The Stelter City Saga: Ultranatural (35 page)

“
I don’t expect you to treat
me like we’re friends, Mace.” She tossed that name around casually
as if
Mace
was just
something she said all the time. “You don’t remember, but I do.”
Ithaca pulled her eyes from the clear pool water and studied the
way his hair rippled in the morning breeze. “You came to Hawaii to
find answers.” Ithaca finally spoke. But her words were barely
audible and she leaned in for Ace to hear. “And I have the
answers.”

Ithaca was so close now; Ace could feel her
breath light against his lips. She was taller than Lee, and he
wouldn’t have to move much to fit her against him. But in that
time, Ithaca did all the talking, all the moving. So many thoughts
and feelings inhabited Ace’s body; he was petrified- like a
computer with too many downloads. He didn’t even recoil when
Ithaca’s long fingers brushed against his temple.

“
It’s truly remarkable,” she
whispered as her fingers trailed down his chin, “How much you’ve
grown.”

“
Stop,” It was the first
thought that appeared in his mind, but the last thing Ithaca
expected. Ace took a step back and watched Ithaca’s face morph from
confident to bewilder. Ithaca owned a cloud of hypnosis and it
wasn’t a secret that Ace had fallen into her trance. “It’s freaky
that you know about the tree, but to me you’re still a stranger to
me. You have a lot of explaining to do if you are who you say you
are. ”

Ithaca eyed him for a moment before the
familiar sly grin slid across her face. “I will Ace. I’m the only
one that knows who you really are.” She took a step back with her
eyes still glued to his, “I’ll be back for you.”

Ace didn’t have time to register what she
meant by that because the moment Ithaca finished speaking, she
vanished and Ace was left all alone on a rooftop.

~From the hilltop overlooking the sea, Hotaru
stared up at the cluster of rocks just as another wave rolled over
the shallow tide pool below. As the wind picked up, strands of
grass slapped against his bare feet. For once, a Hawaiian shoreline
was not covered in white sand. Instead, a flat dry prairie collided
with the rocky edge of Oahu and upon that particular beach; Hotaru
stared up at the throne of a goddess.

Pele’s Chair. That’s what the natives called
the rock formation. The legend tells that it was the last place the
fire goddess sat before leaving Oahu. Hotaru never thought the
jagged pile resembled anything close to a chair. To him, it looked
more like a rocky staircase with small tuffs of graffiti and
several leis draped over the steps.

Like yin and yang, Pele’s Chair split the top
of the cliff in half with one side covered in tall grass and the
other in jagged black rocks. The man took a seat on the crisp
grass. From the top of the cliff, he watched as a family snorkeled
in the oncoming tides. If any of them glanced up at Hotaru through
foggy goggles, they would have mistaken him for a small
boulder.

It was perfect spot for a picnic; with the
mid-morning sun just roasting the top of his head and another ocean
breeze bringing in the right amount of salty air. It was perfect,
until Ithaca’s invidious aura clouded the baby blue sky.

As usual, it was her presence that sent
Hotaru’s eyes sailing to the throne and he stumbled to his feet
once he caught sight of her wind-tossed hair. Of course she had
found a way to apperate on that rock formation. The sea wind sent
her long hair rolling behind her ears like angelic wings and,
though the place was named Pele’s Chair, the victorious gleam in
Ithaca’s eyes claimed the spot as her own. “Have I managed to
persuade you yet?” she asked, her brilliant eyes avoiding him but
glued to the distant horizon.

Hotaru peered up at the goddess. He wasn’t
sure if it was her beauty or his footing on that grassy terrine,
but his knees buckled at her sight. “We will be a part of this
supremacy?” he asked defiantly, “Do I have your word?”

Ithaca scoffed. “My word, my life… Hotaru,
you have my soul.” She pulled her eyes from the ocean and glanced
down at the gang leader, “You will have it all if I have your
alliance.”

Hotaru inhaled deeply. Everything Ithaca had
to offer was in his reach. All he had to do was say yes. But Hotaru
wasn’t a selfish man; he knew the choice he made wouldn’t just
affect his life, but those all over the world. That’s why he asked
for Ryan Hamilton and Heather’s opinion. He had hoped that after
speaking with his two most trustworthy members, that they would
sway his vote. But their thoughts had been contradictory and now he
was more stretched than ever. And the deadline was approaching.

“
You have it.” The words
tumbled from his tongue- words he had been choking back for what
felt like an eternity now. “You have my alliance. The power of Pele
is at your command… Highness.”

A devilish smile spread over Ithaca’s
beautiful face. This time, with so much radiance, a laugh attempted
to burst. “I like the sound of that.” She grinned. “Now go. Tell
your numbers where they stand and prepare to set my orders in
motion.”

Hotaru said nothing more. He gave a long low
bow before turning on the spot and marching away from the
throne.

Not once did the smile fall from Ithaca’s
lips as she watched the man trudge down the grassy path. The first
step one out of several was complete, and to think she had just
come from reacquainting a powerful and long lost friend. Ithaca was
beyond proud of herself, but there was another that would praise
her furthermore.

Her phone was pressed against her ear in no
time and she listened to the melodic ringing as the surf swelled
beneath her. It wasn’t long until the other line picked up. Then
Ithaca was listening to the voice of a man that could never die.
“Do you have good news?” he asked.

Ithaca twirled a strand of her silky brown
hair as she replied. “Yes, Uncle Gadianton. I have very good
news.”

~The waiter with a spot of hair die stained
to his thumb nail was back with another plate of Larissa’s favorite
mushrooms. For as expensive of a restaurant as this was, Ammon was
awfully disappointed in the grooming of their waiter. The back of
his shirt sagged like a duck tail and his shaggy hair flopped out
of place with the crisp clean atmosphere of the fondue restaurant.
“Is there anything else I can do for you?” he asked taking up a
plate painted in all sorts of expensive condiments.

“
No thanks.” Replied Ammon
as he watched Larissa eagerly skewer the mushrooms and dunk them in
the boiling broth before them. “I think we are good for
now.”

As the waiter walked away, Ammon listened to
his untied shoe laces flop down the aisle. From the speakers
overhead a string of piano notes floated over the conversations of
the other diners and from where he was sitting, Ammon had the
perfect view of the glass doors and the sun sinking beneath the
waves. “You really like those mushrooms don’t you?” he asked
focusing once more on Larissa.

“
I had no idea food could
taste this good!” she gasped with her mouth full. The girl was so
excited; she accidentally spit broth down her chin. “Are you sure
you don’t want any?” she asked wiping it away with a cloth. “I
can’t eat all this by myself you know.”

Ammon smiled as he shook his head. “My mom
tried grilling mushrooms once and they made me sick. I haven’t been
able to eat them since.”

Larissa snorted at his comment and almost
sent more broth down her black evening dress. Normally, woman
without table manners was a major turn off for Ammon. But as usual
there was something different about Larissa. In the back of his
mind, Ammon couldn’t stop laughing at how much Larissa was enjoying
their dinner date. In this late afternoon, she seemed more lively
than usual and when someone so pretty as Larissa expressed
charisma, Ammon only fed off the hype.

It was nice to get away from Josh and Cassie
for once. This was the first time they had been alone since
arriving in Hawaii and it probably never wouldn’t have happened if
Josh hadn’t suggested for Ammon to observe her. And, for the past
two hours, that was all he had been doing.

Ammon had had no idea what Josh was alluding
to in their previous conversation so starting out; Ammon had just
noticed the simple things. A small zit on the corner of her lip was
the only flaw in her golden skin and aside from rediscovering that
strip of hair cut shorter than the rest… there was nothing peculiar
about her at all. She was just Larissa; beautiful, blunt, lovely
Larissa.

“
What
is
that?” she gasped suddenly as her
head snapped over her shoulder.

Ammon’s eyes followed hers to a distant booth
and watched as a woman clawed franticly through her purse for her
cell phone. The boy’s brows arched quizzically. It was remarkable
that she could hear the ringtone from where they sat.

Larissa rolled her eyes as she turned back
around. “That was one crazy ringtone,” she muttered to herself,
“Did you hear that, Ammon? It sounded like… a cat in a washing
machine. I don’t even know.”

Ammon stared as Larissa dropped the subject
completely and returned to boiling her mushrooms. He hadn’t heard
the ringtone but in all honesty, he wasn’t too surprised she had.
Hearing was just one of her more keen senses, he noticed, and that
was just one of her scrupulous talents. That’s why he turned her
from orphan to investigator.

“
Are you two ready for the
desert menu?” asked the waiter when he returned.

Larissa gaped up at him. “You mean there’s
more?!”

“
If you’re still hungry,”
Replied the waiter.

Larissa glanced across the table at Ammon. He
hadn’t spoken much during their date and he had claimed to be full
after their first course. Besides, he had promised a long walk on
the beach after their dinner and night was beginning to roll in.
“No, the mushrooms have filled me up.” She announced.

“
I’ll take the bill.” Ammon
added.

Once more the scummy waiter was disappearing
down the aisle and Ammon’s attention was returned to Larissa. She
hardly glanced up at him as the lingering slices of vegetable
counted down from her plate. There was nothing peculiar about her
at all other than the fact that this date seemed to brighten her
spirit. What could Josh have noticed that Ammon couldn’t see?

“
Que paso
?” Larissa questioned as she swallowed the last of her
food.

“
Huh?” Ammon
retorted.

“
You cocked your head to the
side. That usually means you’re thinking about something.” She
answered blatantly.

It wasn’t until she spoke that Ammon
registered the slight tilt in his head. “You could see that?” he
asked sitting up but leaning his elbows against the table. “From
the corner of your eye?”

“
Claro
,” replied Larissa, “Come on Ammon, you didn’t make me an
investigator for nothing, right? Tell me what’s on your
mind.”

Ammon locked eyes with her for a long moment
and made sure not to hint any of his thoughts. Past girlfriends
never made him question. They were more predictable than the
weather on a sunny day. But since the inception of their
relationship, Larissa had showered mysteries like a hailstorm.

As he sat there, letting their eyes lock and
daring the clock to tick slower; a thought finally dawned on him.
His feelings for her were different than any other girl he had ever
dated. For the first time since Isobel, he didn’t lust solely for
her body, but craved to be in her presence. Taking time out of his
day to be with her wasn’t a sacrifice, it was a treat.
Understanding what made her tick wasn’t a burden, it was an
adventure and being the shoulder she needed to cry on was a part he
was willing to play a million times over. Only one other person had
ever consumed this much of his heart and that was his first
love.

The realization was like taking a baseball
bat to the face. He was in love with Larissa in every aspect to his
knowledge. He loved her charm and her imperfections; he loved her
brutality and her emotional swings. And to think it had taken him
this long to realize it. When he woke up that morning the only
thing in his schedule had been to end the evening with Larissa and
find out what secret Josh had figured. But his day couldn’t have
changed for anything better.

Larissa sat on the other end of the table and
watched as Ammon’s face snapped from a stone expression to
astonishment. Before she could ask him what the reason for his
sudden countenance was, the waiter had appeared beside their table
with the bill. “Thank you so much.” he said, snapping Ammon from
his train of thought, “Is there anything else I can do?”

Ammon gazed at the man blankly. For the first
time that evening, he didn’t see an unclean waiter, but a man that
was keeping him from relaying his new knowledge to Larissa. “No,
that will be all.” Ammon replied quickly before snatching the piece
of paper from the waiter’s hand and scribbled his name on the line.
“Larissa,” he spoke her name hastily and leapt from his seat.
“Let’s go, I need to tell you something.”

The pair would have evacuated the restaurant
sooner if Ammon hadn’t spotted a bowl of mints by the door. Over
the mystic Pacific, the moon shone like a pearl frozen in the
violet sky causing even the darkest shade of night to glow with
moonlight. Ammon waited for a car to run a yellow light before
crossing to the shore line with Larissa on his arm.

“
What did you need to tell
me?” she asked once they had safely arrived to the sandy side. With
the full moon out, the ocean tides had flooded the beach and Ammon
let go of Larissa’s touch only to take off his shoes.