Into the Fire

by Cheree Alsop

  ***

  The worry on Alana’s face erased when we walked into her room.

  “Dr. Ray said you were on a mission,” she said. “I was so worried!”

  I sat by her bed and took her hand in my wrapped one. “We were safe enough, and I think we found something that might give us the link for the robberies.”

  “I’m glad,” she replied. The frailty of her body was countered by the life in her beautiful gaze. The relief in her smile filled me with joy. It was so good to see her recovering. Her fingers traced the back of my hand and warmth rushed up my arm.

  A girl with long brown hair and dark brown eyes appeared at the door. The smile that spread across Kale’s face softened his features and filled his eyes with warmth. He wrapped her in a hug. She held onto him for a moment, then stepped back and gave him a searching look. “I thought it was supposed to be a quiet bust,” she said. She reached up and gently touched his forehead. He had wiped away the blood before we entered Alana’s room, but the goose egg forming at his hairline was obvious.

  He smiled. “Nothing we couldn’t handle.” He turned to us. “Alana, I understand that you and Brie are already acquainted.”

  The girls exchanged warm smiles in answer to his question. “We are,” Brie replied.

  Kale looked pleased at that. He nodded at me. “Saro, this is my girlfriend Brie.”

  I held out my hand, but Kale caught it before she could shake it. “Saro, you need to get this looked at.” I followed his gaze to my palm. When I removed the gauze to open the safe, the burns had been exposed to the fighting. All the blisters had burst, and blood showed in places where the chair leg I had driven into the Galdoni’s thigh had left splinters in the skin. With the adrenaline fading from my body, the sting of the exposed wounds was growing.

  “I’ll rewrap it.”

  Kale shook his head. “You can’t risk an infection.” He pushed a button near Alana’s bed. A beep sounded, followed by a woman’s voice. “Can I help you?”

  “Please send Dr. Ray to room 32,” Kale said.

  “Right away,” the woman replied.

  Brie smiled at the look on my face. “Don’t be fooled; Kale was just as stubborn when he was a patient.”

  Kale snorted, but couldn’t hide the smile that appeared at her teasing. He put an arm around her shoulder. “You’re just lucky I couldn’t fly away.”

  She grinned and leaned against him. “Yes, I was.”

  He dipped his head and gave her a kiss. His dark wings rose, shielding them from our view. I glanced at Alana. She grinned up at me. “They’re cute,” she whispered.

  Kale’s wings lowered. “Sorry; I couldn’t help myself. Should we leave so we don’t subject these two to our mushiness?”

  “Yes,” I replied with a smile even though he had directed the statement to Brie.

  Kale laughed. “You get that hand taken care of.”

  “I will,” I replied.

  They left out the door arm in arm, one of Kale’s wings wrapped around Brie’s shoulder.

  A smile lingered on Alana’s face. “I sure like them.”

  I nodded. “I do, too.”

  Her eyebrows rose. “What? Saro, my fierce protector, actually likes someone?”

  I sat down in the chair near her bed. “Believe it or not, I think I have friends here, if only a few.”

  She nodded at that. “I’ve been making friends, too. Brie visits me during the day and the rest of the staff have been making sure I’m comfortable.” A slight blush spread across her cheeks as though the thought of others caring about her made her embarrassed.

  Seeing her so happy brought a smile to my face. “I’m so glad you’re making friends. How have you been feeling?”

  “Just what I was going to ask,” Dr. Ray said, walking through the door.

  Alana smiled at him. “Better, thank you. It’s easier to breathe, and I’ve kept a few bites of food down.”

  “I’m glad to hear that,” Dr. Ray replied. He glanced at me. “Does that mean you’re the reason I’m needed?” I held up my hand without a word. He took one look at it and shook his head. “I shouldn’t be surprised. I’ve worked with enough Galdoni to know you guys seem to have no sense of self-preservation despite what everyone keeps telling me about your survival instincts.” He grabbed supplies from a cupboard and pulled the little rolling table over. “Let’s see your hand.”

  I gritted my teeth as he removed the damaged skin from the blisters before working on the splinters. Alana’s fingers traced patterns on my other arm, distracting me from the pain. I shot her a smile. The answering one that spread across her face lit her eyes.

  “Done.”

  I glanced down in surprise to see my hand wrapped in gauze again. “You’re getting faster,” I noted.

  He chuckled. “Perk of the job. You take care of those hands. You might need them someday,” he concluded with a wink. He rose and paused at the door. “Both of you get some sleep. Alana needs to rest so she’ll heal, and Saro you look exhausted.”

  We listened to his footsteps fade down the hall. Alana’s hand gave a little twitch. I looked down to see her open her eyes again. She gave an apologetic smile. “Sorry; I guess I am a little tired.”

  Empathy filled my heart. “You should rest. You’ve been through so much.”

  “You, too,” she replied. She reached up and set a hand softly on my cheek. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you, Saro.”

  I covered her hand with mine. She gave a small smile before her eyes closed and her breathing slowed. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you, Alana,” I whispered. I set her hand gently by her side and rose.

  Despite Dr. Ray’s analysis, I couldn’t sleep. Thoughts of the fight with the Galdoni played over and over in my mind. I sat on the couch and willed my heartbeat to slow, but memories of punches refused to go away. I replayed everything over again, including watching Kale take down the three Galdoni without help. I realized with a start how much I had enjoyed fighting, how much I had missed it. I rose and walked to the door. The window across the hall showed the first glimmers of sunrise. I wandered to the stairs.

  It bothered me how much I relished taking down the other Galdoni. Despite the year and a half away from the Academy, my body remembered its training. Fighting was easy, familiar. I was good at it.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  I opened the door to the balcony and spread my wings. Despite Skylar’s reassurances about elevators, I felt much better with nothing but the air between me and the ground. I stepped to the edge and jumped.

  Wind washed past me, beckoning me to join its carefree flight around the Galdoni Center. I tipped my wings, obeying its call. I circled higher, pushing my wings down and gathering wind beneath my feathers. It was amazing to soar so free, no chains, no walls, nothing between me and the limitless horizon. I still relished the feeling of my freedom. A laugh surprised me, breaking from my chest as I topped the Center and landed on the roof.

  “It’s nice to see you so happy.”

  I spun.

  Skylar put up her hands. “Just me,” she said, her light blue eyes sparkling. “I’m not much of a threat.”

  “You sure about that?” I asked.

  She looked up at me, her red and black hair falling away from her face as she studied me to see if I was serious. “Am I a threat?” she asked.

  I smiled. I couldn’t help it. She tried to look fierce, but the glimmer in her eyes and her clenched jaw combined with her tiny frame was laughable. I was about to say so, to tell her how even a fly wouldn’t be afraid; yet there was something in the depths of her gaze. It held me, beckoned me. I took a step closer. My hand moved of its own volition, cupping her cheek. I wished I could feel her soft skin without the bandages.

  “You’re beautiful,” I whispered. “And so therefore, a threat.”

  A slight smile lifted one corner of her mouth as though she was afraid to let it go any further. She looked like she didn’t believe my words, though
she very much wanted to. Her eyes traced my face; I felt the brush of her gaze along my skin as if it was her fingers. Warmth flooded my chest.

  “Did you hit your face on something?” she asked, her focus lingering on my forehead.

  I touched it with my hand. The area was sensitive. I couldn’t remember taking a hit; it must have been when I slammed into the desk. “Just another day at the office,” I said.

  She shook her head. “I guess my office is a bit less violent than yours.” The reflection in her eyes changed as she looked past me to the sunrise. Her brown irises filled with golden light.

  The rising sun blanketed my wings with warmth. I turned, and was rewarded with the rosy shades of dawn. Clouds blanketed the sky, and the sunrise basked the edges in gold so bright anything that called itself the color paled in comparison.

  “Looks like rain,” Skylar noted; her tone indicated she looked forward to it.

  “Need a lift home?” I asked.

  She looked up at me. “I can take the bus.” She hesitated and I could see the thoughts in her eyes. She looked as though she wasn’t going to speak, then she blurted, “Do you want to go somewhere with me?” She dropped her eyes as if I had already said no.

  The thought of leaving Alana after she had just woken up filled me with guilt, yet something told me Skylar didn’t leave herself vulnerable often. She looked as though she wished she had never said anything.

  “It’s alright,” she said. “I should probably go home anyway. I don’t want Mom to worry and—”

  “I’d like to,” I replied.

  She smiled and fell quiet.

  “Let me just make sure Alana’s alright. I’ll be back.” I jumped off the roof. I could feel Skylar’s eyes on me as I circled around the building once with my wings pulled close to make my descent quicker. I opened them at the third floor and landed on the balcony. I glanced up just in time to see Skylar’s face disappear above. The glimpse made me smile.

  I shut the door behind me and walked up the hall toward Alana’s room. Guilt filled me. Alana was healing from a bullet wound she received saving me. I should be at her side, not off with Skylar. The thought gripped my heart tight. I wanted to be there for Alana, yet another part of me wished to fly with Skylar again, to see the world from her point of view, to feel like I was a part of something simpler and lighter than the path my life had taken.

  I was about to walk into Alana’s room, expecting to find her asleep, when voices stopped me. I paused outside her door.

  “That’s when I realized kissing Janice wasn’t such a good idea.”

  Alana laughed, the lighthearted, happy sound I remembered from the basement of Jake’s apartment complex.

  “Sounds like you were lucky,” she replied.

  “Lucky Kale was on my side,” the male voice agreed. “He definitely saved me from a beating.”

  “Wouldn’t your friends have protected you?”

  He chuckled. “Brie felt like I deserved it and Nikko’s not much of a fighter. He’s more the brainiac type. Takes after his dad.”

  “Dr. Ray is wonderful,” Alana said.

  I stepped close enough to the door to peer inside. The sight of Jayce sitting on the chair beside Alana sent a surge of mixed emotions through my chest. I walked back to the balcony and jumped off. I flew for a few minutes, trying to school my face to be expressionless. When I landed on the roof, however, I must not have done a good job.

  “What’s up?” Skylar asked.

  My trust issues made perfect sense to me. Give someone insight into your soul, and it leaves you open for attack. Yet I had seen the same thing on Skylar’s face when she asked if I wanted to go somewhere with her. Trusting my thoughts to a human didn’t seem like the best idea, but the emotions that warred inside of me were enough to drive anyone mad, let alone a Galdoni who was probably already there.

  “What do you know about Jayce?”

  Surprise showed on Skylar’s face. “Jayce Johnson? What about him?”

  I shrugged, already regretting my question. “Never mind.”

  I turned away, but she set a hand on my arm. “What is it, Saro?”

  The sound of my name from her lips sent a little thrill through my heart. I let out a slow breath, willing my thoughts to calm. “I, uh. . . .” I decided to stop stalling and just let the words rush out. “Jayce is talking to Alana in her room and I’m not sure how I feel about it.” I felt stupid as soon as the sentence left my lips. I leaned against the railing and focused my attention on the buildings in the distance to distract myself from whatever Skylar would say.

  She surprised me. There was no laughter or derision. Instead, she said, “Jayce is a good guy. He was kind-of a lady’s man at school, at least from what I saw before I left, but he’s always been polite and respectful. It’s the guys that don’t like him.”

  “Because he took their girls,” I guessed. Her words made the conversation I had overheard make sense.

  “Did he take your girl?” Skylar asked quietly, her gaze also on the buildings lit by the rising sun. There was a tone to her words I didn’t recognize. It was subtle, but contained a hint of sadness or remorse. It didn’t make sense to me.

  I hesitated, then shook my head. “She’s not my girl.” My heart twisted as though admitting as much took something from me. I gave a humorless smile. “I’m not exactly relationship material.”

  A small laugh left Skylar’s lips, though it wasn’t funny. The sound caught my attention. “What?”

  She shrugged, a small lift of her shoulders. “That’s something I’m used to being told from the guys I’ve dated.”

  The admission surprised me. I glanced at her. “You’re not relationship material?”

  She nodded. Red showed on her cheeks, letting me know how much the words had cost her to confess. Her eyes flitted to mine, then back to the glowing horizon.

  Resolve solidified in my chest. “What did you want to show me?”

  She turned. “You sure you want to see?”

  A true smile spread across my face. “If it’s important to you, it’s important to me.”

  The answering smile that met my words stole my thoughts. I could only watch her, entranced by her lips and the way they pursed together slightly when she smiled. “We can fly or take a bus.”

  I snorted. “Why ride when you can fly?”

  The joy that lit her face told me she had been hoping I would say exactly that. It filled me with amazement that something I said could bring such an emotion to someone else. I wanted to laugh and run away at the same time. I was getting too involved. My instincts said to back off, while my heart urged me closer.

  “You look concerned. Is it something I said?” Skylar asked.

  I shook my head. “You confuse me.” I regretted the words the instant they left my mouth.

  Hurt touched Skylar’s light blue eyes as if I had cut her deeply with a knife. I had never seen the pain of words on someone else’s face. She turned away.

  “Skylar.” I grabbed her arm with my gauzed hand. My grip was gentle, but the pressure to my recently debrided skin sent pain shooting up my arm. I let go with a quick intake of breath. Skylar turned at the sound. “I didn’t mean it like that,” I rushed to explain. “I just, I. . . .” I let out a sigh. “I’m not good with people. Half of me feels like I should leave before I get close to someone just to watch them die, and the other half says to stay because every moment is precious and I might not get another.”

  Skylar’s eyes searched mine. I didn’t know what it was about her that brought me to my knees. I was unable to hide my thoughts; hiding them had always kept me safe. Something about her made me completely honest and vulnerable.

  “You watched someone you were close to die?”

  The empathy in her words gripped my heart, forcing the answer from me even though I didn’t want to say it. I lowered my head. “At the Academy, we have no friends. At least, we weren’t supposed to. But I had a friend. Only one. The only person I ever allowed
myself to care about.”

  “What happened?” Skylar asked quietly.

  I met her gaze. “I killed him. We fought with katanas and I had an opening. We were taught to never hesitate.” I blinked. “I’ve wished from that day on that I did hesitate, and I never let myself care about anyone after that because it hurt too bad to see them die.”

  I couldn’t look away. The sorrow in Skylar’s eyes matched the pain in my heart so completely it softened the edges of my agony.

  “How old were you?”

  “Six.”

  Skylar’s voice was barely a whisper when she said, “You haven’t had a friend since you were six?”

  I shook my head, then hesitated. “There was Alana.”

  She nodded. “You blame yourself for her getting shot. That’s why you’re here,” she said as though that explained something she had wondered.

  “It was my fault,” I replied. The bitterness in my voice was nothing compared to the guilt and shame that filled me. “If I hadn’t burned that house, she wouldn’t have been in danger from Jake.” The voice in the back of my mind reminded me that she would also still be trapped in the female Galdoni ring without hope of escape. I wondered if she would choose getting shot.

  Skylar tipped her head and looked at me through her black and red hair. “Since Dad died, I lost all my friends. It was my own fault. I shut them out because they couldn’t understand the pain I was going through. I felt like he didn’t deserve to die. I shouldn’t be happy if he’s dead.” She let out a slow breath. “I felt like it should have been me instead of him.”

  She covered her mouth when she laughed because she felt guilty. The thought struck me hard. It put my pain and guilt in a different light, a light I wasn’t quite ready to see it in.

  “Let’s fly,” I said.

  Surprised by my change of topic, Skylar’s mouth twisted into a wry smile. “Running away?”

  I nodded. “As fast as I possibly can, and you’re coming with me.”

  She laughed. Her hand moved toward her mouth, then paused in the air. She dropped it back to her side and nodded. “I’d like that.”