"How are things at the girls home? Are they really all lesbians?" Alex asks.
"No," I frown.
Where do people come up with this stuff?
"You haven't been to school much since going to the girls home.".
"I'm on an independent study program." I lie. "You know, while the girl's home figures a few things out."
"Like what?" Anna asks.
I'm about to answer her when I catch sight of Sebastian getting out of his car. He looks over at me, and we hold each other's gaze for a moment, until Isaac gently nudges him to get his attention. Then he looks away.
We both do.
Anna follows my gaze and a smirk spread across her face.
"Oh, I get it now," her mouth drops open.
"It's not what you think," I shake my head.
"Yeah right. That come hither look in your eyes tells me everything I need to know."
Unable to hide my amusement, I laugh.
Especially when she wriggles her eyebrows at me.
We got off to a rocky start, but I miss Anna. I miss this. And man do I miss Aunt Sarah's cooking. We have five-star chefs at the girl's home, but they don't even come close to how amazing my aunt's food tastes.
"Did something happen between you and Sebastian?" Tessa asks. Walking up to us.
"We're... good," I swallow hard.
Gasping, she says, "Something did happen. OMG! Spill it!"
"There's nothing to spill. We're just... we needed some space from each other."
"Space?" Her brow purses together. "That doesn't sound good, Angel."
"Yeah, well... apparently it's for the best."
I'm not good at hiding my feelings, and my emotions are written all over my face. This separation from Sebastian is more than I can handle. Because my feelings for him are stronger now that I know he feel the same way. Still, I do my best to respect his position and avoid him like he's avoiding me.
"I'm going to head to first period," I tell my friends. But really, I just don't want to bring their mood down. They're all so excited and happy... all things I don't even remotely feel. "Ms. Duvall hates stragglers."
"Okay. I'll see you at lunch," Anna waves me off.
I hurry to class and Samuel sits down next to me. Just in time for the bell to ring. He flashes me a warm smile and I flash him one back.
It's our thing...
It's how we make up after a fight.
Besides, it isn't like he knew some maniac was going to put me in a headlock. So, it's time I let him out of friendship jail and give him a break.
"Does this mean you've forgiven me?" Samuel asks.
"Maybe." I smirk.
Reaching his hand inside his jacket, he pulls out a single red rose and hands it to me. A sweet gesture that puts a smile on my otherwise somber face.
"Consider this rose my first attempt at an apology," he tells me.
"Apology accepted."
"I really am sorry."
"I know," I gently nudge his shoulder with mine. "We're good. Don't worry about it."
We're paired up for an assignment, which gave us more of a chance to talk. Which is perfect because I want to pick up where we left off as friends.
"Do you know how Naomi died?" I ask him.
Nodding, he tells me, "She was murdered."
"So, I've been told. But how?"
"Sorry... I'm afraid that investigation was way above my head. I was told she died, but I wasn't told how or who caused her death."
"So, no one knows," I realize.
"No one but Naomi," he nods. "And she's not here to tell us."
"Did she die because of Sebastian?"
"Yes," he confirms. "She was promised to him, but they were forbidden to have one another until they were married. Only, they disobeyed. His father caught them in the act and Sebastian was forced to go before the council. Then they were both stripped of their power and banished here. Only, he didn't take his banishment well and he turned on her. Taking out his pain and his frustration on her until there was nothing left of her but a fragile shell. Then one day she was found dead."
Whenever Sam speaks of Naomi, he has the same look in his eyes Sebastian has. Which means he has feelings for her that appear to be just as strong as Sebastian's.
"You were in love with her too."
"There wasn't a guy who came into contact with her that wasn't," he tells me.
"Yet, it was Sebastian she returned feelings for."
"Unfortunately."
I got more information out of Samuel than I thought I would. Only, I don't know what to do with it. And now I have more questions. But the bell eventually rings, sending me to second period. And Sam and I go our separate ways.
When lunchtime rolls around, I make my way to the cafeteria. Moving to a seat next to Anna, I stop short when I hear Sebastian's voice inside my head. Looking over at his usual table, I find him watching me. His lips aren't moving, but he asks me to come sit with him and his friends. And at first, I hesitate. But after his repeated requests, I head over to his table and sit down.
"Ah... you decided to join us. Good." Crystal smiles.
"From now on, you eat with us, and you ride with us, okay? Think of us as your extended family," Isaac grins with pride.
"Thanks." I flash him a quick smile.
My gaze shifts to Sebastian because I know he put them up to this. He's heard me whine enough about it to know how much family means to me. And he wants me to know they're still my family.
Which... I couldn't ask for better friends.
"How's your day going so far?" Sebastian asks.
"It's been... interesting," I shrug.
Shifting my gaze to his, we stare at each other for a moment until I notice movement behind him. Because a woman in a hooded pea coat is standing outside the cafeteria window, staring at me. Slowly, I rise from my seat, and Sebastian turns to see what I'm looking at.
"Who is that?" Liz asks.
"I don't know," I answer. "But I'm going to find out."
I make my way to the cafeteria door when the woman takes off running. Sebastian has me wait inside, just in case it's a trap, while he and Isaac goes to check things out. And when they come back, they both shrug.
"She was watching me," I tell them.
"Which means you need to stay close to us at all times," Sebastian warns.
They all go back to eating, but I can't. The woman looked vaguely familiar. Only, I can't pinpoint where I know her from. Picking at my lunch, my mind keeps going back to the strange woman. To the way she looked at me like it broke her heart to see me. Whoever she is... I don't think she wanted to hurt me. But I need to speed things up before my past gets me killed.
After the academic club where Sebastian barely utters a word to me, I head back to the girls home. There, I dig myself into my father's journal more and more until I reach the last page. And contained within that page is a warning to me.
Trust no one...
My father spoke about a person with no face. A person that reminds me of a messenger.
What if messengers were after my father before they were after me?
And was it a messenger who killed my parents?
Putting the journal down, I began to pace the floor.
The only other person I can hopefully get answers from is my handler. I need to talk to him.
Sitting down in the middle of the floor, I begin to meditate. And I wait until my room disappears, and a garden full of white roses with gold stems appears in its place. Looking down, I find myself draped in a white gown with gold trim. That same bright light comes trickling down from the sky, turning into a man, who cautiously approaches me.
"What's your name?" I ask him.
"Jedediah," he answers.
"Who am I?"
"That is for you to find out."
"What am I? I know I was born human but what am I to eventually become?"
"That is up to you," he tells me.
Which... riddles much?
"I need answers. Give me answers... not riddles." I sigh with frustration.
"All of the answers you seek, you must find."
I'm ready to give Jedidummy a piece of my mind, but I'm thrown from his world back to reality before I can even make a sound. And I must have been hovering, because as soon as I open my eyes, I fall from mid-air.
Expecting to come crashing down onto the floor, I brace myself. But firm arms surround me instead.
Sam!
It was Sam.
Setting me on my feet, he asks, "What were you doing up there? And who are you talking to?"
"I was attempting to do research by talking to my handler, but he's in a mood.".
"Impossible," he narrows his eyes at me.
"Why is that impossible?"
"Handlers don't communicate with us."
Only, they do.
But I can tell by the alarm on his face, he's being straight with me. Which makes me wonder... if we aren't supposed to communicate with handlers, and yet here I was doing just that, does that mean I should keep my handler's identity a secret?
"Did you want something?" I change the subject.
"I came by to see what you were up to and if you wanted to catch a movie," he smiles.
Handler crisis averted...
"Actually, I have something I need to do, and I don't think it can wait."
"Okay, well I'll go with you. I owe you a bodyguard for what happened at the nightclub."
"Okay, you're on," I accept. "We're going to my father's home."
"Meeting the parents... don't you think it's a bit soon?" He teases.
"He's dead, Sam," I reply.
Secretly taking pleasure in the stunned look on his face that follows...
"Well, now I feel bad. I can never just be suave with you. It always seems to backfire."
"Perhaps that's your cue to stop trying and just be yourself."
Sam glowers at me and I laugh.
He drives to my grandmothers, and when we pull up to the security gate, I hear Becky's nervous voice tell the security guard to let us through. She then greets us out front with a round belly and a huge smile.
"Look at you," I smile. Reaching out to touch her stomach.
"I guess you coming here gave me good luck," Becky rubs her baby bump. "My husband is ecstatic."
"Congratulations."
"Come on in," she offers. "Wait a minute... this isn't Sebastian, is it?"
"No ma'am," Sam smiles. Sticking his hand out for her to shake. "I'm Sam."
"Well, it's nice to meet you Sam. What is it that you need, Angelique?"
"I believe my father left something here for me, only I don't know what, and I don't know where," I tell her.
"Well, the house is all yours. Search away. I'll be in the kitchen if you need me."
Becky leaves Sam and I alone to browse through this gigantic house. And there are so many rooms to search... so much ground to cover, that we didn't find what we were looking for until an hour into our search. It was taped to a wall inside a vent.
How Sam found it, I don't even want to know.
There's a letter addressed to me with a safe deposit box key inside. And it instructs me to go to one of our local banks and ask for a Wilhelm Duchovski. That he would know what I was looking for.
Okay...
Wherever this is taking us, my father went to some great lengths to make sure no one but me could find it.
After thanking Becky for allowing us to come over, we hurry over to the bank before it closes, to get to the contents of the safe deposit box. And when we got there, we ask for Wilhelm. Just like my father told me too. We show him the safe deposit box key, I tell him who my father was, and my father was right. He knows exactly why I'm here and what I want. Just like the letter said.
Inside the safe deposit box are ten journals dating all the way back to the late eighteen hundred. That's around the time the family name was changed to Savant to save their children. Samuel helped me get all the books out of the safe deposit box, and then we put them in the trunk of his car. Taking them back to the girls home where I plan to bury myself in these new journals.
We are almost back to the girl's home when a man suddenly appears in the middle of the road.
No.
Not a man.
It has no face...
Sam guns it to try running it over, but it swats the car out of the way like it's nothing, and we're sent tumbling into a ditch.
"Are you alright?" Samuel asks once the car comes to a stop.
"I think so," I check my body for injuries. Grateful when I find none.
"Good. Get out quickly."
I tug at my seat belt until I come crashing down headfirst onto the roof of the car. Then I army crawl out of the window on my side.
Searching the road, it doesn't take me long to find the messenger. Because it's coming straight for us.
"Sam," I call out to him.
"I'm stuck," he tells me. Trying to wriggle free from his seat belt.
But his foot is stuck...
"Go!" Samuel shouts at me.
"No, not without you!" I refuse. "I'm not leaving you!"
"Angel, you have to get back to Amariah. Forget about me, I'll be fine." He assures me.
But I can tell he's lying.