Vanishing Rain (Blue Spectrum Chronicles Book 2) (22 page)

I could also work on figuring out why these people in the Blue Spectrum Band were sterile. It all had to be figured out.  I sighed, knowing it would have to be postponed.

For once, I didn’t mind. If waiting for Orion had taught me one thing, it was patience.  But the library, if I could start reading books, then maybe it would help.  It was something I could start on right away.

“Orion?”

His eyes were softer, melting through me. “Yeah?”

“Can you take me to the library?”

He laughed then and pulled me into an embrace.  “I knew you’d ask me that, and yes, of course I will.”

Chapter 55

War

I found some jerky and apples, a quick breakfast for us before our claiming ceremony.  I had already dressed in the most exquisite robe of all, beads and elaborate stitching decorating it like a delicate work of art.  I wasn’t really hungry, the baby filling up most of my stomach, but Orion insisted that I eat. 

He, too was dressed in a similar robe, and I caught my breath at the sight of him.  The blue brought out the color of his eyes, and his hair was getting longer, tied back with a leather band.  Somehow the star tattoos blended it all together.

I was edgy and uncomfortable, ready to get the ceremony over with and get back home to rest.  It wouldn’t be long before the baby would be born.  I still worried about him having S.L.A.G.

I spent a good part of each day reading books from the library, and I was starting to figure out a plan.  It just wasn’t happening fast enough.

We were gathered around the table, and Ice was chattering in full sentences.  Every day he became better at speaking, and sometimes I thought that I was actually talking to Snow.  Ice had two friends, and after the claiming ceremony they were coming over for a play date.  Orion had volunteered to supervise, because I could barely find my feet anymore, much less oversee three rowdy boys.

I still marveled at how Ice was interacting with the boys, the change in him from when he lived in the Clinic, a gift that Orion gave me, more special than the ring studded with silver stars that I wore on my left hand.  Orion wore a similar one, only quite bigger.  We had decided to have our own private ceremony with Ice, exchanging rings like ancient cultures did.  I had remembered reading about it in our history classes.  It seemed fitting.  The claiming ceremony we were preparing for didn’t matter to us.  It was for the people in the Blue Spectrum Band.  In our eyes, Orion and I were already marriage partners.

Orion placed our dishes in the sink, turning back toward me. “Are you ready?” he asked me, expectantly, his deep blue eyes piercing mine.

I thought back to another time when I had wondered if I would ever be ready for someone like Orion.  But I knew the answer to the question this time.

“Yes, I am.  More than ready.”

He smiled at me, taking a bite of jerky.

Just then there was a loud rapping on our door.  It felt like the entire hut was going to collapse.

Orion jumped up, opening the door in one swift movement.  I could barely make out who it was but after waddling over to the door, I recognized the voice, could barely see the face that I still loved and missed.

It was Troll’s.

“We’re under attack,” he yelled hoarsely, as if he had been screaming those very words over and over again.  “It’s the Reds, and they’re moving in on us.”

Before Orion could answer, Troll was gone.  We were under attack?  I couldn’t fathom it. My pulse quickened, and the Peanut kicked me furiously.  Ice started crying, picking up that something wasn’t right.

Orion wasted no time, jetting into the bedroom.  “You’re going to have to take Ice and go to the safe house,” he ordered.  Nodding, I grabbed Ice’s hand, pulling him up off the floor.  He was still crying, horrible screams that sounded like a wild animal’s.  “Shhh,” I told him calmly, even though I was more terrified than I had been in my entire life.  “It’s going to be okay.”  I rubbed his back, trying to calm him.  He would have to be quiet if we were to make it to the safe house. I wished that I could just pick him up and carry him, but I was too far along for that. He continued to wail, and I was immobilized, not sure what to do.

Orion flashed out of the bedroom, having changed out of his claiming robe.  He was dressed in full battle gear.  Blue leather gripped his entire body, every muscle bulging because it was so tight, designed to deflect the crude weapons from battling bands.  He held a shield and several spears in one hand. A quiver of arrows rested on his back and his belt was full of knives.  He quickly tossed me my old knife belt. Grabbing it, I felt helpless, knowing it wouldn’t do me much good against an attack.

“Take care of Ice,” Orion ordered in full military style.  He stopped for a moment, his eyes blazing more than the smoky blue I had come to love so much.  I had never seen him like this, and it scared me.  But he cupped my chin in his hand and kissed me, a different kind of urgency behind it than any I had ever known.  His eyes bored into mine.  “I love you.”  Then he gently shoved me from behind. “Get going now.”

I turned to him, knife belt in hand. “Orion…”

“Go,” he screamed to me.  “Fuck, Rain, I love you both.  Get to the safe house.

Chapter 56

The Peanut

I clasped Ice’s sweaty hand and pulled him out the door, glancing back at Orion.  He was stuffing some more weapons into his belt, some that I had never even seen or heard of before.

“I love you,” I called out to him, my heart pulsing rapidly in my chest.

He paused for the briefest second.  “I love you Rain.  Now vanish!”

I pulled at Ice’s hand and opened the door, waddling as fast as I could down the path, my little brother still wailing hysterically. 

As soon as we left the hut I could tell we were surrounded.  Perched in battle position around the huge crater that we called home were soldiers dressed in red, weapons flying at us from all directions.  There was mass hysteria all around me, soldiers in blue racing for their own battle positions, arrows ruthlessly raining down on them from above, rocketing down on Ice and me as well.

I flew my pregnant body toward the conference center, as fast as I dared, dodging arrows and spears, knives and some kind of flaming rock I had never seen in my life.  I yanked at Ice, time and again keeping him from getting hit.  If we could just make it to the conference room, we would be safe.  I had already been shown the secret door from the inside.

Orion thundered past me, not even acknowledging my existence as he rallied his troops.  His eyes were steel, and his legs were machines.  He called for names I didn’t even know, and people flocked toward him, the hysteria calming a bit.  Still weapons battered at us.  I gasped as a woman was hit in the chest with an arrow, and I turned to go back for her.

“Leave her and get to the fucking safe house.”  It was Orion’s voice, and it launched me into action.

I caught one last glimmer of Orion as we dodged weapons, arrows and spears that ruthlessly poured out of the orange sky.  He was headed in the opposite direction, toward the edge of the crater with a band of our soldiers bottling him in.  I tried to freeze that image in my brain, afraid I might never see him again. A fire erupted in one of the huts, orange and yellow flames licking the sky.  Even the constant pouring of rain didn’t put it out.  I shook my head, knowing we needed to get out of the battle zone.  I yanked on Ice’s cold hand, his wails a siren that I couldn’t put out.

Ice squeezed my hand.  “Wion,” he called out.  “Wion come back.” 

I didn’t have time to explain anything to Ice as we barreled down the path, and it seemed like a year went by for every step we managed to take. Ice continued to cry, death rattling screams that sent a chill through my entire body.

We tumbled along, the conference center in my sight now.  I dipped and dodged as well as I could, dragging Ice along with me.  It felt like my heart might jump out of my chest, and my arms were aching from pulling at Ice.

Suddenly my huge belly tightened, and a pain like I had never felt before shot through my body, as if it might just cut me in half.  At first I thought that I was hit by a weapon, but then the pain stopped, almost as quickly as it started. 
I gasped for air, my pulse echoing in my ears. I ignored the pain and pushed forward.  I made a several more steps when the pain returned, and I almost fell to the ground, it hurt so badly.

I wasn’t dumb, had read enough about childbirth in our Health classes, the explanations of labor and delivery so explicit and detailed, we all knew they were designed to keep us from getting pregnant.  Another Administration trick.  I huffed just as another pain gripped my stomach, huge hands that dug in so deeply I never thought they would let go.

Shit. I was going into labor.

My stomach tightened again, and Ice started screaming.

“Wain, he wailed.  “Wain.”

I doubled over in pain but staggered ahead.  At last the door to the conference center was a few steps away.  I knew then we could make it.  Panting like a dog as another pain took hold of me, I grabbed onto the side of the building, grasping my humungous, tightening stomach.

Only a few more steps, I told myself.  A few more steps before Ice and I were safe.

I stumbled forward, falling onto the ground as the most intense pain I had ever felt strangled my stomach.  I couldn’t move.  I was stuck on the path with Ice screaming at the top of his lungs.

Oh Gods, I had no idea it would be this terrible. 

Ice.

Ice.

I had to protect Ice, but somehow, in all of the pain, I had let go of his hand.

I tried to squish air into my already filled and burning lungs, searching for Ice.  The battle raged all around me, screams and thundering explosions, arrows whizzing by. I took one last look into the horrible scene, praying that Orion and Troll were safe.  The odds didn’t look too good.  There seemed to be an endless supply of red soldiers, and our band was doing little to stave them off.  Desperately, I pulled myself up, trying to make it to the door of the conference center, which was only a few feet away.  I caught my breath, searching in every direction for Ice. But he was gone.

“Ice!” I screamed as another pain immobilized me.  I fell to the path again crying, grabbing my stomach.  I was being split apart.  Every pain cruelly divided my body into two distinct pieces and I had no control over it.

I gasped, another pain holding my body hostage, so close to the last one that I couldn’t move.  Arrows continued to fly around me, an occasional spear sailing overhead, as I rolled around on the ground, fighting the most intense pain I had ever felt.

“Orion,” I screamed.  “Orion!!”

But Orion didn’t come and Ice was gone.  I tried to pull myself up, but another pain took over my body, the cruelest tyrant of all.  I screamed out loud then, not even caring if an arrow or weapon hit me.  At least it would take me out of my misery. 

Just then hands, familiar hands, grabbed me by the armpits and pulled me up.  I let out a scream as another pain crashed through my body. Tears in my eyes, I turned around, found the face of who had lifted me up.

It was Troll. I started to speak, but he shushed me, so much like Orion that I started bawling like a baby.  I leaned into him, twisting my head around.  Troll had grown.  He was quite a bit taller than me now, and the thin chest that I had leaned on in the subway tunnel, in our home, had filled out to be quite muscular, almost as thick as Orion’s. Troll handled me as if I were a plaything.

He half carried and half drug me into the conference center, shoving me through the door none too gently.  Another pain seized me, just when he let go, and I huddled into an immobile ball, my back and stomach searing into one giant spasm. 

“Ice,” I screamed out through that intense pain, doubled over and holding my stomach. “Get.” I moaned. “Ice.”  I was paralyzed with pain. “For.”  I screamed, the loudest one of all. “Me.”

The door slammed behind me, and for a moment there was only silence.  No Troll.  No Ice. Certainly no Orion…he would be leading his forces. My mind spun a trick on me then.  Orion never wanted anything to do with the military, had fought against it on so many levels, yet here he was, the leader of the Blue Spectrum. Forced into the military of one sort or another.  Just as he had been trained all his life to do. 

Shit!  I had to get my shit together. Thinking about Orion out there…about Troll.  It only made things worse. 

My body curled into the most massive ball of all, and I felt something move within me.  The Peanut.  He wanted out, there was no doubt about it.

This contraction hurt more than ever, and I begged for medication, help, anything to make the pain lesson, to make it stop.  Just for a minute.  I would take one minute without pain and be happy.

For a second, my wish was granted, and I slowly drug my body, arm by arm, leg by leg, like a walrus out of water, toward the door to the safe house.

I somehow reached the door, but there was no satisfaction in it as a group of hands pulled me through.

“Ice,” I screamed at them as another contraction spread through my body, a crippling virus that I was sure would kill me.

“Get Ice,” I panted, begging to the strange grey eyes that hovered over me.

“Breathe,” someone told me.  “Take deep breaths.  Focus on something.”

“Fuck you,” I screamed as another pain threatened to strangle the very life out of me.

I twisted into a ball from the most intense pain yet, wondering how I had been so happy just a few minutes ago and how quickly it had all been taken away from me.

“Ice…Orion,” I screamed between the contractions that only seemed to stop for mere seconds.  I barely got a rest from one and the next one started.

“This baby’s coming fast,” an older woman’s voice announced to someone, but I was sweaty and foggy and in so much pain, I couldn’t make out who it was.  If I had paid more attention, I might have picked up on worry or concern. 

Someone had laid me down on a soft blanket, a pillow pushed behind my head and some water placed to my lips, but I shook my head, refusing the water. 

“Get Ice,” I panted as another pain shot through my body, a bullet ripping me not in half this time, but into at least four pieces, and I couldn’t begin to name who they belonged to.  Orion was first on my list, and for a moment I wanted to strangle him.

As I struggled against the pain that never seemed to end, my brother missing, and the two boys I loved in completely different ways fighting it out in a deadly battle, my world turned to one thing.

The Peanut.

Whether I liked it or not, with our without Orion, Ice, or Troll, S.L.A.G. or no S.L.A.G., the Peanut was making his way into this world.