| Part 5 Jake reappeared in the Dark�s ship and sat hard onto the ring around the central column. He dropped his head to his hands and shoved them through his hair. Okay, he commanded himself, there is nothing wrong. No conscience, you�re a Dark. He felt physically tired, weak. He felt strange, light-headed, mentally tired, his powers weak and sluggish, his thoughts fighting through a sludge of emotion and confusion. As far as he knew no Dark had ever had this kind of crisis. No Dark had ever felt regret or compassion; Darks were people who did not care for other people, they were pawns, nothing more. He steeled himself, telling himself that what he was feeling was a fluke, nothing more, something that would blow over and disappear. He couldn�t remember the last time that a pair of twins had broken out, especially twins that had not been of the same race of Tomorrow Person. He didn�t know if something like this had ever happened. I don�t think that anyone knows what to expect. He thought to himself. We�re just gonna have to figure this all out as we go and hope that things go the way that we�re hoping. As he reassured himself, the wall of anger and menace rebuilt itself, burying his feelings of guilt beneath the foundation. As he walked around the room, his powers slowly began to stabilize and stop wavering, his shields growing stronger for they had been thinning, making himself more vulnerable for a reason that he did not have time to concentrate on for a flash reflecting in the glass caught his attention, and he sensed a presence in the room. Jake turned to find Christopher sitting in the spot he had just vacated, leaning forward with his forearms braced on his knees, his long reddish brown hair flopping in his face, as usual. It gave him a boyish innocent air that he exploited to the fullest degree, especially with every doe-eyed young Light that came along and fell under his spell, but the reddish glow cast about him by the column at his back, lent a different air. In reality, the cocky young man from Seattle was the epitome of the Darks. He was cunning, ruthless, best at setting traps and even better at torturing and interrogating those too unfortunate to be caught in them. He was twenty-four, middle-aged bordering on ancient by TP standards. He was tall, lanky, handsome, and annoying as anything, always breathing down Jake�s neck waiting for him to slip up. Jake trusted him as far as he could throw him, and less sometimes, but put up with him as long as he proved useful. Christopher had a cocky smirk on his face, and Jake shivered inwardly. �What?� Jake asked, cursing himself for letting Chris disarm him so easily. The smile lingered as he shook his head slowly. �She�s gotten to you man.� Jake scoffed at him. �Who would that be, man?� �Your big sister,� Christopher rose to his feet. He ducked as the chairs attatched to the central column swung slowly around. They were high off the ground, ever Jake�s head, but Christopher was tall enough that they nearly took his head off as they lazily orbited the column. He towered a few inches over Jake�s modest five foot ten, but Jake�s authority had always made him seem taller. �She breaks out, acting all sweet and innocent.� His voice rose in a horrible imitation of Nathalie, �oh, I�m so helpless, just a bit of fluff.� Jake chuckled. If Chris only knew. �She changed both your lives forever, and for some sick reason, your god damned atrophied conscience suddenly decides to rear its ugly head. She�s got you good.� He was face to face with Jake, almost in his face. Jake took a step back, scrunching up his face. �Man Chris, get a breath mint.� Jake hid his surprise behind heavy shields and a steeled expression, and sarcasm. �Nice try man, won�t work on me. Nathalie hasn�t gotten to anyone.� Christopher smiled again, knowing that his point had been made. �Yes she has.� Jake refused to let out the sigh that he felt coming up. He drew up to his full height so that he at least reached Christopher�s nose, projecting as much mental strength and confidence that he could muster, though with the mention of his sister, he felt the opposite. �Something needs to be done.� Jake said crossing his arms. �Definitely.� Jake looked at him for a moment as the silence grew, and he could almost hear the wheels turning in that cunning little head of his. �Out with it Chris. I know there�s something brewing in there.� Christopher tucked his hands behind his back and made a few circuits of the room --a stall that made Jake more aggravated--before stopping in front of him, so close that Jake could smell a nauseating mixture of cologne and bad breath. �We set a trap.� �It took you that long to say that?� Jake exclaimed. But he was intrigued. �What kind of a trap?� �A foolproof one.� �The best kind.� He was slipping into his leadership role, his mind filled with its usual quiet clarity. No conscience here. He spread empty hands to demonstrate his thought. �Go on,� �I�ll set a trap that she�s sure to get caught in especially with her gallivanting across the world and everything.� Chris said, face taking on the usual glow of excitement when he knew that his plan would work, and rarely failed. �In a couple of days there will be only one Ciarana.� He added, silver eyes twinkling. �Just don�t let her sense you.� �Well, what are you waiting for?� Jake asked. �Get going.� Chris grinned and disappeared in a flash. Jake followed suit, rematerializing in the garage. He stepped into the kitchen, to find his mother washing dishes. Damn. �Boy, you guys are quiet lately,� Andrea Ciarana said, drying her hands on a towel before fixing her dark hair and pushing her thin rimmed glasses higher up on her nose. �I didn�t hear either of your bikes when you came home.� �Nat�s home?� He asked, though he already knew. �In the living room.� His mother said. She turned and leaned against the counter. �By the way, Jake, do you know what happened to the Ducati.� He wanted to just walk away, but that would lead to following and yelling and while he did enjoy a good fight once in a while, he was really not in the mood. �What about it?� �It�s covered with sand.� She said. �Where could she have been to have run into so much sand?� �Dunno.� He said. Though I wish that I did. �Nat never lets it get that dirty, did something happen?� Jake answered quickly. �Of course not, mom.� He pecked her cheek and left the room. * * * Nathalie walked back into the house, grateful that no one was in the kitchen. Her mom was in the garden in the back yard. She walked into the living room and flopped onto the couch. She sighed and closed her eyes, glad that for one moment, there was nothing to do but lie still. After a long moment, she sat up and grabbed her book off the coffee table, a science fiction novel that she had read a million times before. She pulled the throw blanket over her legs and she opened the book just as she felt a presence appear in the garage. Jake. She realized with a start, it was the first time that she had sensed Jake�s presence, though she betted that it was deliberate, that he was allowing her to sense him. It was cold, laced with hatred and menace and it made Nathalie shiver. He walked into the house and she acted like she was busy. She heard him talking to their mother, heard the worry in their mother�s voice that they were both being so quiet, and that Nathalie�s motorcycle was so dirty. Jake brushed her off as usual and she sensed him coming closer. �Hey Nat,� he said, entering the room. �Hi,� she said distractedly. She glanced up for a moment before returning her attention to the book in her lap, trying as hard as she could to hide the nervousness that she felt. �So�� Jake said dropping into the chair at the far end of the couch so that when she looked up, she could see the strange smile and the twinkle in his eyes. �How was London?� He asked, directly. Nathalie�s breath caught in her throat and she had to take a moment before she started breathing again. �Excuse me?� She croaked slightly. �It�s a little dull at ten at night, huh?� �I don�t know what you�re talking about.� She closed the book in her lap and sat watching her brother. �Don�t play innocent Nat.� Jake said, wagging his finger at her. �You�re good at it, but not with me.� He tapped his pointer finger on his temple.� She felt a jolt of fear shoot up her spine, and knew, suddenly, that Jake had been on London as well. �You followed me?� She exclaimed, eyes wide. Adrenaline began to flow, making her feel slightly giddy, and she tried to relax.. Jake just smiled, and nodded his head. �Someone had to.� Nathalie realized with a start that Jake had spoken into her mind, and his �voice� was a lot stronger and clearer than Blaise or Julie�s. �What are you going to do?� �Nothing yet?� Jake said. �But be ready for anything. This is a threat not a warning.� Nathalie knew her twin well enough to know that he was not joking. �Just know this dear sister, we won�t be stopped and nothing you can do will change that.� She was close to shaking, fear taking away any smart remarks that would usually come to mind. Jake, sensing this, smiled and disappeared in a flash from the house. Nathalie shivered and drew up her knees to her chest like a frightened little child. She jumped to her feet and hurried down the hall to her room where she closed the door and proceeded to fall completely to pieces. * * * Nathalie spent the next few days avoiding every TP that she knew, especially Jake, which consisted of hiding in her room and not talking to anyone, feigning sickness. But, finally, she couldn�t stay alone anymore and headed into town, she had to talk to someone. Her bike still hadn�t been cleaned out since she had been avoiding Julie too, and Jake was no where to be seen, so she found his keys in his room and took his blue Suzuki. When she entered the shop, Morgan DiPietro looked up from the book that she had been reading with a look of surprise in her eyes. She asked, �hey, Keery, what are you doing here?� �Hi to you too,� Nathalie said smiling with a short laugh. Her best friend blushed slightly. �Sorry,� Morgan said. �I just didn�t expect you to be here anytime soon. Figured that Stephen King would keep you busy.� �I left it here, remember? Along with my backpack, and my wallet.� Nathalie said. Morgan started. �Oh, right.� She said and got up from the stool behind the counter. �Come on, I took them upstairs.� Morgan locked the front door and headed to the back of the store, waded through the box-cluttered store room, and up a flight of stairs into the DiPietro apartment. She reached into the closet in the hall and pulled out Nathalie�s backpack. �Everything should be there.� �Thanks.� Nathalie stood silent for a moment, thinking, unintelligible images flashing through her mind, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, uncertainty washing over her. Morgan looked at her perceptively. �Anything else Keery?� She asked placing a hand on Nathalie�s shoulder. �Not really.� She lied starting out of her day dreams. Morgan gave her a knowing look, took her backpack from her and led her into the living room. �Sit down and tell me what�s wrong. That�s what best friends are for, right?� �Yeah,� Nathalie said, sitting stiffly in one of the plush chairs. Morgan sat close by, concern on her face. She was studying Nathalie carefully, as if waiting for something. �I-I�ve got some news Mor.� Nathalie said, unsure where to start. She pushed her hair out of her face with one hand and looked at Morgan. �What?� �I�ve just gotta warn you that it�s a little off the wall.� �Like what?� Morgan asked, leaning forward. �The phone�s on the other side of the room, I can�t call the funny farm.� Nathalie laughed, it felt good to laugh. �Well�� She stopped, unsure how to tell one of her best friends that she was higher up on the proverbial food chain than Morgan was. �Ok,� Morgan said, sitting on the edge of the seat. �Can I take a guess?� Nathalie felt a little relief, knowing that for the moment, the heat was off her. She�ll never get this one. �I dare you.� She could have never been more wrong. �Let�s see�� Morgan said, putting her hands to her head comically, acting like a psychic. Nathalie laughed, but when Morgan raised her head, the expression in her almond eyes was anything but comical. �You�re trying to tell me that you�re different from me, in a way that I could never understand.� Nathalie�s eyes widened. �Go on,� she said intrigued. �You�re here to tell me that your favorite TV show is real, and you know that because you disappeared from Main Street and plunged into the South Pacific Ocean.� Nathalie started coughing, her voice coming out a croak. �Excuse me?� Morgan eyed her for a moment. �I know.� Nathalie almost fainted when she heard the words with her mind and not her ears. �What the--� Morgan sighed. �I know that this is not what you expected.� Nathalie closed her eyes and leaned back. She could feel Morgan�s sense now, and it was clear of any of the sinister aura around Jake�s sense. �You think?� �Sorry,� Morgan said, she moved closer and sat on the arm of the chair. Taking one of Nathalie�s hands, she spoke softly, sympathetically. �I�m sorry Keery. The past few days have been one surprise after another, huh?� Nathalie chuckled. �It has been that.� She said. �How long ago did you break out?� �A little less than a year ago.� She said softly. �What is this?� Nathalie exclaimed. �Is every one of my closest friends a TP?� Morgan chuckled, her slanted eyed creasing as she smiled. �Ironic, huh?� Nathalie smiled, and looked up at Morgan. The one question that she wanted to ask froze on her lips, Morgan didn�t feel like a Dark. She still didn�t have enough practice to know if she was projecting, but if Morgan sensed the direction of her thoughts, she didn�t let on. �Is there one person who I know that is a sap?� Nathalie asked. �Yeah,� Morgan answered. �A lot of people. Your parents, most of the town, except for the four of us.� �Good, I was starting to get worried there for a moment.� Nathalie said. Morgan chuckled and leaned over to give her a hug. �I�m here for ya Keery.� She said. �But right now I have to get back to the store. You okay, now?� Nathalie climbed a little unsteadily to her feet. �Yeah. I�ll be good, as soon as this is all over.� �Good luck.� Morgan said, but flashed her a smile. Nathalie followed her back to the store, head swimming. This is gonna kill me. She thought to herself. �See you later Morgan.� Nathalie said, swinging her backpack up onto her shoulder. She left the building almost dragging her feet with mental exhaustion. A young man was leaning against her brother�s bike. He had long reddish blond hair flopping in his silver-gray eyes. What brought her up short and made her want to go back into the store was his sense, very similar to her brother, laced with menace. She felt as if she was frozen in place. She managed to glance over her shoulder to see Morgan watching her with interest, glancing at the young man with what Nathalie couldn�t quite describe as fear; worry maybe, but not fear. Nathalie shivered despite the warm day. �Who are you?� All of her instincts were telling her to run, but her mind wasn�t responding. �Oh,� he said, holding out a hand, face breaking out in a sweet and swoon-worthy smile. �Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I�m Chris.� |