The Secret Six

by Evie Del Mar

  He leaned back up. “Not only are you the first second generation Secret Six member, but now there’s a lot more power inside you. Your ‘soul’, or whatever you want to call it, apparently found its other half. When you and Cole kissed, it awakened the power inside you both, and initiated the bond.”

  I chewed on my lower lip and tried to calm my stomach. Did he mean that Cole was my soulmate? It just couldn’t be true; I’m only eighteen. Most people didn’t find their soulmates until their late twenties, maybe thirties. Right? But, then… I remembered the calming effect I experienced when I first heard his voice, after he pulled me from the wreckage. I knew from the moment I felt the electric shock when we shook hands, after our introduction only two months ago, that something was pulling us together.

  I also remembered this morning when I thought I was having an asthma attack and how Cole’s touch instantly soothed me. I was able to breathe again. Were our emotions tied together? Did I have an attack because he was upset? Of course. He had just found out that The Brotherhood was responsible for his mother’s death. And then again out on the porch when I was telling him my assumption about his father, he was getting upset again and stormed off.

  How did Cole feel about this? Were his feelings for me simply because of this ‘bond’ we shared? What if he felt like he was just acting out of respect, because he didn’t know what his true feelings were? If he knew about the bond, maybe then he would understand that his feelings weren’t real. How would I ever know if it was him, and not the bond telling him that he wanted to be with me?

  “Anyway,” Tony continued, as if what he was saying wasn’t making me a total mess. “The Brotherhood has more information on you and your little group than you would believe, but that doesn’t matter.” He leaned away from his desk and went back around to sit in his chair. “No one is going to believe anything you say about me.”

  I couldn’t help the next questions that came out of my mouth. “Why would you do this to your own son? What do you get out of all of this?”

  “That thing is not my son,” he said, like Cole was some abomination.

  My blood began to boil. His attitude was really starting to piss me off.

  “He never was,” he continued. “I killed his father the same night I killed his mother.”

  He said that so nonchalant, I felt like I had been punched in the gut. I had my doubts that this psychopath was truly related to Cole, but to actually hear confirmation was something I apparently wasn’t ready for.

  “You’ve been impersonating his father all this time?”

  “Why, yes,” he said as he straightened his shoulders, like he was proud of himself, then became quiet. “Eh, why not. I’ll tell you simply for shits and giggles.” He got up from his chair and strode over to the window to stare outside. “You see, The Brotherhood knew the only way to obtain the crystal was to have the next generation of members together, inside the academy. We knew your mother did something to the key but we didn’t know what.” He clenched his fist in aggravation.

  “We were able to use the blood from the previous members to track everyone down. I became Cole’s father so I could keep up pretenses and become the new director, when the time came. It was easy to keep tabs on them as they grew up and see when their powers began to manifest."

  He chuckled, as if recalling some funny memory. “We had to get the crystal key at all cost. I forged up papers, so in the untimely death of the parents, each child would be sent here. I then orchestrated those deaths. We couldn’t have nosy parents around to check up on their kids, now, could we?” He began counting off on his hand. “It’s funny how an airplane needs every, single, little piece to fly properly. And, a drunken man who already lost his wife to cancer and was addicted to gambling was easy to get rid of. Lastly, gas explosions are so very common in house fires, aren’t they?” he mocked.

  Oh. My. God.

  This guy was the literal definition of a criminal mastermind. He arranged every single one of the accidents so no one would know The Brotherhood was responsible. My knuckles became white as I sat in my chair, clenching my fists. I was surprised my teeth hadn’t broken into pieces with how hard I was grinding them. The more this man opened his mouth, the more he kept pouring gasoline into the already burning fire raging inside of me, and the lid I had keeping it contained was about to bust off.

  Tony continued on. “Since we didn't have your mother's blood, The Brotherhood didn’t know your identity. Your mother was smart to stay hidden and to keep you away from water. I was beginning to think I would never find you, when, as luck would have it, Cole came to me a few months ago with a dream he had of a girl in Dallas who could move water with a wave of her hand.

  “I had my contacts in Dallas do some research, and imagine my surprise when they discovered a student whose parents were named Max and Holly Jackson! It wasn’t hard to figure out the reason they were keeping you away from water. Your act of rebellion with the party provided the perfect opportunity to strike. All it took was knocking down a tree on one road and increasing the slick conditions at a sharp bend on another.

  “When Cole and I ‘came upon’ your car accident, I was filled with glee that my plan was finally almost complete.” He smiled in triumph. “I filed the forged documents and had you sent to me, like everyone else.”

  If I thought I couldn’t breathe earlier, I definitely couldn’t catch my breath now. I knew he played a role in all of this, but I had no idea just how big that role was.

  “My mom didn’t die in that accident, did she?” I whispered.

  His smile told me the answer. The lid flew off my internal fire, and it exploded into a raging inferno, demanding to be released on the piece of shit in front of me. I looked at the water jug behind him and commanded it to explode so I could drown this man from the inside out, but nothing happened. The water inside didn’t even shift. I tried again, thinking of my mom and her dying moments. Nothing.

  Why wouldn’t the water move?

  As if noticing my confused stare, Tony turned around to look at the water jug behind him. “Oh, yeah, you won’t be able to move water for a few more hours.”

  Ice cold fear took over the inferno inside. I had counted on my new power control to get me through this confrontation. My palms became sweaty as pure adrenaline started flooding my system like it was on an intravenous drip, right into my blood stream.

  Tony turned around to pick up his teacup and sipped it. “Delicious tea, isn’t it?”

  I gasped. Did he drug me?

  “It’s a little concoction from the lab. I have to always protect myself when I’m around you freaks.” He sat his cup back down and, when he turned to look at me, his expression turned serious. “Now, I need that precious little piece that’s hidden in your necklace.” He reached out and grabbed my necklace but quickly recoiled, like something shocked him.

  “Damn it!” he cried out. Angered even more now, he opted for my throat. My eyes grew wide with fear. Now, the adrenaline was surging so fast, I could taste my saliva thickening in my mouth as I fought for air. With his hand around my neck, he lifted me out of my chair and forced me back against a wall, my feet barely touching the floor.

  “You’re going to open that for me, right now,” he breathed. “Obviously you’re the only person who can. So, open it, now!”

  This fear was nothing like facing Jasper and his crew yesterday. Yesterday, I was surrounded by my friends, whereas right now, I was all alone, and that thought scared me more than the man in front of me. My lungs burned for air as my sight started getting cloudy.

  “Dad, have you seen—” Tony and I were interrupted, as Cole came into the room. He gasped as he stared at the two of us, Tony’s hand still around my neck.

  “Shit,” Tony muttered under his breath. He let go of my neck, and I fell to the floor, wheezing.

  Cole came over to me and put an arm around my waist, as he tried helping me up. I immediately felt better with his touch. I rested my head against his chest, in
haling his comforting scent, and tried getting my breathing back to normal.

  “What the hell is going on?” Cole demanded.

  “I was trying to get her to open her necklace and give me her crystal piece,” Tony answered.

  “I saw your hand around her neck.”

  “That was just a little persuasion.”

  Cole looked down at me. “Melody, are you ok?”

  I shook my head and looked up to meet my favorite pair of crystal blue eyes. What could I do to make him believe me that Tony was not who he claimed to be? I thought about the bond that we supposedly shared and focused with every last strength I had, hoping and praying that he would trust me.

  “Brotherhood,” I managed to say, but my throat was scratchy, so it came out as a deep coughing fit.

  Cole’s jaw clenched. He looked up at Tony. “Dad, why does Melody think you work for The Brotherhood?”

  “How the hell should I know? Who are you going to believe? Your own father, or this insane girl?”

  “Do not call her that,” he growled. “Is it true?”

  Tony didn’t answer for a few seconds, clearly thinking of the perfect lie to weasel his way out of this. Realizing he was caught, he dropped his head and did the one thing I wasn’t expecting him to do. He began laughing.

  Before Cole or I could react, Tony reached into a drawer and pulled out a gun, aiming it right at me. “You little bitch. I had everything going according to plan, and you had to go and ruin it all. I guess the only way I’m going to get that necklace, is off your cold, dead body. We’ve waited this long. We can wait for the next water elemental to be born and get them to open it and release the last piece of the crystal.”

  He cocked the gun; the clicking sound was like the nail in my coffin. “I was so damn close! All you had to do was give up the necklace and we would’ve had the key to release The Solution. You guys just don’t see the full picture, but your father used to, and Peter did. He knew The Solution needed to be released. Something that powerful doesn’t deserve to be locked up. It deserves to rule.” He said that last part like he was infatuated with The Solution. If I didn’t know any better, I could’ve sworn I saw his hand shake around the gun.

  All during Tony’s tirade, Cole had slowly positioned himself in front of me, blocking Tony and his gun. “Dad,” Cole eased. He put his hands up, palms out, to try and calm Tony down. “Put the gun down, and let’s talk this out.”

  “I am not your father!” Tony shouted. “I killed that asshole and his wife years ago, just like I killed everyone else’s parents.”

  Cole stood up straighter as all emotion left his face. He reached out his arm and swiped at something invisible in front of him. At the same time, Tony’s gun was launched out of his hands and flew in the direction of where Cole swiped. I gasped in shock.

  Cole stomped toward the man he thought was his father for almost twenty years and stopped right in front of Tony’s face. He opened his hand and very slowly began closing his fingers into his palm, like he was forming a fist.

  Tony’s eyes expanded from fear, and his body began convulsing, like he couldn’t breathe. He reached around his neck and began pulling on the invisible cord that was around his throat. I barely heard Cole’s voice as he whispered, “Funny how you need air to breathe.”

  Tony’s lips began turning blue as his lungs fought for air. He lifted his eyes to stare into Cole’s and with much effort, said, “Hail The Brotherhood.”

  “This is for my parents.” Cole’s fingers closed the distance to his palm, completely tightening his fist. Tony collapsed on the floor, his dead, bloodshot eyes staring right at me as his face lost all its color.

  Neither Cole nor I moved, but I could hear his heavy breathing. After two minutes, Cole finally turned away from the gruesome scene and walked to me. He took my face in his delicate hands and, without saying a word, pressed his lips to mine. The rest of the world melted away. It was slow and soft and comforting in ways that words would never be. His hands were below my ear, his thumbs caressing my cheeks, creating soothing circles as our breaths blended together.

  He released my lips and rested his forehead against mine, our breaths gradually slowing down.

  “You have no idea how incredibly sorry I am for not believing you,” he whispered. He looked me in the eyes, and I hadn’t noticed I was crying until he used his thumbs to wipe away the tears that fell down my cheeks. My emotions were raw, and I couldn’t stop the tears from rushing down my face. I had been closer to death in this very room than on that boat yesterday, facing Jasper and his crew. I was also overloaded with so much information. Information I had no idea how to share with Cole. What did Tony mean when he said I was the “Chosen One”? And what about the bond between Cole and me?

  Cole pulled me closer and I sobbed into his chest, my hands clutching his shirt. I couldn’t believe he was comforting me, when he just found out the man he thought was his father, actually wasn’t.

  “I’m sorry about your father,” I said in between sobs.

  “He wasn’t my father,” Cole said flatly. “I’m actually glad to know he wasn’t my father.”

  I leaned away from him so I could look at his face. “What do you mean?”

  “I can live with the fact that that man pretended to be my father to get closer to us, so we could help him find the key. But I don’t know if I could’ve lived with the idea that my biological father was a part of The Brotherhood.”

  I hadn’t thought about it that way. I had a hard enough time believing my father was a member when I first heard about it, but was glad that Mom made him see the error of his ways.

  “Are you ok?” he asked me.

  I nodded my head. “Thank you for coming to save me, again.”

  “Always,” he smiled. “I was walking through the forest, trying to calm down after our discussion, when my chest started hurting, like I couldn’t breathe. I don’t know how to explain it, but I had to come find you. When no one had seen you, I came in here to ask my…,” he cleared his throat. "Tony.”

  “Yeah, about that. Apparently, you and I—”

  “What the fuck happened?” Drake’s cry came from the doorway, startling us both. “Is Tony dead?”

  Cole’s face became serious again. “Yes. Go get the twins and Lily and meet us in the kitchen. I’ll tell you all what happened.”

  Drake was frozen in the doorway, unable to tear his gaze away from Tony’s body. He looked so scared compared to his usual laid back demeanor. Cole walked and stood in front of him. “Drake, go get the twins and Lily and meet us in the kitchen.” He shut the door in Drake’s face.

  “What are we going to do with him?” I asked, motioning to Tony’s body.

  ◆◆◆

  Cole and I decided to take Tony’s body out by the beach, and let the ocean handle the rest. We obviously couldn’t call the police and tell them what happened, and, to be quite honest, we didn’t want him buried anywhere near the academy. It was our sanctuary, our safe haven, and we didn’t want to taint that by having him close by.

  We joined the others at the kitchen table, and told them everything that happened. More tears were shed by Blair and Lily over Tony’s betrayal. They were crushed to learn that the man they had loved and put all of their faith in had murdered their parents. He tried to hide his anger, but I could feel the heat radiating from Drake. Blake just looked defeated, like he couldn’t take any more bad news.

  “Do we know anything about Colin?” Drake asked.

  Cole sighed. “It’s safe to assume he’s a member of The Brotherhood, as well. He and Tony were very close friends, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he double-crossed us, too.”

  Lily placed her glasses back onto her face after wiping her eyes. “What do we do now?”

  Cole bent down to pick up the lock box that contained the rest of the crystal pieces and placed it on the table. Luckily, he knew where Tony put it yesterday and grabbed it when we left his office. He opened the case, and the other five pi
eces sparkled against the light, causing tiny little dots to dance across our faces.

  I no longer felt uneasy at the thought of being separated from my piece. I looked at Cole and he gave me an encouraging nod. “I think it’s time I put my piece with the others.” I grasped my necklace and slowly opened the clasp. The small, circular crystal glimmered like the others. As though they could sense the final piece, the other crystals began to shake.

  “Uh, is that supposed to happen?” Blake asked worriedly.

  No one could answer. I took my piece out of my necklace, and placed it in the remaining spot, underneath the encircled wave. The pieces shook harder now until each one lifted out of its spot, hovering in the air. They came together and began spinning in a circle, emitting a ray of light. They spun faster and faster, their light getting brighter until we all had to shield our eyes.

  As soon as the crystals stopped, the light diminished. I brought my hand down from my face and couldn’t believe what I saw. Sitting where six crystal pieces used to lay was now an actual shimmering crystal key. The top half was formed into a circle, while the bottom half had six separate grooves on either side. If it weren’t for the fact that the key was so transparent, I would’ve said it looked like an abnormally, large house key.

  “Now, what?” I asked no one in particular.

  Cole looked up. “Now,” he said as he eyed each and every one of us. “We train.”

  EPILOGUE

  Jasper

  I creaked open the window to my bedroom and slid in, landing perfectly on the soles of my feet. I managed to return home without seeing anyone, including him. I definitely didn’t want to come face-to-face with my babysitter. Ugh. I don’t know why Tony assigned him to me in the first place. I’m twenty-three years old, for crying out loud and him being thirty-four is not that much older than me. He doesn’t need to look out for me anyway.

  Growing up, I was at the top of my training class. I may have been picked on for my size, but what I lacked in brawn, I made up for in brains. After all, I was the one who figured out the formula to create these powerful talismans. I bet that would’ve pleased dear old dad, if he was still here. I scoffed. Nothing ever pleased him. I was always a disappointment because I wasn’t what he truly wanted in a son.