Redemption (15 page)
“You are dismissed,” my aunt repeated.
I didn’t spare her a glance, just turned on my heels and ran. I was in my room with the door closed behind me when the tears came. They were angry tears and I recognized them as such. My back slid down my bedroom door, and I let my head rest on my knees.
“Day?” a voice asked.
I looked up in time to see Conor leaning against my bedroom wall. I didn’t ask him what he was doing there, I didn’t think about why I should be questioning him about it, and I didn’t ask myself how I felt about him. I just stood up and ran into his arms, letting the feeling of being held cushion the jarring tears. He moved us to the bed and we sat, my tears soaking his shirt until my eyes fell shut in sleep.
The factors of this fight are changing. The Other has not been expected, the amount of people involved is increasing. I am not sure if this relieves me.
~Bezaliel~
I woke up the next morning feeling drained and more than a little exposed. My head was on my pillow, the covers pulled up to my chest, and the first thought that came to my head was Conor. Where was he? All the questions I should have asked him last night reared their ugly heads. What had he been doing here? Had he used the ladder again? Did he want something? I shook my head wearily. The sun was bright and I squinted. What time was it? I glanced over at my bedside table and swore: 11:00. Had I really slept that long? I started to move and something rustled beneath me. I lifted up my pillow to find a note folded neatly, my name etched in fine script along the front. I recognized the handwriting, and I hesitated as I lifted it up. I flipped it open.
You need to leave, Dayton. Before tonight. Please think about it and call me.
Yours,
Conor
I just stared at the letter for a long time. His words penetrated the fog swirling around my brain, but I didn’t know what to do with them. I couldn’t leave. The
Yours
jumped out at me. Where did Conor and I really stand? I didn’t know what everyone wanted from me. I wasn’t leaving. This may not be much of one, but it was my home. I stood up, looked down at my day old clothes and stripped down to nothing, pulling on a robe I had in the back of my closet before heading for the bathroom. I wasn’t going to deal with this right now. On my way out, I noticed my phone blinking, a sign that I had messages, but I ignored them, threw my phone in my desk drawer and headed down the hall. I couldn’t do this.
“Dayton!” a voice called out as I reached the bathroom door.
I didn’t turn around. I had no love for any of the Sisters at the Abbey. The Sister came up to me hurriedly, her breathing ragged as she paused. I still didn’t turn around. I didn’t care to see her face. They all looked the same to me anyway. I could barely distinguish them or their voices when they were robed. They were nothing but clones.
“Yes?” I asked, my hand gripping the door knob tightly. The Sister caught her breath but didn’t ask me to turn around.
“Your aunt wants you downstairs in three hours. Her guest is early. There will be an early dinner."
I just nodded, turning the knob and moving into the bathroom. I shut the door firmly before finally turning around, my forehead coming to rest against the wood. Aunt Kyra’s guest would be here soon. I shuddered. I was not in the mood for visitors.
“Don’t be late!” the Sister called from outside the door.
I didn’t bother answering, just listened to her thudding steps as she moved back down the hall. I showered quickly and headed back to my room. My phone still beeped from where it lay inside the desk drawer.
I pulled open my closet door to look inside. There weren’t many choices if I decided to go dressy. A few skirts, yes. Dresses, no. Hmmm . . . well, if he was here to meet Dayton Marie Blainey, I was going to give him Dayton Marie Blainey. A pair of hole-ridden jeans, jade leggings, white wife beater, and an off-the-shoulder jade hoodie flew onto my bed. I changed in record time, pulling the jeans over the leggings and hoodie over the wife beater before donning socks and a pair of Nikes. It left plenty of time to wander around the Abbey before dinner. I grabbed my cell phone and a notebook, opened my bedroom door, skulked down the hallway to the back staircase, and climbed down into what used to be the back gardens. Now it was mainly a well maintained herb plot.
Sage and mint filtered through my nose as I crept into the yard, the notebook in one hand, my phone in the other. The small, seldom-visited courtyard area was a haven mainly because of its un-tended state and its smaller size. The grass was somewhat higher here than it was on the large public, landscaped yards. Weeds grew up along a crumbling stone wall separating a five foot sloped drop into a larger, more maintained garden. The herb plot was the only part of the garden still in use.
A moment of digging in the corner of the crumbling wall and I found the small box I was looking for. Oh yeah! Out came a hidden root beer flavored dumdum, and I sighed with pleasure as I settled against the stone wall. It was then I looked at my phone messages. Most of them were from Conor. My breathing hitched. We had never really talked much by telephone.
Dayton?
Are you ok?
Did you get my message?
We need to talk.
I flipped through the messages he’d left, my heart heavy as I did. I cared about Conor but I wasn’t sure what he was looking for. Was he worried about me and the Abbey, or did he want to talk about the two of us? I didn’t want to find out so I left the messages to answer later. I just wanted to get dinner over with before I dealt with the whole Conor issue.
I pulled my notebook out and began to write a bit, constructing a story too complicated to say aloud. I incorporated enough about me in it that it helped relieve some of my worries. Afterwards, I felt drained. I was so tired today. My eyelids fell against my cheeks. Ever since supper the night before, I had been incredibly fatigued. I hoped I wasn’t coming down with something. I shook my head hard, but it didn’t help. It was a cool day today due to a cold front, but the slight heat from sitting in the sun and the reclined position made my head dip. I leaned it back against the wall. The world faded around me.
A cough woke me up.
I squinted, clearing my eyes with my hand as I started to stand up. The sun had moved slightly as I slept, and I saw my own shadow as I moved.
“I’m really worried. Are you sure about this?” a voice asked suddenly, and I jumped.
Sitting back down hard, I glanced quickly at my phone and realized I had dozed off much longer than I thought while sitting in the sun. Great! Just what I needed. Freckles. Add one pissed off aunt if I was late for dinner and the result wouldn’t be good for me. At least lemon juice could fade the freckles. There was no cure for Aunt Kyra. Grass rustled as someone made their way slowly across the yard, and I grew still. I really wasn’t in the mood for company
“I’m just not sure about this is all!” a voice said nervously and I sat up straight, all drowsiness suddenly gone. Amber.
My butt burned as I shifted, and I attempted to rub feeling back into it as I leaned closer to the wall. I was intrigued. It wasn’t often she gave me a reason to eavesdrop.
“Do you doubt the Sect?” a male voice asked, and my eyes widened.
What the . . . my knee came up against the wall hard, and I winced. Huh? And Lady Ky thought I was the troublemaker? I suddenly wanted to laugh. Amber and some guy? This was priceless. I was having all kinds of "
if only my aunt realized I wasn’t the only one with faults"
moments.
“Do you?” the male voice asked again, persistently this time. It sounded vaguely familiar.
“I don’t. I just doubt
him
,” Amber said fiercely, and I almost stood up. She sounded drained and, even if appearance seemed otherwise, I did love my sister. A gut feeling made me keep my seat.
“None of us fully trust him, but it’s worth the risk,” the other voice continued, and I worried the bottom of my lip furiously.
Whatever this was about, it didn’t sound good at all. What
were
they talking about? Was Amber involved in something? She
so
wasn’t the type.
“Oh, Ian! I don’t know. You can see why this isn’t easy for me. You have to see that!” Amber pleaded, her voice full of distress. It made me tense up. My sister wasn’t the emotional type, and the worry in her voice pierced me in the gut.
There was some movement, and I turned slowly. The scene behind me grew quiet. Had they left?
“Amber, we fit, you and I. You were chosen for me for a reason. Leave Dayton to her destiny,” the male voice said quietly.
My mental brakes went into overdrive and slammed to a screeching stop. What the fuck? I got to my knees and peered over the wall. And almost gagged.
“Is it her destiny?” Amber asked Ian James as he ran a hand along her back in a way that suggested a deep familiarity.
Bile rose up in my throat. Ian James. Mr. James. Mr. Fucking James. I had to bite my tongue to keep from calling out. A slight copper taste filled my mouth, and I swallowed hard.
“It’s for the good of the world, Amber. This isn’t something any of us are taking lightly. I promise it has been considered, reconsidered, and considered again. You can’t change it. I can’t change it,” Mr. James said almost vehemently.
Amber may have missed the dangerous glint in his eye, but I was all too aware of it. Amber looked at the ground. She was way too damn submissive. I had to get out of here! What was this crap? Sects, destiny . . . it was like waking up inside a bad B rated movie.
I snuck along the wall, ignoring the tearing pain from thorns scattered sporadically among the brush. My phone was crushed cruelly into my palm as I finally made it to the door, and I welcomed the cutting pain. Mr. James and my sister? This had to be a bad dream. I paused until I was sure I was alone before moving into the dim interior of the Abbey. This was so screwed up.
I’m worried
I texted Monroe quickly. The reply was instant.
What’s up?
I barely glanced at the screen.
idk
My phone beeped to notify me she’d replied, but I didn’t check it. Sliding down the wall of the Abbey, I played back the scene I had just witnessed and almost retched. Nausea engulfed me. The whole thing was seriously messed up. Mr. James was a young teacher but still a good four years older than Amber. They had to be involved. James’ voice rang through my head, “
Chosen for me
.” What did that mean? How involved were they? And the stuff they were discussing? It made no sense. My phone beeped again.
You ok?
Monroe texted. It was a multiple message, sent more than once but I didn’t text back. I wasn’t quite sure how to answer.
“Dayton!” a voice called out distantly, and I looked toward the back staircase. Diane.
“Dayton!” Diane called out again, and I moved back up the wall.
My phone showed it was well past time for dinner and, even though I wasn’t ready to talk to anyone, I also wasn’t ready to deal with Aunt Ky if I didn’t respond to the summons.
“Here!” I called out as I turned the corner at the top of the stairs and ran straight into Diane. She put her hand up against the wall and gasped.
“Dayton! You shouldn’t come up on people like that!” she insisted before looking me over critically. I knew my cheeks were flushed from the sun, and I hoped it hid the sudden paleness underneath. It didn’t.
“Are you sure you’re okay, Day? You’ve seemed sort of unwell lately,” Diane asked with concern, brushing limp brown hair out of her eyes as she placed a calloused hand on my shoulder. She generally wore scrubs to work in. As long as she didn’t wear jeans to the Abbey, Aunt Ky was pretty lenient with Diane’s choice of attire. Today, it was powder blue scrubs with smiling kittens scattered throughout. Visions of Alice’s mischievous Cheshire cat flashed unerringly through my head, and I coughed slightly. I sure felt like I was in
Alice in Wonderland
. I just wasn’t sure where the rabbit hole was. Obviously I had sleepwalked into it.
“I’m fine,” I answered lightly, moving to gently brush her hand off my shoulder. She narrowed her eyes but didn’t dig any deeper. I was getting a lot of that from her lately.
“Your aunt sent me to tell you it’s time for dinner,” Diane murmured as she looked disapprovingly at my clothes.
I glanced down briefly before looking defiantly into her eyes. She just shook her head and sighed.