"I'm sorry," she said. "I should have been honest with you from the beginning, so you wouldn't doubt me like this." She pulled away from him slightly and looked into his eyes. "The Hallows didn't give you and Brie the whole story." She stroked his cheek, and her lips found his. They tasted of Mentos, and slightly of blood. "If you want to be a part of Silver Smoke, I've figured out how. But you have to trust me."
"Why would I want to be part of Silver Smoke?" Pilot asked. "Look what your sister has done to you." His anger toward Kennedy was melting away, replaced by anger toward this unknown sister of hers.
Kennedy studied his face. "We can overthrow my sister if we can reclaim your powers." She must have noticed the skepticism bubbling along Pilot's lip line, because she added, "Taking over Silver Smoke is the only way I can guarantee your safety, and Brie's. "Her face contorted as he deliberated over her words. "And it's the only way we can be together."
"You could leave Silver Smoke," Pilot countered.
"No," she said with sad eyes, "I can't. This is the only way for us, Pilot."
Pilot's breath escaped slowly. He didn't understand all the whys, but he believed Kennedy, despite all the warnings. Kennedy had a past that he didn't agree with, but that didn't mean her future couldn't be better. He shouldn't turn his back on her now, not when he could save her. They could save each other.
Wasn't that what love was about?
All he needed was Brie.
He looked down at Kennedy's face. She was waiting for his response, her eyes glistening. "Will you come with me?" she asked.
"What about Rykken?"
Kennedy's head wobbled. Surprise flashed in her eyes, then anger. "Do you think that your friendship with Rykken is real?"
"Yes," Pilot responded automatically.
Kennedy rocked her head, pity in her eyes. "It's not. Thessa needed a way to tie you to Honolulu, in case something happened to Milena. Cora manipulated the two of you to become friends."
"That's not possible." Pilot felt a stab of pain mixed with a slight sense of guilt at the mention of Cora's name. He had forgotten about her completely. He didn't trust the other Hallows and wouldn't think twice about leaving them, but Cora... "Cora would have told me," Pilot said. "She's not capable of lying like that."
Kennedy pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and pressed some buttons. "Ask her then," she said, a layer of something he didn't understand over the normal tone in her voice. She taunted him with the phone, set to Cora's number. All he had to do was press the green button.
Pilot pushed her claims out of his head and pushed a red button to clear the number from the screen.
"Rykken is my best friend."
Kennedy's eyes flashed, reminding him of oncoming headlights in the middle hours after sundown and before sunrise, when the night was at its darkest. "Do you want to know the truth, Pilot? Or do you want to believe the lies these Hallows are spinning to you and your sister?"
He gently pushed her out of his lap, until she stood up, facing him. "What's the truth then?" he asked.
His body shivered; the room was chilly without her in his arms.
"The truth is that Milena didn't care about you, or James. She only cared about protecting Brie. She forced James away, and Cora convinced him to buy a home on this island. Thessa found Rykken nearly dead on the river, and she planted him where she needed him—in a water polo camp you just so happened to be attending. She used you to tie the family closer to Honolulu, in case something happened to Milena."
Pilot felt cold all over. "How do you know that?"
"Because I was there, watching. Not you. I've watched Rykken though, since he first came to this island."
"Why Rykken?" Pilot asked. "What are you keeping from me?"
Kennedy tossed her hair over her shoulder. "It doesn't matter. He's a Hallow; he belongs with the others. He can't come with us."
Nothing Kennedy said made sense. "You're manipulating me," Pilot said.
"Don't you understand?" Kennedy said, the rage slicing through in her voice. "It's not me that's manipulating you. It's the Hallows!"
Pilot jolted out of his seat. "You manipulated me with the book. You tricked me to use it to unbind Rykken's powers."
"Yes, it's true. At first, I only saw you as a tool. But that was before I knew who you were—a son of Michael and—"
"Who I am?" Pilot was disgusted. He turned and hurled his balled fist through the Atlantic Ocean section of James' map, halting upon sharp impact into the solid wall that didn't give nearly as much as he hoped.
When he wrenched his fist free, he turned around.
Kennedy's mouth hung open, her shoulders uncharacteristically hunched over.
"You're just like every other girl, Kennedy." Pilot enunciated every syllable, giving them crisp edges.
"You don't care about me—you only care about who my family is and what they can do for you!"
Kennedy deflated into the chair in front of James' desk. "No, I didn't mean it like that—"
"Son of Michael," Pilot said, scoffing, as he sat back down. Pain seared through his right arm up to his shoulder.
"I know that's what it looks like," Kennedy said, assuming a calm, rational demeanor.
Pilot thought about what Thessa had said. The royal family was made up of Michael's children... The family only had daughters...
"And with your father being as famous as he is, I understand why you would expect that. But I have real feelings for you and—"
"Sons of Michael must be rare if you value dating me so much," he said.
"The Hallows didn't tell you?" Surprise caked Kennedy's expression. "You have no idea how rare sons of Michael are. You would be the first in over 2,000 years."
Pilot's heart plummeted to his stomach. "I'm done." Pilot stood abruptly. "I can't listen to you anymore." She had told him everything he needed to know in her reaction. Son of a musician, son of Michael—what did it matter? No matter what world he lived in, he was destined to be a status symbol in some bigger power play.
Kennedy relinquished her seat. "You aren't ready to listen to me," she said sadly. She circled the desk to the other side. "I need to take care of someone."
Pilot looked up. "Rykken?"
"I'm going to finish the job I should have finished years ago."
"You're not going to kill him, are you?"
"It doesn't matter if I do," she said matter-of-factly. "You're too worked up to reason with, though, so I need your sister's help to convince you. And to convince her, I need Rykken anyway, to show her...
well, I'll let her explain to you later." Pilot was struck by her frankness; he could practically see Kennedy's mind working, mapping out the next steps in her head, like she was playing a game of checkers.
The corner of her lips fell as she whipped her hair out of her face. "But sure, I might kill him. He's dangerous to us. You'll understand why someday."
Pilot lunged at her across the desk, but his hands slid away from her skin like it was wrapped in satin.
Kennedy looked down at his hands as he struggled to grab on to her, pity behind her eyes. "And we'll be on more equal footing when you finally get your powers."
"I don't care about my powers!" He screamed obscenities at her until he noticed that her expression hadn't changed, as if she didn't believe any portion of his anger was real.
She sat him back down firmly. He struggled, but it was fruitless—despite how much raw strength he should have over her tiny frame, she barely flinched at any of his movements. "Yes, you do care about your powers," she said softly. "And you can't have your powers and me and Brie all safe and sound unless I do something about Rykken."
Pilot's voice felt raspy. "You. Can't. Hurt. Him."
"Would you prefer me to trap him, so he can never live a normal life? Or turn him over to my dear sister?
Who knows what she would do to him."
"I won't forgive you if you hurt him."
"Forgiveness comes in time, Pilot. And you'll have for
ever to forgive me, once you embrace your place in Silver Smoke."
These words confused Pilot more than anything else she had said. She made it seem like he already had a place in Silver Smoke, like he was... destined to be there.
Pilot's thoughts rolled, the pieces coming together. When Pilot was just beginning to surf, he tried to tackle a wave far beyond his abilities. His balance was off and he was too far up on the board. When the wave overtook him, his board came up behind him, smacking into his body before the ocean pulled him into somersaults underneath it.
The meaning of her words hit him just like the board, knocking the wind from his lungs. He swallowed.
Kennedy looked at him sadly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner," she said.
"What do you see for us?" Pilot asked softly. "Even if..." he stopped. He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence. "Even if what you're saying is true, we can't be together if you hurt Rykken."
"It is you who will want forgiveness from me someday. When you figure out that I'm the one telling the truth, and the Hallows are the ones lying to you." Kennedy gave him a soft kiss on the lips. He hungered for more, but he didn't kiss her back. Not yet—not until he had time to think about his new revelation.
"Don't worry," she said, her body turning into a hollow shell, a flicker of her physical body. "I've already forgiven you." Then she disappeared.
*****
Brie twisted in her seat, eager to get the groceries into the house as Annie parked her SUV in the van Rossum driveway. "It's sweet that you wanted to make dinner for Rykken tonight," Annie said. "I feel terrible for him
—getting kicked out of his foster parents' home and everything."
Brie smiled politely. "I'm glad James is letting him stay." James was still in LA, but he said yes right when Pilot asked, to Brie's relief. Rykken's social services worker faxed James the paperwork and waived the interview process; the deal was done in just a few days. James' willingness to let Rykken stay with them, despite the potential publicity and security risks, warmed Brie's heart.
When Brie glanced up, Annie was staring at her. "Have you told James about you and Rykken yet?"
Annie asked, a twinge of knowledge in the corners of her eyes.
Brie bit her lip, unsure how to answer. How did Annie know about them?
"Oh, come on," Annie said, taking in the look on Brie's face. "I'm not blind. I see the way Rykken looks at you."
Brie's eyebrows flattened across her forehead. "How does he look at me?"
Annie laughed. "Like you're the only person in his world."
Brie felt her expression softening. "We just started dating, and it's not serious." Annie scoffed, chuckling to herself.
Brie clasped her hands together, entwining her fingers. She twisted sideways in her seat to face Annie. "Please don't tell James yet. I'll tell him soon. But I don't want Rykken to get kicked out of another home... it'll destroy him."
Annie reclined her head, glancing up at the ceiling of her car. "You know I'm risking my job by keeping your secret."
"If James finds out, you don't have to tell him you knew. I won't tell him. We won't even tell Pilot you know."
Annie tilted her head the other way. "So Pilot knows... I wondered how he would take it."
"He understands," Brie said, even though she was fairly sure Pilot was still freaked out about her dating his best friend.
Annie smirked, getting out of the car. Brie felt her face heat up; it was obvious that Annie didn't believe her. Maybe she'd heard Pilot yelling at them when he first found out? Annie noticed everything.
As she circled around to the trunk, Brie wondered if Annie had noticed something useful; something that could help her understand Kennedy's motives.
"Speaking of Pilot," she said casually, "he told me I could borrow this book from him, Hawaiian Myths and Legends." Brie watched Annie's face, but her expression didn't change at the mention of the book. "I can't find it anywhere in the house though. Have you seen it?"
"Nope," Annie said. "The last time I saw it was when Pilot asked for it."
"Oh," Brie said, playing dumb. "Maybe I'll just get a copy of it. Where did you buy it?"
Annie sighed. "Honestly, Brie, I don't remember anymore." She grabbed grocery bags from the trunk.
"That's weird." Brie said. "I thought you had a good memory for those things, since James is so particular about what comes into the house. Isn't that the reason he hired you?" Brie looked at her middle finger casually, like she was examining her manicure. "Unless you borrowed it from someone, or someone you knew gave it to you..."
Annie set a bag of groceries on the cement garage floor. "What do you want, Brie? I already said I wouldn't tell James about Rykken."
"I'm not threatening you." Brie smiled, hoping she could prove her sincerity. "I just need to know how you got that book, especially since it's missing."
Annie was quiet for a moment. "There was a girl, okay? I met her at a bar on my night off right after your mom died and right before you and Pilot came here."
Brie clamped her mouth shut, utterly shocked.
"The girl came over afterwards to talk, and have a drink. I know James doesn't like strangers in the house, but nothing happened—I cannot stress that enough to you. She was just a friend." Annie put her hands together in front of her like she was praying, but Brie guessed she was actually incredibly embarrassed.
"Anyway," Annie continued, "she was from out of town and she noticed our collection of books about Hawaiian legends. A few weeks later, she sent the book." Annie shrugged. "It was a nice gesture, so I put it on the shelf with the rest of them."
"Are you gay?" Brie blurted out. She couldn't believe no one had mentioned it and Annie hadn't told her.
Annie rolled her eyes. "My sexual preferences are none of your business, Brie."
This gave Brie pause, as she considered why Annie would keep this a secret from them. "You know my sexual preferences," she said.
"No, I know you're dating the guy James just agreed to foster. Let's be clear that this entire conversation is in confidence. I'll keep up my end as long as you keep up yours."
"I'm not going to rat you out." Brie heaved with exasperation. "I was just wondering... anyway, what did the girl look like?"
"She was pale blonde, skinny, dark skin... why do you care so much?"
"No reason," Brie said, a sinking dip in her tummy. "Please, if you see her again, just stay away from her."
"What? Why?" Annie's expression turned to stone. "Do you know this girl?"
"I can't explain right now, but for your own safety..." Brie felt weak and disgusted. She couldn't believe Kennedy had penetrated their lives so deeply without getting noticed. What did she want? Brie didn't know how to get ahead of this girl and whatever her sick plans were.
Annie gave Brie a moody look, and thrust a bag of groceries into Brie's arms. "Your boyfriend is waiting." She picked up a bag and stalked toward the house.
Brie ran to catch up to her, but Annie stopped short, right next to a wall of bushes, one of the many walls scattered over the property.
"Do you hear that?" Annie whispered.
Brie listened and heard familiar voices arguing near the steps of her home.
"We have to turn Brie in." Thessa's animated voice was laced with shadowy fury.
At the mention of her name, Brie ducked behind the bushes, hoping they hadn't heard Annie and her coming.
She set the bag of groceries down and tugged Annie to the ground. Annie knelt down quietly, keeping her sense about her. They locked eyes as they strained to listen, trying not to make a sound.
"This is the New Order we're talking about." Sirena had an urgency about her voice that Brie had never heard before. "Whose side are you on?"
"What's the New Order?" Annie whispered. Annie set her bag down next to Brie's bag, her eyes sharp.
Brie hushed her and peeked through the bushes. Thessa had papers in her hand, and Sirena looked...
scared.
"They are expecting a Nephilim," Sirena said. "Do you really think they will keep Brie alive?"
"It's not my choice!" Thessa said. "If Brie's death is what's best for the Hallows, then so be it."
Brie gasped, pulling away from the bushes. She let herself fall back into the dirt, soiling her clothes, but she didn't care. Annie's eyes were wide, but she didn't ask Brie any more questions. In the yard, there was a stint of silence.
"You swore you would keep my family safe," Sirena said, finally breaking the tension.
"This is bigger than your family and you know it," Thessa retorted. Brie worked up the nerve to peek through the bushes again, only to see Sirena with the most dangerous look Brie had ever seen.
"If you give them Brie, I will give them you. I don't care if they kill me in the process."
Thessa scoffed. "I know you care little for your own life Sirena, but you're mistaken if you think I care for mine."
"Clara and Cora will go down with you though. You care about them, correct?"
Silence. Brie squinted, but she could only see Thessa's back. "They will choose what's best for the Hallows too, even if it means self-sacrifice."
"At least wait until—"
"No," Thessa boomed. "I can only go so far against the New Order. We will make them understand who she is, and they can help her fulfill her role in the sacrifice."
Then Brie heard something she couldn't reason with: crying. She couldn't imagine either girl shedding tears—they were both so strong and sure of themselves. When she peaked through the bushes, she saw Sirena burying her face in her hands.
With a steady voice, Thessa said, "You're making this unnecessarily difficult. If we work together, we can come up with a story that protects everyone. If we rat each other out, we'll all fall."
Silver Smoke (#1 of Seven Halos Series) Page 32