Evan Elemental (The Evan Elemental Series) (17 page)

The
clothes are nice, and they're definitely expensive, but they don't seem to do
it for me. The lightweight fabrics in every shade of pastel and primary colors
are too reminiscent of what I would have worn B.P.: Before Price. Back then I
would have been happy to wear clothes like this because it would have made my
mom happy. Now it seems pointless to try and keep up the façade. If it weren't
for
Madga
and her stupid expectations of me, I would
probably spend the rest of my days, at least in high school, in yoga pants and
t-shirts.

I push
aside the negative feelings and get to work choosing outfits that I know would
be fitting of Duchess Kate Herself. Even though I'm worried about my would-be
assistant and her unexplained disappearance, I'm anxious to use the opportunity
to prove to Magda that I can take care of myself and that I don't need a
babysitter to keep me in line.

The
rest of the afternoon passes by in a blur of boutiques and triple digit price
tags. It turns out that Price has a lot of stores, but little variation in the
style of clothing they sell. Even the sales ladies seem to take after one
another. I'm beginning to get
creeped
out by the
sameness of it all. Mattie seems oblivious; she's consumed by the thrill of the
hunt.

Around
three we decide to take a break, so I take her to my usual coffee shop. Mattie
takes her coffee black. I'm mildly impressed but not enough to skip a heavy
dose of cream and mocha. We settle down at a table in the corner so that we can
watch people come and go without being noticed.

"So,
how old are you exactly?" I blurt out once we're settled.

Mattie
takes a sip of her coffee, but doesn't answer. When I met her she seemed young,
maybe younger than me, with her neat blue dress and her demure ponytail. Now,
she's sitting across from me dressed in a sheer grey top with capped sleeves, a
deep purple suede pencil skirt, and six inch nude stilettos, her blue sweater
and grey skirt stuffed in one of the bags and forgotten. She can easily pass
for twenty-five.

Mattie
takes her time relishing her coffee and studying passerby. Finally, she turns
and looks at me, unblinking. I feel my pendant spark against my skin. It's an
odd sensation, not exactly hot or cold. It feels different than anything I've
ever felt before but still significant.

Mattie's
lips turn up at the corner as she glances at my necklace. I fight the urge to
pull my hair over my shoulder and shield it. She gives me another thoughtful
look and sighs. "Sixteen."

Without
giving me a chance to respond she stands and goes to the counter to order
another coffee. I sit in stunned silence. My initial impression of her had been
right, but I'm still surprised. She speaks and holds herself in a way that is
much older. Throughout the day I had even found myself comparing myself to her,
trying to match, maybe even surpass, her evident maturity. The clerks at the
stores seemed to defer to her, especially once she changed her clothes, even
though I was the one with the plastic. I'm not exactly jealous but I am
starting to admire her, no matter her age.

While
I'm waiting for Mattie to come back, my cell phone rings. It's Anders. I'm
tempted to hit ignore, but I know I can't. Something weird is going on, well,
weirder than the normal weird, and I'm not about to let myself be left in the
dark. I've spent too much time there already.

"Hey,"
I answer.

"Ms.
O'Fion
. I apologize for disturbing you, but you must
return to Price Estate immediately," Anders says in a weird, formal tone.

"What
the hell? Anders?" I say, laughing nervously.

"Albert
has been notified and will be escorting you back to the estate as soon as possible."

The
phone clicks. Magda.
Of course.
She must have been
standing there when he made the call. Reluctantly, I gather up our bags and go
to get Mattie where she's still waiting to be served at the counter.

"Hey,
we have to go. The queen summons us."

Mattie's
head jerks up, her eyes wide. It takes a second before she relaxes.

"What's
wrong?" I ask concerned.

"Nothing,"
she answers sounding slightly edgy and breathless, "I must have spaced
out. You startled me."

"Oh,
sorry."

Mattie
just shakes her head and takes her bags from me. We turn and head out the door.
June has been unseasonably hot so far, but today there is a distinct chill in
the air. I set my bags down and wrap my arms around myself while I scan the
street for Albert. I can't see him anywhere. While we wait, clouds pass over
the sun and the wind picks up. Electricity crackles in my fingertips. Things
are getting a little too gothic novel for me.

"Mattie?"
I call looking over my shoulder. I find Mattie standing still as a statue
several feet behind me. Her face is placid and she appears to be looking at
something in the distance. I walk up to her slowly, trying desperately to
ignore the irrational feeling of terror that is quickly filling me.

"Mattie?"
I say quietly as I reach out and gingerly lay my hand on her shoulder. Her head
snaps toward me and she grabs my wrist, holding onto it with an inhuman grip.
Mattie stares at me from behind two twin pools of milky white. It's as if she
has suddenly been struck with cataracts in both of her eyes. I watch in horror
as her mouth twists up in a cruel smile. When she speaks her voice is altered;
it's deep and empty sounding.

"Evangeline,"
says the weird voice that doesn't belong to Mattie, "I've waited so long.
Too long.
Do you feel it? Do you feel the darkness coming?
What will you choose? I know. I know everything."

Mattie
blinks and the cataracts vanish. Her body relaxes and she releases her hold on
my wrist. I exhale the breath I didn't realize I had been holding.

"What
the hell was that?" I choke out.

Mattie
presses her lips together and doesn't answer. Her face has gone pale and her
normally cool is shattered. She looks like nothing but a scared little girl, a
child.

"Mattie?"
I say softly, "Talk to me. What's going on? Why did you say those things?
What did you mean?"

Mattie
just shakes her head, her bottom lip quivering slightly. I pat her shoulder
awkwardly, unsure of what to do or say. Luckily, Albert pulls up and saves me
the trouble. He ushers us into the backseat of the town car. Mattie stares
blankly straight ahead and doesn't say anything. She looks completely dejected.
We ride most of the way in silence until, finally, Mattie speaks.

"I
can't control it," she says glancing at me shyly. I smile hoping she'll
continue. Inside, I'm completely freaking out. Why does everything have to get
so messed up so quickly? I have enough trouble with my own secrets; I don't
know if I'm strong enough to take on the burden of someone else's.

"It's
getting worse and I don't know what to do," Mattie chokes out. Tears are
streaming down her face but she does nothing to wipe them away.

"What's
getting worse?" I ask, my voice sounding as shaky and unsure as I feel.

Mattie
doesn't say anything and I'm afraid she won't speak at all. I bite the inside
of my cheek in an effort to contain my frustration. It's taking all my
self-restraint not to grab her by the shoulders and shake her until she
explains that super-creepy episode back there.

"I
don't know who they are, but they..." She stops and takes a deep breath.
"They come inside of me, whenever they want. They have things to say. So,
they use me."

I know
I look completely freaked out, but I can't help it. What the fuck is she
talking about? "Mattie, you have to do better than that. I can't even
begin to comprehend what you're saying."

I'm on
information overload. Too many things have happened in the last couple of days.
Each new revelation brings a new mystery instead of clarity. I'm terrified to
know what's happening to Mattie, but I still want to. In fact, I need to; I know
that much.

"I'm
sorry Evan, but I can't explain it," she says shaking her head violently.
"They're everywhere, and they won't shut up. They used to only talk to me,
but now they talk through me. They're desperate."

"For
what, Mattie?" Chills break out over my skin and I already know the answer
before she says it.

"You,"
she whispers confirming my fears.

She
turns away and refuses to speak for the rest of the ride. When we get back to
the estate, I see that a stretch limo is parked out front
;
Magda's usual ride. As soon as we stop, Mattie bolts from the car and runs
inside. I'm more reluctant to leave the safe confines of the town car's back
seat. Albert holds the door open and gives me a reassuring smile. He never says
much, but he always seems to know more that he lets on.

"Thanks,
Albert," I say as I take his hand and he helps me out of the car.

"Of
course, missus."

I have
to giggle at his cockney accent every time I hear it. "How many times have
I told you? Call me Evan."

Albert just
smiles, gets back in the car, and drives off toward the garages. I look up at
the front doors of the house, contemplate going inside, and then quickly change
my mind. Instead, I head around the house and into the garden. I want to go to
the guesthouse and find
Lex
, but what I need right
now is to be alone. I slip off my heel and relish in the feeling of being
barefoot on the damp ground. Once my skin makes contact with the earth I feel
calmer, more centered. It's a different kind of power than what I've been
toying with, one based in control.

I take
one deep breath and start to run. I run down the path out of the garden and
into the orchards, where the trees are heavy with the sweet scent of the
blossoms of late blooming apple trees. A slight breeze kicks up and soft
streams of sunlight poke through the dense, gray clouds. I break into a smile
and run faster.

When I
reach the tree line of the forest I stop and close my eyes. For the first time,
I listen. The trees are silent at first, but it only takes a few seconds for
the whispering to start. I've always been aware of it, but I ignored it out of
fear. The forest is speaking to me, beckoning me to enter. Without any
hesitation, I step into the thick of the trees.

The
moment I enter the forest I feel cut off from the rest of the world. It's a
good feeling. I let my instincts take over and start to walk without thinking.
The deeper I get into the woods, the louder the whispering gets until it's a
steady thrum, like a heartbeat.

And
then it's silent. I'm standing in a clearing where dusty light filters through
a tangled canopy. I close my eyes and inhale deeply. The scent of water hits me
in an overwhelming burst that fills me with a sense of weightlessness. It
doesn't even freak me out that I can smell water; I welcome the new development
to my senses.

I
follow the scent down a narrow path that takes me to the lake. It's the other
side, where I don't usually go. I walk up to the edge of the water until my
toes are immersed. Light shimmers on the surface in patches and the dense storm
clouds dissolve into blue sky.

My eyes
shift out of focus as I stare at a random spot in the water. I feel my body
become unnaturally still and I can't move. My pendant starts to warm until it
burns against my skin. A sense of desperate longing fills me and consumes me.
No amount of longing for my parents, or
Lex
, or
anyone compares to this feeling. I know that I have to go into the lake and
that it will be the only way satiate the intense need that is hollowing me out.

I don't
bother taking my dress off, there's no time. As I submerge myself in the lake,
I notice how warm it is, like bathwater. My pendant begins to throb steadily
letting me know that what I'm doing is right. I wade in until the water is up
to my waist and then I take a deep breath and dive.

The
water is so deep that I can't see the bottom, so I swim toward it blindly. My
lungs begin to burn, but I resist the urge to head back to the surface.
I don't have a choice
,
I have to go on
.
The deeper I get, the more complete the darkness becomes. It feels like
swimming through outer space, empty of stars.

When
I'm sure I've reached my limit and that my lungs are going to burst, the
darkness is shattered by a soft shimmering light. I push harder, aching to
reach the light. As I get closer, I'm able to see a dark shape that appears to
be the source of the light.

Finally,
I reach it, "it" being some sort of rock or stone. I place my hand on
its surface. The instant I make contact a white light bursts before my eyes and
everything goes black.

The
next thing I know, I'm in my bed and every part of me aches, right down to my
scalp, and I'm sweltering hot. I push back the blankets that are covering me.
So far, the afterlife is looking pretty much like my bedroom.

I'm so
weak, that it's a struggle just to sit up. I notice that I'm wearing an
unfamiliar blue long-sleeved thermal nightgown and a pair of wool socks. A
bright fire is burning cheerfully in the hearth and rain splatters against the
windows.

"Evan?"
someone says to my left causing me to jerk upright and a spasm of sharp pain to
ripple through my body. I wince and turn to see
Lex
sitting in a chair beside my bed. Maybe I'm not dead after all.

Lex
swiftly crawls into bed next to
me and pulls me into his arms. He holds on to me tight like I might evaporate
any second. It's nice, but it hurts. I gently pry myself from his arms and sink
back into the pillows.

"
Lex
, what's wrong?" I ask rubbing my eyes with the
heels of my hands.

Lex
sinks down beside
me and gingerly slips
his arm under my shoulders. He looks
down into my face and gives me an incredulous smile. "What's wrong? Evan,
you almost died."

I
cringe. "Oh. That."

I roll
on to my side and press my face into his neck. I want to make sense of what
happened, but thinking too hard is making my head hurt. When I close my eyes
all I can see is that shimmering light and the dark form it came from. Even
after what happened I have the strongest desire to go back, to try again. If
only I knew why and for what.

"I
went for a swim and I must have gone too deep. The next thing I remember is
waking up here," I lie. It makes me sick to do it, but something inside of
me is blocking me, telling me it's not time yet. It's a slow steady whisper
like the whispering of the trees only more human.

"Is
that all?" he asks carefully.

"Yes."
That one little word feels so vile on my tongue.
Lex
sighs and tightens his arms around me. I press myself closer to him despite the
pain.

We stay
like this for a long time, wrapped in each other's arms, matching heartbeat and
breath. The rain continues, but the room lightens slightly as the morning takes
hold. I succumb to the soft heat of Lex's heart and eventually I doze off.

For the
second time in less than twenty-four hours, I open my eyes in a different place
then where I closed them. The difference this time is that I can tell it's not
real. I'm dreaming. The reason I know this is that I had this dream many times
before, when I was a little girl. It's the same nightmare that almost drove me
insane, the one I had completely driven out of my mind, until now.

I'm
standing in a hallway facing two doors. One door is white, and one is black. My
mistake is always choosing the white one. My childhood mind had the steadfast
belief in white as good and dark as bad; too many white knight fairytales,
probably. This time I'm prepared. I place my hand on the knob of the black door
and give it a turn. It's locked.

"Of
course," I say aloud to no one.

My
options are limited. The hallway goes on for miles on either end. I tried
getting out of it that way, before, and no matter what direction I went or how
long and fast I ran I never made it to the end. The only way to get out of the
nightmare is go through the white door. I study my fingernails and glance
around pointlessly in an attempt to avoid looking at the shiny brass knob that
is clearly goading me to turn it.

I
bounce up and down on the balls of my feet to get myself psyched. "Come on
O'Fion
, you're a grown up now. You can do this."

I take
a deep breath and try calling on the elements, but I feel nothing, not a twinge,
not a spark. I'm completely alone.

"Fuck
it." I turn the knob and brace myself.
For nothing.
When I open the door and step over the threshold I find myself in a brightly
lit room with soft white walls and blonde wood floors. Red curtains, with
flowers delicately stitched in blue thread, hang over floor to ceiling windows.
On the opposite end of the room is another, larger door. I instantly recognize
the room, not from dreams but from real life. I've seen this room in Magda's
house.

In real
life, when I stumbled on this room during my early days at the estate, the door
on the other end was locked. I know in my gut that that wouldn't be the case if
I tried now. I'm done being a scared little girl, paralyzed by a dream. I
square my shoulders and march toward that door like a battle worn soldier
pulling herself out of the trenches.

There
is no knob or handle on the door. Instead, there is a groove carved where a
knob would be. It's just deep enough to slip your fingers into. As expected,
there is no resistance when I slide my hand in and pull.

The
scene that meets me on the other side is baffling, to say the least. There's a
large round wooden table surrounded by eight high backed chairs; seven of them
are occupied. One Morris, one Rupert, one
MacIntyre
,
one Thomas, one Rose, one James, and one Holloway.
Different
women than the ones on the council now, but familiar all the same.
The
only thing that's missing is...

"Magda,
dear. Come in!"

A
familiarly round woman, who speaks with exaggerated enthusiasm, jumps up from
her chair. That must be Mary Morris' mother. I glance around but don't see
Magda anywhere. The late Mrs. Morris comes up to me and I'm surprised to find
her so much taller than I am. In fact, she's a giant compared to me. It dawns
on me that I'm the size of a child, a little girl once again. Mrs. Morris
places her hands on my shoulders and gazes down at me with moistened eyes.

"Sweetie,
we are so sorry about what happened to your mother. But we're so, so happy to
have you here with us." I take note of how eerily familiar that sentiment
sounds.

The
woman takes my hand and leads me around the table to the last empty chair. When
I sit, my feet don't touch the ground. I look down to see that I'm wearing a
pale blue silk dress and matching Mary
Janes
. The
other women smile sweetly at me but I can sense an undercurrent of nervous
energy.
A few of them look excited, the rest of them not so
much.

I
expect to have to sit through another boring tea, and I wonder if that was what
my childhood mind considered a nightmare. Not much has changed if that's the
case.

Mrs.
Morris leaves for a long time. When she comes back, she's carrying a large
covered silver tray. She sets it down in front of me and gives me a warm smile.

"All
right ladies, time to start!" she exclaims to the group.

Mrs.
Morris takes her seat and the women link hands. The two on either side of me
place their empty hands on the silver dome covering the tray. Panic starts to
set in. The memory comes back to me in a rush and I know what will happen if
they lift off that lid. The women close their eyes and begin to chant. I'm
frozen in my seat, waiting in horror for what's coming. At the last second,
before the horrible thing is supposed to happen, I glance up.

Another
woman is standing by the door watching me. This one doesn't belong. She has
long dark hair that falls to her waist in waves. Her eyes are a flat, inhuman
black, but there's a distinct gentleness to her face.

"Evangeline.
Do you feel it? Do you feel the darkness coming?" the woman says in a low
dark voice, a voice I've only heard once before coming out of Mattie's mouth.
"You have to wake up now. It's coming."

My eyes
snap open and my vision is flooded with bright morning light. I sit up and
glance around the room. Disappointment fills me when I realize that
Lex
is gone and I'm alone. At least, I thought I was alone.
It takes a moment to register the figure asleep on one of the sofas.

"Aunt
Lily?"

Lilian
shoots up from the sofa with a
dazed look on her face.

"Evan!
My god!"

She
rushes over to the bed and pulls me into a tight embrace. A rush of warmth
washes over me and reminds me of everything I've been lacking in my life
lately. I pull back and search her face; I want to see if anything has changed,
if it's really been that long since I last saw her.

The
only difference is the lines that etch her face, signs that things haven't been
so easy for her, either. "Evan, are you okay?"

I nod
slowly, unable to speak. That question is too loaded. I don't know where to
begin, what truth to tell, what lies.
Lilian
gives me
a teary once over before her expression becomes stern. "Why the hell
haven't you been taking my calls?"

When
she narrows her hazel eyes at me, she looks so much like my dad that I have to
suppress a giggle. The humor is instantly chased away by a pang that ripples
through me and takes my breath away leaving a void in its wake. This is the
reason that I've been avoiding her: I miss them too much. I can handle a lot,
but not missing them.

"Sorry,
Aunt Lil. I've just been
super
busy. Magda has me
involved in this crazy picnic thing and
..
."

"Hey,
I get it. Busy." She raises her eyebrows and nods toward the door where
Lex
is leaning against the frame looking sheepish.

A blush
creeps up my neck causing
Lilian
to break into a
knowing smile. I roll my eyes in an attempt to cover up my embarrassment.

Lilian
stifles a yawn. "Well, now
that I know you're alive, I guess I can get some sleep," she says standing
up.

I raise
an eyebrow. "You looked like you were sleeping just fine."

Lilian
swats at me playfully.
"Real sleep. But we're having a long talk later."

She
gives me a long look before she turns and heads toward the door.
Lex
gives her a half smile as she passes by him but she
ignores it. Once
Lilian
is gone,
Lex
saunters over and sits beside me on the bed. He lifts my chin with his
fingertips and gives me a delicate kiss on the lips.

"So,"
I say after several delicious moments of intense eye gazing, "my aunt is
here?"

Lex
grins. "That was why
Anders called you back. You can imagine our distress when
Matilde
showed up, and you didn't."

I shift
guiltily. "I just needed a second. I couldn't imagine what Magda had in
store for me next. Did they tell you that my "assistant" never showed
up?"

Lex
nods slowly, a frown weighing
down his fine features. Even in consternation he's lovely.

"We
know she was on the flight, and security cameras confirmed she arrived. But,
she went in the bathroom and never came back out."
Lex
shrugs, perplexed.

"Wait.
Did anyone check the bathroom?"

Lex
gives me a look that clearly
says "duh."

I roll
my eyes. "Just thought I'd ask." I sigh and
lean
back
into the pillows and watch through the windows as the sky grows
lighter by the second.

"Come
on,"
Lex
says nudging me with his shoulder,
"you must be starving. Let's go downstairs and see what Thelma has. She's
been in high gear since all of these guests turned up." He stands and
looks down at me with a grin waiting for me to get out of bed.

"Ugh,
I don't want to see anybody." I groan and attempt to pull the blankets
over my head.
Lex
reaches down and pulls them off,
making me giggle stupidly. Goose bumps break out on my skin as the cool air
hits my bare legs. Lex's grin falters when he takes in the soft, very short
nightgown and the expanse of bare legs that flows out from under it. Desire
floods his eyes.

Before
I can make a move,
Lex
turns abruptly. His shoulders
are tense and his voice is deep and rough when he speaks. "I'll wait
outside."

"What?"
I ask coyly, sliding out of bed and sauntering over to where he stands rigidly.
"You don't want to help me dress?" I slide my hands under his shirt
and up his back, my fingers memorizing each rise and dip of his muscles.

I blink
and found myself back in bed,
Lex
on top of me, his
arms on either side of my head propping him up. His face is split in a wide
smile. I feel intoxicated by the light pressure of his body on mine; I want
more.

"Will
I ever be able to do that? Move so quickly?" I whisper.

In one
smooth motion
Lex
slides off of me and stands again;
the traces of humor and lust have vanished from his face. "I have no way
of knowing how your powers will manifest, but I know that you will be nothing
like me," he says in a strange, empty voice.