What Lies Between ✔

Division

42.

Ben

The car was filled with a pregnant silence.

I looked over my shoulder at Kairos. She was holding Zuri's knees, trying to make it as comfortable a ride for her as she could in the cramped back seat. Her face was pale and drawn, and I knew she was beating herself up over leaving that idiot back at the cemetary. And Lidia too, no doubt.

Even I couldn't escape my conscience on that one.

Justice was cradling Zuri like a baby in his arms, and she groaned everytime we bumped or turned on the streets. His jaw was swollen with a dark purple bruise from being elbowed in the face, but the pain of his expression was definitely not for himself, but for the lifeless girl he held. This wasn't one of Adrian's wacky adventures, this had been something life changing. Zuri would forever be scarred by what happened.

Kanoa, seated in the middle, looked especially traumatized by the last couple of hours. Berit, in the very back seat, was holding his head in his hands, as if he could not process all that had happened. Their little group of misfits was infiltrated by two people who would no doubt forever be pursued by danger as long as they existed. I'm sure they were asking themselves how it could possibly benefit them to keep us around, and I could not blame them.

As long as we were around, Demons, Seekers, and God knows what else would follow.

And it was all my fault, wasn't it? I looked away from all of them, balling my hands into fists on my lap.

Adrian cleared his throat, and then spoke dolefully, "Berit, what do you make of Zuri's condition?"

Berit laughed humorlessly, finding the question ridiculous, "As in, should she be admitted into a hospital? No, we could treat the remainder of the wound on our own, but... but her face..."

"...I see. Alright. Kanoa, are you still concealing our energy?"

Kanoa snorted, "I can barely conceal the complete meltdown I'm having right now, Adrian, so no."

"You have to," I said, "Imagine if they are able to come after us."

"You have no right to say anything right now!" Kanoa finally exploded, "What are you anyway? What did that guy back there mean when he said you were controlling us?"

"He has no idea what he's talking about," I answered evenly.

"You are right to be angry," Kairos spoke up in a small voice, "but know that I too caused this to happen. You would be justified to hate me too."

"No one should be hating anyone," Adrian said, "They were upfront with us about what was happening, and we still chose to let them stay with us."

"No," Justice countered, "that was you. You brought them to us. Zuri said we should have kicked them out, but you didn't listen to her."

"Justice –"

"No, Adrian! You didn't think about our safety when you let them into our lives! That's what you promised me that day you found me, what you promised them too. You're so damned concenred with not being left alone that you don't even care what kind of people surround you anymore!"

To that, Adrian had no response. My face burned with shame.

The car lapsed back into silence for the rest of the drive to the hotel.

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