Page 132 of The Divide that Binds Us

“Can you look at me, so I don’t have to look in your nose?”

“Excuse me, miss, who do you think you’re talking—”

“I’m Elite’s Special Agent, Alice Reid.”The Guard looks down.I’m expecting contempt but am met with a worn expression.

I hate the weird rift Spirit Users and Guards have.We can’t be Guards due to possibly having an advantage from our powers.Guards put their whole lives into the job, so Superiors seldom Trace them, otherwise they’re automatically fired.Rumor is that some people purposely become Guards to avoid being Traced and becoming “freaks.”

“So, you decided to show your face,” he mumbles, gripping his crossbow.I can’t find a branded A on his hand.“Whaddaya want?Turning yerself in?”

“I could.What’s happening?Is this still from yesterday?”

“No, a suspect.He’s been prancing around for a while, but we got word that he’s somewhere here,” he replies.His eyes shift as he scans pedestrians walking by.“Wearestill dealing with Wave Riding Season and...your meltdown.It’s bad enough people look at us good guys in petrified horror now.Half the force is missing and probably compromised.”He nods at greeting citizens, almost half distracted.“You know there’s a warrant for your arrest for violating the terms of the agreement, but we’re spread thin, so this current situation is our priority.King Remington doesn’t want Elite involved unless it’s serious.”

I guess I don’t need to expect Guards waiting at the base for me then.

“I see.We won’t step in unless you ask.”I turn on my heels.

“P-Please be careful.There’s been another murder.We have a serial killer on our hands here.This suspect may be our guy, but we’ll know more once we nab him,” he admits.“I gather the sense that you mean well and can take care of yourself, so I won’t say anything about seeing you.If you see him, notify us immediately.He has dreads, a nose piercing, and is pretty tall.Who knows, maybe it’ll free you of some of the guilt you probably carry.Just...stay sharp.”

Another murder?That’s the nineteenth one this year.

By the time I make it to Elite’s steps, I’m shivering.I lost my favorite jacket, and my stomach is pissed off from that burger.Billie is already waiting with a few boxes next to her on the top of the stairs.Her energy is low, nothing is even radiating toward me.

Oh no.

“Billie, did you get—”

“You and me both, girl,” she says.“Some of this is your stuff.Master Azul told me an hour ago.Our rooms are cleared out.I’m waiting for my parents to pick me up.”

My heart drops as I look over at a forlorn Stacy talking to a security agent by the doors.She gives a sympathetic look, the volume in her headphones nonexistent.

So, I’m homeless, jobless, and likely to be arrested once the Guards catch this murderer.Oh, and I may be sued for my tantrum.I can add Rio potentially coming after me again on that list if I want.

I take a seat next to Billie; her hands are folded between her knees with her feet slanted toward each other.She looks a lot like herself when I met her on her first day of Elite.

“I told Rachel to let us know when Evangeline wakes up,” she murmurs.

I can’t think of anything coherent to say as I stare at the despondent pond across the street, still a helpless crater of itself.

“There was another murder,” I mumble.“Guard told me when I got off the train.”

“I’m assuming the mission went well?Any sign of Nick?”

“Yeah, we freed a buncha dragons, but I dunno.”

No sign of Nicholas.Or Rebecca.They’re not our problem anymore as Elite members.

Stacy clears her throat and walks over to us.She’s entering an uneasy scene but she’s icy pale.Her breathing is ragged and uneven with a quivering chin.

“What’s up, Stace?”

“Um, I know this doesn’t concern you anymore, but...Natasha was found...dead,” Stacy whispers.“Strangled to death.”

Billie gasps and covers her mouth.

So, she’s the nineteenth victim.She’s truly gone now.Oh, Natasha.

If this just happened, then Mildred’s cult is probably still operating until she’s in a safe location again.I wanted to catch everyone up on the atrocity our world is living in and should’ve asked Fae about the slaughterhouses.

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