The Rain: The End, Marietta Standlee [year 7 reading list TXT] 📗

"Vivian," he says again, taking my chin in his hands and forcing me to look into his eyes. Eyes that look so much like Colin's that it hurts even more.

"Vivian, he's alive. He is fine. I'm so sorry."

The words he speaks don't make any sense to me. No sense at all. What is he saying? I try to focus my eyes he forced on his. My view narrows until I can finally see him more clearly. There is not a trace of mourning. Sorry, yes. Pity, yes. Regret, yes. But no mourning.

"What are you saying?" I hiccup, afraid to let the rising hope blossom.

He takes my hands in his. "I'm sorry I had to do that to you, but it needed to be believable for the others in order to work. I'm so, so sorry. But Colin is fine."

"What?" Slowly his words penetrate my consciousness.

"Now, Vivian." He must see the murder in my eyes. "Listen, I had to lie to you back there so that Claire and the other Gorongiaths will think him dead. Don't you see this is even better than our staged fight?"

Slowly I get up and tower over him. "This whole thing was a setup?" I confirm.

He rises too, looking warily at me; he can see my boiling temper, knows me too well. Even before I learned to fight, my temper was something to be reckoned with, but now that I'm trained, it's deadly, and he knows it.

He swallows. "No, I just took advantage of a situation…."

"Does Colin know you tricked me?" I ask deathly quiet.

He shakes his head. "No, he's in the hospital still. I had a hard time getting him to stay there and letting me come for you."

I deflate just slightly as I narrow my eyes at him once more. "What do you mean in the hospital?"

"Everything that happened was true, Viv. You guys got attacked, but when Colin got shot—his cast, it saved his life."

I can't help it, I laugh. "His cast?"

Blake nods, looking somewhat relieved that my temper seems to be in check. "Yes, it took the brunt of the bullet. He was still hurt, though. Four of his ribs got broken, but the cast slowed the bullet just enough so that the ribs stopped it from entering his heart. He's weak, but he's alive."

I thank our lucky stars for our dumb luck, and my heart is mending all the tiny holes, slowly. The pain doesn't just evaporate, some still lingers, but slowly, ever so slowly, it's leaving my body.

Blake continues his tale. "It was the soldier you guys sent for food. He found Colin unconscious and bleeding. He was still hooked up to the I.V., which saved his life. Doc put him in one of those med chambers. By the time we get there, he'll be out. He was conscious when I left, made me promise on my life to get you back. He wanted to come, I swear he would have, Viv, but he couldn't even walk."

"So, on your way here, you decided to make me believe the love of my life—your brother, is dead?" I ask calmly.

"Claire contacted me and filled me in. She was the one who told me that Colin was dead, which, yes… that gave me the idea. She told me where to find you."

He doesn't get to finish his sentence, nor does he even see it coming. My fist connects with his jaw so quickly that he has no time to prepare. His head is thrown to the side, and he stumbles two steps back.

If I wasn't so infuriated with him, I would be proud of my ability to take him by surprise. As it is, my hand smarts, as some of my knuckles' skin breaks and bleeds, but seeing the blood on Blake's lip and the surprised, hurt expression on his face is so worth it.

"Vivian!" He holds his hands up in surrender, reading in my eyes that I'm not done beating on him.

He blocks the next blow and the next, but I kick him so hard, he stumbles to the ground. I barely stop my fist from connecting with his face again as shame fills me. What am I doing? This is Blake. Yes, he hurt me, but I understand his reasons. And Colin is alive.

I start to laugh. He's alive.

"You have no idea how psycho you look right now," Blake states warily, slowly rising off the ground.

"No, I think I have an inkling," I admit and reach my hand out to help him up.

He takes it with an eye on my other hand and lets me pull him fully to his feet. "I'm sorry," I say.

He rubs his jaw and moves it back and forward. "I deserved it, I guess."

"Don't you ever do that again," I warn.

"Trust me, I learned my lesson," he says like a scolded child, making us both laugh.

"About Colin." Blake's demeanor is sheepish.

I take a deep breath in, thinking this over and sharing Blake's concern. Colin would probably kill his brother if he found out. "Don't worry, I won't tell him how you deceived me. I think he would kill you. And although you deserve it, I love you too much."

"Thanks, good to know." He smiles. "I love you too."

"Approaching destination." I hear a familiar voice over the intercom.

"Briggs?" I ask.

He nods and points out the window. We're about to land at Fort Lewis.

"We'll keep Colin under lock and key; only a select few will know he's still alive. As soon as he's better, you guys can take off to Secret Harbor and kick some Gorongiath ass."

"Sounds like a plan." I agree, eager to take the fight finally to the next level.

A slight shifting in the spaceship announces our landing. A surge of energy passes through my body, and without waiting for Blake, I run towards the lowering ramp. Not even waiting for it to reach the ground before I jump the last part.

"Wait!" I hear Blake call out after me, but