After invoking the remaining signs, we’re ready to ask for freedom.
My heart pounds faster than the beat of hummingbird wings.
Four kids separate me from William. He stares at me, squares his jaw and gives a quick nod as if to say, “You got this!”
I try to take a deep breath.
“Castor and Pollux,
Hear my plea.
Zodiac signs,
Gather to me.
Fire, earth, wind, water,
Powers that be,
Bring us all home,
And set us free!”
Colors of the elements surge around us—green for earth, yellow for wind, red for fire, and blue for water—mixing and clashing together, rumbling where they touch.
“Anne!” Mary yelps.
“Hold on!” I cry.
Above us, a dozen tunnels form out of the smoke. The colors mingle, turn darker, and blend into a murky brown. This is different from before. I scream as the funnels rush down to meet us.
I latch onto Mary just as we’re pulled into the spinning vortex.
Unlike before, my body doesn’t shrink and my bones don’t feel like they’re being pulverized, but the air is so compressed that it’s hard to breathe. When I think my lungs will collapse from the lack of air, everything freezes like a cosmic pause button has been hit. My heart leaps into my throat. Mary slips away from me. I fumble for her ankle, but miss. I scream.
I’m still screaming when I land in a heap on the ground.
Real ground this time. Hard ground.
I groan, lifting my head, despite the dizziness that follows.
It’s night and damp from a recent rain.
Something soft is next to me. “Anne.” It’s Mary. “Where are we?”
I sit up and rub the back of my head. “No idea.”
We stand and lean on each other for support. I scan the landscape, searching for anything familiar. I see trees, a path, bits of shoppes illuminated by the moon. In the distance, street lamps mark a nearby road.
“We’re in the faire grounds.”
“Not ours,” Mary counters.
“No, we’re at the one we transported to,” I reply.
Spires of red, blue, yellow, and green impale the earth. They flare to an ultra white on impact and fizzle into a puffs of smoke. All of the kids from the Zodiac plane are left in their wake. They gather nearby, marveling at the grass, trees, buildings—you know, normal earthly plane things.
“Where’s William?” I ask.
“And Evan?” Mary whirls, scanning for him.
A thrashing comes from the woods behind us. I whip around in time to see William fighting the underbrush. He stumbles over to us, picking leaves out of his hair. “Hey.”
I raise an eyebrow. After everything that’s happened, he says “hey”? We survived. We escaped. We beat Zeena. Where’s the ultra-romantic moment? Isn’t the hero—William—supposed to kiss the heroine—me?
I squeeze some life into my fingers by curling them into fists. Mary went for gold and kissed Evan. I could do the same. “Will—”
He pins me with his gaze. “Yeah?”
I step closer and stare into his eyes. “We did it.”
“Yeah.” He grins and his dimples blitz out.
I lean close and open my mouth slightly and—
“Guys! There you are.” Evan pops out from behind a nearby shoppe and jogs our way.
I clamp my mouth shut and roll from my toes to my heels. “Thanks for your help.” I pat William’s shoulder.
He blinks away a squint of confusion. “You’re welcome.”
Mary and Evan embrace. They don’t waste any time locking lips.
For goodness sake. I purse my lips, kicking myself for being such a coward and stuffing down the green jealousy monster pawing at my stomach.
There are way too many people around anyway. It’d be too weird to kiss William in front of them. And, he may not even want to.
And that would be too devastating to face.
Out of nowhere, a bolt of lightning punches the ground with a thwack!
The old witch pops into view, walking through an invisible door torn into our earthly plane. She locks onto us immediately. “So you thought you’d escape, did you?”
Mary’s eyes widen. “She’ll never give up, will she?”
I square off with Gamma’s sister. “You’ve lost all your power now. The signs chose us.” I nod at William, Evan, Mary, and all the other kids who’ve joined us. We complete the entire Zodiac.
They all nod back.
I open my mouth to chant. A flash of lightning zings over our heads, zapping away the words I’d planned to say.
The bolt impales the ground between Zeena and us. Dirt sprays and smoke billows from the crater. A hazy figure rises from the hole. There’s a familiar hunch and fluff of curly hair.
“Gamma!” I cry.
She climbs out of the hole, grunting with every step. “Eneaz. Stop this at once.”
Zeena’s dark eyes spark with rage. “Edith. It’s been a long time.”
They circle each other like heavyweight boxers sizing up their opponents.
“It’s foolish of you to pick on my granddaughters. They’re your flesh and blood, sister.”
Zeena sneers. “If you cared so much about them, you’d have taught them properly.”
Gamma shakes her head. “And the other children? How many families have you destroyed in your greed?”
The old witch points a finger at Gamma. “Had you joined with me, we’d have been unstoppable. I’d never have had to go to such lengths to draw the signs’ attentions.”
“You manipulated the order of things to suit you. I could never agree to such a thing.”
A white glow pulses from the tip of Zeena’s finger.
“Gamma, look out!” I yelp.
Too late. A light rope lashes out from Zeena and snaps around Gamma’s waist like a whip.
Gamma yells and drops to her knees. “Eneaz, stop this madness!”
“Why must you fight me?” She shoots another light rope and pins Gamma’s upper body.
Mary claws at my sleeve and whimpers. Evan wraps her in a protective hug.
I grab onto William’s shirt and he circles my waist with an arm. “Hold tight, guys.”
I step forward. “Great Aunt Eneaz.”
Zeena whips her head toward me. Her upper lip is curled back. “Eh?”
“Aunt Eneaz. That’s who you are. You aren’t a kidnapper. You’re a twin. You have a sister and a family.”
The wrinkles in her forehead deepen with her frown. “What?”
Mary joins me, shoulder to shoulder. “That’s right. Your family misses you. We can be together if you let go of the Zodiac power and join us. Must be lonely being by yourself all the time.”
She faces Gamma again.
Gamma lifts her head. “It’s true, Eneaz. I searched everywhere for you. I chanted for years. No matter where I looked, I couldn’t find you.”
“No you didn’t. I would’ve felt it,” Zeena snaps.
“Our bond was broken. When I gave the spellbook to Anne, I’d hoped her and Mary’s bond would be strong enough to mend the tear. I’d hoped to find you with their help.”
My jaw drops. Bone-crushing agony riddles my ribcage, steals my breath, and tears at my heart. “You used us.”
Gamma crawls toward us. “I’m sorry, Anne. I never meant for this to happen. We were supposed to do magick together. I was supposed to guide you.”
“But I didn’t listen.” Tears stream down my face. “I screwed it up.”
“I did, dear. It’s my fault. I wanted my sister back. I hope you can forgive me.” Gamma collapses to the ground.
“Gamma!” I dash to her and drop to my hands and knees. She’s made mistakes, but so have I. And I still love her. She’s my Gamma. I guess I understand why she wanted to save her sister.
“Anne!” William cries.
I press the back of my hand to G
amma’s cheek. Her skin is cold. I tug at the light ropes binding her. “Zeena, let her go! She’s your sister. She loves you.”
Zeena’s sneer fades. The hardness of her eyes cracks, revealing a soft, creamy center inside. “You’re lying.”
“Mary.” I hold my hand out to her.
She rushes to my side, kneels next to me, and laces her fingers with mine. It gives me the strength to keep talking. “Let us go, Zeena. Don’t hurt Gamma. You can’t live without your sister. I know I can’t live without mine,” I say.
I grab Gamma’s hand and squeeze Mary’s. Mary gestures for Evan and William to join us.
All our energy combines on contact. Our auras glow gold, amber, yellow, and red. Zeena squints and holds an arm in front of her face.
I slide my fingers toward her light ropes. They fizzle and snap apart under my touch.
Freed, Gamma stirs. She moans and opens her eyes. “Anne.”
Mary, Evan, William, and I help her sit up. She centers her red glasses on her nose. “Thank you, dears.”
“Are you okay, Gamma?”
Gamma nods at us, then addresses Zeena. “You see, Eneaz? Your power is not omnipotent. The bonds of friendship and family overrule it.”
Zeena fists her hands and throws her head back to the sky. “Zodiac signs unite! Smite my enemies. Draw on their powers and claim them for me!”
We huddle together, our arms an interlocking knot of unity. Zeena has been so corrupted by power that she’s forgotten about love and family. Still, she controls the weather, the stars, and the entire Zodiac and we’re defenseless against any smiting. I cringe, swallowing the sticky lump of terror rising in my throat. Whatever happens, at least I’m spending my final moments with my closest friends and family.
Lightning does not flash. Thunder does not boom. Wind does not howl.
Curious, I open one eye, then the other. The night is still. Zeena stands a few feet away from us, arms spread wide, palms facing the universe above.
“Gamma, why isn’t anything happening?” I whisper.
“The signs. They’re not responding to her.”
“Is it because we’re all here?” Mary asks.
“I’d say so, dear. You’ve swayed the Zodiac to listen to you.”
“Signs, why have you abandoned me?” Zeena screams.
Gamma tries to stand. “Help me, boys. Girls, keep hold of me.”
William and Evan steady her while Mary and I grip her hands tight.
“This is your last chance, sister,” she warns.
Zeena lowers her gaze to us. The cold fire burning inside them flares, then hushes, stifled and somber. “I have nothing left. I’m all alone.”
“You don’t have to be, Eneaz.” Gamma reaches out to her sister.
“It is too late for me, Edith. I cannot go back to my old life.” She drops to her knees, broken, pitiful, powerless. “Send me away, but be merciful.”
Gamma sniffs. Her face glistens with falling tears. “I love you, sister.”
“I do not deserve your forgiveness.” Zeena folds her arms into her robes and closes her eyes.
Gamma chants:
“Four elements of life,
Earth, fire, water, air.
Four corners of the earth,
North, South, East, West.
Elements of the Zodiac,
Release my sister!
Four elements of life,
Earth, fire, water, air.
Four corners of the earth,
North, South, East, West.
Elements of the Zodiac,
Take Zeena’s powers.
Set them free.
Elements of the Zodiac,
Hear our pleas,
Give my sister, Eneaz, peace!”
Zeena opens her mouth in a silent scream. The four Zodiac colors stream out of her mouth in a rainbow of vomit. She flails and arches.
Mary stuffs her face into my shoulder. Evan cocoons her in an embrace. William presses into my back. I lean against him, but don’t look away. Gamma cries. I can only partially understand the agony she’s feeling. I’d thought I’d lost Mary once and it almost killed me. I can’t imagine being the one to send her away.
The rainbow fades and the world darkens. Zeena—Eneaz—disappears in a blink. An empty void is left in her place.
Gamma releases my hand. “She’s gone.” Mary pulls Gamma into a hug. I wrap my arms around her too.
Her body shakes with sobs. She struggles to catch her breath. “Where are the others?”
All the kids from the Zodiac plane crowd around us, somber and quiet.
Gamma’s smile is the smile of someone who’s lost everything and still is brave enough to set aside her own pain to help others. “Let’s send you home.”
Callie steps closer. “What’ll happen? When we get home, I mean. Will everything be normal?”
Gamma nods. “It’ll be as if you’ve never left.” Gamma opens her arms wide. “Gather ‘round, kids and hold hands.”
She chants:
“Four elements of life,
Earth, fire, water, air.
Four corners of the earth,
North, South, East, West.
Elements of the Zodiac,
Hear our plea,
Return the signs to where they were
And set their hosts free!”
Epilogue
The bell rings and Ms. Sutters announces, “Time is up. Please stop working.”
A collective sigh escapes all the students in the room. I lean back in my chair and stretch my aching muscles. Sludge fills my skull instead of brains. That’s what math does to me—it takes fresh, young, pliable neurons and liquefies them.
Twenty chairs scrape across the floor as the students rise.
Mary files in line behind me. We dribble out of the room half-dead from all the knowledge we just belched out. A whole day of testing. Talk about cruel and unusual punishment.
“How’d you do?” Mary bops my ponytail and hops next to me so we walk side by side.
I shrug. “Uh, well, I answered all the questions.”
She hooks pinky fingers with me and swings her arm. “I bet you did great. Once Shequan showed you his trick, you got every practice problem right.”
“I wish I had your confidence.”
She pauses. Students flow around us like river water breaking over stubborn rocks. Some stare straight ahead with vacant expressions while others toss us annoyed frowns. “My confidence? You’re the one who always acts so certain of herself.”
“That’s just it. I’m acting. I don’t know what I’m doing.” I duck my head and start walking again.
“Anne. I’m beyond impressed by how you,” she balls her hand into a fist, “go after stuff. You don’t let fear stop you.”
I clap a palm over her fist. “And I’m impressed by how you always think things through and ace every single test put in front of you.”
She smirks.
“We make a pretty good team, though.”
“When we work together.”
William and Evan crash into us from behind. They both yell, “Huzzah!” William wraps an arm around my shoulder while Evan circles Mary’s waist with his. He lifts her up.
She squeals and kicks out. “Put me down!”
He lets go and pecks her on the cheek.
She giggles.
“Time to celebrate.” William shakes me.
“Definitely,” I reply. A pleasant buzz carries me along the hallway, out the front door. Humid air swirls around us in a sticky, sweat-inducing welcome to summer.
“Okay guys, assume PG positions in 3…2…1…” I nudge Mary and nod toward Dad’s truck.
Mary and Evan separate and William unwraps his arm from my neck.
“We’ll see you later,” William says.
Evan nods and waves. “Later.”
They’re swallowed up by the crowd before I have a chance to ask them where we’ll “see” them and when “later” is.
Da
d waves and leans over to unlock the door. Mary slides into the middle while I hop into the passenger seat. “How’d it go, girls?”
“Okay.” Mary clicks her belt in place.
“We’re still alive,” I mumble.
Dad chuckles. He flips on the AC, opens the vents, and merges into traffic. Fifteen minutes later, instead of taking a left at the intersection toward home, he turns the wheel right.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“Your grandmother’s.” He smiles and clicks off the AC. “What do you think about spending a couple days there? You know, get out of the house and have some fun. Be kids.”
Mary glances at me, then Dad. “Huh?”
“Mom’s going through a lot right now. She’s very sick, so I’m going to stay home with her and help her get back on her meds.” He pulls into Gamma’s driveway. “I just think it’s best if you guys hang out there and come home when she’s feeling better. Besides, your grandmother has a surprise for you.”
“A surprise?” I grip my seatbelt.
Dad shifts into park. “Mom packed your bags, and I brought them and the dogs over earlier.”
“Mom packed our bags?” God knows what’s inside them.
He grips the steering wheel until his knuckles turn white. “She says she’s sorry for putting you girls through…hell. I’m sorry too. I know it’s too little, too late, but I hope that when Mom is better we can all sit down and talk.”
“For real?” Good thing I’m buckled in because if I wasn’t I’d probably fall out of the truck.
He splays his fingers and taps the wheel with his palms. “You don’t have any reason to believe me, but things will be different. I promise.” He swings his arm around Mary’s neck and kisses her head while squeezing my shoulder. “I’ve been a crappy dad and I have no excuse. So I can understand if you don’t believe me.”
“You can’t drink anymore,” Mary whispers.
“I know.”
“And Mom has to stay on her medicine all the time,” I add.
“I know.”
“How can you promise us that it’ll happen?” Mary picks at a fingernail.
“I can’t, Mary, but I can promise to do the best I can.”
“Why now?” I twist so he can’t keep hold of me. “You’ve had plenty of chances before this to do something.”
His hand flutters through his hair. “I don’t have a good answer for you, Anne, except that I’ve made some bad decisions and I’m trying to make amends.”
The Zodiac Collector Page 26
