The Vision (11 page)

“The Blood Promise won’t?” I asked.

She shook her head sadly. “I won’t.”

She was freaking me out. “What do you mean? You’re not leaving me again, are you?”

She didn’t answer right away, and when she did speak, she dodged around my question. “Remember how you told me that you saw the vision of Stephan forcing me into the lake.”

I nodded. “How could I forget?”

She smiled, but it was forced. “Well, you didn’t understand the vision completely—there were things that happened that confused you.”

“Like what?” I asked.

She let out a sigh. “Stephan didn’t force me into the lake, like he—and you—thought. I went in there on my own….I chose to go to The Underworld on my own.” I was shaking my head. “No, you didn’t…I saw him force you to go in there.”

She reached for my hand, the chains dragging across the floor. “No, you didn’t. That’s what it may have looked like, but that’s not what happened.” I was still shaking my head as she continued on, “I’ve always had this gift....kind of like super will power, and for the longest time, even after Stephan marked me, it stayed with me—made me strong.”

“How did he mark you?” I asked. “How did he mark everyone? Didn’t anyone fight back?”

“That’s hard to do when there are Death Walker’s there,” she explained, her blue eyes drifting off into empty space.

“He picked us off one by one…And some didn’t make it out alive…like Laylen’s parents.”

“I—I—But he told me his parents died in a car accident right after you were sent to The Underworld?”

“No, they died putting up a fight when Stephan ambushed them.”

I swallowed hard. “Does Laylen know this?” She shook her head. “There is a lot of memory tampering that has gone on throughout the years, including with Laylen.”

I remembered Laylen mentioning memory loss once, when he had been changed into a vampire, and he couldn’t remember how.

“But why did you want to go to The Underworld?” I asked, fearing her answer. “Why would you ever
want
to go to a place like that? So full of death and torture?”

“Because I could feel Stephan gaining control over me,” she whispered. “I was the hardest to gain control over. Even after he marked me, he still couldn’t get me to do things, especially when it came to you. But he kept working and breaking me down and finally I felt it diminishing—my gift. I knew it wouldn’t be long before I wouldn’t have the say, and I just couldn’t do it—I couldn’t just stand around and watch them detach your soul and ruin your life.”

“So you decided just to leave me then?” I was trying not to get angry, but it was hard. “Even though you knew they would still take away my soul?”

“I’m sorry.” She tightened her grip on my hands, her bright blue irises pressing me to understand. “But even if I stayed, it would have happened.”

So that was it. My mom had never sacrificed her life to try and save mine. She had sacrificed it so she wouldn’t have to watch my life get ruined.

“So you wish I would have never went and saved you from The Underworld?” My anger was starting to show through my voice. “Do you wish I would have left you there?”

“
No
. I understand now that running away never solves anything. Everything still happened to you, and instead of trying to fight, I gave up. I will never give up again. We will figure out a way to fix this.”

All of a sudden, I felt so alone, even with my mom in the room. “And how are we supposed to fix them? Do you know how to work a mapping ball?”

Her mouth curved to a frown. “Alex told me about that…

So you saw your father?”

“Yeah…I saw him,” I said.

“And did he tell you what he did?” She asked in a clipped tone. “Did he tell you how he ended the world?”

“Kind of…he said he made some mistakes and changed and recreated a vision so the world would end.”

“Did he tell you why he did it?” The tone of her voice was piercing.

I shook my head slowly. “No, he never said why.”

“Because he wanted this.” She rolled back the sleeve of her shirt and held up her arm, showing me the Mark of Malefiscus on her wrist.

“No.” I scooted away from her. “No, that’s not true.” She took me by the shoulders and looked me straight in the eye. “Yes, he did. He wanted the mark. He wanted the mark”

“Why!?” I cried, tears dripping from my eyes.

She looked livid. “For power—he wanted to be powerful, just like Stephan.”

I jumped to my feet, trembling with anger. “You’re lying.

He wouldn’t be trying to fix it, if that was the case.”

“Time changes peoples’ minds, Gemma.” She tried to get to her feet, but the weight of the chains dragged her back down. “And he’s been locked up alone in the Room of Forbidden for so long, I’m sure he’s had time to clear all the power hunger out of his head.”

“No, you’re lying!” I screamed. How could this be true?

My father made this mess all because he had wanted to be powerful like Stephan, because he wanted the Mark of Malefiscus.

I turned around and stormed out of the room. My mother called my name, but I slammed the door, stomped down the hall, and burst into my room.

All this time, spent in here, wondering about my parents, only to find out that one wanted to be evil and one was marked with evil.

I snatched a brush from off my dresser and chucked it across the room. It made a loud thump as it dented the wall, and bits and pieces of tan paint and drywal crumbled to the floor.

“Good job, Gemma. Like that’s going to help,” I muttered to myself.

I slumped to the floor and rested my head against the door. What was I supposed to do? Try to get back to where my dad is—to this Room of Forbidden—and get some more details on how to fix his mistakes? I wasn’t sure I wanted to do that. Not after what I had just been told.

“Ah! What am I going to do?”

Just as I said it, the sunlight hit my window and fluttered through my room. Something on my bed twinkled red. I slowly got to my feet, and my heart just about leapt out of my throat.

A miniature ruby-filled crystal ball glistened from the middle of my bed. I glanced around my room. Where did this come from? I inched my way over and picked up the tiny crystal ball. Underneath it was a piece of paper.

Go to the City of Crystal and get the Purple Flame.

Sincerely,

A Friend

I flipped the paper over, but there was nothing on the back. Who left this? Who had been in my room? I went over to the window, pushed it open, and glanced down below.

There was no one there on the walkway or in the driveway.

Although, for a second I thought I caught a hint of something flowery. But it was probably just my imagination.

“The Purple Flame?” Aislin asked. She was still sitting on the floor of the living room, with the laptop opened up in front of her, the note I found on my bed clasped in her hands.

“Does anyone know what it is?” I asked, hopeful.

All three of them shook their heads.

“Okay...Well, does anyone know how to find out what it is?” I asked, losing some of my hopefulness.

Alex and Aislin exchanged a look.

“What do you think?” Alex asked her. “Do you think it would say anything about it?”

“I don’t know…maybe” Aislin deliberated. “But it would be extremely risky….I mean, what if he’s there?” I shot Laylen a
huh
look and he shrugged, like he had no idea what they were talking about either.

“Who’s where?” I asked, looking back and forth between Aislin and Alex.

Aislin gave Alex a chary look. “Our house. We would need to go to our house.”

My jaw just about smacked against the floor. “You want us to go to your house—to Stephan’s house.” Had they lost their minds?

“Maybe…I mean he had that book.” Aislin shut the laptop.

“What book?” I asked, totally not on board with this plan. I mean, yeah, I was all for going somewhere that Stephan could possibly be, if it meant saving someone’s life. But to do it for a book?
A book
?

“History book,” Alex said as if it made the situation better, and I raised my eyebrows at him. “A book that outlines the history of the Foreseers.”

“And you think this book might know what a Purple Flame is?” I asked, warming up to the idea a little.

“I’m guessing it will.” Alex folded his arms and leaned back in the chair. “And it’s probably our best bet since we don’t have a Foreseer around to help us anymore.” My stomach rolled as I thought of Nicholas. “But, do we dare risk going to your house—to Stephan’s house, all for a book?”

Alex face sank as if he had just realized this was a problem.

We all mulled this over, Aislin tapping a pen, Laylen twisting his lip ring, and me tracing the gross olive-green lines on my arm.

“Could you do a Tracker Spell?” I asked Aislin.

She shook her head, still tapping the pen. “My father’s immune to magic, remember.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot,” I mumbled.

Silence.

“I’ll go,” Alex announced, getting to his feet. “My father never was there anyway, so I doubt he’ll be hanging around now.”

I jumped to my feet. “No way. It’s way too dangerous.” Alex gave me a look that said: look who’s being bossy now. “It’s okay,” he said. “Like I said, he was never there even when we lived there. I think he only came there like twice to check up on us.”

“But what if he is?” I stressed, stepping closer to him.

“I can take care of myself, Gemma,” he said with a small smile.

“Well, at least let me Foresee us there or something,” I said in a panic.

He pressed his lips together, shaking his head. “Can’t.

There’s
Praesidium
everywhere, and besides, you don’t know what my place looks like.”

I gestured at Aislin. “Well, let Aislin transport you …” He was shaking his head. “Can’t use magic in the house.”

I gaped at him.

“What?” He shrugged. “We lived there, and since we knew about all the things that go bump-in-the-night, we wanted to be protected.” He glanced at Aislin and she nodded.

“So what? You’re just going to drive there?” I was astounded by the idea.

“Basically, yeah,” he said with a shrug. Then he patted me on the shoulder, like I was his buddy or something, an idea which I didn’t like. “Don’t worry, I already said there’s like a one percent chance he won’t be there. He never was there—he never was anywhere we were unless it was convenient for him.”

I swallowed the giant lump rising in my throat. “Well, at least wait until dark, so he doesn’t see you coming if he’s there. Plus, there’ll be lights on in the house, warning you if he’s there.”

He nodded. “Alright, I will.”

For the rest of the day, we all basically kept to ourselves. Aleesa finally came downstairs and Aislin took her into the kitchen to feed her. She was like a child, in a way, even though she was probably about sixteen. Being in a torture chamber probably had stunted her maturity, like my emotional holl owness had done to me.

I was sitting on the couch, biting at my nails, as Alex prepared to leave.

“I still don’t think you should go alone.” I tapped my foot nervously. “I should go with you. I mean, I am a Keeper now.”

He slipped the knife into the pocket of his jeans and something occurred to him. “You know what; you can go if you want.”

I blinked at him. “What?”

He met my eyes. “You’re right. You are a Keeper now, and this will be good practice for you—you can be my look out, even though I’m sure my father won’t be there—he probably doesn’t even know where the house is….I mean, he dropped Aislin and I off to live there and basically bailed.”

I stared at him, mystified by his words.

“What? You beg me to let you go, so I do, and now you don’t want to go?” he teased.

I gave him an ‘oh-shut-up’ look. “No, it’s just weird that you’re letting me go.”

“I already said, you’re a Keeper now and you can make your own decisions.” He leaned in, his breathing picking up.

“Besides, you can be our quick exit just in case something happens. All we have to do is get out of the yard and you should have your Foreseer ability.”

It was hot in here. When did Afton get so hot?

“Are you about ready to go?” Aislin asked whisking into the room.

Alex and I jumped back.

“What are you guys doing?” She looked at us displeased as if guilt was written on both our faces.

“Nothing,” Alex and I both said quickly.

She put her hands on her hips and gave us a skeptical look.

“Gemma’s going with me.” Alex picked up a small sword off the table and tossed it to me, which I caught effortlessly.

Hmm…I guess being a Keeper wasn’t all that bad.

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” she protested.

“We’ll be fine,” Alex assured her. “I really don’t think Stephan will be there.”

Aislin shook her head. “That’s not what I’m worried about.

I don’t think he’ll be there either. He was never there.” She paused. “What I’m worried about is you two being alone together in an empty house.”

Wow. Way to put it out there.

“We’ll be fine,” Alex assured her again. “We won’t do anything we wouldn’t do here.” He gave me this weird look that made my skin tingle.

Aislin sighed. “But please hurry. I worry, you know.”

“I know….we’ll hurry,” he said and we headed out the door.

My car was parked in the driveway, and the keys were in the ignition, just where I always left them. (It’s a small town thing). The night air was a bit crisp and I zipped up my purple hoodie.

“Who’s driving?” I asked, standing by the driver’s side door.

“Um… I will,” Alex said, scooting me out of the way.

“Since I know where we’re going.”

I slipped into the passenger seat and buckled my seatbelt. For a while, neither of us spoke. The only sound came from the speakers: “The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows” by Brand New had popped on when Alex started the engine. I watched the town I grew up in pass by in a blur of colors, the strangest feeling rising up inside me.

All these years here, and I barely remember a thing. But, what would there be to remember? Lonely days of wandering. Emptiness.

“Gemma, are you okay?” Alex asked, and I suddenly realized I was crying.

I wiped my tears away. “I have all ergies,” I lied.

He didn’t believe me, but he didn’t press further, as if he could sense I was in pain, but it was a pain that was shrinking every day, little by little.

“So what do you think of Aleesa?” I asked, changing the subject away from me.

He shrugged, staring straight ahead at the road. “I don’t know….”

Assuming he didn’t want to talk about it, I searched my brain for another topic.

“It’s just that I can’t believe my father did that!” Alex suddenly burst out, gripping the steering-wheel tightly. “I mean, first of all, it’s not even allowed—for Keepers to mix with fey. And for another thing…” he paused. “He cheated on my mom…she wouldn’t have even been gone yet around the time Aleesa was born.”

I wasn’t sure what to say. “I’m sorry.”

He flopped his head back against the headrest in frustration. “Things just keep getting worse and worse…

And all because of my father.”

“That’s not true,” I said quietly. “I think this is just as much my father’s fault as it is yours’.”

His hand gripped the steering-wheel tighter. The glow of the pale moon trickled through the window and highlighted the anger in his eyes. “Yeah, well, at least yours’ is trying to fix it.”

“But why is he?” I chewed on my bottom lip, lost in thought. “I mean, I’ve been thinking about it and why the change of heart? My mom said he did it in the first place to gain power like your father, so why did he decide he no longer wanted it.”

“Perhaps being locked away in the Room of Forbidden gave him some time to think about the mistakes he made.” Alex tapped his fingers on top of the steering-wheel. “Time can make people see things differently…I know it did for me.”

I wasn’t sure what he was getting at, and I was afraid to ask him because he had that look on his face again, the one where it was as if I were a rose in a garden of weeds.

“I see you differently.” His voice was as light as air.

Don’t react,
my brain screamed, but my heart had other intentions. “That’s because I am different.”

“Yeah, but it’s not that. It’s something else.” He paused, gazing at me intensely, his eyes sparkling even through the dark.

Tell him to stop.
“Maybe you see me differently because you understand things now.” I offered. “You know what the star’s power is for and you don’t need to protect me.”

“I’ll always want to protect you,” Alex said, his voice cracking. “No matter what. That will never change.”

“But I can take care of myself you know,” I said, keeping my voice steady even though it was extremely difficult. “I mean, I took down a couple of Death Walkers all on my own.”

“I know. But it doesn’t mean I still don’t
want
to protect you,” he repeated, his powerful gaze practically burned at my skin.

I let out a gasp from the intensity bursting between us and then immediately felt embarrassed. I turned my head to the window.
Don’t blush. Don’t blush. Turn it off. You use to do
it all the time.

We remained silent for the rest of the drive. I think we both sensed things were getting a little too intense between us, and if we didn’t back off, we might end up doing something stupid.

Alex turned down one of the side roads that weaved into the foothills of the mountains, thick with trees and darkness.

Not too far up, he made a sudden sharp turn, dipping the Mitsubishi into the trees.

I grabbed onto the roof, bracing myself against the bumps. “What are you doing?” I cried.

He killed the headlights as he slowed the car to a stop. “I didn’t want to pull up, just in case someone is there,” he explained and I gave him an incredulous look.

I glanced at the steep hill we were parked on, and the thick trees surrounding us. “You know this doesn’t have four-wheel drive, right.” It was a Mitsubishi Mirage for crying out loud.

He smiled and his eyes sparkled in the moonlight. “It’ll make it,” he assured me.

We got out of the car and crept up the dirt hill. I could barely see, and I found myself wishing that Aislin’s see-in-the-dark stuff had been a permanent thing. I did, however, notice that there was a lack of stumbling on my part, which had to be because I was a Keeper now.

At the top of the hill, Alex ducked down, and put his arm in front of me, gesturing for me to stay where I was. I stood as still as a statue as he peered over the hill, then let out a breath of relief.

“I knew no one would be here,” he said as he stood up straight.

“The coast is clear?” I asked.

He nodded. “The coast is clear.”

We stepped off the hill and onto the driveway. I could make out the outline of Alex’s two-story house that blended into the night. When we reached the front door, he slipped his wall et out from his pocket. I gave him a funny look, although I wasn’t sure if he could see it through the darkness, and he took out a credit card and held it up.

“I don’t have my key on me,” he explained. With one quick swipe, he had the door unlocked.

“How many times have you done that before?” I asked as he opened the door.

He shrugged. “A few,” he said and stepped inside.

I rolled my eyes and followed him in.

He slipped a flashlight out of his pocket and shined the light around us. “It stinks in here,” he murmured. “Like feet.” He was right—there was a foul smell to the air.

“Welcome to my home,” Alex muttered, heading for the stairway.

“So where is the book?” I asked in a low voice as I followed him up the stairs.

“In my father’s office.” He nodded up at the top of the stairs.

I was little surprised when he took me to a room with black and purple checkerboard walls, dark blue carpet, and a massive canopy bed decorated with dark vines and black curtains, that was clearly not an office.

“Whose room is this?” I asked, wishing it were mine He gave me a smile as he spotlighted the flashlight around. “It’s Aislin’s.”

“No, seriously,” I said, unbelieving that the poster of Rise Against hanging on the wall could belong to Aislin. “Whose room is this?”

He laughed. “I’m being serious. This is Aislin’s room.” I was so confused. “But it’s so….so…awesome.” He laughed even harder. “What did you expect it to look like?”

“I don’t know….less dark and more….pink and flowery.” He opened the closet. “You have to understand something about Aislin. She’s not who she appears to be on the outside. She has a darker side to her.” He set the flashlight down and grabbed a box from the top shelf. “Most witches do have a darker side…But my father trained her to be the girl she is on the outside—he controlled her a lot.” He continued to rummage around in the closet, and I walked around the room, still not believing this could be Aislin’s room. It just didn’t make any sense.