Unfaded (49 page)

“Why not? I got it for you.”

“I still love you, Conner, but I don't want to be with you anymore. I’m sorry but I can’t change that. And I don’t want to be discussing this right now when Kian could be dying or dead. I know you don’t like him but try to think about that. Do you really want him dead?”

“It’s not my fault that someone’s trying to kill him,” Connor sneered. “
Does that excite you? Gang guys? I thought you knew better than that.”

Banging both my hands on the steering wheel, I screamed in frustration. Yanking open the car door, I stormed away from Connor. It was freezing outside but I barely noticed.
The fresh air would be good. It might help clear my mind.

I ended up over at the picnic table where Kian and I had shared a lunch several weeks
back. It seemed so long ago, how was it possible that less than a month had passed. I had known nothing back then except that he was just this unusually familiar person whom I’d never met before in my life. Thanks to the memories, flashbacks and endless talks, I probably knew more about him than anyone could ever learn about someone in a lifetime. That was the neat thing about it, there were so many lifetimes shared together. Would I go through them one by one, learning more each time? Would I even get that chance?

The wind was cold and I wrapped my arms around my body. No matter how frozen I became I wouldn’t give Connor the satisfaction of going back to the car. I’d sit out all night, slowly turning into a snowman before I’d let him think he won. Sometimes I was too stubborn for my own good.

Time stopped moving. The wind continued to blow, freezing my skin and whipping my hair around my face. My eyelashes started to grow frosty and I brought my hands up to melt the bits of ice. I watched the entrance of the parking lot and kept my ears open for the sounds of approaching cars.

Was Kian on his way or were An
ique and Sobek coming to finish the game?

Closing my eyes I tried to focus my tho
ughts, wondering if there was a way to use the power inside my body to reach out and find him. Rafferty said I’d been sending out bursts of energy that other Unfaded could feel. If I could use it as a beacon, then perhaps I could find him. But could I do it without announcing to the world my location? I wasn’t sure but I figured it was worth trying. Even if I did screw up and let Anique and Sobek find me, the odds were good that Seito, Lina, Rafferty and his group would feel it too.

After a few minutes I had to admit defeat. Whatever energy was inside my body, it wasn’t going anywhere. My stomach was hurting and my teeth were chattering. I couldn’t concentrate enough
to make anything happen.

The car door slammed and I could hear Connor’s feet moving through the snow and towards the picnic table.

“It’s freezing out here,” he said, breathing into his hands twice before thrusting them into his pockets. “You’re only wearing a shirt. Come back to the car.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’ll freeze to death.”

He began to remove his coat but I shook my head. The last thing I w
anted was his scent on my body.

“I can’t die from frostbite. One of the perks for being Unfaded.
”

“Oh.”

Connor stood with me for a bit, not saying a word, as he bounced up and down to try and keep warm. He wanted to go back to the car, it was all over his face, but at the same time he didn’t want to leave me alone. It would mean I was stronger and tougher than him and he couldn’t handle that.

But I could care less about having a manly challenge. Off in the distance I could hear a faint noise.

“A car’s coming,” I said.

“What?
” Connor stopped bouncing on the spot and tried to listen to the night. “I can’t hear anything.”

“I’ve got better ears.”

“Let me guess, part of your super powers? What’s next? Stopping bullets with your mouth or flying to the moon?”

“No. Be quiet
. I’m trying to listen.”

The vehicle was still a ways off but it was moving fast.
Way too fast. If it was Kian, then whose car was he driving? I had his right beside me, wishing a certain ex-boyfriend would tire of jumping up and down and go back and wait by the heater. It was possible that he might have gone back to the house to pick up mine but it didn’t sound like my Toyota. The engine was too new.

The faintest glow of lights appeared from a distance. Whoever it was, they were almost here. If I was going to do anything, now was the time to act. I had less than a minute before the car
pulled into the parking lot and if it wasn’t Kian, then I was in danger. I had no weapons to protect us and my strength was both underdeveloped and weak. If I had to face off against Anique and Sobek I didn’t stand a chance.

I closed my eyes, reaching out with my mind to try and touch whatever energy might be travelling towards us. But I couldn’t feel anything.

“We need to hide.” Turning, I grabbed Connor by the sleeve of his jacket and jumped off the picnic table.

Thankfully Connor didn’t even bother to try and question me. He’d seen what kind of damage
Unfaded could inflict. Together we raced off towards the path that led to the falls. We hit the edge of the woods just as the car pulled into the lot. Yanking Connor along with me, we ducked down behind some bushes just as the headlights passed over. With the beams aimed in our direction I couldn’t see who was inside the car. But I didn’t have to wait long. Whoever it was cut the engine and the lights immediately went out.

It was hard to believe that my frozen body could get any colder but the temperature on my skin dropped about ten more degrees the moment
Sobek climbed out of the driver’s seat.

“I know you’re out here,”
he said. “I can feel your energy a mile away. How do you think I found you?”

He
was right. The energy made up the soul. It wouldn’t leave unless it was ripped from me. It was how Unfaded managed to tell themselves apart from humans. Kian had told me that after a while I’d learn to disguise it, keep it hidden deep within my body. But I was a novice who couldn’t even control my emotions half the time. There was no way I could trick Sobek. And I was the only one here. The energy he felt had to belong to me, everyone else was back at town trying to find them. If Anique and Sobek were powerful enough to hide from Rafferty than what chance did I have against them?

They’d chosen to
trap us deep under the earth in a cave that led nowhere. The cavern walls would keep our powers in. No Unfaded was strong enough to break through solid rock. We’d be trapped and helpless, unable to live, unable to die. We’d be dormant for centuries to come.

We’d never feel the sun on our skin again.

The cave. If I could get us there we’d be safe. He’d be unable to follow my trail because his own energy would just bounce off the walls. At least there I stood a chance.

“Come on.” I didn’t have to ask twice. Connor followed me as I headed down the path and towards the frozen waterfall. I’d lived in Addison all my life without ever knowing that the caves existed. Now I co
uld only hope that Kian would find me before Sobek.  He would come for me, he was probably on his way now. Just because Sobek got here first didn’t mean he was dead.  I had to believe he’d given Kian the slip while he was fighting Anique. I would choose to believe that. I had to.

There weren’t any other options.

It was a bright night, there was a full moon in the sky and lots of stars to guide our feet. It also helped that I’d been in the dark long enough for my eyes to adjust. I didn’t have any trouble moving down the path. Connor kept up, he’d grabbed hold of my hand and his fingers—although icy—were still warmer than mine. I couldn’t hear Sobek behind us but that didn’t mean anything. I wasn’t about to underestimate him. There was a good chance he wasn’t far behind. I wasn’t about to pause and look.

We kept going. Eventually we came into the clearing and Ehnita Falls stood above us, an icy cascade looming out from the darkness.

“Hey!” Connor pulled on my arm. “We can follow the river to the lake. Maybe we can get back to the car.”

“
He’ll find us if we try that,” I said. “We have to go into the caves.”

“What caves?”

“Behind the waterfall.”

Connor looked at me sceptically. Obviously he’d never know
n about them either. Pushing up against the rock, I squirmed and twisted my body between the ice and into the entrance. Inside it was pitch black, not even the moon was able to penetrate the icy wall.

“This is amazing,” Connor said as he followed me through. “How could I not know about this? I’ve been here dozens of times.”

Using our hands to guide us, we moved carefully along the walls until I found the tunnel that led a little further in. It was like walking through a tomb, the darkness was heavy and overpowering. Pausing, I took a deep breath, trying to figure out what to do next. We’d never get anywhere at this rate, it was like the blind leading the blind. If Sobek had a flashlight we’d be doomed.

“Do you have a lighter?”

“Here,” Connor said. He rummaged around for a bit. I heard the sound of metal as he removed the lid and sparked the flint. It was a Zippo lighter. I was both surprised and thrilled that he had it.
              “I’ve got even better,” he said. Handing over the lighter he reached into his pocket and pulled out some candles.

“Where did you get those?” I was shocked beyond belief.

“The car. There’s an emergency kit in the backseat. I pulled these out cause I thought you were freezing back at the table.” He shrugged sheepishly. “I didn’t think you’d come back so I figured they were better than nothing.”

I grinned and
almost hugged him. I would have laughed if I hadn’t been so bloody cold. Kian had gotten one of those emergency kits for his car. My Dad must have given Micah and him the biggest speech in their lives the night they crashed their car against the tree. Either way it worked. If I lived through this I’d have to let Dad know that sometimes his lectures paid off.

We lit two of the candles and the darkness pulled back a bit as the flames flickered against the stone walls.

Once again the only thing we could do was wait.

“What happens if
he finds us?” Connor kept glancing at the tunnel that led towards the entrance. I positioned myself in a way that I could watch too. I’d placed the candle on the floor as far away as possible.  I didn’t think that Sobek would spot the light but I wasn’t going to take chances.

“I’ll distract
him and you’ll run away.”

“What? No
.”

“Yes, you will.” Connor opened his mouth to spe
ak but I cut him off. “It’s me he wants. But if you stay and he kills me, he’ll come after you. No human witnesses. If you get the chance, you run. Take the car and go back to town. Find Kian and Micah. But don’t you dare stay behind because you feel the need to be a hero. He’s not human. He’s strong as hell and won’t hesitate to kill you.”

Connor glared at me, his eyes dropping to my upper body where Kian’s shirt covered me. “What did he get you into? You were fine until he showed up. If you die I’ll kill him myself. Hell, if he shows up I’ll kill him.”

  Why hadn’t he shown up? Was he dead? No, I’d know it if it was true. We were destined to be together. I’d know if part of my soul had been ripped from my body.

Wouldn’t I?

“How could he do this to you?”

I was wondering the same thing.

When this was over I’d tell Kian I’d never allow him to send me off like this again. I’d never run away unless he was at my side. I was not going to ever let anyone hunt me down. I would take a stand and fight.

Something caught my attention. Someone was moving just beyond the edge of the waterfall. I could see their reflection through the icy glass. Inhaling deeply, I turned and pushed Connor further back into the caves where his candle wouldn’t be seen.

“Be quiet,” I whispered. “You need to stop or he’ll hear you. Now promise me, Connor. Promise me you’ll run.”

“I won’t...”

“Yes, you will. Promise me.” I shook him hard, my strength surprising the both of us. Connor opened his mouth and closed it. 

“Fine,
I promise.” He said it like a pouting child but I wasn’t about to complain. All I could do is hope that his word would be enough when the time came.

Moving across the room, my eyes scanned the floor, looking for anything I could use as a weapon. There wasn’t much, a few pebbles, a half burned magazine, cigarette butts and some candy wrappers. In the corner I managed to find a rock that would fit into the palm of my hand. It wasn’t much but it was better than nothing. Picking it up, I grasped it tightly, wondering if I’d even get the chance to use it.

Back at the entrance, Sobek was squeezing his way between the ice, swearing loudly as he tore his jacket on a jagged piece of rock.

It was time to act.

“Come on,” I whispered. Grabbing the candles we started moving deeper into the cave. If we could find a place to hide maybe he’d pass over us, giving us a chance to get back out to the car.