Nameless: The Darkness Comes (20 page)

Chapter
Forty

“Therapy must be good for you. You hardly look homicidal at all.”

“Ha ha, big brother.”

I threw myself into an empty chair and tossed the car keys to Seth. He was crouched over the kitchen table, doing his ceaseless paperwork. Filing for custody, filing to see Lydia whenever she was found, doing whatever he could. Truth was, I was feeling pretty good. I wouldn’t say the counselor was playing for Team Luna, per se, but she wasn’t running around with the demonic hordes. That was a step in the right direction.

I looked at Seth.
“Don’t repeat this, and if you do I’ll deny saying it, but I think that things might eventually turn out after all.”

“I wouldn’t count on it.”

I was out of my chair so fast that Seth nearly fell over. Papers scattered everywhere. “What’s wrong? What’s going on?” he asked.

Mouth was standing in the doorway.
He looked equal parts grim and angry.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.
My hands were balled against my sides. “Planning to tell me how worthless I am again? Because I’m warning you, I’m not in the mood.”

“Chill,” he said and glided to the table.
He eyed Seth’s papers. “Still doing things the good old fashioned way, huh? Playing by the rules. How noble.”

“Get out.”

Seth’s head snapped back and forth. “Who are you talking to? Who’s here?”

“Cute,” Mouth said and yawned.
He put his ghostly feet up on the table. “Your brother thinks you’re losing your marbles right in front of him. Better calm him down before his heart explodes from the stress.”

I rolled my eyes.
“Seth, this is Mouth. I’ve mentioned him before. I kind of hate him at the moment. But sit down. I’ll let you know if there’s anything to worry about.”

Seth trembled a minute, then sank down in his ch
air, looking defeated. I glared at him.

“
He’s as real as you are.” I turned to the demon. “You’ve got brass, coming back after your threatening ‘I am a demon of authority’ gig last time. Got something to say? Say it, and then get out.”

“Can it, princess.
I’m not here to talk to you. I’m here for your brother.”

“You’re…what?”

“Knew that would get ya.”

“You want to talk to Seth?”

Seth’s jaw fell to the floor. “It wants to talk to me?”

Mouth shook his head.
“Are you two dunderheads finished acting related? Because this is important, and we don’t have much time. Luna, you’re going to have to translate. Ol’ unbeliever here gave up his chance at hearing me out a long time ago.”

“Seth, he says that…huh?” My gaze snapped o
nto Mouth. “What do you mean, gave up his chance?”

“Gave up my chance for what?”
Sweat was beading Seth’s face now, and Mouth’s prediction for Seth’s exploding heart didn’t seem too far off.

“Hey, calm down,” I said, and put my hand on Seth’s shoulder.
“Listen, I’m mad at Mouth at the moment, but I think I pretty much trust him. For the most part. Kinda. Like, for a demon.” Maybe not as reassuring as I had hoped to be. I rubbed my eyes and tried again. “He’s cool. If he wants to talk to you, I’d do it.” I spoke without looking at the demon. “What do you want me to tell him?”

“Tell him this whole thing has just gone up another level.
Lydia’s in danger.”

“How much danger?”

“Tell him.”

I swallowed hard, looked Seth in the eyes.
“Mouth said Lydia’s in danger, that everything is stepping up.”

Seth cleared his throat.
“What do I do?”

“Tell him there has to be a showdown.
It’s going to be hard and it’s going to be ugly. He has to be there for Lydia during this. More than that, he has to be there for you.”

I nodded.
“Tough showdown. You have to be there for Lydia and me.” I glanced over my shoulder at the demon. “What else?”

His
lips were tight. “He has to be strong. Tell him that. He has to be stronger than he’s ever been. It doesn’t matter how sorry he is. That isn’t going to be good enough. He needs power built out of strength, not guilt. Got it?”

“Sure. No guilt strength.
But sorry? Sorry for what? It isn’t his fault Sparkles—”

Mouth’s darkness blazed around him, blasted across the room like a bomb.
“Just deliver the message, Luna!”

“Okay, okay! Geez, Mouth, you don’t have to be such a…
All right, Seth. Mouth here says you have to be strong, and it isn’t good enough to be sorry. Or whatever.”

Seth’s face was a horrifying shade of white.
“Sorry for what?” he whispered. “What should I be sorry for?”

I shrugged. “Beats me. Mouth?” I turned toward
the demon again, but he wasn’t in his seat. He was half an inch from my face, staring at Seth intently.

“Holy crap, you scared me, you twist!” I shrieked.
“And you’re freaking Seth out. Stop being cryptic and just tell me already.”

Mouth slowly turned to me, and his eyes were unreadable.
He seemed to be struggling, but not necessarily with himself. He made a choking sound.

“Hey.
Hey, are you all right?” I reached for him but there was nothing firm to grab onto. He was all wisp and night mist, gagging on his words and shivering like he was having a difficult time holding himself together. By the way the darkness flowed from him like blood, I think that was exactly the case.

“Tell him…he needs to…”

The shivers turned into convulsions. I grabbed at his arms, tried to cup his face in my hands. “Mouth! What can I do? Tell me what to do.”

“T-tip
toe…” I repeated as the demon spit it out. Something started scratching at the corner of my memories.

“Tiptoe
?” Seth sucked in his breath, but it barely registered. The shine of Mouth’s eyes told me that they were rolling back in his head. Can a demon have seizures? Can they kill him?

“Mouth!” I screamed, and I was done.
Done with the anger and the hurt and the grudges I was holding. I wanted him. I wanted him back and on my side. “Don’t leave me. How can I help you? Tell me, please.”

“Make him tell you…Tip
toe Shadow.” He was fading. His black robes were turning gray.

“
Tiptoe Shadow. Why does that sound…? Got it. He’ll tell me. Just hold on, okay? I’ll find a way to take care of you. I’ll figure something out…”

A crash. Seth was passed out cold on the floor.
I reached for him, and the remaining demon mist disappeared like fog.

I vaguely
recalled teeny tiny feet. Whispers in the dark of night. That
, mmm,
laugh.

Seth’s breathing was loud in the silent room.
I nudged my brother gently with the toe of my boot. He didn’t budge. My hands felt horrifyingly empty where I had tried to hold onto Mouth.

I was alone again.

The darkness comes when you’re alone.

Chapter Forty-One

It took Seth about sixty seconds to come to. I was ready.

“Tell me about this Tip
toe Shadow.”

He moaned, touched the back of his head where he had hit the floor.
“I want a drink. Do we have anything to drink? Whisky? Vodka?”

“Since when have you touched a drop? Stop stalling and tell me
about this shadow. Now.”

His face was dangerously white.
Part of me said to stop riding him so hard, and the other part said to heck with it, press the guy until he squawks. I don’t know what exactly was going on with Mouth back there, but it had been major. And it had been ugly.

“Did…did this demon really say to tell you about the Tip
toe Shadow? I mean, did it use that name?” He turned huge eyes on me, and suddenly Seth seemed decades younger. It scared me.

“Yes. That name exactly.
” I watched him carefully.

He sighed, and it was such a hollow, broken sound.
Chilling, really, especially from Pulled-Together Seth.

“
Hey, are you hungry?” I asked too brightly. “Want some popcorn while we talk about this?”

Nervous energy had me moving about the kitchen.
I grabbed the popcorn and stuffed it unceremoniously into the microwave. I tapped my fingers on the countertop as I waited for the bell to ding.

“Listen, Luna, I have a story to tell you. It…it isn’t easy.
Will you hear me out?”

I was almost irritated.
“Of course I’ll hear you out! I’ve been trying to drag it out of you ever since you woke up from your fainting spell. How’s your head by the way? Need an aspirin?”

It was like he didn’t even hear me.

“When I was little, and you were just a baby, something used to creep into my room,” he said. I stopped my pacing and relentless finger tapping. He had my attention.

“Something like what?” I asked him.
I didn’t realize I was holding my breath.

“
Something dark. Something hunched over that came on its tiptoes.”

I was chilled.
This was familiar but I was pretty sure I had never mentioned my old nightmares to Seth. “Did it have a face?” I asked carefully.

He looked at me with those too big eyes.
“You know it didn’t.”

The microwave dinged heroically, but I didn’t move toward it.
I leaned against the counter and crossed my arms over my chest.

“You actually saw him.”

“I actually saw him,” he agreed. “Every night. He’d come in and say things. The most horrible things, in the strangest, most bizarre way. His voice was like air. Like someone breathing cold. I tried to tell Mom, but she said it was a nightmare. Too many scary shows, and so we stopped watching TV at night.”

“Did you ever mention it to Dad?”

Seth snorted. “Of course not. Mom said it was nothing. And Dad? He had enough to worry about, you know. He didn’t need to know his son was…”

“Crazy.”

He flinched when I filled the word in for him.

“Yeah.
That.”

I took a big breath of the festive, popcorn scented air.
It didn’t make me feel any better. “I didn’t know you could see him, Seth. I thought I was the only one who could. But not until later. I don’t remember him until I was about four or five.”

“You were four.
Four years old. Far too young to deal with the things you had to deal with. But even then, you were stronger than I was. I knew you could handle it. At least, I hoped you could handle it.”

“
But why didn’t you tell me you saw him, too? It would have been such a relief to talk to you about it!”

His eyes darkened.
“I couldn’t see him by then. Things had changed.” When he looked up, his gaze was intense.

“We had a pond in our backyard.
Do you remember?”

I sh
ook my head.

His words came out in a rush.
“You were pretty young. The Tiptoe Shadow used to mention that pond every night. Saying there was magic in the water, that I should go put my face in there and look. I didn’t like the way he leaned close. Remember how he
leaned close?”

“I remember.”

“And one day I finally just begged him to stop, that I’d do anything if he’d leave me alone. He looks at me all serious, and he says, ‘You’ll do anything? Give me anything? How about your sister?’”

My arms chilled.
My mouth went dry. The microwave chirruped again, but I couldn’t move.

Seth rushed on.
“I told him I couldn’t give up my sister. I loved you, you know? I mean, who knew where he’d take you, what he’d do? And he starts to laugh in that way of his. Do you remember? Where there’s sound but no sound, and it makes you want to throw up?”

I couldn’t say anything, so I nodded.

“He laughs and he says he won’t take you away, that it’s more fun to have you here to feel things and smell things and hear things. He said he’d tell you all kinds of things, and he’d leave me alone if he can visit you.”

I was torn between wanting to throw my arms around Seth as this scared little boy, and punch him in the face.
“You didn’t. Make an arrangement, I mean. You couldn’t. Trade me for you?”

His face told me everything I need to know.
I turned away.

“He told me there were more of them, Luna
. More than just him. He said they’d all come, that they walked and flew and rode the currents and had legs…”

I whirled back around. “They do
. And tentacles and they scream and sometimes they laugh and they even sob. They’re in the water. They’re outside. They came into the house and they’re always frickin’ here. Are you telling me I didn’t see them before, that I wouldn’t see them at all if only you had been a braver boy? Or loved me more?”

“I did love you
.” He jumped up, tried to grab my arm but I pulled away. “I loved you more than anyone. Still do, except for Lydia. But I’m not strong enough, Luna. Even when you were smaller than me, just a little girl, you were stronger. More courageous. I knew you could handle it better than I could. I mean, look at you. You’re practically a warrior.”

“Did it ever occur to you that I don’t want to
be
a warrior?” I was yelling now, but I didn’t care. “I have to be this way,
Seth,
because I spend my whole life being attacked from all sides. Yes, even you,” I said, when he tried to deny it. “You threw me to the wolves when I was just a kid. You were my big brother and should have protected me. And then,” I said, my voice getting even louder as realization hit, “you acted like you didn’t believe me when I tried to tell you about the demons. You had me thinking I was crazy, when you knew they existed. You knew. How could you?”

“I’m sorry,” he screamed
back. His intensity matched my own. “I don’t know how to fix it. I don’t know what to do.”

“I have to get out of here.” I stormed outside.
Great, my bike was in the shop, and I’d left Seth’s car keys on the table. I stomped down the road. Seth ran after me.

“Wait! It’s the middle of the night, and it’s going to rain
. You can’t go.”

“Watch me,” I said.

“We need to figure this out.”

“Forget it
,” I said, and the look I shot him stopped him in his tracks. “Stay away from me, Seth. I don’t want to talk to you.”

He looked stricken, but I didn’t care. I blew through a pack of demons without even thinking twice.
They blinked benignly after me.

I almost hate you for this,
I thought to my brother, and I felt the Mark burn.