“Lexi, I miss you too much. You’re coming with me right now.” His arms tightened.
“Wait!” I forced his hands off me. “I don’t take orders very well, so don’t tell me what to do!” I shot.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I just need you to come now before it’s too late. We have to go now. Tonight.”
I tiptoed around the rocks, holding on to the tree branches along the way and sat on my favorite boulder. My arms subconsciously folded in a pouting stance and I spoke while looking into the water.
“Why were you at the festival? I thought you could only show up when I was asleep. What the hell is going on with you?” I probed. That was the first time since I’d known him that I didn’t go along with everything he said. In my eyes, he always walked on water, but now he was about to drown in it. Depending on his answer, I was ready to make that possible.
“Lexi, what’s wrong? I thought you’d be thrilled that I could take you back with me!” he said.
“Why were you there?” I demanded. My teeth clenched so tightly I could feel them grinding against each other and I was sure I looked like a salivating pit bull. I hated not knowing everything as much as I hated being left out.
“I just missed you so much, that’s all. A day for you is a week for me, so I really only get to see you once a week. I had to see you, love. Who’s your friend?”
I wanted to believe that was the reason, but that nasty old knot started poking my insides again. And because I was so smitten with him, I ignored it completely. Of course that was the reason—he missed me. I relaxed my muscles and let my guard down.
“Which one?”
“The man.”
“Who, Chace?” It sounded so fake, but I wasn’t ready to explain, yet again, another complicated relationship. William nodded slightly and waited for the answer.
“Oh, he’s just a childhood friend. Don’t worry, William, he’s not moving in on your girl!” I said jokingly, trying to minimize any concerns he had about Chace.
“I’m glad you said that. You two looked awfully cozy at the festival. Maybe that’s why I went. I just had to be sure you weren’t second guessing your decision to come with me.”
I knew I shouldn’t go and I heard Chace’s words ringing in my ears. I wanted to go with William, even if it were only to see my parents for a minute or two. But I also knew I couldn’t make those decisions on my own anymore. The Commission, full of people I’ve never even met, would dictate my every move. I didn’t want to get into trouble so early in my new life. I had to stay put, at least until I was in control of my gifts.
“I’m not ready, William. I can’t leave yet.” It killed me to hear my own words rejecting my William. I looked into his eyes and saw the same sadness and emptiness I had seen at the festival. I knew he didn’t expect that, but I didn’t think he would be so hurt by it. It was only a temporary thing. It didn’t mean I would never go to his world. Just not at that minute.
“What? Why not, Lex? I’ve been working non-stop to bring you back. And now, finally, I can and you’re not ready? Does this have something to do with Chace?” he asked sharply.
Too concerned with my stomach flopping, I missed the chance to get off the rock before he slid his body around mine, his legs holding me firmly around my waist from behind. Both the conversation and the physical restraint made me uncomfortable enough to smell the trouble that reached beyond an egotistical man fight over a girl.
My faith in him was shaken, but I was obsessed with William, gifted or not. I had to answer and hope it was benign enough to not complicate things. If they could even get more complicated.
“No, not at all. Why would you think that?”
“Because you desperately wanted to come to my world and be with me and your parents. It’s all you thought of. It’s all you talked about. You said you didn’t want to stay in a world with a bunch of people you didn’t remember. And now, you spend a few weeks with Chace and you do a complete one-eighty? There’s something you’re not telling me.” He realized his tone was getting ugly and stopped for a quick regroup. His voice got softer, calmer and more sincere. “Do you love him, Lex? Are you in love with him? Tell me. If you’ve changed your mind, you won’t ever have to see me again. Just know that I love you more than my own life. You’re my world, Lexi. No matter which one that is. I don’t want to lose you, but if you don’t want to be with me... I just want you to be happy, love, and if that’s with Chace, then so be it.”
“No! I’m not saying that! You know what you mean to me! It’s just that Chace has known me my whole life. Of course I love him, but our relationship just isn’t like that. I want to be with you, more than anyone else.”
If it were possible to feel my heart break, I would have been writhing in agony. It killed me to disappoint him, but waiting it out was the right plan. I knew it. I nervously twirled my hair through my fingers and finished deflating his bubble.
“I just can’t go now. I thought I had some time to wrap things up here. It’s not like I’ll be back, you know.” I waited to see if he would say something to let me know he was aware that I could travel between worlds. Aside from the stream, the songs of the crickets were the only sounds.
“I have friends and my aunt to consider now. Can’t you stay for a while until I’m ready?”
“I can’t stay here, Lexi. As much as I don’t want to, I have to go back without you. I’ll wait for you, though, just as I’ve always promised. We will be together, Lexi. It’s our destiny.”
Damn, I hated that word. How did he know what my destiny was? No one else did. I ran my tongue along the inside of my teeth trying to think of a good comeback. The whole destiny thing was still a hard concept for me and I hated that anyone would know what my destiny was when I didn’t. It just seemed rude.
“Will you still come back to visit every night? I don’t want to be without you. Not even for a day.”
“Of course I will, Lexi girl. Nothing could keep me away from you, except you.”
“What does that mean?” I prodded. Was there some power that would keep him away from me?
“Just that if you don’t want me, I’ll go away. I won’t be happy about it, but I’ll go so you can be happy.”
“No! I don’t want you to go. I’ll never ask you to either. I just need some time, that’s all.” I reached for his hand and he pulled me in close.
“I know, love. I know. I don’t want to make any demands on you, but if you remember, we only have so much time to get you there. I’ll let you know if it’s getting too close.” He kissed me so passionately that I could feel my heart pounding heavily in my chest, almost like the day in the Bahamas. “Until tomorrow my, Lexi girl,” he whispered.
I woke to the sound of the horses getting restless in the stable.
Chapter 12
Who Knew?
The morning was chilly with a crisp, clean breeze. I welcomed the sun, the rain or whatever was coming my way. It didn’t matter. I was alive, with evidence that I wasn’t crazy, and I was going to see my parents again. But always the skeptic, I had to call Chace just to make sure I hadn’t dreamt everything that had happened. While flipping through the contacts on my phone, I stopped at the one that read ‘Vera’ and hit the send button. The woman on the other end called into the phone “Lexi?”
“Yeah, this is Lexi,” I answered.
“We’ve consulted all of our psychic sisters and brothers and I’m sorry, but we aren’t able to help you.” There was a pause followed by a whisper. “Please, I beg of you. Don’t ever contact us again.” She hung up.
Completely confused as to why she had told me to call and then told me not to, I shut the phone. I didn’t get it out of my hand before the reason hammered me on the head. I had just put them all in jeopardy. Even though Chace told me a lot more than I could ever remember, I remembered one of the most important things he’d said. No one was supposed to know about the gifted ones. The gypsies shouldn’t have seen all they saw in me. I c
ouldn’t be responsible for anything happening to them. I called Chace with one arm in my shirt and halfway out the door.
“Good morning, Lex! You ready for your first day of training?”
I killed his moment, unintentionally of course. “Chace, those gypsies at the festival. Can you tell if they are in trouble? Can you read them for me?”
“Why? What happened?”
“They told me yesterday that I had abilities and that I would travel and my destiny was undetermined and...”
“Whoa, whoa, slow down, Lex. Take a breath. Now, what exactly did they say?” I rattled off everything they told me, as best I could remember.
“Don’t worry about it,” he sighed. “They’re only norms with sensitive intuitions and maybe a little clairvoyant ability. I’ll explain to the powers that be that they meant no harm. As long as you didn’t tell them you were a gifted one, everything should be fine.”
“No, I didn’t tell them. They told me! I didn’t even know I was gifted until last night.”
“They told you your fortune, Lex. They didn’t see you do anything unnatural or superior or anything. It’s nothing. I’ll clear it up. They don’t know what they’re dealing with. They’re just a bunch of eccentric carnival gypsies trying to make a fast buck. I’ll take care of it. Now stop worrying.”
“NO! They know something! They do!” I whined. “Didn’t you read it in their energy last night?”
“No, because I didn’t read them. It’s a voluntary ability and it doesn’t just work on its own,” he explained. “Except when it comes to you,” he mumbled. I acted like I didn’t hear that part. “Listen, it’s fine. I promise you, nothing will happen to them.”
I was more than a little cranky at his nonchalant attitude, but I didn’t fire back. Getting the gypsies out of trouble was too important to get sidetracked by a pissing match. I believed in Chace. He knew what he was doing and the gypsies would be all right. I didn’t want to ask how or when he would take care of it. I already had too much information to handle.
“Okay. Now what’s this training all about? I thought you couldn’t teach me—so to speak.”
His voice took on a more upbeat tone. “I can’t, but I can help you find and use your abilities and teach you how to travel from one universe to the other. You gotta go sometime!” He laughed.
“I still can’t believe I can really do that!”
“Well, you can’t yet, so we’d better get started. I’ll pick you up at noon.”
“Wait. I’ll be at school at noon. Aunt Fay is registering me today. The doctor said I’m fine to go back. Aren’t you going to school today?”
“Well, since you’ll be there, I guess I will!”
“I don’t actually start until tomorrow, but you should go. That is, if you have nothing more important to do,” I hinted. In my own selfish way, I wanted to be the most important thing to him. I didn’t know why, though.
“Actually, I may have something more pressing. Text me when you’re done registering and I’ll pick you up.”
“Okay. I’ll see you later.”
“Yup. Have fun and make lots of friends on your first day of school,” he teased.
Aunt Fay knew how much I hated taking that big banana bus to school, so she offered to drive me each morning. I teared up a little when we drove past all the places I used to go to with my parents, but I thought I hid it well.
“What should we do for your birthday? You’re not leaving me much time, you know?” she laughed.
“Can we just invite a few friends over? We just had a big party and I wouldn’t feel right about having everyone get together for me again.”
“C’mon, Lex, It’s a big one this year. Eighteen!”
“No, really. A few friends would be perfect. If it’ll make you feel better, you can get me anything you want for my birthday. Just don’t go spending the mortgage on it, okay?” I joked.
She smiled. “Oh, all right. There’s always your graduation party!”
She ignored Mozart’s violin concerto screaming from her purse the first two times, then apologized the last time and answered the phone. It gave me some time to think before we got to school, where I would be presented with a set of different problems. The normal teenager kind.
I fantasized about my new life in the new world and thought about going back on October twenty-seventh, my eighteenth birthday. Being with my parents would have been the best present for all of us, but Aunt Fay would have been crushed. She was going to have enough on her hands dealing with my disappearance, but if it were on my birthday, well that just would have been cruel. Halloween was a better choice. With all of the weird stuff going on that created more mystery by the hour, it seemed to be the appropriate day to leave.
I knew in my heart I was supposed to be there and not here. But still, it tormented me to imagine what it would do to Chace. I didn’t want to leave him—I loved him. My attachment to him had grown so much that we were almost one person, and I didn’t know if I could break away from him. Or if I even wanted to.
The thought of the pain I would cause Aunt Fay was unbearable. After having gone through losing Uncle Jack, she somehow had bounced back from the worst agony imaginable. I didn’t think she could recover from that heartbreak twice in one lifetime. I was all she had left. She would never know what had happened to me and I wouldn’t be able to tell her. Chace would figure it out, so I knew I’d see him again. But it wasn’t the same as having him in my life. In my world.
William knew about my decision to leave on the night of Halloween, but worried that if it were any later than that, the window would close and he wouldn’t be able to take me with him. I didn’t worry about that. I knew I could go by myself. He didn’t. Still, I had to fight the urge to go back with him after our nightly visits. It was so hard to let him go each time. I knew it was hard for him too, but I couldn’t rush leaving my world. Not even for William.
The self-loathing I felt about keeping things from Chace made me question my own integrity. I didn’t deserve all he was doing since I had other motives. I tried to convince myself that I had to learn and he was the one chosen to teach me. None of it was my choice. It helped a little, but not enough to make me feel like I wasn’t doing something sinister.
When it came to William, my secrecy didn’t feel so blatant. The laws dictated that I couldn’t tell him I knew he was gifted or that I was gifted, too. If I could have, the pressure wouldn’t have been on me to leave so fast. He didn’t know that my love for Chace had taken a whole new turn. I had never pictured myself marrying Chace, but I had never pictured my life without him either.
I hoped that my gifts would give me the best of both worlds—somehow. Maybe I could bounce between worlds just like William did and be with all of the people I loved. It was the only resolution I could see to my problem. I had to find a way to have it all.
“That was my agent. Looks like my new book is going up for auction!”
“That’s great, Aunt Fay! I’m so happy for you!”
Aunt Fay’s excitement put her in an A.D.D. state of mind, but we were already at the school, so I couldn’t persuade her to take me home to celebrate.
The registration went as well as those things can go. I saw a lot of familiar faces, even remembered the ones I didn’t like. None of it really mattered though, since I’d made the decision not to stay.
Outside of the gym doors, the roar of Chace’s engine forced my eyes over to the park across the street from the school. It made sense that he wouldn’t go right to the senior parking lot and risk getting caught skipping classes. It was so bizarre to me that he was really just a kid, but he had the weight of the world, or both of them, on his shoulders.
I took off my shoes and ran through the grass, which was still wet with the morning dew. It felt gross, but my sore feet weren’t used to being shoved in trendy, expensive shoes, and I had to get there fast, before I drew anyone’s attention to Chace.
We talked so much about normal, teenager thi
ngs that I didn’t notice where we were going, until we were in front of the huge abandoned factory on the waterfront in Hoboken.
“Umm. Are you going to tell me what we’re doing here or do you get your kicks from ambushing me?” I snorted.
“Funny, Lex. Very funny!” Chace took my hand and we made our way up the stairs and inside the building. It was much bigger than it looked from the outside and smelled a lot like summer rain and sulfur. The only light was the flicker from a few small floor lights, illuminating the path to the switch panel. I caught a glimpse of one area, which looked just like someone’s yard, fully equipped with a pool, dead shrubs, barbeque and even a picket fence. I took it upon myself to take a look around while Chace went to flip on the rest of the lights. As I strained my eyes to see in the dark, I noticed that parts of the factory were sectioned off into very big and very intricate rooms. One was full of sand and palm trees, with an uncontained miniature ocean in the back. The replica of the sun and sky almost tricked my mind into believing they were real. The smell of salt water and fish crawled up my nose and, for a minute there, I was back in the Bahamas with Mom, Dad and William.
Each room, becoming lighted in perfect sequence, fit almost every surrounding possible. A jungle, a subway station, Fisherman’s Wharf, a bistro, were all impeccably carved out in miniature form. I had never seen anything like it. Not even in my dreams.
Chase looked like a speck of dust when he walked down the stretch of hallway that ran the entire length of the factory. I thought it would take him an hour to reach me. “This is one of a few training facilities, courtesy of the Commission. It’s fireproof, waterproof and bulletproof. The windows are all facades so it looks like the building is empty. They’re also shatterproof.” He took off his jacket and reached his hand over for mine as he spoke.
The Dragonfly Prophecy Page 10
