Inbetween - Book 1 of the Guardian series

Chapter 10 - Amelia not-Pond.

Apollo didn't take his eyes off Amelia as she tried to take him down around, point out the 'Morrowind' plants, tried to tell him where they came from, and what they could be used for. She still remembered how to make a cure poison potion. How sad was that?

He kept staring, with only occasional interest in the plants when she held one in front of his face, and it was starting to unnerve her a little.

"What about the hunt?" Amelia asked finally when it was clear he was distracted. Some part of her wanted him to leave so she could check her face for something, a pimple, food, she wasn't sure. Maybe there was a scar. Some deeper part of her got it, the intense stare he kept shooting at her, but it bothered her on so many levels right now...

What about his wife?

When he didn't answer she went down to the beach and tried to tell him about the otters. The hummingbird. Amelia did want him to see it, yes, but she also was starting to wonder if he'd gone into some kind of shock himself. It made no sense. He wasn't frowning- there was the trace of a smile there- but he kept staring at her in that way. That way Dylan had when he'd wanted to ask her a favour. She was half expecting him to jump at her.

Amelia splashed him suddenly, hard, and made Apollo flinch.

"What about the hunt?"

Apollo blinked as she prodded him and repeated the question. He had been trying to focus on her world. But her world was her, even if she forgot that, this entire place represented something about her. The more she tried to explain about how these plants did this, when mixed together, and these did that, and that otters loved to play. Then he couldn't stop staring at her mouth, particularly as she kept touching her own face, and it was starting to annoy him. Apollo wasn't a teenager. He shouldn't have felt as drawn by her lips, or her voice, or anything else.

“Yes.” He breathed out, slowly, and smiled. Relaxed. “The hunt. I was taking you on a tour. We'll have to delay it.”

Amelia relaxed too when she saw that. “What was that?”

“Showing you what exists in the world. A tour of the facilities we allow them to use. Guilds, groups, safe houses, places we're allowed to come and go in.. Safe places. Not all interaction with the paranormal is negative, in fact, much of it is positive. It would also announce to the world that I have a new apprentice and you would be treated with respect.” Or hunted down. He hadn't been able to spare her that fate though. Amelia had been hunted down. Whether he liked it or not she was already half out in the open. “A delay won't hurt. Relax. Enjoy yourself here”

Amelia stiffened as his hand brushed her arm, lips pressing against her forehead.

“Hasn't the world noticed?” She muttered, just as he was about to vanish through his waiting gate, and Apollo blinked down at her.

“Yes. But this is your official tour. This is as much for them to stare at you as it is for you to stare at them. Usually we wait some time- we allow the apprentice to get stronger, receive training first, but for some reason the old women want all apprentices to be toured now.” He smiled then. “Some apprentices like to dress up. Some like to create a uniform they'll use as an apprentice while working. It's a bit early for me to take you but this isn't a dangerous tour. I was going to take you to the markets to pick out something but we've got no time. How did you create the violin?”

Amelia's gaze followed his to where the violin was now resting against the fern that'd created it. “A fern grew it.”

“See if you can get the fern to grow you something else to wear, if you don't want to wear that.” For the hundredth time since he'd woken, he found himself again drawn to the sight of her clothing, the soft white top resting against curves that the thin cheesecloth only hinted at, and Apollo had to grit his teeth to stay focused. He wanted to touch the white fabric, wanted to stroke it, and had this urge suddenly to watch Dirty Dancing.