Invisible

Invisible Chapter 30

I don’t know if I understand. I don’t know if I can forgive her for breaking her promise, shattering my trust. Right now, I don’t even want to speak with her, but I have to know.

“Why didn’t they tell anyone? How do you know they didn’t? What if they’ve sent someone to come get me already?”

More questions roll through my mind, but Robin speaks before I can ask them. “I told them about what happened to your Caretakers, about you being special, about Olivia being your Escort. I told them that you would never leave Olivia.” She looks down at her hands. “I told them I’d leave if they told anyone else.”

Her shoulders shrug. “I don’t think me threatening to leave made half as much impact as your story. They got really scared, but they agreed that being with Olivia is probably the safest place you can be right now. Being with her protects you somehow. My mom wasn’t sure on the specifics, but she said she’d find out more. So long as the Sentinels only have suspicions, and don’t actually try to take you, they’ll leave you alone.”

“But if something changes, they’ll swoop in and abduct me?” I growl.

“It was the best deal I could make,” she says quietly.

I am furious with her. The anger pouring off of me feels hot enough to scorch. Stuffing it away in favor of answers…I can’t find a word to describe how impossible that seems. Somehow, I do it, enough to unclench my jaw and speak, anyway.

“What does this have to do with the police scaring away the Sentinels?”

Robin’s pale skin turns green. “Well, when I said my parents agreed not to tell anyone, that wasn’t exactly, technically true.” She holds up her hands when I take an angry step toward her. “There are specially trained policemen all over the country, all over the world. They’re Caretakers by birth, but they are chosen to protect all Aerlings rather than one in particular.”

“Chosen?” I demand.

She nods slowly. “They’re Caretakers who are more sensitive to differences in people. They can identify Sentinels, and when it comes to Sentinels, Caretaker law supersedes everything else. They’ll kill them without a second thought, and once they ID them, they never forget. They’ll hunt them down relentlessly. My parents told them about the guys watching your house.”

I sit back down silently, struggling to process everything.

“Was the Sentinel that came to your house young?” Robin asks.

I nod mutely.

“They’re usually more scared of the police than the older Sentinels. The older ones are better at getting away.”

Shaking my head, I try to get my scrambled thoughts in order. It doesn’t work. I’m going to have to sort all of this out later. Right now, I need another answer.

“What about Olivia going with me?” I demand.

Robin all but sulks at this question. “It was my dad who found out about it. He said Escorts have the ability to cross the barrier between our world and yours. There wasn’t a lot of information, but he knew stories of Escorts disappearing along with their Aerling. It may be that they can stay there if they want, or it could mean …”

“It could mean they died trying to get some poor, confused Aerling like me through the barrier.”

Robin nods grimly.

“You have no idea which one it is?” I ask, feeling the panic creeping back in.

“Not yet,” Robin responds.