FAUSTINE (Bonfire Chronicles Book One)

by Rose, Imogen

  I looked down at my hands. “No–though I take exception at being called a freak, witch–so get up!”

  “Hey! We can talk,” she exclaimed.

  So we could! Thank goodness for that. The whole mute thing was so frustrating.

  “That was quite a makeover,” she remarked.

  “That’s what happens when I get annoyed, so I’d suggest you don’t make me angry,” I smirked.

  She rolled her eyes. “What do we do now? Go back into the forest?”

  No, wait, came Luke’s thoughts.

  “Did you hear that?” Taylor asked me.

  “Yes.” I nodded.

  “He’s making contact again. Shush,” she said, and closed her eyes.

  Help us.

  How? Taylor asked.

  Find us and bring us home.

  I don’t know how to find you, apart from coming here, Taylor replied.

  Reach out for us.

  “Ask them where they are,” I instructed Taylor. “Are they here in this mist? Or in the forest? How do we reach for them?”

  Taylor conveyed the message to Luke and he responded with: Meditate. Find us. We are on the run, hiding in a warehouse. Help us.

  It suddenly dawned on me. “Taylor, we’re in a vision. We need it to take us to Luke and Kismet now. You concentrate on Kismet, and I’ll concentrate on Luke. Don’t let go of my hand. We should find them together, even if our visions differ.”

  She looked unsure, but nodded. We both closed our eyes and meditated. I concentrated on my breathing. I felt a burning sensation on my eyelids; I knew they must be glowing red like they had when I had tracked Dad. I knew Luke was near. Scared as I was of what I might see, I opened my eyes. I was back in some kind of red, wispy, cloud-like substance. I couldn’t see Taylor, though I could still feel her hand in mine. I stared ahead, straining to see. I could see flashes of something in the distance. As I walked toward it, it appeared to be an arm, reaching for me. I hung back.

  “Luke? Is that you?” I whispered through the silent space. My voice bounced against something and echoed back to me.

  Luke’s head and arm appeared through the cloud for a millisecond; I wasn’t even sure if I really saw it or just imagined it. Then, it happened again. And again. He looked desperate.

  It was now or never. I grabbed his hand with my free one. I was now in a state of flux, both in my world and wherever Luke was. I could feel Taylor’s body being pulled in the other direction and decided that she must have made contact as well. There was no way to tell for sure other than to ask Luke.

  “Kismet and you, ready?”

  “Yes,” he whispered.

  “Have Taylor yank Kismet at my count of three. One, two, three, Chanel,” I yelled and yanked his hand as hard as I could, falling back and hitting my head against something hard. I must have blacked out.

  “Faustine?”

  I felt a tugging sensation at my elbow and a hand on my forehead.

  “Faustine?” Mom repeated.

  I yawned. I was so tired, totally exhausted. Couldn’t she just let me sleep? What could be so important that she had to wake me? I stretched and opened my eyes. I looked around. I didn’t recognize my surroundings, but I recognized the faces peering at me.

  Mom was staring at me with a perturbed expression on her face. “Faustine? How are you feeling?”

  I considered the question. “I’m fine. What happened? Where am I?”

  “We’re at the hospital. You fell and passed out while you were out shopping with Neave. She called an ambulance and it brought you here.”

  Nice story. I looked over to Neave, who was standing sandwiched between Tessa and Ryker.

  “Well, I’m fine now. Can we go home?” I asked.

  “Sure,” Mom said. “I’ll just take care of your release forms, and then we’ll go. Here eat this,” she ordered, setting a plate with a steak in front of me.

  The whole gang followed me home. I was desperate to talk to Neave and find out what had happened, but I couldn’t in Tessa’s presence. She’d just tell Mom and have me grounded. Mom insisted that I get into bed and rest. She also insisted that Neave and Ryker leave. That’s when I put my foot down.

  “Mom,” I said, fully using my I’m-a-whiny-baby voice. “I’m fine. Besides, I’d like some company.”

  “We promise to leave if she starts looking tired,” Neave said diplomatically.

  “Okay. But only half an hour. Tessa, let’s go to the kitchen and have some tea while they talk.”

  “I fell while we were out shopping?” I chuckled.

  “Well, I had to come up with something...” Neave explained, turning red.

  “Faustine, are you sure you should be up and chatting?” Ryker interrupted.

  “Yeah, but what are you doing here? Isn’t that what’s-her-name Sigma-whatever going to turn you into a toad if you talk to me?”

  He guffawed. “Not quite, though you’re right; I’m not supposed to be here. But I could feel something was wrong, so I had to come.”

  “Nothing’s wrong anymore, so go if you need to.... I don’t want to get you in trouble.”

  Ryker plunked himself down next to me. “I want to be here. Always. I just have to be careful, that’s all. Can I stay for a while?” he asked, gazing into my eyes.

  I melted. I felt myself being pulled to him and his lips brushed mine just as Neave interrupted us.

  “Good grief! I’m still here, people! Do you want me to go?”

  Oops. “Sorry. Of course not,” I said apologetically, pulling myself from my trance. “Neave, what the heck happened? The last thing I remember was pulling at Luke’s arm. Where is he?”

  “He was still at Edith’s when we left to take you to the hospital.”

  “Wow. So, we did it!”

  Neave nodded. “Yes, you did, but Taylor and you both fell unconscious at the end of the spell.”

  “Where is Taylor? Is she okay?”

  “She’s at the hospital, or was, anyway,” Neave said.

  “I better call and find out how she is. What about Luke and Kismet? That’s awesome that we managed to bring them back. Are they okay?”

  “Yes, they’re fine. I didn’t see them appear since I was in the kitchen with Alexandra, but we heard a loud thud and ran back into the living room to see what had happened. Luke and Kismet were sitting in the middle of the circle with you and Taylor lying beside them, still holding their hands! You should have seen the looks on Edith, Petunia, Cormel and Morten’s faces. Priceless. They were totally not expecting that, even though that’s what we were doing it for. Their gaping looks turned to horror when they saw that you and Taylor were unconscious. That started a frenzy of activity. Edith tried to revive you while Alexandra worked on Taylor. They even tried a few spells. I called 911 when it became obvious that you weren’t waking up. Edith wasn’t happy; she insisted that she’d have got you up. Anyhow, the rest is history. I got you to the hospital, and here we are.”

  “What about Luke and Kismet?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. They were still at Edith’s when we left in the ambulance.”

  “Did you get a look at Kismet?” I inquired curiously.

  “Yeah,” Neave smiled.

  “And?”

  “I’m thinking of a way to describe her. Physically–she’s petite, probably about five-four or five. She has platinum blonde hair, straight, with curls at the tips. She has surprisingly dark eyes, almost black, and a wide mouth. I’m talking really wide. Her nose is turned up at the end and her cheeks are covered in tiny freckles. So, she’s kinda cute. The coolest thing is her aura. I was totally shocked. I had to force myself not to go over and hug her! She feels so positive and awesome, but shy.”

  “Interesting. That’s what I’ve heard from everyone–that she exudes goodness. I want to feel it for myself. Besides, I want to see Luke. Let’s head back to Edith’s,” I said, getting up.

  “Nope, sit back down,” Ryker said. “You went through something today t
hat was traumatic enough to make you lose consciousness. So, you’re going to rest. I’ll go with Neave to Edith’s house and find out what’s going on. Chances are, Luke and Kismet are no longer there anyway. You rescued them from something. They may still be in danger; so hopefully, they will have been taken somewhere safe. Stay here. Neave and I’ll be back with some news soon. Okay?”

  I rolled my eyes. “All right.”

  “Promise you’ll stay here?”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah! Go. And come back soon! Or at least call me with an update.”

  I was still exhausted. All that had happened seemed like a dream–a dream that I had shared with Taylor. I needed to talk to her as well. I wanted to know what she had visualized. I rubbed my face against my pillow and closed my eyes. I pulled the blanket up to envelop me. A nap would make the time pass quicker while I waited for Ryker and Neave to return, hopefully with Luke and Kismet.

  I awoke hours later. It was still light outside. Something rough rubbed against my left, socked foot. I put my hand into my sock, hoping to heaven that it wasn’t a spider, and pulled out a small piece of paper. It was a hand-written note: Eat That, Demon Princess. I froze. Surely, I would have felt the piece of paper in my sock had it been there before I fell asleep, which meant that someone had been in my room while I napped.

  “Mom!”

  Within seconds, Mom was at my door, looking alarmed. “Hon? What’s wrong?”

  “Mom, did anyone come in my room when I was asleep?”

  “Well, I popped in to check on you twice, but other than that, no. Neave and Ryker came back to see you, but I sent them home promising that I would call them when you woke. And Taylor’s brother–I didn’t even know she had one!–came by with some flowers for you. I’ll bring them in, in a moment. First, tell me why you are frightened. Did you have a nightmare?”

  I handed her the piece of paper.

  She read it and frowned. “What does it mean?”

  “I found it in my sock just now. It wasn’t there when I went to sleep, which is why I asked if anyone had been in the room. Someone obviously did, but how? You would have noticed, right?”

  She nodded. “Yes, I’ve been keeping watch and listening for you. I can’t imagine anyone getting into the apartment without me noticing.”

  “It could have been a paranormal, I guess. Someone who was able to get past you.”

  “Faustine, have you any idea what the note means?”

  How would I explain that without telling her about the other notes? I couldn’t. “Mom, this is the third one of these messages I’ve had.”

  “Third?”

  “Yes, and the other two were after…” I searched for the right word, “an incident.”

  “What sort of incident?”

  “Mom, I know you’re aware that I’m not Dad’s only child, right?”

  She nodded. “You are the youngest, but there were others before you. I don’t know how many.”

  “Seven. The first message was written on the mirror in the restroom that night at the club. The boy who was killed was my half brother, Peter.”

  Mom shook her head. “This is terrible! Does your dad know? How did he die? What about his mom?”

  “Did you know Peter, Mom?”

  “No. I’ve never met any of Sebastian’s other kids.”

  “I don’t know the answers to any of your questions, Mom. I don’t know if Dad knows. His absence may be linked, or not. I didn’t even think about Peter’s mom. I guess someone must have told her....”

  “You guess? We should find out for sure,” Mom said. “I should find out about the funeral arrangements.”

  “Dad’s friend, Dorian, is taking care of those details. I’ll ask him.”

  “What about the second note?”

  “We found that when Kismet, my half sister, disappeared. She wasn’t killed, though. I rescued her last night, that’s how I lost consciousness. Anyhow, I’m hoping she is fine now. I need to check on her.”

  “Oh, Faustine! I was sure Neave was making that story up! It didn’t ring true. Don’t keep these things from me again! Now that you’ve shared some of it, you should be able to share the rest,” she admonished. “How exactly did you rescue Kismet?”

  Mom listened to me patiently while I described in detail what had happened. Her eyes widened from time to time, and she clenched her hands, but she didn’t interrupt. She remained silent when I finished.

  “Mom?”

  She shook her head. “I need to think. Give me a moment. I’ll be back in a little while,” she said, and left me on my own. I picked up the piece of paper and looked at it again. Did this mean that another one of my siblings had been hurt?

  Mom returned carrying a plate with a steak on it and a bunch of irises, which she put down on my bedside table.

  “Here, eat this,” she said, handing the plate to me.

  “Did you say that Taylor’s brother brought those?” I asked.

  “Yes, he stopped by earlier. Fitch? Who is he, exactly?”

  “I think he’s Taylor’s half brother, Mom. He’s got a different mom.”

  “Oh, that makes sense then. I’m sure Alexandra would have told me, otherwise. In fact, I am surprised she didn’t anyway. I have never met Alexandra’s ex, but she doesn’t speak highly of him on the rare occasions that he’s been mentioned. It was nice to meet Taylor, after all these years. I’ve not run into her before. I guess she lives with her dad?”

  “Yes. Did Fitch say anything? Sort of weird that he stopped by.”

  “No, he just asked if you were okay and left the flowers. Why is that weird?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know him at all, just met him at school.”

  “Perhaps Taylor asked him to stop by and check on you. I’m going to call Alexandra to find out how Taylor is. Ryker and Neave arrived while I was preparing your steak; they’re waiting outside. Shall I send them in?”

  “Mom, I’m okay now. I’m going to go out with them for a while. Okay?”

  “I’d rather you didn’t....”

  “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry. I have a few things I need to do.”

  “I guess I’ll ask Neave and Ryker to wait while you get dressed then,” she said, and left.

  I showed Neave and Ryker the note when we were sitting in the backseat of a yellow city cab driving down Fifth Avenue.

  “Ryker, aren’t you going to get into a lot of trouble if Spencer finds out you’re hanging out with me?”

  “I’m hoping he’s got better things to do than worry about me. I’ll take the chance,” he said, squeezing my hand. “Besides you need me, by the looks of this note.”

  We were on our way to the Poconos again. Luke and Kismet had been taken over to Pauline’s place for safety. I couldn’t wait to meet Kismet, and to see Suman again. She’d flown in from London and was hanging out at the Poconos with Kismet.

  “Do you know if anyone’s been hurt or is missing?” Neave asked, pointing to the note.

  I shook my head. “I’m hoping Luke might know. I should give Katerina a call just to check on her,” I said, and got my cell phone. I was going to do exactly what I did the last time and hang up on her once I established she was okay.

  “Hello?”

  “Katerina?”

  “Ah, Faustine! Nice of you to call again.”

  I was taken aback.

  “Surprised that I knew it was you?”

  “Well, yeah,” I conceded.

  “Did you get my note?”

  I could hear her cackling as I tried to absorb what she’d just said.

  “Cat got your tongue?” she sneered.

  “What note?” There was a possibility that she might have sent me a different note....

  “You know exactly what note I’m talking about, silly little girl!”

  I was hurt. This was supposedly my big sister. “Did you kill Peter?” I asked, not understanding how anyone could kill their own sibling. What kind of creature was she?

  “Yes, he wa
s a pain! It was time for him to go. In fact, it’s time for you to go as well. You’ve no right to the crown! London is mine.”

  Wrong. “How did you get into my room? Have you hurt anyone else?”

  “Not yet, but I will if you don’t get your demon behind over to my place at once. I’ve got Kismet and Luke. Hah, did you really think I wouldn’t find them?”