Across The Divide (13 page)

“And you believed it?”

“It was something I overheard the Wanderer say when he thought I was asleep. I have no reason not to believe it.”

Rapava stared at me. A trickle of sweat wound around my spine.

“Come, Zoey. I think we both know you are smarter than that.” The intensity of his gaze was causing me to want to wiggle, but I stayed put. “It is a lot closer than that.”

It was like fire shot from my feet to my head with a zap. 
Keep calm. Keep calm.

“You’re probably right, but I’m no longer in the situation to ask,” I countered.

“If you were, do you think you would have the talent and capability to retrieve this information?”

“I would like to think so,” I replied stoically.

“Would you do anything to obtain what I need?”

I gulped. “I would do anything in my power, sir.”

A knock shook the door, and a strange gleam sparked in Rapava’s eyes as he straightened and moved toward the door. “I will keep it in mind.”

Hell.
I felt I had walked into a trap—one he had set for me.

Rapava opened the door to Liam and a figure standing next to him.

My attention was so focused on the knots in my stomach and trying to stay composed, I didn’t really take notice.

“Come in, my dear.” Rapava motioned for the person to enter, dragging my attention to the door.

Everything ceased.

Air drained from my lungs and I slowly rose, my head shaking back and forth in immediate denial of my senses. My entire universe swayed under me, and I grabbed on to the lab table to steady me.

A lanky, petite frame with crutches outlined the outer door. She stood stiff and guarded.

No. I’m hallucinating...

Rapava signaled again for her to enter.

“Come in and say hello to your sister, Lexie.”

Lexie alive?

I couldn’t move or breathe, too afraid I would shatter the illusion if I made a sound. My sister was alive. My brain struggled with what my eyes took in, and what had really happened.

“But…I-I saw…you…the fire,” my voice choked.

“You saw her chair,” Rapava said.

I turned back to the girl. Lexie still stood in the doorway, staring at me with a cool aloofness I had never seen directed toward me. 
And she’s standing
. My brain understood this change, but it was not my focus. Nothing mattered except her.

I didn’t even remember moving until my arms were wrapped around her. Standing, she was an inch taller than me, her skinny frame engulfed by my arms.

“Lexie.” Tears spilled down my face as I pulled her closer to me. Her beautiful wavy black hair tickled my nose, creating more tears. The happiness of seeing her and holding her again was so overwhelming it took me awhile before I realized she was not hugging me back. I pulled back, my hands not letting go of her. “Are you okay?” I touched her face as my eyes scoured her frame.

“Yes.” Her voice was like a hand came in and squeezed my lungs together. I pulled her back into me, letting the tears fall freely now.

“I thought you were dead.” I rocked us back and forth.

She stayed board-stiff in my arms.

“What happened? How did you get out?” I brushed the tears away, leaning back to see her face.

“Lexie contacted us before the fire.” Rapava’s voice was like acid in my wounds.

Keeping her clutched to me, I swung around to him. “How could you keep her from me all this time? Why did you let me believe she was dead?”

“She asked for us not to tell you at first,” Rapava replied.

“What? I don’t understand.”

“Lexie came to us about a month before the fire. She figured out you had been lying to her and followed you one night. She’s a smart little girl and when she asked to see me, I obliged. She knew she was dying, Zoey, a painful, cruel, slow death. She offered herself as a test subject for a chance at life, to walk again. How could I refuse? It was the least I could do for her.” His words dug into my chest and twisted around. “When she couldn’t get a hold of you the night of the fire, she called us. Hugo and Marv barely got her out in time. Too late for your caregiver.” The way he said it made me believe they could have saved her and chose not to. “Lexie was barely alive the brief moment you came back here last time. After hearing about Daniel, I didn’t want to give you hope and take it away again. By the time she was out of the woods, you were gone.”

What a fucking liar.

“With or without you, I saw no reason to let this special girl die. As you see, Lexie has been given legs. The transplants are not adapting liked I hoped, but she can stand with help now, which is progress. I hope to keep advancing in my treatment for her.”

My gaze shot to Lexie’s legs. They were covered by baggy pants and bent under her weight, crutches under her arms. But she was standing.

“Lexie.” My fingers cupped her face, the need to touch her and make sure she was real overwhelmed me. She watched me. Finally her silent aloofness caught up to my mind. “What’s wrong? Why aren’t you talking?” More silence. “Why isn’t she talking?” I shot over my shoulder at the doctor.

“I think it is time to take Lexie back to her room.” Rapava nodded his head at Liam.

“No!” I reached for Lexie’s wrist.

“I think this is enough for the day.” Rapava stepped between us. “If you continue to behave, you can spend more time with her tomorrow.”

“Lexie!” I shoved my way through the doctor and Liam.

“Good night, Zoey.” Lexie looked at me, her head tilted, her eyes watchful.

“What did you do to her?” I shouted at Rapava.

Liam pulled Lexie back out of the room as I leaped for her. Rage balled my fists, ready to strike anyone keeping me away from my sister.

“Zoey, stop!” Rapava commanded. “I know you are emotional right now, but don’t let all your hard work go to waste. Don’t force me to keep Lexie away from you permanently.”

My struggle fizzled at his threat.

I whispered her name as Liam took her away. She glanced over her shoulder at me, and a brief emotion I couldn’t decipher filtered over her face before she turned. Her crutches clicked down the hallway, disappearing from sight.

I swung around, no longer able to hide my feelings. Fury burned my throat. “What did you do to my sister?”

“She is the first human to receive my new mind stimulus. I needed to try it on humans, especially ones receiving fae blood, to see how it works.”

“You’re mind-controlling my sister?” My lips hitched in a snarl.

“I am not doing anything she didn’t agree to do.” Rapava crossed his arms defensively.

“She’s twelve.”

Strain whitened his lips. “I am not the bad person here. She wanted me to test on her. To help her walk again. This will aid others like her. She’s a special girl. I have only her well-being and best interests in mind.”

Another lie. Even if he believed it. I’d experienced him explain what he was doing in the labs, the way he could make it sound heroic and noble. It was not hard to see anyone, especially a dire and desperate preteen, falling for his spiel.

“It is not harming her in any way. It’s a simple formula. I can assess her mood and responses. But it’s only for short bursts of time, and it has yet to work on the fae mind.”

This must be why he kept our visit short. Soon she would break away from his control. Hopefully she could develop an immunity to it like the fae. This was the true reason for his interest in the stone. My anger was shaking loose the monster inside me who thrived on pounding an opponent till they were unconscious and who craved the doctor’s blood on her lips.

“She’s a
little
girl. Dying and desperate for hope. How could you take advantage of her like that?” Vehement rage rattled my body.

Rapava cocked his head. “You want to assume responsibility for your sister’s care?”

“Yes.” I didn’t hesitate in my response.

“Fine. Your sister’s care is completely in your hands.” He dropped his arms, an edge creeping around his vocals. “You want me to find a permanent cure for her to walk again? Have her stop being my test subject? Then do what I ask, and I will do everything in my power to keep her protected and healthy.”

Rapava’s words hit me harder than if he attacked me. His veiled threat meant he could just as easily end her. His past had ripped any empathy and compassion from his soul. I had seen it happen before on the street. When pain and loss had consumed someone so much, they no longer could feel. And everything bad they did was rationalized in their heads to be okay. Walking the line of madness.

And my sister’s life was now riding on a whim of a madman and my behavior.

The lock clicked behind me, and I beelined to my bed, sitting with my head in my hands.

“
Bhean
.” Sprig crawled out of his cage. “Wow, you look like crap again.”

I didn’t move.

“
Bhean,
are you okay?”

“No.” I bit down on my lip. Tears choked my throat. “I’m not.”

My sister was alive. She was a being mind-controlled. Another victim of Rapava’s Frankenstein army. But she was alive. It was only fact that truly mattered. The rest I could deal with later.

Lack of blood, food, and being saturated by extreme emotions caused me to crumble weakly back on the bed, curling onto my side.

Sprig hopped over to the bed, coming over to me. Seeing his sweet little face, I reached out, pulling him into me, crushing him into my chest. At the moment I didn’t feel like talking or telling him about my sister. I would, but first I needed to absorb it was true. To wrap my mind around seeing her again. Rapava’s threat. Everything was jumbled and surreal.

Usually Sprig would say something silly, but he seemed to understand my mood. I needed him near, giving me comfort. We stayed like this for a while before I felt him wiggle against my hold.

“I am sorry,
Bhean
, but your boobs are poking me.” He pointed between my breasts. “They keep crinkling. That’s not normal, right? You aren’t stuffing your bra to impress people, are you? Is this a fetish I don’t want to know about?”

Crinkling. Stuffed bra.

“Oh, I forgot.” I slid my hands in my sports bra.

“Seriously? With me here?” Sprig covered his eyes.

I tugged out several packets from my bra. “I got these for you at breakfast.”

He peered between his fingers, his eyeballs moving over the items in my hands. “Is... is that…?”

“Honey?” I smiled. “Just for you.”

Sprig’s mouth and arms dropped. “For me?”

I tore one open, the smell of the sweet syrup filled my nose.

Sprig’s hand shook as he reached out for it. “It’s a mirage, isn’t it? You are not really real.” His finger poked into the plastic. Then he snatched it out of my hands. The honey was in his mouth before I could even blink, and he licked every inch of the packet dry.

“More. More. More.” Like a junkie, his hands opened and closed with need. He downed the last two the same as the first.

“Ahh!” He bounced around on the bed. “
Bhean
, you’re the best. That was so awesome. Can I have more? Oh, did they have those granola bars? What about churros? Oh, my pixie sticks. I want Izel’s pancakes.” He zipped around the room, jumping and swinging from every item he could. “Can you hide those in your bra too? Oh-oh-oh, I’m calling you Honey Tits from now on.”

“Please don’t.”

“Why? Your boobs delivered the nectar of the gods.”

“Now you’re making it worse.”

“Your bra is the stuff of legends.”

“Don’t make me regret my choice.”

“I will take over the world.” He leaped for the bed, missing, and face-planted on the floor. Snores quickly followed.

I leaned over, scooping him up. He curled onto my pillow, mumbling in his sleep. I curved around him.

Even when I felt myself losing grip on reality, crumbling under the force of the outside world, he brought me back.

With so much to think about, my brain gave in to Sprig’s rhythmic breathing, caving under my exhaustion, and I let myself join him in slumber.