The White Rabbit Chronicles

by Gena Showalter

  A tear rolled down Kat’s cheek.

  I found my feet moving forward of their own accord. Cole placed a hand on my shoulder in an effort to stop me, but Kat batted it away, and I kept going. I gently pushed River aside and faced the doctor.

  Silently he pleaded with me.

  What the heck was I going to do?

  “Ali?” Camilla said.

  “I—”

  Helen appeared just in front of me. I gasped, and behind me, several people demanded to know what had happened.

  Cole did his thing and jerked me behind him.

  “Cool down on the protection detail,” I said, moving around him. “Nothing happened. Nothing’s wrong.”

  He grudgingly returned to Kat and Frosty, and I scanned the crowd. No one seemed to realize Helen stood next to the doctor. She was cloaked.

  Facing Helen, while seeming to direct my attention to Dr. Rangarajan, I said, “Can you help us?”

  “I lost track over the years,” she said, “but since the first night of the attacks, I’ve been researching, just like Holland. Here’s what I’ve learned. Dr. Rangarajan works directly under Rebecca Smith. I know her, worked with her. She is now the one in charge, the one you want. Her father started Anima, and when he died two years ago, Rebecca took over. If ever you meet her, trust nothing she says. Dr. Rangarajan’s colleague, Dr. Wyatt Andrews, is the one referred to as Hodad.”

  “Dr. Wyatt Andrews,” I said loudly. “That’s who we need to look for next.”

  Dr. Rangarajan widened his eyes. “H-how did you know that?”

  Rustling clothes behind me, footsteps. Clearly, someone had decided to search now.

  Helen continued, “Justin is still alive, but not the other boy. He died last night.”

  With a heavy heart, I made the announcement.

  Curses. Cries. Jaclyn’s sob of relief.

  Dr. Rangarajan struggled against his bonds. Did he assume I could read his mind? Fear me more than River’s blade?

  “Anima wants you, Ali,” Helen said. “They took your blood when you were captured last month and ran some tests. You might have killed the guy responsible, but you didn’t destroy his samples. Anima knows who you are. They know you’re my daughter, the girl with the special zombie-destroying spirit. They want you back, and they’ll stop at nothing.”

  I announced most of the rest, and Helen vanished. Gone as quickly as she’d come.

  I was about to turn, when a thought occurred to me. The moment I was gone, Dr. Rangarajan was going to be killed. We couldn’t afford to let him run to Anima and tattle on us, and that’s exactly what he would do if we allowed him to live.

  Could I live with his death? Especially when I could save him and stop him with my new ability.

  An ability I’d yelled at Helen for using.

  Did I really have another choice? I was backed into a corner, and I knew it. As she must have been.

  Licking my lips, I placed my hands at the doctor’s temples. He thrashed in an effort to dislodge me, but I held steady.

  “What are you doing?” he demanded.

  Helen said all I had to do was wave my spirit-hand across his mind. So, I did it. And it was...weird. Not cold, not hot. But warm. Little zaps pricked against my fingers—electrical?

  He stilled, frowned. Intelligent eyes glazed over.

  I jerked away. Had it worked?

  “What’s your name?” I asked.

  His frown deepened. “I—I don’t know. Why don’t I know?”

  It had. It really had.

  Behind me, the slayers went quiet.

  I faced my audience, shoving my hands in my pockets.

  “How did you learn that stuff?” River asked. “What did you do to his mind?”

  My gaze locked on Cole. Curiosity stared back at me—maybe a hint of anger. Did he suspect the truth?

  Shifting guiltily, I said, “A Witness told me. And I used an ability.”

  Different reactions. Shock. Confusion. Only Cole’s mattered. A magnification of the anger.

  Oh, yes. He suspected.

  A kid came rushing through the crowd and stopped at River’s side. “Two detectives are here, and they want to speak with you and Cole.”

  “Again?” River groaned. “This is becoming tiresome.”

  Cole massaged the back of his neck. “How did they know I was here?”

  Everyone came to the same conclusion. They had followed us last night.

  I stiffened. Last night, we’d seen no sign of them. So...what had they seen us do?

  “Get rid of Rangarajan,” River instructed, “and tell the underage to hide. The rest of us will go have a chat with the detectives.”

  Chapter 24

  ZOMBIES WERE PEOPLE TOO

  Could this day get any worse?

  Wait. Scratch that. Bad things tended to happen whenever I contemplated that question.

  The detectives had been monitoring us—and had readily admitted it—but if they’d seen us doing anything illegal, they hadn’t alluded to it or even asked questions about it. In fact, they’d seemed downright leery of us. As if their eyes had finally been opened to the truth, and they knew we were slayers, the only thing standing between them and a zombie apocalypse.

  They’d come because a corpse had been found. A teenage boy.

  They showed River and Cole a set of photographs, hoping to get an ID, and River finally said, his tone hollow, “That’s Cary. He’s mine. No other family.”

  The detectives offered little information about the boy’s murder and soon left with a cryptic “Be careful.”

  What did they know? And did it affect us?

  “Let’s get back to Ankh’s.” Cole wrapped his arm around me, and for the first time, it wasn’t a gesture of affection or comfort, but an intractable hold to prevent me from bolting.

  To River, he said, “I’ll call you in the morning and tell you our next move.”

  River disguised his anguish with an irritated expression. “You’ll tell me?”

  “We’ll decide together,” I offered. We needed everyone’s mind programmed to only one setting: attack. We had to be smart about this, all head, no emotion. Justin’s life depended on it.

  Cole led me away. “Helen,” he said quietly.

  Wanted to lie. “Yes.” Couldn’t.

  “And the memory thing?”

  “Helen,” I whispered.

  His fingers bit into my shoulder. “I thought you knew better. She’s a liar, Ali. She’s a betrayer.”

  “She’s my mother, Cole.”

  He sucked in a breath. “Is that affection I detect in your tone?”

  No. Yes. “Maybe.”

  “I can’t believe you’re doing this. She abandoned you. She betrayed our kind. Killed my mother! Ensured she was turned. Because of Helen, I had to watch my father ash my mother—after she attacked me, her own son.”

  Aching for the boy he’d been, and the man he’d become, I whispered, “I’m not disagreeing with you. What Helen did was wrong, no matter her reasons.”

  “Exactly. There’s no reason good enough.”

  And still I said, “What you don’t know is that she was desperate, felt she had no good choices.” The words sounded lame, even to me. “But she’s different now.”

  “People don’t change, Ali.”

  “They do.”

  “She’s going to get you killed. Get us all killed.”

  “Cole—”

  “No. Don’t you dare try to talk me into forgiving her.”

  “That’s not what I’m doing.” I tried again. “Cole—”

  Again he shut me down. “Did last night mean anything to you?” Cursing under his breath, he let me go and quickened his pace, movi
ng ahead of me.

  Realization hit. The boy I’d trusted with my body, and given my heart to, had just left me in his dust. There had been no talking it over. No compromise.

  Things weren’t easier after sex, I realized. They were far more complicated.

  “Anything to me?” I called. “What about you?”

  He ignored me.

  I’d hurt him. I knew it. But he’d hurt me, too. And now...now I was on my own. Confused, more vulnerable than ever before.

  I trudged behind with the rest of our crew. This wasn’t my fault. Cole was wrong to make me pick between him and my mother. Wasn’t he? Gah! Or was I wrong for expecting him to accept her?

  Kat came up beside me and linked our fingers. “I get the feeling your boy is being as lame as mine.”

  “I don’t know what to think.” I glanced up at the clouds—saw a rabbit cloud and sighed.

  Had definitely gotten worse.

  “Always blame the guy,” she said. “That’s my new motto. And I’ve been plotting revenge. It goes a little something like this. We run away together, get married the way I know you want to, and then, just for grins and gigs, we send the boys a postcard that says, and I quote, ‘Are you still planning to murder your postman?’”

  This girl... Light. Of. My. Life. “I’m in!”

  Halfway to the car, Cole stopped, his nose wrinkling as he sniffed the air.

  “Rot,” he announced.

  Surely not...but I sniffed, and yep, encountered the telltale scent of rot. “But it’s daylight.”

  “Could be a dead animal.” Even still, he withdrew his crossbow. “Jaclyn, let River know what’s going on. Frosty, get Kat inside.”

  As Jaclyn raced back into the building and Frosty hefted Kat over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, the rest of the slayers withdrew their weapons, preparing for battle. I searched the area, expecting to find...maybe a family of slaughtered raccoons. May they rest in peace. I could even visualize what had happened. They’d crossed the street, hoping to start a new life in River’s front lawn, but some hit-and-run driver mowed them down. What I didn’t expect to find was—

  Zombies.

  There.

  At least twenty of them raced out of the warehouse next door. No slow amble, but a sprint, their arms flailing as they reached for us. Steam curled from saggy skin, the bright rays of the sun like an oven.

  I spotted collars. Someone was controlling them.

  Slayers began stepping from their bodies and throwing themselves into the fray. Me? I looked around the area. I wanted to know who was responsible. Street—empty. Parked car—empty. Another parked car—empty. Two people striding along a crosswalk, each carrying a briefcase. Unaware. Parked car—two people in front...facing this direction.

  My targets.

  I raced toward the car, my dagger hidden by my forearm. The pair didn’t seem surprised as I neared. They didn’t pull a weapon on me, either. Instead, they dropped the remotes and sped away just before I made contact.

  Cowards!

  Less than two minutes later, the zombies fell to the ground—the control must work only from a short distance. The spirits writhed, the sun continuing to bake them like Christmas hams. Darkness never had been able to handle light.

  As slayers ashed zombies and returned to their bodies, I wondered what Anima had hoped to accomplish. If they’d actually hoped for a battle, the men would have stuck around.

  “Anyone hurt?” I asked.

  “No.” Cole sheathed his crossbow. “The zombies were unable to focus on a specific target. They were simply flailing.”

  Jaclyn and River rushed from the apartment, ten of his fighters not far behind. The group noticed the ash floating through the air and stopped abruptly.

  “What happened?” River demanded.

  “We won,” Cole responded.

  I explained about the guys in the car, and a heavy silence descended.

  “We’ve got more to think about than we realized,” Cole said to River, and the boy nodded.

  * * *

  At Mr. Ankh’s, Cole bounded from the car without a word to anyone. Even me. Or maybe a better way to phrase that was especially me. Still mad. Got it.

  Frosty tailed him, adopting the same M.O.—still mad.

  “I thought I was dating a guy, not a baby,” Kat muttered as we trudged inside the house. “Clearly, I thought wrong.”

  “Frosty’s worried about you, that’s all.”

  “And what’s Cole’s problem? Because, gator, that boy’s temper puts the others to shame.”

  “He isn’t getting his way.” And that, right there, was the truth of the matter.

  “Figures.”

  When we hit the stairs, a text came in from Nana. I slowed my pace.

  Are you safe? No matter how you feel about me, I deserve an answer.

  Me: I am. No worries.

  Nana: Good. That’s what I like to hear. Or, see.

  Me: And how I feel about U? Nana, I love U.

  I remembered my vulnerability with Cole, how much assurance I’d needed from him. I figured Nana was in a similar riotous state.

  Nana: Still?

  I imagined her trembling.

  Me: Always.

  I got it now. I really did. Why she hadn’t told me. For the same reasons I’d kept Helen a secret from Cole. Fear of the unknown. How could I blame her for it?

  “Ali! Kat! How cake.” Reeve leaned on the banister railing. “I thought I heard your voices. Did Bronx come back with you?”

  “Yep,” Kat said, “but don’t expect to see him anytime soon. He’s with Cole and Frosty, throwing a temper tantrum.”

  For a moment, Reeve was the picture of disappointment. Then she shook it off and said, “Why don’t you two come to my suite? We’ll protect each other from their negativity.”

  She led the way. In the sitting room, tarp covered the couch and coffee table, but everything else had been moved out. The edges of the wall were taped.

  “You’re painting?” I asked.

  “Yes. To distract myself from the horror of waiting for you guys to return from a mission, I decided to renovate.”

  We moved through the little kitchenette and into the bedroom, where the computer screen flashed a picture of Frosty. I did a double take. He wore a formal gown, as pink as Reeve’s walls used to be, complete with ruffles and bows.

  “Do you like it?” Kat asked, noticing the direction of my gaze. “It’s a little something I threw together for Frosty. Had it blown up and framed. Best Christmas present he’s ever received. Classiest, too. I couldn’t not share its beauty with Reeve—and half the kids at our school—to use as a screensaver.”

  Priceless. “I’d like one of Cole in the same outfit. Only sleeveless.”

  “Done!”

  Reeve giggled.

  My phone beeped, and I expected to find another text from Nana. But when I checked the screen, it was blank. I frowned—until I remembered I still had Ethan’s phone. Trembling, I withdrew it from my other pocket. Justin’s face stared up at me. He was alive, just as Helen had said, and holding this morning’s paper. One of his eyes was swollen shut. His lip was cut in two places, and there was a knot in his jaw. He needed medical attention ASAP. No, he needed our fire.

  Below the photo, Ethan had typed, My apologies for the delay. We lost the other boy. We’re still willing to trade—are you?

  My hands clenched so tightly the sides of the phone cracked. I forwarded the text to my cell and from there forwarded it to Cole.

  Cole: Tell him U’ll give an answer 2morrow. We need time 2 plan.

  I did as commanded.

  Ethan: Until then.

  Me to Cole: It’s set. Where are U? I’ll help w/planning.

  C
ole: I’ll find U later.

  I gnashed my teeth. Did he think I’d tell Helen our plans? Did he not trust me anymore?

  I sent him one more text: We need 2 test the new vision development.

  Cole: Later.

  “What is it?” Kat asked, concerned.

  I put both phones away with more force than necessary. There was no way anyone would allow Miss Mad Dog to participate in what was to come, so there was no reason to argue about it now or alarm her over Justin’s condition.

  “Cole and I had sex,” I announced, switching gears. “In other news, I want to smash his face!”

  In an instant, everything else was forgotten.

  “What!” the girls exclaimed in unison.

  “How was it?” Kat asked. “Totally cake?”

  “Yes. Frosted and sprinkled.”

  “Last I heard, you weren’t ready,” Reeve said. “What changed?”

  Everything!

  I flopped onto the bed and covered my face with the comforter. “I almost died when Zombie Ali showed up, and that affects a person, you know. I wanted to live and basically begged Cole to make the next move. He wouldn’t, until I almost died again, and now it’s changed things between us, changed me. I feel closer to him than ever, so of course his anger is harder to take. I mean, I hated his anger before, but it’s like a thorn in my side now. I can’t get past it. Can’t think about anything else. I’m confused and upset and, okay, even more angry with him than he is with me. How dare he get mad at me! Sure, he has a good reason, but I’m his girlfriend. Shouldn’t he focus on me rather than the past?”

  Silence.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you string so many words together at once,” Kat said. “But let me see if I got the gist of what you were saying. Cole needs to be castrated?”

  Knows me so well. “Exactly!”

  We spent the next few hours dissing boys, wondering what the world would be like without them. Final conclusion: magnificent. We’d never have to shave our legs or style our hair. If we wanted to gain a hundred pounds, big deal. No one would accuse us of being unreasonable, because all the stupid people would be gone!