“So that picture you showed her was fake?”
He glanced at his cell phone. “Of course. A nice photoshop job, as it’s called. But time is of the essence. Dr. Framine will return any second and you have to decide where you want your fate to lie. With us or with the human system?”
“What about Kurt? How will he find us?”
“He will.” He reached inside his pocket and tossed another cell phone on the bed next to me. “You can use that to leave him as many messages as it takes. And if that’s not good enough, then call your friend Mason and leave messages with him, too. All I’m trying to say is that we're not out to kidnap you. Only help you. We cannot afford to have our children fall into the hands of those outside of our world. It’s just that simple.”
“Suppose we want to leave?”
He sighed. “You can, but you’ll be eventually found and placed with another foster family, whom I can’t promise will be as open as we are. In the meantime, you’ll continue your studies at both the high school and Cornerstone University—congratulations on your early admission, by the way—and darling Nadia will continue at the hub elementary school.”
“They want to keep me overnight for observation.” I lifted my chin, wheels finally turning in a direction that made sense in my head. “If you can get me out of that, then we’ll stay with you. But only on a day by day basis. Oh, and I want my car along with the keys. If you’re full of shit, then I want to make sure Nadia and I have a way out.”
“You drive a hard bargain.” He reached inside his pocket and tossed my keys a few inches from the phone. “One down. One to go.”
They weren’t able to get me out of a dreaded overnight stay, but their willingness to remain in the hospital room where Nadia and I slept said a lot about their determination to convince us they only had our best interests at heart. Who the heck were these people?
Chapter Five
I woke in the middle of the night dreaming I was surrounded by fire. Nadia slept next to me with her elbow in the middle of my back. As usual, I had to lift and pull and push her back to her side of the small bed. Good thing they had railings or she would’ve ended up on the floor.
My hair reeked of smoke and burnt wood. Flashbacks of the attic up in flames and both Kurt and my mother beyond my reach plagued me every other second. I closed my eyes and eased off the bed. Creaking from my springs caused Bree, who slept in a nearby recliner, to stir. Gritting my teeth, I slowed my effort to get out of bed and go to the bathroom. Once inside, I turned on the light and closed the door.
I leaned on the sink before glancing into the mirror. My wavy, black hair had gone limp about my shoulders. My red eyes were as tired as those of an eighty-year-old. Even with the eye drops the nurse had given me, they remained gritty and irritated. A headache seemed to have leaked to the front of my brain, causing a wince that made it hurt more. A quick glance around the dull, off-yellow bathroom made me want to throw up. Bandages covered my upper arms and lower right forearm. I didn’t know I had so many scrapes, cuts, and bruises until now. Throbbing wormed its way into the joints and muscles of my ankle. Despite everything, not one sign of a burn, which I thought was beyond a miracle.
A twinge worked through my back, flooding my brain with the memories of my being blown back through the trapdoor and landing hard on the floor below. More flames and so much fire. It was almost as though I could feel it on my arms. If Kurt didn’t get out of that attic unscathed, then there was no telling what happened to my mother.
I gripped the edge of the sink and lowered my head. A sob choked out of me before I realized it was coming. I covered my mouth and let the tears flow. I couldn’t have this breakdown in front of Nadia. Not when I was the only strong person she had left. But, I needed this for myself. I needed to feel my world crashing to rock bottom before I could ever pick it up again. No more house meant no more hiding. There was no telling where mom was or what was happening to her. A person with her powers and her type of mental illness couldn’t stay hidden for long.
I backed against the cold, hard surface of the tiled wall and slid down to the floor. I grabbed my head, hoping and praying eventually I’d have my fill of tears. They weren’t stopping. The longer I stayed like that, the more my ribs began to ache.
Someone knocked on the door.
“Are you okay?” Bree asked from the other side.
“I’m fine,” I lied. A quick sniffle and a wipe of my tears, and I forced myself to regain my composure. That was enough of that. I needed to be back in charge of my senses again.
“Okay.”
Okay? Was that it? She wasn’t going to stand there and try to talk me off the ledge or say it was okay to let it go? Wasn’t that what adults did whenever kids were upset? Wow, these people were weird. I splashed some water on my face and dried off. All of that miserable crying only made my head hurt worse.
I opened the bathroom door and stepped out.
The bed flew across the floor toward me. I dove back into the bathroom as the bed slammed into the metal frame. Nadia bolted awake, but she wasn’t on the bed.
Bree had her in her arms and held her tight as if to protect her from my crazed psychokinetic rampage. I shoved the bed out of my way and hurried to my sister.
“What happened?” Nadia cried. “Your powers got away from you again, didn’t they?”
“Yeah, Squirt.” I hugged her tightly. “I’m sorry. Sorry for everything. I never should’ve left you outside alone and...” Leftover tears slipped down my cheeks. I sniffled again. “I never should’ve let my powers hurt Kurt and mom. They might be with us now if it weren’t for me. I hate... I hate myself so much right now.”
“But, it wasn’t your fault.”
“Yes, it was. I couldn’t protect them and now I’m endangering you.”
“You can’t leave me.” Nadia pulled out of the hug first, her eyes and cheeks soaked with sticky wetness. “You said you would come back and you did. Now you’re acting like you’re going to leave me again. You can’t do that anymore. Promise me, Phae. Promise you won’t leave me again. Pinky swear.”
I kissed her soft cheek and cradled her against my front. “I won’t leave you ever again, Squirt. And even if I have to for a second, I’ll always come back. I’ll always find you. That is a promise.”
“So are you going to go away?”
I glanced over her head and noticed Bree standing there, her heart, broken on her saddened face. Even though unshed tears threatened to undo her, she didn’t move toward us. It was as though she respected our personal space and time to ourselves.
“No, Squirt,” I said. “And if I do, you’ll be coming with me.”
I still didn’t trust the Kendricks. Something about them was too good to be true. Everything they did was just too right. Too perfect. Too accepting. I hoped to God that Nadia didn’t fall for their bullshit or I would be leaving with her sooner rather than later.
#
Dr. Framine wasn’t in any hurry to let me go, but she didn’t find any reason to keep me either. I suspected she didn’t trust the Kendricks anymore than I did, despite my feigned acceptance of them. Still, whatever aftercare I needed could be done at home. Rest was at the top of her prescription list.
We visited Kurt before leaving the hospital. He still wasn’t conscious and it would be some time before he was. I would’ve preferred staying there with him than going anywhere with our foster family. Still, I left him several phone numbers of where he could contact us and even the address of where the Kendricks lived. Nadia managed to kiss around his wires and tubes to reach his cheek.
I finally got a call back from Mason while we waited in the passenger pickup area. I left the stupid wheelchair and began hobbling away from the others so I could talk in private.
“Where are you?” I asked, keeping an eye on Nadia and Bree. “I tried calling earlier this morning and—”
“I’ve been checking into the story with the Kendricks,” he said. “They’re legit. Savoy said the
y had three other families in the area who were certified foster parents specifically for preternatural children. Not only were the Kendricks available, but he thought they would be a good fit for you and your sister.”
“How the hell did he get all of the details so fast? First our house and the Kendricks. What gives?”
“It’s the supernatural community, Phaedra. We have people whose sole job is to monitor emergency scanners. We also have foster families for children who need to go to a hub school in remote parts of the country but don’t have one available nearby. They sponsor the children until their parents can make arrangements to be closer to them.”
“Nice arrangement. But I don’t see why I can’t take care of Nadia myself. I’ve been doing it since she was a baby. What difference do a few stupid months make?”
“It makes a world of difference if you’re already on social service’s targeted list. The more legit we keep this, the less of a chance that you and your family will be separated.”
“Speaking of which, what’s the story with our mother? If there was a bod—” I snapped my mouth shut. Saying those words made it so final and I wasn’t ready to go there. It was too soon for me. Too soon for Nadia. A chunk of me would die inside if I acknowledged her demise like that. I couldn’t.
“We’re still trying to locate your mother, otherwise I would take you and Nadia into my home instead. But let’s be honest, Phaedra. You only like me slightly better than the Kendricks because I’m more of a convenience. Unfortunately, my lifestyle won’t fit the mold that social services has in mind for guardianship. One stop at my house and you both will be placed in what you don’t want and that’s foster care of the humankind.”
“But it's a roof over our heads. Doesn’t that count for something?”
“Then allow me to add more fuel to the fire. Your powers scare me. At some point, I’d be inclined to use my own to keep you in check in an effort to maintain that roof over your heads. Your mother has a rule against that and I won’t break it even if she’s not around to witness it.”
A car pulled into the patient pick up area. My jaw hung agape as I watched it pull to a stop near Bree and Nadia. Ian was driving my car. I wanted to check my backpack because I was sure I had put the keys in there, but what good was it when it was with Nadia? It wasn’t hard to swipe my keys, but why drive my pathetic car here?
“I have to go,” I said. “Our ride is here along with a smoke screen trailing behind it. But before I forget, you have these guys’ contact information, right? You know where they live and will be coming over to make sure they haven’t stuffed us in a pie?”
“Kurt wouldn’t expect anything less than that. Speaking of which, I’ll check on him and the two of you later. You have my word.”
“Thanks.” I hung up.
Even though I didn’t like or trust Mason, I had known him a lot longer than I knew the Kendricks. Given the choice, I would’ve preferred his home to some strangers we never met. Even Nadia would rather be with Mason and they get along fine. Nevertheless, either option was better than going to some juvenile facility where they would most likely separate Nadia and me. We would both end up with some child-molesting pervert on opposite ends of the county. At least with the Kendricks, I could keep an eye on anyone who meant to harm my sister. God help their souls because I’d use everything in my psychokinetic arsenal to tear their hearts out.
More than a dozen windshields cracked down a row of nearby parked cars. Lights flashed on the couple with horns and alarms blaring loud enough to wake the dead from the hospital morgue. While passersby looked dumbstruck and mumbling their shock with how it might have happened, Nadia and Bree stared and shook their heads at me. Ian closed his eyes as though he wished I had kept that tapped down, but didn’t seem the least bit fazed by it either.
“This would be a good time to get in the car,” Bree said as she approached me carrying a set of crutches.
“You might be right.” A smirk tugged at my lips.
#
The Kendricks lived in a beautiful home in what was definitely a middle-class neighborhood. Every house had to be at least two thousand square feet, if not more. Wrap-around porches, a small lake on one side of the subdivision, a large pool, and three tennis courts. There was enough space for two-car garages and in some cases, three. None of the homes were built on top of each other or snuggled tight to fill every last inch of subdivision space. Whoever built these houses didn’t care about making a lot of money as much as making sure everyone lived the life dreamt of.
We pulled up to a light blue home trimmed in white and on a slight hill. No trees, but there were rows of bushes under the windows on either side of the front door and a two-car garage. The second story had three angled roofs with six windows across. If there was a backyard, you couldn’t see for the privacy fence that stretched around their home.
The front door opened and a girl around my age stood behind the glass storm door. She had narrowed her dark eyes like she was trying to make out who we were. She wore a pair of black shorts with flower print and a burgundy tee shirt. As she relaxed her back against the doorframe and crossed her arms, her narrowed scowl hardly lightened up. She blew a bubble and popped it before turning away after deciding we weren’t a threat to her kingdom.
“That’s our sometimes-moody daughter,” Ian said, putting my car into park. “Her name is Jayden.”
“Biological or adopted?” I motioned for Nadia to take the backpack while I grabbed my satchel.
“Biological.” He smiled proudly over his shoulder. “We have another daughter, but she wanted to spend spring break in Panama City with her friends. She’s a junior at Cornerstone and studying to be a rocket scientist if you can believe that.”
Bree glanced at her husband before turning her gaze to us. “Jayden is a precog. But even though she can see the future, it’s not always that clear because people and circumstances outside her control can always change the results in some way. So, don’t be surprised if she stalks you from time to time. She’s basically trying to get a feel for you and your actions, so she can learn how to block you out.”
“Lovely.” Just what I needed. Another kid in the perfect position to make sure we wouldn’t steal the silverware. “You realize this is temporary, right? Our situation, that is.”
“Of course.” Ian got out of the car and then opened the door for Nadia. Once she was on the pavement, he reached inside again to grab my crutches sitting next to me. “Our goal is to keep your family together. Not separate you as they probably would with child protective services.”
Bree opened my car door and offered me a hand. I waited on the other side until Ian brought my crutches. Nadia would’ve normally wrapped her arms around my waist, but instead, she grabbed the back of my borrowed jacket as if to put me between her and our new foster family.
“Well,” Ian said as if to break the uneasiness. “Shall we go inside? I do hope you’re not allergic to cats. Thumper is more of an outdoor cat, but he graces us with his presence from time to time.”
“I hope Jayden took out the hamburger like I asked her.” She started for the house first. “We thought we’d keep it simple tonight and just do burgers at home.”
Nadia and I said nothing. After all, it wasn’t like they were doing us any favors if we didn’t want to be here.
The home was warm inside. Plenty of sunlight shining through the multiple windows. Ian took both mine and Nadia’s coats and hung them in the hall closet as Bree showed us upstairs to our room. I thought that the job would've been in Jayden’s hands, but she seemed to be too busy avoiding us by closing the door to her room. Signs that read “Gamer on—son of a biscuit”, “Suck on a doughnut”, and “Do not enter unless you come with cash” were dead giveaways.
“We hope you like it.” Bree picked up a stray pillow that had fallen from a stack piled up on a dresser. “I hope the bunk beds are okay. We’re used to having smaller kids stay with us and not teenagers. No offense, Phaedra.”
“None taken.” I sat on the bottom bunk, hoping that solidified my claim on it. Knowing Nadia, she’d still find her way down to me, since the bed was a full size and hers was a twin.
“There are towels in here.” Bree opened the closet door and pointed to the shelf. “Your friend Mason promised to bring some clothes from your home as soon as possible. But, for the time being, Jayden loaned you some of her things, since you two are about the same size. Also, we had some leftover clothes from other children who've spent some time here. We had to guess Nadia’s size, so I hope we’re good guessers.”
“I’m sure they’re fine.” I watched as Nadia sat next to me, not saying a word. Her silence worried me. She hadn’t said anything the whole ride over here. “Where’s the shower? We stink like burnt wood, so it would be nice to get the smell off.”
“Of course.” Bree motioned for us to follow her. “I’ll bring up some bandages and stuff, too, just in case you need them.”
Even though it hadn’t been an hour, it seemed like forever before I could get some alone time with Nadia. She sat in the bathtub while I scrubbed her clean, keeping silent the whole time. Once she finished her bath, I took one of the most painful showers of my life, considering I had one good foot to stand on, sore ribs, and plenty of clean bandages I didn’t want to get wet. When I finally hobbled out, I noticed Nadia leaning with her arms crossed on the windowsill and staring out at the neighbor’s yard.
“You okay?” I asked, leaning against the tiled wall while doing my best to dry off. “You’ve hardly said two words since we arrived.”
“I don’t want to be here.” Nadia blew her breath on the window and drew a sad face on the foggy glass. “I want to go home.”
“We can’t.” My chest tightened. Her sad, tiny voice broke every inch of my heart. I wanted to fix this more than anything, but I didn’t know what to say or do to make it better. She deserved a normal life more than anyone. “Our house is in ruins. Even if we could, Mom and Kurt aren’t there. Without them, it would just make it feel worse.”
Silent Scream (Bittersweet Series, Book 2) Page 4
