Fractured Soul

by Rachel McClellan

  “I know.” I went to the door and opened it. “I’m so sorry, Christian.” As I walked away from him, down the long hallway to the elevator, I resolved to make things right, to expel the demon from me once and for all.

  TWENTY-ONE

  I stayed in my room the rest of the day, trying to figure out what had happened in Cyrus’s office. I kept going over the events in my head, tried to slow them down, hoping to find an answer. The more I thought about it, the more I knew there had been a Vyken in that room. But was it really Cyrus?

  A knock at the door made me sit up. I went to it and opened it just barely. My heart lifted a little when I saw May. “Hey, come on in,” I said.

  May walked in, holding a lunch bag, and closed the door. “You look like crap,” she said.

  I puffed my cheeks and blew out air. “Rough day, for sure.”

  “Maybe this will help.” She handed me the bag. It smelled like a turkey sandwich.

  “Thanks,” I said.

  “So about earlier, with Ashlyn. Sorry she was so rude. I let her have it after you left.”

  “You didn’t need to do that.”

  “Of course I did. You’re my best friend, Llona.”

  I looked at her, thinking. Enough was enough. She needed to know what was going on, most of it anyway.

  “What?” she said.

  “We need to talk.” I paused “And not just you. Let’s get Kiera and Tessa too.”

  “Like a meeting?”

  “Yes, an important one. The one I talked about before the dance.”

  She nodded as if she’d been waiting for this. “I’ll go find Kiera, and I just saw Tessa downstairs.”

  “Cool. I have something to show you guys.”

  Ten minutes later all four of us were in my bedroom. I closed the curtains to give us more privacy even though we were several stories up.

  “This is a little weird,” Kiera said, looking around suspiciously.

  “Just wait,” I said. “It’s about to get weirder. Have a seat.”

  Tessa sat on the floor, joining the others. “Does this have anything to do with what happened earlier today?”

  “Yes, and there’s more.”

  “What are you guys talking about?” May asked.

  I sighed. “There’s something going on at this school.”

  “Like what?” Kiera asked.

  I reached into my backpack and pulled out Britt’s diary. “It starts with this.”

  “What is it?” May said, taking it from my hands.

  “It’s a diary. I found it hidden behind a brick in the closet.”

  “Whose?” May and Kiera said at the same time.

  I looked at Tessa. “Britt’s.”

  Tessa shook her head. “I don’t think you should be reading that.”

  “Maybe I shouldn’t have, but I’m glad I did.”

  “Wait,” May said, “who’s Britt?”

  I glanced at Kiera. She looked pale. “I knew her a little,” she said. “Britt used to be in Llona’s room.” Kiera brought her knees to her chest, her arms wrapped tightly around them.

  “Where is she now?” May asked.

  Kiera looked beyond me. “She died.”

  May gasped. “How?”

  Again I waited for Kiera to answer.

  “Nobody knows. They found her in her room.”

  “In this room?” May clarified.

  “Yes.”

  May turned to me. “That explains all the ghost jokes then.”

  “Did you know her very well?” I asked Kiera.

  “No, not really. I mean, she was nice and all, but toward the end she started getting in trouble a lot, even causing fights. I thought we would be great friends because of her rebellious streak, but she wasn’t interested in friendship or anyone. It was really sad. She died alone.”

  The room was quiet for a few seconds before May said, “What’s it say?”

  I took a deep breath and told them the truth about Britt’s death, including how she had been attacked by a Vyken.

  “So it made her more aggressive,” May said after looking up from reading an entry. I avoided her stare.

  “Exactly,” I said. “She started feeling angry all the time and wanted to hurt others.”

  “I remember,” Tessa whispered.

  Kiera’s eyes were big. “So what happened?”

  “It became too much for her. She couldn’t stand the way she was feeling, and she couldn’t control it either. She finally killed herself.”

  “Did they find the Vyken who did this to her?” Kiera asked.

  “She never told anyone, but she writes in her journal that two men were involved. One of them had a tattoo of a dagger on his head.”

  Tessa brought her knees to her chest. “I wonder why Britt didn’t tell anyone.”

  I glanced away. “She was ashamed.”

  “She must’ve felt all alone,” May said, but by the way she was looking at me, I couldn’t tell if she was talking about me or Britt.

  “But that’s not all,” I said. “It’s just the beginning.” I proceeded to tell them all about Liam (May wasn’t at all surprised to learn I’d been sneaking out at night) and the blood being given to Vykens. I spoke of the fight at the tower, and I even told them about being trapped in the blood room with Tessa and seeing Dr. Han. And finally, I told them about what had happened with Christian.”

  “I can’t believe it,” Kiera said when I finished.

  “Crazy, huh?” I said.

  “No, I mean I really can’t believe it. It’s just not possible! Vykens in the school, especially someone high up? And our blood being sold to them?”

  “It’s true,” Tessa said. “At least the blood part.”

  I looked at her. “It’s all true.”

  “I believe you,” May said. I couldn’t help but smile. I loved my best friend. “So what now,” May asked. “What can we do about it?”

  “We have to find out who’s behind it,” I said.

  “Who does Liam think it is?” Tessa asked.

  “Some Guardians, but he doesn’t know who yet.”

  “What about the Vyken in Cyrus’s office?” Kiera said.

  I shook my head. “I don’t know, but I know it was one of them.”

  “Are you sure?” Kiera asked. “I mean, I’ve never heard of an Aura who could sense a Vyken.”

  “That’s what’s odd. We should all be able to sense the evil in them. What good is our Light if we can’t?”

  “Go over who was in the room again,” Tessa said.

  I thought out loud. “Jackson and Spencer were behind me. Sophie was on my left. Cyrus and Jameson were in front of me, and Christian and Dr. Han were on my right.”

  “We can rule out Sophie,” Tessa said. “And Christian.”

  I nodded. “And probably Jackson and Spencer too. I never sensed anything when I was near them before.”

  “And it can’t be Dr. Han,” May said.

  The room grew quiet.

  “What?” May said. “It’s not him. I’ve been training with him for weeks now. He’s not some evil being.”

  “But you’ve never met him up close before, right Llona?” Tessa asked.

  “I haven’t, but if May says it’s not him, then I trust her.” It was May’s turn to smile.

  “Then why did he take her blood?” Tessa said.

  “I don’t know,” May said, “but I’ll find out.”

  “Okay then,” I said, leaning forward. “May’s on Dr. Han—”

  “And I’ll watch Cyrus,” Tessa said. “See if he does anything suspicious.”

  “Perfect,” I said. “And if Christian will speak to me after today, I’ll ask him to check out Jackson and the other Guardians.”

  “I guess that leaves me with Mr. Jameson,” Kiera said, frowning. “Whom we know nothing about, other than he’s Cyrus’s assistant.”

  “I’ll help,” I said. “Tonight I’ll find Liam and tell him our plan.”

  We all stood up. I
took the diary back from May and tucked it into my backpack.

  “Are you sure you can trust him?” Kiera said. “He sounds kind of spooky.”

  “I can trust him,” I said. Of course I had left out the part about him having Vyken blood inside him just like me. I wasn’t ready to explain how a half-Vyken could be trusted; in reality, being part Vyken myself, I wasn’t sure anyone should trust us.

  “Sounds like operation ‘Save Lucent Academy’ is in full force,” May said.

  Kiera opened the door. “Can we have spy names?”

  I smiled. “Totally.”

  “Cool. I’m going to rock my name.”

  “Me too,” Tessa said and followed Kiera out while they exchanged ideas.

  I walked May to the door. “There’s something else you didn’t tell us,” May said. She turned around.

  “What’s that?”

  May stared at me for several seconds. “Secrets are like weights, Llona. Let someone help carry the burden.”

  I knew exactly what she was talking about. “I’m not ready,” is all I could say.

  She nodded and squeezed my hand. “I’m here for you.”

  I gave her a hug. “I can’t imagine going through all this without you.”

  She squeezed me back. “We’ve been through worse, right?”

  I nodded and pulled back.

  “I’ll see you later.” Before she left, she added, “Christian loves you, Llona. I don’t think he’d care about some silly dream. You need to talk to him.” I nodded and closed the door, wishing it was just the dreams keeping us apart.

  I sat near the window and waited for nightfall. With every passing second I grew more excited. I told myself it was because of my lessons with Liam, but that was a lie. I couldn’t wait to get into the forest, to run through the darkness and feel its coolness against my skin.

  A thought crept in before I could stop it: maybe there’d be a Vyken out there. And maybe I’d kill it.

  TWENTY-TWO

  As soon as the sun set, I escaped through my window. Liam had told me to meet him again in the same clearing where I showed him the lights. I just hoped he was there this early so I wouldn’t have to wait in a forest lurking with Vykens. One Vyken might be okay . . .

  “You’re early,” Liam said as soon as I entered the clearing.

  I turned around. Liam was leaning against a tree in a black leather jacket.

  “You don’t waste any time, do you? What, do you bury yourself in leaves, and when the sun sets you rise?”

  Liam stepped away from the tree. “What did you find out today?”

  “Tessa and I found our way into the blood room. They keep six months of our blood in stock. I think they throw it away after that.”

  “How is that helpful?”

  “Be patient. Some of the blood has been replaced with Vyken blood.”

  His stone expression cracked. “How do you know it was Vyken blood?”

  “I could sense it, just like I knew you were a Vyken, or half-Vyken, I should say.” I paused. “But honestly I really only sensed it when I first met you. Since then, I think my senses have been shut off, except for today of course. I don’t get it.”

  Liam began to pace. “This is bad. Real bad.”

  “What are you thinking?”

  “The Vykens must be planning an attack on Lucent. And when Auras are hurt, their blood will be replaced with the poisonous stuff.” He removed a cell phone from his pocket. “I have to alert the Deific.”

  “Wait a second,” I said. “That’s not all. There’s a Vyken in the school.”

  He froze and looked at me. “Tell me.”

  “My aunt took me to meet the president.”

  “Cyrus?”

  I nodded. “A Vyken was in the room with us.”

  “Who was it?”

  I tugged at my hair. “I don’t know.”

  “What do you mean ‘you don’t know’?”

  I threw up my arms. “It’s like I was saying. My senses are all screwed up. For some reason I couldn’t pinpoint who it was. I just had this general overwhelming feeling that a Vyken was in that room.”

  “Who else was in the room with you?”

  I looked at him. “You believe me?”

  “Why wouldn’t I?”

  “It’s just that,” I shook my head, “the president. The other people in the room. Everyone thinks it’s impossible that one of the higher-ups could be a Vyken.”

  Liam met my gaze. “I’m not everyone, and if you say there was a Vyken, then I believe you. So who else was there?”

  I told him.

  “Interesting. And you couldn’t tell who it was?”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “What about me? We’re standing ten feet apart. Do you sense my Vyken blood?”

  I focused hard. “I don’t. Nothing.”

  He took a big step toward me. “Now?”

  I shook my head.

  Another step.

  “Nope.”

  Closer. “And now?”

  This time I did sense something. I was starting to feel light-headed, like I stood up too quickly.

  He took one final step so he was standing only an inch from me. He looked down at me. “How do you feel now?”

  “Dizzy.”

  “Close your eyes.”

  I did as he asked.

  “Can you still sense me?”

  I nodded.

  “Where am I?”

  “In front of me.”

  “No, I’m not.”

  I opened my eyes. Liam wasn’t there.

  “Turn around.”

  I whirled around, coming face to face with Liam again, except I stumbled on account of being so dizzy.

  He caught me. “Your senses are definitely off. How come you weren’t this dizzy the other night?”

  I thought back. We had stood close when he was showing me the butterfly. Briefly, but still. I didn’t remember feeling all crazy-headed. “I don’t know.”

  “What did you do today that you didn’t do yesterday, or vice versa?”

  “Get the president knifed?”

  He chuckled. “So this Guardian—”

  “Christian.”

  “Christian. He must really like you if he cut the most important person at Lucent in order to protect you.”

  “Yeah, well, because of me, they’ll probably strip him of his title.”

  “Is that a big deal?”

  “It’s what he’s worked for his whole life.”

  Liam looked right at me. “Some things are more important than a title.”

  I glanced away. “What kind of training do you have in store for me tonight?”

  “Can you give us some light?”

  “No problem.” A ball of Light burst from my palm. I mentally stretched it until it was two feet in diameter. I raised it above us.

  “It’s like the moon,” Liam said, staring up at it.

  I rolled my shoulders back. “You ready or what?” I needed some real action, something to burn off my energy.

  He dropped his gaze. “Tonight I just want you to create, like this moon.”

  “Psh . . . serious? Can’t you give me something more challenging? Like a giant spear or something?”

  “I want you to create something beautiful, not a weapon, Llona.”

  I exhaled. “Right. Stand back then. I’m going to need some room,” I said, already picturing what I wanted.

  I closed my eyes and focused. When I felt like I knew what direction to take to complete the masterpiece in my mind, I swung my arms over my head, sending Light to different parts of the clearing. Still with eyes closed, I spun and twisted, feeling Light flow from me in all directions. A burning, warm and intense, filled my entirety until I could no longer feel evil pressing against my insides.

  I continued my ethereal dance through the forest, feeling as if I was in a different realm. I’d never felt so pure, like I was five again, picnicking with my parents without a care in the world. How had
everything gone so terribly wrong? I thought of my parents. Their lives and their deaths. I thought of the Vyken who’d tricked us all. Darkness, full of anger and revenge, returned. I fell to the ground gasping for air.

  Liam was at my side. “What’s wrong?”

  I opened my eyes. Tiny twinkling lights filled the air like drops of rain. I extinguished them. “I can’t do this,” I said. “Too much has happened.”

  “But you did do it,” he said, placing his hand on my back. “And I could tell that for just a moment you felt it. You were at peace with yourself, with your life.”

  I looked up at him. “How do you know?”

  “Because I felt it too, and I haven’t felt at peace for decades.” He straightened. “You just have to keep practicing. It will come.” He reached to help me up. I took hold of his hand.

  “Get back!” a voice shouted.

  Liam and I looked over. Christian was running toward us at full speed. Liam’s eyes widened just as Christian tackled him to the ground.

  “Christian!” I said.

  “You stay away from her,” Christian said. He managed to smash his fist into Liam’s face two times before Liam caught it and twisted Christian’s arm, forcing Christian from him.

  “Hit me one more time and you’ll regret it,” Liam said.

  Christian lunged for him again, but this time I was ready. I stepped in between them and took Christian by the shoulders. “Stop it, Christian,” I said. He looked at me for the first time. I saw the confusion in his eyes. “Stop,” I said, a little quieter. “He won’t hurt me.”

  Christian shoved my arms away and stepped back. “What is going on? First you freak out because of a Vyken and now you’re hanging out with one?”

  “I’m not a Vyken,” Liam said.

  I shushed Liam with my hand while I kept my focus on Christian.

  “You lie,” Christian said. “Jackson told me all about you.”

  Liam snorted. “I don’t think you should be trusting anything a Guardian says.”

  “Watch your mouth, Vyken,” Christian said. Every part of him was tensed, and it took all my strength just to hold him back.

  “Christian,” I said. “He’s an Enlil, and only has the Vyken’s poison inside him, but he hasn’t let it change him. He’s good.”

  Christian looked unconvinced. “Not possible.”

  “It is. He fought back the darkness and won.”