Chapter 2
Hayden waited until the slumber spell took Killian into its arms and wrapped him up tightly. The boy lay motionless as his mind searched for Kiara in his dreams. His eyes moved rapidly as he slipped farther and farther.
After several minutes, Hayden decided to go check on Birdie next door. He stretched out his legs and quietly exited the room, making sure to not accidentally break the spell. He knew this was important to Killian. Heck, this was important to him. Kiara was just as important to him as Birdie was. And if they came for her today, who's to say they won't come for Birdie tomorrow.
Just the thought of hearing his mother cry like Posey over her missing daughter made Hayden's chest quiver with anger and anxiety. He didn't know what he would do if anyone ever dared to touch his sister. The girl could be a royal pain. But damn it, she was their royal pain and if anyone thought they could mess with her, they would have to go through him and his parents.
The halls of the top floor were. It reminded Hayden of the woods behind his house. He liked quiet things. Loud noises frightened him. And with his fear came his anger. His lack of control over his anger was his greatest failure. He knew with each day he got better and better, but it was too slow. And it was never enough. Hayden hated chaos....because his mind was always such a mess.
Speaking of messes...
"Hayden!" Nora popped her head out of their shared work space and hollered.
Hayden flinched, his eyes shut as and the muscle in his jaw jumped.
God, the girl was annoying.
"I found something," Nora ran back into the office. "Come see!"
Hayden glanced over at Birdie's door and then back at his office. He could see Nora's shadow moving around as the sound of music poured out into the hall. With his pulse already ticking, Hayden walked into the office and switched off the music.
"I thought I told you to use headphones," he said, turning to look at the girl.
"But you weren't in the office," Nora looked up from her computer screen.
"I don't care," Hayden said. "Don't play music in my office."
"Okay..." Nora's shoulders slumped as her large brown eyes peered back at him through her glasses.
"What did you find?" Hayden asked, walking over to her tiny desk.
"License plates," Nora grinned. She lifted her laptop and turned it around to show Hayden the security camera footage of the car. "The theater across the street had a camera but it didn't catch the full plate. However, look over here."
Hayden squinted as Nora pointed to the corner of the screen.
"You see that boat?" Nora asked.
"Yes," Hayden nodded.
"Turns out it's a tourist riverside cruise."
"And?"
"Tourist," Nora said. "They don't go anywhere without their cameras. So, I called the boat and got a list of all the passengers from this afternoon and I sent them all an official notice from the palace to hand over their footage from today."
"An official notice from the palace?" Hayden raised a brow. "How did you manage that with so little time?"
"I....may or may not have a copy of the palace logo on file..." Nora muttered.
"Does Maksim know about this?"
"No," Nora shook her head. "I just found it in my files. Must have been forgotten from when I worked there."
"So convenient," Hayden rolled his eyes.
"Yes, it is," Nora smiled. "Especially because I have four people who have already sent their footage."
"Nice work," Hayden nodded. "You can use the tech lab down stairs if you need multiple screens."
"Yes, I was planning just that," Nora began to grab her phone and her notepad while managing to spill her pen holder and little bobble head. "I'll clean this later."
"The tech room is on the third floor to t-"
"To the left, by the trophy showcase. Yes, I know."
"Have you been there already?"
Nora stopped her mad search for her favorite pen and looked up at the boy in front of her. She felt her heart sink and fill with irritation as she looked into those clueless green eyes.
"You still don't know who I am do you?" she asked, shaking her head slowly. "I've been working for you for three months now."
"I'm sorry..." Hayden had no idea what the girl was talking about.
"You honestly don't remember me?"
Hayden did a quick mental check. He knew Nora worked at the palace, but he had never seen her there. She had also interred with Owen...had he ever seen her when he visited the Armory?
"Hayden," Nora tilted her head slightly to the side. "I went to this school."
"You did?" Hayden blinked in surprise. "What year did you graduate?"
Nora shook her head. She was seconds away from rolling her eyes.
"We were in the same class," she said.
Hayden paused, "No way. I would have remembered you. My senior class wasn't that big. We had only -"
"17 students," Nora cut in. "9 girls and 8 boys."
"You could have gotten that from the school records."
"You sat by the window in Mr. Walker's AP English class. Junior year you were suspended for getting into a fight with a senior boy because he had said something about Birdie. During lunch, you hated the lawn so you stayed in Professor Clare's office."
Hayden narrowed his eyes, "Where did you sit in AP English? Behind Melissa?"
"There was no Melissa in our class," Nora rolled her eyes.
"There's no way we were in the same class and I don't remember you."
"We never talked."
"Why not?"
"Because you were a dick."
"Excuse me?" Hayden laughed. "I'm your boss."
"Clare's my boss. She signs my paychecks."
"How was I a dick in school?"
"You just were," Nora shrugged.
Her eyes finally caught sight of her favorite pen and she dived in for it. Hayden watched as she swung her bag pack over her shoulder and hurried out of the office, her ponytail swinging from side to side.
Hey, mom, Hayden opened his mind-link.
Hayden! Maya answered immediately. Baba and I are on our way to campus. How's Birdie? How's Macy and Kiara's parents? So sorry baby, we got stuck with work.
Everything is fine mom, Hayden said, flicking the bobblehead on Nora's desk. Do we still have my yearbook at home?
Ah....I think so, Maya said. Somewhere.
Could you grab it for me?
Now? Maya asked. Why?
I need it.
Does the school not have a copy. I'm sure Clare does.
Right, Hayden nodded.
We're on our way.
Hayden switched off his mind-link and once again set off for Birdie's room. He knocked on the door twice before turning the knob and poking his head inside.
"Christ! I feel like I've been run over by a truck," Birdie moaned from bed.
"I see the painkillers have not kicked in yet," Hayden chuckled walking inside.
"They have," Birdie groaned. "This is me on drugs."
"How are you feeling?"
"Bitch, do you not see me?"
"How else are you feeling?" Hayden rolled his eyes. "Mom and Baba are on their way."
"I feel like I've been thrown from Mount Olympus," Birdie slowly sat up. "Any news on Kiara?"
"No," Hayden shook his head.
"How's Killian?"
"Not so good," Hayden sighed. "He's going to snap if we don't have any lead soon."
"Is it true?" Birdie lowered her voice. "Is Kiara pregnant?"
"We won't know yet," Hayden said. "Did you know about it?"
"No," Birdie shook her head. "I had no idea."
"If she is...it'll complicate matters."
"Does Killian know?"
"Yeah."
"We need to find Kia," Birdie felt her insides sink to the pit of her stomach. "Before Killian does something stupid."
"I'm more worried about Tobias and Posey."
"They don't know?"
Hayden shook his head.
"Shit," Birdie paled. "Someone should tell them...keeping secrets have never gone in our favor."
"One blow at a time," Hayden said. "I think they're still trying to wrap their mind around what happened today."
Birdie slowly nodded. She looked at her brother through her lashes and fiddled with her thumb. She knew at times she said a lot of horrible things to him and he didn't have the nicest words either. But the look of worry in his eyes was clear. His gaze flickered to her ever so often as if he was trying to keep tabs on her, scared she might disappear out of the bed.
"Hayden," Birdie's voice was so low the boy almost didn't hear her.
"What's up?" Hayden looked over.
"I just...." with a sigh, Birdie pushed her hair out of her face. "I just need a hug."
The ghost of a smile flashed across Hayden's face. He pushed off the doorframe and walked over to the edge of the bed. Holding out his arms, he took a seat beside his sister as she buried her face in his chest.
For the hundredth time that day, Hayden felt fear grip his heart like iron chains. His chest tightened and his mind flashed red momentarily with anger. Pulling Birdie closer, Hayden placed a kiss on top of her head before giving her a tight squeeze.
"I wasn't fast enough," Birdie muttered. "I froze."
"It's not your fault," Hayden said, still holding her.
"I never freeze," Birdie said. "I don't know what happened to me."
"Birdie," Hayden sighed. "It's not your fault. No one is blaming you and no one expected you to save her. That was not your responsibility."
Before Birdie could argue with her brother, a portal opened in the middle of the room. Heyder and Maya walked out, their feet stopping immediately as they spotted their children holding each other.
"Oh this is bad," Heyder let out a breath. "Look at them. They're hugging each other."
"Baba," Birdie lifted her head and looked at her father.
Her eyes watered instantly as she began to fully allow the events of the day to settle down on her shoulders. All the floodgates broke as she watched her father's eyes soften and his arms reach out for her. Hayden rolled his eyes as Birdie let out a loud sob and lunged into their father's arms.
"Did they touch you?" Heyder asked, clutching Birdie's head to his chest. "I'm doing to skin those bastards alive."
"Are you hurt?" Maya rushed forward and pulled the chair up to sit beside the bed. "Is anything broken? Baba will heal it."
"She's fine," Hayden said. "She's just being dramatic."
"Hayden, she was attacked," Heyder said sternly. "They blasted her."
"Oh for fuck's sake," Hayden complained. "She was fine just seconds ago. Birdie, cut it out."
"Everything hurts," the girl cried to her father. "I flew into a car."
"Let me heal you, yeah?" Heyder placed a kiss on his daughter's head. "Baba is here. I'll make everything better."
Maya pulled out a few tissues and wiped the tears from Birdie's face and Heyder began to heal her. She sobbed quietly, curled up into a ball with her pointy ears sticking out from beneath her hair.
"How's Tobias and Posey?" Maya asked her son who had leaned back against the headboard.
"Losing their mind," Hayden said.
"And Killian?"
"I have him under the slumber spell. If he's able to get into Kiara's dreams he might be able to ask her where she is."
"That's a good idea," Heyder nodded. "Any other lead?"
"Nora is checking footage from this afternoon," Hayden said. "Speaking of....did you know that she was in my class in school?"
"Yes," Maya nodded. "Her father was Clare's accountant."
"You knew them?"
"Not closely."
"Interesting..." Hayden said. "I don't remember her at all."
"Nora is human," Heyder looked at his wife. "Why was she in this school?"
"Special scholarship," Maya said. "Because of her dad."
"How do you not remember her?" Birdie dabbed the corner of her eyes. "That's so rude, Hei Hei."
"Don't call me that," Hayden's eyes narrowed.
"I hope you at least played along and pretended you remembered her."
Hayden felt a ping of guilt coat his mind.
"Of course, I did," he lied.
"I'm going to go see how Posey and Tobias are," Maya patted Birdie's knee and rose from her chair. "Hayden, go check on Killian."
____________________________
The sound of the waves crashing against the rocks was peaceful. The sunlight was just right and the sand grains beneath Kiara's feet added just enough friction. She laid back against Killian's shoulders as he traced circles on her thighs and pressed kisses to her temple.
"I like it here," Kiara sighed, closing her eyes and listening to the seagulls sing. "How come we never did this before?"
"You hated the beach before," Killian laughed.
"Thank you for bringing me here."
"You're welcome," Killian pressed another kiss. "I want you to be happy. That's all I ever want in life."
"I am happy," Kiara smiled. "I'm happy with you."
"We don't ever have to leave," Killian moved his shoulder just enough to catch Kiara in his arms and look down into her eyes. "We can stay here forever and ever. Just the three of us."
"The three of us?" Kiara's mind began to build up images of Killian in the vineyard.
Killian smiled as he looped his arm around her and spread his fingers over her belly. He's smile widened as he looked down and held her protectively.
"The three of us," Killian said.
"How did you know?" Kiara asked, moving her gaze to Killian's hand.
"Because you know."
Kiara looked back at the boy, her eyes clouded with confusion.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"You know about our baby," Killian smiled. "That's how I know."
"But I didn't tell you..."
"You didn't have to," Killian landed down and kissed her lips. "Whatever you know, I know."
"Are you..." Kiara's heart began to hammer in her chest. She felt a darkness come over her mind and soul as she stared into Killian's blue eyes. "Are you really here?"
"Of course, I am," Killian laughed.
"No," Kiara slowly sat up, pushing Killian's hand off of herself. "Are you Killian or are you a figment of my imagination? Is all this in my head? Am I dreaming?"
"Kiara," Killian shook his head, laughing. "I'm...Killian."
"What was my birthday wish?" Kiara asked.
"You wanted me to kiss you," Killian tilted his head and smiled.
"What was your birthday wish?"
The bright smile on Killian's lips fluttered.
"What?" He laughed, shaking his head.
"What was your birthday wish, Killian?" Kiara asked once more.
"It was....." Killian shrugged. His mind blanked as he tried to think of what he had wished for. "I wished for...."
"You don't know..." Kiara said. "Killian never told me his birthday wish....you only know what I know."
"Why does it matter?" Killian ran a hand through his hair and laughed.
"You're not real," Kiara began to scramble. She climbed to her feet and looked around at the empty beach. "This is all....this is all in my head."
"Once again....why does it matter?" Killian stood as the large umbrella they stood under disappeared. "We're happy here."
"You're not real!" Kiara said in frustration as she took a step back. "And if you're not real then that means...."
The rosy tint began to drain from Kiara's cheeks. Panic began to swim in her eyes as she backed away from the blanket.
"Kiara," Killian reached for her hand.
"Take me back," Kiara said. "Take me back to the house. The vineyard....Killian is there."
"I can't take you back," Killian frowned. "I don't know how to."
"No, no," Kiara felt her legs begin to shake. "Take me back, please. Killian was there."
"Kiara..."
"Take me back to the vineyard!"
Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light followed by muffled voices and a loud beeping. Kiara felt her head explode like a bomb as she lifted her eyelids to only be blinded by another flash of lights.
"Are you sure you can handle this?" someone asked. "The subject is still unstable."
"She's fighting the programing," another voice, a female, spoke up as a pair of cold fingers brushed Kiara's temple.
Kiara groaned. She tried to speak but her throat was too dry. Her legs felt as if they were severed from the rest of her body and her arms suddenly weighed a ton.
"Did you wake her up?" the first voice asked.
"No," the female answered. "She did it on her own."
"Alright," the man sighed. "Wake her up. Give her the good news."
More bright lights and cold fingers. Kiara felt her head roll back as someone lifted her up and moved her. A sharp pain pierced her skin as someone stuck a needle in her arm and tapped it down. Kiara tried to protest but she couldn't form words. She wasn't even sure if she was sitting up or laying down.
"Okay," the female cleared her throat. "Session 1 with subject 18 for Project Skyfall. This is Dr. Priya Verma, filling in for Dr. Abara."
Kiara heard a loud beep.
"Subject has been kept in the Sen stage for 12 hours," the woman continued as her voice moved closer. Kiara tried to turn her head towards the sound. "Subject shows elevated heart rate and brain activity."
And another loud beep.
"Subject removed from sen stage at 16 hundred hours."
Another loud beep followed by a loud hiss. Kiara gasped as she felt the pressure behind her eyes vanish instantly. Something lifted from her head and everything became louder. She bolted up right and opened her eyes as a woman with golden skin and light brown eyes came into view.
"Relax, relax," the woman said in a soothing calm voice. "Take a deep breath."
"Who are you?" Kiara demanded. "Where am I?"
"My name is Dr. Verma," the young woman said. "I am here to help you."
"I don't need your help," Kiara pushed the woman's hand off of herself as she rolled away from whatever she was sitting on and tried to stand up.
But it was a huge mistake. Kiara had no feelings in her leg. As soon as her feet touched the ground she collapsed, her arms flaring, grabbing whatever she could as she sank to the floor.
"Kiara," Dr. Verma got up from the stool she had been sitting on. She walked over to where Kiara laid on the floor and lifted her head. "That was not very smart of you. You can really hurt yourself."
"Don't touch me," Kiara tried to push away.
"Don't fight it," Dr. Verma said. "We gave you cefitoclax. It's going to take time for it to leave your system."
Kiara stared at the woman in disbelief. How could she remain so calm?
"Don't worry," Dr. Verma said. "Cefitoclax won't harm your baby."
Kiara's heart dropped to her stomach. She felt a chill run over her body as the back of her neck crawled with tension.
"I can tell you more about your condition if you would like to know," the woman said, taking a small step closer. "I'm going to help you sit up now, okay?"
Kiara didn't reply. She wanted to wrap her arm around her body and protect the little life she was suddenly responsible for. Each beat of her heart felt painful and threatened as Dr. Verma moved her into a sitting position.
"You're not that far along," Kiara heard the words coming out of the woman's mouth but she couldn't focus. "You baby seems very healthy."
Slowly, Kiara's eyes narrowed as by some miracle she was able to move her arm and place it over her belly.
"Where am I?" she asked. "What is this place? Who are you people?"
"This is the new base of Project Skyfall," Verma smiled. "I'm sure you know what Skyfall is by now."
"What do you want?" Kiara asked.
"We just want to see how everything works."
"Let me go."
"We can't."
"You have no idea who my father is," Kiara said through her teeth. "Or who the father of my child is."
"All we care about is who you are, Kiara."
Kiara felt a ping of heat rise in her chest as she felt her skin start to burn from within.
"You really don't want to know who I am," she said, her eyes narrowed and her words cold as ice.
"Show us."
Kiara gave the woman a second to take her words back.
"Go ahead," Dr. Verma leaned forward and gave Kiara a small nod. "Show us who you are."
Kiara didn't hesitate. She let her mind go as the two security guards by the door who she hadn't noticed before dropped to their knees. Dr. Verma gasped and looked over her shoulder as the men began to gasp for air before their heads exploded.
Blood, bones, tissues...the room was suddenly a bloody mess as Verma jumped to her feet. Her white lab coat was splattered with bits and pieces of brain and blood. From where Kiara sat on the floor, she saw the woman's shoulders rise and fall rapidly as she took in the destruction. Kiara narrowed her eyes once more. Her palm began to heat up over her belly as she focused all her attention on Verma.
The woman dropped to the floor as if she had slipped on the spilled blood. Her head collided with the floor painfully as she let out a grunt and curse. Kiara had little time to enjoy the sound of her pain. She looked up and imagined the big round surgical light swinging through the air and chopping the woman's body in half.
But just as the light fixture began to move, Kiara felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck. She gasped silently as the unmistakable feeling of ice running through her veins took over. She tried to fight it off, but it was too strong. Her hands began to shake before her eyelids grew heavy and darkness took over.
Poor Kia :(
Poor Nora :(