Sparked (COMPLETED)

Chapter Twenty Four

Luke

Morning came quicker than expected. I guess I fell asleep sitting on the hill watching the sun rise. I had no idea what time I woke up, but Millard was gone (I think) and Bronwyn was sitting next to me.
"Hey, sweetie," She said as I sat up. Her eyes were red rimmed. I wondered if she was grieving for one person in particular or all of our losses. Knowing Bronwyn, it would probably be the ladder.
"Hi," I replied. I leaned in and gave her a quick kiss. She made a satisfied sound low in her throat.
"How are you?" She asked. I shrugged. "I don't know. Sad. Angry. Vengeful. Broken. Lonely."
Bronwyn put her arm around me and lay her head on my shoulder. "You have me, Luke. Never forget that."
"How are you?" I asked her. She sighed. "Same as you, I guess. I miss my friends. I know you miss Vienna. You didn't know Enoch, Horace, or Miss P well, but you would've liked them." Her voice cracked on the last word. She buried her head in my shoulder.
I held her as she cried, not caring that the sleeve of my shirt was soaked.
I felt bad. I was so upset over my cousin's death that I hadn't been there for Bronwyn when she probably needed me last night. She lost her mother figure as well as Enoch and Horace, only to have two of the three come back as robots, their insides cleared out and filled with gears. If they did that to Vienna, I had no idea how I'd react. I was sure of one thing; it wouldn't be good.
When Bronwyn was finished sobbing, she looked up and into my eyes. "I'm sorry," She muttered. "It's fine," I told her. "You needed to get it out. I understand that."
Bronwyn sighed. "I always have to be the strong one," She explained. "I have to be a good role model for the younger girls. I have to be there for everyone in their hard times, especially Emma. I have to help solve all of their problems and listen to them rant about what'a bothering them. Don't get me wrong, I want to be the reliable friend, the one they can always count on, but sometimes I need a break. Sometimes I feel like I'm just a shoulder to cry on."
"Bronwyn, you are so much more than that," I told her. "You're kind and strong and beautiful. Don't ever forget that."
She nodded and I kissed her tear stained cheek. "Ich liebe dich."
"What does that mean?"
"It's I love you in German."
"I love you too, Lukas Blitz."

. . . .

We sat in silence for at least two hours. We held onto each other like our lives depended on it. I was nervous to tell her about my plan to attack the wights. Hopefully it'd end in death- for them, not us.
It was easy to pretend we were a normal couple for a while, not two kids who had strange abilities. In that moment, I wasn't able to control lightning and she didn't have super strength. We were just lovesick kids who thought the world of each other.
There was a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see Maxan. "Hey, guys," He said carefully. "Emma and Jacob have some things they want to talk about with everyone."
"Aright," Bronwyn said, crawling off my lap. The both of us got to our feet and joined the others. I took a seat next to Lisa, and Bronwyn sat on my other side.
"You okay?" I whispered to Lisa.
She looked at me with tear filled eyes. She shook her head. "I lost them all," She said, her voice bitter. "My parents and my best friend. I lost them all in less than forty eight hours, Luke. I am most certainly not okay. I just want to die."
I put a hand on my back and looked into her eyes. "Don't say that, Lisa. I miss Vienna as well. I wish I could've saved everyone, but not even I could do that. We all are angry and sad about these losses. We need to work as a team to avenge them."
She nodded, a single tear sliding down her face. She looked like she was about to break. I was worried that the poor girl had fallen back into her depression. I pulled her into an awkward hug.
Emma cleared her throat loudly. We turned to face her. "We need a plan," She said. "I say we get revenge and kill all the wights."
"I agree!" I called. I saw Augi look at me with raised eyebrows. "Aren't you supposed to be Mr. Nice Guy?" She asked. "Just like Vienna, Enoch, Horace, Miss Peregrine, and Lisa's parents are still supposed to be alive," I shot back. She winced at the mention of Enoch and I immediately felt bad, but I knew I had to keep going.
"If we never destroy them all, they'll just keep coming back and killing the people we love. Do you just think that if we leave us alone, they'll do the same for us? If anyone does, he or her is wrong. They want us Peculiars dead.
"After us, who knows what they'll go after next? Probably those innocent people who don't even know what a Hollowgast is. Look, I don't know what their goal is, but I do know they won't stop until they get what they want. One side has to win this war. Let is be us."
It was quiet for a moment. Then Millard spoke up.
"I agree with Luke."
"Are their any objections to this plan?" Emma asked. "Hold on," Hugh said. "Let me get this straight. We're just going to charge in there and kill all of them?"
Everyone turned to look at me. "Uh, yeah," I said, feeling my cheeks getting warm. "That's um, the plan."
"Become mass murderers?"
"Er, yes."
"Luke was right about one thing," Augi said. "They're not just going to leave us alone. We have to win this battle unless you want to die and get turned into robots."
"That's not on my bucket list," Olive added.
"Where is the wights' headquarters?" Jacob asked.
"Vienna, Austria," I replied. It was hard for me to say my cousin's namesake. Vienna would always be her city. It carried her spirit.
"Do we have any money?" Bronwyn asked.
"My parents probably have some in the safe" Lisa said. "After the battle, I'll probably just stay with my grandmother, finish my lessons on how to be a proper ymbryne."
She turned and trekked back towards the house.

. . . .

I sat by Bronwyn and Lisa on the plane. Emma, Olive, and Jacob sat behind us. In the aisle across from us sat Maxan, Augi, and Claire. Augi was asleep with her head on Maxan's shoulder. Hugh, Fiona, and Millard sat behind them.
We were almost out of money. The plane tickets had cost quite a bit.
I prayed to God, my Lord, and Jesus, my Savior, that we'd all make it out alive.

. . . .

When we arrived at the airport, I was surrounded by the familiar German language. I loved Austria, but the country had always held some bad memories for me. I had been secretly relived when we'd left for the first time. This was the country my parents were murdered in.
We left the airport. A slight breeze tousled my hair, and I swore I heard a trace of Vienna's laugh in the wind.
She'd loved this place so much.
We walked for hours. Finally, we were only a mile away from the wights' headquarters. I turned and looked at the city. The sun was setting over it, painting the sky dark orange. The buildings were black as midnight against the color. Vienna had always loved sunsets.
I would destroy the wights for her. She'd sparked this feeling inside me, and now I would turn it into a full blown bonfire.
When we arrived, there was an army of automatons waiting for us.
I summoned electricity on my hands and dove into battle, throwing lightning left and right. I wondered how many people the wights had to have killed to create this army.
I took down several robots, trying not to think too hard about what I was doing. I had just taken out a teenage boy and turned to kill my next opponent, when I froze.
A girl stood behind me. She was tan and curvy. Her wavy caramel hair was pulled up into a high set ponytail. She wearing a simple black dress paired with a black leather jacket and black boots. She held a wicked sharp blade. Her sea green eyes met mine and her lips stretched into an unnaturally wide smile.
"Hello, Lukas," Vienna said. All traces of her accent were gone and replaced by a voice so mechanical I wouldn't have recognized it if she wasn't standing in front of me. "Ich hoffe du hast mich vermisst."
I hope you missed me.
And then she attacked.