Rogue Wave (The Water Keepers, Book 2) (32 page)

A few minutes later, I glanced back down at the entrance to the Threshold. There were still several cars waiting for their turn to pass through. There had to be at least a hundred people who already went through over the last hour, and that was just
one
of the entrances. They were all headed back to the same place, to Banya. It felt like I still had so many questions.

I turned to him, thinking back to earlier in the conversation. “So, there’s really only
one
city in all of Ambrosia?” I asked.

“Pretty much,” he said. “It’s a fairly large city, though. And there are small towns trickling out around the countryside. There are people who work at factories or own farms, or maybe just prefer a quieter lifestyle. But the farther they get away from the city, also means the farther they are from the source of the Healing Water. The effects are weaker when you travel out; healing is slower. In the long run, it can take years off your life.”

“Does your family live very close to the city?”

“My family’s orchard is about an hour to the south, also near the coast. It’s kind of perfect there, if you ask me. We’re just far enough away from the city to avoid the crowds and enjoy the countryside, without being so distanced to have any major side effects from the lack of Healing Water. I mean, being out here, outside the Threshold, is stealing much more of my time than Lizzy Grove ever would.”

I looked down at a patch of yellow flowers on the ground. Rayne’s comment reminded me of how much he was sacrificing just by being here. I felt his gaze on the side of my cheek, and then he pulled my face towards him with his hand.

“Hey,” he said softly. “Don’t be sad. I’m where I want to be. I would rather have just one year here with you than a hundred years in Banya.”

“But your family…and your—”

Before I could finish, Rayne’s kiss quieted my lips. He paused and looked into my eyes, still holding my face close to his. “This is where I want to be.”

He pulled me in again, and I melted into his touch, wondering how I ever knew happiness without him, forgetting there was any type of sorrow existing in the world, or any world at all. I knew right then, that if I had them to offer, I would sacrifice a hundred years for him, too.

I couldn’t help the dizzy grin taking over my expression as I nestled deeper into his shoulder. There was no question—this was where I wanted to be, too.

“Tell me something else,” I said eagerly, glancing up at him again, always wishing for just one more reminder that what we had was real.

“What do you want to know?”

“I don’t know…
anything
. There are probably still a million things I don’t know. Like, have agents been coming here for a long time? Are there Thresholds that go to other places? Other planets even?”

“Okay, okay,” he chuckled. “One thing at a time.” A second later, his fingers were tracing the lines in my back, moving slowly over the curves of my shoulders and down the length of my spine. “First of all,” he said softly, “Ambrosia has many Thresholds which lead to different parts of Earth, but not to other planets; only Earth. We like to call Ambrosia the sister planet to Earth. For whatever reason, the universe has bound them together. My home may be somewhere out there in the vast expanses of space, far away from here, but the two planets are linked together. And many of my people believe their destinies are intertwined.”

“Wow,” I mused quietly. My normal, energetic reaction was subdued by Rayne’s touch. The smooth, tickling sensation continued to brush across my skin, relaxing and intoxicating at the same time. Instead of jumping into another question, I wanted nothing more than to let his fingers speak to me. I closed my eyes and listened to his voice.

“Second of all,” he said behind my ear, “people from Ambrosia have been coming here for over three hundred years, almost four hundred now. My people found the first Threshold in New England, after a long journey in a ship across the Atlantic, back in the days of the pilgrims and the Mayflower. William Fairbanks stumbled upon a strange, mesmerizing wall of shimmering liquid; a Threshold. When he crossed through to the other side, he found a whole new world. It was pristine and untouched, as if a single soul had never stepped foot on its ground. When he first journeyed from England, William was in search of a new life and new possibilities. And when his wounds seemed to heal instantly, miraculously, in this new place, he knew it was special; he knew he was destined to pave the way for his people to begin a new life there.”

Rayne paused from his story. “Sadie,” he said.

“Hmm?” I murmured, so relaxed I didn’t move.

“Sadie, William Fairbanks is your direct ancestor. Your father’s name…is Hamlin Fairbanks.” I opened my eyes. “If you’ve ever wondered where you truly come from,” he said, “this is your answer.”

Something stirred inside my chest, like a soundless voice whispering in my heart and saying,
this is your truth. Your past and your future. This is…your destiny
.

I wasn’t even sure why, or what it meant, but my eyes blurred, and a glistening tear pooled in the corner. I looked into Rayne’s gaze, marveling, and simply said, “Thank you.”

26. EXPOSED

We didn’t stay on the hill above the Threshold much longer. It was going to be dark soon, and although Rayne said he was confident he knew the trail well enough to make it down safely without the sun, the headlights on the Viper would attract too much attention.

The ride back down to the house felt slower than coming up. Rayne drove calmly, without seeking any thrills, and he linked the speakers in our helmets to a small music player he kept in his pocket, playing a string of mellow tunes that could just as easily stir an emotional heart as it could soothe a baby to sleep. The engine hummed, and the dirt road rattled beneath us, yet my mind was off in a quiet, distant land. With the sultry sounds of an unfamiliar song dancing around my head, stirring the wonderment already inside me, the world as I knew it seemed to transform.

It would never feel the same to me again; it was something bigger now. Even if I would never get the chance to see Ambrosia, I knew it was there. It played a significant role in shaping who I was and who I might become.

“Rayne,” I said, breaking my contemplation, wondering if he could still hear me through the microphone with the music turned on. “Do you think they’ll ever reassign you?”

Without hesitation, the Viper rolled to a stop. When Rayne removed his helmet, I followed his example and did the same.

“It doesn’t matter what they do,” he said, turning to face me. I sensed a hint of defiance in his tone. “If they ever reassign me…well actually, your father is the only person besides Ash that even knows why I’m here. But if your
father
ever decides to take me off of this assignment, don’t think for a minute that I would listen. I don’t care that he’s the Ambassador of all Ambrosia; I would go rogue, break every rule in the Keeper Code, before I would let anyone take you away from me.” I nodded, already knowing what his answer would be before he said it.

“But how would that work?” I asked quietly. “What would you do? Go into hiding? What about the Healing Water? We both need it to survive.”

Rayne looked at me, resolved. “I would find a way. I have connections, people who would help us.”

“Even if they did help us, do you think you would really be happy living that way? On the run? Breaking the rules? Defying the law? I know you, Rayne. It’s important to you to do the right thing…always. You wouldn’t be happy. And I wouldn’t be happy, knowing I was the reason you gave up your beliefs.”

“I wouldn’t be giving up anything, Sadie. The truth is, I feel like I already went rogue ten years ago, the moment I took this assignment. And I don’t regret a single minute of it. I mean, half the time, the people who taught me the code aren’t even following the rules themselves. How can I base my fate on the foundation of a corrupt system? Right now, I believe I
am
doing the right thing.”

“But what if one day you change your mind? You’ll resent me the rest of your life. I’ll be a constant reminder of all the things you wish you did differently, all the things you gave up from your life.”

“Sadie, please. Don’t talk like that. I have to follow my gut, what I know in my heart is real. You and I are meant to be together. There’s no doubt in my mind, and I know you feel it too. So stop trying to find every excuse in the book to give in to your insecurities. Just have a little faith.”

The air caught in my throat. I pressed my lips together, holding it in for a moment, allowing Rayne’s confidence to rub off on me. Then finally I let the air seep out from my lungs. “You’re right,” I said. “I’m sorry. That was a stupid question; everything will work out the way it’s meant to be. And right now…that’s us, here, together.”

He smiled and kissed my cheek. “Everything will be okay. I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you.” Then he plopped the helmet back onto my head.

This time driving down, Rayne steered carefully with one hand, while clasping his fingers tightly over mine with the other. By the time we made it back to the house, the sun was already setting. We parked the Viper in the garage, stripped our helmets, and wound our way back through the room full of expensive toys to go inside the house.

“Before we go, there’s something I need to do,” Rayne said. “I only have one lead to follow that may help me find Ash, and I’m not sure it will be enough. I’m going to take a message up to the guard station, to send through the Threshold to your father, to request assistance. It’s not a good idea to bring you with me up to the station. Are you okay staying here alone? You should be safe here. I won’t be gone long.”

I smiled through my hesitation. “Um, sure, I’ll be fine. Go do what you need to do.”

After watching Rayne leave out the back door, I passed the time wandering around the unfamiliar house. It was fully furnished, yet it had such an empty feel to it. There were no photographs of family or anything personal that made the house feel lived in, because it wasn’t really anyone’s home; just a place to pass through on the way to more important things.

I was meandering through the master bedroom upstairs when a phone on the nightstand suddenly began to ring. The noise made me jump. I wasn’t sure what to do. It seemed like I probably shouldn’t answer it, but for all I knew, it could be Rayne trying to contact me from a phone at the guard station.

I picked up the receiver hesitantly. As soon as I placed it next to my ear, an unfamiliar voice came on the line. I would know if it was Rayne, and this was definitely
not
him. “Oh good, you answered,” he said. “I wasn’t sure you would.”

My eyes tightened. “Who is this?”

He ignored the question and said, “Finally. I thought Rayne would never leave. He really likes to smother you, doesn’t he. Kind of needy, if you ask me.”

“Um, is this…?” I swallowed.

“Where are my manners?” he said, cool and conniving. “This is Ash. Did you miss me?

“What do you want?”

 “Oh, I was just wondering if you enjoyed your little excursion up to the Threshold today? Did you learn lots of
neat
things about your daddy…and Ambrosia?”

I choked on my own saliva. How did he know that? I clutched the phone like my hand was a vise and ran to the nearest window to search the darkness outside. What was I supposed to do? Was he out there waiting for me? Or for Rayne?

“What, no comment?” Ash said, darkly amused. “Fine, I’ll get to the point. I was calling to let you know what a wonderful time your mother and her doctor-friend are having on their little vacation. They’re really a very sweet couple together. You should give the doctor a little more credit; I know you two haven’t been getting along lately.”

I let out a weak gasp as the fear and panic took over again. Was he watching my mom? Was he going to hurt her? Without thinking, I ran down the stairs to the first floor, still clutching the cordless phone against my ear. My mind went into overdrive as I tried to figure out what to do.

“You know,” Ash went on, “they just look like they’re having such a good time; I think I might stop by for a visit. What to do you think, should I pay your mother a little visit? Maybe they’d like to hear about all the nice things you’ve been telling Rayne about me behind my back.”

I stopped in the kitchen, my lower lip shaking as I pled. “
Please
, don’t hurt her. Just tell me what you want me to do.”

“It’s a little late for that, don’t you think?”

“
No
. Please, I’ll—” The phone went dead.

He hung up? No! I can’t let him hurt her,
I screamed in my head.

My hands shook as I tried to dial Rayne’s number on the keypad. Then I remembered—his cell phone was outside, locked in the Range Rover, just like mine. I thought maybe I should dial 911, but before I could even finish the thought, a low hissing noise came from the back of the phone. The lights on the screen flickered to black, and a small puff of smoke fizzled out from the battery. It was like the phone had been fried from the inside out. Something stung my hand, and I dropped the phone to the floor, shattering it into pieces across the tile.

I had to find Rayne. I ran to the back door, yanked the knob open, and hurled myself across the backyard. I ran past the fence and up the back hill, toward what I hoped was the guard station. My breathing was scattered. So was my brain. I was a pretty good runner, but there weren’t any lights, and I kept flinging my head back behind me, wondering if Ash could be out there.

My foot tripped over a rock, sending me tumbling into a snag of bushes. I yanked myself up off the ground and turned to run again, but I ran into something—a person. I screamed when I felt him.

He grabbed my arms. “Sadie, it’s me.”

When I saw Rayne’s green eyes through the dark, I flung my arms urgently around him. “It’s Ash,” I said, out of breath.

“Is he here?” Rayne asked in alarm.