Ava's War: Book 3 of 3

Chapter 13

A day later the rain was back. Ava and Owen had holed up in a vacant beach house while Ava waited for the stories to "do all the rippling." Since they didn't have a lead on where Lucas, Taylah, and the necklace were, they decided to stick around Victoria for a few days more. Ava had sent Owen to scout both the World Wide Web and the Wood Wide Web for clues to Lucas and Taylah's whereabouts. Now she was staring at the steam rising from her mug, trying to see Gaia's face in the water vapor. This was her eighteenth mug of tea in three hours. After that first euphoric moment of hearing Gaia speak, she hadn't uncovered another trace of the Earth Mother. Ava sighed and gave up, chugging the contents of her mug. At least she was exceedingly well hydrated.

She heard a whisper from the basement and shot out of her seat, sending it clattering to the floor. Careening down the stairs, she shouted, "I'm coming," as if Gaia were ringing the doorbell and that might keep her from leaving. She nearly dove into the cement, scooting her belly along the cold floor and pressing her ear to the ground. Heart fluttering, she waited. And waited. And then she heard the sound again; it was more of a scraping this time. She turned her head, and came face to face with a panda bear. Panda bear? No, it was a raccoon dragging an inflatable pool raft shaped like a panda across the cement floor. Stifling a scream, Ava rolled onto her back. She wiped away tears of frustration. The raccoon dragged the panda right over her feet and she giggled—did he see the black and white panda and want a friend? Shaking with manic laughter, she pounded her fists against the floor. After a few moments she quieted. That's it—I've got to find Keegitah. I've officially lost it.

She exited the basement as fast as she'd entered and whooped in newfound excitement as she stepped outside. Loping along in the rain, she stopped suddenly. Had the stories truly had time to ripple yet? Would Keegitah know she'd come too early and dismiss her as impatient? No, Ava would go insane if she didn't get some guidance. She continued on in this way, changing her mind at every intersection. The start and stop progress added an extra hour to her trip over to Keegitah's cottage. By the time she reached the front door her copper hair was soaked through to the scalp and several shades darker.

She leaned forward to knock, but found the door already cracked open. Heart stuttering, she pushed the door in, scanning the room quickly. It was exactly as she remembered it from Lucas's memory.

When she heard the whispered, "Hello, Ava," she thought that too was a vestige of the stolen memory, but then goose bumps skittered up her arm—someone was in the room with her. She spun around to find Lucas standing directly behind her.

She bit down to keep from gasping; she wouldn't give him that satisfaction. Unable to decide whether to hug him or punch him, she took a half step forward, rolling her ankle awkwardly. Lucas was grinning like a kid on Christmas morning. His dimples deepened at her clumsiness.

"I've missed you," he said.

Heat crept through her body, like she'd just taken a sip of hot chocolate. Oh no, this was why Owen had insisted they confront Lucas together. She was like a popsicle on a sunny afternoon under his gaze. She forced herself to remember the morning her grandmother found out she'd lost the necklace. The lost look in her grandmother's eyes as she drifted away from the present, no longer tethered by her community.

Ava's eyes narrowed. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you think?" he asked, voice husky. His affection unfurled from his chest like invisible tentacles, wrapping around her imploringly.

She could feel herself warming again, basking in Lucas's invisible embrace. She looked down; her skin was still wet from the rain. She exhaled and a gossamer-thin layer of ice formed over her chest before spreading across her entire body.