Mildred paced in front of us, her gaze landing on Gabrielle. “You’re not supposed to be here,” she said matter-of-factly. She narrowed her eyes and Gabrielle fell to her knees, clutching her head.
I kneeled next to her, wrapping my arms around her as some lame means of protection. “Stop it! Let her go, your problem is with us,” I screamed. I felt my forearms moisten as blood poured from Gabrielle’s ears.
Ben and Christopher stepped in front of us, both concentrating all of their mental energy at Mildred, but it was too late. Gabrielle pressed her forehead to mine. “Have Ash tell Jorge that I’m with him. We can be together...” She went limp in my arms and exhaled one last time. I jumped to my feet, dropping Gabrielle’s body, and pushing in between the boys. “Damn you to hell, old lady!” I flung myself at her, not caring that her abilities were more powerful than mine, only that I was younger and stronger. I knocked her to the floor, pinning her legs down with my knees. She clawed at my face with her long manicured nails. Seeing that I was doing an okay job subduing her bottom half with mine, Christopher and Ben each grabbed one of her arms, forcing it to the floor. I pulled my arm back, ready to punch her face in, when the room started vibrating again.
“She’s summoning the spirits to her! We’ve got to move!” Christopher shouted.
He and Ben let go of Mildred’s arms. Ben grasped one of mine and yanked me off of her.
Mildred erupted in a pulse of bright blue light, full of the energy of her entire spirit army. “Stop!” she bellowed. We froze in our tracks. “Face me.” Her voice wavered, enraged. I turned, as did the others, knowing that she was making me do it. This was it. The force of her literal outburst had fanned the flames, causing them to speed up their destruction. Some of the smoke was seeping out the broken windows, but not quickly enough to keep up with the fire. She was going to let us burn alive.
The fire leapt from the nearest drapery and raced across the floor toward Christopher, smoke rising up and floating down, encasing us. Christopher started screaming, the smell of his burning flesh sticking in my nostrils. “Damn it!” I yelled, choking on smoke, unable to catch my breath. I couldn’t do anything! Ben squeezed my hand, practically crushing it.
Mildred focused her gaze on us. I could feel the pressure building in my brain. “Can you move?” I asked Ben
“Yes.”
“Then take my energy and put the old lady down.” I would have collapsed if she wasn’t still holding me up. The pain chewed through my skull, a trickle of blood running down my neck. Christopher had gone silent.
“Just give me a minute, Zel, I got this.” Ben closed his eyes and inhaled deeply despite the smoke.
First the sprinklers in the ceiling came on; dousing everything, then the floor started vibrating again. I dimly began to wonder why Mildred would need any more power, when an arch of bright blue light spouted from the top of her head and streamed into Ben. He was absorbing her energy! The pressure in my head evaporated. We were going to be okay. We were getting stronger. My body humming, I tried to let go of Ben’s hand.
“Don’t let go!” Christopher called to me. “He needs us to ground him!” I held on as tight as I could to Ben’s trembling hand, waiting.
I could feel the energy absorbing into Ben, filling him with power, and the reserves overflowing into Christopher and me. Mildred fought against the transfer, but Ben was simply more powerful. “Now you can let go,” he said.
Mildred’s eyes met Ben’s and she knew the tables had turned. Almost immediately she was on the ground writhing in pain. We stood there watching as her life seeped out of her. I couldn’t say that I felt an iota of remorse.
Soaking wet, smoky, bloody, and exhausted, I set about rewinding the mess the ballroom had become, while Christopher dragged Gabrielle and Mildred’s bodies into the coat check room. Ben slumped against the wall, exhausted from absorbing and expending all of that energy. It took us an hour to get everything back to normal.
“I don’t suppose you want to go do some karaoke?” Ben asked feebly, as I pulled him to his feet. “A little ‘Come on Baby Light my Fire’?”
“No,” I said, pushing open the heavy ballroom doors. “In fact, I may never barbeque again.” I’d barely gotten the sentence out when we were rushed by Claire, Melody, Ashley, Aunt Hazel and Frank. We tried as best we could to describe what happened.
“So, the bodies are in the coat check?” Ashley said, tears wetting her defiant expression.
Aunt Hazel took the woman in her arms. “Come on honey, I’ll help you collect your sister. I’ve got a contact in Bend that deals with this sort of thing. We’ll leave straight away.” She nodded at Frank. “Can you see to Mildred?”
“Gladly.” He got right to the task.
“What happened to all of your party guests, Claire?” Ben asked. I hadn’t even thought to ask where everyone else was.
“Meh. I sang like two songs and then acted like a diva and said I was going to bed. Most everyone stayed at the lounge to party, which is fine. Dad’s putting everyone up anyways because the roads are really sucky. I wasn’t in much of a partying mood thinking you guys were going to die, you know.”
“Imagine that.” I hugged her to me.
Frank ran over to us, his face white. “Mildred’s body is gone and Christopher’s been knocked out. He doesn’t remember what happened.”
“What?” Ben and I said in unison.
“How can that be?” Melody said, going to investigate.
“Argh!” Ben kicked a table over.
“My feelings exactly.” I rewound the mess.
Christopher staggered out of the coat check room, propped up by Melody and Frank.
“You really don’t remember anything?” Ben asked, barely able to stand up.
Christopher shook his head. “All I can think is that Mildred wasn’t as dead as we thought she was.”
Ben and I exchanged a look. No Laura. No Grandma Rachel.
Frank ran a hand over his face. “Look everyone, it’s nearly midnight. Why don’t we all try and get some rest and reconvene in the morning?”
We all agreed and said our goodbyes and thank-yous to Ashley and Aunt Hazel.
I clung to Ashley, both of us still in shock over her sister’s death. “She was very brave. I will always be grateful for Gabrielle’s help. I’m sorry we got the two of you wrapped up in all of this.”
Ashley held me firmly by the shoulders and looked into my eyes. “When you and those two crazy-ass boys are the leaders of The Society, you give me a call.” She wiped her face and took a deep breath. “All Gaby ever wanted was to belong. We fought with you because we believe in you. Remember that.”
I nodded my head. “Gabrielle wanted me to tell you--”
“She’s with Jorge.” A faint smile graced her mouth.
Aunt Hazel ushered Ashley out toward the parking lot. She’d already managed to put Gabrielle in the backseat of the Beemer. I staggered to the suite I was sharing with Claire and Melody. Christopher went back to Ben and Frank’s room with them.
I collapsed on the bed not bothering to pull back the covers, still fully dressed. All before the bathroom door had clicked shut. “Melody?” I said, sleep threatening to overtake me. “Does Avery know we’re okay?”
She lay down next to me. “I called him just now while you were in the bathroom. He said everything’s fine there too.”
“Good,” I mumbled, sinking into sleep.
Chapter Seventeen
Stretching out, I stared at the swirly pattern on the bedroom ceiling. God, I’d slept good and I was so hungry. I wanted blueberry pancakes and bacon, and scrambled eggs, and a ridiculously large orange juice. I rolled over, listening for Melody and Claire, but neither was in the suite. I picked up Mel’s cell from the bedside table to find out what time it was. 9:30. Breakfast was served for another half an hour. That’s where everyone probably was. I accidentally pushed a button on the phone and a picture of me taken the night before lit up the screen. I smiled. Totally
an emergency, little sis. Melody had sent it to Avery’s e-mail before we went to bed.
Mmm, Avery. Christopher had said he was covering the church service this morning because Dad and Mrs. Adams wouldn’t be back until later today. I revised my list in my head. Blueberry pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs, a ridiculously large orange juice, and lots and lots of Avery kissing.
My body seized with panic. I sat up, punching mom’s number into the cell. It went straight to voicemail. I didn’t know what else to do; I left her a message. “Mom, please call me as soon as you get this. I didn’t have the dream about Avery last night.” Running to the bathroom, I splashed water on my face, trying to recall every detail of the familiar vision.
There Avery was, lying on the side of the road, me kneeling next to him, cradling my pregnant belly. I went over and over it, searching for something I hadn’t seen before. I paused on what I could make out of the logo on my shirt. The top line read “MS”, the bottom “NCE.” Oh my, God. I dry heaved into the toilet. ADAMS INSURANCE. It wasn’t me, it was Mom. And Avery...how stupid was I? He had gray hair at sixteen. Crap. There wasn’t any time to get help. I stepped into my shoes from the night before, snatched my purse off the dresser, and ran out the door.
I had to be careful, the Lodge parking lot, although well sanded, was quickly being covered with a thin layer of ice. I needed to make it down the mountain and to Mom and Avery before he lost control of the truck, but I also needed to not get myself killed on the way. I flipped on the front wheel drive, drove as fast as I dared, and prayed that the snow tires would do their job.
Making my way down the mountain, I passed several cars and trucks, even semis pulled over to the shoulder of the road to chain up. I felt like the line of blinking hazard lights was guiding me. I passed the cabin driveway and neared the last turn that would straighten out, becoming the highway that led to Rosedell. Overwhelmed by the desire to close my eyes, I slowed the car and carefully parked on the side of the road. Typically, I would have been annoyed with my body for its inconvenient timing, but after all that I’d been through I was learning to give myself over to it. My glimpses needed me to know what they wanted me to know when they wanted me to know it. Not the best gift, but maybe not the most sucktacular one either. The second I turned off the ignition my eyes snapped shut.
Mom groaned and grasped the dashboard of the truck hard. I looked around the cab. Avery was nervous but focused, keeping his eyes on the road and his hands at 10 and 2. The floor beneath Mom was damp. Her water had broken! I couldn’t see any bleeding like before. It seemed like apart from her being in labor and Avery being the only one available to drive her to the hospital, things were going okay—
“Damn it!” Mom swore. As usual I spoke too soon.
Avery turned to her, eyes wild with fear. Crap. “Wha...what’s going on? You’re not going to have the baby in the truck are you?”
Mom giggled and then winced. “I forgot my bag Avery, it’s got my phone and all of the clothes for me and the baby in it, you’ve got to go back and get it.”
“Um, I don’t know Mrs. Wells, we’re almost half way to the hospital and the roads are pretty bad.”
“I need my bag,” she said, launching into another deep groan, “if I’m going to have this baby all by myself with only my daughter’s teenage boyfriend and a ghost for help, I’m going to need my goddamned bag.” She whipped her head toward him and gave him a death stare. “Now.”
Avery reached out cautiously and touched Mom’s shoulder. “Dad?”
Mr. Adams leaned forward from the back seat, a frantic smile on his face. “Just do what she wants. There is no talking a woman in labor out of anything, Son.”
“Turn back now!!” Mom demanded, writhing in pain.
“Okaaay!” Avery said, checking in his rearview mirror before he slowed and turned the truck around, driving back in the direction of the mountain. Driving back toward me.
My hand was already on the keys and starting up the car when my eyes opened. I was going to be able to save them now, I was sure of it. In the Avery vision, the truck had always been wrecked facing Rosedell. I may not have noticed that who I thought was me was actually my mom, but I sure as hell remembered every detail about that truck. I signaled, even though there was absolutely no one behind me, and eased the car back onto the road. If I hurried, I could meet them before they even started up the mountain. Avery was scared of my mother, but I wasn’t. She needed to get to the hospital fast and not be worrying about her stupid bag, or she was bound to give birth to my little brother in the cab of Avery’s truck. Ick. Well, at least that would make him get rid of it.
My mood lightening, happy that I wasn’t going to have to save people I loved from a horrible death, again, I turned on the stereo and listened to the CD Ben had made me for Christmas. I sang as loudly as I could, beating my palm against the steering wheel in time to the music, as I drove around the last corner and entered the straight away.
If Ben hadn’t decided to add in nature sound effects between each track, I never would have heard the sound in time. As it was, one second my mind was enjoying the soothing sounds of a babbling brook and then the next second it was trying to comprehend the screeching of tires against icy asphalt. It was the sound of Avery’s truck careening, spinning, coming directly for me.
Without thinking, without really looking at what was happening in front of me, I stopped my car in the middle of the road. I flung the door open and got out, both hands already forward, willing the truck to rewind. Harnessing all the power I could, I pushed against it as it still came at me, rotating and knocking into the guardrail, throwing sparks.
For a moment, I thought it was going to work. The truck started circling in the other direction, reversing, but then like a Tilt-a-Whirl, it would swing back with forward momentum again. They were getting closer to me; I could almost make out the frightened expressions on their faces. Dang it! If I wasn’t so out of practice, if all of my power hadn’t been sucked dry cleaning up after Mildred and her minions, this would be so much easier!
At no more than twenty feet away from me, it was becoming very clear that we were all screwed. This wasn’t my vision exactly, but that didn’t mean this wasn’t what it turned into. The universe was going to take all three, crap, four of us out if I couldn’t get my act together!
I aimed all of my energy, palms up, at Avery, and thought of every second I had ever spent with him. Kissing his perfect mouth, the feel of his soft hair slipping through my fingers, his hands on me pulling me closer. I shut my eyes and aimed, and remembered, and prayed for that godforsaken truck to stop.
The screeching sound subsided, I could still hear the gritty crunch of the tires on the road, but the sound was less chaotic, less violent. I opened my eyes a slit, afraid that what I was hearing wouldn’t reconcile with what I saw. They were only ten feet away now, backing toward me, facing Rosedell. I let out the breath I’d been holding in. Backwards was fine, as long as the truck wasn’t spazzing out anymore. I lowered my hands, smiling; proud of myself.
And then that stupid truck jerked back, spun around, and ran me over.
I came to, looking down at myself, well the top half of myself, pinned under the gigantic right front snow tire of Mike Adams’ truck.
“Holy shit,” Avery said.
Reflexively, I elbowed him in the ribs, only my elbow didn’t make contact with his body.
“Holy shit,” he said again. This time, I echoed the sentiment. We turned to each other, our eyes meeting. His gaze lowered to my body on the ground while mine went to the driver’s side of the truck. I should have been shocked by what I saw, but my soul had already accepted what had happened. Avery’s body was dead, his face mangled and swollen from the impact, his head slack and drooping onto his chest at an unnatural angle. My body was dead too, crushed beneath the weight of the truck.
“Zel, we’re dead,” Avery said plainly.
I nodded my head. The sleet picked up, but I couldn’t feel it. Thi
ck icy water ran in rivulets down the front of the truck and dropped onto my lifeless face as Avery and I stood there and watched. After a few seconds the clear water became tinted with blood. I followed the rust colored trail up the hood of the truck to my mom, who was suspended in the windshield. Her pregnant belly, acting as a stopper, had prevented her from going all the way through the glass and being thrown into the road. Avery and I scanned the area nearby to see if Mom’s spirit was wandering about, but neither of us saw anything.
Avery shrugged. “Maybe she’s with my dad someplace?”
“Yeah, maybe,” I said, going through the motions of biting my lip. “It does seem kind of weird that they aren’t here with us, though. What do you think we should do?”
“Zellie, honey,” Mom said, her voice barely a whisper.
Without a second’s delay, Avery and I both scrambled up the hood of the truck, getting as close to Mom’s body as we could.
“Can you hear me, Mom?” All the calm that had overtaken me suddenly vanished.
She raised her head slightly. “The baby, he’s still kicking. You’ve got to save him.”
Avery sprang to his feet, yelling for his father to come help us.
Mom licked her lips and swallowed, mustering the strength to speak again. “He’s gone after Ben for help.”
I went to tug at Avery’s pants, to get him to stop screaming and to help me figure out what to do, but then I remembered what I was. I stood up and got in his face. “He went to get Ben,” I hollered.
“Great,” he said and then slumped back down on the hood, leaning back onto the windshield, directly in front of his damaged body.
I rolled my eyes at him. Just like a boy to take jealousy with him into the afterlife. I hopped down from the hood and stood back from the truck, assessing the situation. There was a large jagged piece of glass about three millimeters from Mom’s jugular, so moving her physically, even if it were possible for us to do, was not an option.
Zellie Wells Trilogy Page 31
