The Carnelian Fox Page 17
“You can’t change how people think. Just do the best with what you’ve got. Your Gems are happy, Sam. You guys are going far.”
“Ugh, I hope so. Does it ever get less frustrating? Seeing other people with such different styles of working?” I flattened the blanket and laid back, folding my arms beneath my head.
“Absolutely not. And battle Primes can be as bad as show Primes. I’ve watched a guy ditch a member of his team because it lost a round of a not particularly crucial contest. If I was as hot headed as you, I’d have punched so many people by now.”
“Haha, you’re hilarious,” I said. “I don’t punch that many people. And the ones I do deserve it.”
Closing my eyes, I sank into the too soft mattress and absorbed the monumental changes taking place. I wasn’t trying to qualify anymore, wasn’t collecting points. Yeah, going home would be nice, but what then? Where would I go? My mum was the best, and I loved her, but having my own space and freedom lured me in now. No way I’d tolerate an extended training break at home.
“I’ll go to Orchester.” I said, producing a sleepy ‘hmm?’ from Eli’s side of the room. “Orchester, it’s two days travel from my hometown. A few of the older battle Primes mentioned it’s a good place to strengthen your team. Near one of the closest wild places and the challenge halls have some tough Primes that don’t mind giving out pointers.”
“Sounds like a plan,” he mumbled through a yawn. Darkness filled my vision as he flipped the light switch and I heard the rustle of his clothes hitting the floor. “Stay as long as you need to.”
“Even until morning?” I was half joking.
“If you don’t tell my mum. She doesn’t like me sharing my bed with girls.”
“I’m not in your bed,” I pointed out.
“But you will be, right?”
Smooth.
I unzipped my jacket and laid it on top of the nightstand, then kicked off my boots, socks, and trousers. I padded across the room and slipped under the covers, legs tingling as our skin finally met. Eager hands guided me in by my hips and his lips captured mine as he enticed me into the heat of his bare chest. No more teasing.
Err, let’s leave that there. I doubt you need much more detail to figure out what happened next. I’ll just say I enjoyed it even more than the chicken.
That night meant so much to me, I liked him a lot and was ready to start a different kind of adventure. But, as usual, things didn’t quite turn out the way I expected.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Elias Green!”
A woman’s voice split my skull. The lack of sleep coated the inside of my head in fuzz, and I ducked my squinting eyes under the blanket as light flooded the room.
I snuggled safe inside a cocoon of protection created by Eli’s arms and legs. Until they went rigid at the sound.
“Oh, no…” He said, pressing his forehead into my neck.
“Get up, Elias. I’m paying you to protect her, not to sleep with her!”
She was what now?
It took a moment for her words to sink in. To realise she’d spoken to Eli. Maybe I needed a rule where I didn’t have sex with a guy until I at least found out his surname?
“Look, I’m not…”
“I’m turning my back for thirty seconds. You need to be gone by then, do you understand?”
“Yes, Ma’am.” Utter dread corrupted his voice. He floundered as he scrambled over me, grabbed his pile of clothes and capsule holsters, and bolted for the exit.
As I looked up, my chest constricted. Breath snatched from my lungs.
“Mrs Capshaw?” I gasped. The door slammed shut behind Eli. “What are you…?”
Why was Callum’s mother here?
“I am so sorry, Sam. Get dressed, brush your hair, get comfortable. Whatever you need. We’re about to have a chat, and it may be difficult for you.”
“I don’t understand what’s going on here right now.”
“You will.”
Ten minutes later we faced each other over the rickety desk. Mrs Capshaw commanded authority in her crisp business suit, hair scraped into an immaculate bun. I wore the clothes from yesterday I’d sweated profusely in during my intense challenge. And I’d left my hairbrush in the room I’d intended to share with Lucy.
She’d conjured some green tea and breakfast pastries from somewhere. I was too shaken up to eat and couldn’t bring myself to down the vile liquid once I’d tried a sip.
“This must be a big shock to you, Sam,” she began, teasing out each syllable. Damn straight it was. “I’m not sure how to explain all this. Or how much I should tell you.”
“All of it, now. Please. If that’s okay?” Where did I stand with her? Or Eli? Or Lucy? I ran my hands through bedraggled hair and swallowed the thickness creeping up my throat.
“Okay.” She laid a hand on my arm, compassionate and strong. I’d always admired her. “We know what happened to Callum. And why.”
Then the floodgates crumbled. I couldn’t force back my tears anymore, they spilled from my eyes as I fell into her arms and sobbed into the sleeve of hundreds of credits worth of clothing.
“It’s okay, it’s okay to let go. You can’t even imagine how much I’ve cried since our call the day after it happened. But I needed to do something about it. Because… because I was being targeted. They didn’t single Callum out by coincidence. Those men were trying to kidnap him. Instead, a terrible accident occurred. I doubt they suspected such a new Prime would fight back.”
“They wanted to ransom him? My best friend died because of two greedy idiots? It was bad enough they tried to rob him, but they planned this?” My throat tightened with grief and the urge to scream. “But what has this got to do with me?”
“They weren’t stealing money. They sought secrets. Everything I tell you today stays strictly between us; do you understand? You cannot mention this anywhere, to anyone, not even my husband, unless I raise the subject first, clear?”
“I get it.” What the crap had I got myself into?
“A group that disagrees with the entire existence of Gems uncovered some information regarding my ancestry. It came to their attention there is a Maiya Millard several generations back in my family history.”
“Seriously? You’re related to the Maiya Millard? The designer of Maiyamon? The scientist who created Gems?” My mouth and brain battled each other for resources, I couldn’t make either work fast enough.
“Stop, Sam. You don’t use that name around me ever again. My son died because of her name. There are people in this world that want all of this gone, they say every Gem is unstable, or unnatural, or just plain dangerous. They think I own her encryptions, her base notes, and if they can push me far enough, I’ll give them the information to shut down the entire game. And, as we both know, this is much more than a game now.”
“Is this Alfie’s Saviours we’re talking about by any chance?” I said, watching every muscle twitch for signs of her keeping something back.
“You’ve had run-ins already? I ordered Elias to keep them away from you.”
“They weren’t after me, we stumbled across them by accident…”
“I didn’t hire him to have accidents.”
“Then why did you hire him?” I shouted, slamming the table with my thighs as I surged to my feet.
“Because he’s strong and discreet and he owes me. These people are dangerous, Sam. And I had no idea they’d been watching us for so long. They saw how close you are to our family. They realised I would never let anything happen to you.” She took a delicate sip of tea, unfazed by my outburst.
“That’s sweet of you, but why? It’s not like I’m your daughter.” I winced at the words coming out of my mouth, I could be an ass sometimes.
“No, but I thought you might be, someday. I was certain that one day you’d be giving me grandchildren. Callum was crazy about you, do you see? On the first day he came back from college I asked him what he’d learned, and he talked more about ‘the c
oolest girl he’d ever met’ than anything in the lectures. Every time he came home, I expected him to tell me he’d opened up to you. But he wanted to wait. Until after you’d both got your full licence. He didn’t want to put an added pressure on something fun or ruin the experience if it turned out you didn’t feel the same way.”
I hugged myself, my chest tearing to pieces and tears running down my face. She couldn’t be right. I shook my head but the openness and shimmer in Mrs Capshaw’s eyes told me every word was true. I was an idiot.
“Never, not for one second, did I imagine he would ever look at me like that,” I whispered. “Wouldn’t have entertained the thought. I mean, come on, have you even seen the girls that used to follow him around? Not like I had much to offer. He was just my best friend who liked the same stuff as me. My way hotter, richer, more popular best friend.”
“Sam, life wasn’t easy for him. Sebastian casts a vast shadow. Callum liked when you told him he was being stupid, made fun of his clothes, and threatened to wipe the floor with him in a battle. No one else dared to say those things because to them he wasn’t Callum, he was Sebastian Capshaw’s son and they wanted to flatter him. You were his best friend, and that’s all he ever wanted. It’s what I wanted for him. I know it can’t happen now. And it isn’t the future you planned, so I’m not a crazy, jilted, almost mother-in-law. I understand you’ll want to be with somebody. But don’t make it Elias, okay, honey? You are worth a thousand of him.”
“I still don’t get how this happened? He turned up when we were in danger, did he stalk us?” I tried to digest the monumental tide of information pouring over me. Callum had been in love with me? He’d never hinted…
“When I found out Alfie’s Saviours were behind the incident, and dug into it more, it made sense to prevent them from trying again. A group of people work for me, Elias happened to be one that was available and suitable. If I’d known he would try anything, I would never have sent him to you, Sam, I swear. But I didn’t want to interfere with your journey when you’d worked so hard to even begin. I had him stay close in case anything happened. It payed off. He told me about the gargantuan. Afterwards he found it easier to protect you by being integrated in your group, or that was his excuse to me, anyway. I just wanted you to go about your challenges like a normal young Prime, and to protect our way of life from these people.” I still admired her. The way she spoke with such conviction, how she held herself together when she talked about all this rubbish happening. I didn’t want to be that kind of burden on her.
“Why are they doing this? Why do they hate Gems so much they’re willing to resort to kidnapping to get rid of them?” My grim thoughts flickered to the first time I’d seen Rica, her trampled, almost-lifeless body battered and bloodied by these psychos. These weren’t people with rational reasoning.
“Alfie was a two-year-old little boy. A wild Gem slaughtered him in front of his parents while they were powerless to stop it. His parents found out they weren’t the only ones to lose family members to monster attacks and they met with those people. Convinced them they had to stop the game for good. They didn’t consider that Gems are all half-biological and alive in their own right. Or believe the lack of a central system or server would set them back…”
“Then how will blackmailing information from you change anything?”
“They’re hoping Maiya put a big, red stop button somewhere. Or had a special code to insert into the system to shut everything down. Why they think I’d know what that is or how to do it, or if it even exists is beyond me…”
“You do. You know,” I said, taking a shaky breath. “They wouldn’t make such a big move and reveal themselves if you didn’t. Don’t tell me, I don’t want that kind of information in my brain.”
“You’re very astute, Sam. I’m terrified it will get you into trouble one day. If it is true, we must make sure Alfie’s Saviours never find out about it. I understand their pain, one should never have to bury their child, but flicking a switch will not bring their baby back. We’ve built our society on what these monsters can do for us, we’re at the point we are symbiotic with them. These people see the shows and competitions and whip up a crowd into a frenzy because, in their minds, their loved ones died so we could have entertainment. They discount the earth Gems that make farming viable or build structures, the water Gems that help with irrigation, flame and electric Gems that power our factories so we don’t have to destroy our atmosphere with burning fuel we can’t replace. Then there are the service Gems, those fools don’t understand how long people in the past had to train a dog to assist a blind person. Gems listen to us, and they aim to please right away.”
“I can keep my mouth shut. Even with you telling me all that, from the second I saw Finn, I knew I’d never be able to live without Gems in our world.”
“Good. I trust you, Sam. Callum did, and that’s good enough for me. I’ll arrange another guard for you, one that won’t get in your way.”
“No need,” I said. “I’m going home anyway - I passed my challenges.” I only wished that I felt like someone that had just got the biggest win of her life.
“Congratulations, I’m very proud of you and I’m sure your mother is too.” Mrs Capshaw stood and shook my hand. “I’ll need you to inform me when you leave again though. I can’t afford another incident. Clear?”
“Yep.” Clear she was intent on babying me. Like I needed Eli or some other creep to stalk me. Finn and my team were much stronger now than she realised.
I watched her leave, heels tapping at the dreary carpet. She shouldn’t have been here, that immaculate visage of authority and femininity. Not in this hovel. Everything about the situation was unreal and numbing. I left right behind her, straight out the lodge without speaking to anyone or fetching my other bits of gear from the room Lucy was in. No way could I face her or Eli.
I was stupid for falling for his lies. As if a Prime like him would really have stayed to hang with two utter newbies. He’d deceived me to earn a wage off my vulnerability all along. All that crap he’d fed me about believing in me and wanting to spend time with me. He was just looking to get paid as well as laid. Jackass.
Everything crashed down around me in one day. For a few measly hours I’d been successful and content. Now all the relationships I thought I had figured out were a jumbled mess. Well, almost all. It was time to go see my mum.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Attack!”
“You know he’s registered as a pet right now. You’ll get into trouble doing that.”
“Sam!” Zoe spun round and tore over to me, leaping full-on into my arms. I nearly spilled the girl across the ground, but the travelling must have strengthened me too.
“Are you and Rolo getting on?” I asked as I bear hugged my sister.
“He’s the most awesomest, coolest, fun Gem in the universe!” Zoe fought from my grip to run back over to her lemur and throw herself over him. That was one patient little dude.
“Did I pick well?”
“Sam, you got me an adolescent Gem as my first teammate. Do you get how badass that makes me? When everyone else in class is getting their rubbish baby cub, mine will already have been training with me for years. It’s a foolproof plan.” She whooped and chased Rolo, he stayed just out of her reach, his tail always an inch from her fingertips.
“That is not a battle Gem, and you are not a licenced Prime, Zoe. That means you can’t tell him to attack anything, or enter a battle, official or not. Rolo is a pet until you graduate, okay? Or you’re being supervised by a fully licenced Prime… whoops, what’s that?”
I shoved my eBand under her nose to show off the certificate that proved I’d completed my challenges.
“Are you even serious right now!” Zoe yelled, stopping her mad rush after Rolo. “Sam, you did it? Why didn’t you tell me already?”
“Because then I wouldn’t be able to see your jealous face,” I said with a grin. “Give me a high five, Zo, you’re next.”
“Thanks for looking after this terror. I owe you one, buddy.”
***
It had been a while since I’d cried in front of my mum. I waited until Zoe was in bed though. I wanted her to be excited about her future, not to worry about the possibility of dying, being surrounded by crazies, and betrayal from people you cared about. That was grown-up stuff. If only I’d been ready for it…
“I thought everything would be different to this, you know?” Sniffling, I curled up in a blanket that had seen me cry more times than I could remember, cupping a scalding cup of hot chocolate and watching the steam rise into little swirling patterns.
“You can’t predict the future, honey. But even with all the low points, you’ve done it. All that hard work paid off and now you can do anything you want.” My mum passed over a box of chocolates, the good kind where no matter which you pulled out it didn’t disappoint you.
“I thought I’d be doing it with Callum though. Or at least Lucy or Eli. It’s like I’m back to square one again, like everything I did is reset and I have to figure it all out again.” I’d told her the bits she needed to know, how Lucy was a cold, selfish cow and Eli had been paid to look out for me by Callum’s parents. She didn’t need to hear about how Mrs Capshaw had found us when she fired him though, I left those details pretty hazy.
“You realise that you wouldn’t have stayed with any of them forever, don’t you? Everyone’s got their own agenda, their plan they follow no matter what. You should focus on your Gems, honey, they’re the ones that will be the only constant in your life. You’ll travel away from me and our home, even Zoe will grow up and start her own journey. Your team won’t be apart from you, though. I think you should spend some time with them, just them. Once you learn to lean on them instead of other people, you’ll be ready to let humans back in a little.” My mum stroked my shoulder, like she always did when I worried about school or boys. Had I even grown up at all?