When she touched down at the bottom, Lucas’s sure hands were there to meet her. She allowed him to assist her out of the way of Joss, whose choked squeal reverberated down to them.
“I’m shaking, Lucas,” she whispered, holding her hands out to him as proof.
Lucas shook his head before enfolding her into his arms. “You’re ready.”
She rested her head against his chest, focusing on the rhythm of his heartbeat. She allowed the cadence to flow through her, matching her breaths to his, allowing herself a moment of calm before the storm she knew awaited them all.
“We’re all down, Ellie,” Greg called. Morgan pulled away from Lucas, unsure how much time had passed but knowing it wasn’t enough--it would never be enough.
Greg headed toward Ellie. “Now, before we go any farther…”
Morgan Felt Greg reach out and connect with her energy, with the energies of the others in the room. He began building a protective wall around their presence. When Morgan realized what he was doing, she added her assistance. Within moments, the wall thrummed with energy, impenetrable.
Leaving Lucas’s side, she made her way toward Ellie, who punched a code into the keypad beside the circular hatch that would lead them to the underground escape tunnel.
As the hatch opened, Kellen let out a low whistle. “Admittedly not as cool as a teleporter, but I suppose it’ll do.”
Wordlessly, Ellie and Greg led the way into the tunnel, which was narrow but high: two could walk abreast, but it was tight in spots; Lucas, the tallest of the boys, didn’t have to stoop. The floor was covered in crushed stones but the rest of the area was hard-packed earth. Morgan was glad she thought to wear her coat: she could see her breath when she exhaled. She was sure that once they emerged from the tunnel, the air would be even colder, and she wasn’t sure how much of their trek would be on foot.
They traveled in silence save the sounds of shuffling feet for half an hour. Though she’d left the cabin once before, she was surprised when the tunnel began to rise, revealing another hatch. It had seemed to take much longer to emerge from the surrounding forest via four wheeler. But then, she reasoned, it would take longer above ground; here in the tunnel, there were no barriers keeping them from going in a straight line.
Ellie approached the keypad by the hatch and punched in a code. The metal doors slid open, and Ellie, with Greg and Wen’s assistance, pushed a camouflage net off the opening. Ellie ventured out first while Greg and Wen offered their hands to help the others climb up and out.
When Morgan emerged from the tunnel, she tried to get a sense of her surroundings. The night was dark, moonless, and she soon realized her eyes would be little help. Instead, she allowed her abilities to search the area. They were indeed at the edge of the forest; there were people—common people—in small clusters in the vicinity.
Ellie turned the beam of her flashlight toward a large hulking object a few yards away. “Someone uncover that.”
Kellen and Corbin wasted no time complying. There was a loud rustling of branches and the sound of something plastic. The two removed a black tarp to uncover a large black van.
Greg and Wen slid the hatch door shut. “Don’t wait for an invitation, guys,” Greg said quietly, making his way toward the van.
Once they were all in, Greg started the engine and aimed the van in the direction of a just-perceptible gap in the trees. Once they emerged, a road was visible.
“So, what? We’re just going to drive up to Orrick’s hideout?” Lia asked from her spot on the bench seat directly behind the front bucket seats. “Is he really that close?”
Wen, who sat behind her, leaned forward. “According to the coordinates Morgan got from Kellen, Orrick’s hideout is something like a hundred miles away. So, no, we’re not driving all the way there.”
Morgan found she didn’t care about the process they would take to get to Orrick’s safe house. Her mind was fixed on the fact that the time had finally come for her to do whatever it was she was destined for. She allowed the steady cadence of Lucas’s breathing to calm her as Greg drove. The last time they’d been in a vehicle together, traveling toward an unknown destination, her mother had been at the end of the road. Though she hadn’t given much thought to Chelsea since the meeting, Morgan found herself wishing she would be found at the end of this one as well. While she still hadn’t forgiven the woman for the choices she’d made, Chelsea, at least, had more experience with Orrick—and with escaping. And for all the times Morgan had ever wanted her mommy, this one was the deepest, the most imperative. Though she knew more Watchers would be following them, keeping an eye on the situation, Morgan couldn’t help wondering if they would be enough.
Greg made an abrupt turn, jarring Morgan back to the present. It seemed to have taken them less time to drive to this place than it had to walk through the tunnel. She peered through the van’s windows but couldn’t make sense of where they were. The area was open with several large buildings in the distance. Her heart rate increased in anticipation. Lucas put his hand on her knee and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
Morgan peered around as she exited the vehicle behind Joss. “We’re at an airport?” It wasn’t a question, but her voice raised at the end anyway.
Greg led the way toward a long, tall building with enormous roll-up doors: hangars. “We’ve had an eight-seater plane ready and waiting since our arrival. But since we have more than eight people who need to be transported, we’re going to have to… borrow a second plane.”
Kellen let out a laugh and clapped Greg on the back. “Grand theft, Man Teach. Way to go. Teach those children well!”
Greg pressed his lips together, looking taken aback by the compliment. Turning his attention toward the hangars before them, he reached out both hands before him and flicked his wrists upward in a quick motion. The large doors on the two nearest hangars rolled up, revealing two small planes.
And a woman.
Instinctively, Morgan reached for Lucas, her breath catching in her throat. He was at her side in an instant, on hand in hers, the other on her back to steady her.
“Morgan, what’s wrong?” Joss appeared at Morgan’s other side. When Morgan didn’t respond, Joss turned her attention toward the hangar. “Who is that?”
Morgan took in a shaky breath as she locked eyes with her mother. She squeezed Lucas’s hand. “I’m okay,” she whispered, moving toward the planes.
Joss followed close behind, but after crossing several yards, she gasped, stopping in her tracks. “Aunt Chelsea?” She pulled at Morgan’s arm until her cousin came to a stop and faced her. “Morgan, is that your mom?”
Morgan avoided Joss’s eyes until she could do so no longer. “It is.”
A muscle in Joss’s jaw jumped and the corners of her mouth twitched for a moment before a smile spread across her face. She grabbed Morgan’s free hand and tugged her along as she ran toward the brown-haired woman standing by one of the planes.
Chelsea bit her lower lip as the girls approached. Joss launched herself into her aunt’s arms, wrapping her into a tight hug. Chelsea returned the embrace, her eyes on Morgan the whole time.
“Aunt Chelsea,” Joss whispered, her voice tight. “I can’t believe it.”
Chelsea placed her hands on Joss’s shoulders and held her at arm’s length. “Jocelyn. It’s so good to see you.”
Greg cleared his throat gently. “Chelsea, what are you doing here? How’d you know—?”
“Morgan called me.” Chelsea turned to her daughter, and Morgan was surprised to see a tenderness there despite the disappointment of their last meeting.
“Wait?” Joss turned to her cousin. “You called her?”
Morgan shook her head. “I didn’t—”
Chelsea smiled. “For hours now. I was on the road, headed back into hiding and hating myself for it. But then I Felt you calling out to me. I realized you were about to take on Orrick and… you wanted me there. You want me there. And I know it can’t make up for all the time I’v
e been gone, but, Morgan, I’m here now.”
Morgan’s mind spun as she tried to work through what was happening. Her mother, the woman who had left of her own volition and stayed away for ten years, the one who insisted her actions had been to keep Morgan safe, now stood before her, eyes open and hopeful. Morgan’s stomach lurched and her chest constricted. How was she supposed to respond to this? How could she respond? Did this one act make up for years of abandonment?
She was spared having to talk by Kellen, who pushed past the group and made his way toward one of the planes. “Sorry to break up this beautiful family moment, but we really should be going. You’ll have to save the crying and bonding for another time.”
Morgan broke eye contact with her mother, thankful, for once, for Kellen’s abruptness. He was right, of course. The longer they waited, the greater the risk that Orrick would relocate or the Veneret would descend upon their location. She jogged after Kellen, who was apprising the plane nearest to him.
“Wen, I think I’ll take this one, if you don’t mind.” With a jerk of his chin, the plane’s hatch opened and its staircase unfolded, touching down lightly to the ground.
Joss, who was already halfway to the plane, stopped in her tracks and turned back to Kellen. “Whoa—you’re flying this thing?”
“What? You mean this isn’t one of those fancy self-flying robot planes?” Kellen returned, echoing Joss’s tone. “Believe it or not, I actually know how to fly this thing.”
“Of course you do,” Lucas muttered. “Why wouldn’t that be something they teach you in Veneret school?”
“Zip it, Boy Wonder. Get in the plane.”
Chelsea approached Morgan tentatively as Lia climbed into the plane. “I’d like to go with you, if that’s okay.”
Morgan didn’t look at her mother. “I think I’d like to be alone. With my Naturals.” Her eyes followed Joss as she ascended the stairs. She wanted to add that Chelsea’s presence was stirring up emotions she would rather not deal with just before going into battle, that she needed time to process, to clear her head. But the words wouldn’t come.
After a moment, Chelsea nodded. “I’ll see you when we touch down then.” She waited another moment before starting toward the plane Wen, Greg, and Ellie had already boarded, as if hoping Morgan might change her mind.
By the time Morgan entered the plane’s cabin, Lia, Joss, and Lucas were already seated and fastening their lap belts. Corbin sat in the cockpit beside Kellen, who was turning dials and flipping levers. After a few minutes, the plane rumbled to life. When they set into motion, Morgan reached instinctively for Lucas’s hand.
A soft laugh emanated from Lucas. “I never pegged you for a nervous flier.”
“I’m not nervous about the flying so much as who’s flying.”
Kellen taxied the plane to the runway. Morgan squeezed Lucas’s fingers as the plane began gaining speed and didn’t release them until the swoop in her stomach told her they’d become airborne. She allowed herself to look out the window beside her, watching as the sporadic street lights became smaller and smaller, until they were only pinpricks below.
Corbin’s voice pressed its way into Morgan’s mind. “According to Kellen, we’ll be in the air less than an hour.”
A quick look in Lucas’s direction told her the message had been broadcast to him as well. “Less than an hour,” he said, his voice just loud enough to carry over the thrum of the engine. “Doesn’t seem like nearly long enough.”
She nodded. “I’m ready, but I’m not.”
The corner of his mouth twitched. “How can you really be ready for something like this?” He leaned toward her. “Are you okay? With your mom showing up?”
Morgan turned her attention to her lap belt, adjusting it to buy herself time before responding. “I want to be,” she said finally. “I want it to mean something.”
“It does.” Lucas tucked a tuft of hair behind her ear. “It does.”
She offered him a tiny smile and turned back toward the window. She stared at it, unseeing. A ribbon of guilt threaded its way through her insides. Was it wrong, she wondered, that she would rather have her father here now, rather have Ris here? Was it wrong that her mother’s appearance was causing her disquiet rather than comfort?
Considering what she was about to face, Morgan chose to tamp down the swirl of emotion churning in her stomach over the reappearance of her mother. Instead, she focused her mind on things that did bring her comfort, things like her father and Ris. Something within her was still convinced Ris had a part to play in the Prophecy, but, she realized, it was too late now to involve her in any of this: Morgan was hurtling through the sky toward Orrick Williams and her destiny.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Morgan was pulled from her musings about her father and Ris when the nose of the plane tipped downward. She readjusted her grip on Lucas’s hand and watched as the lights of whatever town they were approaching grew steadily nearer.
Her stomach lurched when the landing gear gained purchase with the runway. The fact that Kellen had piloted a plane and landed it successfully should have given her a degree of relief, but she still felt a heavy sense of foreboding.
Morgan allowed everyone else to file out of the plane before she exited. The other plane’s passengers were already on the ground and Morgan followed her group toward a van not unlike the one they had ridden in earlier, except that this one had the name of a church stenciled on the side.
Greg and Ellie sat in the front seats and buckled themselves in. Wen, the last person to climb into the vehicle, slid the back door closed and took a seat just behind his sister and in front of Morgan.
Kellen settled himself between Lia and Corbin on the last bench seat. As Greg started the engine, he whistled appreciatively. “Nice ride.”
Wen turned back to Kellen, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “I’m glad you appreciate it. Greg and Ellie spent half the flight locating someone in the area that had a van big enough for all of us. They Pushed two members of a local church to leave this here for us.”
Kellen clapped his hands. “Man Teach! You just keep growing in esteem in my eyes tonight.”
Greg cast a glance over his shoulder before pulling the van onto the road. “Thanks, Kellen,” he said drily. “Your approval is what I’ve been striving for.”
Chelsea, who was seated behind Greg and who hadn’t appeared to be paying attention to the conversation, perked up at the sound of Kellen’s name.
“Kellen Montgomery.”
Morgan looked up, unsure, at first, that she’d heard her mother speak. There was no question in Chelsea’s tone, just a sort of recognition—as though she were greeting someone she used to know. Chelsea was turned in her seat so she could look behind her, at Kellen.
He shook his head. “Wow. Haven’t used that name in a long time.”
“I know,” Chelsea said quietly. “Ten years, actually. Am I right?”
A muscle jumped in Kellen’s jaw, but he said nothing. His eyes looked slightly unfocused.
Concerned, Morgan Felt Kellen’s energy. There was something off about it, like it was surrounded in a kind of haze. Morgan was reminded of a time that Lucas said something similar about her own energy. After an incident wherein Kellen Pushed Morgan to forget an event, Lucas insisted Morgan’s energy went “fuzzy” when she attempted to recall it. This had to be what he meant. But why would Kellen’s memory about his last name bring on this sort of reaction?
Lia also appeared concerned. She tugged gently on Kellen’s arm. “What’s wrong?”
Kellen’s gaze remained unfocused for a moment more before he shook his head. “Nothing,” he said, a smile touching his lips. “It’s just… It’s been a long time since I used that name is all. After my parents died, I just… I stopped using it.”
Joss, who sat between Wen and Chelsea, glanced back at Morgan, one eyebrow raised. “Am I the only one curious about why your mom knows Kellen’s last name?” She turned to Wen. “Did
you know his last name?”
Wen shook his head, his eyes on Chelsea. “She’s got a point. I’ve known Kellen for years. We were roommates, we’ve been coworkers—and I didn’t know his last name. How could you possibly know it?”
A spasm crossed Chelsea’s face. “When Morgan was a year old, I used to take her to a park near our house. Lots of moms did. I got to be pretty close with one woman in particular, though. Her name was Dinah and she had a son just a couple years older than Morgan. She was funny and smart and so attentive to her son. You could tell just by looking at the two of them together how much she loved him.”
Morgan watched Kellen’s face. He stared at the back of the seat in front of him, a closed expression masking his usually carefree features. It was beginning to dawn on her the direction Chelsea’s reminiscence was taking and she realized Kellen understood too.
Lia placed a hand on Kellen’s forearm. “That was your mom’s name, wasn’t it? Dinah?”
Chelsea smiled, a faraway look on her face. “I still remember the day I told her…” She fixed her eyes on Kellen again. “You know I’m a Knower, right? After a few months of playing at the park with Dinah and her boy, I started having dreams and I knew—I Knew—that her son was going to be special. Kellen, I Knew you were going to be special. Dinah thought I was crazy when I first told her. I was actually afraid she was never going to come back to the park.”
Kellen shook his head. “That doesn’t make any sense. Why would my mom think you were crazy for telling her I was going to manifest abilities? Unless…”
Lia gasped and Morgan pressed her hand over her mouth. She looked at her mother for verification, but Chelsea’s attention was still entirely on Kellen.
The Naturals Trilogy Page 62
