Bloodlines (14 page)

“Sorry,” she said before kissing him on the cheek.

“All we need to do now is wash the place down, but we can do that room by room as we go along,” I said happy with myself. “Anyone hungry?”

All of them said they had been hungry for a while. Tyler and Danny went into town to pick some food up, while the rest of us started scrubbing the soon to be master living room. Luckily Jake had thought to bring several big bottles of water with him; he knew there wouldn’t be any taps or anything in there.

“Are there any nice furniture stores around here?” I asked.

“There is one in the new part of town, just on the outskirts. It has some pretty trendy things in there,” Jake answered.

“Lovely… Oh, I’m going to need an electrician and a plumber too. This place needs heating and lighting, and I want a few bathrooms put in.”

“My dad can do the electricity,” Lucian said. “He is a qualified electrician. In fact, when I was on my way out this morning he offered.”

“Brilliant, so now I just need a plumber.”

“I’ll ask my dad’s brother for you. He has his own firm,” Jake said.

“Is there anything your families can’t do?” I asked.

“Not really… Well, not when it comes to things like that. It’s always best to make sure someone who knows the family’s secrets can help you when you need it.”

“Yeah, that makes sense,” Lily chipped in.

They both said they would ask their relatives to come by tomorrow and start, and that, because I was who I was, it wouldn’t cost me a penny. It’s not like any of the families needed the money. Lucian said they only did it so they looked normal and had something to do in their spare time.

Soon after, Tyler and Danny returned with sandwiches and chips for everyone. We sat out on the porch to eat them.

“Keira, it’s OK getting the dirt and rubbish out of the house, but now it’s all out here. What are you going to do now?” Tyler asked.

“Oh ye of little faith,” I sighed.

I looked over at the garden and everything moved itself into a pile. Then my eyes went white again and I threw a flame from my hand at it.

“Show-off,” Danny sniggered.

“I wish I was pyrokinetic,” Tyler said, glaring at the flames.

“Pyro-what?” I asked, clueless.

“You have the power of pyrokinesis,” Lucian explained. “It basically means you can create, control and manipulate fire at will.”

“Oh, can’t you?”

“We can manipulate it, but we can’t start it or throw it from our hands like you can. I’ve spent hours trying, believe me,” Tyler added, still watching the flames.

“I love fire,” I told him. “I think it’s beautiful.”

“So do I.”

“Oh great, now we have two pyromaniacs,” Jake said.

“See, this is where I get confused,” I began. “We’re all from the same group of families yet I can do more. I can create and I can destroy. I can control and manipulate things and create the elements whenever I wish.”

“I liked the whole wind thing before too,” Tyler said. “What else can you do?”

“Fire, ice, rain…I can create thunderstorms as you have already witnessed. I can make them as weak or strong as I like. I can keep lightning down on the earth as long as I please”

“Yeah, I remember it dancing around us,” Lucian smirked.

“What else?” Tyler asked me.

“You will have to wait and see,” I said, smiling and winking at him.

“You can have so many things going on at the same time too. Like the earth shaking, lightning, thunder, throwing people against trees…” Danny said.

“Oh shut up, you can do more than one thing at once, surely?”

“Yeah, but not to that extent, and we can’t control or create storms like you can.”

“I wish I was like you guys,” Lily said sadly. “I feel like the odd one out sometimes.”

“Are you kidding?” Jake said, wrapping his arms around her. “You’re the normal one.”

“Yeah, you don’t have to keep secrets from everyone, or be careful everywhere you go that someone doesn’t catch on to what you are,” Danny told her. “You should be glad you don’t have to be like that.”

“I guess, but to be able to do the things you guys can do…wow!” she said, looking at the fire. “It would be amazing to be able to lift myself from the ground like you do.”

“Stand up,” I told her plainly.

“Why?”

“Trust me, will you?”

She put her chips down and stood up. I told her to stand on the grass just in front of the porch. She gave me a funny look but did what I asked.

“Enjoy,” I told her.

My eyes went white for the third time so far that day and she rose from the ground.

“Oh my God,” she shouted like a giddy child. “Oh my God, oh my God.”

All the guys were smiling at her. I moved her closer to the fire and made her circle it several times, before bringing her back to us and putting her back on the ground.

“That was amazing!” she said, making her way back to her food.

“Don’t ever say I don’t do anything for you,” I smiled.

***

We stayed at the house until 8 p.m. We would have stayed longer but we were all tired and dirty so we went our separate ways. Jake brought Lily back to the motel then headed home too. Now it was a fight for the shower and sadly Lily won. I brought all the bags out of my car while I was waiting for my turn and dumped them at the back of the living-room area. As soon as she came out I dived into the shower. I felt so dirty and horrible, I scrubbed until my skin was red raw. When I finally came out I flopped on the bed and within minutes I was sound asleep.

Chapter 13

To Cut a Long Story Short

Over the next five days the house really began to take shape. Michael came around to measure up and draw out a plan for the wiring, and Jake’s uncle came around to start the plumbing. It was a big and dirty job, but I fed them well so they were quite happy.

I went into town in the afternoon to pick out the furniture I wanted. The guys came with me for a bit of a break. Everything Lucian picked up I loved, whereas whenever Lily picked things up for her bedroom I cringed a little. Don’t get me wrong, not everything was bad, but she wasn’t as gothic as me. So you can imagine the look on my face when she picked out a pastel-pink loveseat. I was disgusted with her and, if the shop hadn’t had other people in there, I think I would have set the ugly atrocity on fire.

When I got back to the house I started drawing a plan of where I wanted everything. I couldn’t wait for all my new stuff to be delivered. By 7 p.m. Michael had finished the wiring throughout the house. I shook my head at him and pretended to be disgusted. I knew he couldn’t have finished the whole house in one day without cheating.

The main problem we had now was the plumbing, but Michael stepped up and saved the day. He told Jake’s uncle, Richard, not to bother bringing any of the guys from his firm with him the next day. As long as Richard pointed out where things needed to be he would cheat and get it done quickly. Jake and Lily had also decided they would be going back to West Chester the following morning. We didn’t know how long they would be gone because there was quite a lot of stuff to pack up and move.

On the second day, we waved Lily and Jake off before the rest of us headed back up to the house. We found Richard and Michael already there; they had been there since the crack of dawn. They were determined to have everything finished in time for my delivery, which was now only two hours away.

All we could do now was entertain ourselves and relax a little before the shifting and lifting and everything else that followed started. We ended up sitting on the grass at the front of the house, placing bets as to whether or not Lily and Jake would return as an official couple.

“I’m telling you now,” Tyler began matter-of-factly, “There is no way on this earth Jake will have the guts to ask her out officially.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” Danny said. “He knows she likes him, and, let’s face it, they’re already acting like a couple anyway. I think he will surprise you.”

“I agree with Danny. I think he will ask her,” Lucian added.

“What do you think, Keira?” Tyler asked.

“If she has her way then they will be together. She really cares for him. So I’m going to say…yes, they will be together.”

“Oooooh, three against one,” Tyler said sarcastically. “I can’t wait to prove you all wrong.”

“OK, if I’m wrong you get my Hummer for a week, but, if you’re wrong, you have to do everything the hard way – in other words you can’t use your power for a day,” I said with an evil little grin. “Not once!”

“Right, you’re on!” he said, clapping his hands together and looking at the car as if he had already won.

Everyone was laughing and having a good time when Richard and Michael came out and told us they were finished. Not even five minutes after they left three large trucks pulled up with all my furniture. They unloaded everything on to the front path. I didn’t want anything going in until I knew exactly where they were going.

Once the trucks were out of sight I turned to the others and smirked.

“Right, gentlemen, it’s like this,” I ordered.

They all formed a line, quickly saluting me in a mocking way, heals wedged together.

“At ease, men,” I laughed. “Here’s what I propose – two of us will be doing the nice, easy job of plastering and painting and, yes, we are allowed to cheat. The other two will have the lovely job of carrying the furniture into the designated room even if that’s upstairs, without the use of their power. I don’t want things flying around, something could get broken. Some of that furniture is heavy too. It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it, and that someone isn’t me!”

“So what are we going to do then? Draw straws?” Tyler asked.

“Err…no. I was thinking something a bit more…witchy, so…just to make it interesting; over the next thirty seconds I’m going to bombard you with energy balls. The rules are simple; the one left standing gets the easy job.”

“Are we allowed to fight back?” asked Danny.

“Fight as much as you want, you won’t get anywhere”

“Sounds good to me,” said Lucian.

The guys took their positions in the back garden, poised ready for action.

“OK, gentlemen, three…two…one.”

I unleashed the first volley of energy balls. Danny and Tyler kept making energy balls to try and counteract mine but failed miserably. Lucian was running around in circles now and Tyler joined him. As one ball left my hand another was right behind it, all different sizes; some as small as a pebble, others the size of beach balls. To watch this from afar would be hysterical. Tyler was down. It was between Danny and Lucian, but within seconds Danny was down having been hit with an energy ball that Lucian had just dodged.

“Ha, you never stood a chance,” said Lucian with a smug grin on his face.

The next minute he was lying flat on his back on the ground and Tyler was jumping around, laughing and cheering.

“Hang on, that’s cheating!” shouted Lucian.

“No, it’s not!” Tyler shouted. “Danny asked if we could fight back and Keira said yes. She didn’t specifically say who we could fight; therefore I’m in the clear!”

I intervened. “Actually, you fought after I had finished throwing the energy balls. Technically the game was over. So, even though you thought you were being clever, because the game was over you’re going to have to do a forfeit.”

Danny and Lucian burst out laughing as I stood there arms folded, trying not to burst out laughing myself at the look of horror and disappointment on Tyler’s face. I almost felt sorry for him…almost.

“OK then, hmm… What could be a suitable punishment? Maybe doing the garden in just a bandanna, to cover certain areas?”

The look on Tyler’s face was one of those picture-perfect looks. Danny and Lucian couldn’t stand up now; they were too busy trying to breathe from laughing so much.

“No. That’s it. Perfect!” I said.

Danny and Lucian had just managed to stand up. I walked over and stood between them, putting an arm around each of their shoulders.

“Take a good look at him and picture this,” I told them. “Pink boob-tube top to bring the color out in his cheeks, a short light denim miniskirt, and high-heeled black sandals. Then imagine him in thirty-six hours’ time, starting to paint the outside of the house.”

The pair of them then collapsed back on to the ground laughing their heads off. Poor Tyler stood there almost ghostly white, sheer horror and embarrassment on his face.

“So…today and tomorrow you have the joy of lifting and shifting. Then, it’s forfeit time,” I laughed. “That will teach you to cheat, won’t it?”

When the guys finally pulled themselves together we got back to work. By 7.30 p.m. and after using a little magic, every room downstairs was ready to be decorated. All we could do now was wait for the plaster to dry. We knew it would take all night so we decided to call it a day and go home. We sat on the front porch for ten minutes together. I sat right behind Tyler, massaging his shoulders for him before we left. He and Danny were aching and wanted nothing more than to get in a hot bath.

When I walked through the door of my motel room, it felt strange, I was used to having Lily there with me. I decided to keep myself busy to pass, so I rummaged through the bags of papers I had brought back from the house. I went through the first bag and only ended up keeping three pieces of paper that looked like they might be interesting. The rest were just from old books, Bibles, and hymnals. They were destined for the rubbish heap.

As I started to open the door to put the bag in the bin, I nearly jumped through the ceiling. Just as I pulled the door open Lucian was going to knock, instead he grinned at me. I loved it when he did that – he looked adorable.

“Knock, knock,” he said.

We both just stood there for a moment staring at each other.

“Can I come in or are you thinking of hitting me with that trash bag?” he chuckled.

“Sorry, come in, sit down.” I opened the door and gestured him in. “Do you want a drink? I have alcohol, coke, water, coffee or tea.”

“Coffee would be nice. It’s turned cold out there now,” he said with a little shiver.