Secrets of the Guardian (Waldgrave Book 3) (35 page)

“Explain.”

Perhaps it was the influence of the house where she had been a terror of a child, or maybe she was angry that her grandmother and sister were gone forever; Ember rolled her eyes at her mother before her grooming took over.

“I’m going out with friends.” Ember said; she immediately wished she would have paused long enough to make up a lie.

“You have friends here? Who?” Gina’s tone was as calm as ever, but the way she twitched when her daughter said “friends” was a definite sign to Ember that she had caught her off guard.

“Isaac.” Ember said once again, closing her eyes in regret; she was used to lying, but only about her family. Maybe that was why it was so difficult.

Her mother cocked her head. “And?”

Ember looked at the floor, defeated. “Some other guys.”

Gina made a show of thinking over the proposition for a moment, her gaze caught halfway between Ember and Thalia as she started to turn back to the living room. Then her airy blue eyes flicked back to Ember. “You’re staying in.”

Ember and Gina locked stares. Thalia got up to stand behind her mother, gawking at Ember as though she was about to commit a heinous crime. Ember could hear the beat of her own heart beneath Nan humming “Mary Had a Little Lamb” in the kitchen, keeping rhythm like an organic metronome.

But then she heard her new friends laughing outside. They were laughing like normal teenagers with friends and happy homes. She felt the weight that had been dislodged in her brain upstairs give way and drop free of her being, crashing through the soles of her feet. The last moment that her mother controlled her life had already come and gone, and Ember couldn’t remember it. It certainly wasn’t
this
moment.

“I’m going out.” Ember said with finality.  “I’ll see you later.”

Thalia stepped forward and caught her hand on the door, gripping her wrist so tightly that it hurt. Ember glared at her. She was shaking her head. “Mom said no. Don’t go out. Just go back upstairs…”

But Gina had stepped forward, also shaking her head, and pried Thalia’s hand off of Ember’s, shooting each a look of severe disappointment. Thalia was looking to her mother for guidance as she let her grasp go. Gina was looking at Ember with her jaw clenched, but didn’t say a thing. She wasn’t going to stop her.

Ember had a sneaking suspicion that she knew what Gina was up to, and it made her lip curl in disgust. Gina didn’t want her to go out, but even more, she didn’t want her to stay in. She wanted Ember out of her house.

“No.” Gina repeated in a low whisper. “Stay in.”

Ember closed her eyes as her sweaty palm threw the door all the way open, and she bolted. Her feet pounded the dirt pathway and her heart was no longer ticking the rhythm of a nursery rhyme, but pounding like a heavy bass. When she cleared the property line, she turned and looked back; the door was still open, but Gina and Thalia were nowhere to be seen.

The boys were laughing again. Ember could hear their voices drifting towards her as she stared at the gaping hole in the house the open door left. It was like she had ripped a piece out of it.

The blond boy, whose name Ember didn’t know yet, clapped a hand around her shoulder, and she could feel his cold, stony grip through her jacket. “Well done, Ember! I see you have a problem with front doors as well…”

Ember finally tore her gaze from the house and turned to look at the people standing in a circle around her. Isaac was taller than she had expected. He had deep brown hair and a gangly, casual composure, made even more casual by the worn and scraggly red sweater with bits of yarn pulled out at odd angles. His face was angular in a way that made his eyes peak like he was nervous about everything, and the way he pushed his hands down into his pockets made his shoulders hunch up and he looked even taller.

He had a habit of staring mostly at the ground, but he would look up anxiously every few words, as if he wanted to be sure Ember was listening to him.

He introduced the other two boys as his brothers; Asher was the shorter, sturdy, blond one with perfect teeth, and Acton was almost as tall as Isaac, with dark, almost black hair and deep set eyes. He wasn’t gangly like Isaac, but still thinner than average; he was wearing his black suede jacket but Ember could tell he was more muscular than Isaac. He looked decidedly younger than the other two, but there was something in the way he offered his hand, the enigmatic, tight smile curling on his lips, and the way he was wearing newer, neater clothes, that made her think he was the oldest.

“Ember.” He had said, taking her hand and lightly kissing it, his eyes always on her face. “Our lady of the shattered window.”

“Um, yeah…” She stuttered, trying to think of something equally clever to say back at him. The feel of his lips against her hand was new, and both frightening and exciting. It made her feel adult beyond her years. “Acton. It’s…it’s nice to meet you too.”

Acton smiled politely before turning back to the group, releasing his grasp, but not removing his hand, so that Ember’s still rested lightly atop it. It was as though he was presenting her as a debutante.

He used his free hand to gesture. “And this is Kaylee, Asher’s girlfriend—“

“Vindictive harpy.” Isaac muttered at the ground. He glanced up, first at Kaylee and then at Acton, and then used one hand to cover his mouth as he went back to studying the forest floor.

Kaylee was wearing black leggings and a pink puffy jacket, and she was built like a cheerleader: short, muscular, and perky. She smiled a lot. Standing next to her, Asher’s own muscular build seemed much more graceful; he could have been a dancer.

“Thanks Isaac.” Kaylee smiled sweetly. “You know I love you too, darling.”

What captured Ember’s attention most was their eyes. Asher’s were a light blue, and Isaac and Acton’s were hazel, but they all had copper flecks in them. Once she had noticed it, it was hard not to stare. They were long striations, reaching all the way from the center to the rim of the iris—tiny ruddy brown veins of copper and what could have been little green flecks of verdigris. She had never seen eyes like them before, and the contrast the red-brown made against Asher’s light blue was stunning.

Acton’s patient smile made her realize she had been quietly staring at each of their faces for a conversational turn too long.

“I’m sorry…” She said, laughing nervously and shaking her head.

“It’s okay, they’re used to it.” Kaylee batted her eyes. “The Knox boys have quite a reputation around here. Be careful or you’ll become part of it.”

Asher and Isaac had broken into laughter as Kaylee raised a playful eyebrow, and Acton joined in. Not wanting to single herself out, and happy that her moment of embarrassment had passed, Ember gave a smile and a laugh as well.  She had no idea what she was laughing at.

They started to walk into town. Asher and Kaylee fell back as Isaac chattered on about cars or farm equipment—Ember wasn’t quite sure which. He was using words like torque, belt slippage, alignment…things that Ember wasn’t entirely familiar with, but she didn’t care. She was lost in the thrill of having friends to be out on the town with, and it kept her from thinking. Acton stayed constantly on her other side, not talking, with a little reassuring smile in her direction every time she looked over at him. He didn’t need to talk. Ember felt like she had known him forever, even though she knew it was silly.

Every time she looked over, he would give her that little smile and nod just slightly. He kept his hands tucked into his pockets and matched his pace to hers, and soon Ember found herself looking to him, not just for his smiles and nods, but because he seemed to have some vague idea what Isaac was talking about, and Ember matched her expression and reactions to his. Acton didn’t seem to mind, even though he must have realized what she was doing.

They stopped in front of the one little pub that existed on the island—The Garden. Ember hesitated, glancing skeptically at the warm light flowing out of the windows onto the misty streets, the noises of happiness and frivolity flooding her ears.

“I’m not old enough to…” She trailed off.

The warm light and the welcoming noises suddenly made her sad as she turned to look at Isaac, Asher, and Acton again; she must have misjudged them. They could have been late in their teens, just a few years older than she was, but they might also have been in their early twenties. She analyzed Acton with consternation, desperately trying to figure out if he was her peer or not. It was hard to tell sometimes with the working classes; men started working on the fishing boats young and stayed fit as a matter of survival. They didn’t act like the boys back in Pennsylvania, or what little Ember knew about boys and how they acted. They looked young, but they had confidence, and Ember was fairly sure that most of the teenage boys she had encountered had been more arrogant than confident.

What was worse…they were all watching her expectantly. Kaylee gave her an impatient nod, as though they were waiting for her to walk into the bar so that they could follow.

“I…” Ember started, looking around at them desperately. She wondered if she had it in her to walk back to her mother’s house, in the dark, alone. She hardly knew the island, let alone the way back. “Um…”

Acton suddenly stepped in front of her as she started to turn beet red. “Go on ahead and save a table.” When no one moved, his tone became more commanding. “We’ll join you in a minute.”

Kaylee had opened her mouth to say something, but Asher had grabbed her by the shoulders and quickly steered her through the door. Spinning lightly on his heel, Isaac gave Ember a glance and a fleeting smile before following.

Standing alone on the street, Acton turned to face Ember. With a strange mix of anxiety and gratitude flooding her system, she smiled in relief. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” He said lightly. He watched her patiently.

Ember shrugged as she started to explain. “I don’t drink. I’m sorry, I’m not really popular or good at talking to people or making friends—“

Acton broke out in a smile, and then laughed. “We’re not here to drink unless you want to. My mother owns the bar.”

Ember blinked, looking back the bar door. “She does?”

Acton nodded. “We visit her at work some nights. She’s always wanted to meet you."

"Me?" Ember asked; no one had ever wanted to meet her. People simply knew her or didn't, and this woman most certainly didn't.

Acton crossed his arms, leaning in toward her. "Because of your mom. She's...different."

Ember looked at the ground; she hated being the center of attention. Her voice quavered. “She wants to know what's wrong with me, you mean."

Despite Ember's quickly deteriorating mood, Acton’s tone stayed light. "I think most of us here would like to know what's wrong with your mother and sister. They want to congratulate you for getting out."

Ember looked back up at him.

“You're the first one to ever fight Gina and win. Everyone wants a look at the great Ember Gillespie.”  He said her name like she was more legend than reality.

Ember only pursed her lips and nodded her head; they thought she was a freak, and they had brought her to town to put her on display. Acton had to duck down a little to see the frown on her face as she stared at the familiar sight of her shoes.

“It’s not like that.” He said with another laugh. “You’re a hero here. You didn’t get sucked into her delusions like Thalia.”

In her mind, her mother had won the day she had sent Ember away; she had never considered that it could have been her victory over Gina.

“I’ll take you home if you like…” Acton said with a displeased frown. “Or we can go in the bar, say hello to my mother, and have some fun. Seeing as you’ve just broken free from the ivory tower, I would think you would want to do some living while you have the chance.”

He stepped back away from her, and towards the bar door, laying one hand on the large, brass handle.

For a moment, Ember looked out across the abandoned street of Main, on the tiny, lost island of Tulukaruk; it was easily the most exciting place she had ever been, and even as far as the night had progressed, the most adventurous thing she had ever done. It had taken a lot to push her as far as she had come, and she knew that if she turned back now, she might never have the opportunity again.

She turned back to look at Acton.  He knew about her family, and still wanted to be her friend, because he understood. 

“Well?” He asked.

Ember walked towards him and nodded, hardly able to keep the excited smile from her face. Acton opened the door for her.

She stepped into the bar, and Acton followed close behind her. The music was loud, the air smelled like beer and moldy peanuts, the flashing lights felt dirty, the shadows seemed dangerous, and Ember suddenly felt very small and out of her element. Through it all, Ember could still see the heads turn.

“They’re looking at me.” Ember said quietly, her stomach knotting up.

“You scare too easily.” Acton breathed into her ear from behind; she could hear the amused smile in his words. “They’re looking at
me
. Come on—I’ll introduce you to my mother. She’ll like you.”

“You?” Ember asked, confused.

Acton walked up next to her and winked. “The Knox reputation.”