AMANI: Reveal Read online

  Amani: Reveal

  By Lydhia Marie

  Copyright © 2015

  Lydhia Marie

  All rights reserved. Including the right of reproduction. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except for the inclusion of brief quotation in review, without permission in writing from the author.

  ISBN: 1518796079

  ISBN-13: 978-1518796074

  Many thanks to

  Marie-Claude Bolduc

  Gabriel Gosselin & Lynda Rosa

  Guy Roy and Marie-Andrée Bolduc

  Jean-Sébastien Raymond

  Kelsey Down

  Michelle Bolduc

  Marie-Michèle Rosa Fortin

  Luce Bolduc

  BookHaven blog

  Katerina Shirley

  & all my family members and friends who’ve been so supportive!

  To Jean-Sébastien Raymond,

  the most patient, caring, and inspiring friend.

  Thank you for everything.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter I

  Chapter II

  Chapter III

  Chapter IV

  Chapter V

  Chapter VI

  Chapter VII

  Chapter VIII

  Chapter IX

  Chapter X

  Chapter XI

  Chapter XII

  Chapter XIII

  Chapter XIV

  Chapter XV

  Chapter XVI

  Chapter XVII

  Chapter XVIII

  Chapter XIX

  Chapter XX

  Chapter XXI

  Chapter XXII

  Chapter XXIII

  Chapter XXIV

  Chapter XXV

  Chapter XXVI

  Chapter XXVII

  Chapter XXVIII

  Chapter XXIX

  Chapter XXX

  Chapter XXXI

  Chapter XXXII

  Chapter XXXIII

  Chapter XXXIV

  Chapter XXXV

  Chapter XXXVI

  Chapter XXXVII

  Chapter I

  Amya Priam

  Sweat was filling my temples as I tried to achieve the task at hand.

  “Again, shall we?” Samera said. “Now focus.”

  “It’s easier said than done,” I replied, wiping the hair off my neck. “We’ve been doing this all morning, Sam. Let’s take a break!”

  My best friend shook her head. “One more time, Amya,” she insisted. “I know you’re capable of holding longer, so just do it and we’ll stop.”

  After coming back from England a month ago, Michelle Cohen, the leader of the Protectors of Amani in New York, as well as Samera’s mother, had decided that Sam and I would not leave Headquarters until they found a way to kill Rascals, supernatural beings who fed on humanity. She thought it was too dangerous for us out there. Meanwhile, since neither of us had anything better to do, Mrs. Cohen assigned us to work on my ability to Sojourn—to project my soul into people’s bodies—so that I might eventually be able to control it again.

  That hadn’t taken more than two or three days to master, which had impressed Michelle. It had also alarmed her because she didn’t know what else we could be useful at, with not being allowed to step outside HQ and all. After only one day of doing paperwork, I came up with the idea to work on my ability to Sojourn, even when somebody spoke to me or touched me. In other words, I wanted to see if I was capable of Sojourning while I was using my senses.

  As it turned out, I was, but not without burning myself out in the process. And my best friend wasn’t making the task easier.

  My mind focused on Samera, who was standing across from me, and I wondered if she would eventually let me in her immediate thoughts or if she’d keep blocking everything with images of her boyfriend and herself making out.

  I instantly Sojourned and wasn’t surprised to feel Joshua’s wet lips against mine—hers—his hand brushing her back, slowly but surely, until his firm grip found her butt.

  I got out right away. “Seriously! How do you want me to focus when your boyfriend’s hands are all over me? Gosh, Sam. Can’t you think of something else? Something more decent, perhaps?”

  She blushed and smiled. “That’s all I can think of right now. I miss him so much, you can’t imagine.”

  Sam was allowed to visit Joshua in the Red Dimension parallel to Amani once a week, but she was always accompanied by two Protectors, in case a Rascal would come looking for her. Two weeks ago, however, she had found a way to hide from the Protectors long enough for her and Joshua to have some personal time together. She affirmed that they hadn’t done much, but she’d been dreaming about it ever since.

  “Let’s take a break,” I said, looking at the time on my phone. “It’s almost one. We should get something to eat before the meeting this afternoon.”

  “One more time. Come on.”

  “After we’ve eaten, maybe,” I replied, turning toward the exit.

  She grabbed my arm and shook her head hastily. “We should really keep practicing. Who knows when you’ll need to use this?”

  I removed my forearm from her grip. “Certainly not today, as we’re not allowed to go out.” I smiled at her, wondering why she seemed so scared. “If you’re not hungry, wait for me. I won’t be long.”

  I made one step away from her before she positioned herself in front of me and said firmly, “No.”

  I looked quizzically at her startled expression. “What’s going on? I need to regain my strength, Sam. Let me pass.”

  “No” was her only answer. But there was a flicker in her eyes, a warning that something wasn’t right.

  “What is it?” I asked stubbornly. “What are you not telling me?”

  “Nothing. I simply think that we should keep working on this for a little while longer. We can always eat during the meeting.” She paused. “Hey! What if we don’t attend the meeting and we go on an adventure instead? We could go to Blue and bathe under the sun for a while.” Blue was my favorite parallel realm, not hers. The Dimension where everybody was calm and spoke slowly, and where we could swim in the ocean all day with the fish and friendly whales. “I miss the sun, don’t you? I feel so trapped in here all the time, like we’re prisoners or something. We should totally skip today’s meeting and do something fun!”

  Her eyes scrutinized me expectantly with an expression that only meant trouble.

  “Sam,” I started, but was interrupted.

  “And you know what? Why don’t we spend the evening in Yellow and attend one of the kids’ parties?” Yellow was Samera’s second-favorite Dimension after Red. She loved the children’s nonchalance and gaiety in Yellow, but still preferred the passion and immediacy emanating from our Red-selves. “We could dance all night. You know, I haven’t felt careless in a long time. I think today’s the right moment to think of ourselves and do something we like.”

  “Sam…”

  “I mean, we’ve been stuck down here for how long? Two months?”

  “One month, but…”

  “But it feels like five years! Mom shouldn’t force us to stay here. We haven’t heard from Wyatt or any other Rascal in a very long time and your parents are starting to wonder why you can’t come home or at least go back to college. Your supposed illness will need to heal at some point, now won’t it? Although there are still conflicts between European countries, and some people whose Yellow and Blue selves were killed by the Rascals haven’t been found yet… But because of the SPPP, the world is much safer now.”

  The SPPP was the Special Protection Program for Protectors first thought out by Michelle. She’d organized safe houses for the Protectors’ families in Europe, thus making sure her own family would not be threatened and used by Rascals. So far, thi
ngs were looking up and Michelle had even mentioned how she was thinking of initiating this program in every country for prevention. But that was still being discussed and since Rascals seemed to have moved on, the SPPP, which cost a lot of money, was unlikely to reach us any time soon.

  “I understand that, but I also understand why your mother’s keeping us here. She’s been fighting for us and for Xander ever since we came back. We owe it to her to do what she wants and stay here a little longer.”

  Mrs. Cohen had succeeded in keeping Xander safe from the Protectors’ wrath. Even though he was now a Rascal, a life-feeding creature, Michelle could see that he hadn’t changed that much from before his transformation. That he was still the good and benevolent friend he’d always been to Samera and me.

  Xander’s trial would take place in two weeks, in which Protectors from different countries were to judge whether he was fit to be released or would remain in prison for crimes he hadn’t committed. Tonight, however, it was Gareth Williams’s trial. And I was certain that was the reason why Samera was acting out.

  “We don’t owe her anything. Mom’s not doing much, or Xander and Gareth would be out and about by now,” Samera snapped.

  “It’s not only her decision. And I’m sure the other Protectors will come around.”

  “They won’t!” she cried. “They just won’t! Stop thinking that my family is the forgiving type, because they’re not. They want what’s best for Amani and its citizens and they’ll do anything to protect it. Anything. I know them, okay? I know what they’re capable of.”

  “All right. I get it. I don’t pretend to know your family better than you do, but I just think that when they realize how harmless Xander is and how sorry Gareth feels about what he’s done, they’ll see that none of them represent a real danger and they’ll let them go.”

  I waited for her to give a reply, but she seemed to be lost in her own thoughts. It was obvious that she feared for Gareth, feared that the Protectors would make him disappear from the face of the earth because he had worked with the Rascals and betrayed Samera and me to save his brother. Sam acted tough and carefree, but I knew that deep down, she liked and respected him enough to want to fight for him. But that she would never admit.

  After a few seconds, I turned around and started heading for the door to the stairway again, when Samera ran to me with an expression of defeat. “You don’t want to go upstairs,” she whispered, as if the words hurt.

  “And why is that? I think you don’t want to go upstairs because today’s Gareth’s trial and you’re scared that—”

  “No! Wait, do you really think I care about—? Never mind. That’s not why… there’s another reason. I know my mother will want to speak with you as soon as you leave the training room.”

  “Then why am I still here? What’s the problem?”

  “I bumped into her this morning and she made me swear to keep quiet about it and let her tell you herself. But I can’t! I can’t shut up about it. I can’t let her. I can’t let them! It’s just too much. I’m physically unable to bear that sort of information without going crazy, but I know you’ll be pissed too if I tell you. If you only knew… And that’s why we should leave this place and never come back.”

  I laughed a little because my best friend wasn’t making any sense. “You’d never let Xander here by himself. You and I both know that, so why don’t you just tell me what you know and we’ll bear it together?”

  “You’re not going to be happy about it.”

  “I’d rather not be happy than not know. Sam, please, you’re starting to freak me out.”

  She exhaled sharply. “Okay, but I warned you.” Her eyes scanned the room to make sure no one would hear what she was about to say, and then they turned back on me with the saddest expression. “They moved Xander’s trial to tomorrow.”

  The revelation was a shock. Xander’s trial was supposed to take place in two weeks. Michelle told us that he was to be asked a lot of questions and go through all kinds of tests in front of the leaders of the Protectors of Amani from America, Europe, and some from Asia. Samera and I had planned on helping Xander prepare himself both mentally and physically. We had noticed when we came back from England a month ago that he tended to get angry much more easily than before he’d become a Rascal, especially when he hadn’t fed for more than five days. And that was the kind of detail that could work against him during the trial.

  “How is it possible?” I asked Samera, who was pacing the room and biting her upper lip. “When did they—? How? And why?” Panic made it difficult for my brain to make full sentences.

  Samera turned around and threw her hands in the air. “I don’t know! Mom just told me that since everybody’s already here for Gareth’s trial, we should hasten Xander’s. That way my family can return to their respective countries earlier than expected.”

  “But what of Xander? What are we going to do?” I said. “Two days is not enough. He hasn’t fed in two weeks!”

  Michelle had been forced to reduce the number of visits per week Xander was allowed to have. As it turned out, some Protectors were afraid Samera and I let him feed on our emotions while we visited him. As true as it was, how could Michelle forbid it? The less Xander fed, the weaker he became. The weaker he became, the more irritable… And the last couple of times I had seen Xander, two guards made sure I wouldn’t have any contact with him, which prevented him from feeding on me.

  “I know, I know!” Samera exclaimed. She bit her upper lip once more and then, with an expression of wonder, she said, “We release Xander behind my mother’s back and send him to Mexico!”

  I turned to face her and exhaled slowly. “That is a great idea, Sam. Why didn’t I think of this before?” I paused. “Oh! I know. Maybe because it’s absolutely impossible. Your mother has eyes all around her head. I’m certain the cameras in the halls follow our every moves, to make sure we don’t do anything stupid. After what we did to rescue Xander, she doesn’t trust us anymore. So how, may I ask, did you plan on bypassing the dozens of Protectors here, and the cameras, and your father, and—”

  “Okay. I get it. All right, it wasn’t my best plan, but I’m so worried for Xander! He’s got enough to deal with his mood swings; no need to add the stress of a trial and a possible death sentence.” She clapped her hands to her mouth.

  “A what?

  Her eyes grew to the shape of a balloon as she opened her mouth and nothing came out. Nothing except a small amount of air squeezing its way out of her guilty throat. But I didn’t need an answer.

  That’s what she wasn’t allowed to tell me. It wasn’t the fact that Xander’s trial was tomorrow or that we had to find a way to feed him before then. It was the danger that, if things didn’t go well during his trial, there was a possibility that our friend would be sentenced to die.

  Chapter II

  Ian Cohen

  Bastards, I thought to myself after meeting with the leaders of the Protectors from Italy and France. They think they can just come here and impose their rules on us. Not that I didn’t agree with them. Quite the contrary, but the way they’d spoken to me was simply unacceptable. I was the second in command in this country, so they had no right to boss me around.

  Nonetheless, I needed to express their dissatisfaction to Michelle and I needed to do it now, before Xander’s trial tomorrow.

  Followed by the two bodyguards I had been assigned after Jonathan Cohen’s presumed attempted murder on me, I walked to Michelle’s office and knocked three times at her door.

  “Yes?”

  Stepping in, I assured her I did not wish to take too much of her time and I closed the door, leaving Dick and Max behind. It was their lunchtime anyway. “Mrs. Cohen, I just met with Stephano and François and we need to talk.”

  She looked up from her laptop and frowned. “What did they ask now? I already allowed the prosecution to plead for a death sentence because of all the protests I received from your colleagues. I cannot and I will not push for Xand
er’s death. You saw the boy. He’s as harmless as a bee.” I tilted my head, wondering what she meant by that. She closed her laptop. “A bee will sting not because it wishes to harm you, but because its sting is its only defense mechanism. It’s the only way it can survive. Well, except for honey bees, but you see my point. Xander needs to feed in order to survive. I know he has fed on my daughter and Amya several times, yet he’s never harmed them in any way. He isn’t a monster.”

  “Tell that to John,” I replied.

  Danny, John’s brother, was a Protector who’d been badly injured during the fight against the Rascals in England. When he was brought to Dr. Goldbridge at HQ, they realized that he had been bleeding internally for too long and that his brain was badly damaged. Danny hadn’t been able to talk much since the incident and he had to be carried in a wheelchair at all times. Let’s just say that John had sworn he would avenge his brother at all costs. He was the one who, two weeks ago, had created a group amongst the Protectors that pressed Michelle to include the death penalty in Xander’s possible consequences for being a Rascal.

  Michelle’s eyes saddened. “Danny’s fate is regrettable, but Xander had no doing in the matter.”

  “We went to England in order to find Xander, ma’am. With all due respect, were it not for Xander turning into a Rascal, no one would have been hurt.”

  “And do you believe that he chose to become a Rascal?” Her features sharpened. “Xander is as much a victim as everybody else in this case.”

  “Well, Stephano and François don’t think so. They demand a public execution, broadcasted in the Protectors’ Headquarters in every country. They want to make the knowledge public that we are not afraid of Rascals and that we won’t be intimidated by this new threat. After what happened in Italy, France, and several other countries, they want every Protector to know that we are still in control and that there is nothing to be afraid of.”

  “But we are not in control. Even if Xander was to be sentenced to death—and I will make sure he isn’t—how would we accomplish that? You were there with my husband when the bullets merely slowed the Rascals down. There is no way to kill them. None that we know of, anyway.”