KIngdom of Embers (Kingdom Journals Book 1) Page 11

  “Okay, miss.” He pushed the down button for the elevator. Mother didn’t leave much, but when she did, Will almost always went with her. He’d been in her service for two hundred years. Like Mother, Orm, and Elizabeth, he had no family. With an apartment one floor below ours, he was never far.

  At the pool, I shed my cover-ups and dove into the water. Letting my body equilibrate with the cooler water, I swam until I sensed Will’s large body looming over the edge of the pool as I flipped to take another lap.

  “It has been half an hour. I don’t want you to cool your body too much,” Will said, holding up a towel.

  I jumped onto the pool deck. “Mind if I get in the hot tub for a few minutes?”

  He looked at his watch. “It’s after ten.”

  “Ten minutes then.” I skipped to the warm frothing pool.

  I heard my door swing open. “Good morning. Did you sleep well?” Elizabeth called to me.

  Stretching my hands above my head, I sighed. “Yes. If only I could sleep all day.”

  “Well, when you get to be an old lady like me, you can sleep whenever you want.”

  “This week is going to be better.” I zipped to her side, planting a kiss on her cheek.

  “I think someone has switched your spirit, madam.”

  “No, Elizabeth, things are going to get better. They are going to capture that rogue vampire and people are going to be nice to me.” I squeezed her shoulders, thinking I had everything under control. I had two days to focus on Hunter before Fahim’s bookstore had daytime hours. “Wonder what a good swim and a night’s rest can do.”

  I showered and tried to choose an outfit. Nothing seemed right, and I flipped through my magazine and copied the first teenager-appropriate look I found. I’d never had trouble with clothes before, but thinking about Nick and Hunter had me all confused.

  “You look cute today,” Mother said, looking up from her coffee.

  “Thanks.” Reaching her, I kissed her on the cheek.

  “Normal day?” she asked.

  “Yes, cheerleading, then gymnastics.”

  “What of lunch?” Elizabeth asked, setting a plate of fruit and cheese in front of me.

  “Can I go to the library? I have more research to do.”

  “That project seems very time consuming. I want you to text Orm when you leave school and get to the library.”

  “Okay.” I popped a grape into my mouth, glad I didn’t have to be driven. “It’s amazing what humans have cooked up about witches over the centuries.”

  After finalizing my outfit with ankle boots from my room, I met Orm in the foyer. At school, I found Sophie in the front hall at our usual spot. The building buzzed with rumors and gossip from the weekend’s activities, making it hard to focus on our conversation.

  Hannah and Melody approached us. “Hi, girls. Thanks for coming to my party,” Hannah started.

  “Thanks for having me. It was fun,” I told her.

  “I’m surprised your mom let you come.”

  “I was too.” I chuckled nervously.

  Hannah put her hand to her hip and looked to Sophie. “Well, are we planning on going to Homecoming together again this year? If so, we should get a reservation for the limo soon.

  “Sure.” Sophie straightened her back. “Are you in, Alena?”

  “Do you guys have dates already?”

  Melody stuck her hip out. “No, but we will by the end of the week. I think Nick’s going to ask you.”

  Part of me rejoiced, and the other part felt let down. What was the fun in knowing the person would ask you?

  “You will say yes, right?” Melody continued.

  “Mom said I could go, so I guess.”

  “Your mom said you could go?” Sophie squealed and jumped into the air.

  Her high-pitched call nearly pierced my eardrum, but I steeled my jaw to keep from crumbling to the floor.

  All the knowledge about Homecoming made seeing Nick in class awkward. I wondered if Melody already told him I would say yes. Still, he acted no different than the previous days, save he leaned in a little closer and walked almost hip to hip with me to our next class.

  Before my fourth period class, I called a new sushi restaurant to place my lunch order. Not knowing what Hunter liked, I ordered him two rolls, shrimp tempura, and some edamame. As soon as the bell rang, I made my apologies to Nick and darted human-speed out the door. Wishing it were dark, I walked as fast as I dared to the restaurant and then to the library.

  “Only one minute late. Glad I didn’t have to start worrying if you were going to ditch me.”

  “Never. I got food. Do you want to get to work?”

  “Sure. I don’t think they’re going to let us eat in there.”

  “No one will be on upper floors this time of day.” I grabbed his hand and pulled him to the entrance.

  Shaking his hand from mine, he caught up with me. “So, have you made friends at school?”

  “A few. Well, two, maybe.”

  “Why maybe?” He held the door for me to walk through.

  “One is a boy who might ask me to Homecoming, so I’m not sure he counts. I’ve know him five days, so…” I shrugged my shoulders as I entered the stairwell.

  “So, he likes you. Do you like him? Like, like him?”

  “I don’t know. How about you?” I heaved the metal door on the top floor open. “What’s your excuse for hanging out at the library all the time?”

  “I have to get my grades up for the school I want to get in. I can’t count on a basketball scholarship.”

  “What about your friends? What would they think of you hanging out with me?”

  “What, a girl from Uni?” he asked as we found a computer in the corner.

  “I meant a weirdo allergy chick. What’s Uni?” I scrunched up my nose.

  “University High. You’re at Uni, I’m at Samo and then there’s Pali, Palisades, all rival schools.”

  “So, my cheerleader and football player friends would think it was bad to be with you?”

  “I thought you only had one friend. But yes.”

  “Great! Relationship challenge number two. But what do I care. Here.” I pulled out the take-out food and handed him his bag.

  “How much food did you get? I brought my own lunch.” He put one of the containers on the table beside the computer.

  “Oh, okay. Well, I didn’t know what you liked.”

  “Not that I’m complaining. This is way better than peanut butter and jelly.”

  “You eat, I’ll type. What are keywords? Nineteen ninety-nine and spiritual significance?” I navigated to the search section on the internet browser. Opening the top hit, I scanned the screen. “Hey, look at this.”

  I quoted the text for him. “Nineteen ninety-nine symbolizes the vibration of Longinus, the name of the Roman centurion that wielded the sword that pierced Jesus’s side during the crucifixion. When blood and water poured from the wound, it proved Jesus to be both human and divine. The miracle led many to believe in Christ. The lance of Longinus has been passed to men who have greatly contributed to the cause of peace. Arthur, Charlemagne, and Lincoln are prominent examples of individuals who have held the sword of Longinus.”

  “That’s the story I told you about.” Hunter set a book beside the keyboard. “This one.”

  Scanning ahead, I summarized the rest. “Any individual who passes the vigorous and demanding tests necessary to qualify for the energy of the Longinus sword will share in the manifestation of the group Avatar energy presently prepared for the year 1999.” I closed the book.

  “Group Avatar. That is pretty heavy stuff.”

  I typed in the internet search screen: spear of destiny. The top hit brought me to a religious website. Scanning the text, I landed on the second paragraph, reading the last sentence aloud: “Is it possible that the spear that pierced Jesus on the Cross has the power to control the world for either good or evil purposes?”

  “So, the bearer of this sword would
have power. Where is the sword now?” Hunter pointed to the screen. “The Spear of Destiny is a fictional story. Skip that. Go to these sites.”

  We studied the information on several pages, but it all seemed to be the same. Navigating to another site, we found Hitler was rumored to be the last bearer of the sword. General Patten had taken it from him, but being unworthy to bear it had succumbed to the curse and died.

  “That’s pretty heavy.” Hunter said. “Do people believe this stuff?”

  “Here, you navigate. I need to eat.” I slid over, giving him room in front of the keyboard.

  “Do you believe in miracles? Spirituality? Magic relics?”

  “I don’t know,” I answered. “How about you?”

  “We’re Catholic, but Mother only makes me go to church on holidays. My dad hates religion with like a weird, freaky passion. You can’t even mention it around him without him going into a crazed rant.” He shuddered.

  “That’s intense.”

  “Let’s focus.” He brought up more websites. The sword seemed to be a spiritual myth, and the rest of the pages repeated what we’d already found. “This isn’t telling us how we saw each other and interacted almost telepathically.” He typed in telepathic and then telekinesis. These searches brought us into the science fiction realm. “Yep, it’s official, we’re freaks of nature.” He pushed the keyboard away.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come back to find you. But I wanted to know if it was you.”

  It seemed like he’d decided the investigation was a dead end. That was fine with me. I could live with the only hypothesis being supernatural. I still believed it had something to do with witchcraft. Maybe I could awaken his powers. I wanted to investigate the connection between 1999, the summer solstice, and turning eighteen. But that was my thing, not his.

  “What about children born on a summer solstice.” He grabbed the keyboard and started pecking away again. “Look at this. Being born on The Cusp of Magic means the person feels deeply and gives abundantly from the heart,” he read. “This is more astronomical mumbo jumbo.” Standing, he paced away.

  I spun and sat on the tabletop in front of the computer facing him. “So, what subjects are your best in school?”

  “All of them really.”

  “What do you like?”

  “History, literature. But you can’t make a living with that. I figure I’ll do some type of engineering. How about you?”

  “I want to go to Stanford, but I have no idea what I want to do. Mom announced last night I was getting a law degree.” I popped the last piece of sushi roll in my mouth.

  “That’s major.”

  “Yeah, I’ll be an adult then. Shouldn’t I be able to decide that?”

  “It would seem. Sounds like your mom is pretty intense.”

  “That’s an understatement.” My phone dinged. “I have to get back to school.” I jumped from the counter, and he caught my hands, I guessed to steady my landing. The act was unnecessary but sweet.

  “I don’t think I’m going to be able to get used to your temperature. Your hands feel like hot coals.”

  “Shh.” I put my fingers to my lips. “You’re the only person I’ve ever told about my heated skin issue.” I lifted my backpack from the floor to avoid his reaction.

  “That’s not intense at all.”

  Again, I’d come on too strong, and I wanted to whoosh away from him. “I guess we’re at a dead end.” I strode to the elevators.

  He grabbed his pack and caught up with me. “No biggie. Hey, we’re meeting up tomorrow, right? I mean, I have all these memories rushing back. I don’t want you to disappear again.”

  For as much as I knew, me being in his life would put him in danger. Still, I wanted to know whether he was a half witch too. Wouldn’t he want to know? I punched the button for the elevator. “Sure.”

  He blocked my entrance to the elevator as it opened. “Sure or yes?”

  “Yes.”

  Stepping to the side, he motioned for me to enter, and we rode to the first floor in silence. Outside, he stopped when we reached the sidewalk and pulled his wallet from his pocket. “I only have a ten, sorry.”

  “No. It’s on me.” I looked around nervously, thinking I’d forgotten Orm could be lurking about.

  “You sure?”

  “Yes. I can bring something from home tomorrow, so I’ll get here quicker.”

  “Okay, see you about eleven thirty then?”

  “Yes.” I confirmed, walking away from him.

  I had to nearly full out run to make it back to school in time.

  “Whoa there, miss cheerleader, kissing your boyfriend too much? You were almost late,” Ganby teased as I slid into the seat.

  “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

  “That’s not what everyone is saying. Word on the street is that you’re Nick’s woman.”

  Fighting to keep my butt in my seat, I closed my eyes and lifted my backpack to my desktop, feeling for the calming oils mixture. Ganby amounted to nothing, he didn’t deserve a bit of headspace. Still I didn’t like being characterized as belonging to someone. My species didn’t take well to being owned.

  Finding the mixture, I held it under my nose.

  “What now? Got some type of potion there?” Ganby asked.

  “You better shut up, or maybe she’ll turn you into the rat we all know you to be,” Annabelle said from in front of me.

  Thankful for her interjection, I rubbed a drop of the oil on each wrist. Vampires were known for their tempers, and mine teetered on the edge of erupting. Thankfully, the teacher called the class to order and paired Annabelle and me up with two other students.

  Spanish breezed by, and I found myself in study hall with Nick. After the session, he walked me to the locker room.

  “So, are we studying tonight?”

  “Sure.”

  “Great! Maybe we can video chat?”

  “I’ll see. How late do you stay up? I can’t talk till nine thirty.”

  “That’s fine. Call me.”

  “Okay.” I waved to him as he turned to join his teammates.

  “Someone’s got a crush,” Sophie called in a sing song voice.

  “He’s nice.”

  “What about your mom?”

  “So far, so good.”

  After changing, we joined the cheer squad on the grass and warmed up. I focused on our routines to distract me from thinking of Hunter, Nick, and Fahim. If there was one thing I knew, it was that I would be as honest as possible with Hunter. Nick would think I was only slightly abnormal, and Fahim would believe I was merely a half vampire. No problem, I had it under control.

  Orm was waiting for me when we finished practice, and I hurried to collect my things.

  “You seem happy today, although you reek of calming oil,” he noted as I slid in the seat beside him.

  “I didn’t kill anyone.”

  “You only grazed that one child.”

  “He had nail marks for weeks.”

  “He deserved it,” Orm said.

  “How do you know this guy didn’t too?”

  “What happened?” He cut his eyes to me and back to traffic.

  “He said the rumor was I was Nick’s woman?”

  “Nick, the human you like?”

  “Yes. But I am not his woman.”

  “You vampires and your sensitivity to being bound to someone.” Orm chuckled.

  “I need a snack.”

  He handed me a bag of nuts, and I watched the traffic as he weaved through the streets. Bound to someone, I thought, wondering if Hunter, Ivy, and I were bound to each other, somehow destined to be linked, tethered by some mystical force. But what of Ivy? I shuddered.

  “A chill?” Orm turned the knob to make the interior warmer.

  We reached the gymnastics center, and I pulled the handle to open the door. “Thanks, Orm, see you in an hour.”

  “What do you have for your lunch?” Hunter leaned his head over my bags of nuts and chee
se as we sat dumbfounded in front of the computer screen. We were out of ideas. He popped the last bite of a sandwich into his mouth and turned to face me. “What now?”

  “You said you had flashbacks and questions, so shoot.”

  “You don’t have questions?”

  “I have a good memory, remember?”

  His eyebrows rose. “Like how good?”

  I rolled my eyes to the ceiling and looked back to him. “Your favorite shirt was this green one, a dark green, like a hunter green. You were grumpy if it wasn’t clean and you couldn’t wear it.”

  “Wow. Okay, well, why do you move so much?”

  “Horrible truth or stock answer?”

  “The truth.” He inched his face closer to mine.

  “My mom is looking for something for me, I think. At first I thought it was my dad, but now I’m not sure.”

  “Your mom was with you Saturday. Did she think I was it?”

  “Yes, but she decided not.” It was honest enough for then, I decided.

  “Why did she think I may be a potential?”

  I slouched back in my chair. “I have no clue.”

  “But I got ruled out?”

  “Yes.”

  “Not sure if that’s good or bad.” He tapped his pencil on the desk.

  “Not having my mother interested in you is a good thing, believe me.”

  “So, what else do you do with your free time besides cheer?”

  “Study. My mom has me home-schooled in world history and government. We’ve almost made it to modern time. We’re at World War I.” It was as close to the truth as I would get for the time being.

  Our phones dinged at the same time. “So, tomorrow?” I asked.

  “Yes. But we should get in some actual schoolwork. This is depressing me anyway.” He slung his pack over his shoulders as he stood up.

  Rising, I faced him. “Sorry, it’s frustrating. Hey, can we not walk out together?”

  “Sure, but can I ask why?” He bent down so I had to look him in the eyes.

  “I’m not supposed to be dating.” I squinted my eyes shut.

  “We’re not dating.”

  “I know, but it’ll look like that if someone sees us.”

  “Who will see us?”

  “My mother has people.”

  “She’s sounding more and more like a ray of sunshine by the minute.” He pushed the button for the elevator.