by Bryan Cohen
Erica considered telling Beth that she was worm food before Ted changed, but she caught herself. Erica took Beth's hand.
"We don't always have a choice of what happens around us. It's all about what we do with those circumstances that makes us who we are."
Beth looked at Erica for a moment before closing her eyes. "Ugh, I fell asleep. You were too boring."
Erica knew that her previous inhabitant was just as terrible as Beth before the crossover, but that didn't make her any less angry. She did her best to cover it up.
"Do you remember anything about the person who told you to start the fire?"
Beth opened her eyes and leaned back into the pillows. "The doctors seem to think it's some kind of voice in my head. I don't remember anything that happened after Redican's class on Thursday. Maybe someone told me in there."
Erica exchanged some cheek kisses with Beth. "You're wonderful. Feel better soon." Erica walked to the door. When she turned back, Erica felt the room grow dark.
While Beth was still sitting on the bed, Erica could tell that another person had taken control. A look of hatred washed over Beth's face.
"You can't keep him from the truth, protector." Beth's voice had changed from bubbly to devilish. "Or is there too much blood on your hands for you to even care?"
Erica glanced into the hallway. She waited to step back into the room until a nurse moved out of earshot. "Who are you?"
Beth smiled like she knew all the secrets in the world. "Someone with nothing to lose." The redhead leapt toward Erica, but her restraints snapped her right back down into the bed. Beth growled and pulled at her shackles with all her might.
"It doesn't have to be like this." Erica moved closer to the bed. "You've lost people. So have I. That's what happens during a war."
The rage on Beth's face changed into pain. "It wasn't our war. The dark souls wouldn't have even bothered us if you'd given them Earth."
Erica pursed her lips. "Give someone an inch and they'll take a mile."
Whoever was in control of Beth's facilities ignored Erica's response. "Consider this your last warning. Give the boy access to all his powers. Let him end this war and bring peace to all the conquered realms."
Erica stood her ground. "And if I don't?"
Beth's confident smile sent a chill down Erica's spine. "Then I'll make everyone you know and love suffer. Including your boyfriend."
As the message ended, Beth collapsed back down to the bed. Erica ran back over and attempted to rouse her. Beth opened her eyes and looked through Erica as if she wasn't there.
Erica shook her head and felt tears come to her eyes. "Damn it."
She wanted to run to Ted right away to tell him what happened, but she remembered that he was still waiting for his mother to wake up.
It's not the right time.
Erica sighed.
Not that there's ever a right time.
Erica decided on the next-best person to talk to.
She found Sheriff Norris typing away on a laptop in the cafeteria. The room was so white, the light reflecting in through the window threatened to blind her. While the rubbing alcohol scent was absent from the room, the aroma of food that replaced it certainly didn't make her want to order an early breakfast. The sheriff had stayed in the hospital all night with the Finleys. Erica sat down next to him with two cups of coffee.
"Catching up on fan mail?" Erica handed him one of the cups.
"Thanks." The sheriff took a large gulp and continued typing. "I wish. What do you want, Erica?"
She feigned surprise. "I'm just trying to be of assistance to the hardest-working lawman in all of the U.S.A."
The sheriff closed his laptop and leaned his chin onto one of his hands. "Uh huh." He took another sip of his coffee. "Just don't put another whammy on me, OK?"
Erica had promised Jennifer she wouldn't use her powers on Sheriff Norris again. It was mighty tempting to get everything she wanted without much asking, though.
Erica handed over a list of names to the sheriff. "Long story short, someone on this list may have put a spell on Beth to make her start that fire."
The sheriff took the paper and glanced it over. "Fifth period English?" He gulped his coffee.
"One of these people may have a book that lets them control a person's mind."
The sheriff shook his head. She imagined he liked it better when he was dealing with jaywalking and parking tickets instead of the strange and mystical.
"Should this really get priority over whoever bombed the Finley house?" the sheriff asked.
Erica sipped her own coffee. "What scares you more: a cult or the possibility of 1,000 brainwashed students walking around starting fires?"
Sheriff Norris let out a long sigh. "I can start making some phone calls about a magical brain book."
"Thanks, Sheriff."
As she left the cafeteria, Erica walked past a wall of photos that showed the hospital under construction. The image of girders and a cement foundation brought her back to memories of screaming, the crunching sound of a tumbling building, and an overwhelming sense of loss. She shook off the past and kept walking.
24
Jennifer had hoped to make the entire drive on her own. She knew she could trust Dhiraj to protect her, but she worried that his form of protection might involve calling her father and taking them back to Treasure. There were still two hours left of driving when she felt herself start to tire.
"How are you feeling?" Dhiraj caught Jennifer's eyes as she glanced over.
She could feel the genuine concern radiating out of him. "I'm more awake than I've ever been."
Dhiraj chuckled. "Is this opposite day or something?"
Jennifer giggled, despite her determination to stay grumpy. "You're ridiculous."
Dhiraj let the words sit for a few moments. "You know, people who care about you are going to start wondering where you are pretty soon."
Jennifer had already steeled herself against any such arguments. She knew her father would be worried when he got home from the hospital, but she figured there are just some things you can't involve your parents in. The new Erica hadn't paid her much attention since she'd returned, which wasn't so different from the old Erica who'd shunned her for her stickin-the-mud attitude. Aside from the two of them, Dhiraj was the only one who seemed to want her to be happy and healthy, and he was right along for the ride.
Jennifer smirked. "You can tell them we eloped."
In a three-second space, Dhiraj's face went from joy to melancholy. "Seeing as I'm on a need to know basis, that's as likely to be the truth as anything else."
"I'll tell you more when we get there." Jennifer suppressed a yawn.
Dhiraj shifted his weight toward the driver's side. "So I can't talk you out of it?"
Jennifer made a sharp exit off the highway and into the parking lot for a rest stop. She watched the flickering neon lights of the convenience store as she parked beside an empty fuel pump.
"If you don't want to be here, you can leave right now." Jennifer took the keys out of the ignition. "If not, you can get me an iced coffee."
Dhiraj opened the door. "I need to pee anyway."
As she watched Dhiraj enter the store, Jennifer felt herself wishing he would come back to the car. As the hours crept into the middle of the night, she'd gotten more and more unsure of herself. Having someone there to keep her from a mental breakdown might be the only thing that would give her the revenge she sought.
Jennifer filled the tank and watched the door of the convenience store. She didn't notice the man standing behind her until he'd tapped her on the shoulder. As she turned around, the first thing she saw was the beige deputy uniform. A gun rested in Daly's holster and he appeared to reach for it as he spoke.
"Excuse me, miss?"
Jennifer's shriek was so loud, it caused Dhiraj to come running out of the mini-mart, iced coffee in hand. "Jennifer?!"
She backpedaled until she was pressed up against the trunk of her c
ar. Jennifer felt her hands shaking as they tried to grab anything they could to escape.
The Daly-lookalike put up his hands, backing away as quickly as he could from the sound. "I was just going to ask you to move your car up a little. I didn't mean to–"
"Long drive." Dhiraj put his hand on the Daly-apparition's shoulder. "She's on edge. We'll be out of here in a sec."
Jennifer watched as the man changed to his actual form. His skinny frame and glasses made him look like Daly's opposite rather than his twin.
The man glanced at the coffee. "I hope that's decaf." He looked at Jennifer like she belonged in an asylum and went back to his car.
Dhiraj put his free hand on Jennifer's arm. "Are you okay?"
She let out a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah. But maybe you should drive."
Jennifer figured Dhiraj must have sensed that she didn't want to talk about her crazy screaming at the station, because he changed the subject to anything but her outburst and the reason for the drive.
The cool beverage and polite conversation was just what she needed to settle down.
"We're just about there." Jennifer eyed the odometer and kept her eye out for a certain motel sign.
"I'm surprised you even know where there is." Dhiraj smiled to himself. "No GPS. No printed directions. You're sure we've reached this magical spot you've kidnapped me to?"
Jennifer felt herself relax even further as she stuck her tongue out toward Dhiraj. The motel sign came into view.
"Not everything needs to be digital. You memorize a few numbers, check the mileage and before you know it...." Jennifer changed her tone to the GPS voice. "You have arrived at your destination."
Dhiraj gave Jennifer a goofy grin. "More like, you and your captive have arrived at your destination."
Jennifer opened her mouth as if she were offended. "That's it, we're not eloping anymore. I had a great ceremony planned and everything."
Dhiraj rolled his eyes. "I'll get the cooler."
Jennifer had been in the company of a lot of different guys in the past couple of months. This was the first time, however, she could say she truly felt comfortable around one of them.
When they checked in, there was only one room left and it sported one queen-sized bed.
They assessed their belongings. Jennifer's cooler would keep them well fed, while the extra toothbrushes and supplies in Dhiraj's overnight bag for Ted would make sure they were hygienic.
Jennifer changed into the outfit meant for Ted – a generic t-shirt and a pair of pajama pants covered in cartoon meatloaf drawings. "Why meatloaf?"
"Never a bad time for meatloaf." Dhiraj looked straight down at the carpet and sat. "Would you mind lending me a blanket for the floor?"
Jennifer held out her hand. "Unh-uh." She lifted him up off the ground. "You're getting half the bed. Besides, it'll make it easier for me to hear you sneak out."
When Dhiraj stood straight up, they were eye to eye. She wanted to kiss him, but she didn't know if it was her instinct from months of kissing every boy in sight, the fact that she was a teenager alone in a hotel room with a boy or that she actually cared about her friend in that way. When she moved close to him, she could feel his body shudder.
"I'll take half of the bed." Dhiraj's breath quickened. "Thanks."
Jennifer put her arms around the back of Dhiraj's neck. She breathed in his scent and drew her body closer.
"We don't have to sleep yet." She brought her lips close to his to see if he would close the distance himself.
Jennifer felt him inch forward a tiny bit before he pulled back. She moved ahead and kissed him anyway. She wanted Dhiraj to take her by the waist and toss her onto the bed. She wanted all her emotions thrown out the window for several minutes of pure instinct. Before she could lose herself in the moment, Dhiraj jerked his lips away.
"This isn't right." Dhiraj tried to touch Jennifer's waist to push her away, but his hands were too shaky to do much of anything. "It's what I want, but not the way I want it."
Jennifer sidestepped Dhiraj and sat down on the bedspread. He joined her.
"You don't like me?" Jennifer sniffled.
Dhiraj steadied his hand and took a hold of hers. "It's the opposite. I love you. And you're my friend. I don't understand what you're going through, but I want to."
With that, Jennifer let her emotions fly out in the form of tears. She lowered her head into Dhiraj's lap and wept. He cradled her head with one hand and put the other around her waist. She laced her fingers with his and cried until she fell asleep.
25
When Ted woke up the following morning, he was surprised he and his dad had been able to pass out on the blue upholstered chairs given the consistent beeping of the machines hooked up to his mother. When Mrs. Finley's eyes opened to see Ted and his dad sitting by her side, she smiled so wide that even Ted was almost convinced that nothing bad had happened.
"My boys." She reached for them, and they obliged her with a gentle hug. "I'm so glad you're OK."
When the embrace ended, Ted let out a tear and a laugh. "You almost die in a fire and you're glad we're OK?"
Even with heavy pain medication, Ted's mother gave him a quick smirk. "I was afraid you two wouldn't last four hours without me, let alone an entire night." She grew serious. "How's the house?"
Ted's dad shook his head and smiled. "Aside from that terrible quilt and a few burned patches of carpet, we made out OK."
"The quilt?" She somehow smiled wider than when she'd first spied them. "The bomb was truly a gift from God, then."
His mother's smile soon gave way to a quivering lip. When she started to sob, Ted's heart completely broke. He and his father began to cry as well.
Ted sniffled. "Mom, why'd you try to find me?" He took her hand. "You could've gotten yourself killed."
She tightened her grip and let out a shallow exhale. "You can't take the mother out of the mom."
Ted couldn't help but think what would've happen if the weapon had been more powerful. What if it would've taken his mother from him? Ted felt his face grow hot.
"What am I supposed to do, guys?" Ted pulled back and turned away from his parents. "These people could do this again. And they might have Natalie stashed somewhere. If I could just get my hands on Cobblestone."
"Theodore Finley!" Ted's mother could be just as stern from a hospital bed as she could from a standing position. "You're old enough to make your own decisions, but you're smart enough to make sure they aren't made in anger."
Mr. Finley took his wife's other hand. "I don't know, Deb." He glanced over at Ted. "I'd kind of like to strangle Cobblestone right now myself."
Ted appreciated the support, but he could see his father's comment start to pierce his mother's calm.
"Vigilantes? Are those the people I've married and raised?"
"But Mom–"
"But nothing, Ted." His mother looked stronger as she sat up in her bed. Past all the bandages and the beeping machines, she was still a mom through and through. "If you make this emotional, you've let the bad guys win. They want you to hurt somebody else or hurt yourself. You want justice, but they want to turn you into one of them. I'm going to be fine, but I won't be if you let them win."
Ted attempted to let himself relax. He wasn't sure how well it was working. "Alright."
Ted caught Erica talking to two men out of the corner of his eye. He recognized them as Agents Vott and Harding. "I'll try my best. Be back in a sec."
Ted kissed his mom on the cheek and hugged his dad before heading back into the hallway.
Ted joined Erica's side. She covertly took his hand and gave it a squeeze before going back into business mode. Ted wondered how many people Erica had lost in her many lifetimes.
Would seeing that many people die make you care more or less?
Vott and Harding barely even noticed Ted's entrance into the chat. Ted assumed they had figured out that Erica was the one who needed more convincing than he did.
"Natalie Dorne
r is still missing," Agent Vott said. "She remains our #1 person of interest until we find some more evidence."
"But I already told you, she was set up." Erica had come a long way from pretending she was too stupid to function around the DHS. Now she was talking to the two agents as though they were too stupid to function. "You need to search the GHA headquarters. They probably have her in a bunker. If she's still alive." Erica looked over at Ted. "Sorry."
He nodded. "It's okay. I know she's alive. I can feel it."
"The GHA is protected by some major players in Washington," Agent Harding said. "The chances of us getting clearance to search their building are unlikely."
Ted wondered who in the government disliked him enough to protect the same people who’d just bombed his house. Whoever it was, he certainly wouldn't be voting for them when he was old enough to hit the polls.
Agent Vott cleared his throat. "Now, if you join up with us, we can make this problem go away and keep your family safe."
Erica scowled at the agents. "Ted's mom is in the hospital. It could've been Ted himself who was maimed or killed. Then you wouldn't even have a chance to sign him up for your little club."
Ted took Erica by the shoulder. "Hey, let's talk about this in private for a sec. Guys, can you excuse us?"
The agents nodded and Ted took Erica to the other side of the waiting area. She pushed Ted's arm off and started to pace away from him.
"I don't trust them and you shouldn't, either." Erica folded her arms and continued to walk.
"Of course I don't trust them. But just because I don't trust them doesn't mean I might not need them."
Erica gave Ted a death glare. "It's part of the job that people you love will be in danger."
Ted considered telling Erica that he didn't exactly apply for the position. He had a feeling that line of reasoning would be met with a swift kick in the gut.
"I know." He took her shoulders and did his best to look calm. "But most of the time these living souls have a secret identity. I don't, and I need to keep my family safe."
