by Jenna Bernel
Chapter 20: Time is Out
“Where are they?” I yell to no one in particular as I pace Eli’s living room.
“Would you sit down already? Relax. It’s only been an hour,” Brooks says, still leaning against the fireplace mantel after he kindled one, and I plop on the seat beside Pete.
“I know, but Evan and Kate haven’t stopped texting me, and I’m running out of time. But I don’t want to leave before they get back,” I say, frantically looking at the time on my phone. Shortly after Alec, Jasmine, and Eric left to go scout out the blood bank location, I got the worst possible surprise. Evan and Kate ditched Dale’s party to come visit me at work and take me out after my shift. The only problem is that I was not at work and got totally caught up in my lie!
Thank God for my brother Will, who’s so used to playing the bachelor merry-go-round that he immediately picked up on what I had done and texted me that he had me covered, saying that I was out running an errand for him. I hope it worked well enough, but it’s been almost an hour. Plus, I haven’t seen my dad since I got back, so I know he’ll be confused by Will’s lie on my behalf and probably blow it for me before I can get to them. I sit down and start anxiously bobbing my leg. I should have Tranced those two when I had the chance before I left.
They’ve never surprised me like this before, though, so how could I have known they’d do this? I get that they missed me, but this isn't like them. They're obviously suspicious of me since I got back, and I need to go see them right now and promptly stamp out their seeds of doubt.
“You’re driving me crazy. You’re not going to stay, are you?” Pete says, looking at my knee bouncing off his seat on the couch beside me.
“Shit,” I whisper under my breath. They won’t like it, but I have to go. I have to get Kate and Evan back in Mapleton where they belong. Tomorrow night I’ll be pulling off the most important mission of my life, and I can’t have them popping up again unannounced.
“I'll be back in less than an hour. If they beat me here, please talk Alec off the ledge and assure him I’ll be right back,” I say, knowing he’ll flip that I left the apartment alone.
“Yeah right. We have one job, and it is to keep you here until he gets back," Brooks says, pushing off the mantel to come towards me. “It’s way too dangerous right now. Just because Alec told her he thinks he’s found you and will deliver you soon after confirmation doesn't mean Stella's called off the army of bad bloods to sniff you out. She's obsessed with you, the mysterious vamp with the power to turn her kind into Nephil, the creatures she’s vengefully trying to destroy. Her obsession with you has made her extra evil, if that’s even possible. These last few months she’s been erratic, scarier, and more dangerous than you could ever imagine. I don’t want to be here when Alec finds out you left," Brooks says, looking very disappointed in me.
"I'm going. Don't make me get all dark on you guys, please," I warn, feeling my anxiety level beginning to peak, which always means bad things will follow.
"Fine. If you insist on being a defiant idiot, then I'm coming with you. No arguments." Brooks gathers up his coat while slinging a scarf around his neck.
"Um…are you allowed to talk to me like that?" I am caught off guard by his blatant attitude after being bowed to in Caliontre all week.
"Sweetie, you may be a princess, but you're no princess of mine." Brooks chuckles, throwing my coat across the room, and I snatch it out of the air. I suppress a smile. Blunt but genuine. I appreciate someone being straight with me for once.
“We’ll all go,” Amy suggests, standing up from the oversized chair next to me, but as gently as I can, I force her back down in her seat.
“Forget it. It’s going to be hard enough to explain Brooks, and I don’t want to complicate the Trance I’ll be forced to perform more than I have to. Besides, none of us should be seen together as is, let alone being chummy in a public restaurant when I’m not even in vamp form.” I shake my head to further drive in my point, meeting Brooks at the door.
“Come on, I’ll drive,” Brooks says, dangling Eli’s keys he’s grabbed from the hook and opening the door for me.
“So what, you’re just going to leave us here to tell Alec we failed to do the one thing he asked and keep your ass in this seat?” Amy says, pointing to my former spot on the couch, and I try to suppress my laugh. It’s honestly not funny what they’ll have to deal with if Alec and the rest of the crew beat Brooks and I back to the apartment.
“Pretty much, yeah,” I respond, trying to hide the smirk threatening to break on my face.
“You two have fun with that, thanks for taking the bullet,” Brooks jokes, also trying to suppress his amusement. It’s funny how good they all are at playing human.
“Son of a bitch…” Pete says under his breath, slumping back on the couch. “Just go already. I know it’s as pointless to argue with you as it is with Alec. This should be fun.” Pete continues to grumble under his breath, and this time I don’t hold back my smile. I guess Alec isn’t used to being challenged in his world either, which is probably another reason I infuriate him so.
“Thanks. I promise we’ll be quick,” I say with a wave as I walk out the door, and all I hear is a simultaneous grunt of “Whatever” as we leave Amy and Pete alone to handle Alec.
“Seriously, Dani, we better make this fast. You don't know what Alec's like when he's angry,” Brooks says, finishing up the buttons on his coat as we make our way to the elevators.
"Yes I do," I correct him, pushing the elevator button to the garage level where Eli’s car is parked. The doors close and my stomach drops slightly as we plunge downward.
"No, Dani, you don't," Brooks says, glancing at me sideways and shaking his head. My stomach bottoms out, and this time it has nothing to do with the elevator ride.
Chapter 21: The Red Trance
“Honey, I didn’t know you were working tonight, but Will said he asked you to help out?” my dad questions as I approach the podium of the hostess at the top of the grand staircase leading into the restaurant.
"Just a few errands for Will, says he's been slammed, so I thought I'd give him a break," I explain, and my dad looks at me sideways, knowing something about me running around town for my big brother is off. He sighs and wraps me in a hug, and I am relieved he let it slide.
"I'm so glad you’re home. How was Germany?"
The warmth he shows in that hug surprises me. Maybe I need to leave town more often. Note to self: The key to a dysfunctional happy family: Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
"As good as you can expect any funeral to be," I say, keeping up the front of our cover story.
"Oh, of course. I'm sure the Wests appreciated you accompanying Alec," Bill says, patting my shoulder proudly, and I only nod.
My dad was always the curious type, and I'll wager besides Kate he's been Tranced the most since I've been gone. Now, looking at me, talking about the Wests as if they truly are some longtime family friends that he's personally endorsed, makes it feel like it's become some permanent forged memory to him. It's not like they've ever done research studies on the effects of long-term Trancing. I cringe when I think of the power we have to manipulate humans—so unsettling.
"Where are Kate and Evan? They texted me that they're here." I start to shrug off my coat and Brooks steps in, drawing it from my shoulders.
"We've been booked all night, so I stashed them in the back and fed them some dinner while they waited. Who's this?" Bill says, stretching out his hand and wasting no time assessing him.
"Brooks." He takes my dad's hand in a firm shake. Brooks has sort of a smooth hipster look, and I can tell my dad already dislikes him.
"A friend from school. You know I hate driving around the city, so Brooks offered to tag along and give me a ride," I quickly explain.
"You know you can always use Fred when I'm at work." He takes my coat from Brooks in a silent statement of “That’s my job, watch yourself,” and I have to resist the urge to roll my eyes.<
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"Thanks, I'll remember that next time," I say, giving dad a quick kiss on the cheek as we continue down past the bar to the hallway leading to the chef's table in back.
Being driven around by my dad's driver, Fred, would never work. The spots I usually hang out in in the city are no place for a man to sit parked in a black luxury Lincoln alone. The thought reminds me of when Alec parked in a bad neighborhood with his Audi and we had to kick some thug butt to avoid a carjacking. And Brooks says I don't even know what angry Alec looks like… I bite the inside of my cheek, trying to picture what he meant.
My thoughts immediately halt when I am halfway down the hall. Brooks puts his hand on my shoulder behind me to stop me, sensing it too. I don't know what it is, but it feels palpable, like we are about to walk into The Basement where the vamps feast on blood whores all night. I swallow hard as real fear sets in, and I mean fear. Evan and Kate are back there, and I have no clue about what is going on. I turn to look at Brooks. He tightens his jaw and slumps his head as a realization takes over in his eyes, and I dart mine over his face, trying to extract the answer.
Go, Brooks mouths, trying to push me in the other direction back toward the restaurant, but I don’t move. If something is happening to my friends, I have to know! I spin around and sprint down the hall until I burst into the room.
Evan and Kate are sitting at one end of the expansive table with untouched meals in front of them. Besides not eating, something is clearly wrong. They are completely silent and have odd, stoic looks on their faces. They turn to me and smile simultaneously, but the grin looks vindictive, as if creepy clown twins have taken over their bodies.
"She's here," Kate says, and then her neck jerks like she has just been electrocuted. Evan’s does too. I am next to Kate in two strides and reach out to look her over, but Evan snatches my wrist across the table before I can touch her, and I wince from the aggressiveness in his touch.
"Let's go, she's waiting," Evan says, moving around the table without releasing me, trying to yank me down the hall, and I easily rip my hand free to stop him. I know it is more strength than I should reveal, but I don’t care right now.
"Who?" I know the answer, but I am so freaking confused. Have my friends turned on me somehow?
"Stella," Brooks says, standing in the frame of the hall.
"What's going on?!" I move my attention to him, feeling my anger bubble over. Brooks holds my shoulders tightly, urging me to look at him.
"I don't know, Dani, but only Stella can Trance like this. She's found you," Brooks explains quickly, and a silent scream of horror roars through my mind, giving me an instant headache.
"We have to get them out of here," I say to Brooks with dread, and now he's the one that looks scared.
"We can't," he croaks out.
"She wants your phones now!" Kate demands, holding out her hands, and I look at her with shock. Oh my God, how is Stella doing this? I grab Kate's arm and try to pull her away with me.
"Dani, stop," Brooks says, grabbing my arm to release my grip on Kate, and he hands her his phone from his pocket, tilting his head like I need to do the same. I gasp as I look at the traitor in front of me. Scumbag!
"Stella's Trance is powerful, even more so than Alec's gift. Once she sees them and begins her Trance, she can control them from afar until she releases them. She’ll keep this hold on them until we do as she's instructed. If we don't, she could have them jump off a bridge to their deaths. I’ve seen it. If she's found Kate and Evan, then she must know about them all." Brooks explains it looking panicked, and my mouth falls open at the thought. Conner, Will, my dad… No one’s safe.
"Come now or I'll slowly torture your most precious possession, bringing him much pain until he's screaming in agony for death," Evan says, interrupting us and forcefully grabbing my wrist, holding out his other hand for my phone.
"My most precious possession?" I ask as a hundred names run through my mind, horrified by Evan's cold eyes as he delivers that morbid message.
"Alec!" Brooks and I say simultaneously when the light bulb goes off. Every section of my insides wither to dust, and a scream escapes my throat as the pain rips through me more excruciatingly than ever before. Brooks quickly lands a hand over my mouth to muffle it from public ears, holding me to him as I collapse under the weight of her words, turning.
Chapter 22: The Real Her
My head hurts, and I can feel the heat of the bright light even through my closed eyes. I groan in weak protest when someone picks me up, pulling me to my feet.
"Daniella, open your eyes." I recognize Christoph's powerful timbre instantly and snap awake. It looks like we're in Cali standing on the beach, but I know better; this is a Cloud Crash. I look up to see Christoph, those violet eyes almost watery with tears, and I don't know what to make of it. I feel fuzzy. The last thing I remember is the restaurant and Stella’s threat to Alec's life through her new favorite puppet master, my boyfriend. That was some twisted joke, using Evan against me like that.
"Daniella, pay attention. We don't have much time." Christoph shakes me, trying to snap me out of my haze. I've never heard such emotion in his voice, and I am disheartened that it is spiked with fear. I never thought of Christoph as being someone who's afraid of anything.
"What's going on?"
Christoph releases his grasp on me and creates a Cloud window above to peer through. I can see myself sleeping, or more like seizing on the floor of an opulent-looking room. Kate and Evan are in chairs, facing me as if I'm entertainment and they wanted a front-row seat for the spectacle. But they're not even really looking at me, just staring straight ahead like zombies, clearly still under Stella's powerful Trance.
"Look how dark you are! You have to snap out of this and get you and Alec out of there no matter the cost, Daniella. Do you understand?" Christoph's voice has become shaky, and I feel sick to my stomach, even here in Cloud Clash, where I usually feel the most light. I've never felt so cold.
"I don't know how, I don't even know where I am." I point at the picture in the sky and I don't even recognize myself anymore as I spasm uncontrollably on Stella's expensive Oriental rug.
"Dani, look at me." Christoph bends low so we're eye to eye, and seeing those that match mine bring me a moment of comfort, knowing I'm still connected to the light even if I can't feel it in my blood.
"You are my blood, Daniella. You always will be one of us, but most importantly, you will always be my daughter. You will do great things for our worlds, you and Alec both. It can't end today, not like this. You were right, Dani, I can feel it. Alec is your heart, and you will protect your heart whatever the cost. You promised me. Please don't break your promise, and come home to me."
A tear rolls down his face, and I press my finger to his cheek to make sure it's real. I look down at the salty liquid of my father's emotion over the thought of losing me to the darkness, and for the first time accept him and his words.
I suck in a sharp breath and look at the Cloud window. My seizure has stopped, and I look much more peaceful with a small smile on my face, resembling the vamp I know and can control, but I still don’t turn back Nephil. Considering where I am, that’s probably best for now. A vamp steps into view of the Cloud window, bends down, and begins to violently shake me. I instantly start to fade into the scenery of the ocean, transparent as a ghost as I'm forced out of my dream.
"I think she's Cloud Crashing," the vamp shaking me states as I try to will my brain to remain with my father in Cali.
"Then stick a hot ember in her eye, that’s sure to wake her," Kate says, looking down at me on the floor from her chair. Christoph’s breath catches as we watch the vamp walk to the roaring fireplace, ready to gouge my eyes out.
"You have to go, get Alec, and get out. I have faith in you." Christoph swoops down and kisses my forehead, whispering, "Remember your promise."
Chapter 23: Make it Stop
A pulse of electricity zaps through my veins and my eyes snap open from the Cloud Cr
ash. I hear myself snarl as I jump up, and I sound more beast than any other sort of supernatural creature. As soon as my feet find the floor, I am knocked back down to the ground by three vamps who had hurled themselves over my body. I reek of rosewater as my Infinity power seeps from my pores, and I quickly heave them off me, jumping to the ceiling. I swing on the crystal chandelier to gain momentum and perform a backflip, landing back on my feet. In no time I am surrounded by six vamps like a circle of gang members ready to play hacky sack with my body. Crap, how many are there?
“That’ll do, gentlemen,” I hear Kate say, and the vamps quickly retreat to line the walls from end to end, giving me little hope of an exit. It isn’t necessary, though, because when they part, I have a line of sight to Evan and Kate. I freeze, not daring to move.
There is a vamp standing behind each as they sit on their chairs, completely unfazed to the fact that they have a knife to their throats. I am fast, but I am not sure if I can get to them both in time without someone’s throat being slashed. The blades hover just shy of piercing their skin. The smooth, cold steel glints against the candle sconces on the walls, taunting me. I notice the floor-to-ceiling window reflecting the fireplace, making the city skyline look like it is engulfed in flames. At least I know we are still in Chicago, but that gives little comfort in this nightmare come to life.
“Let them go. I’ll do whatever you ask, just let them go.” My pitch sounds off, almost snakelike with the hissing quality it’s taken on, but that is the best I can do. Christoph helped, but I am slipping away, and I don’t have much time. Soon, Kate and Evan will begin to look like a tasty treat even to me.
