Secrets: The Hero Chronicles (Volume 1) Read online

  **

  We were driving through a dark forest, winding through some steep hills.

  “We’re almost there,” said Cora. I looked at the clock; it was 2:45 p.m.

  “Where are we now?” I asked.

  “We are in West Virginia. Nicholas, before we get there, I need to tell you something that I have been keeping from you, something from my past. I was hoping I could keep this from you forever, but now I am being forced to tell you everything, and I hope it doesn’t hurt you the way it did me.” When she spoke it sounded hollow like she was rehearsing lines from a play.

  “When I was your age, I fell in love with a boy named Marcus Fray—you may remember him.” I did remember him after she said his name. He had been with Cora at every family event that I could remember.

  “He was my true love. We were inseparable. When we both considered colleges, he wanted to apply to the same schools that I did. Marcus and I both got accepted to Vanderbilt. Mom and Dad weren’t too thrilled about me going to the same school as Marcus. They wanted me to be free of him so I could focus on my studies, but they reluctantly let me go off to school with him. Vanderbilt was better than high school for us. We were the ‘it’ couple by our sophomore year. He was student body president, and I was president of my sorority and captain of the dance team. We planned every social event for the school. It was just how I dreamt it would be. Everything was perfect.

  “Sophomore year, Mom and Dad died in the automobile accident on Christmas Eve. After the funeral, I stayed with you, Beth, and Joseph for the rest of my winter break. Near the end of the break, they brought me to where I am taking you tonight.”

  The paved road became gravel, barely suitable to drive on. The forest was now right on either side of the truck with no room for another vehicle to pass.

  “After the break, I went back to Vanderbilt. I tried to forget everything that I saw and learned here with your parents. I focused on making things return to how they had been before, but it wasn’t working. So I decided to dedicate myself to school, just like my parents had wanted me to. I quit my sorority and the dance team, which didn’t bother Marcus at all. He proposed to me on April 12. We were supposed to get married as soon as we graduated.”

  Cora stopped and wiped away the tears that were streaming down her cheeks. She cleared her throat and continued, “Marcus was so good to me after the accident. He supported me in every way. He even stepped down as class president so he could be there for me whenever I needed him. I never wanted him to do that, but he did it anyway, as well as making many other sacrifices to be with me.” Cora’s speech became very broken.

  “On October 10 of my senior year, the 10-10 Earthquake hit. I left school immediately after I heard how severely it had hit our town. One of my friends from high school, who was a teacher at your school, called. He told me he was waiting with you because Beth and Joseph hadn’t come for you, and he didn’t feel right about putting you on the bus to the shelter. Marcus wouldn’t let me leave without him because Beth, Joseph, and you were like his family too. Marcus’ family had moved back to California a year earlier, so he had no family here when the quake hit.

  “When we got close to Mt. Vernon, I was stunned by how much chaos and devastation the quake had caused. It resembled a town that was bombed in one of the world wars, barely recognizable. I was lucky to be able to get to you at the school. There were so many damaged streets. If I hadn’t known all of the short cuts and side streets, we would not have gotten to you as quickly as we did.

  “I don’t know if you remember that your house was mostly spared from any significant damage from the quake, so we settled in at your house. That’s when the media started to show up, wanting to talk to you about that picture. I didn’t know what to do, especially when we found out what had happened to Beth and Joseph.” Cora stopped and took in a deep breath, calming herself.

  “Then I got a visit from some people. I asked Marcus to watch you while I talked to the people by myself. Marcus wasn’t too happy about them being there, because one of the individuals was Chase Letterby. He disliked Chase because Chase was always trying to get me to dump Marcus, which I would never do. The other two people were Jerry Hill, who just died recently, and Ester Theasing—yes, the same Ester Theasing from Winsor.

  “They came to tell me that I had to go into hiding to protect you, and that it had to be just me, no one else, especially not Marcus. Ester provided us with enough money that we would never have to worry about money again. Jerry was responsible for erasing our pasts and creating our new lives. And Chase was, well, always on call, our personal doctor in case we needed any medical help or a quick getaway.

  “So that night I started a fight with Marcus while you were asleep. For his own safety, I wasn’t allowed to tell him anything about us having to leave. I told him that I didn’t want to be with him anymore, that we were over. It was the worst thing I ever had to do. I told the love of my life that the only reason I said yes to his marriage proposal was because I had been upset about my parents’ death, that I hadn’t been thinking clearly, and that it was a big mistake. He begged me to change my mind, pleading with me for hours. I went on to say things I will not repeat to you, and he eventually left early the next morning.”

  Cora looked like she was on the verge of a complete breakdown, but like before, she took a deep breath and continued. “Three days later, we visited your parents’ graves and disappeared.”

  “Why did you do that? I would have been okay. Who cares if the media kept bothering me? That would have been better than you and Marcus not being together. I could never leave like that, especially if someone asked me to leave Elle. I wouldn’t do it.”

  “Nicholas, I had to protect you. I had to make that sacrifice.”

  “Sacrifice your future to protect me from what? A couple reporters?”

  “No, the reporters were just a small part of it. What I had to protect you from was something larger and more dangerous than you know.”

  She pulled off the gravel road onto what felt like a newly paved road. The road was extremely well maintained for being in the middle of nowhere. “We are here. I will explain more with a little help once we are inside, Nicholas.”

  A house, which was a little bigger than a guardhouse, was positioned right next to a large metal gate. The gate connected to a tall metal fence, which shot off in both directions, disappearing into the woods. Cora stopped next to the house. A side door opened, and a man dressed in what looked like a hunter’s outfit came out. Cora rolled down the window.

  “Hello, Mr. Weathers,” she said.

  The unkempt man spoke in a frail but friendly voice, “Well, Ms. Cora Keller, it’s been a long time. It’s so nice to see you. And who do you have with you?” He leaned forward and looked inside the truck.

  Cora spoke, “It’s Alexander—”

  He finished her sentence, “Nicholas Taylor Keller? Well then, by all means, go on in. The others have already arrived.”

  Cora rolled up the window.

  “What was that all about? Who was that old man?” I asked.

  “He’s the caretaker.”

  “For what, a wildlife park?”

  “No, for this.”

 

  Cora turned around a bend. There was a large, open paved lot, where two helicopters sat on either side of an entrance carved into the side of the mountain straight ahead of us.

  “What is this place? Is it a mine?”

  Cora got out, ignoring the questions, and walked toward the entrance. I slipped my shoes back on and caught up with her.

  “Nicholas, it’s very important that you follow me very closely.” She turned and walked into the entrance. I followed her. A couple of steps into the entrance it became darker than I thought possible. The light from the entrance vanished. I could hear Cora walking ahead of me, but I didn’t know how far ahead of me she was. The walkway started to slope gradually downward, leading us down into the mountain.

  I hea
rd Cora counting out loud, “142, 143, 144 steps, then the door.”

  Without warning, I was blinded by an intense, bright white light. I squinted through my hands and saw Cora’s silhouette standing in a doorway. The light coming from the door was overpowering.

  Still barely able to open my eyes, I walked slowly through the door, holding my hands out to steady myself. Behind me, Cora shut the door with a loud, hollow bang. “We can wait here until you get used to the light.”

  A minute passed and I started to see our surroundings. We were standing on a platform that was connected to a steep set of stairs that went down the middle of a large round tunnel. The wall was smooth and white with no visible seams. The tunnel was lit by large lights hanging down the center.

  “Nicholas, it’s just a little farther. Once we are there, we can talk.” She started down the stairs. I followed. The stairs went on as far as I could see.

  We had been walking down the stairs for what must have been about fifteen minutes when I heard a faint rumbling sound coming from below us. The farther we descended into the mountain, the more the sound grew in intensity. It was becoming so loud that even if I had wanted to talk to Cora, she wouldn’t have been able to hear me. I felt like my ears were going to explode. Then I saw the end of the stairs.

  Cora walked quickly down the last couple of steps, and I followed closely. She walked into a room that was a couple of feet past the end of the stairs. The loud roaring sound was muffled once we were inside. The room was made out of some sort of shiny metal. It looked like copper. Straight ahead was a large door with no visible doorknob or handle. On the right side of the room, there were twelve small metal wheels attached to the wall in a straight line parallel to the ground. Each one had a ring of letters surrounding it and a marker, which lined up with a different letter depending on how you moved the wheel.

  Cora started at the first wheel and worked her way down the row, carefully lining up each marker with a different letter. The farther she got, the quieter the roaring became. When she made it through all of the wheels, the sound was gone. The only sound now was coming from the door. It was making a series of clicks that sounded like it was being unlocked from within. Then a handle appeared out of the door. Cora pulled the lever and the door opened. She walked in, and I was right behind her.

  We were standing in a large stone cathedral cut from the belly of the mountain. The ceiling was high and vaulted like in an Italian cathedral built by the greatest architects of its time, but this cathedral was cut entirely out of stone. All of the ornate decoration and details were carved. The walls were as smooth as glass.

  There were twelve individual stone seats cut out of the ground, rising up from the floor at the front of this magnificent cave. Each seat was unique from the others. The front of this stone cathedral had the most splendid altar I had ever seen. It looked like a large stone fireplace, but it took up the entire front wall. It was made out of flat rocks stacked on top of each other; the rocks’ jagged edges stuck out to make a rough finish. Water was cascading down from the ceiling over the front of the rocks. The water disappeared into the ground below. In between the rocks was an iridescent yellowish-white light that illuminated the altar, making it glow.

  I looked down and noticed that I was standing in a very shallow puddle. The ground was wet with several puddles. It looked like it had just rained.

  “Cora, where are we?”

  “Remember in the truck when I said your mom and dad took me somewhere at the end of my winter break? Well, this is that place.”

  “Okay, but where are we? Why have you brought me here?”

  “We are in the central chamber of the Thusian Vault.”

  “The what?” I asked.

  “The Thu-see-en Vault. The reason I brought you here is for you to understand the changes you are going through on the inside as well as understand your past and your future.”

  Chase Letterby and Ester Theasing walked out of a door directly across from where we had entered. Ester came over to Cora and put an arm around her. Cora didn’t flinch; she actually welcomed it, which was completely the opposite of how I expected her to respond.

  Chase walked over to me. “Hey, Nicholas, it’s good to see you. How’s that cracked vertebra?” He smiled and patted me on the back. My head was swimming.

  “What’s going on, Cora?” I asked, hoping she would wake me up from whatever this was, but Ester spoke instead.

  “Nicholas, this is going to be hard for you to understand at first, but please give me a chance to explain what this is all about. Then Chase will speak to you about your dreams and your newfound talents.”

  Chase walked over to Cora, and he replaced Ester’s arm with his own. Again, Cora didn’t fight him. She leaned against his chest, using his arms like a crutch. She looked ragged and exhausted.

  “Nicholas, I will start from the beginning, just like I did for Cora when she first came here. Roughly 2,000 years ago, the Thusians were created. There were a thousand original Thusians. Their sole purpose was to protect the human race from the evils of this world, no matter the cost—most of the time sacrificing their own lives in the process. They are like guardian angels.

  “As time went on, the Thusians’ numbers began to dwindle. So the Keeper—the Thusians’ king—declared that, for the first time, Thusians would be allowed to marry non-Thusians in order to hopefully repopulate the Thusians’ numbers and continue to protect mankind. This plan was very successful, because the Thusians’ numbers grew into the hundreds of thousands in no time, but the Thusians’ ways were not passed on to everyone with Thusian blood.

  “The Keeper also acted as a librarian for the Thusians. He knew all of the history and, more importantly, the bloodline of the Thusian families. The Thusians looked to him for guidance, but when the numbers grew too large, a group of Thusians decided that the Keeper was no longer able to do his job effectively. They formed a governing body, the Divine Council, to make decisions and manage the growing population. After the formation of the Council, the Keeper tradition was eliminated.

  “The Council consisted of twelve individuals selected by the Governor of the Council.” She motioned to the twelve stone seats. “For years, the Council was successful and just, but it eventually became corrupt. They thought the Thusians’ numbers had grown too large to govern. So they gathered 100 of the brightest and strongest Thusians and created a secret group called the Seekers. Their sole purpose was to kill Thusians who did not know about their connections to the Thusian heritage. If they didn’t know their purpose, then they should not be allowed to live.

  “The Seekers would create circumstances through which targeted Thusians would be most likely to sacrifice their lives. This was the way the Council thought they would purify the Thusians. People with any Thusian blood would be compelled to sacrifice themselves for others during certain events, even if they didn’t know about their Thusian heritage.

  “Hundreds of years went by with the Council and Seekers working hand in hand. Then the Council became powerless to control the Seekers. The Seekers started to eliminate all Thusians, regardless of what the Council wanted, because they thought no one was pure enough to be a Thusian. Even the old Council was slowly killed off by the very Seekers they had created. It was Thusian genocide. But with the birth of America came the hope of a new Council. I am the Governor of the Divine Council now. Both of your parents were on the Council, and so was your grandmother.” She paused long enough for me to ask a question.

  “So my whole purpose in life is to be a sacrificial lamb, to die for someone?”

  Ester answered the question like I had asked her about the weather. “Yes, Nicholas, when your time comes, it may require that. Thusians are usually drawn to dangerous occupations where they risk their lives daily for others, such as being police officers, firemen, paramedics, or in the military. But at the end of the day, no matter what their occupation, all Thusians may have to give up their lives for a final sacrifice, just l
ike your parents did.”

  My heart raced. It felt like it was pounding in my throat. “What do you mean just like my parents? They died in the earthquake.”

  “Nicholas, they died as a result of the quake happening and being Thusians, but not during the actual quake. Your father died while saving three small children from a collapsed house, and your mother died saving two co-workers at her office. Luckily, they managed to save everyone they were attempting to help.”

  “Luckily? Luckily? Are you kidding? They died saving complete strangers, but what about me? Why didn’t they think of me?” I was seething with anger and the fire in my stomach was burning red-hot. Cora was now in front of me, trying to calm me down, but I didn’t want to be calmed.

  “Nicholas, they didn’t have a choice,” Cora said calmly. “When a Thusian is called to make a final sacrifice, something inside takes over. We can’t control it. Like when I had to protect you and keep you safe from everything, I couldn’t fight it. It was my sacrifice. Neither could your parents.”

  “But why was your sacrifice just protecting me, and why did they have to die?” I yelled at Cora.

  Chase stepped forward, shielding Cora and Ester from me. Chase was a lot bigger than me, but I knew he would be no match for me right now.

  “Nicholas, you need to calm down. I know it is a lot to take in all at once, but remember, we didn’t kill your parents.”

  “You didn’t, but this crazy Thusian curse did. How do you expect me to be calm when one day I will probably have to sacrifice my life for a complete stranger, leaving my family behind?”

  “Not everyone’s sacrifice is a death sentence. Not everyone’s sacrifice is for a stranger either. Maybe one day you might have to sacrifice your life for a friend or Cora or even your girlfriend, Elle.”

  Hearing Elle’s name was like an instant tranquilizer for me. If I had to give my life for her, it would be the easiest decision I would ever have to make.

  “Nicholas, now that you are calming down, I think that Ester and Cora would like for me to discuss with you some of the things you might be experiencing.” Chase didn’t wait for a confirmation. “First of all, the dreams when you feel like you’re suffocating, paralyzed, or being surrounded by something—this is normal for most Thusians. It should only last a couple of months and then it’s gone.”

  A couple of months, was he kidding? I had been having those night terrors for the last five years, but I didn’t see the need to tell him that.

  “The night terrors begin for Thusians around the time of realization. Realization is when we first get or realize our talents. Talents are usually broken into one of two different areas: either physical or mental. But just because there are two categories, doesn’t mean the talents in one category are all the same. For example, Cora, Ester, and I all have mental talents. Cora’s talents are in risk management, which is why she always knew how to keep you safe and hidden. My talents are in the area of medicine. When taking care of someone, I am always able to make the right decision about how to best treat them. Ester’s talents are in finance. She always knows how to make large sums of money.

  “Your talents, on the other hand, are obviously physical in nature. You will not be able to use them on demand; it doesn’t work that way. Over time, you will know the limits of your talents. I know what you’re thinking: ‘Why do I have these talents?’ They are to aid you in your final sacrifice, which you will have to make one day.”

  “Actually, Chase, I have a different question. Who was Cora keeping me safe from? I don’t think any of the media wanted to hurt me.”

  Chase didn’t speak. Ester walked up to his side, and Cora stood on his other side. They were all facing me, forming a wall.

  Ester spoke, “Remember the Seekers I mentioned? Well, they are still out there, and they are still trying to eliminate Thusians, trying to eliminate all of us. And from what Cora explained to us, it seems that you have already been attacked by two Seekers.”

  I nodded.

  “Ever since the Keepers were eliminated, there has been no real way for the Seekers to keep track of the family bloodlines. The members of the Council were the only ones who knew and tracked most of the bloodlines of the Thusians. So now the Seekers watch the media, along with other things, for any act of heroism or unusual luck. So after the earthquake when you got all of that media attention, we knew it was only a matter of time before they came looking for you.”

  “So let me get this straight,” I said. “I am part of an ancient group of guardian angels called the Thusians, and I have super powers that will force me to eventually get killed or leave everything behind for some great final sacrifice that I have no control over? All the while, an ancient death squad formed by the Thusian Divine Council is out to kill me. Did I forget anything?”

  Chase laughed. “Wow, Nicholas, you did a great job of summing it up. Maybe next time you should give the talk.”

  “Chase, this is not a laughing matter,” Cora scolded him, walking up and putting her arms around me. “Nicholas, I am so sorry I didn’t tell you this earlier.”

  “So this means I can’t tell anyone about this?” I asked, knowing the answer.

  “Absolutely not,” Ester said. “Telling someone would put their life in terrible danger.”

  I couldn’t believe it . . . more secrets.

  Ester showed me around the rest of the place, explaining more of the history of the Thusians. She took me into the room where they had been waiting for us when we first came in. It was a large round room, but not as tall as the cathedral; its ceiling was only two stories high. It was filled with books and papers. Ester explained to me that this was all of the Thusian history that they had been able to recover from the old vault in Europe.

  She had Chase and Cora come into the library with us, and she closed the door, which looked identical to the large metal one in the copper entrance room. When the door closed, the rumbling sound returned.

  “Nicholas, can you hear that sound? That is part of our security here. You see, when both doors are closed, the main chamber is filled with rushing water. That’s why everything was wet. The vault was cut just below a river that runs through this mountain. So when the doors close, the ceiling opens and allows the river to fill the space, thus protecting our secrets. If someone tried to get in and didn’t know the right combination, the tube leading down to the vault would flood. If they came prepared for water and got through the door, the current would be too strong and would suck them into the underground river. And if somehow they got through the river and tried to enter into this chamber, it would flood, and the water would destroy all of the records, keeping our secrets safe.”

  Ester picked up a book off of the nearest rack. “Nicholas, the paper on which we keep our records is formulated to instantly become pulp when water touches it.” She walked over to a bookcase and pulled on it. It opened up, revealing more wheels and letters like at the entrance. A couple turns of the wheels, and the water sound stopped. “So it’s always important, once you’re in the vault, to open the records room door so that the chamber won’t flood. Either the chamber door or the records room door needs to be open at all times while anyone is in here. It may seem like a big risk to take, but our secrets are more important than any one life. Maybe one day someone will have to sacrifice their life to protect the Thusians’ secrets. We can never be too careful.”

  We all walked out of the records room. Chase went over to the door through which we had entered and opened it. Ester closed the door to the records room, and we walked out of the vault. Cora was very close to me.

  “Nicholas, if you have more questions, please don’t be afraid to contact me. I will be happy to talk,” Ester said.

  My head was spinning from spending a couple of hours down in the vault. “I do have a question. Why tell me and show me all of this right now?”

  “Because you need to know the dangers that we face every day as Thusians,” Ester answered, and then started up the stairs.


  Once we were at the top of the tube and outside, Cora spoke, “Chase, can we borrow your helicopter?”

  “Of course,” he replied. “You and Nicholas can take it back to your house. I will be happy to drive your truck back. You don’t look like you’re in any condition to drive anyway.”

  “Do you have a phone in there that I can use?” I asked.

  “Of course,” Chase said. We boarded the luxury helicopter. I grabbed the phone and dialed Elle.

  “Hello?” a faint voice said.

  “Elle, thank goodness you picked up. Oliver is still challenging me to the rite of passage. He called me last night.”

  The voice changed. “This isn’t Elle. She is away right now.” It didn’t sound like her dad or mom.

  “Who is this?”

  “Just someone who has been trying to kill you for some time now.”

  “Who is this?” I demanded.

  “You know who I am, and I bet you are still at the Thusians’ secret vault,” he laughed with a dry cough.

  “You better not do anything to Elle, or I’ll kill you and your friend.”

  “I love young Thusians,” he said sarcastically. “I haven’t done anything to her directly, youngster. Your little girlfriend was taken by Oliver a short while ago. I sure like him.”

  “When I get there—”

  He interrupted me, “What? Are you going to come after me? Ha! That’s not how this works. I come after you pathetic, weak Thusians. If I were you, I’d be more worried about your little girlfriend. Soon, she and Oliver will be headed to an icy, cold death at the bottom of that quarry lake. What a shame, really. I have been planning this death for you for such a long time. I’ll be seeing you soon,” he laughed, and then the phone went dead.

  “Chase, get on the helicopter now,” I yelled.

 

  “Chase, you and Cora go the quarry, and make sure you stop Oliver. I will go to Elle’s house to make sure she isn’t there.”

  “It’s a trap; you know that. Let’s all check her house, and then we can go to the quarry,” Chase suggested.

  “Chase is right. We should stick together,” agreed Cora.

  “No, we have to split up. That is the only way we can make sure to cover all of the places. You will drop me off by her house and then fly to the quarry. That’s the only way we can be sure.” Both Chase and Cora nodded reluctantly.

  We landed in the park right next to Elle’s subdivision. The cool breeze was refreshing, and the sun felt good on my skin once I was out of the helicopter. The sun began to set behind the park’s large trees, casting long, ominous shadows across the field. The sound of the helicopter was fading away. I was halfway through the park, near one of the picnic areas, when I felt a sharp, stinging pain radiate from my lower back. My knees buckled and the world began to spin. My head hit the ground and everything went black.

  “Wake up, Alexander!” a frantic female voice shouted. “Alexander, you must wake up! Alexander Nicholas Taylor, open your eyes!”

  My eyes felt like they had 100-pound weights holding them shut. The female voice stopped begging, seeing my eyes start to open. Everything was blurry. I had to blink several times to clear my vision. I was not in the field any longer. I was lying on a bench under one of the park’s shelters. My head was in the lap of the strange woman who was pleading for me to open my eyes. My body throbbed. I felt like I had been hit by a truck. The woman was looking at me with her compassionate green eyes. She was rubbing my head, comforting me, which helped to distract me from the pain radiating from my back. This woman’s skin was radiant and lightly tanned, but not by the sun; it must have been native to where her family was from. Her brown hair was in small braids on either side of her slender face, pulled back behind her head. Her light pink lips were together, making a shushing sound like you would do to a baby to get it to calm down.

  “Who are you?” I asked, trying to sit up, but she kept my head where it was with little force.

  “My name is Genevieve, and his name is Riley,” she answered calmly.

  I looked over and saw a tall, slender man standing a couple of feet away, looking around the park. He reminded me of a younger Coach Miller.

  “You were attacked by a Seeker named Xavier and one of his friends,” Genevieve said. “Luckily, Riley and I have been watching you for some time, keeping you safe.”

  I sat up, panicked. “You have been trying to kill me!” My head was spinning. I knew for certain that these were the two people who had been following me.

  She spoke softly but firmly. “We haven’t been trying to kill you; we have been protecting you.”

  “Each time I was almost killed this year, you were there, weren’t you?”

  “Well, of course we were there,” Riley said, “but you didn’t need our help. Your Thusian talents saved you.”

  “Are you bodyguards sent by Ester or Chase? Another line of defense that I didn’t know about?”

  “We have nothing to do with Ester or Chase,” Riley replied. He had a thick Irish accent that sounded like it had been slightly Americanized. He went back to watching over the park.

  “There is no time for talking, only time for you to listen,” Genevieve said. “Xavier would have killed you if we hadn’t shown up. We heard him telling you that you were too late and that you would never make it in time to help her. Who was he talking about? You have been mumbling something about Elle, a car, and a dock. What does that all mean? You have to tell us.”

  I closed my eyes, focusing on the voice growing louder in my head. It was the same one that I had heard on the phone earlier. The harder I concentrated, the louder the obtrusive voice got. Then the voice was clear.

  Oliver and Elle are on their way to the rock quarry, and there is no way you will be able to get to them in time before they die. I knew you would come here and check her house. How predictable. Sending the others away to the quarry is exactly the kind of thing that gets you Thusians killed so easily—always trying to be the hero. Just so you know, there is no way to save her, the voice said.

  It continued, To be honest Alexander, I think she may have some Thusian blood in her too because of the way you were drawn to her. Killing her now will save me from having to come back and kill her later. The hero of the 10-10 Earthquake has been more of a challenge to kill. You survived the earthquake and my first couple of attacks, so I had to kill you in person. And what a shame, I spent all that time cutting the supports on the dock.

  His voice rang in my head. There is no way to save her. It grew so loud that my head throbbed with pain. In an instant I was standing. Adrenaline surged through my body. All of my pain was gone. The fire burned and my muscles tensed.

  “Oliver has taken Elle and they are going to die!” I said, running out of the shelter past Riley. My surroundings immediately blurred. I had to get to the quarry in time to save Elle. If this was my turn to make a final sacrifice, I would willingly die for Elle.

 

  It was completely dark outside of town. There were no streetlights, but I could see perfectly. I was only a mile away from the party. The handwritten map that Eric had used back in August was as clear in my head as if I was the one who drew it.

  I got to the quarry entrance and ran down several gravel roads before I saw the light from the party ahead of me. I saw everyone yelling and cheering, staring right at the dock. There were even more people here than at the last party. The quarry seemed 100 times brighter than the last time; I could see everything clearly. The only movement near the dark grey lake was coming from a primer grey beater that Oliver was using for his rite of passage. The car began to slow down, and then it stopped just a few feet from the end of the dock. Then, in slow motion, the part of the dock that the car was on collapsed, and the front of the car crashed into the water. The remaining part of the dock flipped over on top of it, and the taillights disappeared under the water. Was I too late?

  I was at the edge of the water pulling off my shirt before any of t
he people there had a chance to move. Chase and Cora were running toward me from the helicopter, which had landed in an open area off to the side of the lake. Why hadn’t they stopped this from happening? I dove into the dark, icy cold lake. My lungs seized, not prepared for the cold. My body quickly adjusted to the water temperature. Once in the water, I was able to move toward the car with no resistance. I was able to grab handfuls of water that felt firm, like a grip. I sank my fingers into it to help propel me through the water quickly. I pulled with all of my might, and I sent myself hurtling toward the car.

  The water was dark, but my eyes pulled all of the light from above, allowing me to see everything clearly in the dark, murky water. I was moving quickly toward the car. Through the pieces of the dock I could see that the car was almost completely filled with water. I gave the water one more thrust with my hands, and I hit the car with such force that it sank deeper into the depths.

  I dismantled the pieces of the dock that surrounded the car like they were made of toothpicks. Inside, Elle was struggling with her seat belt to get free. Oliver was bloody and unconscious, floating next to her in the water-filled car. The windshield imploded, filling it completely with water. The car raced toward the bottom. I caught the hood near the windshield, keeping it from sinking any farther. Elle’s eyes fluttered. She was close to becoming unconscious, barely struggling anymore with her belt. I grabbed her seat belt and ripped it off of her. I pulled her out and pushed her to the surface. I could see her break the surface of the water, and her legs began to lightly tread water. Then I went back and grabbed Oliver’s broken body and pulled him up with me toward Elle at the surface. I broke the surface of the water right next to her as she went under again, unable to keep herself afloat anymore. I pulled both of them up on my chest and swam them to the shore in a matter of seconds. People from the crowd reached out to take Oliver from me and pulled him ashore. I carried Elle out and gently laid her on the ground.

  “Elle, can you hear me? Elle, please!” I begged. One of my hands was cupped under her head and the other stroked her cheek.

  She spoke very quietly, almost inaudibly, “Don’t leave me, Nicholas.” Then her cold body went limp. I listened to her chest and felt for a pulse. She had a faint pulse and her breathing was shallow. She had no visible cuts or broken bones.

  I grabbed my dry shirt, which was within arm’s reach of us, and wrapped her in it, trying to keep her warm. Shouts and screams were coming from all around me. I pulled her up onto my lap to keep her close and to try to warm her. Why did this have to happen to her? I would do anything to switch places with her.

  I started pleading, “God, take me, not her. Please, God, let her live.”

  “Nicholas, you have to let go now. I will take care of her,” Chase said. I knew I had to let her go, but I couldn’t let someone take her from me. Not again.

  “Where were you? Why didn’t you stop this?” I screamed at him.

  “Nicholas, let her go.” Eric was prying me off of her now.

  I let go and fell back to the ground. There was so much commotion around me. People were yelling and screaming. Chase worked on her for what seemed like forever. Eventually, Elle was being loaded into a nearby ambulance. I staggered to my feet to follow her. I got up to the back door and tried to get in, but someone grabbed me from behind. I didn’t have the strength to fight back.

  “Nicholas, stop. You can’t go with her. You have to get checked out yourself. You have blood all over your back,” Eric said, holding me back.

  “I have to go with her! I have to! Let go of me!”

  “Nicholas, it’s okay.” I turned and saw Cora and began to cry uncontrollably.

  “Cora, please let me sacrifice my life for her. My life is nothing without her. Please, help me, please.”

  “Nicholas, it doesn’t work that way. Shh, it will be okay.” Cora moved me away from the crowd.

  “Where were you? Why didn’t you stop this from happening?”

  “Nicholas, it’s a big quarry; we had to look for the party. We only found it when it started to get dark outside. Plus, Chase needed to stop and get supplies from the hospital in case we needed them, which we did.”

  “If you hadn’t stopped, you could have prevented this all from happening, and you wouldn’t have needed those supplies.”

  “Stop, Nicholas. We aren’t to blame. We didn’t know what we were going to encounter.”

  I fell toward her and wrapped my arms around her. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

  “Come over here and let Chase take a look at your back before he leaves for the hospital.”

  “No, I must go to the hospital to be with Elle. Chase can check me out later,” I said. Cora nodded, understanding. She got some gauze, cleaned my wound, and taped the gauze over it.

  Once in the truck, I was able to take in the scene around me more clearly. There were dozens of squad cars and emergency vehicles throughout the enormous crowd of people at the party. Some of the people were talking to the police, and others were huddled in groups. Then I saw them for a brief second—Genevieve and Riley and their sea green truck.

  “Cora, look out there. Those are the two Thusians that saved me.” When I looked back at where they had been, they were gone.

  “Nicholas, what are you talking about? Saved you from what?”

  “I will tell you later. Let’s get to the hospital.”

  Chase was already working on Elle by the time Cora and I got there. I couldn’t see what he was doing, but there was a room full of doctors and nurses assisting him. Both of Elle’s parents were sitting in the waiting area. Mrs. Canan’s eyes were swollen; her head was resting on Mr. Canan’s shoulders. Mr. Canan was like a statue—pale, not moving, just staring off into space in shock. Cora stood next to me while I stared through a small window into the room, hoping to see something.

  After about an hour, Chase came out of the room and went straight over to Mr. and Mrs. Canan. He sat down across from them. I couldn’t hear what he was saying, but they both listened to him intently. Then they all stood, and Mr. and Mrs. Canan followed him into the room. Chase then came back out to us.

  “Chase, is she going to be okay?” I asked.

  “Nicholas, she is in a coma, but she is stable. I think she will be okay, but it’s going to take some time,” he said. “She is lucky you got there when you did. I don’t think she would have made it any longer in that frigid water.

  “Nicholas, do you want me to take a look at your back before I assist them with the boy you saved? They said they need help with him.”

  “You aren’t going to help with him, are you?” I asked, horrified. “Chase, you have to stay with Elle. You are here because we needed your help with Elle, not the person who took her and put her in danger.”

  “Someone took her?” The three of us spun around to see Ester Theasing standing behind us. “Who took Elle Canan?” she repeated her question to us.

  “Oliver Rails did, but it should have been me. His plan was meant for me. I was supposed to be in the car.”

  “Nicholas, what are you talking about? What plan?” Ester asked.

  “Xavier was planning to kill me.”

  All three recoiled at the mention of Xavier’s name. Chase spoke first, “Did you say Xavier?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, start from the beginning,” Ester said.

  “Xavier was at Elle’s house and answered the phone when I called. I went to check on her at her house, while Chase and Cora went to the quarry to stop Oliver. I was attacked in Swaim Park by her house. When I came to, there was a woman and a man there named Genevieve and Riley. They stopped Xavier and his friend from killing me. I then recalled Xavier telling me that he had cut the dock supports so that the dock would collapse when the car drove onto it. Oliver and I were supposed to crash into the lake, but when Oliver took Elle instead, Xavier changed his plans. He decided to kill me in person and let them die in the lake, since he thought Elle might be a Thusian too.” r />
  I looked at Chase. His face had lost all of its color. Ester and Cora looked like they were both in deep thought.

  “Ester, should we go into hiding?” Cora asked.

  “No, Cora, there is no need to do that. He had his chances and missed them. He would never try again out in the open. But this changes everything. I must speak to the Council immediately.” Ester then disappeared down the hall.

  Chase was still pale and visibly shaken. His golden tan was gone.

  “Can someone tell me what’s going on?” I asked.

  “Nicholas, Xavier is a very dangerous Seeker. You are lucky that Genevieve and Riley showed up,” Cora said.

  “Nicholas, he is one of the most feared Seekers out there,” Chase said.

  “Who are Genevieve and Riley?” I asked both Cora and Chase.

  “I’m not sure. Do you know, Chase?” Cora asked.

  He blinked repeatedly, and some of the color returned to his face. “Xavier is here. Did you see what he looked like?” Chase asked.

  “No, Chase,” I responded. He was clearly focused on Xavier. I really didn’t care who Xavier was, or who Genevieve and Riley were for that matter. I just wanted Chase to take care of Elle and make sure she got better. Everything else was an afterthought, something for later. “Listen, I don’t care who this Xavier is. You take care of Elle. Do you understand me, Chase?”

  Chase nodded. He turned and started to walk back into her room.

  “Chase,” I called after him. “Go ahead and help Oliver. This was mostly Xavier’s fault anyway.”

 

  Elle was recovering in the hospital, still in a coma. I refused to leave the hospital. I had to be there when she woke up. Doctors came and went, but I continued to sit there, waiting. From time to time, Chase checked on her and gave me an update. Her parents were there around the clock too. They took turns going home to sleep while the other sat by her side.

  Mr. Canan never spoke to me. I was sure he blamed me somehow for what had happened to Elle. Mrs. Canan was the complete opposite. She was nice, telling me that she would call me right when Elle woke up if I wanted to go home. I politely declined each time. She seemed as concerned about me as she was about Elle.

  I spent most nights drifting in and out of consciousness. I was exhausted and still hurt from the attack I had suffered in the park. Fatigue set in, making it difficult to do much of anything. Luckily, Chase was able to get me into the showers that the doctors use at the hospital as well as a room in which I could lie down and relax. Still, for the most part I stayed in the waiting room right outside Elle’s door. Cora brought me new clothes to wear each day. She also brought home-cooked meals for me, the Canans, and the staff at the hospital. Tic Tacs were the only thing that could give me some relief from the nausea brought on by my lack of sleep.

  “Nicholas, Nicholas, wake up!” I must have dozed off in the waiting room because Mrs. Canan startled me.

  “Is Elle awake?”

  “Yes, dear, she is. She’s awake and she wants to see you.”

  I stood up, still feeling lightheaded from sleeping. Outside it had become dark; I must have been asleep for a while. I followed Mrs. Canan to Elle’s room. This was the first time that I had been able to see her since that night in the quarry.

  When I entered the room, I saw Chase surrounded by a couple of adoring nurses, which was not surprising. Elle was sitting up, sipping a drink. For having just come out of a coma, she looked incredible and full of life. When she saw me she cried out, “Nicholas.” She began to weep. I sat down on her bed next to her. She leaned forward and buried her head in my chest. I held her tightly.

  “I thought I would never see you again,” she sobbed.

  “I am here. Everything is okay.”

  Holding her made all of my aches and pains go away. I rocked her back and forth while she cried. As she got quieter, I could hear some sniffling from behind us. It was Mrs. Canan. She had been crying along with her daughter. Chase and the nurses left the room to give us privacy.

  Elle pulled back and looked into my eyes. “You look worse than I do,” she laughed, wiping away her tears. I smiled at her. Even lying in a hospital bed, she could still make me smile.

  Mrs. Canan said, “He has been here the whole three days, waiting for you to wake up, never leaving. Nicholas and Cora had Dr. Chase Letterby come to take care of you.”

  I looked into her eyes. “When I pulled you out of the water, you told me not to leave you, so I didn’t.”

  She took both of her hands and raised them to my face. She pulled me close and kissed me tenderly. All of the sounds of the hospital were gone. Her fragile lips sent a feeling of reassurance through me that she was going to be okay.

  Elle’s father showed up a short time later. I left so her parents could be alone with her. Later, Elle’s friends showed up to see her. Mr. Canan came out of the room and walked right up to me. I braced myself for the worst. He stood in front of me for a few seconds and then stuck out his hand. I grasped his hand with mine, and he shook it firmly, which was his way of saying thanks.

  I called Cora.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked.

  “Yes, Elle’s awake.”

  “I will be right there.”

  When she arrived, we went and stood in Elle’s room with the rest of the visitors. Her friends and family kept asking her what happened that night at the quarry. She never really answered; she just ignored them. I made eye contact with her from time to time. Her eyes told me to be patient and that we would be together again soon.

  There were only a few friends left when a police officer showed up. The room went quiet when he entered. Mr. Canan pulled the officer to the side of the room to talk.

  “Can everyone leave now? Elle really needs her rest,” Mr. Canan announced to the room. Cora and I started to walk out with the rest of her visitors.

  The police officer stopped me. “Excuse me, are you Alexander Taylor?”

  I nodded, cringing, still not used to being called by my other name. Cora instinctively stood closer to me for protection.

  “My name is Officer James Montgomery, and I want to say that it’s an honor to meet you, young man. You are one of the reasons why I joined the police force five years ago.” He shook my hand. I smiled, and then Cora led me out of the room.

  “Can we go get something to eat?” I asked Cora once we were in the hallway.

  “Of course we can,” she said as we walked toward the elevator.

  “Nicholas?”

  I stopped right before I hit the down button for the elevator and turned around. Mrs. Canan was hurrying after us.

  “Officer Montgomery forgot he needed to speak with you, Nicholas.”

  “Is he in trouble?” Cora asked.

  “No, of course not. He just needs to ask him a question or two about the other night.”

  “Can’t it wait? He’s tired,” Cora said.

  “No, I am fine. I can answer his questions now,” I reassured Cora.

  I waited outside of Elle’s room for Officer Montgomery.

  “Well, thank you for everything, officer,” I heard Mr. Canan say. “If you need anything else, please let me know.”

  Officer Montgomery came out of the room and walked over to where I was standing. “Mr. Taylor, may I ask you a question or two?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “When we questioned the witnesses at the quarry, no one saw you at the party or entering the water. Most of the people thought you must have been in the car with Mr. Rails and Ms. Canan. Were you in the car?”

  “No, sir, I was not in the car. I entered from the shore next to the dock right when the car hit the water. Everyone was probably in shock that the car fell into the water. That’s why they didn’t see me swim out.”

  “Incredible! The hero of the 10-10 Earthquake saves two more lives right here in Winsor. A hero once again.”

  “Is that all, officer?” Cora asked. “Nicholas is tired.”
/>   “Yes, that’s all. Thanks!”

  “Excuse me, do you know how Oliver is doing?” I asked.

  “He’s stable right now,” Officer Montgomery said. “He lost a lot of blood, and he had some pretty serious head injuries. If it weren’t for you and Ms. Canan, he probably would have died.”

  I pulled him to shore, but what did Elle do?

  Officer Montgomery continued, “He’s in a drug-induced coma, but Dr. Chase Letterby is optimistic about his chances of a full recovery. Amazing—even after he put your girlfriend in danger, you were still willing to risk your life for him.”

  “Let’s go, Nicholas. You need to get home and rest.”

  “One second.” I turned and walked back into Elle’s room. I walked up to Elle, who was lying back in her bed. I ignored both of her parents, who were sitting in chairs next to her. I leaned down and kissed her.

  “I will be back tomorrow. Get some rest,” I whispered into her ear.

 

  Elle was released from the hospital a week later and was put on strict bed rest at home. Cora and I didn’t speak about Xavier, Genevieve, Riley, or anything else that had happened that night. Elle and I were both exempted from the last month of classes, so school was over for us. Every time I came to visit her, one of her parents would sit in the room with us.

  The day she was finally able to get out of bed was also the day of Winsor’s prom. I brought her over a rose corsage that Cora had made for her and a movie for us to watch. She was down on the couch when I got there. Her dad was out of town on business, and her mom, to my surprise, left us alone. She must have been truly better, because her dad hadn’t left once for business until today.

  “I got this for you.” I handed her the corsage.

  “Nicholas, you didn’t have to get me this.”

  “What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t get you a corsage for prom? Plus, Cora worked on it all day.”

  She smiled. “Well, thank you, and tell Cora it’s beautiful.”

  “I will tell her.”

  She smiled, patting the couch for me to sit next to her. I sat down and she curled up against me.

  “We are finally alone,” I said.

  “Yes, isn’t it nice, Nicholas?” Her fingers had intertwined with mine. She had our hands resting on her chest. I could feel her heart beating strongly, and it stirred memories of the night that I pulled her from the water.

  “What’s wrong, Nicholas? Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. It’s just that the last time I felt your heart, it was barely beating. I almost lost you.”

  She sat up and smiled. “But thanks to you, I am here. Everything is okay.”

  “Elle, why did you get into Oliver’s car?” That question had been eating away at me for some time. Now that we were alone, I could ask.

  “On the day of the quarry party, Oliver showed up at my house in that old car. He was looking for you. He told me that he had challenged you to that stupid game of chicken—you know, the rite of passage. I told him that you weren’t going to do it and that he should just leave us alone. He told me he was going to find you and show everyone once and for all that you were nothing more than a coward. I lost my temper. That’s when I opened the car door. I began yelling at him, telling him to leave you alone and that I wouldn’t let you get in the car with such an idiot. He grabbed my arm, pulled me inside, and took off driving. I could barely get the car door shut before he sped down the road.

  “He began mumbling something about how I should have ended up with the captain of the football team because the most popular girl always does, and how you had ruined everything for him this year. He was losing it. I put on my seat belt, scared he might wreck the car. I even tried to calm him down, but he didn’t respond to me. I demanded that he let me out, but he still wouldn’t stop. He told me that he would take me to the quarry party and pull onto the dock with me inside the car. He would stop on the dock and tell everyone that you were too scared to do the rite of passage, so you sent your girlfriend instead. I was hoping you would see that I wasn’t home and then come to the quarry. Luckily, you did.

  “We drove around the town for a long time before he headed toward the quarry. I never had an opportunity to jump out because he never stopped completely. He wasn’t going to go to the party without me, his trophy. When we got to the party, he was smiling. He was getting ready for his big speech. He drove slowly down the dock, stopping near the end. Then the car went head first into the water before I had a chance to get out of my seat belt and escape. Oliver was not wearing his seat belt, so he went head first into the windshield. He was badly hurt and covered with blood. He was lying sideways in his seat, unconscious. The car started to fill with water so I grabbed him and propped him up to make sure he wouldn’t drown. I tried to get my seat belt off, but it wouldn’t unlatch. Then the windshield broke, completely filling the car with water. Right before I passed out, I felt my seat belt go loose and then I shot to the surface. I remember seeing you, and then everything went black.”

  “Elle, you should have just let Oliver go looking for me. I can take care of myself.”

  She kissed me, shutting me up from the lecture I was about to give her. She looked into my eyes. “Nicholas, I would sacrifice everything for you. I love you.”

  “Elle, I love you too.”

  END OF BOOK ONE

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