Infinite Risk (35 page)

“That's easy enough,” she said. “But I need a bucket of graveyard dirt, some dust from a church, two bird bones, and a lock of virgin hair.”

My mouth fell open. “Really?”

“Idiot. No, not really. Unless you're in the mood for a weird scavenger hunt.” She smirked at how gullible I was.

Reluctantly, I smiled back. “Pass.”

“I'll just infuse this with some of my energy. It might make him a little more aggressive, but he won't go off half cocked like before.” She closed her eyes and a glow suffused her palms. When it died away, she handed me the pen.

“Thanks. I'll slip it into his backpack tomorrow.”

“No problem. As favors go, this one was simple, and anything that thwarts Subzero counts as a win for Team Sun and Moon.” Selena opened a jar of olives as she settled in front of the TV. “I'm kind of getting used to you. Pity you'll be gone in like a day.”

“Four weeks, three days,” I mumbled.

“Close enough. Want to watch more
SYTYCD
? This show is magical.”

“Why not?” I ignored my buzzing phone, and this time, it stopped much sooner.
This is for the best,
I thought.
They'll miss me less when they accept that I'm flaky and disappearing is what I do.

Hours later, when I finally went to bed, I realized I was still clutching that stupid feather. I almost threw it away, but instead, I tucked it between the pages of one of the magazines Jake had brought when he thought I was sick. Like an idiot, I fell asleep thinking of the Harbinger.

Suddenly, I found myself in an open field, but it was no place I had ever been. The soil smelled of sulfur, and the trees were all dead and twisted. Ten ravens circled overhead, keeping formation. I didn't see him anywhere, but I sensed him. The low-grade ache eased.
I know you're there,
I said. Or rather, tried to say. No words came out because I had no mouth. My eyes went next, so the world went dark. Wind on my face, smelling of soot and decay, but I couldn't call out or find my way back again.

Why are you here, dearling? The deadlands are not for you.
His mind touched mine, filling me with familiar warmth, and my visceral terror receded.

A hard pinch jolted me awake. The clock on the microwave read 3:00 a.m., and Selena stood over me, cranky-faced. “You were squealing in your sleep like a baby pig. Stop.”

“Sorry.”

She returned to the couch, but I couldn't relax.
That was just a dream?
Until dawn, I watched the window, hoping for a bad omen bird that never came. A hot shower burned away some of my yearning, and I scoured the rest away with a coarse sponge. To Selena, a month might be a day, but for me, it was starting to seem interminable. My head rattled with ball bearings yet I felt light as air too, as if my bones had gone hollow. Without my goal to tether me, I might just dissolve now.

Maybe I've done enough.

As I thought that, a shiver of gold sparked from my skin and it went translucent, just for a second, and I choked out a shuddering breath.
No. I'm not ready yet. I'm not done.
For a shivering, anguished minute, my face flickered in the mirror. Wet hair, big eyes, gaunt frame, and nothing stared back at me. Like a vampire, I had no reflection. Touching the door to prove I existed, I dug my thumbnail in my palm. The pain caused a shiver in the mirror, and then something else was looking at me. But she pointedly turned and walked away.

“Heh. Even the monster in the mirror doesn't want my life.”

A few seconds later, my image came back, but it was weird and distorted, light streaks raying throughout my body, a bad psychedelic trip. Breathing hard, I shook the whole time I put on my clothes. One good thing about Selena, she didn't care how long I took in the bathroom. Any other roommate would be pounding on the door by now.

I stumbled out and paged through a magazine, pretending I wasn't a hot, microwaved mess. By seven thirty when Jake arrived to pick me up, I'd pasted myself together with grit and determination. How long that would hold, I had no idea. He helped me into the car and didn't say much on the way to school.

Today, the driver dropped us both at the front. “No morning practice?”

“No. Coach is taking it easy on us for the rest of the year. Listen, can we talk?” His somber tone gave me the first clue.

Oh, wow. It's time, huh?

“Sure. What's up?” Since I'd never actually played a breakup scene, I had no idea how to react. Crying would probably be over the top, no longer than we were together.

“I've had fun hanging out with you, but … I don't think it's going to work.”

“Yeah. I didn't know how to tell you, but I'm moving at the end of the year. So I'm glad you said it first.” A smile felt wrong, so I made eye contact, surprised to find that he actually seemed a little sad to hear it.

“No shit? I'll miss you, but … I'm not over Tanya.”

She walked up just in time to hear that and just … stopped, her eyes wide. From Jake's satisfaction, he'd seen her coming.
Well played, sir.
But I didn't want it to seem like he was breaking my heart.

So I said, “To be honest, I dreamed about my ex last night.”

“Jake…,” Tanya said in a small voice.

That was my cue; I hurried inside the school so they could make up.
Damage control unlocked.
After I slipped this pen-charm into Wade's backpack, I'd call it good regarding the problems I created by enrolling at this school. If I'd learned anything at Blackbriar, it was that shit could spiral out of control
so
fast.

Jake came to my locker after lunch, probably for the last time. “Thanks again.”

“You guys are back together?”

“Yep. She broke up with the a-hole a week ago.”

“Aren't you mad she believed that bullshit gossip and dumped you over it?” Technically, none of my business, but since I'd played a role in their reunion, I indulged my curiosity.

“At first. But the more I thought about it, it was actually a relief. When people know my background, sometimes it's hard to be sure…” He trailed off, shrugging.

“Because when she thought you were a scumbag, she left. Money didn't make her stay.”

“More or less. We can build mutual trust, but if she'd stuck around, even when she didn't believe in me,
I
would've had to go. If that makes sense.”

“Completely.”

“And that would've really sucked because I do love her.” His gaze locked on Tanya coming down the hall, and I swore he glowed.

Happy endings are awesome.

“You probably shouldn't spend too much time with your ex,” I said then.

“That's actually why I'm here. Tanya said our table looked really fun from across the room. So she was wondering—”

“Wow, really? Instead of taking you away, she wants to join?”

“Is that okay? I meant it when I said I'm done with that crowd.” Clearly, Jake put some stock in the rumor that someone had sabotaged his party to steal Tanya.

“Fine by me. It may be crowded until I leave. There will be more space next year.”

He ruffled my hair. “Don't say that. You'll make me emotional.”

“What will?” Tanya gave me a tentative smile, as if she wasn't sure where we were on the social spectrum.

“We were just talking about my imminent relocation. My dad's been transferred.” That was a good lie, right?

Just then, Kian and Vonna came down the hall, and if I had to third-wheel with a happy couple, they were a much better choice. Vonna glanced over shoulder as we walked away. “That looked pretty civilized. You okay?”

“Yeah. We were basically just killing time.” I swallowed a laugh at the accidental pun.

“You still miss the other guy?” she asked.

Hating myself a little, I nodded. When she hugged me, I leaned in, and it was good, though I feared dissolving in her arms like a wicked woman in a bible story, nothing left but sparks and salt.
Maybe not even salt.

“Thanks. But I'll be all right. I'm really used to good-byes.”

“You shouldn't be,” Kian said.

There was nothing I could say to make him understand, so I just listened to the pep talk about how modern life made it easy to keep in touch until the bell rang.
Not long now.

*   *   *

Two days later, I had failed in every conceivable way to get this damn pen into Wade's backpack. It was becoming a maddening, impossible quest. The thing was always in his locker; he rarely carried it to class.
So how the hell …

Oh, shit. My mind
is
going. I can't believe I didn't think of this.

Embarrassment practically immolated me. Putting that aside, I strode toward him, pen in hand. “Hey, Wade.”

He drew back on instinct. “Hey.”

“I just wanted to give you something.”

“What is it?”

I handed him the pen. “Just a symbol that we're cool.”

In his huge hands, the thin blue cylinder looked even smaller, which made his reticence pretty funny. “This is exploding ink, right?”

“Nope. It's just a decent pen. See?” I got out a notebook and wrote
Chelsea Brooks has no grudge against Wade Tennant.

“Oh, it's gel,” he said.

“They write really smooth. Just be careful, they can smear if you touch the ink too soon.”

Wade clearly didn't know what to make of this slightly odd “gift,” but he seemed to conclude it was a harmless gesture. “Okay, cool.”

Lowering my voice, I added, “I'm proving to everyone else that we're fine too. See how they're watching us?”

“Right. Morons.” He'd had enough attention lately, it seemed.

As I walked off, I mentally high-fived myself.
All the pieces are falling into place.
But I shouldn't have celebrated so early. That was the fastest way for things to go horribly wrong.

And they did.

 

RUNNING RAGGED

May came in like a day at the beach, plenty of sunshine, but there were also sand mites and uncontrollable itching. These days even my skin hurt, and I often had to drag myself out of bed. I bought a bunch of makeup to camouflage how shitty I looked, and Selena taught me to apply it with a heavy hand. I went for video vixen style, and my friends were too busy criticizing my new look to wonder why I'd suddenly switched it up.

I can't have them asking if I'm sick. Just need to hold together a little longer.

But the truth was, I couldn't stand looking at myself in the mirror. Beneath the foundation, my skin seemed papery and odd, showing gold sparks, and I'd gotten so thin that I could hardly wear the clothes I'd bought when I first arrived. Selena brought home a belt, and I made the pants work and covered with hoodies that were more oversize than ever.

She scrutinized me. “Are you going to make it?”

“I don't know.” My whole being was locked on the goal, but sheer will could only take you so far in overcoming physics.

“I could give you a focus, like I did for your school friend.”

“Would that help?”

“Not sure. To be honest, I've never run into a time traveler before. At any rate, it can't make things worse, right?”

I accepted her offer, and when I took the paper clip, some of the pain did recede, like it had when the Harbinger was nearby. Back then, I'd imagined it must have to do with our connection, but apparently immortal energy had the power to buffer the effects of cellular decay.
Glad Selena likes me.
Apart from Rochelle, she was the nicest supernatural I'd met.

“I might live,” I said.

“Good to hear. The end of the round is coming up, so stay sharp. Coldsnap will absolutely make a move before then.”

“I'm loving your nicknames for him.”

“It's best not to drop names unless you want attention,” she told me.

“Huh. So J.K. Rowling had that part right?” I remembered Kian also cautioning me against calling things that might refuse to leave.

“Who?” Selena asked.

“You're not a big reader, I take it.”

“Kidding. Harry Potter, the boy who lived. I've seen all the movies like three times.”

And I'm the girl who won't.

Despite my dark mood, I laughed. “Okay, I'm off.”

The bus ride wasn't bad, but I missed arriving in Jake's town car. Now that he was back with Tanya, I doubted she'd appreciate it if I kept mooching rides. Today, summer was holding an early launch party in the parking lot. The skateboarders were going nuts, and someone was blasting music from his car, plenty of thumping bass. Hot as it already was, I should have been sweltering in my sweatshirt and gloves, but I couldn't get warm.

Only three more weeks.

As I crossed, avoiding knots of students, a skateboarder careened off course right into the path of a car pulling into the lot. The driver panicked and jerked the wheel, so instead of hitting a person, he slammed into the light pole. It toppled toward me and I dove out of its path, but I couldn't predict the trajectory of the broken, snapping electrical wires. The pole hit hard only a few feet from me, whereas the wires jerked, inching ever closer. I scrambled away from the current, gloves scraping over the pavement. To me, it looked like the cable had a mind of its own, determined to fry me with thousands of volts. I stared at the twitching wire, crackling power as it thrashed closer to my legs. I scrambled backward. All around me, people screamed, and someone was asking driver and skateboarder if they were okay.

If I move too much, somebody else might get hurt.

At my movement, the wire reacted like a live snake, curling back to strike.
Yeah, this is definitely not normal.
Kian grabbed me from behind and hauled me away from the tangle of copper and fire. Something popped, the power box maybe, and smoke poured from the downed pole.
Probably the world, then, not Wedderburn, if it backed off hurting anyone but me.