Tab Bennett and the Inbetween (39 page)

The difference in her post-stabbing personality was striking. The mousy bank teller was gone. Allison the Guardian had replaced her. She was confident, self-possessed, funny, and strong. I still leaned in to listen when she spoke but it was because what she said was interesting not because her voice was a whisper.

And that wasn’t all; she was suddenly completely, ridiculously gorgeous. I swear when I tucked her in to bed that night she was a drab, little mouse of a thing. But sometime before the sun rose, she changed. When she came down for breakfast her hair was full and shiny, her eyes were a warm golden brown, and her features were the perfect combination of dainty and defined. I almost choked on my Cocoa Puffs. And don’t even get me started on her body. Let’s just say that before he left for a meeting with the Generals early that morning I caught Alex checking her out. I honestly couldn’t be mad at him for looking. I wanted to ask her about the transformation but I couldn’t quite figure out how to phrase the question. “You used to be so funny looking; what’s changed?” just didn’t seem right.

“I guess I’m a little stressed.”

“Understandably,” was the reply from the behind her book. “There’s a lot at risk for you today.”

I snorted, “That’s an understatement.”

Everybody I loved was at risk in one way or another. What were the chances we’d all make it through the day?

********

Francis poked his head into the Solarium.

“She said she’d come,” he said before he quickly turned away.

“Frannie?” I called after him.

His face, when he reappeared in the doorway, was pale and expressionless.

“Are you all right?” I hated that question. I knew he wasn’t. I don’t even know why I asked it in the first place. I regretted it as soon as it left my lips.

 “Yep,” he said, and then he disappeared again before I could think of something else to say.

I stood up and started for the door.

“Where are you going?” Allison asked, standing too.

“I’m going to see if he’s OK.”

She shook her head. “You should stay here and do your job. He just told you he feels fine.”

“But he was lying,” I said, gesturing towards the place in the hall where he was no longer standing.

“How do you know that? He said what he said.”

“I know that because I know him. It’s just like Francis to pretend to be okay when he’s not. I made him do something pretty awful today; there’s no way that didn’t affect him.”

Allison shrugged. “Even so, your job is to stay here.”

“Yeah, I know. I just want to make sure….” I walked toward the door.

“Let him go,” Allison said, the warning clear in her tone.

I turned and shot her a dirty look. “You’re really bossy,” I said, shaking my finger at her.

“And you are incredibly stubborn. If your cousin wanted you, he would have asked for you. He asked to be alone. Sometimes, when someone tells you they want to be alone it’s because they want to be alone.”

We lapsed into what I would consider an uneasy silence. Who was she to talk to me that way? And what exactly did she mean by that comment? I concentrated as hard as I could, hoping to catch a few of her thoughts but I couldn’t get in. I had a sense that she was purposely keeping me out. She was definitely smirking.

My head was starting to hurt from all the directed thinking when a flash of bright, white light lit up morning. When it faded, Alex and Robbin were walking quickly across the yard.

“Allison,” I said, pointing at them.

“I see them.” She was already up and heading for the door. I hurried after her down the hall. They were coming up the back stairs, with George and Matt behind them, when we reached the kitchen.

“What happened?”

“Are you ready?” Alex asked. He was working very hard to stay calm. I could see that clearly. His body was tense and his hands were balled into fists at his sides.

“For what?” I turned to Robbin when Alex didn’t respond. “Robbin? Ready for what?”

Robbin snorted. “For whatever battles comes.”

*******

Alex was mad, crazy mad. Punch a hole in the wall mad. Start a fight just to have an excuse to hit someone mad. He couldn’t sit still. He paced back and forth behind Robbin, eyeing me in a way that was both scary and exciting, while Robbin told us what had happened.

The meeting with the Generals went much better than we’d hoped. Alex told them about the attacks, about Allison’s timely appearance and about me saving myself in the end. Then he told them about the packages I’d received in the mail and about the letters that accompanied them.

“None of them looked surprised to hear that we thought Estella was behind it, right?” He looked to Alex for support but he didn’t add anything except a scowl. “Martine, the General of the 200, told us he’d been approached by her when she was trying to find a partner in this. He’s been debating about telling us since Bennett went missing.” Robbin gestured over his shoulder to Alex. “He wanted to kill Martine right there but I wouldn’t let him. That’s why he’s acting like such a cupcake right now.”

“We’re on dangerous ground when Robbin is providing the voice of reason,” George added.

“You should have let me kill him,” Alex muttered.

Robbin acknowledged this with a nod before continuing. “So your boy just stood there glaring at the guy until Martine noticed he was in trouble. So he dropped down on one knee and pledged his loyalty to you. Then once he started it, everyone else had to follow along.”

 “Why?” I asked looking back and forth between them for an answer.

“Once it starts, not pledging to you is the same as renouncing your right. And Babe, that’s treason,” Robbin snickered. “I guess no one felt like dying today.”

“They’re all honor bound to you until the next Equinox. Which means they’re on our side now whether they want to be or not.” Matt said, helpfully supplying the information I needed.

“So they’re all coming?” I asked.

“If we call, they have to come,” Robbin said.

I didn’t like the idea that they were compelled to come. I kind of wanted this whole mess to separate the Generals who thought I was most likely evil from the ones who were willing to give me a chance. Now the count was tainted. Still, the Generals, and the 1000 troops in their command would come. Even if all of the 500 were against me, they would still be outnumbered. That was comforting.

I caught Alex’s hand as he stalked passed me, stopping him from wearing a hole in the kitchen tile.

“Hi,” I said, quietly.

He only nodded in response but he stopped pacing and the hand I wasn’t holding loosened up.

“What about the 500?” I asked.

Matt spoke first, “There’s only maybe, what? A hundred?”

“I’d say,” George replied with a nod.

“Maybe a hundred who aren’t loyal to you and half of those aren’t necessarily loyal to Estella either.”

“That’s not bad,” Allison said. “Only a hundred or so against so many.”

“Is she coming?” Alex asked.

I looked at Allison; she nodded in response. “Francis asked her to guard the Princess while you attempt to rescue Bennett from the Underneath. She said she would come.”

“Is Francis here now?” Alex asked. He was thinking, ‘
because if he is, he should be down here telling me this himself.
’

Allison nodded again. “He’s upstairs.”

“Is he all right?” George asked her. She looked at him blankly, seemingly unable to speak.

 “He asked to be left alone,” I said, giving Allison an apologetic half smile as I did. I was happy to see her return it; guess she wasn’t that mad at me after all.

“And you actually left him alone?” Matt said with a laugh. “That’s a first.”

I sat alone in the solarium and watched Estella and two of her men Appear across the yard. She stalked ahead of them holding her helmet against her hip. I had to give it to her; she really was an impressive sight with her determined look and pale hair swirling around her face on the wind. If things went her way, she’d be crossing me off her to-do list by bedtime. I shivered, pulling the blanket up onto my shoulders.

“She’s here,” Robbin said as he came into the room.

Up until then, the most dangerous thing I’d done all day was piss Allison off. And not that that was a good idea or anything – you really don’t want to get on her bad side – but there was very little chance that she’d actually kill me. Even if she really wanted to. Unlike Estella.

I forced myself to stand up. I told myself to be brave. “All right, let’s go get Pop back.”

Robbin surprised me, grabbing me and crushing me against him in a tight hug. “I could break through this glass and we could run away.” He gently curled his fingers in my hair, tilting my face up to meet his eyes. “We could just be ourselves – just Rob and Tab without all of this other bullshit.”

I won’t say I wasn’t tempted. It felt familiar and safe in his arms, cradled there against his strong body. I pictured us, just Rob and Tab, without all the other bullshit. It was a pretty picture.

I sighed. “I think you should let me go.”

“And if I won’t?” he asked, his voice suddenly harsh.

"You will.”

He let me go.

“Just promise me you won’t do anything you can’t undo. Don’t take his ring, ok? Not yet. You can give me a little more time, right? You belong with me. It should have been you and me.”

I really didn’t want to debate with him about fate or destiny or how discovering he’d been in love with my mother had changed things between us. I just wanted to go and get this day over with, to win or die and be done with Estella forever.

“I’ve got kind of a lot going on right now. This really isn’t the time….”

“Just promise me you won’t take the ring,” he said. I could hear how desperate he was; I could see it in the swirling brown and gold and amber of eyes. I didn’t have the heart to crush him or the time to deal with the repercussions. After all of this was over, we were going to have to sit down, all of us together, and have a little talk about prioritizing.

“Fine, I promise. I won’t do anything I can’t undo. Not right now,” I added quickly. “Now if you please, I’d rather not keep the lunatic waiting.”

*********

Allison was standing in the front hall, a worried look on her face.

“She won’t come inside,” she said as Robbin and I approached. “Alexander took the others outside to greet her. He wants us to keep it civil as long as possible.”

“She knows,” I said.

Robbin the held the curtain aside. Estella was out on the lawn with five of her troops behind her. Even from a distance I could see the smirk on her face.

“Yep,” he replied. “What do you want me to do?”

I knew that someday, and not that distant someday that’s never coming but a real solid someday
soon
, I was going to be queen. It was time to start acting like one.

“Go to the Inbetween and get the Generals. Bring them here.” It was an order, not a request, and sensing that, Robbin complied without comment. He left through the kitchen so the little group on the front lawn wouldn’t see him go.

“Allison,” I said as I knotted Alex’s long aqua blue scarf around my neck, “She knows she’s not here to baby sit me; she’s out there gloating right now. So new plan, ok? Will you follow my lead?