Oppression (21 page)

“I don’t think he was too happy we were having a girl,” she admitted.

“I was,” I said, remembering. “You were so sure it was a boy.”

She laughed. “I know. I named her Wyatt and bought everything in blue.”

“I knew the whole time. You wanted a boy too badly. It was bound to backfire.”

“No, Kurt wanted a boy. I didn’t care either way.” She flipped through the pages. “She was so cute,” Anna bragged, grabbing the next album. “And so good. Never cried.”

It was nice flipping through her memories. In every picture there was a smile, and it was good to see her happy. She was too young for this torture. This cancer was a thief robbing her of everything. There was no escape. None, except for me. I had to save her. I would never forgive myself if I didn’t.

“I found out how to cure you, Anna,” I admitted gravely, “but it’s . . . complicated.”

The silence caught me by the heart, and I could feel her want to hope, but not sure she should.

“It’s okay,” she said with grim understanding. “I’ve accepted—”

“No,” I interrupted. Seeing her had decided it for me. “I’m going to do it, but there are consequences.” It was the best way I could put it without telling her what I’d have to do.

“Oh.” She sounded unsure of how to react without the specifics. “What are they?”

“They’re . . . worth it,” I answered honestly. “But can you give me some time? Hold out a little while?”

It was cruel of me to ask, and I had no excuse other than one simple fact. I was scared, scared and in love.

“Yeah,” she answered, “but just promise me you’ll be smart about it. Don’t do it if it means putting yourself in danger.”

“I’m a big girl,” I teased, trying to lighten the mood. “Almost ninety, remember? I think I can handle it.”

Her hopeful smile was all the reassurance I needed.

20.

“MISS ME?” William asked when he surprised me Sunday night at my apartment.

I smiled. “Maybe.”

He scooped me up and threw me onto my bed.

“So what’s your big plan? I’ve been waiting all weekend to hear about it. Thanks for calling by the way.”

He crashed down next to me. “Yeah, well the guy I went to see is more than just a little paranoid. No phones allowed.”

“So, who is he?”

He looked at me apologetically. “I can’t say.”

“Oh come on,” I said sitting up. “I’m not taking part in any plan I don’t know the details of.”

“It’s just an emergency scenario. We might not even have to go through with it.”

“And if we do?” I asked, hoping to get a little more out of him.

“I’ll tell you when we get there.”

I gave him a playfully displeased look. A grimace that said,
I’m only half joking, the other half doesn’t like this at all.

“Hey, I’m trying to keep you safe. It’s not like I’m trying to make you my love slave or something.”

I lifted my eyebrows mockingly, daring him to try. His smile grew wider as he moved closer, but I lurched away with a reactive scream, and he pounced after me. His low rumbling laugh taunted me from behind as he chased me throughout the apartment, ready to tackle and wrestle me to the floor. I maneuvered my way in and out of my room, around the table and eventually into the living room before realizing I wanted to be caught. I whipped around only to be launched onto the couch and tickled until I couldn’t breathe.

“Wait. Stop,” I gasped, laughing uncontrollably. “This isn’t fair.” In truth, I didn’t want to be able to escape. I wanted to be trapped by him, for there to be no way out of his web of affection. He looked me in the eyes as he ran his fingers through my hair, and moved in for the kiss. The feel of his lips still got my heart racing, and the sensation rushed through me to the tips of every extremity.

His lips stretched tight into a smile, breaking the seal our mouths had formed.

“That was too easy. I didn’t even have to use my ability.”

I looked into his emerald eyes and tried to figure out what made them so different from mine, how they managed to yield so much power. “What is it like when you use your ability? I mean how do you even do it?”

He sat up and took on a thoughtful expression. I was glad I had an excuse to watch him. Whether it was his ability or not, something had a hold of me, as if looking away from him would be to deny my eyes of the very origin of beauty, to be blind to the glory of the finely sculpted terrain of the earth or the gentle light of the dawn.

“Nobody has ever asked me that before. I’m not sure exactly how I do it. It’s like any other command your brain tells your body.” He opened and closed his fist, watching his fingers curl and uncurl. “You’re not sure how, but when you want to move a part of your body it moves. I just look at whoever I want to affect and do it.”

“Is it hard?” I asked, more than happy to continue ogling.

“It can be hard if I’m tired or distracted.”

“You have to use your eyes though, right?” I asked immensely curious.

He looked at me with a sinister smile, as if to threaten me playfully with his dangerous gaze.

“Yes, my eyes essentially direct the flow of whatever causes the infatuation,” he answered. “I have been working on using my peripherals though.”

He turned and looked away, leaving me a bit confused, but when the familiar feeling of his spell began to permeate my body, and I couldn’t bring my eyes to look away from him, I realized what he’d meant. I tried to fight it, not because it bothered me, but because I wondered how strong a hold he had on me. It was useless. Slowly but surely I sank into the euphoria.

I let my eyes follow the finely structured contours of his cheekbones down to the hard corner of his jaw and traced the edge with my eyes to the tip of his squared off chin. The skin on his face, a light almond color, was smooth and flawless as if it were brand new and freshly exposed. I considered touching his cheek, just a slight brush of my hand to push back the loose strands of hair that had fallen into his eyes. I would have given anything for it.

“Did it work?” he asked, releasing me from his influence. “I didn’t want to look.”

“Yeah, it worked,” I laughed. My head was still not entirely clear. “But you know that isn’t necessary.”

He shot me a perplexed look.

“Oh, come on. You’ve got to know by now that you have me wrapped around your little finger.”

“Good to know,” he teased. “Now I have you right where I want you.”

As soon as William was back in town, it wasn’t long before the whole gang came knocking at my door looking for him.

“We have a new spot,” Rachel chimed.

“Want to come?” Sam asked from my door step. It was still a shock to see him, the new older-looking version of the boy I’d been introduced to.

“Sure,” I accepted for the both of us.

It felt refreshing to be out at night. The yellow glow of the streetlights changed the color of things, and I watched the world in sepia as the group of us headed for the N train. The trees that lined the streets formed a canopy of leaves that made the moonlight scatter on the sidewalk. Nics and Rachel laughed and danced boisterously ahead of the rest of us, while Paul and Sam seemed deep in conversation.

This was what it was like to feel young and alive, to have friends and be happy. I stole a quick glance at William, knowing that it was truly him that made me feel this way. His beauty was sharp in the dull light of the night, like the full moon against the pitch-black sky.

“I wonder where we’re going,” I said as the train took us deeper into downtown.

William shrugged. “No idea.”

“It’s a rooftop in the city,” Paul answered from the seat next to me.

When we got there, the lobby of the building was empty, with only a few security cameras to keep watch. Nics made sure all of us got up to the top floor unseen by any surveillance, and we took the stairs to access the roof. I realized once we stepped out onto the top of the building why this new place was worth the trek. The view was spectacular. The city lights stretched out like the sea.

I hugged my elbows close to my body in the chilly night air. “Wow, this place is amazing.”

“Told ya,” Rachel said with excitement.

“All right, you guys are good to go,” Nics said to Rachel and Paul, and the two of them took off into the air.

Sam leaned an old rusty stepladder under the knob of the roof access door. “At least it will give Nics a warning if someone tries to get up here.” He grabbed four folding chairs from behind a vent and set them out for us.

“So,” Nics said, looking at William. “Have you heard the rumor yet, or should we tell you?”

“What rumor?” I asked.

“I guess that means you haven’t.”

William shrugged and shook his head. “What is it?”

Nics looked at Sam before she spoke. “People are saying Dr. Nickel’s son is dating the last healer.” Her eyes fell on me, searching for answers. “Is it true?”

William looked at me, letting me be the one to decide what to say. “Yes,” I admitted. “It’s true.”

“The dating part or the prophecy part?” William asked with a smirk.

I blushed and had to look away. “Both.”

“What?” Rachel demanded, slamming down next to us.

“Seriously, how could you not tell us?” Nics complained.

“He told me,” Sam added.

William glared at him. “Thanks. That helps a lot.”

“You told Sam but not us?” Rachel scoffed.

“I’m his best friend,” he defended William.

Nics gave Sam a shove. “I thought I was your best friend.”

“You’re my best girl friend.”

“Okay, first, I am not your girlfriend—”

Sam rolled his eyes. “Are you kidding me?”

“Who cares who is best friends with who?” Rachel jumped in. “We’re all friends. He should have told all of us.”

“If I would have known I was going to get a verbal beat-down by the two of you,” William said, holding back a smile, “I might have actually considered it.”

Paul laughed. “You didn’t see this coming, huh?”

“So, what does this mean?” Rachel asked. “Is there going to be a war?”

“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “I don’t really know what everyone expects me to do.”

“I think you should get out of here,” Nics said seriously. “You saw what they did to Sam.”

“Thanks, Nics,” Sam scoffed. “She acts like I look like a grandpa.”

“Sam,” she whined. “That’s not what I meant.”

Rachel had to take over. “She’s just saying if The Council finds out—”

“They might already know,” William interrupted. “I told her we should leave, but she doesn’t want to.”

“Why?” Rachel asked.

All five of them were staring at me. “You guys don’t understand.” I couldn’t expect them to. If I were in their shoes I’d probably say the same thing, but Anna needed me, and I wasn’t going anywhere, no matter what any of them said. “Besides, I’m flagged. If they wanted me dead, I’d be dead.”

“She’s got a point,” Paul said as he hovered a foot above the ground. “She hasn’t done anything to prove that she is who everyone thinks she is. Maybe they’re waiting for her to make a move.”

Sam nodded. “Maybe you’re right. Why start a war over someone you aren’t sure is your enemy?”

“You think if she just stays quiet they’ll leave her alone?” Nics asked.

“Well, think about it,” Sam continued. “If she doesn’t do anything to cross them, why instigate it? If they came after her, it would be like setting fire under our feet. People would go crazy, pick sides, start fighting over nothing.”

“They don’t want to be the ones to throw the first punch,” Paul added.

“I’d say they already did,” Rachel said. “We heard about your Evasion test.”

“That was Ryder,” William clarified. “I don’t think Christoph had anything to do with it.”

“So what do you think, Elyse?” Nics asked. “Will you swing first?”

“I guess we’ll see won’t we,” I answered, thinking of Anna. Surely The Council would consider that an offense, even if it was my one and only move against them.