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David eyed our sister, who was unconscious on the floor at our feet. Then his eyes met mine and he shook his head.
“We can just say that she died,” he offered. I wished that I could spare Jade Bane from the nightmare that was our father, but knew that our mothers would pay if we failed to bring her to the ship. I shuddered when thinking of the punishments that Father could dream up. The others didn’t have a window into his mind, so they didn’t know how ruthless he truly was.
“Karen and Lex have been sent to spy on us. Now come on. If that couple finds us, you know what will happen,” I warned. David gently lifted our kind-hearted sister into his arms and I gripped his shoulder. We traveled through the wall beside Jade’s bedroom window and out into the frigid winter morning. David rushed us to the flyer, which rested in Jade’s snow-covered backyard. David touched the flyer with his palm and it suddenly became visible. We quickly traveled through the wall and he deposited Jade onto the seat. I collapsed into the seat beside her. I wasn’t surprised when David’s communicator rang. David rolled his eyes and rushed for the driver’s seat. My brother had lived with our father the longest, which meant that he was familiar with the technology that was used on Neretha, Father’s home world. David and I both had favor with the chauvinistic alien jackhole that spawned us. We were able to access the power that lived in the Hyndroyl crystal that was implanted in our spinal cords when we were infants. From what I understood, only 20 percent of Nerethians actually gained abilities from their Hyndroyl crystals.
“Dad?” David asked as soon as he activated the cloaking technology again.
“Do you have her?” Lord Peirc demanded, his tone conveying his agitation. I couldn’t blame him, since Jade had been difficult to locate. I imagine that the thought of training her was also souring his mood. Poor Jade. At least I lived with the knowledge that Earth was a temporary home, that my father would bring me to Neretha when I turned eighteen. She wrongfully assumed that she was an earthling, a dull race with little potential. The poor thing didn’t have a Hyndroyl crystal, since her foolish mother had stolen her away as an infant. Karen would eat the fragile girl alive.
“Yes. She’s asleep,” David confirmed.
“Did Jade put up a fight?” Father probably assumed that Jade was as strong-willed as the other females in her bloodline.
“No,” David responded. “She seems to take after you.”
“Is that an insult?” Father demanded.
“She thinks before she acts. She went willingly, as long as I didn’t kill her parents,” David explained.
“David, I told you, you shouldn’t make promises that you can’t keep,” my father lectured right before Jade’s foster parents’ house exploded.
The explosion was contained, the flames and debris never leaving its target. Before my eyes, the fire died down, only leaving the smoldering remains of where Jade once lived. Lex, that had to be his doing. Since he had no abilities, he feverishly learned how to set contained explosions. He probably created a forcefield around the house to prevent the other homes from being destroyed. A chill enveloped my body when I realized that I was looking at someone’s fiery grave. The fire burned so hot that no one would ever find the remains of the nice couple that had taken Jade in. I shoved away the sadness that wanted to haunt me. I learned from a young age that as long as I didn’t get in Father’s way, he would have no need to terminate me.
“That wasn’t necessary,” David shouted. “Seriously? The police will assume that Jade had something to do with this.”
“They will assume that Jade was in the house,” my father countered. “I couldn’t risk her parents going to the police.” I wished that daddy dearest had clued us in before Jade sent the email. Great! Was David supposed to break the bad news, or would I?
“You should have told me about your plan before I allowed her to send an email to her parents,” David said. I was grateful that he took full responsibility for Jade sending the email.
“Good move. But next time have Gwen consult with me first. I’ll have Andrea take care of it,” Father said. Andrea was another one of my sisters, who could hack just about anything.
“Are we clear to take off?” David asked. I knew that he felt pity for Jade. She had been determined to save her parents. I made a promise to myself that I’d never tell her of what happened to the innocent couple. Jade was the type that would demand revenge, and no one would ever give it to her.
“You are,” my father said, before two beeps sounded. My father had dismissed us, just like that. David let out a curse before the flyer shot into the air, leaving the crime scene behind.