A Time To Kill (Elemental Rage Book 1) (23 page)

Claire
rubbed her arms. She felt so homesick. She had a thought that she shared with
Water, an idea about how to get home.

She
asked Water,
Do you think you can do it?

Water
splashed excitedly.

Chapter 20

~~ Mindy ~~

Mindy
opened her eyes.  She was in the back seat of a strange car, but at least Raven
was next to her, and Jade was driving.  Mindy felt strange. Something had
awakened inside of her, something dangerous.

Earth
would know.

She
reached for Earth.

Earth
didn’t answer.

“Jade?”
Mindy said.

“I’m
here.” Jade sounded tired, but worse, she sounded worried and stressed. 

“No
Earth.” Mindy said.

Jade
nodded, “It’s okay. You’re tired.  When you feel better, I’m sure Earth will
talk.”

Mindy
sighed and leaned back, “I’m tired.”

“I
know you are, Cricket.  We’ll try to get home soon.”

Raven
stretched, “Where are we?”

“A
few miles from Bend.  I think we’ll make it.”

Raven
gave Jade directions to the little church.  She had a few missed turns, but
eventually they pulled into the parking lot.

Mindy
rubbed her eyes.  Seeing the church, she said, “No. No. No. No. No.”

Raven
coaxed her, “Come on, Mindy.  It’s not that bad.”

Jade
frowned, “What happened before?”

Shrugging,
Raven said, “Mindy crawled under the table while we ate.  She wouldn’t go near
Wayne and the Keepers.”

“Makes
sense if they’re our enemies,” Jade said.

“That’s
just it,” Raven yawned and pulled the ponytail holder out of her hair, letting
her hair go everywhere, “They were actually really nice.”

“Lies,”
Mindy said.

“Who’s
lying?” Raven asked, offended.

“Wayne,”
Mindy hugged herself, “Keep away.”

“I
won’t let him hurt you,” Jade unbuckled her seatbelt and rubbed her eyes.

“Don’t
let him touch you.” Mindy said.  It was one of the most clear expressions she
had ever made.

“Me?”
Jade asked.

Mindy
nodded, “Reads gifts,”

Raven
groaned, “That’s what that was.”

They
were sitting in the car in a parking lot, hungry, thirsty, and tired. Even if
the Keepers did have something on them, Jade couldn’t imagine taking another
direction at this point.  They didn’t have enough gas, and they didn’t have any
money.

Jade
said, “I’m clearly missing something here.”

  Raven
explained, “He can read what gifts we have by touch.  I felt a zap of
electricity when he touched my hand.  He wasn’t being creepy about it, but
Mindy was careful not to let him touch her at all.  He tried a few times, so I
guess you should do the same as Mindy,”

“So? 
They’re Keepers.  They know we’re Elementals.  What is he going to learn?” Jade
unbuckled her seatbelt.

Mindy
said, “Secrets.  Hide yourself.”

“I
need to stretch,” Jade said.

The
girls walked around the parking lot.  It was still dark outside. They were all
tired and cranky. Hours later, when the sun was high in the sky, having slept
crookedly in the seats, they had a reprieve. Wayne came out to greet them.

Wayne
took one look at Raven’s battered face, and his jaw dropped open. “What
happened to you? You need to file a police report right away.  Come inside.”  

Raven
did the talking. She said, “No police. Besides, the guys who did this got worse.
We need to get home.  I wrecked Mom’s van.  Can we borrow your phone?”

“Sure.
Come inside. You can stay as long as you need,” Jade and Mindy both kept a nice
distance from themselves and Wayne.  He was ever the polite host.  Jade could
see why Mindy didn’t trust him.  He was a little too slick and accommodating
for her taste.

~~ Claire ~~

Flipping
and spinning, tossing and turning, Claire existed as a thousand drops of
water.  The trials of the past few weeks forgotten, Claire experienced life in
the present, completely and fully, unable to focus on anything beyond the
sensation of movement and mist. 

Water
knew all of the best ways home. When they arrived at the pond behind her house,
Claire could barely drag herself out.  She understood how it was possible to
get lost in an Element.  Her limbs felt so heavy she could barely move. She
lifted herself up and walked like a zombie to the house. 

It
was locked.

Claire
could slide through if she changed again.  She was just so tired.

Once
more?
Water asked.

I’ll
try.
Claire said.

She
trickled under the door, much more slowly than she would have on a normal day.  Changing
back to her human form was the hardest thing she had ever done.  Claire found
the phone and dialed each of her sister’s phones first, just in case.  None of
them answered.  That made sense since the phones were probably all in the
luggage scattered through the van.

She
called Bertha. 

Bertha
answered, “Hello?”

“Aunt
Bertha?  It’s Claire.” Claire didn’t know why, but she started crying.  Somehow
she told the whole story from start to finish.  She ended with, “I don’t know
what happened to them.”

“I’ve
just rented a car, and I’m on my way.  Stay put for now.  If you see anything
strange, go to my room and hide under the bed.  My room. Not yours or your
sisters.  Okay?”

“Yes.”
Claire wiped her eyes, feeling much better.

“I
love you.” Bertha said.

“Love
you, too.”

Claire
hung up the phone.  She walked it back to the charger on the kitchen counter. 
That was when she noticed the letter:

My
Dearest Girls,

The
Keepers are responsible for my absence.  Although I am well-cared for, I am
unable to leave.  I am in a strange prison with no guard, but I haven’t figured
the way out yet. I am not in any danger right now.

It’s
almost time for school.  Go to school. Do your chores. Play sports. Do
everything you would have done if I were there.

Don’t
try to find me.  I’m not in a realm that belongs to Earth.  That much I know.  I
will do my best to get free. In the meantime, live your lives and don’t worry
about me.

                                                Love,

                                                Mom

P.S.
Mind Aunt Bertha.

Claire
put the letter back on the counter.  She was too tired to process it right
now.  She stumbled to the bathroom and took a shower.  It was the longest
shower she’d ever taken because she didn’t have three sisters in line waiting.
She thought she was going to fall asleep standing up. Claire finally shut the
shower off.

She
climbed into bed and had the best sleep of her life.

~~ Raven ~~

Jade
and Mindy played a deft game of avoiding Wayne. Jade used the chapel phone to
call Bertha.  Relieved to hear from the girls, Bertha said that she was at
Seatac Airport. They talked a few minutes. Hanging up the phone, Jade was
grateful to give the girls good news.

“Aunt
Bertha will be here by evening.  Claire already called Bertha and she booked a
ticket from Seatac to Bend based on what Claire told her.  She was relieved to
hear from me for sure,” Jade chuckled.  It was easier to laugh now that she
knew everyone was safe. She yawned so wide that tears ran down her cheeks.

Wayne
stepped through the door.  Raven wondered if he’d been listening outside.  He
was quick to step into the room the minute Jade hung up. 

They
had decided early on that Raven would be the diplomat of the group.  She would
step forward whenever a Keeper came into the room while Jade and Mindy stepped
back.  It was pretty obvious what they were doing, but so far Wayne respected
the boundaries.

“We’ve
got a guest room set up with a few cots. Jack will show you the way,” Wayne
smiled what looked like a genuine smile.

Jack
led the way, followed by Jade and Raven.  They never expected Wayne to be quite
as sneaky as he was.  He quickly moved to the end of the line and was about to
put his hand on Mindy’s shoulder when she danced around and roundly kicked him
in the shin.

“No,”
Mindy said, running into Raven when she back-pedaled away from Wayne.

“Ow.
That’s some kick,” Wayne rubbed his shin, but didn’t say much more.

Raven
wrapped her arms around Mindy’s shoulders, “Mindy, you can’t go around kicking
people. They’re helping us,” To Wayne, she said, “I’m so sorry. I don’t
understand her sometimes.”

Raven
turned, neatly putting Mindy between her and Jade.  If they wanted to, the
Keepers could overpower them.  Raven was under no illusions about the strength she,
Jade, and Mindy possessed compared to the Keepers.  Apparently the Keepers
wanted to keep up pretenses. 

Since
they had actually been more helpful than harmful, Raven would let them.

Nothing
else happened.  They closed the door to the room.  Raven whispered to Jade in
her quietest voice, “Probably bugged.”

Louder
Jade said, “Let’s try to get some sleep.”

Raven
closed her eyes, but she didn’t sleep.  She had a hunch.  Talking to Air, she
sent herself to the crows and tweety birds outside.   Wayne was outside talking
on the phone.  She found a crow on the roof that could hear what he said.

“No,
I haven’t been able to get near the oldest or youngest. The little one kicked
me in the shin, but I didn’t catch a thing from her.  She’s slow.  No way her
Mom would give her Time to handle.  If we don’t find it with the Mom, it’s got
to be the eldest.  She was more skittish than the little one.  As a matter of
fact, I think the youngest dotes on her and is mimicking her.”

The
reply was muffled.  Raven closed her eyes and tried to concentrate.  She just
couldn’t hear what the other voice said.

“I
don’t think Tony will switch sides after this many years, but I’ll give it a
try.  We have the Mom. I think we should let the younger ones go and watch them. 
We don’t have the resources to hold them and they might give something away.
They solved the vampire problem we’ve been having around here in one night. 
I’d hate to think what they would do if they thought we were the enemy.”

This
time Raven heard a man say, “They do think you’re the enemy.  Why else would
they shrink away?”

“Maybe
so,” Wayne agreed.  He sat on the concrete ledge on the side of the stairs.
“But they don’t think we’re hostile.  I’m not sure where Claire went.  She’s
the only one who one hundred percent trusts me.  I’d like to keep our relations
in good standing. When the Gray sisters needed help, they came here. That’s
something.”

“Something
or not, this is as close as we’ve come to recovering Time in three centuries. 
The minute you get a feel that these girls have it, I want a phone call.”

“You’ll
get it,” Wayne said, hanging up with that person.

Sitting
on the ledge, he made another phone call, “Tony?”

“Yeah,
I’m here.” Tony didn’t sound enthused with speaking to Wayne. Raven wondered
who he was.

“How’s
Amy doing?” Wayne sounded genuinely concerned.  Raven thought that of all the
people she’d ever met, Wayne was the most dangerous, and she was including the
vampires.  At least with bloodsuckers, you knew where you stood. Wayne was
sneaky, charming, and good at pretending.

“She
spent the night walking in circles along the beach before she realized that she
was on an island. She hates my guts and thinks I’m in the middle of this. 
Otherwise, she’s fine,” Tony’s resentment came through loud and clear. 

“Are
you ready to be a Keeper again?” Wayne pushed to his feet and walked down the
steps.  Raven asked the crow to hop down.  It did, fluttering to a grassy spot
where she would be within hearing range.

“I’ve
been imprisoned for nearly a decade.  I told the truth, and for that you ship
me to another dimension. I’m siding with Amy on this one.” Tony said.

Tony
hung up on Wayne. Raven knew this because the call ended abruptly.  She thought
perhaps the conversation between Tony and Wayne might have been, at least
partially, a ruse. Maybe the Keepers thought she would seek out Tony and tell
him everything.

That
wouldn’t happen.  Still, they knew something.  Mom was alive and well somewhere
in another dimension.  Not only that, but she was on an island of some sort.

Wayne
didn’t seem to be doing anything else interesting.  Raven released the bird
with a sigh and turned on her side to sleep.  Her cheek hurt where it pressed
against the pillow, but she hated sleeping on her back.  She would tell Jade
about Mom once they were away from the Keepers.  Closing her eyes, Raven didn’t
think she’d sleep, but then she did.

~~
Aunt Bertha ~~

Aunt
Bertha’s back was killing her. She signed the rental agency agreement thinking
that the thousand dollars she spent to pick up the girls was outrageous.  One
day made five hundred dollar’s difference on the ticket price, but she booked
it anyway.  Better to get those girls out of Oregon.  They’d raised quite a
stir.

Driving
to the church wasn’t so bad.  Just a hop, skip, and a jump as it were.  Bertha
had to hold onto the door a few moments before she could grab her cane.  That
trip to Denver had drained her dry.  She’d felt poorly most of the visit. She
went to a clinic in Denver, took some tests, and had results coming to her
family doctor.

Probably
nothing. Bertha was eighty, after all.

Still,
she felt every minute of those eighty years.

When
she arrived at the cute little chapel, the girls were already outside waiting
for her. Mindy sprinted across the lawn the minute she saw Aunt Bertha.  She
screeched to a halt and then gently wrapped her arms around Bertha’s middle.

“Hey,
Sunshine. Ready to go home?” Aunt Bertha hugged Mindy back with one arm.  The
other arm used the cane to keep her firmly on her feet.  The hug hurt her
body.  Bertha wasn’t about to tell her best girl that she was hugging too
tight, though.