The Shatters: The Silence Chronicles

Chapter Nineteen: Jayden Finds Out

Several days later, I hurry down a crowded school hallway, one backpack strap hastily slung over my shoulder, constantly giving quick apologies when I bump into someone on my path down the hall. And I really want to super speed. I'm itching to, but I can't, because I'm in a hallway full of human kids that will freak out if I start running pretty much as fast as the eye can see. One thing I've learned since getting my powers—it's really hard to not use them.

Why am I in such a rush? Well, dear reader, (and yes, I did just break the fourth wall in my rush), I received this text from Hunter precisely two minutes ago:

Hunter: Get to school gym now. Boys' locker room. Finn's back, and he's walking again.

So, a few moments ago, I was avoiding Vicky again as she bombarded me with more questions (is there no end?) when I got the text, so I immediately dropped everything and started to go to the gym. Over the past few days, I've gathered a lot of questions for Finn, and they've only built up as the days went by. I can't wait any longer. I'm going to kill that boy.

On my path down the halls, a person joins me on either side, and I recognize them immediately as the twins in cropped hoodies, Ember's being red and Nova's being blue, both with black leggings. They're equally in a rush. We filled the team in on what happened that night after we returned home long after dark.

A soft, frightened hand reaches for my shoulder, and I stop for a moment as Jayden's slightly nervous face comes into my view, her hand being the one stopping me.

"Hi, Jay," I try to say calmly. "Listen, I'd love to have our daily girl talk, but I'm sort of in a rush right now, so—"

"I need to talk to you," she interrupts, her eyes scared and a little confused. Oh, shit. Please tell me that she didn't recognize me that night.

For a split second, I stand there speechless, not sure what to say, my eyes darting around for some excuse, but Ember tugs my arm, saying: "Let's go! Arianna, please."

"I promise we'll talk later," I tell her quietly, and she nods, clutching her AP Chemistry textbook so hard that her fingers turn white. I've never seen my friend like this. I hurry back down the hall and turn a corner rapidly to catch up with the twins. We go down two more corners and find ourselves in the gymnasium, then rush quickly into the boys' locker room.

Even from outside, we can hear the yelling. I give a concerned glance to Nova, and she shrugs back before we all burst through the door. I instantly clench my fists at the scene before me. Finn's scrambled up against a locker with a terrified expression on his face, and Hunter's tearing into him with menacing threats and questions.

"Hunter!" I yell and push him away from poor Finn. "Look what you're doing!"

"He's a monster, Arianna!" He shouts back aggressively, panting hard from anger. "From the same group that blew up your siblings' and the twins' school. And he probably killed half a hundred people before we found him just by himself."

"It's—it's not true," Finn sputters. "I didn't kill anyone. I was forced to join the team or else my mom would be murdered, and I can't do that to her. She forced me to join. I didn't kill anyone, I swear. I'm crap at being the bad guy. I can't even properly set a bomb; it exploded before I was even out of the room and that's how the incident with my leg started, okay?" There are crutches beside him on the floor. That's weird. It should have fully healed by now.

He notices the direction of my stare, and reaches for his crutches. Hunter glares angrily at him and Finn shrinks away from the devices.

"I think the carbon monoxide did something to the open wound," he explains. "I don't know if that makes sense in the slightest, but my healing has been off. It's still been much faster than a human's, which confused the doctors, but it should be healed by now, and there's still a clear wound underneath all the bandages and stuff on top."