Winter's Legacy: Future Days (Winter's Saga Book 6)

by Karen Luellen

  Margo blinked and met Evan’s searching look with knowing resolve.

  “In the lake,” she said with a certainty. “Danny prayed for our healing.” The room waivered in silence—absorbing the implications.

  Margo nodded slowly, her gaze settling back on the little boy.

  Theo reached out to Farrow for the sheet she’d removed from the coffee table and walked toward the little boy. He gently draped the cloth over him. “I’m sorry I doubted you, Danny. You are truly touched by God.”

  32 Eyes Wide Open

  While waiting out the storm, the family had resigned themselves to finding various pieces of clothing in the closets of the three bedroom villa and changing into the dry things.

  Farrow and Sloan had helped dress Kylie in a traditional galabeya. The loose fit of the full-length robe made it easy to put on the unconscious girl. They had slipped a cushion under her head and covered her with a light sheet before Evan could approach.

  “She’s still resting. Her heart rate is steady. I think it’s just a matter of time before she wakes. Maybe it would help if she heard your familiar voice.” Sloan frowned at Evan’s profile wondering if he’d heard anything she just said. His eyes never left the sleeping girl.

  Sloan gently grabbed the crook of Evan’s elbow, to force his attention. He peeled his eyes off Kylie’s angelic face and looked into Sloan’s serious, steel-gray eyes. “When she wakes, tread carefully. She fooled you once; she could do it again. Williams has a way of twisting the truth. Learn her intentions.”

  “This isn’t my first rodeo, Sloan. You know first-hand how my family handles Williams’ defectors. If that’s what she wants to do, she’ll be welcomed into the fold like you were.” The edge in Evan’s voice had Cole out of his seat and on alert. Evan caught the motion in his peripherals and glanced in Cole’s direction nodding once before looking back at Sloan and softening his words with a tight-lipped smile. “Thanks, Sloan.” He took a deep, calming breath. “I’ll be careful when I talk with her. If I suspect anything, I’ll take her out myself.”

  Sloan let her hand drop and stepped aside.

  “C’mon Sloan,” Cole held out his hand. “Let’s get you something to eat and find a spot to rest. You’ve been taking care of everyone else tonight. It’s your turn, kid.” He smiled at her tired eyes. She reached out to accept his offer and leaned against him as they made their way to the kitchen.

  Farrow smiled at the couple. Her eyes easily found who she was looking for: Alik. She moved to follow Sloan and Cole to the kitchen thinking she would prepare something simple for him to eat and coax him to rest. As she moved nearer to him, she saw his eyes alight with joy at seeing his mother easily performing the physical therapy mobility tests Dr. Andrews was conducting on her. In that instant, she saw the little boy he used to be as he grinned widely at his mother’s happy tears.

  He’s such a good person, she thought with a blush and a smile she tried to hide from him as she moved past the three to the kitchen. Just as she was about to round the corner, she glanced back over her shoulder at the boy she loved. He caught her eye and winked before nodding toward his mom as if to say, “Can you believe this?” Farrow grinned and nodded back. She didn’t have to speak. She simply put her hands over her heart and bowed her head.

  Alik pointed to the sky.

  Farrow nodded and did the same.

  They knew it. These miracles were all God.

  Farrow waved and went about her task.

  Alik turned back to his mother and watched her walk across the room just as if she’d never been shot in the spine.

  Evan had moved the heavy coffee table carefully so as not to disturb the candles placed there. He positioned it beside Kylie so he could perch on the corner. He wore simple linen trousers and a tan T-shirt. Not fifteen minutes before, he’d taken a fast, cold shower trying to rinse off the layer of sand that had caked his skin in the short distance between the lake and the villa. Now that he was dry and somewhat clean, he felt more himself. His longish, untamed sandy-blonde hair that had been finger-combed had resumed its typical messy, gravity-defying angles. He hadn’t realized it yet, but both his body and face looked much older than fourteen. The physical changes that seemed partially in place since his metamorphosis four months ago, seemed to have clicked into final transformation in one night: one life-changing night.

  His physical conversion had gone completely unnoticed to him. He was too focused on the face of the girl who brought him and his family to the brink of extinction that night. He had so many questions for her he didn’t even know where to begin.

  “Why am I not in pain?” Her voice came in a breathy whisper. Her eyes were still closed, as though she dreaded what was on the other side of her lids.

  Evan let out a breath of air that he didn’t realize he’d been holding and responded with the first thing that came to mind: the truth. “My little brother prayed for your healing. God answered his prayers.”

  “I’m not dead?” she asked, eyes still shut.

  “Open your eyes, Kylie. See for yourself.” Evan suggested. He watched closely as her eyelids fluttered open. She slowly turned to look at Evan.

  She frowned and blinked into the candlelight.

  “Where are we?”

  “Safe, for now.”

  Kylie reached up to carefully touch the places on her body that should be shot and torn. Evan watched her frown deepen when she felt only smooth skin.

  “Am I dreaming?” she whispered.

  Evan shook his head, his hands clasped together forcing him to remain calm. “This is all very much real, Kylie.”

  She took in his grim expression and nodded once. Looking around the room at people smiling at one another, huddled talking in hushed tones—some of them dozing, sharing blankets and pillows.

  This is a family, she mused.

  “I don’t belong here,” she blurted the first thing that came to mind.

  “Where do you belong?” Evan asked as he watched her green eyes.

  She lowered her eyes and picked at the edge of the linen robe she wore.

  Evan didn’t let her get away with silence. “Answer me, Kylie.”

  “I don’t know,” she whispered. She sat up and rubbed some sand from her eyes.

  “Why don’t you start from the beginning? How long have you worked for Williams?”

  She stopped rubbing at the mention of her Director’s name. Her shoulders slumped. “You may as well know everything,” she began. “I was seven-years-old when my mom told me to pack a small bag and drove me to a strange house. She was a drug addict.” Glancing up at Evan she fully expected to see a look of disgust but his face was unreadable—neutral, listening.

  “I’d been the one to take care of her more times than I could count when she was coming off a binge, I just never thought she’d stoop so low. She pulled into the driveway and a man came out of the house. He opened my door and leered at me. My mother told me to get out of the car and go inside the house. I obeyed her knowing things were going to be different this time.

  “Just before I stepped inside the house, I turned back to see the man pass her a small wad of cash and an even smaller bag with white powder inside through her lowered car window. She took the payoff, backed out of the driveway and didn’t look back. I never saw her again.”

  Evan saw how painful it was for Kylie to recall that day. Her voice was quivering around shallow breaths. She ended by swallowing back the emotion swelling in her throat. He didn’t interrupt—only watched and waited for her to continue.

  “After some shuffling around, I was shipped to the Facility. I don’t know how I lived through the Infinite Serum’s beating that first week, but I did. The Facility was my new home and Dr. Williams took on the role of father figure.” She winced at her words before continuing.

  “I felt safe there.” She shrugged. “I think after living with my mom, I thrived on the discipline and predictable schedule. Dr. Williams nurtured my love of science and study. I worked v
ery hard for him, desperate for his approval. I graduated with my doctorate in Metahuman-ology at fifteen and began working in the Research Hospital. I only wanted to make him proud so I obeyed every order. He took care of me.”

  Kylie’s green eyes darted up to peek at Evan’s expression. His facial muscles worked as he clenched and unclenched his jaw. She knew she was treading on a sharp edge and lost the nerve to say another word. Her eyes dropped again as she mulled over what to say or do next.

  “And then?” Evan’s voice was steady—encouraging her to continue.

  “My job description changed.”

  “Meaning?”

  “As part of my new work, it became my responsibility to administer the Infinite Serum to the ‘new recruits,’ seventy-eight percent of whom died within the first week of exposure.”

  His honey eyes locked onto hers and refused to let go.

  “It’s the awful truth.” Tears welled in her eyes as she felt compelled to explain her plight. She realized he was her assignment just 48 hours before, but everything was different now and all reluctance to talk shattered under the weight of her torment. Confessing was more important than consequences.

  “I couldn’t stand it anymore, Evan. I couldn’t sleep for all the nightmares. I got physically ill every ‘new recruit’ day. I was ordered to disconnect from the ‘subjects,’ but I just couldn’t. I would see that mask of death creep across their faces,” her voice cracked, “and I just wanted to die for them. I wasn’t even supposed to think of them as human. They were just vessels and only worthy of concern if they survived the Infinite Serum.”

  Evan nodded slowly, imagining what it must have been like for Kylie to have grown up under those twisted circumstances. “What changed?”

  Kylie absently swiped the tears from her face and dived into the story of the last ‘new recruit’ day—the day the Research Hospital was destroyed. She shared every detail of her act of defiance as she worked to save a child from certain death.

  “What happened to the little boy you tried to help?”

  “I was told the surviving recruits were shipped away before the hospital’s collapse, but I honestly don’t know if that was true.” She shook her head despondently.

  Evan swallowed hard then chewed on his bottom lip for a moment.

  33 A Time for Truth

  “Do you feel well enough to walk?” he asked.

  “I think so,” she tipped her head to the side, wondering what he was thinking. It only took a moment for her to decide to trust Evan without question. He could have let her die or killed her himself. Nodding, she carefully moved her legs to dangle off the chair she’d been draped on.

  Evan moved to take her by the hands and helped her to her feet. At her touch, he clearly saw a vision of the future—the precognition so crisp and unlike any of his previous visions. The image made him catch his breath, but solidified his decision.

  He watched her expressive eyes for any signs of pain and was relieved when he saw none. Once standing, Kylie moved just enough to test her muscles, rolling her shoulders and leaning to either side.

  “The level of healing is remarkable!” she breathed.

  “It is, isn’t it?” he half-smiled at her awestruck expression and began leading her to the other side of the room.

  “Where are we going?”

  “To meet the family.”

  Kylie stopped. Her worried green eyes glistened in the candle light. “They’re going to hate me.” Evan felt a tremor start in her hands.

  “It’s important for them to know you, Kylie.”

  “They know the attack was my—”

  “Of course they know about that, but there’s so much more to you.” Evan nodded reassuringly. As though illustrating his point, he saw a burst of her future overlay his vision. He blinked to dismiss it. He didn’t need any more convincing.

  “Trust me, Kylie.” He gently pulled her forward. Though her eyes were round with worry, she allowed herself to be led to the others.

  Margo and Theo looked up from their spot on the sofa where they had been talking softly.

  “Mom, Theo—this is Kylie Monroe. Kylie, this is my mom, Dr. Margo Winter and the guy who’s bound to be my dad someday, Dr. Theo Andrews.”

  “How are you feeling Kylie?” Margo asked sincerely.

  “You were shot up pretty badly, kiddo. We were worried you wouldn’t make it.” Theo stood and offered his hand.

  Kylie took it reflexively noticing the genuine warmth in both of their faces.

  “I’m feeling remarkably well, thank you.”

  “Well, let’s not beat around the bush.” Theo parked his hands on his hips. “You work for Dr. Williams and were sent to infiltrate the family to feed information back to him. Am I right?”

  Kylie’s eyes dropped to her bare feet and stayed there. She said nothing.

  “Theo!”

  “Margo, we don’t have the luxury of time. We need to know where she stands.”

  The others throughout the house had made their way back to the living room to be a part of this poignant moment. Alik draped his arm over Farrow’s shoulders. Cole stood protectively slightly in front of Sloan who peeked around his biceps to watch. Creed stood alone, arms crossed waiting patiently for the scene to play out.

  “It is true. I’ve worked for the Director since age seven. Most recently, I was sent to gather intelligence on the evolved gift of one of ‘The Original Three’. Evan Winter was my assignment. All intel gathered, was reported to the Director, himself. I am the reason you were attacked last night.”

  The room was silent, simmering in the confession that hung heavy in the air.

  Margo looked from the blond girl whose head was still bowed to her son, Evan. “Evan?” she asked simply.

  Evan looked over at his mom, then back to Theo. “Earlier I mentioned the firelight manipulation was only part of my evolved gift.”

  His eyes darted back to the girl standing at his side, whose hand was trembling in his.

  “There was a second part of my evolution but before tonight it was hazy and uncontrollable. My theory is that Danny’s healing reset my evolution.”

  “What are you saying, son?” Margo stood and stepped closer to him to study his face.

  “Mom, I can see into the future—sort of,” he waivered.

  Margo’s jaw dropped.

  “I’ve gotten glimpses ever since the fire, but I couldn’t tell you because the first vision I received was for my eyes only—mine and Meg’s.”

  “What?” Margo gasped.

  Creed stepped forward, clenching and unclenching his fists.

  “I shared my hazy vision with Meg and told her what I truly believed at the time: She had to allow herself to be captured by Williams then Arkdone. She had to be in those places to set the cogs in motion, positioning us to put an end to their evil.”

  “You told your sister to sacrifice herself to the enemy based on a vision you had when you were delirious with pain from your burns?” Creed spoke through clenched teeth.

  “Yes, and I’ll never forgive myself for it.” Evan took a deep breath.

  “You can see into the future?” Theo asked, trying to redirect the conversation. “What are your limitations?”

  “It seems I have to be touching the person to see their future.”

  “What else?”

  “Well, it’s all still new to me, but I think I am only able to see what’s in that person’s immediate future—an hour or so from that moment.”

  “So things can change,” Margo nodded.

  “Yes.”

  “What was your most recent vision?” Sloan asked, stepping out from behind a seething Cole.

  Evan looked back at the girl whose hand he held. “It had to do with Kylie,” he said to the room.

  Then to her he added, “Remember the ‘new recruit’ you tried to rescue from death by Infinite Serum with your act of disobedience—dosing him with the synthetic corticosteroids in hopes of saving his life?”

>   Kylie frowned. “Of course I remember him.”

  “Turn around and meet my little brother, Danny,” Evan said softly.

  Standing in a robe that hung way too long on him was the littlest Winter. His Cupid’s bow lips opened into a surprised ‘oh’ when he saw Kylie.

  Kylie’s face lit up with wonder as she gasped and fell to her knees. Her hands moved to cover her mouth and tears sprang to her green eyes.

  “I know you!” Danny’s surprised expression blossomed into a wide grin.

  Kylie, overwhelmed with emotion, could only nod and smile at the boy with blond curls.

  “You were with me when I was sick,” Danny continued. “I remember you.”

  He looked past the girl to see his mother. “Mommy, where did you find the doctor who helped me feel better when I was little?”

  34 Fork in the Road

  The family sat in a loose circle around flickering candles as Kylie shared her story. Danny had plopped himself in her cross-legged lap, showing complete trust in her as he dozed off. His acceptance had brought her to quiet tears as she relived her life at the Facility and the orders she followed. Her voice took on a raspy, emotional quality when she got to the part about escaping Rais, driving to the Winter’s house to try to make her last act honorable, defending Evan against the attack she caused. When she finished, the room was quiet. Margo broke the silence.

  “Sadly, your story is familiar to us, Kylie. Creed, Farrow and Sloan can relate firsthand to what you’ve been through.” Margo acknowledged each of them in turn, smiling sympathetically at the haunted shadows hovering across their faces. Kylie’s story had awakened memories in each that they had worked hard to lock away.

  “It’s true, Kylie,” Farrow offered. “Both Creed and I were ordered to terminate the Winter family.”

  Sloan nodded and added, “I was a doctor at the Facility’s research hospital, too. I know what it’s like to be given a direct order to do something that made me want to vomit. I only found the courage to leave because of Creed.”