Siren Calls (The Rise of Ares Book 1)

by Jade Frances

  “It’s ok Rosemary, she will come back, she’s probably just finding it hard to adjust to the situation. It has to be a big change for her,” I said the words soothingly whilst pushing her hair out of her face.

  “I know, I know, but I didn’t expect this from her. Avetta has told us just how well you have taken everything, pushing through like you have always known. She was excited at first,” she gasped.

  Her shoulders went rigid beneath me and I lost my balance a bit. Then she spoke so fast I hardly caught a word of it.

  “Oh my, how could I have been so stupid, she wasn’t really angry at you! I’m sorry I have to leave, I have to find her and explain, I’ll be back and don’t leave the house! Don’t turn on the lights or use anything! Taylor I’ll be on the grounds don’t attack it’s just me, whistle first and ill whistle back, if I don’t, well, then attack.”

  Rosemary stood up and walked halfway across the room. Suddenly she stopped and turned around with a big smile on her face, a teasing glint in her eye.

  “Oh, and Evangeline get some sleep, I know Taylor being here makes you happy, a familiar face and all, but you have a lot to take in, you need all of your energy. I don’t want you awake when I get back!” she turned to Taylor, raising her eyebrows, then turned and ran out of the room.

  “Yes, Ma’am,” I muttered after her.

  I could feel his eyes in the back of my head. I turned slowly to look into his face. He was smiling, his eyes alight with admiration.

  “What?” I asked, blushing and giggling nervously. Walking over, he sat in the seat next to me, wrapping his arms around my legs and gently pulling them onto his lap.

  “What are you staring at, you loser?” I teased, hitting him lightly on his chest. His grin widened as he continued to stare.

  “Nothing just you.”

  “And why might you be staring at me Mr.?”

  “You just amaze me, after everything that has happened, everything you have sat there and listened to, you just take it with a pinch of salt like there’s nothing going on. Like nothings drastically changed in your life. I was watching you so closely, just waiting for the moment that you would crack, and it never came.” I grabbed his face in between my hands and stared right back while I thought of what to say.

  “I don’t care if this sounds cheesy at all, but as long as I’m here with you none of it matters, you’re my friend. The brother I never had. As long as you’re breathing the same air as me I feel safe, you’re my rock Tay. You always have been, I just never noticed it.”

  Taylor’s reaction made me draw my breath in too sharp. Looking as though he would run away, his eyes held no emotion. I remember the last time this happened and my stomach turned over, making me feel nauseous. I watched, just waiting for him to dart out of the room, but he just looked towards the fireplace. The shadows reflecting on him showed how well built he was. Suddenly he turned back towards me and I braced myself for what was coming. It all happened quickly, I barely saw him move but suddenly his face was inches away from me, then I felt his lips moulding themselves around mine. Shock hit me at first, then for a split second I wanted to punch him in the face. Instead, I went for a gentle push. This was definitely a moment I hadn’t expected to happen.

  “Tay no,” I mumbled as I pulled away.

  I felt him tense. This was awkward, I could feel heat rising to my cheeks. Inside me as well, the rage was burning. But I couldn’t be angry. Maybe I had given him that kind of impression. Taylor laughed as he stared at me.

  “Sorry Eve, wrong end of the stick. It’s time for you to go to bed.”

  “But...”

  “No Eve, I don’t fancy a beating from Rose tonight. It’s fine. I’m not going anywhere. You said I was like a brother. You just need some sleep, please for me.”

  I knew he was just being logical. He had crossed the friendship line, and I’m sure he couldn’t shake the feeling of rejection. I was defeated and couldn’t resist though, bedtime it was. I could tell by the enormous grin he was flashing at me he knew he had won and there was nothing I could say. It wasn’t worth the energy. Slowly he put one hand behind my back and the other underneath my legs and lifted me as if cradling a baby. I was sleepy now, all the talking and listening had mentally and emotionally drained me. As he walked with me in his arms, I paid no attention to where we were heading; I didn’t even look as he climbed the stairs. I just laid my head on Taylor’s chest sleepily. I would explore the house tomorrow.

  I didn’t even notice we had entered a room until he laid me on top of a big double bed. I lifted my weary head to take a quick glance around. There was something strangely familiar about it, but as I looked back at Taylor, that thought washed away.

  “Will you stay?” I asked, hopeful that he would say yes, but feeling guilty that I had asked after what had just happened.

  “If you wish me to stay then I will, but only if you go to sleep,” he winked at me and I smiled back. He pulled the covers up to my shoulders, then walked away. I sat up watching, curious about what he was doing. He picked up a blanket and lay it on the floor.

  “Tay you know you don’t have to do that. We could top and tail?” I suggested, but I could barely get the words out as my teeth chattered away. It was freezing in this room.

  “No Eve, we can’t,” he glanced at me sadly.

  I watched him as he walked towards the fireplace, lighting it with ease. I lay my head back on the pillow, feeling much more comfortable as I felt the heat of it fill the room. Before laying on the floor, Taylor walked over to kiss the top of my head.

  “Night Eve. I’ll keep you safe,” He whispered into my ear, stuttering slightly.

  I yawned.

  “Night Tay, and you better or I’ll kick your ass,” I answered back, muffling a laugh.

  “Oh, Tay quick question before I doze off. What are you? What is your gift?” I whispered through the dark, silent room.

  “You’ve had enough information for one-night Eve, now sleep.”

  I knew he wouldn’t talk anymore tonight, so I decided not to push it. I could hear his steady breathing. Something about it calmed me, made me even more sleepy, and I could feel my eyelids drooping and my mind shutting down. My last thought was, finally, I’m somewhere they can accept me, I might even have a family.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  The next week was uneventful, Rosemary and Taylor were in and out doing god knows what, and Darryl still hadn’t dared to come near me. Sandra was also still absent, but Rosemary didn’t seem too worried, so I guess she knew she was safe. As I headed from breakfast up to my room to gather some washing.

  “I know I haven’t given you a chance but I will try, maybe one day you will understand.” Darryl gave me the fright of my life sneaking up behind me. Not even waiting for a response, he began striding down the hall back to his room. Well, I guess that was an improvement. Glancing back to watch him, a sense of familiarization hit me. He most definitely reminded me of someone. The walk, the hair, so familiar. Shrugging it off, I continued to my room feeling a bit isolated. Everyone seemed to have something to do or somewhere to be, but me. Throwing myself onto my bed, I felt something crumple under my arm. Lifting it, I saw a note.

  Meet me in the barn when you get this

  You’ve had enough rest

  Rose

  X

  Wondering what it was about, I figured there was only one way to find out. Heaving myself up and off the bed, I headed outside. I had been to the barn when I was having a nosy around, but it was full of junk you could hardly move in there. Maybe Rose needed help to clean it out. Standing outside I called her name, but with no answer I decided to just push the double doors open. What I saw amazed me, and I stood rooted to the spot. The entire barn was clear of rubbish and in its replacement was a gym full of all sorts.

  “Surprise,” Rose screamed, jumping out on me from behind the door, nearly giving me a heart attack. “Now do not fear little one, you will learn to use your gifts, but you will also have de
fense training. And according to Avetta you, my dear, are far from fit.”

  “Jeez way to make a girl feel good about herself Rose.” With a smile plastered on her face she walked further into the barn ignoring my comment.

  “Come. We start now!” she barked at me.

  Looking down at my t-shirt and jean shorts, I shook my head. Could have warned me, I thought jokingly to myself. Well, there was no backing out now. Let the games begin.

  ***

  The following weeks, I endured intense training. It was exhausting but exhilarating at the same time. Some days I sparred with Rose and Darryl, occasionally I sparred with Taylor, but he always held back, and I, like Rose said, have no time for that. He had only been around a little, and whatever awkwardness we had shared was non-existent now. I like the big brother vibe. It was like nothing had ever happened. I didn’t feel anxious when he disappeared here and there, in fact I barely had the time to think about him. That was probably because every second I was awake, I was being worked hard by Rose or Darryl. They wanted me to be ready for anything. I didn’t really have the time to worry about anything else. We didn’t know when or where the Veil would come for me, and every day that passed; I worried just that bit more.

  “Evvy! Come, let’s eat, it’s getting late, I think that’s enough for one day!” Rose called from the makeshift weights area.

  Trudging along, I could feel every muscle in my body aching. It felt like they had stretched too much, like an elastic band about to snap.

  “Everything ok little one? You looked lost in thought for a moment there.” Rose asked me.

  “Yeah, I’m fine, maybe just pushing myself hard,” I replied as I was rubbing and rolling my shoulders.

  I gave Rose an encouraging smile and jogged past her. Between cardio workouts and tapping into my gift, I barely had the energy to eat anymore. I was always pleased at the end of the day though, especially now I had successfully mastered the art of throwing my mixture of fire and light at Rose. Who quickly and easily deflected it with rocks and anything else that wasn’t flammable. I was jealous of how easily it came to her, but I was getting there. My aim was perfect, I didn’t know how I hadn’t been able to do it with Avetta. Rose thinks I might have been trying too hard, overthinking it. My anger wasn’t the fuel needed for my gift, I just had to believe in myself. The first time I attempted it with Rose, I closed my eyes and calmly imagined the heat flowing through me. I felt it spreading through every fibre and embraced it. Then when I opened my eyes, there it was, a ball of flames and light sitting in my hand.

  I was so pleased I had barely noticed the plank of wood flying towards me as Rose started the training. With a flick of my wrist, my fire had hit it smack in the middle. Incinerating it just a few feet away from me. Today we had decided there was no more training to be done with my gift. I could turn it on and off as I liked and controlled, throwing it flawlessly with next to no effort at all. I could call it to me, release it, and also reign my energy back in. I knew it worried Rose how capable I was. I saw her after she used her gift. I noticed the sweat dripping off her forehead. She turned pale after a length of time, and I knew it took a toll on her. I didn’t seem to tire as much, but it wasn’t something I was too concerned about. As we all sat down to eat dinner, looking around I realised how much fun I had. How caring my newfound friends had turned out to be. Even Darryl had warmed to me a bit more and sometimes even teased me. A door slammed, and I jumped out of my seat. Rose was suddenly in front of me, as was Darryl.

  It was so silent you could have heard a pin drop. The door to the hallway started creaking open slowly. Sandra strolled in without a care in the world.

  “What’s with you guys, only me,” with a small smirk she sat on the chair opposite to the one I had occupied.

  “You can at least call ahead you no, not like you’ve been here for weeks!” spat Rose a spiteful hint to her tone.

  “Come on now girls, sit eat, talk later when me and Evvy don’t have to listen, because to be honest I really don’t care to hear it,” Darryl spoke out.

  I stifled a laugh as Darryl shot the girls a cheeky grin and sat back down to eat his dinner. The boy sure could pack away his food.

  We filled the next half hour with awkward silence, and I was grateful when everyone had finished. I offered to do the dishes, but Rosemary told me to not bother and that she and her sister were doing them. Which was rewarded with a groan from Sandra. Wandering up to my room, I decided to shower and go to bed, get an early night. Appearing from the bathroom, a cold gust of wind caused me to shuffle backward. I noticed my window was open. Odd, maybe it was Darryl mucking about. After running over to shut it, I threw myself under the quilt in an attempt to get warm. As I went to flick off the lamp beside me, I noticed an envelope that hadn’t been there before. Picking it up shakily, I looked at the handwriting on the front which I didn’t recognize, and a weird feeling of dread spread through me.

  “What the?” I whispered into the night.

  Jumping up, I ran over to the window to look outside, but I saw nothing.

  Just as I was about to turn back, something caught my eye in the far distance. I was sure it was just a coyote; I had seen one roaming around most nights. Jumping back into the warmth of my bed, I ripped open the envelope, prepared to face whatever was inside.

  Evvy,

  I am so glad to see you are safe.

  See you soon

  That was it. Fury ripped through me after I finished reading. Was someone messing with me. It didn’t even make sense! I had come very far in the past few months. I had overcome a lot. I didn’t need to be ridiculed. Nothing about this note or how it got into my room made sense. As the fury started to slowly melt away, I could think more clearly. Sandra was back, she had left because of me, she could of came up here before joining us for dinner. It was clear she hated me, but could it have been a note from Avetta that she had passed on? Jumping out of bed, I ran down the stairs to find Rose.

  “Hey, do you know if Avetta sent me a note?” I asked her.

  “Nothing I’m aware of, are you expecting something?” she asked.

  “Never mind,” I told her, feeling deflated.

  Once I was back in bed, I let the rest of my anger dissipate. Only other person left was Sandra, and she wasn’t worth my time. I don’t know what she would get out of this stupid note, but I wouldn’t play along.

  The morning after, I had pushed the note to the back of my mind. We were seated around the table and Rose was about to announce who would train where.

  “Darryl you’re with me in the barn, Sandra you’re with Evvy,” she stated and strolled out the room.

  “No way, why do I get her,” Sandra whined as if I weren’t in the room.

  “Chin up, buttercup. You can give it your best shot,” Darryl tugged a strand of her hair as he walked by. Her hand shot out to punch him in the gut.

  I stifled a laugh at their camaraderie. Sandra shot me a dirty look, which sobered me. Sandra and I were in the field, which meant we were working on our gifts.

  “Outside,” Rose shouted from the hallway. Scraping my chair back, I reluctantly walked out.

  Looking over at Sandra as we walked toward the field, I could see her smirking.

  “Think you can take me on human?” I winced at the name calling but tried not to let it show. Sandra had seemed quiet and timid when I had first met her, I wonder what had brought this hatred on.

  “It’s just training Sandra don’t get ahead of yourself,” flipping my hair over my shoulder, I strutted past her. Feeling satisfaction in knowing it would irritate her.

  There was a change in the air, a slight buzz of energy, and I ducked as a stream of water gushed passed, just above my head. Spinning to face her, I saw an angry glint in her narrowed eyes and knew in that moment this wasn’t just training. Taking up a defensive stance, I readied myself for the next attack. I would not make the first move, I didn’t want to hurt her. Just as I was distracted trying to think of the bes
t way to defend myself, a second rush of water hurled towards me. Much bigger than the last. I couldn’t exactly put it out with fire! I didn’t have time to think of a way to deflect it, so I just threw up my arms to protect my face. A loud gasp forced me to open my eyes. No water had hit me. As I looked, I saw the water slowly sliding down an invisible barrier of air. Looking over to Sandra, her eyes were wide, and her mouth was hanging open.

  “How did you do that Evangeline, we only manipulate our own elements,” she yelled.

  “I, I don’t know.” I replied, just as shocked as she was.

  Lowering my arms, the barrier disappeared, and the water fell to the floor.

  “I’m going to talk to Rose,” and with that Sandra ran back to the house.

  “Well great, I’m even more of a freak than everyone thought,” I muttered to myself. I didn’t want to go back to the house, so I turned to walk the grounds and came face to face with a wolf.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Staring at the massive wolf only a few feet away from me, I realized it had literally appeared out of nowhere. Move Evangeline, do something! I couldn’t though, I was frozen in place. Mesmerized by its green eyes, how odd for an animal to just stare like that. Maybe this is what I had seen from my bedroom window, although I thought that was a coyote. It wasn’t moving toward me and didn’t look menacing in the slightest. A low, deep growl snapped me back to my senses. I could feel someone or something behind me and slowly I turned my head, but not too far. I didn’t want to lose sight of the wolf in front of me. I glimpsed another wolf, much the same as the one in front of me, just a bit smaller. It was coming up behind me, teeth bared and snarling.

  “Run to the barn Evvy as fast as you can!”

  I thought I heard Rose, but that was impossible since she was nowhere near me.

  “Duck! Run! Now!”

  She was in my head! I ducked quickly to the left, feeling a strong breeze as something leaped mid-air just above me. Right where my head would have been. Not stopping to look, I ran as fast as I could towards the barn. The training having paid off because I felt like I was flying.