Fusion (5 page)

“No, Your Highness,” he said, his expression proving otherwise.

“David, I’ve known you for a long time. What’s the matter?”

“Nothing, I will carry out my assignment as ordered.”

“Actually,” Kellan said, “I’d prefer to do it, if it’s okay with you.” Kellan looked up at Amadea.

Amadea raised her eyebrows. “I wasn’t expecting this. What’s the issue, David? You are Arizona’s Wanderer, right?”

“Yes, and it’s not a problem.”

“Why can’t I do it?” Kellan interrupted. “Arizona and I spend a lot more time together than she does with David. I would prefer it.”

“Amadea? Surely that’s okay?” Olivia agreed.

Amadea shook her head. “Kellan does not have a Wanderer connection with Arizona. David will be able to keep her safer.”

David turned to Kellan. “That’s true, but we can work together. Main thing is to keep her safe.”

“Good. Now that we are clear, I’ll get back to Rupert and let him know that everyone is covered.” She got up from her seat.

“Wait,” Olivia said quickly. “I need to know where Rupert is. How is he? When will he be home?”

“He is fine, just very busy. He’s in London at the moment, but is leaving for St. Moritz tomorrow morning. I promise that he will come home as soon as he is able. In the meantime, carry on as normally as you can.” With that, she faded and then completely disappeared.

I
stared into her big brown eyes, wondering what was going on in her little head. The depths of her eyes pooled an ocean of wisdom and thoughts that I felt she wanted—needed—for me to tap into. We sat on my bed, inches from each other, not touching but completely engrossed in one another. Her nose suddenly twitched, and she sneezed, her eyebrows rising into a comedic arch. Her somber mood was suddenly replaced by one of bewilderment, one that I couldn’t help but giggle at. She shook herself and rolled over, clearly looking for a belly rub.

But I was afraid to touch her. Just hours ago, contact with her skin—her fur—had transported my mind into random flashings of disjointed image clips all coming at me at a speed that made me feel unbalanced, like I was in a free fall into nowhere. I had instinctively moved away from her, hoping to make the flashes stop. I had no idea what I’d seen. The images changed so quickly. In my panic, I hadn’t taken the time to try to remember any of them.

Everyone’s eyes had been glued to me as I stood up and moved away from Gertrude.

“What happened?” Mom had asked.

I had been vague. Not on purpose, but because the incident itself was unclear. Thankfully, they hadn’t pushed me. David’s mother diverted our attention by asking us to get seated for dinner.

After dinner, Mom had given us—Ella, me, and the dog—a ride home from David’s place before she drove to her office, leaving Grandma in charge. Gertrude hadn’t left my side, refusing to stay with David even though he’d been pretty insistent. No, Gertrude had been determined, and we gave in and let her follow us home thinking that she could have a playdate with Tallulah. Tallulah had been overjoyed to see her, jumping all over Gertrude in excitement. Gertrude had indulged her, playing a game of mock chase until Ella settled Tallulah down and took her up to bed. Instead of following them, Gertrude had stayed by my side, and I let her, feeling oddly comfortable with her. She even followed me into the bathroom while I showered, snoozing outside the stall.

Now, she lay on my bed waiting for a rub. I covered my hand with my blanket hoping that it was sufficient to prevent direct contact with her fur. I rubbed her tummy gently in circular motions. She stretched her hind legs, enjoying the attention. I relaxed back into the headboard, happy that the blanket provided protection against more flashbacks. Not that I wasn’t tempted to revisit the images from before. I was, but I needed to be able to
look
at them. I needed time to figure out what they were, and the last episode had been so intense, too rushed. I wondered what would happen if I touched her quickly, just a little with my finger. There was only one way to find out.

Just as I was about to gently poke Gertrude with my finger, Kellan called.

“Hey!”

“Hi, Kell. What’s happening? Why did Constance need you to stay?”

“Your grandmother, Amadea, called a meeting. She was passing on orders from your dad.”

That sounded weird. “Orders?” My dad was so not someone who’d ever given
orders
, but I guessed he had to as the Wanderer sovereign.

“Yes, with him being the new sovereign and being called back to work, he needs to know that his family is safe. So, he assigned Wanderer protection to each of you.”

“Oh? What does that mean?”

“David’s staying and is going to hang out with you. I’ve promised to help him, so I’ll be spending a lot more time with you, too.”

I laughed. That wasn’t even possible! We already spent every moment we could together. “You’re my new Wanderer guardian?”

“Nope. Not an active Wanderer, remember?”

I heard the frustration in his tone.

“David’s still your guardian, but I am going to help him. He’s moving in with Harry and will cover you at night. I’ll watch you during the day.”

“Is that really necessary? I mean… I love hanging out with you and all, but it’s a bit creepy having someone watch me all the time.”

“Don’t know. It’s what your dad wants. Anyway, just think of it as spending more time together, that’s all. Your mom, David, and Harry will be home soon, and I’ll pick you up for breakfast.”

“Mom? She’s still at work.”

“No, she was called to the meeting as well and is on her way home.”

“What was she doing there?” I couldn’t imagine Mom being into attending a Wanderer meeting even though she was slowly accepting them into our lives.

“Well, she is the queen—”

I snickered.

“Yeah, it’s funny, right?”

“No kidding.”

“Gertrude still there?”

“Yes, but tell me more about the meeting. Did Gramadea say where Dad is, when he’s coming home?”

“No, not really. He’s in London and maybe leaves for Switzerland tomorrow. That’s all I know. Now, are you going to tell me what happened between you and Gertrude earlier?”

“I wasn’t being vague on purpose. I’m not sure exactly what happened.” I described the fast-moving images to Kellan and then waited for him to react.

He took his time, and I started to wonder if he’d nodded off. It
was
late…

“Hmm. I guess touching her too long isn’t a good idea. Want me to stay on the phone while you try a brief contact with her fur? Let’s FaceTime, so I can see what happens.”

“All right.” I switched to FaceTime, pointing the camera so that both Gertrude and I were in view. “Can you see us, Kell?”

“Yep, go ahead.”

“Right, ready, Gertie?”

She rolled over and put her head down between her paws.

I closed my eyes and tapped her head once, gently, with my finger. Nothing.

“Well?” Kellan asked.

“Nada. I am going to try again for a bit longer.”

“Go for it.”

I put my finger back on her head, deciding to keep it there until something happened. Within a few seconds, the wave of images started, sending me into a panic. I withdrew my hand and rubbed my fingers, trying to regain control of my thoughts.

“Shrimp?”

“They just come so fast, Kell. I can’t make out what’s happening at all. It’s like a bunch of photographs all falling at the same time right in front of me. I can’t focus.

“What’s this all about anyway? Why is this dog even here? David said she was visiting, but this somehow seems aimed at me… like he knew this was going to happen.” I pursed my lips at Kellan.

“Yeah. As you know, Gertrude spent last year with you and seems responsible for the change in you. I guess she came back to help you remember what happened last year.”

I nodded. That did make sense. I wished her doggy brain would slow down. Those flashes could be images of my life in the past year, but what if there was more to it? “Did you guys consider the possibility that I would revert back to that Arizona? Is that what you want?” Fury rose within me at the very thought. Was I not good enough? Did they all like the other Arizona better? That must be it. I turned off FaceTime before Kellan could open his mouth. Screw him. And everyone else.

“Shoo! Off you go! Vanish!” I waved my arms at Gertrude, trying to get her off my bed. I didn’t care about everyone else. I was
me
; take it or leave it.

My phone rang—Kellan. I ignored it, powering it off and throwing it under my bed. Hearing a car arrive, I jumped off the bed and stomped down the stairs to have it out with Mom. She wasn’t alone. David, Harry, and the boy I had met in London were there. Perfect. I was furious enough to let them all have it. I put my hands on my hips and glared at them.

“Arizona, I thought you’d be asleep by—” Mom started.

“What the heck is going on with this darned dog?” I fumed, pointing at Gertrude, who had followed me down the stairs and now stood beside me.

“I don’t really understand either, Arizona,” Mom said. “Inez talked to me about it just moments before you were reunited with Gertrude. I wasn’t the least bit happy about this reunion. What if you had reverted back?”

“Exactly. What then? Why did you let her?”

“Inez pointed out that by leaving, Gertrude had taken that aspect of you with her, and if a reversion reoccurred, it would be solved by Gertrude leaving again. She said that she hoped a short visit might help you fill in the blanks from last year. I wasn’t buying into her confidence that this would be a positive thing, but Gertrude was sprung on you before I could assess the situation. I am sorry, Arizona. Anyhow, there’s been no significant consequence to meeting her, has there? I mean, in addition to the vague flashes you described. Have they happened again?”

“No,” I lied. “I just think this is all really insane. It’s like you all want the other Arizona back.” I stepped away, clenching my fists.

Mom came over and put her arm around me. “I can assure you that’s not the case. David—” She turned to him. “It’s not that I am not pleased to see her, I am, but why did you bring Gertrude back now?”

“She promised Arizona, remember?” he said quietly.

“Huh?” I asked.

“Before Gertrude left, she promised to come and visit you soon.”

“And did you for a second think about how it would affect me now?” Maybe he was fed up with my feelings for him. Apparently, the other Arizona had pushed him away, right into some other girl’s arms.

He looked sad. “I can’t believe that you’d think that any of us meant you harm. Gertrude won’t hurt you. What happened before was outside her control, a product of her unnatural passage through the Portal. That’s not the case now. She wandered over naturally and is totally aware of the circumstances. She’s not going to turn you into anyone else.”

“How do you know that?”

“We are both Wanderers and can communicate with each other,” he said simply.

“She told you?” I asked incredulously.

“In a manner.”

“What does that mean?” I mocked.

“Just trust me, Arizona. You’re not going to become anyone else. However, Gertrude can share her memories with you and help you remember the last year. The flashes that you saw before are probably just that: images as she recalls them.”

I felt somewhat reassured.

“Arizona, excuse me for a moment. This is Bruno,” Mom interrupted.

“Hi there. Nice to see you again,” Bruno said, obviously a bit taken aback at being thrown into the middle of our family drama.

“How’s your dad?” I asked. He’d had his own share of family issues with his father who’d slumped into a deep depression after his daughter died. In fact, that was the whole reason Dad had to take over as head potato. Otherwise, Bruno’s father would have been the new Wanderer sovereign.

“How do you two know each other?” Frustration laced Mom’s tone. “And what’s all this about your father, Bruno?”

“We met in London,” I said. “Bruno, update Mom, please. I’m not done yelling at David.”

She seemed about to protest, but Bruno nodded, gently leading her into the family room.

“Sis, I’m outta here. It’s late. I’ll talk to you in the morning. Have fun, David,” Harry said and disappeared, leaving David and me alone. Well, not completely alone. Gertrude stayed firmly by my side.

“Poppet, like Harry said, it’s really late. How about you continue yelling at me tomorrow?”

“I’m not going to yell anymore,” I said quietly. “I need you to help me figure out what to do with Gertrude, though.”

“I can take her home if you want,” he offered. “She’s had her visit as promised.”

“If she goes, there’s no chance of me remembering what happened last year, is there?”

David shrugged. “I have no idea. You’ve already had flashes of memories, of feelings coming back to you, on your own, haven’t you? Maybe they will all come back eventually. I don’t know. Do you even want to remember?”

“Of course I do. I don’t feel completely like myself. I need to figure out what’s going on, and I guess if Gertrude can help me speed it along, that’s all good. However, whatever she was trying to show me was too fast for me to pick up on. It made my head spin.”