finding your LIGHT

Chapter 13

"And don't forget that you CAN NOT tell anyone about what you are."

"OK, OK! I get it!" Michel had been patronizing me every single second he got since I left the room, and seriously, I was getting sick of it.

Michel held his hands up in surrender, and Cy chuckled. Resisting rolling my eyes was giving me a migraine, so to not get a serious injury, I decided to look around. I guess it might be good to have some sort of feel for where I would be staying for god knows how long. On my left, I saw a sign for dancing in bright, neon colors, and could hear the sounds of people shouting things like "1 2 3 4, 1 2 3 4," and "Up, down, side, clap," over and over again. And on my right I saw. . . the stables. Inside? Huh. How much money did this place earn in a month? But it was there. I heard whinnying and neighing and smelt fresh grain and hay. I grinned slightly, thinking about October. I missed her.

"Lela!" Cy called, yanking me backwards. I had been so caught up in day-dreaming I hadn't even realized I had been about to walk straight into a door.

"Hea hea," I muttered nervously. "Thanks."

Cy smiled a perfect white smile. "No problem. I love saving klutsy people from terrible fates." I hadn't even started to reply before he added, "You might want to open the door before you walk through it." I slugged him in the arm. "Ouch!"

"Easy." Michel told me like a dog as he put a hand on my shoulder. Immediately, I shrugged it off, but not before a small laugh escaped my lips. Then I put my hands out, pushing the door open, this time not with my face.

Right as I stepped into the room, time stopped. I groaned, finding a lot of people there. I had found out over time that the more people in the room, the longer it took for time to start again. After I took my head out of my hands, I glanced at the room, and gasped. It was full of slayers. From the ones pretending to act on the stage to the ones faking to care about their dancing on the ground. But they obviously didn't. They were disguised as humans to get information and bring it back to the leaders. That was precisely what I picked out of one of their minds. Hey, what are special, amazing powers if you don't use them?

I shook my head as time started again, wishing for once that it would have stopped a little longer so I could have had at least a second more to think. But luck is never, ever on my side. I learned that when I was nine. And in the large, hollow room, the door made an abnormally large squeaking noise as we entered. I winced. Most of the slayers looked towards us, but others pretended to be too wrapped up in their music to notice us. My advanced, quick eyes caught three "watches" pointing towards us, but Michel and Cy hadn't noticed. They were too busy smiling and waving at a middle-aged man. Or rather, middle-aged slayer.

"Roderick." Michel said, giving the guy a man-hug.

"Michel." The man replied. "It's been too long." But when he noticed Cy, he looked taken aback, and even did a double take. "You are NOT little Cyrus."

Cy laughed. "Guilty as charged."

Roderick laughed too, so warm and welcoming, I almost forgot he was a slayer and was probably already planning to murder both Michel and Cy. Almost.

"And who are you?" His bright green eyes landed on my mixed ones.

I cleared my throat, suddenly remembering the classic quote, 'Is it hot in here?' "Lela." I replied, trying to sound normal and not freaked out at all. I think he bought it.

He held out his hand, and I forced myself to take it. "Well, Lela, how do you know my dear friends here?"

Again, I cleared my throat, but for a different reason. This was a terrible thing to bring up. "Well, they rescued me. I was almost dead when Cy and Michel found me. I was lucky they did when they did."