Inner Demons

by Amanda Strong

  I gaped at Blake. Natural born? Did that mean the Irukas could actually have children? That some of them were born that way?

  I was dying to ask, but Blake had walked over to the closest window. Gazing out, he said, “Well, if Kory recruited the Irukas, we know at least one thing now.” We waited as he continued to stare out. “Kory’s operation is surrounded by water. Probably a remote island somewhere.”

  “And probably in the Pacific Ocean,” I offered. “I mean, I’m guessing he wouldn’t want them to have to swim across the world.” As I said it, I wondered just how far they did go. Were there Irukas all over?

  Galina nodded back at me. “You’re probably right, Samantha. The Irukas don’t care for long-distance swimming. Most of them have remained relatively close.”

  As Blake and Mack agreed with Galina, I inhaled. So far, nothing had pointed a finger at Sammy. Maybe all of my paranoia over her was really nothing. I mean, I had no hard evidence she’d done anything other than change me. Kate being gone and the ancients’ disappearance could really all just be Kory’s doing. Even the strain between Jocelyn could just be normal sibling stuff. For all I know, she’s on too strict of a diet and it’s making her cranky.

  I let my wings relax and fall flat as the tension worked its way out of my shoulders. Everything’s going to be fine. Kory’s the bad guy, not me.

  Galina glanced over at me. “You know, Samantha, now that I’m getting a better look at you, you seem familiar.” She frowned in concentration. “Have we met before?”

  Her words sent a jolt through me. My wings tensed as all my inner peace shattered.

  Chapter 13

  Fire raced across my cheeks as I stuttered to respond, “No, I don’t think so.” Really, I was trying not to hyperventilate.

  “Hmm, I’m usually pretty good with faces. You must just remind of someone,” Galina said with a shrug, dismissing the thought as fast as it had come, but it wasn’t over for me.

  Everything inside me screamed to leave this place, now. I exhaled slowly, trying to still my fluttering wings. Luckily, Galina didn’t seem to notice my agitation. I glanced up to meet Blake’s gaze, positive I’d see anger, betrayal, or even revulsion written there. Finally, he will realize I’m really part monster. That Sammy is a wicked part of me that I can’t get away from. Here’s the proof she’s still messing with us all.

  Instead, I saw concern, and perhaps a bit of surprise. Maybe deep down, he hadn’t believed Sammy had anything to do with this. Guess we both know otherwise now.

  I bit my lip as he walked over to me, holding out a glass of water. One I hadn’t even noticed until it was inches from my face.

  “Here, why don’t you take a drink?” he offered. I could hear the worry in his tone as I took the glass from him. Guess he thinks hydrating will help. Really, I wanted to vomit. The truth of the situation felt like a billboard plastered to my forehead. Sammy’s been here!

  I tried to wrap my head around the possibilities. The only time I could see that being possible was during the small slice of time between Tonbo’s theater and Jaxon’s cave. Perhaps Galina had seen Sammy when she’d come to scope out Alek for Kory? Or had Sammy come on her own? Maybe to warn Alek? I could only hope the latter.

  Blake continued talking with Galina, asking how things were going on the island. I couldn’t really focus on their words. I just wanted to leave before Galina put two and two together and directed her fury at me. I glanced up to see Mack staring at me. He’d been sitting on the couch opposite of me. Catching my gaze, he offered me a grin.

  He mouthed the words, “It’s going to be okay.”

  I tried to smile back at him, but my lips stuck to my teeth. I finished my glass of water instead. Thankfully, we didn’t stay with Galina too much longer. We’d gotten what we’d come for. After a quick farewell, we left the small home.

  Blake immediately pulled me into his arms as soon as we’d taken off. I didn’t fight him, letting my wings realign their flight pattern to match his. It was still strange to me, how quickly my body adapted to his. I didn’t even have to think about what I was doing.

  “I was afraid you were about to fly through her roof back there,” Blake said, his arms not letting me go. He gave me a crooked grin.

  I knew he was trying to make light of what we’d just learned, and I tried to take comfort in his arms, but I could only frown.

  Like he sensed my need, he held me tighter. “Don’t worry, just because she thought she knew you doesn’t mean—”

  “That Sammy’s been there?” I cut in in disbelief. I stopped flying, forcing him to stop too. Pushing back on his chest, I looked him in the eyes. “Blake. Yes. It. Does. You’re the one who came up with this idea in the first place. And now we have the proof.”

  Mack stopped next to us, hovering as well. “I’m afraid she’s right, Blake,” he said. “Looks like Sammy was up to something after all. You’d think with how much time I spent with her, I’d know her better, but she still blindsides me.”

  “Trust me, I know the feeling,” I grumbled. I hated that Sammy’s actions felt like a reflection of me. I mean, it’s my body she’s using to orchestrate her crazy schemes. Doesn’t that make me somehow responsible?

  “Very true,” Mack said, giving me a sad smile. “So how do we find out what she was up to? I still have a hard time believing she would deliberately help Kory form a bug army. I mean, why would Kory need her anyway? He had the ancients, the next best thing to Tonbo himself. Unless…”

  “Unless what?” I demanded.

  The glare Blake directed at Mack seemed to be saying the same thing.

  “Well,” Mack said, his face flushing. “Sammy was… innovative. I know you question her motives, and frankly, so do I, but either way, her mind’s still brilliant. What she did to you—” He stopped.

  I reached over and touched Mack’s arm, a gesture that brought a frown to Blake’s lips. Forgiving Mack was one thing; it didn’t mean any of us liked what Kate, Sammy, and he had done to me. I swallowed, trying not to let my own emotions take over. I had to be strong right now, not show how conflicted I felt at the moment.

  “What she did to my serum was unique, I know,” I said, finishing his thought. “So much so that Tonbo wants to study me.” My throat closed up, my words fading. So much for being strong. Really, I felt like some kind of test tube. Everyone wanted to know what Sammy did to me—me most of all.

  Mack’s eyes shifted downward, and Blake frowned.

  I cleared my throat. “It’s okay; I know what you were trying to say. You think Kory wanted Sammy’s help. Maybe he thought she could figure out how to control the creatures, since he’d failed with Jaxon.” At the mere mention of his brother, Blake flinched.

  No one said anything for a moment. I ran my hands up and down my arms, feeling a sudden chill.

  “One thing I can’t figure out is,” I said, “what’s in it for Sammy? So far the one thing I know about her is she’s out for no one but herself.”

  Mack went to argue, but Blake’s hard stare silenced him. I tried to be empathetic. I knew on some level Mack still had feelings for Sammy, but Blake held nothing but contempt for her, which left me in a befuddled mess on how I felt about it all. I mean, Sammy was still a part of me. I felt ashamed of my other half, wanting to hide it from Blake, afraid he wouldn’t love me for what I really was inside.

  Blake surprised me by actually answering my question. “Maybe a few more stops today will help answer that, Sam.” I glanced over, and his gaze softened. “Are you up for it?”

  I nodded, even though my insides screamed, No. As much as I was dying to know what Sammy had been up to, I was scared I wouldn’t like the answer, and even more terrified Blake wouldn’t either.

  Blake scooped my hand up into his, giving me a crooked grin. “Okay, let’s do this, then.”

  * * *

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  * * *

  A few hours later, we’d visited with over a dozen different ancie
nts. Out of those, a few more recognized me, but they couldn’t remember from where. No one looked familiar to me, and we didn’t learn anything to help us know why Sammy had been around the Outskirts in the first place.

  Frustrated and exhausted, I was happy to hear this last island would be it. The sun was hanging low in the horizon, and even the brilliant colors streaking across the sky, mirrored by the water below, didn’t lift the heaviness settling over my chest.

  As we approached the shoreline, I could make out taller buildings. Coming in closer, I made out the boardwalk and the busy streets. Ancients were out and about here. As my feet landed on the sandy beach, I decided of all the islands we’d been to today, this one reminded me the most of City.

  We walked a short pace, entering a street full of busy ancients. I glanced around, taking them in. From what I’d seen today, I couldn’t understand why Mack and Blake kept warning me to not wander off by myself. The ancients didn’t seem much different from the other dragons and damsels. They were older in years, and their wings tended to be larger and brighter than ours, but I didn’t see why that suddenly made them dangerous.

  Blake gestured to the tallest building. “Let’s start there.”

  “What’s that place?” I asked.

  “The Science Center. If anything would’ve drawn Sammy in, it’d be that,” Mack answered.

  Seemed logical enough. Blake held the glass door open for me and added, “Plus, this is where the biochemist who disappeared worked. Can’t hurt to poke around here a bit.”

  I nodded and ducked through the door into the building’s lobby. The moment my feet hit the tiled floor, Déjà vu washed over me. I glanced down at the large, square tiles below my feet. Nothing about them jumped out at me, but something about this place did.

  I grabbed Blake’s arm. “I think I… Sammy’s been here before,” I whispered, almost afraid my own voice would burst the bubble of familiarity I was in.

  His eyes widened, and he took a quick glance around. There was an information desk in front of us with an elderly Ancient manning the station. Small in stature, the Ancient’s long, white hair and oversized, brilliant gold wings were all I could stare at. He reminded me of an angel, if angels had bug-like wings instead of the feathered ones often depicted in art.

  Mack made a move toward the desk, quickly introducing us. Although, by the way his blue eyes kept darting toward Blake, I had a hunch he already knew who he was at least.

  Blake gazed at the ancient for a moment, and then said, “I think we’ve met before… a long time ago when Tonbo was showing me around the Outskirts.”

  The Ancient smiled, obviously pleased Blake had taken notice of him.

  “Tom… Tomas, right?” Blake asked.

  Now the grin was ear to ear. Tomas bobbed his head up and down, his hair bouncing on his shoulders.

  “Yes, sir.” Tomas outstretched his hand to Blake. “A pleasure seeing you again, young master.”

  Blake firmly shook his hand. “Pleasure’s all mine. Tonbo wanted us to come check on things,” he casually added. “Make sure there haven’t been any more problems after the latest disappearance.”

  “Oh, you’ve heard then, have you?” Tomas asked. “Such bizarre business. We’ve lived on these islands without any mishap for years. If you ask me, it’s the Irukas leaving that started all this.”

  “You could be right,” Blake answered. “Maybe you can fill us in with what happened to Otto, Tomas. Tonbo told me it wasn’t that long ago that he disappeared.”

  Tomas’s bare shoulders sagged a bit, revealing just how fragile the Ancient was.

  “Otto was one of the finest biochemists I’ve known. A kind, generous Ancient if there ever was one,” Tomas sadly said. “I’d be happy to help if I can.” Scratching at his clean-shaven chin, Tomas turned his attention to me. His brows gathered, and then he snapped his finger, making me jump.

  “Speaking of Otto, I know now why you look so familiar to me,” he announced.

  “Oh, really?” I asked, trying to mask a stifled gasp. This was different from Galina or the other ancients vague recollections. Tomas actually remembers me! My knees had turned to jelly as I waited for him to go on. What if he said something awful? Should I bolt while I still could? This is why we’re here, I reminded myself. I could feel how tense Blake’s body had become next to mine. Mack shifted his weight.

  “Yes,” Tomas said, not seeming to notice our tension. “You came to see Otto a few months ago. You spent some time in his office. I only remember this because Otto had commented on your brilliant mind after you’d left.” Tomas smiled at me, pleased with recalling a memory. At his age, that was probably a feat. “And we don’t get a lot of young visitors,” he added with a shrug.

  I tried to smile; at least, I hoped he believed it was a genuine one. Keeping the panic from creeping into my voice, I said, “Wow, I’m impressed. You have an incredible memory, Tomas.”

  Tomas nodded, accepting the compliment. Deciding he seemed to think Sammy’s visit was amiable, I pushed it further.

  “It made me so sad to hear of Otto’s disappearance,” I commented. “That’s why I asked Blake and Mack if I could tagalong. Since we talked about so many things while I was here, I was hoping I could help in finding him somehow. We had such a nice time that day, but maybe Otto told you about that too.” I forced myself to give a little chuckle. It sounded ridiculous to my own ears.

  Tomas nodded in agreement. “Sounded like it from what I recall. Like I said, we don’t get visitors to these parts often. The Irukas are very good at weeding out the unwanted, but sometimes, I wonder if they just keep everybody from coming here, dragons and damsels included.”

  “Isn’t that what the ancients want, though?” I asked softly, hoping not to offend him. “To be left alone?”

  Tomas shrugged. “Most feel that nothing but Tonbo’s creations are worth their time, that the outside world is pure evil. Some even go as far to believe Tonbo’s newer generations are too wild for their tastes.”

  So in other words, the ancients are a bunch of elitists. I wanted to say. How does that differ from Kory believing we’re the superior race? One big difference popped into my mind right away. At least with the ancients, they wanted to be left alone, in isolation. Not hurting or bothering anyone else. Kory, on the other hand, did not. He’s building an army for that very reason.

  “Otto didn’t agree with all that. It was why he was willing to see you that day. You are obviously not one of us.” Tomas gave me a lopsided grin. I detected no contempt in it. “I think we miss out by being so separate, if you ask me.” He glanced at Blake. As if remembering himself, he added, “Of course, the ancients always love seeing Tonbo and you.”

  Blake smiled, but I could tell it was strained. I think I’m beginning to see why Blake isn’t jumping up and down to take over. The ancients were extremists, the Irukas were an entirely different group with unique needs to be met, and then on top of it all, Kory was the loose cannon running between everyone causing mayhem.

  “Thanks, Tomas,” Blake said. “We were wondering if we might check out Otto’s office while we are here.”

  Tomas nodded. “Of course, Blake. Anything I can do to help. Although, he wasn’t taken in his office. He’d been down by the beach.”

  “That’s what we heard,” Blake said. Blake kept a steady conversation going with Tomas the entire way up to Otto’s office. Asking him questions about different Ancient’s health, general island conditions, etc… I had a hard time paying attention to what they were saying. Knowing Sammy had been here made me want to drink in my surroundings. I hoped something would spark a memory, but other than the lobby, nothing felt familiar.

  Unlike, Tonbo’s office, this building didn’t have an open lobby to the upper levels. It had an elevator. Climbing inside, I wondered if that was because the ancients were sometimes too old to fly. Tomas pressed number four, and the doors slid shut. I tried not to bump my wings into him as I stepped back next to Blake. Blake g
ave me a grin, slipping his hand into mine.

  Tomas noticed this and his eyebrows shot up, but he didn’t say anything. Guess Blake’s love-life gossip doesn’t make it to the Outskirts. When the elevator stopped and opened, he ushered us down the hall.

  I didn’t need to be told which one was Otto’s office; I recognized it immediately. The wooden door leading into it wasn’t an average door—a hand-carved dragonfly spanned across it. Not the type of thing you don’t notice. As Tomas opened it up, I thought, Sammy obviously did.

  Chapter 14

  The office, though vaguely familiar feeling, didn’t bring the onslaught of memories I’d hoped for. Fifteen minutes later, I rifled through Otto’s desk drawers, frustrated and hoping to find something helpful. I was glad Tomas had the decency to leave us alone. We didn’t waste time, each of us finding some corner to inspect.

  The office wasn’t overly decorative. No family pictures hung on the walls. A large desk, several filing cabinets, and a few chairs to sit on were about it. Not even a computer or laptop to pry through. I knew we weren’t necessarily looking for clues to who took him. We all guessed it was Kory still, but I still hoped to glean why Sammy had been here.

  Sighing, I tugged another drawer open. The contents shifted haphazardly within. Papers, pens, unopened mail. Nothing looked familiar. Nothing looked helpful. I growled and shoved it shut.

  Blake, who’d been going through one of the filing cabinet drawers, glanced over at me. “Everything okay over there?” he lightly asked.

  Mack, who’d been pouring over another filing cabinet, didn’t even glance up as Blake made his way over to me.

  “Just wish there was something here to help me remember,” I grumbled. “I mean, was Sammy here to warn Otto? Or was she here to stage the abduction?”

  “Maybe not finding anything means she was here to help,” Blake offered. I knew he was just trying to reassure me. He, of all people, tended to think the worst of Sammy. I wished I could accept his statement at face value and leave it alone. Deep down, I sensed my quest for knowing was going to end badly.