The vast darkness that filled my dreams swirled above me. The flowing mass had one eye that belonged to Bryce while the other steely, cold eye belonged to Grey Otto. Staying one step ahead of it was exhausting. I had to use all of my strength to get away from it. Then from the other end of my dream world came a deafening cry for help. It was Coach Miller; he needed me to save him, but there were screams surrounding me, begging for help. I didn’t care about the darkness any more or even helping anyone; I just wanted the screaming to stop. I fell to my knees, throwing my hands over my ears to shield myself from it all. It was burrowing into my mind. I tried to force it out, but it was no use.
“This is just a dream,” I shouted and awoke, sitting up covered in sweat. I looked around my room. No one was there, even though I thought I could feel someone’s lingering presence.
Bryce and Xavier had done this to me, made me feel as if I was on the edge of insanity. All of last year was a complete lie. Why couldn’t I close my eyes and be back at my house in Mt. Vernon, getting ready for school with my mom and dad still alive, with no earthquake? My heart started to pound, my chest began to tighten, and I couldn’t breathe. I needed Elle; maybe she could deliver me from these nightmares like she had done so many times before.
I took a deep breath, grabbing some Tic Tacs and popping them into my mouth. It helped. The pressure on my chest subsided but was still present. The regret of helping form The 7 was eating me alive now, because it had inevitably caused the death of Coach Miller, one of the greatest men to ever live. Was all of this really worth it? Sure, Riley had explained what not forming The 7 would have meant, but it seemed things would be better just avoiding the Seekers.
“Nicholas, there’s someone here to see you,” Cora said from the other side of my bedroom door. The clock read 7:30; it was really early to have a guest.
Before I had a chance to get up, Elle rushed into the room. She jumped onto me. Euphoria filled my body, pushing out any worries. I was delivered safely from my nightmares once again.
“I have missed you so much,” she said, kissing me several times all over my face. I was transported into a place of comfort, a place I had longed for. I needed this in the worst way.
We hadn’t seen each other much since the fire. Ester had put us on a strict no-talking policy. Our new Thusian bodyguards kept all of us apart as much as possible. Dane was permanently at our house now, and Walter was at Riley’s. Elle also had a pair of body guards.
“I missed you, too. But how did you manage to escape your dad and get past the bodyguards?”
She leaned in and gave me another kiss. “I didn’t have to. Genevieve and Riley came over and took me from my house. Walter didn’t look happy on the ride over. He had his arms crossed, sighing every couple of seconds. He’s pretty scary; I was afraid he was going to punch a hole through the roof of the truck.”
“Don’t be scared of him. Walter was my dad’s best friend. You have nothing to worry about with him. He’s just very protective.”
She smiled tentatively, but it was a smile nonetheless.
Now that Elle knew most of the stuff about being a Thusian, I felt more at ease with us being together, because I wasn’t constantly worried about her finding out about my secret life and the lies I had told her. But the downside of her knowing was that it added a different level of danger for her. I wasn’t sure if I would have told her myself. I guess that’s why Genevieve had done it for me. I hated her for doing it but was thankful at the same time.
A couple of days after the fire, Elle asked me everything about being a Thusian when we were alone. She had me explain why Thusians were destined to sacrifice ourselves for others with no thought for our own safety. I tried to explain Thusians’ talents and how there are different types that will help us during the time of our sacrifice. She asked so many questions. It was like she was trying to absorb as much information about us as possible, as if she was a reporter about to break a big story. She was focused mostly on our sacrifice and the Seekers. I got so tired of answering all her questions that Cora had to help at one point. She was a lot better at explaining.
Elle laid her head down on my chest. “I heard about your run-in with those Seekers at the police station,” she said, not moving.
“It wasn’t a big deal. Don’t worry about it.”
“I do worry,” she said. “Forming The 7 means that you’ll soon be locked in an all-out war with The 3 Seekers, and if Xavier is as horrible as you guys say he is, then we all have something to worry about.”
She was right, but I hated hearing her say it. She was now burdened by all of this. Maybe Cora was right that if I truly loved her, I should have given her up and moved away a couple of years ago. But that option was far gone, and my selfishness had probably doomed her to certain death or agony, so I had to do everything in my power to protect her from all of this.
I got up and turned on some music. To her delight, it was the playlist she had given me last year for my birthday. Little did she know I could’ve worn out this playlist from the number of times I’d played it. I listened to it every chance I had.
Coming through my window were tiny rays of morning sunlight brightening my room. It had been cloudy or rainy almost every single day after Coach Miller’s funeral. Somehow it seemed as though the weather had been feeding off my emotions, dark and gloomy, so these warm rays of sunlight were appreciated. Little bits of dust floated around in them as if they were riding the rays down to the ground. Everything was quiet except the music. No cries for help, nothing. I had missed Elle so much in the short time we had been apart. This was what I had to fight for, moments like these.
“Nicholas, I’ve been thinking about where I should go to college. EIU is a great school, and it will allow me to be close to you, so that’s where I’m going to go. My parents wanted me to go away, but I want to be with you, and this would be a great way to keep my parents somewhat happy and stay close by.”
I didn’t know what to say. More distance from me would be the best thing for her. One side of me wanted to tell her that she was making the right decision, but that was wrong in every way. Staying close would mean she would be in more danger. Even with her knowing about the Thusians and the dangers that came along with me being one, it was still a risk I didn’t think she should take. But I couldn’t get myself to say it.
She continued to talk about Eastern Illinois University, and I just listened. I drifted off into a meditative state, listening to her hypnotic voice.
The peaceful bliss was interrupted by Genevieve. “Sorry, Nicholas, but we have to get Elle home before Walter blows a gasket. He’s been pacing around the family room ever since she got here. If we wait too much longer, he’ll have worn a hole in the floor. He thinks she’s been here too long and we’re just inviting Xavier to attack.”
Genevieve didn’t look happy when she was talking to me. I wasn’t sure if it was because of Walter or because of Elle. I knew Genevieve had feelings for me—she had even told Elle about them—but now she was keeping her distance from me. For some reason, seeing Genevieve triggered a strong feeling of guilt in me.
Elle sat up. She gave me one final kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you soon,” she said, getting up. Even though we both knew it wasn’t really true, it was still nice to hear her say it. She turned back before she was completely out of the door. “You are coming to my graduation, right?”
Without thinking, I said, “Of course I’ll be there.”
“You better be there, Mr. Keller. It’s July 19 down at the old theater in town,” she said with her small crooked smile, and turned to leave.
Ever since the funeral, my sense of purpose was gone. Over and over again, I questioned everything that had led to this point in my life. Was I really supposed to be part of this group of The 4 “good” Thusians that was on a collision course to fight against The 3 “bad” Thusians known as Seekers? I had no idea what was right anymore. The only thing I was sure of was my feelings for Elle, but lately those feelings too had becom
e not as clear as they once were, complicated by my life.
Just before midnight it began to rain. It started with a couple of large drops hitting the window, but began to build steadily into a thunderous downpour. With all the rain, I was surprised Dane didn’t come running in here with Cora in tow, telling us to follow him to the ark he had just constructed. He was always overreacting. A week ago he had us huddled in the kitchen because he heard something hit the front window. He had the full Thusian team search around the house and in the surrounding woods before we were able to go back to what we were doing. It turned out to be nothing more than a bird making a nest on the porch.
Over the sound of the rain, I heard a large truck roaring down the street, coming to a screeching stop out front. The engine revved and whined, echoing throughout the house. It sounded like a monster truck getting ready to smash a bunch of cars. I hurried quietly downstairs to see what was going on. I tiptoed to the front door and went outside onto the porch. The warm summer air mixed with the rain made the air thick and soupy. At first, I couldn’t see anything in front of our house, but then I saw the truck in Riley and Genevieve’s driveway. It was one of those large tow trucks, similar to the ones used to tow semi trucks when they break down. The truck’s lights were off, but the auxiliary light illuminated the driveway. There, standing in front of it, was Walter with his arms crossed. His large frame was unmistakable. The driver of the truck got out and walked up to him, handing him something. He was only there for a couple of seconds before Walter took it. I squinted to see what it was, but Walter went back inside and the truck reversed out of the driveway before I had a chance to get a good look.
“What are you doing out here?” Dane asked from behind me, making my heart jump.
“You know you shouldn’t do that. I could’ve killed you,” I said.
“Answer my question, Nicholas,” he said in a way that would have made most confess. Not me, though. He was more annoying than anything else.
“I was just out enjoying the nice weather we’re having,” I said, brushing by him and going back up to bed.
What is Walter up to, and what did he get from the truck driver? I thought.