“You don’t have to do that, you know. I can open them using magic.”
“Old habits die hard, love. I have a snack ready for you in the kitchen when you’re dressed.”
Putting on the outfit Mother had left out for me, I met her in the kitchen. Will drove us to the stadium, and we met Marta and Theron in the front as before.
“Do you always come to games this much?” I asked as we fell in behind our mothers.
“No, actually these are the first ones I’ve been to all year. It’s America’s greatest pastime though, right?”
“I guess the zoo is out.”
“My mom had to write a note to get me out of those field trips every time.”
“I know, right? That would be a disaster.”
“Allergies are the worst.” He rolled his eyes.
Finding our seats, we chatted until the national anthem.
“You ready to get out of here?”
“Sure.” I followed his lead past the concessions and out of the stadium. As we exited, I motioned to the gate. “Can we get back in?”
“Can we get back in?” His tone was almost mocking. “Don’t you ever use your powers?”
“I’m not allowed to in public.”
“I’m not either, but I do all the time.”
He sauntered to a black sport utility vehicle and opened the door. “Your chariot, madam.”
I stopped before I got in. “This is your car.”
“My dad pays the driver well for discretion. My mom is clueless.”
We weaved through the streets, and he opened the small refrigerator in the seat in front of us. “Wine, beer, something stronger?” He pulled out a silver-coated glass bottle, popped the top, and slid it in a microwave.”
The scent of metal and honey filled the space. “Is that what I think it is?”
“Heaven in a bottle? Yes. You’ve had it before. I’m surprised.”
“Once.”
“So, she does have a wild side.” He shot me a side glance.
We snaked up a small road on a hillside, and the driver stopped in a dirt parking lot. “Where are we?” I scanned the terrain as we stepped out of the vehicle.
“I told you the Hollywood sign made a great date location.”
I followed him down a path till we reached a fenced-off area behind the huge letters. Large no-trespassing warnings were hung every ten feet along a wire chain link fence surrounding the sign. “You’ve done this before.”
“Was out of there before they could even see me.” He indicated a surveillance camera mounted on a pole. We walked away from the fence as if we intended to leave. About ten feet back, he darted into the brush. I zipped after him, crouching between the low shrubs.
“Now what?”
“We jump. Ready?”
Looking up at the fence, I studied the trajectory and distance. “Okay, I’m ready.”
“Three, two, one.”
At one, I took a step and launched myself into the air, landing in a roll as Dimitri had taught me.
“Wow, you’re a natural,” he said as he looped back to me. “Stay low.”
We ran between the short trees to the bottom of the letters. Theron squatted and jumped, landing in the middle of the vertical beam of the H. Thinking it might be the stupidest thing I’d ever done, I copied him.
Settling on the steel surface, he waved his hand towards the city. “See. Perfect date.”
Catching my breath, I sat beside him. The land stretched out in front of us like a blanket dotted with miniature twinkling lights. Beyond the beach, the sun shone orange, making a trail of glowing ripples across the sea.
“This could be our kingdom. We could rule all of this.”
I pondered his words, wondering if he meant we’d be together. “It’s beautiful.”
“Here.” He put his hand out, and I took it. Hand in hand, we jumped to the top of the O, hopped to the first and second L, the Y, W, O, O, and finally the D.
Lifting my hands to embrace the breeze, I whispered the words, “City of Angels.”
“You believe in angels?”
“I guess. Everyone is probably a little bit good.”
“Some of us more than others.” The side of his mouth turned up as his lips formed a thin smile. “We should go.”
Jumping back to the H, we landed on the ground with a couple of thuds.
“No ninja roll that time?” he asked as I stood beside him.
“There were thorns.”
“Yeah, you got something here.” He pulled a leaf out of my hair.
“So much for the half day at the spa.”
Running back to the fence and jumping it again, we jogged to the vehicle and slid into the back seat.
He retrieved another bottle of blood from the refrigerator. “Need some of this?”
“No. My skin and hair turned red last time.”
“That’s no fun.”
“No, it wasn’t. I had to lie and say I had a cranberry juice.”
With adrenaline running through my veins, my muscles twitched. The smell of his drink hung in the air, and I thought of Hunter to distract myself.
“How is your boyfriend?”
“I don’t have a boyfriend.”
“Your date for Homecoming. You said he’s a football player. He must be feeling pretty low this weekend after the loss to Samo.”
“Yeah, he was disappointed.”
“I’ll get to see you cheer Friday.”
“That’s right. We play Pali.”
“Am I allowed to talk to you?”
“Sure.” I shrugged.
We reached the stadium, and the driver stopped at the valet drop-off. Theron strode to the security guard, showed him our electronic tickets, and suggested we could return to our seats. I followed behind as the worker waved us past.
“See, easy as pie. If you make pie that is.”
I wriggled up my nose at the thought of the soft inside of the dish. Settling back beside Marta and Mother, we watched the last inning of the game.
“Did you two have fun?” Marta asked as the clock ran down.
“Yeah, they have tons to do back there. Batting cages and everything,” Theron said.
“I hope you didn’t show off too much.”
“Me?” He chuckled. “You should have seen her. Hit them perfect every time. They were clapping for her.”
“That sounds like fun.” Mother smiled and rubbed my shoulders.
Outside we said goodbye, and Mother and I found our car.
“He seems like a really nice boy.” She slid into the seat beside me.
“I would never use boy when speaking of him.”
“I guess you’re right. He reeks of manhood.”
She grilled me about every detail of our conversation, and I continued to fill her head with the portrait Theron had started.
Wednesday evening came, and I found myself seated beside Theron again.
When he asked if we should take off, we walked up the stairs to the concession area.
“I actually want to try the batting cages.”
“Okay, sure.” He shrugged.
I loved the feel of the smooth wood on my hands and the percussion of the vibrations into my arm as the ball made contact.
“They’re going to sign you up to play for the team,” he said as we exited the booth. We stood in line at a pub, and he ordered a beer and glass of red wine. Walking to the top level, we stood and looked out over the city.
“I have something for you. I found it at this shop by my house. It made me think of you.”
He pulled a necklace with a pendant from his pocket. When he held it up, the lights reflected off the brushed silver.
“See.” He placed it in my hand. “The sun”—he flipped it over—“and the moon.”
“Wow, it’s really pretty.”
“Will you wear it?” He held it up and unclasped it.
“Sure.” I turned around to let him latch it around my neck.
“
It looks good on you.”
“Thanks.” I touched the cold metal of the emblem.
As we parted, he leaned over and kissed my cheek. “I’ll call you soon.”
“Okay.” I agreed, feeling torn about my thoughts. He seemed nice, but something inside kept pinging. I couldn’t get myself to have one hundred percent positive feelings about him.
“Well, that went well,” Mother said as we walked away.
“I guess.”
“What do you mean? I’m assuming he gave you that necklace.”
“I don’t know.” I felt the smooth cold surface of the silver moon. “I don’t feel that connected to him.”
“Well, he seems to have an affinity for you. Are you still thinking of Nick?”
“Yes.” I told her, even though I was really focused on Hunter.
“You’re young. You have a whole lifetime to figure it out.”
“Like you and Dad? How long do you think I’ll live?”
“I’m ignoring the first question, but as long as Orm, I’m sure.”
“That’s what Orm said. But the books say half vampires only live to a hundred twenty.”
“But you are also a witch.” She wrapped her fingers around my chin. “And a beautiful witch at that.”
I peered out the window as we wound through the streets, thinking of life choices. Theron seemed to want to embrace every aspect of his uniqueness. I had always been taught to blend in, appreciate my human traits.
As I slept, thoughts of his chiseled face and tall frame played through my mind. After waking, I wondered if I had started to have a bit of a crush on him. Surely a guy giving me a piece of jewelry didn’t make me feel more for him, right?
“Wow, pretty necklace.” Sophie picked it from my chest as I greeted her. “Hmmm.” She turned it over.”
“What hmmm?”
“It’s odd. Your skin is so warm, and the metal is ice cold.”
“Theron gave it to me. I kind of like the way it feels against my skin.”
“Should I be worried about Theron?” she asked.
“No … yes … I don’t know. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Okay, got it. No boy talk.”
The bell rang, and I made my way to class. Thinking of Theron, Hunter, and Nick, my attention was divided in class, and I walked through them like a zombie until I got to European literature.
“What is that?” Ganby pointed at my chest as soon as I sat down.
“A necklace.” I held it out to him.
“Looks like some kind of Wiccan pendant. Are you a Wiccan? Is that why your skin is so white?”
“I’m not a Wiccan. It’s a sun and moon.” I turned it over for him.
“Here.” He held out his hand. “Read my mind.”
“I can’t read your mind.”
“You don’t have to. Alena is a white Wiccan freak. That’s what I was thinking.”
“Seriously, Ganby. Give it a rest. No one even listens to you!” Annabelle yelled at him.
Embarrassed and angry, it took every bit of resolve I had to sit down. I studied the hands on the clock, trying to get my brain to focus on anything but Ganby’s mean words. With trembling fingers, I slathered Orm’s calming balm on my wrists.
“See, now she’s getting out her voodoo ointments,” Ganby chuckled.
Wishing I could break a couple of capillaries in his brain, I gripped my desktop. My leg bounced as I waited for the period to end.
“Alena.” Annabelle’s voice brought me out of my meditative state. “Hey, Ganby is a nut job. He always has been. Don’t listen to him. Hey, come have lunch with me, okay?”
Thinking I wasn’t in any shape to eat and needed a distraction, I followed her to the picnic tables. Sophie, Nick, and David joined us, saving me from discussing Ganby. Thankfully, Annabelle didn’t feel the need to repeat the incident.
“Alena.” I heard my name yelled from the corner of the second story roof. Ganby stood perched on the edge. I stared in horror, trying to interpret what he was doing. “I’m sorry,” he shouted and flung himself off, falling headfirst as if from a high dive podium.
Doing my best to run like a fast human, I got to him a few seconds after he hit. Lifting his head off the pavement, I saw half his face flattened by the impact. Checking his pulse, I found none. As hard as it was to look at his mangled, bloody body, I rolled him over as a crowd gathered around.
“Ganby.” I pounded his chest as tears poured out of my eyes. “Please breath.” I put both my palms on his chest, sending waves of healing energy into him. Not feeling any life signs, I laid my head on my hands.
“Dear.” Someone gripped my shoulders. “Come away.” They pulled me from him, and the football coach caught me as my knees gave out. Being carried to the building, I took in the faces of each shocked student. Blinking my tears away, I fought to stay conscious. My body bounced in the coach’s arms. As he ascended the stairs I saw a face on the sidewalk that didn’t fit. Theron. Putting my hand to my necklace, I yanked it off and threw it to the ground.
Theron had killed Ganby.
The coach set me on a bed in the nurse’s office, and I balled my knees to my chest.
“Dear, dear,” the nurse said. “Let me clean you up a bit.” She tugged at my wrist, but every muscle in my body held rigid with shock.
“I’m going to have an EMT come look at you.” The coach spun to leave.
“We don’t believe in doctors.” I started rocking on the mattress.
The nurse laid her hands on top of mine. “I know. But, sweetie, I am really scared for you right now.”
I stared at her nametag. Betty Carson, it read. Betty Carson, University High, Nurse, I read over and over in my mind. Time seemed to stand still and two EMTs appeared in front of me.
“Miss?” One waved a gloved hand in front of my face. “Miss, are you okay? You tried to give the victim, Ganby, CPR. You’re covered in his blood. Why don’t you let the nurse clean you up?”
How telling someone they were covered in blood was supposed to help I wasn’t sure.
“Your mom is on the way, dear.” Betty sat behind me and rubbed my back.
“Poor thing is burning up.” She placed her palm on my forehead.
I scooted away from her. “Don’t touch me.”
“She’s probably in shock,” the other EMT said.
“She’s responding to her environment. Probably the adrenaline kicked in to elevate her temperature. I think we’ve done all we can,” the first paramedic said.
“Her mother is on the way.” Betty told them.
I covered my head with my arms, trying to block out all the sirens, the voices, the sobs, the smell of his blood covering my hands. The thought of Theron, of me, consuming someone’s blood, made bile rise in my throat.
“I think I’m going to be sick.” I darted to the bathroom.
“Well, she can move pretty fast,” I heard the first paramedic. “I think she’ll be okay.”
“If the coach told me the story correctly, I’m not sure that child will ever be the same,” Betty told them.
Catching my reflection in the mirror, I stared at the blood, already brown and crusty on my clothes and skin. Ripping paper towels from the dispenser, I soaked them under the faucet. Scrubbing the paper across my skin, I moved to blotting my shirt.
“Child.” Betty entered the bathroom and turned off the water. “Let me get another shirt for you.” She left and came back with a red Wildcats shirt. Stripping the wet one from my torso, I tossed it in the wastebasket.
“Thank you,” I told Betty as I returned to her office.
“Here’s a sweatshirt. You’re starting to tremble.”
Sophie appeared in the doorway with my backpack. “Is it okay if I hug you?”
I let her wrap her arms around me. We sat like that till Mother arrived. I could hear her heels clicking on the tile floor and sat up straighter, loosening Sophie’s grip on me. As Mother came in, Sophie gave up the seat beside me.
> “Okay.” Mother wrapped an arm around me and squeezed my shoulders. “Let’s get you home.”
“Here.” Sophie approached. “Cover your head.” She lifted the hood on the sweatshirt. “There are a lot of reporters.”
The police had created a barrier around the school, but it was hard to ignore the EMTs and officers gathered around Ganby’s sheet-covered body.
“If anyone tries to speak to you, I am going to kill them,” Mother hissed into my ear.
Will and four other of Mother’s security guards stood just outside the door and encircled us as we walked down the stairs. The onlookers and reporters seemed drawn to our pocket like flies to honey, and we created a wave as we forced our way through the crowd. At the car, Will opened the door, and Mother and I slid in. The silent, dark interior of the vehicle felt like fresh air in my lungs, and I laid down on the cool leather seat, letting its soft surface sooth my senses.
Curling my knees to my chest, I spun Hunter’s bracelet around my wrist. How could I ever face him again? How could anyone ever show me kindness again? I only brought death.
At the condo, we rode the elevator in silence. Crossing into the foyer, Mother gathered me in a hug.
“The nurse told me what happened. When you want to talk, let me know. I’m guessing you didn’t get lunch, so I’ll have Elizabeth bring you a plate.”
She followed me to my room. “I need to wash up.”
“Okay, well, come find me when you’re done.” Mother squeezed my hand.
“Thanks, maybe later.”
Flicking my fingers at my shades to make the space void of light, I shed my clothes in a pile on the bathroom floor. Entering the shower, I turned the water temperature to the hottest setting. Even with the scalding stream, soap, and shampoo, the smell of his blood wouldn’t leave my nose. A hand reached inside and stopped the flow of water.
“You’re going to drown, child. Here, I have your robe fresh from the dryer.” Elizabeth held it out for me.
I melted into the soft material and let her lead me to the bed.
“You need to eat something.”
“I want to be left alone.”
For the next three days, I slept and woke with Mother, Elizabeth, and Orm begging me to eat. They said Sophie came as well as Hunter and Nick. It wasn’t until Mother knocked on my door and announced Theron and Marta were in the foyer that I snapped out of my coma.
KIngdom of Embers (Kingdom Journals Book 1) Page 21
