Dentelle (5 page)

“Kids?” I repeated dumbly. “Kids with Ash? This
is un-be-lieve-able!” I said, slapping my hands together. These thoughts had
never crossed my mind. Was the Senior Council really that audacious? And was I
really that naïve?

“Did I
just hear my name?”
Ash’s voice intruded my mind.

I could feel the heat spreading across my body,
until my toes and fingers were tingling. I had to be blushing furiously.
“Nope! You didn’t. Never mind. Must have
been a mistake.”

Getting up in Michael’s face, I said in a hushed
voice, “Did you tell Jason about this rumor?”

“No,” he sighed. “Never had the chance. Better
you tell him about this one, than me. Besides, this should be the least of your
worries right now. The Senior Council can’t force you to marry Ash and have
kids. The bigger issue is them pushing you to move and join a different Circle.
I’m not sure what Jason would do if that happened. I worry about him breaking
code and being severely punished for it. Then there’s the little matter of my
dad being a Senior Guardian. Jason thinks he and all the other adults are
completely oblivious to your relationship, which I find hard to believe. My mom
is a pretty perceptive woman. Besides that, I’m surprised you were able to talk
Max into keeping your secret.”

“Yeah well, Laci had a lot to do with that,” I
said. The roar of a jet caused me to close my eyes and cover my ears for a
moment. When I opened my eyes again, Jason was strolling towards us, a golden
summer tan already prominent on his face. In faded jeans and a snug white
t-shirt, which didn’t leave much to the imagination when it came to his broad,
muscular chest, he was gorgeous. A black sports watch and the silver chain
around his neck somehow added to his masculinity, and for a moment all I could
do was stare.

“Hey, you okay?” he asked when he was standing
next to me.

I blinked and looked over at Michael. “Yes. No.
I don’t know,” I said with exasperation. “I’m just worried about our trip to
the Ranch.” Jason raised his eyebrows skeptically and looked at Michael. “Are
you trying to freak her out, bro?”

I put my hand on Jason’s shoulder. “I’m okay,
really.”

“Absolutely not,” Michael shot back. “I’m trying
to prepare her for potential drama.” He gripped Jason by the shoulders.
“Because, despite all this pretending there is nothing but friendship between
you, sparks fly every time you’re near each other, and I don’t want either one
of you getting hurt. Which could easily happen at the Ranch with so many
watchful eyes and perceptive minds.”

Jason and I looked at each other, our eyes
smoldering with fear, love, the need to protect….

Michael slapped Jason on the back. “See, that’s
exactly what I’m talking about.”

“Okay. Enough said. We get it,” Jason said, his
words long and drawn out, as if trying to erase his fears with each syllable.
“We’ll be careful, right?”

“Yes.” I nodded and smiled reassuringly, knowing
it was a lot easier said than done.

Not long after, we wrapped up our conversation
with Michael and said our final farewells to Sienna and Izzy. An hour later,
the seven of us from Bellingham were boarding a plane bound for Montana.

The airline employee scanned my boarding pass,
and after his electronic scanner beeped, he motioned me forward. Hastily, I
shoved the ticket into my pocket and followed Jason down the jetway. I pulled
my small suitcase, with attached feather-down pillow, behind me. I was sad our
trip to Maine had ended so soon. A tour of Husson University, a coastal hike, a
kayaking trip, explorations of Acadia National Park, and a gourmet lobster
dinner had quickly eaten away our four day stay. Our only knockback had been the
kidnapping attempt, but even there we’d come out victorious. A few more days
would have allowed time to get better acquainted with Jason’s brother, Michael,
as well as take in more sights. As a result, my “next time” list for Maine was
growing: investigate lighthouses, sample more seafood chowders, take a Puffin
tour, and catch a lobster. But at the moment, we were Montana bound.

Traffic came to a standstill in the jetway as
the long line of passengers backed up, so I rested my head against Jason’s shoulder.
He smelled of sunscreen and laundry detergent. People chatted around us, and
their voices droned together in the enclosed space. I suspected our excursion
to the Ranch was not going to be as pleasurable as the one we were leaving
behind. Emotional challenges – that’s what I was anticipating for Montana.

We were planning a one week stay, and my
conference with the Senior Council wasn’t until Thursday – five days in. Plenty
of time to stress. Hopefully, the Guardian competitions would demand my time, command
my thoughts, and provide an outlet for my nervous energy. I knew I was
terrified, because after debating the issue in my head, I’d decided a run-in
with the Ray-pacs was preferable to one with the Senior Council. Realizing I
had a vice-like grip on my suitcase, I let go and flexed my fingers. I’d
seriously psyched myself out and needed to chill! Luckily, the line started
moving again, and my thoughts of gloom and doom were suspended. Before long, I
boarded the plane and exchanged greetings with an enthusiastic flight attendant
and a welcoming but more subdued pilot.

A moment later, Jason said, “Alex, scoot in
here. Row five. Your seat is by the window.” He grabbed my suitcase and smiled
broadly as he stowed it in the overhead bin.

I looked at him in confusion.

“What?” Madison demanded, halting in front of
him. Whirling around, she put one hand on her hip, let go of her suitcase with
the other and waved a finger in his face. “Since when do Guardian funds pay for
first class?”

“They don’t,” Jason said matter-of-factly while
waving me into my over-sized seat. “I paid for the upgrades with my own money.
Alex and I need a little peace and privacy before we have to play it safe at
the Ranch.”

“Would have been nice if you’d mentioned it to
the rest of us. Maybe we would have opted for upgrades, as well.”

Jason sat down, stretched out his legs, and
said, “No offense. But I didn’t want to. Just wanted to be alone with Alex.”

She wrinkled her sharp nose in derision. “Rather
rude, wouldn’t you say?” But instead of waiting for a response, she held her
head high, turned on her heel, and continued down the aisle.

I couldn’t stop myself from giggling. “Thanks. I
needed that.”

“Oh no, believe me, I needed it more.”

“She’ll punish you, ya know?” I said, adjusting
the air nozzle above me, which was “swishing” noisily and blowing a cold,
steady stream onto my face.

“Probably.”

“Oh, she will. She’ll be talking in your head
during the whole flight to Montana.” Pulling my legs up onto the seat, I turned
sideways so I could study his profile.

He adjusted a pillow behind his head and said,
“Doesn’t matter. I’ll be so focused on the beautiful woman beside me, I won’t
even notice.”

“Ohhh, Mr. Walker,” I teased, running my finger
down his jawline. “Flattery will get you everywhere.”

“That’s the plan,” he said, a gleam in his eye.

“Except in our case, it really won’t get you
more than a little shot of Essence,” I said, my smile trickling away.

“Alex, just being next to you, talking with you,
and gazing into your expressive brown eyes – that’s everything to me. Besides,
the next full moon is only three and a half weeks away.”

“Only!” I sputtered, smacking the armrest. “Just
another reminder I’m forever linked with Ash.”

“You don’t know that. Your link could break at
anytime. Or maybe it will break after one full year has passed. You need to
stay optimistic. Don’t lose hope.”

I shrugged, “Well, we’re
only
talking about
one
day! Only one day in which you aren’t linked with Madison. And only
one
day in which you won’t get burned
when you touch me.” I fiddled with my seatbelt – clicking and unclicking it –
just because the “clinking” sound suited my mood. “Then after that
one
day is over, I’m untouchable, you’re
bonded with Madison, and the waiting game starts all over again.”

He twisted sideways and leaned towards me until
his face was so close to mine, our noses were almost touching. “Yeah, but just
imagine how fiercely passionate our kisses will be on that
one
day,” he whispered, his minty breath rushing over my cheeks.

“Jason…”

“Shhh…” he said softly, his eyes penetrating
mine. “Envision us at the Retreat. We’re together but alone and the sun is
setting on the horizon. My arms are wrapped around you. My hands running
through your hair. You are safe. And the heat between us is electrifying.
Natural. Passionate. Not painful. Skin to skin contact.” He moved a fraction of
an inch closer, if that was even possible. “You got that mental picture in your
mind?”

“Mmm…” I mumbled under my breath.

“Now imagine me pulling your hair back and my
lips on your long, silky neck. Kissing all those soft spots as I work my way
around to your face. Where I kiss your eyelids. Your cheeks.” He paused and
raised one eyebrow. “Now visualize my lips on your lips. Feel it,” he
commanded, his irises flaring. “Think of all those
many
moments on that
one
day we will have to explore our passion.”

My jaw dropped as heat rushed through my body
and my heart beat madly. I could feel my skin tingling and my face flushing.
“Jason, you’re killing me here.”

Smiling, he bit his lower lip and leaned away.
“Oh Alex, those are just words. But I wish you could see your face right now.
Even that cute little mole under your right eye is blushing.”

I gave him a sprightly shove. “You’re so not
playing fair.”

“Oh, this…this is nothing. Just wait until it’s
the real deal. No words. Just touch. I promise the expression on your face, on
that
one
day, will be twice as
memorable.” He laughed merrily.

“Better watch out. Madison is not the only one
who can punish.”

“Yeah, I’m counting on it.”

I’d been so intent on Jason; I hadn’t even
noticed our plane had wheeled onto the runway, and we were about to takeoff.
Luckily, at that moment the “Fasten Seatbelt” sign flashed, the lights dimmed,
and several beeps echoed throughout the cabin right before the flight
attendant’s voice told us to prepare for departure. First class definitely had
its benefits. Aside from all the extra room and attentive service, we were
provided with heated blankets, free headsets, and laptop hookups, if we so
desired. The built-in flat screens would play free movies, but Jason and I
opted to spend our time in quiet solitude, absorbed only in each other without
electronic entertainment. Having a face to face conversation was so refreshing.
Our world was so inundated with social-networking and multimedia devices, I
often wondered if people were losing the ability to interact in person and have
meaningful conversations.

 
I sparked
a discussion with Jason about this very issue as we lay facing each other in
our comfortably reclined seats – reclined at what must have been close to 160
degrees. I told him about how, when I’d spent time at a middle school as part
of one of my ed. class requirements, I’d noticed that almost every student had
a cell phone and many used them during class while the teacher was talking.

“Really?” he asked, dumbfounded. “They’re
allowed to do that?”

“Of course not. I’m pretty sure phones are
supposed to stay in lockers except during lunch. But I was sitting in the back
of the room and noticed several kids messing around, rather covertly, inside
their desks, not paying any attention to the lesson.” I chuckled at the memory.
“I got up and nonchalantly walked around, trying to get a better view.”

“What did you see?”

“Two people were texting, a couple more were
playing games, and one was scrolling through the app store. I didn’t say
anything, of course. Didn’t want to be a nark. But I did make a mental note to
talk to Ally about it. When she starts student teaching, she’s gonna want to
teach from all angles of the room, keeping her eyes wide open.”

“When we have kids, no cell phones until they’re
like 18,” he said stubbornly, but his eyes were twinkling.

“Oh, so we’re having kids now?” I asked. And a
passing thought had me wondering if the Senior Council really expected me to
marry Ash and have kids right away.

His eyes shot up. “Absolutely. But not for
awhile. We have to live a little first.”

“Good to know,” I said. “By the way, guess what
Ava Rose asked me to get her for her birthday?”

“Not a cell phone?”

I nodded. “Yep. Apparently, ‘all the third
graders are getting them.’”

“I doubt that.”

Sitting up, I took a sip of my cherry 7 UP. “Me
too. But don’t worry. I told her not until middle school.” Lying back down, I
propped myself up on my elbow, “Here’s an interesting tidbit for ya. In one of
the 8
^th
grade classrooms I observed, the students were discussing
the results of a communication survey they’d recently completed. The
overwhelming results indicated that the majority of their social interactions
with friends came via texting, gaming, or Facebooking. What’s even more amazing
is that phone calls, e-mailing, and face to face conversations were at the
bottom of the list.”

“Okay, absolutely no electronics, including TVs,
until our kids graduate from high school.”

I smacked him on the arm. “Oh, come on Mr.
Inflexible. You’ll have to relinquish a little bit. They’re gonna need laptops
or tablets for schoolwork. And anyways, you don’t want your kids to be
technological outcasts.”

He stuck out his tongue. “First of all, we’re
talking about
our
kids, Miss
Extremist. And second of all, I’d rather they had the ability to communicate
face to face so they won’t be socially awkward in a room full of people.”

“I agree with that,” I responded. “But I just
think there are benefits to both.”

“Ah, hah,” Jason said with a grin, while
pointing at me. “So it all comes down to balance.”

“Absolutely. When doesn’t it?”

“That’s why I love you,” he said. “We are like
two sides of the same coin – or rock in our case, like the one you gave me up
at the waterfall. Distinctly different, one half logic and one half emotion,
but together we are balanced and can’t exist without the other.”

“Nicely put, Mr. Walker. And I believe your
exact words that day were, ‘One side dark and mysterious with tiny glimmers of
hope, and the other side light and pure with obvious beauty.’”

“Your memory astounds me.” He shook his head
with appreciation and smacked his lips together. “We are going to have
brilliant children.”

That’s when it hit me. Brilliant children? Duh.
That’s why the Senior Council wanted me to marry Ash and have kids right away.
They were hoping we might bring another Dentelle into this world. Why those
scheming control freaks. I sure wanted to give them a piece of my mind. But I
didn’t want to ruin my time with Jason, so I locked my anger away and kept
those theories to myself. Aloud I said, “So, now that we have all that figured
out – brilliant children who will be socially savvy…”

 
“Five of
them by the way,” he interjected.

“Huh? Five what?”

“Five kids. That’s how many I think we should
have.”

I rolled my eyes, and despite my anger towards
the Senior Council, I laughed. The idea of children with Jason was romantic.
And it would be my decision, not theirs. “Don’t even get me started,” I said.
“Actually,” I paused, tapping my chin, “Maybe we should have five. Five girls
that is. And maybe I shouldn’t mention the one middle school girl who’d
admitted she’d dated a guy for three weeks but their only conversations came
via text or while playing “Call of Duty” together, and then they ended the
relationship through a text, as well.”

His jaw dropped. “What?” He tapped his hand
against the seat. “No. No dating. Not ever. And I’m back to no cell phones,
too.”

“Oh honey,” I said good-naturedly, “The future
looks bright.” Despite my words, I knew, deep down, that wasn’t true. My future
was a black hole. There might be light, but it was trapped inside and needed to
find its way out.

Fortunately, we were both saved from further
discussion by the flight attendant offering refreshments. I asked for three
water bottles, and Jason teased me about having a dehydration problem. I told
him that I always downed two to three water bottles on a plane. Maybe it was an
anxiety thing. Before long we’d uprighted our seats, adjusted our tray tables,
and were feasting on a lavish assortment of fresh fruits, cheeses, cold-cuts,
and crackers, with honey-roasted cashews for dessert. Other than the hum of the
engines, the first class cabin was quiet. It was easy to forget we were
cruising along at 30,000 feet in an enclosed space with a ton of other people.

Cozy and isolated in our own little section of
the plane, we discussed everything from work, to our final exams, to how nice
it was to be homework free for a couple months. Curious, I inquired about the
Guardian Games – how they were organized and the expectations. I couldn’t help
but listen intently, because Jason spoke with such enthusiasm when he was
passionate about something. On top of that, he was gorgeous, and I couldn’t
take my eyes off him.