Lost Energy (7 page)

God, I so did not deserve the
compassion swimming in her eyes. "Don't be." I knew she wasn't
talking about the wet spot. "It's okay to be in love, Lena–and it's okay
to be young and think about nothing else. We've all been there."

Wilma's booming voice, a little
raspier than usual, came from the kitchen. "Stop coddling her, Jacie."

Mom's eyes hardened, but she
refused to look away from me. "She's my daughter, and I can say and do
what I please." She swung around to meet the scowl of probably one of the
strongest people not only in Earth, but in a few more dimensions, too. "Her
past is yours, her present and future are ours. She's eighteen, for God's sake!
What do you expect from her?"

Silence.

That fueled Mom to keep going. "She's
always had to sacrifice, and I think it's about time she
does
find some
enjoyment in
this
life."

Wilma crossed her arms and gave the
front door a glance. "If she doesn't get her head out of her ass,
this
life isn't going to last much longer."

Mom stood, her tiny fists balled
and ready to take on my bored-looking Protector leaning against the doorjamb.
But as soon as she took a step forward, the door burst open.

Belva came rushing to my side, her face
bright red for a change. Farren closed the door, satisfaction lighting his eyes.
She opened her mouth undoubtedly to accuse Farren of being an asshole, but then
her gaze met mine. "What's wrong?" She threw her arms around my
shoulders and crushed my face into her neck, patting my head. "What'd you
do to her?"

Even though my face pressed into
her rose-smelling skin, I knew exactly whom she trapped with her accusing hazel
eyes. After a few more renegade tears, I pulled away. "It's okay, pal."
Scrubbing away the remaining moisture on my cheeks, I continued, "Listen,
could you stay here for a day or two?"

Belva's glare remained planted on
Wilma, answering me with her own question. "Why do you still put up with that
bitch? She's a fucking lunch lady."

As Wilma's hand went up, Farren
went to stand in front of my friend. "Please, Wilma."

Wilma dropped her hand, giving him
a sneer. "Then control her, or I might relieve some stress."

Farren nodded, sitting next to
Belva. "We need you to stay here, with me, for a while."

She gave him a scathing look, her
lip curling. Whatever happened on the way here had her looking at him with much
less enthusiasm than usual. "For what?"

He switched his attention from me
to Wilma, a clear help-me message written all over his face. Since Wilma
refused, smirking, I took over. Voice still a little unsteady, I said, "There
are things I haven't told you, stuff that sounds too crazy to be real."

And how do we proceed from there,
self?

She wanted to know, too. "What
would those things be?"

"I…well…" As pissed off
as I was at her, I looked to Wilma, pleading.

She rolled her eyes and huffed. "Oh,
fine!" She stomped over to the couch. "I couldn't care less if you
stay or go, but these two–for some reason that's completely beyond me–care
enough to want you to live."

My turn to comfort as Belva leaned
into me, her body shaking. "What the hell's she talking about?"

"Nice, Wilma." I rubbed
Belva's arm. "There's too much to explain, but know there are some
dangerous people out there who'd do anything to make my life miserable,
including hurting people I love."

Her eyes, a little wild and a lot
confused, searched mine. "So call the cops, right? Call the cops, Lena."

"Ah, the people who don't like
me much… The cops can't help."

"Well, why not?"

"Because–"

"Enough!" Wilma grabbed
my arm, yanking me off the couch and away Belva. With one more fluid move, she heaved
my friend into Farren's arms. "You take care of the details." She
raised her arm in the air and opened her fist, the tear screaming open.

Farren folded Belva into his arms,
more restraining her than looking to comfort, as she screamed, the whites of
her eyes taking over her entire face. I struggled against Wilma's hold to show
my dislike for her tactics. But it'd take more than me–like at least fifty of
me and a few Farrens–to actually force Wilma to do anything.

She yanked me closer to her side as
the wind picked us up off the ground. Belva screamed louder. I mouthed
sorry
,
but couldn't really feel anything except excitement. It didn't matter that
terror paled my best friend's face.

I also didn't consider how pissed
Wilma was or how I'd prove to her that I cared about the situation. Because all
I could think about was exactly what she accused me of.

ZANDER

E
mpyrean was as perfect as the
picture I held sacred in my memory since Tarek brought me here, when he kissed
me
for the first time. We landed in an alley in the heart of a floating city. When
we hit the main streets, I gawked while people shopped. Vendors called out,
giving a good-natured ribbing to those who ignored their wares.

Wilma told me once when I asked
about Empyrean's evolution that even though the dimension surpassed Earth there
wasn't any visible evidence of modern technology. She stressed
visible
.
From my first visit, I remembered running water and working bathrooms, but that
was the extent of what I thought modern. Wilma also said Empyrean's evolution
was almost as high as Exemplar's. The population here knew about dimensions,
including what Exemplian Guides and Protectors were. Exemplar even considered
Empyrean their "sister world." I had asked her who would choose to
live without convenience, and Wilma's answer was an eye roll, followed by a
snotty, "People who know what that shit does to humanity, that's who."

As I watched the way people
interacted with each other–no interrupting phones, computers, or the stressed hustle
that goes along with being technologically savvy–I finally got what she meant.
I wouldn't call the scene Utopian, especially with the few shoving matches in
the middle of the street. Not to mention the two women obviously fighting over
a smug guy, grinning like an idiot watching them go at it. I envied their
passion, their desire to connect to something that didn't need to be charged
every four hours.

The smells coming from the food
vendors made my stomach growl. Not the typical fast food, processed crap I ate
every day. Don't get me wrong, I liked that stuff, but the fresh fish twirling
on spits and bread still steaming from time in the ovens made my mouth water.
Clean food.

Wilma didn't seem all that
intrigued. She pulled me into the fray, and through it, heading toward a
connecting bridge leading to Teenesee's home. I let her drag me by the wrist as
I took in the cobblestone roads and bridges with all the enthusiasm of a two-year-old.
The floating streets bouncing us around reminded me of my old waterbed without
the frigid cold that went with it. The ground felt soft, too, due to the slight
give of the cobblestone, yet the rock was as hard as pavement. Walking through
the town was a perfect feeling of contrast.

"Do you feel that? When you
walk, do you feel it?"

Wilma hadn't said two words after
handing my ass to me back home, and to be honest, it was the first time she'd
ever given the silent treatment for longer than five minutes. I'd say anything
to get her talking again, even if all she wanted to talk about was my bad
attitude.

Relief loosened knots in my stomach
when she decided to answer. "Yeah, I feel it."

That was all she gave me. No smartass
comments, no telling me to stop talking like an idiot, only a simple answer she'd
give to anybody she didn't much care about. The knots tightened right back up. "Wilma,
you can't stay pissed at me."

She stopped when we made it to the
backside of Teenesee's manse, which deceptively looked like a small, quaint
cottage from our vantage point. Wilma let go of my wrist and sighed. "I'm
not pissed. Scared more like. For you, your family, Tarek, Farren, this
place…every place I've ever been to. This is new territory for me. The walls
are crumbling down, and I don't have the strength to hold it all up."

I didn't expect that answer, not
from the strongest person I'd ever known. Her fear sent the flags up in my
brain. For some naïve reason, I thought she could take care of the problem,
like she'd been taking care of everything for the past five months. Hell, my
entire life–ah, lives.

Deep breath. "Well, you don't
need to hold them up alone." I hugged her. Affection she wasn't
comfortable with, but indulged me when I needed it. As I squeezed, she swatted
my back in an irregular pound-pat pattern. "I won't disappoint you again."

The awkward patting turned into a
fierce hug. "You never disappoint me. Ever. You've been through too much,
and you deserve to be happy…with Tarek or whatever else you want. I wish it
could be that easy."

Okay, I wasn't gonna cry. "I
will be happy." Maybe a few tears. "After we fix what's happening."

Did I hear a sniffle?

She pulled away and snorted,
turning her face to the door.

Yup, I think I did.

"Well, you're gonna need a few
more lessons with Farren before you can help me kick some ass."

Tension gone. At least, the tension
between us dissolved, giving way to our normal I-talk-Wilma-bitches
relationship. Unfortunately, new tension managed to dance in its place.

The back doors flew open after a
quick knock, and the dull fuzz entered my brain before seeing him.

Zander.

His face was the same as I remembered,
except shadowed with a patchy beard. He wore the plain, beige clothes most men
wore here, but his body filled out, making him look much older than the
teenager I went to class with every day for three months.

"Lena!" He gathered me in
his arms and swung me around.

I laughed, five months helping to
soften the anger. "Put me down before I get sick."

He stopped swirling, setting me on
the ground, and looked at Wilma. "What're you guys doing here?" His
face darkened. "Is something wrong?"

"You could say there's a problem
or two." She nodded at the door. "We need to talk to Teenesee, you
too. We could use all the help we can get, I suppose."

"Well, let's go. Teenesee's in
the upper sitting room, the one with the big balcony."

I nodded. "Lead the way."

Wilma walked ahead of us. "I'll
go find her, talk to her in private first. Why don't you guys get something to
eat?"

I knew a brush off when it was
being swept at me. Whatever. "Ah, okay, sure."

Zander was all smiles. He hugged me
one more time, rubbing my back, making me warm, and maybe even uncomfortable in
that good, tingling way. "I missed you so much."

Shit. Maybe I missed him a little,
too. I just hoped it was my Zander he decided to be and not the one who tried
to get me killed.

∞
∞ ∞

"It's good to see you again,
Teenesee."

The Warden's face lit up, like before,
as she drew me close. "You look stronger, my friend."

Her warmth and fresh smell, like a
spring breeze, relaxed me. "I've been working on it."

"So your Protector has told
me." She pulled away, the adoration causing her face to glow still
confusing me. Why someone like her, a Warden, was interested in someone like me
was a mystery. "And it seems we've found ourselves in a spot of trouble,
no?"

Seriously, this woman and I were
close? How much cooler must I have been before to accomplish that?
Another
thing to hate about my past self.
"You could say so. We were hoping
you might be able to help."

She tilted her head. "You
still dress like a vagrant."

I smiled, not at all offended. "Yeah,
well, Wilma didn't give me much time to change."

Wilma's answering snort made
Teenesee laugh, the lilting sound akin to what I'd bet angels sounded like–if
angels actually existed. "I think I may be of assistance, despite how
difficult your appearance is to endure."

"We'd appreciate it."

"Come," she said,
gesturing for Zander and I to follow. "If I am to share secrets, there
must be those I trust willing to listen."

We sat in a circle of cushioned
chairs, all in bold red and gold colors. The breeze coming from the large
balcony ran through my shaggy hair. The wind plucking at the jagged edges of my
outgrown style looked nothing like the romantic sway of Teenesee's long, sleek
red hair. I wasn't sure why it made me feel like the ugly step-cousin when it wasn't
important.

Teenesee stood in the middle of us.
Once she had our attention, she folded her hands in front of her bare midriff, her
bright yellow dress highlighting ebony skin almost the same hue as Zander's. "Wilma
has told me what Avery revealed to you, Lena. About the lines?"

Zander stiffened beside me and his
head whipped from the Warden to me. "She doesn't mean…"

"Yes, boy, that Avery. Now
pipe down and try not to interrupt." Wilma's raspy voice sounded too
harsh, not fitting in with the tranquil room.

She gestured to Teenesee, who gave
a slow nod, and continued. "What she has told you is true–all of it."

My mouth went dry. Reality always
hurt when someone yanked off the rose-colored glasses. This problem went from
huge to infinite in ten seconds. Teenesee confirming Avery's words…well, it
looked like our issue wasn't as easy as stopping Cassondra anymore. Not saying
stopping her would've been easy, but...

I leaned up, and Zander's hand found
mine. "What are we dealing with, exactly?"

"The lines were never meant to
be crossed." Teenesee paused. "Exemplar's Synod has warned for eons the
ramifications of bleeding the lines. But you see…the lines are already distorted.
Because of Exemplar, energies have been misplaced and manipulated for even
longer than I have lived."

Mad scientists. I came to that
conclusion after Tarek talked to me in the spring, explaining the way Exemplians
are born and reborn. But this…damn, so much worse.

Teenesee flicked a hand Zander's
way, and when he didn't budge, she raised a brow, making a scooting motion. Grunting,
he moved over. Teenesee took his place beside me, and said, "With their
science, Exemplians have advanced the human race in their world, making them
capable of taking that which is not theirs to have. Energies from other realms."

Zander piped in. "What are you
saying? They–we're–energy thieves? A whole dimension?"

Teenesee kept her attention on me
as she answered. "They are indeed thieves, though many are unaware."
She grabbed my hands. "But you, Lena, they have unwittingly given another
chance to defeat them. Their past punishment is your salvation and a true
testament to the beauty that is nature."

A tear dripped from my eye. I had
no idea why, but what she said made me ecstatic and mournful at the same time. "How?"

"Because here you are, ready
to fight again." Teenesee's eyes dimmed. "Unfortunately, Exemplar holds
True Wardens captive with threats."

Fear I hadn't felt in a long time
danced its way back, magnifying the fuzz Zander's presence had. "That's it?
There's nothing we can do? We just wait around until they come get us?"

Determination squared the Warden's
jaw. "I would not wait around for anyone. Would you? We
were
at
their mercy. Until you came along, all those years ago, and offered hope."

I swallowed.
"What do
you have in mind?"

"We close the lines, end their
reign."

"And how are we going to pull
that off, Warden? There's a handful of us and a whole dimension of them."
Leave it to Wilma to shed some shitty reality on the optimism.

"Yes, the odds are unsettling,
but not impossible. Quite a few True Wardens have been ready to end the hold
Exemplar has had on their worlds. And now that Tarek controls Arcus, we have a
chance at success."

"Why do you keep saying that? True
Wardens? What the hell does that even mean?" Zander fidgeted, his hand
continually scrubbing at the scruff on his chin.

Teenesee's eyes glittered. "Exemplian
Synod elders found that by killing natural-born Wardens, they could absorb
their energy, the purest energy. If a Warden refused to cooperate, those animals
would terminate them, and an Exemplian would gain control of the dimension. A
few True Wardens have survived the infiltration." She bowed her head. "And
only by adhering to the Exemplian cause."

Zander jumped up, flinching under
Teenesee's glare. "How could the whole damn Exemplian population be living
a lie?" He turned to Wilma. "Wilma?"