Silver Smoke (#1 of Seven Halos Series)

by Monica O'Brien

  "I know you didn't." Justin voice sounded gravelly. "But you could have said something to the coaches!

  I've worked my ass off for that team, and you just saw it as another bullet point on your college applications." He broke a small piece of wood off the side of their picnic table, genuinely upset. "A real friend would have known how much I wanted to be captain and how hard I'd worked to earn it. A real friend would have waited a year and taken his place in line." Justin stood up, grabbing his tray. "But I don't have any real friends at this table, do I?"

  Justin stormed off, leaving Rykken at the table alone. Justin's parting words punched at Rykken's conscience; he was right about water polo and right about the position Rykken had put him in with team.

  All this time, Rykken thought Justin was the terrible friend, but was he any better?

  I didn't steal Brie though, Rykken told himself. Brie and Justin would have never worked, even without his intervention. He might have sped up the process, may have coaxed her to dump Justin—but only because she wanted to be with him too.

  Rykken pulled out his journal but he was too shaken up over his conversation with Justin to write anything down. After several minutes of staring at a blank page, Rykken abandoned the table and went to his fifth period class early.

  When he arrived, Brie was already sitting in her seat, reading Dante's Inferno. Her hair flowed down her shoulders in soft waves, and she was wearing less makeup than usual. She looked up, and her face instantly melted into a smile.

  He bit his lip, grinning as he took his seat next to her near the back on the classroom. His problems with Justin and Pilot seemed so distant in her presence.

  "Did Pilot give you hell on Saturday?" she asked.

  "He's just hurt," Rykken said. He lowered his voice. "He knows we're keeping something from him."

  Brie's mouth dropped at the edges. "What should we do?"

  "Live with it, I guess?" Rykken wondered how many more times he would lie to his best friend about his new life as a Hallow. He wondered how many more friends he could lose over it.

  Brie shook her head. "Maybe we should just tell him the truth."

  Rykken cocked his head to one side, considering it. He wondered how Pilot would react to hearing that his sister and his best friend were descendants of archangels and had super human powers.

  He had plenty of time to think about it because class was boring, and his thoughts kept drifting to the pretty girl next to him. It was uncomfortable to sit next to her quietly, wanting the simplest, most innocent touches—but pretending instead to focus on the lecture. He kept getting distracted by her movements and her restlessness, and how she twirled her hair constantly on the end of her pen. He looked down at her notebook, where she scribbled in the margins instead of taking notes.

  He watched for a minute, and her scribbles changed to words. He looked closer. Pay attention, it said. A light smile played on her lips.

  He reached over to her notebook, and wrote in the margins, I am. To you. She grinned.

  She wrote one word in big letters over his: Later.

  She stopped writing, the expression on her face tight. Then she wrote, Thessa's back.

  Rykken wasn't completely sure why this bothered Brie, but he knew he would find out eventually. The class dragged on, killing Rykken slowly. When it finally ended, he walked Brie to her locker.

  Brie tossed her pompoms on the floor and pulled a few books from her locker, placing them carefully in her purse.

  "I'm done for the day," Rykken said, picking up the pompoms. "You have cheer practice though, right?"

  "Nope." Brie smoothed the bottom of her navy skirt. "I quit."

  Rykken rested his hand on the top of her locker door, leaning against it. "Did you?"

  "It was just a ploy anyway." Brie took the pompoms from him and tossed them back in her locker. "Plus I missed so much practice when I was stranded at my house. Most of the squad thinks I'm not dedicated." She smiled. "Whatever that means."

  Rykken laughed. "Punahou takes its sports very seriously Brie. Sounds like your heart isn't in it enough if you're skipping practices and games."

  Brie grinned, her eyes fluttering. "I talked to Cora, and she agreed that the Hallows didn't need me there anymore. They replaced me with one of the alternates."

  "Hmm," Rykken hummed between his lips.

  Brie scrunched her nose. "What is that? Hmm, " she mimicked. "Hmm what?"

  He grinned michieviously. "You were so cute in school colors, with your little ponytail and little skirt."

  Brie shut her locker, leaning up against it. "I don't think I'll miss it. There are plenty of other ways to spend my time after school." She wrapped her fingers in his polo shirt and tugged him toward her playfully.

  Her touch made his stomach contract, like she was tickling him. She was wearing high heels and her eyes were more level with his than usual. He ran his fingers across the thin necklace chain on her neck, then moved to her hair. Her chest rose and fell, and she gave him a look he was starting to recognize, the one that told him she wanted him to make the first move.

  He leaned in to kiss her just as a locker down the hall slammed.

  Justin strut toward them, a flare of cockiness in his gait. "Aww, look at the happy couple." Rykken dropped his hand from Brie's hair.

  Justin grabbed Rykken's shoulder, clenching down. "Don't stop on my behalf," he said. "You finally got her to notice you. You might as well enjoy it."

  "Justin..." Brie reached for Justin's arm. "I'm sorry I didn't—"

  "Don't." Justin shrugged her off. "You were just a game to me."

  Rykken gave Justin a dirty look. "Just go, man."

  Justing smiled cruelly, leaning to Rykken's ear. "She's incredible in bed, by the way." Rykken's skin boiled from his cheeks to his fists. He flashed Brie a look of disbelief.

  She shoved Justin away from them, stringing together a sentence that contained the phrases "shut up,"

  "liar," and a number of expletives Rykken had never heard her use before.

  Justin cracked up, pointing at Rykken. Gotcha, he mouthed, before striding down the hall toward the gym.

  Rykken's throat was dry. There must have been something savage in his expression, because Brie stroked his face. "He was trying to get under your skin. Nothing happened between us."

  Rykken shuddered, shaking his head. "The mental images weren't pretty, either way."

  "Come here." Brie grabbed Rykken's hand, leading him out the door. "I want to show you something." She guided him in the opposite direction of the parking lot where the paparazzi were waiting and over to the school's secluded gazebo.

  He wondered why she wanted him to see this place. Did she bring him out here so they could kiss in private, without Justin or anyone else interrupting them? He faced her, grabbing her other hand. "What are we doing out here?"

  "Run with me," she said. He thought it was a strange request, but she gripped his hand firmly and ran without his answer, pulling him into a jog.

  Before they disappeared, Rykken saw a flash of white between the trees and heard a faint female voice whispering, "Game on."

  *****

  A few seconds later, they were standing inside the van Rossum kitchen. "Did you see that?" Rykken asked. He clutched his chest; they had transported so fast, it had nearly knocked the wind out of him.

  Brie set her purse down on the kitchen counter and kicked off her high heels, shoving them under a kitchen barstool. "See what?" She grinned and walked to the staircase. "Is anybody home?" Her words reverberated against the walls. As usual, the entire house was empty.

  Rykken pressed his palms into the granite countertop, trying to catch his breath. He told Brie about the white flashes he kept seeing, and her face fell. "The flashes move so fast, I can barely tell if I'm just imagining them."

  Brie was lost in thought. "Fast like someone transporting?"

  Something clicked in Rykken's mind. "Kennedy."

  Brie's face registered alarm. "Do you th
ink she's following you?"

  "I don't know," Rykken said miserably. "I was hoping this pendant business was over."

  Brie scoffed. "Most villains don't concoct their evil schemes just to let their victims go."

  Rykken flinched; the casual tone of her words stung. "Where did you learn that?" Rykken said.

  "Saturday morning cartoons?"

  Brie bit her lip, like she regretted her words. She wrapped her arms around his waist. "Sorry Ry. I wasn't trying to turn it into a joke."

  Rykken set his backpack next to her purse on the counter. "I want to tell the Hallows about this, but not if you think it's stupid."

  She stood on her tippy toes and brushed her lips against his. "Nothing you think is stupid." Brie smiled and pulled her cell phone out of her purse. "Make the call."

  He dialed Clara's number and told her what had happened. She didn't seem pleased, but she didn't seem particularly surprised either.

  "At least you're safe at Brie's house," Clara told him. "We protected the entire perimeter from intruders. No one can get in unless someone who lives there wants them to."

  Clara hung up, and Rykken leaned against the kitchen counter, staring at Brie's cell phone.

  Brie touched his forearm. "This doesn't change anything, you know. We already guessed Kennedy planted the pendant on you. Now we have proof that she's stalking you."

  "How can you be so calm about this?"

  She shrugged. "If Kennedy wanted to kill you, she's had several chances. I'm not saying you shouldn't be careful, or you shouldn't train like crazy, but Kennedy is just one threat among several."

  "You're right," Rykken said, pacing back and forth in the kitchen. He opened the fridge, looked inside, and closed it.

  When he turned around, Brie stood in front of him. She held her hands up against his chest to stop him from pacing. "Maybe I can think of something to distract you." Her fingers slipped under his polo shirt, pressing against his stomach. She traced the crevices of his abs before her arms settled comfortably around his waist.

  He wrapped her into his arms and crushed his mouth against hers. He could taste watermelon on her lips; he could smell coconut on her skin and vanilla in her hair. She squeezed him and guided him out of the kitchen.

  She pushed him gently onto the leather couch in the family room, climbing into his lap and kissing him more forcefully. When she ran her hands through his hair, her touch felt soft on his scalp. He looked down; Brie's skirt hiked up several inches, revealing the soft inner part of her thighs. He couldn't see her panties, but he also couldn't help but think about them with her straddling him. He washed the thought from his mind—this was Brie. She tested his restraint, but when he thought of the future he wanted with her, it wasn't hard to make a decision.

  He tried to find a safe place to put his hands, but he knew that anywhere he touched her would lead to more. He finally rested his hands on her shoulders, gently pushing her away.

  "What's wrong?" she asked. "Is this a bad distraction?"

  "No, it's good," he said, catching his breath. He stroked her hair, letting his fingers trace her hurt face ever so lightly. "This is just so..."

  "Intense?" she asked.

  "'Fast' was the word I was looking for."

  She moved from his lap and sat next to him on the couch. "Is it me?"

  Now that there was a safe physical distance between them, he felt more in control. He held back a chuckle, lifting her face to his. Her emerald-stained eyes glistened, searching his face for answers.

  "Don't look at me like that," he whispered.

  "I've never done this before," she said, touching his chest absentmindedly. Her touch stirred his insides again.

  "Never done what?"

  "A relationship. I've never been close to someone like this."

  "Is that what you want?" he asked. "A relationship?"

  She looked at him, her face crumpling at his words. "No, no!" he said. He cupped her face with both hands. "I want to be with you Brie. I've wanted you in every way possible for longer than you can imagine."

  "So what is it then?" She bit her lip, wrapping her arms around her stomach. "I'm throwing myself at you and you aren't taking advantage of it."

  Her words saddened him—did she really think that what he wanted was physical? It was hardly the most important thing on his brain at that moment. He would be just as happy holding her in his arms and talking to her, stealing kisses in between paragraphs.

  "Brie, I don't want to take advantage of you." He kissed her forehead, pulling her closer to him. "I don't want to rush things between us. I want to enjoy the fact that just being in the same room with you makes my heart dance. Plus Pilot—"

  "Ahhhh," Brie said, interrupting. "Let's not talk about my brother right now."

  "He's your older brother," Rykken said. "I'm trying to be respectful of him."

  Brie gave Rykken a sideways glance. "That's stupid."

  Rykken laughed at her expression. "You would understand if you were a guy. Plus, do you really want something to happen on your dad's couch?"

  She pursed her lips, a serious look on her face. "No," she whispered.

  "This trip we're taking," he murmured. "We should focus on that. You and me, that will come naturally."

  She smiled at him, her eyes twinkling. She tucked herself under his arm and rested her head against his chest, right over his heart.

  They stayed like that for several hours, talking about everything and nothing. She described her favorite New York spots to him, explaining how the tall buildings and the gritty sidewalks and the people everywhere made her feel secure instead of claustrophobic.

  "It's because nothing can happen without someone noticing," Brie said. "You're never alone."

  "No," he said, shaking his head. "It's because everyone is a stranger. Anything can happen without someone noticing, and you want to be invisible to people."

  He told her stories of when he and Pilot were younger, how they sneaked around and played pranks at water polo practice. She talked a little about her friend Adele's obsession with Shakespeare.

  "You should see these pictures we took," Brie said. "We paid one of Adele's friends to photograph us as various characters from the plays. I have a bunch of them framed in my room. Want to see?"

  Rykken had only been in Brie's room it once, under very different circumstances. The thought of sitting with her on her bed made him gulp. "We should probably steer clear of your bedroom for now."

  "Why?" she teased. "You might lose your control and reason?"

  "Definitely," he whispered into her hair. "You're very tempting. And I don't think you're that convinced with this whole 'taking it slow' thing."

  She pressed her lips to his. "Nah, I like it. It's romantic." Her words warmed his cheeks and he kissed her back to hide his face.

  The front door opened and Pilot announced his arrival loudly. Rykken moved to disentangle himself from Brie, but she held on to him firmly.

  "Don't," she said. "I'm done with secrets. I want to tell him everything." She searched Rykken's eyes for acceptance, and he nodded slightly.

  Pilot came to a dead halt when he saw them sitting together on the couch. "I'm not ready yet," he said, pivoting in the direction of the stairs.

  "Pilot, wait," Brie said. "We need to talk to you."

  Pilot's movements were stilted, like he had to physically force himself to backtrack to the living room.

  But eventually, he sat on the opposite couch. "I have nothing to say about this." He nodded to Brie and Rykken holding hands.

  "Oh, stop being dramatic," Brie huffed. "We're together and you can get over it. We have more important things to talk about anyway."

  "Like all the stuff you've both been hiding from me?"

  "Yes," Brie said. Pilot blinked, pure surprise splattered across his face at her willingness to be honest.

  Brie took a deep breath and began to tell Pilot everything. Rykken sat silently while she told him about the car incident, and how sh
e thought she saw their mom but really saw Sirena. Then, Brie told him about the Hallows and her powers and Rykken's powers and the pendant.

  "I know this sounds ridiculous," she said, "but it's all true."

  Rykken expected Pilot to flip out, to yell, or to be afraid; but his reaction was the complete opposite.

  By the end of Brie's explanation, Pilot's face had drained of most of its anger.

  He spoke slowly. "I believe you."

  Brie's jaw fell. She seemed just as surprised as Rykken was over the turn of events. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner then."

  "Keep going," Pilot said, leaning back into the couch with a confused look on his face. Brie told him about Cora and Clara's powers, the selkie curse, the accident on the boat, and how James adopted her.

  Pilot's ears perked. "Adopted? But... how is that possible?"

  The color seeped from her skin. "I don't know," she admitted. Her apparent exhaustion showed that the conversation had taken its toll on her.

  Pilot wrapped his sister in a tight hug. "Adoption or not, you'll always be my sister. I'll always be here for you," he promised. "For anything."

  But Pilot's expression flatlined when Brie described Thessa's trip to Silver Smoke.

  "Silver Smoke?" he echoed, as if the name were familiar to him.

  "Thessa wouldn't tell me much about it," Brie said, "but I know it's in LA. It's run by a cult of superbeings that cause problems for the Hallows. Thessa almost died when she went there."

  Pilot's shattered expression told Rykken that something was seriously wrong with his best friend. Every bit of progress they had made by opening up to him had disappeared; somehow, they had managed to crush him with the truth.

  Then Pilot whispered, "Kennedy."

  The hushed name wafted through the room, but despite its delicate phrasing, it lit a firework in Rykken's mind.

  "How do you know that name?" Brie asked. "She's the one Thessa was looking for. The pendant belongs to her family, and we think she's following Rykken."

  The firework exploded, and Rykken was left with the broken pieces. "Pilot, please tell me that you aren't dating that girl."