Broken Knights (Gifted Academy #4) - Michelle Hercules Page 0,76
I step closer to Daisy, linking our hands together. She squeezes mine tightly, but I don’t know if she’s aware that she’s doing it. I’m not sure how long Bryce maintains his healing powers at full capacity, but when the light fades, it does quickly, and he tumbles sideways soon after. I try to stop him with my powers, but my mother reaches him first.
“Oh no. Bryce.” Daisy lets go of my hand and crouches next to him.
“He’s out cold. Is he okay?” Mom asks me as she cradles him in her lap.
“I hope so. Healing weakens him.”
Bryce stirs and mumbles incoherent words, but his eyes remain closed. The boy he healed, however, is awake now.
“Mommy?” he asks in a tiny voice. “Where’s Mommy?”
Ah hell. Now we have to tell him he’ll never see his mother again. My heart tightens to the point that it might shatter into tiny fragments. I sit next to him, careful not to scare the poor kid even more. There’s not a single scar left on his body, but his big hazel eyes are filled with fear as he stares at me.
“Hey, buddy. How are you feeling?”
“You’re one of the bad guys.”
Fuck. It didn’t even occur to me to mask my powers. “I’m not a bad guy. I’m on your side.”
“But you’re an Idol.”
I wince. Hell, we do have a terrible rep. “Yes, but not all Idols are bad.”
He keeps watching me with unblinking eyes for a moment, and then he switches his attention to the others. “Do you know where my mommy is?”
“No, honey. What’s her name?” Daisy smiles kindly at him, but her eyes tell a different story. They’re bright and sad.
“I think Daddy calls her Margaret.”
“Do you know your last name?” my mother asks.
He pinches his eyebrows together and then shakes his head. “I can’t remember.”
Rufio and Morpheus find us, and by their solemn expressions, I gather they have bad news.
“What is it?” I ask.
“Xavier wants to hold a meeting,” Morpheus replies. “But I think we should wait until Bryce recovers.”
“I’ll be up in a second,” he mumbles, his eyes still closed.
“How are you feeling?” Daisy caresses his cheek.
“Like I’ve been running on fumes for days.”
“Speaking of fumes, do you think the lightning-glass stones we brought will be enough to keep us hidden from Bad Grandpa?” I ask Morpheus.
“Nope. I can sense him getting closer. It’s why Xavier wants to talk. There might be another away to hide us from him.”
“Who is Bad Grandpa?” The kid Bryce healed sits up, rubbing his eyes. His blond hair is still covered in soot and dried blood. I guess Bryce’s abilities don’t include cleanup.
“My grandfather,” Morpheus replies.
“Why is he bad?”
“Because he’s old and grumpy,” Bryce butts in, finally getting back up. He massages his temple and then tries to suppress a yawn.
“I don’t have a grandpa or grandma.” The little boy glances down, his shoulders slumping forward. He looks so vulnerable and alone, I want to hug him and tell him everything will be okay.
“You’re not missing much.” Morpheus shrugs.
“What’s your name?” Rufio asks the kid.
“Theo.”
He scrunches up his nose, and a second later, he sneezes, which sends him flying across the room.
“What the fuck!” Rufio yells.
Bryce and I both throw our arms forward, but I’m the only one who actually does stop Theo from a nasty fall. Bryce is still out of juice. I bring him back to us. More precisely, back to my mother’s arms.
“Are you okay, Theo?” She cradles him like he was her own child. I imagine that’s how she used to be with me before my father did what he did.
The fissure on the latch in my brain spreads in different directions like a spider web. One more blow and I’ll drown in my dark memories.
“I sneezed and flew,” he says in awe. “I was never able to do that before.”
“No, but I think things are going to be a little different from now on,” Bryce replies.
“Different how? Do I have superhero powers?” His eyes become as round as saucers.
He has no idea.
“Didn’t you just heal him?” Morpheus asks Bryce.
“Yeah.”
“Wow, so the change is happening faster.” Morpheus passes a hand over his face.
“It seems so, but the side effects are getting harder too. I feel awful.”
“Don’t even think about healing anyone else today,” Daisy tells him sternly.
“I don’t think I could even if I wanted to. I’m numb inside; I can barely feel my power in my core.”
I trade a worried glance with Rufio. It’s hard to tell if we’re