeral?’ Stella asked her.
Laura sucked in a breath. ‘No. But I will be.’
~
Laura heard a clatter come from above and slowed her pace, taking the next few steps to the training room as quietly as she could. She was surprised when the room came into view and Drew was there, preparing for their next lesson. She’d woken early in the hopes she could have some training time alone, and her shoulders dropped at the realisation that she wasn’t going to get that.
At the same time, her heart pace quickened and she cursed herself for staring stupidly at the back of Drew’s head as he lined up the dummies. A sense of irritation grew inside her at her own ridiculous, muddled up thoughts. She couldn’t deal with them yet, not with everything else going on.
‘Hey,’ Drew said as she climbed the rest of the stairs, unzipped her jacket and dropped it onto the bench.
She flashed him a quick smile of acknowledgement, then hurried to the opposite end of the room where the boxing bag hung. She forced her hands into the gloves and set to work on the bag, beating out her frustrations.
The fact that Drew was up early meant only one thing. He wanted to talk. Her only problem? She didn’t want to talk. In fact, she was sick of talking, because once she started, she struggled to stop, and there was just too much to even attempt to put into words. Especially when it came to Drew.
The more she beat the punching bag, the angrier she grew to be. Not just about her own pathetic emotions, but about everything. The life she once had, the loss of her Father, her missing Mother, Caspian, Delilah - Stella’s best friend who died at the hand of one of Erebus’ followers, The Flyer, Erebus and all the harm he’d already caused to so many. She hated him. She hated him.
All of a sudden, there was a hand on her shoulder.
‘Ace!’ Drew shouted, and she realised she’d been unintentionally (or maybe intentionally…) ignoring him.
She spun on him, meeting his emerald green eyes, her own hazel eyes ablaze.
‘What’s wro-‘
‘Stop! Just stop!’
Drew’s brow furrowed, ‘Ace, you’ve been so quiet lately. Please talk to me?’
‘Talking doesn’t fix anything! It doesn’t just magically make my problems go away!’
‘It may not fix the problem, but letting it out helps. Believe me Ace, you know as well as I do that I’m the king of bottling things up. But talking about my problems… well some of them at least, helped.’ He smiled sheepishly. ‘I’m here for you.’
Laura squeezed her eyes shut. No. She couldn’t even make sense of her own thoughts, how was she meant to try and explain them to someone else?
‘I don’t need to talk to anyone, okay? I’m fine.’
Drew took a step closer. ‘You’re not-’
‘I said I’m fine! God, just please, leave me alone.’ Laura snapped, turning away from him to hide the sting of angry tears that were welling up.
‘Okay.’ He said.
She stood stock still as she listened to him go, already regretting her words. Once again, her emotions were blinding her.
Laura slammed her fist into the punching bag, sending it flying, before slumping onto a nearby bench and burying her face in her hands.
~
Logan moved aside on the couch so Grace could settle in beside him before wrapping an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to his chest. She rested her head against his shoulder, snuggling in to his arm, and suddenly the butterflies were loose in Logan’s stomach again. He still struggled to believe that the woman he’d grown to simply adore truly returned his feelings, and, despite all that was occurring around them, he honestly couldn’t remember the last time he was so happy.
‘Watchya reading?’ She asked, and he flipped the book over so she could read the cover.
‘The History of The Enchanted and Wicked. Just a little light reading?’
He grinned at her, ‘oh absolutely. No, I thought perhaps if I learnt more about Erebus we might have a better chance of finding him.’
Grace flicked through the pages, stopping every so often to study paintings of Erebus throughout the time when he created the initial experiment.
‘That’s a good idea. Found anything yet?’
Logan shook his head, ‘no, all much the same as what we’ve always been told, and even that is inaccurate.’
‘I have faith in you Logan, I know you’ll find something.’
He flicked to the next page as nerves flit through him. How he loved that she believed in him so completely.
‘Oh! I forgot, I got you something. Well, I know someone who knows someone who was able to smuggle it in with our last delivery of groceries.’
Logan raised an eyebrow, ‘what did you get me?’
Grace pulled a flashlight from her pocket, and he stared at it for a moment, dumbfounded. He recalled the promise she’d made him, but he certainly hadn’t expected her to remember.
‘I don’t believe it.’ He said, taking it from her.
‘I told you if I lost your torch I’d buy you another one.’
He grinned at her, ‘thanks, Grace.’
She shrugged. ‘I’m a woman of my word.’
Grace glanced back to the still open book on Logan’s lap.
‘Dude likes his caves.’ She mumbled, and Logan followed her line of sight to the painting that covered the double spread of the page.
Erebus lay on the dirty floor of a cave, bleeding to death after Mara Warlock helped lead the attack against him.
Logan jolted as an idea shot through him and Grace straightened at his sudden movement.
‘What is it?!’ She exclaimed
‘Grace, that’s it! He’s gone underground!’
> Grace grinned and her eyes widened with excitement, before her face fell, her joy deflating. ‘Only, we still don’t know where.’
‘Ah.’ Logan remarked, ‘right. Well, back to the book then.’
Grace giggled, settling back by his side, ‘like I said, I have faith in you.’
~
Laura trudged down the hall, initially planning on heading for the bathroom to wash up for lunch, however as she passed Gemma’s open door, she paused and peeked in. Gemma had been laying on her bed, but she sat up at Laura’s approach, rearranging the pillows behind her back. Something seemed to register in Gemma’s gaze, because she gestured at the seat across from her and Laura claimed it, dragging it closer to the side of the bed.
‘How’s the injuries?’ Laura asked, noting that Gemma’s scar had already faded to a deep purple
‘Healing. I’ll be good to go by Tuesday, I’m sure.’ Gemma replied, prodding at the scar gently.
‘I’m glad.’ Laura replied, watching Gemma inspect her face in the dresser mirror.
‘I think it makes me scary, don’t you?’ She asked, turning to Laura.
Laura grinned, ‘oh. Very scary.’
Gemma laughed at that. ‘Maybe something good has come out of it after all. I can just scare my enemies away.’
‘Of course! It’ll go away eventually though… wont it?’ Laura asked.
‘Not completely. The Doctors said it was too deep, and was left untreated for too long. It will fade though.’
‘You won’t be so scary then,’ Laura said in a failed attempt to appear positive.
‘That’ll be no good. The scarier the better.’ Gemma scoffed, smiling at herself in the mirror.
They lapsed into silence for a moment until suddenly, before she could stop herself, Laura realised her mouth was moving, words already forming on her lips.
‘I think I may have ruined my friendship with Drew.’
Gemma turned to her. ‘Friendship?’ She remarked, raising a brow. ‘Considering all he’s done for you, I would call it more than friendship.’
Laura blushed, feeling even worse about the way she’d treated Drew, yet she still found herself shaking her head. ‘No. I-‘
‘You’re not in a place to think about ‘more than friends’?’ Gemma finished for her.
Laura sighed. ‘I just… I don’t know. Ever since I hurt James at the Lost City, I’ve been so terrified. It’s not the only time I’ve done something like that either.’
Gemma straightened immediately, ‘what do you mean?’
Laura loosened a breath, ‘after the battle by the river with the bats, Drew was hurt. And I healed him. I don’t know how I did it, but if I can heal him, I can hurt him, or you guys. Or anyone for that matter.’
‘And that’s why you want to find Kane so badly,’ Gemma concluded. ‘To try and work out how to control it. So you don’t harm anyone.’
Laura dropped her head into her hands. ‘I hate the stupid power. I don’t want it.’
‘Laura,’ Gemma said softly, and Laura lifted her head. ‘I don’t think you could hurt anyone unless you wanted to. Both times you used your power, you were overcome with strong emotions. With Drew, it was that your friend,’ Gemma winked, ‘was hurt, and with James it was that he was… well he was going to kill me.’
Laura turned Gemma’s words over in her mind, and slowly, they began to click into place, making more sense to her than she cared to admit. It fact, for the first time, she truly felt as though she might have made the slightest smidgen of progress with her gift. Or rather, Gemma had.
Gemma eyed her, ‘but that’s not the only reason you’re distancing yourself from Drew, is it?’
Laura stared at her fidgeting fingers. ‘Now’s just not the time to have anything but friends.’
‘Ah.’
‘I just can’t deal with all that stuff right now.’
‘You mean the ‘more than friends’ stuff?’
‘With everything else that’s going on… it’s too much. I can’t afford to lose sight of finding Mum.’
‘I see. Although, may I give you some advice?’
Laura shrugged. ‘Sure.’
‘Sometimes, a friend, or even someone that means more than that to you, is exactly what you need. I know you’re going to tell me that you’re confused and don’t have time to straighten out your feelings, but the way I see it? Those feelings are only going to grow stronger, until you simply can’t ignore them anymore. Better off figuring them out now, while you have the chance, because if you wait, you may end up being too late.’
Laura stared at Gemma, unable to respond. Was she right? Maybe she was. But at the same time, there was a little voice in the back of Laura’s mind that kept nagging at her, warning her not to get too carried away, for her Mother was more important than her own problems.
‘So what was the deal with Mitch?’ Laura asked.
Gemma grinned, dismissing the clear change of subject, and Laura appreciated it.
‘I’ve been asking myself the same question. He definitely knew we were up to something, yet he didn’t turn us in. In fact, I think even Robin was in on it, yet they both remained oblivious. I’ve been doing some research on them, but so far they’ve got a clean slate. They’re cousins. Both top of their classes at the Corin Charmed School. Both come from respectable families that have been involved in the Corin Force for generations. Both received badges of dedication to the Force this year after three years of straight service since their Ceremonies. I just can’t figure out what their game is.’
‘Interesting.’ Laura said, and she couldn’t help but recall how Robin had performed a conveniently long sweep, how both boys had stayed with Gemma despite her only really requiring help from one, and how they both remained out of the way while she and Grace searched the rooms.
‘Let me know if you find anything.’ Laura added, standing to leave.
‘Will do.’
Laura paused.
‘Where do you get your information from, by the way?’
‘Let’s just say I have my sources.’ Gemma replied with a wink.
~
An hour later, freshly showered and with a full stomach, Laura found herself wandering, yet again, through the wide double doors of the Library. She was surprised to find Leo settled by the fire, staring off into the flames, and she paused to clear her throat so not to startle him. His head jerked up, snapping out of whatever trance he’d been in, and he glanced over his shoulder at her, a warm smile on his lips.
‘Hey Leo.’ She said, taking a seat opposite him.
‘How are you Laura?’ He asked, though it was hard to miss the distant expression on his face as his gaze drifted back to the fire. He already had something on his mind, and Laura was positive she knew what.
‘I’m… okay. Actually, can I ask you something?’
‘Of course,’ he replied, returning his attention to her.
‘The locket you used as payment during the summoning. How… how important was it to you?’
Leo struggled to meet her gaze, and his hesitation was evident, however after a moment he opened his mouth and began to speak. ‘The God’s will only accept an item of great significance to a person when dealing in that form of payment. He wouldn’t have taken it if it didn’t mean anything to me.’
Laura glanced down at her fidgeting hands. ‘I’m sorry you had to sacrifice that for so little information. I should have given him something of mine.’
‘No.’ Leo insisted. ‘We received sufficient answers, we simply have to piece it together ourselves. The Gods always give enough information to set us on the right path, yet not too much so to make it easy for us.’
Laura fell quiet, for Leo’s words still didn’t settle the guilt she felt over the situation.
‘Were you close with your Mother?’ She asked after a while.
Leo’s attention was solely focused on the crackling fire. Shadows from the flames danced across his face in an endless swirl of patterns as h
e recalled what Laura could only assume was a dark period of his life.
‘Very close. She was my role model. She was a Guardian too, protecting the humans and Enchanted from the Wicked.’
‘Was?’
Leo grimaced. ‘My Father… he wasn’t a good man. They loved each other once. He and Mum. They worked side by side as Guardians, choosing to marry not long after meeting one another. But after I was born things changed.’
Laura watched Leo’s expression transform to one of pain, and she realised then that she’d never taken a moment to wonder about the past of her mentors.
‘My Father became jealous of the attention Mum payed to me. She made the decision to take a few years off work to spend as much time with me as she could, especially since she worked in a profession that… well, could result in death. My Father chose to continue working as a dedicated Guardian, but when I say dedicated, I mean that he thought those who didn’t work, who didn’t fight, were weak. Obviously, because of that mindset, Mum stepping away from work only angered him, for he thought she was growing soft because of me. She did eventually return to work, and their relationship grew strong once again, but only a year later, one of my Father’s missions went wrong, and he lost an arm, putting him out of action. I tried to look after him, but he’d grown to resent me. “Everything was perfect until you came along”, he’d tell me. Of course, my Mum loved me no matter what, and she insisted that he was only angry about his injury, but I knew better. I could see the hate within him when he looked at me. I knew he meant it.’ Leo paused, swallowing. ‘And after a while Mum and he grew distant. He became angrier and angrier, hatred burning away inside him. I was only fifteen when he killed her. Set light to our home while she slept and I was on a school excursion.’
Laura flinched at the sudden turn Leo’s story had taken.
‘Oh my gosh…’ she breathed.
‘It was claimed an accident, but I always felt deep down he wanted to punish her for loving me more than him in the end. He was sent to Jail for ‘accidently’ killing her, set to serve twenty years. We- I lost everything after that. The house was gone with the fire, as were all our belongings, and I had no money of course. I moved in with my Mum’s brother, and they raised me as a son. I was still loved and cared for. But that locket, it was the last thing I had of my Mothers.’
The Sacrifice (Wicked Book 2) Page 7