Evigheden

by S King

  Karina snorted and shoved the remote detonator in her pocket, “fill me in on what you find out, ok?”

  I nodded, grabbing the drainpipe and made sure I wasn’t about to land in a fight on the ground. “Be careful out there, ok?”

  “Hey, all else fails, I’ll use my dynamite,” a wicked smile covered her lips as she waved to me before climbing down the ladder opposite of the pipe I was on.

  She was still on guard duty and taking the little break to help me blow my way into the training building wasn’t in her plans tonight. But Karina being the solid rock friend she was, came to help me as soon as I gave her the surface level of my situation. She didn’t question or prod when it came to not being let in on the full story. But she knew I would eventually open my mouth and tell her everything.

  My boots landed on the slush covered ground while my ears pricked for any oncoming danger. To my surprise, there weren’t any guards or officers circling the building to keep the interior safe. Maybe it was due to the facility only being used during the warmer months and everyone knew there was nothing of any value in the concrete box that trained some of the best guard members there were. Still, I wasn’t willing to take any chances when it came to keeping myself alive.

  Pulling out my whip, I kept the thing curled and held in a vice grip as I walked through the entrance of the building and instantly heard the manic laughing of a man.

  He was short in comparison to the experiments he had created and had gorgeous black hair that seemed too perfect for real life. His dark caramel skin hinted at his Indonesian heritage while his beard was like Demir’s, close shaved and manicured to perfection.

  “Inara Rasmussen,” I kept my eyes trained on him as he stepped into the moon light coming from the massive windows taking up the better part of the walls to my left.

  “Luminous River, my how you’ve grown.” He gave me an appreciating once over and clasped his hands together. “You turned out better than anyone else, as far as females go of course. How are you liking your newfound talents?”

  “What are you referring to?” The more he talked the more it felt like I was swimming in a pool of honey. His voice was the kind anyone could listen to for hours on end and use as a lullaby during restless nights.

  A manic smile covered his mouth, breaking his serious face into something of a proud parent whose child just won first place in an all-state competition.

  “You’re getting stronger with your whip and the ability you carry in your muscles? Even Heinz wasn’t able to predict such advancements in you.”

  My teeth clenched at the mention of my former instructor. Still, I kept my tone leveled and free of anything other than indifference.

  “Why did she drop your name before her death?”

  “She passed?” Shocked hurt morphed him into a disbelieving fool.

  I shook my whip at him and smirked, “by my own hand.”

  “Well, that’s to be expected.” He accepted the news with a curt nod and didn’t offer any other condolences. “More than likely, she wanted you to know the truth.”

  Finally, I breathed. Someone was going to offer me some answers to my unasked questions. Why was I created? Why am I Silver’s pride and joy? Why does everyone keep mentioning him? Who was him?

  “Which would be what?”

  He smiled again, the manic side of him coming to the surface, “but first let me ask you, because I, myself, am dying to know.” His dark chocolate eyes were glittering with possibilities as he looked at me, “how are you and Demir getting on?”

  If this night couldn’t become any more of a mind fuck; I frowned looking at him and waged a war with myself for how I should answer.

  “You two,” he motioned to myself and the air beside me, “are about to announce your engagement, yes?”

  “What?” I snapped. So much for indifference.

  “The engagement, your wedding? That is going to happen soon, right?”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  He started laughing, softly at first before it became a gut busting, slap knee type of laugh. In honesty, he looked like someone who needed a strait jacket first and a horse tranquilizer second. Maybe he had been inhaling a little too many fumes and injecting himself with his own happy juice. At least, that was what I was going to keep telling myself for the mean time.

  “Have you ever wondered why you’re not able to kill Demir?”

  I did but I was not about to lead on to that. The man in front of me was already giggling like a schoolgirl in love and I wasn’t about to add to the fire.

  When he realized I wasn’t going to answer him, another sadistic smile morphed his disgustingly handsome face. “Spoiler alert, my sweet Lumi, you were specifically designed to be his. Nothing more and certainly nobody else’s either.”

  I lost some of my vice grip on the whip and instinctively took a step back from him even though he was—at least—twenty feet away from me.

  “What?”

  “Ever wonder why none of your relationships never worked out? For example, with your elite member. I must say, all of us were surprised to see that announcement in the orders of Royal Sapphire Courts, but nonetheless, they knew what they were doing in the end. Didn’t that make you question why you can’t be with anyone else? As if you’re never satisfied with what’s right in front of you.”

  My head was spinning, my bones were turning to jelly and my heart was racing ninety to nothing. But still, even with all of those instincts telling me the words coming from the deranged scientist’s mouth were true, I didn’t bolt or try to deny anything. I opted for remaining silent and showed nothing. Even if my internals were liquifying and turning to acid.

  Surely, the men and women who had created everyone from Silver to Royal Sapphire Courts weren’t as sick as that. Right? They couldn’t possibly be getting joy from creating people like designer dogs just to see if the genetics and chromosomes and whatever else aligned with another experiment.

  His voice snapped me out of my haphazard thoughts, “both his and your parents,” he continued, offering to shed more light onto the subject. “Made an agreement with Silver and Gold guards to unifying the two for a more harmonious way of nightlife. Granted, it was certified with the seal of Onyx Elite and Royal Sapphire Courts. But still,” he clapped his hands together and started toward me. “I never expected you to turn out as beautiful as you are. A risk with test tube babies.” He whispered as he started circling me.

  “None of this makes any sense,” I breathed, taking in all of the information he had just thrown at me.

  “What doesn’t make sense?” He tilted his head as he leaned in to examine my eyes or…something. “You took a little longer to create no doubt.” He mumbled as he leaned back and considered my face as a whole. “That is the sole reason why Demir is five years your senior, nonetheless.” He started circling me again as if I were a sports car and he were the buyer.

  “Yourself and Demir were specifically designed to bind Gold and Silver together,” he laced his fingers together and smiled at me, “no matter what either of you do, he will not die by your hand and you will not die by his hand.”

  Backing away from him, I let the whip unfurl, “you’re crazy.”

  He wagged a finger at me, “now that, I fully acknowledge. However, that doesn’t change your reality, does it?”

  “I am not a pawn.” I said through clenched teeth and tightened my grip on the handle of my beloved whip.

  Inara smiled at me, another appraising look coming over his face as he stepped back with his arms spread, “everyone is a pawn at least once in their life, my dear.”

  “What would you do if I killed you right now?”

  “I would die the proudest man on this earth, my Luminous River. Even your name is a prayer from the beautiful heavens.”

  Clenching my jaw, I tilted my head to the side, “maybe you’ll get to heaven, maybe I’ll see you in hell.”

  Another round of psychotic giggles overtook him bef
ore he closed his eyes and tilted his head skyward, “come for me Silver Angel.”

  So, I did.

  §§§§§

  Killing Inara Rasmussen was probably one of the hardest things I had to do in my life. Not because of the earlier hours in the night with my sister. Not even because he had given me the answers to my unasked question; it was strictly because I knew deep down to my gut, he was telling the truth.

  I shook my head, keeping my coat tight against my body as I walked toward Mad Devil. A stiff drink and maybe something to eat was what I needed to help digest what I had just found out.

  The reason I had felt the undeniable urge to be close to Demir Losett was not because I naturally found him attractive. It was because I was programmed to think Demir Losett was everything I wanted. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do about it; I had tried in the past to get into serious relationships with other men. Had tried to convince myself I was going to have the type of relationship my parents had, but in the end? I knew to my core of cores, there wasn’t anyone remotely close to Demir Losett, and that was even on the worst of days.

  Huffing out a hard breath, I pushed through the front entrance of the all-night restaurant and breathed in the comforting smells. The interior of Mad Devil was simple in comparison to Nine Lives; cool tans and creams made up for the color scheme while anyone in the restaurant was simply here to enjoy a good meal and conversation.

  Parking my ass in one of the back booths, I didn’t bother looking at the menu and just ordered a gin and tonic with more gin than anything. Closing my eyes after placing the order to the kitchen, I leaned my head back and tried to think of a way out of this shit hole I had found myself in.

  “Care if I join you?”

  I cracked an eye open to find Lovett standing at the opposite side of the table. After he had told me he knew what was going on behind closed doors with me and Demir, I hadn’t been able to muster up the courage to apologize to him for my fuck up.

  “At your own risk,” I motioned to the seat in question and rubbed a hand over my forehead.

  “What’s wrong, Lumi?” His voice told me he had a long night of his own with executing red and black orders, forcing me to look at him.

  “I’m just tired, dinner night with my family.”

  He nodded understandingly, “what else?”

  “If I tell you something so unbelievably crazy, would you believe me?”

  With a raised brow, he considered the question for a few minutes before nodding slowly. “Yes.”

  I worried my lip, debating where to start. “Remember Inara Rasmussen?”

  “I do.”

  “So, he’s no longer on the roster of mad scientists.”

  Lovett’s eyes narrowed as he leaned forward, “what the hell happened?”

  Throwing caution to the wind, I explained everything the mad scientist had told me. From the beginning to the end, Lovett’s face never changed expression nor did he ask any questions. And when I was done and sat back in my chair, I had to wonder if I was—yet again—missing something.

  “What is it?”

  He looked away from me, not bothering to meet his eyes before he dropped a bomb that made Karina’s hand-made explosives look like a SpongeBob pinata.

  “I already knew.”

  Jerking forward, I stared at him with narrowed eyes, “how?”

  “Is that really important right now?”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it’s my fucking life, Lovett,” I hissed, trying not to draw attention to us.

  He clenched his teeth and scanned the dining room for a second, before finally leveling his gaze on me.

  “Just don’t worry about it.”

  I scoffed after thanking the waitress for my drink and stared out the window.

  “Luminous, I wish I could apologize for what’s going on with you right now.”

  “You know,” I cut him off, staring at my crystal tumbler, “if I could give it all back.” I shook my head and sighed as I looked at him, “I would.”

  “You hate the guard that much?”

  “At this point? No, it’s not the guard. At least not all of it, but I…” I trailed off not wanting to acknowledge the subject any more than I had to.

  “But?” Lovett prompted and raised a brow at me.

  “I do.” I admitted.

  I hated how I was the last to know everything when it came to my life and hated even more how everyone else knew my secrets before I did.

  “You’re in love with him,” he snorted under his breath and looked away from me.

  “I am not, Lovett, that’s not,” I growled in frustration, finishing off my drink before I stared at him, “that’s not what this is about.”

  “Yes, it is Lumi. You didn’t start changing until you were handed Demir’s Diamond Order and was forced to prove his innocence. Now, you’re talking about giving back everything? I’ve never heard you talking like this and it didn’t start until you were given his order.”

  No, it didn’t start until I decided to find answers that were better left in the dark. I had wanted to say, but I didn’t. Instead, I simply finished off my second drink and pinched the bridge of my nose. As much as I didn’t want to admit it—and I wouldn’t to Lovett, ever—I found reason in his theory.

  I may have hated Demir Losett down to my marrow, but when I was faced with the beautifully, brutal jackass, I knew I couldn’t kill him. Not with the knowledge of why both of us were here; in the darkest depths of my mind I knew everything between us had just became more problem filled than necessary.

  “Look me in the eyes and tell me, I’m wrong.” Lovett pulled my thoughts away from wondering whether or not Demir knew the truth behind our existence.

  Instead, I steeled myself and stared at him before dealing him a brutal blow, “it’s nothing personal, Lovett.”

  He smirked and shook his head, before dropping an announcement in front of me, “it never is and that’s the problem, isn’t it?” Throwing cash on the table, he left me to read the black courts announcement and didn’t look back.

  The hurt was obvious in his eyes when he asked me the simple question. Like he wanted to tell me something but was holding back for whatever reason. As if someone had a gag order on him. Still, he knew about my truth before I did and opted to keep it from me. In reality, all was fair between us.

  No matter how bad I felt for Lovett and wanted to tell him I was sorry for everything, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Instead, I pushed the thoughts aside and promised I would figure out a way to deal with it later.

  Grabbing the announcement, I flipped the thing open and held my breath. The only time the black courts sent out an announcement was when something seriously bad had happened. Like a judge passed away or a guard was being investigated in its entirety. Or…

  Onyx Elite regrets to inform Luminous River, sect leader of squadron eight, of Silver Guard, the unfortunate events that have taken place on this night, November 8th, 2022. Inessa River, sister of Luminous River, has died. It is the courts understanding the events prior to the tragic event was an incident of mistaken identity.

  Inessa River was fatally killed while driving on highway 36 by method of explosion. It is with the greatest regrets and apologies to deliver this news to Luminous River, sect leader.

  In an attempt to rectify the course of action that has taken place, the courts have issued a Black Diamond Order on one Svenia Lovanna, elite member of squadron ten, Gold Guard.

  We understand the events that have taken place will never resurrect Inessa River, however, we hope by executing the Black Diamond Order on the aforementioned offender, Luminous River will find solace in knowing her sister did not die in vain.

  Ever in your debt, the judges of Onyx Elite

  My vision blacked out as I reread and reread the announcement countless times before the words scrawled in black and gold ink finally sank into my mind and my heart.

  My sister was dead. I c
ouldn’t come to grips with what she had gone through in those final moments and wished, after everything was said and done, the roles had been reversed. Inessa had been a lot of things but not anything so bad to be the receiver of such a death. She was supposed to be like Rose in Titanic. Inessa was supposed to be an old woman, dying in her bed. Not…

  I wasn’t created to apologize; I’d never been good at it, I simply acknowledged the fact I had been wrong and left the subject where it was. But right now, after reading the announcement, I wanted nothing more than to go back to the dining room table Inessa and I had shared countless dinners, lunches, snacks, homework filled nights and meaningful conversations, just to apologize once.

  My heart raced as I clutched the announcement and threw cash on the table before leaving Mad Devil. Svenia had crossed a line with coming after my family, but killing my sister then realizing she had made a mistake? That was beyond the realm of forgiveness in my book and the bitch was going to pay for the pain she had caused my family.

  Bursting through the door, I ripped my phone from my pocket and called Greenaway. There was no way in hell I was going to continue to stay on the sidelines tonight. Not with Gold Guard running rampant and making mortal mistakes.

  “This is Greenaway,” my supervisor answered only after the second ring.

  “I need a twenty on Svenia Lovanna, now.” The games of pleasantries were done and over with. I wasn’t going to argue with him or anyone else about what I was going to do with the remaining hour of the night.

  He paused for a moment, with only the sound of papers rustling through the background to tell me he hadn’t hung up as soon as he heard my voice.

  “I’ll send it to your cell now,” he finally answered after another heartbeat of silence.

  “Thank you,” I went to hang up when his voice stopped me.

  “Luminous, I’m sorry for your loss. Whenever you want to come back, I’ll lift your vacation.”

  “Thank you,” I said through clenched teeth.

  I was not going to allow my supervisor to hear just how bad I was hurting on the inside. Nor was I going to break down over the phone. A sect leader didn’t have the luxury of grieving on company time and right now, I was on company time whether I wanted to be or not.