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“Oh
fine!” I said with exasperation, sneaking a peak at the door. I didn’t want to
be overheard by Jessica or anyone else. “His eyes are the most incredible
aqua-marine you’ve ever seen.” Sitting next to her and holding her hand for the
good part of the next hour, I told her all about Jason, and she drilled with me
questions, most of which I couldn’t answer honestly.

“He
sounds like a keeper dear,” she broke in. “But then, so are you. If he has half
the smarts you do, he’ll snap you up before some other young buck comes along.”

Her
choice of words had me laughing softly. “Would be nice,” I said, trying to
maintain my smile, which wasn’t easy when I thought about Jason wanting me to
erase the memories of our kiss. There was no reason to tell her my situation
was hopeless. Better to keep the romantic illusions alive.

“Help
me into my bed Lexi-girl.”

After
I’d propped several fluffy pillows behind her back and had her situated like a
queen, I remembered I’d brought something for her. Rushing over to my bag, I
called out, “Guess what finally arrived yesterday?”

As I
held up the CD’s of Nicholas Sparks’ book,
Dear John,
Ellen clapped her
hands together like a little kid. “Oh good. A love story I can listen to when I
need to tune out all the bossy nurses and whining tenants.”

Placing
the CD’s next to her bed, I said, “You’ll enjoy it, I’m sure.” I poured her a
fresh glass of water and grabbed a new straw as well.

“Oh I
know I will, I read it once when my eyes were still good.” Her eyes grew wide
and a mischievous look crossed her face, as I handed her the water glass. She
motioned for me to come a little closer and lowered her voice. “Now listen up.”

Bending
forward, I whispered, “What’s up?”

“I
think they filter our T.V. channels around here, and I’m in dire need of
something with a little more action. Something controversial. I want you to
smuggle a couple things in here for me.”

Unable
to fathom what she could possibly be talking about this time, I crinkled my
brows and frowned. “I don’t think I want to know what you’re up to.”But I played
along and tilted my head in a clandestine manner and held my hand up to my
ear.It wasn’t like she was in jail where someone monitored her every move, but
playing the game was half the fun.

“First,
I want you to track down that HBO series,
True Blood
on DVD and sneak it
in here the next time you visit.”

“What?”
I laughed incredulously and stood up. “Are you serious?”

“Oh
yes!” she said, her eyes wide with excitement. “I’ve heard it’s supposed to be
scary, funny, and sexy. I could do with some cheap thrills, and I think
vampires might just do the trick…”

I
brought one hand to my chest and pointed at her with the other. “Vampires.
You?”

“Of
course,” she barked. “Just round up this
True Blood
series, but don’t
tell the Nazi nurses, because they’ll just worry about my heart rate and
probably
up
my meds or something.”

I put
my hand on my hip. “And second?”

See if
you can find a copy of
Fifty Shades of Grey
in a larger print.”

My jaw
dropped. “You are trying to give yourself a heart attack?” After a few choice
words about this being a free country, she grabbed my hands and held on until I
finally said, “Okay fine. But if anyone asks, I’m not the one who brought them
in.” With a smug grin she nodded and I gave her a final hug. “I need to go
visit a few more of your friends, but I’ll see you soon.” When I reached the
door I turned and gave her a wicked smile. “I’ll make sure to mention your name
to that sweet, old gentleman in room 101.”

“Don’t
even bother with that old fart,” she said, swiping the air with her hand.

After
making a few more stops around the center, I met up with Jessica and we took
off. We grabbed milkshakes from Win’s Drive-In on the way home. The burger
joint was situated right next to the Fairhaven grocery store, and I couldn’t
help thinking about Jason. Sipping my black raspberry shake, I wondered just
exactly how a Seer knew when it was their time to link and become a Guardian. I
was gonna need that information, so I could be prepared for my meeting with
Kieran. Keeping my voice neutral but with a touch of mild curiosity, I pumped
her for information on how people made a successful transition from Seer to
Guardian. Luckily, she was more than willing to comply, and by the time we got
to my place, I felt like I had a good idea of what to expect.

“Don’t
forget tomorrow is the full moon, and you’re supposed to stay at my house. Do
you want me to pick you up?” she asked, interrupting my train of thought.

“Sure,
what time?” I certainly hadn’t forgotten the date. In truth, I’d been marking
the days on my calendar. I’d even been tempted to make one of those paper
chains like I’d done when I was a kid counting down to Christmas. Only,
tomorrow was going to be the biggest day of year this time – a break in my
no
contact
order with Jason. My stomach was alight with butterflies.

“Since
neither of us work, how about noon?”

“I’ll
be ready.”

*****

Waiting
with anticipation for Jason’s arrival, I’d been at Jessica’s house for a few
hours, trying desperately not to pace and reveal my impatience. As I shoved my
cell phone back in my pocket for the hundredth time, I vowed under my breath
not to check the time again. A couple minutes later he finally arrived, but
much to my displeasure, Madison was hot on his heels. As they stepped into the
foyer, Jessica ran over and engulfed them both in a huge bear hug.

“Oh, I
love full moons,” Jessica exclaimed.

“Great
to see ya Jess,” Jason said with a smile, lifting her off her feet.

She
laughed and motioned for me to join them. “Get over here Lexi. You are gonna learn
to live for full moons. These are the days when we get some serious quality
hugging time.”

“See,”
Jason said and gazed at me, “I told you she was uncontrollable during a full
moon.”

Jessica
gaped at him and punched him gently on the shoulder. “Oh, you love it, and you
know it,” she said saucily and turned to give Madison another big hug. That
left me standing in front of him with my pulse racing and my breathing
unsteady.

“I
don’t bite Alex. You can give me hug too ya know.” His eyes were bright and he
was in rare form, strangely cheerful. No traces of his previous injuries
existed anywhere on his silky skin. He wore a light blue collared shirt,
exposing his flawless neck and a tuft of chest hair. Damn, he looked incredibly
hot.

A
swell of desire passed over my entire body, and I fought the urge to bury my
face in his chest. Instead, I reached up nervously and wrapped my arms around
him. And for once, he drew me towards him. It was the first time he’d ever held
me. I tried not to get carried away by the emotional craving that thundered
through my body. My face brushed against his soft, smooth cheek. For a brief
moment, I closed my eyes and breathed in his fresh scent. The piney aroma of a
sandalwood shaving cream lingered thick around his face. The heat from his body
encompassed me, and I relaxed in his arms. Our embrace felt good. It felt
right. I was so overwhelmed; I even imagined his lips brushing against the side
of my neck. His Essence was flowing strong again, and that was reassuring.

Unable
to resist the temptation to play with his mind and body the way he did with
mine; even if he did it unknowingly, I gathered a formidable amount of Essence
and sent it blazing towards him. I imagined it would hit hard and fast, like an
astonishingly hot meteorite that had refused to burn up in the atmosphere. One
that after it struck the earth would leave an indelible impression that would
not be long forgotten.

I felt
his body tremble, as he shuffled his feet to maintain balance. I glanced up in
time to see his jaw go slack and his eyes pop open. Good, I thought. Just a
little something so he knows what he’s missing out on. Smiling innocently, I
said, “Nice to see you again.”

Before
he could muster a response, Madison pulled me away from him and demanded a hug.
She gave me a complacent smile and raised one eyebrow before embracing me. Her
thick, black hair cascaded around her shoulders, and I ended up with a large
clump of her hair in my mouth as she held me in a stringent hug.

“Come
on you two,” Jessica called happily, as she grabbed Jason and pulled him
towards the kitchen.“Everyone else is already here. Let’s celebrate friends and
family.”

Madison
dropped her arms, arched her eyebrow and smiled demurely at me. She brushed her
hands together, like she’d just taken out the trash. After that, she
straightened her shoulders, tipped her pointed nose towards the ceiling, and
followed Jessica and Jason into the kitchen. She might go out of her way to
fool everyone else, but she made darn sure I knew what she was all about. Her
message was strong and clear: she still had a claim on Jason. But I had to ask
myself, why, if it was so abundantly clear that he and I couldn’t have a
relationship, was she still feeling threatened? I didn’t know, but the mere
thought had me smiling smugly and brushing my own hands together. I felt better
already.

The
evening passed quickly. Trevon, Shelby and the Walkers joined us for dinner
along with a few other local Guardians whom I hadn’t met yet, so we had quite a
crowd. There was discussion about the Ray-pacs, but the latest information was
that there was no news, and it looked like there hadn’t been any sign of them
returning to the area. In between Jessica’s hugs, we managed to play Trivial
Pursuit on the Wii, guys against girls, and we girls pulled out a win when Mrs.
Nelson knew the answer to the final question.

After
dinner Jessica and I helped out with the dishes while the others took turn
playing Rock Band. Max and Madison hung out on the couch talking, laughing, and
making fun of everyone. I tended to forget they were twins, but watching them
together like that drew attention to the strong bond they shared. Eventually,
everyone sat and relaxed in the living room while Jason’s mom and I played
several piano duets. Our biggest applause came after we played
Chopsticks
,
but I enjoyed
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
just as much.

Eventually,
the four Guardians I’d just been introduced to said their good-byes.
Apparently, they’d already re-linked and were going to do a little more
scouting in the area. I found out from Jessica they were not family but
attended Western and had been part of the Bellingham Circle for several years.
After they left, my friends headed out to the balcony to watch the sun set, but
I hung back and talked with Jason’s mom and Mrs. Nelson for a bit. They wanted
to know about my family, so I offered as many details about my life as I could.

When I
finally stepped out onto the deck, I was momentarily stunned by the vibrant
purples and pinks streaking across the evening sky and reflecting off the bay.
Everyone was sitting around on the wicker furniture in a semi-circle, with the
exception of Max who was leaning against the balcony. The rocker between
Madison and Shelby was still open, so I plopped down there and glanced at Jason
and Jessica, both of whom were sitting directly across from me. Even though the
sun had faded there was still enough light to see the expressions on their
faces. Jessica offered me a huge, friendly smile, and Jason displayed a partial
grin.

“Perfect
timing Lexi,” Madison said with animation.

Her
tone instantly put me on the defensive, and I mentally prepared myself for an
onslaught of mind games – ones in which she and I were the only contestants,
and she already had all the answers. But maybe I wasn’t being fair and she was
only trying to include me in the conversation.

“Is
that so,” I commented quietly, looking into her beautiful but cunning, emerald
eyes.

“Yes.
We’ve been discussing whether women or men have a better long term memory,” she
paused and glanced at Jason, who was doing his best to look apathetic. “It
appears,” she said and pointed at the guys, “that in this group at least, we
women are able to remember things with more clarity and greater detail.”

Max
sighed. “I don’t think you’ve proven that yet, Madison.”

Laci
chimed in, “I think research shows that women do have an advantage when it
comes to episodic memory.”

“Which
is what exactly?” Shelby asked, running her fingers through her red hair.

“That’s
when you recall events of personal importance,” Laci added.

“That
makes sense, I suppose,” Shelby said. “All the memories we ladies have shared
have been very personal in nature and packed with sensory details,” she looked
at me, “like Senior Prom, first boyfriends, best friends in elementary school.”

Jessica
jumped in and pointed at the guys. “You three better step it up. Madison seems
to be implying that you’re all seriously lacking in details when it comes to
memories that matter the most.”

Jason,
Max, and Trevon groaned simultaneously.

“We’re
outnumbered. We don’t even stand a chance,” complained Trevon, and he
disappeared from sight.

“Oh!”
I said with surprise and watched wide-eyed as he reappeared at the balcony
rail. “I hadn’t realized you guys had re-linked,” I said, feeling slightly let
down.

“Sorry,”
Laci said politely. “We should have warned you.”

“Normally,”
Max said, “we wouldn’t have re-linked so early in the evening.” He glanced at
Jessica and smiled. “Jess usually forbids it.”

“That’s
true,” Jessica agreed. In a more subdued tone she added, “But in light of a
potential surprise Ray-pac attack, we decided to play it safe.”

“Makes
sense,” I said, saddened by the idea I wouldn’t be receiving a final good-bye
hug from Jason.