Atlantis (32 page)

I didn’t understand anything after rain, but the husky texture of his foreign words were like chocolate. Chocolate and honey. Elliott’s voice was delicious. I couldn’t get enough. “I do have a theory about your lack of projecting ability,” he started to say. But before I knew it I was falling back to reality.

My body and soul reached out to hold on to Elliott, but I couldn’t. The falling was over quickly. I didn’t open my eyes. This was not where I wanted to be. Water fell, drumming in the background as I shivered slightly in my damp clothes.

Chapter 15. Boat

I woke early. Before the summer sunrise even. Vague memories came flooding back. Nicholas, the date, the dinner, drowning, projecting, and Elliott. Everything after Elliott was really fuzzy.

I searched my brain for how I got here, in my bed, in my pajamas. I think my mom helped me change after Nicholas carried me to bed, but I wouldn’t bet money on it. My thoughts were only focusing on one thing. One person. Everything else melted into oblivion.

I tried to focus. Looking around my room I saw that someone had placed the vase of gardenias Nicholas had given me on my bedside dresser. It was probably my mom. For one brief moment I was incredibly annoyed. Then my thoughts raced back to Elliott and how that smell surrounded him.

I snagged one of the flowers from the vase and lay back with the bloom pressed to my nose. I breathed the white petals in deep and my mind faded back to sleep with my love coloring my thoughts.

When I woke again, I fought it. I didn’t want to quit dreaming. I was enjoying being unconscious too much, but the sun shone bright through my window. With a sigh, I gave up and rolled out of bed.

I landed on the floor with a thump.

Meredith, my mom, must have heard me, because seconds later I heard her start up the stairs. I started to panic. I didn’t have my thoughts collected on everything that happened last night. Unfortunately, ready or not, the Spanish Inquisition was about to begin.

The questions started before she was even through the door. “So, Lilly,” it was sad that my own mother’s voice sounded like most of the girls’ at school, anxious for the latest gossip, “how was your date?”

I stood up and sat back down on the bed. I might as well be as comfortable as possible while I’m being tortured. “Fine.”

“
Where did Nicholas take you?” she prodded.

“
On a picnic hike up Dimpledell.”

Meredith sat down next to me, practically bouncing. “Did he kiss you?”

“
Mom!” I stood up and walked to the window.

“
Did he?”

CPR didn’t count as kissing in my book. It didn’t matter to me if it did in Nicholas’s.

“
No,” I answered.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Nicholas laying on my roof under the windowsill. He was listening and winked at me when our eyes met. I quickly moved towards the bed as not to draw my mom’s attention to my unconventional door. The lone gardenia was still on my pillow. I picked it up and placed it in the vase with the rest of them. It was the wrong thing to do.

“
It was really nice of Nicholas to bring you those beautiful flowers.”

“
Um hmm.”

She pressed on. “I thought you might like to see them when you woke up. They smell amazing.”

I didn’t reply.

I thought they smelled amazing also, but for completely different reasons. My mom kept talking about how great Nicholas was, and what a gentleman he was being and on and on. I tuned it out. It occurred to me that Charlotte would be here acting exactly the same way if it hadn’t been a date with the person she was in love with. Instead I had to deal with my mother.

“
Charlotte called for you last night while you were on your date.” She added casually amidst her assessment of Nicholas. This caught my attention.

“
What did you say?”

“
You are all still friends right? Or has that changed
too
?” She was fishing with bait now. “She seemed a bit surprised that you were on a date with Nicholas.”

My teeth clenched tight.
Great
. “What exactly did you tell her mom?” The tension in my voice leaked through.

“
Should I not have said anything?” she said with false innocence.

I noticed she didn’t answer the question. My eyes flashed to the cracked window. Nicholas was hearing everything. I had to be diplomatic. But I also didn’t want my mom playing in the messy little love triangle that had formed. “Things are a little complicated right now,” I scratched my head, “and fuzzy.” I needed out of the conversation and quick. “I really think I need a shower.”

Meredith’s shoulders dropped and her face looked disappointed. “We can talk more later,” I added. It would be easier to lie with Nicholas out of earshot.

She seemed appeased with this alternative, not happy, but appeased. I could tell she wanted the dirt
now
. But I needed to decide what I was going to say. Meredith sat on my bed watching me walk around nervously. It was apparent she wasn’t going to leave, so I did. I went and locked myself in the bathroom. Just in case.

I had a quick shower. Washing my hair and body at break neck speeds. I was getting faster at getting ready. But when I turned off the water in under five minutes, I felt more jittery rather than a calm and collected person. I didn’t feel like a girl who knows all the answers to the questions she is to be ambushed with the second she stepped out of the door. My heart started to race along with my mind. I turned the water back on.

This time I plugged the drain and filled the tub with hot water. I added some of the vanilla bath salts from the windowsill. I lay down in the rising water and tried to find answers to the questions that were sure to come.

The sound of the running water was as soothing as a lullaby. I focused on that noise and let the hot water relax my tense body. I was almost comfortable enough to fall asleep when I realized I was in prime condition for projecting.
Why not give it a try?

The splashing of the water from the faucet continued for what felt like a long time. I was trying not to look at the clock. But it felt like forever. The water had risen to the edge of the tub when I reluctantly moved to turn off the faucet. I didn’t want to move a muscle. I had to be getting close to projecting. But something was holding me back. I just couldn’t seem to let go...

I was stubborn however, and I lay back down to try again.

Over an hour later, as the water was getting cold, there was a knock on the bathroom door. I plugged my nose and scooted down until my head was under the water. The knocking continued.

“
Lilly!” a worried honey voice called to me from under the water. I shot straight up immediately.

“
Elliott?” I whispered back.

Nothing. I shouldn’t have gone under the water.

The knocking on the door continued.

I rolled my eyes back in my head. I still didn’t feel prepared for the quiz Meredith was waiting to give me. “Yes?” I said with more attitude than was probably called for.

“
Lil,” Sophie whispered through the door. “Can I come in?”

Whew!
Not the inquisitorial squad. Or was it? “It’s locked Soph,” I said with hesitation. She could be working for my mom.

There was a pause. The whispering continued. “Nicholas is in your room. He says to ‘hurry up.’ What should I tell him?”

I wasn’t even prepared to deal with my mom. What to do about Nicholas, or what to say to him, hadn’t even crossed my mind. “Tell him to go away.” I told Sophie. I was sure Elliott would be worried sick. I’d promised no swimming. I wish there were a way to let him know I was okay. As usual these days, I was being sidetracked.

“
He said you would say that,” she quietly giggled. “He said, ‘Nope, he’s waiting.’”

Damn it.
“Fine.” I grumbled. “Tell him to give me a sec.”

“
Kay.” She giggled again and the laughter trailed off as she headed to my room.

I pulled the plug and let the water drain down. I toweled off quickly and dressed in my usual jeans and white man-beater tank. With some gel on my fingers, I gave myself a rush-job hairdo. I glanced at the mirror on the way out and noticed my short black spikes looked like there was effort. I tousled my hair more, deliberately trying to mess it up. I didn’t want Nicholas thinking my hours in the bathroom was for his benefit.

As I rounded the hall, I saw Sophie playing with some of her dolls on the floor in front of my room. Guarding it. What a good little sister I had.

“
Thanks,” I said to Sophie in passing as I entered my room.

“
No prob. Nicholas gave me five bucks.”
Very wise of him to bribe the guard.

The door closed.

Nicholas gave me a big bear hug the moment he saw me. “I’m so glad you’re alright. You were really out of it after I kissed you last night.”

Reflexively, I returned his hug, but my body lost all tension as his words sunk in. “We didn’t kiss.”

“
Our lips were touching.”

“
Not a kiss Nicholas.”

“
I can do it again if you like.” He looked down and puckered up. I was unable to answer, his hold on me was so tight. I shook my head no.

“
I was really worried. I slept on your roof.”

I looked up at Nicholas but I didn’t know what to say.

As my eyes shifted around my room for a diversion, my red tattered notebook caught my eye. I had an idea. I couldn’t focus on anything until I let Elliott know I was okay. I could just picture him going crazy in the astral meadow. I flipped through it until I found a blank page and quickly scrawled: