Their Light

Special Chapter - Finn Meeting Hadley

Finn

I walked the city streets, lost in my head. My brothers were still in Domu. My parents were calling me almost every day now. I couldn't take much more from them.

They couldn't stop with ruining my childhood. Now, they had to ruin the rest of my life as well. Apparently there was some Probus who needed another guard member. It would raise my station. What a load of shit. I didn't care about my station. I never had.

Ryder would probably have stopped taking the calls, but I can't silence the little voice in my head that still hopes they will wake up and actually be parents. I needed some air after the last call, though. I didn't stop to think before walking out of the Statio.

I turned a corner, and instantly a chill ran up my spine. I reached instinctively for my sabers and cursed. They weren't on my wrist. Before I could move, something slammed into my head and pain erupted in my gut. Darkness swallowed me between one breath and the next.

I came to being dragged down a hall. Malum. Their punishing grips made me wince. One opened a large steel door, and the other tossed me inside. I landed on the floor hard, groaning. Pain overwhelmed me.

I pushed it back and tried to move, but the most I could do was roll over. Looking around the room, I jumped as my eyes landed on another person. Her blonde locks stood out in the dim space. Her wool cap and dirt covered clothes had seen better days. Hazel eyes watched me warily. She looked like a cornered animal, terrified of being attacked again.

"Whoa," I said, trying to break the ice. "Didn't know I had company."

No reaction. Her blank face stared back at me. She pushed her back into the corner where she sat. I didn't want to scare her.

"Are you okay?" I asked. I needed to know. There was no telling with Malum what they would do. She nodded, making me sigh. "That's good. Come here often?"

She snorted, and I wanted to cheer in victory. The light overhead flickered, plunging the room into complete darkness for a moment. I flinched and then winced in pain. Thankfully, it stayed on. I stared at the mystery girl, my smirk slowly turning into a full-blown smile. She was more relaxed now.

"That's better," I told her. "I'm Finn."

"Hadley." My smile grew. It was an interesting name. Her voice was beautiful, too. A little hesitant, but that was understandable.

"Well, I would like to say it's nice to meet you, but this situation sucks," I replied, looking down at my stomach. It was really bothering me, and the pain was only growing.

A small laugh escaped her at my words, but she quickly sobered, looking down at my wound. The Malum must have stabbed me. I didn't like the dark stain I could see forming on my shirt. Blood loss would not help me in this situation.

"My brothers are going to kill me," I muttered under my breath. The twins were never going to let me hear the end of this. That was if I made it out of this. I didn't know why the Malum had taken me alive. Most would have just killed me.

Hadley stood up, stretching. I followed her movements, instantly pulled out of my thoughts. She approached me. I tried to lie still. I didn't want to scare her again. She bent down and examined my wounds. I watched her curiously as she pulled off her gloves and shoved them into her pocket.

"Okay, that's pretty bad," she stated, pointing at my gut. "I can help. I know you don't believe me or anything, and you are probably going to freak out but I can help you."

I stared at her, and she held my gaze. I don't know why, but my gut reaction was to trust her. Taking a deep breath, I nodded. She appeared to be confident about this. There wasn't a lot that could make this situation worse.

She tentatively placed her hand on my arm and closed her eyes. I gasped at the skin to skin contact. A connection snapped into existence between us. My neck burned as I felt a warmth spread in my stomach and flow out to all of my scrapes and bruises. I barely noticed it.

Feeling swirled inside of me. I had just met her, but it didn't feel that way. It felt like I had known her my entire life. Contentment filled me. I wanted to know everything about her. I wanted to know what she liked, what she hated, how she had gotten here.

She was a Probus. My eyes widened as she finally pulled back. She had healed me. None of this was possible. I slapped a hand on the side of my neck, gaping at her. It felt tender to the touch. I could feel the raised designs. I knew what they meant, but it was impossible.

"How-," I tried to talk, but I had to cut myself off. My mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out.

She shrugged, dipping her head, and moved back to her corner. She wrapped her arms around her legs. I didn't like that she seemed scared of me again. I really didn't like that.

"What-," I cut off again, still at a loss for words. "This isn't possible."

"Look, it's just something I've been able to do since I was little," she explained. "I don't understand how or why either."

Her explanation floored me. Did she not realize what she was? Did she not realize I was a Kustos?

"What family do you belong to?" I asked, trying to get more information.

"I think I would need to have a family to belong to one," she snapped, quirking an eyebrow at me.

"What do you mean?" I was beyond confused now.

"I don't consider any of my foster homes family." My mouth dropped open as my hand slid from my neck, falling limp at my side.

"F-foster homes?" I asked, unable to control the volume of my voice. I was shocked. There was no reason she should be in foster homes. She honestly didn't realize what she was. She flinched, tightening her hold on her legs. Shame filled me. I did that. I ran a shaking hand through my hair and tried to settle myself.

"I'm sorry I yelled." I tried to keep my voice softer. I pushed up into a crouch, but didn't make a move toward her. "I will get you could of here."

Standing up, I surveyed the room, going up to the door. I tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge. I turned back to Hadley.

"Can I join you?" She hesitated but nodded. Grateful, I moved over to her and sat down beside her.

"How long have you been here?" She shrugged. Worry filled me. Malum were nasty creatures. How long had they had an unprotected Probus?

"I don't know," she told me. "I was walking back from work when they jumped me. I woke up in here a little while ago."

Confusion still swirled in me. A Probus was walking home from work, alone and unprotected. It was unthinkable.

"So people are probably looking for you by now," I prompted. Someone had to be looking out for her. She shook her head, dread filling me. I tried not to let it show. "My brothers are definitely looking for me by now."

"They are going to kill you?" she asked, a small smile playing at her lips.

"Ha, yeah, probably. I was reckless and let those Ma-morons grab me." I tried to cover up my slip by stretching out. If she didn't know what she was, I don't think she would believe me if I explained Malum. I didn't want to scare her off for good. She needed our help. We just had to get out of this situation first.

"Do you know who they are or what they want?" she asked, eyeing me critically.

"No." I forced the word out. Immediately, she rolled her eyes and rested her chin on her knees.

"There's so much I have to explain to you," I rushed out, trying to explain. "There's so much you don't know." She turned to me, meeting my eyes.

"Then tell me," she challenged, but I never got the chance.

The door slammed open again, making both of us jump. I whipped into action, crouching protectively in front of Hadley. I was her only guard now. I would not let her down.