Magic of the Wood House (The Elemental Phases Book 6) (20 page)

Sullivan
barely noticed.

What
the
hell
just happened?

He
felt… different.  And not just because he’d done something goddamn magical.  He
couldn’t even
begin
to process that weirdness, yet.  More importantly, whatever
he’d just done had changed something inside of him.  Fundamentally and
permanently
changed
him right down to his cells.  It felt like he’d been
hit by a lightning bolt.  In fact, by
many
lightning bolts, eradicating
walls that he hadn’t even known were there.  It had set something free.

It
had also probably killed him.

He’d
used every drop of energy in his system to save Teja.  Sullivan wasn’t sure it
was possible to recover from that.  Especially, not in this dream-place.  If he
passed out, he might never wake-up.  He might have just traded his life for
hers.

…And
it had been worth it.

“What
the hell just happened?”  Djinn roared, echoing Sullivan’s thoughts.  The moss
was vanishing around Teja as Sullivan’s power faltered.  No one seemed to
notice.  Djinn grabbed her to her feet, scanning her for injuries.  “Are you
alright?”  He gave her a small shake.  “
Did you just
fucking
jump?
”

“I
don’t know.”  Teja seemed dazed.  “I was on the roof and I was going to…”  She
shook her head.  “But, I felt him.  I felt my Match, Djinn.  I felt him and I
couldn’t leave.”  She swallowed.  “What if he needs me?”

Sullivan
raised his eyes to look at her.  It was the only movement he could manage.  His
whole body felt drained.  But, if this was his last moment alive, he wanted to
spend it gazing at Teja.  “I do need you.”  He whispered.  “I’m in love with
you, you weirdo.”

Then,
he fell into darkness, fairly certain that he’d never wake up.

Conspire
against him.

William
Cowper- “The Task”

Teja
didn’t like Sullivan’s memories.

Experiencing
a memory sharing was an important step in any Match.  Teja had known that it
was coming and she’d been interested in seeing pieces of Sullivan’s past.  She
was curious to see what made her stoic Match tick.  Certainly, he wasn’t going
to be sharing any insights willingly.

Besides,
it took her mind off of Sullivan’s obliviousness.  How dare he not understand
what a Match really meant?  He hadn’t even tried to Phaze with her.  She knew
it.  The memory sharing should at least convince him that this relationship was
real and he should just fucking trust her already.

But,
actually seeing Sullivan’s memories, Teja realized that there were things that
she’d rather not know.  It made her almost…
feel
something to see
Sullivan’s memories.  It actually
hurt
to see how her Match had suffered
before she even knew that he was around.

Thirty-five
years ago, as best as Teja could recall, she’d been refereeing a lengthy fight
between Oberon and Djinn about who set the dining room on fire.  Again.  The
conflict had been long and bloody.

Meanwhile,
Sullivan was being born, having no idea how special he was.

His
mother, Parson’s daughter, Flora, had died in childbirth.  Teja watched the
life drain out of the woman while the doctors worked feverishly to save her life. 
The last thing that Flora did was reach out one of her hands towards her baby. 
Sullivan couldn’t possibly remember that moment.  He’d only been minutes old. 
But, Teja still saw it all happening.  That could only mean that Sullivan’s
powers went even deeper than she’d thought, retaining memories that even he
didn’t know about.

And
those powers had been around since the second he was born.

Up
until now, Elemental scholars had thought that the part-human/part-Phases
needed to Phaze with their Match before their powers came to the surface.  But,
Sullivan’s energy had always been there. 
He
was the one holding it
back.

And
there was so
much
of it.

As
she progressed through the memories, Teja kept trying recall what she’d been
during each time period.  Sometime around this year, she’d spent the entire
month of May convincing Job that Oberon hadn’t really
meant
for a chain
of volcanoes to erupt in the Pacific.

Sullivan,
meanwhile, lived with his drunken asshole of a father.  It really was a lucky
thing for that rat bastard that he was dead.  Teja would have felt obligated to
think up some really creative ways to cremate him alive if he was still
wandering around topside.  The only times Sullivan seemed happy were when he
was with his grandparents.

Teja
knelt down in Parson’s garden and admired Sullivan’s careful farming
techniques.  All his little tools were plastic and his work clothes consisted
of a Luke Skywalker T-shirt paired with torn Levis.  The kid was adorable. 
Granted, he grew up to be her Match, so Teja was undoubtedly biased, but
Sullivan was just the cutest little preschooler in the universe.  Big brown
eyes and a mop of dark hair that kept falling into his face.  She’d yet to see
him clean, mostly because Sullivan spent most of his time playing in the dirt. 
Wood Phases were always happiest outside.

“Ya
gotta plant the seeds a little farther apart, kiddo.”  Parson glanced over at
Sullivan from beneath the brim of his fishing hat.  “That’s right.”  He smiled
and Teja could see the love on his face.  Parson had been a great man, a great
warrior, and a great representative of his House.

But,
he was an even better grandfather.

Teja
knew the breed.

Sullivan
concentrated on digging his neat row of holes.  Only Parson could have a
botanical garden growing in loose sand.  Wood Phases could sustain plant life
anywhere, but this display was impressive, even by their standards.  Parson’s
mobile home sat right on the edge of the beach, which Teja guessed wasn’t the
best soil for growing anything but sea-grass and palm trees.  Certainly, no
human could have cultivated rose bushes, lilacs, sunflowers, daisies, three
different colors of tulips, and dozens of kinds of plants that Teja couldn’t
even identify.

It
was lovely.

Sullivan
dropped a seed into the ground and painstakingly pushed the dirt back over it,
again.  Instantly, a fresh, green sprout grew up out of the ground.  Sullivan
didn’t find that odd apparently, because he moved to the next seed without even
blinking.

Teja
felt her mouth part in surprise.  Even in the memory space, she could feel the
pulse of Sullivan’s powers as he helped the plants grow.

Parson
frowned, slightly.  “Sully, what have I told you about that?”

“‘Bout
what?”

“You
have to keep your energies under control.”  Parson kept his voice gentle, but
Teja heard the worry in his tone.  “You’re very strong.  I don’t want your
powers to come out and get you in trouble.  I don’t want people to see that
you’re different.”

Sullivan
didn’t respond to that.  He kept his attention on his orderly line of seeds,
but the small plants stopped sprouting.

Teja
slowly shook her head.  No wonder her Match accepted the Elementals so easily. 
Sure he called them a Cult, but he’d never freaked out over their abilities.  Not
like most humans would have.  Deep inside, Sullivan had to know that he was a
part of them.

Parson
gave a sad sort of smile and pulled off one of his brown gardening gloves. 
“Good boy.”  He reached over to ruffle Sullivan’s hair.  “People might not like
that you’re special.  You have to be extra careful not to draw attention to
yourself.”

“Don’t
mean to.”  Sullivan murmured.

“I
know.”  Parson agreed, with a sigh.  “Just keep practicing and pretty soon
you’ll be able to keep your powers shielded, okay?  It’ll be second nature and
you’ll be safe.”

Sullivan
nodded, his shoulders slumping.

Parson
tilted his head so he could look into Sullivan’s averted face.  “There’s
nothing wrong with you, Sully.  Nothing at all.”

Teja
wasn’t sure of Parson’s exact age, but he’d certainly been much older than Job,
which tagged him at well over a thousand.  In human terms, he looked young to
be a grandfather, though; dark blonde hair, a square jaw, much like Sullivan’s,
and no wrinkles.  It was his eyes that gave away his true age.  Parson had seen
far too much and it haunted him.

“You’re
a very special kid.  I think you’re the real reason I’m here.”  He continued. 
“You and Mel, and my daughters, and your grandma have given me something that I
searched for, for a very long time.”

“I
like being at your house.”  Sullivan said with the non sequitur charm of a five
year old.

“I’m
glad, buddy.  Your grandma and I like having you here, too.  You know that,
right?”

“It
feels like I belong someplace when I’m here.”  Sullivan whispered.  “I like
belonging someplace.”

Teja
felt something tighten in her frozen chest.  She knew what not fitting in felt
like.  But, Sullivan
did
belong somewhere.

Her
Match belonged with her.

The
memory shifted around her and Teja found herself standing in a police station. 
She glanced over at the calendar hanging on the paneled wall.

Sometime
around this year, Teja vaguely remembered visiting the human realm to fish
Alder out of some jungle mess where commandos shot him a bunch of times and he
overthrew some idiot dictator.  Schwarzenegger movies had not been a good
influence on the kid.

Sullivan
sat crossed-legged in front of his grandmother’s desk, alphabetizing files.  It
only took Teja a minute to realize that Ann, Parson’s human Match, worked as a
receptionist for the cops.  Of course, Sullivan became the Chief of Police in
Mayport Beach.  He’d grown up in the station.

“It’ll
cost more.”  Ann was saying to a potbellied man in a khaki policeman’s
uniform.  “I’m just not sure you should listen to this charlatan, Chief.”  She
winked over at Parson, who stood nearby with a tape measure and legal pad.

Parson
grinned back at his Match and made a note of some measurements.  “Ted, how can
you put up with such a mouthy secretary?”  He glanced over at the cop and
arched a brow.  “I’d of fired her long ago.”

“Aw,
I couldn’t run this place without Annie.”  The policeman chuckled and absently
moved towards his own desk, dropping his hat on Sullivan’s head as he passed. 
“Or her little helper here.  I think your grandson’s knows more about this job
than I do.”

“Oh,
I’m sure of it.”  Parson drawled.  “My Sullivan’s a special boy.”

Teja
almost smiled as Sullivan pushed the brim up out of his face and continued with
his meticulous filing.  The kid could focus.  “I feel like I kinda belong
here.”

Teja’s
eyebrows drew together.  Did Sullivan
never
feel like he belonged?

Parson’s
smile faded.  “Sully, you’re with people who love you.  That’s where you’re
supposed to be.”

Sullivan
nodded, but he didn’t look convinced.

“Anyway,
I think Ann might have a point.”  Ted, the cop, flopped down in his chair and
propped his feet up.  “How can I justify puttin’ in some fancy cells when we
hardly ever have anybody to lock up, anyhow?  This renovation is already
costing the city a fortune.  At least, to hear the mayor tell it.”

“Trust
me.  It’ll be worth the investment.”  Parson said seriously, dragging his
attention away from Sullivan.  “Plexiglas cells are the way to go.  No metal
bars. 
Plastic
.  Wave of the future.  Much safer for everyone.”

Teja’s
eyes narrowed.  There was only one reason why Parson would have suggested
putting Plexiglas cells in a small town jail:  To hold Elementals.  The surest
way to incapacitate an Elemental was to lock them up in plastic.  If Parson
wanted some kind of Lucite installed in Mayport Beach, then he must suspect
that other Phases were in town.

Or
that they’d one day show up looking for the Happiness box.

More
images whirled passed her.  Sullivan playing by himself, always a little bit
separate from the other kids.  Sullivan reading
X-Men
comic books with a
flashlight under his bed sheets.  Sullivan avoiding his father’s insults and
scorn.  Sullivan suppressing his vast powers so effectively that, pretty soon,
he didn’t seem to remember them, at all.

The
scene changed again and Teja suddenly stood in middle of Sullivan’s father’s
trailer.

Sullivan
was only thirty-five years old, so Teja was sort of surprised that he had so
many memories.  The memory sharing was a lot more intense than she’d
anticipated, but it was serving its purpose.  She definitely understood
Sullivan better.  Unfortunately, she wasn’t thrilled with all that she’d
learned.  It was one thing for Teja to refuse any deeper intimacy from their
Match.  It was quite another for Sullivan to
expect
distance between
them, because he never thought he belonged anywhere.

She
shook her head in frustration.

And
to make it worse, all of this probably meant that Sullivan was seeing into
her
past, too.  She hadn’t explained the memory sharing phenomena to him yet, so he
would probably think he’d lost his mind.  She could only hope that he wouldn’t
watch her trip down from the roof.

It
was probably a foregone conclusion that he’d witness it, though.  This wasn’t
one of the fuzzier sharings.  Everything was Technicolor clear in the memory
space.  Some things were still a little
too
clear, in fact.

Teja
could smell the odor of old cigarettes and decaying beer cans permeating the
cheap carpeting of the mobile home.  It mixed with the scent of popcorn popping
on the stove.

Around
this time period, Teja recalled Pele blowing up at least a dozen luxury cars at
a New York dealership.  She’d been testing to see which brand of gasoline
ignited the fastest.  Inadvertently, she’d triggered a billion dollar recall,
because no one understood why so many automobiles simultaneously exploded into
fireballs.  The humans finally blamed some stupid parking brake malfunction and
ordered it replaced in every car on the road, which the Fire Phases thought was
hilarious.

At
the same time they were chortling, Sullivan lived on the edge of despair.  It
was unacceptable.  Teja should have known that Sullivan was out there, needing
her.  She held so much power.  How could she have let her Match languish in the
human realm alone?  Why hadn’t she thought to look for him?

MTV
blared on the black and white TV set, some grungy rocker gyrating behind the
microphone.  Sullivan sat crossed-legged on the floor, shuffling a deck of
playing cards.  “Now, this game’s called blackjack.”  He told the tiny little
blonde across the coffee table from him.  It could only be his cousin Melanie,
dressed in a denim jumper and pigtails.