“Chelsan?!”
Ryan’s worried face greeted me in Bill’s hover-car.
We were in the air and on our way back to Nancy’s. Jill was beside me as well, trying not to stare, but I could tell she was freaked out.
Nancy was turned toward me from the front seat. “What happened? Was it Elisha?”
“Roberta,” I grumbled and started massaging my aching temples. Between Elisha and Roberta I wasn’t sure how much more I could take of this. It was really starting to take its toll on me.
“Geoffrey Turner’s wife? Bill explained this astral thingy, but I didn’t know anyone could just jump in like that.” Jill looked like she was trying to make sense of the last few hours of her life and wasn’t having much success.
“Jill you’re in trouble.” As the words left my mouth the glass next to Jill’s head shattered into a million pieces.
Jill screamed. A bullet shot through her window and straight into her arm.
Bill swerved from the shock of its impact. Thank goodness he did as another bullet whizzed through the open window and out the other side shattering Ryan’s window now.
“LAND! LAND! LAND!” I screamed. Staying in the air was a death sentence to Jill.
It was very obvious that the shooter was only after Jill. In fact, it was disgusting that my grandparents were being so precise. It meant that they needed me for something and it also meant that in their evil distorted brains, they actually thought they were being nice by not killing Ryan, Bill and Nancy. Gee thanks!
But there was no way I was going to let them kill Jill.
Bill was on the ground before we knew it and that’s when I saw the hover-car with the shooter. It was a small, black two-door hover with the sniper in the back. I couldn’t even see his head, just the long tip of the silencer on his rifle. The hover-car swung down from traffic to get a better aim.
Bill had landed on a grass field just outside of the upper middle class zone. There was no one around, which meant it was probably about to get wet very soon. As if on cue the sprinklers shot out around Bill’s car. The hover’s broken windows let all the water inside and we were immediately soaked to the bone.
Jill was clutching her arm in pain, but I was surprised and impressed at how calm she was. “Where?” she asked of her assassin.
The black two-door hovered a hundred feet above us. I could see the gun leveling to take aim.
I didn’t know what to do.
Ordering Bill to land, I had just made us sitting ducks.
If he had kept driving, maybe we could have lost them.
But I knew that wasn’t true.
Jill would have been dead already if we had kept going. At least down here there might be something I could use.
I searched the area for anything dead.
Worms, flies, spiders… come on….
POP!
The gun fired.
I was too late.
No wait.
I slammed into the black swirling hole of a dead raven and made it fly in front of Jill’s head at lightning speed. It looked like a black blur across Jill’s face. The bullet tore straight into the bird, preventing it from hitting Jill.
Jill’s eyes were wide with a mixture of terror, curiosity, and gratitude.
I knew it wasn’t over yet.
Before another shot could be aimed, I found other dead birds within my four-mile control radius and made them all fly directly at the hover-car.
The driver tried to swerve out of the way, but I made the birds attack and attack until the car crashed to the ground a few hundred feet away. There was no movement from the car, but I knew they were still alive since I couldn’t see any black holes in their bodies.
“Go, Bill! Get us to Nancy’s!” I screamed.
Bill didn’t need to be told twice. He was in the air in seconds, racing back to Nancy’s.
I kept the two men trapped in their car with the birds until we were out of my control radius.
I knew the assassins were just the first of many.
Now Jill was a target.
Uugh.
“She’s losing a lot of blood.” Ryan took off his t-shirt and tied it around Jill’s arm as a temporary tourniquet.
“We have to take her to a hospital!” Bill was frantic.
“I’m with Bill here, Chelsan.” Nancy was scared.
“Turner and Roberta are trying to kill her. They’ll have someone waiting at the hospital. Bill can you call your parents? Isn’t your mom a doctor?” I pleaded. I knew if we took one step in a hospital Jill was a goner.
That seemed to calm down Bill. “Yeah, yeah. We’ll go to my house. Turner won’t attack my parents’ house, they’re too prominent. Okay. Good. Let’s do that.” Bill was breathing deep and talking himself down.
Bill was right. His house was the best place to be. Turner might be willing to risk taking another crack at Jill at Nancy’s house, but not Bill’s. His parents were too well connected. They came from old money, and old money was the most respected and the most revered.
“Do I have a say in this?” Jill’s voice was weak.
“Jill, you’re going to have to trust us. Roberta knows about the holo-chip and she said you’re the only one who can decrypt it. She’s going to try and kill you before you can. You understand?” I told her what I had learned and hoped she’d listen.
To my relief Jill nodded.
Twenty minutes later we landed on Bill’s hover-field. His house was huge. I had only been there once before to meet his parents and have dinner, but his home still made an impact on me. Its design was simple and elegant, like one large rectangle with five dark brown sloping rooftops sectioning off each wing. Its body was painted a deep golden yellow, with masses of burgundy bougainvillea growing up the outer surface making the mansion bright and vibrant. Arched window looked out at us like friendly eyes welcoming strangers inside. The house was surrounded by grass and an outer circle of cherry blossom trees, which were bare from the oncoming winter. And as intimidating and gigantic as Bill’s house was, it still managed to feel cozy and warm because of the people in it.
Bill’s parents came running toward us. They were extremely alarmed since they had obviously seen the hover’s smashed windows and knew something was wrong.
Bill picked up Jill and carried her in his arms, holding her like a baby.
“She’s been shot,” Bill said and he couldn’t hide the worry in his voice.
“Let me take her.” Bill’s dad, Gordan, took Jill from his son’s arms. He looked like a slightly older version of Bill, but not as muscular.
Bill’s mom, Frances, was tall and beautiful. She looked like she was in her mid-twenties, (she had Bill naturally, so she didn’t start taking Age-pro until she was twenty-four) with long sandy blonde hair, delicate features and large blue eyes. She made a quick exam of Jill’s arm, “The bullet passed clean through, she should be fine. Come on in and tell us everything,” she said. She held onto Bill’s arm and we followed them inside.
The foyer itself was almost the size of Nancy’s entire house. The floor was a bright blond-colored wood and the walls were painted a dark coral, holo-paintings hung on all the walls. The sitting room was visible in the distance. Soft, plushy, pleather seats, awaited us.
“Bill go get your friends some dry clothes,” Bill’s dad said gently.
Bill hurried off and soon returned with a pile of the warmest most comfiest looking sweats I’d ever seen. We all took turns dressing and then plopped down on the poofy chairs. Gordan got the sum-up of what happened, then left to see if his wife needed help with Jill’s bullet wound.
None of us could speak. There was nothing to say. Jill was shot.
Ryan leaned in close and kissed my cheek, trying to make me feel better.
After an hour of waiting, Frances came out to give us the skinny.
“She’ll be fine. She’s going to rest here the night. I’ve called her mother already.” Frances’s face was warm and calming, but there was a s
light edge to her voice. “Bill, you should take them home. It’s late. Good night.” Frances left without another word and I felt like we had made her upset.
Let’s face it. Bill’s mom held me responsible for being a constant source of danger in her son’s life, and rightfully so. She was just too nice to yell at me for it. Bill probably made her swear not to say anything mean to me. I was such a jerk.
“I’m really sorry, Bill. Tell your parents I’m really sorry.” I didn’t know what else to say.
“It’s not your fault. Let’s just get you back to Nancy’s.” Bill seemed distracted, not mad, just distracted. I didn’t want to push it, so I just left it at that.
The ride back to Nancy’s was silent and windy.
After we landed, Bill handed me the small sample of metal taken from Brady’s. “See you tomorrow at school.”
“Yeah. Thanks Bill, for everything,” I said, giving him hug.
He hugged me back, but it was brief. Before I knew it he was in his hover and gone.
Ryan took my hand and we shared a look of exhaustion. “Sleep?” he asked.
“Oh man, like a hundred years worth!” Nancy groaned.
“Yes, please.” I couldn’t wait until my head hit the pillow.
Chapter Three
Thursday December 2, 2320
“DON’T YOU DARE! YOU STUPID CHILD!”
I awoke with a start.
What?
That was definitely Roberta’s voice. Was that just a nightmare or was she just yelling at me at random now?
“You okay?” Ryan was instantly holding me.
“I think my grandparents’ new plan to destroy me is to keep me from getting a good night’s sleep. I can’t take much more of this.” I collapsed into his embrace, completely exhausted.
Six straight hours of sleep; that’s all I needed. Just six. Please?! I was lucky if I was able to have two, what with Elisha and now Roberta going into my brain at all hours of the day. Seriously, what was going on?
“Roberta again? Not Elisha?” Ryan asked and kissed my head. I loved it when he did that.
I just nodded into his chest.
“What is she up to?” he wondered aloud.
“I don’t know.” I was thinking the same thing. “I really don’t care. I just wish I could sleep without being interrupted.”
“Go back to bed. We don’t have to be up for another couple of hours.” Ryan scooted down so we were both lying flat now. I snuggled in close.
“Sleep. Yum,” I think I said as I drifted off once more.
“Am I going to have to do this all day, too?” Roberta’s voice scolded me.
I opened my eyes and I was standing in my old trailer park. I was taken aback when I noticed that I was in the middle of one of my memories. It was the day that Larry the goldfish died and I saw my first swirling black hole. A three-year-old version of me was standing next to a glass fish bowl where poor old Larry was floating at the top.
My heart nearly stopped when I saw my mother kneeling next to me. Her silky brown hair tied in a ponytail and her hazel eyes twinkling at the three-year-old me. It made me choke up instantly. The last time I saw her she was a walking zombie with gouged out eyes and rotted, torn skin. The reality of it hit me hard. Seeing her so beautiful and so full of life and so full of love, made me want to scream in anguish. I missed her so much.
“Calm down, it’s just a memory,” Roberta’s voice was coming from behind me.
I whirled around to face Grams, her stretched, frozen face greeting me like a nightmare.
“Why are you doing this?” I asked, hoping beyond reason that she might actually tell me.
She guffawed as if I was the stupidest human being she’d ever met. “Trust me, I’d rather be anywhere but here, but you did this to yourself! You have no one else to blame.”
“You’re just going to torture me forever. Is that it?” I almost screamed at Roberta, livid at her constant intrusions.
Roberta rolled her eyes and actually looked more exasperated than her normal evil self. “You’ve got to learn to keep people out of your head, for your own sake. And for the world’s. You’ve really messed up this time.”
The memory of my mother popped out of existence and we were suddenly in the dark. I turned around in vain for one last glimpse of Mom, but the image was gone. It hurt worse than if I had never seen it. I wished I could erase it from my brain, just to make my stomach stop hurting.
I turned to Roberta to confront her and was shocked to see fear in her eyes. “She’s gaining in strength. I don’t know how long I can keep her out.”
“Who? Elisha?” I asked. Seeing Roberta scared was actually terrifying.
“Yes, Elisha. You stupid girl,” Roberta snarled at me. “I have to clean up your mess now.”
I was startled awake for the second time that evening, gasping for air. I clung onto Ryan like he was an oxygen tank. He was instantly awake and holding me tight.
“Again?” he asked incredulously.
“Roberta said something about Elisha getting stronger like she was keeping Elisha out of my head,” I said. I pulled my hair back behind my ear and realized it was wet with sweat. My body felt like I had just ran three marathons and hadn’t slept for a year.
“Do you think Elisha is trying to warn you of something? I mean we are talking about your grandparents here,” Ryan said quietly in my ear while stroking my hair.
“That makes sense.” That had to be it.
Let’s be real, Turner and Roberta have been trying to kill me since they found me. Not to mention their attempt on Jill this evening. If Elisha was trying to warn me about something, their first line of attack would be to keep her out of my head so I’d be in the dark. As much as I didn’t trust Elisha, I trusted my grandparents less. “We’ll have to wait and see, I guess.”
“In the meantime you don’t get any rest.” Ryan sounded irked that this was happening to me. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it’s time to get up for school.”
I groaned. I wanted to lay my head on the puffy goodness that was my pillow and sleep for at least another five hours.
“Maybe you should call in sick,” Ryan suggested.
“We called in sick yesterday. No, I’m getting up.” I made myself slap my feet on the oak floor. It was cold and unwelcoming and made me miss the days when I shared a room with Nancy for her plushy carpet.
“You sure?” Ryan asked and stood up next to me, cradling my face in his hands.
I smiled up at him and was about to respond when…
“She’s sure. You both have to go to school today. Turner’s making an appearance.” Jason had entered the room with Nancy close behind.
What?
“What?” I was incredulous.
Oh man. Roberta now him? Turner was going to kill me for breaking out Elisha, I just knew it.
“Well, then I definitely can’t go, right?” Right? Please tell me that it would be insane to go into the lion’s den with a rabid lion waiting for me.
“Don’t worry, it’s going to be very public. He announced to the press that he intends on speaking directly to you.” Jason was obviously intrigued and excited by the news while I was halfway between hiding under my bed and jumping out the window screaming.
“I’m glad you’re so amused by this whole thing, but I have some news myself that may change your mind,” I said and told them about both of my visits from Roberta.
Jason didn’t seem fazed at all. In fact, he seemed even more excited. “Interesting.”
Jason stepped forward and placed both his hands on my arms, I think in an attempt to steady me. “Chelsan, we have to know what he wants and why he wants to see you. Rule number one: Know your enemy.”
“Whose rules are those exactly, yours?” Nancy said angrily. “Did you just make that up now? We were just shot at last night, if your tiny little brain can wrap around that, and Turner was the one who sanctioned it!” Nancy was apparently annoyed at Jason this morning, and I
had to say, I agreed with her.
“Listen,” Jason ignored Nancy’s tirade (as usual) and focused on me, “I don’t want you to get hurt any more than you do, but when Turner tells the world that he wants to see you and he doesn’t say why? You have to see him.”
And the weird part was, I kind of wanted to. I didn’t know what was wrong with me, but the thought of possibly getting some answers from the man himself was intriguing. More than that, I wanted to know why Roberta and Turner were so upset about Elisha and the twins. And I had a gut feeling that Gramps was going to tell me.
I slowly nodded.
Jason clapped his hands in relief. “Get ready. I’ll take you to school.”
“What about Bill?” I asked, not wanting to offend Jason, but I really only wanted Bill to take us.
Jason shrugged. “He called this morning: he’s taking Jill to school.” And with that Jason left the room.
I felt a pang of… I didn’t even know what, it just hurt. Was I jealous? Was I feeling guilty? Was I scared that Bill hated me now? That maybe his differences with Ryan would somehow transfer to me? Was I scared that Jill would poison his mind against me? She had a genuine case for it now! All of it, I guess. The whole thing made my stomach twist.
Nancy and I shared a look. I could tell she was experiencing the same doubt. Bill was as reliable as they come, and for him not to come over to the house worried me more than I thought it could. I just wanted to see him and tell him again how sorry I was for getting him involved in all my problems.
I shook the horrible thoughts from my brain. It was just a ride! Geez! Bill’s good nature didn’t want Jill going to school alone, and with a bullet wound for goodness sake! A bullet wound that I was responsible for.
“This should be an interesting ride.” Nancy crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.
“You guys fighting again?” I asked, knowing I was about to get an earful.
The Riser Saga Page 43
