Seeking Crystal Read online

  ‘Diamond!’ My warning system flared a moment too late. Three men stepped from a dark alley in a gap between shuttered shops, cutting off our retreat. I had a quick impression of dark hoodies, faces obscured by scarves pulled up over mouths, knives—shadowy, anywhere villains. One grabbed the strap of Diamond’s shoulder bag and sliced it through. She foolishly tried to hang on and was swung around as he tugged viciously to get it free. I went to help but the other two tackled me; we landed in the gutter, with me on the bottom as they fumbled for my handbag. One elbowed me in the stomach as he got up; the other punched my head on the kerb.

  After that, things go blurry. Pounding feet. A noise that sounded like a roar of an enraged beast.

  ‘Police!’ Click of a gun magazine being slotted into place. ‘Move away from her!’

  Swearing and then swift retreat of three pairs of soft-footed trainers. I lay on my back, awkwardly half-on-half-off the pavement, stars whirling.

  The man who had come to our aid hurried to my sister’s side. She was sitting on the ground, bag clutched to her stomach. I got to my knees, head throbbing, and pulled myself on to the kerb before I got run over by the next vehicle to pass.

  ‘Are you all right, ma’am?’ Our rescuer crouched before her.

  ‘Yes, yes, thank you. Just a bit shaken up.’ Diamond’s eyes were filled with tears and she was shivering, triggering every protective instinct in a man.

  He reached out to help her up. I don’t think he’d even noticed me as I was in the shadows between streetlights while she was spotlighted. When their hands touched there was a gasp of indrawn breath as they surged to their feet.

  ‘My God, it’s you! I can hear you in my mind!’ Diamond gazed up at her saviour as if he was Christmas day and all her birthdays rolled into one. If I dipped into my Savant sight I could see all her swirling space junk was now centred on him, like a magnet dragging iron filings.

  ‘Yes, it really is me.’ Then, without another word being exchanged, he gathered her in his arms and kissed her.

  Wow. I didn’t know if to applaud or laugh. It was like watching some really clichéd romantic film—love at first sight—impromptu embrace like that famous photo of the sailor kissing the nurse on VJ Day in Times Square.

  Jealous much? Of course I was.

  Finally, they broke apart.

  ‘Who are you?’ At last my sister had the sense to remember they hadn’t even been introduced.

  ‘Trace Benedict. And you?’

  ‘Diamond Brook.’

  He framed her face in his hands as if he was holding the most valuable object in the world. ‘I know that name. You’re here for our conference. Pleased to meet you, Diamond.’

  ‘And you, Trace Benedict.’ Her gaze drifted down to his mouth.

  Oh no, not again.

  He bent to her again, this time giving her a sweet, tender kiss, a hello to his soulfinder. I didn’t dare move. I wasn’t so selfish as to spoil the greatest moment of their life by complaining that I had a slight concussion and was smeared with unmentionable stuff from the gutter. I removed a McDonald’s wrapper from my leg with a flick of a fingertip. Yuck. Diamond would remember me. Eventually.

  ‘I can’t believe you walked right into my life. I’ve been waiting so long.’ Trace rubbed his finger along her cheekbone, caressing the corner of her pretty mouth. ‘I had to admit I had hoped, when I saw you on our guest list and noticed that you were my age … ’

  ‘We always hope, don’t we, when we meet another Savant who might be the one?’ Diamond smiled shyly up at him.

  ‘I’ve been introduced to so many possibles with the right dates of birth; thank God that you turn out to be my one.’

  I sighed and rubbed my aching temples. I feared their script was not very original but I couldn’t blame them for the headache.

  ‘Meeting my soulfinder was the last thing I expected when I accepted the invitation to come.’ My sister sounded so sweet—happy and shy at the same time.

  He bent to pick up her bag and handed it back to her. ‘You’re the peacemaker, right?’

  ‘Yes. I have a small consultancy firm based in Venice.’

  ‘Venice, Italy?’

  ‘Is there another Venice?’ Her eyes twinkled at him with gentle teasing.

  ‘In America? Sure. There are probably about seven or eight. Italy, hey?’ He kissed her lightly, already so familiar, unable to keep his hands off her. ‘I work for the Denver police department. How are we going to work that one out, I wonder?’

  Crumbs, this was fast. They had met, like, five minutes ago and already he was moving in.

  ‘My job is easy to do from anywhere in the world; it’s only Crystal I have to … ’ Suddenly remembering my existence she pushed away from him. ‘Crystal, oh my God, Crystal, are you OK?’

  I waved feebly from the kerb. ‘Fine. You two carry on. I don’t want to spoil the hearts-and-flowers stuff.’

  Diamond hurried to my side. ‘You’re hurt? I can’t believe I left you sitting there and you’re injured. Trace, please.’

  I had already gathered that my brother-in-law-to-be was a capable soul. He hardly needed my sister’s prompting to help me limp to a doorstep. He had a flashlight on the end of his keychain and he shone it in my face.

  I blinked and shaded my eyes.

  ‘Bump on the head but pupils responding. I think we’d better get her to ER just in case.’

  An electric shock of panic ripped through me. ‘I’m fine. Really. I don’t want to go to hospital.’ Last time I had been was my eighteenth birthday. Dad had taken me out for dinner to celebrate but had a heart attack before we’d even ordered. I ended up spending my special night in the hospital breaking the news to Mama and the rest of the family that he was gone. Even thinking about it gave me that ugly feeling like falling down a manhole into nothingness.

  Fortunately, Diamond knew full well I wouldn’t go willingly to a medical centre. ‘She doesn’t like hospitals. Perhaps we can call a doctor to check her over?’

  Trace pulled out his mobile. ‘I’ve got someone better than that. Let me call my brother. He can give her a check-up better than any machine in the ER.’

  We made it back to the hotel, causing a little ripple of consternation in the foyer as I limped through on the arm of the local police officer. Trace was not in uniform but he was well known to the staff as it turned out that he was the one who had booked the conference in at this venue.

  ‘Jim, can you send my brother straight up to the ladies’ suite when he arrives,’ Trace asked the doorman.

  ‘Yes, sir.’ The chubby porter peered at me through his thick glasses. ‘Are the ladies all right?’

  ‘They just had a bad encounter with a few of our least favourite local characters. I’ll file the report but luckily nothing was taken.’

  ‘Actually, they took my clutch purse,’ I muttered. Of course, he hadn’t noticed such little details while he was saving the day. ‘Not much in it but my library card and a hundred dollars.’

  Trace turned all cop on me. ‘Any other form of ID? Driver’s licence?’

  I snorted. ‘We live in Venice: the streets are full of water. Good luck with the driving in those conditions.’

  ‘Passport?’

  ‘In the room safe.’

  He nodded, satisfied. ‘Then I’ll refund you the money. Sorry about the library card. It’s my city; I hate the fact that this was the welcome it gave you. It’s such a great place in normal circumstances.’

  The lift arrived and we climbed smoothly to the tenth floor. The only buildings as high as this in my city were campanile, and they tended to lean at gravity defying angles thanks to the subsidence of the centuries. The room itself was ultra modern—white furnishing, flat screens, plush bathroom with plumbing that didn’t groan and drip whilst it got you clean with a blast of the power shower. The view from the window was impressive too: strings of lights spreading through the city before being eaten up by the absolute dark of the Rockies some ten or so miles a
way. Here the land went vertical—mountains, climbing roads, ski-resorts; where I came from, we went in for horizontals—lagoon, low-lying islands, mud flats.

  I took myself off into the bathroom and washed off the gutter gunk. A thick robe was a welcome comfort after I’d stripped away my smelly clothes. I bagged them up for the hotel laundry to tackle. Feeling a little restored, I hobbled back into the bedroom. Diamond and Trace had barely noticed my absence; they were staring at each other, talking mind-to-mind, lost in the wonder of meeting their soulfinder. My heart gave a funny kind of lurch, a little bit envious but mainly so happy for them.

  Diamond looked up. ‘Any better, Crystal?’

  ‘Yes, I’m fine.’ I stretched out on my bed with a groan. The pounding in my head increased twenty-fold and nausea overwhelmed me. ‘Maybe not so fine.’

  ‘We’d better stop using telepathy, Trace; it makes Crystal feel sick. She picks up on the thought waves even if she can’t hear what we say.’ Diamond fetched a cold flannel from the bathroom. ‘I don’t like the look of her colour. Perhaps we should take her to hospital after all?’

  I flapped my hand at her. ‘Hey, I’m still here you know. No hospitals.’

  Trace put his arm around Diamond, standing behind her as if he already owned the spot at her side. ‘My brother’s a healer. He’ll let us know if we need to take her to ER.’

  A loud tap at the door interrupted their deliberations.

  ‘That’s probably him now.’ Trace went to let him in. ‘Hey, Xav, thanks for getting here so quickly.’

  ‘Ah, well, you know I charge double for house calls.’ A tall dark-haired boy strode into the room, eyes scanning as he took note of the situation. What I noticed was about a mile of denim, wolf T-shirt and unbuttoned dark grey peacoat. Trace was about my height, but this brother had a few more inches. Where Trace was broad-shouldered and rugged featured, this brother was lean and whipcord strong, an athlete in the way he moved. His hair flipped every which way in a casual cut I’d seen on dedicated surfers, what I thought of as the ‘hey-I’ve just-ridden-the-wave-and-now-ready-to-party’ look. He was one of those boys too handsome for their own good, doubtless having had his ego fed with constant female adulation since kindergarten. His money must go on his clothes unless the stores begged him to model—yeah, I could well imagine that.

  ‘This is my little brother, Xavier, or Xav,’ said Trace, introducing him to Diamond. ‘Xav, I’ve got some amazing news: meet my soulfinder.’

  When Xav caught sight of Diamond, he pretended to be knocked back a step. He clutched his heart dramatically. ‘Awesome. Trace, you’re one lucky son of a … very lovely mother.’ He kissed Diamond’s hand in a continental gesture I’d last seen practised by a real count, but with him it was part self-mocking, part just for the fun of it. ‘Happily, I can announce that you’re fine, Diamond. No harm done.’ So he did his diagnosis by touch, did he? ‘Except for that little detail of being attached to this loser, of course.’ He thumped Trace on the arm, beaming with delight for his brother’s good fortune. ‘I’ve got no cure for that.’

  ‘And I don’t need one, Xavier.’ Diamond smiled up at him.

  He pulled a face. ‘Have I done something wrong? Only our mother calls me that and then I know I’m in trouble.’

  ‘Xav.’ Diamond was already charmed. ‘But it’s my sister that took the knock to the head.’ My sister gestured to where I lay. I gave him a finger wave, wondering if I would disgrace myself by being sick on his trendy boots.

  ‘Oh yeah, Crystal.’ He winked at his brother. ‘Noticed her name on the list. My age, isn’t she? How’re you feeling, darlin’?’

  ‘I’m OK.’ I got up; British instilled reserve demanded that I not show weakness in front of strange boys.

  Xav reeled theatrically with a second dose of surprise. ‘Whoa, you’re one big lady. I mean tall lady. I bet you never had any problem making the basketball team in school?’

  How many things about that little speech did I find offensive? Let me count the ways.

  ‘I’ve never played.’ I tugged the robe tight. ‘I’d prefer not to be examined, if you don’t mind. There’s nothing wrong with me that a good night’s sleep won’t put right. My sister is just over-reacting.’ No way was I going to let this tactless wannabe doctor put his hands on me.

  I felt a buzz against the walls I erected in my head against telepathic assault. I pressed my hands to my temples. ‘Stop that.’

  ‘You’re one prickly lady-patient.’ Xav put his hands on his hips, grinning at me. ‘Won’t let me help you.’

  Diamond pressed me to sit back down. ‘Crystal doesn’t do telepathy.’

  ‘She’s not a Savant?’ Xav’s expression filled with disappointment.

  ‘Not much of a one,’ I muttered.

  ‘She has a gift but it gets in the way of telepathy. Can you check her over without it?’

  ‘I don’t want him anywhere near me.’ Bile rose in my throat. I was feeling desperate and not minding my manners. ‘Get out of my way.’ I pushed roughly past them both and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me to be vilely ill.

  ‘Well, using my special spidey sense, I’d say she just got sick,’ Xav said.

  The next few days went no better for me. The conference took the news that their organizer had found his soulfinder among their number with embarrassing enthusiasm. It became one long party, and I’m sure very little of the serious stuff got done. Trace’s family, those not already involved in the event, rushed to Denver to meet Diamond. She was an instant success. How could she not be? Sweet, kind, talented—she was every parent’s dream partner for a much-loved son. His diminutive mother, Karla, hugged her as tightly as if she was the last lifebelt on a sinking ship; his impressive Native American father, Saul, gave her a lovely fatherly embrace, his pride and joy plain for all to see. When he smiled, his dark eyes disappeared into a sunburst of wrinkles; it was one of the happiest faces I’d ever seen, a contrast to his usual composed expression.

  Don’t get me wrong, I was really delighted for Diamond. Aside from the annoying healer brother, Trace and his family were lovely, going out of their way to be kind to us. The soulfinders of the two youngest boys made a particular effort to make me welcome while the Benedicts concentrated on Diamond. Both girls were English in origin and as I had spent most of my life imprisoned—sorry, being educated—in a boarding school in Cheltenham, we had a fair amount in common. Sky was paired with the tallest and youngest of the brood, Zed, a scary-looking boy until he was with his little blonde girlfriend. Then he looked almost tamed. They were in their last year at High School. The other girl, Phoenix, was a more fragile character than the others, thanks to a difficult past, but she was already married to brother Number Six, the ultra-intelligent college boy, Yves. She told me she was far happier than she had ever been before. They were way too young in my mind to be hitched as they were only eighteen but that didn’t seem to bother her. She only said that it was inevitable and wonderful.

  Sky and Phoenix were fun to go shopping with and the Benedict boys (with one exception) charming to me. The problem was that I felt so, well, redundant. It was very clear that in her mind Diamond had already moved on to thinking about how to change her life with Trace in the frame; being a kind of surrogate mother to a grown sister bent that picture out of shape. She would never be so cruel as even to hint that she didn’t want me around, but I was no fool. I knew things would be easier if I took responsibility for myself and got out of the way. Decisions had been hovering over me for a few months; now the flock had landed and it was time to deal with them.

  So I did what I could for her. I kept a low profile, saying that I was still feeling shaky after the mugging, and changed the dates on my air ticket. She had already said she wanted to stay on in Colorado to get to know Trace’s family.

  ‘Crystal, you don’t have to go back, you know.’ Diamond perched on the edge of her bed, playing with the bracelet Trace had given her the night before: an expensive
modern setting of the stones she was named after.

  No, I really did. ‘It’s fine. I’ve got stuff to do.’

  She hugged her knees. ‘We’ve decided to get married in Venice, so all our family can come too.’

  Marriage had been inevitable from the start: both Diamond and Trace were traditionally minded and we had been raised devout Catholics. I was pleased she wanted to do the dreaded deed back home where we had our roots. At least that gave me a reason for my existence over the next few months.

  ‘OK, shall I look into arrangements? When do you want to hold the ceremony?’

  She blushed prettily. ‘Trace doesn’t want to wait. We are thinking just before Christmas so we can take our honeymoon over the holidays.’

  ‘That doesn’t leave us more than a few weeks. I’d better get busy.’

  Diamond cleared her throat, her awkwardness striking as she was rarely lost for words. ‘You don’t need to do anything, Crystal. Mama’s going to sort it all out—she loves a wedding and it will be good for her to focus on something like that. She’s already booked the church and the venue. Topaz is seeing to the catering. Silver and Manatsu are taking charge of the bridesmaids and pageboys, as we all know how good an eye Manatsu has for that kind of thing.’

  ‘Bridesmaids and pageboys?’

  ‘Yes, all twelve of our nieces and nephews: fifteen down to fifteen months. It is going to be a nightmare.’ Diamond hugged herself with delight at the prospect.

  ‘I see.’ I realized then that I had thought that I might be asked to be one of the bridesmaids, or at least be consulted over the dresses considering how Diamond had often said I was good at design. I could see how she might not want me in the line up—the beanstalk among the pretty flowers.

  ‘I hope you don’t mind; it just seemed easier to get the parents to sort it out for the children rather than involve you. There’s hardly any time. And I thought you would be busy with Signora Carriera if that plan works out.’

  ‘Yes, of course.’ I slammed the case shut and zipped it up.

  I’m not good at hiding my feelings and Diamond has a gift for sensing disturbance; I wasn’t going to get away with pretending I was OK with being cut out. She stopped twiddling her bracelet. ‘Oh no, I’ve made a mistake, haven’t I? I projected on to you what I would be thinking, but that’s wrong. You wanted to be asked to do something. I thought you would hate the whole wedding thing and run a mile. I just wished to spare you.’