Fractured Light (21 page)

I looked up, confused.

Jake covered the telephone’s receiver and whispered, “It’s your aunt. She wants to talk to you.”

I suddenly remembered the note I’d written to remind myself to call her. So much for that. Jake handed me the phone.

“Hi, Aunt Sophie. How are you?”

There was a slight pause. “I’m good, Llona. How—”

“It’s Lona.”

“Huh?” she asked.

“I go by
Lona
.” I could tell by the silent seconds ticking by that she didn’t aprove of the mispronounciation, but I didn’t care.

Finally, Sophie said, “Okay, Lona. How are you?”

I mostly told the truth. “Great. This has been one of my best years. I really like it here.”

“That’s nice.”

“How’s Lucent Academy?” I asked.

“We’ve added more classes that I think you’d really like. Maybe you could join us when you graduate?”

I groaned internally. Not this conversation again. Sophie had been trying to get me to go to her clannish school since I was a freshman. The idea of being in a school with others like me sounded about as fun as walking on hot coals. “Probably not. I want to go to college out here somewhere.”

“Oh really? And what do you want to major in?”

“I haven’t gotten that far, but I was thinking maybe education; a P.E. teacher or something.”

Another pause. “I’m not sure that would be appropriate, Llona.”

“And why’s that?”

“Because you would be teaching kids to be competitive.”

“So?”

“You’re teaching kids to be better than others. We are all equal, Llona. Light does not divide.”

“You think we’re all equal? When is the last time you lived in the real world, Sophie? The only way we are all equal is we are all human. Other than that we are very different. Some of us are lazy, others hard working. Some of us are good at sports, while others of us are really smart. Some are loud, some quiet, some fast, some slow. We are very different, and I want to help kids discover their unique abilities.” I took a breath.

“That’s very noble of you, but that’s not your job.”

“Then what is my job?”

I heard a deep sigh on the other end of the phone. “I didn’t call to argue, Llona.”

“Then why did you call?”

“I want to come see you for Thanksgiving. Jake said I had to ask you.”

It was my turn to pause. This is not what I had expected. Sophie had only come to visit me once since my mother’s death and that had been when my father died.

“Why?”

“I think we have a lot to talk about. I’m sure you’ve experienced some strange things since you’ve moved into your teenage years. I want to help you better understand what’s going on.”

I wanted to eagerly agree, but I was still mad. “Do you really think that’s necessary?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Fine then.”

“Wonderful. I’ll be there in a couple of weeks. I’ll see you soon.” She hung up, leaving me staring into the receiver.

“What did she say?” Jake asked.

“She’s coming for Thanksgiving.”

Jake sat up. “You said yes?”

I shrugged.

“Just great. Just what I need,” Jake complained.

He was still mumbling under his breath even after I left the room. Apparently, he felt the same way about her as I did. It wasn’t that she was deliberately mean or anything; she just had this super ability to make you feel like you couldn’t do anything right. She had Light in her too, so you’d think she’d make you feel all warm and fuzzy like my mother, but not her. She used Light to tell the truth exactly how she saw it. She had no desire to try and understand how Light could comfort others. Light was truth and should only be used for that, she’d always said. This is where she and my mother always disagreed.

*     *     *     *     *

It was the day before Thanksgiving. Both Jake and I sat in the living room watching TV, but it was turned down too low to hear. Neither of us noticed because we were too busy watching the clock. In one hour we were supposed to pick up my aunt at the airport.

The last couple of weeks had flown by no matter how hard I tried to slow them down. I dreaded the day of my aunt’s arrival more than the time I had to give a speech in front of the school board last year for missing too many school days.

“You ready for this?” Jake asked, breaking the silence.

“About as ready as a cow is before it’s branded.”

He nodded. “I know the feeling.”

“How’s Heidi?” I asked.

“I talked to her last night. She’s having fun visiting her family.”

“So she likes California?”

“Yup.”

And then we were silent again. Jake bounced his knee up and down. He stood up.

“I can’t just wait here. Let’s get something to eat.”

“Right behind you.”

I was putting my coat on when Jake opened the front door and made a choking sound, almost like a gasp, but more like the sound a chicken might make right before its head is cut off.

“Surprise!” I heard a women’s voice say.

I didn’t want to do it, but I couldn’t help myself. Very slowly I peeked onto our porch. Walking up the stairs, in what looked liked a hundred pounds of flowing material, was my Aunt Sophie.

“I thought we were picking you up at the airport,” Jake stuttered.

“You were, but I love to surprise people.” She brushed by Jake and moved into the living room.

“Llona! Look how you’ve grown.”

I looked down at myself.

She threw her arms around me. “You are the spitting image of your mother, with your father’s nose, of course.”

I frowned, unsure if that was a good or bad thing. Very lightly, I returned the hug. She was almost the same as I remembered except older. Her long, wavy brown hair smelled of cinnamon and nutmeg, and her face was still covered in way too much white powder.

Sophie was my mother’s older sister by twelve years. There was such an age difference that they had very little in common. Where my mother was sensitive, full of life, and always willing to help others, Sophie tended to be blunt, reserved, and highly suspicious of others to the point where she seemed paranoid.

“It’s good to see you, Aunt Sophie,” I said.

“Please, call me Sophie.” She tossed her bag onto the couch, removed her coat and took a deep breath while looking around the house, her mouth turned down.

Jake closed the door.

“So this is where you’ve chosen to live?” It wasn’t really a question but more of a statement. Her bright red lips tightened to match the lines on her white forehead.

“Llona picked it out,” Jake was quick to say.

I glared at him.

“Is that true, Llona?”

I shrugged. “Yeah. I like this place. It’s right next to a mountain.”

“But with all the money your parents left you, couldn’t you have found a nicer place?”

“I don’t want a nicer place.”

Sophie leaned toward me and said in a low voice. “Has Jake been spending your money?”

“I can hear you,” Jake said, as he walked into the kitchen.

“Sophie,” I emphasized her name, “I like this place. I don’t need anything big or fancy. Simple and plain is what I like.”

She straightened up. “Odd for a daughter of my sister. She never liked to keep Light hidden.”

At the mention of Light, Jake said, “I have to go to the store. I’ll leave you two alone.”

“No,” I blurted. “Stay. She just got here.”

Sophie placed her bony hand on my arm. “Actually, I think that’s a good idea. It will give us some time to talk about things he wouldn’t understand.” Sophie gracefully set herself on the couch. It took several seconds for all the rainbow-colored material to settle against her thin frame. There was so much of it that I couldn’t tell if she was wearing a dress, or some sort of blouse/skirt combo.

Jake grabbed the car keys off the counter. “You girls have fun then. See you, Tink.” He shrugged his shoulders as if to say, “She’s your problem now.”

With Jake gone, I felt exposed. I could feel Sophie’s eyes examining me up and down. I tried to think of something to say, but my mind was blank.

“You look so much like your mother,” Sophie said again.

“That’s what I hear.”

“You’re a little thin though. Are you eating enough?”

“Put food in front of me and I’ll eat.” I glanced up at the clock. This was going to be a long day.

“Do you have friends at school?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Why wouldn’t I?”

Sophie shrugged. “I just know you didn’t have any friends last year or any other year for that matter.”

“How would you know?”

“I make it a point to check up on you.”

I clenched my fist beneath a pillow on my lap and made a mental note to get after Jake later. He shouldn’t be telling Sophie anything. “I have friends.”

Sophie flicked her wrist as if swatting at a fly. “Maybe. But it seems that ever since your father died you’ve withdrawn yourself. It’s not healthy.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Of course I do, dear. I saw you at your father’s funeral. That was the day your wall came up. I saw it in your eyes.”

“This is not a conversation I want to have.”

“I know you don’t, but it’s time. It’s not safe for you out here without proper training.”

“I’ve made it this far, haven’t I?”

“Pure luck, but something tells me it won’t last.”

I swallowed hard, remembering the dead dog and the murders.

Sophie swept her hair back. “Vykens are always watching, waiting for one of us to make a mistake. I know you think you’ve been careful moving around as much as you have, and that’s probably what has kept you alive this long. But it’s been almost a year-and-a-half and you’re still here. It’s not safe for you anymore.”

“How do you know?” I couldn’t admit she might be right.

She answered my question with a question. “Do you feel safe?”

I paused. “I like it here. For the first time since my dad died, I feel normal. I have friends, I’m in a book club, I’m on the basketball team—”

Sophie frowned. “You know how we feel about competitive sports.”

“But that’s just lame. I’m not trying to be better than anyone. I’m just trying to work off Light’s energy. Sports help me do that.”

“That’s where we can help. Don’t you see? You don’t know how to control the energy yet, but you can learn this at Lucent.”

I shook my head. “Not now. Maybe after I graduate.”

“What if that’s too late? You know your mother’s killer was never found. It could be stalking you now.”

“Stalking?”

Sophie nodded. “Yes, stalking. That’s what Vykens do. It’s never a quick kill for them, especially the ones who have tasted Light and are no longer confined to the darkness. There’s a very good chance your mother’s killer can still walk in the day and if he can, you’d never know who it was.”

“What do you mean still walk in the day? I thought once they tasted Light, they can always be out in the day.”

“That’s what we thought too, but years ago we found out the Light they steal is eventually snuffed out by their darkness and the Vykens have to find someone new to feed on. If the Vyken who killed your mother knew she had a daughter, then it would be looking for you. You’ve made yourself an easy target, Llona.”

“Would I recognize a Vyken if I saw one?”

“Unfortunately, no. They are masters of deception. That’s why we fall victim to them so easily. We are, by nature, very trusting. It’s what happened to your mother. The Vyken who killed your mother was your father’s close friend. He preyed upon your family for over a year before he finally took your mother’s life. She trusted him completely.”

I felt a stabbing in my heart at the mere mention of my mother’s death. “It was a friend?” I whispered.

Sophie looked grim. “Yes. I tried to warn your parents. I told them they shouldn’t allow others into their lives so completely, but your mother wouldn’t listen. I’m afraid to say that’s what caused the rift between us. She thought I was being paranoid,” Sophie’s voice cracked. “I should’ve made her listen.”

The sudden rush of emotion from Sophie, and the discovery of my mother’s killer was not something I wanted to think about. At least not in front of Sophie. I cleared my throat and changed the subject. “So if there was a Vyken after me, most likely it would be an older male correct?”

Sophie wiped at her eye. “Not necessarily. Vykens have learned to manipulate Light, giving them the ability to change their appearance. For all you know, it could be your best friend at school.”

“That’s impossible.”

“Why?”

“Because I would sense it.”

“How?”

I shifted. “I don’t know. I just would.”