The Fall of the Keepers

Chapter 9 Hidden in Silence

"You did right, to stop the torture."
Ghost assured me, rippling into view.

"I know. Right or wrong, Jasper is going to hate me for it."

"For now."
Ghost said.

I sighed, momentarily lost in thought.

"Where have you been anyways? The world's gone and turned upside down and you managed to disappear without a trace."
I questioned, slightly annoyed.

"Disappearing is my specialty."
Ghost replied.

I rolled my eyes at him.

"Apparently."

"I've tried to stay out of human conflict, that was never my intended purpose. Besides, what might people do to me if they knew someone like me existed? I don't desire a new master."

"So you'd rather hide like a coward as you observe and record all that you've seen."

"Yes."
Ghost answered honestly.

"But for once, I did more than hide."

I cocked my head to the side.

"Come with me, I have something to show you."
He instructed, tossing me a jacket.

Curiosity got the better of me and as Ghost rippled into invisibility, save one floating finger, I followed him down the empty hallway. He led me on a zig-zagging tour of the palace, finally reaching a back exit where we slipped out into the cold. It was a frosty morning, with a drab gray sky hanging low over us.

"Where are we going?"
I couldn't help but ask.

Unsurprisingly, my companion didn't bother answering. We crunched across the snow, and anyone watching would have been quite astounded at the second set of footprints that appeared to be creating themselves.

"Should I be concerned about being followed? I mean we're leaving a rather obvious trail."

"Don't worry, no one is following us. I have ways of detecting that."

Well, it wasn't any more preposterous than anything else about him, I decided. We came to the side entrance and left the palace grounds, making our way down the rolling hills towards Los Eres.

"How far is it?"

"Learn some patience."
Ghost replied helpfully.

I snorted but kept my mouth shut. Halfway between the Winter Palace and Los Eres we turned to the side.

"This is the Magna Complex."
I remarked.

"Thank you for pointing out the obvious."
Ghost replied dryly.

I huffed and continued following the strange creature. The place was deserted, and I wondered what they would do with the property, now that it's intended purpose had been scrapped. We trudged past the apartments where I had lived, preparing for the dreaded Magna Games. When I craned my neck back, I could spot my old window. Then we crunched on past the gardens, and I tried not to let my mind replay the evening of Vienna's rape. It had been avenged, I reminded myself, but nothing could ever give Vienna back what she had lost.

Soon we came to the training center and my brain flashed images of Kyle, pushing me in training to become the best fighter I could be. I paused a moment to wonder where Kyle was now if he was happy with his family and new life. I missed him, despite his quirks and penchant for getting me into trouble.

We continued our trek passing the restaurant along with some smaller buildings that I didn't know the purpose of. Finally, we reached the small gated community where the Keeper mentors had lived while in the Capitol. As if I needed any more reminders of Vienna's rape. Kyle had brought me here that fateful night, to keep me from doing something stupid. Something like I had just done.