A/N from last chapter... I don't mean to offend any Twilight-lovers, I just thought that my character would probably hate it. It's not my personal opinion of Twilight (although it is true that Rob Patt pouts A LOT) I'm kinda ambivalent towards it. Anyways, I'll shut up. Thanks everyone for continuing to read and putting up with my update schedule (or lack of!).
Chapter 14
So in this chapter, I pay tribute to ShadowGrace's characters from her fanfictions on the Significance series, because they're so great. Her characters belong to her and I'm not trying to steal them. This will be the only place any interaction occurs between them and my characters, so don't have a go at me saying they're not original. I know. The amazing characters ShadowGrace created definitely belong to her. Ayways, sorry about the interruption, onwards and upwards!
"Are you driving up then?" Dad asked as I appeared for breakfast. Luc had made his escape just a few minutes ago; it had been a close call. But I couldn't sleep without Luc, for safety reasons. Yeah, like that was the only reason we slept in the same bed...
"Um, no we've arranged a taxi- Maggie and Caleb went up early since she's..." I stopped myself before I said something stupid like 'Maggie's their leader' or something. "Whatever..." I finished lamely. I got away with it since Dad was back to 'Unobservant Mode', but I told myself to be more careful next time.
The doorbell rang a few minutes later and I knew it was Luc from the strange tingling in my body. I jumped to answer it and when I threw open the door I almost jumped into his arms, but restrained myself to a kiss on the cheek since I sensed Dad's presence behind me.
Whilst Luc was upstairs, having insisted on bringing down my bags for me, Dad pulled me aside.
"I'm not particularly thrilled about you two having a holiday alone, but-"
"Dad, it's not alone, Maggie and Caleb and their family as well as Luc's family are gonna be there, so it's not like we're having a romantic getaway..."
"I don't know..."
Dad was still sceptical that Luc's family would be happy with me spending time with them on their 'family holiday'; in his opinion meeting the family was way down the line in a relationship- like, months down the line. Unless it was the father with the gun on the doorstep.
"Dad, we'll be fine. Don't worry," I gave him a short hug and walked to the door. Dad pulled me back one last time and looked at me seriously.
"Anna, I do not want a grandchild just yet. It's not like I can stop you having sex but-"
"Dad!" I cringed, and winced when I heard Luc's mental laughter at my embarrassment. "I'm not going to have sex with Luc!" I hissed, almost running out the door so he could say anything else that would burn my ears off.
"Phew," I sighed, once we were safely away in the black taxi, flopping back in the seat.
"Alright?" Luc teased, taking my hand. It was so sweet how he didn't even realise he was doing it- it was a natural reaction for him. And I loved it. I loved how he needed to be near me and I needed to be near him- I loved him. And I loved it when he kissed me as well as when he held my hand.
I saw Luc's eyes darken and I realised that my mind hadn't exactly been closed this whole time. Whoops. He leaned in and hovered a few centimetres away from my lips. I closed my eyes in anticipation and leaned in, but when I did, I found no soft inviting lips there. I pulled back and made a face at Luc, who had pulled back. I stuck my tongue out at him and sulked. He just laughed and pulled me under his arm. I couldn't keep my sulky face on because his face swiftly closed on me and his lips were on mine. It was a short kiss, yes, but that was only because we had, ahem... company. I doubt the cabbie would appreciate a make-out session in the back of his taxi, plus the whole me not liking PDA thing...
Later. A promise.
Later.
"You know, I have a, how do you say it... a 'bone to pick'? Yes, a bone to pick with you, young lady."
I wondered what I had done this time, since his mind was closed off from me for the moment. Uh-oh. This couldn't be good.
"What?" I asked warily.
"I hate to bring it up, but I have to. Anna, I know why you jumped in front of me, but it's my job to protect you, not the other way around."
Here it was. He was going to be all angry at me for jumping in front of that bullet when he would have done the same thing.
"Then what am I supposed to do with you when you're in danger?" I crossed my arms, frowning.
"That won't happen because I'll protect you."
"And that doesn't even make any sense." I threw my arms in the air, trying not to get angry. "If you're protecting me you're putting yourself in danger. So what do I do then?"
"I won't let that happen. Anna, putting myself in danger is putting you in danger- if I'm in danger, so are you. And if I'm not around, I can't protect you like-"
"But you would have done the same thing. You can't expect me to not protect you if you're in danger.
"You would have done the same thing. So why am I not allowed to? True, I'm not physically as strong as you, but that doesn't mean I don't want to protect you too, just as much as you want to protect me. So why don't you let me?" I finished softly, putting my hand on his knee.
Luc sighed, looking pained, and covered the hand on his knee with his own. "Anna, I can't stand it if you're letting yourself get hurt because of me."
I realised then. He didn't think he was worth my protection. He would rather die than have me die because he thought he was worth less than me. Not this again.
"Luc, when will you learn?" I was frustrated but not angry at him. "'We deserve each other'. You remember when you said that to me? You think you're not good enough for anyone, let alone me. But I'm not perfect. In fact, every single day I think you deserve someone better than me." I paused, but Luc said nothing, just looked at me. I still couldn't see into his head, so I carried on.
"You saw into my head, all my faults on display, and yet you didn't judge. You accepted me, faults and all. Just as I accepted you. I put you through a week of hell because of my own selfishness and stupidity and you don't even resent me for it.
"You are a better person than you know Luc. You're not perfect– no-one is. But as a person I love very much told me once, you're perfect for me. I wouldn't have anyone else. Just you. So let me protect you, as much as I can. You know I can't sit around on my but whilst someone else does the protecting business!" I joked to lighten the mood.
Luc smiled briefly but then just stared at me. Then he began to speak softly but precisely, staring into my eyes.
"Une belle fille m'a dit quelque chose une fois, il n'ya pas longtemps. Et je vais le répéter. 'Tu as vu dans ma tête, toutes mes fautes sur l'écran, mais tu ne m'as pas jugé. Tu m'as accepté, les défauts et tous. Comme je t'ai accepté.' Ils sont bons mots, je pense. La fille qui a dit cela est très intelligente. Et je l'aime."
"Je t'aime aussi."
Of course we would sometimes disagree, of course we would annoy each other sometimes, but love means that you can work out your differences and help, or at least put up with, each other's flaws. Love isn't an easy journey, that much I got from my cynical dad. It's not like the films you see. Love hurts; love is hard work; love is not a free ticket to happiness. You have to work at it. But when you do, it's the best thing on Earth. The feeling when I was with Luc was like jumping off a bridge and not ever hitting the water. That reminded me of...
"Luc?"
"Hmm?" He was looking out the window at the shops, but turned to me at my serious tone of voice.
"Does... does your family know what happened? With your grandfather and cousin?"
"No, not all of them. Only four people- Pascal and Emily, Damien and you."
"Oh."
I guess I knew now why he felt he couldn't be forgiven by his family. He blamed himself for their deaths –like he blamed himself for everything- and because he couldn't tell them, he felt guilty and like they wouldn't be able to forgive him if they knew. Hmm.
We were apparently here because the taxi had stopped and Luc was paying the driver. But we were just on some hill. What? It didn't even look like London. There was a stone driveway and a big garden with a tiny picturesque cottage in the middle. It was beautiful, but definitely not London, and definitely not the place I expected a convention of 300 Aces to be held.
Once the taxi drove off, Luc picked up the bags, leaving me with just my shoulder bag to carry and set off towards the cottage, but I stopped when I saw the huge tree that was by the fence, hidden from the driveway by a red brick wall. The tree had hundreds of branches that wound into the fence that it was up against in an intricate pattern. It was beautiful, but not just because of its size or intricacy.
It didn't look like any tree I'd seen before- it was like a cross between lots of different types. Different branches were different colours, like on the outer edge, I saw what looked like a fir branch, but the one just below it was the silver you see on silver birches, and the one across from it was definitely horse chestnut- I could tell from the conkers that were just starting to form.
"The tree signifies our kind. At the first Reunification, they planted it to symbolise our unity. It's called the 'RE'unification for a reason, you know," Luc answered my curiosity.
We entered the picturesque cottage, where an old couple, who introduced themselves as Rebecca and Andrew, showed us to a door, which led down to an underground passageway. I was a little scared when they shut and locked the door behind us. Plunging us into darkness, but Luc's hand in mine, combined with the turning on of a set of dim overhead lights, calmed me down. Extending in front of us was a set of steps which looked to go on forever. I wondered how Rebecca and Andrew managed them so often- it wasn't like they were young, and I was pretty sure I'd be winded by the end, not that I was particularly sportive.
"So what happened to cause the Reunification?" I asked as we began the descent.
"The clans used to be almost constantly at war with each other, especially considering the history between the countries anyway, not to mention the politics in each country with clans vying for land in the same city. Not that there isn't rivalry any more- take the Jacobsons and the Watsons, for example," Andrew explained, as we moved deeper into the hillside.
"So you're saying that there was a... a war?"
"Yes. The first and last. It was terrible and bloody-whole clans were wiped out. You see, there used to be many more of us, but the war decimated the population to only a few hundred..."
"Wait, when was this war?" I interrupted.
"It was around the time the massive witchcraft hunt was being carried out in the human world, so around the 16th Century," Rebecca explained instead.
"You see, our women were being accused," continued her husband, "and it's the job of the men to protect the clan, so we had to do something. But there were, well, differing views on how to deal with the problem that set off the war..."
"So you're saying that the Witch Trials were actually the humans hunting the Aces?" I asked in wonder.
"No, not exactly," Rebecca replied. "There were Virtuoso accused, of course, but it was mainly a human phenomenon. They were more focussed on cauldrons and broomsticks, however we were still in danger due to our secretive nature then- we didn't used to 'blend in' with normal society- so naturally the people became suspicious of us. Plus, we were in the midst of our war at the time, so a human was more likely to stumble on one of us using our powers."
"But if it was such a terrible war, why are there no records of it? Surely some human would have noticed it?"
"Yes, they did notice it and they did write it down. But the reason there aren't any records is us. At the end of the war, the Visionary of the time erased the human records with her power and planted the Reunification Tree.
"The tree symbolises our unity and our promise to never make war with our own kind again. Of course that hasn't always been respected... It was made by taking a seed from the native tree from every clan, including the clans that were wiped out. The Visionary took the seeds and planted them all in the ground, where they somehow merged to make an entirely different tree, a tree which is now sacred to our kind."
"Wow," I breathed, thinking of the intricate and twisting branches that looked nothing like any tree I'd ever seen before. It was amazing, but evidently some hadn't kept the promise. There were a few branches, I remembered, that looked like they were dead. I wondered whether one was the Watson's branch and whether its apparent deadness symbolised that it had been wiped from their promise because they were no longer a clan.
Eventually, we reached the end of the stairs where I could see a bright glow of light behind a door. We walked through, hand in hand, into a room, or rather, a ballroom, where I couldn't help but gasp. Everything was gold- the floor, the walls, the ceiling, the huge chandelier, everything except the people. Of course, we were still underground so there were no windows but the room seemed to intensify the light that was already being given out from the chandeliers so it was as bright as daylight.
The people were as stately and grand as the room itself- all of them except the ones like us who had just arrived were in formal dress, some complete with trains and even gloves. Sparkling earrings glittered from the ladies' ears and men wore freshly pressed suits. Needless to say, I felt really, really underdressed in my jeans and strappy top with a cardigan. I was very glad Luc had told me to pack for formal occasions as well as normal.
Just then, I spotted Caleb being towed towards us by a grinning Maggie, who threw her arms around me in greeting.
"Anna! I knew you were alright, of course, but it's nice to know in person!" she exclaimed. What?
"Well I had a vision of you getting attacked and that's why I called Luc, but he wouldn't answer and neither would you," she frowned mock angrily at me. She called me? Oops.
"So we went to find you, but we were too late to stop the vision from happening, so then we went after Marcus whilst Luc was taking care of you. Then I got a vision of you being okay, but that distracted me enough to let Marcus go, so he slipped away again!" she finished angrily. Was she always this... excitable?
"No!" Maggie laughed, reading my mind. Oh, I forgot about that.
Note to self: don't think anything bad about Maggie in front of her.
"Oi, I heard that!"
"You were supposed to," I laughed, pleased that my joke had worked. Maggie stuck out her tongue at me and I reciprocated, before Luc and Caleb stepped in to ruin our fun, I mean be sensible.
"So how long have you been here?" I asked Maggie whilst Luc wrapped his arms around my waist and Caleb did almost exactly the same thing with Maggie.
"Since yesterday. We went to the Council as soon as we could after your attack to discuss it with them but, as usual, they are being extremely stiff-necked and refuse to even discuss it until the Reunification officially starts."
"Has it not already?"
"No, not until I make a speech." Maggie made a face and laughed again. "In fact, I think we're all here," she said, glancing at the door behind, where a large group with American accents, I think they were probably the ones from Illinois, since their accents didn't sound Southern, had just arrived.
I saw Phillippe and Marcella, Damien's parents, who came up to Maggie and told her everything was ready for her. She thanked them and they came over to us, where Marcella gave Luc and me a hug and Phillippe winked at us both.
Maggie began: "Friends, family, clans, Virtuoso. Welcome!"
The chatter died down as everyone turned or looked up to watch Maggie, flanked by Caleb, at the top of the sweeping staircase that led down to the room. They all bowed in repect to her and I saw her grimace briefly, before schooling her face into a neutral expression.
"Please, stand. You don't need to bow to me, I'm not here to rule over you, more to help you rule yourselves." She waited until everyone had straightened up before continuing.
"Last year, we came here divided among ourselves, with no imprints, clans at war with each other and accusations flying left right and centre. This year, I look forward to a year of hope. Our imprints are returning, the rifts are healing, we're slowly rebuilding our society into the powerful, yes, but peaceful and prosperous people we once were.
"This year, we welcomed twelve imprints of people from all different ages and all different clans, besides myself and Caleb and Lynn and Kyle. They were Bish and Jen and Nick and Elsie from the Jacobson clan, my father and Fiona from the Gemino clan, Jonathan and Nathalie from the Tucker clan, Emily and Derek and Katie and Jack from the Stanton clan, Hélène and Pierre from the Lapointe clan, Eve and Pavel from the Petrona clan, Dylan and Sophie from the Ainsworth clan, Ellie and Sam from the Garrott clan, Hannah and Charlie from the Mardling clan and, most recently, Anna and Luc from the Renou clan."
I could hear how happy everyone was at the news of twelve new imprints. There were excited whispers from every side and blushes from the couples in question. I would have to find out all their stories soon.
"Of these 24 people, seven of them are human, the ages range from 18 to 46 and six of the couples are married already." I could easily tell who the humans were because we were the ones looking a bit lost and intimidated. At least I wasn't alone.
"It's obvious that our ten- sorry, nine clans are learning from our mistakes and are trying to make right the wrongs of the past. I thank you for changing, for becoming who we were meant to be, and I expect nothing less. Together, we can make our people prosperous again.
"There is still work to do, of course. There is always work to do, ways to be better people. But we've made a start. Congratulations again to the imprinted couples and have a great time this week everyone!"
Wow, Maggie was amazing. She gave everyone hope, she led them all incredibly- without ruling over them but still guiding them and convincing them to become better people. She knew exactly what to say and you could see practically everyone loved her.
"See," Caleb nodded at me, but was talking to Maggie. Had he heard me as well?
"Yes, I could- my ability is stealing other people's abilities. Maggie still has insecurity issues, you see... I'm using your thoughts to prove my point."
"Oh," I laughed. "I guess if it proves your point and gives the Visionary a bit of self-esteem then it's okay!"
"Hey! Call me Maggie, not Visionary," Maggie seemed a bit put out.
"I was just joking, calm down!" I winked at her and she rolled her eyes playfully.
"Alright everyone, now that we're all here I think we can get this thing started!" That sounded like... Winifred? It was; she had stood up from the table that her and eight other people were sat at.
That's where the Council members sit.
Winifred's on the Council?
Yes, a member from each clan sits on there- our representative is Philippe, you see him?
Oh wow, Damien really does look exactly like him...
Luc's reply was cut off by the sound of a string quartet beginning some music. I looked over and saw that there was no-one playing- according to Luc's head someone's ability was to make objects do the function they were meant for. Cool. That reminded me- I wondered what abilities we'd get. Apparently sometimes Significants didn't find out their abilities for a while, but I hoped we'd know soon.
We dropped our bags off in our very nicely decorated room and returned to the Gold room- the rooms were colour-coded, which was kinda handy- where we spent the rest of the day eating from a huge buffet spread out in one corner, meeting so many different people that my head was buzzing and, later, dancing. Last year Caleb and Maggie had a big fight with the Council about non-married Significants sleeping in the same bed, but luckily there was no such problem this year.
Maggie told me that this was a much better start to last year, where they had a confrontation where she was accused of being pregnant, got bowed to by 300 people and was generally opposed by Donald Watson and his clan in everything and anything.
"Maybe it'll be more like Caleb described it to me this year," Maggie said.
"Well, it seems okay so far," I replied, surveying the room full of people talking, laughing and dancing. It almost seemed like a huge family reunion. But not quite. There was something wrong with the picture, but I didn't want to ruin the moment by trying to figure it out.
A couple who looked to be a little older than us came over and introduced themselves as Emily, a very pretty human, well former human, and Derek, who looked like a rock star. They had been the first to imprint after Maggie's family, a few days after the Reunification last year. Then there was Elsie and Nick, who was some kind of cousin of Caleb's. Confusing with the big family, I know. Elsie was already an Ace but had been adopted as a child by accident after her parents died, so grew up unknowing of their- our world.
I also met Derek's brother Jack and his Significant Katie, who were the most recent but us to imprint. Strangely enough, they didn't imprint the first time they touched- they guessed they just weren't ready for it.
Like Maddie and Jacob.
Yes, like them. I guess it's not that unusual because the kids always play together and none of them imprinted before the right age.
I met Maggie's brother and father and their Significants, and the other imprinted couples from the other clans who I couldn't even remember. Everyone wanted to meet all the newly imprinted couples, especially us younger ones and us humans –or rather, ex-humans- who were new to it all and unusual. Humans had been so rare before, but now it seemed more were going to be introduced into the Virtuoso society. Whatever controlled who imprinted with who came up with good ideas- get some fresh meat, new perspectives and all that.
Luc snorted at my thought of 'fresh meat'.
It's more than that. You're all so similar, but some don't see you, or rather, them, as the same as us.
You realise that made no sense, right?
It did! ...to me, at least? I meant that humans and Aces are similar but some of them don't see it- some still think they're better than humans.
Maggie's working on it, and we can too; by showing them how amazing humans can be.
But I'm not human- no-one here is human any longer.
You know what I meant.
I smiled that my teasing had worked and kissed his cheek.
I know.
I know not much happens in this chapter, sorry, but it is important to set up for the next set of events. So prepare for some action soon!
So to the Guest who spent a night and a day reading my story... I am so sorry for messing up your to-do list, even if you say it was worth it!
I'm getting into the rhythm of uni (it's very fun, in case you were wondering) so as long as my work doesn't suddenly get huge, I should be updating every two or three weeks. Sorry if it's not as often as you'd like- it's not as often as I'd like either but I just don't think I can do any faster!
Out of interest, what actor/actress would you pick to play Luc and Anna? I'll tell you who I have in mind next update, but I'd like to hear your thoughts first.
See you next time! :)