The Chosen Ones

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter 17

"You were right," Kelly said, her eyes wide as she stared unblinkingly at me in confused bewilderment. "You knew not to trust her."

My heart ached for my friend. The truth had hit her hard. I knew the feeling well and wanted to reach out, I wanted to tell her it would be okay. But honestly, I wasn't sure if it would. Perhaps the world would never be normal. Perhaps we'd always be scared for our lives, worried about the next day, constantly wondering who we could trust.

"It doesn't matter," Will growled, obviously frustrated. "We need to find the serum now." He started by Thane, but he reached out, grabbing Will's arm and stopping him.

"They don't have the serum," he said.

Will jerked away. I'd never seen him so flustered, unsure. "What do you mean?"

Thane dropped his pack, knelt and opened it. Inside was vial after vial of antidote. The same containers my grandfather had given us the day we escaped the island. "It's here."

I knew the shock on Will's face mirrored my own. "But—"

"You believed me?" I interrupted, staring hard at Thane. Why had he made me think I was insane? A silly, jealous ninny? "You didn't trust her either."

He shrugged, closed the bag, and stood. "Her arrival was too convenient."

Exactly what I had thought and said. Anger fought with relief. Why hadn't he told me? But even as I thought the words the answer hit me...because he didn't trust me. Thane, apparently, trusted no one. It hurt much, much more than I'd ever admit.

"Damn," Will snapped, pacing to the creek's edge. "I should have known."

Kelly still stood there, staring blankly at me, lost in her own pain and confusion. She was waiting for answers I couldn't give. None of us could. What made a person betray another? Fear? Anger? Greed? Emotions all too common in our world.

"You're right about one thing, Will," Thane said. "We still need to go after Tony and Susan. We can't allow them to reach Bacchus. They know too much."

Thane threw his pack over his shoulders as we started up the hill.

"You think Bacchus is behind this?" Will asked, falling into step beside Thane. "Damn it, why didn't you tell me?"

Thane paused, but he didn't respond and we all knew why. He didn't trust Will. I had known it for some time and now they did as well. Will's jaw clenched, his face flushing. Even as I felt bad for Will, I didn't blame Thane. I wasn't sure if I trusted Will either.

"No," Kelly interrupted. She hadn't followed us but still stood near the creek. "Tony wouldn't! He hates them! He loved me, he said so!"

Her pain vibrated around us, raw and consuming. "Kelly."

I tried to reach out to her, but she spun around and paced alongside the creek. "No. Oh God."

She froze, tears streaming down her face. Why hadn't I voiced my suspicions about Tony earlier on? Maybe if she hadn't fallen so deeply for him, Kelly wouldn't be taking this so hard.

"He did it," she whispered what we had already accepted. "He was responsible for all their deaths."

No one responded. My urge to comfort her fought with my need to stop Tony and Susan. "I'm sorry, Kelly."

"We need to go," Will stated impatiently. "Tony knows our meeting points. And..." A telling flush colored his face. "I told Susan about them as well."