Marked

by T. L. McDonald

  The memory fades and I become myself once again. I lurch forward falling into Will, dizzy and nauseated. Air wheezes in and out of my lungs, Will wraps his arms around me holding me still while the room spins around me.

  “It’s okay now,” Will says stroking my hair. “You’re back. Just breathe and relax.”

  When my gasps turn into normal breaths he lets me go even though I can see in his eyes that he doesn’t want to.

  “Hanna.” Jared sits stiffly on the edge of my bed, the blankets twisted, and held tight in his hands. Relief floods his features at seeing my face. And even though I know on some level it hurts Will to see me with Jared, I can’t help but go to him. He wraps me in his arms where I breathe him in deeply feeling safe and at home.

  Will fake coughs. Reluctantly, Jared and I pull apart.

  “What did you see?” Will asks kindly.

  I close my eyes remembering Emily’s words and the way Sam felt about reading them. I take a deep breath steadying myself and then I tell them everything.

  “So she didn’t mention anything about who she gave the baby to?” Will asks, disappointment written all over his face.

  “No. But there is something else. On some of her pages she drew an angel that’s at first shackled then eventually freed. Over the last couple of days I’ve been painting the exact same thing. Do you think it means anything?”

  Will ponders it for a moment then shakes his head. “I don’t know. I can’t think of anything right off, but we can’t rule anything out. It could be significant or it could be that you were painting it because it was in Sam’s memories.”

  “Nothing you just said helps me out at all,” I say.

  Will laughs. “I know. I’m sorry, but for now that’s all I got.”

  “If the journal didn’t say who she gave the baby to or list any descriptive marks that could help identify him, how did Sam figure out who he was?” Jared asks.

  “I’ve been wondering the same thing myself. We know that Sam was at the club because he tracked his brother there, but how did he do it? The journal didn’t really have anything useful in it, which is actually kind of good because that means Blondie still doesn’t know how to find him either. But still, how did Sam find him? If we can figure that out then maybe we can do the same thing,” I say. Hope sparks in my chest that maybe we’ll have a shot at locating him.

  And then Will opens his mouth dashing that hope away. “They were connected by blood, so my guess is he used that to track him.”

  “Is there another way we can find him?” Jared asks.

  “I don’t know. Let me think.” Will starts to pace. “Maybe if…” He shakes his head. “No, that won’t work.” He paces, stops, then paces some more. He opens his mouth, closes it, says nothing, continues to pace.

  Watching him go around and around is starting to make me dizzy. I start to look away when he suddenly stops in front of me. “I think I know a way, but it won’t be easy. In fact, it will probably be damn near impossible. The only thing we know for sure is that Emily had him in a cabin out by Lake Haven. If we can find that cabin then maybe we can find something that got left behind. But it will have to be something that was physically his like a blanket, a toy, clothes, or something like that if I’m going to try and track him with it.”

  “Yeah, but what are the odds of something of his still being there after all these years. I mean he’d be…how old would he be now?” I ask.

  “If I’m doing the math right, almost eighteen,” Will answers.

  “So you want to find something from almost eighteen years ago in some cabin out in the woods?” Damn near impossible is right, I think to myself.

  “Yeah, and that’s not the only problem. I’ve been all over those woods and I’ve never come across a cabin.”

  “That’s because it isn’t there anymore,” Jared says. “There used to be a cabin near the cliffs above the lake but it burnt down like fifteen years ago or something like that. It had a cellar though and that’s still there.”

  “How do you know that?” I ask.

  “I found it one day when I was avoiding my wonderful stepfather Brad,” Jared says, voice heavy with sarcasm. “Anyway, I was curious so I asked around about it.”

  “It’s a long shot and it might not even be the same cabin, but it’s the only lead we got.” Will strides over to the door. Pausing at the threshold he looks back at Jared and I. “Well, you two coming or what?”

  “Now?” I look at the dark sky blanketing the Earth out my window. “It’s after dark how are we supposed to find it?”

  “With flashlights and a whole lot of luck,” Will says with a half grin before his face turns all serious again. “All I know is that if Zoe.” He chokes on her name. “If Zoe did take the journal to give to Blondie then we can’t afford to wait. The cabin is the only clue they have too.”

  Going out into the woods at night isn’t exactly something I’m jumping for joy to do given what happened with Blondie the last time I was out there. But Will’s right. We can’t wait. After leaving a note on the fridge for Adam letting him know I’m going to be late for dinner, I leave the safety of my home to follow my friends into the unknown.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Dark clouds roll in erasing the stars, making the forest around me appear more shadowed. Threatening even. A cool breeze dances through the leaves overhead, heavy with the smell of impending rain. There’s a storm coming and I have a horrible feeling that it’ll be in more ways than one in these woods tonight.

  Jared is ahead of me by five paces leading Will and I down a winding path deeper into the forest. Nervous energy fills me the further we walk. Bad memories of this place haunt me and I think I see Blondie hiding behind every tree we pass.

  After awhile the trees open up before us and we come out into a clearing where everything has been decimated. Where I had decimated it. Where Will had almost died.

  Will grabs my hand giving me a small heart attack. We share a million emotions in one look, both of us remembering the last time we were here.

  “Whoa, what the hell happened out here?” Jared shines his flashlight out over the debris surveying the damage. He shines the light on me. Will lets go of my hand. “Is this where…?” I nod. “So then you…?”

  I’m having a hard time finding my voice. “Yeah.” The damage out here looks much worse than how I remember it and it’s definitely freaking me out a little that I’m capable of such destruction.

  “Wow.”

  “So where’s this burnt down cabin?” Will asks and I get the feeling he wants to get out of this place just as much as I do.

  “It’s just a little further up this way,” Jared says pointing ahead.

  We walk further in, leaving the clearing behind. Tall twisting trees surround us making everything look the same until I can no longer tell which way we came from. Panic hums just under the surface of my skin and the deeper we go the more it grows until I’m barely able to keep it together. Everywhere I look I think I see Blondie; behind that stump up ahead; behind the tree to my left; behind me where he’s already taken out Will, and I’m next.

  Thunder booms above shaking the ground below my feet. I scream as hands seize my shoulders from behind. Blondie’s caught me and the only thing running through my mind is that this time I’m not going to get away.

  A hand covers my mouth drowning out my screams.

  “Hanna, calm down. Its just thunder. You’re fine.” Will shushes me, but his eyes are just as wild and crazy as I imagine mine are. “I know it’s hard being back out here. It’s hard for me too, but we're safe. Blondie isn’t here this time.”

  I want to believe him, I really do, but he can’t know for sure that Blondie isn’t here somewhere, especially if Zoe did give him the journal.

  My eyes search the stump, the trees, everything. “You’re probably right” Or not. “I’m sorry. I just…”

  “Freaked out,” Will finishes for me and I nod.

  Jared takes my hand, his ey
es searching my face. “Do you want to leave? We can always come back in the morning.”

  “No. I’m fine. Just bad memories. Lets keep going.”

  “You sure?” I nod, and Jared squeezes my hand pulling me closer beside him. He kisses the top of my head. “It’s not much further.”

  Rain pitter-patters off the canopy of leaves above our heads not yet strong enough to reach us on the ground. Lightning flashes and in those few seconds of illumination I search for any sign of Blondie. I don’t see him, but I can’t shake this feeling that he’s out there somewhere.

  Watching.

  Waiting.

  Planning.

  Jared lets go of my hand then walks ahead to examine the ground closely with his flashlight. “I think this is it.”

  The rain starts to fall harder and faster now in icy drops that quickly soak through my hoodie. Shivering, I wipe away the rain from my eyes with the edge of my sleeve.

  Jared drops to his knees brushing fallen leaves and dirt away from a raised area on the ground. Rain drenches his long sleeve Henley turning it a darker shade of blue. It sticks to his skin taking the shape of his body leaving little to the imagination. He turns, catches me staring and smiles. My face turns fifty shades of red and I drop my eyes pretending to be suddenly interested in a rock by my foot. He laughs under his breath then calls for Will to come and help him.

  Will moves past me and begins helping Jared clear away the remaining debris. He is soaked also, his normal faux hawk hair now flattened and plastered to his forehead, but at least he had the common sense to wear his leather jacket. I wish I’d worn mine.

  “Hanna, take this.” Will stands back up, the knees of his jeans covered in mud. He hands me his flashlight.

  “Take mine too,” Jared says handing me his.

  Once I’m holding all three flashlights the boys go to work trying to open the cellar doors. There’s no lock, but after years of rain and snow the doors are rusted shut and it takes them several attempts to get it open. The three of us stand together at the mouth of the cellar as I shine all the lights down into the darkness below.

  Wooden stairs that look like they might break if we so much as put one foot on them, leads down to a damp dirt floor. It’s too dark to see exactly what’s down there from here leaving only one way to find out. Taking his flashlight back, Will goes down first. The wooden steps creak loudly under his feet.

  Hesitating, I scan the tree line one last time double checking that Blondie isn’t really out there somewhere.

  Blue eyes reflect back.

  My whole body goes ridged. The flashlight, suddenly heavy in my hands, drops. My legs break at the knees and I fall to the ground desperately searching to get it back. After several seconds that feel like years I find it. Shining the light back into the trees I find the blue eyes once again. To my relief they’re not Blondie’s like I’d thought.

  Jared helps me to my feet while looking at me like I’ve lost my mind. And honestly, I can’t say that I haven’t. Being out here in the dark with an overactive imagination is not a good combination. Especially when my fears are based in truth.

  “Are you okay?” He studies my face then shines his light into the woods. “It’s just a raccoon.”

  “I know. I’m fine. It just startled me for a second.” I smile, putting on a brave face, but on the inside, I’m a nervous wreck. I’m so tired of being afraid all the time. I wish I could be more like Jared because right now he looks fearless.

  “What are you thinking?”

  “Huh?”

  He smiles. “What are you thinking? You’re staring at me with this far off look in your eye.”

  “Oh, I was just wishing that I could be as fearless as you. Everything out here makes me jump and I think I see Blondie everywhere I look. But you, you don’t seem to have that fear and I envy that.”

  “I promise I’m plenty afraid, it’s just that I’m better at hiding it than you.” Jared wraps me in his arms and I snuggle in. His heart beats in time with mine and for a few precious seconds I don’t feel afraid. All it takes is one touch from him to make all my fears fall away. I love that he has that power over me.

  “You guys coming down or what?” Will calls from the depths of the cellar.

  “I guess we should get down there,” I say pulling away. All of my fears and worries creep back in and I wish I could stay in Jared’s arms forever so they’d never have to.

  “Hey.” Jared places his hand on my arm. “I won’t let anything happen to you out here. I promise.”

  “I know.”

  His fingers glide down over my arm until his hand is in mine and together we descend into the darkness of the cellar. We’re almost half way down when the stairs groan ominously. Jared’s hand rips out of mine as a portion of the stairs breaks away taking him with it.

  “Jared!”

  Broken stairs and splintered edges cover his body, which is in a heap on the dirt floor. My heart jumps into my throat where I choke on it as my feet trip over themselves in my haste to get to him.

  Will gets there the same time I do and together we unbury Jared, throwing broken pieces of rotted wood to the side. Once he’s free, Will helps him to sit up.

  “You’re hurt,” I say as I reach for him. His cap is missing and there’s blood trailing down the side of his face from a gash above his right eye.

  “I’m okay,” Jared says as he wipes the blood away from his eye with the back of his hand, smearing it. He sifts around in the debris for his cap and upon finding it puts it back on. Dust and splintered shards fall from the bill.

  “Here, let us help you up.” I grab ahold of Jared’s arm, and together Will and I pull him to his feet. He tries to stand on his own and can’t. Wincing he shifts his weight to his right foot. Throwing Jared’s arm over his shoulder Will helps him hobble over to an old rocking chair in the corner.

  “I’m going to look okay,” I say once Jared’s seated. He nods and I lift his pant leg up. His ankle is swollen twice it’s normal size with dark blue and purple bruises spreading out around his leg. I touch it gently with the tip of my fingers. He inhales sharply. “I think it’s broken.”

  “Let me see.” Will takes my place as I move over. His face confirms my suspicions. “I can make it better, but I have to warn you—it’s going to hurt like hell for a minute.”

  Jared takes a deep breath, hardens his face. “Do it. It can’t hurt any worse than it does right now.” Will wraps his hands around Jared’s ankle and starts to speak in a hushed tone. Jared grips the arms of the chair, his nails digging into the wood. “Okay, I was wrong. This hurts much worse,” Jared says through gritted teeth. But then his face relaxes a little and he starts to breathe normally.

  “What did you do?” I ask Will, as I watch the bruises fade from Jared’s skin.

  “Good news is that it’s no longer broken,” Will says putting his hand on Jared’s shoulder to prevent him from standing. “Bad news is that it’s still going to feel like a bad sprain for a few days or so, so you should probably try to stay off of it as much as you can. Hanna can help me look around down here.”

  “Okay.” Jared nods as he examines his ankle. “And thanks.” He looks up at Will in wonderment. “You know, for whatever it is you did to it.”

  “No problem.”

  I look closer at Jared’s ankle. No more swelling. No more bruising. Amazing. “How does it feel?”

  “Better.” He moves it back and forth. “Still sore, but much better than it was.”

  “I’m glad.” I lean in to kiss him on the cheek. He turns his head so it’s his lips I kiss instead.

  “Maybe we can play doctor later and you can check to make sure I’m not hurt anywhere else,” Jared says with a wink. I blush. Will drops a box.

  I smack him on the arm and he laughs. “I’m going to go help Will.”

  “And I’ll sit right here and try to come up with a way for us to get out of the cellar now that there’s a big hole in the middle of the staircase.” />
  I had been so concerned with Jared falling through them that I hadn’t considered how we were going to get back out. The staircase itself is still intact, but it’s hard to say if it’ll stay that way if we try to climb it. “Maybe there’s a ladder or something down here we can use.”

  “While you’re looking for that see if you can find me a crutch or something.”

  “Will do.”

  I leave Jared to sit in his chair while I go to find Will. The cellar, though dark, musty, and completely creepy, is fairly large in size and stuffed full of junk. Shelves stacked with boxes and things line most of the walls and in front of those are even more boxes. Whoever stayed here or lived here was definitely a pack rat. It’s going to take us forever to go through all of this.

  I find Will hidden behind a stack of boxes looking at the things on one of the shelves.

  “Can I do what you did?” I ask. Will looks at me with both eyebrows gathered together. “Heal people I mean,” I say clarifying.

  Will rummages in one of the boxes on the shelf, pulling out some old clothes. He sets them aside. “I don’t know. Remember how I told you that some of us have extra abilities?” I nod. “Well, mine is that I can heal other people…in a limited capacity anyway.” He shrugs his shoulders. “I can’t heal things completely.” He looks at me apologetically.

  “You don’t have to feel sorry for not being able to heal Jared completely. What you did for him was amazing.”