BATTLE SCARS: (Indigo Symbols Book II)

Chapter Twenty-Two: Without A Plan

REINA:
    Huntor slowly got to his feet, slowly walked over and said, 'It's done." His voice was so quiet, so silent that I screamed, "WHAT, WHAT'S OVER." "This is over. You've made your point child." "CHILD WHO THE HELL YOU THINK YOU'RE CALLING CHILD?" He had turned away, was walking back to his desk when he whipped back, whipped back and I saw it, saw something primal and it actually made me almost, almost, back down, but he lashe dout with, "Us AUDREY, WE ARE DONE." I Stomped Forward, but there was a wall of ice separating me from him. "Ok guys, let's just chill." I spun and saw Sarah, her hands up, snow poudering them as she held up her wall between us. "Stay out of this Sarah." I snarled. She shook her head. "I would have but I could hear you both arguing outside the door so, yeah I wasn't going to let you strangle each other. Relax Reina ok." "You don't tell me—"Reina." Huntor's voice was empty, and it sounded wounded, like I did more than punch him. "Forget it, forget it all. It's over. Sarah, thank you." "Yeah ok. No problem. Do i let this wall down now?" She asked. Huntor nodded and the ice vanished. I stepped away and felt something else bridge between us. It felt like a chasm was opening, yawning open between us and I knew he wasn't going to make the jump, wasn't, because it was too late. The jump would kill him, him, and me. So I sat on the edge of the bed and turned away from him.
    "Ok, well, I uh, I'm gonna get in the shower now." Sarah turned and walked into the bathroom. That night I kept sitting, kept my head down even when Sarah climbed in bed beside me. Even when her deep breathing assured me she was asleep. Even when Huntor fell asleep half an hour later. I looked over to Sarah, her face peaceful, soft. I stared at her, and instantly noticed the differences between her and myself. Her hips flared our and her butt was rounder than my own, her breasts full and showing. I felt anger burn again, anger because I was certain that if the choice existed, he'd choose her. Then I pushed that away. No, no I hated him, and he hated me. Well, if he didn't he surely did now. I ran through our argument, and stumbled over one part, "Audrey, he had called me Audrey." He had said it with such passion, such anger that I knew something else was wrong, something between him and this Audrey. I stripped out of my clothes and laid in the bed Sarah and I shared. I fell asleep and was plagued by dreams. Dreams filled with shadows and blood, Veronica, laying on that highway, bleeding from the wounds in her back. Bleeding and dying, dying even after I yelled for her to keep going, to keep pushing. "You should've listened to me." She accused. I sobbed, "I know, I know I'm sorry, come on V, please please come on." She shook her head. "YOu brought this on yourself. You are to blame Rey." Pain dug deep in my heart as she continued, "You should've been a better sister, listened to me, heed my warnings. I died for you, died so you could get away and this is how you repay me? This is how you repay me Rey?" she never raised her voice, never yelled, but her words rang through my head like a gong. "You brought this on yourself, you, you, you, you, you Rey. No one else but you."
    "Veronica, Veronica please, oh please I'm sorry." Her blood was across the street and I kept tugging her hand, but she was gone. Her head exploded and I yelled as blood, brain, and bone went spraying up and in my face. I choked as it flew in my mouth and throat. I went flying back, crashing into the highway as I tried to clear my throat and lungs. But it kept pushing down, into my lungs, into my throat. I screamed as the idea of it, the knowledge of it hit me and i thrashed around, thrashed over and over on the street, lashing out and trying to clear my lungs. "Reyna, Reina wake up, wake up." Someone ws calling my name, calling me. I thrashed away, away from the voice, away from it. "No, no, stay way, stay away, get away from me. No no, no." Someone swore, then I fel hands, hands on my face. I slapped them away and rolled, rolled, then fell. I opened my mouth to scream, but nothing came out. I landed flat on my back and found someone sitting on me, his hands on my face. "Reina, hush, relax. It was a nightmare, just a nightmare." I gasp, gasped in air, air, not, not, not, not the remains of Veronica's head, not, not, not brain, blood, and bone. I turned my face and gagged, Huntor's fingers were gone and I gagged, and gagged, and gagged.
    Huntor sat on me and said, "Sarah, go get a made ok." The sound of a door closing, then, "Easy Reina, easy, it's ok now, you're ok now." Before I could ask for water, he was holding a bottle to my lips. "Drink, there, slow and easy Reina." "Sorry." I said after drinking half the bottle. "I didn't, I couldn't, I—"You really think I'm gonna snap at you for nightmares? Do you honestly believe that?" "Well, you did yesterday." He went quiet. "I'm sorry for that Reina." He rose slowly, and i knew what I did to him was still painful. "I'm sorry I yelled at you. Sorry I reacted the way I did." He held out a hand and I took it. He helped me to my feet and I sat on the bed. "I need to clean up." I said weakly. He nodded and I turned, stepping over the vomit and for the shower. When I got out, the vomit was clean and Sarah was closing the door behind her. I turned to Huntor. "Pools." He responded. "Why don't you ever go?" "Research." He said. 'Is it always research?" I asked. He shrugged. Then he said, "What was it about?" I shook my head, "I can't talk about it." I said. He shrugged and turned to his laptop, then I saw his body freeze. "What?" I asked. "Impossible." He said. "That's impossible." "What?" I asked again. "The news." He said. "Turn the news on, right now, channel twenty-one." I obeyed and we both listened as the bulletin was being reviewed. "The strangers known to us as the Rogue Armada have struck again. We repeat, this just in, the strangers known as the Rogue Armada have struck, this causing twenty in injuries and ten deaths. This strange horrifying group have what can only be called powers or strange abilities, they are highly dangerous and have no regard for innocent safety. No one knows where their hiding or where they'll strike next." "Huntor." I said. "Right here, even right here in Florida." Huntor shot to his feet.
    "We need to find Sarah, find her and get out of here." But the door was already opening and Sarah walked in, full smiles. Hey the house was closed for some reason. People are panicking down there, not really sure why." "Shower Sarah." Huntor said. "Shower and be ready to leave." "Huh?" Sarah paused at the bathroom door, giving him a confused look. "Why, what happened?" "Explain as we walk out." He said, tossing her clothes. Sarah breezed in the bathroom and closed the door. I turned to him, "You think they could be here for us, searching for us?" "I think this was their territory and we aren't welcome." "But how would they even know about us? For all the world knows we disappeared. No one knows where any of us are." "Then perhaps this is a statement, a statement for any unwelcome to get out." He replied. "Either way they live here, and we might have to come out of hiding to find them, find them, and stop them." "From what?" I asked, "We already have stuff on our own plate, we still don't know what the prophecy could mean, shouldn't we figure that out first." He paused, then I saw it, the moment the fight, the sheer will drained out of him. "You're right, we can't go sniffing around without a plan, without knowledge. He sat heavily on the bed and put his head in his hands. "Damn it all to hell." He muttered. Then went silent.