A Fractured Light (Beautiful Dark)

of the future— after your wings have grown in. ”
    “But how?” I asked. “How is that even possible?”
    “There’s only one explanation,” Devin said, awe filling his eyes. “Only one way you could possess the sight. Your mother wasn’t a Guardian. She had to have been a Gifted One.”
    “But,” I stammered, “that—that doesn’t seem right. That would mean my blood is so much stronger in favor of the light. And my powers—”
    “Your powers are a blend of both. But visions of the future—that’s the strongest power of the light that there is. It may outweigh any other power you have.” His face softened. Suddenly he looked so much like the Devin from before. “Skye,” he murmured.
    “What?”
    “It’s amazing.”
    Something—a sixth sense—was prickling up the back of my neck.
    “I’m sorry,” he said. “I can’t do this anymore. I can’t take it. Why don’t you see it? Why can’t you see what I see?”
    “What do you see?” I asked, not sure I wanted to know the answer, but positive I needed to.
    “You belong with the Order. We can teach you how to refine your visions. We can show you how to see what will happen to you—to everyone you know! You can hold the future in the palm of your hand.”
    “The Order tried to kill me,” I said. “I could never join them.”
    “Then do it for me,” he begged.
    “Why?”
    “Because I love you! Do I really have to say it? Don’t you believe me by now?”
    My heart almost stopped beating—because the last time he’d said something like that was only seconds before I felt the cold steel of his blade spear through me. I tensed, getting ready to fight if I had to.
    “You don’t love me,” I said. “You couldn’t possibly. It’s not real love. You’ve never made it possible for me to love you back. You push me away every chance you get.” His eyes were so sad, helpless, but I had to keep going. “You hold yourself at arm’s length, bottle everything up inside. You think it’s love, Devin, but it’s not. Not really. You admire my strength. You want to help me. But you’re not even my friend.”
    “How do you know?” he asked, his voice perfectly controlled. “How could you know what I’m feeling? I wear a mask to keep it from you. From everyone. I would do anything for you. All I’ve ever wanted is to get you to the Order, where you’d be safe from any more Guardians trying to kill you.”
    He moved toward me, and I saw that Raven had been standing behind him the whole time. My heart pounded wildly. Had she followed us to the woods? Was she alone—or were there others?
    “Well, that was sweet,” said Raven. Devin spun around. “We all knew it, of course, but I didn’t think you were stupid enough to say it out loud. You broke the biggest rule. Do you know what the Order is going to do to you? Do you understand what has to happen now?” For maybe the first time, I could detect real anger, real emotion in Raven’s voice. What had happened to make her so close to losing it?
    “No,” Devin said. “There’s still a chance—if she comes over, if she joins the Order, then nothing has to change.”
    “What about us?”
    “There is no us.” Devin was shaking, his hands balled into fists by his sides. “It’s all just a big lie. The Order can’t see my destiny, thanks to Skye. She changed everything, blurred our fate so much that it doesn’t matter anymore. She changed the course of time! She’s one of us, Raven. Don’t you see it? She was supposed to die, and she healed herself .”
    I had? That would explain how quickly I’d gotten better, the lack of scar anywhere on my body. But it would also be—
    “You poor, sad fool,” Raven sang, her voice fierce. “You really believe she healed herself? She could barely control her own dark powers. What makes you think she was so skilled with her light ones?”
    “Then who did?” Devin yelled. The intensity of his voice surprised me, echoing through the trees. “It wasn’t me! It couldn’t have been any Guardian!”
    “I did!” Raven’s eyes brimmed with tears. It was shocking to see someone so strong, so terrible, on the verge of breaking down. “I did, for you! Because I couldn’t stand the thought of you having to live the rest of your days knowing that you killed the one person in this world you love.”
    Devin stopped cold. He tilted his head and stared at her.
    My jaw dropped as I realized she looked almost human. She did have a heart. She