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Chapter 215: The Gang's All Here
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
The True Nature Series Chapter 216: Jumper
"THIS IS YOUR LAST chance, Tru," warned Peter. His eyes were wide as he took in the approaching wolf. Several rattlesnakes hissed and hovered over Ruthie, ready to strike. He pressed his lips together, staring at his pets as if communicating with them. Suddenly, they darted toward Isaac. He growled and snapped at them, catching one in his mouth and cutting it in half. The others retreated as he padded toward Ruthie. Peter had made a drastic miscalculation, forgetting that very little could penetrate the skin of a usemi. I saw the moment it dawned on him, and he backed away, moving into another swirl of reptiles while redirecting several more rattlesnakes Ruthie's way. Phoebe took in the crumpled form with initial confusion as lizards and snakes slithered over it almost obliterating the color of the bright orange dress. She gasped with horror when she realized who it was. "Ruthie?" Phoebe rushed toward her, trying to head off the incoming rattlesnakes. She grabbed and tossed them
The True Nature Series Chapter 217: Family Flock
I TRIED TO GRASP the notion that my best friend had some kind of super power after all. "And yeah, Ruthie is terrified of reptiles," I finally said, feeling my throat tighten.Wynona nodded as if that explained everything. "I've heard of it before, but this is the first time I've seen it. Her aura is telling me that she's scared."I bit my lip, wondering if she was all right. "That means she'd have to be idimmu, right?" I'd lived in fear of this possibility ever since I'd healed her from the shark bite. Phoebe looked at me with concern."Yeah, I guess so," said Wynona with a nod. "Um, I'm not sure how long she can stay out of her body. Whoa!" She stared at my brother, who still had his head cocked to one side looking at what Wynona said was Ruthie's spirit. "I think that guy can see her!" A dog barked and I remembered that Dad and Knox were here, my safe normal world colliding with my impossibly crazy one. I spun around to see Dad kneeling on the ground, his face ashen. He held Kn
The True Nature Series Chapter 218: Something Wicked ...
ZANDER'S FATHER PAUSED AT the edge of the street, taking in the scene before him. He ran a hand over his wavy brown hair, taming the flyaway strands caused by the helicopter wind before clasping both of his hands in front of him. With his jeans and teal-colored V-neck sweater, he looked more like some laid-back office manager rather than the leader of the supernatural world that I knew him to be. He even had a name befitting a megalomaniac like himself. Kasadu, or something ridiculous like that. I would have expected a power suit or military uniform, not a walking Gap advertisement. A line from Macbeth flitted through my mind. "Something wicked this way comes." Every fiber of my being urged me to run, but all I could do was stare with some kind of sick fascination.I wasn't the only one gawking at him. Phoebe and Wynona looked on with varying shades of despair in their faces. That was no surprise since he represented a different nightmare for each of us. The Efotis had literally been
The True Nature Series Chapter 219: Kasadu
GERARD CROUCHED BESIDE US, peering down like a kid who'd found an ant pile. Zander quickly pulled us backward, sliding across the hard ground to put some distance between his father and us. Gerard continued to stare thoughtfully.I looked away from him to see all eyes on us. But everyone's placement had changed. A scuffle must have broken out while I was healing Zander, because blood dripped from a cut above Thaddeus' eye, and Uriel's lip was bleeding. All three sharum wore glowing collars that seemed to be holding them in place. Their faces were pinched with pain, and their hands bound behind them. The soldiers next to them also looked beat up, and they didn't seem very happy about it. Two pressed their guns against the skulls of Uriel and Thaddeus. Dr. Frankler gave me a weak smile. The side of my lip twitched to think that she was trying to comfort me, even now. When I briefly met Uriel's gaze, he appeared relieved, despite the gun at his head. I looked for my other friends and f
The True Nature Series Chapter 220: The Collector
GERARD SIGHED, AS IF Zander's outburst hurt his feelings. But I could tell he was acting. It was obvious to me, however, Zander cringed as if regretting his words. "Let me handle this, Cynthia," Gerard said. "I'd like to talk to them privately." She shook her head with a very stubborn Zander-like expression on her face. He pressed the back of his hand along her neck, saying, "Don't you worry. He'll come around. Return to your protectors while I chat with these two youngsters." I watched as a blank look crossed her face before she sniffled and nodded, gazing up into Gerard's face almost worshipfully before walking toward the huddle of soldiers. "Did you see that?" I asked Zander, sending the question along our mental path. He must have noticed. It had to have been Gerard's mind control in action.Yes, Zander replied, and I could feel the anger in his mind.Gerard motioned for the two closest soldiers to move away, giving him more privacy. As soon as his wife stepped into her wal
The True Nature Series Chapter 221: Your Wish Is My Command
GERARD LOOKED TOWARD THE loose huddle around his wife and commanded, "Tighter." The men closed in until they had formed a solid wall that prevented her from seeing outside of it ... or anyone from getting to her. I wasn't sure which was his purpose."Ken," Gerard barked. One of his soldiers hustled over and Gerard said something low enough that I couldn't hear. The man nodded impassively before jogging toward the parking lot. A minute later the Taylors walked single file along the path toward us. Mr. Taylor looked terrified, his face almost ash white against his dark suit, but Mrs. Taylor carried herself like a queen. She kept her chin up as she walked purposely toward us in her sharp business skirt and jacket, cool and confident. With a long coat thrown over her short red formal, Zena wobbled along behind her parents, her high heels making it difficult to walk along the rocky terrain. Her eyes darted about furtively, taking in the bizarre scene before her. When she saw Ruthie and
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
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
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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
