The Return of Twelve (A Lorien Legacies Fanfic)

4. A Partial Truth

(Greyson's POV)

Albert Anderson let me in his house. The decorations looked nothing like the last time I've been here. Pieces of plywoods were pinned in windows to maintain darkness. The living room were messy. The frames were broken and the other furniture was destroyed as if a wild animal escaped and merely razed everything else in this house.

I feel a sudden empathy towards the Andersons, especially that both of them only have each other. I feel guilt inside for leaving Clara. This is all my fault.

"Come, take a sit," Albert motions at the destroyed sofa. But I sit anyway.

"What happened?" I ask. Albert forlornly stares at his injured hands. He's the one who destroyed everything here. "What do you mean by gone?"

He stares at me. "They took her. But I couldn't do anything..."

"Who exactly?"

"The Mogadorians!" He stammers, and look sideways as if the Mogs are listening nearby. Then he lower his voice. "Look, I know who you are. If you are one of them and you wanted to take me too, please-"

I sigh. "Look, I look nothing like them. The Mo-" I struggle, but I know how sensitive Albert had become. "The enemy you're talking about is also our enemy. They destroyed our planet, Lorien. I came here to rescue Clara, not to abduct you or something."

"I- I was one of those who greet your kind, tho..."

"What do you mean?"

"The Greeters. To meet the ten Lorics."

I lean closer. "Wait, the ten? The first ten pairs of Lorics. I wasn't with them. I'm a separate batch, and never part of that greeting part."

"But," Albert scratch his forehead. He can't remember. He must be suffering from memory loss.

"How far do you know about us, Mr. Albert?"

"I never knew about the second batch you're talking about. But I am one of the Greeters. I couldn't remember after that. Like there's a gap in there. Then," he stand up to remember anything. "Then, the darker aliens took us. They tortured us. But I don't know what happened with the other Greeters. I survived, somehow. And escaped."

I remember last time when I first met Clara when he said he was going somewhere. I believe he got into trouble after that.

"When I got back home..." He adds. "I- I saw them encircling my house. Clara screamed, until they took her. They were about to shoot me, but I passed out. I woke up here with nothing. Clara was taken... Clara was taken... She was-"

I closed my eyes. I realize chimaera, in a form of a black cat, Night is beside my foot. She purrs silently.

"Where do you think she was taken to?" I ask Albert once again. He stops muttering.

"In their facility. In Peru. But I couldn't go there."

I stand up. "Don't worry, Mr. Albert. I'm going to bring her back."

For a moment, Albert stare before he bursts out laughing. "Bring her back? Yeah, you're just a kid. But, well, go on then! You're nuts, Welch. You're going nuts."

I ignore him. He might be right, I'm just a teenager. But I reached Brazil, and Philippines. I travelled across the world and saved a Garde. Though I failed to save my own father, Leigh, I've accomplished more than I knew it.

I'm not just a teenager. I'm a Garde. A Loric. I have more abilities that no ordinary human can do.

I go out of the Anderson's house. Night follows behind me. Clara's father turned into an eccentric man, but I'm pretty sure he'll be fine.

I need to get to Peru. I need to save Clara.