The Nation

Prologue

Brynn made the call as fast as she could. Creed, you need to come over here now!

It’s my shift here in the basement. I just sent my mom upstairs to get some sleep.

Well, get her back downstairs and get over here. It’s an emergency, Brynn explained. A crash from down the hall made her gasp. She yelled, Come now!

She closed her cell phone and ran down the small hall. After opening the bedroom door, she found Boaz lying on the floor. He had knocked a small glass lamp off the nightstand next to the bed and was lying dangerously close to the shards of glass.

Brynn! he stammered, his raspy voice nearly inaudible.

Boaz, what can I get you? What can I do? Brynn begged in a panic.

Toilet! he groaned. He struggled to get on all fours. Brynn perched over him and helped him stand. She half-carried him to the bathroom where he violently vomited, barely making it to the cold white porcelain receptacle. He was shaking and chilled, sweat rolling off his ghostly pale face. He leaned back against the tub, his head falling back away from his body towards the ceiling. She could see the dark gray veins in his neck. Leaning against the doorway, Brynn hoped like mad that Creed was on his way at the same time that Boaz once again began to heave into the toilet.

Twenty minutes later, Creed came bursting through the back door.

Brynn! he called out the moment he entered her home. He ran to bathroom, the only visible light, and opened the door. Sitting on the floor next to his estranged brother was Brynn.

Creed. She looked up at him. Boaz, whose forehead was now resting against the side of the toilet, didn’t move. He’s got a fever, she cried. Her cheeks were damp from tears and exertion.

Creed walked to Boaz and touched the top of his head, the acidic sweat stinging his fingers. Brother.

Boaz slowly lifted his head an inch off the toilet. Creed? … I love you, he whispered without opening his eyes.

He’s got a fever, Brynn repeated helplessly.

Creed ran from the bathroom. In less than a minute, he returned with a syringe full of yellow-tinted liquid. Creed quickly removed Boaz’s jacket and Brynn asked, What is that?

G-11, Creed said, working to move the sleeve of Boaz’s shirt. Aggravated, he ripped the fabric at the seam of the shoulder and roughly manipulated the skin on Boaz’s arm.

No! Boaz yelled.

Creed held out the syringe in Brynn’s direction. She grabbed it before Creed touched Boaz’s face with both hands. I’m giving you an injection of G-11. Nothing more, I swear. You need to know that Baxter recently died. He died from a fever we weren’t able to break. Now, you have a fever. … I have to do something, Creed said.

Boaz closed his eyes. Give me … the EA se—seve—

I can’t. Creed placed his brother’s forehead back on the toilet and Brynn handed him the vaccine. Boaz moaned loudly as the needle entered his skin. His body trembled for many tense moments before going limp.

Chapter 1

Do you, Dallin Daniels, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in good times and bad, in sickness and in health, until you are parted by death?

I do, he said.

And do you, Aspen Alexander, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in good times and bad, in sickness and in health, until you are parted by death?

I do, she whispered.

Then, by the power vested in me by the state of Vermont, I pronounce you man and wife, the preacher stated.

The groom leaned over and kissed his bride, and the congregation of witnesses began to clap and cheer. The newly joined couple turned and faced their wedding guests. Dallin held his arms high in the air and Aspen couldn’t stop laughing. Happy tears gently trickled down her face.

She turned to her maid of honor, Brynn Moore, and hugged her before retrieving her bridal bouquet. Dallin also turned and embraced his best man, Creed Alexander. Dallin held his new bride’s hand and slowly walked her down the aisle of the small church while the cheers from the audience grew in intensity. She watched Dallin and Aspen disappear from the church hall, and Brynn was smiling from ear to ear.

Creed stepped to Brynn and touched her arm, prompting her to turn to him. We’re next, he whispered in her ear. He lovingly kissed her cheek. She wrapped her arm through his and was led by Creed to the back of the church, followed by Silus and Aspen’s sister, Avery.

Later at the reception, while sitting at the Alexander family table in the overly-decorated banquet hall, Brynn was having a surprisingly good time. She watched Creed and Silus take turns dancing with their mother and felt slight envy watching Aspen and Dallin’s evident happiness grow with each passing moment. Brynn danced with Creed, his father, and Silus, and for the first time since becoming engaged to Creed, she allowed herself to mentally think of her own wedding wishes.

It had been a long road for Brynn and Creed. They had met and immediately started down a path of adventure, parts of it pleasant and parts of it heart-wrenching. Brynn had just about been ready to throw in the towel on her relationship with Creed when he proposed. She had spent the better part of her first year with him feeling neglected and at the bottom of Creed’s list of priorities. Those feelings caused Brynn to flounder back and forth from being secure in her relationship with him to thinking it was surely doomed.

Brynn had given a great deal of herself to Creed. She expended most of her time and efforts to help him with his causes, and had made scarifies most women wouldn’t have considered making for their man. Brynn had quit a job that she enjoyed, she had sacrificed time with family and friends to act as a nurse and housekeeper, and she had put her own heart’s desires on the back burner numerous times in order to make sure that Creed was able to focus on the responsibilities that consumed him. She had cared not only for him, but for both of his brothers, his best friend Dallin, and Baxter, a macaque monkey used for testing in Creed’s laboratory. Brynn had gone above and beyond what a normal girlfriend would have done to make her relationship with Creed work. She loved him and after he proposed to her, she tried hard not to question the love that he felt for her in return.

Brynn giggled when Creed began to toast the newlywed couple sitting nearby. When Dallin told me that he was going to propose to Aspen, you could only imagine how elated I was. My best friend from when I was just a no-good kid wanted to marry my favorite and closest cousin. Well, let me rephrase … I was elated until I realized that my fiancée Brynn would more than likely skin me alive if I didn’t ask her to marry me, too. So, I asked her a few months ago to save my own hide, Creed said. The reception guests, sitting around numerous round tables, chuckled. Brynn playfully shook her head. She glanced at Creed, who winked before his tone turned solemn.

"In all seriousness, Dallin has been in love with Aspen since he first started noticing girls. Dallin … well, he’s a complex guy. He’s one of the smartest men I will ever have the pleasure of knowing and he’s exceptionally kind. Aspen is just as kind, but she was rather shy during school. Many of the boys liked Aspen because she’s so incredibly pretty, but she never felt comfortable getting to know any of them … except Dallin. Dallin and Aspen started out as best friends and have worked towards this common goal of marriage and a forever family. They are a beautiful example of true sacrifice and pure love, and I thank both of them for that. Dallin and Aspen remind me, remind everyone, to never give up, to never settle for anything less than what you want. I aspire to be like them in my own relationship. So … Dallin, Aspen … here’s to a prosperous marriage, at least six little, perfectly groomed mini-Dallin’s, he said as the crowd once again laughed and Creed added, And a forever’s worth of love and happiness. Cheers."

Cheers, the crowd repeated. Glasses clinked throughout the room. Creed sat down and leaned in closely to Brynn.

That was beautiful, sweetheart, Brynn said.

Creed kissed her. I can’t wait until we get married. When are we going to set a date?

A commotion near the doorway made both Creed and Brynn turn. Standing in the door way, pointing at the bride and talking aggressively with one of the wedding ushers was Creed’s brother Boaz.

"What’s he doing here?" Dallin silently asked inside of Creed’s mind. Creed turned to him and shrugged before refocusing on his younger brother.

Boaz Alexander was the middle son of Kalen and Beth Alexander. He was smart and driven, aggressive and attractive. With a look all his own, he was definitely the odd man out of the three Alexander boys. Creed and Silus both had dark brown hair while Boaz had spent the majority of his life with hair so platinum blond, it was often mistaken for being white. His skin was normally sickly pale, and it wasn’t until months before that it had become tinted with healthier color. As a young child, Boaz had often been falsely identified as having albinism. That theory was usually dismissed because of his deep green colored eyes. Boaz was handsome and he knew it. He shared the shape of Creed’s face and a smile that tied him to both his brothers and his dad.

It wasn’t just Boaz’s looks that set him apart. His attitude, desires, dreams … they were all different from his parents or his brothers. Boaz was short-tempered and selfish, causing his own mother to worrying about him more than the rest of her family collectively. He was protective of his turf, of his friends, but mostly of where he fell in the order of power. Boaz had always felt like he had been overlooked because of the shadow from his older brother he was forced to stand in. Creed was a hard competitor and Boaz’s intense need to be more dominant than Creed had caused a battle that ultimately led to the demise of Boaz’s power.

The problems never stemmed from Creed. Creed wanted to help Boaz. He genuinely wanted Boaz to be happy. Boaz cared for his brothers too, but his feelings and actions were most often muffled with delusions of power and grandeur. After a massive fight with Creed, Boaz was still power hungry but now had a massive chip on his shoulder to boot.

Boaz approached the bride and groom, stopping in front of the table where everyone seated around it could see him. He smiled at Aspen before slowly turning his gaze to Brynn.

Brynn, can I have this dance?

Brynn’s face revealed her shock at his random request. Sure, she said.

Creed stood and circled the table. With his arms reached out for Boaz, he said, You can dance with her after you say hello.

Creed and Boaz gave each other superficial hugs before Boaz grabbed Brynn’s hand and pulled her to the dance floor. As a slow song began to play, Boaz stepped into Brynn. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment and she looked around. He wrapped his arm around her waist and she placed her hand in his. He studied her face and her shiny, light brown hair that hung naturally wavy to her shoulders. Her ocean blue eyes were bright, and it bothered Boaz that she wouldn’t make eye contact with him. Her skin, which was kissed by the sun, smelled wonderful, Boaz taking many deep breathes just to get a whiff of her. Brynn had a healthy, slender physique and a youthful, kind face, although at times her beauty had unintentionally made her intimidating to others. Not Boaz. She was simply beautiful and Boaz desired her, not for who she was, but for who she was engaged to.

It’s good to see you, Brynn softly said. She looked at his eyes then quickly away. She tried to piece together in her mind how long it had been since she had last seen Boaz. At the hands of her fiancé Creed, Boaz had been ill and Brynn wondered if he had fully recovered.

You, too, he said, glancing at her hand in his. Nice rock. It finally happened for you and Creed then?

We’re engaged. We haven’t set a date yet, she said. She took slow deep breaths to keep from getting more flustered than she already felt. We’re going to invite you to our wedding, Boaz. You’re Creed’s brother no matter what has happened.

Creed tried to cure me. Did you know that? Boaz moved his face near her ear. Boaz was uncomfortably close to Brynn and Creed stood before Dallin mentally told him to wait.

I found out after. I promise I didn’t know before and I don’t think that Creed’s intention was to get rid of your trait. He told to me that he purposely botched that cure serum in attempts to just … take your trait back to the state it was before the EA-7. He doesn’t want you without your powers, Boaz. You’re his right-hand man, she said before she looked into his eyes and noticed the pain in Boaz’s expression. She glanced up at his dark brown hair and smiled. I like the new hair color. Is it hard to dye?

It’s not colored. When I was recovering from the soup Creed pumped into me, I was given some … some other inoculations that changed my hair color. It isn’t permanent. My doctor thinks it will change back soon.

Oh, Brynn said as they moved around the dance floor. Who helped you recover?

You don’t know them. They’re a powerful secret society that took me in when no one else wanted me. They nursed me back from a state near death and have opened my eyes to many incredible new adventures. Everything I am today … all that I have in store for my life, I owe to them.

Who is ‘them’? You told Creed it was Robert.

Like I said, you don’t know them. And I lied to Creed like he lied to me, Boaz said with a hurtful smirk.

What are you today? What are your plans? Brynn cautiously asked.

Brynn, do you know why I like you so much? It’s because I really feel like you care about me. You genuinely care about me, he said. He leaned over and childishly kissed her cheek. Creed, watching Boaz’s every move stood again and prepared to step in between his brother and his fiancée if their contact became any more intimate.

Well, I do care about you, Boaz. I’ve always thought of you as family, if not more importantly, my friend, she said.

He smiled. I know. That’s why I came today. To see you and to make sure you are happy, and to ask you to pass along a message to my family. Tell them all that I’m doing well. I’m in school, I have a great job that I love, and I’ve never felt as strong and as healthy as I do right now.

Why don’t you—

They’d want details, Boaz said, interrupting her. I can’t disclose much and it will most definitely come across that I don’t want them in my life … which I don’t, by the way. Still, I don’t want to hurt them, especially my mother.

Oh, Brynn sighed. She looked up at Boaz as he pulled back and stopped swaying with the music. You said stronger. You still have your trait? she cautiously inquired.

Boaz laughed as he pulled Brynn’s body close to him and pressed against her. He leaned down as whispered in her ear, instigating Creed’s immediate response to advance on Boaz and Brynn across the crowded dance floor.

You have no idea. The acid? It’s still very much a part of me, but there’s more to it now. So much more, it’d take me a solid day and night of nothing but explaining it to you for you to understand what I’ve got going on inside me, he said before leaning down and seductively kissing Brynn’s cheek. He looked her in the eye and whispered, Take care of yourself, Brynn.

You, too. Boaz exited the dance floor just as Creed arrived at where his fiancée was standing.

What was that all about? Creed asked.

Brynn was staring at Boaz’s back. She blinked hard and turned to Creed. He wanted me to give you and your family a message. Creed gently pulled Brynn from the floor.

So that’s it? That’s all he said? Beth asked. Sitting at the same table that Creed and Brynn had shared with the recently departed bride and groom, Brynn looked at Beth.

Yes, she answered. Creed rubbed her hand. Brynn had told them everything about the conversation, except what Boaz had said about his trait. She planned on waiting until she was alone with Creed to tell him of Boaz’s admission of increased power.

Well, he seems to be doing fine, Kalen said in disgust. Kalen was hurt by Boaz’s defiant demeanor. He understood that Boaz hadn’t forgiven Creed for what happened in the lab. He understood that Boaz more than likely didn’t care for Creed. But regardless of the relationship Boaz had with his older brother, his mother deserved respect from Boaz and answers to the questions she had about him. She hadn’t done anything to Boaz but offer him unconditional support and love. She hadn’t always agreed with Boaz’s choices, but she loved him the same, day in and day out since the moment he was born.

Kalen was in the same boat as his wife. It was never his intention to anger his middle son. He refused to choose between Creed and Boaz, a refusal that he was positive had infuriated Boaz. Still, in his mind, neither he nor his wife deserved to be prohibited from being a part of Boaz’s life.

I think it’s hurtful that he won’t call me or stop by. He didn’t speak two words to us, Kalen. What kind of son does that to his parents? No matter what happens, we still love him. He has to know this! Beth wiped her nose with a tissue.

Silus grabbed her hand and said, Boaz is lost, Mother. He’ll come around. You’ll see.

Beth turned and looked at her youngest son. She smiled at him and touched the patch of white hair that grew from a birthmark on his scalp above his right eyebrow. "Silus, my baby. You’re so, so wise," Beth said.

Silus hugged his mother before he turned to look at Creed. Creed was pacing back and forth behind the table. Although he occasionally listened to what was being said, his thoughts centered on Boaz. Creed still felt tremendous guilt for what had happened between him and Boaz. It hadn’t been his intention to permanently hurt Boaz. He wanted Boaz to be returned to that before the injection of EA-7, an enhancement and control vaccine that Dallin and Creed had spent months developing in a make shift lab in their basement.

But Boaz was stubborn and hungry for power. Boaz loved being able to use his strengthened trait when Creed was relegated to working with the same trait. Before the EA-7, Creed’s trait was inconsistent at best. Creed was forced to feed his trait with the sun rays, not knowing how strong he’d be or when he’d be able to change the color of his skin. He was also only able to have his trait in full effect for a few days instead of being able to access it at his convenience.

But Boaz could completely control his trait after the EA-7. He didn’t need salt in his system to activate the acid in his body and he could turn the acidity within him on and off as he pleased. He could change the density of the acid, the strength, even the type of acid in his body. He could find and manipulate the acids around him, including the stomach acid in others. Boaz’s desire to be the top dog was intensified to alarming levels after the EA-7. He didn’t want anyone else to have the same abilities as he had from an injection of EA-7, this want ultimately leading to the biggest battle he and Creed had ever experienced with each other as brothers.

Chapter 2

The only emotion Dallin felt when he saw Boaz enter the reception hall was a hint of sorrow for his bride Aspen. She had temporarily contemplated inviting Boaz to participate in the wedding, but the idea was shot down by both Dallin and Creed in less than a second. Dallin knew she felt bad for blatantly avoiding Boaz. He could empathize with her. After all, Boaz had once been his friend, even if it had been a rocky friendship most of the time. But when he reminded himself of the injustices Boaz had committed against them, he knew that the Boaz he had grown up with no longer existed.

Don’t be upset, Dallin whispered to Aspen.

I’m sad that we didn’t just suck it up and invite him, she whispered in his ear. Dallin leaned over and kissed his bride’s cheek. In a white silk wedding gown, and a long lace covered veil that had belonged to her mother, Aspen was a beautiful bride. Her wheat colored hair was pulled up in a stylish twist which showed her flawless, creamy skin. Her dark eyes had a hint of lavender-tinted eye shadow that matched the flowers in her bouquet, her cheeks naturally kissed with just enough color to make her appear to be blushing. Her thin face matched that of her small frame. To an outsider, Aspen could have easily passed for a teenager.

With his face near hers, Dallin spoke to Aspen without using words. Part of his trait was a form of ESP, by which he could take to others inside their minds without saying a word. "Honey, don’t be upset. Remember, we couldn’t even find him to invite him."

Aspen turned to Dallin and gazed in to his eyes. Eventually, a smile appeared on her face as she stared at her husband. His thick dark hair was trimmed short, his light brown eyes full of happiness. Dallin’s teeth were perfect and bright white, making his smile easily his best feature. He was as attractive as a model. Throughout the day, each time she had looked at him, each time she had witnessed a kind act, his genuine smile, or a loving gesture from him to another, Aspen fell more in love with Dallin.

I’m not upset. I’m having a wonderful time, Aspen said. She leaned over and cuddled with her husband. It had been a long hard road for Aspen and Dallin. After exchanging vows with him and sitting next to him as his wife, Aspen felt complete. She had torturously waited for the day that they’d be able to marry. She had loved Dallin since she was a young girl, and her dreams of being with him were finally coming true, even though for a long time, it had seemed like an impossible future.

You think this is a wonderful time, wait until we get to the warm, sunny beaches of Jamaica, Dallin said. He wrapped his arm around Aspen and pulled her even closer to him. They both giggled and the reception began to slow. After just a few minutes, Dallin excused both himself and his new wife for the evening.

Thank you! Thank you, everyone, for making this the best day of my life, Dallin said as he walked by the Alexanders. Dallin stopped and hugged Creed, talking to him inside his mind. "Creed, you are the best friend a guy could ever ask for. Don’t beat yourself up over Boaz. He chose his path and we chose ours. Just focus on your relationship with Brynn. Aside from me, she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to you."

Creed started to laugh. You right about that, he said and he hugged Dallin again, slapping his back a couple of times before he turned and hugged Aspen. Congratulations, you two. Have a wonderful honeymoon.

Thanks, we will, Aspen stepped over to Brynn and hugged her before turning and following Dallin from the party. Creed watched Dallin and Aspen exit the reception hall as the remaining guests clapped and cheered.

Creed wasn’t the same after Boaz’s unannounced visit to Dallin’s wedding. Dallin, who was now honeymooning with Aspen in Jamaica, probably couldn’t have cared less that Boaz had crashed his wedding. Creed knew that Dallin had been angry with Boaz so often in the past, the anger eventually turned in to permanent feelings of hatred and resentment towards Boaz. Dallin had been forced to postpone his first wedding date with Aspen just days before it was slated to take place, and Dallin had blamed Boaz for the heartache the delayed wedding caused both him and his fiancée. Boaz had self-administered a vial of EA-7 before Dallin and Creed had finished the initial series of tests they felt needed to happen for the safety of the recipient. When Boaz had taken it upon himself to inject the EA-7 in to his arm, the vaccine nearly killed him. It had taken months for him to recover and when he did, he was obviously unremorseful for the troubles that his rash action had caused so many people around him.

Creed drove Brynn to her house after the long weekend in southern Vermont. They didn’t speak much during the ride home. Neither of them mentioned Boaz or the incident on the dance floor. Creed was still drowning in guilt and Brynn was nervous about the omitted piece of conversation she and Boaz had shared but that she had kept to herself. She didn’t know how Creed would react or what actions he would take to contact Boaz to talk to him about his current state.

The trees along the side of the road passed by her in a dizzying blur which made her stomach sick. She closed her eyes, attempting to alleviate the nausea she felt. As she took deep breaths, she reminded herself that she and Creed would always have to work on trust but that there were some things that she’d have to keep from him for his own well-being. Brynn had quite a few secrets in fact, some that she wondered if she’d ever share with him.

In an effort to self-soothe, Brynn called on her memory. Her mind relived a pleasant time in her past. On a trip to New York City, Brynn and Creed had been talking. "I lost track of my priorities, but my mom reminded me that if it’s meant to be, I could realign them and get what I want," Creed had said.

"I’ve had a good time talking during this trip. I feel like I’ve gotten to know you, the new you."

"The new me? And, do you like the new me?"

"Right now I do," she had said, frowning.

"I know we’ve had our ups and downs, Brynn, but all that’s in the past. Seeing Boaz, seeing how I’m always putting my needs and my wants aside to focus on others, I’m done with it. I know what I’ve done … what I do is hard on you. I’m truly sorry for neglecting you and taking you for granted. That will never happen again."

It won’t happen again. I won’t let it happen, Brynn said to herself. A gentle smile crossed her face at the same time a dash