A Hero in the Dark: 2nd Edition

Chapter 15: Vishnu Nationalist Eight

I rise at 7:48, later than when I woke in the motel I stayed in on my own. It feels good to sleep in after the sun rises, but I still wish I had more rest. I want to sleep longer. Something's bugging me about how I handled myself yesterday. I dreamt about it last night. Even though Marina and John tried to convince me that I'm valued without a weapon, I'm not so sure anymore.

John stretches and even though his hair is messier than the day before, I still admire the way his bare back expands in the new light. I feel bad for noticing. To think that he looks like me but isn't like me... he's perfect, and I like that he had my back in coming here instead of meeting up with Six. It's just... the way he looks at me, how his eyes seem to sparkle into mine... it's mesmerizing.

"How'd you sleep?" he asks when he catches me staring, and I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, my face feeling flushed.

"Good," I answer. "Still tired though. You?"

"Same, but we've got more work to do. Eight and Five are still out there, and we should find them before the Mogs do." My heart skips a beat at the mention of Five. How am I supposed to tell them that Five's a traitor? Is there any way to do it subtly or should I just come out and say it? And should I do it now or later? When would later even be?

"Alright everyone," claps Henri. "We've got a long drive ahead of us. Let's get back on the road."

***

It's a long journey from Spain to India. From the airport, it's a ten-hour flight, which already doesn't sound fun in my head.

Again, I have the window seat. Ella has the middle. Marina the aisle.

I'm quick to find that time passes slowly, much slower than it did on the last flight. I talk with the others, but it isn't the same as when John and I were talking amongst ourselves. I don't know—I guess because I felt like I could tell him almost anything? Literally anything and he wouldn't judge. I wasn't scared of sounding stupid in front of him. But with Marina and Ella, it's different. I'm a lot more careful about what I say. I know I probably don't need to be, and I probably shouldn't, but I just don't want to look silly in front of them.

Marina tells us what it was like in the orphanage; how she was made fun of, pushed her off a dock, almost drowned, how Adelina refused to train her. Her voice gets low whenever she mentions Adelina, and even so, she doesn't speak much about her other than how she didn't train her like she should have.

I tell her about her Glacen, what she's capable of, but briefly, just in case I'm wrong. I tell her that it's supposed to develop from her healing, but when she asks me how I know, I'm not sure what to say. "I just know..." I say with a shrug.

"You met our Elder?" Ella asks when I mention him.

"No," I say. "But I know of him. He wrote books on the war between your people and the Mogs. Crayton has one of them."

"Really?" Marina sounds surprised.

"You should've seen him reading it," I say. "He should've had it in the café whenever you were passing by. Leather spine. Orange cover. Hardcover?"

"Oh! Right! I thought he was a Mogadorian at first."

"I know; it's a bit misleading, but at the same time, I can't think of a better way to let you know he wasn't a Mog."

"He could've just told me," she says matter-of-factly, "instead of disguising himself."

"Well, sure," I agree, "but the Mogs were tailing you. If he did that, they might've pressed forward and attacked. The only reason why they didn't was because they didn't know what number you were. Besides, why kill one if others might be near, right?"