First World(48)

Josian smiled. “Wait here.” He zoomed out of the room, Lallielle right behind him.



By the time I’d sunk into the white sofa, Lallielle was back. She carried a floor-length mirror. Brace moved to help, but she waved him away.

She placed the large white mirror, with a kick-stand support, in front of me.

I stared at my reflection. I saw tired green eyes surrounded by dark circles, long red hair tousled again, many strands escaping my braid.

Brace sat next to me. “You doing okay with all of this, Red?”

I sighed, resisting the urge to grasp his shirt front and pull him closer. I intertwined my hands instead.

“Honestly, it’d all be awesome. Except ... Lucy’s missing.” Tears pricked at my eyes again. I blinked them away.

He leaned back closer to me, our shoulders almost touching. “Don’t panic yet. We’ll find her. The men are still looking – the town was put into shut-down almost immediately, even though Josian is pretty sure she’s not here. If that’s the case, I’m with you all the way to Earth.”

I nodded in acceptance. Why Brace would want to accompany us, I didn’t know, but I’d welcome any help. A guy of his size was perfect intimidation against Gangers.

“Do ... do you think she’s okay?” I whispered, my voice laced with anguish.

Reaching over, Brace hesitated a moment, before he picked up my left hand. He laced his fingers through mine, and the world slowed. My heart skipped a beat and heat flooded my body. Forcing myself to breathe and my ears to listen, I focused on him. That delicious male scent, so uniquely his, and his features, so unnaturally perfect.

“I made a promise to myself that I would get you and Lucy here safely and I failed. I will not rest until I make this right, Abby.”

I blinked at his formal words, although in the First-World accent, it sounded perfect.

Josian appeared behind the mirror. The laluna had been replaced by an object covered with a dark gray cloth.

Brace stood abruptly, jolting me on the couch. “One of the men needs my assistance. I’ll be right back.”

My eyes followed his broad shoulders as he exited the room.

Josian’s eyes were glued to me.

Did he not notice that strange behavior? And how the hell did he get out the door?

Probably Josian didn’t harbor the same mini-obsession I held for Brace.

“Are you ready?” His anticipation, and excitement, drew my attention. “This mark is for identification. Every Walker clan has a unique design. It can only be viewed under the light of a moonstale crystal – remember, they are part of the original colliding energies that created the Walkers.”

Ahhhh, that’s what moonstale was.

I nodded. Let’s get this show on the road.

He removed the cloth to reveal a small dark-gray crystal. I squinted, trying to get a clear image. Shimmery sections glittered, casting illusions. It also emitted a yellow light that splashed across my features.

I gasped, staring at my reflection in shock.

Josian exclaimed loudly, his expression that of a stereotypical proud father, “You look beautiful, Aribella, my girl.”

I was Walker.

From the creamy white of my skin, the mark emerged. It started along my forehead, moving around my left eye and down my face, continuing to the edge of my shirt and down my left arm, like a dense network of lace; dark red to match my hair. It wasn’t solid, like a tattoo. Instead it pulsed. I looked up into Josian’s joy-filled face. He’d never looked more god-like than with his own red mark pulsing along his right side.

Lallielle stood to the side, hands on her slender hips and a tearful smile across her face.

“Why is yours on the right?” It was amazing and mesmerizing. I couldn’t stop staring.

“Men’s are on the right; women’s the opposite.” He grinned. “The marks were passed from the original Walkers. There are seven distinct clans descended from each.”

I was trying to understand. “How is that possible, uh, surely you need two Walkers to make baby Walkers?”

I blushed slightly; it was a delicate subject to be discussing with your father.

He chortled loudly at my pink cheeks. “The seven had a unique energy; they could create more Walkers, without the need of humanoids’ complex reproductive systems.”

It never seemed that complex to me, but what the hell did I know.

After many minutes, Josian re-covered the crystal. My mark lingered for a moment before fading away beneath my skin.

With the moonstale in one hand, he used the other to hoist the mirror, before leaving the room. I was pretty sure he grinned the entire way.

Suddenly I found myself alone with Lallielle. She looked at me and I turned away.

It was probably unfair to lay the majority of blame on her.