The Tainted (The Tainted Series Book 1) (12 page)

From the angle Rebecca approached, she could barely see the side of the woman’s face as she peered out into the clearing, but Rebecca could tell the woman was smiling. She looked calm and peaceful as she stared intently at the spot where Rebecca’s other self was sitting in the grass. It felt almost as if the woman yearned to be out there as well.

After a long, hushed pause, the woman gave a slow nod out to the clearing and turned to make her way off into the woods. Rebecca’s breath instantly caught in her throat and her heart nearly leapt right out of her chest. She was now staring straight into the amber eyes of the woman, unable to look away. They were Rebecca’s eyes, almost exact replicas. In fact, the woman’s whole face looked so similar to her own that, if it weren’t for their age difference, she could have been looking into a mirror.

Warm tears rolled down Rebecca’s cheeks as the realization finally dawned on her. This was her mother. All those times she’d run to this clearing, frightened by her nightmares, it had been her mother who’d watched her, who’d made her feel better. She’d been so close all these years, risking her life in order to comfort her daughter.

Her mother slowly walked toward Rebecca, and then continued straight past. Rebecca had nearly reached out, tried to grasp onto and stop her mother, but she knew this was only a dream and that her mother would not be able to see or feel her.

Rebecca turned and watched her mother walk away until she disappeared into the forest. Tears continued to pour down her cheeks. They weren’t from sadness, but from pure joy and love.

She’d seen her
real
mother. And it was clear that her mother loved and missed her just as much as Rebecca longed for her.

Rebecca awoke in her bed to find her window fully lit up with morning sunshine. For the first time since coming to this house, she’d slept through the entire night.

She wiped her cheek and felt her damp pillow. She’d apparently been crying in real life as well. But now the tears had stopped, replaced by a feeling of hope and love that coursed throughout her body. She breathed deeply and smiled. She’d seen her mother, and she was determined to see her again. But now she wanted more--she was determined to find her mother outside the world of her dreams.

“Well aren’t you just the picture of happiness,” Owen smiled over at Rebecca as she plopped down next to him on the couch in the TV room. “In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look so happy.”

Rebecca chuckled as she pushed her cereal around in her bowl, “Amazing what a good night’s sleep can do.” She took a huge bite and smiled back at Owen as she munched away.

“It’s nice to see you’re finally settling in. I’ll admit we were a little worried that you might secretly hate us,” Owen winked playfully, but Rebecca caught a hint of truth behind his words.

She swallowed quickly, rushing to respond, “Oh no! I hope you didn’t really think that! It’s just taken me a while to get settled and used to this new lifestyle. I mean, a couple months ago I was getting ready to start senior year and now I’m not even fully human.”

“It’s alright Rebecca, I was just teasing you. And trust me, we all know how you feel--we’ve all gone through it too. I know it’s not an easy process. I was just about to start high school when Ricky found me, or at least that’s what I
would’ve
been doing if I hadn’t been kicked out of every school I’d attended.”

“You?” Rebecca set her bowl down on the table and faced Owen. She couldn’t imagine Owen ever getting in trouble. He seemed so harmless. “How did
you
get kicked out of school?”

Owen laughed at Rebecca’s confusion. “You’ve heard that subtlety wasn’t exactly my strong suit before I came here. I
might
have, once or twice, used my gift at school…on the teachers…maybe even a principle.” Owen’s face lit up into a cheeky grin.

“You sound proud of yourself,” Rebecca raised her eyebrow playfully.

“Oh, you should have seen the time I got called into my teacher’s office for a conference. She just kept blabbing on and on, and I was getting so bored of her monotonous lecturing about what a horrible student I was and how I’d never amount to anything. It was unbearable!

“Anyway, she had this desk plant, a small pot of daffodils that she was clearly overwatering and killing, so I made them grow…and grow…and grow even more until they completely enveloped her and knocked her right out of her chair!”

They both burst out laughing, imagining the woman engulfed by the Jurassic-sized flowers.

“There she was, laying on the floor with her feet sticking straight up into the air, fighting off flowers larger than her head!”

“Owen! How were you not shipped off to some secret government science lab after this?” Rebecca asked, shocked that he’d even attempt something so brash. “How did that not make national news?”

Owen winked mischievously at Rebecca. “That’s the best part. Once she finally freed herself, she ran out of the classroom to find the principle, and probably call the police. I could hear her screaming about me and killer daffodils all the way down the hall. By the time she returned with the principle, I’d shrunk the daffodils back to their normal size. So, there I was, waiting in my chair, looking as innocent and pleasant as ever. Needless to say, everyone thought she was absolutely bonkers after that.”

“Oh that’s evil,” Rebecca giggled.

“Granted, there were probably better ways to handle the situation, but that woman had it coming, I swear,” Owen said with a shrug.

“I guess I shouldn’t be the one to judge. I’ve had my fair share of run-ins with teachers and the law. Is rebelliousness a Truaillithe trait too?”

“Not that I’m aware of, but issues with authority do seem to be a common theme throughout our crew, so you’re in good company…Can I ask? Was it your gift that got you in trouble too?”

Rebecca fell silent, staring at Owen. It was the first time any of the others had inquired about her ability. She knew they had to be curious about what it was by now. They’d been living together for almost two months, and she’d yet to show any sign, whatsoever, that she even
had
a gift. Still, she wasn’t ready to tell the others just yet, not until she felt in control of her gift. As of right now, she was far from that.

“It…Well…Not exactly…” Rebecca began, but was thankfully cut off as Faolan peeked her head into the room.

“Training starts in 15. Etain says to get yourselves ready and meet her out in the woods,” Faolan instructed them from the doorway before quickly disappearing again.

“Gotta go change,” Rebecca said, jumping up off the couch. “See you out there!” And with that, she bolted out of the room before Owen had a chance to say anything else.

It had been a particularly tough day at training. Rebecca had gotten good enough that Etain believed she should join the others in sparring. At first, Rebecca thought the crew might take it easy on her, knowing she was less experienced, but not a single crew member showed her any mercy.

Today her sparring partner was Aeden, who seemed incapable of showing any pity whatsoever. No one used their gifts on sparring days, but even so, Aeden’s fighting was so superior that Rebecca spent almost the whole training session on defense, doing her best to remain standing.

During their last bought, Aeden landed a particularly nasty side kick that knocked Rebecca straight to the ground, where she was still lying, struggling to regain her breath. Her ribs hurt from the impact, though, at this point it was only one of several intense pains across her body

“Sorry Becs,” Aeden said as he offered her a hand, “didn’t mean for that kick to land so hard.”

Rebecca exhaled heavily, grasping her side. “You know, I think I’ll be fine down here for a little while longer.”

Aeden smiled and gave her shoulder a tight squeeze. “It might not feel like it yet, but I promise all this training is worth it.” He gave her another smile, then headed over to where Owen was standing on the other side of the clearing.

“That’s good enough for today,” Etain said to the crew. “Take the rest of the day off. You all earned it.”

Instantly, the whole crew perked up, thankful for the free time. After gathering their things, they headed back toward the house, leaving the clearing empty.

Rebecca remained sitting on the ground, however, happy to remain so until all her pain had gone.

“You may not believe me, but you fought well today.” Faolan said as she walked over.

“Pfft,” Rebecca breathed out heavily, rolling her eyes at Faolan’s comment, “When did you start lying?”

Faolan revealed one of her rare, soft smiles, “I said you fought well, I didn’t say you were good. Come, let’s take a walk.”

Faolan turned and began walking into the woods, without offering Rebecca a hand up or even waiting for her to respond.

Ignoring her aching muscles, Rebecca quickly pushed herself off of the ground and followed her friend.

“You look happier today,” Faolan noted as Rebecca fell into step beside her.

“I slept well last night.”

“You didn’t have a dream?” Faolan seemed surprised, in her usual almost undetectable way.

“No, I dreamt…a wonderful dream.” Vivid images of her mother raced through Rebecca’s mind, causing her heart to swell with happiness. However, she didn’t want to share what she’d seen. She still wasn’t ready to tell anyone, not even Faolan, what she really dreamt of each night.

“I didn’t fight the dreams, just like you told me to do,” Rebecca said, hoping that her momentary pause hadn’t aroused Faolan’s suspicions.

Faolan nodded as they continued to walk through the woods, “So, do you understand that you shouldn’t deny your Aillil side?”

“Yes, I do. I’m still frightened of it, though. Just because I had a good dream last night, doesn’t mean that the nightmares have stopped.”

“I understand your fear, but you need to remember that
you
control the gift, it doesn’t control you.” Faolan kept up a fast pace as she led them through the trees.

Rebecca looked around, noticing how deep into the woods they’d gone. “Are we allowed this far out? I don’t think I’ve ever been this far from the house.”

Faolan stopped so suddenly that Rebecca almost slammed into her. “I brought you out here to show you something.” Faolan looked at Rebecca for a moment and then tilted her face toward the sky.

Slightly confused, Rebecca slowly followed suit. Immediately, an audible gasp escaped her lips.

The world above her looked as though it were on fire. The bright rays of the sun pierced through the canopy of changing leaves, setting alight the array of luminous yellows, vibrant oranges, and brilliant reds. It was stunning. Copious deciduous trees packed so closely together, each glowing brightly. In all the time she’d spent in nature, she’d never seen something as wonderfully beautiful as this.

“When I’m out here alone, I often stop and just look up at the trees. They’re so enormous and strong, and yet beautiful and majestic. They’ve seen and endured so much in their long lives, but they still stand tall and proud. They give me strength, help me not to be afraid.”

Rebecca remained silent, still gazing up at the dazzling beauty above her. She understood what Faolan meant, there was something about these trees that felt magical.

With a soft sigh, Rebecca looked over at her friend, “Thank you for this.”

Faolan nodded silently and, without another word, began to lead them back toward the house.

Rebecca took a final glance upward, willing her mind to remember this beauty forever, and then turned to follow her friend.

That night, Rebecca slept calmly, once again returning to her clearing and finding her mother watching her from the trees. She examined her mother more closely this time, noting their striking resemblance, admiring how beautiful and strong she appeared. Rebecca could feel her chest swell with joy, her entire body overwhelmed with happiness. For the first time in her life, her gift felt like just that, a gift.

The call came late in the night. Owen had answered it, and was now running throughout the house, in a mad rush, waking the entire crew.

Rebecca’s door burst open, causing her to leap straight out of her bed in alarm. Owen surged through the open door, breathing heavily, “Get changed quickly, we need to leave immediately.” Then, without another word, he was gone.

Shocked, and still trying to fully awaken, Rebecca hurriedly changed out of her pajamas, pulling on the closest clothes she could find, and then sped downstairs to find the rest of the crew waiting in the foyer.

“We have everyone?” Etain glanced over them all, nodded, and then rushed out the front door.

Faolan sat waiting in the driver’s seat of a running SUV. The crew piled in, quickly filling the large vehicle. As soon as the last door was shut, she slammed her foot on the accelerator and they peeled off down the driveway.

“Anyone mind telling me what the hell is going on?” Rebecca asked as she pulled on her seatbelt, feeling incredibly confused by everything that had transpired in the last ten minutes.

Etain turned around in the front passenger seat and faced Rebecca, the worry apparent on her face. “A safe house contacted us. They just spotted the third scout in less than a week out in the woods near them. I don’t know why he…I mean, why
they
haven’t told us about this before, but we have to get them all out of there immediately.”

Etain continued talking, though more to herself, as she spun around in her seat, “I can’t
believe
he would put me in this situation...Thank goodness I have a house prepared. It was where our crew was meant to go to next, but I guess I’ll just have to find another place for us after all of this mess is figured out.”

“So, where are we going? How far away is this house?”

It was Owen who answered her this time, “Just outside of Lakeport in California, about a five hour drive. Whenever, possible we keep the safe houses relatively close to us.”

“Yes, for precisely this reason,” Etain’s angry voice snapped from the front seat. “Everyone who can, try to get some sleep. I have a feeling we have quite the day ahead of us.”