The dull morning's light shining through the window and warming my arms was what woke me up. For the first couple of seconds I felt happy and content but then everything that happened yesterday flashed through my mind and I was fighting back tears. I refused to cry though. Now was not the time, we had to figure out what was going on first and then I could have all the time in the world to grieve and cry.
I turned to find the other side of the bed cold and empty. Where was Gabriel? The sounds I heard from downstairs made me sit up and throw a sweater that was left on the floor on over my tank top. I crept to the door and tried to silently open it. I didn't know the time so didn't know whether people were still asleep.
My question was answered when I saw Anna lounging on the sofa in the living room. She looked up when she saw me approaching and my heart lit up. I really had missed her, I missed our conversations and her beliefs and stories. She smiled as I made my way over to where she sat.
"How you doing?" I should be asking her that, I thought. I grew to like Tamzin but I didn't know her that well, Anna and the rest had spent months with her and the fellowship. If anybody should be grieving it should be them. Yet, Anna seemed completely calm.
"How are you doing?" I repeated to her. She shrugged and looked away. Not a good sign.
"I'm okay." I knew she was not okay. No sane person would be after everything she went through. Everything we went through. When she caught sight of my expression, she sighed and continued.
"I don't know. I just thought this was all over. You know, this whole dying running for your lives thing."
"You don't know if we'll be running for our lives," I interrupted. Anna looked up at the ceiling, letting her head rest against the sofa.
"Something's not right Caitlin. It hasn't felt right for weeks now. Even before the fellowship began… using violence, something was wrong with the animals and the air. It all felt poisoned."
My heart was hammering. If anybody knew something about feelings and animals, it was Anna. I frowned.
"I'm not making sense. What I mean, is that everything, the air, the earth, everything living just felt… wrong. Like it was dying slowly or in pain. I've never felt anything like it." I shook my head. It was way to early to be having these depressing thoughts.
"Do you know what the fellowship were trying to find out with the… interrogations?" Anna let go of a breath but before she had the chance to answer, a voice spoke from the doorway leading to the staircase.
"There's another crystal."
Bri stalked into the room. The first time my eyes had ever seen her was in a photograph. She had looked young and happy, ignorant. Then when I returned to the institute after running away, she looked angry and vicious. She had that whole dark, emo, Goth look going on with her piercing, heavy makeup and dyed hair. Now it was somewhere in between. She didn't look happy or ignorant, after everything that had happened, none of us did. But the viciousness had gone, after Mr. Zetes was killed, she looked young and weak again but as she stood in front of me now, I could see no sign of weakness.
Her words hadn't registered with my brain but when they did, my lips went paper white and I'm pretty sure my complexion matched.
"No. We don't know that." Anna said harshly. She was hiding something, I had felt it yesterday when we started talking but I had dropped it. Now I felt it like a punch to the stomach.
"What aren't you telling me?" Anna shook her head but didn't look me in the eye and I could feel her walls going up.
She was lying. Why? We were connected, she knew we couldn't lie to each other even if we wanted to. It was impossible. Especially now with everything we've been through together. What could she possibly have to lie about?
"Anna. Why are you lying? Tell me." She closed her eyes for a second and shook her head.
"Cait, it's nothing. I promise." At least she was admitting it now, I thought. But I couldn't be satisfied with a it will be OK and a pat on the back. Not anymore. I turned to Bri, knowing getting information out of Anna was useless.
"Bri?" She didn't hesitate.
"There's another crystal." She repeated and the force of her words had me slumping against the sofa.
"We don't know that," Anna said it through gritted teeth. I had never seen her so agitated, it wasn't like her.
"How can you be sure?" I whispered, my throat closing up and mouth going dry. A whisper was all I could manage.
The Goth in front of me opened her mouth to talk but was cut off by Rob, who stormed into the room like an avenging angel.
"Bri." It was all he said. He didn't shout or hiss, he just said it and yet her mouth shut and she looked down. Ashamed. He sat in the chair opposite and suddenly looked so much older. When did he mature so? The thought drifted through my head. I'd missed so much.
"No." They had all changed. Bri had become fearless, Rob older and Anna colder but I had changed as well. I had learnt things that had changed me, I had learnt how to love and to hate. I had felt anger which burned my insides which had to change a person. They had moved on with out me. They had matured and changed but so had I. And the new me didn't like being lied to, didn't like being lied to by friends.
The sudden raw emotion took hold of me so quick that I didn't get a chance to shield myself and I knew everyone with the connection felt what I felt. Gabriel was suddenly there. His hand on my shoulder, keeping me from sinking. I leant against his hold, he was my one true constant and I wasn't letting him go.
"You want my help then you tell me everything. Everything. You don't keep things from me, I'll know if you do. You know I will. I want to know everything you already know and I don't want you to lie to me." Throughout my mini speech, the rest of the household had joined us in the main room.
I looked around at everyone's expressions. Yep, they were defiantly keeping something from me and Gabe but they were about to crack. They were about to tell me about the other crystal.
