Embolden

by Syrie James

  Helena took several long, deep breaths, holding up her hands and shrinking back, as if trying to avoid some ominous, unseen, oncoming force. “No … no … no … Don’t …”

  One strand of energy hit home, and coursed bitterly from Helena’s heart straight into Claire’s. “You’ve been out here alone all evening,” Claire repeated emphatically, squeezing the rail until her knuckles were white.

  With a slight shudder, Helena’s eyes closed, and her entire body relaxed back against the chair, her head nodding forward, her chest gently rising and falling. A few seconds passed.

  Instead of feeling victorious, Claire felt truly horrible. Moisture welled in her eyes as she whispered softly, “I’m so sorry, Grandma.”

  Claire almost collapsed against the railing, tears streaking her cheeks as she pulled out her cell phone. She scrolled through her contacts until she found the one Rico had added last fall and she’d somehow never been able to get herself to delete. Quickly, Claire typed out a text to Celeste:

  Ready to make a deal.

  Need to meet with Malcolm tomorrow.

  A cold feeling infiltrated Claire’s stomach as she pushed send. It was done. No turning back now.

  Behind her, Claire heard a small intake of breath. She whirled to see Helena’s eyes blink open. She glanced at Claire in surprise.

  “Claire! Bollocks, I must have dozed off.” Letting out a small yawn, she added, “How was rehearsal, dear?”

  Claire’s first challenge was to skip school without getting in trouble. While her mother was in the shower, Claire used her mom’s phone to dash off an email to the school administration, saying that Claire wasn’t feeling well but would hopefully be in after lunch. Then she deleted the email from the outbox.

  Half an hour later, Claire was at the gas station in Brentwood village. As she sat in her car waiting for Celeste, Claire couldn’t help feeling a little sick to her stomach. Not because of what had happened at this very spot over a month ago. Because of what was about to happen.

  Once she met with Malcolm, and traded her services (whatever that might mean) for the help she so badly needed, there was no turning back.

  But she had to protect Alec. And she had to know where her father was.

  A charcoal-gray Tesla pulled up alongside her, windows rolling down. Celeste sat behind the wheel, glancing at Claire over a pair of sunglasses with heart-shaped lenses. “Hey, doll,” she purred as she unlocked the passenger-side door. “Hop in.”

  Claire locked her own car and warily approached. She noticed Celeste tug down the sleeves of her top, as if trying to hide a pinkish welt on her forearm. Had she been burned in the warehouse fire? Claire climbed into Celeste’s car, checking the backseat.

  “No Rico or Javed?”

  “They’re recovering from some injuries,” Celeste said matter-of-factly. “But they’ll be back soon.”

  Yeah. Just in time to murder Alec next week.

  Celeste dangled a fancy blindfold, complete with faux-zebra-fur lining, in front of Claire. “Sorry, but until you talk to the boss, this is part of the deal.”

  Claire shrugged, leaning forward as Celeste put the blindfold on her. In an attempt to ease her tension, she said: “At least there are no matching handcuffs.”

  “Those only come when we know each other much better,” Celeste replied.

  All through the car ride, Claire tried to keep her mind occupied to make up for the lack of visuals. She tried to ignore Celeste’s strong perfume and block out whatever music was playing on the car stereo. Instead, she kept running her fingers over the bracelet Alec had given her, reminding herself of why she was doing this.

  After what felt like an hour, the car stopped, and Claire’s blindfold was yanked off. Her eyes adjusted to the light as she exited the Tesla, once again on the steps of Malcolm’s estate. Just inside the open front door, out of any direct sunlight, stood the man himself, crisp and coiffed, the smile in his eyes filling Claire with equal parts fear and loathing.

  “Claire,” Malcolm said, clapping his hands together. “How can I help you?”

  thirty-four

  All morning, Alec wondered where Claire was. She wasn’t in any of their classes, she never visited their locker, or even the snack bar at break.

  Was she sick? What if Celeste and her boys—assuming they were capable of walking again—had nabbed her again? If Claire was in trouble, he wasn’t even certain anymore that she would call him.

  Leaning on the balcony railing outside the library at lunchtime, Alec stared down at the parking lot, deep in thought. There was a time when he would have always known where Claire was. When she would have called or texted him just to say “hi” or “what’s up” or “I love you.” When she would have contacted him for even the slightest problem, and he would have been there for her in an instant.

  Now there was just … silence.

  This discord between them was driving him nuts. He couldn’t stand it anymore. He had to do something. All he wanted was to get back to the way things used to be between them. They still had issues, but nothing would ever get resolved unless one of them made a move. Maybe he should take a cue from Neil and just talk to her.

  Assuming … praying … that she was all right.

  Alec made a deal with himself. If the next car that arrived in the parking lot was Claire’s, it meant he had to step out of his comfort zone and open the door to a conversation with her today.

  He waited tensely. A slight breeze ruffled the leaves of the eucalyptus trees on the hillside, stretching from the football field up to the old brick of the North Quad. Students sat in small groups in every direction, laughing and talking. He heard the first bell, signaling the end of lunch. He was about to turn away, when he saw it.

  Claire’s garnet Acura hybrid was snaking down the long driveway onto campus. Alec’s heart pounded double time. As he watched Claire park and get out of the car, he let out a long, relieved breath. She was alive and safe. Thank God. Now it was time to get off his ass and fix this thing between them.

  Unfortunately, there wasn’t a second that day to talk to her. The dress rehearsal began minutes after school ended and lasted until after eleven.

  Finally, when rehearsal was over and he’d changed out of his costume, Alec knocked on the door to the girls’ dressing room. It was opened part way by a blonde named Flynn, one of the girls in the chorus. “Yes, Your Highness?” she joked.

  “Is everyone dressed?” Alec asked.

  “No! We’re naked, avert your eyes!” With a laugh, Flynn flung the door wide, then forged past him along with three other girls, all wearing street clothes. “See you tomorrow.”

  “Later,” Alec replied. From the doorway, his eyes took in the lone figure inside.

  Claire had changed into jeans and a hoodie and was seated by one of the mirrors, removing her makeup. She turned, pausing at the sight of Alec.

  “Hello. How’ve you been?” Alec began as he entered the small room.

  “Someone’s been taking notes,” Claire replied, relaxing a bit. “I’ve been better. How are you?”

  Alec thought it best not to answer that. He managed to keep his voice steady, despite his nerves. “You have a minute?”

  “I have at least two.” Using a square cotton swab, she wiped cream from her face.

  Alec sat on the stool next to her. “I have to ask. You were gone all morning. And you were freaked out last night. I know something’s not right.”

  She said nothing.

  “And I know that whatever you saw yesterday,” Alec continued, “you don’t want to talk about it. But if you don’t tell me what’s going on, how can I help you?”

  “What makes you think I need your help?”

  “Maybe you don’t. But I could just listen. If we’re going to get past what happened, or even have a chance of fixing whatever’s gone wrong betwee
n us, and stay together—”

  “Is that what you want?” Claire interjected as she finished wiping off the last of the cream with a towel, then looked at his reflection in the mirror. “To stay together?”

  “More than anything.” He hadn’t intended to be so blunt about it. But there it was.

  Something in her expression crumpled.

  “I screwed up,” he said quietly, emotionally. “I shouldn’t have kept secrets from you. It was wrong, and I’m sorry.”

  “Alec—” she began.

  “And the party,” he interrupted. “I was so stupid, but it had been so long since you and I actually had any … sparks, I guess. I couldn’t help imagining things between you and Neil. All I want is to get back to what we had.”

  “So do I,” she admitted softly.

  His heart wrenched when she said that, with relief and hope and an overwhelming urge to sweep her into his arms. But it didn’t feel right. Not yet.

  “I didn’t like keeping things from you, either,” she went on. “And I don’t want to. I was just so scared about … about being able to fend for myself. I felt like I needed to try out my new ability, but knew you’d get mad at me if I did. I wanted to prove that I knew what I was doing before I said anything. In the end, it kinda blew up in my face.”

  “Not everything went wrong,” he offered, with an attempt at a smile. “Señora Gutierrez looks like she’s lost ten pounds. And Zachariah would have arrested me by now if you hadn’t gotten in his head.”

  She nodded, staring at her hands.

  “Last night, I know you saw something that scared you. Can you tell me about it?”

  She hesitated.

  “Claire, we have to talk if there’s going to be any chance of this working. We need to be honest with each other.”

  She stood up and slowly turned around to face him. “I agree. We do have to be honest.”

  Thank God. He rose from the stool where he’d been sitting. “Can we make that promise, going forward? No more lies or evasions?”

  She nodded again. “No more lies or evasions. You’re right. It was a vision. And when it hit me, I was so scared about what it meant. About whether or not I could … or should … do anything about it.”

  “What did you see?”

  She took a breath, then said: “I saw … my father.”

  “Your father?” He hadn’t expected her to say that.

  “Remember awhile back, when I saw my dad in a courtroom, surrounded by reporters?”

  “Aye.”

  She went on quickly and deliberately, as if anxious to get this out. “It’s been so long since you and I have talked about any of this. But a few days ago, Helena and I got another vision of my dad in Vienna, giving evidence in a trial.”

  “Vienna? When?”

  “Last year. Alec, he’s definitely being held captive and drugged by the Fallen. Just like we thought, they’re using his mind-control power to influence juries around the world, to keep members in their network out of prison.”

  “And you got another vision of him? By touching my forehead? That doesn’t make sense.”

  “Yes it does. Because you were there.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because I was you.”

  Alec sensed something a bit off in her voice. Was she skirting around the truth for some reason after she’d promised him no more lies or evasions? “Okay, go on. Where was this?”

  “I/you were sitting on a couch in the lobby of the L Hotel in Taipei. Outside, in the distance, I saw a really tall, green skyscraper—”

  “The Taipei 101 building,” Alec interjected.

  “Yeah, I found it on Google images.”

  “And? What was happening in the vision?”

  “My dad was being escorted by a couple of Fallen from a limousine into the hotel lobby.”

  “When? Could you tell?”

  “Yes! A TV monitor was on, playing the news. I could read the date in English along with the Chinese characters. It was March twenty-third.”

  “That’s two weeks from now.”

  “Exactly.” Excitement rose in her voice. “That’s the greatest thing about this. Now we know where my dad’s going to be, at a specific day and time in the future.”

  “Were you there, too?”

  “I don’t know. I was so busy taking it all in.”

  “Claire, this is great.” The information and details in her story were so precise and clear. There’s no way she was making this up. “It’s the most we’ve ever had to go on. What I don’t understand is, why were you afraid to tell me?”

  She blew out a long breath, looking at her hands again as she answered. “Everything’s been so awkward, Alec, especially since the party. I didn’t know where we stood anymore. In this vision, all I saw was you, in the future, on yet another stakeout. I worried that you were going to run off and play superhero again without me, this time putting both yourself and my dad in danger.”

  “How could you think I’d ever do that?”

  “After the past couple months, I didn’t know what to think.”

  She looked so vulnerable, standing there, it tore at his heart. No wonder she’d been hesitant to reveal this. He blamed himself.

  Without hesitation, he pulled her into his arms. “I’m so glad you told me. I actually think you had to tell me. Otherwise, how would I even know this was coming? Now, we can do something about it. Together.” As he embraced her, he felt and heard the long sigh of relief that escaped her lungs. Her arms wrapped around him in response, her warmth enveloping him.

  “I just want everything to be okay again,” she whispered.

  “It will be,” he promised.

  Claire pulled back a little and looked into his eyes. He saw in her gaze a reflection of his own repressed longing and all the buried emotions of the past couple of months. Their lips met in a kiss that began tentatively, then progressed into something fiercer.

  When the kiss ended, Claire smiled up at him and said, “Yeah, it will be.” She planted another soft kiss on his mouth. Then she paused suddenly, her eyes flashing as if some new idea had just occurred to her. “Oh!”

  Alec looked at her quizzically, wondering what could have interrupted their moment. But he was pleased at seeing a smile on Claire’s face, something he hadn’t witnessed in what seemed like ages.

  “How did I not think of this before?” she went on brightly.

  “Think of what?”

  “If everything’s going to be okay, there’s one more thing I have to do.”

  At break the next morning, Alec and Claire found Erica seated on a low wall near the library, taking notes from her history textbook.

  “Hey,” Claire said, as she and Alec came over. “Can we talk for a sec?”

  “Okay.” Erica shut her book. Her face was as expressionless as her tone.

  Alec cleared his throat. “I messed up, Erica. Big-time. And I’m really sorry it happened at your party.”

  “So am I,” Erica agreed. “You’re just lucky nobody else saw what went down that night. You were using your powers on Neil, weren’t you?”

  Alec grimaced, nodding. “Aye. Again, I’m sorry. I’m hoping you can begin to forgive me.”

  “Well. It was really embarrassing, Alec. But I’ll try.” Erica looked at Claire, waiting.

  Claire bit her lip. “I’m sorry about that night, too. Alec and I have been having issues, and I never meant to drag you into it.”

  Erica nodded silently.

  “But aside from the party,” Claire went on. “I’ve been feeling really bad for months now about the whole Guinevere thing. I know how much you wanted that part. So I just made a deal with Ms. Donnelly.”

  “What kind of deal?”

  “She’s agreed to let you play Guinevere for two performances: this Sa
turday’s matinee, and next Friday night. And I’ll play Nimue.”

  Erica stared at Claire. “Are you serious?”

  “I believe her exact words were, ‘If that’s what you want, I’d be delighted to give her the opportunity,’” Claire replied.

  Erica didn’t leap for joy, the way Alec and Claire had been expecting. Instead, she sat quietly for a couple of seconds, a guilty, regretful expression creeping up her face. “Oh, Claire. That’s so … I don’t know what to say.”

  Claire’s smile fled. “You could say, ‘Awesome!’ I mean, I thought this would make you happy.”

  Erica shook her head. “You shouldn’t have to give up your part for me.”

  “I’m not giving it up. I’m sharing the glory.”

  “But you’re great as Guinevere. And you’ve worked so hard.”

  “So have you. Look, we both know if I didn’t have my particular lineage, the part would have been yours to begin with.”

  “My singing talent comes from my genes, too,” Erica insisted. “Have you ever heard my dad belt out That’s Amore? You won the part fair and square. And now I’m just embarrassed. Because I’ve been a total bitch, all whiny and jealous.”

  “No, you—”

  “Yes I have. And I hid behind Gabby and her minions like an a-hole. I’m the one who should be saying I’m sorry.” Erica stood and gave Claire a small smile. “You have way better chemistry with Alec and Neil, and you’re better rehearsed. Let’s give the audience what they’re paying for.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Erica nodded. “Absolutely. It means a lot, though, that you were willing to share the part. Thanks for that.” She hesitated a beat, then opened her arms, inviting Claire into a hug.

  The two girls hugged each other tightly. Alec noticed tears studding Claire’s eyes. “Does this means we’re friends again?” Claire asked.

  Erica pulled back to look at Claire, her own eyes now glistening. “We never stopped. Just took a little … commercial break. But now, let’s go back to our regular scheduled programming.”