Lex came to, panting. As his vision refocused, he realized he was on his back… on the ground. What is happening to me? The visions seemed to be getting worse.
Acarius was in his face suddenly, hands on his shoulders, nearly shaking him. “What did you see?” he asked, urgent. The horse paced sideways behind him.
Lex blinked and sat up. “What?” His mind was racing. He couldn’t think, could hardly breathe, and Acarius was making it worse. “Get out of my face,” Lex grunted, shoving him.
Acarius toppled backward.
Lex stood up, feeling only vague regret at having knocked Acarius down. He hadn’t meant to, but he needed space, and the man was acting crazy. Besides, Acarius had asked “What did you see?” How had he known?
Lex stood, swaying as his head swam. Acarius also rose to his feet, facing Lex.
Amelia stepped up, glancing between them.
Lex felt his body tense, readying for a confrontation.
Acarius deflated suddenly and took a step backward. The horse behind him went still. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I just…“ He shook his head. “It’s nothing. The world’s gone mad, is all. There have been a lot of strange things happening around here, lately.”
“That’s an understatement,” Amelia said. “But hey, we’re still alive, right?” She glanced around, smiling. Her face fell when they didn’t join her.
Acarius extended his hand to Lex. “You okay?” he asked.
Lex hesitated. There were a lot of things about Acarius which didn’t make sense, but the man was trying to be nice. He shook Acarius’ hand. “I’m fine,” he said. He started to pull his hand away, but felt Acarius press something into his palm within the handshake. Lex opened his mouth to comment, but Acarius met his eyes with a glare that said don’t. Lex slid his hand from Acarius’ and slipped the cool, hard object into his pants pocket. He got the feeling Acarius meant for him to look at it later… without Amelia.
Acarius stepped back, casual again. “Let’s get you two to the ranch, then,” he said. He grabbed Mare’s reins and led her down the hill, not waiting to see if they followed.
Amelia fell into step beside Lex as they trailed Acarius down the hill. “More glimpses. Are you okay?” she whispered, leaning her head toward him.
Lex turned to look at her. “Didn’t think you’d care. Aren’t you all about the Hot Horseman now?”
The hurt on Amelia’s face startled Lex, and for a moment the edges of reality blurred, Amelia’s face overlaid with the blue-eyed girl’s from the hallway.
Reality snapped back in almost instantly, but Amelia was already looking away, staring forward as they walked. Regret surged in. He hadn’t thought Amelia cared about him, not after her display with Acarius, but her face… Did I miss something? Lex wondered.
As though she could hear his thoughts, Amelia turned to him. “Not everything is what it seems. I’d have thought you, of all people, would realize that.”
The pain in her eyes left Lex speechless. He stood still for a moment, stunned, as Amelia jogged ahead to catch Acarius.
The ranch surprised Lex; there was more to it than he thought. Next to the barn, concealed by it from where he’d been standing on the hilltop, was an array of smaller buildings: a supply shed, a couple of small stables, and two wood-frame houses. The houses were small but well-tended, with a little garden between them and flowered vines suspended from pots around the eaves of each porch. One house was slightly larger than the other, almost like a main house and a guest house. Acarius led Lex and Amelia up to the larger house.
“Wait here,” Acarius said, stopping them at the steps to the porch. “I’ll go let the girls know you’re here.”
The five sisters, Lex remembered. He didn’t really want more uncomfortable interactions with strangers, but it seemed he didn’t have much choice.
The door closed behind Acarius and Lex could hear him saying something inside. There was a flurry of movement, footsteps and what sounded like chairs scraping. Then Acarius came back out. “They’re getting baths ready for you,” he said.
The door flew open and two girls in simple cloth dresses rushed down the steps. They were both in their teens, pretty, with flowing, dark brown hair the same shade as Acarius’. But neither of them had his leaf-green eyes. Their gazes lingered on Lex as they sped past, heading for the house next door. Lex felt Amelia stir beside him. Was she jealous? That would be ironic.
“This house belongs to my sisters,” Acarius said. “Amelia, you can go in. They’re running you a hot bath inside. Lex, you can head to my house.” He nodded toward the smaller house. “Anna and Sasha should have your bath ready by the time you get there.”
Lex froze. He hadn’t seen the floorplan of these houses, but he was really hoping it wasn’t an open one. The thought of bathing with those two girls watching was unsettling.
Amelia seemed to have the same thought. “Um, are they – I mean – will there be, like, privacy?”
Acarius laughed. “It’s a small house, but don’t worry; we don’t bathe in the living room. You’ll have privacy.” He walked down the steps.
“Where are you going?” Amelia called out.
Acarius turned back. “I have some things I need to tend to,” he said.
Across the yard Mare stomped, as though declaring she was one of those things.
Acarius continued. “Get washed up. I told the girls to put robes out for each of you; we’re still working on finding you some spare clothes. You can wear the robes if you finish up before we’ve found you something else. After you bathe, the girls will take your dirty clothes and do what they can.” He glanced at Amelia’s shredded tunic, and the dirt-stained white shirt beneath it. “Emily’s pretty good at mending.”
Sitting around in a robe with a bunch of strangers, trusting that they would bring him something else to wear after they confiscated his only clothes? Lex suddenly thought maybe he’d prefer to stay in the dirty ones.
“Don’t worry,” Acarius chuckled as he noticed Lex’s expression. “We should have some spare clothes ready soon.” He headed off toward Mare. “Food should be ready by the time you’re all cleaned up and dressed,” he called out behind him. “Liz’s pot roast is the best!”
Lex glanced at Amelia. She really did look filthy, leaves and twigs tangled in the strands of her dirty hair, her clothes torn and stained. He imagined he looked the same. “See you in a few minutes, I guess,” he sighed.
Amelia shrugged, then headed up the stairs to the porch. Lex turned toward the smaller house, hearing the door of the first house open and close behind him as Amelia went inside. He swallowed and headed for the other house’s front door.
The doorknob turned easily, and the door swung inward to reveal a small living area, the sitting room, dining room, and kitchen all sharing one open space. A large fireplace took up most of one wall, a fire crackling despite the warm day outside. Kerosene lanterns speckled the space with glowing globes, some hanging and some on shelves or tables. The place had a sole-occupant vibe, everything scaled small – a two-chaired table, a couch that was more of a loveseat, a minimal kitchen with a small gas stove and a washbasin and a few hanging pots and pans. To the back was a short hallway, leading into shadow. Lex headed for it, figuring the bath must be down that way.
He had just reached the edge of the hallway – there were two doors leading off it, one on each side – when the left-hand door flew open. One of the sisters stumbled out, seeming startled to see him. “Oh!” she said. “You’re already here. Well, come in, then.” She disappeared back inside the room.
Lex followed her. A clawfoot tub stood to one side of the small room, taking up most of it. There was a washstand and what looked like some sort of toilet contraption over to the other side. A large, white towel and fluffy, white bathrobe hung from hooks within reach of the tub. Curls of steam twisted upward from the hot water. A skylight poured sun downward, lighting the whole room.
The girl
– he still didn’t know which sister she was – eyed him for a moment. “There’s soap on the edge of the tub,” she said, her gaze sliding over him. “Do you need anything?”
Lex felt an unwanted blush creep to his face. “No,” he said quickly. “I’m good.”
The girl narrowed her eyes playfully, and smiled. “Okay then,” she said. “See you in a bit.” She left, shutting the door behind her.
Lex peeled out of his dirty clothes and dropped them in a pile on the floor, then leaned over the tub. He halted at his reflection. The face staring back at him was familiar, but not like it should be, not as a person looking at himself. It felt more like looking at a photograph of someone he knew well. He studied his face, realizing it was the first time he’d seen himself since – well, since whatever happened to him that took his memories. I’m good-looking, he thought with satisfaction. There was a layer of thick stubble on his face – he rather liked the look of it – and he was noticeably dirty. But he had short, thick brown hair that spiked up in the front, messy in a way that almost looked intentional. His eyes were blue – much darker blue than the girl in his visions – beneath dark lashes. His lips were full but not too full, and the line of his jaw was angular, masculine. He did look young – What are you, eighteen?… Seventeen, the memories surfaced – but there was also a look of age about him, like – he searched for the word – maturity. Like he had been through some hard stuff and carried wisdom beyond his years. All in all, he was rather pleased with himself. He thought of Acarius, and felt mild triumph at knowing he could give the Hot Horseman a run for his money. Not that it was a competition, of course.
Lex stepped into the tub, watching his reflection ripple away, and eased himself into the water. Heat flooded over him, stinging then soothing. He sighed, feeling his aching muscles uncoil. He knew he couldn’t take too long. One of those girls or Acarius could come barging in any minute – he wasn’t sure which would be worse – but the water felt so good he allowed himself a moment to enjoy it. He leaned his head back against the rim of the tub and closed his eyes.
Something banged from the living area. Lex lurched up, then grabbed the soap and furiously began bathing. He wasn’t sure who was out there or if they would walk in on him, but he didn’t intend to sit there naked long enough to find out. He scrubbed as much dirt off as he could in one quick pass, dunked himself under the water to rinse, then stood and reached for a towel.
Lex was one leg out of the tub, in the process of drying his other leg, when the door flew open. He flung the towel the rest of the way around himself, pulling it tight just in time to cover himself from the waist down before someone rushed in.
It was Amelia. She was panting and her cheeks were flushed. Her hair dangled wet around her face and a fluffy, white robe had swallowed her body, pulled tight around her waist with a blue sash. Her skin still looked damp, as though she had jumped straight out of the tub and run here. The scent of bath oils and fragrant soap drifted off her. She was barefoot, and the dirt from outside had re-soiled her wet feet, the only part of her which wasn’t soapy-clean. Behind her, Lex could see a track of muddy footprints trailing out into the hall.
Lex blinked, pulling the towel tighter around his waist. “Everything… okay?” he asked.
Her eyes slid over him, lingering on his bare chest. “Oh, I’m fine,” she said, her tone flat. “What about you?”
Lex was growing more uncomfortable by the minute, confusion and tension replacing the panic he had felt at her entrance. She was clearly upset about something. “What about me?” he asked.
Her eyes narrowed.
Lex stepped forward, almost dropping his towel but recovering it just in time. “What’s with you?” he asked. “You’re acting crazy.” He didn’t know her well; maybe she was always like this – erratic, unpredictable, a pendulum of emotion. From the little he did know of her, she was certainly unusual. But her behavior since they had encountered Acarius seemed strange, even for her, and it was beginning to annoy him.
She sighed and her shoulders sagged. “I’m sorry,” she said, looking at the floor. “I just …” She stopped.
Lex’s heart sped. There was so much about her that reminded him of the girl from his vision, especially with her current expression. But it wasn’t just that. Amelia seemed truly bothered by something. Lex felt a twinge of concern. “Amelia,” he asked, making his voice gentle. “What is it?”
She crossed her arms. “This is all so new for me,” she said, still looking at the floor.
Lex looked back at her. She turned her face away so he could only see her profile, half of her expression. “What is?” he asked.
“This,” she said, gesturing wide with her hands. She turned her face back to him. “All of this. You, me, this place, them… it’s a lot to take in.”
Lex rolled her words around in his mind. He felt the same way, but then he had no idea what this place even was. This was her home, wasn’t it? Or close enough. She lived only a few days’ walk from here, in Alta. And she talked of the village and the forest like she knew the area and had been here before. Yes, there was strange stuff happening, but if anyone should be overwhelmed, it was him. He didn’t even know how he had gotten here. He thought through the past couple days. She had been attacked by the creature and was with him in the forest when the tsunami hit, but she hadn’t seemed very bothered by those things earlier. Why was she so upset now? Was this about something else?
Lex felt a tingle of curiosity again. This was his chance to ask about her, to find out more. But he would have to do it gently; if he pushed too hard, she might close off again. He decided to go with honesty. “I don’t understand,” he said.
Her eyes narrowed.
“But I want to,” he said. “Please, help me understand.”
Her face relaxed. She exhaled. “It’s just that you seem… and I know you’re not, you can’t be, but still it feels…”
Her statements were broken, not making sense. “What?” Lex asked.
Amelia sighed, then flopped down right there on the ground, the bottom of her bathrobe settling into a pool of fluff around her. She crossed her arms again.
Lex tightened one hand on the towel around his waist, then grabbed the robe off the hook near the tub, awkwardly sliding into it using his free arm. When the robe was on him he turned back toward the wall, letting the towel drop to the floor as he tied the robe closed with the attached sash. He turned back to Amelia.
She eyed the dropped towel with a raised eyebrow. “Anyway…” she said.
Lex carefully lowered himself to the floor in front of her, ensuring he was fully covered as he did so, and keeping an appropriate distance between them.
Amelia continued. “There was this guy,” she said. “I… thought I loved him. But he was just using me.”
The expression on her face brought another flash of the blue-eyed girl Lex saw in the hallway. He swallowed.
“Anyway, you don’t need all the details. The point is that you remind me of him. Sometimes. And I know it’s crazy, but it makes me feel connected to you somehow.” She let out a short, harsh laugh. “I know it’s not real. It’s stupid.” She looked up and shrugged. “But I like you. And I want you to like me, but then I feel scared. I don’t want to be hurt again, which is crazy since–” She looked down, then tucked the robe around her legs and pulled them to her chest. “It’s dumb.”
Lex’s mind reeled. She feels a connection, too. It didn’t seem exactly the same as what he felt toward her, and he knew she wasn’t the girl in the visions, but it seemed too much to be a coincidence. What am I saying, then? That it’s fate? That would be crazy, he knew that. Yet here she was, this girl he felt tied to despite having met her the day before. And now she was hurting, visibly retreating into herself in a mound of fluffy robes. But…
“What about Acarius?” Lex hated himself for asking it the moment it left his mouth, but it just came out.
Amelia looked up. “He’s
hot, I won’t deny that,” she shrugged. “But I was mostly trying to make you jealous.”
Lex’s heart sped. “Why?”
Amelia sighed. “You just seemed to be pulling away, I guess. I mean, not that we were close; we just met, I know that.” She stopped, glancing at the ground again. “But at first, I thought maybe there was something…” She sighed again. “But then the next day, you seemed so guarded, like you didn’t really want me around. It was stupid, I know, but I hoped seeing another guy notice me would make you interested in me again, like you seemed to be at first.”
Lex thought back. He had pulled away, in a sense, but only because there was so much he still didn’t know about her, and about himself. After he had told her about his memory loss, he wondered whether it had been a mistake, whether he could truly trust her. But now…
Amelia bit her lip. “It didn’t work, anyway,” she said. “He wasn’t into me at all.” She flopped her face down onto her robe-covered knees.
It was working, just not on Acarius.
Looking at her curled up before him, Lex felt irresistibly drawn to her. He couldn’t quite separate out how much of what he was feeling was really about Amelia and how much was left over from his visions of the other girl, but right then he didn’t care. He scooted toward Amelia. “Then he’s stupider than I thought,” he said.
Amelia turned her face up, and her eyes were surprised. “Really?” she asked.
Lex felt the hum of her energy course through his fingers as he tucked some strands of wet hair behind her ear. “Really,” he said. Even her hair is electric, he noticed.
The door opened. Amelia jumped back, her robe nearly gapping open before she caught it.
One of the sisters raised an eyebrow at the two of them sitting in robes on the floor, then glanced off, uncomfortable. “I’ve got your clothes,” she said.
Lex hurried to his feet, holding his robe with one hand as the girl shoved a bundle of clothes into his arms.
The girl turned to Amelia. “Yours are waiting for you in the other house.” She left.
The Edge of Nothing_The Lex Chronicles_Book 1 Page 5
