Legacy Rangers (Book Two of the Chosen Universe)

Chapter Twenty-Four

VINNY

He still hadn't spoken. Vinny was afraid that if he tried, he'd start screaming and never stop. He went to therapy but never said a word. On occasion, he'd draw if the therapist insisted, but it didn't help. Nothing could help. His dad had tied him, his siblings, and his mother up. He'd held a gun on them before stabbing himself in the chest with a sword to kill the evil thing that was inside of him. Vinny had thought his dad was going to die, but he hadn't. Instead, the terrifying blue man had come in, shot his mom, and walked out like nothing had happened.

In under an hour, his entire world had shattered. His mom was dead. He'd been powerless to save her. Even though he knew his dad had been possessed, he was still afraid to be around him. It wasn't rational, but whenever he saw his dad, he remembered the way he'd steadily held the gun on his mom. He couldn't make it stop.

The nightmares were the hardest part. If Troy didn't stay with him at night, he just kept reliving the entire thing. The only comfort he found was in school. He liked school, and it was something he could focus on that didn't take him back to that night. His grades hadn't slipped and even though he no longer spoke in class, he was keeping up with all of his work.

That morning, Vinny noticed when Imani walked into class. She'd been out for a few days and he missed her. They'd become friends quickly. He might be a nerdy bookworm and a social outcast, but Imani was totally new to the country and didn't know anyone, so she'd immediately latched on to the one person she did know. Vinny didn't mind. Imani was a cheerful ball of light and she made him laugh and never made fun of him. When he'd stopped talking, Imani had continued talking to him like he wasn't becoming an even bigger freak. She went out of her way to make him smile. It helped, even if he couldn't bring himself to say that out loud.

Now, Imani looked different. She still smiled at him, but sadly. She sat beside him and took out her notebook, still looking much less cheerful than usual. Vinny reached his hand toward hers and gently touched it. He looked at her with concern.

"I know you lost your mom, Vinny," she said softly. She hadn't ever brought that up before. "I lost mine, too." She bit her lip, probably to keep from crying.

Vinny's heart broke for her. Imani was always so happy. She was the kind of person who made everyone around her happy, too. He hated seeing her so upset. "Sorry..." He said softly. It really hurt to talk. It felt foreign to him after so much time.

"You said something!" Imani cried in delight.

He hugged her and knew he'd done the right thing. One word had put a smile on her face. For the rest of the day, Vinny stayed close to Imani. He knew he was the only person there who understood what she was going through.

You said a word and didn't start screaming, he thought. Maybe it was time to start talking more, but he wasn't sure if he could handle that. For now, he was fine with just talking to Imani. She'd been there for him. He was determined to return the favor.

RITA

She had tried to let Sage help her. Unfortunately, she'd lost it and attacked the girl in under a day. Then she'd run off. Sage had been forced to banish her from the safe house and Rita had wandered the streets, incoherent and out of her mind. It happened sometimes. She still had flashbacks, some so vivid they turned into full-on hallucinations. Zedd had been used to that and had known how to bring her back, but Sage hadn't known what to do.

If Angeline hadn't found her wandering the streets, Zell probably would have. Thankfully, her daughter had taken care of her. She'd healed the injuries Rita couldn't explain and had stayed with her until she was calmer. Then, she'd walked her back to the place where all of the minions, Tanner, Merkhet, and her father were hiding out. Angeline hadn't gone in, but she'd made sure Rita was safe before leaving her.