The Quo

  “Thank you,” I say, still breathless.

  “It’s my duty,” he says simply, as if saving me wasn’t something he wanted to do but rather was forced to.

  “Okay, well, still, thank you,” I say awkwardly.

  He shakes his head and tells me to stay behind the tree nearest me. I turn towards Miku to see if she’s been revived but while she is glowing slightly, she still has yet to move.

  Please Miku, don’t be dead. Please…

  Since the Guardians took to the sky, I’m guessing Blaze alerted everyone because dozens more demons arrive. Even with Jay and Ameana’s help, there are too many of them to fight all at once.

  Marcus and I exchange a quick look and watch helplessly as hundreds of power balls head straight for us.

  Suddenly every single power ball is frozen midair. We turn to see who has just saved all our lives and find a beautiful Indian girl with green eyes standing over us. And with her melodic accent, she shouts at us to keep moving.

  We flee the area. Seconds later, the power balls are unfrozen and crash down to the ground. They cause a massive explosion, taking down half of the property. The debris of metal, wood, and body parts rain down on us.

  Marcus tells the team he’s going in the house to get Blaze. They tell him to wait until one of them can back him up but he declines.

  “We can’t let Blaze escape. I’m going in,” Marcus informs them.

  He then tells Rio to shield me. I shout out to him that Rio is still trying to get his twin to heal and that I will be fine on my own. He ignores me and calls out to Jay for a Holder.

  Jay throws his chain down to the ground and Marcus catches it. He places it at my feet. The chain turns into a makeshift bubble-like prison that encases me.

  “Hey, I don’t want to be in here,” I protest.

  “I didn’t ask what you want,” Marcus says, as he takes off into the house.

  Did I mention that I hate him?

  I look up in the sky and find several demons ganging up on Jay. Even with his speed he’s unable to fight all of them. Luckily Ameana takes to the sky and redirects their power balls back at them. I jump up and down like a kid when I realize Jay and Ameana are about to get the upper hand.

  My joy and excitement are short lived. A member of the Quo appears a few yards away from me.

  He is a thin guy with glasses. He exhales and somehow he’s able to pull the sky apart causing a black hole to appear. The void he has created begins to pull everything inside it, including Ameana and Jay.

  The force of the Quo’s power is strong; it begins to affect things on the ground as well. Soon I watch something take place I didn’t even think was possible: the Quo’s power is cracking the Holder open.

  I’m not panicked that the Holder is breaking.

  Okay, I am scared to death.

  But the good thing is, if it breaks free, I can then try and help Ameana and Jay. I soon realize that won’t happen because the Holder is breaking too slowly. By the time I get out, Ameana and Jay will be lost inside the void.

  Just then I hear someone warn me to cover my ears. I turn and find Miku has woken up and is about to sing.

  Yes! Thank you, Omnis.

  But while the Twins tackle a slew of demons and Quos, there is no one to help the rest of the team. I cover my ears as Miku sings and kick the Holder in the spot that cracked. Maybe if I can break it, I can get to the Quo who’s creating the void and stop him.

  And how will you do that, Emmy? That’s a thought for later. Right now, kick away!

  I attack the Holder with every ounce of strength I have. And while it doesn’t come crashing down, it does give way enough that I can crawl out.

  When I was inside the Holder, I could hardly hear Miku’s song. Now that I am free, the song is haunting me and begging me to rip myself open. I try to focus and head towards the Quo although the song causes such deep sorrow in me, I feel like I want to die.

  I am only a few feet away from the Quo when the song takes hold of me. I begin to tear at my own skin. I cry out as I feel my flesh gathering under my fingernails. I always forget how powerful that girl’s song really is. She looks over and sees me attacking myself so she stops sings and suddenly I can think again.

  I look down at blood dripping from the wounds I inflicted on my chest. It hurts but now isn’t the time to think about that. In the sky, Ameana and Jay flap their wings against the powerful current trying to pull them in.

  I look off in front of me and spot Marcus in the window battling a room full of Quo and demons.

  And the Twins now tackle yet another horde of demons which have just flown in. There is no one else to help them but me.

  I look for something to hit the Quo with. I find a heavy flat piece of wood in the debris. I pick it up and swing it at the back of his head as hard as I can. It doesn’t knock him out!

  But they always get knocked out in the movies…

  Damn it!

  The only good thing is that my attack causes him to lose concentration and stops the void from growing. Jay and Ameana flap their wings furiously and are finally able to get away. The bad news is I’m not so lucky.

  The Quo turns his attention to me. He takes me by the neck and hurls me across the lawn. I go flying back. It’s like watching the world go backwards. I’m sure I will hit something hard and the end will come. My stomach does flip after flip and I am so close to hurling it’s ridiculous.

  It’s not just that I’m going to die; it’s that when they find me, I will smell like vomit. That’s not the way I want him to remember me. I mean “them.” That’s not the way I want them to remember me.

  I close my eyes and brace myself for whatever horrible end is about to greet me. I land on something. It’s hard but soft, too.

  I look up and I am in Jay’s arms.

  “Hey, baby girl.”

  “Hi.”

  “Thought it was over for a sec, huh?”

  “I wasn’t worried,” I lie. He laughs. “Thanks for saving me, Jay.”

  “Back at ya!”

  I look towards the spot where the Quo who attacked me once stood and find a pile of body parts.

  “Miku?” I ask.

  “With only a whisper.”

  “Wow, that girl is…”

  “Yeah, just be glad she’s on our side.”

  Jay and I race up to the house where we find the ballroom. It looks like the movie set of a horror film. With the help of the Twins and Ameana, Marcus was able to overtake the house. Body parts and broken demon wings lay everywhere.

  The only one that remains alive is the 6’4” bald man with milky eyes. And judging by the hold Marcus has on his neck, I doubt he’ll be alive for much longer. I don’t know if Blaze knew that death was close and didn’t care, or if he was in denial because Blaze is laughing.

  “You have a joke you’d like to share?” Marcus asks him.

  “You winged ones are so stupid. You think getting rid of me and being able to fly undetected will save your kind but it won’t.”

  He laughs again or tries to but it comes out like a cough.

  “I have no doubt that we will defeat you; too bad you won’t be alive to see it,” Marcus counters.

  “You will never win. There are too many of us and too few of you; especially after tonight,”

  “What’s happening tonight?” Jay asks.

  “It’s game night,” someone says.

  We all turn around and look towards the entrance where the voice came from. Standing at the doorway is the Indian girl who helped us out before. Marcus checks in with Rio about her Waves. He says she is sincere and has no evil intent.

  “What’s game night?” Marcus asks her.

  “It’s when the Quo execute a mass of Angels all at once. It takes place in the Yard which used to be one of the stadiums where you guys used to play Runner Ball.”

  “Killing a mass of Angel is now seen as a game?” I ask in disgust.

  “How many Angels are they planning to kill
?” Marcus demands as he increases the pressure around Blaze’s neck.

  Blaze tells Marcus to go screw himself and laughs again. Marcus twists Blaze’s arm until we hear it pop out of its socket. Blaze screams in agony. Marcus gets inches away from his face and warns him that he will keep breaking bones until he gets an answer.

  Blaze remains silent. Marcus goes to separate Blaze’s right leg from its knee cap.

  “Wait, wait, wait. I’ll tell you,” he blubbers.

  “How many Angels are supposed to die tonight?” Marcus repeats.

  “Ten thousand.”

  The reality of the number hits everyone at once. Given the limited number of Angels, taking out ten thousand would all but wipe them out. The terror in the room is palpable.

  Marcus slams Blaze up against the opposing wall, hard. He shouts at him and asks why the Quo would do that. Blaze shakes his head and says that Marcus is asking the wrong question.

  “Then what should I be asking?” Marcus says in a tone that tells us Blaze doesn’t have long to live.

  “You should ask how we knew you were coming.”

  “How did you know? How?” Marcus shouts.

  No longer able to control his temper, Marcus rams Blaze into the wall. His broken arm hangs uselessly by his side. Blaze is taking his last breath. But before he passes away, he mumbles a few words. His statement was a whisper but he died happy because he knew we all heard it.

  “Someone on your team warned us. Someone on your team is a traitor.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE:

  THE EYE

  “Should I leave the room so that you and your team could speak in private?” the Indian asks politely.

  “No. What you should do is tell us who you are and given that you’re a Quo, you might want to tell us why we shouldn’t kill you.”

  “Aside from the fact that I saved your life?”

  “Oddly enough, that alone doesn’t impress me,” Marcus counters.

  “You must have had a hard life.”

  “Yeah and death isn’t proving to be any easier.”

  “So who are you?” Miku asks.

  “My name is Eta.”

  “Eta, why did you help us?” I ask.

  “Not all Quo are evil and not all of us agree with what’s been taking place since the Godfather took over.”

  “You mean the Sage?” Rio asks.

  “Yes. I’m part of a faction that believes Angels and Quo can live together and flourish; many refer to us as the Foundation. Some think of us as a radical group but we’re not. We just want to find a way for the Quo and Angels to coexist.”

  “Well, given that the Quo have killed most of us, I’d say your little faction is failing,” Rio snorts.

  “Many Quo have been taken in by the Godfather. They’ve been fed lies. They are being taught that only one race can exist: the Quo or the Angels. But it doesn’t have to be that way. I can explain but my grandmother would do a much better job of it. Will you come speak with her?” Eta asks.

  “Sorry, we’re a little busy. I don’t know if you heard but they’re gonna kill about ten thousand of our friends,” Marcus replies.

  “The Foundation has known about it for some time. We’ve been putting together a plan to save as many Angels as we can.”

  “And how would you do that?”

  “We have a few members on the side. That’s really all I can say for now. Will you meet with us?”

  “The last time we trusted someone, he blew up our world,” Marcus says bitterly.

  “Then don’t trust me; trust the Mood Ring. I am certain he has read my Wave.” They all turn to Rio.

  “Yeah, she’s telling the truth. And my name is Rio.”

  “Where is this meeting?” Ameana asks.

  “It’s going to held at—”

  “—don’t tell us. Just send the info via Shadow Servant. He is to talk to me and no one else.”

  “Certainly,” Eta says with a smile.

  Marcus talks to her privately and makes arrangements to meet the Shadow Servant.

  As soon as she leaves, everyone starts talking at once. And at once, Marcus orders them to hold the discussion until they get back to the hideout.

  Once we are in the apartment, I look out the window and see a series of bright homes and beaches. I’m told we are somewhere in Brazil. It doesn’t matter where we are really. The fact of the matter is things are going to get very loud and very messy.

  “Really, Marcus, you’re asking me if I’m the traitor? After everything we’ve been through?” Ameana shouts.

  “I’m asking where everyone was today, that’s all,” Marcus replies.

  “We can’t start distrusting each other just because a stranger says so,” Miku protests.

  “Blaze was right; they knew that we were coming,” Rio says.

  “So you think it’s me, too, Rio?” Ameana asks.

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “Maybe they found out some other way?” I suggest.

  “No, Blaze said someone from the team told them we were coming,” Jay replies.

  “Jay, where were you all afternoon?” Marcus asks.

  “Seriously, man? You gonna ask me?”

  “I’m asking everyone.”

  “I don’t see you asking the human. Does she get to skip this inquisition because you slept with her?” Ameana asks.

  “She was out with some guy. Rio was with her all night.”

  “His name is Lucas. And for the record, Marcus and I haven’t—didn’t sleep together,” I protest.

  “I really don’t care what you two have or haven’t done. I just want to know why no one is asking the human.” Ameana insists.

  “I told you she was busy,” Marcus snaps.

  “Even if she wasn’t, it’s not like you’d ever hold her accountable for anything,” Ameana quips.

  “I need to know where all of you were. We had a few hours before we headed to Fire Island. What did you guys do?”

  “I called Blaze and told him we were coming,” Jay says, dripping with sarcasm.

  “Jay this is serious!”

  “It didn’t even have to be face to face. It could have been a call that one of us made to the Quo,” Rio says.

  “That’s exactly why I need to see everyone’s cell,” Marcus replies.

  “This is ridiculous. There’s only one person who has had recent encounters with evil,” Jay says looking over at Ameana.

  “I don’t talk about team business with Rage.”

  “The truth is we don’t know what you do with Rage. Maybe you two are planning to team up with the Quo and take us down,” Jay insists.

  “That’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever said, and believe me, you’ve said a lot of really stupid things.”

  “Well, at least I’m strong enough to avoid falling for a demon.”

  “Yeah, like you could survive being in love at all. You only had a fling with Isabelle and you couldn’t even handle that.”

  “Don’t say her name.”

  “Don’t call me a traitor. I have been through too much with this team. I have earned the right to be trusted,” she protests.

  “We did trust you. Then you slept with the king of darkness,” Rio replies.

  “Are you pissed because I’m dating Rage or because I’m not dating you?” Ouch…

  “You had a thing for Ameana?” Marcus asks Rio.

  “It was back in the light and I let it go because I saw how you two felt about each other. And anyway I don’t feel like that anymore. In fact, I’m quite sure I can’t stand the sight of her.”

  “Yo, why don’t we just have Rio read everyone’s Wave and see who is keeping a secret?” Rio laughs sardonically.

  “Jay, are you kidding? Do you know how many secrets are being kept in this room?”

  “He’s right, just because one of us has a secret doesn’t mean that we’re the traitor,” I add.

  “Fine, just ask each of us if we’re the traitor. Then read our Wave to see who is l
ying.”

  “I’m not a lie detector,” Rio snaps.

  “What the hell does that mean?” Ameana asks.

  “It means I’m not reading anyone’s Wave. What if I’m wrong?”

  “You’re never wrong,” I reply.

  “Sometimes I think a Wave means one thing but it’s more complicated than that. For example, I read that Ameana was hiding a secret and that she had strong feelings of guilt. I thought it meant she was still into Marcus even though she was with Wolf. But it turns out it meant that she had lost her mind and fallen for an Akon.”

  “Everyone on this team can do what they want but when it comes to me doing what I want, everyone is up in arms?” Ameana says, furious.

  “Okay, we all need to calm down,” Marcus orders.

  “This is crazy. We have no idea who this supposed traitor is. It’s been an hour and we are no closer,” Jay says.

  “I texted Tony. He might have a mixture we could use to find out what we need to know.”

  “So now it’s come down to this, Marcus? We have to go to a Seller to get assurance about our own teammates?” Rio says disgusted.

  “Yo, real talk, maybe that’s what needs to go down,” Jay says, shrugging his shoulders.

  “You guys really think one of us in this room would warn the Quo?” I ask.

  “When we first came to earth, I would say ‘no way’ but so much has happened…” Jay says almost to himself.

  “You okay?” I ask him.

  “Yeah, I was thinking for the first time that maybe it’s good that Reese didn’t live to see what this team has become.”

  “You mean that he didn’t live to see what I’ve allowed to take place,” Marcus says bitterly.

  “Yo, that’s not what I said!”

  “That’s what you’re thinking. That’s what all of you are thinking,” Marcus replies.

  “Well, it’s no secret that turning yourself into a Tic didn’t exactly help the situation. We spent weeks we didn’t have on you.” Rio says.

  “And how much time did we spend bringing you back to life? And how much time did we spend trying to get your sister from Turning?” Marcus counters.

  “Speaking of which, why did it take so long for Rio to heal Miku?” Ameana asks.