40:
On the Friday morning of our departure I woke up to another text from Will
1 day! See you later, beautiful! I grinned.
Our first light was to Dublin from East Midlands. From there we were flying to Boston, before catching a connecting flight to Denver, where Will was picking us up. It was set to take over 18 hours when you added in all the time spent in the airports, and nearly 13 hours in the air
We landed in Dublin at 10pm, after leaving straight after I finished school, so we had an hour and a half to get through security before we were back in the air again.
In Dublin, you went through the stringent American security, which meant on the other side you could walk straight off, rather than go through security when you were weary from the journey. Everyone there was very serious- I didn't see any one of the staff smile. When my belt set the scanner off I was quite sure I was going to get arrested on the spot! Thankfully, I wasn't, and we managed to get through everything else relatively easily. By 1am we were on board and preparing for take-off.
I slept most of the way to Boston, waking only for breakfast and to admire the landscape below when we finally caught sight of America beneath us. In Boston, it was really early morning, but we were rushed through the airport onto our final flight, so didn't really get to see much of the city, aside from the inside of the terminal.
"It's amazing that you can fly for free with air miles, isn't it?" I asked Alice as we were strapping in for our flight to Denver.
"What airmi- Oh yeah, really good." She corrected herself.
"Alice…" She ignored me, and instead pretended to read the safety instructions from the pouch in front of her. I made a mental note to ask about Will about those air miles, or lack of them as it would seem, later.
It was 1pm local time when we landed in Denver, and I could already tell it was going to be hard for me to stay awake until a reasonable time since it was 9pm back in England, and travelling was exhausting ordinarily. I texted Mum and Dad to let them know we'd arrived safely, before flying off a similar text Will. He replied immediately saying he was already on his way to collect us, whilst Mum sent me a picture of Monty curled up in bed. He was staying with Mum & Dad and Jack and 'Van while I was away.
It took us a while to disembark since an elderly passenger had decided to shuffle off first, despite the fact he was supposed to wait until last, as per the pilot's instructions. Our bags took forever to come round on the carousel- they were practically the last ones off! I was feeling impatient- I could feel that Will was nearby, but I couldn't go to him yet. Alice found it all very amusing.
"Honestly, Lex, will you stop tapping your foot and fidgeting?" I scowled at her. "If you're that desperate I'll get both the bags and I'll meet you and Will in arrivals." She laughed. I shook my head.
"It's fine. I'll wait."
"If you say so." She smirked.
Ten minutes later, bags in hand, we headed through to arrivals. I craned my neck above the crowd to try and spot Will, my eyes eventually landing on him over the crowd. He didn't spot us until we were less than ten metres away from him. He was holding a sign: 'Alexis & Alice Anderson'. He grinned broadly as he saw us, meeting me half way and pulling me in for a kiss. I pulled away sooner than I'd liked to have done, as I remembered Alice was with me.
"I missed you." I whispered, our foreheads still pressed together.
"I missed you too." He echoed. I smiled, struggling to pull myself away from him, so he and Alice could greet one another.
"Hey, Al! How you doin'?"
"Good, thanks." She smiled. My hand found its way to Will's, and they laced together effortlessly. He took my suitcase in his free hand and we made our way out of the terminal.
"It's only a ten minute ride to my condo from here." He explained as we wove our way through the car park. "I thought we could go out or order in, depending on how you two felt?"
"Sound good." Alice replied and I nodded in agreement, trying my best to keep my eyes open. Will piled our cases into the boot and we set off. Alice was staying in Will's spare room while she worked out her plan of action with Crystal.
"I thought we could go to my parents' tomorrow. Everyone is back home at the minute." I stiffened in my seat. Stupidly, I hadn't really thought about the fact that I'd be meeting Will's family while I was here. I'd only bumped into a few of them at the convention. What on earth must they think of me for running away from my soulfinder?
You okay? Will asked
Just nervous. I admitted.
They're excited to meet you. They wanted to come to the airport, but I told them that might be too much.
I was glad he'd said no. The whole Benedict clan showing up unexpectedly at the airport would have been a sure cause for me to have a meltdown.
Thanks
Not a problem. He took his eyes off the road to wink at me.
As we drove through the city, Will pointed out its major attractions, his favourite restaurants and the best parks. When discussing what I'd do when I was here Will suggested that while he was at work (he'd booked a lot of vacation time, but wouldn't be able to take 6 whole weeks off like me) Alice and I could explore while she was here. Then, the younger couples (who were all home from college for the summer) could find things for me to do. Most of the, when they came home, helped out with the family business- white water rafting- in the summer months and I'd told Will that I'd be happy to get stuck in if they didn't mind training me up. The rest of the time I'd be spending with Will or lesson planning ready for the next academic year. I only really needed a laptop for that, and I'd brought mine along for the job.
Will's condo was similar to the flat he had in London: modern and full of high- end equipment and furnishings. It was very different to the clutter I lived in at home. We ended up ordering pizza once we'd unpacked. Will had made some space for my belongings in his room, and left me to it, save for helping me put my underwear away until I told him to 'beat it!'.
"So…" I asked Will once we were curled up in bed. Colorado was warmer than England, so Will had foregone pyjamas and underwear, and we only needed a thin duvet. "Those air miles." I felt Will tense slightly as my head was resting on his arm.
"What about them?"
"You didn't have any." I deadpanned. I could see him trying to formulate some excuse, but he didn't manage it in time. Thanks to Alice's trip- up on the plane earlier he'd been caught.
"So, how much do I owe you?"
"You already paid me."
"We both know that wasn't the true cost of the flights."
"Okay." He admitted. "But I don't want you to repay me in cash." He waggled his eyebrows. I knew exactly what he was getting at. Suddenly, I didn't feel quite so tired anymore.
The next morning Alice and I slept in. The nine hour time difference had hit us both quite badly. I was only roused by the smell of pancakes and the sound of chatter from the kitchen. I wandered to the bathroom to freshen up, showering and dressing quickly, and heading to join them.
"Morning." Alice greeted me cheerfully, as she clutched the large black coffee in her hands close to her chest and took a sip. I kissed Will chastely and replied in kind.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Will shook his head.
"Nope. I've got it all under control here- it's a good job you woke when you did- we were about to come and wake you." He was adding more pancakes to the growing stack, and I licked my lips involuntarily. Benedict pancakes were like no other. I sat on one of the stools next to Alice, helping myself to a glass of orange juice (which didn't taste so great because I'd only just brushed my teeth).
"So, what's the plan of action for today, then?" I asked, pinching a couple of blueberries from the bowl on the counter.
"Well," Will began, flicking the hob off and bringing the small mountain of pancakes over to the table. "Mum's invited us to lunch at 1, and it's about an hour's drive away from here. Uri's already looked at the photos, but we wanted to get everyone else's opinion on them too, so we thought we could do that after. Yves has said we can stay with him and Phee as they're only down the road to save us having to drive back. Then, tomorrow, I thought I could give you a tour of Wrickenridge."
I hadn't really listened to much of what Will said because I was too fixated on the fact that Uriel had analysed the photos.
"What did he make of them?" Will passed me a pancake.
"He didn't get much." He admitted. "Because it was sent via post so many people had handled it, that there was a lot of interference, which made it difficult to look for the actual sender. But, he was wary of what he did find. He got a 'bad vibe' he said, but Uri also gets bad vibes from petrol pumps and hotel rooms, so it's probably nothing. We're just erring on the side of caution by seeing what everyone else can sense."
"Okay, good." I nodded, rather reassured by Will's explanation. I added some blueberries and a dollop of Nutella to my pancakes.
"Are we heading off after this?" Alice asked, as I passed the Nutella to her. Will nodded.
"We've got time to pack an overnight bag, but we'll be heading straight off once we've done that.
My pancakes felt heavy in my stomach. Meeting the whole Benedict family at once sounded very intimidating.
The drive to Wrickenridge was fun. Will had bought Alice and I some cheap US sim cards for our stay, which we'd quickly hooked up to our bank accounts, and now he was being treated to some super cheesy pop playlists. With access to Spotify, Katy Perry blared as we drove, and although he wouldn't admit it, Will definitely knew all the words.
As we headed out of Denver and into the mountains, we peeled off the freeway, and onto a smaller road. Wrickenridge began to be signposted half an hour into our drive, as we followed the road as it curved along the foot of the mountain. From here, the mountains looked all the more magnificent, if slightly imposing. I craned my neck to peer up at their peaks, which were still dusted with snow, even at this time of year. Will was telling us their names and pointing them out to us as we began to climb upwards.
Wrickenridge was a mountain town, slightly higher than sea level, but sat at the foot of the valley. It was cute and quaint- abuzz with life and people. It was hard to see how Will was impressed by the Peak District when I took him up- they were hardly majestic compared to the size of these monsters. Will pointed out the local shop and his old high school as we passed them. The iconic yellow buses you see in the movies were parked outside, to mine and Alice's delight.
The Benedict family lived on the outskirts of town, a little higher up the mountain. We passed Yves and Phee's house on the way- a timber cabin that melded seamlessly into its surroundings. A little way beyond their house, just poking out above the treeline, higher up in the mountain, I could just make out a large shell of a building.
"What was that?" I asked Will, as we rounded the corner and it disappeared from sight.
"That house?" I nodded. Although, 'house' wasn't an accurate description- it looked more like a mansion.
"It's derelict- been like that ever since I can remember. The story is that the old owner wanted the biggest, most luxurious house in Colorado, but died before he could complete the project. He was a loner, and so it's been left to ruin ever since."
"That's a shame." Alice murmured from the back seat.
"Yeah, it is." He agreed. "We used to play round it as kids- it would have been gorgeous."
We climbed only a little further before Will turned off the main road, and onto a gravel drive, the house coming into view as we changed direction. It was a good job they had so much land surrounding the property- I counted at least ten cars parked outside. Yves and Phee pulled up behind us as we were climbing out of the car.
"Hey, guys!" Phee cried with a slight American twang as she raced towards us, enveloping both Alice and I in a large hug, whilst Yves greeted his brother. Once released, Alice and I greeted Yves, and we all headed towards the house.
"So, how do you like Colorado so far?" Phee asked.
"It's beautiful."
"The scenery here is like no other." She agreed. "The mountains are just spectacular, aren't they?" I nodded.
Alice had fallen in step with Yves, while I was clutching onto Will so tightly that he wouldn't be able to let go even if he'd wanted to. I wanted him next to me for support when we went in.
We headed through the faded red front door and were met with a wall of noise coming from what I could only assume was the kitchen.
"Zed, don't you dare put that in your mouth, it's not time to eat yet- not everyone's here yet!"
"But I'm hungry!" There was an angry 'tssk' from the first speaker.
"Should I take these plates out, Karla?"
"Please. Thanks, Sky. Zed, don't think I can't see you! Honestly, you can wait a little longer."
"Mom, we're here!" Will yelled. Almost instantly Karla appeared in the doorframe, her face breaking out into a wide smile.
"Alexis!" She beamed, pulling me in for a hug, before doing the same to Alice. "How was your flight?"
"It was fine, thanks, but we're both feeling a bit jet-lagged." Alice nodded in agreement.
"Ah, yes, the time zones are quite different. A few early nights will put you right. We're so glad you're both here."
"Thanks for having us."
"You're always welcome." She made sure to look at Alice as she said this, to make sure she knew she was included in the offer.
"Mom, where are the rest of the burgers?" A voice from the kitchen floated through to the hallway.
"I'm coming, Trace. Give me a minute."
"Will, can you introduce everyone? He'll cause carnage if I leave him unattended in the kitchen."
"Sure, mom." He kissed her cheek and after quickly greeting Yves and Phee she scurried back through to the kitchen to continue to organise proceedings.
"This way." Phee pulled us through the living room to the conservatory. We went through the patio doors and out into the garden. It was a beautiful day and Saul was commandeering a huge BBQ with Zed's assistance. They had spread blankets out across the grass and most of the family were sat chatting whilst Karla enlisted her sons' help to carry plates laden with salads and dips out to a large picnic bench.
Alice and I were greeted with warm smiles and hugs from all the family members. Vic and 'Roory were absent from proceedings because 'Rory had come down suddenly with a bad case of the flu, but everyone else was present.
Crystal grabbed Alice and together they started to formulate a plan about how best to try and find her soulfinder based on what Crystal could detect, whilst I ended up cooing over baby Delilah with the other soulfinders while Will helped his brothers with the BBQ. With Yves manipulating the flames, the food didn't take long to finish, and soon everyone was sat in a large circle with plates on their lap, chatting and watching Delilah crawl round in the middle, since Diamond had already fed her. It was exactly the informal family affair that I loved. I was sat between Will's legs, leaning back against his chest in a food induced coma, chatting to Phee about how she was working at the local library over the summer. She had graduated this year, as her degree on lasted for three years, but she was heading back to Uni with Yves in September, and finding a job while he studied as they didn't want to be apart. She wasn't sure what she wanted to go into, but the library was a starting point.
"Well, if you've ever got kids in for story time I'll be happy to come and help." I offered. "I've got a few books I was thinking of reading to my class next year, and it would be good to trial them out first." I was to be teaching 7 and 8 year olds next year, which I was both excited and nervous about. They were my favourite age group to teach, but having not taught them since my teacher training days three years ago, I was a mix of excited and nervous. I wasn't looking forward to planning all my lessons from scratch with their curriculum, that was for sure.
On my other side, Will and Xav were arguing over who was going to win the Tour De France, while Crystal and Alice were still intensely discussing Alice's plan of action.
"I'm pretty sure he's in Quebec." Crystal said. "Definitely the French- speaking part of Canada for sure, but just let me check again." She closed her eyes, and furrowed her forehead as she concentrated. Phee and I tuned into their conversation, eager to hear what Crystal could sense.
"Yes." She nodded decisively to herself in confirmation. "Definitely Quebec."
"So, what's the plan of attack?" I asked, looking to Alice to see what she was thinking.
"The Net's got some links in Quebec, so I'm going to fly there in a few days to stay with them and start looking. They've got a list of potential soulfinders, I just need to start meeting them."
"I've asked some families to start looking outside members of the Net if they know any." Crystal added. "If there's no joy there, I'll fly out and help look."
"So soon?" I asked Alice, upset that I wouldn't get to spend all that much time with my sister.
"I want to go now in case he moves. It would take ages for Crystal to locate him so precisely again." I nodded in understanding. I was excited for Alice, but I'd miss her all the same.
As the afternoon drew to a close, we began to tidy everything away. It was a team effort, and with so many hands the garden was cleaned in under twenty minutes, and the kitchen returned to its previous immaculate state.
Whilst Diamond took Delilah upstairs for her nap, the rest of the family gathered in the lounge to combine their abilities and see if they could dredge up any more information on who had sent me the photographs.
Uriel couldn't see any more than he'd already disclosed, and neither Will or Saul could sense any immediate danger. Karla, Zed or Alice couldn't see anything out of the ordinary in my future either, so it was all very anti-climactic.
Still, it was a relief to know that if so many talented savants couldn't find a problem, it probably meant there wasn't much cause for concern. Besides, if someone did come along, given the Benedicts track record of outwitting the Countessa, the Seer and Sky's kidnappers, they'd be stupid to try something on the Benedicts with all their gifts, or so I thought.
Please leave a review! Thanks to everyone who's reviewed already! I have now completely finished this story. My final chapters are waiting to be up put up (47 chapters in all and an epilogue). I will post them every few days, or sooner if enough reviewers want that.