by Mandi Oyster
Marcy stepped inside her room and slammed the door before Cody could say anything else.
He looked at me and shrugged. “It’s a little early, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, but I’m the sarcastic one.” I pointed at myself. “You can’t take that away from me. It’s all I’ve got. Now everyone who doesn’t already is going to start thinking I’m a bad influence on you.”
He bowed his head, pretending to be upset. “I’ll do better.”
I sat in Cookie Monster while Samantha and Cody got ready for class. Tuesday. I should be getting ready for algebra instead of sitting around waiting for my leg to heal. I didn’t like the idea of Samantha and Cody going to class with the Potato Heads without me to keep an eye on them.
My eyes widened. Of course. I can check on Cassandra during algebra. I glanced between Cody and Samantha. No. You can’t wander off again. What if you get hurt?
Cody rested his hand on my shoulder. “You’ll be okay?”
I could feel the guilt in my eyes. I hoped Cody didn’t notice it. “Bored but fine.”
Cody’s head jerked back. “I know that look. Don’t do it. Whatever it is. Please don’t do it.”
“You’re not going to like it.” I combed my fingers through my hair. “I thought about checking on Cassandra.”
He clenched his jaw. “Why?” He fought to keep his voice even. “What would possess you?”
How could I make them understand? I needed to know what was happening with Cassandra. Was Nefarious controlling her? Leaving her body drained when he relinquished his power over her. Or had I unknowingly done something to her? Was that why I couldn’t heal myself?
I lowered my chin to my chest. “I … I need to figure out what’s happening with her.”
“You could get hurt. Again.” Cody’s voice rose, and his posture stiffened. “We wouldn’t have known where you went. We wouldn’t know where to look for you! Why do you keep putting us through this? Why can’t you just tell us what you’re up to?”
Tears welled in my eyes. “I’m sorry.” I swallowed hard. “I won’t go.”
“Dacia,” Samantha said in a voice calmer than Cody’s, “we don’t want to see you get hurt again. We understand you need to figure out what’s going on, but you have to trust us.”
“If it’s that important, let’s go after class,” Cody suggested.
I shook my head. “The reason I was planning to go while you’re in class is because they’re all in there.”
“Okay.” He turned to Samantha. “Feel like playing hooky?”
“I, uh, I’d rather go to class.”
“Oh, come on. Where’s your spirit of adventure?” As soon as the words escaped from my mouth, I regretted them.
All friendliness disappeared from her voice. “My spirit of adventure disappeared a long time ago and, when you came back here the other day with your leg nearly ripped off, I lost even more of it. I expected you to lose some of yours, too.”
Cody tilted his head to the side and nodded. “Good point.”
I clamped my mouth shut, not wanting to say anything else I’d regret.
Samantha put her hand on Cody’s arm. “Keep her safe, and watch out for yourself. I’ll see you two at lunch.”
Cody sat across from me in Big Bird. He leaned forward with his elbows resting on his knees. “What’s your plan?”
Heat rose to my cheeks. “I, uh, kinda don’t have one. I was winging this.”
“Any ideas at all?”
I lifted a shoulder in response. “I suppose we should wait until class starts. Hopefully, Bryce, Vanessa, and Alvin go today. I’ll knock on her door. If no one answers, I’ll try to figure out how to get in. Otherwise, I’ll make up a story about thinking it was someone else’s room.”
“That’s your plan?” Without waiting for me to respond, he leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed over his chest.
The next fifteen minutes seemed to last seven or eight hours. Silence pressed down on me, weighing on my shoulders. Without saying a word, Cody got up and reached his hand down to help me. I balanced myself on my left leg until I could lift myself off the ground.
As we walked down the hallway, I wondered what Cody was thinking. I couldn’t remember him ever being so quiet for so long. If I knew what he was thinking, maybe I could put his mind at ease.
“What am I doing?” Cody asked. “Dacia’s going to get herself killed, and I volunteered to go along for the ride—good thinking.”
“What did you say?” My voice had a hard edge to it.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Oh.” After a moment’s pause, I realized I’d read his mind. I should’ve stopped, but I didn’t. “I thought you said something to the effect of me getting myself killed and you volunteering to come along.”
Cody stopped. “How? I didn’t say that out loud.”
“Well, you must’ve. Otherwise, I suppose I’d have a hard time hearing you, wouldn’t I?” What’s wrong with me? Why am I acting like this?
“You read my mind … didn’t you?”
I stared at my feet. I had to stop antagonizing Cody before I made him regret dating me. I didn’t mean to cause him grief. “I don’t know; I thought I heard you say it … I don’t know what’s up and what’s down anymore. You were so quiet. I wondered what you were thinking, and you started talking. At first, I thought it was a coincidence.” I lifted my hand but let it fall to my side without touching him. “Please don’t hate me. I couldn’t bear that.”
He reached over and held my face in both his hands. As he wiped a tear from the corner of my eye with his thumb, he said, “I love you too much to ever hate you.” He rested his forehead on mine. “Sure you want to do this?”
I put my hands on his. “I need to.”
He tipped his head slightly, then started walking toward Cassandra’s room.
I watched him walk away. When would I realize he cared for me? What would it take? I had never been loved so unconditionally before. My parents were unable to accept me for who I was. My powers embarrassed them, and they even tried to deny I had them. Cody knew more about me than any ten people put together and loved me anyway.
“Dacia—” Cody glanced over his shoulder “—snap out of it.”
“Sorry.” I caught up to him. “I was just thinking.”
Cody wrapped his arm around my shoulders, and I drew strength from his contact. “No. You were spaced out.”
We stopped in front of Cassandra’s door. Cody watched me, waiting for me to make a move. I lifted my hand to the door and wondered if Cody was right. Am I making a huge mistake? I wiped my palms on my jeans and knocked before I could talk myself out of it.
No answer. I knocked again.
When Cassandra didn’t come to the door, Cody asked, “Now what?”
“I’m working on it.” I closed my eyes and pictured myself walking through the door. When I opened them again, the door shimmered. I stood half in, half out of Cassandra’s room. I hurried through, afraid I’d get stuck if I didn’t keep going.
“You okay?” Cody asked.
A dim blue light illuminated Cassandra’s room. “Yeah … why wouldn’t I be?”
His voice filled with awe. “You walked through the door … like it wasn’t there.”
My heart raced, and the room closed in around me. Even though I was hovering, my leg ached like it held all my weight. I wanted to scream and run out of the room. Instead, I forced myself to take deep, calming breaths.
When I regained control, I surveyed her room. It wasn’t set up like mine. Instead of two lofts, there was a bed on the floor. A small round table sat in the middle of the room with two plastic chairs pulled up to it. A TV hung on the wall in the corner. No desks, no comfy chairs. It appeared cold and seemed to suit h
er.
It dawned on me there were no lights on. I pulled the amulet out from under my sweatshirt. The sapphire eye brightened the room. Crap.
Cassandra lay on the bed. Her eyes were wide open, staring at the ceiling. Why did I need to see her? The blue light blazed. Time to go.
I looked out the peephole. Cody waited alone in the hall. As I grabbed the doorknob, I heard her move. I turned around to find Cassandra standing behind me. She appeared zombie-like, her face expressionless and pale. Her outstretched arms reached for my neck. I moved to the side. “There’s no hope for you, Dacia. My lord will take his rightful place in history. You will be destroyed.” She followed me around the room.
I backed into a chair and sent it crashing to the floor.
Cody knocked on the door. “Are you okay?”
“I will be.” I moved around the room, staying out of Cassandra’s reach. Holding my arms out in front of me, I said, “Stop.” If I could stop a fireball, I should be able to stop her. She stood in front of me, arms outstretched, still trying to march forward but held back by an invisible force. “Why are you following me? What do you want?”
“I want you dead.” Her lifeless voice sent chills up my spine. “We all want you dead.”
The hairs on my arms tingled. My power weakened. My chest tightened, and the air was sucked out of my body. My lungs ached, and everything spun out of focus. I moved toward the door. I couldn’t allow myself to pass out in here. It would be the end of me.
The doorknob hit the middle of my spine, catching me off guard. I lost all focus. Unable to hold her back, Cassandra moved toward me. I willed myself through the door. As Cassandra reached for my throat, I fell to the floor.
Cody stood above me. “Dacia.”
I couldn’t answer. I laid flat on my back, gasping for air. Cody lifted me into his arms. I felt like a limp rag doll as he carried me down the hall to my room. I looked up into his eyes before everything went black.
Chapter 32
Hard Lesson To Learn
I woke up, sitting in Cookie Monster. Sarah, Cody, and Samantha stood around me.
“She’s awake,” Sarah said with a sigh of relief. “Are you okay?”
I nodded, and the movement left me dizzy and weak.
Cody dropped to his knees. His eyes glistened with tears. “Don’t ever do that again. I thought you were dying.”
I cupped his cheek in my hand.
“What happened in there?” Samantha asked.
“I don’t know,” a froggy voice answered.
Cody turned to Samantha. “Get her water. Please.”
I drank half the bottle then I told them about Cassandra.
“Did she know what she was doing?” Sarah asked.
Cody’s eyes sliced into hers. “What difference does it make?”
Sarah returned his angry stare. “I want to know what’s going on with her. She’s not going to classes, and her friends think she’s comatose.”
I rubbed my hand over my face. I didn’t want to talk, but this wasn’t going to go away on its own. “Bryce is a grade “A” jerk, but the amulet hasn’t shown any signs of life when I’ve seen him by himself. With Cassandra, it brightened her entire room.”
“Thank you, Dacia,” Sarah said. “I’m trying to get a handle on everything. You need to remember this is a new experience for me, too.”
“Sorry,” Cody said. “I’m edgy and overprotective.”
“I understand,” Sarah told him. “However, you need to realize I’m not the enemy.”
Samantha rubbed her arms. “What did you mean when you said you felt like you were being strangled? Was she strangling you?”
“No. I felt like the air was being squeezed from my lungs, but Cassandra didn’t lay a hand on me. The edges of my vision went black, and I panicked. That made things worse.”
Samantha’s shoulder dropped, and she tilted her head. “I wonder why Cassandra was able to make you quit breathing. Do you suppose she has some of Nefarious’ powers?”
“I don’t know.” Cassandra with Nefarious’ powers. How would I deal with that? Hopefully, she’ll stay in bed until I figure something out. “Nefarious hasn’t ever made me quit breathing. I’m just not sure. Maybe I had an anxiety attack or something.” I held my head. “I wish I knew what was going on.”
“I think Samantha’s onto something here.” Sarah tapped her finger against her chin. “There have been times when you started to tell us about your dreams, and you said you felt like the wind was knocked out of you. Was that the same feeling?”
“Yeah but more intense.”
“Maybe she does then,” Cody added.
“Maybe. I don’t need this. ” I raked my fingers through my hair. “New subject. I’m going to try to make it to your office for my lesson this afternoon. You’ve been over here a lot, and there are more people over here to—”
“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Sarah agreed. “If you can’t make it, let me know, and please have Cody walk with you. Try to get some rest before our lesson,” Sarah said as she walked to the door. “You need your strength.”
At two-thirty, Cody and I left for Sarah’s office. The fresh air and sunlight did nothing to improve my mood. I hovered just above the ground, moving my feet to imitate walking. Hiding my powers from most of the world weighed on me. When I stepped into Sarah’s office and didn’t have to pretend anymore, relief flooded through me.
Sarah led us to the couches. “I’m waiting for a call. Have a seat, and I’ll be out in a couple of minutes.”
“Sure,” Cody said.
The vase sat in the middle of the coffee table. It belonged in a museum behind thick glass. I’d never seen anything so exquisite before. The gold vase stood eight inches tall. The bottom was bulbous with an emblem similar to the amulet I wore. Instead of a sapphire eye, this one held an emerald. Rubies and diamonds encrusted the slender neck. At the top of the neck, there was a diamond-shaped onyx with tiny crystals encircling the edges of it. In the center of the onyx was a large round ruby.
I reached to pick up the vase but hesitated when I noticed a leather pouch beside it. “I wonder what that is.”
“To carry the vase,” Cody suggested.
“Could be.” I picked up the vase. Optimism spread through me, washing away my doubt. I no longer felt like the end of the world was upon me. The feeling was gone almost as quickly as it settled over me, but it left me more at ease.
“You’re smiling.” Cody trailed his fingers over my lips. “Why?”
I closed my eyes at his touch, savoring his gentleness. “I don’t know. When I picked this up, things didn’t seem so hopeless. It’s almost like this vase has a spirit of its own, a very noble spirit. I know that sounds stupid, but I don’t think somebody evil could touch it.”
“Most things said in this room sound stupid but have a lot of truth to them.” Cody lifted his hands. “I don’t think I’ll ever say something sounds stupid again.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean.” I returned my attention to the vase.
“What does it say?” Cody asked, pointing at the emblem’s inscription.
“Hope lives even in the darkest realms.”
“It’s very intricate isn’t it?” Sarah said as she walked into the room. “I only wish I knew what it was for.”
“Me too,” I agreed.
“It made you smile,” Cody said. “The last few days you’ve been miserable. It was nice to see you smile again.”
“You don’t strike me as the type to be won over by pretty objects,” Sarah said.
“No, not really.” I stuck my hands in my hoodie. “When I picked it up, I felt like maybe every cloud does have a silver lining … I guess I just need to search a little harder to find this one.”
/> Sarah sat down with her elbow resting on the arm of the couch, her thumb against her cheek and her forefinger against her chin. “That’s a good outlook.”
Remembering what I read in the journal, I took out the stopper to find the vase empty. There wasn’t a single drop of water in it. “Well, it obviously has some other purpose,” I said out loud to looks of confusion. “Oh, uh, there’s no water in it, so it isn’t a bottomless flask like the journal said.”
“Interesting.” Sarah’s eyebrows pinched together. “Hopefully, we can figure something out.”
“Maybe it was a bottomless flask because the hero needed it to be,” Cody suggested. “You’ve been down, so it gave you hope.”
Sarah tapped her finger on her cheek. “That’s an interesting theory. It’s possible it transforms into what’s needed at the time. However, if you didn’t know its properties changed, you might just toss it aside.”
“Right now, I just need it to give me the answers to help me end this.” I held the vase, wondering what purpose it served. “Can I take this with me? I’d like to see if I can figure it out.”
“Don’t let other people see it. I like to believe people are good and honest, but I could see that sprouting legs and walking off. I’m sure it’s worth a pretty penny.”
“No problem.” I put the vase back on the table. “But, I think it’s worth two or three pretty pennies or more than I will make in my entire lifetime.”
Sarah turned her attention to Cody. “Are you staying?”
“I’d like him to,” I answered at the same time he said, “Yeah.”
He threw his arm over the seat.
I lifted my leg onto the couch and leaned against Cody. I looked out the window. “I think I’m going to have to face Nefarious soon.”
“What makes you say that?” Sarah asked.
“Gut feeling. I think I can hold my own against him for a while, but in the end, he will win. I’m more powerful than I was, but …” I didn’t want them to know how discouraged I was, but I had to tell them what I thought. “I don’t know how to stop him. I barely know enough to keep myself alive. Nefarious knows several ways to kill me. I just can’t quite figure out why he hasn’t yet. It’s like he’s playing cat and mouse with me. One of these days, he’ll pounce. And wham!” I slammed my hands together. “Everything will be over.” An awkward silence filled the room.
