by Jade Frances
Hours later, and I had successfully created a mass of smoke tendrils and could make them glide around me, encasing my body. I wish I could see what it looked like from someone else’s perspective. It was fun, and I had a lot to thank Theodore for. Suppressing my gifts was doing me more harm than good. He had been the one to make me realise that. But still, thoughts lingered in my mind about the building pressure there was on me and my part in this war.
“Have your people never heard of The Veil before Theodore?” With a sigh, he came to stand next to me. Grasping my shoulders in each of his hands, his amber eyes bore into mine.
“Understand Evangeline, as a leader there are tough choices you have to make. My people have had no reason to be aware of what they have not yet come across,” he paused and cast his eyes toward the village. The weight of his clan’s safety evident. “It is important to know when you need to divulge such information and when to leave those it can harm, ignorant to it. Panic and uprising are no use within a community where there is no need for it.” With that, he dropped his hands and walked toward Pearce.
“You must protect her, not every clan is as docile as I and mine. She needs to be trusted in every choice she makes. This power within her can make her great or consume her. Do not doubt her judgement. Ever.”
Pearce looked shocked for a second. Then, as the words resonated through him, acceptance spread on his features. He gave a small bow and nod to Theodore. What was that all about?
“It is time for me to bid farewell to you and your companions. I shall see you at the doorway. I trust you can find it.” Theodore sent me a knowing smile and turned to walk away.
“Wait. Theodore, who were the nomads passing through?” I ran up to ask him.
“No one of your concern Evangeline. We often have travellers pass through.”
Pearce pulled me toward him by my arm once Theodore was out of sight.
“What nomads?”
I sighed and hoped he wouldn’t get angry over what I was about to tell him.
“Adam came and got me from my hut before the sun rose this morning. He had been on his run and seen Theodore at the doorway. So we snuck there and overheard them.” Pearce’s initial reaction, as I might have guessed, was full of rage. Me sneaking about with Adam didn’t please him at all. His fists were clenched at his side and his shoulders were vibrating with tension. A few deep breaths later and intrigue took over. I filled him in on what we had overheard as we walked.
“We don’t no what’s going on out there, Evvy,” he groaned and ran a hand over his face. “Maybe this tour isn’t such a good idea.”
“No! I want to see the other communities, Pearce. I need this.”
“Evvy, it was only yesterday that you wanted to take on the world for us subjecting you to Zafira’s gift,” he sighed. I kicked at the floor as we walked. I didn’t say I wanted that to happen again. I just want to experience this world I’m supposed to belong in. I want to see how others live.
“That was traumatising Pearce. You didn’t have to relive it.” I tried to justify my actions from yesterday. He froze next to me and grabbed me so fast I had no idea what was happening. Pinning me to one of the huts with one arm, he held my chin up to look at him with the other.
“I relive it every night, little siren. As soon as I fall asleep, the image of you stepping through the portal appears.”
I gulped, not knowing what to say or do under his scrutiny. His face was only inches from mine.
“It isn’t only you who fears the memories of that day.” A group of children skipped past us. Paying us no attention.
“I’m sorry, Pearce, I didn’t think...“ I trailed off. Ashamed, again, of not noticing how others were feeling around me. For a minute, I wondered if I should tell him about my latest dream. Then Theodore’s words flit through my mind. It is important to know when to divulge information. There was no reason to worry Pearce with something I didn’t yet understand myself.
Sandra sauntered around the corner and clicked her tongue at us.
“Sorry to interrupt. Time to go,” she said, and with a flick of her hair walked away again. Pearce took a step back, his arms fell rigidly at his sides.
“I need to help grab supplies. I’ll see you at the door.”
I watched him walk away. Why couldn’t I just confide in him? Maybe I still had some unresolved trust issues there.
An hour later, and we were all gathered at the door saying our goodbye’s. Sandra wasn’t hiding her relief and was impatiently tapping her foot. Zafira made her way toward me, and I flinched as she pulled me in for a hug.
“Take care Evangeline, there is such greatness within you,” she said and hastened on to say bye to the others. I felt a tugging on my shirt only moments later. Looking down, it was Kady.
“Do you have to go?” She whined and wrapped her arms around my legs. Laughing, I bent down to cuddle her too.
“I’ll visit when I can. Maybe you can teach me how to play something else next time, huh?” I nicked her chin lightly and smiled.
“I guess,” she replied moodily. Movement behind me caught her attention and a wide grin spread on her face. Adam had arrived. I gave her one last squeeze and gestured for her to say her goodbyes to the others. Theodore was next, although I felt like we had already said our goodbye.
“Remember what you have learned here. You are always welcome to come back,” he held me as he would his own daughter. This time I embraced his hug and squeezed back tight. “Trust what is within you, Nzuri, nothing else,” he whispered into my hair. Letting go, he squeezed my hands and moved away to bid farewell to Avetta.
Turning to look at the village, I took a mental picture of the Zeruba clan’s home and prayed I could come back one day soon. I hope the rest of the places we visit on this tour are like this one.
We had been on the road for two days. Stopping only for toilets breaks or to camp out of an evening. Rose and I had been subjected to Sandra’s endless whining through all of it. At this point, I think both of us were seriously considering switching campervans. Even travelling with Avetta had to be better than this. For what seemed like the fiftieth time this morning, Sandra started again.
“Are we almost there?” She crouched forward and banged on the back of the driver’s seat rudely. We had learned that his name was Tam. He usually drove pupils to and from the academy between semesters. I bet he would rather that, than stuck on the road with us. Well, more so Sandra.
“We will arrive shortly. Remain seated.”
Throwing herself back into her seat, Sandra laid her head back and closed her eyes.
“You know Rose, we aren’t needed on this tour. They’re only interested in Evangeline. Princess of destruction over there,” she popped one eye open to look at the both of us.
“We are a team. That’s that.” Rose replied and began fiddling with the drawstrings on her hoody.
“A team! We are a sideshow.” Sandra exclaimed whilst pointing to herself and Rose.
Rose raised her hood and pulled the drawstrings tight. It closed on her face.
“Deny it to yourself all you like, we don’t need to be here.”
“Enough Sandra. No one wants to be here. But we might as well embrace it and learn. Do you not want to see the other place’s?” I asked without holding out much hope for a civilised answer.
“You’re certainly getting by just fine. Enjoying it even,” she spat. “And no. I’m not interested in seeing anymore culture.”
I sighed. It was better if I just didn’t engage when she was in this kind of mood. Turning away from her, I pretended to be interested in the fields passing by.
Hours of silence later, and Tam announced that we would arrive at our hotel in ten minutes. Sandra perked up at the mention of a hotel. Rose was either sleeping or doing a damn good job of pretending. I gave her a small nudge and relayed Tams information.
“Good, I need to get out of this campervan,” she replied, dull and moody.
“You and me bo
th!” Sandra, excited now, replied.
“You’re the reason I want out!” Rose bit back. Sandra flinched and slunk down into her seat. Shocked by Rose’s hostility. I glanced at Rose, I was quite shocked myself. She snapped sometimes, but usually she was calm and could brush Sandra’s whinging away.
“Everything ok?” I asked her.
“Fine. I just need space. I have a headache.”
When the van rolled to a stop, she was the first to jump out and storm off.
“What’s up with prissy?” Adam asked as he approached. I shrugged my shoulders and held my hands up.
“We are checking in for the night. Fancy running the bags in, then exploring?” His face had a mischievous look to it. But Pearce’s looming form caught my eye.
“Maybe in the morning. It’s been a long journey,” I gave him a slight smile and moved to the back of my van to grab my stuff. I tried to pretend I didn’t see the disappointment in his eyes. You're his only friend here, Evangeline, go exploring. But can I deal with Pearce’s mood swings? Either way, I was going to annoy one of them.
“Adam, wait,” I called out. “Sure, why not? Let’s explore. I need a bath first, though.”
A wolfish grin spread across his features and his dark hair flopped over one of his eyes. Sometimes it was hard to see him as the Alpha of a pack. Especially when he seemed so unsure of himself. Maybe he was just like that around us. Half the gang hated him after all.
Bathed, dressed and ready to go an hour later. I made my way toward Adam’s room. I prayed to God I wouldn’t bump into Pearce. He opened the door before I had reached it and stepped out to greet me.
“Quick, before anyone sees us,” he grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the fire exit door.
“Em, why are we sneaking out?”
“I can’t deal with the agg I’ll get from Avetta,” he replied bluntly. Once we were a street away from the hotel, he slowed his pace but didn’t drop my hand.
“So, where are we heading?” I looked around and saw that we were at the top of a steep incline that led down to a small town. I had paid little attention on the drive here. I had been staring aimlessly out the window, but not really seeing anything. “Down there?”
“Yeah why not? We can get a feel for what we will deal with in the morning.”
Anxiety reared its ugly head as I thought of what kind of reception we would get here.
On approach to the town, we came across a sign. ‘Welcome to New Wake Falls’. Seemed pleasant enough. Now that we were closer, I could see that it was formed of rows of cottages. After passing by the first three, I felt slightly disorientated. All of them were identical. Vines grew up the front of them and the front lawns were covered in rows of bell-shaped flowers. It was odd that there was no one on the streets.
“Where is everyone?” I whispered to Adam. It was silent, the only movement was the sway of the flowers in the gentle breeze.
“No idea, I don’t have a great feeling about this though. Maybe we should turn back and just come with Avetta in the morning.” Tightening his hold on my hand, he paused to look at either end of the street. There weren’t even lights on in the cottages. The sun beginning to set didn’t help the strange ambience.
“Come on Adam, let’s just go,” I tugged at his arm. Agreeing, we walked back the way we came. Only we didn’t reach the end of the street before a guy intercepted us. We both stopped, studying him. He was standing in the middle of the walkway and looked like he had no desire to move.
“Let’s just cross over,” Adam said and changed direction.
“Erm, Adam, he’s crossing too,” I told him as I peeked over his shoulder. Adam’s arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer to him. The man was heading straight for us now. He stopped when he was two feet away.
“You’re not welcome here,” he stated. I heard a growl forming in Adam’s chest.
“We were just leaving,” I tried to diffuse the animosity in the air.
“I suggest you don’t come back,” the guy gave a quick nod to something behind us. My palms were getting sweaty. The heat from Adam wasn’t helping. I snuck a glance over his shoulder again and saw two more men flanking us. Adam was tense, I could feel his stomach muscles tightening under my hand. Panic was rising in me. Who are these people?
“You heard the lady, we are leaving,” Adam snapped. The guy gave him a sneer and stepped to the side. I clutched at Adam’s waist as we walked past him. My eyes cast to the ground. I had a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. Just as we passed by him, the guy leaned in toward me and whispered.
“The rise is upon us.”
Adam reacted fast. Shoving the guy away from me. He stumbled and struggled to remain upright. An almighty roar of rage came from him. Pouncing at Adam, I saw a shimmer surrounding him. What is he?
Fear coursed through me, but I acted on impulse. Throwing a mass of air at him, I watched as it hit him before he reached Adam. It pushed him further back than I had expected. Spinning around, I grabbed Adam’s hand and yanked him away. Energy sizzled through the air.
“No Adam! You can’t change. Run!” I pulled him even harder and set off running. Glancing back, the guys had disappeared. It didn’t look like they were following.
Once we made it to the top of the incline, I sat on the sidewalk breathless.
“What was that about?” I stammered.
“Pixie’s,” Adam replied. “We need to get back now.”
***
Too anxious to go back to my room alone, I made a beeline for Rose’s. Adam had said his wolf needed to run and let off some steam. I knocked twice and got no answer. Holding my ear to the door, I could hear her shuffling about inside.
“Rose, It’s only me. Can I come in?” I knocked again. But still she didn’t answer. Just as I was about to walk away, I heard sobbing. I pulled the handle down and the door swung open. Rose was sitting on the floor between the bed and the wall. Her head was resting on her knees, with her hood up. I could see the rise and fall of her shoulders with each sob that escaped her. Shutting the door quietly behind me, I joined her on the floor.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” I whispered as I pulled her head into my lap. She moved without hesitation. She laid flat out on the floor, with her head in my lap and her hands gripping one of mine. My anxious feelings about the guy we had encountered were swept away and replaced with worry for Rose. I knew something was up, I should have asked sooner. We sat in silence. Rose sobbing and me repeatedly stroking her hair until she was ready to talk to me. She shifted to sit up and rub her eyes.
“I don’t know what to do,” she sobbed.
“Talk to me, Rose, what has been going on?”
“It’s Barak. Well... not Barak really, it’s me.”
“Ok, what’s happened?” She turned her head away from me and took a deep breath.
“Something has connected within us.” She mumbled quickly. I stayed silent, waiting for her to continue. “It’s why sometimes you can’t reach me. If I’m with him it blocks you girls out.”
“You’re always with him, Rose, I don’t understand.”
“With him, Evvy.” Her cheeks flushed red and she couldn’t meet my eyes. Oh, ok. I get it. “Avetta said eventually I will have to choose. Either my connection to you, or my love for him. I’m not strong enough to contain both.” She started sobbing again. I took a moment to digest what she was telling me. I pulled her head up to look at me and took her hands in mine.
“It’s ok Rose. Why didn’t you just tell me? Does Sandra know?”
“No, I don’t want her to yet. She will just go all crazy.” She had a point there. A knock at the door interrupted us. We could both feel Barak’s energy on the other side.
“Ok, well we can figure it out. It’s probably not as big a deal as your making it out to be. We will deal with it together,” I smiled and let her hands drop so I could stand up. “Are you going to be ok?”
“Yeah. I feel better for telling you already.”
“Great. Well, shall we talk about it tomorrow? I’m sure Barak’s itching to get in here.” I winked at her.
“Sure. Sorry for piling this on you, I know you’re struggling with everything else.”
“Hey, what’s one more problem to solve.” I gave her a playful push and walked to the door.
“Wait, Evvy are you ok? Your energy seems... off,” she called after me. She needed nothing else to worry about. Trying not to show anything, I threw her another smile.
“Everything’s peachy. The travelling is taking it out of me, I think.” Opening the door, I strolled past Barak, who gave me a sheepish smile.
Once I was back in the room and in bed, I thought about everything that was going on. I was yet to figure out why my dreams were getting increasingly stranger. Sandra was on a warpath. Pearce was mad if I spent time with Adam. Adam needed me to spend time with him. Rose was about to self-destruct with her secret. And I just wanted a peaceful night’s sleep.
As the room faded, I fell asleep. Again, I never got what I wished for.
I don’t understand; I wanted to scream.
“Go back.” The guy was gesturing wildly with his arms toward me, then away again.
Holding my head in my hands, I couldn’t take anymore. What was he trying to tell me!
“Go back!” He managed with more force this time.
“Back where?” I tried to yell, but no sound came out.
“Back a...”
Rise and shine, losers. We are heading out soon, Sandra sent through the bond. I groaned and held my head. It was throbbing. The sun filtered through a gap in the curtains and made it painful to open my eyes. Please not a migraine. Rolling off the bed and onto the floor, I crawled into the bathroom. Desperate for something cold to lie on my head.
Erm, hello. Earth to either of you! Sandra sent again.
Shut up, please. Migraine. I managed back.
I got you girl, tablets on the way.
I placed a cold, wet flannel on my head and sunk back down to the floor. That dream had drained me a lot worse than any others had before. Frustration was still working its way through me as I tried to figure out the meaning behind it.
