The Reverence of One: Book Three of the Shadow Series (33 page)

“So what do you want to do?” asked Test.

Lauren continued to stare at him with an awe-struck amazement. “How do you feel?” she asked.

Raising his eyebrows, Test replied. “I feel—amazing.”

Lauren glanced to Prim and then back to Test. “You seem—different.”

“How?” asked Test, a puzzled look on his face.

“I don’t know what it is,” replied Lauren, folding her arms across her chest. “It’s not that you’ve changed physically. You just seem to carry yourself differently.”

Test thought for a moment. He did feel different. It was almost as if his new found gift was
the
final step in becoming the one that he was always meant to be. He’d lived the last year in f
ear, being afraid of everything—even himself. That was no more. He felt like he’d been reborn, and when he’d
last summoned his power, it was as if his eyes had opened for the first time. Everything in his mind felt at peace, everything was clear. Never before in his life had he found it so easy to deal with his emotions. Never before had his thought process been so clear. He found it ironic that when he summoned this new power that it appeared as though he had a double—a shadow behind one surrounded by light.

“Hello,” said Lauren, snapping her fingers and waving her hands in front of his face. “Anyone in there?”

Test blinked a couple of times and shook his head, grinning. “Sorry, got lost for a second there.”
He inhaled deeply, puffing out his chest and arching his back. “Yeah, I guess…
.
” As he began to speak, he felt a new spirit enter the area and spun to where he thought them to be. He waited a couple of seconds, sure that he’d felt someone and actually a little proud that he had, until finally his mother faded into view as she ran from the corner of the house.

“She ran away!” Maggie shouted as she passed by the sideline crew and towards the Shadows. “We pulled into town
,
and
while we were at
a sto
p light,
she just jumped out of the car!”

“What?” shouted Test angrily in disbelief. “How the hell can that happen? Why didn’t Jenz stop her?”

Placing an open hand on the front of Test’s shoulder, Prim spoke calmly. “Hold on a second. Let’s consider this rationally.”

Test scowled at him
,
realiz
ing
that he wasn’t quite as in control of his emotions as he thought he was only moments before. Still, with nostrils flared, he lightly brushed Prim’s hand off his shoulder. “I’m listening,” he replied forcefully.

With a nervous smile, Prim continued. “There were probably many people around,” he stated as he looked to Maggie who was nodding her head. “
Had Jenz prevented Nicole from leaving the car, you know it wouldn’t have been without resistance.” He waited for Test to acknowledge his statement as if it were fact, but was met with the same angry scowl. “Jenz, and rightly so, is not going to risk exposing our kind to the humans.”

Test let his head fall back and ran his hands through his hair. “That’s pretty weak, Prim. After everything we’ve done to keep her safe, to just let her walk away…
.
”

“Exactly,” interrupted Prim. “After all we’ve done for her she still made her own choice.”

Unwilling to accept Prim’s feelings on the matter, Test took a step towards him as the pulses of energy began to race down his arms. Prim, taking a step back, mirrored him with pulses of his own.

Standing by Prim’s side, Lauren ignited the furnace within her, ready to defend Prim if necessary. She watched as Test leaned forward and, in an instant, summoned his new found power as he rushed through Prim’s body. He moved so quickly that she could barely see him, but turned in time to catch Prim’s body as it fell limply to the ground. Within seconds
,
Prim was regaining consciousness and struggling to stand. Lauren looked over her shoulder at Test, who stood at the ready with hands to his sides and eyes blazing with color.

“What the hell are you doing?” she screamed.

Seething with anger, Test stepped forward and replied in a booming voice. “They may be willing to let Nicole die, but I’m not!”

In a flash, Jenz appeared between the opposing Shadows, the red and blue pulsating energy racing brightly beneath her pale flesh. “She made her choice! Now we must make ours!” She stood rigidly and at the ready, staring menacingly at Test’s flaming eyes of which she was seeing for the first time.

Test held his fists clenched tightly as the anger continued to swell inside him. His commitment to Nicole had become his only purpose and his new found power had given him the determination to follow through. Suddenly he felt a gentle touch on his cheek and
,
startled, he spun to see Alyssa with a surprisingly soft look on her face.

“Stop it,” she said. “These are your friends, your family. Look at what you are doing.”

He slowly looked up and realized that he was surrounded by people. Alyssa was right, but turning off the switch was never something he’d been good at.

“But…we…I have to…
,
” he began, stuttering heavily.

Cliff stepped between Test and Jenz and chuckled maniacally. “
Boy, you’re never gonna get it, are you?” he asked. The glow in Test’s eyes bothered him and he held his hand up to block
the sight of
them as he spoke. “You want to turn those things off?”

Hardly in the mood for the old man’s wit, Test intensified the pulses, causing the pin-points of light to increase within his eyes. It was only when Alyssa slapped his chest, that he let the energy fade slightly.

“What’s the matter with you, Test?” questioned Alyssa, stepping in front of Cliff. “Don’t you remember what happened with James? He was your friend and you nearly killed him!”

The instant Alyssa said James’s name, a ball formed in the pit of his stomach. He remembered the battered look on his former foreman and friends face after Test had attacked him. Though he tried to retrieve a memory of his appearance before that moment, he could not.

He looke
d at his old friend and dropped his head and shoulders in disgust with himself. He raised his head and allowed the gate within to close off the energy. Peering through squinted eyes, he watched as Cliff walked away from him shaking his head.

“Cliff,” he shouted, but the old man continued. “Cliff, I’m sorry!” he shouted again.

Faster than he could see, the old man disappeared and then reappeared before him, standing so close that with his short stature his neck craned at an extreme angle up to Test’s face. “You’re sorry? You’re always sorry!” he shouted. “When are you gonna get it figured out?”

Test had never seen Cliff like this before and peered over top of the old man, staring into the shocked and disapproving faces of those around them.
“I’m…
.
”

“Shut your mouth!” screamed Cliff, cutting him off. “What’s it gonna take? You gotta kill someone first? Is that it? Look around you, boy,” he continued to shout as he waved a hand to the group around them. “Every damned one of these folks are here for
you
! Guess what
?
T
hey’re also here
because
of you!” Cliff paused just long enough for his words to sink into Test’s head. “Now I ain’t tryin’ to lay no guilt trip on you, but it’s the truth. Every damn word
, and you damn well know it
!”
He hastily turned away from Test and walked to each individual. “Let’s take Alyssa first. She died to be with you. She
died!
”

“Cliff!” shouted Alyssa.

“No!” replied Cliff shaking his head violently. “It’s the truth. This boy needs a reality check and he’s gonna get it.” Cliff walked to Thad next. “Here’s my grandson. He’s got no business being here
,
none at all, yet here he is. Sure he’s here because of me, but I’m only here for you!
FOR YOU
!”

Test watched in anguish as Cliff’s body trembled with anger. Spit flew from his mouth with every other word spoken.

“Now,” continued Cliff, stepping to Prim and Lauren who now stood side by side in silence. “Miss Lauren here, she could’ve killed you long ago. She was
supposed
to kill you! But guess what? She didn’t. Instead she risked her life for you, and for what? So you can lose your damn head at any given moment?” He stepped to Jenz who was adjusting a thin shawl that protected her shoulders and arms from the sun. “Jenz has taken us into her home; treated us like family. Her decision needs to be respected, not vilified.” The old man’s volume began to fade as he walked several steps back to Test. “I hate what’s happened to Nicole, I really do, son. But Jenz is right,
Nicole
’s made her choice. There ain’t nothin’ you can do to help someone that don’t want it
.”

Test felt the tears welling in his eyes, and as he looked to the sky, one fell down his cheek. With a quick breath, his chin began to quiver as he fought back the emotion in order to reply. “I…I understand. I don’t like it, but I
.
…”

“Wait,” interrupted Lauren.

Test eyes snapped to hers as he watched her step forward to face Jenz.

“Do you remember what you told me last night, in the garden?” asked Lauren of Jenz. “You said something like
,
‘t
he reverence of one
doesn’t mean anything to those who don’t care about anyone else.’ Do you remember?”

Jenz allowed her chin to drop to her chest.
As she peered over her sunglasses, she replied resuming her typically graceful tone.
“Yes, I do.”

“Did you mean it?” asked Lauren.

Placing a hand on her forehead to block the sun, she replied. “Yes.”

“When you told me that
,
” continued Lauren, “it really hit home. It meant something. To me, it means that we are no better than the Reapers if we can’t find it within us to place the life of one, human or Shadow, above our own.” She paused for a moment. “Is that wrong?”

Jenz reached out with both hands and placed them on Lauren’s upper arms. “My dear Lauren
,
w
ould you have belie
ved just twenty-four hours ago that
you would be
teaching me
?” She looked to Prim and let her hands fall. “She’s correct. It’s not right for us to ignore this, to let it play out in this way. Nicole’s judgment is clouded, and the only reason she is this way is because of our
kind’s
existence.”

Prim bowed his head to wh
o
he
regarded as his mother figure,
though physically she appeared
barely
older than he. A
s Lauren stepped to his side
, he replied respectfully
. “I will be with you in whatever you decide.”

Jenz looked over her shoulder to Test, whose face held an immense amount of pain. “We will help her.
”

A stream of tears fell from Test’s eyes as he strained to keep from breaking down. Breathing heavily, he replied as his face twitched
with emotion
. “Thank you.”

Alyssa wrapped her arms around Test’s waist and rested her head on his chest, wishing that she could take away his pain.

“The problem is finding her,” said Jenz. “We can assume that she’s going to go home, but there’s no way to know for sure.”

“Yes there is,” chimed Thad from the back of the group.
“I’ve seen it.”

Turning to Thad, Jenz replied with a slight bow of her head.
“
It appears that your gift of sight is much greater than mine, and we should count ourselves lucky that you are with us.” She watched as Thad’s posture straightened with pride. Speaking to the others, she continued. “We
must leave right away
then.
It will take her, at most, two days to get there. In her condition, however, I’ve got to think that she’s going to take the time to get a fix first.”

“How’s she gonna do that with no money?” asked Alyssa naively.

Angling her head, Jenz replied with a disgusted frown. “There are other ways, young one.” The instant the words left her lips, she
looked to Test as he stood with his arm around Alyssa.
She could see his mind racing with possibilities; the pain of those thoughts intensifying the pain on his face.
“I’
m sorry,” she spoke softly. “
I didn’
t mean to
be
insensitive.” Holding her sight on Test, she continued to address the others. “The point is that we need to be there when she arrives. At the very least we need to formulate a plan.” She turned to Thad. “
Where did you see her
?
Was she at her home?
”

“No,” he replied as he glanced to the others. “The man Lauren calls Isaac had her.”