This Is Not The End.

Chapter 26

"Skye, can I borrow you a second?" my father called over to me as I followed Kai and Jack out the door. Kai stopped before I did and raised his eyebrows at me, but I shook my head and pushed his arm so he knew I was fine.

"Sure," I said and told the boys I'd see them later. My father had rolled the blueprint out again and marked crosses where he and Travis had agreed to position their teams. "Is this about the raid?"

"It's half about the raid," he agreed, "It's more about you,"

"What about me?"

"God, Skye," he leant back against the table and folded his arms, "You're so confrontational. I'm not gonna interrogate you,"

"Give me straight answers then," I said, shrinking back slightly. "It's been a long time since someone chose not to interrogate me,"

He gave a low sigh, "Look, I understand that you're still touchy about your time at SWORD-"

"You do know how bad it was there, don't you?" I frowned, "I'm not 'touchy', I'm pissed,"

David rubbed his tired eyes, "I'm not trying to fight with you, I'm not the bad guy here,"

I stopped myself from scoffing. He didn't know I knew, and it would stay that way until we got the kids out. I couldn't risk the raid.

"What did you want to talk about?"

"Thank you," he let his posture ease and I pulled a fancy chair from the side of the room to sit on. "Are you still having lessons with Beckett?"

I shrugged, "Kinda. I didn't even know you knew about those,"

"I took Beckett here from England with me, and his little brother Samir but he was only about six," he explained, "There isn't a lot the boys don't tell me,"

"So you knew about him bringing in that Infected child?"

He let out a laugh, "Darling, it was my idea. We had it all under control,"

"What if something went wrong?"

"Samir is a Green – what do you call them? Psychos? Psychics?"

"Psychs," I'd never fully understood the Psyches. They seemed to be able to tell the future but with the ability of a bad psychic. If someone asked them to tell their future, all they'd get is some mutters of burnt toast and a cloudy day.

"Yeah, that," he went on, "Anyway, so he did his clairvoyance thing, and he said it would be safe,"

"Did he say that, or did he talk about the weather and you took it as a good omen?"

"Skye, please, nothing bad happened," before I could snap back at him with a truthful argument, he pressed on, "What I'm trying to say, is that I need you at your best for this heist. If we plan it wrong and are ambushed from behind by the damn Infected, you and Beck are our last resort."

No pressure, as usual. I'd maybe had six 'lessons' with Beck, and so far all I could do was give him Beck's three-step control method which had absolutely no effect on me. I couldn't control the dead like he did, and frankly, the entire thing was beginning to freak me out a little bit. They were still people, after all, just ravaged by death and disease.

"I'd start working on your cardio, if I were you," I said, "It's up to Beck, I'm as good as a leaf would be,"

My father eyed me suspiciously for a moment, having a silent argument behind his eyes, before deciding to speak again, "Beck's a different type of Colourless,"

"Excuse me?"

"He doesn't know it, either,"

"Then why are you telling me?"

"Because I don't want you to think that you're not enough for your power,"

I stared at him for a moment as if he was stupid, but the more my disbelief subsided, and I began to realise his words. I'd spent so long just caught up that Beck could do everything I couldn't that I'd stopped myself from even acknowledging my power.

"We need you for this raid," my father went on, "I see the way you are with your friends, and although you think that Red boy's the leader, it's clear that you are. You need to help us out when we have to get the kids from the facility back to here,"

"That's a two-day walk, there's no way that's possible,"

"I'll figure something out, but I need you on board,"

My instincts tugged at me. He was SWORD, he was the enemy, but he was really looking out for these kids. I wasn't prepared yet to forgive SWORD – and I doubted I ever would – but for a couple of days, I could band together with my own father to rescue a lot of kids still in hell. He was still my dad, and I was still his daughter.

I could ignore it for two days, surely.

"Okay," I said, running a hand through my hair, "Yeah, I'll do it. Just let me know what to do,"

"Great," he didn't move to hug me, he knew I wasn't ready for that. "Well, that's all I wanted,"

I nodded, "I'll see you later, then,"

"Skye?" my dad called as I pushed open the door. I looked back at him and raised my eyebrows, "I'm glad you're here,"

I couldn't reply for a minute, but when I did, I heard myself say, "I am too,"

I was, I just desperately wished everything were different.

Sighing to myself, I shut the door on him and headed back out to the compound to try and find my friends.