Channeler's Choice (4 page)

“
Ah come on guys, save that for your alone time. You’re going to corrupt me,” Fane groaned.

“
Impossible. You’re a gentleman who is beyond reproach,” Eren teased.

“
For now!” Fane laughed.

For a moment, Eren thought about telling them what happened when she’d walked Aiden home. But she’d been thinking it over, and no matter how she thought about saying it, it sounded like she was being paranoid. Which she realized, was probably true. She was still shook up over things and had let her imagination get the best of her. No, she wouldn’t ruin their fun tonight.

“
Sounds like you kids are already having fun without us,” Aunt Sylvia said as she, Uncle Alin, and Zolin—Eren and Fane’s grandfather—walked over from the side of the roof where the greenhouse was.

They vaulted effortlessly over the four foot wall that separated the two different sections of the roof. Even Zolin made it look easy with a little push of his power. Eren could see traces of it like a mist trail behind them.

True to Eren’s teasing about him being a gentleman, Fane stood immediately. Aiden was quick to follow his example. Eren hid a smile as she wondered who was corrupting who now.

“
You guys are just in time. We were about to open another bag of marshmallows,” Aiden said.

“
Another? Guess I shouldn’t be surprised considering you boys will even eat my cooking,” Aunt Sylvia asked, eyes widening.

Eren laughed at the incredulous look on her aunt’s face.

Fane gave Aunt Sylvia an adoring look. “Your cooking is great Mrs. M. Besides, Fane here is starting to fill out like a cage fighter, he needs a lot of food,” he said.

Red stained Fane’s cheeks. “Not hardly! A growth spurt at most. You’re the one who looks like a cage fighter, Aiden,” he said.

Popping a marshmallow in his mouth, Uncle Alin raised an eyebrow and titled his head. “Come on, it’s almost time for the fireworks.”

Fane dashed to his side and Alin put his arm around his son’s shoulders as he started toward the eastern edge of the roof. Smiling, Aunt Sylvia reached her hand out to Eren. Wrapping the blanket tight around her, Eren stood and took her aunt’s hand. She let Sylvia lead her over to stand with Alin and Fane. Behind her, she could hear Aiden and her grandfather following.

Snow covered the evergreen hedge that lined the roof, adding to its privacy by making the hedge nearly four feet tall. It made it almost impossible to see the street and city center below. A gap in the hedges gave her a peek of the roundabout below where they would be setting them off.

“
This is a very special show put on by the Tibetans. You’ll love it, my dear,” Zolin said.

“
Isn’t their new year at a different time of year?” Eren asked.

“
It is, but each of the four cultures in Spruce Knoll honors the American tradition as a town. Besides, it’s easier for the town to hold one big celebration instead of four,” he said.

Aiden came up behind Eren and put his arms around her waist. She leaned back into him, surprised at how warm he was despite the freezing cold. He wore only sneakers, blue jeans, and a sweater. Back at the fire pit, he’d had his feet up on the stones next to the flames but now they were standing upon the icy flakes that had fallen onto the terra cotta tiles. He had to be channeling energy to stay so warm.

Suddenly people from every business and residence in town began to count down from ten, Eren’s family and Aiden included. Eren joined them. The din of voices was almost enough to drown out the sound of a frantic hissing; almost. At the call of one, the hissing of the fuse ended with a ground shaking boom. A line of fire traced up into the sky and exploded into a shower of bright orange and red sparks that mushroomed out and rained down. The falling snow acted like millions of tiny prisms, reflecting the light everywhere.

More followed, but Eren didn’t see them. She turned and tilted her head back to look up at Aiden. Even the loud explosions faded into the distance as she watched the lights and colors dance across his face. He smiled and bent to kiss her. It didn’t matter that her aunt, uncle, and grandfather were all there. She
had
to ring in the first minute of the New Year by kissing him and she was pretty sure they’d understand that.

All guilt and embarrassment faded away as she became lost in the feel of Aiden’s lips. He tasted sweet, like a wonderful mixture of chocolate and marshmallow. Somehow it tasted infinitely better on his tongue than it had on hers.

An elbow poked Eren in the ribs and someone next to her cleared their throat.

“
Uh, guys, even my parents have stopped kissing,” Fane whispered.

Aiden drew back and Eren dropped her head, hiding behind her dark hair. She could feel several pairs of eyes heavy upon them. When she looked up she found her grandfather and Uncle Alin giving Aiden a very serious look. Aunt Sylvia laughed and the tension dissolved.

“
Relax boys. The New Year’s kiss is an age old tradition meant to bring love and happiness the whole year,” she said.

While the men’s looks softened, the words weren’t enough to take the blush from Eren’s cheeks. She had no idea they’d been kissing
that
long.

“
Time for an age old tradition we can all enjoy,” Fane said as he pulled his sweater over his head and dropped it. An orange glow emanated from his skin, making his blue t-shirt look as though it glowed from within.

Having no idea what he meant, Eren’s heart sped up. The anxiety didn’t try to trigger her channeling, her control had become too good for that. But, it did make her uncomfortable.

“
What?” she asked.

“
The first dance of the New Year, of course! Will you join us, Aiden?” Zolin asked.

Aiden looked shell-shocked for a moment and then a smile spread across his face.

“
I’d be honored,” he said.

Holding hands, Alin and Sylvia turned and ran for the west side of the roof. They leaped over the snow-covered hedge and disappeared. All that lay below was the alley that ran behind the store two stories down. Grandfather and Fane followed. Mouth agape, Eren ran after them, stopping at the hedge. She rose up on her toes and peered through a gap in the bushes. They were all standing in the alley, Fane beckoning up to her.

“
How will we get back up? I don’t think I can jump up two stories,” Eren said as she turned to Aiden.

He pointed to the two-story building that lay across the alley. It was easily a twenty foot gap.

“
You can jump on top of that building and make the jump across to here,” he said.

It looked like he had thought this through, which meant he had thought about how to sneak over and see her. Mouth agape, she turned to give him a wide-eyed look. The huge smile and wiggle of his eyebrows was all the proof she needed to confirm her suspicion.

“
I don’t know, Aiden. I’ve never channeled in front of anyone but you,” she whispered. What if she ruined her clothes?

Sighing, Aiden took both of her hands in his. A flush spread through her as he fixed those gorgeous hazel eyes of his on her.

“
It’s time to change that, E. I’ll be with you,” he said.

He was right. She had to start getting more comfortable with what she was. Nodding, she let go of his hands, dropped the blanket, and turned toward the wall. After a deep breath, she crouched and leaped over the wall and hedge, clearing it effortlessly. Wind whipped her hair back as she plummeted two stories. Like she and Aiden had practiced, she projected her power toward the ground, using it like a cushion to slow her descent.

Light as a feather and almost as quiet, she landed in the alley, her knees bending to absorb the slight impact. A heartbeat later Aiden landed beside her.

Everyone glowed with energy as their power buzzed below their skin. Coats lay in a pile on the doorstep but, thankfully, everyone was fully clothed. Relief flooded through Eren. She had
so
not wanted to see any of them even close to naked. But then, she should have known better. They all had years to practice their control and no longer lost it and ruined their clothes. She had a ton of catching up to do.

Grandfather, Uncle Alin, and Aunt Sylvia started down the alley. Fane gave Eren an impatient look then turned and jogged after them.

Eren slipped out of her jacket and tossed it under the overhang covering the back step. She bit her lip when she saw the flash of Aiden’s bare arm as he threw his sweater atop her shoes. He still wore a muscle shirt but it was tight fitting enough to be distracting, to say the least. Her eyes were drawn to the way the shirt clung to his chest and abs.

Turning her head, Eren opened the gates on her power ever so slightly, allowing it to rise just to the surface of her skin. Her whole body vibrated—kind of like when she drank too much caffeine. It fed her energy and speed, and helped keep her from sinking into the snow. She jogged to Aiden’s side and they took off together after the others. In only a few minutes they left the city behind and entered the forest. The adults ran ahead, snow flying from their feet, while Eren, Aiden, and Fane hung back out of respect.

This was the first time Eren had run with anyone besides Aiden in a long time and she had to admit to herself that it felt kind of weird. She was filled with a wonderful sense of confidence and belonging, but something wasn’t quite right. In a moment of clarity she knew what it was; it didn’t feel right to be following. Maybe they were right about this Rector thing after all.

Shooting Aiden a pointed look, Eren sped up. They caught up to the adults easily, Fane trailing only slightly behind Aiden. Running like this made her feel completely free and yet connected to the earth at the same time. Her grandfather had once explained that it was because running was a basic instinct and channelers were more in tune with their instincts than normal people.

They came abreast of the Alin, Sylvia, and Zolin. It felt like they had stepped into a wall of energy, one that gave way for them. Each of the adults looked surprised, as well as pleased.

Fane didn’t step into line with them. By his relaxed demeanor, it had nothing to do with not being able to keep up. It looked more like he was happier to run at Aiden’s left side. Eren wondered if it was a Rector thing.

All thoughts of Rectors and Society politics faded away as she became immersed in the joy of running. With the wind in her hair and her loved one’s by her side, time ticked away. They ran through forests of spruce and aspen, the black and white trunks zipping by like symbols in a matrix. Leaving scarcely a track, they passed through snow covered valleys and leaped across the frozen river.

They came to a hill top where the adults stopped around a pyramid of logs and branches.

Zolin drew something out of his pocket, flicked at it, and a flame erupted from its tip. He threw it onto the pyramid and the fire spread in hungry orange tendrils that seemed to be racing to get to the best bits of wood. From the acrid smell Eren was pretty sure there was fire-starter on the logs. Zolin and Uncle Alin started whooping and hollering and were soon joined by Aunt Sylvia. The joy on their faces was contagious and Eren couldn’t help but smile. Alin grabbed Sylvia’s hand and pulled her close. They started to dance with an abandon that was awe-inspiring.

Fane looked at Eren and Aiden with raised eyebrows. While dancing was something she’d never done much before, the instinct to join the others was overwhelming. The moment Aiden grabbed her hand, her insecurities melted away. Laughing, they skipped up to the bonfire and started to dance.

Back on the rooftop, Eren and Aiden snuggled on a bench beneath the pergola. It had stopped snowing and the clouds cleared away to reveal a star-filled sky. Eren’s eyes were drawn to a three quarter moon surrounded by an orange ring.

“
That’s so beautiful,” she commented.

“
It’s a harvest moon,” Aiden said as he followed her gaze up.

“
What’s that mean?” she asked as she stroked the moonstone necklace her mom had left her for her birthday last year.

There had been a time not too long ago when she’d been ashamed that she knew so little about her own kind and their customs and beliefs. Now she had come to accept that there was no shame in needing to learn. Aiden was always open to her questions and was eager to help teach her, which certainly didn’t hurt.