“No,” My dad says. “Do not speak of Aaron. You don’t get to say a word about him. You killed his mother and sister.”
“I already explained—”
“No.” My father jumps to his feet. “I know it…I feel it. Katie wasn’t killed by humans or Nexians. She was killed by one of us. Benji’s too busy living his hippie life that I’m not sure he’d kill a plant. Arch is too dumb to try anything like that. And Zarek’s always worshipped the ground you walk on. And hell knows I didn’t kill her. That leaves you…only you.”
“Zarek knew I wasn’t crazy about Katie.” Vin begins. “How do you know he didn’t do it to impress me?”
My dad’s pacing, running his fingers through his hair, his hands still wrapped around the gun handle.
“Laris—I can fix this. I swear.”
“How?” Laris looks up at him. “How can you bring her back? How? We can’t use the Nexus. And the rings sure ain’t going to do it.”
“No.” Vin draws his lips into a think line. “But Aaron can.”
“No, no, no,” My dad says. “You’re not using him. He’s all I have left of Katie. You’re not using him.” His face contorts with pain.
“But what if he can bring Katie back? Wouldn’t that be worth it? You’d have Katie back and Aaron would have his mom and sister…”
My dad stops, facing Vin. He looks through me and chills run through me at the intensity in his eyes. “How?”
Vin’s words are drowned out by a thunder roaring through my head. I press my fingers to my temples, as a headache explodes. What the heck? I squint my eyes together. The ground is dropping again, like I’m weightless in space.
Until my shoes slam into cement. The pain in my head fades into a throbbing ache. I open my eyes, squinting at the sunlight pouring in. My dad and Vin sit on a bench watching a child that looks like Zane as he runs trucks through playground sand.
“It will kill him, unfortunately, using the Nexus to alter time. But you could save Katie.” Vin crosses his arms and glances at my dad.
“No,” my dad says faintly. “She’d never forgive me. I’d never forgive me. We’ll have to find another way. My son is not dying.”
“I have an idea,” Vin says lowly. His words are measured and deep. There’s evil threaded through them. My dad watches little Zane. He’s making car noises as he moves the trucks about, glancing up at my dad, a wave of blond hair dancing across his face. My dad smiles at him in a way I’ve never seen my dad smile at anyone. He looks to Vin. “What’s your idea?”
“Another son, Laris. Teach him to use the Nexus. Teach him. And then when it’s time and he’s strong enough, use him to save Katie.” My breaths shorten as his words hit my ears and the meaning filters into my heart.
Another son? Do they mean me.
Laris’ answer fades as I am swept into twister of pain. I press my hands to my ears and scream. The memory bleeds into another. Vin watches Laris, a ring shining from his finger. Laris stands over me, talking quietly. “I’m sorry, Adam. This is the only way. Aaron loves you too much. I can’t let you remain close to him or the plan will never—”
“Nooo. I don’t want to see anymore. No….” And like the ring can hear me, I’m dumped into the hotel room floor, sweating and shaking. My head explodes and I’m drowning, struggling for each breath. This must be what dying feels like. I close my eyes, sucking desperately for air. In and out. In and out. Each breath grows deeper and deeper until my lungs feel full again. The pain begins to fade. I open my eyes, my body still, and stare at the ceiling. I’m not dead. Pulling myself up on the edge of the bed, I glance around. The room is still untouched, Zane apparently hasn’t returned. I push myself to my feet and drop onto the bed. My muscles burn and my heart rattles and it feels like every drop of my blood has been drained from my body.
And it’s not just physical, it’s so much more. The onslaught of memories and images. Seeing my dad, the way Vin saw my dad—first as a strong leader, then weakened by love, and finally destroyed by loss. Vin’s manipulation to use my father’s grief as a weapon. Me—how I’m not what I always thought—somebody created to save a world, but instead created to die. Aaron—the memories I have of him. It’s Laris who stole them. Laris, my father, who I trusted and believed. The father I loved, even as cold and distant as he could be. I loved him. I respected him. I chose to give up everything and everyone for him. I ultimately chose to give up her for him. Do I have my father all wrong?
I’m frozen with these thoughts when Zane finally explodes into the room, falling into a heap not far from where I landed. He looks better than I feel, and I wonder if this memory traveling or whatever it’s called gets easier the more you do it. He barely glances in my direction before pushing himself up onto his feet and wandering into the bathroom. I hear the sound of the shower running. I rub my fingers on my temples, trying to piece together what I’m going to tell him. Do I tell him what I saw? What has he seen? What has he been keeping from me?
He wanders out fifteen minutes later in just his jeans and a towel around his neck with a bright smile on my face. “So, did you find it? Or see Vin?”
“Yeah, I found the ring” I keep my eyes focused on the TV.
He pads into the room, plopping down on the other bed. He’s silent and I feel his eyes studying me. I stay focused on the TV, not really watching it, but anything to avoid looking at him. Anything to avoid him knowing. “You used it, didn’t you?”
“No,” I lie. Stay focused on the TV, Adam. Don’t look at him. I lose my resolve and glance over. He’s pulling his socks, but his eyes look up to meet mine.
“You used it.” His words are short. “You’re not a good liar and you look like crap. Take a quick shower, wake yourself up. We’ve got two last stops on this little game of hide and seek and then we get to go home—well your home anyway.” He’s mad, but I don’t care. I’m tired of the secrets. Was this what he is keeping from me? The truth about our fath—about Laris. He’s confident as he moves about the room, running his fingers through his damp hair and glancing at himself at the mirror in front of the door. He glances back at me. “Are you going to take a shower?”
“You know where the last ring is?” I ask.
“Something like that,” he says. “But don’t ask because I’m not in the mood to tell you. I told you to come back here after finding the ring. I did not tell you to use it.”
“I’m not your child.” I retort. “But I’m not really in the mood to fight you for the secrets you’re not sharing.” I stand up. “I think a shower does sound nice.”
“Hey.” He stops me as I pass by. He hands out his hand. “Ring?”
“Nope.” I shake my head. “It’s your turn to trust me.” I press my hand to my pocket, feeling the outline of the ring through my jeans. When I get inside the bathroom, I lock the door.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Sage
We reach Star Harbor by noon pulling into the driveway of a brick ranch house. Lucas’ parents greet Lucas with a big hug, before turning their eyes on me.
“It’s nice to meet you, Sage,” his mom says. She’s tiny, with short hair and a wary smile. His dad is tall, with thick arms and dark hair. It’s not easy to see who Lucas takes after—he’s kind of a mix of both of them. His mom, studies me, scanning me up and down with deep suspicion. Lucas is right—she may be friendly, but she’s certainly not overly welcoming. I glance at Lucas and he mouths an apology.
“It’s nice to meet you.” I lift my hand out to shake hers. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
She takes it weakly. “I look forward to getting to know you better. Lucas hasn’t been as forthcoming about you to us, apparently.”
“Let me show you to my room,” Lucas says, grabbing my bag and guiding me through faded yellow and green kitchen covered in roosters. It’s old, but well taken care of, not a dirty dish in the sink or a thing on the counter. The floor looks like it was freshly mopped and waxed.
“Keep the door open,”
his mom calls behind us. I have to cover my mouth from laughing. If she only knew. Lucas catches my eye, his twinkling. “Welcome to my castle,” he says, throwing open the door. Lucas’ room is light blue with brown shag carpet. Superhero posters cover the walls.
“So, you do decorate.” Lucas sets my bag down on the neatly made bed covered with a dark blue comforter. It’s plush and I run my fingers across the soft material. For a moment, I miss my comforter and my bed. Maybe I should have gone home. Am I crazy for being here? What if this beach is just a dream? And what if this blue-eyed boy I keep seeing doesn’t exist? Just because I dreamt about him and Lucas together, doesn’t mean it’s real, does it?
“Looks like my mom cleaned it up nice for you. It’s usually a mess.” Lucas interrupts my worries.
“No,” I say. “I guess I would’ve never pegged you as messy. And I mean that. Your car is sort of clean.” I visualize the papers he had in his back seat and empty gas station cups filling the cup holders when he first picked me up for the trip. “This was much cleaner when you took me out on our date.” I said climbing into the passenger seat. “Sorry,” Lucas said. “That was back when I thought there might be more to us.”
Now as we sit here, he smiles broadly. “Well, like said I do try harder for dates. Friends on the other hand, I’m comfortable with. My mom just wants to impress you I think.”
“Well, I’ll take that as a compliment.” I turn back, my eyes scanning for the moment. And for a moment, just a blink of a moment, I see an unmade bed, a pile of dirty clothes in front of the closet, sports equipment littering the floor. I blink again and the room is clean.
There’s knock on the doorjamb from behind us and Lucas’ mom fills the doorway. I breathe in relief at the sight of her. As if her standing there, makes everything less creepy or strange.
“Would you like me to make you some lunch?” Her smile is short, and her lips pressed together. It’s becoming more and more obvious, she’s analyzing me with an overly critical eye, but I can’t fault her. Seeing Lucas talk about Brianna now tells me the breakup must’ve been hard.
“Thanks,” Lucas says. “But I thought we could go to the diner. And I could show Sage around town. She loves Lake Superior. And small towns apparently. She’s crazy for wanting to be here in the winter, but I couldn’t stop her. She must like me a lot or something.”
“Lucas says you’re from Arizona?” his mom asks. She ignores Lucas’ attempt to break the ice.
“Yeah,” I answer. “Just outside of Phoenix.” I shift under her eyes. I can’t tell if I’m living up to her expectations or not.
“Yes, this must seem really cold to you.”
“I’m getting used to it.” I look at Lucas and he raises his eyebrows. I giggle before pressing my palm over my mouth and glance back at his mother.
She smiles, that grim smile again. As if this is a funeral or something. “Well, you two have fun then. Will you be here for dinner?”
“Sure,” Lucas says.
“Well, okay,” his mom says. “Just be careful. Brianna’s in town and it sounds like her boyfriend is with her.” She glances at me again, lifting an eyebrow before disappearing back down the hallway.
“I get the impression she doesn’t like me,” I say.
“Nah,” Lucas says. “Like I said, she just worries about me. A lot. Brianna really hurt me and with Jake gone, I guess I’m all she’s got left.” His eyes drop for a moment and I’m tempted to reach across and squeeze his hand, but before I can he’s standing up. “Well,” he says. “Should we go?”
“Yeah.” I start for the doorway when a bulletin board above his desk catches my eyes. It’s full of pictures, and I lean in to get a better look. Lucas comes up behind me.
“That’s Brianna,” he says, pointing to a girl pretty enough to be a supermodel standing next to me. It looks like prom or a wedding or the red carpet, judging by the sparkly flowing dress she’s wearing. Lucas stands next to her, with a smile that could light up the state of Arizona. There’s another picture of the same girl, her head thrown back as she laughs. And there’s more pictures of the two of them—smiling, holding hands, looking so happy. My eyes follow the bulletin board until I reach a young Lucas, next to an older boy who could be his doppelganger. “That’s Jake,” he says, his voice husky. I can hear the tears in his words.
“I’m sorry,” I say weakly. He doesn’t respond.
I glance at the next picture and my breath hitches. Lucas with his arms across another boy. They’re both in swim trunks, smiling broadly in the bright summer sun. He’s younger, but it’s still him. The dark hair, the blue eyes, the dimple in his smile. Even the same swim trunks as my dream.
“Oh, that’s Adam,” he says.
“Adam,” I repeat staring at him—finally connecting the name with the picture in my head. Everything in me is spinning and screaming and sparkling. It’s like the world has just fallen into place. That I was always meant to be here. In this moment.
Where the dream meets the reality.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Adam
“Exactly, where are we?” I survey what appears to be a parking garage. It’s hot—sweltering hot and from what I can guess, it’s one of those cloudless humid days in high summer where not even the shade can cool you off. Considering it’s winter, I’m pretty sure we’re somewhere in the southwest.
“Phoenix Airport,” he says. He scans the row of cars in front of us. A car passes, slowing down and stopping, the driver eyeing us cautiously. I suppose two guys hanging out in an airport parking garage without luggage may look slightly suspicious. Zane lifts his head and smiles. “We forgot where we parked.” He yells. The driver waves and the car speeds up fading from our sight.
I run my hands through my hair. “Can you tell me what we’re here for? It’ll probably go a lot faster if you let me in on a few things?”
“This will only take a second, trust me.” He’s back to browsing the parking lot.
“How is this the last place you saw dad—I mean Laris?” I scratch my neck. It’s hard to think of him as Dad right now, not after what I saw. “I’m pretty sure the last place you saw him was somewhere in Star Harbor on the night we left. Unless you took a detour with him that I’m unaware of.”
He lifts his gaze to me for a moment, his eyes dark, his expression serious. “You called him Laris.” But before I can respond he shifts his gaze away. “It’s not where I last saw him,” He comments. He bends his head, strolling down the aisle, peeking under cars.
“Well, then exactly what are we looking for? If it’s not where you last saw Laris, then why would his ring be—"
“Ah, there it is,” Zane steps into an empty space just past a car. When I step into the open space a rainbow of colors spins across the concrete walls, shimmering off the surrounding cars. It glows like the sun and shines like glass. It seems so fragile, yet so powerful.
It’s the Nexus.
Zane picks it up and glances around. “Huh,” he says. “I swear I was a few spots in that direction, but close enough.” He presses a finger to his chin and looks up and down the parking aisle. “Strange.”
“I don’t get it, I really don’t get it.” I follow his gaze up and down the aisle, but there’s nothing there.
“This is where I used it, when I came back to save Sage. This is where her father parked before his final flight.” He glances at me. “We came here, by accident I think, when Sage was trying to use that ring you left her. She wasn’t very good at it—we ended up in a few odd places, one of them being here. But after she cried out all the tears and told us why she was crying out all those tears, we figured a more conventional way out of here.”
“This is where her father parked.” I glance up and down the aisle. One of the biggest tragedies of her life and I didn’t know. “I couldn’t have saved her, could I? Because I didn’t know this is where to go.”
“Stop with the jealousy, little bro. It’s not looking good on you.” He walks further
down the aisle. “Are you coming with me or are you going to make me do this on my own?”
I follow, quickening my pace until he stops abruptly at the back of the lot. It’s empty, no cars, no people. A safe place to disappear from sight. “Where to now?” I ask. “I’ll meet you there.” I pull Vin’s ring out of my pocket. I’m sick of Zane having all the control.
“Go home. Star Harbor home.” He grins. “Destroy this thing and if you ever get your head out of your ass, go get the girl.”
“Jayme,” I ask. “What about her? You keep telling me to go after Sage, yet you’re not taking your own advice.”
“Jayme and I were just a fling, Adam. We would have never happened if it hadn’t been for Sage and that little road trip, she insisted on taking to save you. It wasn’t anything like you and that girl of yours. So, get over it and let’s take care of this, please.” He scowls. “I’m getting way too tired of babysitting you.”
Like a rubber band, I snap. His stupid secrets and treating me like I’m two are so freaking grating. “I’m getting way too tired of dealing with you too. You act all arrogant, like you know everything, and like I’m letting myself get in my own way, but I think your heart is harder than mine.”
Rage clouds his face. “Before we kill each other, let’s go finish this.” I step back, somewhat bewildered by the pain in his eyes. I must have hit a nerve.
“Yeah, let’s just do this.” I clench my jaw and wrap my palm around Vin’s ring. “Where exactly did you last see Laris? So, I know where to go.”
He looks at me, funny and stares at the Nexus. “We’re not going where I last saw him,” he says softly. “There’s no ring there, well at least I don’t think it’s there.”
“Well then, where exactly is it? In the woods where he died? In the parking lot where Sage nearly died?” I shudder at that thought. I do not want to go back there. “Where the hell is it? Did you tell me the truth about the ring you pulled off Mark? Maybe that wasn’t really Arch’s ring but Dad—Laris’. Maybe that’s part of the secret you’ve been keeping from me. Did you see something other than what I saw in Vin’s ring?”
Remember the Knight Page 16