Ms. Kelly surveyed the room. "Okay. I feel like things have moved much more quickly than anticipated, and I need to ensure the safety of everyone in this room."
"We're fine, Ms. Kelly," Shane interrupted. "We'll use everything you've taught us, and we'll end this."
Everyone chimed in with agreement and assurance that we would be fine. I wasn’t sure how long everyone knew about Tommy being Ms. Kelly’s son, but it seemed like they’d always known. It was an unspoken situation that was now our primary focus.
"I don't know," she said. "I just never expected it to get this far. I knew you all had it in you. I just didn't know you'd mature in your abilities so quickly."
Maybe I was feeling insecure, but I was pretty sure all eyes moved to me at that moment.
I blinked back at everyone.
"Once Brynn was added to the group, everything shifted," Blake blurted.
Courtney lifted her head slightly and glimpsed at me through clumps of messy hair.
Ms. Kelly let out a loud exhale. "Well, I think we need more time to practice skills and to discuss safety measures and..."
Dom interjected, "Ms. Kelly, we'll be fine. We got this."
She smiled and lowered her eyes. A moment later, she whispered through a tight throat, "Thank you."
With only a few minutes left in X-block, I wanted to be sure we knew what our specific plan was for completing our project.
I knew it included going back to the woods, this time with a focused mission of finding Tommy and freeing him. But we had the other situation of the Dark Witch. It was an urban legend, I knew, but it was clear she was connected to Tommy's disappearance and all the other strange happenings in the woods over the years.
She was more than a legend.
And I was certain that freeing Tommy would involve pissing her off.
As I prepared to voice the strategy I'd been working on, the door to the conference room pushed open.
Principal Haney filled the doorway with her over-bearing presence, and she addressed Ms. Kelly in a stoic tone.
"Please come with me, Ms. Kelly," she stated. "Ms. Damien will mind your students until the bell."
I stared at Maleficent as she entered the room with a smug grin. Her short, spiky haircut bristled with anticipation.
Ms. Kelly's complexion turned white as she gathered her things and followed Principal Haney out of the room.
We all stared at each other in confusion. All of our senses were tweaking, and the nervous energy bounced off the walls.
Ms. Damien sat at the head of the table and glanced at each one of us with a judging scowl.
We ignored her, knowing how much she hated kids and her miserable job. Her reputation as the evil front office secretary was known throughout the school, and everyone avoided her like the plague.
Instead, we focused on one another as our senses piqued to a new level of panic. Our concern for Ms. Kelly pushed our thoughts to a concentrated point at the center of the ceiling. We looked up at the same spot, and as we fixed our gazes on it, all our voices exploded in our minds.
Each voice could be easily recognized as everyone called out with the same concerns.
"What's happening to Ms. Kelly?" Blake panicked.
"They know something," Dom repeated again and again.
"Shit. If they go after her, what will we do?" Poorva worried.
"It's got to be Laney. She has to be behind this," Shane thought.
My thoughts centered around the same concerns, and the one that rose to the top for everyone to hear was, "Someone wants us stopped."
As my thoughts became clear to the others, Courtney's voice rose above all, surprising us with its clarity.
"We're on our own now," she stated. "Time to fight."
Chapter 19
Shane caught up to me in the hall after the final bell of the day. I was barreling straight for the main office to find Ms. Kelly, and clearly, I wasn't the only one.
Shane and I smacked into the other UMAs as we closed in on the guidance suite. We'd all had the same idea; enter the office area from the back to avoid Maleficent.
We crept into the suite like mice afraid of waking the cat. As we surveyed the area, Ms. Kelly bumped into the side of her office door with a big cardboard box. Her desk plant stuck out of the top, sending a very clear message to us.
"What the hell?" Dom blurted
Ms. Kelly looked over with an embarrassed expression. "Oh." She glanced through the office area to be sure no one else was around and then came over to us. She placed the box on one of the tables.
"I can help you with that," Dom said, reaching for it.
She smiled as deep sadness shone from her eyes.
"Thank you, Dom," she said. "Thank you all. You've been the most incredible students I've ever worked with. You have no idea of your amazing potential. I only wish I had more time with you."
"What?" Shane spat. "Where are you going?"
She rubbed the side of her face. "They've asked for my resignation," she started. "For 'actions unbecoming of a guidance counselor,' they said."
"What the hell does that mean?" Shane erupted.
She exhaled slowly. "Someone reported me for assigning a project that required unchaperoned research, placing my students in an unsafe situation." Her eyes fell. "I suppose the accusation wasn't far off the mark."
"But this is different," I said. "We're different. Of course we had to do research on our own. That's the whole point of developing our skills."
She shook her head. "No. I let it go too far."
"No, Ms. Kelly," Dom interjected. "You did the right thing for us. You always have. You never send us on our projects unless you know we can handle them. This time is no different. We can handle this."
"He's right," Shane agreed. "We can do this, Ms. Kelly. And without you, we would never have believed we could."
Her guilt permeated the space between us, and it killed me. I meant it when I said we were different. School rules didn't quite apply to us in the same way as everyone else. I mean, how else would we grow and learn about our gifts if she didn't push us.
But from the perspective of the school, I could see the problem. Administration had no clue about what we were really all about, and it had to stay that way. I just couldn't believe someone ratted out Ms. Kelly. She was the most amazing person in the entire school. She taught us real-world skills, not just textbook rhetoric.
Then my mind jumped to the whistle-blower, and my fists clenched with white knuckles.
I looked at Ms. Kelly. "Laney?" I asked.
Her lips pressed together. "Mrs. Rosco," she stated.
Laney's mother? What business did she have getting involved in this?
Shane's head nodded in micro-beats like he knew exactly what that meant.
Ms. Kelly went on, "She's always had it out for me. You know, there are always going to be haters. Unfortunately, this time, one of them was able to win."
Staring at Ms. Kelly, I wondered what power Mrs. Rosco could have over her. And then, the sound of a commanding voice made me jump.
"Please give Ms. Kelly some space, students," Principal Haney barked. "I'm sure she'd appreciate some privacy right now."
She ushered us out of the guidance suite like sheep. All we could do was look back at Ms. Kelly one final time.
As our emotions ran to their highest level, our voices burst loud and clear in my mind again.
Shane's voice rang out most of all as he called to her. "Ms. Kelly, we'll finish this. We promise. Stay with us, please."
His words brought tears to my eyes as we all followed his lead and begged her to stay with us.
Then, to my immense surprise, a new voice entered our collective consciousness.
And it was hers.
"Thank you, students. I will not leave you. I will always be your mentor."
And then Principal Haney slammed the office door, leaving us standing alone in the hallway.
There was a cost to using our magic—a pr
ice to be paid, and the cost was Ms. Kelly, our mentor.
Losing access to her in school was a deep blow that left us feeling fragmented. We stumbled down the hall as if our bones were broken, and all support removed. By the time we made it outside, we were breathless.
Shane spoke up first.
"She would want us to finish the project," he said. "We need to keep going as if nothing has changed. She might be out of the school, but she's still our teacher."
My eyes brightened, and I nodded at his words.
Then another voice shot into our group from the side of the stairs.
"You don't know when to stop?" Laney chided. "It's over."
Dom stood taller and stepped closer to her. "You did this?" he accused. "Why?"
Laney shrugged with a smirk. "Protecting my own interests," she said and then walked away with her chin up.
Blake shook his head. "Bitch," he whispered.
"Who does she even think she is?" Poorva hissed. "She has no idea what she's messing with."
Shane shook his head. "She seems to know more than we realize, and is willing to do anything to stop us." He watched her disappear into the student lot. "She's dangerous and we can't forget that."
Dom continued to posture in Laney's direction, breath heaving out of him. Heat radiated off his skin as his anger mounted.
"Stay cool, Dom," Shane said. "She's not worth it. Don't let her set you off."
Dom exhaled, releasing his shoulders from his ears.
Shane added, "You need to keep a handle on that temper, especially here."
Dom shook his head in agreement, and I watched a line of sweat trickle down from his brow.
He was holding in a serious amount of energy, and it only seemed to be growing. I wondered what he was truly capable of and was pretty sure he was wondering the same thing.
Shane stepped into the middle of our group. "So, we're starting to understand what our skills can do. What's starting to bother me, though, is what they can't do." He pressed his lips together. "With all of our abilities combined, we still can't rescue Ms. Kelly."
I took in a deep breath. "Or maybe we can," I said.
I was sure there was a way to redeem her. If we just continued to follow our plan and complete the project, it might shed light on why Ms. Kelly did what she did. And maybe she'd be pardoned.
"If we finish this, we might be able to prove that Ms. Kelly was helping us and doing the right thing all along," I added.
"Fat chance," Blake snarled. "School committee's got its rules."
"Well, if we can at least expose Laney with her ulterior motives, it could shed new light on Ms. Kelly's situation." I waited for everyone to think about it.
Shane spoke up first. "Seems like we're all in agreement to keep moving forward with our project, so it can't hurt to try to uncover the motives behind the accusations."
"Exactly," I added.
Everyone agreed, and without another word, we disbanded as if it was just another ordinary day.
But of course, it was far from ordinary.
It was a pivotal turning point for all of us.
And the turning point had just sent us in the direction of no return.
Lost in thought, I trudged toward home with the weight of my backpack bearing down on me. I hated not being able to meet with the UMAs out in the open. It was so difficult to process everything when we had to remain secretive and in hiding all the time.
I just wanted a chance to keep talking and planning. The frustration of it all was enough to make me crazy.
As if my prayers had been answered, a car rolled up behind me, and as the window rolled down, a friendly voice called out.
"Hey, get in," Shane yelled, leaving no room for negotiation.
Without hesitation, I jumped in.
"Hi," I said breathless. "Where's everyone else?"
"Spreading out for a bit. Who knows who's watching us at this point," he said. "Best to be safe."
He pulled out into traffic, and we drove past the church and then past my house.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"I don't know," he said. "Anywhere away from all this shit. Somewhere we can breathe."
I smiled in agreement. "Sounds good."
I texted my mother that I'd be running late—staying after school.
"I can feel the intensity of this place lift as I drive further away from town," he said. "Do you feel it?"
He was absolutely right. The heavy weight on my soul lightened with each passing mile, and my mind cleared to the point where I could think right again.
"Yeah, I feel it," I sighed. "It's good."
"I like to think it will feel like this all the time once we finish the project," he said.
"That would be amazing. Do you think it's possible?"
He shrugged. "We have to hope so. For Ms. Kelly's sake, especially."
I thought of Ms. Kelly and the pain she was enduring. Losing her son was by far the worst torture a mother could ever face, and now, losing us... it could crush her.
"Do you think we'll be able to find him?" I whispered.
Shane turned his gaze on me for a moment, then back onto the road.
"Yes," he stated. "I've never been more sure of it until now."
I hoped he was right.
"Why now?"
"Everything's lining up," he said. "You arrived, and our powers intensified. We went to the woods and actually saw him. And now Laney's freaking out. It's happening, Brynn. It's about to explode."
I lifted my hands to my face and pressed on the bridge of my nose.
"I know. I feel it, too," I agreed. "So, what do we do now?"
"We plan our return to the woods," he said. "I know what we need to look for."
I stared at him as my jaw dropped. He knew something and was going to share it.
"You do?" I asked.
He nodded. "In the woods, the day Tommy went missing, we were together. We were little, nine and ten years old, and easily intrigued by anything unusual." His sniggered, probably remembering their adventures. "We discovered an old wooden hut. It was the shape of a huge teepee, like, triangular. It was falling apart, and I remember seeing a dead bird by the entrance. It spooked us, but our curiosity led us further." He took a breath. "Tommy leaned into the doorway first and saw a strange glow inside, almost like the embers of a fire." He hesitated for a moment, then continued. "As he stepped in, he cried out to me as if he were lost. His voice trailed into oblivion as I stared into the emptiness of the hut."
"What the hell?" I gasped.
"A strange cackling surrounded me from the darkness of the trees. It sounded like an evil witch and scared the shit out of me." He glanced over. "I ran after that."
He drove in silence for a few moments, clearly suffering from the guilt of leaving his friend.
"All the parents and the police came back with me to search for him. It was hours later, though. Laney's mother had distracted them all, sending them to the wrong location at first. She insisted on having seen a hut before, too, but brought them to the wrong side of the woods. I could never understand why she did that."
My eyes widened just from hearing of her involvement.
"We searched all through the night. But no matter where we looked, I couldn't find the hut. No one believed me anymore. They just thought I was making it up to cover for having lost my friend." He swallowed hard as the final word squeaked out of him.
"That's horrible," I murmured, closing my eyes against the sadness.
We drove in silence for several minutes, then he spoke again.
"Minister and Ms. Kelly both believed me. No one else did," he said. "I've stayed in close touch with them all these years and let them know any time I sense Tommy's presence. You know, with my gift, I have the luxury of feeling other people's emotions. So, yeah, I feel his terror sometimes. I feel his desperation to be found. And then when I tell his parents, I feel their grief all over again, their sorrow. It's killing me."
I suc
ked in air after having stopped breathing for a minute.
"We're going to end this, Shane. For the Kelly's... and for you. I swear I'll do whatever it takes."
He gave a weak smile and then pulled over at the side of a bridge.
"Come on," he said, climbing out of the car. "I want to show you something."
We scrambled down a steep embankment of crushed gravel and landed by the edge of a river. The water moved by at a fast rate, carrying a slick of foamy slime along with it.
"There's supposedly an old Indian burial ground around here somewhere." He glanced around. "I've looked for it a million times." He shrugged. "But this is what I want you to see." He led me toward the base of the bridge.
My eyes moved along the immense arch beneath the overpass and landed on the colorful graffiti on the far side.
He brought me to a landing at the base of the arch. We stood on the wooden boards, and I dizzied from the sight of the massive span of curved concrete that loomed above us.
"Wow. This is-is-is...," my voice echoed, and I stopped in surprise. Then I started again. "This is amazing-ing-ing...." My voice bounced through the archway in a perfect rhythm of echoes.
Shane turned to the arch and shouted, "Bah!"
His voice bounced a million times, fading into oblivion.
"That's crazy," I squealed.
"It's why they call it Echo Bridge," he said.
"I love it." I clapped to hear the sound reverberate into hollow nothingness, like a lost abyss.
Shane grew somber for a moment. "The sound reminds me of Tommy's screams when he disappeared."
My face dropped.
"Oh, shit," I whispered.
"No, it's okay," he assured me. "I come here to remember him. It's like hearing him again, in a way."
I shuddered from the thought and wrapped my arms around myself.
"Sorry," he said, pulling his sweatshirt over his head. "Here, take this."
He shook it at me as I stared at him.
His tee-shirt had lifted when he pulled off the hoodie, exposing his stomach, and I nearly lost my shit. He was ripped. Like, rock-solid. I'd had no idea. Or I guessed, I'd just never thought about it before.
But now, I was a mess.
First Project Page 15
