“Move,” Mom said in a tone that broached no argument.
“Make me,” Ezra ran a hand through his long hair and blew a sickening kiss at Mom.
“Be careful,” Owen whispered. “He’s a Mover.”
“Is that right?” Mom answered. “Well, I’m a Shaker.” She made a gun with her hand and pointed it at Ezra. He twitched her forefinger, pulling the trigger. Ezra started to shake violently. He thrashed back and forth like someone had stuck him in a paint mixer and, when he stopped; his eyes were wide and his expression blank. He fell like a sack to the floor, and lay there unconscious.
“That’s the coolest thing I’ve ever seen,” Owen blinked.
“You’re welcome,” Mom grinned. “Come on. We’re leaving.” She grabbed my hand.
“What happened up there?” I asked again.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said, running toward the door. “Let them deal with their own mess. All I care about is making sure you’re safe.”
“Casper is up there,” I said as we entered the staircase.
“You brought Casper here?!” Mom was stunned. She stopped for a second, and then looked at Owen and back to me. “Can I trust him?” She asked.
“I do,” I said, looking at his deep blue eyes and the gash on his chest where I had cut him.
“Good,” she turned back to him. “Go find Casper. I’m getting Cresta out of here.”
“No,” I shook my head. “I got him into this. He’s here because of me. I have to make sure he gets out okay.”
“Cresta, until the sun comes up, next to you is the most dangerous place he can be,” Mom said.
“She’s right,” Owen answered. “They’re going to be looking for you. Get out of here. I’ll find him. I’ll find all of them. We’ll meet you.”
“Nobody dies for me today,” I told him.
“Understood,” he nodded.
I grabbed his hand and pulled him close, planting a soft kiss on his lips. “That includes you. Be careful.”
“Always,” he answered and, like a flash, he was gone.
We had run up three flights of stairs (which wasn’t easy in a wedding gown) and not seen anyone. The sounds of fighting, shouts, crashes, and thuds, sounded out from the other side of the wall. There was some sort of scuffle, but what?
I stopped by the door that would have led us onto one of the main floors. “Mom, I need to know what’s going on.”
“You need to keep going!” She said, as though mine was the stupidest idea she had ever heard.
“Who’s out there? If people are dying for me-“
“Then you getting yourself killed would only make their sacrifice for nothing.”
“I don’t want anybody sacrificing themselves for me. I just- I want all of this to be over.”
“I know you do, sweetheart.” She brushed my hair back like she did when I was little. “And it will be. I promise. We just have to go.”
“You lied to me. And not just about little things; about big giant life changing stuff.” It wasn’t the best time for this, not while both of us still had bits of glass in our hair. But we were here, I didn’t know what was coming and, if I never did another thing in my entire life, I wanted to hear the truth from my mother.
She sighed, seeming to deflate. “I know I did, honey.
“And I get why you did it, I guess. I just-“
“What do you want to know?” She asked, leaning in closer so that our eyes were level. Running seemed to take a backseat for her, at least momentarily.
“You’re not my mom,” I said, as tears streamed unbidden down my cut, tired face. It wasn’t a question, but it was the thing I wanted to say more than anything else.
“I am!” She pulled me in, batting back tears off her own. “ I’m yours and you’re mine; forever. Do you understand me?”
“But Dr. Conyers-“ I started.
“Dr. Conyers was my best friend,” Mom said. “She still is, in all the ways that matter. But she wasn’t there when you took your first steps. She wasn’t there when you had your first nightmare, or when you needed your first bra. She didn’t watch you grow up; didn’t get to see the woman you’ve become. After your dad died, I wanted to take you someplace away from things, someplace where I thought you’d be safe. And Dr. Conyers, she wanted to see you, to get to know you. And I can’t blame her, Cresta. You are the most amazing person I’ve ever known. I’m so proud of you.”
“But dad wasn’t a Breaker. Echo told me,” I said as a loud thump shook the door before us. “If he wasn’t a Breaker, then-“
“Your father was the love of my life, and a good man. He loved you more than anything. That’s all that matters.”
“But he knew about me, about what I was?”
“He did,” she nodded.
“How?”
She sighed again. “Cresta, there are people who think differently than Echo and the others; people who don’t answer to the Council of Masons or adhere to the archaic rules that they cling to. These people want to save the world too, but they want to do it the right way. These people would accept you. They wouldn’t judge you or try to change you, and they sure as hell wouldn’t try to kill you. Your father was one of these people. It’s where you belong, and it’s where I’m going to take you.”
“Like hell you will.” Ezra was at the bottom of the stairs, floating dazedly with his teeth in a snarl. “The Bloodmoon stays with us. “
Mom gunned up her hand again, pointing it at Ezra. But before she could act, Ezra threw his hand. Mom went spiraling through the door and into the fray. Looking out, I saw that we weren’t inside anymore. The door looked out onto a small town, and not just any town. We were back in Crestview. The night sky was starting to brighten. The sun would be up soon, but I saw with a start that it wouldn’t be quick enough. People dressed in formal wear, dressed for my wedding, fought against a wave of people dressed in matching black and white garb. I watched in horror as a man in a tuxedo was thrown through the air and impaled a ragged piece of sharp metal that had once been the Hernando statue. A woman in a long peach dress swung an axe at one of the black and white clad men, striking him in the knee and taking him down.
“Mom!” I yelled, but before I could move, she was swallowed up in the crowd. Suddenly, I felt a pull at me. It grabbed me, the unseen fingers, and lifted me off my feet. Before I could react, I was floating up the stairs toward Ezra.
“Come on, pretty one,” he grinned at me. “Let’s get you to the Raven.”
I struggled, pulling against the force, but it was no use. He had me. Ezra smiled wider and flicked his tongue at me. “You do make a scrumptious little dish, don’t you? I wonder if Allister would mind if I could a taste for myself before I delivered you. “ His tongue made a second appearance. “Just a taste.”
I cringed as I neared him; close enough that I would feel his breath on my neck. I wanted to screwam, but then his eyes got wide. He opened his mouth, trying to speak, but then fell. I fell too, no longer a prisoner of his grip. Looking up, I saw Dahlia standing over me. A sword, streaked in blood graced her hand.
“I knew you were trouble,” she muttered. “The first time I saw you, I said it.”
“How did you find us?” I choked out, rubbing my throat.
“Because, it seems, my daughter isn’t nearly as foolhardy as Ash’s,” she answered.
Wendy appeared beside her, a rare grin on her face. ”Hello Cresta Karr,” she said. “I may have left psionic breadcrumbs for Momma to follow, in case the situation became-Well, what the situation has become. Please do not be angry with me.”
“I’m not angry,” I said, thinking of Ezra’s flickering tongue.
“Take this,” Dahlia said, handing me a small black bag.
“What the hell is this?” I asked. Pulling it out, I saw a black and white suit that matched the one she was wearing. “I don’t have time for a change of clothes. My mother’s out there. I have to find her. This’ll take too long.”
“It
won’t take near as long if you stop arguing with me,” Dahlia said flatly. “Everyone out there is looking for you. The Raven’s lunatics might know what you look like, but the others don’t.”
“Who are the others?” I asked, already knowing the answer. “You called the Council of Masons didn’t you?”
“You went rogue. You stole my daughter and disobeyed direct orders from your superiors. You’ve lost the right to be indignant.”
“She didn’t steal me, Momma,” Wendy said, but Dahlia quieted her with a raised hand.
“But yes, I did. And the Council sent us reinforcements; reinforcements that have been ordered to stop the apocalypse at all cost.” She pointed out the door. “Look at that. The sun is almost up. I was never a fan of this idea, but seeing as how we’ve come this far, I won’t have the entire ordeal spoiled by a trigger happy Breaker who wants to make a name for themselves. I need you to blend in, and you can’t really do that in a wedding dress, can you. So, yes. We will save your mother, and, fate knows, all the other people you managed to convince to join you in this disaster. But first, you will strip.”
Reluctantly, I slid out of my wedding dress and into the small (and ridiculously formfitting) outfit that Dahlia gave me. Usually, I would have been shy about changing in front of someone, even if that someone is another female. But I figured after watching my house explode, getting locked up by cultist superheroes, going on the most ill-fated road trip ever, waking up to a looney tune’s marriage proposal, and slashing the guy I love with the aforementioned looney tune’s knife, that it wouldn’t be so bad.
“There,” I said, letting the leather slap against my shoulders. “Happy?”
“Ecstatic,” Dahlia said, and marched up the stairs. “Now follow me. Stay close and, by fate’s hand, try not to get yourselves killed.”
Crestview was on fire, and only part of it was figurative. Main Street, a ghost town even on its busiest days, was now overflowing with dueling Breakers. The rush of them was unlike anything I had ever seen outside of a sci-fi movie or maybe a wartime documentary. Blood stained the potholed road and, when I heard a crunch underfoot, I looked down to find teeth were strewn across the ground too.
Turning around, I saw the door we left, which apparently doubled for the entrance to Allister Leeman’s holdfast, was Miss Armie’s Cool Country Cupboard; a diner/ice cream parlor that had been long closed even when I moved to Crestview. How long had Allister Leeman’s men been here? Dahlia must be kicking herself for having missed it the first time she came to town.
A body; a girl around my age in a flowing black dress and matching headpiece, came whizzing by my head. When she landed, crashing against the bench where Mrs. Cartwright and her church friends always sat and gossiped about the week gone by, I saw that she was dead.
Mom was nowhere to be found. Casper, Owen, even Merrin; I didn’t see any of them. I wanted to scream “Here I am!”, but Dahlia’s words were fresh in my mind. So I crouched low and tried to blend in. A bright flash of light stole my vision for a second and, when it came back, a line of fire raged inches away from my face.
“Come Cresta Karr!” Wendy pulled me away from the heat. We slid behind an old Cadillac, listening to the screams of burning men and women.
But where was everyone? Where were the peace (and gossip) loving citizens of Crestview? I gasped as the answer came to me. Hiding behind the Cadillac, Wendy and I faced the window of the general store. Mr Carter, Mr Jenkins, and the rest of the early birds sat along the counting. They were drinking their coffee; just laughing, just talking. It was like they had no idea any of this was going on. My breath caught in my throat as I realized they didn’t. They couldn’t see or hear any of the chaos going on around them. To them, it was just another lazy Crestview morning.
“We have to end this,” I said standing.
“The ending comes with the sunrise,” Wendy answered.
“People are dying. That’s not quick enough!” I started to move. Wendy stood quickly.
“The path is set,” she said, and shoved me hard in the opposite direction. I went winding, collapsing into lanky familiar arms.
“Good to see you too,” Casper whispered. His face was still swollen. New bruises covered his eyes and cheeks, and a sting of pain ran through me, wondering what Allister Leeman did to him for his insolence.
“Thank God!” I wrapped my arms around him. “There was a fire. We lost Mom. We lost Dahlia. It’s just us.”
“Us?” He asked.
“Yeah, me and Wendy,” I said, but when I turned, the seer was gone. “Dammit. That girl’s gonna get herself killed.”
An explosion so loud that it shook the inside of my eardrums sounded in front of us. Mr. Carter and the early birds continued sipping their coffees, blissfully unaware.
“If I were you, I’d worry about all of us who can’t see the bullets coming before they’re shot.” Casper pulled me behind him. Pain seesawed up and down my tired legs, and I was sure Casper had no idea where he was leading me, but if we kept moving, we might have a chance of actually surviving this. Or, at least that’s how I saw it.
“We have to find my Mom,” I said loud enough for him to hear me but quiet enough to keep it from the rushing mobs surrounding us.
A man wearing a tuxedo holding a chainsaw popped out in front of us. Casper spun, pulling me away from him just as the chainsaw went past my face, sparking as the blade met the pavement.
“Kinda busy Cress,” he said without stopping.
We slid off Main Street and down an alley behind what used to be Walt’s Antique Barnyard (which was now on fire). About as loud as the freeway in Chicago during rush hour, it was still the quietest place we could find, and perhaps the only one where bullets weren’t flying.
“We’re staying here until the sun comes up, and these crazies tired themselves out.” He slid exhausted against the alley wall. “Casper has spoken.”
“You don’t get it. Mom said there was a place; a place where I would be safe. She said it’s where my dad came from, and it’s where we belong. We have to find her before this whole thing dies down. Dahlia said they wanted her for questioning and, if that happens, who knows what those crazy Masons will do to her.” I huffed. “We have to get her, find Owen, convince him to come with us and go. Now!”
“Cresta.” There was a serious look on Casper’s face. “You saw his tattoo. You know what he is. We-You can’t bring him with you, no matter where you go.”
“Why, because Allister Leeman thinks he’s the stupid dragon?”
“Because Allister Leeman thinks he’s gonna kill you one day,” he answered.
“He’s gonna kill the Bloodmoon. The sun will be up in five minutes and everybody will know that,” I folded my arms.
“Prophecies are weird. These people are weird. Some crazy person thinks they have a destiny that involves killing somebody that may or may not be you. I’m not taking the chance.” Now Casper folded his arms too.
“It’s not your chance to take. I believe in Owen, just like you believe in me.”
“Who said I believe in you? When did I say that? I believe you’re stupider than you look.”
“It’s happening Casper. Learn to love it,” I said, and took off back into the fray.
I heard Casper muttering. “Maybe I’m the friggin’ dragon, cause you’re working on my last nerve, little girl.” But, like I knew, he followed me anyway. The world spun in a rush of heat, sounds, and light. Nothing was familiar. I thought I might have saw Echo in the distance but, as quickly as he appeared, he was gone, and I couldn’t tell. Then, in a flash of horror, I thought I saw Allister Leeman. Mercifully, I was pushed away by the tide of people. The only thing that stayed constant, the only thing that kept me sane, was Casper’s hand in mine.
I felt a rush at my side, and then I was off my feet. The pavement rushed up to meet me. My head smacked against the pavement. I stood woozily. Looking up, I saw Casper. He had been knocked over too.
What was that?
>
He was getting to his feet slowly. The rush of people stretched out behind him until forever. Suddenly, I felt a presence at my side.
“There is but one path, Cresta Karr.” It was Wendy. She was calm and unshaken. “Do try to keep that in mind.” She touched my shoulder. “When Papa asks, tell him it was. It really was.”
“What?” I asked, but she was gone; rushing toward Casper. She whispered something quickly into his ear, and threw him back to the ground. Just as quickly, Wendy went rigid. Blood exploded onto her immaculate white shirt.
“Oh God,” I said, as she folded to the ground beside Casper. I rushed them. Casper had scooped her close to him, but the glint in his eyes when he looked at me said he had no idea what to do. Blood was soaking through Wendy’s shirt in one, two, three places. She coughed as her body tensed and jerked.
“Why did you do that?” Casper asked, as tears filled his green eyes. “You shouldn’t have done that. Why did you do that?”
Her face, always pale, grew even whiter. A smile, slow and strangely content, started to spread her lips.
“You knew,” I mumbled, leaning down to meet her. The craziness that had engulfed Crestview still raged on, but I hardly noticed it now. “You knew how this would end.”
“You knew this would happen?” Casper brushed strands of black hair out of Wendy’s pale eyes. “And you came anyway? Aww Wendy, you should have . . . ” But his voice trailed off. “Be still,” he cleared his throat. “I’m gonna move you. I’m gonna get you to someone who can help.”
“There is no help, not for this. Help comes later, too late. Every time it is too late,” she put her hand on his forearm. “This is the way, the one path. Sacrifices must be made. Truths must be earned. There is no more for me. Do not be sad.”
“What do you know?” Casper asked. Tears flowed freely down his cheeks. “You’re just a girl. You never even got to live. You shouldn’t have done that. You shouldn’t have saved me.” He shook his head hard.
“We are not done Casper Rhodes.” Coughs marred Wendy’s words, but her eyes shone clear and intent. “I told you our love would break the anchors, and it will. But this is what must be. This is what I chose. To look but never touch, to see but never feel, to watch the pieces fall into place but never be one with them; that is no life. I choose this. I choose friends, and adventure.” She coughed hard, her body shaking and convulsing. She lifted her hand to Casper’s face. “I choose a . . . boy with hair . . . as bright . . . as the-“
PANDORA Page 27
