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I stood there feeling foolish after she left, struggling to figure out a place to shim to. I thought of my bedroom back at home but realized I couldn’t go there. So, I tested the kitchen down in the lodge. I pictured the image of what I knew in my mind's eye and... nothing. It didn’t work. Maybe it was because I wasn't comfortable enough there at the lodge to do it. I didn't know, but I wasn't getting anywhere with it.
Soon after attempting for the millionth time with no result, someone tapped at my bedroom door, and I went to answer it.
Cameron stood there, hands in his pockets, looking guilty. I put my shoulder to the door jamb and folded my arms as one of my eyebrows rose. “Yeah? What do you need? Did you guys figure out what's going on and come to an agreement?”
He looked good wearing a black T-shirt, khaki pants, and those dang glasses. Who would’ve ever thought I'd think glasses were hot? But on him, they were.
He moved his glasses higher on his nose, a slight, unsure grin peeking out. “May I take you somewhere?” He answered none of my questions, but I found myself relaxing, my body suddenly exhausted.
“I would love to, but I'm not feeling up for it. I’m tired.”
Shifting his stance, Cameron responded, “I get it. But I think you might want to come with me to this place. Since you're not working against us anymore, and you're pretty much safe, would you be up for maybe doing some sleuthing for us?”
I suddenly wasn't tired now that my interest was piqued. With sleuthing came internet, and with internet came possibilities.
I kept my excitement down and shrugged, trying to play down my sudden interest. “Maybe.”
He chuckled. “Okay,” he said and held out his hand. “Come with me.”
I put my hand in his and the two of us shimmed into a computer lab of sorts. There were monitors, about six of them, up on the wall showing various areas or places, and Naylor’s lovely crew was there off to the side wrecking my poor computer.
“Hey! Hey, don't bang the mouse like that, you have to ease into it,” I scolded.
Dare growled. “Your computer keeps going into sleep mode and your mouse– I think it’s dying. Banging it against the mousepad is the only way we can get it to come out of sleep mode.”
I hastily crossed over to them. “Move aside. Let me work my magic.”
“So” – Naylor turned to me, carefully taking in everything I was doing – “you’re not going to sabotage your computer like you did with your phone, are you?”
I scoffed. “No, I love my baby. Plus, nothing on here would have helped you,” I lied.
They all groaned. “What? We’ve been combing this thing for hours.”
“She’s lying.” I glowered at Naylor and said nothing, not denying or admitting it.
"We need to know where your contact is. We're pretty sure she's in the same kind of trouble you were in. She's vulnerable."
My nose scrunched up. "But I thought you said she was Lydent? She can shim to you guys anytime. But why would she? Not when you will throw her in some kind of Lydent jail for helping me. She told me in confidence. It's important that I keep her trust." My lips twisted while I looked at the concerned expressions on their faces. "Okay, why don't you give me the rundown on her, and I'll determine if it's worth it. That's about as close you will get with a maybe from me."
Neko turned to Cameron and Naylor waiting to see what they should do.
Naylor stepped forward. "If your contact is who we think she is, she's a young kid, possibly even a teen, who is a runaway. No place to live and always on the run."
I was skeptical. "From who?"
"Her uncle. If we’re right, she's Ivan’s only child. She's technically your Lydent kin; you have a responsibility to her."
I froze. "This is all still speculation. You can't be sure who this person is. Woman, man, teen, child: it's all just conjecture because she gave me info on a Lydent man. Why would she give up her father if she knew? Why do that?"
Cameron spoke, "Maybe because she knew he was dying and didn't want her uncle to get his light. Maybe" – he stepped closer to me and my computer – "you getting his light was planned."
I shot up from my desk, hands raised, looking at all of them. "Whoa-whoa, I think you're stretching it a bit. No concrete evidence to support your theories. It's a bunch of shit until you have proof. Not to mention crazy."
They were nuts to think this was all planned. That I was a pawn in it. My mind drifted back to when I was taken by Eric and wondered how he knew where I was and who to look for. I shook my head. "No. It's insane, right?"
I shifted my attention from the others back to Cameron. "Right?"
His lips pursed. "We don't know. That's why we need to get in contact with her, to see if we're right."
If this was true, she was messing with my life. My safety. She’d doomed me to potential death. I didn't feel the need to protect her anymore if my contact was her. I now felt the need to know. I wanted to know. And if it turned out to be true, I would not be kind.
"Fine." I twisted around and sat back down, typing in the code to log in and going to a dark website where I could send an email but all the traces of it would be gone once sent. I typed in one of the many email addresses I had for her and sent a message, but I included a warning letting her know when she responded that this email was now compromised. I didn't want any of the guys to think that they were getting free access.
After I sent it, I swiveled back to the group, eyeing them. "Now we wait."
Dare eyed me. "For how long?"
"As long as it takes," I replied, my gaze narrowing in on him.
I got up from my seat and wandered over to their high-tech stuff. What I had thought were monitors hanging from the wall, at a closer view I realized weren't monitors at all, but holograms. Like a live video feed. "What channel are you streaming from and from what source? A satellite?" I twisted around to Cameron for the answer. He glanced to the others before answering, as if he needed permission from them. Weird.
"They aren't streaming from anything," he answered.
Dare stepped forward and finished, "It's my gift. To be able to stream live time.”
Neko came next. "And it's my gift to project what others see and pull it out for him to stream. Together, we are doing this. When we leave, all of this goes away. It only works when we're around."
Intrigued, I wondered about something. "Can you... can you find my family and see how they're doing? Without me?"
Both of them nodded and Cameron came over, curling an arm around my shoulders as if he knew what I was feeling. That I was being emotional, and it was all crashing together.
"Of course.” Dare said while Neko stared at me as if searching into my memories.
I didn't feel any intrusion, nor any different, but he must have locked onto something because his hand rose in front of me. It was as if he was drawing out an imaginary thread. He tugged and acted like he was bundling it up in a ball before sending it on. Dare grabbed it, molding it with his hands before slapping his hands together like he squashed it. Sliding his hand across the other, he threw it up on the wall.
A halo screen appeared, and there was my mom in her bedroom folding clothes. She seemed happy. Not frantic at all. A convoluted mix of emotions tore through me. One of them was anger. Anger that she was so easily manipulated to forget about me, to make it seem natural in her mind that I’d gone to a boarding school with nuns of all people. How ironic was it that I was in the exact opposite situation at the warrior camp?
On the halo screen, the phone rang in my house, and my mom went to answer it. The video followed her.
"Anything else?" Dare asked.
At first I dismissed my mom going to get the phone. I would have said yes to him, but when my mom answered it, the first few words she said had me halting him before he could take the image away.
“Hello, Hannah dear! How are you doing?”
My insides froze. It was Hannah! "Hold on, I want to hear what she has to say."
My mom laughed, a silly laugh. “Of course not, dear." She paused. "Away at boarding school."
She was asking about me! My mom went on with the lie Justin put in her mind.
"We tried to get her into the one in Switzerland, but you know Trace, she was always fascinated with nuns.”
I snorted. "Lie." Cameron chuckled.
“We caved and sent her to a pristine boarding school in New York with high ranking marks.” My mom went on. “She loves it there. In fact, we got our first letter from her. Her penmanship has improved significantly with all the swirls. I just love it.”
I sent a glare to Cameron who shrugged. "We had to make it believable. Don't worry, we'll fix it. You won't be there for long. Just until we can get things sorted out. Then we'll put a protection ward on them so they can't be easily manipulated."
My attention went back to my mother. She seemed stressed and confused. "Why are you asking such outrageous questions, Hannah Cain?”
Uh-oh. It sounded like Hannah was getting a grip on the situation. Things were not as they seemed, and Hannah was cluing in to that fact.
“Hannah? Hannah?" She peered at the phone and then hung up with a shake of her head. "Weird child."
My gaze swung to Dare. "I want to see Hannah now."
Cameron gave me a squeeze as Dare did his thing and threw it over to Neko. "We may have to check on her, too. Make sure she doesn't mess things up for us. Just the little bit of doubt could unravel the mind-sweep Justin did on them."
I only half listened as I saw Hannah in a bedroom where a guy was naked. Cameron's hand swung up to hide my eyes which I promptly slapped away. "Stop. I'm not looking at him." But a sense of pride filled me thinking Hannah had gone and done the nasty.
The guy jumped up surprised and chuckled like she hadn't been there. Wait– had she? He said something about being surprised and then proceeded to his dresser to grab a shirt.
“Sorry, but I need to know something.” She sounded urgent. I reached down, grabbing Cameron's hand for support. She knew something was off. That something was wrong.
The guy removed a shirt out of the drawer and nodded. “Sure, anything.”
“Is there a Lydent talent that can allow someone to change a person’s perspective or make them believe something else ?”
"Shit," someone cursed. I didn't know who it was, it might have been me, but hearing her even say the word Lydent was a shock despite what Myra had said. It was real. She knew, and she knew something was wrong. My nose started to burn and my eyes stung. She didn't forget about me.
The guy paused putting on a shirt, his eyes widening. “Like a false memory?”
“Yeah, exactly like that.”
“Maybe. Why do you ask?”
Neko flicked a hand and the screen disappeared. I whirled on him.
"No!" I put a finger to his chest. "Put it back!"
My eyes flared as I stared into his, and no one stopped me. He lifted his hands and flashed the scene back on the screen. I swung to it, dropping my hands from him.
She was in the guy’s arms. We missed a part of the conversation, but I knew they were talking about me. “Your friend?”
I saw the slight movement of her head, and she whispered, “I think a Lydent took her.”
"Holy hell. She's– she's..." I twisted to Cameron. "I need to see her."
I watched on screen as they shimmed out of his room into another where two twin redheads were. And they weren't lacking in sex appeal. She moved from this guy’s arms into their's. "Way to go, Hannah."
I heard snorts all around. Without preamble, Cameron shimmed us out of there, and we landed in an unfamiliar room. "Wait! I wasn't done spying!"
He laughed. "You know your friend is safe and well, but you need rest and so do I."
The midday sun was shining brightly through the window. Cameron walked over to it and drew the curtains across, letting the room fall into darkness.
"Cameron, what are you doing? Where are we? I can sleep back in my room if I need to."
"But you're not sleeping well." He took my hand. "You're at my place that I share with some of the guys; this is my room. I worry about you." He brought me to his chest and curled his arms around my shoulders. "You have dark circles under your eyes, and you're not cussing as much as you did before, which tells me you're not your usual spunky self. You need sleep, and if you're not getting it on your own, you’re going to get it with me, got it?"
His arms felt nice. Cozy. Safe. I gave in. "Fine, but when I wake up, I want to see Hannah."
Cameron said nothing, just guided us to his bed. With a flick of his wrist, he had me in boxer shorts and a t-shirt. He did the same to himself. "Cameron," I warned.
"You can't sleep in those clothes. You need to be comfortable and so do I. Get in there and scoot."
So, unlike me, I did as he asked, getting under his covers. I waited for him to set his glasses down on his bedside table and come in after me. His arms felt me out and drew me into his body. I sighed, letting myself feel the protectiveness that surrounded me. At that moment, I didn't worry where Justin was, or the others. Hannah was out of my head and so were my parents. I could worry about everything when I woke. Right at this moment, I was going to sleep.
Cameron kissed my forehead. "Sleep, Amoeba."
Not sure what that nickname meant, I figured I'd ask later as my eyelids drooped and sleep claimed me.
***
I didn't dream this time, nor was I waking up scared or sick. I was feeling... warm.
A slight snore coming from Cameron had me drawing into consciousness and staring into the darkened space. It wasn't evening when we went to sleep, but I’d bet anything it was now. I laid there feeling content until my stomach made its demands known. This seemed to be a thing with me.
Not sure if Cameron was a heavy sleeper or not, I moved his arm off me and sighed when he didn't wake up. I slipped out of bed. Leaving the bedroom, I padded down the hall to find a small living space and a kitchen. I went in search of food, not at all hesitant if I should or not. Cameron brought me here; he could feed me.
Glancing at the microwave on the countertop, I checked the time, groaning at how late it was. One in the morning. Feeling too refreshed and awake, I knew I'd never get back to sleep, not at this time.
I raided his refrigerator, taking out everything I'd need for a sandwich. It was the only thing I could think of to make without waking him, or anyone else who happened to be here, up.
After hunting through the many drawers to find utensils, I made my sandwich in the dark, then sat down at the only table source in the whole place—the counter bar that had three bar stools.
After a few bites, I heard someone's door open. Foot falls shuffled down the hallway. I froze, unsure what to do. Should I call out? Make myself known? Or just sit here at their counter, like a creeper, eating their food and wait to be discovered?
When I heard them come out of the hallway, I decided to go with making myself known.
"Hey."
They froze and reached over to flip on the light switch. I blinked at the brightness.
"Trace?"
When my vision cleared, I recognized who it was. Of course, the guys who “teamed” together “roomed” together.
Black sweats riding low on his hips, no shirt in sight, and hair pushed half to the side stood Justin with bloodshot eyes. He looked terrible... still hot, but terrible.
I swallowed the bite I had just taken after my first call out and repeated, "Hey."
He scrubbed his hands over his face before combing them back into his hair, confused. "When did you get here? Who brought you?"
"Earlier today and Cameron."
He groaned, dropping a hand. "Figures it would be him."
I bristled at the observation. "Why? I think I would have gone with any of you who came to me."
This caught his attention. "Anyone or just my team?" he questioned quietly.
My answer caught in my throat for a minute before I gave him what he wanted to know. "If any of your team came and asked me how I was, gave me what I needed, then yes, I would have gone with them."
"What you needed? What is it that you need, Tracy?" I flinched at the use of my whole name. I could say it when I was upset at myself. My parents could say it when they were mad at me. But him? I didn't like it coming from him.
"That was low. You know I don't like my full name like that, and the way you used it, it makes me angry, Justin."
A brisk “sorry” was muttered before I went on.
"You're feeling sorry for yourself. You feel like shit. You voiced that the other night when you declared, to your team, that I was yours. Then all of you fought over me like a damn puppy. Any other day I'd say it was the highlight of my life, except it wasn't. No warm fuzzies. No satisfaction or the feeling of being wanted. I'm not a prize to be won. Is that what you wanted me to feel when you told me I was your mate in front of all of them? Or maybe when you insinuated they were gay? Did you know they wanted me before you found Nox and I making out? That they all had feelings for me from the very beginning? Was that why you led me to believe they'd never be fuckin' interested?"
With each passing word I could see his muscles tense. I waited for a moment for him to speak before I threw him another blow. "I fuckin' trusted you, Justin."
His eyes went wide as he stumbled back. "An– and you don't anymore?"
My heart went soft. I didn't want to bring him down like I was doing, but I wanted him to understand. "Talk to me. Tell me why you did what you did. It hurt me, but maybe you can make me understand."
He grabbed the wall for support as if the weight of his guilt bore down on him. "I– I didn't want to lose you. Not like I lost her."
I sucked in a breath. Shit. There had been someone else. "Who?"
He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath before he told me about her. "She wasn't my mate. Not like you are. I could never feel that way about her as I do with you, but the pain... The loss of her and how easily she slipped through my fingertips. I didn't want that to happen with you."
Sandwich forgotten, I encouraged him to go on. "Who was she to you?"
"Samara was my best friend. When I met the other guys, they liked her too. In the Lydent world a lot of us share. It's a normal thing with us. So, when the guys and I both agreed to see if she'd go for it, she was hesitant at first but agreed. She was our world. She made Nox smile, Cameron let loose, and Thad laugh. We all thought it was going good. That we were enough. Later we became lovers. But she didn't love all of us. There was one who stood out from all the rest."
I knew who it was, the only person it could have been causing him to react that way. "Nox."
"Yeah."
"But why?"
Cameron showed up behind him, looking worse for wear. He seemed tired. Stressed. Still in what he’d worn when we had crawled into bed. His hair stood up on end and the lack of glasses made him look rougher. "Because he was jealous. Because Nox is also your mate. Justin was scared to lose you to him. To any of us. Samara was human with no understanding of how things worked. She’d had a rough life, and while she loved being with us, all of us, she wanted a normal life. So, she picked the guy who was buff, knew things before they would happen, and who could protect her when trouble came calling."
Justin shifted his gaze from Cameron to me. "Samara was the daughter of a crime boss. She wanted out. Nox was the only one she thought could give her that. She picked him."
I gave a slow nod. "Okay, that explains a little bit, but I still don't understand what's going on. Is Samara still around?"
"No. She died in a raid," Justin answered me.
Was it terrible of me that I was sad but also relieved at the same time? No competition. "I'm sorry. So, Nox and Justin are my mates. What did Nox say about some vision or dream?" I turned to Cameron. "And what about you and Thad? Are you two also with me?"
"Thad and I are not your mates. We can't be. We don't have a mate mark since both of our mates died right after they were born. But that doesn't mean we don't care. We both know what the loss of a mate feels like. The two of us have carried it our whole lives, but around you, that feeling lessens. Hell, you make Thad smile. That’s rare in and of itself. And it’s not residual phantom pangs from our loss, it’s you. You made my world better when you came into it. Justin just doesn't want to share."
This was amusing... just a little. They were fighting over me, but they had yet to ask me how I felt about the whole thing. They should.
I took a deep breath and let it out as I slid off my stool. "So, here's how I see it. Justin's afraid of losing me and is my mate. Nox 'the future man' had a dream where we are all together in a relationship, and he is also my mate. Thad's going to bulldoze his way into one no matter what and believes Nox's dream. I make Cameron feel better, but no one even bothered asking me anything about how I feel. So the way I see it, you all are fuckin' fighting for no reason."
I think crickets chirped. "Huh. Okay. I get it now. " I walked past Cameron and paused at Justin, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I am sorry about what happened to you." Then I continued on into the hallway. "I'm going back to bed. When you figure it all out, I'll be waiting."
"Does that mean I can't sleep in my own bed?" Cameron demanded.
I didn't say anything but found the bathroom. I did my thing and when I came out, I discovered them both talking in the other room. Happy that they were at least trying, I went back to Cameron's bed and climbed in. I laid there and thought about what I’d said and what they’d said. The four of them wanted to be with me. A smile touched my lips. Bring it.
Cameron came back to bed a short while later. I don't know if I moved or if he sensed that I was still awake, but he crawled in and curled around me like we had been doing it for years. "I was wrong to assume. I'm sorry."
I relaxed. That was a start. "I'm glad you came to your senses."
He gave me a squeeze and whispered, "Hey, I'm trying to say sorry here."
Someone else came into the room and shuffled to the other side of the bed where I could see the outline of him.
"I'm coming in," Justin warned as he slid in bed and got comfortable. He didn't take me away from Cameron, but he did reach between us, taking hold of my hand. "I'm sorry, too."
I sighed. "So am I. I shouldn't have laid it on so thick with the guilt."
"Can I have a date?" Cameron whispered into my hair.
Justin tightened his grip on my hand. "Fuck you. I should get one first."
"Guys, guys. Can't we fuckin' get along?" I asked, exasperated.
They grumbled.
I smiled and settled in between my two... boyfriends? "To answer your question, only if it comes with a happy ending."
Justin lifted his head, heated amusement laced within his tone. "Sounds like my kind of date. How about right now?"
"I'm game for that," Cameron agreed, his hands now starting to wander.
"No." I chuckled. "You have to date me first."
Justin called it before Cameron could, going with the 'it should be me, before you' stance. "I get tomorrow."
"Shit, then I get the next day."
Sarcastically I drawled, "I love how you ask me."
Justin kissed my forehead. "It’s all for you. No complaining."
Cameron reached over and shoved him. "Go to sleep. We have planning to do."
Once again I fell asleep, confident of tomorrow’s outcome. Now I simply had to convince Nox and Thad that they were idiots. Shouldn't be too hard... at least, I hoped not.
***
The next day proved to be crazy. Justin had one plan of what he wanted to do; I had another.
Dressed in one of the outfits Myra and I got, I rested my shoulder against the door frame with my arms crossed. "I want to see Hannah."
Justin was in the middle of dressing when I said this. He shouldered his shirt on, twisting my way. "But Thad and Nox want to see you for breakfast first. Cameron had to hold them off from showing up this morning." He stared at me, but I didn't budge. It didn’t take long for him to relent. "Fine. Let me tell the guys of the change in plans so they can come with. We also need to contact the council there and see where she's at and who she's with."
"Myra knows. She mentioned she knew about Hannah and that some person named Carly was with her. That's why Carly couldn't see me."
Justin stared at me, taking in what I’d revealed to him. "So, Myra Frost told you about Carly Phillips?"
Not sure why that name would make him act the way he was, I nodded yes. “She was the person I was researching before all of this Lydent stuff happened.”
He nodded. "Good. Maybe she can clear up this mess we got ourselves in." He now rushed to put his shoes on and grabbed his wallet before reaching for me. "Come on." He drew me in close, and before we shimmed I snickered.
"Beam me up, Justin." Light surrounded us, and we were back in the cafeteria at the lodge. I patted his shoulder and moved away, still amused. "Thanks for the hitchhike."
Like before, the men of the Lydent warrior camp stared, and I swear some of them held interest in their eyes. "Not in this lifetime," I murmured under my breath as I made my way to Nox, Thad, and Cameron, who were in a conversation with some of the other warriors.
Nox noticed me first, twisting around and sliding an arm around my waist then bringing me into his side. He kissed my temple before dipping down to whisper in my ear, "Sorry, sweetheart."
The cafeteria went silent, and Thad critically eyed the crowd. He held out a palm and gestured for me to come to him. With a quick glance to Justin and Cameron to see if this would bother them, I went to Thad.
The same damn cinnamon scent overcame me as I reached his arms and his head dipped. "All these fucks want you. They want what they can't have. When I move back, jump and curl your legs around me. I'll do the rest. We're going to show them you're taken."
Considering this could be fun, I did as he asked and practically climbed him when he moved. His hands supported me at my ass and my arms curved around his neck as our mouths met. The room was hushed for a moment as Thad gripped me, letting me control the kiss until hoots and hollers started up, then he ended it.
"She's ours," he yelled. "So quit fucking looking and staring. She's not up for grabs."
I snorted and smacked his shoulder. "Stop. I think they got the point."
He put me down and the rest of them crowded around me, placing me in the middle as we talked.
"She wants to see her friend," Justin started off, drawing out his phone. "Says Myra knows about it and Carly's with her."
That caught their attention. Nox spoke first. "Carly Phillips? The PI?"
My attention rounded to him. "She's a PI? Really?"
His gaze found mine as he shook his head. "Not what you’re thinking. She’s a Pathist Imture. Someone who has visions through her drawings that others need to see."
"Like... you?"
"Like a clairvoyant or psychic," Cameron whispered. "Nox can tell the future, slight glimpses and occasionally further. But Carly can draw the past and future of who she is drawing for. She shows them what they need to see, not necessarily what they want."
I eyed him. "And what can you do?"
Quietly he explained, "I don't have a gift. I'm good with books and information, but there's nothing special about me."
Nox scoffed. "Talent, shit. He's got it."
"There's plenty you can do," Justin spoke up.
Thad, who was beside him, flung a punch at his arm. "So humble. He's one of the historians. Keeper of the past. And he has a great right hook. Don't let him tell you he's no good. He's plenty good. I'm fast, but you knew that." He drew out one of his candies and wiggled it at me before I reached out and took it. It was red and shaped like a barrel. "These are what I eat to help me keep up with my speed. They're Lydent made and called rocket rocks."
I put it up to my nose and breathed in deep. They smelled just like him. Sexy, toxic, and cinnamon. "Can I eat it?"
He nodded. "Sure. It will just give you a little energy boost."
I popped it in my mouth and a burst of flavor flooded my taste buds. "Shit, this is good." It was a hard candy that kept on giving. My body felt like it had a sugar high and didn't know where to put the extra energy. I started bouncing.
Cameron eyed me. "Maybe you shouldn't have given her one."
"Are-we-ready-to-go? I-want-to-go. Like, now." My words blended together in a rush and I couldn't stop moving.
"Oh no," Nox groaned as he reached for me, but I was too fast. I ran through the slight opening between him and Justin, escaping their circle and finding Naylor and his mates standing nearby. Ha! Mates. I giggled. "What up bitches?" I asked, grabbing Naylor by the elbow and swinging the both of us around.
"Fix this, Thad!" I heard Justin growl.
I didn't care. For the second time since I got here, I felt free. I left Naylor on my way to another one of his mighty fine crew when Thad caught me. I twisted in his arms and pouted. "Hey, no fun."
"Hey, don't take her away, we need her to find out if her source responded,” Dare growled.
Thad drew me away from Naylor's group and Nox took over. "Look, she's not in her right mind right now. For some reason-"
I didn't hear the rest because Thad shimmed both of us away. Damn. I wanted to dance.
We showed up in an office, a doctor's office of some sort, and Thad sat me on the exam bench. He pointed at me as I tried to keep him from pulling away. "No. Stop. You stay here while I go see if someone is available."
The door creaked open and Cameron came in with a sigh of relief. "Good, it's you. I wasn't sure where you were going, but I thought it might have been here."
I swayed to the music that played only for me as Thad and Cameron switched places. "You stay here with her; I'll go find someone. At least you know what to do in case she loses consciousness." He dragged a hand through his hair. "I can't believe she's having a reaction to my candy. None of you ever did."
"I'm fucking in a spiderweb; leave a message and I'll shim you back!" I belted out, taking an awesome song I loved and making it mine.
Cameron pushed Thad out the door. "Go."
I stood up on the exam table and danced. "And i-t's all yoooour faaaa-ult, no mind swee-eeping for me ya'll! Ha! Ya-alllll!" I paused my dancing and turned my attention to the only man in the room. "Do I sound like a hick?" I giggled and danced again. "Shit. I do."
"Oh man," he groaned. "I don't think we'll be seeing your friend today."
That caught my attention, taking away all the fun I was having. "Fuck no. We're seeing her. I want to see her. Justin said we could." I thought about the place I saw her when I was watching the film thing one of Naylor's buddies created and badly wanted to go there. I squeaked when lights surrounded me. One minute I was dancing on the exam bench, and the next I was in that same room I had been wanting to go to.
I fist pumped in the air. "Yes! Take that." Then I looked around the empty room. "This is soooo cool."
Not finding anyone here, I walked out and down the hallway until I was in a living room and kitchen area. I was hungry. I’d munched on that candy earlier, but it didn't satisfy me, so I decided to help myself to the food in whoever's kitchen this was.
Searching the cabinets, which were quite bare, I found some cereal, then a mixing bowl from another cabinet, and raided the fridge for milk. After I had poured the cereal and the milk, I realized I was missing something. A spoon! I spun around searching the kitchen before discovering a utensil jar near the stove. I snagged a large wooden mixing spoon. Happy with my find, I carried it all to the other side of the countertop where bar stools were at and sat down to eat.
About halfway through my bowl, I heard shuffling feet down the hallway and then, "Who the hell are you?" from behind me.
Swiveling around, I saw a tall, lanky guy there. The same guy that had been with Hannah. I pointed to him with the mixing spoon. "You know Hannah. Where is she?”
He put up his hands as if he was going to defend himself, but I just turned around picked up the bowl and turned back to face him, not having a care in the world. I took another bite and waited.
His hands dropped, confusion evident by the drawing in of his eyebrows. "You're not from the Lydent world, are you?"
I swallowed. "I wasn't before, but now I am. Where's Hannah? And you really need to go shopping. You don't have much food here."
Disbelief showed in his eyes. "What do you want with Hannah?"
"She is my best friend," I stated simply. "I wanted to hang out with her. Saw you on that big hologram thing. Ate a candy and wished to be here and voila!"
I put the bowl down and gestured to the whole place. "I'm here. She was here. Where is she?"
He put up a finger and pointed it at me. "You're... Trace, right?"
I nodded and kept nodding. "Yep! Am her today, was her fuckin' yesterday, and last week. We won't talk about last week."
He gave me a look like he wasn't sure what to make of me. "Ah, okay. You... you wait right here. I'll be back."
I shrugged. "Okey dokey!"
He shimmed out of the room, and I waited. After finishing my bowl, I bounced up and did some sleuthing. Basically, I riffled through all his things.
First, I began in his living room, which was just a step away from the kitchen. With only two couches and a plasma TV, it was pretty clean. Nothing personal. I skipped it and went back to his bedroom where I had appeared in the beginning and continued straight for his closet.
Clothes were neatly hung, some folded on shelves, with shoes and ties neatly placed. This guy was a fuckin' neat freak.
I climbed the shelves, searching the top one. My hand found something, a few somethings, thin and papery. I dragged them down and snickered. They were naughty magazines, and peering at the dates, both were from three months ago.
I put them back and clambered off the shelf and crouched down looking low. Nothing. I searched his coat pockets and shoes. Nada.
Stepping out of the closet, I checked his room, and that's where he found me, with my best friend next to him. But I didn't know it at first. I just heard my name being called as I was halfway under his bed reading some weird books. A ton of them. All about cooking and other things I couldn't make rhyme or reason of.
"Tracy Lyn Dolton! What in the world are you doing?"
I groaned, slammed a book shut, and slid out from underneath the bed. I didn't even see who else was in the room; I bypassed everyone and ran to my best friend. "Hannah-banana!"
Her green eyes were shining with amusement, lips curing up at the sides.
"Uh-oh," I heard her mutter before I crashed into her. "Oof."
I wrapped my arms around her and squeezed her tight. "Missed you!"
"Hell no," someone cursed, and the shuffling of feet had me acting on instinct. I didn’t want her to be taken from me. Before whoever it was could get to us, I shimmed both of us away, back to my room at the lodge.
I stepped back, grabbing her hands in mine as she squeaked. Her mouth was open and eyes wide. "What? How?"
I was brimming with so much excitement I was shaking. "I know, right! Now babe, tell me. Are you a nun or did you get yourself some-some?" I wiggled my eyebrows suggestively.
Her mouth was open but nothing came out. I dropped her hands and shook her shoulders as she seemed unsure what to do. She stepped away from me and took my shoulders, giving me a good shake but harder than I did to her. "Trace! What is wrong with you? Where are we?"
I giggled and raised my hand, ticking off her questions. "We're at the Lydent Warrior Lodge and I ate Thad's energy candy! He said I could though! So... did you? Did you get down and dirty? Do you do the tango, a little 180?"
She grinned, relaxing. "You’re kind of funny this way." Her eyes lit up as a laugh came out, and she let me go, drawing me into a strong hold. She laughed again but then started to cry. "Oh, I missed you, Trace."
I struggled to stay still as she had her little cry and patted her back, perhaps a little too vigorously... "It's all good. I'm here and I can shim! We can see each other all the time!"
Thad shimmed into my room, looking ready to throttle me. "Trace!"
"Uh-oh. Gotta go." I shimmed us to the trampoline in my backyard at home and Hannah giggled, drawing away.
Wiping away her almost nonexistent tears—she never cries, and if she did, mums the word—she chuckled. "Who was that?"
I shrugged and started bouncing. "Thad. He does this growly-growl thing, and he's the one who gave me the candy."
Hannah bounced with me, still amused. "So, how did you become able to shim?"
"Insane, crazy person who happened to be Lydent died and his light went into me. I almost died, but the council gave me the cure, kinda, and now I'm one of them. You are too. Well, only half. Us hybrids have to stick together." I bounced onto my ass and lifted my foot. "Even have one of those cool marks you have." I jumped up. "But it's a different shape."
Hannah bounced with me, not at all upset or even scared that I kept shimming her around. "It's good to be back here." She glanced around at everything before looking back to me. "It's been hard being gone, but good for me as well." Then she said softly, "Do you think we should go back? To your lodge? I don't want you to get sick and not be able to help you."
I waved a hand. "Nah, I'm good. Some of the energy is wearing off. I think jumping helps." I grinned at her. "So, you're better?"
She nodded. "Yeah. My dad's become Lydent too. Like you did. I don't think many people know that yet though."
I stopped jumping. "Really? Fuckin' awesome! Myra said it was just me and that Carly person. So that must mean that I'm really the third person." I shrugged and started jumping again. “I'm good with that." I tapped her arm mid-jump. "Hey, did your dad see the Spirit Whisperer too?"
Hannah stopped bouncing and her gaze narrowed in on me. "When did you see her?"
I stopped bouncing, dropped down, and spread out. "When I was sick. She said stuff, but so did Myra." I covered my eyes with my hand to block out the sun and patted the spot beside me. "Come down here."
She collapsed beside me. "I'm supposed to be in school."
"Eh, me too."
We glanced at one another and giggled. I reached out and held her hand as I smirked. I had Hannah back. Things were going good.