Lost Energy

by Lynn Vroman

  When she spoke, I looked down to make sure my shoes were tied–didn’t want to trip when running for my life.

  “Hmm, so you,” she tapped Ginger’s chest with her pointer, “are going to…what? Stand in my way? A few months in this place soften your brain, Farren?”

  A low snarl escaped as he moved in the last two inches. “You b–”

  “Enough.” The sharp command from the Guide caused Nicolette to back down. Farren made an obvious effort to relax, though his fists stayed clenched at his sides. Avery continued, “We’re not here to hurt the girl. Please, let me speak with her–privately.”

  “Not a chance.” Farren stayed in front of me.

  “If she doesn’t talk to me, it won’t be a lovesick Protector like Mateusz you’ll need to shield her from.”

  As Farren shook his head ready to deny her again, words came rushing out before I had a chance to pull them back. “What’re you trying to say?”

  Avery angled her head to meet my eyes. “Believe it or not, but Mateusz is the reason why your energy wasn’t annihilated.”

  I signaled Farren to step aside with a weak nudge. He moved enough for me to stand beside him.

  “Um…I think you might… He’s the reason why I ended up here, lady.”

  “A move that unwittingly saved your life.”

  My curiosity always won over fear. If the woman had information, I wanted it. “You have ten seconds to tell me how.”

  “Because, Lena, you truly are Tainted.”

  REVELATIONS

  Farren had to catch me when I fell backward, tripping over the cement blocks. “That doesn’t make sense.” I spoke to Avery, but my eyes stayed planted on Farren’s.

  “If you had a true energy reading when Mateusz accused you of treason in your past life, your energy would’ve still read Tainted—for worse crimes than siphoning good energy to Arcus. But only because the knowledge you kept secret would’ve threatened those set on genuine treachery. So please, may we speak in private?”

  Farren quirked a brow as he held onto my waist, blocking me from view. With a vigorous shake of my head, he answered her. “Again, Guide, not happening.”

  I tapped his shoulder and gave him a little push. Getting the message, he righted me beside him before folding his arms behind his back, his face an impassive, stoic mask.

  “Say what you came to say and go,” I said, my voice not nearly as commanding as I wanted it to be.

  Strain developed in Avery’s eyes when she moved forward, her hands held out, fingers splayed.

  Nicolette shadowed every step, as vigilant and tense as Farren.

  “Please, if you could–”

  I held up my own hand, trying to imitate the Protectors’ hardened expressions. “Whatever you tell me he’ll find out the second you’re gone.”

  “Very well.” She lowered her hands. “You are–”

  “So you know, if you give me a ‘you’re the chosen one’ line of shit, we’re leaving.”

  Ginger snorted, his elbow nudging my side.

  Nicolette didn’t find it so funny. “You will show respect, Tainted. She has risked her life to find you.”

  “It’s okay.” Avery placed a hand on her Protector’s shoulder. She kept her calm, giving me her attention. “There will be no such revelation.” After a glance at Farren, she continued, “If you insist on an audience, I suppose I cannot demand otherwise, yet could we speak where the audience is smaller?”

  For the first time since spotting the women, I noticed a scattered congregation acting as if they weren’t trying to catch every word we said. Giving a few some irritated glares–which didn’t deter their nosiness in the least–I opened the front door and waved everyone in.

  Gesturing to the two lone chairs in the barren living room, I peeked in on Dad to find him sitting at the edge of his bed.

  “Hey, no worries, okay?” I did a quick surf through the channels he now paid for, thanks to my taking over his money, and set the remote on top of the old TV. “Just some friends from school trying to find me. But stay in here and watch TV for a while.”

  “You lyin’ to me, girl?” He scooted to the middle of the bed, his eyes begging me to say no.

  “Is that something you really want to know?”

  He stared, cinching a blanket closer to his chest.

  Didn’t think so.

  I put a hand on the knob. “I’ll come get you when they leave.”

  “Yeah, okay.” He hesitated. “Hand me the remote?”

  When I tossed it to him, he turned the volume up to thirty. I shut the door on the mechanical sounds of canned laughter to find Avery seated in Dad’s chair, examining the Indian wall. Nicolette stood behind her like a sentinel, keeping her eyes on Farren. He had no trouble meeting her glare while standing behind the empty chair. My spot, I guess.

  Sitting, I cleared my throat a few times to try to get the Guide’s attention without resorting to disrespect. Only because her kindness made it hard to be mean. My attempt at being nice had nothing at all to do with her scary Protector’s threat earlier. Yeah, right. When Nicolette gave Farren a stare that could drop a buck at fifty yards, and hearing the audible swallow coming from behind me, I stopped the throat clearing.

  Well, maybe she had a little to do with my newfound respect.

  For a few minutes, the single sound in the house was the too loud television’s tinny laughter. Being here, feeling the familiar tension, caused anxiety and anger to play tennis in my skull. Not her fault. She didn’t realize this place had no cozy, warm feelings reserved by me. But if the bitch didn’t talk soon, a lot less Indian pictures would be hanging on the wall due to an unfortunate accident with a wicker chair.

  I picked the first picture to aim at when Avery finally spoke. “You seem to have an acute fascination with the native people from this part of the dimension. Proud people, I must say. I’ve met one who is particularly…noble.”

  Yeah, that’s not what I wanted to talk about. “They’re not mine. Look, small talk’s great, but maybe we should stick to why you’re here.” After a glance at her angry Protector’s face, I added, “Ah…please.”

  Avery adjusted her chair so that it faced mine and sat with posture straight and tidy. “You are right.” She rubbed her hands together–the only sign of nerves, her face remaining serene. But she didn’t start the conversation with me. The Guide looked up to Farren. “What I have to say may cause you some turmoil.”

  “Don’t worry about me. You all already lost my vote in the respect department.” If I hadn’t known Ginger so well, I’d have sworn he was bored with the conversation by his dull tone.

  But I knew him pretty well, and he was ready to snap.

  “Watch yourself, Protector.” Nicolette’s eyes shined, her arms crossing over her chest.

  Farren’s deep voice trumped her scare-stare, all the dull disappearing. “Next time you open your mouth, I’m going to put my boot in it, got it? Protecting her from words isn’t part of the job.”

  The television in the other room got louder as faint whining accompanied the boxed laughter. These pissing contests were going to give the old man a stroke.

  Before a Protector war began in the living room, I stood up. “We’re not gonna get anywhere if we have to stop every five seconds to see who’s the scariest.” I glanced down at Avery. “Talk before these two start busting up my dad’s place.”

  “Nah, I say kill ‘em and worry about how to hide the bodies.”

  If Farren didn’t shut it…

  I gave him a warning scowl. “Let her talk. If you don’t like what she has to say, then you can beat the woman’s ass. Deal?”

  He rolled his shoulders and cracked his knuckles. “If that’s my only choice…”

  I ignored the glare from Nicolette and sat down, leaning elbows on knees. “I’m listening.”

  Avery smiled, softening her features and brightening her blue eyes. She wasn’t what I’d call pretty, but her docile face and seemingly inherent kindne
ss had a calming effect. “You haven’t changed much in this cycle, Lena. Still the leader, I see.”

  I squirmed under the weight of her compliment. “Yeah, well, it took a while to get here.”

  She reached over to squeeze my folded hands before placing hers back on her lap, no longer rubbing them together. “As I told you, what you went through with Mateusz in Exemplar, and here to an extent, has saved your energy from annihilation.”

  Leaning back, I gripped the armrests. When her placid expression didn’t change, and nothing else left her mouth, I said, “Do I even have to ask you to explain?”

  Her cheeks pinked and her serene smile faltered. “No, of course not. It’s… I practiced saying what I’d tell you so many times.” She rubbed her temple, yet composed herself again when Nicolette placed a hand on her thin shoulder. “May I start over?”

  I nodded, waving my hand.

  “There are things you knew once…things that could have potentially saved lives.”

  “You’re treading awfully close to that ‘key to salvation’ line, Avery. No disrespect, but I’ve read too many fairy tales with the same theme.” I rubbed the wicker armrests. “None rarely imitate reality.”

  “I do not speak of children’s stories.” Her agitation pushed at the passive façade, the color in her cheeks darkening.

  Ugh! Fine. Maybe I was being a bitch. But if I still thought it was bullshit, I’d make them leave. Ask them to leave, anyway. Don’t think I could make Nicolette do anything. “I’m sorry. Please, continue.”

  She tucked loosened strands of pale hair behind her ear. “Forgive my temper. Recent events have been most trying.” Avery refolded her hands, the bedroom television keeping us company while she collected herself.

  The silence gave me time to really look at her. Tension and fear she’d been trying to hide surfaced. Christ, what the hell was I getting into now?

  “You see, we have been fed a lie for centuries–more time than even I can comprehend. The first Synod members, from whom many on the Synod elders today descend, found out things about the universe that should’ve been kept from human knowledge.”

  “You mean the existence of other dimensions, don’t you?”

  “Exactly, yes.”

  The back of my wicker chair began to shred. I turned and my gaze smacked into Farren’s white knuckles. When I raised my eyes to his face, it was as colorless as the hands squeezing the chair. He didn’t meet my stare, seeing as he was too busy giving the Guide a death glare.

  Shaking my head, hoping he’d catch it in his peripherals, I patted his hands before facing Avery. By the grimace on her face, she was completely aware of Farren’s boiling temper. But like a pro, she ignored him. “Every Exemplian who is inducted into stations of power in the Synod is told the secret and instructed to perpetuate centuries of falsehoods amongst the population. The system, dispersing energies unto selected dimensions, is preached to be the way the human race will survive and prosper.” Sadness etched her face. “But I know different.”

  “Tell me what you believe.” I hoped her answer would ensure Farren didn’t go for her throat.

  “Because of our evolved brains, giving some the powers to cross dimension lines,” she looked up at Farren and pointed behind her to Nicolette, “or the ability to read and guide energies, our tiny world has held humankind’s fate without any right. We are called privileged, but in truth we are thieves, stealing life, judging it, for selfish gain.”

  “Wait. Why’re you telling me this?” My eyes widened. “Oh, shit. You’re a traitor, like Kendal.”

  Kendal was Mateusz’s woman and the person who I accused of treason in my past life. Because of that, to protect Kendal, Mateusz made sure Old Lena was marked Tainted through a bogus energy reading he fudged. Her energy was then sent to Earth after her execution. All confusing stuff, but it boiled down to this being my life now, Old Lena a memory.

  I didn’t mean for it to come out as an accusation, but it sounded that way–at least to Nicolette, whose feathers got ruffled again. “Avery is no traitor, Tainted. She’s brave…and so, once, were you.”

  “What the hell’s she talking about?” My voice was whispery strands of air, lacing together the words swimming in my brain.

  Avery stood, giving her Protector a subtle frown. “During your last cycle, whilst searching for a way for you and Tarek to escape the…privilege of Exemplian life together, you figured out the secret. It was a stroke of good luck that I was the Synod member you confronted.”

  I watched her pace, letting the information sink in. Not much to say after something like that.

  She didn’t seem to notice my silence, her story pouring out. “Together we devised a way to change the status quo. You spent years building trust with many Wardens, listening to them, realizing they desired the lines to be closed. I spent the time spreading the truth to those I knew who were unhappy, suspicious. We planned a rebellion, and we were almost ready to act when Mateusz intervened with his false accusations against you.” She stopped in front of me, respect glowing in her eyes. “You are the sole person who has accomplished so much with the Wardens–they are the key to ensuring centuries of wrong righted.”

  “Why tell me all this now?” I wasn’t gonna lie–excitement coursed through me. Taking the power away from those who took so much from me sounded enticing.

  Avery sat again, her excitement dwindling as concern creased her brow. “We have another problem, one that can’t be resolved unless we carry out our past mission.”

  I knew without her having to tell me. “Cassondra?”

  “Yes.”

  Panic forced me to stand. “Is she going after Tarek?”

  She rose, too, Nicolette moving beside her. “She is bent on seeking revenge for her brother’s murder.”

  Farren scooted closer until our shoulders touched. “Wardens are tough to kill. Have to make them pay, though, like Protectors.”

  If the chair were not there to grasp, I’d have crumbled to the floor. “So, you do think she’ll go after Tarek…through me?”

  “Yeah, kid.”

  I swallowed. “Here we go again, huh?”

  “Looks like.”

  Avery jumped in, her voice high. “We can stop her.”

  “How do we do that?” My mind already left the conversation and worked on a way to prevent getting my family and I killed.

  “You are the one the Wardens trust. Believe me, I have tried.” She grabbed my forearm, giving a light shake. “You must find a way to speak with them. It is time to finish what we started. We must close the lines between worlds…and bring Exemplar to its knees.”

  PLANS

  “You have to go to Arcus, tell Wilma and Tarek what’s going on.” We spent the short car ride home figuring out the next step.

  Finish what we started… Pretty much the question we tried to sort out. The risks involved, Farren getting some unwanted company for crossing lines, not to mention having my cycle ending early, were some of many.

  “I know.” He flicked on the turning signal and pulled in behind Jake’s Range Rover. “Let’s go over our options one more time.” He shifted the car in park and turned to lean against his door, one arm dangling over the steering wheel.

  “Well, one, we kill Cassondra.”

  “Not so easy. She’s at least eight-cycled, if not more. Besides, there’s no way we could get close to her.”

  Rolling my neck, I ditched that idea and moved on to number two. “We find a way to threaten her; maybe try to get to the Synod above her.”

  Farren contemplated that for a minute, tapping the wheel. “That’s not so far-fetched.” The tapping finger moved to his lip. “I’d need Wilma, of course.”

  “Yeah, okay, option two sounds promising.”

  “We’d need to hide you, too, in case shit doesn’t go right. She’d come after you, no doubt in my mind.”

  Electricity I hadn’t felt in five months shot through my veins, turning my heart into a pulsating orb ready to bre
ak my ribcage. “Ah, well, I know one place she’d never get anywhere near me.”

  He raised a red brow. “And where would that be?”

  My face grew warm, and my pounding heart made my voice too hoarse to sound logical. “She’d never get within a hundred yards of me in Arcus.”

  Farren chuckled, giving me a light punch in the shoulder. “You’re so cute when you get all red.”

  I pushed his hand away. “Wish I could say the same for you. Anyway…option three.”

  “Yeah…option three.” He rubbed the stubble on his cheeks.

  “We close the lines.”

  He moved to pull the keys from the ignition. “I’d rather deal with one Protector set on revenge than a whole dimension wanting to stay on top of the food chain.” I opened my mouth to argue, but he held up a hand. “At least, right now. If we want to start a war, we need more than four people willing to come out of hiding to fight.”

  Well, he did have a point.

  I got out, slamming my door with more force than necessary, Farren following.

  “I should talk to Teenesee,” I said. “See what she says about everything. I’m sure Avery’s name came up in our past conversations.”

  Farren opened the front door, waving for me to go first. “I like the idea, but let me talk to Wilma and Tarek first.”

  “Yeah, sure, whatever.” Trying to sound nonchalant when excitement bounced off my nervous system and begged my feet to perform a happy dance was tough. I managed, but my cheeks hurt from smiling.

  As soon as I opened the door, Mom and Jake jumped off the couch. The pale color dulling their cheeks effectively erased my smile.

  Mom hugged me while Jake yelled. Typical. “Is everything okay? Why can’t you answer your phone?” His weight bounced from foot to foot. “The whole reason I got you the damn thing is so we can call you.”

  Untangling myself from Mom’s thin arms, I reached in my back pocket for the dead cell. “Forgot to charge it.”

  “You forgot to charge it?” That vein pulsing at his temple probably wasn’t supposed to stick out like that.