DESCENDANTS (THE DESCENDANTS SAGA) (15 page)

-30-

T
he warm water from the shower revitalized Sollara as it poured over her tired body. The firewall incident had taken more of her strength than she had expected. Not to mention, she was coming down with a cold as her throat was throbbing in pain.

Wrapping a towel around her body, she opened the door to the bathroom and reached her hand out into the room.

“Andrew, pass me in some clothes. Please,” she asked.

He handed her a pair of blue jeans and a grey t-shirt that had been on top of the dresser.

“Is Hannah back yet?” she asked through the door.

“No why?”

Figuring there was no use lying to him, she did the opposite and told him the blunt truth. “Well, I kind of need a bra and underwear.” 

“And…why should I…Um… Where can I...I mean where do you keep those items?”

“In the top drawer and stop being such a baby. I am sure you have seen your share of girls’ underwear.”

“Hey, that may be true but this is different. Normally I am taking it off not aiding in the putting on.”

“What the heck are you two talking about?” Hannah asked. Neither Sollara nor Andrew had heard her come back in the room.

“Hannah, can you get me a bra and
panties
?” Sollara emphasized the word panties, trying to make Andrew more uncomfortable.

“Also, would one of you mind getting me something to drink? My throat is on fire.” she added.

There was an awkward silence, and then Hannah knocked on the door.

“Can I come in?” she asked.

“Sure. What's up?”

Hannah handed her the underwear and leaned against the counter.

“When exactly did your throat start to burn?” she asked.

“That's a weird question. After the incident in the meal room I suppose. I never got a chance to eat something and drink my water.”

“Sollara, please don't get mad at me, but I think your body is telling you that you need blood. You have used your powers a couple of times already. It only makes sense.”

“I guess you could be right. I am not opposed to it, but it still feels peculiar.”  Sollara pulled the shirt over her head.

“Do you want me to get you some blood?”

“I guess I have to try it sometime. Might as well be now.”

While Hannah left to get some blood, Sollara finished getting dressed and packing her bags. She had extra time, so she applied some mascara and eyeliner and a light dusting of bronze eye shadow.

“Why do you girls do that stuff; you look perfectly fine without it on?” Andrew was being annoying again.

“If you must know, we like to play dress up. And since I have outgrown tea parties and tiaras, I settle for make up. Thank god that of the many things Mari kept from me, makeup was not one of them.” Sollara liked how she could talk casually with Andrew. Something about fighting with him made her view him as a friend and nothing more.

“I still think it’s silly,” he sneered.

Just as Sollara was ready to get into a verbal debate over makeup with Andrew, Hannah returned with eight bottles of red liquid.

“You have no idea how hard it was to find these after Kai’s little escapade, bleeding out in front of that many young Dark Ones. The school’s blood rations are like non-existent. I had to grab these from Josiah and the boys. If only you knew what I promised them in exchange,” she laughed.

Andrew watched the girls through the half open door. “I’m going to wait in the hall, all this underwear and dirty promise talk is going to my head,” he grinned as he offered them a wink and turned to leave.

Sollara wondered if he was being polite and giving her space. She was obviously nervous about her first time drinking blood. Hannah untwisted the top to one of the bottles and handed it to her.

“Do you want me to leave and give you some privacy?” she asked.

“No, I actually prefer it if you stay. It seems bizarre to think of drinking blood for the first time in secret.” She laughed nervously. “Is this human or animal?”
she
had to ask. She could not bear the thought of drinking a human’s blood.

“It is human, but before you freak out, know that it is donated
b
y one of the few humans who knows of our school. One good thing about humans is that when you take their blood, their bodies make newer, better blood within a few hours,” she answered.

“Oh, is there no animal blood anywhere? I am not sure if I am ready for this.”

The smell of the blood wafting toward her caused an uncontrollable urge to down every bottle. Sollara’s eyes widened as she licked her lips instinctively.

“Whoa!” She laughed in surprise. “It seems my body disagrees with my desire to wait for animal blood.”

Cautious to steady her shaking hand, she reached forward and took the bottle from Hannah. “If I am going to do it, I might as well get it over with.” Sollara vigorously swallowed the contents of the bottle. Instantly her throat felt better and her strength started to return.

“This is disgusting,” she spat. “I thought I was supposed to like this stuff.” She rubb
ed her tongue trying to get the
flavor out of her mouth.
Hannah doubled forward holding her stomach and laughing at Sollara’s response. As Sollara waited for Hannah to answer her, she tapped her foot and glared at the way Hannah thought she was amusing.

“Tell me about it; it takes awhile to acquire a taste for old blood,” Hannah finally managed between fits of laughter.

“What do you mean old blood?”

“That was from an elderly man who works for the school. Old blood tastes the worst, but it has the most healing properties in it,” she informed.

“Well give me something that tastes better! I think I will throw up if I have to keep the aftertaste of that in my mouth any longer.”

Hannah handed her another bottle. Quickly she unscrewed the lid and downed the sweet liquid. It was shockingly good, like the rich juice from a rare steak. “I could get used to this!”

“Y
ou are a thirsty little thing aren't you?” Hannah quickly unscrewed the lid of the next bottle.

-31-

“A
ndrew, I want to go to the Medicos and see how Kai is,” Sollara half asked and half demanded.

“I am sure he’s fine. H
e needs his sleep more than anything,” he replied.

“
Andrew please… ”

“Fine,” he interrupted, “go, but if Coeus gets mad, it is on your head.”

“Agreed!” She was already out the door and on her way down to visit the Medicos. Andrew had to run to keep up with her. She didn’t know if her speed was from the fresh blood in her system or her desire to see Kai, but either way she did not care.

The Medicos was just leaving his room when they got there. And they were pleased to see that Phoebe had listened to their concerns, as two of the rugby team boys were flanking his door.

“How is he Doc?” Andrew asked.

“He has forty stitches and has lost a lot of blood. But he will recover. He just needs to rest. We have him on a human blood drip to speed up the healing process.”

“Lucky
, he gets to have it injected into his body, and I had to drink it
—
Can I go see him?”

“Yes, but keep it short and keep it quiet,” the Medicos allowed as he waved her through.

Andrew waited in the hall while Sollara went in to see Kai. He was lying on an adjustable bed and had tubes sticking out of his arms. He was either still unconscious or sleeping, and it was really hard for her to see him like that. Several emotions welled up within her as she sat on the stool next to him, taking his hand in hers. The smell of the blood going into him through the tubes was heavenly, and she was thankful that she had just had her fill.

“Kai, I don't know if you can hear me or not, but I really wanted to tell you…Your family always seems to be saving my life. I owe you a great deal. I don't have much to give you but what I do have is my....”

“Sophia,” he mumbled, his hands clenching the sheet that covered him.

“Did you just call out another girl’s name?” She had hoped it was her imagination, but when he opened his mouth to speak again, her hopes came crashing down.

“Sophia!” He groaned as he called out for her.

“How could I be so blind?” She felt foolish
—
of course he liked Sophia. They were always around each other, and she had freely offered herself to him.

Loved and Lost.

Driven by the need to get away before her emotions overwhelmed her, Sollara ran. She sprinted out of the room and right past Andrew while he was talking to one of the rugby boys.

“Sorry, I’d better catch up to her,” he said.

Grabbing her arm, he spun her around to face him. She tried unsuccessfully to hide her broken expression by lowering her head. He pulled her into his firm chest and held her.

“It will be okay, Sollara. Whatever it is, it will be okay.”

Feeling safe in his protective grasp she lost all control and wept openly. He picked her up and started walking with her arms wrapped around his neck and her face pressed against his shoulder. She did not care where he took her. All she could do was cry. By the time they got to Phoebe's room, the left side of Andrew's shirt was soaked from her tears.

“What happened to her, is she okay?” Phoebe asked.

“Yeah, I think this is just a lot for her to experience all at once,” he replied.

“Hush now, child. Plans are in place for us to leave. We will go to Port Renfrew, get the twins and then go to our home on Cortez Island. We can stay there until we find a safe place to collect. Everything is set in motion. The truck is almost packed and ready to go. We can put Kai across the back seat. I have taken the liberty to pack his belongings for him. Andrew, I have also packed for you and Hannah as I have heard you will be joining us.”

“Oh, you’ve already heard that?”

“Andrew, I hear everything.” Phoebe turned from Andrew and faced Sollara. “Have you had any driving lessons?” she asked.

“Not really, but Coeus gave me the driver’s manual to study,” Sollara replied.

“We will probably have to take your car, so maybe Andrew can drive it.”

“I don’t mind driving. When are we leaving?” he asked.

“Now.”

He nodded in understanding before escorting Sollara and her bag to the car park. The Quattropo
rte was parked beside the SUV. A
group of men worked
to lift Kai into the back of truck
. Coeus was in the front seat with Hannah, showing her how to use the two-way radio he had installed.

“Andrew, there is a radio in Sollara’s car as well. Maybe you should show her how to use it,” he yelled over his shoulder.

As instructed, Andrew loaded the Quattroporte and explained how to operate the two-way with Sollara.

“But I don’t understand how the message gets from this car to that one,” Sollara said in exasperation.

“For the last time Sollara, the radio waves…” He looked at her and saw the blank expression on her face. It amazed him at how little she knew or understood about his world. “You know what, forget it. The two-way radio, just like the regular radio, is magic. We use magic.”

“Of course, why didn’t you just say so in the first place?” Sollara smiled as she began spinning knobs and sending
messages to Hannah in the SUV
. He shook his head while he watched her, but he couldn’t help smiling at how silly the situation was.

Coeus kissed Phoebe goodbye and held her close. He had to stay behind to manage the appearance of the school. “Be safe my love,” he whispered into her ear.

As Sollara fiddled with the dial on the radio, sounds from the
SUV
came across and into the car. When she heard Kai screaming Sophia's name, she quickly turned the radio off like Andrew had shown her. She looked over to the
ir vehicle
and saw Hannah return her look with one of understanding. Sollara worked to calm her breathing and focus on the beauty outside the car. The last thing she wanted was to cry again.

“I could get used to driving this,” Andrew smiled as he ran his fingers over the leather seats.

The car was a much-needed distraction, and Sollara soon set aside her troubles with Kai. She watched as Andrew pushed some buttons and music began to play.

“What is that?” she asked in awe as she ran her fingers over the mysterious maker of music.

“It’s like the radio I showed you, but it doesn’t send messages, it just sends music,” he tried to explain.

Hannah came in over the two-way radio, and Andrew turned down the music to listen to her instructing them on when they were going to leave.

“All right, we will just follow behind you,” he replied.

-32-

T
hey drove out of the university grounds and turned left onto the highway, quickly catching up with Phoebe and the truck. Sollara watched out the window at the passing buildings. After they drove through the first intersection, the streetlights revealed a gold car pulling up behind them.

“What a pretty gold automobile!” Sollara watched its paint reflect the light of the street lamp.

“That’s not a pretty gold car, it’s a Lt1 Camaro.” Andrew still felt the need to inform her of everything she did not know.

She huffed and crossed her arms in a pout as she watched the car follow behind them.

Just as they came near to the next stoplights, the gold Camaro swung up beside them. She looked over at the car and noticed that the driver shared a remarkable resemblance to one of her instruct
ors from the Deep Kingdom. D
riving with him were three menacing looking gentlemen. She squinted her eyes as she tried to get a closer look. One of the men looked strikingly similar to the man in the cafeteria.

The Camaro dropped back behind them again before Sollara had a chance to get a better look at the driver. Was it just a coincidence? But she didn’t believe in those.

“Call Phoebe now and tell her we are being followed. I think the man driving the gold car is someone from the
Deep Kingdom.” She shouted
to Andrew as her shaky hands clutched the door handle.

He
quickly radioed Phoebe, telling her what Sollara thought. They agreed both vehicles needed to take the necessary precautions to lose the Camaro. The
SUV
increased speed and Andrew followed suit. Soon they were driving nearly one hundred miles per hour. All the while the Camaro stayed right on their tail.

“We’
re not shaking them, Phoebe,” he said into the radio.

“The road up ahead has a lot of close turns. The
SUV
will not be able to make them at this speed,” Phoebe warned.

“Andrew do you know how to drive to Port Renfrew?” Sollara asked.

“Yes why?”

“We a
re going to see who these guys are following. Get in front of Phoebe and show me how to really drive this kind of car!”

He smiled at her,
knowing what she was asking and
swerved in front of Phoebe, barreling past the on-coming traffic.
The speedometer was steadily rising.

“Do you think this is safe?” Sollara asked as she quickly regretted taunting Andrew.

“Personally, if those guys are who you think they are, I would rather take my chances driving recklessly than hand you over to be eaten.” He swerved in front of a car that was going too slow.

“They pulled past Phoebe. They are definitely following us!” Sollara yelled. She watched the gold car over her shoulder.

“What the hell are you two doing?” Hannah cried over the radio.

“We are getting rid of these guys; we’ll meet you in Port Renfrew,” Andrew said into the radio receiver.

Andrew then slammed the gas pedal down, knowing now that he must get Sollara away at all costs. The road started to snake, and the turns became tighter and tighter, making it harder for him to keep up his speed. He took the next corner too fast and the car began to slide. With expert precision he geared down and straightened out the wheels.

“The Camaro is only a little behind us. How is he keeping up?” Sollara asked in a panic.

“He must have modified his engine. I read it was popular to put Corvette engines in that make of Camaro. At most that would give him 350 horsepower.”

Sollara looked at him as though he were speaking another language. He sensed her confusion. “Don’t worry, we should be okay; the Quattroporte has 440 horsepower.” The thought of th
e
powerful engine made him smile.

“Sollara, hang on.”

They were just about to turn into another hairpin corner when he unexpectedly slammed on the brakes. Tire dust clouded the road. They managed to see the Camaro barely miss them, go flying into the corner, and cross over the barrier.

Andrew took that as his cue and forced the gas pedal down to the floor. The Quattroporte had plenty in reserve.

“Nice move,” Sollara said as she worked hard to steady her breath. “I think we lost them.”

They maintained this pace to gain as much distance between them and the Camaro as possible.

“Phoebe, I think we shook them,” Andrew radioed a few minutes later. “The Quattroporte needs gas. We are pulling over at the next station.”

“All right, but stay attentive. Fill up and get out of there as quickly as possible,” she directed.

They pulled into the next gas station and were back on the road within minutes. Andrew felt that they had put good distance between them and the Camaro, so he took it a bit easier and did not exceed the speed limit by too much.

“We’
re back in motion Phoebe,” Andrew radioed.

“Good. We are just outside of Sooke so we should be catching up soon,” she replied.

About ten miles past the gas station, Sollara thought she heard a car behind them. She turned around to get a better look, but it was too dark to see anything.

“Do you hear that?”

“What?” he replied as he focused on the road ahead. The only light they had was from their car and the headlights of a large truck approaching them.

He checked the rear view mirror to be sure, and suddenly car lights turned on right behind them. They instantly recognized it as the Camaro.

It rammed the rear right side of the car, sending Andrew and Sollara into a heart stopping spin down the road. He struggled with the wheel, trying to straighten the car.

“We’re headed for it!” Sollara shrieked as she dropped the bag and clutched onto the door handle again.

Somehow, Andrew managed to regain control of the car, but they were still in the path of the onrushing truck. The semi driver noticed their car and frantically began honking his horn and flashing his lights. The Camaro doggedly followed behind, just a few feet away.

“What are you doing?’ Sollara yelled as Andrew did not do anything to move the car but kept driving straight toward a head on collision with the truck.

Andrew didn’t answer but kept his focus. The truck driver slammed his brakes, but the speed of the semi caused it to turn and skid sideways. They were within a few meters of colliding with the truck.

With his whole body Andrew cranked the steering wheel, veered to the left shoulder of the road, and brought them to a stop.

A gut-wrenching explosion of metal and glass shook the windows of the car. Sollara glanced towards the vehicles, trying to see what the damage was.

“Holy shit!” Andrew whistled as he tried to regain his breath.

Sollara finally released her death like grip on the door handle and turned to Andrew. “Should we go check on the truck driver?”

“There’s no point
, he’s gone
.”

“We killed him?” Sollara’s throat started to constrict. She couldn’t bear the thought of taking an innocent man’s life.

“No, I mean he escaped; he’s hurt but he will survive. I can hear him. He’s calling the police. So we better get going.” But before he left, Andrew
took a moment and
turned the car around so that the lights could shine on the wreck, and when he saw what he had accomplished, he smiled grimly. “Oh my god, would you look at that. Nicely done if I do say so myself.”

In the midst of something so intense as nearly dying, and as sad as injuring an innocent man, only someone like Andrew would be proud of a scene like that.

“Watch your language in front of a lady,” she scolded, not knowing what else to say.