by Jaclyn Lewis
Andrew had been planning to drain her of her essence, stealing her powers, that whole time. I hadn’t known that. I figured he’d train her for war against Ellem, making the rebels force Queen Samira out of power, and he’d take the crown. It seemed like a much simpler plan.
I should’ve known, though. Andrew never settled for second best, and with Amy alive, he’d be the second most powerful Leem in the rebellion. Not that Amy was a rebel…
The Leem beside me was suddenly looking at me more closely.
Then I knew I was in trouble. My eyes were green and very noticeable. If he hadn’t noticed them yet, he would in a moment.
I was almost there… The door was just at the end of the hall. Plus, there was now a guard beside it.
I knew I had to think of something, and fast, or else I knew I wouldn’t just keep Amy from freedom… I wouldn’t make it out either.
I did something I knew I wouldn’t have even considered if I wasn’t so desperate to save her.
I let the anger inside take me over, turning my eyes black. I was then an exact copy of Andrew. I hated it. I didn’t like all that anger consuming me, making me do evil things. It made me feel too… terrible and horrible and evil and angry and just plain murderous.
“What are you looking at?” I spat at the Leem. I was almost shocked by how much venom was in my voice.
He looked stunned, but continued to stare at my face. He looked at my eyes, and I could feel his confusion that my eyes were now black. He was probably thinking he’d imagined the green color. He shook his head and scratched it questioningly, so I was pretty sure I’d guessed correctly.
He’d been evil before he ever had a human form, so he didn’t know that our eyes could change color since it had never happened to him. Most of the Leem in the building were probably like that. His ignorance was going to be my key to getting Amy out.
“Now,” I continued. “I’ve got work to finish. Amy isn’t done training. We still have a few more weeks that I really need her to go through. If she dies now, I could die from her essence.” I stared at him in disgust. “I shouldn’t have to explain myself to you, though. Now, get lost and go fix the guard situation!”
The Leem nodded warily, but it didn’t matter since I was already at the door. I nodded to the guard standing next to it, and he didn’t stop me. I whipped it open and closed it behind me, and locked it, before they could follow me. My eyes were already green again, which made all of those terrible emotions fade. I looked down at Amy one last time before I let myself think about what I’d just done.
Yes, I’d let it take me over before, but I’d never done it purposefully. When I met Amy, and I saw the fear in her eyes when I would accidently get to angry, I’d promised myself I wouldn’t do it on purpose, ever. Even though it was to get Amy out of the horrible building that had been holding her hostage, I still had done the unthinkable.
I shook my head and turned into my natural state again and floated Amy in the direction of my apartment building.
Yes, I was renting an apartment. I had to have a place where I was safe and where Andrew couldn’t know where I was. I’d also started my assignment, which was watching Amy, eighteen years ago, so I needed a place to sleep.
I floated her up to the second story window of the apartment building and set her down on the bed in the only bedroom.
I was then in the bathroom, in human form, digging out a first aid kit. I ran into the bedroom and began putting burn cream on all of her burns, wanting her to be rid of them as soon as possible. They would definitely sting when she woke back up.
She had them all over her arms and legs and face. They weren’t severe or anything, but as I said, they’d be painful until they healed.
Then I just waited for her to wake up. Please wake up. Please wake up… I chanted that constantly in my head.
I was even in human form, using the rest of my energy so she could see me right when she woke up.
After a while, though, when she remained unchanged, I decided to do her a favor and save her from seeing her hideous hair. I was getting really tired staring at it. It just looked like one big mess, especially since it was so knotted; Andrew, I could see, hadn’t been kind enough to let her wash or brush her hair.
Finally, I went and grabbed some scissors. I snipped off all the bad pieces and tried to make it look somewhat acceptable.
The final result was a pixie-looking haircut, which was the best I could do; so much of it had been burnt. It was about two feet shorter, since it had been so long before, but it didn’t really look too bad. The look actually suited her more than the other one did.
I guess I had a good future as a hairdresser, you know, after I finished with my job of being the queen’s best fighter/spy/protector and saved Amy’s life, along with most of the lives of the people on Ellem. Oh, and after I finished stopping a war between Andrew and the queen.
For the next hour, I really had nothing to do except worry about Amy. Why wasn’t she waking up? I’d tried talking, screaming, and shaking her, but she wouldn’t wake up.
Finally, I succumbed to that drowsy feeling that made thinking any rational thoughts impossible.
“Andrew,” a voice said.
I looked up and saw that Amy was finally awake.
I jumped up, fully alert.
“You’re awake!” I exclaimed. That was when I realized what she’d said. I shook my head forcefully. “No, I’m Zane! See, look at the eyes!” I got up closer and pointed at my eyes, making them wide. “See, they’re green! I’m Zane! I have GREEN EYES!” I shouted, probably looking crazy as I got in her face and pointed at my eyes.
She looked shocked when she saw that my eyes were, in fact, green.
Then her expression turned darker, worse than before. “Zane is almost as bad as Andrew.” She shook her head, looking sad and hopeless. “You failed me, Zane. I needed you, but you left me alone to fend for myself. You were supposed to protect me.”
“Amy,” I whispered. “I’m sorry. I tried to save you. Over and over and over again I looked. I went inside random buildings that had connections to Andrew. I did everything! Finally, someone told me where to find you, and I came right as soon as I knew where you were.”
She looked at me sadly. “You didn’t protect me.”
“I tried, Amy!” I pleaded. “Please forgive me for taking so long, but I tried so hard!” I looked around at the room once before I looked at her again. “I saved you.”
She shook her head, scowling. “You didn’t save me. I’ve given up. You can’t protect me. I can’t protect myself,” she said, sadness clear in her voice. “I’m done with these never-ending, torturous days. I’m done with life.” She looked away from me, and her voice lost its harsh tone. “I’ve finally been broken beyond repair. No one can help me, not even you, Zane.”
“Amy,” I pleaded. “I just got you back. You can’t—”
“Yes, I can,” she interrupted. “I can make my own choices. You don’t own me.”
I shook my head. “I know that, but I just got you back. I won’t let you. I’ll protect you from this ever happening again. I’ll take care of Andrew!”
She shook her head, refusing, and it pierced me right in the heart, shattering it. “I can’t, Zane. It was your fault. You should have saved me.”
She finally closed her eyes, and her breathing slowed until it finally stopped. At that moment, I knew she’d never open them again.
“NO!” I screamed, waking up. I looked around my apartment.
It had only been a dream.
After I calmed down, I noticed that Amy was waking up.
First, her fingers began moving, twitching. After another minute, her head shifted so she was facing me, unconsciously knowing where I was, or so I’d like to think, and she opened her eyes.
“Andrew!” she screamed in horror. She flinched, and it looked like she was bracing herself. “I didn’t mean to! Don’t—!”
I shook my head. “Amy, it’s me.�
� I grabbed her hand. “You know I’m not him.”
She looked confused. After a second, it seemed like she could finally see more clearly. She began looking around, but then her gaze would go back to me, lingering on my face. “I’m dreaming, aren’t I?”
I shook my head again. I was just so happy that she was awake. “It would be the perfect dream, but I can promise you that this is real.”
“Zane?” she asked suspiciously.
I nodded. I was afraid of her reaction, and I was just waiting for her to react like she had in the dream that I’d had not five minutes earlier.
All of the sudden, pure joy filled her eyes. “Zane!” she exclaimed. She got up as best she could and hugged me with the last of her strength. After a minute, she whispered, “I knew you’d protect me.”
I grinned and hugged her back, trying to be careful. She was, after all, recovering from a kidnapping.
When she released me, she tried to walk a little. I didn’t know what she was doing, but I rushed to her so she wouldn’t fall over. I helped her sit down on the bed.
“Is there, by any chance, any food here?” she asked after a minute. She looked pale. “My energy is leaving, and I’m not doing anything. I need food before I pass out again.”
That got me to hurry. I went into my natural form and rushed to the kitchen; it was so much faster than running like a human.
Then I reappeared, wincing, of course, and grabbed as much food as I could carry.
When I brought it to her, she ate it so quickly, I was wondering if she’d choke and die.
I know, it’s silly, but I just got her back. I was going to, naturally, be more protective than usual around her.
“Are you okay?” I asked her, anxious.
She nodded. “As good as I can be, I guess,” she responded.
“They hurt you,” I said through clenched teeth. “They burned you and beat you.” I shook my head. Then, I looked right into her eyes and smiled; my mood shifted. “You’re amazing, you know that? Anyone else would have snapped from being taken and tortured like that.”
She shrugged. “I’ve had worse.”
“No, you haven’t,” I stated, seeing the lie in her eyes. She was just trying to make me feel better about things.
She was trying to make me feel better.
She smiled. “That never works,” she said, sighing in mock disappointment.
I shrugged. “Yep, nothing gets passed Airs.”
She laughed, but it sounded off.
Suddenly, water gushed from her fingertips. Amy looked down at them, a knowing expression on her face.
She sighed and concentrated. The water just wouldn’t stop. After a minute, she was completely made of water.
“Whoa,” I said, surprised. “That’s going to take some getting used to.”
After a minute, she was back to normal.
“So…” I said, trying to be conversational. “You’re a Water, huh?”
It was a disappointment. I’d hoped she’d turn out to be an Air, like me, so I could teach her all of the cool tricks.
Another thought popped into my mind before I could stop it.
In Ellem, Leem could only marry other Leem with the same natural form and state. If she was a Water, and I was an Air, then there was…
I shook my head, not knowing where the thought had come from.
I must really be going crazy.
She shook her head. “No, I’m really an Air, but I usually change forms against my will.”
So… she was an Air?
I shook my head again and thought about what else she’d said. She couldn’t control it.
That wasn’t good. That had never happened, not like that. No one just turns into water with no control. Of course, a Leem/human hybrid was new too. No one knew what to expect. “Did that start at the beginning?”
She thought about that for a minute. “No, the first day was the one day I really couldn’t control it. I could a few days later. Now, though, I can’t control it again, but it’s not as bad as it was in the beginning.”
That really wasn’t good. We’d had that happen to Leem before. The older they got, the less they could control themselves. Those were the ones that weren’t stable.
Amy was supposed to be stable, though. The ones that weren’t stable ended up… dead. There was no stopping it. If you weren’t stable, you were going to die, and soon.
I didn’t tell this to Amy, though. I doubted that she was unstable, since she was only half Leem. Everything was different for her.
Amy wouldn’t die. She’d be fine… right?
I nodded to myself. Of course she would be fine. Amy had to be okay.
What would life be, anyway… without me looking after Amy?
Chapter 12
Amy
I looked at Zane, happy. When I’d awoken, and I’d seen him there, it had scared me. I thought I was dreaming again, but I hadn’t been. He’d really rescued me.
I couldn’t believe I ever doubted him.
“Zane,” I said, getting his attention. It had already been a day since I’d woken up.
He looked up at me, smiling. “What?”
I hesitated. I didn’t know if I wanted to or not. I was afraid of what would happen. What if it turned out badly?
“Can I go back home?” The words left my mouth tasting bitter. I didn’t know about home anymore, but I wanted to see my mother… even if she didn’t care to see me.
He looked stunned, like that had been the last thing on his mind. After a minute, he shrugged. “Yeah, I guess you can.”
I nodded. “I don’t really want to go back. It’s just… I want to know if my mom missed me or not.”
He nodded in understanding. “Yeah, you can go back, but I’m going to be there, too.”
I smiled. “Thanks, Zane… for everything.” I turned, but then I thought of something else to say to him. “I wouldn’t go back there without you next to me.”
He smiled back. Then, he shifted into his Air form. I could see a faint, yellow looking thing in the air that had the same basic shape as a human. “Let’s go.”
I grinned wider, glad that I could finally see him when he was in his natural form.
Take that, Zane Ellen; you can’t hide from me anymore!
As we were walking, I thought about my dream, the one I’d had just before I saw Zane.
I woke up tied down to a bed by my wrists, ankles, and my side.
I looked around, confused at everything.
Then Andrew, Dad, and Mom walked into the room.
“Amelia Saunders,” Andrew said, smirking as he saw the terror in my eyes. “You are a giant annoyance and a disgrace to Leem kind.”
Dad glared at me. “And you were never a good daughter. You were just there, a distraction. You were a disappointment the minute I first saw you.”
Mom looked at me, pure loathing in her eyes. “You never care about anyone but yourself, and you don’t ever take it into consideration that I work hard. I don’t need you there, over my shoulder, talking to me every other week!”
I looked at the three of them, my fear rising. “What... What are you going to do to me?”
They all three smiled at the exact same time.
From behind their backs, they each pulled out a baseball bat, and then they started walking up to me, closer and closer.
That was when I woke up for real.
I shook off the memory of the dream and tried to concentrate on the walk back home.
When we arrived, I noticed that Mom’s car was in the driveway. It gave me a spark of hope. Maybe… maybe she stayed home because she so worried that she couldn’t focus on work.
Before we went inside, I turned to Zane. “Exactly how long was I gone?”
“Two weeks,” he replied quietly. He looked slightly pained at the idea of me being in there for so long.
I smiled; my time of being kidnapped and tortured was behind me. All I thought about was the fact that my internal clock ha
d been a little off; I’d been there longer than I’d thought.
What did it matter, though? I was finally home, and as I stated already, it was all behind me.
As if to prove my point, I walked inside.
Inside the kitchen, I saw Mom fixing lunch for herself. She hadn’t seen me standing there yet.
She looked normal. There was no sign of stress or worry on her face; it was just annoyance toward the chicken that refused to cook correctly.
“Hi, Mom,” I said, getting her attention.
She looked up and stared at me funny. “Amy,” she replied. After a minute, realization flickered in her eyes, but she frowned, not looking happy that I was home. She just stood there, scrutinizing my face. “Shouldn’t you be in school?”
I shook my head in confusion. “What? Mom…”
She was now looking at my hair disapprovingly. “What did you do to your hair?” She shook her head, disgusted. “You’ve gone and ruined it.”
I touched it self-consciously.
Then I just got mad. What kind of mother was she?
“Mom, just listen to me for once!” I screamed, wanting her to just pay attention to me. I began to cry, blurring my vision.
She hadn’t even noticed that I’d been gone, and it had been two weeks. TWO WEEKS and she didn’t notice!
Finally, after a second, she sighed, annoyed. Then, she looked up and it appeared as if I finally had her complete attention.
“Have you seen me at all in the past two weeks?” I asked her.
She opened her mouth, about ready to say yes when I interrupted her. “Just tell me the truth for once!”
She looked upset, somewhat…
Finally, she shook her head. “No, I haven’t seen you.”
“Did you ever find that a bit odd?” I asked. “Did you ever think about me?”
She looked embarrassed now, a little. She shook her head again, sighing like the very thought of wasting time thinking about me was ridiculous. “No, Amy… I didn’t really think about it.”
I gestured to my burnt face and arms. “Did you notice these burns?”
She nodded, looking at them with a disapproving look.
“Why didn’t you ask me what happened?”
She hesitated, but then she shrugged, indifferent. “I didn’t really think about it.”
“Me, you mean,” I corrected her. “You didn’t really think about me.” I turned away, looking at the fridge, my back to her. “The reason you didn’t see me was because someone just came and took me. For two weeks, I was gone and tortured, burned and beaten. You didn’t even notice.” I looked back at her stunned expression, but I noticed that it hardened into a more indifferent expression than before. “You also forgot my birthday. I am now eighteen and legally an adult, so that means you don’t have any say in what I can or can’t do. I’m free to do as I please. You don’t have to pretend to love me anymore.”
