Promises (16 page)

“
I need you to eat, Cheyenne.”

And now he was changing the subject too…

The thought of eating was not appealing; although I knew it had been several days. But if I said as much, Callon would only push further to get some food down my throat. I needed an alternative strategy.

“
I want to shower first.” I was sure I looked hideous, not that I was here to impress anyone.

Callon’s face twisted. I thought he was about to refuse me, when he sighed and glanced out the windows.

“
You’ll need to be extra careful,” he said. “You’re going to be unsteady on your feet. You haven’t eaten much for the last seven days.”

My eyes widened.

“
I thought I was only down for five days with the fever?”

“
Yes, but you weren’t eating before that. You had the fever for five days and slept for the last two.”

I shuddered. A whole week gone, just like that…. If the boys hadn’t been around to keep an eye on me…I didn’t even want to think about it. What mattered now was regaining my strength.

Callon assisted me to the side of the bed, and he and Colt each took an arm. My feet touched the cold floor, and a shiver ran up my legs. They helped me to stand. Instantly, the room began to spin, and I had to close my eyes.

“
Cheyenne?” Callon’s voice was riddled with anxiety. “Don’t push yourself.”

“
No, I can do this.” I hesitated for a moment, unsure if I believed my own words. “Give me a few minutes, and I’ll be fine.”

Patiently they waited. I took each step slowly, cautiously, until I made it to the bathroom. Callon and Colt left me by the shower and stepped out. The hot water was warm and soothed the aches. I started to get dressed again and almost toppled over. I had to hold on to the vanity to maintain my balance. The weakness was far worse than the past episode…

At last I opened the door, leaning against the frame for support. Seconds later, Callon pulled me closer and scooped me up, carrying me into the great room. I didn’t protest. I couldn’t.

He set me on the couch and wrapped a thick blanket around me. I began to shiver, and Callon sat beside me. Colt stoked the fire until it was roaring and sat across from us, his gaze not leaving mine. I sighed, cold and once again trapped in the middle. Why did it always have to be like this?

Daniel arrived with water, hot chocolate and oatmeal, breaking my gloomy thoughts. He had formed a smiley face of raisins in an attempt to brighten my morning. “Thank you, Daniel.” I looked into his dimpled cheeks.

“
You’re welcome.”

From the far corner, Maes was carefully watching, as always. He’d been oddly subdued and hadn’t given his usual running commentary on what I was doing. That both confused and worried me. I was touched by his concern, but I couldn’t help but wonder what was going through his head. He had to be plotting something…

A loud snap from the fire caused me to jump. I leaned into Callon and stared at the fire, watching the flames dance over the wood.

“
Cheyenne, you need to eat something now,” Callon instructed. “You need to rebuild your strength.”

He handed me a spoon and the bowl of oatmeal. I ate a few bites, then stopped when the room began to spin once more. I couldn’t hold the spoon, and Callon snatched the bowl away before it spilled everywhere. He glanced at me, his hazel eyes filled with worry. I sat back in the couch, managing a few sips of water, before my lids closed and sleep claimed me.

My strength was slow to return, and my guardians were growing concerned. Something serious was taking place. It had already been a week since the episode; and it was worrying that I still needed help to stand up. Resting on the couch, my eyes closed, I overheard them talking when they thought I was asleep.

“
Give me an update about the Trackers and Tresez, Maes,” Callon said.

“
It’s getting harder to keep them away,” Maes said. “This last group came closer than I’d like. It is only a matter of time before they locate us. We’re going to have to move soon.”

“
How much time do you think we have?”

“
It’s hard to say,” Maes replied. “Not only that, but her powers are going to be greater than we imagined. I’ve only seen someone live through such torturous transformations once before, and that wasn’t even close to what she’s been through.”

“
I don’t know, Maes,” Callon replied. “It’s disconcerting that she isn’t recovering as quickly as before.” He sighed. “I don’t know if her body can handle another go around. This is twice now her heart has stopped, and I don’t know if it’ll cope if it stops again.” He paused. “If I wouldn’t have…” He trailed off, unable to complete his sentence.

“
She’s the one they’ve written about. She’s the prophecy, Callon.” Maes’s accent deepened. “We need to watch her closely. When her powers come, they may cause us troubles. She’ll be quick to figure them out, and when she does, I guarantee she won’t hold back against you.”

I was so tempted to open my eyes and start firing questions, but I wanted to hear more. They’d clam up the moment I spoke… Where had all of this come from? A prophecy? It was the first I’d heard of it.

“
Don’t speak about the prophecy, Maes. It’s an old tale that doesn’t hold any truth. Cheyenne doesn’t need any more confusion in her life right now. We’ve already caused enough to last a lifetime.”

“
You’re not going to tell her?” Maes growled. “You haven’t told her many things, Callon, things Cheyenne should know already. Her ignorance will only hurt her in the end.”

“
That is none of your business, Maes!” Callon’s tone was deadly. “She is my responsibility, and I will tell her what she needs to know, and nothing more.”

“
Your hatred for Marcus is clouding your vision, Callon!” Maes rumbled. “She doesn’t hate him as you do. He is faceless and unknown to her and will remain that way until she sees it for herself. You can’t impress your feelings upon her.”

It was so hard not to butt into the conversation. A whole new host of mysteries was unraveling. I was a part of some sort of prophecy? A prophecy Callon thought was untrue, so he didn’t think I needed to know. And then there was his hatred for Marcus…what had Marcus done that Callon felt was so unforgiveable? Even knowing Marcus murdered my parents, he was still a blank shadow to me. I knew nothing about him other than what Callon and the others had told me.

What was beneath the surface that I couldn’t see?

As the weeks progressed, I became stronger. My appetite wasn’t the same anymore. I didn’t feel hungry. I was able to do more, required less sleep and felt more aware. It was as if a presence surrounded me, protecting me from things I otherwise wouldn’t think about. However, my main concern was keeping this from my guardians. If I was now Timeless, my powers would show up, and I couldn’t let them find out. I needed something to give me an edge once I figured out my final escape plan.

I was out walking with Daniel when I got my first taste of being Timeless. Maes had run ahead to secure the area, and we were just taking our time through the snow.

“
Daniel, can I ask you something?” I asked.

“
Sure, what?” Daniel replied.

“
What was it like for you when you turned Timeless?”

Daniel chewed his lip. A cold breeze stirred, and I shivered.

“
You don’t need to be scared, Chey,” he said. “It’s going to be fine.”

“
But what was it
like?
I just want to understand it better.” I kicked the snow in my path.

Daniel sighed. He looked out into the forest, organizing his thoughts. “Mine was easy compared to yours. None of us have gone through what you have.”

“
What do you mean easy?”

“
I couldn’t walk for a few weeks.”

“
You couldn’t walk?” My brows rose. “Geez, Daniel, I wouldn’t call that easy.” I remained silent for a moment. “So you received your powers right away, and that’s why you couldn’t walk?

“
No, actually, Callon thought I had polio to begin with. There was a huge outbreak in Europe at the time.”

“
Polio, seriously? Then what happened? Were you scared?”

“
Not really. What stands out the most to me is that, even though they thought it was the illness, I knew deep down it wasn’t. I don’t know how to explain it other than I felt a presence about me that was different. Within a few weeks, I was suddenly able to jump.”

I swallowed.
A presence about him...

“
Did you want this?” I asked.

“
To be Timeless?” He chuckled. “We don’t have a choice, Cheyenne. We’re born into it, and we can’t change it. It’s a gift.”

“
But you knew about it your entire life. I didn’t. Until my parents’ death I thought I was normal.”

“
It’s a gift you’ve yet to accept.”

I looked away, pondering his words. A small grouping of white hares was sitting by a large boulder, staring at us. I was so mesmerized, I didn’t pay attention to the ground. My foot caught on a loose rock, and I stumbled. On instinct, I latched on to Daniel, and my knees hit the frosted ground. The hares scattered, and I slumped against the boulder.

Wait…but the boulder had been fifty feet away…

Then I realized.

“
Daniel, what are you doing?” I snapped. “Why’d you jump me? We aren’t supposed to be off the road!” Maes was going to kill us…

“
I didn’t do anything!” Daniel replied, helping me to my feet. “I think you did!”

“
You didn’t jump us?”

“
No.”

I stared at him. Was he just teasing me again?

I began replaying the event. I’d been looking at the rabbits when I tripped, and I had wanted to stop myself from falling, so I grabbed on to Daniel. Then the next thing I knew, we’d ended up fifty feet from where we were. Yet Daniel denied he’d jumped.

My eyes widened. Did that mean…

“
Cheyenne!” Daniel was grinning. “If I didn’t do it, then it must mean you did! You can jump!” He was bouncing like an excited toddler. “Do it again!”

I looked back at the road. I wasn’t sure how this was supposed to work, so I simply thought about where I wanted to go. In the blink of an eye, we were back. Daniel grabbed my arm; I was still not used to keeping my balance. A smile spread on my lips. I could jump!

Just to make sure, I stepped away from Daniel and focused my eyes on the boulder once again. I disappeared almost immediately. This time I landed abruptly, and my cheek scraped the side of the rock. I cringed. Obviously, I’d need to practice…

Daniel remained on the road, staring at my position. A perplexed expression crossed his face.

“
What are you doing?” I called out.

Daniel looked uncomfortable.

“
I can’t…I can’t jump.”

“
Huh?”

How strange…

Behind me, the snow crunched; Maes was approaching. I caught my breath. He mustn’t know! Frantically twisting towards Daniel, I pictured myself standing next to him—but nothing happened.

Maes paused in the middle of the road in his Tresez form, sniffing the air. His coat gleamed, and I admired the glossy sheen. I’d never noticed before how his black fur had a bluish tinge to it.

He glared at Daniel, snarling, then wildly whipped around until he found me. Suddenly Maes ran full tilt towards me, and I squeaked. At the last second, Daniel appeared, stepping in front of me as Maes skidded to a halt. His jade-rimmed eyes were clouded with anger. He growled, showing his teeth. I gulped. Playtime was over.

Daniel grabbed my hand and jumped us to the road. I clung to his wrist, as we were marched back in silence. What just happened? How had I jumped, and why couldn’t Daniel until just now?

Maes shifted and stormed in front of us, blocking the way to the porch steps. I held on tighter to Daniel.

“
What were the two of you doing?” Maes’s voice was shaking with fury. He muttered something in French. “Don’t you understand how dangerous it is for you to be off the road?” His hands flew up in exasperation. “Not all the Tresez are happy with me being here. One slip up from you, and they will turn over our location without a thought!”

Daniel opened his mouth to answer, when I pinched him. He glanced at me in curiosity.