Seconds Before Sunrise (The Timely Death Trilogy) (16 page)

“Is the me
eting bothering you?” he asked as I drove the automatic down the driveway.

“No
.” That was my last concern. The war was my first. More people would die, and I didn’t know what Mindy and Noah would do if my father died.

I no longer wanted to win solely for Jessica. I
wanted to protect my family, too.

…

The meeting wasn’t in the usual spot. On top of that, it was in a house I’d never stepped foot in before. It was smaller than mine, and it was in Jessica’s neighborhood, but being close to her wasn’t the hardest part. It was the identity I was facing.

“Make yourselves
at home,” Eu said, but he wasn’t Eu. He was Quin Stephens, and he was the owner of a restaurant in town. His wife, Ida, worked at the hospital. She was Chinese, but I couldn’t recall seeing an Asian woman in the shelter. Even races changed in their supernatural forms. I wondered what else could.

“
Please, take a seat,” Ida said, handing me a glass of water.

I followed her instructions and sat down on the nearest chair I could find. A coffee table was placed in the middle of a circle of seats, but imprints on the carpet told me
they had moved their furniture around just for the meeting.

“Why didn’t we meet in
the shelter?” I blurted out.

Ida placed her tea on the table between us. “The shelter was too risky,” she said in a qui
et voice.

“And this isn’t?” I asked, glancing over the photos on the table. They had three dau
ghters, all under the age of thirteen. They hadn’t been Named yet.

“It’s our anniversary,” Eu
– Quin − explained as he laid his hands on his wife’s petite shoulders. “It doesn’t look very suspicious that way.”

“Will it just be us?” Urte asked, remaining as George. His son, Jonathon, stood behind him.

The couple nodded. “Luthicer cannot reveal his identity.”

My stomach lurched. “And you can?”

“We offered,” Ida said.

“You see, Eric,” Eu continued. “Ida stepped in as your mother during the meeting.”

I couldn’t move.

“We couldn’t allow
Darthon’s parents to realize you only had a father.”

“It was a risk,” George said, aware of the information. He sat next to me, but Jonathon
remained standing.

I gazed past them and met Ida’s brow
n eyes. “Thank you,” I said.

H
er expression softened. “I don’t need any praise, Shoman.”

George’s words of family resonated. To her, I was her famil
y’s lives. Risking herself was nothing if it guaranteed her daughters’ survival.

My fingers tightened, but I forced them to relax. I didn’t want to seem unappreciative, but the gesture stung. If my mother hadn’t killed herself, it wouldn’t have been necessary. The small
, black box she’d left behind suddenly seemed selfish.

“What w
ere his parents like?” I asked.

“As intense as we expected them to be,” Ida said. “But they didn’t say anything about the third descendant.”

The report unnerved me. “They should’ve.”

“We expected them to,” Ida agreed. “But it seems we’ve over
-thought their actions. They want bloodshed − not a strategy to win but a strategy to take out as many people as possible before they lose.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“It doesn’t change the decision either way,” Eu spoke up. “We agreed to a battle.”

“How are we supposed to cover up all of the deaths?” I asked. “It’s not the Middle Ages. We can’t blame something like the black plague.”

“You worry about your training, and we will worry about the funerals,” he said.

“Your birthday is the concern,” Ida added.

I tightened my grip on my glass. Condensation dripped between my fingers. “I’ll be healed soon,” I started to argue, but Ida held her palm up.

“The Light can
feel it approaching,” she clarified. “Your identity is in more jeopardy than ever before.”

My he
art slammed against my ribs. “Is it possible they already know?”

They didn’t respond, but
instinctually, I felt as if they did.

“December thirteenth.” George’s words lingered. “It
falls on a Friday this year.”

“Great.” I muttered. “Friday the 13
th
. Just what we need.”

“That’s just an old superstition,” he said.

“Some of us call those omens.”

“Enough,” Eu interrupted. “We don’t have time to worry about that. P
eople are already booking hotels near the area.”

I tensed. “Why would they do that?”

“The holidays,” he suggested, but everyone knew it was a lie.

“It’s too early for that.” George was the first to say
it aloud.

My hand shook as I placed my cup down. It rattled against the glass, and everyone stared at the swishing water. “They know,” I said. I didn’t know what to do.

George grabbed my arm. “It’s entirely possible that shades and lights who have left are being drawn in by the increasing energies.”

“That means the
war is part of the destiny,” Ida agreed. “The prophecy never clarified you two would be the only ones involved − just that Darthon and you would fight.” To the death.

I ignored their comfort. “If they know my identity, the
y surely know Jessica’s.”

“Then
, why not attack her?” Eu pointed out.

“It could be a part of their survival plan,” I said, wondering if I believed in my argument or not. The Light could’ve been tempting us with the belief that they knew, s
o we would reveal our identities out of desperation.

“It could be a trick,” Ida spoke my thoughts out loud. “We must be careful with our decision.”

I turned to face Jonathon. “Where is Jessica right now?”

He was the only one who remained calm. “At home,” he answered. “The Light hasn’t approached her street since Eric’s car wreck.”

The information was the only comfort I’d had all night.

“We aren’t bringin
g her memory back,” I decided.

“But your birthday—”

“Let them come to me,” I said, leaping to my feet. I was pacing like my father. “We’ll have to narrow down Darthon’s identity.”

“How?”

I thought of my car wreck. “If he’s like me, he can’t leave this town.”

“We don’t know if
that’s why your car wreck occurred,” Eu argued. “It’s a simple theory.”

“We’re left with theories, and they have facts,” George grumbled.

I placed my hand over my mouth to prevent myself from speaking. I had a car. I could test the theory out, but it could result in more injuries that I didn’t have time for. I was about to be healed, and I could fight, even if Darthon showed up at my house. Risking anything was more of a threat than Darthon’s potential knowledge, yet I was contemplating it.

“I’m going home,” I announced.

I had to test my boundaries if I were going to get anywhere at all. No one stopped me, and I left the room, walked down the hallway, and hesitated at the sound of children. Eu’s daughters were playing a board game.

“Eric.”

I turned around to face their father. Quin got within inches of me so he could shut the door. It didn’t prevent me from hearing their loud giggles.

“I didn’t know you had children,” I managed.

“I do.” Quin held the doorknob with whitened fingers. “And it’d be best if you forgot such information.”

I
knew what he was really saying − don’t lose focus.

It was the main reason
the Dark insisted on keeping fellow shades’ identities a secret. If we knew, especially from a young age, we’d treat one another differently. We might even reveal ourselves. It was the only rule I was positive we shared with the Light. It was risky, even for them. Identity was a delicate process to create, but simple to destroy.

“Thank your wife again for her help,” I said, knowing it’d be the last time I mentioned Ida to him. I walked away, but he grabbed my jacket.

“Don’t make any rash decisions, Eric,” he said.

I pulled back. “Who said I was going to?”

His upper lip twitched. “You forget that I grew up with your father,” he said. “I can recognize that expression, even under the darkest circumstances.”

I looked over Eu’s face as Quin Stephens. He was thinner and taller. His nose protruded over his mouth, and
he was much younger than I had always suspected. He was another man I didn’t know − but he knew me, and that was enough for me to agree.

“I’ll think it over,” I promised, ending our conversation i
n a place I hadn’t anticipated − rationally.

Jessica

“We’re going tomorrow,” Crystal announced, flopping down on her bed. Her face was practically in my lap.

“Going where?” Robb mumble
d, flipping through his math homework. A calculator dangled off his leg.

Crystal swiped the technology away from him. “The bar,” she said, demanding his attention. “You guys should’ve saved enough money up by now.”

“I have,” Robb said, glancing at me.

“I could borrow some from my parents—”

“Too risky,” Crystal said. “Why would you borrow money for a sleepover at my house?”

“I’m—I’m sorry,” I stuttered. “I didn’t think it through.”

“No worries.” She waved me away. “I’ll cover you.”

Robb shut his textbook with a loud thump. “You’re really set on this outing, aren’t you?”

She stuck her bottom lip out. For once, she didn’t have her piercing in or her makeup on. She looked three years younger. “I thought you guys wanted to.”

“Sure,” Robb said, but his words didn’t match his tone. Crystal looked like she was about to hit him, but she stopped when his phone rang.

He jumped, yanking it from his pocket, and stared at the screen. He didn’t move, and Crystal leaned over to see the name.

“What
does Zac want?” she asked.

Robb pulled it away from her eyes. “I’ll be back,” he said, answering his phone as he left Crystal’s bedroom. His voic
e drifted down the hallway.

Crystal slouched against the wall. “Why wouldn’t he answer it in front of us?” she complained.

“I don’t know,” I said, snatching my coat off of Crystal’s chair.

She
sat up. “What are you doing?”

“Going outside,” I responded. I had to ask Robb why Zac had his car two days ago, and the opportunity to do it in p
rivate was diminishing.

“Jess.” Crystal sounded hurt. I knew she was worried about Zac. “He’s on the phone.”

“I know.” I finished buttoning my coat. “But I have to ask him something.”

I dashed after Robb and prayed Crystal wouldn’t follow. I made it to the front door without he
r calling after me and sighed as I laid my hand on the door handle. For reasons unbeknownst to me, I didn’t want Robb to hear me.

I cracked the door open
and slipped through. The cold air smacked me, and I inhaled with careful precision. I didn’t want to make any more noises than I needed to.

Tiptoeing across the driveway, I heard Robb’s voice from behind the garage. “I can’t tomorrow,” he spoke into his phone. “I’m going out with Crystal.” He paused. “No one else is going.”

I clutched my jacket, wondering why he lied about me.

“We’ll talk when I get home,” he continued, and I used his talking to my advantage. I stepped closer. “About ten,” he said
.

I could hear Zac’s deep voice on the other end. “Okay. See you then,”
he said.

Robb’s phone beeped. He hung up just as I smelt it.

I leapt out, unable to stop myself, and Robb spun around with his mouth hanging open. A cigarette dangled from his bottom lip.

“You smoke?” I asked.

His shoulders dropped. “It’s disgusting, I know,” he sighed, his back against the garage. “And, no. I just—” He stopped speaking when I stepped closer. He looked awkward with a cigarette in his mouth, like he wasn’t even breathing it in.

“How’d you even get those?”

“I’m eighteen, Jess,” he said, pulling the tobacco stick from his mouth. He held it between his fingers as the cold wind blew by, lighting up the end. “Can I ask you something?”

“Um—sure,” I managed, unsure of how the situation had changed. I was supposed to be the one asking questions, not him.

“Why have you stopped arguing with Crystal?”

A squeaking noise escaped my lungs, and his lips twisted as he put the cigarette back in his mouth. It bounced as he talked,
“Don’t get me wrong, Jess, but last semester, you made it pretty clear you don’t drink. Ever.”