Alex folded his arms across his chest and jumped in. “At this point in time, Rufus, your enhancement is what can make a difference. If we manage to perfect the fabric we’re working on and your mind manipulation abilities, then we stand a chance to fight.” Alexandre thrust a hand through his untamed dark hair and took to the intersat.
“So let’s not waste any more time and train!” Zoey’s words took everyone by surprise.
γ
By 9:35 p.m. Rufus had managed to extend his mind manipulation enhancement to a good eleven seconds. A towel hung damp around his neck as salty drops crossed his temple and plopped on the floor as he reached for the water. Alex had worn him to a frazzle in a marathon where both pushed for excellence. Rufus wanted to be the one to take Etienne out. And Beck. Either would do at this point.
Sweat trailed on his back, sticking shirt to skin. He nodded at the same optan lady who didn’t seem to mind serving the purpose. “Time!” He shouted, knowing it had become Alexandre’s favorite word. He didn’t even look at him, knowing he was on the other side of this otherwise huge translucent room.
On the opposite side of the training room, in her very own kalenium box, stood Zoey, monitored by Lilou. “Alright Zoey, close your eyes and find it in you!” Lilou’s high octaves pierced through the speakers. A life size dummy stood before her—specifically, the third she was supposed to fry this evening. A heavy smell lingered in the air along with the echoes of James’s voice she couldn’t seem to shake off.
Accessing her inner thunder was incredibly easy with that band adorning her wrist. Energy channeled through her veins and out of her fingers under Lilou’s guidance. It nearly became a habit. On the downside, levitating mid-way proved itself a distracting side-effect. Because unlike the optans, both Rufus and herself came flawed with the aftermaths of their gifts: liquefying and levitating uncontrollably. And they both sucked at taming the latter.
The awareness of losing ground while trying to channel the electric wave that ripped through her, broke the flow in involuntary rapid bursts of light instead of a long, steady streak. Unlike the little studio in the Victorian mansion, this room was thankfully fireproof.
The trigger unraveled in her core, releasing itself from within with a familiar silence. It then spread through her limbs and she became aware her feet were no longer anchored. “Crap!” A burst of light escaped her hands while she was trying to regain balance. “It’s like walking on ice, Lilou, the moment I can’t feel the ground anymore, it’s like—I lose it!”
“The grip is not in the gravity, Zoey.” The sliding door closed behind Lilou, so she leaned against it with her hands behind her back. “You’re not afraid to move when you’re in water because you’re used to the feeling, you know what to expect. Gravity is about the same thing, learning to swing without the pull.” A soft smile spread across her features, making her look even younger. “Try to give in, embrace the flow, find your inner Nemo.” For someone not raised on Earth, Lilou sure brought the pop swag to the equation.
Zoey glanced at her own hands as if they were foreign. “What’s coming out of me?” It made Lilou break a cackle and shake her head at Zoey.
“Electric discharge. The radiation increased a little but nothing too alarming.” She pulled Zoey to the floor. “So far. But Alex thinks you can be more than the Goddess of Lightning.” She winked and stretched her arms above her head. Producing and wielding gamma rays seemed terribly ambitious at this point. “Did you talk to Jasper?”
If there was anything Zoey needed as much as air, it was normal girl time. But this was fickle ground. “It’s complicated.” This much was true. “Where is he, anyway?”
Changing the subject didn’t work on Lilou. She counterattacked with a meaningful stare. “Probably on the seventh round of briefing already. We have a big day tomorrow, Sam and Emma are coming, Mia… I’ll pick them up from the airport myself.” Even Lilou looked hopeful. This was their silver lining coming together amongst all the chaos. “I think you should rest, you’ve had a lot on your plate today.” Did she ever; all her body felt heavy and blistered.
“What are you going to tell them?”
“That I’m going to escort them to their hotel. The Timeline crew will restore their memories once they get here, so they’ll be able to remember everything: us, June, Etienne. And then you’ll be free to catch up. Now, I believe your bed is calling.”
“You sure?” She couldn’t pass on that offer, so when Lilou nodded, she jumped out the door. “Um, how do I reach my floor?” There was nothing to indicate the fourth floor in the capsule.
“Just go in and ask it nicely.” She peeked at Zoey from under her eyelashes. “It’ll know!”
With that thought in mind, and hoping Lilou wasn’t pulling a prank, she followed the instructions and was back in her bedroom in under a minute. A quick shower later, she succumbed to the calling of the velvety cushions.
“Oh I heard you were trouble
And you heard I was trouble
But your name is a wave washing over me
No games just a slave to you totally”
Mikky Ekko—Pull me down
It was 7:45 a.m. and Zoey’s eyes scanned her phone. A gazillion pictures from her moms’ cruise popped up. They looked so happy in flowery dresses and matching hats, perfect smiles plastered across sun kissed faces as they raised their cocktail glasses for the picture. Jane and Margaret had waited over twenty years for a proper honeymoon and this trip seemed to be worth the wait.
In Finland, Valentine’s Day is a celebration of friendship. We’re the only ones who got it wrong!
Margaret’s text came followed by an array of emoticons which, as usual, had Zoey muffle a laugh under her blanket. Like the time Ma innocently got funky with the expression you’re a peach. It was moments like these when her heart barely fit in her chest with longing. There was just so much to live for, and so much she owed her family.
Boarding, chicken!!! I’ll see you on the other side…
Sam on the other hand, never got her eggplant emoticon wrong. Nor the endless smirks that followed. This particular Valentine’s Day was shaping up as an interesting one. Zoey let out a long sigh and hopped out of bed. If none of this had happened, she’d be back with her twin soul friends shopping for socks, making plans, slumber parties and grazing on the unknowns of molecular gastronomy at the courtesy of The D.C.
None of this was her reality anymore.
She’d managed to drag her friends into the worst possible scenario and life had turned against her, ripping what was left of her sanity to shreds. How was she supposed to take part in James’s murder? A vivid image of his face crossed her mind as she turned the rain shower on. It didn’t vanish.
‘What would you do if you found yourself in the position where you had to save one life or one hundred?’ That’s what he’d asked her on the morning of her twenty-fourth birthday and his voice came crystal clear in her thoughts. ‘I’d obviously save the majority. Unless than one was you; then I’d save you.’ And that had been her answer. Her stupid answer to a stupid question that would come back to bite her in the ass. James would bring the universe down for her, saving her planet with everyone she held dear. She on the other hand, was in a position where she’d need to lure him into what would become his death to save billions. Still not a fair trade.
Damn you, James! Her thoughts got louder. She was scrubbing herself hysterically, the luffa leaving red traces on freckled skin. There was nothing she wouldn’t do for those she loved, yet no way of coming out of this equation unharmed. Richard’s face flashed through her thoughts as she wrapped her body in a pink towel and headed toward the bedroom. Someone had left a pair of dark blue sweatpants and a white t-shirt on the bed. She pulled them to her chest and thought of Jasper.
Lilou was right. Nothing good was bound to come out of this and Jasper would only endanger his future, his life, his job if she got in the way. Whatever they had going on wouldn’t last. Whatever side she’d choose
to be on, would be a losing side. She slid the sweatpants on and pulled a bra out of her luggage. It couldn’t last. The t-shirt came on just as quickly and she collapsed against the duvet in a crucified pose.
“Hey.” And all rational thought fled at the sound of his voice. She raised her head startled, only to see him at the foot of the bed in his matching sweatpants and dark blue t-shirt, arms folded across his chest as he brazenly stared with a devilish smirk.
Her hands went straight for her face. Oh, crap! She didn’t even realize when he’d portalled in the middle of her inner drama, interrupting her thoughts. “How much did you see?”
“I don’t know. A little?” That smug smirk never left his lips and it was always like that with him—hot and cold flashes. “I um, I have something for you.” Zoey’s eyes got wider as she pulled herself in a sitting position in the middle of the bed. “Mind if I join you?” It was now when she realized Jasper held his hands behind his back.
All she could do was nod. As if he paralyzed her brain and numb neurons suddenly went belly up in his presence. They sat face to face on the bed, legs tucked under, like you’d sit around a campfire. “I’m not really authorized to leave the premises at this time, but…” he brought his hand forward, revealing a Snickers bar and two snowdrops. “It is Valentine’s Day and Google tells me flowers and chocolate are in order.” He held the ensemble together like you’d hold a bunch of flowers and extended it to her in an awkward gesture with a smile that was his and only his.
God dammit. The effect he had on her was tantalizing, all her senses responding to him on levels she suddenly became aware of. She stood there, committing this moment to memory in a silent stare. On the stage of her mind, she was looking at the most beautiful portrait her eyes had fallen upon, in all its edges and angles, crafting the look of an angel. Until she lowered her gaze to his lips and there was no doubt around their unholiness. Jasper smiled, still trying to figure her out, but his eyes had a plan of their own, pinned on her freckles like some kind of Holy Grail.
“Thank you.” There was a flicker in her eyes as she took ahold of her present. “I was definitely not expecting this.” Her fingers landed on his forearm. “Jasper, I…” but his lips silenced her before she could get a chance to speak, the taste of him alone giving her a rush to remember. He clung to her more tightly because she was finally real, finally there.
“I know what you’re about to say” she gasped as his fingers made a run for her neck, his thumb resting under her chin “I wanted to come in here and end it all.” Her mouth instantly dried at the sound of his words. “Because it’s easy” he rested his forehead against hers “because it’s one less thing to worry about...” Their lips brushed once more, self-control draining out of her as she climbed into his lap. He managed to bring out a side of her that she didn’t recognize. His hands slid down her waist and trailed up underneath her shirt, grazing the thin fabric of her bra. Shivers danced on her skin and there was living need in the way she crushed against his mouth. He took her in. He took her all in. Right now was all they had and with that desperate kiss he told her everything that words would fail to.
“We’d risk it all.” She panted, unable to detach herself from him as he pulled her closer with one arm, flipping her around until she landed on her back.
The hot intensity of his gaze landed on her. “I choose to surrender to you. I want to. For as long as we have.” Maybe it was the honesty in his words, or the way his eyes always found hers, startled and awakened by whatever took over him in her presence. He looked at her as if she’d always been the answer, and felt, in the depths of his being that it was mutual.
“For as long as we have.” Her eyes had confirmed it before she even spoke, and this time, it was she who pulled him closer. A frenzy of sparks followed as she removed his t-shirt.
“And you won’t fight me on this one.” Jasper spoke as he let his fingers trail at her side while kissing her eyelids. Her entire consciousness focused on the movement of his fingers, the warmth of his hand against her hipbones, lowering her sweatpants until they were no more. He didn’t rush when he sank his lips above the line of her panties, the corners of his lips kicking up at the sight of her toes curling. Everything accelerated; her breath deepened as his lips brushed over hers in a brief and torturous move.
“You owe me a blood test, Zoey!” Lilou’s voice outside the door caught them both by surprise as they stared at each other, nearly jumping out of their skin. “I hope you’re decent cause I’m coming in,” she announced.
Oh my God! This is not happening! Before Zoey even had time to pull her sweatpants back on, Jasper rolled under the bed faster than a speeding bullet.
“Whoa, pull those darn pants up the promised land!” Lilou squealed, covering her eyes. It left Zoey wondering if Lilou was some kind of mother hen in Jasper’s eyes. One that shouldn’t see her baby chicks straying from the path of justice to pursue other… interests.
“Just how much time have you spent around Sam?”
“Not enough, considering she’s downstairs starting a breakfast pie-eating competition with Rufus! Hands behind their backs and everything.”
Zoey’s heart raced to the millionth degree, nearly forgetting the elephant in the room… well, under the bed. She bolted by the door on one leg as she was still getting her trainers on and spun on her heels. This Valentine’s Day felt like Christmas.
The purest of intentions
When they opened the door to what clearly looked like a lunch room, Zoey’s eyes landed on the breakfast buffet standing proud, colorful and larger-than-life in the center of the room as three hungry bodies gravitated around it like it was their first encounter with food.
Emma. Only Emma could look that good after endless flights, her blonde hair wrapped in a neat low bun. Butterscotch cashmere sweater and pencil skirt aside, she still rocked the best legs Zoey had ever seen. Beside her, Sam defied February in her low cut jeans and tank top, sharing a good laugh with Rufus. Even from a reasonable distance, Zoey’s eyes fell on her perfect French braid. One of Sam’s talents: Dutch, fishtail, halo, waterfall, Sam’s fingers could braid the living crap out of any hair even with the mother of hangovers.
Leave it to Sam to make friends in under a minute, Zoey smiled to herself as she wished, only for a second, to become invisible and take this moment in without getting caught. The people she loved most getting-ready-to-finger-spready all over the buffet. When the door closed behind the new arrivals, the breakfasteers turned around in various shades of excitement.
“Are you really here?” Zoey blurted, jolting toward Sam who met her halfway. Pie crumbs still stuck to her glossy dark cherry lips as she puckered up and hugged her back with CrossFit strength.
“Is a pig’s pecker pork?” Emma shook her head at Sam’s greeting and joined in the group hug and giggle, ruffling up Zoey’s hair like she made a habit of.
“Are you… up to date with everything?” Zoey’s question was met by Emma’s arms, quick to envelope her in a mother-hen hug.
She squeezed a fraction harder. “I think that would take at least a lifetime or two.” Emma’s eyes locked on Zoey’s in shared understanding. They held each other for that split second, feeling Lilou and Rufus join in. It was one of those moments, big enough to bring them all together in an epic hug that didn’t feel one bit weird at all.
Except for Alex, who walked straight into the room, seemingly unmoved by all the PDA. “Morning.” Plate in hand, he stepped up to the breakfast bar and filled it with everything he could get his hands on. If anything, Sam already envisioned him linking this group hug to primates building a stick house in the communal village square.
She cocked a brow his way. “Tighter than a bull’s ass at fly time, I see!” The giggle spread through the crowd. “Missed you too, handsome!” She waved a sailor salute and walked toward him only to snatch a strawberry from his plate and dig her teeth in. “Those coveralls” she spoke tentatively “a little tight on you, eh?”
&n
bsp; Rufus ditched the flip-flops in favor of proper trainers and a t-shirt which looked blessed by Lord Iron—seen with the same frequency as the Easter Bunny on Rufus’s side of the world. Cargo pants on, beard freshly groomed and smelling squeaky clean, he rubbed his hands in anticipation. “Man, your friends are awesome, Zoey! Emma said she’ll even let me give her a haircut.” While Emma’s smile dissipated, Zoey remembered Jasper had told her about Rufus and his professional expertise. “Expert barber and hair stylist at your service, ladies.” He bent the knee and fluttered a hand in curtsy.
“Love him already!” Sam draped an arm around his shoulders. “So, what do you guys do for fun around here?” Sam got the following: an eye roll from Alex, a tilted head and confused stare from Lilou and a shrug from Zoey. “Really?”
Lilou jumped in as she grabbed a plate. “Today is a good day, a big day for us.” Her kalenium beeped before she could continue, and her eyes widened at the sight of it. “She’s here. Mia is here!”
Rufus was caught mid-sentence when Lilou vanished before his eyes in a cloud of blue. He tensed, pulling his body to the floor and intertwining his fingers at the nape of his neck. Chest coming alive like an engine, his blood began to roar under his skin.
Get a fucking grip, man! But his body didn’t listen. Anticipation was a nervous kind of energy, spiraling through his rib cage like a wild animal on the loose. Untamed. As if the oxygen around him wasn’t enough to sustain the state of his body.
Sam watched him joining his hands in a praying gesture instinctively, framing his face between the index finger and the thumb and breathing into the small space. “Come here big man.” She lowered herself next to him and moved her hand across his back. “They’re probably just scanning her to check everything’s fine; we just went through the same process.” She locked eyes with Alex. “Right?”
Found in Amber Page 7
