27

Alayna

Thursday 15th March, Year 825

It was Iron Day and the celebrations in The Grange were in full swing. It wasn't a popular holiday in Central, what with it celebrating the last time Vakoso won independence from Lambent eight hundred years ago, but people from Outer loved it.

With a flourish and a grin, the performing familiar plucked the bunch of colourful flowers they'd conjured making them into a bouquet which he presented to a wide-eyed little girl standing in front of him. The kids started giggling, shouting with joy at the flower animals that appeared at their feet. Me and Ben joined in the laughter as we passed, and I shot the familiar an appreciative smile. He gave a playful wink and summoned a delicate crown of straw entwined with orange blossoms and jasmine and plonked it onto Ben's head. The crowd laughed as Ben swore playfully at the street performer before throwing a coin at the bag at his feet.

"Dad sent us for supplies, not to give ven to magicians," I joked.

"It's never a bad thing to have familiars on your side. Austin is good to have around," Ben plucked an orange blossom from the tangled floral crown and stashed it away in his pocket. I cocked an eyebrow and he smirked. "What? I like the smell."

"You're like an old lady," I grinned.

"I just have more refined tastes than you, you petrol sniffer," he countered.

He placed the remainder of the wreath on a passing kid's head, proclaiming her a queen as she giggled. We watched the familiar perform for a little while before the whistling started. The Day Guard were stalking Ben looked around, scanning the crowd, before promptly bowing his head and putting his fingers to his lips, creating a loud, short whistle, a few people around him echoed the noise. Austin grabbed his bag of ven, pulled his hood up and immediately melded into the crowd.

"You'd think they'd at least let us have a party in peace," I grumbled.

We carried on walking towards the tools stall and I saw two Day Guards hugging the inside perimeter of the bustling market. The whistling echoed and one of the men in Guard uniform looked angrily around, trying to spot whoever was creating the sound. I hid the smirk from my face as we moved on. The smirk lingered for a second until I remembered The Grange was free of photographers. Proof Tiv was gone and wasn't coming back. I swallowed down the memory of him and his rejection, putting it in a black box at the back of my mind.

The singing and dancing that echoed around us gave way to something more miserable as we ticked off items from our shopping list—axe heads, bowstrings, arrow shafts. Our neighbour, George, had been right. Mum and Dad found his wife's body, bloodied and lifeless, in the house next door with obvious signs of an Umbrith attack. Dad's usual task of creating furniture was demoted to the bottom of the priority pile as he started creating weapons for the surrounding houses. More disturbingly, George reported the incident to the Day Guard and had not been seen since. I felt sick at the thought and pushed the feeling down, also locking it in the little black box of depression.

I checked my watch, "Can you manage all this with Kithry? I said I'd meet Jo at three-thirty for a drink and a dance."

"Yeah, I've got it," Ben replied. "Do you still have the phone your toy-boy gave you?"

My face fell as the tight feeling associated with Tiv spread through my chest. "Yeah."

"Does it have any money on it?" he asked.

"It's a contract. He's still paying for it," I muttered.

"You were mad not to get a car out of him before he left," Ben mused, oblivious to the fact I was hurting. "Give it here."

I handed over the phone and watched him put his number into the tiny silver device.

"Give me a ring when you are done and I'll walk you home. Just don't make it too late."

"You not celebrating? Thought you'd be playing," I said.

"Dad is later and I'm not fighting him for the guitar. Anyway, we're not independent. There's nothing to celebrate," he mumbled before adding. "Might get shit-faced with Charlotte and Aaron just for the hell of it later."

"Good plan," I smirked.

He grinned back, "Give me a call when you're done."

"I will do," I lied.

I had no intention of using the phone. It had been a month. I should have turned it off but I hadn't, still holding out hope I hadn't been a complete idiot in believing Tiv liked me. I could call Ben from the bar's phone for a few ven anyway.

I said my goodbyes and left. I had not been a great friend to Jo since Tiv left me and so when I called and begged her to be my date for Iron Day, she had disgruntledly agreed. Before Tiv was able to ruin my mood again, I shook him from my mind again and wandered through The Grange. Thankfully the whistling had stopped. I entered Street Bar where I was supposed to be meeting Jo. It was a small shack with a lot of wooden seating areas. Fairy lights hung from the ceiling entangled with greenery. The old wooden shelves displayed bottles of labeless liquor. It was a stripped-back place but it was my favourite bar on the Grange. And Ben's. For a fleeting second, I wondered what Tiv would think of it before the aching started in my chest again. I took a deep breath, reminding myself I'd look like an idiot crying in a bar in public in the middle of the day.

Jo still had not arrived so I sat with a cheap beer—disregarded stock from the Central snobs—and watched people dancing to the band behind the window. I hadn't been back to Piker's Bar since I discovered my picture in the gossip magazine. Tiv's smiling face, his hand in mine, flashed to the front of my mind.

"Stop being so pathetic," I chastised under my breath.

My attention was distracted when a small boy ran into my lap.

"Mummy?" he asked.

I giggled and shook my head, "Not me, sorry."

He had beautifully captivating eyes; blue with golden flecks in them. He was Lambentian. I looked around the bar for his parents but there were no other Lambentian's there. I frowned down at him.

"Sorry about him," an older girl said, dragging him away. I barely glanced at her, unable to keep my eyes off the piercing golden-blue gaze of the little boy. "Come on. Let's go see my Dad."

She grabbed the boy's olive hand and pulled him away, chastising him for running off as she steered him from the building into the crowd of partygoers. He was reluctant and complained childishly, bringing a smile to my lips.

"Jo's still not here?" Alan, the barman, said, clearing my empty bottle and bringing my attention from the kids.

"No," I frowned.

"Do you want another beer?" he asked. "On the house?"

"I'd better not. I'm not sure sitting alone in a bar and getting drunk is socially acceptable," I grumbled.

"It is for me, especially on Iron Day," Alan grinned. "Go on, have another one. And if you agree to go out with me next week I'll give you the first two for free too."

Alan was great fun. I'd been seeing him a year or so ago. He started as sex for stuff, giving us his cast-off food from the bar when Dad did his back in and couldn't work. Despite how we started, we ended up having a lot of laughs. But he was loud and loved a party. I ended it after a couple of months when I got bored of dragging his drunk ass back to his parents every evening. Between that and the fact I'd fallen madly in love with a Central asshole, a date with him seemed extremely unlikely. On top of that, Ben hated Alan. Although I wasn't sure that was a valid reason not to date a guy; Ben hated everyone.

"Has the temptation of free booze ever scored you a date before?" I laughed.

He suppressed a smile, "Wouldn't you like to know!"

"You big whore," I winked before batting my eyelashes in an exaggerated gesture, hating myself just a tiny bit for the flirtatious gesture. "But if you want me in your good books, you'll let me use the phone."

"Yeah go for it," he replied.

I dialled Jo's number and eventually, her mum answered. She told me Jo had dropped her bag off half an hour ago. My lips pulled down; she should have made it to The Grange twice over by now… I offered to find Jo and bring her home instead. After a long string of suggestions about why she thought her daughter was dawdling, she thanked me and hung up.

Jo didn't live far from the busy market so I figured I would find her quickly. I reached the meadow in minutes and pushed through the tall grass to find the pathway that led to our neighbourhood. The grass was almost as tall as me; spring had sprung. Every now and then, a gust brought with it the smell of pine from the surrounding forest. I continued to wander but stopped in my tracks as an unnatural hissing sound whispered in the breeze. Hoping the sound had just been me moving through the grass, I took a tentative step. The hiss echoed again. I froze.

I knew that sound.

Glancing through the tall grass I stared intently into a small clearing ahead of me. I took a step forward to get a better view and regretted my decision instantly; a massive, grey creature was doubled over in a bed of daisies and violets. With long arms with giant talons on the end of its fingers, it could have been a gargoyle. I watched it spread its wings out wide, disturbing the grass around it. It was huge. A shiver ran down my spine making every hair on my body stand up.

Umbrith.

As silently as I could I moved backwards however stopped as the beast started shaking violently and doubled over again. As it shifted, I realised it was standing over a very bloodied corpse. Goosebumps crawled along my arm as I watched as the Umbrith pressed its wings flat into its spine. My breath caught in my throat as I realised the Umbrith was tearing off its own skin, revealing a person beneath. With a sickening thud, the last remnants of flesh fell away, revealing a naked young woman with long brunette hair. My mind couldn't comprehend what I was seeing. The air felt thick and suffocating as I struggled to hold my breath, not wanting to draw any attention to myself. But as I backed away cautiously, the rustling of grass beneath my feet gave me away. The woman's head snapped towards me with inhuman speed, her piercing gaze locking onto mine.

Jo.

It isn't real. I am dreaming.

One step. She took one step towards me. That was all that was needed for adrenaline to take over all emotion or thought. I sprinted away through the long, thick grass, pulling the mobile from my pocket as I dialled frantically. After a million years Ben finally picked up the phone.

"That was quick," he answered.

"Ben, the Umbrith! It turned into Jo! I need help," I panted quickly while trying to manoeuvre through the grass, stumbling as I ran too fast.

"Where are you?" he hissed.

"Running through the grass in Cassibare Meadow towards the old amusement building at The Grange," I gasped hysterically.

"Why the hell are you there? No- Never mind. Go to the old amusements and wait there. Do not move," he barked.

"You have got to be joking! There is no way I'm waiting at that decrepit building alone until my best friend catches me, turns into a monster and then eats me…"

He had already hung up.

I finally made it out of the grass and spotted the old building Ben pointed me to. I dashed towards it hoping he would be quick. As I sprinted for it, a voice to my left called.

"Alayna!"

I turned and saw a young man who I vaguely recognised as a mechanic from the Grange, Andrew or something. Without another word, he grabbed me by the wrist and towed me in a different direction to the abandoned amusement building.

"What the fuck are you doing? Let go of me!" I struggled.

"I know Ben," he barked.

This did nothing to put me at ease and I continued to struggle against his grip. He could easily be a shapeshifting monster like Jo. He responded to my reluctance by lifting me over his shoulder and running.

I started to kick and screech, "Put me down!"

Darting down an alleyway and definitely not putting up with my crap, he threw me against the rotting wall of the abandoned building, pinning his entire body weight against me so I was unable to move and threw his hand over my mouth. I stared into his dark hazel eyes as he glared at me, anger heating the striking collage of greens, browns, and flecks of gold. Inappropriately, I noticed how much the gold looked like Tiv's eyes, just not good and nowhere near as pretty; this guy wasn't Lambentian. He continued to scowl as I struggled to get his hand off my mouth. I sank my teeth into his flesh as hard as I could and he ground his teeth together, still not removing his hand. I couldn't do anything except try and scream which was pointless. His gaze locked with mine and I felt an unnatural calm wash over me. For a moment, I considered him safe… Until the taste of blood from his hand touched my lips. Panic flooded through me and I began to thrash against his body, trying to get away until I faintly heard the familiar sound of hissing and scratching. It was loud now. I froze and stared wide-eyed at the mechanic. With the hand that wasn't covering my mouth, he signalled for me to be silent by putting his finger to his lips, he then mouthed the word 'Please', finally taking his hand away. I breathed deeply but didn't move; I was fully aware of what I saw the last time I heard the hissing sound.

After a few seconds, the hissing sounded again, even closer this time. The man grabbed my wrist again and spirited down the alleyway, pulling me like a rag doll behind him. I did not make any noise but I wriggled in protest, trying to escape until he grew annoyed at me and threw me back over his shoulder. I heard the tyres of a car screech ahead of us and my panic went into overdrive. I kicked him hard in the stomach until he pinned my legs to him. I reacted by punching the back of his head. He opened the car door and threw me inside. I started screaming again.

"Alayna, shut up! You are drawing more attention to us!" Ben hissed from the driver's seat.

"Are you kidding me?" I screeched.

"What?" he asked sarcastically.

"When the hells did you get a car?" I shouted.

"I've had this thing a while," he shrugged.

"How did you get a car?" I continued to screech.

"It isn't stolen," Ben grinned.

Liar. Stupid fucking liar. Was he kidding?

I punched the back of his head and the car sped up slightly where he had accidentally pressed the gas. He glared at me in the rear-view mirror.

Stealing a damn car? The idiot had a death wish.

"Who is he?" I shouted, gesturing to the man now sitting in the passenger's seat.

"Aaron, this is my lovely sister. Alayna, this is Aaron, a mate from… work," he said slyly.

"We both work for Dad. Don't give me that shit!" I turned to Aaron, "Do you always need to manhandle women to get them to go anywhere with you?"

He scoffed before smirking at Ben, "Well there's no doubt she's your sister."

"So help me I'm going to throw myself out of this car if you two don't explain what in the fuck is going on!" I fumed.

"I got a frantic phone call from Ben saying his little sister was in danger and running around that damn field. Since you were the only woman running around like a lunatic, I assumed it was you. As for why I manhandled you, I didn't fancy getting killed by an Umbrith because you didn't trust who I was. It was quicker to carry you. You're welcome by the way." He examined the deep bite mark on his hand and swore. "You're a little savage, you are."

I felt the insane urge to push him out of the car.

"Alayna, he's fine," Ben said, reading my mind.

I ground my teeth together and took the more juvenile route, completely ignoring Aaron.

"Ben, I don't like your mate," I whinged like a child.

"He is an acquired taste," Ben smirked. "Where's Jo?"

"I'll tell you when we get in," I eyed Aaron suspiciously.

"I'm just going to tell him what you say so you may as well share now," Ben sighed.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"I hate you," I huffed.

"Alayna, where is Jo?" Ben repeated.

"You're going to think I'm mad," I whispered.

"I already do," Aaron chimed in.

I scoffed.

"Both of you pack it in. Aly, just tell me, please. I won't think you're crazy and Az won't make any snide comments," he promised, giving Aaron a warning look.

I glared at the back of his head but gave in and words started spilling out of my exasperated mouth before I could really think about them. The creature with wings. The mangled body it stood over... The fact the monster turned into Jo were the hardest words to bring to my throat. The more I thought about what I had said, the more I wished I hadn't had any alcohol; I felt like a lunatic. Ben and Aaron shared a worrying glance when I stopped speaking.

"It followed her but lost us when we got to the arcade," Aaron said quietly before holding up his hand. "I didn't want them to smell the blood so just legged it."

I caught Ben watching me in his rearview mirror, his eyes were anxious. Nobody spoke for a while and I got impatient.

"Well, what's the verdict? Am I mentally ill or lucky to be alive?" I asked sarcastically.

"I believe everything you said about the Umbrith in the field," Aaron shrugged. "You're still an absolute headcase though."

I lurched to hit him and Ben grabbed my hand as Aaron flung himself backward.

"Alayna, he is a mate and he is just joking," he clarified before turning to Aaron. "She will kill you, you know? And I won't stop her."

Aaron had the audacity to smirk at me.

"Your entire family needs some serious anger management counselling," he continued to joke.

"I don't know what you mean. I've always been the picture of perfect mental health," Ben grinned.

His face was soft, not marred by the usual malice that lived in his narrow eyes. I gawked, shocked by the fact my brother was still inside the angry shell he'd been wearing for years. I hadn't seen him laugh or joke properly since Hayley died, but with Aaron, he acted like he used to be. I wondered if Aaron was Ben's secret boyfriend and instantly softened toward him, although not outwardly. I still wanted him to think I'd push him out of the car in an instant if he upset me.

"So that was an Umbrith?" I pressed.

"Yeah," Ben replied, stiffening at once.

"But it's not nighttime," I hissed.

"The theory is that they only come out at night but over the last few weeks, that pattern seems to be shifting a bit. The dead body you saw was probably-"

"She's had a bad enough day without you giving her nightmares," Ben interjected menacingly.

"Ah. Sorry." Aaron didn't sound sorry.

"No, hang on a minute. How is it that you two seem to know so much about the Umbrith?" I accused.

Aaron opened his mouth to speak but Ben interrupted him again.

"We don't Aly, we are just paying attention," he said shortly.

"What aren't you telling me?" I moaned.

"Drop it," Ben barked exasperatedly.

I narrowed my eyes at him, noting the slight twitch in his left cheek. I knew he was lying, but I didn't press him further in front of Aaron. We'd have it out when we were alone.

We reached our house minutes later and I marched up the path leaving Ben and Aaron in the car. Aaron wound the window down and shouted after me.

"Nice to meet you," he called happily.

I flipped him off before I slammed the front door. The house was empty; Mum and Dad would be enjoying the party I should have been at with Jo. I dialled her number, deciding to investigate whether I had lost my mind.

"Jo?" her mum answered.

"No. It's Alayna. She still isn't home?" I whispered.

"No," she said simply, relaying the message to whoever was standing next to her, probably Fletcher who also lost his job when the Hawes left.

"What can I do?" I asked.

"Nothing now. The sun will be setting soon," the pain in her voice was unbearable.

"She'll be staying out," I responded.

We both knew it wasn't true. I felt sick.

"I hope so. Thanks for calling Alayna," she whispered.

I slid down the wall and sat in the hallway with my head in my hands until Ben came in and found me a long while later.

"We'll talk about it tomorrow," was all he said.

In my dream, I was lost in a sea of stars. I felt suffocated. Trapped. No way home. I couldn't make out where I was but the mounting anxiety ripped me from sleep with a jump. Sleep clouded my head and I took a few deep breaths, trying to rid myself of the tight feeling in my chest.

Then I froze.

That same terrifying hissing noise was very faintly coming from just outside my window. I vaulted out of bed onto the landing, staring at my bedroom window. After a minute or two, I had heard no more sounds and there was no movement from my room or outside of the window. My imagination was getting the better of me.

"This is pathetic. Snap out of it," I scolded myself.

Walking to the bathroom, I splashed cold water on my face before noticing the water swirling in the basin was brown. I wondered if the pipes were busted again… Mum had not managed to find work and we were struggling. I was fairly certain Dad and Ben were stealing stuff from Central and selling it to pay the bills month by month so it was more likely that the water bill hadn't been paid. I'd have to sell Tiv's phone soon. Or maybe myself.

I wiped the dirt from my face, the granules of grime sticking to my skin, and looked at my reflection in the mirror; I looked awful. Even in the darkness, my skin was pale and withered. The bags under my eyes were a deep purple and my lips had lost all colour. I calmed myself down and after a few minutes returned to my room, now wide awake. That made it more alarming when I reached my door and heard the distant hissing again. I stepped cautiously into my room and tried the light switch.

No electricity. Great.

Instead, I lit a large candle on my desk. It flickered turbulently, casting shadows across the worn carpet as I noticed the window now opened wide. I walked to it and saw something huge move unnaturally in my peripheral vision. I tensed as a long grey limb slammed into me, knocking me backwards by several feet. A shiver of white-hot agony struck my head and back as I crashed into the bannister on the landing with a bang. Wood splintered under my weight, nearly giving way to send me tumbling down to the hallway below. Air whooshed from my lungs; no scream escaped, just a helpless wheeze.

The thing prowled closer with a feline grace, towering over me. It's grey, smooth skin, like granite. The creature's face twisted into something human but not, with blood-red eyes and needle-sharp teeth jutting from its wide jaw. To my right, I heard movement; Mum and Dad were awake now.

Stumbling to my feet, legs wobbly like jelly, I bolted towards my bedroom door. My only thought was to lead the thing away from Mum and Dad's bedroom. But the Umbrith was faster. It lunged, flattening me beneath its hulking mass while sniffing at my neck with a wet snarl. This time I realised where my lungs were. One long blood-curdling scream ripped from me as the creature's talons swiped for my face. Adrenaline surged as I swung a jagged shard of bannister at it, buying myself precious seconds as it shredded my makeshift shield into splinters instead of my face.

Then there was chaos. Mum and Dad had thrown themselves at the beast and knocked it sideways off me. The glint of steel in Mum's hand plunged into its flesh again and again as I shuffled frantically away. Not fast enough as Mum shouted, "Get back!" Her voice cut through my daze as she yanked me up and shoved me behind her skinny frame.

Mum stood protectively in front of me as Dad charged headlong at the creature with nothing but a broken stake from our shattered bannister. From nowhere, Ben dived at it and shot it in the head. The beast staggered but didn't fall. It rounded on Ben with a demonic screech of rage. Across from me, Dad braced for another onslaught, makeshift weapon raised high as Ben shook off his daze, squaring up again.

My chest filled with panic. Frozen, unbearable panic. Mum kept retreating, not taking her eyes off the Umrbith until we both had our backs to the wall. The cool plaster somehow kept me grounded, but it also felt like a tombstone behind me. Mum's body shielded me from the monster and I could only stand there helpless.

The creature grabbed Dad and flung him from the first floor landing to the hallway below. He landed on his back with an audible crunch. Me and Mum screamed so loud we drowned out another gunshot. It seemed to go through the creature's chest but somehow still didn't deter it. It turned and flung itself at Ben who promptly spat in its face. It screeched as if in pain from the saliva's contact and Mum took the distraction, running her jagged blade into its back again. It threw her away as Ben shot it again in the back of the head. Without hesitating, he jumped on the Umbrith's back and pulled its neck taut. Mum threw the knife to him and I was almost sick as I watched him violently slash at its throat, black blood spurting everywhere, until he was holding its head separate from its body. The second the monster's torso hit the ground Ben jumped over it, dropping the head, and sprinted down the stairs, falling at my Dad's side.

"Dad, can you hear me?" he barked.

I took one look at the dead creature lying on the landing before I followed Ben to Dad's side. I fell to my knees, sobbing. The room was spinning as Mum ran to the phone in the hallway and began trying to phone an ambulance. She had her hand over her mouth to hold in the gasps.

"Dad?" I held his hand but he was still.

"Ben, no electricity. Will you phone whoever is on nights?" Mum whimpered.

Ben nodded and ran back to his room to grab his phone. Somewhere far away it registered Mum knew about the mobile.

"Hey, no not really. Yeah, Umbrith. Yeah, in the house. Dad's in bad shape and we can't get a hold of an ambulance. Bring the van around," Ben muttered quickly, returning to Dad.

He hung up the phone as Mum knelt by Dad's side, cooing softly to him, tenderly touching him as if he was made of glass and telling him he would be alright.

"When the Guard questions you later, do not tell them what really happened. If anyone asks then you tell them he fell down the stairs. They obviously don't want this getting out," Ben whispered.

Mum nodded, "What about the Umbrith? Why did it come into our house?"

"I don't know why-"

"They don't come into houses! That is the only reason we have ever been safe from them," Mum panicked.

"Don't worry about that now. We'll hide it. Aaron and Paul can get rid of it."

Did they mean Dad's friend, Paul? Was I the only person who was seemingly left out of the Umbrith Appreciation Group?

"We need to tell people the truth or they're going to die!" I argued.

"Alayna, listen to me: the Guard will take us like they did George if we start blabbing. They obviously don't want to start a panic and risk a rebellion on a much bigger scale. We will tell our people but we won't be stupid about it. We don't want to draw attention to ourselves yet," Ben protested. "Dad will agree. Let me handle this, I promise everything will be okay."

I looked at my poor Dad and pushed down the fresh sob that was trying to claw its way up my throat.

"Okay," I replied simply.

Ben had never let me down before.

I had spent the last hour and a half being questioned by the Night Guard at the hospital. It was past five o'clock in the morning and I was exhausted. I stuck to Ben's story and told them Dad innocently fell even though it went against every instinct I had. But Ben was right. He was always right. So I lied. After begging on numerous occasions I was finally set free and allowed to see my Dad.

As I entered the hospital room where he lay, the prick who'd questioned me called for Mum. She walked silently out of the room, touching my shoulder as she left. Ben was sitting in the chair to the left of our Dad's bed looking like a ghost. Dad looked worse; his messy red hair was matted with blood which had leaked into his beard. His pale skin was tinged a deep purple. I instantly got a lump in my throat.

"The verdict is mild swelling of his brain and a broken back with several broken ribs. Dr. Connor has induced a coma to try and reduce the swelling," Ben explained, jaw muscles twitching.

His words pushed me over the edge and brought me to tears again. Wordlessly Ben stood up and hugged me. They had all saved me while I just stood there uselessly, frozen like a statue.

"We can't afford this. We will have to sell everything to keep him in hospital," I gasped. This was Jax all over again.

"No we won't," Ben replied shortly. "I told you, just let me deal with everything. We will be fine."

I sobbed, "You cannot sort this out. This is too much money. Too much to steal."

"Enough with the tears. It's not going to help him. Just stop stressing. I'm not stealing it," he replied weakly.

"What are you hiding from me?" I insisted, wiping my face.

He rubbed his eyes and said nothing, turning to sit at Dad's bedside again.

I ground my teeth together, "I've had enough. You are going to tell me whatever you are hiding from me. Now."

"No," he growled.

"Fine. I'll go and speak to Aaron. He seemed more than willing to tell me," I tried to leave the room and Ben rushed to stop me.

"Alayna, drop it!"

"No. You're sneaking out in the night, you have new mates who you're constantly calling and all know too much about the Umbrith! I know you have learnt how to shoot somewhere and I'm guessing that it is the same place you figured out all that information about those things. You stole a mobile phone and a damn car without even thinking about what would happen if you got caught! What would happen to us if you got caught," I cried. "All three of you know what's going on and I'm in the dark. And while I'm in the dark I'm useless and defenceless. You're going to get me killed."

Ben's face was torn. After a few seconds, he composed himself and opened the hospital room door.

"Let's go and get some coffee. I'm sure Dad won't notice we're gone," he muttered.

I sat on an uncomfortable metal chair in the bland, all-night hospital canteen. The wall tiles were a faded white with some kind of unclean brown staining on the ceiling. It did not feel like a sterile hospital should. But it was a scab hospital so that was to be expected. The canteen was empty, just a coffee jug and a few chocolate bar dispensers. I wriggled around in the chair, sure I had done something to my back in the confrontation. As the night went on, my head throbbed harder and harder but I didn't say anything, knowing I was finally about to get information out of Ben. He approached the table with two cups of coffee and sat opposite me.

"Are you not going to pay for them?" I asked. Even taking coffee for free from a scan hospital felt like stealing from our own.

"Do you have any ven?" he retorted.

I realised we were both sitting in what we had worn for bed.

"Ah," I murmured.

"Okay, what do you want to know?" he asked.

"How are you getting Dad free hospital care," I asked immediately.

He shrugged, "Dr. Connor is a friend of mine and Michael's. Met him about two years ago. He treats us for free and deals with the paperwork. He gets whatever he wants from the Grange forever for free. We got someone to sort him out a house for free in central too. Yalma, a local healer at the Grange, also helps. I told you it was good to have a familiar on your side."

"Is Yalma the Lambentian familiar?" I asked.

"Yeah."

I remembered her clearly from the Grange. She was known as the only Lambentian scab. The only Lambentian with a barcode. People loved her. She sold medicines.

"Why couldn't I tell anyone about Jo turning into an Umbrith?"

My questions rolled out one after another, seizing this rare opportunity of openness he hadn't given me in years.

"If people thought that these things could walk around as one of us and during the day, they'd lose it. Not just riots. We don't want to risk society killing each other."

I nodded, processing. "The gun—when did you pick up shooting?"

Ben's gaze was level. "Got the gun for protection. Dad and Paul showed me how to shoot a couple years back."

His responses to my questions were precise, not giving away more information than he thought was necessary.

"I see what you are doing," I accused. "Why won't you tell me what is going on?"

He let out a drawn-out breath, "Aly, if I tell you what you want to know then you'll want to do it too and it's too dangerous."

"Do what?"

He rubbed his eyes slowly, "I am part of a group, sort of like the Night Guard, but actually useful. We kill Umbrith."

Gobsmacked, I stared at him. A strange giggle escaped me, "So you're like superheros?"

"You are unbelievable," he murmured into his hands.

"Okay sorry," I said, trying to suppress the stupid urge to ridicule him. "So you knew that Umbrith were shapeshifters?"

He nodded.

"You knew Jo was one?" I asked him.

"No," he said grimly. "If I'd known, you wouldn't have got near her."

"Has Jo ever been a person?"

I heard how stupid the question was as I said it. But she'd been my best friend since we were children. We had dressed up as ancient princesses and bossed Ben around in our games. She had sobbed in my arms when we were fifteen and a boy broke her heart. Lucy kicked his ass. Jo somehow laughed about it... She was the person I went to with all my problems. We hid each other from the Guard. Well, she hid me from the guard. Regardless, we always looked out for each other.

Ben looked at me, tight-jawed, "Jo's dead."

My stomach dropped. His words struck somewhere deep and locked away. A hollow ache seemed to ripple through me. Deeper than even Lucy's death hit.

Don't cry.

But my voice cracked still with the effort of staying calm, "Explain."

"Aly, you've had a long night and I don't think I am helping. Can we please do this another time?"

"Cut the crap and just tell me," I barked.

He paused for a moment and took a deep breath, "Umbrith aren't people, they just have the ability to change into their victims sometimes. It doesn't always happen and we don't know why some Umbrith can steal their victims' identities and some can't. If someone's personality changes drastically then it's probably more likely they've been killed and an Umbrith has taken over their form as a disguise. You mentioned a body in the field with the Umbrith. We went back after we took you home. It was her."

My stomach rolled over again and I gasped, unable to keep the sob from escaping my lips. The body had not remotely looked like her. I hadn't even noticed a change in her… because I'd spent the last month wrapped in my own little selfish bubble. Or maybe it had just killed her. Maybe if I'd called her Mum earlier instead of drinking alone and flirting with Alan I could have made it on time.

"Sorry," Ben said robotically.

"How long has this been going on?" I sobbed.

"I found out about two years ago," he replied.

All of this started two years ago: meeting the doctor, learning to shoot…

"What changed two years ago to…" I trailed off as I answered my own question. "Hayley died."

Ben stood up, "Come on. Let's go and see if Mum is finished."

"Wait, no please," I begged. "I'll not bring your mate up again."

Ben smiled at me sadly, "She was my girlfriend Alayna. I'd been with her for years. How did you not know that?"

I gawked, "When she died Mum said she was your friend. I never really met her properly. You never brought her around."

Ben shrugged stiffly, "I regret that."

"What was she like?" I asked

Ben simply shook his head at me and I knew I'd killed any chance of getting more information from him.

"Wait, one more question," I said quickly.

"What?"

"Mum and Dad are involved?" It didn't sound like a question.

"Mum knows but isn't involved. Dad makes weapons that we can use to kill those things," Ben clarified. "When he realised he wasn't stopping me he decided helping was a better option."

Ben refused to give me any more after that. We headed out of the uncomfortable café and trudged slowly back to Dad's room. I felt dizzy but didn't say anything as Aaron ran into us halfway up the stairs.

"I've just been looking for you, your Mum is still talking with the Night Guard," Aaron said. "Dr. Connor wants you."

"We were just heading back up now," Ben yawned.

We all started to climb the stairs silently.

"Lucky I swapped shifts with you tonight," Aaron muttered.

"You have no idea," Ben breathed.

We arrived at the small ward and Ben left to talk to the doctor. Dr Connor was a young man, not much older than Ben. He had a kind face. As he spoke to my brother, he kept his face composed, only once rubbing his tired, blue eyes before putting a hand through his blonde hair. He was the only one of the doctors in the whole place who would explain things with a kind demeanour and a smile.

I leaned against the hospital hallway wall and pain shot down my spine again, I winced but remained in place, unwilling to go back and look at Dad's crumpled body. The pounding in my head had worsened from information overload. I put my hand on my head and noticed Aaron still standing next to me.

"Why are you at the hospital in the middle of the night?" I asked.

"Ask your brother," he replied.

"I've run out of question coupons tonight I think," I huffed, rubbing my temples again. "What does swapped shifts mean?"

He hesitated, clearly unsure as to whether he should give me information without Ben's permission, "He was supposed to be helping out somewhere tonight but I did it for him."

Ben was almost not with us tonight. I frowned. If that was true then he would never leave me alone again. I thought about telling Jo about the night from hell and exhaled sharply when I remembered I couldn't.

"How are you feeling?" Aaron asked solemnly.

"Fine," I replied shortly.

"Listen, can we start again? I realise I was a bit of an ass yesterday but have you seen the size of your brother? He would have ripped me in half if I hadn't got you back to him," Aaron explained.

"But usually Ben's so calm, " I quipped.

"Yeah he has about as much chill as you do," he grinned back.

I smiled. It felt unnatural. Like I shouldn't have reason to smile. Like I would never have reason to smile ever again. With a sudden sense of feeling like I was going to vomit, the room pitched. I sat on the floor and put my head in between my legs; my head was really spinning.

"Connor," was the last thing I heard Aaron call as I slumped unconscious to the floor.