“I am glad you like it. I love pizza and everything, but have missed the foods I grew up with.”
“I can understand that. You ready to head back?”
“Sure. We do not want to be late for your big speech today.”
“Thanks for reminding me,” I grumbled.
***
Bry had warned me there would be a large group, but the mass of people in front of me was huge. Bry and I stood on a balcony by the port. Hundreds of boats lined the port, all preparing for launch. The boats were nothing like the dump of a boat we had sailed. They were sleek ships, many extremely modern. The crowd swelled below us. Each nation had sent a sizable contingent of soldiers, and they nearly filled the port. When I had first arrived in Alak, I would have been shocked by the differences in those assembled. Between the ox-like people from Kenset, the blue people from Cardian, and the shimmering diamond people from Zale, the crowd was clearly not a typical Carolina one. Even the most human-looking people, like the Sutonti and Nordicos, had an otherworldly feel to them, similar to Naomi and the rest of the cats from Zatamania. The group that took me most by surprise was the Aves, tiny people who barely came up to my knee. I wasn’t sure how much help they were going to be, but I certainly wasn’t going to turn away more support.
Bry nudged me forward to stand on a blue square etched into the balcony. “You have to say something.”
“What am I—” I stopped when I heard my voice amplified over the crowd. The blue square must have been part of some sort of speaker system.
Once Alexander agreed to get the Nordicos involved, it seemed like everything in Alak stood still while everyone’s attention focused on getting ready to face Blake back in Energo. With everything going on, I had failed to prepare myself to make another speech, so I just winged it.
“Hi, everyone. I’m glad you have all decided to join us.” The crowd fell silent, watching me intently.
“I know the decision to support our cause was not an easy one, but I appreciate the sacrifice each of you are willing to make. Just remember we are doing this for our family and friends, for our people.” I paused, and the crowd started to cheer. Maybe the whole speaking thing wasn’t as hard as I thought.
“We leave for Energo tomorrow, and we will not stop until Blake is put back in his place. We must aid the Resistance and find a way to defeat the darkness surrounding Blake.” I paused. “Are you all ready?” The crowd roared again, and the only thing missing was loud music.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Charlotte
While the guys continued talking outside, Mom and I walked inside and upstairs to the room we were sharing. We sat on two beds, both covered with old quilts. Although the house hadn’t been lived in for a while, it was comfortable. After lighting a small fire in the fireplace located in the corner of the room, Mom and I sat quietly for a while, enjoying the warmth and each other’s company. My hands started to thaw as I rubbed them together. I was really tired of the cold.
Mom broke the silence. “It is not supposed to feel like any other attraction, Charlotte.”
“Then what is it supposed to feel like?” I wasn’t quite prepared to jump right in discussing my feelings for Calvin, but I forced the awkwardness away.
“Magic. Magic you cannot possibly repel, stronger than anything you can imagine. That is what a bond between an Essence and a Gerard is.”
“So you admit it isn’t natural?” I understood what she was saying, but I needed more.
“That depends on how you define natural. Maybe it is not natural the way you were raised to view relationships. I suppose using that reasoning, your feelings for Liam feel more natural than the ones you have for Calvin, but for us, it is the most natural connection possible.”
It took a second to process that my mom had actually just called me out on having feelings for Liam. “Mom, I know it’s weird that I kissed Liam like that, but—”
“There is no reason to explain. I have been thinking about it, and I think that it was the Source.”
“The Source made me kiss Liam?”
“Yes. The Source must have known that his presence on your Guard held a great purpose and made you kiss him to make it possible.”
I gawked at her. If only all actions could be explained away that easily. Maybe the Source made me do it, but I had a feeling the crush was all of my own design. “What kind of purpose?” I wouldn’t have believed her, except that I remembered that intense feeling to kiss him and the heat that resulted when we had touched. Besides, I had no other explanation for how he had become a Guardian.
“I do not know what the purpose is yet. For now, I’m satisfied knowing that he is someone who cares for you deeply and would do anything to protect you.”
“And why did my kiss make him a Guardian?”
“Growing up, I was never allowed to spend much time with any boys but my brothers. Everyone assumed I would be the Essence, since I had no cousins and Ruth felt a new Essence was due. I complained about it to Ruth once, and she told me about the fear that a physical relationship between a future Essence and a boy of the right age could influence the makeup of the Guard. I always thought it was just an old myth, but you may have just proved it true.”
“Wow, you really only spent time with your brothers? I can’t imagine if Kevin were the only one I could socialize with.” I may not have been the most social person in the world, but even I needed to get out sometimes.
Mom laughed. “My brothers were not too bad, and I did not know any different. But when I talked about feelings, I did not mean just the kiss.”
“Then what did you mean?” I felt uncomfortable, afraid of the direction the conversation might move.
“Charlotte, honey, you have had a crush on Liam since you were a little girl. You are not going to sit here and deny it, are you?”
“You knew that?”
She laughed. “It was pretty obvious, sweetheart. You followed him around like a puppy, and those Barbie weddings…” She shook her head.
“Do you think he knew? And Kevin?” I was mortified.
“I doubt it. I think they were clueless. I am sure the kiss shocked Liam quite a bit.”
“You could say that. But then again, I didn’t see him for three years afterward, so I don’t really know his reaction.” I shuddered, thinking of how much I had worried about that kiss while we were in Alaska.
“That crush never disappeared, did it? You still felt something when you came back after being away, right?” She looked at me expectantly.