Hourglass (23 page)

“Put me through?”

“So you could change things?” The question was leading.

Save Michael. She was talking about saving Michael. I sat up on my knees. “Yes. Oh yes, please—”

“Wait.” She held up one finger. “It’s not that simple. Once the powers that be show up, you could be stripped of the choice to ever use your ability again.”

“I don’t care.” There was no rule I wouldn’t break or consequence I wouldn’t accept if I could bring Michael back. I scooted to the edge of the bed. Hope rose like the sun in my chest, warm, full of possibility. “When can I go?”

She checked her watch as she stood up. “Give me thirty minutes. I have a feeling Liam and everyone else will be going to your place to see if they can find any sign of Landers. I’ll tell them you want to stay here, and that I’m going to stay with you. And Emerson?”

“Yes?”

“You can’t tell anyone. Liam never breaks the rules. I’m actually shocked he came back with you. What we’re about to do is dangerous and very, very wrong.” Her mouth was set in a harsh line. “Do you understand?”

“I understand.”

Chapter 50

T
he cicadas sang cheerfully as we drove through the dusky twilight on the way to the Hourglass. It made what I was about to do feel even more surreal, as if I should be catching lightning bugs in a jar and playing flashlight tag instead of resurrecting the dead.

Cat maneuvered her car up the long drive skillfully, keeping a close eye on the rearview mirror. Satisfied that no one had followed us, she pulled over, parking close to a willow tree. The low-hanging branches partially obscured the car.

“We’re going to go straight to Liam’s old office inside the house. Follow me, and act like you’re supposed to be here, no matter who we see or what they say.”

“Got it.”

“When I open the bridge, you need to focus on when you and Michael went into the lab together. And you have to be careful not to be seen by anyone—I mean
anyone
, Emerson. No matter how tempted you are to call out to Michael, you can’t do it until
after
you and Liam have left the lab. You’ll have seconds before the explosion.”

I looked down at my clothing and hoped it would be enough to persuade him it was a “different” me. We’d cleaned up the warm coat I wore to travel back to save Liam as best as we could, and I’d added a bright green scarf. I had my hair long and loose instead of pulled back in a ponytail. I’d also tucked Kaleb’s silver circle into my pocket as a good-luck charm.

“You have to convince him to cooperate. If he refuses, if something happens to you …”

She didn’t have to complete the sentence. If anything happened to me, no one would be coming back to save us.

“You keep saying ‘if.’ It’s not doing a lot for my confidence.”

She grasped my forearm and squeezed. “You need to understand what kind of risk you’re taking. Do you?”

I nodded.

I followed her to the house, trying not to look terrified. Cat didn’t knock or use a key, just opened the front door and walked in. I caught a quick impression of open spaces and warm colors as she pulled me into a dark room.

She gestured through the doorway. “The hallway leads you to a sitting room. In that room is a set of French doors that exit onto the patio. The patio has a stone wall that you can use as a shield. Once you hit the grass you’ll have to make a run for it to avoid being seen.”

“What do I do if—”

The question was interrupted by the sound of a door opening and closing. Cat grabbed me, pushing me down behind the desk. Muffled voices filled the air, and then disappeared.

“If you’re going to go, the time is now.” She lifted her hands and the sphere appeared. Her face glowed in its eerie light. “Are you ready?”

I stood and stepped into the veil.

Chapter 51

T
he long tube of light was illuminated in the same soft shades of water and silver as the night before. It felt different without Michael by my side, less thrilling, more terrifying. I twisted the ring and concentrated on the date of Liam’s death, holding the scene of Michael and me crossing the grass to the lab in my mind. Thoughts of the things we’d said, the things we hadn’t said, kept trying to intrude. I forced myself to focus. I could almost imagine Michael’s voice in my ear, encouraging me to do the same.

Soon I could hear the unfiltered sounds and see the shimmer that signified the end of my journey. When everything went quiet again, I stayed inside the bridge, scoping out the room, making sure I was alone. All I could see was a faint hint of light shining from an illuminated bookshelf.

It appeared to hold a collection of hourglasses, from the most archaic designs to the most futuristic. I hadn’t noticed them when I’d been standing in the room with Cat.

I stepped through the veil and tiptoed to the doorway of Liam’s office, peeking my head out just like I had fifteen minutes ago, but in a completely different time. The house felt as empty as it had then. It was now cloaked in a darkness so deep I cursed myself for having not brought a flashlight. I tiptoed toward the French doors that led out to the patio and pushed down carefully on the curved door handles.

Locked.

And then, behind me, the unmistakable sound of footsteps.

Panic clawed its way up my chest. I stopped the scream bubbling in my throat and looked over my shoulder.

I was alone.

Turning my attention back to the doors, I felt for a push button. There was only a deadbolt—the kind that had to be unlocked with a key.

“Okay, think, think, think.” I searched for a hook on the wall or a side table, hoping I’d miraculously find what I was looking for. No luck. A memory tugged at me, and I lifted my eyes, catching a glimpse of something sitting on top of the doorframe.

A key.

Exactly where my parents used to store the bathroom key in case I locked myself in when I was little. I stretched as high as I could and cursed under my breath. Too short. I didn’t dare jump—if I missed more than once, made too much racket, I might not have time to get outside.

Grateful my vision had adjusted to the dim light, I looked around the room. A plush velvet ottoman sat in front of an armchair fifteen feet away from me. I hurried over to it, praying it was on wheels. Finally, success.

Rolling the ottoman over to the door, I climbed up precariously and knocked the key to the ground. It pinged when it hit the hardwood floor. Not bothering to return either of the items to their proper places, I slipped the key into the lock.

The cold air outside made my eyes water. Lights were on in the lab, and no one occupied the frozen expanse of yard. I crossed my fingers, snuck down the patio steps, and took off running.

I reached the tree line that bordered the woods fairly quickly. I wished I could see something, someone to let me know I’d come out of the bridge in the right time period.

Wish granted.

I scrambled for quick refuge, sliding inside the abandoned building with the rotting floor that Michael had once told me to avoid. Even though the door barely hung from the hinges, I pushed it closed with a soft scuffing sound—the smell of molding leaves and gasoline permeating my nostrils. The floor looked to be in good enough shape. Even if it wasn’t, it didn’t matter.

I had no other alternatives at the moment.

Landers and Ava were already in the woods, walking straight toward me.

I opened the door half an inch, leaving just enough space so I could see outside.

“I’m sorry.”

“You should be. But I forgive you. Do your job well, and maybe I’ll reward you.”

“Whatever you say, whatever you want.”

If possible, the conversation was even more desperate the second time around. At least now I knew that Michael and Liam were in the lab, and that I was merely a few feet away, hiding behind a tree, listening to the same conversation.

That was weird.

I leaned as close to the door as I dared, peering through the crack with one eye.

Jack stood, starkly handsome against the winter landscape, carrying the cool assurance that he was justified in what he was about to allow. It made me hate him even more.

“How long do you think we have before they come looking for us?” Something about Ava’s voice was different now, maybe because they were closer to me this time. Or maybe because she sounded scared.

“They won’t come looking. There will be no evidence this was caused by a time-related ability.” He threw off her worry as if it were meaningless—he was right to do so. According to Kaleb, no traditional authority even knew anything like the Hourglass existed. “Stop being so concerned with the repercussions. You act like policing me is your job.”

I tried to catch a glimpse of Ava’s face as they walked past the building and into the woods, but all I saw was the flash of a long necklace and a blue coat. Then they were gone.

A rectangle of golden light formed on the frozen grass.

Michael—alive, whole, breathing—leaving the lab to retrieve John Doe from his car.

I watched him hurry to the side of the house, keeping him in my sight line until he disappeared.

This was the worst part, knowing what was about to happen and being forced to wait. I tried to use the time wisely, testing the floor gingerly with my foot. Michael and I needed a quick shelter after I pulled him from the building to avoid the blast.

The wooden planks were stronger around the perimeter of the room, and as I scanned it to find the best place for us to hide, the unthinkable happened.

The logs that made up the interior walls morphed from blank, decrepit slats to ripples filled with life. In the light from a kerosene lantern, the images came faster and faster, a crazy quilt appearing on a rack beside a woodburning stove, a young girl—her dark skin shining like ebony—singing to a carved wooden doll, a young mother rocking a baby in the corner.

“No, no, no.” I closed my eyes tightly and opened them again. The images were still there, now with more details filled in. The room had completely transformed. I thought about Liam’s words, that ripples were bleeding through the fabric of time. I’d gone from seeing individual people to a jazz trio to a horse-drawn carriage, and now the inside of a whole cabin with occupants intact. How far could the color run—how wide would the ripples spread?

I looked out the window, now hung with homespun curtains. Outside, other tiny cabins formed a kind of semicircle around an open area.

There was no lab in sight.

Do I pop the little girl or her mother and the newborn?

Because one of them had to go. Everything needed to disappear, and quick. I needed to see the present time out of the window, not an entire scene from the past.

The little girl was closest, so she was the winner. Or the loser, depending. I reached out and tapped her gingerly on the shoulder, rather than lunging into her as if my arm was a rapier and she was the target.

The dissolve was different than anything I’d ever experienced.

Instead of an instant pop and poof from the little girl, the fade started at the top of the scene and ran down like rivulets of rain on glass.

Something was very, very wrong, but I didn’t have time to think about it. Like a screen wipe in a movie, the lab reappeared, filling in from the top to the bottom. Michael was walking toward the door—dragging John Doe.

I had maybe a minute. I ran, giving no thought to possible exposure. Jack and Ava were secured somewhere in the woods, preparing to do serious damage, and now Liam, Michael, and I were busy arguing in the doorway to the lab. When I reached the side of the building, I pressed my body against it, squeezing my eyes closed. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to see myself.

I wasn’t sure I wanted to.

“I’m
not
leaving you here.”

“Go, Emerson. Take these.”

“Come with me. You promised we’d be safe.”

I sounded desperate. In that moment I realized that somehow I’d known Michael wasn’t going to make it out of that building alive. But that was then.

I wouldn’t let history repeat itself.

“I promised you that
you
would be safe, and I don’t want you anywhere near this lab. Go with Liam to the car. Please? Time is running out.”

“I’m sure Michael knows what he’s doing. We’re just holding him up.”

“Go. Stay safe. I’ll get to you when I can.”

The second I was positive the pathway to the front door was clear, I stepped away from the side of the building and into the lab.

Michael stood frozen; his shoulders slumped forward, defeated. His fingers gripped the body as if it was a lifeline.

“Michael!”

He looked up, and his eyes widened, filling with fear. Shaking his head violently, he said, “Why are you here? Get out, Em, run!”

“No.” Grabbing Michael’s wrist, I kicked at John Doe as hard as I could, and the body fell to the ground. It landed with a thud, one arm escaping from the plastic it was wrapped in. The sight turned my stomach. “We both run.”

Still holding tight to Michael, I dragged him outside and hauled ass, my feet pounding against the frozen ground. I heard Michael’s heavy breathing behind me as he followed me through the woods and into the tiny shack.

Two seconds after the door shut behind us, the lab burst into flames.

Chapter 52

W
hat did you do? Emerson, what have you done?”

“I saved your life.”

“The rules—”

“Don’t say anything about rules, or you’ll be dead in the future because
I
killed you. No one else is following them besides you, and I’ll be damned if some misguided sense of honor makes you do something stupid right now.” My heart was so conflicted. Part of me wanted to throw my arms around him and never let go. The other part wanted to rage at him for knowing that he was going to die and choosing to do so instead of stopping it.

“Why did you come back to get me?”

Rage took a clear lead. “Did you even think, for one second, about what losing you would do to me? To your mom and sister? To Kaleb? To all the people who care about you?”

“It was
all
I could think about.”

“Then why did you do it?”

“I didn’t have a choice. It was the way things were supposed to happen. Once I knew that you would make it back safely—” He stopped. “I had to believe you’d be okay with my choice, eventually. And you were.”

“Was I?”

He stared up at the ceiling. “When I saw you, you were being taken care of. You were … loved.”

“Who was
taking care
of me?”

He met my eyes. “Kaleb.”

I shook my head.

“So I knew you had a future. I had to let go of the fact that I wasn’t part of it.”

“Maybe I don’t want a future without you in it.” I licked my lips and tried to push down my nerves. How screwed up was I? The prospect of a conversation about my feelings was more terrifying than the drama going down outside the door. “Did you think of that?”

“My death was staring me in the face. I shouldn’t have been able to think of anything, but there you were, at the top of the list.”

I wondered how I ranked so high.

Another explosion rattled the windows, causing us both to jump.

“We should get out of here,” he said, gesturing toward the door.

“We can’t yet. There’s too much going on outside. We have to wait until some of the traffic clears out. So since we have some time to kill”—I paused, grimacing at my word choice—“I have some things I have to tell you before we go back. So much has happened in the last twenty-four hours.”

“You came back to get me that fast?”

“Trust me, it didn’t feel fast. I don’t know whether to start with the bad news or the bad news,” I sighed. “Okay, first. You were right about Jonathan Landers being the murderer.”

“I knew it.”

“That’s not the worst part. He’s been living in my loft since the day I met you. Yours, too.”

Michael’s face registered confusion. “I don’t understand.”

“No one else does either. Somehow he managed to travel and he’s been frequenting the bridge that spans our rooms. I thought he was a rip. I tried to touch him to make him go away and ended up with a handful of glow-in-the-dark goo.”

His upper lip curled. “Why didn’t I see him?”

“I guess because he didn’t want you to. He must have manipulated the bridge and used it to hide.”

Michael jerked his head in the direction of the window, where Jack could clearly be seen directing a fire truck across the lawn.

“Why didn’t you tell me about him?”

My body went hot with shame. That was a tougher question to answer.

How could I tell Michael that I’d wanted to keep Jack to myself, along with his flattery and attention? I’d thought of him as some kind of guardian angel, and he was nothing of the sort. He was a killer, and he’d been in my home. He’d watched me sleep. I’d been stupid enough to listen when he claimed he wanted to protect me.

“I didn’t think it was a big deal at first. And then—then it started feeling like a lie. Like something I should keep secret. I should’ve known then that it was wrong.”

His expression turned pensive. “We both have regrets about things we didn’t tell each other.”

“In your room, after we kissed …” I trailed off. “You said you wanted to kiss me again. But you knew you weren’t going to come back. Was it just a kiss good-bye?”

“What kind of kiss do you think it was?”

I knew I’d probably be angry later for letting him off the hook so quickly, but my sorrow turned into some kind of giddy relief that started in my toes and jumped directly to my mouth. Uncontrollable and impulsive.

“I hope it was a kiss good-bye. If so, I think a kiss hello is in order.” I fiddled with the knot in my scarf, tightening it, then loosening it. “I mean, I did bring you back from the dead. Basically.”

Michael stared at me for a moment before stepping forward to take my face in his hands. The buzz from his touch almost knocked me off my feet.

“It was a kiss good-bye. I didn’t think I’d ever see you again, and I didn’t want to die without knowing what kissing you felt like.” He groaned. “It all sounds so dramatic.”

“It was.” I remembered the rending of my heart when I thought I’d lost him. “It was terrible.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’ve not forgiven you.” I could feel my legs shaking, hear the tears in my voice. “I don’t know how long it’s going to take me to forgive you, or if I ever will, but I’m so happy that you’re here right now.”

“Emerson—”

“I don’t know what any of this means, but I know that when I thought you were gone, I couldn’t breathe. It felt like half of me was missing.” I kept babbling, my edit button not only broken, but completely obliterated. “I’m seventeen. Who feels like this at seventeen?”

“Em—”

“And as far as Ava is concerned, or Kaleb, I don’t want anyone in the space between us. I—”

“Emerson!” His voice carried urgency.

“What?”

“Please stop talking.” He lowered his lips, stopping just before he reached mine. “I can’t kiss you when you’re talking.”

The joy that rushed through my veins eclipsed the pain of almost losing him. I gave one second of thought to the Emerson outside on the grass, the one who was waking up to grief and loss.

Then I let it go, sinking into the kiss, into his body, now whole and perfect and right in front of me.

We knelt, the door cracked open enough for us to see everything taking place in the yard. The flames were almost out. Vehicles were backing up, making slick, muddy tire treads in the grass. The fire chief was directing the traffic jam. Soot and ash covered his face, and his breath crystallized in the night air as he huffed out orders.

“All we have to do is make it to Liam’s office,” I said. “Cat’s keeping the bridge open.”

“Let me go first.”

I raised one eyebrow.

“I know you can take care of yourself. And me.” He looked outside, leaning to the left and right, watching Landers through an inch of space. “This is a precaution. I know the house and the people who could be in it. You don’t.”

“Point taken.”

I stared at the curve of his lips, not thinking about the bridge or the things we’d have to deal with on the other side of it. Just Michael, how grateful I was that he was alive, how much I wanted to touch him. How much I wanted him to touch me.

He kept his eyes on the activity outside. “Emerson. You can’t look at me like that. Not right now.”

“How do you know how I’m looking at you?”

“I can feel it.” He smiled. I couldn’t see it, but I could hear it in his voice. He hooked one arm around my neck and gently pulled me to his side. “Hold it. You only told me one piece of bad news. What else is there, besides the fact that Jonathan Landers has been stalking you?”

“The ripples, they’re changing. We both saw the jazz trio at the opening of the Phone Company, but I’ve seen other things since. The worst happened here, right before I came to save you. This whole room transformed. I looked out the window and saw a scene from at least a hundred and fifty years ago.”

“What?” he breathed out.

“I can’t explain it. It was like I’d traveled back in time.”

“More like
time
traveled to
you
.” He paused, thinking. “Rips have been more detailed for me lately, but nothing that intricate. Did you tell Liam?”

I nodded. “He’s worried.”

“That’s saying something. Did he have any explanations?”

“No.”

He let go of me and pulled the door open another half inch. “Looks like all the key players are talking to the fire chief.”

“We can’t go yet,” I protested. The crowd might be thinning out, but the grounds still looked too full to navigate without being noticed.

“We can’t leave Cat holding the wormhole open for much longer. She’s on enemy territory if the people at the Hourglass are still loyal to Landers.”

“Just a few more minutes.”

“Just a few.” He rose and pulled me to my feet.

“Since we’re waiting …” I grabbed the collar of his jacket, stood on my tiptoes, and pressed my lips to his. His skin was cool at first, but heat flared the second we touched. It warmed me to the tips of my toes and fingers, and I’d have bet cold, hard cash my hair was standing on end, light shooting from each individual strand. I didn’t want to open my eyes to check.

He pulled me closer, trailing his mouth along the line of my jaw and down my neck. I held on to his jacket more tightly, pulling him even closer.

“I’m ready to get out of here,” he murmured in my ear. “Get you somewhere I can kiss you properly.”

“This isn’t properly?” I was shaking again. What was it about this boy that made me shake? “If not, can I
handle
properly?”

“I’ll do my best to make sure you can.” He kissed his way across my cheekbone to my lips, his hands sliding under my jacket, his fingers burning against the cotton of my T-shirt. I couldn’t help thinking about how his hands would feel on my bare skin. “Or that you can’t handle it. Whatever you want.”

I wanted to be alone with him. Really alone. “Maybe we should take this back to my place.”

He lifted his head to look at me, a strange expression on his face. I let out a nervous giggle. “That sounded better in my head.”

“It sounded pretty damn good out of it.”

We reached the house without incident. It almost went too smoothly.

“Did I say thank you?” Michael asked as we ducked into Liam’s office. “If not, thank you.” He raised our joined hands to his lips and kissed the inside of my wrist.

“I can’t remember.” I couldn’t remember anything. Hello, erogenous zone. “And you’re welcome.”

He just grinned.

Still holding hands, we stepped into the veil.

I focused on returning to Liam’s office. The silver swirls consumed me again, and all I could hear was the occasional ghostly voice or strain of music.

When we reached the veil, Michael whispered, “Stay in the bridge.” I’ll come back to get you when I’m sure we’re in the clear.”

“Hurry.”

He gave my hand a squeeze and disappeared.

I remained in the bridge alone, focusing on standing still instead of moving forward or backward. It felt so different from traveling. It was as if I was being pushed and pulled, and my life depended on maintaining the balance. The waterlike silver swirls seemed to move clockwise and counterclockwise at the same time. Faces, complete with moving mouths and blinking eyes, faded in and out of focus.

I didn’t like it.

Where was Michael?

The longer I waited, the more oppressive it became, and the closer the faces pushed against the surface of the bridge. I could see details now, eyelashes, eyebrows, dimples, and whiskers. The faces pressed against the barrier in waves, and even though I couldn’t hear them, it looked like their mouths were forming my name in silent screams of warning.

I closed my eyes. Even after a full three minutes of waiting, I could still see the imprints of their faces on my eyelids.

I had to get out.

I stepped from the bridge through the veil and opened my eyes.

To see Cat.

She was pointing a gun at Michael.