Accordance (43 page)

I nodded to him and watched as he got up and walked slowly out, my family parting to let him pass. I nodded to the other two as well that just stood there, waiting for punishment. They ran to catch up to the other one and I turned Caleb to me.

“I told you,” I said I relief and hugged him tightly. “I knew it would work.”

“What happened?” Peter asked Caleb and came to the center. “How did you do that?”

“I still don’t know,” Caleb said and leaned back. His took my wrist in his hands and ran his thumb over my tattoo. “Maybe it has something to do with this.”

He turned and showed them and they gasped and came closer. He showed them his wrist too and the reaction was the same.

“What is that?” Uncle Max asked.

“Infinity,” Caleb answered.

“I’ve never seen that before,” Max continued. “And Sikes’s was right. A human getting the family tattoo had never happened before.”

“And,” Peter asked, “when did you…um…how long have you had…” Peter was having trouble getting his question out.

“Oh for goodness sakes,” Gran cut in. “When did you do the deed.”

“Gran!” Rachel said appalled.

“What? We all see the tattoos. We know that they Mutualized, it’s not a secret. It’s natural isn’t it? I remember when you and Peter came over after the first time you Mutualized-”

“Gran, please, no,” she begged.

“Oh, whatever. Anyway, what your extremely old fashioned parents are trying to ask you is when you Mutualized.”

“Last night,” Caleb answered softly and tried not to laugh but failed when Kyle and Uncle Max chuckled. Even I found myself trying to stop laughing. This whole thing was just ridiculous as we stood in the debris and talked about intimate events. “What does that matter, though?” Caleb finally asked.

“I’m trying to pinpoint when the change happened in you,” Peter explained.

“It’s not that,” I told them and I looked at Caleb. “Yesterday at your house you, you didn’t have the tattoo then, and before, when that guy grabbed me at the club. You held that big guy down with no effort at all.”

“I don’t get it,” Caleb said hopeful and intrigued.

“Ok. Peter’s ability is to detect earth elements. Go ahead. Try to focus on something in this room and see if you can find anything.”

“I still don’t get it.”

“Trust me,” I whispered and smiled.

He closed his eyes immediately and cocked his head to the side. Peter watched spellbound as Caleb’s eyes scrunched and he moved his head around. When he opened his eyes and looked dead at the ring on Gran’s finger, Peter clapped his hands once and laughed.

“Incredible,” he said in wonder.

“What is it?” Caleb asked. “I can…see something. Like a sparkle.”

“Yes,” Peter concurred. “Gran’s ring is sapphire. Wow.” He grinned ear to ear. “What does this mean?” he asked me.

“It means,” I explained, “Caleb can borrow our abilities.” I turned to Caleb and spouted my revelation proudly. “You were doing it this whole time with me. You just thought you were reading everything through me because I’m your significant but really, you were borrowing my ability when you were around me.”

“So I’m a…poacher?” Caleb asked but he was happy. So happy.

Everyone laughed and clapped him on the back and hugged us.

“That’s why you never felt the urgency we feel for our ability. Wow,” Peter continued. “I’m so proud of you, both of you. You saved our lives, I hope you know that.”

We looked around at the mess and I apologized for starting the demolition. Uncle Max waved me off and said it was fine. He was just glad everyone was alright. We also had to go soon. Our flight left in two hours. I tried to come up with an idea on how to fix their house. And we still had Watsons to dispose of.

“Go,” he told me. “Me and the wife will deal with all this and leave tomorrow. You need to be there now.”

“If you’re sure…” I inched.

“We are.”

“I’m really sorry.”

“Not another word about it,” he commanded and hugged me. “Now, you all get going or you’ll miss your flight.”

After the guys got the luggage from upstairs and we loaded down the cars, we convoyed our way to the airport. Peter handed me my passport right before we got out. I started blankly at it. I’d never even thought about my needing one before that but he apparently had. And he’d somehow had connections to get one for me. Hmm.

They must have bought every seat on the plane to fit so many people flying at once. And that was exactly what they did. We rode a huge Boeing all the way to London, a straight shot, with a plane full of Jacobsons. I shook my head at them, the uncles bantering with the stewardesses and Gran yelling about her orange juice being powdered and they were trying to kill her.

I laughed as I turned back to my seat.

“What’s so funny?” Caleb asked me beside him.

“Nothing, I’m just happy.”

“Good.”

“Hey, love birds,” Kyle said as him and Lynne took the seats beside us. “We sure know how to party, huh?”

“Yeah,” I said. “Lynne, you ok? That’s not a very good way to be introduced in to the family is it?”

“I’m ok,” she said softly. “It was pretty scary though. It’s not always like this is it?”

“Lately, yeah,” Kyle said but soothed her by rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. She sighed deep and I bit my lip, remembering how drugged and calm I felt at Caleb’s touch those first few days of being with him. Caleb read my mind and rubbed his thumb over my knuckles too, winking. “But don’t worry. We’re going to London. The reunificantion is just a big party really, and with us coming with our significants to show off, it’s gonna be even better. Nothing bad ever happens at these things.”

She smiled at him and they put their heads together to take a nap. We had a long flight so I leaned into Caleb and did the same.

When we landed, we were met by another convoy, but this time it was a row of sleek black Range Rovers. We all piled in and Peter led the way. Caleb drove behind him and the rest followed us. We drove for about an hour and a half before we reached a small road that took us up into the green hills. It was absolutely gorgeous. There were huge rocks and boulders everywhere and green vines and the greenest grass. We went up and up and just when I was about to ask Caleb how much further, we pulled into a stone driveway and into a big yard with a little cottage.

Peter didn’t stop though and was headed straight for a big long wall of bushes. I figured he’d turn at a driveway or something near it, but no. And when he went through I heard my little shriek and then it was our turn.

“Caleb!”

I squeezed his arm and braced for…something, but instead we went straight through it, like a big curtain that swayed around us and into a big garage looking thing. It went down and around like a parking garage and there were some other cars there too already nestled into spots along the back wall. We pulled into a spot beside Peter and I heard Caleb and Kyle chuckling.

“You could have told me,” I said.

“What would have been fun about that?” Kyle asked and got out, pulling Lynne out his side with him.

“I’m sorry,” Caleb said with a smile that said he wasn’t. “Forgive me.”

“Maybe, after some persuasion.”

He leaned forward with a grin and kissed me. I sighed at the rush of calm I got and felt him pull me a little closer over the gear shift. Someone tapped on the window.

Maria.

“Come on, guys!” she said muffled through the glass. “Everyone’s going in and you don’t want to be left out here alone do you?”

I bit my lip as we laughed and even though we very much wanted to be alone for a minute before making my debut, we got out and walked with her. We walked back to the yard through a door off the side and everyone made their way to the cottage.

I felt confused as to how everyone would fit in there.

“The guardians live here year round,” Caleb explained. “They live in the house but the council palace is underground.”

“Palace,” I whispered.

Then I saw the tree from that Watson’s mind. It lined the side fence. It was massive and just like his memory, it had wound its branches and limbs into the filigree work along the top of the fence. It looked old, like it had been there from long ago.

When we crossed the threshold behind everyone else, I saw an older couple holding open one door that lead right to another, down into a dark hallway. They ushered us in and shut the door, locking it behind us. I felt my heart rate pick up.

“It’s ok,” Caleb soothed. “It’s always this way. This hall takes us down to stairs to the council meeting place. They hide it so there’s never any chance of someone seeing us or wondering what all those people are doing all together like this, you know.”

I nodded and he wrapped his arm around me and kissed my temple. We reached the stairs and started our descent. It was a very long way. Maria was going on ahead of us about the fight today and how awesome it was. How Caleb and I kicked butt, she said. Caleb chuckled, his thoughts affectionate for her. He’d been scared today, watching her in the clutches of the Watsons. That had been one reason he had been so focused and honed into what he had to do.

At the end of the stairs was a door and I could see the glow from the ones going in already ahead of us.

My heart skipped again in anticipation.

I didn’t want to be a freak show. I didn’t want to be on display.

“It’s ok, Maggie. This first day will be bad, I won’t pretend it won’t be but, after that, it’ll be fine and they’ll get used to it. But you have to remember, you’re like a miracle to them. You represent what they’ve been waiting for.”

“Caleb’s right,” Peter said. I hadn’t realized he had stopped to wait for us. “And unfortunately, they are very traditional in the old ways. There are some things you’ll be subjected to that you’ll just have to endure, I’m afraid.”

“Like what?”

“Like the bowing, for one.”

“Oh, come on,” I groaned.

“I’m sorry, dear. But they will think it a disgrace and insult on anyone who doesn’t treat you as the Visionary should be treated in their eyes.”

“Ok,” I conceded. I didn’t want to fight with Peter or disappoint him. And I didn’t want to stomp on their tradition. I just wanted to be normal. “I promise I’ll behave accordingly,” I said all proper making him smile in amusement.

“I’m so very proud of you, Maggie.” He kissed my forehead. “We’ll be with you the whole time. We’ll get through this together.”

I nodded and gladly accepted Caleb’s firm grip on my hand as he towed me into the bright light from the room. It was just like his memory; a big golden room, like a ballroom, with high ceilings and no windows. The floor was gold too and it was intimidating. There were so many people in there and as if they sensed me every eye in the place turned to me. I cringed and Caleb pulled me closer.

“You’re ok. You’re just going to have to get used to people seeing you as I see you; amazing.”

Please don’t leave me alone here.

You will not be able to get rid of me,
he promised.
As we turned to follow Peter I saw something that stood out among the nicely dressed people. A girl with black hair, dressed in a long purple dress with a small train and her skin white and gleaming. She had an entourage of about fifteen people behind her. One of them looked awfully familiar to me but the girl I recognized right away.

Marla.

“Maggie,” she crooned and came to us.

Peter had stopped too and eyed her curiously. A few others of our family made their way to stand at our backs.

“What are you doing here?” I asked her.

“It’s a Reunification. I’m supposed to be here.”