Reclaimed (The Phoenix Chronicles Book 1) (14 page)

Chapter 15

Summer sat on her bed with her arms folded and her legs swinging. She kept glancing at the clock and then back at Tracy who was uncharacteristically wide awake.

“What's your problem?” asked Tracy.

“It's almost eleven. Why are you awake?”

Tracy put down her magazine and stared at Summer with a raised brow. “Because I want to be. I didn't realize I had a bedtime and you set it.”

Summer let out a frustrated breath. “You just always go to bed early.”

“Are you sure everything's okay?”

“Yes...no.”

A knock at the door interrupted them. Summer got up, already anticipating who it was going to be. She shut it behind Ash who was expressionless. He was like that most of the time but, Summer knew better by now. It was always his eyes that gave him away.

“You're up late,” he said to Tracy.

She threw her hands in the air. “Is my sleep schedule public information? Why does everyone suddenly care how much I sleep?”

Ash sat down next to Summer. “Have you heard the news about Doug?” he asked Tracy.

“No. Did he finally quit or something?”

Ash's shoulders slumped. “He was attacked this afternoon and died.”

Tracy brought both hands to her mouth. “No way. What happened?”

Summer told the story again and Tracy was almost in tears. She looked at the ceiling and lowered her head once the emotions had passed.

“This is getting out of control. What are we going to do?” asked Tracy.

“Summer and I need to get in there because she thinks Doug left something for her,” answered Ash. “And we need your help.”

“We do?” asked Summer. “I thought we weren't supposed to tell anyone?”

“If this is important to you then we need to do this right,” said Ash. “They have people guarding the place. Tracy and Petar can be a distraction.”

Tracy looked around the room. “Where is Petar and how are we going to do this?”

“I...don't know,” said Ash. He ran a hand through his hair. “We'll see how many people are guarding the place once we get there.”

Summer rolled her eyes. “You didn't think that far ahead?”

“And what was your plan?” asked Ash. “Just going to walk in there like everything was normal?”

There was another knock at the door. Tracy rushed forward, practically tripping over Ash, and threw the it open. Petar walked in with a big grin on his face. It quickly morphed into a frown when he noticed the somber looks.

“What's going on?" he glared at Ash. "What did you invite me to?"

Summer clenched her jaw as she told the story again. It was starting to bother her that she kept having to relive it. Seeing him die had done enough damage to her and she wished they could stop talking about it so she could push it to the back of her mind. Not that she wanted to forget Doug.

Just the blood,
she thought.
So much blood.

“You alright?” asked Ash.

She blinked a few times and faked a smile. “Just trying to think of a way to get in there.”

“Let's get over there first and check things out,” said Tracy. “Maybe there will only be two people keeping an eye out. We can take two people.”

Since no one else had a better plan they agreed. All of them left the room and quietly made their way down the hall. It was mostly clear except for an angry cafeteria worker who was too busy talking to himself to even notice them.

Ash halted them before the hall leading to the library. He poked his head around the corner and immediately pulled back.

“Four outside,” he whispered. “Not sure how many inside.”

“Now what?” asked Summer.

She was starting to become anxious. The more time that passed the bigger the chance that someone had found the book. She couldn't let that happen.

“Put your hoods on and run when the guys are distracted,” said Tracy.

“How will that happen?” asked Petar.

She stood up on her toes, grabbed his cheeks, and gave him a long kiss. “I'm sorry sweetie.”

“Sorry for… Ow!” shouted Petar as Tracy shoved him.

He wasn't expecting the push and landed directly in the middle of the hall. His huge frame hit the ground so hard it made the walls shake. All the guards stopped what they were doing and stared.

“I know I saw you with Katie!” spat Tracy. “You two were walking by the lake and holding hands!”

“You are crazy!” said a horrified Petar.

She lifted up her hands and mouthed sorry as she set the sleeves of his sweatshirt on fire.

“Now how are you going to hold her hand?”

“Ahhhh!” screamed Petar as he frantically tried to put them out.

All four guards rushed forward. This was Summer's chance to go. She pulled her hood over her face and pressed her body against the wall. Ash did the same. They snuck right past the guards just as Petar was shocking them.

Once inside they spotted a guard standing by the bookcase where Doug had been killed. Books were still thrown everywhere. Not even the furniture had been cleaned up.

“Hello?” asked the guard as he looked around the room. It was impossible to hide their footsteps in the eerie silence of the library.

They moved to the bookshelf next to him and held their breath as he began to inch his way to where they were hiding.

“If this is a joke it's not funny!” said the guard in a shrill voice. “No one should be in here.”

Summer could feel her heart racing. She glanced at Ash who looked like he was getting ready to attack the guy. She hated to admit it but, that seemed like their only option right now.

Just as he peered down their aisle Summer spotted a ceramic globe. She dove for it and slammed the earth so hard into the guard's head that he collapsed to the floor and was was knocked out cold.

Ash dropped his hands. He walked over and pushed the guy with his foot. Not even a sound came out.

“I can't believe you just attacked him with a globe.”

“Did you have a better idea?” whispered Summer. “Now let's hurry before the other guards become suspicious.”

Ash pulled his body behind the book case and followed Summer to the fireplace. It was off and felt like it hadn't been used for a few weeks now.

She kicked the old soot at the bottom and coughed when it hit her face.

“Are you sure it's here?” asked Ash.

“He kept saying fireplace.” She looked into the darkness and wondered how far it went up. “I know it's here.”

“I hope you're right.”

Ash leaned against the stone wall inside the fireplace and yelped when his hand pushed a piece of stone. It loudly crashed to the ground to reveal something wrapped in a grey cloth.

Summer grabbed it and frantically pulled the material back. “This is it! Let's get out of here.”

They were running down the center of the library when Ash abruptly pulled her to a halt.

“What are you…” she followed his hand and let out a gasp. “Holy crap.”

Written on the wall in black was the word ‘Summer,’ and ‘Gone.’ It looked like someone had angrily stabbed it into the wall.

“This is bad,” said Ash. He pulled them out of library where the other four guards were unconscious on the floor.

Petar gestured for them to hurry. They all ran back to the room and didn't speak again until they door was securely shut.

“Did you get the book?” asked Tracy.

She held it up and offered a small, triumphant smile. “Sure did.”

“What is so good about a book?” asked Petar.

Ash nodded in agreement. Everyone was eagerly awaiting her response and she really didn't have an explanation. She knew very little about it and suddenly felt foolish for risking getting them in trouble.

“I...don't know. Doug freaked out when I found it because it belonged to Geoff.”

“No way,” said Ash. “That's impossible. They said his stuff was burned when he died.”

“Look,” said Summer.

Everyone gathered around as she opened the book. The first page read:

In darkness you will find light
.
 

In light you will find darkness.

There cannot be balance without sacrifice.

Geoff

Summer flipped to the next page and was shocked to find something written in it.

“This was blank before!” she exclaimed.

The pages were now covered in old, handwritten maps. At the bottom right was a large list of numbers that were neatly stacked on each other. She kept turning the pages and found herself studying a land with unfamiliar names.

“The Elven kingdom,” said Ash matter-of-factly.

All of them were in so much awe that they couldn't speak. She started turning to the last pages when the maps suddenly stopped and became pictures. There were a pair of gloves, something that looked like a scarf, and four other drawings.

“What is all this?” asked Tracy.

Summer shook her head. “I have no idea but, Doug wanted me to find it. I'm going to try to get more information about it without letting anyone know I have it. Can I trust you guys to not talk about this?”

They all nodded. She locked eyes with Ash who had once again shut down but, this time he looked distant.

“I need to go. The training for this mountain is hard,” said Petar.

Tracy glanced around at everyone before laughing nervously.
 
“I'm not tired so I'll come hang out with you for a bit.”

They swore again they wouldn't tell anyone what happened and then left in a hurry. Summer wasn't sure if it was to give her and Ash privacy or if they wanted to be alone. Either way, she was grateful for everything they did.

“What do you think about all of this?” asked Summer.

“I don't think I should train you anymore,” blurted out Ash.

Summer shut the book. “Am I that good?” she joked.

Ash frowned. “I don't think we should spend time together. It's best if we don't speak at all.”

“What? Why?”

“Like I said before, someone wants you gone and I don't want to be another thing they can use against you.”

“I think that should be my choice to make,” she said, glaring at him.

“Don't be childish.”

She laughed bitterly. “Is that what you call childish? Being thrown into this world I barely know anything about and then actually caring about someone for the first time in my life? Seems like you're the one acting childish.”

Ash reached for her hand. She pulled back like his skin was poison.

“Summer,” he said. “I care about you.”

“Just stop,” she answered, her voice gruff with emotion.

He ran his knuckles down her cheek. “Don't cry.”

“Please go,” she croaked. “And I don't care if you stay at this training facility. You can leave whenever.” She did sound childish but, she didn’t care.

He got up and let out a frustrated breath. Summer hoped that he would tell her this was just a bad joke or profess his undying love for her. Instead, he walked out of the room without even a glance back at her.

She tucked the book under her mattress and collapsed on the bed while tugging on her feather necklace. Not even temporarily living on the streets had made her feel this lonely. She hated that Ash had so much power over her and at that exact moment vowed to not let him get to her.

She would figure out this book by herself and focus her attention on the elves since she no longer had Ash around to make her feel guilty. Tomorrow would be different and she hoped he regretted what he did.

Chapter 16

Summer sat nervously at the cafeteria table. She had forced herself to eat a few eggs but, not even coffee from her container that Ash had gotten her, sounded appetizing this morning. It was the start of the elimination challenge and everyone was anxious. Even the twins, who were normally bragging about how amazing they were, hadn't said a word.

Summer allowed herself one glance at Ash. He had kept his word and had left her life like she had meant nothing to him. There were times that it hurt seeing him so uncaring but, she mostly used her anger to not cave and try to talk to him.

“You ready?” asked Tracy as she nudged her.

“Yup,” answered Summer. She picked up her backpack and followed Tracy out of the cafeteria.

The council had them take a few days’ worth of clothes, extra water, and a sleeping bag. Some employees of the training facility were bringing the tents.

Summer wished she could say she was ready for the elimination challenge. The elves had promised to train them for a week but, all they did was single out and observe a handful of students. Never once did they talk to her which she was hoping for. It was frustrating and not helping with her anxiety.

“How's it going?” asked Nora. She always seemed to sneak up on Summer and it freaked her out.

“Fine. Just nervous.”

Nora raised a brow. “I meant, how are you really doing?”

Summer knew what she had meant when she asked the first time. It hadn’t even been two weeks yet since Doug's death and they weren't allowed to talk about it. She kept trying to push it down and found his death popping back up in her dreams. The bags under Nora's eyes said the same thing.

Summer shrugged and tugged on her necklace. “Maybe I'll be able to sleep one day.”

“Me too,” replied Nora. “I wish it was as easy as just forgetting.”

“I wish a lot of things in life were like that.” Summer shifted her back pack. “As cheesy as it sounds, only time will help.”

“And boyfriends,” said Zach. He wrapped his arm around Nora's shoulder and kissed her head.

“Zach!” whispered Nora. She hit him in the chest and tried to discretely nod her head toward Ash.

Summer glanced in the direction she was gesturing towards and realized Ash was much closer than she thought he was. There was only one person separating them even though he was still refusing to acknowledge her.

Summer gripped her shoulder straps tightly, clenched her jaw, and pushed ahead of everyone. She weaved through the crowd despite her friends yelling for her. When she finally slowed down and looked over her shoulder she couldn't see Ash or any other familiar face.

“Where are you off to?” asked a particularly annoying voice.

Summer inwardly cringed. “Just wanted a chance to sort through my thoughts.”

She was hoping Troy got the hint that she wanted to be left alone. Seeing as he just smiled and nodded she knew the words didn't get through. Now she regretted acting childish and running from Ash. At least he would just silently stalk her.

“Who do you think will win?” asked Troy.

“Me. Duh.”

He laughed. “There are six places.” He bent down so that his head was close to hers. “I heard that the elves will use all their time to train those people and then those winners will have to train everyone else.”

Summer snorted. “That's stupid. What if someone wins by sheer luck?”

“Ha! That's not going to happen. Whoever wins will deserve it.”

“Who do you want to win this thing?” asked Summer.

He rested his arm across her shoulder. “You and me. I don't care about anyone else. Whether you believe me or not, I'm looking out for your best interest.”

She cringed and ducked under his arm. “Could've fooled me.”

“Look,” he said, running a hand down the back of his neck. “I say weird things and I'm a little erratic but, it's only because you make me nervous.”

Summer blew a piece of hair out of her face. “Prove it. Be sweet Troy. Not crazy, wild, and strange Troy.”

“Deal,” he said, holding out his hand. Summer roughly shook it and smiled at him. “Good.”

“Troy!” shouted a voice from across the sea of students. Tolai was waving his hands wildly and had a look of pure irritation on his face.

Troy sighed and rolled his eyes. “I swear that man has nothing better to do than stalk me all day.” He bent down again. “Now he's the one you should be watching. I'll see you around.”

And with that he disappeared into the crowd. He popped up a few moments later next to Tolai who grabbed his collar and drug him out of view.

Summer took a mental note of their interaction and decided to investigate more later on. She wanted to trust Troy. He was so kind to her when she had first gotten to the castle. It meant a lot to her. Now he was acting weird but, she would get to the bottom of it.

Summer relaxed into a steady pace near a group of wind wielders. They didn't pay her any attention and she was glad that she could blend in with them.

Just as her mood was starting to improve someone invaded her personal space. She could feel the heat radiating from his skin and the want to be near him and knew exactly who it was before even looking up.

“Go away,” she groaned.

“Don't run from me.”

She squeezed her straps. “I thought we were avoiding each other.”

Ash continued to stare straight ahead. He refused to make eye contact with Summer even though they were close enough to touch.

“I'm just looking out for you,” he said.

“Ugh. That's what everyone keeps saying but, what if I don't want that? I'm capable of taking care of myself.”

“That's too bad.”

She glanced up at him and was surprised that he finally returned her gaze. He wore the same blank look but, she could see that spark in his bright eyes that indicated his feelings were much deeper than some friendship.

“You're not making this easier for either of us,” she said, her voice softening. Her arm touched his and she refused to move. “If you really want to help me then just stay away. I won't stop you from looking out for me but, keep your distance.”

Ash lowered his head. “You're right. I'm sorry. I'll be close. Good luck.”

She nodded and felt a coldness take over where he had once been standing.

She hated that someone so frustrating like him had come into her life when she really wasn't looking for it. He truly was the first person she ever cared about and she was sure he felt the same. It was a hard pill to swallow when she realized that the sacrifices she was making to become some great wielder was ruining whatever chance at a personal life she had.

It took them almost eight hours of walking and breaks to finally end up near the base of the mountain. They were forced to camp in the dense forest so that they were easily hidden.

“Wow you are hard to find!” said Tracy.

She practically bounced over to Summer and threw her stuff down.

“I'm surprised you did find me.”

“A little bird named Ash told me.”

Summer frowned. “He's too much sometimes. Are we allowed to start setting up our tents?”

Tracy shrugged and pulled hers out. “I guess so. We're here so we might as well.”

Summer followed suit and had her tent together in no time. She had spent quite a few nights on the streets and became a pro a pitching a tent in some of the oddest places. She was so good that she even helped Tracy, Petar, and a few other nearby wielders.

“Did you go camping a lot?” asked Petar.

“I guess you could say that.” She wiped her brow. “And it looks like you never have.”

He smiled. “I'm better at healing and drinking. My family owns a brewery.”

“What's the drinking age where you're from?”

Petar held his hand up to his knee. “When he can reach over the counter to order a beer.”

Summer laughed. “Sounds dangerous.”

“Sometimes yes, sometimes no.” He shrugged. “You choose how crazy you want other people to think you are.”

Tracy patted his back. “Very true. I'll never drink because I don't ever want to be out of control.”

“I have no desire to,” said Summer. “But one day, when all this is over, I hope I get the cheesy happy ending with the husband, kids, and dog. Then we can eat a fancy meal and relax with wine. “

“That sounds beautiful,” said Petar, sighing happily. “I also want that.”

Tracy hugged him. “Okay big guy. Why don't you go grab us some food?”

Petar snapped to attention and looked determined. “I will do that!”

He marched through the forest and towered over everyone like a giant. It made Summer laugh that someone so enormous as him could be the gentlest light wielder.

“He's so sweet,” gushed Tracy.

“How long have you guys been seeing each other?”

“Since last year. We broke up during break because I was an insecure jerk. We just got back together.”

“We have a break?” asked Summer.

“Oh,” Tracy looked down and played with one of her braids. “It’s during the Summer but, you don't have to take a break. Ash only goes for like a week out of the two months they give you.”

Summer sat on the floor and brought her knees to her chest. When this was all over where would she truly be able to go? She had no one except the few friends she made here.

She forced a smile. “Guess I'm staying here for break.”

Tracy quickly changed the subject but, it was already too late. The harsh reality of what her life was had now invaded her thoughts..

Petar returned a while later with packed food and an overly excited Troy. He snatched two sandwiches out of Petar’s hand and plopped himself down next to Summer.

“Hungry?” he asked, holding one out towards her.

She narrowed her eyes and grabbed it from him. “That's why I asked Petar to get some food.”

“Right,” he winked, taking a bite.

Summer wanted to pull her hair out. She thought that the conversation she had earlier with Troy would bring back the sweet guy she knew. It seemed like he had traded weird Troy for obnoxious Troy. Either that or she was just in a bad mood.

Summer took a deep breath and tried to play nice. “What did Tolai want?”

“He told me to stop screwing around and be a responsible adult.”

“Sounds about right,” nodded Tracy. “That guy hates everyone.”

Troy pointed his sandwich at Tracy. “Thank you! I've been trying to tell everyone that he's just a miserable old idiot.”

Summer finished her food and drowned out the rest of the conversation by laying down in the soft, cool grass. The approaching heat and humidity was brutal in Ireland. At least the nights were cool.

She smiled at the stars that had been mesmerizing since the day she got here. In the city they were impossible to see but, out here it looked like they blanketed the whole sky.

She started to drift to sleep when the crunching of grass next to her caught her attention. She looked up to catch a glimpse of Ash setting up his tent near hers.

Oddly enough, she took comfort in his closeness. She didn't have to worry about Troy being a creeper or someone trying to kill her.

Summer fell into an easy sleep after that and for the first time, was glad Doug didn't plague her dreams.