TIED (A Fire Born Novel) (3 page)

I squinted through the cafeteria window, bringing the ocean into view in the far distance, and pretended to listen to the sound of crashing water, to block out all the lunchroom noise.

“You should eat something.” Devon dismantled my lunch tray, one item at a time. His mouth overflowed with my pizza, as I glanced over and down at my emptied plate. “Oh … sorry.”

“I’m not hungry, anyway.” I shrugged, looking up at him. Dark brown hair framed his golden eyes, a sheepish grin playing at his lips.

“Listen, don’t worry about helping at the shop later.” He raised the ice pack to my head again, and I swatted it away, while Dena sat glaring in our direction froma cross the cafeteria.

The little clan of cliquey chatterboxes at her side followed her lead and turned toward us.

The sight of Devon doting over me had to be too much for her.

I smiled to myself.

She tossed her long dark hair behind her shoulder, her black painted nails glimmering under the florescent lights. It seemed like only yesterday that she ran barefoot and played baseball better than anyone. Then again, I remembered so little, maybe she’d always been that way, and my deluded brain had it all backwards.

“I said I would help. I’m helping.” I spoke to Devon, not breaking my eye contact with the one who had nothing better to do than stare at me. Dena’s lips moved, and they all turned their heads away.

“Layla, seriously,” Devon said.

“I. Am. Helping.”

“Layla!” Benny rushed across the cafeteria, waving a fluorescent yellow piece of paper, her dance bag swinging wildly on her shoulder. “Oh, good, you ate.” Her breath came out in a huff. “Here.” She thrust the paper at me. “I got the nurse to sign you out early. You can go home.”

I shook my head, sure she had run from the nurses office. “I don’t need to leave early.”

“You passed out.” She kept her voice low, head turning as if searching for something.

“So?” Truthfully, I would rather have gone home, but giving Benny a reason, any reason, to believe something was actually wrong was a bad idea. I’d rather suffer than have her pamper me. Devon was already taking care of that.

“
So?
So … you will be the death of me, Layla LaBelle, I swear.” She stomped off, throwing the note in the trash as she went.

The rest of the school day, I spent in a dazed stupor. The custodian had to cut the lock off my locker because I couldn’t remember the combination, and I laughed out loud when Mr. Jones, the Algebra teacher, asked me to solve a quadratic equation on the white board for the class.
Algebra. What a waste. Who, ever, uses algebra after high school?
If my school didn’t have a Performing Arts program, I probably would have ditched every class.

My head pounded by the time I pulled into the parking lot of the shop where Devon worked. A giant sign above the door read: ‘TOURISTS WELCOME’ in bright blue letters, reminding me of Bike Week in Daytona, Florida, where all the businesses felt compelled to remind everyone that ‘Bikers are welcome’, as if, for some reason, they wouldn’t know without the signs. Tourist season was the money maker in Historia. With the colleges, beaches, and historical sights, the city had a natural pull.

The owner of the shop stood in the doorway, smiling and waving at random passersby, unable, or unwilling, to hide his smile. “Good afternoon, Layla. Thanks for giving us a hand today.”

I stifled a yawn. “You’re welcome. It’s no problem at all.” I wasn’t the best person to help at a retail store, due to my lack of interest in customer service, but I said I would, so I did.

“Yes, good afternoon, Layla. How are you today?” Devon strolled up one of the aisles with a sarcastic grin. “Tired, I see.”

“Tired.” I nodded. “But here.”

He leaned down and kissed my cheek. “I think you should go home.” He glanced at the owner, his voice low. “I can handle it.”

I put my car keys behind the counter. “It’s almost the summer season. You need my help.”

“Don’t start with that. You hate how busy it is this time of year. Seriously, listen, I’m starting to worry about you.”

“Starting?” I walked away before he could continue.

He shook his head and wandered off toward the display cases.

I squatted down behind the counter, digging around for a magazine to read, and rested my throbbing head in my hands. The entrance bell chimed on the front door, and I popped back up, wobbling slightly.

Afternoon sun flooded through the shop’s front windows in sheets, creating a back lit silhouette in the doorway. Dust particles floated past my scope of vision like miniature ghosts, and the clear grey eyes glancing at me made my breath end in my throat.

The room spun and slowed to a time-warped crawl, and the spicy sweetness of gardenias wafted through the air. Visions rushed up to the surface, flooding my brain, blowing the circuits. My magazine dropped to the floor, and I swayed, grabbing the counter for support, forcing myself to blink.

“Layla?” Thudding feet echoed in the distance.

Blood sped through my veins as I gripped the edge of the counter, gazing into the face I knew so well. A shadow of confusion crossed his expression as he stared back at me before the corner of his mouth drew up in a slight grin, and my face flushed with a burning heat. Goosebumps shivered down my arms, the air seeming to quiver with a faint breeze.

“Layla, are you okay?” Someone shook me by the shoulder. “Layla?” Devon’s voice rang from far away.

I tried to speak, but words wouldn’t form. I remembered his face, the waterfall, the forest. The warmth of his hand in mine. Droplets of water cascading down his golden skin. His eyes reflecting the sunlight like crystals. The rush of wind as he ran beside me. His laughter. The sound of his voice when he called my name.

“Max …” I strangled an inaudible whisper, unable to breathe, consumed by the light in his eyes.

“Lay.” He stared back at me, seeming unable to move.

He couldn’t be real. I swayed, my eyes rolling upward, and dropped to the floor.

3

I’m falling. Spinning and twisting through darkness and heat. Smoke and fire. Stone and ash.

• • •

“Layla?” a soft unfamiliar voice asked. “Can you hear me?” A cool gentle squeeze of my hand followed. “You’re in the hospital. My name is Dr. Jessup. Can you open your eyes for me?” My lids fluttered. “Good. Try to squeeze my hand.” I gripped it. “That’s right, Layla. You have a concussion, but you’re okay.” He patted my hand and something cold touched my palm. “Hold this. It’s the button for the nurse. Push it if you need anything.” His footsteps faded, replaced by whispers from somewhere close by.

“I can’t believe you are even here. You need to leave.”

“I’ve been keeping my distance. I didn’t mean for her to see me, Lorelei.” The voice sounded excited but cautious.

“Keep quiet, or she will hear you. Her protection relies on your secrecy.” My mother’s cold, distant voice reached me.

“I can’t walk away from her again. It almost killed me the first time.” That voice—the one pleading—I’d have known it anywhere.

“Have you forgotten the dangers?” My mother spoke again. “The risk? You will draw our enemies to our doorstep and risk her life. Be sensible. She can never know the truth.”

“I haven’t forgotten the danger, but …”

“Good. Now, go. “

“Lorelei …” The pain in his voice crushed my heart. “… you can’t stop this anymore. I can protect her now.”

I pushed hard against the weight pinning me down, my eyelids flitting.

“Shh! She is coming around.”

“Lorelei … please.”

“You gave me your word.” My mother’s tone raged even through her whispers. “See her from afar and continue your duty, or do not do so at all. It is your choice.”

I sat up too quickly, searching for the voice, waves of nausea washing over me.

“Teine?” My mother sounded sweet, nurturing—unlike the person I’d overheard.

“Mom?” I squinted, attempting to bring my surroundings into focus, while ignoring the sickening dizziness running through my head.

“Take it easy. You need to rest.” A hand to my shoulder urged me to lie back.

“Who were you talking to?” My head pounded as I rested against crisp linens.

“When, dear?”

“Just a minute ago.” I glanced around the stark room. It was deserted except for the two of us.

“I wasn’t talking to anyone.” She eyed me with suspicion. “Should I call the nurse in?”

Panic leached into my brain, a medicinal odor tingling my nose. “What’s going on?”

“Everything is okay, Teine. Try to relax. You fell and hit your head. Do you remember? You have been in the hospital since yesterday.” She tucked the thin blanket in around me. “Devon is in the waiting room; he has been so worried. I should get him.” She turned, and I grabbed her arm.

“Wait. Can you sit down for a minute?”

“Of course.” She lifted her brow.

“Max was here,” I said, staring directly in her face.

Her eyes widened, but she didn’t flinch. “Who?”

“Mom.” My jaw tightened, gaze set on hers. “I heard his voice. Where is he?”

“I have no idea who you are talking about. You do not know anyone named Max, Teine.” She stared back at me. “I am going to call for the nurse. You are starting to scare me.” She reached for the call button as Devon entered the room.

“Devon, I was just coming to get you.” Mom smiled. “Teine, I mean Layla, is up and well enough for visitors. I will give you two some privacy.” She hurried from the room.

“Why does your mom always call you that?” Devon grinned, ambling forward.

“Teine? It’s kind of a nickname.” My mom had called me Teine all my life. It was sort of a nickname she never properly explained, and I got tired of asking about.

He sat down on the edge of my bed and slipped his hand against mine. “You scared us all.”

“Sorry. I’m not sure what happened.”

“You passed out and hit your head on the counter. The doc said you had a concussion, but it’s already healed. Said he’s never seen anyone heal so fast in the twenty years he’s been practicing medicine. The bad news is you’re suffering from exhaustion.”

I sighed, unsurprised.

“Good news is … the doctor’s releasing you this evening. Sometime. Said you’ll need to take a few days off to rest, though.” He leaned down and kissed my forehead. “Glad you’re okay.”

“Thanks. Um … where’s my phone?”

“Why do you need your phone?” He cocked an eyebrow up.

“Hello? To check my messages. Can you get it for me?”

“Benny’s asleep in the waiting room.” He rummaged around in the corner of the room and extended his arm to me. My phone sat in his palm. “You’re supposed to be resting.”

“It’s a phone, Devon.”

He handed it over and gave me a wink. “I’ll go wake her up. Don’t want her going ballistic on me.”

I checked my missed calls, text messages, emails. Nothing. Not sure what I was hoping to find, I chucked it back into the corner, and kicked the blankets loose, laying against the pillows. Of their own accord, my eyelids relaxed and closed, and I could just make out a faint spiciness in the air.

Gardenias.

••

I wander along, peeking through gaps between the trees, searching, hoping. It’s been so long since I’ve been here. Birds chirp overhead. Crisp leaves crunch under my feet, and a sweet scent drifts in from the nearby waterfall. I listen to it splashing off the rocks, inhaling a deep cleansing breath, the dampness of the forest warming my bones, before turning, heart hammering, eyes narrowing, frozen in my tracks.

Standing only a few yards away, his smile seems to fade, and he hesitates before coming closer, his hands held out in a friendly gesture, a light breeze rippling his white T-shirt across his chest.

“I’m glad you’re okay.” Max’s voice is low, nervous. “You scared me.”

I don’t speak. My brain whirls, attempting to make sense of what I’m seeing.

“You’re mad at me.” He nods, and glances toward his feet, shifting the leaves around. “You should be.”

I try to take him in, comprehend him being here. All my years willing him to return, and here he stands, gazing at me, his chest falling up and down with uneven breaths.

“I’ve been hoping you’d come back. I still check now and then. Not sleeping much these days, I heard.” The corner of his mouth pulls up in a hint of a grin that I know so well.

I still can’t speak.

This isn’t real. A side affect from the concussion. More hallucinations.

Max bows his head. “Layla, please. Talk to me. You know this isn‘t a hallucination.”

“I … Did you just read my thoughts?”

He beams at me. “No. I heard them.”

I scrunch my brow, taking him in, watching the way waves of his sandy hair fall across his face.

“You can hear mine, too, if you try. You don’t remember?”

“No. Why’d you leave?” Tears sit on the verge of overflowing. I bite them back.

“I should have explained.” He kicks at the ground. “I was trying to protect you.” Clear eyes cloud over with sorrow as he gazes into my face. “Forgive me?”

I eye him back, puzzled. “You were talking to my mom in the hospital.”

“Yeah, I wanted to make sure you were all right.” He takes a cautious step forward, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“She asked you to stay away from me?”

“For your safety, yes.” His voice remains low and uncertain.

“For my
safety
?” My throat tightens, heartache rising. “You were my best friend, and you left!” Tears roll down my face, anger burning my chest. “I needed you, and you were gone!”

He rushes forward with arms out but recoils. “It killed me to leave. You must know that.”

“I only know that I never saw you again.” My face flushes with heat, fury overriding sadness. “I’m delusional. Something is wrong with me. You can’t be real!”

He grins, shaking his head. “I forgot how mad you can get. You’re not delusional, you know. Your mom just won’t let me see you. I’m breaking the rules right now.”

I glare at him.

“You don’t believe me?” He runs his hand through his hair and glances around the forest. “Listen, I can’t explain everything right now … and you probably wouldn’t believe me if I did.” Walking forward, he grabs my hand, warmth radiating up my arm, and gives me a sideways grin. “Come on.”