by Rose, Imogen
Contents
Prologue, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Books by Imogen Rose
FUSION (Portal Chronicles Book Five)
Text copyright © 2013 by Imogen Rose
Website: imogenrose.com
Cover photograph and design by Imogen Rose
Cover photo copyright © 2013 by Imogen Rose
All rights reserved by Imogen Rose. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author. The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
First Edition: March, 2013
A dreamer must dream
A storyteller must tell
I dream to tell
A STORY FOR LAUREN
Prologue
It was like I was looking in the mirror. There was just one little difference—my reflection was not separated from me by silver-coated glass. She could have been my twin, except I didn’t have one. No, she was me.
“You okay, Poppet?”
David’s soothing voice snapped me out of my transfixed state. “I guess. This is just so weird. Is she like a whole different person? Does she know about me?”
“Weird is right. Like I told you before, I haven’t told her about you. She doesn’t even know that I’m a Wanderer. She thinks I’m just a regular guy—”
I burst out laughing. “A regular guy? Really, David? You were never a regular guy, even before all the Wanderer stuff!”
He smiled. “What do you mean?”
I shrugged. He had always been extraordinary at everything he did.
“Ready to go back?”
I looked over at the rink again, my eyes drawn back to Arizona Stevens. Was she real? I felt a strong urge to touch her, just to make sure.
“Nope.” I slithered out of his grip and made a run for her.
Your bedroom is a refection of your personality, aspirations, and dreams. It’s a place for many activities, but primarily it’s a cave optimized for relaxation. It’s an intimate personal hub, housing the necessary and treasured objects that define you.
Right now, I felt like a stranger in my own bedroom—in the room that I’d lived in for as long as I could remember, a room that I had decorated to feel like me. But it didn’t feel like me anymore. It wasn’t like it had been totally redecorated or anything, and nothing was missing as far as I could tell. It was small things—like the way my jewelry box had been shoved to the corner of my dressing table and perfume bottles knocked over, as if they were a nuisance rather than my treasures. I picked up the powder-blue leather jewelry box—a Christmas gift from Maria, one that I had pointed out to her during a visit to Pottery Barn—and carefully placed it where it was supposed to be, just to the left of the mirror. On a whim, I flipped open the lid and peeked at the contents.
Hey! What was this? I picked it up and ran my finger over the leather—croc. Now this was the kind of unfamiliar I could get used to in a hurry. I sighed with admiration at the drool-worthy amethyst crocodile-leather Hermès CDC bracelet. I put it on and turned to the full-length mirror, the silver from the cuff shining back at me. I struck a pose and smiled at myself. Score!
Then, focusing away from the silver studs, I glared at myself and sighed. I didn’t feel like me anymore. My body felt different, like my muscles had been randomly rearranged. My shoulders seemed abnormally big. Ugh. What was with all these muscles? I flexed my arms—Sheesh! I was starting to look like a linebacker. These shoulders… and thighs. Maybe all the stories about me having taken up ice hockey were true. I burst out laughing. Pffft!
The doorbell rang for the second time, and I could hear impatient banging noises from downstairs. Kellan must have forgotten his key. He was supposed to pick me up and take me to the game—I was ready and raring to head over to meet up with the rest of the cheer squad. However, it was still early, and we didn’t have to be at school for at least an hour. I ran down the stairs and flung open the door preparing to smooch Kellan.
And stopped short. Looking up, I felt a chill and took a step back, afraid of the silver eyes staring back at me. After all the stuff that had happened in the past few days, I should have known better than to have opened the door without checking who it was. Just as I took another step back, ready to close the door on the strange-looking boy—man, I guessed he was around twenty or so…
“Hey,” he breathed. His calm, husky voice made me stop and look up at him.
As soon as my eyes met his again, I trembled, feeling vulnerable and half naked in my cheer outfit.
“Well?” His cold breath hit my skin unexpectedly, making me goosebump all over.
“I’m sorry, what?” I shivered, having not taken in a single word he’d said.
He arched his brows and ran his fingers through his frost-tipped hair. “Is Rupert Darley at home?” He looked down at his iPad. “This is the right address, isn’t it?”
“Yes, who are you?”
“Jagger Deveraux. Spencer Darley sent me.”
“Oh. Okay.” If Granddad had sent him, he must be legit. “He’s not home right now. Is he expecting you?”
“Where is he? My matter is urgent.”
My matter? I stifled my giggles. He talked like Mom, and well, she was ancient. “I’m not sure. I can call him and find out.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I heard the familiar sound of Dad’s bike roaring up the driveway. “Here he is.” I smiled at the stranger—Jagger—wondering if his parents were Rolling Stones fans.
“Hey, Arizona.” Dad got off his bike and walked toward us, checking out Jagger.
“Hey, Dad. This is Jagger De—” I looked at Jagger for help, blanking on his last name.
“Deveraux. Are you Rupert Darley?”
“Yes.”
“Spencer Darley sent me. May I have a word in private?”
I blinked at Dad, hoping he’d get the hint. Private? He ignored me, turning to Jagger.
“Of course. Please follow me.” He ushered Jagger into the house and then toward his study. He stopped abruptly and turned around, looking me up and down. “Arizona, are you cheering today?”
“Yes, game starts at five. You coming to watch?”
He rubbed his chin, looking pensive. “Are you sure?”
“Sure? Yeah, definitely five. Why?”
“I don’t mean about the time but about wanting to cheer.”
“Huh?”
He shook his head. “I need to talk to you, but let me deal with this first. I’ll drive you over.”
“Kellan is driving me.”
Dad pursed his lips. “I’ll come and find you once I’m done talking with Mr. Deveraux.”
“Jagger. Please, call me Jagger.”
Dad held open his study door as Jagger disappeared into the room and then closed the door behind them. I was tempted to put my ear to it and listen in.
So I did. Not that I could hear much. Just muffled mumblings.
“Arizona!” The door suddenly swung open, and I almost fell sideways onto the floor—saved by Dad’s arms, as I scrambled to regain my balance. I hoped to God that I hadn’t flashed Jagger. I glanced at him, red-faced. He smirked. Well, at least I now knew he had more than that deadpan expression he’d walked in with. I couldn’t help rolling my eyes at him.
After making sure I was steady, Dad let go of me, raised his left eyebrow, and threw me the death glare. “Well?”
Sometimes it really sucked having a paranormal parent. Any no
rmal person wouldn’t have noticed me behind that door. I had been super quiet. So, I decided to go for the guilt trip. It had worked well in London. “I feel left out—”
“Oh, no!” He laughed. “That’s not going to work again. Off you go, I’ll talk to you later.”
I twirled around and marched out the door, hearing it click firmly behind me.
I wondered what that was all about and why I was so nosy all of a sudden. Not that I wasn’t at the best of times, but Jagger had raised my Parker level to the max. Probably hitting a ten!
Aww—nosy Parker! My mind flooded with flashbacks of Harry laughing when he’d caught me rummaging through his closet for my eighth birthday present. I’d stared at him blankly when he declared that I had a Parker score of nine. He explained that he’d made up the nosy 1-10 scale and named it after Jane Parker, the nosiest woman in Henry VIII’s court. I had never heard of her at the time, but it all made sense when we finally covered medieval English history in school.
What was with the silver eyes? Probably just contacts, but boy, were they freaky in an annoyingly hot way. I got to the kitchen as Mom and Ella walked in, closely followed by Tallulah, who jumped up and down for me to pick her up. I considered it. Much as I disliked dogs, this little Chihuahua puppy was kind of cute and looked totally harmless.
“Tallulah! Come here!” Ella commanded in her best teacher voice. Tallulah immediately scampered off to be scooped up and cuddled. Ella cocked her head and raised her eyebrows at me. “Why are you dressed like that?”
“Arizona?” Mom looked puzzled as well.
“There’s a game this afternoon…” I paused. “What’s the matter? Has it been cancelled?” They were beginning to freak me out with their wide-eyed stares.
“Ella, get Tallulah some water and a treat.” As soon as Ella disappeared around the corner, Mom turned to me, her face set in a serious mask. “Are you sure you’re ready to jump right back into it?”
“What do you mean?”
“You haven’t cheered for over a year. I’m sure it will all come back to you, but I think that perhaps it might be better to ease back into it gently. Don’t you think?”
I turned around and stomped into the family room, plunking down in an armchair.
Mom followed and sat down opposite me. “Arizona?”
“Mom, I know I have somehow lost a whole year of my life, but I don’t remember any of it. I feel like I cheered yesterday! I’ll be totally fine.”
It was mostly true. Although I didn’t remember anything that had happened, I felt some of it. Hanging out with Kellan and David in Vegas had been confusing. My strong feelings for David were still there but kept being overpowered by even stronger ones for Kellan. I couldn’t remember when or how those feelings had started, but they were there. He was all I could think about at the moment. His was the face I pictured before I fell asleep and then again just before I opened my eyes to wake up.
Almost losing him in the Bahamas, then walking into his arms at the hospital had forever bound me to him in a way that made it clear that I had to rid myself of my feelings for David. But it wasn’t as simple as that. I had loved David for years. Whatever was happening with Kellan was new. New, but solid, cement—
“Are you listening to me?” Mom raised her voice.
“Sorry, Mom. I got distracted. What were you saying?”
Mom sighed, shaking her head. “I was basically saying that I think you need to take some time to readjust, that’s all. Why not come and watch today, then take it from there?”
“Watch? No way! I’m the squad co-captain!”
“Things have changed, Arizona. That was a year ago.”
If it really was a whole year ago, what about school? Would I have to repeat a year? Or, could I try to catch up? This was a mess. I got up, feeling the strong need to hit something. I shook my head, wondering why I suddenly felt so hostile.
“Hey, how about we head over to the rink and skate for a while?” Kellan had quietly come into the family room without me noticing. I wondered how much he’d heard.
“Maybe even shoot some pucks?” he added.
I closed my eyes. Just the very thought of slamming pucks calmed me. How could he read me so well? I opened my eyes as he walked over and perched on the arm of my chair, running his fingers through my hair.
“Dr. Darley, how are you feeling?” he asked, turning to Mom.
“Oh, much better. Physically, anyway. I’m still hesitant about driving. I guess it will take some time. What about you?”
“Bruised, but getting better. It’s been some week! I just want to get back to normal. Mind if I take Arizona to the rink for a while?”
“Wait! I have to get to school. I really don’t want to miss the game—”
“Hey, we can do both,” Kellan assured me. “We’ll head over to the rink for a while and then go to the game. Okay?”
I nodded. I needed to clear my head. “All right, but Dad wants to talk to me first.”
“Rupe’s home?” Mom asked. “Upstairs?”
“He’s in his study. With a visitor.”
“Who?”
“Some guy called Jagger. Never seen him before. Bit weird.”
“Weird?” Mom asked.
“Yes, he just seemed strange. He’s got these intense eyes. They’re like silver colored. And he feels… cold. Even though I never touched him, it was kind of like he turned the air around him cold.”
Mom pursed her lips. “I don’t like the sound of that.”
“I think he’s okay. Said that Granddad sent him.”
“Spencer sent him?”
“Yeah, I guess it might be some of that Wanderer biz. He didn’t look like a Wanderer, though. Not that I can tell a Wanderer from a human, but he also didn’t look quite human… he looked different.” I shrugged, knowing I wasn’t making sense.
“Do you want me to check in on them, Dr. Darley?” Kellan offered somberly.
“No, thanks, though. I’ll pop into the study and look in on them.”
We nodded as she turned and walked off.
“I guess I better get changed. This is too skimpy for the rink.” I laughed.
“Good idea, though you look really cute in it. I’ll get a drink while you do that. Where is Ella? And Tallulah?”
“In her room, I guess. See you in ten.” I rushed up the stairs and back into my bedroom. Now, what to wear to the rink? I hadn’t skated in ages. What was I even thinking, saying yes to not just skating but slamming pucks! Ridic. I impatiently tore the cheer outfit off my body and flung it onto my bed. Juicy sweats. That would do. I opened my closet door, walked in, and reached for them. They had been moved, replaced by a bunch of t-shirts, none of which I recognized. I ventured deeper into the closet, suddenly catching a whiff of something nasty. Ugh! It smelled like Ella’s sweaty ballet slippers. But stronger.
A sports bag—not one of mine—lay open on the floor, clothes half in and half out of it. I knelt down to have a closer look, pulling at a sock that was sticking out. Gross. The bag was unquestionably responsible for the stench. I let go of the sock and picked up the bag, emptying the contents on the floor. I looked at the bunch of smelly hockey stuff, wondering what Harry’s bag was doing in my closet. Well, the stuff had to go back into the bag before I died from the fumes. I grabbed the jersey off the floor and started to shove it back into the bag when flashes of me wearing that jersey flooded my mind. I closed my eyes and took a whiff. That was my jersey. I was sure of it. I stood up and put it on. It was big and baggy, but it smelled of me. It felt like me—so much more than the cheer outfit had.
“Arizona! You ready?” Kellan shouted from downstairs.
Jumping into a pair of jeans, I grabbed my cheer stuff off the bed and rushed back down.
“There you are!” Kellan smiled at me. “You’re wearing your jersey…”
“Yeah, found it in my closet. It’s mine?” I asked for confirmation.
He nodded. “Remember?”
“No, no
t really. I just had a vague feeling that I’d worn it before, so I put it on. It’s comfy, and we’re going to the rink, so…”
Kellan grabbed my hand, squeezing it gently. “Come on, let’s go.”
“Wait. Dad said he wanted to talk to me, so I better go see him first. Did they come out of his study yet?”
“Nope, and your mom is still in there with th—”
Both of us turned to face the draft of air suddenly cooling our skin. The door to Dad’s study had opened, and Jagger walked out, followed closely by Mom and Dad. I sensed a chill between them before I was drawn back to Jagger.
What was with this guy? He was impossibly hot, but in such an unattainable and otherworldly way. I couldn’t take my eyes off him even though I felt the squeeze of Kellan’s grip get tighter. I noticed a silent exchange between Jagger and Kellan. It was just a look, a vague nod, but it was something. I began to open my mouth to ask Kellan what was going on, but stopped as Jagger came to a halt in front of us.
And there it was again, a passing look between them.
“Arizona.” Dad ran his fingers through his hair—a sure sign that he was stressed. “I have to go,” he said abruptly as Mom’s frown deepened. “I’m going to miss the game. Sorry.”
“Where are you going?”
“London. I’ve got to rush off. I’ll call you.”
I had more questions, especially about Jagger, who just looked into the distance, his face again set in the stone mask he’d walked in with. However, Dad didn’t seem in the mood for questions, plus I could ask Mom anyway, so I just nodded. And then, without another word, Dad turned around and kissed Mom, then Jagger and he both faded into nothing, wandering off.
Well, that answered at least one of my questions. Jagger was definitely a Wanderer. I glanced over at Mom.
She threw her hands up in the air. “I have no idea! Not really. All they said is that there’s some kind of emergency that has to be dealt with right away and that Rupert has to go. That’s it.” She rubbed the back of her neck.
“Are you okay, Mom?” I asked, worried that her injures were bothering her.
