by Suzy Turner
‘Hey,’ said a voice from behind them, making them both jump.
Laughing, Emma replied, ‘Hey yourself, Kim. Everything alright?’
Kim nodded with a grin. ‘It’s better than alright, actually.’
Emma scooted over a little, to allow Kim to sit down, before introducing her to Sonia.
‘Hi,’ Kim said. ‘I heard about you breaking your leg down there,’ she pointed down the hill in front of them. ‘How are you feeling?’
‘Much better, thank you. And you? My dad told me all about you and… Archie?’
Kim nodded and smiled. ‘I guess you could say it’s been a crazy week, but things are good now. I’m so glad Lucy Jo is back with her family and Archie has finally become what he was always meant to be.’
‘But what about you, Kim? How are you? Really?’ Emma asked.
Kim smiled and turned to Sonia. ‘I heard your comment about her being like a psychologist, and I have to agree.’
The three of them laughed while Emma rolled her eyes.
‘No, but seriously, I’m good. Since Archie’s change, I don’t know… I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders.’
‘No more talk of revenge, then?’ asked Emma.
Kim sat quietly for a couple of seconds before shaking her head. ‘No. I don’t think I’ve even thought about it. All I care about now is Archie. We’ve decided to put the past behind us and move on. Eleanor has asked us to come to Praxos in London and learn together.’
‘Really? But you’re not a Watcher?’ Emma exclaimed without thinking first. ‘Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to sound so… mean.’
Kim smiled. ‘It’s okay. That was actually my exact reaction too. But apparently there are a few normal people who work with Praxos. I guess I’m honoured to have been asked.’
‘Wow, that’s really cool,’ Sonia said, and then her eyes lit up at the sight her dad and his sister.
‘See,’ Emma added, ‘normal people can be cool too, Sonia. Maybe you should think about that and your stepmother.’
‘Yes, perhaps I should,’ Sonia said, struggling to stand up.
‘Oh, let me help,’ said Kim, hopping up and giving her a hand.
‘Thank you. Come with me, both of you. Come and meet my auntie.’
As they turned to head towards the villa, Kim gasped and almost fell backwards.
‘You okay, Kim?’ Emma asked.
But the young woman shook her head and pointed.
‘What? Why are you pointing at my auntie, Kim?’
‘It’s… it’s…’
‘Hi, girls,’ said the most beautiful woman with long, silvery-blonde hair. ‘I’m Aria.’
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
‘No, no…’ murmured Kim.
‘Please be calm,’ said Aria softly, as her niece exchanged looks with Emma.
‘What’s going on?’ asked Sonia.
‘You… you…’
Aria stepped forward to place a hand on Kim’s arm, but the woman turned, stumbling, and ran into the house, searching for Archie.
‘What’s going on?’ asked Eleanor as she approached them with a walking stick in one hand and a glass of port in the other. ‘Oh hello, you must be Aria, Luis’ sister. It’s lovely to finally meet you. I’ve heard much about you.’
Aria smiled warmly and waited for Eleanor to put her drink down on a nearby table before returning to shake her hand.
‘Likewise. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Eleanor.’
Emma and Sonia both stood silently, trying to figure out what was going on with Kim, when suddenly Archie appeared in the doorway. His face like thunder, he slowly approached the women. With every step, the earth beneath his feet seemed to shudder until the whole building shook.
‘Archie,’ Eleanor shouted. ‘You must stop this at once.’
But he had angry eyes only for Aria. ‘You,’ he boomed, pointing to her.
The whole party had stopped, not a single person looked elsewhere.
‘Please, I can explain,’ Aria said, shielding her face from him.
‘Explain? Explain what?’ Eleanor asked. ‘Archie, please stop, you’re going to destroy the house. Kim, please tell him to stop.’
Kim approached him from behind and gently put her hand on his arm, whispering something into his ear.
Immediately the ground stopped shaking and he just stood, staring, accusing Aria of something that nobody else seemed to have a clue about. ‘This woman is married to my father.’
There were gasps of horror; people fled indoors assuming that the Skulls were close by, but Aria held up her arms and tried to calm everyone down. ‘Please, you have nothing to fear,’ she said.
Luis stood beside her and nodded. ‘It’s true, you have nothing to fear. This is my sister. She is one of you. She is a Watcher. Please, just listen to what she has to say.’
Hearing the words come from Luis’ lips made what he was saying easier for them to accept, so they stood silently, waiting to hear what she had to say.
‘I am Aria, I am a Watcher, like most of you. And Archie speaks the truth. I am married to Sthenelaus.’
‘Good God, Aria, what on Earth were you thinking?’ Eleanor said, her knees buckling. Declan rushed to her side and helped her into a chair. ‘Continue,’ she demanded.
‘Several years ago, whilst I was studying abroad, I met a wonderful man, who was also a Watcher. We fell in love instantly, and spent the most wonderful year travelling around the world. When we returned, he had to go back to London to sort out his affairs. Our plan was for him to move here, where we would marry and have a family of our own,’ she stopped and smiled before continuing. ‘But something happened. Something that put an end to our dream.’
‘What? What happened?’ asked Lana.
‘He was taken.’
‘Taken? By whom?’ asked Eleanor.
‘By Sthenelaus.’
More gasps filled the air.
‘Do you believe her?’ Kim whispered to Emma, who slowly nodded.
‘Look at her face, the truth is written all over it. This woman has been hurting for a very long time.’
Kimberly looked a little ashamed and nodded.
‘So you married him? Why? Why would you do that?’ Lana almost shrieked.
Aria rubbed her forehead. ‘It was the only way in, the only way I could find out the truth.’
‘But why didn’t you come to me, Aria?’ Eleanor asked. ‘That’s why we’re here.’
But Aria shook her head. ‘No. I needed to get as close as possible to him. I needed him to trust me. It wasn’t just for my John, it was for everyone else who has ever suffered at the hands of the Sophokles family.’ She stopped, her eyes searching Archie’s. ‘I’m sorry, but I didn’t know the truth about you either, Archie, until I discovered that he had forced you to kidnap that poor little girl.’
‘But why didn’t you tell us then? You could have helped us?’ Patrick interjected, pointing at her. ‘You could have avoided all this pain.’
‘I’m sorry, truly I am, but I didn’t know about it until she had already been taken. It was only when I discovered Kimberly’s past that I decided that I must tell you, which is why I came here today. Kimberly, I’m sorry I frightened you. If I’d known the truth about you earlier—if I’d known that you had entered the family for the same reasons I had—things would have been different. I hope you can forgive me.’
Kim stepped forward, eyeing her. ‘Do you know what happened to your John?’
Tears filled Aria’s eyes and she shook her head. ‘So far I have been unable to uncover the truth.’
‘Then together we must do just that,’ Archie whispered, pulling Kim towards him and holding out a hand to Aria.
She stepped forward and took it. He squeezed her fingers and smiled as a huge, collective sigh of relief seemed to be released from all around.
oOo
‘How can a brother and sister look so different from each other?’ Lana asked as she carefully combed her we
t hair in front of the mirror.
Emma approached her and placed her head on her sister’s shoulder and pulled a face.
‘We’re twins—you’re black and I’m white. Need I say more?’
Lana laughed, tapping her on the head with her comb. ‘You know what I mean. Luis is like, well, really quite ugly, in a sense, and Aria is just well, probably one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen. He’s really dark, erm—everything—and she’s all pale skinned, silvery hair and light eyes. It’s just weird.’
‘They’re Watchers, sis. Just like us,’ she said, dropping onto her bed and picking up her book.
‘Yeah, I guess. Don’t you think it’s weird, though?’
‘What? The fact that they look different? Not really.’
‘No, I mean this whole weird connection thing. You know, the fact that Kim started going out with Archie so she could get revenge on his dad. And Aria actually marrying his dad so she could find out what happened to her real fiancé. And then the fact that Aria is Luis’ sister, who lives in Portugal. I mean, it just seems so, oh, I don’t know… just weird.’
‘It’s a small world we live in,’ Emma murmured.
‘Hm? Yeah, I guess so. Especially a small supernatural world. What’s that six connections thingy?’
‘Huh?’
‘You know - the six degrees of separation?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Maybe it’s got something to do with that?’
‘Maybe.’
‘Are you even listening?’
‘Uhuh.’
‘Whatever.’
A knock on the door startled Lana, who dropped her comb on the floor. ‘Come in,’ she shouted as she stooped to pick it up.
‘Lana? Emma?’
‘Hey, Lucy Jo, what are you doing in here? I thought you’d gone to bed ages ago?’ Emma asked, putting her book down and tapping the side of the bed beside her.
‘I couldn’t sleep. I asked Dad if I could come sleep in your room and he said it was okay. Is it okay?’
‘Of course it is. Dad actually let you out of his sight?’
A chuckle could be heard on the other side of the door before the sound of footsteps walking away echoed down the corridor.
Lucy Jo raised her eyebrows and smiled.
‘I guess that answers my question,’ Emma grinned before pulling her sister close and holding her tight.
‘Hey, sis,’ Lana said, throwing herself on the bed next to them. ‘How are you feeling?’
‘I’m alright. Are you?’
Lana grinned. ‘Of course I am. I am now, anyway. Now that we’ve got you back safe.’
‘I missed you. Both of you,’ snivelled the little girl, wiping her nose with the back of her hand.
‘Ewww, Lucy Jo. That’s something Greg would do,’ Lana winced with a grin.
The little girl grinned and shook her head. ‘I don’t mind anymore.’
‘Don’t mind what?’ asked Emma.
‘Being like Greg.’
‘What do you mean?’ Emma smiled.
‘Before, I didn’t want to be like him at all, but then I realised how much I missed him, so I figured I wouldn’t mind, you know, being like him.’
‘Lucy Jo, that’s the sweetest thing. Maybe you should tell him.’
Lucy Jo shook her head. ‘No way.’
The girls laughed.
‘But I wish I could be like you even more,’ Lucy Jo continued. “With all those special powers. Do you think I might get them when I’m older?’
Sharing a glance, Emma squeezed her again and shook her head. ‘Believe me, Lucy Jo. You are very special as you are, you don’t need anything extra to make you even more special, because that just wouldn’t be possible.’
Content with her answer, the little girl climbed under the covers. ‘I want you to sleep on this side of me, Emma, and you to sleep on this side, Lana,’ she said, patting both sides of the bed.
‘I’m just glad the beds are huge in this place,’ Lana laughed. ‘Okay, I’ll be right there. I just need to finish doing my hair. You wouldn’t want to sleep next to me with wet hair now, would you? Oh I nearly forgot,’ she said, opening her top drawer. ‘I have something of yours.’
‘You do?’
Lana nodded, turning around to reveal her favourite bracelet.
‘My bracelet!’ Lucy Jo exclaimed. ‘I thought it was gone for good.’
‘No, it’s safe and sound, just like you.’
Lucy Jo smiled as Lana put it on for her, before sliding down until her head rested on the pillow.
‘Emma, please tell me a story while I fall asleep.’
Grinning, Emma proceeded to tell her all about Sleeping Beauty—well, her own version, anyway.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Eleanor and the other Mentors sat talking to Aria until well into the night, eager to find out more about the evil Sthenelaus.
Aria was able to give them more information than they ever thought possible, including his plans to take Lucy Jo and the rest of his family to the back of beyond, in Canada, somewhere.
‘So he never actually mentioned where in Canada he planned on settling down?’ asked Eleanor.
Aria shook her head. ‘For some reason, he was trying to refrain from telling me about Canada.’
‘Do you think he was on to you?’ asked Declan.
‘I don’t think so. I think maybe he wanted to surprise me with it.’
‘So what about the other son, Stan? What happened to him?’
‘You mean… you don’t have him?’
Eleanor slowly shook her head. ‘He disappeared from the bridge the moment Kim jumped. We assumed he ran home to tell his father what had happened.’
Aria shook her head. ‘He made a phone call to Sthenelaus while I was with him, telling him that Archie was dead and that the little girl was gone. That’s all he said.’
‘And then what happened?’ asked Eleanor.
‘Sthenelaus was absolutely furious. He threw things around the office for a while, until his other wife arrived to calm him down.’
‘Hisotherwife? He hasanother wife?’ Eleanor shook her head.
Aria smirked. ‘Typical evil guy behaviour, right? Yeah, I know. Her name’s Madge, she married him when they were both really young. It was an arranged marriage, but one that suits them both.’
‘Tell us more about this… Madge,’ Eleanor leaned forward eagerly.
‘She’s from a powerful Greek Skulls family herself. She’s probably about as crazy as he is.’
‘How did she take it when he married you?’
‘Honestly? She seemed perfectly fine about it. As if it were normal to have two wives.’
‘Do you, erm, get on with her?’
‘Let’s just say… I have my ways to make people accept me.’
Eleanor raised her eyebrows as Arabella opened the door carrying a large tray with tea for everyone.
‘I can calm people down and, well, mesmerise them, for want of a better word. Thank you, Arabella. That’s very kind.’
‘And you often did this with Sthenelaus?’ Eleanor asked rather quietly.
Aria blushed and looked down. ‘Yes, all the time. But if you’re asking about, well… erm, we were never intimate. I was able to avoid that by using my power.’ She smiled, relief covering her face.
‘I see,’ smiled Eleanor, winking cheekily. ‘Thank goodness. So technically your marriage is null and void, because it was never consummated?’
‘I guess you could say that, but he wouldn’t understand because he doesn’t realise that it wasn’t… consummated.’
‘So as far as he’s concerned, everything is alright between the two of you?’
Aria nodded, taking a sip of her tea.
‘Do you think he suspects anything?’ Eleanor asked.
Aria shook her head.
‘How did you manage to marry him without him knowing who you really are?’ Eleanor asked leaning back in her seat.
Aria looked at
her hands. ‘This power of mine is pretty impressive,’ she smiled.
Eleanor nodded. ‘It certainly is. But why didn’t you just use it to ask him what happened to John?’
‘It doesn’t work like that, unfortunately. Otherwise I could have avoided all of this. I can encourage people to do what I want them to do. I can’t always encourage them to speak the truth,’ she looked down. ‘If only I could…’
‘I understand. So where is Sthenelaus now? And where does he think you are?’
‘He has a health problem, which, when he becomes stressed, gets a lot worse. It’s a kind of cough that won’t go away. Madge usually takes him somewhere to soothe him. Well, after destroying the room, it got pretty bad, so he went with her.’
‘Where do they go?’
‘Turkish baths are usually their first choice, so I’m not sure where that would be over here.’
‘What do you mean by over here? Is he here? In the Algarve?’
Aria nodded. ‘Well, he came here a couple of weeks ago for business, that’s what he told me, anyway. But since Lucy Jo was taken, we’ve actually been staying in Seville.’
‘Seville?’ asked Eleanor, leaning forward.
Aria nodded. ‘He wanted to be close, but not too close, he said.’
‘Exactly how far is Seville from here?’ she asked eagerly.
‘A couple of hours’ drive if you use the motorway.’
‘Can you show us where you’ve been staying?’
‘You mean to go there? But, he’s dangerous Eleanor, you might get hurt,’
‘Aria, you’ve spent, what, a few years living with this man as his wife?’
Aria nodded, blushing.
‘If he’s not expecting us, now is the time to strike. But before we do, tell me more about this illness of his. Declan, please let everyone know that we’re heading to Seville in an hour. I’d take the helicopter, but we need more people to assist. Please organise the cars. Thank you.’
Declan stood up, nodding, draining the last of his tea from his cup before he left the room.
oOo
‘What’s going on?’ yawned Lana, waking at the commotion outside. Getting up and padding over to the door, she opened it, peering out; in the hallway, lots of people were preparing to leave.
