Dean, on the other hand, is as serious and aggressive about this endeavor as Milo and Lance. He gave up his family for this. He’s trying to convince himself that he was right to leave them, but when he thinks no one is looking he takes a family photo out of his wallet to stare at. One by one he touches each face, his parents and the three younger siblings I didn’t even know he had.
Casey and Dean aren’t the only ones that have given up something to be here. We’ve all given up more than anyone should ever have to. The rest of us have just had more time to get used to the idea that if we don’t succeed in this we’ll be forced to give up even more.
“If there isn’t anything else …” I say, my thoughts weighing down my words so they sound muted in the full room. No one has anything else to offer. “I guess it’s my turn, then. Everything’s ready. Now we just have to pull it off.”
Everyone in the room seems to take a deep breath. Can we really do this? The prophecy said they couldn’t stop me. Centuries-old words can be fickle, though.
“After talking to Braden, I think the best time to do this is going to be early morning on a weekday,” I say. “If we do it in the morning, our time, most of the other compounds around the world will be in times ranging from morning to early evening. Since the most experienced Spiritualists cover the night shifts when more people are in the spirit world, we’ll have the best chance of success early in the day. I want to do it in the middle of the week just because it won’t be what they’re anticipating. Everyone will be expected to be at school.”
Braden touches my wrist to interrupt me. The way his fingers linger makes Mr. Walters’ mouth turn up by the tiniest degree. I look over at Braden expectantly, pretending the touch doesn’t send a burst of desire through me. He withdraws his hand and says, “Attempting this during school hours does present a problem, though. Getting excused from school isn’t an easy thing. I may be able to pull Libby out, but each of you is going to have to arrange an excuse to get out of classes. No outright ditching, though. The last thing we need is to have a squad of Concealment Officers barging in on us mid-rescue. So, by Sunday I want everyone’s plan for getting out of school.”
“Why Sunday?” Casey asks.
“Because we’re getting the Ciphers out this coming Wednesday. The first week back at school after summer break is going to be so busy the Spiritualists will never expect it,” I say. The already anxious oppressiveness of the room deepens. “Today’s Friday, so get it taken care of over the weekend. Let either Braden or me know if you run into any problems. Casey and Lance, you’re probably the ones who are going to have the most trouble since the rest of us either have our parents on board or just plain don’t have any parents.”
“I’ll figure something out,” Lance says. “Don’t worry about it.”
Casey seems less confident. “Do I really need to come? I don’t know what I’m going to do since I can’t help unlock talents.”
“Casey, I was hoping you would be willing to keep an eye out for any interference from the Spiritualists. Shield as much of what we’re doing as you can. You’re the most familiar with them, so I think you’ll have the best shot.”
She nods quietly, but there’s still the matter of her getting out of school. I expected her concern, and I hoped to use it to reveal the next part of my game plan, the one nobody is going to like. A slight tremor suddenly develops in my hand. I ball my fingers into a fist so no one will see. “Casey, if you can’t get an excuse that might not be a problem. I think we all need to be separated when we do this, anyway.”
Braden, Lance, and Milo all say it at once. “No!”
Putting my hands up to fend off their complaints, I say, “Guys, we have to. If the Spiritualists figure out what we’re doing and alert the Guardians we can’t all be sitting in the same room together. We’d be making it too easy for them. If they find one of us, they’ll find us all, and we’ll fail. The Ciphers will never get out. We’ve really only got one chance at this.”
“Libby, it’s even less safe to divide everybody up,” Milo argues. Most of the others nod their heads in agreement. All but Mr. Walters and Casey, who is probably thankful for the option of simply going to school. She can always claim she’s sick and spend the morning in the nurse’s office where she can slip into the spirit world without anyone noticing.
Lance joins the argument. “Libby, if you’re in the spirit world when a Guardian comes after you, you won’t be able to defend yourself. You won’t even know they’re there until they grab you.”
“That’s why I think we should be paired up. And Mr. Walters agrees with me. He helped me work out the idea. Only a few of us are actually going into the spirit world anyway. Casey can stay at school. She should be safe enough there. Dean and Milo, you’ll both stay here with Milo’s parents. Neither of them are Guardians, but Mr. Hanover does have Speed and Strength and did some combat training before medical school. Cole and the Miniatures,” I say, smiling at the nickname they were given by Lance, “have offered to stand guard as well, but I’ll let you two make the call on that one. Knowing them, they’ll show up, anyway, regardless of what you tell them. Mr. Walters, you’ll partner with Braden, and Lance can stay with me.”
I watch as two of my Guardians grimace in distaste. Neither Braden nor Milo seems to appreciate my plan since it leaves them somewhere other than watching over me. Lance is the only one who looks happy about his assignment. It probably irritates Milo quite a bit that I chose Lance as my guard, but I know Lance will die before letting anyone get to me. And since I’m the one this whole plan is hinging on, I feel justified in commandeering the most able protector that isn’t going into the spirit world.
“Wait,” Milo says, “why does Braden need to come to the spirit world? He doesn’t have Perception. Even if he did, he’s not a Cipher so he can’t perform an Inquest.”
Lance, Braden, and I all freeze for a split second. Casey is going to be our lookout, but I need Braden for a completely different reason, one I do not want to discuss with Milo. I need the boost in power having him near gives me, and I might need even more. If I can’t do this on my own, I’m going to have to give in and take his Oath. Milo doesn’t know any of that. After a moment of panic, I fall back on the same reason I gave for inviting Casey, shielding and watching. Milo doesn’t seem to appreciate that, but lets it go with a muttered criticism.
“Look, everyone,” I say, “we’ve been pushing ourselves so hard for the last couple of months. After you make your arrangements for getting out of school and decide where you’re going to be positioned for the rescue, take the rest of the weekend off. Go do something fun, relax, blow off some steam, okay? We all need a break.”
And if I’m being totally honest, we all know there’s a strong possibility this will be our last chance to actually take some time for ourselves. If we fail, we’ll all be dead. If we succeed, it’s going to be nonstop work for who knows how long. I can’t even begin to think about what it’s going to take to organize so many Ciphers and plan our next move. I don’t even know what our next move is, yet. I feel as if my head is going to simply crack open like Humpty Dumpty one of these days. I need a break, even if it’s just for a few hours.
Slowly, everyone starts nodding. They need a break just as much as I do. Even Dean, who’s only been with us for a few months, has been through a lot in that time. The quiet begins to break as everyone starts making plans. I let the hum of timid excitement flow around me, sucking up a few moments of pleasure from my friends. Casey invites Dean to go see a movie with her. Lance wants to go to a baseball game with his little brother, the only member of his family still speaking to him. Mr. Walters is going to visit his sister. Braden’s quiet presence right next to me doesn’t escape my attention, either. So I can enjoy this moment more fully, my eyes close and I let my emotional shield thin. This moment might be one of my last.
I didn’t realize Milo had even moved away from me until he sits back down. My moment is interrupted, but I turn to him
with a smile. He gives me a quick kiss before saying anything. “My mom wants to take Celia to visit our grandparents back in Ohio for the weekend. We should go with them. I know that probably sounds strange given how much I fight with my mom, but there’s a Cipher family there I want to meet. I told you about Marc Hasselt, remember? He’s a Concealor, and from what I’ve heard from those who know about him, he’s the best. He can use his Concealment to create a physical shield that makes him practically invisible to everyone around him. He said he’d teach us how to do it if we ever got the chance to come see him.”
I almost say yes. “Milo, that does sound like a great opportunity, but I’d rather not.”
“What? Libby, this could be our only chance to learn from him before we have to face the Guardians,” he says.
I’m tempted, so very tempted. I shake my head. “We’ll make time to see him later, I promise. It’s just that I have to do something this weekend.”
“What?” he asks, coming very close to demanding.
“I want to go see my dad. I haven’t been to his grave since before my Inquest. I really need to go visit him before all of this happens.” Maybe that sounds weird to some people, but this is something I need. It’s more important to me than learning a new technique.
“But it might be too late if we don’t go now,” Milo says.
“We aren’t going to face any Guardians unless this plan goes horribly wrong. And if we do, I doubt anything is going to save us. Stay with me, please?”
“You want me to miss seeing Hasselt so I can go with you to your dad’s grave?”
“No.” His expression becomes even more confused. “I mean, I want to see my dad alone. It has nothing to do with you, I’ve never let anyone come with me to see my dad because it’s too personal for me, but I was hoping we could spend the weekend with each other. I need some time with you too.”
“We can spend time together in Ohio. If you don’t even want me to go with you to your dad’s grave, can’t you just go when we get back on Sunday?” His tone makes it sound like I’m being difficult. Can’t he understand how important this is to me? I don’t know if anyone else gets what I’m saying, but our conversation has drawn several eyes.
Standing, I ask, “Can we talk about this privately?”
Milo follows, but his irritation is obvious. “Libby, I really think we should meet with Hasselt. I know you’ve been trying out Concealment shields on your own, but he could help us perfect them.”
“I’m sure what he can teach us will be helpful,” I say, “but I’m asking you stay with me. This is really important to me. I feel like I’m becoming second place to the Ciphers.”
“What are you talking about?”
“How many times just this week have you either been late to train with me, or forgotten we had plans to hang out together after training? When was the last time you went to bed or woke up thinking about me instead of the Guardians or the Ciphers?”
He doesn’t answer me. I know he doesn’t want to admit this, but I’m struggling and I need a little help from him. I was willing to look past what happened on his birthday for a long time, and everything before and after that. I made excuses that he was busy doing the things I asked him to do. That acceptance started to change the day Saia died. Milo was the one who was supposed to be with me instead of Lance that day, but continuing to work with Dean was too important. I gave him the opportunity to walk away from me later that night, and he took it even though he knew I didn’t want him to go. It was my suggestion, I know that, but Braden’s accusation that Milo shouldn’t have left and didn’t understand how important I should be to him stuck deep in my heart.
Since then, the missed training sessions when Milo minimizes my need to train because of my power are okay in his mind because devoting his time to training others or himself is justified. When we plan to watch a movie or even just have dinner with his family at his house, and he is nowhere to be seen, he doesn’t understand why I’m hurt after his excuses about being too busy or getting distracted.
“Milo,” I say slowly, “believe me, I know how important all of this is, but for me it isn’t as important as you. Every day I feel as though I get farther and farther from your mind and I don’t want that. I’m not saying you have to be with me constantly, or always have to put me first. When I ask something like this, I want you to give it to me. And not just because I ask. I want you to want to spend time with me more than train or go over schematics.”
“That’s not fair,” Milo says. “If there were more time, I would spend it with you. Everything is moving too fast to stop and take time out.”
“I’m asking you to make time for me.”
“I can’t pass up this opportunity, Libby, and I don’t think you should either.”
I sigh, but try to keep my frustration in check. I can’t do anything about the hurt spreading through my chest. The ache of disappointment flows through every inch of me. I want to demand he stay, but I don’t. I give him a choice, and hold my breath for his answer.
“If you really think you should go, then go, but I’m staying here. I need to visit my dad.”
“Alone? I really don’t think that’s a good idea. What if the Guardians come after you? If you get captured or killed, we’ll never get the Ciphers out.”
“If I get captured or killed, the Guardians won’t be crushed?” The corners of my mouth tremble. “Is that really your biggest concern?”
“Well, we can’t do this on our own,” Milo says. “You know that.”
“Yeah, I do,” I say, a hint of anger slipping into my voice. “You don’t have to remind me of how much everyone is counting on me. Believe me, I know. But if I were to be kidnapped or killed, I would have hoped your first thought would have been for me, not for the Guardians.” Milo can’t really be more concerned about our plan than me, can he?
Milo huffs in frustration at me, as if I’m being ridiculous. “Of course I’d be worried if you were captured, or … I don’t even want to think about anything worse. I don’t want anything to happen to you, or for our plan to get messed up. I thought me being worried about you went without saying.”
Maybe it did once, but I’m not so sure anymore. “Which thought came first?” I ask. “Worry that I would be hurt, or that our plan would fail?”
“You’re not being fair,” Milo argues, his jaw tightening as he stares at me.
My arms wrap around my body, trying to fend off the truth. He sidestepped the question, but I feel as if I got my answer, anyway. I wasn’t first.
“Libby, come with me to Ohio. We’ll have time together, and we’ll get to work with Hasselt. Then you can see your dad when we get back.” He says it with such confidence that I will see the perfect fairness of the compromise and welcome it with a smile.
Maybe it is fair. Maybe I am being selfish. I don’t know, anymore. I just wanted Milo to give me this one request, and he can’t. But I can’t give him his, either.
“Milo, I’m not going to Ohio.”
Irritation flashes in his eyes, but he doesn’t argue. He tries to keep his expression neutral. It doesn’t really work. “I’ll call you while I’m gone, okay?”
I nod. “Will you come see me when you get back?”
“Of course,” Milo says, his stance softening. He walks over to me and pulls me into a hug. “Please be careful while I’m gone. Stay with someone every minute. Lance is still one of my least favorite people, but I know he’ll protect you. If Lance can’t be with you …” Milo grimaces, as if his next thoughts are too bitter to utter. “If you aren’t with Lance, stay with Braden. I still don’t trust him, but he’s more capable than Dean or the Miniatures.”
I can hardly manage to squeak out an “Ok” in the face of his actually telling me to stay with Braden. What did Lance say he was doing this weekend? Baseball? I’m not a big fan, but maybe he’ll let me tag along. What if he says no? Could I really spend the entire weekend with Braden and survive that? Will I do it anyway?
&
nbsp; Milo doesn’t seem to notice the guilty thoughts pooling around me. “Hey, no broken bones this weekend, all right?”
I actually smile at his request, glad for the distraction. “No promises on the broken bones, but I’ll do my best.”
“I guess I’ll have to accept that,” he says. His lips brush against mine, but it’s brief and missing its usual comfort.
Milo pulls away and walks back to the living room. A few seconds later, he’s deep in discussion with Dean about something, as if our own conversation has been forgotten. It isn’t that easy for me. I follow him back to the living room, but drop onto an empty couch. When I look up, Braden is watching me. The sadness in his eyes is a clear sign he felt the emotions running through me during my conversation with Milo. Behind his compassion is his consuming need to wipe away my pain. I look away, desperate to find Lance and see if he will babysit me while Milo’s gone.
Instead of finding Lance, my eyes land on Mr. Walters. I still have no clue what his vision was about, but the twisted little smile on his face makes my heart drop as I realize I’m probably going to find out very soon.
Chapter 2
6
Peace
I stayed late with Milo last night despite our argument. He won’t be back until tomorrow night and I wanted to drown myself in him, hoping it would change his mind or at least keep me in his thoughts a little more than I have been lately. The first didn’t happen, but I hope the second did. Neither of his parents complained about us lying on the couch watching movies until two in the morning. Wrapped in his arms for hours, it would have been perfect if not for the frustration neither of us could let go of. We said goodbye at the door of my motel room with Milo promising to call, and me promising to be careful. My sleep last night was especially unpleasant.
Secret of Betrayal: Book Two of The Destroyer Trilogy Page 26
