Marshall placed a roll of bandages into the first aid kit and pointed to my scythe. “Plan on using that on me?”
“If I have to.”
He gave me a stern look and then softened. “Let’s go outside.”
I followed him to the pavilion where we had our meals. He sat on a bench and patted the area beside him, indicating that I should sit. I plopped down on the bench across from him.
Marshall looked off into the distance where a couple of Interceptors were hobbling toward Scarlett’s house. “If you want to go home, I’ll send you home, but it’s going to take me some time to wire the transportation chamber to go to nowhere. It was designed for Earth, not other dimensions.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
“I’m sorry. If I thought anything like this might have happened, I would have warned you all. That was my mistake.”
“Warn us about what?”
“Obviously what we do here, Intercepting, goes against the Grim Covenant. Most colonies are downright infuriated by it, but there are a few who actually want us dead because of it.”
My gaze fell on the barn. “I can understand that. Can’t you? I mean, they show up to collect a life only to find out the Human’s already been saved by us. They need those lifestones to live and for their colonies to run. We’re keeping food from their mouths. Years from their lives.”
Marshall pressed his lips together. “Yes, that I can understand, Bram, but it’s not that cut and dry. There are still plenty of deaths, so many we don’t stop. Think about how many deaths there are every minute. There’s enough for us to stop and enough for Grims to still lead long, full lives and have everything they need. The problem lies in the distribution. Grims collect way more years than they need. Some want to lead extravagant lives with so many material things they don’t need and will never use. In our eyes, Human lives are more important than indulging selfish Grims.”
I thought about saving Sam on the bridge. Would I have been able to let her die just to add six, maybe seven years to my life? A year ago, I would have sat around watching and waiting for her today so I could collect her lifestone. I didn’t think I would be able to do that again.
“Bram, there’s enough death in this world, for us all to live well and save a few lives here and there in the process.”
I couldn’t argue with that. “Who was the colony?”
“Their colony is called Night star. It’s an underground colony. This isn’t the first run in we’ve had with them and it won’t be our last I’m sure. At least this time we were prepared and we had a game plan. The last time they caught us by surprise and slaughtered . . .”
“What?”
Marshall wrung his hands and looked away. “We lost most of our Interceptors the first time Nightstar paid us a visit. We were unprepared. We had no idea a colony would come after us like that. We lost hundreds.”
I swallowed hard, picturing lifeless bodies scattered everywhere. It was time like this I wish I hadn’t traded in my immortality. “I thought you said you lost most of your people because it was taking you a while to perfect the serum.”
“I lost a few that way, but most to Nightstar.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?”
“We didn’t know how much we could trust you. That’s why I don’t like Doyle and people from your colony coming and going whenever they wanted. I didn’t want anyone to know our new location.”
“You can’t blame this on us our Doyle.”
Marshall shook his head. “I’m not. I’m only saying this is the reason we should be extra careful. No one aside from us can know that we’re here.”
“Well, Nightstar obviously knows now. What are you going to do? Pack up and run again.”
“Not this time. We’ve put too much work into making this place our home. It gives us everything we need. We can’t keep running. If we move again, they’ll eventually find us and we’d have to move again. I’m not going to keep putting my people through that. We’re trained very well to fight just the way we did today.”
My shoulders slumped. I didn’t want to rain on Marshall’s parade but what he wanted to happen was nearly impossible. “They have us outnumbered . . . by a lot. They’ll come back.”
Marshall nodded. “Sure, but they aren’t trained like us. We battle against Death every single day. There’s no force greater than that. If we can defeat Death, we can defeat them.”
“Sure,” I said even though I wasn’t sure about that at all.
“Since you all haven’t received as much training, I would fully understand if you wanted to lay low.”
I shook my head. “All my Grims know how to use a scythe. They were taught by me. No one is laying low. We need all the numbers we can get.”
Marshall nodded and ran his hand over his face. “Be prepared. This is a lot easier said than done. And no matter what you’ve been through in your nineteen years of life, there is nothing as horrific as having to bury your own people.”
I pushed the thought from my mind immediately. I couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to my Grims—especially Naomi, Dorian, Keira, Josh, or Chase. They were family to me. All the Grims were. Until Nightstar decided to show their faces again, we would spend the days preparing for their return. Our lives depended on it.
8
The next morning, I sat on the edge of my bed thinking about nothing. There were plenty of things I needed to be thinking about, but I couldn’t focus. My entire body was sore from the fight that had taken place the day before. I felt like I had been hit by a car. I soaked in the blissful solitude of the empty barn. All the others had gone to breakfast but I wasn’t hungry.
The doors of the barn swung open. I couldn’t even be bothered to see who it was. The bed lowered beneath someone’s weight. Purple-painted finger nails drummed on pale knees. Nokomis.
I ignored her because I wanted her to go away. Nokomis was one of us, but she was a traitor. Because we had come to the barn, she had conspired with a couple other Grims to send Keira back to Dunningham where she would have surely been killed. I will never forgive her for that.
She took a deep breath and inhaled. “I know you hate me and I don’t blame you for that, but I am really, really sorry, Bram. You’ve barely looked at me since that whole thing happened.”
“I don’t have anything to say to you, Nokomis. Why are you here?”
She moved closer to me and my body went rigid. Sensing this, Nokomis quickly scooted back to her original spot.
“Do you really think our parents are dead because I do. I’m trying to be positive like everyone else, but in my gut, I know they’re dead. I think the rest of you know too so I don’t know how you can be so calm and act like nothing has happened.”
“I have to hold on to the hope their still alive and I plan on doing that until Marshall can program his chamber to take us home.”
Nokomis stood and stretched. “Do you really believe him? What if he’s only pretending to program his chamber to go back to Nowhere? We have no way of knowing.”
She had a point. “And also,” she added, “why did she change his mind so quickly when he was dead set on keeping us here?”
She was right again but I wasn’t about to tell her that. “I think he feels guilty for not telling us about Nightstar and us getting mixed up in that fight. He knows we didn’t bargain for that so he’s going to let us leave. Dorian works with him a lot. I’ll have him keep an eye on it.”
Nokomis perched herself on the edge of Keira’s bed. I had the urge to tell her to get off but I didn’t. “Naomi told me what Marshall told you. I always thought the Interceptors were just a small group of warriors fighting death—who knew they were the remnants of a much larger group that had been almost annihilated?”
“Yeah. That’s crazy.”
She leaned back on her elbows and banged her boots together. “You and Keira make a really good couple.”
Keira was the last thing I wanted to talk about with her. It was no secret th
at Nokomis had had a major crush on me for a long time.
“Thanks.”
“No, I mean it. I’m totally over you, by the way. I’ve been hanging out with Royce lately. I really like him.”
Lucky Royce. “That’s nice.”
She let out a nervous giggle. “It would have never worked out between us anyway. I think Royce and I are made for each other.” She looked at me expectantly like she was waiting for me to object.
“Sure.”
The doors of the barn swung open again and Keira walked in carrying a plate of food. She stopped in the doorway looking back and forth between Nokomis and I. Great.
She glared at Nokomis. “Get your ass off my bed.”
Nokomis rolled her eyes. “Whatever. I was leaving anyway.”
She stood, adjusting her tiny shorts and stormed toward the door. Keira, who stood firmly in the center of the doorway didn’t move. Nokomis had to edge her way around Keira.
Keira walked over to me wearing a stern expression. “I brought you some breakfast. You need to eat.”
Reluctantly, I took the plate from her because I knew she wouldn’t allow me any other option. I had to admit the food smelled delicious. I stuck my fork into the fluffy yellow eggs.
Keira yanked the covers off her bed as if they were contaminated.
“Keira, you don’t have to do all that.”
“I do. I hate that girl and you should too. What were you guys doing in here?”
“We weren’t doing anything. I was sitting in here minding my own business and she came in here asking some questions. That was it. Anyway, she’s into Royce now.”
Keira threw the ball of sheets onto the floor and plopped down on her bare mattress. She gave me a small smile. “I’m sorry. It’s just that she irks me.”
“Of course, she does.”
Keira gasped, taking the plate from me and sitting beside me. “I have a great idea,” she said looping her arm around mine. “Let’s get out of here. We can take one of the trucks and drive to the beach or something. I have to get off this farm.”
There was nothing I wanted to do more than run away with Keira. “I don’t think Marshall would want anyone leaving right now.”
She smirked. “Since when do you listen to Marshall—or anyone?”
“We’re not supposed to without permission. I can’t believe that you of all people are telling me to break the rules. Because I couldn’t say no to those eyes or that smile, I caved. “All right. I’ll get the keys. Meet me in the driveway.”
She squealed and hurried over to her dresser.
There were two trucks, a van, and an SUV that were community property so the keys always hung on hooks in the tool shed. I snatched the keys for the red pickup and hurried to the driveway before anyone spotted me.
Keira and I arrived at the truck at the same time. I opened the passenger side door to let her in. She loved when I did things like that. “Thank you,” she said, giving me a quick peck on the cheek as she climbed in.
I pulled out of the driveway and onto the road as fast as I could. Minutes later we were on the highway and I relaxed. There would probably be a problem when we got back but for the moment, I was with my girl and nothing else mattered.
I looked over at Keira who rested her head against the seat with her eyes closed. I would like to say that she looked peaceful, but she didn’t. Her furrowed brow told me she was worrying about something.
I switched on the radio and turned the volume down low. “What are you thinking about?”
“Everything. I’m thinking about what happened yesterday, our families. I really, really wish I could talk to my parents.”
I swallowed hard. “Do you think they’re still alive?”
“Yes. I won’t believe otherwise until I have solid proof that they’re not.”
“Why do you think that Than kid would have written it on the note if it weren’t true?”
“Do we even know that he did that? It could have been Dunningham’s way of making sure we came back.”
I wanted to believe they were still alive too but Keira needed to be ready for the possibility that they weren’t. “Keir—”
“Bram, I wouldn’t be going on a romantic beach date with my boyfriend if I really thought my parents were dead, would I?”
I sighed. “I guess not. Subject change. You know nothing was going on with me and Nokomis, right. I’ve never liked her in that way and I never will.”
She nodded. “I know. Can we roll the windows down?”
I switched off the AC and let the windows down. Warm summer air whipped through the truck. Keira rested her arm and head on the window sill and closed her eyes. “This feels good.”
It was about an hour’s drive to the shore. We lay on our backs in the bed of the truck soaking in the warm sunshine.
“Are you hungry?” I asked. The last time we’d come to the beach I’d had a nice basket of food prepared and flowers. This time I had nothing.
“I’m not hungry. All I need right now is you.”
I looked over at her. She was watching me with a sly smile. She lay her hand on my cheek, pulling my face toward hers. I pressed my lips against her mouth. It tasted like a mixture of mint and watermelon.
With her head resting on my shoulder, our tongues moved in and out of each other’s mouths. I gently pulled on her long, raven hair as she ran her fingers through mine.
Whatever was going on around us, whatever our problems were, they disappeared like we were the only two people in the world. Warm sensations traveled up and down my body. I was almost too hot. I was grateful when Keira lifted the bottom of my shirt up over my chest. I pulled the shirt over my head and tossed it to the side.
Her soft hands ran over my bare chest. It was especially delightful when she ran her fingernails lightly over my skin. I moved on top of her, kissing her harder, moving from her cheek, to her ear, and down her neck.
She stopped kissing me back and pushed me away.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. Please don’t let anything be wrong. This moment was absolutely perfect.
She cupped my chin with her hand. “Nothing’s wrong. I just liked to go somewhere a little more private.”
From where we were the sounds of kids playing on the beach and music blaring reached us. “Okay. We can drive further down where there’s no people. Maybe a nice quiet place in the trees.”
She kissed me again. “That sounds perfect.”
We found a perfect spot away from everyone. When we got back to the farm it was almost evening and Marshall didn’t say a word. He had been occupied in his lab all day and Dorian had been helping him. My sister on the other hand was livid. As soon as Keira and I entered the barn she leapt to her feet.
“Where the hell have you two been?”
I blew her off and removed my hoodie. “Nay, calm down.” She would probably never accept the fact that Keira and I were together.
“No! We get attacked yesterday and then you guys run off and don’t bother to tell anyone where you’re going? We were worried sick about you.”
“She’s right,” Chase called from where he read a book on his bed.
I was ready to argue with them when Keira cut me off. She sat beside Naomi on her bed. “You’re right. I’m sorry we should have told you guys we were leaving especially considering everything that’s going on. It’s just that we needed to get away and we weren’t thinking.”
Naomi looked for a minute like she was about to soften then she scowled. “Why didn’t you ask Chase and me? Maybe we wanted to get away too.”
“Because we wanted to be alone, all right, Nay.” She made a face at me. “Anyway,” I continued, “I’m going to the lab to see if Marshall’s making any progress on the chamber.” I hauled ass out of there before I had to listen to any more of my sister’s nagging.
In the lab, I found Marshall lying on the floor of the transportation chamber like he was working on a car. My brother sat in a chair beside him scribbling notes on a
pad and handing him tools.
“How’s it coming?” I asked.
Dorian answered while Marshall kept working. “I think we almost have it. We’ve been experimenting with different altitudinal and longitudinal coordinates. We just keep missing Nowhere by a few kilometers.”
“Okay, I have no idea what any of that mean’s man. Marshall? Can we get a time estimate?”
He grunted and sat up. “It could be any minute now so it’s hard to say. Dorian, you’ve been here all day. Why don’t you go with your brother and get ready for dinner?”
Dorian gave me a look he had never given me before, like he really didn’t want to leave, or at least not leave with me. He stood and placed the pad on the chair. “All right. I’ll be back in the morning though.”
Outside, Dorian hurried ahead of me. “Hey man, slow down,” I told him.
He let me catch up to him and I grabbed his shoulder. “Are you okay?”
He shrugged. “Yeah, I guess considering all that’s been going on, I’m fine.”
I stopped walking. I knew when something was bothering him. “Are we okay?”
He laughed. “What do you mean? We’re always okay.”
“Yeah, we are but lately we’ve been acting a little toward me. If you have something to say, go ahead and say it. I’m your brother, you can tell me anything.”
He but his lip and looked at the ground. “Okay, I’ve been a little mad at you lately.”
“Okay, why?”
“Why did you tell us to come here? You told us it would be better here in the Human world—that it would be so much fun. That we wouldn’t have rules and we wouldn’t have to spend all day studying and going on assignments. It was fun at first for a little while, but now it’s not. Look at what we’ve given up. Our immortality. We’ve broken the Grim Covenant and according to the law we all deserve to die and worst of all our families are probably dead because of us. None of this is worth what we gave up.”
He was right about so many things but his words felt like a punch to my gut. “I’m so sorry, man. I know things were supposed to better than this but sometimes things happen that we don’t expect and we must make the best of it. If we didn’t leave Nowhere, Naomi and Keira would either be dead or locked up for the rest of their lives. Do you want that?”
Brametheus Grim: The Final Breath Chronicles Book Three Page 5