Regen

by Cassie Greutman

  “Ready yet?” Starren asked, impatience radiating from her stiff body.

  “Yep, let’s go.”

  Cray led us forward. We followed him twisting up and down the streets for more than an hour. Every once in a while he would pause, close his eyes and focus, then we would be off again. Slowly the city changed from skyscrapers and fancy shops to office buildings, from office buildings to nice homes and from nice homes to not so nice homes. It was a good thing Cumat had taught me how to go invisible. Somewhere along the way we had all done it automatically.

  The houses were starting to look a little unkempt as we moved further from the actual city. Weeds were growing in tiny fenced yards, bars showing up on windows.

  Eventually we got to a small house, better kept than the ones around it. The flowerbeds out front had some nice plants. I didn’t know what they were, but they were nice. The paint on the house was a faded blue that had probably once been pretty, and the picket fence around the property was missing some boards.

  “This is it,” Cray said quietly. “If it’s him, he’s in there.”

  Starren pulled her sword. “You stay here, Cray. Wade, Trisha, come on.” She let herself through the fence gate and moved toward the front door.

  This really was it. Somehow I knew it was. No weird fae power or anything, just a feeling. Hopefully the Fae Distribution Center had Jaden’s birthday right. A flutter went through my chest but I clamped it down. I glanced in both directions at the houses around us. How were we going to protect these people if he had some type of dangerous power? Starren and Wade wouldn’t care unless it exposed the fae, so I was on my own if it came down to that.

  With a motion of her hand, Starren sent Wade around back. She took off for the front, apparently expecting me to follow her. I did. What choice did I have? I wasn’t coming this far and having her say I didn’t fulfill my side of the bargain, even if we didn’t know what this guy could do. Starren was in a bad enough mood right now to have me taken back to Faerie and locked up until I was fifty. Only let out on good behavior, which wasn’t likely to happen.

  Starren paused to listen at the front door. Then, apparently satisfied, she reached forward and tried the handle. Locked. She held her hand over it and the lock clicked.

  I drew my sword, the slight rasp of metal on scale making me bite my lip. Starren glared at me for a second, then motioned me forward. The fae shield, yay, what an exciting role. No seriously, it was actually a little more exciting than I would like.

  I moved around her, sword held out in front of me. Somewhere inside a TV was on. Pots and pans banged around in the back of the house. The same vanilla air freshener Nina liked at home was in the air. This seemed like such a normal place, not some evil den. I slid a few more steps forward and looked around a corner. There was a little girl, probably seven or eight watching some Disney channel show. Seriously, a little girl? What was she doing here? I leaned around to get a better look and her gaze flew from the TV in my direction, like she could feel me. I jerked back around the corner before remembering that unless she was fae, she wouldn’t be able to see me. How could I know if she was human or not? Was there something that gave it away?

  Someone shoved me from behind and I swung around, sword in front of me. I nearly sliced Wade right open. Stupid, stupid. Lots of training one on one with Mom didn’t seem to be helping me much right now.

  “Nothing that way,” Wade mouthed to Starren and me. He walked around me and headed straight into the living room, toward the girl watching some guy play guitar on TV. I should probably be embarrassed that I didn’t know what show that was, it was on Disney channel. Weren’t teens supposed to watch that stuff? Whoever he was, he was super cute, but acting like a little kid. Wade was definitely more my type. The more manly type. I glanced in his direction. He didn’t notice.

  The kid looked around again, almost like she knew something was up. Her gaze went right through Wade though, like she wasn’t seeing us.

  Something slammed me from the side. I twisted as I fell, barely catching sight of a blur. I crashed into the fake wood floor, the little girl shrieking above me, screaming something about it happening again as she ran toward the back of the house. I caught a better look at what had hit me. A guy, probably a year older than me, dark hair and fae good looks. It was the same guy Starren had showed me a picture of last week. Jaden. He lunged at Starren. She had her sword up instantly, making him change his mind. He took off for the front door.

  “Stop him,” Starren yelled.

  I scrambled up off the floor and tore out of the house after everyone else. Wade was turning a corner by the time I was through the small gate and out into the street, Starren only a step behind him. I jumped sideways, nearly getting plowed by some gangster vehicle. I opened my mouth to scream at the driver, then realized he couldn’t see me.

  Cray stopped where the other two had turned and waved me after them. I took off following.

  It was a good thing we were in a housing section of town and not some high traffic area, the way those three were tearing across streets and jumping over and around anything in their way. I watched people’s expressions as I passed, wind blowing back their hair, their confused faces nearly making me laugh even while we were chasing a criminal. Poor people probably thought they were going crazy, hearing us run by but not seeing anything. I slowly gained on the three fae ahead of me, leaving Cray behind. They were in great shape, but not nearly as good a shape as me.

  Even I was starting to get tired after dodging around fifteen more people and racing up five more blocks. I was catching up though. Then Jaden disappeared around a corner. At least I assumed it was Jaden. This wasn’t exactly how I had expected confronting him would go down. Soon after, I lost sight of Starren and Wade as they popped around the same corner. I pushed myself to catch up, afraid that they would make another turn before I got there. Oh nope, there they were, looking furious.

  “Where were you two? We could use some help here,” Wade said, nearly snarling.

  Maybe super speed was Jaden’s power. Somehow he’d managed to get away from all four of us.

  “Cray,” Starren called. A pedestrian looked in the direction her voice had come from, his eyes going huge when there wasn’t anyone there. Starren didn’t seem to care. “Stop and feel. Where is he?”

  The random guy jogged off, looking behind him. A pretty funny sight considering he was dressed like a punk with tattoos all down his arms. Not as tough as he’d thought.

  I looked toward Cray. He was leaned over, sweat beading down his face. His eyes were closed and he was concentrating intensely. “That way,” he panted out, flapping his hand. “Two blocks.”

  Starren and Wade took off at a run.

  “You can keep a lock on those two, right?” I asked Cray. He nodded. “Good. We’re going to cut around and see if we can get ahead of him.” We jogged after them, keeping them in sight for a few minutes, then cut through a dirty alley, pausing on the other side.

  “See them?” I asked.

  Cray didn’t answer.

  “Cray?” I looked over. His face was white and he was staring off behind me. I turned to look. Jaden was standing there, beckoning us forward with a crooked finger. He looked even better in life than in the pictures Starren had shown us. Dark hair wavy, even though it was a little disheveled. Where had he been living since his escape? At the house with his family? He had that warm California skin, all nice and tan. Maybe they had been there, before they had come to Chicago. I shook my head, rearranging my thoughts. This guy was a killer. Look what he’d had done to the fae at the Hall.

  I took a step back, Cray moving to keep behind me. What did he want, to get us out of hearing range and bump us off? I pointed at myself in question, my face no doubt letting him know I thought he was crazy.

  He nodded and tried waving us over. What was with this guy? Didn’t he know we were chasing him? Well, of course he did, or he wouldn’t know to ask us to come over. M
y first reaction was a no way. But, if he wanted us dead, we’d be dead by now, right? That’s what everyone always said on TV. And it seemed to fit here, if the fae were so scared of him.

  “Should we?” I asked Cray. Surprisingly he heard me. I could barely hear myself the way my voice cracked. He shook his head no. Hard.

  But Jaden looked so earnest and he hadn’t made one move in our direction. Plus, he’d been at the house with what I assumed was his little sister, with both of them and their dark looks, so maybe he didn’t want a fight around here. This could be my chance. There was no way the Council could say I hadn’t held up my end of the bargain if I caught him single-handed. I’d just go over there, pretend I was going to listen to him or whatever, then knock him on the head. Good plan. I took a deep breath. “You stay here then,” I told Cray. “I’ll heal, you won’t.” I started forward.

  “Trisha, there have to be things you wouldn’t heal from either,” Cray hissed after me.

  I just kept walking. I heard a huge sigh behind me, then footsteps. Stupid of me to allow him to put himself in danger, but I sure didn’t mind the company.

  I stopped a few feet from Jaden and waited.

  “Can we talk?” he asked, his tone calm, his voice a deep rich sound. I shivered a little. He could talk all he wanted. Nope, no, bad idea.

  “Why should I talk with you? I’m calling Wade and Starren.” I had to make it look good until I could get close enough to lay him out. Bet if Wade knew about this right now he’d wish he had a phone.

  “No, please, wait,” Jaden said. Something in his tone made me pause. He looked at the people on the sidewalk minding their own business and backed up into the alley, waiting to see if we’d follow. I moved after him slowly. Cray stuck to me like glue.

  “Are you going to kill us?” Cray asked after we were out of human earshot. Wow, he was getting brave. Except for the octave his voice was in.

  “Why did you break out of Faerie?” I asked.

  “I ran from Faerie because my family is in danger. That’s why I need you two.”

  His family? They had forgotten to mention he had a family. But of course he did. Even I did, now. So, that really was his little sister. Funny how that part had been left out in that little presentation before I’d said yes to the job. “And how do you know your family is in danger? Did the Council just come and warn you or what?”

  “The Council is what they are in danger from. They want to use them to get me to do what they want.”

  “And what’s that?”

  He moved in closer, looking over his shoulder again. “I’m going to trust you with this, but only because I’ve seen you.” He leaned in, making the height gap between us a little smaller, his dark eyes mesmerizing. What was this guy’s ability? Because I was starting to feel all gooey inside. Hopefully he didn’t have some kind of hypno skill like the hyran. “I can read people. Their heart and their intentions. And I’m going to be completely honest with you since I believe you are going to help me.” He blinked and I blinked back. “I can see bits of the future.”

  Whoa, okay, that brought me back. He could see the future? That was his terrible power that he was going to use for evil? Either he was keeping part of the truth from us, the Council had guessed incorrectly about his power, or something was really, really wrong.

  “If you can see the future, why were you in the house when we got there? I’d have thought you would have been long gone,” Cray asked.

  “I can only see pieces, never very much at a time and I can’t choose what I see.” His gaze swung from Cray to me. “I knew I had to meet you. I saw your heart and I hoped you would help me.”

  Okay, this was a little awkward. I was supposed to be catching him, not having him ‘see my heart.’ Whatever that meant. My fingers started tapping on my thigh, itching to reach for my sword. “How?”

  “My family,” Jaden said, his voice going rough. “I finally found my way back to them and they can’t even see me. I’m some kind of… ghost. To other fae, I’m completely normal, but to humans, I’m not even there. How am I supposed to protect them?” His voice trailed off but the intensity on his face only grew. He couldn’t be lying, he was fae. I wasn’t going to trust him, no way, but he was telling the truth about his family. The rest I didn’t know about. I didn’t know enough about Faerie.

  “Cray?” I asked. Surely he would have a better idea if this was possible or not.

  Cray had his head cocked, staring at Jaden. “I don’t know. I don’t know of any other fae that has come back to Earth after being terminated here.”

  “Terminated?” Jaden asked. “Really? That’s what you call it?” His voice was getting higher. “That’s definitely not what I’d call it.”

  “Wait.” I threw a hand up. “Don’t get all excited.” That had to be the first time it was me saying that to someone else instead of the other way around. Wait a second, terminated? Like Wade had done to me? I was starting to get the feeling I’d somehow ended up on the wrong side of all this. “Tell me, right now, that you don’t have any bad intentions. That you didn’t commit some terrible crime to get locked up in the first place.”

  “Bad intentions? Like what?” His handsome face really did look confused. “As for what I did to get locked up, nothing. They just wanted me because they know who my father is.”

  I ignored his question. That feeling about being on the wrong side? It was getting worse. Much worse. Who was his father? That was a discussion for another time. “What do you want me to do?” My mind’s eye flew to the little girl watching TV. She was so cute, but had a strange sense of sadness for a kid that age. No bouncing around, not glued to the TV, just kind of watching. She reminded me of me after my mom dropped me off at Waterton Heights. A kid that age wouldn’t understand why her brother wasn’t around, if they really were siblings like I got the strong impression they were. She wouldn’t understand unless she’d had other things happen in her past that helped a kid understand stuff they shouldn’t.

  He stared into my eyes, intensity crackling under the surface of his gaze. “Talk to them for me. Warn them.”

  “Why can we see you but your family can’t? Aren’t they fae?”

  “My mother is actually my step mother. She’s the only mom I’ve ever known, but she doesn’t have a drop of fae blood in her. My two little sisters are half, and they can feel when I’m around, but they still can’t see me. Jaime at least knows I’m there. I think Lucy feels it, but she won’t admit something is going on.”

  This was kind of a toss-up for me. Trust the complete stranger, who was an escaped convict, or trust the guy who’d tried to kill me and the girl he’d gotten me to work for. No good choices here, but I was getting used to that. Ah, why couldn’t I just be fae and fully believe the end justified the means. I just wanted to stay on Earth in peace. I needed this guy.

  What chance did Cray and I have of holding him here until Starren and Wade started wondering where Cray was? Not a good one, considering how the guy was on high alert. And Cray and I alone had no chance in a fair fight. This guy was built. “If we help you first, will you go back with us willingly? Let me turn you over to Starren? I’ve got stake in this too.”

  Jaden’s face grew dark. He thought about it for a moment. “I agree. You have my word.”

  I looked to Cray. He was studying Jaden. After a moment, he said “He is fae. He can’t lie. He’ll have to turn himself over.”

  Jaden heaved a huge breath. “We just need to head to my house and warn them. I think my mom will believe you. Enough has happened since Dad died for her to know there’s something going on. We have to do it right now. Things are getting worse, and I won’t be able to protect them alone anymore.”

  “Protect them from who?”

  “The Council.”

  “Trisha?” Wade’s voice, from down the alley. Jaden stiffened.

  “Meet me at my house. Please.” He didn’t wait for an answer, just took off in the opp
osite direction Wade’s voice had come from.

  I looked at Cray. He shrugged. Now what? Did I really want to risk losing my home with Dan and Nina? Maybe we should just grab him, and then I could warn his family. But if he could see the future, he might know I was going to try something and then I would lose my chance of getting him to turn himself in. Not worth the risk. I could tell Starren, but she wasn’t exactly one for compassion of any kind. What could go wrong talking to some human lady? It would only take a couple minutes, and then Jaden would have to come with me. It was worth a try.

  “We lost him,” Wade panted out when he was closer. “No idea where he went.”

  Starren was right behind him. Somehow I had to get Starren to split us up again. No way I was going to be able to explain to her why I wanted to go back to Jaden’s house without telling her what was going on.

  “Starren, when do you think we’ll be heading home for the night?” Maybe I could get them to jump through the portal, then spilt. She’d think I was just dumb and missed it.

  “We won’t be going back tonight.” Starren was still on high alert. She didn’t even look at me while she answered. “Not when we’re this close. He could be anywhere by morning.”

  “I can’t do that, just not show up at home. Nina and Dan will freak out. They’ll call my caseworker and I’ll be in so much hot water. Besides, he could be anywhere by now, not just by morning. Why does the Council think he’s going to be so dangerous?” Might as well plant seeds of doubt. They had already sprouted in my mind. Not that it mattered to me in the long run, if he was innocent or not. At least that was what I was going to tell myself. I was staying on Earth, no matter what.

  “I’m not asking,” Starren said. “Have a good time finding your way home on your own. Might take a little while without a portal.”

  “Fine. But if it gets after nine at home, I’m calling Nina again.” That part was true. I seriously didn’t want them on my case. What good would all of this be if they sent me away because I was a bad kid?