Disclaimer: I don't own the Lorien Legacies... :(
Hi guys!
A huge thank you for the response to the last chapter. Since I'm in exam season at the moment, every bit of support is so wonderful and really helps me write these chapters. So thank you all so much!
Also, for those who haven't noticed, I have a new chapter for my other story :) for those who've reviewed, thank you so much!
So this chapter is a bit slow tempo, but I promise that action starts very soon. This is the calm before the storm. Also, a certain someone might make an appearance...
So read on and enjoy!
Six
"Almost there. Man, I hope Nine doesn't kill us for being so long" John says next to me.
We haven't cleaned up after our recent battle and his clothes are covered in blood. He had been a beast in the fight and I had been both proud and scared. When Setrakus controlled him, he hadn't been the boy I love; he'd been something else completely. Fortunately, he's back to normal now.
"Oh he will, trust me" I reply. John grins and squeezes my hand. I feel my heart leap when he looks into my eyes and I blush, looking away. He still has this affect on me.
"How long have you been gone then?" Two asks from the back seat. We're 40 minutes away from Nine's safe house and we're all really excited. I can't wait to see Marina and just hang around with her as well as the others. However, I dread meeting with Sam because I know he still likes me and I still like him as well.
That will be fun.
"Um, about three weeks I think" John replies. I shake my head amazed.
"So much has happened since then" I say. He nods and grins at me.
"But we're together now and we have Two!" he says happily. He doesn't mention Sarah; I know he still misses her and thinking of her hurts him.
"I'm not that special" Two mutters from the back. She has almost no confidence but she should. We're one stronger because of her and now we're more of a threat.
"Of course you are. Not only are we one person stronger than before but it's a sign that Lorien is awake and on our side. It means everything" I reply. She smiles timidly and I grin back at her. I hope she doesn't feel as intimidated around Marina or Ella. Five and Nine are a completely different story.
"Right, the first thing i'm going to do is order a pizza when I get there" John says wistfully. I nod.
"Definitely. When was the last time we had a proper meal?"I ask. He shrugs and grins at me.
"Way too long ago" he says. I laugh and lean my head back. The horrible thing about looking forward to something is the waiting. It just drags on. I can't wait to see the others and catch up. I've missed them so much, even Five and Nine's arguing.
I close my eyes and think of everything that happened since I last saw them. We destroyed the base in England, saved Two but Sarah was killed. John and I got together, finally, and we recently destroyed an airport.
"Right, we'll get out here" John says, parking the car half an hour later. I jump out, nerves and excitement running riot through me. Fortunately, it's night so no one can see our appearances. That would be hard to explain, blood and ash all over our clothes.
I grab their hands and we turn invisible anyway, just to be sure. We go along the route to the John Hancock Centre, all of us tense with anticipation.
"I can't believe I missed Nine so much" I whisper to John. I hear him chuckle back and he squeezes my hand.
"Same" he replies. I grin as we enter the building. It's pretty easy to get to the elevator, despite the security, and before we know it, we're travelling towards the top.
"Oh god, i'm so nervous" Two whispers next to me. She's pale and looks fragile but I know her well enough to know she's as hard as iron on the inside.
"You'll be fine" I whisper back. She smiles at me gratefully.
We reach the top and the doors open. For the past day, I've been imagining Nine to be slouched on the sofa, flicking through TV channels whilst Five hangs over him, having a go at him over something small. I imagined Marina and Eight curled up next to each other on the opposite sofa, laughing at their own private joke. Adam would be in the kitchen eating more food and Ella would be hanging around with Eight and Marina, joining in now and then.
Instead, it's a completely different scene. The whole dining room table is covered in papers and books, a few mugs scattered around. The only people in here are Sam and Malcolm, who are leaning over the table. BK was lying on the sofa but as we entered the room, he jumped up.
"BK!" John cries out, as his chimaera runs over to him, barking happily. They roll over on another and I bet they're having their own private chat. Malcolm turns round and grins when he sees us.
"Six!" I turn and see Sam walking over to us. I grin and we hug quickly. I've missed him so much; he's such an awesome friend and he always makes me laugh. He doesn't seem awkward around me at all, which is a huge relief. I had been worried about how he might react about John and I.
"Where are the others?" I ask him. He shrugs.
"No idea. They've been gone as long as you" he says. I frown but nod. They must have found stuff to do when they were in their destinations. I hope they're ok.
"Anyway, Six you'll never guess who-" he begins to say but is interrupted by another man walking into the room. My jaw drops.
"Henri?" I ask, stunned. He's supposed to be dead. How is this possible?
John looks up and pales when he sees his Cepan. "W-what?" he gasps. There's a small silence, both Henri and John staring at each other, Henri with a proud look. I'm sure this is Henri; there's a feeling inside me that just tells me this is the truth, that this isn't a trick by Setrakus.
"Some of the Cepan returned. The ones who dead recently anyway" Sam explains to me. John suddenly cries out and then runs to Henri. They throw their arms around each other in a huge hug and I turn away, tears in my eyes.
Katarina won't be coming back then. The pain I feel is pretty intense but I quickly suppress it. I'll cry later when i'm by myself. Sam smiles at me sadly and I feel better. He knows i'm hurting over my Cepan but as the good friend he is, he doesn't say anything.
"I can't believe you're alive" I hear John whisper to Henri. My throat tightens but I refuse to show weakness.
"Hi Henri" I call. He looks up and grins at me.
"Six, good to see you again" he says. He then looks confused. "Where's Sarah?" he asks. John's face falls and I know he can't answer this one.
"She died in England" I reply. Sam sucks in a deep breath next to me and I see Henri shake his head sadly.
"What happened?" Sam whispers to me. I feel John's gaze on me and I shake my head at Sam, a signal to tell him later. John doesn't need any more reminders.
"I'm sorry" Henri says. John nods but still looks thrilled to see his Cepan. Nothing can ruin this moment for him. We share a grin and I feel my heart clench at the sight of his eyes gazing fondly at me. Henri must sense that something is going on between us two because he smirks and raises an eyebrow. John of course blushes and gives it all away.
"This is Two" I say, trying to cause a distraction. Two squares her shoulders and smiles timidly, stepping forward. The others, except John and I of course, look shocked.
"You mean, you were always alive? I could have sworn you died; the scars proved it" Henri says confused. Two shakes her head and takes a deep breath. Bless her, she's so nervous.
"Lorien saved me. I did die but I was bought back to life by Lorien. Then John healed me and I was fully restored" she explains. Henri's jaw drops.
"You can heal?" he asks John, who nods proudly.
"Yeah, but not as well as Marina" he says. I laugh at Henri's increasingly confused expression.
"Number Seven" I clarify. Henri nods and whistles.
"Looks like I've missed a lot" he says.
"Understatement of the year" John says, grinning at his Cepan.
Xxx
We've been hanging around for two hours and already I can understand why Sam and the others were getting frustrated. It's horrible not knowing exactly when the others will arrive; how much longer will we have to wait?
I lie on the sofa, John's arm around me whilst we watch the TV. Henri is nearby, grinning at John and I as the two talk about everything that's happened. He seems to think it's cute we're going out but it's simply embarrassing for me. John and I are being watched all the time by either Henri or Sam; I can't kiss John without feeling self-conscious.
The elevator pings and i'm on my feet immediately. Either we're being attacked by mogs or some of the others have arrived. John and I race to the door, Henri behind us. The others station themselves in the apartment, in case it is an attack. We can never be too sure.
The doors open and I lunge forward to grab someone. I hear a yelp and I find myself holding a very surprised looking 14 year old boy with tanned skin and black hair. He stares at me stunned and I stare back confused when I hear unmistakable laughter.
"Eight?" I ask. He appears in front of me and I hug him instantly, letting go of the other boy. I have missed Eight's cheerful personality so much! Sometimes, John can be a bit angsty and it is fun to have someone happy around.
"Hey Six" he replies. I see John hugging Adam and Henri walking off towards the main apartment; probably to warn the others not to attack anyone. It wouldn't be great for one of the Garde to be shot.
"Missed us?" I turn and see Marina stand next to me smiling. She looks tired and like me, her clothes are worn and dirty. Nonetheless, I grin and hug her too, having missed her more than anyone else. We can tell the other anything and not receive any judgement, just like sisters can.
"You have no idea" I reply. She pulls back and studies me, probably noticing how happy I am.
"Ok, what happened? Since when are you so cheerful?" she says. I laugh and push her arm.
"Rude! I'm always happy" I counter. She simply raises her eyebrow at me. I sigh but continue "But ok, I might have finally gotten with John" I say. She squeals and hugs me again, me laughing at her reaction. I see John greeting Adam and Eight and our eyes meet. I feel my heart leap and he winks at me. My cheeks go red and I look away.
"That's so cute! And about time!" she says. I grin and shrug.
"But how did Sarah take the news?" she asks as we head back to the lounge where everyone seems to be. I sigh sadly.
"She died in England, that's where we went by the way. She took a bullet for me" I explain. Marina nods and then squeezes my arm, a sad expression on her face.
"That's so sad. I hope John's ok" Marina says. I nod but look away from her gaze.
"Yeah, he's coping. It still hurts; she was his first love after all" I say. She nods.
"I suppose, but he loves you much more than he ever loved her" she says. I smile and shrug, pleased to hear that.
"So, anyway, what's happened with you?" I ask. She grins.
"So much. You have no idea what we've done. But first, meet Adelina" she says, gesturing for a woman of around 50 to come forwards. She has deep brown hair and a timid expression but she walks towards us nonetheless. Marina smiles encouragingly at her.
"This is my Cepan, Adelina. And this is Six" Marina introduces us both. I realise that Adelina must have been one of the Cepan to return and I feel the familiar pang to know that it wasn't Katarina. I also know that Marina had problems with her Cepan, so i'm unsure about how happy Marina truly is about this development.
"You don't seem surprised that I have my Cepan back" Marina remarks as we shake hands. I smile at her.
"John's Cepan, Henri, returned. He's already explained everything to us" I tell her. Her face lights up.
"Oh good. To be honest, i'm not sure how to explain it either. It's a miracle" she says. She doesn't ask where mine is. I'm sure she already knows.
Eight comes up to us and takes Marina's hand, grinning at both of us. I roll my eyes; nothing's changed between those two then. Eight laughs at my expression and I smile back; I feel so happy today, nothing can spoil my mood.
"Have you told them about...?" he asks Marina quietly. She rolls her eyes.
"Give me time. I was just about to" she replies. Eight laughs again and she turns to me, unable to hide her grin.
"And, well this is Three" she says, gesturing to the poor guy I sort of tackled. Number Three. I had hoped that he could return if Two did, but it's still amazing to meet him. There are nine of us now plus the Cepan. We'll be a lot harder to beat now.
Three comes forward and nervously shakes my hand. I don't blame him, I was quite hard in my attack.
"Three, this is Six" Adam explains, joining us. We grin at each other; i'm glad he's alive, he's a nice guy. We're all stood in a big group and John takes my hand next to me. I avoid Eight's humorous gaze and concentrate on the conversation.
"You don't seem shocked about that either. Does anything surprise you?" Marina asks sighing. I laugh and shake my head.
"Well, you see while you saved Three, we saved Two" I reply.
At this, Two steps forward shyly and stands next to me. Marina smiles at her kindly, despite her astonishment, and I see Two loosen up a bit already. I knew that Marina would be the kindest to her, that's just her personality. Thank god Nine and Five aren't here yet; I would not want to meet either of those two at first. They can be intimidating.
"Hi, nice to meet you" Eight says, shaking Two's hand after Marina does. Two nods and smiles at them, still blushing.
"Thanks" she whispers in return. Three smiles at her and she smiles back. I guess those two will be able to relate to each other more than we can.
"All right, so this is a mess. How will we fit everyone in the apartment?" I say, exasperated. John shrugs next to me.
"Let's hope Five and Nine didn't resurrect anyone else" he mutters. I grin at him and then go over to one of the couches. I see Henri and Adelina talking with Three and Two, whilst Adam goes to join Sam.
"Ugh god, i'm so tired" I complain, lying back onto the couch. Marina and Eight stretch out on the couch, Marina leaning back against Eight. John sits next to me and wraps an arm around my shoulders so I lean into him more. Two and Three sit down next to each other, still nervous.
"Same. I haven't had a proper sleep in ages" Marina says as Eight absently plays with her hair. Three looks a little jealous at that and I guess he must a little crush on Marina. Interesting.
And completely hilarious.
"What have you guys been doing then?" John asks, gently running his fingers over my forearm. Goosebumps appear on my skin and he smirks but I ignore him and his smugness.
"Well, we ended up in Egypt at first" Eight begins to explain. "Long story short, it was a two day walk back to civilisation. We got to Luxor and then realised our ship was there" he continues. I perk up, interested.
"Did you find the ship?" I ask. That's a great discovery but then I see Marina frown.
"We were ambushed by mogs. We only realised later we had a tracking device on our chests. Once we'd defeated them, one of the mogs said something about Kenya and I read his mind and saw there was a base there" she says. Eight continues.
"So, we teleported there and found the base. It was a trap because the place was almost deserted; only three mogs left. They confirmed Three was alive so we killed them and were about to go when we were attacked" he says. I nod along, intrigued as to what they got up to.
"We managed to escape only because Eight gained his master legacy and-" Marina says but I interrupt.
"You got your master legacy?" I ask envious and impressed. Eight nods.
"Oooh, show us!" John begs. I laugh at his childlike expression of eagerness.
Eight bites his lip but after a nod from Marina, he holds one of his hands up. A bright light shoots out from his hand and hits the vase on the coffee table. It's ash in seconds. I stare at him, stunned and nervous at the level of power that legacy possesses.
"Oh, wow. You must be able to kill a lot of mogs with that" I say. Eight grins and nods.
"Yeah, it's come in handy. So, we went to Canada, where the base was for some reason, and then Marina had to save Three, which was pretty damn stupid considering" he says with an eye roll. I grin.
"Got pretty tired huh?" John asks. Eight snorts.
"She almost died" he replies. Marina hits his arm.
"I knew I could do it, idiot, otherwise I wouldn't have done it. I'm not suicidal" she says. I laugh at Eight as he pretends to be upset by his girlfriend snapping at him. Marina rolls her eyes and continues. "Anyway, we saved Three and then Adelina came to pick us up. We then came straight here, although we took our time"
"Wow, you did a lot. More than we did; we only went to one different country" I say. John grins and nods.
"Yeah, ended up in England; decided to visit the base where they tracked Two and then we went there. We saved Two but-" he stops and looks down, clearly revisiting Sarah's death. I squeeze his hand.
"Then Sarah died" I finish. Eight smiles grimly.
"Sorry about that, we know she meant a lot to you" he says. I notice his grip tighten on Marina and she snuggle closer to him in return. I guess it makes you realise that we need to appreciate the ones we love; we never know what could happen to us.
"So, yeah I saved Two, which was totally exhausting" he continues. Marina nods at that and I smile at her. "Then we came back to America, were ambushed but we dealt with that and then we came here" John finishes. I smile and lean my head on his shoulder. There's a comfortable silence for a while.
"Well, isn't this sweet?" I look up and see Five smirking at me from behind Eight's sofa. I grin at her and she smiles back. She looks weary and strained, as though she's been through hell and back.
"When did you get here?" John asks her, a smile on his face. I guess he's looking forward to seeing Nine.
"Um, about ten minutes ago when you were storytelling" she replies. Ella walks into the room and Marina cries out in joy. Ella runs to her, grinning, and they throw their arms around the other, talking rapidly in Spanish. They do that when they're having a close moment; privacy for them to talk.
"So, where's Nine? Waiting for a grand entrance?" John asks, a huge grin on his face.
Five's face falls and immediately, my heart drops. He can't be dead, we would have felt it on our legs. But something must have happened to make her so grim. I hope he's ok; he's one of the strongest and I actually like him.
Sometimes.
"He's with Setrakus" she says, sighing and sitting on an armrest.
"What?!" Eight asks concerned, leaning forward. Ella and Marina have pulled apart, realising something serious has happened.
"We were having an argument in the desert and he stormed off, when Setrakus appeared" she explains, an emotionless expression on her face. "I fought him but Nine came back and then Setrakus teleported him away" she finishes, sighing. She looks really tired and I wonder if she feels guilty about Nine being taken. They must have been closer than before if Nine ran back to save her, despite the risk to himself.
"We'll get him back. We'll leave tonight" John says, rising and his fists clenched. I nod and stand next to him.
"Yeah, he would do the same" I add.
Five shakes her head. "No, they'll come soon enough. Nine will be bait so the best thing we can do is wait. They won't hurt him as long as we do nothing" she says. I laugh bitterly.
"Are you serious? They could keep him for months!" I argue. Her face closes off but I see true anger in her eyes.
"You think I want him to be locked up?! I want to rescue him as much as you but I know that Setrakus will arrive soon enough! The best thing we can do is prepare!" she shouts back. I want to argue back but she looks so small, so upset that I can't find it in me. She must have gotten closer to Nine than I thought, maybe they're friends now.
"Guys, that's enough. I think we need sleep and then we can discuss this in the morning, when we're calmer" Marina says. I sigh but nod.
"Agreed. But where do we sleep?" I ask. John shrugs.
"Maybe we should let the others sleep in the rooms and us Garde can camp out in the lecture room. I'm sure Five can steal enough blankets from somewhere in this building" he says. Five grins wickedly and nods.
"Oh i'm on it" she says and then she disappears, turning invisible. We didn't even have a chance to introduce her to Two and Three, though I guess she's probably already read their minds and knows who they are.
Half an hour later, all the Garde plus Adam and Sam are all camped out in the Lecture room. The absence of Nine weighs heavily on our minds but I know we'll get him back. Blankets and pillows cover the floor and I see Sandor frown as he shuts the room down. We don't want to get attacked by drones in the night.
Sandor looks upset as he presses some controls near the door. I bet this place reminds him of Nine and he must be worried about his Garde being locked up with Setrakus. It must also be hard seeing the rest of us and knowing Nine is in danger.
And yes, he's probably upset that we're using this room as a sleeping area. His precious Lecture Hall is being used for a sleepover.
"This is not what the room was meant for" I hear Sandor grumble. I grin and then pull a blanket around me. Marina lies next to me on her side with Eight lying behind her, his arm around her waist pulling her close to him. My protective side wants to frown and tell him to back off a bit but I restrain myself. I'll just be a hypocrite because John will be sleeping next to me.
"Lights out!" bellows Sandor and then the room goes dark at his command. It's a high tech room. "Get some sleep and don't talk!" he adds to us as he leaves the room.
"Since when are we kids?" I hear Five complain as she shuffles around, trying to make herself comfortable. I roll my eyes and then hear rustling as the others make themselves comfortable. I hear Adam grumpily tell Sam to back off out of his space and i'm not the only one who laughs. Despite everything, we're still kids and we can have fun too.
I feel John wrap his arms around me and nuzzle his head into my neck. I grin and lean against him, appreciating the warmth. His lips grin against my neck and my breath catches ever so slightly.
"Night Six" he whispers oh so quietly, his breath tickling my skin.
"Good night" I reply. My eyes begin to droop and my breathing deepens.
I fall asleep pretty quickly after that.
Sorry for the lack of action but this chapter was sort of necessary. Next chapter will be much better :D
So, hope you enjoyed and please review!