Fractured Light (29 page)

I just smiled and congratulated her and the rest of team.

It took a long time for the crowd to die down, but when it did, my friends found me and celebrated with us. Christian whispered in my ear, “Good job, but wasn’t that cheating?”

I looked at him, shocked. “It’s not like I can control what I’m doing!”

“Well, you will soon, and then you can’t use that excuse anymore.” He grinned. “Good job, Llona. I’m proud of you.” He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, and I was happy.

*     *     *     *     *

Christmas day began like every other Christmas. I woke up to the smell of bacon and pancakes, mingled with the sweet aroma of Jake’s special hot chocolate. We always ate breakfast together before we opened our presents and this year was no different except for one thing: there was an unexpected knock at the door.

Jake tossed me an angry look. “Is that Christian?

“If it is, I didn’t invite him.”

“Doesn’t he have a home?”

I stood up to answer the door. Like we both thought, it was Christian. He held several packages in his arms.

“Merry Christmas,” he bellowed in a pretend Santa voice. He walked by me into the living room. “I come bearing gifts.”

Jake couldn’t help but smile. “Whatcha got there?”

“Nothing big. Just my way of saying thank you for putting up with me the last several weeks.”

“Sounds more like a payoff to me,” I said.

“Don’t be so grumpy. I’ve got something for you too.”

Christian handed a big box to Jake along with several small packages. “You first, Jake. You’ve had to put up with me the most.”

“I doubt that,” I countered.

“Thanks, Christian.” Jake slowly unwrapped the big present first. He was only halfway when he began to squeal. “You have got to be kidding. Tell me this isn’t what is really in the box—no, wait—tell me this
is
what’s in the box.”

“What is it?” I asked.

Christian’s grin couldn’t have been bigger.

Jake turned the box around to show me.

“What is it?” I asked again.

“It’s the latest gaming system! It’s not supposed to be released for another few months. Who did you have to kill to get it?”

Christian laughed. “My dad pulled some strings. It’s technically a beta version, so you might come across some weird bugs.”

Jake stared at the box. “I can’t believe it.”

“Open the others,” Christian urged.

He didn’t have to ask twice. Jake tore into them and laughed every time he discovered a new game for the console.

“I’m going to set it up now.” Jake stood up and darted off to his room.

“What about my present?” I called after him.

“I’ll open it later,” he yelled back.

“Great, Christian. You ruined Christmas.” I stormed off to my room.

“Maybe this will make it better,” he said from behind me.

“You can’t buy
me
off so easily.” I was about to shut my bedroom door, but he blocked it with his foot.

“Come on, Llona. Just open your present. Please?”

I let the door open a little. “If I do, will you promise to go afterward? We were just starting to open our presents. Of course, what I got Jake will seem like kitty litter compared to what you just got him, but still.”

“Look, if you still want me to go after opening this, then I will, sort of.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’ll just be outside, keeping on eye on things.”

I sighed. “Whatever.” I held out my hand.

Christian handed me a small square box that wasn’t wrapped.

“I really wished you wouldn’t have,” I said as I opened it.

Inside was a silver necklace with what looked like a narrow dog tag hanging from its chain. I pulled it out and tried to read the inscription. “It’s beautiful. Thank you. What does it say?”

“ ‘Endure to the end’ ”

I looked at it closer. “Endure to the end,” I whispered. The metal tag had been etched in a circular pattern reminding me of the symbol for eternity.

“Will you put it on me?” I turned around.

He took the ends of the necklace, and, after pushing my hair to the side of my neck, fastened it.

“Why did you choose that inscription?” I asked.

His hands moved to my shoulders. “I know I don’t act like it all the time, but you have no idea how much you mean to me.” He swallowed. “I need you to endure, to do all that you can to see that you live a good, long life. I couldn’t bear it if anything were to happen to you.”

I felt his body move close to mine. In one swift motion, I turned around and stared into his eyes. Any thoughts of him thinking I was like a sister were suddenly erased. He was looking at me with such passion that I wondered how he was able to hide it for so long. He leaned his forehead against mine and very slowly his hands moved up to my waist. My lips parted and air escaped. The sound must’ve startled him because all of a sudden he froze and closed his eyes. His jaw muscles bulged.

“I’m going to go set up a game or something,” he said and walked away.

“Can it be Twister?” I called after him.

He didn’t answer.

The rest of the day went without incident between me and Christian—much to my dismay. I felt stupid giving him my present after he’d given me such a considerate gift. All I gave him was a jersey from his favorite football team and a pink sugar cookie—his favorite snack food. We played games for awhile, watched a movie, and ate way too much. Around six, Jake got called into work because of some computer glitch, leaving us alone.

I enjoyed it, but after twenty minutes, Christian began to pace and then inexplicably said he had to go too.

“Do you really have to?” I whined.

“Yeah.” He stood up and glanced around. “Where did I put my jacket?”

“Um, I think it’s in my room. I’ll get it.” I stood up and walked down the hallway. “I wouldn’t want you to stay here any longer than you have to,” I said under my breath.

“What did you say?” he called after me.

I ignored him and opened the door to my room. The light from the hallway let in just enough for me to see Christian’s jacket on top of my dresser. I moved in to grab it but noticed something on my bed. It was a box wrapped in black paper with a red ribbon on top. Christian must have left it as a surprise. I smiled. He wasn’t really leaving after all. The whole “where’s my jacket” thing was just a ploy to get me to find another present.

I picked it up, removed the lid, and frowned as my brain tried to process what was lying in the box. At first I thought it was a small stuffed animal—a teddy bear perhaps. I reached in to touch it, but when my fingers felt the course white hair, I knew there was nothing synthetic about it.

The box dropped from my hands and as it hit the floor, the limp body of a dead rat flopped out.

White mouse.

White dog.

And now a white rat.

He’d been with me since the very beginning. Just then a dark figure appeared at the window. Instinctively, I screamed. When I heard Christian rush down the hallway, I quickly kicked the box and the dead rat under my bed. When I glanced at the window, the shadow was gone.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” he said, the moment he entered the room.

I flipped the light on. “Nothing,” I stammered, trying quickly to gain control over my nerves. “I thought I saw a mouse.” There. That wasn’t too far from the truth.

“A mouse? It sounded like you just saw death.”

I swallowed and forced a smile. “Death, mouse, same thing.”

Christian moved to the window and peered into the darkness. “Where is it?”

“Um, I think it ran into the closet.”

Christian opened the closet door and pushed aside several shoes. “I don’t see it now.”

“It’s probably long gone. It was a fast little bugger.”

“Do you want me to stay?”

Inside I yelled yes, but I heard myself say, “No. I think I can handle a mouse.”

“Okay then.” He pulled his jacket on.

I followed him to the front door, all the while trying desperately to think of something that would get him to stay, but came up empty. I knew the moment I saw the rat and the shadow at my window, I couldn’t tell Christian. He’d insist I go to Lucent. I couldn’t go to Lucent, especially now. I was finally learning to take control of my life by learning to defend myself. I’d never get this opportunity again, and the last thing I wanted was to be dependant upon a guardian to feel safe for the rest of my life.

At the door, I said, “It’s been three weeks, Christian. You said I’d quit, but I haven’t. You owe me.”

He nodded and reached into his pocket. “I was wondering when you’d bring that up.”

“You’re not going to back out, are you?”

“No. A deal’s a deal.” He removed his hand from his pocket and revealed what looked like a watch. “Here’s your first lesson. Give me your wrist.”

“This may surprise you, but I already know how to tell time.”

“This isn’t a watch. It’s a heart monitor.” He latched the black-looking device tightly to my wrist.

“I don’t get it.”

“For the next twenty-four hours, this monitor will determine your base heart rate. After that it will automatically set itself to beep if your heartbeat goes over your base rate. The goal is to always remain calm and keep your heart rate normal. If you can do that, you’ll be able to think your way through tough situations and this is what will save your life. Once you master this, then I will teach you what I’ve been taught.”

I examined the monitor. “How long did it take you to do this?”

“Months.”

“Months?”

“It shouldn’t take you as long. Use your Light to help keep you calm. It should be easy. Light loves being at peace.”

“Then what’s wrong with me?”

“What do you mean?”

“How come I like to fight?”

He tilted his head, thinking. “I don’t think you like to. I just think life has put you in a position where you feel you have to fight to survive.”

Just then Jake’s car pulled into the driveway.

“Want to go to a movie tomorrow or something?” Christian asked me as he opened the front door.

“We’ll see. I’m feeling pretty tired,” I said, as I searched the black sky for the moon.

“Get some rest then.”

“See you.”

Later that night, with glove in hand, I carefully dumped the rat in a white bag and stuffed it in the bottom of the kitchen garbage. I wasn’t about to dump it outside and risk the chance of coming face to face with a Vyken. I don’t know if that even mattered anymore. A Vyken had entered my house. While I was home. And he knew where my room was. That means whoever was stalking me was definitely an acquaintance and possibly a close one.

After washing my hands, I locked all the doors and windows then slipped a carving knife under my pillow. All these precautions didn’t make me feel any safer.

I’d like to say things became better the next several weeks, but they didn’t. First there was the annoying sound of Christian’s dumb heart monitor going off every time I breathed heavy. The teachers were constantly getting upset at me, but after I politely explained that I had to wear it per the doctor’s orders, they left me alone.

It was a lot harder than I thought trying to remain calm. It would go off even when I wasn’t stressed. Like one time Matt put his arm around me to walk me to class like he always did, but suddenly my heart rate went up, and off went the annoying alarm. I couldn’t figure out why; I didn’t like him like that and I know he didn’t like me either. We were just friends. I guess I still wasn’t used to being touched.

Whatever the reason, Matt became good practice for me to remain calm and keep my breathing slow and steady. I was beginning to get really good at it—during the day. Night was a whole other story.

Almost every night I was visited by the same dark figure outside my window. He’d appear out of nowhere for just a few seconds and then be gone, but lately his visits were becoming more frequent. And it was like he knew when I was in my room no matter how quiet I was or how late the hour.

I didn’t have blinds on my windows, nor did I want any until now. I loved having a view of the mountains. It made me feel like I was a part of them, but now the openness made me feel vulnerable.

The nightly visits by shadow man only made me train that much harder. I asked my martial arts instructor if I could join the advanced class held just after mine. He said I could as long as I was able to keep up. I not only kept up but started to excel in it too. I found I could use Light to predict my opponent’s moves, making my blows more effective. But even more amazing, I was able to fight and still maintain a normal heart rate.

But at night, the beeping sound of the monitor often woke me up, and I’d only have to look to the window to know the source of my anxiety.

“What do you want?” I whispered loudly one night. But even as I finished my sentence, he was gone.