Seeing Light (The Seraphina Parrish Trilogy) (15 page)

“I don’t think I recall the first wish.” I rush him in his vulnerable position on the floor. His arms circle my knees, forcing me to fall forward, tumbling onto him. Now chest to chest, faces inches apart, he locks me in a scissor grip with his legs, a wrestling move that’s nearly impossible to escape.

“I think I granted that one before I kicked the bucket,” he says as I struggle. He manages to capture my wrists and continues. “I seem to remember a vision of a very heated make-out session on a beautiful veranda on gala night.” I thrust forward to head butt him, but he easily avoids it. “You’ve already tried that move on me, remember, love?”

“Haven’t you heard, history always repeats itself?” I smash my elbow into the side of his cheek. The blow distracts him enough so that I scramble out of his grasp. With another elbow to his face, his legs release, and we grapple and roll until I manage to maneuver him onto his stomach. With our positions reversed, I’m sitting on his back with his arms pinned behind his hips.

“Do you give in?” I yank his arms. In retaliation, he kicks his leg, but I have him pinned for good.

“Give in, love,” I say, mimicking his British accent.

“Never. I’ll always fight for you.”

Even in the heat of battle, his choice of words doesn’t escape my notice. So I let him go, stand up, and step away.

“Let’s start again. This time with swords.” I walk to the wall of weapons, selecting a nice set, and turn and toss one blade to him. He easily catches the grip as he stands.

“Oh, now you’re in trouble,” he remarks with a twinkle in his eye.

“Why’s that?”

“My favorite movie as a child was
The Princess Bride
.”

“So?” I walk to face him and lunge into
en garde
position, pointing the blade of the sword in his direction.

“Just call me Inigo Montoya.”

::26::
Defense Arts

Turner and I train together, blowing off steam until late evening. And I try desperately to forget my feelings for him. With each uppercut, kick, and leg sweep, I’m building confidence for whatever I may tackle on my quest to fulfill the prophecy.

That’s when Sam and Bishop find us and tell us the news. They’ve skipped lunch in order to research the location of Unika’s crown at the exposition, but were unable to find any info.

“How do you suppose I discover where to travel back?” I ask, breathing heavily.

“There must be some clue we run across in the next day,” Sam says.

“I propose that we rest up for whatever happens next. We know you’re going to go back and find it. We’ve witnessed it for ourselves.” Bishop seems less emotional, more clear-headed than before. I hope he’s feeling better now that all of our feelings are on the table.

“True. I suppose it will present itself at the proper time.”

Even with the suggestion, we all stay up late talking about the issues at hand, and my head doesn’t hit my pillow until three a.m. Though I have no intention of waking early, I do when Sam knocks on my door.

“Come in.” I rub my eyes and face, and roll over on my back, pushing the comforter away.

The door cracks open, and she tilts her head in. “I think we should try to go to class. Today’s only a half day, and we have to at least pretend to be interested.” She comes in completely, closing the door. “And I’ve heard that the Grand Master’s returned.” She cringes.

I sit up, my sleepy eyes now wide open. “Oh no, the blood test. I totally forgot. I wonder if they know.”

“Well, they haven’t arrested you, so that’s something, right?”

“True.” I rub my arm to soothe myself. “And we need to figure out why he stole the journal. With him here, maybe we can get it back.”

“Let’s feel the situation out. Then we can better determine what we’re up against.” She looks at her watch. “You’ve got fifteen minutes to pull yourself together for breakfast.”

“Okay, I guess you’re right.” I sometimes wonder what I’d do without Sam. Just when I need it, she’s here to kick me in the rear, reminding me that I need to make it to the Oaths tomorrow and stay off the radar until then.

She nods and turns to leave, shutting the door behind her.

I take a shower and dress. When I emerge from my room, I find Bishop at the counter reading an old book and sipping a cup of breakfast tea. Gabe’s morning show blares from the TV in the background, spouting off about the Oaths and the parade in Gibeon in our honor, which is all taking place tomorrow.

I’ve had only a few hours of sleep in the last two days. Last night, without the journal to study, I had nothing else to do but live with my thoughts. Why would the Grand Master take it and what will he do to me for having it?

The scorpion Animate crawls across the floor to my feet. I pick it up, place it in the pocket of my hoodie, and approach Bishop, who pours me a cup of tea.

Bishop looks tired and worn, but slightly better today. Still, there’s no doubt he’s worrying about his family, just as I am. How old must they be now in Nocturna’s fast-forwarded time?

“Did you sleep?” I place my hand upon his arm.

“A little. I keep worrying about how old my family is now. In Nocturna, Charlotte could be in her twenties.”

I hold back a smile, thinking how closely our thoughts parallel each other. “Everything will be okay. I promise.” Simple words, I know, but I give him what little encouragement that I can.

After we’re done, we leave for breakfast in the dining hall. Together, we sit at our usual table. Our friends Macey, Xavier, Quinn, Scarlett, Agnes, and Atticus straggle in one at a time, but they aren’t the ones that concern me. It’s the Society soldiers. We passed at least twenty of them on the way to the dining hall. The number has increased steadily since we broke into Gabe’s apartment.

“Why so many goons?” Macey asks and settles next to me with a plate full of breakfast food from the buffet.

I shrug. “Maybe because the Oaths are tomorrow. Don’t we have some preparation ceremony tonight?”

“On the contrapulator, in our sleep. They give you the details in your night classes, I’ve heard,” Bishop says.

Subliminally. Figures. They wouldn’t want you to realize they’re brainwashing you at the same time. Maybe I’ll actually have to stay up and listen to it, so I’ll know what to expect.

“Oh gosh, there he is.” I stare across the room. It’s Grand Master Levi. He strolls in and sits at the main table with Mr. Evanston, our principal. The teachers’ tables sit on a dais, looking out over the students.

The Grand Master’s gray fur coat hangs over the back of his ornate high-backed chair, and his skull cane leans against the table. Special tuxedoed butlers bring them food and drinks as soldiers stand at attention behind him.

I’m half waiting for him to lift his eyes to meet my gaze, to give me some kind of sign as to what he’s up to, but the two remain in deep discussion.

“Don’t stare, Sera,” Sam chides me.

“If you ask me, he’s kinda cute, in an older guy kinda way. A nice dresser and all those muscles.” Macey stares at him. “Did you hear about how he saved those kids from one of the Underground attacks?”

“You must be thinking of the wrong person.” I look up, confused. That man wouldn’t do anything that he wouldn’t benefit from.

“Oh no, it was all over Gabe’s news this morning, before they talked about the Oaths.”

“Must have missed that.” I look over at him. “If you ask me, I think he’s a real creepster.” I turn my attention to my plate and push fruit chunks around with my fork.

“How can you say that? He’s amazing,” she says insistently.

I give her a strange look because I can’t understand why she’s defending him this way. She and Quinn fall into a discussion of his awesomeness and I turn to Sam with a sigh.

“Sera, it’ll be fine. Remember what I said,” Sam whispers and places a hand on my arm.

“Yeah, you’re right. It’s just hard not to worry. There are so many things to worry about.” I let out a nervous laugh. “Thank goodness we only have to survive one class today.”

“I can’t tell you how excited I am about the Oaths,” Macey says. “Jenn told me that Michelle told her that Tabitha said that our credit cards will officially have no limit as soon as we’re anointed. I’m thinking about buying a car. Can you buy a car with a credit card?” Macey’s mounting excitement is matched by her speech, which ramps up to warp speed.

I stare at her. Is it fair that she has absolutely no clue what she’s getting into? Can she really not see how corrupt the Society is? That they are bribing her with material gifts that will track her entire life path? That the love she shares with Xavier is carefully crafted and manipulated? That if she doesn’t take the Oaths, they’ll send her to her death in Nocturna? Did she not care when we told her about the sacrifices at the Oaths? Or maybe she doesn’t believe it, or more probably, they’ve brainwashed her during her night class on the contrapulator to overlook events that would normally set off alarms. Whatever it is, it’s clear that all my classmates are moving forward in their lives while mine is falling apart.

“What?” She raises an eyebrow, fork stopped in midair, full of waffle and syrup. “No buying cars with credit cars?”

“No.” I sigh heavily. The sad thing is that just for one second I wished I were Macey, and that I didn’t know how awful everything really is. It’s nice to be blissfully unaware of the danger that surrounds us. Disgusted, I push my plate away.

“Sera, you need to eat.” Bishop nudges the plate back. “Don’t make me force-feed you.”

“Fine.” I relent, scarfing all the food down without tasting a thing, all while listening to the group chatter about the Oaths, how thrilled they are, and how amazing it is to have all this money to spend however they want. Of course, Sam and Bishop remain quiet. When I think I can’t stand another moment of this, the bell saves me by announcing the first class.

The three of us slip out, heading to Defense Arts. When we arrive at the large gym, Miss Swift is rearranging several large blue mats and covering the floor with them. We join in, helping, and so do other students as they arrive.

Professor Raunnebaum walks to Miss Swift and she stands to meet him. “All the training machines are set up and ready to go. Here’s a remote control. Just press the red arrow and the holograms will appear,” he explains.

“Thanks, Professor. This will be a real treat for the class.”

“And if there’s anything else at all that I can do for you, don’t hesitate to ask,” he says with a nod that jolts his head of wild black hair.

As he walks away, I look around until I see why we’re practicing here, rather than in one of the smaller training rooms like we normally do. Through an open door, I see Grand Master Levi sparring with a beastly hologram. It’s the first time I’ve seen him in clothing other than an expensive suit. I move closer for a better look, and notice several intricate tattoos winding around his arm beneath his white tank. They’re unexpected, considering his clean-cut persona. But seeing him in this new way doesn’t give me ease because I can see he’s dangerous, strong, and despite the fact he’s fighting a hologram minotaur that’s five feet taller with two hundred additional pounds of muscle, he’s still going to win.

“Okay, class. Let’s begin, shall we?” Miss Swift blows her whistle. “Let’s stretch and warm up.”

She leads the group in sprints. In a line, we run back and forth from one side of the gym to the other. Then she sets up cones, and we run backward and weave around them, run forward, and jump over hurdles. It’s thirty minutes of hard workouts before she allows us to stop, grab a drink of water, and announces the next lesson.

By this point I’m sweating profusely, but it feels good to work out again, just like last night. I drag my wrist across my forehead and pull my drenched hair into a low ponytail.

“Okay, I’ll need help with a demonstration.” Miss Swift looks around. Her gaze passes over her usual sparring partners, Atticus and Bishop, and then lands on me. “Sera, would you mind?”

I hesitate, surprised, but then agree. “No problem.”

Students encircle us, giving us a wide berth, as I walk to the center mat. Miss Swift removes the remote control from her gray jumpsuit, points it at a nearby machine, and presses the button.

The lights in the cavernous gym dull on cue and one by one images appear, scattered around the room. But these aren’t images of beastly half humans or warrior/zombie holograms, these are objects: rusted-out shells of cars and trucks, refrigerators with doors hanging open, and garbage and other debris litter the ground in massive mounds that soar into what used to be the ceiling of the gym. The entire class now stands in the middle of a holographic garbage dump.

Though the students have seen the holograms in action, they ooh and ah with excitement.

“This class will be dedicated to learning how to use your environment while fighting.” Miss Swift slips the remote in her pocket and walks around the newly configured space. “Look around. Take in all the elements and strategize how you would use these items if you should ever encounter an attack. In this new uncertain Wandering world that we live in, and with the resistance of the Underground, this could be a real scenario.”

Unexpectedly Grand Master Levi joins our class, standing at the side of the hologram. Students look in his direction and become uneasy; I sense it in their postures. Many are in awe of him and his power.

“Carry on.” He waves. “I’m interested in observing the students.” His gaze immediately finds me, but I hold my face rigid and unreadable, determined not to give in first in this staring battle.

He struts forward, barking orders. “Rex, I’ll need a chair.” In a matter of seconds, his meathead guard presents a chair and the Grand Master sits down. Another guard hands him a towel and a bottle of water. He takes a deep swig and pats the towel over his sweating forehead.

“Sera!”

My head turns in the direction of my name, and the class giggles.

“Are you ready?” Miss Swift raises a white eyebrow.

“Sure.”

We walk to the center of the room and she whispers, “Try not to look too experienced, Sera. It will only pique his interest more.”

“Right.” I agree, but only as my first reaction. Of course, she’s right; I should do everything within my power to keep him disinterested in my abilities. I can do this to protect the people I love, at the very least.

Miss Swift crouches into position, and though I should have already surveyed the space better, I let my gaze quickly roam around. She blows her whistle and the confrontation begins.

She approaches me first, fighting in a typical street manner, hard punches and uppercuts, intense pushing, and high-flying kicks. We grapple and I fall to the ground, which is now dusty and dry red earth. The grit covers my entire body, and I reach into a pile of trash to pull out a piece of wood. Rushing forward from the ground, I take a few swings. I have to make this fight look somewhat real—like I’m not a complete wuss.

Miss Swift easily evades the swings. With her foot, she kicks the lumber from my grip and it flies through the air, landing with a loud clunk and sliding across the floor near the Grand Master.

Behind me, I hear him laugh. The sound causes my shoulders to tense, but I need to focus and forget that he’s even here, watching my every move.

I run to grab the board, but Miss Swift catches up and pushes me from behind so that I fall to the ground. My face lands at the Grand Master’s feet, so close I could kiss his boots, and I grimace at the mental image.

He laughs again, but this time the sound is too much for me to take and I lose it. Pushing up with my palms, I jump upright and before the guards can do anything, I kick his chair and it flips backward. He falls on his back with a thud, arms sprawled out to the sides.