"You read patterns. You see things in patterns others can't. It doesn't make sense to us, but it would to you. That isn't going insane, Airiana, it's your element manifesting itself in a larger, more complicated way," Blythe explained. "Because you're so highly intelligent, your brain needs continual work to keep it satisfied. But first and foremost, you're bound to air. You simply mistook your brain's ability to see patterns in mathematics for your element's need to communicate with you. Two different things are going on."
"But . . ." Airiana trailed off. Could it really be that simple? She was smart. "If that's the case, why couldn't I figure it out?"
Lexi shrugged. "When we're too close to a problem, sometimes the answer's right in front of us but we can't see it. And sometimes the answer is just too simple when we're used to dealing with something much more complex."
"So you think the patterns I see on the walls, in the ground, in the waves of the ocean are air's communication with me." She wanted to believe them, believe that answer was so simple, but her mother . . . She couldn't help but doubt them. She'd seen her mother's slow deterioration.
Blythe and Lissa both nodded.
Lexi shrugged. "It's possible, isn't it? The ground communicates with me. I know what it needs at all times for my plants. If air is the source of communication, of course it would want to find a way to speak with the person bound to it. Your mind sees in patterns. What better way?"
Airiana felt stunned. Absolutely stunned. She had always thought she would eventually go insane. Everything pointed to that. She had all the same signs her mother had. Marina had given her the signs to watch out for, and she had every one. Had her mother been bound to air and didn't realize, like Airiana, that her mind was seeing mathematical problems in patterns but her element was communicating as well?
Was it really her element trying to warn her when danger was close? She could feed her mind data and keep it happy, but seeing patterns everywhere that no one else could see made her certain she was mentally ill and would eventually succumb to the illness.
"What did you see today that upset you?" Blythe asked, using her gentlest tone.
"In the fog, when I looked out the window, I could see danger coming at us. I know it's coming, just as I knew when I walked up the steps to my house when I was a teenager. I didn't know my mother would be dead, but I knew something was dreadfully wrong."
Lexi and Lissa exchanged a long, alarmed look. "Rikki and Levi are diving today. And Judith and Thomas went to an art show in New York. They were flying out this morning from San Francisco."
Airiana shook her head. "No, it's here. On the farm. I could see the layout of the farm, but it doesn't make sense."
"No tractors today, Lexi," Blythe said decisively.
"So you don't think I'm crazy because I see patterns all around me?" Airiana asked, drawing her knees up to rest her chin on top of them.
"No, I think you're perfectly sane," Blythe said. "A little mixed up, but that's to be expected given what you've been through."
"Let's not go that far," Lissa teased. "She's got it in her head that we're all going to find ourselves with a Prakenskii man in our laps."
Lexi nearly spewed her tea across the room. "Don't say that. Good grief, Lissa. This is Sea Haven. You can't put something like that out into the universe and not expect repercussions."
"It wasn't me," Lissa denied, holding up both hands. "Airiana said it first, and I told her the exact same thing."
Blythe kept her head down, her thumb pressed into her palm, not entering the banter.
"Well don't even think it," Lexi reprimanded. "I love Levi and Thomas, I really do, but seriously, they're both a force to be reckoned with. Did you know that even though we warned them we might have to move once Elle Drake and Jackson return, they put in a bid on the property neighboring ours?"
Airiana could hear the secret pleasure in her voice. None of them wanted to sell the farm and move, least of all Lexi, who had poured her heart and soul into it. Unfortunately, Lev Prakenskii, working undercover, had been unable to help Elle Drake escape from a human trafficking ring. The leader, Stavros Gratsos, had held her prisoner for some time before her sisters and husband, Jackson, had been able to mount a rescue operation.
All of them worried that when Elle and Jackson returned from their honeymoon and trip to Europe, Jackson would object to Lev's presence on Elle's behalf. There was no way to hide who he was from Jackson and Elle, nor did Lev want to hide from them.
Blythe sighed. "Levi made it very clear that he would not uproot Rikki. She's happy here and functioning well. He said he'd find a way to make his peace with Elle and Jackson and the other Drakes. Naturally his brother is going to support him."
"So they really put in a bid on the piece of property we've been salivating over for the last four years?" Airiana asked. "Well, Lexi's been salivating over. I presume they plan on joining the two properties."
"That's the plan," Lexi said. She couldn't hide her smile and this time she didn't try. "The soil is really good. There's a very large section of forest that is just awesome as well. I've been talking to Thomas about possibly getting a few llamas. The manure is excellent for plants."
Airiana groaned. "It's too early in the morning to be talking about manure, Lexi, especially in such an enthusiastic tone."
In spite of the fear gnawing at her, she couldn't help but be happy when she looked at her youngest sister. Lexi's wild mass of auburn hair was pulled back haphazardly in a ponytail. She looked a little like a pixie, with her large green eyes and pale oval face. She nearly always wore faded and often holey jeans and a flannel plaid shirt, but she managed to look adorable--at least Airiana thought so.
Lexi smirked. "What do you think we're going to be doing in the greenhouse today, Airiana? Make certain you wear old clothes."
"That's my cue to leave," Blythe said. "If you're all right, Airiana. We'll talk about your concerns with seeing patterns . . ."
"Going insane," Airiana corrected.
Blythe smiled at her. "That too. This evening. I'm certain you'll see that the patterns are all about you being bound to an element and not because you're losing your mind. Think about it logically and try to set aside childhood fears. You're intelligent and you like to learn about things, start reading everything you can about the element of air."
Lissa gave a little sniff of disdain. "Really? On the Internet? Do you think she's going to find a lot of really good data on elements on the Internet? Do we put things on the Internet that we know about our gifts? We don't acknowledge them to ourselves half the time."
"There might be something pertinent," Blythe ventured. "You never know."
Airiana blew Blythe a kiss. "Thanks. You think it will help to keep my mind occupied."
"I do," Blythe conceded.
The phone rang, a loud intrusion in the soothing colors of Airiana's safe retreat. Everyone else looked toward the instrument. Airiana found herself drawn to the center of the room, where the sound took on ominous patterns. Her heart nearly stopped and then began to pound.
"It's Damon. Damon Wilder," she whispered. "And it's for me."
2
AIRIANA placed her teacup carefully on the table in front of her. Her mouth had gone dry. She watched as Blythe casually picked up the phone and greeted the caller in her usual gentle, cheerful voice.
Lexi slipped her hand into Airiana's. "Damon's always been nice, Airiana. Why are you afraid?"
Airiana shook her head when Blythe held out the phone to her. Blythe frowned but resigned herself to being the go-between.
"Damon wants to come out this morning and have a meeting with you."
"I'm working in the greenhouse this morning with Lexi and I won't be able to schedule anything for several hours." It would give her time to think. Damon and Sarah were supposed to be on their honeymoon. What would be so important that they would suddenly return and Damon would want to schedule a meeting with her? Whatever it was, it wasn't good--for her.
 
; "He says he'll come by around twelve-thirty. That it's important." Blythe had a little note of warning in her voice.
Airiana nodded. That would give her sufficient time to gather her defenses around her and ensure Damon--or anyone else with him because he wouldn't come alone--couldn't convince her to do anything she didn't want to do. "That's fine," she murmured, and looked down at Lexi's hand, shocked that she'd been squeezing it so hard. "I'm sorry, Lex," she added.
Lexi shrugged, flashing a teasing grin. "I'm better off without that hand this morning; after all, you're helping me with the compost."
Airiana found herself smiling again. That was the beauty of family, especially a family as close as hers. One moment she could be completely terrified, and the next, one of her sisters could make her laugh.
"You wish. I'll pull all the beds, but you and that nasty smelling concoction you love so much will be all alone when you start shoveling."
Lexi made a show of rubbing her hand. "I'm injured and the compost has to be mixed in those beds this morning. At least you're capable of sending the odor away, although, really, it isn't that bad."
Airiana and Lissa both laughed.
"Of course you wouldn't think it was bad, you're a little farmer and it probably smells good to you," Lissa said.
Blythe was silent and Airiana was very aware she was watching her carefully. Airiana sighed. "I know. I should have talked to him, but I need a little time," she admitted, the smile fading from her face.
"He said he came back early. There was an emergency of some kind at his work," Blythe reported, her shrewd chocolate eyes never leaving Airiana's face.
"I wouldn't know about that," Airiana assured. "I wouldn't, Blythe."
"He works for the government in some capacity for defense," Blythe said. "You all know he was injured a few years ago when someone tried to steal his work. They tortured his assistant, Dan Treadway, and killed him."
Airiana's stomach lurched. She pressed her hand tight against it, nodding her head. "I know. I heard the story from Inez at the grocery store."
Inez Nelson knew just about everyone and everything about them here in Sea Haven, where she owned the local grocery store.
"Airiana, if this is a matter of national security . . ." Blythe began.
"Don't. Don't say it. I don't work in that field and I haven't for a very long time. I have no idea why Damon would want to talk to me. He's never so much as acknowledged me. My mother was killed almost ten years ago. Damon was targeted much more recently. One has nothing to do with the other. And I certainly wouldn't know anything at this point that could help him. They investigated my mother's death and said all sorts of things, but no one proved anything to me."
"But you did, as a teenager, work for the Defense Department," Blythe clarified.
Airiana sighed. "You know I never talk about that."
"Well, maybe it's time you did," Blythe said. "You're safe here. You need to talk about things, Airiana. If you don't, you're going to keep having nightmares and keep thinking you're going to lose your mind."
"We were told never to discuss our work. I took an oath."
"And no one is asking you to discuss your actual projects," Blythe pointed out.
Airiana took a deep breath and let it out. Lissa looked at her expectantly. Lexi gave her a tentative smile of encouragement, but she clearly only wanted Airiana to do what made her comfortable. She was such an empath that already she looked close to tears. Airiana found herself wanting to comfort Lexi.
"When I was about seven years old, some men came to my home and asked my mother if they could do special testing on me. I was already well into high school and even studying some college-level mathematics. My mother agreed. We were struggling financially, and they told her if I qualified for their special program there would be a lot of money involved for us."
"You never talk about your father," Lissa said. "Where was he?"
Airiana shook her head. "My mother never spoke about my father. If I brought the subject up, she would start crying like her heart was broken. I don't even know his name. Marina gave me her last name."
"These men who came to visit you and your mother were from our government?" Blythe asked, determined, obviously, to keep her on track.
Airiana nodded. "It was a new program they'd developed for children like me."
"Crazy smart," Lexi said, flashing an admiring smile.
Some of the tension drained out of her. She found herself smiling back at her youngest sister. "Crazy smart is a good term for me," she agreed. "They set up little apartments there at the school. It wasn't really a school like most schools. We were in a government very secure building, and we had teachers of course, but each of us worked on our own projects. We were educated as fast or as slow as the individual could handle, but clearly the projects were why they wanted us."
"But they didn't want parents living there with you?" Lissa asked, frowning.
Airiana shook her head. "They told my mother it was best for someone like me to learn without distraction, and honestly, I loved it, especially after Mom began to drink. I could have spent all day in school and in fact, I often worked late into the night. That was encouraged, and I've always been a bit of a night owl. I missed my mother, of course, and they allowed me to go home on weekends."
"You worked for them until you were sixteen or seventeen?" Blythe asked.
"I was nearly seventeen. It was ten days before my birthday when someone murdered my mother. So really, about ten years."
Lexi suddenly sat back, her eyes enormous. "Airiana, you can't suspect that the people running the school actually had something to do with your mother's death. You don't think that, do you?"
"They lied about her, Lex. She wasn't selling my work to another government. She wasn't spying for another country or leaking information. When I was little, we discussed my work, but once she began drinking, I rarely tried to talk to her about it, and once I turned fourteen, I never did."
"Why fourteen?" Blythe asked.
"I took an oath not to discuss my work with anyone. Mom had helped at first with the project, you know, brainstorming with me when I was little, but she'd begun to drink and I was going to her less and less." She shrugged. "We had a rule, and she was the one who made the rule. When we were together, it was just us. Not the school and not my projects. She wanted me to be a girl and go to the mall and the movies and learn to have fun. She wanted to teach me how to have fun. I was very serious and she was afraid that by allowing me to go to that school I wouldn't be a normal teen."
It was the first time Airiana could really defend her mother. She had tried, but no one had listened to her. Her sisters were listening. They believed her. She could feel it, see their understanding on their faces. After her mother's death, with the help of these women in the room with her, she had learned to have fun just as her mother wanted.
"Why would they lie about her? Why would they smear her name and act as if she was capable of betraying her country when she wasn't? What was the point?"
"Perhaps they thought it would make you more loyal to them," Blythe ventured.
"It had the opposite effect," Airiana said. "I detested them. I wanted out of their program but I had no relatives, nowhere to go and no one to advocate for me."
"And you blamed yourself for your mother's death," Lissa added.
Airiana nodded, tears burning behind her eyes. "I know intellectually I'm not to blame. Debra and the rest of you did a good job convincing me, but that child, that teenager, she believes that if she'd stayed home and never went to school, never was crazy smart, her mother would still be alive."
"Your mother made the decision for you to go to that school, Airiana," Blythe said gently. "A seven-year-old could not make such a choice. You both needed the money to make ends meet, and I suspect your mother was already beginning her downward spiral into alcoholism."
"Her mind wouldn't stay quiet." Airiana found herself defending her mother. "Alcohol was her only relief."
>
"That's the child talking," Lissa said. "You know that."
Airiana nodded, a little appalled that she still blurted out a defense for her mother, even when she knew better. "I know Marina should have gotten help, but she didn't, she turned to alcohol instead. Still, if I'd gone home several times a week instead of just weekends, she might have tried harder for me. She didn't start really drinking until I was already into my teens. I didn't even ask to go home more often because the more uncomfortable it got there, the easier it was to bury myself in my work. If I'd just noticed how hard it was on Marina and was even a little bit more compassionate . . ."
"You were a child, Airiana. A teenager with a mind that was demanding more knowledge every moment of the day," Blythe said.
"Now, looking back, I never said anything to my teachers about what my mother was doing because I was afraid they would keep me from seeing her--but they must have known. Right? They wouldn't have me working on the kinds of things I was without continually vetting my mother."
"Which is why you believe there was some kind of conspiracy and your own government murdered your mother," Lissa said.
Airiana nodded, biting at her fingernail. "I know it sounds insane. Maybe I think too much. I rarely sleep that well and I told you, my mind works on problems all the time. My mother's murder never added up for me. Even if a foreign agent came in contact with her--and how would they know I was at that top secret school--wouldn't it make more sense to wait for me to come home and then grab me? I would have told them anything they wanted to know to protect her."
Lexi nodded in understanding, tears welling up. "We do anything we can to protect the people we love."
Airiana put her hand gently over Lexi's. "I'm sorry, baby. I don't mean to bring up bad memories."
"I'm upset for you, Airiana," Lexi insisted. "You're right. It doesn't make sense to murder your mother over money for your work when they could just as easily have grabbed you."
"So what happened?" Blythe said. "With your project?"
"I wasn't finished, not nearly finished. They took me back to the school and essentially I was 'locked down' for my own protection. They didn't let me see anyone other than a psychiatrist they brought in. I didn't talk to her. I stopped working, and everyone was upset and in an uproar. The psychiatrist tried to tell me throwing myself back into my work would be good for me, but I told her I couldn't think, that the trauma of finding my mother like that had done something to my mind. I just couldn't cope.