Siphon (Siphon Chronicles, Book One) (16 page)

The mind does not always comprehend the way the heart does.  I may not be able to say I am “in love” with Daniel Crawford at the moment as I have never known the feeling or really felt loved to begin with.  But what I do know is that I can’t seem to think clearly without him present.  Since the day he arrived in my life, I haven’t felt as cared for.  Yes, he may have hated me at first, but the chemical reaction was there between us.

To have a person tell you they are devoted to only you and never want another...is just plain scary.  I have taken care of myself for so long.  I visited the idea of him falling for me so quickly and couldn't help but now see the idea of the sylph.  I would wait and see
for
now
. 

He didn’t leave the room this time.  He told me to sleep and he’d keep watch from the chair I was in.  I know he noted my lack of reply to his declaration.  I wasn’t sure what it might mean for the future or if there was one.  So I kissed his lips and for the first time allowed myself a little closer.  I pressed my lips into the bulk of his neck enjoying the scent of him.  I’d dreamed of doing that to a guy and it was everything I’d imagined.  If I could fall in love with someone, he was a sharp candidate for first place.

I decided I would back off the forwardness to make sure I wasn’t causing this telling reaction in him with some form of the sylph whatever.  I didn’t want a guy to start making a fool of himself because of something I instigated.  Magically or not.

The morning afterward wasn’t much different than the day before with the exception of the tired boy asleep on the chair beside me.  I vowed to make him sleep in the bed that I rolled around on with more space than I’d ever need.

The practice session was going great till the guy named Jock and his buddy showed up. What was worse was the grappling/mat fighting they challenged Daniel and I to a two-on-two.  I caught Daniel’s hesitation, but the “never back down” attitude won over.

“The girl wins against either of us, I owe you a fist.”

“Deal,” Daniel knuckle-bumped Jock who stole a glance at me without so much as a raised brow for reading him.  I learned the other guy’s name was Tracy.  It was a girl’s name, but I had a hard time believing anyone would make fun of it to his face.  This guy was massive.  His arms alone could be argued the size of cannonballs.  The sub sandwich he built was meant for easily five people.

“How is taking a hit a prize?” I asked desperate to catch what I missed and glad for the distraction.  I didn’t know how I would beat either of them.  Their bodies were built like twin machines of destruction.

“He wins, I give a free fist to the face of his choice,” Daniel offered back.  The confidence was overwhelming.  They actually acted like there was a fair fight coming their way and had no predictive outcomes, not to mention treating this whole idea like a game.

“A bit brutal.”  Even Romeo went about it all wrong.  I guess once a guy, always a guy.

Jock bent over without bending his knees and picked up a short eskrima stick I recognized easily, “Not if it’s defending the right person.”

Yeah, and you see where that landed Romeo with that kind of thinking.  DEAD!

His eyes found mine just as I began to overanalyze the statement.  “I got your back nexus girl.   If you got the balls to say something to me in front of a hundred people who potentially hate your guts, I’m on your side.”

Well then.  “I guess that makes us BFF’s,” I shrugged it off in case he was faking it, “make sure to let the others know I’m not going to sing them to death.  Nexus girl or not, I’m still as human as them.  They better start realizing I’m not here to take over their powwow.”

“No balls, but spunk she has,” Daniel chuckled.

I gave him an incredulous look.

Both of the other two scanned my body a little too well.

“Screw over or not, they’re afraid.  Better to keep them in fear, my sweet.”  Jock pulled on a lock of my hair and twisted my hands behind my back in a bit of trickery.  When my face leaned up in the air, his face moved in.  From now on, my hair stays up away from a hand's reach.

“Sure you don’t want to compare size?  I might win.”  His smirked look was aimed away from me.

And the comment was meant only to stir the air.  Unfortunately, it worked.  Daniel smacked into the back of Jock with a chokehold maneuver while I slipped easily from Jock’s release to come back at him. 

On his arms now, Daniel locked his legs around Jock’s middle.  Being that the guy was as thick around at the waist as his thighs alone, I couldn’t see how that would hold.  Still clenching tight, Jock managed to get his hands free and go for Daniel’s neck now.  Tracy jumped in to help sticking a hand in through the middle of where their legs tangled and wringing Daniel’s ankle loose.  All of their hands were tied up.  That was my cue.

I took a deep breath and went straight for the pressure points like Daniel and I rehearsed.  I’d seen them before in my short-term karate class my stepsister and I took in junior high.  Going for Tracy’s neck near his Adam’s apple was the easiest access so I pressed with the right “tap” as Daniel called it.  Tracy curled his back like a cramped monkey making all his holds release.  He cursed aloud and yelled for Jock to watch out for my "deft fingers".  When Jock enjoyed a laugh at my expense I took my opportunity.    While dodging their body jerks, I kept my fingers in place for a second attack if need be and went for the point in Jock’s elbow joint.  He didn’t budge.  I tried the spot right behind the ear since Jock hopefully couldn’t have developed extra man muscles there to block with bulge.  I added my weight to the push with my heel in his groin he was so proud of.  I pushed with all my might.  Somehow, it worked.  Jock doubled over with the same look of PMS on his face.  Daniel popped up like a tin can and suddenly we were both staring down at the two Marine style hulks that were laid out like babies in a hospital wing.

“Who did you have in mind honey for the beating of a lifetime?” I asked comically.

“Oh, dear.  I believe I will save the debt for a later time.  One never knows when a good beating is needed.”

Jock and Tracy rubbed their necks and ears where it probably still tingled then grunted a few times almost in alternating rhythms.  I held my smile only to be sure I appeared like a true bad mamma jamma even if I never really entered the ring.  They didn’t know I was heavily drained from the act.  And I knew next time they wouldn't underestimate me as much.  Daniel was right, pressure points are great on the unsuspecting but a second time in the ring wouldn't prove as lucky.

“
Ohhhh
, the feisty princess strikes back trying out some new moves.  I wonder if she even knows her little wispy ways are magical enough humans would label her Supergirl.”

I ignored Jock’s comment and whispered a come back for only my ears.  He asked Daniel about the quickness of speed I exuberated and heard Daniel say I was unaware.  I knew.  I just spent years hiding and ignoring it.  It is why I quit karate.  They start asking questions.  

Rubbing my fingers in my palms to squelch the itch to take from someone the energy I needed, I watched Daniel shake hands with both and walk them to the door.  The room was padded, without windows, and about the size of a taco shop.  He said this particular room held no cameras and was why he chose it.  Analyzing his reason for saying it was pointless.   I knew why.  The room didn’t hold breathable air at the time either.  If the heat were on full blast, I’d say it was about ninety-nine degrees Fahrenheit.

The second the door closed, he was on me.  The kiss lasted not more than twenty seconds, but it was needy and purposeful.  Exchanging energy through a kiss had to be the sexiest thing I’d ever done.

The bad news.  Neither of us knew the door had reopened.  The kiss broken with a true open air gasp, there stood Jock in the doorway watching the undeniable “out of friend territory” kiss.  I didn’t know how long he’d stood there, but his eyes traveled to where Daniel held my hips and I held his shirt.

“That wasn’t the first one between you two,” he addressed slowly.

Daniel and I exchanged looks and reluctantly broke apart. Nothing said, Jock continued his survey, “And I’m guessing you want me to keep this to myself.”

Daniel started to talk but had to clear his throat, “Whatever it takes to keep it quiet.”

Jock bent forward and picked up his belt that I never saw him remove, “I could take that as a threat, but instead I’ll take it as an alliance.  If your secret needs to stay safe, I’ll keep it.”  The door closed with the back of his foot but not before he stuck out his hand and said to both of us, “If you’re here to take out these council morons and create a new order, I’m behind you.  If you rat me out, I’ll kill you.”

I didn’t say anything one way or another. I just shook his hand and led Lark from the room to eat.  She had to be as starved as I was. 

The deal was struck in so many ways other than what was right and wrong.  For the second time in days, I felt like this might just work.  And off a fluke of luck, no doubt. Now I just had to work out the actual plan.  We need more behind us.

Two more days passed and Lark showed her worth to over two dozen siphons that wanted to see her at work.  Or rather, lack of singing.  I told myself she didn't have to if I kept her energy on the high end, but I didn't know for sure.  She didn’t have any special fighting skills to speak of, but she was unnaturally fast, clever, and slippery like some of the best siphons I’d seen in the field. My father put ones like her out there to watch others. Being tall and thin, she could easily fold over and under.  Being limber and well focused, she could whip in a pressure point pulse or fold out of a weak hold in a heartbeat. It wasn’t siphonic and it wasn’t human so it had to be a sylph magic.  What she had to
have
was surprise on her side.  What she couldn’t
do
was battle brute force.  If ever anyone bested her in skill, it was with strength.  She would run out of moves...and soon.

With no sign of singing, the crowds were a little more eager to see what she could do.  When I asked her how she controlled it, she stared at me blankly and said they were all young.  She had such a distaste for taking from the young, she'd built up a tolerance. At least, that's what I now concluded.

As far as the sylph side, I wasn't entirely certain Jock and Tracy, as well as the others, were not feeling the effects.  They seemed to cater to her more than I liked.  Eventually, I got the guts to ask Jock.  He didn't see the comparison or believe it was magic, which was a good thing. He only said he would snatch her from me the second she was left alone phrasing it as he could handle it either way.  To me, that confirmed my suspicions.  But I didn't hold to it simply because he was that way with most the girls.  Denial or not, she was a sylph through and through.

Later, he took me aside and admitted his suspicions of her being exactly what she was claiming, a sylph, and that is how he covered his tracks.  He just wanted to be sure I was on the same team as him and wouldn’t continue on with my father.  He guessed what might be coming so he blinked back the temptation with violence.  She
was
that powerful.  I prayed that wouldn't have to be the answer for everyone.

Friday came though.  With a force I couldn’t see coming.

Lark asked me two nights ago to sleep in the bed instead of the chair.  As eager as I was to say a big hell yes, I hesitated.  I have no problem admitting my lack of knowledge when deciphering between girl talk and girl hinting.  When I answer, it’s always the opposite of what I should have said.  And being in the doghouse for days isn’t my brand of love.  Keeping Lark happy meant more to me at the moment than even my own happiness.  With that thought, I knew for sure I was a goner.

The conversation eventually turned the right direction and I ended up sleeping above the sheets and comforter.  She still protested, but I didn’t trust myself to be “wholesome Bobby” if the event presented itself. 

After leaving her in the morning to get ready, I returned only to find her sitting in the chair with her eyes closed like she was meditating or something. 

I inched over to her and touched her hand on the arm of the chair.  Her smile grew telling me she knew all along who entered and where I stood now. 

“You can’t surprise me?” she chided softly.

“How is that?” I asked truly curious.

“I know your scent anywhere.  It’s engrained in my head now.  Your taste carries with me.”

Hmm!  Interesting.  “Maybe that could be an asset,” I mused.

“Maybe,” she beamed.

And again…knowledge was power.

“For now, I’d keep that between us.   As well as the other factors between us.  We have the advantage of surprise on our side.”

“Agreed,” she stood and hugged me, essentially driving me crazy.  I pushed her back gently as to not alarm her to my thoughts.  I wanted her to still like me when all was said and done.  This girl made me want to be a good person.  I can’t name what brought that idea on other than the fact that she was left so alone in the world with nothing to go on.  I feared now our people pushed that on her.  She wasn’t frail or weak, just misinformed.  But her innocence in other ways did make me want to be a better person for her in a respect.  If she could fight for the person she should be, then why couldn’t I?
              Later, I approached her friend, Jason, to help keep an eye on her after assuring me he would do it better than I would.  I didn’t want to argue with him so I gave him an inch telling him that I intend to take down the council but that we needed more help.  Once he felt assured I was still on the target course, he relented and vowed to keep her busy till I returned that night.  I had two friends who I know were among the babies my father hated that might just ally with us.  Siphon Council children tend to stick together.  At least they did.  I was sent out into the field at eighteen.