Inimicus

4 Green Aura, Green Envy-1

4

Green Aura, Green EnvyAfter two more days with Nelson and Tamara, Jonah bade them goodbye and was back on the road to Rome. In days past, the aspect of the end of a vacation was a depressing one. These days, however, things were much better.

The trip took about three hours. Jonah enjoyed so many things about it: his friends, good food, dependable pets, and invaluable guidance, at least on most matters. The very first time Jonah had awakened there, he'd been bewildered, injured, and as ready to return to his “real” life as ever.

That was then.

Now the place itself was a familiar comfort and had more aspects of reality than the so-called “real” world. It was the best thing since his childhood home with Nana.

Had he truly been freaked out by the place at one time?

He turned onto the rocky drive that led to the estate, knowing exactly who he'd see when he reached the end. He was already prepared for the mirth and probable tackle.

He got out of his car and glanced to his left where the gardens were. As expected, Liz Manville was there, straw hat atop her head and filthy gloves on her hands. As happy as he was to see her, it was who usually accompanied her in her horticultural exploits that he was more interested in seeing.

But the person with Liz wasn't Vera. She was a little shorter than Liz and had a straw hat of her own that appeared to be more of a hindrance than a help because it kept sliding down her face and blocking her vision.

“Hey Jonah!” Liz removed her gloves and hugged him. “I was looking for a reason to take a break!”

“Hey Liz,” grinned Jonah as he hugged her back. “I was curious as to why you had a new addition today.”

Liz looked Jonah in the eye, not fooled at all. Jonah could have grimaced. At twenty, Liz might still be very young, but she had never been one to ignore the obvious.

“Vera is in her room, watching some play,” she told him, “and this isn't some new addition. It's my sister. Nellaina!”

The younger Manville girl was so focused on what she was doing that she hadn't noticed she was working alone. Liz calling her name roused her from her preoccupation, and she gave Liz an annoyed look.

“How many times do I have to tell you to call me Nella?” she moaned. “It's not that—”

Then she finally noticed Jonah.

“Oh!” She scrambled to her feet, and tore off the straw hat, which revealed brown pigtails. “You're Jonah Rowe! Sorry I didn't notice you before!”

Jonah wasn't surprised that she hadn't noticed him, as that straw hat had been too big for her head. Jonah could see the family resemblance now that he saw Nella's face. She seemed almost as chipper and perky as Liz, but Nella's eyes were very dark, almost black. She had a rather chubby frame, and her welcoming grin included braces.

Jonah loved her already.

“It's quite alright,” he told her. “How do you know me?”

“Liz talks about you all the time!” she answered. “You're a great hero!”

Jonah blinked, and glanced at Liz, who smiled and shrugged.

“Jonah, you've saved more than your fair share of hides since you've been here,” she reminded him.

Jonah felt some of his embarrassment fade, and he smiled at Nella.

“I appreciate the praise,” he said. “You're a Green Aura, too?”

Nella nodded, though some of the light left her face. “I'm not as good as Liz and Sandrine—that's our oldest sister,” she said when Jonah frowned. “But Mom says time will take care of that.”

“And practice,” added Liz.

Nella looked so sad that Jonah pitied her.

“Look, Nella,” he said in a bracing tone, “I'm the Blue Aura, and there are a bunch of things that I still haven't got figured out. Your sister is the best Green Aura I know. So I know that you will be great, too.”

Nella's smile was radiant, and she ignored Liz's blush. “I wish I were a Blue Aura,” she said longingly.

“No, you don't,” said Jonah automatically, and he turned to leave them to their work. Nella grabbed his wrist.

“Wait!” She seemed struck with inspiration. “Could you help Liz and me with the tilling?”

Jonah frowned as he looked at the next sequence of rows. They were strewn with weeds, and looked tight-packed and tough. He'd tilled earth in the past, and it was backbreaking, tedious work that he didn't feel like doing at the moment. “Sorry, but I hadn't really planned on yard work— and you seem to be doing a kick-ass job already—”

“Oh, come on, Jonah,” said Liz, making her voice a bit supplicating. “Surely, you'd do this favor for your favorite little sisters…?”

The look that they gave Jonah melted his heart. But it annoyed the hell out of him, just the same.

“You'd better be glad I love you, Lizzie,” mumbled Jonah, ripping off his polo. “And since you're her sister, I guess I love you, too, Nella!”

Both young women squealed with delight. Jonah didn't share their enthusiasm, but at the same time, being the big brother who helped out his little sisters wasn't all that bad.

After some toiling, extensive elbow grease, and reconsideration of his decision, they were done. Liz and Nella were more than a little grateful, and both regarded Jonah as though he were the answer to their dreams.

“Thank you so much for that, Jonah!” said Liz. “You probably don't even know it yet, but you probably helped your own self out by doing this!”

“Really,” said Jonah, who wiped his face for the umpteenth time. “How do you figure?”

“Horticultural therapy is invaluable to stress relief,” said Nella. “Who knows what negative feelings you just released, just through good old-fashioned time in the dirt!”

Jonah looked at their sunny faces, and simply decided to humor them. He didn't have it in him to shoot down that theory. “I promise to keep that in mind. See you, Liz. Nice to meet you, Nella!”

He grabbed his bag from the car, and went inside. Now, he needed a shower, but there were two other people he wanted to see beforehand. He knew where to find at least one of them.

He reached the kitchen and was nearly knocked backward by the sound of seemingly unintelligible music. The lone figure standing near the sink turned, though Jonah didn't have the faintest clue how he'd heard him. Terrence nodded in his direction and gave a quick wave, brandishing a paring knife as he did so.

“WHAT'S UP, JONAH?” he bellowed. “HOW ARE YOU?”

“GOOD!” Jonah shouted back, hoping his ears wouldn't bleed. “JUST—WHAT IS THIS?”

Terrence turned off the music, which left a blaring silence. “What did you say?”

Jonah's ears remained rather raw from the recent pounding. “I said I'm good, and asked what that was.”

Terrence looked at his half-prepared dish, which Jonah saw included some chicken. Then his eyes widened in comprehension. “Oh, you mean the music!” he said. “It's The Incline Down, my favorite alt-rock band!”

“The Incline Down?” repeated Jonah, pleased that his ears had re-acclimated to the lower decibel levels. “Can't say that I've ever heard of them.”

“Not surprised,” replied Terrence as he returned to the food. “They never compromised their music for increased radio play. They're better than half of the s**t that's considered mainstream.”

Jonah wouldn't have known either way. As he wasn't a fan of alt-rock, he couldn't tell one band from the next. “Right,” was all he said.

“You're a mess, dude,” observed Terrence, who looked Jonah over. “Did that happen on the road? Did you A/C go out, or something?”

“No, man,” said Jonah. “I was helping out Liz and Nella in their garden. That's why I look like this.”

“Damn,” said Terrence. “Talk about backbreaking…you burned all that energy—you probably need to eat something. Luckily, you're just in time! I've got some lunch here you might be interested in.”

Jonah looked into the bowl again, and his eyes widened. “Is that your chicken salad? The world-famous chicken salad?”

“Yep!” Terrence looked proud as all get-out, and Jonah could see a sense of accomplishment in his features that wasn't usually there. Despite everyone's endorsements, Terrence didn't feel like he had any real skill or profound talent, particularly as an Eleventh Percenter. He didn't even feel that way about cooking, which was second nature to him. “I fixed the kinks that were there last time!”

Jonah frowned. He hadn't recalled any kinks. “Come again?”

“There wasn't enough sea salt in the mayonnaise that I made last time,” said Terrence with a shade of irritation. “But I rectified that.”

Jonah raised an eyebrow. “You know, you have moments when you're just like Malcolm,” he muttered. “This is perfect!”

“Much like your writing,” said Terrence shrewdly. “Hey, Reena!”

Jonah turned, and sure enough, she was there. She'd just come from a run, which Jonah always found ironic, because speed wasn't an issue for her, due to her ethereality. She nodded to Terrence, and went to sink to wash her hands.

“Great to see you, Jonah,” she told him. “Did Nelson and Tamara like the bamboo plant I got for them?”

“Loved it,” laughed Jonah. “Tamara set it up near the entertainment center.”

Reena beamed. “I saw you out there, working with Lizzie and Nella. Cool of you to help them like that, and I imagine the physicality was exhilarating.”

Jonah frowned. “You saw us? Where were you?”

“I saw you from the woods.”

“You were running in the woods?” Jonah demanded. “With all the thorns—brambles—undergrowth—”

“Exactly,” said Reena. “Learning to avoid all of that really improves coordination.”

Jonah shook his head. Reena Katoa, the Fanatic Eternal.

“How about coordinating yourself to a chair, and eating something?” suggested Terrence, who pushed a plate of chicken salad her way.

Reena took it without hesitation, which made Jonah grin. She normally ignored most of Terrence's cuisine, but Terrence's chicken salad was her guilty pleasure. She looked leery of the bread, though, but Terrence put her at ease.

“It's rice bread, Reena,” he said. “And you know it's full of celery, and nothing dairy. Obviously, there is no garlic in it.”

They all bowed their heads. Jonah knew that Terrence didn't like reliving his brief experience as a vampire from a few months ago. An aversion to all things garlic was a result of that.

Reena quelled the awkward moment by grabbing the sandwich and eating it with great relish. “This is perfect, Terrence,” she said. “And that's coming from me.”

More people ventured in, which was fine, because Terrence made plenty: Douglas Chandler and Spader were first, followed by Malcolm, Maxine, Benjamin, and Magdalena. Malcolm made inquiries behind Nelson and Tamara as well, because he, like Reena, had supplied a housewarming present in the form of wooden dinner trays.

“They adored those things,” Jonah told him. “When I said a friend made them, they swore that I was lying. They thought they were imported.”

Malcolm, who never really was too overt with his emotions, managed a smile, and went on his way.

Several other people spoke to Jonah over the lunch as well, such as Sherman, Akshara, Noah, and Drakeson, as well as Ben-Israel Larver. Jonah was still on the fence about the No. 2 Green Aura at the estate. He didn't hate him, but his rigidity and inflexible nature led to an infuriating disagreement nearly a year ago. But when Terrence had been attacked by the 49er, Ben-Israel was one of the first ones to respond. That elevated him several notches, but Jonah still wouldn't refer to him as a buddy or pal.

Liz and Nella finally vacated the garden, but this time they were accompanied by the person Jonah had expected to see when he drove up: Vera Haliday.

She'd been watching a play when he'd first shown up, but she must have caught up with Liz and Nella shortly thereafter, and worked up a bit of a sweat herself. Jonah watched her grab a banana to eat with her sandwich, as opposed to the chips that Terrence and Spader had. She pulled her hair down before she peeled it. Jonah shook his head. The woman was so carelessly and nonchalantly beautiful that it kind of pained him that she couldn't see it.