~~INTRODUCTION~~

:XP Welcome! :XP

Feel free to read Ama, Never, and I's Round Robin. I can't promise that it will be updated everyday, though.

If you'd like to comment, then go ahead, but please make sure your critiscism is constructive! Thank you!

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ANNOUNCEMENTS:

7/20/2009
Well, our edits are all complete, and we have a few new posts, too! YAY!!! And we promise not to do this again! We're finally happy with the outcome!! As always, feel free to post your comments; we always appreciate them!

7/15/2009
Okay guys, we're really sorry to have to do this again, but the story just wasn't working in third person. You see, we actually started writing in first person on our personal computers, and the changing was just getting annoying, so we're changing things to first person. This isn't the only change, though. For all the juice details, here's a quote of our PMs back and forth:

Originally Posted by amarantine

Originally Posted by amarantine

Works for me! But, gosh, we're you guys PMing like crazy!

Again, we're really, really, really sorry about doing this to you guys! But we think the sotry's going to be so much better after this last revamp. In any case, the thread's going to be closed for a little while, so we can do what we've got to do.

6/4/2009
Okay, so we're going to start re-doing this thread! Yay!

This is how it's going to work:

We will post the new story through editing the old posts. In other words, it may not look like things are updated on thread listing, but there very well might be a new tidbit.

So, check back here at least once a week!

CHAPTER ONE

I sat Indian style on my bed. My hands were tightly folded in my lap, and my top teeth chewed on my lower lip. My eyes stared across the room at the oval mirror hanging above the dresser. The reflection in the glass was a perfect one, even catching the slight nuances in the light sparkling on the pendant around my neck. The hands in my lap wound themselves tighter.

What was I doing? I wondered. It was too dangerous. If I was caught…I shuddered. Council Law was very firm. I shouldn’t be doing this.

A rock pinged against the windowpane. My eyes flicked to the window. It was Maria. I bit my lip one last time for good measure, got off my bed, and grabbed my bag and jean jacket from the hook beside my bedroom door. As I opened the door, my eyes rested on the Mother’s Day photo on my dresser.

“Sorry, Mom,” I whispered as I left the room.

I tiptoed down the stairs and through the dark hallway out the back door. Maria was waiting under the aspen in the middle of the yard, whistling. I supposed that Alegra wasn’t far away.

“Are we going or not?” I asked, hurrying over to the tree. Maria took her cigarette out of her mouth and blew the smoke out in a little gray cloud.

“Nervous or something?” she asked. “No one’s ever caught us before, and no one’s going to yet.”

“I know. I know. It’s just…I don’t know…It just feels like something’s not right.”

“If Tammy doesn’t feel like we shouldn’t do this, then maybe we should just give it up, huh?” said Alegra, her voice higher than normal. Maria laughed.

“Oh come on, you guys! Dance a little on the wild side, will ya? Nothing’s going to happen. We’ve been sneaking out like this for almost two weeks now, and nothing’s happened yet! Now let’s go before the night gets too old!” Maria walked backwards, her arms flung open, cigarette glowing in the dark air, grinning. Alegra and I glanced at each other. Alegra turned her head away almost instantly when I shrugged and started to follow Maria.

“Are you coming or not, Alegra?” asked Maria. Alegra bit her lip and ran to catch up with us. She looked paler than normal, almost as though she was sick.

We walked through the center of town, seemingly invincible. Or at least so it seemed to Maria who walked as though nothing could touch her, and her cocky attitude rubbed off on us.

When we reached the yellow house at the end of Emerson Avenue, my stomach did a back flip. I couldn’t stop myself from thinking about him: his deep, dark eyes; his sly grin; and his lithe, slightly muscular form. Maria had assured me that he would be here, and I was flighty with anticipation. Jordan was the dream of every girl at school. So when the door was opened and Peter greeted each of us with a slightly-intentionally sloppy peck on the cheek, the first thing I had to ask for was some water; my mouth and throat were dry as if I’d been eating sand.

With my drink in hand, I turned around to survey the living room. Alegra was standing in the corner with Derek making his usual moves on her; and Maria was already dancing in the middle of the room, drawing as much attention to herself as she possibly could. And there, sitting coolly on the window seat with his head back against the glass was Jordan.

I took one last swig of my water, set the glass down on the countertop behind me, and made my way over toward Jordan before I could change my mind. In fact, halfway there, I nearly turned back. But then I remembered why I was here risking almost everything. I thought about speaking when I was right in front of him, but somehow that didn’t seem quite appropriate, so instead I sat down on the window seat a few spaces over from him.

“Not much of a partier, either?” Jordan suddenly asked, without bothering to open his eyes.

“Not really,” I admitted. “Maria’s always the one to convince us.”

“Maria Scarlett?” he asked, rolling his head toward me and looking at me. “I’d watch out with her. She can be a bit of a live wire.” His head moved back into its original position.

“I’ve noticed.” We were both silent for a while. I resorted to chewing on my lower lip. I opened my mouth to talk to him, but he beat me to it.

“You don’t want to dance with me.”

“Why not?”

“I’m a terrible dancer, and you’re not wearing good shoes for dancing with someone who steps on people’s feet.”

“Oh.” I said, blushing slightly. I didn’t really know why I did; I just colored easily.

Something changed in the air. Power. And lots of it. It was so thick I nearly choked. I shivered at my realization. All of a sudden, I realized how dangerous it really was for me to be here. I should leave before things got out of hand. I excused myself from the window and went to find Alegra and Maria.

Maria was enjoying a few drinks at the kitchen bar.

“Maria, do you know where Alegra is?” I asked, a bit loudly so I could be heard over the music pumping from the stereo. Maria shook her head.

“No clue. Haven’t seen her since we got here. You could try out back,” she suggested.

“Thanks.” I made my way through the kitchen, rejecting various drinks and refreshments offered to me, to the back door. A quick look outside proved that no one was in the yard.

“Not there?” asked Maria, as I came back to the bar.

“No,” I replied, shaking my head.

“Don’t worry about her,” said Maria. “She’s a big girl, she can take care of hersel--“Maria was cut short as the front door flew off its hinges and down the front hallway. Power drenched the room. “Shit.”

I, and everyone else, directed my attention to the hallway as two Cloaks stepped over the threshold. A third followed and stood between them. The third was shorter, and as the panicked tension rose in the air, this third one pushed back its hood: Alegra. The betrayal was enough to cause my heart to break in agony. I couldn’t move as Alegra read out the arrests, as the other Cloaks advanced and people jostled past me. I was only able to move when Maria grabbed my wrist and wrenched me from my place.

Halfway back to my senses, I let Maria shove me out into the backyard and half-drag me into the forest beyond. Safely in among the trees, I suddenly felt Maria’s handprint on my face.

“Ow!” I cried.

“You need all your wits about you now,” replied Maria as she lit up. “Alegra just pinned you for Association, and probably Resistance, too.”

“Association? But I haven’t really been hanging around any of them. Except for at the parties. No way! Jordan?”

“Jordan? No, she’s not pinning you for that.”

“Then who--?” My eyes widened. Maria nodded.

“Eric? Really?” I inquired.

“Eric!” Maria laughed. “That pipsqueak? No, not Eric. You never hang out with him anyway. Why on Earth would it be Eric?”

“But I only hang out with Alegra and … you,” my voice softened as I came to the right conclusion. “Then … what am I doing here?” I cried, trying to escape Maria’s presence.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Tam. I’ve taken Vows.” I turned back around to face Maria. As we stood there staring at each other, noises from the house drew closer.

“You need to get out of here. You, Jordan,” she called out, pointing at Jordan as he tried to pick his way through the forest.

“But—“ I stared to interrupt.

“Jordan’s going to take you as far as Newton. You should be safe there, for a time, anyway.” Maria’s face was serious and slightly grim as she embraced me in a forceful hug.

“Don’t even think about worrying about me,” she whispered. “They won’t find me.”

With that, Maria faded into the woods, leaving me with Jordan.

Sweet! I get to start off the new chapter! You know what that means....new charcter!! =3

CHAPTER TWO

Grandma Iris passed me the plate of crepes. I accepted them and tried not to look toward the door where I knew two large suitcases stood, ominously. My mother was coming. I looked at the two crepes I’d piled onto my plate. I knew I wouldn’t finish them, but I put the jam and fruit on them anyway, for Grandma Iris’s sake. The breakfast table was silent. I was halfway done when there was a single honk from a car horn. Grandma Iris quietly placed her fork and knife down on the table. She stood and took her plate to the sink. Nobody moved. It was almost as though the horn hadn’t really sounded; but we knew we were lying. Grandma Iris left the room, and I heard the front door open and the screen door close. Dad finished his crepe and I pushed my last two bites away. He stood and took the plates to the sink. I left the kitchen. As I passed by the living room, I looked out through the lace curtains. A gray sedan was parked in the driveway underneath a sky that threatened rain. My eyebrows knit together. Gray was an ugly color.

My backpack was still upstairs, and I climbed those stairs at a deliberate snail’s pace. Hanging along the wall above the treads were photographs, both old and new, of family and friends. My favorite was the picture of me with my friends from third grade. We grinned, some of us with front teeth missing, from the prison of that glossy sheet of paper dressed in our soccer uniforms. There was me in the middle, pigtails and a tooth missing on top, Cassie Newly on my left, Jena O’Riley next to her, Heather Long on my right, and Margarette Dumas on the end. The photo always made me wish for the old days; the days before Margarette’s family was driven away and my parents divorced. I smiled wistfully as I passed by the image and briefly touched my smiling naïve face.

My backpack sat on my bed along with my purse and jean jacket. I put the jacket on and swung the backpack and purse onto my right shoulder before trudging back down the stairs. Dad waited for me by the front door, both of my suitcases in his hands. We smiled thinly at each other.

“We better not keep your mother waiting any longer,” he said, trying to keep his mood light. I nodded. He held the screen door open for me.

Grandma Iris stood just next to the door on the front porch, a stony statue of emotions aimed at my mother. Normally, I would disagree with Grandma Iris’s feelings, but right now, I felt the same ones: contempt, anger, and hurt. We stood across from each other for a minute, and then I was tightly enfolded into her arms. I hugged her back, closing my eyes and inhaling her scent so that it would stay with me until I saw her next. Oranges and cinnamon. And Chai.

A solid hand fell onto my shoulder. I pulled back from Grandma Iris. Her hand trailed the length of my jaw, and then she stepped aside to let Dad and I pass by. We went to the back of the little gray sedan, passing by the driver’s side. My mother sat inside, hands gripping the steering wheel, eyes glued to the garage door. I felt the anger inside bubble. She couldn’t even offer Dad or Grandma Iris one glance. If she hated being here so much, then why did she even bother to come? I was seventeen; I could fly to Newton on my own.

The trunk was already popped, and I helped Dad load the suitcases. We turned toward each other, hugged once, and then he backed away to the grass along the driveway, while I opened the passenger’s side and slid in next to my mother. With my door snapped shut, I felt trapped, cut off from those I loved. We pulled away from the yellow house on Oak with Grandma Iris standing like a storm cloud on the front porch and Dad at the end of the driveway, his hand raised in a simple goodbye. I placed my hand against the cool glass of the window and watched the house fade away into the distance. When I could no longer see it, I crossed my arms and glared decidedly out my window. Next to me, my mother let out a breath.

“Your grandmother is here,” she said.

“What? Rose? What is she doing here?” I said, angrily. It was hard enough on what was left of my family that my mother proceeded to come and fetch me every summer, Rose, therefore, had no right to be here, especially not after what she did.

“Yes. I didn’t ask her to come, Katie.”

“You never ask; she demands and you obey.” I knew that my words hurt her, but it was the truth. “So she’s living with us, then.” It wasn’t a question, and it didn’t require an answer; I already knew what my mother would say.

“Yes. I’m sorry Katie, but she really has nowhere else to stay.”

“That’s just your justification. She’s the head of the Council, she can always find a place to stay.” I refused to say anything else the rest of the trip.

We picked Rose up at the airport hotel, where I moved to the back behind my mother, the farthest seat from Rose. While my mother went in to get Rose, I stayed in the car and secretly pulled out my cell phone. My cell phone was one thing my mother didn’t know about. Dad had bought it for me a while back so that we could call each other without having to go through my mother. And since my mother didn’t really approve of cell phones, or even computers, she didn’t know about it. I turned my ring to silent and checked my inbox. There was a text from Michael.

“Hey, Kat. Everything’s set up. I’ll see you at eight tonight, Thursday. Micah.”
I smiled. Michael was another thing my mother didn’t know about. I hated keeping secrets from her, but it was somewhat necessary. Just like it was necessary to keep secrets from Dad, from Grandma Iris, and even Michael, the one person I felt comfortable telling everything.

My reply was a quick and simple “OK” as my mother and Rose were returning to the sedan.

It took only 10 minutes to drive from the hotel to the rental return and then an hour to get from the rental place to the airport and past security. Orange level meant nothing anymore. The hour and a half flight to Newton was a silent one, apart from the constant stream of music that poured forth from my MP3 player, another piece of technology that gained disapproving looks from my mother whenever I produced it. I’d learned to ignore those looks; she never did anything about it anyway. Not when it was a gift from Dad. The cell phone was different, though. It was the one thing that I knew she might be able to convince Dad I didn’t need, especially since there were so many messages from Michael.

My mother’s green Honda was waiting for us when we arrived at the airport and the drive to our house on Lake Dr. seemed excruciatingly long. All I wanted was to arrive at the blue house and escape to my room. As we pulled up into the drive, Evan emerged from the house, a smile spread wide across his face. I got of the car, making sure to shut my door with force, and dragged myself and my suitcases into the house. Evan offered to help, but I ignored his offer with a curt “I’ve got it.” I was in too dark of a mood to be nice to anyone, let alone Evan. On my way upstairs, I nodded my hello to David, Jessica, and Mike, Evan’s kids.

My room was the last one down the hall, far away from most of the rest of the house, but also right next to the empty recent addition and the bathroom. David and I were old enough to know what the addition was meant for, but the others weren’t. Personally, I wasn’t too happy with the extra room. It solidified Evan’s place in my mother’s idea of our family too much.
Safely in my room, I set my suitcases down by my bed and dumped by backpack by my desk. My desk was my favorite part of my room. When we first moved here, it had been a closet, but since I didn’t have many dresses, or even skirts for that matter, the closet was useless and the simple armoire we bought was enough. So, we tore out the old closet doors, put in a window above where my desk now sat, and created for me a study space that could be closed off from the rest of my room with the lace curtains and colored class beads that hung in place of the old doors.

On either side of my art nouveau desk that I’d painted and finished so that it looked more baroque, stood two tall bookcases. The sides of the bookcases that faced my desk I’d decorated with photographs and a mini calendar. I hooked my laptop up on my desk in between my porcelain lap and the vase of flowers. The flowers needed some TLC and my calendar needed to be moved ahead three months, but otherwise everything was just the way I’d left it. I changed my calendar so that the month was now August instead of May, and I took my vase into the bathroom for some fresh water.

The upstairs bathroom that I shared with Evan’s kids was located directly above the master bedroom and the vent allowed free flow of everything that was said down below. Tonight’s soundtrack: my mother and Rose arguing.

“She needs to go through training!” Rose was saying. I shuddered. The very thought of training was enough to make any sensible person quake in their boots.

“She’s not like the other kids in her class, mother. I don’t think training would be a good thing,” replied her mother, quietly, meekly.

“Ha! Nonsense. If anything, training will make her fit in better, and that’s always a good thing. She needs some strength; you can see the weakness in her aura. She will go through training.”

“She’s not a weakling, mother! Besides, she doesn’t need to know how to fight.”

“Doesn’t need to know how to fight! That, my dear, is pure nonsense! Living in a quiet town is getting to you, Alice. Keeping you from seeing the bigger picture. Tensions are surmounting; relations are becoming worse and worse. They are becoming more and more violent. ‘Doesn’t need to know of to fight’ indeed. If she doesn’t learn how to fight, she’ll wind up bloodless in a ditch somewhere.”

“That may be true for a large city like Springs, mother. But things are different in Newton; it’s quiet here.”

“Hmpf. And if she goes somewhere else? If she moves away from quiet little Newton? What then, Christine? You can’t shelter her any longer. I won’t allow it. She will go through training, and I will train her. That’s final.”

I stared at the vent. I was dumbstruck, horrified. I looked back into the silvery surface of the mirror. My face looked like one of theirs. No. I would not do it; there was no way I would do it. Resolved, color swept back into my features. I filled the vase with water and took it back to my desk.

Evan’s voice floated up the stairs; it was time for dinner. I turned off my desk lamp, and sulked my way down the stairs. At the landing, I stopped sulking; I didn’t want to instigate a fight before food was even on the plates. As usual, the rustic kitchen table was set for six in bright, festive, colors.

A bit ironic, I thought. I took my seat at my usual place, and as the rest of the family took their seats, I couldn’t help but notice with some large annoyance that Rose had taken the head. That was my mother’s seat, not hers.

Evan brought the serving dishes to the table, and set the heavy plates in the center around the sunflower centerpiece. Chicken, potatoes, green beans, carrots, and rolls. I felt as though I couldn’t eat.

The dishes were passed around; food was piled onto hungry plates.

“Aren’t you hungry, Katie?” asked Jessica. I shrugged.

“Evan clearly went through an effort to make this meal, so you had better eat it,” said Rose, waving her fork at me. I looked to my mother. She was focusing intently on her green beans. I felt sick.

“It’s all right, Rose,” said Evan. “If Katie’s not hungry, then I’ll just put her plate with the rest of the leftovers in the fridge.”

“Don’t spoil the girl, Evan. A spoiled child will never amount to anything.” Rose stuffed a piece of chicken into her mouth. “Speaking of spoiled children, where’s that brother of yours?”

“He lives with Dad,” I answered.

“Hmmpf. He takes after him, then.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, my sickness quickly becoming anger.

“You should detach yourself from him a bit; your summers aren’t going to be quite so lazy and unproductive any longer.”

“I should detach myself? He’s my father!”

“Yes, but you have other duties that require your attention.”

“Other duties?”

“You have your training to think of.” There it was. Training.

“I’m not going to give up my only time with Dad just so that I can become one of those gung-ho show-offs!”

“Your mother and I already discussed it; you will go through training, and you will train with me.”

“You didn’t discuss anything—there is a ventilation system in this house—and I won’t do it. You can’t make me.” I stood up and forcefully slapped my napkin down next to my plate. I glared at Rose, and then at my mother, whose look of complete shock was incomprehensible.

“Sit back down, Katie!” ordered Rose. I snapped.

“Don’t you dare call me Katie!” I exclaimed before storming out of the room and up the stairs. As I stomped up the staircase, I imagined the winces my behavior was sure to produce at the table.

Back in my room, I locked my door and sat on my bed, hugging my pillow and knees to my chest. I stared darkly into the slowly dimming room around me for a long while before I heard the timid knock of my mother on my door.

“Honey...”

I covered my ears with my pillow and blocked out her quiet plea for me to come out. I squeezed my eyes shut as I felt my heart’s betrayal of my anger build up in my tear ducts.

“She won’t talk to me,” her voice was sad.

“Don’t worry about it; she’ll come out when she’d ready,” came Evan’s calm voice. Then footsteps receding from the battleground of my door.

“You shouldn’t be standing for this, Alice. You should be demanding for her to let you in. You’re the woman of the house!” Rose. My stomach lurched. I threw my pillow at the door. It landed a foot and a half shy. I balled my hands into fists and pressed them against my eyes. My phone vibrated against my backpack.

I leapt up from my bed and half ran to my study, almost tripping over my pillow.

“Are you coming or not?” read the text message that lit up my screen. I peered through my dim room at the clock next to my bed. 8:15.

I mouthed a curse and sent Michael a text back before putting on my coat, grabbing my purse and climbing out my window above my dresser, which was kept clear just for this purpose. “I’m on my way.”

CHAPTER THREE

“We need to get going,” said Jordan, looking over my head toward the approaching Cloaks. He took hold of my wrist and we began to run. I was completely unaware of where we were running, or how fast, all that I was aware of was the motion of my legs, the sound of my feet hitting first the floor of the woods and then pavement and asphalt, and my progressively shortening breath. Before long, I found myself bent over underneath a tall oak.

“Stay right here. I’m going to get my keys,” said Jordan. I looked up to find myself outside of a brick apartment building along Fifth Avenue. A blue Nissan was parked out in front. I watched as he sauntered into the building. We were being hunted by Cloaks, the most powerful of the Council, apart from the Queen herself, and he was unaffected. I took a deep breath, straightened, and made myself comfortable against the bark of the tree.

He returned in a matter of moments, keys in hand, along with a cloth knapsack.

“There’s a pair of my sister’s jeans and a T-shirt in there for you to change into once we get to Newton,” he said, opening the passenger side door and tossing the knapsack inside.

I slept most of the ride to Newton, only waking briefly when we pulled up to an abandon gas station and picked Maria up. I had no idea how she’d gotten there, or how Jordan knew where to pick her up, and I really didn’t want to know. The second time I woke, it was day and Jordan was parking the car in a field.

“She’s almost out of gas, so we’ll have to walk in from here,” he said, turning off the engine.

“I could run us in,” said Maria, leaning forward from the back seat as Jordan unbuckled.

“No!” he said, forcefully, turning to look at her.

“I was only kidding, Jord,” she replied, her face turning dead serious, “I know as well as you do that we can’t risk rash actions like that.”

We got out of the car, and started walking. Maria claimed Newton wasn’t that far away from where Jordan had parked, but as the walk drew longer, I had a feeling that she no longer had the same sense of distance.

We walked along in sort of an odd grouping. Maria was always in the front, and now that I knew Maria's secret, I supposed that had a little something to do with it, along with her long legs. Jordan tended to stay closer to me, and occasionally ended up in the back. He was a quiet sort of person, I realized. Very pensive and almost mysterious. It made me want to know more.

Soon enough, the buildings of Newton came into view on the horizon, along with a gas station and an Arby's.

"Hungry?" called out Maria as she walked up to the Arby’s, "Because I am!"

"Do you even have to eat?" I asked, following. Even if her stomach wasn’t growling, mine was.

"Of course not! But I always enjoyed food, so why should I stop enjoying it even though I'm not who I once was?"

"I guess," I responded. In the Arby’s, I headed to the restroom with Jordan’s knapsack as the others ordered their food. My feet were hurting and I desperately felt the need to change my clothes. Luckily, Jordan’s sister turned out to wear the same sized clothes as me. As I pulled the jeans on over my hips, I thought about his sister. I wanted to know what she looked like, what her name was, who she was. Then I thought, Is she even his biological sister? There was something about Jordan that made it hard to place him into a certain group. In ways, he seemed to be like Maria. He hung around the same people Maria did, and he certainly seemed to know Maria well, better than I did, even. Yet at the same time, he seemed completely detached from that world and mine as well. So, I had to wonder, what was he?

Finished in the bathroom, I ordered my sandwich and looked around for Maria and Jordan. I found them sitting close to the door. As I walked over to them, I got a tingle p my spine as I passed by a table of teenagers. I glanced over out of the corner of my eye. They were watching me. And from that split-second glance, I could tell one thing—they all wore Stones. My stomach leaped and I hurried the rest of the way to the table. I quickly sat down next to Maria.

“Nice threads,” she commented.

“Thanks,” I replied, distracted as I looked over my shoulder at that group of kids.

“They’re my sister’s,” said Jordan.

“I didn’t know you had a sister, Jord!” remarked Maria.

“You alright, Tammy?”

“Huh?” I responded, tearing my eyes away from that other table. Jordan looked to where I was looking.

“Do you know them or something?”

“No. But they’re wearing Stones,” I replied.

“Are you sure?” asked Maria, urgently.

“Yeah. I noticed it walking over here.”

“Crap. They’re getting up,” she said, completely disregarding what I’d said. “Maybe sitting by the door wasn’t a good idea.”

The group came closer, and Maria instinctively paid close attention to her sandwich. Jordan did the same. I was too fascinated.

As they passed by, a sandy haired boy gave me one long concerned glance before turning to talk to his friends.

“Isn’t Kat getting back today?” he said as the passed through the door. I shivered and prayed that he didn’t know.

CHAPTER FOUR

Michael’s house was surrounded on three sides by Alexandria Woods, the forest that bordered the north end of town. It was a good half hour walk from my house, and it allowed me to calm down a bit before I rang his doorbell. It was his wife, Amelia, who answered.

“Hey, Kat. Come inside before it starts raining again. Micah’s in the back; he’d nearly given up on you when I noticed you turning onto the street,” she said, opening the door to their brightly lit home wide.

“Thanks, Mel,” I said.

“I have a batch of biscuits that will be done when you two finish your lesson,” said Amelia, her British heritage betrayed by her use of “biscuits” instead of “cookies.” I smiled, and made my way through the front of the house to Michael’s workspace.

The small room was smoky with the haze of incense, despite the open windows, through which the setting sun could just be seen. Michael was nowhere to be found among the smoke, but I took my seat on one of the cushions at the low square table in the middle of the room. A moment later, the door that lead to the back yard opened and Michael walked in carrying a young rabbit. From the look of it, the poor animal had gotten its hind foot caught in trap. Michael had stopped the bleeding, but it was obvious that the little guy needed a bit more attention.

“Is this my lesson?” I asked Michael as he joined me at the low table.

“Well, it wasn’t going to be originally, but now that it’s here, yes, it is,” he replied, placing the timid thing in his lap, as he turned to face me. “Now then, what do you do first, knowing that your patient is scared?”

“You need to show it that you’re not going to hurt it,” I replied.

“And how are you going to do that?” I looked around the room. There was a plate of carrots and other vegetables on the table. I picked up a small carrot and offered it to the rabbit with an open hand. Cautiously, the rabbit took the offering. As it munched on the carrot, I talked to it as sweetly and quietly as I could, eventually venturing to petting the poor thing, who trembled at my touch. After it had eaten several carrots and a piece of lettuce, I was able to get a better look at its leg.

The trap had done some considerable damage. Not only had it cut deeply, but it had also broken the bone. I could only imagine what kind of pain the little animal must be feeling.

“That’s it; sympathizing with your patient is one of the best ways to establish a connection,” encouraged Michael. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot up leg, and refused to leave. I inhaled sharply, and gritted my teeth, knowing that pain was only an illusion.

Gently and slowly, I touched the leg above the wound. All I wanted was for the rabbit’s pain to stop.

“Focus on the wound; focus on what needs to be done to heal it.” Michael’s voice was already sounding distant as I focused all my attention on the hurt leg. First, I focused on the break. I could see the bone, broken in only one place, clearly in my mind, and I focused on fitting the pieces of the puzzle together and mending the break. I worked slowly and carefully, unaware of the light or warmth that was emanating from the emerald crescent resting on my breastbone. With the bone mended, I continued on to healing the muscle and ligaments that were torn and cut from the metal teeth of the trap. Finally, I sealed the skin together, completing my healing session. My mind pulled away from my work and my vision returned to seeing all that was around me. There would be a small scar, but the leg was healed and would be workable by Saturday morning. I smiled at Michael, who nodded his approval after inspecting the leg.

“I think I smell Mel’s cookies. Why don’t we conclude our lesson and head into the kitchen?” he suggested. I nodded my agreement, and readily accepted the arm he offered to help me up; I could feel that it wouldn’t be a good idea to stand on my own—I was too light headed. Michael walked me to the kitchen, carrying the now-sleeping rabbit on his other arm, and made sure I was seated before kissing Amelia on the cheek and taking my patient to the menagerie of recuperating animals in what was supposed to be a mudroom.

“Chocolate chip or sugar?” asked Amelia, approaching me with a plate of cookies and a spatula. A pink checked long apron was tied around her neck and waist, and her hair was pulled messily back into a stubby ponytail. It was a very odd look for her.

“Ummm…Chocolate chip,” I said and she placed two cookies onto a paper towel on the counter in front of me.

“They’re still hot, so be careful,” she said, setting the plate and spatula down on the counter top. “Milk?”

“Yes, please,” I said, blowing on my fingers as I shoved a cookie into my waiting mouth. I didn’t realize how hungry I was. I’d barely had anything for lunch in the airport in Kent, and I’d skipped out on dinner entirely. I was starving. Amelia must have noticed this, because when Michael came back into the kitchen, she accused him of making me work on an empty stomach.

“I didn’t know that she hadn’t had dinner!” he said, throwing his hands up in surrender.

“Here’s your milk, Kat. Is there anything else you want?” asked Amelia after she’d had her turn glaring at Michael.

“No, thank you,” I replied, picking up another cookie.

“Why didn’t you eat dinner?” asked Michael as he came to sit next to me at the kitchen counter.

“I got into a family feud.”

“Really? About what?” Michael picked up a cookie of his own.

“Training,” I said. I could feel the frowns on their faces.

“Training?” asked Michael, I nodded. His frown deepened. “That’s not like your mother.”

“It wasn’t my mother’s decision.” He raised an eyebrow and Amelia leaned on the counter. “It was Rose’s.”

“Rose? As in Council Head Rose?” asked Amelia, stunned. I nodded. “I thought she lived in Springs.”

“She does. But she’s staying at our house for some reason or another. I didn’t bother to ask why.”

“Why would she be staying at your house and not the Council House?”

“She’s related. My mother’s mother.” Their frowns returned.

“Your grandmother is Rose Fielding? The Council Head, or should we say Queen?” I nodded.

“When does your training start?” asked Michael. My training would mean an end to our lessons.

“My guess would be immediately, if Queen Rose ordered it,” replied Amelia.

“She’s training me, too,” I said. I could feel the disappointment in the room. After today, I would be just like all the others. I started to cry.

I awoke the next morning in my own bed. I didn’t really remember how I’d gotten home, but I supposed that Michael had driven me.

A knock sounded at my door.

“Katie,” said Evan. “There’s breakfast downstairs if you want some. And after lunch your mother is taking you over to the school for registration.”
I didn’t return an answer. Instead, I slapped a hand to my forehead, rolled over and looked at my clock. Ten o'clock. I should get up. I rolled out of bed. I was still wearing my clothes from yesterday. What time did I get home last night?

I looked to where my suitcases were. They were open. I must have put my clothes away already. That or my mother had figured out how to unlock my door. I opened my dresser drawers and thought about what I wanted to wear. Evan had said registration was today. That meant school photos. I closed my drawer and walked to my armoire. I decided on the yellow sundress, partly because I knew it would be hot in the school and partly because I knew it would make Rose mad. Decent girls never wore things like “scanty” sundresses in public. They especially didn’t wear them to school, or get photographed in them. I smiled to myself.

In the bathroom, I took a shower and got ready for registration day. Dressed, I used my towel to wipe away the steam that had fogged the mirror. The face reflected there was one I was familiar with. Long, dark hair; green eyes half-hidden behind square black frames; fair skin. My favorite part of my reflection was not my face, that I’d been told so many times was beautiful, rather it was the pendant around my neck—my Stone. It was said that was where one’s powers came from and that was why each person had a different Stone. Mine was a small emerald crescent, and I had to admit that I was insanely proud of it. But then, everyone is proud of their Stones.

I put my hair into order, curly as it was from my shower, and headed downstairs. My mother was sitting on the couch in the living room.

“Where’s Rose?” I asked. If she was in the kitchen, I’d wait to have breakfast.

“She went over to the Council Seat. Getting things in order for her stay, I suppose,” responded my mother, carefully.

“She’s staying at Council?” My mother’s hesitancy answered my question before her words did.

“No,” she said slowly. “She’s staying here. In the apartment above the garage.” At least it wasn’t the extra room. I gave a single nod, and went to the kitchen to eat a rather late breakfast. Blueberry muffins sat waiting on a plate in the middle of the table. My mother must have had a late-night baking urge. She was only good at baking; luckily, Evan was happy to do kitchen duty for other meals. I picked up a muffin and spread some margarine on it from the fridge. Posted on the fridge was a sheet of paper with the times of registration for my stepsiblings and I. Newton had one K-12 school, two elementary schools, a junior high, and a senior high school, as well as a small Catholic school. Most in the Coven attended the K-12 school, as did most in my family, except David. David was a year older than me, and since he was old enough, he got to choose which school system he wanted to go to. If I’d had the choice, I would have chosen the same thing. Public school just seemed so much nicer than Newton “Academy.” It was only called “Academy” to try to give the school more prestige that it was worth. From the looks of it, we’d be out all afternoon.

Evan fixed an early lunch of pasta salad for the family, and then he left with David for his registration, while Jessica, Mike, and I drove with my mother to Newton Academy.

NA, as we students so fondly called the academy, was a large single-storey sandstone building with just enough windows to give the students hope that there was an outside world. The lack of windows along with the maze-like floor plan alluded to its architect—a prison designer. Registration was set up in a large loop around the building, beginning and ending at the main hallway. While my mother went around the circuit with Jessica and Mike, I made my way around the loop for the high school students. The first four stations were easy to get through as I had no fines of any sort, and my locker and locker partner remained the same from last year. Patricia Murphy, one of my best friends since I’d moved here in fourth grade. Now we were both juniors.

“Got your schedule yet?” It was Andrew. He was another long time friend.

“Not yet. You?” I returned.

“Nah. I got my picture done first.”

“How’d it turned out?”

“Better than last year’s!” He said, laughingly as he produced the plastic Newton Academy School ID. I took one look at it, and cracked up laughing.

“What?” he exclaimed, turning the ID around to look at it. “What’s so funny?”

“Your face is atrocious!”

“Yeah, well, it’s a School ID. You can’t expect anything good!”

“Especially when you make that kind of a face,” I said, pointing at the ID.

“Shut up,” returned Andrew.

“Want to walk with me to get my schedule?” I asked.

“Sure,” he shrugged. “Hopefully there won’t be much of a line.”

“Well, W isn’t exactly the most popular letter, so I’m sure you’ll be fine,” I said as we walked to the counseling office. It turned out that there wasn’t a line for either G or W. I looked the piece of paper over before relinquishing it into Andrew’s hands.

“Wow. Your first three periods will be a breeze! Excal, orchestra and Photo! That’s one lucky break!”

“Except that I have to be here at 6:30 for Excal. Plus, I have eight classes this semester.”

“Eight classes! Are you nuts! When are you going to eat?”

“During English,” I answered, simply.

“’During English’. During Advanced English! You must be crazy. You have Advanced English, Math, Science, and History on here! And French, too? Jesus, Kat.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I returned. “So, what are you up to after this?”

“I’m headed into town. I’m on patrol this evening. You know, ever since the Queen came out here, there have been more and more rules. We never did patrols before; I mean there have never really been any incidents around here. But now that she’s here…. Well, things are changing. You could say she’s instituting a new regime, but I didn’t say that. In any case, I get to walk the streets keeping my eyes out for potential incidents. I get to play protector of the innocent.”

“I can’t tell if you’re excited about the change, or if you hate it,” I stated. Personally, I thought it sounded just like Rose.

“Me neither, honestly,” answered Andrew. “So, what are you up to?”

“Shirking my duties. The new “regime” is taking hold of my life, too.”

“Training, huh? It’s not as bad as you think, you know.”

“Maybe for you, Andy. But you’re meant to do all that ‘Protector of the Small’ stuff. I’m a healer! Besides, you got Helen as your teacher. Take a gander at who’s asserted herself mine?” I argued.

“Oh God. You need a ride somewhere?” He returned. Andrew could always read my mind.

“My usual hide-out.”

“Cedar Park it is. But only after you come downtown with me. I’m meeting Pat and Trish at Henley’s.”

“Deal,” I bargained.

“Cool. I’ll meet you up top, then.” And Andrew was lumbering up the ramp before I could say another word. I watched him leave, shaking my head, and then went to find my mother. Halfway down the middle school’s hallway, I stopped. In my head, I saw the whole scene play out. My mother would say no, of course. Any other day, she would have said yes. But now that Rose was here…. I turned on her heel and practically ran up the ramp to catch up to Andrew.

“I decided not to tell her,” I informed him, on my approach.

“Really?!” exclaimed Andrew, clearly surprised. Then, he grinned and wagged his finger in my face, pretending to scold me.

“Are we going or not?” I asked giving him my best you’re-not-funny look.

“Nervous?” teased Andrew. I scowled at him.

“Yeah, we’re going, okay?” He turned and we walked out to his car together.

Andrew’s Jeep was parked in the senior lot, even though it wasn’t supposed to be.

“Did you suddenly skip a grade?” I inquired. It was my turn to tease.

“Shh… That’s a secret, Kat,” replied Andrew as he open the driver’s door. I opened the passenger side door, and stared at the inside of the car. There were about six leftover mega-sized sodas from DQ in the front seat.

“Are you getting in or not?” asked Andrew as he started the car and fastened his seat belt.

“You’re disgusting,” I replied, gingerly sitting in the passenger seat.
“You are going to get rid of all this junk before you have two more girls in your car, right?” I asked, closing the door and buckling my own seatbelt.

“What are you talking about? You’re the only one who’s going to be inside Bessie, here!”

“Bessie? Your car isn’t a cow, Andrew.” Andrew laughed as he pulled out of the parking spot. As he drove, a bit too fast, out of the senior lot, the empty paper cups flung themselves about the car interior. I made a face. Andrew laughed some more.

“You’re the one who wanted a ride! And you know how messy I can be!” he remarked.

“I didn’t think it’d be this bad,” I responded with disgust. As they drove past the school, my stomach jumped. I’d never done something like this before. Immediately, Rose’s face appeared. You see! I told you, Alice, she shouldn’t be spending so much time with that father of hers! I gritted my teeth.

“You alright? We can turn around if you’re getting cold feet,” said Andrew, slowing his car.

“Keep driving, Andrew,” I said through my teeth.

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied, a bit nervous. It wasn’t like me to act like this. But he knew better than to ask me about it.

It was a short ten-minute drive from school to Henley’s place. And when we arrived, the three of them were waiting outside. Andrew parked along the street in front of the house; Henley’s parents hated it when his friends parked in the driveway. I waved as I got out of the car, and the two boys greeted each other with their usual hand grasp and shoulder bump.

“Kat!” exclaimed Trish hugging me excitedly. “I didn’t know you were coming!”

“Her mother doesn’t, either,” said Andrew, coming out of the “man-hug.”

“Really?” all three asked together.

“Oh, come on,” I said, starting to walk down the street, trying to get them to follow. Henley lived close enough to downtown to walk there.

“Oh my God,” said Trish. I turned to find Patricia, Trish, and Henley standing dumbfounded while Andrew nodded his head.

“Jeez. You don’t have to make that big of a deal out of it!” They looked at each other.

“But you never do this,” remarked Henley.

“Yeah,” agreed Patricia. “Anything bothering you?”

“She has to start Training,” Andrew said for me.

“Seriously?” asked Henley.

“Your mom would do that?” asked Patricia.

“No, she didn’t have a choice, really,” I said, before Andrew could steal my thunder.

“So the Queen got to your mom, too, huh?” asked Trish, sulking. “She made my mom join the Cloaks.” Everyone was quiet. Joining the Cloaks was a big deal. They were the most powerful and rule-conscious members of a given Coven.

“Remind me not to do anything to piss your mom off,” muttered Andrew, trying to lighten the heavy mood. It didn’t quite work.

“C’mon,” said Patricia. “Let’s get going before the arcade closes; Trent told me it was going to close early today.

“I don’t think we should go to the arcade right now,” said Trish.

“Why not?” asked Patricia.

“It’s under surveillance.” Everyone was silent for a moment. I couldn’t help but feel that familiar anger and hate of Rose boiling inside of me.

“Why don’t we go to Cedar Park?” I suggested, knowing that it would help me calm down.

“Yeah! That’s a good idea!” agreed Henley.

“Aw, man,” complained Andrew. “Now I have to clean out my car!”

CHAPTER FIVE

"So what are you two going to do in Newton?" asked Jordan, as we approached the buildings of Newton.

"Stay the night," said Maria, turning to walk backwards, again. Apparently, this was a habit of hers. "This isn't our final destination."

"It's not?" Jordan and I said in unison.

"Nope. Newton is too small; they'd notice newcomers too easily. However, one of my siblings is located in Derby, and it's not like he doesn't have space in his house! I mean, the guy lives in this old Victorian kind of off from the rest of town by himself. Personally, I'd be too lonely to pull that off!"

"Don't you think I should stay at a Refugee House? I mean, no offense to your sibling, but..." I worried.

"Oh. I'm sure there's a House somewhere in Derby. It's big enough. We just don't usually think about Houses and things, you know." I nodded.

"Ok. Then where are we 'staying the night'?" demanded Jordan.

"Gosh, Jord. Be a little loose, will you? I haven't completely worked out all the details yet. But one of the Clan knows we're coming; he's meeting us at The Coffee Hour. It's on Bellmount. Don't worry; I know how to get there!" Maria turned herself about, indicating that she was done with Jordan's practical questions. I had to chuckle. Maria certainly was a character. But I knew that when I first started hanging out with her.

As we came closer to the center of Newton, a tingle went up my spine. I stopped and turned my head to the street. A green Toyota passed by. The tingle pursued. In my hasty look, my eyes met with those of a dark-haired girl in the window.

We reached the cafe known as The Coffee Hour after having to ask for directions--twice. The lighting inside the cafe was dim, but Maria seemed to know exactly where to go--the very back, where the lighting was the dimmest. My nerves heightened as we made our way back to the table at which sat five eerie beauties. I shivered. Again, I asked myself what I was doing. I was still convinced that if I'd just turned myself in, instead of allowing Maria to hustle me off, I would have gotten off lightly. This was only my first offense, after all. But now I was too far in. I knew what they would add to my list of offenses: resisting arrest, and more association charges than I thought were possible. If I were arrested now....

As we neared the table, I fought back my clouded thoughts, and tuned myself to what was going on. Maria was in front, as usual, and as she reached the table, Jordan pulled me back a few steps by my arm, motioning for me to be still and silent. I was now far enough back, and Maria was talking quietly enough, that I couldn't hear what was being said. But in a few moments, Maria motioned for Jordan and I to join her.

"So this is your Refugee, hm?" stated the only dark-skinned man at the table. He was sitting on the cushioned booth with his arms draped over the back and one foot crossed over his knee. "Her aura is going to give her away to anyone walking by. You need to mask it, Maria."

I paled slightly at the man's mention of my aura. He must be pretty strong to be able to see it, it wasn't as though my aura was all that strong; I’d only just begun Training three months ago at the end of May.

"Right," said Maria. "But you know, Jerome, that I don't have the skills to do that."

"Then Alice will," he replied, nodding to a smoky-eyed brunette at the end of the booth. She smiled a hazy smile and came to stand directly in front of me.

"This will only take a minute," she said, in a dreamy fashion. She put her hands out in front of her, closed her eyes, and hummed a single, long note. I found my vision clouding and dimming. When Alice pulled her hands away, my vision was restored. I blinked a couple of times, and noticed that my legs were shaking. I grabbed onto Maria's arm to hold myself upright. Maria glared at the man called Jerome.

"Great. Now she can't stand up!" she snapped at him.
"Do you want her to be safe or not, Maria?" he said, changing his stance to lean forward on the table. When Maria didn't answer, he leaned back. "Well, then let her sit. I'm sure she'll feel better after she eats and drinks something."

Maria slid into the booth, towing me along with her.
"You may sit as well, boy," Jerome said to Jordan. Jordan nodded his thanks and slid in across from Maria and I, where Alice had made space for him.

Platters of various appetizers were brought to the table, and the meal began. I was careful taking any of the food that was offered me, after all, I was still what I was, and they were still what they were. I was surprised to find Jordan as suspicious of the food as I was, but then we were rather far from Tates Creek. The meal was tense, and longer than I expected. Maria was constantly bombarded with question after question about me: what my full name was, if she knew that was my real name, who my family was, what Coven I belonged to, was I to be trusted. The list went on and on. And as Jerome continued his interrogation, Maria became more and more agitated, annoyed. I was sure she felt as though Jerome, one of her Clan, didn’t trust her, and I was sure that made her upset. I knew I would be upset if someone from my Coven, or even the whole Covenstead, distrusted me. And then I realized, I would no longer be trusted, not with all of the suspicious looking activity I’d been up to lately. Briefly, I wondered if that was why Alegra did what she did; if she’d suddenly realized that if the community was to become even the slightest bit suspicious of her, then she would never be trusted again. I knew that to Alegra, trust was everything. That was why she’d been so hesitant at first to hang out with Maria; she hadn’t trusted her. And in some ways, I wondered if she was right. I mean, look at where I was! I was sitting in the midst of a Clan! Something we had been warned to never let happen; one of them may be dangerous, but a whole Clan was certainly not something to take on by yourself. I could no longer eat what was before me, my stomach was churning so much. Fleetingly, I wondered if that might be one of the side effects of masking your aura. I felt the blood drain from my face. My aura. The one thing that connected me to the rest of the Covenstead was masked. Not even the Queen herself would be able to detect me. If anything were to happen to me, there would be no way I would be getting any help from the Covens. My ties had been severed. It was enough to make any sane person sick to their stomach.

“Tammy? Are you okay?” asked Maria, gingerly. I looked up from my plate and my eyes locked with the pair across from me. Jordan.

“I’m fine,” I replied, with effort. “I just don’t think I should anything more.”

“Maybe we should go,” said Maria.

“Yes, perhaps you should,” agreed Jerome. Something in his voice made me shiver. “She doesn’t look so well.” Maria nodded. “You know the way, correct, Maria?”

“Yeah. C’mon, let’s get out of here,” she helped me out of the booth, and Jordan followed us out the door. As we exited the café, I looked back over my shoulder. Jerome was leaning across the table to say something to Alice.