To Be Like the Guardians

Part 1: The Plan, Chapter 9: Not Again

Beth Howard's phone went off as she was eating breakfast, sending a wave of adrenaline through her as she dropped her spoon. The alert was for Fearlings this time. She rushed to grab the appropriate weapons and such and met up with Irene as they ran to the nearby location. Graham was probably going to show up as well, so it was important to Beth to keep her anger under control. However, with how much she feared Fearlings though she could take them out fine, it was bound to be difficult. Fear often sparked defensiveness in her.

She raced down the street with Irene to another gray apartment building where a group of Fearlings was surrounding a brown-haired teen on the sidewalk. A couple of nearby redhead kids ran away, and the Fearlings ignored them. Beth was the first to shoot the phantoms, stunning a now glowing and falling Fearling. Irene took out the next as the group of maybe now ten Fearlings rushed toward the two women.

The L.E.R. agents backed up, holding their wrists out toward the phantoms as Beth's heart thudded strong, but someone else stunned the nearest one. With one look at where the light had come from, Beth realized that it was Graham. He and a group of others were coming. Another Fearling got shot down as Beth dodged another's blows, too close for her liking. Irene almost got sliced in the face, her Wrist Shield not covering all of her head.

Beth and another agent took out a couple more of the Fearlings, and the person who had been surrounded was able to dash inside. The L.E.R. agents took care of the few remaining dark creatures in a hurry.

"Where should we put them?" Irene asked.

"Maybe in the ditch over there," Graham said, pointing a couple of blocks down.

One of the agents Beth didn't know shook his head. "That's too close. Let's try in the park." Where Beth had disposed of the last Fearlings. "I'll get the swords."

Graham shrugged. "Alright." He grabbed one of them and began to drag it away, then looked back at Beth. "Hey, are you- oh wait, you don't like that question."

"Why have you been asking that lately?" Beth tried to keep the anger out of her voice but failed. Did he think she looked weak? She cared about what he thought of her. His moving into her area wasn't a good thing for her, it seemed.

"Geesh, I said I remembered that you didn't like that question." He glared at her before turning around and walking away. Beth's heart plummeted.

"I just flunked it again," she whispered to Irene.

"That's okay. Maybe you'll get it next time." Irene tried to smile, but Beth could see the doubt in her eyes.

"If he doesn't hate me by then."

"People don't hate you when you're angry, Beth, they just...get annoyed."

"And people don't like annoying people." She began dragging one of the Fearlings after Graham and the others, and Irene did the same.

"I wish I could help you control it, but I really don't know how."

Beth wished she knew, too.

*}{*}{*}{*

Mallory looked up from his laptop screen at the sound of his office door creaking open, his tired eyes sagging from getting home so late last night because of all of his work. Tiny Fiona stood at the entrance with her hands on her hips. Her blue-tipped raven hair was pulled back away from her freckled face in a braid, and her pale green eyes looked at him from under her short eyelashes.

"I'm missing two Power-Inducers," she said. "Did you take them? Whisper warned me that she had taken yours." Mallory's heart began to race.

"No."

"No," he lied. Wouldn't the voices just shut up and trust him? It freaked him out a little at first that he had just lied, but it was for the sake of his children, not his own desires. It was fine. "If I had wanted to take one for myself, I would've only taken one, not two. Matt and Haven will be back in a few days. I would only need one during that time."

"Then where are the Power-Inducers?"

"Did you misplace them?"

"I don't misplace things. I know where everything is, every paper to screwdriver to pencil shaving."

"Maybe Angelia or Duran took one to give to someone."

Fiona's face brightened at hearing Duran's name. Everyone knew she had a crush on him, even Duran, though he didn't like her back. "Duran wouldn't take something without asking. Neither would Angelia."

"And neither would I."

"Look, Mallory, the Power-Inducers had to have gone somewhere. And right now, you seem the most likely suspect. Your Power-Inducer is gone, and you're going insane."

Mallory gave her a look. "I'm not going insane. Just because I hear voices in my head doesn't mean I'm going to listen to them." He felt a hollow feeling in his chest when he realized that that was exactly what he was doing: following the voices in his head. He hadn't even thought of it like that until now, just that he was trying to protect his kids. But the voices had known what was going to happen to Sophie, so he had to listen to them, for everyone's sakes. He wasn't doing anything bad, just protecting people.

"I guess you're right," Fiona said with a frown. "But if you didn't take the Power-Inducers, then who did?"

"Maybe a couple ran out, and the agents wanted to get new ones."

"But they're supposed to come to one of us for a replacement."

"Just because someone's supposed to do something doesn't mean they're going to. Take Agent B. Howard, for example." Mallory instantly regretted saying her name. Maybe it would cause Fiona to watch her more carefully. "You've seen what she does, and she can't be the only one. You should keep a better eye on your things from now on."

Fiona nodded, looking down. "You're right. I'll do that. You're still doing fine with the voices, right?"

"Right."

"Good. See you later." She walked out the door, shutting it behind her.

At his desk, Mallory's heart rate slowed. He would have to be sneakier, or else he was going to get caught. And with the voices getting worse, people weren't going to trust him like they used to.

Protecting was going to be difficult.