Chapter 15

Nova stopped at the corner and looked at the building where the women were. Beth said there would be a phone for her, and she had no reason not to believe there wouldn’t be. Was she really doing this? Going to a stranger to get a phone from other strangers? She put her hand over the pendant resting on her chest. Answers would be nice after all this time and if doing this was going to get her answers—

She stood there, talking herself out of it as much as she was to do it. Weren’t phones traceable? Was there another reason they wanted her to have a phone? Taking a step backward, she was just about to turn around and go home when a woman came out of the building and looked right at her. Her first instinct was to run, like a rabbit the other way and back to safety, but she forced herself to stand still.

The woman had dark hair, pulled up into a ponytail. Her stance wasn’t relaxed in any way, she stood there looking at her like she was bracing for a fight. “Nova, right?”

Nova nodded her head slightly.

“We’ve been expecting you. Come on.” She motioned with her head to the inside of the garage.

Gripping the stone, she walked cautiously in that direction. It had been forever since she spoke to anyone. She didn’t count Bastian and his friends. What had started out as a warning had then gone terribly wrong.

The woman stood there waiting for her. She smiled when Nova was closer. “This is the safest place to be. I’m Ava.”

Going into the garage slowly, Nova moved just her eyes and looked around. So many motorcycles of different kinds and colors. She’d never even ridden a bicycle in her life, never mind something like that. As a child, her parents were too busy for things like teaching her how to ride one.

“We’re just in the kitchen finishing dinner.” She motioned to the door at the top of the stairs.

“Were you watching for me?” Nova went up the stairs slowly.

“Something like that.” Ava sounded amused.

Nova stepped into the house and could hear talking and the clatter of dishes. She was really doing this.

“Come on.” Ava walked by her and into the room at the end of the hall.

Nova followed, questioning if she should be here with each step. When she entered the room, she was surprised to see so many women. At most, she’d only ever seen four or five out front by the garage at any given time. There had to be ten women around the long table. The room itself surprised her. It was so rustic, it seemed like it belonged in a cabin and not here in the city.

The table was dark-grained wood, and every chair matched. Along the one entire wall cabinets of the same dark wood, through the glass doors, Nova could see figurines, jars with herbs in them, candles, and even what she thought might be straw.

She turned her attention back to the women.

Ava sat down and picked up a mug. Her pleasant misdemeanor seemed to vanish that fast.

“Would you like a coffee or tea?” the woman with the long black hair, sitting at the head of the table, asked.

Nova shook her head. “No, thank you.” She wanted the phone, so she could leave.

The woman turned and spoke to the one next to her. It was the same one that had given her the necklace. “Her phone is on my desk, Crystal.”

Crystal nodded and got up.

“You’re safe here,” one of the others said.

Nova turned to look at her, she’d never seen her before. She had long blond hair and eyes that were bright green. She was sure she’d never seen another with eyes that color before.

“I saw you coming.” She smiled. “It’s good that you did. I’m Espy.”

The younger woman with short black hair sitting next to her smiled and then picked up her plate and quickly left the room.

“You’ll have to excuse Sym, she can’t be around others for long,” the woman at the head of the table said. Nova looked at her for a moment. The way she sat, and the others paused to listen, she was sure she was the leader of this group.

“I understand.”

She smiled at her. “Yes, I guess you would. I’m Capri.”

A black cat with half an ear missing jumped up on the cabinet beside Nova and hissed at her.

“Moxy, enough.” A tall woman with messy auburn hair got up. “I’m sorry.” She came over and looked at the cat. “Play nice.” Her tone was soft, almost soothing. The cat immediately sat down and started purring.

Nova wasn’t used to animals at all. The only pets she’d ever had were the fish that kept her company.

“Fauna, I don’t think Nova is a cat person.” Ava’s tone was cold.

“No,” Nova looked at Fauna and shook her head. “It’s not that, I’ve never been around animals before.”

Picking up the cat, Fauna held it and rubbed its head. “That’s too bad.” With a smile, she went over and picked up her plate, and walked out of the room.

“If you ever need a place to lay low, you’re always welcome here,” Capri said, without so much as looking at the others for their thoughts. A few surprised glances from the other women told Nova the invitation was rare, if it had ever happened before.

“Thank you.” She couldn’t very well say she lived underground and was perfectly safe.

Crystal came back into the room with a small box in her hand. “We charged it and added a few numbers of ours.” She held it out to her. “The instructions are inside too.”

Taking it, Nova smiled. “thank you.”

The woman with the long red hair stood up. “I’m Jeri, my number is in there. If you ever need to talk about how taxing it is to always remember, call me.”

Nova offered a polite smile in return. “Thank you.” She didn’t miss the fact that Jeri had a necklace with a stone the same as her own.

“I can feel the tense vibes coming off you in waves.” The woman with curly black hair smiled. “You have nothing to fear here.”

“Em.” Capri looked at her. “This is very new for her.”

“I get that.” Em shrugged. “Just trying to reassure her.”

“Thanks,” Nova said quietly. She cleared her throat. “I’ll-I’ll let you get back to your meal.”

Capri smiled and nodded.

“Autumn said you were in danger.” Ava set her cup down. “If you ever need help, you call me. My number is in the phone.”

“Okay.” Nova smiled, feeling a little uncomfortable.

“There’s also an app on it to remotely link you to all the cameras you have in the neighborhood.” One of the women smirked at her.

Nova’s breath caught in her throat.

“Sparx,” Jeri hissed.

“What? No one else knows they’re there.” Sparx shrugged.

Capri stood up. “I’ll see you out.”

Nova smiled awkwardly and turned to go back the way she’d come.

Capri followed and didn’t say anything until they were in the garage. “I could tell you didn’t expect so many of us. There are fourteen of us now. Two, you’ll never see, it’s just safer for all if they stay in their rooms.” She stopped on the top step and didn’t follow her down. “Be careful with Bastian, Nova. He doesn’t have ill intentions toward you but being as he’s a soul watcher and yours is so special.” She gave her a compassionate look. “Just have care.”

Nova nodded again, for what, the twentieth time in the last five minutes? She didn’t even know she was going to ask it until it came out of her mouth. “What is Solrelm?”

Capri’s eyes held amusement. “It’s not a what, dear, it’s a where.”

Nova frowned. “How is that possible? I did a search for it.”

Capri looked at her for a moment. “It’s nowhere an internet search would find it. The internet only does this world, not others.” She turned and opened the door. “Call if you need us. You’re not Gemini in this life, but you have been a few times before.”

Nova stood there staring at the door she’d just closed. Jolting, she rushed from the garage and jogged in the direction of her home. How did she know that? She’d been a Gemini in other lives? Soul watcher. She’d read that in a journal, or something close to that. Bastian was a soul watcher, what exactly that mean, she wasn’t sure, but it was a starting point.

She was already going down the ladder to her home when what Capri had told her sunk in fully. Solrelm was a place, not in this world. What world was it in then? There were other worlds? Like an alien from outer space worlds? Locking the hatch, she stood there. She’d watched a lot of movies in her life and Bastian and his friends did not look like any alien she’d seen on the screen.

Had the journal said, watcher or soul watcher? There were many excerpts in them that said that, was that the same? She was going to have to read the journals again, and then she was going to call Crissy and see if she could fill in the blanks. Someone needed to fill some blanks in, because things just kept getting crazier and stranger the more she found out. The thought that she may finally have answers to at least some of her questions energized her. She’d read those journals one hundred more times if it meant pieces were finally going to fit together.