“Reece, I know you can hear me. I’m not sure what’s going on, but you need snap out of this. We’re all really worried about you,” she stated, surprising herself at how mature she sounded. Everyone else in the room faded away.
Reece didn’t respond but his eyes, now black as soot, stared intensely back at her. She felt his fingers tingle under her own as if he was trying to regain control.
“That’s it Reece, you can do it,” she encouraged.
“Lily?” Reece finally spoke, his voice sounding muffled, almost as if he was underwater.
“I’m here. Come on, come back to me . . . us,” she corrected.
Reece’s head rolled back and his body contorted in pain, his hands clenched into fists, squeezing Lily’s hand as well. She winced slightly as the pain set in, but it only lasted briefly as Reece began regaining control of himself. She noticed his eyes begin to shift back to the calming blue she had been captivated by when they first met.
Reece’s body suddenly collapsed to the floor and he began rubbing his head. Lily forced herself to back up, as she now had no idea how to make the flames swirling around herself disappear. She didn’t want to burn anyone and was starting to feel the panic set in—now that Reece was ok. She had finally started to come to terms with the fact that she was not normal. She felt her breathing become labored and her heart was pounding in her chest.
“It’s okay Lily, I can help you.” Reece was now standing in front of her. She looked around the room and saw a mixture of concern and pride on everyone’s faces. Lily forced herself to look back at Reece and managed to nod her head.
“Good, ok, first I want you to take a deep breath. Focus on that; focus on your breathing. Feel the air go in and drive it out of your lungs.”
She did as he instructed. Deep breath in and out.
“That’s it, good. Now I want you to close your eyes and imagine a giant blanket wrapping around yourself. Imagine the blanket suffocating the flames, enveloping you in security, and concealing the fire burning within you.”
Lily was amazed at how well his words worked for her. With her eyes closed she felt the fire inside her slowly dwindle down. She pictured the soft gray fabric of the blanket her mother used to swaddle her in after she had woken up from a bad dream. Her mother’s face popped into her mind, her soft green eyes shrouded in love. And then just like that, the flames were gone and she was left falling to the floor. Strong arms enveloped her before she hit the hard surface, and once again, she was looking into those inviting pools of blue that were Reece’s eyes.
“What just happened?” Lily asked.
“I think it’s time we had that talk now.” Reece smiled. “But first . . . thank you.”
“I’m not even sure what I did, or how, for that matter.” she chuckled nervously.
“You extinguished the fire that had engulfed me and replaced it with something new . . . something I’ve never felt before,” Reece stated, as he drew his face closer to hers.
Aiden cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah so we’re still here.”
Reece shot him a dirty look and helped Lily to her feet. Leo wrapped his arms around his sister, hugging her tight.
Truth
Captain Benson was the first to speak, “Aiden call your parents, we need to run some tests on this marvelous creature.” He smiled with pride.
“Sir, with all due respect, I think we need to get going if we are to be successful at our mission,” Reece stated.
“You will take the girl—”
“Lily,” Reece interrupted.
The Captain glared at him, but Reece didn’t flinch. “Of course, my apologies. You will take Miss Lily for testing as you have been instructed. I will meet with the League and fill them in on this new development. There is great potential here. This has been a productive visit.”
Leo kept a hold on his sister who looked as if she would faint at any moment. Lily looked up and gave him a weak smile; he knew she was trying to set him at ease. His tension was obvious. There is so much he wanted to reveal to her but he couldn’t bring himself to crush her world . . . not now. No, he would need to keep his secret a little longer. One thing he did know for sure; he needed to avoid these blood tests.
The Captain departed within the hour. Aiden was calling his parents to fill them in. Reece had taken Lily upstairs to rest and Nate and Sam were making their travel plans. Leo crept into the extra room and honed in on Aiden’s conversation.
“Hey Mom,” Aiden said softly. “Yeah I’ve been accepted, Captain Benson just left. Listen Mom; the League is ordering some tests be run on Lily. It appears she has some unusual abilities.” There was a pause; Leo moved closer trying to hear every detail. “What do you mean, why can’t I bring her? Yes, yes Father I understand, I’ll take care of it.” Leo heard the phone slam into the wall. He used that as an excuse to find out what happened.
“Everything ok?” Leo asked with his arms folded across his chest.
“Yeah, yeah everything is fine.” Aiden brushed past him out of the room.
Leo followed him into Lily’s room.
“Hey Lily Pad, how are you feeling?” Aiden sat down on the edge of the bed.
“I’m fine, Aiden . . . confused, but fine,” she replied, and glared at Reece.
“Right, I owe you an explanation . . . as promised.” He smiled. “You’re not human Lily. None of us are. We are unique. Our kind are known as Elementals. As I’m sure you have gathered, you can manipulate the elements. Nate is an Earth, Leo is an Air, Sam is . . . well Sam is different. He is what we call a Seer. He is able to get a glimpse into the future and help us on our missions.”
“Wait, you’re trying to tell me that, what? We’re all freaks of nature,” Lily interrupted.
“You are not a freak,” Aiden replied using his hand to force her chin toward him, his eyes penetrating hers.
Leo swatted Aiden’s hand away from his sister and casually slid in-between them, causing Aiden to fall with a thud to the floor. Aiden glared up at him but then calmly stood and took the chair at the far side of the room.
“Lily, Aiden is correct. You are not a freak, none of us are. Do you remember what you told me about your shower?” Lily nodded. “We thought you were a Water after that, and the incident with the pipes in the kitchen.”
“But after what you did for me back there, now we just don’t know what you are entirely.” Reece offered her a weak smile, while rubbing the back of his neck.
“So, what are you?” Lily asked.
“I am a Fire.” Reece replied.
“Among other things, right Reecey.” Aiden scoffed.
“What does that mean?” Lily asked.
“Nothing, don’t listen to him. I am a Fire and the leader of this team. The man you met earlier is Captain Benson, he is in charge of the Division in the League we belong to.”
“League?”
“I lied to you, Lily.” Leo turned his head toward the ground, refusing to meet his sister eyes. “We don’t work for a Law Firm and we don’t attend College. Sam, Nate, Reece and I are members of the S.E.A.L.”
“The Navy Seals?” Lily asked, trying to control the anger and the hurt she was feeling at her brother’s omission.
“No, not the Navy Lily. We are part of an organization—The Supernatural Elite Agents League. We go out and help keep order amongst the other Supernatural beings. Sort of like the police of our kind.”
“So, it’s okay for you to lie and sneak around doing dangerous shit behind my back! And it’s okay for you to make me feel like shit for keeping something from the one person in the world I’m supposed to be able to trust, but it’s not okay that I have a friend!” Lily yelled at her brother, punching him in the arm.
Leo shook his head. “I’m sorry, Lil. I hated lying to you, but I had to; you weren’t ready to hear the truth yet. And would you have even believed me if you hadn’t already experienced all of this?”
“No, no! That’s no excuse; you don’t get to blame any of this o
n me. You could have told me, Leo. You simply chose not to, you chose to keep me in the dark.”
“Lil,” Leo pleaded.
“Get out!” she screamed, causing the walls to rumble.
“Lily, please. We need to talk—” Leo felt tears stream down his face. He could feel the hurt his sister felt, and it was killing him.
“Out! All of you! Now!” Lily cut her brother off.
“Lily—” Leo started to beg but Reece stopped him.
“Come on Leo, let’s just give her some time. She’s been through a lot. Let her get some rest and we’ll discuss it in the morning, when we’ve all had time to calm down.”
Leo didn’t speak, he just nodded his head and quietly walked out of the room, his head hung low. Reece followed behind him, but stopped at the door to look back at Aiden still sitting in the chair.
“She said all of us Aiden, let’s go,” Reece stated.
“He can stay,” Lily said as Aiden started to stand. Aiden and Reece exchanged glances and then Reece nodded and shut the door. He wanted to demand that Aiden leave but he knew Lily needed someone to lean on right now, someone she trusted. As much as he wished that someone were him, he knew he needed to let her have that much right now.
“I hate him.” Lily sobbed into her hands.
Aiden calmly approached her and scooped her up into his arms. Allowing her to cry uncontrollably into his shirt, his hands slowly rubbing soothing circles on her back.
“It’s going to be ok, Lily Pad . . . I promise.” He soothed, placing a kiss to the top of her head.
“How could he lie to me, Aiden?” she asked between sobs.
“Give him a break, Lil. What was he supposed to say? Would you have really believed him if he came up to you and said ‘hey Sis guess what I can do?’” He chuckled, hoping to lighten the mood.
“This isn’t a joke, Aiden.” She frowned, finally starting to calm down.
Aiden reached up and wiped the tears streaming down her cheeks. “Look at me Lily Pad.” Lily looked up and met his eyes. “It’s going to be okay. You trust me?” he asked.
She nodded; Aiden lifted her chin and brought his lips gently down on hers. She froze for a second and then she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and pressed her lips onto his. This was so much more than a kiss; it was full of fear and trust, a mixture of lust and sadness. Lily had never looked at Aiden as more than a friend, but this kiss changed everything.
Escape
Reece had called a team meeting as soon as they exited Lily’s room. The four of them gathered downstairs in the kitchen. Leo sat with his elbows on the table, head in his hands. Nate and Sam sat at the other end of the table and Reece stood at the head of the table, hands propped on the back of a chair.
“Sam, you got any news for us?” Reece asked.
“I had a vision last night. It was dark, lots of trees. I couldn’t see where we were exactly, but you could feel the evil in the air. It was cold, it was just us four; I don’t know where Lily or Aiden were. Something attacked us from behind, it was strong; and for a split second I thought I saw . . .” Sam paused.
“Saw what?” Nate asked.
“Not what, who. I thought I saw Davarius.”
Leo lifted his head and Nate’s jaw dropped; the chair Reece was propped on fell to the floor.
“Impossible,” Reece stated with his jaw tight.
“I know it sounds impossible, Reece, but I’m more than ninety percent sure it was him I saw. I can’t explain it; it was like the darkness itself was holding us. Like we couldn’t escape it, it engulfed us,” Sam replied.
“Well then, we’re all screwed,” Nate said with a sigh.
“We have our mission, we leave in the morning for the town of Sorrow,” Reece replied, and stormed out the back door.
Sam, Nate and Leo were left staring at each other.
“Lily okay?” Nate asked.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Leo responded, shoving himself away from the table and leaving the room.
“Wanna play some Xbox?” Nate asked Sam. Sam laughed, and the two of them went into the extra room. Everyone was on edge the rest of the night.
Leo sulked in his room, holding one of the only family photos he had left. He really messed things up; his parents would be so disappointed in him. They gave him very specific instructions when they left the house that night. Lily must never know the truth. You must protect her and her identity at all cost, Leo. If he ever finds her, the world is doomed. He didn’t believe them at the time, the stories of Davarius were just that; stories. Hearing his name moments ago had brought everything he feared to the surface. He couldn’t tell the team what he knew, but what if they were his only chance at keeping Lily safe.
Upstairs, Lily had finally managed to stop crying; Aiden still held her firm in his arms. They hadn’t spoken since ending their passionate kiss.
“Lily Pad, I need to ask you something. But first I need to know that you trust me completely,” Aiden asked, tilting her chin back up.
“Of course I trust you, Aiden, you saved my life.” She smiled. “You’re the only person I do trust right now.”
“Good, because what I’m going to ask you to do is very important and you’re probably not going to like it, Lil, but you have to trust that I know what’s best for you and that I would never suggest it, if I didn’t have to.”
“Okay . . . what? What is it Aiden?”
“We need to leave. You and I, we need to get out of this house and far away from here as soon as possible. We can’t tell anyone. Not even Leo can know where we’re going.”
“But, but I don’t understand. I thought this team or League or whatever it is, is supposed to be the good guys. Why would we need to leave?” Lily asked with confusion.
“I don’t have time to explain it right now. Just please trust me Lily, I need to get you out of here. I need you to come with me tonight when everyone is asleep and I need you to leave a note for your brother that makes him think you left on your own because you hate him.”
“I . . . I can’t do that Aiden.” Lily shook her head. There was no way she could hurt Leo like that, not even after what he did.
“You have to, Lily. Look I promise to explain everything as soon as we get somewhere safe, but we have to go. Please Lily,” Aiden pleaded.
Lily locked eyes with him for a few minutes, deep in thought. Could she really just walk away from her brother, the one person she loves the most in the world. But then she remembered the details of her parents’ death, the looks on their dead faces and it was instantly replaced with Leo’s; she couldn’t live with herself if something happened to him because of her. “Ok Aiden, I’ll do it.”
A few hours later the house had become quiet. Lily sat down at her desk and began the hardest letter she would ever have to write.
My dearest brother,
I don’t know how to start this letter; so much has happened in the past few days to which I don’t even know who I am anymore. More importantly, I don’t know who you are anymore, Leo. I have trusted you with so many things since our parents died. You promised me that you would keep me safe and that you would always have my back, yet lately it appears your team means more to you. You lied to me, Leo. Me, your own flesh and blood and you did it without even flinching. Keeping the secret of Aiden was eating me alive, everyday; I hated myself so much for lying to you. And to make matters worse, once I finally had enough, once I finally told you the truth; you made me feel like the scum of the earth. The hurt you caused me runs deep; so deep I’m drowning in it. I can’t even look at you anymore without seeing the lies, the betrayal. That’s why I’m leaving. I can’t be around you anymore, and what’s worse . . . I can’t trust you. I don’t think I will ever be able to forgive you, Leo. Please don’t try to find me; I don’t want to be found. Enjoy your new family.
Sincerely,
Lily
Once she had finished, tears streamed down her face. She quickly wiped them away. She wouldn’
t cry. She wouldn’t be weak anymore. From now on she would learn to take care of herself. Aiden entered a few moments after receiving her text. Sadness washed over him as he read the letter Lily wrote, knowing that she actually meant every word. After packing a bag they both crept down the stairs and out the front door, leaving the note on the kitchen table. Aiden had bought a car, a black 2010 Dodge Charger. He had changed the plates, got them both fake ID’s and seemed to have everything planned. It made Lily a little uneasy knowing he was capable of all this, but still, she trusted him completely.
Lily strapped on her seatbelt. “So, where are we headed?”
Aiden gave her a sideways glance and smiled. “To begin our new life . . . together.” He reached over and gave a slight squeeze to the hand resting on her knee.
Plans
“Leo!” Reece’s booming voice echoed throughout the quiet house. The walls around him rattled as Leo raced down the stairs. He was nearly out of breath, hair still ruffled with sleep and wearing his cartoon pajama bottoms.
“Jesus, Reece. What’s up?” he asked wiping the sleep from his eyes.
Reece tossed a crumpled piece of paper at him, which bounced off his forehead and landed in his arms. “Read it,” Reece grit out.
Leo’s eyes roamed over the words on the paper, each one digging deeper and deeper through his heart like a dagger, the pain of it embedding itself deep into the chambers of his heart. He felt the tears pool up as he gently folded the paper and placed it on the counter near him. A strong gush of wind swept through the room, knocking over chairs and flipping the table on its side. Leo stood motionless, his hands fisted at his sides. “What do we do?” he asked.
“About what?” Nate asked, with Sam following behind him.
“She’s gone,” Sam replied.
Reece slammed Sam into the wall, fists clenching his shirt. “You knew? And you didn’t say anything!”
Nate pried Reece off of Sam and stood between them with his hands outstretched. Leo hadn’t moved, his eyes still fixed on the kitchen wall.
Discovering Shadows Page 4