The Strength of Ten

Katarina?

IMPORTANT PLEASE READ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A/N: I just learned that the fourth book’s name’s gonna be “The Fall of Five”. Awesome right? Also, I just read The Lost Files #4, The Search for Sam, and I’m adding in Malcolm to this one, ok? Just pretend he was always there. ;) Spoilers for The Search for Sam.

I do not own Lorien Legacies!

Five hopped up into the Garde’s truck.

“Come on, I’ll lead the way to our house.”

She winked at John flirtatiously. “I’ll be very happy to have you at my house, hot stuff.”

After a few failed attempts at flirting with Scarlett on Nine’s part, the Garde and Sam finally pulled up into Five’s driveway.

“Carla?” Five hollered.

“Round the back, Scarlett!” A feminine voice called back.

Six looked slightly shaken upon hearing the voice. “That voice....”

No one but Four heard her. John turned to her, a concerned look etched into his features. “You alright, Six?”

Six nodded shakily.

Four, who could read Six like an open book, knew that something was up, but decided not to push it.

Nobody else noticed anything, following Five around the back.

“I brought company, Carla.”

The Cepan looked up, taking in the battle weary faces of the Garde.

“It... it can’t be! The rest of the Lorien Garde... Together at last. The charm is broken. But where are your Cepans?”

Everyone looked down again while Five mouthed ‘they’re dead’ to Carla. Five’s Cepan gasped and covered her mouth.

Her eyes glanced through the Garde, noticing the dark haired girl kneeling on the ground, her face buried in her palms. A familiar blonde boy was kneeling next to her, an arm around her shoulders, a concerned look on his handsome features.

The girl looked up, feeling Carla’s eyes on her.

“Kat... Katarina? No... No. It can’t be! Please... Why?” The girl’s face paled and a soft, almost inaudible moan escaped her mouth.

The boy’s eyebrows furrowed. “Six? Six? Are you ok?”

So she was Six, then. The more Carla scrutinised the boy, the more familiar he became. Of course! John Smith, the international terrorist. He was Four, then.

And yet, the girl ignited a memory too. The raven locks, the shocking greyish-hazel eyes. Her twin sister’s charge. It had to be. People always said she looked exactly like her twin. No wonder the girl was so disturbed. If Scarlett was right and her Cepan, –her own twin –was dead, the girl had every right to break down upon seeing someone who looked exactly like what her beloved Cepan looked like.

Malcolm, Sam and the rest of the Garde were staring uncomprehendingly at Six. How was it that Six, out of all the Garde, was crying?

John shifted closer to Six. “Six? Lizzie, you okay?”

Despite the way Six acted every time he called her Lizzie, John knew she secretly loved it. He could see the sparkle in her eyes every time he said it previously. But now, that beautiful glimmer simply wasn’t present, drowned out by a sea of sorrow.

Six managed a wan smile at the nickname, before Four’s protective side came into play and he pulled her close, burying his face in her hair, letting her take comfort in his presence.

A little shocked at Six’s complete breakdown, John just held her close, murmuring comforting words into her hair. And yet, Six was so battle-hardened that she almost never cried. Even now, Four knew that she may have been shocked and miserable, but she would never allow a tear to break past her barricades.

A/N: I'm sorry this is so lame and short, but I'm having a serious writer's block...