arbitrate (daynight) (33 page)

“I want to leave.”

Those were the last words I spoke for more than seventy-two hours. Jax became so concerned that he arranged for me to meet with my therapist. Of course, I couldn’t tell her about my parents not being my parents. That my brother was probably not my brother. Or that we’d gone back to Earth. So I did the only thing I could do.

I lost it.

Who are my real parents? Why didn’t they want me?
 

I went insane.

No one would ever want you. Your own parents were gone so much because they obviously couldn’t stand to be around you—around something that wasn’t even theirs.

When my therapist told me to “get my emotions under control,” I punched her and then wrestled her to the ground, pounding her with my fists.

That earned me my trip to Education City and everything that followed.

Honestly, I don’t blame my therapist for reporting me or having me committed. I deserved it. Well, the lockup at least. Not the stuff they did to me while I was locked up. It was not like I was trying to kill my therapist or anything.

At that point, locked up in Education City, I was completely alone in the world.
Everything
but my day terrors had been taken from me. Everyone I cared about was gone. My parents. Jared. Ethan. Blake. Jax.

Death would have been kinder.

Present

“It’s time, love.”
 

“Am I dressed okay?” I ask. I have no idea how one is supposed to dress to attend an SCI meeting with the Arbiter Council, and Jax only gave me five minutes’ notice. I’ve got on a yellow, knit sweater-dress and flat, brown boots that come to my knees. My hair’s up in a twist. Compared to Jax, who is in a full-blown white suit, I’m feeling a little underdressed.

He winks at me. “You are far too delectable and distracting to bring anywhere. But that would hold true no matter what you wore, so I guess we better get going.” When he talks to me like that, I immediately think of the “not” kiss and the “promised” kiss. He wraps his arms around me and presses a feather light kiss at the edge of my mouth. I think I swoon because he has to hold me upright. “Hold that thought…and hold on.”

My bedroom fades out, and the familiar red walls of the Crossover Center in Heart fade in.

Jax chuckles. “We need to all leave together. Dramatic entrance and all that.” He points to the other Arbiter Council members, who are all assembled. “At this point, a large number of the SCI leaders think the Arbiters were responsible for what happened. And the two of us are on their official ‘missing’ list since we didn’t sign out before leaving.”

I start to respond, but Jax holds a finger to my lips. A young boy has entered the room. The council members each bow deferentially to him as if he’s some sort of God.
 

The boy comes over to me and gives me a huge smile. He’s absolutely adorable and looks a bit like what I imagine Jax looked like as a child. His blond hair’s a mess and his eyes—I can’t even tell what color they are. Every color, I think. He’s holding a small bag with lumpy contents.
Was I supposed to bow?
I do so just in case.

He giggles and then grabs my hand and kisses it. “No need.” This isn’t spoken but in my mind. “You have taken an unusual route.”

What? How so?
“It doesn’t matter. Each of us has a different path to take and different challenges to overcome.”

Out loud, he says to everyone. “I shall not intervene unless I deem it necessary to do so.”

The Arbiter Council members nod to him. Why does a mere child speak so formally? And how could he possibly intervene?

The boy giggles again. I want to adopt him on the spot. He’d be the perfect big brother to Evvie, Zander, and Aiden.

To me, “It’s not necessary to adopt me. I have an amazing family.”
I’m sure you do.

And then we’re no longer in Heart but standing side by side in a stark room full of SCI members, who are all wearing shorts and t-shirts. Our “audience” looks frozen in place. No one moves even a hair. I breathe a huge sigh of relief when I see Ethan and Blake near the back of the room.

Eli Demason, the head of the Council, steps forward with the help of a cane. The boy sits by Eli’s feet and opens his bag. He pulls out Legos and starts to build something. Eli says, “We shall not tarry but wanted to address the accusations leveled against us. As you may know, Arbiters cannot lie. So you must trust me when I tell you that the Arbiters were not directly or indirectly involved in the attack against your people.”

Brad looks warily at the boy before speaking. “I’m afraid your word will not do. When we last met, you directly threatened us. Perhaps you had
him—
”
He points to the kid. “—do your bidding.” Did Brad seriously just accuse a boy, one who can’t be much more than eight years old, of trying to kill off a room full of SCI politicians? The kid is playing with toys! Brad’s more insane than I thought.

An intense feeling comes over me—stronger than anything I have ever felt in my life. I know
with absolutely certainty
that the Arbiters were not involved.
 

Brad lowers his head in defeat. He must have felt the same thing. “Fine. If not you, then who?”

Eli shrugs. “Just like we did not interfere with the event itself or the perpetrator’s expression of free will, we shall not involve ourselves with your drive or desire for vengeance.”

“Surely you cannot condone their actions?” If Brad could move—which clearly he can’t—I think he’d probably strangle Eli. “They killed dozens and injured hundreds.”

Eli smiles at Brad. “Such a small number compared to how many you have killed, yes? You’ll be so relieved to know that all your loved ones and esteemed colleagues who perished have been given a second chance at life on Thera. We’ve been so kind as to remove their memories of the horrible events that preceded their transport.”

Oh snap. I hadn’t even thought of that. Those that died did so on Earth, so they get to live again. As Second Chancers. They’ll now be subject to the terror they used to inflict. How morbidly fitting.

A wiry man with thick dark hair, who looks a bit like Brad, shouts out. “Brad, we can’t stand for this. They’re acting like they are
pleased
with the fact that my
wife
and friends died in that attack. I say we vote to no longer be subject to Arbiter dictates.”

The boy breaks out in uncontrollable giggles. “You. Have. No. Choice.” His voice is quiet but firm and piercing.
 

“Shut up, kid,” the wiry man responds. “Stay out of it.”
 

Eli gasps, and the boy immediately stops laughing. He drops his Lego creation to the floor with a thunk and stands. His face gets serious and he turns back to the Arbiters. In my mind I hear, “Intervention just got necessary.”

The carpeted floor turns to the color of molten lava. I don’t feel heat, but the illusion is disconcerting at best. Heatless flames leap from the floor, snaking around every member of the SCI and
lifting them five feet off the floor.
The fear in the room is palpable, in a very literal sense, as their heartbeats are being amplified and echoing around the space.

“I present to you weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth.” That would accurately describe what I hear as the floating bodies take flight and get whipped around the room, narrowly missing high-speed collisions.
 

Who is this boy? He’s no Arbiter.

“Genitor,” Jax whispers at the same time the boy infiltrates my brain again with, “Merely a person with flesh and bones, just like you. We’re all related in one way or another.”

You’re a little scary, but I like you
, I think at him. He responds with, “I hate to resort to childish demonstrations, but I find them to be effective when necessary. And likewise.”

What else can you do?
“All things are possible.”

Perhaps they’ve endured enough?
“Perhaps they should experience every bit of pain they have caused others.”

Perhaps.

The flying SCI show stops, and the flames turn to fountains of water. The SCI members are still floating, with the water shooting up and over them.

“Sometimes that which looks the most unassuming is that which you should fear the most.” The boy addresses the entire crowd with this as he turns the water to shards of ice enclosing each person in a dangerous prison, sharp spikes pointed inward. “Would anyone else like to address me?”

No one speaks this time. The ice disappears, and the floating bodies are returned to the floor in their
almost
original conditions. They’re each sporting removable donkey ears and a tail, but no one makes a move to take them off.

Can you make their noses grow longer, too
? I mentally laugh at the sight. “I’m glad that I have amused you. Be well. Until next time.” He looks right at me, winks, and then disappears along with the rest the Arbiter Council, save Jax.
I love that kid.

The wiry man has the nerve to speak up again. “What was that?”

Brad glares at Jax and me. “That is what happens when you underestimate the enemy.”

I see the door to the back of the room open and then shut. A man edges his way to the front. He’s eyeing everyone like they’re crazy but doesn’t dare laugh. “We’ve got new evidence,” he says to Brad and the man next to him.

“Well, what is it?”

“We found signs of a scuffle in the restaurant kitchen and some out of place belongings—a purse and wallet belonging to Alexa Knight and Joshua Black. There was also a substantial amount of blood, which we have confirmed to be from Joshua and Alexa. We believe they were either killed or abducted, and the evidence strongly suggests that Violet and Victor Black are responsible. Victor’s fingerprints were found all over a heavy pan that had Alexa’s hair and blood on it, and a knife had Violet’s fingerprints on it as well as Joshua’s blood. Our theory is that Violet and Victor were executing the attack when Joshua and Alexa stumbled upon them. Victor and Violet would have had plenty of motives to require subduing them to prevent exposure.”

My eyes find Ethan’s just as he collapses to the floor.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Ethan

I have Genitor-induced whiplash, and my foray into human flight while on painkillers has me feeling pretty woozy.
There’s stomach acid leeching up my throat, and I may lose my breakfast. I’m seeing spots and swaying. On top of that, I look like a literal ass thanks to my newly sprouted donkey ears and tail. And while I’m relieved to see Kira alive and well, she came here with the Arbiters and the universe’s scariest child, a kid who likes to toy with his inferior subjects.

There’s a guy talking about new evidence. The words float by, and I snatch bits and pieces.
Scuffle. Alexa. Joshua. Substantial amount of blood. Killed or abducted. Violet and Victor Black responsible. Pan. Knife. Hair. Blood. Fingerprints.

Kira’s eyes find mine, and the look of horror and pity on her face stitches together the meaning of the evidence.
Alexa and Joshua are probably dead.

My knees give way, and I sink to the floor. Blake crouches down beside me. “Don’t assume the worst, bro. Joshua and Alexa are tough. They could take on Violet and Victor.”

Brad is now talking. “This is just a
theory
. Do all of you understand? I expect that Victor and Violet will not be named suspects outside of this room. They are very public faces of the SCI. Their condemnation would bring a dark shadow upon everyone here as well as upon Henry. Violet is his
sister
. Everything we have worked so hard to build would be questioned. The American public would never trust anything associated with the SCI again. Am I making myself clear? If not, let me be more explicit. Anyone who repeats a word said here will face immediate punishment.”

Blake whispers. “They’ll be okay.” Blake is right. Alexa is a tough girl. And Joshua—well, he’s hard core.
But if Violet and Victor had help…
 

Gads, they’ve got to be all right. Otherwise, I’ll never forgive myself. Alexa went running off because of
me.
Because I hadn’t had the guts to be honest with her when I found out Kira was alive. I rationalized that I hadn’t had the opportunity because I was too busy. But she came to me after I trashed my apartment, and I kept my mouth shut. I was angry and heartbroken over Kira. I thought that if I had no chance with Kira, I should keep Alexa dangling by a thread—at least until I knew for sure things were over with Kira.

And Joshua… He’s annoying and gets off pushing my buttons, but compared to most of my family—he’s a complete delight. So I’ll have regrets if he died thinking I hated him. Hate should only be reserved for the worst of the worst, for those that have done the unforgivable. And even then, don’t we only punish ourselves when we let hate fester and grow and canker our souls? Mass murderers like Brad Darcton or the Blacks deserve swift and definitive justice, but they don’t deserve to have anything from me, not even my hate. So if my serial killer family members don’t deserve my hate, how could I have given it to Joshua just for singing grating songs and crushing on my girlfriend?

My eyes are open, but I see nothing. My ears aren’t covered, but I hear nothing. There are hands on me, but I feel nothing.

In my catatonic state, I try to make sense of what happened, and I can’t. They can’t be dead. Violet and Victor are cruel, heartless, power-hungry, and greedy, but I don’t believe they’d kill their own son. I doubt they’d blink an eye before disposing of Alexa—but Joshua? There has to be another explanation. Alexa and Joshua can’t be condemned to life after death on Thera like my mother.

If they’re dead, they’d be on Thera.
Gads, that’s it! If they’re dead they’d be on Thera. And who would know whether they’d crossed over?

The thought smacks me in the face, and I’m once again able to take in everything happening around me. I’m surrounded by Kira, Blake and Jax. But only one has the answer I need.

“Jax.” My tone demands an answer.

“They have not. But there can be worse things than death.” His face gives no hint as to the meaning behind his words. Torture? Imminent danger?