A Hero in the Dark: 2nd Edition

Chapter 11: Vital to Our Future

Henri pulled into a motel just a few hours away from Paradise, but personally, I'd feel a lot better if we were further away. Sam's truck is parked in the lot, gassed up and ready to go at a moment's notice, thanks to Six. Sarah and Mark have gone back to Paradise via taxi. After the whole drive, John decided it was probably best if they returned home so they didn't get hurt.

Everyone else on the other hand, well, they're mainly interested in the ties I have to them, I think. I sit cross-legged on the bed with Pixie in my lap enduring question after question.

"Um, Pittacus Lore," I start. "I only know because of his books. See, he has a bunch and they all tell the story of your war with the Mogadorians. I didn't think it was real at first until I saw John jump out of Mark's house." Henri eyes him with a look of disappointment at that, and alien boy runs a hand through his hair. "As far as I know, only a limited amount of his work was released to the public. I was lucky enough to get every copy. It's how I found you. It's how I knew they'd attack the school, and how I knew Six would be there too. I've read it."

"Does that mean you're, like, a psychic or something?" Sam asks, wide-eyed and curious.

"I guess, maybe, but not really," I say, shrugging. "I just like to read. I'm sure there's some things I'm forgetting, but for the most part, I know every major event that's supposed to happen. I know what to avoid, what to do, what not to, and when. I wouldn't call myself psychic—it's not like I have telekinesis or anything. I'm just human."

"What's with the bunny then?" Six asks, watching her lie calmly in my lap.

"Oh, I found her after I crossed the border." Pixie lifts her head, eyeing me like I'm not telling them the full truth. I smile and correct myself, "Well, ok, more like she found me."

"What do you mean?" asks John.

"A group of Mogadorians found me at the border," I explain. "They were waiting for me. They followed me; I just don't know why. They could've killed me..." I trace my neck, lost in the alien's chokehold. "I would've if it weren't for Pixie at least. She saved my life."

"Pixie, huh?" Sam ponders, like he's testing the name on his tongue.

"That's what I named her," I say and nod. "I don't know how she found me that day, or where she came from or why she did what she did. It doesn't make sense."

A moment of silence passes. Everyone looks from the bunny to me and me to the bunny, including me. "I'd be happy to help you understand her," John offers. "I think I can communicate with animals, and uh, Chimæra."

I smile, say that would be great, and John focuses on the coffee-coloured hare, who perks up almost immediately. "I'll start with something simple," he says. "Where'd you come from Pixie?"

There's a moment of awkward silence as we wait for an answer, eventually, he comes back with one: "She was in some facility," he explains. "There were others with her, I don't know, maybe ten or so... all in this crate, but she managed to escape."

"A crate?" I ask. "What crate?"

"I don't know," he says and shrugs. "A crate in a secure compound? I can't tell where."

"How'd she find me?"

Again, he focuses in. It takes longer this time, and I can't help but feel somewhat touched while I watch them convene. It isn't exactly jealousy, but it isn't adoration either. He's just, well... sweet. I love the way his hair shines under the light, the way his eyes sparkle when they gasp open, the way he watches me, like I'm a friend and no longer stranger. "John?" Henri asks. "What happened?"

"I—I saw something," he says. "In her head, hopping through mountains or valleys—I don't know. There was a cave, and a flicker of light. Everything was blue. But it was so brief; I'm not sure if it happened at all."

"John, what're you saying?"

"It was like—I think she had a vision of some sort. Emily was there, but not like she is now. Everything was shaded blue, and—there was another person with her. He had a hand on her shoulder—her right shoulder—and they were staring at me, or Pixie, I mean. He spoke to her."

"Spoke to her?" I don't understand.

"Who is he, John?" Henri probes. "Is he one of us? One of you? A Garde?"

"Yeah," says Sam. "What'd he look like?"

John looks down at his hands, like he's recounting the details. BK jumps up onto the bed and curls into a ball beside him. He doesn't seem to pay the beagle any mind. "Blond hair, messy," he continues. "He was pale and couldn't have been any older than me, but he looked wiser than his years—and he had a Loric pendant."

Henri's eyes spark to recognition. "What did it look like?"

"Uh, round? Silver?"

"No, the symbol. Does it look like yours?"

John shakes his head. "It was a circle too, but it had five smaller circles on its edges, connected by lines and curves spreading out from all of them." He pauses, watching us. When none of us say anything, he gets up and grabs a piece of paper and pen, then starts sketching. "Like this," he explains. "Henri, do you know who that guy was? Or what this symbol means?"

Henri's speechless at first but soon nods. "I believe the person you saw was Pittacus Lore."

Six and John look stunned, their mouths open in a small 'o'. Everyone turns to me—well, me and Pixie. They watch as the bunny stirs. "Wait," I say. "Are you saying Pixie met Pittacus Lore? The Pittacus Lore? I thought he was dead."

"It was probably a vision," John adds. "It would explain the blue, but yeah. Maybe?"

"You said he spoke to her," Six jumps in. "What'd he say?"

"Instructions," he replies. "He told her to find her—Emily—because she's 'vital to our future.' He told her to protect her as if she were one our own."