A Time To Kill (Elemental Rage Book 1) (8 page)

Amy hesitated.  Years
ago she had switched phones.  Along with the change, she had imported all of
the old numbers.  The name in her address book just said “Bill.”  One of the
girls once asked who he was and Amy answered with a non-descript non-answer
that didn’t tell them anything.  He was Lawrence’s brother, and at least a
decade ago, he lived in Oregon, in Bandon to be precise. 

She dialed the
number, holding her breath.  A woman answered the phone, “Hello?”

“Martha,” Amy let
her breath out in a huge swoosh.  She didn’t even realize she had been holding
it. “I’m sorry to bother you.  We’re in trouble. I think whoever killed
Lawrence is after me.  Claire ran off, and I was hoping Bill could help.”

“Of course. Of
course. Where are you?” Martha’s voice was soothing, gentle.  It had been so
long since Amy had talked to her, seen her.  She remembered a slightly older
woman with a vivacious personality and warm smile.  This Martha was more
subdued.

“Bandon,”

“Well, honey,
you’re right on our doorstep. Bill and I haven’t moved. Come on over and we’ll
get this sorted out,” Amy could just see Martha with her enormously big hair,
high-top sneakers and pink leggings. Of course, that was in the eighties.  She
had no doubt changed by now.

“Can you give me
the address? It’s been awhile.” Amy rubbed her eyes.  They were starting to
feel scratchy.

After scrawling
down instructions, Amy drove to Bill and Martha’s.  She tried to prepare
herself for anything.  The last time she’d seen Bill was at Lawrence’s
funeral.  He put his hand over hers and slipped a letter discreetly into her
hand.  It told her to run and not to look back.

Bill was in the
yard watching the road when Amy drove up.  She realized that she had called in
the wee hours of the morning and was right now driving in at sunrise.  Funny…she’d
been so wrapped up in her problems that she hadn’t even realized what time it
was.  

When she stopped
the car and opened the door, he was there with a big bear hug.  Martha met them
at the door. It was shocking to see a woman much changed and yet the same. 
Gone was the mile-high hair and the long button-up shirts.  In its place,
Martha wore jeans and a blouse with straight hair that framed her face, “It’s
so good to see you.  Don’t tell us where you’ve been staying. The Keepers still
ask Bill every so often if he’s seen you.”

Amy hugged Martha,
“I’m sorry to bring trouble to your doorstep. I don’t know what to do.”

“Have you given
any thought to passing on the secret?  I’m sure the older girls would be
suitable by now,” Bill led the way into his house to the kitchen where a pot of
fresh coffee waited.

Amy lied.

To her, the secret
Bill spoke of was a curse.  She and Lawrence had made the decision together,
and they had passed the power on a long time ago, but she couldn’t give that information
away…not to anyone, not even her daughters.  Better to make herself a target
than the girls.

She said, “Bill,
you know I can’t put that kind of responsibility on them.  They’re only
teenagers. Jade doesn’t show the Elemental ability at all and she’s the most
responsible.”

“When the time is
right, you’ll know,” Bill said, and Amy had to silently agree. She surely did
know.  The power wanted to be passed.  It made its own decision in the matter,
but had to wait for her to agree.  Amy wouldn’t make that kind of decision alone. 
She wouldn’t burden any of her girls without Lawrence’s knowledge and
approval.  He hesitated until it was clear that the Keepers had discovered that
the Gray family held the power. She had spent long nights awake and wondering…if
she had only passed it on a little sooner maybe they would have stayed hidden…and
Lawrence would be alive.

Martha held her
hand out to Amy, “You said Claire is missing. Do you think the Keepers or the
Shadows took her?”

Feeling haunted,
Amy took her hand and said, “She ran away. But I just can’t see her staying out
all night. She would have walked to the ocean, gotten bored and come back.”

Martha glanced
over at Bill, “Honey, can you grab the map of Oregon and my marking wand,
please?”

Amy realized that
they were already prepared to help when Bill pulled open the junk drawer and
brought out the two items requested.

Closing her eyes,
Martha said, “Think about Claire.  Think of your love for her and that you want
to find her.”

Amy closed her
eyes.  Martha’s hands were plump and soft.  Amy remembered the lean, supple
woman she used to be.  Amy focused on her daughter, her third child, the
artistic one who couldn’t help but blurt out all kinds of uncomfortable truths.
She thought of how much she loved Claire. Martha’s hand started moving.

Energy prickled
the palm of her hand and Amy followed the energy down.  Martha said, “You can
open your eyes.”

Amy did.

Bill cleared his
throat, “Would you like to stay for coffee and muffins?”

“I’m sorry,” She
put a decade of sorrow into the apology. She missed Bill and Martha. If she
could stay without putting them or Claire in danger, she would.

“They hardly ask
about you at the meetings anymore,” Bill was losing the hair on the top of his
head. The stray thought crossed Amy’s mind as she wondered if Lawrence would
have, too.  She would never know. 

“Bill, don’t wait
for them to ask.  Tell them you’ve seen me. They already know we’re here. We
were followed,” Amy lifted her arms to Bill and they hugged once more.

Bill said, “I
can’t betray you like that.”

“It’s not a
betrayal. You gave your oath to the Keepers not to me. As soon as I find
Claire, we’re leaving.  Just give me a few hours. Tell them I was planning to
bring the girls back here to stay but never showed,” Amy pulled away and turned
to hug Martha as well, “Thanks for everything.”

She drove away
feeling a keen sense of loss, and a keener sense of time passed. So much had
been taken from her.  She drove to the hospital, wishing that she could somehow
erase the past seven years.

Amy Gray’s
elemental gifts were a combination of all of the elements, meaning that each
element was weak but they worked together to do things that some Elementals
couldn’t handle.  When Lawrence was alive, he liked to tease Amy that
persuasion was her biggest gift.  Maybe he was right.

Mindy had stopped
coughing hours ago and all of the tests were clear.  She was a little more
‘spacey’ than usual but that happened sometimes with Mindy, especially in the
morning when they were going to school or when she was tired. 

Jade and Raven
were already up and dressed.  Teenagers. At any other time they’d sleep until
noon, but tell them you want them to sleep and they’re awake.

“Jade, you stay
here with Mindy.  Raven, I’ve got a map. We’re going to get Claire,” Amy used
her best Mom voice, but still faced resistance.

“Mom, I have to be
there. I really hurt her feelings,” Jade said.

Mindy, who hadn’t
said a word since the hospital, nodded vigorously, “Mindy come.  Earth. Claire.
Help.”

Thinking of the
map, Amy realized that they would have at least an hour drive ahead of them
anyway.  If the Keepers were watching Bill’s house, they wouldn’t have much
time.

She would find a
way to leave Mindy in a safe place before they arrived.  “Fine,” Amy said, “We’ll
all go.”

It was still early
in the morning when the Gray women headed to the parking lot with bags and
totes in hand. The sun just peeked over the horizon. Jade carried Mindy out to
the van and buckled her in while she slept. Raven loaded bags into the back
while Amy walked around the front.

A man called
across the parking lot, “Excuse me.  I’m looking for the lighthouse.  Can you
tell me which direction I should take on 101?”

Amy asked Air if
she could trust the man.  Air didn’t know.  He belonged to the Universe. Keepers
belonged.  Their power over Death and once, Time, gave them an advantage over
the Elementals, and yet in all these years, the Gray family had managed to hold
onto the Keeper’s magic, Time.   

Amy shrugged and
told him, “I’m a tourist here myself.  We haven’t been to the lighthouse yet. 
It’s near one of the campgrounds, I think.”

She felt the faint
twinge of discomfort creeping up the base of her spine that warned her of
danger. Before she could call to Air, the man said, “Stop.  I know what you can
do.  Look at me.”

Amy turned
slowly.  The Keeper held a gun pointed at her chest. He was of medium height
with a big bushy beard and matching eyebrows. Given the spiky short hair, Amy
was certain it was a disguise.

He talked low and
quickly, “I don’t want to hurt you or your girls.  My orders are to bring you
in. Get your girls up here. Now.”

With a glance back
to see what Jade and Raven were doing, Amy called, “Girls, can you walk to the
front of the van please?  Walk slowly and don’t do anything foolish.”

Jade was trying to
find room for the cooler and a grocery bag of chips and crackers that they’d
taken into the motel for snacks. Her Mom didn’t believe in eating out.

She called to her
Mom, “What’s wrong?”

Raven closed the
back door and came up front.

Amy used her Mom
voice to say, “Just get up here.”   To the man she said, “I have what you
want.  Leave my daughters alone. Please?”

When Raven saw the
gun, her eyes widened and her fingers twitched.  Amy could see her daughter’s
mind processing the possibilities.  She said, “Don’t, Raven. Just listen and do
what I say.”

Jade joined them. 
Amy hoped the man didn’t know about Mindy. She had been fast asleep in the van
while everything was loaded.

He didn’t seem
like a bad sort.  The Keepers were actually similar to the Elementals. They had
their place in the Universe and most of them were good, upstanding citizens. 
The kind of power they wielded, however, meant that any deviation or aberrant behavior
could turn them into monsters.

“Do you know why
you’re holding a gun on me?” Amy asked.  It was more than curiosity. If she
knew how much he knew, she might be able to save her children. His orders made
all the difference.

“The three of us
are going to walk to my car.  You’re going to walk slowly and with big smiles
on your face.  If anyone tries to run, I will shoot your Mom.  If anyone screams,
I will shoot your Mom. Get my drift?” He had a gravelly voice and Amy tried to
memorize his features.  It might help later, if she survived that long.

“Whatever you say,”
Raven said which made Amy nervous.  She knew her daughter, and Raven was using
a passive tone, which usually meant that she was going to do the opposite.

“What happens when
we get to your car?” Amy asked, mostly to keep Jade and Raven from talking or
planning.  She had to protect her girls from the Keepers.  When they figured
out who had their precious gift of Time, they would stop at nothing to take it
back. 

Raven flashed Jade
a signal. Amy caught the end of it. She hoped Raven would be smart about her
plans to escape. The Keeper noticed, too, “You, making the hand gestures. Open
the car door and tie your Mom’s hands. This gun will shatter bone. Your little
wind tunnel won’t do much to me, but this bullet will kill your Mom.”

Flushing a deep
red, Raven stared at the man. She was furious and wanted to do something. Amy
couldn’t believe that the parking lot could be so absolutely quiet. Surely
there had to be someone around, someone watching who could call the police.

Amy said, “Let my
girls go, and I’ll go with you. I have power.”

He threw his keys
at Jade.  She fumbled and dropped them, “Sorry. Sorry.”

“Open the trunk
and pull out the rope.”

Jade did as she
was instructed, her hands shaking the whole while. While Raven reacted to
everything head on like a bull, Jade was more sensitive.  In a fight or flight
situation, she would run.

“Give that one the
rope,” He didn’t wave the gun around. He held it steady. That meant he knew his
way around weapons. Amy had to get her girls free. 

She spoke in her mind
to Air.
Please help Raven.  When the Keeper is not watching Raven or Jade,
tell her to fly with Jade to the van. Tell her to run. Get Claire, and run as
far and as fast as she can. The keys are in my purse next to the driver’s seat.
Credit cards are in my wallet.

The Keeper grabbed
Amy’s shoulder and pushed her so that she was facing the car.  “You, tie her
up.”

Air passed the
information to Raven. She whispered, “Mom.”

In a loud voice,
Amy said, “Honey, don’t.  Just do what he says. Tie up my hands. Everything
will be all right.”

Everything will
be all right.
Amy remembered those words. They rang sour in the early
morning air.  They were the same words she had used seven years ago as she clutched
her two little girls the night Lawrence died.     

“Help your mother
into the trunk, and leave enough room for all of you.”

Jade watched the
man, watched the gun, watched her Mom, watched Raven.  Jade would try to reason
through all of the possibilities.  

Amy had to get her
daughters away from him.  She spoke to Water, cried out to Earth, begged Fire,
and cajoled Air to give her some means of escape. Fire started with a roar. The
gas station across the street suddenly blew up. Shocked Amy tried to see from
the trunk.

Scared, the man
said, “What the…”

Then it was
Earth’s turn. Earth slid, knocking the Keeper off his feet.  Unfortunately,
Jade and Raven went down, too, but not for long.  Air swept them up into a
strong embrace and carried them all the way to the open door of the van.

Water gathered
moisture from the sky and shot it into his eyes.

Then it was the
man’s turn. With the daughter’s out of reach, he reached into the trunk and
grabbed Amy’s ankle. Amy knew what was coming and sent one last message to Air,
hoping to get through before she was taken. Closing his eyes, the Keeper
carried her away into the land of the Dead.