Illuminate

by C. L. Fennell

  He glared but she didn’t give a response, she simply stood there as still as a statue.

  “You have one last chance,” he said and shooed her away with a wave of his hand. “Don’t fail again or you’ll be getting the same equipment as the rest of them.”

  She turned and stepped away with her face straight ahead, but before she passed by where we were hidden, her eyes flickered to mine. There was no physical reaction from her, but the way her eyes stayed locked on mine until she was passed let me know she’d seen us. She’d seen us and didn’t say anything about it. I didn’t know what it meant.

  As soon as she closed the door, Andi stepped from the corner. She had her swords up and to Chief Addison’s neck before he seen her coming. The way he jumped back and widened his eyes with fear caused my lip to twitch. If it hadn’t been so inappropriate I probably would have laughed.

  “Where is my family?” she asked, her voice more raspy than normal.

  “I don’t know who your family is.” His eyes were wild, searching the room for something, anything to help him. He met mine and narrowed, before turning back to her. “You have the wrong guy.”

  Andi’s hair began to glow and blue flames covered her arms and licked the steel slowly until it was less than an inch from his neck.

  “I won’t play your games, Addison. Tell me where my family is.”

  I looked back and forth between them, and when I focused on him I saw it. The mask fell off and he smirked.

  “Is this any way to treat your leaders, Alexandria? Are these the things you teach those abominations in your school, to threaten and disrespect their elders?” He raised one hand and used his pointer finger to shake at her, tisking at the same time. “You might want to rethink your approach unless you want that institution shut down and those monsters shipped off before you got the chance to stop it.” Then he bravely- or stupidly, however, you wanted to see it- used the same finger to push the tips of her swords away.

  I don’t think either of us expected the gun he pulled from under his desk, but out of the two of us, I was the only one who reacted. I stepped back and caught his attention, then he winked at me.

  “Do you know what this is?” he asked and tilted the gun to the side, but kept his aim at Andi’s chest. “This would be my newest creation. It's quite remarkable, really. The only gun able to take down one of you monsters, and it’s truly unbelievable how quickly it works.”

  His finger twitched and I reacted, obviously I shouldn’t have since I’d promised not to, but I couldn’t let him shoot her. A bolt flew through my hand before I could stop it, slamming into his forearm with enough force to throw him from his chair. He landed in a heap next to his desk, clutching his arm close to him. Andi looked over her shoulder with an eyebrow raised.

  “I’m sorry, his finger was twitchy,” I said with my palms up in surrender. She snorted and moved closer to the man on the floor.

  “Listen to me, Addison. I don’t know how you managed to survive this long under the radar, but you should know you’re not there anymore. I will find my family, and after I do, I’m coming for you.”

  Chapter twenty-four

  Max

  Misty left early in the morning, shortly after sunrise, and I stayed around for breakfast. I told Eddie and Beth I needed to go home, and they’d tried to convince me to stay, but I couldn’t. There was something I needed to do, and I couldn’t do it there.

  I slipped home and went to the shed, then down the steps to the bunker. I paced for a while, then sat in a chair in the center of the room, then got up and paced some more.

  “This is dumb,” I said to myself then shook my head. “It’s not going to work and now I’m talking to myself.”

  I took the chair back to the table and sat on the couch, closed my eyes and cleared my throat.

  “I don’t know if you can hear me or not...” I huffed. “Probably not. I’m most likely losing my mind and talking to myself like a douche bag. But I need help and I don’t know who else I can ask. So, if you’re there and you can hear me, maybe you could give me some advice? You know, even write a postcard or something.”

  I sat there for a few minutes with my eyes closed, waiting for some kind of sign anyone was listening, and when nothing happened I fell back against the cushion. It was stupid of me to think he could help, or that he would even want to.

  I opened my eyes and nearly jumped out of my skin. “Holy shit,” I said under my breath and leaned forward. Sitting on the coffee table directly in front of me was a face I never thought I would see. His pale blond hair was glowing in the dim light, and bright violet eyes were pinned on me like I was something for him to dissect. He was wearing a tan suit and stark white t-shirt under the jacket. I couldn’t help but smirk, he looked like a model, definitely not what I’d been expecting.

  “You called?” he asked and crossed his arms over his chest. He was mimicking me with every move, down to the smirk on his face.

  “Yes?” I didn’t mean for it to come out as a question, but when I called for him, I didn’t really think he’d come. Now that he was there, I wasn’t sure what to say.

  “You don’t need to say anything, Max.” I jerked back like he’d slapped me. Could he hear what I was thinking?

  “Yes, but only because I’m sitting here with you. It’s not something I’d be able to do from a distance.” My jaw dropped. “And I know why you asked for help. I’d been waiting for you to ask,” he said and stood, holding out a hand.

  I took it without thinking and he slipped. We landed in an old house that smelt of dirt and bad memories. The walls were covered in layers of grime, from years of not cleaning and chain smoking inside. The floors were dipped in areas and the carpet was different shades of brown. The single couch in sat in the middle of the living room, missing one of the cushions and torn on the arms. I turned and faced my father, who didn’t fit into this space one bit.

  “Why did you bring us here?”

  “Because this is where your life began, and I thought I’d tell you a short story,” he said. Dust billowed around him when he fell back on the couch, and I wanted to gag but held it in. I found a stool and pulled it over so I could sit in front of him.

  “Nineteen years ago I met a beautiful woman. I’d never seen anything like her in all the years I’d been on Earth. She was wild and kind, and had the brightest soul,” he said and smiled to himself. Sounds like a nice lady, but not sure what it had to do with me. There was no way he was talking about my mother.

  “Your mother was everything I never knew I wanted.”

  I snorted,there was no way. Unless he wanted a crack head who never smiled a day in all the years I knew her, I didn’t see how it was possible.

  “She wasn’t always the woman you knew, Max.” He kicked his feet out and crossed his ankles, getting comfortable in the filth around him. He opened his hands and waved them to the room. “This is nothing compared to some of the places I’ve spent my time.”

  “Why do you want to tell me about my mom, who by the way tried to kill me the last time I saw her.”

  “Because I wanted you to know that you came from a good place. For the majority of her life, your mother was a wonderful lady. Truly one of the best humans I’d encountered.”

  “Yeah? So then how did she end up the way she did?”

  “That’s a bit of a sad story, I’m afraid.” He rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand, flicking nonresistant sweat off before intertwining his fingers in his lap. His eyes traveled across the walls and then froze on the corner, drifting off like he was remembering.

  “She was full of life, and had dreams of a better world. She didn’t see my crimes when she looked at me, she saw who I’d wanted to be, who I could be again. She made me believe I was capable of more, that I was deserving of forgiveness. I’d never connected with a human the way I had with her, and when she got pregnant, I wanted to share everything. I’d bonded with her without fully understanding the consequences of it.” He sighed
and closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the cushion.

  “At the time, I wasn’t able to stay on Earth for long and when I left, your mother's mind and soul fractured- split in half in a way I wasn’t expecting. It was heartbreak to watch, soul crushing to know I was responsible for such a tragic loss to the world. I suppose the drugs began when she was searching for something to feel whole again, and then they became her normal. In her broken mind I was the devil who stole her life from her, and technically she was right, but it wasn’t what I had intended.”

  Made sense, it was jacked up and completely insane, but it made sense. However, it didn’t explain why he’d stayed away from me.

  “If I had gone back to her, it would have killed her. If I had acknowledged you for who you were, someone would have killed you. There was very little I could do.”

  “Well, thanks for sharing. But I really need help with something else.” I shouldn't have been so impatient, but time was running out and I needed to figure out how to control myself. Otherwise, I’d be having to say goodbye to my best friend, and like my mother had done years ago when she lost Lucifer, I knew I’d fracture if I lost Misty.

  Not to mention I needed to learn control if I planned on helping them find Sara and Reed. I wasn’t sure I’d be okay if I lost Sara, either. She was the only mother who’d ever cared about me, and who I’d ever cared about. My biological mom might not have always been a terrible person, but the only version of her I knew wasn't one I wanted to remember. I wasn’t so cold I didn’t feel sorry for her, not after hearing what had happened to her, but it didn’t change the past or the damage she’d done.

  “Alright, son.” Lucifer stood and dusted himself off. “Let’s show you what you can do.”

  When I got back to Eddie and Beth’s house, Andi and Misty were telling them what happened. When Misty suggested going back to the facility we’d found them in the first time, they all three said no. Andi told her she would be going, but Misty was staying behind. Something about not being able to control her shooter finger- whatever that meant- it made Misty drop the argument.

  Eddie suggested we go to prom the next night, which I’d completely forgotten about. He said it was bad enough we'd missed so much school and if we missed prom people would start getting suspicious. I didn’t say anything, but I had a feeling they already were. It was kind of hard to ignore the fact half the staff had been gone for almost two weeks. They were teenagers, not morons, at least most of them weren’t.

  They said their good nights and I asked Misty if we could talk. She followed me to the porch and covered my mouth before I could speak.

  “First let me say something,” she said and released me. She moved around until she was standing in front, her face tilted up to mine and she wrapped her arms around my waist. “I’m not letting you go, Max. I don’t care what you say or why you’re afraid, but you can’t stop being my friend. I won’t let you. I’m sorry for not saying anything last night, but I was pretty shocked and a little confused. But I’m not now, and I know you’d never do anything to hurt me on purpose.”

  I slid my hands up her back and pulled her closer, tucking her head under my chin.

  “I don’t want to lose you either, but I was scared I’d control you without being able to stop. I don’t want to hurt you,” I whispered and took a deep breath, her strawberry scent filled my senses and I smiled.

  “Are you still afraid?” she asked.

  “Yeah, but I feel better now. I got some advice today and I think it’s going to help a lot.”

  “That’s good, Max. I’m proud of you.” She pulled back and smiled up at me. My eyes went to her mouth and it was everything in me to keep from kissing her. I wanted to more than I’d ever wanted anything, but I wanted her to make the first move. I wanted it to be her idea, and not mine, just in case I’d pushed it on her.

  “Prom?” I asked using one word, the way Lucifer had told me to. He said as long as I left it an opened ended sentence, the other person would automatically fill in the blanks and it wouldn’t have been my control. It wouldn't always have to be that way, but until I was comfortable using the power, it was a safe way for me to ask things without influencing. I’d already gathered most of what he’d said, which was why I had been keeping my conversations limited and asking things instead of saying them.

  “Are you asking me to go to prom with you?” Her eyes met mine and I nodded. The smile on her face stretched as far as it would go, and I had to look away to keep from lowering my mouth to hers.

  Prom was going to be interesting.

  Chapter twenty-five

  Misty

  Andi wouldn’t leave until she knew I was headed to the dance. She didn’t come out and say it, but I knew her well enough to know what she was doing- and she was hovering. She didn’t care about dresses, hair, or makeup any more than I did, but she sure was acting like it.

  Maybe I was being too harsh, I knew there was a part of her that wanted to be excited. It was the only chance she would get helping a daughter get ready for her prom. It’s not like Ezra would be getting all dolled up for his. No matter how excited she wanted to be though, the air around us simmered with uncertainty.

  I hated knowing I’d be off at a dance while she risked her life to save our family, who were hopefully still alive and well. I was having a hard time keeping the smile on my face, but I was trying. If for no other reason than to give her a little reassurance everything would be okay.

  Max showed up wearing a fitted black tux, and his hair gelled back. Handsome isn’t an accurate word to describe how amazing he looked. The only thing better than it was the way his eyes lit up when he saw me, or how he kept looking at me on the way there. We pulled into the parking lot and Max came around to my side of the truck to open my door like a gentleman, and held his hand out to help me down.

  “You’re beautiful,” he whispered and pulled me into his arms were I melted.

  “You’re not so bad yourself.” I tilted my head back and smiled, his eyes moved to my lips and stayed there. A throat cleared and we turned, but he didn’t release me.

  “You guys coming in or...” Harvey laughed and linked arms with Levi. “You just gonna stand out here with your bedroom eyes all night?”

  “Bedroom eyes? Really Harvey, couldn’t come up with anything better than that?” Levi asked and laughed, leading her away.

  Max and I both chuckled, ignoring the tension between us, and followed them toward the door. We walked in together, making plans for later, and decided to stay for at least an hour. The gym had been decorated in a starry night theme, with dark blue walls and hanging lights. It was nice but pretty cheesy. The punch was spiked, which I found out after I took a gulp of it, and the food platter was picked over by the time we made it over to it. The music was loud, and the students were dancing in various places throughout the room. It was a bit surreal to see, to stand back and watch people my age being so carefree. Some of them were clearly enjoying the punch, which I was surprised the adults hadn’t noticed. We were lined up on the side when a girl walked straight up to Max and asked him to dance. I didn’t know her but she was pretty, and she seemed to know him.

  “No,” he said without looking at her. She pouted, sticking out her bottom lip dramatically and then she leaned into his chest, and something inside me wanted to snap.

  “Come on, Max. I came all by myself just so I could dance with you,” she said and I stepped closer, her eyes slid to me briefly before focusing back on him. Her fingers ran up the front of his shirt and when she started to push them inside his jacket, I growled. Straight up growled from my throat like a dog. I didn’t care though, not when this inconsiderate girl had her hands all over him like I wasn’t even standing there.

  Max caught her wrist and removed it from his chest, then leaned over to speak. She met and kept my glare, smiling like she’d won the lottery.

  “You need to leave me alone. There is only one single girl in this entire world I want touching me, and
it’s definitely not you.”

  It took a second before his words registered for either of us and when they did for her, she scowled.

  “I hope you’re not talking about the ice queen,” she hissed and gave me one more for fun before storming off. Her unnatural long, burgundy colored, clipped in hair flipping back and forth behind her.

  “Well this is fun,” Harvey said from beside me.

  “Yep, good times.” Levi had his arm around her and a grin on his face.

  I snorted and glanced at Max, who was staring at me.

  “Are you ready?” he asked and I nodded. I was more than ready, and we’d been there long enough for people to notice us. We’d done what they asked and were free to go.

  We walked out of the building without anyone noticing, and found a spot near the truck where no one could see.

  “You bring our clothes?” I asked Harvey, who stared at me like I’d asked for something crazy. “Harvey? Did you bring stuff so we could change?”

  “I thought you were,” she said and looked to Levi who shook his head and snorted.

  “We could go to your house first,” Max suggested and I said no.

  “You do have my sword, right?” He moved to the door and reached in, then pulled it out. I let out a relieved breath.

  “Screw it, we might as well enjoy these dresses. We paid too much to wear them less than an hour anyway.”

  Max was able to slip this time. We landed in the same place we’d parked before and took off running toward the gate. Within a few feet, I realized I had to take off my heels. I don’t care what the movies show, running in heels is not something anyone should try to do. There is absolutely nothing glamorous about galloping like a horse while trying to run in stilettos.

  Max held up his palm and we stopped, he grabbed our hands and slipped us to the top of the wall surrounding the building.