What do you mean most of the time?
“This won’t take long.” Erin helped her get situated on the padded table and Allie shifted to her side. “You want me to make it visible to mortals? Like a regular tat?”
“You can make it visible to Immortals only?”
“That’s my usual. Aidan’s are mostly only visible to us. Those are easier for me to change. How about we make the vines along your bicep visible to everyone and everything else will be hidden with my gift? That way your snooty school won’t flip their pedigrees when they see you. “
“I like the way you think.” Allie gave her the go-ahead. She took a deep breath and relaxed as she listened to the humming of the needle. She winced at the first prick of her skin, but eventually the sensation dulled and her mind drifted.
She was well aware of the needle tracing the lines of the vines on her body. And she was equally aware of Erin’s lively chatter. But Allie was in the orchard … again.
“I’m getting sick of this place,” she called loudly into the pre-dawn light. She came here almost every night she slept now and none of it made any sense. She’d walked every inch of the forest, from the orchard near the red barn, to the path through the woods, to the long driveway that led to the mansion on the hill, and then down to the beach below the cliffs to the little lake-side cottage and back up again to hike the hillside up to the orchard. Over and over and over.
“But for what reason?” she screamed, knowing no one would hear her.
“Why so screechy, killer?” Darius stepped from the barn, his hands in his pockets, the corner of his mouth turning up in that half-grin she knew so well.
“Please, I can’t handle my weird-ass, un-funny gift-person wearing your face.”
“Meh, I’m just a dream.” He shrugged. “Nothing special, just your run-of-the-mill daydream about your handsome cop friend.” He stepped beside her, tucking a loose curl behind her ear. “And you know why I’m here.”
“No, I don’t, actually. But I’m sure you’re about to tell me something that makes no sense.”
“You know why I’m here; you just haven’t figured it out yet. Honestly, neither have I, but we’ll both see it soon. Right here.”
“Don’t be cryptic. Just be my good buddy, Dare, and tell it to me straight.”
He stepped closer, looking into her eyes, his half-smile tugging at her heart in that confusing way it always did. The warmth of his hands around hers calmed her frustration with these reoccurring visions.
“You and I have something special. We're linked—”
“What are you saying, Darius McBrien?” She stepped away from the comfort of his embrace. She didn’t want this. Not with him.
“No, this isn’t that. I don’t think so, anyway. You and I, we're complicated and confusing.”
“Why do I feel such a strange vibe with you? What is it? It’s not like I’m falling for you, although sometimes in a weird way it does feel like that and it creeps me out.”
“Yup, me too. But we’re connected. We just don’t know it yet. It’s going to happen right here in this orchard. Right when we need it most.”
“What’s going to happen, Dare? It’s not like you to be so evasive.” She gave his arm a playful punch.
“I don’t know exactly, Allie. I just know it will happen soon, and when it does, this thing between us will make more sense. Until then … all I can tell you is that I’ll always be the guy you need me to be. I’ll always tell it to you straight. When I can.”
“You okay, Allie?” Erin asked, pulling her back into the moment.
“Yeah.” But she wasn’t. Nothing about that vision was okay. Whatever that was needed to stay far in the distant, non-descript future. She couldn’t deal with boy drama right now. “How’s it going?” She peered down at her arm to see Erin’s handiwork so far.
“We’re done.”
“Seriously? The whole thing?”
“Yeah, come see it.”
Allie stood before the mirror with a sheet draped around her. The thin black and purple vines snaked across her skin in a subtle pattern that followed the ridge of her scar. Rather than mask the scar, the vines highlighted it. Before, when she looked in the mirror, she thought the scar made her look weak. With the tattoo, she looked strong.
“That’s a big smile.” Erin nudged her playfully. “You like?”
“I love it. Erin, you did an amazing job.” She turned, following the vines along her bicep where they curled and flowed down her side to her hip with small purple flowers dotted here and there. The part that was visible to mortals shimmered in the light. It was perfect. The whole tattoo was subtle and simple, but it meant something special to Allie.
She dressed carefully in her jeans and tank, leaving her hoodie off so the boys could see most of the final design.
“Thank you, Erin.” Allie tried to pay her for her hard work, but she wouldn’t hear of it.
“A hug will do just fine.”
Allie gave the petite girl a hug and saw a flash of dark clouds in an ominous sky. Something terrible lay in Erin’s future—something that could not be avoided, but it was just a brief impression and then it was gone.
“So, what do you think?” Allie turned to see Aidan’s eyes tracing the path of the vines filled with poetry.
Oh, I’m just wondering exactly where that thing ends.
The main part is showing, Aidan. Focus on that. What do you think?
“You look strong. Confident. You look more like you than you have in a long time.”
She felt like it too.
~~~
“Thanks for helping me study, Allie,” Kayla said as they pored over her college art history notes Thursday evening. Kayla was attending Kent State University and was struggling with this one class.
“Glad to help. Your course looks a lot like my intro to art history at CIA so it's useful study time for me too. Anytime you want to catch up and do some studying, I can talk about art for days.”
“It sounded like an easy class, but I'm totally bombing it. I don't get this assignment at all.”
Allie poured them each a cup of hot coffee, gagging when she realized it was decaf, and went to hunt for snacks. She was happy when Kayla called her. Things had been weird with them since Allie and Vince broke up and he and Kayla started dealing with their past. She was pretty sure they were already dating.
With her head in the fridge, she rummaged for something edible that wasn't on Naeemah's stupid diet. She wanted something with gooey chocolate, but there was nothing in the fridge but veggies and hummus.
Naeemah is an evil dark witch. Somehow she'd managed to get Lily in on this diet thing and there was nothing truly edible in the house. Lily was a steadfast carb-and-cheese-ivore—how did Naeemah manage to get her mom to buy tofu?
“What's the assignment?” Allie settled on celery sticks and peanut butter.
“We have to do compare-and-contrast essays every week on a different period of art history. So we talk about something old and then we show how it's still applicable today. I just don't get it. How are caveman paintings used anywhere in today's world?”
“I kinda want to do this assignment.” Allie pulled the textbook over to see the examples of cave art Kayla was struggling with.
“I knew I came to the right art dork.”
“Yes, you did. Okay, so the cave art at Lascaux would be the ancient example of how man wanted to leave a record of his time there, right?”
“Sure. Looks like useless stick figures to me, though.”
“Think of it like a ‘Joe was here’ kind of thing.”
“Like graffiti?”
“Exactly. So find some seriously cool street art to compare it with and talk about how even today we have a pathological need to doodle in public places to prove to the world we were here and we were important.”
“I knew you would be useful. What about the pyramids? Luxor in Vegas?”
“Too obvious; everyone will use that. You could do t
he Louvre in Paris, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame here, or the Transamerica Pyramid building in San Francisco.”
“Okay, I think I get it now.”
“Whenever the art part starts to get confusing, just remember it's like any other history class. Most of what we know of history comes from the art and artifacts of the different periods so it all connects.”
“Thanks, Allie. I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to call you. With the whole Vince thing. I know you know there were a lot of … extenuating circumstances.”
“We're fine, Kayla. I want us all to still be friends. Especially since I think I might transfer to Kent State next year. CIA is an awesome school, but it's really expensive and the KSU art program is just as good and Sasha is probably going there too.”
“What about Aidan? Where's he going?”
“He says he's going to Oberlin Conservatory just outside the city, but I know he's always planned to go to the Musical Conservatory in Germany and I don’t want him to give that up.”
“Well, if you come to KSU, maybe we could be roommates? Or we could all get a place together?”
“Yes, absolutely.” Allie grinned. She had been afraid she and Kayla would drift apart since she and Vince were getting closer now, but Allie knew they belonged together so it didn’t hurt as much.
Kinda like the way it’s supposed to work with Complements, Aidan interjected. You’re with someone and then they find their Complement. You aren’t angry or hurt, you’re just happy for them.
Right. I guess I never thought of it that way. It does kind of take the sting out of it.
“Allie!” Liam called from the garden just before he rushed into the living room with a sticky Kahlynn wiggling in his arms.
“Hey, Liam, what's up?”
“Oh, sorry, I didn't know you had company. I’m so sorry to interrupt, but can you babysit? I have to run out for a little while.”
“Sure, I'll take her off your hands if you can clean the sticky goop off her first.”
“She had Rice Krispies Treats for a snack and she's wearing most of it. It won't kill you to clean her up, Allie. I gotta run.” Liam passed his daughter off to her and with a quick kiss to both their foreheads, he was gone before she could protest.
“I need a raise, Liam!”
“I don’t pay you,” he called from the foyer.
“Exactly my point!” The slam of the front door was not the answer she was hoping for.
“Come on, little girl, let's get you cleaned up and then you're going to show Auntie Allie where the Rice Krispies Treats are.” Allie sat her niece on the counter and reached for the paper towels to clean Kahlynn's hands and face.
“Sorry about that. He’s a single dad so I get babysitting duty sometimes.” Allie glanced up at Kayla and saw she was white as a ghost and her hands trembled. She shook her head like she couldn't make sense of what she was seeing. Allie's eyes clouded over and a green aura washed everything in a weird light. Allie looked down at Kahlynn, grinning at her, her blue eyes sparkling with mischief. She looked up at Kayla again, her blue eyes wary and uncertain. Then Allie did the math.
“Her name's Kahlynn?” Kayla asked.
“Yeah. D-do you want to hold her?”
Kayla nodded. Her long blond hair fell over her shoulder as she reached for Kahlynn. Their hair was the same color. Kahlynn didn’t care for strangers too much, but she reached for Kayla with a smile.
Without thinking, Allie blocked Aidan from seeing this. She didn't understand what—or even how—this was happening, but she knew this wasn't something anyone else needed to see.
“So what can you tell me about the Etruscans?” Kayla asked in a calm voice. She sat with the baby in her lap, smiling down at her like Kahlynn had hung the moon.
“Lots of figure art and sculpture come from that period.” Allie pulled the textbook toward her and followed Kayla's lead.
~~~
CHAPTER
TWENTY-FOUR
“Oh good, you’re here,” Allie said the moment her brother stepped foot in her bedroom. “I was afraid you forgot about dream babysitting.”
“No, I didn’t forget,” Liam said. For the past several weeks, he had watched over her as she slept. He let her dream while he watched and observed. Sometimes, when the dreams were bad, he was able to sing her through them. Liam’s voice could be intoxicating as well as calming. He also made sure she had pencils and paper ready on those nights when she sketched what she saw. She had nearly filled an entire sketchbook with flames and smoke and trees with skies filled with a blood red moon. It was all useless because she still had no idea what her gift was trying to tell her and she felt an overwhelming fear that she was running out of time.
“I will help you get to sleep, but I will be leaving you to your own devices tonight. I want to see how you do on your own.”
“Am I ready for that?” Allie felt her throat closing up as the fear coiled tight in her chest.
“We won’t know until we try. There is nothing to be afraid of, little one. You can do this.”
Just no more snakes, Aidan said.
Allie shuddered at the memory of their writhing bodies and sharp fangs.
But he’s right, Lex. You can do this.
I know. I just need to toughen up.
Dream date first?
Yes, please.
See you in our usual spot. Night, babe.
Night.
With the soothing sound of Liam’s voice, Allie managed to slip into a tranquil sleep when she might otherwise have tossed and turned half the night away. Every time she went to the dreamworld, she thought about Navid. Maybe this would be the night she would see him again.
In a whirl of darkness, she fell into her dreams. She recognized the signs now and was getting better at traveling there on her own. She opened her eyes to the hazy light of the dreamworld. Tonight the sky was purple, somewhere between night and day with no visible sun or moon in the sky. It was cool and crisp like the first fall evening. As she hiked up the hillside that was a replica of the one near Aidan’s home, Allie mentally adjusted her clothing for the cooler weather. In an instant, she wore her favorite hoodie and jeans with her warmest boots. The tall grass bobbed in the breeze. Green in the real world, here the grass was a brilliant shade of yellow, a perfect complement to the purple sky.
Aidan hadn’t managed to fall asleep yet so she wandered around the hillside toward the cliffs. Heeding Navid’s warning not to go wandering off into the dreamworld without him, she was always careful that they stayed in her dreamscape.
Navid? Can you come for a visit tonight? She let the wind take her words to her father. He would hear her and if he could, he would come.
She stared down at the crystal waves below as they crashed over the jagged rocks. Much of this world reminded her of her drawings. Sometimes the edges were blurred in shadow and sometimes things were crisp and clear. She could focus on an object and eventually it would become more defined, but it always held a carbon-copy drawing quality to it.
She turned when she heard Aidan’s approach, but it wasn’t Aidan. Allie couldn’t believe her eyes as she took an unsteady step forward.
“Quinn?” she whispered. “Is that really you?”
He walked slowly toward her, gazing through her at the cliffside with sadness in his eyes. How he must miss the only home he’d ever known.
“Quinn? Can you hear me?” She wondered if he was really there or if he was just a figment of her imagination that her subconscious mind had created because she wanted so badly to know he was okay after everything they’d just learned. But he wasn’t okay. Not judging by his appearance. He looked like the Quinn she saw on the screen at Amrita.
He couldn’t hear her, but Allie followed him, afraid to touch him. She feared he might disappear the instant she did.
He looked terrible. His dark skin was haggard and the lines around his eyes made him look older than his nineteen years. He was thinner in some ways. In others, he looked stronger. Har
der. Meaner. Less like the quiet boy she knew. His hair was shaved close and his clothes hung loose around his narrow waist.
He spoke, but she couldn’t hear him. He eased his long frame back into the tall grass, sitting with arms resting on his knees, gazing into the distance at the indistinct skyline of the city across the bay.
Allie sat opposite him and stared at his gaunt face. Wherever Quinn was in the waking world, he was not doing well.
“Allie?” Aidan called from their usual spot near the old laurel tree.
“Over here!” She stood, but kept her eyes trained on Quinn.
“Who is that?” He ran toward her. She could hear the anxiety in his voice. It was always just the two of them here. The sight of someone else startled him. “Quinn?” Aidan fell to his knees beside him.
Allie stopped him just as he reached for his friend.
“Don’t,” she whispered.
“What’s happening, Lex? Where did he come from? Are you doing this?”
“He can’t see or hear us, but he’s here. Right? You can see him too?”
“Yes. He looks like hell. But what does this mean? Is it just … something we want to see?”
“I don’t know. We need to ask Navid. I asked him to come but I don’t know if he heard me.”
They both stared at Quinn, aching to help him in some way, but too scared they might do something wrong.
“He’s really here. It’s not just an illusion of what I want to see. If I conjured him somehow, it would be the version of him I remember. I don’t know this guy.”
Navid, please hurry. I need you, she whispered urgently, knowing he would hear the desperation in her voice.
With a silent sigh, Quinn rose to his feet and turned away from the cliffside to make his way back down the hill. He moved quickly, as if he couldn’t stand the sight of home for another moment.
“Stay where you are!” Navid’s voice echoed like a boom all around them. Even Quinn faltered, gazing up at the sky with a look of confusion.
Navid rushed across the hillside. “Do not leave this place, Allie. You must let him go.” Navid reached to hold her back.
Immortals of Indriell- The Collection Page 73