The Evensong (20 page)

“See you tomorrow?” he asked as he pulled away, his arms still tight.

I nodded as my nose bumped his. “Yeah, should I call?”

“No, just come over. I’ll be there all day.”

This was a welcome invitation, and I kissing him one more time before I turned away and hurried towards the house.

I climbed up the lattice as quietly as possible despite the way the weak wood creaked. Once on the roof, I walked slowly to further avoid any noise, though the music coming from Alysana’s room covered most of it. My window pushed open smoothly and I climbed inside to an empty bedroom where the armchair was still against the door. This was a huge relief and I took a second to look back outside to the trees. It was impossible to spot anyone from here, but I still squinted to see if Linden was standing there or if he had already started walking home. Either way I checked the clock, hoping time would go by quickly. Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough.

YOU
’
RE
WATER
LILY

“Riley? Hey, Riley.” Hank smacked my arm a few times, startling me out of my head. I almost overturned the bowl of cereal in front of me, and my spoon clattered against the tabletop.

“What?” I asked, slightly annoyed.

“Are you having your ceremony or what?”

I sighed, mopping up some of the spilled milk with a napkin. “Eventually.”

Next week felt like a long eventually. Rene had woken me up early to have a session with her, some usual thing that had to happen before the ceremony. Hank was the only one awake, and he’d been talking to me all morning while my mind was occupied elsewhere.

“Done eating?” Rene asked as she strode into the room, a light shawl around her shoulders and a small bag in her hands. My bowl was still full, but I nodded anyway, putting it on the floor for Hank’s begging kittens.

I followed Rene to the front door where she handed me a blanket from the closet. She said it was chilly outside, and we would be there for a while.

She was right; the sky was covered with thin clouds and the cold went straight through my clothes. I pulled the blanket around me and made sure it didn’t drag on the ground.

“Where are we going?” I asked as we went around the side of the house.

“Just to the trees in the back. I’m going to need you to journey,” Rene replied.

“Journey? What for?”

She smiled. “You’ll see.”

The ground was damp and soft as we walked into the short trees. I glanced around wondering if I could pick out the tree Linden had been leaning against, but tried to keep him out of my head.

Rene settled on a small space between a few trees. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a blanket and spread it on the ground. As I sat down she put a bundle of sage in front of me along with an abalone shell, the pearly gray bottom a swirl of dull rainbows and soot.

“I’ll have you write down whatever information you find,” Rene said, sitting down. She placed a notebook and pen on the blanket and sat across from me. “Are you warm enough?”

I bundled up the blanket around me and nodded when I was ready. She lit the end of the sage, laying it in the shell. I closed my eyes as she gently blew the pungent smoke across my face and arms until she was ready.

“All right, I’ll walk you through the beginning, but when I leave you, you’ll be on your own until you’re finished. Sound good?”

“Yeah, it’s fine,” I replied, “but what am I—”

“I’ll let you know before you’re alone.”

I know I couldn’t argue this, so I just closed my eyes, breathing deeply. Usually I liked to know what I was doing, but might as well get started.

I made sure I was comfortable before Rene started speaking. It was the usual routine as I imagined ascending, not necessarily going up or down, but when there was a lightness in my arms, my legs and the rest of my body, I knew I had done it right.

It was like projecting, but different since this wasn’t the same plane. When I opened my eyes, I was in a familiar field, completely different from the small grove of trees I’d been sitting in before. It was warmer here too, and I stood slowly, wanting to do nothing but relax. But Rene’s almost inaudible whisper grounded me again.

“Find your guide first and follow her,” she said, just a breath in my ear. “Remember everything you see and note all the signs. Everything will matter for the ceremony.”

As soon as her voice faded I noticed a slight movement at the edge of the trees. There was no reason to be afraid here, and I walked towards it. Beyond the trees my guide was waiting. I didn’t have to say anything before the large bat dropped from the tree branches, flying ahead of me. I followed quickly, though she stopped at a few trees once in a while to wait. We went between the silent tree trunks until I stopped at a small pool, something I’d never seen here before. My guide spared me a short glance before taking off, but I knew to stay put.

I crouched down beside the pool and briefly wondered why I was supposed to stay here. A beetle moved through the grass, passing in front of me as I made myself comfortable. Through all of this calm, I was starting to feel uneasy. I didn’t know what I was supposed to be looking for, and I thought my guide would have stayed longer.

I was about to let my anxiety take over when the surface of the water rippled slightly. There was no wind to blame, and I leaned forward to look closer.

I almost backed away when I looked down. Instead of my reflection there was another face there, slightly blue from the water. Linden looked up at me, moving with any motion I made. Reaching out, I wanted to breach the surface and touch him; he looked solid, not a reflection. As I moved my hand closer, his came nearer too, until his fingertips were right under the surface. The second my fingers touched the water, Linden suddenly started to sink. His skin turned a darker blue as he sunk down deeper and his eyes closed, bubbles erupting from his nose and mouth. My voice didn’t seem to be able to escape my throat, tight as it was, and I plunged my hand into the water as if I could reach him. Something brushed against my palm, and I held it gently, bringing it to the surface. In my hand was a water lily, pale and soft. It had come up with the bubbles, which were breaking quietly.

I was confused, but I held the flower close, looking at the pool hopefully. There was a slight feeling of a need to run at the back of my mind, a signal it was time to go. I didn’t want to leave—not yet—but I didn’t have a choice. My eyelids were getting heavier and heavier as well as my body. I finally gave in and closed my eyes while the world blurred, and I fell to my side as the sounds around me faded into nothing.

When I came to I was shaking. My fingertips were freezing and I stiffly pulled the blanket around me.

“Are you okay?” Rene asked, reaching out to help me up.

“Yeah, just cold,” I replied, blowing into my hands. Even my nose was cold and I tucked my face into my collar. Rene pushed the notebook and pen towards me, and I started to write down every detail of my journey. I hesitated when I began to write about the pool. I couldn’t mention Linden . . . it would ruin everything. So I casually replaced his name with Omar’s. At least that wouldn’t seem completely weird.

“Okay, that’s it,” I said when I was done. I gave the notebook to Rene and she immediately began to scan it, frowning slightly.

“A beetle . . . which way was it going? Right to left?” she asked, still staring at the page.

“No, left to right,” I replied.

She nodded. “Good, good. That means transformation, which is perfect for you.” She went quiet again while I shivered and hoped we were almost done. “Yes, this is all good. Everything I hoped to hear. Nothing to worry about, and Omar was in the pool?”

“Yes,” I replied immediately with a little force.

She nodded again, smiling to herself and I wondered what was so great about it. But I didn’t ask; I was more anxious to get back inside where it was warm. First she insisted on giving me a general outline.

“Your guide was a bat this time, which is great for you. She was showing you in that form that this will be your initiation and rebirth. As I said, the beetle is transformation, though I have to be honest, most of the pool confuses me.” She looked down at the page for a moment before going on. “What I can tell you is that Omar seems to be your mirror image, in a sense. He will follow you, or mimic something about you. Since I think the lily came from him, it means he is pure of heart, and that’s definitely a good thing for you these days.”

She didn’t mean this to be offensive, but I still took it that way. I knew she was referring to Linden as being something impure, but I had related everything she just said back to him. Since it was really him in that pool, everything else applied. I said I would think about this for a while, especially before the ceremony itself.

Being somewhat weak from journeying, I was content to sprawl out on the couch with a real breakfast when we went inside. Hunter sat in the armchair, and he just ignored me until he was finished with his cereal. He handed me the remote as he walked by, which was the most contact we’d had in a long time. I was just getting to really relax when Omar walked into the room. I kept my eyes on the screen as he sat on the opposite end of the couch. Even though the urge to leave made me tense, I stayed put.

“Are you going to let me say sorry?” he asked after a long five minutes.

“You just did,” I replied flatly.

He sighed impatiently, angling himself towards me. “Riley . . . really.”

“It’s fine, forget it.”

“
You
haven’t forgotten it.”

“Then just pretend it didn’t happen.”

He seemed to think about this for a minute then shook his head slightly. “Okay. Then can I ask you how your journey went?”

I glanced at him, feeling that normalcy was far out of reach for now. “Fine. Nothing extraordinary, I guess.”

“Fun,” he replied. “Well, feel up to going into town?”

“No,” I said instantly. “Sorry, I promised Meryl I’d help out today. Rain check, okay?”

He was obviously disappointed, but he nodded anyway while I stood.

“Thanks for um . . . talking,” he said.

“You too,” I replied quickly. I hate tension, so getting away was my top priority. Plus, I wondered if Linden was awake yet. Was it too early to call? Was there some common sense policy about waiting three days? Somehow I didn’t care.

I didn’t call since he had said to just come over. I took a quick shower, dressed and surveyed the situation with everyone in the house. Most were eating breakfast, but Alysana was missing, along with one of the cars. I had a sneaking suspicion of where she could be, but I didn’t ask. While I waited for everyone to be occupied, I decided to call Meryl first. She said she wanted a heads up this time.

I didn’t even get around to explaining myself before Meryl interrupted to say she knew exactly what to do.

“Don’t worry honey, I’ve got you covered. If she asks, I’ve got you running errands and working in the orchard. Deal?”

I laughed, unbelievably relieved. “Deal. And thank you so—”

“Don’t sweat it, go have fun with your boy.”

I blushed, but just said goodbye. Just her saying that had me grinning to myself, and I tried to wipe it off my face as I made my way into the hall. I announced to Rene that Meryl wanted my help again, and I intended on just running out when I saw two people in the front yard. Pausing, I looked out the window, recognizing Alysana but not the guy who was with her, though I already had an idea. This must be Aidan, and I couldn’t believe she had actually taken him here. They were talking and Aly kept on glancing at the house. Aidan didn’t seem to mind, and I saw him take her hand, hidden from other windows behind her car. He was saying something as he smiled, and he pulled her down behind the car, kissing her cheek before he stood again. He went back towards the end of the drive where his car was parked while Alysana stayed close to the ground, waiting until he left. I jumped back away from the door as she walked towards the porch.

She walked in, flushed, and stopped smiling when she saw me.

“So that’s Aidan?” I asked in a whisper.

“Were you standing there the whole time?” she asked, angry.

“No, I was just about to leave,” I replied.

She calmed down and took off her jacket, throwing it in the closet. “Don’t say anything, okay?”

“I won’t, but you might want to be a little more discreet next time,” I said, pointing to the full kitchen. I left before she could say anything and rushed off down the stairs.

The walk to Linden’s house was shorter than usual, even though I took the long way. I couldn’t tell if it was because I was just hurrying, or if I wasn’t so anxious this time. Either way, I made it to his house, again checking my watch. It wasn’t super early, but I didn’t know if he slept in late or not. I still had to chance it and knocked on his door.

It took a minute, but when he yelled for me to come in, I opened the door and stepped inside, seeing him standing at the top of the stairs with a toothbrush dangling from his mouth.

“Hey,” he said around it. “Hang on.” He disappeared again and I waited downstairs, going into the living room to wait. The fish in the large tank were swimming around near the top, so I took the small shaker from the shelf and sprinkled some food onto the surface. They flocked upwards in a frenzy, and I watched them eat until I heard Linden’s footsteps.