It didn’t take Teri long for her to come across the battle between Viktoriya and Alicia. Silently, she watched Alicia back Viktoriya further into a corner—and Viktoriya was unable to find an opportune time to take down Alicia. In one swift motion, Alicia successfully tagged Viktoriya, and her win was announced, giving Russia five points. Teri watched Viktoriya leave the maze, but it was not long after that when Alice revealed herself and leaped at Alicia.
Teri watched their swords clash, and it was evident that Alicia was running out of strength. The battle was quick—quicker than any of the previous ones that Teri had witnessed. Within moments, Alice tagged Alicia, and Alicia fell against one of the walls of the maze.
Jason announced Alicia’s loss, giving Spain six points. That only leaves me and Alice, Teri observed as she watched Alicia leave the maze. Her gaze shifted to Alice, who was still basking in her glory. Alice’s back was turned, and Teri instantly seized the opportunity. She ran at Alice in an attempt to gain the advantage.
Yet, Alice had sensed what Teri was trying to do, for she quickly spun around and tagged Teri before Teri had a chance to attack.
Shocked, Teri slumped to the ground right when the final bell sounded, giving the United States seven points and France eight. It was then when she was supposed to leave the maze.
Yet, she stayed where she was. She refused to move, and Alice’s victory smile vanished.
“No,” Teri said first in a whisper. Then, she shouted, “No!”
“What are you doing?” Alice asked her.
Teri looked at Alice, her eyes wide with anger. “I deserve the victory,” she growled before lunging at Alice without her sword, pushing Alice against one of the maze walls. With her long nails, Teri began to claw into Alice’s face as Alice tried to push her away.
Teri heard Jason’s voice in the background, but she couldn’t make out what he was saying. Within moments, she had thrown Alice onto the ground and started pulling at her hair. From where Teri’s nails had dug into her flesh, Alice’s face began to bleed.
Teri couldn’t stop. From above her, she felt someone clasp her shoulders and attempt to pry her away from Alice. She fought whoever was trying to do so, but to no avail. Soon, she was pinned against one of the walls, unable to break free. She looked to her right, seeing Courtney and the two French chaperones bent over Alice, checking her wounds. Then, Teri turned her attention to her attacker, Andre, feeling her anger resurface.
“Haven’t you already hurt me enough?!” she bellowed.
Andre said nothing to her, staring deep into her eyes. Teri heard a language that sounded like Latin flow from Andre’s mouth—and she began to feel faint. Instantly, she collapsed onto the ground.
~~~
Rebekah: Munich, Germany
The one thing Rebekah didn’t expect to see was Jeffery emerge from the ICW stadium, carrying Teri’s unconscious body and being followed by four chaperones. Holly stood next to her, and together, they gawked at the sight with questions running through their minds.
“What happened?” Rebekah asked to no one in particular.
“We could always ask,” Holly suggested.
Rebekah set off after Jeffery with Holly trailing behind her, calling his name once.
Jeffery took one look at them without stopping. “I’m assuming you wish to know what just happened,” he said with a hint of amusement in his voice.
“What did she do?” asked Rebekah.
“She lost to Alice,” Jeffery said. “In response to that, she attacked Alice, and now, I am forced to take her back to your room.”
Shocked, Rebekah glanced at Holly.
“Now, Jason is reviewing the case to see if Eternal Division should be disqualified for this.” Jeffery sighed. “I’m trying to get him to not disqualify the group.”
“I won’t be offended if you—” Rebekah started to say before Holly pulled her away from him.
“He’s doing it for you,” Holly said. “Even I could see that.”
Together, they started walking in the opposite direction from the Eternal Division room.
“He knows I’m with Jake, though,” Rebekah protested as they rounded a corner.
“Yeah, but…” Holly began to say but instantly froze as her eyes landed on something in front of them.
Rebekah followed Holly’s gaze…and there was Jake with Jamie right down the hall. Their lips were pressed against each other, and their bodies were one big mess. Rebekah felt sadness nip at her as well as anger.
“That bitch!” Holly accused in a whisper. “Rebekah, let’s go.”
Rebekah didn’t move though. She just stayed rooted to her spot. Tears welled up in her eyes, and before she had time to process what she was about to do, she took off running in the opposite direction from the scene.
“Rebekah!” Holly called after her, but she refused to turn around.
Rebekah continued to run, unsure of where she was heading. Within moments, she found herself outside Jason’s headquarters. Jeffery’s bound to be back by now, right?
By that time, Holly was gone, and Rebekah knocked on the door, her vision blurred by tears.
The door opened, revealing Jeffery, who slowly exhaled upon seeing her. “Rebekah?” he greeted, noticing only seconds after that she was crying. “What happened?”
Rebekah pushed her way through the door and into his arms, oblivious to the fact that Jason and Annabelle were seated within the room, watching them.
With Rebekah occupying his arms, Jeffery attempted to kick the door closed, moving the two of them further inside the headquarters.
“How many more are going to come onto you today, Jeffery?” Rebekah heard the voice of Jason, and she instantly broke away from Jeffery’s grasp.
“Can we please not talk about this here?” Jeffery asked him.
“No, what does he mean by that?” Rebekah wondered.
Jeffery didn’t answer her right away. “Teri flung herself at me earlier,” he admitted. “It was…actually kind of embarrassing.”
Still confused, Rebekah felt Jeffery take her hand and lead her to his bedroom, where he shut the door behind him.
“What did she do?” Rebekah demanded.
Jeffery forced himself to look into her eyes. “She kissed me—and I immediately pushed her away for it.”
Upon hearing this, Rebekah sobbed once more. “How…could you…let that…happen?” she choked, feeling a sudden weight in her chest.
“I didn’t know what her intentions were prior to the incident!” Jeffery said defensively. “Please calm down. Is that what’s bothering you?”
Rebekah shook her head. “Jake did the same thing, except for the pushing-her-away part,” she said softly. “Holly and I saw him in an embrace with Jamie.”
Jeffery eyed Rebekah suspiciously. “And I’m your rebound?”
“No.” Rebekah shook her head quickly. “Honestly, I don’t know why I came here. I just…did.”
Jeffery took a seat beside her. “You’re welcome to stay here,” he offered. “I’ll be in the other room, if you need me.”
“No, stay,” Rebekah declared. As she stared into his eyes, she could clearly see the way he felt about her. Her heart ached with sadness as she continuously studied his eyes—and that was when she realized the feeling was mutual. With Jamie constantly in her and Jake’s life, she knew she shouldn’t have expected their relationship to last, especially after what happened in Roseway. But with Jeffery, she felt safer, since he had no ties to Marywood or Eternal Division. “Everybody says you like me,” she finally muttered, instantly cursing herself out for how idiotic that sounded. “Is that true?”
Jeffery chuckled slightly. “It’s that obvious?” Then, he became serious as he broke their gaze. “It doesn’t matter anyway. It’s clear you don’t feel the same way.”
“What if I told you I did?” Rebekah studied his movements. “I just didn’t, I guess…realize it until now…I mean, I already regret getting back together with Jake.”
“So, I am your rebound,” Jeffery said monotonously.
“I never said that!” Rebekah argued. “Look, there was obviously a reason why I chose to come to you and not someone else regarding this, and perhaps…that was why?”
“So, what are you saying?”
“I’m saying…that I like you back…” Rebekah finally declared, her eyes shifting to the floor. “I guess I just…buried my feelings because of Jake and your status here at the ICW.”
Jeffery smiled a little. “We could try dating,” he suggested. “See where it takes us.”
“Jason wouldn’t mind?”
“The only reason Jason minds Teri is because Teri is ignorant about the magic users.” Jeffery paused. “You, however, are not.”
“Then, let’s try it,” Rebekah declared.
Jeffery smiled some more, but before he could say anything, the door to his bedroom creaked open. Rebekah glanced in the direction of the door, her eyes meeting Jason’s.
“Someone’s here to see you,” Jason said to Rebekah, his voice rigid.
Shocked, Rebekah turned to Jeffery. “Holly?” she questioned.
“It’s not Holly,” Jason confirmed as he pushed the door wide open.
Followed by Jeffery, Rebekah left the bedroom, crossing into the living room. Her eyes barely made contact with Annabelle’s gaze before she looked directly into the eyes of her visitor, who kept Annabelle company on the couch.
Andre.
But why is she here?
Andre left the couch upon seeing Rebekah, her eyes landing on Jason. “Do I have permission to take her somewhere temporarily?”
Take me somewhere? Rebekah thought, looking at Jeffery, who shrugged in response.
“I said you may, as long as you tell me what you plan on doing with her,” Jason negotiated.
“I…can’t say,” Andre admitted. “I can assure you she’ll be safe.”
Jason glanced quickly between Andre and Rebekah. “Where will you be?”
“At a nearby hotel. We will have to spend the night there.”
“I can’t allow that.”
Still just as confused, Rebekah watched Andre as she was about to protest. “Please, let me go,” she heard herself say before she could prevent the words from flowing out of her mouth. “Everything will be all right.”
Jason pondered Rebekah’s statement for a brief moment before caving in. “Fine, you may take her, but only because I trust you,” he said after a while. “Make sure she gets back safely.”
Andre didn’t hesitate to take Rebekah by the wrist and lead her out of the room.
“What’s going on?” Rebekah questioned as she found herself being led down various hallways.
“I can’t say anything until we arrive at the location.”
The rest of the walk outside was spent in silence. The sun started to set in the distance, and stars appeared in the night sky.
Andre led Rebekah to a white car, and a set of keys dangled from her right hand. After unlocking the car, she entered the driver’s seat. “Get in,” she ordered.
Rebekah did just that, entering the passenger’s side. She watched Andre shove the keys into the ignition, feeling the car roar to life. “Now, will you tell me?”
Andre started to back out of the parking lot slowly, merging onto one of the main streets. “That knife William had sent with Jamie to Roseway,” she said, ignoring Rebekah’s question. “Where is it?”
“If you don’t have it, I would assume it’s still in Roseway,” Rebekah stated flatly. She remembered that knife vividly, a weapon that would only harm the deceased and not the living. She remembered building it with the instructions only she could read, and she remembered having it with her in the final battle before she lost consciousness. “What does that knife have to do with anything?”
“Shit,” Andre swore under her breath. “Rebekah, we need that knife.”
“Why are you so frantic?” Rebekah questioned. “What has come up?”
“I told you I can’t say anything.”
“Fine.” Rebekah sighed in frustration, sinking deeper into her seat. “I won’t bring it up again.”
“Holly told me about what happened, by the way. About Jake. That’s how I found you.”
Rebekah shrugged. “I’m done with him. To be honest, I don’t know why I went to Jeffery afterwards. I just did.”
“Considering how you used to act around me, Reilly, and Courtney, you’ve come a long way,” Andre said, amused. “Hopefully, Jeffery didn’t react to you the same way he reacted to Teri.”
“You saw that?”
Andre nodded. “Afterwards, she started asking questions, so I let her believe I picked favorites,” she explained. “It’s a shame what happened to Jake, though. Especially after what I revealed to him.”
“He won’t say anything,” Rebekah reassured her. “Even after what he did with Jamie, I know he won’t say anything.”
Andre pulled into the parking lot of a hotel, killing the engine after she found an empty parking space. “Stay by me,” she ordered as she exited the car.
Rebekah did the same, taking note of the lights that appeared in Downtown Munich. The streets were full of passing cars, and hundreds of people crowded the sidewalks.
She walked into the hotel lobby, which was also surprisingly busy. Pushing past many people to get to the front desk, Rebekah noticed how big the hotel lobby was. Everything inside the lobby was made of tan stone—the walls, floors, and even the furniture.
The hotel receptionist greeted them as they approached the desk, and Rebekah stopped slightly behind Andre, taking note of how her eyes locked onto the receptionist’s.
“We’re checking in,” Andre said, her voice monotone. “Henderson.”
Henderson? Rebekah questioned, watching the receptionist.
“Kathleen?” the receptionist asked for clarification.
“Yes.”
Under her desk, the receptionist pulled out two room keys and slid them across the desk. “Your room will be 504.”
“Thank you,” Andre said, breaking her concentration with the receptionist before pulling Rebekah into an elevator.
“You put a spell on her, didn’t you?” Rebekah asked as a sly smile crossed her lips.
“I don’t intent to pay for our one-night stay, and I never made a reservation beforehand.”
The elevator reached the fifth floor, and the doors opened slightly. Rebekah was handed one of the hotel room key cards, and they set off down the hall to find their room number.
It didn’t take long for them to find their room, and once Rebekah was led into the hotel room, she immediately made her way to one of the beds and sunk into the mattress.
~~~
Andre: Munich, Germany
An hour after they had arrived at the hotel room, Rebekah fell asleep without asking any further questions. Andre, however, was far from being tired, courtesy of her half-immortal side. She also had to stay awake to wait for Ava, who had contacted her prior to this night. After Roseway, Andre wasn’t pleased to hear from Ava again, especially considering how their last interaction went down. She still didn’t like how Ava had intentionally put her cousin in danger with what had been perceived at the time as a suicide mission.
Not surprisingly, Ava wasted no time getting to the hotel room, officially appearing in front of the beds. Upon sensing another presence in the room, Andre glanced at Ava. “I told her nothing,” she stated flatly with just a hint of sourness to her voice. “I didn’t tell anyone anything.”
“I told you not to,” Ava said. “I know about Kat.”
“Is that the reason you asked me to bring her here? Because it wasn’t easy getting Jason to allow her out of the facility.”
“I didn’t expect it would be, but I needed to talk to her in a secure location. With Kat there, the facility isn’t secure enough.”
“What do you want?”” Andre questioned coldly as she moved to Rebekah’s bedside.
“I
see you’re still bitter about Roseway.” Ava sighed. “I should have expected as much.”
“You knowingly put my cousin in danger,” Andre growled. “I’m not going to just magically get over that.”
Ava shook her head. “Soon, you’ll understand I had no choice.”
Andre opened her mouth to protest some more, but before she could, Rebekah stirred beside her. “Andre?” Rebekah said, still somewhat groggy. “What—”
“Someone’s here to see you,” Andre interrupted in a whisper.
Rebekah blinked, expelling the rest of sleep from her eyes. Instantly, she sat up, widening her eyes as they landed on Ava for the first time that night.
“Ava,” Rebekah said in a voice that was barely audible.
“I didn’t think you’d still recognize me,” Ava responded. “After everything that happened…”
Rebekah’s eyes trailed from Ava to Andre. “Is this the reason you brought me here?”
Andre shrugged in response. “More or less.”
Scoffing, Rebekah shifted her position on the bed. “What are you doing here?” she asked Ava.
“I needed to talk in a place that was more secure than the ICW facility,” Ava explained. “From what I’ve observed, Jason’s not doing a good enough job with keeping that facility safe.”
“What do you mean?”
“Rebekah, Henri’s already breached the facility,” Andre pointed out. “You know that.”
“You mean Mandy?” Rebekah questioned. “What he did is hardly breaching the facility.”
“The Foreseer? What did he do to her?”
“He…did some things that I don’t quite understand,” Rebekah said, glancing at Andre to help her explain things.
Reading what Rebekah wanted, Andre started to explain. “He blocked her visions and invaded her mind, bewitching her so she believed Jason was the true enemy and trying to get information out of her. But she knew very little of what he was asking, and he grew impatient, so he tortured her with an enchanted weapon.”
“How do you know about her?” Rebekah inquired, raising an eyebrow.
“I’ve heard about her. One night, I tried visiting her with the intention of writing to her,” Ava answered. “Then, Kat showed up, and that was when I realized the ICW facility is not as safe as Jason may think it is.”
Bleeding Misery (Threatening Souls Book 2) Page 21
