And then a burst of Light exploded in my brain and raced through my body. The shock of it felt like my skin was on fire, and the only thing that stopped me from screaming was the sight of Blade’s head looking under the bed only a foot away. His black eyes swept the area, completely passing over me. I would’ve been relieved except for the fact that I’d never been in so much pain in all my life.
Blade stood up. “Room’s empty.”
As much as I was dying to let go of whatever power was making me invisible, I felt it was too soon.
Someone must have shoved Tessa because she grunted.
“Who’s been in here?” Jameson said.
“What? Huh?” Tessa made it sound like she was coming to.
There was a shuffling of feet and Tessa made a strangling sound as the chair she was sitting on lifted. “Who’s been in here?” Jameson said again.
She didn’t answer, couldn’t answer because she was still gagging. Her chair dropped and rocked backward. “No one,” she finally coughed.
“It was probably Jackson or one of his boys,” the other Vyken said.
Jameson must have accepted this because he said, “It was brought to my attention that you stole some of the Auras’ pills. I want to know what you did with them.”
“I didn’t—”
He slapped her. “Tell me the truth! Where are the pills?”
Tessa was crying. “I, I took them,” she stammered.
“Where are they?”
“I swallowed them.”
“Why?”
“I thought they would make me special. Like the Auras.”
There was a small pause before they all broke out into laughter. Jameson spoke first. “That is the most pathetic thing I’ve ever heard. A pill will never make you special.” He paused before saying, “But it will make you dead.”
“When?” Blade said.
“Wait until tonight. We can throw her body out with the trash.”
Another Vyken laughed and said, just before the door closed, “I don’t think the dumpster will be able to hold all the dead bodies. Maybe we should have the garbage truck come early.” The others joined in his laughter.
As soon as the door closed, I let go of whatever power was keeping me invisible. A sound exploded in my ears and my vision blotched black.
I barely heard Tessa say, “Llona?”
Stay conscious, I commanded myself. I tried to slide out from under the bed, but I seriously felt like I’d been run over. Every part of me hurt. “One minute,” I said, but even speaking proved difficult.
“What’s wrong?” Tessa whispered.
I heard the worry in her voice, but it didn’t make me move any faster. I couldn’t. Arm over arm, I crawled toward her. Each movement sent mind-numbing pain up and down my body.
“Llona?”
“Hurt,” is all I could say. I reached the back of her chair and rolled onto my back. Through double vision I could just barely make out Tessa’s bound wrists. I blinked a couple of times, trying to clear my line of sight. It didn’t work.
I raised my hands, wincing because of the pain the action caused. I felt the ropes around her wrists. They were wet and slippery. I hoped it was from sweat and not blood, but when I squinted I saw red. This made me move faster.
“I’m so sorry,” Tessa said. She was crying again.
The ropes were tight, but after a minute I was able to get them loose enough to where Tessa could free herself. She swiveled onto the ground next to me. “What did they do to you?”
“No. Me. Invisible.” My vision was completely gone now. Only empty black space existed.
“I don’t understand.” She squeezed my hand. I tried to squeeze it back, but I had become paralyzed. No matter what I tried I couldn’t move. “Help,” I said with my last bit of strength.
“Llona?” Tessa sniffed, then waited. “I’m going to get help; don’t worry.” The last thing I heard was the sound of something heavy sliding along the floor, and I hoped it was Tessa stuffing me back under the bed.
THIRTY-THREE
My eyes opened. Blackness again. I thought I might still be under the bed, and I began to panic.
A voice said, “You’re safe. I’m here.”
My vision adjusted to the darkness. I was in my room, and I was familiar with the person sitting in a chair next to me. “Christian?”
He stroked my head. “You really scared us.”
“Is Tessa—”
“Yes, Liam has her. They snuck her out.”
“Is she okay?”
“A little bruised, but she’ll survive.”
Anger swelled within me. “Does her mother know?”
“Tessa wrote her a note. Can you move?”
I wiggled my toes. No pain. My fingers were next. When they felt fine, I lifted my arm. It took great effort, but it didn’t hurt like before. After I finished assessing the damage, I became angry. The pain Tessa and I had experienced was caused by Cyrus and his followers. And Jackson. Darkness returned inside me. And I let it. “How did you find me?”
“Liam called. He told me where you were going. I ran into Tessa on her way out, and she led me to you.”
“Did anyone see you?”
“As far as I could tell the place was empty, even Cyrus’s office. We were lucky.” His fingers laced through mine. I wanted to pull away, tighten my hands into fists.
Christian spoke softly. “Tessa told me what happened. I can only guess the reason you weren’t caught is you figured out how to turn invisible.”
I nodded.
“That was extremely dangerous. It nearly killed you.”
I tried to sit up. It was difficult, but I let my anger and hatred for the Vykens force me upright. “Don’t worry about it.”
Christian ignored my curt tone and helped me into a sitting position. “You don’t need to rush it. Go slow.”
I turned toward the window. Just a glimmer of moonlight stole through the glass. “What time is it?”
“Almost nine. Liam should be here soon.”
“Inside Lucent?”
“Hardly anyone’s here. They all went to the city to see some musical. Besides, Liam wanted to see for himself that you’re okay.”
This made me madder, but I didn’t know why. “Call him. Tell him not to come.” I slid to the edge of bed.
“Relax, Llona. Why are you so worked up?”
“Because I need to go kill someone.” Anger was burning my insides. I touched my forehead. Was I burning up? I stood too quickly and stumbled. Christian moved to help me. “Don’t touch me! I can do this,” I snapped.
“I’m just trying to help.”
“No, you’re babying me, so lay off.”
Christian reached for me. “What’s going on?”
I shoved his arm away. All I wanted to do was kill something, rip someone apart, but Christian was always in the way. “You are such a—”
My bedroom door swung open. Liam stood in the doorway. He walked straight to me and took hold of my shoulders.
“Hey,” Christian began, but Liam spoke only to me.
“You’ve got to calm down, Llona. It’s eating you.”
I pushed him away, my strength fully restored now. Liam stumbled back.
“What are you talking about?” Christian said.
Liam stared at me. “I could hear the poison in her voice from the first floor.”
“I’m fine,” I said, telling him what I thought he wanted to hear. I pulled on a beanie from off my dresser, anxious to leave. “I just need you two to leave me alone.”
Liam took a step toward me. “I know you’re scared. I know you’re mad, and hurt, and probably a lot of other things, but you have to think this through.”
I exploded. “You weren’t there, Liam! They hurt Tessa and said horrible things to her. They were going to kill her and throw her body out with the trash. And me too, if they would’ve found me.”
“I understand what you’re feeling, but you have to control it.�
�
“Llona?” Christian said, and I could tell by his expression that he had no idea what was going on. How could he?
I looked back at Liam, directly in his eyes. “I’ve never been more in control, and this feeling inside me is more powerful than anything I’ve ever felt. And it, more than any of your touchy-feely exercises, is going to help me kill Cyrus, so get out of my way!”
Liam relaxed. “Fine. But if you leave, I’ll kill Christian.”
Christian and I froze.
Liam continued, “Go, Llona. Get your revenge.”
I looked at him and then at Christian, who had gone from confused to tense. Both of us were trying to decide if he was serious or not. “You’re a horrible liar,” I said and moved toward the door.
Before Christian and I could react, Liam was standing behind Christian, his arm around his neck. Christian gasped for breath.
“What are you doing? Stop that,” I said.
“Make me.”
Christian tried to swing a fist up, but Liam tightened his grip, forcing Christian to use all his energy on just trying to breathe.
Liam’s actions surprised me, but I couldn’t be fooled. “Sorry, Liam, but I know you won’t kill him, you’re wasting my time.” I touched the doorknob.
“You’re right,” Liam said, and I turned back around. “I won’t kill him, but I will hurt him.” In a move that frightened me, Liam shoved Christian to the floor, and jammed his knee into his back. At the same time, Liam jerked Christian’s arm back to an unnatural angle. Christian cried out, and I knew by his expression that it was no act.
“Stop me, Llona,” Liam said.
I tightened my grip on the doorknob.
“Go, Llona,” Christian said. “This guy’s crazy. I can take care of—”
Liam punched the side of his face; blood splattered onto the floor.
“Stop me, Llona!” Liam said again. I stared at him, at his angry expression, but his eyes reflected a deep sadness. I didn’t want to fight him. I was itching to rip apart someone else, but then Liam pulled at Christian’s arm again until something popped. Christian screamed into the carpet.
“No!” I said. Light exploded into my palm, and I tossed it hard at Liam. It hit him square in the chest. I made three more balls and drilled each one at Liam, who was trying hard to keep quiet, but I knew they were hurting him.
When I was sure Liam had been rendered temporarily useless, I went to him and kicked him hard in the stomach until he curled up and ceased to move. My hands burned bright with Light, and I pressed them to his back. This time he couldn’t hold in the pain. He cried out as Light spread throughout his whole body.
I thought I might actually kill him, but then something peculiar began to happen. The rush of Light, which wasn’t just consuming Liam but me too, began to absorb the Vyken’s darkness inside me—the part that thirsted for revenge and the lifeblood of every living thing. And it was a different kind of Light than what I was used to using, one that was filled with concern and love for Christian. My mind became clear for the first time in a long time, and I was able to see how the Vyken’s poison had worked itself into my heart. It scared me to realize how much control it had over me. I let go of Liam and stumbled back onto the floor. “I’m so sorry,” I said, mortified.
Christian scooted over to me, protecting his left arm. “What happened? Why are you apologizing?”
My voice was quiet. “The poison. I thought I was controlling it, but . . . I’m an idiot. Liam saved me.” I looked at Liam. He was lying flat on his stomach; his face etched in pain, but he did manage a smile. Just barely. “You knew. You knew I needed to use Light.”
“But you have been using it,” Christian said. “Just the other night.”
I shook my head. “I needed to use it out of love. I haven’t done that for a very long time. Not since Tracey died. All the other times, even just now when I wanted to go kill Cyrus, I thought my actions were out of love for my friend, but they weren’t. I wanted to fight him, and everyone, because I love the feeling of contention, and because I yearn to kill.” I glanced at Christian to see his reaction. His face was blank.
“I still don’t understand,” Christian said, and I knew he never would.
I crawled over to Liam. “How bad is it?”
“I’ll survive.”
“I’ll make it up to you somehow.”
“Just remember what you’ve learned. Only use your power for good.” He took a deep breath like it was painful to breathe.
I touched him lightly. “I will. I promise.”
THIRTY-FOUR
The next morning I woke early. I looked around for Christian, thinking he might’ve returned after helping Liam outside of the school, but my room was empty. Poor Christian. He hadn’t understood what had happened and was upset that I asked him to help Liam.
“I should be trying to kill him, not helping him walk,” Christian had said. He softened a little when Liam popped his shoulder back into joint and told Christian he could have three free hits as soon as he recovered.
Before I left my room, I glanced out the window. I didn’t recoil from the bright morning sun like I usually did. Instead it gave me hope. I breathed in deeply, feeling better than I had in a long time.
At breakfast I told May and Kiera what had happened to Tessa. Both of them were shocked and really freaked out. “You have to get Sophie to close Lucent,” May said, clasping her hands together tightly. “Even if it’s just for a little while. Someone needs to figure out what’s going on before anyone else gets hurt.”
I looked around the crowded dining room. All these girls: sitting, laughing, eating, having no idea that their world was about to be ripped apart. They were the victims in all this. I sighed. “I know. That’s what Liam and Christian said too.” Both of them were visibly upset after I told them what the Vyken had said about dead bodies filling the garbage.
“Do you think Sophie will listen to you?” Kiera asked. Dark circles were under her eyes, and I wondered how much sleep she was getting.
“I hope so. I guess I can always call in a bomb threat or something if she doesn’t.”
* * * * *
I waited all through breakfast for Sophie, but she never showed. I looked for her in the halls in between classes but didn’t see her there either. At lunchtime I decided to skip lunch to go in search of her. I found her in the teacher’s lounge standing at a microwave that hummed softly. By the smell of it she was cooking an Asian dish. Something with curry in it.
“Hello, Llona. How are you today?” she said.
“Fine.”
“I haven’t seen you in awhile.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“That’s good. You should study as much as you can.”
I laughed. If only.
“Is something funny?”
I cleared my throat and made my face go serious. “I need to talk to you,” I said. “It’s important.”
The microwave beeped. “Okay. Come to my office with me while I eat. You want some?”
“No thanks.”
Holding a container of steaming rice and chicken in one hand and silverware in the other, Sophie went to her office. I followed her.
“Mind if I close this?” I asked, my hand on the door.
“Go right ahead.”
I closed the door and sat down while Sophie sifted through the rice with a fork. I thought carefully before I spoke, knowing any wrong word would shut Sophie off from me for good. “So,” I began, “remember how you told me that my mother was too trusting? That she let people into her life too easily?”
Sophie mumbled an “Uh-huh” through a bite.
“I don’t remember much about my mother, but from everything my father said about her she was trusting, but she wasn’t stupid. She always tried to do the right thing. I’m sure you knew that my parents also moved around a lot.”
Sophie put her fork down and stared at me. I couldn’t tell by her blank expression if she was angry or just sim
ply listening intently. I continued, “It took some time for Lander to scheme his way into their lives. My parents were manipulated. It could’ve happened to anyone, even another Aura.”
Sophie shifted her position in the chair. More upright. “I don’t know about that.”
“Sophie, do you trust me?”
She didn’t say anything, but her lips tightened and twisted like she was having a really hard time coming up with an answer.
I rolled my eyes. “Come on, Sophie. Do you think I would ever do anything to purposely hurt you or your reputation?”
“Of course not, but sometimes I think you can be impulsive. And when you’re impulsive, you unknowingly hurt those around you.”
I shook my head, realizing I was about to get into a debate I didn’t want to have. “Look, I just need to know that you’ll believe what I’m about to tell you. I have no reason to make it up.”
“How about you start telling me what’s going on, and we’ll go from there, okay?”
I took a deep breath. On my exhale, I began telling her about the pills. This conversation led into Cyrus and his assistant and how they were Vykens. I ignored Sophie’s skeptical expression, and even her occasional smile, and kept talking even though she tried to stop me several times. I told her about how they were taking our blood and selling it to Vykens, and how they’d kidnapped Tessa. And finally I ended by telling her about the attack on the school sometime in the next few days. The only thing I didn’t tell her about was the Shadow. Resolve one problem at a time. “What I need you to do, Aunt Sophie, is tell all the girls to go home for the rest of the week. They can’t be here. It’s not safe.” Finally, I was quiet.
Sophie leaned back in her chair. She said nothing for almost a full minute. I opened my mouth to say something else, maybe she needed more convincing, but she stopped me. “That’s quite a story you’ve told,” she said. “Do you have any proof?”
I thought for a moment. “I’d show you the blood bags that have been replaced with Vyken blood, but because you’ve been taking the pills, you won’t be able to tell the difference. I guess I could have you talk to Liam, but you might think he’s lying. Same with May and Kiera.”
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