Unfaded (27 page)

             
“Tomorrows game night,” Claire said, coming to my rescue. “I’m sure that’s probably the last place you want to be. I say we have a girl time instead. We can rent some movies and order pizza.”

             
“Yes!” Amber said. “Let’s do it. Basketball’s boring as hell anyway.”

             
I smiled. Tomorrow was Friday and everyone would be cruising the streets, either cheering or complaining, depending on the outcome. It wasn’t something I wanted to be a part of. Hanging out with the girls sounded like the perfect hideaway.

             
“Sounds good,” I said.

             
“Horror, definitely horror,” Amber said. “None of that romance crap. Too depressing.”

             
We spent too much time talking in the hallways so by the time we got to the gym it was packed. It seemed that just about everyone was wearing green and silver. The crowd was loud and lively, most of the students were shouting at each other. The occasional camera flashed. The cheerleaders stood in the middle of the gym, dancing to the latest hit song.

There was no more space on the bleachers so it was either standing over in the corner or opting to sit on the floor right in front of the cheerleaders. We decided to stand off to the side.
While we made our way across the floor I kept my eyes open for Kian. I couldn’t see him but that wasn’t surprising. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack. There were too many faces.

Funny how I’d never actually realised how many students were at Addison High. I knew a lot of people commuted from all over but I’d still never really noticed the numbers. There were hundreds of kids.
I even saw a bunch of parents, mostly those of the basketball team. This game was going to be a big one. If we won, we’d be heading off to the championship. Rumour had it there would be recruiters and talent scouts. It was a big deal to those who dreamed of getting a scholarship.

Connor was one of those dreamers.
Just because we’d broken up didn’t mean I wasn’t still going to root for him.

“Ooo there’s Scott,” Amber shouted over the noise. “I’ve gotta go say ‘hi’ to him. Did I tell you we’re having our second date on Saturday? If he doesn’t kiss me this time I’m just going to throw myself on him.” She was gone before either of us could say anything.

Both Claire and I scanned the crowd. There was still no sign of Kian but I wasn’t too worried about it. I was sure he was there. Eventually we’d find each other.

“Do you mind if I take off for a second?” Claire asked. “I need to ask S
uzy Wallace about the Biology assignment that’s due Monday. I won’t be long.”

“No worries,” I said. “Take your time.”

Claire apologised for having to leave me alone and then headed off to the middle of the gym where I could see Suzy and some of her friends cheering from the bleachers. They all looked so happy. It was hard to believe a few days ago I’d been just like them. Now they seemed so far away, just beyond my reach. I no longer knew what to say. Would the same thing happen with Claire and Amber?

Why you bother with these humans I’ll never know. You can’t bond with them. They’ll only wither away and die. They’re no more important than the dirt on my boot.

The thought was so strong in my mind that I turned around, wondering if I’d heard it instead. I wouldn’t have been surprised to see Dialexa standing before me but there was no one there. Just a memory. Better than the visions. At least they didn’t knock me off my feet.

There was something other than the voice that startled me.
My fingertips were vibrating. I brought my hand up and touched my cheek. The numbness spread over my skin, making all the hairs on my head stand up.

Something was happening.

              I looked out at the crowd, trying to find out what was different. At first I couldn’t see anything except the screaming mob. The teenagers in their green and silver outfits, the cheerleaders forming a pyramid, even the basketball team as they raced from the locker rooms and onto the court. The audience grew louder, applauding and stamping their feet on the bleachers. The sound vibrated in my ears. My pulse quickened.

             
Suddenly she was in front of me. Anique, with her long blonde hair and eyes green, like a cat. Grabbing my arm, she yanked me backwards, away from the crowd, underneath the bleachers. There were still plenty of people around but now they all had their backs to us. No one would see a thing.

             
She pushed me up against the wall, her hand tightening around my throat. I gasped for air but I couldn’t get any. My lungs were shut off.

             
“So much trouble for such a little girl,” she hissed in my ear. “Do you know what that stunt your lover pulled cost me? My leg was busted in two spots. Two!”

             
Her leg looked fine. She didn’t appear to be having any trouble standing on it. She caught me looking down, her smile broadened.

             
“I see your boy hasn’t bothered to fill you in on the details. Good, it’s easier that way. He’s such a pest.”

             
“You’d better ease up on her,” a voice came from behind her. “You don’t want to kill her yet.”

             
A man appeared beside us, looking dreadfully bored. Sobek. His long hair was unfastened and it rippled along his shoulders. He leaned up against the wall beside me, our shoulders touching. Anique’s grasp loosened and I was able to breathe again. I opened my mouth and inhaled deeply. The blood began flowing back to my head.

             
“You’re right,” Anique said. “This isn’t the time or place for butchery. But I suggest you keep your pretty mouth shut, girl, or I’ll make sure to crush your larynx.”

             
I realised immediately what she meant. There were too many humans here. Someone might see something.

             
“She is pretty, isn’t she?” Sobek looked me up and down. “But she’s always been pretty. Takes after her father, you can always see it in her eyes. No wonder she managed to fool the half-breed. It’s odd, isn’t it? You’d think he’d be here by now. Where is our knight in shining armour?”

             
They were talking about Kian. They didn’t know where he was. When she first grabbed me I’d immediately thought she’d somehow managed to hurt him. It would have explained why I couldn’t find him. Hope surged through me like a burst of energy. My entire body pulsated and jerked.

             
“What the hell?” Anique’s grip tightened and she slammed me up against the wall. “Don’t be doing that, little thing. Do you really want to let the entire world know where you are?”

             
It took me a second to understand what she meant. The energy. They sensed it as it coursed through my body. Which meant that Kian must have felt it too? I tried to concentrate on it, make it happen again but it was too late. There was nothing there anymore. I had used it all up.

             
“She doesn’t know what she’s doing,” Sobek commented.

             
“You haven’t quite figured it out yet,” Anique said. “Good.”

             
Where was Kian? I frantically searched the backs of the crowd that was less than ten feet away from me. They were too busy cheering to notice us. From beyond the bleachers I could hear rock music blaring as the cheerleaders danced. What about Claire and Amber? We weren’t standing too far away from where my friends had left me. If they decided to come looking for me would Anique and Sobek hurt them? It wouldn’t be much trouble. Two human girls. They’d be easy to kill.

             
“Let’s get her out of here,” Sobek said. “We’ll take her out to the woods. The wolves with clean up after we finish. No need to leave too much evidence behind. I don’t want a scene like last time.”

             
Last time.

             
It had been Sobek’s idea to set fire to the woods. They knew we were there but they didn’t want to take the time to find us. There was always the chance we might escape. So they circled around our hiding spot, set torches to the bushes and waited to see if we’d come running into their waiting arms. We’d watched them before the fires grew too intense and had to pull back.

             
Kian was tied to a tree. I could see him from afar. They’d removed his shirt and slashed his stomach with a knife, just above his bellybutton. Blood pooled into the earth beneath him. In this state he was too weak to break free. He couldn’t come for us. Why had I left him in the first place? Because I wanted him safe. Why didn’t he listen to me when I begged him not to follow?

             
I longed to run to him and place my hands against his wounds. I could help him heal, give him what little was left of my energy. I could hold him in my arms and kiss away the panic in his eyes. But my sister was pulling at my arm and the smoke was filling my throat. I was scared of them catching me. If I ran I still had a chance. If I lived I could come back for him.

             
They’d killed me. Not with their bare hands but they’d still done the deed. I could remember it so clearly, as if it had happened yesterday. Dialexa and I had lasted most of the night until we’d finally dropped in exhaustion. We’d held each other as the flames ate away at our bodies and my last thought had been focused on Kian.

             
It would be forever before I saw him again. How many times could they tear me from his arms before my heart finally broke?

I love you. I won’t lose you.
Next time it’ll be different.

             
It was different so far.

             
I was still alive. But for how long?

             
Sobek took my arm, squeezing tightly. Anique let go of my neck. “Remember,” she hissed. “No screaming or I crush your voice.”

             
I nodded.

             
“I think you need to let her go.”

             
Kian! I wanted to jump for joy. No, I wanted to leap into his arms and feel his heart beating against my skin. My stomach jolted and all the breath left my body as if Anique had made good on her threat and crushed my throat.

             
“Now why would I do that?”

             
“Because if you don’t, I’ll be forced to hurt you.”

             
Anique laughed, long and fake.

             
“It’s been a long time,” Sobek said.  “Still chasing a dream, I see.”

             
“I see you’re still dating a fool,” Kian said. “Stupid and young—that always was your preference."

Anique
stepped away from me, her eyes fixated on Kian. A low growl escaped her lips. She rushed at him, her hands aiming for his throat. At the last second, Kian sidestepped her gracefully, bringing his arms up, he grabbed her shoulders and spun her around. They both moved at the speed of sound, so quickly that my mind couldn’t focus on what was happening. But when it was over, Anique was facing me, her arms pinned behind her back and Kian had his arm around her throat. A hostage for a hostage.

Sobek’s grip on my arm tightened, the pain shot through every nerve in my body and I bit down on my lip to keep from screaming. It was like my arm was being squeezed in an iron clamp.

              “You can’t win here,” Kian said, slowly moving towards me with Anique still trapped in his grip. “There are too many people and they will rush to our aid if you try anything. Let her go. We’ll make it a fair trade.”

             
“Humans are no match for me,” Sobek said.

             
“But you don’t want to kill them,” Kian said. “Remember which side you’re on, Sobek. It’s hypocritical of you to want to save the very mortals you’d so easily destroy.”

             
“What do you care?” Anique struggled but she couldn’t break free. “By protecting her, you’re dooming them all.”

             
“That’s not the way I see it.”

             
“There is none so lost as a fool in love,” Sobek said.

             
“And there is none so foolish as those who follow blindly,” Kian replied.

             
Sobek yanked me closer. “Do you think she’ll heal if I snap her arm? Just how advanced are her powers? She doesn't look eighteen yet.”

             
Kian didn’t answer. Instead he acted. Shoving Anique forwards, he used her body to ram Sobek who slammed back against the wall, dragging me along. But it worked. He was surprised enough to loosen his grip enough so I could break free. I staggered out of his reach.

             
“Get out of here, Mai!” Kian said and I didn’t argue. Spinning on my heels, I sprinted away from them, racing under the bleachers and towards the other end of the gym. It wasn’t easy, the stands were held together by steel poles and I had to duck and climb around them to try and make it to the other side. All I could see was metal and hundreds of pairs of feet as kids stomped to the beat of the music. Halfway through the maze, I turned and looked back. Kian was fighting with Sobek and Anique was chasing after me. She was closing the gap quickly. I didn’t have time to think. I continued to run, finally reaching the end where a crowd of onlookers stood between me and the gymnasium doors.