Crickets chirped, the soft summer breeze nipped at my bare forearms and the stars were already out to play. I smiled up at the velvet sky and then down at the late townspeople who had arrived in time for the big dinner that was about to take place in fifteen minutes downstairs.
I, on the other hand, was on the roof with Tucker.
“So . . . you came here with Katherine?” I spoke up awkwardly and clutched tightly at the strap of my bag.
“Yeah I just needed a ride and she offered,” he replied with a shrug and sat down next to me, resting his arms on his knees and smiled. The feeling of relief washing through me was overwhelming and a tiny bit pleasing: he didn’t seem that interested in Katherine. “Who did you come with?”
“Rosemarie and Stefan,” I told him dryly. “They’re getting married in about two month’s time – around February.”
“I’m really happy for Rosemarie,” he said truthfully and inched closer to me.
“They both deserve each other.”
“I know.”
I leaned back and crossed my legs to prevent the breeze from lifting up my skirt, my hands keeping me upright. “Don’t you remember how we would lie out in your backyard and we’d try make shapes out of the stars?” I cocked my head up to the sky and trailed my eyes along them until a hand lay on top of mine, making my heart skip a beat.
“Yeah.” He fell silent beside me, the heat from his arm rolling off against mine. I leaned to the side, resting my head on his shoulder as we gazed at the stars for a moment, in peaceful silence. “Not very well. The code you gave me wasn’t strong enough – I can’t even remember my first day in high school.”
Frowning, I gave him a confused look. “Really? I thought it had done the trick.”
“Well it’s kept me dormant and that’s what the Specialists wanted, isn’t it?” he questioned in a bitter tone. No doubt he was annoyed that he was struggling to remember some things. I couldn’t blame him.
I tucked my knees into my chest, careful to keep my skirt in place and placed my chin between my knees. “This is all my fault. You’re suffering from your inner Seeker . . . because of me. If I hadn’t left and taken the emotional attachments away from you, you’d still be the same – but grieving. I didn’t want that. I didn’t want you chasing after me, especially because I know the Seekers would kill you the first chance they’d get.”
“And now I’m one of them.” I clamped my mouth shut and exhaled through my nose. “Sorry. Didn’t mean for it to come out like that.”
“No, no it’s fine,” I said hastily and got to my feet, brushing off my skirt then glanced at the balcony we had climbed up from. “We should get going.”
“Wait, there’s a reason I wanted you up here with me alone,” Tucker said quickly and caught my arm before I conjured up a stair of orange platforms for a safe return down. “You should know that even after all these years, even after causing me to become a monster, I love you, Alexi. I know it’s late but I always have, always will.”
It was like the world had stopped moving. All those retarded novels about how the two lovers acted as if they were the only beings in the universe? It didn’t seem so retarded anymore . . .
Turning slowly, I kept an impassive face and stared at him blankly, unable to muster a sound. My heart was hammering in my chest and I could feel my mind reeling with the three words, the three big words I thought I’d never hear him say to me.
“What –”
I was silenced by the press of his warm lips against mine. It was only gentle, but I trembled slightly under his touch. He must have felt my uncertainty, because he gave a little chuckle and held a strong arm around my lower back, supporting me. I felt my hands move to cup his face.
He smiled against my lips, twinkling eyes boring into my own. I felt a blush creep up my face, so I quickly dropped my hands and stepped back.
“D-Dinner.” I placed a hand over my mouth, shocked at how weak and pathetic my voice had come out then felt my face redden further. What was more embarrassing was I hadn’t had the courage to reply back with the same three words. I knew I was going to regret it later.
I could have sworn he rolled his eyes when he jumped down onto the small balcony in front of the French doors and held up his arms for me. I hesitantly jumped down, feeling him catch me around my waist and averted my gaze.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t get a seat,” I mumbled and felt his fingers intertwine with mine as I hastened for the door. “Come on, I’m starving.”
We ran down the stairs, a giggle bubbling in my throat when I realised the rest of the floors we passed by were barren. Obviously everybody had reached the ballroom earlier than us.
“Oh good,” I breathed, slipping through the doors and was relieved to find that others were only just beginning to find their seats on the many tables set around the vast room. I was surprised at how fast the place had been set up but then remembered that anything seemed possible with the powers of a Chroma. “Come on.”
“What’s the hurry?” he murmured into my hair, clenching his hand around mine and smiled at my flustered state.
“I want to eat.”
“Attractive.”
I gave him a sharp look then found Rosemarie’s striking red dress among many black suits and red and green dresses. “Now you choose to tease me?”
“When have I ever stopped?” Tucker joked and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. He acted like nothing had changed between us – and I liked it. Just for a moment, it was like he was never a Seeker.
“You all right?” I asked softly and caught up with Rosemarie, following her to a cluster of seats surrounding a large table that would seat at least ten, if not fifteen.
“Just fine,” he said quietly through clenched teeth, his arm tightening.
I fought the urge to squirm and flashed a smile to Rosemarie whose gaze trailed along Tucker’s arm around me. “Hey, Mary.”
“Hey,” she replied, never taking her eyes off the arm even though it slipped from my shoulder as we sat down. “Evening, Tucker.”
“Evening Rosemarie,” he responded politely and smiled. I brushed off the weird tension in his body before we took our seats. I couldn’t help the niggling question at the back of my mind: what was he thinking about?
“Alexi!” Katherine’s slender arms wrapped me in a hug around my shoulders while her voice whispered in my ear. “Nice to see things worked out.”
She knew? I gave Tucker a questioning look when she released me and sat next to Tucker before Oliver could make a move for it. Grateful for Katherine’s intervention, I turned to Rosemarie, Tucker’s fingers wrapped in mine again.
“So there’s dinner, some dancing, some hanging out and home?” I questioned.
“It’s Christmas Eve you dummy,” she said with in a ‘duh’ tone. “The past two months have flown past and you’ve aced your studies! Just relax, lay back and have fun and don’t make a schedule out of these things!”
“Almost six months since they died,” I murmured and clenched a fist. “It didn’t seem that long ago . . . but at the same time, it does.”
“Hey, no depressing thoughts,” Rosemarie said gently and pushed a lock of hair behind my ear with a warm smile. It didn’t help that her gesture was like a mother’s touch. “Enjoy yourself. We’ll have a countdown until Christmas then a whole load of fireworks will go off to celebrate it. In the meantime, just be on the lookout for any stray kids and Seekers.”
The mention of our predators made me stiffen. “What? Why would there be any of them lurking around?”
“The Queen Seekers are usually the brains of the hives and they’re old so they tend to know a lot,” she murmured, leaning in to lower her voice further. “If they figure out that we have two halfers in town, they’ll know our barriers are weakened. We’re not the only ones with mystical abilities.”
“The town is protected by codes,” I pointed out, feeling my heart jitter nervously. “They can’t get in. You said so yourself.”
Rosemarie’s cheerful face turned into a grim look. “Not when two Seekers immune to our gift are within the borders. Their presence can weaken them. Nobody but the Keepers, you and me know about this, including the other Specialists. It’s a risk having them here but for your sake and the chance that we could get some information out of Tucker was worth a shot.”
“But why?” I demanded. “Tucker can’t tell anything.”
“He has a very strong emotional connection to you, whether he’s half human or Seeker or not,” she said slowly and glanced over at Tucker who chatted with Katherine. “If that is able to suppress his Seeker side, he’ll be able to take over the Seeker mind and give us what we need – and fast. We don’t have enough time.”
“Enough time until what?”
“The Raid.” Her green eyes looked dark under the glittering chandelier lights above and her expression seemed to turn almost angry if not scared.
My brow furrowed while my fingers instinctively clenched around Tucker’s. “Raid? By the Seekers?”
“We need a way to stop them otherwise everybody in Fairwyn will suffer.”
I could feel my eyes widen and my blood run cold when a loud voice boomed over everybody else’s in the room. I slowly shifted on my seat and faced the plates and silver platters with domes covering the meals for everybody on the table.
Tucker must have sensed my unease and leaned in to me. “What’s wrong?”
Wiping the look from my face, I shook my head and forced a tight smile. “Nothing.”
He knew me too well that I was lying. That was why I was grateful when he left it at that.
Despite the cheerful atmosphere in the ballroom once the tables were cleared away, the satisfying dinner had not been enough to fill the emptiness of my stomach. Rosemarie’s words continued to run through my head as if stuck on replay.
Tucker led me away to a corner where nobody loitered around and gave me a firm squeeze on my shoulders. “What’s wrong?” We hadn’t been able to talk over dinner and it was too risky to let information on such a dangerous situation to be let out amongst all the Fairwyners in the room.
“We need a way to kill the Seeker Hives situated around Fairwyn, otherwise there won’t be a Fairwyn anymore,” I whispered in horror and frantically shook him. “You have to tell me now or soon, Tuck!”
A pained look crossed his face as he swivelled me around so his back was to the rest of the room. “I . . . can’t. It’s hard. The Seeker is stronger than me, Lex. It’s hard to fight against something that feels like a brick wall inside your head!”
I took a step back and felt the tears well up in my eyes. “You have to. For me. I won’t be alive if those Seekers find out that our barriers are weakened.”
His blue eyes widened and I saw a flash of crimson in them, jolting my fear further. “Don’t. Say. That.”
“Why not?” I hissed, pursing my lips at him and placed a hand on his shoulder, pouring in a flow of warmth to reinforce the code drawn in permanent marker.
“Because it can hear what you’re saying too!” he shot back in a panic. I watched his face contort in pain, a strained gasp escaping his lips. “I’m trying . . . everything.”
I could see the internal conflict playing through his eyes and felt the fear bubble up inside of me when I caught the flashes of crimson over blue. “Fight. Darn it –”
A lively Christmas tune blared through the speakers set up in the corners of the room, giving the two of us a full blast of Jingle Bells in our ears.
Flinching away from the speakers, I placed my hands on Tucker’s shoulders and squeezed tightly. “Tucker?”
With one final gasp he limped into my arms and groaned in my ears. “I don’t know how long the Seeker will be able to be contained but it will come back.”
“But you’ll keep trying right?” I asked hopefully, relief washing over me as I pulled him away from the dancing townspeople, all having a good time except us. “And you’ll tell me how we can kill the Hives?”
“I’m trying,” he grunted, grabbing fistfuls of blonde hair and rested his forehead against my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around him in a hug and sighed, wishing I could read his mind like Jillian could. “Just . . . just have fun for the night. I need to be distracted.”
I gave him a concerned look. “Are you sure? You’re . . . you’re a little pale, Tuck.”
He gave me a sharp look, causing me to flinch as though I saw his eyes turn red. His expression softened as he pulled me into a tight hug and exhaled into my hair. “I’m fine. Thank you for caring.”
“Well why wouldn’t I?” I mumbled into his chest and almost smiled at the cheerful music in the background, completely contradicting the fear and panic we both were obviously feeling. His hugs were always so reassuring. They always made me feel so safe. This had to be one of the few times since he became a Seeker that I could feel this close to him again.
“Because I’m a half Seeker.”
“That would never stop me,” I growled then felt a tap on my shoulder. I leaned away from Tucker reluctantly to find Oliver giving me a tight smile.
“You’ll save me a dance by the end of the night at least, right?” he questioned through clenched teeth.
“Of course, Olly,” I teased. “But what about Joss?”
“She’s annoyed that I’m looking out for you,” Oliver informed me, irritation colouring his tone. “Remember, Alexi; be careful.”
I scoffed. “I will, Oliver. You really don’t have to worry. I can take care of myself.”
Even with good intentions, Oliver’s protectiveness was getting to me. He acted like I couldn’t even walk properly without getting myself hurt.
“Shoo,” I urged, giving him an annoyed look and raised an eyebrow at him. “Go comfort Jocelyn, Oliver. I’m fine.”
He looked reluctant to go and continued to give Tucker a ferocious glare. With a final huff, he stormed off, still glancing back at me uncertainly.
“What’s his problem?” Tucker muttered to me while the Christmas song ended and another came on, just specifically for the kids to enjoy while the adults lingered around the borders of the room, watching the little ones have fun.
“He’s just looking out for me,” I said quietly and held his hand with both of mine. “Like you.”