“Lock him up.” Harriet removed her phone from her purse. She scanned through her pictures until she found the one she wanted.
Laney’s jaw dropped, and her chest tightened. The picture was Brian in some kind of cell. He wasn’t looking at the camera but stared at the floor with his elbows on his knees and his hands on his head. He wore the same clothes as when she’d left him in his underground hideout. Harriet, or somebody, must have apprehended him within hours after she left.
“You can’t do that.” She searched for the words to convince Harriet. “This isn’t the way.”
“Of course, it’s the way. How else are we going to make sure no one else gets hurt? He doesn’t exist in this world. The police have no record of this man.” Harriet held her coffee up to her lips again but before taking a sip, she continued, “Yes, he was a student at Madison, but David removed any physical record of him. He’s not attending classes this year; just living in that basement, keeping an eye on you.” She wiped her mouth with a napkin and set it on her plate. “My Ender, Damien, came into this world through Brian. I still can’t believe how much hate I put in Damien’s heart for his brother. Thomas was a loving, generous man who was supposed to marry Olivia. When Damien came, I thought he was going to kill me. He was nothing like I pictured him in my book—you know, one-dimensional. I was locked up and forced to end the book the way he wanted me to end it. Thomas burned to death in an accidental house fire because Damien didn’t even have the guts to murder him.” She set her coffee cup down. “I know you lost someone very close to you last year. Jason, right?”
“Yes.” Laney couldn’t look this woman in the eyes. Although they had similar experiences, she felt worlds apart.
“Did Brian help you save him?” Harriet reached out her hands to take hold of Laney’s—a motherly gesture.
“No, but he did help me save my grandfather and William.” Laney shook her hands free of Harriet’s. “He’s a good person and doesn’t deserve to be locked up wherever you’re keeping him.”
“Sometimes, it takes the sacrifice of the one for the good of the whole.” Harriet smiled at her like she continued to be the mother figure teaching her the greatest lesson in life.
“Sometimes, what’s right can be accomplished in different ways.” Laney grabbed her bag, not looking back as she stormed out the door. She’d find her own way home.
Chapter 8
A hoot owl mocked William from a nearby tree. He glared up at the beast, bending down to pick up a rock to throw at the menacing annoyance. He drew his arm back to knock his foe from his perch, but stopped. The rock dropped to the ground with a light thud. It wasn’t the owl’s fault. Ever since the book allowed him to have control over his own life, he relished in it. To finally have control then lose it again, devastated him.
Silas slipped out the back door of the shack. As soon as the door shut, William gathered supplies to chase after him—the partially burned candle, a flint, a pillow-sized folded blanket. The early morning air attacked his exposed skin as he stepped outside to begin his quest to regain his only passage to Laney.
The cold rain beat against the windows that evening while Laney picked up two slices of pizza in the dining hall and found an empty seat by the windows. Her conversation with Harriet was still at the forefront of her mind. Though her fellow Weavers had good intentions, she had to help Brian. She was truthful with Harriet—Brian was a good person. He deceived Missy last year but hadn’t he risked his life to help William save her grandfather?
She gazed across the room and saw Nick walking in her direction. He stopped three tables away and looked to her for permission to enter her space. She smiled.
“It’s a bit awkward. Don’t you think?” He set his tray across from her and sat down.
She didn’t want to be awkward with him. They were too much alike. He was now her comfort in this crazy world. With Jason gone, she needed a friend. “Don’t pay any attention to Brian. He’s full of himself.”
Nick smirked and tugged at one of his sleeves before lifting his eyes to Laney’s again. “So, what’ve you been up to?”
“I went to lunch with a friend of mine today. She’s actually a romance novelist named Rose Stevens.”
“Never heard of her.” He lifted the bun on his burger squirting ketchup from a packet all over the patty.
“Yeah. I don’t picture you as the romance novel type.” She lifted her straw and shot the wrapper at him.
He crumpled it up and placed it on his tray. “Nope. Most of what I read is non-fiction—the college textbook type. In high school it was comics and fan-fiction.”
“I can totally see that.”
Shawn, a fellow lacrosse player, passed the table then backpedaled. “Hey, what’s up, Nicholas? You hanging with Jay’s best friend?”
“We’ve been hanging. You ready for Saturday? Last game.”
Laney loved how quickly Nick changed the subject from their relationship.
“Totally ready. Boston College is going to be toast after we’re done with them.” Shawn put his hands on their table, leaning forward. “So, you two a thing or something? I haven’t seen your boyfriend around, Laney.”
“No, we’re not a thing.” Nick’s response came a little too quickly. It was obvious that he was still affected by the kissing comment Brian made the other day.
“Whoa… no harm done, man. I’ve just seen you around together. I thought maybe you’d want to go to the movies with Rachel and me sometime.”
“We’re friends, and we’d love to go to the movies with you sometime.” Laney smiled at Shawn, then at Nick.
“That’s wicked awesome. Call you sometime.” Shawn weaved his way through the dining hall, stopping at almost every other table on his way to some unknown destination.
Nick remained silent for a minute, keeping his eyes off Laney. She found it fascinating how he could stuff five or six fries into his mouth at once. It was only a matter of time before he asked her about her undying love. She’d have to tell him some of the truth.
“I don’t think you’re interested in Brian.” He stared at his food, tracing a fry-sized path through his ketchup. “And I’m not sure what’s going on with your boyfriend in California. If he’s treating you like shit, why don’t you break up with him?”
Laney swirled her ketchup around with her fork, finding it strangely therapeutic. Her California boyfriend was a jerk, but her Lexington boyfriend was a different story.
“I get that you’re loyal and all that, but you deserve more.” He reached out and touched her hand forcing her eyes on him. “I know I’m not Jason, but I kind of… like you.”
“I like you.” Laney thought of William, risking his life to get back to her. “I’m not ready to give up on William.” She drew her hand back to her lap. “I’m sorry I lied to you about Brian.”
“So, what’s up with that, anyway? Why did we have to find him?” He picked up his Coke. “What did you guys talk about?”
Laney sighed, “I need him to help me with something.”
“Like, for school?”
“No. Like, for my book.”
He raised his eyebrows. “You mean the book you won’t let me read?”
“Yes.” She was sure Nick might accept the fact that she wanted help with her writing from an upperclassman.
“I’m not a dumb jock. First, you call it Operation Spider. Next, you get me to dress up in a weird get-up to try to trick him.” He looked directly at her. “Now, tell me what’s really going on.”
Jonas wandered through the woods, contemplating his next move. If it weren’t for that meddling Gate Keeper, William Clarke would be dead. And that’s what he really wanted—wasn’t it? He wanted revenge. Not that killing any of the Clarkes brought his brother back. He also wanted to be free to travel to the world beyond the book and make his life right again without Delaney’s boyfriend there to rescue her. But for some reason, even before the Gate Keeper pointed a gun at him, Jonas knew he couldn’t shoot William.
The Weaver made him what he was—a drunk, revengeful and full of hate. She didn’t get who he really was. She didn’t even try.
He didn’t mean to kill Delaney’s friend last November—it was an accident, really. Jonas wanted to scare her into submitting to his wishes by kidnapping her friend. But the boy fought back. They ended up on the ice in an all-out brawl. Then it cracked and… he was gone. Jonas even tried to save him, but the ice gave way under his weight, so he scrambled to the beach.
After that, Jason’s redheaded date followed Jonas’s note to the pond and found the body, and the police swarmed the woods. They found the suicide note he’d crafted and left under a rock near the water. They gave up the search—so easily deceived. Later that night, Jonas watched Delaney from the woods. William held her to him with the boy’s body yards away beneath the sheet on the gurney. Her gut-wrenching scream moved something inside of him. It was the same scream he held inside when his brother died.
If Jonas could just get back to Delaney, maybe he could explain. Maybe her heart held pity and understanding—even for someone that was a monster. But perhaps, he should continue his role as a monster. Wasn’t that what she created him to be?
In the distance, footsteps and the snapping of branches accompanied by heavy breathing came from the trail. He took up a position behind a nearby tree. The intruder was close. From his vantage point, the Gate Keeper moved quickly through the brush with an obvious mission. His path led him directly to the tree where the Ender hid.
This was his moment. As Silas trudged past him, he reached out and touched the Gate Keeper’s cloak.
Laney blotted her mouth with a napkin before placing it on her empty tray. She glanced at a couple sitting at the other end of the table, but they were heavily engaged in their conversation.
“I need Brian to help me get back to William.” She let the words spill out.
“What does that mean?” Nick didn’t even try to speculate as he scratched his head.
“William’s the main character in the book I wrote called The Soldier.” Instead of drawing out the inevitable, she continued, “Brian’s not really a student at Madison. He’s a Gate Keeper who allows characters to leave their books and enter our world.”
Nick sat there with a funny type of grin on his face. She assumed he was waiting for a punch line. When the end of the joke didn’t come, he pushed his seat back. “I thought you had more respect for me than this.”
“I do. That’s why I’m trusting you.” She placed her hand on the edge of his tray. “Why would I make this stuff up?”
“Because you’re crazy, and I’ve been falling for it. I even dressed up as a spy for you.” He started to leave, but turned back to her. “I’m on the lacrosse team. That means I’ve got my pick of girls. But for some reason, I fell for you.”
“Nick.” She stood up and reached for his sleeve. “Take some time. I’ve got a lot to tell you. Meet me in the parking lot in the morning if you want to hear it.”
He rolled his eyes and stormed off before tossing his tray on a large stack on his way out.
Jonas awoke in a dimly lit room. It took him a few seconds to adjust his eyes to the unfamiliar world. This wasn’t the forest he expected. He’d been prepared to meet the Gate Keeper. The jerk crossed the line by aiding William last year when Jonas kidnapped Delaney’s grandfather. But he wasn’t prepared to be in a cage.
“So, the Ender’s back. I kind of expected the Watcher to arrive first. He’s so driven and all.” Brian sat cross-legged on a cot in the corner of the cage; his hands folded in his lap, and dark circles encompassed his eyes.
Jonas grasped the bars on the door of the cage. He shook them utilizing most of his muscular strength. All it managed to produce was a bunch of noise. The door to the room opened, and a teenage boy entered.
“We’ve got one!” The boy yelled out to someone in the other room.
An older man with a beard came through the door with his hand on a gun at his hip. He approached the cage as if Jonas were some type of wild animal, leaning back and shuffling his feet. “Who are you?”
“This is Laney’s Ender.” Brian spoke the words matter-of-factly. “Mark, David, meet Jonas Webb.”
“Why am I in here?” Jonas decided it was safe to speak, though the older man appeared slightly off-kilter.
“If you’re Laney’s Ender, then you’re a danger to this society. You killed Jason Harrison. You’re a danger to Laney and everyone she knows and loves.” David stepped forward. “And that makes you a hardened criminal. Don’t expect to get out anytime soon.”
Jonas deserved anything they had to throw at him but he wasn’t sure what their plan was long-term. “Are you going to send me back? The Gate’s right here.”
“Shut-up, Ender!” Mark grasped for his gun but missed it in his first swipe. On his second go-around, he held it up in his right hand, running his left hand through his hair. “We’re not going to let you in on our plans.”
“Put the gun down,” David spoke in a soft voice behind the gun-wielding freak. “He’s in the cage, and I don’t think he’ll hurt his only way back home. Let’s talk to Harriet and see what she thinks we should do.”
The two men left the room, and Jonas slumped down in the corner opposite Brian. He had no intention of touching the Gate Keeper because his work in this world wasn’t done.
Laney’s heart was heavy as she opened her journal at her desk. The single desk light illuminated her story, making her feel even lonelier. Out on the mini quad, a couple raced through the cold holding hands, the girl stopping to jump on the guy’s back for a ride. She slid off, falling to the ground, and was soon covered with kisses.
Laney faced her journal again. She’d just managed to scare off the one person she really had as a friend on campus. There was the Golden Recluse, but their meetings were few and far between.
And it didn’t comfort her to know that William also suffered.
Menotomy appeared in front of William as he trudged out of the woods. The cold air, and the fact that he failed to find the Gate Keeper sent a chill through his body. The glow from the tavern drew him in, wanting to warm his hands by the hearth.
The Black Horse was crowded with people milling about, singing along with a man playing a fiddle, and drinking from large steins. The mood contrasted with his feelings, but he wanted to be among people. A barmaid poured him one drink after another until he forgot the pain.
“You were in here earlier today, sweetheart.” The woman had directed him to Silas. She sat down next to him. Her fiery red hair tied up into a knot on top of her head—her tight black clothing misplaced in this colonial world. “Did you find the man you were looking for?”
William attempted to focus his eyes on the woman in front of him, but she spun like a kaleidoscope. He managed a “yes” before slipping off his stool and staggering to the nearest bucket to empty the contents of his stomach.
The woman wrapped her cape around him and led him to a staircase—almost dragging him. When they reached one of the rooms above the tavern, she pushed William down on the bed. The door slammed, and the lock clicked.
Adrenaline pumped through Laney’s veins. She picked up her pen.
The lights of the tavern called out to Jonas. He craved a drink.
She tapped her pen on her lip, contemplating her next move, but as she touched the pen to the page again, her words disappeared.
Laney scribbled two more lines. They were gone within seconds. Frustrated, she threw the journal across the room and cradled her knees to her chest. Who was this woman, and why was she holding William captive? Her mind grasped for a state of understanding. She wasn’t the Gate Keeper or an Ender. Laney picked up the phone and searched for Harriet’s number.
Chapter 9
Harriet’s voice sounded a bit gruffer than the last time they’d talked, but Laney had walked out on her.
“What does the Wanderer look like?” Laney paced the room, back and forth, unable to find a pla
ce to settle.
“Oh, so now that you need information, you’re ready to talk to me.”
“I still don’t agree with you keeping Brian locked up, but right now, this is a matter of life and death.” Laney hated even talking to the woman at the moment, but she was the only person who might have information. “William’s in trouble.
“Well, I’m not exactly sure because I haven’t seen her. I’ve never entered any of my books. The only information I have is hearsay because only a handful of Weavers have ever lived to make it back. Nathaniel Hawthorne made it by the skin of his teeth—literally. He jumped and grasped the Gate Keeper’s arm with his mouth, narrowly escaping the Wanderer’s henchman.”
Laney wanted answers, not a bunch of stories. “Does she have red hair?”
“That, I know for sure. Every single account from surviving Weavers mentions the woman with the blazing red hair.”
“Thanks.” Laney was ready to hang up and get William out of the Wanderer’s clutches.
“Laney, we have your Ender.”
“Jonas? How?” If he was here, she couldn’t use him to help William.
“He came through the gate last night.”
“But he’ll kill Brian.” Her mind swam with images of her murderous Ender. The last time she saw him, he killed her best friend, stabbed her boyfriend, and held a gun up to his head. This wasn’t good.
Harriet sighed. “He’ll do no such thing. The Gate Keeper is his way back home.”
Though Harriet’s reasoning made sense, she was still concerned for her friend. That’s why her words disappeared. He wasn’t in Metonomy. He wasn’t in the eighteenth century. With Jonas safely locked up in some unknown location, she gave her attention to the more pressing matter.
“I need to go, Harriet.” She ended the call and picked up her pen again.
The Watcher Page 7
