Illuminate

by C. L. Fennell

  Andi, Sebastian, and Ezra came in and asked if I’d like to watch a movie. I obviously said yes, because I loved movie time with my family. We cuddled on the couch and watched some old one Andi liked when she was younger, it was corny and perfect.

  I told them about the party idea and they agreed to look for a place, saying they promised not to embarrass me by trying to chaperon. I wanted to believe them, but I knew them better than that. There was no doubt in my mind they would be somewhere within yelling distance, but I was okay with it. The world was a scary place and I felt better with them around.

  Before I went to bed Andi told me about Addison asking to be relocated, which had already been a plan. He was taken to one of the lower level prisons- one set up like a farming community- and given access to a lab. He would be closely monitored but working on a few cures for illnesses. No reason to let his mind go to waste, or so Andi said. Personally, I didn’t think he deserved that much, but I trusted my family to do what was best for everyone.

  Graduation went quickly and afterward we all met at some property Charles and Emily owned. It was miles out of town so I was surprised when most of the school showed up. We had a dance floor and a Dj, out in the open field, and it was awesome. I’d worn a blue sundress, and brown knee-high boots, matched with leather wrist cuffs. Harvey and Levi were dancing when Max stepped up next to me and leaned over, I looked up at him and smiled. He was wearing a simple white t-shirt, and dark jeans, and sporting the leather bracelet I’d given him. It was silly but I loved that he wore it anyway.

  “Dance?” he asked and held his arm out, then laughed when my eyes widened.

  “Really? You’re going to dance with me?” I asked and giggled, looping my arm through his. “You realize there are other people out there?”

  “It’s not polite to poke fun of me, Misty.” I couldn’t have dimmed my smile if you’d paid me. The butterflies in my stomach had been fluttering all day, wondering what the night would be like. There was something telling me things were about to change, that our friendship was teetering on a line we were about to cross, and I was beyond ready for it.

  The song was slow and Max slid his arms around my waist, holding me tightly against his chest. His heart was beating as hard as mine was, mixing our anxieties between us.

  “Do you wonder what next year will be like?” he asked and I tilted my head back. “What are we going to do with ourselves?”

  “I don’t know,” I said. I hadn’t really thought much about it, but I needed to. “I want to do something important, though.”

  He nodded and smiled, then kissed my forehead.

  “You are going to do many great things in life, I have no doubt about it.”

  “What do you want to do?” I asked and laid my head against his chest, swaying to the music, and letting the sound of his beating heart soothe my worries.

  “I want to be wherever you are,” he whispered against my hair, causing my body to ignite with tingles. “But I was thinking about asking the Watchers if I could help them.”

  The Watchers were spread out around the world, some rebuilding, and others continuing to search for rogue demons. I stopped dancing and leaned back, looking at him again. He was searching my face for something, maybe encouragement? Going with them was dangerous and I knew Andi would never let me join without a fight, which meant he’d be leaving me behind. But if it was what would make him happy, then I’d support his choice.

  “What do you want to help with?”

  “Anything,” he said and I nodded. Then dropped my eyes, not wanting him to see my disappointment, and feeling guilty for being selfish. “I’m not going anywhere without you." My eyes snapped back to his. He brought one of his hands to my face and cupped my cheek. “I wouldn’t be able to survive this life if I didn’t have you with me.”

  I started to reply, to tell him I would love to go with him anywhere he wanted to go. But I was cut off when he lowered his mouth to mine. His fingers wove through my hair and around to the back of my neck, where he guided my head to the side. His tongue parted my lips and skimmed mine, causing a spark to flow between us. His kiss was soft, and powerful, mixing our passion and passing them back and forth. I felt his love through his touch, with the gentle way our tongues danced, and the light touch of his fingertips. His desire became mine, and mine his, our thoughts blended and wants mixed. Our souls called out to each other and connected, threading us together and making me feel complete in a way I hadn't in years.

  When he pulled away, he left one last soft kiss to my lips and then watched me with a smile on his face. His blue eyes were shining in the moonlight, appearing more violet than normal, and mine were wide.

  “Wow,” I said with an exhale and felt the blush travel across my face. “That was amazing.”

  “It was more than amazing, Misty. It was perfection.”

  We stayed at the party for hours, dancing and laughing, and even socialized with some classmates. It was a little late to be friendly, but it had been a good night and I was feeling happy enough to enjoy other people’s company. Max and I kissed a few more times, and it got better and better each time. There was something about it I knew wasn’t exactly normal, it couldn’t have been normal for it to feel like it did. If it was, I didn’t know how anyone did anything other than make-out. When the party started to die down, Max and I walked back to his truck. He talked about the Watchers a little more, and I told him I wanted to go with him. I also told him no matter where we ended up, I wanted to look for my sister, and he agreed.

  Raven was out there somewhere, and I wasn’t going to stop searching until I found her.

  Epilogue

  Raven

  I kicked the body away from me and took my post again. Those idiots never stopped coming, even though they knew I’d kill anyone who got too close. There was always one more who thought he could be the one, the lucky one who was able to sneak in under my radar. It was never going to happen. They could keep trying for the rest of their lives, but I would never let them past me.

  I leaned against the wall and fought the smile from my lips, she thought she was so sneaky, and maybe to others, she was.

  “You can’t keep doing this,” she said and stepped up beside me. “You need to choose what side you're on.”

  I didn’t turn to look at her, but I felt her eyes on my profile. She was giving the same look she always did, one mixed with compassion and confusion. I’d allowed her to find me a couple times, but the first time was because I needed to know who she was. I needed to see for myself if she was someone I trusted. After our first meeting I’d walked away not liking her much, but I did respect her. If there was one thing I could say without a doubt, it was that she loved my sister. And that was all I’d wanted to know.

  “It’s not fair for her,” she continued speaking even though I never responded. “She knows you’re alive and she’s not going to stop looking for you. Is this what you want her to find?”

  I wanted to roll my eyes like a child but kept my face neutral like I always did. Of course I didn’t want Misty to know who’d I’d become, and she wouldn’t. She’d never find me because I wouldn’t let her. She deserved more from life. She should be falling in love and moving on, not stuck with someone like me to weigh her down. It was one of the reasons why I stayed away. Well, that and the fact there was always someone in the background trying to kill her. But she didn’t know about that, she never had, and she never would.

  “I can’t keep letting you kill people and walk away,” Andi said and I glanced from the corner of my eye but didn’t turn. She was standing in the same position I was, which was what had pushed me to meet her the first time. I’d been trained to spot a threat, and Alexandria Claire was a threat. She stood like a warrior and scanned like a spy. But more than anything else, she threw off an aura of danger very few people were capable of. “I’m going to stop you from seeing her if you can’t control yourself.”

  My fist tightened and I turned, giving her the attent
ion she was wanting. When her green eyes met mine, I knew she’d provoked me on purpose.

  “You can not and will not ever be able to stop me from seeing my sister. You think you have something on me but you don’t. I’ve allowed what you’ve seen because I wanted you to know, but you have taken it the wrong way. You think you have been protecting her all these years but you haven’t.” I nudged the dead man below with the tip of my boot. “In the last seven years there have been over one hundred people sent to either kill or take her, and I was the only thing that kept them from accomplishing it. You want to keep me away from her? You shouldn’t have dug your nose into something you didn’t understand. If you had stayed out of the way, I would have taken Addison down on my own, and Misty would have never found out I was still alive.”

  “Why would anyone want to hurt her?” Andi asked, ignoring everything else I’d said. Typical. It was one of the many reasons I didn’t like to talk to people. They only heard what they wanted to hear.

  “Do you truly not know who we are?” I asked and turned back to the party. Misty was dancing with Max and smiling the way she had when we were little and I tickled her. We might be twins and share the same face, but she was always different than me. She was pure and light and wonderful, a free spirit and beautiful soul. I was her opposite, always meant for something different. It was one of the other reasons I forced her away, knowing she’d do as she’d promised and run if she thought I was gone.

  “Do you know who your parents are?” Andi asked and I exhaled.

  “Yes,” I said and leaned against the wall again. “And I can promise you don’t want to know.”

  I wished I didn’t know myself, and I wanted to know everything. I stood straight when Misty fell and scanned the area behind her, then traveled.

  I used my shadow to surround him and materialized on his back, my knife at his neck before he could turn.

  “Whoa, whoa, hold the stabbing,” he said and raised his palms. We were on the other side of the field, opposite of where I was before. “I wasn’t trying to hurt her, Shadow.”

  I tilted my head and pushed him to the ground, then pointed my knife at his throat.

  “I know you don’t talk, but I’m guessing you want to know who I am,” he said and I raised an eyebrow slightly. “My name’s Huck, but most people call me Ghost.” I continued to stare. Who names their kid Huck, and worse, who goes by the nickname Ghost? I suppose I couldn’t judge too harshly considering I used the name Shadow, but only because it was what Misty had called me when we were kids.

  “Why are you here,” I asked and his eyes widen. What an idiot. For some reason, people assumed because I didn’t want to talk most of the time, it meant I couldn’t.

  “To help you,” he said and nodded his head at my knife. I didn’t move it. “Listen, I know where the other facilities are and want to help you take them down.”

  “Who sent you?”

  “Nobody,” he lied and I applied more pressure to his skin. “Fine, fine. But I promised I wouldn’t tell you, although I feel like she knew I wouldn’t have a choice.” I waited and he dropped his shoulders.

  “Your Mother.”

  I stepped back but kept the tip pointed at him.

  “Stay away from my sister. I will kill you next time.”

  Without giving him the chance to respond, I shifted back to where I’d left Andi. She was leaning against the wall with a smile on her face.

  “He actually did it,” she said and looked at me. “He finally kissed her.”

  My head jerked toward them and my shoulders slouched for the first time in years. I’d been waiting for that kiss for months, and the idiot across the field ruined it for me. But the happiness on Misty’s face didn’t let it bother me too much. Max was a good guy, and I’d been watching him close enough to know.

  “Did you kill another one?” Andi asked, expecting me to answer like we were somehow the chatting type now. I shook my head because I was feeling generous, but I didn’t face her.

  Ghost. I’m was going to have to find out who he was and if what he said was true. Because if it was, then I had more hunting to do. Our mother better be praying I never found her- scratch that- both our parents needed to pray I never found them. Maybe I should have told Andi who they were, maybe if some sort of way she could have helped, but it was doubtful. Even as strong as she was, she was still no match for the woman who’d birthed us. Not to mention the history between Andi and our father was one I didn’t completely understand, nor did I want to.

  Our mother was the reason I’d spent my entire life training to kill, and the moment I found her, she’d be dead.

  My parents were one of the other factors in why I pushed Misty away, knowing she’d be easier to find if we were together. What my sister never realized was how her light worked with my darkness, and when they were combined, we created something no one else could. Together, we could destroy the universe... it was the sole reason we were created.

  Author’s note

  When I first introduced Misty in Soul Mark, I hadn’t planned on her being more than a one chapter character, maybe getting a few thoughts throughout the first book. But she ended up becoming so much more, and soon she became one of my favorite characters- even as a child. If you read the Soul Mark Series then you watched her grow and change, you saw the strength she had- even as a child. I had also never planned on there being a Max at all, he was a bit of a surprise, but I couldn’t have asked for a better match for her.

  I had always known I’d write a spin off, but I thought it would be Sara’s story. She and Reed may get their own one day, but for now I’m super excited to tell this one. To find the history Misty lived through, and the past she’d kept a secret. To find out who her parents were and why she ended up having the life she did.

  And then there’s Raven... who was yet another surprise. Her story will be unlike any of my others, of that I have no doubt. She came out of nowhere and has been threatening to take over from the moment I typed her name for the first time. She will be my most challenging, and I have a feeling my most interesting character to date. Keep an eye out for her story, I’m sure it won’t be long before it’s told. :)

  Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!

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