Culling

Part II • Chapter X

"You better keep that shirt on or you'll regret it! I'd rather be in pain than snuggle with you right now, and don't you dare talk about that time of the month again. What did I say about that earlier?" I pointed at him, shaking in fury.

Luke and Gabriel were on the floor now, tears rolling down their faces.

"So I take it by your reaction that you trust Mr Brenner?" Owen's calm voice broke through the disorder in the room and my anger. He was calmly sitting on one of the single chairs watching the scene.

"Yes!" I told him as I gestured towards Derrick, who looked so pathetic sitting tied up on the floor. I was so done with this constant suspicion towards Derrick. "I mean, we weren't best friends or anything but I've known him my whole life! He was one of the few people in district six who knew I existed."

I felt a flash of pain from Owen at my last statement, but couldn't think more on it was gone and he continued. "He knew about your abilities. Does that mean he knew who you were this whole time?"

"That's what you wanted to know? I mean, I thought you did, but then the Double N's and Gentle Giant beat the crap out of me even though I offered to help." Derrick sighed wearily and shifted his position on the floor, "Dude, you could have just asked me. I-"

"Wait!" I put my hand up to stop Derrick and narrowed my eyes at Owen.

Owen sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine. North, untie him."

The room sobered up real quick as Luke and Gabriel stopped laughing at this turn of events. I gave North a triumphant grin and he rolled his eyes, pulled out a pocketknife and set Derrick loose. Derrick, after much grumbling and complaining, got to his feet and rubbed his wrists. "What did you want to know?"

"Sta-"

I cleared my throat and looked at Owen again, and I noticed that Sean held back a laugh. Owen's jaw tensed. "Why don't you take a seat, Mr Brenner?"

Derrick grinned and sat down next to Victor, who at some point had gotten Nathan off of his lap. "There was a lot of Maro didn't tell me, so I don't know everything, but I know some of the basics. I know that Sang is a Gentreau, I know that she can astral project and see spirits while doing so. And I know that she was hiding from someone Maro used to call Volto."

Owen and Sean exchanged a glance. "Volto?" Owen clarified, "Who is that?"

"I don't know, and I don't think Maro knew for sure either. Mr Sorenson died before telling Maro everything, so Maro spent a long time trying to do research on his own." Derrick crossed his arms and frowned as the floor. "All I know was that Maro was told that it was his responsibility to look out for Sang, and to make sure that no one ever found out about her."

"Fucking good job he did looking out for her," Gabriel said angrily. "Considering he didn't offer himself up as a tribute instead, and letting their crazy ass mother torture her for years."

I opened my mouth to say something, but Gabriel wasn't even looking at me. His beautiful eyes were watching Derrick, fury swimming in their depths. This was a complete 180 from the man who had been joking and laughing only moments before. Then I remembered that when he had done my hair for the first time, how the subject of Maro had made him angry. I wondered why it affected him so much?

Derrick frowned at him. "You cannot possibly understand. Maro was in a difficult position from the start. No matter if he stayed or went, Sang would have been a sitting duck if he left too. I was his backup plan. She was far safer with one of us at least, than alone in district six."

I was being targeted? "What do you mean?" I asked him.

"Maro's ability is imperceptibility. Just by being in the same general vicinity of someone, he can make them disappear in most all detectable ways. The only way for his ability to not work is if the object that he has concealed makes themselves known somehow."