Dark Secrets (Dark Heritage #1)
Page 11
*****
“How long do you think she’ll be out?” Tanya asked.
“I don’t know,” Holly said dully.
“Did she really just faint in the middle of the Council’s meeting? She must have gotten some pretty bad news to just let go like that. I wonder what they told her.”
“Oh, she got bad news alright,” Finn said tightly. “Her mother used her necromancy to bring her back to life when she was stillborn. She’s fucking dead.” Finn sounded disgusted, or maybe repulsed was a better word for it. “And she came back to life and kept growing when she should have been buried six feet under.”
There were a few gasps. “No!” Tanya said. “That’s not possible. People can’t grow after dead, Fin. You must have heard the Council wrong.”
“I didn’t. Lisa couldn’t find her future, so they went digging through her medical records and stuff. It’s the truth; they found a document stating that her heartbeat was gone at the seven month check-up. She’s a freak.”
“Don’t say that about her!” Tanya said angrily. “How would you like it if you just found out your whole life was a lie, that you were part of our world, and that you had…well, died? How would you be feeling right now?”
“I wouldn’t be feeling anything, I’d be dead!” Finn snapped. “Tanya, she’s not one of us; she doesn’t deserve your pity or sympathy. She’s a freak among freaks, and nothing will ever change that. The fact is that she’s dangerous to have around.”
“Why?” I asked, opening my eyes.
Everyone jumped and Tanya looked down guiltily at me. “Ronnie, how do you feel? Finn told us what happened in the Council’s meeting room. I guess a shock like that can really take its toll on a person’s health.”
I was on the couch in the small room Finn left me in earlier, and I sat up and looked around. Tanya was by my side, looking at me with large, earnest, turquoise eyes, and Holly was on my other side, looking like she could care less about being here. Finn was lounging against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, and he was looking at me with such disgust that it actually unnerved me.
“I feel like everything I ever knew about myself was a lie. Finn’s right; I’m a freak, and I shouldn’t be here.” I skewered him with my eyes and he nervously ran a hand through his long hair. “Why do you think I’m dangerous?”
“You’re unpredictable. After you fainted during the meeting, the Council members decided that you’re to stay here for testing and observation. They can’t in good conscious let you leave this place, because you might do something harmful to humans. You’d risk exposing us.”
“They can’t keep me here!” I shouted, getting to my feet. The room spun a little and Tanya steadied me. “I have a home and a life–even if it’s not a really great one at times. I have school and my cat. This is kidnapping!”
“Actually, the kidnapping was what took place when they grabbed you from your home. This is more like unlawful confinement or something like that,” Tanya said, trying to be helpful.
“It doesn’t matter!” I said, exasperated. “This is not right and I’m going home. I need to think and I need to be with my at, and I just…need to be.” I got up and headed for the door, but I was blocked when Finn stepped in front of it, barring the exit. “Finn, get out of my way!”
“I can’t let you go,” he said, looking at me with no emotion whatsoever. “The Council has ordered that you stay here until they’re completely sure you won’t be a threat to anyone. We can’t risk you exposing us. Life for supernaturals is already hard enough when the world sees people that never age; we don’t need an untrained necromancer running around raising the dead or doing something equally stupid.”
“Let me by, Finnley.”
He glared at me. “Don’t you ever call me Finnley,” he growled. “And I just told you; I can’t let you go. You’ve been ordered to stay here until the Council deems you safe to live among normal humans once again. We can’t take any chances with you. They’ve also ordered me to be your bodyguard, to make sure you don’t try to escape.”
“I’ve gone almost seventeen years without any accidents. Nobody knows what I am. Until a few hours ago, I didn’t even know what I am! You guys can’t keep me here! I’ll call the police and have you arrested.”
He chuckled darkly. “Go ahead and try. We have people in high places. Nothing will happen, so you can make as many threats or phone calls as you want.”
I tried to shove my way past him, but it was like trying to move a boulder. He stood his ground and crossed his arms over his chest again. “You are not getting by me. Try all you want, I’m not budging.”
I glared at him and stamped my foot in exasperation. “Move!”
He laughed. “Did you just stamp your foot? I thought only little girls having a temper tantrum did that.”
I tried to get by him one more time and he wrapped an arm around my waist and threw me over his shoulder. I kicked and screamed, and he stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind him. He walked down the hall, ignoring the curious glances people gave u, and stopped at a door farther down.
He opened the door, revealing a room with a twin-sized bed, a small pine dresser, and a comfortable green rug on the floor. He walked into the room, dropped me down carelessly on the bed, and shut the door behind him. When I got off the bed and tried the door, I found it was locked, and it refused to budge, much like Finn.
For a few minutes, I banged on the door, hoping that someone would open it and save me, but nobody arrived. After a while, I gave up, and sat back down on the bed. There was nothing to do but try and relax, and think about everything that happened since I first saw Finn standing outside my bedroom window.
I’m a supernatural being–a necromancer–and I have the power to raise and control the dead. I’ve been stalked by a werewolf, kidnapped by other supernaturals, and now I’m being held against my will. All because I died while my mother was pregnant with me and she stupidly used her necromancy to bring me back to life…