For the next several weeks, I went through some intense training sessions. I worked with Liam to train several of my abilities, and it was actually a lot of fun. When he’d originally started training me, it had been a nightmare. He would have to be electrocuted in order to provoke an emotional response in me. Seeing him in severe pain made me so upset, I would have done anything to stop it. Thus, I was able to channel my abilities effectively. Before long, I learned to do it without him being put through that kind of pain.
Now, training with Liam was a breath of fresh air. He was actually a lot of fun to be around. With Liam, things were lighthearted, and fun. I never had to worry about hurting his feelings, and I wasn’t afraid he’d suddenly try to kiss me or anything awkward. We could enjoy our time together without worrying about anything romantic getting in the way.
Liam was actually a riot. We laughed more than we trained, although that really should have been a problem. We had some serious issues facing us, but somehow, Liam made me forget all about Dmitri, and wraiths, and the looming threat of being kidnapped or killed. He even made me forget, if only temporarily, about Max leaving and me getting the cold-shoulder from Kai.
Max had left a few days after he told me about his father. True to his word, he kept in touch. He called me every day to ask how my training was going, and to tell me how his was progressing. Our talks were short, but nice.
Kai had been avoiding me completely. He hadn’t left the compound, which was a good sign, but he’d immediately leave the room whenever I entered one he was in. He wouldn’t even look at me. I decided it was best if I just gave him some space.
Things with Alexi were awkward, to say the least. He was trying very hard to give me the space I’d requested, but I could tell it was killing him inside. Every time he was near me, he would get quiet, and he’d tense up.
I decided not to press the issue of his honesty – or dishonesty. I didn’t really want to find out the truth. I was hoping what Liam said wasn’t true. I didn’t want to think of Alexi manipulating me that way. Still, it lingered in the back of my mind and I couldn’t shake it. I must admit, it was hard to ignore what Liam had said, even though I desperately wanted to forget it.
I was learning to harness my abilities very well. Under Liam’s tutelage, I learned to heal minor wounds without experiencing Blood Haze. It wasn’t as useful around vampires, because we could heal non-mortal wounds on our own, but it was useful when humans were around. Grace, however, was something I couldn’t practice. We couldn’t kill people just so I could attempt it, and every time I used it, I became drained to the point of near death for days. Unfortunately, I would just have to hope I could use it whenever it was needed.
I learned better control of the weather, though I still couldn’t manage to do it indoors. I could bring a funnel cloud down very quickly, and I could control it fairly accurately. I’d even managed to make lightning strike at a location of my choice, but I was never able to repeat it. This, I also learned to do without Blood Haze.
I even improved my ability to track. Now, I could find people without an emotional connection of any kind, as long as they were nearby. All I needed was to touch someone who knew the person I was tracking, or touch an item they had once touched. I could find people in a one-mile radius in mere minutes, but I still had trouble locating people from miles away without an emotional connection.
I still couldn’t control time, even for a few seconds. Every time I’d ever done it, I’d been experiencing Blood Haze. It had been completely incidental – not something I’d intended to do, but more a side effect of the situation. I wouldn’t say it was an accident, because I assumed I had control over it at a subconscious level. However, I still had no way to use it, because I had no idea how it worked.
I knew I was getting stronger, but I still wasn’t anywhere near ready to take on Dmitri and his wraiths. The most I could do would be to hold them off for a while. We needed a way to put the wraiths out of commission completely.
One morning, Alexi greeted me in the dining hall while Liam and I were eating and discussing the day’s training schedule. His mouth was twisted into a grim frown.
“We need to talk,” Alexi said to Liam and me.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, suddenly concerned.
“Dmitri has made contact.”
I dropped my spoon into my cereal, and it splashed milk and bits of bran flakes onto my shirt.
“Damn it!” I cursed, grabbing a napkin and dabbing mindlessly at the mess. “What do you mean he’s made contact? What did he say?”
“He called,” Alexi answered. “He said we had forty-eight hours to turn you over or he would level the compound.”
I felt the contents of my stomach start to churn, and I inhaled sharply.
“Can he do that?” I asked.
“He knows where we are, now,” Alexi admitted. “It is entirely possible. No one really knows the extent of Dmitri’s abilities. Nor do we know who he has working with him, now.”
“So, basically, we’re completely in the dark. We’re at his mercy. Is that what you’re saying?” I questioned.
“No, I am not saying that,” Alexi said. “I am just saying… well, I do not know what I am saying. Just do not panic.”
“Don’t panic?” I shrieked, standing up so quickly my chair turned over and I bumped the table, knocking Liam’s orange juice into his lap.
“Shit,” he mumbled, quickly trying to mop up the mess with napkins.
“Sorry,” I shot at Liam quickly. “Alexi, I’m sorry, I’m freaking out. I should just go to him. I can’t let anything happen to all of you because of me.”
“No!” shouted Alexi and Liam in unison.
“Look, I…” I started to say.
“Forget it!” Alexi yelled. “I will not just turn you over to him! If he wants you, he will have to go through me!”
“And me!” Liam added.
“And me,” Kai interjected.
I turned to face the sound of is voice. He’d been listening in from the doorway. I shook my head.
“I’m not having this discussion with all of you,” I snapped. “I’m going!”
“I am afraid you are not,” Alexi challenged me.
“Alexi, don’t make me put you to sleep,” I threatened. “I will if I have to.”
“Alice, please just listen,” Alexi begged. “I think I may know of a way we could defeat the wraiths, but I just need a few hours to figure it all out. Will you give me that?”
“Dmitri said forty-eight hours, right?” I asked.
“Yes,” Alexi replied.
“You have twelve hours,” I agreed. “Not a minute more. In twelve hours, I’m going to figure out how to contact Dmitri, and I’m telling him I’m turning myself over to him.”
“Thank you,” Alexi breathed, clearly relieved. “I will let you know as soon as I figure it all out.”
With that, Alexi quickly breezed out of the room, his black cloak billowing behind him.
“Are you really going to just turn yourself over to Dmitri if he doesn’t figure something out?” Liam asked. “You don’t even know what Dmitri has in mind. He might kill you.”
“That’s a chance I’m willing to take if it means protecting all of you,” I said flatly.
“But we don’t want you to do that, Alice,” Liam said. “Every one of us would die to protect you! Turning you over is the last thing any of us wants!”
“He’s right, Alice,” Kai said gently. “Look, I know I’ve been angry lately, but I love you. If anything happened to you… I would die. Like… I’d literally die.”
“I can’t just let you all risk your lives over me. I’m not worth it,” I argued.
“You’re worth anything… everything,” Kai said.
Liam was oddly silent.
“Please don’t ask me to risk your lives,” I begged. “Please, please don’t.”
“You won’t be risking our lives. We will,” Kai argued.
“No. Not if I just sit back and allow it. If anything happens to any of you, it will be my fault,” I said.
“It won’t be your fault,” Kai contended.
“He’s right,” Liam added. “It will be Dmitri’s fault, and no one else’s.”
“I can’t just sit here and do nothing,” I complained.
“You promised Alexi twelve hours,” Liam said quickly. “Don’t go doing anything rash.”
“I know what I promised!” I snapped. “I’ll give him the twelve hours, but if he can’t give me a plausible plan, I’m out of here.”
Kai and Liam both sighed deeply.
“Alice?” Kai asked meekly.
“Yes?”
“I know you wanted some space, and as much as it’s killed me to do it, I’ve been giving it to you,” he said.
“I thought you hated me,” I grumbled.
“What?” he gasped. “Hated you? Why would you… No! You wanted space, so I’ve been giving it to you!”
“But you wouldn’t even look at me,” I told him. “You always look so angry whenever I see you, and you leave the room whenever I walk in.”
“Because I couldn’t stand looking at you or being around you!” Kai shouted. “Alice, it kills me to be near you and to not be able to touch you, to hold you, to kiss you. Just being near you right now is eating me alive!”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, turning my eyes down toward the floor guiltily.
“No, I’m sorry,” Kai said quickly. “I didn’t mean to make you feel bad. I just wanted to ask…”
“Ask what?” I asked, when he paused.
“Can I hug you?” Kai asked quietly.
I looked up at him, and his icy blue eyes were full of love and pain mixed together in a torrent of emotion.
“Of course,” I breathed.
He approached me slowly, wrapping his arms around me gingerly. I could tell he wanted to squeeze me tightly, and I knew he’d never want to let go. But he was respecting my wishes. He was showing remarkable restraint, and I could sense how desperately he wanted to kiss me. But he didn’t.
It felt so good to be there in his arms again. I wanted to stay there. In truth, I wanted to kiss him, too. I’d missed him terribly in the last few weeks. However, I had to hold fast to my decision. I needed space, and I couldn’t let my judgment be clouded over one sentimental moment.
Kai must have sensed my reluctance, so he pulled away from the embrace. With remarkable restraint, he brushed my cheek softly with the back of his fingers, and he stepped back, putting some distance between himself and me.
“Thank you,” he said, looking at the floor.
“Thank you,” I returned.
Honestly, I’d wanted to hug him as much as he wanted it from me.
“No, thank both of you,” Liam said in a mocking tone, sounding as though he were about to cry, but clearly just joking around.
“Very funny,” I grumbled at him.
Liam stuck his tongue out at me, and I giggled in spite of myself. I spit a slobbery raspberry back at him, and he grinned. He was clearly pleased with himself for lightening my mood. Leave it to Liam to make me laugh when I wanted to cry.
“Hey, why don’t we watch a movie?” Liam asked suddenly.
“A movie? Now? Are you serious?” I asked.
“Why not? There’s nothing else to do. We have twelve hours to wait for Alexi, right?” Liam added.
“Yeah…”
“Then let’s make the most of it,” Liam said.
He stood up from the table, and he took our food and disposed of the uneaten portions.
“Come on, you two,” Liam added. “Let’s go!”
Kai and I followed Liam to the media room in basement. It was a huge theater with reclining movie seats, a popcorn maker, a huge screen, and surround sound.
“What do you want to watch?” Liam asked.
He pushed a button on the back wall, and a small door opened. A wall of movies slid out of the main wall. There must have been at least a thousand DVDs to choose from.
“Wow!” I gasped.
“This is just the main collection,” Liam said. “Grandfather always had this stocked with the latest new releases and our old favorites. He started doing it when Liam and I were kids. We loved to watch movies with him when we were little.”
I could hear in his voice that he was still missing his grandfather, and I put my hand on his shoulder. He smiled weakly at me. I could tell he was trying to put on a brave face for me.
“So what’ll it be?” he asked again.
I scanned the titles quickly. I saw dozens of movies I was interested in, but my eyes stopped on one in particular.
“Oh no,” Liam groaned. “Tell me you’re not looking at the one I think you’re looking at.”
“What?” I griped. “What’s wrong with it?”
“Seriously? Sparkling vampires? Who comes up with this stuff?” he lamented.
I crinkled my forehead at him, and he shook his head in mock disapproval.
“I like it,” I grumbled.
“You would,” he muttered.
“Hey, how about this?” Kai interjected, pulling a movie off the shelf.
“Pulp Fiction!” Liam and I both shouted excitedly.
“It’s perfect,” I said.
“Agreed,” Liam nodded.
Liam took the movie from Kai and pushed the movie shelf back into the wall. He opened a control panel in the wall beside the movie screen, and placed the DVD into a player. He used the controls to dim the lights, and then he took the remote control from the top of the DVD player.
“Want some popcorn?” Liam asked.
“Well, duh,” I said, as if the answer were obvious.
Liam chuckled. He took some supplies from underneath the popcorn machine. He poured some kind of yellowish orange goo into the metal bowl at the top, and added popcorn kernels. Then he added a scoop of some yellow stuff. He started the machine.
“It’ll take a couple of minutes,” Liam said. “What do you two want to drink?”
“Dr. Pepper?” I asked.
“Got it,” Liam said. “Kai?”
“Root beer?”
“Yep, we’ve got that. A&W okay?”
“Sure.”
“Alright, coming up,” Liam said.
He opened the small fridge beside the popcorn machine. It was stocked with a dizzying array of drinks, including practically every major brand of soda pop, juices, teas, and sports drinks. I was shocked so much could fit in such a tiny refrigerator.
Liam took a twenty-ounce bottle of Dr. Pepper for himself and one for me, and he handed Kai a bottle of A&W root beer.
“Have a seat,” Liam said. “I’ll bring you the popcorn when it’s ready. Oh, you want some candy or anything? We’ve got all the usual stuff.”
“Oh, wow. Do you have any Jordan almonds?” I asked.
“Sure do,” he said.
“Yay! I haven’t had those in ages!” I squealed.
“Kai, you want anything?”
“Do you have any of those cookie dough bites?”
“Yep. Coming up.”
Liam opened a cupboard above the fridge. It was fully stocked with pretty much every kind of candy you’d ever see in a movie theater. He grabbed two boxes of Jordan almonds and some cookie dough bites, and he tossed Kai and me our selections.
I chose a seat in the front row, right in the middle of the screen. Kai sat to my left. Liam placed his Dr. Pepper in the drink holder to the right of me, and Kai eyed him suspiciously.
“Want me to start the movie?” Liam asked. “I’ll bring the popcorn when it’s finished popping.”
“No, I’d rather wait for you,” I said.
“Alright.”
I could tell Kai wanted to touch me. He would lean his head toward my shoulder, and then quickly pull it away as though he were just remembering he couldn’t do that. His hand would lift as though he wanted to take mine, but then he would put it down again. I was starting to get really uncomfortable, but then something thunked me in the back of the head.
“Hey!” I shouted, turning to see what happened.
Liam’s eyes looked up at the ceiling innocently, and he was whistling.
“What was that?” I grumbled.
“What was what?” Liam asked innocently.
I glared at him, and he chuckled. I turned back toward Kai, and immediately I was assaulted by the phantom thunker again.
“Liam!” I snarled.
“What?” he gasped in feigned incredulity.
I turned around and looked in my seat, and a Jordan almond was lodged behind me. I turned my eyes toward Liam and sighed dramatically, holding the almond up as evidence.
“Man, I really need to talk to the cleaning crew about that,” Liam joked. “They really should’ve seen that when they cleaned in here.”
“Ha-ha. Funny,” I groaned.
I hurled the almond back at Liam, and he dodged gracefully. He stuck his tongue out at me, and I rolled my eyes.
The heavenly scent of popcorn began to waft up my nose, and my stomach rumbled. The telltale popping sound started, and slowly the tempo mounted. It reached a peak, and then began to taper off.
Liam reached into the machine with a huge scoop and filled a giant popcorn bucket with the freshly popped corn.
“Butter and salt?” Liam asked.
“Tons of both,” I agreed.
“Good,” he said with a smile.
He layered the popcorn with squirts of butter and sprinkles of bright yellow popcorn salt, and then he handed me the bucket.
“Just one?” I asked suspiciously.
“It’s more fun to share,” Liam said, defending his choice. “Alexi and I always used to share when we were kids. I can refill it. There’s plenty more.”
“Oh. Okay.”
Liam turned the lights off, and then he took the seat to the right of me and pushed a button on the remote. The opening segments began to play.
During the movie, Liam and Kai’s hands bumped mine several times while reaching for popcorn. I wouldn’t have thought that at all suspicious, except for the fact that I never once noticed Kai and Liam bump hands.
Pulp Fiction just happened to be one of my favorite movies, so I had a great time. All three of us knew many of the lines by heart, so we would spout off our favorite lines whenever they occurred.
My favorite scene was the one where Jules asked Brett, “English, motherfucker, do you speak it?” All three of us recited the entire scene line by line, all the way through the part where he starts shouting, “Say ‘what’ again!” It was hilarious.
I had to hand it to Liam, he found a way to take my mind off my troubles. I managed to go through almost the entire movie without thinking of anything depressing. He knew exactly what I needed.
After the movie, Liam turned the lights back on, and Kai suddenly burst out laughing.
“What’s your problem?” I asked him.
He continued laughing so hard tears started rolling down his cheeks, and he covered his mouth with one hand and pointed to my hair with another.
“What?” I growled.
Liam dissolved into howls of laughter, as well. Kai and Liam were obviously having a very good gag at my expense.
I reached up to my hair, and my hand brushed against something rough. When I pulled my hand back, a kernel of popcorn fell to the floor.
“Very funny, guys,” I grumbled.
The two of them were still doubled over with fits of laughter. I didn’t see what was so funny about sticking a kernel of popcorn in my hair.
“What in the world is so freaking funny?” I demanded.
Liam managed to regain his composure briefly.
“Go look in the mirror,” he said, struggling to contain his laughter by twisting his lips together.
A snicker escaped his lips, and then he couldn’t contain it any longer. I barged out of the media room as Kai and Liam dissolved into more fits of hysterics.
Just outside the media room, there was a small bathroom. I flicked on the light and glared at the mirror in horror. There were dozens of popcorn kernels lodged in my hair. The two of them must have been carefully shoving them into my hair during the whole movie. I was fuming with anger. I took a deep breath and stormed back into the media room.
“Uh oh,” Liam said, trying mockingly to sound scared.
Liam and Kai burst into yet another round of intense laughter, and my hardened expression began to soften. It was hard to be mad at them when they were having such a good time. I crossed my arms in front of me and pouted.
“Aww, we’re sorry, honey,” Liam said in a playful voice. “Here, let us help you get it out of your hair.”
Struggling very hard to contain their hysterics, Kai and Liam both started plucking popcorn kernels from my hair while I stood with my arms crossed looing thoroughly annoyed. When they were done, I stalked over beside the popcorn machine and stared at it intently. I was silent… motionless.
“Are you really mad at us?” Liam asked, sounding surprised.
“We were having so much fun, and the two of you had to go and ruin it all! I’m so mad right now!” I said, trying to sound convincing.
“Wow, I’m sorry, Alice,” Liam said. “We were just playing.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry, too,” Kai said, sounding hurt.
I listened carefully, and I heard the two of them approaching me. I waited until just the right moment. Then in a flash, I grabbed a double handful of popcorn and flung it right in their faces!
Some of it stuck in their hair, and I noticed a kernel fall down inside the front of Kai’s shirt. This time, it was I who burst into laughter. The two of them realized they’d been played, and they both reached in and grabbed handfuls of popcorn and started hurling it at me. We all kept grabbing more and more, and eventually the room looked as though we’d been in a popcorn blizzard! Popcorn was everywhere. It covered the floor, coated the seats, and stuck in our hair. We all fell to the floor, struggling to catch our breath through fits of joyous laughter.
That’s when the door opened, and Alexi walked in.
“What in the world happened in here?” he asked.
“We were just keeping Alice’s mind off things,” Liam explained.
“I see,” Alexi said, scowling disapprovingly.
“It’s my fault,” I said quickly. “I started it.”
“I highly doubt that,” Alexi grumbled.
“No, she’s right. It is her fault,” Liam added.
“Hey!” I shouted, snickering and throwing a handful of popcorn at Liam.
Alexi sighed.
“Honestly,” Alexi lamented. “Will you ever grow up, Liam?”
“What, and become a boring old fogey like you?” Liam scoffed. “Never.”
Alexi shook his head somberly.
“Anyway,” Alexi said, changing the subject. “I think I have found a way to defeat the wraiths.”