Guardians: The Fallout Read online

  “You made a promise and you broke it. Now she has to watch you and Emmy parading around like the new Royal Couple.”

  “Parading around? You’re freaking kidding me, right? When did we get a chance to parade, Miku? Every fifteen minutes that girl is being attacked: attacked from The Akons, attacked from The Sage. She’s getting attacked by the whole damn Angel world. Have you seen what the Splash has written about her? ”

  “I can’t believe you are playing ‘who’s hurt worse’ with me, Marcus. Not one of us got to live past the ripe old age of seventeen. And now we are sent on this impossible ass mission and our leader goes and screws everything up by not being able to control himself. This entire thing is your fault, Marcus. Not mine, not Rio, not Jay, and not Mimi. This is your fault.”

  “If you want to hate me, then fine, Miku. Hate me. But Emmy has helped us a lot. She lost Sara because we would not allow her to save her friend. She doesn’t make new friends for fear that she will end up getting them killed. She only had you and now you’re abandoning her. I think that sucks.”

  “Whatever Marcus.” I guess she turned and headed back to Ameana’s room because Marcus calls out to her.

  “You do not walk away from me until I am done.” The command in his voice leaves absolutely no room for argument. He continues speaking with a brute, icy, demanding voice that I have never heard before.

  “You will never speak to me the way you did just now. Do you understand?”

  “Yes.”

  “You don’t have to agree with my decision but I will strip you of every ounce of power you have the next time you take that tone with me. Are we clear?”

  “Yes.”

  “We leave in ten minutes. Tell the others.”

  “Before I go, can I ask you something?”

  “What?”

  “Are you gonna order me to play nice with Emmy?”

  “No, you do what you want. But when you cast your eyes on her and they fill up with disapproval and judgment, just remember this: If Omnis judged you as harshly as you are judging Emmy, you’d be roasting over an open flame.”

  I walk away from the door and plop down on Miku’s bed. I don’t want to hear anymore. I wish he hadn’t talked to Miku. I don’t want her to talk to me out of guilt.

  And, as far as the Splash goes, I’m sure I’m on the front page, right under the headline “Biggest Human screw-up.”

  So why do I want to run out and read a Splash right now?

  And how did Miku get Rio killed? She’ll never tell me. Heck, she can hardly stand the sight of me.

  Just then as if right on cue, Miku enters the room.

  “Did you find anything to wear?” she asks.

  I can’t look her in the eye.

  “No, but I’m sure I will.” I go over to the closet and look though her clothes.

  “Here, this should keep you warm.” She hands me a thick leather jacket.

  “Thanks.”

  “You need a better sweater. The one you have on won’t do much. I read about Barrow, Alaska. It’s like the coldest place ever, even in the spring.”

  “Thanks for letting me wear your stuff.”

  “No problem.” We are both silent as she looks for suitable attire for me to wear. I would have done it but I’m sure she doesn’t want people going through her stuff.

  “So, have you and Marcus had any time alone yet? Did he take you anywhere fun or romantic?” she asks without turning to me.

  “You don’t have to do this.”

  “Do what?”

  “I heard you and Marcus talking. You don’t have to have ‘girl talk’ with me out of some warped sense of duty to Marcus or anyone else.”

  “That’s not it.”

  “It’s okay. I completely understand.”

  “Emmy—”

  I look up at her. She studies my eyes. The more upset I am, the deeper shade of purple it turns. Right now, I’m sure they are the deepest purple on the planet. They look freaky. But then again, that’s me, the girl with the freaky eyes, who’s gonna end the world.

  “If Sara was here, you’d be on the phone all night, huh? Going over detail after detail about your first boyfriend.”

  “I guess,” I say softly, not wanting to think about Sara.

  “Tell me about it.”

  “Why? You don’t care.”

  “If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have asked.”

  “It’s okay. You have to be loyal to Ameana. You knew her first.”

  “Emmy, just tell me about it already.”

  “Well…”

  “One thing. Tell me one thing about the time you’ve spent with him.”

  I can’t help it. I replay the memories yet again. My eyes glaze over. A goofy smile spread across my face. My heart races and my hands are warm. I’m blushing like a silly schoolgirl.

  I look over at Miku. She is waiting to hear what I have to say, like a captive audience. Like a friend.

  “He held my hand.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, when I found out we couldn’t kiss I thought, well, that’s it. I will never be truly connected to him. But last night, we went to Vermont. On our way there, I got some food and when we were walking out, he held the door for me and then, he took my hand.”

  “What kind of hand holder is he?”

  “Gentle, but not limp; Firm, but not overpowering.”

  “That’s good. A guy with limp hands makes you feel like you’re holding hands with Jello.”

  I laugh at her and continue.

  “And the whole time he was holding my hand, he was rubbing it and I swear every single stroke left behind a trail of heat. Like the kind that happens in classic literature.”

  “So, you were living inside a Bronte novel, huh?”

  “Yes, but it was better than that. All those books had other characters. But walking hand and hand with Marcus, there was only the two of us. Not like a novel, more like…a poem. Yes! It was like living inside a John Keats poem…”

  I don’t even realize that I’ve stopped talking and have retreated into my own world until Miku clears her throat.

  I stare back blankly at her.

  She laughs at me.

  I run over to her, take her hands and drag both of us down on to the bed.

  “Miku, it was so…” I sigh.

  “I’m sure it was.”

  “Seriously, my heart was in my throat the whole time he was holding my hand. I couldn’t believe he was with me. Oh, and then when we got to the mountain, I fed him chocolate.”

  “You fed him?”

  “He licked it from my fingers.”

  We both made girly sounds at the same time.

  “Hey, some of us are trying to work here,” Jay calls out from Rio’s room.

  “Sorry,” we both say together.

  “So, what else happened?” she asks.

  “He told me his Core. I felt so bad.”

  “That’s usually what you would feel after hearing a Core.”

  “Then we just sat on the mountain. I wanted to stop time. I wanted everything to be still so that I could drink him in like he was the last glass of water on the earth. And he was the only thing that stood between my life or my death. It was so good.”

  Unable to control myself, I give her a big hug. She hugs me back. When we part I look into her eyes.

  “I know it’s crazy and stupid but I love him, Pretty. I love him so much.”

  She smiles at me sadly, brushes a stray hair from my face.

  “I know you do Emmy. I know…”

  I get up and put on the clothes she picked out for me.

  “What do you think?”

  “Looks good and you’ll be warm.”

  “Warm, I’m burning up. How cold is this Barrow place anyway?”

  “You’ll see,” she says as she adds more layers to her clothes as well.

  I step out of the room and into the living room, where Marcus stands looking out at the New York City skyline.

&nbs
p; “Hey you,” I say softly as I approach.

  “You look like you you’ve been filled with helium.”

  “You sure know how to sweet-talk a girl.”

  “You look great.”

  “No, I look like I’m hiding turkeys under my coat.”

  “How many layers are you wearing?” he asks me between fits of laughter.

  “Miku wouldn’t have it any other way. Speaking of Miku, are you going to force everyone to talk to me or just the members of your team?”

  “I didn’t force her. She cares about you.”

  “Thanks for talking to her, but you didn’t have to.”

  “I know, but I wanted to. I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I’m kind of into you.”

  He pulls me close; I wrap my arms around his neck.

  “I may have picked up on a few signs,” I say teasingly.

  He brushes the outline of my lips with his finger. His touch sends bolts of electric waves traveling happily down my spine.

  My heart races and I’m slightly lightheaded. He moves even closer. The heat radiating between our bodies is a thousand times more intense than one of Rage’s fireballs. He presses me against his perfect body.

  I can count individual lashes. His scent surrounds me. He smells like a combination of light musk and a warm sunny day by the ocean. As I breathe him in, he moves closer as if to kiss me but instead he whispers softly in my ear.

  At first it’s hard to make out what he’s saying because his voice is so low. Also, him being so close causes my body to vibrate from within like a drum. Listening is difficult, if not impossible.

  “Um…could you repeat that please?” I ask, scolding myself for not focusing.

  He leans in and tries again. His lips brush my earlobes. His warm breath travels down my ear and causes me to shiver yet again.

  Focus Emerson.

  This time, I can make out what he is saying.

  “Will you do something for me?” he asks.

  “Anything.”

  “Will you stay behind and let us do this alone?”

  My face drops and I pull away from him.

  “What? No.”

  “Emmy…”

  “No.”

  “You said you’d do anything for me. This is what I want; I want you nowhere near the Hun.”

  “We had a deal; you can’t leave me out anymore. You and the whole team promised that from now on, I am a part of this mission in every way.”

  “You could get hurt.”

  “So could you.”

  “This is my job. This is what I was sent here to do. You don’t have to come with us.”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “I won’t let you risk your life just because you are bored at home.”

  “Why can’t you just get it through your head? I’m a part of this. And even if I wasn’t, I would still be going to Alaska.”

  “Why?”

  “Because that’s where you are. Don’t you get it? I’ll go to Alaska, Iraq, and even to the house of fire. If that’s where you are, that’s where I’ll be.”

  “I’ve lost a lot in the sixteen years I had on earth. I can’t lose you.”

  “Then you better hold me close.”

  He pulls me in and we embrace tightly, too much so. I don’t think he realizes it but he’s squeezing the life out of me.

  But I think he needs to hold on this tightly, so I let him. Then I hear Jay shouting from Rio’s room.

  “Yo, whatever you doing to Emmy, Rio says it’s hurting her.”

  He instantly pulls away and looks me over.

  “I’m fine,” I say before he can start asking about my well-being.

  He shouts back at Jay.

  “Tell Rio to mind his business.”

  The both of us laugh and that’s when we notice her. I don’t know how long Ameana had been in the room watching us. But I get the feeling she has been there a while.

  “It’s time. We should go,” she says with a robot-like demeanor. There’s something cold and broken in her voice.

  “I’ll be waiting on the roof,” she says as she goes up the winding spiral steps three at a time.

  “I didn’t know she was there,” he says to me.

  “You weren’t trying to hurt her.”

  “It’s one thing to break things off; it’s another to be with someone else only a few feet away from her. That was callous. I should have known better.”

  “Well, it’s not like we were kissing.”

  “Still…”

  His guilt over what happened with Ameana is palpable. I want to tell him that things will work out. I want him to know that she will get over it. But the truth is she may not; I wouldn’t.

  And the plain hard truth was that everything wouldn’t be alright. We are headed for an encounter with the second most evil force on this planet. And win or lose, a price will surely be paid.

  **************************************

  BOOK THREE: AMEANA JONES

  "If I loved you less,

  I might be able to talk about it more."

  ----Jane Austen

  CHAPTER TWELVE: BROKEN HEARTS

  My wings are flapping in the air furiously as I pace up and down the roof. A few moments ago I had the pleasure of seeing Marcus cuddle with the human. Now I am having a hard time getting myself to calm down. Luckily for me, in a few minutes we’ll all be off to Alaska to find the Witness. That way, my mind can be on things that really matter.

  I try not to replay it in my head. The way they laugh together, the way he holds her. The way he does everything but kiss her…

  A smile spreads across my face. I wish I could have been there when Emmy first tried to kiss Marcus. I would have given my soul to see the look on her face when he told her that they would not be able to kiss unless I agreed to the breakup and gave Marcus back his Rah.

  I know it’s very un-angel like but I don’t care. I’m glad she can’t kiss him. Too bad my satisfaction and joy never lasts too long.

  It’s the little things he does with her that hurt the most.

  Like a few minutes ago, downstairs, when he asked her not to go to Alaska with us because it wasn’t safe. He wasn’t asking as the leader of the Guardians. He was asking as her boyfriend. He cared so much about her that the thought that she could get hurt was unbearable.

  Ameana, focus on the task at hand.

  I scold myself repeatedly.

  “Who are you so mad at?” Rio asks as he comes towards me.

  “No one.”

  “I would say that it’s Marcus, but there’s an undertone of self-hatred there as well.”

  “Can you stop reading me please?”

  “That’s like asking Marcus to stop being strong. Or Jay to stop being fast.”

  “Just stop telling me about it then.”

  “Okay, we can talk about something else.”

  “Where are the others? We need to get going.”

  “They should be up soon.”

  I sigh and continue to pace. With Rio here it is important that I don’t let my mind wander onto other things—or people.

  “That must be some secret you’re trying to conceal. You are working pretty damn hard.”

  “Rio—enough.”

  “Okay, okay. Can I just ask you one thing?”

  “What?”

  “If the thing you’re involved in is so dangerous, why are you doing it?”

  “I’m not doing anything. But if I were, it would be my business.”

  “I’m going to ignore that wave that just came out of you that told me you are lying.”

  He is about to say something else, but fortunately the rest of the Guardians join us. The human is only a few steps behind.

  She has tried to act like she isn’t really with Marcus. I guess she’s doing that for my sake. Or so she thinks. Personally I would like it better if they were holding hands out in the open. That way I would have a place to focus my fury.

  Also, I’d rather watch them act
ually be together then watch them longing to be together. It makes me sick. No, seriously. If I were able to be nauseous, I would be.

  But what I would most like is for this whole thing to go away. It annoys me that Marcus is ever present in my head. I see him all the time, especially when I’m with Rage.

  Rage…

  There are a series of flashes that spring to mind when I think of Rag: abandoned lots, dark alleys, rooftops…

  Great, here comes another series of flashes: kissing, clothes ripping, biting…

  I lower my head. Each flash is like my conscience slapping me across in the face. But under the guilt over what Rage and I have done, is the anticipation over what we might do next.

  This is bad, Mimi, this is so bad…

  Marcus snaps me out of my thoughts and goes over the plan to get to the Witness. Once he’s done, Rio takes Emmy and we are off.

  Marcus flies first. I follow along with the Twins, the Human and Jay.

  As we fly above the New York City skyline, Rio heads down to the roof of the Empire State building, Emmy in hand.

  Unsure of why Rio has done so, Jay and Miku follow. But unlike them, I know exactly why Rio has flown and placed Emmy down.

  Along with the power to move things, I have the ability to scan the human body. I scanned Emmy and I knew we’d have to attend to her.

  Marcus turns to find the rest of his team has changed direction.

  He calls out to me, “What’s up?”

  I answer him as I make my way towards the roof.

  “Your girlfriend’s heart stopped beating.”

  *********************************

  Marcus lands on the roof at once and immediately goes to Emmy. He watches with abated breath while Rio performs CPR.

  “What happened?” he asks.

  “I don’t know. We were flying and suddenly, all of her waves were gone. She wasn’t nervous; she wasn’t scared; she wasn’t anything,” Rio says as he continues to press down on Emmy’s chest in an attempt to restart her heart.

  Marcus calls out her name but she remains silent. He asks me if she has broken any bones. I say no. He asks if she’s bleeding internally and again, I say no.

  “Harder, try harder!” he shouts at Rio.

  “If I do it any harder, I’ll crack her chest open.”