"You really think so?" Telly asks staring at me like I've just grown a second head.
"Positive." the reply comes out more enthusiastically than I ought it to and Telena eyes me.
"And this has nothing to do with the son of one of the board members right?" She nudges with a sly grin on her face. I stare blank at her. What the hell does she mean? Registering the look of utter confusion on my face, she rearranges her facial features and whispers something along the lines of...a one sided romance??
I shake the confusion off as we make our way back to find an eerily silent room. All eyes are directed to us but no one speaks a word. "She wants to stay, and we respect her decision. However....." Telly pauses and briefly glances my way. "The terms of our agreement should stay intact." her voice carries across the room commanding everyone's attention in a way that arouses a nostalgic feeling in my chest. If only I could remember the actual memories. They relax and their chests droop as they exhale. Well damn, you'd have thought she announced that my cancer has ended.
I automatically shift to stare at the son of one of the board members. He is still as rigid as he was before, attentive, his eyes fixated on Telena. No doubt he's probably trying to channel her and failing miserably, but then he stares at his dad his gaze occasionally shifting between the two. A few seconds go by as I observe him observing them. The realization dawns on me with the force of a hurricane. This boy can actually channel her can't he? Well I'll be damned, he can keep a secret. Telena is not blocking him out, he is blocking her out. No one else clearly knows about this. Of course they don't, they are not assertive or nearly as advanced as he is with abilities. Given the type of kylte he is it's expected obviously but damn, Telena isn't just the most powerful arcanist for nothing.
The fact that he could do that meant there was more to Reid Riveka than what met the eye. Moreover Meridian's eye.
"You can now tell Kal to come out of your bedroom." Riveka senior says to me. I do a quick work of wiping the idiotic look of dismay off my face. Of course he figured his daughter's here. I wasn't surprised about that, I subtly expected it actually. But the person I'd become over the course of these nine months was now hitting me and I definitely needed to up my game, I could have strategized better.
Seconds later a red-faced Kal comes down the staircase embarrassed to the core and terrified to face her dad. "Go easy on her." Telly says to him with a somewhat motherly tone. Riveka sr. seems to take it into consideration for a moment. "It's him you should be hard on." She unexpectedly adds and shoots Reid a look that could possibly kill. You in trouble? I ask Reid mentally.
Nothing I can't handle. He replies shortly, still pinned and still where he is, not flinching for even a second. The awkward silence that has dawned goes on a bit longer when Riveka sr. decides to get up. "Were leaving." He states and looks at Ameira. "Return her back before they figure she isn't where she's supposed to be." And with that he walks out the front door. Telly quickly hugs me and makes her way after him. Ameira also leaves shortly with a very stressed looking Kal.
"Is she gonna be fine?" The question comes out before I can think it through. Garth and Reid both turn to face me then each other and shrug a bit. I don't know if they'll be extra hard on her because she's the daughter of someone in leadership or .... "They'll not do anything to her." Reid says finally moving from his position and collapsing onto my couch with a sigh.
"So can we now discuss what the fuck was that?" Garth bellows frustratedly. "What do you mean?" I ask him. "What do I mean? We're professional agents, we don't panic and resort to cheap strategies, and involving Kal?" He momentarily shoots Reid a death look. "I think we're losing it." He finishes.
"I take the blame, I forced y'all into a state of panic and uncalled for course of action. Even the best slip sometimes. Plus I didn't know the person coming to me was a friend, could have saved me all the trouble and panic honestly." I admit in a tone of finality and leave the room. If I had to handle some stupid game of blame taking I would honestly lose it. Plus ....emotions, yeah I don't like them when they are displayed in great chunks. It literally makes me feel physically sick. The familiar smell and privacy of my bedroom is suddenly a great comfort I didn't realize I needed to appreciate more, especially given the fact that my house is now being visited frequently. I need a shower and a change of clothes.
Toned body, abs, biceps, quads, shoulders hamstrings. It all looks the same, except for the fact that I'm a bit out of practice in hand to hand combat but I was still strong given I still go to the gym. My body still feels sturdy, and the tattoo on my back still fresh looking after nine months. Wait the tattoo.... A flash of laughter seeps into my brain and a happy nostalgic feeling settles in my chest. Telly..."You could at least ask what it means if you're gonna be so judgy Telena."
"Okay, what does it mean, Aide?" Holy shit!!!
"Persona non Grata." A voice says and I almost jump out of my skin, I quickly reach for the first thing in sight, a curling iron, turn and fling it towards the voice so quickly. The succession of these events happen so fast I almost don't register why I've done them but hey. At least we're still quick on our reflexes and by the looks of it, so is he. My eyes land on a very flustered Reid holding a curling iron in his hand. He caught it? Of course he did!
"What the hell?" He asks. "What did you expect coming into my room when I'm naked." I stare down at the towel covering my boobs... "Half naked."
"Well I didn't now that. Either way, I didn't see anything except for...."
"Doesn't matter don't care....I remembered something!!!....." It comes out in a loud voice at first to an almost whisper. "Aide." I say slowly because me voicing out name sounds weird. "Aide...." He repeats after me his voice relaxed controlled and it comes out in a soft purr. My stomach flips and I internally panic. Well what the fuck was that? I shake it off and focus on him. "Nice, you remember your middle name....odd but nice."
Ow come on!
"That was my middle name?" I ask not even bothering to hide the look of utter dismay on my face this time.