Cassius sat at the edge of the cabin. He’d tried to sleep. An hour had passed. Then he took over for Rodriguez at the pilot’s seat. Now he was back, and wide awake.
He stared at Theo’s slumped-over body from across the room. He was dying to burst forth in flames. He didn’t want to attack, necessarily, but he needed to let off steam. Nothing had gone right, and he feared it was only the beginning.
He stood and moved to the boy, stopping inches in front of him. Theo’s face was covered in dirt. His ratty hair hung just over his closed eyes.
Cassius clenched his fist to control the fire longing to stream from his fingers. He knew he should leave the kid alone. As long as Theo was unconscious, he wouldn’t be a problem. But he wouldn’t be an asset, either. And he always had the stunners, if necessary.
Taking a deep breath, he reached out and slapped the boy across the face. The blow knocked Theo’s body to the side, but the cuffs kept him in place.
All at once, Theo shook to life. His head slammed back into the wall. His arms and legs tensed as his eyes opened.
Cassius took a step back. “What did you do to those men out there?”
Theo blinked, then closed his eyes like he was about to drift off again. When he finally spoke, his voice came out slurred and quiet. “Where am I?”
Cassius crouched so that he could see the boy’s face. “You’re chained to a chair, where you belong. What did you do out there?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Shifter. Ridium. These words mean anything to you?”
Theo spit, then coughed. “Is this how you do-gooders get your jollies? Torturing kids?”
Cassius scoffed. “You’re about as innocent as a serial killer. Seven men down there, dead.”
Theo looked up at him, chin tense, expression grim. “What do you mean?”
Cassius frowned. “The daggers.”
“You still got my knife? That’s the biggest mistake you’ve ever made taking it.”
“I’m not scared of you,” Cassius said. “So you can cut it with the intimidation.”
Theo smiled. “Madame’s probably looking for me right now. You’ve pissed her off.”
“Good. Now tell me what you did down there.”
Theo shrugged. “I’ve been tied up like this ever since Syracuse! Of course, it’s not gonna last much longer, but you should enjoy the peace while you’ve got it.”
Cassius stood. His mind flashed back to the Fringes- the energy pouring out of Theo’s eyes, the way he stumbled, almost like he was sleepwalking. “You said Madame picked you up wandering the Fringes?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“You said there was an accident?”
Theo’s eyes narrowed. “Maybe I did.”
Cassius turned around. “You’re a freak, just like the rest of us. You’ve got no idea what you can do.”
Theo stayed silent. After a few seconds, Cassius turned to see if the boy had fallen unconscious again. His eyes were still open. They darted around the cabin, taking in every detail. “This isn’t the cruiser. This isn’t the same room. What happened?”
“Maybe I don’t wanna tell you.”
“You trying to scare me?”
“I guess I was wrong bringing you back. You don’t know a thing. Too bad. I really didn’t want to have to kill you.”
He felt a tingle at his wrist. He looked down to see the bracelet vibrating against his skin. It forced itself around in circles like it was about to bore right through him. He glanced over his shoulder. Theo’s teeth were grit. A bead of sweat dripped down his forehead.
Cassius reached to grab the bracelet with his opposite hand. Before he could touch it, the Ridium pulled upward. His arm went with it, forced above his head in a sprained position. Theo’s concentration remained fixed.
Cassius shook his head. “This is crazy.”
Another pull. This time his entire body was yanked sideways. He stumbled across the length of the cabin, propelled forward by an unbreakable force. The bracelet hit the wall with a heavy clank and stayed there, pinning his wrist to the metal.
He gripped tight, trying to break the pull.
A redness coursed through Theo’s pupils. Nothing as dramatic as back on the Surface, but obvious even from a distance. The bracelet started to collapse inward. Cassius yelped as metal mashed his wrist bones. An agonizing pressure constricted his arm. Seconds more and his entire hand would be crushed. “Stop,” he yelled through the pain. “Don’t you know what you’re doing?”
The door to the cockpit swung open.
“What’s going on?” Avery’s voice sounded behind him, though he couldn’t see her. The cabin began to black out around him. His arm pulsed with panicked blood.
“Stunner!” he shouted. “Grab the stunner!”
The bracelet released its hold. His wrist drooped to his side and he collapsed. The Ridium expanded to its usual, seamless state. Color blurred around him once more.
Through the pain, he stared at Theo. The red washed from the boy’s eyes like rain-wiped watercolors. Within seconds he was back to normal, except for a smile across his bratty face.
Wasting no time, Cassius lunged for the stunner, wrapped his finger around the trigger, and fired right into Theo’s shoulder.