“Lucinda kidnapped him!” she blurted the moment she walked through Aimee’s door, then remembered that Aimee hadn’t heard Lucinda’s name before. “That’s Angel’s old owner,” she clarified. Telling Aimee about finding Lucinda at the fort and the exchange that was to happen at five was a lot harder.
“Can you come with me?” Mika pleaded when she finished explaining. “She said she’d throw Joseph in the river if she saw any adults, but she didn’t say you couldn’t come. Please, please come.”
Aimee nodded. “Of course I’ll come. But are you really going to give Angel back to her?”
Mika’s heart flooded with fresh pain. “I don’t know what else to do. I have to get Joseph back. Maybe we can rescue Angel after, in a way that keeps Lucinda from hurting us.”
“How?”
“I don’t know. But I’ll have to do something. I’m already crazy with worry for her, and Lucinda hasn’t even gotten her back yet.” Mika shuddered. “You have no idea how horrible she is. There’s like this dead feeling around her. I couldn’t stand it even for a minute, and I can’t imagine how scary it’s been for Angel and Joseph, and even Hunter.”
“Who’s Hunter?”
Mika swallowed. She hadn’t told Aimee about the portrait either. In fact, she was certain she never wanted to tell her. It was way too freaky. “That’s what I named Lucinda’s black dog. He looks like a dog named Hunter in a painting at the old house.”
Aimee nodded, totally accepting the explanation. “Dogs are too loyal sometimes. They’ll take anything. But I don’t get it. A dead feeling?”
“I don’t know what else to call it. And it’s like it oozes out of her, like a smell or pus or something.”
“Ew, gross!”
“Yeah, totally gross. I even felt like it was touching me, like trying to get inside me. Or it was, until ...”
“Until what?”
Mika breathed deep. “Until I got mad. Then I didn’t feel it as much.”
“You got mad?” Aimee raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah, but a lot of good it did me. She was already gone by then.”
“It did some good if it made you less afraid.”
“I guess.” Mika exhaled. “I think we should get there early, just in case she’s early too. And it’ll take us twenty minutes to walk there, so we should go at 4:35.”
Aimee glanced at her watch. “It’s 4:28,” she said.
Mika looked down at Angel, asleep on her lap. She was so innocent and trusting. “I’m so sorry, Angel,” she whispered. “I wish there was some other way, any other way.”
But the alternative was unbearable. Mika knew Joseph would never survive being thrown into the flooding river. It was too rough, too wild. He would drown in its depths and be gone forever.
Forever.
And it would be her fault.
Aimee put her arm around Mika’s shoulders. “We’ll save him. Don’t worry, okay? And Angel will be all right too. We’ll find a way to rescue her again.”
“This is my fault, Aimee. Everything. If I hadn’t —”
“No way. It’s not! This is completely Lucinda’s fault. She’s the one who started everything by being so mean to Angel that Angel wanted to run away. She’s the one who threatened you and your dad. She’s the one who kidnapped Joseph.”
“But it was because I rescued Angel,” Mika said, her voice barely audible.
“No. It’s because she’s totally crazy and probably mad that Angel wants to live with you instead of her.”
Mika sniffled as she stroked Angel. “I never thought of it that way before.”
“She’s just a jealous old hag,” said Aimee. “Well, maybe not that old, but you know what I mean.” Her feeble joke fell flat and neither of them smiled.
Mika looked at her watch and drew a shuddering breath. “It’s time to go.”
Chapter 13
Mika left her backpack at the door and slipped Angel inside her coat. The more mobile they were during their meeting with Lucinda, the better.
They were halfway down the driveway before Mika noticed something different. “Hey, it stop-ped raining.”
“Maybe that’s a good sign.”
When they got to Mika’s house, they cut across the yard and hurried through the back gate. Soon they were on the overgrown logging road.
Surging with the fresh rain, the river seemed even louder. Mika felt sick hearing it. Would Joseph —
No, she couldn’t think like that. Not now. If she scared herself stupid, she’d make bad decisions, bad decisions that Joseph would pay for.
Aimee touched her shoulder. “You okay? You look really pale.”
“I’m all right.”
Aimee looked behind them. “It’s creepy, but I feel like someone’s watching us.”
“Me too.”
“Hunter,” they said together. A quiver ran from Mika’s head to her toes. The dog was so loyal to his scary owner, it was disturbing. How far would he go for her?
“Look!” Aimee pointed into the woods. “Did you see?”
Mika shook her head.
“A shadow, moving.”
“It has to be him.”
Angel began to tremble in Mika’s arms.
When they reached the fork in the trail, a dark form broke silently from the undergrowth. Mika and Aimee stopped short and watched Hunter circle around to stand between them and their fort, his wide head low.
“What if he attacks?” Aimee whispered.
“He’s not growling or anything. Maybe he’s trying to herd us toward the bridge.” And there was something else about the dog, something different, something she should notice ... Mika inhaled sharply. “Look at his eyes, Aimee.”
“What about them?”
“They’re sad. He looks sad.”
“That makes no sense.”
“Maybe he doesn’t want to do this, but Lucinda told him to.” She cleared her throat. “Hunter,” she called gently.
Hunter growled.
Mika forced herself not to step backward. “It’s okay, Hunter.”
The dog raised his head a couple of inches.
“Don’t be sad,” Aimee added tentatively.
Hunter’s tail flopped slowly to one side, then to the other. Was he wagging his tail? Aimee smiled at Mika.
“That might mean he feels confused too,” Mika murmured. “But I wonder if maybe, just maybe, he’s a good boy at heart. Are you a good dog, Hunter?”
The dog cocked his head to one side.
“Hunter!” The name slashed through the air, and all of them, the dog included, jumped. Mika and Aimee exchanged terrified looks, then somehow Mika steeled herself to walk the last few steps into the clearing. The bridge came into sight, rickety and vibrating in the floodwaters. And right in the middle of it, Joseph stood hunched and alone.
“Joseph!” Mika ran a few steps, then suddenly Lucinda was beside him, clutching the collar of his jacket.
Mika stumbled and stopped. A loud buzzing filled her ears. How had the horrible woman appeared out of thin air like that?
Angel’s claws dug into her upper arm, but she hardly noticed. Her terror was changing to a dark wave of loathing that threatened to sweep her reason away. Lucinda’s hated voice whispered vile words in her ears about Angel and Aimee and Joseph, but most of all, about her. Mika, who had dared enter her house, twice. Mika, who had stolen her cat, twice. Mika, who was alone in knowing the most dreadful of Lucinda’s secrets, that she’d locked her family away for eternity inside a blood-red room.
More than anything, Mika longed to run, to escape; she wanted it more than she wanted air to breathe. There was no way she could save Joseph anyway, and besides, what was he? Just an irritating little brother. She should just throw Angel toward Lucinda and race off as fast as her legs could carry her, leaving Joseph on the bridge, abandoning Angel to Lucinda, deserting Aimee. Right now, she could only help herself, not the others. Just run. Save herself.
Pure self-disgust made her tigh
ten her hold on Angel. What on earth was she thinking? Sure Joseph was irritating sometimes, but she loved him, plus it was her job as his older sister to protect him. And besides, this wasn’t the kind of person she was. Abandoning her family? Her friends?
Her self revulsion pushed the dark loathsome tide back just a little — and a tiny bit of reason re-entered her thoughts.
Lucinda was using magic on her! Immediately, Mika’s anger flooded back in force, and her desire to escape fizzled to nothing.
On the bridge, Lucinda’s smirk turned to a scowl.
Mika set her jaw. Anger was still the key. Not the passionate, rushing-in kind — this confrontation would take every bit of her brain power, especially since there was no way she was leaving Angel behind now. Instead, she needed to access her cool, clear anger, the kind of strong indignation that made her want to set things right.
She took a determined step forward.
“Mika?” Aimee’s voice was feeble with fear behind her.
Mika turned back to her friend. “When Joseph gets to you, take him home as fast as you can,” she said just loud enough for her friend to hear. “Then call the police.”
Aimee shook her head. “I won’t go without you.”
“Someone has to get Joseph to safety.”
“But —”
“I can’t save him without your help.”
Aimee looked like she was about to cry. “Okay,” she finally said, her voice thick with emotion. “I’ll get him home safe. But don’t let anything happen to you.”
Mika nodded. “I’ll be careful.”
Lucinda and Joseph grew larger as Mika strode toward the bridge. A log slammed into the pilings, and the woman adjusted her balance.
Mika stopped before stepping out onto the strained timbers. “Bring Joseph to me!” she yelled. “It’s not safe!”
“No, you bring that stupid cat to me, and we’ll get this over with!”
“Why do you want her anyway? You don’t even like her!”
Joseph must have noticed the strength in Mika’s voice because he looked up, hope burgeoning in his eyes.
“You don’t understand anything, little girl,” Lucinda snarled. “She’s mine. She belongs to me. I don’t have to like her. Now bring her to me.”
Mika took a deep breath and walked out onto the aging boards. Instantly, the throbbing power of the river moved through her body. The bridge was weakening with every passing moment. Angel dug her claws deeper into Mika’s arm. “Trust me, Angel. We have to save Joseph together.”
The uncontrolled, thoughtless side of Mika’s anger threatened to overtake her reason when she came close enough to see how red Joseph’s eyes were. He’d been crying for a long, long time. But she couldn’t lose control, not now. Not ever. If she did, she’d lose her only strength. She jerked her gaze back to Lucinda. “Let him go.”
“Give me my cat first!”
“Just let him go before it’s too late. The bridge isn’t safe!”
Lucinda’s lip curled. “Your sneaky lies won’t work with me, you little monster.”
Another small log hit the bridge, and the entire structure shuddered. Lucinda took a step back to regain her balance, and Joseph twisted around under her arm and jerked against her grip.
He was free!
“Run, Joseph!” shrieked Mika. “Run to Aimee!” He darted past her and Mika jumped between him and Lucinda, Angel rigid in her arms.
“Got him, Mika!”
Thank goodness Aimee had come with her! Now she’d take Joseph to safety — and Hunter would let them pass. Mika was sure of it; she’d read it in his sad eyes.
“Okay, you have your brother.” Lucinda’s words were oily and smooth. Hypnotic.
Fear jabbed at Mika. There was no one left to help her now. She was on her own in saving Angel.
The woman moved toward her. “I am going to enjoy watching you suffer. Even more than watching my family when they got what they deserved.”
“You locked them away in paintings!” cried Mika, grateful for the fury that leapt back to protect her. “How could you be so cruel? Families are supposed to help each other.”
Lucinda stopped, her face thunderous. “They were idiots!” she spit out. “They were the ones who changed my self-portrait spell. They had to be. I lost decades because of them.”
Mika wanted to scream that Lucinda had only gotten what she deserved, but there was nothing to be gained by that. “Why did you do it?” she asked instead. “Why did you lock them away?”
“I had to. They were going to have me committed to one of those ... places. They were going to lock me away. So I did it to them first.”
“But they weren’t putting you inside a painting.” More debris battered the upstream side of the bridge, and Mika staggered.
“Painting, insane asylum, psychiatric hospital, it’s all locking someone away from life.”
“So after you locked them away, you thought you’d put yourself in a painting too, with Hunter and Angel, and —”
“Ha, you call her Angel. So sweet,” hissed Lucinda.
“With Hunter and Angel,” Mika repeated, louder. “And get out a little while later, so you wouldn’t be suspected in their disappearance?”
Lucinda smiled a thin smile. “You’re pretty smart, for a kid who was stupid enough to steal what’s mine.”
“But you’re not too smart, are you? I bet you messed up the spell, and then you were trapped there a lot longer. Do you even know what year this is? And what was it all for? The freedom to be crazy?”
Lucinda’s smile was gone now, her eyes like blue steel. “It was for power, you little idiot. Do you know what that is? Power to do what I want, when I want to do it, and not have anyone snivelling to me about my choices.”
If Mika had been less afraid, she might have laughed. As it was, she couldn’t stop the smirk that flitted across her face. “Like the power to scare helpless little boys and beat up animals? The power to live all alone in a dusty old house?”
“I’ve had enough of this! No more games. Give me Cloud. Now!”
“I’ll let you have her if —”
Lucinda interrupted her with a laugh. “I knew it,” she said triumphantly. “You’re going to fight for her. How cute.”
“If,” Mika repeated, her voice determined, “if Angel chooses you. She decides who she wants to live with, and if she wants you, I promise I’ll let her go. But she chooses.”
“That’s it? Giving a choice to a stupid cat?” Lucinda looked at Mika with disbelief. “Okay. We’ll play one more game.”
“But if she chooses me, you have to let her go. And no magic,” demanded Mika. “Promise me.”
“I promise.”
“I’ll put her down, and we both take ten steps backwards. The one she goes to is the one who keeps her,” said Mika, her mind racing. Why was Lucinda agreeing to her spur-of-the-moment plan so quickly? She had to have something up her sleeve.
Mika carefully opened her jacket. “It’ll be okay, Angel,” she whispered. “Just follow me off the bridge.” Gently, she placed the cat on the trembling boards, then looked up. “Now go back ten steps,” she said and stepped back herself, though she was still poised to jump forward and grab Angel if Lucinda didn’t do her part. The woman hesitated a long moment, her fingers twitching as if she longed to snatch Angel up, but finally she stepped backward. When Mika took the second step, Lucinda did as well.
Soon they had taken five of the ten — and Angel hadn’t moved.
“She doesn’t seem to like you much,” sneered Lucinda. “Not quite so confident now, are you?” She took another step back.
Mika stepped backward again, puzzled. Why wasn’t Angel coming to her? She looked into the cat’s eyes, imploring her. Angel’s gaze shifted to her face, then down past her knees.
And Mika understood. She spun around.
Hunter crouched right behind her, hackles raised, and close enough to touch. But he wasn’t looking at her. His golden eyes were loc
ked on Angel.
“Now!” Lucinda shrieked.
The huge dog sent Mika spinning as he hurtled past her.
Mika regained her balance and raced after him. “Run Angel! Run!” Even though, to be safe, there was only one direction to run — toward Lucinda.
But Angel only hunkered down, preparing for the attack.
Hunter didn’t even slow when he reached her. In one huge leap, he was over top of Angel and racing on toward his owner.
Angel ran toward Mika and in one giant leap was in her girl’s arms. Mika held her close. Angel was hers!
But what had just happened? Why had Hunter suddenly decided to disobey his owner?
Lucinda was screaming at the dog now. He’d reached her side and his massive jaws were clamped around her sleeve. He looked like he was trying to pull her toward the far side of the bridge.
And suddenly Mika understood. In horrified slow motion, she turned to look upriver.
Two gigantic uprooted trees were floating toward them. In seconds, they would strike the bridge. The weakened structure would be completely destroyed!
“Run!” she yelled to Lucinda, then did the same herself.
She’d only gone five steps when the tons of wood slammed into the bridge. The deck bucked and tossed beneath her feet. Spikes were wrenched from the collapsing timbers, shrieking like they were alive, almost covering the sounds of Lucinda’s short, sharp screams.
The bridge pulled away from the bank in front of Mika as she staggered toward the shore, the boards twisting and writhing beneath her. They weren’t going to make it. Or she wasn’t. It wasn’t too late for Angel. Mika jerked Angel’s claws out of her jacket and threw the little cat toward shore as hard as she could.
Please, God. Keep Angel safe, she prayed. Then, like a piece of fluff, Mika was tossed into the river.
The torrent jerked her beneath the surface, along with the boards and timbers that fell with her. She tried to swim up but the undercurrent was too strong. A piece of wood smashed into her arm and another battered her hipbone. Mika almost screamed in pain as she was sucked down, down, down, blind in the mud brown water. She needed air!
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