The Secret

by A. Taylor, Taryn

  I heaved in air, trying to understand.

  He gave a small shake of his head. “He can’t get at me in here—in this reality or whatever. But we’re on a time clock. He told me he would pull us out if we didn’t come out on our own. And he’ll kill all of them. He has people on everyone.” He looked down. “We don’t have a choice. Even if we don’t get the coin, everyone will die.” He shook me. “Rob will die. Everyone will die. Lanie—we have to do what he says.”

  My heart clutched in fear. I didn’t like hearing that lives hung in the balance, because I didn’t know what to do. I backed away from Sam. “Let me think. Just let me think for a minute.”

  He nodded his head and cleared his throat. “But—I have to tell you something. I know you think Nicholi put me up to everything before—”

  I started up the stairs. “Not now, Sam.”

  Sam took the back of my bicep, pulling me hard, pulling me close. He searched my eyes. “I have to do this now, Lanie. I have to do this while you know it’s me. This part isn’t some game he’s playing or mind trick. It’s real, and it’s something I’ve felt for you since the day I met you.”

  Cupping my head from behind, he pulled my mouth to his. His lips yielded tender and hot like the embers of a fire.

  A breathless dizziness wound itself around me. Yellow sunflowers exploded overly large and beautiful on a pure white canvas inside my mind. My heart thudded heavily.

  He ripped his head back and scoured my face.

  I thought of kissing him the first time—when I’d thought he was Jake. Tears sprang to my eyes. All of my emotions released into an explosion. There was something between us. There was something that I couldn’t deny. “Sam—no. Jake.”

  He put his finger to my lips. “I just wanted you to know that it was real. That it’s real on my part. It always has been—despite everything else.”

  I didn’t move. I didn’t say anything.

  He looked up. “Let’s go.”

  I nodded and turned for the stairs. My mother waited for me at the top—wearing her red dress—the one she would put on for entertaining people. She gave me a questioning look and frowned at Sam. “I don’t know if I like seeing you kiss my daughter, Mr. Turner.”

  She sounded so formal—so protective. I ran to her, relishing in the way she felt solid and alive against me. I inhaled the lemon scent of her hair as I breathed it in. “Mom.”

  She held me against her. “He brought you here so roughly—I worried about you. I wanted to give you some comfort out in the sunlight with your dolls.”

  I pulled back from her and saw the sparkle in her eye and the red hair that matched my own. The weave of all the colors in the light made me realize that her hair had the colors Jake had spoken of that day at the hospital—copper, blonde—and it was beautiful. She was so beautiful.

  I squeezed her hand. “We don’t have a lot of time, Mom. I need the coin. But you know that.”

  She closed her eyes for a moment and inhaled sharply. “I knew you’d come back for it. And that means Nicholi is getting closer.” She searched my face. “But it also means you have no choice. He will kill all of us for it.”

  I nodded, grateful that I didn’t have to explain it all to her.

  Mom moved away from me, flinging open the balcony doors and walking to the large bookshelf that held the picture of my father and Nicholi together. She pulled it down and retrieved the coin out of it. Her eyes took on a mischievous glint. “Mr. Turner, would you give us a minute?”

  Sam hesitated.

  Mom’s eyes turned misty. “This may be an illusion, but I’d like to say goodbye to my daughter, please.”

  The unlocked emotions from earlier started immediately leaking out of the corners of my eyes.

  Sam gave me a sympathetic nod and left, clicking the balcony doors into place behind him.

  Mom wiped my tears with her hand. “Shh, my brave girl, I’m so sorry. I wanted so much more for you. But I failed. We failed you.”

  I hugged her. “No you didn’t, Mom.”

  She wrapped her arms around me. “Yes…we did. A parent should be able to keep their children safe. They owe them at least that.”

  The pain in my chest overwhelmed me. “You were the best parents, Mom. I love you.”

  “All these powers…all these secrets…it has to end. You have to end it, Lanie.” She sighed. “My time is over, but I have one last thing to give you.”

  I pulled back from her. “Mom, Nicholi promised me you’d be safe. I’m going to come back and get you when this is over.”

  Mom let out a partial laugh/cry. She wiped another tear from my face. “Honey, you don’t understand. To give you what I want to give you—it has to be the end.”

  She went to the bookshelf, opened a small box, and took out another coin. Except this coin was different—larger and made of gold. She turned and placed it in my hand. “Your father created this coin to protect me from Nicholi. It has the power to block his mind control. That’s why he hasn’t been able to get in here.”

  I turned the coin over in my hand and a million questions went through my mind; how had my father created this? And how had he kept it a secret from Nicholi?

  My mother put her hand over mine. “When he starts the spell to bring back Molly, you must find a way to put the coin with the others. Then he won’t be able to stop you. And then you have to seal it all back inside the book. Your father didn’t know how to get all the powers together, but he knew if Nicholi succeeded in his plan to get Molly back, this would be the only thing that could stop him. You…are the only thing that can stop him. You must act quickly and you only have one shot.”

  I held onto the strap above the door of the helicopter and put a reassuring hand on the blond head of Mr. Drake’s sweet little boy, Tim.

  He looked up at me with scared eyes and his lower lip trembled.

  My heart clutched with anger and fear. How could Nicholi do this to a child?

  “He’s fine.” Nicholi sat across from me and lifted his hand in the air in a noncommittal gesture. “Ruth has pampered him, haven’t you?”

  Ruth sat on the other side of Tim, holding his hand, a happy smile on her face. “It’s been nice to take care of someone.”

  I still wasn’t sure if she knew she was being mind-controlled or not. I suspected she did. But it wasn’t like there had been time for lengthy conversations.

  The descent of the helicopter into the Flatirons made my stomach lurch in timed drops.

  I looked out the window and saw Jake, Reed, Marsha, and Karen standing outside the cave. Their faces were masked with dread and determination. But I couldn’t see Rob.

  I glared at Nicholi. “Where is he?”

  “He’s safe and sound in jail. I don’t need him for today. He’s too smart for his own good. Better to lock him up.”

  Another drop in elevation jerked through me.

  Nicholi looked back toward the cave and I followed his gaze, seeing a defeated-looking Mr. Drake hiking up the hill, holding the gold orb in his hand.

  Nicholi leaned forward and gave Tim a reassuring pat on the leg. “I see your daddy right now. I knew he would come for you.”

  The way Nicholi said it made him sound like a policeman helping a lost child in a busy mall.

  I gave him a look of disgust and clamped down on the secret sliver of hope that flashed inside of me. Mom had been right. And it would be over soon. Nicholi would be stopped—I would stop him.

  Jake

  My chest eased a little bit when I saw Lanie’s wild mass of hair emerge out of the helicopter first. She was okay. Then a little boy emerged behind her.

  “Tim!” Mr. Drake stepped out from the trees and ran to him.

  My heart pounded faster. I hadn’t planned on Drake showing up. I thought h
e had left with his family—we hadn’t planned on Nicholi having the orb. Worry pulsed through me.

  And then I saw her.

  My mother.

  Her blue eyes held mine as she climbed out of the helicopter. She stopped and Nicholi moved next to her. He put his hand on her shoulder and ushered her closer to the cave. Closer to me.

  “Mom?”

  Tears fell instantly from her eyes and she moved to me, holding open her arms for a hug. “Son.”

  I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think of anything else but that moment when I’d found her—blood covering her plaid grey dress and a blank look on her face.

  Her arms enfolded me.

  The warmth of her—the way she sobbed my name—paralyzed me. It couldn’t be. This was not possible. “Mom?”

  “Jake! Jake! Watch out!” Lanie’s voice called out to me over the roar of the helicopter.

  The sharp edge of the blade tore into my back.

  I tried to pull away.

  The knife pushed deeper through my ribs and into my heart.

  I choked and tried to suck in air.

  “It’s okay, Jake.” Her voice was a whisper. “He’ll bring you right back. He owes me that.”

  Episode 30: The Resurrection

  Nicholi stood in the middle of the cave holding the book, the others surrounding Jake and I in a wide circle around the fire. He’d mind controlled them all into doing his bidding; bring Jake into the cave, set up the fire, submit yourselves into a circle of healing.

  The heat from the flames made sweat droplets run down Jake’s pale face. He sucked in a gurgled breath and squeezed my hand.

  I held to his hand, salty tears running down my face and mixing with the blood that had soaked through his shirt. I knew he would die. I knew I was losing him. My heart palpitated in erratic pulses…and I knew I loved him.

  I wiped at my tears and put my other hand on Jake’s forehead. “Don’t give up, Jake.”

  His ocean blue eyes met mine and he gurgled in more air. “The link…” He gasped in again.

  He was trying to tell me something. I leaned closer and glanced at Nicholi who stood over me with a bored expression.

  Jake’s voice was pained. “Use the link.” He sucked in another breath. “I love you.”

  Agony crushed my heart. I didn’t know what he meant. What was the link?

  The breath went out of him and he lay still. The hand I held no longer holding mine.

  I couldn’t think. I couldn’t breathe. I could only kneel beside Jake as a blue and black twisting vine circled my heart, wringing it like a wash cloth.

  “You better bring him back.” I reached out and touched the blood—it felt wet and sticky. The pungent smell of rust washed over me.

  My mother’s pale face went through my mind. She was still alive when we left—but I didn’t know how far Nicholi’s powers could reach. I looked at Jake’s peaceful face. Would any of us live through this? I sat up and looked around the circle at the people who were in this with me: Reed, Marsha, Karen, Sam, Mr. Drake, little Tim, even Ruth. They were motionless, all staring into the fire.

  “You…”

  “Are you ready to start, Lanie?” Nicholi’s voice was soft. “Time is of the essence if we are to bring Jake back, too.”

  My hand trembled and I looked up into his brown eyes—eyes that had once held security and comfort for me. Cold filled every part of me and I thought of the coin inside my pocket. The coin I was supposed to use against him. “How can you do this?”

  Nicholi gave me a curt nod. “It’s easier this way, Lanie. They aren’t hurting. They’re just hypnotized by the fire. When my daughter is reborn, the spell will be broken. And they will be free.”

  I shook my head and looked at the blood on my fingers. “How could you kill him?”

  Nicholi touched the blood on my fingers and I yanked away from him. His eyes smoldered with something akin to pleasure. “Everything demands sacrifice, Lanie. I didn’t realize that’s what we were missing before…a sacrifice of someone you love.” He dipped his head to the side. “True love—ahh, you and Jake are so sweet.” He scoffed and his eyes went into angry slits. “All this time. I couldn’t figure out why you couldn’t do it. Why you couldn’t bring her back. It wasn’t until I was able to read more from the book.” His voice broke off and a derisive laugh escaped his lips. “Bringing someone back from the dead requires true love. Just like the fairy tales. It’s pathetic—isn’t it?”

  My mind raced. “How can you bring Jake back, then? If his blood is needed to bring back Molly—what is needed to bring him back?”

  Nicholi shrugged, his face turned to a mask of stone. “Oh—it’s not my powers that will do it. You see, the link he was telling you about? Well, he’s right. After Molly is reborn and you all get your powers back…you’ll be stronger. Together, you’ll be able to do anything you want. But only after you’ve helped me.” He lifted and lowered his shoulders and gave me a smug smile. “Guess it kind of puts a kink in the whole gold coin plan of yours, doesn’t it?”

  My heart pounded faster inside my chest. He knew. He’d known this whole time.

  His eyes raised in curiosity. “Ya know, I wasn’t sure if your mother had that coin until just…now. I knew your father had created something. Luth had suspected it. The spell had been ripped out of the front part of the book. I didn’t know who took it. Honestly, I thought it was Drake. But…I guess not.” He still had the book in one hand, but he held his other hand out. “Give it to me.”

  I backed away from him. I couldn’t give it to him…it was the only way to stop him. “No.”

  He didn’t move. “Lanie, I hold all the cards—haven’t you learned that?”

  I stopped. My hands trembled—my whole body trembled.

  He flicked his fingers at me. “Hand it over. You’re not going to let your boyfriend die. And we both know I won’t tell you how to bring him back until I have Molly.”

  I ripped the coin from my pocket and flung it at him through the air.

  He reached out and easily caught it, pulling it close to him and turning it inside his hand. He sighed. “Let’s get started then.”

  I knew I couldn’t trust him. There had to be another way. None of it made sense. “How could you kill Alana? I thought you needed all of us?”

  Nicholi moved away from me. He stuffed the coin into his pocket and moved in front of Marsha—who continued to simply stare into the fire. He moved to Reed and paused to look at me. “Ya know, I thought I needed everyone, too. But it turned out she didn’t have any powers. There was nothing to take. It was all for show. Luth and I discovered that she was part of an elaborate act.” He glanced at Sam and Marsha. “They set me up. They knew something. I underestimated them.” He shrugged. “So she was dispensable.”

  Another wave of anger boiled inside of me. “And tonight—you had to wait for the rest of us.”

  He smiled. “It was infuriating to have to wait until the right phase of the moon. It would have been much easier if you’re powers had matured…like your parents.”

  My mouth went dry. “But you didn’t wait for our parents, did you?”

  Nicholi moved down the line to Mr. Drake. He reached out and took the gold orb out of his hand. “I wouldn’t have waited for him, either,” he said, nodding toward Drake. “He was good at evading me, but then, when I realized he was in Boulder…after you and Rob found him for me…it was like it was meant to be. All of it. You and Jake falling in love. Getting Molly back. It all fit into place. And I knew it would work. I knew deep down that the powers that be…wanted me to get my Molly back. That was the only thing it could all mean.”

  The information whirled inside my mind like strands of DNA woven in an intricate pattern—something I didn’t understand, but something
that held the lives of all the people I loved. He was evil. Everything inside of Nicholi was evil—and so wrong. I had to focus on pushing down the sickness inside of me to stay standing.

  Nicholi threw the orb into the air, a loping softball type of throw. “Hold this for a second, will you?”

  I caught it. The blood from Jake’s shirt making it slippery in my hands.

  “All of their powers are in there—sealed with their lives. Sealed in using the power that was gifted to me.”

  My heart raced. “Are you going to kill all of them to get their powers? Is that the plan?”

  Nicholi let out a snort. “Silly girl. I’m way past that now. I don’t need to kill them to get their powers. Once I realized you were the only one who could bring her back to me, I knew I needed you alive.” He shrugged. “So I had to figure out a different way.”

  He pulled a dagger from his pocket and gave me a wicked smile, holding it over Mr. Drake. “But he doesn’t need to be alive. The original seven have to die.”

  “No!” I started to run to stop him. I tried to think of Nicholi flying against the wall. But nothing happened.

  Suddenly, Rob materialized beside Nicholi and pushed his hand away from Mr. Drake.

  Rob!

  Rob kicked Nicholi to the ground and the dagger released from his hand.

  Nicholi clutched the book to his chest. “I thought you might use your nice little invisibility power to escape.”

  Rob glared at him. “You’re not doing this.”

  Nicholi laughed.

  Rob instantly leaned forward and tried to rip the book out of his hands. He succeeded at loosening Nicholi’s grip, but the book went flying through the air and fell next to the fire.