Out of Reach (27 page)

And I snap.

Electricity courses through my veins the
minute I do, and the comfortable mantle of my power falls into
place. Reconciled with my abilities I feel as if I could do
anything. Glaring back up at Al-Alem, I smirk. I'm not the only one
who knows it.

"Listen, Al," I say, making no attempt to
mask the open insult. "It appears you don't know everything. I
mean, you pegged me all wrong." I taunt him, taking a step in his
direction for a change. Fury boils in his eyes, threatening to melt
his carefully constructed persona. "You don't fuck with the people
I love."

Swiftly closing the gap between us, I lift
my hands, channeling all the raw power coursing through me.

"Back in the box, all of you!" I scream,
focusing the intent of all my energy into pushing each of them back
to where they came from. Wailing in unison the wall of fog
dissipates, the individual Sylph essences pulling free. Covering my
face with my arms I close my eyes to the blinding light of their
flameless fire.

When the heat no longer scorches my face and
the sweat dripping down my back dries cold on my skin, I lower my
arms. I stand victorious, green eyes flashing, rigid with rage,
surrounded by my friends. Hal was wrong. The only two times I'd
used my powers before was when I was angry. Staying calm wasn't the
key. I would never have been able to access that missing part of
myself, which now feels like a familiar friend.

I guess anger really is my go-to
emotion.

The Wanderers melt to the floor, exhausted.
Kade rests on his hands and knees, still not looking at me. Moving
my stiff joints, I start to go to him only to get sidelined by Z,
who sweeps me up in a bear hug.

"That's my girl!" he tells me like an
affectionate older brother.

"Can't breathe, put me down, you oaf," I
squeak out. Refilling my lungs with oxygen, I make my way over to
Kade, oblivious to congratulatory words of the other Wanderers.
Kade has just regained his feet when I reach him.

"What did he do to you?"

"He?" Kade questions. I shake off his
question having no time to explain at the moment.

"What did you see?" I rephrase my
inquiry.

"My worst fears," he whispers. "And
you?"

"My deepest desires," I breathe, my body
starting to tremble. Pulling me into his arms he tucks me under his
chin and we hold each other until we both stop shaking.

The mood is light as we leave the treasure
trove. I take one last look to appreciate everything we've
accomplished and marvel at the ethereal beauty of a room that won't
be seen again in my lifetime.

Exhausted we gather in the main cavern where
preparations for a modest feast are already underway. Z winks at me
from across the space and I know this must be the after party he's
been talking up.

"Are you sure there isn't a shower tucked
away somewhere? I really need to wash that guy off me," I plead
with Kade.

"That guy?" he questions while steering us
towards the dormitory. I explain to him everything that happened
with Al-Alem as we walk.

"It's alright, everything’s alright." It’s
my turn to soothe him when he begins to run his fingers through his
hair for the third time, clearly stressed. He shakes off my
concern, pausing long enough for me to grab fresh clothes and
toiletries before moving us down another side passage. We weave our
way through several maze-like tunnels and I quickly lose my sense
of direction. I assume Kade has as well when we round a bend that
dumps us into a dead end.

"Um, shouldn't we turn around?" I ask when
Kade just continues to stand there staring at the wall.

"No, give it a second," he tells me stepping
back. I analyze the rock formation while waiting for who knows
what. The dead end is an almost perfectly round little pocket,
thanks to the outcropping of rock blocking the entrance. The walls
are littered with handholds and ledges forming a graceful canopy.
Frowning I wait impatiently.

Then I hear it cutting through the silence
of the tunnel: water.

It trickles down slowly at first, the
handholds along the walls acting like tiny collecting basins, the
ledges guiding and funneling the overflow. After several minutes,
the water is cascading down in a steady stream, spilling over the
last ledge as a glorious waterfall. Looks like I am about to get my
shower after all.

"It's fantastic, how long have you known
about this place?"

"The dead end? I didn't," Kade replies. "I
just wandered around until we found something that met our needs."
Smiling he hangs a towel on the side of the wall. "I’ll be down the
way if you need anything. Enjoy."

Mouth agape I set my clean clothes down and
begin to strip out of my dirty ones, eager to relish in Kade's
gift. Testing the water with my fingers I find it’s perfect and
jump underneath the stream. I lather every inch of my body twice
until I'm literally squeaky clean. It isn't until I'm done and
lingering in the steamy warmth that Hal's words come back to me.
He'd inferred Kade had broken a lot of rules where I was concerned,
and I half wonder if this isn't what he meant. I know the Wanderers
believe in using their powers sparingly.

Suddenly this gift, my shower, doesn't seem
so benign. The water cascading over me and caressing my body has a
personal undertone, as if Kade himself were actually touching me,
stroking my skin. Overwhelmed I lunge for my towel, almost slipping
and falling on my ass in the process. I speedily dry myself,
rubbing my skin raw to be sure all the moisture is gone.

Leaving Kade to claim the last of the water
from the forbidden shower, I stumble my way back to the dormitory,
delighted Kade has marked the corridors so I won't get lost. I
realize what a jumbled mess I’ve become when I get aggravated over
not having anything cute to wear or any accessories. I just staved
off the apocalypse, proved myself to the rest of the Wanderers, and
survived Al and his nightmarish fantasies. Who the hell am I trying
to impress?

I've got to find
Hal
, I tell myself. Brushing the tangles
out of my damp hair I let it hang loose, loving the heavy feel.
Pulling on a t-shirt and jeans I grab a sweatshirt for when it
inevitably gets cold tonight and head off to the feast.

Zafir has the tunes going when I arrive. A
little classic rock mixed with a lot of angry rock. Winking, Zafir
swaggers over to me shaking his hips.

"Not the outfit I was anticipating, but at
least you smell good. Fantastic in fact." He leans down and inhales
deeply. Accepting his arm, I allow him to lead me to the banquet
table. I stifle a guffaw when he seats me like a gentlemen, then
gyrates his way over to the food. Z really is one of a kind.

Hal sits at the far end of the table. Making
up my mind to relocate, I half stand pushing my chair back when the
ambiance changes. The music shifts from angsty guitarists to sexy
top forties and the lights dim to no brighter than a candle. Ready
to roll my eyes at Z over this stunt, I turn just in time to
witness a clean freshly shaven Kade exiting from the dormitory
tunnel. My heart lodges in my throat and I flick my gaze away not
wanting to be caught staring. As I do I catch Z flashing me the
thumbs up sign.

Pulling my chair back up to the table my
eyes traverse the bright white tablecloth, connecting briefly with
Hal, who seems to have been watching me. The wine and beer flow
thick as we all revel in another successful sealing. Slightly
inebriated I laugh and smile more, conversing amiably with
everyone. Surprisingly no one is louder than Kade, not even Z. His
exuberance is catching and I find myself led out onto the impromptu
dance floor multiple times.

I dance with everyone for a time, forgetting
my earlier mission to speak with Hal until I catch sight of him
sitting alone at the table, peeling the label off his beer bottle.
Excusing myself from Z, which earns me a slap on the ass, I proceed
to join Hal.

"I've never seen him like this," I say
slumping into the seat next to him.

"What, happy?"

"No, drunk," I reply chuckling.

"Well it isn't every day you get to rub the
fact that you've been right all long into your brothers’ faces.
Kade's been ostracized for years over you." I let that one
slide.

"I've been wanting to talk to you. What
happened today in the circle ..." I trail off.

"Each experience is unique," Hal explains,
concern in his eyes.

"What happened to you?" I wonder aloud.

"Somehow I don't think my experience is what
you really need to talk about," Hal sidesteps.

"No," I admit. “Al made me see things."

"Al?" Hal chuckles. "I'm assuming you came
up with that one."

"Indeed, he wasn't so fond of it either," I
say. "Are the things I saw, are they real?" I ask eyes fixated past
Hal, drawn to the usually somber and reserved guy over his
shoulder.

Following my gaze he responds, "You tell
me."

Seeing Kade with his guard down, maybe for
the first time ever, gives me pause. Even his body language is
different. He hangs back like always but he’s enjoying himself, a
part of the party instead of the silent sentinel. And he looks at
me, frequently, in a way that twists my stomach up in knots.

"I don't know," I mumble under my breath.
Setting his bottle down, Hal stands, arching a knowing brow. Chin
quivering, my mouth fails to form words, the answer to his unspoken
question plain on my face.

"Don't worry. I seem to specialize in
helping people figure out what they already know," he whispers,
squeezing my shoulders gently as he turns to leave.

Chapter 35

It’s hard to say when it happened, the exact
point at which my old world began to infiltrate my new one. As
though they were never meant to coexist, I couldn't seem to
reconcile them. The further from the sand we got the larger the
distance became, and by the time we touched down in New York a
palpable separation existed. Even Zafir was reserved, withdrawn.
Why it happened I cannot say, but everything was pulling apart the
closer we got to California.

Of course I realized this about the same
time my cell phone service kicked in. I became inundated with
voicemails. The first two were from Ben letting me know he was
alive and wondering when I'd be home—apparently I'd been a little
vague about those details. The messages made me chuckle and then
feel extremely guilty. Ben hadn't really crossed my mind in
days.

The rest of the calls were from Melanie and
innocuous in nature; well, except for one. It started off
innocently enough.

"Hey, Gwen, you haven't called to gloat
about all the fun you’re having. It's so boring here without you, I
need details so I can live vicariously. Oh hey, I almost forgot, on
a serious note Ben is missing ..."

The call is abruptly cut short for some
unknown reason. I hit the floor in the middle of the JFK airport.
It’s finally happened, that old fear I'd been burying had finally
surfaced. Fire had gotten the better of Ben. Franticly I call him
but he doesn't answer. I try Melanie next but it goes straight to
voicemail. The Wanderers have all gathered around me at this point,
concerned, but I wave them off. There are still two messages left
on my phone, do I dare listen to them?

Breathing hard I close my eyes. I have no
choice, I have to know. Hitting play I listen out of desperation.
Melanie's voice floats over the airwaves again.

"Oops, sorry to cut you off but those cell
phone tickets are a bitch, I cannot get another one. Geez, the
highway patrolmen are hiding everywhere these days. So like I was
saying Ben's missing his cell phone, he lost it somewhere in the
woods. I'm supposed to tell you to call the station if you need
him. He'll be working until Sunday."

Erasing the message I open my eyes, a jumble
of anxiety, relief, and despair sweep through my body.

"It's alright, I'm okay, just a
misunderstanding," I say, allowing Bass to help me to my feet.

"Alright, let’s keep
moving," Adil commands, motioning for Z to grab my bag. I tuck my
cell phone into my back pocket and follow Zafir, not even bothering
to listen to the last message.
I've heard
more than enough for now
, I
think.

Dropping my bag on the
front porch I rifle through my purse looking for my house
keys.
Why is traveling so
exhausting?
I wonder. The idle of the
engine parked in my driveway reaches my ears and I know they
haven’t left yet. Most of the Wanderers remained in Utah but Basal,
Zafir, and Kade had made it a point to see me home safely. Getting
out of the car, saying goodbye, had been awkward to say the least.
I hadn’t dared hug Kade; it would just confuse things further. Even
Z, who has a retort for everything, was unusually silent. The one
time I could have used a flippant parting comment to lighten the
mood...

Muttering curses under my breath and still
trying to find my keys, which seem to be playing hide and seek in
my purse, I stare straight ahead at my front door. Everything seems
to be conspiring against me, determined to keep me here in limbo
between my real life and the fantasy one I’d been caught up in. I
have got to get inside quickly, make a clean break from these guys,
from Kade. If I turn around now I’m afraid I’ll climb in that car
and never look back. I can’t do that—there are people here who need
me.

“Ah ha!” I shriek, finally wrapping my
fingers around the blasted keys. Turning the lock and picking up my
things I shuffle through the entry as swiftly as I can, closing the
door behind me. “A clean break,” I whisper.

I dump my bag beside the door with the best
intentions of dealing with it later. Everything is as I left it.
Well, almost.