Fractured Truth

by Rachel McClellan

  “Wait, May,” I said, stopping her at the dining room doors. “That’s not all that happened.” My expression turned serious. I had to tell her about Christian. “On the way back I saw—”

  “May! Llona!”

  I looked into the dining room. Kiera was sitting with Tessa, waving us over.

  “Tell me later?” May asked.

  I resisted the urge to shake her to get her to hold still. “First thing after lunch, promise?”

  She nodded and went inside. I almost didn’t go in after her. It seemed strange to pretend like everything was normal when it wasn’t even close. The man I loved and thought dead was alive.

  “Come sit by me,” Tessa said, motioning me forward.

  I took a deep breath and went to the table. “I thought you had class?” I asked her and sat down.

  “Cancelled. Sick professor.”

  I looked around the table. May, Kiera, and Tessa sat laughing and talking. I smiled. These were my closest friends: Tessa, a Lizen who no longer served Auras; May, a female Fury; and then Kiera. She and I had lived on the outside for so long, we didn’t quite get the Auran culture and often offended the others. It was just as well. I liked our small group.

  The next hour turned out to be highly therapeutic for me. Not because I told them about my problems, but because I didn’t. We talked about everything and nothing, laughing like normal girls do, and at the moment this meant more to me than I could possibly imagine.

  It wasn’t until the chimes sang their familiar tune that we all quieted down, remaining where we were because we didn’t want to get back to the real world.

  Kiera was up first. “I have to get to class.”

  “I’ll walk you,” Tessa said, joining her.

  I stayed with May until all that was left in the room were a few Lizen women who were cleaning up. I should have told her about Christian right then, but I felt it was more important to address something else.

  “I want you to know,” I said, “that I have a plan. We’re going to find Sophie and the others so you don’t need to go to your father.”

  She tore at the napkin in front of her, a sudden sadness in her eyes. “Maybe I want to see him.”

  “But why? He’s with them.”

  She looked up at me. “Because maybe he can tell me about my real mother.” She took a breath. “I want to know where I come from.”

  “It’s too dangerous, May.”

  “Maybe I can convince him to come back here. He’s not a Vyken, after all.”

  “But he is a bad guy.”

  “How would you know?” she snapped, startling me.

  “Um . . . because he tried to kill us.”

  She looked down at the torn napkin in her hands. “He told me in a letter that he didn’t know it was me until at the end of the fight. He said he would never have hurt me or my friends had he known.”

  “But he’d hurt other Auras? Besides, he was with Vykens.”

  “But so am I.” Her eyes met mine.

  I struggled to keep my voice calm. “You know it’s not the same thing.”

  She was silent for a moment and then said, “I’ve gone over it in my head several times, and there are just too many reasons to meet him.”

  I opened my mouth to speak, but she stopped me.

  “First, I can possibly find out information about Sophie and the other girls, or at least find out where all the Vykens are. And maybe even find Christian. Did you think about that?” I straightened in my seat and was about to tell her about seeing him, when she said, “But most important, I can find out about my past.”

  I sighed. “But at what cost?”

  May had stopped tearing at the napkin. Her hands were fists now. “You’re not listening! I don’t care about the costs at this point. I want to know!” She stood up.

  “May, please. Just wait a few days. That’s all I ask. There’s this warehouse and Chris—”

  “I will do whatever I want! I’m tired of being your sidekick.” She turned and walked away.

  “You’re my best friend, not a sidekick!” I called after her, but she didn’t stop.

  I sat there, stunned. Did that really just happen? I breathed in a shaky breath. What was happening to the people I loved? First Liam’s weird behavior, then Christian’s Jekyll-and-Hyde crap, and now May.

  “Llona?”

  I closed my eyes, relief washing over me at the sound. Liam. I stood up and turned around. He was standing ten feet away, barely moving, barely breathing. I wanted to run and throw my arms around him, to be close to my rock, but I just couldn’t do it. Something felt different.

  He waited a moment before saying anything. The way he was looking at me, his eyes scanning me up and down, was as if he was trying to figure out a complex math problem. “You’ve seen Christian, haven’t you?”

  I looked around the dining room. We were alone. “What makes you say that?”

  “The tension between us. I know you can feel it.”

  He was right. It was almost suffocating.

  Liam continued, “And the only reason for it would be Christian. Is he here?”

  I shook my head. “I saw him in the forest earlier today when I was running.”

  “Where’s he been?”

  “They had him locked up until recently.”

  “So why isn’t he here now?”

  There was so much space between us. “He had to go back.”

  “With the Vykens.” It wasn’t a question.

  “He’s trying to find out where Sophie and the others are.” I swallowed hard but tried to hide it. I knew where this conversation was headed.

  “Llona, we can’t be naïve about this. He’s a Vyken now, and you need to stay away from him. He’s dangerous.” His eyes were gentle, but his tone was firm.

  I crossed my arms over my chest. “You know that logic doesn’t work with you or me. Technically, we could be called Vykens too. Christian’s like us. He’s fighting it. I just know it.”

  Liam was quiet. “I’ve always been honest with you. Always. Others may tell you what you want to hear to spare your feelings, but I’m not one of them.”

  I inhaled deeply, trying to stay calm. “Spit it out.”

  “Vykens would never have let Christian out of their sight if they felt he wasn’t a hundred percent devoted to their cause.”

  “What are you saying?”

  He took a few steps toward me. Slowly, gently, as if approaching a frightened deer. “That Christian must’ve done something so horrible that they know there is no going back. I’m sorry, Llona, but he is not like us. The best thing you can do right now is to remember how he was before he died, because the Christian you saw today is not the same. He’s evil and will say whatever he’s told to destroy not only you, but all Auras. Nothing has changed. The man you loved is dead.”

  I closed the gap between us and slapped him. “He is not dead. He’s alive and fighting to end all this, just like us.”

  Liam adjusted his jaw and said, “You’re a child and a fool.”

  I dropped my hands down fast, creating a ball of Light in each hand. “I will not give up on him, and I will hurt whoever tries to stop me.”

  He shook his head. “This just keeps getting better and better.” He took the last step between us and took hold of my hands, snuffing my Light. Inches from my face he said, “I have been by your side for months now, helping you, supporting you, protecting you, worrying about you, listening to you . . . everything in my power I give to you. My life if I could. And you’re saying you’re going to hurt me to protect a Vyken?”

  Words escaped me, leaving me mute. My heart was pounding, and my legs were weak.

  “I wonder,” he said, “where was Christian when you were covered in burns and lying unconscious for three days?”

  I jerked free from his grip and stepped away. I glanced at the clock behind him. “We can discuss it later. We’re late for the meeting.”

  I walked quickly, fighting back the tears I felt
stinging my eyes. Liam couldn’t be right. Christian was fighting the poison, just like we were doing. He could do it on his own. He was strong. Then why wasn’t he here now?

  I didn’t want to answer the question. I couldn’t bear to.

  Liam’s footsteps echoed behind me as I walked down the long hall. I thought of everything he had said, guilt giving me a stomachache. I shouldn’t have hit him. Ever.

  I stopped in front of Dr. Han’s office, but before I opened the door, I turned around and faced him. “I’m sorry. Really. I should never have slapped you or said those things to you. You’ve always been there for me, and, honestly, I don’t know how I would’ve gotten through everything without you.”

  His expression softened. “Apology accepted, and I’m sorry for calling you a fool.”

  I gave a small smile. “Just don’t give up on Christian quite yet, okay?”

  The tightness in his face returned. “Fine, but only if you promise to keep your guard up around him.”

  “Deal.” I turned back around and opened the door.

  Dr. Han was there with Arik and Aaron, looking over what appeared to be blueprints spread across his desk. Mrs. Crawford was standing off to the side, looking uncomfortable. Even though she completely supported all that we were doing to help Auras become independent, sometimes I wondered if she really believed in it.

  “Where’s May?” Dr. Han said, glancing behind Liam and me.

  “I didn’t get the chance to invite her.”

  Dr. Han pursed his lips but said nothing. Maybe he had had his own run-in with May.

  “What are you looking at there?” I asked, pointing to the blueprints.

  Arik moved around the desk to sit down. “The warehouse in Albion.”

  Before I could ask more about it, Mrs. Crawford asked, “What’s this meeting about?”

  I turned to her. “About something Jackson said before he escaped. Speaking of which, do we know anymore information about how he got out?”

  Dr. Han glanced at Liam. “Nothing new. Someone took Abigail’s phone to call Arik.”

  Both Aaron and Arik looked down as if ashamed.

  “As soon as the twins were gone,” Dr. Han continued, “someone let him out, and he escaped through the tunnel with Vykens.”

  “So there’s still someone at Lucent Academy we can’t trust,” Mrs. Crawford said, her voice shaky.

  “That’s why it’s imperative that anything we talk about is only shared with each other,” I said. “When the time comes, we’ll flush out the traitor, but for now we need to find a way to deal with the Shadow.”

  “I thought your main focus was finding Sophie?” Liam asked.

  “It still is, but I realized something. So what if I find Sophie? If Cyrus still has control over the Shadow, then there’s no way I’ll be able to rescue her, not unless we can sever his power to it.”

  Dr. Han smiled. “And there’s only one way to do that. The witches.”

  “Exactly. Maybe they can summon it back.”

  “I like this plan,” Liam said.

  I didn’t look at him, although I felt his eyes on me.

  “The original witches who created the Shadow?” Mrs. Crawford asked, her face pale. “But how are we going to find them?”

  “From Jackson. He said he hid them from Cyrus.”

  “But why would Cyrus care?” Arik asked. He shifted his weight on the chair that barely held him. “He already has control over the Shadow.”

  “Because,” Dr. Han answered, “if Cyrus kills the witches, then the Shadow can never be summoned for someone else. It will belong entirely to him.”

  Aaron leaned away from the wall. “So how do we find out where Jackson’s hiding the witches?”

  For some reason I thought of Rose. There was something supernatural about her, but a witch? And was it possible that she had two others living in her house? I’d seen something in the window, but it hadn’t looked quite human. An animal perhaps.

  “I might know someone,” Liam said. He glanced at Dr. Han and the two seemed to be communicating silently.

  “Take her there,” Dr. Han said. “It’s time.”

  I looked at Liam. “What’s he talking about?”

  “Do you want to visit the Deific today?”

  “Really?” It was hard not to be excited. Liam always talked about the secret group as if they were in some underground facility filled with cool gadgets and secret agents. The whole thing sounded so cool.

  “It’s just over an hour drive,” he said. “We should get going right away.”

  “I need to be back by dinner,” I said.

  “Why? They serving pizza?”

  “Very funny. I just do.”

  “Don’t worry. We’ll be back.”

  “Is there anything I can do?” Mrs. Crawford asked.

  Dr. Han looked at her as if he’d almost forgotten she was there. “Yes. You can keep a lookout for anyone suspicious and ask questions. We need to find out who helped Jackson escape. It was most likely a teacher.”

  She stood up, her hands twisting within each other. “I sure hope not.” Liam opened the door for her and followed her into the hall.

  Before I left the room, I acted like I was throwing something away in a garbage can next to Dr. Han’s desk. While I was bending over, I looked at the top of the blueprints. It read “Earl and Jameson.” I straightened and said, “I’ll see you guys soon.”

  Out in the hall, I caught up to Liam, who was peering out the door at something outside. “That was a good idea you had about finding the witches.”

  “It’s the only one I have. Let’s just hope your guy can locate them.” I opened the door. “Can I drive?”

  “Long distance? I don’t think you can handle it.”

  “Whatever. Give me the keys.” He tossed them to me, and together we crossed the long stretch of lawn to his car. I loved driving his Impala.

  I was about to get behind the steering wheel when someone called my name. I turned around. Petros was coming toward me. He was so muscular and thick that he reminded me of a god from Mount Olympus. I glanced at Liam on the other side of the car. His hand was gripping the roof of the car tightly.

  “How does he know your name?” Liam asked, his voice low.

  I ignored him and walked toward Petros. “Any news?”

  “We agree,” he said. “They will be delivered tonight, just before dinner. Any special requests?”

  I didn’t turn around to look at Liam, who I knew was listening. “Yes. Please make sure they can’t speak.”

  “Done.” He glanced behind me at Liam, waited a few seconds, then turned around and left us alone.

  Liam stared at me over the hood of the car, but I ignored him again and slid into the driver’s seat. Only when I started the engine and put the car into gear did Liam finally get in.

  “What was that all about?” he asked.

  I pressed on the gas, putting Lucent Academy in my rearview mirror. “The less you know the better.”

  “I thought we told each other everything.”

  I moaned. “It’s nothing, really. I just have an object lesson planned during dinner, but I know if I tell you, you’ll try to stop me.”

  He laughed. “You really think I could stop you?”

  I glanced sideways at him. “Despite what you may think, especially after what I said earlier, I value your opinion.”

  “And I trust you, so I won’t push you into telling me. Will it at least be entertaining?”

  I grinned. “Absolutely.”

  ELEVEN

  “Pull into the parking garage up here on the right,” Liam said.

  I followed the direction of his pointed finger and drove into an almost full lot. We were just outside New York City, surrounded by all kinds of buildings, most of which looked like real estate and insurance offices. Because it was warm outside, I shed my jacket and shoved it into the backseat. Liam was already outside, waiting for me in the shadows.

  “I don’t know why
you don’t just try some of my blood,” I said. “It would sure make things easier for you. Don’t you want to feel the sun?”

  “Of course I do, but I fear it will come with a price.”

  I didn’t bother arguing with him. It was a conversation we’d had many times, and I never won. “So which building is fronting for the Deific?” I asked, looking around at all the plain, square brown and gray buildings.

  “Fronting?”

  “Yeah, like we go in through a front door of a tile company and a ‘receptionist,’” I quoted with my fingers, “lets us in, but when we push a button and have our retinas scanned, we’re sucked into a tube that takes us to a high tech, sci-fi room.”

  Liam headed to his left. “You watch too many movies.”

  I caught up to him. “Ah, come on. You can’t tell me that one of these boring buildings actually belongs to the Deific?”

  “Sorry to disappoint.”

  I breathed out, puffing my cheeks. Maybe the inside would be more exciting. That’s what I hoped, but when Liam opened a door into a five-story brick building with the words, “Deific: Accounting and Services,” I lowered my expectations. Good thing too, because the place was pretty unremarkable.

  There was a receptionist at least. She was sitting behind a desk reading a fashion magazine while her free hand waved back and forth like she was drying recently applied nail polish. She looked up at us long enough to say, “Hey, Liam.”

  “Charlie here?” he asked.

  She sighed. “Office.”

  Liam passed by her, motioning for me to catch up. He leaned in close and said, “Charlie’s a powerful psychic, so don’t get freaked out by anything he says.”

  “What’s he going to say?” I followed after him through a series of cubicles, all with men and woman hard at work in front of computers. No one looked up at us. No one questioned my presence. So much for a secure, secret facility.

  Liam turned down a hallway and stopped in front of a door.

  “Come in,” a voice said behind it.

  Liam opened the door and walked inside. I followed him.

  “Liam!” a man said, standing and coming around his desk to shake his hand. “It’s been awhile.”

  He let go of Liam and then turned to me, smiling big. His eyes were a sparkling blue and radiated kindness. This combination reminded me of my Uncle Jake, and I instantly felt a stab of regret for not calling him in the last few months.