I stopped moving immediately, settling in the tree next to him. He wasn’t wearing a hoodie or a long sleeve shirt this time, and his tattoos were in plain view in the weak sunlight. The color popped even in the shadows, and I moved into the fern next to him for a closer look.
It was better up close, and as the wind blew, the fern grazed his arm, which would have made me shiver had I been in my body. He glanced down at the plant, and I almost retreated, afraid he’d see me. But I caught myself and stayed put, realizing what a stupid idea that was. Linden passed his arm over the spot where the fern had touched him, and resumed looking in the water.
I watched as he reached out and submerged half of his hand. The ripples expanded outward, bouncing off the debris on the surface and other things coming from the water. When the ripples began to increase rapidly, I looked back at his hand, but he wasn’t even moving; the ripples just kept coming from where his hand was placed.
The curiosity of this almost drove me to jump into the water immediately, but I moved slowly, only just beginning to touch it when a burst of pain sent me back into my physical body.
My hands came up to clasp my head where the pain had exploded behind my eyes. It was rapidly fading, but the memory of it kept my eyes squeezed shut.
“Riley? Are you all right?” Rene asked, a hand on my arm. “It’s not raining …”
“Sorry,” I gasped, daring to open my eyes. “Sorry, I guess I was bouncing around in the swamp too much.”
Any mention of Linden would get me in worse trouble, but I could see some suspicion in Rene’s eyes. She let go of my arm and closed the book, muttering that we had done enough for the day. She made a beeline for the living room and started looking at the spines of the books on the shelves. I wasn’t sure what she was looking for, but she pulled out a few and made for her room where I assumed she’d be sitting at her desk for a couple hours.
SPECULATIONS
“This is ridiculous, isn’t it?” I demanded to Alysana as we stood in line at the bookstore, a few new volumes in our hands.
“What, the fact that this is taking so long?” she replied, looking ahead at the people in line.
“No—what I’ve been saying,” I replied. While browsing the books, I’d been complaining about Rene’s warning to me: she didn’t want to hear I’d been hanging out with Linden at all. This had been in effect for a week, which was only stirring in me a greater desire to see him again. I’d watched for him at work and even when I was driving home, but I didn’t see him anywhere. To top it off, it had been raining almost nonstop for the week.
“Oh that,” Alysana said, sounding exasperated. I didn’t blame her; I couldn’t seem to shut myself up. “Like I’ve been saying, Rene said she didn’t want to hear you’d been seeing him. So just don’t tell her, and don’t tell anyone that might tell her, and don’t let anyone see you going there.”
“It’s not that simple if I don’t see him—”
“Riley, I know,” she said, looking at me pointedly. “We’ve talked about this. A lot. Just take my advice and go over there yourself. He likes you enough, I don’t think he’ll be mad about it.”
“How do you know?”
She sighed and closed her eyes, but went on anyway. “Know what? That he likes you enough? For god’s sake, Riley, he’s always asking you over, wanting to hang out, I think it’s a safe assumption.”
It was a relief to hear it again, either way. I was beginning to worry that I was making things up in hope that I was right. An outside opinion was always welcome.
I was still pondering over what I had seen while projecting during my lesson. Was there any way to really explain it? I was hoping it was a trick of the light or something like that. Anything else seemed impossible or otherwise a bad omen. Still, I chose not to mention it to Alysana, or anyone else.
I glanced down at the two books I’d picked out, wondering if my subconscious plan would work. I’d already taken Alysana’s advice in going to see Linden—at least, I planned to. But I wanted a reason to show up, so I started here. I had picked up that book on the Elementals since it was the one he had noticed most. I’d thought about the Morgan Le Fae one, but scratched that after glancing through it. So my plan was to bring it to him as some kind of gift, though I still had no idea how I was going to present it.
“You’re getting that?” Alysana asked when she noticed the title. I glanced up at her, noticing her dark tone and her even darker look.
“What? I just want to look through it,” I replied hastily.
“I’m sure Rene has some books on that,” she said, placing her books on the counter beside the register now that we were close.
“I know, but you know how she is about it.”
Alysana shrugged and paid for her books, waiting for me near the doors until I’d paid up. We ran through the steady rain to the car where Omar waited behind the wheel, looking impatient. He hadn’t wanted to go into the store, so he’d been in the shop next door buying incense.
“Took you long enough,” he commented as we hurried into the car.
“The line was long; you could have come in,” Alysana said icily as she slammed the passenger door. I tossed my books onto the empty seat next to me as I ruffled my damp hair. Omar just shrugged and started the car, gliding through the parking lot, which had mostly become a huge puddle.
We drove in a strained silence, the same one we’d been in when we left the house. I wasn’t sure why, but Omar was in a bad mood and not about to get out of it. His hand gripped the wheel hard, and he stared straight ahead as he drove through the rain.
“So—do we have lessons anytime soon?” I asked, breaking the silence. Alysana didn’t reply, and I waited until Omar cracked.
“I doubt it,” he finally said. “Rene’s got enough on her hands.”
I accepted that answer and went back to looking out at the drenched landscape, but Omar went on.
“I heard her talking to Meryl on the phone earlier,” he said in a rush. He glanced back at me in the rearview mirror.
“What were they talking about?” I asked.
“About Beau.”
He paused as if waiting for one of us to jump on him with questions, but we both just waited until Alysana lost patience.
“And?” she snapped. She picked up on other people’s moods sometimes, and apparently Omar was rubbing off on her. “What were they saying?”
“Rene was talking about where she found Beau. I guess she heard about her from a source in some other town and decided to take her on. But she sort of uh … stole her.”
“That’s not surprising,” Alysana replied with a shrug. “Riley was sort of stolen, and so was Justine.”
“Not really,” I said. “I was left there first, remember?”
“And Justine was in a foster home, that doesn’t count,” Omar pointed out. “No, I mean Rene coaxed Beau out of her bedroom and drove off with her.”
“Well if you put it that way it sounds worse,” I mumbled, imagining the scene. Maybe that’s why Rene had seemed so frantic when she brought Beau in the first night.
“So is she worried about being caught or something?” Alysana asked, her mood now sobering.
“Yeah. I guess Beau was in a bad home anyway, but still … I don’t know why Rene would want a kid that bad,” Omar replied.
“Dont’ worry about it,” Alysana assured. “It’s happened so many times here, I don’t think this is going to be the one that gets her caught.”
“Sure,” Omar sighed as he pulled into our drive. “And don’t mention anything, okay?” He looked hard at Alysana and me before we climbed out of the car and made a dash for the porch. I didn’t mention it, but I didn’t think this was all that was bothering him.
When the three of us walked in, we paused at the sight of Beau sitting on the stairs. She gave us all a brief look before she took off up the stairs, disappearing on the landing. From the kitchen I could hear Rene’s voice as well as Meryl’s.
I dried off t
he books in my hands, wiping away the raindrops as I walked into the kitchen. I tried to act casual as I smiled at Meryl and Rene. They both sat at the table with cups of tea and a couple books open around them.
“Hi,” Meryl said pleasantly. I replied the same, noticing Rene tried to lay her arm over the text of the book next to her.
“Back already?” Rene asked as I went to the fridge.
“Yeah, the rain sort of ruins things,” I replied, finding nothing to eat. I turned away and left the kitchen, acting like I was making my way to the stairs. Omar and Alysana were already going up, so their footsteps acted as mine, too. I pressed myself against the wall next to the kitchen, hidden from view to anyone in the kitchen. I wanted to know what they were talking about, and especially why they had those books out. Whatever they were, Rene hadn’t wanted me to see.
They were quiet for a few minutes, and I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to hear them over the sound of the rain. Then Meryl sighed, and I heard her move her cup across the table.
“It can’t be as bad as you think,” she said. I was straining to hear, and I crouched down, moving a little closer.
“No, it is,” Rene replied sharply. I heard her flipping pages. “They’re supposed to stay on their own plane, or just cluster in some area with each other. I can’t even imagine why one would be here.”
“I’m not entirely sure I understand this,” Meryl said. “I get what they can do, I understand they’re a higher power compared to you, but the danger is …?”
“You just learn these things, Meryl,” Rene sighed. “Everyone knows it. There are a lot of reasons why you shouldn’t be around one.”
“And you’re sure—”
“I’m positive. Why all this rain all of a sudden, and so suddenly? Now that might be a long shot, but I thought about it for a while. There’s no way to immediately tell, but once you try to identify one, you’ll get a direct answer. And the things that are happening with Riley match up, too.”
My heart beat a little harder at the mention of my name, and I moved as close to the edge of the wall as I could.
“Headaches can be a result of the weather,” Meryl suggested.
“Not like this. And what about the violent one she had when she was over there? She came home and collapsed.”
Oh no. They were talking about what I had been afraid of, what I had suspected in my subconscious, though I didn’t want to acknowledge it or believe it in any sense.
“This isn’t about allergies,” Rene went on. “I knew this was different. And it makes sense, it makes so much sense. She’s just sensitive to that kind of power.”
Meryl was silent, and it lasted so long I almost wanted to peek around the corner to see what was going on.
“So you want me to keep an eye on her at work?” Meryl finally asked, almost too quiet for me to hear.
“Yes. I would appreciate it. I can only do so much here, and I don’t know if she’s very attached,” Rene replied.
Meryl sighed, “I’ll see what I can do, but don’t expect me to keep him away from the store.”
Him … I knew it.
“Of course, I don’t expect you to. Just let me know if Riley goes with him anywhere,” Rene replied.
“Does he know what she is?”
Now Rene sighed deeply, and I could imagine her running her hands down her face. “I don’t know … I hope not. I hope she hasn’t given him reason to suspect. If he’s like other Elementals he won’t care to check everyone he meets.”
Her words resounded in my head just as the front door opened and Hunter stepped in, soaked head to foot. He stared down at me and raised an eyebrow in question. I shot up from my spot on the floor and pushed past him out the front door before he could close it.
I ran to the right, past the living room windows to the side of the house where the wraparound porch continued. I stopped when I was out of sight from anyone and leaned against the wall, ignoring the fact that I was wet.
I’d really hoped this wouldn’t happen. Since I’d seen Linden in the swamp while I projected, I wasn’t sure what to think. I’d been trying not to think at all, actually. Now Rene accused him of being an Elemental; that was heavy stuff. Like she’d said, I’d been taught that Elementals existed and if I ever met one, I had to stay away. There were a few good reasons as to why, but mostly it was one of those old-time feuds that drove so-called witches from Elementals.
For a moment I was certain Rene was wrong. She was just biased against Linden for the fact that he was new in town. But how to explain what I’d seen? And what about the time he’d accurately predicted the next rain?
The weather channel exists, you know, my other self argued, the one in support of Linden’s normality. Unfortunately, that side of me was rapidly losing, though it still supported some hope.
I was shivering now, and totally wet from the rain blowing towards me. I was clutching Linden’s book in my hands, and I looked down at the white cover, which was turning gray from the rain. There was only one way to truly know for myself, and I’d have to go through the swamps alone to find out.
ELEMENTALS
I tried to act as normal as possible for the next few days. I couldn’t stop thinking about all I’d heard and the possibilities entailed. Avoiding Rene was my first priority and it went well with work, though I looked at Meryl in a new light now. She was basically spying on my every move in work and before I left; I’d caught her watching me drive out of the lot one day. I never mentioned anything as I planned out my next move.
I gave it a week before I went to Alysana’s room in the early evening, my bag with me. She called for me to come in, and I stepped inside fast, closing the door behind me.
“Hey,” she said, looking puzzled at the way I hurried towards her.
“Can you cover for me?” I asked in a whisper, standing beside her bed.
She sat up and paused the movie she was watching. “Where are you going?”
“I’ll tell you everything when I get back. I need to give Linden a book,” I replied.
She grinned knowingly. “Yeah, I’ll cover. Are you locking your door?”
“Yeah, I’m ‘sick’. I’ll be back as soon as I can,” I said, going back to her door. “Thanks.”
“Of course,” she said as she leaned back.
I went to my room and locked the door, turning off all the lights. I glanced at myself in the mirror before going to the window. The graying light made me look even more pale, causing the green of my eyes to pop vibrantly. I thought it looked unnerving and I hoped it would be darker by the time I got to Linden’s.
I climbed out my window with ease and shut it quietly. I tread across the little roof space to the lattice propped against the back of the house. The wisteria vine growing through it was thick and sturdy enough to support my weight as I descended. Some of the light purple petals clung to my hair and clothes, and I started brushing them off as I ran towards the sparse line of trees at the edge of the yard. Once there, I knew I’d be hidden from sight. I stopped in the shelter of the trees and watched the house, waiting to make sure I hadn’t been seen. After a few minutes there was no movement, and I started making my way to the swamp.
I reviewed my main points in my head as I trekked through the swamp. I just wanted to get you this; I thought you might be interested. Something like that. When I saw the hammock he’d strung up between two trees, my heart felt like it was in my throat, and those ideas now seemed stupid.
His house looked serene, even in the dull light. The car was in the small drive, and a pitcher of red tea—his Sun tea—sat on the porch. I walked up the steps as quietly as I could and grabbed the pitcher on my way to the door. I took a shallow breath as I stood there and rang the buttonless doorbell. The sound echoed inside the house, and I heard the distant thump of Linden’s footsteps. I don’t think he even paused to look through the peephole, and just opened the door, gazing at me through the screen.
“Hey,” he said, smiling as he unhooked the latch
to let me in. “You’re the last person I’d expect to see here. I thought you might be one of those kids.” He vaguely pointed behind me, and I assumed he might be referring to his neighbors.
“I think this is done,” I said, holding out the pitcher. He thanked me as he took it and waved me inside while he went to the kitchen. Once again, I was disgustingly nervous to the point where I wasn’t sure I could probe him for an aura.
“So what brings you out here?” he asked as I hovered in the portal.
“Oh—I, um—I have something I wanted to give you,” I replied, fumbling with the straps of my bag. He didn’t seem to hear the nervousness in my voice, and he walked back towards me, fingers looped in his loose belt. I pulled out the book and handed it to him facedown. I didn’t dare look at his face and concentrated on other things; his jagged hair, the fact that the bottoms of his jeans were frayed, the many missing studs in his belt.
“The Elementals—nice,” he said, grinning as he opened the book.
“Hey, can I use your bathroom?” I asked in a rush, now impatient.
“Yeah, there’s one down the hall,” he replied, gesturing behind him. I walked past him and the stairs to the door at the end of the hall. I shut myself inside with a soft click a paused when I stood inside.
I took a second to breathe again before I closed the toilet seat and sat down. This would be the only time I could really read him. I had to be able to concentrate; if he was hiding his aura, it might be hard to tap into.
I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed my hands over my ears, directing energy towards him. He was still standing in the same place, and I started the gentle feel for the aura.
It all seemed normal at first, just a kind of blue feel, a calm one. Yes, he seemed completely normal, just a person like anyone else in this town. I was almost convinced but I paused when there was a strange glitch in one spot. I looked into it further, pressing more energy into it, realizing there was a different feel here …
The Evensong Page 8
