Fractured Truth

by Rachel McClellan

  “Don’t look at me like that,” he said. The lines in his face were deep; the pain in his eyes went deeper. “You don’t understand.”

  “Tell me who Llona was,” I demanded. “I want to know everything. I want to understand what possibly could’ve happened to make Sophie choose Cyrus over her own kind.”

  “Sit by me, Llona,” Liam said.

  I limped over and dropped next to him on a large box. He gave me a reassuring squeeze.

  You okay? I thought.

  He nodded but didn’t look at me.

  Dr. Han walked to the open, shattered window. A cold breeze swirled around the room, catching his long robe along the way. The sun was just beginning to rise. Oranges and reds filled the eastern sky. It was a sunrise I might have enjoyed.

  “Llona was your mother’s older sister, Sophie’s younger,” Dr. Han began. “She was exactly in the middle with everything.” He turned to face me. “Both Llona and Sophie had decided to stay on as staff after they graduated from Lucent. Personally, I think Sophie, whom Llona adored, talked Llona into it. I also think she wanted to keep an eye on your mother, Laura, who—as you probably already know—had a rebellious spirit.” He crossed back to us. “Llona was the best of both of them. She was kind and a hard worker with a questioning mind. She would’ve done anything for her sisters.”

  He paused, giving me time to digest everything he was saying. Why had I never heard of her? Knowing my mother and father had kept something so huge from me made me angry. So many lies.

  “What happened to her?” I asked.

  Dr. Han slid a box over and sat near me. He didn’t look at me when he spoke next. “It happened the night your mother left Lucent to be with Mark, your father. Laura and Sophie had just gotten into a big fight over the fact that Laura was in a relationship with a Guardian. Everyone in the school heard it. Llona tried to intervene, but Sophie and Laura were like fire and ice.” He shifted in his seat as if preparing for something unpleasant. “When Laura ran away that night, Llona followed. From what I could gather, she got lost. No one really knows what happened, but the next morning she returned. She was disoriented, but even worse she had two bite marks on her neck.”

  My eyes widened. “She was bitten?”

  Dr. Han nodded. “Per Cyrus’s order, we quarantined her to keep it a secret. I’m ashamed to say I was a part of this. Only a few teachers, Sophie being one of them, knew about what happened. Sophie was devastated. She blamed Laura, of course.”

  “Did my mom know?”

  “Your mother came back to Lucent, but Sophie refused to let her see Llona, which only fueled the hatred between them.”

  “What happened to Llona?”

  He exhaled, one tired breath. “She slowly began to change. She’d have these fits of violence, destroying everything in the room. Sophie tried to help her, and for a time I thought it was helping. Even Sophie thought Llona could be saved. She and Cyrus became close during this time. I never realized how close until tonight.” His gaze drifted toward the open window. “Then one night, when it was raining hard, Llona broke her window and disappeared. We searched for two days. Eventually we found her. Dead.”

  I sucked in air.

  “We never found out who killed her. Sophie was devastated. For months she was inconsolable. Laura tried to see her many times, but the only person she’d allow into her room was Cyrus. Then one day she emerged from her room seemingly a new person, completely dedicated to Auras.”

  “And my mother?”

  “She had your father to help her through the tough times.”

  “But why didn’t she tell me about Llona?”

  “I can’t speak for her, but I know that those who knew about what happened were too ashamed.” He looked down. “We failed her.”

  “What would you have done differently?” Liam asked.

  “I’m not sure if we could’ve done anything differently for Llona, but I would’ve made Sophie leave here for a while to grieve. I never felt right about her spending so much time with Cyrus, but he was our president. I was as naive as everyone else. Or lazy.”

  “So it was Sophie who controlled the Shadow all along.” I thought back to when Cyrus took Sophie, at least I thought that’s what was happening at the time. The Shadow had gathered together from the four corners of the room and stood behind Cyrus, who was holding an unconscious Sophie. She was probably faking it. But the Shadow wasn’t behind Cyrus. He was behind Sophie.

  We were silent for almost a full minute. The air blowing through the open window chilled the room, and I found myself rubbing my arms, mindful of the cut Sophie had given me.

  “We have to prepare,” Dr. Han said. “She’s going to come back, and when she does, she won’t be alone.”

  “We’ll fight with you,” a deep voice said behind me. I turned around. Petros filled the doorway. He looked particularly wolfy tonight with blue eyes that were practically glowing and muscles that looked like they might burst from his buttoned-up plaid shirt.

  I opened my mouth to tell him thank you, but Liam stood up just then. He swayed slightly as if light-headed, then crossed the room to Petros.

  No more drama, I thought and was about to call him back, but Liam surprised me when he said, “I owe you an apology. I may have had issues with Lycans in the past, but your pack has proven themselves. I may not want to be your friend, but I’m honored to fight next to you.” He held out his hand.

  Petros looked down at it briefly before accepting. “And we have no desire to be your friend either.”

  Liam let go and smiled. “Who knew we’d have something in common?”

  “And of course we’re with you,” Arik said. He was leaning against the wall next to Mrs. Crawford while Abigail bandaged a cut on his arm.

  “Most important,” Mrs. Crawford said, “Auras will fight. This is our home, and we will not see it destroyed.”

  Dr. Han stood up. “I can’t ask these girls to take on a battle of that magnitude. I’ll have to consult with the Council, but for now we need to get some rest. It’s been a long day.”

  We all agreed, but before we separated we let Mrs. Crawford and Abigail bandage our wounds. The cut on my arm was big enough that Abigail wanted to stitch it up, but I insisted she use butterfly bandages instead. Within a couple of days it would be back to normal. As for my face, she cleaned the jagged cuts with an alcohol swab. This stung something awful, but I didn’t flinch. The pain of Sophie’s betrayal was far more painful.

  I was slow going up to my room. Liam came with me, but was unable to offer much assistance as he looked just as weak as I did, but with several more bandages. I opened the door to my room and stepped in, deliberately leaving the lights off. I stood there in silence, Liam on my right, and inhaled deeply. It smelled like roses.

  “She spent a lot of time in here,” he said.

  After a few seconds and a few deep breaths, I mentally turned on the lights. Next to my bed was a potted rose bush, the small buds a brilliant white. I walked over to it and lightly touched a petal. The rose bloomed all at once, startling me. I pulled back my hand, and the flower returned to its sleeping state.

  I smiled. “I’m going to miss her.”

  Liam lowered himself onto my bed, slow and careful.

  “How are you feeling?” I asked.

  “A little better, I guess.”

  I joined him on the bed. “What happened?”

  “The Shadow. It’s like it sucked all my energy when it passed through me. I’ve never encountered something I couldn’t fight before.”

  Not many can, I wanted to say. Only an Aura. “I wish Rose wouldn’t have stopped me.”

  “Don’t say that. We’ll find another way. We have to.”

  I looked at him. “There’s no other way, and you know it. One way or another, an Aura is going to have to die, and I’m not going to let it be anyone else, especially when they have nothing to do with it.”

  “But neither do you.”

  “That doesn’t matte
r. Sophie thinks I do.” My chest tightened. “I still can’t believe she caused all this. So much pain.”

  “Try not to think about it right now. You need to get some rest.”

  “I will, but first I want to check on May and Aaron. Will you wait here?”

  “Of course.”

  I found May downstairs in a room, sitting next to Aaron’s bed, holding his hand. Aaron’s feet hung off the bed at least a foot. “How’s he doing?” I asked.

  “A little better, I think.”

  “You should get some rest too.”

  “I will.”

  A clock on the wall ticked by the seconds. The soothing sound reminded me of my own tiredness. “This is all going to be over soon.”

  “And then what?” She didn’t look at me.

  “I’m going to leave.”

  “To find the cure.”

  I paused, realizing she must’ve overheard what Rose had said. If she did, then there was a good chance Liam did too. “Yes.”

  “I want to go with you.”

  I thought about this. “Are you sorry you came to Lucent?”

  It took her a few breaths to answer. “No. I just need a break.”

  “Then we’ll go together.”

  I left May and returned to my room. Liam was lying on his side on my bed, his eyes closed. I don’t think I’d ever seen him asleep before. I wasn’t even sure he did sleep until now.

  I turned off the lights and climbed in bed next to him, my arm draped over his shoulder. My last thoughts were of the cure. If I could find it, I could fix not only myself and Liam, but Christian too. This made me feel a little better despite the night’s events. I would really like not to kill him.

  THIRTY-EIGHT

  “Llona, wake up.”

  I felt a gentle nudge. My eyes opened, and Liam’s face came into view.

  “Morning,” I said and stretched.

  He was sitting on the side of my bed, his expression serious and full of worry. I hated it. Beyond him, sunlight filled my window. I sat up. “What time is it?”

  “A little after nine. Sorry, but I couldn’t wake you.”

  I swung my legs over the bed and groaned. The few hours of sleep I’d had felt great, but time was against me. It was only a matter of time before Sophie returned with the Shadow. “I better hurry and change.”

  I was still wearing my battered and bloodied clothes from last night. I looked at Liam. He was in new clothes, faded jeans, and a gray T-shirt, not much different from his other clothes, but I noticed. “When did you get ready?”

  “A little while ago.” He stood. “I’ll wait outside.”

  I jumped up and went into my closet. “Don’t bother. I’ll change in here.”

  While I dressed quickly, I called out, “Have you ever tried wearing a different color? Blue? Green? Not that you look bad, but some color will really make your eyes pop.” I peeked through the crack in the door. Liam was staring down at the floor smiling. “And maybe we can put some highlights in your hair.”

  At this he laughed. The sound, void of stress and worry, warmed me. This was the Liam I loved. I straightened. Did I really just think that?

  “If I have to get a makeover,” Liam said, “then you have to also.”

  I pulled a shirt over my head, mindful of the scrape on my face. “Oh yeah? What would you have done to me?”

  “You’re a tough one because of that hair. Can’t really change it, but I don’t think I would. I like it the way it is.”

  “Then what would you do?” I opened the door and went into the bathroom, holding my sneakers in my hands.

  “Dresses. I would put you in some nice summer dresses.”

  I thought about this while I brushed my teeth and carefully washed my face. A normal summer day with Liam. What would that be like? I left the bathroom and stood in front of him. “One day I’ll wear a summer dress for you, and all this will just be like a bad dream.”

  “It hasn’t been all bad.”

  My face reddened under his gaze. “No, it hasn’t.”

  He stepped toward me. “If something should happen—”

  “Nothing’s going to happen.”

  He moved closer, close enough that if I lifted my fingers, they would brush his thigh. “I have to apologize,” he said.

  “For what?” My stomach twisted. In a good way.

  “I hate living with regret.”

  “What are you going to regret?”

  “If I don’t do this.”

  Before I could take my next breath, his arm wrapped around me and pulled me against him. Our lips met, hard and explosive. My whole body warmed and was probably glowing too.

  A moment later he let me go. It was too soon.

  “I hate regrets more than you do,” I said and threw my arms around his neck. Our lips met again, not as hard as before, but just as passionate. He kissed me differently from Christian. I didn’t expect this. It was more deep and felt more mature, as if he’d saved up years of emotions only to release it in this single kiss. It overwhelmed me and made my legs go weak, making him tighten his grip around my lower back. So much pain and sorrow. It was bleeding from him and into me. I never realized how heavy his burden had been until now. To keep the Vyken poison from taking over was a constant battle for him, and threatened his life every day. It was difficult for me too, but my burden was nothing compared to his. I had Light to help me; he only had his willpower. This realization made me love him even more.

  I abruptly let go and stepped back. He lowered his arms and said, “I’m sorry. Did I—”

  “No. That was amazing,” I breathed. “It’s just, I had no idea.”

  “That I knew how to kiss?”

  I smiled, but it was a sad one. “That you are in so much pain.”

  He glanced away as if embarrassed.

  I took hold of his hand. “I’m going to find that cure. I’m sure you heard Rose tell me about it.”

  “If it exists.” He paused as if trying to find his next words. “I want you to know that I don’t expect anything from you, especially after that amazing kiss. I probably shouldn’t have done it.”

  “I’m glad you did.”

  “But this isn’t the time. First we have to end this thing with Sophie, and even if we’re successful there’s still going to be complications.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “With Christian.”

  I hadn’t thought this far ahead.

  “Now that you know of a cure—again, if it exists—I assume you don’t want anything to happen to him, correct?”

  I gave a small nod. Even after everything Christian had done to me, the moment I heard the word “cure” I knew I had to try and save him.

  “So we capture him. And you find a cure.” Liam took a deep breath as if the words were painful to speak. “And you fix him.”

  I shook my head, trying to imagine what it would be like if Christian became the same man I once loved. “But so much has happened. He almost killed me.”

  “It wasn’t him.”

  “I can’t think about all of this right now.”

  “And I don’t want you to, but I also don’t want you to think about us either, including that kiss. You need to focus now on trying to stay alive. Do you understand?”

  I looked up at him. “You do the same.”

  “I will.”

  We stared at each other, neither of us wanting to move. I didn’t want to forget the kiss or how Liam had taken hold of my heart. But what if Christian was normal again? Would things be back to normal?

  Suddenly, Liam cocked his head a fraction of an inch. “Something’s going on downstairs.”

  “What?” I tried to listen too, but only heard movement in the rooms next to me, voices down the hall, but nothing as far as several floors down.

  “A teacher is yelling. Sounds like Ms. Hady. Dr. Han too.”

  “Let’s go,” I said. I turned around and didn’t look back.

  THIRTY-NINE

  Lu
cent Academy was full of life, a panicked excitement that made me nervous. Girls were crowded into the hall, talking about some announcement, and the rec room had a line of at least twenty girls waiting to use the phone.

  I was hoping to run into May as she hadn’t been in her room, but I couldn’t find her, at least on this floor. Most likely she was still with Aaron.

  “What’s all the chatter about?” I asked Liam.

  “An email Dr. Han sent out. I’m only picking up bits and pieces, but whatever was in it really has everyone worked up.”

  We hurried downstairs. Just as we turned the corner, we saw Ms. Hady leave Dr. Han’s office. Her high heels snapped against the marbled floor like a plucked guitar string. Gratefully she was walking the other way.

  “What’s going on?” Liam asked when we went inside the office.

  Dr. Han was leaning back in his chair, his face lowered. When he lifted his head, his face was pale. “I’m getting too old for this.” He slid a paper to the end of the desk. Liam picked it up first and read it while Dr. Han continued to speak. “I was up all night trying to decide what to do, but in the end I realized it’s not my decision to make.”

  Liam handed me the note. I skimmed over the formalities and went to the meat of the letter. After explaining the dangers at Lucent Academy, he was giving parents a choice: take their child out of school or come back and help protect it. I looked up. “Does the Council know about this?”

  “I don’t care anymore. They are not the ones under attack.”

  “What if parents don’t come?”

  “Then we abandon Lucent.”

  “And go where? We’ll be hunted and killed out there! We’re stronger together.”

  “But I can’t make that decision for them.”

  I stared at him, trying hard to think of something to say, but he was right. “So we just wait?”

  He nodded.

  “I’ve got to find Kiera,” I said. I glanced back at Liam.

  “Go.”

  I hurried down the halls, looking everywhere for Kiera. Some of the girls I passed called out to me, mostly words of encouragement saying they’ll stay and fight. I didn’t know whether to be happy or sad for them. They’d never experienced the horror of a real battle.