It wasn’t as quick and easy with her parents. She wanted to talk to them both at once, and without the boys around. Though now that she considered things, she imagined Travis had felt what they’d been doing.
She had to wait until after dinner, after chores, after Ethan, bubbling, left for his sleepover with his new best friend Max.
She eased into it, discussing first the people chosen to work with Simon, the suggestions for other bases, asking her mother to initially supervise the cooks and meals at the barracks.
Stalling, she admitted, and ashamed she hadn’t let herself see the worry in her parents’ eyes.
“I want to start off saying I’m sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you what Duncan, Tonia, and I have been doing. It’s my fault, all of it, because I made it a provision we keep the mission secret.”
“You put a lot of worry weight on your mom, Fallon.”
“I know it. I put more weight on by convincing myself I was doing the opposite. But—”
Lana shook her head. “Don’t qualify. Just don’t. I’ve known what you are to the world, some of what you’d face since before you were born. So has your father. We raised you, however hard it was for us, so you’d be strong and able to pick up that sword and shield. Deceiving us, keeping us out of what you do? It demeans that. It demeans us.”
Really, really bad at it, Fallon thought again. She’d get better.
“Mom. There’s no one in the world I need more than the two of you, no one I trust more, no one I love more. I’m going to make mistakes, and I know when I do they can have terrible consequences. That scares me more than anything. I should’ve told you, that’s respect. I won’t make that mistake again.”
Something cold crawled up her spine, had her shifting.
“What is it?” Lana demanded.
“I don’t know. Something … Probably guilt, but—” She looked up, saw nothing but stars and a hanging white moon.
“It might be you’re a little worn-out,” Simon suggested. “Keeping this secret, bouncing and flashing all over the country turning bombs into broken glass.” His eyes narrowed on her face. “What’d I get wrong there?”
“It’s just we’ve been alternating sites in the U.S. with sites overseas. Like, ah, Russia, Asia, Europe.”
“You’ve been to Russia?” Simon broke out in a grin.
“You flashed to Russia?” Lana’s reaction wasn’t a grin. “For God’s sake, Fallon. What if you’d lost the connection on the way, dropped into the damn ocean? What if … and this is exactly why you didn’t tell us. Exactly.”
She closed her eyes, drew in a breath. “My mistake, and I’ll try not to make it again.”
But Fallon felt that chill a second time, and something pushing, pushing to get in, to open.
“Do you feel that?” It squeezed at her heart, twisted in her belly. “Do you feel that?”
“What?” Even as Lana reached for her she sprang up from where she’d sat on the porch.
“Something’s coming.”
She heard the engine, saw the headlight. Laid a hand on the hilt of her sword. Then relaxed it again. “It’s Duncan’s bike. It’s Tonia on Duncan’s bike.”
She waited.
Something’s happened. Something’s happening. Something’s coming. Something’s here.
Tonia stopped the bike, turned it off. “Hey. Ah …”
She got off, walked to the porch. “Anyway, Duncan said he’d already talked to both of you.”
“Duncan?” Fallon repeated.
“Yeah, he tracked me down at the barracks.”
“And came to talk to me at the community kitchen. I got flowers,” Lana added. “Come up, sit down.”
“He’s such a suck-up.” Tonia offered a wan smile. “I don’t have any flowers, but I’m just as sorry as he is. Apologies, sincerely.”
“It’s my fault. I made it a condition.”
“Condition’s bull.” Tonia shrugged as she came up the porch steps. “We agreed with you. We know it, you know it. We were all wrong. And don’t try to hog my apology.”
“Let’s call it a clean slate.” Simon glanced at Fallon and his easy smile slipped away. “You okay, baby?”
“Can you feel it? Can you hear it? Crows circling, wings slicing. The fruit and the flowers. Dark masked by innocence. Blood of the blood, bone of the bone. Can you feel it?”
“I can now.” Tonia, a hand on Fallon’s arm, went pale as the moon. “I can now. Oh God, oh Jesus. Duncan.”
They flashed together.
“What the hell!”
“Something’s coming.”
Simon rounded on Lana, grabbed her hand. “Don’t even think about going without me. Let me get the rifle, a sidearm.”
“Hurry.” She ran inside with him, shouted for Colin. Pounded up the stairs for the knife she’d carried out of New Hope.
Colin rushed out of his room, sword in hand.
“Get Travis.”
“I’m here. What is it?”
“I’m not sure. Go to Fred’s, tell her something’s coming. Something’s coming to New Hope. Tell Eddie to come, tell him to get everyone he can.” Lana spun to Colin, took his shoulders in her hands. “Stay with the children.”
“Mom—”
“Stay with them, listen to me. Listen. If this gets through us … Keep the children safe, Colin.”
“I will.” He looked at Travis. “We will.”
“I love you.” She sprinted downstairs, grabbed Simon’s hand. “I love you,” she said again, and flashed.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Since they were taking a night off to recharge before hitting the next sites on Fallon’s list, Duncan wandered down toward the community gardens and park. Some of his friends talked about hanging out, playing some music.
He hadn’t had much of a chance to do either, or even think about getting his hands on his girl of the moment, Carlee Jentz. Trouble was, he admitted, he hadn’t much missed getting his hands on Carlee. They’d hung together most of August, into September, but now as October came calling …
He liked her fine—a lot, really. She was just the sort of girl he liked getting his hands on.
Curvy, fun, uncomplicated.
He just needed to unwind, he decided. Fallon kept him wound up, in all sorts of ways.
He liked her fine, too, and holy hell they did good work together. He respected how she got things done. Dealing with the bombs, building an army. He admired her skill with a sword. He’d watched her one night before they’d met for the mission. He’d sat on the roof of the barracks, just to chill, and out she’d come, sword in hand.
She’d conjured three opponents, took them on at the same time. Took them out.
He looked forward to testing his skills against hers in practice one of these days.
But the fact was, she wasn’t anywhere near curvy, she wasn’t a hell of a lot of fun, and she was seriously complicated.
He didn’t know why he wanted to get his hands on her, wanted them on her more than he wanted them on Carlee. Or anybody else.
Maybe it was the power connection, or the blood connection. Maybe it was just that she was different from anyone he’d ever known. Whatever the reason, he knew thinking about her—that way—made him itchy.
So he’d stop thinking about her that way, and for tonight, at all. He’d hang out in the park, listen to music, watch Denzel smoke his guitar.
Denzel handled a guitar—a banjo, even a violin—like he’d been born to play, just like he handled any sort of ball. God knew he handled them better than he did any kind of weapon.
He needed to spend more time with Denzel, improving his skills, tightening up his form. And convincing his friend to focus his talents in some other area. He was never going to be a warrior.
Maybe he’d enlist Petra on that mission, since Denzel was gone, gone, gone over her, and Petra seemed good and stuck on him.
As if thinking about her conjured her, he heard Petra call his name. Turned. Smiling, she walked toward him carrying a box.
“Heading down to the park?” he asked.
“Yeah. I’m meeting Denzel. Is Tonia coming?”
“She’ll be around. She had something to do first.”
“I’ve hardly seen her lately.”
“Lots going on right now.”
“I know. All those new people.” It put a cloud in her eyes. “Anyway. I hope Hannah comes, too.”