Hey guys!
Thank you for the reviews! Fanfic doesn't allow for to reply to them for reason. So, thank you Marilove24 and KillEmWithKindness02! I forgot to add definitions to the first chapter so they are listed below this author's note. :) I hope y'all enjoy this story! Please let me know what you think :D This story is pretty nontraditional and I hope you like it.
-Heather
Datura stramonium: Intensely poisonous tall coarse annual tropical weed having rank-smelling foliage, large white or violet trumpet-shaped flowers and prickly fruits. Also, known as jimsonweed. ( Datura+stramonium)
Peregrinus: Plural form of per•e•grine (ˈpɛr ɪ grɪn, -ˌgrin, -ˌgraɪn)
adj.
1. wandering, traveling, or migrating.
2. foreign; alien; coming from abroad.
( Peregrinus)
Pestis: Plague or The plague is a disease that has a high mortality rate or a calamity with widespread and serious consequences for its victims. ( pestis)
Chapter 2
The week dragged on without any drama as Riley waited for the weekend to come. She hadn't asked her parents about the photo album she found, because she didn't know what to ask. They probably didn't want her to know about it and she didn't want to disappoint them. Josh had come over for dinner Thursday and Riley showed him the album. He was just as intrigued as she was, but had no answers for her. His family had given him up for adoption and Riley's parents had practically raised him. Josh had an extremely rare and unique power to read minds. He and Riley shared a mind link that was uncommon. Riley's parents had never explained it to her how it worked and said that some things were beyond science.
"Don't you think it's odd? I mean we know nothing," Riley said sitting in the tree house her dad built for her when she was little. It was built like a small house in the sky amongst trees. Josh and Riley used to play up there as kids. Even though he was much older than her, he always treated her like a little sister he never had. Their relationship kept her from losing her mind.
"I do Riley, but what are you going to do? Talk to them about it. I doubt they'll give you the answer you're looking for, no one will," Josh said sitting with his head in his hands. His parents had died when he was a teenager in a freak accident. It was one of those secrets that the tribe kept.
"I'm sorry Josh," Riley said sitting down next to him. She didn't know where to start with her research.
"You know what it was about Stephen's tribe. They didn't know they had powers. How didn't they know? It took something drastic for them to realize it," Riley said twisting her heart shaped locket between her teeth.
"It took pestis," Josh said running a hand through his hair.
Riley thought about that for a moment and looked up at him with realization.
"That has to be it, but how?"
Riley got up from where she was sitting and went into a room that was a make shift lab. They grew herbs under controlled environments still in the green house. It was for experiments Riley thought, but maybe it was for something else.
"Where are you going and what are you thinking?" Josh asked following her into the tiny lab. Sometimes he had a hard time reading her thoughts when she got excited, because her mind was like a pinball machine bouncing from one thought to the next.
"If we can grow pestis then we can figure out why it triggered their powers," Riley said getting a pestis plant seed from one of their old containers. Riley didn't bother waiting for the pestis to grow she did it with her powers and Josh shook his head.
"Why should we have to wait months?"
"Oh, I don't know because that's the normal thing to do".
"What's normal?" She said watching the pestis grow in front of her and when it finished her smile was contagious.
"You can't grow pestis without a pestis seed or that box thing they had," Josh said trying to follow Riley's train of thought.
"No, but we can genetically alter the pestis like we did to the datura stramonium," Riley answered putting her hand on her chin thinking.
"Wait Riley, that's it. That's what caused them to get their powers. We've never been injected or exposed pestis, but we have a gene similar to it".
"That makes no sense whatsoever," Riley said looking at him puzzled. Right as Josh was going to explain Topanga came through the intercom saying it was time for bed.
"I'll do research while you're being a teenager at Ole' Miss," Josh said winking at her.
"I can't help it you chose to commute to medical school and spend your free time helping me; this meaning you have absolutely no life," Riley said with a laugh and taking the elevator to the ground. She chose to take the underground tunnel that went up to tower of the house. A hidden staircase had been built long before Riley was born, but her dad had installed the secret door to her room. This allowed her to go to and from her room freely; although, she rarely did these days because Maya was the one that enjoyed sneaking out.
Riley prepared for the weekend like any normal girl would. She had two duffle bags filled with hair supplies, make up, and clothes. Topanga eyed her bags and laughed.
"It's a weekend dear," she said kissing Riley on the forehead.
"I know, but who knows how people dress at these things," Riley answered with a shrug shifting the bags on her shoulders.
"Well, try to have fun."
"I will," Riley said giving her mom a quick hug before heading out to the car Maya was driving. She put her things in the back seat and got into the passenger side.
"I thought your parents were coming," Riley said putting on her seat belt as Maya drove off.
"They're already up there," she answered turning on the music.
"They are?"
"Yeah, they wanted to get there early and spend extra time with Lucas".
"So, you were home by yourself and didn't throw a party?" Riley said smirking in surprise while watching the scenery pass by. Ole' Miss was two hours and thirty-three minutes from Jackson. That wasn't including traffic, but the roads were clear for their journey. They would be able to fly, but there were strict laws on flying. You had to be over 21 and flying wasn't used for short distances. There was a law that prohibited flying when traveling less than fifty miles. Due to these restrictions, they hardly ever flew anywhere.
"Oh, I had a party. It was too short of notice to throw a big one," Maya said with a wink. Riley knew what she meant and didn't bother to ask her to elaborate.
"Do you really want people to think you're a slut?" Riley asked looking at her friend with worry. Both of their emotions were out of control, but they were handling it differently.
"Thanks best friend, for thinking the worst of me. Just because I have fun doesn't give you the right to judge," she said defensively and Riley rolled her eyes. Riley wasn't trying to judge her and she knew Maya wasn't a slut, but she didn't want other people to get the wrong impression either.
Riley tried to explain to Maya that she wasn't judging her and that she just didn't want her to be put into that stereotype. Maya was silent and Riley knew that she had made her upset, but Maya didn't realize how far she was taking the popularity. Riley knew Maya better than anyone and knew that she wasn't sleeping around, but that's what the gossip was. The gossip reached Riley's ears before it got to Maya and Riley hated the gossip. But it was Maya's life and Riley couldn't live it for her. All she could do was support her best friend and be there for her.
"It's my life. I can screw it up if I want to and I can live to the fullest if I want to. At least I'm living. What are you doing Riley? Sitting at home trying to figure out how to solve the world's problems. It's never going to happen. You might as well quit before you get hurt," Maya snapped at Riley and Riley was taken back. She had deserved it though and Riley didn't mean to be a jerk.
"You don't think you're not getting hurt? Seriously, you may treat those guys like they're indispensable," Riley was trying to control the emotions building inside of her but her markings began to glow and a plant began growing out of her hands.
"Then it's on me, not you. So, stop trying to fix me when I'm not broken…wait, are you all right? Riley you're growing," Maya said her anger simmering and concern etched across her face.
"I'm sorry Kali! I haven't been able to control my emotions or my powers since we got back from Alabama. Maybe it was the stress…I don't know," Riley answered and Maya put her hand on Riley's arm. Slowly, Riley was able to regain control over her powers and emotions. The friends apologized to one another and started chatting about what they were going to do at Ole' Miss.
The University of Mississippi, Ole' Miss, is a luscious campus by a national forest. They are known for their sports and academics. It was the perfect college for someone like Lucas who wanted to maintain ties to the Atled Peregrinus counsel. Riley got out of the car in front of the dorm that Lucas was staying in and felt amazed. There were students everywhere. It was homecoming weekend and the place was filled with Ole' Miss spirit wear. Riley could hear the faint sound of trumpets and drums from the marching band practicing. There was a student organization having a homecoming grill out and students enjoying themselves.
"Let's not argue the rest of the weekend, okay?" Maya said looking at Riley with pleading eyes. Riley took Maya's hand and agreed. The last thing she wanted was to be in a bad mood all weekend.
"I'm calling a truce. Plus, you know Lucas is the best at reading people—aside from Josh who reads minds," Maya said with a chuckle as she got out of the car. Lucas' powers were with people. He couldn't manipulate them to do something they didn't want them to do, but he could influence their decisions. He was charismatic and a natural leader.
They walked towards the dorm in stride and looked at all the students. Riley felt at home on the campus and instantly fell in love with it. She couldn't help but notice the looks Maya received from the male population. Riley just shook her head and smirked, but it quickly turned into a smile when she saw Lucas coming to greet them. He looked better than she remembered. He was toned in all the right places and taller. Maya ran to greet him and he laughed giving her a firm hug. Riley walked up to them unable to hide the smile she wore. Lucas stepped back from Maya and looked at Riley for a second before pulling her into a headlock.
"How's my baby shark?" He asked as Riley kicked and tried to get free from his grasp.
"Get off of me!" She yelled trying to get a grip on his arm to flip him, but he was as sturdy as a rock. She couldn't help but notice his strong muscles as he flexed keeping her unmovable.
"What's the magic word?" He teased as she continued to struggle against him.
"Really Lucas? You're in college and people are starting to stare," Riley said pulling against him without luck. People gave them curious looks walking by and Riley could feel her cheeks burn from embarrassment.
"The magic word baby," Lucas continued with a wicked grin and Maya stood there smirking.
"You two are pathetic," Maya said putting a hand on her hip amused.
"Adelphophagy," Riley said as Lucas squeezed tighter and then let her go. She fell to the ground coughing.
"If I didn't know y'all, I would think that sounded sexual," Maya said as Riley got off the ground and dusted off her jeans. Lucas offered her a hand and she slapped it away.
"Awe, don't be like that. I can't help that your moves are rusty. Don't get your panties wet little sis," Lucas said with a wink and Maya began to fake gag. Riley laughed at their exchange. She found their relationship amusing and enjoyed the entertainment.
"It's good to know my children haven't grown up in the least," Esther said coming up next to them. Esther's green emerald eyes twinkled with amusement. She was an older version of Maya and had only become more beautiful with her age.
"Hey mom," Lucas said with a good-natured smile and Riley shook her head.
"Hello, Esther and David," Riley said brushing off her shirt and shorts. Her face was flushed and she tried not to be annoyed. David and Lucas had very similar features with shared markings. Lucas had inherited his piercing blue eyes and wavy black hair.
"Hey mom and dad," Maya said with a smile. They stood there a moment shooting the breeze before they were rudely interrupted.
"Lucas! Is this your family?" A girl ran up to Lucas and linked her arm through his. She was a tall, athletic blonde that seemed too happy for her own good. Riley mentally sighed and thought the weekend was getting better by the minute.
"Hey, Natasha. Yes, this is my mom and dad. This gorgeous brat is my sister Maya and this is Riley," Lucas said with a cough to clear his throat. He hesitated when he got to Riley not sure of how to address her. This made Riley annoyed and hurt.
"It's great to meet you. I guess you're here to see the new quarterback play his first homecoming game?" She said with a contagious smile. They began to chatter about the game and how Lucas was doing in football. Riley couldn't help the emotions that welled up inside her.
"Does that sound good, Riley?" Maya said waving a hand in front of Riley's face to get her attention. She had spaced out and missed the question.
"What?" She asked with wide eyes and they laughed at her. She shifted her feet as a blush crept up her cheeks. If she didn't feel like a teenage high schooler before, she did now.
"You're so enamored to be in my presence that you're speechless, cute Lil." Lucas playfully nudged her in the arm and she shrugged him off.
"We're going to a local restaurant for dinner," Maya said rolling her eyes at her.
"Sounds good," Riley answered and the group disbursed. Much to Riley's dismay, Natasha went with them. The good times just keep on coming, Riley thought to herself. Her phone went off and she saw she had a text message from Farkle. The message made her smile. It wasn't one of those 'I like you' smiles, but it made her feel grounded. She knew the feelings she was having about Lucas were unwarranted. With the age difference, he was never going to see her as more than a sister.
"What's the smile for?" Maya asked as she drove following behind her parents.
"Just Farkle making a lame joke," Riley answered putting her phone in her purse. Farkle was good at making her laugh and feel better. He was a good friend, but she couldn't see him being more than that.
"Oh," Maya said giving her a look and Riley playfully smacked her.
"He's just a friend you know that. I think he likes you more than me," Riley answered tucking a stray hair behind her ears. Her hair was unruly and barely stayed in the braid she fixed.
"That's understandable. The whole school population does," Maya teased as they drove into town following behind Riley's parents.
"Oh please, don't rub it in," Riley let out a huff and folded her arms as they drove into a small town.
They pulled up to a local fish bar and got out. Riley had never heard of it before, but it was filled with Ole' Miss memorabilia. The place was packed with students and locals. They were celebrating homecoming early and Riley could feel the excitement in the air.
"Isn't this place awesome?" Lucas said coming up next to her.
"The energy is magnetic," she answered looking up at him and he smiled down at her.
"You're usually a little more specific," Lucas said with a wink and a nudge.
"I'm not in school so I don't feel obligated to give scholarly answers," she shrugged as they shuffled into the crowded restaurant.
Lucas laughed as they were seated at a long table. They sat down so that the parents were on the end and Riley was across from Lucas. Natasha chose to sit next to him and give him doe eyed looks. It made Riley nauseous and she wondered how he met her. She didn't have to wonder long, because the topic of conversation quickly turned towards Natasha.
"We met through my sorority's mixer. I'm a third generation Gamma," Natasha said and Riley rolled her eyes. Maya thought this was exciting and began to ask questions about the sorority life. She never felt like she needed to "buy her friends" by joining a sorority. It made her IQ drop 100 points just having to listen to them talk. Riley studied the menu as they rambled on until a foot connected with her knee.
"Owe," Riley said with a yelp and they all looked at her. Lucas grinned innocently at her, but his eyes gave him away.
"Having a paroxysmal dysesthesia?" Lucas asked and the table just looked at him.
"No, I'm not. The table just collided with my knee," she said rubbing her knee as he laughed.
"What?" Esther asked her son as they gave him curious looks.
"It means an uncontrolled reflex that feels like being stabbed. It's the same sensation you get when hitting your elbow," Riley explained giving Lucas a glare. Esther shook her head at them and David laughed.
"Wow, are you like a kid genius or something?" Natasha asked with wide eyes and Riley gave her a raised eyebrow.
"She's something that's for sure," Maya said with a huff not taking her eyes from the menu.
"Let's order," David said as the waitress came to them and Riley stepped on Lucas's foot.
"Very mature," he mouthed to her and she stuck out her tongue.
"Guys," Maya said, and they looked up at the waitress who just smiled.
"I'll have the catfish special," Riley said looking up at the waitress.
"I'll have the same," Lucas answered.
"Copycat," Riley said under her breath.
"You just wish".
The waitress chuckled leaving the table and Natasha looked at Maya in disbelief.
"Are they like this all the time?" She asked and Maya leaned back folding her arms.
"They're worse. They go from spitting out these long complicated medical definitions at one another to acting like two year olds. You would think they were the ones that were siblings. He barely talks to me," Maya said taking a sip of her water.
"Don't be jelly," Lucas said throwing his rolled up straw wrapper at her.
"How do you put up with this guy?" Maya asked Natasha and the two started another meaningless conversation.
The evening continued on at a normal pace and they left after eating dessert. Riley started to feel better until they got back to the dorm. She could see Natasha and Lucas in the car. From the looks of it, they were having a heated discussion. Riley turned towards Maya who noticed she was staring.
"Don't think too much of it. She's probably just his plaything. You know how he was in high school," Maya said with a small smile.
"What?"
"You two can fool yourselves, but you're not fooling anyone else. One day your age difference won't be a big deal," she said as Lucas got out of the car and walked up to us.
"Trouble in paradise?" Maya asked and Lucas gave them a smirk.
"She wishes we were paradise. This dude is not ready to settle down with a sorority chick," Lucas said throwing his arm around Riley's shoulders.
"Now, I can't show you a party because you're so clearly underage and I have an early practice. So, it's straight to bed we go," he said grabbing one of each of their duffle bags.
"Are we allowed to stay in your room? What about your roommate? Where are we going to sleep? I am not sleeping in your roommate's bed," Riley said at once and the siblings laughed at her.
"I don't have a roommate and I have an air mattress," Lucas said leading them into the dorm room. He signed them in and told security it was his sister and cousin. Once they got into his room, Riley protested but Maya quickly shushed her.
Maya asked where the showers were and Lucas showed her the girl's side of the dorm. It wasn't the nicest dorm rooms Riley had seen, but it wasn't terrible either. She couldn't complain because it looked like he actually cleaned the room. Being a neat freak was one of his qualities, but that made sense due to his keen sense to detail. There was very little that went unnoticed by him.
"It's the honors floor," Lucas said as they walked back to his room.
"Oh, that's cool. I wasn't sure you maintained your smartness," Riley said teasingly and they entered his room.
"Of course. I can't let you be the smart one," he said and they stood there awkwardly for a few moments.
"It's a nice room. I think you actually cleaned it," Riley said sitting down on his bed.
"Just for you. Do you want to watch a movie?" He asked and she said sure. He picked out an old football movie that was a classic and Riley laughed.
"Of course, you chose a football movie," she answered taking one of the navy pillows and putting it behind her back to lean against the wall.
"Of course," he winked and sat on the bed next to her. An involuntary shiver went through her as he sat down next to her. He got up and handed her an Ole' Miss sweatshirt. The weather could be unpredictable in the south, but that night the crisp fall air was cool.
"Is this even clean?" Riley asked impressed that he knew that she was cold, but it was part of Lucas' nature to know things. He had the best intuition out of all the Peregrinuss she knew. She smelled it before putting it on and tried to hide her smile. It smelled like him. As the movie started, Riley shifted to get comfortable and Lucas pulled her closer to him.
"When did you get shy?" He asked as she leaned into him. They always did that when they watched movies together. He would lean against the frame of the bed or couch and she would lean against him. A lot of time she ended up falling asleep halfway through the movie. Maya would usually pretend to watch the movie as she chatted away on social media.
"I don't want things to change," Riley said and Lucas settled his arm around her. She could feel the change with Maya and there was something different about Lucas too. Alabama had changed them whether they admitted to themselves or not. Riley didn't feel sixteen at all. She would be seventeen in a few months, but that was beside the point.
"Neither do I," he said sensing her anxiety. Riley snuggled against him and was grateful for that moment. Riley thought about what Josh and she had been working on, and she thought it would be beneficial to get his opinion on it.
"I need to tell you about something Josh and I are working on," Riley said without moving.
"Later," Lucas answered not taking his attention from the movie.
"Are you going to be like Maya and avoid everything that happened in Alabama?" She asked sitting up and a scowl crossed his chiseled features. It took her breath away. Riley withered under his gaze hating that he was scolding her like a child. That always made her angry, because he had the upper hand with his age.
"I haven't seen you in like two months and you want to talk about that," He said pausing the movie. She was confused by his answer, because she didn't know why it was a big deal that he hadn't seen her.
"It's important," Riley said her eyebrows knitting together. She didn't understand how they could be nonchalant about what was going on in their world. There was no way she could sit back and pretend like everything was fine when it wasn't.
"I'm sure it is, but Lil you can't fix everything". There was an edge in his voice and Riley blinked slowly. She was tired of being told that by everyone, because maybe she couldn't fix everything but she could try.
"You sound like Maya," she said moving away from him. Riley felt like she was suffocating in the tiny room, she needed to get some air and she needed to think.
"Where are you going?" Lucas asked grabbing her wrist and pulling her back to him.
"Don't you think this is odd?" Riley said pulling her arm from his grasp, feeling her cheeks burn from being angry.
"Which part? The fact that I'm moving on after Alabama or us," Lucas said looking into her eyes and she felt like her soul was naked. She held his gaze a moment without blinking and then sighed in frustration.
"All of it. I can't get past what happened in Alabama. Then, I found a photo album in dad's study and there was another woman in the pictures while my mom was pregnant. Wait, us?" Riley stopped, trying to soak in the meaning of his words. Sure, they fought and teased each other, but they grew up together. How else were they supposed to act? It wasn't like she trying to be in a relationship with him.
"A photo album? Never mind the comment about us," Lucas sighed running a hand through his hair and moving to the edge of the bed.
"You can't just say something like that and not explain it," Riley said unable to control the emotions that were raging within her. She clenched and unclenched her fists, but out of nowhere a vine started growing down the wall.
"Well, it seems like your life is complicated enough. What are you and Josh working on now that you are turning my dorm room into a jungle?" Lucas said with anger in his voice. He moved off the bed and put his hands on her shoulders hoping to calm her down.
"I'm really confused," she said looking up into his eyes as the vine started to disappear into the wall.
"Of course you are. You're still in high school, but you act and think like a college graduate." Lucas stepped away from her and shook his head.
"So, those showers are absolutely hideous!" Maya said barging into the room, but stopped sensing the tension in the room. "I just walked into an important conversation".
"It's nothing," Lucas said walking around Maya and going out the door.
"What's got him in a mood?" Maya asked looking down at Riley. Riley stood there allowing herself to calm down. She hated when she lost control of her emotions, because it made her lose control of her powers.
"I just tried to bring up something that Josh and I found out. He said something about us and I don't know. I'm really confused," Riley said and Maya stood there smiling like a three-year-old with candy.
"Y'all are so darn cute, but what about Josh?" Maya asked putting her things away. She took the towel off her head and dried her shoulder length hair. The room was cramped with them both standing so Riley went back to sit on the bed.
Riley saw the Maya she had been friends with since birth come back in that moment. Gone was the girl who was desperately clinging to popularity to cope. She began to explain everything they had found out and she listened intently while brushing her hair out.
"That makes sense, but doesn't that just mean we have different genetics and they can be altered?" Maya asked and Riley had to think about it for a minute. She had to hand it to Maya for being smarter than she let on.
"Yes, I guess so. I hadn't thought of it that way, but that would mean we have a gene that is similar to pestis even though we've never been exposed to it".
"Hm, well you keep me posted. I know this is important to you and I'm sorry for not being more involved. It was a lot to go through and you know Lucas went through hell," Maya said, taking Riley's hand in her own.
"I had forgotten," Riley said feeling bad about bringing the conversation up to him. Baraak had held Lucas and Stephen captive before they found them. He never talked about it and Riley understood why.
"Give him space and he'll be fine," Maya said getting up and sitting on the bed with her.
"Remember the Titans? This doesn't surprise me at all," she said pushing play and they watched the movie together. Lucas didn't come in during the time or the rest of the night. Riley felt bad about everything that had happened.
