Splintering Reality (Breaking Order Series Book 2)

by Catherine Kopf

  Wes would be proud of my new determination. That determination for survival lingered in my eyes, ready to do whatever it took to…

  “AHHH!” a sharp pain filled my right hand, making me drop the lighter to the floor.

  I didn’t look at it. I couldn’t look at it. The pain ripped through me like a bullet, only worse. The stench was horrible and my vision blurred like one of The Illusionist’s tricks. Standing over me, Zeke stood tall, dark… even more sinister than Father and his weapons.

  “I meant what I said.” Blood dripped down Zeke’s sharp blade.

  Beside me, a flame lit the gasoline, slowly looming toward the container. If Zeke didn’t put it out before finishing me off, no one would leave this base alive but my friends. My vision faded in and out, struggling to remain focused on my surroundings. I couldn’t make it out. Not without a miracle. I glided my hand over my chest, touching the rosary. At least I could die knowing I helped in the rebellion.

  “Calista!” a voice shouted. A surge of flame hit the area between me and Zeke.

  “Enya…” I shook.

  She knelt beside me. “… No. No! No!”

  Dustin shot over her, each gunshot sounding like an echo of thunder against the magical lights. The fire stretched closer and closer, foreshadowing Base Darkguard’s demise. The Boy With the Violin stood over me, flickers of glitter spiraling around everyone.

  And then, the shadows consumed me, leaving no room for goodbyes, no room for forgiveness. There was no time left.

  FOURTY-THREE

  Calista

  The world fizzled, cracked, and burned in my subconscious. The fire raged and the black wings of a bird of prey circled around me. Death… I didn’t expect the embrace to be so lifeless. I couldn’t be dead, right?

  No, I was worse than dead. My crimes sent me to a place I could never return from. Ambert’s sacrifice was for nothing… wasn’t it? Shadows engulfed my surroundings, and a fog entered my mind.

  Lost.

  My scanning eyes found nothing on the horizon.

  Afraid.

  My hands trembled, one almost like it wasn’t there.

  Alone.

  Tears poured from my face. “Someone!”

  My emotions took hold of me, clawing like an animal wanting to escape a horrible fate. This couldn’t be it.

  “No one can save you from the path you’ve chosen, Oracle. The battle has begun.”

  “You’ve made your choice. The damage will never be undone…”

  I expected a figure with a torn, black cloak to come and swoop me away. Darkness cloaked over me; my voice choked. Down… down… down… my spirit’s clawing wouldn’t be released, only intensified.

  Looking up, the bird drew closer, flames carried behind it just like the ones I caused at Base Darkguard. Across the orange sky, a harsh breeze carried feathers across, each red and black, the colors of The Regime. A screeching cry followed, piercing into the sounds of the roaring fires.

  Waking with a jolt, I gasped for breath. My heart thudded like a madman pounding on an asylum door. My hand reached skyward, heading toward where I last saw the bird.

  I almost expected myself to be in The Regime. Gray tables, gray floors coated the place, all industrial-like for a war effort. The walls smelled like the humid rock from Safe Haven. This place felt so different, but, at the same time, the essence of Safe Haven still found its way into the gray, industrial cracks through a colorful drawing on my wall. This wasn’t The Regime after all…

  “She’s finally awake!” a woman shouted from outside my room.

  A girl with loving and wise lilac eyes looked at me and smiled. The slightly older girl carried herself like a royal and had hair hued gold.

  “It’s okay. You’re safe with The Blaze now…” she spoke.

  I’d seen this girl in a thousand paintings. I heard about her in more than a thousand stories, but seeing her here brought her to life. This was Aurelia, Wes’ little sister. She held the same soul Wes had: creative, beautiful, alluring.

  “Joy to finally meet you, Calista.” Aurelia smiled with a pinch of mischievousness like her brother.

  I rose from my bed and took Aurelia’s hand, although, no feeling filled me. My sense of touch seemed gone. Aurelia’s gaze lowered before I did the same. The once happy gazes faded to the shaking of my right hand… or what was left of it.

  My healthy hand brushed along the grooves of a foreign substance on its twin. Plates across my arm revealed wires and screws. My hand wasn’t alive anymore. It wasn’t even on me. Touching the cold metal with my other hand, I felt nothing, as if a piece of me had been ripped away by the flames, or, more than likely, Zeke’s blade.

  My eyes watered as shallow breaths left my mouth. There was no way I could retrieve my hand.

  “They couldn’t save it. I’m sorry…” Aurelia’s tears dripped down her face, feeling my pain as if it were her own.

  How could I paint again? Play the piano? Write even? This was my dominant hand, now torn away into a metal scrap of what it was. My arm shook, yet the metal remained still and strong. I wasn’t the same person after all. I was the girl who lit Base Darkguard ablaze, child of Astra and Hugo Knight, an Oracle, and a Dreamer.

  Aurelia wrapped her arms around me. “That hand helped save my life…”

  Her voice shook just like my arm, wavering, filled with anxiety and speechlessness, yet she kept a smile on her face despite the tears. Her lilac eyes showed a sense of calm behind the emotions, a sense of fragility behind the strong smile. Aurelia and I reflected one another, even if we had only spoken to each other for the first time. We were bound together, not by blood, but instead by experience and Wes. I embraced her and let the tears fall and drip onto the bland floor below us.

  Wes entered the room, ecstatic to see me. He grasped onto me, refusing to let go. “Calista! We did it! We found my sister!”

  I laughed. Wes was the one who started this crazy adventure in the first place. “I’m glad you’re safe.”

  “I’m the one who should be glad you’re still here.” Wes caressed his hand on my cheek. “I don’t what I’d do without…”

  My metal hand brushed a hair out of his face. “You…” a soft smile glowed on my lips. “You never got to dance with me in Serre.”

  Wes blushed. “Better late than never.”

  He bowed and took my hand. I slowly wrapped my arms around his waist and swayed back and forth. Looking into each other’s eyes, I saw a fond sparkle, fierce but tender. He leaned in, going for a kiss.

  Was I ready? Gulping, the thought made my palms sweat. Nope, not now. I turned my face away from him.

  Wes accidentally stepped on my toes and stumbled. “Oops… guess I’m not used to dancing.”

  “It’s okay. I just wasn’t ready for that step.”

  His palms laced with sweat. “Then, you don’t feel the same connection I do?”

  I flashed a smile. “Of course I do… it’s just… that would’ve been my first kiss.”

  He cleared his throat, turning as red as the sunsets in his paintings. “I had no idea. It would’ve been my first too…”

  Wes’ talkative self faded away, leaving an awkward silence in the room. Staring into his eyes, they carried a sparkle as he stared at my chapped lips. Sparks flew through my body, passion like one of Wes’ paintings traveling through me. Colors sparked to life in my imagination. Maybe, I was ready. Maybe, I needed to get out of my comfort zone and try new things I was scared to do. Being scared didn’t make me any less brave. It just let me ignore the feelings and hide them away.

  I nodded to give him permission and leaned in closer to him, prepared for his lips to lock mine. Closing my eyes, his hand brushed against my face and butterflies filled my stomach.

  But the kiss didn’t go quite like I expected.

  He kissed my top lip and below my nose instead of locking lips with mine.

  I hugged my arms over my body. “Wow�
� that was… uh… I guess it’s official.”

  “Way to go, Wes.” Aurelia rolled her eyes. “You’ve labeled yourself as a dork…”

  “And you’re being a nosy little sister!”

  She snorted. “Who else would look after you?”

  Who else would look after you… that immediately jerked my mind back to Ambert.

  My wavering voice whispered a simple phrase, but the small words carried a heavy load. “…Is Ambert safe?”

  “Well…” Wes bit his lip and mumbled the words. “Orion tried his hardest, you’ve gotta know that. But he couldn’t find him in time.”

  My lip quivered. “Wes… what does that mean?”

  The silence lingered for a moment, but my heart thumped. My head spun with questions. Ambert had sound magic, tons of friends too. He couldn’t be…

  The words slipped out of Wes’ throat as he gasped for air. “Ambert’s dead.”

  Ambert hadn’t made it out. No… that couldn’t be true, could it? No no no…

  He sacrificed himself for me, and in the midst of The Blaze’s scuffle with The Regime, they didn’t save him. Why him? Why did it have to be him? I was more than willing to do it! Why was he the one?

  “Knock, knock!” a boy with curly red hair and freckles splattering on his body opened the door, gripping a violin case.

  I slapped him across the face with my new prosthetic hand. “Why didn’t you save Ambert?”

  “You were the important one,” the boy said.

  “Wasn’t everyone important?” I asked.

  “It was a get in, get out mission. Destroy Darkguard at any cost.”

  “Then you should’ve just let us all go down and save yourselves!”

  “I couldn’t do that.”

  “I’m the daughter of Mr. Knight: Head Executioner of The Regime. Ambert was like a brother to me… an innocent! He didn’t deserve for anyone to abandon him for a shy oracle who…”

  “You’re my cousin!” the boy spat in my face, but his eyes reflected that this statement was the truth.

  A pause lingered in the room. Even Aurelia and Wes were quiet. My lip trembled for a second before speaking my next words.

  “... You’re…” I could barely bring myself to say it at first. “My cousin?”

  “Astra Fotos had a sister: Retna Fotos. That’s my mom. Your powers are more Fotos than Knight, Calista.” he hugged me. “I’m just glad you were home for your birthday.”

  He looked around Aurelia’s age: fifteen, maybe sixteen. Yet, all of us had already seen so much death in our lives. No one deserved that type of life, especially before reaching adulthood.

  Was a severed hand my fifteenth birthday present? A prosthetic metal limb its dreary replacement? Were bombs my fireworks? Blood stains my confetti? Did the soldiers become my honorary guests? I slept my entire birthday in darkness, enclosed by shadow without anyone but a spare doctor or nurse to keep me company.

  And Ambert… he sacrificed everything to make sure my birthday came. How many more would I have before The Regime got me too? How many weeks? How many hours before death claimed us all?

  I squeezed onto my cousin’s shoulders, not even knowing his name. Tears spilled from my eyes like the drops of blood we sacrificed daily.

  We couldn’t keep on like this. It was enough to splinter someone’s mind into a million pieces, maybe even more.

  “You should take Calista to her friends.” Aurelia chimed in.

  Orion’s head perked up. “Of course! They’re worried as all get out!”

  R

  He brought me out of The Blaze’s hospital ward into an underground tunnel. Gemstones sparkled a vibrant color, whether it was emerald, lilac, sapphire, or ruby, and rock carvings of dreamcatchers and magic symbols laid etched in the walls. The underground tunnels filled themselves with a Dreamer’s spirit, recorded by the many Dreamers who lived in The Blaze over time, including Orion.

  As we traveled along this pathway, it opened to a hollow clearing filled with the same gemstones and rock carvings. There, a familiar thick-thighed girl waited for me, her eyes weary from insufficient sleep. Beside her, a girl clutched the katana hanging from her belt.

  Both were dressed in uniform, consisting of a t-shirt and a leather jacket, but a rainbow of color flooded my eyes from every Dreamer’s unique color scheme. Enya’s was red, black, and orange, while Kuan-yin’s was red and yellow. The small design stitched in the corner of Enya’s jacket, a dreamcatcher, gave the same vibe as the rest of The Blaze: filled with hope and determination to beat The Regime.

  “Don’t worry me like that again!” Enya gripped onto my torn, short purple dress and embraced me.

  My hands gripped her even tighter. She lost Ambert the same way I did, and we became siblings by that bond. Now she was all I had left of it. She was the sliver of hope I had left of him. We did what Ambert ever wanted us to do; Enya and I became sisters.

  “I won’t, Enya…” I uttered.

  Someone pulled me from behind.

  “That hand staying on?” Dustin asked, Ivory by his side.

  I nodded.

  “Dustin, Stella, and Vana made that for you themselves! Isn’t it cool?” Ivory’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

  “Impressive if you ask me.” Enya nudged Dustin’s shoulder.

  “Vana and your sister are here too? They made it?" my face lit up.

  Ivory bobbed her head, obviously thrilled to be reunited with most of her friends and her sister. A smile beamed on her face, ready to see what sewing challenges she could take on next in this new environment.

  Kuan-yin didn’t waste time lingering and turned to Orion. “So, now that Calista’s awake, we can go after Mai and The Regime, right? I’m not letting Ju-long’s death go without atonement.”

  Orion set down his violin case. “Easier said than done, I think. Even with my celestial powers and the loss of Base Darkguard, The Regime is moving. Three vans left Darkguard at different times.”

  “Three vans…” Enya folded her arms. “Probably from their research there.”

  “That’s right.” Orion cleared his throat. “When The Control Room blew, destroying the prison cells below it, one van immediately retreated… keeping The Commander in tow. That witch made it out unscathed.”

  “Dang it…” I mumbled.

  Enya interrupted, “You brought Darkguard down, Calista. That itself is amazing.”

  Orion cleared his throat again, annoyed by our interruptions. “The second van that left contained the completed subjects for Project Dark Phoenix. The last one, a medical van, was so secure, we didn’t get a chance to see what was in it. Probably The Regime’s best resources.”

  “That doesn’t mean Ambert didn’t survive. Only that they’re keeping him somewhere. I know it! My father was worried about something. Knew something. He could’ve rescued him!” I clenched my jaw.

  By the way Mai and The Regime hunted Ambert, I knew they wouldn’t just let him go. He was too important to them.

  Wes placed his hand on my shoulder. “Hey, I thought that too, but apparently they wanted him the same reason they wanted Ju-long: to harvest him and his magic. Dark and sound magics are rare. We’re lucky we saved Aurelia, Stella, and Xiang, let alone ourselves.”

  “You can’t believe in that, can you? What about hope? What about…”

  A voice spoke from behind me. “Only devils survive in The Regime’s clutches, Calista, and those that refuse to die conform to shadows you never knew existed.”

  I turned to face a woman — her hair was the same shade as mine with beautiful green eyes, though those seemed darker, duller than my own. The long scar on her face showed a worn figure proud and experienced in battle. Her cloak reminded me of the dream I first saw a violin. The same dream I first saw Orion and The Blaze in.

  Beside this figure was another girl in her mid-twenties, also draped in the same attire. Her red hair and thick glasses contrasted with the s
hiny gold choker around her neck.

  “General Fotos…” Enya lowered her head and ground her teeth together.

  The woman with the scar spoke up, her hand poking out from under her cloak in a clenched fist. “Right now, The Blaze must focus on living underground. Gathering the surviving Dreamers and remaining in shadows close to the light. We can’t let The Regime take more of our numbers. Rebellions are won through force. Not hope.”

  This was my aunt, and already, she sounded more like Chief Starbright than me. Any force with determination, something to love, and hope behind them was better than any soulless army. Our love for the arts and hope to change the laws separated The Dreamers from The Regime. At least, that’s what I thought.

  “Ma, don’t you see where they’re coming from?” the girl faced General Fotos and clutched the purple clasp on her cloak.

  “We retrieved your cousin. Any others have to wait for our strength to grow.”

  “And once it does, The Regime will breathe its last…” Orion smiled, revealing a set of crooked teeth. “Brought down by the same family who started it all.”

  “Serves them right.” Enya narrowed her eyes.

  I flashed a smile. “And we’ll fight together.”

  “You’ll lead. They’ll fight." my aunt turned, swishing her cloak behind her as she walked away. Guess she wasn’t much of a talker; we had that in common.

  The other girl winked at Orion and scurried alongside General Fotos. “We’ll be waiting for you at dinner, Firestarter.”

  Orion let out a nervous chuckle and grinned at me. “That’s my older sister, Ursa. She… well… she makes fun of my wild hair. Not like Firestarter’s a bad name.”

  I chuckled. “How else would you explain our hair?”

  Ivory pointed to another girl, I assumed her sister, Stella, by her gold gear shaped mark on her cheek, dark skin tone, and poofy hairstyle. Stella’s tawny leather gloves carried black smudges on the fingertips like an artist who dabbled ink across a canvas. An apron was secured around her waist, carrying the same splotchy stains. Stella swept her hand across her forehead, knocking the rusted goggles secured just above her hairline.