Lightning In My Wake (The Lightning Series) (9 page)

“What did you do, memorize all the gas stations that sell Slush Puppies?”

I shrugged. I never had been good at pretending not to hang on every breath she took.

“Yeah, so?”

She answered my shrug with one of her own and went back to reading my notes. By the time the night was over, she’d given herself a half a dozen brain freezes. It never failed. No matter how many she got, as soon as they receded, she’d down enough to give her another one.

She had a serious unhealthy relationship with brain freezes.

The digital records glowing on the computer screen grabbed my attention and kept me reading until I could see the sun rising outside of the windows. I hadn’t even realized it was so late or early. Colby was long gone, asleep on the couch, still clutching one of the empty Slush Puppies in her hand and my notebook in the other. Her lips were tinted red like a child who’d been keeping a cherry Popsicle company. They were slightly open while she slept. Her eyes flittered behind closed eyelids. Knowing Colby, she probably flashed in her dreams and in consciousness. I stretched, making the blood return to my legs. They’d gone to sleep sometime in the night. Colby had to be put to bed or her neck would be killing her later. Putting her empty treat in the trash, I closed the notebook and picked up her feather-light form. I wanted more than anything to close the distance between her mouth and mine, but thought better of it. Tucking her into my tiny bed seemed like a shame without me next to her, but I wouldn’t sleep next to her unless I had her explicit permission, preferably with her prompting.

Instead, I would make do with the loveseat.

The next morning, I woke with the crick in my neck that I’d saved Colby from.

I pulled my body this way and that trying to relieve it of its stiffness. I heard
the shower start to run and saw the steam billowing from the gap between the door and the hardwood flooring. From this vantage point, her voice could be heard belting out the chords of Nirvana and the smell of her white, ‘Please for the love of all that’s holy don’t ever buy her another color other than white’ Dove soap wafted in with the steam. A myriad of memories were brought to life by just that one scent. She was a fickle princess when she wanted to be.

In order to give her the privacy she would want, I took a frigid shower outside in the makeshift stall that looked like it was built more for after beach outings than regular cleanliness. Its walls were nothing more than
nailed and patched driftwood from the sea. There was certainly no steam coming from my shower since it was colder than a snowman’s ass.

I dressed as quickly as I could and went back into the cottage, hoping she was ready. I was more than eager to introduce her to Collin and get her take on the things I’d found thus far. When I entered, she was cleaning up the place, picking up after herself and packing her bag back up.

“Have a good shower?” I asked her.

“Yeah, thank you. You didn’t have to go outside. Just knock on the door and tell me to hurry up next time.”

“I will. Are you ready now?”

“Yes. Got anything to eat?”

“There’s apples and pears in the fridge.”

I knew she ate like a bird, always had.

She grabbed a few, one for now and two for later. Collin would surely put a damper on her eating plans later on. I wanted to get just a little satisfaction over watching her get into all the trouble I had with Collin over eating and touching things—mostly general breathing in the direction of the books.

I’d texted her pictures of the castle where the records were kept, so it was easy for us, in a matter of seconds, to
get to the castle. I wanted the first experience at this place to be completely real for her—so a few things had to happen. The first, she had to discover that knocking on the door did absolutely no good. She propped her fists on her hips after the second knock.

“What the hell?”

I pointed to the rope with the larger than life tassel hanging from it.

“You’ve got to be kidding, Theo. What is this, the Addam’s Family?”

“Try it.”

Colby was such a lightweight that I had to help her pull on the rope. A reverberating gong could be heard echoing through the place. She made a satisfied ‘huh’ and crossed her arms over her chest.

She observed the place for the first time in person. She allowed the purple flowers to float along her fingertips while we waited. She’d always been infatuated with all things delicate in nature. She didn’t want to be involved with them, but she respected their beauty. Like babies—Colby loved to look at babies but when propositioned to hold one she would back away slowly and shake her head a resounding ‘no’. The monstrous door began to creak open and I stepped back, wanting Colby to get the full effect of Collin’s size and stature. Collin looked haggard this time though and I regained my previous step to get a closer look.

“Collin, what’s wrong?”

He looked around and waved us in wordlessly. After we were all in, he stuck his head out of the door and looked around again. He hadn’t acted in this manner the other times I’d come around. Something was definitely up.

“I’ve been replaced,” he lamented, dragging his right hand over his closely shaven head.

I was less shocked than I thought I’d be. I was digging into topics and records that were hardly ever dug from their graves—that was the way the Synod liked it. Their word on subjects like Eivan and Eidolon were the end of the story.

T
hough the Synod, on the surface, encouraged the Lucents to research their histories, researching and questioning were two heads of a coin teetering on the edge of defiance.

“Did they say why?” Colby got his attention.

“They don’t have to. I already know why. You must be Colby. It’s a pleasure to meet you, finally.”

Colby shot me a knowing look.

“Because of me,” I provided the answer he refused to.

“It doesn’t matter. I’ve spent the better part of the last week scanning and getting most of the information on Eiven and Sevella to digital form. Whoever comes in after me tomorrow will certainly be—discouraging—to anyone who wants to look at them in the future.”

This was my fault. This was the reason I wanted as few people involved as possible. This man, who had been a Guardian for decades was now homeless and jobless because of his desire to help me. And all he did was show me some books.

What repercussions would Colby have to face?

I’d allowed myself to get caught up so much in having her with me that I let it cloud the fact that it might ruin her life. Maybe this whole issue with Collin would change her mind.

“Those sons of bitches. What will you do now? How can we help you?”

In juxtaposition to his general outward appearance of strength, Collin held onto the back of the chair beside him and looked truly perplexed.

“Help me? No one helps me.”

That sparked a dangerous rebellion in Colby’s eyes. Her personal disdain for the Synod was mostly about herself and because of the way Rebekah was now treated in their shadow. But then again, Colby was defiant to anything and anyone who tried to rule her—she had a real deep rooted issue with authority.

“Yes, we will.”

He met her stare with an equally resilient one. “I can help myself, young lady. I was going to offer my services to who I believe is the Eidolon.” He turned to address me, “It would be my honor to help you on your quest for more answers and information, Theodore.”

Chapter Ten

Colby

The Synod is the governing body over the Lucents.

Already, I hated the behemoth—mostly because he wasn’t letting me have my way. He offered to help Theo with his quest like Theo was Link from Zelda.

I should’ve taken pictures of Collin’s face while he talked to Theo. He was in the presence of greatness, or so his expression revealed.

It was just Theo, for crying out loud.

A miniscule bolt of fear meandered through my veins as Theo agreed to let Collin go with him.

Because he said me, not us.

‘Sure you can come with me.’

Who in the hell does this skunk ape think he is?

“Don’t even think about cutting me out,” I whispered, ashamed of the emotion it carried.

“Hey,” Theo sidled up next to me, using a soothing tone. “Have I ever cut
you
out?”

He probably meant no harm by that statement. He would never purposefully hurt me.

But I read between the lines anyway.

W
hat he was really saying was that I had constantly cut him out. And I had. I cut him out of my life time and time again, only to summon him back when I needed him. But Theo had always been stronger than me. He could take getting cut out and drawn back in. I couldn’t. The minute I had felt my defenses being penetrated, I cast him away.

I needed to grow up.

I looked into Theo’s deep blue eyes as he waited for a response.

“No,”
I answered. This wasn’t the time or the place to have my pesky feelings get in the way. I shuffled away from him and found what seemed to be the only standard sized chair in the place. This Collin guy must’ve had custom furniture brought in.  I dug through my bag and found one of the apples I’d stashed. I’d intended to eat it right away, but I had no idea that getting into this place would entail pulling on a huge rope using all my body weight.

The apple crunched as I sunk my teeth down in it. The sound of my own chewing and kept me from hearing the hushed conversation going on between David and Goliath. I was more of an action kind of girl.

After a while, my apple was diminished and I was itching to go again.

“So how are you gonna get to Tibet?” I asked Collin.

Both of their heads jerked in my direction. It wasn’t that hard of a question. He couldn’t flash like us, so travelling would be an issue.

I was just being logical—practical—in a mean girl
sort of way.

“I have my own plane.
All Guardians do in case there is an emergency meeting.”

Apparently there were a lot of idiosyncrasies about the Guardian world I had no idea about.

Like the fact that they had planes and had secret meetings.

All this time I thought they were just loners.

Theo and Collin flowed back into their conversation about logistics and USB drives. This wasn’t turning out to be the diabolical and high danger journey Theo had made it out to be. So far it was slush puppies and giants.

“Can I see the books?
” I queried simply out of boredom. Whatever was in those books had been cataloged in such a detailed manner by Theo and now Collin that I doubted I found any new information.

But Theo had trouble finding ketchup in the refrigerator.

Boys.

“Of cours
e,” Collin waved his arm toward the back of the place. Theo chuckled into his fist.

“What are you laughing at? Isn’t this what we’re supposed to be doing?”

“Yes, just wait.”

We meandered through the great home. I stopped to look at the paintings on our way through the hall. One was of my grandmother.

“Rebekah,” Collin said with an air of reverence. “Your grandmother is the wisest of all the Prophets. But it is only in the halls of records that she is respected as she should be.”

The picture of my grandmother was encased in a frame made of golden filigree.
She was younger, her hair revealed the generation in which the painting was completed.

“You knew her?”

He patted my back. “Know, young female, know. Just because something is deemed unworthy by a group of people, doesn’t make it less loved.” Then he winked at me. An unfounded giggle erupted from my mouth. Collin was handsome up close. From far away I couldn’t get past his overgrown stature to see it. But now, when I turned and he was bent over targeting his words to my ear, I could clearly see it. His jaw was rugged and his eyes were the deep brown of someone who had a tiny bit of rebel in them.

Collin had a little bit of anarchy brewing inside him. I could see it.

Theo was in such trouble.

“Onward, good s
ir,” I motioned as I felt a new camaraderie with him and showed it by linking my arm through his. Theo shot a questioning look my way but I ignored it. There was no way to explain to him the glimmer I’d seen in Collin without sounding any more right field than I usually did.

“Are there no pictures of Eivan and Sevella?” I questioned the two of them.

“There are in Tibet. There’s a monk there who is descended from Eivan’s advisor, Winchester—he commissioned painters to paint their portrait for one of their anniversaries. He also has some personal artifacts, but it would take some coercing to let us see them.”

C
oercing was my specialty.

We entered the multi-storied library and I gasped. It was bigger and more magnificent than anything I could’ve imagined. In truth, I’d thought it would be more—cave
-like.