Clan of Redemption

by Rushell Ann

  Chapter 10

  The Council

  I don’t know how long I slept, but when I woke up, and before I could open my eyes, I could hear someone breathing.

  “Are you awake?” I heard Blake ask me.

  “Yes, how long did I sleep?” I asked him while I stretched me arms and legs to their fullest.

  “For a few hours, how are you feeling?” Blake asked.

  I opened my eyes and Blake was sitting next to me on the bed, starring. It was making me a little uncomfortable, not the kind that I didn’t like, but almost a little self-conscious.

  “I feel…great actually. That’s the best sleep I’ve had in days,” I said as I sat up against the head board.

  “Good, that’s really good. We have about an hour before we have to meet Xavier and Logan for dinner. Did you learn anything interesting from the journals?” He asked.

  “Actually I did, but I didn’t get as far as I wanted, I feel asleep reading them,” I said as I starting bring up the memories of what I had read.

  “Well I’m sure that you’ll have more time later to read them, but in the mean time, I brought you something to wear to the council meeting tonight.” Blake said as he reached down and handed me a box with a crimson bow.

  "A present for me! And it's not even my birthday, well it was last week, but you didn't know that," I said as I snatched the box out of his hands.

  Greedy much.

  "Actually I did know that it was your birthday, and I guess you could call this a present. Why don't you go take a shower and get cleaned up then you can open this," he said as he showed me that grin that makes me turn a little flush colored. I guess he didn't mind it that I snatched at it like a greedy kid.

  Blake left the room and I got up slowly, not really ready to wake up yet, I think maybe it's because I'm a little nervous about the meeting tonight. It seems like I'm going to be the main attraction and I'm not use to being the center of attention.

  I started walking towards the bathroom and I could see a faint hint of flickering yellow light coming from under the door. I pushed the creaking door open slowly and saw the bathroom full of candles. They lined the bathtub, the sink, the window ledge and the floor, almost to the point of a fire hazard. Did Blake do this? It's beautiful and sweet.

  "You know, Jayden, they're only candles, they won't hurt you. I just thought that you might need some tranquility.”

  “You startled me," I whipped around, "…thanks, I was just surprised I guess. You didn’t have to do this for me, a simple shower would have sufficed,” I said.

  “I know, but you should have the best. Are you telling me that Logan hasn’t pampered you before?” he said with a smirk on his face.

  “Blake, Logan and I are friends, it’s not like that,” I said.

  “That’s not what I saw when Logan transformed back today. You ran to him and about knocked him out with affection.” I couldn't read his expression which bothered me.

  “I hadn’t seem in him days and for awhile I thought he was dead, so I was really happy to have him back in human form, or any form for that matter.” I spat out at him.

  “Well are sure that he doesn’t feel more for you, the way he looks at you?” 

  “He's supposed to protect me, I guess that’s where that’s coming from.”  I didn't know what else to say, or what he wanted me to say.

  When I didn't say anything..“Well anyway, enjoy your bath,” Blake said as he ran his fingers across the middle of my back as he walked away.

  The goose bumps rippled up instantly and ran across my entire body throwing my body into a full scale shake.

  “You better get into that tub before you freeze to death.” Blake mistook my shivers as being cold, until I saw his smirk.

  Why does he made me feel shy and embarrassed? Logan doesn’t make me feel that way. I can’t think of one boy that does make me feel that way. When he’s around or touching me I can feel every sensation from the tips of my toes to hair follicles on my head.

  “Jayden, just stop thinking about boys right now, you have more important things to think about right now,” I said to myself as I closed the bathroom door and laid my towel down on the toilet and sank myself into the warm bubbly bath claw tub. The water reached almost to the bottom of my neck, and I had to really focus on not falling asleep or I might just sink right under the water, it was that comfortable. 

  I cleared my mind of all my stressful thoughts, between worrying about Sully’s safety and if I really wanted this life for myself and how that would affect my relationship with my father. I tried to think of nothing, but thoughts kept popping up of different things that have happened over the past few days. Finally I started to relax and just think of nothing, I wonder if that’s part of meditating.

  The bath felt so relaxing, at times I had to sit up a little more with being afraid that  I might just slip right under the water. There must have been something in the water because my skin felt softer than normal, almost a silky feeling. 

  “Jayden…I need you…Jayden, can you hear me?” A voice screamed in my head.

  I had been so relaxed that when I heard this screaming it scared me so bad that I thought my heart was going to jump right out of my chest. I was so startled that when I tried to sit up I slipped down and received a mouthful of water which starting a chocking episode.

  “Jayden, is everything alright in there?” Blake asked as he opened the door just a crack.

  “I’m ok, did you a say something to me?” I asked him as I was whipping the suds from my face.

  “No, I was down the hall and heard you. Are you sure you’re ok?”  Blake asked.

  “Yes…I’m fine, I must have falling asleep. I’m ok. I’ll be out in a few minutes.” I grabbed the sides of the tub and started to pull myself up, the room was full of a warm mist in the air from the hot water, it reminded me of a light fog. As I was stepping out of the tub my head rose up towards the sink and in the reflection in the mirror I saw a figure, it was trying to talk to me, gesturing with its hands. It startled me enough that I just starred at it in awe. I’m sure only seconds went by, I snapped out of and it and started to raise my body towards the mirror and it was gone.

  Did I really see that?

  I stepped out of the tub and dried myself off as best I could. Laying on my bed was the outfit that Blake had chose for me, along with the present and the pretty red satin bow.

  Blake came walking in and I asked him, "Wow, this is beautiful, it's well....what is it exactly." I pulled the the almost modern, but with a hint of well I wasn't sure what type of piece this was.

  "You're going to be meeting with the council, and that means that you need to be prepared. This was the only way that I could think to help you out," Blake said as he moved the box so that I could look at this scarf?

  "Ok...I'm going to be totally honest regardless if you think I'm a nerd, but what the heck is this? I started to stand up so that I could hold it up to my body and really take a gander at it.

  "You don't like it," Blake said with disappointment.

  "No, no, I mean yes I like it, I've just never seen anything like this before." I said as I found a mirror on the back of one of the old wooden closet doors.

  "This is a traditional tartan sash from our clan. The sash's are worn by those in high power in our clan and I know that this will impress the council," he said as he helped me slide the sash over my white blouse that I wore underneath my torso and before I knew it he had put this pin to hold it. 

  "Blake this pin is beautiful," I said as I held the pin a little closer to take a better look at it.

  "This is a Celtic design that means long life." 

  "Long life, are you trying to tell me something?" 

  Blake started to laugh, "Yes, I guess I’m trying to tell you that I hope you have a long life. You need to start to trust people.”

  “Well my mother…..I just don’t trust people," I said
as I turned away. Blake took the hint and didn't talk to me about what I'd just said.