Icarians: Poisoned Dreams (3 page)

By the time she got back around the house to greet her guests they were out of there cars and waiting on her. Analeigh saw Mercedes first and became very aware of her own appearance. Her bottom half was soaked, she was thankful that it wasn't her upper body, "Hey" she greeted her. She looked past Mercedes and saw the same man that had been staring at her in town the day before.

Her breath caught in her chest at just how gorgeous he was. His black hair was tousled around like he had been running his fingers through it. His eyes were so blue she could hardly look away from them. Before she could say anything, "Analeigh this is my brother Jaxon. Jaxon this is Analeigh." Mercedes was very pleased with herself as she made the introductions.
So the God had a name Analeigh thought as she greeted him.

"Hello its nice to meet you Analeigh." Jaxon said softly. There was a small silence before Mercedes said "So we are here to help you. Jaxon brought his push mower because we didn’t know if you had one or not."
"Yeah there’s one in the shed out back but its really old and most likely doesn’t work." Analeigh said.
"That’s fine" Jaxon said still looking at her.
"Come on Analeigh, show me what you need help with and we will let Jaxon get to work." Mercedes said with a big knowing smile as she took Analeigh by the arm and they walked around to the back of the house.

Analeigh took Mercedes into the house. They walked into the dim living room. It smelled like dust and stale air.
"If you wouldn't mind helping me to remove all of the sheets from the furniture and then maybe we can move the light stuff onto the patio, so it can be washed down.”
"OK, no problem." As they worked Analeigh said casually, "I would have never guessed that he was your brother, you guys look nothing alike."
"Oh I know, everybody says that." Mercedes fluffed off the comment.
"Listen I really appreciate both of you helping like this."
"Well we are glad to do it, really." Mercedes smiled.
"We can just pile the sheets up in the corner for right now, they will have to be thrown away they are so old. Like everything here." Analeigh said.
"Why didn't you guys come back years ago to work on the house?"
"Its really strange but my grandmother wanted me to be the one to come here, she said the experience was part of my inheritance. But you know I really don’t mind. My grandmother was a wonderful person, and being here makes me feel so close to her. Plus once I start digging around a little, who knows what I might find. Its fun ya know?" Analeigh told her.
"No I completely understand, we lost our parents when I was fifteen and Jaxon was seventeen. That’s why we have stayed in this town, all our memories of them are here." Mercedes said sadly.
"Oh I'm so sorry." Analeigh said quietly.
"Its OK, it was along time ago." Mercedes told her.
"So Jaxon has been taking care of you since?" Analeigh asked.
"Oh yeah, some of our relatives wanted to take me in but Jaxon wouldn’t have it. Our parents left us some money so it hasn’t been so hard on us, plus the people in this town are so nice to us." Mercedes answered her.
"That’s really amazing. Most families that go through a tragedy like that, normally the younger kids get lost in the system." Analeigh said softly.
"Oh I know I'm really lucky to have Jaxon, he has turned out to be a good man."
Analeigh and Mercedes started to remove the smaller furniture from the house and onto the back patio.
"Some of this stuff is in really good condition." Mercedes commented.
"I know, I'm not sure of what I'm going to keep and what I'm not. My main goal right now is to clean everything." Analeigh said as she looked around the dark room.
When Analeigh and Mercedes finished their task, Analeigh went and filled a small bucket with warm water and soap and got two wash rags. She handed one to Mercedes, this was work she could do herself but she really liked the company and Mercedes didn’t seem to mind. They started scrubbing down the end tables and coffee table. They also had to wash five antique plant stands and a sofa table.

As Analeigh was washing one end table she caught Jaxon pushing his mower out of the corner of her eye, he had taken off his shirt. Even hot and sweaty, he was still gorgeous, she thought as she noticed his rippled abs and strong muscled arms. Her eyes followed a bead of sweat gliding down his well formed shoulders to his sexy stomach. Suddenly she realized she was staring at him and looked away embarrassed. His tan body was utterly perfect, who wouldn't stare? She reasoned with herself. Jaxon could see her watching him. He couldn't believe how beautiful she was. Even now her face devoid of any makeup, her hair pulled back into a pony tail and there was a light sheen to her skin. She was completely sexy. He could feel the sexual passion emitting from her like warm heat on a hot summers day. It was tearing him up to be this close to her and not have her completely as his own. Damn Sadie for getting him into this. All I have to do is the job and be done with it, he told himself. Of course he knew it was a lie. He shut the mower off and walked over to were the girls were cleaning furniture on the patio. He couldn’t help but notice the way Analeigh’s shorts hugged her shapely bottom.
"Oh good, I'm glad you stopped for a while we were just about to have lunch, cold sandwiches OK?" Analeigh said with a smile.
"Sure." Jaxon said wondering if she could see the physical pain she was causing him.
"OK I'll get cleaned up and get started. If you want you can use the upstairs bathroom to wash up." She offered him.
"Alright." He said and walked to the stairs.
"Its the second door on the right from the top of the stairs." Analeigh called after him.
Jaxon made his way upstairs and stopped outside the open door that must be her bedroom. He could see a pair of her blue jeans laying across an old chair, her bed hadn't been made and he could see the imprint of her head on her pillow were she'd slept. He had to force himself to turn away. He found the bathroom and went inside. Jaxon planted his hands on the sink and looked at himself in the mirror.
"You gotta get a grip man." He told himself. He could smell her sweet scent on everything and it was making him crazy. Every time he closed his eyes he could see them together in his bed, tangled in his sheets.
"I have to forget about her." He vowed to himself. There was too much at stake for him to screw it up.

Analeigh came out of the downstairs bathroom and motioned to Mercedes that it was all hers. As Mercedes went into the bathroom, Analeigh started laying everything out for the sandwiches. She could feel him before she could hear or see him. Analeigh turned around slowly to look at him.
"What would you like on yours?" She asked.
"Everything." He answered.
OK not a big talker, she thought as she went to work on their lunch.
"You can have a seat if you'd like." She offered him then quickly made the sandwiches.
She heard him sit quietly. What is his problem she wondered to herself. If he didn't want to be here nobody was making him.
"Ok lets eat I’m starving!" Mercedes said as she came out of the bathroom grinning.
Analeigh couldn't help notice just how different the two of them really were.
"Just in time, its all ready." Analeigh said as she served her guests lunch.
They ate in an awkward silence for a while.
"So Analeigh, where do you live? I mean before you came here?" Mercedes said breaking the silence.
"I live in Los Angeles."
"Wow, Ravenwood must be really boring for you!" Mercedes commented.
"Oh no, not at all, at home all I did was go to school and hang out with friends. You guys have the same stuff here that I do at home. Movies, parks, oh but one thing I haven't found yet, I take a self defense class twice a week and a dance class once a week." Analeigh told them. She was very surprised when it was Jaxon who answered.
"You might want to check out Marshall's Gym." He said.
"Oh thanks I will."
"Self defense huh?" Mercedes asked.
"Yeah, my dad insists that I take it. I saw a lady get robbed two summers ago, so I didn't argue too much. Although now that I'm here I might give it a rest for a bit."
"Don't give it up." Jaxon said forcefully, startling her.
"What do your parents do? Are they still together?" Jaxon went on to ask her.
"No they got divorced about three years ago. My dad is a criminal lawyer, and my mom is a pediatrician, they are still friends, as hard as that is to believe but it makes it easy on me." Analeigh told them between bites, letting his coerce comment pass.
"Well I better get back to work if I want to finish the lawn before dark." Jaxon said as he stood up, took his dish to the sink then turned to go outside.
When she heard the mower start up again she turned to Mercedes.
"He doesn’t want to do this does he?"
"Oh no its not that at all, he has a lot on his mind right now and really I think this will help him." Mercedes said reassuringly.
"Well it seems like he can't stand to be in the same room as me." Analeigh said as she started cleaning up.
"No trust me, it isn't you at all. Plus he is a little on the shy side."
Analeigh found it a little hard to believe that as sexy as he was that he would be shy, but she didn't reveal her thoughts to Mercedes. They finished cleaning up the kitchen together.
"Hey why don't you come out with me tonight?"
“Um I don't know..." Analeigh started caught off guard.
"Oh come on, its Friday night, I'm not going to let you sit here all alone. Come out with me, we can go into town, have a few drinks at Harry's. What do you say?" Mercedes looked so hopeful that Analeigh couldn't say no.

"Ok it sounds like fun."
"Great! lets finish up for the day, that will give you a little time to relax and get dressed." Mercedes suggested.
"That sounds good to me." They worked for a couple more hours until they had all the furniture outside and wiped down. “Its not going to rain is it?” Analeigh asked as she wiped the sweat off her brow.

Mercedes laughed and answered “No I don’t think so. I’ll come over in the morning to help put it all back in place.”

Analeigh and Mercedes talked for a bit longer then Mercedes walked outside to leave, but got stopped by Jaxon. Jaxon felt a little jolt of panic when he saw his sister start to leave. He ran to catch up with her.
"Hey what the hell are you doing?" He demanded.
"What? We are finished for the day." She said innocently.
"Well I'm not done yet!" He said furiously.
"Oh that’s fine, Analeigh said when ever you felt like leaving was fine with her." Mercedes said and added with a smile, "Don't worry she thinks you don't like her."
"Oh in that case I feel so much better!" Jaxon said sarcastically, mostly frustrated with himself.
"Our deal was that you wouldn't leave me alone with her." He reminded his sister.
"Then leave! Look Jaxon your a big boy, you can handle this."
"Oh I can handle it, but can she?" He joked as he thought about how ridiculous he was being.
"That’s right you'll be fine." She said as she turned to leave.
Analeigh watched as Mercedes and Jaxon argued a little and wondered again what his deal was. She fixed a big glass of iced tea and walked it out to him.
"Thought you might be thirsty." Analeigh said as she handed the glass to him.
"Thanks." was all he said as he took a drink.
"Well listen, I know you probably got pushed into this job so I won't hold it against you if you just want to walk away."
"I said I would do it and I will until the job is done." He said in an angry voice, looking up at her.
She was a little taken aback by his rudeness.
"OK then. I'm done for the day so I'm going up to relax a while, you can leave when ever you want." She told him as she walked away.
She heard him grumbling something to himself as she went back inside.

Upstairs she went into the bathroom and turned the water on until it was the perfect temperature and started to fill up the old claw foot bathtub. She added some of her favorite bath salts and bubble bath to the water, got undressed and slipped into the tub when it was full. She lay back and could instantly feel the stress melt from her body. She never realize she fell asleep and started dreaming of the dark man again.

'She was back in the buttercup field, this time she wasn't happy, but frightened. She knew that he would come again, maybe this time he would succeed. The screaming began and she trembled with fear. He came out of the shadows and started for her. She cried out softly "No," watching him come closer to her. The cool night air felt thick and wet against her skin. When he was almost upon her suddenly Jaxon was there. He stepped in front of her, in between her and the faceless monster.

The beast screamed out and tried to get past Jaxon. Jaxon stood strong and didn't move. The faceless beast opened his huge mouth and laughed a very disturbing laugh and dissolved into thin air but she could still hear his laughter. "Jaxon!" she cried out and he slowly turned around to face her. But it wasn't Jaxon anymore it was the monster.'

Analeigh jolted upright in the bathtub. She started to cry. What the hell is wrong with me? she asked herself.
"Analeigh are you alright?" She heard Jaxon ask through the bathroom door, she stood up and grabbed a towel. She dried her face and wrapped the towel around herself. She opened the door a little, looked up at Jaxon and told him she was fine. Jaxon looked at her through the opening.
"I heard you crying and yelling."
Analeigh looked into his face and saw concern. "I fell asleep in the bathtub and I guess I had a bad dream. I'm sorry I scared you. Really I'm ok now, just a little embarrassed that’s all." She said with a weak smile trying to hide her shakiness.
"If your sure. I'm going to leave now. I'll be back on Monday morning." Jaxon said completely unconvinced that she was ok, but there was nothing he could do right now.
"OK that’s fine and thanks a lot." Analeigh told him.
He walked away.

Analeigh closed the bathroom door and leaned against it. Why was she having such horrible nightmares she thought. She certainly didn't feel like going out now but she told Sadie she would.

She started to dry her curly brown hair. Once it was dry she went into her bedroom and picked through her clothes to see what she had to wear for tonight. She found a dark emerald green satin low cut tank top with a split going up the belly. She matched it with a pair of low rise distressed blue jeans and a belt.