Vitrian Secrets by Dele Andersen (book club reads txt) 📕

“Done!” Petter said, and Wanda shuddered again, a bit uncomfortable as his hands dropped to her shoulders. It was not possible that Petter would hit on her.

He ran his hands down both of her arms simultaneously. “Everything will be all right,” he said, his mouth close to her right ear.

She turned. “Petter, please . . . stop!” Her words came out fast and shaky.

“Did I do something wrong?” Petter backed up a step. His voice was apologetic. “I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“I . . .” Wanda looked away, trying not to make eye contact with him. This was something she could have done without batting an eyelid the day before. She could have put her hands in his hair and run her fingers through it while Tutu complained. “I—we should go. By the way, what happened to Alexis' face, and why are you here?”

“Okay. One thing at a time.”

He smiled, and Wanda saw the Petter she had always known behind the smile.

She looked at him properly, almost assessing him. He was well dressed in a beautiful gray Calvin Klein shirt with a pair of khakis worn over Nike sneakers, his blond hair nicely trimmed.

“We have the whole evening,” Petter responded, interrupting her assessment. “Why don't I walk you home? On our way, I can fill you in on everything.”

“Okay,” Wanda said, closing and opening her eyes to take her mind off Petter's subtle flirtations. “After you.” She looked at the door, signaling she wanted him to be in front. She did not want to imagine Petter staring at her lecherously from behind.

As soon as they stepped out of the room, Wanda noticed the change in the environment. Nurses in white and a few doctors hurried along the corridor. They stepped from several rooms, opening and closing doors as they walked toward the end of the corridor. They carried different medical items and folders.

“This way,” Petter said, motioning for Wanda to move faster.

She noticed some of the nurses were staring at her. Some looked aggrieved to see her, but Wanda couldn't understand why.

“Petter,” she called, covering her face and hurrying to catch up to meet him.

“Ignore them,” Petter murmured to her as she got to his side.

Wanda froze as she looked at the vast and enormous room the corridor opened into and the number of people and patients inside.

The hospital was so busy! Her hospital room had given the false impression that the hospital was abandoned. She was now looking at bandaged people, lying or sitting up on different hospital beds. About twenty of them had tubes and I.V.s connected to their bodies. She could perceive it in the air, that hospital smell she had always hated because it reminded her of when they went to view her dad's body. But her mother would not let her into the room where her father was.

“Wanda . . . Wanda!” Petter shouted as Wanda wrapped her arms around herself as she shivered.

“What happened here?” she cried out.

Petter ignored the question. “We should go. I will explain,” he said brusquely.

Wanda had barely taken a step when she heard a whisper close by.

“That's the girl.”

She turned to the side to see who was whispering, but she couldn't figure out who had spoken. Five men looked at her intensely. Bandages covered several parts of their body. The most severely wounded had bandages wrapped around his face with bloodstains on the dressing.

Wanda saw about twenty others in the room, all with several injuries, some with broken legs suspended high on their sickbeds. For some, it was their hands, and for others, they lay moaning and groaning in agonizing pain.

She didn't need it explained; Wanda could see the pain in their eyes as one after the other, including the nurses, turned their heads to stare at her, some with an expressionless gaze, some with a bit of hope, and others with despair. It was apparent none were sure what to expect from her. The truth was, Wanda wasn’t either. And the sudden new life of being The Chosen child of the Vitrian became even more confusing to her.

They stepped out at the other end of the vast room, and Petter made a left turn, leading them out of the hospital.

“What happened to those people?” Wanda asked, feeling the heat of the late setting sun.

“Demon battle,” Petter answered, and just hearing the answer gave Wanda chills.

“Is that how it is every time—I mean, when Vitrians fight demons?” she asked before she remembered how petrifying the battles her dad had described to her were. And she was sure he had toned them down because she was a little child.

For the first time since waking up, Wanda suddenly remembered Eric and the dreadful scene she had witnessed as the demon pinned him down with its talons.

“Not always,” Petter said, not looking at her. He was already walking toward the hospital's main gate. “I heard those men in there fought strong demons. Demons that had not been seen by anyone in the last century. They were overpowered.”

“They seemed to be in agony.”

“Of course they are, and the Healing Méndez is not here, so they have to bear the pain and wait for their bodies to heal as any normal human does—well, that is, those who will make it.”

Petter said his last words in an unusual way, and Wanda felt the pain in his voice. She thought about the Healing Méndez while Petter continued.

“Those were the men who went to rescue Jason, and it was during the battle that one of the demons poisoned Jason.”

Wanda's anger boiled when she heard they were the men who saved her brother's life.

“The rebels would get rid of Jason because they can't have him,” Wanda said, thinking out loud as she recalled what Bathe had said. Animosity encompassed her. “We must find the Healing Méndez!”

“Well, more like they would like to get to you through Jason,” Petter said, ignoring her comment about the Healing Méndez.

“What does that mean?” She squinted, frowning.

Petter turned to her and smiled. “You don't know, do you?”

Wanda shook her head like a little girl. She could see from his smile that Petter had a confidence here at the fortress which he didn't have at school.

“Okay.” He cleared his throat. “You’re the one the rebels really want.”

“Me? I thought it was Jason too.”

“Well, yes, but they can't confirm Jason will be of any help yet. He is younger, and they don’t know if he can see demons yet.”

“So why hurt him? Why hurt Jason if they can't confirm he can see demons?” Wanda couldn’t conceal his vexation.

“Come here.” Petter turned. “Let's take the main street so I can show you the entire fortress properly.”

Wanda followed him as he continued.

“For one, I think they don't want us to know—”

“Us.” The word caught Wanda's attention.

“Us?” Petter looked confused.

“You used the word us,” Wanda said.

“What?” He smiled. “I'm not around here by mere coincidence, you know. I know about the Vitrians because I am one.” He paused as Wanda watched him in surprise. “Anyway, let's talk about me later.” Petter waved the issue off. “Since you have the power of The Chosen, I think the rebels would like to keep Jason silent in case he later shows tremendous powers also—”

“What tremendous power?” Wanda moaned. “Even if it means killing him, how can people be so callous?” The thought of the rebels treating her brother with such wickedness filled her mind with aggravation. She believed neither Jason, nor her mum, nor she deserved what the insurgents had done to them. “How can they be so cruel? What has Jason done to deserve this?”

Petter let her vent for a while and then continued. “I believe my second theory is an even stronger reason why Jason was poisoned.”

“What's this theory?” Wanda was all ears. She walked quickly to make sure she didn't miss a single thing Petter had to say. They had always been close, chatting and telling each other secrets. The only person more intimate to her than Petter was Tutu, who always tried to keep Petter away from Wanda.

“You. It's because of you, Wanda.”

“Me?”

“Yes.” Petter's eyes revealed no doubt as he looked straight into Wanda's. “I think the rebels are trying to force you to come to them.”

Without knowing why, Wanda's stomach knotted. She couldn't imagine being in the hands of the rebels and what they would do to her. If they poisoned Jason and used demons which had left so many Vitrians wounded and in agony, she could not fathom what kind of pain or suffering they would inflict on her to get whatever they needed out of her. Her stomach made dangerous noises. She wondered if she was going to gag at any moment.

∞∞∞

Bathe stood with Alexis outside the premises of the medical hall after Wanda left with Petter.

“Did you send a Vitrian to Wanda's school?” Bathe asked, trying to get information about the boy Wanda claimed she saw fight with the demon at her school.

“A Vitrian . . .” Alexis' eyes showed confusion. “Petter is in her school, her class. . . .”

“I know Petter is, but did you send anyone else?” Bathe believed Alexis knew something about the boy.

“No. I didn't.” Alexis looked at Bathe suspiciously. “Did you see any other Vitrians there? Petter told me he was the only Vitrian in the entire school.”

“No.” Bathe looked away. “The rebels must have been playing with Wanda's mind when she saw their demon.” He waited a long pause, pretending he was pondering deeply. “You know the rebels will never give the Healing Méndez back to us,” he said in a frustrated tone, turning back and looking straight at Alexis.

“What would you have me do?” Alexis said.

“You know what we have to do, Alexis,” Bathe said, keeping his voice firm. He was convinced he had the solution. “The rebels want Wanda Troms; you have said it yourself time and again . . . we have to send her out there.”

“Bathe!” Alexis said, his eyes widening. “She just got here—and you and Marcus were such good friends—we should be protecting her.”

“I'll protect her,” Bathe said. “With her in our care, the rebels will talk and negotiate. If you want, I can present it to the other Vitrian elders at the meeting.”

Alexis grew silent. “You know Sofia will never consent to it.”

“We just have to tell her and the elders.” Bathe was certain this was the best option, and he could see Alexis was pondering on it too. “Even if Sofia objects, we have to let the elders know. A lot of people are sick, and they will die if we don't get that Healing Méndez.”

“But the girl, she's The Chosen . . .” Alexis halted, his eyes moved to and fro, searching Bathe's expression. “You don’t think the rebels will kill her.”

“Why are we relying on prophecies given years ago?” Bathe said. “If this prophecy is real and Wanda is 'The Chosen,' she’ll survive, won’t she?” Bathe repeated the phrase Alexis had used. A phrase used whenever they spoke about the prophecy of The Chosen. “We can't let everyone in there die,” he pointed at the hospital, “because of a prophecy we want to believe at all cost. If you want, Alexis, I am ready to raise the issue at the elders’ meeting.”

“No,” Alexis replied instantly. “I don't want you to be the one to raise it. I will do that. I am the head of the elders, after all.” He looked away. “In fact, I think it is better to leave the entire elders’ group out of the issue. They would gladly go along with this because they know a lot of people are at the point of death, but I want you to explain the scene with the unusual demon