The Second Premonition

by Tamara Geraeds

  Pain shoots through my heart at the thought of her. I swallow the lump in my throat.

  “You tried to heal her?” I ask, stroking Mrs. Delaney’s wrinkled hand.

  She nods, but her eyes are already closed.

  Mona touches my shoulder. “We should let her sleep.”

  I kiss the old woman on her forehead and tiptoe out of the room.

  For a moment, I wonder if I should tell Mona about Mom’s abduction. But she looks so sad already, so unlike herself, that I just can’t say it.

  A thought hits me. What if this is connected to Myah Pullus?

  “Can you tell me more about her powers?” I ask Mona.

  She walks into the living room and lowers herself on the couch. I take the chair opposite her. My Shield steps through the walls. Mona doesn’t look surprised. She just smiles at them, before answering me. “Mrs. Delaney has always used her power to help others, rather than herself. Old age is part of life, she always says, but some diseases are unnatural. Those were the ones she tried to cure.”

  “Did she use herbs to heal?” Vicky asks.

  Mona shakes her head. “She once told me how her power works. If she concentrates hard, she can see every molecule in someone’s body. Then with her eyes, she identifies the ‘evil’ ones and pulls them away from the good ones.”

  Jeep taps his foot on the floor. “So basically, she has the power to separate particles. Or does it only work with sick ones?”

  Mona gazes up at him thoughtfully. “No, I think she can do it with anything. But why would you want to separate healthy molecules?”

  It hits me just as Jeep opens his mouth to answer. “Of course! They can use it to kill Myah.”

  Mona’s perfect face scrunches up. “Who’s Myah?”

  I get up and hurry to the front door. “Someone we have to save.” I wave at her before closing the door behind me. “Don’t worry, we’ll get her power back.”

  Back at Darkwood Manor, I almost fall asleep in my kitchen chair.

  Vicky strokes my hair. “You need rest. We can go back to Myah’s office tomorrow and see if we can get Mrs. Delaney’s powers back.”

  “What if they attack her before that?”

  Taylar puts the tablet on the table. “I’ll keep an eye on Myah and wake you when something happens.”

  I’m still not convinced, but Vicky hauls me from my chair and pushes me out of the kitchen.

  “But Taylar-” I start.

  “We’ll take turns watching Myah. Don’t worry.”

  I haul myself onto the bottom step of the stairs and look at the ghosts standing in the doorway to the kitchen. “Thanks guys, for fighting with me.” Leaning on the old banister, I smile at Maël. “It’s good to have you back.”

  When I’m at the top of the stairs, I hear Jeep whisper something like, “Does anyone else have to puke?”

  Vicky’s voice answers. “Oh come on, that was sweet!”

  I lean back a bit to pick up every word.

  “Very sweet, but that’s the problem, isn’t it? He’s our leader, but he’s such a softy.”

  D’Maeo’s low voice joins the conversation. “That’s exactly why he’s such a good leader. That boy is pure good and that’s why he was chosen.” There’s a short silence. “Call when it’s my turn to watch Myah.”

  I take a step toward the annex bedroom, but D’Maeo already pops up in front of me.

  His expression is as serious as always, but I can see a glint in his eye. He knows I heard everything. “I thought you’d already be asleep.”

  “Almost.” I wring my hands together. “Thanks for sticking up for me.”

  “No problem. I just told them the truth.”

  I shake my head. “I know I should be tougher.”

  The right corner of his mouth twitches upward. “Trust me, you’re doing great.”

  He vanishes before I can react and I walk into the annex. The sight of the broken bed post greats me, and I quickly avert my eyes. But it’s too late.

  Memories of the demon attacking us flash before my eyes and are soon replaced by images of Mom being dragged into the ground. My knees give in and I slide onto the ground with my back against the wall.

  Vicky’s arms are around me in a heartbeat. Her transparent shoulder muffles my sobs. Tears drip right through her onto the floor. “It’s okay. Let it all out.” She rests her head against mine. Her dark locks form a curtain of comfort. Tiny electrical charges shoot from her body to mine. I close my eyes and let them wash over me.

  When a soft breeze tickles my neck, I open my eyes and let go. We’re no longer in the second floor annex. My back rests against a bed.

  Vicky smiles. “I took you upstairs. You can sleep here.”

  “Thanks.” I haul myself onto the bed without taking off my clothes. “What are you going to do?”

  “Get some rest, too, I suppose.”

  “Would you…” I bite my lip. “Would you mind staying here with me?”

  Her eyes sparkle when she leans over me. “Wouldn’t that be a bit too distracting for you?”

  I pull her closer so she loses her balance and lands on me. “I don’t know. Let’s find out.”

  “With pleasure,” she whispers.

  Her lips touch mine and my whole body heats up. The sparks between us make me quiver from head to toe. I can hardly breathe, but I don’t want to let go.

  “Please be mine,” I sigh.

  Her hand moves along my side, making every molecule in my body explode. Her mouth touches my ear. “I already am.” She looks at me and grins. “Master.”

  CHAPTER 28

  “I can help you if you let me.” I shoot Myah a pleading look, but she just folds her arms across her chest and leans against the table.

  “Why would you? You don’t even know me.”

  “Do I have to know people to help them?” I pace up and down the room. “Can’t you just accept that I know how it feels to lose a parent? I couldn’t save mine, but I can save yours.”

  She glares at me. “People like that don’t exist anymore, Dante.” She squints. “Is that even your real name? What are you, Italian?”

  I try to suppress my frown, but can’t. “Yes, that’s my real name. Dante Banner, I told you. And my family is from the States. Why would you say I’m Italian?”

  “Well, I’ve only once heard of a Dante before. He was Italian. Dante Alighieri. Ever heard of him?”

  I sigh. I don’t understand what’s she’s getting at. Why won’t she just let me help her with the mausoleum?

  “There’s no need to con people. Me and my friends can help you,” I try again.

  “Oh, so now it’s you and your friends? Do they love strangers as much as you do? Did you step out of a fairy tale or something?”

  A grumble escapes me and I push my hands against my ears. “Why are you so stubborn?”

  She blinks. “Dante Alighieri was a writer, amongst other things. He was born in the thirteenth century and his masterpiece, the Divine Comedy, is still famous today.”

  “Yeah? So what?” I lower my gaze to my feet, still moving from left to right. To the wall, and back, to the wall, and back.

  “The first part of this Divine Comedy is about a man’s journey through Hell.”

  My head turns and I stop pacing. “What?”

  She smiles. “Oh, you’re interested in Hell?”

  “Sure. Can you tell me more about that?”

  “About Hell?”

  I take a deep breath, trying not to lose my temper. “About the story. What was the writer’s name again?”

  “Dante.”

  “Yes, I got that!” I’m shouting now, I can’t help myself.

  Myah just grins. She’s playing with me. Taunting me.

  “Dante!”

  Her voice is lower now.

  “Dante, wake up.”

  I blink. Myah is gone. Her living room has vanished with her. But I’m not alon
e. A beautiful face hovers above mine. “Dante? Are you awake?”

  “Sure.” It comes out hoarse and I cough. I ban Myah from my thoughts. Was that a premonition or just a dream?

  Vicky hands me my phone. “It’s Charlie. He sounds freaked out.”

  I straighten up and wipe the sleep out of my eyes. “Yeah?”

  “Dante, you have to come home right now, man. Your mom is back.”

  Suddenly I’m unable to form words. My lips move, but no sound comes out.

  I stumble to my feet and bump into the wall.

  “Wow!” Vicky stops me and takes back the phone. “What’s going on, Charlie? He almost knocked himself out.”

  I rub my head and pull Vicky along, out of the room and down two flights of stairs.

  “Where?” she asks Charlie. “Okay, we’ll be right there. Keep an eye on her.”

  I can hear my best friend’s offended ‘Of course’ before she hangs up.

  The rest of the Shield is already up. They’re sitting in their usual spots around the kitchen table.

  “Everybody in the car!” I yell, much louder than necessary.

  They obey, but Vicky puts her hand on mine when I open the front door. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea for you to drive right now. Give me the keys.”

  My mouth falls open. “You can’t drive. You’re a ghost!”

  She snatches the keys out of my hand. “In Blackford I can. I can use the middle roads.”

  I’m too worried to argue, so I get into the passenger seat and tell her to hurry.

  While Vicky explains what we’re doing to the others, I stare out of my window and silently pray that Mom’s okay.

  I’m out of the car before Vicky turns off the engine. The front door is open and I race inside, almost slipping when I step into the line of salt Charlie put there.

  Mom is lying in the spot where she was taken. Charlie is bent over her. He stands up when he sees me. “I came to check on the house and found her like this. I can’t wake her up, man.”

  I drop down next to Mom and feel for a pulse. “Did you call an ambulance?”

  “No, I called Quinn.”

  “Then where is he?” My voice echoes through the house.

  “I don’t know.” He sounds like he’s about to bawl his eyes out. I can’t blame him. Mom doesn’t look good. Her face is pale, there are dark patches under her eyes and when I roll up her sleeves, I discover gashes everywhere.

  There’s a puddle of blood around her, but I can’t find an open wound.

  A breeze tickles the back of my neck and Quinn kneels next to me. He moves his hands along her body. “She was healed before they sent her back.”

  “Then what’s wrong with her? Why isn’t she waking up?” I lift her head so I can slide underneath her. I pull her close to me and whisper in her ear. “I love you, Mom. I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you. Please wake up.” I shake her shoulders, but she stays limp in my arms.

  Quinn watches me with tears in his eyes. “She might be able to hear you, but she’s still under a spell.”

  “Can you break it?”

  He puts his hand on her heart and slowly shakes his head. “No.”

  “Then what are we supposed to do?”

  The Shield has approached silently. Vicky reaches out to me, but I shrug her away.

  “Is there a counter spell?” I ask her.

  “We can try to lift the curse, but…”

  “But what?” I yell. “What are you afraid of? Is it too much work?”

  I don’t want to shout at her, but I’m so angry. Mom has nothing to do with our fight, but she got hurt anyway. They took her to get to me.

  Vicky touches my shoulder and I let her. “We’ll try the spell, but I don’t think it’ll work. If your premonition was about your mom, the Devil himself put this spell on her. It’s probably too strong for us to break.”

  Quinn looks down on Mom with a sigh. “She’s right, but we’ll try everything we can think of, Dante.”

  I try to swallow the lump in my throat. “Good. And if nothing works, I guess I’ll just have to pay Lucifer a visit.”

  D’Maeo and Maël exchange a worried look. I know it would be stupid to seek out the Devil, but I can’t give up on Mom. I know I should, to save the world, but I would rather die than let her stay like this.

  I kiss her on the temple. “Hold on. We’ll save you.”

  Vicky stands up. “Okay. Jeep, come with me. Let’s get ready to do this spell.”

  CHAPTER 29

  I hold on to Mom and keep whispering to her while Vicky and Jeep prepare the spell. Vicky places two mirrors she must have found in the attic opposite each other. “Do you remember how to consecrate them?”

  “No, but it’s all in my spell book.”

  Charlie is by my side in the blink of an eye. He sits down beside me and holds out his hands. “I’ll take her.”

  I softly tap my fist against my heart. He knows I don’t want Mom lying on the cold floor alone.

  Carefully, I move her into Charlie’s arms and stand up. I swallow and close my eyes for a second, in an attempt to lose the empty feeling in my stomach.

  Then I concentrate on the spells I have to cast. The consecrating doesn’t take long. After that I turn to Vicky. “Okay, tell me what to do again.”

  Vicky walks me through every step and I gesture toward the sideboard. “There are pictures of Mom in the second drawer.” I wrinkle my forehead. “But how are we going to get a picture of the Devil?”

  Quinn reaches into the air and pulls out a photograph. Without a word, he hands it to me.

  My eyes scan it quickly. “He looks so normal. Just like a regular guy.”

  “It’s hard to photograph his true form, as it is with me,” Quinn explains.

  Vicky comes back with a picture of Mom. I place both between the mirrors and sit down. It takes all my concentration to clear my mind. My eyes are focused on the flame of the candle in the middle. The energy of the curse becomes visible instantly. It’s darker and bigger than what I saw when I freed Mr. Timson from Paul’s curse. When I try to force the black smoke from Lucifer’s picture to Mom’s, it takes on the form of a large skull. The toothless mouth opens wide and thunderous laughter fills the room. Then the skull changes into a claw that reaches for me. I lean back, but it grabs my shirt and lifts me off my feet.

  From somewhere far away, I hear Quinn chanting something, while Maël bangs her staff onto the floor. None of it seems to affect the smoke. It chuckles with dark delight and flings me across the room.

  I crash into the kitchen wall and land in a heap on the floor. While I scramble to my feet, the grinning skull is sucked back into the picture.

  Quinn stops chanting and the Shield relaxes. I glance at Charlie on the floor. Mom is still just an empty body in his arms.

  What if we’re too late? What if she’s not in there anymore?

  Vicky rushes to my side. “Are you okay?”

  “Fine.” I rub my elbow. “We’ll have to find another way.”

  Quinn releases his giant wings. “I hate to say this, Dante, but you have to save Myah first. If you don’t, your mother won’t be the only victim of this war.”

  I clench my fists. “I can’t just leave her like this, Quinn. I have to get her back.”

  His eyes bore into mine. They seem darker than usual under his white curls. “You have to. Otherwise there won’t be anyone to get her back. Ever.”

  I let out a scream of frustration. “Fine!” I grab my keys from the table, where Vicky left them. “Come on. Let’s screw up Lucifer’s plans.”

  Quinn blocks my way to the front door and I put my hands on my hips. “What?”

  “Don’t be angry at me, Dante. I’m helping as much as I can.”

  My scowl fades. “I know. I’m not mad at you. It’s your father I can’t stand.”

  His eyebrows shoot up.

  “He’s as powerful as the Devil, bu
t he doesn’t do anything to help.”

  Now the angel looks hurt. “That’s not true, Dante. He sent me. And he gave you your powers. All of you.”

  I wave his words away. “Yeah, whatever. See you later.” If I look at the still form of Mom one more time, I’ll collapse, so I just continue toward the front door and say, “Keep an eye on my mother for me, okay?”

  “Don’t worry about that, Dante,” Charlie calls after me.

  As soon as the door closes behind us, Vicky grabs my arm. “Are you crazy? You can’t say something like that about God!”

  “Why not? It’s the truth, isn’t it?”

  At a loss for words, she follows me into the car.

  I turn the key, but Phoenix only splutters.

  “Come on, baby, I need you.”

  I try again, but she just lets out a little cough.

  I hit the steering wheel hard, then look up at the sky. “I could use a little help here!”

  Vicky gasps and places her hand over her mouth. Jeep, in the seat next to me, is watching the sky intently. He gives me a sideways look. “I don’t think he heard you.”

  When I try to start Phoenix again, there’s not even a sound. “Don’t you die on me, too!” I yell. Tears sting behind my eyes.

  I turn my eyes back to the sky. “Hello-o? Is anyone there? Since we’re doing all the fighting for you down here, the least you can do is make sure my car starts. Saving the world isn’t easy, you know!”

  “Dante!” Vicky cries.

  My heart almost stops when Phoenix comes to life with a roar.

  I hold up my hands. “I didn’t even touch the key.”

  Jeep throws his head back, laughing hard. “Looks like your call finally came through.”

  “About time,” I mumble, hitting the gas a bit too hard and making the wheels spin.

  We drive in uncomfortable silence for a while and I slowly calm down.

  “Sorry about that,” I say. “It was just a bit too much for a moment.”

  “We’re not the ones you should apologize to, Dante,” Vicky says without looking at me.

  Jeep turns around to face her. “He did have a point. And I guess the man upstairs thought so, too.”