Caeli was relieved to see that some of the pain etched in his face appeared to have eased. He did not look like he was on death's doorstep any longer, but perhaps standing out on his front lawn. Her own weariness and incomplete recovery restrained her efforts, minimizing the amount of aid she could provide to Pete. Hopefully, it would be enough to hold him until Salma's treatment could do the rest.
"Well, first you had to close your eyes, and then…" Max started to explain the trick, misunderstanding Pete's underlying question, but Caeli interrupted him.
"Tsk, tsk, Max! A magician never reveals his secrets. That would take all the fun away," she teased and returned to her seat on the low-backed, wicker sofa, a little unsteady on her feet. Caeli sat sideways, stretching her legs out on the bench and resting her arm and head along the curved rim of the back. She promptly fell asleep. Max did not sit with Caeli this time. Instead, he ran around showing everyone the cookie and talking about the magic trick.
Maku walked over to whisper to Pete, remarking on the fact that he looked better already. Pete explained what he thought happened. Somehow, Maku was not surprised. There was definitely something intriguing about Vin's wife.
Almost fifteen minutes later, Salma returned to check on Pete and made the same observation on his improvement. He was hesitant to tell her about the real magic of Caeli's trick, but when he saw Salma glance over in that direction as Caeli twitched in her sleep, Pete decided to take the same risk that Salma was taking for him.
"It felt like she poured her own strength and energy into me. That was no trick. It was real magic! There's no other way to describe it," Pete insisted in a low voice.
"Ah, that explains it then. Let's agree that she did work a little magic on you and leave it at that, shall we? It would be best if you forget it; don't mention it again." Salma glanced over at the kitchen, hoping to imply that someone in there would be highly displeased if he or Maku continued to talk about it. Coincidentally, Vin chose that moment to step into the doorway to check on Caeli, and the two men got the hint. Pete let the matter drop, and Maku kept his speculations to himself.
Salma next glanced over at Caeli as she slept on the sofa. Max stood beside her, staring at her with a serious look on his face. What were they going to do with her? She couldn't help herself. Salma should have known that Caeli was up to something when she inquired about Pete's condition and then conveniently sent her out of the room. Caeli seemed compelled to help Pete.
Caeli appeared to be resting, but she was moving about fitfully. Aside from her left arm, which was draped over the back of the seat, the rest of Caeli's body was twitching as if being hit with small electrical currents. Salma walked over to the sofa, stood a step behind Max, and looked directly down at Caeli.
"What are you doing, Max?" Salma asked softly.
"I'm keeping an eye on pretty Caeli. Mr. Vin said that I could help him."
"Well, I don't think you need to do it from this close. Go sit and color over at the table. You will still be able to see her without disturbing her," Salma suggested.
"No, I need to see. Are you going to make pretty Caeli wake up?" Max asked Salma.
"Why do you ask, Max?"
"Pretty Caeli needs to wake up. The Sea Queen is trying to borrow her again. I tried to make her wake up, but she would not wake up for me," Max replied.
"How do you know that, Max? Maybe she is having a bad dream," Salma considered the possibility. Was Caeli merely having another nightmare? Salma did not see the tell-tale eye movement which would indicate such a state. However, whatever problem was causing Caeli such unrest needed to stop.
"No. Pretty Caeli needs to wake up and stay awake. I have to get Mr. Vin," Max stated.
"Not yet. Why don't you let me see if I can wake her?"
"Ok." Max stepped away from the sofa and watched Salma from a few feet away.
"Caeli," Salma whispered her name and placed a hand on Caeli's right upper arm. It took two or three tries before Caeli responded. She finally opened her eyes, and Salma gasped.
"No! No, you go away!" Max hollered as he ran toward the kitchen.
"Caeli?" Salma hesitantly spoke her name.
"Is something wrong, Doc?" Maku asked from over her shoulder. When he saw Max run off upset, Maku hurried over to offer his assistance. Caeli had already closed her eyes again.
"Thank you, Maku. I can handle it. However, I would appreciate it if you could occupy Max somewhere else for a little while," Vin said. He had rushed in from the kitchen, faster than Maku would have thought possible, and overheard Maku's offer. Max was only a few steps behind Vin, chattering the whole time about the Sea Queen and pretty Caeli. Max moved around the sofa and took hold of one of Caeli's ankles. Vin nodded to Maku to indicate that he needed to get Max away from Caeli.
"Sure. Max, come with me. I need you to entertain Pete until dinner is ready. He is really bored."
Vin looked down and nodded at Salma, too. She understood and stood up as well.
"While you're at it, Max, you can help me check on Pete's condition. I need to see if he has improved any since the last time I checked on him," Salma said.
When everyone was gone, Vin sat on the edge of the wicker sofa facing Caeli. She opened her eyes briefly and closed them again, but not before Vin saw why Max had come running into the kitchen to get him.
"Caeli, Honey, wake up," Vin called softly to her.
Caeli opened her eyes a third time and glanced briefly up at Vin as if through a haze, still trying to clear the fog of sleep from her mind. Vin saw what she could not. Caeli's eyes were blue, and they were remaining blue this time. How could that be? Caeli had been doing so well an hour earlier. Since then, she had been resting in the lounge. If anything, she should have been improving. Then Vin remembered the magic trick and Max's proudly displayed cookie. A quick glance at Pete confirmed exactly what Caeli had done to weaken herself to such a vulnerable state again.
Her head slid to the side as she leaned back and closed her eyes yet again. Vin quickly performed a more thorough appraisal. Caeli's skin was cold and her left arm was draped over the back of the sofa. When he gently pulled her arm forward, Vin was surprised to discover that her hand and forearm were wet. He glanced behind the couch to locate the source of the water.
A custom fish pond about three feet high and two feet wide, edged in stones, ran from the front of the lounge, along the wall, and out to the beach. The tank was filled with seawater. As Vin's glance followed it around, he could see that Apela had rigged some sort of system to replenish the water directly from the tides outside. Damn! Caeli couldn't seem to catch a break.
"Caeli, open your eyes! Look at me," Vin pleaded quietly so as not to draw the attention of the others. Vin shook her lightly. Using a nearby coverlet, Vin thoroughly dried her arm and hand.
"Vin, what's the matter?" Caeli looked up at him with drowsy brown eyes.
"Oh, thank goodness. I wasn't sure if you were going to wake up."
"Sorry. I guess I'm still pretty tired. Is it time for dinner already?" It seemed to Caeli as though she had only sat down to rest a few moments earlier.
"Not yet."
"Then why did you wake me?"
"You scared Salma and Max. Walk with me for a minute." Vin helped Caeli up from the sofa, and they walked slowly down the hall toward the front entrance of the hotel where they had a little more privacy.
"How did I scare them?" Caeli asked.
"Your eyes were blue." Vin began his explanation and then quickly told her what happened.
"Poor Max. He is so scared of Rika already. If this keeps happening, I'm afraid he will be scared of me, too."
"I don't think you have to worry about that. He is smart enough to know the difference. Max is as scared for you as I am."
"I don't remember dreaming or struggling against the intrusion at all. I had no idea that she was even there this time."
Vin's concern mirrored her own regarding the seeming ease with which the change was accomplish
ed.
"You obviously did something to overexert yourself or she would not have been able to gain such a hold on you," Vin said with a knowing glance over his shoulder at Pete.
"I had to," Caeli responded succinctly.
"I know you did. And when you fell asleep, your hand must have slipped into the fish tank. Caeli, you have got to be more careful, at least until we find a solution."
"I'm not sorry that I helped him," Caeli stated.
"I know that, too. It's who you are and part of what I love about you. Nonetheless, your generosity has all too often been to your own detriment. That's why I'm reminding you to be careful." Vin smiled at her.
"I will try, Vin. I'm not entirely certain how, but I will try."
"You have to stay awake, pretty Caeli," Max's voice unexpectedly rang through both Vin and Caeli's minds.
They had already reached the end of the hall and turned to retrace their steps. They were nearly halfway back when they heard Max's comment. It stopped them in their tracks as they looked up to see Max staring at them from the chair Caeli left beside Pete earlier.
"Max, when did you learn how to talk like this?" Vin inquired silently.
"Pretty Caeli showed me how in the cave. I didn't know that you could do it, too, Mr. Vin. Isn't it fun?"
Vin looked over at Caeli for confirmation. She just shrugged. Caeli had not given much thought to it at the time. She was merely curious about Max's ability to hear her silent conversation. She did not consider whether or not he could initiate such conversations himself.
"Yes, Max, it is fun; but it's also a secret. Thank you for your suggestion. Now, you know it is not polite to listen to the private conversations of other people. So don't do it again, ok?" Vin replied without a spoken word to Max.
"We appreciate the help. Thank you, Max," Caeli added to soften Vin's reprimand.
"He's right, you know. Do you think you can stay awake until dinner is ready?"
"Not if I sit down again. I'm too tired," Caeli readily admitted.
"Salma," Vin called as they returned to the lounge. Salma walked over to meet them in front of the wicker sofa where Caeli recently rested.
"Is everything ok?" Salma asked.
"Yes, for now. We need your help though," Vin said.
"What kind of help?"
"Caeli needs to stay awake until dinner. Do you have any ideas on how we might accomplish that?"
"No problem. You go on back to the kitchen, and I will see to it."
Salma immediately took charge of Caeli, shooing Vin off after Caeli reached out and stole another parting kiss from him. It tempted her to another pleasing way that she might stay awake. Vin had already put the brakes on that once, but she still felt a strong desire to be close to him.
"Stop that! I can see the notion written clearly on your face. It might keep you awake for a while, but you would sleep all the more soundly and be in worse shape afterward. I have a better idea," Salma interrupted Caeli's happy thoughts as she watched Vin walk away.
"Better? Not likely, but probably more practical. What is your idea?" Caeli grinned as she permitted Salma to lead her into the corner beyond the sofa.
"I want you to walk. I noticed this treadmill in here before. Set it to the lowest walking speed and no incline. This way you will be up and moving, but won't actually be doing anything strenuous," Salma explained.
"That doesn't sound too bad." Caeli stepped on the treadmill and adjusted the settings appropriately.
"And there is one more thing, Dear. I want you to use those wrist straps on the front bar. They will hold you up in case you fall. In your case, I think it's a wise precaution. Look, there are even headphones so you can listen to music."
Caeli placed the headphones over her ears, fastened the straps to her wrists, and started walking at a very slow pace. Salma sat down in Caeli's former spot on the sofa so she could keep an eye on her. Max came over and sat on Salma's lap.
It was another thirty minutes before dinner was finally ready. After Vin set the table, Apela and Ben began to serve the food. Vin was going over to get Caeli off the treadmill, but Max asked if he could bring her to dinner. While everyone else took their places, Max went to retrieve Caeli. Vin stood beside his chair waiting for her while he got an update from Maku about his festival contest.
"Pretty Caeli, dinner's ready. Mr. Vin said I can be your date," Max tugged on the hem of Caeli's blouse.
Caeli did not respond. Max pulled a chair over and lifted one of the headphones off her ear and repeated his meal call. Caeli still did not respond. She kept walking. Max held on to the back of the chair and leaned around to look at Caeli's face. His little brow wrinkled in confusion as he climbed down from the chair.
"Come to the water's edge. We can talk this out. It doesn't have to be this way. We can be civil."
"I am not listening to you. Go away and leave me in peace."
"Spare me thirty minutes of your time, and I will not bother you further. Is that so much to ask?"
"No. Thirty minutes? And you will go away for good?"
"And this struggle between us will be finished; I give you my word."
Vin looked down at a tug on his pants leg and saw Max at his side. Caeli was not with him.
"She won't come with me, Mr. Vin. She's sleeping again," Max said dejectedly.
"Sleeping? I think you're mistaken, Max. Caeli's still walking," Vin glanced over at her on the treadmill.
"She probably didn't hear you because of the headphones. Go sit down. I'll get her."
He walked over and tapped Caeli on the shoulder. She didn't respond. He pressed the stop button on the treadmill and leaned in to kiss her.
"Come on, Honey. You must be starving. Let's get something…Caeli!" Vin whispered harshly.
Not only wasn't she responding to him, her eyes were closed. Max was right. She appeared to be walking in her sleep. With treadmill off, she was now walking in place. Vin deftly freed Caeli's hands from the wrist restraints, and then turned her so that she would step down off the treadmill. As soon as Caeli's feet hit the floor, she began to walk toward the beach. Vin stopped her and tried to rouse her without drawing the attention of the others at the table.
"Caeli, wake up." Vin gently shook her and very lightly smacked the side of her face with two fingers in order to draw her out of the trance-like state. It took several attempts before she finally came around.
"What's wrong? What are we doing over here?" Caeli noticed that they were standing by the door leading out to the beach.
"It happened again, Caeli."
"But, I was awake. I was walking. I wasn't near any water. How is that possible? Are you sure? What happened exactly?" Caeli wanted to know.
"Everyone is waiting on us for dinner. I think we should talk about this later. Let's get through the meal first," Vin suggested.
"I'm not hungry. Vin, this has got to stop. I can't keep going like this."
Vin did not miss the edge of anger and determination in her voice. Caeli wanted to put a stop to it. She was finished worrying about what might happen next. She made up her mind right then and there that she was going to face this problem head on. As soon as she figured out how, Caeli intended to call Rika out and bring this matter to an end once and for all. Vin was not going to like it, but Caeli knew that she was going to have to deal directly with Rika soon.
"On second thought, maybe you are right. Perhaps we should talk about this after dinner."
"I would be lying if I said your sudden change of mind doesn't worry me. I don't know what you just talked yourself out of, but ok. Let's eat; then we will talk this out. You did promise to eat. Are you really not hungry?"
"Starved," Caeli kissed him and winked, playfully jogging his memory of exactly what she was craving.
"You know we can't have dessert first," Vin returned, maintaining the lightheartedness she had quickly adopted.
They joined the others at the dinner table where the guys endeavored to impress the ladies with thei
r own culinary specials. Vin prepared baked macaroni. It was a simple dish that Caeli loved; one that he could cook without her assistance. Ben made baked beans with a touch of curry, one of Salma's favorites. Apela knew that Max would eat almost anything you put in front of him, but made a chocolate cake for dessert that his son particularly enjoyed. The rest of the meal included steamed broccoli, baked salmon, and dinner rolls. Everything tasted delicious.
To Vin's relief, Caeli ate slightly more of this meal than she did of Ben's soup. She also drank two glasses of water. Ben was pleased that Salma’s appetite had not been affected by her ordeal. If anything, it had increased. She really enjoyed Ben's dish. Salma commented that the second helping was equally as tasty as the first. Even Pete seemed to have more of an appetite than Maku had seen in a while. The ladies, Max, and the two guests complimented the men on a wonderful meal, and everyone left the table satisfied.
"It seems that she has finally made her decision."
"She cannot possibly win on her own terms. The cost will be high either way. Michael, what will you do?" Urim asked, as they watched unobtrusively while the people at the table enjoyed their meal.
"Caeli cannot defeat Rika in a direct battle of their special skills. Rika has more experience and resources. However, Caeli can master herself. Given what she has been through, that will be enough of a challenge. Yet, it is all that's required of her, for now. The rest is not Caeli's fight. Rika will have to be dealt with, though I had hoped to avoid such an outcome."
"Can you speak to her? Try to turn her from this course? And what about the boy? Will he ever be free of her?"
"My words to Rika have fallen on deaf ears. She refuses to listen. The boy will remain with Apela, as I promised; though she is furious with me because of it."
CHAPTER 45
Ben asked Apela to spare a few minutes to speak with him in the lounge after dinner and invited Vin to join them. Caeli was tired of sitting around cooped up in her room while surrounded by such beautiful scenery. The rain had nearly stopped and the threat of the storm was temporarily on hold. Caeli, having donned her shoes, wanted to go for a walk on the beach. However, Salma did not want her up on her feet for too long after already having walked on the treadmill. Vin did not want her to go out at all, but especially not without him. Unfortunately for Caeli, Vin did not know how long he was going to be occupied with Ben and Apela.
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