Collide (Anomaly Book 3)

by Jessica Gilliland

  The clerk raised his brows and shot me a questioning grin.

  I smiled back at him and said, “I know it’s going to make for an irritating car ride, but I can’t deny them.”

  With a commiserating laugh, he began to ring up my purchases. “Yeah, I hear ya. I’ve got two of my own.”

  While he bagged everything, I idly glanced at the magazine rack near the counter, skimming over the titles. There were several pieces about the beach, but most of it appeared to be Enquirer quality, and I was certain that aliens hadn’t visited to give us a glass beach as a peace offering. One headline did catch my eye, though.

  Murder Victim Decapitated In Los Gatos.

  “This too, please.” I grabbed a copy of the paper. It wasn't that far off from where that man was stabbed to death a couple of days before. With everything that happened with ACT, and Hawthorn, and Mia, I couldn't help but think it may be connected. ACT could be hunting and killing Anomalies, and Mia could be their latest target. Judging by the scene at the beach, she fought them off and won, but I couldn't be sure. My nerves began to tick and I felt my power beginning to quiver inside of me. Before it lashed out again, I paid for everything and stepped outside. I quickly flipped to the page about the murder.

  A photograph of a man with pale hair and even paler eyes stared up at me from the page. The article explained that a local reporter had actually gotten some photos of the victim, but that the pictures could not be published due to their gruesome nature. The reporter, however, had come forward with what he’d seen. As it turned out, the man I was looking at had been decapitated. His head had been ripped from his body in an act of extreme aggression and strength. It was unclear what could have done it, but it was clear that it was not an accident. It appeared that the reporters also thought it was too close to be coincidence and referenced the stabbing victim too.

  The Nomads had loaded back into the Beast. The little rest break seemed to have revived their spirits some. When Cash raised his head and saw me, a slow smile slid across his lips. Even Nyx and Lux were relaxing. They were parked off the side of the road, sharing a cigarette away from the pumps and enjoying the time away from Glitch.

  "What's that?" Dozer was suddenly at my side, looking over the article. I felt recognition bloom inside of him. He looked closer and slowly reached for the paper. I handed it over and watched him assessing it.

  "You know him, don't you?" I asked.

  "Yes, he's an ACT agent." He flipped to the next page. "And this guy, too." He pointed to the photo of the stabbing victim.

  "I didn't know the first guy, but I know he had a rep for being creepy. The second guy is Arnold. He was such an asshole. He taught one of the classes we took in boot camp. He held one of the trainees heads under water until they passed out because he said something sarcastic during a briefing. He could turn his body into solid rock."

  It wasn’t exactly like I was mourning the loss of the ACT agents, but this turned my theory on its side. The ACT agents weren't doing the hunting; they were the prey.

  "Who would kill these guys?" I asked, hoping Dozer had more insight, but judging on his emotional grid, he was just as confused as I was.

  "I guess a lot of Anomalies would want to see ACT agents dead, so that doesn't really narrow it down," Dozer said, scratching his head. I felt him starting to unravel. This was getting a lot heavier, and we were right in the thick of it. "I don't like this."

  "I know," I said quietly.

  Dozer folded the paper up and handed it back to me. "Hide it for now. I don't want to freak out Charlie more than she already is."

  I nodded and slid the paper into my back pocket, and then Dozer and I rejoined the Nomads at the truck. Cash closed the gap between us. He must have seen the worry on our faces. He and Dozer were still pretty heated from their argument earlier. Not enough to fight about it, but enough to not want to chat at the moment. They needed time to forget why they were annoyed with each other. Dozer gave me a nod and very quickly said, "show him." Then Dozer went to Charlie and the kids so Cash and I could talk.

  A flicker of suspicion and nervousness rose in Cash. "Everything alright?” he lowered his voice.

  “I have to show you something." I slid the paper out of my pocket and unfolded it for him. "Remember that stabbing we heard about yesterday? It was only about forty miles from here.” I trailed off and let my eyes drift to the truck where Glitch was playing with the kids and Dozer had distracted Charlie with snacks and a little flirting. Cash read over the article while I gave him the low down on what Dozer had said about them being from ACT.

  "Any ideas what that could mean?" I asked.

  Cash was just as confused and scared as I was. "I don't know, but we are going to have to make this a short trip. Any idea where your sister would go?"

  "I think we should just start at the beach and see what we can figure out about what happened that night. We can fan out from there. Maybe check the hotels under construction and see if she's hiding out there. Honestly, I don't know Mia well enough to even guess," I said, feeling the heat rising in my cheeks. I didn't know her at all. I'd stopped trying.

  "Hey, don't do that." Cash pulled me into his arms and pressed his lips to my forehead. "We're going to find her. We won't stop looking until we do."

  I squeezed him a little tighter, nodding.

  "Lets go!" Lux called out to us, laughing. "We'll get you two a room."

  Cash waved to Lux, and we all piled back into the Beast and headed for the beach.

  Chapter Fourteen

  We checked into a hotel and drove down to the beach. The little coastal town was definitely profiting from the widespread coverage of the beach. The crowds were densely packed all the way to the boardwalk, which was a good mile away. Charlie and I held hands with Bebe and Headset, keeping them close and in the middle of our group. There were too many people there, too many chances for something to go wrong.

  The amount of people was overloading my senses. I felt the overwhelming excitement of those around me, possessing me. I was awed, a little scared, excited and bored all at the same time. My nerves were on edge and my head was throbbing. I felt my telekinesis slipping in and out with each pulse of pain in my temples.

  The beach was even more beautiful and ethereal than it had appeared in the news report. The glass was swirled with different colors and textures. The melted dunes were like ocean waves frozen mid-roll, sparkling in the fading sunlight.

  "This is incredible," Charlie said in awe.

  "I have to meet the woman that did this," Lux said, not without a hint of lewdness.

  I could feel Nyx's interest pique, but for different reasons.

  "Look!" Headset shouted, pointing to the burnt skeleton of a seagull trapped in the glass. Charlie immediately clamped her hand over his mouth. Luckily no one noticed, and the force of his voice was cut off quickly. "

  "I swear, Charlie, your reflexes are superhuman," Glitch said in a slow, relieved exhale.

  We made our way down to the epicenter of the beach where I could safely assume Mia had been standing when she set the beach on fire.

  Cash stayed with me while the rest of the group broke away, but not too far. The kids slid over the smooth glass and giggled in awe as they touched the melted sand and studied the air bubbles and hermit crabs encased within it.

  Nyx and Lux stood closer to the water. They were incredibly intrigued by it and I felt their shared excitement pulsing inside of me.

  Dozer, Cash and I studied the shiny dunes, looking for signs of a struggle, footprints, anything that would give us some insight on what had happened. It truly looked like a work of art. The glass waves were deliberately molded into this massive swirling vortex. People all around me were full of wonderment and curiosity. A group of people had gathered around the epicenter as we had and were pointing at exactly what I'd been hoping to find. Footprints.

  I pushed my way closer to get a better look. It was one set of about eight steps that moved toward the street. They wer
e definitely Mia's because they were barefoot, and only she could have withstood the heat of walking over molten glass. The strange thing was that it didn't look like she'd been running or even rushing at all. They were even steps, close together, and perfectly spaced. There was nothing else.

  "I don't get it," I began as we followed the footprints back toward the street.

  "It definitely looks like she knew what she was doing," Dozer admitted.

  "Maybe she just made it so you'd find her?" Cash suggested.

  "Or maybe she just wanted a slushy and knew this would draw a crowd," Dozer said suddenly, and I had to stop and look at him.

  "What?" I said, confusion rippling through me.

  Dozer was looking toward the other side of the street. He pointed and squinted a little. I followed his gesture until my eyes landed on a redhead waiting in line at the snow cone booth. Her long, scarlet waves shined in the fading sunlight. She was facing away from me, but I could tell by her body type and the way she carried herself that she was my sister.

  "Mia," I exhaled. My heart started pounding.

  "Go, we'll get everyone and meet you." Cash's hand was on my shoulder.

  I nodded without taking my eyes off of her and started to move. I weaved in and out of the crowd, pushing past people. I picked up the pace until I was almost sprinting toward her. I was afraid to call out to her in case she ran, so I waited until I was only about ten feet away. I grabbed hold of her with my mind and yelled, "Mia!"

  Her body whipped around. Her eyes snapped to me, and she instantly paled, too stunned to move. I quickly closed the space between us and pulled her into a hug, tears stinging my eyes. Her shock rolled through me, but eventually I felt her arms close lightly around me.

  "I thought you were dead," I said in a shaking breath with a tremor in my voice.

  She gently untangled herself from my embrace and pulled back. I don't know why I expected anything less. We were sisters, but she'd never actually liked me. I was suddenly filled with this uncomfortable feeling of foolishness. It actually hurt a little.

  "Liv, I thought..." Her heart was racing as fast as mine, and I felt heat creep into the back of her neck. She was nervous and scared, but more than anything, I felt this overwhelming sense of dread that welled up inside of her.

  "Liv?" A woman called my name. I turned away from Mia and saw Lexa running toward me. My heart fell into my stomach and my knees almost gave out. Lexa hit me like a linebacker and pulled me into her arms. I saw Mars coming up behind her, grinning wide and filled with disbelief. When Lexa released me from her hug, she still had her hands around my wrists like she were afraid I'd run off. Mars came toward me with open arms and pulled me in. I squeezed him tightly, closing my eyes so I could immerse myself in the joy of us all finding one another. When I opened my eyes again, I had to blink away the tears and shake my head to clear my thoughts.

  Over Mars' shoulder I saw a man standing as still as a statue. His familiar blue eyes locked on mine and, all of a sudden, I felt him. Every fiber of his being lit up my nerves like a lightning strike. My knees all but gave out, and Mars had to help keep me standing for a moment.

  Jason stood in front of me, just as devastated by my presence as I was by his. The air felt too hot. It pressed against my throat and chest, almost suffocating. We didn't say anything for what felt like a lifetime. We just stared at one another. I could feel my heart slamming against my ribs and my blood flooding my veins uncomfortably.

  My brain went to war with itself for a moment. I ran through everything that happened the night Hawthorn went down. I questioned everything that had happened up until then, because I'd watched Jason die that night. I'd felt him slip away, but he was standing in front of me.

  I moved toward him cautiously. He was still, his muscles like stone, frozen in place. He was just as surprised to see me. A maelstrom of happiness and fear and uncertainty tore through him, and I felt it in my gut.

  There was something different about him, too, and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. When I let his emotions come through me, they came with a sourness. He looked the same on the outside, but something had changed him on the inside. As I peered closer at him, I felt him try to protect his emotions from me.

  Mia came forward and Jason's eyes shifted to her. A gentle nervousness overcame the storm of emotions he felt at seeing me. In that single moment I could tell that something had happened between Mia and Jason. I looked back at her and felt her out too. Her love for him went beyond a crush. It had depth to it now, and it was something that I felt in them both.

  Jason had always regarded my sister like his own kid sister. Now, when he looked at her, I felt this kindred emotion and this thread woven inside of them, connecting them on a new level that felt more substantial. He could tell right away that I'd picked up on it, and immediately closed himself off.

  "We thought you were dead, Liv," Lexa said.

  "I thought the same," I said, my words coming out in a strangled sound as I tried to keep my composure. Jason still hadn't been able to speak up either.

  I heard my name being called and sensed the Nomads and the twins drawing nearer. When their surprise washed over me, I knew they'd caught a glimpse of Jason.

  Glitch came rushing past me and immediately threw his arms around Lexa. I looked back at Jason. It was like he was coming out of his paralysis. His heartbeat was thundering in his chest like a steel drum. I could feel the pull between us, our polar opposites drawing us together. I was about to step forward to hug him, when something stopped me.

  It wasn't anything that anyone else could see or feel, but I felt it all the same; Cash’s eyes were on me. He was watching us, quietly waiting to see what happened. Though I could feel his pain sinking into my chest, he wasn’t afraid, or angry, or jealous. He was ready to accept whatever choice I made. I kept my distance and Jason sensed the shift. For a brief moment, confusion flickered in him.

  “Jason!” Bebe ran past me with her arms wide open, and instantly, Jason was on his knee. He scooped her up and held her tightly against his broad chest. She threw her arms around his neck and buried her face against him. I felt something in him tremor. In a rush of love, he squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them again they were shimmering, glossy with tears he was fighting to hold back.

  “Hey, you,” he said roughly, trying to contain his emotions. Hearing his voice again brought me back harder than I expected it to. “Look at you. How old are you now, Bebe? Sixteen? Seventeen?”

  Bebe giggled and ran her hands over his face, making sure he was real. Jason let her go, but she still stood by him, holding his hand. Those hands that had held mine, had brushed my hair back and traced to angles of my face with such tender love. Even though it had been less than a year, it seemed like decades ago. It seemed like a different life.

  I hadn’t realized I’d taken a step back to be at Cash’s side until Jason’s gaze snapped up at me, and for the briefest of moments, a flare of hot anger licked under his skin.

  “Liv, how…how are you here?" Lexa was hugging me again. It felt good to see her again, to have that familiarity back in my life.

  “I could ask you the same thing,” I said, returning her embrace. "It's a long story, and I imagine yours isn't brief either."

  Charlie clapped her hands together happily and said, “this is amazing, isn’t it?” A chorus of agreement rose up from both the Hawthorn Anomalies and the Nomads. “But, it’s boiling out here and I feel like we’re really out in the open. Why don’t we find somewhere cool to sit down and talk? Maybe we can all have dinner?"

  Lexa tensed. Her eyes honed in on Charlie. Suddenly, Lexa wasn’t so sweet. There was no subtle shift in her attitude. One second she was happy to see me, and the next, she was overtaken by something dark and bitter. Lexa had been famous for being a little sketchy and changing her mood from heartbeat to heartbeat. It was nothing new, but it felt amplified now, and gave me a chill.

  “Yeah! Why don’t we?” Lexa all but spat out. Even th
ough her tone was cheerful, it was easy to tell that it was fake and done to mimic Charlie’s perkiness. Charlie didn’t even bat an eye. Whether she knew Lexa’s intentions or not, she still smiled, just as open-hearted as ever.

  Jason cleared his throat. “Why don’t you all come by our hotel? It’s just across the way. And it’s air-conditioned.”

  Charlie beamed and exhaled in relief. “That would be perfect.”

  Glitch clapped Jason on the shoulder. When Jason turned to him, Glitch gave him a huge hug. Jason laughed—a sound that wasn’t quite like his normal laugh but something close—and he was careful when he squeezed back.

  “I should have known you were indestructible!” Glitch said.

  “Thanks, Glitch.”

  From my side, Cash suddenly moved forward. Jason’s eyes slid to him and held him there. Everyone seemed to hold their breath. My anxiety spiked as Jason studied my reaction to it. Cash stuck out his hand and said, “glad you’re alright, man.” He had no animosity in his heart for Jason, even knowing what he meant to me, and not knowing if I would end up going back to him.

  “Thanks.” Jason’s tone was flat and cold. He didn’t take Cash’s hand.

  Cash was biting his tongue. I could tell from the sudden hard set of his jaw and the way the warmth leaked from his eyes. He simply pulled his hand back graciously and shrugged it off.

  The tension got thick and I started to feel suffocated by it. The muscles beneath Jason’s slim-fit t-shirt were straining. He had let go of Bebe’s hand, and fists were balled at his side.

  I studied them all briefly. Jason felt so hardened and bitter. Lexa was staring at Charlie with spite oozing out of her. Mars was unfocused and nervous, and Mia was an emotional mess; flying from one end of the spectrum to the other.

  What the hell happened to the people I loved?

  “Well,” I interjected, wanting so badly for the tension to dissipate. “We’ll need to get the Beast before the meter runs out. Which hotel are you all at?”