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What are you talking about? Helen asked, suddenly alarmed.
Why would you go to prison?
For killing the guy that took your virginity, he replied. You I
would forgive. But the guy? Dead man.
Helen smirked at Lucas like she didnt believe him, but she wisely
decided not to question his sincerity.
Then whats the plan? She sighed, resting back against him.
We cant be together and we definitely cant be apart.
We stick together and play by the rules until we can rewrite
them. Were going to find a way to make this work. I promise.
Isnt that hubris? she asked, raising her eyes to his. Thinking
we can beat the Fates?
I dont care what it is anymore. I need to hope, he responded
before he allowed himself kiss her.
Helen fell against him, and this time she was able to enjoy his
mouth without the shock that came along with the unexpectedness
of their first kiss. This time she could pay attention to him, feel him
responding to her. Far sooner than Helen wanted, Lucas pulled
back, pinched his eyes together like it hurt, and gently pushed her
hands off of him.
You have to stop, he said, forcing himself to laugh, even if it
was a shaky, watered-down laugh.
Sorry. I dont know what Im doing yet, Helen said through her
tingling lips.
Could have fooled me, he mumbled as he took both of her
hands and stood up, pulling her to her feet with him. I think a
little cold air will do us good.
Where to? Venice? Helen asked with a cheeky grin.
Sure. Because thats exactly what you and I needa more romantic
setting, he replied sarcastically. Sorry, Sparky, but Im
taking you home to your father before I start a war.
He leapt into the air and spun back to face her, holding out a
hand like they were in an old movie and he was asking her to
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dance. She groaned at how gorgeous he was, then joined him with
a smile, taking his hand and rolling her body over the playful eddies
he carved into the wind for her.
Moments later, they were landing in Helens yard and strolling
toward the door, hand in hand. Just as Helen was about to go inside
the house, Lucas stopped her.
You actually thought I didnt know, didnt you? he asked her incredulously.
Happy birthday.
I totally forgot! Helen exclaimed with a bemused smile.
I didnt, he said, kissing her. He looked up at the brightly lit
house, and they both listened briefly to an emergency weather report
blaring away on the TV. Your dads waiting for you. Youd
better go in.
Yeah. Kate made me a cake, Helen said. She grimaced, guilty
over how shed treated her family this past week.
Tomorrow, first thing, Ill be back to get you, Lucas promised
as he brushed his mouth lightly against hers. Then well go to my
house and tell my family. Together.
Right. We still have to plead our case, Helen said. Wrapped
around each other, they kissed for a few more moments, stalling
for time that the storm wouldnt give them. Finally, Lucas pulled
away. Glancing around at every shadow suspiciously, he told her to
hurry into the house. It was dark out and he was unwilling to leave
her unguarded for even a moment. Helen ran inside and closed the
front door behind her, peering out the window in time to see Lucas
fly away. She called out for her father as she walked into the family
room.
Jerry isnt here, Helen, said a womans voice behind her. Helen
spun around, already calling up a bolt, but the woman grabbed her
tightly by the wrists and shook her head.
That wont work on me, she said. Electricity danced across her
flawless face, making her long, blonde hair crackle and fluff, and
circling the pupils of her warm brown eyes.
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Oh my god, Helen said, looking at the heart-shaped charm that
fell neatly into the groove at the base of her attackers throat.
The woman ripped off Helens identical necklace with one hand
and jabbed a needle into her neck with the other. Helen felt her
muscles go limp and refuse to follow her commands. The world
faded into a pale gray haze, and even though she kept trying to see,
her eyes could only chase the bright squiggles that tracked across
the backs of her eyelids. She was losing consciousness so fast,
Helen knew that she had to have been given a powerful drug,
maybe even a lethal one. The last thing Helen felt was her attacker
tenderly supporting her body as it swooned to the floor. Helen
couldnt see, couldnt move, but for just one moment longer she
could still hear.
My sweet little girl, the woman whispered, and then Helen experienced
nothing, not even nightmares.
Lucas was only halfway home when the wind tried to throw him
down to the ground and the sky started to flash with the first bolts
of lightning. He landed immediately, and had to go the rest of the
way on foot rather than get electrocuted or crushed. He wondered
if Helen could fly through the lightning and if she would be able to
control it so that he could fly with her in a storm if the situation
ever arose. That would be beautiful, he thought as he walked
through the garage and into the kitchen, flying through lightningbright
clouds.
As soon as he opened the door, he stopped, sensing something
wrong.
Didnt you bring Helen with you? Cassandra asked nervously as
he stood in the doorway. I could have sworn I saw you together
today.
Lucas looked around the room and saw Jerry and Kate, the
promised cake bristling with unlit candles, and Claire sitting wideeyed
next to Jason.
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I just left her at home to be with you two, he said gesturing to
Jerry and Kate. Panic washed up his legs, nearly making his knees
buckle.
Lucas ran out the kitchen door, past the cars in the garage, and
ripped the outside door off its hinges as he leapt up into the apoplectic
sky. Jumping up twenty feet, Jason tackled him out of the
air and dragged him back down, pinning Lucass weightless body
to the ground.
Sorry, brother, but the storm is too big. We drive tonight, Jason
said.
There was someone waiting for her inside her house! Lucas
yelled, taking on mass and throwing Jason off of him.
We know, you idiot! This afternoon, while you had your phone
shut off, Cassie saw that Creon came back to the island, Jason
said, latching on to Lucas to make sure he didnt change states
again and fly off. But Creon isnt the one at her house!
Then who is it? Lucas asked, visibly calming down. He and
Jason stood up and waited for Hector to pull his truck out.
Cassandra was getting little images all day long, but she didnt
understand them. One of the things she saw was a woman tailing
Creon as he came back to the island. She had this habit of tucking
her hair behind her ear with her pinkie finger, Jason began. The
truck pulled out and Lucas and Jason jumped onto it. They eased
themselves inside as the truck sped off into the punishing wind and
rain.
Then Cass said she kept seeing flashes of several different women,
over and over, Jason continued. She didnt know why she
was having visions about women that she didnt recognize and that
didnt seem to have anything to do with each other. It took a while,
but Cass finally noticed that they all had exactly the same way of
putting their hair behind their ear, like a nervous tic. Because of
that, Cass realized that they were all the same person, and the
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most persistent vision she kept having was of one of these woman
waiting for Helen at her house like she lived there.
The woman let herself into Helens house with her own key and
turned on the TV like shed done it a million times, so at first Cass
didnt think there was any danger. Probably a relative Helen never
mentioned, right? Hector interjected. It wasnt until just a few
seconds before you walked in the door that she put it all together
and knew that she had been seeing Helens attacker all day long.
We tried to call you. . . .
But I had my phone shut off, Lucas finished for him, adding a
foul curse on the end. What did the woman waiting at Helens
house look like? Lucas asked urgently, trying to get a mental image
of the threat. Is she that brunette? Or the old woman who attacked
Kate?
Neither. Cassandra said she was unbelievably beautiful. Like
Helen, Jason replied.
Not just beautiful like Helenyoure telling it wrong, dumbass,
Hector interrupted. He wove through traffic like a madman,
blowing through red lights and passing cars illegally. Cassie said
this woman looked almost exactly like her. But whoever she is,
Cass is certain this woman is not on Creons side. He doesnt even
know hes being followed, which may or may not be good for us.
Why the hell wasnt someone guarding the house? Lucas
shouted in frustration, too upset to think about what Cassandras
vision meant yet.
Its my fault, Hector said, and then continued before his little
brother could argue. Shut up, Jase, Im the one who allowed her
to go off on her own after practice. It was my call, and I made it,
even though I knew in my gut it was wrong.
Lucas wanted to rip Hectors face off for taking the blame when
he knew whose fault it really was. He should have checked his
phone, he should have checked the house, he should have paid
more attention to Helens safety and less attention to her soft
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hands and warm skin. He scrubbed his hands over his face and
made himself take a series of deep breaths. He needed to trust
Hector to get them there, and then he needed to focus and be ready
for whatever they encountered. If he was going to be at all useful,
he was going to have to shut up and calm down.
When they got to Helens house, the TV and the lights were off
and the front door was locked. Lucas flew up to Helens bedroom
window, which he knew she always forgot to latch. He let himself
in and then went downstairs to open the front door for the others.
Nothing was taken and nothing was disturbed in the entire house.
It was as if Helen hadnt even put up a fight.
She must have known the woman and gone with her willingly,
Hector said, tossing up his hands. Its the only reason this place
isnt melting.
Unless whoever kidnapped her is just that good, Jason added.
What are you talking about? Hector said derisively. Helens a
full-on monster now with her lightning. I dont care who this evil
twin is, no one is that good.
Twin, Lucas repeated, thinking. It could be that simple. Shed
have the same lightning, the same strength, and a lot more
experience.
The brothers looked at him as he got down on his hands and
knees and examined the floor. He reached under an end table and
came up with a drained hypodermic needle.
That rules out Helen going willingly. Whoever she was, she
came prepared. And she must have known about the cestus and
how it works, or she never would have been able to penetrate
Helens skin, Lucas said, his breath catching only slightly when he
said her name.
He handed the needle to Jason and dropped back down to examine
the floor one last time, in case he missed something. When he
was satisfied, he stood up and looked through his cousins instead
of at them, still thinking. Then he went to the windows by the door
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and looked out at the raging storm. Lucas watched mini mudslides
slosh down Helens driveway and out into the street and knew that
any path Helen might have left would be long gone.
Was there anything else in Cassandras vision? Lucas asked
hopefully.
The last thing she said was that she thought Helen would still be
safe tomorrow morning, Jason replied, shaking his head doubtfully.
Cass had a brief flash of Helen standing in a window that
looked like some kind of hotel on Nantucket, but she couldnt be
sure.
Maybe Cass has seen something else, Hector said as optimistically
as he could. He opened his phone and tried to dial, but a NO
SIGNAL sign was flashing on his screen. Check your phones, he said
to his brother and cousin. Neither of them could connect a call,
either.
Lucas went into Helens kitchen and checked her landline for a
dial tone, but it was dead. As he joined his cousins back in the
entryway, the power in the house went out. Jason went over to the
window and looked at the other houses in the area.
The whole block is out, he said. And massive lightning bolts
are headed this way. I guess were stuck here for a while.
You two stay here in case Helen gets free and makes her way
back, Lucas said as he turned for the door.
Where the hell do you think youre going? Hector demanded,
grabbing Lucas by the shoulder and trying to turn him around.