∞
Our hotel bathroom served as an inconspicuous place for my return. Much to my relief, it was empty when I traversed, so I stripped out of my snow-covered clothes and took a quick shower.
I glanced at my phone: twelve unread text messages, three missed calls from Faith, and one from Louise. I tossed my phone into my knapsack, refusing to address the situation until later—much later.
I pushed open the bathroom door and discovered Shiloh still awake, sitting in the side chair of our room, working on choreography notes.
“Shiloh.” I nodded, greeting him quietly.
“Hey, Nate.”
I gathered a dry shirt and jeans while Dakota and Carson slept. A conversation about the incident with Maryah was inevitable, but I didn’t want to involve them. I finished getting dressed and turned to Shiloh.
“Shall we step outside?”
He pulled a wool cap over his braids and stood. “As you wish.”
Our first-floor room allowed us to exit through the patio door. We walked through the dark with no path to follow, but Shiloh’s gift of inherent night vision allowed him to guide us. I paused at a bench on the outskirts of the parking lot.
Shiloh looked back at me. “Nah, no way, just because you enjoy exposing yourself to extreme activities and temperatures doesn’t mean I have to suffer with you. We’re sitting in the truck where I can crank up the heat.”
I followed him, and for several minutes we sat in silence while the engine ran. He rubbed his hands together in front of the heating vents like they were a fireplace. I shot him an amused grin.
He shrugged. “Call it evolution, or call it being spoiled. I like my creature comforts.”
“Yes, you have always embraced the latest human advancements.”
“Dang skippy!” Shiloh danced in his seat then moments later his energy and smile dimmed. “So what’s up, Natty Bro?”
I glanced at the sky. “Stars, the moon, a few planets—”
“Don’t be cheeky. The quicker you give me info, the quicker we can be done with this and catch some Zs. If you would’ve answered your phone when Faith called, I could be chillin’ with the bed bugs right now.” Shiloh always embodied each of his personas with ease. I enjoyed having him and Faith so close this go-round.
“Don’t let me keep you.” I gestured at the heat vents which were making Shiloh’s truck feel like an oven. “You are free to chill, or roast, with the bed bugs whenever you desire.” He set the control to a lower flow. “I’m sorry you’ve had to wait up for me. What would you like to know?”
“What would you like to know?”
I paused, considering my answer. “Is she okay?”
“Do you mean did she wake up from her fainting spell? No, she’s in a magically induced sleep.” He added a dramatic flair to each word. “Only a kiss from her true love can break the spell.”
I played along. “No one warned her not to eat the apple?”
Shiloh erupted with laughter. “Nah, we assumed she remembered it was poisonous.”
“You know what they say about assuming.”
“Yes, I do, and yes, you are an ass. Seriously man, why’d you run off like that?”
My grin waned. “I couldn’t bear it. She’s so different. So empty.”
“But it’s still her. She’s just missing most of what made her the shining light we remember.”
I sighed at the memory of Maryah’s hollow eyes. “I hope you’re spared from ever enduring such torture.”
“I couldn’t do it. I don’t know how you’ve made it this long. I give you props.” He extended his fist to meet mine—one of his latest interpretations of a handshake. “But don’t you want to know what happened?”
“I figured it highly probable someone would tell me.”
“She woke up a few minutes after you left, all disoriented. Faith said she felt confusion at first, then embarrassment, and rightfully so.” Shiloh snickered. “Then it got weird. Louise asked her if she was okay and Maryah looked around the lobby. Faith felt panic. Maryah asked where Harmony went, and Louise told her she left with you. Maryah mumbled something under her breath. Faith thought it sounded like ‘he was real.’ Then Maryah’s excitement turned into confusion again. Is any of this making sense to you?”
“No.”
“Cool. Me neither. On we go. Faith and I helped Maryah to her room. Throughout the walk, Faith said she felt waves of excitement, confusion, and joy—in no particular order. When we got her to the room, we asked her why she fainted. Louise and Anthony were there too. Maryah kept looking at us all nervously. She concocted some excuse about eating bad food at dinner.”
“Perhaps that’s the truth.”
“Nah, Prince Charming, nobody had poisoned apples for dinner.” He shook his head. “That’s the kicker. As soon as Maryah said it was food, Faith felt guilt—guilt, Nathan!” Shiloh bounced up and down like he made the game-winning play of an important football match.
“Guilt,” I repeated flatly. “I don’t follow.”
“I know, neither did I until Faith broke it down for me. Maryah felt guilt when she blamed it on food. She felt guilty because she was lying. She’s hiding something.”
“What would she possibly be hiding?”
“That part we don’t know. Faith thinks Maryah has seen you before. She swears by her original assessment of love and recognition right before Sleeping Beauty passed out. Wait, or was it Snow White who did the apple thing? Not important. Wherever she saw you, she felt uncomfortable discussing it with anyone. She blamed her passing out episode on food. And what a terrible excuse. At least say lack of sleep or something more believable.”
Shiloh kept referencing it, yet he didn’t know his jokes could be the answer. My eyes gave my revelation away.
“What?” Shiloh asked. “One of those cartoon light bulbs just appeared above your head.”
“It’s impossible.”
“What’s impossible?”
“Sleeping Beauty, lack of sleep.” I looked at Shiloh with wide eyes. At first he showed no signs of understanding, then his jaw dropped, and his forehead lifted.
“She couldn’t possibly.”
“I know, but what if?” I could hardly think the words, much less believe them. “What if, by some obscure miracle, she still has her gift?”
“You think she’s still able to astral travel?”
“It would explain why she hasn’t said anything about seeing me the night of the attack, or during the fire.” I thought back to our first few lives, when we were learning how to use our abilities. For decades she believed she had to be asleep to travel. “She may have seen me, but assumed she was dreaming or hallucinating. There have been several occasions since she arrived in Sedona—always at night—when I felt someone watching me.”
Shiloh tugged at his braids. “Why haven’t you said anything?”
“It never occurred to me. As we’ve both stated, it’s impossible, or so we thought. What if she retained her ability; or it’s resurfacing?” The play by play of the evening led me to wonder if it could—by some miracle—be true.
“For the love of peanut butter!” Shiloh exclaimed. I squinted at him with bewilderment. “It’s a new Faithism—long story—some other time.”
I nodded. “It would explain the recognition.”
Shiloh inhaled through his teeth. “I feel like we’re jumping the gun. It doesn’t seem likely. What are the other explanations?”
“Surely you and Faith, along with the others, have been pondering that question all evening. You tell me, what other explanations have you come up with?”
Shiloh pursed his lips. “None.” He glanced around the truck. “Hey, do you think…?”
“She’s not here now. I would have sensed it.”
“Nate, this is crazy. What if it’s true? What if—” Shiloh’s eyes locked on the sky. “Harmony.”
“I’ve already thought what it could mean.” Only I didn’t want to think of where we might find Grego
ry even if Maryah could track him.
Shiloh crossed his hands in front of himself like an umpire calling a player safe. “Nah, that’s where it doesn’t add up. Maryah would have to know you to watch you. She’d have to remember you to track you. That’s not possible. Is it?”
I stared at him, processing his words. He was right. She’d need to picture me clearly in her mind, not my face—that was of no importance—but she’d have to envision my eyes in great detail—the way only Elements can see each other. I raised my defeated glance to meet Shiloh’s. “You’re right. She wouldn’t be able to see the intricacies of our eyes anymore. Not after an erasure.”
“Damn, I didn’t want to be right.” We both sat in silence, watching the beautiful possibility vanish. Maryah’s reaction to me would remain a mystery.
“Come, Shiloh.” I reached for my door handle. “You’re late for your engagement with the bed bugs.”
“Wait! What about Maryah? You’re going to see her in a few hours. What do we do now?”
I tried to sound confident. “We assume it really was bad food, and we carry on as planned.”
“I liked the miracle scenario better.”
I sighed. “Me, too.”
∞
I left the hotel before five a.m. and made my way to the Dawn Patrol ceremony.
Only a few hot air balloons participated in Dawn Patrol, and we were honored that ours was one of them. The balloons’ lighting systems allowed us to fly through the dark, illuminating the sky until sunrise. Our crew consisted of six members, but only three would ride in the basket during the choreographed show flight.
Everything went perfectly and we landed just before seven. I tried to stay distracted by assisting the other crew members with preparations for the Mass Ascension launch. The total number of participating balloons neared seven hundred—a remarkable sight to behold. It wouldn’t be long before the kindrily made their way to our landing site to watch the event.
Surely, Maryah would be with them.
SILVER LININGS
Maryah
I finished almost-calling Krista for the fifth time and put away my phone with a sigh. If I would have told her about my dreams before I met Nathan, she might believe all this madness. But what could I possibly say now? Hey Kris, check this out. I saw this gorgeous guy I thought was my angel of death the night I almost died, and again during the fire. He keeps popping up in my dreams, and this weekend I found out he’s Louise’s son, Nathan.
How do you spell mentally unstable? M-A-R-Y-A-H.
How could the person I’d been dreaming about be real? Much less, be the famous Nathan, whom everyone put on a pedestal? Did my head injury make me psychic?
We were leaving for the Balloon Fiesta any minute. Would Nathan make fun of me for passing out? Or would he think I was a spaz and never talk to me again? For weeks I believed he was a gorgeous angel with divine powers watching over me, or trying to reunite me with my family. It was absurd, but I’d developed a glorified crush on him. How could I go from that to trying to make normal conversation? His first impression of me was my embarrassing fainting spell.
Faith bounded through the hotel doors. “You ready?”
I gripped the bench I was sitting on. “I think I’ll hang out here.”
“Noooo! Watching hundreds of hot air balloons launch into the sky is spectacular. You can’t miss it.”
“I’m still not feeling well.”
“Is this because you passed out? Are you embarrassed to see Nathan?”
“It was humiliating.”
She sat beside me. “Look at it this way, nothing you do today could be more embarrassing than falling on top of him.”
I bolted upright. “Falling on top of him? I fell on him?”
She gave a sympathetic giggle. “More like you fell forward, and he caught you.”
“Oh my god. Even more humiliating.”
“It was cute. He’ll never forget you, that’s for sure. So there’s a silver lining you can cling to.”
My fingers were bleeding from grasping onto life’s silver linings. They felt more like silver bullets aimed directly at me.
Anthony, Louise, and the rest of the gang walked out of the hotel toward the parking lot. Faith yanked me up off the bench. “Time to go witness some magic.”
∞
I could barely see Nathan when we approached. I stayed behind Carson, and his oversized sweatshirt blocked my view.
“Our balloon looked beautiful, Nathan!” Louise exclaimed.
“Helen will be proud,” Anthony complimented.
“Nice flight,” Carson added before walking away to talk to one of the crew members.
Nathan’s eyes locked with mine. I’d never felt so exposed, yet I couldn’t look away from him. Mikey’s cap had gone missing last night so it quadrupled how vulnerable I felt. I prayed Nathan didn’t notice the shorter section of my hair.
“Good morning, Maryah. How are you?” he asked.
“Fine, thanks.” I wasn’t fine. I was still in shock that my movie-star angel man was a real live human being. To top it off, he was the son of my godmother. He was talking to me, and looking more amazing than ever. I wasn’t even close to fine. I was freaking out. “Sorry about last night. I think I caught a bug or something.”
“No apology necessary. I hope you’re feeling better.”
I wrapped my sweater around me. I wanted to thank him for catching me when I fainted, but I didn’t want to remind him what a mess I was.
Faith broke the tension by punching his shoulder. She danced around, modeling her bright attire. “Notice I match the balloon?”
“Yes, so you do.” He returned her look of amusement.
Her clothes coordinated with the balloon’s shades of red, yellow, and orange. “We watched the Dawn Patrol from the hotel. Your balloon looked extra majestic against the sunrise.”
Nathan put on his sunglasses. “All compliments should be addressed to Jesse and Gina. They did all the work.”
A pretty brunette strutted up behind Nathan and squeezed his shoulders. “It’s not work when your crew chief makes it so fun.”
She wasn’t the girl I’d seen in the picture on his nightstand, but she sure was touchy feely with him.
“Did you enjoy the show?” Nathan asked me.
Dakota and Harmony had been standing on either side of me, but as if on cue they both stepped away. My cheeks warmed as I stammered a reply. “Yes—um—it was amazing.”
“This is Maryah’s first time seeing hot air balloons,” Faith said.
“Is that so?” Nathan stepped closer to me.
“I’ve seen them on TV before, but never in person.”
“Colorful, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is.” My voice trailed off as I looked around at all the balloons. “I like the two kissing bumble bees.”
“Joey and Lilly Little Bee. They hold hands and dance through the skies.” Being so close to him was electrifying. My fingers and toes tingled.
“What’s the name of your balloon?”
“That depends who you ask. I fancied the name Aftermath, but Helen wouldn’t allow it. So its official title is Eternal Flame.” He didn’t have an accent, but I had to ask.
“Have you ever lived in England?”
For a second he looked shocked, but then he kind of laughed. “Not in this lifetime, no. Why do you ask?”
“You said you ‘fancied the name.’ My father was from England, and he said that a lot. You don’t talk like a normal American teenager.”
He seemed at a loss for words. I nervously back pedaled. “Aftermath sounds kind of dreary. Eternal Flame is much better.”
“Yes, the Aftermath leaves a qualm of distaste for most people I know.” His words had angry bite. Great, I probably insulted him. First, I criticize the way he speaks then I tell him his taste in names sucks. Would I ever stop alienating this guy?
Everyone else was chatting with each other. Their sunglasses hid their gazes, but I sensed
them all watching us. Most likely they were waiting to see if I’d pass out again.
I jumped when Nathan pushed my hair away from my face.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
Fire burned in my cheeks. I mumbled something resembling “it’s okay.”
Gina glared at me like we were kids on a playground and I had just stolen her swing. “Nathan, everything is taken care of. You ready to eat?”
He didn’t take his eyes off of me. “Where are my manners? Gina, this is Maryah. Maryah, allow me to introduce Gina, my friend, and fellow crew member.”
“Nice to meet you.” I offered a handshake.
She stuck her hands in her back pockets. “Hi.”
What a snob. Nathan glared at her then returned his attention to me. “Have you had breakfast?”
Gina let out a frustrated sigh. Part of me wanted to say no just to annoy her, but I chickened out. “We ate before the balloon launch.”
She gloated. “Looks like it’s just the two of us! We better get going.”
“I am famished, and we have a full schedule today.” Nathan leaned in close enough to make me tremble. He smelled like a mixture of mountain air, honey, and pears. The gods must have bottled up nectar from heaven and sent it to Earth for Nathan to wear. “I look forward to seeing you at dinner.”
“Sure.” I nodded skittishly, but didn’t back away from him. The tingling had spread to every inch of my skin. I’d never felt anything like it, and I didn’t want it to end.
“Enjoy the rest of your day.” He bowed, grinning one last time. His smile put the glow of the sun to shame. As he walked off with Gina, he glanced at me over his shoulder then stopped. “Jesse! Will you be joining us for breakfast?”
“Yeah! I’m starving!” Jesse jogged over to them. Gina’s body language oozed disappointment.
Good, I thought. What kind of girl throws herself at someone who has a girlfriend? But a pang of guilt filled my chest. Just standing close to Nathan left me all warmer than toast. If he made every girl feel that way then I couldn’t blame Gina for flirting with him.
Grasping at Eternity (The Kindrily) Page 10
