The Shattered Genesis

by T. Rudacille

  ***

  “I can sense that you wish to speak to me.” He told me apathetically as he leaned against the wall and observed the ceiling. Elijah and Violet were in the room, looking between the two of us in concern and curiosity.

  “Yes.” I replied with a glare in their direction. “Alone, if you please.”

  “I do please.” Adam replied, raising his eyebrows. His eyes snapped over to Elijah, who had just opened his mouth to speak. “I have no intention of harming her, Mr. Olivier. Though I do find your protective nature quite admirable. You are the perfect brother, and I mean that in all sincerity.”

  “Shut up and walk.” I hissed at him, angered that he would openly address one of my siblings.

  “Oh, ‘bossy.’ Is that not what men call powerful women where you are from?”

  We walked through the door adjacent to the hallway where my brother and sister were whispering amongst themselves, wondering what exactly had occurred between James and me. Elijah did not understand, as I gathered from his loud thoughts, how two people who loved each other so very much could find a reason to separate. Violet knew the truth, as it had been her secret, after all. Her heart broke perhaps even more severely than my own; she had loved James and been so happy that I had found him.

  I shook my head back and forth quickly, expelling their voices from my mind. Adam beckoned to the chair that I hadn't realized I was grasping. The wooden backing had splintered beneath my firm grasp.

  “Sit.” He instructed. Though his tone was gentle, anything but commanding, I still scowled at him.

  “Do I look like a dog to you?” I shot at him in quiet yet potent irritation. I raised my voice only after he grabbed my shoulders. “Let go of me!”

  He maneuvered me around the chair with ease before gently sitting me down.

  “You are far too beautiful to ever be confused with a canine, my dear Brynna. However, at the moment, you could be confused with an apparition. If I did not know better, I would assume that I was being visited by some grieving soul’s dearly departed loved one.”

  “I am very tired, Adam.” I whispered. My defenses were rebuilding, and yet in those words, the foundation took a hard kick. I was admitting weakness. I was admitting an exhaustion far beyond anything that was strictly physical.

  “I know. You are also quite thin. You need a full meal and a full night of rest.”

  “No. What I need requires your assistance.”

  A grin tugged at the corners of his lips. He blocked the smile by spreading his fingers to lazily cover his mouth. Under my scorching glare, he resumed his normal expression of curious amusement.

  “I apologize. Males are all built the same no matter where we are from. I took your words as containing a suggestive undertone, and I do apologize.”

  My face was in my hands. With the tips of my fingers, I massaged the center of my forehead, hoping to disperse the blinding pain that had centered there abruptly.

  “Ms. Olivier, I am very sorry. I know you are not in the mood for jesting.”

  “You are right. Just be quiet until I ask a question that requires an answer.”

  “Alright.”

  “Why am I so important that you would send James after me?”

  “You are the last of your kind.” He answered with no hesitation. “The All-Knowings, or Athenes, as they are more elegantly called, were eradicated several hundred years ago. I knew that humans were being gifted with powers. While I found this change in your original kind to be very interesting, albeit very befuddling, Tyre was furious, to the say the least.”

  “Why?”

  “Because he and his people have long since lost their powers. They feel that the one God chose a race of inferiors over his.”

  “Why did they lose their powers?”

  “Do you truly think so highly of me that you believe I know His intentions?”

  “That is sarcasm and your pathetic attempt at charm.” I rubbed my eyes again, exasperated already.

  “I do apologize.”

  “I do not accept. But that's moot right now, okay?”

  “Alright. I do so love your use of the word 'moot.'”

  My eyes glared into his.

  “Another apology.” He said with a trace of a smile. My eyes were sure to remain permanently stuck looking up to the sky, as many times as I had rolled them that evening.

  “How long have you known that James went rogue?”

  “'Went rogue?' What does that mean? I am sorry, I am still becoming accustomed to Earthean phrases and figures of speech.”

  “Let me rephrase my question: How long have you known that James broke his promise to you?”

  “Ah, yes. Understood. I visited your planet several times over the thousands of years since we left. When I commanded James Maxwell to deliver you to me, it was only a week or so before the event that claimed your Earth. He told me that he would not fulfill his duty only after you had arrived, and I found him in the forest. Once there, he told me that he needed more time. He succeeded in one thing, at least. When the Reapers were tracking you, he was meant to protect you from them. He did so quite masterfully. Credit where credit is due, I suppose...”

  I was silent, every part of my inner being stinging painfully. I had always believed grief to be the most painful of all emotions, followed closely by regret, guilt, and nostalgia, in that order. However, betrayal had hopped over all to take the top spot on my list. Not only had James been sent to abduct me, but he was not even enough of a man to do it. He employed those terrible creatures that he then killed to protect me. It was all so mind-boggling. I was not used to the state of confusion. I was not used to being unable to connect all the dots.

  “Are you still with me, my dear?”

  “Don't call me that.”

  “Once again, I apologize. This is a first for me. Apologizing so many times, that is. You have quite an interesting effect on me, Ms. Olivier.”

  “Would you just call me Brynna?” I whispered as I pulled my face away from my hands.

  “May I take it as a compliment that you are allowing me to call you by your first name?”

  “If you take me allowing you to call me by my first name as a compliment, will that boost your already far over-inflated ego?”

  “Indeed.”

  I covered my mouth discreetly, trying to hide the tiny, almost nonexistent smile that was struggling to emerge. He was so annoyingly arrogant and composed about everything. I was moving past irritation at both of those things and into a place where they were beginning to entertain me. A part of me believed his attitude was meant to do just that. If that were the case, he was skilled at pretending to be completely serious.

  “I know that you are attempting to suppress a smile. I would like you to know that I am pleased to have brought about such a change in your state of mind.”

  I furrowed my brows and shook my head ever so slightly.

  “You are so weird.”

  He chuckled softly, his eyes alight with humor.

  “I could say the very same about you. I know that many already have. Please, continue. You are asking all the right questions and by now, you deserve the answers.”

  There was so much more to be asked, so I obliged.

  “When was the last time that you and James spoke about me?”

  “Another excellent question. It was just three days ago.”

  Hello, boot. Meet stomach. I bent over again and buried my face in my hands. Then, I rested my head against my knees. God or Gods, betrayal hurt. I was sickened that James had been so close to me in every possible way. I could not stand the burning, stinging, stabbing pain in my heart. I was almost sweating as my body sought to exorcise the emotional torment. Never before had I fallen for such a charade and yet now, James had made a fool out of me. His lies were endless. I would never forgive myself for believing them.

  Adam leaned forward and delicately placed his hand on my back.

  “Look at me.”

  “No.”

&nb
sp; “Alright. Do you have any more questions?”

  “Why is my gift so powerful? Why is it so important to you?”

  I did look up at him again. My eyes would stay fixated on his so that if a lie flickered across his face, I would detect it immediately. That arrogant smile vanished from his face. He leaned forward and grasped my hands. When I struggled to pull them away, fearing that he would feel the dampness of my palms, he only grasped them tighter.

  “I do not want you to fear me. I have no intention of harming you in any way. If you agree to help me, I will protect you. If you align with me, I will be willing to sacrifice my own life in order to keep you and the people you hold dear safe. Is that understood?”

  “You did not answer my question.”

  Now I needed to know what duties he would require of me, if I were to align completely with him. More importantly, I needed to know how I could help destroy our opposition. The war could distract me from my agonizing thoughts about James. The hurt was throbbing inside of me, birthing an all too familiar beast: Rage. I had never taken any hit, physical or emotional, without hitting back harder and with better aim. The current state of things would amplify that tendency ten-fold.

  “Why is my ability to know things so important to you, Adam?”

  “Because you can see things, Brynna.” He answered solemnly. “You can feel what is to come. You can determine a person's true self with little effort. You can read their innermost thoughts. Not to mention your vast knowledge on all things, small and large. Your power is invaluable. That is why Tyre, Rich Bachum, and your father want you dead. That is why I want you alive.”

  “So, if I stay here with you, what will you ask of me?”

  “Nothing as worrisome as what I am sure you are imagining. Merely your opinion, which I have discovered you are not shy about sharing.”

  I nodded, unable to decipher whether he was being honest or lying to me shamelessly. Even staring intently into his eyes did not answer that question. It didn't matter, at least not in that particular moment.

  “And if I refuse?” I asked.

  He shrugged and smiled slightly.

  “No matter what you decide, welcome to Lumiere.”

  “What is that?”

  “The name of the city.”

  I nodded and gazed into his intriguing eyes once again.

  “I have a favor to ask of you. I will owe you a debt if you oblige.”

  “That is a dangerous thing to say, Brynna. I am a man who never allows a debt to go unpaid.”

  “I am well aware of that. I sensed that in you the day we met.”

  It was true. The day my eyes had first met his, when he had appeared like a long dead ghost from the darkness of the forest, I had sensed in him great power and brutal strength, first and foremost. But behind all of that, I sensed a man with an unrelenting grasp on all that was around him, including those who owed him.

  “And still, you wish to say such a thing?” He asked almost breathlessly. “That is foolishness far below you.”

  “Foolish or wise, it does not matter. I'm sure you already know exactly what I am going to ask.”

  “I can assure you that I do not, though I have theories.”

  “Well, allow me to confirm one of them: I want Don to let Maura go. Though she and I will never be on sufficiently comfortable terms, she is very important to my sisters and brother.”

  Saying the words out loud relieved their burden. I had openly acknowledged, at last, that the bad blood, as they call it, between Maura and I would never evaporate. We would never be what we once were. I did not hate her. In fact, I pitied her. Sometimes, a feeling hovers deep in the core of one's being, and no name can be given to it. It is simply a discomfort unlike any felt before. It is a mixture of terrible betrayal, dull hurt, and in contrast, devastating numbness. The three coexist simultaneously, none fighting for prevalence or longevity. They know they will survive for all time, like tumors immune to all medicine. Maura had provoked that feeling in me, and yet I did not wish for her to die. Somewhere, very deep down, cowering in the face of my still very alive and very powerful anger, was love for her. That love, if you can believe it (and I know I barely do), carried great strength.

  Adam was studying me, searching my face for an answer to some question he would not pose.

  “Short of killing Don, there was only one other option. I had to come to you and ask for her to be spared.”

  “Yes.”

  I looked up at him.

  “Yes?” I questioned. “Is that an affirmative in response to my statement, or are you telling me that you will stop him?”

  “Both. Donald listens to me. He knows the consequences will be severe if he does not. And yes, I will stop him.”

  I nodded and reached out suddenly to grasp his hands. I didn't know why, but the touch between us sent a calming breeze through me, so very different from what I had experienced with James. Though the feelings were both undeniably pleasurable, they were so complex in their differences. James had sent warmth through me. Adam sent a soothing chill. Fire and ice, so to speak...

  I snapped out of my thoughts and looked up at him. He had leaned closer to me suddenly, pulling one of his hands from my grasp so he could place it on my face. Only a deep seriousness was etched into every smooth line of his face. In the hypnotizing glow of his eyes that was so reminiscent of the way the sun cast that serene, surreal light through the tree canopy of the Pangaean forest, I saw both a hunger to continue whatever it was we were doing and a warning to me that I needed to pull away. It was a look of pure torture, perfect evidence that beneath all of his arrogance, there was a self-loathing to rival my own. Adam and I were so incredibly similar. That similarity stunned both of us and drew us closer together as though our very cores were magnetized.

  I had never needed a man before, and I still didn't. My heart was, admittedly, shattered by James's betrayal. To completely renounce what I stated earlier, I will say that above all feelings, vulnerability is the absolute worst. Betrayal breeds it in abundance. Because of how exposed I felt by what James had done, I was allowing myself to drift closer to Adam when I should have been running with wild, reckless speed in the opposite direction. Adam had been the one to send James, and surely, he deserved a large percentage of my wrath. But Adam had not slept beside me every night, telling me he loved me more than his own life and promising never to lie to me. Though Adam could protect me, I needed to prove once again that I could take care of myself. With those thoughts in my mind, I pulled away from him, trying not to cringe as the ice that had pacified my demons melted away. In the flood it left, the worst parts of me sprung up, gasping for air after being submerged. I deserved such a terrible feeling. I hoped it would serve as a reminder to me that I needed to keep my distance from Adam and anyone else who sought to protect and coddle me.

  “Before you run off, berating yourself for allowing that moment of humanity, let me say this: James made another deal with me after he ran from your campsite. I told him that should you two find one another, he was to protect you by whatever means necessary. Because he did not do as I ordered the first time, I was ready to kill him. He made another deal with me for his life like the coward that he is.”

  “Is that meant to reassure me, Adam?” I asked softly with no edge to my voice.

  “No, but this will: He loves you and his feelings on the matter have changed substantially. Three days ago, when we spoke, he told me to kill him. He said he would rather die than trade you. Yet I could not abide by his wish. I could not end his life.”

  “Why?” I whispered after swallowing hard to contain the headstrong tears that so boldly wished to fall.

  “Because I see in your eyes every time you look at him, and right now, also, how very much you love him. I cannot hurt you, Brynna, in any sense. I might not agree with your choice of man. I believe that you can do far better. But it is your choice.”

  “What were the new terms of your deal?” I asked, somewhat randomly. “The one
you made the last time you two spoke?”

  “I told him that if he keeps you safe, I will not kill him. As long as you are alive, his debt to me is paid. It was the same deal as the second. It is the only one that truly matters. I simply want what is best for you, Brynna.”

  “Why is that?” My eyes gazed intently into his, and I even leaned forward slightly in anticipation of his answer. “What am I to you, besides someone who possesses a power that you feel will guarantee you a victory in your war?”

  He smiled and laughed softly; the sound embraced my ears warmly and forced a small shudder to run up and down the length of my tired body.

  “That is the reason. You most certainly do know all, my dear Brynna.”

  I do not know what exactly it was that I thought he would say in response to my last question. Perhaps I conceitedly believed that he truly did have feelings for me and that he would admit them outright. The way he wielded his charisma and dry humor in my presence led me to think that he wanted more from me than just the services my power could offer. But now, he had affirmed that my power was all he needed. There was no secret lust for me, as my brain had led me to believe, for whatever surely unnecessary reason.

  “Such interesting thoughts. They are very loud.”

  I jumped up, shaking my head back and forth and covering my ears.

  “If you can read minds, why do you need me to do it for you?”

  “Your thoughts tend to scream. You feel things very strongly, which does not surprise me. You are able to share your thoughts with others. That is another aspect of your power. I can hear them because a part of you wants me to hear them.”

  I was tempted to loudly exclaim about the excrement of a bull in obscene terms. Instead, I just shook my head and turned away from him. I searched my mind for an insult or statement that would successfully deflate his arrogance. But I was very tired and unable to fashion one that was both creative and intricate. I had to settle on one that obviously betrayed my great exhaustion.

  “Whatever you say, you audacious prick. Now, would you please honor your end of our agreement?”

  His soft laughter followed me even after I had left the room.