The Golden Lily Chapter 18

JILL DIDNT GIVE ME any starry-eyed realises at breakfast the adjacent morning, which was kind of a relief. Micah had surfaced again, and opus they werent as flirty as theyd been in the past, the two were chatting animatedly away rough(predicate) a science project she had. Eddie and Angeline were equ t forth ensembley engrossed in conversation, making plans for when she was free of her suspension.Her blues eyes were rest with happiness as they whistleed, and I realized that she had legitimate feelings for him. She hadnt adept been throwing herself at him for the sake of conquest.I oddityed if he knew.It wouldve been easy to feel comparable a ordinal wheel here, save instead, I was pleased and content to see my little cohort give-up the ghostting along so well. Stantons conversation had still left me conflicted, tho there was nothing wrong with appreciating the peace around here. I wouldve been happier still if Treys behavior had also normalized, but when I reached my h istory class subsequently, he was get rid of yet again. I had no doubt hed claim he had family stuff, but my earlier suspicions were returning, to the highest degree whether his family might be prudent for his injuries. Should I report my worries to person? Who? I didnt want to jump to conclusions either, which left me in a bind.Eddie and I always sat near each other in that class, and I leaned toward him to begin with the bell rang, pitching my voice low to address another concern. Hey, cast you noticed that Jills been kind of acting weirdly around me?Shes got a lot overtaking on, he verbalise, ever quick to defend her.Yeah, I dwell, but you had to defy noticed her last night. In the library? I immoral keeping in mind Im terrible at figuring this stuff out it was like she had a crush on me or something. He laughed at that. She was kind of dis office it on thick, but I dont echo you have to worry near some romantic complication. She just looks up to you a lot, thats all. Part of her still wants to be a brave fighter who rushes out fearlessly He paused as he savored that idea, a mix of pride and rapture on his face beforehand he tuned back into me. But at the same time, youre starting to show her there all sorts of ways to be powerful. conveys, I said. I think. But speech production of her being a brave fighter I studied him curiously.Why dont you train her any more than? Dont you want her to h integrity her skills?Oh, yeah. That. Well there are a few grounds for it. One is I need to focus on Angeline.Another is that I just dont want Jill worried slightly that. Ill do the protecting. Those were simply the reasons Id suppositioned. The next one was not. And I guess the other thing is that I dont feel right being in contact with her like that. I mean, I know it means nothing to her but it means something to me.Again, my social skills to a faultk a moment to kick in. You mean, you dont like that you have to touch her?Eddie actually blushed. It doesnt bother me, thats the problem. Better for us to spend time together in a hands-off way.I hadnt expected that, but I could understand it. Leaving Eddie to his own inner demons, I soon got caught up in the day and wondering what had happened to Trey. Id hoped hed summate into class late, but he didnt. In fact, he didnt surface for the rest of the day, not flush when I was finishing up my independent study. Id thought he might come by again for homework.You look troubled, said Ms. Terwilliger, watching me pack up when the bell rang.Worried close acquiring your project in on time?No. Id actually finished two of the charms, but I for positive(predicate) wasnt going to tell her that.Im worried about Trey. He keeps missing school. Do you know why hes out? I mean, if you can tell me?The office notifies us if a student will be out for the day, but they dont tell us the reason. If it keep backs you feel better, Mr. Juarezs absence was called in this morning. He hasnt disappeare d. I almost mentioned my fears about his home but held off. I still needed more evidence.Between worrying about Trey, Ms. Terwilligers work, the Warriors, Brayden, and all my other myriad complications, I knew I couldnt ware any of my free time. Nonetheless, I went to Adrians after school on a mission I couldnt refuse. On our way to Wolfes class earlier this week, Adrian had mentioned offhandedly that he hadnt had the Mustang looked at by a mechanic before purchasing it. Although my own novice assessment hadnt found anything wrong with the car, I pushed for Adrian to get the car examined which, of course, meant I had to look up a specialist and make the appointment. It was just before my textile museum date, but I was certain I had time to make it all work.The guy I bought it from seemed pretty trustworthy, Adrian told me, after wed dropped the car off with the mechanic. Hed told us hed look at it right away and that we could hang around and wait. His shop was on the outskirts of a suburban area, so Adrian suggested we go for a walk by means of the neighborhoods. And it ran just fine when I did the test drive, so I figured boththing was okay.That doesnt mean there arent problems you cant see. Its best to be safe, I said, knowing I sounded preachy. Bad enough you got a car you cant drive. Glancing over, I saw a small, half pull a face on his face.With your help, Ill be a pro in no time. Of course, if you dont want to help anymore, Ill just wing it and figure it out on my own.I groaned. You already know what Id say about wow.The neighborhood we were in was pretty affluent. In fact, Id say the houses bordered on being bona fide mansions. We s fleetped in front of one that looked like a cross between a hacienda and a southern plantation, large and sprawling with a pillared porch and pink stucco siding. The front railway yard was a mix of climates, green grass with palm trees lining the path to the house. The trees were like tropical sentries.Gorgeous, I sai d. I love architecture. In another life, Id have studied that not chemicals and vampires. As we continued on, we saw more of the same, each house trying to outdo the others. any of them had high fences and hedges blocking their backyards. I wonder whats back there. Pools, probably.Adrian stopped in front of another. It was as yellow as his car and showed another mix of styles, like a southwest version of a medieval castle, complete with turrets. Nice juxtaposition, he remarked.I false, knowing my eyes were wide as I stared at him. Did you just use juxtaposition in a sentence?Yes, Sage, he said patiently. We use it all the time with art, when were mixing different components. That, and I know how to use a dictionary. He turned from me and scanned the house, his eyes resting on a gardener who was out trimming some hedges. A sly smile crossed Adrians lips. You want to see the back? come down on.What are you Before I could say another word, Adrian strode up the granite pathway and cut across the lawn to where the guy was working. I didnt want anything to do with this, but the responsible part of me couldnt let Adrian get into trouble. I hurried after him.Are the owners home? Adrian asked.The gardener had stopped his clipping and stared at Adrian. No.When will they be back?After six.I was astonished that the guy was answering these questions. If Id been asked them, I wouldve assumed someone was staging a break-in. Then, I saw the glazed look in the gardeners eyes and realized what was going on.Adrian Adrians eyes never left the other mans face. Take us to the backyard.Of course.The gardener dropped his hedge clippers and headed for a gate on the side of the house.I move to get Adrians attention to stop this, but he was outpacing me. Our guide stopped at the gate, entered a security code, and led us to the back. My protests died on my lips as I gazed around.This back property was almost three times the size of the front. There were more palm trees ringing th e yard, along with a terraced garden full of plants, both native and non-native.A huge oval shaped family dominated the space, its turquoise hue startling against the gray of the granite that environ it. On one side of the pool, several steps led up to a smaller, square pool. It could only hold a few people, and a falls poured out from it, down to the larger pool. Tiki torches and tables around the pools completed the lush setup.Thanks, Adrian told the gardener. Go back to your work. Its okay if were here. Well see ourselves out.Of course, the man replied. He walked back the way wed come in.I snapped back to reality. Adrian You used compulsion on that guy. That I mean, itsAwesome? Adrian walked over to the steps leading up to the upper pool. Yeah, I know.Its wrong All of this. Breaking and entering, and compulsion I shivered, despite the sweltering heat. Its immoral. Controlling someone elses mind. You know it Your people and mine both agree.Eh, no harm done. He climbed to the top of the pool and stood on its edge, surveying his kingdom. The solarise brought out chestnut glints in his brown hair. Believe me, that guy was easy to control. Weak-willed. I barely had to use compulsion.Adrian pursue on, Sage. Not like were going to hurt anything. Check out this view. I was almost afraid to go up there. It was so rare for any of the Moroi here to use their magic that it was easy for me to pretend it didnt exist. Seeing Adrian use it the most insidious kind make my skin crawl. As Id told Ms. Terwilliger in our charm discussion, no one should be able to control another like that.Come on, Adrian repeated. Youre not worried Im going to compel you up here, are you?Of course not, I said. And I meant it. I didnt know why, but some part of me knew Adrian would never, ever harm me. Reluctantly, I went to join him, hoping that would encourage him to leave. When I reached the top, my jaw dropped. The intimate pool hadnt seemed that high, but it gave us a stunning view o f the mountains off in the distance, rugged and majestic against the blue of the sky. The larger pool glittered below us, and the waterfall made it look like wed entered some mystical oasis.Cool, huh? he asked. Adrian sat down on the small pools edge, rolled up his jeans, and took off his socks and shoes.Now what are you doing? I asked.Making the most out of this. He put his feet in the water. Come on. Do something bad for a change. Not that its really that bad. We arent trashing this place or anything. I hesitated, but the water was intoxicating, as though it too could wield compulsion. Settling down, I copied Adrian and dipped my bare feet into the water. Its coolness was startling and wonderful in this deep heat.I could get used to this, I meetted. But what if the owners come home early? He shrugged. I can talk us out of it, dont worry.That wasnt exactly reassuring. I turned back to the gorgeous view and lush property. I wasnt always the most imaginative person, but I thought back to what Id said about living another life. What would it be like to have a home like this? To stay in one place? To spend long time by the pool, soaking in the sunniness, and not worrying about the fate of humanity? I fell into daydreams and was so caught up that I lost gash of time.We have to get back to the shop, I exclaimed. Glancing over, I was astonished to see Adrian watching me, a look of contentment on his face. His eyes seemed to study my every feature. Seeing me notice him, he immediately looked away. His usual smirky expression replaced the dreamy one. The mechanic will wait, he said.Yeah, but Im supposed to meet Brayden soon. Ill be Thats when I got a good look at Adrian. What have you done? Look at you You shouldnt be out here.Its not that bad.He was lying, and we both knew it. It was late afternoon, and the sun was merciless. Id certainly felt it, though the coolness of the water had helped distract me. That, and I was human.Sure, sunstroke and sunburns were concerns, but I loved the sun and had a high gross profit for it. Vampires did not.Sweat poured off Adrian, soaking his shirt and hair. Pink blotches covered his face. They were familiar. Id seen them on Jill back when shed been forced to play outdoor sports in PE.Left unchecked, theyd turn into burns. I jumped to my feet.Come on, we have to get out of here before you get worse. What were you thinking? His expression was astonishingly nonchalant for someone who looked like he would do away with out. It was worth it. You looked happy.Thats crazy, I said.Not the craziest thing Ive ever done. He smiled as he looked up at me. His eyes grew slightly unfocused, as though they were see more than just me. Whats a little crazy here and there? Im supposed to be doing experiments why not see which is brighter your aura or the sun?The way he looked at me and spoke unnerved me, and I remembered what Jill had said, how spirit slowly drove its users insane. Adrian hardly seemed insane, but ther e was certainly something haunted about him, a definite shift from his usual sharp wit. It was as though something else had seized hold of him. I remembered that poem line, about dreaming and waking.Come on, I repeated. I held out my hand. You shouldnt have used spirit. We need to get you out of here.He took my hand and staggered to his feet. A rush of warmth and electricity went through me, just as it had the last time we touched, and our eyes held. For a moment, all I could think about were his earlier words You looked happyI brushed such sentiments deflection and quickly got him out of there, only to discover the mechanic hadnt finished. At least in his shop, we were able to get Adrian some water and air conditioning. As we waited I texted Brayden. Running an hour late with family stuff. Sorry. Will be there as soon as I can. My phone chimed back about thirty seconds later That only leaves an hour for the textile museum.Thats not nearly enough time, said Adrian deadpan. I hadnt realized hed been reading over my shoulder. I moved the phone away and suggested to Brayden we just meet for an early dinner. He concurred.Im a mess, I muttered, checking myself out in a mirror. The heat had definitely taken its toll, and I looked sweaty and worn.Dont worry about it, Adrian told me. If he didnt notice how awesome you were in the red dress, he probably wont notice anything now. He hesitated. Not that theres even anything to notice. Youre as cute as usual.I was about to snap at him for teasing me, but when I looked over, his face was deadly earnest. Whatever retort I might have managed died on my lips, and I quickly got up to check our status, in order to hide how flustered I felt.The mechanic finally finished no problems found and Adrian and I headed downtown. I kept watching him anxiously, afraid hed pass out.Stop worrying, Sage. Im fine, he said. Although Id be better with some ice cream or gelato. Even you have to admit thatd be good right now. It would, actuall y, but I wouldnt give him the satisfaction. What is it with you and frozen desserts? Why do you always want them?Because we live in a desert.I couldnt argue with that reasoning. We reached his place, and I swapped cars. Before he went inside, I inundated him with advice about getting water and resting. Then, I spoke the words that had been burning inside of me.Thank you for the poolside outing, I said. Your near-sun-stroke aside, that was pretty amazing.He gave me a cocky smile. mayhap youll get used to vampire magic after all.No, I said automatically. Ill never get used to that. His smile immediately disappeared. Of course not, he murmured. See you around. I finally made it to dinner. Id chosen an Italian restaurant, filled with the scents of garlic and cheese. Brayden sat at a corner table, sipping water and earning glares from the waitress, who was probably impatient for him to order. I sat down opposite him, dropping my satchel beside me.I am so sorry, I told him. I had to do th is thing with my, uh, brother. If Brayden was mad, he didnt show it. That was his way. He did, however, give me a scrutinizing look. Was it something athletic? You look like you ran a marathon. It wasnt an insult, not by any means, but it did take me aback mostly because I was thinking of Adrians comment. Brayden had had almost nothing to say about my Halloween costume, but he noticed this?We were out in Santa Sofia, getting his car looked at.Nice area. Keep going up the highway, and you can get to Joshua Tree National Park.Ever been there?No. Just read about it.Iconic place. The geologys fascinating.The waitress came by, and I gratefully ordered an iced latte. Brayden was more than happy to tell me about some of the leafy vegetables geology, and we soon fell into our comfortable rhythm of gifted discussion. I didnt know the parks specific makeup, but I knew more than enough about geology in general to keep up. In fact, I was able to talk on autopilot while my mind wandered back to Adrian. I recalled again what hed said about the red dress. I also couldnt shake the comment about me being happy, and how that was worth his suffering.What do you think?Hmm? I realized Id lost the thread of our conversation after all.I asked which type of desert you find more striking, Brayden explained. The Mojave region gets all the hype, but I actually prefer the Colorado Desert.Ah. I slipped back into the flow. Um, Mojave. I like the rock formations better. This triggered a debate of the regions while we ate, and Brayden seemed happier and happier. He really did like having someone who could keep up with him, I realized. None of my books had said anything about the way to a mans heart being through academic debates.I didnt mind it, though. I liked the conversation, but it didnt exactly send thrills through me. I had to remind myself it was still early in our relationship if I could even call it that. Surely the head over heels part would come soon.We talked for a long time after the meal was over. The waitress brought us an unsolicited dessert menu when we finished, and I surprised myself by saying, Wow I cant believe how much I want gelato right now. That never happens. Maybe the sweat and heat had leached my nutrients or maybe I still had Adrian on the brain.Ive never heard you order dessert, said Brayden, sliding his menu away. Its not too much sugar?It was another of those weird statements of his that could be interpreted a number of different ways. Was he judging me? Did he think I shouldnt have any sugar? I didnt know, but it was enough for me to close the menu and set it on top of his.With no other scheduled forms of entertainment for the night, we determined to just go for a walk after dinner. The temperature was down to moderate levels, and it was still light enough out that I wasnt as concerned about the Warriors of Light jumping out from corners. That didnt mean I ignored Wolfes teachings, however. I still kept an eye on my surroundings, w atching for anything suspicious.We reached a small park that only took up one city block and found a bench in the corner.We sat down on it, watching children play on the opposite side of the lawn while we continued a discussion on bird watching in the Mojave. Brayden put his arm around me as we talked, and eventually, we faint the topic and simply sat in comfortable silence.SydneyI turned my gaze from the children, surprised at Braydens uncertain tone, which was very different from the one hed just been using to defend the superiority of the mountain bluebird over the western bluebird. There was softness in his eyes now as he looked at me. The evening light made his hazel eyes take on a little more gold than usual but completely hid the green. too bad.Before I could say anything, he leaned forward and kissed me. It was more intense than the last one, though still a long ways from the epic, all-consuming kisses Id seen in movies.He did rest his hand on my shoulder this time, gently bringing me a little closer. The kiss also lasted longer than previous ones, and I again tried to let myself go and lose myself in the feel of someone elses lips.He was the one who ended it, a bit more abruptly than I wouldve expected. I Im sorry, he said, looking away. I shouldnt have done that.Why not? I asked. It wasnt so much that Id been yearning for the kiss as it was that this seemed exactly like the kind of place youd want to kiss a romantic park at sunset.Were in public. Its kind of vulgar, I suppose. Vulgar? I wasnt even indisputable if we were really all that much in public, seeing as no one was next to us and we were in the shade of some trees. Brayden sighed with dismay. I guess I just lost control. It wont happen again.Its okay, I said.It hadnt seemed like that much of a loss of control, but what did I know? And I wondered if maybe a small loss of control wasnt such a bad thing. Wasnt that kind of the basis of passion?I didnt know that either. The only thing I knew for sure was that this kiss had been a lot like the last one. Nice, but it didnt blow me away. My heart sank. There was something wrong with me. Everyone was always going on about how socially inept I was. Did it extend to romance as well? Was I so cold that Id spend my life never feeling anything?I think Brayden misread my dismay and assumed I was upset with him. He stood up and held out his hand. Hey, lets go walk to that tea shop one block over. Theyve got this topical anesthetic painters art on display that I think youll like. Besides, no calories in tea, right? Better than dessert.Right, I said. Thinking of the gelato didnt cheer me up any. The Italian place had had pomegranate, which kind of sounded like the best thing ever. As I stood up, my cell phone rang and startled both of us. Hello?Sage? Its me.I had no reason to be mad at Adrian, not after what hed done for me, but somehow I felt irritated by the interruption. I was trying to make the most of this night with Brayden, and Adrian unsettled everything.Whats going on? I asked.Are you still downtown? You need to come over right now.You know Im out with Brayden, I said. This was pushy, even for Adrian. I cant just drop everything and entertain you.Its not about me. It was then that I noticed how hard and serious his voice was.Something tightened in my chest. Its about Sonya. Shes missing. The Golden Lily A Bloodlines Novel