See How She Runs (The Chronicles of Izzy #1)(67)

I snickered. The past month had not been kind to poor Molly. She was constantly shocked by Ian’s fashion choices and hated that she had zero privacy. I could tell she was counting down the days until freedom. Little did she know, there would be no shaking him.

“Everyone rise for the honorable Council!" a voice shouted from the corner.

Everyone present stood as five people walked in. They varied in age and gender. There were two Guardians and three Seers on the Council, it would seem. The two Guardians looked to be in their early sixties as did two of the Seers on the Council. I wondered if they were paired. Then there was what must have been the head honcho. She walked in with a grace I had only ever dreamed of. There was something about her that seemed as though she had lived a thousand years in her lifespan. There was no denying her right to lead.

“Be seated," the woman said with more strength than her body seemed possible of producing.

“We are here to review the happenings of the day the lab was infiltrated. These proceedings must go on uninterrupted. If there are any problems, or you must leave for any reason please do so quietly. Some of the things we will be seeing today might be disturbing, and for that I do apologize. It is, however, necessary. We must have all of the information," she said, looking directly at me.

I shivered, unsure of what was to come. The next few hours proved to be a lesson in patience and slow torture. They had brought in a screen to play back the security footage retrieved from the lab. I had to relive every horrifying moment of my time in the lab. The last of the tapes was brought in, and the old crone removed herself from her chair and made her way toward me.

She bent over and looked me directly in the eyes. I felt as though she were tearing back layers of my soul. I stared back, afraid to avert my eyes or show any sort of weakness.

“This next bit will not be easy for you. However, you must stay. You need to see the truth," she said pointedly before motioning for the video to be started back up.

She retreated back up to her seat and left me wondering why she had singled me out. The moment the video started, I understood. There I was on the screen screaming and fighting against Xavier and his men as they dragged me to the table. They hooked me up to more tubes than I could count, and all the while I thrashed against my confines. I watched myself as I fought for freedom that I knew would be denied.

Then the worst started. They hooked me up to the machine and left me. The time stamp passed more quickly showing my body violently thrashing. I would rip the tubes from my arms only to have them replaced. It was a horrifying parade of every nightmare played on my mind. My body felt weary watching it all. I was still suffering this same torture. I knew that every night I still screamed out. I knew every night I still thrashed.

The time stamp slowed and I saw that a week had passed. So, I had been tortured for an entire week. Why had no one told me? I watched in horror as I saw what was about to play out. I saw Kennan rush in only to be knocked unconscious by Xavier. I saw myself pull out of the dreaming. I was terrified with what I saw.

I looked cold and calculating, as though every ounce of good had been stripped away. I wondered if I still looked that way. The tears started to flow as I watched myself end Xavier. It all played out so quickly and then it was over. I did nothing to stem the flow of tears. There was no point. They came of their own accord in response to things I had been repressing for far too long.

I watched as the time stamp skipped ahead, and I thought that I saw Xavier move. It couldn’t have been though, because I had severed his jugular. I had watched him bleed out. Then the time stamp skipped again and the room was empty. I looked back up to the Council head and saw her watching me. She nodded almost imperceptibly. Something had happened and I was not sure what. Somehow the video had been altered, but I was not sure if that meant Xavier was still alive, or if someone just wanted us to think that.

The meeting was drawn to an end with testimonies from all of the Guardians sent in to retrieve us. It was exhausting and by the end all I wanted to do was fall into bed with Kennan. I prayed for at least one night’s sleep.





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TWENTY NINE





The meeting came to an end and we were all ushered out. We were informed that there would be more Council meetings to discuss the goings on at the lab, but that we would most likely not be required to attend. I was not sure I would be able to make it through another one of those meetings. I was exhausted. I felt like an empty shell of my former self.

Kennan grabbed my hand and dragged me behind him out of the door. He headed up to the living quarters and pulled me in his wake. He did not slow down when we reached the stairs, nor did he slow when we got to our floor. He kept pulling until we were inside the room he had been assigned. He closed the door behind me. He stood there for a second before turning me pinning me against the wall in the process.

He pushed me up the wall and kissed me fiercely. Fire rose in my belly and brought forth the first violent emotions I had felt in days. I surrendered to the frenzy and allowed the fire to consume me and warm the darkest parts of my soul. I clung to Kennan and poured all of my unspoken fears and desires into the kiss. I wrapped myself around him and threw myself over to the base needs of my body.

He pulled me away from the wall and moved me to the bed, all the while kissing me like I would fade away at any moment. He lowered himself on top of me and slowed the kiss. He pulled back and rested his forehead against my own. He tried to calm his breathing as I tried to get myself back under control.