Author's Note: Hello again, Zeddison fans! Of course, you know I love cliffhangers, so I've left one for you. This weeks character bio on tumblr will be about Mayar!
Love y'all! Follow, like and review, and most importantly, be safe out there!
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"You what?" Eliza barked, leaning forward as the glow of the fire cascaded across her face.
The rest of the group was also leaning in towards Bucky, all wearing various expressions of confusion and surprise.
"What?" Bucky said defensively.
"I didn't know who he was! How could I?" He raised his hands again in defense.
"Bucky," Addison said, "what was he doing at the school? Why were you talking to him?"
"He asked to meet with me, since I'm kind of co-captaining the team. He wanted to ask if the cheer squad would be willing to perform on stage between bands at the Shore Day Festival."
"What did you tell him?" Addison asked.
It creeped her out a little, to know that Charon had been so close to her without her knowing, and that he had been able to cause so much chaos in such a short amount of time. It felt weird to be targeted by someone who was technically her relative. And it hurt.
"I said yes, of course." Bucky continued animatedly.
"It's excellent publicity for the squad. Obviously we need to do it."
"And you didn't bother to ask me, the captain, before agreeing, Bucky?"
Addison huffed furiously.
Though she had been cheer captain for some time now, it had been very difficult for Bucky to fully give up control of the squad. And now he was scheduling performances.
With the bad guy.
"Well, with any luck," Willa interrupted, clearly not even mildly concerned with cheer squad politics. "It won't matter, because after tomorrow, we'll have found out what his plans are."
"And we'll stop him, whatever it is he's up to." Eliza stated.
As Addison watched, Eliza reached discretely down to the small space between her and Willa, and gently squeezed Willa's hand. Addison smiled, feeling the happiness and elation of finally-requited love radiating forward from her friends. She was so elated for them.
It's hard not to get distracted, isn't it?
Addison whipped her head around to face Mayar, who was also gazing at the couple across the fire.
Yeah, it is. Addison replied, slightly embarrassed. How do you manage it?
A lifetime of practice. Mayar quipped, smiling back at her.
Don't worry. You're doing great. It'll get easier as time goes.
While she was sure her sister had meant it to be encouraging, that comment completely derailed Addison's attention to the group's conversation.
It was at that moment moment that Addison realized; she was probably going to be feeling everyone's emotions for the rest of her life. She might not be hearing everyone's thoughts, as the full-blooded Lunites did. But still, a lifetime of the feelings of others being constantly bombarded at her... It was a lot. She had been so busy basking in the joy of finally learning the truth about her hair, and practicing her newfound abilities, she had never actually taken a moment to ponder the permanence of of it.
Of course, there was always the chance that it might go away, but these new gifts didn't seem like something fleeting or temporary.
They felt permanent. They felt like they were a part of her, now.
Addison abruptly stood up, getting strange looks from everyone except Mayar, Aruna and Qamar.
"I need to get some fresh air." She said, turning to face the woods.
"We're outside." Willa stated, arching an eyebrow. "How much fresher can you get?"
Addy?
Zed was looking up at her, still seated, his face full of concern.
"I'm okay." She lied.
"Really, I just need to take a quick walk by myself. I'll be right back, I promise."
His brows dipped down, and she could tell, could feel that he didn't believe her. But he also knew that she needed space, and that she was going through a weird time right now. He wanted her to do whatever she needed to process the events of the last few days. She could hear it all, directly from her love's brain. Normally she found his thoughts comforting, but at the moment, all she could feel was panic.
Addison vaguely remembered that she wanted to ask Mayar about that. Why could she hear Zed's thoughts, but no one else's? But she couldn't focus on that now.
She needed to get away from everyone, just for a minute, to gather herself.
"I'll be right back, everyone. Keep strategizing." She managed to use her years of cheerleading skills to offer up a fairly pleasant-looking smile.
Giving zed's arm a squeeze, and feeling her hand sting at the movement, she quickly walked around the bench and towards the treeline. She could still hear Zed's concern, but he wasn't going to try and follow her. He could tell that she needed the time alone. Everyone else around the fire was emanating a mixture of worry and bewilderment. She just needed to get far enough away that she was alone in her head. Just for a minute.
Walking into the dense trees, she inhaled deeply. The smell of the night forest was soothing. As she strode away from the soft glow of the fire, she could hear the sounds of nature. Though it was night, the woods were full of activity. Insects chirped animatedly, and in the distance, she could hear an owl hooting lazily into the night air.
Leaves crunched underfoot. Addison continued to take deep, measured breaths as the noise in her head faded with the increasing distance.
While it wasn't something she talked about, Addison was no stranger to panic attacks.
The pressure of having to be so perfect had weighed heavily on her when she was a small child, and Addison had picked up a few tips for dealing with them from her middle school counselor.
Focus on the things around you. What can you smell, what can you feel?
Breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth.
Picture your happy place.
Zed was the only person besides Bree, Bucky and her parents who had ever been around her when she had a panic attack, and he was the only person in the whole world who could help her get through one. Honestly, her "happy place" would probably be walking with Zed at the beach, but she'd have to settle for the sounds and feel of the forest and the night sky.
She tried to center her thoughts on the smell of moss and damp earth, and the sound of cicadas singing to her through the leaves. Reaching out, she let her injured hand brush against a tree trunk as she strode past it. The bark was rough, and warmer than the slightly chilled air that surrounded her. Looking up, she realized that she had walked out far enough that the light from the camp fire was no longer visible.
Addison slowed to a stroll. She gazed up at the moon, now her only source of light. It was hard to believe that once, hundreds and hundreds of years ago, her people had lived beneath it's battered, desolate surface. She slowed to a stop, admiring it's unexpected loveliness.
Concentrating, she willed her hair to glow. She was rewarded with muted, white-blue flickers of light that ran up and down each strand of hair.
Like miniature shooting stars.
Maybe Starlight was a fitting name for her after all.
Exhaling again, she finally felt her heart rate slowing, her racing thoughts stilled as she took in the beauty of the darkened world around her.
She was okay.
Everything was going to be okay.
The white-blue of her hair pulsated, apparently glowing brighter as her nerves eased.
She could do this. These new abilities would test her, and she knew that there would be times when she would hate having access to everyone's feelings. But Addison was no coward. Like everything else in life, she would face this head-on.
Plus, she wasn't alone.
She had her friends. To some extent, she had her family. And most importantly, she had Zed. As long as they were together, they could get through anything.
Snap.
Ahead of her, she heard the quiet snapping of a twig, as though someone had stepped on one as they walked in the darkness.
"I'm okay, Zed, I j—" She stopped.
That couldn't be Zed.
It was coming from the opposite direction.
Suddenly, the fact that there was someone out there trying to kill or maim her came to the forefront of her mind. Why in the world had she thought walking alone in the woods at night was a good idea?
Gasping, Addison's hair dimmed to nothing as she looked for a place to hide. But there was nothing around. The rocks were too small to crouch behind, the tall , narrow trees not wide enough to be an effective cover.
Frozen in fear, she could only watch with mounting terror as a pale figure, clad in dark clothing, strode into the small clearing.
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Zed sighed as he watched Addison practically sprint into the trees.
He could tell that she was on the verge of an anxiety attack. In the last couple of years, he had become able to easily read the signs when one was building. She would tense up all over, and her hands would tremble. Her breathing would quicken to the point that she would get dizzy, sometimes.
Usually, he would cuddle with her on her bed, reminding her to breathe until it passed. If they were at school, she would text him and they would meet in the panic room. Until recently, he had no idea, personally, what a panic attack might actually feel like. Seeing how it upset Addison, he had counted himself lucky. Thanks to his dramatic car ride with Charon, though, he now had a much better idea.
"Should we go after her?" Bree asked, casting a concerned look from Zed to the treeline.
Bonzo hugged her gently as he faced the same direction.
"Nah, let's give her a few minutes." Zed replied reluctantly. "This whole 'feeling everyone's emotions and having telepathy' has to be impossible to adjust to."
Eliza looked pained.
"It sounds like it would be terrible. I really don't know how weird it must be for you guys." That last statement had been directed towards the Lunites.
"Well," Mayar said. "It's not really weird when it's all you've ever known."
Qamar nodded solemnly.
"Starlight is in an entirely unique predicament. She is the only one in the world who is part Lunite and part human. She has a lot to become accustomed to."
"Speaking of which, Carmel." Bucky cut in, shooting Qamar another glare.
"It's KAH-MARE." He replied shortly, returning the glare with one of his own.
Clearly, the two weren't going to be best friends anytime soon.
"Why IS Addison suddenly able to do these things? She's never had any 'abilities' her whole life, other than being an amazing cheerleader." Bucky stated.
Did Bucky just pay someone a compliment? Sort of? Zed was mildly impressed.
"Our best guess," Aruna replied, "Is that the arrival of the second moonstone is what triggered it. The presence of so much of it's power seems to have tipped her inner scale from being more human, to being more Lunite. As long as it remains on this planet, she will likely continue to have these powers."
Zed had guessed as much, but he couldn't help but feel a small amount of shock. And nonsensical guilt, because it was apparently his thoughts that she would be stuck with. For the rest of their lives, if he had anything to say about it.
Whatever had changed in Addison, nothing would ever be enough to change his feelings for her. He thought fleetingly of the far-too-expensive ring he had picked out for her. The center was a large, oval aquamarine stone, surrounded with a halo of diamonds. It was beautiful and unique, just like her. The blue of the aquamarine would compliment her eyes perfectly. He would hopefully be able to put a down payment on it in the next few months.
Around him, casual conversations were breaking out amongst the unusual group of people. Apparently, the meeting was on break until Addison came back.
"She'll say yes, you know." Mayar stated simply, smiling sweetly towards him.
"What, you can read the future too, now?" He replied, laughing slightly.
"Nope." She said, shaking her head. "But anyone could read that future. Especially since she can hear your thoughts. Lunites have an especially strong connection to our mates. Otherwise, she probably wouldn't to be able to hear you like she can."
"So..." He felt a strange fullness in his chest. "You're saying that the fact that she can hear my thoughts is basically proof that we're... soulmates?"
"Exactly."
At this, Zed felt his face break into a wide grin. He didn't know exactly how to respond to that, but it made him feel indescribably happy.
Mayar was telling him what he'd always known. It was the same thing that Addison had written to him in one of the letters destroyed by the Aceys.
Zed, always know this... we belong together.
He knew, now.
A high, frantic scream broke through the quiet of the night air.
Half of the assembled group stood instantly, the wolves instantly growling and flashing glowing eyes. Zed, Eliza and Bonzo were standing too, silent and tensed as they listened.
For a moment, all was silent.
Then, a second scream echoed through the trees, this time clearly the voice of a young woman.
"Zed!"
"ADDISON!"
Zed heard himself actually roar her name, despite the fact that his z-band was functioning perfectly. His mate was in danger, and his inner zombie was reacting despite the soothing electric pulsations. He was at the treeline before he knew what was happening, the wolves, Lunites and his fellow zombies right behind him.
Roaring again, he bound into the woods to rescue his love.