Charade (Heven & Hell)

by Cambria Hebert

  I arched an eyebrow. “Let me guess. She left that part out? How convenient. Maybe you should have asked more questions before jumping into bed with the Devil’s henchwoman.” I paused to let my words sink in. Then I took a step toward her, advancing, and said, “How could you? You went against everything, even goodness.”

  “I—I didn’t know.”

  “Like you didn’t know that damn amulet you have hurts Sam?”

  She didn’t say anything, but her eyes dropped to the floor.

  “You could’ve gotten him killed. You could’ve gotten Cole killed.” Her eyes filled with tears, but I was beyond caring. I turned and grabbed my bag, slinging it over my shoulder.

  “Where are you going?” Kimber asked.

  “Anywhere away from you.”

  “Heven,” she called, but I didn’t turn back. I went to the door and pulled the handle. It didn’t budge. I yanked on it again. Still, it wouldn’t move. I turned and looked at Kimber. She was staring at me with her arms crossed over her chest.

  “Let me out,” I demanded. Frustration welled within me. I would not yell for Sam to get me out of here. I would get out myself. Somehow. How come everyone else got cool powers and I didn’t?

  “I’m not done talking,” Kimber said.

  “Well I am. In fact, I don’t ever want to talk to you again. We aren’t friends anymore.” I turned my back on the hurt I saw spear through her aura.

  Several seconds ticked by in which I began formulating a plan that involved screaming for Mrs. Britt in order to get out of here, but then I heard a soft click and the door popped open. I wanted to ask her how she did that. But I didn’t. Like I said, we weren’t friends anymore and as far as I was concerned, Kimber was the enemy. I rushed out of the room without looking back.

  Chapter Twenty

  Heven

  The view out the airplane window made me think of my dad. Up here, the sky was limitless, filled with floating, fluffy white clouds and shades of blue that I never saw from the ground. Is this what heaven was like? Was my dad happy there? Was he at peace? I pressed my forehead against the cool glass of the window and remembered the sound of his voice that day in the InBetween. It was exactly as I remembered it being. I missed him.

  “Hey, whatcha thinking about?” Cole asked.

  I watched the sky for a moment longer before turning. “Where’s Sam?”

  Cole was sitting where Sam had been only moments before. “He went to the bathroom.”

  I nodded.

  “Well?” Cole asked. He looked a lot better. Most of the color in his face had returned and there were only mere shadows beneath his eyes instead of severe black and blue smudges. I knew that the bite marks were still healing, but his long-sleeved shirt covered them. I was actually surprised that he was doing so well, but he said that Gemma’s cream really helped along with that nasty drink. I had a feeling it wasn’t just her cream and nasty drink, but I kept that bit of thought to myself.

  “Uhh,” I searched my mind for what he asked.

  “You looked awfully intense staring out that window.”

  “I was thinking about Dad.”

  Cole’s lips flattened.

  “I know you’re angry at him. I understand it, but he was my dad.”

  “I get it,” Cole said, his shoulders slumping. “I have a dad too.”

  “Of course you do,” I agreed, thinking of the man who raised Cole. From what I knew, he was a good man. “I wish you could have known him, though.”

  “He didn’t want to know me.”

  I jerked. “No. Gran said that your mother told him to stay away.”

  “Yeah and he listened. If he had really wanted to see me, he would have.”

  My shoulders slumped this time because I didn’t have an argument. I had no idea what my father had been thinking when he agreed to stay away. “I’m sorry,” I whispered.

  “Don’t be.” Cole put an arm around my shoulders.

  We sat there for a minute without saying anything until I looked up at him. “Cole? I know that finding out about our dad was a huge shock and I know it hurt you and your family, but… I’m really glad Gran told us. I really like having a brother.”

  He smiled. His blue eyes were a truly beautiful shade and I realized that the color I saw out my airplane window was one that I had seen on the ground before… in Cole’s eyes. “You’re pretty cool for a sister.”

  I glanced back out the window. “So you think getting the scroll back is a good idea?”

  “Yeah, I do,” he answered quickly. “Do you?”

  It was risky, but really leaving it down in Hell was riskier. “Yeah, but… the idea of going to Hell is scary.”

  Sam came up the aisle and took a seat on the end next to Cole. He smiled at me momentarily, making me forget the conversation.

  “Tell me the time and place and I’ll be there,” Cole said, reminding me.

  After what just happened to him in the catacombs, I wasn’t so sure that it was a good idea. He seemed to read my thoughts and he speared me with a look. Determination and a hint of embarrassment bloomed in his aura. “I can handle it.”

  “Of course you can,” I agreed.

  And really, we needed him. We had to get that Treasure Map back. Now. Who knew what was being done with it right now? How much time did we have until someone got it open? If the names on that list became known, the world as we know it would change forever. The balance between Heaven and Hell would be tipped in Hell’s favor. Everyone would be in danger.

  Sam would be in danger.

  If Airis tried to claim the life she gave back, he wouldn’t allow her to take it from me.

  I couldn’t allow Sam to sacrifice himself for me again.

  In that moment, my wavering thoughts solidified. We had to at least try and get that scroll back before it was opened. We had no choice. Maybe it wasn’t the hopeless effort as I thought before. We had a hellhound, a Supernal Being, a fallen warrior angel and my knowledge of Hell from the Dream Walker to help us through.

  Yes, getting that scroll back was looking more and more like something that we could do.

  * * *

  Crowds of people pushed against me and their auras all blended together in one crushing mass of color. The air was hot from so many bodies and my mouth felt dry. Warm hands encircled my waist and drew me backward, away from the worst of the crowd to a less condensed area off to the side.

  “I hate the airport,” I declared, turning my back and trying to focus on only Sam. And his blissfully aura-free form.

  He smiled. “Let everyone else grab their bags first. We can wait.”

  Who knew that baggage claim would be worse than going through customs? I sighed and settled in for a wait. “Where’s Gran?” I wondered for the tenth time.

  “Maybe she’s stuck in traffic. Looks pretty crazy out there.”

  I looked out the huge glass doors to the loading and drop off zone, which was definitely packed with cars. “Yeah.” I agreed, but it didn’t feel right. Gran would have gotten here early to beat the traffic. I expected her to be standing at the gate.

  But she wasn’t.

  But Cole’s mother was.

  The minute we entered the airport, I knew she was here. I could feel the hate radiating off her and melting around me. When she saw Cole walking with me, her eyes narrowed. Cole’s steps faltered and he looked between us.

  “It’s all right,” I told him. “Go. Call me later.”

  He seemed relieved to avoid a scene and hurried to his mother’s side. Sam and I hung back until they began walking toward baggage claim. I glanced over to see if Cole was having better luck claiming his stuff and saw that he was. He and his mom were already heading toward the exit. Through the doors I could see his dad at the loading zone, waving and smiling, taking his bags and stuffing them into the trunk. Cole was laughing and talking animatedly. This was Cole’s father. Seeing them together made me understand even more why Cole wasn’t that accepting of our dad. He didn’t ne
ed to be.

  They drove away and a sleek black car pulled in taking their place. It was some sort of sedan with four doors and a boxy shape. The windows were so dark I wondered how they got away with driving around town without being pulled over. I watched in fascination as the trunk popped open, but no one got out. The windows remained closed tight and there wasn’t a hint of movement from inside. Someone approached the car.

  She had red hair piled high on her head. Kimber.

  The window opened just a crack and she leaned forward and spoke. Several seconds later, she went around and threw her bags in the trunk and slammed it closed. Then she opened the back door and slid inside. The car pulled away from the curb before her door was even fully closed.

  I did not know that car.

  It was not her parents.

  Who could it have been?

  I was afraid I knew.

  I turned to Sam, to see if he saw. He was looking over my shoulder, face pale.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  He seemed to shake himself, yet the color remained absent from his cheeks. It disturbed me to see my golden boy looking not-so-golden and I turned to see what on earth could upset him so much. Gran was hurrying toward us. She was trying to smile, but I hardly noticed the attempt because her aura was screaming out in shades of worry and pain.

  “Gran?” I said, running forward, not caring who I had to bump out of my way. I reached her and she stopped, pulled me into her arms for a quick hug.

  “I missed you!” she said and pulled back to look me over. “How was your trip?”

  Why was she pretending nothing was wrong when there clearly was? “What’s wrong?”

  She dropped the happy charade and looked at me. “I didn’t want your homecoming to be like this.”

  “Gran, tell me.” My stomach began to knot.

  “There’s been an accident. Your mother’s in the hospital.”

  I gasped. Sam’s arm came around my waist for support. “What happened?”

  “I’m not really sure, honey.”

  “How bad is it?” I whispered. “When did this happen?”

  Gran nodded, she expected these questions. “Just last night. I figured there was no use in calling with you arriving today.”

  “Gran, how bad?”

  “Not so bad,” she said, her aura saying otherwise. “She’s unconscious right now.”

  I gasped. “No.”

  “But,” Gran hurried to say, “the doctors are very hopeful. They say she’ll wake up soon.”

  Then why was Gran’s aura such a wreck? “We have to go.” I turned, looking at the crush of people still crowding the baggage claim area.

  “I’ll be right back,” Sam murmured. “Come help me?” he said to someone just behind Gran.

  Gran shifted, turned. “Oh, Logan, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to keep you from saying hello.”

  Logan was here? Of course he would be. I’m sure he was anxious to see his brother. Logan murmured something to Gran and she smiled. He went to help Sam, who clapped him on the shoulder before they disappeared in the throng of people.

  When everyone around you is dead… the Dream Walker’s words were like a snake slithering up my spine. I shook myself. He couldn’t be responsible for this. He got what he wanted. He got the scroll. The threat to my loved ones wouldn’t be necessary anymore.

  What happened to my mother was just an accident. That’s all.

  With the Dream Walker out of my head and out of the picture there was no one left that would want to hurt me like this.

  Right?

  Sam

  “What is it? What happened?” I said in a fierce whisper.

  I suspected that something was wrong the minute I saw Gran enter the baggage claim area. She was pale and grim-faced and then I saw Logan trailing behind her. That’s when I knew that whatever was wrong was going to be bad and I prayed that he had nothing to do with it.

  He opened his mouth to answer and I clapped him on the shoulder once more to turn him toward the conveyor as luggage started slowly moving around. “Heven’s mom,” Logan began and his voice cracked.

  “We just talked to her on the phone the other night. She said that you were fine. Did she lie?”

  “No, she didn’t lie. I was fine.”

  But he wasn’t now.

  Heven’s suitcase moved in front of me and I snagged it, dropping it in front of me. I wasn’t sure I was ready to hear whatever he was going to say. This was Heven’s mother we were talking about. Her family.

  “Sam? I really missed you.”

  I turned my head to look at my little brother. He looked scared and confused. I wrapped my arm around him and pulled him in for a hug. “I missed you too, bud.”

  We stood there a minute and he made no move to pull away. “Whatever is going on, it’s okay. Everything will be fine.”

  My giant duffle bag rolled around and I snagged it too.

  “Come on,” I said, hefting one bag in each hand. “Let’s go. Heven’s going to want to get right to the hospital. We’ll talk then.”

  Logan nodded. He seemed a little calmer now. Maybe things weren’t as bad as I thought. Maybe he was the one who found Heven’s mom and was shaken up. Poor kid. Would he ever catch a break?

  We hurried out of the airport toward Gran’s car at the curb and I tossed the bags into the trunk and hurried to climb in. Heven was in the front seat, staring out the windshield, and I saw the sheen of tears in her eyes before she slid on her sunglasses and looked at me.

  There wasn’t anything I could say to make this better, so I gave her a reassuring smile and hoped that her mom would be okay. Logan was quiet on the ride to the hospital and I didn’t dare try and talk to him in the car.

  “You don’t know anything about what happened?”

  Gran shook her head. “Not much of anything. Poor Logan found her.”

  So I was right. He was upset because he found her.

  Heven turned in her seat to look at Logan. “You found my mother?”

  He nodded, fear creeping into his eyes.

  “What happened?”

  “I don’t know,” he said and looked at me. I nodded, wanting him to continue. “I came downstairs to get some water, it was late… she was lying on the floor in the kitchen. There was blood…” He looked down at his hands as his voice trailed away.

  “Then what happened?” Heven asked, desperate for answers. I wanted to tell her to ease up, but she wasn’t really being too harsh, she just wanted to know.

  “I called 9-1-1 and the ambulance came. I went with her to the hospital and Gran came.”

  “Did she fall?” Heven pressed.

  “I don’t know,” he said again. “I didn’t see. There was water on the floor, like it was spilled. Maybe she slipped and hit her head.”

  Heven bit her lip and turned back around in her seat. Logan looked at me and I smiled, trying to tell him that everything was okay.

  But the way he was talking… the way he looked. I’d seen that look in his eye before. Right after he trashed the second-hand store below my apartment.

  * * *

  The hospital was barren and quiet compared to the loud, busy airport we just came from. The walls were sterile white and the smell of antiseptic burned my nose. Beside me, Heven walked woodenly, solemnly. It made me angry because she had already been through so much and this was something that I couldn’t protect her from. I knew that things between her and her mother weren’t very good, but lately, it had all been changing. Their relationship was growing strong again. I felt comfortable enough to leave Logan in her care and now I was wondering if that had been a mistake.

  My fingers were wrapped around Heven’s, ice cold and trembling. I released her hand to put my arm around her shoulders and pull her into my side as we made our way off the elevator and down yet another sterile hallway.

  “Any change?” Gran asked, grabbing a nurse by the arm on her way down the hall.

  “No, ma’am. Is this her daughter
?” the woman asked, regarding Heven with kind eyes.

  “Yes, this is Heven and her boyfriend Sam and you know Logan.”

  The nurse nodded. “Your mother is stable. There’s some slight swelling in her brain and the doctor believes that when it goes down, she will wake up.”

  “Swelling in her brain?” Heven asked, alarmed. I took my arm from her shoulders and slid it around her waist for support.

  “She had quite a fall, hit her head pretty hard,” the nurse responded.

  Heven made a small sound in the back of her throat.

  “It’s not so bad. She’s going to be fine,” the nurse assured her. “One visitor at a time. Immediate family only until she wakes up.” The nurse looked at me and Logan as she spoke.

  “Of course,” Gran agreed.

  Gran moved on down the hall and we followed, stopping in front of a closed wooden door. “Go on in. We’ll wait out here,” she said to Heven.

  Heven pulled away from me and looked up. I’ll be right here. I told her, wishing I had more to offer.

  Without another word, she opened the door and disappeared inside.

  Gran stood there a moment, then turned to Logan and me. “It’s been a very long day and I’m going to go get a cup of coffee. Would either of you care for anything?”

  We both declined as she moved off down the hall. When she turned the corner I looked at Logan. “Start talking.”

  His shoulders slumped and I thought he might cry. I grabbed his arm and led him to a room two doors down that was empty and I pulled him inside and pushed the door around.

  “At first, everything was okay,” Logan said. “Heven’s mom, she’s really nice. She cooked a lot and most of it was pretty good, except for the chicken. It was kind of like being back home.”

  “Then what happened?” I asked patiently.

  “He started hanging around.” His words tightened.

  “Who? Henry?”

  Logan nodded. “He was nice at first, too. But then one night he took me to the movies and for pizza. He said things…”

  “What things?”

  “That if you really cared about me you wouldn’t have left me here and went to Italy. He said that you only cared about Heven.” His voice broke.