Tremble (Denazen #3)(6)
I pushed him aside and peered around the large tree trunk to see Kale bent low to the ground just beneath a streetlamp, hand flat against the sidewalk. The concrete in front of him shimmered and twitched as something dark—like a thousand tiny shadows clustered together and churning like chaos—gathered. The mass of black convulsed twice, then sank into the ground.
It moved like a snake, skating not along the ground but inside it. Just under the surface, bouncing back and forth between the edge of the lawn and the curb, and then heading straight toward the couple. When it reached them, there was a surge of darkness beneath the guy’s feet and, within seconds, he exploded into a million dustlike particles that were carried away on the breeze.
“Holy shit!” Alex stumbled back behind the tree as the girl’s hysterical screams cut through the night, drawing people out from inside the house. He tried to drag me with him as a crowd started to gather on the sidewalk but I resisted, too sick to peel my eyes from the sight.
I covered my mouth to keep from screaming.
A small pile of dust remained in front of the girl. She’d fallen to her knees, uncontrollably sobbing while rocking steadily back and forth. Seeing something like that—even when you knew these things existed—could mess you up. I wondered if she’d ever be the same. I wasn’t sure I’d be.
When I finally managed to tear my gaze away from the girl, I found Kale staring at me. Kiernan noticed, too. She hooked her arm around his shoulder and blew me a kiss before leading him away as sirens split the air.
“She knew we were standing here,” I breathed, finally letting Alex tug me around to the other side of the tree. “She wanted us to see that…”
3
“It was freaky, Dax. He was actually kind of a dick.” There was a snap, and a flame flickered to life from the tip of Alex’s lighter. Lifting a cigarette to his lips, he took a long pull and said, “More so than normal, I mean.”
“Alex,” Ginger warned. I figured she’d tell him to put out the cigarette because she hated the smell, but instead she waved her empty cup back and forth. “I’m not getting any younger here.”
He rolled his eyes and disappeared with the cup—cigarette still between his lips—to refill her drink.
After Kale and Kiernan left, we’d gone back into the party to find Jade. Miraculously, she hadn’t heard the screaming or its resulting chaos. I was pretty sure she was the only one and that it had something to do with the fact that she’d been flirting hardcore with Tom Bozeman, Parkview High’s basketball captain.
I’d wanted to follow Kale, but Alex wasn’t having it. He threatened to throw me over his shoulder if I tried. I decided that, since he was bigger he’d probably win, and besides the embarrassment factor, it was probably for the best.
Aside from his inexplicable personality adjustment and nifty new use of his ability, Kale was dangerous. Denazen trained him to be an unstoppable killing machine from the time he could walk. The fact that Kiernan seemed to have him wrapped around her sleazy little finger and convinced I was the enemy only made it ten times worse. We needed to approach this situation with caution.
“They did something to him. That wasn’t Kale.” It was the first thing I said since getting back to home base—AKA the cabin Dax had moved us to. Every eye in the room turned to me. They probably thought I was going into some kind of shock or something. “I mean, obviously it was Kale, but they scrambled his brain. Confused things. Kiernan told him my name was Kiernan, and he was calling her Roz.”
“That makes sense, Dez.” Alex reappeared with Ginger’s cup. He blew out a puff of smoke and handed her the drink, then turned to me. I didn’t like his expression. Pity and something else. Sympathy. It didn’t look right on him. Not that Alex was unsympathetic or cold, but he didn’t normally sugarcoat things. “As much as I hate to say this, I’m betting nothing anyone could ever do to that freak could erase you completely from his mind. I saw it right away; I don’t know how you missed it.”
“Missed what?” As Alex sat down, Dax pulled the cigarette from his fingers and took a long drag before handing it back.
“The blond hair. The black tips. The way Kiernan was dressed. Hell, even the name she’s using. Roz? Come on…”
“Cross swapped them,” Ginger said, banging her cane against the floor. She lifted the cup to her lips and took a sip. “Of course.”
“It’s an identity theft nightmare,” Alex agreed. “He gave Kiernan’s name to Dez’s face and Dez’s name to Kiernan’s face.”
If that were the case, it’d explain why there was so much hate in his eyes when Kiernan mentioned her own name. Somewhere deep inside, Kale must remember she’d help create this mess. And if that was true, then he was still in there. There was hope. “But how did they do it?”
“Another Six, maybe?” Mom chimed in. She was sitting across from me, next to Dax.
“But that doesn’t explain the change in his ability,” Alex interjected. “It was wicked. I can’t see that being the result of another Six’s power.”
“We need more information.” Whatever they did to Kale, it could be undone. It had to be. I just needed to figure out how.
“Need to be careful, though.” Alex dropped the butt of his cigarette into an empty Coke can. It gave the tiniest hint of a sizzle. “Judging from the way he was all over—” He frowned and tapped the table. “I mean, touching Kiernan shows he’s ten times more dangerous than he used to be. He’s got control over it now. That allows him to move around more freely. We can’t go rushing in until we know what we’re up against. This is a game changer.”