First Strikes Disaster Page 4

  “Well, you’re an exception,” Rose said.

  “I feel like he just thinks nothing would happen.”

  “That’s a rather stupid thing to think.”

  Lena laughed. “And how would you have it?”

  "Are the same people invited as last time"?

  Lena nodded. "Yes all of them."

  "So they can get taken again? Just don't have it. It's bogus. At this point the government might as well be behind it, like the last paper said.”

  “No one knows that officially,” Lena said, looking somewhat cautious, “but I don't think you should go; I'm not."

  "I'll go."

  Lena frowned, pushed the paper towards her, and turned to gaze at the scenery. Rose took it and barely made it anywhere, as lately her head had hurt nonstop dreadfully, and when she read, it always became worse. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths, but it was no use. Sometimes there were even moments she wondered if what she cut her leg on had been toxic. When the pain subsided a little, she opened her eyes again and was relieved. Everything was in the paper. Where the patrol was at, how people in Trearce responded to them being bold enough to take people like Orion and Daniel. When her head started to truly throb again in earnest, she tried to act as normal as possible, and she placed the paper down to make little ice figures on the table.

  “Are you guys ever going to help me?" asked Aylea.

  Rose looked up and instantly smiled. A beautiful butterfly with light blue, red, and yellow wings had landed on the table. She could tell it had been made recently, a new breed, because the wings looked more like stained glass than anything she had seen before. It seemed like something her mom would have made. Even Lena starred as Aylea bumbled past them.

  From what seemed to be nowhere, Lena picked up a cup, and Rose knew what she wanted to do. She put a finger to her lips, waited till right when the butterfly was still and unsuspecting, and threw the cup down, only to see it fly away to land on their table again. Rose laughed and called Aylea over, who immediately handed Rose the net, looking excited and nearly jumping up and down. Rose threw it but missed her target by seconds. She gasped out loud despite herself and tried to catch another one that flew past to no avail. This was harder than she thought. When her leg finally felt better, she jumped up to try to catch more while Aylea followed her. Before they knew it, they were laughing like little kids. Suddenly both girls gasped at the same time, for coming towards them was a butterfly that had begun glowing; the color made it look like fire.

  "Let me catch it," Lena called, indicating the one that was glowing.

  “No, I’m doing it.”

  "I'm almost there and your leg won't let you." Without another word she snatched Rose's net out her hand and then started to run.

  "Hey.”

  Rose ran up behind her and made her trip. Lena grabbed her shirt so that they rolled down on the ground together.

  Lena rolled till she was successfully on top of her and said "give it back.” Rose could just giggle. The two girls wrestled and wrestled. Lena was surprisingly strong but Rose was faster, and she almost fought her off till Lena stopped so abruptly that poor Rose thought she did something wrong.

  "What?" she asked.

  "What is that?"

  Rose jokingly pushed her off and sat up. She looked next to her to see something small, shiny, and beautiful glistening in the grass.

  "I don't know, a diamond?"

  "No, it’s a gem, someone I think I know’s gem." Lena picked it up. "Morgan's."

  "Morgan?"

  "My best friend, who was the other girl performing with me that night.”

  Rose thought back, and long, flowing dark hair crossed her mind, but she couldn't place it. "She must have dropped it here before the show.”

  "No, she wouldn't have, it was important to her."

  Suddenly Rose remembered all the beautiful red fire and the dragon. Morgan had been the girl on stage, and she was also one of the pictures up at the memorial - she had tried to help her, and Rose put her in a glass ball. There was another memory too, of meeting her once when she was younger and in grade school.

  "They took her?"

  "From what I know, yes, but she had this while she was inside."

  Rose automatically surveyed around, as maybe the others had dropped something too. A flash of gold met her eye, so she picked it up as her heart beat grew faster. It was Daniel's watch, with a few pieces missing.

  "This is Daniel's," she exclaimed, hardly believing the words that came out of her mouth.

  Aylea finally seemed to notice what was going on, and she came running over. "Everything okay?"

  "No, we've been finding things out here on the outskirts of the forest.” Aylea looked down like one might see a tiny detective do. She even gazed in between the trees under large mounds of dirt. When she emerged, she was holding two pieces of jewelry, which Rosalie snatched greedily. There was a beautiful flower pin and a luminescent diamond earring. She figured the correlation was that all the things were shiny and expensive, until she noticed a picture of a beautiful family standing together. There was no way this stuff on the ground was by accident, it was obvious that the people taken had left them here. Somehow she knew that Orion had told them to do it, since he was someone who knew to leave a trail. If that was the case, that meant they'd been here. In the distance she could see more, but it seemed to cut off as soon as it reached the border in the forest.

  "We should look for more," said Lena.

  "I can get my diamond detector from inside."

  Something else was said, but Rose had already zoned out. She looked at the order of the items, thinking​maybe, just maybe,​it wasn't at random. When Daniel was younger he would show her all sorts of patterns and old codes. Each one, if examined right, could give the exact details of a situation.

  "Are you coming too, Rose?" Aylea's voice rang out.

  She zoned back in. “Give me a second.” She looked through the dirt one more time and then carried the pieces back to where they'd been closest to.

  “Come on, the faster we go, the faster we can do more.”

  "No. I have to do something before we go back in, and it's important.” "What is it? We can help you."

  She thought of leaving them behind, looking for herself, for this was her secret. But if she took too long, they'd only be taken and questioned about where she was, and besides, they could help her if something went wrong. Lena had already proven to be the strongest person she knew. "I need you to come with me, and you can't tell a single person about where we're going."

  "I promise," said Lena.

  Aylea repeated then added. "Where is it?"

  "I'll only show you this once" Rose thought for a second.Would it be better to go the longer way or to just simply let them know?​After two minutes of consideration, she decided to just let them know, for there would be no harm. She put her hair behind her ears, took both their hands, and held the watch. “Hold on, this is how we’re going to get there, and it might feel a little weird,” she said. The magic kicked in way faster than usual, almost like it knew Daniel was in danger. It carried them in circles across the sky, making her feel dizzy.

  Then they fell to the ground like dolls. In their getting up, Aylea was the first to yell, "What is that?" in excitement, and Rose didn't blame her, as you don't see houses made of clocks often. It was huge and brown with golden numbers up the front. The three hands were made of a very polished silver. It had been Daniel's idea, and somewhat illegal magic, used to connect the house with the tiny item, that Rose now held. Many never saw the correlation, though, to Rose as a child, it had been obvious - she had accidentally come here a few times. If you inspected closely enough, you saw the outline of a door. Rose began to walk forward to open it, but surprisingly Lena got there first, and Lena was quickly able to make out the tiny doorknob.

  "You live here?" She asked.

  "Sometimes.”

  Rose took the key from her pocket, relieved that Daniel d
isappeared at a time when she was old enough to carry it. Her fingers hesitated at the door.​This is it,​she thought.If he isn't here, he’s really gone.​The thought made her sad, and with a swift movement she pushed the key inside and let them in. The two girls gasped when they saw the inside, for it was beautiful, since Daniel had painted it himself. Flowers, trees, and the solar system were designs you seemed to see everywhere in Trearce. He had painted music notes, books and masks. Each, she knew, were from a favorite play he had read. The walls were a deep brown wood that shone, and there was so much natural light that a regular light would be ludicrous. If you stepped in more, you could just make out the windy staircase that led to the other rooms.

  "Lena," Rose said.

  "Don't worry, I know."

  Lena sent a wind through the house to go through every room and stairway. It was an old trick to make sure no one had been inside - it was kind of like Rose's water trick, but faster and more efficient - when the wind came back, she said, "It's clear," and began to look around the tiny objects Daniel had sitting on his desk. There were things ranging from beautiful jewelry, to tiny musical instruments, to old small compasses, as Daniel was always being given things by friends, families, and admirers. His trust that no one would find their house made him so careless to leave it down. There were even various hundred dollar bills laying on the floor.

  Rose waited till they were both distracted by some strange item and crept up the stairs alone. Relief went through her as she saw that his big brown journal was still there, sitting on the dresser in the little hallway. On the cover he had written “Survival guide” in golden letters, though it was more than a survival guide. Every theory or idea or nightmare that Daniel ever had was in here; he used to read her the less brutal parts at night like it was a bedtime story. He had stopped once when he realized she had gotten a little older, but the man of light, who was a big supporter of not keeping secrets from children, talked him into doing it again. Rose held the book in her hands, happy to see Daniel's sloppy handwriting again. Without a second thought, she opened it to the first page.

  The words “Have something to survive for” were written. He used to tell her that line all the time.

  "Guys we're leaving soon," she called after a few minutes knowing they were probably transfixed on something. She heard the sound of them setting things back down to confirm she was right. Lena called “okay” and Rose heard her footsteps move towards the kitchen - of course she would want to see the knife collection.

  When Rose got closer to the end of the book, she saw the page she had always loved most. The page from her father.

  Dear Daniel,

  I know it has been a long time since I talked to you and i hope you know that it has not been on purpose. I have tried before but there never seemed to be a good moment and so i’ve simply decided to write you a letter. If you are doing anything I advise you to stop and sit for a minute as i am about to ask you for a big favor. One that you might have seen coming for you've hinted at warning me about it. For the time being I need you to take rose. As you know something of ours has went missing and we could take her along with us to find it but i don't think it would be good. (well Briana doesn't anyay). You are the only person I trust to keep her. I can't promise how long it will take but i can tell you now that we'll be back as soon as possible. And that rose is a god kid. She takes after you. Teach her everything you know and she’ll learn fast. Make sure she stays in school but homeschool her if you must. If people begin asking too many questions tell her how she should answer. She understands why we’re going but it may take her a second to adjust to the change. If it takes longer than we expected to get back let her read this. We love both of you and we miss you very much. Family is really important. Especially in this time like this. Use your powers but only to a minimum. Or else you are in great danger.

  Love, Brandon

  "What did you take?" Lena asked, coming up the stairs and ruining Rose's moment. "A diary."

  "Must be important things in there," Lena said innocently, though she acted as if she

  knew something was up. She took the book in her hands and studied it but did not open it. Instead she traced her hand across the side and stared at the title.

  “There are," Rose said, "lots of important stuff."

  “Why don't you take other things, like clothes, and stuff?”

  "This isn't our main house, so I probably can’t fit anything; this stuff here is only for backup."

  “I never had a back up house before,” Lena said with an air of great fascination. Rose shook her head. “It's not as fun when more than half the things here, no longer have a person they belong to.”

  Lena gave the book back to her. “I'm sorry.”

  “It's okay.”

  She grabbed her arm. “I should have been more considerate.”

  “No, that was my fault. It's fine.”

  “Would you come here a lot?”

  “Just on weekends.”

  “It's beautiful. I wish I could have gotten to know your family. My dad loved them."

  Rose looked at the book, and her eyes shone with a new hope. “You will someday; now come on, we need to get back.”

  “Are you sure you have everything?”

  “I have everything I need.”

  Lena gazed as though she fully doubted that, and the trip down the stairs was full of her asking questions. Rose tried to answer yes or no, but in the end had admitted more things than she planned, like that this house was always seen as sort of a panic room, and Daniel had made it himself without anyone knowing a single thing. After they left they didn't talk much on the way back, as both Aylea and Lena were admiring something Rose had let them keep. She hoped it would keep them at bay, and she told herself she'd wait till dark to look at the patterns. That was one thing they couldn't know.

  As they were thrown on the ground, there was a commotion that made them look up straight away. From what they could see, the guards were coming and making it brutally obvious that they were holding someone important. At first Rose caught one of their eyes and tried to act as if she did not see, but then she caught a glimpse of something else. Long red hair. Not only that, torn-worn out clothes. "Artisan," she called in almost a whisper and then again louder, "Artisan." By the third yell he had managed to hear her, and for a second they met eyes. She winced. The fresh bruises on his face let her know his captures had not been nice. Rose jumped up, hoping that she'd be able to catch them; she motioned for Lena to get up too, and together they tried to follow, but the guards locked the door as soon as they went in.

  "Come with me," she said to Lena, remembering that Aylea was there too. The three of them ran around to the front and, using her ears, they traced the party back to the counselor's room, where there seemed to be some kind of huge meeting, as almost every high member of the guard was inside.

  It surprised her to see that the person sitting in the high chair wasn't Ana. Instead it was a man that carried a very high and mighty air. His hair was shaved on the sides and he had pretty eyes, he was tall but not too tall, had muscles but not too defined. At first glance you would think that he was not too much of anything, but then she saw it - a badge on his chest stating the name VISTER.

  "No answer is not an answer," he was saying without a hint of sympathy, his voice cold and distant.

  Artisan looked down at the ground, saying nothing. He had not changed his clothes since she last saw him, so where had he been? All eyes were on him, which she knew made him uncomfortable. It was unfair to question him under such circumstances. "Did you or did you not purposefully lead Daniel away in an attempt to save him?” "That's not true," Rose said, forgetting herself and stepping forward. "Really? How convenient is it that he happened to come at just the right moment." When Vister's eyes met hers, he looked surprised, and he startled.

  "You saw the way he looked," she announced. "What, did he​purposefully​beat himself up?”

  "It was a disguise." He chuckled. "Ev
en the simplest person could pull it off.”

  "His ship was in ruins. It's not a lie.”

  "We calmed the water that night.”

  "Accidents happen," said Rose, refusing to admit that she didn't actually know.

  "We can't have these questions answered by you; aren't you related to Daniel? His cousin or something?"

  With that comment, Ana walked in, and the room became silent. Everyone stared at her, even Rose, who had been ready to state a retort.

  "Vister," she said, “what's going on?”

  Artisan looked up, and as if triggered by Ana's presence, mumbled, "What I saw that night will not be repeated."

  Vister smirked as if that was what he had been waiting for and ordered "Take him away," which started a great murmur.

  "Wait," Rose yelled, but Ana cut her off and said, "Rose, upstairs, so stern it shocked her.

  "But–"

  "I SAID UPSTAIRS."

  Rose glowered at her with sadness and fury in her eyes. She marched through the door, making sure to slam it.

  Ana had no right – well she did, but that didn't mean she was able to to abuse it.

  The image of Artisan falling came in her mind.​If it was all a plan, isn't it angering to think that he knew Daniel would be the only one to help him?​Aren't there too many flaws? What if someone else helped? What if Daniel never noticed? What if Daniel hadn't shown up? ​But then again, the man seemed to have appeared right after he did, at just the right time. For a second she thought of staying, that her aunt might come out and explain things or apologize, but she knew better, so she made the angry flight up the stairs. She only managed to get to her room door before someone caught up to her.

  "Rose," Lena said, "Are you okay?'"

  "I’m perfectly fine.”

  "Big exit back there," she joked.

  Rose half smiled. "It wasn't right that they took him. I mean, will they actually accept that as a trial?"

  Lena's voice became lower as she said, "Probably, they do it a lot to people who know stuff."

  Maybe it was because her life would soon be pledged to them, but Rose didn't expect Lena to be so honest, she never expected Lena to be so honest. In a way she was like the counselors.