The Fake Eye (Time Alchemist) Page 13

  Dove, worrying about that? When she was literally the center of campus attention no matter where she looked! But it only told me that Dove was just a normal girl. Just like me. And she liked chocolate donuts and pretty dresses, drinking sweet tea by a nice fire and curling up with a good book. Just like me.

  Now that she didn’t have to hide her tattoos anymore, wearing that light summer dress…Dove really looked like an exotic princess. Even in the afternoon sun those ruby red swirls that ran up her arms, barely brushing her shoulders, seemed to shimmer like jewels. They didn’t look the least bit odd or out of place, or freakish at all.

  Beautiful. They were breathtakingly beautiful.

  “I’m going to head back to the room,” she spoke, glancing at the two of us before her icy eyes stopped at me. We held contact for two whole breaths before she smiled again; a smile that told me…something. Something I knew I was supposed to understand but didn’t. “I’ll see you two at dinner.”

  “Okay,” I said, waving, “Um, see you later.”

  Leon also said bye, but it was more of a grunt if you asked me. After our talk about Dove, he’s been acting a lot more…shy around her. And shy isn’t the word I was looking for…distant? I guess, even though he knows and I know Dove could never hate him, my words didn’t sink in deep enough.

  And then it was just us alone. It didn’t occur to me until after the sky had turned to its deep shade of pink that I never bothered to ask Dove why she had left so early. And part of me was relieved she had left…

  But maybe she knew something I didn’t know.

  ○○○

  “Wanna take a walk?” Leon asked with a yawn. The sky had gradually turned dark, but with hints of orange in the horizon giving it a mix of warm and cool glow. The night itself was still, and a couple of stars began shimmering in the

  sky.

  “You mean around the lake? Sure,” I replied, stretching my arms up.

  Neither of us had really done or said much. Small talk here and there, about school and plans. I finished my novel while Leon just sat back against the tree and seemed to doze off.

  It was nice, just enjoying each other ’s company; feeling his warmth right next to me, hearing his light breathing as he napped. And while he slept, I thought and thought and thought.

  When did it happen?

  When did I fall in love with Leon?

  Is love even the right word to use? I thought I had loved Jack…but that love turned out to be fake; one-sided. I had worn rose-colored glasses around him, but with Leon everything was clear and bright as crystal. Everything was sharper, more focused. It was as if, when it was just the two of us, the world seemed to be alive.

  Maybe love wasn’t just about a prince that made you feel safe and protected—not that Leon failed in that particular aspect—but somebody to just be me around. I didn’t have to worry about stepping on eggshells, or fluster over my hair or clothes. I didn’t have to keep up appearances, and even though Leon made me dizzy, at the same time he brought me down to earth.

  I loved him because he was solid and real. Just what I wanted. Needed.

  And did he even think the same about me? Was it love, or was it feelings that mutated out of guilt and remorse? Or did he see me as his sister ’s friend and nothing more? Am I the one pushing him too fast? Am I being too slow?

  But when he offered me his hand, and I took it firmly, feeling how his palm felt just so perfect against mine; how his calloused fingers encaged my

  hand in protectiveness, I could just feel that he knew, too. He didn’t have to say anything—I could see it in his eyes.

  CHAPTER 19

  Our shoes crunched over grass and sand as we walked the slow pace around the lake. It wasn’t that large of a lake, but I hoped that it would take us a pretty long time to finish one lap. We hadn’t even gotten halfway when Leon stopped so abruptly I almost tripped.

  “What gives?”

  Leon turned to me, and a lump suddenly grew in my throat. His eyes were so intense, like the waves of a raging storm crashing against each other.

  He hadn’t released my hand, but his grip flexed, as if he were trying to give himself confidence just by my touch.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Emery…” he bit his lip again, glancing away to the lake’s inky surface. The sky had finally swelled into night, but the moon was high and bright, reflecting beautifully on the surface like a silver coin. “I have…

  I….crap, I don’t know how to—what to say—how…”

  He kept on stuttering, his skin growing warmer as his face kept turning odd shades of pink and red. A drop of sweat trailed down his cheek. “W-what I’m trying to say is that…I think that…dammit, dammit, let me start over okay?

  I—” he paused, chewing on his lower lip, “I like you, Emery.”

  “I like you, too.”

  He let out a shaky sigh, shoulders drooping. And then he began, speaking so fast I had no time to say or do anything except wait. “I know this is

  —this is really freaking sudden and I understand if you don’t —if you don’t return them but I just really needed to get this out. I needed to tell you this because you’re the only person I’ve ever felt like this before, where my insides

  feel so strange when I’m with you and—wait. What did you say?”

  “No, no,” I giggled, a grin on my face, “Keep going. I want to hear it all.”

  He blinked slowly, thrice, and then his face seemed to click together with his mind like two pieces of machinery coming to place.

  “I—you…do?”

  “I do, yes.” I spoke calmly; gripping his hand in my own sweat covered ones. My heart was pounding a mile a minute. “I…really do like you, too, Leon. A lot. I can’t even tell you when it started…I just…one day I just realized.

  I knew I liked you, and all this time…I’ve been hoping that you felt the same way and…here we are…”

  Slowly, a shaky grin broke out, and his face just seemed to glow as bright as the full white moon. He ran a hand through his messy brown hair, and then asked, “Then can I…is it alright if I—I mean we don’t have to I just—”

  “Kiss me?” I whispered, leaning a little forward. Leon was a little taller, but my body seemed to know what it was doing. I tilted my head back as Leon brushed his free hand against my cheek. His face came closer. I closed my eyes

  —

  And something hard hit my forehead.

  “Ouch!” I cried out, bouncing back.

  Leon gave out a grunt of pain, rubbing his arm over his forehead where I was sure was an identical red mark like the one on mine. “Ow. Well. That was anticlimactic.”

  “Shit,” he mumbled into his sleeve, turning beat red. “I thought that kinda stuff only happened in the movies.”

  I smiled, reaching up to lower his arm. I didn’t even realize I was

  standing tiptoed, but my face was just inches from his; his eyes glazed over as I inched closer to his lips, feeling my pulse jump with every breath.

  “Leon…” I breathed, barely brushing his lips. His hand gripped mine a little harder, pulling me closer until—

  His eyes snapped open. In a motion that seemed to fast to be human, he wrapped his arms around me and we both went tumbling into the dirt. I felt a strip of hot air graze my forehead before I hit the ground, my heart in throat.

  Before I could stutter what the heck that was about, I saw a familiar weapon protruding from the earth right where I had stood just seconds ago. An arrow; its feathered end tipped in flames.

  “What the—”

  “Are you alright?” Leon gasped, keeping a firm hold on my arms as I struggled to get into a sitting position.

  I opened my mouth to assure him I was alright when a string of arrows split through the air, landing only feet away from us. I let out a startled shriek, back peddling into the water with Leon following suit. He looked around wildly, like an animal trapped in a cage waiting to be shot.

  “Oh my
God Leon—look!” I gasped as we both shivered waist deep in the freezing waters of the lake. We were so caught up trying to discover the perpetrator that I didn’t even realize where the arrows were flying to—they had formed a ring around us, half on the surface and half sticking out of the shallow end of the lake. The flames danced all around us, even on top the water.

  And they were growing bigger, and bigger by the second.

  “Dammit!” Leon growled, splashing the nearest one frantically with palms of water. But no matter how much of the liquid we tried spraying over the looming fires, they just seemed to grow twice there normal size! “There’s

  no damn metal around here—we’re sitting ducks!”

  “Leon, do you think this is the work on an alchemist?”

  “No doubt in my mind,” he huffed back, putting himself in front of me.

  I gripped his shirt uneasily, keeping a sharp eye out for any figure hiding in the woods that nestled this part of the lake. “And a damn good marksman too. Stay behind me, alright?”

  I nodded, too cold and too scared to move. Where was my gutso when I was attacked in the church? The underground tunnel? Why now was I so scared to move? Because Leon was here?

  Snap the hell out of it, Emery! You’re still in a daze from his confession—our almost kiss…

  I glanced behind us. Though the flames on top the arrows were consuming and large, underneath, maybe there were gaps between the rows of arrows for us to swim through…

  “Leon, I’ve got an idea,” I whispered, leaning over his shoulder. I told him my plan, but (in some typical boy fashion?) he was completely adamant about it.

  “No way am I leaving you here all alone, even for an instant.”

  I gripped his shoulder tightly, glaring at him. “We can either sit here or wait for the alchemist to shoot at us, or for the flames to keep getting bigger until we get burned. At least with my plan, you can get out of the ring out of harm’s way and get help. I can’t stop Time and swim altogether—I don’t think I could handle it.”

  He still looked hesitant, but I shook him as firmly as I could. “Trust me, Leon!”

  Finally after what seemed like a whole year, he nodded. “But you gotta

  stay low. If I can get out and try to knock some of those arrows down near the shore, you can get out safely. And when you do get out, aim for the woods—he might be hiding in there, but with all those trees to cover us it’ll make it harder for him to hit us. Got it?”

  I nodded, feeling my confidence grow.

  Leon nodded, and we slowly inched backwards with the heat of the far end arrows growing warmer and warmer. Even in the water I was sweating.

  With Leon acting as my shield, I closed my eyes and took a breath, but the ribbons of gold were already dancing in the air, as if waiting patiently for my orders.

  It was going to take a lot, but I had to try. I willed the golden strands to weave around the flaming arrows, and without a moment’s hesitation I pulled them to stop.

  They froze, looking almost eerie and hypnotizing; dancing fire over the crystal clear lake. I pinched Leon’s shoulder, my way of communicating for him to go. He squeezed my hand and dove under the water.

  I didn’t dare move, even though I was a sitting target for our lovely alchemist friend. Instead, I kept my alchemy going, even though my body began to feel heavy and hot. Once I saw Leon circle around and reach the surface I let go.

  It felt just like that split second of when a bubble pops, the Time around me felt as if it blasted on, almost knocking me down into the water. My lungs felt achingly cold, like I had swallowed a bucket of ice.

  But there was no time to catch my breath! As soon as Leon climbed to shore, he did the next step, kicking the arrows as close as he could get to them, at least just enough to get two down for the count. But when another arrow came whizzing by, barely brushing his arm, he turned—and I saw his face flush

  in anger. His eyes…they became so dark that I felt a shudder crawl down my spine.

  Before I could open my mouth or even crawl out of the water, Leon lunged into the woods, disappearing from sight. I heard him smashing through the woods, no doubt chasing whoever ’s behind this.

  Though I knew he was going after the Fire Alchemist to protect me…

  there was something about his eyes that made me feel I had seen such…anger, and hate, before. Shaking my head so furiously drops of water splashed on my cheeks, I pinched my leg to wake myself up. I didn’t have time to stay in the water like a sitting duck—I had to get out of here!

  However, the flames seemed to still be in control of the Fire Alchemist.

  Though Leon had knocked two down, the bordering arrows still grew hot and heavy. If I tried to run through, I would no doubt get burned. Better to be safe than sorry.

  I took my breath, concentrating on the mesmerizing strands, and willed the arrows in front of me to stop just long enough where I could squeeze through. When that was done, I needed to go run back to our tree—ignoring Leon’s advice—to call Dove and get help. And Chrys, too, telling her everything that happened.

  We all needed to get out of St. Mary’s campus. And fast.

  But just as I took in my last breath, bracing myself to crawl through—

  “AAUGH!” A scream ripped out of my throat when I felt something hot shoot into my upper arm. I stumbled back, falling on my butt into the ice cold water; my shoulders barely grazing the top of the lake’s surface. My left hand was holding my right harm in such a painful grip. I had no idea what was going on. It was as if my body had reacted even faster than my brain.

  The pain was too much…blooms of black dots danced in my vision,

  and my body felt as if it were going to sleep.

  The last thing I saw was a blood red tip of an arrow sticking out of my right arm…before I fell back, feeling the salty cold water envelope my body until there was nothing left to see or feel.

  ○○○

  I woke up in a library. Of all places.

  At first I thought, “Am I dead?” Then I thought, “Well, if this is my version of Heaven it’s not so bad…”

  But there was something off. The library looked old, unlike our school library with its worn looking shelves and books with spines that looked so cracked and worn I thought for a split second this might have been a sort of used book store. There was no coffee and cake smell, either. Actually, there wasn’t any smell.

  The library looked unusually cozy. It was tiny, too. I could even see the second floor, but the higher I looked the more…fuzzy it came out. In fact, everything was fuzzy and gray. Though, there was a strange insignia over a pair of double doors…a sun and a moon, with two wolves chasing around them…

  My arm hurt, too. Why?

  “Emery!”

  I jumped, whirling around to see a terrified Chrys huddled in the corner.

  She was wearing her usual nightgown, and I breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that I wasn’t dead (yet).

  I stepped forward, ready to hug the girl, but the sight of her pale face stopped me cold in my tracks. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  “There’s some—” her voice kept fading away, breaking in and out like a bad television reception. “—ng wrong, Em—ry. He—”

  Chrys began fading in and out, the surroundings of the old library blurring together in a swirl of colors. This was odd. Chrys was exceptionally good at staying in form of her Dream Alchemy—what was going on?

  “Chrys!” I reached out to her, though my feet felt nailed to the floor.

  Chrys reached out her pale hand, the sleeve of her nightgown hanging from her wrist like a tent—and then I saw the tears and bloodstain cloaked on her sleeve.

  She reached out farther, as far as she could trapped in that tiny dark corner.

  Our fingers barely brushed.

  She opened her mouth to say something, but then everything went black, and a shooting, horrible burning pain swelled up in my arm and I fell out of the dream world and woke up in r
eality.

  CHAPTER 20

  A burning gasp escaped my throat as I shot up, my head narrowly colliding with a blonde hovering over me. In just another second I was pushed gently back onto the bed, my upper right arm pulsing with pain, shooting up and down my arm like rockets.

  “You’re alright, you’re alright,” Dove’s murmuring and tender voice was like a wave lapping lazily on the shore; the warm water brushing against my cool ankles like satin. “Just take it easy, everything’s fine.”

  Slowly, the events of what happened played out in my head like some sick, macabre play. Despite Dove’s protests, I pushed myself up into a sitting position, wincing at the sting on my arm. I looked down to see it covered in thick wraps, with a hint of pink stain underneath that could only be blood.

  “What—” my voice was raspy and dry, and I coughed. “What happened? Where’s Leon?”

  Dove said nothing at first, biting her lip in a similar mannerism as her younger brother as she brought me a cup of water. It was warm tap water from down the hall, but it tasted like pure, ice spring gold, and I gulped it eagerly down my throat. It was only then that I noticed I was back in my dorm room…

  “What happened?” I repeated, setting the paper cup on the nightstand.

  The glowing numbers of my clock shown it was well past midnight. How long was I out?

  “I had a bad feeling,” Dove began, twisting her hands in her lap, “When you two didn’t show up for dinner—I know I shouldn’t have worried or pried but I guess I couldn’t help it—I went back down to the lake to check on you two. And I came there just in time to see what was happening—and saw you…

  shot.”

  That’s right. I placed a hand tenderly over my wound, flinching when a small sting of pain slithered up my arm. An arrow shot through my arm and I…fell into the water.

  “Leon was the one who saw you go down—I was too far away to do anything,” Dove cast her eyes down, refusing to meet mine. “He got you out just in time. As soon as you fell, the fires went out.”

  So somehow…Leon had turned himself around. He saved me. Again. A bubble of hope and love spread in my chest, but I turned my attention back to Dove.