I was pretty sure she’d been dream-jumping too. I’d had some pretty intense and realistic dreams in my life, but these felt out of my control, and I could feel the physical effects of what she was doing in her dreams. It thrilled me that I was what she was dreaming about, but it was also making it extremely difficult to focus on other things, like helping her grieve and keeping her safe.
Now we were out of time.
She’d need help, training, an actual facility and teachers and an organization that could help her learn to control herself, just like they’d helped me. I couldn’t hide her anymore. I had to bring her in.
I took a deep breath and pulled out my phone, squeezing the sides gently until I heard a distinctive ‘ding.’
“Call Henry,” I said, my heart picking up speed as the screen changed and the sounds of a ringing phone came through the speaker. Shadow stared at me with that accusatory too-intelligent-to-be-canine gaze as the phone rang. He always looked like he knew I was hiding something. Must be my guilt.
“Why are you calling me, Charlie? Email only until—”
“It’s time. Now.”
“Are you safe?”
“For now. She’s passed out. But I’ll need backup before she wakes up.”
“We’re coming.”
I heard the click as the line disconnected and let my phone drop to the floor, taking with it all my dreams for our future. Now I could only hope we’d have any future at all when she woke. Could she ever forgive me for what I’d done?
Shadow laid down and draped his neck and head over his girl. To get closer to Dani, he was basically in my lap, but he still never took his eyes off me. If it was up to him, I was screwed.
22
Dani
I was suddenly awake, though I didn’t know why. A moment before I’d been with Charlie. He’d looked different, older, but I knew it was him. My dream was just getting good when suddenly, I was lying in the dark in what felt like my bed. No, not the dark, my eyes were closed.
I was starting to become aware of the waking world. I heard a violent canine sneeze and felt the bed shake around my feet. I could hear the sound of cawing outside. Jesus, it sounded like hundreds of crows calling. Someone was shifting around in their seat next to me, holding my hand. Then I heard someone shuffling around downstairs, heard the refrigerator door open and close. But wait, Charlie was next to me. So who the hell was downstairs?
My eyes shot open, and I sat straight up in bed, disturbing Shadow, who stood up and turned to face me. His slobbery tongue was on my face giving puppy kisses before I had a chance to speak, and I grabbed his head and pushed him back away from my face. Why wasn’t he freaking out if there was someone else in my house?
“Dani?”
I turned to Charlie, taking in his red, swollen eyes and splotchy skin. Everything came rushing back in an instant. The kitchen. Everything floating, swirling. What the hell was happening to me?
Okay, one thing at a time.
“Charlie, who’s in my house?”
“What?” He looked taken aback by my question, and honestly, I didn’t blame him. I probably should’ve asked about him first, but I didn’t feel safe. Strangers weren’t allowed in my house, and now that I was paying attention, I could hear more than one. And someone was climbing the stairs.
“I can hear people downstairs. Who is in my house?”
“You can hear that?”
“Not an answer, Charlie. And yes, I can… As I said… Now, who?”
“It’s… They’re… friends.”
“Before I passed out, you said you knew who to call. Who did you call?” He stared at me with wide eyes and his jaw hanging slack. I didn’t blame him for being shocked. To be honest, I was a little shocked too. My mind was clear, sharp, as was the room, and Charlie’s face, the sounds coming from downstairs and outside.
“I believe I may be able to answer that better than Mr. Keene here. He’s a bit emotional at the moment. He’s been very worried about you.”
I turned to the stranger as he stepped into the room. He was tall with dark hair, dark eyes, and less than a few hours’ worth of growth on his jaw. He stepped forward, extending his hand like he meant to offer it to me, but Shadow growled next to me, moving to the edge of the bed with his head dropped low and his ears tucked tight against his head. His hackles were raised all along his back as well, and his lips were pulled back revealing his fangs and pink and black gums. Whoever this stranger was, Shadow didn’t trust him, and I trusted Shadow.
The stranger pulled his hand back and continued, undeterred. “My name is Henry Wallace. I’m the director of the Willard B. Haven Academy for the Gifted and a friend of Mr. Keene’s. We specialize in helping people like you and Charlie.”
I glanced at Charlie who looked like he might vomit at any moment, then back to Mr. Wallace. “People like us?”
“People with superhuman abilities, Ms. Shade. I believe the common term now is ‘supes’.”
“Supes?”
“Yes, Ms. Shade. I assume you’ve heard of the Legion of Guardians?”
“Yeah, of course. I know what supes are, I was just… I don’t know. Processing—What the fuck is up with those crows?!”
He smiled kindly and continued. “I imagine you’re very sensitive to sound right now, but yes, they have been a bit of a nuisance.”
“Sorry… You were saying?”
“Haven Academy works directly with the Legion. The Guardians train our students, teach in our academies all over the world, and the academies feed directly into the Legion. For those with the desire and aptitude.”
My eyes were wide as I glanced at Charlie again, taking in the slight tint of green in his pale face. I wanted to deny what I was hearing, but the evidence was stacked against me. Not a sick little weakling, a sick little supe. Everything I didn’t understand the past few weeks suddenly made sense.
Except for one thing.
“What about the people watching my house? Was that you guys?”
I looked at Charlie, remembering the looks on his face after finding out someone was watching the house and after he checked out back this morning. I was calculating how much of the past week had been lies. And whether one of their people had hurt him.
“No, Ms. Shade. That was not us. To be honest, hearing about that from Charlie this afternoon was quite distressing.”
“So, who’s watching me? And is this why?” My face fell, and the air seemed suddenly thinner as I tried to fill my lungs. “Is this why my mom was killed? I remember… I remembered. I remembered the alleyway!” I said, looking at Charlie, my suspicion forgotten for the moment. “I remembered everything before I passed out! She said they couldn’t have me, that I was spoken for. And then my episode. He tried to touch my mom’s body, and I… There was some kind of wave of energy, and the men all flew backward and then—”
Don’t tell them.
I heard the voice as clearly in my head as if he was standing before me. Samael. I remembered him, his name. He’d protected me. The angel…
And I’m protecting you now. Say nothing of me. Let them believe it was you.
Okay… angel voices in my head. Maybe I was still asleep. But if I was dreaming, why the hell wouldn’t those stupid crows shut the hell up? God, did they get louder?
“And then what, Ms. Shade?”
I looked up at the stranger in my house. The one out of the many who was standing in my bedroom like he belonged there. The one Charlie was glancing at like he was afraid to speak.
“And then I passed out. That’s all I remember.”
“It sounds like your powers broke through the suppressants you were given. At exactly the right moment, it would seem, and thank God for that.”
“Too bad it wasn’t a few moments sooner. Maybe I could’ve saved my mom.”
“You can’t bear that burden, Ms. Shade. Your mother’s death was the fault of the three men in that alleyway and no one else’s.”
“I never said there were
three.”
Mr. Wallace smiled at me. “Mr. Keene has shared the more relevant parts of your story with me. But it’s good to be wary. That’s a good quality to have wandering into the unknown as you are now.”
I nodded and smiled. “Thank you, but what exactly is the ‘unknown’ I’m wandering into? You mentioned suppressants and something about my illness.”
“Yes, we’ve seen a rash of it lately, actually. Young adults suddenly coming into their powers after the loss of their parents. We do have an idea who’s behind the deaths of the parents though. A fringe group has been trying to recruit the teens once the parents are out of the way and their powers start to manifest. I’m sad to say they’ve been successful in several cases.”
“And you think this group killed my mother?”
“Yes, I do. Mind you we have no proof, but I promise you, the Legion is working tirelessly on finding them and finding out.”
“And what about my illness? Will that affect my… abilities?” I couldn’t say superpowers. That was still too weird.
“You seem to fall into the same category, only older than most of their targets so far. It would seem your mother was giving you power suppressants, and suppressing a natural part of someone’s DNA often causes other problems. Hopefully those symptoms will subside now that the suppressants are leaving your system.”
“So my illness… wasn’t?”
“We can find no records on you that would suggest any medical issues.”
Lies. More and more lies. My whole life until this moment was built on lies. But nothing about my mom trying to make me into something I wasn’t sounded right. My mother would never have done that without one hell of a reason, so the real question was, why?
“I know this is going to take time to process, but we’d like to offer you a place at the academy. You don’t have to decide now, but—”
“Yes.”
“Wonderful!”
“Don’t get so excited, Mr. Wallace. I have a few conditions.”
He smiled again, like a chess master sitting down to a game with a newb. Unfortunately for him, I was playing a much different game.
“I would expect nothing less, Ms. Shade.”
“I’m not up on all the details yet, but this academy sounds like someplace people usually live. I want to stay here. This is the house I shared with my mother, and I’m not leaving it.”
“Of course. You’re an adult, and that’s completely understandable—”
“Slow your roll there, Hank. I’m not finished… Shadow comes with me everywhere, at all times. And Charlie. Or no deal.” I saw Charlie’s eyes shoot to my face as he sat forward slightly, exuding an aura of hope like a bad cologne. I would forgive him for this… eventually.
“We can make arrangements for your dog, and I’ve already discussed a position at the academy with Mr. Keene.”
“Very good. But I have one last request…” I took a deep breath, steeling myself to get this one out. In my head it sounded utterly ridiculous, but it had to be said because, apparently, my new reality was a little ridiculous. “I want to join the Legion and I want to help stop the people that killed my mother. I’ll train extra, every hour of the day, every day of the week, every spare moment until I’m capable and worthy, but the only way I do this is if I get to help.”
Henry Wallace stared at me for a moment. I was beginning to worry he might say no, but I held his gaze and refused to show my growing anxiety. I didn’t give an inch, and after a few seconds, he smiled and said, “I can’t speak for the entire council, but based on what I’ve seen so far, I can say with some certainty, we’d be thrilled to have you, Ms. Shade. And Mr. Keene, if he’s changed his tune?”
Charlie’s head whipped toward the Director and I smiled, extending my hand and ignoring Shadow’s low growl to shake the director’s hand.
“Now, Mr. Wallace, would you mind giving Mr. Keene and I a moment?”
“Of course. I’ll be downstairs with the others.”
“Why are there so many people here, anyway?”
“Well, after the episode in your kitchen, we didn’t know how well this meeting was going to go. You were unconscious when we arrived, so I’ve had them cleaning.” He winked and I laughed a little hysterically. There were superheroes cleaning my house. This couldn’t be real life, but it was far too crazy to be a dream. I wasn’t this creative.
“Take all the time you need. We’ll take care of the mess, and if you’d like, we can take you for a tour of the Academy this evening.”
“That sounds great. Thank you.”
He nodded and turned to leave, then paused and called over his shoulder, “Oh, and Ms. Shade? It’s Director Wallace from here on out.” Then he stepped out of the room and pulled the door closed behind him.
I smiled, but it faded quickly as I turned to Charlie. Before I could open my mouth, he was on his knees by the bed, hugging my waist.
“I’m so sorry, Dani. I’m so sorry. It just—”
“Charlie, it’s okay. After all, it can’t be easy to work, ‘Hey, by the way, I have superpowers,’ into a conversation. And there really hasn’t been a good time since, you know,”—I gestured between us—“this started. I’m still going to make you suffer a bit though. I mean, you owe me. Big time.”
“You have my word. I will spend every day of my life making it up to you.”
“Deal… on one condition. You have to show me your superpowers first.”
Charlie laughed and stood so fast he almost head-butted me in his eagerness to reach my lips, but once he reached me, I was done for. I would forgive him anything.
“Wait!” I said, pulling back enough to look at him. “Is this it?” Shadow grumbled next to me and jumped down off the bed, finding a spot to lie down on the floor.
Charlie laughed and fixed me a gaze the sun would be envious of. “You have no idea. But I plan to educate you.”
A broad smile split my lips, but I still shivered as his words sunk in. He crawled forward over me as I fell back onto the bed. His hips pressed into me, and I sighed, knowing there was an audience downstairs and we couldn’t go any further just now. But later…
Could this be real? Could this be my new life? Not sick or weak but powerful, strong, and capable. I mean there were a few quirks to deal with, like angel voices in my head—I hoped, because otherwise there were just voices in my head—and crows that wouldn’t shut the fuck up, which was annoying as hell, and the weirdest dreams I’d ever had. But there were a lot of positives if I could roll with this.
I would train every minute. I would learn all I could. I would be ready. And very soon I would have the strength to avenge my mother, and my vengeance would be neither swift nor merciful.
Epilogue
Damien
I burst through the door into the study of our safe house, still covered in soot, ash, and dirt. We’d just left Thornhaven Academy where a sizable blow had been struck against the Descendants. They hadn’t been named directly, but we’d removed a Director from his position that was definitely dirty. I’d checked my messages like always, as soon as we were clear, but I hadn’t made it past the first one.
Six faces turned toward me from the table where they were seated around a speaker.
“Is it true?”
Six people averted their eyes, and the voice in the speaker said, “Yes, Castor. It’s true. But she’s not moved in yet, so there’s still a chance we can bring her in. We still have time.”
“What time, Hemlock?! What time do we have?”
He was silent for a moment. Then the speaker crackled, and he said, “Are you quite finished with your little outburst?”
My head dropped, and I ran my fingers through my hair, shaking loose some rubble from the rescue at Thornhaven.
“Alpha team, you’re dismissed. Castor, you stay.”
Everyone began standing and shuffling out of the study. Sarah placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, shooting me a commiserative look.
One mis
sion. One day I wasn’t watching her, and they had her. Dani was in the hands of Haven Academy, and we suspected the Knight City Campus had been taken over by the Descendants. The goal was to get to her before they did, but I’d failed. I’d thought we had more time. I was sent to gather intel so we could go in prepared, and I had. I’d always been trained to believe knowledge was power, but once I was on my own, I’d quickly realized knowledge was just that. Knowledge. Information.
Now, if you had the right information, if you gained enough knowledge of the necessary sort, then you could use that knowledge to get what you wanted, or what you needed. That gave you power. The ability to take action effectively.
Acting with inadequate knowledge, on the other hand, that was a failure waiting to happen. It could be a death sentence if you weren’t careful, but I couldn’t help but feel we’d been too careful. We’d waited too long.
“They’re gone, sir,” I announced, awaiting his lecture.
“I’m sorry, Castor.”
I looked over at the speaker. “What?”
“I know you’ve grown to care for the girl. You’ve watched her through all this. It feels like we’ve failed you, but I assure you, we will not give up on her. However long it takes.”
I stared for several seconds, not sure how to respond.
“Castor?”
“I’m here. Sir. Sorry. I just… Thank you.”
“Of course. I know the mission always comes first, but I want you to know, I don’t take your happiness lightly. And she is not just any supe. Dani is special. We will find a way to right this.”
I nodded, then realized he couldn’t see me, though it always felt like he could. “Yes, sir. Just tell me what to do, and I’ll do it.”
Hemlock began debriefing me on the details of what the team watching her had seen in the house, and I listened in shock. We hadn’t seen evidence of anything like the power Hem was describing. Her episodes had definitely gotten worse since her mother died. That made sense, considering the effects strong emotions and things like depression can have on supes. She disappeared into herself, and it was difficult to watch and not be able to be there for her.
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