A magical pulse surrounded the man. He was an Arete.
He stared at Nicole. She stared back. He was unkempt, wearing a white tank top that rolled up over his large belly. But the man had the confidence around him that Nicole had come to associate with many Aretes. Perhaps it was the fact that elements—even if only a small aspect of them—obeyed their command.
He took the paper from Nicole, read over it, then glanced at her. “Aren’t you on the wrong side?”
Nicole’s cheeks warmed. Meredith and Kurt stared at her curiously. “Aren’t you?” Nicole asked. She pointed at the paper. “Come learn more about us.”
Then she turned and walked away, Meredith and Kurt on her trail. Several long moments later, she heard the man shut the door, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
“What was that about?” Meredith asked.
“He was an Arete.”
“So?”
“It’s the first time I’ve run into one since turning my back on them. It’s weird, that’s all.”
After that, Meredith fell quiet, like her husband. Without her nervous chatter filling the silence, Nicole’s brain was free to roam, to feel the shame in her actions. Oh, she hoped this would all work out in the end.
They were nearly to the first floor when they ran out of fliers. Meredith took out a notebook and wrote down which apartment they’d ended on, and the three left the building, going their separate ways.
It took several hours for Nicole to rid herself of the gross feeling that accompanied her after the run-in with the Arete. Was she ready to do this? To be the “face” of the Tarians for however long it took? She’d be opening herself up to a lot of public shame and ridicule. Only those closest to her—Lizzie, Coolidge, Austin—would understand why she was doing it.
Would she be okay with that?
She didn’t know.
***
Nicole finally decided to come clean with Toby. After what had happened with Meredith and Kurt, she couldn’t bear the thought that only two people she interacted with on a regular basis really knew what was going on.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Lizzie asked ten minutes before Toby arrived. “You’ve been a nervous wreck all day.”
Nicole smoothed her hair for probably the twentieth time. It was Friday. Finals were happening in three weeks. She and Toby had been dating for three and a half months. He’d been patient long enough, and she knew he was dying to hear the truth.
“I’ll feel better once I get everything out in the open.”
“Okay. Want me to stick around? I can cancel my date with Trent.”
Nicole shook her head. “No, no. You go have fun.”
Lizzie enveloped Nicole in a hug. “Good luck with dinner, too—it smells great.”
“Thanks.”
Lizzie flounced out of the apartment, and Nicole was alone with her thoughts for a few minutes before Toby’s knock came at the door. She welcomed him in, then showed him to his seat. Dinner was already laid out on the table. She’d made kalua pork—slow-baked in the oven, since she was fresh out of a yard to bury the pig in—and a fruit salad. The bread, she’d bought from the store.
They started eating immediately, and Nicole did her best to act naturally. It was hard, and she knew Toby could feel a difference. Things actually had been a little awkward between them since the run-in with Austin. She hoped this wouldn’t put their relationship over the tipping point. She really did care for Toby.
Nicole realized this increased her chances of not being able to date him, however. The Great Ones didn’t want her dating Austin, possibly because he was a very powerful Arete, but maybe also because he held such an important part of her heart and life, and his thoughts and feelings really did hold sway for her. Toby wasn’t there yet, but she didn’t doubt that it might happen eventually.
“Dinner was fantastic, Nicole,” Toby said. “Thank you.” He wiped his mouth, his eyes not leaving her face, and she could sense that her nervousness had rubbed off onto him.
Great.
“Let’s sit on the couch and talk for a while before dessert,” Nicole said, motioning to the living room section of the room.
Toby nodded, standing. He waited for Nicole to lead the way, then they sat close on the couch, his arm around her with her snuggled up next to him.
“Toby, there are a lot of things I haven’t told you yet that I feel you deserve to know.”
He didn’t say anything, but she couldn’t sense malice coming from him.
She held up the necklace. “It has a lot to do with this.”
“Okay,” he said. “I’d like to hear whatever you’re comfortable sharing.”
She took a deep breath. “Well, it all starts with my first class of Professor Coolidge’s last year.”
Nicole proceeded to tell him about the leather journal, and how it had followed her everywhere. How Coolidge had finally found a way to lock it up. She told him about Rebecca’s former living place—the tree that used to be out front of the apartment building—and how the woman’s spirit had followed her to Arches, wanting her to read the book.
She then told him about actually reading the book and learning about her great-great-grandparents. Then she explained to him what had happened in Moses Lake, Washington.
“You carry the elixir with you everywhere?” Toby asked after Nicole had finished.
She nodded. “I have to. It would become ineffective if I didn’t wear it. It gives me a little bit of strength while borrowing energy and power from me.” She looked up at him. “But at least you can see why it’s so important.”
“Yes, and I’m glad you told me.” He pulled her close, kissing the top of her head. “I can understand why you’re so protective of it.”
“It’s not the only thing I need to talk to you about.”
“There’s more?”
“Yes.”
So Nicole told him about the Great Ones preventing her from being around Austin, and how she was now a member of the local Tarian chapter. She explained to him about Rebecca wanting her to lead the Tarian group, to help them see the folly of their ways. She told him about how Austin was working with Elizabeth to find out if Rebecca was being honest.
“Oh, good,” Toby said. “I was trying not to ask you why you believe this woman without any witnesses to what she’s saying.”
“At first, I did believe her. But now, I really don’t know what to think. It’s been several months and apparently, Austin still hasn’t heard back from Elizabeth. I hope he does soon, though. The world convention is in a month.”
“Right after finals end for you.”
“Yup.”
Neither said anything for a moment, and Nicole was okay with that. Her voice hurt from talking. She hoped he’d be understanding. She was happy that he hadn’t freaked out yet, as she’d partly expected him to, but Toby was so easygoing, nothing ever seemed to faze him.
“Nicole?”
“Hmm?”
“You’re still in love with Austin.”
Nicole opened her mouth to contradict him, but closed it immediately, because she knew he was right. And lying wouldn’t make him feel better—he’d still sense the truth. So she didn’t respond.
Toby sighed. “Should we have dessert now?”
Nicole wanted to snuggle up next to him, but she was worried doing so would make him feel like she was being disingenuous. She’d basically admitted to being in love with another guy. How could she cuddle with Toby after that sort of confession? Sure, she hadn’t said anything, but Toby still knew.
“Yes. That’s a great idea,” she finally said.
They got up from the couch and Toby helped Nicole clean up dinner, then serve dessert. They were fairly quiet, only talking about safe topics—weather, school, things like that.
Nicole sensed a change in their relationship. It made her partially regret saying anything to him about the elixir and the drama surrounding it. Would he ever get over this? Did she want him to? Did she want to keep dating a man she
wasn’t free to love? That wasn’t fair to him, was it? Even if he chose to wait for her, it still didn’t seem like the right thing to do.
Realizing they’d already talked about enough serious things that evening, Nicole gave Toby a kiss on the lips, promising to talk to him later. She hoped having some time to think over the revelations of the evening would make both of them feel better—would help them know what to do.
***
Over the next two weeks, Toby and Nicole went on several dates. Things weren’t as strained as she expected them to be, for which Nicole was grateful, but she could tell she was distancing herself from him. She wasn’t sure why and didn’t want to think too much about it, so she didn’t.
She also went on several more Tarian assignments—all like the first. Most got her and those she worked with kicked out of buildings or stores, with angry managers swearing and yelling at them never to return.
Nicole was relieved that Andrew and Shana didn’t ask her to do anything that was more involved or serious. With finals looming, she simply didn’t have the time or energy to do much more than hand out fliers and study.
As Coolidge had asked, Nicole kept track of where her assignments took her, trying to figure out if there were patterns, to see if she was constantly sent to the same area. This would hopefully help her figure out how big each area was, and in turn, maybe give them an idea about the number of Tarians there were now.
But Andrew was diligent—never sending her with the same person or to the same location. Nicole wasn’t sure if that was because he didn’t trust her or because he was trying to find stuff for her to do to help her feel useful.
It had been at least two months since she had heard from Greg, the Arete Tarian from Texas, but for some reason, as the end of the semester drew near, he started calling, texting, and emailing her again.
Nicole never responded.
She didn’t care what Rebecca or Tiffany said. She needed to maintain at least a little control over her life.
Besides, Rebecca didn’t seem too worried about any of that—her visits were still fairly frequent, and she kept Nicole updated on the planning for the upcoming convention.
Tiffany’s reports started arriving in the mail—hundreds and hundreds of confidential documents. Nicole only glanced through them before getting overwhelmed. She needed to focus on school first. Pass her classes. Then she could become the “perfect” Tarian.
Austin still hadn’t heard from Elizabeth yet, and Nicole began worrying that perhaps the woman had brushed them off. Nicole knew better than to contact Austin and ask if he could try to find Elizabeth—to call her back again. Perhaps it was harder than TV and the movies made it look to follow someone around, especially when they were dead.
A week before finals, Toby took Nicole for a walk. She was distracted at first, and it took several minutes before she noticed that he was nervous, fidgety.
“What’s up?” she asked.
Toby didn’t respond for a moment. He pulled his baseball cap down lower against the uncharacteristically bright sunshine and dug his hands into his pockets before finally glancing at her. “It’s not going to work between us, is it?”
Nicole paused, then started walking again. “Why do you say that?”
“You’ve been increasingly distant. And now I understand why—you don’t expect to live much longer.”
“If Rebecca is right, I’ll survive. But if the Tarians get their way, then no, I won’t be around after this summer. And neither will you.”
“I just have a really hard time taking all of this in.”
“I know.”
He glanced at her. “Did I ever have a chance with you?”
Nicole thought about his question for a moment before answering. “I care for you and enjoy spending time with you . . . but it’s different. It’s . . . I don’t know . . .”
“Brotherly?”
“Yes.” Nicole nodded, then realizing what she’d just said, she shook her head emphatically. “No! That’s not what I mean. Obviously, I feel something for you that I don’t for other guys, especially my siblings. Ew. Yuck.”
Toby didn’t make eye contact with her. “But it’s not the same as what you feel for . . . previous boyfriends.”
Nicole sighed. “No, it’s not.”
Toby nodded, hands still in his pockets. He opened his mouth several times to say something, but stopped just before anything came out.
They walked in silence for a while. Nicole knew she should reassure him—hug him, tell him things would work out, but she didn’t know if they would, and she couldn’t lie. She’d been doing enough of that as it was.
Toby stopped and turned to her. “I’m not going to beg you. And I’m not promising to wait around for you—that’s not fair to me. But . . . I do care for you. And I want you to call me if you ever get over him. I’ll probably still have feelings for you for several months.” He started walking again. “I think it’s time I move back home.”
“Where is home?” Nicole couldn’t believe she’d never asked him before.
Toby paused. “Atlanta. In Georgia.”
She chuckled. “I know where Atlanta is.”
Toby smiled at her, then tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I love you, Nicole.” He kissed her gently, then, without waiting for a response, turned and left.
Nicole stared at his retreating back. He’d just said he loved her. She’d had no idea. Sure, she knew his feelings ran deep . . . but love?
And he’d broken up with her. How did that make her feel? Not angry or depressed, as she’d come to expect after failed relationships.
Instead, she felt empty.
Their walk had ended only a couple of blocks from her apartment. Not knowing what else to do, and not having the heart to run after Toby, she headed home.
***
Nicole handled the breakup easier than she thought she would. She missed Toby and especially missed being able to talk to him, now that he knew what was going on in her life, but it wasn’t his kisses and touch that she longed for. This told her he was right—they’d never had a chance.
Right before finals started, she finally had the opportunity to begin studying Earth Arete stuff. She hadn’t had a moment to breathe lately, due to school, Tarians, and Toby.
Coolidge’s book gave her a list of Earth sub-abilities that were just under her own native sub-ability. She opened the book on the kitchen table and began memorizing, reading all of the information the book offered on each talent.
Lizzie came home while Nicole was studying. She sat at the table, not saying anything for several moments.
Nicole glanced up. She recognized the expression on Lizzie’s face. She’d talked to Austin. Or had seen him. “I can’t even hear what you have to say,” Nicole said.
“I know.” Lizzie sighed. Then she blurted it out anyway. “He’s doing well and said to tell you hi and that he heard from Elizabeth and she’ll be contacting him again soon with some concrete information and he said in the meantime, don’t worry about any of that, and he still loves you.” She took a breath, sending Nicole an apologetic look. “Sorry.”
Nicole breathed through her nausea, rubbing her temples where a headache had started. After several moments, she whispered, “Thanks,” then started reading the book again.
Lizzie leaned toward her. “Can I help with anything?”
“Sure.”
Nicole told her what she was doing, then had Lizzie gather wood items throughout the apartment. Then Nicole explained the list of sub-abilities, the names of which were much longer than the Wind sub-abilities she’d learned.
Complete wood destruction
Disassembling wood at the level of the grain
Disassembling wooden items, i.e., chairs, stools, etc., into parts
Lizzie was shocked that complete wood destruction would be the easiest for Nicole to learn.
“Why, though?” Nicole asked.
“It just seems so . . . huge.”
&
nbsp; Nicole shrugged. “I’ve done it several times already.”
“And how is it related to your native sub-ability?”
“That’s where I’m confused. Maybe it’s because I destroy things by nature. I stop sound, not create it. I destroy wood, not put it together.” Nicole frowned. “Is this why Rebecca chose me? Because, to the core, my abilities are destructive?”
Lizzie bit her lip. “I don’t think so. Rebecca would have chosen you anyway because you’re her granddaughter. Don’t let things like this upset you.”
“I know, I shouldn’t. But it’s disturbing.”
Lizzie didn’t respond to her comment. “Since you already know how to destroy wood, let’s not start with the first sub-ability. I actually like the wooden items I brought out.”
“I need to learn to disassemble things at the level of the grain. Doing that will destroy pretty much everything here.”
Lizzie made a pouty face. Then she smiled. “Give me a minute. I’ll go find a branch or something from outside.” She hopped off the bar stool and rushed out the door.
While waiting, Nicole decided to skip to the bottom of the list and practice pulling furniture apart. She strapped on the bracelet Coolidge had given her, then turned it on. Immediately, a slight, steady shock tweaked the sensitive inner part of her wrist. Ouch.
Turning her attention to the stool Lizzie had just vacated, Nicole took in a deep breath, held it, then released it. After making sure she was in full control over the rest of her breaths, she stared at the stool, gathering power while envisioning the joints coming apart and the nails and screws popping out.
Suddenly, the entire stool dissolved to sawdust.
“Uh . . . did you really need to do that?” Lizzie asked from the open doorway.
Nicole groaned. “I was trying to get it to undo itself.”
“You completely destroyed it. Dang it, Nicole, I really like these stools!”
“I’m sorry. We’ll get another one, I promise.”
Lizzie stepped over the sawdust and sat on the next stool. She handed Nicole a branch. “Start with this. Obviously, taking furniture apart is still too difficult.”
Observe, Mosaic Chronicles Book Four Page 11
