The Solar Flare (36 page)

     “What did you do to me?” She gasped.

     “I just shared a fraction of my energy with you. How do you feel?” He asked with concern.

    “I feel . . . good actually,” she responded with surprise. In fact, she felt more than good, she felt completely recovered, as if the drowning never occurred. It didn’t take her long to put the pieces together. “Is that your other ability?” She asked quietly, still embracing him.

     “Yes. I can share energy with you . . . only you Ava
. . . when you need it.”

     “Your energy? Then why do I feel okay? I’ve been down this road before, with the blood transfusion. Why don’t I feel
like bouncing off the walls?”

     “Because Justin’s energy was not meant to be shared with you. Even though they saved your life, they could have killed you.”

     “It didn’t matter, I was going to die anyway.”

     “Thank God they did
save you,” he said softly as he brushed his lips over her cheek.

     “Can I have some more?” Ava pulled away slightly, looking at him, feeling enthusiastic as the prospects. She could definitely get used to this.

     He playfully pulled her back into his embrace. “Absolutely not. You are human after all.” He smiled at her warmly. They laughed softly together for a few moments. Ava looked up into James’ serene face and caressed his cheek with one of her hands, running it back and through his hair. He made no move to encourage her affections; the last thing he wanted was a repeat of what happened after they kissed the last time.

     She surprised him and herself when she stood up on her tip toes and used the hand on the back of his head to ease him down to her. She pressed her l
ips against his and pulled back slowly, looking into his large brilliant blue eyes. She could feel the desire coursing through both of them and still he made no move. “Kiss me,” she whispered.

     He didn’t have the resolve to resist the invitation and brought his face down to hers.
They kissed slowly, hesitantly at first, not in the hurried, reckless way they had after the concert. He pulled her body tight up against him, circling his arms around her, allowing the connection to build between them. Ava relaxed into him, feeling his energy permeate her body, welcoming it. She wrapped her arms around his neck, enjoying the feel of his body. As they continued to kiss the passion escalated. Their hands roamed and caressed each other lovingly, comforting each other, fulfilling a need that each of them had. As soon as Ava began to wonder how far this was going to go tonight, James stopped kissing her and pulled back, breathing heavily.

     “What’s wrong?” Ava asked, catching her breath.

     “Nothing’s wrong. In fact, everything is right,” he said pleasantly as he gazed down at her.

     “Then why did you stop?”

     “Because the woman I love almost drowned yesterday,” James said seriously. “My energy will give you a lift but it won’t sustain you. I think you should eat something and rest to recover your strength,” he replied softly.

     Ava smiled, realizing that despite the energy James had given her she was indeed famished. “I guess I am a little hungry. Do you want to come
to the kitchen with me?”

     He released her
and went into his closet to grab a T-shirt, then took one of her hands and brought it to his mouth. After planting a soft kiss on it he led the way downstairs.

     A couple of days after the incident on the beach, things were back to normal, save for Ava’s relationship with James, which seemed to take a happy turn for them both. She put the events of her past out of her mind and threw her energy and thoughts i
nto beginning a new romance, and falling in step with her new family. It was nice for her not to guard her feelings, or feel guilty for wanting something she told herself was wrong to have.

     James had told her that he had a surprise for her
on Saturday, but wouldn’t tell her what it was. She suspected the whole family was in on it because no one would tell her anything when she asked. When the day in question arrived, so did Emma and Lizeth. They showed up early and took Ava for a day of shopping, citing the need for her to dress well this evening. She didn’t know what the occasion was but decided to play along with it, choosing a casual but elegant pale gray strapless dress made out of a flowing chiffon-like fabric that was artfully draped and cascaded down to just below her knees in the front and a little longer in the back. Tiny crystals had been glued to the gown strategically here and there, giving it a shimmering effect. After bringing Ava back home, the women instructed her to be ready promptly at five for her ‘surprise.’

∞

    
Everyone on board the Principia was on high alert for anything that could indicate the presence of an inhabitable planet that Xavier could take Ava to. It didn’t take them long to detect something major on the trajectory. As they moved closer they were astounded to find a large planet with a greenish hue in the distance.

     “Cloak the ship, I don’t want to ruin our element of surprise,” Wesley commanded.

     The ship virtually disappeared from sight and radar detection thanks to Ash’s new technology. The same technology they had developed after observing what Kaden could do.

     “There’s something else comin
g up on the trajectory!” Naomi announced.

     “What is it?” Wesley ran to where she was sitting.

     “It appears to be a satellite,” she said in astonishment.

     “Let me see,” Wesley sat down next to her and within seconds a huge smile spread across his lips. “That has to be Xavier’s handiwork, because that’s exactly how I would build it!” He said happily as they passed by it, taking in the appearance of the massive structure. “Now, let’s get a reading and see exactly where he’s hiding out,” he said confidently.

∞

     At five o’clock Ava was dressed and ready as
requested. She had pulled her hair up in a casual loose bun and secured it with a sliver comb she had acquired at some point since arriving on Sphene. She stood in front of her dresser looking in her jewelry box trying to decide what to wear when there was a soft knock on her door. Sensing his presence, she knew who it was.

     “Come in James,” she called.

     He smiled as he approached her, coming to stand behind her, embracing her and kissing the back of her neck. “You look beautiful,” he whispered softly in her ear, deeply inhaling the scent of the perfume she had just sprayed on.

     She smiled and leaned back into him. “Thank you, . . . you don’t look to shabby yourself,” she said as she took in his appearance, which was a pair of black trousers and a tucked in formal white button down shirt with a few of the top buttons undone, revealing a T-shirt underneath and his cross.

     “I have something for you,” he said mysteriously, releasing her and reaching into one of his pockets. He held up a bright platinum necklace with a pendant of a small diamond encrusted crescent moon with a star on the tip. 

     “It’s beautiful!” Ava exclaimed turning and giving him a quick kiss. “Please, will you put it on me?” She said as she turned back to the mirror.

     He felt pleased that she liked his gift and wasted no time fastening it around her neck. He wanted to give her something to break her habit of wearing her gold locket every chance that she got.

     “This
will go perfectly with the earrings that Emma gave me to wear to the concert,” Ava announced as she removed her grandmother’s earrings from her ears and placed them inside the box, next to the locket. Then she placed the small sparkling dangling earrings that she adored into place. “I think I’m ready now,” she said smiling at James, who offered his arm to lead her to whatever the surprise was.

   
They walked down the steps of the main house and out into the heat and onto the terrace. Just when Ava thought they would turn towards the gazebo on the beach, he steered them the other direction towards the rose garden. The sun had just started to set as they entered the garden, which had been turned into an elegant dining area.

     “Surprise!” Everyone shouted at her as soon as they entered the festively decorated area.

      “Thank you . . . this is all so beautiful, but what am I being surprised for?” Ava said with confusion.

     “Ava! . . . It’s your birthday!” Lizeth announced.

     “My birthday? But it’s the wrong day and the wrong month.” She said, looking at James, still confused.

     “
Actually . . . you are right. It isn’t your birthday, it was about six weeks ago. I’m sorry we missed it. We recently calculated it out for you since the time is different here,” James explained.

     “I had no idea
,” she sounded astonished. How could she forget her own birthday?

     “We’re happy that you’re here and we can celebrate it with you
now!” Melanie said as she and Lucas came to give Ava a big hug. The others followed suit and she finally observed her surroundings in greater detail. Pretty white lights had been strewn around and hung festively against the backdrop of the flowers, creating a romantic and happy ambience. It would be even more beautiful when the sun completely set. The garden almost reminded Ava of a past Valentine’s Day she spent with Wesley. She squashed that thought as soon as it surfaced. It was beautiful and there was an elegant table set up for dinner. After a little while everyone was settled and dinner was served.

∞

     “Set us down over there,” Wesley pointed to an empty field off the coast; away from what they could tell was a developed city. They wanted to attract as little attention as they could to maintain the element of surprise. The whole mood of the ship had changed as both Wesley and Naomi could now sense that Ava was near. Although the ship had gone undetected, they would be visible once they stepped outside of it. They would also be able to feel any of the Asterions nearby, and be felt by them.

     After their descent and un-eventful landing they powered up the small courier that was hidden in the cargo area of the ship and eased it onto the ground. As a group they decided to leave Ash with the ship on standby while Wesley, Andre, and Naomi would go in closer to try to retrieve Ava. They did not know how heavily she would be
guarded and felt the best plan to try would be for Wesley to teleport in once they got closer and bring her back. They hoped to avoid a confrontation at all costs until Ava was safely aboard the Principia.

∞

     After dinner, Blayke and James retrieved their guitars and took turns playing for everyone to dance to. Everyone seemed happy and relaxed as the night sky became visible overhead, showing just how beautiful the stars and the little lights were. It was a warm evening with a soft breeze flowing through occasionally. Sphene was heading into autumn, and although it was a tropical environment and was warm all year, it was noticeably cooler in the evenings.

     “Are you ready for your cake Ava?” Emma asked. “We had to keep it inside because we didn’t want it to melt out here.”

     “Sure, that sounds great!” Ava replied, sipping on her glass of champagne.

     Moments later she
appeared carrying a multi tiered elaborately decorated cake with sparklers fired up. James exquisite voice led the way to sing and extremely old fashioned “Happy Birthday” song that embarrassed Ava. When the singing ended she blew out the sparklers, but apparently they were the trick kind that kept igniting several times for her to blow out, much to the amusement and clapping of her family.

     After the applause had ended, Ava noticed that James and some of the others exchanged some concerned glances.

     “We forgot the plates and serving utensils, . . . we’ll be right back,” Emma said sounding a little off, motioning for Lizeth to come with her. The two of them quickly walked back towards the house. Ava noticed that what they had gone to get was actually sitting on one of the tables against one of the walls further away.

     “Is something wrong?” Ava asked looking around at the faces in the garden, starting to feel butterflies in her stomach as the mood had drastically changed amongst her family. She could tell by the surge in their energy.

     “I’m going to take a look around, stay right here Ava,” James said softly as he motioned for Blayke and Nicholas to come with him. They also walked out of the garden, fanning out as they passed the exit.

     “What’s happening Melanie?” Ava asked, starting t
o panic as she looked around.

     “We don’t know yet, Ava. It would be best to stay calm,” Lucas said serenely, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

     “Maybe we should go back to the house . . .” Ava said uncertainly. Then, suddenly, the lights to the entire property, including the garden went out. Ava started to feel very nervous and she clutched her crystal wine glass like she was holding on for dear life.  Lucas left Ava with Melanie and drifted over to the entrance to the garden and peered out.

     “I thi
nk I sense something Mel,” Lucas said, calling to her. “Come over here please,” he said calmly.