Fear (3 page)

―Hey,‖ Reed says softly, ―I didn‘t mean to make you upset.‖ He reaches over and then, slowly, hesitantly, he takes my hand. ―I know this has to be real y overwhelming for you. I wasn‘t thinking.‖

I don‘t say anything. His hand feels warm, and somehow comforting.

―You don‘t have to do anything you don‘t want to do,‖

he says, standing up. ―I‘ll take you right back to Campbell .‖

―No,‖ I say, shaking my head and standing up. I take a deep breath and try to get my thoughts together. ―I want to go.‖

He smiles. ―Okay, then,‖ he says, and stands up.

―Fol ow me.‖

There‘s a winding cobblestone path that leads away from the town hall , and Reed and I fol ow it, starting to make our way through what looks like a town from a storybook. There are small , brightly- colored cottages lining the path, and I can hear voices ahead. For a moment, I get scared and glance at Reed, wondering if it‘s some kind of trick.

Through the trees up ahead, I can make out a group of people, gathered on the porch of one of the cabins. They‘re sitting in a circle, talking in a language I don‘t understand.

―What are they doing?‖ I ask as we pass by. They seem lost in their own world, and don‘t turn to look as we walk past. They‘re younger than I first thought, probably around my age.

―Practicing,‖ Reed says.

―Practicing what?‖

―Spells.‖

―Who do they want to put a spell on?‖

―No one specific,‖ he says, ―They‘re just practicing to learn.‖

We walk in silence for a few moments. ―Where are we going?‖ I ask.

―I thought it would make you more comfortable if you could see where we‘re going to be breaking the bond between Raine and Campbell ,‖ he says. The branches crunch under his feet, and the path is slowly changing over from being paved in cobblestones to being just dirt, and I‘m struggling a little to keep up.

The truth is, it doesn‘t make me feel more comfortable to see where the spell is going to be broken. In fact, I don‘t want to have to deal with any of this.

But I can‘t show any weakness to Reed. And so al I say is, ―Sounds good.‖

We walk in silence for what feels like forever. As we move through the forest, I start to notice butterflies on the trees. Blue, green, purple, white, gray, red, orange. Al different colors, al different patterns.

I‘m about to ask Reed what the butterflies mean, when suddenly, the trees part, and we‘re standing in a clearing. There‘s a huge circular platform in the middle, raised about three feet or so off the ground.

The platform is a shiny platinum color, and the sun shines through the branches and glints off the metal.

In the middle of the stage is some kind of pulpit or lectern, and that, too, is shiny and gold, with a butterfly embossed on the front. There are rows of modern and comfortable looking chairs set up near the stage, with silver backs and cream-colored cushions.

―You seem surprised,‖ Reed says, watching me.

―What were you expecting?‖

―I don‘t know,‖ I say. ―Some kind of dirty, rotting stage with mismatched folding chairs.‖

―And the Blair Witch?‖ he asks. ―Waiting to come out and scare you?‖

―The Blair Witch?‖ I ask, ―Is that your attempt at witch humor?‖

―Attempt?‖ Reed asks, sitting down in one of the chairs and looking at me. ―Does that mean you didn‘t think it was funny?‖

―Not necessarily.‖ I sit down sideways in the seat across from him, letting my legs dangle into the aisle. He does the same. He‘s wearing dress shoes, shiny and black.

―Are those your bond breaking shoes?‖ I ask.

―You don‘t like them?‖ He raises his eyebrows, like he can‘t believe it. But I can tell he‘s teasing me.

―They make you seem like you‘re trying too hard.‖

―Trying too hard to what?‖

―To seem like you‘re in control.‖ I raise my eyes to meet his, and I keep his gaze, even when it‘s boring into me so hard that all I want to do is look away.

―You can tell that from my shoes?‖

I shrug. ―You can tell a lot about a person from what they‘re wearing.‖

He nods, like he can accept this. ―So you don‘t think I‘m in control?‖

―I think you want people to think you‘re in control,‖ I say, ―But you‘re not. Or at least, you don‘t think you are. Not completely anyway.‖

―If I‘m not in control,‖ he says, tilting his head. ―Then who is?‖

His tone is still teasing, but I answer the question in a serious way. ―Me.‖ He doesn‘t deny it. He just turns and looks at the stage. He‘s quiet for a long moment, and when he final y speaks he says, ―The bond-breaking spell is dangerous. I want to be honest with you about that.

But I also don‘t want you to worry.‖

―How dangerous?‖ I ask, and my stomach twists.

―Do you trust me?‖

―I hardly know you.‖

―But you know I‘m on your side.‖

―You tried to kill Cam once,‖ I say, ―Why wouldn‘t you do it again?‖

―Because we need him,‖ he says simply. ―Or rather, we need the two of you.‖

―The two of us?‖

―Once the bond with him and Raine is broken,‖ Reed says, ―Then your bond with Cam

will grow. And the power will be squarely on our side.‖

―The power to do what?‖ I ask.

He turns to me, and looks right into my eyes. And then he grins. ―Come on,‖ he says,

―Let me show you more of the compound.‖

I have a feeling there‘s more to the story. Of course there is. But for some reason, he doesn‘t want to tell me what our power will enable us to do. At least not yet.

And I know that if I push it, he‘ll shut down.

So I stand up and fol ow him back through the woods, back toward the town hall .

But this time, when we pass the group of teenagers that‘s gathered on the porch of one of the cottages, Reed stops.

―Hey, guys,‖ he says, giving them a grin. The group immediately stops what they‘re

doing and stands up, looking at us in awe. ―This is Natalia,‖ he says.

Instantly, one of the girls rushes over to me, skipping down the porch steps.

―Your highness,‖ she says, and curtsies. I look at Reed, but he just smiles.

―Um, hi,‖ I try.

―Have you come to watch us practice?‖ the girl asks, sounding excited. ―We‘re working on moving matchboxes using just our thoughts.‖ Her eyes are eager, and I don‘t want to be rude, but the last thing I want to do is watch some random stranger practice spells. I need to get back to Cam.

―No,‖ I say, ―I‘m sorry, but I can‘t stay. I – ‖

Suddenly, Reed‘s walkie talkie crackles, and he excuses himself and walks a few feet away, talking into it in a low voice.

―Please,‖ the girl says, her eyes still shining. ―We‘ve been working so hard.‖ She gestures toward her friends on the porch, who are al just staring at me in awe.

―I‘d like to,‖ I say, trying to sound kind. ―But there‘s something going on right now that I need to be involved in.‖

She nods. ―The bond breaking ceremony. We understand.‖ Her voice is quiet and serious.

Reed walks back over to us.

―Everything okay?‖ I ask him.

―Yes, yes,‖ he says, ―They just need me at the clearing for a moment, question about the ceremony.‖ He rolls his eyes, like he can‘t believe the incompetence he has to deal with.

―Okay,‖ I say, turning back toward the path. ―Let‘s go.‖

―Oh, no, no,‖ he says, ―It will be boring for you. You stay here and watch Danata and her friends practice. I‘ll be back in just a few minutes.‖

He‘s trying to sound casual, but something about the way he‘s acting, the tone of his voice, the way his eyes are moving, makes me think that he‘s lying. But I can‘t call him out or let him know I‘m suspicious.

―Okay,‖ I say, shrugging like I don‘t care. As soon as he‘s gone, and as soon as I can make up an excuse to get away from Danata and her friends, I‘ll hightail it back to the town hall to make sure Cam‘s okay.

―Come on,‖ Danata says, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the cottage.

―You have to see.‖

So I give Reed a wave, paste a smile on my face, and then I fol ow her.

Chapter Four

Campbell

There‘s some kind of commotion going on outside our room, in the hall way.

Raised voices. Arguing.

Raine and I stop talking.

―Someone‘s upset,‖ she says, then walks to the door and puts an ear against it.

―Can you tell what they‘re fighting about?‖ I ask, moving closer and getting ready to press my ear against the door, too.

Raine shakes her head. ―No. But I could swear I know who‘s talking. It‘s --‖

Suddenly the door bursts open and Hadley strides in, fol owed by a bewildered looking guy. Actual y, he‘s more of a kid, tall and thin with a bowl haircut and a smattering of red acne across his cheeks.

―You‘re not supposed to be in here,‖ the kid is saying, trying to sound forceful, but coming across more nervous than anything. His eyes dart around the room.

Raine‘s eyes narrow. ―You fucking bitch,‖ she says to Hadley.

Hadley glances at her, dismisses her, and then turns to me. ―You‘re both in danger.‖

―No shit,‖ I say. ―Tel us something we don‘t know.‖

The kid runs a hand through his tangled hair.

―Please,‖ he says, and it‘s almost a whine. ―I‘m going to get in huge trouble if you don‘t get out of here, Hadley.‖

―The two of you should be kept as far away from each other as possible,‖ Hadley says, pushing me to the other side of the room. ―The closer your bond becomes, the more dangerous this ceremony will be for the two of you.‖

I look at Raine to see if this is true. But Raine looks uncertain.

―Then why would they have put us in this room together?‖ I ask.

―It‘s Reed,‖ Hadley says, as if that should be enough to explain everything.

The kid takes a walkie talkie out of his hip holster and puts it to his ear. ―Oh, man, this is real y messed up,‖ he says. ―I gotta call this in.‖

Hadley closes her eyes, then puts her hand up and the walkie talkie flies across the room and shatters against the wall .

―You can‘t do that—― the dorky kid starts.

Hadley glares at him. ―Go take a nap, Steve.‖

―You can‘t – ‖ But he trails off, then grins, almost like he‘s embarrassed. He walks to the bed and flops down. A second later he‘s snoring like Rip Van Winkle.

―Since when do you want to help me, Hadley?‖ Raine asks. ―Why should we trust you?‖

Hadley sighs. ―I don‘t have time to explain. I‘ve got an escape route, and we need to get both of you out of here before it‘s too late.‖

I fold my arms. ―What about Natalia?‖

―Natalia‘s safe. Reed doesn‘t want to hurt her…at least, I don‘t think he does.‖

But now Hadley seems just a little uncertain, too. She glances over her shoulder toward the empty hall way again. ―If we‘re going to get the two of you out of here, we have to go. It‘s now or never.‖

I‘m not certain it‘s the right thing. I don‘t want to leave Natalia. I don‘t know if I can trust Hadley, and I know I can‘t trust Reed. But I also know I don‘t want to stay in this room.

And if I can find Natalia, maybe we can BOTH get the fuck out of here. So final y, I sigh, and then nod. And after a second, Raine does, too.

The three of us move into the corridor. Hadley starts walking quickly to the left, leading us, her head held high. ―I‘m going to pretend to be escorting you both to the ceremony, so play along,‖ she says, picking up her pace.

We round a turn and then see a few women coming toward us. They‘re older than us by a few years, dressed in long green robes. ―Hadley?‖ one of them asks, looking at us curiously.

―What are you doing?‖

Hadley keeps walking. ―I have orders from Reed to bring these two to the clearing for the bond breaking ceremony.‖

―Shouldn‘t there be more guards?‖ one of the other women asks, concerned.

Hadley just laughs. ―I can handle these two, Sara.

Trust me.‖

The women turn and watch us as we pass them.

We round yet another corner and now Hadley real y picks up the pace. ―I‘m not sure they bought it,‖ she says, ―Come on. Faster.‖

Soon we‘re actual y jogging, our footsteps echoing off the polished marble floors.

We come to a doorway and there‘s a keypad next to it. Hadley presses a few buttons, and the door opens to the outside. ―Hurry, hurry,‖ she says, like she can feel they‘re coming after us.

And to be honest, I think I can sense it, too.

Once outside, we‘re on a narrow trail that circles the compound. Hadley looks both ways.

―We‘ll fol ow this path for about fifty feet and then both of you will break in opposite directions through the woods,‖ she instructs.

―Why?‖ I ask.

Raine rolls her eyes. ―Because you and I need to be apart. Remember?‖

―But what about our bond, Hadley? We need this ceremony to break it or…‖ I‘m not

even sure what happens if they don‘t break the bond between me and Raine.

―They don‘t have any intention of real y conducting that ceremony,‖ Hadley says.

―I thought they did but I was obviously wrong. It‘s all for show. Reed wants Natalia for himself.‖

A stab of anger burns through my chest. Almost like what I feel towards Brody, but

multiplied by about a million. At least Brody can be okay sometimes.

Reed is just a scumbag trying to take advantage of Natalia.

―Keep going,‖ Hadley whispers. Her eyes are huge.

―They‘ll kill me if they find out what I‘m doing, and that‘s not an exaggeration.‖

We start running down the trail again. Hadley spots someone in the distance, and then, suddenly, she breaks for the forest. ―Come on!‖ she cries.

Raine darts into the underbrush and so do I. We‘re running through thick leaves, and tree branches are scratching my face. I‘m losing sight of Hadley and Raine. I can still hear them running, but the sounds are getting fainter with each passing second.

And now I hear something else. First, voices yelling.

And then, some kind of siren or alarm. It‘s like a horn going full blast.

I run faster. It‘s just me now, sprinting through the forest, trees blurring as I weave in and out of them.

But I can feel my pursuers.