Fractured Truth (3 page)

“Kiera’s doing a good job teaching your class,” May said. “I can’t believe how much she’s learned. She’s a natural at it.”

I stared at the ceiling. Carved wood trim made squares against crème-colored paint. “All the Auras would be if they let go of Lucent’s ancient rule of no fighting. It’s stifling them. You’d think after what happened they’d be lining up to learn this stuff. Speaking of which, any more sign-ups for the class?”

“A couple. Still, though, that only makes six. Are you tired?”

My eyes lowered to May’s. Dark circles were visible under her eyes. “A little,” I lied. I was hoping to talk to her about what I’d seen in the forest, but it could wait.

“Get some rest then,” she said. “We can talk more in the morning.”

I stood up, taking her with me. “Good idea.”

We rode the elevator up to the third floor. The whole way she told me about Dr. Han and some new things he was teaching her about being a Fury. I was surprised there was more for her to learn. In my mind, May was already a pro at controlling fire.

“I’m glad you’re back,” May said when we reached her room.

“Me too.” And I meant it. Even with all the painful memories, Lucent also held good ones.

I opened the door to my room. Everything was just as I had left it, even the smell of blood. It used to really bother me to know that a girl had killed herself in my room after going crazy from being bitten by a Vyken, but now I used it as a reminder of what could happen to me if I ever gave in to the Vyken poison.

I went into the bathroom and started the shower. I hoped it would calm my mind and relax my tense muscles. But thirty minutes later I was still wound as tight as the clock in the tower
staring back at me from the window. Beyond it, the sky was turning a dark gray as light began to invade the night.

I backed away from the window, wrapping the towel around my body tightly, and went into my closet to get dressed. There was no way I was going to sleep, not with the way my mind was racing. Jackson was just downstairs in the basement. Besides knowing about Sophie, he might know something about what I had heard in the forest.

Dressing in jeans and a black sweater, I opened my bedroom door. My sensitive hearing heard some girls already awake in their rooms. May’s room was quiet.

I was slow going up the stairs to Cyrus’s office on the fourth floor. As of yet, that was the only way to get to the secret basement where Jackson was being held from inside the school. The only other entrance was underground and about three hundred yards outside Lucent Academy. This was how Cyrus had been sneaking Vykens into Lucent, but now that entrance was sealed shut with a new security system.

The closer I came, the more my heart began to pound. Face my demons, Liam had said. Cyrus was the demon—more like the devil—who took those I cared about the most.

As I expected, I found the door locked. Technically this should have been Dr. Han’s office now, as he was the new president, but Dr. Han had no desire to change rooms. I reached into my pocket and removed a key. Dr. Han had given one to everyone who knew about the secret rooms in the basement, which was just a handful of people. The lock clicked, despite my shaking hand, and I pushed open the door.

The room looked exactly the same. Oversized chairs, oversized desks, and bookcases. The room was as big as Cyrus’s lies.

This was the first time I’d come back since that night I raced after Sophie to stop her from seeing Cyrus. I had failed. Now Sophie was gone, and Christian was dead. No matter what I thought I saw or heard earlier, I couldn’t deny the fact that I’d seen him die.

My breath escaped my lungs in shorter and shorter intervals. It was stupid of me to come up here. I thought enough time had passed since that horrible night.

I was wrong.

The memories of that night bludgeoned my mind, and I blinked rapidly, trying to push them away. One after another, I recalled how Cyrus had tricked Sophie to come closer where he would be able to grab her. I should’ve stopped her. I knew there were Vykens in the room. Why didn’t I try harder?

I stumbled back until I was against the wall.

After Cyrus took Sophie, Vykens came. More than I could count. We tried to protect the Auras by barricading them in the kitchen off the dining room. People were bleeding. People were dying.

I slumped to the floor, fighting hard for every breath.

Cyrus had appeared briefly in those last moments, when I wasn’t sure if any of us would survive. And when he left, Christian went after him.

Once again, I should’ve done more. It’s like I let him die.

My vision blurred, turning a dark red. I was going to pass out.

“Liam,” I said, knowing his highly sensitive hearing would hear me.

And he did. Picking me up, he carried me behind the wall and down the stairs.

For the first time, I cried for Sophie. I cried for Christian. The pain squeezed my heart until I thought I would crumble.

Liam set me down on what I assumed was his bed. My eyes were closed. His hand gripped mine. I don’t know which of us was squeezing harder.

I thought of Christian’s funeral back in Utah. Guardians from all over the world had come to pay their respects, not necessarily just for him, but also for his father, who was well known by Guardians and Auras everywhere. Many spoke to me that day, but I couldn’t remember what they’d said. I just remember wanting to run away.

Liam was right. I hadn’t grieved.
Stay busy
, that is what I told myself every day. But what I’d been trying to avoid hit me like a freight train now. I continued to cry, quietly and painfully, until the tears began to slow. My breathing matched their pace.

And then I fell asleep.

I opened my eyes and
blinked. Where was I? Pale walls came into focus across from me. Next to me was an empty wooden chair. I realized I was in Liam’s bed, a heavy patterned quilt pulled up around my shoulders. I threw it back and sat up.

The room was empty, and the door was closed. Because I was in the basement, there were no windows to give a hint as to what time it was. I hoped I wasn’t late for breakfast.

I stood up and stretched. My muscles were relaxed and my chest felt lighter. That must’ve been some power nap. And some major tears. They seemed to have padded my once-raw heart.

After opening the door, I peered into the hall. It was different down here from the rest of the school, with only concrete floors and partially finished walls. There were several small rooms that seemed more like prison cells. We could only assume they had been used by Vykens. Liam and the twins used a couple of them whenever they visited, which was a lot.

I stepped into the hall, listening for sounds. It was quiet except for . . . I turned my head, straining my ears. Someone was breathing in one of the closed rooms at the end. Most likely Jackson. I went to the door and looked in through the small barred window. Jackson was lying down, staring at the ceiling.

“What do you want?” he said.

“Nice digs you got here.”

“I won’t be here for long.”

“Really? Cause, um . . .”—I gave the door a good hard tug—“this door isn’t opening any time soon.”

He didn’t say anything, but his brows were drawn together tightly. I didn’t know if this meant he was angry or worried. I noticed a plate of half-eaten spaghetti on a table next to him, and this made me wonder if it was later in the day than I had thought. I better hurry and ask my questions. “Do you know where Cyrus is keeping Sophie?”

“Yes.”

My pulse raced. “Where?”

“Disneyland.”

“Don’t do this, Jackson. Just tell us so we won’t have to hurt you.”

“You won’t get the chance.”

I exhaled. This was going to be harder than I expected. “Do you like working with them? The Vykens?”

He snickered. “They’re better than Auras. At least they don’t complain about everything.”

“But they’re also murderers, Jackson. And I know at some point in your life, you knew this was wrong. So what happened?”

“I happened. I knew I wasn’t going anywhere as a Guardian. It’s a dead-end job. Literally. And trash collectors get paid more money than I ever would.”

I sighed, bored. “And you never thought you could just go be a doctor or something?”

“School’s too long and then there’s all that student loan debt.”

“Sounds like you’ve considered all your options.” I was glad there was a door between us. “So where’ve you been all this time? I had quite the adventure trying to catch up to you.”

“I was touring.”

I picked at the door with my finger, trying to decide
which question to ask first. “Why do they keep you around? Technically you’re not one of them.”

“I’m good company.”

I laughed. “Oh, come on now. I know you better than that, so be honest. Why haven’t they killed you yet, or at the very least turned you?”

He sat up at this, his face twisting into a scowl. “If you think you’re so smart, why don’t you tell me?”

I thought about this out loud. “There’s really only one reason. You must have something on Cyrus.” My brain continued to spin. “No, that wouldn’t matter. At this point he couldn’t care less what others think about him.” I tapped on the door with my fingernails. “Maybe you have something of his, something important.”

Jackson’s scowl turned to a smile.

“That’s it, isn’t it?”

“No Vyken would ever mess with me. I’m under Cyrus’s protection.”

“I don’t think he’s protecting you. He’s only keeping you around long enough to get back whatever you took from him.” I held onto the bars. “So what is it? What could you possibly have that Cyrus wants?”

He sat up, peering at me sideways while his elbows rested on his knees. “Now why would I tell you that? The Auras have never done anything for me.”

“What do you want?”

He stood and crossed the room to me. “I need cash and lots of it. I have to skip town and fast.”

“What’s the rush?”

“Cyrus. He’s going to have me out of here in no time—”

“Not possible.”

“—and when he does, he’s going to think I told you something valuable. He’ll drag the truth out of me any way he can.”

“Why hasn’t he done that already?” I asked.

“Because we had a deal, and I helped him from inside Lucent.”

“By getting other Guardians to switch sides.”

The corner of his mouth rose. “Among other things, but our arrangement was supposed to end tonight. I’d give him what he wanted, and he’d pay me an insane amount of money to leave forever. I was planning to go to Amsterdam, but now that’s all changed, thanks to you. And if I don’t get out of here, like within the next few hours, I’m a dead man.”

I thought about this. If what he was saying were true, then we could have all the dirt on Cyrus, including where he was hiding Sophie and the other Auras. “I’m sure the Auran Council will oblige, but first you have to give me something so I know you actually have something they will want.”

He stood up and brushed his hands off. “Deal.”

“So what is it?”

He walked toward me slowly. “I know where the witches are. I hid them.”

“Witches?”

“That’s all I’m going to say. Get me a bunch of money, and I’ll tell you everything you want to know. And hurry. There’s not much time.”

I narrowed my eyes. “You keep talking like you’re leaving. No one’s going to get you out of here.”

“Maybe it’s you who should be leaving.” His gaze slowly met mine, and I shivered. “There’s a storm coming, and anyone within a twenty-mile radius of this place isn’t going to survive. In a way, I feel sorry for you girls. You simply have no idea.”

“Don’t feel sorry for us. It’s you that should be worried.”

“Ah, feisty Llona. You think you’re so strong, but your world’s about to be turned upside down.” He laughed.

Air caught in my chest, and I instantly thought of Christian. “What do you know?”

He laughed harder and said, “I wish I could be there to see your face.”

A familiar anger, burning from my Vyken half, made me punch the door. “Tell me!”

“What’s going on?” Liam said from behind me.

I turned around, my chest heaving. “This jerk’s telling lies.”

“Keep telling yourself that,” Jackson said from within his cell. I hit the door again.

Liam took hold of my arm and pulled me toward the stairs at the end of the hallway. “You okay?”

“I was actually feeling pretty good till he got me all riled up.”

He let go of my arm. “You felt good?”

I nodded and smiled a little, despite the conversation with Jackson. “Yes. Better than I’ve felt in a long time. Thanks for letting me crash in your room. I hope it wasn’t too much trouble.”

“Not at all. I’m just glad you’re feeling better. I’d say you even look better.”

“I didn’t realize I was looking bad.”

His smile faded. “Not bad, just sad.”

I cleared my throat and glanced away. “What time is it?”

Liam turned up the stairs. “Late. Everyone’s been asking for you. I’m glad you’re awake, because I was out of excuses.”

I bounded after him, trying to decide whether to tell him about Jackson now or when we were all together with Dr. Han. “Did I miss breakfast?”

“And lunch and dinner.”

“You mean I slept a whole day and night?”

“I always said you were lazy.” He grinned and dodged my lazy punch.

I followed Liam into Cyrus’s office. My smile disappeared. Once again, painful images tried to resurface, and I stumbled, but this time I caught myself on the desk.

Liam looked back at me. “You good?”

I nodded and took a deep breath. “I’ll get used to it.” As soon as my head cleared, I swallowed and said, “Before we go down there, I have to tell you what Jackson said.”

“Go on.”

“Something’s been bothering me for a while. I couldn’t ever understand why Cyrus treated Jackson like his right-hand guy. I
mean, I know Cyrus has other Guardians working for him, but he doesn’t keep them as close as Jackson.”

Liam took two steps toward me.

“When I was talking to Jackson just now, he was pretty convinced that Cyrus was going to bust him out of here as soon as possible to keep him from talking. And I’ll admit, he did seem a little spooked.”