Serpent's Kiss Vol II: Sapphire Ice

Ch 10: When The Timer Kicks In

Alexis' hands were shaking and no matter how many times she tried to stop the panic from flowing through her, she had to keep the faith.

Kate had promised that she'd keep them safe, but she was scared.

Kevin was searching out a lead, and Aaliya and Fatima were in India, celebrating some Indian festival called Holi, and between all that, James and Trace were in England on a Medical conference with the kids, and Ashley, the idiot who was supposed to be helping her with a school project was off probably macking on with some chit or the other, or maybe even Lauren.

And she was scared.

She desperately wanted to call Kevin, she wanted to hear his voice and now, all she could do was stand beside a uniformed cop and brace herself against the barricade, swallowing down her hapless screams, as they threatened to overwhelm her.

Forcing herself to stay still, she tried to think, when was the last time they had been able to spend any amount of time together.

First there was Captain Montgomery's death and Kate getting shot, and her dad getting arrested and then there were exams, and the Serpent's Kiss's case where Altars were cropping up at the previous sites, where the four girls were found and now this.

It's like anytime they wanted a moment to themselves, something just kept happening, and one week from today it would soon be time to go to Madison's Cotillion, and—and—and she was fucking terrified.

Oh God! Oh God!

Alexis couldn't breathe!

Alexis, fell to her knees, as the air constricted her airways, her chest tightened, eyes blurry with tears that neither fell nor dried, she felt completely helpless.

And what was it Fatima had once said, the world, or fate or whatever, has an ironic streak a mile wide, because when all was said and done and the dust finally settled, it was really weird to realize, that she needed her dad and his hugs, because without him, she...she couldn't think.

"Alexis!!!"

Lanie's arms wrapped around her, "Sweetie", the ME whispered, "Baby girl, I need you to breathe. Come three long breaths in, five long breaths out, breathe. There. There it is, there we go, keep that up girl", she instructed.

"Ka-Kevin, I-I need Kevin", she begged, "Please Lanie, please!!" she pleaded, "I need him, I really, really need him, I—"

And as if magic, he heard her and her focus fell solely upon him;

"Alexis", Kevin skid towards them and gently albeit firmly pushed Lanie away, "Hey, hey look at me, look at me, it's okay, it's okay", he firmly helped her up, Alexis shuddered in his arms as everything coalesced at that moment, driving her mental shields to jump off the cliff and shatter, as the world around them exploded in noise.

Alexis whined and screamed, "DAD!!!"

"Alexis, Alexis, Emerald!!!"

Alexis fought desperately against the vice like arms wrapped around her and the sound of desperate screaming in her ear.

"DAD!!!"

Even as she fought, she realized she was being picked up and Alexis whined, "Let me Go!! Let me go! Let me go!" she fought scratching and clawing at the pale skin, thrashing wildly as the building before her clouded in smoke and fire drifted into her peripheral, and her focus shifted to light blue and brown.

"Em!!!"

Alexis looked up into fiercely determined blue orbs, sapphire gemstones, which automatically calmed her, "Kay?" she whispered brokenly.