Before I knew it, eleven o’clock had arrived and Rayne was at my door, ready to take me on our surprise date.
After he led me to his truck, we headed off campus.
I turned to Rayne as we drove to the far side of the city. “We’re going to California,” I said with a huge grin. “I have to keep reminding myself that it’s real.”
Rayne laughed. “Yep. It’s real.” Then his brow pinched with concern. “But, you know you can’t go home, right? Or to see your friends.”
“I know,” I complained. “Don’t remind me.” I leaned back against the seat and folded my arms. “I don’t see what the big deal would be if I did want to see them. It’s not like I would ever tell them anything.”
“I know,” Rayne said. “But you can’t blame the Council for wanting to take precautions.”
“I guess,” I said, not feeling convinced. I took in a long, melancholy breath. “I just wish I could see Heather. She and my mom were my lifeline back home. Now I can’t talk to either of them.”
Rayne reached over with his free hand and rubbed soothing circles along my back. “You know if you ever need someone to talk to you can always talk to me.”
I shrugged. “Well yeah, of course, but this is Heather we’re talking about. Sometimes you just need your best friend, you know what I mean?” I shook my head. “But of course, Orion made it very clear that I’m not allowed to go off on my own for any reason.”
“Just focus on finding Voss,” Rayne suggested. “Think how good it will feel when we catch up with him and take him in.”
For a moment, I allowed myself to relax and enjoy Rayne’s soothing touch, but then a new thought sprang to mind. I turned with childlike anticipation. “Hey, I have an idea... what if the team came with me?”
Rayne’s eyes shifted to the side. “With you where?”
“To see Heather,” I insisted.
Rayne looked at me like I was crazy. “Right,” he said, “like Orion would take the entire team off-mission just so you could have a little chat with your BFF.”
I sank deeper into the seat. “Fine, so that was probably one of the dumbest ideas I’ve ever had, but I would do just about anything for a chance to go see her.” I turned my head and looked into Rayne’s eyes. “I just miss her. It will be so hard knowing that she’s only a short drive away and yet I won’t be able to talk to her at all.”
Rayne gazed back at me with a sad smile. “You’ll see her again after you graduate. You’ll have much more freedom to do things once you’re an agent.”
“That’s more than four years away,” I complained. “By then she’ll probably forget all about me.”
Rayne looked at me sternly. “Heather will never forget about you. You were her best friend for eleven years.”
I sighed. “Yeah, I guess.”
I stared out the window a minute, wishing that somehow I could find a way to visit Heather.
A few minutes later, I noticed Rayne turn down the road that we always took to drive to his family’s orchard at Lizzy Grove.
“Are we going to your parent’s place?” I questioned.
“No, but it’s in the same direction,” Rayne explained. “Just wait...You’ll see.”
Forty minutes later, Rayne turned the truck off the main road onto a much smaller, windy road paved with nothing but dirt.
Rayne turned to me with a grin and raised his eyebrows. “We’re almost there. It’s just a few miles up the road from here.”
I watched out the window with anticipation. What was Rayne up to?
The side of the dirt road was lined with towering trees, the branches thick with lush green leaves. Below them the ground was covered in blankets of purple and yellow wild flowers as far as the eye could see. It was absolutely gorgeous.
After several miles we finally came out to an expansive clearing. As Rayne pulled the truck out amid the large field of grass we approached several parked vehicles surrounding what looked like a massive colorful tarp filling up with air.
I sat forward in the seat, trying to get a better look.
As we drove closer to the site I realized it wasn’t a tarp at all—it was a balloon.
I let out an excited breath. “A hot air balloon? Are you serious?” I squealed happily.
Rayne flashed me a brilliant smile. “Are you ready for an adventure?”
I giggled, hardly able to believe what Rayne was planning. “Yes, I’m ready for an adventure. This looks so amazing.” I shifted eagerly in my seat, still trying all I could to see what was happening outside my window.
Rayne pulled the truck up next to a jeep, an SUV, and a big truck with an attached trailer. I recognized the vehicles right away. They belonged to Rayne’s brothers and father.
My eyes were open wide as we exited the truck and headed over to the balloon. My boyfriend had to be the coolest guy in existence.
I wanted to greet Rayne’s family members as we arrived, but they all seemed busy working to set up the balloon which was still on its side across the ground. The blaring noise of some kind of big fan also made it difficult to hear, so we stood back and let them do their work. I kept sending Rayne giddy glances as we stood by and watched, still unable to believe that he had arranged all this for me.
When the balloon looked almost filled to capacity, Rayne reached over and turned off the loud fan. His brothers, Lark and Flint, were at the foot of the balloon, gripping onto ropes that held it steady, while his father squatted near the top of the large wicker basket that was tipped onto its side across the ground. His father used some kind of lever to send streams of fire into the bottom of the balloon, causing the balloon to rise up slowly into the air.
As the hot air streamed up into the opening, the massive balloon rose high above us. I couldn’t believe how big it was.
“This is so amazing,” I said again.
“Just wait until we get up in the air,” Rayne said with a grin.
His father motioned to him, waving us forward. “It’s all ready for you, son.”
Once Rayne helped me inside the basket, Lark came up to us and squeezed each of our shoulders. “You two have fun up there,” he said with a wink, and then they all guided the balloon up into the air.
I watched in awe as the ground floated away below us. Aside from the sound of Rayne squeezing the lever to the burner, the ride was smooth and peaceful.
I laughed to myself. “I can’t believe my boyfriend knows how to fly a hot air balloon. Seriously, is there anything you can’t do?”
Rayne chuckled in response. “This is my dad’s hobby, really. He’s been taking us up in this thing since we were kids.”
“That must have been nice,” I said. “You were one lucky kid.”
Rayne took my hand and we stared out at the beautiful landscape of Ambrosia below us. There were meadows and trees spreading out all around us, vivid colors glinting and shimmering in the warm sunlight.
Almost all the population of Ambrosia lived as near to the city of Banya as possible because it would extend the length of their lives living so close to the Sacred Pool. But I could see why Rayne’s family loved it out here in the scenic countryside, even if it did shorten their lives by a couple of years.
“It’s all so beautiful,” I said. “I mean, it’s literally taking my breath away.”
Rayne let go of the lever a moment and wrapped his arms around me from behind, pulling my back into him. He leaned down until his face was next to mine. “You take my breath away,” he murmured in my ear.
I squeezed tighter on his arms draped around me. “This reminds me of one of the journal entries I read last night,” I mused. “In Jane Fairbank’s journal.”
“Oh right,” Rayne said. “I almost forgot you had that thing. You haven’t mentioned it in a while.”
“I know. I’ve just been busy, but I pulled it out again last night after you left.”
“Last night?” he said. “What made you think to do that?”
I hesitated. “Um, I don�
��t know. I guess I thought of it since your grandma was over, and she was the one that gave it to me.” It wasn’t exactly the truth, but I still couldn’t bring myself to tell Rayne about my visions of Jane.
“So, what did it say?” Rayne asked.
My eyes scanned the peaceful view in front of us. “Jane was just describing what it was like when she and William first discovered Ambrosia,” I explained. “She described it as an unearthly paradise... a magical safe-haven where everything thrived with life and beauty. She said it seemed like a fairytale.”
I sighed. “I’d say I have to agree with her. I mean, I’ve been here over a month now, so sometimes I don’t pay attention to things or take it for granted, but Ambrosia truly is awe-inspiring.” I held out my hand and swept it along the horizon. “Just imagine coming from Earth and stumbling upon all of this, before there were people or cities or anything. That had to be an incredible experience for them.”
“I could only imagine,” Rayne agreed. He released his arms from my waist so he could reach up to the lever and send more hot air into the balloon. “Ambrosia is definitely something special,” he added. He sent me a warm smile. “And it’s even better now that you’re here with me.”
I leaned over and gave Rayne a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for this. After a frustrating day like yesterday, this is just what I needed.”
I stepped to the front of the basket and leaned my arms on the edge. “So, even though we’re here in this beautiful place,” I said, “is it strange that I can’t stop thinking about us going back to California tonight?”
“No, not at all,” Rayne replied. “California is your home. You grew up there. And you didn’t think you were going to be able to go back for years. I would think it was strange if you weren’t excited to go.”
“I’m pretty excited about the mission too,” I admitted. “I’ve never done anything like that before.”
Rayne hesitated. I could immediately feel his essence turn from ease to concern. “You know this mission isn’t going to be fun and games, right? You do realize it could end up being dangerous?”
“Well, yeah,” I said. “But you don’t need to worry about me. If I got hurt I could just heal.”
Rayne closed his eyes. I hated all the tension I could sense from inside him.
He took a breath and looked at me carefully. “Are you really sure about coming with us? Wouldn’t you rather just stay in Banya and relax?”
A wave of frustration moved through me. “No,” I blurted. “We’ve already been through this. You guys need me there. I can find Voss faster than all of you combined.”
“Sadie, you act like you’re invincible, but we know what using your powers does to you. It weakens you. It makes you vulnerable.”
“Yes, and then I rest and my body heals and I’m fine again.”
Rayne pulled the lever above his head, causing a roar of hot air. “But what if something happened to you after you were already passed out? We don’t actually know that you can’t be hurt when you’re in that vulnerable state. You’ve never tested that before.”
I turned and looked at Rayne squarely. “Stop worrying. I’ve been shot in the head and healed without a scratch. Even if something did happen, I’m going to be fine.”
“I just hate watching you get so depleted when you use your abilities,” Rayne argued. “I don’t like to see you hurt.”
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to hug Rayne or punch him. “I’m just asking you to trust me,” I insisted. “Is that too much to ask?”
The anxiety continued to pulse through Rayne’s being.
I took his hand. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Can we please just enjoy this gorgeous view here in front of us?”
Rayne nodded as his voice went quiet. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ruin the moment. You know I just worry about you.”
I closed my eyes and took a heavy breath. “I know,” I said. “But you really don’t need to.”
We both went quiet, and neither of us brought up the subject again for the rest of the trip.
19. MISSION
A few hours after our balloon ride ended, Rayne and I were at the Campus Security building next to the Hall of Clocks getting ready to meet our team. There was me, Rayne, Ash, Jax, Honeycutt, Orion, and six of Orion’s men.
Orion spouted off a bunch of commands and instructions to his agents, and then we grabbed our bags and headed to the Hall of Clocks to pass through the Threshold.
Jax bumped his side into my arm as we waited for our turn to step through. “How’s my favorite little lizzy fruit?” he asked. “Ready for your first big mission?”
“Very funny,” I said with a laugh. “Let’s just pray that I don’t screw this up for everyone.”
“You’ll be fine,” Jax insisted. He grinned and placed one hand on my shoulder. “And if you do screw up... I’m sure I’ll be around to help pick up the slack.”
I laughed. “Thanks. Let’s hope I don’t have to take you up on that.”
My attention was suddenly redirected when Rayne stepped up behind us and reached to hold my hand. “Are you doing okay?” he asked.
I turned to face him. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
I could still feel Jax at my back. Rayne sent a glance in his direction. For the briefest moment I felt a strange discomfort or tension from Rayne’s being.
Jax looked at me with half a smile then nodded slightly and walked away.
Rayne’s tension disappeared as he gave me a grin. “Just a few more minutes and we’ll be back in California,” he said “Are you ready?”
I grinned back. “More than ready.”
Once we were through the shimmery wall of the Threshold, Agent Chapman greeted us cheerfully at the security bypass door—well, he greeted me and Orion cheerfully. He practically growled at Rayne.
“What was that about?” Ash asked as the team made our way down the hall.
“Chapman’s just bitter that I handcuffed him to a fence at the border when I took Sadie to the Sacred Pool,” Rayne replied. “I don’t think that guy ever liked me anyway, even back at the Academy. But hey, the feeling was always mutual, especially after he stole Honeycutt’s points at our final exam simulation.”
“Oh right,” Jax chimed in. “I forgot about that. That guy was always a total jerk.”
“I didn’t forget,” Honeycutt said with a scowl. “He almost made me fail out of the Academy.”
Chapman was always so nice to me when I came through the border to go to the training center. Today, he barely seemed like the same guy.
After we were past security, we took several black SUV’s and drove down the street to one of the many houses used for agents near the border.
As soon as I took my seat in the car I wanted to use my abilities to locate Voss, but when I closed my eyes to concentrate, I felt Rayne’s hand on mine. “Not yet,” he urged. “Do you want to pass out right in front of Orion’s men?”
I knew that he was right. It would be better to wait until I had some privacy. Rayne was always playing the voice of reason. Sometimes it frustrated me, but in this case, I knew that he was right.
When we arrived at a large home a few streets over, Orion assigned me to the master bedroom upstairs.
“This isn’t special treatment,” he said as he opened the bedroom door. “I just figured it would be better if you didn’t share a bathroom with the men.”
I had never had the opportunity to share a bathroom with a guy before, but according to Heather, whose brother shared one with her for most of her life, it wasn’t a pleasant experience.
“Thanks,” I said with a laugh. “I appreciate that.”
Orion nodded. “Okay, well I’ll leave you to settle in.”
When I was sure he was gone, I hurried to the set of French doors at the other side of the room. It looked like they opened out to a small balcony.
As I stepped into the sunlight and scanned the grassy yard only one story below, a wonderful, terrible idea popped int
o my head. The drop really wasn’t that far. If I wanted to, I could easily climb over the edge and drop myself down to the ground. Orion had made it clear that he would not give me permission to visit any friends, but maybe he wouldn’t have to find out... I could wait until they all went to bed.
I heard footsteps inside and flinched, like just thinking about sneaking out could get me instantly in trouble. Before I could gather my thoughts, Rayne appeared in the doorway.
“Oh, hey,” I said, hoping I didn’t sound too suspicious. I quickly came inside and closed the balcony doors.
Then, my jaw tensed. Ash appeared in the room and closed the door to the hallway behind him. I had spent much of the ride back from my date with Rayne trying to convince myself that I could work with Ash no problem, but once he was right in front of me, all the angry feelings came back.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” he said in a hushed voice. “I just wanted to touch base. I’m setting up a meet with a lead first thing tomorrow, but I thought I should check if you had something planned as well. You said you had some secret way to find my father, right?”
I glanced at Rayne then back at Ash. “Yes, I do. But it’s kind of... complicated. It might take some time to figure out.”
“Okay, no worries,” Ash said. “Just keep me updated.” His tone was ultra-agreeable, like he would do just about anything to avoid making me upset.
A quick knock tapped on the door, causing us to quiet. When I pulled on the knob, I found Jax grinning in the doorway. “Just thought I’d come check out the master suite,” he said. “It must be nice being my father’s favorite.”
I rolled my eyes. “Very funny.”
Just as Jax stepped in the room, Honeycutt’s bright orange head of hair showed up beside him.
“Looks like I found the party room,” Honeycutt joked. He flounced happily inside and threw one arm around Rayne’s shoulders. “This is great, don’t you think? All of us back together... just like old times.” He grinned around the room. “So, are we ready to catch us a criminal?”
Flood Rising (The Water Keepers, Book 4) Page 16
