Darkness Fades

  When she reaches the top, I grab her hand and pull her out of the hole. Standing up, I hoist her to her feet and out into the sun.

  She's taller than me, although she's about my age. Her skin is tanner than mine and her hair is black and coiled into small strands that hang down from her head. She's wearing a dark shirt and pants, carrying a small pack on her back. Plus, in her hand is a sharp dagger, and when she gets her footing, she aims the tip at my throat.

  "You lied. You're not human," she says warily. Her hand holding the dagger trembles. "What are you? And how do I know I can trust you?"

  "You're right. I'm not human, but I'm not a vampire, either," I tell her, stepping away from the tip of the knife, even though I doubt she's going to use it on me. "But I did come from The Colony... there's actually more of us around." I pause, assessing her over. "Did you get thrown out of The Colony in The Gathering or have you been out for a while."

  She doesn't answer; instead she studies me over for a moment. Then she relaxes as she lowers the dagger and puts it into the bag. "Sorry about that, but you can never be too careful." She pauses. "My name is Nichelle."

  I don't give her my name. I'm too cautious of her. "You didn't answer my question. Did you just get sent up from The Colony?"

  Her forehead creases. "No... I came from a town off in the distance." She points over her shoulder at the hills and desert behind her.

  "A town? What? You mean another colony?" I have no idea what she's talking about. A town? Maybe she's insane.

  She nonchalantly shrugs. "Town, Colony, I think they mean the same thing."

  My jaw drops in shock because I can tell she's not lying--feeling she's telling the truth--which means Sylas was right; there are other colonies. How many are there? And how can they survive out in this wasteland?

  "Hey, are you all right?" Nichelle asks, inching closer to me and snapping me out of my stupor.

  "I'm fine," I tell her, but I'm still in shock. All this time there were other colonies. Are they better than the one I lived in? Are there rules? "I just didn't realize that there were others besides us."

  "It's hard to believe, huh?" She smiles and I'm not sure how to react to her cheerful demeanor. "The members of The Colony forget that there is a whole world out here with people and everything."

  I'm silent for a while because I'm not sure what to say. This is so crazy. More colonies all this time and what if they're better? I open my mouth to say... well, something, but thunder suddenly claps as lightening blazes across the sky.

  Seconds later, rain showers down, splashing against my face and soaking my hair. "Follow me. I know a place that'll keep us out of the rain." I motion Nichelle to follow me as I turn around and start to descend the cliffy hillside.

  "Why are you here anyway?" I call out over the thunder as I maneuver myself over the edge of the rock and then drop down onto the ledge. Surprisingly, she easily slides down to the side of me.

  "I am looking for someone," she tells me as our feet sink into the dirt and rocks. "A girl named Kayla. Maybe you know her?" she calls out over the rain, shielding her hand over her eyes.

  I tense, but keep my composure, knowing better than to let her know who I am. Not until she tells me why she's here. "I think I know who she is. Why are you looking for her, though?"

  She eyes me over with a questioning look. I start to wonder if she might know more than she's letting on; if she knows I'm Kayla. "I'm here to help her," she says with a brief pause before continuing, "to help her save the world."

  Chapter 5

  For a second I don't think I've heard her right, but as I replay her words over and over again, I realize that I did.

  But how does she know?

  I jump down from the ledge and land gracefully on the loose ground below. Nichelle drops her pack, squats down and then swings her legs over the ledge. She grasps the edge then lowers her body slowly over until she's half way down and then lets go. She lands on her feet in the dirt beside me, her boots scuffing against the loose rocks.

  "You seem comfortable moving around," I tell her, knowing it's a weird statement, but still. When Aiden was human he couldn't maneuver around like that. If I didn't know any better, I'd guess Nichelle was a Day Taker; however, she has a heartbeat.

  She shrugs as she dusts the dirt and mud off her hands. "I have had years of training." She stretches her arm back up in the direction of the ledge and grabs her bag.

  Training? "Are you a Bellator?" I ask her as I start to hike to the bottom of the slope.

  She gapes at me as she puts her bag back on. "A what?"

  "A Bellator... they were the people who trained at my Colony."

  "Well, at my Colony, I'm called a Protector."

  It seems the same to me, and the idea that they have titles at Nichelle's colony makes me question just how different hers is from mine, which makes me instantly put my guard up once more.

  I try to keep quiet the rest of our journey down the hill. When I reach the bottom, I nod my head in the direction of the cave. "This way."

  She follows me as rain continues to drench us and the grey sky lights up with silver blazes of lightning. We don't say a word to each other as we hike towards the cave. I'm getting tenser with every step, wondering if I should simply hit her over the head and knock her out to avoid any mishaps. However, before I can come up with a plan, Maci comes sprinting around the corner hill.

  "Kayla!" she cries out. When she reaches me, she throws her arms around my waist. "I knew you didn't leave us." I stiffen because she just let out my secret; said my name. Before I can respond, Maci releases me and turns towards Nichelle. "And you found her."

  "Yes, I guess I did," Nichelle says. I gape at Maci because it seems like she knows Nichelle.

  "What do you mean, you found her?" I ask as the rain simmers down to a drizzle. "You knew Nichelle was looking for me?"

  Maci nods her head up and down vigorously. "I did."

  I never know how to react to Maci's strange behavior, so I don't respond. Instead, I lead her and Nichelle around the hill to the flat area just below the cave. By the time we get there, the rain has stopped, though the thunder and lightning still echo across the sky.

  Greyson is sitting in the cave's entrance with a fire glowing beneath the shelter. He has what look like a dead lizard in his hand. He takes in Nichelle slowly as she and Maci follow me up the hill towards the cave.

  Aiden and Tristan are right behind him, in the shadows of the cave, protecting themselves from the daylight that hides beneath the clouds and smoke. Aiden watches Nichelle suspiciously and then he finally steps out of the cave, drawing the hood of his jacket over his head and tucking his hands into the sleeves.

  "Who is that?" He nods his head in Nichelle's direction.

  I sigh as I keep climbing. "It's Nichelle. She says she's from... another colony." It sounds strange coming out of my mouth; I doubt anyone will believe me.

  "There are no other colonies," Aiden argues, taking a step down the hill, his boots knocking wet rocks and chunks of mud down the slope. "If there were, we would know about them." Both him and Greyson eye Nichelle skeptically, their muscles raveled, edgy and on guard, which makes me uneasy.

  Greyson stands to his feet, leaving the dead lizard on a rock. With his arms out to the side, he traipses down the hill to stop beside Aiden. "Aiden's right. If there are other colonies, then why haven't we known about them? It doesn't make any sense."

  They take a few more steps towards us, meeting us at the center of the hill. Then Greyson and Aiden begin to circle around Nichelle with a dark look in their eyes like they're going to attack her or something.

  I turn with them, not sure why I'm protecting Nichelle, other than she hasn't given me a reason not to. "Don't even think about doing anything to her."

  Aiden pauses, his head slanting to the side. "Why not?"

  "Because she hasn't done anything to us," I say with warning in my tone as I shoot him a look of caution. "And if you do make a move on h
er," I challenge, "then you have to go through me."

  Aiden's eyes unexpectedly light up, as though he likes this idea, and I remember that this isn't the Aiden I first met. He starts to circle us again and Nichelle reaches to her side towards the leather pouch, taking out a small knife.

  "I can protect myself," she says, aiming the knife out in front of her. "I don't need you to do it for me."

  I shake my head and move with Aiden, making sure to keep myself between them at all times. "No, you can't. Trust me... he's a lot stronger than you."

  "Yes, I can," she argues. "Strength doesn't outweigh skill."

  "Yeah, let her try," Aiden insists with a look on his face that makes me want to slap him.

  I probably would have, too, but Maci suddenly steps up between Aiden and me, tipping her chin up to look Aiden in the eye. "Nichelle's telling the truth, Aiden. I've seen where she comes from."

  Aiden looks down at Maci with doubt. I seize the opportunity to leap forward, grabbing him by his jacket and shoving him backward, forcing him to stumble back into a large boulder on the hillside. "Stop it now. Just because you're suddenly strong, doesn't mean you need to be an asshole for no reason."

  A glint of anger emerges in his eyes as he rises to his feet, his clothes muddy. The anger vanishes, though, as he shakes his head, and the old Aiden surfaces. "Sorry, I don't know what got into me." He turns and heads back to the cave as if nothing happened while I start to think that I might have a real problem on my hands because Day Taker Aiden is very impulsive and erratic.

  Greyson continues to watch Nichelle with interest, but he stops tormenting and circling her. "So, Nichelle, why haven't we seen you or any others from your colony before?"

  I get where they're coming from... sort of, but I can feel Nichelle's telling the truth, so they need to back the hell down. "Greyson, I'd be able to tell if she is lying, and she's not."

  Tristan's voice carries from over my shoulder. "Kayla's right. Nichelle's not lying. There are other people out there. The Highers just haven't found them yet."

  We all turn in his direction. He's wearing a dark grey hoodie, the hood pulled over his head, and his hands tucked up in the sleeves. He crosses his arms with a stoic look on his face, staying in the shadows on the hill.

  I step towards him with caution, rocks slipping down the hill. I have to put my hands on the ground to get my balance. "What do you mean the Highers haven't found them?" I question. "Are they looking for them? And how do you know this?"

  "Of course the Highers are looking for them," he says, glancing at the land over my shoulder. "How else will they keep themselves in control if they allow other colonies to exist? The Highers are greedy and they want to control the entire world, so they've been tracking down other colonies and eliminating them."

  I eye him over as I fold my arms. "How do you know all this?"

  He shrugs. "Because you weren't the only reason I was sent out here." His blue eyes land on Nichelle. "The Highers also sent me to find others."

  Before I can react, he leaps down the hill and smashes into Nichelle. Their bodies crash together and they fall to the ground, legs tangled, arms gripping onto each other as they tumble down the steep slope. Dirt flies up from the ground as they punch and hit each other, kneeing each other in the gut. Nichelle even gets a handful of Tristan's blond hair.

  I dash down the hill after them as Nichelle lets out a shout and tries to take a swing at Tristan with her knife aimed out, but he knees her in the stomach and jumps on her, pinning her to the ground. He tips his head back with his hands around Nichelle's neck as she struggles to breathe, kicking her feet up at him.

  "Tristan stop!" I cry out as I slide down the hill towards them. Nichelle's gasping for air as Tristan only tightens his hold. Before I can get to them, there's a loud grunt and then everything gets quiet as Tristan slumps over.

  Oh God. I know before I reach them what has happened, but when I get there, I still feel a little shock. Tristan's body is on top of Nichelle, but not moving, and there's a pool of blood on the ground next to them. My hand tremors as I grab his shoulder and flip him over, not surprised to see Nichelle's knife sticking out of his chest.

  Nichelle places her hands over her head and flips her body into a standing position. Reaching down, she pulls the knife from Tristan's chest and wipes the blood off on the sleeve of her shirt. Then, with zero emotion on her face, she tucks it back into her pouch.

  "I'm sorry," she says. I can tell she's on guard, worried I might retaliate. "But he would have killed me if I didn't kill him first."

  I'm taken aback by the fact that Tristan is dead. I feel the slightest bit of aching in my chest, especially when I stare down at him. Yes, he'd gone bad since he'd been put out into the Real World, yet at the same time, I can't forget the sweet, kind Tristan I knew in The Colony. Besides, he came back here and told Aiden about me being trapped in the cell. He's done both good and bad stuff, which makes me feel conflicted about his death. I'm not sure what to do, how to react, although I feel like ramming my fist into Nichelle's face.

  "I'm sorry, Kayla," she says, her expression softening. "I really am, but in this world, you can't hesitate... it's a matter of life and death."

  I understand that all too well, but I still can't speak. Staring down at Tristan's body, I struggle to sort through my thoughts on whether or not I should hurt Nichelle.

  Nichelle walks back to Tristan's body and squats down beside him. She reaches over and gently closes Tristan's lifeless eyes then, standing back up, she glances over her shoulder at me.

  "It wasn't his fault he was that way. He couldn't help that they changed him," she says softly.

  "You knew what he was?"

  She nods. "I could tell the second he spoke, but still... I wouldn't have killed him if I didn't have to." She walks up to me, stopping just short of me while she looks me straight in the eyes. "It's why we have to stop this; stop all the changing. It's time for people to be free instead of experiments. And you can do that, Kayla."

  I glance over at Tristan and then back at Nichelle, knowing she's right, feeling it in my bones. I need to stop this; stop innocent people from getting hurt.

  It's time to save the world.

  Chapter 6

  We--or rather I--decide I better do something with Tristan's body before darkness arrives. Maci wants to bury him, however I refuse to do it. Even the buried smell of death would attract the vampires and that's the last thing I need at the moment. I remember the ditch on the outskirts of the colony that Aiden and I jumped over the night before and it seems like a good place to take him. Aiden wants to go with me, but I tell him no because I don't trust him, and besides, he'll move too slowly in daylight. Deep down, though, I simply want to get away from it all for a while; clear my head.

  I pick up Tristan's lifeless body and sling it over my shoulder, trying not to think about what I'm doing because it hurts my stomach when I do. Then I leave the cave and head out into desert where the sand has been dampened by the rain. The sky is starting to tinge orange on the other side of the clouds, which means the sun is lowering and nighttime will soon be here. I keep my pace quick and my footsteps light, knowing the last thing I want to do is be out at dark. Yes, vampires aren't a problem, but the abominations are.

  After what seems like an eternity, I reach the ditch secluded just on the edge of the city limits and carefully lay Tristan's body down in the soft dirt. Then I do something really weird and I don't even know why, other than I fill some sort of finality in the moment. Without even thinking, I tenderly run my finger down his cheek as I remember the way he used to be, before the Highers got their hands on him and changed him; made him a killer and pawn to be used against good people. He was innocent. He could barely harm a thing and they had turned him into a monster.

  I grow furious as I think about all the harm the Highers have caused. It is getting late and I am tempted to wait around to watch for the Highers, see if they come out to feed so I can try to pick them off on
e by one. However, as my temper subsides, I realize the only way to for me to seek revenge against them is to put an end to everything.

  "Rationalize," Monarch whispers in my head. "Keep a level head and wait until it's time."

  I want to tell him to shut up, remembering what happened back in Cell 7, but I'm not really sure if he's even talking in my head or if it's a memory. Plus, what he's saying seems right; I need to keep a level head. The Highers, vampires and the abominations all must go. The only way to do that is to find a cure and I'm the key to finding it. So, even though it kills me, I turn and head back to the cave.

  ***

  When I get back, it's dark, which of course means the vampires are out, yelping and nipping at each other, their eyes dripping blood, their bodies decaying flesh. But they keep their distance from me, especially because I walk on top of the boulders; jumping from one to the other, making sure none of them follow me. Their cries echo through the night as I climb calmly up to the cave, quickly slipping inside before putting the rock in front of the entrance again.

  It's darker inside, yet my night vision allows me to see everything clearly as I walk to the back, stooping low to avoid hitting my head on the section of the cave that dips downward. I can see where everyone is sleeping. Aiden, who is leaning up against the wall, has his eyes shut, although I'm fairly certain he's wide-awake, listening to me walk around.

  I don't go to him, heading off in the opposite direction, instead, and step over Nichelle's leg that's stretched out.

  "You can see in the dark?" Nichelle asks me quietly. "Either that, or you are a really good guesser of where everything is."

  I sit down next to her on the dirt floor and lean against the rock wall behind me. "Yeah, I think maybe even better than I can in the daytime," I tell her, absentmindedly touching the side of my eyes with my hand, pressing down, wondering why I can see in the dark. Sure, it's because I'm a Day Taker, but how is it possible to see in the night. What makes it work?

  Maci is cuddled next to her on the floor and I shake my head, trying not to smile. "It doesn't take her long to get attached to someone does it?" I ask.