Illuminate

by C. L. Fennell

  Max, Levi, and Ezra took off into the woods with their cans held high. We watched them disappear behind the first row of trees, and I turned toward her.

  “You think we should follow?” I asked, and Harvey shrugged.

  “Maybe we should go inside and let them run around looking for us for awhile.”

  I laughed and crawled over to the closest window. An arm wrapped around my head and hand covered my mouth before I could get through it.

  “You think you can hide from me?” Max whispered near my ear and I turned to look over my shoulder. “I can find you anywhere, Misty.”

  The sound of the string being shot made me smile, and when it hit the side of his face, he joined me. Harvey was crouched down and aiming at him with an eyebrow raised.

  “You’re out,” she said and grinned.

  After we were all covered with silly string, we took turns showering. Before bed, Ezra wanted to play hide and seek, which was something we hadn’t done in a long time. We shut off all the lights and they hid while I counted.

  “Ready or not here I come!”

  I made it through with ease, knowing the layout of the house like the back of my hand. The first floor was clear, but I knew it would be. It was upstairs where you could find the best hiding places. I climbed the stairs quietly, tilting my head from one side to the other, waiting to hear the sounds of them shifting their bodies or breathing too loudly.

  I opened my door and jumped when Max popped up in front of me with his finger to his lips.

  “Shhh,” he said barely loud enough to be heard over the pounding of my heart. His face was cast in shadows, but his blue eyes were glowing through the darkness.

  “What are you doing?” I whispered and pushed him back in the room, quietly clicking the door shut behind me. He cupped my elbow in his hand and pulled me closer.

  “I want to show you something," he said and reached around to open the door again. I inhaled sharply when his body slid around mine, rubbing our chest together, and he paused. It was more contact than we'd had in awhile. I looked up at him and he gave a small smile before stepping away. I closed my eyes and exhaled, then shook my head. I needed to get myself together.

  I followed him down the hall and into the office. When he turned on the lights, I gasped.

  “Why did you open that?” I asked and moved toward the closet. It was something I’d always known better than to mess with, the place my parents kept their weapons, and it was never unlocked.

  “I didn’t,” Max said and stepped up behind me, close enough I could feel his breath on the back of my neck. “The door was cracked when I came in.”

  There was a large wooden chest pushed up against the back wall, the place I knew they kept their things. We slowly got closer and when I peeked inside my eyes widened. Their weapons were gone, both of them had taken their swords on their trip. A trip they told me wouldn’t be dangerous but obviously lied about.

  “Why did they take them?” I asked out loud, knowing Max wouldn’t have the answer any more than I did.

  “Did they tell you where they were going ?”

  I shook my head, trying to make sense of it.

  “I heard them talking the other day in school. Something about needing to save people who were being moved, and a girl named Shadow.”

  Max made a sound in his throat and I glanced over my shoulder.

  “What?”

  “Nothing, I was just trying to remember what Reed said. Something about looking for a few kids who’d been taken.”

  I backed out of the closet and shut the door, then turned to Max.

  “We should go find the others,” I said quietly, feeling uncomfortable by how close he was standing. I wanted to reach out and grab his hand, but something kept me from doing it. I hated how things were changing between us. It made me miss my friend, and the comfort I got from him. But at the same time, it made me giddy in a stupid way, wanting to feel the difference in how his touch had started making me feel.

  “Yeah,” he said and his eyes flickered to my lips before he stepped back and held his arm out. “After you.”

  We found everyone and told Levi and Harvey what we saw, we made pallets in the living room and put on a movie. Ezra passed out within a couple minutes, followed closely by Levi and then Harvey. I was laying between my brother and Max, and staring at the screen without really seeing it.

  “You okay?” Max asked and slid his hand into mine.

  “Yeah, I just can’t stop wondering what they’re doing and why they needed their stuff if it wasn’t supposed to be dangerous.”

  “I don’t know, but don’t worry about them too much. You know they can take care of themselves.”

  He was right, everyone who went was more than capable of overcoming anything thrown at them. The fact they won a war against all the demons in hell was proof enough of that, but it didn’t calm the unease in my gut. The feeling telling me something wasn’t right about it. I didn’t know where they were or what they were really doing, but I felt sick. I felt like I needed to find out what was really going on.

  “Well, well, well... what do we have here?” Eddie’s voice snapped me from sleep and my eyes cracked open. He was standing over us with his hands on his hips and a smirk on his face. Beth was smiling beside him and holding a box. The smell of bacon filled the room and my stomach growled, knowing she'd cooked for us.

  “Good morning,” I said and pushed the blanket off. Max rolled over without waking up, and Ezra tried to pull the cover back over him. Harvey and Levi were already up somewhere.

  “Mmhmm,” Eddie frowned at Max and looked back at me. “I won’t be telling your parents about this, but let’s not make it a habit, yeah?”

  I nodded and blushed like I’d been caught doing something, even though nothing scandalous had happened. I mean, I was sleeping next to my seven-year-old brother for goodness sakes, it’s not like I’d done the deed with him inches away. Not to mention the fact Max would barely touch me, even if I’d wanted him to.

  I woke them up and followed Eddie and Beth to the kitchen, where she unloaded the breakfast she’d brought. Harvey and Levi were already at the table, he was staring at his laptop and she was writing something in a notebook.

  “Do you know where they went?” I asked and watched them closely. Eddie turned away from us, and Beth lowered her eyes. “Do you know why they took their swords?”

  Eddie looked to Beth, who shook her head, then he turned back to me.

  “They went to check on something they’d heard about, but don’t worry about them.” He grabbed a piece of bacon and shoved it in his mouth, keeping his eyes on his wife. She shook her head and met my eyes.

  “I understand why you would worry about your parents, but have a little faith in them to know what they can handle. I’m sure everything will be just fine and they’ll be back before you know it.” Beth had a way about her, something only she was able to do, and she’d just used it on me. I felt the calm start at the top of my head then run down my body, and my eyes narrowed.

  I wouldn’t bug them to give me answers, but they’d told me everything I needed to know by their lies. The fact Beth tried to trick me in to not being worried is exactly what made me worry more. They didn’t have to tell me the truth, I’d find it on my own.

  Chapter fourteen

  Max

  When I first found the swords gone from Sebastian and Andi’s closet, I wasn’t too concerned. I’d shown Misty because I wanted her to know, but I wasn’t worried about it. After we’d had breakfast with Eddie and Beth, I told them I needed to go home. I went straight to Sara and Reed’s room and pulled out the chest from under their bed. I assumed I’d open the lid and find their things there, and all would be right in the world, but I was wrong. They’d taken their swords, too.

  I knew Andi and Sebastian were warriors, truly gifted in their abilities to fight. And Reed was a Guardian who was capable of handling his own, but Sara was a lover. She was technically a Guardian too, but s
he wasn’t the same as the others, considering her soul mark hadn’t come straight from an angel but from Andi. She wasn’t aggressive, or as strong, she was too soft, too kind. She shouldn’t be anywhere near a fight, and the fact she’d taken her sword with her made me twitchy.

  Again, I was uncomfortable about it then, but a week later I was just as worried as Misty had been in the first place.

  It’d been seven days since they left and not a single word from them. We’d gotten no phone calls, no mention of how they were or where they’d gone, nobody was saying anything about it. We went to school every day and watched how the others who’d stayed behind avoided our eyes. They knew something and didn’t want to tell us, they didn’t want us to get involved. I understood it but it pissed me off, too. I was strong enough to handle the truth, and Misty deserved to know what was going on.

  The front door slammed open and her footsteps rushed through the living room.

  “You have to do it, Max. I can’t wait anymore.” Misty’s eyes were wide and cheeks were red. I leaned back and peeked out the window, then turned back to her.

  “How did you get here?” There was no car in the drive, and Misty wasn’t able to slip. The house was miles from town, so there was no way she walked.

  “Levi dropped me off at the end of the drive,” she said and I nodded. He lived a few miles down the road and had to pass my house to get there, but I wondered why she’d been with him. I didn’t ask but I wanted to. I’d been avoiding alone time with her, more so the past week than before. There wasn’t anyone around to buffer us with our parents gone, and I didn’t trust myself as much as I'd wanted to.

  “Are you going to take us or not?” she asked and fisted her hands on her hips. My eyes zeroed in on her, taking in everything from her blue eyes and blond hair, to the way her waist dipped in and then out like an hourglass. Misty was the most beautiful person I’d ever seen and had been since we were kids. She was far more than I would ever be, more than I would ever deserve, and she loved me. I knew she did, I also knew she was starting to want more than I’d given her so far. She wanted more from our relationship than close friends we'd always been, she wanted me... and I wanted her too.

  I wanted her more than I should have, but I couldn't take the step she wanted me to. Not yet, not until I knew I’d be able to control myself.

  “Max!” she snapped, and closed the space between us, coming up to stand between my legs. “Are you even listening to me? We have to go. Seriously, something must have happened to them.”

  I raised my head to look at her face, she was leaning over me, close enough her breath was mixing with mine. I glanced at her lips and back to her eyes, she narrowed them.

  “I know,” I said and pushed back in the chair, creating some space between us. It was getting harder to do it, but it was the only way to keep her safe. “We can go, Misty. But don’t you think you should tell someone first?”

  I didn’t know what we’d be walking into, what we would find when we got there. I was able to slip and could have done it on my own, but I hadn’t for a few reasons. One was the fact they were adults and more than able to protect themselves. I knew I would more than likely be getting in the middle of something they didn’t want me in. And secondly, the reason I was embarrassed to admit, I was scared of what I’d find. What if something happened to them? How would I handle it, how would I react? Would I be able to control myself if someone had hurt Sara or Reed?

  Misty scooted a chair over and sat in front of me, her knees touching mine. She gripped my hands and pleaded me with her eyes.

  “I want to go now,” she said quietly, the tears dripping off her chin. I nodded and took a deep breath.

  I slid one of my hands from hers and placed it on her cheek, then threaded my fingers through her hair and pulled her closer. Her eyes were wide as I brought her forehead to mine, and when she focused on my lips, I closed mine.

  I used Misty to balance myself, kept her touch as my stability and then I let go and tried to slip.

  My eyes flew open, and Misty sucked in a breath. We were still in the kitchen, sitting in the same place- unmoved.

  “What happened?” she asked and searched my eyes.

  “I don’t know,” I said and gripped her hands again. I brought an image of Sara to my mind, her big brown eyes and long brown hair. I pictured her kind smile and pushed myself to slip, but nothing happened. “I can’t do it.”

  “What?”

  “I don’t know!” I yelled and she flinched as though I'd slapped her. I didn’t mean to scare her, but I was freaking out. I stood and the chair crashed to the floor behind me. Taking long steps away from the table, I paced the open space around the bar.

  I’d been able to slip since we were kids, it was something I didn’t do often, but I’d never had a problem with it before. I slipped into Misty’s room every night for years, and never once had I been blocked. But at the moment I really needed it, I couldn’t move. For some reason, wherever they were, they weren’t assessable to us. And that made me far more nervous than anything else had.

  Because if I wasn’t able to slip to them, I was afraid it meant wherever they were they weren’t able to slip out, either.

  As soon as I told Misty, she insisted we go to Eddie and Beth’s house. I slipped there easily, only growing my unease about not being able to go to our parents.

  She wasted no time in telling them what happened and ignoring their frowns of disappointment. They flinched when she said she was afraid they were trapped somewhere.

  “You guys need to calm down,” Eddie said and looked from her to me, and back at her again. “I know you’re worried, but there’s nothing we can do for them. I’m not sure what’s going on, but I know they’ll be okay.”

  “How do you know? How can you honestly say that if you haven’t heard from them either?” I asked and tilted my head. Eddie met my eyes and furrowed his brow. I hadn’t said anything since we’d gotten there, letting Misty say the things we were both worried about. She was always the voice for us, knowing I didn’t necessarily like talking to other people. It was better when I stayed behind her, keeping their focus off me.

  “Because I know my sister,” Eddie said and sighed. He sat in the chair next to the couch we were on and ran his hands through his blond hair. “I’ve had years of this, of the fear something terrible was going to happen to her. I spent most of my life afraid someone would take her or kill her, and then for a time, I actually did lose her. She spent almost a year our time lost in other dimensions, and I thought for sure I’d never see her again. But Andi is stronger than anyone could imagine, so when you ask me how I know, it’s because I know her. I know there’s not a chance in hell she would let anyone take her away from her kids.” He turned his attention to Misty and his face softened. “She loves you and Ezra way too much to let anyone keep her from you.”

  “Eddie...” Beth stood in the doorway with her hands twisting in front of her. Her lips were drawn down, and eyes darted between each of us until focusing on her husband. Her usual calmness was absent and replaced by tension. A tension that was filled the room around us. “I think something is wrong, terribly wrong.”

  Misty inhaled sharply and I dropped my head. Yeah, we knew something was wrong, too.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Misty

  After Beth came in telling us she felt something, Eddie finally admitted to knowing where they were. He made us promise not to go, but I think he knew it was useless. There was no way we were staying home knowing our parents were in trouble. They’d saved both of us once, and if they were in a place they needed our help, we were going to be there to give it.

  Max called Levi as soon as we got to my house, asking him to come over and bring his research. I didn’t know what he was talking about but figured I’d find out soon enough. I went to my room and grabbed my duffel bag, filling it with a few outfits and cash I had saved. Then went to Ezra’s and packed a bag for him. I made it halfway down the hall before turning
back and going to the office. I knew they kept my sword in the closet, above the top shelf, thinking I wouldn’t be able to get it. And usually I couldn’t, considering the door was normally locked. But either they’d forgotten to lock it, or they knew I might need it while they were gone. Whatever the reason was, I was taking it with me.

  When I got back downstairs, Levi and Harvey were sitting in the kitchen with Max. I kept my distance from the table, not wanting to interfere with the laptop they were all looking at.

  “This is everything I have on them,” Levi said and pushed a folder across the table for me. “They’ve been researching nephilim for years, long before the war started. I even found stuff connecting them to that old Mayor, the one who had you for a while.”

  I stiffened and glanced at Max who was gripping the back of Levi’s chair. Flipping the folder open I saw the image of the building, one with no marking on the front, no sign with their name on it. It looked more like an abandoned warehouse than a research facility. But I knew looks could be deceiving, at one point in my life I was held captive in a cage below a church, so the shell on the outside did nothing to reassure me of what they were hiding.

  “What’s this?” I asked and held up a sheet filled with numbers.

  “That’s the number of known patients, the ones they either stole or bought,” he said and tapped a few keys, scanning the screen in front of him. “They were taking people, mostly kids, for years before anyone knew anything about them. Using their blood to inject soldiers and trying to recreate the abilities nephilim have.”

  I looked through the papers, not understanding most of they were saying, then froze when I saw the name at the top of one.