Tower of Light (Under The Cowl Book #2)

CHAPTER 21

     The trail had become dark and full of tall shadows, skewing the clear path to freedom.

Where do I go? How do I escape?

"What's the matter? Are you feeling lost? There is no light to chase this time, Jessica."

The voice is familiar.

Jessica turned and found only herself talking back at her. A version of herself dressed in green, and wearing the ring of the Green Lantern Corps.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I can see why people like to bury their heads in the sand." said another voice, her voice, an additional version of herself stepping out of the shadows to stand alongside the first. And on her finger, the Yellow Lantern Ring. "That goddess would've found this place if not for me."

"Where are we?"

"We're inside your head." the Green Lantern answered.

"You've decided to check out and let the monster loose."

"Monster?" Jessica asked, answered as the last thing she remembered was The Merciless charging her way. But in that moment her vision had become red.

"Rage won't win." the Green Lantern said. "It will only blind you."

"Come off it! It will buy her some time." the Yellow Lantern silenced. "But we all know that fear is the true motivator."

"Said the version that hasn't seen the world outside these forest walls in over two years."

"That's because Jessica has hope." a third version of Jessica emerged from behind the trees with a Blue Lantern ring on her finger. "I believe in you Jessica. And I know you already believe in yourself."

"She hasn't had any need for you because she doesn't want to inspire people." the Yellow Lantern antagonized.

"Why here, Jessica?" the Green Lantern asked. "I thought this was a place you feared?"

Jessica look down at her hands where she found a rifle. It's old and rusty, but engraved at the barrel with initials that brings back old memories. "My father taught us to hunt. My sister didn't take to it, but I loved it. How to take apart and reassemble a gun came first. After that were the proper safety measures, like how to hold it. He didn't let me fire this rifle until I was in control. And once I was, he taught me who to hunt and how. Wasn't easy at first, took me a while to get the hang of it. I felt it all, hope that I can do well an impress my father, fear of disappointing him, the willpower to not give up and the rage that overcame me when I failed to hunt my prey properly, and the greediness for his attention when he tried to help Sara. Compassion for the animals came after I wounded them and failed to get a clean kill. And the love for their lives that nourished me. I am here because I want to be."

"Then that means you also know why we are here, together." the Green Lantern replied.

"You can feel?" the Yellow Lantern asked. "You've tried to ignore it. We know you wanted to ignore it, the crack in this world's emotional spectrum is all because it's falling apart. We latched onto you because we needed a place to hide when the storm broke. No one expected you to be a perfect fit for us either."

"The Tower of Light, what will happen if it's activated?"

"That is up to you."

"Is it too late? Will the tower save this earth from destruction?"

Their response came with silence.

Jessica's raised her fists. Each finger dressed in a ring the colors of the emotional spectrum as she stood transformed in the uniform of the Phantom Lantern. "I guess I'm going have to find out for myself."