Dark Nebula (The Chronicles of Kerrigan) (50 page)

Rae
sat at her desk flexing her previously broken wrist, happy to have the healing tatù back.
She had
asked a few friends to allow her to mimic their tatùs.
Each touch had put the familiar hum
rushing
back through her body.
She only had a few powers compared to before Kraigan’s altercation
,
but
it was
a hundred times better than none.
I need to get into the Oratory and get the journal before someone finds it. I’ll go early to class one morning next week and hide it in my backpack. Sometimes plain site is the safest place for something to be kept hidden.

At exactly twelve,
Devon
came
by as promised.

Like clockwork.
Rae jumped from her chair
and ran to open the door when she heard him
in the h
a
ll
.

Devon
stood, knuckles midair about to knock.
“That was quick.”

She hugged him tight but quickly let go when
he
grunted.
“Sorry, I forgot you’re still sore.
Raymond came by and I mimicked his healing tatù.
I feel awesome.” She shook her wrist, to show him.
“Sorry I can’t transfer the healing to you.”

“That’s great.
About you, I mean.
I feel good, too.
”
Devon
ran his fingers through his hair.
“I wanted to–”

“Hey, guess what?” Rae interrupted, so excited to see him.
“Julian let me borrow his car so I can take you to the train station.
It took a bit of begging
,
but he finally said okay.
He just got it all fixed up.”

Devon
’s eyebrows came up.
“You don’t have to drive me.
You should rest.
You’re probably exhausted.”

“Uh-
u
h.
I can drive.
”

“That’s super nice of you.” He rubbed the back of his neck.
“I
was planning on taking my own car.
Using the Park N’ Train.”
His eyes looked everywhere
,
but at her.

“What’s going on?” Rae grabbed his chin, forcing him to meet her gaze.

“Nothing.”
Devon
shifted.

“Liar.” Rae nudged him with her elbow.

Devon
brought his arms up, palms facing her.
“I remember some of your driving the other night.
I
…I
think you should stick to driving on the right side of the road.”

“Hey, I saved your life
!
” She punched his
open
hands but couldn’t hold back a giggle.

“I’m eternally grateful
, b
ut
, Rae
—
your driving sucks.”

“
What? That’s bull
.
I
—
” she paused and exhaled a breath. “Fine.
You can drive us to the station
,
and I’ll drive myself back.”

“I’ll say okay to tha
t. S
ince it’s Julian’s car, not mine.”
Devon
kicked the door shut and kissed her before she could respond.

Ten minutes later, both of them breathing heav
il
y, they slowly pulled apart.

“I hate to tell you this,”
Devon
whispered into her hair.
“
The
Privy Council has me going on an undercover mission.
I don’t
know
how long it’s going to take.” He sighed.
“It could be a
week, a
month, maybe two.
You know I can’t tell you the details
,
and I’ll be pretty deep undercover so I won’t be able to e
-
mail or call you till it’s done.”

They want you to find the missing journal. That’s probably the mission.
Rae stood perfectly still.
The thought of not knowing if
Devon
was safe or not seeing him tore at her heart
just as much as not knowing the details of the mission
.
Secrets
—
he’s keeping secrets.
“It’s al
ri
ght
.
I get it.”
I now have a few secrets of my own.

“What’re your plans
when school ends
?
”

“I haven
’t thought too much about grad
uation
or anything past.
” Rae let her eyes drop.
That much is true at least.
“
There’s
still four months of school left.
I’ll talk to
Carter
and see if I can stay on as a mentor.
I don’t mind going to
New York
for the summer
,
but I’m not staying.
England
’s my home now.”

“Good
.”
Devon
pulled her into a
one-
armed hug, still favoring his injured shoulder a bit
.

“Maybe I’ll
look into working with
the Privy Council.” Rae paused
, waiting to see what his reaction might be
. “Maybe I can send my resume to them.”
She stepped back and looked at him.

Devon
pressed his lips tight and crinkles appeared by his eyes.
He nodded.
“Good idea.”
Rae immediately got the feeling that despite his words,
Devon
did not like the idea of her joining the Privy Council. Considering how she felt about him working for them, she couldn’t really blame him; except that, she had a feeling his objections were totally different from hers.
Whose side is he on?
Mine
, or theirs?
Today h
owever, she didn’t want to deal with any of that. She just wanted to pretend a little longer.

She checked her watch and grabbed Julian’s keys off her desk.
“Shoot.
You’re train’s leaving at two. We gotta get going.”

Devon
opened the door.
“
You should g
o to your uncle’s place for the summer.
I like knowing you’re safe there
.
No one knows who you are in
America
. Plus,
I can
also
send you the odd postcard without getting caught.”

Rae preceded him out the door.
And then, I’m also out of the way
—

A
week later, Rae waited in a lavishly decorated lobby underneath Guilder.
The balls of her feet bounced faster than the human eye could keep up with.
Tapping her thumb against the arm of her chair, she checked the clock and glanced around the waiting room.
S
till adjusting to her new look, Rae did a
double take
when she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror
.
The
day
after
Devon
left
,
she
had gone to a salon for a drastic makeover
, having
her long, curly hair chopped to
just below her ears
, straightened and dyed
platinum blonde
.
T
he
length was
barely
long enough to make
the ponytail she
had
stuffed it into this morning.

“Miss Kerrigan?”
the
receptionist called from her desk.

Rae jumped up; all the anxiety of
the
past week still had her nerves on end.
“Yes.” She cleared her throat.

“They’re waiting for you in the
C
hamber meeting room.
If you go through those main doors, it’s the third set of doors on the left.
You comfortable walking in on your own?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”
She wiped her sweaty palms on the back of her jeans and headed through the main doors.
She paused a moment, hand on the
doorknob
and gathered her courage.
This was the job she
wanted
.
She
had known
it for sure when she
ha
d left
Devon
at the train station.
I need to find out what things my father all created. I have to stop the Kraigans and Lanf
ords. They exist because of me.

T
he
Privy Council needed her.
They made that clear
with
the salary and contract they offered,
presented to her personally by a representative
.
This was a chance, to finally see the big picture everyone had worked so hard to keep her from seeing, to hunt down any other children of Simon Kerrigan before they came hunting for her, to be on the inside of the mystery that was the Privy Council, to see who she truly could and could not trust, and maybe to watch over Devon to an extent. It was a
job that enabled her to be part of something bigger than just herself
, to fight the crazies trying to make her father’s delusional megalomaniac dreams a reality
, and learn more about her father, and hopefully, her entire family at the same time.
H
ow could she say no?
It’s time I become a dark nebula
.

She took a few deep breaths, opened the door and stepped inside.
The room was the same as the picture Kraigan had used for their presentation.
At
the
round table sat five men, including
Carter
.
Huh
—
didn’t see that coming.

Raising an eyebrow, she looked directly at him.

Carter
smiled and ran a hand
through his
perfect
hair
.
“I’d like to introduce you to my council.”

“Your council?”
The words were out before she could stop herself.

The gentleman to the right of the headmaster
, scowling at her outburst,
spoke.
“His council.
He’s President
Carter
, head of the Privy Council.”

The president grinned at Rae.
He spoke, his tenor voice loud and clear
,
“Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life, M
is
s Kerrigan.”

THE END

About the Author

Wanita May grew up in the fruit belt of
Ontario
,
Canada
-
St. Catharines
.
Crazy- happy childhood, she always has a vivid imagination and loads of energy.

She attended the
University
of
Tornoto
, and Kansas State
University
winning CIAU's and becoming All-American 6x-NCAA Indoors Runner Up.

In 2009, Wanita began her writing career with her debut novel Rae of Hope.

Visit her website:

www.wanitamay.yolasite.com