He lowered himself to the bottom branch to talk to Adirian without raising his voice.

  “What are you guys up to?” he asked.

  Adirian didn’t hesitate. “We are always up to something. I’m sure you don’t expect me to tell you what.”

  Oly smirked and turned his gray eyes back on Hannah. He wasn’t going to let her out of his sight. “You don’t think you can take Little Will down, do you?”

  “You know we can’t.”

  “Yes, I do,” Oly said. “But do you?”

  Adirian smiled. It was the first time Oly saw him, or any of the llumens, smile. His joyous mood had to be related to Hannah. He had to run to Will and tell him to prepare for what may come.

  And yet, he didn't move.

  “We know more than you imagine,” Adirian said. “We have answers to questions that didn’t even cross your mind thus far. But they will. And when they do, bear in mind that we have the answers.”

  What was he saying?

  “You already have them, don’t you?” Adirian asked, studying him intensely.

  “Who is Amy Montgomery?”

  “You know who she is,” Adirian answered.

  “No, I only know her name, that she fostered Hannah for a few years, and that she was part llumen. What I want you to tell me is why Little Will hated her so much.”

  Adirian had the answer; he could see it in the smirk he stamped on his face. Maybe he did hold all the answers, like an oracle who saw the universe stripped bare to its most inner workings.

  “Will didn’t explain, did he? He seems to share so much, but he holds back the most critical information,” Adirian muttered.

  Oly didn’t want to play games. “Do you know the answer or not?”

  “I do. You probably think he hated Amy because of Hannah, but that’s not true. He hated her because she could stop him.”

  “This is ridiculous!” Oly exclaimed. “She was just a puny human, with a dying llumen inside her. There's nothing she could’ve done against Little Will.”

  “True, but most often the people who live their lives in the shadows are the ones who have true power—not the strength to fight or to destroy, but the power to influence others. Amy was one of these influencers. She posed a danger to Will, and now that danger is dead.”

  There was a chance Adirian was right. Oly had focused entirely on Hannah, but what if there was someone else more relevant than she was? What if she wasn’t at the heart of everything, the place where all the threads converged? What if he was missing something vital?

  “Why did I get a transfer from Amy’s body?” This was the question Oly needed answering; this was what made no sense.

  “Why do you think?”

  Oly squeezed his fists to stop himself from acting out. “Is this how you answer questions, Adirian? Because it sucks!” He was ready to jump away to the highest branch when Adirian stopped him.

  “I didn’t answer your question because you know the truth. You merely don’t want to admit it.”

  Oly returned to Adirian and pointed a threatening finger at his nose. “I’m not a llumen!” he argued. Even saying these words made him nauseous. “Not one part of me is, and it never was.”

  “The transfer must’ve occurred because you’re both human, then. Didn’t it?”

  “It’s a good explanation,” Oly concluded.

  “Well,” Adirian said, in a cheerful tone. “My break is over. I should go back to training.”

  “Training for what?”

  “Ah, this is a question I don’t plan to answer, Oly.”

  Oly tracked Adirian as he flew away, with his angry stare as if a grin was enough to hurt him. Adirian stopped right in front of Hannah.

  Oly came out of the conversation more confused than he'd been going in, but if Will kept things from him, Adirian was much worse. Adirian's intentions were clear, with those subtle hints about him being a llumen. He wanted to turn him against Will, but he’d failed. He couldn’t think of anything more repulsive than a llumen. He wasn’t one of them, for sure. The world couldn’t be that cruel.

  He shook his head to erase the conversation; the leaves and thinnest branches shivered in response. Oly's job was to get Hannah, and the exchange with Adirian wasn’t enough to sidetrack him.

  He watched her go back into her meditative state, with Benton by her side, and Adirian there to guide her. She was in llumen shape, as she spent most of her time. Then, as she stood there, her hair and skin turned darker. She was shifting into a shadow.

  But how? Oly inspected the surroundings. Will wasn’t there; he didn’t call her. And yet, Hannah turned fully. She opened her red eyes and stared at Adirian. She said something. Oly wished super-hearing was one of his many skills, but it wasn’t, and he had no way of knowing what Hannah was saying.

  It couldn’t be anything good because both Benton and Adirian smiled, in response. Then, she turned to the llumen shape.

  “This is bad,” Oly murmured. “She has control over the shadow now.”

  He galloped to the hollow tree to inform Will. He was waiting outside.

  “I have some news,” Oly started his report. “Hannah has—”

  He stopped talking because a shadow rose from the ground between them. They’re out, the shadow spoke inside his mind. Even though Will had locked the shadows’ speech, they could still hear each other’s thoughts. The shadow rashly sunk back into the dirt.

  “Oly!” Will shouted although he was standing right there. “You have an opportunity to make things better.”

  “My pleasure,” Oly responded, thinking that Will needed a tool because he couldn’t access the human world himself.

  “Find Hannah; she must be somewhere in Mauneme Point.”

  “Very well.”

  “And Oly,” Will continued. “Get rid of Benton!”

  Oly didn’t respond, but exited the forest at once, leaving a cloud of smoke behind. He was so sick of being nothing but a killing machine. Times like these, he wondered if Will ever regarded him as anything else.

  You are my friend forever, Will’s words popped into his mind, but Oly wouldn’t let them sink in. He had a job to do.

  CHAPTER 27

  Consequences

  “It’s time.”

  Hannah steered her surprised, green eyes at Adirian. This second round of training was an upside-down image of the first. If the first time Hannah kept pushing and trying to learn new things too fast, now she laid back. Adirian was the one who told her it was time to take risks. An odd feeling, but Benton agreed with Adirian, and that was enough to convince Hannah they were right.

  “I confess I’m worried. What if Little Will regains control?”

  “He won’t,” Adirian answered. “You’re much stronger now. Will’s commands have almost no effect on you.”

  Hannah had made much progress is such a little time. The training went very well since she decided to fight by Adirian’s side instead of against him.

  “So I should go back into the deep forest? See what happens?” Hannah asked.

  “It would be too obvious,” Benton intervened. “Little Will would probably figure out we’re planning something and take preventive measures.”

  Adirian agreed. “To be clear, you’re not ready to fight him now. All we want to do is determine your level of independence. That’s all. No fighting or changing the world or anything.”

  “Sounds reasonable,” Hannah said. “What’s the plan?”

  “Here’s what I was thinking,” Adirian answered. “You both go to the human world. You haven’t been there in a while, so there’s no reason to draw suspicion. When you return, you have to come back through the deep forest. Will may try to regain control over you, in fact, I’m sure of it.”

  “What if I can’t fight him?”

  “Hannah, you’re stronger than you think,” Adirian said.

  “Plus, I will be with you the whole time,” Benton added.

  “Promise?”

  “I promise.”

  Times like these, she wanted to kiss him but hesitated to display her affection in front of Adirian. She hoped her eyes expressed her feelings just as well.

  As strange as it was, after Amy’s death, it had never occurred to her to return to her world. She wasn’t even sure it was still hers. All she had left was in the forest. Her whole life was here, and she didn't want to go back.

  However, it was only temporary.

  “It’s so strange… the human world seems a lifetime ago,” she said.

  “Yes, and I really need to get back,” Benton agreed. “I do have unfinished business.”

  “Oh!” Hannah hadn’t considered it. She presumed that, since she'd found her new life in the forest, so did Benton. But she didn’t know much about him, his life, and his family outside of his work. She’d never asked.

  “Yes, I imagine my uncle is worried by now. We had dinner plans. I thought about him a lot, but I would’ve been trapped there if I left. So I stayed. Plus, I need to take care of the health service for my mom. Yes, I could use the time in the real world.”

  “Yes, but don’t stay there too long,” Adirian cautioned.

  “We won’t.”

  ● ● ●

  “Where do you want to go?”

  “Amy’s house,” Hannah answered.

  “Are you sure?”

  It was the only place she wanted to revisit. “Yes, I want to see Amy.”

  Benton frowned. “Hannah, you do realize they surely discovered her body by now. Days have passed since she died—she can’t still be there.”

  “What if she is? What if nobody found her, and she still lies there, all alone? I can’t leave her to rot in that apartment, Benton!”

  “Okay, we’ll go to Amy’s house. I assume you’ll want to pick up some of your things.”

  “Yes,” Hannah said, even though the thought had never crossed her mind. She knew Benton didn’t appreciate her desire to go back to the house, but she didn’t care. “Unless you want us to go somewhere else first.”

  Benton laughed. “No, we have time for that. So, ready?”

  “Ready.”

  “It will be okay.”

  It was the last thing Benton said before the light encircled them, and they moved towards the familiar place.

  When they opened their eyes, they found themselves in the little pink bathroom, the bleach odor intoxicating them.

  “Odd,” Hannah muttered. “I was thinking about my bedroom.”

  “And I was thinking about the living room because it’s the only room I’ve seen,” Benton replied, amused. “I suppose that’s why we ended up somewhere in the middle.”

  He opened the bathroom door, and they moved out, seeking Amy’s body. The smell was sickening still. Two body contours were outlined near the bathroom door.

  “Look at this place!” Hannah exclaimed. “How come it’s this bad?”

  “It must’ve flooded,” Benton said, picking up a mash of soaked paper that used to be a book.

  “You were right. Amy’s body isn’t here.”

  “We can go to the morgue to see it. But we’ll need a pretty good plan.”

  Benton was adorable when he tried to give her what she wanted.

  The gruff voice that came from the stairs wasn’t. “You both know very well that Amy Montgomery’s body isn’t at the morgue.”

  Hannah’s heart stopped in fright when she saw the two men with guns pointed at their heads, but Benton was more bewildered than anything. “Uncle Mob?! What are you doing here? Strikeson?”

  “Put your hands up!” Strikeson commanded.

  Benton complied, and Hannah followed his example.

  “Uncle Mob? What is going on?”

  “I’m sorry, Ace,” Mooby responded, keeping his eyes on the carpet. “There’s nothing I can do.”

  “Hannah Link, Ace Benton, you’re under arrest for the murder of Amy Montgomery. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you…”

  Hannah stopped listening. Why did she presume she could escape the rigid arm of the law? Those detectives had to excel at their job because they found their murderer.

  They were right to arrest her, to punish her and never let her see the light of day. But Benton? Benton was innocent.

  She gazed at him apologetically and caught the concern in his eyes. She wished she could tell him it wasn’t his responsibility to fix this. On the contrary, it was her duty to make sure he didn’t pay for a crime he didn’t commit.

  The detectives steered them to the police car and tucked them on the back seat. On their way there, Benton pointed, with his head, towards a van stationed farther away.

  So he came after her.

  ● ● ●

  Hannah admitted everything from the start. She figured that, if she confessed, Strikeson would lock her up, and everything would end quickly. And yet, he didn’t. He wanted more information.

  “Did you kill Amy Montgomery?”

  “Yes,” she answered, happy they separated her from Benton, and he couldn't witness her worst moment.

  “Why?”

  “Does it matter? I killed her.”

  “Motives matter, Miss Link. And I very much want you to tell me what would drive a nice young woman like you to kill her protector?”

  “It’s hard to explain.”

  “You ripped her heart right out of her chest!” Strikeson yelled, banging the metal table with his fists. “Why, for the name of sanity, would you to do that?” Hannah remained silent. “Fine,” Strikeson said, much softer now. “Let’s forget about the ‘why.’ Tell me ‘how’ you did it.”

  “I don’t understand,” Hannah said.

  “You don’t understand,” echoed Strikeson. “Let me make this easy for you, then. You’re a ninety-pound half-of-a-woman, with barely any physical strength at all. Granted, Amy Montgomery wasn’t that strong either, so I imagine she didn’t put much of a fight. But how, how did you have the force to pull her heart out of her chest?” Once more, Hannah had nothing to say. “No answer, eh? Tell me about Benton, then.”

  “What about Benton? He has nothing to do with this.”

  “This is what you say. But our evidence disagrees.”

  “What evidence? There is no such evidence because he didn’t do anything wrong. It was all me.”

  Hannah didn’t have to be an expert in body language to realize he didn’t believe her.

  “I wish so much he didn’t, Miss Link. He’s my partner’s nephew. Don’t you think I prefer he was innocent? What did you do with her heart?”

  He caught Hannah off-guard with the swift change of subject. “Her heart? I don’t know—I threw it away.”

  “You threw it away...” Strikeson repeated pensively. “Then would you mind telling me how it ended up on that awful road to Downhill, right next to Ace Benton’s vehicle?”

  Hannah couldn’t explain. It wasn’t hard to figure out what had happened, but she couldn’t share her conclusions with Strikeson. She couldn’t tell him that an evil creature put that heart in their path to incriminate Benton.

  The interrogation continued on the same note for hours, draining both Hannah and Strikeson. They transferred her to a temporary cell, at the basement of the local police station.

  Hannah released a sigh of relief when they finally brought her to her cage. The long hours of interrogation had drained her, and she welcomed any rest she could find.

  There were several people there, incarcerated for various crimes, surely not as grave as hers. They all looked at her as he walked by their cells, as if she was a legend. She wondered if any of them didn’t deserve to be here. If any of them felt their lives slipping away through their fingers.

  How did she end up in this place? The answer was simple.

  Choices.

  She, like all people, had made innumerable choices every day without giving them a second thought. She weighed them unimportant. But it’d been these choices, each stacked on top of the others, that changed her entire life’s trajectory. They all led her here—to the day her life ended.

  They installed her in a cell right next to Benton’s, a small consolation. He was already there, waiting for her, and his blue eyes sparkled as soon as she arrived.

  “Hannah!” he said after the guard left. “I was so worried. What happened?” He rushed and touched her hands through the metal bars.

  “I told them the truth.”

  “The truth?!”

  “Yes. Not everything, obviously. Only the part where I killed Amy.”

  Benton shook his head and pressed his hands against the bars. “Why did you do that?”

  “Because it’s the truth.”

  “I know but… but it was Little Will’s fault, not yours. You didn’t have a choice,” Benton argued, squeezing her tiny fingers.

  “Choice…” Hannah repeated bitterly. “I won’t lie to anyone, not even to myself. I did have a choice, not at that moment, but I had many choices before that. The problem is I chose the wrong things.”

  “That’s not true…”

  “Yes, it is. I’m ready to pay for what I’ve done; I don’t even know why I thought I could avoid the consequences of my own actions. It all makes sense now. This is where I belong, and I’m not going to fight against the truth.”

  “Hannah…”

  “No, don’t try to persuade me to do anything else. The only thing I regret is that I dragged you down with me. I should’ve let you go; it’s only my fault you’re here.”

  “I make my own choices,” Benton declared. “They led me here, and I accept it.”

  Hannah held his hand with tears in her eyes. “I wish things were different.”

  “What about Little Will, Adirian, and the llumens? What will they do if you stay here?”

  “I’ll go back, do what I have to,” Hannah answered. “But, in the end, I’ll return here, in prison. There's no other way.”

  Benton sighed. It would take longer to convince him, but it didn’t matter. She knew what she had to do and, for the first time in her life, she was at peace.

  “You know,” Benton said, “you could tell them the truth. About the forest, everything. It would lead to a good insanity plea.”

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23