Under the Winter Sun (Elemental Enchanters Series Book 3) (11 page)

Natalia spotted Gabriel and then her eyes fell on Ava. The look on her face told Ava she wasn’t thrilled to see them walk in together.

“Thanks for tonight,” she told Gabriel.

“Where have you been?” Natalia asked.

He gave her an annoyed look.

“I’ll see you later,” Ava said and ambled toward the door. She was hesitant to join Peter since he was deep in conversation. She wanted to see if he’d come over later, but she didn’t want him to reject her again. He didn’t even notice that she was there. He was animated when he spoke, almost like Jeremy was when talking about something he loved. Peter gave an easy laugh and Ava decided not to bother him. Perhaps his new friends were helping him through his grief.

There were too many people inside the parlor. Their voices were too loud and overwhelming. It was hot. Ava cooled herself, but the room still felt suffocating.

She stepped out, leaned against the wall, and exhaled. She couldn’t go on like this. Peter’s distance. His weird feelings of conflict. The awkwardness. And the constant on-edge tension. He was trying to figure things out. It wasn’t her. He just needed some time.

Her stomach coiled and the pizza threatened to find a way out. She swallowed the lump in her throat as her ears rang. Her knees weakened, and she braced herself against the wall. Ava clutched her necklace, which began to warm against her skin. She had to calm herself before it glowed.

“Ava?”

She silently cursed and looked up to see Lance. “Yeah.”

“You okay? You look like you’re going to throw up.”

“I think it’s something I ate.”

“Do you want me to take you home?”

She waved her hand and stood up straight. “No, I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? I hope you’re not getting sick like Melissa’s parents. Gillian got sick today, too. Seems like everyone is.”

“Yeah, my dad’s got the flu.”

“Has he asked for Savina’s help?”

She shook her head. “Stubborn.”

“That doesn’t sound familiar at all.” A half smile flickered across his face.

“I don’t have the flu. I’ll just go home, take a shower, and sleep.”

“I’ll walk you to her car then.”

She nodded and he took her hand. She squeezed it tightly like it was the only thing keeping her from exploding. He opened the door, and for once, she welcomed the cold.

“Where is Peter? Why isn’t he with you?”

She swallowed hard. “He’s inside hanging out with the Russians.”

“Oh. It’s none of my business, but are you two really okay? Even though I’m dealing with my own stuff, I worry about you.” He nudged her with his shoulder.

She leaned against her car. “Yeah, we’re fine. He’s stressed because he feels like he has this huge expectation from everyone to fulfill. And of course dealing with Seth’s death.”

“I’m sure some of the stress comes from Gillian.”

“She’s not helping.”

“I know. I don’t like how she’s changed so much, you know?” He leaned beside her.

“We all have. Even Thomas.”

“True. Glad he’s not a jerk anymore. What did you and Gabriel do tonight?”

She felt herself smile. “We went to the waterfall and I created a tornado.”

“You did?” His eyes widened. “That’s awesome, Ava. Are all your powers back?”

“Not all, but I’m getting there. This has been the worst six weeks of my life.”

“No kidding. Funny how we seemed so unsure of it all before. Then when the ability subsides, we learn to appreciate it.”

“When did you ever feel unsure?”

“You know, when our powers developed. It was scary. But talking to Melissa helped a lot. I swear, she’s never afraid of anything.”

“Neither are you. I’ve never seen you fear much.”

He shrugged. “I don’t share that with anyone but Mel. I’m surprised she never spilled the beans.”

“Melissa the Gossip Queen.” Ava laughed quietly.

Lance rolled his eyes. “That woman told me every single thing that anyone did in that school. And it didn’t matter what it was. Some chick wore a gaudy orange skirt, or some dude came to school with a cowlick.”

Ava snickered. “Cowlick?”

“I kid you not. Cowlick. What do I need to know that for? I think the next day she brought the guy some gel.”

She laughed harder.

“She even bought a subscription to a fashion magazine for a teacher of hers. And then she’d tell me little changes in that teacher’s outfit.” He shook his head. “God I miss that woman.”

Ava frowned. “Me, too.”

Lance wrapped his arm around Ava and held her tight. After a few minutes, she left the Manor. When she arrived at home, she checked on her father, who was sleeping on the couch. If he wasn’t any better tomorrow, she didn’t care what he said, she was going to Savina. It had been a week already. She showered, then made herself comfortable in the easy chair. She fell asleep to her father’s quiet snores.

The small house rested under several dogwood trees. Ava hadn’t been there in months, but with Gillian sick, she thought she would visit and try to make amends. She was tired of the resentment and attitudes.

She paused once she reached the faded white door. The paint had chipped off in a few places and the porch had seen better days. Ava felt like the boards would break and she’d fall through into who knows what was underneath. Leaves cluttered in the corners near the railing and a wind chime softly tinkled a gentle lullaby.

Ava rang the doorbell. A few minutes later, an older version of Gillian answered, a smile in her wide blue eyes. Gray hair intertwined with her black curls, and she wore an oversized sweater in an attempt to hide her plump figure.

“Hey Mrs. Madison.”

“Well, Ava, come inside. It’s been ages since I’ve seen you.”

She followed her and looked around at the small dim living room. It was filled with family pictures and a lot of pink. Mrs. Madison was also obsessed with Mickey Mouse. Figurines, pillows, clocks, anything Mickey was everywhere. It was too messy for Ava.

“I came to see how Gillian’s doing.”

“Oh, she’s fine.” She waved her hand. “She just misses Jeremy.”

“She hasn’t been at school this week.”

Mrs. Madison settled in an old recliner that Ava was sure it would fall apart at any second. “I know.” She sighed. “I try to get her to go, but she refuses.”

Ava studied her. “She’s not manipulating you, is she?”

“I’m pretty good at keeping her out of my head now. Would you like some tea? I just made some.”

“I’m good, thanks. I’m gonna go check on her.”

“Good. See if she’ll actually get out of that darn bed.”

She made her way down the hall to Gillian’s room and knocked on the door.

Gillian mumbled something, and Ava guessed she told her to go away. She rolled her eyes. Opening the door, she found Gillian under a heap of blankets, her hair barely showing.

“Are you deaf?” she asked.

“Yeah.” Ava closed the door. “What are you doing?”

“What’s it look like? Why are you here?” Her irritation pulsated through Ava’s necklace.

“Making sure you’re okay.”

“I’m fine. You can go now.”

Ava let out a frustrated sigh. “Are we seriously going to be like this forever? I’m so tired of it. Melissa and Jeremy are gone, G. We need to stick together as much as we can. So can you please put on your big girl panties and drop the act?”

Gillian pulled the blanket down and stared at Ava. “Stick together? What like you have the last few weeks? Refusing to come to the Manor to train or be around anyone but Peter. You’re certainly one to talk.”

She dropped her shoulders. “I know, and I’m sorry. But you haven’t made it easy for me to be around you.”

Gillian frowned. “I know. I guess I needed someone to blame. Peter was easy. Poor excuse. You don’t hate me?”

“I never hated you.”

“I would if I were you.”

“Why?”

“Because I’ve been a bitch to you.”

“Yeah, you have. But I don’t hate you.”

“Why not?”

“Because even though you despise the fact that I’m with Peter, I still consider you my friend. I need you, Gillian.” It was hard for her to say those words, but they were true. She did need her friend.

“I know. I need you, too. I felt like you chose Peter over us. I mean, for a while it was all about him. Like he was more important. And it pissed me off because I felt like you only wanted to help him out. When Savina brought him into the picture I couldn’t figure it out. But he’s a protector. She brought him in solely for that reason. You got lucky. But he wasn’t good at it. He didn’t train enough.”

“I know all this, okay? He’s training a lot right now so he can be good at it. You can’t expect him to be an expert already. He hasn’t had eighteen years to prepare like we have.” Ava could still see the blame in Gillian’s eyes. She shook her head. “Look, I came to see how you were. You seem fine so I’m gonna go to the Manor. You’re welcome to come.”

Gillian crossed her arms in front her chest, refusing to meet Ava’s eyes.

Sighing, she opened the door and closed it behind her. She walked into the living room and found Mrs. Madison glued to the TV. “I’ll see you later,” she said.

Mrs. Madison looked up. Ava bent over and hugged her. “You be good and don’t worry about her. She’ll come around eventually.”

“Yeah. Take care,” Ava said, then left. She felt Gillian’s regret, but it would take more for Ava to make her go back inside. She had tried to talk to her, but guessed Gillian wasn’t ready.

That night Ava went to the Manor to train. Practicing with the group, she became quicker and stronger with her fighting skills. As she trained with Gabriel and Lance, she noticed Thomas and Nicole weren’t there. When they broke for dinner, she saw Link heading inside, and caught his hand.

“Where’s Nicole?” she asked him.

“She’s not feeling well. I told her to rest tonight and come back tomorrow.”

She exchanged a look with Lance. “So are Gillian and my dad.”

Lance scratched his head. “Thomas has been sick.”

“It is that time of year,” Link said.

Ava nodded, but something didn’t feel right. She thought about it, and realized a lot of students and some teachers had been out recently.

“What are you thinking about?” Lance asked.

She lifted a shoulder. “About how a lot of people are ill. Do you think so many of us are getting sick because we’re vulnerable right now?”

He grabbed the back of his neck. “Could be. Makes sense.”

“Let’s go inside,” Link said. “It’s starting to rain.”

“Don’t like the water messing up your hair?” Lance joked.

“It makes it frizzy.” Link whined and then they laughed.

Ava rolled her eyes as they headed inside. She found Peter and made her way toward him. He had a blank stare on his face but she felt his hesitation, confusion, and then frustration.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Nothing, why?” His eyes snapped to hers. He always did that. Then, he’d tell her he was fine, and give some excuse for his behavior. He was exhausted. Or he was fine. Or he needed to go do something.

“You seem kinda out of it.”

“No, I’m fine.”

Ava reached for his hand, but he cleared his throat and raked his hand through his thick brown hair. He avoided her eyes. 

She silently groaned. Why couldn’t he hold her hand? They hadn’t spoken to each other much lately. She was giving him his space. That was what he wanted, wasn’t it? Or did he want space from her? She shook her head. She was letting her insecurities get the best of her. Her emotions were severely off balance. 

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. I’ve just been in a funk.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No, I’m good.” He fidgeted with his hands, watching Eric and Ilya walk outside with Gustav. “I’m gonna go at it again.”

“Okay,” she said, trying not to let her voice tremble. “Do you want to come over later?” She spoke up a little as he started walking away.

“I can’t tonight. I promised Ilya we’d hang out. I’m probably gonna be too exhausted, though. Sorry.” He ambled out the door.

Peter’s lack of emotion was like chains wrapped around her heart with an iron ball weighing it down. She longed to feel his arms around her or his soft lips on hers. She wished he would get over this weirdness. Why was he avoiding her so much? One reason nagged at the back of her mind, but she refused to think about it.

Ava dislodged the hard lump in her throat and looked around her. She felt incredibly insecure like her heart splayed open so everyone could see and laugh. She hugged herself. The anxiety coiled inside her stomach, making her dizzy.   

She fled the room, her eyes trained on the floor. As she rounded the corner of the doorframe, she ran smack into someone.

“Sorry,” she muttered, trying to regain her balance.   

“Are you sick, too?” Gabriel asked, his hands on her arms. “You look very pale.” He scrutinized her face.

She shook her head, avoiding his gaze.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice low.

“I’m fine.” She bit her lip. “It’s late. I should go.”

“Ava.” The way he said her name almost made her lose the battle with the tears. “What has you up all night worried? Besides the obvious. I feel you every day and night.”

“Just worried about Melissa and Jeremy. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She sidestepped him to pass. She felt his eyes on her until she turned the corner. Suppressing her anxiety so the necklace wouldn’t glow, she left.

All Ava wanted to do when she got home was take a hot shower and go to sleep. She checked on her father, who still refused Savina’s help. Ava was at her wit’s end, but she didn’t want to argue with him. Instead, she heated up some soup for him.

She needed to eat, but her stomach was too wound up. She opened the refrigerator and pulled out a pot of leftover spaghetti. Once she removed the lid, the putrid smell hit her and made her gag.

She gagged again, unable to hold it back any longer. She raced to the bathroom, making it just in time. Her stomach heaved until it was empty. She washed her face and slid back to the floor, resting her head against the cabinet.

Ava really needed to get a grip. She couldn’t believe her anxiety over Peter made her sick. She felt awful though. Her body ached and was feverish. Was this what her father felt like? She needed to go check on him but was slow getting to her feet. Dizziness set in as she gripped the edge of the sink.

When the room stopped spinning, she ambled out into the living room.

Her father coughed. “Dad?” He continued coughing and it sounded like he was choking. Panicked, she flipped on the light switch and darted toward him. He was laying down on his back, gasping for air.

“Dad!” She moved him to a sitting position, and when she did, the blanket fell, exposing his covered arms. Blood had soaked through the fabric on his pajamas. She pushed the sleeve up and gasped. Gangrene had set in on his arm. The bone was visible surrounded by blackened, dry tissue. Bile rose to her throat.

He coughed and blood sprayed across the blanket. Her heart pounded, her body shaking. She had to call Savina. She moved him to rest against the back of the couch and ran into her room, snatching her phone from the nightstand.

Her fingers trembled as she tapped on Peter’s name. Listening to the endless ringing, she hung up and dialed Gabriel.

“What’s wrong?”

“I need Savina! He’s coughing up blood.”

The line on the other end clicked. She hoped they would be there any second.

Ava held onto her dad, rocking him until Savina and Gabriel arrived. All the while, she felt as if she would get sick again, but miraculously held it back.

The door opened and both of them came inside.

“Oh good heavens!” Savina cried, taking Ava’s father’s hands.

Ava stood and stumbled into Gabriel’s arms, weeping.

“It’s okay,” he said.

She nodded, unable to speak. She was trying so hard not to puke.

A few moments later, Savina touched her shoulder. “He is out of danger.”

“Thank you.” Her eyes felt heavy. Dizziness washed over her.

“Savina, I think she’s ill, too.” She heard Gabriel say.

A few minutes later, Ava opened her eyes and scanned the room. Gabriel and Savina leaned over her as she lay on the floor. “What happened?”

“You passed out,” Gabriel said. “Savina healed you both.”

Ava relaxed and made her way to her father. He no longer looked sick and his arms were back to normal. “Dad.” She clutched onto his hand and let the tears fall.

“It’s okay, sweetie.”

“He will be tired, but he is fine,” Savina said.

“Thank you. How could I have missed the gangrene? I thought he just had the flu.”

Savina pressed her lips in a thin line. “The plague, Corbin’s plague, starts out slowly. Then, it attacks quickly. Once it hits the bloodstream, it escalates and takes over.”

Ava stilled. “Corbin was here? How? Why would he come and not take me?”

“He wasn’t here,” Savina said. “He sends underlings to do his dirty work. Corbin doesn’t want you dead. He’s testing you, like he did when you all were younger.”

“He’s testing all of us. You have to hurry! Gillian, Thomas, Nicole, Melissa’s parents. They’re all sick.”

Savina’s eyes widened and she covered her mouth. “Oh dear.” She turned to Gabriel. “Can you take me?”

“Of course.”

She grabbed his hand.

“Will you come back?” Ava asked him.

He nodded. “Yes,” he said, and then they vanished.

“Dad, why didn’t you let me call Savina?”

“I’m sorry I worried you. I didn’t realize it was so bad.”