Chapter Seventeen: (Swan)

Chapter: 17(Swan)

 

            “Where are we going exactly? I asked as I jogged to try to keep up with Jackson and Addison.  Jackson had led us outside into the bright Ireland sun. A sweet cool breeze blew across my face bringing some relief from my bangs sticking to my damp forehead. We had been going at a fast trot for about twenty minutes and the incline was getting steeper with every step.

            “You will see when we get there.” Addison called back as he kept up his relentless attack on the hill

            I concentrated on the pull and push of my leg muscles, still stiff from the work out with Nicholas earlier. I knew I would be even sorer later from this later on. Another hot bubble bath would be in order.

            As I hiked up the path about ten paces behind the boys, I let my mind wander. I thought about my mother, Father, and everything they have been through. They were raised here. This place was magnificent no doubt but what kind of life did they have? They lived for unrelenting training sessions and preparations for a war that could break out at any moment. Finally, they left because they wanted a better life for my brother and me and for what? We resented them for all the things they only wanted to shield us from. They wanted us to live a better, more normal life then they did. Then one day they realize they must go back to the one place they had called safe because Zavion was back and we were in danger. They try to protect us and we hated them for it. Now they are probably hurt and being tormented and there isn’t anything we could do about it.

            I looked up at Addison and Jackson’s backs still quickly marching side by side in front of me. They were quickly reaching the peak of the hill we had been trying to overcome. I picked up my pace to catch up with them. Once I was beside them, I stopped.

            We were looking at the ocean far below us. We had come to a drop off where the sea of green met the sea of crystal clear blue. The view was breathtaking. I sat down so I could catch my breath and look over the side. I grabbed a handful of the dark thick green grass as I leaned over the edge to look down below. The cliff was easily a hundred feet above the water line. Below waves softly licked the wall of earth in its path. I sat back up quickly, dizzy with the height.

            “This is my favorite place to go to get away from everything. When my classes became to difficult over the summer a trip to the top of the island always made me feel better.” Jackson spoke softly as he sat down beside me. I frowned for a moment, my eyebrows drawn tightly together and looked at Jackson seriously.

            “You? Having a hard time here? That doesn’t make any sense; this place is perfect for you. You are Jackson, part of the Jackson and Addison duo. There isn’t anything you can’t do.” I spoke quickly, trying to get it all out at once.

            Jackson looked down at the grass between his legs and began to slowly rip out a single blade at a time before looking back up to me. His face was dark and his eyes had unspoken grief behind them.

            “This place is amazing and I am so glad that I have had the opportunity to have this experience. The only thing that makes this place not home to me is that every time I am here I am reminded of my parents. They were raised here. Walk down a few hallways and you will see an award my father won or talk to an instructor and you learn she was my mothers best friend growing up.” He continued to yank up handfuls of grass as he spoke, as if the action helped him put his feeling into words. I knew that speaking this to me was bringing up a lot of hurt that he hadn’t let himself completely feel before. I looked over at Addison who was to busy swinging a stick around like a sword to hear what we were talking about. I mentally shook my head. Boys will be boys.

            “Then after my parents accident I couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t an accident. I don’t know how to explain it but it just seems so surreal even to this day. After the game, one of the guild members followed me into the parking lot and told me the news. I went with him to the Guild and had a meeting with Sawaya and the high council. They wanted to send Rosamond to stay with me and watch over your family, but I couldn’t let them do that to your parents. When I was old enough to start my training my parents told me about the guild and what they do here. They also told me that your parents had to do a lot of work to give you the life they wanted for you. The guild wasn’t entirely happy about it. They took it as they were abandoning the cause. Your parents were very important people here.” I looked up at him and he was staring intently at me. Gauging my reaction and seeing if I understood exactly what he was saying.

            “Because they had the Blood stone? That’s why they were such important people?” I interjected.

            “Yeah but more then that. Sure, they had been entrusted to hold onto the Blood Stone but they were amazing at being Hunters. They scored at the top of the charts every year. They were sociable and everyone liked them. Everyone wanted to be Forza Cazadore and Belza Leondrad.” He spoke as he stretched his legs out in front of him. My ears picked up on something that he had said. Leondrad….I thought back to my newly appointed room and the golden nameplate secured to the front of the door. So I was right. That was my mother’s room.

            “I know you are worried about your parents but Sawaya is a smart man. If he thinks we need to give Rosamond a chance and bring your parents back alive and well then I think we should trust him.” Jackson said as he stood up. He walked over to the edge of the cliff and looked down into the calm waters beneath.

            “Sometimes, Madison, you just have to let the cards fall where they may. Some times you just have to take a chance and hope you don’t break your neck when you swan dive.” As he spoke the last sentence, he glanced over at me and then threw himself over the edge of the cliff head first towards the waters far below.

            Addison and I both screamed and raced each other to where Jackson had stood moments below just in time to see him crash into the water. An arc of water splashed up around him and then fell back into itself leaving no trace of Jackson anywhere. I looked over the edge fighting back my spinning head to stay calm. Addison looked over at me his face just as pale and shocked, as I knew mine looked.

            We were standing there looking down at the crystal waters for what seemed like an eternity before thankfully we saw Jackson’s head pop back out of the water.

            “What the hell was that about? Are you out of your flipping mind?” Addison shouted down to him viperously. “You could have killed yourself!” He was shaking with either anger or fear. I couldn’t quiet tell. I could hear Jackson’s laughter muffled by the lapping of the water against the rocks below.

            “It’s totally safe! Water is plenty deep enough, come on!” He shouted up to us, His voice echoing into the sky.

            “You’re completely nuts!” Addison laughed down at him, obviously no longer shaken. “What about the rocks?” He asked peering down at him again.

            “They don’t go out very far as long as you jump out far enough you are fine!” Jackson yelled back up to us, his hands cupped around his mouth as he treaded water. Addison looked over at me and smiled. His eyes twinkling in the evening sun.

            “Don’t you dare do it Addison Gatlin Cazadore. I swear to the heavens.” I swore to him under my breath. I already knew he had made up his mind to jump but I hoped that I could talk him out of it. He grinned even wider down at me and with a wiggle of his eyebrows; he took a running leap and gracefully glided down towards the water.

            I cringed and turned my head away as I heard his body splash against the ocean far below. I was now all alone and I might as well have been a mile up from the ocean. As I looked down at the boys bobbing down below and vertigo threatened to send me toppling down to the rocks below. I took a few tentative steps away from the edge.

            “You’re next Maddy!” I heard Addison yell up at me. There was no way I was jumping off here. Knowing my luck, I would hit the one rock that was out to far and kill myself.

            “Come on Madison! You have to take a chance sometime! Don’t think, just fly.” I heard Jackson shouting encouragement. My palms were sweaty and my chest was about to explode. This was a test. Jackson had this planned out the entire time. I could feel that truth now. But what did he expect to accomplish by jumping to your unknown death?

            I shook my head. I knew there was no getting out of it and in a small way, I wanted to do it. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. This all coming from the girl who had never even ridden a roller coaster because she is afraid. The girl who never took any risks. I wanted to do something that wasn’t me. I wanted to become a risk taker and I wanted to push my own limits, but could I actually do it?

            I took a few more steps back from the edge of the cliff. About ten feet separated me from the inevitable plunge into the open air. I shook my hands out beside my body and bounced on my heels. My heart was not pumping anymore it was merely fluttering around in my chest. I took a long deep breath and closed my eyes. As I slowly exhaled, I imagined myself soaring weightlessly through the air. My arms spread out into the blue sky and the wind whipping my hair back behind me. I smiled as I opened my eyes. I felt a bit calmer and I nodded to myself. It was now or never.

            I took off like a shotgun, my legs pumping as hard as they possibly could. It felt like it took forever to get to the edge. My heart beat to a tempo to match my legs. As I got to the ledge of the cliff, I made one terrible mistake. I did not realize I had done it until I was already free falling into the air. I hesitated just as I felt my right foot touch the edge of the rocks. My toes curling over the side my heels still on land. I instinctively cringed as my body tried to recoil back the other way. Towards the grass and where I thought was safety. I ended up only succeeding in slowing myself just enough to still go over the edge but not even half as far as Addison and Jackson had successfully jumped to.

            The next thing I knew I was flying just like Jackson had said and just like I had envisioned. The only difference is instead of effortlessly gliding over the air looking down at the ocean I was flying head first towards the water. I began lashing my arms out and ended up now hurtling head over heels in the air with every second coming closer and closer to disaster.

            The descent seemed to move in slow motion. I subconsciously counted the turns my body was making while falling. Four rang through my mind as I felt my body crash against the water. I disappeared into the water and was now plummeting into the cool dark caress of the ocean. I felt a bright pain shoot up my left shoulder. I opened my mouth to gasp and water flooded my mouth and lungs. I struggled to figure out which way I was facing and find air. I twisted my body around and was abruptly stopped as my head collided angrily against what I could only guess to be another rock deep within the bowels of the ocean where I had landed. Pain flooded my mind and a white light flashed in front of my open eyes.

            I felt my body go limp and I relaxed as I started to slowly drift towards the bottom of the clear blue water. My lungs had already filled with salty water but I felt as though I was breathing. It was almost as if in a dream where you are swimming around the bottom of the ocean while surrounded by beautiful corals and mermaids. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the freedom the ocean had given me.