“Clea! Clea!” Ben cried as he ran blindly through the dunes.
Shit! He didn’t need my help getting their attention. They saw him now, saw him barreling toward us. It wouldn’t take a genius to realize we were together. Summoning my strength and hoping to distract the shooters for even a moment, I screamed out, “Ben, stop! Get away! Get out of here!”
Too late. A male shooter grabbed him and held him tight, and the group huddled around him.
“We have your friend!” one of the women cried. “Give us what we want and we won’t hurt him.”
Give them what they want? Give them Sage? No! I swung to face him. He smiled tenderly and brushed my hair behind my ear.
“How’s your leg? Is it okay?”
“Don’t, Sage.…”
“It’s just grazed. I know it hurts. You’re going to be fine.”
Panic swelled inside me, and I gripped his shirt, hard. “Don’t go.”
“He’s nothing to them, Clea. They’ll hurt him if I don’t.”
I didn’t care. I didn’t want Ben to be hurt, but I didn’t want Sage to leave even more. “No.” It was the only word I could say. “No, no, no, no, no.”
Sage silenced me with a kiss, then disentangled my fingers from his shirt and walked up the beach toward Ben and the group, his hands raised in surrender.
“It’s a deal,” Sage said calmly. “Me for him. Let him go.”
“No,” Ben said weakly, but there was nothing he could do. The woman grinned, then nodded to the man holding Ben. The man pushed Ben roughly away, and he staggered toward Sage. Sage helped Ben steady himself for a moment. They spoke for just a second before two more men swooped down and grabbed Sage, holding their guns to his temples. They rushed him into the van, and the door slammed closed as it sped off.
Sage was gone. I stared at the spot where the van had disappeared.
Sirens pierced the night, and lights flashed in the distance. Police cars.
“Clea,” Ben began. He was next to me now, and tried to reach for me, but I pushed him away.
“Do you hear that?” I shouted. “The police! Five more minutes! That’s all we needed! All you had to do was stay where you were! Sage would be here and alive!”
“Oh God, I know,” Ben said miserably. “I know … but I saw you go down and I had to get to you, and … I did it again. I messed everything up.”
Ben started to sob. Normally I’d be the first to comfort him, but I was numb.
The sirens grew louder as the police cruisers pulled up next to us on the beach. They would have been right on time, but now it was too late.
I spent the next hours disconnected from everything. The police said they’d gone to the beach because neighbors heard gunshots. They interviewed Ben and me, and we said we didn’t know anything about the shooters. We were just out for a walk when they opened fire.
They took me to the hospital to have my leg examined and I sat in the emergency room for what seemed like forever. People were all around, but they spoke Japanese and I couldn’t understand a word. It blended into a dull background roar. Ben tried to talk to me, but I couldn’t. When they finally called my name, it was a relief to leave him in the waiting room. My nurse spoke English, and told me I was lucky—I only had a flesh wound. She was wrong, but my other wounds weren’t anything she could see.
There was something soothing about the examining room. It was so white and clean—sitting there made me feel like I was outside the real world, and I could pretend the last day hadn’t happened. I imagined Sage, not Ben, was waiting for me outside. I wanted to stay longer, but I couldn’t. They gave me crutches and sent me on my way.
When I came out, Ben had a taxi waiting. He’d arranged a flight back home, and we had to get to the airport right away. I felt like I was swept along, and didn’t have a chance to think until we were in the air. Ben sat next to me. He was trying so hard. He’d bought us tickets in first class so I could stretch out my leg, and asked the flight attendant for extra pillows so I could prop it up.
“Are you comfortable?” he asked. “I can get another pillow.”
“I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
It had now been eight hours since they’d taken Sage. The Saviors had him … but for how long? He had the dagger with him. Any night at midnight he could kill himself, and I’d never even know.
I felt completely lost. How had it come to this? Could I have stopped it? I went over and over it in my head, but I always came back to the same thing.
Ben.
If Ben hadn’t come running down that hill …
It might not have been fair—it wasn’t fair—but that was how I felt.
I squirmed in my seat.
“Is your leg bothering you?” Ben asked. “Can I get you something?”
“It’s not my leg that hurts,” I said.
Ben opened his mouth to say something, then thought better of it. He reached up and tugged at his front tuft of hair and sighed.
Even the sigh was asking too much of me. I didn’t want to hear it. I turned away and curled up as if I were going to sleep. I wondered if I actually could. I was exhausted, and it might be the perfect escape … but I was afraid. To have him in my dreams and then wake up … I’d lose him all over again. I couldn’t bear it.
Even worse was the thought that I could close my eyes and he wouldn’t be there at all.
Ben sighed again. It was like nails down a chalkboard. I got up and struggled down the aisle to the bathroom. I could see Ben dying to jump up and help me, but he knew better.
Inside, I stared at my face in the mirror. It didn’t look like me. I wondered when it had happened. When had I changed so completely inside that I couldn’t even recognize myself?
I had a sudden feeling that this stranger could have a world of secrets to share.
Maybe I just needed to listen.
I tried.
Nothing.
I leaned forward, staring into her eyes.
I looked away and went back to my seat.
Whatever she had to say, I couldn’t hear it.
I didn’t know if I ever would.
acknowledgments
MY HEARTFELT THANKS to the many people who helped bring Elixir to life. It has been an exciting challenge to write my first book, and I appreciate the people in my life who encouraged me to do it.
First, a big thanks to Elise Allen, my smart and nimble collaborator. You taught me so much during this process. Your positive attitude and zest for storytelling kept me inspired and driven even on those nights we worked tirelessly until three in the morning obsessing over a pesky “and” or “the.”
To my editor, Emily Meehan, her assistant, Julia Maguire, and the team at Simon & Schuster who shared my excitement for this book from the first time we met, and followed through with such enthusiasm: Carolyn Reidy, Jon Anderson, Justin Chanda, Anne Zafian, Paul Crichton, Nicole Russo, Elke Villa, Jenica Nasworthy, Felix Gregorio, Chava Wolin, Lizzy Bromley, and Tom Daly.
To my literary agents, Fonda Snyder and Rob Weisbach, who gave me confidence and expertly helped guide me through this new venture.
Mom, THANK YOU. You have always encouraged me to step outside my comfort zone and challenge myself! Thanks for teaching me persistence and dedication. You always remind me to reach as high as I can!
Mike, thank you for patiently listening to my constant blabbering and ideas about Sage and Clea as their story was being born. I love you!
Ry-ry, thanks for keeping my life on track during this very busy time and for always bringing the comic relief.
My MOST IMPORTANT thanks go to my extremely supportive, dedicated, and loyal fans. The epic amount of love that you continue to show means everything to me! I truly hope you enjoy the book!
xxo
HD
Hilary Duff, Elixir
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