Zanika made a rude face and mimed talking, imitating her twin. “I think we’ll leave whenever they are ready. It’s like we get visitors here often, so let them enjoy it.” She wrapped her arms around Darcia’s shoulders. “And Darcia never visits anymore because you’re so mean.”
“We have a schedule that needs to be kept, Zanika. You’ve never understood the finer points of actually being responsible. Your bag is already packed, because I knew you wouldn’t do it, so there isn’t a reason to delay our leave.” Zerieve said, cutting neatly through her pancakes.
“Excuse me,” Zanika snapped her fingers in her sister’s face, “Madam Dictator, was it? Since when are you in charge of what I, or anyone else for that matter, do?”
Giving her sister a flat look, Zerieve slapped her hand onto the counter, “Well, I’m just so sorry for having a plan. I won’t plan anything anymore! We’ll just let everything fall to chance, as you’d have it!”
“I never-”
Mathieu cleared his throat, interrupting them, “Um, does anyone want more, or should I shut the griddle off?” He asked. It seemed that those two were always at each other’s throats and now he understood what Darcia had meant about being the referee between them.
Darcia gave him an amused smile before standing and stretching. “Ladies, I’m going to shower and then I’ll be ready to go. Try not to kill each other while I’m gone.”
“She is an ignorant, pigheaded-”
“I really don’t care, Zerieve. Sort it out amongst yourselves.” Nodding to them, Darcia just walked away, leaving Zerieve glaring after him, Zanika stealing her last pancake, and Mathieu giving him a pleading look.
“Strong sense of duty, my ass.” Mathieu mumbled, getting his own breakfast.
Zanika looked at him, head tilted. “What was that?”
He shook his head, replying, “Nothing.”
“Were you checking out Darcia?” Zanika said with an eyebrow wiggle.
“I think not. Little old for my taste. How old is he anyway?”
Zanika’s brow furrowed as she counted. “He’d be…forty-one?”
“Oh, wow…”
“Still kind of sexy for his age though, right? I think it’s those hard muscles…”
Zerieve rolled her eyes. “Let’s not talk about this. Zanika, you need to go get ready to leave.”
She glowered at her sister, “Don’t tell me what to do.” Then she turned to Mathieu. “And I think you mean he’s too young. Solomon is much older than Darcia.”
~*~
Mathieu was ready to club the clones to death as his head gave another painful throb. Since they had left a few hours ago, the females in the back had done nothing but argue, with Darcia occasionally refereeing the pair. They were almost to the Tri-District Manor, driving back along the coastal road. Niveus was curled up in his lap, seeking protection from the constant pestering from Zanika.
Finally, he snapped as their bickering got louder. “Enough! Okay, let’s lay down some ground rules, right now. Over the next few days, there will be no fights about coffee cups, no mention of the shortcomings of each other’s wardrobe, no bickering about the importance of your roles in running your district, nor any commentary about any of the other’s body parts or their functions. Do we understand each other?”
Both girls’ mouths were gaping at him, but he ignored them, instead focusing on releasing his death grip on the steering wheel. He could see Nathan’s home from here. Without a second thought, he put his foot a bit heavier on the gas, wanting to be there and out of the car as soon as possible.
The carriage sped along until they were pulling around back of the house, bypassing the high wall that enclosed the courtyard. Mathieu was out of the carriage before it came to a complete stop, taking a deep breath of the fresh air. But his headache only intensified when he looked towards the house and saw through the glass wall a room full of yelling people. “Why? What did I ever do to deserve this?”
Steeling his nerves, he opened the door for Zanika, who hoped out with unusual excitement, and ran for the house, pulling the door wide so that the cacophony from within filled the air outside. Darcia came to stand beside him, laying a heavy hand on his shoulder.
“You’ll be fine, kid, but we should get in there before someone gets beheaded.” He laughed and helped Zerieve, holding his arm out to her. “Shall we?”
Mathieu waved them off in annoyance, picking up Niveus. He entered the house, and stepped into the battle zone commonly referred to as a kitchen. Voices, and insults, volleyed around the room, reverberating around in his head.
“Say that again, you stupid, pink-haired hag!” Josette growled at Elise, standing protectively in front of Adele.
At almost the same moment, Mina gave off a piercing sound before her eyes narrowed on the firestarter, “Watch your mouth, sweet cheeks, if you want to keep your face so pretty.”
Elric put a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her, “It really isn’t Josette’s fault. Elise isn’t exactly being fair about this.”
“Of course he’s going to take her side. He can’t resist the innocent, easy type.” Kiev snorted.
To which Avanon laid a hot hand on the blonde, burning her. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. Elric is defending her because she didn’t do anything wrong!”
“Or because he loves her.”
Zanika giggled at the din and Zerieve, who had entered with just behind him, shot her a dirty look. Darcia rolled his eyes and disappeared into the rest of house, carrying the girls’ luggage.
Practically yelling over the pandemonium, Zerieve aimed her statement at her sister, “Don’t get involved, Zanika. You always stitch your nose into everyone else’s business.”
“I only do because you’re boring!” Zanika shouted back.
Mathieu was going to burst. He’d slowly started to notice it since Nathan’s death, but it was evident now. Without the redhead around, the group had slowly fallen into a state of disarray, arguing amongst themselves until they’d reached a breaking point.
Bringing a hand to his mouth, he gave off a piercing whistle that demanded silence. Everyone stopped dead in their tracks and turned to look at him, even Solomon who he could see in a sitting room across the house. “Outside. Now.” His tone and the sweep of his eyes left no room for disagreement, and he held open the door as the rest filled out of the room. He didn’t move until Solomon, Jo and Darcia were outside, too. Pinching his nose, his mind began to race. He didn’t know what he was going to do with this group, but whatever it was, he needed to do it fast.
He followed them out onto the lawn and stood facing the group, hands on his hips. “I must say, I’m genuinely disappointed with you. All of you.” Mathieu folded his arms over his chest, looking into each of their faces. Looks of guilt and annoyance were what he saw. This group needed a leader, and he knew it; until they got that, though, they needed to clear the air. “Make a circle.” Mathieu waited for his command to be followed, actually rather surprised when they did even if there was a lot of grumbling involved. Sighing, he allowed himself to sit on the ground; he buried his face in his hands for a moment. Through he couldn’t see it, he heard the others sit too. Josette was on one side of him, Zanika on the other.
“So…It seemed we’ve all got some issues with each other, but we have to get passed that.” Mathieu looked up at them, hands folded in his lap. “The fastest way for us to do that would be to just put it out there. Josette, you can go start. Whatever the thing that bothers you the most, tell us.” Mathieu looked at her out of the corner of his eye.
Her eyes were glued on the ground as she spoke, her hand clutching Adele’s, “Sorry, Mathieu, but you’re my biggest problem. You’re a fake to me, and I don’t think you’re part of our family.”
A pained expression crossed his face, but he nodded numbly. He was pretty sure that she wasn’t the only one who felt that way. “I see. Whoever wants to go next can…” His hands pressed tighter together, and he sighed t
hrough his nose.
Zanika turned to her sister, who was sitting right beside her. “I’m going. Zerieve, I don’t like that you treat me like I’m a child. I’ve been around just as long as you, but I choose to do things my way, not yours. It doesn’t make me wrong, so stop micromanaging me.”
Zerieve rolled her eyes. “Try making a plan now and then.” The clones stared hard at each other for a moment before both looked away.
“I’d like to go next.” Elise said.
“Okay.”
She looked at Adele, sadness radiating from her, “…Perhaps this feeling will someday go away, but right now, all I can see is red when I see you. If you were a better healer, Nathan would still be alive.”
“Elise, don’t blame her.” Elric said quietly. “How could she have known what caused it? She is a perfectly proficient healer.”
Kiev nodded in agreement. “Yes, she is a good healer. I haven’t yet broken something that she couldn’t fix.”
“What is your biggest problem, Mathieu?” Solomon said suddenly, looking at him.
“Uh,” He hadn’t wanted to answer this question, but it seemed he didn’t have any choice. He could say Solomon being a jerk, or the thought that Zanika and he had been an item, but neither of those were exactly true. No, it was something different. Clearing his through, he scratched the back of his head. “Well, myself.” He said honestly. “Myself, and the fact that I can’t really tell people how I feel.” His eyes flicked to Solomon, then away.
“Never truer words spoken,” a high voice he recognized said from beside him. “Budge over, won’t you?” Enak said to Zanika. Mathieu had felt them a few minutes ago, but since no one else had said anything about them, he’d kept his mouth shut.
Turning to look at the boy, who was still in his tailcoat, he caught sight of the man just behind him. The man was older, probably around the same age as Darcia, but his hair was a deep red, so dark it was almost black. His eyes were the same color, only they had a haunting quality to them that he couldn’t explain. It was like he was piercing right through Mathieu’s soul.
“Oh, this is Erik.” Enak said in an off-hand way as he sat down. Erik sat beside Enak on the side closest to Zanika, his eyes flicking around the circle as he did. “Hello again, Mathieu. So I’m sure you’re wondering why we’re here. Well, I heard through the grapevine that poor Nathan had died and that his house was being rather…well, rowdy. We were a little curious about who was going to take over?” There was a long silence that filled the little circle.
Avanon cleared her throat and was the one to break the silence. Tucking her multi-colored hair behind her ear, she said, “I think Solomon should be in charge.”
Mathieu plucked a piece of grass from the earth before speaking, “I think Elise would do better.”
“Well, I think that Mathieu would be good at it, too.” Enak said, his face filled with childish happiness. “He got you lot to calm down, yes?” Tapping his chin, he acted like he was thinking. “Three different people who could be in charge. How shall we ever decide?”
Erik took the pause in his counterpart’s speech to say his first words. His voice was like a liquid fire that spread over the group, drawing their attention. “A vote, no secrets from each other. If we reach a tie for the leader, we’ll deal with it when we get there.”
The boy next to him nodded excitedly. “Oh yes, I like this plan. I shall go first. I vote for Mathieu.”
Erik nodded in agreement. “As do I.”
Mathieu looked away from the two of them, “Elise…”
Then went Zanika and Zerieve, who both also chose Mathieu; Elise was the first to vote for Solomon, followed by Mina; Solomon shrugged and voted for himself; Avanon bumped her best friend playfully, saying: “You’re always my choice”; Darcia gave the newcomers a long look, as if searching for his vote on their faces. Eventually, he nodded, proclaiming Mathieu’s name.
Kiev gave Mathieu an apologetic look as she cast her poll as Solomon’s name. Jo smiled at Mathieu, telling him that it wasn’t even a contest, that Mathieu was the one he would follow; Elric decided on Solomon, then Adele selected Elise.
Josette fidgeted nervously as all eyes fell to her. She knew that it was all down to her. Solomon and Mathieu were tied now. If she chose Elise, they would have a tie; if she chose one of the other two, she was deciding who would replace Nathan. Enak’s voice cut through the tension as they all waited for her decision. “For those of you not keeping count, that six for Solomon and Mathieu, two for Elise. Josette?
Slight shock crossed her face, realizing that he knew her name, but she shook her head. “I can’t…I mean I don’t…”
Adele smiled at her, “Just do what you think is best. No one will think less of you.”
Taking a shaky breath, Josette looked between the three candidates. Mathieu wondered what the hold-up was; it was clear that she would never choose Mathieu. It took a long moment for her to come to a conclusion. “I think that…the best person to lead us…is going to be…Mathieu.” There was a stunned silence. “All personal feelings aside…he is who I choose.”
Mathieu was in a state of actual shock and wondered if his heart was going to start beating again any time soon. Why Josette would have chosen him, why he was now in charge, he didn’t understand. When Enak had picked him, he had taken it as something of a joke. But really, Josette hadn’t been the only one to pick him. His heart finally thudded back to life.
“There you have it,” Enak stated slyly. “Here before you all, you’ve seen Mathieu be fairly elected as the next leader of the resistance. So, Mr. Leader, Erik and I shall stay around for a bit, if that is okay.”
He nodded numbly before giving Josette a disbelieving look. Mathieu would not have bet his life on her choosing him, but she had. She thinks I’ll be a good leader… He kept repeating in his mind.
Niveus’s warm mind pressed into his frozen one and spurred him to his feet. Mathieu needed space, air, room to think. “Please excuse me.” That was the last thing he said before rushing into the house, getting away from the expectant stares of those around him.
Chapter
Seventeen
Mathieu had curled up in his bed to think as soon as he had left the group, but now his mind was blank. The shock of being in charge was keeping his mind from getting far into a train of thought. But it was more than that, he was pretty sure. It was the look of betrayal and disbelief that had flashed across Solomon’s face when Josette had said his name. In truth, it hurt that the blond thought so poorly of him. I should have expected nothing less, he told himself.
Hot breath tickled the back of his neck and an arm snaked around his waist, fingers drumming on his stomach. “Why are you so sad, Mathieu?” Jo snuggled between his shoulder blades sweetly. He was like a little kid.
Sighing softly, he shook his head. “It’s fine, Jo. It’s getting pretty late,” he hadn’t realized just how late until Jo had brought him back to something like reality, “so we should sleep. It’ll give things time to settle down.”
“Okay. Night-night.”
Mathieu couldn’t help but smile to himself as Jo wiggled until he was comfortable. The brunet was too adorable, always eager to please; like a puppy. And Jo had big doe eyes that made him look clueless half the time. And if Mathieu was honest with himself, he was glad to have Jo around. Because Solomon had taken to avoiding their room, Jo had moved in with him, filling the hole in his life that the blond had left with childlike charm and excitement.
As it were, Mathieu had done some research into Jo. Amongst the extensive collection of books Nathan’s house had, there were a few about The Darkness. According to the books, when someone who had high concentrations of dark qualities in their hearts, such as doubts, anger, and angst, entered the Realm of Darkness, that person may not be able to control what becomes of those emotions. In a few rare instances, the qualities are released to take their own form, and can pass into the Realm of the Living. It seemed Mathieu had so much pent up
that he’d made another person.
He hadn’t ever dealt with his issues about his family, and those insecurities had formed into Jo. But at the core of him was Mathieu’s belief that there was something worth living for beyond this moment. It gave the brunet a sweet, if shy, demeanor. He was well liked by the others in the house, especially Kiev. But as a result of being made from within the darkness, there was the other side of innocent Jo. Sometimes, he changed. His eyes weren’t so like a doe’s, his body language becoming hard and dangerous. The first time it’d happened, he’d been watching Mathieu and Avanon doing a quick spar in the yard. The moment that it seemed as if Avanon would win, Jo was between the two of them, his unnatural fangs bared at her, and nails clawed. It was a physical transformation as much as a psychological one.
Mathieu (White Flame Trilogy) Page 30
