Take Back the Light

Chapter 26

"No tricks this time?" Dana jeered. "None of your friends are going to show up?"

"It's just you and me," Alana promised, loading a Rammstone. "But just so you know, I still don't want to fight you. I still think you can have a change of heart."

Dana scowled and fired a Pyringo. Alana fired her Aquabeek, Blue, who sprayed out water that doused the flames of the Pyringo. From the steam of the dying flames came Dana, leaping towards Alana and firing a Grimmstone.

"You're wrong!" Dana snapped. Alana dodged the ghoul, scowling and dodging as Dana aimed a kick for her stomach.

She's better at close range. I need to get away.

Alana fired Mage at Dana, who gasped and dove away from the healer, scrambling away from the beam of light energy Mage shot out. Now with more room to work, Alana fired her Vinedrill. The green slug dug into the ground, causing vines to sprout up from the grass. Dana scowled and dodged left and right to avoid them.

Out of the corner of her eye, Alana caught a glance of Shanai and Blakk's fight. Shanai fired her Boon Doc at Blakk, causing a bright flash of light. She wanted to keep watching the duel, but she forced herself to focus on Dana.

"I'm actually impressed with your slinging," Dana noted as she fired a Hop Jack. The blast knocked Alana back, but she quickly got back to her feet, firing her Forgesmelter, Blaze. Dana fired a Harmashelt, but Blaze belched out a stream of lava that reverted the ghoul back to protoform, shooting out a jet of lava at Dana before losing velocity.

"Thanks," Alana said sourly as Dana fired a Frostfang at the lava, turning it solid before it could hit her skin. The chunks of ice fell to the ground harmlessly around Dana. "But that means nothing coming from you."

Dana shrugged as she loaded her blaster.

"I'm just saying, I wish Doctor Blakk had made more of an effort to keep you from Will Shane," she said, her voice dripping with fake sincerity.

Alana's heart skipped a beat at the sound of Will's name, but her body froze at everything else Dana had casually said, as if it didn't matter.

"What?" she asked, taking a step back. Dana raised an eyebrow, a smirk forming on her face.

"Doctor Blakk was studying energy, Alana, of course he noticed when you showed up! He just never thought you would be a threat," she replied. "Otherwise, who knows, you could be on my side right now."

Alana's hand tightened around her blaster, the adrenaline from the fight beginning to fade.

"What do you mean, 'when I showed up,' when was this?" Alana asked, and all that was running through her head was, I don't remember anything before I was five. I don't remember anything before the day Will found me.

Dana lowered her blaster, looking at Alana with sympathy, and Alana hated it.

"You mean he never told you?" Dana asked, taking glee in the confusion on Alana's face. "He wasn't even decent enough to tell you about yourself? How cruel-"

Alana's eyes narrowed in fury. She fired Ash, who fanned a wave of fire at Dana. The force of the flames knocked her to the ground and singed the edges of her jacket. Dana's blaster fell from her hands and Alana hurried forward.

One foot on either side of Dana's legs, Alana grabbed Dana by the collar of her gray jacket and yanked her forward so she was sitting up. Alana could feel her anger in the form of her energy pulsing through her arms as her grip on Dana's jacket tightened.

"I wouldn't say anything that bad about Will Shane if I were you," she warned. "Now what are you talking about? When exactly did I 'show up,' Dana?"