Remember Me (Weaver Series) (15 page)

“Seriously Pepper, thank you.” She smiled and added another little log to our fire.

I leaned my back against a large rock and took a deep breath.  My ribs hurt and I was sure that at least one of them was broken.  Next, I gingerly touched my scalp.  Pepper had used the bottom of her shirt as a make-shift bandage but I could tell that there was dried blood in my hair.  Railey had kicked me more than once.  I winced remembering the evil that radiated from her green eyes.  It was hard for me to believe she was related to Kessler.  Even harder to believe that I was sitting here thinking of him.  What I really needed was a hot shower, and Kalan’s arms around me.  I tried mentally to call out to him but I was still too weak.  It was the equivalent of picking up a disconnected telephone to make a call.  It just wasn’t going to happen.

This thought led me to my next
.  My cell phone was still in my pocket.  I pulled it out and Pepper just stared at me like it was the craziest idea she’d ever heard of.  I was totally shocked that I had bars left, let alone a signal in this weird hole.  I guess my luck was improving.  “What’s the number for Kiss-Kiss?”  I punched the numbers as Pepper rattled them and waited while it rang.  When the voice on the other end answered with “Kiss Kiss, can I help you?”  I paused for just a second.  The voice was female but it was not Railey. 

“Can I speak with Kessler please?”

“May I say whose calling?”  came the reply.

“A friend.
” I answered.  I was asked to hold for what seemed like an eternity and then Kessler picked up the line.  I could hear music in the background but it was muffled so I figured he was in his office.  “This is Kess, how can I help you?”  I felt instantly better just hearing his voice.  Not that I should because who knew how connected to this mess he really was.  In the back of my mind I couldn’t help but recall Kalan’s words to be careful with him.  Just the same, hearing his voice made my tense nerves relax just a little.

“Kess,
it’s Joey” I said.

“Oh yes, I did place that order
.  Thank you for double checking” he said.

“Uh, okay
.  I take it you cannot talk so I’ll make it short.  Listen, I am in a dark hole and I need help.”I was vaguely aware of how ridiculous that sounded, but I did not care.  I was in such a predicament that logic and manners didn’t matter anymore. 

“Yes, I do believe I could meet with you to discuss my order tomorrow” he said.

“Kess, I really hope that you mean to get to me tomorrow and get me out of here.” I was growing more frustrated by the second but I imagined his crazy sister, or someone who would tell her must be standing there next to him.

“That’s correct
.  I believe that you already provided some samples to one of my waitresses so I am familiar with your products.” My crazy mind started to simmer down and I realized he was talking in code.

“If you are asking me if Pepper is with me, the answer is yes.” I said with a huff.

“Good.  Very good.  I’ll speak with you tomorrow in that case.” He hung up and I returned the phone to my pocket with a sigh.  Pepper was leaning forward, anxious for information.  It hadn’t occurred to me until then how frightened she must have been to be alone with me while I was knocked out.  Not to mention what it did to her personal life.

“So, is he going to come get us out of this place
?”  Pepper propped her elbows on her knees and rested her face in her hands.  I contemplated for a moment because I really was a little confused by the response Kess had given me.  Was someone right there?  Was his sister more powerful than him?  It seemed like that must be the case.  What was worse to me was the fact that I hated to ask him for help in the first place.  I also really hated being in this hole…and I
really
hated Railey.

“Jo?”

“Sorry Pepper, I was lost in thought.  He said he would come tomorrow.  I think someone was there with him because he was very vague…but I think he sent you here.”

“Oh well in that case, I hope he’s paying me overtime.” She laughed a little, but I knew that she was actually serious, and that she could really use the money
.  I made a quick mental note to help her when I had the chance.  It was the least I could do under the circumstances.

I touched my head again and looked at my hand when I pulled it away
.  I wasn’t bleeding anymore, but my hair was crusted with dried blood.  I was also keenly aware of the pain in my face and ribs.  I shut my eyes for a second and tried again to concentrate on my apartment.  When I opened my eyes I was still sitting in the same place.  For the first time in all of this I realized with a shocking sense of panic that I could not weave.  I still had some of my ability because I knew what Pepper was thinking…but that really wasn’t going to help us. 

“So you want me to make us some more chicken soup
?”  Pepper asked.

“That would be wonderful,”
I said. 

Pepper and I sat in silence and ate our bowls of chicken soup, and then I curled up on the dirt floor and fell asleep
.  I was too tired to do anything else and too afraid to try.  The concept of not being able to weave was just too much to handle. 

When I
woke again there was a commotion of sound and light that battered against my foggy brain.  I was vaguely aware of Pepper’s voice and that it was getting louder by the second.  I forced myself to sit up and that’s when I came face to face with Kalan.  Pepper was shining a flashlight at him.  I guess she’d managed to weave it to see who was coming.  I threw my arms around his neck and cried like a baby. 

“Oh thank God,” Pepper said
.  She was doing her best to protect me from him, unaware until she saw my reaction that it wasn’t necessary.  I really was lucky to have her as a friend. 

“Kalan, I’m so glad to see you
!”  I soaked in his cedar scent and welcomed the relief that flooded over me.  He sat down and pulled me into his lap, which hurt like hell considering my ribs, but I didn’t care.  He tipped my chin up to look at the bruising on my face and I noticed that his eyes were filled with unshed tears. 

“I’m so sorry Joey, I never meant for you to get hurt, and I should have known better
.  It was selfish of me to reach out to you.  I –“

“Don’t Kalan
.  It’s not your fault.” I searched his face hoping that he realized my words were sincere.  He looked so miserable.  Somewhere behind us Pepper busied herself with rearranging a bundle of wood she had just weaved.  I knew that she was uncomfortable because she felt that she should give us privacy, but there was no place else she could go. 

Kalan took my hands in his and then looked deep into my eyes
.  “Joey, she has taken your gift, and it is my fault.  How can I not blame myself for that?” 

“What do you mean
?  Taken?”  I held my breath because I knew this was true even if I didn’t want to admit it.  I heard Pepper suck in a shocked breath but I couldn’t look away from Kalan’s beautiful face.  It seemed like forever before he spoke again and when he did, his voice was choked with emotion. 

“It is what she wanted all along
.  Your gift is unique Joey and she knew that.  She has always known that.  There are only a handful of weavers left and of those there are only two known master weavers.  You and Peter.” At this revelation Pepper dropped her arm full of wood and fell to her knees.  “You knew my brother?”  She whispered. At the same time she was deeply saddened by something she couldn’t bring herself to mention -- the realization that the only other person who could help bring her brother back was me, and I couldn’t do anything now.

“Yes, I did, he was my friend
.  Unfortunately he was also Railey’s boyfriend.  She knows who you are Pepper, she just doesn’t have any use for you so she doesn’t care that you are working at the club.  In fact, she thinks it’s funny.  I hate to be the one to tell you this, but you have actually figured out who she is more than once.  She just undoes it each time and then she and her assistant enjoy waiting to see how long it will take you to figure it out again.”

“That must be L
ela,” I said.

“Yes, that’s her
, or at least that’s what she’s calling herself these days.” He added.

“What do you mean, these days
?”  I asked.

“Well, L
ela is a dark weaver, a very old and powerful one.  She’s been mentoring Railey since she was very young.” Kalan said with disgust.  I took in his words and realized that there was a reason I did not like Lela.  I also realized that I knew far less than I needed to. 

“How do you know all of this Kalan
?”  Pepper asked.

“
There are two very old families of weavers.  Both initially light, but over time one proved to have tendencies toward the dark threads.” Kalan rubbed the back of his neck like telling this story caused him pain.  “Eventually the traits evolved to be either dark or light.  Kessler is the only one I know who has ever possessed both.”

I thought back to that day at the beach with Kess and how I’d felt so strange when he answered my question about his abilities
.  No wonder.

“Because of his lighter tendencies, Kess has become indentured to his sister
.  He’s more powerful than her, but he won’t go against her and she knows it.  He tried once…” Kalan’s voice trailed off.

“Why didn’t it work
?”  Pepper asked.

“Let’s just say
Railey isn’t a sucker for love.”

“I don’t see how she could love at all
.  She’s got a dark spot where a heart should be.” I spat.

“How do you know so much about Kessler
?”  Pepper asked.

“Well she
is very full of herself and she never lets an opportunity to brag pass her by.  It is so easy to forget who is listening to you.  She tells Lela everything and since the two of them forget that I am nearby…” He said and shook his head.  “You see, she took most of my gift a year ago.  Shortly after I met you Joey.” His voice trailed off.

“We met a year ago
?  That doesn’t make any sense!”  I said.  I am sure the expression on my face was upsetting because the tears finally began to fall from his beautiful blue eyes. 

“I know it doesn’t.” He said softly
.  “It hardly makes sense to me, and it took a long time for me to remember, but it’s true.  I came looking for you shortly after my mother died.”

“But why don’t I remember
?”  I asked.  My heart thudded in my chest and I felt like the ground beneath me was spinning.  How could I ever forget him?  This made no sense in my mind, but my heart told me differently. 

“Because she took that from you right after the accident
.  I’ve been trying to get to you ever since.” He added with a sigh and brushed his hair back out of his eyes.  The accident.  I…was there.  I was the passenger in that car accident with him.  A rush of agony surged through my body and I felt sure I was going to be sick or pass out.  I remembered.  This wasn’t the first time I had been to California. 

“Do you remember now Jo
?”  Kalan’s soft voice came from a distance. 

“Yes.” I shut my eyes and let the tears flow
.  I couldn’t help it.  How do you grieve the death of the one and only person you have ever loved?  Or the fact that he had been ripped from your life as if he never existed?  I remembered him coming to Arkansas.  I remembered meeting him for the first time at the bayou.  Our place. 

He’d walked up so quietly
.  I was sitting alone on a fallen log with my feet dangling close enough to dip in the cool water when I felt like it.  I was crying over the loss of my Papaw.  I’d saved my Mamaw from death, and I couldn’t do it again.  Not because I didn’t want to, but because he’d made me promise not to that day in the cotton field when we’d walked together between the rows…and he’d explained some things.

Kal
an sat down beside me that afternoon, and without a word, he took my hand.  I looked up at him and saw the pain in his eyes.  He introduced himself to me and then I understood why he shared my grief.  I didn’t think it at all odd that this beautiful boy sat beside me.  That he silently offered comfort and understanding.  It was as if we’d known each other, and words were not needed.  I remember leaving home with him to move to California…and I remembered weaving together all along the way.

“I’m so sorry Jo.” Kalan was holding me and we were both crying together now
.  I was faintly aware that Pepper was also crying.  We just sat there like that for the longest time.  I wept for the loss of my gift, and his.  I cried for Peter as well.  Though I had never known him, I knew how much he had sacrificed for the sake of love.  It is the essence of weaving; the selfless kind of love that triggers the gift and propels it forward.  Peter had obviously trusted Railey in the same way that I trusted Kalan and he had paid the ultimate price for it. 

“So what do we do now
?”  Pepper asked as she stood and brushed at her grimy face with the back of her hand. 

“Do you know where we are Jo
?”  Kalan asked gently.

“I have no idea.” I answered honestly.