Anew: The Archers of Avalon, Book One (21 page)

Forty-five minutes and two-hundred wires later, Nate had transformed the spare bedroom upstairs into a video game haven. Scarlet listened to the three boys argue about the most efficient way to destroy an AWOL robot and realized she’d rather listen to Heather complain about last year’s footwear styles than one more minute of nerd-talk.

Nate pulled a few speakers from his bag.

“Surround sound, Nate?
Really
?” Gabriel pointed to the hall. “My bedroom is
right
next door. How am I supposed to sleep when you’re blasting aliens all night? Why couldn’t you just use the downstairs guest room?”

“First of all,” Nate adjusted a speaker and looked back at Gabriel, “the aliens are on
my
team—so I don’t ‘blast’ them. Second,” Nate’s eyes grew wide, “you know I have a wicked fear of sleeping underground. Basements are for bats and axe-murders.” He looked at Tristan. “No offense.”

Tristan shrugged.

Nate’s phone rang and he scrambled to answer it. He then proceeded to have a long conversation—in French—about…well, Scarlet didn’t know because she didn’t speak French, but she was pretty sure they were talking about maps.

Eventually, Nate ended his call and turned back to them. “Pierre just emailed me pictures of the map he found. Let’s go downstairs, print them out, and come up with a search plan.”

Finally
, Scarlet thought.

The four of them went back downstairs and waited while Nate printed out the pictures.

The map made no sense to Scarlet, but she nodded her head and tried to understand what the boys were saying to one another as they poured over the pictures.

An hour and several map arguments later, Nate sighed. “Well, that sucks. There’s nothing here we haven’t seen before.”

Gabriel shook his head. “I was really hoping we’d have a new lead.”

Concern came over Scarlet. “So, the map is a dead end?”

Nate nodded.

“What now?”

“Now we go with my plan.” Tristan said, arms crossed as he leaned against the wall.

Gabriel and Nate ignored him.

“I think our best bet is to start from scratch. We’ll divvy up search responsibilities and see what we can come up with in the next few weeks. Who knows? Maybe we’ll come across something we missed before.”

They spent the next few hours plotting, arguing, and delegating search assignments. Nate was going to try and contact any modern-day treasure hunters. Gabriel would track down and analyze any ancient maps they hadn’t already seen. Tristan was in charge of reading through old journals and ship logs. And Scarlet would research the fountain’s existence online.

At the end of their session, Scarlet felt hopeful.

As night fell and cold autumn darkness came upon the cabin, everyone began to disperse, retreating to their rooms.

Tristan, who’d been less than enthusiastic about looking for the fountain from the get go, descended the basements stairs with a dark cloud over his head.

No surprise there.

Nate ran upstairs to continue battling mutant pirates or whatever his latest video game was about.

And Scarlet and Gabriel went up to his room.

Gabriel closed the bedroom door behind them and looked at her sympathetically. “How ya doing? Are you still scared?”

“A little. But I feel good knowing that we’ll all be working together to find the fountain. It’s better than just, you know, waiting to die.” She smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

Gabriel smiled back and pulled her into a hug. “You’re not going to die. We’re not going to let that happen.”

Scarlet sighed as she leaned her head against his chest. “I want to stay alive. I want to grow up and finish high school and shop with Heather on payday.”

Gabriel laughed. “Ah, payday shopping.
So
worth living for.”

Scarlet laughed softly. “Don’t forget the Kissing Festival. I have to stick around long enough to experience that at
least
one more time.”

“Without a doubt.”

“And coffee. If I died, I’d miss coffee.” She sighed, still in his arms.

“What about homework? Would you miss that?”

“Big time.”

“Cafeteria food?”

“Totally.”

“What about…high school dances with your awesome boyfriend?”

Scarlet looked up at him, still smiling. “No. I would not miss dancing.”

“Oh, you would miss dancing.” He started rocking her in his arms, and she laughed. “You would miss being swept off your feet.” He swung her around and began waltzing with her.

Scarlet was reminded of her dream about Gabriel quacking—or had that been a flashback?

She laughed. “No way. I wouldn’t miss dancing one bit.”

He kept swaying with her in his big arms and wagged his eyebrows. “Would you miss kissing?”

“Hmm.” Scarlet looked at him playfully. “I’m not sure. It depends on who the kisser was.”

He kissed her cheek. “Is that right?”

She nodded.

“Well, I guess,” he started kissing a trail back to her ear as she giggled, “I’ll have to make sure
my
kisses,” he ran his lips back down her face to her mouth, “are memorable.” He kissed her fully on the lips.

She kissed him back, closing her eyes. In between their lips coming together Scarlet smiled. “
Mmm
…yes, very memorable.” Lips still attached, they backed away from his door and fell into his bed.

Scarlet snuggled against the pillows and sheets, welcoming his big body crawling in with her. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her harder, his hands sliding down to her hips.

The playfulness began to transition into something more serious. Something more intense.

Their kiss became heavier as they moved against one another. Scarlet’s breaths were ragged as she gripped his back, wanting to pull all his clothes off.

She met his mouth more fully as his hand glided up from her hip and under her thin cotton shirt.

The same shirt she’d had on for three nights.

Excited by his warm hand moving up her body, Scarlet arched her back—

And Gabriel pulled away from her.

Abruptly.

He sat back on the bed and stared at her stomach in shock.

Scarlet, laying out of breath and confused, looked down. Her shirt was pulled halfway up, exposing the skin she’d penned earlier that morning.

Gabriel’s eyes were fixed on the design.

Oh yeah, I meant to ask him about that.

She opened her mouth, her lips still swollen from his kiss, but was cut off by his voice.

“What is
that
?”

Scarlet looked down and blinked. “Uh…just, you know, my doodle. You’ve seen it before. On my shoes and stuff.”

Scarlet’s heart began to race like she was in trouble or something.

“But why…why did you draw it on your skin like that?”

Scarlet looked at him. “What? I draw on my skin all the time. Don’t be weird, Gabriel. I’m allowed to draw on my own skin. Geez! People need to stop—.”

“I don’t care that you drew on your skin.” Gabriel shook his head, his eyes never leaving her torso. “I care that you drew
that
on your skin.”

He said “that” like it was the mark of Satan or something.

And it very well could have been. Scarlet
did
have amnesia after all.

Maybe, in her previous lives, she’d been a demon-hunter.

Scarlet sighed and pulled her shirt down. “What’s the deal with the symbol, Gabriel? Why are you freaking out? Is it some kinda devil mark?”

Gabriel shook his head. “No.”

“Then what is it? It’s not fair to get mad at me when I don’t even know what it is.” She lifted her shirt up again and examined the design. “It’s cool. It’s artistic. I dunno…I like it. What is it?”

Gabriel rubbed the side of his face. “It’s nothing.”

Scarlet dropped her head to the side. “Oh, come on. What is it?”

“No, seriously.” Gabriel said, his voice rising. “It’s nothing. It’s, literally, nothing. It’s just a stupid placement of shapes and lines. It’s dumb, really.”

“Then why are you freaking out about it?”

“Because,” his eyes suddenly caught on the lower part of the tattoo, “wait. Wait….” Gabriel swallowed and leaned back toward her, his hand moved down her ribcage and hip, tracing the design that dipped down below the top of her pajama pants.

He pulled the side of her pants down, baring her entire hip and lower belly.

“Gabriel, geez! What’s with—”

“You know what the
whole
thing looks like,” he said, more to himself than to her. “You’ve never sketched the bottom part before. You know the entire design perfectly….” Gabriel’s hands traced the bottom lines of the symbol as they fell in front of her hipbone, far below her belly button.

If it hadn’t been so awkward, Scarlet would have been totally turned on by his touch.

But it
was
awkward. And
so
not turning her on.

Gabriel let go of her pants and stopped stroking her sensitive skin. He sat back on his haunches and stared at the bed.

“What’s going on?” Scarlet was getting frustrated. “What’s the big deal with this symbol?”

Gabriel shook his head, still staring at the bed.

“Gabriel!” Scarlet smacked her hands down on the soft sheets in front of him. “Tell me what it is.”

He blinked and looked up. His voice was soft. “It’s nothing.” He paused for a moment, his brown eyes flecked with hurt and confusion. “It’s nothing.”

He hurriedly got off the bed.

“Wh—where are you going?” Scarlet sat up straight.

“I…I have to do something. And you need rest. So, just…get some rest. We’ll talk in the morning.” Gabriel left the bedroom and shut the door behind him.

Scarlet sat and stared at the closed door, a feeling of guilt coming over her.

Had she done something wrong?

After a few minutes of frustrating thoughts, Scarlet decided to let it go. If Gabriel didn’t want to tell her what the symbol meant, then she’d ask someone else, like Tristan or Nate, in the morning.

She laid back against the pillows, her heart sad.

So much for a hot night with Gabriel.

Tristan stood in front of one of his bookshelves in the basement, looking for something he hadn’t already read a thousand times.

He really needed to get some new books.

“What did you do?” Gabriel’s hard voice came from behind him.

Tristan turned around to find his brother glaring at him with clenched fists. “What are you talking about?”

“Do you know what I just saw?”

Tristan raised his brows in question.

Gabriel narrowed his eyes. “I just saw a very intricate, very
perfect
design on Scarlet’s hip.”

Tristan said nothing.

He
knew
this would happen. Why had Scarlet gone and drawn on herself?

Gabriel shrugged. “Are you gonna tell me what happened while I was gone?”

“Nothing happened while you were gone, I swear. I didn’t touch her.”

At least, not on purpose.

Although I wanted to….

“Then how do you explain the design?”

Tristan sighed. “She’s seen it before, Gabe. We all have.” He shrugged, hoping Gabriel would let it go.

He didn’t.

Gabriel nodded with a tight jaw. “Yeah, but she’s seen the
bottom
of the design. A part that I’ve never seen. A part only
select
people could have seen.”

Tristan inhaled deeply and kept his mouth shut.

“What? No comments? No denying?” Gabriel’s eyes were full of rage—something Tristan hadn’t seen in years.

It was kinda cool.

Except for the fact that his rage was directed at Tristan.

Tristan kept his voice steady. “You have nothing to worry about.”

Gabriel clenched his hands as he took a step closer and, for a moment, Tristan thought he was going to punch him. “Stay away from her.”

Tristan narrowed his eyes in return. “That’s what I’ve been
trying
to do. Remember?”

Gabriel lowered his voice. “If she dies because of you,” he took another step closer, his eyes boring into Tristan, “I will hate you forever.”

They stared at each other for a moment, tension filling the room, before Gabriel turned and left the basement.

It was only a matter of time before Scarlet remembered what the design was.

He needed to die.

The next day, Scarlet’s interaction with Gabriel was tense, at best. He was still rattled about her temporary tattoo, but he refused to talk about it.

Which upset her.

It wasn’t fair for him to keep information from her. She didn’t know what the symbol meant—she had
amnesia
, for crying out loud. She deserved some answers.

But none came.

And she was too nervous to ask Nate or Tristan about it.

She and Gabriel spent most of the day talking about finding the fountain but Gabriel rarely made eye-contact with her. Which made her feel weird.

Like maybe he was planning on breaking up with her.

The hours ticked by slow and awkward, and all Scarlet wanted to do was go home.

So, when Heather started texting Gabriel in a panic because she couldn’t reach Scarlet’s cell phone—
thanks a lot, Tristan
—Scarlet practically tripped over herself to get to the phone.

Heather’s vacation had been cut short, which was a bummer for her, but great news for Scarlet.

Because Scarlet didn’t want to stay one more minute in a cabin with her upset boyfriend, his moody brother, and a nerd who spent two hours “defeating the iron dragon”.

She used Heather’s early homecoming as a chance to suggest a new keep-Scarlet-safe plan: Heather would stay at Scarlet’s house with her and the boys could take turns on night watch.

Problem solved.

Of course, everyone threw a big fit about Scarlet being “in danger” and all the guys tried to convince her to stay. But she eventually won.

When Gabriel drove her back home, she felt as though he was almost…relieved to get her away from the cabin.

Which didn’t do much for her nervous Gabriel’s-going-to-dump-me thoughts.

Scarlet tried to process how she felt about the possibility of losing Gabriel. He had come into her life and given her comfort and normalcy. He made her laugh. He made her feel safe.

He made her feel loved.

She didn’t want to lose him.

After making sure her house was secure, Gabriel kissed Scarlet goodbye—awkwardly and with less passion than a bird kissing a fish—and left to be on night watch.

The boys didn’t feel comfortable with Scarlet and Heather alone in the house, so they were going to take turns standing guard. It was a little weird to think some guy would be watching over her every night while she slept, but it was better than feeling trapped in the Archer’s cabin.

Especially when she didn’t understand why Gabriel was so unhappy with her.

Scarlet’s heart quivered as she watched him walk away from her house and post up across the street.

It’s like he’s not even mine.

Ten minutes later, Heather was at her door, packed and ready to stay for the rest of fall break.

Scarlet let Heather in and listened as she complained.

Scarlet let her friend in and listened as Heather complained.

“Can I just say hurricanes suck? My vacation was totally ruined! And to think, I spent two paychecks on beach-specific attire that I won’t be able to wear now. Unless, of course, I want frostbite. I am
so
glad you suggested this getaway at your house. I could really use some Scarlet time.” Heather paused as she looked Scarlet up and down.

Here we go.

“O-M-G. Have you had those pajamas on for,” she sniffed Scarlet’s chest, “
three days
? Do I need to buy you new sleepwear?”

Scarlet laughed. She honestly
laughed
as she hugged Heather tightly.

Heather’s obsession with fashion was annoying, but it was hilarious when compared to Scarlet’s impending death.

“Heather, I love you. Have I told you how great you are lately? You’re great. And yes, I’ve had these pajamas on for too long. How about I get changed and you can unpack?”

“Fantastic,” Heather said, pushing away from Scarlet with a smile. “Now, stop hugging me with your gross, pajama-laden arms so we can get this party started. I’m going to go put on my swimsuit and turn the heater up.”

Scarlet raised a brow.

“What?” Heather looked innocent. “If I can’t sport my new bikini on the beach, then you’d better believe I’m gonna wear it around the house.”

Scarlet opened her mouth, but decided against arguing.

Because it sorta sounded fun. And not curse-related at all.

“Maybe I’ll put my swimsuit on, too.” Scarlet shrugged.

“Thatta girl!”

Ten minutes later, the girls sat on Scarlet’s bedroom floor, going through a giant pile of loose socks and matching up pairs.

While wearing bikinis.

Heather liked to organize Scarlet’s clothes. And shoes. And jewelry.

It was weird.

“So, what did you do while I was gone? Did you and lover boy elope or anything? I know he’s kinda marriage-prone.” Heather dug through the sock pile.

“Uh, no.”
Not even close
. “Gabriel was gone most of the weekend, so I stayed at the cabin with Tristan.”

Heather raised her eyebrows. “Kinky.”

Scarlet shook her head, matching another set of socks. “Not hardly. He’s a jerk and he hates when I’m around.”

“Ha!” Heather said. “That boy doesn’t hate when you’re around at all. He doesn’t hate anything about you.”

“Well, he treats me like I’m the plague.”

Heather scoffed. “The super hot plague that’s dating his brother, maybe.”

“Yeah, right.”

“I’m serious, Scarlet. Tristan has a thing for you. And if I had to guess, it’s a
big
thing. Did you see the way he looked at you when we were outside the coffee shop last week?”

“Uh,
no
. I try not to make eye contact with him.”

Heather shook her head. “Well, he looks at you the way I look at designer jeans—with drool running down my chin.”

“Whatever.”

“No, seriously. And when Gabriel started kissing you, Tristan, like, freaked out. I saw it all over his face. I mean, it was only for, like, a second, but I totally caught it. He can’t handle looking at the two of you. That’s not the behavior of a guy who doesn’t like you, Scarlet. That’s the behavior of a guy who’s totally crushing.”

Heather looked at Scarlet, then froze. “Whoa.”

Scarlet looked at Heather in alarm. “What? What’s wrong?”

“Your eyes….” Heather dropped the socks in her hand and leaned forward. “Your eyes look…crazy. Are you okay?”

Scarlet scrambled up from the floor and rushed to her bedroom mirror. Looking at her reflection, her hands began to shake.

Her eyes were glowing.

Neon blue and bright, they stared back at her without mercy.

Oh, no. No, no, no.

Heather came up beside Scarlet and stared into the mirror with her. “Scarlet…is that normal? Are you…sick?”

Yes, I’m very sick. I’m dying.

Scarlet started shaking her head, on the verge of panic when, suddenly, her eyes melted back into their normal shade of blue.

Scarlet blinked.

Heather blinked.

And silence fell between them as they continued staring into the mirror.

“O-M-G.” Heather took a deep breath. “That was creepy.”

Desperate for a way to explain her eyes, Scarlet lied. “I guess that’s what I get for using those new eye drops.”

I’m a terrible friend.

“Eye drops?” Heather said, looking at Scarlet closely.

“Yeah, I tried new ones and I guess they have some weird…side effects.”

Wow, I’m just a lying machine.

Heather narrowed her eyes. Scarlet was sure her friend could sense the untruth on her lips, but if she did, she let it go.

“Well, maybe stay away from those eye drops in the future. That was freaky.” Heather shook her head and went back to the floor.

Scarlet tucked her lips in, hating herself. “Yeah.”

She sat down and continued sock-matching, hoping Heather didn’t notice her shaking hands.