Page 4 of Rebel Fae
She squinted and pulled away as a beam of sunlight cut through the tall palm trees that surrounded the small, rundown intake building, making me wonder if she might be a vampire. Everyone would have some sort of power or supernatural ability. That was why the Habermann’s wanted them. They were performing experiments on Supernaturals, and only the gods knew for what purpose.
The thought of their icy steel scalpels made me shiver.
While the guards led this new female through the doors and disappeared, I made a mental note of her, marking her as one inmate who might do well on the island and its harsh realities, though I’d thought the same of Wally, and he was one of the first to die, shot dead by one of the dome’s guards when we ventured too close. I reminded myself that nothing on this island played fair and appearances could be deceiving.
The only difference was this time I knew what to expect.
The second inmate was hunched over, a male two male guards were half carrying inside. He was young, thin, and dark-skinned, very fragile looking. His wide brown eyes darted from tree to van to building like a frightened animal’s. Though I wasn’t great at telling humans’ ages, he appeared to be fourteen or fifteen at most, maybe closer to Gina and Henry’s age.
Small. Innocent. Vulnerable.
What in the world had he done to get here? And what might his power be? He didn’t look like a vampire or shifter, though they came in all shapes and sizes. Was he a warlock, then? I had to hope, for his sake, he could cast spells because, without them, he’d be vulnerable to everything and everyone.
Seeing him reminded me of Daniella, and pain stabbed my heart. Her death still haunted me, finding me in my nightmares where I trod water, searching the waves for her body. My fingers would brush against something, but when I struggled to swim toward it, it would elude my grasp. I’d wake up gasping and drenched in sweat.
Would these new campers share a similar fate? Would I watch them die one by one, taken by the island while I could do nothing to stop it?
No, I couldn’t believe that. Adaline Habermann had sent me in to help them survive, to shepherd them through the trials so that there would be fewer casualties. It was my charge, one I took seriously.
If I did it well, they would release Arryn.
And if I failed?
It was too awful to imagine.
I pinched my eyes closed and tried to slow the pounding of my heart. When I opened them, the third inmate was being led in. This one was female and young, like the boy. She didn’t seem frightened like he was, though. Instead, she was speaking incessantly, jabbering something to the guards who ignored her. She had long, natural orange hair, a color humans called “red.” Her skin was pale and creamy with pigment dots splattered across her nose and cheeks. She had a perky, youthful quality to her that would likely be crushed after one night without food.
I marked her as another weak member, someone I’d have to protect. How many of those would there be? Each one felt like a weight being placed around my neck.
The fourth inmate at least had some girth to him. He was tall and broad with large muscles and an athletic physique. As they pulled him toward the intake building, his jaw clenched making me think he had attempted to fight them and was being controlled with magic as I had been.
This male could hold his own. Perhaps he could help me look out for the others, but, as I’d learned last time, not all humans could be trusted. Sadly, few here could be. They weren’t here for their exemplary behavior.
One of those who couldn’t be trusted walked into view.
Vaughn.
I was still here because of Vaughn. And yet, we were supposed to work together, “side by side” was how Adeline Habermann put it. How could I endure being near him? It was the thing I was dreading most. Not the monsters or the manipulation, but Vaughn.
At the sight of me through the van’s back windows, his jaw tightened, letting me know he hated this assignment as much as I did. Still, he nodded and opened the door, waiting for me to exit.
I sat still, staring and wishing my hands were free so I could wring his neck.
“Tally,” he whispered. “It’s time.”
“For what?” I shot back, determined not to make this easy on him.
“To go in. To start this thing. No sense in delaying the inevitable.” He shrugged. His uniform was navy blue, crisp, and clean, hugging his muscular body like they had sewn it with his precise measurements in mind. He wore a belt with a knife in a leather sheath. My clothes were baggy, a new beige uniform consisting of pants and a shirt like the ones they had given me in the beginning. He had power. I didn’t. Somehow, this enraged me even further.
“Why don’t you drag me out?” I shot back. “I’m sure it’s what you want to do.”
His jaw clenched again, and a vein on his neck throbbed. “Why make this hard?”
It all came spilling out, all the emotion I’d choked on late at night while Arryn cried about missing home and our friends.
“Why, Vaughn?Why?You dare to ask me why I would want to make this hard for you? You know why. You know exactly why.”
I stared into his eyes, daring him to respond so I could lash out again. Part of me wanted him to grab me so I could fight and kick and bite, so I could do something instead of sitting around feeling impotent, the way I’d done since they captured me.
