Finding Me (33 page)

The person I had thought was my friend.

The person intent on killing me now.

I knew, despite my fear, I moved much too slowly. His car moved much faster than mine. I braced myself knowing the next ram from his vehicle could come at any second. My eyes teared up again and I winced in pain from the injury to my throbbing head.

After all his, “I’m not your enemy” crap, this is what it came down to. He wanted me dead from the start. I guess he only needed the right scenario. Me driving by myself, a great distance from everyone else, must have been too perfect an opportunity to pass up.

My entire body shook with fear.

I checked my mirror to see that he approached fast from my left. Somehow, his tint didn’t appear as dark and I could see his eyes. His intense glare and strength would have been admirable if he hadn’t been trying to kill me. Where did that strength come from? I never saw it before.
If he could harness this strength, could I?
If he could be this other person, couldn’t I be someone else, too?
More appropriately, could Chloe?

Realization sank in. I was Chloe, but I was also Amanda. She wouldn’t cower in her car. She wouldn’t sit and whimper for help. No. She would want him off her tail and she would make him move.

I slammed my foot on the brake. My car skidded to the left and came to a halt in the middle of the open road. The ENO hadn’t expected this reaction and didn’t have a chance to stop. Metal and metal merged and sounded one large clap of thunder as his vehicle collided with mine.

My head smacked the steering wheel. “Awww,” I screamed in pain. The impact caused my lip to split and a trickle of blood fell from my nose to my gray pencil slacks. I gawked at the stain that lay on my pants, then in my mirror at the ENO. How clearly I could see him now.

And I knew he recognized me. The real me.

The force of the collision left my vehicle dangling on top of the guardrail. My car’s indecision on whether to topple over the rail was brief. My car broke loose from the guardrail. It made a blistering descent toward a cluster of overgrown trees that ran along the side of the road below. I stomped the brakes to the floor which did nothing since my car didn’t touch the ground.

The car continued its downward spiral.

I wrenched my body forward from its curled position. My heart nearly stopped as I spotted the gigantic tree my car barreled toward.
I have to jump.
My aching body wrestled the door. Useless. It wouldn’t budge.

I pushed the door again, straining and crying out. Nothing worked. My body screamed, wanting me to succumb to the pain and fear. But I stood resolute.
I’m not dying.

“Stop!” I threw my right hand up toward the tree as the car catapulted toward it.

The car skidded to the right in midair, just barely missing the large tree, and landing gently on the ground.

I sat motionless, gasping for air and shocked at what I’d done. The pain in my body was a reminder that I couldn’t sit and think about what happened. I had to do something. Now.

I ignored the pain. My only option. I pushed myself through the driver’s side window. My body raked over the shattered glass, pieces of which lodged in my thigh, my shin, and my ankle. Pain seared through me at an accelerated rate. However, something else existed in that pain: strength, determination.

Zack, in his car, was obviously surprised by my reaction.

I balled my right hand into a fist and pointed it at his vehicle. Unspeakable anger swelled in my chest. With my hands clenched, I pulled his car down the ravine. He sat dazed and unmoving in it. Once hiscar rested near my own, I flung my hands up. Blue light shot from my fingers like streaks of lightening bolting through the sky.

Power surged through me like a jolt of pure adrenaline. I pulled my fist into a tighter ball, digging my nails into the skin on my palm, and yanked the doors of his car from the hinges. With strength I didn’t know I possessed, I dragged him from it. His body flung into the air. He landed on his bottom in front of me. A look of shock creased into the lines of his face.

He was to his feet in a matter of seconds. And towered over me in no time.

“That was impressive, Amanda.” He smiled coyly at me and titled his head forward. His massive body blocked my view of the road, but I didn’t need to escape – not anymore.

I stood face to face with a monster. But not just any monster – my own personal one. It was all clear to me now. Zack had been the ENO all along, just as I’d been Amanda. I knew it and he did, too.

This knowledge produced a greater clarity of our circumstances. He couldn’t, for whatever reason, kill me. It was one of the rules we were unable to break.

“There are rules.” I smiled at him.

“Rules can be broken.” He arched his right brow at me with a slight nod.

“Remember to do no harm. Do no harm to humans. Do no harm to Peacekeepers. Remember the oath, keep it sacred.” My smile was huge. I had no idea where that information came from, but I knew today wasn’t the day of my death.

He couldn’t personally cause my death, but he found it exciting to try. I, likewise, could not kill him. Not yet. These were the rules we had lived with for years. We had mere seconds left to endure them, however. Our final hour was drawing near, his actions now a desperate attempt to level the playing field.

I sighed loudly. “Old friend. Please watch yourself. I haven’t fully regained my memory and I’m little hurt that I can’t just kill you now. But I will regain my full memory. And when I do, I’ll find a way to destroy you without breaking the rules of our game.”

With one quick sweep of my hands, I knocked him to the soil below. He’d anticipated my reaction; his hands were inclined toward mine and he dragged me with him as he hit the ground. Our bodies entwined, our eyes bore into each other’s with a fury so great, Earth itself seemed unable to contain it. Trees swayed in the fierce wind that kicked up. The sun hid behind a massive cloud formation and the ground vibrated beneath us as we fell to the dirt. In an instant, we were to our feet in semi-darkness.

I lunged for him and we both tumbled to the earth below. A large evergreen cracked and fell as we plunged deeper down the ravine. I clawed at him, trying to rip his eyes from their sockets. He grabbed me by the throat and flung me into a patch of thick foliage.

I screamed in pain. A burst of blood exploded inside my mouth. Seething with anger, I tried to rip his head from his body. I pushed my arms up and smashed both my hands into each side of his head. His grip on my neck relaxed. With a quick jerk of my knee, I thrust him off me. Pain resonated through my body and I gasped for air. He sprang to his feet in one fluid motion. His hand found my throat once more and he pulled me closer to him. I peered down at a cut on my arm – already healing itself.

I smiled a threat.

He released me, laughing. “It has been some time, princess. I’ve missed you.” He had that look again. That pained expression he had when he was Marcus. That look, like he knew me. Like he knew me in ways I didn’t want to even begin to think about.

“I see you have some fight left. That’s good. Keep your strength up. You’ll need it.” He took a menacing step closer. His eyes showed contempt and hatred that his mouth didn’t say.

“You should know this has been my favorite life. Kissing you, I must admit, was the highlight.” He tilted his head and grinned. His strength was great, but I wasn’t frightened of him anymore. Knowledge was power and I knew more than I would reveal to him.

He tossed his head back and laughed boisterously. “I’m sure with your fake mommy pushing you along you would’ve done anything not to hear her disappointed words.”

“You knew all along who I was. You used me to lure everyone else out.” I sprang to my feet and took a step in his direction. Anger pored over me like hot liquid. It worked its way into my body, seeped into my brain, wrapped around my heart. It enveloped me and I didn’t fight it.

“Of course I knew. I’m no novice at this. I had free reign over your thoughts and your real mother’s from the start. I planted false information as soon as I could. Well, until your friends showed up and you suddenly began to block me. I must say though, putting that spell on Karen was one of my more excellent ideas.” He sighed. A crooked smile played at the corner of his lips. But his eyes made me gasp. He looked sad again. “I do miss our time together. You couldn’t have believed Casey meant anything. She was a fun distraction. But then, as usual, Chloe ruined it. When you touched my hand, you had a glimpse. I knew it was only a matter of time before... So I had to kill this body.”

“You’re a despicable monster.”

“Such harsh words, princess. I’ve really missed you. I see that you haven’t regained all your memory because you’d remember we shared quite a few things in the past. How about a kiss?” He arched his brows once and his lips turned up at the corners. “Just one. You know…for old time’s sake.” He slithered forward and smiled deviously. My stomach turned.

I moved closer, arching my body, beckoning him to me. He crept closer. Once he converged on me, I thrust my hands at him, palms out. His body flew through the air, arms and legs flailing. With my left hand keeping him steady against a large oak tree, I pulled the enormous branches down, wrapping them around his arms and legs. Unwavering, I marched to him, rage burgeoning with each plod of my foot.

“You’re such a fool. You don’t have my heart,” I said, “and you never will. I can’t recall what started all this, but when I do, my friends and I will use that information to destroy you.”

He didn’t utter a single word. He grinned. As if he knew something I didn’t. “I have to go now. The love of my life is waiting for me. I think you should hang out here. You need to cool off.” I motioned with my stretched fingers to the branches of the tree. They came to life again, expanding outward and crawled up his wrists and legs. They bound him tighter. I smiled, delighted at what I’d done.

“I forgot to cool you off.” I shoved my hands forward, palms elevated to the sky. Then I heaved them at him with all the wrath and condemnation I could muster. A voluminous dark cloud appeared over the tree. It rained, drenching and plastering his hair and clothes to him.

I laughed, exhilarated by the power that coursed through me. I was certain if I called Chris now he’d hear. But I didn’t need to. I’d handled it all on my own. A grin of satisfaction spread across my face.

I bounced over to my beaten-up car, ran my hands over it, tracing the lines of scratched metal, and fingered the large shards of glass from the passenger door. Every dent, scratch, and broken window disappeared. The shiny red car appeared to be new again and the engine purred to life.

I caught a glimpse of my wounds in the side mirror. A purplish bruise shown under my right eye. Scratches lined the side of my face and neck. Blood was clotting on my nose and my lip was swollen. With my right hand, I traced my wounds and they soon disappeared. I looked as I had before the attack.
Perfect.

“I see your power no longer eludes you,” he said from the tree. “I’ll allow you to believe you’ve won this time but truthfully, you and your playmates have already lost. If you beg me now, I’ll go easy on them. But I’ve told you before. I’m not a monster…not your enemy. But there’s not a lot of time left.” He looked at me from under his lashes. “Amanda, they’re slowing you down. This is so amateurish. You’ve done better.” He used his index finger to cut away the branches that bound him. “What I don’t understand is why you don’t remember everything.” His face scrunched in confusion.

I ignored him. He wanted questions answered that were none of his business. Truth be told, I didn’t know the answer to that one either.

“Good girl,” I said, and rubbed my car gently.

When I glanced back, he had almost freed himself. But I wasn’t frightened in the least. I walked in the strength and power I held within me. I laughed at the ENO’s word, “amateurish”. I knew I could do more. Better. I chose not to.

“Amanda,” he called from his position attached to the tree. I lifted my head to glare at him.
Really?
What could he possibly have to say now? “Remember. The greatest lie man has ever told himself was that he is the superior being.” Our eyes bore into each other.

What the hell is he talking about? Why is he being so cryptic?
I frowned up at him and shook my head. I didn’t have time to try to piece together the puzzle that was the ENO.

My car door opened at the turn of my wrist, allowing me entry. Exhilarated, I rolled down the windows and allowed the wind to whip through my curls as I sped off in the direction of the dance. I screamed at the top of my lungs, “I’M ALIVE.”

“Well. That’s good, but you’re late,” Chris said, regenerating in the car beside me.

“Chris.” I jumped in my seat, excited to see him and relay what happened.

“Calm down. Keep your eyes on the road. Slow down, your thoughts are coming at me too fast. I can’t understand what you’re trying to say.”

I veered the car to the side of the road and unbuckled my seat belt. My heart beat so fast I imagined it might explode from my chest. I took a deep breath. My face relaxed and my emotions calmed for the moment, I turned and stared at him. “I had an encounter with the ENO.”

“What? Why didn’t you–”

“I tried to call you but I couldn’t. Somehow, he disabled my powers. Well…long enough that I had to make the decision to face him.”

“Why? He could’ve killed you. What are you trying to prove? You don’t know how powerful he is. You can’t face the ENO without us all being there. That is what Sam saw. It has to be us all working together - fighting together - to destroy him. Not you by yourself.” He stopped, took a deep breath, and exhaled loudly. I didn’t move a muscle. “Next time run. Run like you’ve never run in your life. I don’t think he can take your power for that long. If you can avoid him long enough then you can regenerate somewhere else. He can’t follow you like that.”

“Do you want to hear how I got away?” I asked coolly.

“I don’t know if I want to.” He rubbed his hands in that nervous manner and scrunched his mouth up.