The Time Turner Society { Undergoing Edits! }

Chapter 18:

That night is one of the best of my life.

Well, it doesn't last the whole night; only about an hour. But being in Blayke's arms, his hands on me and his kisses all over my lips and neck and chest... nothing compares to that.

Eventually, though, we're forced to separate. Blayke finishes changing, and I put on decent pants and Blayke's sweatshirt. He'd had all my old clothes cleaned and brought back up to me, even though I told him I'd just washed them in Knapsack and it really wasn't necessary. Before we walk out the door, Blayke grabs the stack of papers I'd manage to salvage through my entire journey from Net's apartment in the Structure.

"You were smart to save these," he tells me, holding them in one hand and taking my hand with the other. "There's a lot of blueprints in here, things that could give us an advantage over the Armies." That's what the people out here call the Dominion, Society, and Structure. I used to think the Society and Structure were one in the same, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that the Society's normal influences seemed to be absent. The Structure and all of its personnel were more of an accumulation of all the underground societies, not just the Time Turner Society itself. Which, to me, makes them even more dangerous than the Dominion. What if the Structure suddenly decided to allow Extras to develop their powers? We in the Eastern Lands don't have enough Extras to stand up to that.

"So, where are we going exactly?" I ask Blayke as we turn down another hallway, to the elevator.

"Top floor," he says. "To a meeting. Along with our leader, we have a group called The Eight. They're sort of like... Advisors. From all different walks of life, too. We help Verino make the decisions, more or less. And we all help out different parts of the city. You'll see," he smiles. "Net and Eros will be there," he adds.

"Will I know any of the others?"

"Well, me," he pauses thoughtfully. "Corelina. I don't think anyone else,"

"Corelina? She was still in the Structure when I left," I frown. Blayke smiles. He smiles a lot, even more than he did before he left.

"She has a Turner that sneaks her out for our meetings. But you'll get to know everyone quite well while you're here. They're all excited about meeting you,"

"When you sent everyone to look for me, to give notes to me - did you really... I mean, was it-"

"Did I mean it when I told them all they would be looking for the most beautiful girl in the world? Yes, I did. Another one of the Eight is Jace, the Necromancer who gave me the tattoo. He's excited about finishing the Mark, so he'll definitely want to speak with you." the elevator stops and opens right into the meeting room. I wish I hadn't asked him that question right before we stepped into a room full mostly of strangers; my face probably resembles a tomato right about now.

Before I even have time to focus on any one face in the crowd around the round table, I'm locked in a crushing embrace, smooshed against someone's broad chest.

"Net!" I gasp. "Can't. Breathe," he loosens his hug from grizzly-bear-level to a more reasonable panda-bear-level, and I wrap my arms around him, too.

"Will you stop moping, now?" he teases. I give him a playful shove and he takes a few steps back, smiling down at me. He's shorter than Blayke (only six feet) but still a mile taller than I am.

"Evaline," Blayke says softly, not wanting to interrupt my reunion with someone who's as much my own brother as his.

"This is Jace-" he motions to the palest boy I think I've ever seen. He has a smattering of freckles across his nose and cheeks and his hair is a shaggy mess of orange.