The Summer of Bells: The Essences Saga - Book #2

Summer: Chapter 5

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Chapter Five

Nicole's first night with us was relatively pleasant. Amber graced us with her presence at dinner, but left shortly after, muttering about, “studying for finals.” Her comment reminded me to suggest the same to the others. Ashley piped up, “I'm exempt!”

“Exempt?” I asked. Melissa glared at her, and Mae and Tia were not far behind on their looks towards the younger girl.

“Just wait until you get to high school,” Mae explained. “You'll have no such luck then.”

“I thought you had a C in math,” I looked at Ashley. “How can you be exempt?”

“You can, if you know how to work the system,” she answered happily. I had to frown at that. Ashley's soul was still blocked. She may become the next Essence of Balance, but as of the present, she was unable to manipulate a person's soul. Her words struck a cord with me. It wasn't too difficult to coerce a person if you knew exactly how the soul worked. And Ashley's intelligence in that regard was more extensive that most people's. She was learning fast which cord to pull.

Tia, Mae, and Melissa disappeared up the stairs, grumbling about their own finals. Nicole watched my frown at Ashley with interest. Ashley gathered the dinner dishes. It was her night to wash anyway.

“I used to know someone like you,” Nicole said. These were the first words out of her mouth in a while. Ashley's hands stilled, but were shaking. I could hear the plates rattling together in her arms. She shot me a distressing look. I only stared at Nicole.

“You did?” I asked. They told me that They wouldn't interfere!

Nicole nodded, rubbing her belly. I watched the motion of her hands, tracing around the bulge. My phone call to Silas earlier that afternoon was still fresh in my mind. He had been roused when I asked about teenage pregnancy. And he said that he would be here the very next morning. I protested repeatedly, but he wouldn't listen to me. He would only need to reschedule all his meetings and appointments once again, and that was something he should not have had to do.

“Yeah, she was a friend of my mother,” Nicole replied. “When I was little. I only remember her telling me these wild stories about angels and stuff. She was very beautiful. Like you. You could have been sisters.”

I listened to her tale. Ashley did, too. And from her pale face, she was quite upset about it. She knew how important it was to keep her secret. And mine. But something she said perked my attention. Nicole had mentioned her mother. Perhaps, she was going to open up and dole out some tidbits of personal information.

“Really? What was her name? Maybe I know her”

Nicole smiled knowingly at me; she suspected my ploy. But she did tell me, “I think it was Delicia, or something like that.”

Ashley relaxed. She shrugged against her fears and took the dirty dishes to the kitchen. A moment later, I could hear water running and the clink of dishes being washed. Nicole still eyed me. That urge to read her soul filled me. This time, I didn't resist.

Nicole was complacent, at peace with herself. Whatever reasons she had for her condition and her denials to cooperate and share her history, she was – well, not exactly happy, but her conscience was clear. And her Suspicion was not activated. She didn't know about me. I relaxed as visibly as Ashley had. Nicole was linking me with a person in her past, but that was as far as the connection went.

“Delicia, you say?”

Nicole nodded, rising from the table.

“No. I guess I don't know her, after all,” I said, loading the remaining dishes and flatware in my arms. “I would have remembered a woman name Delicia.” Nicole's lips quirked, and her eyes twinkled with humor. She found my jokes funny. What was wrong with the rest of these people?