“Just be careful, Elijah.”
“I’m not completely naïve.”
Emilie looked at me incredulously. “She’s gorgeous. She knows it—how couldn’t she? And you’re a guy. You’re easily manipulated by a girl’s charms.”
“You say that like you know it from experience.”
Emilie allowed a slight smile to crack the serious demeanor she had assumed for most of this conversation. “What can I say? A girl uses what she’s got. I notice where your eyes wander when you think I’m not paying attention… when I go to sharpen my pencil.”
I blushed. “Um… yeah. Is it that obvious?”
Emilie laughed, clearly at the expense of my embarrassment. “Look, Bear, we just need to be careful. Just don’t let her seduce you away from us. If you want, we’ll include her. But until I know her intentions with you, I’m keeping a close eye on her.”
She called us, us. Did she mean that romantically? Or was she still talking about friendship? I didn’t know. My stomach was in knots. If Emilie did love me how could I even think about Joni? Not like I didn’t realize it before but hearing Emilie speak this way complicated my emotions. Not to mention, she’d made it clear that romance was not a part of our immediate future. I’d have to respect that, like it or not. “Emilie, she won’t come between us.
I don’t know how I feel about Joni, but I do know how I feel about you. That won’t change. I need you. I need Tyler, too. But right now, I need Joni, too.”
Emilie took a deep breath. “I hate to admit it, but you’re right.”
“So… no cat fights?”
Emilie hissed, then added a wink. “You know I can’t promise that.”
The bell rang, and we began walking together toward class. “One more thing, Emilie. You keep talking about my future. Holding me back. Well, whatever is happening with this Druid thing, I think my future may not be entirely in my control.”
“You always have a choice, Bear.”
“I’m not so sure. Still, know that I will always choose to have you in my life. I don’t know how this is going to pan out, but I need to see it through. I’m not just talking about this Druidry stuff. I’m talking about us. I’m talking about Joni, too. All of it. Somehow, everything is happening for a reason. I just don’t know what that is yet. If this is going to be my future, I refuse to face it without you.”
“I’ll always be there, Elijah. Always.”
“I know.”
We settled into another pointless session of AP Anatomy. I had a chance to fill Tyler in on the Joni situation during class, as most of it was devoted to free study. Of course, Tyler was marginally perturbed that my life-altering issues were interfering with his study time, but he handled it well. Even Tyler wasn’t completely immune to senioritis. Though, he was more interested in whether things with Joni had progressed beyond kissing than he was in the fact that I might be some kind of powerful sorcerer.
“Are you sure she isn’t just trying to get a piece of your magic wand?” Tyler asked, turning what was clearly a reasonable suspicion into a sexual innuendo.
“First, I don’t have a magic wand,” I added. “All I have is a rock.”
“So she wants you for your stones. Same difference.” Tyler wasn’t going to let this one go.
I showed Tyler the inhibitor necklace Joni had given me. “Well, I guess this is sort of like wearing each other’s class rings. She tells me it will prevent me from having any accidents.”
“You mean, like… premature accidents?”
I laughed. “Yeah, I don’t want to shoot my magical wad all over the school.”
“With a girl like that, who could blame you?”
“I’ll tell you what I told Emilie. First, it was just a kiss. That’s all it will probably be between us for quite a while. Second, I really don’t know what her motivations are.”
“The question,” Tyler continued, taking a more serious tone, “is whether you care. Most dudes would be thrilled to be with Joni, and they wouldn’t care if she was using them. But you aren’t most dudes. You get all emotionally attached and crap. And if she isn’t in this for you, it’s just a matter of time before she breaks your heart.”
“Well, I appreciate your concern.”
“Concern? Dude, I just don’t want to have to deal with your depressed ass after this blows up in your face. I have to live with you, you know.”
“For a couple more months, anyway, until we go to college or whatever,” I assured him.
“That’s the thing. All of this stuff couldn’t be happening at a worse time. We’re graduating, dude. We’re all going to go in different directions next year. But now…”
“I didn’t choose to become a Druid, Tyler,” I interrupted. “It wasn’t like I scheduled this.”
“I was talking about starting a relationship,” Tyler clarified. “When you finally confirm your enrollment out in L.A., and you’re out there with all those California honeys, do you really want to be tied to a long-distance relationship?”
“Honestly, Tyler, I don’t know if I can even think about college or anything like that until I figure out this Druid thing. Also, I don’t need to go to college, anyway.”
“No college? Are you crazy?” Tyler’s open-mouthed stare communicated his disapproval.
“The stone wasn’t the only thing in that package I got from my family. There was an envelope, too. I’ll just say I’m inheriting enough money that choosing a lucrative career is a little lower on my priority list than it was a few days ago.”
“Money? Like how much?” Tyler pressed.
“Um… something just south of fifty mil…”
“What? Holy shit, man!” Tyler grabbed me by both shoulders. “And you’re just now mentioning it?”
“I know it sounds crazy. With this sigil stone and all the other weirdness going on, I’ve hardly even thought about the money. All I know is, I can afford to take a little time to figure out what I want to do with my life now.”
“Wait.” Tyler paused, and his eyes widened. “You didn’t tell Joni about the money, did you? Because that would explain…”
“No,” I cut him off. “I didn’t mention it. She’s definitely not in this for the money. Besides, her family has more than enough money as it is.”
Emilie scooted her desk back in our direction and joined our conversation. Her presence seemed to refocus our priorities. She was less impressed than Tyler about the inheritance I was receiving when I’d told her about it over the phone the night before. Her focus, like mine, was on trying to figure out what all this Druidry stuff meant. We all agreed—this was something we would face together, and Joni was a part of that, too.
Class ended, and we departed in our normal fashion, our three-corded rope of friendship seemingly as strong as ever. At the usual spot where the hallways forked, we each headed our own directions toward our respective classes. I found Joni waiting for me around the next corner. Without hesitation, she snuggled up next to me as we walked down the hall. As she wrapped her arm around my waist, I extended mine around her shoulders.
“So, how’d it go?” Joni asked.
“With Emilie, you mean?”
Joni nodded.
“Better than expected. Can I ask you a question, Joni? Promise you won’t take it the wrong way…”
“Of course, darlin’.” Her southern charm was accentuated by her smile.
“Do you really like me?”
She gave me one of those you-can’t-be-serious looks. “I think it’s pretty obvious…”
“I mean, me. Elijah Wadsworth, the person. Or were you only attracted to me because of what I can do?”
Joni took a deep breath. “I was afraid you might think that.”
“You were?”
“Well, I figured that’s what she would say…”
“Yeah… I mean, she just cares about me. She doesn’t want to see me get hurt.”
Joni released me for a moment and guided me by the hand to a quieter corner of th
e hallway. “All my life,” Joni explained, “in all my attempts to understand magic, do you know how many people I found who could wield magic, cast spells, enchant charms?”
I shrugged.
“Most of them were small-time players, I grant you. But I’ve found hundreds of them. And how many of them do you suppose used magic to do good?”
“I don’t know. Half, maybe?”
“Before I met you, hon, only one. The Shaman who helped my mother. Everyone else was selfish, at least in part. Some were even downright evil. For most of my life, magic has been something to fear. It was a form of magic that hurt my family. So, when I saw it… saw that tree break through the pavement… I was terrified. I thought someone evil was coming after me. I thought they had tried to attack me. I immediately called forth every ward, every defensive spell I knew. Then I saw you. Unmistakably, you. It was the one guy who, since I got to this school, treated me with respect, like a real person and not just as some kind of piece to score. Elijah, the guy in Home Ec who asked me about my life, who seemed to care and showed an interest in who I was… I liked that guy before I ever had a clue what he could do… even if I could tell that he was hopelessly in love with someone else already.”
I struggled to gather my thoughts. “I… I… don’t know what to say Joni. I didn’t realize…”
“If anyone other than you had cast that spell on the interstate,” Joni continued, staring me directly in the eye, “I would not only have gotten defensive, I may have tried to take that person down and neutralize their abilities.”
“You could do that?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.
“Probably. But it was you, Elijah. I was interested in you before I knew you were a Druid. I just didn’t think I had a chance. You were clearly in love with Emilie. But when I saw it was you, what you could do… Hon, I don’t believe in coincidences. We can do things other people can’t. Alone, we are powerful. Together, we could make a difference. A real difference. We could stop the evil…” Joni paused a moment, shaking her head. “Or maybe something else. But I have to believe we were meant to be something, together. And when you told me that Emilie had put you off… Well, hon, I had to make my move. I know I’m the underdog.”
“Underdog? How do you figure?”
“You two… You and Emilie are great together. There’s something between you that’s rare. But she turned it down. She let you go. And before she had the chance to realize her mistake, I had to take my shot. I had to take the opportunity to show you that, as good as you two are, we could be even better. She’s had years to work her way into your heart. I just have a moment. One chance, now. And I won’t let it slip by. You’re a special guy, Elijah Wadsworth. Not just because of your abilities, either. I know I can’t replace Emilie. She’s an important person in your life, and probably always will be. I respect that. But I’m not going to forfeit this chance to show you that I’m the girl for you. I won’t let you slip away.”
“Joni, I don’t know what to say…”
“This is new, you and me,” Joni added, placing her hands around my waist again. “We don’t have what you and Emilie have… but we have the potential to be so much more.”
That was all the convincing I needed. Without thinking, I turned toward her and our lips smashed together in a vigorous kiss. Where did this girl come from? Seemingly from out of nowhere, she’d landed in my life when I’d needed her the most. She was like an angel. There was something special here. Would it last? Would it truly be something to rival even my feelings for Emilie? There was only one way to find out. But I knew, once I let her in beyond all the wards I had conjured to protect my heart, I would fall hard for her. Can one truly love two people at once? I had been so sure about Emilie. But maybe that was a different kind of love. Or maybe not. At this moment, though, I had room for each of them in my life. I needed Emilie and Joni both. That much was beyond dispute.
Joni’s soft, strawberry-flavored lips were totally in sync with mine. It was like a little bit of heaven in the high school hallway.
Then, heaven was rudely interrupted. I felt a tap on the shoulder. I heard the low-pitched grumble of a man clearing his throat. “Mr. Wadsworth. Miss Campbell. Do we need to review school policy on public displays of affection?”
“Um. Sorry, Principal Shields. It won’t happen again.” I was sure my words were a lie, but it was a lie I needed to tell.
“Right, sir.” Joni feigned her concurrence. “Never again.”
Principal Shields grunted, straightened the collar of his gray tweed jacket, and proceeded down the hall. A chorus of snickers swelled from a contingent of students who had witnessed our chastisement. Joni and I simultaneously released a roar of uncontrollable laughter as we continued down the hall, hand-in-hand, oblivious to the gossip-filled whispers around us.
10. Quaternary
CHECK. ONE MORE day down, one day closer to graduation. And… it was Kaldi’s time. With Joni’s necklace secured around my neck, Tyler felt comfortable enough surrendering the keys to the Escort to me. I had caught up to Joni after seventh period and invited her to ride along. If we were serious about allowing her to morph our trio into a quaternary, even if only on a temporary basis, we would need to designate her a position in the already cramped coup. Besides, she still didn’t know her way around. This was her first trip to paradise, and I didn’t want her to get lost.
Backpacks were piled into the hatchback’s trunk, along with Emilie’s violin. There was just enough room for the two ladies to squeeze into the back. Lacking legroom in the back seats mandated the arrangement. Bulky items had to be trunked.
I found myself checking the rear-view mirror regularly, as if I were watching two betta fish irresponsibly confined to the same aquarium. I casually amused myself wondering who would win in a chick fight. Joni’s twangy accent was deceiving; she was more a southern belle than a cowgirl. That said, she had magic on her side. She had apparently faced a few supernatural baddies in the past without so much as a scar to show for it. At least there were no scars on the parts of her body I had heretofore been privy to. Smart money would be on Joni. But Emilie had more than enough spunk to compensate for Joni’s experiential and tactical advantages. Growing up together, Emilie and I had engaged in more than a few playful wrestling matches. She was clever and crafty in combat. In spite of my strength advantage, she would often win. Granted, I usually let her win, discovering even at a young age that being pinned by a cute girl was oddly arousing. Regardless, underestimating Emilie’s spunk was something I could never do. Vegas odds might favor Joni, but the smart money would favor Emilie.
Though, while witnessing such a battle might fulfill a few of my personal fantasies—with or without mud involved—there were bigger stakes involved, requiring the ladies to keep the peace. I trusted they would behave. And they were surprisingly cordial. Don’t get me wrong—they weren’t likely to start planning any joint shopping sprees or pedicures in the foreseeable future, but they got along as well as could be expected.
Tyler eased the tension by diving into a theory he had concocted regarding the molecular structure of certain types of stone, and how they might potentially carry and store energy. Something about how psychic energies might impact certain crystalline structures like a magnetic field affects those video cassettes that old people still reminisce about. His explanation was a bit over our heads, but it was helpful both in trying to understand how the memory stone might work, and also to quell the tension that might have ensued as an eruption of volcanic estrogen otherwise.
We parked. We ordered our drinks: three “bottomless” mugs of coffee for we three veterans, and a mocha latte for Joni. We claimed an outside table and assumed a boy-girl-boy-girl arrangement. It was a beautiful spring day with a subtle breeze and plenty of sunshine. It wasn’t overbearingly hot. In Missouri, you only get a few days like this each year. We were going to enjoy it. A carillon from the Lutheran seminary on the opposite side of the park across the street was chiming a pleasant tun
e that seemed familiar. Around us were students representing the various nearby academic institutions. On any given day, one might overhear seminarians discussing the intricacies of Chalcedonian Christology beside a couple medical students quizzing one another over the possible ailments that affect the human endocrine system, beside still a few local beatniks sharing original verses of bad poetry. Kaldi’s attracted an eclectic crowd. Our conversations would likely blend into the already diverse plethora of topics being passionately discussed and debated throughout the venue.
“So,” I began, “if there are any elephants in the room, let’s acknowledge them and move on. I’d rather we all be honest and upfront than have to deal with incessant passive aggressiveness.”
“We’re not in a room,” Tyler jibbed. “Can’t very well have any elephants in a room that we aren’t in.”
“Metaphorically speaking, dork.” I rolled my eyes in his direction, halfway expecting him to pick them up and roll them right back.
“I know I’m the new girl,” Joni began, “and I can’t expect to suddenly jump into a dynamic you three have nurtured for years…”
“That’s for sure,” Emilie interrupted.
Ignoring her, Joni continued, “Y’all don’t have to like me. Hell, I don’t even have to like y’all either, but I’m sure gonna give ya a fair shake. You two are important to Elijah, so you’re important to me.”
“What matters,” Tyler insisted, “is helping Elijah through all this. We’ve got his back. And Joni, if you’ve got his back too, then you’re all right with me.”
Emilie nodded. “Yeah, me too.”
“All on the same team, then?” Tyler directed his gaze first at Emilie, then to Joni.
Both girls nodded in concurrence.
“With that out of the way, it brings me to something I’d like to address,” I said. “These visions, or memories, my dad is giving me… Well, now that Joni was able to accompany me in one, I’d like to try again with all of us.”
“Do you think it will work?” Emilie asked. “I mean, Joni, you can… you know… do magic stuff too, right? Maybe it won’t work for us.”
Gates of Eden: Starter Library Page 12
