Aiden
The new pinkish skin covers a good portion of Erik’s face. It’s completely healed, and his breathing is steady, like he’s having the most restful sleep in the world.
“Nurse Pumpa thinks we can wake him in a couple of weeks.” Eliza enters the room, and her red sundress drags behind her. “He’s healing faster than we anticipated.”
“That’s great.” A desperate hope flutters in my chest. “Do you think he could know where they took Ember?”
Eliza tucks the black blanket closer to Erik’s chin. “I’m not sure.” She glances back at me. Redness from lack of sleep lines her honey-colored eyes. “But we can hope.” She eyes his bedside table. “I also hope he might give us some answers about Julia’s diary. I’m very curious to find out if he knows anything more about that flower she drew in there.”
I stare at the side table’s drawer, where Eliza is keeping the diary safe. “I hope he got a chance to look at it before he was attacked. It would be great to get a real lead about the villains’ plans.” My aggravations boil. “It’s already been a week since they took Ember, and the Guardians still haven’t found her.” I glance at my arm still in a cast, hanging in its sling, feeling beyond annoyed with the inconvenience. “As soon as I get this damn thing off, I’ll search for Ember myself.”
“Do you think that’d be wise?” Eliza warns. “I want Ember back as much as you do, but the press are watching your every move, and it could endanger Ember’s life if you get close. A rescue attempt will have to be well planned and organized to have any hopes of succeeding.”
I angrily fling my good arm toward the outside world. “I can’t just sit here and do nothing when she’s out there!”
“Aiden, you’ve only been out of the hospital for a day, and you got here just last night. Take a moment and breathe. You’ve been through a lot, too.”
I clench my jaw while shaking my head. “It just feels so wrong to do nothing.”
“You don’t think I want to go out there and find my girl?” Eliza asks, but her tone makes me feel like I accused her of not caring. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but the biggest one has been underestimating what my brother would do for Martha. First, murdering Julia and David, and now kidnapping Ember. Love can make people do crazy, horrible, and stupid things.” She frowns. “Don’t let that happen to you.”
“I–I’m sorry.” Even if Eliza has hidden things from Ember, and I once questioned her intent, there’s no denying the genuineness behind her words. “I didn’t mean any disrespect. It’s… it’s just been a lot.” My chest tightens with a pang of heart-wrenching sadness. “I miss her.”
“I do too.” Eliza grabs my hand in a way that reminds me of my mom’s support. “We’ll get her back. I know we will.”
“You’re right.” I try to smile, but it’s a weak attempt.
She releases me and returns to Erik’s side, studying his vitals on the machines.
“Thank you again,” I say, feeling the need to fill the silence. “For letting me and my family stay here.”
“Of course.” Eliza turns around. Her hair sways like black silk fabric. “Our security will keep the press at bay.”
“I wish my parents didn’t have to check in with their jobs today. I have a feeling the press may show up there, too. They’re determined to get an interview with me.” I sigh, rubbing my eyes. “As if stalking our house wasn’t enough. It’s all becoming one large mess. Especially with the school shutting down early for the year.”
“Well, with what happened to you and Ember, and then Stu running away like the coward he’s become, it’s put the university in a rough position. By shutting down, they can try to sort things out before summer classes begin.”
“Do you know if there’s still talk of making Valentino the temporary dean?”
Eliza heads for the hallway. “I think there are a few Guardians they’re considering. Valentino is a candidate, but I think she’ll have a hard time securing the position, with what happened to Ember.”
I follow her out and down the hallway, into the living room. The sight of the city in the distance is visible from the panoramic windows. “Don’t get me wrong, I have my grievances with Valentino, but I think it’s a little unfair for all the blame to get put on her shoulders.”
“I agree. She wasn’t the only Guardian present.” Eliza sits on one of the white couches. “Have you heard from Striker yet?”
“Yeah.” I sit opposite her, sinking into the soft cushions. “I have a meeting with him next week on the same day as my first therapy appointment. We’re going to discuss a training schedule.”
Eliza reaches for a glass of water on the coffee table. “Is he giving you the internship, then?”
I shake my head. “He gave it to someone else.” I sigh, feeling a bit disappointed. I don’t necessarily regret my original decision to decline it. There’s no way I could’ve foreseen what would happen with Ember, but it’s definitely a little bit of a blow. “He’s pretty annoyed with me, and the only reason he’s agreed to talk with me is because of Valentino. If I’m honest though, it’s not like he’s my favorite person to talk to either.”
“Valentino or not, I think it’s good.” Sadness sweeps over Eliza’s face. “It’ll keep your mind busy during all this.”
“Something like that.” I close my eyes. They feel extremely heavy under the weight of my depression. “Ember wouldn’t want me to give into my anger, and I don’t want to either. Therapy and training should help me manage that.”
Especially until I find out for sure whether the serum is in me.
“She’d be proud of you.” Eliza’s smile is warm. “I hope you know that.”
“Yeah.” I sniffle. “I’d feel better if we could learn something new about what’s going on.”
“I know I probably shouldn’t...” Eliza lifts the remote off the table. She points it at the wall-mounted TV to turn it on. “But I’m curious what the news may be reporting.”
Multiple headlines scroll across the bottom of the screen: University of Stalwarth Closing Early; The Guardians’ Daughter Still Missing; Are Guardians Really Needed?
Two newscasters sit behind a desk, staring out. “Today we took to the streets,” the young woman reporter with noodle-like hair says. “We wanted to hear from the residents of Stalwarth to find out exactly what they’re thinking about the Guardians who have sworn to protect us.”
The dark-skinned man sitting next to her nods furiously. “That’s right, Riga, and here’s what they have to say.”
The footage cuts to an elderly woman with enormous teeth, and she’s crying uncontrollably. “After the attacks took my dear Hubert from me, I’ve lost my faith in our supposed heroes. We thought they’d keep us safe!”
“If they care so much about us, why aren’t they sharing their technology?” a younger boy questions. He has oval-shaped glasses and is wearing a red-and-black-checkered vest. “They have ways to instantly communicate with each other and map out any locations. That could help us out so much!”
An older man with a very narrow face appears next, standing in front of shops downtown. “If they can’t be bothered to protect Defender students, what would make me think they really care about me?”
“They haven’t even found Ember yet!” a girl maybe a year or two younger than me speaks into the mic. “That poor girl has already been through so much, and I don’t understand why security wasn’t increased with her on campus. Of course, she’d be a target! Villains murdered her parents!”
It doesn’t stop. A new person appears every few seconds, saying something similar to someone else or voicing a new concern. I remember my own doubts about Guardians. How they’ve only done what would benefit them most in the long run, no matter who pays the cost.
“We all have abilities!” a man with an obvious toupee and dressed in business attire says next. “I can defend myself! Why do they think they’re so special?”
Eliza turns off the TV. “They knew exactly what they were doing when they took Ember. Kidnapping her like this, less than a year after the attacks, was genius on their part.” She drops her head in her hands. “This really may be the beginning of the end for the Guardians.”
I stare outside at the city, knowing Ember is out there, needing our help. If her kidnapping does bring on the collapse of the Guardians, it’s hard to say what will happen. With all this transpiring, how much time will the Guardians actually spend trying to find Ember? Their attention will be split between trying to pacify the public and the press.
This solidifies my earlier thoughts. I have to take things into my own hands.
I’ll use the Guardians like they’ve used me and take advantage of any assistance they give me, but I won’t count on them to save Ember. Why should I? They’ve proven to me numerous times now that they may be just as deceitful as the villains they fight against.
There is one person I could possibly convince to help me—the one other person who wants to do everything she can to keep Ember safe.
“Eliza,” I say, my voice gravely serious. She meets my stare, and I lean forward. “Help me. Help me find Ember.”
Eliza glances at the TV, now displaying a picture of Ember around the age of eight, standing with her Guardian parents. All of them donned a smile, looking bright and hopeful for the future. It shifts to a picture of Ember in her hoodie and sunglasses, trying to hide from the press during a rare trip downtown, then it morphs into an image of Ember at the press conference, standing strong and bold on her own. Her red hair shines in the spotlight, as if the strands were living fire, and her green eyes are brilliant with confidence.
Is the Guardians’ Daughter doomed to follow her parents to the grave by the hands of villains? scrolls underneath the images.
The waffle I managed to eat for breakfast turns into what feels like sludge inside my stomach.
“We’ll need help.” Eliza eyes me with a new determined spark. “And I know who can help us the most.”
“Who?”
She stands. “He’s right here in this house, and we can’t wait a couple weeks to talk to him. We need to wake Erik now.”