A Controller's Destiny (Unit Matched #3) (16 page)

“We’re good.” Graham says and I quickly glance at them; they have knocked out all the guys and have their guns. Xaviera is in the crouching in the corner.

“Get up,” I order Zane.

“You think this is going to stop me, Gia.” He has difficulty standing. “If you run, I’ll find you. I won’t stop. Ever.”

“What if I die?” I turn the gun and put it at my temple.

“No,” everyone screams.

“I saw you talking to Mrs. Roberts. If I die, the baby lives, Unit lives, and the evil is gone. Isn’t it?” I continue my stare down with Zane.

“Gia, what the hell are you doing?” Graham asks.

“Gia, don’t do this.” Xaviera is by him.

“Tell me, Zane, right now, tell me the truth.” I ignore everyone else

Zane is pale white. He’s scared and nervous. I can see it. I can feel it.

“I command you to tell me.” I finally yell at him.

“If you die all the evil goes with you. The rest will raise the child, but I’m unsure about his powers. I assume they go with you, but Mother Nature did hand pick him; therefore, he could still have them. But, we, who have done wrong, leave with you and balance can be restored.” His voice is cracking. He is telling the truth. I can tell.

“Gia, don’t do this. There has to be another way.” Amaya is crying. “Please.”

I look at my friends. They all are staring at me.

“There isn’t another way.” I look at Zane. “Is there?”

He shakes his head.

“Gia, you can’t do this to me.” Graham’s tears are rolling down his cheek.

“You know he’s telling the truth; we all know it.”

I connect my eyes with Graham.

You are my soul mate. I love you.

I pull the trigger.

Chapter 19

The Flower Garden

The bright sun is in my eyes. I shield my eyes and sit up. I’m in a huge flower garden. Roses, daisies, sunflowers, and everything in between is surrounding me.

“Where am I?” I think aloud.

“Home.”

I jump to my feet and spin around. A very tall woman with dark as night skin and ebony hair is staring back at me. Her eyes are big and blue as the ocean. Her smile is comforting and as bright as the sun.

“Welcome home, Gia.”

Her voice is soft and angelic.

“Mother Nature?”

She touches my shoulder.

“Hello, my sweet child.”

“Am I…” I can’t say it because I already know the answer. I suddenly worry about one thing. “Did I save them?”

“You did.” She places her other hand on my other shoulder. “You’re so brave.”

“I am dead.”

Mother Nature leans in. “Come walk with me.” She loops her arm through mine. “This is one of my favorite places. I love flowers. They always seem to make me smile. What about you, Gia?”

I shrug. “Yes, I guess so.” I’ve never received flowers from Graham, but my mother did have a flower garden that was pretty special.

“You made me very proud today.” I can hear the pride in her voice.

I stop walking, making her stop, too. “I did?”

“Yes. Keep walking, dear.” She tugs on my arm and we continue. “As I was saying, I’m very proud of you. When I told your great-grandmother the prophecy, I didn’t think that it would be this convoluted. Sometimes free will and greed always get in the way.”

“But, you knew that I would die?”

Mother Nature doesn’t answer me. “Gia, I’ve watched this world tear itself to shreds the past several centuries. Wars, crimes, pollution, and I don’t even want to think about the rest. I want it to stop. I need balance restored and you are the beginning of that.”

I nod. I watch the news. I knew exactly what she’s talking about. The world is being overrun by everything but good. Death and destruction is on every headline of every network and every newspaper every day. It makes me sad, and I wish I could make a difference. Just look at my own father and his deceitfulness.

“You did,” she whispers with glee in her voice. “You made a huge difference.”

“Eavesdropping?” I tease her a little bit.

Mother Nature laughs. “I tend to do that from time to time.”

It’s my turn to giggle as we continue walking through the never-ending garden.

“Mother Nature,” I stop again and turn to her. “I need to thank you.” I smile at her. I don’t have any regret in my heart for what I did.

“For what?” she tilts her head.

“For the time you gave me on Earth. For my family and friends. For my…” I drop my head, holding back the tears. “For Graham, even though it was a short time, thank you.” I look into her stunning blue eyes.

Her face looks sad for a moment. “Not many people thank me, Gia. Did you know that?”

I shake my head.

“I should be thanking you though. Come.”

We continue through the garden. I try not to think about my friends or Graham, but I do. I miss them.

“Why did you pick Xaviera’s baby to be the one?” I ask to keep my mind away from my own thoughts.

“Because of the six of you.” She runs her hands over the flowers. “You six are a special breed. You each have your own qualities, and together you’re the strongest around. I knew that sweet boy would be raised with best intentions. Even though Amaya does have her tendency to be a little… unconventional.” Mother Nature actually rolls her eyes.

I laugh. “She does have her moments.”

“Even with all that, she would have laid her life on the line for yours or any of you.”

I nod. “I know.” I knew Amaya’s loyalty.

“When she and Thaddeus broke the rules, they were both in a bad spot at the time, but it made them stronger.” She explains. “Each of you is like a piece of the puzzle and together you’re complete.”

“Well, there’s a piece missing now.” I remind her looking farther down the garden.

“Is there? Or has it been misplaced for a moment?”

“Wait, what?” my mouth drops.

“Graham’s right. I never said ‘die’. That’s something that was inferred. I’m not that cruel.” She gives me a pointed look.

My heart is pounding. My mouth keeps opening and closing because I don’t know how to form a word.

“Just ask, Gia,” Mother Nature smiles.

“Am I dead?”

“No.”

I gasp. “What do you mean? I shot myself. In the head. I know I didn’t miss.” I raise my voice at her.

“No, you didn’t miss.”

Mother Nature waves her long dark fingers in the air and I’m looking down at myself.

I’m filthy. There’s a black fog around me. Thaddeus is covering Xaviera, as is Oliver over Amaya. Graham is holding me. The fog is thick but the red around me is the blood from my head.

“What’s all that black smoke?”

“Evil. You consumed all the evil.”

I wipe the tears that are rolling down my cheeks. Since Zane told me the timelines were fake, I had to ask the one question weighting on my mind.

“Will Graham be happy without me?”

Mother Nature’s face is sad again, and a small frown appears. “Give me your hand. I’m going to let you feel what he’s feeling.”

My shaking hand lays in hers. Once she clasps it, I fall to my knees, screaming. My heart is being ripped from my chest and feels as if it’s shattering. I scream out so loud that my throat burns.

Mother Nature releases my hand and I sob loudly.

“I did it for him, too. I did it for all of them.”

“I know, child, I know.” Her voice is soothing.

“I didn’t have a choice.” I can’t catch my breath. I feel as if every part of my soul is being tortured.

Mother Nature wraps me in her arms. Her comforting voice is telling me it’ll be okay and calms me down.

“Relax. Relax,” she repeats over and over. “It’s okay.”

I don’t know how long she holds me. It could have been a year that passed for all I know, but Mother Nature holds on to me tightly.

“Do you feel better?’

“No. I feel worse. I never wanted him to hurt like that. I believed Zane when he talked of the timelines. I thought Graham was going to find his perfect Matched and run off into the sunset.”

Mother Nature sits there and listens to me.

“I guess it’s silly, but I hoped that some of it would be true.”

“No, Gia, that’s not silly at all. Hope is a wonderful thing to have.” She pushes my hair back behind my ears.

“Do you ever hope?”

She smiles. “I
hope
that you make the right choice to my question. See,” she sits on the ground. “If you say no, which is your right to do, then Graham will go into a deep depression, the girls will be inconsolable, and the boys will not be able to help. It will ruin my plan for the balance and the future.”

“I don’t…I don’t understand what you mean.” I search her face, unsure what she’s talking about.

“Gia, do you want to go back?”

I push away from Mother Nature and crab walk back about five feet. “What?”

“You heard me,” she laughs at me.

“Back? Do you mean like to Graham?” I can’t help my optimistic voice.

“I’m not one to send people back to Earth, but…” she shrugs. “I think I owe you one.” She winks.

“Can you…can you do that?”

She gives me that same look that Amaya does if I ask some ridiculous question. “I do have a few tricks up my sleeves. However, I’m going to let you make the call. I told you what would happen if you didn’t go back. You know how Graham feels. The rest is up to you.” Mother Nature stands and helps me to my feet. “What do you say?”

Chapter 20

Reality

I can’t breathe. I’m in a whirlpool of evil, dust, dirt, and there’s no fresh air anywhere. I begin to thrash hoping that I can find clean air.

“Gia,” I hear Graham screaming my name.

“Gia,” Amaya sobs.

“Look… she’s stopped… bleeding.” I can hear Xaviera sobbing in between her words. “The hole is closed.” Now shock is in her voice.

“That’s not possible,” Thaddeus says.

“Oliver, can you feel anything?” Graham begs his friend.

Oliver takes my hand, but I can’t open my eyes. “She has a strong heart, but her breathing is labored. She needs fresh air.”

I can feel myself lifted into strong arms. I know that Graham is carrying me.

Warmth and air is all I feel and sense now. I force my eyes open, but quickly shut them because the sun is blazing on me.

“Gia, open your eyes again,” Graham orders me.

I do and his large hand is shielding me from the glare of the sun’s rays.

“Holy Mother Nature,” Amaya gasps.

“You’re alive.” Xaviera has the same tone as Amaya.

I’m still coughing, struggling to sit up. Graham helps me, but I’m holding onto his massive biceps not ready for him to go too far away.

“Zane?” I gulp as much clean air as I can. “Where’s Zane?”

“Oh, Gia.” Amaya and Xaviera are both saying my name over and over, hugging me close to them.

“Girls, let Gia catch her breath before you smother her.” Thaddeus pulls Xaviera back a little bit.

“Zane?” I ask again hoping that someone answers me now.

“They vanished.” Graham raises my chin. “Once you…” he shakes his head. “They all vanished. Then this thick black fog wrapped itself around you and we couldn’t get to you. It was blocking us from you.” Graham’s voice cracks and his face is stained with tears.

“Gia,” Amaya tugs on my arm. “How the hell are you here? We saw you shoot yourself in the head. What happened?”

“Amaya, give her a second or two.” Oliver pulls her away from me.

“I’m okay.” I pat her shoulder, not letting go of Graham’s shirt.

“We should probably leave. Right now.” Thaddeus suggests.

“We don’t know if police will show up or not.” Xaviera adds.

Graham picks me up, but I yell for him to stop. “I need to grab something.” I try to wiggle out of his arms, but he only holds me tighter.

“I’ll get it, Gia. What is it?” Oliver volunteers.

“In case the police come, we need it. It’s in the kitchen. It’s a box and a bunch of pictures on the table along with a binder.”

Amaya and Oliver ran back into the house and I bury my head into Graham’s neck, inhaling his scent of manliness and cinnamon. I can feel that he is mad, relieved, and loves me all at the same time. It’s comforting.

“Got it.” Amaya announces as they coming running from the house.

“Let’s go.” Thaddeus and Xaviera command at the same time. We all pile in the van.

“How did you get the van here?” I ask once I realize where I am.

“Graham convinced those dumb asses that we should take this instead of their small car.” Amaya tells me.

I nod, still burrowed into Graham’s neck. I didn’t want to leave it ever again. He holds me tightly and I feel safe in his arms.

“Don’t ever scare me like that again. Do you understand?” he whispers softly, but sternly in my ear.

I nod again not wanting to talk. My throat hurts still and I can’t quite wrap my head around everything that is happening.

I almost fall asleep in Graham’s arms, but I realize that we were at the hotel already. I’m thankful that it wasn’t a long car ride because I’m so dirty and in desperate need of a shower.

Thaddeus parks on the side of the building close to a door. We all rush in and Graham still won’t put me down. Once outside our rooms, the girls don’t want me to leave their sight. They are standing in front of our door.

“Put me down.”

Graham reluctantly puts my feet on the ground. My legs are wobbling and I steady myself by holding his arm.

“Why doesn’t everyone go and get cleaned up and then we can order some food?”

“Then you’ll tell us everything, right?” Amaya asks.

“I promise. I will tell you everything, but right now, I need a shower and clean clothes. Okay?”

Everyone nods and we all go to our rooms.

Graham opens our door and I’ve never been so grateful to be here with him. Before the door even closes, his lips are on mine. I relax and moan at our connection. It’s the one thing I need more than food or a hot shower.

I want him.

I want my Matched.

He pushes me up against the wall. It’s the same wall that we had sex against earlier this morning.

“Does it make me a bad person that right now I want to rip off all your clothes and bury myself inside you?” Graham pants.

“No.” I cup his face and gently kiss his lips. “But, would you mind if I cleaned up first? I mean, I feel like a zombie right now.” I give him a half smile.

“I’m taking a shower with you.” He leaves no room for an argument as he carries me into the bathroom.

~~~

“I feel like a brand new person.” I sit on Graham’s lap after I towel dry my hair and whip it up into a messy ponytail. I slip on my yoga pants and Graham’s sweatshirt, too.

“Everyone will be here is a minute. Oliver just sent me a text.”

Before I can nod, there’s a knock on the door. Graham sits me on the bed and answers it. Bursting through are my best friends who both wrap me up in a hug.

“Don’t you ever do this to us again,” Xaviera orders.

“I promise.”

The girls are holding me as tightly as I’m holding them. They are my family. My sisters. My Pairs.

“Now, I’m starving; let’s eat.” Xaviera pulls away, winking at me.

We giggle and head over to the table where the guys have laid out the take out containers. We sit on the floor and begin diving into the food.

“Okay, Shorty. Now, tell us.” Graham says in between bites of eggrolls.

I swallow my food and being my story. I start at the beginning when Mrs. Roberts kidnaps me until Mother Nature gives me a choice to come back. Everyone has stopped eating and listens to every word I say. It’s weird having that much attention on me, but at the same time I’m glad that I don’t have to repeat it five times over.

“Okay, let me see if I understand this,” Xaviera looks confused. “The book you have is a lie, except for the original part that my parents knew about. Plus, all timelines are fake; and you met Mother Nature.”

“Yep,” I confirm.

“Wow.” All five of them say.

“I’m thankful that our son’s name isn’t Jarett.” Xaviera sighs.

“Don’t like that name?” Amaya asks.

“Not at all.” Xaviera scrunches her face up. “I couldn’t image us picking that name.”

“I still can’t understand how you and Graham could see it, but we couldn’t.” Amaya adds in.

“I think it’s because of whatever spell or charm he had on the book.” I shrug.

“Strange,” she shakes her head.

“Plus, he knew my due date. I thought only Mom and Mrs. Edwards knew.” Xaviera looks at Thaddeus, who shrugs.

I’m unsure of how he knew everything. Everyone in Unit is loyal in Unit.  

“Oh,” I sit up straighter. “Where’s the box?”

“In our room,” Oliver answers.

“I need it. Something that Zane kept saying is still spinning in my head.”

“Okay.” Oliver stands and goes to the adjoining door into the other room.

“What was it?” Graham looks concern.

“He kept telling me that not everyone in Unit is loyal. I don’t know why, but I can’t get that out of my head.” I remember that he said it at least five times to me. It’s as if he wanted me to remember it.

“Like a mole?” Thaddeus asks.

“I don’t know. Maybe.” I couldn’t be sure. “He knew a lot of things about us. I don’t think you could have gotten all of that from Google.”

Oliver comes back in with the box and sets it next to me. I take off the lid and pull out the large binder. I get up and sit in between the girls.

“I think we might be able to figure it out.” I tell them.

“How?” Amaya looks confused.

“Something is in here; I can feel it.” I flip the pages.

“All right then, let’s figure this out.” Amaya looks over my shoulder.

Page by page, we read the pages that have our whole life written on it. Nothing stands out. It’s common knowledge around Unit that the three of us were Paired and our accomplishments.

“Eeww,” Xaviera and Amaya said at the same time.

“What?” everyone else asks.

They point to the bottom of the page. “Zane knew when Amaya and I lost our virginity.” Xaviera looks like she swallowed something bad.

“But he doesn’t have Gia’s on here,” Amaya points out.

“Well, I just lost mine a couple weeks ago.” I say it without thinking. My face instantly flames as I realize I’m in the room with the guys still.

“You did?” Oliver and Thaddeus whip their heads toward Graham.

“What?” Graham’s face is a little angry. “You think because we’ve been Matched since September I’ve been banging her on every surface.”

“Yes.” They say without missing a beat.

“Hey,” Xaviera and Amaya yell at their Matched.

“You two, out of everyone that we know, really think that of me.” Graham’s voice is firm to his Paired.

“No, but I thought…” Thaddeus shrugs instead of finishing his sentence.

“You’re wrong. Yes, Gia and I have only been having sex for a couple weeks. Does everyone feel better knowing that now?” Graham barks at us.

“I feel ecstatic right now having that information.” Amaya rolls her eyes. “But, we already knew.”

Graham shakes his head, but something pops into my head.

I gasp and cover my mouth. Flashes of Zane talking to me in the kitchen burst into my thoughts. When he dumped the box of pictures, a few caught my eye. It didn’t seem like anything at the time, but now it does.

I leap up and shake all the pictures out of the box. I spread them out over the floor and the girls help me.

“What are we looking for?” Graham asks as the guys join us.

I stare at my life through pictures. It seems that every stage of my life is documented. Riding a bike, playing at the park, when Mom and I redid my bedroom, my school pictures, and even holiday dinners.

“Shorty.” Graham’s voice brings my thoughts away of my childhood memories. “What are we looking for?”

“This.” I pick up the one picture I knew that no one else could have known about.

“Is that you at a… dance class?” Amaya looks over my shoulder.

“Yes. I begged and begged for Mom to let me take dance lessons.” A tear rolls down my face.

“Gia, what is it?” Xaviera softly asks.

“I know who the mole is.” My heart breaks thinking that this person that I trusted betrayed me.

“Who?” they all ask at once.

“My mom.”

“What?” their faces are in shock.

I nod.

“How can you be sure?” Graham asks.

I shake my head still staring at the picture in my hand. “When Xaviera told me about her and Thaddeus, she never told Amaya, because Amaya was mad at everyone at that time. When Amaya came back from the cabin, she told us about her and Oliver. We know she didn’t tell anyone else because we’re all she has left. But, I told someone.”

“Your mom.” Graham finishes for me.

I nod. “She’s always probing me for information about the girls.” I look up at all of them. “Every night. Every single night before I went to bed, she would make me read the prophecy. She would constantly tell me that I was going to die. Every single day from the time I learned who I was. She said it all the time. That’s why she wanted me to have such a large Matched party. She told me that she didn’t know how much longer I had on this Earth so I needed to celebrate.”

Everyone continues to stare at me.

“This picture,” I held it up for everyone to see. “I begged her to let me take dance classes. She was the only one that knew I did it. I took them for a couple months. Look at all of these.” I wave my hand out over everything out on the floor. “Most of these are me, alone, and the majority of them are in my house.”

“Could she get into your house now to give Zane the book?” Oliver asks.

I nod.

“She has our spare key.” Graham answers.

“Then why isn’t your virginity in there?” Amaya asks.

“She doesn’t know. She knew about our issues since we’ve been Matched. I told her that Graham and I hadn’t done it. I’ve barley spoken to her the past couple of weeks because I’ve been spending more time with Graham, and we have been spending a lot time together strategizing.” I shake my head. “I tell her everything.”