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Chapter 146: Dante's Revenge
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The True Nature Series Chapter 147: Mind-speaking
LUKE GAVE HIM A ten-second stare down before complying and tucking his hands into his jean pockets. He gritted his teeth as Wynona helped him get to his feet.Zander walked across the road with his gun pointed at the new kids and one eyebrow raised toward Maverick. "I know you. You work at Tru's gym.""Guilty as charged," said Maverick matter-of-factly. "You on our side?" That simple question was packed with a challenge and Zander's eyes narrowed."I'm on Tru's side," he said. That seemed to satisfy Maverick and he nodded coolly, visibly relaxing. "That will do." But I could see something underneath Maverick's expression that had everything to do with Uncle Ira, who was the leader of his organization. Maverick believed he was dead; killed by the Nasaru. I needed to tell him about Uncle Ira soon. I also had a feeling he knew who Zander really was. He had to be brimming with questions for me. "Hey," chirped Ruthie. "Help a girl out here?"A few minutes later, Ruthie and I were
The True Nature Series Chapter 148: Field of Landmines
BY THE TIME MAVERICK and Ruthie returned, I had worked up the courage to approach Wynona. If my dad had gone missing, I'd want to know what happened to him even if he were dead."When was the last time you saw Dante?""Why do you care?" she replied, spitting on the ground as if she were aiming at me. I took a step back."Nasty habit," muttered Ruthie. "Were you raised under a rock?" Wynona's jaw tightened but she ignored the barb. I sent my friend a dark look and she moved away to lean up against a tree."Look," I said gently, trying to be patient. "How much do you know about what he was doing here?""Aha! So, you did do something!""What do you know?" I repeated, tightening my jaw.Wynona and Luke shared a glance. He nodded his head as if urging her to tell me something. "I don't know what he was doing," she said with a scowl. "But I do know that everything they say about him is false. He wouldn't hurt anyone."I sighed, "You're wrong." Her face tightened. Before she got ang
The True Nature Series Chapter 149: Peace Treaty
"LOOK, PEOPLE. HE'S JUST kidding. No one is shooting anyone. And you are not going to fling someone around with your ..." I waved at his hands. "Whatever."The guys glared at each other, nobody backing down.I squeezed Zander's hand again. "Please," I begged him along our mental path. "Stow it, Rambo," Ruthie ordered Maverick. "If Tru says it's okay, then it is."I sent her a grateful smile. They finally tucked their guns away and Luke obediently kept his hands lowered. Despite his bravado, he looked truly ill, hopefully regretting his stupid joke. Or, maybe the pain from his injured leg was getting to him. Turning to Wynona, I said, "He looks like he's going to pass out. Maybe he should sit over there." I pointed to the base of a redwood tree with a bed of soft pine needles nestled around it. Wynona looked anxiously at her friend and hustled him into a seated position. He wasn't happy about it, but didn't seem willing to fend off the petite brunette. I settled on a log across
The True Nature Series Chapter 150: True Dream
"WHAT'S A TRUE DREAM?" asked Luke."Tru has visions of the past. We call them true dreams," said Ruthie. "And for freaking fried chicken, can you let her up already?""Like right now," said Maverick with his gun pointed at Wynona's head. Once again, he'd crept up on them unawares."Seriously!" yelled Ruthie. "Everyone just calm the halibut down and lower your guns." She looked pointedly at Luke. "And fingers. Because I'm about to go all Karate Kid on you again. Geez! It's like happy hour at the NRA!"Suddenly, the pressure on my throat was completely gone. I threw the branch away with a grimace. Zander stuck his gun in the back of his pants and helped me up. Maverick lowered his gun when Luke re-sheathed his hands in his pockets, but this time he didn't put it away.I dusted off my backside. "I'm fine," I said, impatiently brushing away Zander's hands as he tried to examine my neck."That's better," said Ruthie. "Now, Tru, do your thing."I rolled my eyes at her. "It doesn't hav
The True Nature Series Chapter 151: Twin Talk
AS WE STEPPED OVER to our vehicles, we heard a familiar voice yell, "Wait!" I looked up the road with a smile, expecting to see the twins and did a double take. Ruthie was just as surprised as I was, but unlike me, who simply stood in the middle of the street with my jaw on the ground, she raised her arms with excitement and squealed like a Jonas Brothers fan girl. When Luke let loose a string of words that my mom would have called potty words, I rushed over to slam down on his arms. Despite his earlier promise, they'd been up and ready to do battle. "What are you doing?" yelled Wynona."It's okay," I said.I couldn't blame them for being startled, though. It wasn't every day you saw a giant wolf bounding toward you. But this wolf wasn't charging aggressively. His loping run had a cheerful canter to it, like he was almost as excited as Ruthie. Phoebe huffed as she ran alongside him, a shoulder bag slapping against her back. Based on Ruthie's delighted reaction, I knew she and I wer
The True Nature Series Chapter 152: True Mates
"YES," ADMITTED PHOEBE. "BUT, it just works between the two of us. Like, don't worry. We can't read your minds or anything like that."Zander caught my eye. "Don't tell them about us.""Okay," I agreed, wondering why we had to keep our new method of communication a secret."So freaking awesome!" said Ruthie. "I thought it was a twin thing. You know, your weird knowing-what-the-other-is-thinking kind of thing."Phoebe gave us a big smile, "Well, I don't know about the rest of them, but it's our twin thing." I was both startled and charmed by this new side of Phoebe. She must have hated keeping that side of her life a secret. "Anyhoo," she went on. "Where are you rushing off to? Backstage Boys in town or something?"Everyone but the twins looked at me as if I was in charge of this crazy show. Ruthie gave me a hopeful grin, her eyebrows shooting up her forehead. I shrugged my shoulders and said, "Why not?""We're going to Dr. Frankler's," Ruthie gushed with enthusiasm. "She's th
The True Nature Series Chapter 153: Package Deal
"RELAX," SAID PHOEBE, HER voice smooth and soft, as if she were speaking to a child. It seemed to work because the almost visible friction in the air dissipated and Isaac's eyes darkened, returning to their normal brown. "Don't worry, he's not going to bite anyone," she promised. When he growled, she shoved her shoulder against him hard. "Knock it off!" she ordered, not an ounce of softness in her voice this time.Finally, Isaac lowered his eyes to his sister's angry face. The two of them seemed to be having one of their silent conversations, and now that I knew they were communicating, I wondered if Zander and I had the same spaced out look when we talked with our minds."Anyway," Phoebe said, moving on as if Isaac hadn't almost made us all pee our pants a little. "If that's the case," she waved a hand between Zander and me, "then you really need to hear what Gerard Hughes did to our parents." Her lips tightened and Isaac grumbled again. "Fine," I said. "What did he do?""Thei
The True Nature Series Chapter 154: New Recruits
BEFORE WE TOOK OFF, Ruthie and I pulled Zander aside. Huddled together by her car, we tried to convince him that we should tell everyone everything. It wasn't easy. He still had some serious misgivings about Luke and Wynona. They hadn't exactly signed a non-disclosure agreement. Nor did we know them well at all. However, I sensed that they were sincere about wanting to avenge Dante, and I told Zander this through our mental path. I argued that we needed them, or that at least we needed Luke. His ability was powerful and we could definitely use more help if we had to go up against individuals like Donavitch again. Who knew what else the Nasaru had in their arsenal of abilities. Even though it was horribly wrong, I understood Gerard Hughes's motivation for "collecting" idimmu. They were proving to be every bit as formidable as akharu and usemi.Zander finally relented and we joined the others. Isaac and Maverick had claimed the middle two bucket seats, leaving Phoebe to sit in the fro
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The True Nature Series Chapter 230: The Promise
ZANDER WAS STILL GROGGY, and I helped him lean up against the railing of the general store. I wanted to stay with him, but another problem had cropped up. Polaris was trying to move Dad, and Knox wouldn't let them. No one wanted to risk getting close to his teeth and I feared they might try to drug him or something worse. I sighed and pushed myself up."I'll be right back," I told Zander.I headed across the road and carefully approached the growling Knox. "Hey there, buddy," I said in a soothing voice. "You still have me, remember?" I reached out my hand, letting it hang in the air like Dad had taught me the first time Knox and I had met. Knox's ears flattened, and he whined as he pressed his nose into my fingers. If dogs cried, I'd say Knox was crying now. His eyes looked sticky wet. I ran a hand down his neck, coaxing him off Dad's body and toward me. With a hand on his collar, I eased the two of us several feet away, allowing the others to move Dad. When his limp head dropped t
The True Nature Series Chapter 229: Picking Up the Pieces
BOTH POLARIS AND THE Efotis arrived within minutes of each other. The folks from Polaris had found several locals disabled or dead outside the park, as well as two empty police cars. Someone must have called the authorities about the gunshots or the helicopters. Others had probably been curious enough to investigate the noise themselves. The Nasaru had silenced them before they could see anything. With heavy faces, Polaris began searching the perimeter for more victims and loading up bodies on stretchers to take them away. When the Efotis arrived, Caroline rushed up to me, her eyes wide and desperate. She grabbed me and hugged me like she was never letting go. Despite my reluctance to admit she was my mother, I found her arms comforting. It just felt right. Thaddeus stood as still and straight as a fencepost watching us with soft but wary eyes. I completely understood. My reintroduction to Caroline had been rocky. In fact, it had been like meeting her for the first time, because I'
The True Nature Series Chapter 228: Of One Mind
THADDIE AND I JUMPED away from each other, our eyes wide as saucers. "Shanna!" I breathed out in surprise. But her voice had faded away. "What the heck?" Once again, I'd lost my connection to her."Your eyes turned blue," said Thaddeus with surprise. "Does that happen often? Was that our sister?"I pressed my lips together, frustrated that we'd been so close to talking to her. "Yes, it was Shanna. But she's gone now. Dang it." He opened his mouth to say something else, but I beat him to it. "Wait. Did you just say my eyes turned blue?" "Yes," he answered, looking at me strangely.I thought my eyes had done that before, too, when I'd heard a strange voice. But at the time, I'd convinced myself that it was my imagination. Did this happen every time she talked to me? I held out my hands to Thaddeus, hoping that together we could bring her back. He looked at my outstretched arms with confusion."Just testing a theory," I said. "Take my hands. Maybe we need to be in physical conta
The True Nature Series Chapter 227: Retreat
"THADDIE!" I choked out."You know him?" asked Maverick in surprise.I huffed out a deep breath as we heaved another dead body off his wing."Yes," I said, giving him a watery smile. "He's my brother."Maverick stared at me slack-jawed. After tonight I didn't think anything could surprise him. "You're kidding," he muttered."Yeah, I was going to tell you about him. Turns out, the other sharum guy was my biological father. Is," I corrected, reminding myself that if they took him, he must still be alive."The other guy with Dr. Frankler?""Yeah, I know," I nodded. "Just when you thought it couldn't get any weirder."Maverick grunted an agreement.I examined Thaddie, who still struggled with consciousness. "Let's carry him to a brighter area. It will be easier to help him there."Together, we maneuvered him onto Maverick's back. Amid grunts and gasps, he carried Thaddie to the center of the main street and set him down near Zander, who was still unconscious and oblivious to the
The True Nature Series Chapter 226: The Aftermath
I GAVE MAVERICK A wan smile. "There're gone," I sighed, standing up to move wearily to the next body. Kneeling by the woman from Polaris, I gently closed her eyes. There was no fixing her. The other Polaris soldiers were no better. The rest were Gerard's men. My heart pounded, knowing I'd have to face my dad's body now. I dragged myself to my feet and looked toward Dad. A furry head rested on top of his chest. I ran over to them, wondering how Knox could still be alive, not to mention how he had moved. As I dropped next to them, Knox whined softly. I bent over to press my head against his. "Oh, Knox. You're okay," I wept, running my hands along his fur. Blood matted in several spots, but I couldn't find any injuries. Shaking my head at the miracle, I hugged him. "I know, boy," I crooned. "Dad isn't ... he's not waking up. But you still have me." Knox's tail pounded on the dirt, but he remained pressed against Dad.I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up to see Maverick. "I'm
The True Nature Series Chapter 225: Just Like Dante
THE CIRCLE OF SOLDIERS tightened around us, drawing my attention away from my disappearing friends. Zander pulled me to his back, spinning us around as we faced their weapons. It quickly became clear that even with our abilities, we wouldn't be able to overpower them. "Tru," Zander said, mind-speaking. "This is going to hurt, but you can heal yourself. Protect your head." "What?" I barely had a chance to gasp before he grabbed me, lifted me up in the air, and threw me over the heads of the soldiers. I cleared them by at least five meters and landed in a dense thicket near the line of trees. Branches jabbed me, cutting my skin and shredding my already ruined dress.I groaned. What the heck did Zander think he was doing? I started to crawl out of the bushes and yelped when I felt a sharp pain in one hand. It felt wrong, like broken wrong. Looking up, I saw a few of the soldiers peel away from the circle around Zander and head toward me. "Run!" Zander yelled in my mind.The path
The True Nature Series Chapter 224: From the Frying Pan ...
I GASPED, RECOGNIZING Gerard's creepy grin. "No! It can't be!"He laughed, throwing back his head and clasping his hands together. "You've done me a favor, my dear. I may have lost my mate." A fleeting look of sorrow crossed his face. "Trust me, you'll pay for that. But now I have an even more powerful aramusatu, one that will link you and me together forever." He laughed again, and then held out his hand. "Join me, Tru. You belong with your family."I gagged and stepped away. Had I only made things worse by killing Gerard? "No!" I yelled. I felt the world caving in as Wynona's words flitted through my mind. She's a soul jumper. At that time, she'd meant Ruthie. But apparently, she wasn't the only one. Somehow, Gerard Hughes's spirit had taken over Peter's body. I had a feeling that I'd just leaped from the frying pan into the fire."What happened to Peter?" Gerard's eyes swirled, shifting to yellow slits. He squeezed them shut and shook his head. When he opened his eyes, they w
The True Nature Series Chapter 223: Backfire
OBVIOUSLY, I WAS A healer. But I was definitely no savior. But what about destroyer?The thought of that destiny had filled me with dread before, but now I wanted it so badly that everything but my enemy faded away. I wished I could channel my healing ability into a weapon. Then it struck me. If I could heal wounds why couldn't I un-heal them? I stared at my hands, wondering if it was possible. A dark feeling swirled inside me, like attempting such a thing was straight up wrong, but as Gerard stepped closer to Ruthie, and as Zander continued to bleed out, I knew I had to do something. With shaking hands, I laid Dad's head on the ground. It was too late for him but I might be able to help the others. A fiery rage whipped up inside of me and my eyes locked onto Gerard. He wore a demented look of his own as he considered the chaos around us. I took off toward him. When I was almost upon him, he saw me and pulled out his gun. I plowed forward anyway and tackled him, sending the weapon f
The True Nature Series Chapter 222: Inconceivable Choice
I YANKED AWAY FROM the guard holding me and ran back to Zander, who gasped, "I'll be fine, Tru. Go to him." I knew he meant my dad and that he'd realized the same thing I had. Ignoring the guns pointed at me, I rushed toward Dad and Knox. Donavitch was grinning at me, clearly enjoying my terror, and Knox was barking out a warning to Mrs. Taylor as she pointed her gun at Dad. "Look out, Dad!" He looked from me to Mrs. Taylor and flinched when he saw the gun pointing at him. "No, Eleria!" yelled Mr. Taylor.Crack!In the blink of an eye, two bodies fell to the ground. At the last second, Mr. Taylor had raced after his wife and thrown his body in front of my dad. They both went down. I fell to the ground next to Dad, frantically searching for his wound. A bright red stain in the center of his blue flannel shirt expanded to the size of my hand within seconds. Had the bullet gone through Mr. Taylor and Dad? Of course! The gun had been loaded with cutters, the Nasaru's usemi-killin
