Morning Rising (6 page)

Kara shut her eyes, willing herself not to
cry as the true vastness of what she was setting out to do hit her.
With her eyes shut, she spoke to Baron. “What will happen to Dylan
if I can’t save her?”

“She’ll be trapped here,” Baron answered. His
voice held nothing back. Kara opened her eyes to look out at the
city as Baron continued. “She’ll be pulled into the world of
Inbetween and will probably lose every ounce of her humanity in the
process. It’s a dark place for a lot of the people and creatures
here. It has always been that way, but it’s become worse with
Demitar as ruler. He encourages those people with the darkest
desires and whims; lifts them up above the weaker of his people.
She’s the type who could fall deep into the darkness. He’ll help
her realize her powers, then he’ll use them however he sees
fit.”

“But why would she fall? You’ve lived here
and you’re alright,” Kara said. Baron moved to stand beside Kara.
She turned to face him, still leaning on the window. “What makes
Dylan so different?”

“It’s strange how much you don’t remember,”
Baron mused, avoiding the question. He looked out over the city
instead of meeting Kara’s eyes. Kara studied him a moment, but he
didn’t turn to her. With a sigh, Kara turned to stare out the
window again just as Baron spoke again. “You really don’t remember
me, at all?”

“Not even a little bit.” Kara laughed. “But
don’t take it too personally, like you said, I don’t remember
much.” She saw Baron grin from the corner of her eye. It was the
kind of easy smile that could make anyone comfortable.

“You’ve grown so quickly,” he said. She got
the feeling he was talking more to himself than to her. “In our
world, you and Dylan would still be children, not more than eight
years at the most, but out in their world life moves so fast.
You’ve taken it better than Morning-”

“Dylan,” Kara interrupted. “Her name is
Dylan.” She wasn’t sure why it mattered so much, but she needed him
to call her Dylan. It was one piece of normal within all the
craziness.

Kara followed him with her eyes as he sank
down onto the couch. After a moment of hesitation, she followed and
sat on the other end. Baron clasped his hands between his knees. He
stared down at his entwined hands as he spoke, his eyebrows knit
together.

“I worked as a guard at the palace,” Baron
said. “I was hardly more than a kid myself. You two were always
running wild, so I was the one sent to watch you, because I could
keep up.” Kara could imagine herself playing in vast gardens as a
child, running with Dylan while a more clean-cut version of Baron
stood guard. She smiled at the idea. “When they said they were
sending you both into the human world, I swore I would continue to
watch over you. I knew it was for the best, but it made me sick
with worry to think of you two alone there.” Baron looked up at
Kara, releasing his hands. “I just wanted to keep you both
safe.”

“But why did they send us?” Kara asked. She
shook her head, not understanding. “Why did Demitar have any power
over Dylan’s dad?”

“Her mom was from the Nightlands,” Baron
answered with a shrug. “By law the two should never lay together.
The realms are meant to remain separate. Demitar had the power to
claim their lives, but they had something he wanted more.”

“Dylan,” Kara said, nodding. It was as if she
could feel the pieces falling into place.

“She’s half and half.” Baron turned to Kara.
“In many respects, she belongs here in Inbetween. That’s why I say
she is more susceptible to its darkness. As a halfer, she is the
very definition of Inbetween. Her father knew what it would do to
her. Sending her to the human world would allow her to be older
when Demitar pulled her into this world, perhaps better able to
resist this world’s temptations. Better yet, there was a Guardian
to watch over her. She had you.”

“This is so weird.” Kara shook her head. “I
never even knew her until this year.”

“Demitar had something to do with that.”
Baron scowled and leaned back into the couch. He crossed his arms
over his chest. “He was always pushing fate this way and that so
the two of you wouldn’t meet. You came close a few times.”

That was all it took for the memories to slip
into Kara. She always thought it was strange that she and Dylan
both lived in Los Angeles and New York City before moving to
Chicago. Now, she remembered.

When she was seven, she could remember
sitting at the top of a slide, watching a younger Dylan on the
swing set across the park. Kara had considered going to speak to
Dylan before a bigger boy climbed up behind her, told her she was
taking too long, and shoved her off the top of the slide. She went
home with a broken wrist that day. Years later, she’d seen Dylan
again when she was twelve. Dylan, surrounded by friends at a
community dance as she kissed a boy. Embarrassment filled Kara as
she watched and she left quickly, unsure of what she felt.

A dozen more memories flitted through Kara’s
head. How had she never realized why Dylan was so familiar to her?
It seemed so obvious now. How different would their lives have been
if they met earlier? What if she was there with Dylan through
everything? She liked to think that maybe Dylan wouldn’t have been
in so much trouble, wouldn’t have taken drugs so liberally or given
her body so freely.

“You remember,” Baron said with a knowing
smile. He wagged a finger at her. “I can see it in your eyes.”

“God, all those times we were so close.” Kara
put her head in her hands. Her brain seemed to thrum with the new
memories. She looked up, blinking rapidly to rid herself of the
afterimages of the memories. “How could we not have known?”

“You needed to speak to each other,” Baron
said. He shrugged. “Any time we got the two of you close, Demitar
would find a way to pull you apart. You only met in that alleyway
because I refused to follow the rules anymore. I went up to the
human world and led Dylan to you, though she didn’t realize
it.”

There was a moment of silence as Kara thought
this over. “Thank you,” she said, meaning it more than she had ever
meant anything. “I needed her.”

“Dylan needs you so much more,” Baron
replied. “Especially now. Alster isn’t wrong, you two could change
all our worlds, but I don’t think he realizes how powerful she will
be on her own. If she stays here, she could spread Inbetween so it
leaks into the other worlds. Without you she has no stability, no
one to keep her in check. Dylan could destroy all our worlds and do
it with a smile on her face. This place is a hell, it’s never night
and it’s never day. One drab, gray moment follows another as the
people and things here do whatever it takes to make their lives
bearable. I don’t want that for the rest of the worlds.”

“I’m supposed to stop that?” Kara spoke
softly. It seemed like too much.

“You’re the Guardian,” Baron said, looking
her in the eye. “No one else can stop it.”

“But how am I supposed to stop her?” Kara
asked in exasperation. She stood up, restless and nervous. “It
isn’t like she ever listened to me in the human world and that was
when she knew me. Not to mention, I would already be dead if it
wasn’t for you.”

“Maybe,” Baron agreed with a small grin. “But
I would have a broken nose right now if I wasn’t able to heal
myself.” Kara grinned, and Baron continued. “You’ve got everything
you need inside you. We just need to let it out.” He stood and
walked towards her, taking her arms in his rough hands. “Now, you
should get some sleep. Alster will figure out where they’ve taken
Mor- I mean Dylan- and we’ll try to rescue her tomorrow.”

“What time is it?” Kara asked. The continued
grayness of the light outside made it hard to discern. She wished
she had a watch.

“Late,” Baron said. “And you need sleep. I
promise we’ll work on everything in the morning.”

“Alright,” Kara said. When she let herself
relax, she could feel she was exhausted.

“Good. I’ll crash here on the couch. You can
take my room, it’s there.” He pointed to an open door in the
hallway. “I’ll try to find you some fresh clothes for the
morning.”

“Thanks,” Kara said. She headed to the room
he pointed at, yawning as she stepped inside. Exhaustion washed
over her like a wave.

The room was bare, nothing to give any clue
as to who lived there. Only an empty dresser and a twin bed made up
with crisp white sheets covered with a green blanket. Kara lay on
the bed fully clothed, not bothering to crawl under the covers.
Though her body yearned for sleep, her mind was still moving too
quickly to embrace it.

She lay for the better part of an hour,
playing over everything that happened since she woke in the pit.
She had no idea how long she’d been in Inbetween, but it felt like
a lifetime. It hit her then that she hadn’t thought about her mom
since she got to Inbetween. Her mom wasn’t the most observant, but
she noticed when her daughter didn’t come home at night. Kara was
sure her mom would be worried sick about her by now. Her stomach
churned with guilt that she hadn’t thought of her mom. With some
surprise, Kara realized it was hard to remember what her mom looked
like. She thought for a few minutes and finally dredged up a mental
image of her mom. As soon as the image formed, it disappeared and
Kara was thinking about Dylan again.

Kara couldn’t shake the memory of Dylan at
the club. Her eyes were so wide and empty, like the girl Kara knew
was nowhere to be found. Kara knew Dylan better than anyone else;
they were a part of each other. To look into her eyes and see
nothing was more terrifying than anything else Kara had faced so
far.

Finally, Kara slipped off into an uneasy
sleep. Her memories came back to her in tangled fits. First it was
her as a child lying down beside Dylan for a nap, then a tearful
goodbye with her parents as she was sent to the human world. One
memory played stronger than all the others. Reliving it, Kara
remembered it had happened less than a week earlier.

Chapter 5

“Dylan!” Kara shouted. She stopped in the
middle of the street, refusing to move until Dylan acknowledged
her. Her breath puffed from her mouth in a white mist and she
hugged herself tight to keep warm.

On the frigid March afternoon, in the middle
of the Chicago suburbs, it seemed as if spring would never come.
They had walked six blocks from the bus station, and Dylan wouldn’t
tell Kara where they were headed. Dylan was halfway down the next
block before she turned back to Kara.

“Fucking hell,” Dylan swore and began
trudging back through the slush toward Kara. In her high heeled
boots, jeans, and light winter jacket, Dylan looked like she had
forgotten she no longer lived in Los Angeles. In her own down
jacket and jeans, Kara shivered, hugging herself tighter and
bouncing up and down. She was glad she wore both her long sleeved
t-shirt and hoodie under the jacket.

“Will you come on?” Dylan stopped at the
other side of the street, knee bent and arms crossed over her chest
as she waited for Kara. Her long hair blew into her face, and she
flipped it away with an annoyed shake of her head. Her smoky eyes
met Kara’s in an intense stare, refusing to look away.

“Fine,” Kara muttered and finished crossing
the street. She walked right up to Dylan, stopping only inches away
when the other girl didn’t move.

Kara wouldn’t step back into the street
again, and Dylan didn’t give her any more room on the sidewalk.
Neither girl moved as they stood close enough they could have
kissed if either of them had been in the mood. If she was honest,
the thought did cross Kara’s mind. Dylan raised her eyebrow, as if
in a challenge, or like she knew what Kara was thinking. Kara
looked away. That close to Dylan, it was hard for her to stay
mad.

“What are we doing here?” Kara sighed,
meeting Dylan’s eyes again. Her anger faded under Dylan’s steady
gaze.

“I said I know a guy.” Dylan shrugged, a half
smile tugging at her lips. “I met him at that party at Leslie’s a
few weeks ago.”

Kara remembered the guy well enough. He spent
the whole night hitting on Dylan. He kept asking her to go home
with him, or go into Leslie’s bedroom. He was one of the first guys
to have failed with Dylan. Kara liked to think it had something to
do with her. It probably had more to do with the fact he was
pushing thirty.

“What about him?” Kara asked. She crossed her
arms, unconsciously mirroring Dylan’s pose in an attempt to hold
her ground. The sleeves of their jackets brushed together,
reminding Kara of the feeling of their skin touching.

“He said he can get some good E,” Dylan
answered, looking away from Kara. She knew Kara wouldn’t want to
hear that.

The street was silent. They were far from any
neighborhood they knew, and no one else seemed to be willing to
venture out on the roads in the late freeze. It hadn’t exactly been
Kara’s top choice for the day either. She studied Dylan’s profile.
The drugs were a continuing argument with them the last few weeks.
Kara wanted Dylan to cut back. Dylan had no intention of doing
so.

“You don’t know anyone in Chicago proper who
can get you good E?” Kara asked with a raised eyebrow. She wasn’t
going to argue about the drugs just then, there was more going on
than some good E.

Kara thought there was something else about
the guy that Dylan might be interested in. Old or not, he had been
good looking. With a steady supply of E, he could be Dylan’s
perfect man. Kara hated to think about it. For a few short weeks
their lives had been great, she had been the center of Dylan’s
crazy world. The first time she asked her to stop using so many
drugs, it all fell apart.