Children of the Eternal

XXVII

Will made his choice, but Kate looked uncertain. She hugged herself and glanced at the border between them and the Edges.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

The caution surprised Will. Not long ago, she had been bold enough to bring him to the very Dark. That had an equal amount of danger, and it had been for a far less worthwhile mission.

"Yes." He clasped his hands together. "Let's stop wasting time."

Her forehead crinkled as if she wanted to argue with him, then gave a brisk nod and waved for him to follow. They reached the broken fence leading to the Edges and rushed down the familiar route to the hospice.

Accustomed to the hushed atmosphere of the Edges, Will almost lost his footing when he heard voices from the building. Though shadows almost swallowed Kate, she stiffened at the sounds of what could only be an argument.

"What is it?" Will asked, his voice lower than a whisper.

"I don't know." She inhaled as voices rose, heated and full of fury. "It can't be guards. They would have men outside."

It struck Will how different she sounded from his classmates. They worried about studies and getting caught sharing an inappropriate look. Kate lived life like it was a battle, aware that the wrong move would mean the end.

"I didn't see anyone," Will said, having already studied the shadows for any trouble.

Will also saw the world in a different way since he met Kate. He hadn't even noticed how much he had changed.

He pushed down his desire to find out what was happening in the shadow soaked building. "Should we leave?"

If he was caught, he could survive. He doubted his father would save Kate a second time.

A scraping sound grew closer as Kate moved toward him. "I should. Vanessa told me to run if I noticed anything. But... she's in there. Nessa was friends with Anna. Matthew, Shin... I have to know. You should stay here."

The logical thing would be for Will to go inside and Kate to wait. Before he could point that out, she rushed inside. With no hesitation, he followed, but he feared what they might find.

A small crowd had squeezed into the hall, familiar faces and strangers. Someone held a new orb, casting a pale light on everything. Kate's older sister stood in front of the door leading to Anna's room. Will recalled her from when he had first met Kate. It shocked him when he learned her age because she seemed much older. Life had killed her youth. At the moment, a furious conversation was erupting between her and Matthew.

"I don't want him here!" Matthew snapped. "He needs to go."

Will drew in a breath. Fury bled through Matthew's voice, an anger that was very unlike him. He sounded more like Shin.

"Your mother wants to see him." Vanessa frowned when her gaze turned to Will, as if he was another problem. "None of us like him, but I'm not going to force him out."

"I'll do it." Shin stepped out of a shadowy corner and grabbed the orb. The glow emphasized the rage burning in his eyes. "I'll smash the Light in his face and see how much he likes it."

Matthew kicked an empty crate, and a thud echoed in the desolate hall. "I don't want that. I want him gone."

Kate approached him, tilting her head in concern. "What's going on?"

He slumped, and the fight seemed to go out of him. Kate reached for him, but he moved away.

"I'll tell you," Shin said, someone who was never at a loss for words. "That fucking Eternal follower is in there with Anna, still trying to make her believe this stupid Light can save her."