Birthright (Residue Series #2) (29 page)

When
I
entered the parking lot
,
my eyes did a sweep of the vehicles, trying to single out Jameson’s. I recognized what I was doing and forced myself to stop. When
I
entered the main entrance of our school
,
my gaze moved straight to Jameson’s locker
, and when
he wasn’t there,
my emotions were
torn between relief and despondency.

The entire time, I believed I only wanted to talk more about my father, to pry his memory for what he might have seen. Then
it was
second period
,
where he
was sitting,
quiet and alert as usual, as I entered the room. When I took my seat
,
the yearning to reach across the aisle for him became so intense
it forced me to
admit
the truth to myself. It was simple and devastating. I missed him.

He didn’t pay me any attention
,
which stung more than I expected. He really did know how to play the role of
adversary
well.

At lunch, I continued looking for him through the glass windows leading to the lunchroom where the Caldwells
usually
ate. Unable to stop myself, I moved to the opposite side of the table where I could only stare out across the lawn. While this didn’t take my mind off Jameson
,
it
did
give
me an idea.

Maggie and Eran sat in their usual spot on the grass, talking quietly together. They seemed to be so close, such a unit
,
that approaching them felt like I was breaking into their bubble. Worse, it reminded me of Jameson.

However, I knew there was really only one person who could answer my questions about my father’s death and Theleo’s involvement
,
and that was my father.

I left my cousins at the table
to
approach
Maggie and Eran, wondering how she’d react to my intrusion. As it turned out, thankfully, they were friendly and welcoming.

“Sit with us,” Maggie urged
,
after my arrival pulled her away from a conversation with Eran.

“Yes, please,” he insisted
,
again sounding much older than a teenager.

I did and apologized for interrupting them.

“It’s nice to have company,” Maggie comforted.

Eran’s
faced twisted,
as he teased, “Bored with me, my love?”

She gave him a quick
,
playful glare. “That, you know could never happen.”
She
turned to me. “Is there something you wanted to ask?”

“Yes,” I said
,
and then failed to follow up.

Maggie was quick to deduce the situation, though. “Did you want me to deliver a message?”

“Yes,” I replied
,
but
again stopped.

“To your father?” she asked
,
tilting her head down
, as if to prompt
an answer.

“Yes.”

She seemed relieved to have gotten over that hurdle. “What did you want to tell him?”

“I wanted…” I failed to
articulate
the words
, exhaling
in frustration.

Eran seemed to notice and advised, “Take your time. You have more than you know to spare.”

I didn’t exactly understand what he meant by that but rejected the idea of disagreeing with him. The fact
is,
I
didn’t
have much time. I needed an answer.
If
I could just generate the question.

“I want to ask him about his death.”

Maggie didn’t seem disturbed by this, which bode well for me.

“Can you ask him about the person who killed him?”

“So he was murdered?” asked Maggie
,
pragmatically, without the slightest hint of judgment.

I felt my lips twitch
,
and in an effort to avoid looking unnerved, I replied quickly, “Yes, I want to know everything there is to know about the man.”

They must have sensed my discomfort
,
because Eran said, “Fair enough. Think you can handle it, Magdalene?”

His question was designed to lighten the mood by toying with her, which became clear when she pinched her lips in a refusal to smile and said haughtily, “Are you teasing me?”

“Absolutely,” he said
,
without any remorse.

And again, I felt like I was violating their personal space.

Maggie, thankfully, returned her attention to me. “I’ll ask him.”

“I really appreciate it.”

“I know,” she said
,
and I
was confident my expression was showing it.

For the rest of the day and through
out
the evening
,
I couldn’t take my mind off what my father’s answer might be.
During our midnight lesson, even
Miss Celia’s diversionary
,
tactical driving
,
trying
to lose the Vires
,
didn’t shake the interest away. Surprisingly, neither did the
taunt
of having Jameson so close and untouchable
,
as we entered the concealed room at the end of the barren hallway
,
or the seductive look in his eyes as we
practiced
channeling
from
several feet apart. I couldn’t even have cared less when Miss Mabelle and Miss Celia gave each other an astonished glance and
announced
Jameson and I would advance to the next lesson.

It wasn’t until I saw Maggie’s face the next morning
,
as
she
entered our school’s main hallway
,
before first period
that I felt
my eagerness lessen.
H
er
stark apprehension after seeing me made my eagerness disappear completely
.
Regardless,
I continued my stroll to meet her and Eran just outside their classroom.
Since
they happened to be standing
just beyond
Jameson’s locker, he
longingly
watched me approach
,
only to
grimace with defeat,
as I moved by him.

A large part of me fought not to take his hand and ask him to come with me.

“Hi,” I said, aware that Jameson was
still
lingering at his locker behind me.

Neither Maggie nor Eran seemed
too
enthusiastic to relay the information. Eran’s head remained facing down the hallway
,
which told me whatever my father said wasn’t all that good.

“So?” I asked, already digging for my money to pay her
and
to subdue
my
rising panic.

Maggie, who didn’t seem to follow any social norms, reached out and took my hands before saying a word.
She
leveled her gaze at me and said softly, “The man who killed your father is named Theleo Alesius.”

I nodded
,
because I already knew his name
but
didn’t think I could muster the ability to tell her.

She went on to describe the very same scenario of my father’s death that my mother
retold
and that Jameson had illustrated, leaving the bombshell for last.

Maggie tightened her hold on my hands, pausing just long enough to evaluate me and make sure I was prepared to hear what she had to say. I guess it was because she said, “Your father doesn’t know if Theleo did it inadvertently or intentionally.”

“Kill him, you mean?” I asked, clarifying. “He doesn’t know if Theleo meant to kill him?” That just seemed improbable to me.

“No, he couldn’t be certain,” Maggie confirmed. “He was very clear on that point.”

“Of course he meant to,” I scoffed
,
not comprehending how that could be misinterpreted by my father. “Theleo was his enemy.”

Maggie sighed and revealed the very last possibility, one that never entered my mind. “From what your father said, you were mortally wounded during a kidnapping…
your
father was a healer…
now,
this is where it gets a little strange
,
but your father refused to explain it
any further
to me. Apparently, when Theleo killed your father, his ability to heal was passed to you…and you survived.”

I sat
,
bewildered, struggling to understand.
Recognizing
this, Maggie summed it up for me.

“Your father wasn’t certain of this
,
but…he believes that Theleo took your father’s life to save yours.”

I
am the reason for my father’s death
.

He was
sacrificed
for me
.

He is dead because of
me
.

I felt sick.

Pain seared through my body. My pulse pounded in my ears, silencing all other sounds. My stomach
constricted,
cramping
severely and forcing me to double over.

“Breathe,” Maggie instructed, though it was muffled. I believe her hand was on my back too, attempting to comfort me.

There was no hope of that happening.

“Slow…deep breaths.”

My lungs felt like they’d been doused in concrete and allowed to harden, becoming immobile and unnatural.

“Breathe,” I heard the command again, gently coaxing. This time it came from Jameson. He was directly to my left now.

Apparently, I’d collapsed to my knees
,
because his hands came under my arms and raised
me
to my feet. Unfortunately, my legs wouldn’t comply and stabilize below me
. Instead, they drooped
like feeble, useless masses
weighting down
my body. However, the act of expanding my torso gave me the span I needed to
take in
air.

“Good,” Jameson cajoled
,
softly in my ear. “Keep that up.”

By
this
time, my cousins were surrounding us
,
but Jameson refused to release me.

A quick
glance
down the hall told me I was now the center of attention
,
and several Vires were watching us
just
a few feet away.

Jameson was breaking
the
agreement
we had
to look at odds with each other and risking his safety to do it.
This danger
helped me summon the ability to compose myself. I extended my hand again, offering Maggie money, hoping to wrap this up quickly now
that
my awareness
was
back.

It would definitely make my cousins and the rest of the Caldwells feel better.

“Maybe she should go home for the day?” Eran
suggested
.

“I’m fine,” I said, mustering enough energy to sound
credible.
“Really, I am.”

They stared at me,
seemingly
unconvinced. For the sake of proof, I stepped forward and urged Maggie to take her payment.

“Keep it,” she said. “You shouldn’t have to pay for that kind of news.”

Eran’s arm came over her shoulders. “Absolutely not.”

At that point, I thanked her and demonstrated further proof of my recovery by moving through my cousin’s and down the hall to my first class.

I felt Jameson’s critical eyes
glued to
me the entire time.

Truthfully,
I didn’t feel all right. I felt ill and it
wasn’t subsiding.

In second period, Jameson glanced apprehensively in my direction several times
,
and I knew he was struggling not to ask about my pale complexion or
my
shaky hands, which others already
noticed.