Left Alone

Revelation 3

Chapter Fourteen

Sky's POV

When I was fourteen, Star and I got in a bad situation with some agents. I had selfishly wandered off to eat and left my brother alone, feeling that he was old enough to fend for himself for a couple of hours. I was wrong. I found him cornered by two agents and they were beating him. Outraged, I'd impulsively threw myself between my brother and the monsters who'd caught him. The blows were harsh and swift. My muscles couldn't take the damage and so I dropped, unable to fight back. Thankfully, Star had the sense to take advantage of the distraction and stole one of the agent's guns, shooting them both. By that time, though, it was already done. I'd suffered worse that day than any other.

This pain was like that, tenfold.

I felt it spread through me like acid. My fingertips tingled and my toes curled away from the feeling. My head exploded as a thousand needles stabbed my brain repeatedly. I couldn't fight back. It went against all my instincts to just take it. Slowly, I began to gain my sense of smell back. It wasn't pleasant. Distantly, I realized I may have vomited on myself. With feeling returning, I started to piece things together. I had fainted in front of Kane. There was something wrong with that...

Another sharp pain hit me in the front of my brain. I groaned, then felt surprised that I could groan. How long had I been in pain? It felt like forever. I wanted to move around but my limbs wouldn't obey me. They felt weighed down by lead or something. If I was going to get through... whatever this was I needed to concentrate. I fainted in front of Kane. I couldn't let him see me like that. Something was wrong. My sickness!

My eyes opened wide with this realization and a took the first deep breath I'd had since I lost consciousness. Unable to control my reaction, I started coughing and gasping. Slowly, I began to take everything in. I was in a dimly lit room on a table. I took note of how cold and smooth it felt. It must have been metal. I flexed my fingers, expecting pain. Surprisingly, there was none. In fact, I felt better. Much better. I felt like I could run through all twenty-nine blocks and be just fine. It was amazing, this energy. I felt satisfied, relieved. I was alone, something that surprised me. Where was Kane? I got off of the table swiftly and looked myself over. There was no tingling in my fingertips, nor a monster headache. My vision was sharp and focused. I frowned. What happened to me? I made my way to the hallway. Candles lit the way, but it was distant, so everything was still pretty dark. Squinting, I decided to go look for Kane. Hopefully he was here somewhere.

"Kane?" I called softly, not wanting to disrupt the peaceful setting I'd found. There was no answer. I wandered for an unknown amount of time. This place was a maze. It seemed to never end, or maybe I was just walking in circles. I found no one here, even though I knew someone had inhabited this place. There were chairs, tables, beds, blankets, clothes, books, pots, and plates. With all this stuff, someone had to be here.

"Sky!" A voice yelled, echoing against the cavern walls. I turned to the sound of my name, trying to make out the individual running at me. It was a girl about my age. She had red hair and a bright smile. I frowned, trying to place her. Oh! The girl from the tree! I guess Kane made it back here after all.

"What happened?" I immediately asked her when she was close enough to me. She shook her head.

"I can't believe you're alive!" she exclaimed excitedly. "I'm Hue."

"Where's Kane?" I decided to ignore her comment. Death no longer scared me. If I had died, then it meant an end to this suffering. I only fought to live for Star.

"He's around here somewhere," she dismissed with a wave of her hand. "Probably trying to figure this place out."

"Jesse let us down here? I thought he didn't want us to know about the tree?"

"He didn't have a choice," the girl replied smugly. "He likes to think that he's a badass, but when a boy cries after nearly losing a member of the group, you know he's just a softie."

"What?" I replied. I didn't know much about Jesse but I was interested in this information.

"Angel," she answered. "The little girl you saw? We got caught by some agents and they almost killed her. Jesse lost it. He saved her life, though. He's saved all our lives." This didn't surprise me. Jesse treated these kids like they were his own children. Losing one would have been devastating. I nodded in sympathy.

"Can you take me to see Kane?" I asked as politely as I could. I wanted to leave and get back to finding Star. This talk about kids was making me miss my own.

"He kind of wants to be left alone right now," Hue said gently. "He's not ready for travel yet."

"Why? What happened to him?" Worry knotted in my gut.

"He'll be fine," she reassured me. "Honestly, though, how do you do it? Run around the earth so much? Isn't it tiring?" I could see her point. Maybe a rest wouldn't be a bad idea.

"Alright," I said, defeated. "Take me

to Jesse then."

"Jesse's not up for it either," she informed me. I sighed, getting annoyed.

"Is everyone here taking a break or what?" I snapped. Hue's eyes bulged at my comment before she glared at me.

"Jesse saved your life," she spat. "You should be grateful."

"He did?" I was a surprised that he let me stay here. But to actually save me? How did he know what I needed?

"Yeah he did." Hue softened when she saw my expression. "I can take you to him. So you can thank him properly." I nodded. That would be best.

Hue led me through the maze. She explained how they came to own it. Apparently, it had been only Jesse, Hue, and Angel for a while. Sal and Minny had already found this place and let the three of them stay. I don't know what made them trust strangers so easily but I was grateful that it led me here. With one last turn, Hue stopped by a room.

"This is his bedroom," she informed me. "I don't know if he's sleeping or not." I walked in anyway. I wasn't prepared for what I saw. Jesse was on the bed, eyes dull and breathing shallow. I gasped.

"What happened?" I snapped to the girl. She looked at me, confused.

"What do you mean?" She asked. "You did."

"What are you talking about?" I didn't do this to Jesse.

"He saved you," she explained. I nodded. I knew that much. Her eyebrows furrowed. "There was only one way to do that. This was the price of saving you."

"I don't understand," I admitted. "How could I have done this to him? I was unconscious!" Hue paused, looking at me peculiarly.

"Sky," she said softly. It sounded like she was preparing me for some bad news. I watched her with dread to hear what had to be said. And then the question came. "Do you know what you are?"

And just like that, my biggest secret was revealed.