Free Fractured Truth by Rachel McClellan Page B

Hall, the house where the Guardians stayed. It used to be that you couldn’t go by this place without seeing several Guardians outside playing basketball or doing something rowdy. But now only a handful of Guardians lived here. All the others were sent to watch older Auras on the outside. The Guardians who didn’t leave with Cyrus, of course. I hadn’t seen any in a long time and wondered if Cyrus had changed them.
    I picked up my pace, knowing I had to be back soon. In a short time I reached Rose’s house. I stopped and stretched on her lawn. I even contemplated knocking on the door to ask for a glass of water but decided against it. I only saw her at night, so she probably slept during the day.
    When I was finished, I stood up and admired the dozens of rose bushes crowding her yard. One particular bush drew my attention. I walked over to it and studied the white petals of the roses. They were unlike any I’d ever seen before. Tiny red veins spread across the petals until they ended in a solid red tip. Amazing. I glanced around to see if I was alone. I was.
    Very carefully, I took hold of the bottom of the rose stem and snapped it back. I had to show one to May. A cold windpicked up just then, startling me. I sucked in air and glanced up into the sky. Dark clouds were moving in fast. Where did those come from?
    I stepped back, holding the rose in my hand. My hair whipped around my face, and a chill exploded all over my skin. I looked around, wondering why I was suddenly creeped out.
    A vibration in my hand made me look down. The rose. I lowered it into my other palm, barely feeling its weight. Despite it being broken, I considered putting it back. Then it began to move—crumble is more like it. In a matter of seconds it became a powdered gray dust.
    “What the?” I dropped it and brushed my hands off. Wind carried the particles toward the same rose bush I’d plucked it from.
    Glancing around, I slowly moved back until I reached the road. The sky had grown darker, and the temperature felt like it had dropped ten degrees. Time to go.
    I took off, running fast. When I was a safe distance away, I slowed up and giggled uncomfortably. I couldn’t believe that just happened. Something was seriously wrong with Rose or her house or something.
    A drop of rain fell on my arm, followed by another. The more it rained, the more relaxed I became. At least it wasn’t snow. There were no cars on the road. Just me attempting to balance my way along the yellow line in the center of the road. Always balancing.
    “Llona?” a voice called from my right.
    I stopped.
    “Over here.”
    I turned slowly and stared into the forest. A dark figure stood deep within the shadows. I probably wouldn’t have gone, but I knew the voice. My knees went weak, and as I went to take a step I almost fell. “Christian?”
    The figure said nothing but remained still.
    I continued forward, having to know for sure. If only the sun were out, I’d be able to see better.
    As I drew closer, his features came into focus. But so did something else, and I stopped, shaking my head. “No,” I whispered, tears stinging my eyes.
    “I’m sorry, Llona.”
    By the way I was feeling, light-headed and dizzy, I knew Cyrus had bit him. Christian had Vyken poison inside him. My strength gave out, and I fell to the ground.
    Christian came to me and knelt down. “I won’t hurt you.”
    I shook my head again, unable to look at him. I couldn’t bear the thought of him having to fight the constant darkness. I would never want that fate for him.
    He touched me then. His fingers caressed my cheek and slid gently to my chin. He tilted my face up.
    The tears clouding my vision fell now, warming my cheek. He was even more handsome than I remembered. His hair was the same light brown, shorter than before, and his eyes were an even brighter blue, like the color of sapphires illuminated by white light.
    He smiled at me and opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, I was