Catalyst

  His arms held me like I was made of glass. Glass that you wanted to protect without cracking, but crush into your soul for safekeeping.

  His cold was once again odd. His skin was cold, but I felt his warmth all over me, seeping and making me feel…strangely calm. The sweet breath I smelled earlier tasted the same as it smelled, but not in a bad way. When one of his hands came up to my face I knew I had let it go too far already.

  I pushed against his chest a little, but he held on. He tentatively opened his mouth and mine with it. He grunted once as he pulled me a bit tighter and then released me slowly and gently. He looked down into my face with a slight wince, as if he was waiting for me to slap him. Then he said in a gruff voice, "You taste exactly like I thought you would. Like what I imagine…warmth would taste like."

  I held in my gasp at his words. Hadn't I thought similar things just seconds ago about his warmth? I sighed and said, "You can't ever do that, again, Daniel. I mean it."

  "I know, but I had to do it once. This seemed like the most opportune time without there being consequences."

  I wanted to laugh at the sheer ridiculousness of that, but kept my composure. He said the sweetest things, whether he realized they were sweet or not. Cain was gruff and protective and definitely could be sweet sometimes, but Daniel was so honest with his no-filter thing. Completely open. Oh gosh…he'd just kissed me. Ok, worry about that later.

  "Ok, let's get going."

  "Wait. The Taker can read your mind. You mustn't think of anything but what a girl in your position would think about when you face him."

  "Ok. Do the blur thing and go into the bunker, get what we need."

  He was back in seconds with what I'd asked him to bring. He placed them gently into his pockets and let me lead the way out the door. But before we made it Max tried to stop us.

  "Are you playing hero, Lillian?"

  "I have to do this, Max. Don't get in our way."

  "Cain will be very upset by this."

  "I understand that," I squeaked, "but I have to do this." When he started to hold his hand out to stop me, I got hard. "Don't make me tell Daniel to lay you out so we can pass."

  He sighed harshly and waved his arm in flippancy as he said, "Go ahead. It's not like anyone listens to me anyway."

  I glanced back at Daniel to make sure he was still a go. His eyes blazed black and he nodded.

  I could barely look at everyone as I made my way to the Taker. I wrapped my arms together over my chest to stop my hands from shaking. To be honest, I was surprised that Sherry wasn't pulling this stunt. Maybe I beat her to it. Maybe she was just too tired from being tortured.

  I heard Cain's yell, his tortured expression when I looked his way was almost too much to bear. But it also sealed my resolve. I had to do this for him. He had been through so much and yes, he would be angry if something happened to me and yes, he said he loved me. He loved…me, and I loved him. And though Daniel had just kissed me and I, maybe, had felt a spark of something because of his honesty and utter realness I realized one thing: Cain was real because of his love for me and his want to keep me protected and happy at any cost, even his own. Daniel was real because he didn't know any better and he was sweet only by happenstance. He had no idea what half the things even meant that came out of his mouth. He was trying to figure it all out. He wasn't in love with me, he was infatuated with the first person to make him feel. And for all I cared, he could find a new muse, because Cain, and the look on his face right now, not of betrayal, but of pure terror for me, was all I cared about.

  He was real. And I was bound and determined to keep him safe, even if that meant sacrificing myself. If the plan worked like a charm, I'd be back before nightfall. If it didn't, well…I hoped Cain understood that I had to do this for him. For them all.

  I remember yelling something hateful and mouthing 'I love you' to Cain. It was risky. I could've broken down right then, plan failed. But my resolve held and as I turned to face Malachi I immediately thought about leaving, hating the store, being hungry, loving his shiny car; things I hoped would make him believe me.

  And here I sat here with the Taker now, my pretty, grateful smile in place. I waited for the perfect opportunity to strike the match on my plan. He could read our current thoughts so I had to think of the plan only right before we needed to act. We'd have only seconds to throw the gear into motion.

  He ran his hand up my thigh, causing Daniel to jerk in response. But this was my part to play, my scene to portray. I was the silly girl in love with the power the Taker emitted.

  "So," Malachi drawled, "what's your name, little one?"

  "Lillian," I answered softly.

  "Mmm, Lillian. Very….wholesome," he sang. I looked up at him and watched him. I was with the Taker, the leader of all evil, so I looked my fill, wondering what all the fuss was about. He never looked up into my face, not once. He watched other things of mine, and though I was repulsed I kept my smile in place and a constant stream of 'ooh's and 'ahh's and 'gosh, he's so cute's playing through my head.

  "Thank you," I murmured and tucked my hair behind my ear, but it made me ache to do so. Cain loved it when I did it and to use it for this purpose made me feel dirty.

  "I prefer blonds, truly, though it's been a while. They are always a surprise. They are either meek and pure or wild and precarious. I wonder what you'll turn out to be," he murmured and leaned closer to me in the seat. He pulled me by my leg and I slid across the seat surprisingly easy, reminding me that though he looked like a pompous twerp, he was the leader of all evil.

  "I'm not sure which I am, my lord. Surprises are always fun though, right?"

  He laughed at my remark, clearly enjoying the banter, and then said, "Oh, yes." When he planted his face into my neck and I felt his disgusting, cold tongue on my skin, I knew this was it.

  "Now, Daniel," I said loudly. I tried to push Malachi away, but he held tight. I hoped that Daniel carried out our plan, and that I didn't burn up in the process.

  Either way, this Taker was going to die.

  You're On, Pippy

  Chapter 33 - Sherry

  I felt anxious as I helped Racine inside and placed her on the couch with Miguel's help. He looked down at her and checked her pupils. She just lay there.

  "She's down for the count, and I don't mean boxing."

  "I know," I said. "Oh…poor, Josh. Racine will blame herself."

  "Yep," he agreed. "Josh was worried about her on the run. I hope she gets that; he was just protecting her. That is goes both ways. The Specials care about the Keepers, too."

  I nodded and then swayed for no apparent reason. Miguel steadied me, that was when I realized that I was about to fall.

  "Whoa. What's up?" Miguel said and peeked down into my face. "Are you goin' to fall out too?"

  I wrapped my arms around him in a sudden bout of vulnerability.

  "Are you alright? Talk to me, love," he said into my hair.

  "It's just so much, Miguel," I told him, my voice catching and curving. I looked up at him. "I don't think I can't handle this anymore. How much more can we take?"

  "Sure you can." He grimaced and smoothed an awkward finger over my cheek to catch a tear. "You're the strongest sheila I know. Plus, what are we supposed to do? Play dead like a bunch of armadillos or come out swinging? I prefer to swing."

  "Yeah, me too. Though it's not like I could do any damage," I said and he chuckled. "I'm just so tired of living like this."

  "Just…" He sighed and looked around, as if for help. "You're just upset because Merrick blew off with Cain. We're all a little knackered and worn out right now. And with Josh… Major things are going down right now. Just give that body of yours a minute to process."

  "Ok."

  "It'll all be apples soon, true?"

  "Sure," I answered having no idea what that meant, but figured it was along the lines of 'it'll be ok'.

  "Well, I don't believe you, but unfortunately I have to take a decko on Ellie. You want to
come with?"

  "No," I whispered and shook my head. "I'm alright," I said and tried for a smile.

  I heard him sigh. He squeezed my hand and said as he walked off, "I'll be back in a bit, love."

  After a while, I heard Lily's voice and snapped out of myself. She was standing at my feet and grabbing at my hand.

  "Mommy, I'm hungry."

  "Ok, bug," I said and took her to the kitchen. After making her a bowl of noodles and setting her at the table I went to the doorway of the kitchen and looked out at the commons room. Everybody was scrambling around and anxious. Should we be packing to head out of here since the Taker knew where we were and he left? Was our hideout compromised? Should I go and box up some food? Should I check on Racine? Should I be worrying about Lillian? Should I go to the shower and cry until my eyes were red for days?

  I couldn’t think. So I just stood there and let everyone worry around me.

  At some point, the pastor came over and tried to talk to me. After a few pleasantries that I forced out, he could tell I wasn't with the program and left with my directions as to where the bathrooms were. His daughter and that other man didn’t say a word to me nor I them.

  I thought about the last time I'd been in this doorway, with Josh. Bantering about dating…so mundane…so normal. He was gone.

  Marissa eventually came up. Jeff was gone with the rest of them and she was wringing her hands in that way that she did. I could tell her skin was sallow and she looked like she could be sick at any second. The mother hen in me took over.

  "Are you ok?"

  "No." She shook her head furiously. "No, I'm not. It's going to be worse now, when Jeff leaves. I can't think about anything but Josh…that could've easily been Jeff or any one of us."

  I pulled her to me and hugged her tightly. She was getting scrawny, what with her being sick and all, and it would only get worse now. I closed my eyes and refused to think about the food crisis yet. One thing at a time.

  Miguel and Ryan were back with Ellie, the boys were gone, Racine was incapacitated, Polly was gone, Piper really was the devil, and Josh…oh… I squeezed my eyes shut tighter to stop the burn.

  Everyone else was running around but the redhead. I pulled back from Marissa and smiled to make sure she was ok. She smiled back, barely but when I let go she swayed. I couldn't remember the redhead's name so I waved at her and when I got a curled lip as a response, I knew she wasn't bestie material, but I waved her to me anyway.

  "What?" she asked.

  While I held Marissa's arm and started to cart her to one of the couches I asked, "Can you get her a glass of water, please?"

  "I guess. Though it's rude to ask guests for help on the first day," she said and smiled the smile of a girl who'd been through too much crap. We all had, so I didn’t fire back. I just helped Marissa sit down and she slumped into the sofa back.

  The redhead supplied the glass and looked down at Marissa as she sipped it. "Thank you," I told her. "I'm sorry if I was rude earlier. I'm Sherry. Your dad married my husband and me."

  "I heard all about it after we ran into your hubs," she replied and rolled her eyes, her hands going to her hips. "Daddy was going on and on about how it was true love." She scoffed. "No such thing, no offense."

  "I'm sorry," I said and straightened, "but how am I not supposed to take offense to that?"

  "I'm just saying."

  "Well don't, please. That man and his," I motioned in the air with finger parenthesis, "true love for me is all I've got left."

  "And the little girl too, right? I saw her before." She smiled, but it was distant. "She's a beauty."

  "Yes, she is," I said softly. Then I stuck out my hand and tried again. "Sherry."

  "Rylee," she answered and shook. "So, you guys have built a little army down here, huh? Who's running this shindig?"

  "That'd be me, ginger." We both turned to find Miguel, and he was scowling at Rylee. "From go to whoa."

  "Black belt," she drawled and laughed. "This is your operation?"

  "Not just mine, but I put some elbow grease on weapons and training."

  "Really?" She frowned in an over exaggerated way. "I'm surprised you've made it this long. No offense."

  "Hey," I said in Miguel's defense. "Tacking on 'no offense' after everything doesn't make it ok to say it. Miguel has saved my life more times than I can count."

  "I can help," she said as if I hadn't spoken at all. "I'd love to help you teach these suckers how to not be dead."

  "Maybe I'll let you help, but you need to show these people a little respect. They've been through a donkey's years of trouble."

  "Haven't. We. All." She shuffled and took a little pocketknife out. She played with it and started twirling it in her fingers. "Not all of us have been so lucky to be stuck in some basement and be coddled by each other."

  "Not all of us started off that way," Miguel growled back. I put my hand on his arm, no doubt he was thinking about his wife. "We've all lost."

  "Some of us were too innocent to even understand that they were dying, much less know the why of it."

  "I beg yours? You're innocent?" Miguel scoffed and then turned hard and yelled. "I lost my wife, right in front of my eyes!"

  She lifted her shirt, a long scar along the front. "This is what they took from me."

  At first I didn't understand what she meant. Then it clicked into place. Marissa, who was on the couch, suddenly stood and gasped as she covered her mouth.

  "Your baby," Miguel murmured and stepped towards her a little, looking more sorrowful than ever. "They killed your baby?"

  "I was five months along. They didn’t care that I was pregnant. I had just come home to be with my dad and they caught us at the church, asking us about rebels. They gutted me and left me for dead, right there in the sanctuary."

  "Oh, no, no," Marissa muttered and made a noise like she'd be sick. I put an around her.

  "I'm so sorry," Miguel said sincerely. "I'm sorry for what I said and I'm sorry for what happened to you." He took a deep breath and began. "They killed her right in front of me, my wife. I couldn't do a thing to stop them as they held me down. With all my training, with all my skills, it wound up being a hill of beans."

  She looked at him and though her face was hard, her eyes were seeking. She looked at us all and crossed her arms over her chest.

  He smiled sadly. "Pardon me," he said and swiftly walked back passed the stairs.

  "Don’t pity me!" she yelled, chocked full of emotion as he walked off.

  He turned back to look at her. Everyone did, well, because she yelled. He replied, "Compassion isn't pity. I am sorry, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to take it easy on you." He smiled and I knew what he was doing. She was hard and rough and gruff. She needed to keep a certain level of that so he was giving it back to her. "You caught me off guard the first time around, which was cod wallop. I won't make that mistake again. You can count on that, bluey."

  "You're on, Pippy."

  "Pippy?" he barked back and lifted a black brow.

  "Well, you're from England aren't you?"

  "Northern Australia," he answered blandly.

  "Oh," she said and frowned. "You need to work on that accent, mate."

  He groaned and went to go back to the hall. But right before he turned, he looked back. Their eyes met and he smiled a crooked 'game on' smile before leaving. I looked back at her and she was looking at her feet. And bless her, there was a hesitant smile on her face too.

  I shifted my gaze to Marissa, but she was staring at Rylee's clothed belly with wide eyes.

  "Marissa, are you gonna be sick again?"

  "Uhuh," she said and ran to the kitchen trash can. I followed and patted her back as she was sick over and over. I'd heard a little bit of what she'd done for Margo. I know that when she uses her power that she dispels her own energy. She must have used a lot to still be so sick, and with the pregnancy too.

  Then I went to the sink and got Marissa a wet cloth. She pressed it to her f
ace and groaned in relief. She thanked me and I smiled, but didn't really mean it. I kept the brave face in place and looked around for something to do so I wouldn't go nuts waiting for Merrick to return.

  Playing hero

  Chapter 34 - Cain

  "What if he doesn't wait until they get to the house? What if he just does it in the car?" I groaned.

  "Does what exactly?" Jeff asked.

  "Does it matter!" I yelled back as I shifted gears angrily. "Whatever he's going to do with her isn't something I want. I'm going to murder him."

  "Calm down, Cain," Merrick said from the back of the Jeep. "You need a clear head, man. She'll be alright. She's smart. And… Daniel's with her."

  "Don’t you frigging say his name to me, Merrick," I barked and glared at him in the rearview mirror. "I’m gonna murder him too."

  He lifted his hands in surrender as he and Jeff started talking. They drummed on about Marissa being sick this whole time and babies about the mishaps we'd had on our run. I heard Merrick say something about stairs and falling and laundry chutes, but I wasn't listening.

  Lillian was so gonna get it. She was in so much trouble. She had to know how pissed I'd be. She had to know-

  The explosion ahead of us jerked all our heads that direction.

  "Oh no," I heard Merrick say. I punched the gas. I hoped with everything in me as we made our way to the wreckage that we'd find something still alive to save. The closer we got the more you could see what was going on. It wasn't an explosion, it was lightning. Lots of it.

  Merrick and Jeff gasped and sat forward. "The Taker," Merrick said. "He's dead. Go, Cain, go!" he yelled as he bumped my seat with his fist.

  I realized I'd slowed down a little in my awe. I punched the gas again and within a minute we arrived on the scene. We all stumbled out of the Jeep and I gaped in horror at the destroyed car. The lightning had torn it to shreds. Somehow the backdoor creaked open, then fell off its hinges as it hit the pavement. Daniel fell out of it too, grabbing at his arm. It was practically torn off…or burned off.