“Morning,” I mumbled as I opened the fridge and grabbed a soda.
Zayne murmured roughly the same as I sat down at the island, figuring he would announce when he wanted to start training.
“Gideon is on his way over,” Zayne said after a long moment of silence. “Says he has an update for us.”
I looked over my shoulder at the back of his head. “Did he figure out what the spikes are?”
“Don’t know. Guess we’ll find out in a few.” Zayne rose and disappeared into the bedroom without another word.
My chest squeezed. This was pretty much how every morning was now. Turning back around, I started biting my thumbnail as I stared at my phone. Jada hadn’t texted me back after I’d reached out to her from the park. I wasn’t sure what to think of that. I felt guilty, like a bad friend, because I was a bad friend. I’d been selfish, just like Misha had accused me of being, just like Zayne had reminded me I was.
Shoving my glasses on top of my head, I unlocked my phone and typed out a quick text that read I’m sorry I haven’t been around. I miss you.
I hit Send and didn’t expect a quick response, so when I saw the little bubble appear then disappear before reappearing, my stomach dropped. Within a few seconds, Jada’s response came through.
I’m sorry too.
My chest hollowed. The bubble came back. She was still typing.
I know it’s been a lot for u to deal with. I’m trying to be understanding but it’s also been a lot for all of us. I needed to talk to u. Not just abt Misha. I needed to make sure u were ok. That’s what friends do. U didn’t let me be there for u. I’m trying to not let that get to me but it has.
I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed my lips together. A burn crept up my throat. Man, I’d messed up. I’d been thinking only about what I didn’t want to do and not what Jada might need, both as someone who had grown up with Misha and someone who was my friend.
Opening my eyes, I swallowed that knot as I told myself I needed to tell her that. I couldn’t just sit here and think it. I wasn’t telepathic and she wasn’t psychic. Hands trembling, I got to typing.
You’re right. I cut you out when I shouldn’t have & I was only thinking about myself. I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say except I’m sorry & I know that doesn’t undo that I’ve been a shitty friend. But I am sorry.
Several minutes that felt like a lifetime passed before Jada responded.
I know. Call me when you’re ready and I know you’re not ready bc u texted instead of calling. We’ll talk then.
The fact that Jada knew me well enough to call me out on that last text made me want to cry. Not because it hurt my feelings, but because it was evidence of just how well she knew me. She knew that, even though I’d become aware of how crappy of a friend I’d been, I still wasn’t ready to cross that bridge.
I put down the phone and rested my face in my hands. What was wrong with me? It wasn’t like I was incapable of speaking my mind every other five seconds, so why couldn’t I do it when it mattered most? Why was I taking the coward’s way out? Because that’s what I was doing. It was so opposite of everything about me. I could chase after Upper Level demons and jump off buildings and argue over everything from the consumption of water to what the best Marvel movie was, but I went graveyard silent when it was time to confront real personal issues.
When I needed to confront myself.
I scrubbed my fingers down my face as if rubbing my cheeks and eyes would somehow bring some sort of clarity to the situation.
It didn’t.
Slowly, I became aware that I was no longer alone. I lifted my head, dropping my hands to the cool granite as I looked over to where Zayne was standing just inside the living room.
He looked like he was about to say something, but then he just walked straight past me and grabbed a water from the fridge. Awkward silence ensued. Luckily, it was short-lived, since the buzz of Gideon’s arrival came soon after.
Gideon didn’t arrive empty-handed or alone. Surprisingly, Jasmine’s younger sister was with him. Danika’s glossy black hair was hanging loose around her shoulders. Seeing a female Warden outside a Community or a compound was unheard of.
“Hope you don’t mind me tagging along,” Danika said as she strolled past Zayne, punching him lightly on the shoulder. He grinned at her, and I felt a pang in my chest, having missed that grin. “I was bored and the twins are going through the terrible twos, so I needed out stat.”
“Aren’t the twins older than that?” Zayne asked.
“The terrible twos do not just start and end in one year, I’m learning.” She looked over at me. “You should see the look on your face right now.”
I blinked and then slid my glasses down. Her face came into more detail. “I’m sorry. I’m just not...”
“...used to seeing a potential child-bearing female out in the big, bad world?” She grinned as she came around the other side of the island. “I know. Wardens all over the world are rolling in their graves. I don’t care, and Nicolai knows better than to try to stop me.”
I really wanted to confirm whether she and Nicolai were together, but it was none of my business.
“Nice place,” Gideon commented, joining us. He carried a laptop, which he placed on the island as he looked around. “Very...industrial.”
I hid my smile behind my fingers.
He looked across the open space, the vibrant blue eyes missing nothing. “One bedroom?”
“About to get a two-bedroom a floor down,” Zayne answered, and my hand slipped away from my mouth. “You’ll be happy to hear it’s just as industrial as this one.”
“The apartment is available?” I asked.
Zayne glanced at me. “Yeah. Just heard from the manager yesterday evening. Should be able to move in by the end of next week.”
“Oh.” I shifted my gaze to Gideon’s laptop, trying to not be hurt that he hadn’t mentioned it to me. Not like he hadn’t had time while we’d sat in silence before Gideon and Danika showed up. “That’s good news.”
“You’ve had to share a bathroom with this guy?” Danika jerked her chin toward Zayne. “Oh my God, that’s unfair.”
I cracked a grin at that, liking the girl. “It’s been okay. So far.”
“I think you’re being kind.” Her sky blue eyes were dancing. “These guys shed worse than we do.”
A surprised laugh parted my lips. “You know, I’ve noticed that. So much blond hair everywhere.”
“Yeah, you think that because you haven’t seen all the dark brown hair that’s literally on everything,” Zayne commented, and before I could figure out if he was teasing or being a jerk, he turned to Gideon. “What you got for me?”
“For us,” I muttered under my breath.
Danika’s grin kicked up a notch.
“Two things,” he said, sitting on the stool. “The spikes are still glowing, in case you all wanted to know.”
“I’ve seen them.” Danika hopped up on the island and spun halfway on her butt so she was facing us. “Glowing spikes are freaky.”
“That they are,” I agreed.
“Haven’t found anything that tells me what kind of language is written on them,” Gideon continued. “Leads me to believe that it either predates any known record of language or it’s a language we’ve never seen before.”
“Or it’s not language at all,” Danika suggested, and when we looked at her, she shrugged. “It just looked like scratches and circles to me. Could just be some kind of drawing.”
“You have a point.” Zayne leaned against the island. “It could be what Gideon suggests, or some kind of drawing.”
“Or it could be of angelic origin.” I still believed that was the answer. Danika looked at me, expression thoughtful. “I mean, has anyone ever seen angelic writing?”
“Does angelic writing exist?” Zayne asked.
“I haven’t seen it.” Gideon opened the laptop.
I arched a brow, thinking the same could be said about me. “Just because we haven’t seen something doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.”
“That is also a good point.” Danika tipped her head as she looked at me. I thought I caught a hint of speculation.
I looked to the screen Gideon was pulling up, realizing that I should keep quiet at this point. The fact that I was even here while they were discussing this was suspicious.
“I was able to tap into the security cameras around the cathedral, and while I wasn’t able to catch a single glimpse of this thing, I did find something interesting.”
Disappointment surfaced as Zayne came around to stand on the other side of Gideon. Catching the Harbinger on camera, even if it was just a glimpse, would’ve been something.
“See this?” Gideon pointed at the screen. It was surprisingly clear black-and-white film of the street and the church. Half of its steeple was visible. “Look at the top here, on the right.”
I stared, unable to see what he was pointing at.
“9:10 p.m.,” Zayne murmured. “See it.”
Gideon hit Play. “This camera is outside Morton’s. Keep a close eye once it clicks over to 9:11.”
Biting down on the nail of my forefinger, I squirmed as the burst of guilt whipped through me. That was the restaurant we’d been at.
Suddenly the video feed flashed a brilliant, intense white, as if a bomb had gone off and kept exploding.
“Hold up.” Zayne leaned forward at the waist. “What is that?”
“Don’t know. Lasts for about thirty seconds and then—” The video feed returned to normal. “And then there’s...yeah, there’s Morgan.”
I drew a sharp breath, able to make out just enough of the large body, arms outstretched, to know what I was seeing.
“Show them the others,” Danika urged.