Текст книги "The Vision"

Автор книги: Jessica Sorensen

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Chapter 18

“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.

I caught sight of a photo on top of her dresser. I squinted through the darkness at it and realized it was a photo of her and Laylen, sitting out on a porch, smiling for the camera.

The sunlight lit up the happiness in their eyes. A happiness which did not exist at the moment.

“What are you looking for?” I walked into the closet beside Alex. “I thought you said the book was in your father’s office.”

He pulled another box off the top closet shelf—a black one decorated with purple stars—and lifted the lid. “I’m looking for this.”

It was a box filled with plastic baggies of herbs, candles, crystals, beads, necklaces, and other stuff I couldn’t identify.

“Aislin’s witch stuff?” I asked, picking up one of the silver-chained necklaces and examining it.

“Yeah, she figured we could pick it up while we were here.”

I nodded and put the necklace back. “It’s a good idea. I mean, we’ve been having to use her magic a lot to help us out.”

We left Aislin’s room and went into the room across the hall. It was Stephan’s office, lined with a ton of shelves that had rows and rows of books.

“Please tell me you know where the Foreseer book is,” I said in a hopeful tone.

He shook his head, crushing my hopefulness into smithereens. “Start looking.”

A half an hour later, we were up to our elbows in books. Alex had balanced the flashlight in the center of the room, so there was just enough of a faint glow that we could look around. Then we started pulling off books one by one, but none of them were what we were looking for.

“Are you sure the book’s in here?” I asked, shutting a book and resting my head against the shelf.

“Yeah, it’s in here.” Alex scratched his head as he flipped through the pages of a book. “My dad showed it to me during one of the, like, two times he paid us a visit—he said I needed to brush up on my Foreseer knowledge.”

“That’s a weird thing to say.”

He shrugged. “He’s always said weird things like that.” I glanced up at the rows and rows of books that still needed to be searched. “Well, what if it’s not on the shelf,” I said, getting an idea. “I mean the book has got to be important, right—if it has the history of the Foreseers in it.

So, why would he keep it out in the open?” I paused. “You know, I once went looking for my birth certificate in Marco and Sophia’s room.”

He looked up from the book he was skimming through, shocked. “Did you find it?”

“Yeah, it was hidden in this secret compartment of this trunk they had.” I pointed to a trunk in the corner of the room. “Kind of like that one….”

Alex and I both looked at one another and then we were on our feet, moving for the trunk. Alex swiped the flashlight up from the floor, flipped the latch of the trunk open, and raised the lid. And of course it was full of books—why wouldn’t it be. We took them out, checking each one, making sure it wasn’t the book we were looking for.

When we reached the bottom, I pushed on the board, and just like the trunk in Marco and Sophia’s room, the bottom popped up, and there was our book. I knew right away that it was our book by the eye on the cover. I had seen the same kind of eye on the columns in the place where my father was—the Room of Forbidden. It was an old book with a flimsy cover, worn out from age.

“So this is it.” I started to get to my feet, ready to get out of here. But Alex stayed sitting, staring into the trunk.

“What is it?” I glanced in the trunk. “What’s wrong?” He took out a thick leather book with the initials A.A on it.

“Is it yours?” I asked, figuring A.A. stood for Alex Avery.

He swallowed hard as he flipped through the pages. “I think it’s my mother’s…journal.”

It was a moment for him. I got that. So I stayed quiet while he glanced through it.

He stood up, and his hand holding the flashlight was shaking a little. “I’m taking this with me.” I nodded and helped him pile the books back into the trunk. Then I glanced around at the mess we made. “Should we clean up?” I asked, hoping he would say no.

Alex shook his head, already heading for the door.

And that’s when we heard it. A door slamming closed.

The sound dinged through the house, like a warning bell.

Both our eyes widened.

Someone was here.

Chapter 19

“Do you think it’s him?” I whispered as Alex clicked the flashlight off.

Darkness.

“I’m not sure.” He took my hand, his skin zapping with a static flow. “Be as quiet as possible.”

We tiptoed like elves down the hall toward the stairway, but turned right back around when we heard his voice drifting up the stairs.

Stephan.

Alex led me into a room and softly clicked the door shut.

Then he flipped the flashlight back on. It was his room, I could tell that right away, by all the guy stuff scattered everywhere.

“What are we going to do?” I whispered, my heart knocking into my chest.

He put his finger up to his lips as he walked over to a rug on the floor.

“Are you kidding me?” I shook as he flipped over the rug.

Just like I guessed, underneath the rug a square was cut into the hardwood floor. “What is it with you guys and trapdoors?”

“Have you seen the life we live,” Alex told me. “Trapdoors are a must.” He raised the trapdoor open and shined the light down into the hole.

I was astonished by how small it was inside. “Are we going to be able to fit?”

He rubbed the back of his neck tensely. “I can find someplace else to hide.”

Nope. Not going down that road again. “No, we can fit,” I assured him and lowered myself into the hole.

It was small. Really, really small. But we managed to squish ourselves into it and with some maneuvering Alex managed to lower the door and get the rug to flop over it.

“Your dad doesn’t know where this is, right?” I whispered.

“No,” he whispered back, his breath hot on my face. “And I doubt he’ll even come in here. I mean, why would he?” We were laying on our sides, face to face, our legs and arms pressed together. If this wasn’t crossing a line, I don’t know what was. If we stayed down here for too long, we would kill each other for sure.

Alex turned off the flashlight and everything went dark.

“How do we know when he leaves?” I asked quietly. “And what if he doesn’t?”

Alex didn’t answer and I knew I worried him. He shifted his body, pressing his legs harder against mine. “Sorry,” he said, inching them away.

It was growing so electric, I swear, at any moment we were going to turn all ‘glow-in-the-dark-like.’

“Maybe we should get out and try to make a run for it,” Alex suggested. “Hop out a window or something.”

“But if he sees us leaving—”

Alex threw his hand over my mouth. “Shhh….” I held my breath, my pulse racing as I heard the soft thud of boot’s moving across the floor. A click—probably the light turning on. The boots paused right above of us and it was so quiet that I didn’t dare breath. The only thing I was grateful for was the fact that the air hadn’t chilled, so that meant no Death Walkers were nearby. It was only Stephan, but what was he doing. All I could hear was some fumbling around and then he would stand silently. This went on for quite some time, but then finally, the thudding of boots were heading away from us and toward the door. There was a pause and then the door clicked shut.

Neither of us moved. I think we were too afraid he was still in the room; that he knew we were hiding and was trying to trick us to come out. And maybe that’s why we stayed in there longer than we probably should have. The electricity kept buzzing and buzzing and I found myself wanting to reach out and touch Alex’s face. I was actually starting to feel a little weak, when Alex moved his mouth right next to my ear and whispered, “Stay put. I’ll be right back.” If I had learned anything at all, stay put meant stay put. So I let him climbed out of the hiding spot to go check on things. Although, I wasn’t going to lie and say I wasn’t worried, especially when I heard the sounds of footsteps thumping against the floorboards above me. They paused for a few moments, and I waited for Stephan to throw open the door and say: ‘Ah! I found you.’

But it was Alex’s face that appeared when the trapdoor lifted open. I handed him the book and his mom’s journal, and then heaved myself out.

“Do you think he knew someone was here?” I asked.

Alex shook his head, his forehead creasing over with puzzlement. “I don’t think so…But why did he come here…

and in my room?” He glanced around the room, his eyes landing on the top dresser drawer, which was open.

Alex handed me the flashlight and dug around inside the drawer. “Why would he…I don’t get it?”

“What’s missing?” I asked, pointing the flashlight at the inside of the drawer.

He shook his head. “My mirror.”

“Like your make-up mirror,” I joked and then pressed my lips together when he gave me a dirty look. “Sorry.” He shook his head. “No, it’s just…I don’t get it—why did he take it?”

“Was there something special about the mirror?” I asked.

He shut the drawer. “I don’t know…I got it from a witch, who told me it would show me my future if I looked in it, but it was a bunch of crap because every time I looked in it all I saw was light.”

I dropped the flashlight. “You saw what?”

“Light.” He picked up the flashlight and shined it in my eyes. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I blinked against the bright light. “But maybe your father’s worried that we changed the future and he thought this mirror would show him.”

“Maybe…” Alex looked at me strangely, knowing there was something else wrong.

“We should probably go in case he comes back.” I started for the door, figuring he would argue, but he didn’t.

Alex was right—my Mitsubishi did make it off the hill.

After a little bit of backing up, and some spinning of the tires, we were driving down the road. Alex hadn’t said a word since we had left his house. And that was okay. I was too distracted by what he had told me about the light. I worried that there might be a connection there, between what he saw in the mirror and what I kept seeing repeatedly every time my eyes closed.

I started reading through the pages of the Foreseer’s book. The first few chapters were pretty boring, but then I stumbled onto something interesting.

The Room of Forbidden: A desolate place where no soul lives except the seer that committed the crime. In the Room of Forbidden, the seer will spend an eternity alone.

No one can enter the Room of Forbidden, for the room exists only in the seer’s mind.

“The Seer’s mind,” I didn’t mean to say it out loud.

“What?” Alex cast a quick glance at me, somewhat distracted.

“It’s nothing.” I waved him off. But I couldn’t understand how my dad was stuck in a room inside his own head. And that I was in there once.

I shivered and went back to my reading.

The power of a Foreseer’s mind: The Foreseer’s mind is one of the most powerful tools. In fact, some of the more powerful Foreseers are able to push their minds to see what they need to see in times of great need.

Push the mind to see what it needs to see in times of great need? Hmmm…I wondered how that one worked. I turned the page, hoping for detailed instructions, but the only thing there was a drawing of a person with an eye on the center of their forehead. I touched my finger to my forehead, wondering what it meant.

I went on skimming through the pages, looking for the words “purple” or “flame,” but by the time Alex pulled in the driveway, I still hadn’t found a mention of either.

Alex killed the engine and turned to me. “Hey, can we keep what happened back at the house a secret? I don’t want to worry Aislin more than she already is…she’s been really stressed out lately.”

I actually thought this was a good idea. “Yeah, I’ll keep it to myself.”

He gave me a small smile and we went inside the house.

Aislin was sitting at the kitchen table, a bunch of herbs and leaves scattered in front of her, along with a few candles.

“Did you get the book?” She asked as soon as we stepped over the threshold.

I nodded, lifting up the Foreseers book. “Yep, we got it.”

“Run into any problems?” She was distracted with her herbs and didn’t notice when I glanced at Alex.

“No, everything went fine.” Alex slipped off his jacket and hung it on the back of the chair. Then he sat the box of herbs that we had picked up from Aislin’s room onto the table “Did you run into any problems here?” She shook her head, turning a page of the book she was reading. “Everything’s fine. Jocelyn’s asleep, and Laylen’s showing Aleesa what a TV is.”

I slid down into a chair at the table. “What are you doing with all this stuff?” I picked up a red and green leaf and turned it in my fingers.

“I am trying to finger out a spell that will remove the mark.” She turned the page of the book.

I put the leaf back on the table. “Is that the book you…

borrowed from Medea’s?”

“Um…yeah.” She peered up at me with a guilty smile.

I thought about her room and when I saw her shoplift.

There seemed to be more to Aislin then what I had originally thought.

“You got that book from Medea’s.” Alex picked up the book and turned it to the back cover.

Aislin tried to grab it back, but Alex moved it behind his back. “I don’t think you should be doing any spells from this thing,” he said. “If it’s from Medea’s store.”

“It’s just something she was selling, Alex.” Aislin held out her hand impatiently. “Now give it back.” Alex shook his head. “No, not until you promise me you won’t do any of the spells in it.”

“Fine,” she agreed, but I had a feeling she was lying.

“Now give it back.”

He handed the book back to her, and she sat it on her lap. She reached over and grabbed the box of herbs and starting digging through it.

I let out a yawn, and my eyelids suddenly felt very heavy.

“I’m going to bed,” I said.

Alex glanced up at the clock. “It’s pretty early for bed.”

“Yeah, but it’s been a long day that used a lot of my energy.” I gave him a pressing look so he would understand what I meant. Our little trapdoor incident had drained me dry and I was actually starting to feel some consequences.

“Well, goodnight then,” Alex said, pretending he had no idea what my look meant.

I sighed and got to my feet. I could barely keep my eyes open as I dragged myself up to bed. I was out before my head even hit the pillow.