Secret Worlds (438 page)

Sooner than expected, headlights shined on the front of the house, bathing me in its glow. The horizon behind it burned a bright orange and pink, a sign of the rising sun. A tall, well-built man stepped out of the dark sedan in a blue suit and red tie. He was bald and sported a shiny metal stud in his eyebrow. Before he reached the front door, I stepped outside and closed the cabin door firmly behind me.

“Eve?” he asked, startled by my abruptness.

“That’s me.”

“I’m Garret. I’ll be taking you to New York.” He looked down at the small bag in my hands. “Do you have any other luggage?”

I shook my head.

“Let’s hit the road then.” Garret returned to the car.

I paused before following him. No turning back now. It was time to embrace my new life. Just before I ducked inside the back of the sedan, light from the rising sun warmed my face.

Garret didn’t say a single word the entire trip, which took several hours, but I didn’t mind. I’d been out of society for so long that I wasn’t sure if I knew how to have a normal conversation anymore.

The closer we came to the city, the more clustered buildings and people became. Garret drove fast and aggressively along the roads, weaving in and out of traffic like a professional. That, combined with all the people and tall buildings and passing cars, made me nauseous. I closed my eyes tight, willing my stomach to settle.

I wished then, and several other times after, that I was back in the cabin at the top of the mountains away from it all. But then I would remind myself why I was doing this. This is how I could make it right, I told myself again. My personal comfort no longer mattered.

Glancing down at the smooth skin on my hand, I wondered when I’d tell Charlie about me being an immortal. What an awkward conversation. I’m not even sure what that meant really. I healed quickly like vampires and died like them too, but lacked any of their other abilities. What was I exactly?

Eventually, Garret pulled the car into an underground parking lot beneath a tall, dark brown building and pushed a button on the side of a metal stand. A tall gate opened wide and he drove inside.

“Are we here?” I asked.

Garret turned right between two rows of vehicles. “This is it. I’ll drop you off at the elevator at the end. Go up to the fourth floor and ask for Charlie.”

I clutched my bag tightly, my heart pounding. What if I’ve waited too long and I’m no longer wanted? Where will I go then?
So stupid.
I should’ve at least written Charlie back, even once.

Garret parked the car, but I didn’t get out. “Something wrong?”

Anxiety swelled in my chest and my feet began to tingle.
Magic.
I needed to calm down. Relax and breathe deeply.

“You all right?” Garrett asked, staring at me with a creased forehead.

I nodded then swallowed the lump in my throat before opening the door. The underground garage was cold and smelled like an old basement. I said goodbye to Garrett, then pressed the up button.

The elevator vibrated and moved upwards. No going back now. I took a deep breath as the doors opened to a well-lit reception area.

A woman with short curly blonde hair and glasses greeted me from behind a desk. “Good morning. May I help you?”

I quickly stepped out and said, “My name is Eve. I’m here to see Charlie.”

“Nice to meet you, Eve. I’m Sarah,” she said, smiling big. Sarah was younger, nineteen I guessed. There were fashion magazines scattered on her desk and three kinds of fingernail polish, each with lids open, directly in front of her.

“Good to meet you, too,” I said, forcing a smile. My feet were still tingling.

Sarah stood and rounded her desk toward me. “I’ll take you back. Follow me. By the way, I love your hair. Is that your natural color?”

“Yeah, and thanks,” I said and followed her through a maze of white and black cubicles, each one filled with people sitting at built-in desks, headsets wrapped around their heads, and staring at computers. A few of them glanced at me, but for the most part, no one seemed to care. We turned a corner and stepped into a long hallway. At the end sat a dark-haired teenage boy who was hunched over, scribbling furiously with a fat red marker on something shiny and silver.

“How’s it going, Derek?” Sarah asked.

The boy didn’t look up. His hair was combed neatly to the side, and he barely seemed to fit in the chair he was sitting in; his legs lengthened way past the seat. When we came close, Derek stood and took a hesitant step toward us, head still down, eyes staring at the shiny object in his hands. Suddenly, he thrust it toward me, revealing what he’d been working on.

My eyes lowered, and I opened my mouth to say thank you, but instead a scream tore through my lungs.

I screamed again and fell to the ground, crawling backwards away from the strange teenage boy. In his open palm was an exact replica of the silver necklace Boaz had given me.

Sarah stared at me with her mouth open, eyes wide.

“Get away from me,” I cried, but the boy took several more steps toward me.

The door at the end of the hallway flew open and out stepped a man with brown curly hair. He moved quickly toward Derek and spun him around away from me. “Derek, let me see what you made.”

With the necklace no longer in view, I relaxed a little, but my heart still raced.

Sarah kneeled beside me. “Are you okay?”

A few people from the cubicles had come rushing over. Sarah waved them away and said, “Nothing to see here. Get back to work!”

“What a beautiful necklace. May I hold it?” the brown-haired man asked Derek. The man’s back was to me. He was several inches taller than me and broad shouldered.

Derek shook his head vehemently and again thrust the necklace toward me.

“Who is that?” I asked Sarah.

“Derek Asher, an autistic boy who works here. He’s completely harmless, I swear.”

I looked up, my gaze meeting that of the boys. His wide-set eyes were gray and full of innocence, something I had never seen in anyone else before. I stood up slowly and reached for the necklace. It was cool to the touch.

“Did you make this for me?” I asked, keeping my focus on Derek. The tin necklace felt like a thousand pounds in my hands.

Derek smiled but didn’t answer. Instead, he walked by us, taking extra care not to touch me as he passed. I stared after him until he disappeared around the corner.

“I’m sorry about that, Eve,” the man said. “I should’ve been more prepared.”

That voice. I turned to him. His hair was shorter on top and there were lines in his face he didn’t have before, but I recognized him. “Charlie?”

The corners of his mouth turned up slightly, and he nodded.

Surprising even myself, I threw myself to him and buried my head into his chest, tears blurring my vision. He stroked the back of my head tenderly and guided me into an office, shutting the door behind us.

After a minute, I calmed down and pulled away from him. “I’m sorry.” I sniffed. “It’s just so good to see you.”

“It’s about time. I was starting to doubt my abilities,” he said, motioning me to sit down in a plush, high-backed blue chair. He sat across me, bringing his bent, right leg up to rest upon his left knee. Behind him was a mahogany desk; a vase of red roses and a neat stack of papers sat upon its top.

Although it had only been seven years, Charlie looked much different than I remembered. There were deep lines between his eyebrows and a two-inch scar on his right cheek. His eyes had changed the most. They were still green, but no longer sparkled with life. They reflected the pain I had read in his letters.

“How was the drive?” he asked.

“It was fine. I’m just glad that it’s over and that I’m finally here. Sorry it took me so long.”

“You came exactly when you were supposed to.”

I cleared my throat. “Yeah, well, thanks again for taking care of me for so long. And for the letters. They meant a lot to me.”

He chuckled uncomfortably and shifted his position on the chair. “I wasn’t sure you were reading them. Honestly, they meant a lot to me too. Writing them was cheap therapy.”

It was my turn to squirm. “I didn’t read them until a couple of weeks ago, but I wish I would’ve. I might’ve come back much sooner.”

“You took the time you needed.”

I shook my head. “I owe you so much.”

“You don’t owe me anything. The work you’re going to do will more than make up for any debt you’ve incurred.”

I immediately tensed, not because I didn’t trust him, but because I was afraid of using magic. “What kind of work?”

“Let’s get the formalities over with, and then we can talk about your future.” Charlie reached for the nearby desk and removed a thick manila envelope from off its top. He reached inside and removed several papers. “As your parent’s only child, upon their death, you inherited everything.” He handed me a single sheet.

“My mother?” I asked.

“She died four years ago. There was an earthquake, and the facility she was being held in collapsed, killing everyone inside. It was a terrible disaster.”

Both my parents were dead.

“You’ve inherited everything,” Charlie said. “We transferred the funds to a Swiss bank account under an alias. I hope you don’t mind, but we didn’t want to give anyone the ability to track you. If you’d just sign this paper, then everything will be transferred to your new name: Eve Andrews.”

“But don’t people think I died?”

He shook his head. “Only missing. Your body was never found in the fire. After your mother passed, we filed paperwork showing you were alive, and then created the new identity. It was all done in secret. There’s not a chance anyone will find out who you really are.”

I glanced down at the paper. The dollar amount was staggering. “This is all mine?”

Charlie nodded.

“What will I ever do with this much money?”

“Whatever you want.”

I set the paper in my lap.

“What made you finally come?” Charlie asked.

“Besides Nora threatening to beat me up? The desire to make things right. I’ve done some horrible things and wasted a lot of time doing nothing about it.”

“It wasn’t you.”

“But it was me, specifically my stupidity that caused it all. I let my hunger for black magic consume me, and I’m still not sure I’ve rid myself of it. “

“Time will fix that, or I should say what you choose to do with your time. We’ll help you, too.”

I tightened my jaw. “How?”

“By teaching you to use your abilities correctly.”

“What?” I asked, my heart racing again.

“We’ll teach you to use them for good,” he clarified.

“I’ve heard that before. I’m not using magic again. I think there’s been a mistake.” I stood nearly knocking my chair backwards.

“Eve, that’s not what I meant. Please, sit back down, let me explain.”

I hesitated, searching his eyes. I knew this man. In his letters, he had admitted to being afraid of the dark for years and learning to overcome this fear. He’d spoke of having children with Moira. He told me his weaknesses and insecurities. This was a man I could trust; his eyes spoke the truth. I returned to my seat.

“Because of the experiences you’ve had in life,” Charlie began, “you’ve only been taught to fear and to hate. Do you think only negative emotions give you power?”

I glanced down, my gaze finding my worn brown loafers.

“There are other emotions you can use that aren’t dark,” he continued. “Emotions that don’t fill you with the anger you despise. You can feel hope, love, peace—all the feelings that are good in this world. These emotions are far more powerful than what you’re used to feeling, and they will give you the ability to use your gift in ways you never thought possible.”

“But will it change me?”

He smiled big, finally reminding of the man I first met in those woods so long ago. “Of course, but for the better. Love has a funny way of growing inside you to the point where you’re no longer aware of yourself, and you become consumed with the desire to help others.”

“I don’t think it’s possible for me to feel anything good,” I whispered.

“Nonsense. We’ll help you find love even in something as small as a flower.” He glanced at the roses sitting on the desk.

“Does anyone else here know about me or other supernaturals like vampires and demons?” I asked.

Charlie’s expression grew serious. “It is for you to tell who you want about yourself, and as for the real monsters of the world, well, we can’t tell just anyone. A few of us know the truth, but most people have to be eased into such things. Their sanity depends upon it.”

“What of the boy? How did he know about the necklace?”

“Derek?” Charlie clasped his hands together, pointer fingers up, and placed them under his chin in a thoughtful expression. “He has the ability to see the past and future and expresses it through art. We found him in an orphanage in England when he was nine and adopted him.”

I frowned. “The Deific adopted a boy?”

“No, no, of course not. It was Henry who adopted him.”

“Who’s Henry?”

“He is the founder of the Deific. He recognized Derek’s abilities right away and thought he’d be better off here. Derek lives upstairs in an apartment, and then works here after school doing odd jobs.”

“So Henry lives upstairs, too?”

Charlie cleared his throat. “No, Derek lives with a nanny, but Henry visits him often.”

“Why would he adopt a boy and then not take care of him?”

“It’s complicated. You’ll see soon enough. Henry is anxious to meet you when you’re ready.”

I was curious to meet the man who could start such an organization. I stopped suddenly and sat up straight. “Something’s not right, Charlie. You said Henry started the Deific, correct?”

“Yes.”

“But that’s impossible. You told me the Deific has been around for hundreds of years. If he’s the founder then he must be extremely old.” I shook my head, trying to understand. “He would be too old unless—” My head snapped up, and I stared at Charlie in disbelief.

He was shaking his head. “You weren’t supposed to find out like this. He wanted to be the one to tell you.”