After Dawn (Book 3 of the Into the Shadows Trilogy) (21 page)

“Ha! You thought you could get rid of me?” Stevens shouted above the screams. “I own this country! Only I know what’s best for us.” He cackled as he reveled in the terror.

The chandeliers above rattled and crystals began to fall on the crowd below. Paivi waved her hand and they dropped from the ceiling with deafening crashes around the room. There were soul-piercing screams as people were crushed beneath the weight of the chandeliers. Those nearby dove into the chaos and pulled people from under the mangled crystal fixtures. Blood dripped down faces and splattered against clothes.

Paivi glowed brighter, causing Stevens to turn away from her to shield his eyes. Cracks raced along the marble floor. The sound echoed through the room, lost on the panic. Paivi raised her hands over her head and the cracks rose up the walls toward the ceiling.

Something flashed in the corner of her eye and she looked up at the screen in the corner of the Senate Chamber.

SAFE PAIVI.

SAFE PAIVI.

SAFE PAIVI.

The words flashed over and over again, breaking through the haze that fogged Paivi’s mind. Her hand flew to her heart. They had made it. Her mom and friends were safe.

Paivi sucked in a deep breath and steadied the energy within. She drew it back. The Senate Chamber stopped swaying and rattling. A few pieces of marble rained down from the ceiling.

The Senators around the floor inched away from them and toward the walls.

The ATC agents turned toward them, guns trained on Paivi.

Paivi pulled just enough energy forward and waved a hand in their direction. They froze where they stood.

Everyone’s eyes were trained on them.

“What are you doing?” Stevens screamed. The vein in his forehead bulged and his sweat-drenched hair flopped in his face. “Martin, make the call.”

Martin stepped back from Stevens, mobile phone in his hand.

Paivi pushed out energy, forcing it to carry her voice around the room. She wanted them all to hear what she had to say. “You’re too late, Wendell. They’ve been saved. You no longer hold any power over me.”

Stevens’ eyes widened and he looked to his frozen ATC guards for help.

Paivi narrowed her eyes at Stevens and stepped toward him.

“You’re finished now.” Stevens’ voice shook. “You’ve killed people. They’ll destroy you anyway. You’ll never be free.”

“You have imprisoned my family, my friends. Innocent Americans.” Her voice echoed around them.

Stevens put his hands over his ears and attempted to turn and run. Paivi waved her hand and he froze where he stood. She made a circle in the air with her finger and he spun toward her.

“I’m not done yet. You planned to murder us. You created hideous monsters in the mountain at the camp, trying to build the perfect weapon.” Paivi looked around the room and the Senators. “Did he tell you he sold us out to the Chinese? You thought the war with Mexico was bad? Imagine if the Chinese reached our shores. They wanted to crush this country. And they wanted people like me out of the way so they could do it. And your fearless leader, he was more interested in his own power than in saving this country.” Her voice boomed through the room. “Did you know all their plans, Wendell? Or did they play you?”

Stevens’ face paled even more and took on a greenish hue.

Paivi looked up to the balcony, where cameras were pointed down on her. Energy coursed through her, causing her skin to take on a golden glow once again.

“I’ve waited and practiced for the day I met you. I told you in your dreams that I would come for you, Wendell. That I would destroy you. I will happily carry a black mark on my soul for all eternity to know that I avenged my family and my friends. And the thousands of EOS who have lost everything because of your greed and hatred.”

Paivi turned to Martin and grabbed his hand. His energy surged through her, charging her. Liquid fire rushed through her veins and surged to the surface.

“It’s time to pay.” Paivi’s voice rattled the walls.

Deep from within her the rage, hate, and anger poured into her energy, feeding and turning into something that had a life of its own. She screamed and ripped it all from the bottom of her soul. She dropped to her knees, pulling Martin down with her. The scream cut through the glass windows around the room, raining shards of glass down on the Senators. With one last shriek the stained glass ceiling above them exploded into the room and colorful pieces of glass tinkled to the floor.

Paivi threw her free arm out in front of her, savoring the look of shock and awe on Stevens face as the full force of her energy threw him into the air.

Paivi slid to the ground, her face bleeding from shards of glass. As she rolled onto her side, a smile spread across her face.

The last thing she saw before her world went black was Wendell Stevens impaled on the flagpole over the podium.

Blood poured from his heart and dripped down the American flag.

It was over.

Chapter 26

Waves crashed in the distance, their rhythm lulling Paivi to sleep. The sun was warm on her skin, but she had to be careful not to lay there too long or she’d burn. The blue two-piece swimsuit she wore didn’t cover much. Her skin had lost some of its dark color after a week in the hospital and didn’t protect her from the sun as much as it did before. The cry of a seagull echoed in the distance.

She rolled over onto her side and breathed in the fresh sea air. It was salty and humid. An odd combination. She had lived in Illinois most of her life and hadn’t spent this much time near the sea, well, ever.

“Did you put on sunscreen?”

A door somewhere behind her slid open and shut.

“Here, I brought you a glass of water. You’ve been out here a while.”

Paivi blinked once or twice. Christian settled into the pool chair opposite her.

“Thanks.” She picked up the glass and took a sip. It’s all she had wanted to drink since returning to Mexico. She had no taste for pop or juice. Water had helped her survive the deadly Nevada desert. Her body craved it. It still felt fragile despite having four weeks in Mexico to recover from the incident in the Senate Chambers. Torsten had healed her physical wounds, but only time could heal her soul.

“How are you feeling tonight? You look a little pale.” Christian surveyed her with a furrowed brow.

“Just tired.” The sun dipped toward the horizon, sending brilliant gold light spilling over the Pacific beachfront that lay before them. Immediately in front of them was a pool with an infinity edge. It almost appeared that the sun would sink into the pool itself.

They sat in silence for a moment. Paivi admired the palm trees waving gently in the ocean breeze. Peter’s house in Mexico had become their sanctuary. It was one of the places Peter owned that the ATC couldn’t steal from him when they sent him to the EOS camp, as well as a house in Bali, and one in the south of France. They hadn’t been to the others yet, but Peter said as soon as everyone was well enough to travel, they’d do just that.

The house was so large they were all able to have their own wing. Paivi appreciated the privacy after having lived in the barracks for so long. But sometimes in the middle of the night, she would creep down the hallways covered with local Mexican art and slip into her mom’s room. She would crawl into bed and just be glad for the nearness of another human.

Her mom had transformed in her new environment. Her hair began to grow back and her face took on a healthy glow. They had plenty to eat at Peter’s, so they all started to look a little more like themselves. Her mom sometimes talked about having her tattoo removed. Peter said he could fly someone in to do it. But so far they remained.

Paivi decided she would keep hers forever. A reminder to herself and others about what can happen when people lose their humanity. She saw it as a scar. She had some of those as well, but so many more lay beneath the surface that no one would see. The tattoo was the manifestation of all that was hidden.

“I talked to Jason online today,” Paivi said. She pressed her eyes closed for a moment, remembering the last brush of his lips against hers before he flew back to St. Andrew on Peter’s private plane.

“Oh?” Christian raised an eyebrow. “And?”

“He’s fine. He looked good. He finally cut his hair.” She had actually liked his long hair, but it was a relic of a different time. It was time for a change. Her own hair was growing back quickly, but was still a bit short and unruly. She decided she liked the new color. It was darker, but infused with gold. It was the new Paivi, like a phoenix rising from the ashes.

 “Get this, he said Michaela stopped by his house. I guess she apologized for being such a jerk and wanted to know if I was okay.” Paivi shook her head.

“Do you think you could talk to her?” Christian asked.

“I don’t know. I don’t think it matters anyway; I have no reason to go back there. She was my friend for a time. I don’t think we’d ever be friends again. I mean, I don’t hate her. If there were people to hate, she’d be a lot lower on the list than some others.” Images of President Stevens and Dr. Todesengel flashed in her mind. “Michaela just got caught up in it all. She was weak. But she’s lost people too.”

“And what about you and Jason?” Christian stared out at the waves. Sunglasses covered his eyes.

“We’ll see him sometime soon, I would guess.” Paivi sighed. “His mom is just so happy he’s home. They want to try and return to some kind of normal life. They’re not sure if they’ll stay there though. But what else is there? I mean, I’m only fifteen. It’s not like I’m going to run off and marry someone at this age. I guess we just have to see what the future has in store for us. For all of us.”

She didn’t say it aloud, but there had been something missing when she had finally seen Jason again after all that time. Something inside her had changed. And while she loved him, it just didn’t seem to have the same spark. She secretly wondered if she’d ever really be able to love like that again. Was it possible her soul was so irreparably damaged that it would never happen? Maybe that’s what Master Song had meant. She’d have to ask him privately on their next trip to Nepal. Master Song had insisted they come soon.

“You could check, you know.” Christian tossed her a smile.

“I’m kind of tired of always having to know the future. For once I’d like to just let it happen to me.”

“Still no visions of my parents?” His voice was wistful.

“Nope. I’m so sorry. Hopefully Peter will find out what happened to them.”

His head dropped toward his chest. “Peter said he’s going to adopt me. Until they find them. If they find them.” He paused and stared out at the ocean again. “I guess I could do worse than being adopted by the world’s richest man. Thanks for that.”

“You’re welcome. Peter said he’s making us start school soon though.” Paivi stuck out her tongue. “But at least he’s not actually making us go anywhere.”

“Yeah. I don’t ever see myself sitting in a high school classroom again. Besides, I think we have had more education than most people already.” Christian picked up his glass and took a sip from the straw.

“Mom said Torsten would be back tomorrow with Peter and Sterling.” It had been hard to watch her brother leave them so soon after they had been reunited. She had tossed and turned in the hospital for days, unconscious, while Torsten had fought to get to her. Without him, she’d probably still be laying there, damaged from the inside out. Paivi looked at Christian’s arms and legs. No scars remained from the gunshots he’d received while saving her mom. Torsten had healed him well.

“What are you looking at?” Christian asked.

“Just your arms and legs. I’m amazed at the work Torsten can do.”