Lost in Embers (Rising From Ash Saga #1)

Chapter 18

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

“ W here have you been?” My mother stands in front of the old wooden stairs with her hands on her hips. By the tone of her voice and stance, she’s clearly not pleased with me. Great, just what I need. There is that judgy tone oozing out of her mouth.

“I told you. I joined a parkour class. I’ve really gotten into it. Sorry it has been taking up a lot of my time.” Well, that is about as close to honest as I can get. She knows I’m not being sincere, though. Technically not a lie, since we have been doing obstacle training. Who would have thought I, being such a klutz, would have skill getting from point A to point B in no time at all? Still walking really messes me up.

“Ava, it has been a week, and this is the most interaction we have had since our talk the morning after you got back. Come sit, have some tea with me. You haven’t had a cup in ages.” For whatever reason, the concern in her voice sounds false. She’s different than before. Perhaps it is her hair, which seems to be going redder as the days go by.

“I’m sorry, Mum, let’s spend time together this weekend. I have just been so swamped with this new class and making sure everything for the charity event next week is taken care of. After that, everything should calm down and we can spend more time together.” I nicely go on to decline the cup of tea, because Laila’s obnoxious growling is getting in the way of my thoughts. “Laila, stop it. Seriously, it’s Mum. You should know by now she’s fine.”

I have never gotten a bit huffy with Laila before, but arguments with my mother always place me in a bad mood. I hate it when my mother is disappointed in me. It is the worst feeling in the world. Considering she raised me as a single parent, the thought of disappointing her is crushing when she gave up so much to take care of me. Maybe now is a good time to bring up my father. I have been so caught up in training that I have forgotten about everything else, minus the fact that I haven’t heard from Aidan, and it has been more than a week. But how can he get in touch with me without even a phone number?

I brush past my mother, stopping this conversation, and head to my room. Before I go to sleep, I pull out my notes from under the creaky floorboard and decide to review them. I have been the only one taking notes, but these guys have seen enough of this and know enough about this so-called life to not take notes. Unlike me, the one who is supposed to save them all, who knows nothing. Great. Just great.

Everyone at my facility has been training for months and months, if not years, and I have next to no time under my belt, how the hell is that supposed to work? There is no way hard ass Kieran and Kai haven’t been training their whole lives, with the ease at which they move. This class is pointless for them. They know it. I know it. Marcus knows it .

Mishkutou is essentially a sick and twisted dome that the Elders insist we fight in. Although no one can die, that is the number one rule. It is for training and observation only, to see where people best sit in the ranks. They must feel disappointed that this is what they have been given, a woman who practically knows nothing. I’ve managed to take notes of the people in my class and what powers they possess, along with the tactics they speak of, so I can familiarize myself with them. Next week we will battle each other for Mishkutou. They seem to limit details about it as much as possible, and it seems that people who have done it previously are not allowed to assist us at all. And to think this is done at so many different locations, and we are one of many.

Notes

New Skills —Superhuman endurance: can exert myself for a long time without tiring or needing water. Turns out having the connection with the Purecks is a benefit; nature replenishes me of water automatically. I wish I had superhuman strength, but no.

Weaknesses —Even though my powers are still developing, and others cannot kill me with theirs, I’m still able to feel pain and wound as a normal human would. Only linked souls can kill me and some creatures .

Students —

Helix: Telescopic vision. He is always somewhere in the back, watching the battle play out and waiting for his right moment to strike. His method of killing is strangling someone from behind with a metal wire. This old man was once a dark soul that came to the good side a century ago. The darkness still lingers within his gray eyes.

Kai: Asian assassin. He has inherited the powers of his Elders. Perfect marksman and only has missed one target in his time here and that’s because Kieran was messing with him. Power to duplicate himself physically. He and Kieran always form an alliance. Probably around my age.

Kieran: The guy who popped up in my bathroom. My greatest threat. Telekinesis. He has the ability to manipulate and control objects with his mind. Has been training since a child. He is the most well-trained in mixed martial arts. Probably around my age but years beyond me in training. He is tall in stature, like Aidan, just not as broad. His green eyes are tempted with danger, or something, I’m not sure. He moves almost as fast as Aidan. His precision on the battle course has left no others standing. He wields all weapons with grace as though they are a part of who he is.

Danny: Average height, average Joe with wavy light brown hair. Has no powers at all. He is ex-militia that came to our side twenty years ago. He is not sure what machine they are building now, but he knows whatever it is could cause us great travesty. The Grimmers tried to capture him, to use him against the militia, but somehow, he managed to escape. When he realized what the militia stood for, he came to train us in militia tactics. Elders will not allow him to be anywhere near the battlefield; even though Marcus trusts him, the elders do not.

There are many other students from far and wide, but I only took notes on the ones who appear to be my greatest threats, which I can study closely. That’s all the reviewing I can take for tonight. It will be hard to defeat Kai and Kieran, but if I take out Helix first, I will stand a better chance, knowing that he too won’t be trying to bring me down. I have until Monday to prepare for this torturous event, the first real battle I will experience.

It is a beautiful Saturday morning, the kind that I live for. I’m so happy that my new running shoes are finally broken in just the way I like them. Training with Marcus has kept me so busy that I haven’t reached out to Dino, the brothers, or even Sofia, but I guess phones work two ways, and Sofia is probably in honeymoon bliss. The light from the window fills my living room, bouncing off my mum’s hair, reflecting the newfound red in her hair on the walls. The room, unlike its normal state, is covered in flowers. Yellow roses, lilies, hibiscus, baby’s breath, and an assortment of other flowers. They cover the room in its entirety, minus the square-rugged area, which my mum stands on, and the couches.

“What’s all of this, Mum?” It has been years since the last time she had flowers in the house. She definitely does not have a green thumb. Every time she gets flowers, they die within hours, not days. So, I know for certain she did not go out and purchase this hodgepodge of flowers.

“They are all for you, looks like you have an admirer.” She moves her head to the side in surprise. Surely, Dillion, the over-the-top bastard, could be behind this, but he doesn’t have my address. Maybe Dino gave it to him.

“Did it come with a card or something? Who would send me all of these?”

“Well, whoever it is really wants to get their point across.”

I nod my head in agreement, then shrug. She stands there holding a card in her hand. Making my way through the maze of flowers, I grab the card from her. I scowl at the rudeness that the letter contains. How could such a sweet gesture be paired with such harsh words?

“What does it say?”

In a careless manner I toss the card to her. She reads the card out loud: “You never came to NYC. Call me.”

No “I miss you,” no signature; he’s quite the confusing man. Just a phone number left behind; that’s more than he left me with in Mexico.

“Who is it from? He didn’t sign it.” She’s perplexed beyond belief. Doesn’t help she knows nothing of Aidan.

“Just some guy I met on vacation.” I roll it off as though it is not a big deal. It is a big deal. I miss him. He misses me, or else he would not have done this. For whatever reason, I decide to keep his name to myself for the time being and just give her the small details she needs to know. Was he really expecting me to go to New York City? He mentioned it, but I wouldn’t have even known where to go. How does he know where I live? The envelope has no return address or postal stamp. Someone must have dropped these off.

“Were these in here when you woke up? Or were they outside?”

My mother pieces the same thing together that I have. No delivery service came to place these here, or else they would have been required to leave some form of an acknowledgement. This is getting out of hand. Talk about an invasion of privacy and making me question the security of my own home. His inner stalker is showing again.

“I hope you can trust that man, Ava.” Her head, which she’s constantly shaking, must be causing her pain. I take the card back from her and shove it into my pocket. Laila moves to my side, then circles me and heads to the front door. She stands on her hind legs and puts her teeth around the knob, causing the front door to swing open.

“No way,” my mother and I say harmoniously, in suspicion. Laila starts barking and wagging her tail. Laila let someone in here. If it was Aidan, why did he not stay? What the hell is going on?

I walk over to her then make my way onto the front porch. My mind runs though the options of what could have possibly happened. Why am I going to wait? The answers I need are just on the other end of the phone. I step off the porch and send my mother a wave. She shakes her head and slams the door in frustration. The phone rings down my ear, echoing through my mind; the ringing goes on forever. How much longer must this torture go on? Then I’m greeted by a falsification of his voice on the answering machine .

“Aidan Cross, leave a message.” The sound of his recording and that sweet Irish voice make me melt a little. Clipped. No surprise there. It is amazing how his name and even three little words can leave me wanting more. If only they were three different words.

“Mmmm, hi. It’s Ava. Call me, please.” My voice is sweet and mild since I’m trying to compose myself, but why not say what I truly want to? “I know the flowers were from you. They were very sweet, and I love them.” Now the frustration shows. “But did you let someone else come in my house and drop them off? You know what’s going on. I cannot believe you let someone else in here. If you didn’t and it was you who came, why didn’t you wake me and stay? How do you know where I live? Call me back.” I take a deep breath. “I love you.”

Well, that last part seemed to be a slip of the tongue. It’s too late now. I end the phone call, flabbergasted at how I just went from zero to one hundred in no time at all. Then I said “I love you,” for the first time. Fail. Hard fail.

I do not have my notes on me, but the only way I can take my mind off all of this is if I consume myself in studying. If I don’t do something, I will do nothing but worry if Aidan will call me back. I tuck my phone into the pocket on my jogging sweater and begin the walk into town.

Think, Ava. Think about the not-so-mythical creatures and what you have learned. My thoughts have to be kept inside my head, even though I’m in the middle of nowhere. Who knows who might be listening? A hard habit for me to break, but I must.

Creatures. What do I know about them? Marcus loaded information onto me as though it was the end of the world, from creatures that are extinct and ones that are not. I should probably go through the ones that are an actual threat to me now. Recent events have come to this, and apparently these creatures can kill me. My ignorance blinded me. From the letter, I thought all in this world could not harm me. Turns out certain creatures can kill Purecks and can kill me, too. However, the Purecks are so strong that most creatures won’t even attempt to kill a Pureck; they know it will end their life.

Creatures are of nature, not a power-hungry foe. They do not possess powers. They are just put into our world as a part of nature, just like the birds and the bees. When I asked Marcus why I have not seen any of these creatures before, he told me my eyes were not trained to spot them, plus the militia and Grimmers are trying to take the dangerous creatures and hold them captive to use in war. If captured and refusing to fight, they are killed. It is barbaric. Never before have these creatures been used in war. We have lived peacefully among each other, but sides are being chosen. Certain creatures know they are being hunted, so they are more on guard. If by chance I come across one, I must let them know I wish them no harm and hope they believe me. Some creatures have agreed to fight on our side. A constant battle between good and evil consumes this planet; many are blind and others fight.

The creatures known as Trigs are very dangerous. They can camouflage themselves into any place outside under the sky. When they are no longer accessible to the sky, they lose their ability to adapt. When not camouflaged, they appear as what look like red chipmunks with black texture on their feet and spikes along their back. Do not let the little size of these critters fool you; their bite is home to a deadly amount of venom. It is like a combination of venom from a rattlesnake, black mamba snake, and a cobra, times ten. Amazing feat for such a small thing, but that is the reason why they are the protectors of the forest.

A centaur is half man, half horse. Hidden within the woods and forests, they have a peace treaty with the Trigs. They have the brute strength and speed of a horse. The centaurs have been in a neutral place for centuries, but only now have they come out of hiding to choose sides; many clans have been divided because of this.

Unicorns are especially rare to find. They are said to be strong, wild, fierce, and untamable by any man. Unicorns can be swayed in either direction but remain their own force. A white unicorn is a sign of peace, whereas a black unicorn is a sign of death and vengeance. The single horn found on the center of the head changes color depending on their beliefs, white for pure, red for evil. With a face of a deer and body of a horse, they have the strength of an elephant. Once pierced with a horn, you will not die but change sides.

Golfenites are known as fire-breathers. They are smaller versions of dragons that come in many colors. These winged specimens have the ability to take forms of the humans that they kill. Any human being walking this planet could very well be a Golfenite. They are lethal, with only one tell: they cannot hold their form if touched by gold.

“Ava, watch out!” Mr. Greene pulls my wrist, and with that I’m back on the curb. Before acknowledging him, I look frantically for Laila, but as usual she’s by my side.

“Sorry, Mr. Greene, I must have zoned out.” Man, this needs to get under control. Any time my thoughts are dedicated to something, I’m on a different plane completely. This was a small-town coincidence that saved me a whole lot of questions. Another mental note is made to talk to Marcus about this when I see him Sunday night. With the battle being on Monday, there are extra preparations that need to be made.

“Harrison, please. You are lucky I was here; you were heading straight into oncoming traffic.” He’s filled with dismay. We rarely have traffic in this town, and of course it would happen when there are more than one or two cars on the road.

“I’m just surprised Laila didn’t try to stop me.” My eyes shoot down to her curiously.

“She did, but your eyes were glazed over, like you were sleepwalking or something. I thought it best that I intervene. Where are you headed?”

Imagine if I got hit by a car and didn’t die. Boy, that would throw people in this town for a loop. The normally deserted streets seem busier than normal, yet the town is still quiet. The old streetlights are always lightly glowing; they should probably turn them off, as the town must have an excessive electric bill. Even when it is busy, something about the town is sleeping and never fully awake. Something that I once found so much comfort in now worries me to the bone. Perhaps Aidan was right, and I’m making myself an easy target here, but who knows of me here?

“Well, wherever you are going, please let me walk you.”

I just realized I hadn’t even acknowledged his question. Not a very polite way to respond to my boss. As always, he wears a flannel with a few buttons undone, jeans, and those work boots.

“I just had a bit of light shopping to do, then I was going to stop and get some food. I like to take advantage of this weather so Laila can sit out with me on a patio.”

“Let me accompany you. That dog goes everywhere with you, huh? ”

“Minus work, of course.” Everyone always has the same reaction when they find out she comes with me everywhere. Most people think it is odd, but I couldn’t give a unicorn fart about it. Luckily for me, in this small town, most of the store owners know me and allow me to bring her inside. I’m convinced they think she’s my therapy dog and I’m completely mental.

“Well, perhaps we could change that. I’m sure the guys wouldn’t mind having a dog around. She would definitely get a lot of attention.”

If only he knew that my dog is no ordinary animal. She couldn’t care less about any attention from anyone that isn’t me. I shoot him an appreciative smile. Despite my best efforts to convince Harrison that I’m fine to walk myself, he disagrees and insists on walking me. The only reason why I let this happen is because he’s my boss and I feel obligated to listen to him.

We stroll from shop to shop, having a decent time. He has a great sense of humor in a carefree way. He is very much at ease with himself even though this is the first time I have spent any time with him outside of working hours. He makes fun of the backpack I lug around; it is more convenient than a cute tote and will store everything I buy. He is genuinely a good guy. He questions if I have any intention to leave this town, and of course I say no to give him comfort that I won’t leave my job. Other questions are asked of me, anything from my favorite color to my favorite holiday. It turns out taking over the company wasn’t his first choice for a career but that he originally wanted to open his own volunteer center.

In Mrs. Martin’s pet shop, I pick up a few things for Laila. Harrison plays around with all the toys, making himself look like an absolute fool, but I just laugh as he tries to get Laila to play with him. She shows no interest. Harrison catches me laughing. I’m pretty sure he got the wrong idea, since he shoots me a playful wink. In awkward nervousness, I turn around and knock over the shelves near the checkout. Thankfully Mrs. Martin knows me well enough to know this happens often. She laughs, and I scramble to pick up the mess I made.

It is convenient that all the main shops are on one street, making it almost a one-stop shop. We head to the butcher’s shop next. Having Harrison with me isn’t a bad thing in here; the butcher and his son have always rubbed Laila and me the wrong way. With the same random questions as we talk there, he brings up the charity event and asks who I’m bringing as my date. I told him not to worry and that they will have someone to harass one way or the other.

In the butcher shop, Harrison gets to see firsthand how protective Laila is over me, and he’s taken aback. She may look precious, but she definitely has a bite to her, and it’s not something people like to see. The butcher and his teenage son step back and place the meat on the counter, fearful that Laila will attack them. Harrison takes a few steps back himself, unsure if Laila is going to show her teeth in his direction.

“I can’t wait until everyone realizes who she is, and then I can kill that monster dog of hers,” Vernon the butcher blatantly yells through his yellow teeth as we are making our way out.

If he knows who I am, right now the best thing to do is pretend that I have no idea what they are talking about. According to Marcus, that’s why I haven’t been targeted yet. The Grimmers and militia have to wait until my powers fully develop, if not, there’s some nonsense about how I could literally implode on myself. So, for now, literal ignorance is not only bliss, but safety. I choose to ignore their comments as I always do, but Harrison storms back into the butcher shop demanding an apology. Normally I would apologize to the butcher profusely for bringing Laila in, but he never made me keep her outside.

I quickly turn on my heel to run back into the shop when I hear how loud Harrison’s voice gets. He would defend absolutely anyone he thought was innocent and being victimized – a refreshing turn of events for me in the construction industry. Vernon and his son already have moved from behind the counter, looking like they are ready to fight. They must be Grimmers or militia. That means they will have no question about causing Harrison harm. Laila and I get in between them, trying to calm the situation.

“I promise not to come back.” Still having to play up my ruse, I say, “I don’t know what has gotten into everyone. Please, Vernon, let’s drop this.” My furious eyes land on the large, overweight butcher. His eyes turn yellow for a moment, one surely Harrison didn’t catch or maybe he just can’t see it, until they match his teeth, making him even more grotesque. His lookalike son cowers in my presence.

“For now,” he snarls, and points to the door.

I grab Harrison by the hand and lead him out of the butcher shop.

“Ava, you shouldn’t let people get away with talking to you like that.” Always so sincere with his words, without a doubt, he had good intentions. However, he isn’t aware of my world, or at least I’m not sure, but I’m not going to be the one to bring it up and have him drowning in it like I’m. His actions surprised me since he looks so calm and collected, but it seems he’s a bit of a scrapper .

“Thank you for defending my honor. It was very chivalrous. I just didn’t want to witness another fight; there have been too many of them.” He doesn’t question it further, instead glancing down at his gold watch. Not a Golfenite.

“You’re welcome. We have been out for a while, and it’s nearly noon. Want to grab a drink?”

“Definitely, hold on one second.” My phone vibrates like mad in my pocket.

“Aidan!” I yell with such joy, until I remember the terrible message I left him.

Before I can apologize, he says, “Yes Ember, it’s me.” His voice makes me melt.

Harrison tries to be as quiet as possible as he whispers to me, asking me which bar I want to go to.

I point in the direction of McGlynn’s and mouth, “ Please .”

“Who is that?” Now his happy-go-lucky tone has turned into a snipped, rude tone just like the writing on the card.

“If you are going to be rude, we can talk later. I’m with my boss right now.” In such a Harrison-like fashion he hears his name and waves, indicating he wants me to say hello from him. Hard no. Aidan is already angry, no need to throw fuel in the fire.

“It’s a weekend. Does he know about me? Jesus Ava, you have to be careful.”

My silence is his answer. I haven’t told anyone about him since I’m unsure of what is going on. “What was I supposed to say, Aidan?”

“What you told me on the answering machine. That you love someone who is not him.”

Now he’s throwing that in my face and not saying it back, lovely. “I’m sorry about my message, but I will have to call you later. ”

He has nothing else to say, just the click of the phone on his end turning the conversation off.

Harrison doesn’t ask me about who I was on the phone with or why I didn’t relay his message. Instead, we find our seats on the outside patio, eat, drink, and laugh. That is until, for whatever reason, the other men I work with show up. I suppose they all had the same idea.

Even while rubbing my eyes, it is hard for me to wake myself up from my nap. But a vision of my dad at the end of the bed does it. He is a ghost to me, but so lifelike. His eyes glare into mine, sending me a warning, but of what I’m not sure.

“Are you just here to haunt the house, or are you actually going to be helpful?” I glance around, and Laila is nowhere in sight, she must be sniffing around the pantry again.

“Please, Ava, be leery of your mother, but do not let her suspect it. The healing moon is not as far away as I would like it to be. Let your heart choose your path, not your mind. Be aware of the evil lurking at every corner.”

And his ghost is gone, disappearing while only leaving me a cryptic message.

According to the clock it is ten o’clock at night, much too late to call Aidan. I will have to wait until tomorrow. On the bright side, my boss and I did some bonding. On Monday, I must remember to make a better effort to talk to Shane; he’s really sociable around everyone else besides me. Even today, he refused to shake my hand, and getting him to talk to me is like pulling teeth. I don’t have an issue with any of the other men in the office. I’m on a mission to make him my friend; after all, we will be stuck working together for a while.

When I returned this afternoon there was plenty of time to catch up with my mother. Although, she was displeased with me that I wasn’t in the mood to have tea. Even with keeping things a secret, Dillion and Dino both came up, but not Aidan. She was filled in on all the confusion with Dillion and Dino, and she couldn’t quite understand why Dino would just want to hand me off like that. Now my father’s warning sits into the forefront of my mind, be leery of mum. What an absurd thing to say, yet somehow, he mirrors my inner thoughts, ones that scare me to even think about, that somehow, someway my mother has known of this world and is hiding me from it, but not out of the goodness of her heart.