The Secret (22 page)

Mr. Drake shook his head. “I should’ve realized it. The week Stewart was here. It was like I had the flu, except I couldn’t even function. I was in this psychedelic haze. The only way I can explain it is that I would go from a dream-like state to feeling…less psychedelic. But I couldn’t get a clear focus. Shelia and Tim weren’t like that. They only had the regular flu. I hadn’t thought of it until now. But that was him. Yes, he was doing that to me.” His hand pulled his glasses off and he rubbed his eyes. “Which means his power is stronger now.”

I leaned forward, intently gazing at Mr. Drake. “Why isn’t the mind-warping happening to us right now? Why isn’t he controlling all of us?”

Mr. Drake shrugged. “I don’t know.”

I looked away from Mr. Drake and stopped at Mom’s bed. Sadness rushed through me. She was gone. I went to the bed, putting my hand on the middle of it. “We have to find her.”

A soft knock sounded on the door.

Grimacing and stepping back, Reed yanked the door open.

Sam stood there, his face white. He was still wearing his tux from prom. He stumbled forward and I was reminded of a man returning from war.

Marsha pushed him in the shoulder. “Where have you been?”

Sam looked at the empty bed and his gaze went to my face. “No.”

His face mirrored the pain welling inside my chest and I felt instant tears sting my eyes. I nodded.

Sam lunged forward, pulling me into him. “I’m so sorry, Lanie.”

Shaken by this display of affection, I found myself crying harder against him. It was like that first day in the hall—there was some connection between us that I didn’t understand. And it felt like it had grown stronger since we’d gone into Mom’s head together.

“How
sweet
.” Marsha huffed behind Sam.

I pulled away, wiping my face and looking into Jake’s troubled blue eyes. 

Reed let out a breath and shook his head. “We’ve got news, Sam.”

Sam moved to the window, shaking his head. “I can’t believe he took her, too.”

Mr. Drake moved in front of him. “What do you know, Sam?”

Jake pushed Sam in the shoulder and held him against the window, making a loud clicking noise with the blinds. “Talk.”

Sam shook his head and looked into Jake’s eyes. “I gave it to him like you and I discussed—but he wouldn’t honor our deal.”

Jake’s face reddened and he clenched his fist.

I looked between Sam and Jake. “What are you two talking about?”

Reed’s voice was low and scary sounding. “You helped him, Jake?”

Jake turned to me, touching my arm. “Let me explain.”

My heart burned with betrayal and I jerked away. “
You
gave him the computer?”

Jake’s eyes swept around the room. “There wasn’t a choice.”

Sam slammed his elbow into the window, and then pulled his head into his hands. “I’m sorry, Marsha.”

Marsha’s angry glare immediately relaxed. “Sam?”

He slumped to the floor, his voice a whisper. “Alana.”

Marsha’s face turned pale and her gaze hardened. “Where is she?”

Sam grabbed his stomach in pain, his body starting to shake with sobs. “We gave him what he wanted: the coins and the computer. But it didn’t work. I thought I could get her back. I thought he would give her to me. It’s all my fault.”

Rob blew his breath out. “This keeps getting better.”

Mr. Drake stroked his mustache and tsked his tongue. “Nicholi doesn’t keep his deals.”

Marsha scowled and leaned down, taking Sam’s face into her hands, like a mother correcting her child. “Where did you meet him, Sam? Where did he go?”

Sam wiped his face. “An hour ago—at an abandoned field off of the interstate. I don’t know where he was going.”

Purpose rose inside of me. I stood.

Rob pushed past me. “He’s heading to the airport; we have to go.”

Reed opened the door and stopped short. “What the—”

The blood in my veins turned cold.

Wearing a long black coat, Dr. Luth looked over Reed’s shoulder. “Back up, Reed. We need to talk.”

Reed immediately grabbed Dr. Luth by his shirt and pulled him into the room. “Oh, man, you showed up at a good time. I need someone to pound.”

Dr. Luth looked at Sam, slumped in the corner. “Obviously he’s already told you.”

Marsha rushed toward the door and slapped Dr. Luth across the face. “Where’s Alana?”

Rob moved beside Reed, pushing Dr. Luth against the wall. “I swear, Luth, I’ll—”

Dr. Luth laughed—a sad, sardonic laugh. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this, but the plan hasn’t worked out like I’d hoped.”

Reed reached out to Dr. Luth, grabbing him behind the neck and squeezing.

Rob nodded to Reed. “Tell us where he’s going. We don’t know how long Mom can survive outside of here.”

Dr. Luth snarled at Reed and pulled in a breath. “Oh, believe me—he has a reason to keep her alive.”

I forced myself next to Rob.  “Why are you here?”

Growling at Reed, Dr. Luth turned to me. “Tell your dog to pull off.”

I dipped my head to Reed, signaling him to release his grip.

Reed let go, but thrust Dr. Luth into the wall. “This dog gets meaner the longer he waits.”

Dr. Luth rubbed his neck with one hand, and reached into his pocket with the other. He pulled out a round, gold ball.

Reed snorted. “What is
that
?”

Sam stood, wiping his face with the back of his sleeve. “The powers. That’s where our parent’s powers are kept.”

Dr. Luth stared into my eyes. “Yes. Nicholi needs this to complete the resurrection.”

Jake plucked the ball out of Dr. Luth’s hand, his eyes angry. “Why are you here? Is this some sort of trap?”

Dr. Luth held Jake’s eyes. “Son.”

Anguish flickered across Jake’s face. “Don’t call me that.”

Reed took Dr. Luth’s wrist and twisted it behind his back. “I’m stronger now, too. Can you tell?”

Dr. Luth cringed in pain. “Would you stop?!”

Rob waved Reed away. “Let him go, Reed. He has information we need.”

Dr. Luth pulled his hand away and sighed. “I wish it was a trap—but it’s not.”

Rob scowled at him. “Like Tamara Fuentes. Was that supposed to be a trap? You sick, twisted—”

“That wasn’t me.” Dr. Luth’s eyes matched the hardness in Rob’s. He raised his hands. “That was never my idea.”

Marsha grimaced. “Let me guess, you’re just a pawn of Nicholi’s? Cut the crap, Luth.”

Raising his eyebrows and pointing at her, Dr. Luth quipped, “How did you guess?”

Mr. Drake’s voice was soft. “He needs us. He’s only here because he needs something.”

Dr. Luth shook his head. “Actually, it’s quite the opposite. You all need
me
.”

Jake turned the gold ball in his hand. “Why are you here?”

Dr. Luth paused dramatically. “I’m here to save us all from complete annihilation.”

Reed laughed a sort of half cackle. “Okay, evil genius, what are you talking about? Do you even hear yourself? You’re ridiculous.” Spit flew out of his mouth.

Dr. Luth shook his head emphatically. “Oh, but I’m not. None of you realize how big this is. This—the thing Nicholi wants to do—will not just bring back the dead—”

“It will change the living,” Mr. Drake finished his sentence, reaching out and taking the gold ball out of Jake’s hands, his face looking peaked.  “It will lead us to the new world order.”

Dr. Luth nodded. “Yes.”

Marsha’s face turned resentful and she pushed Dr. Luth in the chest.  “What does that mean for me, Luth? How do I get my sister back?”

Dr. Luth paused again, and then pointed his finger at me. “It means we have seventy-two hours to stop him. If you want your sister back, Marsha, you need to convince Lanie to help us. The same is true if she wants her mother back. Lanie…is our only hope.”

Episode 25: Trust

“What am I the key to?” I hated the way Luth looked at me. Like I was something to be possessed. Like I was something to be obtained. Like I was something to be
owned
. My chest constricted and adrenaline coursed through me in a jittery overload. “What the hell are you talking about and where’s Stewart taking my mother?”

Luth tucked his tongue into the inside of his bottom lip and gave Sam a look that said they shared a secret. “You failed him, so everything’s changed now. I’m supposed to parlay with Stewart in…” He pushed his jacket sleeve up and looked at his watch. “In less than forty minutes. If we don’t get going, he’ll discover I’ve joined your team and all chances to stop him will be gone.”

Sam gave Luth a sinister look and moved around my mother’s empty bed. “Don’t fall for it, he’s playing you.”

Jake started for the door, flinging it open and letting out a derisive laugh. “Yeah, Turner, it takes a player to know a player—right? You conveniently left out a few details about this whole deal last night.”

Marsha pushed Sam in the chest and her nostrils flared. “What deal are you talking about? What did you do, Sam?”

I couldn’t stop the fear from eroding down my throat and into my belly.

Sam swallowed and focused his bloodshot eyes on Marsha for a second, then looked at Jake. “Stewart gave me an ultimatum that if I didn’t help him infiltrate the group and get the coins, Alana would die.”

Marsha slapped him. “How dare you not tell me this? She’s my sister, too.”

Sam looked down and then calmly lifted his hand to touch where she had slapped him. “He told me if I told you—
you
would die.”

Marsha heaved in a breath, her face vacillating between fear and rage. “In some masochistic way you were trying to protect me?”

Sam held her eyes and then looked at me. “But I failed. There’s one more coin. The coin inside Lanie’s mom’s head. It belonged to Thomas.”

Rob shook his head and looked at Jake. “No. Jake found that coin at the Foundation.”

Sam nodded. “Thomas stole Stewart’s coin. And then hid it somewhere no one could go.”

Disbelief washed over me. “The coin in her head—the one you reached for when I pulled us out?” I looked at Sam.

Jake clenched his hand into a fist at his side. “And when you failed Stewart—Nicholi—you told him about the computer.”

Sam shrugged. “I didn’t know what else to do. I took him the coins I was able to get—”

“You mean steal.” Mr. Drake cleared his throat.

Sam kept his gaze on me. “Yes. That I was able to steal.”

Jake let out a breath. “And last night, when Sam showed up after you were all asleep, and told me he needed the computer or Alana would die.” He gave Sam a hard glare. “We agreed I would help him.”

I understood what Jake thought he had to do—but I didn’t understand why he hadn’t told me. I tried to keep my face even and studied Jake. “And there was no one you could trust?”

Jake reached out his hand to me. “Lanie.”

I stepped away from him. “Just don’t.”

Sam moved to me, putting his hand on my shoulder. His face looked like he’d been to a funeral. “I’m sorry, Lanie. I messed everything up. I didn’t know he would take your mom. But we have to try and get her. He has my sister with them. We have to move fast.”

Rob shook his head from side to side and set his jaw. “You may be willing to risk a trap, but I’m not. This reeks of sabotage.” He turned to Mr. Drake. “Do you think he’s under mind control?”

Mr. Drake turned the gold orb-looking ball in his hand and looked up at Luth, his eyes enraged like a man who could kill you if you said the wrong thing. “You went into my house? You went in my son’s room?”

Luth shrugged and let out a scoff. “Thomas was a duplicitous man, but I had no idea he would give this to you. I had a few days to snoop around.”

Mr. Drake closed his hand over the ball and looked down.

The blood pounded inside of my head turning little specs of blue and black and dots of white in a pinwheel through my mind. “Wait. What? Did my father give that to you?”

Betrayal breathed through the air and everyone’s eyes turned to Mr. Drake.

Mr. Drake let out a long breath and looked into my eyes. “He swore me to secrecy. He said if everything went south, I had to make sure Nicholi didn’t get this—ever. He stole it from him.” He paused and then looked at Rob. “I never thought things would get this bad, I swear.”

Luth pressed his fingers together into a steeple and clicked his tongue. “Well, we’ve established that you lied, I lied, Sam lied, Jake lied…and we’re all sorry. How sweet. We need to go—now!”

Reed pushed him back against the wall in an instant, his elbow across his neck. “You don’t get to make decisions, Dog. You got that?” Reed looked at me. “What do you want to do, She-Ra? We better act fast.”

Marsha took Reed’s capture of Luth as an opportunity to spit on his face. “We have to go. Nicholi has my sister. But—” She kneed Luth in the crotch. “If you’re lying to us, I say we kill you.”

“Don’t say that, Marsha.” Jake raked his hand through his hair.

“What, I will.” Marsha scowled at Jake. “My sister, Jake.”

The swirling of the colors in my head turned to pink and greens and shades of grey in a mess across my brain. I couldn’t separate the truth from all the lies.

Rob set his jaw. “Is he telling the truth, Drake? You can tell, can’t you?”

Drake studied Luth’s face. “I can tell you he hasn’t said anything untrue...but he hasn’t said much.”