First World(82)

Brace groaned against my lips.

And in that moment the time clicked over to midnight. A surge of energy arched me under Brace. The pain was suddenly everywhere, sharp and intense. I looked down to see if knives were filleting my bones from my body.

“Red, what is it? What’s happening?”

Pain arched my back again. Brace held me as he tried to figure out what was attacking. With a bloodcurdling scream, my body succumbed to the pain and I writhed on the ground for a few endless moments. My sole aim: just keep breathing.





Chapter 15





Clarity returned in an instant. All pain ceased.

I was still in the sand. But I was alone.

Sitting up, I looked around. I was overwhelmed by the crashing influx of sensory information. I noticed immediately my eyesight was clearer. Even in the dark, I could make out certain landmarks I’d never have seen before. My hearing was also improved; I could hear Josian yelling from inside the house. Within moments, he was at my side.

“Baby girl, Brace said something happened to you.”

I must have been down only seconds.

Josian’s shock was apparent as he helped me to my feet.

The rest of the group were making their way along the beach to where we stood.

Josian kept staring at me.

“Dad, I’m fine.” I grimaced at him. “But you could have told me about the pain. That was brutal.”

I rubbed my face; the ache of dicing knives hadn’t quite left me yet.

Josian shook his head. “There shouldn’t have been pain.”

I looked at him closely. Disbelief laced his tone.

“What’s wrong?” I looked around for the problem.

The rest of the group reached us. Their faces were as shocked as Josian’s.

I looked at Lucy. “Is my skin green? Do I actually look like an alien now?” I patted my face again, disturbing large chunks of sand residing in my hair.

“Your marks, Abbs ... We can all see your marks,” she said in a kind of stuttering awe.

Shaking my head in surprise, I looked down to see if my necklace had fallen open. It was resting in its usual spot, closed up tight. But, pulsing in the moonlight, my marks ran down my arm into the black of my dress.

Without thought, I raced back up the beach, pounding across the deck and inside to the nearest mirror: the downstairs powder room.

I used the energy stream to turn on the lights and open the door.

I stared at my reflection.

The marks were fainter than under the moonstale crystal, but they were there. And my knife wound had disappeared. The pink puckered scar, which had been hidden under my dress strap, was gone. In fact my skin looked perfect, not one spot, scar or blemish. Besides my Walker marks pulsing away at me.

Josian crowded in behind me. I turned my shocked eyes in his direction.

“Why has this happened?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know, baby girl. I’ve never seen this happen to any Walker before. But you are the first half-Walker that I’ve seen reach power enlightenment.”

He paused for a moment. Everyone else had crowded into the room behind us. I found myself pressed right against the sink that sat below the mirror.

“You told me the original Walkers had their marks on display, Jos.” Lallielle’s panicked voice came from the back of the group.

Josian sighed. “Yes, but this has to be something different. Aribella is only half-Walker. I don’t know if this has something to do with the combination of First-World and Walker powers or something else entirely.”

I glared at my reflection. “This is probably why people wanted to kill me as a baby. No one likes the unknown.”

“Josian, we need to figure this out. We cannot send Aribella out to the youngling planets with Walker marks on display.”

Lallielle spoke again as she forged her way to us.

“The average person doesn’t know about our marks,” was his helpful reply.

“Do not worry yourselves. This is meant to be for Aribella to complete her task. There is nothing more that can be done,” Francesca chimed in from the back of the room.

“Thank you, Frannie, succinct and crazy as usual.” Lallielle was becoming much too adept at sarcasm.

“No need to be a witch, Lallielle. I was just imparting my wisdom.”

Sisters are the same no matter what planet or age. I ran a hand along the pulsing pattern on my arm. I now had the world’s biggest ice breaker. Something this out-there was sure to be useful when trying to make friends on other planets.

“We should think up a cover story for your marks,” Lucy said as Samuel lifted her up for a better look. “Although, you look gorgeous. They really suit you.”

“Thanks, Luce, that makes me feel so much better.”

She shrugged. “Who cares how you feel? Haven’t I always taught you: it’s how you look that counts.”