Shine: Season One (Shine Season Book 1)

by William Bernhardt

  Ashleigh balled her fists.

  “Are you?” her mother repeated.

  Ashleigh swallowed.

  “That’s what I thought.” Ms. Conrad turned to Sun. “Pin her to the ground.”

  Sun’s hands trembled as she held me down. Ms. Conrad’s blade glinted silver in the cavern’s dim light.

  “I would let you live longer, but the crowd’s getting desperate. All good things come to an end, I suppose.”

  “You’re insane,” I said.

  She laughed. “Yes, I am. Aren’t you clever?” She leaned closer, her blade’s cold metal pressed to my neck. “In and out of the mental hospital and never getting better. At some point you snap. The pressure builds. You want so much to be normal. You see all those other people around you, all smiling, no tears, and then you realize that they’re normal.” Her voice took on an angry tone. “They’re happy.” The knife’s pressure increased. “And you aren’t.”

  “Killing me won’t solve your problems.”

  “But it will solve yours.”

  Her blade punctured my skin. The stinging pain of an open wound bit at my neck. Before she cut any deeper, a spiraling typhoon knocked the woman back. The air funneled around us, louder than a freight train. When it dissipated, I heard the blade hit the ground. I sat up. Ashleigh stood over her mother with clenched fists.

  Sun’s grip relaxed. She sat back, and then nodded at me. I saw my opportunity and took it. I raced to the woman on the floor, then held her arms to the ground.

  Gemma released my sister. Lillie sprinted to us, grabbed the knife, and pressed it to Ms. Conrad’s throat.

  “You okay?” Lillie asked.

  “Just a scratch.”

  “Shall we eliminate the problem?”

  I hauled Ms. Conrad upright, grabbed both her arms, and held them tight behind her back.

  “You’re not going to kill me?”

  “I think we’ve had enough killing. I’m sure the mental institute will welcome you with open arms.”

  Her face went white. “Gemma, Sun, stop them.”

  Gemma and Sun gathered around Ashleigh.

  Ms. Conrad focused on the girls. “Stop them!”

  They stood still.

  “I said stop them!”

  “You can’t control us without Karmen. They won’t listen to you,” Ashleigh said.

  The Shines stood tall. Ms. Conrad screamed. Panic filled her voice. “It was supposed to be a show to lure them in. Not real. I never wanted to hurt you. I love you.”

  “You don’t. You aren’t capable of love anymore,” Ashleigh said.

  Ms. Conrad’s body trembled. “I never wanted to hurt you. Karmen, tell her! I never wanted to hurt her.”

  Karmen remained motionless.

  “Karmen?”

  Her daughter moaned. We pushed Ms. Conrad to the stairs.

  “Help me!”

  “Quiet,” Lillie said.

  Karmen writhed on the floor.

  “They’re taking me away. Karmen!”

  Karmen rose onto her elbows. Bloodshot eyes met mine. A raised purple bruise wreathed her neck. Ms. Conrad screamed for her daughter.

  We coaxed Ms. Conrad to the stairs. “Kill them. Kill them now!”

  Karmen stumbled. She fell forward.

  “Do you want to die with the rest of them?” Ms. Conrad grabbed the knife from Lillie. She shoved us both away. Faster than I thought possible she had Lillie by the throat. In the commotion, Sun limped toward us.

  “Run,” she mouthed.

  The ground shook beneath our feet. A jagged rock shot from the ground and knocked Ms. Conrad back. The knife clattered away. Lillie raced toward me. Tiny pebbles fell from the ceiling and exploded like bombs around us. The Xeros scrambled as the stadium split in half. A deafening clatter resounded through the underground cavern, as if Hell tried to break through.

  “What’s going on?” my sister asked me.

  “I think it’s Sun’s ability.”

  “No,” Ms. Conrad wailed. She sat on the ground, cradling her leg. Blood spurted from a gash in her thigh. “Karmen, stop them,” she shouted over the clamor. “Sun’s breaking the stadium apart. She’ll kill us all.”

  “We’ve got to go,” I yelled at my sister. I grabbed Ashleigh’s hand and tugged her toward the crumbling staircase. The caves took too long to hike through. The stairs would be our best bet, assuming they didn’t collapse first.

  “Wait!” Ashleigh stopped us. Her lips trembled. “I can’t leave them. I thought I could . . . but I can’t do it.”

  Gemma and Sun rushed past us. They made it to the staircase.

  “I know how hard this is, but you have to let go.”

  “I can’t.”

  “They’ll kill more people. Is that what you want?” I felt like the coldest person on the planet telling a girl that she had to let her family die. I knew her pain all too well. I rested my hand on her shoulder as she stared up at me. “We can’t let them hurt anyone else. Do you understand?”

  I hugged Ashleigh and she cried. The cavern collapsed around us and she cried as if it were the end of the world. Maybe it was.

  Ashleigh stared back at her mother. Ms. Conrad crawled to Karmen. She hugged her eldest daughter to her chest and rocked back and forth. The ground trembled. Seams cracked open in the floor, creating wide fissures.

  I held my balance as a gap ripped the ground a few inches from where we stood.

  Lillie tugged us away from a boulder that smashed near our feet. I pulled Ashleigh toward the staircase. She didn’t resist.

  Howling from the Xero gang overpowered the clatter of rocks. I glanced over my shoulder and saw them running for the nearest exit, the tunnels. They’d never make it. They knew it, too.

  Ms. Conrad convulsed as the stadium crumbled apart. She screamed with the insane sound of a dying lunatic. She screamed for Ashleigh. I covered the girl’s ears as we darted up the stairs.

  We took the stairs by two, but even that didn’t seem fast enough. A rock half the size of Manhattan crumbled from the ceiling and sailed to the stadium floor. The massive boulder crashed with an ear-splitting boom. Half the Xero screams quieted after that. I focused on the stairway ahead.

  One step, another, another. My heart hammered my chest. The pounding in my ears overpowered the clamor.

  Yankee Stadium crumbled.

  We neared the top of the staircase and I spotted the corkscrew tunnel. Only a few more steps and we’d be safe.

  Through the chaos, I heard Ms. Conrad’s shrill scream. The sound pierced my ears. Ashleigh paused.

  “Come on.” I tugged her hand.

  Rocks crashed around us.

  “Ashleigh!”

  The staircase gave way to the crumbling earth. I slipped and caught a jagged rock, barely staying upright on an uneven ledge.

  Ashleigh fell as the earth gave way beneath her. I caught her, my palms slick with sweat. She dangled over the edge. Her eyes widened with fear as she stared at the drop dozens of feet below.

  Lillie grabbed Ashleigh’s other hand, and together we hoisted her away from what remained of the staircase. We dashed into the tunnels as the world collapsed beneath us.

  Dim morning sunlight filtered through the deteriorating tunnel ceiling.

  “Over here!” Lillie shouted as she sprinted to the ladder. Ashleigh climbed up first, and then Lillie.

  When I grabbed the rusted metal rungs, I realized blood coated my hands and arms, enough blood to make me woozy and light-headed.

  Don’t pass out.

  The damp chill of an autumn New York morning bit at my exposed skin. I pulled myself free from the opening. I crawled across the wet grass and collapsed. Ashleigh and Lillie sat beside me.

  Sun and Gemma looked on. Both sat without speaking.

  Ashleigh sobbed quietly. Bright tears sparkled down her cheeks as they caught the first rays of the morning sun.

  “I waited,” Sun said in a hushed voice. “I put it under there. I could’ve bro
ught it down at any time, but I waited for you.”

  Ashleigh looked up. “Why?”

  “Because I knew you weren’t ready yet. My mom was killed four years ago. I knew how hard it would be.”

  Ashleigh nodded, though her sobs continued. Lillie wrapped her arm around the girl’s shoulder.

  “It’ll be okay,” Lillie said softly.

  “How do you know?” Ashleigh asked.

  The sun crested over the Hudson. Streamers of sunlight bathed the sky in a brilliant shade of gold. I don’t think I’d ever seen a sunrise so beautiful. I slouched on the grass and let the warmth thaw my skin.

  “Because that’s how life is,” Lillie answered. “Most of the time it kicks your trash and makes you feel like the lowest dog biscuit on the planet. But every now and then, you get to watch the sun rise.”

  Ashleigh’s sobs grew softer.

  We watched the sunrise.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  After a week of microwave dinners, Bonanza reruns, and half-a-dozen tubes of muscle relief cream, we landed in the diner as we always did on a Saturday morning. This time, Ashleigh sat with us. We’d returned Sun and Gemma to their parents, with the advice that they receive lots of therapy. I could only hope that their lives returned to normal. Ashleigh decided to stay with us.

  Lillie surprised me. She’d given her bed to Ashleigh, cooked and cleaned for her. She’d become the mother Ashleigh had always needed, though today was the first day I’d seen Ashleigh without tears.

  I’d bought two dozen donuts with the works. Chocolate icing, sprinkles, and fudge-filled centers. I shared them, of course, I’m not a complete pig.

  “So what’s on the sewer list today?” I asked Lillie.

  She tapped her newsreader app. “Last night there were four arrests made in the Bronx. Rumor is there’s a halfway house down there for runaway Shines. They’re looking to hire help in the kitchen.”

  “Doesn’t sound like our kind of thing. What else?”

  Lillie crossed her arms.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “I think we should consider this one.”

  “Why?”

  She glanced at Ashleigh. “I think we need to retire.”

  “Retire from hellraising?”

  “Yes.”

  “And focus on something else?”

  She nodded. “The Xeros aren’t the only people after Shines. The government, the SSS, Revens. Someday we won’t be enough. A few gangs in New York, sure. But there are Shines all over America—all over the world—for all we know. Someday someone will have to stand up for them. Working at this halfway house could give us the edge we’d need to help them.”

  “We could get arrested for helping Shines.”

  “That’s a risk we’ll have to take.”

  “But we’re only two people. We’ll never be able to help them all.”

  “No, but I’ve heard of other groups out there who are better organized than us. We could look into it—try to find out who they are.”

  “I guess.”

  Ashleigh spoke up. “And you’ve saved three Shines already.”

  “True.”

  “What do you think?” Lillie asked me.

  I sighed. “We’ll have to get new business cards.”

  “A minor hiccup.”

  “It won’t pay much.”

  “We’re broke anyway.”

  “Touché.” I turned to Ashleigh. She’d seen enough violence to last a lifetime. Maybe Lillie was right. Maybe we should retire. “How would you like it if we swapped hellraising for do-gooding. You could trade killing Shines for helping them.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Do-gooding?”

  “Yeah.” I smiled. “We’ll be professional do-gooders.”

  “I like the sound of that,” Lillie said.

  For the first time in a week, Ashleigh smiled. “Count me in.”

  I grabbed another donut. Sugar rushed to my head as I took a bite. Maybe I should slow down before I passed out. Nah.

  “After all this, there’s still one thing I don’t get,” Ashleigh said.

  “What’s bugging you?” I asked.

  “How were you able to escape my sister’s mind control? I’ve never seen anyone beat it, not even other Shines. Once she got inside a person’s head, they had no power, no control. It’s weird how you were able to.”

  The reminder of Karmen’s mind intrusion made me shudder. She’d forced me to remember things I’d sworn never to think of again. After Mom died, I’d wanted to take my own life. I hadn’t gone through with it, but I’d been hard on myself since then, maybe harder than I’d needed to be. Though the memories had been horrible, they’d given me strength as well.

  I’d beaten my share of criminals, but my past was the one thing I could never defeat. Karmen proved that I could face my past. I could conquer it. My weakness would no longer haunt me.

  “How did you beat her?” Ashleigh asked.

  “She got lucky?” Lillie suggested.

  “I don’t believe in luck,” Ashleigh replied. “How did you do it?”

  “Honestly? I have no idea.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “You’re a Shine, aren’t you?”

  “What would make you say that?”

  She shrugged. “I’ve been around a lot of Shines.”

  “That’s impossible. I’m too old.” Aren’t I?

  “Maybe you’re a late bloomer.” Ashleigh studied my face, as if trying to see inside my head.

  “You think it’s possible?” Lillie asked Ashleigh.

  “Maybe. We still don’t know much about Shine abilities. I’ve never heard of Shines finding their abilities so late, but I suppose anything’s possible.”

  “Guess it must’ve been a miracle,” I suggested.

  “You believe in miracles?”

  I turned to the window. Low-lying gray clouds shrouded the skyscrapers, drenching the city in fog. A ray of sunlight broke through, illuminating the vivid colors of the store fronts and street vendors. An Italian bistro sat across the street, its awning a brilliant shade of red.

  “I haven’t always.”

  Episode Seven

  Lost Haven

  by Sabrina A. Fish

  CHAPTER ONE

  Camille gasped in jagged breaths as she pushed through the crowd of laughing people. An angry male voice yelled her name. She moved faster. Loud music, bright flashing lights, and the smell of sweat and garbage swirled around her. Carnies called for her to try her luck to win one of the giant stuffed prizes hanging above their game stalls, but she ignored them to search for the corridor of food carts. She rounded the corner, encountering smells of sweet fried funnel cakes, sizzling turkey legs, and grilled sweet corn on the cob. Her stomach churned, the smells failing to entice like they normally would.

  She was supposed to meet her best friend, Jenni, at the sarsaparilla stand. Each September, they enjoyed coming to Oklahoma’s State Fair. The first thing they always did was buy the little mini milk jug of iced root beer. Knowing the stand was usually located at the center of the main corridor of food vendors, Camille searched for the correct way to run. Unsure, but knowing she needed to keep moving, she lunged to the right only to have two large hairy arms wrap around her from behind.

  Her ex-boyfriend, Gary, spun her around and brought his mouth down on hers before she could call out for help. Holding her against his heavily muscled chest, Gary pulled her into the shadows as a group of teenage males whistled and called for them to get a room. His large hand held her head still while his other arm pinned her arms to her sides. She kicked at his shins, but he forced his tongue into her mouth. Realizing she would tire long before he would, she went limp.

  He groaned in triumph. Ignoring the bile threatening to come up, she bit down on his tongue as hard as she could while bringing her knee up into his crotch. He jerked his head back, releasing her as he cried out and crumpled to the ground.

  She glared at him. “It’s over, Gary. Touch me again, and
I’ll file a VPO against your ass.”

  She backed out of the shadows into the crowded, brightly lit avenue between the food carts. He straightened to his full six-feet-one-inch height and smiled at her. The cold possessiveness in his pale blue eyes raked over her body. She shivered. Had she ever found that possessiveness attractive?

  They’d dated for a year until her parents’ deaths four months ago. With her parents’ no longer in the picture, he’d stopped pretending to be the kind, considerate man she’d been attracted to. He’d begun to use her grief against her, undermining her confidence in herself until she’d believed she was nothing without him. Then he’d put his hands on her. She’d actually believed him when he’d said it was her fault. If Jenni hadn’t stepped in, she’d have married and given him total control of her life. She shuddered. She’d been so naïve.

  Gary followed her light into the lighted corridor. “No one will believe you. You belong to me, Camille. There’s no where you can go. If you try to run, I’ll find you.”

  She squeezed her shaking hands into fists. Her breath rushed in and out of her lungs as the truth of his words threatened to choke her. Pressure tightened in her chest. She stepped back as he moved closer. People gave them wary glances, sensing the thick tension between them.

  “No. I belong only to myself. We’re done. Leave me alone.”

  “Why do you fight the inevitable? You know I’ll care for you better than you ever could. You’ll have everything you could ever want.” He held his hand out to her. “Come, Camille. Stop being ridiculous. Let me take you home, where you belong.”

  Her parents hadn’t been happy when they’d first started dating. Her father had been sure that ulterior motives were involved. But after a year of his perfect courting of their daughter, even her father changed his mind. Her parents had been so happy when they’d announced that they’d be getting married. They’d thought Gary made her happy. He’d been everything they’d wanted in a son-in-law.

  Yes, he hit her once, but hadn’t she brought it on herself? Hadn’t she pushed him to it with her accusations? She’d found the papers demanding her father sell their land to Gary’s grandfather. Suddenly Gary’s mindless pursuit of her had seemed like a means to an end. She’d been sure he didn’t want her for herself, but for the land his family coveted. She’d thrown the papers in his face. She’d screamed that he was nothing but a whore selling his body for her family’s land. And he’d backhanded her so hard the entire right side of her face became a large, ugly bruise.