Spark of Knowledge

by Jacie Douglass

“Clay and Bast will take you home.” Sebastian nods and Samil continues. “I’ll keep working with Jared and Ian to see what we can dig up on that license plate number.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Ian says, disappearing down the hall.

  “I’m in.” Jared adds, hobbling after his brother.

  “Are you sure you’re ok?” Sebastian asks, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me snug against him.

  “As good as I can be. We need to find these asshats and figure out a way to get rid of them.” I tell him this with far more certainty than I feel.

  “We’ll figure it out, Emmy,” Ian says, as he comes back in the room. I catch his eye and he gives me a shy smile. “Hopefully with the new information from the license plate, it should start coming together.”

  I grin at his confidence, these guys are way more optimistic about the situation than I am, but I’m not going to argue. I don’t want to be anyone’s victim again. If that means finding a way to take these guys down, so be it. Maybe Emilienne was an easy mark, but Emily is going to fight back.

  “Come on guys, time to get Emily home,” Samil reminds them. “She needs her beauty sleep.” I roll my eyes and pull Sebastian up with me.

  “Come on Bast, Clay. I’m pretty sure Samil and the twins are the ones up past their bedtime. Let’s not keep them awake any longer.” Sebastian laughs and winks at me. I turn to grab my gifts, but Clayton’s already scooped them up.

  “I could have carried them you know,” I tell him frowning.

  “Oh I know, Trouble. But now I feel useful,” I shake my head and make my way outside. Sebastian quickly catches up, wrapping his arm around my shoulder again. Instead of heading towards the main house, he turns me to the left. We circle around the cottage; the SUV is parked in front of a detached garage.

  “Wait a minute, there is a garage and parking back here? WTF? If we can park back here, why did you have me walking around the front?”

  “It’s a nice walk,” Sebastian grins. The car beeps as he unlocks the doors. I jump in the back while Clayton is busy putting my stuff in the truck. Ha! Now he can’t force me to sit in the front seat. I catch his scowl as I shut and lock my door. Motioning him towards the front, I lean back. Grumbling, Clayton gets in.

  “Hey, it’s better if Sprite takes the back seat, Clay,” Sebastian interrupts his complaining, as he slides behind the wheel and turns on the engine. “On the off chance those guys are lurking around, she can lay down back there and not be seen.”

  “Ya, I guess,” Clayton grumps.

  “Home, James.” I command with a snicker, sprawling across the back seat.

  “As you wish,” Sebastian replies, catching my eye in the rearview mirror and winking. Clayton shakes his head at us. Unfortunately, laying down means I can’t see where the secret driveway intersects with the main street. I’ll have to bug Sebastian to show me the entrance later.

  “Well this week isn’t starting the way I expected,” Sebastian says, finally breaking the silence. “Guess we should reschedule band practice.”

  Clayton laughs, “Really? That’s what you’re worried about? Band practice?”

  Sebastian grins. “Hey what else is there to worry about? You want me to look and sound good don’t you?” I stare at the ceiling, letting their banter wash over me. I wonder if they are really as unconcerned as they appear, or if they are putting up a brave front for my sake. Thank God things turned out alright today. It could have been so much worse. Everything that’s happened since “the incident” has been so surreal. Part of me expects to wake up any minute back in Emilienne’s life. What would that even be like? I’m still not sure who she was. What would she think of the men her boys had grown into?

  “You ok Sprite?” Sebastian breaks into my thoughts, and I catch his eye in the rearview mirror. I flash him a reassuring smile.

  “Just processing,” I shrug. “It’s been a day. And don’t think I’ll forget there is more for you to tell me.”

  “We wouldn’t dream of it,” Clayton assures.

  Before I know it, Sebastian’s parked and shut off the SUV. I sit up and look around. Sebastian’s glass monstrosity of a house looms in front of us.

  “I thought you were taking me home?

  “We’ll walk you over from here,” he says turning back towards me. “We’ll go the back way so no one sees us.”

  “Ahh, Ok,” I shrug, not caring one way or the other. I hop out and go around to the back to get my gifts. Sebastian appears at my side, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me to a stop. Clayton laughs and grabs my stuff. OMG, guys are so weird. Sebastian turns me towards the path leading to the back of the house, rather than the front door.

  “We’re taking my shortcut,” Sebastian smiles, pointing to a nearly invisible gate hidden in the bushes that edge his lawn. Using the gate, we cut through to my yard. It takes less than half the time to get to the house than it took me when I walked the path he’d pointed out. Had he sent me on another scenic tour? They walk me to the back door, casting watchful glances around as I fumble with the lock.

  “Let me go first,” Clayton says as I get the door unlocked. He passes my stuff to Sebastian, and then nudges me to the side, before opening the door and moving inside. Mom obviously either thought I was already home and in my room or expected me to come through the front door, because this part of the house is dark. I blink rapidly as Clayton turns the lights on, momentarily blinding me. Sebastian’s hand trails down my back, the familiar heat seeping into me. He gently guides me inside, quietly closing and locking the door behind us.

  Everything in the kitchen looks just as I left it. Clayton’s already disappeared down the hall and we follow behind, pausing by the stairs while he checks the other rooms. A flicker of light catches my eye and I glance over at Sebastian. His aura so bright right now, it illuminates the area around him. The colors are more defined tonight than they’ve ever been before. I can see the brilliant yellows inter-twinned with bright orange and red streaks. After a few moments, they fade back out.

  “Downstairs is clear,” Clayton whispers, reappearing in the hallway. “Let me check the upstairs.” Clayton creeps up the staircase and we follow him up. I know my Mom is sleeping the sleep of the dead with her sleeping pills. But it doesn’t seem worth it to try and explain. If they want to be extra quiet to make sure they don’t disturb her, that’s ok. Sebastian and I wait at the top of the stairs while Clayton peaks in each room. Clayton disappears into my room for a few minutes before popping back out to motion us in.

  He’s already turned on the light and taken a seat at my dressing table. Sebastian looks around, then put my stuff down on the dresser.

  “Wow, I didn’t have you pegged as a bright pink kinda girl,” Clayton finally says.

  I can’t help but burst out laughing. Covering my mouth to muffle the sound, I wait till I can breathe again before I answer.

  “Don’t look at me, the room came this color. Give me a minute,” I tell them, ducking into the closet and closing the door behind me. After some digging, I find some acceptable pajamas to change into. The guys are actively looking around the room when I open the door, so I take the opportunity to slip into the bathroom and finish my nightly routine.

  Under other circumstances, having two hot guys in my bedroom would be noteworthy occasion, but right now I’m just exhausted. I finish brushing my teeth and go back out, throwing myself on the bed with a groan. I’m so done with this day. Rolling on my side, I see them looking at each other, before turning back to me.

  “We’ll camp out of the floor if that’s ok with you, Trouble?” Clayton asks, moving closer. “I’m going to grab the pillows and blanket out of the guestroom, if that’s cool.” I look at the ceiling and sigh.

  “You guys can sleep on the bed. There’s plenty of room you know,” I tell them. I’m glad they’re staying the night; I don’t want them to have to walk back in the dark with those creeps out there somewhere. Not that I would admit it to anyone else,
but having them here made me feel safer. The idea of just me and Mom here at night is terrifying, since nothing short of the apocalypse is going to wake her up.

  “If you’re sure, Sprite,” Sebastian answers, settling on the bed next to me.

  “Of course I’m sure, this bed is huge.” I hear the thump of shoes hitting the floor. I sit up and scoot into the center of the bed. Sebastian crawls over next to me and I roll towards him. Burying my face against his chest, I welcome the joyful spark of his energy. Clayton turns off the lights and the bed dips behind me as he climbs in, wrapping his arms around my waist. I sigh happily as his protective energy mingles with Sebastian’s warmth and drift to sleep.

  Saturday, October 10th

  ∞

  The sound of hammering penetrates my dreams, pulling me awake. I slowly stretch, blinking the sleep from my eyes. The hammering stops, only to start up again moments later. What the hell? Don’t they know it’s Saturday? It takes me a minute to realize that I’m alone in the bed, but that makes sense. Sebastian and Clayton managed to sneak out without my Mom catching them all week.

  I crawl out of bed, avoiding looking in the mirror. I don’t need to see myself, to know I look a mess. That’s what I get for falling sleeping while watching movies on the laptop with Clayton and Sebastian. I should have at least changed into pajamas.

  Stripping, I toss yesterday’s clothes in the hamper before ducking into the bathroom and turning on the shower. I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Carefully avoiding looking at my spiral of scars, I focus on my face. At least my makeup is still in place, so the guys didn’t see me looking like a raccoon. The inventor of waterproof makeup deserves a medal. Best invention ever. I take the world’s fastest shower, in a hurry to find out who I need to kill. No one should be hammering this early on a Saturday morning. It’s certainly not Mom, I’m pretty sure she doesn’t own a hammer, let alone know what to do with one. I toss on a knee length black and pink dress with a silly pattern of skulls wearing hair bows. Ha! It’s almost the same design as the helmet they got me. Damn, they know me better than I thought. The dress is super comfortable and easy to wear, plus it has pockets! Dresses with pockets are amazing! Grabbing a pair of black flats and my phone, I head downstairs to exact revenge on the source of the noise.

  “Mom!” I shout. The hammering gets increasingly loud as I head down the stairs. “Mom, what is going on?”

  She pops out of the living room with a huge smile. “We won a home security system! Since I knew you didn’t have any plans, I told them they could come over today and install it. Now that you are up, I’m going out. They still need to do the upstairs work.” Looking past her, I catch Jared smirking at me through the picture window. He’s sitting on the porch rail “supervising”, while Clayton holds a ladder. Moving closer, I catch sight of Ian up top, wielding the hammer. Mom moves past me into the kitchen and I glare at Jared, mouthing ‘Seriously?’ and pointedly look at my wrist. Of course I’m not wearing a watch, but that’s not the point. I’m sure he gets the idea.

  “Emilienne,” Mom calls, and I join her into the kitchen. “Those nice boys said they knew you from school.” She comments, pouring herself a mimosa.

  “We’ve got a few classes together,” I mumble, not sure how much they might have already shared with her. I still haven’t really wrapped my head around the weird dynamic between me and my Mom. Since I don’t have a basis of comparison, it seems better to err on the side of caution. “They’re friends of Sebastian from next door.”

  “That’s nice Emilienne, I’m glad you’re making some friends.” There is a light knock on the front door, and Mom takes her drink and heads out into the hall. I hear the sound of the door opening and I drift out to join them. The three guys are standing in the doorway, loaded up with equipment. Ian looks over and gives me one of his shy smiles, and clears his throat.

  “Hello Mrs. Langmore,” Jared says, sounding deceptively polite and professional. “We’ve finished all the outside work. If you’re ready, we can finish the rest of the interior now.”

  Dressed in matching uniforms with tidy polo shirts and khaki pants, both of the twins have their hair slicked back. They look like one of those twin advertisements for bubble gum. Clayton looks out of place standing just behind them, his broad chest straining against the uniform shirt. He resembles a body guard more than an installer. Grinning, I discreetly snap a picture on my phone to immortalize this moment. I could be wrong, but I have the distinct impression that this isn’t part of their normal work duties. It seems they’ve pulled out all the stops for my Mom.

  “Perfect,” Mom smiles, finishing off her mimosa. “Emilienne’s awake now. She can show you around and answer any questions.” Her phone goes off and she hands me her glass, before pulling out her phone and checking her messages. “Oh good, my ride’s on the way.” Mom says to herself, grabbing her glass and heading towards the kitchen.

  “Come on, I’ll show you the upstairs,” I tell them, moving towards the stairs. I gesture for them to go first, and Ian and Clayton smile and climb the stairs. Jared stops beside me, shaking his head.

  “I’ll be down here setting up the touchscreen, Emilienne,” he says with a smirk that belies his polite tone. I frown and shrug. There’s a wicked glint to his eye, but it’s not worth it to call him out in front of my Mom. Hopefully it’s just an excuse so he doesn’t have to climb the stairs. I give him a suspicious look before heading up.

  “Alright, I’m leaving,” Mom calls. “I’ll be with Mrs. Morgan and the ladies at the Country Club, Emilienne, don’t wait up.”

  “Bye Mom, have fun.” I say, as she grabs her purse and leaves with a wave.

  I pause on the landing and lean against the rail. Once I’m sure Mom won’t be popping back in for anything, I pin Jared with a glare.

  “So what was that about?” I ask.

  “The view is better from down here,” Jared smirks.

  “Seriously? You wanted to get a look up my skirt? OMG you are the worst. I can’t believe I felt sorry for you. ” I tell him, storming up the stairs, brushing past Ian and Clayton. “And you two! You just walked right by without saying a word. For that, you guys can show yourselves around. After all, you’re the experts. Do what you think is best.” I slam and lock door my door, leaning back against the frame. Arg! Jared’s mood swings are just too much. First he’s angry all the time, then suspicious, and now super flirty. Will the real Jared please stand up? I throw myself on the bed and scream into the pillow. God save me from nonsensical men!

  The doorknob rattles. “Emmy…” Ian calls. “Are you ok?”

  “I’m fine. Go away.”

  “Emmy… We’ll need to come in to finish setting up the system.”

  “Are you done with the rest of the house?”

  “Not yet…”

  “Don’t bother me till you are.” I yell back. I know it’s not Ian’s fault his twin is so irritating. I just need a few minutes without testosterone poisoning. There is blessed quiet for a little longer, then the sound of drilling starts. At least Ian can follow directions.

  Slipping on my headphones, I hit start on the ‘Queen of the Damned’ soundtrack to block out the noise. I close my eyes and let the music take me away. I should check out the movie sometime. Maybe after I get around to reading the books.

  I must have drifted off; because the next thing I know, someone is tickling my feet. I scream, kicking out wildly, my eyes flying open.

  “What the fuck!” I yell, pulling off my headphones. A chorus of snickers greets me and I sit up glaring. All five guys not only managed to invade my room, but they have the nerve to laugh at me while they hover around the bed. I sit up and throw pillows at them until I run out.

  “You guys need serious lessons on boundaries.” I growl, giving them the evil eye. “I could have been changing or in the shower.” Only Ian manages to look contrite.

  “You said to let you know when we finished the rest of the house,” Jared smirks and I shoot him a
death glare.

  “It took the five of you breaking into my room to do that?” I demand, crossing my arms. “And here I thought you were too “injured” to climb the stairs.”

  “When you didn’t answer, we got worried.” Ian mumbles, staring at the ground. “So we called Samil over to pick the lock.”

  Ummm…. Why the fuck does Samil know how to pick locks. Whatever, not important right now.

  “And I couldn’t let him walk over by himself,” Sebastian chimes in. “We’re supposed to be sticking together after all,”

  “Mmmmm Hmmmm. A likely story. As you can see, I’m fine. Which should have been clear when you opened the door.” I point out. “It certainly doesn’t take all of you to check on me. But whatever. You guys can stay here and do whatever it is, you need to do. I’m going to see if there’s anything to eat.” I roll off the bed and twist my hair up in a messy bun. Glancing up, I find them still staring at me with unreadable expressions.

  “What?” I demand, moving to the dresser to check my reflection. Nope, everything looks fine.

  “You probably shouldn’t be rolling around in that dress, Trouble.” Clayton manages and shifts uncomfortably.

  “Oookay…” I say slowly, tilting my head. “Why?”

  Samil clears his throat. “You just flashed us when you…” he makes a circling motion with his hand.

  I shake my head laughing. “Whatever. Remember that next time you think it’s a good idea to let yourself in my room. Then you won’t have to worry about embarrassing yourselves.” I squeeze between Samil and Ian and head downstairs, leaving them to figure out whatever it is they need to do. Who would have thought having manners would be so hard.

  I reach the kitchen and check the refrigerator, looking for something that I can put together for lunch. I don’t know why I bother; as usual it’s full of takeout containers Mom brought home, and not much else. I’ve yet to figure out why she bothers with them. She refuses to eat leftovers, and it just feels weird for me to eat them. Especially since I don’t know what they are most of the time. Closing the door, I move to the pantry. After some digging, I find a bag of pasta and a jar labeled spaghetti sauce. Taking them to the island, I start reading the directions. Someone clears their throat and I look over to see Samil leaning in the doorway.