I laughed nervously. “What? Collin, you are just being paranoid. Jackie wouldn’t hurt me.”
“I don’t think so either, but I know something’s not right. You were feeling sick and now you’re better? Just like that? It doesn’t feel right to me. You said that you saw a man when you woke up, right?”
I took a deep breath in, trying to take this all in and remember more of this morning. It was only a few hours ago, yet it seemed like days ago, weeks even. My memory was so fuzzy. “Yeah, but I can barely remember what he looked like now.” I felt like I was going crazy. When I woke up this morning and first saw the man, I was sure that I’d seen him somewhere before, but now I could barely picture his face, making me doubt that I’d seen anyone at all. “I can’t even be sure he was real. Maybe it was a dream or something,” I said, wanting Collin to drop all of this. Deep down, though, I knew that I had seen someone. It wasn’t a dream and I wasn’t just imagining it.
“This could be serious, Meredith. Think.” His tone was firm.
Panic shot through me. I wasn’t sure about anything right now. “I can’t remember.”
Collin grabbed me by the shoulders with such force that it made me gasp. “Meredith, you need to remember the man you saw. Think. What did he look like?”
I jerked away from his grasp and shoved him away from me. “Don’t touch me like that again.”
He immediately realized what he’d done. “God, Meredith, I’m sorry. It’s just that I think you were under a spell this morning and I want to find out who did this to you.” He took a step closer to me, this time placing his hands on my shoulders more gently. “Please, just think. Try to remember what the man looked like.”
I swallowed hard, trying to force the lump back down in my throat. Tears were on the edge of my eyes and it felt like they were going to spill over at any moment. Everything was so confusing. Yesterday, things seemed like they were going so well. I had done a great job in training, I’d come home and Jackie and I had shared a nice dinner. She had told me that her friend was back in town and I had a renewed hope in contacting the council. Now, it felt as if everything was falling apart.
“Meredith, please. Just try and concentrate,” he said, his voice was calm and soothing.
As I began to feel the seriousness of the situation, I closed my eyes and tried to recall the man’s face. I pictured myself walking to my bedroom door, opening it and looking down the hallway. I tried to focus on his face and slowly the image came to me. I gasped.
“Meredith, what is it?” Collin’s frantic voice pulled me from my vision.
“The man,” I whispered. “I’ve seen him before...” My voice trailed off.
“Where? Meredith, where have you seen him?” Collin’s voice was heavy with concern.
I now knew without a doubt where I’d seen him. It was the day Abby and I were heading home from Steer Swamp after training. I’d had a strange sensation come over me and then a strong pull to look behind me. That day, he wore a top hat and was reading a newspaper, but I would never forget his grey eyes or the scar that spread across his right cheek. When I saw him back in 1905, I hadn’t thought much of it; I thought I was being paranoid. I’d even convinced Abby to not make such a big deal about it, in fear that Blake would overreact and insist on being with me every second of the day. Now, after seeing him this morning, I knew the man had somehow crossed time, or he had an identical twin back in 1905. I also knew that crossing time was against the rules of magic; unless you had permission from the council or practiced dark magic. Questions and emotions flooded my mind. Why was he here? How did he know Jackie? What was he doing in her house this morning? The strange way he acted when his grey eyes met mine this morning, I couldn’t help but think his intentions weren’t good. Otherwise, why would he have run off like he did?
“Please talk to me,” Collin pleaded. “You’re keeping something from me.”
“Um...” I hesitated, not wanting to tell Collin about my revelation. Focus, Meredith, you need some time to think this through, I thought to myself. “I’m hungry. Do you know of a good place to get some breakfast?” I asked, trying to change the subject, hoping to buy myself some time in order to figure this all out.
“What?! You’re thinking about food at a time like this? I’m never one to turn down food, but come on, we’re onto something here.”
I was on to something, but there was no way that I’d involve Collin. It was clear that coming to London was a mistake. I’d potentially put more innocent people at risk. Trouble and mystery seemed to follow me wherever I went. There was only one link to the man back in 1905 and the man I saw this morning... and the link was me. I needed to get away from here as fast as possible before I put anyone else in any more danger.
“I’m starting to not feel so well and I think eating something would help,” I lied. “I’ll tell you everything once we get to the restaurant, okay?”
He looked skeptical, but he knew that he had no other choice. “Fine. Let’s go, but you’re going to tell me everything when we get there.” He gave me a pointed look and grabbed my hand, pulling me forward. “And I mean everything.”
We walked towards a row of restaurants and my mind spun quickly, trying to plan out my next move. I wasn’t sure if the man I saw this morning—the same man I saw back in 1905—meant to cause me harm, but it seemed if the council sent him to me, he wouldn’t have run off like he did this morning. So, the only thing that made sense to me was that he practiced dark magic and was looking for me, because of the power I possessed. I still couldn’t get the feeling out of my head, the feeling I felt that day back in 1905 when he was near me. There was also something in his eyes that I didn’t quite trust, and coupled with his reaction this morning, I could clearly tell something wasn’t right.
The saddest thing was that as hard as I tried to plan, I couldn’t think of anywhere to go and as stupid as it sounded, I knew that before I left town, I had to go back to Jackie’s and get my things. It wasn’t the smartest idea in the world, but my pictures of Aunt Rose and my family were there. There was no way I was going to leave London without them. Sadly, it felt like those pictures may be the last link to my old life. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be able to go back to that life without putting the people I loved at risk, so I wouldn’t leave them behind. I refocused my thoughts, knowing that wasn’t my biggest obstacle at the moment. I looked down at Collin’s firm grip on my hand, wondering how I was going to get out of it.
When we entered into a large group of people and found ourselves fighting our way through the crowd, I made my move. I tugged hard and my hand slipped from Collin’s grasp. I turned around and forced my legs to move as quickly as possible. The mass of people helped me blend in and didn’t allow Collin to see me when he turned to look for me. I heard him calling my name, but that only made me run faster. The entire time, I sensed his presence right behind me and knew that I needed to change course quick and find a place to hide. My eyes darted around, finally seeing an entrance to the train station a block ahead. When the timing was right, I broke left and ran across the street and towards the station’s entrance. There was an urge to look behind me to see if Collin was still there, but I didn’t want to give him the chance to spot me.
After making it to the station, I would find a place to hide until I felt confident enough that Collin wasn’t following me. Then, I would somehow sneak back to Jackie’s, get my belongings, and disappear. My mind was racing on where I would go, but I drew nothing except blanks. The only thing I was sure of was that I couldn’t go back to Marblehead or anywhere else that held people I loved near it.
As I ran through the station, my eyes darted around, looking for a spot to hide. About twenty or so yards ahead, a bathroom sign caught my eye. With one quick look, I could see that Collin was nowhere in sight. I ran in the first open stall and waited.
The feeling of being alone overwhelmed me. Missing the Harpers right now, especially Blake, was almost unbearable. Now, more than ever, I que
stioned the council and their reasons for sending me back without them. I couldn’t understand why they did this to me.
My goal in coming here was to find a way to contact the council in order to get back to the Harpers, but now my plan was pure survival. Before I figured out who this guy was and what he wanted from me, I wanted to stay away and protect the people I loved from any harm, too.
As I sat there, the reality of my life continued to hit me hard, it seemed like I was destined to be alone. Maybe I should send myself to the Sahara Desert or Antarctica, not allowing myself to put anyone else in danger. I was beginning to understand my mother’s reasons for leaving this life of magic. It was easy to see why she would want a normal life without all the worry. The power that I was born with began to feel like more of a curse.
About twenty minutes passed with no sounds other than toilets flushing and women chatting. I opened the stall door, walked over to the exit, and peeked my head out into the busy terminal. There was no sign of Collin, so I made my move. As my eyes swept the room, I was constantly aware of the people that surrounded me. With all that had happened this morning, along with knowing that Collin was probably still in the vicinity, my awareness was on high alert.
A few more steps closer to the exit, I made another sweep to my right and then to my left. Just when I thought there was nothing out of the ordinary, a familiar face caught my eye, causing me to stop dead in my tracks. He was walking just a few feet from me, looking around the busy station in the same way that I was. My breath stopped and my body tingled from my head to my toes. How could he be here? It couldn’t be. Is the desperation of wanting him to be here causing me to hallucinate? It couldn’t actually be who I wanted it to be, could it? My body moved forward, slowly at first, never taking my eyes off him. A part of me was saying this wasn’t happening, to keep to my original plan and go towards the exit. The other part of me felt like a magnet, pulling me right towards him, wanting it to be him more than I wanted anything ever before. I blinked, once... twice... and a third time. The vision of him didn’t disappear and I could feel my heart and breathing pick up speed. He was there, just twenty or so feet in front of me. Instinct took over and I began to yell louder than I had in my entire life.
“Blake!” I shouted as loud as humanly possible. “Blake, back here! I’m right here!”
The vision of the man I would’ve sworn was Blake, eventually faded into the crowds. My body pushed its way through the mass of people; not bothering to say excuse me or I’m sorry and ignoring the scoffs directed towards me because even though I could no longer see him, I wouldn’t give up the hope of finding him. Finally, I broke through the last few people and stumbled into a large, less crowded area and there he was, ten feet from me, facing and staring directly into my eyes. Just the sight of him looking at me and him actually being there, froze me where I stood. It seemed like minutes passed as we stood there, staring at one another, but in reality, it was probably just a few seconds.
After all the nights I wished for him to be there—and now, when I felt like I needed him the most—he was standing just a few feet away from me. You would think that my initial instinct would be to run to him, to wrap my arms around him, kiss him, tell him that I missed him and how thankful I was that he was there. However, for some reason, I couldn’t move. Maybe it was shock. Maybe it was fear. Fear that if I moved, the image of him would disappear; that this would turn out to be a cruel dream. From the look on his face, it seemed he had the same thoughts as me. I took a step forward and prayed this was not just some crazy vision coming to haunt me. Blake mirrored each step I took until we were just inches apart. Slowly, he raised his hand, almost afraid to touch me. Finally, his hand grazed my cheek and I trembled from his touch.
“I was afraid I would never see you again,” I whispered as I closed my eyes, trying to savor the touch of his hand on my skin.
“I can’t believe it’s really you. After searching for you for so long, you’re right here.” He caressed my cheek as he spoke.
After realizing that I wasn’t just an illusion that would disappear when he touched me, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to his chest. “I’m so glad I found you again. I promised you that if we were ever separated that I would find you, but there were times when I wasn’t sure I would be able to keep my promise. We’ve all missed you so much.” He sighed heavily. “I only wish Abby was here to see it.”
“Abby,” I breathed. “Where is she? I’ve missed her so much.”
He didn’t answer my question and his silence made me curious. Pulling back, I looked up at him, an eerie feeling passing through me. I noticed now, for the first time, that his eyes looked heavy and sad. “What is it, Blake?” For a moment he didn’t answer my question, his expression remained blank. “Blake?” I asked more urgently.
“Meredith.” He paused for a moment. “Abby’s... missing.”
“Missing?” I questioned. My sudden injection of happiness had disappeared and was now replaced with an overwhelming sense of panic. “What do you mean, missing?”
He took in a deep breath. “She disappeared a couple days after you did. The morning she found out you were gone, she was devastated. She didn’t sleep, eat, or do anything that wasn’t related to finding you. One morning she left saying that she wasn’t coming back without you,” he paused, exhaling loudly, “but she never returned. We searched for her, performed a tracer spell on her, but found nothing. It was as if the two of you vanished into thin air. We had hoped she found you, that if nothing else, you two were together. When days passed and we didn’t hear from either one of you, we began to fear the worst.”
My heart ached knowing that Abby was lost out there, somewhere, and it was all because she was searching for me. “But what—what could’ve happened to her?” My voice fell with each word. Then, a dreadful image popped into my head. The man that I had seen this morning... the same man I had seen back in 1905. If he had been there searching for me that day, after our training in Steep Swamp, then he saw Abby, too. Maybe he knew something about her disappearance, or even worse, maybe he took her. “It has to mean something,” I mumbled to myself.
“What?” Blake asked.
“The man I saw this morning...” my voice trailed off, an uneasy feeling passing through me.
“Man? What man?” Blake’s voice was full of concern. He gently grabbed the sides of my face, forcing me to look him in the eyes. “Tell me, Meredith. What man?”
I hesitated for a moment, still trying to process it all.
“Meredith.” Blake’s voice was firm.
“Back in 1905... Abby and I were walking home and I felt something strange. I tried to ignore it, told myself that I was just being paranoid, but the feeling, it just wouldn’t go away. Then I felt a presence behind us. I saw his face for a split second... and his grey eyes. By the time I asked Abby about him, he’d disappeared. It was all my fault. I practically begged her to keep it between the two of us. I didn’t want to worry you.”
“Meredith, you’re not making sense. You said, ‘the man you saw this morning’.”
“The same... it’s the same man,” I mumbled, looking into his eyes.
His eyes grew wide, realizing what I had just said.
“Let’s go.” I took Blake’s hand in mine and began dragging him out of the train station. “We need to get this information to Collin. Maybe he can help us.” With Blake by my side, I felt safe approaching Collin with the truth—even if I wasn’t completely sure that we could trust him yet.
“Collin?” Blake questioned.
“I’ll explain everything on the way,” I mumbled, pulling him forward.
We could’ve flown to Collin’s house, but I wanted to take my time and tell Blake everything. I started with the dream of my mother, then why I was here in London, and how Collin had been training me. I told him everything about the weirdness this morning and how I had run from Collin and was planning to leave town just before I found him in the train station.
It seemed crazy to think that it had just been a week since we last saw each other; everything that had happened made it seem like so much longer. As we approached the house with the rooster mailbox, I knocked on the door with my right hand and held tightly to Blake with my left. I glanced over at him, still not believing that he was here, in the flesh, and not just some figment of my imagination. It seemed too good to be true. How did he get here? I wondered. I’d been so busy catching him up on what had happened with me that I didn’t even get the chance to ask him.
The front door opened and Collin stood there, giving me a killer glare. “Meredith.” His voice was cold and distant.
“Hi, Collin.” I smiled timidly.
Collin stood there staring between the two of us, his eyes finally resting on mine. “That was some stunt you pulled. Do you know how worried I’ve been?”
“I’m really sorry about that. It’s just that I needed to get away for a minute. I didn’t want to put you in any danger.”
Collin’s dark brows pulled together. “Danger?”
“Yes, it’s difficult for me to explain, but I will try, if you’ll let me.”
“Who’s your friend?” Collin asked, looking over and assessing Blake.
Blake held out his hand to Collin. “I’m Blake. Meredith has told me a lot about you.”
Collin didn’t move for a moment, but finally he extended his hand to meet Blake’s. “Collin,” he said with a flat voice.
“Collin, can we talk?” I asked, hoping that he would hear me out and let me explain.
“Well, I was actually heading out. My dad left me a note, something about an emergency meeting.”
“Meeting?” I questioned.
“Yeah, his note said that he and Jackie were going there together and that you and I should meet them as soon as possible.”
“Do you still think that Jackie has something to do with what happened this morning?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Not sure, but I still feel like something strange is going on. I need to find my dad and talk to him, so I’m going to head over to Jude’s now... you can come,” he glanced between Blake and I, “or not.”
Crest (Book #2,Swift Series) Page 11
