Glimmer (7 page)

Other girls have been groomed to be my mate, like her, at the other Refuges. Flawless and Innocence. They are sweet girls, and pretty by The Light's standards.

But Perfection always stands apart from them, and not just because she's whiny and more aggressive, and more than just plain pretty.

She once stood apart because she always liked Charles; they were alike in ways I never was. Maybe because I've always been set apart as the Nobleman. Never just friend or brother. I've always been the prophet.

After Charles left, I never spoke of my family leaving until I met Lucy. Perfection mentioned Charles once, long ago. We were sitting in this very room one afternoon, the first time I had been to this Refuge since they left me. We were about to play checkers and she said, "Who plays first?" And then she instinctively looked to her right, where Charles always sat. But no one was there, which we knew. Her eyes caught mine, for a second, and I know there were tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.

We were both just ten years old, and sheltered from so much - this sort of pain was unnatural.

"Do you think he's ever coming back?" she asked in a whisper.

I shook my head no. I didn't have the nerve to say anymore, because I didn't trust myself. Trust myself to regain self-control once I opened up. She must have taken it as a cue that my family was off the table for discussion. We never spoke of them again.

As Perfection grew up, her fervor for being Bound to me changed. Without Charles in the mix, she became more like the Vessels at the other Refuges. Focused on being my mate, no longer my friend.

Looking at her now, standing here, with all those memories flooding over me, I remember the girl from before. The girl with tears in the corners of her eyes. I smile at her, knowing that if I'm going to be Bound to anyone besides Lucy, I would want it be a girl who knows a little of my past, because I am taking her into my future.

"Perfection, would you do me the honor of being my Vessel-mate?" I speak with confidence, knowing it must be this way. Lucy knows me enough to know this is all for her.

For our future.

We're just taking an alternate route in getting there.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Lucy

Colton and the girl he left with, walk into the trees without looking back. They seem to be in a hurry just like we are. Timid and I have to get out of here before anyone realizes we're missing. We must follow Colton wherever he's going, so we can talk to him because talking here won't work -- we need to get farther away before we can stop safely.

"Good eye, Timid," I say. "Stay quiet, okay?" I realize giving orders now is a little pathetic. A few minutes ago I was willing to sit in that cell forever, Timid was the one fighting for our freedom.

She nods, and puts a finger to her lips letting me know she understands how important it is to get away. We head their way, making sure to avoid any snapping branches that will signal we're on their heels. I hear shouting from the
Safe House
, and look at Timid, wide-eyed. We've got to go faster. We don't have time to pause to look behind us so we focus on moving forward. Colton and the girl are full on running through the woods now, a move I'm confused by. Reagan didn't tell them they had to get away fast, he just told them they needed to go by nightfall. But I'm glad for their sprinting; it's just a little difficult for us in our long dresses. I wish we'd had time to change clothes. I don't hear anyone behind us, and am relieved. I need to get closer to Charlie, not further away.

After we follow them for a steady hour, they slow down and sit at a stream, drinking water from steel bottles. Timid and I stop to watch them from behind a tree. I wish I could look through this pack on my shoulders of Reagan's to see if there is a water bottle inside, but it would be too noisy.

"We should go talk to them, Lucy," Timid whispers.

"Already?" I look at her, surprised. I figured I'd wait a day or two before we made a move.

"We have too, we don't know where they're going, or if they're good or bad." She's right. They could be leaving Reagan and going somewhere worse. I can't believe a girl nearly half my age is making the decisions here. Before I can decide what I'm going to say, Colton does it for me.

"I know you girls are following us." His voice sounds irritated. "You might as well come down here for a drink before you pass out."

Timid bites her lip. I get it. I'm scared too. I take her hand and we walk down the hill to the water. They sit on rocks with their packs set down. My shoulders ache, so I take mine off too.

"Why are you following us?" the girl asks. Up close now, I can see she has the same brown eyes as Colton, and same nose. His match, only a girl.

"We ... umm ... found a way to get out of the cell and ... umm ... didn't know where else to go. And we're hoping you can tell us where Charlie went."

"Why would I know about him?" Colton asks.

"I know you know something,"
I answer. I know he does. At least I have to believe he does.

"Why should I trust you?" He ask a valid question, and one that cuts me to my core
.

Trust.

"You don't have to trust. Just have faith. Because I have everything to lose if you don't, my life is in your hands." I look at them, knowing they have no reason to put any of their faith in me.

"What's your name?" asks the girl.

"Lucy. And this is Timid."

"I'm Junie. And I trust you. Charlie's my friend. And he told me about you, Lucy, after you met on the road. I'll help you find him." She stands to shake my hand. I take it and when I do, I feel a pulse charge between us. No light, but electric nonetheless. Just like with Councilman Integrity. I look at her to see if she noticed it.

She pulls her hand back, quick. "Sorry," she says smiling. "Static Electricity. I'm always shocking people."

"It's okay...." I say, pulling my hand away. I look at Timid and her wide eyes. A smile creeps across my lips.

"And I'm Colton. Sorry for being an ass back at the
Safe House.
" He says the last word in air quotes. "Reagan's a creep and I just got carried away. Look, I don't know what your angle is here, but we can't talk now. We've gotta keep moving." He and Junie both look down at their packs. "You've gotta keep up as best you can."

"Do you mind if I cut off the bottom of your dresses? You'll run faster," Junie asks. Timid and I both nod our heads yes, and Junie pulls a knife out of the side of her pant leg. She kneels down in the leaves and quickly shreds away the fabric hanging past our knees.

"That's better, thanks," I say.

"I wish I had clothes to share, but I just packed essentials."

"It's fine, I'm just grateful. Truly."

After Timid and I drink from the stream, Colton begins leading the way for the four of us deeper into the woods. We run along clear paths and move as quicky as we can through the more tangled brush. We can move faster with our dresses no longer confining our strides, but the downside is our legs are getting scrapped up with nearly every step we take.

We keep moving for another hour. Until I stop dead in my tracks.

The shower that was threatening to break through the grey clouds this morning has finally broken lose.

Rain.

A downpour drips from the sky, falls on my head, my face, my shoulders. I laugh from pure joy as I lift my hands, realizing I can touch the water falling from the sky. Timid has her head tilted up, eyes closed, if you didn't know it was raining you would think her cheeks were streaked with tears.

"What are you doing?" asks Junie, amused.

"Yeah, usually people run for cover when this happens. Not stand in the middle of it laughing like lunatics," says Colton.

"I ... we've never felt rain before," I answer, pushing my hair from my eyes.

"What do you mean? It rains All. The. Time.  Like, more often than not, I swear. It's the curse of this part of the country," Junie says.

"Well I spent...." I don't finish, because the story is too complicated to explain right now. Complex descriptions of hazmat suits and underground bunkers and even the boundaries of the Refuge will take away this moment from me. "We've just spent our lives indoors. I've heard the rain, and even seen the rain through a window, but I've never tasted it. Or smelled it. Or felt it."

"It's better than I ever imagined," Timid says as she twirls around, mud sloshing at her moccasin covered feet, and I couldn't agree more.

As the rain washes over me, I feel like the parts holding me back or down or far away, are being washed away too.

Lukas

Perfection is speechless. Her eyes so big and her smile so wide, and even though she anticipated this was going to happen, it's clearly still a shock to her. I smile back, and despite knowing the cause for her happiness isn't real, it's hard to deny the impact my words have on her.

"Of course, Nobleman. It's the greatest honor in the world. To be your mate, and help bring more Vessels and Humblemen into the fold is a blessing. Anything to help fulfill The Light's Creed."

The Creed.

The Light will work diligently to take out all the darkness, filling the world only with Light, as we repopulate the human race with purity and truth.

I swallow, hard, before responding. I avoid her eyes, because I have no intention of bringing anything into this world with her. But of course, fulfilling The Creed is the point of mates within The Light. Of the prophet. Of me.

"Vessel, I am sure there is much to discuss," I tell her diplomatically. "For now, we need to speak with the Councilmen so we can learn our next steps before we are Bound."

"Of course, Your Nobleman." She bows to me once more.

"If everyone can take a seat at the table, please." Councilmen Depend directs us to the chairs, and then dismisses the Vessels who were singing.

  It's decided, for us, that we will stay here for the next night, before we are taken to Refuge One, where the Head Councilmen resides, and is considered the base camp for The Light. It's where all the administration takes place, it houses the largest Energy Room -- the first one my parents built. It's where my parents arrived when they first joined The Light. It's also where I was born, therefore is the holiest of all the Refuges. And now it will be the one where Perfection and I are Bound.

Perfection alternates between looking across the table at me and blushing, and looking at her mother, Honor and smiling. I try to avoid both of them, and focus instead on listening. I need to know what happens after the Binding takes place.

"And after the ceremony, a processional correct?" Integrity asks the Head Councilman.

"Yes. That is what we had discussed. The Nobleman and Noblelady can travel to each Refuge and be presented as mates. It will boost morale and make for diligent workers as well as give you, Perfection, a chance to see the rest of The Light. You have never been off this island, correct?"

"No, Head Councilman."

"Honor, you need to prepare her with the very best of your abilities in the next twenty four hours. It is imperative that she is leaves here an example of how a Vessel should act at all times. Perfection, you will never be needed for opinions, your sole responsibility as the Noblelady is to show the other Vessels what it means to be a member of The Light."

"Yes, Head Councilman."

              "So where will the Nobleman go after Refuge One? Is there an order of the procession?" Integrity asks, pressing for details. I'm relieved he asks the questions I want answers to. I need to know, more than anyone here, what I'm up against.

"It seems logical to go in order. After Refuge One, then Refuge Two, and so on. Ending back here, at Refuge Three," Discernment says. "If that is what you think Head Councilman?"

"Exactly."

I exhale, loudly. I hadn't been aware I was holding in my breath, but relief floods over me as I count the days in my head. Tomorrow we will travel to Refuge One, then probably be there for two or three days for the ceremony, before heading to Refuge Two. I couldn't have asked for a tighter timeline without feeling greedy. That means, if all goes well, I can get to Basil in four days. Five, tops.

And after that, all I have to do is figure a way to free the girls, charge the Refuges in my absence, somehow run-away, find the
Safe House
, and find Lucy.

And kiss her again, without fear of a power outage.

But for now, all I'm gonna do is focus on the kissing.

Otherwise, I'll start thinking about all the hurdles I still have to cross.

Specifically, the one right in front of me.

My new mate. The girl who is now going to be by my side every single step of this journey.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Lucy

We keep hiking through the now-muddy-forest. My legs slosh with muck and my moccasins are soaked through. The day feels long and the breakfast bowl Jax served us of mush and meat was so many hours ago. Although the rain was mesmerizing at first, I now understand what Colton meant. Months on end of drizzles would make it hard to survive if you didn't have proper shelter.

"We've gotta make camp, Colton. This girl's gonna collapse." Junie points to Timid. She's struggling, her legs are working on overdrive, and I know she's not accustomed to moving her body this way. Neither am I, but she's so young. It's only been a few hours of traveling, but with a nine-year-old, in the pouring rain, wearing dresses, and hungry, I know we can't make it much further in a day.

"I know, it's too dark now to go further anyway." Colton walks a few paces ahead to an enormous cedar tree. He lifts a few of the bigger branches that dip low to the ground and pokes his head underneath them. "Come here, this place is perfect. And we'll stay dry."

We follow Colton under the tree and see that he's right. The underside of the cedar branches reveal a thick carpet of scale-like leaves, and more importantly, it's dry. We crawl inside with him and it isn't as cramped as I would have thought considering we were under a tree.

"Colton, this is a good plan and all but we can't start a fire inside a freaking tree. We'll burn to a crisp," Junie points out, grumpily.

"Hey genius, we couldn't have made fire out there either, everything's wet." They bicker loudly, but their faces are hidden in the darkness that surrounds us. It's very dark under here and I look around realizing there will be no moon to help, either, not from this spot.

"Do you have any food in your pack, Lucy?" Timid's quiet voice quivers. "Or at least water?" She's sniffling now. I'm sure the fatigue and exhaustion are compounding her emotions.

"Let me see." I fumble with the clasp on the leather bag, and rummage through it. Cloth, metal … I'm guessing a knife of some sort, rope, and a small handgun. Good for tying up a prisoner and gagging them, I suppose, but nothing to fuel our bodies. "Nothing here, Timid. Sorry." I root around the bag once more, and find a rumpled paper buried in the bottom. Pulling it out I see the worn edges and realize it's a photograph. I pull it close to my eyes, and faintly recognize the woman from somewhere, but it's too dark to really tell. I reach out for Timid's hand and she curls up in my lap.

"Ouch!" Timid cries as she gets comfortable on the leaves.

"What is it?" I ask.

"My leg hurts."

"It's from all that walking, that's all." I try to soothe her.

"We got you covered. No worries.  Although this grain would taste loads better warm." Junie sets her pack down and start pulling things out. "I have hazelnuts, dried apples, and some jerky."

Colton hands Timid a bottle and she sits up and begins drinking, fast. Junie passes bags of food around and we all begin to eat, wildly.

"This jerky is grub, Junie. Kudos on the steal."

"Anytime, bro." I wish I could see their faces better, understand these two. It seems I'm always half-hidden from what is going on around me.

"So you're brother and sister?" I ask.

"Yep. Twins. And fugitives, now," Colton says, laughing.

"What do you mean, fugitives?"

"That's why we had to leave so fast today. We took a particular document that was of value to the
Safe House
." I hear Junie laugh now too, at Colton's words.

"Ummm ... important enough that they're going to follow you to find it?"

"Probably. I mean, if Reagan's ever sober enough to realize it's gone."

"Chances are in a week he'll get all worked up about someone coming close to his Safe House and try to find the paper with the code. But it won't be there." Colton starts laughing again. This is funny to them, like a prank. It's not like that for us. We need to stay safe.

"That's too risky. You could get us all caught. I can't go down like that." I'm panicking, images of Reagan running after us in the forest with a gun blaze through my mind.

"Dude, we didn't ask you to come," Junie says, snarkily. "You wanted to. Remember?"

"You told me--" but I'm cut off from finishing because now Timid's really crying.

"It hurts so bad, Lucy. My leg. Something's wrong. I'm so sorry." The pain shoots through her voice.

"Let me try and feel for what you mean. You're sure it's not just being tired? Maybe you have a cramp in for leg, you ran an awful lot today." I put my hand on her limb and she shrieks.

"No, don't touch it."

"Let me look. I've bandaged up a lot of people," Junie says. My instinct is to tell her no. She and Colton are reckless, and I don't want them to do something stupid to Timid. I have to keep her safe.

"There's blood dripping all down her leg," Junie says with worry. "I think it's serious. Shit. Maybe we should carry her out of the tree, and we can see better with moonlight?"

"Are you sure it's not just water on her leg?" I ask.

"I'm sure," Junie snaps.

"I think she's right, Lucy ... my leg caught on something back there, and I think it sliced my calf. When we climbed over that old broken metal farm fence ... but it's deeper than I thought."

"Why didn't you stop us?"

"I didn't want to cause us ... cause us....." She stops mid-sentence.

"Timid. Stay awake!" I put my hands on her cheeks. I am so sick of the dark. I need to see her eyes, see that she's going to be okay.

"Colton, help me carry her."

I push back the branch for them to slip through, but the rain has started up again, hard and heavy.

"She'll get hypothermia out there, Junie. It's frigid," Colton says. I agree, and let the branches drop.

"She's not waking. And I don't have any medical supplies on me. Touching her leg is only going to make an infection worse. I can help her at daybreak when we can see."

"At least she ate and drank, right?" Colton says to me.

I nod silently, but they can't see that. I know what I need to do. I just wish I could have faith in this pair, because now they are going to have to be on my side, no matter what. I gather my courage, even though being brave is not my first instinct. I need to do this for Timid.

"I can help her without medicine."

I close my eyes, holding my hands around Timid's face and focus all the love inside me onto her. I focus my heart on her needing help to stay awake. I focus on her like I did on Mom, while she died in my arms. Even though it didn't save her, I know the light will come in time for Timid. She's only been passed out for a minute.

The light appears in my hand, like a ray of hope under this dark and heavy tree.

Glimmering like the salve I know it is.

Lukas

Sitting in my chair in the Energy Room, I feel an unusually strong charge pass through me. I look up at the wires, and know it has nothing to do with them, with this Refuge.

Lucy.

I close my eyes, focusing on her and Timid. I fall asleep in the chair, sending her all the love I can find within me.

Lucy

"What the hell is that?"

The cedar tree is now full of the light emitting from my hand, stretching up my arm. I ignore Colton and Junie's shock, and instead focus on the girl whose life is literally in my hand.

I look at her leg, and Junie creeps closer, wanting to help, but I push her away gently. Timid's leg is badly cut, deep. Dried bits of blood have formed, reaching her foot, but there is still bright red blood flowing. It makes sense, she's been moving constantly, no time for it to heal enough for the bleeding to stop.

The twins pull an intake of breath as I sweep away some of the blood with my fingers. The air is fully charged with electricity, and I am thankful that they realize now is not the time for jokes. The moment my hand brushes against the cut, the blood begins to evaporate. The wound is deeper than a bandage will fix, nearly the length of her calf. She seems so tiny and fragile now. Not like the girl in the cell this morning making our get-away plan. That is how life is. One moment we can seem so strong, but then when it's least expected we are once again weak, exposed. Vulnerable to the harsh elements of the world. Vulnerable to the weaknesses within ourselves.

Her eyes close and she draws shallow breaths. At least she's breathing. I continue to focus on all the sweet times we've shared. My body expands with warmth and I longingly imagine Lukas, so many miles away. I seek out the passion and serenity he has to offer. I continue to sweep my hands over Timid's accidental injury and watch as it begins closing up, the gash smaller, and smaller, until it disappears altogether.

It worked.

My hand healed her. 

I realize I'm crying, my tears fall on Timid and each droplet visible from the light under the tree. My hands shake as I move them back toward her face, and when her eyelids flutter, I exhale. I hadn't realized I'd been holding my breath this entire time. The entire time Timid's life was on the line.

"Lucy?" Her voice is small, but all three of us surrounding her give a collective sigh of relief. She's with us, she hasn't gone anywhere.

"I'm right here. You're okay now. Your leg is better." I wonder when my maternal instincts kicked in, somewhere between jumping off the ledge with this girl and holding her life in my hands.

Timid smiles, the one she always has, with the corners of her mouth curling ever so slightly.

"We should clean her up." Junie points to my hand. "Do you think that is going to stay on for a while?"

"If we need it to, I think so."

She nods her head slowly, trying to take in what's going on. I am too. I still don't understand the working of this ability, but I have faith in my hands capacity to heal, even though I can't grasp it. I believe even though I don't understand.

Junie pours water from her bottle onto a rag, and cleans Timid's foot. She slips off the blood soaked moccasins and pulls a pair of wool socks over her little toes. Colton takes his sleeping bag from his pack and unrolls it, then lifts Timid's body from the ground with his strong arms, and sets her on top of it. He pulls a blanket from his pack and gently puts it over her. Their movements are tender and unquestioning. Once Timid is settled, I see her body relax, her hand curled under her head, and her eyes close once more. This time it isn't because she's passed out, now she sleeps. Junie and Colton slowly sit down as if trying to absorb what just took place.

I look over at Timid, so relieved to see her breathing deeply, and then look up at Colton and Junie, realizing they're staring at me.

"I'm guessing you running from The Light has something to do with that?" Colton asks, looking straight at my hand. I'm amazed at how the once tiny flicker in the center of my palm has grown to length of my elbow.

"Are you in a hurry, or do you have time for a story?" I ask, settling in to tell them the truth.