Fractured Soul

by Rachel McClellan

  “Well here’s one more for you. Last night I went outside again—”

  “That was stupid.”

  “Liam was there. I got him to tell me why he’s hanging outside the walls all of the time.” I quickly told her about the blood and the Vykens getting access to it.

  “That’s messed up. So what are you guys planning?”

  I turned the doorknob, but it was locked. “I need to get in here and look around.” I produced Light in my palm and held it up to the lock so I could see its inner workings. It was just like Abigail’s. Nice.

  “What are you doing?” Tessa asked.

  I shaped the Light in my hand like I’d done before. “You’ll see.” In less than a minute the door opened.

  “Cool trick,” Tessa said. “Who knew Auras would make great thieves?”

  I smirked and went inside. When Tessa reached to turn the light on, I stopped her. “Leave the lights off. Just in case.”

  “But I can’t see anything.”

  I produced more Light and sent it across the room, giving us just enough to see what we were doing.

  Tessa looked around and gave a low whistle. “Creepy,” she said.

  The room was much bigger than I had thought and cold too, like we’d walked into a giant refrigerator. My body physically reacted to the overpowering smell of blood, but I forced the desire away, even more repulsed with myself.

  I continued surveying the room. At the rear of the room were two desks, papers scattered over the top of one of them and an older-looking computer on the other.

  Moving down the aisles, I checked the names of students and the dates written on the bags. “Who have you noticed come in here?” I asked Tessa, who was following behind me. The dates on the bags were recent, all within the last few months.

  “Abigail comes in here a lot. And I’ve seen Ms. Haddy and Ms. Crawford.”

  “Can you think of any other reason a teacher would come here other than for blood?”

  “Maybe they keep their own here?” Tessa suggested. “Or they could be making a delivery.”

  “Maybe.” I continued down the aisle and raised my hand, letting my fingers trail across the plastic bags holding the blood. “I feel like I’m missing something.”

  “Like what?”

  “I don’t—” Just then I felt a faint but familiar feeling. “Whoa,” I said and stumbled back.

  Tessa put her hand on my arm to steady me. “What’s wrong?”

  “I can’t believe it. I can’t believe they’d do it.”

  “Do what?”

  I carefully reached toward the bag of blood I’d just touched. When my fingers were within an inch of it, my hand began to tingle like it had fallen asleep. I wondered why the sensation wasn’t stronger. “It’s a Vyken’s,” I whispered.

  “Vyken?” Tessa looked around. “Where?”

  I pointed at the bag with a girl’s name written on it. “There.”

  Tessa’s eyes grew, mirroring my own horror. “In the bags? All of them?”

  I shook my head and began to walk up and down the aisles again, my hands stretched out. “I don’t think so. These,” I touched several bags while I walked, “are Auran.” I returned to where Tessa was. “And these,” I trailed down the row, both hands touching blood on each side, “are all Vyken.” My skin began to itch as if spiders were crawling up and down my arms and legs.

  I stopped moving. The rabbit hole was a lot bigger than I expected. “What is going on here?” I said. “This is the one place everyone told me I’d be safe. What am I supposed to do now?”

  Tessa came to me, her eyes sad. “It will be okay. You can leave, go somewhere far away. I’ll understand.”

  “Huh?”

  She patted me on the arm. “You have every right to be frightened, after everything you’ve been through.”

  “Frightened? I’m freaking angry!” I walked by her. “I just spent a year dealing with Vyken crap. Out there.” I pointed far away.

  “So are you going to leave?”

  “Not in a million years. Lucent Academy is the one place Auras are supposed to be safe. Someone’s going to pay.”

  “But what can we do?”

  I looked back at the Vyken blood. “We’ll destroy it all. Starting with the Vykens’.” I started to walk back to it, but Tessa stopped me.

  “You can’t.”

  “Why?”

  “Because then they’ll know we’re on to them. We need to figure out who’s doing this, then we can destroy them.”

  “Screw that,” I said and knocked her arm away, but she grabbed me again.

  “This is not the time to be impulsive, Llona. Think for a minute. There’s something a lot bigger going on here than just someone selling Auran blood to Vykens.”

  This stopped me. “Like what?”

  “Why was the blood replaced?”

  “So no one would know blood’s missing.”

  “But why with Vyken blood? Why not with a human’s? Wouldn’t that have been easier?”

  Tessa had a point. She continued, “What would happen to an Aura if her blood was transfused with a Vyken’s?”

  My head snapped up.

  “It would probably kill them,” she said.

  I shook my head. “No. It would turn them. The poison.” My hand went to my neck. “Like a bite.”

  “Turn them into a Vyken? But how do you know?”

  I met her gaze. Could I tell her? Before I could answer my own question, the sound of the outside door opening made me extinguish the glowing Light on the other side of the room.

  “Llona?” Tessa whispered.

  I reached for her in the darkness until I found her arm. “This way,” I said.

  We moved quietly to the opposite wall while heavy footsteps grew louder. I stopped when I reached the desk I’d noticed earlier. “Quick! Hide behind this.”

  I slipped next to her just as the door swung open.

  TWENTY

  The light flipped on. Both of us sunk farther to the floor. As long as whoever had just come in here didn’t look toward the desk, we would go unnoticed.

  Tessa tightened her grip on my hand, and when I saw her face I was afraid she was going to scream. I squeezed her hand and even transferred Light to her. She visibly relaxed and began to breathe normally again. I gave her a reassuring smile.

  As soon as I felt she wasn’t going to freak out, I signaled her to be quiet, then slowly inched my way over to where I could see around the desk. Standing three rows over was a man, his back to me. He was reading the labels on the bags of blood. After a moment he lifted a bag off its hook and placed it inside a briefcase.

  He turned to the side, and I saw who it was. I quickly covered my mouth and slid closer to Tessa. For several seconds nobody moved. I was afraid he’d hear my heart pounding and discover us hiding, but then he began walking. The door opened, the lights turned off, and the door closed.

  Both Tessa and I sighed at the same time.

  “That was close,” Tessa said. “Who was it?”

  Light appeared in my palm. I raised it in front of us. “Dr. Han.”

  “The Fury?”

  “Uh-huh. And he took some blood.” I walked to the rack he’d been looking at.

  Tessa followed. “What would he want with Auran blood?”

  “Good question.” I looked at the name on the rack. “Not an Aura. Another Fury.”

  “Who?”

  I met her gaze. “May.”

  “Why would May’s blood be in here?”

  “Probably the same reason they have ours.” I followed Tessa out of the room.

  “Let’s just get out of here,” she said. “We’ll figure it out later.”

  I locked the door and closed it. “I feel sick.”

  “Look,” Tessa said when we reached the front door.

  I peered out the glass door. Dr. Han was walking toward Chadni Hall. “Let’s follow him,” I said.

  As soon as he turned the corner, we opened the door and j
ogged to catch up.

  “I don’t think this is a good idea,” Tessa said. “The last person I’d want to mess with is a Fury.”

  I peeked around the building just in time to see him open and close the front door. “Come on,” I said.

  Tessa made it to the front door then stopped. “I’m not supposed to go in this entrance.”

  “Oh brother, come on.” I opened the door.

  “Serious. I can’t. You better hurry. He’s getting away.”

  I glanced inside and then back at Tessa. “I’ll see you soon,” I said and ducked inside.

  Dr. Han was getting inside the elevator. I waited until I saw which floor he stopped on and then headed for the stairs, racing up them until I reached the fourth floor. I opened the door just in time to see a door at the end of the hallway closing. It had to be him.

  I walked quickly, yet casually, down the hallway, passing by Sophie’s office. So far the offices were empty. All the teachers must be in class.

  When I reached the door Dr. Han had gone through, I paused. What now? Bust down the door all gangster-like and say, “Give me back my best friend’s blood?” I so needed spy lessons. I turned around and headed back the way I came, feeling stupid for even coming this far. I needed a plan.

  Just as I walked by the elevator doors, they opened. “Llona?”

  I froze.

  “What are you doing?”

  I whirled around and thought quickly. “Hi, Sophie. I was looking for Ms. Crawford. I wanted to talk to her about my grade.”

  Sophie placed her hand on my shoulder. “What are you talking about? We don’t give grades here.”

  Of course you don’t. “Right. I mean I just wanted to see how I’m doing in class. I don’t feel like I’m grasping everything.”

  Sophie studied my face. Finally she moved away. “Ms. Crawford’s in class. You should know that because that’s where you should be.”

  “Right. I know, I’ll just—” I tried to get away, but she stopped me.

  “While you’re here, Llona, why don’t you come with me?”

  “Where?”

  “I was just on my way to visit with Cyrus and welcome him back. He’s finishing up a meeting.”

  “Um, that’s okay. “

  She moved me forward. “I insist, Llona. It will only take a few minutes.”

  I forced a grin. “Would love to.” But when Sophie knocked on the same door Dr. Han had gone through, my smile became real. This couldn’t be any more perfect.

  Sophie opened the door. Cyrus’s office was really more of a library. There were a couple of huge mahogany desks sitting opposite each other, and every wall was lined with wooden shelves. The books within looked very old. I would’ve loved to explore them, but I just then realized I wasn’t alone.

  Standing next to the desk on my right was an extremely handsome man who looked to be in his fifties with a streak of gray in his dark hair. A navy blue suit fit him well, but it might’ve just looked that way because the man standing next to him looked completely out of place. He was shorter than the first and was wearing a tan polo shirt and wrinkled black pants.

  On the other side of the room was Dr. Han, and next to him stood Christian. He smiled, but there was sadness in his eyes. I had hurt him.

  “Welcome back, Cyrus,” Sophie said. She walked forward and hugged the tall, handsome man. This surprised me. I expected Lucent’s president to look much older. Sophie turned to the man next to him; he startled a little under her gaze. “And you too, Jameson. We’re all very glad you’ve both returned safely.”

  “It’s good to be back,” Cyrus said.

  Sophie looked back at me, and I thought she was going to introduce me, but a knock at the door interrupted her. We all turned around. Jackson was standing in the doorway with Spencer.

  “You wanted to see me, Sir?” He was addressing Cyrus, but at the last second he looked at me and winked. I looked away and at Christian, who no longer looked sad but confused and a little angry.

  “Hello, Jackson, Spencer. Yes, I wanted to see you. Can you give me a minute first? We have a visitor.” Cyrus’s dark eyes settled on mine, and I had a difficult time looking away.

  “Cyrus, this is my niece I told you about, Llona,” Sophie said. “She was Laura’s daughter.”

  Cyrus stepped forward at the same time Jackson closed the door. “I was very fond of your mother,” he said. “I was sorry for her passing.”

  I nodded but just barely. The air in the room had turned thick like smoke. I looked around, but no one else seemed to notice the change.

  “Are you enjoying Lucent Academy?” Cyrus asked.

  “Um, yes. It’s—” The room was getting hot. I took a step toward Christian and my eyes flashed to his. His whole body tensed as if he knew something wasn’t right with me. Next to him, Dr. Han frowned as he looked to me and then at Christian.

  Cyrus moved closer. Jameson moved with him, and I sensed Jackson and Spencer coming up behind me.

  “It’s what, Llona?” Cyrus said.

  The suffocating sensation grew, and my head began to spin. No, not here, please. I met the eyes of everyone in the room. Now Dr. Han was coming toward me. Who? Who was it? Although I knew there was a Vyken in the room, I couldn’t pinpoint who it was. Why were my senses so dull?

  When I stumbled, Christian caught me. “What’s going on, Llona?” he said it as if we were the only ones in the room.

  “A Vyken,” I gasped.

  “Here?”

  “What’s the matter?” Cyrus said.

  “Llona?” Sophie asked.

  The room began to teeter as everyone closed in on me. A Vyken was only feet away. Focus! Who was it? “Christian?”

  And that’s when Cyrus reached for me.

  I yelled, “It’s him! He’s a Vyken!”

  Christian didn’t question. He reacted so quickly that I didn’t even notice where he’d come up with the knife in his hand. He slashed downward on Cyrus’s arm and was about to strike again when the knife’s handle turned a fire red, thanks to Dr. Han.

  Christian cried out and dropped the blade. As soon as it hit the floor, Jackson tackled him to the ground.

  “What in the world is going on?” Sophie said.

  I looked around the room. Jameson was attending to Cyrus’s arm, Jackson was sitting on top of Christian, who only looked at me with concern in his eyes, while Dr. Han was staring down at me like he wanted to turn me as red as he had the knife. I would’ve said something, but the room was still spinning, and I couldn’t get my legs to move.

  “Get her out of here!” Cyrus said through a clenched jaw. He was bent over and holding his hand over his arm.

  Sophie took hold of my arm and literally dragged me from the room, and shoved me into the nearest empty office. “What was that, Llona?” she said after she closed the door.

  With every breath my head began to clear. “I, I don’t know,” I stammered. “There was a Vyken.”

  “A Vyken?”

  I nodded. “In the room. I think it was Cyrus.”

  Sophie laughed. “That’s absurd! He’s been our headmaster for decades. Don’t you think we would’ve known?”

  “Someone in that room is a Vyken,” I mumbled. But what if there wasn’t? What if the Vyken side of me was throwing off all of my senses?

  “Do you have any idea what you’ve done? You’ll be lucky if Cyrus lets you stay at Lucent, but Christian, he was already on probation.”

  My head snapped up. “Probation? Why?”

  Sophie clicked her tongue. “I don’t have time for this. You go back to your room, missy, and we’ll finish this chat later. I need to tend to Cyrus.”

  I dropped into the nearest chair, going over the events again. Had I really sensed a Vyken? And if I hadn’t, then that meant Christian just knifed the most important person at Lucent Academy. I was really screwing up his life.

  A door slammed in the hall. I looked up just in time to see Christian walk by.

  “Chr
istian!” I said.

  He whirled around and looked from me to Cyrus’s closed door. Very quickly, he pulled me farther into the empty office and closed the door.

  The suddenness of it surprised me, and I said, “Christian, I—”

  “Are you okay?” he said, breathing heavily through his nose, his brows drawn together.

  “Me? How can you ask that?”

  “I can’t believe it. Cyrus a Vyken?” He was staring at me with such trust, such loyalty, that I felt even sadder. There wasn’t a thing in this world he wouldn’t do for me.

  I glanced away from him and shook my head. “You shouldn’t have done that, Christian. It was too impulsive.”

  “But you said he was a Vyken. Is he or isn’t he?”

  I closed my eyes and breathed in. “I’m not sure. Everything just started spinning.”

  Christian took my hand. “Are you ill?”

  I jerked it away. “Listen to yourself! Do you realize what you’ve done? You may never be a Guardian again. Ever!”

  Christian’s face grew red as he responded to my own anger. “I don’t care about that anymore! Don’t you get that?” His jaw muscles bulged, and he rolled his shoulders like he was trying to relax. In a much gentler voice he said, “What’s going on, Llona? I know there’s something you’re not telling me.”

  I pursed my lips and stared at the ground.

  Christian reached up and pressed his palm to my cheek. “Please, Llona. Whatever it is, we’ll get through it. Just talk to me.”

  I leaned into his hand; his touch calmed my nerves. The world felt right here, like I was normal, like nothing had ever changed me.

  Christian dropped his hand to my shoulder, then trailed it down to my hand, where he held it. “What you said before, about us needing time apart. You didn’t really mean it,” he paused, “did you?”

  I looked him in the eyes. “I need some time. Please, that’s all I can say right now.”

  “Are you in some kind of danger?”

  I shook my head. “I need to go.”

  His hand tightened on mine. “Talk to me, Llona.”

  “Let go, Christian.”

  He stared at me for what seemed like a very long time. Finally he let go. “I’m here for you. Always.”