Chapter 9 "Gathering"
As Seth and Akira passed through the doors to Lindsy's house both they both found everything else forgotten as their attention was diverted to the interior of the building. Seth's arm dropped from Akira's shoulder as he stared around in disbelief.
"No way," Akira breathed as she took in everything from the marble floor to the golden framed paintings decorating the white walls and the red silk curtains hanging next to each widow.
As she continued to follow Lindsy and Dominique through the house her eyes jumped from one thing to the next. From white stone statues, of women in flowing dresses or men wearing only breaches and displaying their muscles, to paintings of dragons and expensive crystal bowls, it was all there in abundance throughout the house. Yet they passed through the house too fast for Akira to take it all in and in the next moment she suddenly found herself stepping back out into the open.
Blinking she stared at the lush green grass before her and the few trees and rose bushes that stood around the area. A few white stone statues dotted the area and one or two fountains decorated empty spots on the grass. When she looked up she started, for it looked as though the stars in the sky had suddenly grown to five times their size. Yet when she looked closer she saw that it was not stars above her but actually what looked like a net with lights hanging on it, spread across part of the garden and lighting it up.
"Akira!" a voice squealed.
Akira barely had time to brace herself before a pair of arms flew around her. She staggered a few steps before recovering herself.
"I can't believe your here!" the person who had flung their arms around her stepped back. Akira couldn't help but smile as she stared into the familiar face of a blond haired, brown eyed girl.
"Savannah," she smiled warmly, taking in the fact that since the last time she had seen the girl she had dyed the once pink streaks in her hair, blue. "Did you also come from the academy with the others?" Akira asked, affection filling her for the girl before her. Last time she had come to the future she and Savannah had become great friends, with Savannah showing her all around the city and getting her acquainted with the city life.
"No," Savannah's smile dropped a notch. "I haven't been chosen by a dragon...yet," she pouted.
"Oh," Akira replied, feeling at loss.
"But as soon as I heard what was going on I came to join the others in their quest," Savannah's eyes brightened once again. She suddenly paused, shooting a wide eyed look at Lindsy, yet the girl had already moved a good distance away. Seeming somewhat more cautious of what she was about to say Savannah leaned in closer to Akira. "Just because I don't have a dragon doesn't mean I can't be part of this," she whispered. Her eyes suddenly alighted on Seth and curiosity filled her face at once. "And who is this?" she asked.
"This is Seth," Akira smiled.
Savannah's mouth formed an 'oh' before a smile spread across her face. "Yup, he's definitely a looker. I see why you decided to keep him," she grinned making Akira blush. Seth just raised an eyebrow, looking more than amused at the comment.
"So, I think it's time you met the rest of the gang," Dominique's voice spoke right beside Akira's ear, making her jump. She turned her eyes on him, wondering how he had suddenly appeared there without her realizing. Dominique just smiled innocently at her while behind her Seth frowned.
"So," Dominique continued as he place his hands on Akira's shoulders and pushed her forward. For a second Seth seemed to tense at Dominique's move, yet it was only a second before he relaxed and followed the two forward.
"You already know Liam," Dominique nodded over to where Liam was busy listening to a chattering Lindsy, a smile on his face, "And Anita," he nodded over to where Anita was standing under a tree, talking with Gina. A little distance away from them stood Drake and Will, talking to a group of four boys. A smile spread across Akira's as she recognized two of them.
"You also know Tresus and Kirk," Dominique spoke as they approached the group who suddenly stopped talking as Akira approached them.
Akira's smile widened. Of course she knew them! They had played a part in rescuing her from being hanged by the council last time she had been to the future.
"And the other two," Dominique motioned to the two other guys who were staring at Akira with a look of disbelief on their faces. Obviously they knew who she was. One had bleach blond hair and pale blue eyes while the other had short cropped, brown hair and gray eyes. "Isaac," Dominique pointed at the brown haired guy, "and Jeremiah," he pointed at the blond one.
"Hey," Akira smiled warmly at them.
They both just nodded in reply, seeming not sure what to say as they stared at Akira in awe.
"Am I missing something here?" Lindsy asked as she suddenly appeared and stared curiously from the guys to Akira.
"No," Dominique quickly responded, smiling assuringly at Lindsy. "We were all just getting to know each other."
"Oh," Lindsy replied. Her eyes suddenly lit up once more. "How rude of me, you must all be thirsty!" she exclaimed. "Come help me get the drinks Dominique!" she gushed as she turned her eyes onto him. He never got a chance to reply as Lindsy had already grabbed his hand and was pulling him towards the house. One the way she also grabbed a hold of Liam, dragging him along to, he looked a lot happier than Dominique about it.
"So..." Kirk began, clearing his throat. "We heard you were planning to take us back to your time. Is that really a good idea?"
"Until we know what exactly is going on it's for the best," Akira replied softly.
"Yeah, but the problem is here," the guy called Isaac spoke up. "I mean as the rider of legend, can't you just walk in and put a stop to it all?"
Akira frowned.
"She could try, but she could walk right into a trap," Seth replied for her.
"Yeah right, nothing cab touch the rider and dragon of legend," Jeremiah spoke, admiration in his eyes as he stared at Akira almost as an adoring fan would. Akira squirmed uncomfortably.
"Thanks for your faith in me," she smiled, "but despite everything Redemption and I are still just a dragon and a rider, we're also vulnerable. Besides, this Steeson guy hasn't really done anything wrong yet, so we can't just exactly waltz in when we have nothing to accuse him of."
Isaac looked like he was about to argue but Tresus quickly cut in. "When do we leave?" he asked.
Akira shot Seth a questioning look.
"In the morning," Seth sighed.
"The morning?" Tresus frowned. "Shouldn't we leave now? I mean word is out that we're wanted. If they find out we're here..."
"That is true but security will be higher during the night. It's the time that you'll be expected to leave. Leaving in broad daylight is the last thing they would think you'd so, so it's best we do it that way. Besides, we were thinking that if we stayed a night maybe we could find out a bit more about your time and assess the situation a bit better," Seth spoke calmly.
No one tried to argue.
"So, what's with this whole people being controlled thing?" Gina's voice asked as she and Anita suddenly pushed their way into the circle.
Jeremiah and Tresus just shrugged while Isaac shifted uncomfortable from one foot to another. Kirk frowned and was the one to speak. "Well, we can't be sure about it but Argon just didn't seem himself. I mean, one moment he was fine and then the next he wasn't, you know?"
"Yeah, but it could just be a change in character," Isaac spoke up. "Good people can turn bad."
"Dominique seemed pretty certain that he was being controlled," Akira murmured with a frown.
"Look," Tresus spoke cautiously. "I'm not saying that I agree with Dominique and neither am I saying that I've ruled the possibly out. But the fact remains that up to now none of us have any proof."
"What about the fact that Ray was chasing Dominique?" Akira questioned.
"What?" Anita asked, a frown on her face. Obviously Dominique had not had the time to tell them yet.
"Honestly," Kirk spoke, "We don't know what's really going on and we all have different ideas. But we all agree on something and that's that something is just not right. There is no way Steeson is just here to make friends. He's planning something, and it's not good."
"How do you know?" Will challenged.
It was Jeremiah that replied, shooting Will an even look in the process. "All you have to do is meet him once and you'll understand. He's just got this feeling about him....this look in his eyes. It's almost as though he's..."
"Craving for power," Akira finished off in a whisper.
Everyone turned to stare at her.
"Yes," Jeremiah nodded. "But how did..."
"Haiden," Akira replied with a sigh. "I thought the same thing every time I saw him." She shuddered at the memory.
"Drinks are here!" a merry voice chirped, breaking the solemn mood.
Akira turned her head to see Lindsy coming out of the house. Behind her followed Dominique and Liam, both holding a glass tray on which stood fancy mugs made of glass. Each was filled with a liquid that looked blue at the bottom but turned to a purple near the top. A slice, of what Akira could only guess was pineapple, hung over the edge of each glass.
"What is THAT?" Gina asked, eying the contents of the glasses cautiously as Liam and Dominique came around with the tray.
While all the guys from the future eagerly took a glass everyone from the past, including Akira, proceeded to take one of the drinks more cautiously. When she was holding a glass of her own Akira peered cautiously into it. Seeing Dominique pick up a glass of his own and begin to down the drinks contents without question, she decided to follow his lead.
Tentatively she lifted the glass to her lips and took a small sip. Surprise filled her as a mixture of flavors exploded in her mouth. It sent a soothing feeling through Akira and she couldn't help but smile as it trickled down her throat.
"You sure this won't kill us?" Gina muttered, still staring at her glass and not having taken even a sip.
"I'll take yours if you don't want it," Drake offered.
Gina shot him a look to see that he had already downed his glass and all its contents. The pineapple was just disappearing into his mouth. Without saying a word Gina stared at him for a moment, squinting her eyes as though she were examining some specimen before her.
"What?" Drake asked, not sure what to make of Gina's silence.
"Well," Gina muttered, "he hasn't turned blue, nor have his eyes rolled back." Her hand shot out and she grabbed her hold of Drake's chin, peering into his face. With a satisfied grunt she suddenly let go of him. Rubbing his chin Drake gave her a questioning look.
"What the heck. If it didn't kill him it certainly won't kill me," Gina shrugged. Without further hesitation she tipped the glass to her lips and began to chug down the contents.
Akira just watched in amusement.
"Not bad," Gina commented as stared at the now empty glass in her hands. She looked up at Akira, a smile on her face. "I've got to say, at least they know how to make something that tastes decent in the future."
Akira nodded in agreement. Turning her attention back to the others she realized that the others had all moved away. Dominique had moved over to a stone bench and sat down on it. Lindsy had followed and sat very close to him, staring into his eyes as she chatted away. Seth, Drake and Will had moved to another corner with the guys from the future and were in a deep discussion. Anita in the meanwhile, stood in a darker corner of the garden, seeming to survey the scene before her while Savannah chatted to her, seeming oblivious to the fact that Anita was not even listening. Liam stood near the house and seemed to be doing the same thing, a frown on his face as he kept shooting annoyed glances in Dominique and Lindsy's direction.
"Oh boy, this is so messed up," Gina murmured.
"What is?" Akira asked as she moved to stand beside her best friend.
Gina shot her a disbelieving look. "Akira, you really need to work on reading people better," she sighed. "Look," she nodded over at where Lindsy was practically throwing herself at Dominique who seemed to not even notice. "That Lindsy girl seems to have something for Dominique."
Akira grinned as Lindsy flirted shamelessly with Dominique, battering her long eyelashes continuously.
"Only problem is," Gina continued, "Liam seems to have this big thing for Lindsy girl."
Akira's eyes turned to where Liam was standing in the shadow of the house, watching with a frown on his face. With a start she realized that Gina was right. Shooting a glance from Liam to Dominique she wondered if this was perhaps the reason that they didn't get along. Maybe Lindsy was the source of their fighting. Curiously she turned her gaze to where Savannah was chatting with Anita who seemed to have her eyes glued on Dominique and Lindsy, a sullen expression on her face.
"And Anita has feelings for Dominique too," she murmured. "Two girls are pining for him and he isn't even noticing!" she exclaimed in wonder.
"That's because Dominique has his eyes on someone else," Gina muttered.
"Huh?" Akira asked turned to her friend.
"Seriously?" Gina rolled her eyes.
Akira gave her a blank look.
"Hello, don't you notice the way Dominique always looks in your direction every few seconds? The way he and Seth just don't seem to mesh?"
Akira frowned. Was Gina suggesting what she thought she was. "Gina," she sighed. "I talked with Dominique about this before. Back when I came to the future. I made it clear that nothing could happen between us. He understood me, end of subject."
"Yeah, well the boy didn't take the hint," Gina muttered.
Akira just shook her head. No, there was no way Dominique was still hoping that something could happen between them. It had been almost half a year, he must have found someone else to give his affections to, he was after all the type of guy girls didn't just let walk past without trying to get his attention. Shaking her head Akira let out a sigh. Why was she wasting her time with such thoughts? She needed to keep her mind on the task ahead, finding out what Steeson was up to.
The moon was high in the sky and the stars twinkled, looking down on the large mansion in which the group of teens all slept peacefully, well, almost all of them. Lindsy had ended up inviting Akira, Savannah and Anita to sleep with her in room. The boys she split up into two groups. Liam, Kirk, Tresus, Jeremiah and Drake slept in a spare room while Seth, Isaac and Dominique offered to sleep outside in the garden, assuring Lindsy that it was of no problem.
Now Dominique lay awake. As he stared at the stars above sleep as the last thing on his mind. He remembered the day he had first met Steeson, the bad feeling that had flooded through him. He remembered when he had seen Deception at Steeson's side. The horror he had felt at seeing the black dragon had somehow been shadowed at the feeling of excitement and relief. Relief at the fact that he knew that he had to get Akira and would be able to see her again. He knew it was selfish of him, and yet seeing her again had been the one thing on his mind for the last few months. He had missed her while she was gone. It just hadn't been the same without him.
A smile alighted on his face as he saw her face in his mind. Those innocent blue eyes of hers, the way they always seemed so full of kindness. Yet his smile suddenly turned to a frown when he saw another face. Seth. Something tugged at the pit of his stomach as he remembered the way Seth so casually would just sling his arm around Akira and hold her close. How Akira would respond by leaning her head on Seth's shoulder. And yet the thing that hurt the most was that spark that always filled her eyes every time she looked at Seth. What Dominique would give just to have her look at him like that for once.
Slowly he turned his head to look over to where Isaac lay. The boy was on his side, breathing deeply and even snoring ever so softly. He was fast asleep. Letting his eyes wonder on Dominique let them come to a rest on Seth who lay across from him. Surprise filled Dominique as he realized that Seth was awake and was currently staring at the stars to. Dominique couldn't help but wonder what the other boy was thinking about. Was he also thinking of Akira? Did he even know how lucky he was to have her?
He was sure that Seth must have picked up on Dominique's own emotions to do with Akira, and although Seth had said nothing yet, Dominique was sure that it was only a matter of time before the other boy tried to show his dominance in the matter.
"So..." Dominique began, breaking the silence. He couldn't help it, he just wanted to ask the question on his mind, even though he already knew the answer. "You and Akira are......together?"
Seth did not even turn his eyes onto Seth but kept staring at the stars above. Nothing showing that he had heard Dominique's question. For a moment Dominique felt resigned to the fact that the other boy wouldn't Seth spoke, "you could say that," he murmured.
"Huh," Dominique nodded, turning his own gaze back at the stars. "Well you better enjoy it while it lasts," he murmured.
Seth turned his head, his brown eyes neutral. "What are you saying?" he asked cautiously.
"Noting really," Dominique shrugged. "It's just that you never know with these things. One day some other guy may come along. And if he just happens to steal her heart then she could leave, you know," he turned his head so that his eyes met Seth's, the meaning in his words clear.
For a moment Seth didn't reply but just stared at Dominique as though he was trying to figure him out. "I'll keep that in mind," he finally replied dryly.
Both boys turned their attention back to the stars above and neither spoke again. Yet somehow the air between them seemed to have grown tenser. Dominique had just brought their rivalry into the open and something told him that Seth wouldn't just stand by and let him try to steal Akira's heart.