running!”
“I’m going!” she called back. We heard a skitter of small feet climb the rest of the staircase.
Raven rolled her eyes. “I think somebody could use some help,” she said, and stood up. “I’ll let the two of you talk.”
We sat in silence, the only sound the hum of the refrigerator.
“Why don’t I remember?” I asked softly. “You, the cabin, the Uprising. If I was six when all this took place, how come I remember none of it?”
Something flickered in his eyes, but I could sense him beating the flicker back.
“Look,” he said awkwardly. “I don’t know if I should be the one to tell you all this. Shouldn’t Josephine do it?”
“She’s told me things. She told me about you. What you meant to each other. What my parents were trying to do.But I know she hasn’t told me everything, and I don’t know if she will. Please,” I said to him. “There’s still so much about myself and my family that I don’t know.”
He took a thoughtful sip of water. “Your mom was very powerful, Skye. She could . . . see things. Visions of events that would happen. And she could do this thing . . . mess with your mind a little. One of her powers of the light.”
“She used mental manipulation?” I said quietly. “My mom ?”
“She was pretty good at it,” he said. “Even on earth, even as a regular person. I guess the stronger you were as an angel, the longer those powers stay with you, a part of you. She lost her wings, but her powers never really left her.”
I stared at him, trying to process what he was saying.
“She messed with my mind,” I said. “She made me forget.”
Aaron looked away. “I know that’s probably hard to hear,” he said. “Look, I’m really sorry. Maybe I’m not the best person to talk to about all this.”
“No,” I said sternly, looking up. “You’re the person I need to talk to.”
“I wanted to keep trying,” he said. “After your mom and dad died. But Josephine insisted against it. She had you tolook after. She promised your mother she would protect you from all this. That you would grow up like a normal kid.” He smiled ruefully. “I guess you know now. Looks like the Order got their way after all.”
“Aaron,” I said. “You know why my parents were trying to protect me, right? About my powers—the mix of dark and light?”
He nodded. “Yeah,” he said. “I know.”
“I have powers that I inherited from my father—dark ones. And I also have powers that I inherited from my mother. Gifted powers. I can see things too, just like she could.”
“Oh,” he said, his eyes softening into awe. “Is that so?”
“Yes, and no matter how much they want me to, I can’t join either side, the Rebellion or the Order. I’m starting my own group. I’m going to finish what my parents started.”
“Skye,” he said seriously. “We failed. Your mom saw a fourth Rogue in those visions of hers, but she couldn’t tell us who it was.”
“I can use my own visions. I can find out who it is. But we need you, Aaron. And,” I added, trying not to smile, “so does Aunt Jo.” I hoped I sounded subtle.
He looked up. “She does?”
“Please come back to River Springs with us. We’ll figure this out. We’ll find a way to keep the Order and the Rebellion in balance, prevent any more lives from being destroyed. We can only do it with your help.”
He stood up and stretched, leaned against the kitchen counter with his back to me. I saw his back rise and fall in a sigh.
“It’s not that easy. That was my old life. It’s taken a lot for me to put it behind me.”
“But wouldn’t it be worth it?”
“You don’t understand,” he said, turning around. He had that same fierce look in his eyes as Asher and Aunt Jo. “That life, it follows you. My wife—”
I flinched. What was I thinking? Of course Earth had to have a mother.
“My late wife,” he corrected. “She was followed by Guardians, every day. She didn’t know it, of course.
“I’m going!” she called back. We heard a skitter of small feet climb the rest of the staircase.
Raven rolled her eyes. “I think somebody could use some help,” she said, and stood up. “I’ll let the two of you talk.”
We sat in silence, the only sound the hum of the refrigerator.
“Why don’t I remember?” I asked softly. “You, the cabin, the Uprising. If I was six when all this took place, how come I remember none of it?”
Something flickered in his eyes, but I could sense him beating the flicker back.
“Look,” he said awkwardly. “I don’t know if I should be the one to tell you all this. Shouldn’t Josephine do it?”
“She’s told me things. She told me about you. What you meant to each other. What my parents were trying to do.But I know she hasn’t told me everything, and I don’t know if she will. Please,” I said to him. “There’s still so much about myself and my family that I don’t know.”
He took a thoughtful sip of water. “Your mom was very powerful, Skye. She could . . . see things. Visions of events that would happen. And she could do this thing . . . mess with your mind a little. One of her powers of the light.”
“She used mental manipulation?” I said quietly. “My mom ?”
“She was pretty good at it,” he said. “Even on earth, even as a regular person. I guess the stronger you were as an angel, the longer those powers stay with you, a part of you. She lost her wings, but her powers never really left her.”
I stared at him, trying to process what he was saying.
“She messed with my mind,” I said. “She made me forget.”
Aaron looked away. “I know that’s probably hard to hear,” he said. “Look, I’m really sorry. Maybe I’m not the best person to talk to about all this.”
“No,” I said sternly, looking up. “You’re the person I need to talk to.”
“I wanted to keep trying,” he said. “After your mom and dad died. But Josephine insisted against it. She had you tolook after. She promised your mother she would protect you from all this. That you would grow up like a normal kid.” He smiled ruefully. “I guess you know now. Looks like the Order got their way after all.”
“Aaron,” I said. “You know why my parents were trying to protect me, right? About my powers—the mix of dark and light?”
He nodded. “Yeah,” he said. “I know.”
“I have powers that I inherited from my father—dark ones. And I also have powers that I inherited from my mother. Gifted powers. I can see things too, just like she could.”
“Oh,” he said, his eyes softening into awe. “Is that so?”
“Yes, and no matter how much they want me to, I can’t join either side, the Rebellion or the Order. I’m starting my own group. I’m going to finish what my parents started.”
“Skye,” he said seriously. “We failed. Your mom saw a fourth Rogue in those visions of hers, but she couldn’t tell us who it was.”
“I can use my own visions. I can find out who it is. But we need you, Aaron. And,” I added, trying not to smile, “so does Aunt Jo.” I hoped I sounded subtle.
He looked up. “She does?”
“Please come back to River Springs with us. We’ll figure this out. We’ll find a way to keep the Order and the Rebellion in balance, prevent any more lives from being destroyed. We can only do it with your help.”
He stood up and stretched, leaned against the kitchen counter with his back to me. I saw his back rise and fall in a sigh.
“It’s not that easy. That was my old life. It’s taken a lot for me to put it behind me.”
“But wouldn’t it be worth it?”
“You don’t understand,” he said, turning around. He had that same fierce look in his eyes as Asher and Aunt Jo. “That life, it follows you. My wife—”
I flinched. What was I thinking? Of course Earth had to have a mother.
“My late wife,” he corrected. “She was followed by Guardians, every day. She didn’t know it, of course.
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