by Jade Frances
“Sure, how long do I have?”
“I’ll meet you outside in twenty minutes. We got the younger dorm, Avetta said they would be erm, more inclined to listen to you than the older students.” He looked away as he told me, but it didn’t bother me. It made sense, actually. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad day after all.
“Ok, sounds good to me. Meet you outside in twenty,” I replied and skipped into the bathroom to get ready. Trusting that he would close my door for me on his way out.
The scene I walked out to twenty minutes later was absolute carnage. Stopping next to Pearce, I watched the chaos that had erupted on the grounds. Coaches were parked up on every available bit of space that they could fit. Students were milling around in groups, none wanting to comply to those that were ushering them into different coaches. Some students shouted that they hadn’t said goodbye to their friends, others were sitting crying on the floor. Every teacher I spotted was red faced and huffing and puffing.
“My God, this is horrendous,” Rose said to us as she jogged over. “None of these kids are listening to anything any of us say! You’re so lucky you got the younger ones,” she moaned.
“This is carnage, where is Avetta? Is Sandra amidst all that?” I gave her a reassuring pat on the back and a small smile.
“God only knows where Avetta is. And as for Sandra, well, I’m sure you can guess that she is less than impressed. Im positive she had already sneaked off only ten minutes in.” I giggled at the exasperated expression on her face, I couldn’t help myself.
“We better head for the dorms,” Pearce interrupted us. I gave him a nod and gave Rose a quick hug.
“Good luck, I’ll see you soon,” I told her and followed Pearce through the chaos and into the main building.
Half the day had gone by, by the time we had successfully evacuated the dorm they assigned us. My reception there hadn’t been taken badly, like Avetta had known. It had certainly not been half as chaotic as the older students that were outside. But the crowd we had gotten were eager to get home to their parents and families.
“Ready to head around the perimeter?” Pearce looked exhausted. He had been brilliant with the children. However, you could tell that it wasn’t in his nature to be around them.
“Yeah let’s get going before we get roped into something else,” I smiled up at him. We walked around the back of the building to avoid getting caught up at the coaches. “Are we walking the entire perimeter?”
“Yeah, think you’ve got the stamina for it after handling those children?” he nudged me. The small touch sent heat flowing through me.
“Could take you on anytime, it’s not about stamina, beast. It’s about having the will to carry on,” I laughed and nudged him back. The ease of our interaction brought me back to my birthday when we were laying under the stars. Oh, how I wished we could go back and relive that moment. Whenever we got close, it seemed like the universe threw us another curve ball. We walked in silence to the first post, both lost in our own thoughts. I had never seen the guardians that were stationed on the perimeter, nor had I seen what they were stationed in. On our approach, I looked at the small hut and felt underwhelmed by it. Pearce peaked his head in and called on LJ. After a few seconds, he appeared. He was a mountain of a guy and easily towered over Pearce by a foot. Once Pearce had given him his instructions, he strolled over to greet me.
“Pleasure to meet you Evangeline. I hear you keep this one on his toes,” he shook my hand and stepped back with a cheeky grin on his face.
“Suppose I haven’t landed him on his arse enough times if I have that reputation,” I smiled back. I got the sense that me and LJ would get along if we had the chance. He laughed at my response and shook his head at Pearce.
“I can see why she does have that reputation,” he told him. Pearce smiled but said nothing. “Well, I won’t keep you from your duties, I hope to see you again soon Evangeline. Pearce don’t keep her all to yourself,” he gave him a heavy pat on the back, winked at me and headed back inside his hut.
“Well he seems friendly,” I said as I fell into step beside Pearce.
“Friendliest one of us, I’d say,” he replied. Again, we fell into silence.
After we had been to three more posts, I thought about how the day had gone so far. Other than the bedlam with the students, there wasn’t an atmosphere that would make you aware an attack was coming at all. The guardians had been pleasant in our greetings, but none had shown any sense of foreboding.
“Do none of you fear what is coming? You’re on the front line after all...” I asked Pearce.
“They train us not to feel those kinds of emotions. Most of us have probably never felt fear in our life,” he replied sombrely.
“What was it like training to be a guardian? Was it like how you train me?”
“Not at all. Much harder and meticulous.” He picked up his pace, and I had to double step to catch up.
“Hey, wait, what’s up?”
“We don’t really speak of our upbringing,” he said without looking at me. I grabbed him by the arm and pulled him to a stop.
“You know you can let some people in. You don’t have to be in guardian mode all of the time. It’s only me, Pearce,” I told him gently. He sighed and looked me in the eye.
“It is a schooling I would not wish on anyone. We didn’t get to have normal childhoods, or experience friendships like everyone else. Anything that involved emotion they segregated us from. Instead, we were taught to suppress them and anything else that would make us weak.” He cast his eyes to the ground. I heard the meaning behind his words. He had an inward battle with his duty and getting closer to me. I leaned up on my tiptoes to brush his hair from his eyes.
“Feelings are a strength Pearce, not a weakness. Whatever you might feel for me will only make you want to protect me more,” I whispered. He leaned into my hand and pulled me closer to him. I wrapped my other arm around his waist and laid my head on his chest. His lips rested on the top of my head.
“It’s hard to defy a lifetime of teachings, little siren,” he murmured back.
An ear-splitting siren wailed through the surrounding trees. Pearce tensed and whipped his head up to look around. My grip on him tightened. He gripped me back, then let me go. Coldness seeped through me when his touch left mine.
“We need to get back now,” he shouted over the noise.
Pearce dropped my hand as we ran around to the front of the main building. The coaches were long gone and only a few teachers were still milling around. All of them were looking at each other, then back up to the sky where the siren sound was continuing its incessant wailing. Rose and Sandra walked out of the entrance door with their guardians and made their way toward us. Darryl, Adam, and Taylor closely followed them.
“What’s going on?” I shouted to them as they approached. Sandra was holding her hands over her ears, so she didn’t hear me, but Rose had.
“No idea, I’ve never heard a siren like it. Where is it coming from?” She shouted back. Everyone else was shrugging their shoulders and looking around aimlessly.
“It’s all around us, someone must have set it off using magic,” Pearce answered her.
Suddenly guardians appeared from the tree line, all running toward us. I counted six of them. LJ had taken the lead and was shouting to Pearce for back up. I looked at him wide eyed.
“An attack? Already?” I asked. He shook his head and reached toward me. Stroking my face, he looked mournful.
“Stay here with my brothers,” he shouted to me and followed LJ back into the trees. Staring after him, I wondered what the hell could be happening. I walked over and sat on the stairs facing the grounds. Everyone joined me after a minute and we all sat in silence, waiting.
Half an hour later a group broke out from the forest, but I couldn’t make any of them out. Until one broke free and ran straight toward me. Launching myself from the steps, I took off at a run and crashed into her. I fell to my knees, holding her tight.
“Kady! What are you doing here, why aren’t you at the village? What happened?” I brushed her hair back from her face, she was covered in blood but seemed to have no injuries.
“They came Evvy, they came for us all. Some of us made it out, but my mum...” she sobbed, “my mum... she threw herself in front of me to give me time to run.” I held her tight and stroked her hair while she howled into my shoulder. By the time they had turned into low sobs, the rest of the group were upon us. I stayed on the floor with Kady in my arms. Tears spilled down my cheeks for her loss. Looking up, I met Theodore’s amber eyes. They were brimming with tears, however he still stood tall. There wasn’t one member of their party who wasn’t covered in blood. Some were on makeshift stretchers and looked like they needed medical attention immediately. As I took in the numbers, I realized that not even half of their clan had made it here.
“I apologise for the intrusion and if we caused alarm. We had nowhere else to go,” I heard Theodore explaining to Pearce.
“We are due an attack ourselves any day now, but we have healers and provisions for you. Please, our home is yours. You have suffered a terrible loss.” Pearce replied. Still, I remained on the floor with Kady. Unable to bring myself to move her yet.
“Pray tell where is Avetta? I sent the signal to forewarn her of our entry, but the guardians we came across had heard nothing from her. If we didn’t have so many injured, I am not sure they would have helped or let us pass.” Theodore pointed to those who were on the stretchers or being supported by guardians to reinstate his point.
“Follow me, I am sure she is around and will apologise she didn’t act sooner. Bring everyone inside and we will sort arrangements for the night.” Pearce bowed to Theodore and walked to the entrance. He turned slowly and gestured for me to follow. I shook my head at him and pointed at Kady in my arms.
“I’m going to get her cleaned up,” I mouthed to him.
I rose from the ground and carried her all the way to my room. Once we were inside, I placed her on the bathroom floor and ran her a bath. She was in shock and sat there staring into space. Her face was pale, and her hands were shaking. Coaxing her out of her clothes, I lifted her into the bath and begun sponging her down while muttering soothingly to her. Once all the blood was off of her face and arms, I lifted her back out and dried her. After pulling one of my baggy t-shirts over her head, I guided her to my bed and tucked her in. I gave her a kiss on her forehead.
“You rest Kady, close your eyes,” I whispered to her.
“Thank you, Evvy,” she croaked back and pulled the covers over her head. I took a seat at the window and watched the rise and fall of the covers as she sobbed beneath them. It didn’t take long for exhaustion to take over her, and she drifted off to sleep.
A soft knock landed on my door and I tiptoed over and slipped out.
“How is she?” Pearce asked, his eyes full of sorrow.
“Sleeping, but I think she’s in shock. She has suffered such a loss and seen too much so young. Can we help her?” I walked up to him and wrapped my arms around his waist, needing his comfort. His arms instantly slid around me, holding me tight.
“We can only try. This isn’t the safest place for her. The others are settled in the empty dorms. Some are receiving treatment in the medical wing. They are the closest settlement to us, Evangeline, you know what that means?” He murmured into my hair.
“We’re next,” I sighed back. His chest rumbled in agreement. We stood there for ages, just holding each other.
“Want to come get some dinner? Or I can bring some to you if you don’t want to leave her?”
“I’ll watch over the little one, I’ve already eaten,” Adam said as he rounded the corner having overheard our conversation. For once, Pearce didn’t take a step back from me and I didn’t from him. We stood there, embraced in each other’s arms, and each muttered a thank you to Adam. I moved out of the way to let him into my room. Grabbing his arm as he past me.
“If she wakes, tell her I’ll be back soon,” I told him.
“I think she’ll prefer to see me anyway, schoolgirl crush and all that,” he smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. I gave him a playful punch on his arm and rejoined Pearce, who took my hand.
Walking into the dining room was a strange experience, it was empty bar a few tables. Still hand in hand, we closed in on our usual corner table. None of our gang were anywhere to be seen, and I wondered if they had already eaten.
“Take a seat, I’ll grab you a plate,” Pearce let go of my hand and I smiled at him gratefully. I was only alone for five minutes before he came back with two plates stacked full of food. I raised my eyebrows at him. “What? We haven’t eaten all day...”
“Thank you. So... you didn’t move away when Adam showed up...” I started nervously, “what changed?” He played with the food on his plate, twirling pasta around his fork. For a moment, I thought he wasn’t going to answer me.
“After seeing the Zaruba clan, their injuries, the loss and feeling the intensity of it. I don’t know, I guess, I thought about how you had said to me that feelings are a strength and it took that for me to see it. Each of those people had someone they cared for, someone they might have lost or someone they stayed back to defend because of their feelings.” I reached across the table and took his hand. He looked up and smiled. A small one, but it was there. I smiled back, and we ate the rest of our food in comfortable silence.
It wasn’t long before the others joined us, all except Adam. Which I felt a little guilty about. But looking around, I took in everyone’s solemn expressions and decided he wasn’t missing out on anything. Theodore turning up today had made the threat of the attack all too real. The fear that I had thought was missing earlier was slowly creeping into the ambiance tonight. Even the teachers were sombre and barely speaking to one another. I sensed Adam before I saw him, which had me spinning out of my chair to see what was wrong.
“Calm down Evvy, Kady is with Theodore. She woke and wanted to see him,” he stroked my arm. I caught Pearce tensing as he watched us.
“Ok, is she staying with his family?”
“I’m not sure. We will have to wait and see. I came to tell you something,” Adam lowered his voice and his eyes flicked to everyone on the table. Pulling me lightly by my arm, we walked another couple of feet away. Which only piqued Pearce’s curiosity more. “I got in touch with the woman I know. You no to help with your training. At first she was hesitant, especially with the attacks. But she came around. She wants to meet with you next week. That’s the earliest she can get here.”
I drew in a sharp breath; I had forgotten all about it. Pearce was still watching us. I thought of him letting me in and the honesty he had just shown me. We had finally made some progress. Can I keep this from him now? No. It wasn’t worth losing anyone over trust, I decided. Time to take my own advice and let people in. I motioned for him to come over and received an inquisitive look in return.
“What the hell, Evvy?” Adam hissed in my ear.
“He needs to know, I can’t keep it from him,” I looked at Adam pleadingly. No one needed to argue today.
“Keep what from who?” Pearce grumbled when he reached us. I took his hand in mine and gave him a slight smile. Not knowing how to tell him that I was planning on going behind Avetta’s back, I just blurted it out.
“Adam knows someone who can help me with my powers. She can help me get them under control, Pearce. It was shut down by Avetta. But I’m going to meet with her, anyway.” He sighed and ran a hand over his face.
“Nothing I say is going to change your mind, is it?” I shook my head at him. This was important to me. “Right then, just tell me when and where.”
I looked at Adam and had to stop myself from jumping up and down. He smiled his wolfish grin at me and started backing away.
“I will sort the arrangements then,” he said.
Once he was gone I turned to Pearce.
“Thank you for supporting me with this,�
�� I stared up at him and squeezed his hand.
“Thank you for telling me,” he replied and with a light kiss to my forehead he squeezed my hand back and led me to the table.
Check you two, all exclusively affectionate, Sandra sent through our bond.
I think it’s nice, you’re well suited. I just don’t know what took so long, Rose added.
Calm down girls, baby steps, I grinned at them. The mood had lightened a little and I think we were all in agreement to try to enjoy what time we had left before the attack. I noticed Ava passing by and reached out to her.
“Come sit with us?” I asked. She paused and glared at everyone around the table.
“You enjoy the little time you have left. I’m sure I will catch up with you soon, Evangeline.” She spat at me and then creepily sneered around the table. I watched with my mouth open wide as she walked off.
Waking up the next morning, I shifted uncomfortably. I wasn’t used to sharing my bed with anyone. Sneaking into the bathroom, I lightly closed the door behind me and jumped in the shower. The cascading warm water woke me up instantly and cleared the fog that had been clouding my mind. I was sure Cole had been trying to reach me, but nothing had been clear enough for me to understand. I had already decided that I would pay Demetrios a visit today to ask about Oneiroi, then I would check in with Theodore and hopefully after that train with the girls. Last night it had been decided that we wouldn’t sit and mope around, we needed to be prepared for anything.
Emerging from the bathroom, it stunned me to see Kady up and ready. She was sitting on the edge of my bed, swinging her legs. I was thankful that she looked mildly better than she had last night when she came back to my room asking if she could stay over.
“Good morning young one,” I said and walked over to sit next to her. “How did you sleep?”
“Good thank you, can I stay with you today?” She wrapped her arms around me and held on tight.
