mine. His eyes held mine.
"My mom was raped by a Hue Descendant," he told me next.
I was stunned and speechless. It explained the anger festering just below the surface that he'd been struggling with. Being told how evil the Hue were was one thing but hearing about their crimes was something else entirely. Killing human babies, rape--it was like they were built up out of the worst parts of the human race and more.
"Archaic and Hue are sworn enemies so there has never been an occurrence of a child produced from an Archaic and a Hue. My mom became pregnant," he explained. "We think the reason she was targeted was because she was an Archaic Descendant."
He paused for a moment.
"We think they were trying to build stronger descendants by combining both the genetics of an Archaic Descendant with a Hue Descendant."
"Are children born from parents who are both Archaic Descendants stronger?" I asked, trying to follow the logic of what he was saying.
He shook his head. I could not imagine what his mother had gone through.
"Why didn't your mom abort the pregnancy?" I asked. In her shoes I didn't know if I could have gone through with a pregnancy that had come from a violent act like that.
"Hue kill human babies because they're of no value to them. The Archaic cherish every life, so to us every life is valuable. My mom wanted the pregnancy."
After his emotional words I felt guilty for even suggesting what I had.
"So what happened?" I asked, needing to know what happened next.
"My mom had twins."
"You and your brother?" I gasped as pieces of the puzzle started to fit together and I was getting a glimpse of the bigger picture.
"Yes." His brother was Hue. Everything was starting to fall into place.
"I'm two minutes older than Mason."
Mason . My attacker had a name. I thought by hearing his name it would make him slightly more human to me, but it didn't.
"Did it work?"
"What?" he asked.
"Are you and Mason stronger Descendants because you were born from a mixture between Hue and Archaic Descendants?"
He paused for a moment.
"Yes."
His eyes were serious as they held mine.
"Remember I told you that Archaic Descendants have a white scar on their right hand and the Hue Descendants have the same scar in red on their left hand?"
I nodded my head, remembering the scar that looked like a burn in the palm of his hand that looked like a jagged bolt of lightning.
"Mason and I have both."
My eyes were fixed to both of his hands, which he opened in front of me, palms facing the ceiling. In his right hand was the white scar and in his left hand was the same scar in red.
Wow!
"So you and Mason are the most powerful out of the Hue and Archaic, Descendants and all?" I asked.
He nodded. Knowing that made the rest of the puzzle slowly come together and I understood why he was in charge.
"Does that mean Mason is in charge of the Hue?" I asked.
"No," he answered, raking a hand through his hair. "They have a council who control the Hue."
"Will your children be the same?"
"I don't know."
That had to be hard, to be one of two and not knowing the impact of it on your future. In that moment, I found myself looking at him differently, with a little bit more respect for what he had to deal with.
"I don't understand why he attacked me."
Jared's eyes met mine and he let out a sigh.
"My brother's hatred for me knows no bounds, but I don't understand why he didn't kill you."
I frowned.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"If he wanted you to be dead you wouldn't be here now."
That hit me hard. Jared watched me. After a few moments I recovered and more questions entered my mind.
"Why?"
He shrugged.
"We don't know."
There was a reason he'd allowed me to live and I didn't know what it was.
"Do you think he'll be back?" I asked, not sure if I really wanted the answer.
"Yes."
It wasn't what I wanted to hear. Panic set in and I could feel it rising inside of me at the thought of him returning.
Jared soothed me as he sat down on the bed in
"My mom was raped by a Hue Descendant," he told me next.
I was stunned and speechless. It explained the anger festering just below the surface that he'd been struggling with. Being told how evil the Hue were was one thing but hearing about their crimes was something else entirely. Killing human babies, rape--it was like they were built up out of the worst parts of the human race and more.
"Archaic and Hue are sworn enemies so there has never been an occurrence of a child produced from an Archaic and a Hue. My mom became pregnant," he explained. "We think the reason she was targeted was because she was an Archaic Descendant."
He paused for a moment.
"We think they were trying to build stronger descendants by combining both the genetics of an Archaic Descendant with a Hue Descendant."
"Are children born from parents who are both Archaic Descendants stronger?" I asked, trying to follow the logic of what he was saying.
He shook his head. I could not imagine what his mother had gone through.
"Why didn't your mom abort the pregnancy?" I asked. In her shoes I didn't know if I could have gone through with a pregnancy that had come from a violent act like that.
"Hue kill human babies because they're of no value to them. The Archaic cherish every life, so to us every life is valuable. My mom wanted the pregnancy."
After his emotional words I felt guilty for even suggesting what I had.
"So what happened?" I asked, needing to know what happened next.
"My mom had twins."
"You and your brother?" I gasped as pieces of the puzzle started to fit together and I was getting a glimpse of the bigger picture.
"Yes." His brother was Hue. Everything was starting to fall into place.
"I'm two minutes older than Mason."
Mason . My attacker had a name. I thought by hearing his name it would make him slightly more human to me, but it didn't.
"Did it work?"
"What?" he asked.
"Are you and Mason stronger Descendants because you were born from a mixture between Hue and Archaic Descendants?"
He paused for a moment.
"Yes."
His eyes were serious as they held mine.
"Remember I told you that Archaic Descendants have a white scar on their right hand and the Hue Descendants have the same scar in red on their left hand?"
I nodded my head, remembering the scar that looked like a burn in the palm of his hand that looked like a jagged bolt of lightning.
"Mason and I have both."
My eyes were fixed to both of his hands, which he opened in front of me, palms facing the ceiling. In his right hand was the white scar and in his left hand was the same scar in red.
Wow!
"So you and Mason are the most powerful out of the Hue and Archaic, Descendants and all?" I asked.
He nodded. Knowing that made the rest of the puzzle slowly come together and I understood why he was in charge.
"Does that mean Mason is in charge of the Hue?" I asked.
"No," he answered, raking a hand through his hair. "They have a council who control the Hue."
"Will your children be the same?"
"I don't know."
That had to be hard, to be one of two and not knowing the impact of it on your future. In that moment, I found myself looking at him differently, with a little bit more respect for what he had to deal with.
"I don't understand why he attacked me."
Jared's eyes met mine and he let out a sigh.
"My brother's hatred for me knows no bounds, but I don't understand why he didn't kill you."
I frowned.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"If he wanted you to be dead you wouldn't be here now."
That hit me hard. Jared watched me. After a few moments I recovered and more questions entered my mind.
"Why?"
He shrugged.
"We don't know."
There was a reason he'd allowed me to live and I didn't know what it was.
"Do you think he'll be back?" I asked, not sure if I really wanted the answer.
"Yes."
It wasn't what I wanted to hear. Panic set in and I could feel it rising inside of me at the thought of him returning.
Jared soothed me as he sat down on the bed in
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