"You shouldn't be out here," a male voice chided me as he ripped material in half.
I recognized that voice.
My throat went dry as I croaked out his name, "Micah?"
Chapter 41
Meet Fido
The familiar body in front of me froze for a brief second. He pulled on my arm – my good arm, until I was out of the shadow of the tall building behind us. Moonlight spread across my face.
"Kaitlyn?!" He squeezed me. Eyes wide, Micah's breath caught in his throat. "Oh my God. What are you doing here? I thought you'd be in Utah by now. Is Susan here, too? Where's Bee? What happened to your face?"
His other hand brushed the tattoo along my cheek, then ran through my hair. I moved to stop him, wincing at the throbbing in my wrist. He halted the interrogation long enough to wrap my wrist in the strands of material he’d torn from his own shirt.
He looked at me again. "I barely recognize you."
I smiled. "That's sort of the point."
He almost returned the smile, until his brain got in the way. "Hell - I could've accidentally shot you with that arrow. Why didn't you just fire bomb those dogs?"
I shrugged. "I got a concussion a while back and lost my powers. I've managed to get water and air again, but not the other two."
His mouth dropped open. "You are powerless?"
"Half powerless," I corrected him.
He shook his head, as if he couldn't believe it. "We need to get you out of here. Shawn's here—"
"I know – I came with One Less."
I didn't think it was possible, but his mouth dropped open even wider.
I rushed on, "We have a lot to talk about. Where are you staying?" I laid my hand on his arm, and static shock jumped from him to me. Our eyes met. "I can't tell you how much I've missed that," I whispered.
He stepped forward, closing the distance between us, and kissed me. I opened my mouth and closed my eyes, drawing him in and melting into him all at once. My hands crept up behind his neck, pulling at him. His arms went around my waist. We kissed until my lips cracked and we were out of breath.
Even when we stopped, we didn't pull away. We rested our foreheads against each other.
"You don't have fire because you were missing passion." His lips went to my forehead, then followed the trail of cherry blossoms down my neck and over to my ear. "Try now," he whispered.
I shuddered at the sweet sensation that warmed my body. Without looking, I flicked my good hand toward the tin trash can. Flames sprung up from the wood piled inside.
I felt his cheek pull back in a smile.
His stubble scratched my face. "See! I told you—"
My lips on his cut off his gloating. I needed more of him, all of him. He obliged, allowing me to run my hand up under his shirt and my tongue over his teeth.
Heat licked at our faces as the fire in the metal can grew.
He pulled away. "Take a deep breath, Kaitlyn, before you burn the city down."
"Right," I said, "baby steps."
We broke apart, and I held my injured wrist to my chest.
"Come on, Kaitlyn. We should get that checked out." He put his arm around me, leading me away. "Speaking of, how is the baby? Is she here?"
I stopped walking, causing him to turn around into me.
"What?" he asked.
I looked at him, forehead creased. "She's not a baby anymore, Micah."
"Right, I know." He rubbed the back of his neck. "What is she now…two?"
"And I'm not Kaitlyn anymore." I held my wrist to my chest as it throbbed.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm Lucy. And Susan and Alex had to take Bee away from me…" My throat constricted. "And you've just missed so much." I focused on the wrappings around my wrist, trying to hold back tears. Blood was already seeping through, enough to drip on the ground.
"You're losing too much blood," Micah said, voice lowered. "I don't have anything to help you. You're going to have to get that looked at by One Less. They have all the best doctors."
I thought of Sabrina. "They have one less of those, too," I mumbled.
"What?"
"Not important." Where would I even start with that one? "I'm going to need to explain what happened."
Micah nodded and walked to the dead dog. He pushed the arrow through the rest of the way and hoisted the body up on his shoulder. As he passed the alley he paused at two beady eyes peering out. "Those dogs shouldn't bother you anymore, Felix."
The crazy man stepped out, warming his hands at the fire. "Don't like dogs, don't like dogs."
We completed the short journey back to the mall in an awkward silence.
"You're going to need to walk this in from here. I shouldn't go any further without some sort of disguise." Micah lifted the dog up, and settled it around my shoulders. "Keep your wrist above your heart." He pushed it in the air, pausing to kiss my fingers.
I pulled them away, stumbling under the weight of the dog. "I know about basic first aid." I was starting to feel lightheaded.
He narrowed his eyes. "Maybe I better go with, I just need—"
"No," I interrupted him. "You would be too hard to explain. I, at least, have a place in the camp. Let me go back, get this stitched up, find out where Shawn is exactly – and then we can come up with a plan."
He blinked, then nodded. "Okay, I'll find you. Don't come back out here. It's not safe. Take care of yourself, Kaitlyn."
"It's Lu—" I tried shifting the weight of the dog and it caused me to lurch to the right. Micah steadied me. I got my footing, and took a deep breath. "It's Lucy, thank you."
I turned and walked away. All this time, chasing after him. Years trying to catch up. And here I was, walking away.
No, I told myself. Lucy is walking away. And if I could walk away from Bee, this should be a piece of cake.
I made my way the length of the mall, refusing to turn around. If I did, I'd probably tip over. I walked through Writer Square and down the alley to which One Less disappeared. They weren't hard to find, once I got past the skyscrapers. A ring of smoke signaled the cooking fires. I pulled the carcass around my neck even tighter. The chunk of meat was hiding my face better than the tattoos ever would.
I walked up to the sentry, pressing my bicep out to display the red and blue ties.
"I thought everyone was accounted for," he said, pushing aside fur to look at my face.
"Apparently not."
"No unauthorized entry; you'll have to wait until morning when we get the new rosters."
My wrist wouldn't wait until morning. "Fine. I don't mind sharing my catch with someone else." I turned.
"Wait!" he called.
I paused, smiling, and turned back around. Meat was not easy to pass up, roster or no. I walked past him straight to the fires. I heaved the dog off my shoulders, right at the feet of one of the cooks. "Meet Fido. Tell everyone Lucy sent him." I turned around and stopped, but the world around me did not. It was still spinning. My head felt so heavy.
Oh, right. Keep my hand above my heart.
I thrust my fist in the air and shouted, "Did you hear that everyone? I am Lucy!"
I hit the ground.
Faces appeared above me. "Get her a doctor!"
"No, no," I mumbled. If only the faces would stop spinning. "Erika. Get Erika."
Erika always knew what to do.
* * *
"Easy there, princess."
I stepped forward with purpose, then dropped down on my knees in front of Shawn, running my hand through the mist there. It dispersed for a moment, but gathered back in the same spot. I turned around, still on my knees, and backed into the mist. It swirled around me as I occupied its space. I backed up a little further until I felt Shawn's pistol aimed directly at the back of my head.
My blood pounded, roaring in my ears. In response, the dark, red liquid oozed down the wall of flame around us. Akasha had already risen, too far from my grasp.
"The baby is mine."
; I heard the click of the gun behind me, and a red haze descended.
Chapter 42
Morning Mullets
I cracked open my eyes. The first thing to come into view was a mullet. "Morning, Erika."
She turned and nodded. "Hello again, sunshine."
I was afraid to look at my wrist. "What's the damage?"
She touched my shoulder, her eyes pinned to the floor. "I'm so sorry to have to tell you this, but we had to amputate."
"You…what?!" I held up my arm. My wrist was wrapped, but my palm and all five fingers were there.
I glared at Erika.
She snorted she was laughing so hard. "Sorry, couldn't resist."
I checked my other hand, just to be sure.
She started laughing all over again.
I growled and pushed myself up with my good hand. Nothing went spinning out of control.
"We put some stitches in, is all. There was no tendon or bone damage. You were lucky." She looked at me, one eyebrow raised. "I told you not to leave the mall."
I shrugged. "My catch was worth it." I stretched, yawning.
Wonder if they’re still serving breakfast.
"Am I clear to go back to work?" I asked as I stood up.
"Not to admin you aren't."
"What? Why not?"
Erika walked me over to a desk and pulled out a pencil and a piece of paper. "We need a meals roster. Start with your name."
After a sideways glance at her, I fumbled with the pencil, trying to pick it up with my right hand. It wasn't happening. The bandages were way too thick and my fingers weren't cooperating. I picked up the pencil with my left hand and attempted to write my name. The word 'Lucy' was readable, but it took forever.
"Now write 250 more names. And oh, by the way, you have only ten minutes."
"Fine." I straightened up from the desk. "I get it. So what am I supposed to do now?"
She removed the pencil from my hand and replaced it with a spade. "Gardening duty."
"Seriously?"
"What?" She put her arm around me, leading me outside. "Most Earths pine for the chance. Working all day in your element – what could be better?"
"It's just…my wrist hurts." We turned in between two buildings and emerged into a large parking lot, or what used to be one, anyway. Where the asphalt was not dug up to make way for plants, you could still see the painted parking space lines. Twelve rectangles of dirt, evenly spaced from each other, stood waiting for me.
"Digging will take your mind off the pain," Erika said. "I'll have you back on admin duty as soon as you can write. Today you guys are planting the mobile gardens."
We stepped back as the trucks carrying vines and plants were pushed in.
"Why can't they stay mobile?" I asked.
We both waived at Clay, one of the workers.
"Because our plan worked," whispered Erika. "We can't make it over the Rockies before the first big storm – or so says the weather girl." She smiled down at me. "We're riding out the winter in Denver."
"Cool." I spun the spade around in my hand.
Plenty of time for planning. And planting, apparently.
"Well." She stepped away. "I gotta go. Things to do. Favors to fulfill."
"Or vice versa," I mumbled under my breath.
"I'll be back later to check on you!" Erika disappeared back in between the two buildings.
I chose a truck and hauled myself up onto it. Pumpkins – very seasonal. My stomach rumbled, but I passed on a trip to the kitchens. I needed the time to think. Besides, it was unlikely Shawn would be by here. Hard labor wasn't his thing.
I borrowed a pair of shears and cut the larger, ripe pumpkins from the vine and loaded them into a wheelbarrow.
I could start recruiting, I thought. Between Micah, Clay, and me we might be able to have a significant force within a few months. Erika said there were plenty of Wiccans here. But would they leave One Less for me?
I scooted the pumpkins that still had growing to do over to the side of the truck bed and hopped down. As long as I balanced them in my inner arms, they didn't hurt my wrist too much. I started transferring them to the ground, pulling their vines with me.
Maybe I could just kill him. Make it look like an accident and hang around to find out if someone else takes over. I paused. Then what? Go down the line, killing one successor after another? No, I couldn't do that.
I finished with the pumpkins and left to help with the broccoli. I was replanting my fifth crown when a woman about my age with waist-length, dark-brown hair knelt in the dirt beside me. I paused, wiping the sweat off my forehead. She planted her crown and rocked back against her heels. She closed her eyes, and I felt the energy in the air shift. I tensed, but her face was peaceful; not like she was preparing to attack. A few seconds later, the broccoli leaves slowly unfolded from their withered curls.
I squinted at them – they looked greener.
"There," she said, looking at me with her grey-blue eyes and a smile. "The roots are a bit stronger – it'll help them last through the colder nights."
"That…" I hesitated, running the pad of my finger across one of the leaves. "Is probably the most useful magic I've ever seen."
She laughed. "You should see what I can do with squash." She held out her hand. "I'm Kassandra."
I shook her hand, looking at the Chinese symbols on her forearms. "Lucy."
She caught me glancing. "This one means 'Acceptance of Fate', and this one means 'Karma'." She looked at me again. Her eyes were calculating. "What do yours mean?"
"Oh." I touched my finger to the side of my face, at the cherry blossom branches. I racked my brain for an answer – one did not simply tattoo their face with insignificant symbols. I thought of the tree's short blooming period. "This is for mortality. A reminder of the nature of life, and those we lose along the way."
She nodded her head. The way her eyes bore through me was almost unnerving.
We both turned as someone cried out behind us. An older man held his hand aloft, a pair of blood-smeared shears on the ground next to him.
"It's ok." Kassandra glanced at my outstretched hand. "I'll go help."
She rushed away, looking back at me once. It wasn't until I glanced down that I realized I had automatically called the elements. They were just beginning to merge above my palm. I released them before Akasha could take shape. Did she know? If she was an Earth, that would be the only element she would recognize.
I watched as she helped the man wrap his hand, then lead him away.
Should I follow?
I just sat there, full of indecision. In the end, I stayed. Most likely because of her tattoos – acceptance of fate and karma. Something bad might happen if I did follow.
Besides, I turned back to the last crown of broccoli, I have one element left to recover; earth.
Chapter 43
Stalkers
I ignored the sounds of workers around me. Soon the heavy clunk of spades hitting dirt, idle chatter, grunts, and laughter dulled into background noise. Vibrating clacks, high whistles, and low tweaks echoed in my head. These were the sounds of the Earth.
I smiled, letting the music guide me until first molecules, then atoms revealed themselves within the individual grains of dirt. I expanded my own energy field out from my hands as they speared through the soft ground. A small hole formed with perfect depth for my broccoli, and I didn't even get dirt underneath my fingernails.
I set down the plant and pushed the dirt back in around it. My hands fell to my side, brushing a pile of broccoli heads that had gone to flower. Bright yellow petals sprouted from many of them. As I peered closer, one of the leaves dropped off. Tiny seed pods hung underneath. I scooped up a pile of fresh dirt and attempted to pick off one of the seeds with my other hand. My fingers still refused to cooperate. A quick look around to ensure no one was looking, and I used a gust of air to detach the seed from the rest of the crown. It landed square on my pile of dirt.
I squeezed the dirt,
concentrating on burying the seed in the deepest part. It was like I was back in the Chakra's walk-in freezer, forcing a seed to grow before I froze to death. This time, it was far easier. Inside, water from the soil rushed toward seed. I squeezed tighter; warmth from my hand soaked through. I felt the seed unfolding, revealing roots and leaves.
I opened my hand, palm up. A few flakes of dirt fell from the sides. The shoot emerged from the surface of the soil until it formed a tiny, budding plant. I touched one of the leaves with my fingertip. The vegetable quivered. Movement drew my eye down the long line of each of the broccoli I had just planted. Leaves were spread wide, and I could swear they were greener. They were all definitely quivering with energy.
My eyes darted to the right and left. So far, no one had noticed. "Stop!" I hissed at the vibrating plants. They didn't, not until I consciously drew back the energy I hadn't realized I was spreading – at least not on such a wide scale.
I took a deep breath, and risked a glance over my shoulder. All backs were turned, except one. Micah's eyes were as green as the broccoli leaves, staring me down from across the lot.
My heart leapt into my throat. He glanced down at my hand. I still held the new seedling.
"Damn it," I huffed to myself. I buried the plant in the row of broccoli, allowing my heart rate to return to normal, then scooped up a few of the overripe, flowering crowns. I walked to the compost bin halfway in between me and Micah and waited for him to join me.
He was wearing an oversized sweatshirt, with a hood pulled up over his head.
"Is this what you call a disguise?" I flicked off his hood as soon as he came close enough.
"Is that what you call a low profile?" He gestured to my patch of broccoli.
"I am an Earth, so that is perfectly explainable."
"And what about the water, or the air that you used?" He dropped his own stash of vegetables in the compost bin.
Someone came up behind Micah for their turn to dump. We both turned and walked away. I grabbed another few handfuls of flowering broccoli.
Akasha 4 - Earth Page 18
