by Alicia Rades
My legs became numb as the weight of where I was slammed into me like a ton of bricks. I fell to my knees, shaking. I hadn’t been here since the funeral.
I forced my gaze away from my parents’ death dates and up to Jenna. My voice cracked when I spoke. “How did you know where to find them? You weren’t at the funeral.”
“I looked into it when we got back from the island,” she said softly.
“Why would you bring me here?”
She knelt beside me. “Because I think you need to talk to them.”
I closed my eyes and turned my head away. “This is cruel, Jenna.”
She reached for my hand, and I let her take it. “I’m not trying to hurt you, Rachel. Please understand that. Can you just try… for me?”
A silent beat passed before I whispered, “I’d do anything for you, Jenna.”
She squeezed my hand. “Tell them how you feel.”
My throat closed up as I turned back to my parents’ graves. “I… I miss them.”
“Don’t tell me,” Jenna said. “Tell them.”
Tears began to well in my eyes. I squeezed them tightly shut, until my eyes could no longer take the weight of the tears. Without a single sound, they began to trail down my face. I opened my mouth to speak, but my breath wavered.
“Take your time,” Jenna encouraged.
“Mom. Dad.” I dashed the tears away. “I miss you.”
I expected Jenna to say something, for her voice to cut through the momentary silence, but she didn’t. It was all up to me now.
“I miss the sound of your voices. You sang so pretty, Mom. And Dad… you always knew what to say. When you weren’t there, I didn’t have anyone to tell me what to do anymore. I felt lost. All I wanted was those Thursday game nights back. I wanted to bake cookies with you again and help you on that old car I always told you was a lost cause. I wanted Mom to hug me again and tell me to eat my vegetables or whatever. I regretted not watching that cheesy horror film with you guys the Friday before it happened and not going to that Home and Garden Show Mom asked me to come to with her that past spring. I wished I would’ve made you breakfast in bed more often and told you just how great of parents you were. You guys did everything for Jenna and me, and I absolutely know with every fiber of my being that you loved us. I loved you, too. It’s just that sometimes… sometimes I’m not sure you knew it. And I wish you did.”
Sobs broke out in my chest, and my head was starting to hurt.
Jenna placed her arm around my shoulder and whispered, “They knew, Rugrat. They knew.”
Memories of that night pushed their way into my mind again. This time, I didn’t shut them out. This time, I relived every moment until I curled into a ball at my parents’ graves and wept until I could weep no more.
It was the summer after my Sophomore year of high school, just days after the school year had ended. I was looking forward to our mini vacation that weekend. Mom and Dad were planning a surprise stay at a waterpark resort for Jenna, to celebrate her graduation. I’d been dreaming about it when the sounds of screams jolted me from my sleep. I’d completely frozen up as my body trembled in fear. I sat straight upright in bed and pulled the blanket close to my chest, as if it could save me from the monsters like it did when I was a kid.
Heavy footsteps pounded up the stairs. I glanced around frantically for a place to hide. Under the bed wasn’t an option, since it was too low to the ground to fit under. I raced over to my closet.
“No, she’s mine,” a deep voice said from my sister’s room beside mine.
“Rugrat!” Jenna shrieked. “Run!”
My heart leapt into my throat, and my whole body quaked. A warm tingle rushed down my spine, and the room seemed to grow around me as my pajamas fell to the ground. It was the first time I’d ever shifted. Instinct I couldn’t understand at the time kicked in. I flapped my wings and landed atop my bookcase. I crouched low in the darkness, hiding in the small space between the top shelf and the ceiling.
My door burst open, sending my heart pounding a million miles per hour. I held my breath and watched as a huge silhouette stormed into the room. He grabbed for my sheets on the bed but only found them empty. The man growled and flipped my mattress, then angrily stomped over to my closet. He yanked on the sliding door so hard that it came off its track.
“There’s no one here!” he barked to the other men.
“Look harder,” the other snapped back. “Search everywhere!”
The man in my room stepped into the dim moonlight coming from my window. It was only then that I noticed his pale features and silver eyes. Sharp, threatening fangs protruded from his mouth. I could even see a deep scar above his right eyebrow, which was weird, considering vampires had incredible healing abilities. Someone must’ve done some serious damage for that scar to stick around.
I crouched down even lower, trying to flatten myself against the shelf as his angry eyes scanned the room. I feared he’d seen me when his eyes flickered upward. My tiny raven heart hammered as he reached up toward me. In the light of the moon, I caught sight of the Soulless mark on his wrist.
He let out a primal scream and knocked all the books off the shelf below me, then stormed out of the room.
“Forget it, Silas,” a voice said outside my doorway. “We have the girl. Let’s go.”
“Let me go, you son of a—” Jenna’s words fell dead, as if someone was covering her mouth. It was in that moment that I realized I’d made a terrible mistake. I shouldn’t have hidden. I should’ve fought.
I swooped down from my perch atop the bookcase and flapped my wings as hard as I could. I nearly rammed into the wall across from my room, but I corrected my flight on instinct. The men’s footsteps had already faded down the hall and were at the front door. I flew down the stairs and toward the front door, but it had already closed behind them. I quickly shifted back into human form and wrenched the door open as fast as I could. I raced outside in nothing but my birthday suit, only to find a large windowless van already pulling away down the street. My stomach bottomed out.
My sister was gone.
I could hardly process any of it as I turned back inside, my limbs shaking. I was in so much shock that I barely noticed the broken glass everywhere. I didn’t know how long I stood there, trying to understand what had just happened. It was like I wasn’t even in my own body anymore, like I was watching it all from above and just going through the motions. It struck me to call the police, but my throat was so tight that I didn’t think I could speak.
Mom had left a pile of clean clothes in a basket on the couch. When I saw it, a little voice in the back of my head told me to put something on. It was the easy thing to do right now. I grabbed one of Mom’s nightgowns and slipped it over my head.
I didn’t want to go to my parents’ room. I didn’t want to see the damage. But I had to check on them—just in case.
My legs carried me down the hall, but it was as if my mind was elsewhere, like it was stuck the moment before I’d heard the screams. None of this felt real. It was like I was living my worst nightmare. But the nightmare only got worse.
In my parents’ room, the moonlight illuminated their bodies. They were both slumped on the floor next to the bed. Blood pooled out from their bodies, mixing together between them. It was like a scene straight from a horror movie, where the blood was slashed all over the walls, on their clothes, the bed… everything.
I suddenly couldn’t feel anything at all. My vision clouded over as I sank to my knees in their blood. Long wounds were slashed across their necks, as if the vampires had ripped their throats out with their teeth.
I was still shaking in a pool of their blood when the police arrived. I didn’t know who had called them, but I assumed it was a neighbor who’d heard the screams. I vaguely remembered answering some questions and being told “everything would be all right.”
All I could remember thinking was, You’re wrong. Nothing will be okay every again.
Jenna he
ld me while I cried at the foot of my parents’ graves. I didn’t know how long we sat there, but it must’ve been at least an hour of silence. With each passing breath, it felt like I was removing that ton of bricks weighing me down one at a time. When my tears finally dried, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my chest. I raised my head and wiped at my face. Jenna’s eyes were red like mine, though she hadn’t made a sound. I didn’t realize until now that she’d been crying.
“Thank you, Jenna,” I whispered.
“Do you feel better?” she asked.
I didn’t feel like I should. Visiting my parents’ graves should’ve left a hole inside of me the size of a bowling ball. That’s why I had avoided coming here for so long. But instead, it was as if that hole had been stitched up.
I nodded honestly. “Yeah. I think I’ve held those feelings in too long.”
“Me too, Rach.”
I pulled Jenna into a hug. “I’m glad you brought me here.”
“Should we get back?” she suggested.
“Yeah—” I started, but I cut off when I suddenly remembered something. “Oh my God, Jenna! I didn’t get a chance to tell anyone this morning.”
I reached into my pocket and pulled out Genevieve’s phone. The battery was on the verge of dying, but it had just enough juice left that I could show Jenna the text messages. Her jaw dropped when she saw them.
“Genevieve said we had to defeat him,” I told her. “We should respond, shouldn’t we?”
She looked speechless but said, “Yes, of course we should, but maybe we should consult everyone else first. We don’t want to rush anything.”
“Right,” I agreed. “But I don’t think we can wait any longer.”
I stood and took a deep breath, feeling more confident than I had in weeks. “Jenna, I think it’s time.”
23
When we returned to Zoey’s house, we called everyone together in the basement to discuss our options.
“I know what we have to do,” I announced. “Genevieve planned to lure Matias here. In her last breath, she handed me this and said, ‘Matias is coming. Make sure you're ready for him.’ Sondra, can Matias use the locket to see that Genevieve’s dead?”
She thought about it for a moment. “I don’t think so. If he was watching her, his visions would go blank. He could guess she’s dead, but he’d more likely assume she hadn’t made a decision yet.”
I held up the phone for everyone to see. “Good. We’ve been given the option to choose when and where this fight will take place. So, what will it be?”
“We’re as ready as we’ll ever be,” Sondra said. “I say we do this as soon as possible.”
“Agreed,” Ryland said.
“Somewhere out of the way,” Clarita added. “We don’t want any casualties.”
“Right,” Fiona said. “But it also can’t be somewhere that will raise his suspicions. Matias is smart enough to know if we’re conning him.”
“Let’s put ourselves in Genevieve's shoes,” I suggested. “If she were really going to enter into this deal, where would she meet him?”
“Her house?” Teagan theorized.
“No.” Richard stepped forward. His eyebrows were tightly knitted together, like he was deep in thought. “Genevieve never met new clients at the house—only those she trusted.”
“Matias wasn’t a client, though,” Zoey pointed out.
“No, but she would’ve taken the same steps to protect herself,” Richard said.
“What about Bryant Park?” Fiona suggested. “It’s just outside of town and almost no one ever goes there. Some of us can hide in the trees.”
“Is that going to arouse suspicion, though?” I questioned.
“Not if we frame it right,” Richard said in thought.
“I think it’s a good idea,” Amalia chimed in. “Fewer people will get hurt.”
“When do we want to do this?” I asked.
Venn spoke up for the first time. “Tonight.”
Nods of agreement traveled around the room.
“The sooner, the better,” Fiona agreed. “It’s time to get this over with.”
I took a deep breath and opened Genevieve's phone to the text messages. “Okay. Here goes nothing.”
Tonight. Bryant Park. I’ll need space for my audition.
My fingers trembled as I hit send.
I held my breath. Moments later, the phone chimed.
I’ll be there.
I stared down at the phone in disbelief. All eyes turned to me eagerly. “We’re going to need more guns.”
“It looks like everyone gets one healing potion,” Fiona said as we organized the potions, trinkets, and artifacts we had gathered.
Sondra was upstairs, getting in touch with everyone Genevieve had convinced to help us. The rest of us were sitting on the ground in the basement, trying to divvy up the magic so everyone stood a fighting chance.
“I want Ryland to have one of these,” I said, handing him one of the cufflinks.
“This is supposed to make me stronger?” he asked, eyeing it.
“Yes,” I said. “I figure making you stronger will give us more of an edge over some of Matias’s men.”
“We don’t know how many men he’ll bring with him,” Venn pointed out.
“I couldn’t exactly tell him to come alone,” I said. “It would’ve been super suspicious.”
“If they outnumber us, then they’ll go after our weakest members first,” Venn said.
“Venn’s right.” Ryland stretched his hand across the pile of stuff in front of us and dropped the cufflink into Fiona’s hand. “I think you should have one.”
She scrunched up her nose at him. “Are you calling me the weakest member?”
“I’m saying I want to protect you,” Ryland stated firmly. “You can fight bad guys. I know you can. We just need to level the playing field a little.”
He turned to me. “Rae, you should take the other one.”
“What about Teagan?” I asked.
Teagan’s face paled. “Oh, I might—”
“Sensory enhancement!” Jenna exclaimed. “I call one of these potions.”
My stomach sank. It was the same thing Genevieve had said when she’d seen those potions. I felt awful. I still hadn’t had a chance to give a proper goodbye to her.
“Chill,” Amalia said. “There’s enough for most of us to get one.”
“Hey, have you guys seen these?” Clarita held up vials of glowing blue liquid. “These ones are nifty. They give you a range of superhuman powers. The effects are totally random, but I once saw a guy turn invisible from one of these.”
Ronark drew a sharp breath and shouted, “Dibs!”
I stood.
Venn reached out for my hand to stop me. “Where are you going?”
“I just need a moment alone,” I told him in a low voice.
He dropped my hand, but he looked worried. “Okay. Let me know if you need anything.”
“I will,” I promised. I left him with a kiss, then climbed the stairs and headed out the back door. My stomach rumbled since I hadn’t eaten all day, but I didn’t know how much I could stomach right now anyway.
The sky was dark even though it was only mid-afternoon, and it was sprinkling out, but the rain was so light that it only felt like mist. I didn’t care as I took a seat in the front row of fold-up chairs that were still sitting out on the lawn. It felt appropriate.
This seemed as good of place as any to talk to Genevieve. I pictured her standing in front of me as a spirit—caught somewhere between life and reincarnation. I didn’t have all the details on how the afterlife worked, but I had a feeling she was still around, watching over us.
“Genevieve,” I whispered into the damp air.
A light breeze passed through the yard.
“I didn’t know you that well, but I know you were a good person. Even after the stuff you told me about your ex-husband and your father, it doesn’t change what I think of you. I don
’t judge you for any of that, even though I know you think that makes you a bad person. All I know is that you’ve helped me time and time again. I don’t think you would’ve done that if you didn’t have a good heart. You changed, Genevieve, and I hope you knew just how good you were before you left. I hope you forgave yourself, because the rest of us have.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. The cool mist on my face felt like fingers caressing my skin, as if Genevieve were here telling me she was listening.
“We’re going to miss you, but we’re going to make you proud,” I told her.
Silence settled over the lawn. In this dark, dank weather, it would usually send a shiver down my spine, but now it felt peaceful.
I sat there for several minutes, inhaling deep breaths through my nose and exhaling them through my mouth. I dedicated my thoughts to Genevieve, thinking of all the encounters we’d had—like when she led us to the caves to find The Wise Owl and healed us after we faced Matias there. Or when she let us stay in her lake house, then gave me the dagger that would kill Valkas. People often questioned her motives, but she had been our friend all along. She’d said it was for selfish reasons, but I didn’t believe that. I think she truly wanted to help us.
The sound of creaking hinges sounded like a gunshot to my ears. I jumped to my feet and whirled to the side, where a door to the wooden fence surrounding the yard was slowly swinging open. The fence was so high that I couldn’t see over it. A dark silhouette stepped through the fog and into the yard. As he came forward, I saw he was wearing a business suit and carrying a briefcase. It was so surreal, like some sort of dream. This guy definitely didn’t belong here.
“Who the hell are—?” I stopped in my tracks when he took another step forward and I could finally make out his features.
“Leon Cavanaugh?” I balked.
Cavanaugh cleared his throat. “I don’t have much time, Rachel. I’m here to make a deal. Would you like to hear it?”
