Atoning (2 page)

We hadn’t come to Badger Lake alone. I don’t think any Cabal would have wanted us badly enough to pour millions of dollars into a community for me, Derek, Simon and Tori. We’re more dangerous than valuable, which was why the St. Cloud Cabal had been so determined to either lock us up or put us down.

It was the Nast Cabal that had us now. Specifically Sean Nast, the CEO’s twenty-nine-year-old grandson. While even Derek will grudgingly admit that Sean is as nice a guy as you could imagine for a Cabal sorcerer, Sean isn’t a philanthropist. We were here because he hoped to train us and prove that life in a Cabal wouldn’t be nearly as terrible as we feared. In other words, he was courting future employees. But while he was interested in the four of us, the ones everyone really wanted were the kids from Salmon Creek, because they aren’t just genetically modified supernaturals—they’re reintroduced extinct supernatural types.

When I headed through the woods in search of Maya, I found her easily enough, as I usually can when she’s with Daniel. They seem to always be talking, with an enthusiasm and an energy that makes me smile. They’ve been best friends since they were five, yet they never run out of new things to discuss, and that’s reassuring. It’s what I have with Derek, and it’s what I always want to have.

“Table tennis,” Maya was saying to him as I approached down a side path.

“Uh-huh,” Daniel replied.

“I’m serious. I want a rec center with a table tennis table. We’ll tell them it’ll help our reflexes. Pinball machines, too. And a pool table. If Sean wants to build super secret agents, we need to develop fast reflexes and superior strategy skills. But we’re kids. Easily distracted. Easily bored. So we need table tennis, pinball, pool…”

“And a rec center to hold it all?”

“They can add it to the gym. There’s room. I checked.”

Daniel chuckled. “Of course you did. I suppose I could argue that pool would help me focus.”

“Perfect. Tell them that.”

When Maya sets her mind to a thing, she does it—by force of will, if necessary. Put her with Daniel, and there isn’t an adult in Badger Lake who won’t listen to them and not just in that
we’re pretending to listen to humor you
way. It’s an impressive talent to someone who grew up too shy to raise her hand in class. I’m not nearly as insecure as I used to be—and Maya isn’t nearly as confident as she seems to be—but it’s one more reason we’ve become friends.

I could see them now, holding hands, still chattering away. Maya’s German shepherd Kenjii walked on her other side. Maya will turn seventeen in a week. She’s Native American—mostly, at least—a few inches taller than me with long black hair and dark eyes. Daniel is about five-ten, with a boxer’s build, blond hair and blue eyes. When we first arrived, Tori had checked him out, but she’d declared that, as cute as he was, he wasn’t to her tastes. In other words, she’d seen how he looked at Maya and had known she didn’t stand a chance.

“Hey,” Maya said, turning as she heard my footsteps. “I thought if we talked loud enough, Derek would hear and come barreling over to give us crap for disturbing you two. But I’m guessing he’s not dressed yet.”

“He just finished Changing back,” I said as I gave Kenjii a pat.

“Uh-huh. In the last hour or so, right?”

A year ago, I’d have turned crimson and started stammering. Now I just laughed. Maybe I was growing up. Maybe it’s Maya, rubbing off on me. Or maybe it’s just learning that being able to talk openly about sex—with both my boyfriend and with a girl friend—makes it easier to navigate what can be really tricky ground. And yes, maybe that’s part of the “growing up” thing, too.

“Apologies for the interruption,” Daniel said. “We wouldn’t do it if we didn’t have to.”

“Yeah, I know,” Derek said, appearing beside me. “So, what’s up?”

“If we’re going to North Bay, we need to leave”—Daniel checked his watch—“right about now.”

“What?” I said.

“Moreno just got word that Sean had to move his visit up to Monday. While we don’t necessarily have to be here for that…”

“We have a list of things we want to discuss with him,” I said.

“Right. And Maya wants a rec center.”

“To hone our skills,” she said.

“Through table tennis, pinball, and pool,” Daniel said. “Don’t ask.”

“I wouldn’t mind a pinball game,” Derek said.

“Then you can ask Sean for that,” Maya said. “Tell him it’ll help you work off any extra aggression. We’ll divvy up the list. So we agree that we want to be back for Sean’s visit
and
that we still want to go to North Bay for the weekend?”

We did. Which meant we had to pack fast.

The town looked deserted. It was, almost. We get monthly trips to Toronto, by helicopter, but after about a year, a few of us started skipping alternate months. Some of the kids chafed at small-town life. Others embraced it. While “embrace” might not be the word to use for Derek, he was certainly happier here, in the middle of our wilderness. Maya was the same—she’s a skin-walker, and her dad is a forest ranger, so even small-town living could be a bit too much for her. Like Maya, Daniel is accustomed to living in a village of under two hundred people. Me? I just want to be where my family and friends are, which is here.

They’d brought my dad in a few months ago. We were still getting used to that, after a year apart. To be honest, we’d never been very close—my mom died when I was five, and he’d buried himself in his work, including endless business trips. To come here, he had to take a back seat in his own company, which is tough, but it’s what he wants. I’ll be off to college soon, and it’s important to him to make up for lost time.

Dad does the monthly trips to Toronto for business. Aunt Lauren was gone too, along with Kit, and Maya’s parents and pretty much everyone else in town. The only adults left behind were members of the security team, including Moreno and Antone, who is Maya’s biological father. Both would be joining us on our North Bay trip.

One more person was coming with us: the only other kid who didn’t join the Toronto excursion. Maya and I went to talk to him after we had dropped off Derek and Daniel at their respective houses. I’d been staying with Maya while our parents were away, so my stuff was at her place, too.

When we saw the door to Maya’s animal rehab shed open, we headed that way. Kenjii walked to the house porch instead, knowing he wasn’t allowed in the shed. We went in and found Ash sitting on a crate, staring at a hutch of young rabbits.

“If you’re hungry, Mom and Dad left a house full of food,” Maya said.

He flipped her the finger and stood, shoving the crate away with his foot. This was Ash. Actually, Ashton, but the only person who calls him that is Tori and just to piss him off. He’s Maya’s twin brother. They’d been separated as babies and reunited a year ago.

Anyone who thinks Derek is antisocial has never met Ash. The only thing the twins have in common is a quick tongue. With Ash, though, that tongue can be vicious. Which might explain why Tori is kind of crazy about him.

Ash saw me and nodded. For him, that was a friendly greeting, far better than the snarl or cold shoulder that most people got.

“You need to pack,” Maya said. “We’re leaving ASAP. Sean’s coming in Monday.”

“Not going.”

“What?”

He shrugged. “Changed my mind.”

“But—You… The plan… It was for you. Rent ATVs, do some rock climbing, camp overnight on the escarpment, work on your shifting… It was for you, Ash.”

“Changed my mind,” he repeated.

No one is more patient with Ash than Maya. He hasn’t had an easy life. He spent three years on the streets. He has a reason to be prickly. But as she stared at him, I could feel her patience fraying. When she finally said, “All right then,” the words came out brittle.

She turned to walk out. He caught her arm, leaned over and murmured, “Next time, okay? I just…I have stuff to do.”

“What could you—?” She cut herself short and shook her head. “Never mind. I’ll talk to Antone.”

“Nah, I’ll do it. You go and get ready. Have a good weekend.”

“I’d have a better weekend if—” Again, she stopped herself. “Fine. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

We got about ten feet from the shed when I said, “Oh, I forgot to check on the owl.” The injured young eastern screech owl was my first solo patient. Maya nodded, distracted, and headed for the house.

Ash was still in the shed, now crouched and checking the hinges on the rabbit hutch. He handled construction for Maya’s shed, and he was forever fussing with it, worrying it wasn’t quite good enough.

“She’s pissed, isn’t she?” he said as I walked in.

“She put a lot of work into planning this weekend. You agreed to come, and she didn’t want you feeling like a fifth wheel, so she and Daniel dreamed up this whole aganda to suit you.”

“Fuck.” He exhaled and straightened to face me. “I didn’t know…” He shook his head and shoved back his hair. “Fuck.”

“Can you just come? Please. It would mean a lot to her.”

“I know, but I can’t. I’ve…got stuff.” He lifted his hands. “And, no, I’m not just saying that to skip out. I’m working on something. For Maya. For next week.”

“Her birthday. Well,
your
birthday, I mean. Both of you.”

“I want to get it done while she’s gone. I figured you guys would be okay with me staying back, maybe even be happy not to have me tagging along.”

I gave him a look.

“Yeah, I know. You’d be okay with me coming. I just thought it wouldn’t be a big deal if I bailed. Now it is, and I really want to do this, and Maya’s pissed.”

“I’ll talk to her.”

“Thanks.”

Maya’s place is tucked into the forest, but it is still close enough to see another house—an empty house, built for Rae and her mother. Sean had tracked them down and convinced them to come to Badger Lake. I’d gone with him to meet her months ago, but they hadn’t shown up.

Sean had worried something had happened, but his spies had caught sight of them a few weeks later. As soon as Sean tried to make contact, Rae and her mother took off again. Apparently, they’d changed their minds. I couldn’t blame them—taking refuge with a Cabal seemed crazy. But I wished I’d gotten the chance to talk to Rae myself. I don’t know if that would have helped. The last time I’d seen her, she’d refused to leave the St. Cloud laboratory, convinced the Edison Group had our best interests in mind. Once burned, twice shy, I guess. I would still have liked to try.

North Bay is the biggest city in the area, but it’s still almost a two-hour drive, and at fifty thousand people, it’s not exactly a major metropolis. It has what we need, though, for a weekend away.

Maya left Kenjii behind with Ash. Antone stayed, too. So we had Moreno and Luke, one of the security guys. There are a dozen “security guys” at Badger Lake—well, ten guys and two women. They keep to themselves, but I at least try to learn their names, which can be tough when they only stay for three month shifts and don’t interact with us much. Luke has been one of the exceptions. At twenty-three, he’s the youngest guard we’ve had, and he’s into caving and rock climbing, which we have plenty of around Badger Lake so he’s joined us at that a few times. He’s careful not to cross the line between guard and friend, but everyone likes him, and we were happy to have him joining us now.

We’d taken two vehicles. Maya and Daniel were in Daniel’s truck. Derek and I were with Moreno and Luke in one of the vans. We could have all fit in the van, but we like the autonomy of having a separate vehicle—we all have our licenses—and to their credit, the Cabal guys are really good about allowing us that autonomy.

On the way, I did homework. I’m trying to graduate early so I can go to college with Derek. He’s a year ahead of me in school. Simon, Maya and Daniel are too, and I’d like us all to go to college together, but mostly, I need to go for Derek. He’s made it clear he won’t leave without me, and, while he’s willing to wait, I don’t want that. He’s already been taking college-level math and science courses for two years now. He needs more of a challenge.

We got to the park around five. It was too late for the ATVs, but that plan had really been for Ash. We’d probably stick to hiking and rock climbing. On tonight’s agenda was dinner in town, shopping, a movie and then a bonfire. We set up the tents, and the guys took off in the truck to buy campfire wood while Maya and I laid out the duffels and sleeping bags in the tents. Moreno sat on the picnic table and watched us carrying them in.

“Uh, I think you’re doing that wrong,” he said as we unzipped the flaps on our respective tents. “Boys on the left, girls on the right.”

“Nope,” Maya said and tossed Daniel’s sleeping bag and hers into a tent.

“You’re supposed to humor the grown-ups and then swap in the middle of the night.”

“I prefer honesty.”

“Then you won’t mind me telling your parents about your arrangement?”

“Not at all. Of course, you’ll have to tell them that you allowed it. Or you’ll have to stop us. You could shoot me again. It’s been a while.”

Luke laughed as he walked by with his pack.

Moreno sighed. “You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”

“Oddly, no.”

He only shook his head. Moreno is a teleporting half-demon and former mercenary. I don’t quite know what to make of him. I suspect he’s not a very nice guy, but he’s loyal to Antone and committed to his job protecting us, and that’s the main thing.

Maya and Moreno have an…interesting relationship. He chased her and the other Project Phoenix kids through the wilds of Vancouver Island, and she’s not kidding when she says he shot at her, but he’d argue he wasn’t trying to kill her, and, to him, that’s a perfectly valid excuse, and it was completely business, not a reflection on her personally. Yeah, it’s a little weird. But he’s as devoted to Maya and Ash as he is to their father.

“Do you want me to make a drugstore run for you, too?” he asked as she hauled in their duffels.

“If we need that, I’m perfectly capable of getting it myself.”

“Of course you are.”

“And we don’t need it,” Maya said. We aren’t having sex. We’re just sleeping together.”

“You realize you aren’t actually supposed to tell me that, right?”

“Did I mention the honesty thing? And now you don’t have to worry about telling Antone you let his kid get knocked up. Or telling my dad. I’m not sure which would be worse.”

“Your mom.”

“True. Oh, but we do need you to hit the beer store. We’d like a six pack.”

He sighed.

“Would you rather I asked for a bottle of vodka and some weed?”

He shook his head and went to put up his own tent.

Maya took off to fill the water containers with Moreno. I was sitting on top of the picnic table, studying. I hid my work as soon as I heard the truck coming. My plan to get into college early isn’t one I share with Derek. I mentioned the idea once, just an offhand comment, and he kiboshed it. I could have argued, but if I had, then it would have been obvious it had been more than an offhand remark.

I’ve asked my tutors to keep my advanced studies a secret, just in case I don’t manage it, and I do as much of the work on the sly as I can. Maya knows, and she swears keeping it from Derek is a really bad idea. I tell myself she just doesn’t understand, which is crap, but I’m determined to do this for him.

When the guys returned, I had the study pages stuffed into my novel before Daniel parked.

“Did everyone abandon you?” Daniel called as he got out.

“Luke’s around. Maya and Moreno are fetching water.”

“That way?” he said, pointing.

I nodded. He took off at a jog as Derek walked over to me. He glanced at my book. I clasped it shut, better hiding the study pages.

“How far are you?” he said.

“Not far.” I stuffed it into my jacket pocket.

“Been working on that one for a while,” he said.

I shrugged. “It’s not really grabbing me. I’ll find another.” I caught the front of his shirt and pulled him into a kiss. “We probably have time for a walk before—”

His stomach growled.

“And that answers my question,” I said. “We should get everyone moving for dinner.”

He pulled a granola bar from his pocket, opened it and waved to the nearby path. I grinned, hopped down, took his free hand and led him toward the forest.

Dinner eaten. Shopping list conquered. Time for a movie. That part was for me. While the others enjoy movies, I’m the one who’s crazy about them. Or I used to be.

I guess you’d still say I’m a film buff, but not like I used to be. For one thing, I don’t have the opportunity to get out and watch many movies, and we don’t get cable at Badger Lake. But to be honest, it’s mostly inclination. I used to lose myself in movies to forget the crappier parts of my life, like the constant moving that kept me from making real friends. I don’t need that now. My entertainment these days comes more from books—which we can get a lot more easily—and from just getting out and doing stuff. But that doesn’t mean I’ve abandoned that first love, and if we’re in a town with a cinema, Derek makes sure I get a movie.

We were at a repertory house watching
Iron Man
, which I’d missed when it came out last year. Partway through the film, I ducked out for a bathroom break. Moreno and Luke were in a separate theatre. Moreno said they were seeing some comedy, but Maya swore they ducked into
Twilight
. She planned to be waiting at the exit with her camera for blackmail fodder.

I was washing my hands when a girl came into the restroom for a quick check in the full-length mirror behind me. Through my mirror, I caught a glimpse of dark curls. Familiar dark curls. Of course it couldn’t be Rae, but I still stepped to the side to get a better angle, see her face and—

I froze, my hands dripping suds and water as the girl walked out of the restroom. It took three seconds before my legs would work, and then I was bolting out, wiping my hands on my jeans.

I made it to the foyer just in time to see her walking out the front doors.