ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ Tethered ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ

Chapter 31

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• Luna •

When Luna stared at Julia, her entire body froze. She was so startled that she couldn't move. She had the strangest thought as the door closed and locked behind her.

Julia Smith seemed stable like she wasn't trying to hurt her.

Blonde hair pulled back in a high bun. Ruby lips. Her white shirt had cap sleeves that flapped. Her pale gray stare that latched on Luna's appeared genuine.

Had Julia been following them?

"Hello, Luna."

Luna just stared at the nurse, her eyes locked on the syringe.

"Were you coming to wash your face or hands?" Nurse Smith asked.

Small tingles rose along Luna's neck. "Was that even an option?"

"Of course." Nurse Smith took a step to the side, near the other bedroom door. "It is always preferable to maintain good hygiene. You never know what you're going to catch."

Luna watched her as she walked to the sink and set her bag on the counter, wondering what the nurse was up to. The corner window was too narrow for climbing.

If she ran, she'd be screwed. Nurse Smith was quick.

"I'm going to assume you're surprised I found you. All three of you."

Luna shivered and turned on the water after seeing her reflection. "You're following us."

Nurse snorted. "You catch on quick."

Luna was trying to control her thoughts, which were going a thousand miles per second. She had a knife and the energy to incinerate the woman into a million fragments. She chose the knife because she needed to figure out how Nurse Smith was following them and why she was in the house at four in the morning.

"I didn't graduate high school at seventeen for nothing," she replied. "I think ahead."

"That's something I've always admired about you, Luna." Nurse Smith exhaled. "You use your brains and skills. Unlike your husband, you're careful."

Luna became furious when she washed her hands in warm water. Nobody talked about Amir and then lived the next minute. She glanced at the door.

"Nobody's coming. Greer nor Amir. They're . . . busy."

"What did you do?"

Luna's quiet tone made Nurse Smith giggle. "We'll discuss that later. I have a question you should answer honestly."

When she turned, Luna groaned. "Ask."

"Eric is the only reason you three found this house. Someone connected to his thoughts. I'd like to know where he is since he's not here."

Luna sighed quietly.

"I can't even sense him."

Her heart skipped a beat.

"It means Eric died. One of you is responsible." Nurse Smith twisted the syringe. "Amir or Greer likely killed him. You could've used your brains and power to kill him."

Luna remained silent.

She prayed Eric didn't die while they were gone. Amir fried his brain, but she didn't think he would kill him. What if he overdosed the bounty on sleeping pills and stopped his heart?

God, she hoped not. That wasn't her husband's intention.

Nurse Smith grinned. "You think you're clever at keeping things private, but you don't realize that I'll find out all your secrets very soon."

Luna was about to stab the woman. "What happened to Amir and Greer?"

"Your boys are fine." She showed her teeth while smiling. "They'll come up here whenever I let them."

"All right. You're insane." Luna snatched the crimson hand towel. "You're a little—"

"Now, now, now. Moon—don't upset me. I have to behave."

Luna faced her, hands dry. "Behave? Like cooking dinner for us?"

"No." Nurse Smith smirked. "I have orders."

Luna put the towel in the laundry bin and grabbed her jacket's front pocket.

Nurse moved. "What are you looking for?"

"Come here, and I'll show you," she snarled, carefully unzipping the front pocket and reaching for the weapon. "Who gave you the orders?"

The nurse cocked her chin. "Alisha." She didn't seem surprised to say that.

"Hmm. So, I guess it's time to say goodbye to Dr. Kim," Luna replied. "Fascinating."

"Of course not. Duh." Nurse Smith smiled at Luna's absurdity. "He's still around, monitoring cute, little Sarah and Chase with our implant in the Resistance."

Luna's brows wrinkled after she touched the zipper. "Excuse me?"

"We're watching the Khans, your family, Liberty, and her messed-up mental state." Nurse Smith retrieved a stick of clear lip gloss from her jeans pocket and tossed her hair in front of the mirror. "To be honest, it gets old watching all of you twenty-four, seven. Who knew?"

Luna gripped the knife's tip. "You're such a bitch!"

"I'm a bitch? You're worse."

Luna grabbed the knife and lunged forward.

Nurse Smith's hand charged like a wolf. She forcefully twisted Luna's arm, causing severe pain. Luna yelled. "Stop it," she purred. "Put it down, Luna. Now."

She kept going. "Never."

"A knife?" Nurse Smith twisted Luna's upper arm, halting everything. Luna opened her hands. Powerless. The nurse threw the weapon behind them. "You're upsetting me." She frowned and released Luna's palm. "I'm trying to chat to you peacefully before putting you to sleep, but you're—"

"I don't know why I can't use my powers," she moaned.

"I'm blocking you," Nurse Smith said. "Doesn't feel good, does it?"

After snatching a pencil from the counter, Luna swung at her. When the piece of wood hit her in the chest, Nurse Smith didn't move and took most of Luna's weight. Her skin was pierced.

Luna's fist was warm once Nurse Smith slumped.

Then, she was suddenly in the air with her back to the wall.

Luna hit the window flying backward. She fell forward, bowed, and screamed her lungs out. Before tumbling, she caught herself and looked through her hair while gasping.

The pencil was stuck in Nurse Smith's shoulder. It was too high for her heart.

Dark, inky liquid sprayed on her white shirt when she grabbed the pencil. "Really? A pencil?" She threw it toward the garbage. "Do I look like a vampire who would die if wood went through her heart? That's amusing."

Luna suppressed her panic. "What do you want with me?"

Nurse Smith went from sitting on the sink to crouching in front of Luna with her hands on her chin and her head back. "Try to solve it."

While burying her claws into Luna's chin, the nurse grabbed something from her front pocket. Luna almost didn't see what she was carrying.

It was a picture.

Luna at six years old with her mother, father, sister, and a guy she thought was her father's coworker but was Lily's uncle, New Orleans mayor Rolland Pierce.

It was the same image as one of Luna's pictures in her house.

Holy crap. "You went through my house?"

"Ha! We didn't do much." Nurse Smith flicked the picture at Luna, who jerked. "After Harmony Asylum, we figured you'd go home, but traitors supported you. We then learned that you three were heading to Zander. Him, of all people, to help you." Tsking slowly, the woman shook her head. "That's too bad."

Luna's heart raced as she leaned closer. When she spoke, her lips touched her chin. "Our organization was meant to remain hidden. We had reasons and goals. You know that, but you and your dumb crew spoiled everything by sparkling in Texas. We've almost run out of Genesis for the population." Luna wailed after she tightened her grip. "You have no idea what kind of chaos and destruction you've created. No idea."

Luna couldn't talk because the nurses' fingers were digging into her jaw and pinning her in place. She glared with everything she had. Her wrath and rage surged.

"Who are you, Luna? Superpowered beings aren't like you. Why do you have more abilities than anyone else? "Luna didn't understand her. "You're intriguing. Amir is also special, which makes him interesting." She laughed. "We'll know soon. All I've done and everything we're doing is for the greater good. Unless we say so, this war will continue. We will take over the globe. Every living soul."

Nurse Smith was crazy.

Insane.

"We'll handle people better now." She released Luna and moved an inch. "Just watch what happens. We'll accomplish more together."

"I only want to destroy you, Julia."

Nurse Smith tilted. "You won't destroy anyone."

"I've killed people," Luna growled. "I made certain they would never wake up again after fighting with me."

"Congratulations, Mrs. Hot Stuff." Nurse Smith snorted. "I'll bring you some ice cream to make things better, just like your clients tell their kids in your studio."

Luna's spine shuddered. "What?"

"Yes, Mrs. Khan. For four years, we planted the Black family. We watched your every move to see when your powers developed." After a thunderclap, she laughed and looked out the window. "Michelle gave us excellent updates while praising you. She enjoyed handling you."

"I thought Chase came into my life to be a handler," Luna believed, and Nurse Smith shook her head.

"No. We let him believe he was controlling everything even though he was a pawn. He was oblivious that others were in control."

She rose and grinned at Luna, her eyes shadowy except for the pupils. Before she took something out of her back pocket, they started glowing yellow. A tiny black Bluetooth earpiece was in her hand.

Luna hopped up, ignoring the throbbing in her back.

"It's time to find out what you're truly capable of." Nurse Smith, the woman Luna hated with all her soul, pressed a button on the device. "Luna Khan, you have been activated."

Her world erupted.

Breathing again, Luna plummeted. She tumbled while squeezing her head, oblivious to the floor hitting her. Pressure waves hit her brain like a bomb. Nerve cells erupted. When she curled up, her scalp burned.

God, it stings!

She didn't mind being hit by a garbage truck. When her hands wrenched away from her head, her body tensed and her legs painfully straightened. Her thoughts were jumbled because she couldn't decide. Chaos reigned.

Nurse Smith enjoyed this.

"It's called the Sonic Oscillator because someone likes sci-fi gadgets. 'SO' for short. It's a digital signal. Though no one can hear it, your brain processes it." Julia's voice pierced. "It's supposedly a detonator. Mixes brain neurochemicals. No such weapons are being developed, only more lethal ones. This device doesn't affect most people. Mrs. Khan, did you hear me? It's a mind-fucking dog whistle. I've put you on a leash."

Luna wasn't sure if she punched her. The pounding, blinding anguish made her see white and spit. She could not see.

She snapped—

Her mind flashed vivid images. White and green crescent star flags flew. The Faisal Mosque survived. Tall mountains. Amir's hometown, Islamabad. Walking with Sarah, they cradled their newborns. In the summertime, she felt the sun.

Another image replaced it.

A drunk man slept on a couch smelling of animal pee and sour food. Getting closer improved her vision. "Daddy?" she whispered, finding him intoxicated and holding a memorial pamphlet. Her mother's image is on it. She gasped. "No."

Then two children played in the jungle gym. Cami and Liberty spoke to Luna's left. 'It's their children,' she presumed.

She was on a bed, hooked up to equipment, staring at her family.

A wave of fire wiped them and Luna forever after everyone's voices and faces broke. She was killed by a doctor who had lied to her.

False.

It was a facade obscured by lies.

And the doctor was Amir.

Julia said, "The SO only affects people with a rare gene that comes from the Omega serum," but Luna didn't understand. "As an Oracle, you should see your future now. A code is waiting to be accessed in the bloodstream. A kill code."

Luna saw Sarah. Thirteen. Her blonde hair was braided and she pointed a Glock at Sam.

Her daughter's gun and a voice in her ear.

His words. Bright blue eyes focused on Sarah's, eyes Luna has always known. Chase. "You know what to do," he said. "Shoot."

Luna wanted to rush forward and grab the gun, but she couldn't. This vision was not real, or it hasn't happened yet.

She controlled their fate.

Sarah won't—

A familiar voice broke her inner turmoil. Dr. Kim. 'Our agents want Sarah Carlyle. After finding her, they won't know what hit them.'

No. They—not them—

Nothing.

Luna's thoughts vanished. Silence. Empty. The torment ended, leaving a peaceful void. After relaxing, her legs tensed. Panting, she saw white clothes.

What did I do?

She looked up to find a silent woman with yellow pupils and black eyes.

Luna knew her. She thought she knew her, but her mouth, throat, and head were covered in cotton and fuzz.

The woman raised her arm and offered her hand. "I am the—"

"Alpha and Omega," Luna added.

"The Beginning—"

"And the End," Luna finished.

"Heavenly." Her soft lips smiled. "Mrs. Khan, walk with me. You're expected."

Expected?

Luna stood and took her hand. When they entered the bedroom, she snatched her hand away, realizing who the woman was.

She kicked out, sweeping Nurse Smith's legs. The nurse gasped and collapsed, her hip smashing into the hardwood.

Luna was enraged.

"Huh?" Julia Smith stammered and looked away. "This wasn't supposed to happen. You're in a simulation."

"Guess what? Surprise. Nothing can bring me down."

"What?"

Luna rushed forward and grabbed Nurse Smith by the hair. She swung around and pulled her into the hallway by the back of the neck, where she gripped the banister to catch herself.

Not happening.

Julia's arms expanded. Luna smashed her into a long wall mirror.

"You wench!" The nurse spat blood when Luna pulled her back. "You're so going to get it. I'm—"

Nurse Smith kicked Luna in the stomach. She stumbled back. The nurse rose off the floor, crimson air streaming from her, wrapping around her legs and crawling up her body.

Luna stepped forward and grabbed a piece of the broken mirror. She held Nurse Smith's shirt and watched her struggle for air.

"I don't understand," she mumbled. "I did everything right."

Luna growled. "I'm not activated, bitch."

The nurse's skull was cracked.

Her mouth opened as she fell sideways, and she died before plunging into a dark river.

━━─── • ───━━━

Seriously, this was Luna's breakout moment throughout the series for me. She awoke from Julia Smith's hold on her, didn't recognize her at first, and wham, bye-bye enemy. I had a lot of fun writing these fight scenes for the characters. Prepare yourself. Some of Luna's visions will come true, and it will alter the course of their future.