“Or am I only dropping you off?”
She smiled at him. “You are a part of everything from here on out.”
He shifted the truck into drive and sped off down the street. In the hurried frenzy over Uncle Todd’s news and the rush to leave, neither of them noticed that Everleigh wasn’t among the group who had left first.
The tension from the farmhouse could be felt a mile out. Lilah recognized it as soon as she sensed it.
Jackson groaned, “I think I’m going to be sick.”
What a time for this to happen she thought hoping it was nerves getting the best of him.
“Maybe the milk I used in the pancakes was bad.”
It struck her then from out of nowhere. “You’re not used to handling what you’re capable of yet. It’s the tension that’s making your stomach flip.”
“What tension?”
“From the farmhouse,” she said as he turned onto the driveway.
“I could feel it all the way back at the edge of town.”
“I know. Things must be very bad up there.” The beautiful house loomed in front of her more like a frightening backdrop now.
They were the last to arrive, and the others had already gone inside. Lilah walked up to the house uncertain about how she felt about returning after what happened. She was equally uncertain about how she felt about her Uncle Brian and what would happen to him. As soon as the thought entered her mind, she dismissed it. This wasn’t their way. In time, they would be cordial again, but she would never trust him.
The porch swing still hung haphazardly with one side touching the wood flooring beneath it. It’s funny the things you take notice of in extreme situations. The swing should be the last thing to mind, but she still wondered why no one had gotten around to fixing it yet. There were close to twenty people in the house. Someone could do something for a change besides sit around the living room arguing all day.
“Are we going in?” Jackson snapped her out of her thoughts.
She took a deep breath and swung the door wide open, “Yeah, come on.”
No one took notice as they stepped into the room. Everyone was talking at once. Voices were growing louder and louder until they were virtually yelling as they tried to be heard over the din. It was mass chaos.
A sharp whistle shattered the room, and everyone stopped in their tracks.
They all turned their eyes to Jackson including Lilah who was just as surprised by his intrusion.
“Hey,” he waved and smiled at everyone.
The faces in the room were still focused on him, but no one returned his greeting.
“Now we can hear a little better. Don’t you think?” Jackson shifted his weight nervously.
“What happened?” Lilah asked the crowd.
The murmur started at once with everyone trying to state their view on what had occurred. Jackson whistled again.
“One at a time,” Lilah announced after he regained their attention.
Todd approached them. “Brian is missing. No one has seen him since shortly after I left last night.”
“They just noticed him gone?” Jackson asked.
It wouldn’t be difficult on a normal day since there are so many here Lilah thought, but he would have been the focal point of everyone’s argument. “Why didn’t they tell us sooner?”
“From what I gather, they thought he left voluntarily. He went outside for some fresh air and never came back.” Todd explained.
“He’s not with the rest of the family at Aunt Sophia’s?” Lilah knew that option had certainly been exhausted, but there was no harm in asking.
“He’d never step foot in the same house as Chloe. You know that,” her dad looked defeated.
“But, yes, we did check,” her mom added before Lilah could ask again.
There was a knock at the door which made Lilah jump. Worried looks flashed between the people in the room as they were not sure who it could be.
Jackson immediately opened the door without caution causing many people to jump to their feet.
Lilah wanted to move to stop him, but it was already too late. She held her breath until she heard him speak.
“Hello,” Jackson greeted warmly, “Lee-Lee.”
The entire room collectively exhaled when they realized the person on the porch was not an enemy.
Lilah approached her new friend and apologized for not realizing she wasn’t already here. There was little time to fill Everleigh in on any of the new events before the arguing picked up again, and her attention was once more focused on the matter at hand.
Behind her, she could hear Jackson lay it all out for her in a nutshell that took about five seconds to convey.
The arguing was getting out of hand. It didn’t take more than seconds it to grow to a fever pitch. Air had never been singled out before for attack by anyone. This was unchartered territory for them, and none among them seemed to be handling it well.
Lilah motioned to Jackson who let out another shrill whistle. The fighting stopped, and everyone looked to her expecting her to have something important to say on the subject. There was nothing new for her to contribute, and she stood there awkwardly feeling the stares from her family until Meredith stepped forward to offer a suggestion.
They listened as the idea was proposed for someone in Air to search the minds of the rest of the family to see if anyone knew anything about Uncle Brian’s disappearance. There were nineteen of them present, so it wouldn’t be an easy or quick task, but it would give them the answers they wanted. Most of the family were only pointing fingers at each other thinking the others had to know more than they let on because how else would the wolves have been able to find them?
As she was trying to figure out why no one thought to accuse the southern tribes, she heard her name. Uncle Todd was suggesting she be the one to search the minds of her family, and he would in turn read hers when she was finished. “Why me?”
“I think you know the answer to that,” her uncle answered while he defended his plan to his brother Joseph. “Your powers are greater. They’d have a harder time hiding something from you.”
Meredith was standing back watching the decision being made, so she took advantage of the few seconds she had to approach her. “Meredith, if my family knows nothing-” she began.
“Already on it,” Meredith told her, lifting a finger to quiet her. “I’m working on something to see just how far we can trust the newcomers who are supposed to be on our side.”
Uncle Todd called for her, “Lilah!” He nodded when she looked his way signaling she was to begin.
Lilah went through her family one by one. It was the most difficult thing she’d ever had to do. The process was long. She had to first check to make sure they were keeping part of their mind closed off. They would be capable of blocking part of their memory from her, but allowing her to see the rest. They could even create a false memory for her to see. Once that was done, it didn’t take long to learn that no one had anything to do with it. Most of them didn’t even realize Uncle Brian was no longer on the property until that morning. They assumed he was hiding somewhere on the grounds.
That wasn’t the hard part. Everyone had an opinion on what he had done, and it was next to impossible to not find out what their opinions were given what she was doing.
“It was frightening to be around her.”
“He did us a favor, really.”
“If he had talked to us, he’d have found most were in agreement with him.”
“The only reason anyone is mad is because he didn’t have prior consent. The out lash against him was ridiculous.”
There were so many more thoughts even worse than those. Most of her family felt the only wrong he was guilty of was not getting the family approval first. It was clear they would have given him that approval too. Aside from her parents and her Uncle Todd, the only ones against it completely were Sara and Gene. If it had gone to a vote, her family would have helped him subdue her through medication.
By the
time she was through, an uneasiness had taken hold in her gut and was making her feel physically ill. She was still calm. There was no threat of her losing control. At least not for the time being. But she wanted to be as far away from these people as she could which meant going back to Jackson’s. As hurt as she was, she wouldn’t run away when her family’s very survival was at stake.
At the end, it was Uncle Todd’s turn. Lilah sat on the recliner to relax while he went through to make sure she hadn’t covered for anyone. It might be petty, but she screamed the hurtful thoughts of others at him making sure he heard them as she did. When he was done, he let the others know that it was true. No one here had helped the wolves capture Brian.
“How did they know to find him, then,” Joseph asked still skeptical.
“That’s easy,” Matt stepped up.
The family recoiled collectively to the sight of a wolf addressing them. Some prejudices never die.
“You’ve said the wolf movement from the north has stopped. Correct?”
“Yes,” Todd answered. “They stopped a few hours northwest of here yesterday.”
“They aren’t aware you have figured out a way to track them. They believe they’re undetected.”
“We were hoping for that advantage,” Todd was the only one engaging him.
“We may learn more when we’ve had a chance to talk to the tribes from the south, but I believe it’s a temporary base. This is the location they’ve chosen to plan their next move,” Matt explained.
“That was our thinking too,” Todd looked at his family nodding.
“They would send out scouts to not only find you and the witches, but to gather as much information as they can about your numbers and preparations.”
“How would they find us?” Abby asked.
“I’m not sure,” Matt was honest.
“There could be a mole,” Uncle Joseph snipped.
“It’s possible,” Todd told him. “And it could be one of us.”
“Hardly! Not with the brain scans the two of you forced on the lot of us,” Joseph wagged his fingers at Todd and Lilah.
“I believe that was your idea, Joe,” Todd said, knowing his brother hated the shortening of his name. “Besides, we only read through last night. The information could’ve been leaked at any time even before we arrived.”
There was a low buzz like an electric current that went through them as if they at once couldn’t believe the hint of an accusation was there, but also understanding that the traitor could be in the room with them.
“It could’ve been Brian,” Myles contributed.
Todd pointed at him excitedly. “Yes, it could have been him. The image Abby picked up on could be a red herring.”
“What do you think?” Abby asked Matt.
“I wouldn’t rule it out necessarily. I was going to say it was more pure dumb luck than anything. Brian went outside alone while the scouts were near, and they took advantage of the situation.”
“You think it was happenstance,” Myles was thinking it over.
“I did, but what you’ve suggested makes sense too. He could left voluntarily to join them, and they’re sending signals to throw you off,” Matt furrowed his brow and looked away.
“But you don’t think he did?” Myles saw the look on Matt’s face.
Matt took a moment before answering. “I think everyone is already upset concerning events that involve Brian. It would be easy to place another strike against him. I don’t want anyone to make rash assumptions which could affect him horribly only to find out their wrong later.”
“Spoken like a wise man,” Todd looked approvingly at Matt. “Let’s put our heads together and see what we can find out,” he said to his family.
After the discussion started, Lilah told her parents she would be heading back to Jackson’s house if they needed her. It was obvious they didn’t want her to go, but they weren’t going to try to stop her.
Todd reminded Lilah they would be meeting soon. He wanted time to talk to her alone beforehand.
“Do we know who is representing the witches?” Lilah asked.
“I believe it will be Eloise and Rita, but I could be wrong.”
Lilah was stunned. “I thought for sure Meredith would be one of the two.”
“She will be representing the vampires,” Todd informed her.
“But she’s not a natural.”
“There are too few left to be found.” Todd’s gaze fell over the weight of his words.
Lilah nervously followed her Uncle Todd into the apartment building where the meeting would be held. Luke, Matt and Rita were with them. Matt was chosen since he had already established some form of trust with some of the Elementals in the area. Meredith was bringing Eloise, and they could already be here. She wasn’t sure. The only person she didn’t already know was Irving who was the leader of the southern tribe.
Todd knocked on the door which was swiftly opened by a much older man. He appeared to be in his late fifties at least. The five of them filed inside. No one else had arrived yet. The wolf leader motioned for them to have a seat at the large table in the corner of the apartment. It only seated six, but two off chairs had been pulled up to accommodate everyone. Luke sat in one of the smaller chairs ensuring Meredith a good seat, and Lilah took the other. It wouldn’t be wise to make Eloise feel out of place from the stories she had heard.
Moments later, Meredith and Eloise joined them. Once everyone was present, the old man began by introducing himself. “My name is Irving, and I represent Water. I have been the leader of the tribes in the southern region since my father’s death almost ten years ago. Each of the tribes has a pack leader who reports to me. They have entrusted me to speak for them at this meeting.”
They went to his right which meant Lilah would speak last. It was a blessing and a curse. It gave her a little time to listen to the others to figure out exactly what she would say, but she would rather get it over with first.
“My name is Luke, and I represent Fire. There are very few of my kind left and hard to find representatives.”
“I am Eloise, the leader of my coven. I represent Earth.”
It was Todd’s turn next followed by Matt. The nerves were mounting inside Lilah as she regretted not asking her uncle what she should say.
“I am Meredith. I was born an Earth Elemental, but I am here today to represent Fire. I was turned over three centuries ago. As Luke stated, their numbers are low. I am here to be their second representative since there are no others stepping forward.”
Lilah barely breathed while Rita spoke. She was next and had nothing to say except her name and Elemental group. The others all had a little something extra. They were a leader, or among the last of their kind. What was she supposed to say? Hi, I’m Lilah, and I’ve had my powers less than a week.
All eyes were on her. “I’m Lilah,” she began.
“Lilah,” Irving drew it out like he was savoring the taste of her name on his tongue. “We’ve heard all about you Lilah.”
The tone of his voice made her feel very uncomfortable.
“I’m glad you could make it.”
“I was under the impression my presence was a requirement.” Lilah heard a couple gasps, but couldn’t be sure who they were from as her eyes were staring directly into Irving’s. One thing was certain about her powers. They definitely increased her confidence.
A slow smile formed on Irving’s lips. “And this is why, Lilah. Not only does talk of what you are capable precede you, but you are a force without your abilities.”
Lilah took it as a compliment even though she would bet that some of the others didn’t see it as such.
“Let’s begin,” Irving addressed the group. “Tell me what you already learned, so I know where to start.”
The Elementals looked at each other unsure who should go first. Luke leaned forward. “The vampires have been killed at an alarming rate. Natural vampire blood has a mind control effect when consumed. We’ve learned this bl
ood is being used against our own kind, but...”
Irving waited before encouraging him to finish. “Take your time.”
“I've never heard of our blood being used against us before unless it’s...” Once again, Luke stopped mid-sentence putting his face in his hands.
“Go on,” Irving told him.
Luke sat up and looked down at his hands. “Unless it’s Fire’s blood.”
Irving smiled creepily at Luke. “That’s right.”
“They have Fire, then?” Luke asked.
“The wolves don’t have him. At least they didn’t the last time I was updated on anything, but they do have access to his blood.”
“What? How is that possible if they don’t have him?” Luke’s voice was growing loud to match his anger.
“In time, son,” the creepy wolf leader told him.
It was Todd who spoke next mainly to give Luke a chance to control his emotions. “The wolves from the north have set up a base camp about three hours northwest of here.”
“A base camp?” Irving questioned.
“For lack of a better term,” Todd continued. “We know their plan is to come after the witches next then it will be our turn.”
“Good.” Irving told the group. “You are mostly caught up to speed. We need to work together if we are to defeat them. Their numbers are vast.”
“How did their tribes get so large?” Eloise asked, but Lilah caught a fleeting look in her eyes that made her believe she already knew the answer.
“They’ve been turning a lot of people the last few years,” Irving answered her with a smile.
“That is what I struggle with understanding,” Matt contributed. “It’s hard to create wolves.”
“Explain,” it was Meredith demanding more than a question.
“Water has to be in wolf form to create new wolves. Attacks almost always result in death. For every new wolf, there would need to be a hundred dead. Those numbers would be noticed.”
“Very true,” Irving nodded. “They have devised a way to amplify their success. That’s not important now. What is important is how we are to defeat them.”
“Do you have any ideas?” Todd asked.
“There are many ways to defeat the wolves. Their advantage is purely numbers. Taking out Fire was a strategic move that is going to play into their favor immensely.”
Air: The Elementals: Book One Page 25
