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Chapter 48: Out of the Fire
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The True Nature Series Chapter 49: Self-defense
I OPENED MY EYES to my bedroom curtains rustling in the night breeze. Releasing a long sigh of relief, I sent a prayer of gratitude out into the great unknown. Thank goodness it was just a nightmare! Had I woken up Dad? I listened. Silence. A relieved laugh escaped me as I swept back the covers and swung my jean-clad legs over the side of the bed.Jean-clad legs.I jumped from my bed and stared into my mirrored closet doors. My hair was wild and tangled, my T-shirt ripped and bloody. My face had muddy streaks across it. I was filthy. "No!" I groaned, collapsing to the floor."Tru."I yelped and spun around. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."An equally disheveled Zander sprawled on my over-sized beanbag in the corner of my room. He ran his hands through his already spiky hair and stared inquiringly at me. He looked like he'd just woken up."You thought it was a dream, didn't you? I wish it was, except for the good parts," he said. He switched on the lamp next to him. Its so
The True Nature Series Chapter 50: Sirens
ZANDER WATCHED THE THOUGHTS flit across my face, patiently waiting for a response. Oh yeah. He'd thanked me for saving him."I think we saved each other," I finally replied. "When I heard you above me in the cabin, it was the happiest moment of my life. I didn't think anyone would find me, and if you did, I worried what you and Peter would do." I stalled there, wondering if I had said too much."I didn't tell my brother everything that happened." My eyes widened. "Why?""I don't trust him.""Why?""He doesn't like you.""Why?" I sounded like a parrot. Zander smiled. "He thinks you're a siren."I stopped before I repeated myself again. He was looking expectantly at me. I chuckled.I took the bait. "O-kaaay ... What's a siren?"He looked a little uncomfortable. "Wait," I said. "Dante mentioned sirens, I think." That brought a scowl to Zander's face. "He also told me about akharus and usemis.""Just akharu and usemi. You don't say the 's.'""Well, he told me about idimmu,
The True Nature Series Chapter 51: Awakened
A YAWN ESCAPED ME before I could stop it. "Look," he said. "It's late. School tomorrow. Unless you aren't going?" He raised one eyebrow. "Might be a good idea."I hadn't even thought about it. My friends, homework, and that whole part of my life seemed like another world away. It seemed unimportant compared to what I'd learned today."I don't know," I answered honestly, wondering if I would be able to leave the safety of my house. "Do I need to be worried about the Collector?""No," he answered firmly. "Peter and I are staying put and we'll be watching your back. You have nothing to worry about.""But you just said you don't trust Peter. And he doesn't trust me. He thinks I'm 'controlling' you.""I know. But, I'll convince him you aren't a siren. Besides, he's chasing another problem right now, one more important to him. I'll do most of the watching." He gave me lecherous smile. I laughed. Were we flirting? I knew that he was trying to derail me. But for some reason, I didn'
The True Nature Series Chapter 52: Phantom (Volume 2: Secrets of the Lore)
Zander Hughes - 10 Months AgoTHERE SHE WAS AGAIN. The crying girl. I could see her in the distance, curled up among the ferns of a redwood forest whose giant trunks surrounded me like old friends. I breathed in the odd spicy scent that reminded me of ...something. I couldn't remember, but déjà vu clung to me like cobwebs. The girl's sobs grew louder, her anguish digging deeper into my heart, demanding my attention. I followed the sounds, but she remained out of my grasp, like an elusive phantom. The thought pulled me up short. Was she a ghost?A jagged bolt of pain cut through me and I bent over, pressing a hand to my chest and sucking in air. Despite the agony, my eyes remained fixed on my prey. Unable to look away, I watched as the girl clutched her t-shirt with both hands, hunching over in the same manner as I did. Was it possible that we shared the same pain? Something inside me screamed, "Hell, yes," and I believed that if I could reach her, touch her, wrap myself around her,
The True Nature Series Chapter 53: Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
Tru Parker - TodayISAAC PRESSED ME UP against the school lockers, one hand behind the nape of my neck, the other flattened out next to my shoulder. His handspan was so wide it covered the breadth of the locker next to mine. I chewed on my lip with worry, knowing that Alton Lee, my locker neighbor, would be here any minute to exchange his books for his lunch. He was a small and jumpy sort of boy, easily intimidated by tall guys like Isaac, who was half Tongan. Sure enough, from the corner of my eye I saw Alton all but skip toward us before stopping short in astonishment, his eyeballs popping out with alarm. Several other students knocked into each other as they moved to avoid him. A stocky, unibrow boy shoved him out of the way with a foul curse. Alton quickly dropped his gaze and skittered back the way he had come.Angry and irritated on behalf of my locker mate, I pushed against Isaac, but he didn't seem to notice. He hummed a tune close to my ear and his woodsy scent tingled my
The True Nature Series Chapter 54: Freak of Nature
GRABBING MY LUNCH SACK, I debated how to spend the next forty-five minutes. Zander was probably already waiting for me on the quad, and I should reassure him that my Isaac problem had been resolved. But he would ask questions, and I didn't want to rehash what had just happened. Whatever I'd seen in Isaac's face had taken up residence in my stomach like some alien parasite. I rubbed it absently, wondering what was wrong with me. Probably karma, I thought with a guilty twist of my lips. Because I'd hurt a nice guy. Why did Isaac have to take it so hard? It wasn't like there had ever been anything between us. The strange nausea disappeared and my stomach growled. My rumbling, bipolar body reminded me that I hadn't eaten much breakfast this morning because Dad had served it with a lecture on better communication. He'd nailed me for lying about going home with Ruthie on Monday. Apparently, her mom had called Dad this morning to check on me. I'd stayed home yesterday, too traumatized to
The True Nature Series Chapter 55: Stockholm Syndrome
ACCORDING TO DANTE, my specific kind of freakishness had a name: idimmu. And that's what had landed me in my current disastrous state. Apparently, idimmu had unique gifts that the Collector wanted, that he could use, such as Dante's ability to locate other idimmu. That ability would certainly be valuable to an evil despot looking to build up his power and influence. And since they could be anywhere in this world, he needed a "finder" like Dante who had some kind of inner "idimmu GPS," because without that, it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Although Dante had been able see the true nature of a person, or their aura, he'd only been able to identify these hybrids when they used their abilities, because that's when their auras changed. I had saved any future victims by eliminating Dante. That was the good news. The bad news? The Collector was not going to be happy when Dante didn't return. In fact, he'd come looking for him. With that thought, my appetite deserting
The True Nature Series Chapter 56: Paranoia
SOMEONE CALLED MY NAME. "Tru!" I looked up at the boy running down the corridor. It was Bobby. He kicked away an empty chip bag and slid to the ground next to me. He had suffered from years of depression after his parents were killed. And according to Dante I had unintentionally "healed" him. Bobby hugged me, which was awkward since I didn't think we were the hugging type of friends. "You're okay! I tried to call you, but you didn't answer. Ruthie said you were sick.""I'm fine now, Bobby." I pulled free from him as kindly as possible."Sorry." He moved away, clearing his throat. "I was just worried. Shrina thinks I'm nuts, but I swear I woke up in the skate park Monday night and I can't remember what happened. The last thing I remember was driving home with you and Dante. When you both didn't show up yesterday, I got really worried."Shrina was his crush, and soon to be girlfriend. Or so I hoped. She'd been in the car with us last Monday, but Dante had dropped her off before
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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
