by S. H. Kolee
I was momentarily confused when I woke up the next morning in an unfamiliar bed, until I remembered where I was. I was on my back and Simon's face was nuzzled against my neck with one leg thrown over mine, effectively trapping me. I was content to just lie there, feeling the weight of his leg pressing down on me and his warm breath against my neck.
I was alerted to his wakefulness when I felt his lips moving on my neck. I pushed him away, laughing. "Your stubble tickles."
Simon smiled at me, although he was still groggy from having just woken up. His sleepy smile grew mischievous as his blue eyes twinkled. "I can do better than that when it comes to tickling."
"Don't you dare!" I squealed when his fingers tickled my sides, laughing and howling with outrage simultaneously. I was breathless as Simon continued his merciless assault. "Your parents! We'll wake up your parents!"
"They can't hear your screams for mercy. Their room is in the opposite wing." Despite his words, Simon stopped tickling me and instead started dropping soft kisses on my face. My eyes fluttered closed and he lightly kissed my eyelids, moving down to my cheek and then behind my ear.
"I could get used to waking up like this." I opened my eyes and gave him a censorious look. "Except for the tickling."
Simon gave me a sweet smile. "I plan on waking up next to you for a while. At least until I'm eighty."
"And what'll you do then? Throw me to the curb for the next available woman who gives you come-hither looks and lets you molest her with your walker?"
Simon gave me a quick kiss on the lips. "You know me too well. I'm willing to negotiate the terms of our arrangement to the age of ninety-five, but only if you promise to make me garbage cookies on a regular basis."
I pressed my hand against his warm jaw. "It's a deal."
As tempting as it was to stay in bed, we got up and got ready for the day. I had told Simon yesterday that I wanted to stop by my aunt's house this morning and he had agreed. The dream I had of my mother made me eager to go back, convinced that I would see something this time that I had missed earlier.
We ate a quick breakfast before leaving. The morning air was unusually warm for this time of the year, even though it was cloudy, and I started sweating beneath my heavy coat. Simon and I took our coats off and stowed them in the backseat before sliding into the car.
"Do you want to brave the mall after we go to your aunt's house?" Simon asked as he concentrated on the road. "Kendra already left this morning with my mom. I think she looks forward to Black Friday more than Thanksgiving."
"Sure, that sounds like fun."
Simon cradled my hand in his, resting our entwined fingers on my lap. "What exactly are you hoping to find at your aunt's house? I know you feel a pull towards it because you think you'll find some answers there, but isn't it just reopening a wound?"
I sighed as I looked out the side window, the dull winter landscape whizzing by matching my mood. I wasn't sure what compelled me to keep going to my aunt's house. My only answer was that I didn't know what else to do. It made me feel like at least I was trying to do something to find my aunt.
"I don't know," I answered softly. "Losing my aunt right after I found her can't hurt any worse than it already does. Avoiding her house won't change that."
Simon squeezed my hand and steered the topic of conversation to yesterday's festivities, joking about his relatives and their eccentricities. I appreciated Simon's attempt to cheer me up so I went along with it, laughing at his imitations.
"I have to go through the window again," I said after Simon parked his car in front of my aunt's house. Simon sighed but just nodded, sliding out of the driver's seat and following me to the side of the house.
I pushed open the basement window and braced myself on the ground, wiggling my legs through the opening. I was becoming a pro at this and confidently dropped onto the table, letting my eyes become accustomed to the dim room.
"Hurry up and open the front door," Simon called out. I walked quickly up the stairs and opened the basement door. Nothing looked out of place when I glanced at the living room while I made my way to the front door.
Suddenly, I heard a faint noise behind me and I whirled around, my heart in my throat. The last thing I expected was to slam into an unyielding chest as rough hands grabbed my arms.
I was shocked as I met my father's eyes, his hands steadying me so that I didn't fall backwards from the impact.
"Dad! What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing."
"I went home with Simon for Thanksgiving. He only lives about ten minutes from here, so I decided to drop by." I furrowed my brow. "How did you get in? The door was locked."
"I have a key."
I was even more confused. "How could you have a key to Aunt Brenda's house when you haven't seen her in years?"
There was a pounding on the front door and I heard Simon yell out, "Caitlin, what's going on? Who are you talking to? Open the door!"
I moved to walk to the front door when my father grabbed my arm, squeezing tightly. I gaped at him. "What are you doing? I have to open the door for Simon!"
My father ignored me, pushing me towards the living room and throwing me down on the couch. I was shocked by my father's behavior. For all of his past mistreatment, he had never handled me roughly, never shown any anger towards me physically. I saw a rage in his eyes that made me want to shrink back against the cushions.
"I'm so sick of this. I'm so sick of you. I'm done playing games with you." My father's voice held so much venom, making me realize that he really did hate me.
Simon's pounding got louder and he was pulling frantically at the doorknob, making the door rattle violently against the doorframe. "Caitlin, open the door!"
I opened my mouth to yell out to him, but whatever words I had been about to say dried up in my mouth when my father abruptly dropped into a crouch in front of me so that we were eye level. "If you don't want anything to happen to your boyfriend, you won't say a word."
I had to swallow several times before I could speak. "Dad, why are you acting this way? What's wrong?"
He smirked, looking at me like he found me utterly repulsive. "I can't tell you how nauseating it's been to hear you call me that all these years in your whiny little voice. You're supposed to be so strong, yet you're so fucking weak."
My mind rebelled against what I was hearing. I had to be dreaming. This couldn't be real. My father wouldn't hurt me, would he?
"Dad, please..."
He slammed me against the couch with his hands, pinning me there by my shoulders. "Don't call me that again! I'm not your father. Your father left a long time ago, little girl."
He was standing over me, his mouth pulled back into a vicious snarl, his eyes glittering with hatred. It was then I finally realized that I wasn't looking at my father. I was looking at his vardoger.
Chapter Twenty-Six
I could hear the distant sounds of a solid body slamming against wood, and I was vaguely aware that Simon was trying to break down the door by sheer force, but I could only concentrate on my father's face. The face that now belonged to a shadow.
I was surprised that my voice was steady when I spoke. "How long? How long ago did you overtake him?"
"Long enough to know that you're a sniveling, feeble-minded liability." He backed up, releasing my shoulders and straightening. He glanced at the front door with disgust. I took the opportunity to yell out.
"Simon! My father's here! He's been overtaken!"
I heard the thud of his body hitting the door even harder at my words. "Caitlin, hold on!" The sound of cracking wood made hope flare. My heart dropped when the thuds suddenly stopped. Instead, there was an eerie silence as if Simon had disappeared.
My father looked pleased. "I told you to shut up. How does it feel to be responsible for your boyfriend's death?'
No, it couldn't be true. My mind was racing, trying to come to terms with everything that was happening.
"Where is he? Wha
t have you done to him?"
My father shook his head irritably. "Do I have to spell things out for you?" He glared at me with disdain. "I just told you, he's dead. The house is surrounded." He tapped his mouth contemplatively with his finger. "I don't know how they did it. I didn't give them specific instructions. They're always partial to knives. It's so intimate to slice someone's flesh, to stab through bone and sinew and feel the warm blood gushing out." He looked down at me, his eyes looking insane. "It's a beautiful thing, actually."
Bile rose in my throat and I shot to my feet to run to the door to find Simon, but my father backhanded me so hard that I was thrown back against the couch, my face exploding in pain.
I felt blood trickling down my chin from my mouth. I forced the horror of what was happening out of my mind and concentrated on gathering my energy. It was the only weapon I had.
"Oh, no you don't," My father reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of palladium dangling on a chain. The glinting of shadows made me realize that even the chain was made of palladium. He quickly dropped it around my neck and I heard it clang against my iridium coin. I ignored it and tried to funnel my energy again. Palladium hadn't been able to block my powers before. I concentrated as hard as I could, willing my energy to converge into a single force. But I felt nothing. Empty. There was nothing inside me but pain and fear.
My gaze shot up to my father at his humorless laugh. "Stupid girl. It took us a little while to figure it out. Every other seer has been rendered powerless against us and their iridium made useless when we wear palladium. But you...you're different. The palladium has to be touching you to make you lose your powers." My father shrugged, looking disinterested. "Doesn't matter either way, as long as it works."
I reached up to pull the palladium off my neck, but my father was quicker. The breath was knocked out of me as he kneed me in the stomach. I doubled over in pain as he twisted me around and roughly pulled my arms together behind my back.
"Hurry up," he called out. "Bring the handcuffs and the chair."
I heard footsteps behind me and I desperately craned my head to see who it was. Two boys who barely looked like they were out of high school were walking towards me with undisguised glee. One of them was carrying a dining room chair and the other had a pair of handcuffs dangling from his hand. Rough hands grabbed my wrists and then my head was pulled back sharply by my hair. My scalp screamed with pain as the hands tightened their grip, twisting my hair and pulling back so hard I was afraid my neck would snap.
I was pushed roughly into the chair and I felt myself being shackled to it with the handcuffs. I struggled as panic threatened to choke me, but the handcuffs were looped around the thick wooden slat at the back of the chair, and I only succeeded in making the sharp edges of the handcuffs cut into my wrists.
One of the boys dragged me, handcuffed to the chair, into the middle of the living room, and I instinctively kicked out, my foot making contact with one of his shins.
"Shit!" he yelled, doubling over and grabbing his leg. "You little bitch!"
I saw the fist a microsecond before it made impact, slamming against my head so hard that I almost blacked out. My head lolled to the side, the pain so intense that I could barely breathe.
"Control yourself." My father's voice sounded cold. "We need her conscious. Just tie her legs to the chair."
I lifted my head, staring at my father as the other boy grabbed my ankles, holding each one to a chair leg and tying thick coarse rope around it, effectively immobilizing me. I barely noticed his actions as I kept my gaze on my father. Even though I knew his soul was no longer inhabiting his body, it was hard to think of him as anyone else.
"Why are you doing this?"
"To use you, of course. It's ironic that so much power can reside in someone so unworthy. You're the key to unlocking the secrets to take over all the humans. You're on the cusp of realizing your full power. Why do you think we've been watching you all these years? Waiting? Then your stupid aunt had to get in the way and warn you."
"What did you do to Aunt Brenda?" I started to tremble, anticipating an answer that would crush me.
"I killed her, of course." My father looked at me like I was dim-witted. His mouth stretched into a monstrous smile. "We experimented on her first. She's not on your level but definitely a worthwhile diversion." His voice lowered as his eyes bored into mine. "You should have heard her scream. She begged for you to be spared. She begged until the moment she died. It was tragic, actually. We experimented with her so much that we ended up not being able to overtake her body. It was a waste." He reached over and tapped my cheek with a finger. "Hopefully we won't make the same mistake with you."
A rage filled me. A rage so strong and furious that my body felt like it was going to explode from the emotion. I writhed against the restraints and lurched forward, wanting to attack my father. To make him feel a fraction of the pain that was coursing through my body caused by his revelation.
I only succeeded in unbalancing the chair and I crashed against the floor with a bone-jarring thud. My right shoulder took most of the impact and pain rushed through me. My father sighed above me as if I were a child throwing a temper tantrum.
"Sooner or later you'll accept that you can't escape. It's up to you how painful you want to make this for yourself."
I swallowed a moan of pain, not wanting him to hear any weakness. I had to get the palladium necklace off of me, but it seemed impossible with my hands and feet bound.
I felt myself being lifted and I was unable to smother my gasp when pain radiated from my shoulder as the chair was righted with little care, jostling me. I heard more footsteps behind me, but I didn't bother turning around, knowing it would just be more bodies overtaken by their vardogers.
"Why are you roughing her up? That's not necessary." At first I didn't recognize the female voice. I was too busy frantically trying to think of a way out of this nightmare. It wasn't until she walked into my line of vision that I froze, disbelief coursing through me.
Lenore frowned as she looked at me before turning to my father. "You can't incapacitate her if we're going to put her under."
"She's fine," my father answered shortly. "Let's just get on with it."
Lenore turned back to me, looking almost sad. "I appreciated your concern for my disappearance. You were the only one that cared that I vanished." The corners of her mouth turned down. "My family always thought I was crazy so they were glad to be rid of me."
I finally found my voice. It exploded out of me, harsh and intense. "What the hell is going on?!" I took a deep steadying breath, trying to get my tumultuous emotions under control. I needed to be clear-headed. "You too? How long ago did you overtake Lenore?"
Lenore shook her head. "It's still me. I just realized we couldn't win. It's inevitable. The vardogers are going to take over. They're too strong for us. I'm just ensuring that I secure a place for myself before all hell breaks loose."
This was absolutely the last thing I expected to hear. "Are you telling me you're working with the vardogers? You're a seer! You're supposed to protect people!" I was on the edge of hysteria and I screamed at her, "My aunt trusted you!"
Lenore's eyes darkened. "I tried to reason with her, but she wouldn't see it any other way. She didn't have the ability to see the potential of seers joining forces with the vardogers. She was too concerned with the petty humans she wanted to protect." Lenore's voice turned fierce. "We're better than them, yet we spend our entire lives trying to protect them. I'm ready to live my own life now." Her intensity melted away as she smiled. "I was pretty convincing, wasn't I? I was supposed to gain your trust by pretending to battle Claudia. But she got a little overeager and tried to overtake you and you almost destroyed her. I had to disappear before you figured out the truth. A pity you were able to destroy her later on. She was useful despite her recklessness. She's been the only one that's been able to sustain other vardogers without bodies and give them the power to enter any human, instead of just
their own person."
Lenore sighed and looked past me and nodded her head. "Let's get started."
My revulsion grew when I saw Marie and Cecelia walk over to Lenore. I was almost shaking with rage, sickened by the fact that my aunt had been so savagely betrayed by her inner circle. Neither Marie nor Cecelia would look me in the eye.
"You're cowards," I spat out. Cecelia resolutely avoided meeting my eyes but Marie glanced at me at my insult. Her face looked tense and her gaze was almost apologetic, but her eyes flickered away as quickly as they had met mine. Marie incensed me most of all. She knew this was wrong, but she was willing to go along with it.
"Caitlin, we're going to put you under hypnosis."
I jerked my gaze back to Lenore, looking at her like she was crazy. "You're insane if you think I'm going to let you put me under."
Lenore looked at me resignedly. "Don't make this any harder on yourself."
I laughed, although there was no humor in the sound. "Gee, thanks for your concern."
My father crouched in front of me, crowding my vision. "You're going to go under hypnosis and then you're going to tell us everything you see." He smiled cruelly at me. "Unless you want me to send someone to pay Sarah a visit. I'll make sure it's videotaped so that you can watch her being tortured. Maybe I'll even bring her up here and have it done in front of you." His eyes lit up with a barbaric gleam. "Better yet, maybe I'll make you do the torturing. You'd be amazed by how much blood a person can lose before they actually die."
Nausea roiled through me, coupled with a gripping fear. I had no defenses against his words because I knew they weren't threats. They were promises.
"Don't hurt her," I whispered. "I'll go under hypnosis."
"That's better." My father straightened and backed away, allowing the three women to circle me.
"Close your eyes and chant just like before," Lenore ordered. The three women linked hands around me and I followed Lenore's directions.
"Be as one," I repeated as the women joined me in my chant. I was afraid that my paralyzing fear would prevent me from being able to slip under hypnosis. The women's chanting sounded farther and farther away as I sank into a dense blackness, as if I were sinking into quicksand. It started getting hard to breathe, as if my airways were becoming filled with the thick blackness, and I slowly started drifting away from consciousness.
