Broken (13 page)

Her face turned sour as she saw it was Ivan.

“Meghan, I have a message for you from your brother,” he told her, loud enough for the Pantin to hear.

“From Colin?” she asked, standing.

67

“He asked me to pass along that he’d like to hear from you,” he said with an edge of knowingness.

Her eyes narrowed and then grew large. She immediately opened up her thoughts and realized he had been trying desperately to reach her.

“Colin, I’m sorry,” she sent him. “I was so focused on my studies I didn’t hear you.” She added hotly, “Why on earth did you tell Ivan about our telepathy?”

“Sorry, Sis. Didn’t feel like I had a choice.” Colin then opened up his mind and showed her what he had seen in the Striper’s meadow.

“What do you think they’re doing?” she asked him, as horrified about the scene as the others.

“We don’t know. But Ivan is right, Juliska needs to know.” Colin then sent her Catrina’s idea.

“Oh, I agree, Col. I don’t see any other safe way either.” Meghan then refocused on Ivan, still waiting in her room. “C’mon,” she motioned, stepping into the front room. The Pantin was just about to leave, but stopped when she saw Ivan and Meghan.

“Thank you for passing along my brother’s message, Ivan,” Meghan said. “Please tell him I will visit as soon as I can.”

Ivan then went to the stove.

“Fire’s nearly out. It’s rather chilly don’t you think?” Ivan opened up the stove, adding a log, without waiting for an answer.

“Isn’t he just sweet,” the Pantin aimed toward Meghan, clearly seeing concern from Ivan that was not truly there.

Ivan just needed to get a fire in front of Meghan’s eyes. The instant he opened the door Meghan fell into a vision, except this time, she was faking.

“Wait!” she shouted at the Pantin. “I need to see Banon Blackwell, now!” Meghan pretended to falter and Ivan steadied her. “Please, Hollee,” Meghan said then. “I think what I’ve just seen might prove dangerous for everyone here.”

The Pantin did not question and rushed off.

Ivan let go of Meghan.

“Not bad, huh.”

“I have never questioned your acting ability,” he retorted.

“Whatever,” she replied.

“It shows promise, at least, that when you saw the fire you didn’t have an actual vision,” he taunted.

“Especially seeing as you’re so near,” she threw back at him.

For once, Ivan did not reply and remained silent until Juliska returned. Then, Meghan told her what she had seen.

“A field of pyres, created by the Stripers?” She sat down, aghast at the thought. She then unexpectedly took hold of Meghan’s hand. “Thank you, Meghan. I knew having you here would not be a mistake. This could be the very clue we so desperately needed.” She then arose to depart.

68

“Back to the meeting?” asked the Pantin.

“Yes. We must decide what to do about this. I fear that once again, time is not on our side, my dear Hollee.”

Ivan followed, leaving Meghan alone. She reopened her mind to Colin.

“It’s done. She knows. They’re meeting about it right now.” She sensed her brother’s relief.

“Thanks, Sis. Sorry to make you lie.”

“Ah. What’s new?” she retorted. “Why did you leave the meadow?” she then questioned.

“Just needed some space,” he said honestly. “Plus, I wanted to talk to Catrina. We’re back at Billie’s now.”

“Oh. Did you find out anything new about Catrina?”

“Only things you’re not going to like to hear, Sis.”

She knew he meant that Juliska was somehow involved.

“Colin, Juliska couldn’t have had anything to do with abandoning Catrina in that cave,” she defended.

“Maybe you’re right,” he said. “But Catrina seems to think that maybe she did.”

“And you believe her, a near stranger, more than your own sister, who lives with Juliska Blackwell?” Meghan’s temper began to flare.

“Meghan,” he said in a manner that indicated he had something important to tell her. “I think Catrina might be the Projector…” Even though he spoke it through his thoughts, his voice was low and uncertain.

Meghan, in shock by what Colin told her, could not reply. Her mind was blank as he searched for some response.

“I think Juliska, and possibly others, believe it, at least,” he added when she did not reply.

“But I don’t. I know she’s not.”

“Colin, I don’t completely understand this whole Projector thing, but I know enough to realize it is NOT a good thing! What if it is her, Colin? That means she’s dangerous! I do get weird vibes when I am around her,” she let slip out.

“What do you mean? Weird vibes?” he shot back.

“Colin. I’m sorry. I know you like her, but if I’m completely honest, something about her just doesn’t feel right… and if Juliska thinks…”

She felt Colin’s block go back in its place and lost her connection to him. She attempted repeatedly to reconnect, but he ignored her.

“Crap!” she shouted to no one. She wanted to use much stronger words. “Leave it to my brother to fall in love with the Projector! They’ll kill her!” Then, as she thought about it, her worries increased even more.

“If he tries to save her… they’ll kill him too! And I don’t even want to think about what Catrina might do to him…”

She hastened out of the tent, unsure of what to do. Just then, the ground began to shake, again. She grabbed onto a tent pole, hoping to stay upright. She heard a terrible swooshing and then a crash nearby, followed by a scream.

69

The shaking stopped. Once steady on her feet, she turned toward the crash. A tree had fallen at the edge of the meadow onto a tent.

She raced over, as did others. Her fear: someone was inside stuck under the tree, or worse, killed by it. After a quick search, a teenage girl was discovered passed out, underneath a branch, but alive.

Doctor Stamm arrived just a minute later to examine the girl, and to Meghan’s surprise, so did Ivan. He looked gravely concerned over the girl’s condition.

Meghan recognized the girl, from school in Grimble. If she remembered correctly, the girl’s name was Maria and she was sixteen years old. Mostly, Meghan recalled thinking that the girl was pretty, but also shy. Whenever Meghan had seen the girl, she was alone.

“I need to get her back to my tent,” Dr. Stamm said. “She looks to be okay at first glance, but I need to do a more thorough examination. It does look as if the branch hit her head,” he added, concernedly.

Meghan was surprised again, when Ivan stepped in and picked up the girl, carrying her away.

“I wonder…” Does he like her? Is it possible that I’ve discovered a secret about the mysterious Ivan Crane? She secretly delighted in the idea.

Those that remained behind helped to push the tree off the tent and back to the edge of the meadow. Then, they headed to see if help was needed elsewhere.

Meghan decided to join them, temporarily sidetracked by her worries from just minutes before.

Colin was furious. He should have never admitted his fears about Catrina. Especially not to his sister, as she was so close to Juliska Blackwell. But if not Meghan, then who? Was there anyone he could trust? Balloch Flummer’s warning not to trust anyone came to mind, yet again. Surely, he could trust his own sister.

The more he thought about what he had done the angrier he became. His hands trembled and his heart pounded in his chest. He wanted to hit something. Hard.

“What happened?” Catrina begged.

“I will never let anyone hurt you!” he blurted out, without explanation.

“Hurt me?” she repeated. “What did Meghan tell you?”

Underneath them, the ground started to quiver.

Colin did not answer as in the next moment he fell backwards, the ground shaking violently now.

“Colin! What did she say?” demanded Catrina.

Colin looked up at her, his face contorted with confusion.

“Are you causing this?” he asked her.

“What? The quake?” she said, falling to his side. “Why would you think that?” 70

Just one look into her eyes and any fear Colin felt vanished. How could this small, silver-haired girl be dangerous? He nearly laughed at the thought.

The ground began to quiet again.

“I’m sorry,” Colin then whispered. “I am …” he did not want to admit how he felt. “I’m afraid, Catrina. I’m really afraid.”

He was afraid that if Catrina knew how frightened he was, she would not wish to stay with him. That she would think he was weak and unable to protect her. But his greatest fear: She is the one the Stripers are searching for… and how can I possibly protect her if she is the Projector? I’m just a boy that happens to be good at magic…

“Colin,” she whispered back. “You’re not the only one that’s afraid.” She nestled into his side. “Promise me you won’t ever leave me,” she then muttered under her breath. “I know we hardly know each other, and people would say we’re just young and naive, but … I love you, Colin Jacoby. I’m so sure of it I’d bet my life on it this very moment! No matter what happens, I will never leave you.”

Colin then sat up. Spending a lifetime with Catrina would never be enough time. Maybe she was a stranger, but like Catrina, he knew what he wanted, and he wanted to be with her.

He got to his feet, helping her up off the ground.

He kissed her and wiped away the tears now streaming down her face.

“I won’t let you live in fear. I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe!” He paused, disbelieving what he was about to say. “Because I know that I love you too, Catrina Flummer. I knew it the first moment I saw you, and nothing will ever changer that.” They sat down on the bed, staring at each other, frightened, and yet knowing that somehow, whatever happened, they would at least always be together.

Meghan wandered through the meadow, assisting in clean up after the quake. Her attempts to contact Colin were futile.

“Hey, stranger,” she heard someone shout.

“Hey, Jae,” she replied rather somberly, upon seeing him.

“Looks like they’ve got all of us non-Initiated doing all the cleaning,” he joked.

“I need a distraction anyway,” she muttered, her gaze sweeping to the other side of the meadow, toward the meeting tent. “I wonder if they’ve decided anything yet?”

“Decided what?” Jae asked her.

Meghan explained to Jae what Bird had shown Colin and Catrina in the Stripers’ meadow.

“A field of pyres...” he shuddered at the thought. “Got my curiosity. I wonder what Banon Blackwell’s going to do about it?”

“That’s what I’ve been waiting to find out,” Meghan replied. “We’ve been cleaning up after the quake for over two hours. I was hoping they’d have finished by now.”

“I may have never been to an SLC meeting, but one thing I’ve learned… they rarely decide on anything quickly!”

71

They moved into the cantina, where everything was still a mess from the quake. Pots and pans were lying on the ground, tables and chairs were knocked over, and utensils were strewn across the ground. Just then, a couple of pots fell, clanging together and then falling to the ground.

Jae jumped, startled. His eyes darted back and forth, as if searching for some unknown assailant.

Jae’s a little jumpier than normal.

“Everything okay?” Meghan asked him.

“Huh? Oh, yeah, fine.” He returned to cleaning up the cantina.

“I know you’ve been living this lifestyle a lot longer than I have, Jae, but to be honest, I still don’t know how. Sometimes, I can’t help but think about how simple it would be, to just be back in Cobbscott… back before I knew anything about magic or Firemancy.” Jae stopped cleaning.

“It seems so long ago now, doesn’t it? That I got stuck in Cobbscott.”

“Seems like ancient history!”

“Sometimes, Meghan, I miss that time. A lot. Being stuck in Cobbscott … I just…” Meghan waited for him to speak, eager that he might actually open up to her.

Jae sighed. He looked down at the ground and then directly at Meghan. She could tell he was desperate to say something, but literally looked as though he could not speak the words.

“It’s too late,” he muttered. “Too late. Can’t go back, now.”

“What do you mean Jae?” she asked, surprised at the sudden turn in their conversation.

She reached for his arm.

“Don’t touch me!” he exhaled, backing up. “You should just leave me alone! I wish… I wish I’d never gotten left behind in Cobbscott… because I wouldn’t have … I’ve really made a mess of things, Meghan.” Jae’s face looked hopeless as he suddenly ran away.

Meghan stomped on the ground. How much can one person take! She wanted to locate Ivan and demand, on the spot, that he tell her everything he knew about Jae Mochrie. She needed to solve something. Not everything could just be question after question and new problem after new problem. At some point, there had to be an answer that did not lead to more questions, or bigger problems!

In the distance, people started to leave the tent. Meeting must be over. Instinct told her she should return to Juliska’s tent.

It was Ivan, not Juliska that greeted her.

“Just the person I wanted to see!” she told him, clearly irritated.

“What’s got you all worked up?”

She set her jaw and stood with her hands on her hips.

“You know what, Ivan Crane? You are the most loathsome person I know!”

“I’m going to guess that this has nothing to do with the meeting?”

“No, Ivan. It doesn’t! And you know what I am ‘all worked up’ about!”

“Ah,” he stated. “Always comes back to this, doesn’t it? We have an agreement, Meghan,” he leaned in, reminding her.

72

“How could I forget, Ivan?” she angrily whispered back. “Jae just completely freaked out on me! Why?” she demanded.

He stared at her until finally deciding to reply.

“Whatever you’re thinking is wrong with him, you’re not right. Just let it go for now, Meghan.”

“Why? Until when? It’s too late to help him?”

He started to walk away.

“Don’t just walk away, Ivan! Tell me!”

She gasped then, as he grabbed her violently, and dove into Juliska’s tent.

“Just leave it alone, Meghan. What’s happening to Jae is far worse than anything you could imagine or have seen in your visions!” he spat out viciously.