The Returning Read online

  Then another voice joined the madness: a voice only she could hear, the only voice that mattered.

  Remember what I call you. Daughter.

  You are the light of the world.

  There was more movement from the group, and it looked as though they were all now preparing to leave. A pocket of sorrow opened up in Elise’s gut. She had just met these people, and now they were going. She would be alone. Again.

  Chosen and called, beautiful light of the world.

  She knew she couldn’t leave with them. She watched her sweet sister scoop a few final things off the ground and shove them inside her bag. Saw the panic and worry lining her beautiful face. Elise hadn’t even known this girl existed twelve hours ago, and now the thought of being separated from her was almost enough to shake her resolve.

  Stand with me and you cannot be shaken.

  Elise felt eyes on her and she glanced up to see Willis looking right at her. His face was filled with questions, but once their eyes connected, she watched his eyes change to understanding. He seemed to know what was happening inside her head. She felt the light glowing inside her chest, never far from the surface, and she wanted to assure him that what he’d done for her was not for nothing. He’d broken her out of her prison so that the light could set her free.

  They held each other’s gaze for a long moment before Elise noticed that the room had gone still. Everyone was looking at her now, some of them already packed, others, like Lucy, still standing beside their belongings. But all of their eyes were on her.

  Kennedy stepped forward hesitantly, her face twisted in concern. “You’ll come with us,” she said, her voice full of confidence but her eyes unsure.

  “Of course she will,” Sage said. “I mean, you have to.”

  A devastating sense of regret toppled over Elise’s head, and she didn’t want to tell them the truth. But even as the pain of reality hit her, the wind and light from which she drew her strength engulfed her with peace. She breathed it in, and it steadied her pounding heart. And without having to say a word, she could see they all knew she wasn’t going.

  Anger flashed across Kennedy’s face and Willis dropped his gaze.

  “You have to come,” Kennedy said.

  “I can’t,” Elise answered, her voice as steady as the light pulsing inside her.

  “Why?” Kennedy asked.

  “Because I am supposed to be here.”

  The air in the room grew heavy and Kennedy started shaking her head. “No—you were never supposed to be here. You were supposed to be with us. With our family!”

  “Kennedy, please—”

  “I came here for you! I promised Mom I would bring you home. How can you choose this city over us? Over me?”

  Elise opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by new movement to her right.

  “Nobody move,” a voice said.

  A man stepped into the room, arms forward, gun pointed, and the whole room froze.

  Elise recognized him immediately: Sam. And he wasn’t alone. Another CityWatch guard entered behind him, his gun also raised, his face unfamiliar to her.

  “Hands up, all of you,” Sam said. The group did as they were told, slowly dropping whatever they were holding and raising their arms. Sam turned to Elise, no fear behind his eyes, no reaction to her at all. He had forgotten their first encounter—or rather had been made to forget. He was blind again.

  A twinge of fear twisted in her stomach, but then she remembered who she was and that everything that happened was supposed to happen. This moment was not by chance. She was the light of the world; who could stand against her?

  The thought unveiled something new within her. She saw Sam as she herself had once been. He was wandering, lost to his own truth. Had she not been lost herself? The light had come to her; could the light not also come to him?

  Call forth his light, Elise.

  “Elise Brant, you’re under arrest by the authority of President Cropper,” Sam said.

  Call it forth.

  “I’m going to need you to come with me,” Sam said.

  Elise took a deep breath and felt the charge in her bones. She closed her eyes, letting herself be overcome with the light burning inside her, and with a single push, released it.

  17

  Willis finally understood why Elise was so important. Before, he’d simply believed because he trusted in his own call, but now, watching her from across the room, he understood. The guard was only inches from her, and Willis had been a single second away from moving to protect her. But before he could process anything further, the room began to shift. The same way it had shifted in the Capitol Building. As if someone had reached down and wrapped the space in plastic, enclosing them and blocking out anything other than the energy radiating from Elise.

  A force rushed through the room, its power physically rocking Willis where he stood, and he watched as the guard in front of her began to buckle at the waist. He fell to his knees and gripped his head in agony.

  Willis heard gasps from the other Seers and tried to keep himself standing against the strong power pulsing from Elise. It filled his blood and penetrated deep into his bones. It called forth a fire under his skin that cleansed all the fear and doubt that had been swimming around inside his head with the news from Trylin. He could feel heat coming from Lucy, who stood only a foot to his left. He looked that way and saw her face pulled in shock, her eyes wide as she watched Elise.

  Willis scanned to the other Seers in the room. All of them were visibly affected by the change in the room’s atmosphere.

  Light was shimmering from Elise now, filling the space around her in an outline of gold.

  Then Kennedy fell to her knees, the second guard only inches from her. She reached out to grab hold of him and he buckled at her touch as if her hand were on fire. He cried out and dropped to the ground. Kennedy clenched her eyes tight and it looked as though the light, now swirling through the air, was digging its way into her chest.

  Even as the thought crossed his mind, an explosion ransacked his own chest. It was as if someone had plunged a hand into his middle, bypassing his heart, to the place where his soul hid, yanking forth power he’d only imagined. His knees hit the floor, then his palms.

  He tried to breathe through the awakening of power in his body, through the shock of the transformation racking his mind. Suddenly the ground beneath his hands was cool, and he opened his eyes to see golden grass sprouting between his fingers. The burning sensation was gone, as was the room around him.

  In its place was a field. Strands of wheat danced as far as the eye could see; large, beautiful trees stretched into the air, a crystal-blue cloudless sky overhead. It was still and quiet. He knew this place. Had heard others speak of it. The Father’s field. Many transformational stories had taken place here, because every inch of land was covered in perfect love, which made it more powerful than magic.

  Willis pushed himself up off his knees as his heart eased into a peaceful rhythm that matched the swaying of the grass. The wind swirled across the top of the tall wheat strands, pulling at them softly, twisting them about, and bending them playfully. Willis felt mesmerized and couldn’t tear his eyes from the way the wind moved. It circled toward him, and as it approached, Willis found himself nervous over the encounter.

  What if he wasn’t prepared for how strong the wind was? What if it knocked him over, or what if it passed right by him? He couldn’t understand why he was so concerned with the wind, but he felt his heart fall out of its steady rhythm as it drew closer.

  “How much time we all spend trapped in resistance,” a familiar voice said from behind him. Willis didn’t turn his gaze from the swirling wind; he wanted to keep his eyes on it. He didn’t want to miss his chance to touch it if it came by.

  He felt Aaron approach, the man’s shoes whispering over the ground.

  “I just don’t want to miss it,” Willis said.

  “And what makes you think you’ll miss it?” Aaron asked.
r />   “It could pass by me without stopping.”

  “And would you feel complete if it did stop?”

  Willis thought about this for a moment before answering. “Yes,” he said. “I think touching the wind is what I’ve been missing.”

  “I see. Well, what if I told you that you couldn’t be completed, because you already are?”

  Willis turned his head toward Aaron then. “I’m not, though—not like Elise.”

  “But you are. In fact, you and Elise are exactly the same. The wind will not pass you; that’s impossible, because it is already in you.”

  “But I’ve seen the power she has.”

  “Believe you can move the mountain and you will. Believe no man can stand against you and they will not. The same power that lies within her also lies within you. It resides within all those who belong to the light. Stop resisting your true identity. Step into the truth of who you are.”

  “What if I can’t?”

  “Of course you can. That’s what you were created to do.”

  Willis turned his attention back toward the field and searched for the wind. It was nowhere to be found. He felt a strong sense of panic and skimmed his eyes violently across the top of the wheat.

  Nothing. Just as he’d feared, the wind had passed him by.

  Aaron placed his hand on Willis’s shoulder, and the touch reignited the fire Willis had felt under his skin while standing in the room with Elise. “Look within you for what you seek,” Aaron said.

  Willis closed his eyes and searched his heart for the truth. Beneath the darkness he carried, past the regret, past his insecurities, under the cover of pain, something pulsed. He reached for it, meditated on it, and called it forth. With a burst of movement, light rushed up through his chest and filled his entire being. It streamed out through the pores in his skin and down into the ground at his feet. Willis opened his eyes and saw that the entire field seemed to be glowing with the light beating from under his skin.

  Wind, strong and steady, whipped through the field around him, encircling him completely. It danced across his skin and ruffled the ends of his hair. Beside him, Aaron clapped his hands together in triumph. Willis felt his own excitement bubbling inside, and he started to laugh aloud toward the sky. How wonderful it was to be filled with light.

  “Yes,” Aaron said with a final clap. “Now we can begin.”

  The clap resounded in Willis’s eardrums as the field faded away and was replaced with the factory. He was still on his knees, his eyes facing the concrete floor, the room quiet. He lifted his chin and saw that the others were kneeling around the room as well. Elise was standing in the same corner, while both CityWatch guards looked around as if they didn’t know where they were. Willis pushed himself to his feet and locked eyes with Elise. She smiled warmly, and his heart jumped. Her skin still seemed to be glowing slightly, and the fire behind her eyes was intoxicating. He smiled back and managed to pull his eyes away from her.

  He stepped over to help Lucy to her feet as the others all worked to stand on their own. They’d each had their own experience with the light, he could see. Sage’s eyes brimmed with tears. Timmons’s as well. Kennedy’s face was flushed; Davis’s chest rose and fell quickly. Kane was the last one to stand, his hands shaking, his eyes still glued to the floor.

  Whatever had happened to each of them, Willis was certain of one thing: None of them would ever be the same.

  Elise watched as the light slowly faded from the room, and her mind became clear. The memories of the two CityWatch guards receded, leaving her with her own thoughts again.

  Three things had been different this time. First, she hadn’t needed to touch Sam as she had before to initiate the recalling of his memories. She didn’t know if this was because she had already had contact with him or if she was just starting to understand the power inside her more fully.

  Second, Kennedy had affected the second guard, not Elise. Though she’d gotten a glimpse into the soldier’s past, he hadn’t reacted to the light until Kennedy had touched him.

  Finally the memories hadn’t ended with either guard withering in pain as before; in fact, they were now looking at her as if they were completely different people. Their eyes scanned the room for some sort of clarification as to what had just happened to them. She had no idea what this meant, but something in her spirit felt more at ease this time.

  It was hard not to feel as if she still had no idea what she was doing here. Why had she been given this power? Why had she been called? But she knew that to judge herself would mean to resist her true identity, and to resist would mean to separate herself from the light.

  Elise was suddenly aware that she was believing in truths she’d never learned before. She wasn’t sure how, but it felt as if bits of life-changing knowledge were launching themselves at her and sticking to her heart, embedding themselves deep, as if she’d known them all along and was just starting to remember.

  Sam stood, his eyes on Elise. He opened his mouth to speak, but emotions choked his words. Her heart melted with his as tears filled his eyes and spilled over his bottom lids.

  “I remember,” he said. “I remember everything.” He took a sharp breath and sniffed back tears. Shaking his head, he ran his fingers through his hair. The second guard had backed against the closest wall and was rocking side to side, lost in his own thoughts. Both of them aware and entirely sane. The light had rid them of the Genesis Serum’s effects completely. It was a cure. The light that she carried was a cure.

  Lost in her own thoughts, Elise hadn’t noticed that Kennedy and the others were all staring at her until Kennedy reached out and touched her arm. Elise looked up and met the group’s eyes, each of their expressions encased in awe and wonder. She smiled and placed her hand on top of Kennedy’s.

  “You were right,” Kennedy said, her voice barely above a whisper. “You’re supposed to be here, and I will follow you.”

  Elise’s heart leaped.

  “So will I,” Lucy said, and Elise looked at the woman as they shared a knowing smile.

  Sage was nodding in agreement beside Lucy, tears still sliding down her cheeks.

  Davis gave Elise a solid, strong nod, and Timmons chimed in with the same.

  Elise caught Willis’s eyes, and for a long moment, they just held one another’s gaze. He smiled and heat rushed up her face. “There’s no way you’re getting rid of me,” Willis said.

  Elise bit the inside of her lip to keep her mouth from splitting into a grin and noticed Kane watching her from the back of the group. She looked at him and waited as he stared back. There was a darkness that played across his face, one filled with fear, and she knew that unlike the others, he wasn’t convinced yet.

  She nodded to him that it was all right, and he dropped his eyes away. He would follow because everyone else was, but there might come a time when he questioned their path. Elise wasn’t worried, though; the light came to them all in its own perfect timing.

  “Now what?” Kennedy asked.

  Carrington shot up in bed, breathing heavily in the cold night air. She let her eyes adjust for a moment before removing herself from bed, careful not to wake Remko. She pulled on a thick gray sweater and headed for the balcony. She clicked the door closed softly behind her and took a deep breath of the chilly air.

  The day had been filled with emotion. Wire had finally connected with Davis, and they’d reported that everyone was safe. But the moment of overwhelming joy had come when they’d learned that Elise was with them. Safe and alive.

  Remko had held Carrington for a long time as she’d cried into his shoulder. Their baby girl was alive, had been all this time, and she was finally rescued. But somewhere during those long moments, Carrington’s utter joy had begun to turn to fear. The emotion had become second nature for Carrington, so she hadn’t been surprised when all the happiness had converted itself to anxious worry.

  Now she was having nightmares. Night terrors where she never saw either of her daughters again beca
use the Authority City disposed of them both. Where she spent the rest of her days in agony, knowing that she never should have let Kennedy go. Where she woke up with the same gnawing feeling that all of this was her fault.

  She’d started all of this. Twenty years ago, when she followed the call of her soul and left the Authority City, she’d started this chain reaction. Now she couldn’t escape the fear that if she’d only been content to do as she was told, then maybe so many wouldn’t have been lost.

  Light flickered in the distance, beyond the front gates, where she knew the Authority army was crouching in wait. How long could the residents of Trylin really wait out the impending threat? Or how long before the army found another way to gain access to the city? They wouldn’t survive an attack from an army as large as the one standing at their doorstep. Carrington knew the plan was to not resist. To practice what they had been taught and even try to see their enemies as their brothers. To hold nothing against them.

  But what if they found a way to break down the gate and came in with guns blazing? Were the Seers supposed to just roll over and die? Would they all be casualties of Carrington’s original choice to go against the grain? Would she get all of these people killed? The door creaked open behind her, and she glanced over her shoulder to see Remko walking out onto the balcony. He’d pulled on his own heavy sweater and grabbed a wool blanket from the closet. He offered her a loving smile, his dark eyes capturing the light even out here in the darkness. Her choice might have brought them here, but it had also given him to her.

  He sat on the wooden bench along their home’s brick wall, and she moved to join him. She nuzzled down next to him as he draped the wool blanket around them and pulled her close. They sat quietly for a while, watching the stars fade into the early morning haze. She matched her breathing with the steady beat of his heart and tried to release the tension gathered in her shoulders.