Fractured Truth (39 page)

From what I could gather it was early afternoon. May and Liam were the constants in the room. They didn’t speak much. Sometimes I’d hear May cry.

Aaron was dead. Robert had killed him.

Many Auras had also died. And Guardians. Alex was one of them. So many deaths. I couldn’t help feeling like it was partially my fault. Did I miss signs that Sophie was bad? Should I have tried harder to get closer to her? I wasn’t that nice to her when I first arrived at Lucent. Maybe there was something I could’ve done to soften her heart.

This made me think of her last threat. She had said there were others. I hadn’t let her say more. I didn’t want to know. There would always be others in the world who wanted to destroy goodness.

Like Vykens.

After I trapped the Shadow back to its ruby prison, which now belonged to the Deific in a secure facility, Vykens scattered. Their numbers were greatly reduced, but they were still out there, hiding, probably plotting their next move.

I needed to open my eyes, to wake up, but then what would I do with my life? I didn’t want to stay at Lucent, not right away anyway, but I didn’t feel ready to join the Deific either. I needed time. And so did May. We both needed to heal.

There was the cure. If it was out there, I needed to find it. It could help Christian. And Liam.

Liam.

I would miss him the most. He would understand. I opened my eyes.

“Llona?” May came to my bedside and took my hand.

“Don’t look at me like that,” I said. The forlorn look in her eyes weighed on my heart. “I’m fine, really. But how are you?”

She shrugged.

Liam was there too, standing close. “How did you know to do it? The trick with the light.”

“Something Petros said to me. I thought of it at the last second.”

“Remind me to thank him later.”

It took me a second, but I managed to sit up. “How’s Arik?”

“You know about Aaron?” Liam asked.

I lowered my gaze, embarrassed. “I’ve been listening to conversations for a while.”

May’s chin quivered. “Arik left with Charlie for a while. He said he’d come back later today.”

“I’m so sorry, May. Is there anything I can do?” I squeezed her hand.

“He died saving my life.”

Liam said, “He was a good man.”

I squeezed May’s hand. “The next few days are going to be rough with funerals and such, but we’re going to get through it together, okay? Like we’ve done before.”

She nodded.

“And when it’s over, we’re going to get out of here. Just like I promised.”

It was an understatement when I said the next few days were going to be rough. People flew in from all over the world to mourn with us; many of them were supernatural creatures, half I didn’t recognize. They filled the halls at Lucent, suffocating an already suffocating place. There was one funeral after another. For days. By the end, everyone looked numb.

I was in Dr. Han’s office, a bag packed at my feet. He was talking to Mrs. Crawford about Abigail. They’d relieved her of her duties at Lucent and banned her from ever returning. Maybe one day she might realize how her actions harmed others, but the last time I saw her she was still angry, thinking Auras had done her wrong.

Dr. Han changed the conversation. “We’ll close Lucent for one month. The Council agreed it would be a good idea. People need time to grieve, and we need to get this school back in order.”

“But it’s so much time,” Mrs. Crawford said. “Wouldn’t it be better to keep the girls busy?”

Dr. Han looked at me. “What do you think, Llona?”

“They need time. And when they come back, they will be stronger for it.”

“Will you be coming back?” she asked.

“Eventually.”

She nodded as if she understood. “We’ll miss you.”

“The girls will be just fine without me. There’s nothing left to teach them.”

Mrs. Crawford took me by the shoulders. “They’ll miss
you
, not your teachings.” She gave me a hug. I would miss her something awful.

“Lucent can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done, Llona,” Dr. Han said. He too gave me a hug. Our first. When he released me, he said, “Take care of May.”

“I will.” May had stayed in her room for most of the funerals, except for Aaron’s. It was all she could take. I walked to the door.

“Stay in touch, Llona,” Mrs. Crawford called.

“I will.”

I walked down the main hall and past the dining room, remembering how uncomfortable I’d felt the first time I came here. Everything about Lucent Academy was foreign to me, the girls, the teachers, but I didn’t feel that way anymore. Lucent was my home.

Last night Kiera had thrown a farewell party for May and me. We said our good-byes then. I preferred it that way. I was really going to miss seeing them, especially Tessa. At the last second, I’d almost invited her to come with me and May, but thought better of it. She was already moving on with her life, and I shouldn’t interrupt that.

I was almost to the front doors when I heard my name. I turned around. Ms. Hady jogged toward me. What now? She hadn’t spoken to me for days.

She stopped in front of me but didn’t say anything right away. Her jaw was moving back and forth like she was trying to get something out of her mouth.

“What do you need?” I asked.

“To say sorry.” The words came out fast. “I was cruel to you because I was afraid.”

“Forget about it. I understand.”

She glanced down at the bag in my hand. “So you’re leaving?”

“For a while.”

She pursed her lips together.

“What?” I asked.

Her face reddened. “I was hoping you could teach me a few things about how to use Light.”

I chuckled. “That’s something I never thought I’d hear. Ask Kiera or Ashlyn. They know as much as I do.”

She hugged me suddenly. “Thank you. For everything.” Before I could say anything back, she let go and hurried away.

I stared after her until she disappeared around the corner.
Things at Lucent were going to be so different. I probably wouldn’t recognize it when I returned.

Pushing open the door, I squinted against the glare of the sun. As soon as my eyes adjusted, the first thing I saw was Liam, reminding me again of how good he looked in the sunlight. I hoped the blood I gave him lasted awhile.

He was at the bottom of the steps, talking to May and Arik.

“I still can’t believe you guys are leaving,” Arik said when I joined them.

I glanced at May. “It won’t be for too long.”

“Six months,” she said. “At least.”

“Whatever it takes.” I figured it would take at least that long. First we both wanted to return to Utah for a while to visit family. Jake and Heidi said they had a big surprise for me. My guess was she was pregnant. After that it was off to Thailand. The Andaman Islands weren’t far from there.

“I wish you’d let us help,” Arik said. “Finding that cure might be a lot harder than you think.”

“If there is a cure,” Liam added.

I looked pointedly at him. “I’m going to find it, and it’s going to help you.”

And me and Christian
. I knew he was thinking it too, but he didn’t say anything. I never said good-bye to Christian when the Deific came to take him away. They said they’d keep him safely locked up. I didn’t want any more memories of the monster he’d become.

“I don’t need a cure. I’ve lived like this for centuries and will continue to do so.”

“Here we go again,” Arik said under his breath. “Walk you to the car?” he asked May. She nodded and headed to our rental parked not far away.

I huffed, not wanting to have the same argument we’d had for the last several days. “I’ve felt your burden, Liam. You mean too much to me to let you suffer like that.”

“Then let me go. I’ll find it.”

“We need to do this. May and I.” I took his hand and smiled gently. “But we’re coming back. Besides, we have unfinished business. That kiss. I’ll never forget it.”

He pulled me into a hug and moaned. “This is going to be hard.”

I hugged him back and breathed him in. It was going to be hard, but it was necessary. I’d depended on Christian for so long and then Liam. I needed to know that I could survive on my own.

Liam let me go. “Charlie told me to tell you good-bye. He wished he could be here, but his hands are full with trying to track down Vykens.”

“I heard a bunch of adult Auras are helping him.”

“They are. And he said he’d love to have you join too, when you’re ready.”

“I’d like that.”

We walked to the car.

“You know you can call me anytime, right?” he said.

“I know.”

“For any reason.”

May rolled down the passenger window and called out to me from the driver’s seat. “You ready?” She really wanted to get out of here.

“Be right there.” I gave Liam another tight hug. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” He held me for a few seconds before letting me go. He opened my door. “Be safe.”

I slid into the passenger seat. “I will.” He closed the door and stepped back. I watched him for a few seconds, wanting to memorize how he looked in the sunlight.

Arik walked over and stood next to him. “They’re going to be just fine,” I heard Arik say as we slowly drove away.

I took a deep breath and said, “We made it. We survived.”

“But what’s left?” May’s hands tightened around the steering wheel.

“Hope. For the future. The world is a beautiful place, and
we have our whole lives ahead of us. We have to focus on that to keep the darkness away.”

“I have a future,” she said, but I don’t think she realized she said it out loud.

I nudged her and smiled. “Are you ready for an adventure? The good kind that doesn’t involve anyone dying?”

Her hands lowered to the bottom of the steering wheel, and her shoulders relaxed. “I’d like that very much.”

“As would I.”

I leaned back into the seat and thought of nothing at all.

Rachel McClellan
was born and raised in Idaho, a place secretly known for its supernatural creatures. When she’s not in her writing lair, she’s partying with her husband and four small children. Her love for storytelling began as a child, when the moon first possessed each night. For when the lights went out, her imagination painted a whole new world. And what a scary world it is . . . Currently she lives in New Hampshire, where the graveyards are as enchanting as the forests.

© 2014 Rachel McClellan

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form whatsoever, whether by graphic, visual, electronic, film, microfilm, tape recording, or any other means, without prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief passages embodied in critical reviews and articles.

This is a work of fiction. The characters, names, incidents, places, and dialogue are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. The opinions and views expressed herein belong solely to the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions or views of Cedar Fort, Inc. Permission for the use of sources, graphics, and photos is also solely the responsibility of the author.

ISBN 13: 978-1-4621-0803-9

Published by Sweetwater Books, an imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc.

2373 W. 700 S., Springville, UT 84663

Distributed by Cedar Fort, Inc.,
www.cedarfort.com

Cover design by Kelsey Webb and Kristen Reeves

Cover design © 2014 Lyle Mortimer

Edited and typeset by Melissa J. Caldwell

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3. Three
   
4. Four
   
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8. Eight
   
9. Nine
   
10. Ten
    
11. Eleven
    
12. Twelve
    
13. Thirteen
    
14. Fourteen
    
15. Fifteen
    
16. Sixteen
    
17. Seventeen
    
18. Eighteen
    
19. Nineteen
    
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23. Twenty-Three
    
24. Twenty-Four
    
25. Twenty-Five
    
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27. Twenty-Seven
    
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29. Twenty-Nine
    
30. Thirty
    
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33. Thirty-Three
    
34. Thirty-Four
    
35. Thirty-Five
    
36. Thirty-Six
    
37. Thirty-Seven
    
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39. Thirty-Nine
    
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46. Forty-Six
    
47. About the Author