Discovering Synergy, page 12
“Check your phone,” Jay commented.
I pulled my cell out of my backpack and sure enough I had a few missed calls and texts. I unlocked it and scrolled through what I had missed.
The first one was from Beth an hour ago. ‘Hudson, I need you and Jay to assist in patrolling. The demons are getting worse and only two of you a night isn’t working.’
‘Hudson, I need you to answer that you got my message. This is so unlike you to be unresponsive.’ Beth again. Followed by another, twenty minutes later. ‘I am sending Jalen to find you if you don’t answer this text in the next five minutes and he has my full permission to stop you from doing whatever is causing you to ignore me.’
‘location?’ Jay’s simple demand for my whereabouts. Thought I never got to answer it seeing as he was walking up to me.
“What’s got Beth so worked up?” I asked looking up from my phone.
Jay signaled for me to follow him, not wanting to talk around so many people. I trailed after him until we made it to the parking lot, and I saw his Jeep, that was more like a tank than a car, waiting on the curb. I jumped into the passenger side while he started the engine causing the car to rumble with its diesel engine.
“There was a flare of demonic energy on the school grounds. They think something is trying to create a portal,” Jay informed me.
“That can’t happen while we have the wards up.”
“They’re failing faster, too much demon activity.”
“What are we supposed to do about it?”
“Beth wants us to do recon and get more information before we do anything.”
“Ah Brains and Brawn at it again,” I said using Parker's nickname for us.
We rode in silence for a while before I couldn’t let the question that I’d been wanting to ask him wait any longer. “Why did you give her my number?”
“Fuck if I know,” Jay sighed.
For Jay, this response was the equivalent of freaking out. Jay didn’t do unknowns, he dealt in strategy, calculated responses, and practicality. The fact that he had no idea why he did what he did must have been throwing him for a loop.
“I needed to help her. I don’t know why, but I couldn’t just walk away from her when I could help,” Jay finally said after I didn’t press the matter.
I didn’t have a chance to question him further about that, since we had reached the area where our sensors had picked up the demon activity. Jay handed me a tablet with a beacon flashing on it once we got out of the Jeep. I looked around and found that we were in the same field where Micah and Brayden had dispatched a lesser demon last week. I headed off in the direction the map was showing, with Jay’s silent presence at my side.
It didn’t take us long to find the spot we were looking for. The ground was scorched where the demon had tried to get the portal to open and had failed, as evidenced by the charred husk of remains. I squatted down and examined the ground, looking for the portal marking that would tell us where the other side of this was. Unfortunately, the body was sitting on top of it, and I was loathe to move it myself. I looked up at Jay with a raised eyebrow. Jay grunted and with a flick of his hand, a small dust devil of wind wrapped around the remains and lifted it up and away.
“Thank you,” I said absently as I worked on deciphering the runes that were now visible.
I took the stylus out of the tablet and started to copy down what I was seeing so I could send it back to Beth and the others. I knew the typical symbols we studied, but I found a few that I had never seen before. I frowned as I noticed that the spell almost worked, if the almost complete circle was anything to go by. Our wards were barely able to prevent this portal from being opened. What kept bothering me was that the body of the demon that had been left behind wouldn’t have been strong enough to make this kind of portal.
“Jay, you haven’t seen anything close to a mid-level demon show up on your patrols, have you?”
“No, they have all been lesser demons, but way more than ever before,” Jay said.
“We need to head back, I’ll need Mr. Creed’s help to decipher these new runes.” I stood up and sent a text to make sure both Beth and Mr. Creed would be there when we got back.
“This is bad isn’t it?” Jay asked.
I looked up at him surprised. He was never one to be all doom and gloom; that was Micah’s department.
“If we can’t figure out how the demons are breaching our wards, they will fail and we’ll have no defense against them,” I answered.
Chapter 15 Lailah
The day seemed to be passing so slowly yet way too fast. I was excited to finally get a chance to hang out with Bryden, but I was also freaking out about it. Was this a date? Should I change into something nicer than my t-shirt and jeans? Would we even have stuff to talk about? Granted, I thought about that last night as well, when I was sitting with Hudson for dinner. But that turned out to be a great time. I was excited to start working with him in his lab next Thursday. How cool that he was doing something so amazing, I couldn’t ever dream of being able to do anything that important for the human race.
“Lala watch out!” Cami called out, but it was too late.
I crashed into someone who was walking out of the building and carrying a huge stack of books. The books went flying and I crashed to the ground hard on my ass while the other person landed with a grunt. Once the books and papers fluttered to the ground and I reoriented myself, I found an angry older gentleman scowling at me.
“Do you not have eyes in your head, girl?” the man snapped as he worked to get his large form off the ground.
I scrambled to my feet and reached out a hand to help him to his feet. He slapped it away and sputtered something about being fat but not an invalid.
“I’m so sorry sir,” I apologized as I started to gather up the papers and books.
I looked down and found a sheet covered in strange symbols that gave me the willys. As I handed the books over, I noticed most of them were on the occult. Who is this guy? I had never seen this man before, but I didn’t know all the teachers at the school. What class could he be teaching with such strange material?
“Mr. Creed, I apologize for my friend, Lailah. She is such a ditz sometimes,” Cami said brushing off the man's black suit jacket.
Something about what she said had him looking sharply at me, but it was more of a curious look than an angry one.
“Yes well, no harm done. Next time, pull your attention from your phone and watch where you’re walking young lady,” Mr. Creed said before he continued to his original destination.
I opened my mouth to tell him that I wasn’t on my phone, but Cami elbowed me in the ribs causing me to gasp instead. “What the hell Cami?”
“Trust me when I say not to argue with that man. He knows more about arcane arts and voodoo shit than anyone I know. He could hex you in your sleep and you would never know,” Cami said seriously.
I rolled my eyes at this. “I don’t believe in that crap, no one can take a strand of my hair and curse me. That shit only works if you give it power.”
“I wouldn’t be too sure about that Lala,” Cami said before linking arms with me and dragging me away.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“You have your date with Brayden today, right?”
“Yeah, I meet up with him at the coffee shop in two hours.”
“Perfect just enough time for you to change.”
“What’s wrong with my outfit? I put a lot of thought into it,” I grumbled. “I’m even wearing a skirt.”
“I know you tried darling, but you are going to have a public date at school with one of the most sought-after bachelors in our school. You need to knock ’em dead,” Cami said with an evil grin on her lips.
“Wait, what?” I said trying to follow what she was going on about.
“If you want the other girls to leave you alone, you need to show them you have every right to be hanging out with those guys. You’re my best friend, but if you like to hang out with those idiots then I’m going to have to help you. This is the first step in showing your dominance in the female world. You have a bangin’ body, use it,” Cami declared.
I decided it was better to just do as I was told than to fight Cami when she got like this. We made it back to the dorm, but she dragged me into her room instead of mine. I was shocked when I found the room was spotless, but I was even more shocked to see Maggs from the house party sitting on the couch.
“Hey girl,” Maggs said waving her hand in greeting.
“Hi” was all I had time to say before Cami was throwing clothes at me. “Cami what is all this?”
“Maggs was kind enough to share some of her clothes with you for this event. She is much closer to your size than I am, so no need to worry about busting out of the tops,” Cami said winking at me.
I blushed knowing she was talking about my endowed chest.
“As much as we all appreciate Cami’s eclectic style, she has no idea how to dress a classic woman,” Maggs said, standing up and walking over to me. “I, on the other hand, know how to create sex appeal without showing too much skin.”
I gulped as I took in Maggs’ retro glam style that matched her figure and her bright red hair. There was no way I could pull off the confidence she had in those clothes. Truthfully, she was one of those girls who could be wearing a garbage bag and still look stunning.
“None of that,” Maggs said as she tapped me on the nose, surprising me out of my thoughts. “You are gorgeous, and I don’t want you to think any less of yourself. I found what makes me happy in my own skin, same with Cami. What we are looking for is what you need to wear to feel confident. Each woman wears her clothes like armor, we need to find your battle gear, love,” Maggs said with a grin.
I smiled back at her excited to see what she had brought for me to try. It took us about four outfits till I decided on one that I knew would be perfect for this occasion. It was a maroon sweater dress that fit my body snuggly from neck to knees. The game changer for this dress was the back had a deep V that showed off the contrast of the rich color and my pale skin. I felt like I could stare down anyone in this outfit. I pulled my hair into a high pony so it didn’t cover the dramatic effect of the back.
“Now for the shoes, I would say heels, but something tells me that you won’t agree,” Maggs said giving me a knowing look.
“You’re right I wouldn’t be able to do that, I might break an ankle if I tried,” I said shivering at the thought.
“Would you be willing to try wedges? I find they are easier to walk in,” Cami suggested.
I shrugged my shoulders, “Why not, this is about trying new things, right?”
Slipping my feet into the simple ankle booties, I took a few steps and grinned when I didn’t die. I looked up and found them both clapping for my success. Cami looked down at her watch and gasped.
“Damn we have fifteen minutes to get you to the coffee shop,” Cami said grabbing my arm and jerking me out of the room.
“Thanks for everything, Maggs!” I called as we headed down the hall.
Letting Cami set the pace, I followed as best I could on the new shoes. It took all my concentration to keep from toppling over when we hit the steps outside the dorm.
“Cami, slow down. This does me no good if I show up with a broken leg,” I snapped pulling my arm from her.
I stopped, took a deep breath, smoothed out my dress, and then started walking confidently over to the school. Cami walked at my side making sure I didn’t trip and die on the way.
“So, Maggs...” I ventured looking at her out of the corner of my eye.
Cami’s cheeks pinked and she shoved her hands into the pocket of her bright blue hoodie. “She’s a friend, Lala.”
“Right, how long is that going to last?” I asked pushing her.
“I don’t know, we haven’t gotten that far yet. We are taking things slow, hanging out and stuff,” Cami said kicking a stone off the path.
“I know I haven’t known you for long, but I never thought I would see the day that someone made you blush,” I teased.
Cami sighed, stopping as her shoulders sagged. “I haven’t been in a relationship for a long time. The last time didn’t end well. I just am not sure I’m ready.”
I wrapped my arms around Cami and hugged her tightly. “You deserve to be happy. If Maggs can do that for you, then I give her my approval.”
“Thanks Lala,” she said returning my hug. “Now let's get your sexy self to your date.”
We both laughed and as quickly as I could manage, we made it to the quad. I gave Cami another quick hug and we parted ways. Taking a deep breath, I squared my shoulders and made my way across the quad to the coffee shop. Thankfully, at this time in the afternoon it wasn’t too busy, and I got in line to order my coffee. When I reached the register, I ordered my chai latte, but when I was about to hand over my money someone else reached across me with their bank card.
“I would like to pay for the lady’s drink,” Brayden said suddenly standing next to me.
I blinked at him a moment then felt my cheeks heat with my blush. “Thank you.”
“Of course, it’s my pleasure.” Brayden smiled making my heart skip a beat. “I saved us some seats over by the window if that's okay with you.”
“Sounds great,” I said as he led me over with a gentle hand on my elbow.
“You look amazing,” Brayden whispered in my ear as I sat down in one of the large overstuffed chairs.
My heart pounded in my chest as his words registered, sending a ripple of energy over my skin. My tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth as it went dry and I was left unable to answer him. Thankfully, the barista called out my drink was ready, and he walked over to get it for me.
Pull it together Lailah! I know it’s been a long time since a guy has shown he is interested in you, so don’t blow it.
Brayden came back with my drink and handed it to me as he sat across from me. Apparently, he had been there long enough before me to already have a drink, which he picked up and took a sip from as he let his eyes wander over me. Trying to act normal I took a large gulp of my drink and was rewarded with burning my tongue and wincing at the pain, causing me to cough.
“Careful, it’s hot! Do you need me to get you some water or something?” Brayden asked leaning forward, worried.
I waved my hand as he tried to stand, “No I’m fine, just didn’t test it before taking a drink.”
“There’s no rush on my end, I have the whole evening free,” Brayden said settling back into his chair.
“Oh, I guess I don’t have much going on tonight either except for homework, but who doesn’t,” I said feeling a little awkward.
“What piece of the school did you decide on for your University class?”
“The chapel. I remembered hearing about how Ryevick used it to get the church off his back so the school could run the way he wanted it to,” I said, remembering that was when I’d met Brayden for the first time. “I’ve also been doing a side project on the Elementi.”
Upon hearing this, Brayden choked on his coffee. After taking a moment to compose himself, he looked up at me curious, “Why would you be looking into that?”
“Come on, you’re telling me that you wouldn’t want to know more about a secret group of the Knights Templar? Professor Phillips even gave me access to the special archives room. I found the stuff about the chapel, but I also found a lot more about the Elementi. I was talking to Cami about what I learned and the strange things that happened around them. Something she said made me think of the story you told me about the fountain,” I said excited.
“What would the fountain have in common with the Elementi? Aiden Ryevick was born way after the Knights’ golden era.”
“Yes, but this Elementi group didn’t get started until the end of the Knights’ peak. What if Ryevick was part of this splinter group? He might not have been as crazy as people think he was,” I said, sharing for the first time the thoughts that had been rolling around in my head.
Brayden set his cup down and leaned into me like he was going to share a secret, “Let’s say he was, do you think this group is still around today?”
I sighed and shook my head sitting back. “No, I think that the group died off. The strange happenings that came with their involvement died out during the Victorian age when coal took the world by storm.”
“I have to say that I am quite impressed at your detective skills. Maybe you need to change from a history major to something in criminal justice.”
I grinned at him. “You tease, but when I get interested in something, I can’t seem to let it go, especially when it’s history related.”
“So how would someone find himself gaining your interest?” Brayden asked, a smoldering look in his eyes.
“Seeing that it only happened once before, it won’t be easy.” I decided to leave off that once I’d been an idiot letting myself be used and left when he was done.
“Nothing worth having is ever easy,” Brayden said looking over me.
I never would have guessed that Brayden would have this side to him. He had struck me as a go-with-the-flow kind of guy. I guess even the mellow guys have a wild streak in them.
“How are your studies going?” I asked trying to change the topic. I wasn’t sure how much more sexual tension I could handle in public.
“We are working on a project to find the best way to help restore forests after wildfires. It happens all over the world and is one of the hardest things to control, but what we do with it after it happens is as important as controlling the burn.”
“That’s cool, we didn’t have that problem where I grew up. Wisconsin gets lots of rain, so everything stays really lush and green,” I said thinking about the forest fires I’d heard about in other states and how devastating they were.
“Student Council is working on our Halloween party in three weeks. We always do some big gathering since it will be right before cracking down for midterms.”
“No way. That is awesome. Does everyone dress up?”
“Those who want to can, but it’s not required, although lots of people do. Everyone here likes to let loose.”
