Belligerent (Vicara) (17 page)

“Is anyone awake?” There was an uncomfortably long pause before Aria replied.

It's very early.

“Where is everyone?”

Stop using the comms before you wake anyone else. I'll meet you in the courtyard.

When he reached the courtyard, Aria was waiting there, barefoot, dressed in sweats, her hair half tumbling from a ponytail.

“The others are still sleeping,” she told him before he could ask.

“Are we not going to classes?”

She shrugged. “It wasn't really discussed, but I assume not. That sedative Daylan gave Mackenzie will probably keep her asleep for a few more hours and then loopy for the rest of the day.”

“She took that willingly?”

“He may have given her a stronger dosage than she requested, but she needed it. Otherwise-” Aria trailed off. “We made sure to give her the one that would keep her calm. We have another that doesn't have the drowsy side effect, in case you ever need one.”

“You seem to know a lot about the drugs.”

“I’m the one who makes them,” she said.

“Is there anything else you need me to do?” Ryan asked.

Aria shook her head. “We'll probably all stay around the villa all day in case Mackenzie needs us.”

She omitted the fact that they wanted time off as well. They still needed to mourn.

“You could join us, if you want, or you can go to classes like usual. Someone will probably cook something later today, but there's plenty of snack stuff if you want to eat now.”

Ryan had never spent much time with Aria since meeting her. She was friendly, but she didn't seem to go out of her way to talk to anybody. People tended to seek her out instead. He wasn't sure how to talk to her. She was intimidating in a way - intelligent, beautiful and seemingly completely confident, quite mature for fourteen years old. She reminded Ryan of Alex, but most girls seemed to remind him of her. Aria's intelligence, Clarisse's insight, Eva's kindness and even Mackenzie's determination all sporadically reminded him of Alex with a painful clarity.

“I'm going back to bed now.” Aria interrupted Ryan's train of thought and wandered back to Daylan's room.

“That's not your-” Ryan trailed off as he realized that, of course, she knew what room was hers. “Maybe I'll make brunch today. I mean, I'm not a chef or anything, but I can manage pancakes and omelets on my own. Also my soup and grilled cheese sandwiches are a big hit. Um... There's canned soup here right?”

Aria offered him a smile. “Yeah, we have some instant stuff for when we're not up to cooking. It would be nice if you cooked. We'd really appreciate it.”

“When do you think everyone will get up?”

“Around ten, probably.”

“Then that's when the food will be ready.”

“Okay, I'll let the others know.”

With that, Aria disappeared into Daylan's bedroom. Ryan caught a glimpse of everyone piled on the bed before the door closed. Was that another of the team's habits that he didn't understand, or was it some kind of coping mechanism they had developed recently? He wasn't sure he wanted to know.

*

The memorial had been a simple affair. Over the course of two days, all the mirrors in the villa had been covered with black cloth. Ryan had gotten his first opportunity to see what James had looked like as the digital frames around the house flashed images of him throughout his academy years. Now that he had seen a picture of the last transportation specialist, Ryan could never mistake him as anything other than Mackenzie's twin. They had the same vibrant red hair and fair skin. While obviously fit, James had a broad frame as well. There were differences though, of course. Despite gender, James also had a carefree look about him. In all the photos, he was smiling widely. His eyes were bright with obvious amusement and pure joy at everything around him. He looked like the kind of guy everyone would want to be their friend. In personality, the twins couldn't appear more different.

Then there were a few photos though that gave Ryan pause. He saw Mackenzie there, years younger and laughing at James’ antics. The familiar frown was absent. Her eyes weren't narrowed in their typical, critical manner. Was that her real personality? Had James' accident changed her into the person Ryan knew? Was she always not as uptight? Likable, perhaps?

The actual memorial had consisted of the entire team gathering together at midnight in a field not too far from the villa. Each member said a few words about James, except Ryan, who offered support simply by accompanying them. Mackenzie's speech was the first time she had spoken since the night they had heard the news of James's death. Her unusual muteness had affected them all, quieting even Clarisse’s talkative tongue.

“James was my twin. We had never been apart in our entire lives. That was how we liked it. We protected each other. I only now realized that it was our desire to stay together that caused James's death.” Mackenzie took a deep breath. “When Shifter found us, we were living on the streets. Our parents had been taken to be labor Belligerents, and we were left to learn how to survive on our own. We weren't thieves, though. We weren't stealthy enough to steal food or credits, so I was playing in trivia games at the restaurants to earn some credits. James was the lookout. Sometimes people don't like losing to little girls. They’d get angry and suddenly, the fact that you're young makes you a target. James would watch, and if someone grew annoyed, then he'd get me out of there. He was always protecting me, but I couldn't protect him.”

By that point, Eva had slipped Mackenzie's hand into hers. Mackenzie stifled a sob then continued. “Shifter saw something in my intelligence and offered me a spot here at the academy, but the only way I would accept was if James could come with me. James... He was smart, but he wasn't the kind of smart that they needed here. Shifter knew that, but I was determined. We were resolute in our promise to stay together. In the end, Shifter offered James the transportation position. He was sure that since James was a quick study when it came to trades, and because he was young, that he could learn the skills he would need. And he did. James was our transportation specialist and he kept us safe. He would drive into the center of trouble and get us out of there. James was never the type to leave a teammate behind, and he died sacrificing himself for us.”

“He made that choice. You know he would have never wanted it any other way,” Logan whispered.

“It doesn't matter. He shouldn't have been put into a position where he needed to make that sacrifice,” Mackenzie said, her voice strained and weak.

Nobody responded. They lit the lanterns they had brought with them, and one by one released them into the night sky. Then, they stood there watching them float away until it was impossible to distinguish the floating points of light apart from the stars.

That was their goodbye to James. That was their attempt at moving on.

On the way back to the villa, Mackenzie pulled Ryan aside. “I wanted to thank you,” she said softly.

“Huh?”

“The others told me everything you've been doing lately. How you've helped clean and cook and how you've been trying to spend time with everyone. Thank you for being there for us.”

“But, I... I didn't do much.”

“You did enough.” For the very first time Mackenzie offered him a look that was not filled with suspicion or antagonism.

Surprisingly, her softness pleased him.

“It's like you were telling me,” he said, “It's best if I'm a part of this team.”

“Cuddle night?” Clarisse asked when they joined the others in the main room of the villa.

The largest sofa was tugged out to form a bed, with a mountain of pillows and blankets piled atop the wide mattress. Kenichi was holding the remote in his hand, though Logan was attempting to steal it from him. They were all heaped together like rodents. Mackenzie piled in with them with a measure of eagerness. She shoved her way onto the outside. Then, with a little more pushing and nudging, managed to free up a bit of extra space.

“Well, Ryan? What are you waiting for?” Mackenzie asked, patting the open spot next to her.

He started to stammer out some excuse, but everyone had gone silent and was staring at him. Going with the flow, he tentatively sat down next to the strategist and everyone went back to arguing over what to watch. Mackenzie offered him a smile before turning her attention back to the others.

“We are
not
watching any romcoms,” Mackenzie said.

Chapter 10

The team decided to return to their classes on Thursday afternoon. Despite their grief, they all agreed that James would want them to concentrate on accomplishing their goal of qualifying for Vicara rather than continue to be overwhelmed with their mourning. Ryan was relieved because he hadn't known how his escape plan would have worked if they had all chosen to remain in the villa.

“You're certain this is what you want?” Leon asked him for the fifth time.

Ryan resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “I'm sure.”

He pushed aside his memory of the night before, and how the others had ended up ignoring their movie to instead share stories of their first years at the academy with Ryan. However, one decent night with the others didn't suddenly make them a family. He had to keep reminding himself of that. Besides, they would be better off without him. They needed someone they could trust. Ryan knew they still didn’t trust him.

“We should get going then. Stewart wasn't sure you would come since your team hasn't shown up for classes this week.”

“Yeah, um... There was a situation.” He didn't feel comfortable telling him about James.

Leon shrugged. “They're all in class now right?”

“Yeah, I saw them all go to their buildings.” He nearly stumbled over an uneven cobblestone but quickly caught himself.

“That's good. They shouldn't notice you're gone for at least a few hours then.”

The rest of Leon's team was assembled inside the villa except for Eloise, who was outside with the borrowed hover-bike. Everyone was reviewing the final details of his escape.

“You guys ready to remove the band?” Delilah asked.

“Got Replacement Ryan on standby,” Teresa confirmed from where she was standing over the lifelike mannequin which, disturbingly enough, was imitating breathing at that moment. Its chest rose and fell every few seconds.

“This shouldn't hurt,” Delilah said.

She produced a device and fiddled with it for a few moments until Ryan's band beeped. He then felt the unpleasant sensation of the tiny needle sliding out of his wrist and back inside the band.

Her eyes narrowed in concentration, she said, “Now we can remove it.”

Using a steel, rod-like device, she took the band in her grip and focused on putting pressure on one spot edging the rod between Ryan's skin and the band. The light went out of the band and into the small rod.

“Just a little more,” she murmured.

Then the band popped open and Delilah threw it to Teresa, who worked quickly to get the band hooked onto the mannequin. They all held their breath until the band beeped back to life.

“And that part is done,” Teresa said. “Now it's up to you guys.”

Ryan stared down at his wrist, studying the strip of pale skin the enslaving device had left behind. Even though the band was no longer there, evidence remained that it had once marked him. The seemingly trifle puncture wound smarted despite its size.

“It should stop stinging after a while,” Teresa said.

“Time is of the essence here. Eloise is waiting outside with the hover-bike.” Stewart motioned for Ryan to go on. “It was nice knowing you, man. Don’t get caught again.”

“Thanks for all the help. Try not to take this the wrong way, but I hope we never see each other again,” Ryan said.

Stewart laughed. “No offense taken. If you end up back here after all our work, I'd be insulted.”

Ryan jogged out of the villa to where Eloise was standing next to the commandeered hover-bike, working on the distance controls.

“Everything's ready for you. All you have to do is get to the meeting point,” she said, tossing him a helmet. Then, after catching his eye, she stepped towards him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I'm going to miss having you around. Be careful.”

She stepped backwards to give him some room.

“I'm going to miss you as well,” he said. “I hope you guys go on to win Vicara.”

Her smile wavered between pride and knowing resignation. “Thank you.”

Ryan straddled the hover-bike and tugged on his helmet. He gave her a last nod then sped towards the not-so-secure front gates of the campus. The entrance marked the Proserpine territory, but wasn’t meant to actually keep anyone inside. That was the job of the Belligerent Bands. Without a band, anyone could a pass freely onto the grounds. Of course, no one but Owners would dare cross into a holding cell of hundreds of trained Belligerents.

It seemed too easy to escape, but that didn’t stop Ryan from holding his breath until he was officially off the campus grounds. Once the looming gates of Proserpine were behind him, he allowed himself to relax and take a breath steering the bike off the only road and into the thick forest. After five miles of carefully steering around numerous trees and convincing himself that the hover-bike could outrun any creature that might be living in the forest, he reached the next part of his escape.