Stronger by Lani Woodland Page B

rest my hand on my lower back, my throat burning and chest heaving from the exertion. Normal Debs couldn’t reach this point but I’ve been training with Uncle Charlie since I was five. It takes longer than normal in my injured state.
    Blood is still oozing down my cheek and seeping into the sleeve of my shirt when I reach the top. I guess my new ability to heal from small cuts doesn’t extend to something this severe, but I should have known it was too good to be true. I drop onto a flat stone. From my perch, I can see past the first row of Val houses on the bluff. One house in particular is like a balm to my soul after my horrific day: the residence of Dr. and Colonel Hake, my mom and dad. The place where my happy memories were formed, where I knew such joy that the recollection of those days still warms me on cold nights. The light is on in the attic. Mom must be working late. Again. Does my dad bring her cocoa like I always did? I kiss my fingers and blow on the kiss, imagining it traveling on the wind, reaching her forehead.
    Will Ty let them know I’m alive? Will they discover the truth only to find me already dead, this time for real?
    I can see the top of the roof at Uncle Charlie’s house, merely a few blocks from their home. Did I thank him for teaching me that Debs can be strong too, that I too could fight my enemy? I breathe in the air, the snow still cooling my face.
    A melodious sound like crystal chimes draws my attention. In the light of the full moon, I see its source. The sparkling wings of an Orion shimmer, soaring closer to me. A part of me wants to move nearer, to better see the beauty of my enemy. Instead I squeeze myself into a fissure in an outcropping of boulders, and peek out through a crack.
    The Orion lands on quiet feet, her velvet robes dusting the ground.
    “You don’t have to hide,” she calls out in a voice that could turn mud into honey. “I know you’re there.”

Chapter 14
    How did she know I was hiding here? I crouch down lower.
    Her wings fold back behind her, their jointed arches framing her perfect face. The star-like silver flecks in her eyes almost glow in the darkness. “Why do you fear me?”
    She wears a slight frown on her alabaster face and it’s the saddest thing I’ve ever seen. There must be something I could do to make her smile. I’m good at dancing; maybe if I…
    I put my hand to my forehead. Stop it!
    “Please come out,” she says. My body moves to obey her, but my foot is wedged in the rocks. “Please, seeing you would make me so happy.”
    I want to please her. I struggle to free my foot, to stand when another voice answers. “I’m sorry, Starburst.”
    The deep male voice stops me cold. Saves me. Perspiration dots my upper lip and my body shakes. That had been close. That slap from Lee must have damaged my ear insert. Remembering the strange buzz, I cover my left ear. It’s designed to repair itself, but I’ll have to wait for it to reset. I hope I can resist the Orion’s influence until it does. She hadn’t even been talking to me and her voice swayed me. I shake my head to loosen the fragment of compulsion that she’s webbed through my brain.
    I’ve heard about their soothing voices, like the music you hear when you’re on the verge of sleep, but I’ve never experienced it like this, up close with a malfunctioning ear filter. This is different, more intense. I sit on my butt, quivering, my hand still cupped over one ear, and finally work my foot free. How did Uncle Charlie manage to start a rebellion with those voices constantly whispering in his ear?
    “Bryant, I was hoping to see you here, again.”
    Bryant ? I spin around and peek around the edges of my hiding spot. Sure enough he’s there, kicking his foot in the dirt like a young boy. I should have known she’d be talking to him, the one Val worthy of her attention.
    “You always know how to find me, don’t you?”
    “And to make you smile, I hope.” She giggles and I sigh at