But losing those that one loves is an idea that provokes a stronger fear, by far. I loved Violet and Penny so much, I felt my heart splitting, quite literally, at the thought of losing them. Screaming did nothing to bring them back to me. But when one is terrified, one screams. Through the mist that was left after the worst of my fear had been thrust forcefully (and deafeningly) from my body by shouting, there was but one action, clearer than a Pangean morning.
“We are going after them.”
“Yeah. We are, Brynn. We’ll find them. I promise, we will.” Alice assured me gently.
“No,” I shook my head back and forth and looked up at all of them, “It was the Bachums that took them. They’ll take them to wherever they’re living. We were so close. They knew we were coming so they hit us first. We need to go back!”
“You want to go back north?” Quinn asked me.
“Yes! That is where they are headed. I know it is. I am going after them. I will kill anyone that gets in my way. I will go in there and kill every last one of their people if it means that I will get Violet and Penny back. None of you had better tell me that I am exaggerating or that I am foolish to think that we can actually beat them because…”
“I’m going with you.” James interrupted me, “You know I’m with you, baby.”
“I’m in.” Quinn agreed, nodding.
“Me too.” Alice chimed in, “When do we leave?”
“Right now.” I stood up and turned to see Elijah hurrying back to us. “I know you’re in, too, so let’s go.”
“To the Bachums’ camp?” Elijah asked.
“No, to the moon, Eli!” I exclaimed in aggravation as I threw my hands up in the air and rolled my eyes.
“Okay, chill out! James, walk with me.”
I watched as he led James away from our group, my brows furrowed.
“One minute he hates him, the next he wants to bond. There is no time for this!”
“You are correct, Brynna. There is very little time for this. In fact, the longer you wait, the more distance those animals put between you and your sisters.”
I turned to see Adam standing behind me, having appeared from nowhere as he always did.
“Do you have any idea how unwelcome the sight of your face is?” I snarled at him, “If you had not started this, they would still be here! You put them in danger!” I closed the space between us and glared up at him, “If they die, Adam, you have my word that I will kill you! You may think that you are invincible and that some lowly Earthean could not kill you even when utilizing their best effort, but you are wrong! If they are taken from me, I will end you. Do you understand me?!”
“Brynna,” Alice breathed, “I don’t think you should…”
“Understood.” Adam smiled at me dangerously before placing both of his smooth hands on my face. “You have great fire in your heart, Ms. Olivier. I admire that.”
“Do not touch me!” I shook him off and took a step back.
“But alas, while there is fire, there is also great fear.” His smile widened and his eyes glinted with malignant madness, “That fear generally yields distrust, which has always proved useful to you. Why do you shun it now?”
“Do not even try to play your Machiavellian mind games with me, Adam. I have always possessed intelligence far above what others are capable of achieving in their wildest dreams. You will never win.”
“I am not playing a game with you, Brynna. In fact, what I speak of is very serious. Your fear of men has always kept you safe. Now, you trust a man with secrets far more terrible than even he cares to realize.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked. He had my interest now. James turned and hurried back to us after hearing that snippet of our conversation.
“What are you putting in her head now, Adam?” James demanded furiously. Upon viewing Adam's face, his eyes turned over red.
“I am simply warning her to be wary of you. I believe that is only fair, given that she has allowed herself to be blinded by her love for you. What she feels for you is vast and uncompromising, bred from inexperience and that blind eye I speak of. It saddens me to see such naivety in one so brilliant.”
“He says that you have secrets, James. Is there anything you wish to tell me?”
James looked between the two of us, scowling in rage.
“I want you to stay away from her, do you understand me?” He barked forcefully as he pointed at Adam. “She doesn’t need to hear your lies. What’s happening is your fault. If you hadn’t insisted on this war, Penny and Violet would still be with us. If you had just let us live here peacefully, none of this would be happening.”
“And you are so familiar with living peacefully, are you not?” Adam asked before turning away. “Open your eyes, Ms. Olivier. Close your heart. Do it now before it is too late to rectify the consequences of your trust.”
He disappeared amongst the crowd of our people. Don was leading the charge in our direction, fury on his face.
“Are you ready to go back north?” Don called to us.
“Definitely.” Quinn answered, “We’re all in. When are we leaving?”
“Right now.” Don answered, “We have a few more guns now which should close the gap between us and them a little bit. Here,” Don handed me a small handgun. I checked to make sure it was loaded before flipping the safety on. I stuck the gun in the back of my jeans, feeling like an action movie heroine ready for an epic shootout with a sadistic villain. I forced Adam’s comments from my mind for the time being. Adam urging me to distrust James for an ambiguous reason was not important; I had to find Penny and Violet first and then I would give James the third degree.
“Wait a minute.” Bennie said as she stepped to the front of the group. “Some of us need to stay behind. Not all of us can make the trip, Don.”
She was right; we had elderly people and children who would not survive the harsh climate of the mountains. I looked around at them all, seeing genuine panic in their eyes. When the house had been standing, our way of life thriving inside its walls, everyone had a purpose. Everyone did their part by contributing something, even if it was just folding clean clothes or washing the fruits and vegetables harvested from the earth. Don insisted that everyone contribute their fair share willingly and he was right. We understood that one weak link in the chain meant collapse. Those fearful individuals I was observing were going to be deemed weak by Don; though they could help achieve our goal of survival when the house was up and running, they surely could not help us fight the Bachums.
“Well, that’s not my concern right now. They came up on us and attacked those of you that couldn’t fight. They burned our house down. They destroyed everything we’ve fought so hard to build. So right now, my concern is going up there and taking back what’s ours. They took our people! God only knows what is going to happen to them! I have said it before and I’ll say it again: they hate our kind!”
“But what are we supposed to do?” An elderly woman asked feebly as she clutched a small child in her arms. I almost covered my mouth as the urge to sob openly tightened me in its grip.
“You’re going to have to stay here. Just wait for us to get back.”
“But what if they get back before you do?” Bennie demanded, “We can’t afford to lose anyone else!”
“Listen,” Don held up his hands as though preaching a sermon. “We have survived thus far by simply adhering to my belief that everyone can contribute. Now, we don’t have that life we built anymore. We have a new purpose: We need to destroy the Bachums. They are a constant threat. They are more dangerous than I ever could have imagined. Now, it’s unfortunate, but those that can’t fight cannot be our top priority right now. All of you,” He indicated those that would not be joining us on our trek or in the battle that followed, “You all know that you can’t contribute equally anymore. Not in this new purpose.”
Ah, everything I suspected he was thinking was actually being said. At least he was honest...
“So, you
’re just going to leave us here to die?” An older man asked.
“Not to die, of course not! You’re just going to have to…”
“We will find a new place to take shelter. We will leave a few behind to protect all of you. The fire is out, so we will go in and try to find whatever remains of the food supply. In the meantime, all of this rainwater is good for drinking so we need to find containers for it.” I looked around to find everyone staring at me, shocked that I would openly contradict Don’s orders. He was our leader who had led us to safety and prolonged our lives by running a smooth operation in his house. Through his idea that all of us had to work and contribute, we had thrived. He had angered them by taking more than a fair share to give to Adam but even in their displeasure, they understood the necessity of appeasing the man who made Don’s vision possible in the first place. Their loyalty to Don ran deep and I was trampling on it mercilessly with orders of my own.
However, as is always the case when a leader issues an unpopular order, people jump ships quickly and without a second thought. Everyone immediately set to work, doing the things that I had said. I was momentarily surprised. Then, I mentally patted myself on the back for understanding what those people truly needed far more coherently than Don did. I had towed the line when Don had taken from the joint food supply but his suggestion that we leave those he considered weak behind to die was unacceptable and reminiscent of another man I had known. Just when I had begun to believe that Don was the leader my father never could have been, I realized that they were one in the same.
I walked over to Rachel and Bennie, who were brainstorming ideas on where to set up a new shelter.
“Ladies, I need you to make sure that everything I just ordered gets done.” I handed them the gun Don had given me.
“Wait, where are you going?” Rachel grasped my arm as I went to turn away.
“Why do we need a gun?”
“Because Don is very angry that I have overridden his order and more than likely will not follow my own. If he needs a little prodding,” I touched a spot on my arm, “Right here is a flesh wound. After that, threaten to shoot him right between the eyes.”
“Consider it done.” Bennie clapped me on the shoulder.
“Most of these people are on our side but several of them believe that Don is right and these people need to be left behind. You all know who you can trust.”
They both nodded.
“When we get back, we will need a way to find all of you again.”
“I’ll leave a note in the sycamore tree, in that squirrel hole at the base.” Rachel told me,“You know the one, right at the end of the runoff going south?”
“I do. Stay away from the campsite and the city. There is a cave about ten miles back in that direction.” I pointed, “Unless you wish to be confronted by Adam’s enemies and made a human sacrifice, do not go inside of it. On the subject of Adam, do not trust him. If he offers you shelter, take it, but do not close your eyes for a second. Just lay low for a couple of days until we get back and then we will find another place. Did you two get all of that?”
“Yeah,” Bennie nodded, “Damn, girl, you’re going to be taking over from Don before you know it.”
I chuckled softly, tickled by the compliment. I was surprised by how happy that acknowledgment of my rebellion and leadership skills thrilled me. I turned to walk away, a scowl replacing the smile on my face at the sight of Don glaring at me. His thoughts screamed his desire to rip my throat out with his fangs. No one would take his power from him. He had built our lives from the ground up. He had welcomed my family and me into the house he ran. My nerve astounded and infuriated him simultaneously. I could not help but grin and raise my eyebrows at him in a silent taunt. See, Don? They do like me more.
“Are you all ready?” I asked James, Alice, Quinn and Elijah.
“Ready.” Alice answered. The rest nodded.
“What were you two talking about?” I demanded of Elijah and James. Elijah looked at me, his wide eyes betraying that a secret was being kept. James had a magnificent poker face but his lack of expression was enough of a hint.
“Well, we might as well tell her now!” Elijah told James as I walked ahead of them.
“Tell me what, Eli?” I looked over my shoulder at them as we walked.
“Leave it alone, Eli. Just let it go.” James ordered.
“But she’s just going to read my…”
I turned around to walk backwards and squinted my eyes at him. The whole conversation between him and James repeated clearly and without pause. Elijah’s mind was ripe for reading; the photographic content of his memories did not just apply to images but also to entire experiences.
“Adam says that the other natives have had people in our camp.”
“Adam said that? And you believe him?”
“Why would he lie about that, James?”
“Why wouldn’t he lie about that, Eli? He’s stirring the pot. He’s trying to turn us against each other. He’s the puppeteer in this, isn’t he?”
“I believe him. I mean, there are so many of us and it’s not like we had a ship manifest. We’ll never know who they are. But here’s where it gets worse; he says that the other natives believe that we somehow stole their powers. They don’t have them anymore. They’re pissed off that we do.”
“How in the world could we have stolen their powers?”
“I know, right? I mean, we were on Earth, for God’s sake! But that’s why they tried to sacrifice Penny. They were trying to steal back their powers while also appeasing their God. Adam says that’s why they’re exiled in the woods. His people don’t believe in all of that over-the-top religious stuff. That’s kind of what he said. I missed that part of it.”
“Adam is just freely sharing this information now? I definitely don’t believe it. What does he have to gain from suddenly letting us into the loop? Besides messing with our heads and making us distrust each other, which both of those consequences, I’ll have you know, are very effective in war. Don’t buy into his bullshit, Elijah. You’re smarter than that.”
“I do buy into it! It’s not bullshit, James. It all makes sense. They’re aligned with the Bachums because the Bachums are over-the-top and crazy!”
“The Bachums also hate anyone with powers. Why would they help these other people gain back the powers they claim are from Satan? Come on, man. Use your head! You’re starting to make me believe that Brynna got all the brains in the family.”
“James, don’t try to tell me that it doesn’t make sense. Listen… Whether it’s true or isn’t true is irrelevant right now. For the time being, we need to keep this from Brynn. If she has a reason to put to what they’ve done, she’s going to freak out.”
“I sincerely doubt that. She trusts Adam to the death, right?”
“Very funny. James, this isn’t good.”
“I know.”
“We just need to keep it from her. For her sake, we need to lie.”
“You were the one that said we shouldn’t tell her, Eli. Now you’re going to…” James stopped talking when he saw me bend over. I had suddenly been afflicted with a harsh inability to breathe. I wanted to prove Elijah wrong by having no discernible reaction to what I had just learned but he had been right; knowing now why the other natives hated us so much was enough to bring me to my knees. Knowing the reasoning behind their attempt to sacrifice Penny was a terrifying revelation; it revealed to me their intentions.
“It’s alright.” James was holding me and kissing the top of my head. “Let’s go, baby. Come on. We’ll go after them right now.” He looked back at Elijah, “So, you were right. I’m a big enough man to admit it.”
“It’s cool.” Elijah had his hands on my back.
I broke away from both of them and continued trekking towards the forest, knowing that Elijah, James, Alice and Quinn would follow in my wake. I was running through all the terrible things I wanted to do to those responsible for the abduction of my sisters when one of thos
e guilty individuals strode right in front of me to block my path.
“Where do you think you’re going? Also, what do you think you’re doing?” Don demanded savagely. I shook my head slightly and moved sideways so I could walk around him, but he was adamant on stopping me. He reached out and grabbed the tops of my arms with both hands hard. I would have winced had the fury that exploded in my heart not shielded me from pain.
“Get off of me!” I barked at him furiously and my long fangs emerged suddenly. I lunged forward and opened my mouth, ready to rip his throat out when a sudden pain in my chest brought me to the ground.
“Yeah. That hurts, doesn’t it?” He asked with his face close to mine. I was kneeling in front of him, still trying to shake off his hard grasp even as the pain intensified. “I just amplified everything you're feeling. You think you’re going to take what’s mine? You think you’re going to rule these people? You’ve done nothing for them since you’ve been here. You’ve done nothing for anyone your entire life! I’ll kill you, Brynna. I will kill you before I ever see you taking over from me. I built this place from the ground up! I have given them everything!”
“Yes, just so you could take everything back!” I screamed at him.
I had not realized how much space I had put between myself and James, Elijah, Alice and Quinn. The gap was closed in seconds by my enraged boyfriend, whose eyes were darker than blood upon finding me being accosted so aggressively. His hand grabbed Don’s wrist in an excruciatingly tight hold; Don was now the one falling to his knees.
“If you ever…” James tightened his grip even more, “lay your hands…” Don’s wrist snapped in two. He cried out in pain, “on her again…” James tightened his hand around Don’s other wrist.
“Stop! Stop!”
James took a handful of his hair and pulled him back so that he was looking at me.
“Apologize.”
“What?”
“Apologize. Generally that action involves speaking and the word 'sorry.’ I know that you think you make the laws around here but you don’t. Right now, you’re going to follow mine. Apologize to her.”
The Shattered Genesis (Eternity) Page 71