Page 58 of Outcast Fae
“What reasons?” I asked in a small whisper.
Vaughn rubbed the back of his neck. “That’s what I’m trying to figure out. All I know is that if we don’t die out here, they’ll eventually send us into the dome. It’s like they are weeding out the weak from the strong. There is a real prison in the middle of it. Horace, Rick, and one more, Dalton, infiltrated it a few months ago, then it was my turn. My aunt signed the papers to let them bring me here and told them she didn’t care if I ever got back, that I was a disappointment to the family after what I’d done. They wouldn’t have taken me otherwise. She’s too influential and well known. They want people no one will miss.”
People like the children and me. Anger boiled in my chest. “What about Meadow Song and Silver Bear? Do they know about this?”
“Yeah, they aren’t really guidance counselors. They’re part of the New Starts façade, the one they present to anyone from the outside world who asks. Therehabilitationsuccess rate is high, so no one asks too many questions. The parents are delighted when their kids go home and start acting like little angels.”
“What do Horace and the others do?”
“They are guards. Inside, they only use shifters like them. Outside, they use wild werewolves like the three that tried to attack us in the hollow. Those werewolves aren’t like Horace and me. They’re more… savage, less human.”
A prison guarded by… monsters?I didn’t say this out loud for fear of hurting Vaughn’s feelings. Instead, I asked, “What about Karen and Alonzo?”
“They are ex-military, same as Captain Harring.”
“But Karen is also a witch,” I said, remembering how she immobilized me when they kidnapped me from the Supernatural Academy.
“A weak one. I don’t think the people who run this place like magic too much. Horace says it isn’t used inside, and the dome… it’s not magical. It’s created by some sort of device.”
My mind reeled with all the information, but still, my questions kept pouring out. “You said they had children here. Are they under the dome? Why would they need to imprison them? And why guard them so fiercely with a dome and shifters and military?”
“I want to know the same things.”
“How did you find out about the island?” I asked, unable to hold down the suspicion that rose in me.
He inhaled sharply and lifted his chin. It took him a while to respond. “I beat it out of a fae woman.”
I gasped.
“There’s a werewolf brotherhood,” he said, his words rushed. “My grandfather started it over fifty years ago. We take in shifter children and teens who need help. We teach them to control their powers, to use them for good. This fae… she lured three of them from our folds.” His upper lip twitched. “She fed them fae fruit, caused them to lose control and hurt people. They were taken away by the authorities, but they wouldn’t tell us where.”
I shook my head, refusing to believe.
“They were good kids. They would never hurt a fly. I’m sure of it. Then, a few weeks later, she did it again. And this time she… she targeted two more, including my cousin. We grew up close.”
“Oh, Vaughn.” I pressed a hand to my mouth, at once understanding why he would risk so much. “I-I’m—”
“They took her, too, left no trace behind,” he continued, cutting me off. “I don’t think they realized who they were taking. My cousin was in a rebellious stage. She had run away and was using a different name. That’s when I… went looking for the fae woman. In the end, she told me what she knew. She told me that someone had hired her and was paying her good money to lure young Supernaturals into trouble. She told me they were bringing them here, told me I needed to get myself into that same kind oftrouble.” He met my gaze. “I’m not proud of what I did, but it was necessary.”
I raked my hands into my hair as a headache unrolled behind my left temple. Was this true? Or was he covering up his own crime by making up a lie? He reached out as if to touch my hand. I pulled back.
“Not what you wanted to hear, huh?” he said.
“I wasn’t lured here by a fae,” I retorted. “And I bet Sinasre wasn’t, either. And yet, we’re still here.”
“They were taking both fae and humans alike, but I guess you’ll believe whatever you want.”
Vaughn stood, turned, and walked away, leaving me sitting alone in the dark with the tumble of thoughts and doubts he’d unleashed within me. When he was a few feet away, he stopped and glanced over his shoulder. “I should’ve known better than to trust a fae.”
Chapter Twenty-One
“Good afternoon,campers. Can we gather, please? It’s group time.” Meadow Song’s voice called to us from down the beach.
Group time?
I glanced around at our group. My friends were sitting around our spent campfire. It had been nearly a full day since Wally’s death and everyone still seemed shaken by it. Heads were bowed and arms hugged knees, so I could tell everyone was as unnerved about Meadow Song and Silver Bear showing up as I was.
They’d sent food in the morning, the usual fare of MREs but also some fruit and bread. The fresh water bottles were much appreciated as were some large sugary treats Chan called bear claws. I didn’t care for them much, but everyone else seemed to enjoy them.
