Velocity (24 page)

The crowd looked incredibly creepy, all wearing the same white masks and black robes, like a bunch of clones. I looked beside me to see that I could no longer discern between my father, Mr. Golem, and the others. I could feel a panic attack beginning to come on as my heart began to gallop.

The lights were turned down low. An altar had been set up at the end of the room with candles glowing on it. They were definitely showing their cult side now.

The mustard-yellow curtains still hung on the walls, and I tried my best not to look at them. It still made me uncomfortable to be in this room, but it looked different enough to not stir my bad memories of Warwick.

I snagged one of the metal folding chairs, trying not to look at the people around me too much. Next to the altar was Harlow’s father, Dr. Briggs, as well as Cliff Ford. They were standing silently with their hands crossed.

Phillip walked to the center, wearing a crimson red robe. He turned and addressed his captive audience.

“Umbra Regnum. The night of the ritual is fast approaching,” he intoned, his voice carrying all the way through the room. I sat up and watched him. “In another week we will gather at the seal beneath the Dexter Orphanage and carry out the final rites. All of you need to be prepared. This is not going to be easy.”

A week from now. They had set a date. I shivered despite the heavy robe, drawing annoyance from the cult member beside me. I curled myself up tighter and continued to watch.

“You must shed your human ties. But if we succeed―when we succeed―you will all have a special place in the new realm. You will enjoy power that you’ve never known before in Dark. Hell will become a new kingdom, our Dark playground. But you must show me loyalty. If called on to act to defend the ritual, you must be willing to do what it takes.”

He looked out over the assembly and smiled in self-satisfaction. I thought about the prayer group I had witnessed. He loved commanding other people. He was in his element.

There was more to the evening, with Cliff Ford and Briggs giving speeches.

“It’s very important you keep the copper pins on yourselves,” Briggs said. “If any of you notice strange symptoms of illness―headaches, prolonged nausea, nosebleeds or seizures―please let us know as soon as possible.”

“And just know that the physical side effects are humble grapefruit.” Phillip stopped, clearing his throat. “The physical side effects are only temporary,” he corrected carefully. No one called him on his obvious flub.

The end of the meeting arrived, and he pulled out a screen. “Now is the time to close out our meeting,” he said, as Deana Ford and Mary Slaughter snuffed out the candles.

I shut my eyes as tightly as possible. I didn’t like the looks of the screen. I heard a humming, buzzing sound, and could sense lights flashing in front of my closed lids. The room went entirely silent. I stayed the way I was for what felt like forever, my eyelids twitching, when finally the light came back on.

“You are all dismissed. Prepare well for the evening ahead,” Phillip said, gliding off.

The Thornhill members turned and filed into a line, heading out the exit. I slid out of the aisle and joined them. As I passed, one of the hooded figures caught my eye. They stared at me as I passed. I kept walking, not slowing down or acknowledging them, but my heart beat hard against my chest.

Everyone remained in their robes as we exited the building. When I got into the parking lot, I started to walk back to the car, trying not to draw attention to myself. Most of the others went to the parking lot. When I turned onto the next street, I broke into a run.

The van that Callie and the Taylors had been in was now parked beside Hugh’s Mazda. Hugh and Mr. Golem were already standing beside it, having shed their robes. Hugh looked visibly relieved when he saw me.

“That was intense,” I said, catching my breath.

“They’re going to move in a week,” Hugh said. “I would assume on Saturday. That means we don’t have a lot of time to plan. We need to get everyone together and make sure they’re ready.”

“What did you think of that brainwashing thing? Did you close your eyes?” I asked. Both Golem and my father nodded.

“I was almost too late, though,” Golem said. “I didn’t realize what was going on at first. I have a pretty bad headache now. The only part I caught were some flashing lights.”

“You don’t suddenly want to turn all of us in, do you?” Hugh asked.

Golem thought about it for a minute. “Nah. A lifetime full of being demon Phillip’s lackey does not sound like my idea of paradise.”

He and my father handed Mrs. Taylor their microphones and recording equipment.

“Did you get anything?”

“He was mostly speechifying,” Hugh admitted. “There wasn’t much in the way of solid information. He didn’t say anything about the murders, even though he hinted at the sacrifices and the ritual.”

“So, what do we do now? Just wait?” I asked.

“Yep. And get some sleep,” Hugh said. “Thank you all for helping us. I will talk to you tomorrow.” He and Mr. Golem shook hands, and Golem went back to his car. The Taylors got back into the van, and Hugh got behind the wheel of the Mazda, scrolling through his phone.

I took off the robe and folded it in my hands, preparing to get in beside Hugh. Callie came up and stood beside me. “Take this. If it comes down to it, use it,” she whispered. In one swift gesture, she grabbed my hand and pushed something hard into it. I slipped whatever it was in my pocket and got in the car with Hugh.

I didn’t sneak a peek at what she’d given me until we arrived home. I went into the bathroom and pulled it out of my pocket. It was the grounding stone.

CHAPTER 22

WITH THE GROUNDING
stone back, there were some many possibilities for what I could attempt to see. I wanted to go back and see the rest of the original Thornhill Society’s ritual. But I had to wait until the time was right. I stowed the stone away in my underwear drawer, knowing it was the last place he’d want to invade.

Hugh spent the rest of the next day in deep concentration, when he usually would have been asleep. At five, he ran out to get some dinner and some things from the store .

“I might be gone for a while,” he said, kissing my cheek. “I was going to run by Callie’s and see what her opinion is about next week.”

I bid him goodbye at the door. As soon as I shut it I went and got the grounding stone out of my underwear drawer. I planned on going to see part two of the ritual. But there was another point in time that I just had to see while I had the chance.

Pouring myself a glass of water, I took small sips from it to settle my nervous stomach. I left it on the counter and went into my room.

I laid on my bed, turning the lights low, and placed the stone on my chest. Before I could lose my nerve, I shut my eyes, and visualized my mother and Rachel Reed standing across from each other. Standing in the middle of them was Phillip Rhodes, holding a coin. I tried to imagine the shiny surface of the coin. I felt the familiar slither of falling, and I focused hard on what my mother’s expression would be.

Then I was standing in the past. Just like I’d envisioned, Claire was standing on one side, Rachel on the other. Phillip was getting ready to toss the coin―a quarter―in his hand, an amused smirk on his face. I wanted to punch him like my father had, just to get that smile to go away.

“What is it that we’ll have to give up?” Claire asked nervously.

“Why does it matter?” Rachel said defiantly. “You of all people should have to give up a lot to get back into Thornhill.”

“I mean, it’s not anything like last time, is it?” Claire asked. “Sacrificing a girl. You said you found another way to maintain your power. The magic…”

“Claire, you’re a sap,” Rachel said.

“Bite your tongue,” Phillip snapped at her. He looked at my mother. “Nothing that can’t be replaced once we meet our goals. We’ve changed. We’re moving towards a noble future, now.”

There was a moment when Claire and Phillip caught each other’s eyes. I saw him soften, just a small bit, but it was unmistakable. Rachel’s eyes flicked suspiciously between them.

“How do I know I can trust you?” Claire said softly.

Phillip reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. She didn’t shy away I wanted to scream at her, shake her, tell her that she was being deceived, and that she was deceiving herself. “You trusted me once. That can’t have all been a lie. You’ve always meant a great deal to me, and I’d like to have you back…with us.”

Rachel looked like she was steaming. Claire nodded. Phillip tossed the coin in the air.

“I’ll do whatever it takes,” Rachel muttered aloud as the shining silver circle flew into the air and landed back on Phillip’s palm.

“Heads.”

Rachel’s face blanched a little. Obviously she wasn’t as completely unruffled as she’d acted. She knew something bad was up.

“That settles it. Rachel will be the one to give us an offering.”

“Does that mean I can’t pledge now?” Claire asked, the spell broken.

Phillip seemed bored now. “Exactly. Now get out. Both of you.”

Claire dipped her head down. The two women headed for the door. I couldn’t tell which one of them felt worse.

I didn’t want to be here anymore. Although it seemed like my mother hadn’t known what was at stake, I couldn’t change the fact that she’d allowed the coin to be tossed. She’d still gotten back with Thornhill eventually. As much as I loved my mother, I had to accept that she’d made a lot of mistakes.

And that just because she made those mistakes didn’t mean that I had to stop loving her.

When I came back, I felt gross and slimy, like I was hungover. I hadn’t spent much time in that past moment, but emotionally it had taken a lot out of me.

As I stood up from the bed, I sensed that someone else was there.

“Dad?” I called, feeling out my shaky legs. “Are you there?”

Still feeling disoriented, I padded into his bedroom. It was dark and the bed was still made.

I checked my phone, but there weren’t any new texts. I tried to call him, but it just rang. Doubts nagged at me, but I didn’t want to panic yet. It was still relatively early, not even dark yet. He hadn’t been gone for that long, and maybe he had stopped by Callie’s after all.

I sat on one of the dining room chairs, my legs pulled up against my chest, bare feet against the seat. I still had the eerie feeling that someone else was in the apartment with me. I eyed the shadows in the corner. Then I looked at the front door. I’d never locked it in my rush to use the grounding stone.

Rushing over, I locked it now, feeling a chill creep up my spine. Was there someone there? I peered into the kitchen, not seeing anyone. I reached down for my water, but it wasn’t there. My glass sat on the opposite counter. I must not have been paying attention when I set it down. I picked it up and took a hasty sip. It tasted like it had been sitting too long, kind of off. I traced the wet circle of condensation on the spot where it had been before.

Still unable to shake my paranoid feeling, I did a tour of the living room and both bedrooms. It wasn’t a huge apartment, and I didn’t see anything amiss. I let out a breath and tried to relax.

“I need a bath,” I said to the open air. “That will help me relax.”

I gathered a towel and my bath items and went into the bathroom. Turning on the water, I sat on the edge of the tub as steam filled the room. I yawned, starting to feel pretty tired. Using the grounding must have taken more out of me than I thought.

I stood up, wobbling on my legs, and grabbed onto the shower curtain. My legs suddenly felt like they were made out of jelly, but I managed to stand. I looked into the mirror, and my face looked pale. I contemplated skipping the bath and going to bed, but the water looked so inviting.

I stripped and lowered myself in the tub. I couldn’t help but shut my eyes and lean my head back against the porcelain. A thought crept into my mind…I hadn’t checked in Hugh’s closet. I was going to get back up, but my legs were too heavy to even move.

Then I was drifting. Suddenly, I felt a sting on my wrist. But my eyelids were too heavy to open. I went farther and farther into unconsciousness, and I felt another sting on my opposite wrist, and the tiny voice of a girl talking. She sounded frantic and angry at the same time. I finally fluttered my eyes open and saw a flash of pink. Then I was looking and veins, like trees, blue and red, the liquid that kept me alive and if it spilled would mean I was dead. The girl spoke again. She was an enemy, a stranger. I couldn’t make out her words, and although I struggled against the sleep overtaking me, I lost the battle.

###

Beep, beep, beep.

I heard it for a long time in my sleep before I woke up. I thought I’d left the timer on the microwave on or something. I kept thinking I had to get up and check it. But my eyelids felt so heavy, like I’d never be able to lift them. I heard voices that I knew would be familiar if I could think more clearly. Let them get the damn microwave.

Then I thought about how I’d used the grounding stone. I’d seen my mother and Rachel during the coin toss. In my head, I watched the silver coin spin over and over. Then I thought about where I was now. I must still be in the bathtub, floating under the water. I would prune up, but I was too tired to lift myself up and get out of the cold water.