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Chapter 163: The Mark of Cain
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The True Nature Series Chapter 164: Like Tru
"WELL," DR. FRANKLER SAID when no one spoke up. "Perhaps you'll tell me after I've shared a little more about myself."Ruthie sent me a nervous glance. I reminded myself that I trusted the woman in front of me. I didn't understand why yet, but I did. I sent Ruthie a calm smile.Dr. Frankler sat in the last empty chair, next to the fireplace, her legs crossed. Again, I was struck by how much younger she seemed and looked her over again, trying to discover what had changed. I could have sworn that her hair had streaks of gray, but now it was a full, chestnut brown. Some strands had escaped her quick bun and they hung down her neck in spirals. She was also missing her black-framed glasses, but she seemed to see us clearly without squinting. Her open gaze moved perceptively from one person to the next, finally zeroing in on Wynona."Wynona," she said, her voice smooth as butter. When she continued, I noticed a slight push to her voice. "What brings you and Luke all the way across the co
The True Nature Series Chapter 165: Whack Job
I WONDERED HOW MUCH our "school counselor" knew about the woman who killed my mom, the woman that the Nasaru was searching for. "Do you know where Caroline is now?" I asked. She shook her head sadly. "I know she isn't in Eden anymore; that she escaped. I was happy to hear that. They were not kind to her."I squeezed Zander's hand.Dr. Frankler leaned toward me again. "Look, Tru," she said, speaking as if she and I were the only two in the room. "You are in grave danger. And I can help you if you will let me. I can hide you from the Nasaru." She paused, staring at me expectantly."But I'd have to leave my dad ... and my friends.""Yes." She clasped her hands together in a beseeching manner. "But it's the best way to protect you." She must have seen my answer in my face because she drooped, her whole body sagging with disappointment. "But I guess you won't come with me," she said. "You think you can protect your father and your friends." "Damn straight, she isn't going with yo
The True Nature Series Chapter 166: Hope and Despair
THE JOKES DIDN'T STOP there, and when Maverick and the doctor returned from the kitchen, we were still laughing. The expressions on their faces had us sputtering to a stop, though. There was a long, pregnant pause and then someone tittered, triggering the rest of us. Even Zander grinned."Did we miss something?" asked Maverick, carrying a pitcher and a stack of cups. Once again, he sounded like a schoolteacher. Wynona and Ruthie continued to sputter. Maverick might think we were young and immature, but it had been nice to take a mental break from the life-changing events of today.While Dr. Frankler and Maverick had thrown together a small feast in the kitchen, the candy jokes had evolved into trick-or-treating memories. Halloween was just around the corner and stores were already decked out with ghoulish decorations, costumes, and endless stacks of candy. Ruthie wanted to throw a party and have Isaac scare everyone in his wolf form. That had led to the twins telling us about the tim
The True Nature Series Chapter 167: Haven
DR. FRANKLER SEEMED TO be connecting three different things - Mrs. Jackson's predictions, the Pandora's jar symbolism, and me. Their hope in a savior. It was eerily like the words in the prophecy, Ulami's Hope, but she couldn't know about it, could she? I felt puzzlement directed at me and looked up. Sure enough, I was the center of everyone's attention once again.Zander squeezed my hand before clearing his voice to speak. "Tru asked who you work for, Dr. Frankler," he said, reminding us of my original question. Our host leaned back in her seat and crossed her legs. "Like Ira and the rest of Polaris, my goal is to help supernaturals and all those affected by them--""Nons," butted in Ruthie, nodding matter-of-factly. "Short for supernaturals."The doctor straightened with a scowl. "Where did you hear that?" she snapped.Ruthie's eyes widened. "Uh ..." she hemmed. Maverick was subtly shaking his head at her, practically begging her to not throw him under the bus. My mouth twitc
The True Nature Series Chapter 168: The Most Powerful Weapons
"ZANDER," SHE SAID. "THIS must be painful for you to hear.""I-I know," he said haltingly. "I know my father has done some ..." He trailed off. "For the record, I'm not like him.""Yes, I can tell," she said thoughtfully, giving him a gentle smile. "Still, it's a bit much to take in, isn't it?"Even though we'd formed a team, the others were looking at Zander like he was an outsider, like they hadn't totally believed his assurances. Zander seemed miserable and it tore at my heart. After the way Luke and Isaac had treated him earlier, I felt obligated to stand up for him. I jumped in before thinking about how it might sound. "He only recently found out about his father, I mean about him kidnapping idimmu, and ..." I trailed off lamely, realizing that naming Gerard's crimes out loud wasn't helping. How could I say that Zander's father had tortured and experimented on Caroline and the Efotis? It was too horrible. The doctor sighed, "I understand, Tru. Give it time. Zander must come
The True Nature Series Chapter 169: In the Beginning ...
ZANDER'S EXCITEMENT THRUMMED ALONG his skin as he listened next to me. I looked around the room to see all eyes riveted on the woman in front of us. After all this talk about psychological manipulation, I had a fleeting thought that Dr. Frankler might be using her ability to hypnotize us. But my ability told me that she wasn't. We were simply enthralled with the idea of finally learning the truth about usemi, akharu, and idimmu ... and sethians. I had a feeling that her next words were going to alter everyone's past, present, and future, because that's what the truth did. It changed everything. "I grew up in a place called Nimbiru," she began. "And the inhabitants of this place were referred to as ulami."Zander tensed beside me."But they weren't always called ulami. Thousands of years ago, they called themselves the uli. The uli people were divided by feuds so ancient that no one fully understood what had started them. I guess you could say that their feuding and wars had become
The True Nature Series Chapter 170: Nimbiru
DR. FRANKLER GAVE MAVERICK a secretive smile before looking away. She didn't say anything, but she might as well have. I'd been so caught up in the doctor's story, I'd almost forgotten that it wasn't a story at all. She was teaching us the real history of supernaturals - the origin of supernaturals. And they came from a place called Nimbiru, which didn't sound like anywhere I'd ever studied. Maverick had suggested that we were missing the big picture, and he had a good point. Where the heck was this place? Maverick's eyes suddenly widened with shock. "It can't be," he gasped. I turned to the doctor for an explanation, but she simply stared back at us expectantly."What?" said Luke with a sardonic lift of an eyebrow. "We have to guess?"Ruthie bobbed in her seat. "I think it sounds like a magical place," she offered. "Like in Bedknobs and Broomsticks." She smiled gleefully at the thought. Luke snorted but she ignored him."Is it some place in Africa?" asked Wynona.The doctor
The True Nature Series Chapter 171: Alienated
I WAS JUST AS shocked, but Zander's mind was blowing up right now and I caught echoes of questions bouncing back and forth inside his skull. "How?" I said, voicing the loudest of Zander's questions. The doctor shook her head with a frown. "I don't know exactly. We know he was some kind of supernatural originally, maybe akharu, but I'm not sure how much of that he is anymore, or if he was akharu at all. I do know that he has been involved with human and supernatural experiments dating back to the 1930s.""And he's still running a hell lab of nightmares," growled Isaac, turning his sneer on Zander. "Back where you're from." Zander tensed before leaping out of his chair. Isaac followed suit, egging him on with another growl. "Hold on there," said the doctor as Phoebe and I grabbed at them, barely managing to pull them back into their seats. "Stop it!" I yelled to him along our private link, hoping he heard me through the rage filling his mind."Boys," cried the doctor, standi
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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
