Sky Ghosts: All for One (Young Adult Urban Fantasy Adventure) (Sky Ghosts Series Book 1) (30 page)

“Look, it’s not like it’s bad news. It’s actually good for you. You see what’s going on. You couldn’t stay out of it even as a human, now at least you have some advantage. We’ll deal with the rest, I promise. We’ll find out everything about your past as soon as possible,” her voice was honest, sure, and he believed every word that had escaped her lips. But it didn’t really help, because the uneasy feeling was still gnawing on him from the inside, like a greedy, persistent worm.

He nodded and pulled her closer – it
did
help, and she seemed to be too distracted to protest.

“Anyway, what happened when you jumped off the roof?” she asked.

He shrugged, thinking about which details he should leave out and what was important.

“When I knocked that Beast off, he got pretty angry and tried to stab me with his sword. Somehow I managed to turn the sword in his direction and stab him instead. So I got rid of him, but started to fall quickly. That’s when everything flashed before my eyes – it’s really true what they say about it! I saw my father, the farm, and then some moments here, in the city. And after that, I saw how we met,” he looked at Pain, his eyes burning. There was no point in keeping it substantial, he decided. There was so much, all kinds of emotions, all new to him, mixing and boiling somewhere deep in his chest.

She was waiting for his next words, her face so genuinely surprised, stripped of the usual arrogance and contempt. She was beaten and haggard and dirty, her bottom lip split and covered in blood, her hair pasted to the temples, and her eyelids tired – he barely cared. All he saw were her eyes, black and wide, concerned and honest. He continued, his voice a harsh whisper now so that only she could hear him,

“I saw
you
, you were all I could think about at those last moments, all that I needed, and the idea of losing you after we just met was enough to kill me, Pain. Just remembering it now…” He looked away for a moment. “It’s the worst thing I’ve ever known. Do you understand, do you know what I mean?” he asked, glimpsing a commotion behind Pain. It was Jane shifting uneasily in her spot, and he remembered that he had deviated from the original question.

He raised his voice, making an effort to tear his eyes from Pain’s shocked face and look at her sister and Dave.

“I had only a couple of seconds before I would hit the ground, and then I shot up. I thought I was dead. It all was just too confusing and surreal – the light, the rush, like I caught on fire or something. You were there, at the edge, and at first I didn’t understand what you were waiting for,” he looked at Pain again. “Not that it mattered to me at the moment. But only when you started talking to me, I did realize that you could see me. And the fact that I was able to touch you, it cleared my head a little, too.” He smiled weakly, itching to tuck back a loose lock of her hair that flew in the wind, to cup her face, flushed and surprised, to feel something aside from her gear-clad waist under his fingers. But Jane and Dave were watching, and he didn’t dare to.

Pain was speechless. She knew she was never good at expressing her true feelings, but this time there was more to it. She couldn’t even grasp herself everything that filled her head. There seemed to be no energy for it, either, so she could only stand and stare at him, awfully aware of the fact that somehow he turned out to be holding her, and if not for that, she wouldn’t be very steady on her feet. And then Jane broke the silence, asking the question that Pain dreaded most of all.

“You seem awfully grave about all this,” she noted in a tentative voice. “I mean, you could join us now. Doesn’t it make you even a little bit excited?”

Chad blinked.

“Yeah, like it’s all a dream world, the one you live in.” He scoffed and shook his head, and Pain made a small step back, feeling his mood change instantly. “Join you for what? Killing people, seeing my friends die in battles, never having a family, a future? Maybe you’ve grown up like this and don’t see it the way I do, but I’ve sort of had enough in these two weeks.”

Pain watched him cross his arms on his chest, unable to move from her spot, standing there frozen as her heart fluttered in her rib cage like a scared bird. What’s with the mood swings? Was it a part of the late Initiation, too?? – she couldn’t help but wonder as Chad continued, his words sending one last relentless chill through her veins,

“I have to say, I’m really grateful for everything that you’re doing for me, really. But I
hate
all this. I wouldn’t want this life of yours for all the money in the world,” he finished with finality in his voice and look, and Pain stepped away from him.

She dropped her gaze, taking a deep breath. She knew, knew it would happen, that it wouldn’t lead to anything good, and still she had let herself hope.

She turned away from the others and made a couple of steps toward the roof edge, trying to recollect her composure and thoughts. She didn’t succeed, really, and everyone was silent behind her, so she decided a good flight would clear her head better.

“Okay, we’re done here, let’s go home now,” she said, and Jane glanced at her with a worried frown. Her voice seemed awfully contorted to her.

“Okay…” She shrugged and followed her toward the edge.

Chad joined her without a word, and Dave trotted ahead to catch up with Pain as she walked alone, pulling her gloves on thoughtfully. When she was done, she paused and reached out her hand without looking at him. He took it with his eyebrows raised and felt his feet leave the roof surface as she lifted him off of it wearily and carried him forward into blackness. Maybe he was too drained from everything that had happened on the roof, or maybe he finally got used to flying with her, but this time he didn’t even feel anxious, seeing the city from the bird’s flight height.

Behind them, Chad paused on the edge, suddenly unsure. He could feel Jane pause behind him, too, and heard her voice, calm and confident,

“Come on, you can do it now.”

He was looking at the nightly New York below him, feeling the anxiety build inside, his natural instincts waking up at the sight of all this space between him and the ground. Somewhere far below another shiny Manhattan night was, buildings looming over the brightly lit streets, neon lights blazing, cars shooting back and forth. Down there it was noisy and overwhelming, he knew, but not for him and not this time. As he watched the streets below, his breath leveled, his anxiety dissipated, leaving behind only vague hesitation. He tried to feel any difference between him previous and present. Aside from feeling stronger than before, nothing really changed, and it still felt weird and scary to jump off such heights. So it was just something he had to do, like ripping off a band-aid. Quick and determined.

So he jumped. He dove down as if he were going into water, hands first. And immediately, the strong wind caught him, enveloping him in that warm flow, sending a buzz through his veins, rushing him forward, faster and faster. Elation filled his head, driving out all the worries, leaving him purely happy, like a child. And he didn’t mind, because there had to be some balance in good and bad that day, right? He laughed and felt a wave of warm air as Jane flew past him, smiling, daring him to catch up. Just a few seconds passed before they saw Pain and Dave ahead and darted after them, two elusive shadows over the sleeping city. And so the four of them vanished into the night, carrying with them the news that finally cleared up at least something.

They were hovering high in the air, the sleeping Brooklyn outspread below them, and Pain’s face was a mask of disbelief. She had been like this for a minute now, her eyes focused on one single building far below, her hand gripping Dave’s palm like tongs as he stared up and tried to reach her with his voice.

“Pain? Do you hear me? Is that your building or not??” He shook her by the belt, but she didn’t even blink.

Jane beside her answered his question finally.

“Yes.” She gave him a serious look before turning to her sister. “I guess we shouldn’t be surprised.”

“I should have known better, should have headed here long ago…” Pain muttered and gritted her teeth in frustration.
Dammit, dammit, dammit!
She had so hoped that everything was still alright.

She had seen that something was off when they were still pretty far. It was the lights: the whole building was blazing in the night, not only the first floor, and her heart stuttered at that moment because there was no way now that the others were safe. She turned out right, after all – it was a war. Despite the exhaustion, she had rushed in the building’s direction like an angry bullet, and her dark suspicions were confirmed. People were darting to and fro around it, through the broken windows, open doors. Just when she thought it was all coming to an end, it had only just begun.

“Remember that evacuation plan they showed us? The one with the additional infirmary on the ground floor?” Jane didn’t have to finish her suggestion, because Pain had the same thoughts on her mind.

“Yes, they’re there. It’s enclosed, the best place for a hideout. I’m sure Peter’s there now,” her voice was flat and remote. She wasn’t sure, of course. She just couldn’t think of him lying somewhere with a hole in his chest.

“You think Beasts are still watching the tunnels?”

“No, I think they’re too busy destroying our quarters and killing our friends,” she muttered. “The fourth is the closest, let’s go!”

She began to descend, heading for some tunnel entrance, with Jane and Chad close behind her.

In five minutes they were already hurrying through the tunnels. Pain was striding in the lead like an infuriated panther in her ragged black coat, muttering something and making Chad behind her wonder if he had ever heard someone swear so exquisitely. He wasn’t sure what she was saying and wouldn’t risk asking. Actually, when she was in this mood, he would gladly use a cloak of invisibility, should he own one.

Five more minutes, and they were at a metal-covered door. Pain slammed her fist against it three times, stomping on the spot impatiently. It wasn’t even midnight on the clock, and the night was already rough. And now, considering that they were under attack, it couldn’t be called promising.

“Open the door, it’s Pain!” she shouted, and Chad couldn’t help but smile grimly at the irony of her words. They could hear the commotion on the other side and waited for one more minute, until Peter’s hoarse voice sounded from the inside.

“Open, open it!”

The lock clicked, echoing through the metal walls, and the door flew open, revealing a big, dark figure that loomed in the doorway.

Peter looked very different in gear. Chad would have never thought that some clothes and weapons might change someone that much. Now he looked collected and dangerous, like the tough and experienced warrior that he was. There were two heavy swords strapped at his waist, and blotches of blood covered his gear, but he looked unharmed. His face was concerned and exhausted, just like theirs, but his gaze lit up as he took in the picture before his eyes. He measured them from top to toe with his look, all melancholy and thoughtfulness gone for a change, and then seized the girls in a sweeping embrace.

“Thank God, you’re alive!” he exclaimed, lifting them both off the ground and setting them on their feet inside the room.

Pain choked at the squeeze he gave her, but he ignored that and hurried the guys inside, too, then slammed the door shut behind them. There were a dozen Ghosts of all ages, sizes, and nationalities, all staring at them with interest and worry. Pain looked over them with a scowl and turned to Peter.

“What’s with the crowd, the usual guard is not enough for you anymore?” she said in her usual resentful voice, and Peter chuckled.

“Yeah, now I’m sure you’re alright,” he said, waving his hand for everybody to leave the room. The fighters shot up through the hatch, leaving only one guard behind. Peter looked at the sisters, frowning. “That must have been a hell of a battle you’ve had there,” he muttered.

“You too,” Jane replied, pointing at the blood on his gear.

“At least, we have a place to back out to,” he said with a sour grimace.

Pain came up to the guard’s desk and scribbled something on a piece of paper.

“Peter, we gotta clean up the mess there,” she handed it to him. “I don’t know how, call someone. The sun will rise soon.”

He looked at the address thoughtfully.

“Okay,” he finally nodded. “Let’s go up there, you need some coffee, and we need to talk,” he suggested.

When they climbed the ladder, they found a sad sight. The ground floor was crowded with Ghosts, bloody and battered, their gear torn, their weapons smeared with fresh blood. They were milling around or sitting in chairs which had been brought down and placed along the walls. Some of them were hugging their wounded arms to their sides. The others were supporting their comrades, staring at the wall nervously, as if waiting for something. There were three vending machines in the corner, and a bunch of Ghosts gathered near them, talking to each other in low voices. As Pain looked around, a bright light poured from her right where a part of the wall slid away, opening to a hidden room behind it. A man in a white coat showed up in the doorway, looking weary and nervous, his clothes stained with blood, his glasses askew.
The additional infirmary
, she realized.

“We’re done, next!” he called out. The occupants of the chairs looked up and stirred, but the man pointed with his finger at one of them. “You, bring him in,” he said to some Ghost’s partner.

The wounded lay on a few chairs, his head in his comrade’s lap, and muttered something weakly, clearly delirious. The fighter got up, taking his friend under the arms and carrying him inside.

“Who’s that?” Dave asked with worry, appearing beside Pain and looking at the man in the doorway.

Pain cut her eyes at him with a frown.

“That’s Doc. He’s the best,” was all she said.

Dave only noted that Doc was about his height, had tattoos on the outside of his hands, was about thirty-five, and somehow reminded him of some rock star. Then he disappeared behind the wall, and the door slid in its place, making the corner where they stood dark again.

Peter strode off right to the coffee machine, waving his hand for a couple of guys to follow. They quickly got four cups of hot coffee and a few energy bars from the automats and headed back to the four of them. Dave grabbed the cup with gratitude, realizing that just an hour ago he was sure he would never do something as ordinary as drinking coffee again. Only now it dawned on him that they had lived through that nightmare, survived, and for a moment the thought that he had accepted the idea of dying shocked him a little. It was depressing: his thoughts, the space around him, filled with moans and muttering and consoling murmurs. So he looked at Pain, expecting to draw some comfort from her usual disdainful indifference or at least anger, but no, even she looked grim and thoughtful, staring into her cup of coffee as she drank. She and Chad had the same expressions, actually, and for a moment Dave just looked from one to another, baffled. The thought did distract him from the gloomy atmosphere: when the hell had they become alike?

Peter’s voice broke the silence, and they all looked up.

“So, we both have news for each other,” he started, folding his arms.

“You mean Jerry?” Pain cut in right away. “We already know about him,” she added, stripping an energy bar off its wrapping.

“Really?” he looked surprised. “How come?”

“He called. From your cell, by the way,” she answered. “Did you see him since… I mean, is he… ”

“Alive? I don’t know,” Peter shook his head. “I haven’t seen him, and nobody mentioned if they found the body.” He gave her a nervous shrug, and she just nodded. “And I thought I dropped the phone somewhere, guess I was wrong… Let’s start with your story then. There isn’t much to explain about this, really,” he looked around. “They just came, dozens of them, and trashed the place and everyone who wasn’t fast or lucky enough. We took down about a half of them, but at what cost… Some of them are still up there, and some of ours, too, while we’re taking a break. Eugene didn’t show up, didn’t call or anything. I guess no goal, just carnage. It’s just so like him…” he added the last words in a quiet voice, as if to himself. “So, what happened with you?” he asked in a more cheerful tone, trying for a smile but failing, so his face just turned into a grimace.

The four of them exchanged troubled glances for the first time since they arrived. It was Pain’s duty to report about the night’s events, but she was hesitating. Should they reveal that Chad was a Ghost? Wouldn’t it be safer for him if no one besides the four of them knew, and would she feel okay with deceiving Peter? He was like a father to her and Jane, and she could be mean to him sometimes, but she never actually lied. Well, she did lie about the pot in Marco’s room, but not about something so huge. And would it really be a lie if she just kept the fact about Chad being a Ghost to herself?

Suddenly, she realized that she was seriously considering lying to Peter for someone she barely knew, and deep inside she cursed, shocked by the idea. After all, if she told Peter, he might understand something in all this.
Oh, for God’s sake, what are you doing!
They were staring at her expectantly now, so she let out a loud sigh before saying as much as she was able to.

“The story’s short: left the barn after the call, had a fight with three dozen Beasts downtown, Chad is a Sky Ghost.”

Peter’s jaw dropped open for a moment. Chad only gave him an apologetic grimace. Jane frowned. Dave picked at his teeth, struggling with some peanut.

“What??” at last, Peter barked out incredulously.

“What I said. He can fly, throw people into the air and shit.” She finished her coffee and tossed the crumpled cup into a trash bin. “He’s a Ghost.”

“But he doesn’t have the Mark!” Peter exclaimed in disbelief.

“Actually, I have… ” Chad started, but Pain silenced him with a murderous look.

“It’s concealed under a tattoo. He has the Mark, the glowing, the speed and stuff. He just needed an Initiation.”

And now Peter frowned with suspicion. He drew a slow breath, giving himself more time before asking the question that he already knew the answer to,

“And what you mean is that he’s just had one?” he said carefully.

She shrugged, unconcerned.

“He fell off the roof.”

“Actually, I jumped- ”

“
He fell off the roof??
How the hell did that happen??”

Pain opened her mouth to protest, but snapped it back shut. She couldn’t tell him that Chad did it to save Jane, not really. She was supposed to be the one controlling the situation, the one reacting at the right time, not staring stupidly, all paralyzed with fear and not knowing whom to save. She had never been in a situation quite like that one. Of course, she had screwed up more than once on her missions, she had made mistakes and paid with her blood for them, she broke the rules, she needed the others to save her from a hell or two. But never before she had to choose between her sister and a ward. Two wards, actually. She couldn’t just leave one of them in the middle of the battle.

She groaned inwardly. This whole situation was just too crazy, she thought. How was she supposed to come out of such a battle with no damage? Over thirty opponents – well, she still could try to fight them, but to protect someone in that chaos? The thought irritated her, and she knew at once what she would do so she wouldn’t have to answer Peter’s question: she would go on the offence.

“I hate to break it to you, but there are limits to even what I can do! He’s alright now, our job is done! So no yelling for now, okay? Anyway, where’s Marco and Ryan?” she enquired sharply, seeing an irritated expression flash on Peter’s face and immediately subside. She knew he wouldn’t argue now. There was just no time for it.

He shook his head, pursing his lips.

“I don’t know, he hasn’t come down yet, and Ryan went up there to look for him. Must be dispatching some of the Beasts up- ” his sentence hung in the air unfinished because Pain was already storming to the stairs door, katana in hand.

“Open the door!” she bellowed at the guards.

“Pain, wait!” Peter flounced after her as he realized what she was about to do. “We’ll find him! I still have a lot of men looking for the wounded. You don’t have to go up there!”

“Yes, I do,” she hissed, pausing at the threshold and turning to glare at him. “In case you didn’t realize,
this
was the first thing you were supposed to tell me when I came here. The first thing.”

And she walked through the door with Jane hurrying after her, tossing her half-empty cup to the trash on the run. Dave realized that there was no one left with him suddenly. Chad was close on the sisters’ heels, disappearing behind the door before anyone could catch him.