Fingers in the Mist

by O'Dell Hutchison

  He makes me sick. He’s not excited for normalcy; he’s excited because he gets to suck a few more souls in a few hours and increase his strength. Coward. I can’t wait to rip his soul out of his throat and strangle his daughter with it. It’s probably a good thing my powers are on lockdown or who knows what type of damage I’d cause right now.

  “Last night the Redeemers came and took their final offering,” he continues. I tune him out, relaxing into Trevor’s arms; the steady rise and fall of his chest against my back soothes me. I search the crowd, wondering which of these people I’ll have to battle in a few hours. I want to do a quick soul scan, but the energy isn’t there. She really drained me good.

  My eyes rest on the solemn faces of the Simpsons, both obviously still reeling from the loss of their daughter. Mrs. Edwards and Mrs. Morgan stand alone. Mrs. Morgan has her head bowed, tears falling from her eyes. Bunny stares ahead, mindlessly rubbing Parker’s back as he coos against her shoulder. I wonder if he misses his mama. My father grabs my arm, breaking me out of my thoughts.

  “Where are you taking me?” I ask as he leads me away from Trevor. Did I just miss something?

  “Did you not just hear Reverend Carter call us?”

  I notice the other families who lost someone this last week walking to the church steps. We stand in the same order as a week ago; empty slots filling in for the family members no longer here.

  “Brothers and Sisters,” Reverend Carter begins, “the people before you have, as you know, lost loved ones over the last few days. Let us not forget that their loss will strengthen our little town, and through the grace of our God, we will continue to thrive. Let them also be a reminder that no sin goes unnoticed or unpunished. Please keep them in your hearts and in your prayers. Let us pray.”

  My skin crawls with every word he speaks. I can’t believe that everyone here believes any of this crap that he preaches. The man is the epitome of evil. He makes me sick. I watch in anger as the sea of sheep below us bow their heads, but I refuse to do so. I won’t partake in this.

  Bow your head, Caitlyn.

  My mother’s voice is firm in my head.

  You have to play along.

  I do as instructed, staring at the ground, watching the morning mist curl around my shoes.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  A collective “Amen” ripples through the crowd, and Reverend Carter tells everyone that once the bells ring at midnight, the fog will lift and life will return to normal. He announces that the schools and the church will be closed for another week, as will many businesses, to allow everyone to readjust and get back to life as normal. He then tells us we can all go back to our homes.

  He makes his way down the line of people standing next to him, holding hands and kissing them on the cheek, telling them he loves them.

  Puke, puke, puke.

  Play along. My mother’s voice comes again, and I correct my eyes as they start to roll.

  As he makes his way toward us, I feel my body tense. I don’t want to talk to him. He takes my father’s hand in his and speaks. “Mike, I cannot begin to tell you how horrible all this is. I know I told you before, but I’ll say it again—my family is here for you. Judith was a wonderful woman, and it’s a shame that Mitch had to go at such a young age. If I could bring him back to you, I would.”

  Maybe you won’t, but I will, I think. I may not have my powers now, but I still have my determination.

  “Why don’t you come down to my office in the next couple of days and we’ll arrange a memorial service for Judith?”

  My father nods, restraining his tears as Reverend Carter pats him on the back and sends him on his way before turning to face me.

  Do NOT speak. Nod in agreement at everything he says, my mother’s voice tells me.

  “Caitlyn,” he says, standing in front of me, his false smile of compassion shaking me to the core. “How are you today?”

  “Okay.” I force my voice to sound small and weak when I remember I’m not supposed to speak.

  “How are you feeling?” He’s assessing me. Trying to see whether Nana lied to him or not. I catch a glimpse of her over his left shoulder, standing in the lot speaking with Miss Simmons, both of them passing sideways glances in my direction. I shrug in response.

  He takes the pinky finger of my right hand between his thumb and index finger, no doubt trying to see if my touch still pains him. A sick smile spreads across his face and he takes both of my hands in his, squeezing until it feels as if my bones will shatter.

  “Is something wrong, Caitlyn?” he asks, not even attempting to mask the joy on his face.

  I shake my head in response, refusing to open my mouth because if I do, there’s no telling what sort of expletives might fall out.

  “I see your grandmother kept her promise. It must have come as quite a shock to learn that she is one of us. Did you know it was her idea to take your brother instead of you so that you would come to us of your own free will?”

  I remove my gaze from his and glance at Nana and Miss Simmons. He turns his head to see what I’m looking at.

  “Ah, the dynamic duo. Did you know it was those two who killed your mother so you could come to us?”

  That’s what you think.

  “I assume we can expect to see you near the falls this evening. You do want to help Mitch, don’t you?”

  I nod in response, fighting back the tears of frustration.

  “Good. Please know that if you suddenly have a change of heart, I will have no problem killing Mitch myself. The healthy soul of an eight-year-old boy would be very beneficial to me.”

  He’s testing you. Don’t let him get to you.

  “When I’m finished with him, I’ll make sure your father dies a horrible death. Farming accidents can be quite tragic. And Trevor. We can’t forget him, can we? I think I’ll let Monique deal with him. They have some unfinished business to attend to.”

  I can’t help the shaking in my body. I want him dead. Now. I beg for my powers to come back, but not even a small spark comes when I call. Whatever Miss Simmons did to me has rendered me completely helpless.

  He leans in and kisses me on the cheek. “I’ll see you tonight.”

  I fight the urge to wipe the kiss away as I rush off to join my father, eager to get out of here.

  “It’s all going to be okay, kiddo,” my dad says when he notices my tears, mistaking them for tears of grief.

  I don’t say anything in response. I just want to go home and wait for this fog in my head to lift so I can go kick some Reverend Carter ass.

  A swell of panic settles over me when I suddenly realize something. What if everything he said is true? What if Nana and Miss Simmons did kill my mother and she’s not really hanging out in a new body? What if they aren’t helping me? What if this spell I let her cast over me doesn’t wear off?

  What then?

  My mind swims with doubt, and I pray that Nana and Miss Simmons really are on my side and this numbness is just temporary. By the time we get home, the church bells have started to ring in the distance. Twelve more hours and I’ll be standing on the mountain ready to face God knows what. In thirteen hours I’ll have either saved my brother and friends, or be dead.

  Nerves wrestle in my gut as I lie down. I force my mind to drift. I imagine saving Chas & Jeb and celebrating their birthdays tomorrow. I think of going to the costume ball with Trevor, dancing cheek to cheek.

  When I think of Trevor, a sinking feeling washes over me as I realize I rushed off without saying goodbye. What if something happens tonight and I don’t make it back? I might never see him again.

  I surrender to the overwhelming sadness. I let it pull me into its arms, washing me away in its undertow as I fall asleep.

  ***

  An electric pulse jolts me awake. My room is completely dark; shadows hide in every corner. I blink a few times, willing them to adjust to the darkness. Suddenly, the lamp on my nightstand pops on, il
luminating my room. I search around for Nana, but she’s not here. I look at the lamp and will it to turn off and it complies. I flick it on again and jump out of bed, a small giggle escaping my lips.

  I’m so happy that my powers are back, I can’t help but laugh. Nana must be here, and my powers recharged, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to do any of this.

  It’s time.

  My mother’s voice fills the room, and an overwhelming sadness washes over me. I walk over to my desk and flip the lid on my memory box, retrieving the picture of the two of us before all this. Before she changed. This takes the old phrase, “I’m still me” to a whole new level. Is she still my mom?

  I riffle through my drawers, removing a brand-new pair of black stretch pants. They’re not only comfy, but perfect for insulating the body. It will undoubtedly be cold up on the mountain, and I’ll need to keep myself warm yet be free to move. There’s no way I can fight if I’m all bundled up.

  I grab a long-sleeve T and my cross-trainers, then pull my hair back into a ponytail. Over the last seven days this has become my signature look, and I’m tired of it. I could really use a spa day and some retail therapy.

  I pick up my mother’s old sweater, the warmest one I own, and creep down the stairs to find Nana handing my dad a cup of coffee.

  “It’s not midnight yet,” Dad says, stopping me in my tracks. What does he know about this? “If you’re planning to sneak out with Trevor, you need to wait a while for the bells to ring.”

  I feel myself relax. For a moment, I thought maybe he was in on this.

  “I wasn’t going anywhere,” I lie.

  He gives me a sideways glance that says, yeah right, as he takes a sip from his mug. No sooner has he swallowed the coffee than the mug is crashing to the floor, his body slack.

  “Dad!” I scramble over to him, patting his face. “What did you do to him?”

  Before she can answer a deep, rumbling snore erupts from his nose.

  “Just a little sleeping spell,” she says. “The same thing I gave him that night you had the scuffle in the front yard. He’ll be out for a while. It was the only way I could get you out of here unnoticed.”

  I move to the sink and grab a rag to wipe up the spilled coffee, but when I turn around Nana walks toward me, the broken pieces of the cup in her hand, the floor completely dry.

  “My way is much quicker,” she says, throwing the shards into the trash. “Are you ready?”

  “Just a minute.” I walk over to my father and crouch down beside him, grabbing his large, weathered hand, cradling it in my own.

  I trace a finger over the rough skin, tanned from too much time outside working on the farm. I feel like I barely know this man, but I wouldn’t trade the last few days I’ve had with him for anything. He could have disowned me. Put me in juvie until I was eighteen and completely given up on me, but he didn’t. He believed in me. When I think of everything he’s lost this week, I know I have to do this. Even if I don’t make it through tonight, I’ll get Mitch back to him.

  “I love you, Daddy,” I say as I lean over and kiss him on the forehead.

  Nana walks over and places a hand on my shoulder. “We need to go, honey.”

  “If something happens to me tonight, will you please make sure Mitch makes it home to him?” I say, my eyes still glued to his peaceful face.

  “I’ve taken care of that already.”

  It sounds as if she expects me to fail. I know she didn’t mean it like that, but if she has a plan in place to assure Mitch makes it home if I die, she must not have much faith in me.

  “But everything will be fine,” she says. “You’ll both come home to him.”

  She leads me to the basement and through the tunnels to her house in silence. As we walk, I recount the steps of our plan in my head. At nine o’clock the Council and the Associates will begin their ceremonial ascent up the mountain. At nine-thirty I’ll set out alone, following the trail until I reach the falls, and then I’ll cut through the tress until I end up behind the church. I should reach them by eleven-thirty, right when the offering begins.

  Nana pushes open the door to her basement and I follow her inside, shielding my eyes from the bright light that’s about to flood the room. As soon as the lights come on, I stop short.

  Trevor sits on the table, looking anxiously in my direction.

  I run to him, wrapping my arms around his neck, kissing his cheeks, his lips, his hair.

  “I was afraid I might never see you again.” I bury my head in his neck, breathing in his smoky scent.

  “I thought maybe it would help calm your nerves if you had someone to wait here with you until it’s time for you to go,” Nana says, smiling.

  “Thank you,” I say, unable to pull away from him.

  “I have to go,” she says from across the room. “We’ll start the ascent soon.”

  I walk over and give her a hug. “Be careful, Nana.”

  “Don’t worry about me,” she says. “Just remember what you have to do.” She looks me straight in the eye when she says this, and I know what she means. Kill as many of the Council as I can—even her. “Be careful. I’ll see you soon.”

  She puts on her dark red robe, and a shudder moves down my spine when I see her dressed like one of them.

  “Let’s go kick some ass,” she says as she pulls the door closed behind her, leaving Trevor and me alone to count down the minutes until I set out to join her and my mother.

  Neither of us speaks for several minutes. We just sit here, him on the table, his arms around my waist, me leaning against his chest.

  “Are you scared?” he finally asks, his breath soft against my cheek.

  “A little.” He must have noticed the way I keep tugging at the sweater.

  “You can do this.”

  I nod in agreement, though I’m not sure I have as much faith in me as he does. I’ve only had two days to prepare, and I still don’t feel that I have total control over my powers.

  “Do you want to do something tomorrow?” he asks.

  “Sure. If I’m still here.”

  “You have to stop talking like that.” He turns me around to face him. His face is serious, and I know he means what he’s planning to say. “You have to go up there with every intention of beating them. If you doubt yourself, even for a minute, they will win, and I won’t let that happen. You have to come back to me. You dying up there or getting taken by them are not options. Got it? I need you here.”

  A tear slides from the corner of his eye, and I suddenly realize that he is every bit as scared as I am.

  “I’m going to try—”

  “No. You will. Say it. You will come back.”

  “I will come back,” I say, and at that moment, I know I will. No matter what. I’ll come back to him.

  “I love you, Caitlyn.” He looks me straight in the eye when he says this, and I know he means it. My breath catches and I’m suddenly speechless. I’ve never had a boy tell me he loved me unless he was after something.

  “You don’t have to say it back,” he says after a moment of stunned silence on my end. “I just needed you to know. I know I was an ass to you when you got here, and I’m sorry.”

  I start to speak, but he places a finger to my lips, stopping me. “I’ve always loved you. I don’t know how it is in the big city, but we country boys aren’t afraid to say how we feel. When we meet someone and we fall for them, we fall hard. I’ve loved you since we were kids, and I’ve never stopped.”

  A smile plays at my lips as I think back through all the summers I’ve spent with him: playing hide-and-go-seek in the barn, playing pirates with Jeb and Chas, hiking up to the falls and roasting s’mores around the campfire.

  My happiness falls short when I glance down at the watch. My heart begins to thud in my chest. “It’s time. I have to go.”

  “I’ll walk you,” he says, climbing down from the table.

  “You can’t. You might g
et caught.”

  “All the freaky dudes are headed up the side of the mountain by now.”

  I shake my head and he opens his button-down shirt, exposing the pendant. “I still have this. They can’t get me even if there are a few stragglers. I’ll walk you to the end of the tunnels and then I’ll go home.”

  “Okay.” I won’t argue with him. If he has my pendant, he’ll be fine. Besides, it will be nice to have company as I navigate the tunnels. I grab hold of his hand and lead him to the door.

  “So, what did you have planned for tomorrow?” I ask, trying to break up the sadness hanging between us.

  “Well, I thought maybe we could pack a picnic and go up to the falls. Just the two of us.”

  “That sounds great, and I hate to be a party pooper, but I think I’m probably going to want to avoid the falls for a while after tonight.”

  “Oh yeah. I didn’t think of that. I guess that wouldn’t be such a good idea, huh?”

  “Probably not.” I laugh. “How about you come over to my house and you can grill with Dad, Mitch, and me?”

  Just saying Mitch’s name reinvigorates me.

  “That sounds great,” he says, his face lighting up with a smile.

  “And since we don’t have school this week, maybe you can stay a little later and we can cuddle up and watch a movie afterward.”

  “Yeah. I like that idea. And then, Monday we can throw Jeb and Chas a party.”

  His optimism is infectious, and the farther we walk, the more secure I become in what I have to do tonight. I look up and notice that we’ve come to the end of the tunnel. A mix of sadness and fear wash over me, realizing that I have to leave Trevor behind.

  “You can’t go any farther.” I turn to face him, not ready to say goodbye.

  “I know.” He stares at the ground, rolling a small rock beneath the toe of his boot. He reaches into his shirt and removes the pendant. “Here. You might need this.”

  “You keep it for now. I don’t need it. They know I’m coming, so it’s kind of pointless for me to have it.”