ONE DAY, WHAT had he meant by that?
I huffed as I put my book about Enchantments down, and stared at Sammy’s bed.
They really were giving me my space as they were both missing again.
Another memory filled my mind, the one that happened in Aviance, what felt like a lifetime again. He’d told me to not give it time. Now it was all he was speaking about.
I stroked my face. This was seriously so messed up.
Why did he have to fight against all this for so long? And now I knew that door would never open from my side again.
I sighed.
He was still the same in some ways.
Sure a lot had changed. He was friendly to the others, and he participated in class, and for some reason his nasty comments proving to everyone that he doesn’t need a rider had stopped.
We still kept our separate ways – something that would never change.
I knew it wasn’t going to be for long as we had this huge journey to get into Etan. It scared the living crap out of me just thinking about the Creepers.
I’d seen them only at a distance the day Cheng had given me back my stories, and once on TV. They were deadly, and my fear of them was fresh and strong.
What if we couldn’t get through them? What if they ripped us apart just like they had all those scientists? How were we going to get through them? And the worst part, what was left of Etan?
I couldn’t imagine it.
I guessed because I had my own nightmare of a wyvern city to deal with.
I thought about Annie again. What if she was still alive?
The door opened and Becky and Sammy entered.
Ever since I’d returned, the boys hadn’t been in the room. I wondered about that.
“Seriously, you can let them in, Becky.”
“Nah, they have better things to do with their time.”
I pretended to read my Enchantments book again.
“So, Irene is not well?” she asked, and I could hear Sammy clearing her throat.
“No, she’s not.” I sighed and put down the book. “They are literally forcing us to do this.”
“I know you are not ready for this.”
“It doesn’t matter. Master Longwei is right. There are many families here that are begging us to free their loved ones. Jimmy is one of them.” I looked at Becky.
“For what it’s worth. I wish, I could come with.”
I huffed, a soft laugh escaping my lips.
“What?” She smiled. “I mean it.”
“You thought the Sacred Cavern was a suicide mission; now you want to take on the Creepers?”
They both laughed with me.
“Guess you’ve rubbed off on us.” Tears welled up in her eyes, and she looked back down to hide them.
Gosh, I was so mean.
“I miss the old Elena, but I don’t care anymore. I just want you to be okay.”
“Me too,” I said and kept reading my book.
I couldn’t handle this any more than I could handle all of my nightmares.
It fell quiet again and we all did our own thing. I hated the silence, just hated everything. We’d never been this quiet before, not even when we’d had to prepare for tests.
At six, I went to Constance to speak to her about extra help. I was sure she knew of someone who could help me. It was sort of her department.
I froze at the door as I heard Blake sounding really frustrated.
“Are you sure? You know what she’s like, Blake. She might hold back.”
“No, she’s not.”
Are they talking about me?
“She searched every database, even hacked into five. I can’t find that barcode.”
The image of Tabitha and Blake sitting in the library flashed through my mind.
I looked at my barcode on my arm and turned around as anger flared up in me again.
I rushed through the door of my room, and Becky and Sammy flinched as angry tears rolled over my cheeks. I went through to the bathroom, wielded my shield and let out a scream.
She knew, she knew and she told the one guy I didn’t want to know about my barcode. How could she do that?
I stayed there for a long time. Just thinking of why he wanted to find the barcode. He was seriously disturbed. I swore it.
Around six I went to the cafeteria.
The boys were missing, and Becky and Sammy didn’t speak one word, other than asking if I was okay.
Half an hour later Blake and George entered.
I heard them parting ways as Blake went to his normal table where Tabitha was waiting for him.
“Hey you,” she said, and Blake just chuckled.
“So, how was it?”
“Easy,” he replied through a grin.
“That doesn’t surprise me. You seriously get away with everything.”
“Elena?” George asked a bit louder, and I jumped slightly.
“What?” I sounded rude, and all of them flinched. Do they know too?
“Nothing,” George said.
Why was he even doing this? It had to stop now.
I got up and could hear Becky saying to George that something went wrong this afternoon.
Blake and Tabitha were still talking.
“A word.” I placed both my arms on the table and looked at Blake.
He just stared at me. “What is it?”
He was such an arrogant ass. “Forget what Constance told you. Just stop it, okay. I’m not some sort of item that can be checked out or bought on a fucking online shop. Just stop!” I yelled at him and I could tell he knew exactly what I was talking about.
“What is she talking about?” Tabitha asked.
“It’s nothing.”
I left and went to my room.
THE DOOR OPENED, and George lingered in the doorway as Becky entered. He said goodbye and left.
“Elena,” Becky said standing right at my bed. “What was that in the cafeteria?”
“It’s nothing,” I said and wiped away a tear. I felt so cheap.
“Please don’t do this, just talk to us.”
Sammy went to sit on Becky’s bed and studied me.
“Fine, you want to know.” Maybe both of them would get a better idea of how much Blake had changed. He was psycho, just like Seymour.
I rolled up my sleeve. I hated the barcode. “There.” I shoved it in it their faces. “Are you happy now, knowing that I have a barcode? Your brother is searching for it, like I’m some sort of an item over the Internet.”
Becky’s lips turned really thin and she stared at the barcode before she closed her eyes. Sammy just stared at me.
“Elena, it’s not –”
“Don’t, Sammy, just don’t.” I got up and went to the bathroom. I wielded my shield again and just cried.
BLAKE
I BARGED INTO Constance’s office. She was busy with someone, or I should say, something. A Night Seeker. I hadn’t seen one in years.
“Blake, I’m busy.”
“What is he doing here?”
“Leo, just give us a second please?” she asked and he picked up his cane and felt his way to the door.
“What is going on in that head of yours?” I shook with anger.
“Calm down. What is it?”
“Elena knows that I know about her barcode, she threw a huge tantrum in the cafeteria, she thinks I want to buy her.”
Constance looked at me and then she started to giggle. “I’m sorry, it’s not funny.”
I just stared at her.
“I know you are going through a lot right now, but she really thinks you want to buy her?”
“She was livid with me, and it’s not funny.”
My aunt really tried to not burst out laughing again. “I’m sorry.” She snorted into her hands and when she was finally done she stared at me. “You think I told her?”
“She said you did.”
“She assumes Blake, maybe she overheard us, eavesdropping.”
“Why would…” I trailed off. My aunt was right. It had been her this afternoon.
“You know I’m right.”
I crashed down into the chair.
“I’m sorry that I laughed, but it’s a little bit funny.”
I smiled and showed her with my fingers how little. “So what are you doing with a Night Seeker?”
ELENA
I MUST HAVE fallen asleep, as the sun was setting when I opened my eyes. I felt so drained and was surprised to find both of them still on Becky’s bed when I exited the room.
Sammy didn’t want to finish her sentence.
“I’m sorry I flipped out at you guys.”
“Come sit.” Becky tapped on her bed, and I went over and sat next to her. It still felt a bit claustrophobic, but I had to push through all this, otherwise I was never going to feel better at all.
I tugged at my sleeve, to hide the stupid barcode.
Becky scratched her head and just stared at my arm. She was like me with Annie in the beginning.
“Can I please see that again?”
“Becky,” I begged.
“It’s part of you now. Please.”
I gave her my arm as a tear rolled over my cheek. My gaze froze on the ceiling as she inspected it.
“Fucking bastards.”
“It’s fine.”
I sighed. I couldn’t look at her.
“Here is mine,” she said and I looked down at her. I saw a red bruise mark with a barcode on her arm.
It looked painful. Why would she do that?
I just stared at her then I grabbed her around the neck. She hugged me too and we all had the sniffles.
“Why did you do that?”
“We are with you till the end, Elena. I’m not going to make you feel like you are some sort of price check, but you already do, so now I am one too and so is Sammy.”
I looked at Sammy too.
“This was so stupid, you guys.”
“Not as stupid as you think.” Becky scrunched up her nose. “And I know you don’t want to hear this but,” She started to laugh. “You seriously think Blake wants to buy you?”
I knew it sounded stupid.
“He wants to find out where you were. Barcodes are registered to a system, if he knows where the system is located, he knows where you were.”
It didn’t make any sense why he wanted to know where I had been now that I was back at home. It was too late anyway.
“He may be a jerk but he’s not psychotic.”
I laughed. “He just made me feel so cheap.”
“I know he did, I’m so sorry.”
Her Cammy rang. “I’ll be just a second.”
George’s face appeared. “What is it?”
“Blake wants me.”
“Do what you want. Stop asking me for permission.” She put down her Cammy and George’s hologram disappeared as Becky grunted.
“Okay something tells me that I missed a shit lot these last four months.”
“Oh, don’t get me started,” Becky said and Sammy laughed. “It is as if we are living in the Twilight Zone.”
“Yeah, I know what that one feels like.”
“So any plans on how you are going to do this?”
“As fast as possible.”
“Yeah, about that? The board granted another sort of journey with yours. So it’s like a two in one which might make you rethink that fast statement.”
“What do you mean, granted another journey?”
“Blake needs to find his orbs.”
“His what?”
“The Rubicon orbs.” Sammy opened her mouth finally. “We don’t know what they do, only he does, but they are spread across the world so he wants to find the ones in Paegeia.”
“And I have to tag along in this? No.”
“Elena.”
“I’m not doing it.”
“It’s not going to be like that, okay. He said if he senses one close by then he would like to go after it while you guys are on your way to Etan. He’s not straying from the main mission.”
“This shouldn’t surprise me at all. I guess I have no say in this one either.”
“It’s not like that,” Sammy said.
“I know what this is.” Becky squinted.
“What is?” I asked.
“This is good.”
“What is good?”
“You are entering phase two. The anger phase.”
“Believe me, it’s a phase I’ll never get through.”
I tried to wipe the smirk off her face but she still had it.
“Whatever.”
THE NEXT DAY I was called in again but this time to Constance’s office in the infirmary, and alone.
I knocked twice on her door, and she lifted her gaze, giving me the a huge grin. “Come in, Elena.”
I went to one of the chairs in front of her desk and plunged into it. “How could you, Constance?”
“I didn’t. He saw it himself.”
“How?” I yelled as I would have remembered.
“When he found you in the tower and took you back to your room,” she said without opening her eyes.
That dream hadn’t been a dream. It really had been him, and my friends had lied to me and said it was George.
I took a deep breath. “How many know?”
“Him, me and your friends who got themselves ones too.”
“Yeah, I know it was stupid.”
“It’s their way of telling you that a barcode is not going to define who you are.”
I took a deep breath, pushing back the tears. Why couldn’t I see that?
“It’s why I asked you to come.” She looked distraught. “I know you don’t want to go on this journey as we have no idea how long this will take.”
I nodded, not pleased at all. It was as if they were forcing him on me to make peace.
“I don’t want to use this card, but I have family stuck inside of Etan.”
I swallowed hard. I’d forgotten about Constance’s husband and daughter. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think.”
“Don’t be. I know how hard it is for you. That is why I took the chance to help you a bit more. I hope you don’t mind.”
I shook my head as I was ready to ask for more help when I heard that conversation, but I was scared Blake was somewhere here wanting to talk to me with her next to me.
“I got a Night Seeker to help you.”
“A what?”
Her lips curved slightly. “There are only a few left in Paegeia and it doesn’t surprise me that the Council didn’t teach you about them yet. They are seen as a dangerous species, but I promise you, Leonard is far from dangerous. They are exceptionally good when it comes to things that are bothering us.”
“Like a psychiatrist?” I asked.
“They keep to themselves. They are blind, hence the name, Night Seekers. And they have a gift that a normal psychiatrist doesn’t have.”
“What sort of gift?”
“They really make things so much easier when speaking to one about their problems and time feels shorter. They sure give a new meaning to the name head doctors.”
I couldn’t help but giggle.
“I know it was bold of me to do this, without asking you, but he is willing to help as a favor to me. He helped me with the separation from my family, and I know he can help you too. He doesn’t take things away, so it will never feel like it has never been done to you. He somehow gives you strength to make it bearable and get over it. Make it easier to move on faster.”
I nodded.
“He’s easy to talk to as well. You will see if you just give him a chance.”
I really wanted the dreams to stop, and I did want to get over all of this and move on.
“Okay, I’ll see him.”
“That’s my girl.”
“So when is my first appointment with him?”
“In a couple of days, I’ll let you know when he arrives. He is going to stay at the Academy for the next two weeks. The board has already granted it, if you agreed to see him. I just need to send word to him and he will come.”
“Okay, I’m going to see a head doctor. About time too, don’t you think?”
“You were always a strong young lady. It’s just I feel this time you need that extra help. Make things more bearable.”
“Okay.” I looked at her. “Is there anything else?”
“Nope, just that. You can go back to class.”
“Thanks.” I got up and left her infirmary.
A Night Seeker? What the hell was still roaming in Paegeia that I didn’t know about?
