“Good fight, Kevin. You did better than I expected,” she said, as I fell into a stride beside her. “You held your ground and managed to come out alive.”
“You, too, Samantha. You’re a seriously strong fighter, you know that?” Naomi had filled me in on how Samantha was able to take on two men at once.
“So I have been told.” She paused, and her face got serious. “Listen, I am glad your sister is free. I know she means a lot to you. I have no siblings, but I can only imagine how scared you must have been.”
“Yeah, it was scary,” I admitted, no longer quite as afraid to let Samantha know how terrified I had been.
“She is lucky to have you,” Samantha said quietly.
Samantha and I walked next to each other in silence for a while, and I thought about a lot of things. Even though we had Charlotte, I knew that this was far from over. We were in far too deep to pretend that nothing had ever happened. It was hard to believe that just a few weeks ago, my biggest concern was that Charlotte was going to become a total social outcast once I went to college. Reality finally dawned on me when I realized how much harder it would be now to leave Charlotte when I went away to college. How would I ever feel comfortable leaving? I had come so close to losing my sister, and I never wanted to feel that horrible and vulnerable again.
I also found it hard to believe that Percy was dead. I had barely known the man, but I understood that we wouldn’t have Charlotte back without him. I would never forget his sacrifice and the training that he gave me, but I tried to look ahead and enjoy the moment. Charlotte was safe, Liam wasn’t dead, and presumably, we were going home. It was time to take a deep breath and try to relax.
Chapter Thirty
Charlotte
I had entered Energo with James, and I was leaving with him again. At first, everyone had argued, especially Kevin.
Kevin looked at me like I was crazy. “Why would we take this jerk back with us? He tried to kill you.”
“He was only doing that to get us out. He wouldn’t have killed me.” I felt completely confident in my words.
“Calvin sure thought he would.” I froze when Kevin said the name; no one had mentioned it since we left Bellgard. It hurt to think of Calvin. As relieved as I was to be reunited with my family, my heart ached for him and the pain I had caused him. In my head, I knew that I had made the right decision, but my heart thought otherwise.
Kevin probably noticed a change in my expression. “Oh. Sorry, Charlotte.”
“It’s fine; I don’t care.” I tried to sound convincing, but had trouble hiding the hurt. “James is on our side. Trust me; I can tell.”
“If she says he can be trusted, he can be,” Monty said. “Besides, we have no idea when Calvin is going to come for Charlotte; she needs as many Guardians with her as possible.”
“Then why don’t we move far away?” Kevin suggested. “I mean, why leave her where she can be found?”
“She needs to stay close to avoid losing her powers, and we need to be ready to return,” Monty said seriously.
“I can give you all another reason why you want to take me back with you,” James suddenly broke in. He had been unusually quiet since we left Bellgard.
“And what’s that?” Kevin sounded skeptical.
“I am the only one who knows how to find Emma,” James said offhandedly. Everyone stopped talking immediately.
“Find her? You mean, Mom’s alive?” Kevin asked before I could get the words out. I was stunned and couldn’t quite process what he was saying. “But that’s not possible. We went to her funeral; I saw the casket.”
“Actually, we never found a body. The police eventually abandoned the search; they accepted that her body was washed away in the river somewhere. Your father and I decided to bury an empty casket to give you some closure.”
I stared, having trouble believing the words coming out of Monty’s mouth. Was it really possible that my mom was still alive? Was there a chance I would get to ask her all of the questions I had about who she really was, and maybe even more, who I really was?
“Yes. She is being held prisoner. She is weak, but Charlotte might be able to give her enough energy to get her out.” James looked at me.
“But how?” Samantha asked. “How could another Essence have been born so quickly if she is alive?
James’s serious expression didn’t falter. “I do not know for sure, but I do know she is alive.”
“I had always hoped it was true,” Monty said suddenly. “I always felt that she was still here somewhere, but I wouldn’t let myself believe it. Where is she, James?”
“I will tell you when the time comes,” James said carefully. “But we cannot free her now; we need to make many preparations first.”
“James, do you promise to take us to her?” I asked.
“Yes.” There was no hesitation in his voice.
“Why the sudden change of heart, James?” Liam asked the question we had all wanted to ask.
“I saw that I was on the losing team, and I decided to get off the proverbial sinking ship. Besides, as I told my father, Charlotte has too much potential to just lock her away. I have seen just how strong Charlotte is, and I think we actually have a chance,” James said, while everyone watched him intently.
When we reached the cave, I looked over at Liam. He appeared tired, worn, and in desperate need of a shave, but his eyes still held the hint of a smile. I could tell when I touched his wound that he had been badly injured, yet he showed no signs of it now. Liam had to be one of the strongest people I had ever met. I wondered if that kind of strength was transferable because I knew I could use it.
We said our goodbyes and left the caves at nightfall. I looked around at our group. There was Monty, Kevin, and Liam, my family who had come after me, and James and Henry, two of my Guardians who I figured I would get to know much better over the coming months. Henry seemed really excited about leaving Energo. I had let him listen to my music when he agreed to help me, and he was really eager to hear more. He was also excited when we told him about video games, and that he would get to spend time with girls his age. Somehow, I knew he would fit in just fine back home.
As I looked at the people around me, I thought about those who wouldn’t be with me. Calvin wouldn’t be coming, and I was only beginning to understand my grief for Ruth. In a short period of time, she had become important to me, and I felt the loss deeply. Saying goodbye to Tara had been tough. We had both cried a little, but I knew I would see her again soon. I was just so glad that she was reunited with her father. Theodore was going to build a resistance with Samantha as his second in command. Although I didn’t know too much about Samantha, I could tell my brother respected her, and that said a lot. Kevin appeared to be having a hard time saying goodbye to Samantha, but she seemed nonplussed.