The Tracker Hive Academy Year One - Avery Song Page 0,92

put the blame on me now? Last time I checked, this issue was happening before my brothers and I took the case. Try again, Jade."

He grinned and lowered his gun, but I kept mine in place.

"Why don't I ask you this? Do you love me, Jade?"

I took a steady breath, staring into his eyes. "You already know the answer to that."

"Say it," he whispered, allowing his voice to tremble.

I hurt him. I could sense it, but he didn't understand. He didn't get the situation I was in.

We were in.

"Yes. I love you," I confessed.

It wasn't a lie. I actually did love him and the others. I cared for each of them, even if I hadn't spent equal time with all of them. I'd spent the most time with Zeke, making the connection between us the strongest.

"Then do me this one favor. This one last challenge."

I knew what he was going to ask me to do, and I wished he wouldn’t, because I wouldn't be able to deny him. I'd do anything he asked. I was sure he'd been betrayed in the past.

Would keeping my secrets safe lead me to lose the men I cared about? Lead me to lose everything in general?

"Fine," I confidently replied, lowering the gun. "What favor am I supposed to do? Pretty two-faced yourself when you said you'd never ask a favor of me."

The second part of my statement was bitter, and I could tell from his frown that he hated it.

"Press that gun to your temple and pull the trigger."

We stared in silence, my tears rolling down my cheeks.

Was this real? This had to be a hallucination. Was Zeke...my Zeke asking this of me?

"You want me to take my own life? That's the favor you're asking of me?"

"Your dad asked for a favor after you fucked up. Don't you think you owe it to him to stop living a lie? You and Shadow Jade killed your entire family. You blamed it on a man because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time and fit the profile. You played the victim and took pills to shoo away the demons that haunted you on a daily basis. All while the man you blamed had to hide in the shadows because he can't clear his name. Maybe I never emphasized it, but I hate liars. I hate people like you; selfish individuals like you are the reason our mom died. I'm not dating a lying, dirty bitch. I'm not going to let the others near you. Either you pull the trigger, or I'll go to Alaric myself and reveal all the evidence Zion and the others discovered after looking through your file in more detail."

I nervously bit my lip, glancing down to the red metallic gun I’d created with the mixture of dark and fire magic. My weapon of choice was a sword, leaving me to wonder why I'd thought a gun was the better choice. If I pulled the trigger, it wouldn't be a prank.

It was a real weapon, and the bullet would blow my brains out.

Wasn't that something I deserved though? He'd figured out the secret I'd kept hidden my whole life. If he knew, so did the others.

My secret was revealed, and I'd lost the game.

I slowly lifted my hand, pressing the barrel of the gun against my temple. Zeke remained where he was, not a hint of emotion in his face.

"What will this achieve?" I whispered. "It won't prove that man's innocence."

"It certainly will. I'm recording this entire thing. Your admission of guilt will be recorded and provided to the court, proving this man's innocence. Then he'll probably sue Alaric and the rest of the Tracker Hive association. Your secret is merely the beginning of the takedown of the very organization you've been busting your ass to be officially a part of. How does it feel to know you're the reason it's all going to crash and burn? Like how your entire life crashed and burned that night."

He smirked then, and the smile twinkled in his almost-pitch-black eyes.

"Your existence isn't necessary, Jade. Give in already and let us be the true Trackers we are. We don't need fakes in the organization. Disappear."

I closed my eyes, my finger on the trigger.

"You have no proof I did anything," I whispered. "The man with silver hair killed my family. He used his power, gift, whatever you want to call it. I'm the victim."

"Stop lying!" Zeke snapped.

I opened my eyes and whispered, "On Christmas Eve...who