Fractured Truth (14 page)

“Hey,” I said. “May’s as good as any Aura.”

“Comparing Furies to Auras is an insult to your kind.”

The twins hissed again; the movement made their eyes vibrate within their sockets.

May stood up. “I’m going to wait outside.”

“May, don’t—”

“It’s okay.” May left the house and closed the door behind her.

It had been a long time since I felt the familiar Vyken poison burning inside me, but I sure felt it now. “How dare you!” I said. “We came to help, but—”

“You came to help yourselves,” Rose said. “Don’t pretend you’re here for any other reason.”

The twins began to rock and a breeze, coming from who knew where, blew their silvery hair, moving it back and forth like fine spider’s silk.

“I think we got off track,” Charlie said, his voice calm and soothing. “The bottom line is we have to keep you safe. This will also help Auras. So you see, both of us will win.”

Rose looked down at her sisters. Their silent communication seemed to last forever.

“Relax,” Liam whispered, covering my tightened fist with his hand. It didn’t help. After everything May had done for Auras and me, she should never be treated like that.

Rose looked up. “We will think about it.”

“For how long?” I asked.

“As long as it takes.”

I scooted to the edge of my seat. “You don’t have—”

“Deal,” Charlie said and stood up. I glared at him, but he ignored me. “Thank you for having us into your home. We will stop by again soon.”

Rose opened the door, and we followed Charlie out. I stopped just before leaving and addressed Rose. “Auras are good people. Please help me protect them.”

She nodded her head once and slowly closed the door.

I turned around and walked to the car. May was sitting inside staring out the passenger window, her expression blank but her eyes ablaze with a familiar fury. As soon I slid into the backseat, I said, “Rose should never have said—”

“It’s fine, Llona,” May said.

“No, it’s not.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” She remained face forward and didn’t say anything the rest of the short drive back to Lucent.

Before we exited the car, Charlie, who must’ve sensed my anxiety, addressed me. “Give them some time, Llona. They’ll make a decision soon.”

I snorted. “ ’Cause that’s what people who have been living forever do. Time means nothing to them, and in the meantime Cyrus could find them.”

“Maybe we could get a couple of the Guardians to watch their home?” Liam suggested as May, without saying a word, jumped from the car and hurried inside Lucent.

“Maybe, but I doubt it. We barely have enough as it is.” I opened the door and stared after May. There had to be something I could say to her.

Just then my phone buzzed. While Charlie and Liam said their good-byes, I walked a short distance away and looked down at my phone. A message from Christian read, “I want to see you.”

I lowered the phone, breathing
in deeply. Christian wanted to see me. I should’ve wanted the same, but the truth was I was still upset that he had chosen to stay with Vykens. The Christian I knew would never have done that.

Charlie drove away while I clutched my phone tightly. Liam was standing on the pavement, looking at me like he wanted to say something, but instead he gave a small smile and went inside.

Once I was alone, I walked around the side of the building and called Christian. He answered on the first ring, saying, “I’ve been dying to talk to you.”

“You know where I am. You can stop by anytime.”

He paused. “I’ve been busy.”

“Yeah? Well, so have I.”

“What’s wrong? You sound stressed. Are you okay?” His voice was kind, gentle. I imagined him standing in front of me.

I didn’t know where to begin so I started first with May and my concerns with her father. Christian’s response surprised me.

“I know you don’t like him, especially after the whole car and fire thing—”

“That’ll do it.”

“—but he had his reasons. Maybe if you got to know him like May’s doing you would understand.”

“I can’t believe you’d even suggest that.”

He breathed into the phone. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Sometimes what makes sense in my brain isn’t always right, know what I mean?”

“It’s the poison, Christian. You need to come back here so I can help you.”

“And I will. Soon. I just have to find out more about where they are keeping Sophie and the other Auras. I think I’ve convinced Jackson to tell me.”

“That’s good, but I’d still feel better if you were here.”

“So what have you been up to today?” he said, changing the subject.

“A few of us went to see the witches.”

“Witches?”

“Oh, right, you don’t know.” I took a deep breath and told him about what Jackson had said and how we’d used Charlie to find them.

“Wow. I can’t believe you did it. I guess that shouldn’t surprise me.”

“What do you mean?”

He cleared his throat. “I’m just surprised that you found them, especially since Jackson’s managed to keep them hidden from Cyrus for so long. So where are they?”

“It was actually pretty clever of Jackson. He used the Auras’ power to mask theirs.”

“And where’s that again?” he asked for the second time.

I hesitated at the edge in his voice. Why was there an edge? “Not far,” is all I said. “Look I have to go, but I’ll call you soon.”

“I want to see you. Tonight?”

“Can’t. I want to check out the warehouse.”

There was silence on the other end, and then, “Make sure you take Liam. To be safe.”

“Will do.”

“I love you, Llona.”

I opened my mouth to say it back, but the words felt all wrong in my mouth.

“Good-bye,” I said and quickly hung up. I slumped against the wall behind me. Something was wrong. I should have been ecstatic that Christian was alive and well, but all I felt was a sickness spreading in my gut.

Just then a sound, like glass breaking, echoed off to my left, and a flash of light tore through the air. I took off running toward Denelle Hall, the building it had come from. My heart was pounding, and I could barely breathe.
It’s not Vykens
, I told myself. I prayed,
Not yet. We’re not ready.

I flung open the door and ran toward voices. Lots of them came from within the training room. Something was wrong.

I turned the corner into the room and skidded to a halt. There must’ve been at least thirty girls, all ages, backed against the wall. In the center, four more Auras, two of them Ashlyn and Kiera, were laughing hysterically. The other two were giggling, but it was a frightened giggle, like they weren’t sure how to react.

“What’s going on?” I asked, breathing hard.

Kiera and Ashlyn looked at me. I must’ve been quite a sight, panic-stricken face and hands lit up with balls of Light, because my appearance only made them laugh harder.

I clapped my hands, extinguishing the Light, and wiped at my brow with the back of my hand.

Mason walked up next to me, grinning ear to ear. “They were trying to teach Abbey how to use Light, but it went horribly wrong,” he said and glanced up at a window.

I followed his gaze. An elongated window near the ceiling had been completely shattered. I looked back at the girls. I guessed which one was Abbey by her bright red face. Her hair color was almost as blonde as mine.

“I’m impressed,” I said and patted her on the back. She glanced away bashfully, but the corners of her mouth were turned up.

Kiera was still smiling and wiping at her eyes. “You thought we were under attack, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, well, I’m not used to seeing Light being thrown around. How are they doing?”

“Why don’t you stick around and see?” Ashlyn asked.

“Would love to.”

The rest of the day we had a steady stream of Auras into the training room. I couldn’t believe their transformation. Teaching them hand-to-hand combat came easily, much like it had when Christian first taught me. Forming tight balls of Light, however, proved more difficult for them, but they had this thirst for knowledge and strength that I couldn’t quench. Kiera, Ashlyn, and I, along with Mason, Alex, and a couple of other Guardians, did our best to teach them all that we could, but there simply wasn’t enough time.

By the end of the day, I was exhausted. Kiera and Ashlyn had already left for dinner, leaving me alone in the room. I was lying down on a mat, arm over eyes, when someone said: “The girls really seem to like this class. They can’t talk about anything else.”

I moved my arm and opened my eyes. The school nurse, Abigail, was walking around the room as if inspecting it. I sat up.

“They did really good today. It’s encouraging.”

She looked back at me. “But will it last?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you think parents, or even the Council, will let this continue?”

Having gotten caught up in the excitement of everything, I hadn’t thought of this. “I hope so, because this is the only way Auras can effectively protect themselves.”

“I agree, but not many do. I hate to say it, but you’re wasting your time.” She came over to me and helped me stand. “Besides, someone inside Lucent let out Jackson, which means Cyrus still has some control over this school. It’s like you can’t win.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“Not yet, but you will. I’ve lived here for almost forty years. I’ve seen what’s gone on, heard the lies.”

“Then why are you still here?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. Maybe I keep hoping things will change. But you, Llona, you need to get away from here. You’re special. Not like these other girls. Maybe on the outside you can make a real difference.”

I stared at her, not really sure how to answer. I’d never heard a teacher, or even an Aura for that matter, speak like that. She patted my arm.

“Just remember who is important in your life, the ones who have made the biggest impact on you. That’s who you should be with.” She turned and walked away, leaving me staring after her.

Who was she talking about? My uncle Jake? Sophie? May? She believed Christian to be dead, so she couldn’t have meant him.

Her words left me more confused than ever. There were several people who had impacted my life. Christian was at the top of that list. Not only had he taught me to fight, but he also taught me to believe in myself, giving me much needed confidence. Why had I forgotten how important he was to me?

On my way up to my room, I called him. He answered after a few rings.

“You okay?” he said right away.

“Yeah. I just wanted to tell you that I love you too. I didn’t say it earlier and I’m sorry.”

He was silent for a few seconds. “So you want to be with me?”

“Of course, but I want you here with me, not with them.”

“I’m not sure that can happen, Llona.”

This startled me, and I stopped moving. “Why?”

“I’m not like other Guardians anymore. I don’t belong.”

“What are you saying? That you belong with Vykens?”

“I’m saying that I’m like you, and you’re like me. We don’t belong anywhere but with each other.”

Down the hall, a couple of girls came out of a dorm room. I hurried by them before I said, “I want that too, but we can’t leave Auras defenseless. They’re still my people like the Guardians are yours.”

“And so are Vykens.”

My stomach started to churn as if something bitter had poisoned it. “You can’t mean that, Christian.”

On the other end of the line, it sounded like he had walked outside somewhere windy. “There are two sides to every story,” he said. “I’m just saying that you’re being naïve to only listen to one side, especially when all that one side has done to you is lie. Am I wrong?”

“They didn’t knowingly lie. Cyrus deceived them, remember? What is wrong with you?” My voice was growing louder. Thankfully, my room was just up ahead. I quickly ducked inside and closed the door. “I can’t believe you’re even saying this, Christian. It’s not like you. Don’t you see that? It’s the Vyken poison inside you.”

“The same stuff that’s inside you,” he said. “Did you ever stop to wonder if maybe it’s a good thing?”

I shook my head, totally confused. “I don’t even know what to say.”

“Then just listen. I love you, and I want to be with you—every part of you. I accept you for what you’ve become and will never make you hide what you consider poison. It’s power, Llona. Power that can make you stronger. Together we will be stronger than all of them and can bring both races to their knees.”

I didn’t even realize my breathing was coming in short gasps until I felt myself get light-headed. “I have to go.”

“No, don’t hang—”

I clicked disconnect and crumbled to the floor in front of my bed. He didn’t mean it. There’s no way he could believe everything he’d said. It was the poison talking, that’s all. I told myself this over and over, and then I made a plan.

I was going to accomplish two things tonight. First, I was going to explore that warehouse Dr. Han had mentioned. I knew the name and town. With that information I felt confident I could find an address online. Second, I was going to find Christian and, willingly or not, bring him back.

An hour later the dinner
chimes sounded. I tore off the bottom half of a sheet of paper with the address on it and stuffed it into my pocket. It took a little longer than I expected, but I had found the location of the warehouse. Hopefully I’d discover something there that would lead me to Sophie and Christian.

Before I walked downstairs, I knocked on May’s door to see if she wanted to go to the dining room with me. Maybe she could give me some advice about Christian.

When May didn’t answer my repeated knocking, I tried the doorknob. It wasn’t locked. I opened it and peeked my head inside. “May?”

No answer. I moved farther into the room and gasped when I saw its condition. Clothes were strewn all over as if she’d had some kind of fit or . . . I checked her closet. A suitcase was missing. I raised my hand to steady myself against the doorjamb. First Christian and now May. What was happening?

Dr. Han. Maybe he knew something. Maybe this was all a misunderstanding, and May had simply decided to go home, back with her artist mother.