AMANI: Reveal (4 page)

              She put down her ring finger, no surprise there since she’d been hiding things from our parents from the age of five. I had to put down my pinky, too. But contrary to her, it was with a good amount of shame that I did.
              It was my turn. “Never have I ever imitated our parents’ signature for a school assignment.”
              My sister’s middle finger went down while mine stayed up.
              “Never have I ever lied to my sister,” Delilah said quickly after me.
              Her fixed eyes were unequivocal; she knew I was about to put a finger down. And if I didn’t, she would accuse me of lying to her again. At the same time, I’d never heard of a person who’d always been truthful to their siblings. It was almost biologically impossible. So I did put my finger down and watched her do the same with a vexed expression.
              Seeing her reaction, a shameful feeling built inside my throat. “I’m sorry Deli,” I said. The truth isn’t always easy to admit. “I’m really trying not to lie too often, but sometimes, it just seems like the right thing to do. Sometimes lying is a way to protect others.”
              “Ditto. I understand completely,” she replied. “Your turn.”
              Her facial expression told me that she did understand, but that the knowledge was still a blow in her face. It was like she thought I was physically incapable of lying. Like she truly believed I was a saint.
              In an attempt to alleviate the growing tension, I said, “Never have I ever drunk too much and suffered from amnesia in the morning after.”
              At that, Delilah started laughing and faked an explosion with her hand before she let it crash on the bed. “You got me hard, sis,” she said. “I should be forced to drink twice. Ha! Hell, why not!”
              She swallowed twice and I was amazed at how indifferent she was with drinking such a hard liquor. In that moment, I wondered if drinking vodka wasn’t a habit of hers now.
              “We shouldn’t drink too much if we don’t want to get sick,” I said. But she acted like she hadn’t heard me.
              “My turn to pick a card.”
              She drew a two, which meant she had to drink two times in a row. Then I drew a four and we each took a sip since we were girls. There was a three and an ace, and that’s when my head started spinning. We talked about Mom’s idea of sending Delilah back to school and she admitted that she was scared because she’d always felt like she didn’t belong with her high school friends. Then I might have said something like, “I understand completely. I’ve only ever felt good hanging out with Sam and Xander. If I had to go back to college without them, I’d probably feel left out.”
              At some point, we drew a nine again but neither of us was able to rhyme with anything so we just started rapping and singing Eminem songs and Delilah danced and jumped on the beds and she nearly fell and I felt so dizzy I couldn’t move, and my sister told me she was happy to have me as her sister and I told her I loved her and she loved me too, and we eventually fell asleep.

Amya Priam

When the first man ordered the second to find out who was eavesdropping, I immediately turned around and started running.
              My vision was blurry, as if I were walking under sandy water. But I kept running, feeling like I was going nowhere, until I finally took a good look around and noticed the buildings. The wind calmed down and the rain transformed into a mild drizzle, but my feet were still too loud on the pavement of Princeton’s campus.
             
Not again.
             
I kept running in order to get away from my pursuer, Wyatt, and it was now easy for me to realize that I was in a dream—a nightmare I’d been having once or twice a week since I’d woken up from a coma induced by Wyatt’s feeding on my energy and strength.
              “Amya, wait!” my ex pleaded. But I knew better by now.
              “Leave me alone!” I replied, before turning right and heading to my dorm.
              Even though I knew this wasn’t reality, I felt like I needed to stay as far from Wyatt as possible. My heartbeat increased with every second I didn’t wake up and I wondered if I would keep having these dreams for the rest of my life. If I would live under the constant fear of being captured again and—and…

***

             
“It’s time to wake up, Amya! Deli, what did you do to her? Oh, for Pete’s sake, wake up!”
              “Huh?” was all I answered as my eyes opened. My sister and my best friend were standing next to each other, their features filled with concern.
              Then Sam turned to Delilah. “You could have killed her!” she shouted, almost shattering my eardrums. Images of the previous night came back to me and I cursed myself for drinking that much. “What were you thinking? Forcing her to drink vodka, when she’s struggling with her own problems!”
              “I didn’t mean to,” Delilah replied, genuinely sorry. “I thought it might help with the pain. I’m sure it was the best night she’s had in a long time. Wasn’t it, sis?”
              My entire core still on the edge and my head spinning from a hangover, I couldn’t find a proper answer to that. “Um, can I speak with Samera in private? Please?” Delilah was apparently expecting a different answer because she shot an angry look at Sam and stormed out of the bedroom.
              My best friend, confused, said, “What did I ever do to her? Anyway, I’m glad you want to talk.” She sat on my bed and I was about to apologize for my state when I noticed her eyes; they were red and swollen. “They came up with a verdict yesterday about Gareth.”
              “How did it go?” Lost in my own fuzzy thoughts, I had completely forgotten.
              “I came to tell you yesterday but you were asleep. If I’d known you were drunk I would’ve woken you.” She paused, angry. “This whole trial was a sham. The jury never intended to give Gareth a chance. Some of them didn’t even listen to what I had to say. They kept nodding and writing in their notepads but I wouldn’t be surprised if they were actually listening to music or hiding a book under their notes. It was ridiculous!” Sam rarely got mad at people. It wasn’t in her nature. But when she did, her entire face turned crimson and she often started crying a little. Today wasn’t an exception. “My mother was probably the only person in the room who actually cared. I guess she’s the only leader who still has a heart in her chest.
              “The others are completely paranoid. They don’t care what Gareth went through with his brother. They don’t care that he was as much a victim in this as we were! All they care about is eliminating anything that could threaten their little comfort in their little country and all the better if this person has no family! That way, no one else will get hurt, right? Gareth Williams will simply disappear in the mist of our Dimension and that’s it!”
              “Wait. What are you saying?” I interrupted. “Do they want to kill him?”
              Samera’s eyes watered. I feared she had been crying out her frustration all night. “No. They erased his memory. They used a technology created in Red to reinvent his life. He won’t remember anything. He’ll only know his new
s
,faked name and start working at some bureaucratic library somewhere around the globe and start a new life. He’ll have forgotten about the Rascals, the Protectors, the Dimensions… about everything and everyone! It’s so unfair for him! I—”
              A loud explosion suddenly interrupted Samera’s outburst. Then another. My best friend and I got up immediately and went for the door, but the third blast resonated closer; it made us lose balance on our feet as we collapsed onto the floor.
              I don’t know how long we stood there staring at each other completely terrified. Neither of us understanding what was going on. I felt like I was in a dream, where everything around you moves in slow motion and you just can’t act the way you want to.
              “Amya?” Sam finally screamed over the growing buzzing noise of Protectors running around in complete panic. “Are you all right?”
              I was just about to nod when another explosion was heard, and this time, it was followed by a girl’s scream. I swore it was my sister. Terrified and confused, I got up, opened the door, and was about to search for her in the hallway when I came face to face with Michelle.
              “Oh, thank goodness you two are here!” She stepped forward into the bedroom and closed the door behind her. “You need to leave. Now,” she shouted at Samera and me. “The explosions only destroyed the main office but it’s only a matter of time before it reaches the second floor. I’m afraid it was orchestrated by the Rascals. Who else knows where to find you?” She stared at me. “Gareth probably gave them the location of the HQ.” She paused and took several steadying breaths. Then she hugged her daughter. “Go downstairs and find Xander.” She took out a piece of paper from her pocket. “Give this to your father. He was assigned to guard Xander before the trial. He must still be at his post. He’ll know what to do.”
              “What about you?” Samera replied with concern.
              “I need to make sure everyone is all right. Now, go.” Michelle opened the door at the same time that another explosion was heard, making the floor quake. “If Wyatt is behind this,” she shouted over the noise, looking firmly into my eyes, “you need to get as far away from here as possible. I will contact Karl later, but not before the dust is settled.”
              “But my sister is still here!” I urged. “I need to find her and make sure she’s all right.” The cry still echoed in my head like a scary nightmare. Without thinking, I pushed past Michelle and ran in the hallway. “Delilah!” I shouted. “Delilah, where are you?”
             
I told her she was safe here. I lied again.
              How could I ever forgive myself if something happened to her?
              I was about to turn left at the corner when someone grabbed my arm. “We
have
to go!” It was Samera. “Mom said we don’t have much time before the Protectors calm down and then there will be no exit and no way to get Xander out of here. It’s our best chance at saving him. She said the Protectors will blame Xander for all of this. They’ll say the Rascals raided the HQ to set him free…”
              There was too much happening. My heart was pumping out of my chest and a droning sound in my ears prevented me from hearing the rest of Sam’s words. I needed to find Deli. What if Wyatt wasn’t here for me? Delilah had said he wanted to meet with her yesterday. But she’d come here instead. What did he want from her?
              At the same time, Xander was also in great danger. He’d given up on himself and, as bad as the situation was, the bombing granted us a chance to release him. To save him from a possible torture. He would be safer away from the Protectors until they recognized his true nature.
              I stood there, staring at Samera’s lips moving without hearing a sound, thinking of a solution, when an explosion detonated several feet from us and we were projected into the air, onto the wall behind me. My lower back hit first, followed by my shoulders, my head, and finally my legs.
              Then I was deaf.
              Except for a sharp piercing sound.
              I got up and leaned on the wall I’d just crashed into and blinked a few times to clear my sight. I felt dizzy and my back hurt. When I looked down, Samera was still seated on the floor, through the dust and pieces of walls, and she was painfully hugging her left leg.
              “Sam?” I said, but even I couldn’t hear my own voice. “SAM?”
              She looked up and immediately raised her hand to mine. I couldn’t figure out how bad her leg was but I knew she needed my help to get up. Without a word, I pulled her as hard as I could and we fell in an embrace.
              “Amya! We need to get out of here!” she shouted in my ear.
              “I really need to find Deli…”
              “Mom will look for her. She’s probably safe somewhere and if we don’t follow the plan, we’ll put ourselves and Xander in danger for nothing.” She broke out from the hug, putting her weight on my shoulders, and stared into my eyes with an air of urgency. “Your sister will be fine, Amya. But Xander won’t be if we don’t leave
now
.”
              My best friend had a point. Delilah was probably already hiding somewhere. She’d never been at HQ before without being blindfolded, so she could hardly find her way around. But as opposed to Xander, she wanted to stay alive and would do anything to remain safe. Plus, she was surrounded by people who would take care of her. Xander, however, was certainly lost if we didn’t help him.
              “All right. Let’s go,” I told Sam, before I positioned her arm behind my neck and we started racing toward the stairs.
              Many Protectors ran past us, too absorbed in their own fear to notice their surroundings. Some were crying while others were on their cell phones, probably talking to their husbands and wives. When we arrived on the third floor, the explosions had ceased and I was shocked to notice that no one was around.
              “I thought everybody would come here, since the blasts happened upstairs.”
              “They probably all gathered on the fourth floor,” Samera told me, “in the library. It’s the safest place in case of an emergency.”
              As we approached our destination, I couldn’t help but dread our encounter with Xander. He’d seemed so fragile and consumed with self-aversion. What would he look like today? Would he even agree to escape and save himself?
              The same anger I’d felt leaving him yesterday came back and possessed my thoughts.
             
I will force him if I have to. No way am I leaving him behind. I don’t know what the future holds for him but death isn’t an option.
                More determined than ever, I ran faster across the training room, and it was only when I stepped into the prison area that I slowed down.
              I’d never seen this place empty. No guards, no one at the desks; it almost felt like we were running into a trap.
              Until my gaze fell on Mr. Jensen and Xander. The latter literally threw himself into my arms when he saw me and I couldn’t have been happier to feel his body steady against mine. He felt more alive than I’d seen him in a month and that was enough to alleviate the turmoil of emotions fighting against my sanity.
              “I was so scared something had happened to you,” he whispered in my ear. “I’m so sorry about yesterday. You were right. I owe it to you to keep fighting.” He held my face into his warm hands, his sky-blue eyes filled with love. “And I will as long as I have you by my side.”
              I lifted my hand to his cheek and traced his chin with my trembling fingers. I could almost sense his pulse through his burning skin. And I could feel something inside me, something familiar. We had touched each other before; I had probably felt his hands in my hair, followed the line of his jaw with my lips… I had kissed him… And yet I could not remember any of it.
              At that moment, my heart felt full, so full I thought it would explode and burst into a thousand butterflies. I was looking at him and he was returning the same fiery yet tender gaze, brushing my cheeks with his thumbs. Smiling at me like the world belonged to us. And just then, under all the stress and confusion, the excitement and the intensity of my feelings for him—just then I longed to tell him how much I missed him. No matter what I could or couldn’t remember of our previous relationship, I was now certain that part of my heart belonged to him and him only.
              So I ignored Karl and Samera’s distant words urging us to get going; I pushed aside all doubts I’d felt in the last month regarding my past, and I pressed my lips against his.