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Chapter 74: Dante's Computer
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The True Nature Series Chapter 75: Special Effects
"HOW ARE YOU FEELING? Really. And you know what I mean," I said, squeezing her hand.Her eyes widened. "Oh! You mean that whole business about giving me superpowers?" She smirked. "Nope. Nothing. Figures I wouldn't be that lucky."Relief flooded through me and I pulled her in for another hug. "Tell me if it changes," I insisted."Sure, sure," she said, patting my back. Then she left through the front door. I headed to the kitchen for a soda. The bubbles tickled my nose as I stared out the kitchen window into the backyard. Reality was a funny thing. I shook my head thinking about the strange wolves I'd seen out there. Then I pictured the shark fin in the water and Ruthie getting pulled under. Her face had been a wreck. That had been real, too, and I was glad I'd healed her. The truth was, I would have tried it even if Isaac and Phoebe had seen me. I almost had a heart attack when the doorbell rang. I tiptoed to the peephole. Sapphire blue eyes, wavy auburn hair, perfect mouth. Now
The True Nature Series Chapter 76: Photo Bomb
"UM, IGNORE THE MESS," I said, as we reached my room. What was I thinking? Clothes and makeup were scattered across every surface.He chuckled. "Tru, I've seen your messy bedroom before.""Yeah, but it was dark then, and now it's way worse." I grabbed a glass from the bathroom and filled it with the flowers Zander gave me before setting it on my dresser next to the doorway."But, I could see with absolute clarity because I was holding you, remember? It was amazing." A sliver of awe entered his voice. "You were like my own personal flashlight." When we had been imprisoned together in Dante's cellar, we had discovered that he could piggyback on my ability to see in the dark, as long as he was touching me."Oh yeah. Okay, so now you know I'm a slob.""And I still like you." He twirled me around. "A lot." His lips were feather soft as he kissed me. Wow. My heart thumped so loudly, I was afraid he'd hear it. I forced myself to step away."I, uh, that ..." I waved my hand at his
The True Nature Series Chapter 77: Usemi
ZANDER SHRUGGED. "I DON'T know the specifics. But I do know she's on a reward poster back home. So, whatever she did, it's pretty serious." I couldn't quite imagine her face on a reward poster. But why was I surprised after what she'd done to my mom? Zander's eyes narrowed. "You know something, don't you?" He swore. "Did Dante say something about it? How did he even know about her?"I bit my lip. "Maybe the Collector is from the same place you're from?" I suggested, hoping that he might make the leap to his father. If he figured it out himself, I wouldn't have to tell him and risk alienating him. I certainly wouldn't like to hear anything bad about my dad."Could be," nodded Zander. "There are a few Nasaru facilities. He could have worked in one of them and then branched off on his own somewhere ..."I sighed, not sure if this was the right time to tell him about the true identity of the Collector. "Anyway," I said, moving on even though guilt burned through me like acid. "You
The True Nature Series Chapter 78: The Nasaru
"WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO help them," Zander said, interrupting my thoughts. "I mean the Nasaru have.""I thought the Nasaru was your police force.""Some of them are. Others are scientists looking for ways to save the usemi and akharu. The Nasaru is basically our government. They have departments for all kinds of things."That made sense. "And another thing," I said. "Dante said the fixer, aka my aunt, had a child.""Really?" Zander's eyes widened with wonder. "I didn't know that. That would explain why my father wants to find her so badly. She might be the key to helping others with fertility issues." His eyes glowed with excitement.Finally, I asked the question I already knew the answer to, wanting to ease him into the same realization that I'd had. "If I can fix people like she can, like what I did for Bobby, will your father be coming after me, too?" Zander's eyes darkened, and he reached for my hands. "He's not going to take you away from ... your home." From me, his eyes pro
The True Nature Series Chapter 79: Mate
BUT THE PEP TALK I gave myself as I grabbed some drinks didn't seem to help, and when my chest tightened, I paused and gripped the stair railing, trying to calm down. The odds of our relationship working out weren't good. Maybe I was stupid to keep trying, but I wanted to with every cell in my body. It's all you, he'd said. The words triggered an avalanche of emotions and I almost ran up the stairs.Hurrying into my room, my eyes zoomed in on Zander as he ran a hand over the books on my shelf. I sat at the edge of my bed, dropping the sodas to my side without looking away from him. He wheeled around and caught my fiery glance. The air vibrated with energy as we stared at each other and my hands clenched my comforter, barely restraining myself from leaping at him. His eyes sparked and narrowed, watching and waiting for me to respond to this sudden kinetic attraction. I wanted to trace every curve of his face, run my hands through his hair, and feel the energy our colliding skin created
The True Nature Series Chapter 80: Strange Obsession
"SHIELD OF ARAMUSATU!" I yelled. "I have heard it before. In my dream when you were talking to your friend. What was his name? Conrad?"He shoved his hands in his pockets with a sigh. "When I said we needed to talk ... well, there's something you have a right to know."My eyes widened in surprise and anticipation. He cleared his throat and opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He smashed his eyebrows together and began again. "All of this stuff about your aunt is important, but I need to tell you more about me because it ... affects you, too.""Okay." The air shifted, feeling heavier. I settled myself on the bed against the headboard, hugging one of my decorative pillows like a lifeline and staring at him with rapt attention. I wanted to learn everything I could about the mysterious Zander Hughes, whose face was flushing an attractive pink before my eyes. I tried to chill out a little, relaxing my strangling hold on the innocent pillow. He cleared his voice again. "I never exp
The True Nature Series Chapter 81: Soul Magnets
"AND FOR SOME REASON," Zander said, almost too low for me to hear, "I have this involuntary response to ... I mean I know we haven't known each other for long, but it's like I have no control over it.""What do you mean?" He opened his eyes and sighed. "I just need to make sure you're okay. Like all the time." My jaw dropped at the rawness in his voice, the intensity of his deep blue eyes. His words seemed to slow down time, lengthening the moment. "Anyway," he finally said, looking anywhere but at me and continuing like we were discussing our favorite tv shows or something as lame. I decided to follow his lead and pretend he hadn't shared something personal, something pivotal, something that I felt was the absolute truth, and that made my heart stutter hearing it. He deserved a better response, but I moved on, scaredy-cat that I was, and pocketed this new information to pull out later and analyze in private."Everything's messed up now. Conrad said--""The friend who helped
The True Nature Series Chapter 82: Dork Face
WHEN RUTHIE PICKED ME up for school the next morning, dark circles underlined her eyes, despite the layers of makeup she wore. I scooted over to her and leaned my shoulder against her. "Do you want to talk about it?" I asked. Yesterday's shark experience must have kept her up all night."I don't know," she sighed. "I feel a lot better today. Not scared, just tired." I settled into my seat as she stretched her arms above her head and yawned like a cat. "But I dreamed about that stupid shark." She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. "And then I dreamed about the dolphin, only there was a mermaid riding the dolphin, and they fought the shark. Cool, I guess. Probably too much Disney as a kid."I laughed. She must be okay if she was making fun of herself. "I know exactly how you feel, girl," I said.She smiled at me. "I bet you do. All those dreams you have must really suck.""You have no idea," I said, nodding."Well, then let's talk about something else." She pulled away from m
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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
