Ambrosia Shore (6 page)

“I couldn’t really tell you,” Jax said. “As far as I know, he’s never been gone this long before. Actually, I was hoping maybe you would know.”

“Me?” I said, surprised. “What makes you think that I would have any idea?”

Jax chuckled. “Oh, I don’t know…maybe a little something called Operation Sadie…”

“Operation Sadie? Jax, I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t worry,” he said deviously. “Your secrets are safe with me, Sade.”

I shook my head, not anywhere near in the mood for his games. “Whatever you say, Jax. Look,” I said, squinting, “how long do you think it will take to clear up this border clearance thing?”

“I don’t know,” Jax said bluntly. “I’ve never had this problem before. But I doubt it will take long. You know my father is the head of security around here, right? What am I saying? Of course you do; everyone knows that. I’ll just call him up and ask him to step in. He does stuff like that for me all the time. The boys over at Border Patrol have to do whatever my father tells them.”

“Okay,” I said. “That sounds good. You need to call him as soon as we hang up. And call me back right after you talk to him. Oh, and don’t tell him that I’m the one who…you know…”

“I know, I know,” Jax said dismissively. “I told you, Sade, your secret is safe with me.”

I hung up the phone wondering what exactly Jax thought it was he knew, or really did know for that matter. Could he really know any of my secrets? Was he so annoyingly smart that he had already figured everything out? Or was he just messing with me for the fun of it? It did kind of seem like life was one big game to him.

But he had to be at least a little suspicious, didn’t he? When I first met Jax, I was working with Nicole at a frozen yogurt shop in Newport Beach, he had even been to my house; and now I was on Ambrosia trying to act like I belonged here just like everybody else with a Watermark. Jax had to know there was something fishy going on. I just hoped that Jax was loyal enough to Rayne, or at least to the Ambassador, that he would help me out anyway, without pressing for the answers.

There was so much to think about that my forehead started to cramp. I sat down on one of the stone benches in Binnie’s garden, hoping I could get myself to relax a little. The only thing I could think of to get my mind off things was to open the old leather book Andella gave me and start to read.

I was surprised when I opened the binding to find the pages covered in fancy-looking handwriting rather than typed print. This wasn’t a book at all; this was somebody’s journal. I was immediately intrigued. Then again, I was suddenly reminded that my own diary had been stolen several times—the most recent time by Jax of all people—and it was a terrible feeling to know that someone had been thumbing through my innermost thoughts for a bit of light reading, or even worse—to figure out how to lure me into a trap, like Voss did.

I closed the book shut. It was the right thing to do. My fingers tapped on the smooth, worn out leather, making a mental note to myself to remember to get my diary back from Jax as soon as I had the chance.

Of course…this journal was super old; the person who owned it was probably long gone by now. And whoever it was had left it in Andella’s possession, so they obviously didn’t care if she were to read it…

Curiosity got the best of me. I flipped open to the first page and started to read:

6 August 1625

I could not have dreamed up a more absurd, improbable scenario than this. That I, Jane Carpenter, the once ridiculously naive and easily forgettable, Jane Carpenter, a person of little consequence, would be preparing to marry the most gallant, most honorable man I have ever had the privilege to converse with in all my nineteen years. Yet, it remains the truth. By this time on the morrow, the dashing Mr. William Fairbanks will be my lawful wedded husband and I will be his wife.

Oh. My. Gosh. Was I reading this right? There was no way… I read the entire paragraph again. The frilly lettering was a little hard to read, so there was a chance I had made a mistake, wasn’t there? There had to be. There was just no way that this little brown book that just happened to fall into my lap by a delusional old lady was the actual journal of my ancestor, Jane Carpenter.

But I read it again, and I could only come to the exact same conclusion. It was Jane Carpenter’s journal.

How was it possible that I was holding a book written by my own ancestor almost four hundred years ago? What were the chances? And why did Rayne’s poor, confused old grandmother have it in the first place? Was it possible that Andella actually knew Jane Carpenter?

I tried to do the math in my head. The first journal entry was dated back in 1625 when Jane said she was only nineteen, and Rayne told me the night before that his grandmother was over two hundred years old. So, if Jane Carpenter also lived for more than two hundred years, then, yes, it seemed completely possible that their lives had overlapped by at least a few years.

When Andella gave me the book she seemed to be confusing me with someone else. She said she was keeping the book safe just like the person had asked her to. Was Jane Carpenter that person? Was Rayne’s grandmother confusing me with Jane? We were related after all. Maybe Jane and I looked similar to each other. But why would it be so important for her to keep the journal safe in the first place?

I thought about running over to Andella’s house to pick her brain for answers, but she really didn’t seem like a reliable source at the moment. I decided that the best place to find the answers was right in the journal itself. I couldn’t help but continue reading:

I haven’t been one to write much in the past, but am now doing so by the request of my beloved William who believes our journey to this world we now call Ambrosia, which began more than two years past, is of great importance and we would all be wise to make record of it. Although I find the pen wearisome at times, I would do near to anything that my William were to ask of me. And what a better time to begin to take note than on the eve of what is to be the most joyous of occasions?

By some, at present, it is believed that I am a girl too young to be wed, and certainly not a proper match for the man who singlehandedly discovered the glorious divide that would lead our people to this blessed new land. But I for one will not allow the ignorance of others to affect my happiness, and certainly not on my own wedding day. Notwithstanding, these ill feelings are only shared by a select few, and I find the majority of those I am acquainted with to be quite in agreement of our union.

Our many experiences these two years past have been most tiresome and have caused much grief at times, yet our small settlement continues to grow at a steady pace and we are nothing short of optimistic for our futures.

I was so engrossed in my reading that when the phone in my hand began to buzz, I flinched and almost dropped the book to the ground.

I tried to clear my head from the shock, fumbling with the buttons to answer. “Uh…hi, Jax.”

“Okay, I talked to my father,” Jax began without taking a breath. “So, would you like the good news first…or the bad news?”

I closed the book in my lap. “You mean there’s bad news again?”

“Um, yes,” he continued matter-of-factly. “So the bad news is my father is not going to help me get my border clearance back at the moment because he’s the one who suspended it in the first place.”

“It was your father?” I groaned.

I could practically hear Jax’s eyes rolling as he said, “Apparently, he feels my, quote,
vacation
, has gone on long enough and it’s time for me to get back to business like all the other hard-working Scouts in Banya.”

“He’s not going to fix it for you then?” I complained. “That’s just
great
. So was there really any good news, or were you just trying to make me feel better?”

“Actually, there is some good news this time. My father was already aware of Rayne’s arrest. Before I even called him he stopped the Border Patrol on their way back to Banya and took Rayne into his own custody.”

“Are you sure that’s a good thing?” I asked in alarm. “Rayne told me—”

“Sadie, love,” Jax cut in. “My father is the third most powerful man on this planet, and he also happens to be a close, personal, long-time friend of Ambassador Fairbanks. He assured me that he will do everything in his power to ensure that the Ambassador is notified, as soon as possible, that one of his most trusted agents is being held in custody without his knowledge. I assure you, you have nothing to worry about.”

“Well, okay…” I said, hesitating. “I mean, he is your father. If you feel sure that we can trust him in this situation…”

“I’m sure,” Jax insisted. “In fact, he even offered to get you into the Court of Ambassadors to see Rayne if you wanted.”

My eyes bulged open. “Jax! You told him I was involved?”

“He already knew, Sadie. I’m telling you, my father is no idiot; he’s Head of Security over all of Ambrosia. He knows everything.”

My fingers clenched around the phone. “What exactly did he say about me? Did you tell him where I am?”

Suddenly, Jax started to laugh.

“What’s so funny?” I demanded.

“Oh, Sade,” he said. “You are
too
adorable. My father doesn’t know that you’re involved. I just can’t control myself from teasing you sometimes.”

“Wait, so you were just joking?”

“Well,” Jax explained, “he did seem extremely interested in finding out who this
mystery
girl is that would cause Rayne Stevens to go on a rampage to bring her across the border, but he doesn’t know it was you.”

I took a deep breath and let it exhale slowly.

“Although…” Jax went on, “I
do
know who this mystery girl is, and I’m very curious as to why the Ambassador was so concerned about getting her back to Ambrosia in one piece.”

I really didn’t like where Jax was going with this. Rayne made it very clear that I shouldn’t tell anyone who I really was, including Jax.

Then again, sometimes I wondered if I even knew the answer to that question. Who was I really? Rayne always made it sound like he was protecting me because I was something special, but after I had a chance to really think about it, I realized I was basically the illegitimate love-child resulting from some secret affair the Ambassador had with an Earth woman.

I had to wonder…was Rayne really protecting me like he believed he was, or was he sent to protect the Ambassador’s dirty little secret? Just thinking about it made me want to cringe.

“There’s no big mystery,” I said to Jax, trying to sound relaxed. “I’m just a nobody who’s dating Rayne Stevens, and Rayne happens to be best friends with a guy who turned out to be a criminal. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and got caught in the middle of it, that’s all.”

“Right,” Jax said sarcastically, “that makes perfect sense. Just in the wrong place…at the wrong time…”

I wasn’t sure why I had bothered giving Jax an explanation in the first place. He was obviously not as dumb as he looked…or acted.

“Fine, Jax,” I said. “You figured it out…I have a secret. But just so we’re clear, you should know that you’re probably the last person I’d ever consider telling.”

“Good,” he answered. “Because you should know…there’s nothing I love more than a challenge.”

I tried my best to ignore his remark. There weren’t many people I’d come across in my life that I couldn’t get along with—in fact, I could probably count them on less than one hand—but Jax was the newest exception to that list.

“Can we please just get back to the real reason for this call?” I said. “Don’t you have any friends with border clearance; ones that wouldn’t mind doing you a small favor by running across the border to make a quick phone call to the Ambassador without asking any questions about the details?”

“It’s possible I have a few of those I could call,” Jax offered. “So, why don’t you go grab your things, and we can see who we can get a hold of on our way back to the city?”

“The city? What are you talking about?” I started to say, but then I felt someone’s presence right behind me, causing me to whirl around.

“Surprise,” Jax said with a devilish grin, standing right behind me like he’d been spying on me for who knew
how
long.

I stumbled backward. “What, what are you doing here?”

“I came here for
you
of course,” he said. “Isn’t it obvious?”

It had only been a day since I’d last seen him, but Jax looked completely different than I remembered; kind of scary, in a sexy-crazy sort of way, almost like an eccentric, pimped-out rock star or something. And even though I had seen Jax’s violet eyes the day before when Rayne chased him down like a thief at Santa Monica Pier, they seemed different too—more vivid. It probably had something to do with all the ridiculous eyeliner he was wearing.

I looked him over. “What happened to your…” I paused trying to think where to start; the spiky white hair, or the red alligator combat boots. “to your…everything?” I finally said, twirling my finger around the front of him.

Jax shrugged. “This is what I always wear; everyone knows that. Haven’t you seen me in the papers recently? Or the Modern People channel?”

I shook my head.

“Sadie…come on… I was on the cover of Vigor just last month. Didn’t you see it?”

“Vigor?” I repeated.

Jax looked at me like I was completely clueless. “You know, the second highest selling magazine in Banya…”

“Sorry,” I said. “I must have missed that one.”

Jax folded his arms to his chest and eyed me. “Oh that’s right, you were a little busy…off playing high school Earth-girl, if I remember correctly.”

“Jax, how did you even know I was here?” I asked, successfully changing the subject. I looked down at the cell phone in my hand and had an eerie flashback. “Wait, were you tracking my phone?”

Jax answered casually. “Well, I tried that as soon as you first called me of course, but the phone you’re using is untraceable. Smart for
you
, but not nearly as fun for me.”

I looked at him in disbelief. “Right, of course you did. What was I thinking?”

“No, actually,” Jax continued, “when I called my father earlier he mentioned the location where he intercepted Rayne’s arrest, so it wasn’t exactly hard to figure out where you’d be.”

“But wasn’t that only, like, forty minutes ago, and the drive here from the city is—”

Jax smirked. “My car is fast. And I don’t feel the need to obey traffic laws, remember?”

My mind flashed back to the last time I rode in a convertible with Jax as he tore down Coast Highway like his wheels were on fire.

“But seriously, Sadie,” Jax went on. “I’m getting the impression that you need to keep a low profile, and this isn’t exactly the best location for that anymore. My father can be a curious man; he’s bound to make his way back over here to look for you. A girl like you should know these things.”

“A girl like me?” I repeated.

“Well, I do have a theory about you,” Jax said. “But it can wait. Right now you should be thinking about grabbing your things so we can get on the road.”

I looked Jax square in the face. “You’re forgetting something,” I said, trying to play his little game. “I never said I was coming with you.”

Jax shrugged. “Well, if you have other plans…don’t let me keep you. I’ll just give you a call when I’ve heard from the Ambassador. Sound good?” And then he started to walk away.

I pursed my lips. I hated that it was so easy for him to call my bluff. I knew Jax was right. It wasn’t a good idea for me to stay here anymore, and even if I did take Rayne’s truck into the city by myself, I didn’t have a clue where to go from there.

“Jax, wait,” I called after him dryly. “I’ll get my things.”

Jax waited out in the front yard while I cracked open the front door to Andella’s cottage.

“Hello?” I called out quietly, not wanting to give the old woman a heart attack in case she couldn’t remember who I was. There was no answer in return, so I hurried back into the guest bedroom to gather my belongings. Not that I really had much to gather; I only had one pair of clothes, aside from the few that Binnie had lent to me. The only other item I had to worry about was Jane Carpenter’s journal, which I wasn’t about to leave behind now that I had it in my possession.

I leaned over to pick up my shirt and gasped in alarm when I saw my sock sitting beneath it. I had been so overwhelmed by Rayne’s arrest that I had forgotten the Water Briolette there all day long. I grabbed the sock and emptied the contents into my palm, taking in a happy breath when the stone slid safely into my hand. But as I turned to stand, I flinched back with a start and dropped the Briolette when I realized Rayne’s grandmother was standing in the doorway, staring at me.

The crystal rolled onto the floor, landing right at Andella’s feet. I watched in concern as she bent down with wobbly knees and picked it up. She stared at it for a moment, and then her eyes went blank like she was seeing something in the back of her mind.

She held up the Briolette and shuffled toward me, almost chanting as she said, “The mark with no end holds the key to the source. The Aurora will harmonize the spheres. The path to the light is the mark with no end. Regeneration will begin.”