Betrayal 2012 Read Free Page A

a stunning blue pattern of dots highlighting a path towards the center.  I had never seen anything like this before.
    “It’s a black orchid,” Marisol said.  While wondering how she could possibly know that, her commentary continued.  “I read about them. They are supposed to be a symbol of power and absolute authority.  Those that give the black orchid expect submission.”  As though she suddenly stopped channeling a botanist, Marisol’s head snapped up and she stared at me with fear.  “Is that from Lucian?”
    “That bastard!” Kain mumbled under his breath, and if things were different, I would have made some comment about how he was unable to control his temper like he’d so often berated me for.  But this was no time for jokes.  Realizing the gravity of the situation, our security team jumped into action.
    Chirps and static filled the room as they assembled their group and searched our property for intruders.  I knew that they wouldn’t find him.  Lucian wouldn’t be so careless.  Kain, Marisol, and I sat down in the living room but I muted the television so that I wouldn’t have to continue hearing the names of my friends repeated over and over.  I was still trying to fathom why Lucian would do something like this.  Sure he wanted to threaten me, but why hurt my friends?  My human friends?  It was such an evil calculated plan, yet one that I could promise would not go unreciprocated.
    How did Lucian know that I wasn’t at school today?  I was still listed as a student even though they were making special arrangements for me.  I’d missed almost a month of classes when I ran away with Brendan and my parents were killed.  Instead of finishing the school year with my friends, I was on a special home school program to get caught up in time to walk at graduation.  It was a very gracious offer and one that I didn’t think I would have received had my parents still been around.
    Thinking about this more, it seemed as though Lucian purposely chose an indirect assault.  Shooting my friends was an emotional attack, one that might lead me to make rash decisions.  He warned in his note that the next time will be fatal, implying that he instructed Justin not to shoot to kill.  It also meant that this could happen again.
    I was sick with guilt and reverberating with fear.  Who would he go after next?  Me?  Kain?  Marisol?  My sister and I were not best friends but I certainly didn’t want her to lose her life because Lucian and I disagreed on principles.  In fact, no one should have to die over this.  “We need to call the Council,” I finally said to Kain.
    He hesitated a few moments and sat there watching me.  I recalled a conversation with him in which I all but said that the Council was useless in this situation and that the only way to squelch this war was to fight it head on.  Use our powers to take back control.  Don’t let Lucian and his cronies get away with it.  Apparently it was what my mother had wanted as well, but Kain had disagreed.  Now, here I was, conceding that we needed their help and advice.
    “I’ll talk to Andre,” he replied as he stood.  Squeezing my shoulder slightly, Kain forced me to look up at him.  “Your friends are going to be okay.”  I nodded and he left me alone with my sister.
    Andre was my only uncle from my mother’s side and the one who seemed to be doing most of leading since I assumed this position.  He was an advisor of sorts, and thought that I wanted him to handle the clan’s affairs.  It was true that I needed help, but I often wondered how much it bothered Andre that the position fell to me instead of the most qualified family member.  This was the way of the clan; our shield decided who was to lead next and there was no denying the family heirloom had chosen me.
    I looked down at the glistening golden double wave pendent and sighed.  Why the shield had picked me, I really didn’t know.  But I promised myself and my