Redemption

Redemption Part 6

Light blinded me for a moment. Heat radiated from the dark red bricks. Sunlight blazed from between the silhouettes of the towers, rays stabbing the ground like shards of frosted glass.

People were gathered in the hexagon, several kneeling next to a few lying on the ground. With a jolt I realized they were the ones shot down, or the ones tortured. My heart thudding hard in my chest, I maneuvered around them, careful not to make a sound. The people on the ground moaned in pain, and the others murmured to them as they bound up their wounds.

I managed to make it past them, but then my foot slipped. I gasped and planted my other foot hard on the ground. A man looked up, looking around suspiciously, then went back to caring for the woman in front of him. I took a deep breath and stepped forward, over the dark splotched bricks—

It hit me that the bricks were stained even darker than their normal color.

Blood.

The blood hadn't yet been cleaned. I'd slipped on it.

I could smell it on the bricks, baking into it with the sun. I nearly gagged.

Somehow, I managed to step off of the blood without getting sick, and then a cool breeze swept past me, cleansing the air of the smell. I still felt somewhat queasy.....

I neared the outer edges of the crowd. Clusters of people, some of them silent, some of them speaking in hushed tones. Some looked fearful, some looked enraged. Standing at the center of the hexagon, I thought I could make out the words "Tune" and "the Powers."

A shiver lanced through me. I might be a random, but I was still one of the Powers. Even Ms seemed not quite as invulnerable as they usually did in the face of such hate. I couldn't say I blamed them.

Several people stepped forward, and the crowd began to follow.

I backed away. I didn't want to be crushed without them even knowing I was there. I didn't have wings, and no Ms in sight. But Vy wouldn't leave me out here without protection....

Boom!

I slammed to the bricks, covering my head.

But it was only thunder, and I climbed to my knees, feeling sheepish even though they couldn't see me, my elbows and knees scraped. Dark clouds had rolled in and sunlight warred with shadow at the center of the hexagon.

Dad could be very dramatic when he wanted to be.

Lightning blazed into the ground. Terror stabbed through me almost as powerfully as if I'd been hit. I had to fight to keep from throwing myself to the ground again, and told myself, Dad doesn't want to hurt me, there's no reason for it this time—right? And anyway, last time was an accident, he hadn't even known where I was.... I don't have a sensor block, not for real at least. He knows where I am now. It's all for the benefit of the people.

The surge of the crowd had quelled, and they were cowering, backing away, some running from the hexagon completely. Thunder rumbled, and the air tanged like electricity. Lightning danced across the dark undersides of the clouds.

Against the backdrop of the storm, a figure flew. With a jolt I realized it was me. A replica of me. It let out a yell of exultation and twirled up toward the clouds into a corkscrew.

"It's Jet!"

"Amazing!"

"What's he doing here?"

Another figure zoomed through the sky. This time, it was Violet. She hovered for a moment, her black hair flying like a banner. One of the last rays of sunlight hit her, displaying her majestic form. Then she shot upward and slashed a stream of white-hot fire from her arm, and it caught "Jet" as he flew. He faltered and dropped like a stone. Then, just before he hit the ground, he regained control of his wings and arrested his fall. He hovered just above the hexagon, his artfully messy hair swirling stiffly against the wind, his very posture exuding defiance.