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Chapter 180: Penal Colony
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The True Nature Series Chapter 181: Rage
I BEAT ZANDER TO English for once and sat in the back of the room among several empty seats. My mind was still buzzing with everything Dr. Frankler had revealed to us at lunch. I couldn't get over this idea that I was fireproof. I wasn't going to test it any time soon, though. I winced at the thought of burning myself on purpose.The room was almost full when Zander strolled through the doorway, but there were still two available seats near me. His eyebrows were drawn together in annoyance, and I wondered what had upset him. Before he could turn down my aisle, two girls moved, filling in the empty seats - Kelsey and Sarah, Zena's friends. I looked for the chairs that they'd vacated, unsurprised to see empty desks on each side of Zena. Zander paused in front of the class, his scowl deepening just as the bell rang."Have a seat, Mr. Hughes," commanded Mr. Mac, a hint of impatience in his Scottish accent.Zander shot me a frustrated look and settled into one of the empty desks next to
The True Nature Series Chapter 182: Shields Down
FINALLY, ZANDER LET THE matter of Zena's party go. "Tru, tell me about your dream last night." I jumped at the chance to move away from that subject. Somehow we were able to multitask Mr. Mac's lecture and our conversation. I told Zander about the dream of Uriel and Caroline. I still didn't remember very much about the family I'd been born into, but the dream felt comfortable, like an old t-shirt. It fit as if it belonged to me, like a real memory. So, while I didn't feel a strong connection to the people in the dream, I did experience an emotional link to the moment itself. "I don't even know my brother's name," I said. "You'd think I'd remember his name if it was true."The vision I'd had at the Efoti's cabin had revealed my sister's name. It was a mouthful. Shannandoah. I tried to recall her nickname for me. It had sounded funny with her little kid accent ... something like "Dweah." My spine snapped straight as if someone had stuck me with a pin. In last night's strange black
The True Nature Series Chapter 183: Best Boyfriend Ever
ZANDER AND I SPENT the rest of class mind-speaking, moving on to discuss the crazy things we'd learned from Dr. Frankler. The idea that life existed on other planets wasn't a new one, but knowing that it did for certain, and knowing and interacting with someone from another planet - that was different. To think I was part alien. It explained why I'd always felt like a freak. A piece of me didn't belong here. But the rest of me did. I'd probably always feel out of place. "What are you going to do about Peter?" I asked."Nothing," he said. "At least for now. He returned home.""Good riddance." I knew I was being snarky, but we were all better off with Peter gone. However, I sensed Zander had mixed feelings. "We should make the most of Peter's absence," I said, thinking that at least we wouldn't have to worry about him spying on us or messing with our friends' heads."My place does have a hot tub," he said, peeking at me over his shoulder and raising one eyebrow suggestively. I b
The True Nature Series Chapter 184: Nightmare
IT SEEMED LIKE I'D only been asleep for a moment before I catapulted into a true dream. I was starting to recognize them. They were clear and crisp, every detail memorable. Regular dreams were intangible and fuzzy, nothing fitting together for very long. I was usually a participant in normal dreams. In true dreams, I rode along the memory like a passenger, unable to interact in any way. That's how it felt now. **The room stretched maybe twenty by twenty feet with laminate wood flooring and gray walls. A twin-size bed sat against one wall that was covered in pictures. There were magazine photos of landscapes and people in all types of clothing, some well-known celebrities and others I didn't recognize. Many portrayed scenes of families doing mundane activities like eating, playing sports, and laughing together. Personal drawings and paintings decorated the head of the bed. Someone had copied the magazine pictures using charcoal, watercolor, and bright oil paints. The artist's work e
The True Nature Series Chapter 185: Shanna
KNOX WHINED FROM THE other room. I cracked open one eye to peek at my alarm clock and groaned. It was only 6:00 a.m. Knox seemed to know that someone was awake and whined again, louder than before. If he woke up Dad, he would feel obligated to take him for a walk. But Dad needed his sleep. An upcoming deadline at work had made him stressed and more tired than usual and he'd been grumpy. I hated seeing him so out of sorts. The least I could do was let him sleep in. Yawning, I stumbled out of my room to Knox. "Quiet, boy. You'll wake Dad." Then I realized that his whining had stopped the second I put a foot on my bedroom floor. I opened his crate. "You little rascal!" He hustled out, his nose seeking my hand. I gave him a good head rub, making sure to get under his ears to the spot he loved me to scratch. He cut short the rubdown, though, trotting out of the room and down the stairs to the back door."You gotta use the facilities, buddy?" I said. No wonder he was whining. I wished w
The True Nature Series Chapter 186: Speculations and Hypotheticals
I'D NEVER BEEN ACCUSED of skinny chicken legs in my life - quite the opposite, actually. But I appreciated his attempt to lighten the mood. We worked up to a fast jog, Knox running alongside us, and I allowed myself a moment to enjoy the beautiful greenery around us. It was easy to take the vibrant redwood forest for granted when you lived in it. I breathed in the spicy pine scent, letting it cleanse me.Eventually, my mind wandered back to Shanna and what her existence meant. "Caroline must know Shanna's alive," said Zander, breaking into my thoughts and making me wonder if he was reading my mind. "I don't understand why she left her there, especially if she's in any kind of danger.""I was thinking the same thing. Maybe Caroline was too crazy to care." I frowned at the thought. It didn't jive with her emotional response when we'd spoken about her children. At the time, I'd thought she'd been sad because they were dead. Unless ..."Do you think Caroline believes Shanna is dead?"
The True Nature Series Chapter 187: Boyfriends Missed, Kissed, and Dissed
SOMEONE YELLED MY NAME. When I saw Bobby's girlfriend, Shrina, jogging toward me from the science building, I looked for a quick getaway, but found none. I sighed. Besides, she knew I'd seen her and taking off would just hurt her feelings. I'd been trying to avoid her ever since Bobby disappeared. Every time we talked, she acted like I could do something to find him, and I felt that I should be doing more about it, but I simply wasn't. I'd watched their relationship blossom and become the anchor that Bobby needed after years of depression. I'd been happy for them, then devastated when Bobby was taken. Seeing Shrina posting "Missing" posters around town intensified my guilty feelings. I was letting both of them down and whenever I talked to Shrina, I felt like the worst friend ever."What's wrong?" I asked."Nothing," she said, but her chin wobbled. "I-I was wondering if you'd remembered anything that might help the police." I shook my head sadly and her eyes drooped. Even though I
The True Nature Series Chapter 188: Too Many Aliens
ZANDER AND I HEADED toward our regular lunch table where Ruthie sat waiting for us. Wynona and Luke sprawled across from her where the twins used to sit. My knee-jerk reaction was to look around for Isaac and Phoebe but I reminded myself they weren't coming back. After only two days, I really missed them. Classes weren't the same without them, but their absence was most noticeable at lunch. Now that the Efotis were aware that people from the Nasaru were in town, they were keeping the twins home, resuming their homeschooling. I couldn't blame them. Their children definitely stood out wherever they went. But it wasn't stopping us from them altogether. In fact, we were planning to meet up with them at my place after school today.I slid into my seat with a loud sigh."Wow," said Wynona. "You look like you lost your best friend."Ruthie threw an arm around me. "Never!" She squeezed me until I squawked."Why so gloomy?" Luke asked."She ran into Shrina again," said Zander. There wa
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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
