“What did you see in Vin’s ring?” Zane’s eyes grow dark.
“Nothing.” I step back from him dropping my voice. “I saw nothing.”
“Liar, but I’m not in the mood to argue this. I don’t know where the ring is, I just have a hunch it’s in Star Harbor,” he pauses. “On the finger of its owner.”
It takes me a moment to register his words, and when I do, my heart drops. “No.” I shake my head. “No that doesn’t make sense. He’s dead. My father is dead. His ring is there, I believe that. But my father is dead. I saw him die.” The night flashes through my head. The transporter. Vin. My dad telling me to run.
Zane turns his head to me and lifts an eyebrow. “Is he? Did you actually see him die?”
“Well….” The memories repeat in my head. My father told me to run. He knew he was going to die—he told me to run. He told me and I heard the screams. He told me and I heard the cries. He told me—He told me—Why did he tell me to run if he had planned for me to die? Why did he sacrifice his life for mine?
Zane watches me, his eyes unblinking. He knows. He knows everything—what I saw in the ring. He knows why I was created. Did he know all along? Did he…?
I step back further from him, my gut twisting, my heart pounding. “You…” The words are breathless, painful. “You…”
“Adam,” he says. “I didn’t know. Not until now and not until I saw it in Zarek’s ring. I’ve always known Laris is not who he pretends to be, but I didn’t know the lengths he would actually go to save my mother.”
“So, it really is all true. I’m not his son, just a tool. None of this was real. My entire life—none of this was real.” My voice shakes—my whole body shakes. I take small steps back. Further. Further. Zane’s eyes are growing wide, concerned, fearful.
“Adam,” he says. “I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”
I gulp, looking at the Nexus spinning in his hand. He takes a step closer and then another. I don’t move, my eyes fixated on the orb of colors, glowing around us. That stupid orb—this stupid destiny. All of it’s so, so stupid. I’m so drawn to it, I don’t notice Zane closing in on me. I don’t feel his hand on my shoulder.
“Trust me,” Zane says. “Laris has a lot of questions to answer and he will, I’ll see to that.”
I look up at him, my vision blurry, my mind a jumble of thoughts. I’m seven, in Laris’ office where he’s practicing with me. Little steps with the Nexus—moving it, touching it, using it to disappear and reappear. He slapped my back when I was done, leaning in to tell me how proud he was of me. That night at dinner, he had the cook make all of my favorites. Grilled cheese, tomato soup, and a huge glass of milk. The next day he took me to the beach where we swam in the ocean and slurped ice cream on the boardwalk and…normal fatherly things. He was distant, always pushing me to get stronger with the Nexus, always reminding me of that date we’d have to leave.
But he’d seemed like a father. Maybe not the warmest father. But still a father.
But he created me to die? And not to die for a great cause or an entire planet—he created me to die for what he considered his real family.
My vision clears and I read the concern in Zane’s.
“Before Star Harbor, we need to make a pit stop,” he says. “Sound good?” Before I can answer, he’s gripping my arm, his fingers digging into my skin as we’re swirled into the light.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Sage
The Star Harbor Diner is in a tiny row of buildings along the main street of Star Harbor. Not that you can really call it a main street. There’s the diner between a place called Stan’s Pizzeria and a law office. Across the street, there’s a gas station and small supermarket. It looks just like the two photographs I found on the internet. Even so, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a town so small.
“This is it?”
“Pretty much,” Lucas says as he pulls his car into a parking spot in front of the diner. “There’s a bar and motel down the road. And a fudge shop and gift shop on the edge of town that open up during tourist season. But otherwise, this is it.”
“How exactly do people make money around here? Doesn’t look like a place with too many jobs.”
“No, it isn’t,” Lucas says. “Which is why I probably won’t be sticking around. There are the seasonal jobs, or if you want to commute to Ontonagon. But this place is freaking cold and empty. I really want to go someplace bigger—like Green Bay or even Chicago.”
“Phoenix is pretty nice.” I tilt my head, lower my eyes and give him a lopsided grin.
“So, I’ve heard.” Lucas pulls the car into a space in front of the diner and squeezes my nose. “And I’d get to kick a lot of Mario Kart butt.”
I frown at him. “I’m going to beat you one of these days. You just wait.” I point at him. We both step out of the car, laughing so hard I almost lose my voice. A passing car slows down in front of us, the driver, an older man in an old brown cap with ear flaps leans out the window. “Hey Lucas,” he calls. “It’s good to see you back in town and with a cute girl. She’s going to give your truck some competition.”
“She sure is, Mike,” Lucas replies. He turns to me as the car speeds off. “That’s Mike. He runs one of the bars. I’ll have to go show you my truck later. My friend Adam’s driving it for me…”
Adam. My heart races and my cheeks warm. Now I know he is the boy I’ve been dreaming about. For a while, I could explain it away in my head—I had superimposed Lucas into the dream somehow…but this. I gaze up and down the street, taking in the buildings around us. He’s walked these very streets—I am so close to meeting to him. To understanding. Or not…
Maybe he won’t know me at all. Maybe these dreams are a figment of my imagination…maybe this whole town—this trip is a figment of my imagination. Maybe I dreaming it all? Like that movie. What was it called?
“Sage, are you okay?”
I glance over at Lucas. “Oh, yeah. I’m sorry. I was—hungry maybe? The diner looks nice. I’ve always wanted to eat in a place like that. Everything by where I live is pretty much chain restaurants.”
“Well, the Star Harbor diner is definitely not a chain restaurant. Come on, let’s go get lunch.”
The bell on the door jingles when we walk in, and a brown-haired waitress looks up from where she’s wiping off a table. “Lucas,” she cries, barreling over to us and opening her arms to pull Lucas into a hug.
“Hi Liz,” he says. “How are things?”
“Oh, the usual. It’s so good to see you.” She pats his shoulder, and then she notices me. “It’s been too long. And who’s this?”
“I was here for Christmas. And Liz, meet my girlfriend Sage,” Lucas says. “Sage, meet the diner’s infamous manager, Liz.” Girlfriend. The word sounds awkward. Lucas scrunches his nose in a way that tells me it’s awkward for him too.
“Hi, Sage.” Liz holds out her hand. I reach out to take it, and a faint sizzle shoots up my arm. It’s strange, how the more I look at her, the brown strands falling out of the clip she’s used to tie her hair back, the gentle wrinkles around her eyes say she’s older but not too old, the way her lips curl when she smiles. She’s familiar. Every heartbeat inside of me screams. I should know her. I should know her. I do know her. I suck in a breath and shake off the moment. I really am going crazy. Lunatic crazy. I’ve always been normal—a normal girl in a normal world. But being here, in this town, everything feels like my world has been knocked off its axis. Like I’m Alice in the rabbit hole.
Or maybe what I thought was normal, isn’t normal and now everything’s falling into place.
“It’s nice to meet you.” Liz smiles broadly and grabs two menus.
“I take it you want lunch,” she says, leading us to a booth in the corner. It’s not the fanciest diner, but it has a certain charm. As I slide into the brown leather seat, I notice the picture above us. It’s a black and white photo of a light house. For some reason, I can’t take my eyes off of it.
&nbs
p; “That’s been there forever,” Lucas says. “This place has been here forever. Liz too,” he says.
“She doesn’t look that old.” I lean in and whisper.
“Oh, I don’t think she is. Liz still has young kids. It just seems like—” Lucas stops at the sound of the tinkling of the door behind me. He gazes just over my shoulder, his face darkening. I turn, to see the girl from the pictures, her mitten hand wrapped around a tall, blond guy with dark glasses and red tipped ears. The lenses begin to fog, and he takes them off, wiping them on his scarf. Lucas stares until I kick him under the table.
“You look like a puppy dog,” I whisper to him across the table. “If you want this to work, take my hand.” I lay my palm on the table and he studies it for a second, before taking it, his fingers wrapping around mine.
Our table is like a magnet to Brianna, who pulls the guy she’s with straight to our booth. “Lucas,” she says in a sing-song voice. “It’s so good to see you. I didn’t know if I would—” She stops when she sees our hands linked across the table. “Oh, who is this?”
“Hi Brianna,” Lucas says slowly. “This is my girlfriend, Sage.”
“Oh,” she says slowly. Then she turns to the guy she’s with, smiling brightly. “This is JT. We’ve been dating since Christmas. He goes to Yale. J.T., this is my old friend Lucas.” Longing swims in Lucas’ eyes, and I wonder if Brianna can see it. J.T. holds out a hand, and Lucas releases my hand before shaking his. Then his gaze drifts back to Brianna. I nudge Lucas under the table, and he turns back to me, smiling weakly.
“So.” Brianna stares pointedly at me. “Sage, huh? Do you go to school with Lucas?” The question is less of a question and more of a warning—like she’s saying back off. There’s something I don’t like about her. She’s like a mix of every mean girl I’ve ever known topped with a big scoop of jealousy and hate. She’s jealous, oh so jealous. I can’t wait to tell Lucas that she still loves him.
For such a nice, funny, charming, and considerate guy to be hung up on a girl like Brianna confuses me. She’s not what I expected. Lucas talks about a sweet, sensitive, caring soul—definitely not the girl slathered in makeup and designer clothing hanging off the arm off an Ivy League guy. I don’t like her, and not just because of how she’s hurting Lucas.
There’s something more though. More than Lucas. It dances on the end of my mind, this loathing and contempt I feel for this girl. She’s somebody—like Liz. Somebody I should know. Somebody I do know.
I’m relieved when Liz shows up to take our orders, and Brianna leaves our table for a booth across the restaurant, her new boyfriend trailing like he’s on a leash. “You’re way better than him.” I lean forward and whisper to Lucas after Liz leaves. His eyes drift in their direction and then back to me. He lifts the corner of his mouth, sips his water, and shakes his head. “No, really, you are.”
While waiting for our orders, Lucas tells me more about the town. We’re just getting to talk about Stella’s place and the beach, when Liz places our orders in front of us. I stare for a moment at the plate—hamburger, French fries—nothing out of the norm, yet that eerie Deja-vu feeling washes over me. I’ve eaten this before—this meal on this plate. I shake the feeling off and while Lucas resumes talking sharing a story about a hunting trip with Jake. Brianna’s laugh glides across the restaurant and his face tenses up.
I reach for his hand. “Just watch me. Talk to me. Keep telling me about your brother or Stella’s place. Okay?”
He smiles. Several diners enter and exit as we eat, a handful stopping at our table to greet Lucas. By the time Liz brings the check, it feels like I’ve met the entire town. Well, except for one person.
“So, where are you two lovebirds off to next?” Liz asks. She rests her hand on her hip and swipes a strand of hair behind her ear. Dark circles surround her eyes.
“I thought I’d take Sage over to visit Stella and Adam. She loves beaches and theirs is the best.”
“Oh, I know Stella will love to see you,” she says. “But Adam’s not in town. His supposed brother, I think, showed up in town a day or two ago and they took off somewhere.” She shakes her head.
“Supposed brother?” Lucas lifts his eyebrows.
“Yeah, first I’ve heard of a supposed brother too.” Liz sighs. “That boy hasn’t been the same since his dad died. He was one of the sweetest most considerate boys, I’ve ever known.” She shakes her head. “Such a shame.”
“Hey, what about me? C’mon Liz, I was always the sweet one.” Lucas wiggles his eyebrows at her.
“You were something,” Liz says. “But you’re growing up. I’m very proud of you.”
Lucas smiles, and salutes. “Why thank you, ma’am.”
“Don’t be calling me ma’am. I’m not even close enough to a ma’am. I’m not old enough to be your mother, for crying out loud.”
“Okay, okay. I’m sorry.” Lucas says.
Liz looks at me. “You’ve got your hands full with this one.” I wrap my hands around his arm, and then steal a glance to the booth Brianna is sitting in. She watches us, a scowl lining her lips. Good. Lucas is a good guy. And if she can’t see this, she’s an idiot.
“Are you coming?” Lucas says. I turn around. He’s standing at the door waiting for me.
“Wait, where’s my check. Liz?”
“I took care of it,” Lucas says.
“Oh honey,” Liz says. “He’s your boyfriend. Let him spoil you.”
I catch another glimpse of Brianna’s glare again as I wave goodbye to Liz. For the briefest of moments, she’s no longer sitting with J.T., but instead with a guy with black hair and blue eyes and a dimple that’s smiling at her.
And I am the one seething with jealousy.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Adam
It rises above us like it does in my nightmares. It’s just a cement building, windowless, obscure. The only sign it may hold anything of value lies in the electric fence protecting the property. My chest heaves and I struggle to inhale. I don’t want to be here. I can’t be here. I ball my fists and swing around to face Zane.
“I thought we were going home.” My voice shakes through my gritted teeth.
“Deep breaths, lil bro.” Zane turns to take in the vast parking lot. “We’ll be there soon enough. But you really need to let this anger go, and what better place than here.”
The parking lot lays in front of me, not a car in site. The building appears empty, but the memories flash. The tests, the pain, the endless stream of monsters in a prison I could not escape.
And then it’s the parking lot again, empty, not a car in sight. Not like the night she fell to the pavement and her life was ripped from her. My eyes follow the parking lines, tracing each one as I try to remember where she fell.
“Yo, does anyone still work here?” Zane hollers. He pivots, his mouth like a bullhorn screaming through the empty parking lot. He continues to yell as I step closer to the building, my eyes drawn to what lies beyond the walls.
They called it The Block—they being the people who had drifted in and out of the haze I lived in. I’m not sure why—maybe because being inside felt like living in a brick where you’re blocked from the world. There were no windows—no sunlight or stars. No clocks ticked from the walls or glowed from their watches. On the night I was to leave—the night Vin turned on us. The night I stumbled through the trees and limbs until the ground rose up before me and I fell into the blackness. After that night, I woke up within these walls. I woke up empty-handed, the Nexus apparently ripped from my hands at some point, but as the days came and went as the drugs they pumped into my body came and went, as the fog and the tests and the screaming pain that wracked my body, the Nexus came and went with it. The people changed—I don’t think I ever saw the same person twice. It was always somebody new pricking or poking my skin. Except for him. The doctor.
Wrinkles lined his skin, across his forehead and beneath his eyes. They always grew deeper as he leaned over me sending me d
eep into the nightmares. He’d suction my power and my energy. He drained my blood and cut me open. He warped my mind and stole my memories. He was human though—I’m convinced of it. Completely and utterly human.
So, how did they know where to find me in the woods that night? How did they know it was me? How did they know about the Nexus? How did they even see it if they were human? My heart rattles in my chest as the questions fly through my mind followed by the biggest one of all. Why didn’t my father look for me? If he’s alive, why didn’t he look for me?
Because he created you to die.
He still needed me, I argue with myself. He still needed me to go back in time and save his precious Katie. So, why didn’t he come for me and free me from this torture chamber?
At first, I blamed Mark. He was in Star Harbor, my face plastered on every open space in Sage’s old garage. He worked for the government so he must have made a deal with Vin or something and that’s how I ended up here. That’s how I reconciled that night, but that’s when I believed my father was dead and that he actually loved me.
“Hello, Adam.” Zane knocks each word into my skull with his hand. “Would you listen to me and get out of your head please? There’s a reason we’re here.”
I turn to him, numbness heavy on my tongue. The word is slow, so slow that it is more of a slur. “Why?” I ask.
Zane lifts my arm until it’s out in front of me. He forces my palm open and carefully presses the Nexus into my hand, wrapping my fingers around it, one by one. “You need to get your anger out—seriously. Get it out. Destroy this place, please. Just close your eyes and feel the power and let it explode. Literally and figuratively.”
“Why?” I ask again as if he hadn’t already answered the question. “Why?”
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