Shadow didn’t respond because he didn’t need to. He pointed the staff at her and a large multi-colored beam of light burst out of the tip and pierced Maedara’s chest. She was thrown high up into the air and her body was illuminated by the sheer power of the blast. She screamed as rainbow flames ate at her skin like hungry dogs and then her body broke. When the blinding light faded, there was nothing left of Maedara but ashes and a pair of battered, singed red high heels. She was no more.
13
Forget Me Not
Shadow walked down the hallway with a large basket in his hand. As he made his way to his destination, he reflected on how much had changed in the last few weeks since the battle with Maedara. The team had been in recovery mode ever since. Most of them had completely healed just fine, due to Faith assisting with the healing process. Isaac ended up surviving. It was unexpected and he wasn’t sure how, Ethan called it a miracle but that was to be expected.
He was glad the battle was over and the team survived it mostly intact. Although he still beat himself up daily about Kay’s death. He managed to recover her body and clean it up. There wasn’t any family to provide a funeral, but he placed her in a mausoleum and had a small ceremony for her. Even though she had betrayed them, she was still part of the team. It was the least he could do.
Shadow climbed several sets of stairs before finally reaching his destination, the building on the roof. With its UV-resistant glass, it was the perfect place to enjoy the sunshine and not get burned to a crisp. It was also the perfect place to have a picnic, which was what they were doing to celebrate. He pushed open the door and walked inside.
“Shadow!” Ryan exclaimed, putting an arm around his shoulder. “I’m glad you finally had a good idea for once.”
“For once?” Shadow asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Oh, you know what I meant!”
Shadow smirked and placed the picnic basket onto a table. “I packed a bunch of stuff…I hope it’s enough. I know how you guys like to eat.”
“Hopefully there’s more than blood in there?” Tristan asked. “The rest of us can’t survive on a liquid diet like you can.”
“Shut up, Tristan.”
Ellie entered the room. She swept over to Shadow and smiled brightly. “Thanks again for organizing this picnic and mini-camping trip, Shadow. It’s really nice of you.”
“Please, it’s the least I could do. You all worked so hard and we dealt with a lot…this is a well-deserved treat.”
“It’s totally cool,” Crystal added. She had come in behind Ellie and was carrying a boom-box with two speakers. “I mean we all knew you were cool, but this is, like, next-level cool. You’re like…Alaska or something.”
“Thanks, I think?” Shadow muttered. “Where is Ethan, by the way?”
Ellie snickered. “He’ll be here…he’s busy carrying up all of Crystal’s stuff.”
Ethan came into the room, as if on cue. He had four large duffle bags on his shoulders and an even larger cooler in his hands. “Hello, everyone.”
Ryan stared at him and blinked. “Jeez, Crystal…you do know that we’re only having a small picnic and camping out here for one night, right?”
“I’m not stupid, Ryan. Of course I know that. But you’ll never know what you could need when you’re out in the wild.”
Ryan shook his head. “We’re inside our house…you wacko.”
“Enough,” Shadow said, shaking his head. “We’re having a nice trip…can’t you guys keep the arguing to a minimum for one day? I’m not asking you to perform rocket science.” He turned to the door as it opened and smiled. “Hey, Cameryn.”
Cameryn walked in with a small box of plastic utensils. “Are we too late for the picnic?”
“Nope, not at all.”
Ellie went forward and relieved Tereya, who had come in with Cameryn, of the boxes of donuts he was holding. “Did anyone check to see if Isaac was coming?”
Tereya shook his head sadly. “I asked him, but no luck. He didn’t want to come…he barely wants to talk to me anymore. He doesn’t do much except visit Kay’s grave.”
“It’s only natural for him to be struggling,” Shadow replied. “After all, he did spend a large portion of his time with her.”
“He still blames us for what happened to her,” Cameryn said. “Me especially. I’ve seen the looks he gives me…it sucks.”
Shadow shook his head. “I think more than anything, Isaac blames me for her death. For not protecting her like I promised and being a good leader.”
“But that’s not your fault at all!” Crystal cried.
“She’s right,” Ethan said. “You couldn’t have protected Kay from what led to her downfall because it was herself. She made choices, and unfortunately they were the wrong ones.”
“I know that, and you guys know that. But try explaining that to a heartbroken kid who’s lost the closest thing to a sister he’s ever had. It’s not so simple then.”
“True,” Ethan replied. “He won’t find peace until he learns to make peace with himself. And that could take years.”
“Enough of this!” Niki said. “Can we please eat already?” She poked at the picnic basket. “There had better be muffins in that basket.”
“Calm down,” Ellie replied. “We’re still waiting on Faith. And yes, there are muffins in here. You can have one when they arrive.”
“Oh, please…she wouldn’t care if I started eating. She’d understand if she really loved me.”
“I’m sure she’ll be here soon,” Tereya said. “Until then, why not play some music?”
Niki jumped to her feet. “That’s a brilliant idea! Some music is just the thing we need to make this picnic go from awesome to extenscious.”
“Extenscious?” Ryan asked, with a frown.
“Yes, Ryan…extenscious. Like when something is so mind-blowingly awesome it completely blows your mind! Extenscious.”
“It’s not a real word – you just made that up.”
Niki returned his frown with one of her own. “Did not.”
“You totally did!”
“Ryan!” Shadow chastised. “Drop it, okay? This is supposed to be a relaxing day. If Niki wants to invent a whole new language, she can.”
“Don’t encourage her,” Ryan muttered.
“Ryan, take the high road,” Ethan implored. “Trust me. You’ll find it’ll lead to fewer headaches in the long run if you just go with it.”
“Speaking from experience?” Cameryn asked, throwing a side glance at Crystal.
“You could say that.”
Niki let out a huge groan. “If she’s not here in three minutes, I’m diving head first into that basket!”
Shadow pulled out his communicator and hit the speak button. “Faith…hurry up. Niki’s about to rampage.”
Faith walked in a few moments later. “Sorry I’m late, you guys. But I was talking to Isaac and trying to get him to come here...before he did anything rash.” And she pushed open the door, indicating for him to come in.
Isaac came inside, looking as though he didn’t want to be there. He had a huge book bag slung over his shoulder, and he was deliberately avoiding eye contact with anyone in the room.
“Hey, Isaac,” Tereya said, walking over to him. “What’s with the bag?”
“It’s just a few of my things.”
Tereya’s smile slipped a bit. “Why are you carrying your things around in a bag? Are you going somewhere or something?”
Isaac shook his head and didn’t respond.
“Isaac, tell them,” Faith said.
“Are you going somewhere?” Shadow asked pointedly.
“I don’t want to make things any more awkward than they already are,” Isaac replied. “I didn’t want to interrupt the picnic.”
Faith sighed. “Isaac, I already told you…nothing is awkward. You’re making it awkward. Nobody here holds anything against you.”
“What do you mean?” Shadow asked.
“He’s being r
eally stubborn….”
“I don’t want to talk about it, okay?” Isaac said angrily. “I don’t need pity and I don’t want to make everything about me. Not today.”
“Well, you’re already doing that,” Niki pointed out. “So you might as well go the full distance and share what’s on your mind.”
Isaac took a deep breath. “After everything that happened in the fight with Maedara and Kay, I’ve just felt a huge disconnect from this team, and–”
“Isn’t that your fault?” Ryan interrupted. “After all, you’ve been isolating yourself and not communicating. So it’s not a surprise.”
Shadow held up a hand. “Ryan, let him finish.”
“No, it’s okay, he’s right,” Isaac replied. “I’ve been purposely isolating myself the last few weeks because I…blame you all for what happened to Kay. I thought if Shadow had tried harder, that maybe she’d still be alive.”
“Shadow would have saved her if he could,” Tereya said softly. “I’ve told you that multiple times. He wouldn’t just let her die….”
“Yeah, I know…I know…but still. I can’t control how I feel.”
“You could try,” Niki suggested.
Isaac ignored her. “Besides, it’s not just about that. It’s also about…well, I feel like you’ve all treated me differently since Kay’s betrayal. Like I’m part of it, or that I wasn’t to be trusted. I don’t think it was intentional…but it’s there.”
Tereya frowned. “I never treated you differently!”
“I know you didn’t,” Isaac replied. “I’m talking about the others.”
“Well, who specifically?” Ellie asked, raising an eyebrow. “Because I don’t remember singling you out at all. And I certainly don’t remember anyone else doing it either.”
“I don’t think any of us have,” Ethan said quietly. “I think Isaac might be projecting his own thoughts onto the situation and creating feelings that weren’t truly there.”
Isaac shook his head. “I’m not going to sit here and argue about it. The fact is, I’ve already made my choice.”
“And what choice is that?” Shadow asked carefully.
“I’ve decided to leave,” Isaac replied, looking away. “I don’t belong here…I’ve been thinking about it for a while, and this place just doesn’t feel like home without her. I don’t have a connection to anyone else.”
“No connection?” Tereya repeated indignantly. “We’re…I mean, I thought we were friends.”
“Reya, I didn’t mean–”
Tereya shook his head, tears forming in his eyes. “No, I think you meant it. And that’s fine. I guess only one of us truly cared.”
“It’s not like that! God!”
“Isaac, you don’t mean this,” Ellie said. “You’re just angry, hurt, and confused…you’re lashing out at the only people you have left.”
Crystal nodded in agreement. “How about you take a major chill pill, relax, and sit down and eat with us? Everything is better after food.”
“No thank you,” Isaac said. “I’m good…I’m not changing my mind.”
“If that’s really what you want,” Ryan said harshly. “Then goodbye.”
Tristan nodded. “We’re a team. If you don’t want to be part of it, then leave.”
“Fine.”
“Isaac, think about this very carefully,” Shadow said, standing up. “I want there to be no misunderstandings. If you are truly leaving – you’re done. You’re not a member of this team. So leave your communicator.”
Faith gasped. “Shadow, is that really necessary?”
“Yes, it is. If Isaac leaves, it could create a huge breach of security. It’s more than likely there are some of Maedara’s minions still alive that know he’s part of our team. They could use it against us. I have to do what’s best for the rest of you.”
Isaac shrugged. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his communicator. He placed it on the table. “Happy now?”
Shadow shook his head. “No, I’m not…but for what it’s worth, I’m sorry about everything. I wish I could have done more for you.”
“Yeah, sure.”
“I guess this is goodbye,” Tereya said, staring at the floor. “I…I hope that you find what you’re looking for.”
Isaac didn’t respond. He turned and walked out the door.
“What does this mean?” Cameryn asked. “Is he now our enemy?”
“Things aren’t so black and white,” Shadow replied. “The world isn’t made up of friends and enemies. Maedara was definitely evil. Kay was troubled…and Isaac? He’s a perfect example of how much evil can take away from you. I hope one day he’ll return when he’s in a better place.”
“Don’t blame yourself,” Faith said. “You tried your best. You can’t win every battle. If you could, life would be simple.”
“I know that…but I can’t help but still feel like a failure.”
“Why do you think you failed?” Niki asked. “I mean, sure, Kay died and Isaac ran away…but you still accomplished a lot! Maedara’s dead and the sun is back. That’s a lot!”
“Gee, Niki,” Ryan remarked. “Let’s remind him of all his failures. And while we’re at it, let’s throw him out into the sunlight…just for kicks.”
Ellie glared at them. “Regardless, it doesn’t matter because neither of those things were his fault. So they don’t count as failures.”
“Let’s change the subject, okay?” Cameryn said quickly. “I’m hungry, and I’m sure we could all use the comfort food.”
“He’s right,” Shadow said finally. “We shouldn’t ruin our big day. This was supposed to be a happy occasion to celebrate our triumph. Let’s not mess it up.”
Crystal nodded. “It’s true. There’s no use dwelling on things we can’t change. I mean I get upset every day, because while I have lots of money, I’m not a billionaire. But if I got upset about all the money I don’t have, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the money I do have.”
“Am I crazy, or was that oddly perceptive?” Faith asked, blinking.
“I can be smart sometimes! I’m not just a one-dimensional girl.”
Ethan smiled and rubbed her back. “And you prove that more so every day.”
“Enough chatting, let’s eat!” Ellie exclaimed.
“Now you’re speaking my language!” Niki said. “But remember the muffins are mine. I’m serious – I will fight for them.”
Ryan passed Niki the box of muffins from the picnic basket and watched as she tore it open and shoved several into her mouth. “Niki…do you think about anything but muffins?”
“I also like dolphins.”
“Right.”
“Tereya, pass me one of those blood packs,” Shadow called.
“Sure thing!” Tereya reached into the mini-cooler and pulled out a pack of blood. “Do you, uh…want it on a plate, or….”
“No that won’t be necessary.” Shadow took the package of blood and was about to tear into it when there was a loud boom – like a bolt of lightning. “What the hell?”
“Where did that come from?” Ellie asked, looking around.
“I’m not sure, but everyone be on your guard!”
A woman materialized into the room, assembling from a cloud of smoke. She had shoulder-length black hair with beads and feathers of various colors strewn in, and her entire body was covered in a brightly-colored pair of robes. “Hello, Shadow…it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
Shadow’s mouth went wide and then formed into a smile. “Gail! It’s you!”
“Pardon my language,” Ryan said. “But who the hell is Gail?”
“Oh…right! I’m sorry. Guys, this is Gail. You know her by her other name…the Seer.”
“But an excellent question,” Gail said, tapping her fingers. “Shadow and I go way back. We met nearly ten years ago. I was the local healer in the town where he grew up. And we became friends. I taught him a few things and he taught me a few things. And…I shared with him my vision of the futu
re, of the mission you all would eventually undertake.”
“It was all you?” Ellie asked in awe.
“You make it sound more grandiose than it is, but yes, I am the one who sent Shadow on the path to find you all.”
Shadow smiled. “She also helped me out of quite a few sticky situations.”
“You needed help?” Crystal asked. “You never ask for help!”
Gail laughed at her comment. “It’s true, he’s gotten to be very stubborn…but he wasn’t always the way he is now. He was once younger in mind. Each mind is like a beach, with the ocean being the problems of the world. Every single grain of information that you accumulate in life contributes to the sands guarding the shore.”
“Brilliant,” Ethan said. “You were lucky to have such an insightful mentor in your life.”
“Oh, stop it,” Gail said, dismissing his comment with a flick of the wrist. “I did nothing but light the way. He walked the road on his own.”
“This is nice and all, but why did you come here?” Tristan asked.
“Brother!” Faith cried. “Don’t be so rude!”
“He could have worded it better,” Shadow replied. “But he has a point. Why did you come here today? Could it be that you’re finally here to give me that information I asked you about? I assume so since the mission is complete.”
“I’m afraid not,” Gail replied. “I know about our deal…but you still have a ways to go before I can give you what you desire.”
“Information?” Ellie inquired.
Shadow shook his head. “I don’t want to talk about it right now.” He turned his attention back to the Seer. “So then what brings you here?”
“I believe you have lost a few teammates.”
“That’s one way of putting it,” Ryan remarked. “I’d like to think of it as…we’ve gained more space in the house.”
Gail made a chastising noise. “The point is, I have two more gifted children to leave in your care. Two more teenagers to be exact.”
Shadow stared at her, waiting for her to tell him she was joking. “You can’t be serious.”
The Descending Darkness Page 27
