On the second floor, something caught my eye as I passed by a window, and I stopped. Near the outer wall, Petros was standing in a circle with several other Lycans. They seemed bigger than normal, like all their muscles were flexed in the same way an animal bristles.
What’s got them all riled up? I wondered. I looked beyond them, past the wall surrounding Lucent, and scanned the forest line. Something was wrong. I felt it now. The Vyken part of me I kept buried was suddenly alive and trying to break free. My insides burned as an uncontrollable rage coursed through my blood. I gripped the edge of the windowsill and lowered my head to the glass. It took several deep breaths to gain control again. Was Liam feeling the same thing?
“Are you okay?”
I opened my eyes. My hands had crushed the wood trim around the window. I turned around. Kiera was standing not far away. “What are you and your mother doing?” I asked, trying to keep my voice even.
Her worried expression changed to anger. “She’s not coming. Whatever, though. I’m staying.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No big deal. But there is good news. My aunt’s coming with a bunch of her Auran friends. They’ll be here in a few hours. Can you believe it? We’re going to have an army.” She gave me a hug.
“Let’s just hope everyone else feels the same way.”
“Where’s May?” Kiera asked. “I can’t wait to tell her.”
“Probably with Aaron.”
“I’m going to go find her,” she said and hurried down the hall.
As soon as she was gone, I thought to Liam, Are you okay?
Several seconds passed as I waited for his reply. The Lycans were walking away from each other, still bristled. Whatever had just happened wasn’t good.
Liam’s voice came to my head: No.
Where are you?
Office.
I rushed downstairs, my heart pounding. “Excuse me, watch out,” I said to several girls in passing.
“Don’t go in there,” Dr. Han warned as I approached his office. The door was closed.
“Let me by.” I pushed past him and opened the door. I momentarily paused at the condition of the room. Dr. Han’s desk was tipped on its side, scattering books and paper everywhere, and a chair was partially stuck into the wall as if someone had tossed it. “Liam?” I walked around the desk.
He was sitting on the floor, his legs brought up to his chest and his head in his hands. I slowly lowered myself to him.
“I don’t know what happened,” he said. “All of a sudden I felt this overwhelming aggression. I couldn’t control it!”
I touched the top of his head lightly. “I know. I felt it too. So did the Lycans. I was watching them from the window when it hit me.”
“Anything odd happen?”
“I dented the window trim. Nothing compared to this.”
He looked at the mess scattered around the room and shook his head. “I can’t believe this happened again.”
“Again? What caused it?”
“I think I know,” a voice said.
I glanced toward the door. Charlie was standing in the doorway. “When did you get here?” I asked.
“I just arrived.” He moved into the room. Dr. Han came with him and closed the door behind him.
I helped Liam to stand. “I’m sorry about your office,” he told Dr. Han.
“Don’t worry about that. What happened?”
Liam looked at Charlie. It was Charlie who answered. “It’s happened a few times to him over the last century. It’s when a surge of great darkness—evil, if you will—focuses on a particular area. In this case, Lucent Academy. The Vyken part of him reacts to it, and it’s about impossible for him to control it when it initially hits.”
“Will it happen again?” I asked.
“Probably not. It’s that initial gust, like the great wind before a storm. He’s usually on his guard, but sometimes he gets distracted.” Charlie’s eyes went to mine.
I cleared my throat. “About this gust. What’s coming?”
“Vykens. Hundreds of them.”
My legs weakened. We needed more time!
Charlie walked to the window, stepping over stacks of overturned books. “I received several calls about their movement all night, but I didn’t need the warning. I could sense them. They’ll be here soon with Sophie leading the charge.” He turned back to me. “You’re going to have to fight her. It’s you she wants.”
Liam took hold of my trembling hand.
“And the Shadow?” I asked.
“It’s with her.”
No one said anything nor would they look at me. We all knew what that meant. Dr. Han spoke first. “But if we can keep Sophie off Lucent’s property, then the Shadow can’t enter.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do,” Liam said. “We’ll block all exits, secure the walls, whatever it takes.”
A hurried knock at the door made me jump. Dr. Han opened it.
Mrs. Crawford entered the room with Abigail behind her. The blood drained from her face when she saw the condition of the room. For having a dark complexion, Mrs. Crawford sure looked pale. “What happened in here?” she gasped.
“Nothing to worry about, Rebecca,” Dr. Han said. “Sit down. You look ill.” He removed the chair from the wall and placed it next to her.
She dropped into it. “I can’t believe this is happening,” she said. “I’m still in shock.”
Abigail patted her on the back. “Everything will be as it should be soon. You’ll see.”
“How are the teachers?” Dr. Han asked. “Are they preparing?”
Mrs. Crawford leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees. I’d never seen her so worried. “Most of them are,” she said. “Ms. Hady still has a couple of them against all this.” She stopped talking and looked up at him. “What has happened to us?” Her eyes watered.
“We’re evolving,” Dr. Han said.
She smiled, but it looked uncomfortable. “A lot of mothers and older sisters are coming back to help. The response has been overwhelming.”
“I’m not sure if that’s necessarily a good thing,” Abigail said. Her stance was rigid, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d say she was angry.
“Good or bad, at least we will get to see some of our old students,” Mrs. Crawford offered.
“And then we’ll watch them die,” Abigail snapped.
“Nobody’s going to die!” I said. “Not if I can help it. We need to get everyone together and explain what’s about to happen. And then we need to train.”
Charlie turned away from the window. “I’ll get as many from the Deific as I can to come help.”
“And I’ll gather Guardians, as many as we can spare, to come too,” Dr. Han said.
I let go of Liam’s hand. “Good. I’m going to go find Petros. And May.” I looked up at Liam. “Are you all right?”
“Better. I just worry that I might lose it again. Maybe it would be better if I stay in the basement for a while. Maybe lock myself up or something.”
“Is that necessary?”
“I’m not taking any chances.”
“I’ll come see you soon then.” Our eyes locked. I wasn’t sure what he was thinking, but I know I was scared. For him. For me. For the girls.
“Don’t worry,” he whispered low.
I nodded and left the room to go find May first. She was where I thought she’d be: down the hall in Aaron’s room.
Aaron was sitting up in bed eating. Several bandages were wrapped around his bare chest. May was sitting on a chair next to him.
“You’re looking a lot better,” I said to Aaron.
“Feel better too,” he said through a mouthful of oatmeal.
May stretched her arms into the air. “It’s his third bowl.”
“How are you doing?” I asked her.
“Tired, but I’ll live.”
Aaron set his spoon down. “I keep telling her to get some rest.”
“I will.” She looked up
at me. “Everything okay? I heard about Dr. Han inviting all Auras to come back to Lucent. It has something to do with Sophie, doesn’t it?”
“Dr. Han gave everyone a choice. Stay and fight, or leave.”
May sunk into her seat. “I can’t do this anymore.”
“No one said you had to,” Aaron said. “You can leave, and no one would think less of you. You’ve been through so much already.”
I knelt beside her. “He’s right. Take some time. Go to New York City for a week.” I patted her leg. “I’ll even join you when I’m finished here.”
She bit her lip and tears filled her eyes. “My father. He messed with my mind, convinced me that the power I have makes me better than other people. And the worst thing is I bought into it. I felt so powerful, but then he made me do things . . . to animals first.” She choked on a sob that shook her whole chest. “I think he broke me. I don’t know how to be strong anymore.”
Her small voice and shrunken demeanor broke my heart. “You start by not letting him have control,” I answered. “You’re away from him now. Don’t let him make you feel like a victim anymore. You are one of the strongest people I know.”
“I don’t feel strong.”
“And that’s exactly how your father wants you to feel. Don’t you see? You’re very powerful, and he knows this.”
She wiped at her eyes and sniffed.
“Get some sleep,” I said. “It will help clear your mind, and then you can make whatever decision you think is best for you and no one else.”
She nodded her head.
I straightened and looked at Aaron. “Take care of her.”
“I will. I promise.”
I gave May a hug. “I’ll find you later. Love you.”
She squeezed me back. “I love you too.”
I reluctantly left the room. Part of me wanted to take her right now and skip town. Backpack through Europe or something like normal high school graduates. But my Auran part could never leave. Not now, but soon, I also would need a break from all of this.
I crossed the campus toward the wall where I’d seen the group of Lycans. Only a couple remained. One of them was Petros. He was looking beyond Lucent’s boundaries, tilting his head back and forth as if listening to something far away. His muscles were still taut, but his hands remained open by his thighs.
“Hello, Llona,” he said without turning around. The other Lycan next to him made no mention of my presence.
“What do you sense?” I asked.
“The forest. It’s too still. Something’s coming soon, isn’t it?”
“Yes.” I focused my hearing. Petros was right. I’d never heard the forest so quiet before. Not even the wind blew.
“Dr. Han told us what happened last night. Death should come to those who are disloyal, especially when it’s family.”
I thought about this. “But isn’t that when we should show mercy?”
“You give mercy to the penitent. Is your aunt sorry for her actions?”
I chuckled at this. “She pretty much wants me dead.”
“Then no mercy. You have to do whatever it takes to protect your kind.”
“Even if that means giving up my own life?”
For the first time he looked down at me. His eyes were large and dark, and I found I couldn’t look away. “There are many ways to solve a problem. Giving your life should be the last.”
“There aren’t any other options.”
“Sometimes, when I think there is no hope and all is lost, I only have to look into my past to find the solution. Trials repeat themselves, but they disguise themselves as something else to make us think they are impossible to defeat, but if we can take off their mask, we will see that we already faced and conquered the hardship and came out stronger.”
I stared at him. “Wow. That was insightful.”
“It happens every once in a while.” He winked at me.
“Did you just make a joke? I didn’t think you had it in you.”
His gaze returned to the horizon. “Bad things are coming,” he said, completely derailing the slight upward motion of my roller coaster and putting me back on the downward hill.
“I know, but we’re preparing.”
“Good. You’re all going to need to.”
FORTY
The next few days were a whirlwind of activity. Lucent’s population seemed to double as mothers and sisters returned to defend Lucent. Instead of one girl in a room, there were often two or three. May and Kiera moved in with me because, well, May was a Fury and didn’t have an Auran mother, and Kiera’s mother was absolutely against what we were doing. She’d begged Kiera to leave, but Kiera refused. Her mother could’ve come and taken her as she was still under eighteen, but I wondered if maybe she was afraid. Some of the girls did leave, especially the younger ones, but with all the new arrivals it made little difference.
All classes were canceled temporarily, and in their place we taught the women to fight and how to use their light offensively. I could tell that many of the older women had already been doing this on their own because they needed very little guidance. They could easily form tight Light balls and throw them with enough force to cause damage. With the recent shortage of Guardians, they must have realized it was the only way for them to survive.
The Council was no help. They were completely divided on what to do and wanted more time to discuss the matter. Half of them wanted to shut down Lucent and send the girls to the other two schools, but the other half wanted to save Lucent. Dr. Han gave up on them altogether and sent a request to the other two schools for help. Surprisingly, they sent as many as they could spare.
Charlie managed to send over about twenty of his people. Six of them turned out to be real vampires, which were just mutated Vykens who could survive off any blood. Their makeup was similar to Furies in that they were immune to Vyken poison. And, like Furies, they had their own darkness to restrain or entertain; it was their choice. I wasn’t sure what the others from the Deific could do, but I was sure I was going to find out.
Lycans also had more coming. They were the scariest of all. They had this uncanny ability to hold still for hours, and they’d perch on Lucent’s wall, peering into the forest like stone gargoyles. Surprisingly, Liam finally warmed to them, specifically Petros. I’d often see them together, going over plans or fortifying different parts of the Academy.
As for Christian, I still thought about him. He would always hold a place in my heart, but it was the memory of him only. If I had the chance, I would capture him and hopefully find the cure. He deserved that at least.
It was a busy time. I rarely saw Liam, but he always made a point of finding me every few hours, even if it was just a nod from across campus. Because I had given him some of my blood, he was able to walk in sunlight now. I wasn’t sure how long this would last, but I loved watching him in it. At first he’d been hesitant to take that first step, but once he realized the sun couldn’t hurt him, he immersed himself in it and could rarely be found indoors during the day. The sun complemented him, accentuating golden highlights in his dark hair. He was much more handsome in the sunlight.
It had been almost a week since Sophie escaped with the Shadow, and with each passing day, my anxiety grew. I couldn’t sleep. I’d often walk the campus, especially at night, listening with the gargoyle-like Lycans to the sounds of the forest beyond. Liam would join me then. At first we would talk, especially about what we’d do when summer came, like it was a sure thing we’d all survive somehow. We both agreed that Aaron and May would probably go on a trip together. Kiera would continue on at Lucent and would probably fall for a Guardian. Tessa would eventually earn a degree in biology and go on to medical school. Dr. Han would retire on some island in the South Pacific, and Mrs. Crawford would eventually become the president of the Council. Abigail would still be the school nurse. Both of us couldn’t see her doing anything else, and Ms. Hady would eventually realize the power within her and go on to coach sports at a profess
ional level.
We talked about each other too. I saw myself joining the Deific. Liam would be there too. We’d go on “missions” together. Saving the world.
It was a welcome distraction to discuss the future, but on this night neither of us spoke. Both of us felt it. The Vykens’ darkness was approaching, and the closer it drew the more nervous we became.
We stopped walking near the clock tower. The full moon was directly above us, looking larger than usual. I wanted to say something to Liam but didn’t know what. Instead, I leaned against the bricks of the tower and looked up into the night sky. Liam joined me.
Across the way, voices drifted out the open windows of Risen Auditorium. I guess others were having the same problem sleeping as we were. I wished they didn’t have to worry about the future. Many of them were so young. It wasn’t fair.
“They’re going to be okay,” Liam said, seeming to read my thoughts.
“I hope so.” I looked over to Chadni Hall. Dr. Han had arranged for Auras younger than fifteen to move into the dining room for when the Vykens attacked. From there they would be protected at all costs.
Liam straightened suddenly. “There’s a commotion in the forest.” He tilted his head as if straining to hear something far away. I did the same but heard nothing. I leaned away from the tower and moved to where I could see the Lycans who watched from Lucent’s wall. Half of them were gone. The others were standing straight, their muscles taut.
“What is it?” I asked.
“I’m not sure yet,” he said. “It’s far away. I’m going to check it out.”
I grabbed his hand. “Don’t.”
He looked down at me as he slowly withdrew his hand from mine. “I’ll be right back.” He turned and ran ten steps before bursting into a strong wind.
My heart pounded as I stared into the night, wondering what to do. I thought of Petros. He’d know what was going on.
I sprinted across campus toward the nearest Lycan perched on the wall. “Hey!” I called up to him. He didn’t move. His focus was on the forest beyond. “Hey, you on the wall!” Still nothing.
I searched the ground for a small pebble and picked it up. As hard as I could, I threw it at him. It bounced off his shoulder. He turned around, and his mouth twisted into a snarl, exposing long sharp teeth. I stepped back. “Where’s Petros?” I asked, my voice shaky.
Fractured Truth Page 28
