by Elle Scott
Leila darted her eyes to the orchard, spotting the wildebeest. It must have been Crystal’s. A kind of comfort warmed her heart. The Guardian now had the chance to be with a True host, instead of a Fallen.
As Leila turned around, she spotted Riley hunching his shoulders and stretching his neck, as if trying to see inside the elder’s hood.
“Forgive me,” they said, raising their hands and removing the hood.
It was a man with wide brown eyes and a strong jaw. To Leila he looked thirty-ish, but in the game of Guardians, she knew age-guessing wasn’t the easiest to play.
“I’m an Elder of the Veil. You may call me Samuel.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Leila replied. She didn’t know whether to bow or curtsy, if only Ren was more giving with his information. She tucked a foot behind the other and began to lower her head.
Samuel cupped his hand around her shoulder. “No need, child.”
Leila glanced at Riley and smiled bashfully. He covered his mouth trying not to laugh.
“Let us walk, Imprints.” Samuel dropped his hand and swiveled around.
Riley’s amusement faded. “You know about that?”
“Oh yes, we know,” Samuel said, walking around the temple. “What is it you would like to know?”
Leila and Riley hurried to catch up. Riley explained, “A few months ago something happened between us, a collision of sorts. We combined our Guardians and created an explosion of light that expelled two Guardians from their humans.”
Samuel was silent as they ascended the rolling hill.
“Did he hear you?” Leila whispered.
Samuel chuckled and his shoulders danced with delight. “I heard you. What is it you would like to know?”
Frowning, Leila glanced at Riley. “We ahh… We’d like to know how to recreate it.”
“Mm-hmm.” Samuel nodded and strode to the crest of the hill. When he reached the top, he raised his face to the sky and inhaled.
Leila and Riley soon joined him. The hill rolled down to a beach, and beyond it lay an expansive ocean.
On exhale, Samuel faced them and spoke, “The first Guardians were chosen by us almost a hundred years ago. Three siblings were tasked to care for the humans, one assignment at a time. We allowed them to create their own bloodlines, turning those who they saw fit to join them on their quest. The middle child was always vexing.” He glanced at Leila before turning his gaze back to the ocean. “When the middle child fell in love, the first Imprints were created. Their strength was beyond anything we could imagine. But the stronger they became, the hungrier they got. They ignored our assignments and sought their own without our guidance. It was no harm at first, so we let it continue, until one of them killed an innocent in a moment of weakness. A deep darkness evolved inside them. The first Imprints became the first Fallen. They turned countless people, setting countless Fallen onto your world. And every person who was turned by them became a darker version of the one before them. The other two siblings took it upon themselves to separate the Imprints, thinking their love spawned the madness. But it only fueled it. In fits of rage and jealousy, the middle child can’t bear to see any other Imprints in existence, mostly killing them before they can be turned.“
Leila felt her mouth go dry. She’d heard parts of it before from Ren but hearing it from the mouth of an Elder sent shivers soaring down her spine. “That middle child, are they still out there?”
Samuel looked at her for a long time before replying, “Yes.”
She didn’t want to ask her next question, afraid of the truth. But she’d gotten this far, so why the hell stop now. “Do they know we are Imprints?”
Samuel turned back to the view. He asked, “When you combined your power, it removed Guardians from their human host. It’s called the surge and it’s something only Imprints can do. It sends Guardians to either Exile or Sanctuary, depending on the depth of their nature.
“Tell me, young ones.” Samuel spun around to face them. “When you created the surge for the first time, what were you feeling?”
Remembering the moment, Leila answered, “I was scared. Like I would rather die with him that live without him.”
Samuel’s face remained expressionless as he asked, “Why?”
Leila replied without thinking, “Because I love him.”
A hint of pride washed over Samuel’s face. He raised his brow, glancing between Leila and Riley. “So, you were fueled by love not fear?”
Leila looked at Riley. His brown eyes twinkled as she said, “Yes.”
“Interesting.” Samuel clasped his hands behind his back and began walking down the hill as if his work was done.
“Was that it?” Leila scrunched her nose. “Was that his answer?”
Riley snatched Leila’s hand and ran to keep up with Samuel. “Is that how the surge works? With love.”
Samuel smiled to himself and took another knowing glance at each of them. “Better hurry back. Wild animals don’t like to be contained.”
With that, he walked around the corner toward the temple doors. When he reached the entrance, he spun on his heels. “Oh, and you should know there’s a Fallen in your midst.”
“We know,” Riley sighed. “Gabby.”
“Shh,” Leila hissed, hurt by his comment.
Was being a Fallen really so black and white? Sebastian had proved to her that he wasn’t all bad. He may have killed Mrs. Little, but he saved Sadie’s life. Didn’t that count for something?
“One more thing,” Samuel said, opening the door. “Be careful. Together you are powerful, separate you are at risk.”
The temple doors slammed shut and Leila tried to grasp what had just happened. As they ran along the cobblestone path, she moaned, “Well, that was a bust.”
Riley gave her a side eye and shook his head. “You weren’t listening… as always.”
Leila frowned as they made it back to the door of the Veil. “I was listening. We do the surge with love. Somehow.”
Chuckling, Riley clasped her hand. “We’ll try again with Gabby tomorrow.”
Leila nodded and together, they stepped through the shimmering gateway between worlds. In an instant, air rushed over her palm where Riley’s hand had been. She spun around in a circle.
Riley was gone.
As she searched the Veil, she caught a glimpse of Damien standing with his hands on his head. The chain fell beside him in a crumpled steel pile, and next to it was her lion, unconscious.
Sadie
Sadie laid on her stomach on her unmade bed, staring out the window. Her eyes drifted to the sill and she frowned at the space her favorite feather had once occupied. Damien threw it away like it was a piece of garbage. But it wasn’t garbage, it was a reflection of her essence and he tossed it away as though that part of her was worthless.
She sighed and smashed her face onto the mattress, turning her cheek to her closet. Half her wardrobe was still out on the floor—a boring, safe mound of plain tees and denim jeans and other understated items. She had considered giving them away to charity, but couldn’t bear the thought of giving up that part of her. Not yet.
Sadie’s mom, Natalie, tapped on her door. She knew it was her mom because of the three gentle knocks. Her dad normally hit the door with the side of his fist, shaking the hinges with every beat. And Summer rarely bothered knocking at all.
“Yeah?” Sadie called, her face still squishing against the wrinkles of her quilt.
Sadie’s mom pushed the door open. “There’s a boy here.”
“A boy?” Sadie sat up and almost broke her neck as she spun around.
“Mm-hm. He’s very—” Natalie raised her brows—”Good looking.”
Sadie felt herself recoil. Damien was persistent. ”Can you tell him I’m not here?”
“Don’t be silly.” Natalie left the door open as she ran to the stairwell. Leaning over the banister, she called, “She’s coming!”
“Mooom!” Sadie whisper-moaned.
Natalie turned around, bri
mming with excitement. Sadie didn’t bring boys home. Ever. It must have been a great surprise for her mom. Not so much for Sadie.
“Aww come on, Sades. He seems super lovely. If I was younger…”
“All right, all right.” Sadie bounded off her bed, anything to stop her mother swooning about a teenage boy. “I don’t need to hear what you’d do if you were younger.”
Natalie nodded once, smile beaming. She pointed at the stairs, finger stretching as far as it would go. She didn’t say anything, but she didn’t need to. Sadie knew that her mother was eager to see how it would turn out.
Sadie took a big breath and moped down the stairs, taking her time with each step. Her mom meant well, but she didn’t know what Sadie was dealing with. And even if she told her, she’d probably say she was being silly.
Why couldn’t he have just waited to see me at school on Monday? Sadie thought. But no, he had to come to my house… make it awkward.
Sadie tried to think of what she could say to let him down, but her thoughts got caught behind the fact that she’d upset him. And she hated the thought of it.
As she scaled the last step and headed for the foyer, she heard her dad, Martin, chatting away in the kitchen. “And, if you use cinnamon, oh boy, does she love it!”
Sadie tip-toed down the hall and stopped behind the kitchen door. Was her dad giving Damien lessons on how to make her egg nog? Oh my god, this is the worst day ever.
She’d often laugh at how her dad would take Summer’s boyfriends under his wing and welcome them into their home. But Sadie had never brought a boy home and the actions were decidedly less endearing.
“Oh yeah?” A voice replied. “I’ll have to remember that.”
Sadie straightened. It wasn’t Damien. It was…
“Sebastian?” she balked, bursting into the kitchen.
Sebastian glanced over his shoulder. He was still in his school uniform—blue and gray letterman jacket buttoned up to his collar. Spotting Sadie, he gave a smirk.
“Ahh, here’s the girl of the moment, ” Sadie’s traitor father said, holding a stick of raw cinnamon. “I was just teaching your boyfriend how to—”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” Sadie snapped. She marched across the room, grabbed Sebastian by the wrist, and dragged him into the dining room. She let him go and hissed, “What are you doing here?”
The smirk dropped from Sebastian’s face. “Any sign of them?”
“Them?” Sadie asked.
Sebastian winced. “Uh, our sisters. You really don’t give a shit, do you?”
Sadie’s heart sunk at the accusation. She did care but the truth was she hadn’t thought about Summer since he last asked. Did that make her a bad sister? Sadie shrugged the thought off as quick as it came. She wasn’t a bad sister — Summer did this sort of thing all the time. There had to come a time in her life when she just had to let the rotten child learn from her own mistakes.
“I’ve been preoccupied,” Sadie tried to defend herself but the unimpressed look on Sebastian’s face made her realize it wasn’t good enough. She sighed and called out, “Dad, is Summer home?”
“Not yet,” Martin called back. “But I tell you what, she’s grounded again.”
Wincing, Sebastian said, “We should go look for them.”
There it was again, a vulnerable hint in his eyes.
Sadie swallowed. Ignoring the sinking feeling in her gut, she waved her hand dismissively. “They’re probably just doing rebellious things that bratty fifteen-year-olds do.”
“For two days?” Sebastian gave his iconic scowl. “Screw this. I’m not hanging around waiting to hear the news that they’ve been slaughtered. Are you coming or what?”
A chill ran down her spine. He was right. She didn’t want to admit it, but Sebastian Weir was goddamn right. “Fine, wait here,” she sighed, heading to the stairs. As she took the first step, she glanced over her shoulder. “Don’t talk to my dad.”
Sadie ran upstairs and into her room. She leapt over the pile of boring clothes and burst her closet open. She grabbed a pastel purple knitted sweater that she’d never worn before and held it out in front of her. Now wasn’t the time to be indecisive about her style. It was this or nothing.
As she closed her closet and spun around, she caught sight of Sebastian, leaning on her door frame. His eyes were wide as he scanned her room. Sadie kicked the pile of clothes and marched toward him. She pushed him back into the hallway and peeled her sweater on. “Are we going or not?”
Taking one last peek at her room, a smile grew across Sebastian’s face. He jerked his head to the stairwell. “Come on then. You get to meet my girlfriend.”
He had a girlfriend? Sadie’s face involuntarily dropped as she watched him descend the stairs two steps at a time. Of course he had a girlfriend, this was Sebastian, not a choir boy. She shook her head and followed him.
As she walked through the hall toward the foyer, both her parents hovered in the living room archway. Two proud faces beamed at Sebastian and then at Sadie as she passed.
“Have fun!” Natalie cooed, clutching onto Martin’s elbow with both hands.
“Home by ten,” Martin ordered, trying to hide his excitement. “Don’t wanna ground you, too.”
“It’s not a date or anything,” Sadie moaned, rolling her eyes.
Secretly though, she loved their enthusiasm. She was the golden child. The easy and unassuming one. The one who’d never been grounded. And, her own parents thought she had a boyfriend. The most popular boy in school no less. How highly they must have thought of her. The truth was less exciting.
Smiling to herself, Sadie stepped onto the porch and closed the door. As she turned around, her eyes landed on a motorcycle. Sebastian walked up to it and ran his palm along the leather seat.
“Is this yours?” Sadie asked, scanning the street for his blue Nissan.
“Sadie, meet Precious. Precious, this is Shorty.” Sebastian opened a compartment behind the seat and pulled out a helmet.
“Precious?” Suddenly, it clicked. “This is your girlfriend?”
Smirking, Sebastian passed her the helmet and grabbed his own from the front. He tapped the seat behind him. “Let’s go.”
As he started the engine, Sadie stared at the small space behind him. She’d never been on a bike before. She pushed the helmet over her face and slid her leg over. The seat arched up a little at the back, forcing her pelvis to press against him. She shuffled back a little, resting her hands on her thighs.
Sebastian glanced over his shoulder, and even through his visor Sadie could see his eyes roll. He grabbed her hands and wrapped her arms around him, securing them at his waist.
“Make sure you move with the bike,” he said.
As Sadie was about to ask what he meant, he twisted the throttle and the bike took off. The force jolted her back and she clutched the pockets of his jacket for balance. As they drove down the street, she swore she could feel him laughing.
They sped through the main street, veering around a car turning off at the lake. They drove past the street that led to Leila’s house and veered to the edge of town. As the houses became further apart and the flat streets turned into hills, Sebastian wound out the throttle.
The speed increased, sending her sweater rippling in the wind. Sadie tightened her grip on Sebastian, not caring that her chest was now pressed right up to his back. Her heart raced as she held on for dear life. A bubble rose in her belly and she fought the urge to laugh. It surprised her. Because it wasn’t very Sadie-like to love motorcycles.
Sebastian slowed and pulled into a long driveway that wound up a hill. Lining the driveway were evergreen trees hugged by lush green grass—the kind Sadie had only seen at country clubs and resorts. At the crest of the hill a large three-storey house came into view. It was surrounded by sweeping paddocks and immaculate garden beds.
They pulled up alongside Sebastian’s Nissan, which was parked in front of a newly renovated barn with high windows showcasing a
loft inside.
Sebastian jumped off the bike and waited for Sadie to dismount and take the helmet off before saying, “I figured it might be better if we take my junk car. Night will fall soon.”
He motioned to the Nissan. “Jump in, I’m just gonna make sure she’s not here one more time.”
As he marched to the entrance of his mansion, Sadie yanked on the passenger door. It was locked. She leaned against the car and let her eyes wander to the house. Sebastian had left the front door open and she could hear him calling for his sister. The house was so big it could take him ten minutes to find her.
She wandered around the water feature and headed for the open door. “Sebastian?” she called, peering in. “Are they here?”
The inside of the house was darker than she anticipated. All the drapes were drawn, and a dim light shone from the top of the winding stairwell. Sadie slowly walked across the foyer, waiting for her eyes to adjust.
“You must be special.” A voice said. “He never brings girls home.”
A woman in her forties leaned in a doorway, she had a bottle in her hand and wore a tattered cardigan. She twirled the ends of her unbrushed hair, looking Sadie up and down.
Sadie recognized her. It was Sebastian’s mom. Except, not quite like the campaign leader she used to be. In the press photos Sadie had seen of Sebastian’s grandfather’s mayor run, her hair was pristine and smile bright. Now, she was a shadow of that.
Sebastian tore down the stairs, wild eyes swinging between Sadie and his mom. He strode to Sadie and hissed, “I told you to stay in the car.”
“It was locked,” Sadie replied, not being able to take her eyes off the woman his mother had become.
“It’s never locked, it’s just a piece of shit door that jams.” Sebastian clutched her elbow and ushered her to front door.
“Yeah that’s it, be like your father,” his mom said, taking a swig from the bottle.
Sebastian’s grip loosened, hesitating for a moment. His breath rushed across Sadie’s neck as he spun around. “What is that supposed to mean?”
She tucked her cardigan across her chest, bottom lip rolling out. “You’re leaving me like this.”
