In Vendetta House (The Vendetta Series #1)

Chapter 26

Chapter 26






The photo is gathering dust.


On my knees, I reach my arm as far as it can go to nip the edge of the photo carelessly tossed under the vanity table. I can't believe I nearly forgot about the only thing I accidentally brought with me from the outside. I stand, my knees clicking as it straightens me up.


Sasha had left early after a rumor mill caught that there had been another disappearance. She wanted as much information she could get before we get shoved to our doom. I also hope she manages to track down Ruby. Her distressed state I witnessed only makes me more agitated we're all going to be possibly fighting for our lives - and some may not have the strength to.


I inhale a deep breath, savoring space and time to myself before it is Aunt Nelly's version of Judgment Day. Okay, that is being a little dramatic.


I bury my face into my pillow and give a muffled scream. I don't feel better. I hate this. I hate this feeling of helplessness. I hate we are being shoved into something against our will, like slaves wanting to prove their worth.


My fingers grip the printed face of miniature mom. If only she were here now. Mom always knows what to do, despite how bossily she says it. Mom could always show me the way.


That's it.


My eyes widen. Didn't James use the power of Reveal on a photograph? What did he say again? A Cambion connected to energy can leave a message on a moment captured. Another energy user, usually a family member since powers are passed down, has the power to show it into words.


I suddenly deflate. But then it wouldn't mom's message, it would be whoever took the photo. And that person wouldn't even know me. It was likely Grandmother Katarina. What good would whatever she was feeling then do for me? I deflate even farther. What am I even on about? Mom has never even shown signs of abilities. If she really is a half-demon, then the grandfather I never met is obviously the demon. Just like the very first thought that occurred to me, when Aunt Nelly first told me I am a Cambion. She laughed it off then: look who's laughing now.


I sigh. This would mean my grandmother is human. So much for that notion.


Then, I shrug to myself. Maybe a human didn't take it. Maybe it does have a message. It couldn't hurt to try. I hold the photo out in front of me, and concentrate on my other palm. I scan it over the picture, and imagine it lighting up the way it did for James.


Come on, reveal. Reveal. Reveal.


Nothing happens. My arm droops, my wishful thinking along with it. At this moment, like a 2x4 to the head, a shower of starbursts curling into a symbol explodes in my eyes.


The symbol seems to be a letter, but I am too stunned to decipher the calligraphy-like swirls.


"Ah!" I cry out, momentarily blinded.


The photo drops from my hand as the next letter shimmies its way in with another shower of fireworks within my pupil. I shut my eyes, the black background making it easier to see the shimmery gold strokes. R. The letter is a R. I wait, and then a single swish of gold brushes down my eyelids, as smooth as oily paint. An I.


As soon as that disappears, an E forms. My eyes sting from the exposure to this strange and dazzling light. It waters slightly to try rid the discomfort as another letter comes through. L. I keep my eyes shut for a few more seconds. When no more strokes of fancy lettering come through, I pry my eyelids apart.


I blink rapidly, and the shimmery bits of stardust dissolve from my eyes. My eyesight is still tinged with red and green, like I'd had stared into the sun for too long. I jump up immediately, and stumble to the mirror. My eyes remain the same: brown circled by neon green. No words have been burnt into them, no glittering gold like I could see from inside.


I sit on the chair heavily, planting my derrière firmly on the seat before I fall over from inverted vision. R-I-E-L. I had missed the first letter from shock, but I guess it was obviously an A. An A to spell my name.


Why on earth was my own name being spelt from trying to decipher the emotion within a photo? I didn't exist then. Could it be possible someone else was once named Ariel? This day is just getting better and better.


I puzzle over why I was not shown a new image and words actually on the photo. Instead, I had a word slammed into my head. Why are all my abilities situated in my head?


The photo, lying face down on the carpet mocks me. I shove it under my pillow and take a seat on my blankets. I'd deal with it, and try figure out who left the imprint, later. Now, I shut my eyes and simply stop thinking.


Then I nearly fall off my bed from another head interference.


«Princess!»


I am going to murder that boy someday.


«Bloody hell. What?» I snap. When he replies, I can hear his grin.


«Sasha wants you to come. There's no need for the tone.»


I locate the clock. «We still have 10 minutes. I'd rather not spend more time than necessary in that room.»


«We have information and confirmation of another disappearance.» 


No way.


«I'm coming.»


«Sasha wants you to bring her a hair tie!» he adds.


I roll my eyes and grab the nearest band on the table: a stretchy blue thing. This will do. I sprint into the stimulation room I was brought to only a few days ago at high speed.


***


In the crush of more than thirty colored heads, I can't locate my friends. Thirty people are truly not that many in perspective, but the mash of rainbow messes up my locating skills a little. Besides, everyone is standing and gesturing with dramatic arms.


«Where are you?» I call out.


I immediately see a long arm, covered by a plaid sleeve, shoot out from the crowd. I pick my way through, and finally make it to them.


"Geezus, I think I liked it better when everyone was seated and not trying to squish me."


Sasha stares wide-eyed at the hair tie situated around my wrist.


"Oh right," I realize. "Here's your hair tie."


She slowly grabs the blue thing I offer to her, almost disbelieving.


"You can actually communicate with her?" she asks Jesse. Oh. We actually haven't told them.


"I thought you were joking when you said you were telling her to come by staring into space," she mutters. "Why didn't you guys tell me this crucial bit of information?"


I shrug. "It didn't come up?" I say when no one replies.


Jesse, meanwhile, is rolling up his sleeves while staring at the foreheads of random people. Real helpful.


Sasha tugs my arm. I move closer to her so she can talk to me.


"You won't believe who's gone missing this time."


Eric suddenly has a random cough spasm. We both look up to see Aunt Nelly passing us to get to the giant screens and controls.


"You know," I say once she passes. "A simple Hey! would have sounded less obvious than someone who seems to have contracted a severe case of pneumonia for hyenas."


He shrugs, with an expression of, 'What can you do?'


Sasha rolls her eyes. "As I was saying before being so rudely interrupted." She bumps her hip onto Eric's to illustrate her point, "Elliot was nowhere to be found this morning. Just like everyone else, there one day and gone the next."


My jaw drops. "Wait, Elliot? Water boy? Same person who nearly blew up all our drinks?"


She nods as I run a hand over my face.


Elliot? Gone? Was he taken because the cafeteria incident hadn't been forgotten and looked over like we thought, or had he been caught using his powers at a different time? Are kids being taken just because they're able to bypass the anklets? Oh no. Do they know we can bypass them now? What if this stimulation is really a sneaky way to get us all in one room and then killed?


"Jesse," Eric asks. "Does anyone else know anything we don't?"


Jesse makes a guttural noise of agitation. "It's not exactly easy to scour teenage minds for information. You won't believe what some of them are thinking. I'm trying not to read anything that will scar me for life."


Oh, lovely.


I twitch my eyebrows at him, trying to get a reading of what he is thinking while distracted.


With some brain nerve fine-tuning, I manage to pick out what seems to be his inner thought process. With practice, the brain is like a radio. There are heaps of channels going on at once, and some are useless: like the ones thinking about what they wanted to eat next. Internally cheering, I manage to pick onto something. Though it was still full of static and partially blocked.


I wonder ... still handle a sword. What if ... not good ...?


I quickly shake myself out of it, a strong feeling of invasion and guilt clinging to me. However, I still can't help blurting out loud, "Sword?"


He sucks in a fast breath: what I like to call the male version of a gasp. Jesse fixes his narrowed eyes on me. "Yes," he replies simply and sharply, then narrows his eyes into the crowd as if spotting something. "Excuse me."


"Woah," Sasha mutters as he stomps off so fast he creates a gust of wind in his wake. I think he's partly stomping towards what he spotted, but mostly because I weaseled out one if his thoughts.


"Unbelievable," I grumble. "It's totally fine when he reads other minds but soon as I sneak one thought out of his, he throws a hissy fit."


Eric shakes his head, half disagreeing with me, half getting hair out of his eyes.


"Look at it from his side of things. All his life, the only control he's had completely is of his own mind and thoughts. Nothing for Jesse was constant. His family was always splitting in the sight of a threat and meeting up only when possible. He moved schools constantly, and sometimes didn't go at all. He even lived with relatives he wasn't really related to when they were in danger. Sometimes, in desperate times, he and his brother had to live in children Homes until their parents could come back to get them. That could last weeks, even months at a time. When his powers came in, he had a new kind of control - over other minds. He could read everything. He was finally one step ahead of everyone else. He doesn't like his thoughts being read because he feels like knowing something others don't are all he has left."


Sasha and I are stunned into silence.


"Gee, Eric," she finally says. "That was deep."


Eric shrugs, flushing slightly at the rapt attention. "He's my best friend. And I know he appreciates genuine intentions." With a grin, Eric says to me: "He's already warmed up to you. Jesse usually treats strangers like a slab of ice. His annoying narcissistic tendencies are really him saying, 'Hey, I like you. I'll keep telling you about how attractive I am today'."


We giggle at his spot-on impression. But through Eric's explanation, I feel like I somewhat finally get where Jesse's coming from.


He appears to be conversing with the orange-streaked boy that was baiting Elliot in the cafeteria.


"He's talking to Marcus," Sasha states. Then, confused, "Why's he talking to Marcus?"


"I think he was the last person to see Elliot," Eric offers.


Jesse folds his arm and regards Marcus in a nonchalant, bored way. But his fingers are tightly gripped around his biceps, as if resisting the urge to hit him.


They begin talking, though we cannot hear them from here and my lip reading skills are rusty. My gaze is averted away when Ruby slips into the room, her dark eyes dulled. She rubs her arms and seems as uneasy as a startled gazelle.


"Sasha," I say. I don't have to elaborate. She follows me as I stalk up to Ruby.


I have to nudge a few kids to get pass, and accidentally bump quite hard into Vee's shoulder. She turns to look at me, but seems otherwise unbothered. Courtney however, who stands beside Vee, folds her arms and glares at me. I stare back, unflinching.


"Excuse me," I mutter, pushing past.


As we approach Ruby, she spots us and a second of sheer panic crosses her face. As fast as it is there, it vanishes into a controlled mask of indifference.


"Jewels," Sasha greets cheerily. "I haven't seen you around lately."


Ruby's attention doesn't waver from scrutinizing me, but she lets a small smile escape for Sasha's sake. "Neither, Flames. I guess... I've been busy. Ariel, can I have a word with you?"


I jerk back a little at her sudden change of topic. I glance at Sasha, who gives back a wary shrug. She seems a little disappointed her friend is so distant, but not surprised. Besides, no one is really 'busy' here.


"Sure?" I say, more a question than an answer.


Sasha excuses herself and walks back to where Eric is waiting. Jesse is still staring down Marcus.


I turn back to Ruby. She opens her mouth.


"I need to know, have you been having visions?"


Bells go off in warning inside me. I almost stagger back.


"How... how...?" is all I can manage.


Ruby bounces on her toes, still glancing around. It must be nervous habit.


"I suspected. The Seer and the Oracle always go to close siblings. It is just be cruel fate they let me recognize Garnet's power hiding in you. The two are never parted for long. I will die soon and your sibling will become the Oracle."


Say what?


She lifts her head, and my heart wrenches to see tears welling in her eyes. They sag down from the weight of loss. Dark half moons etch themselves thicker than shadows underneath.


"If you are the Seer, Garnet is already gone. Her powers have been recycled."


"Okay, time-out. Seer? As in, spirit-seer?"


"No," she whispers. "The Seer holds the ancient power to see into the past, activated by one vision into the future. The Oracle is the opposite, seeing into the future and activated by the past, though through speech."


"I... I don't understand. Cambions hold mind powers and spirit-seeing. Why am I suddenly hearing about these two new powers?"


And what do you mean you will die soon?


"They are not powers everyone has. They only go to the current most powerful siblings when the one of the old set dies. It is luck."


"That's stupid," I say. "As if they don't have enough to deal with already."


Ruby doesn't get to respond. Aunt Nelly calls out for silence.


I press my lips together, frustrated to no end with these new developments. I had all mental powers, which I now learn is normal for a second-generation. I could spirit-see, which is random apparently. Now, I am also just the Seer, and Sebastian will be the Oracle. This is really too much to handle: I am becoming one of those Mary-Sues.


"We're going to start immediately once Dr. Hood arrives," Aunt Nelly says once we quieten down. Her voice still holds an icy edge. "No use prolonging this, is there?"


On cue, Dr. Hood walks in carrying a box of metal bracelets. My stomach curls. He bends back at the waist, as if the box is too heavy. Aunt Nelly takes it from him without even a grunt. She holds it with one arm, while using the other to pass them out. Maybe Dr. Hood is really weak and frail at his old age.


"These bracelets will keep track of your heart rate, and announce any sort of injury, as it is hard to us to see it all with a large group."


I get passed one of the silver contraptions. There are no hinges; it is one circular strip of silver that separates only enough to slide your wrist it and then it snaps shut, back into one. A dull hum seems to be pulsing from it. I bring it to my ears. Definitely not my imagination. Are they part-time inventors or something? I definitely haven't forgotten about those Invisi-lets they used when I was brought here. More to add onto the list of things to figure out.


"Unlike your lone stimulations," Aunt Nelly goes on, "We can't stop this at any minor injury. You are all going in for one purpose, and we hopefully won't be stopping it until the goal is met."


I fiddle with my new bracelet. It's incredibly tight.


"Of course, we are still monitoring you all. If any problems arise, we will address them. Fatal injuries will be easily spotted in the heart rate your bracelet picks up, so don't worry about that."


I still can't help but worry.


"Just try your best. If you have nothing to hide, you'll be fine." She says this all so matter-of-factly, but something tells me even she doesn't believe herself.


Aunt Nelly punches in a few commands onto a keyboard below the giant screens, and the door to the actual stimulation room gives a click. Dr. Hood slithers towards it and holds it open with a flourish.


"Remember," Aunt Nelly calls out as we begin filing in. "No powers!"


Ruby steps in before me. As I follow and pass Dr. Hood, he meets my eyes with a challenging gaze.


"Good luck," he drawls, making my insides burn.


Something within me commands my body to lunge at him. I want to hit him. Torture him. Kill him. He is a murderer.


Before I can even manage more than a few inches, a sturdy arm wraps around my shoulders, pinning my arms to my sides. Another wraps around my waist, tugging me to keep moving. The grip is tight enough for me to panic for a micro-second. Then I recognize the plaid sleeves.


"Keep moving, princess," Jesse murmurs, pulling me away from the smug doctor and into the room.


He smells nice. I shake those thoughts out, and smooth down the murderous look on my face.


The irony. Before my first stimulation, Jesse was the one who said Good Luck.


Sasha and Eric enter shortly after we do, and once the last few kids step in slightly teary-eyed, the door shuts and blends into wall. The bars of silver flicker into the pale green screen. Unlike last time, when the setting slowly blended in, this time it comes in all at once.


The sky turns orange. A bright, pretentious, disastrous orange you'd expect to see once the world ends. The ground rumbles, and just about everyone is thrown off their feet as corn stalks shoot out right beneath us. I roll over to avoid being stabbed by a dying piece of corn. It's browned around the edges and smells musty. They are all like that, dying. Since most grow to my height, they are very hard to walk in.


"Jesse? Eric? Sasha?" I call, one by one. I'm answered by groans as they pop up from the giant corn field. I jolt in surprise when I see what they are wearing. Ancient battle armor. I knew the clothing would change but where have I seen this before? I look down, and see my own armor fitted perfectly around me. There is a belt holding a sword sheath and a helmet.


A sword. I glance at Jesse as he puts on his helmet. Did he know this would be the situation if he was thinking about a sword earlier, or was it just a coincidence?


Thunder erupts, and the ground shakes against with the force of a hurricane. I am nearly thrown to my side again, but I clutch onto Sasha who had made her way over to me. In the far distance, shadows rise from the field. I see beaks and wings and tentacles. Four eyes, six eyes, eight eyes and more. I know where I have been it. How could I be so forgetful? This is the very first vision I had. I lick my dry lips; the exact crimson ones I saw. This scene is where it all began.


I unsheathe the sword. Others are doing the same, though some less sure than others. Most of us are spread out, and in groups for best defense.


I hold a stance, and try bite down on adrenaline. Natural adrenaline. Aunt Nelly wants to weed out the Nephilum? We have nothing to hide, and I refuse to be brought down or killed because she's paranoid of a spy.


The monster-beings begin to move. In reality, they are even more gruesome than ever.


A robotic voice calls out: "Level Five." It echoes loud and clear across the landscape. I hear gasps but I can barely register it. The monsters have charged, and they are faster, stronger, bigger than I could ever imagine. I can do this. This is only an obstacle towards freedom.


I raise my sword.