I bolted upright from the cot, my blanket falling to the ground. My lungs burned, my heart hammered as if I’d run a marathon. What the hell had just happened? I pressed my fingers to my temples, attempting to make sense of my spinning thoughts.
Had it been a dream?
I glanced at Nora’s bed but she was gone, the room empty. Lewis was in the guest room; I needed to talk to him. He was the only one I could trust. Stumbling across the room, I somehow managed to open the door. The clank of dishes from below gave me pause. I didn’t want to talk to anyone but Lewis. I wasn’t ready, not until I figured out what had just happened.
It had been a dream, hadn’t it? Merely a dream. But…it had felt so real.
“Hey,” Lewis was suddenly standing in front of me, a towel around his waist, his chest beautifully bared and muscled.
No! I didn’t need the distraction, and he was certainly a distraction. Was this another test from Mommy Dearest? I jerked my gaze from his muscled stomach and focused on his face. “I need help.”
Understatement of the year.
“What’s wrong?”
I threw my arms around his neck and pressed my body to his. He was still slightly damp and my clothes clung to his skin, but I didn’t care. I breathed deeply his scent, taking comfort in the familiarity.
“What is it?” His hands moved down my back in long strokes.
I pulled back, giving him room to breathe. “Dream… I think.”
He frowned, obviously worried. “About what?”
It was ridiculous, having a conversation with him while he was half-naked. I shook the thought from my mind. “He’s coming. My father. I think they’re coming.”
His gaze hardened. He hated my dad as much as I did, and he had reason enough. I just hoped that deep down his hatred of my father didn’t affect our relationship. “When?”
“Now. I don’t know.” I shook my head. “I have to see my mom.”
He pressed his lips to mine in a quick kiss. “Go. I’ll follow when I’m dressed.”
We parted, Lewis heading toward the guest room and me heading down the steps. I didn’t know if I’d dreamt Maddox, or if it was a vision, but I wasn’t about to take chances. I stumbled down the steps and straight to the kitchen.
“What’s up?” Nora stood at the sink, already dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. She was alone.
“I need to see Mom.”
“She’s in the tunnels.”
I didn’t wait but spun around and raced to the bookshelf. I felt Nora behind me, could sense her curiosity. “The code!”
“Sheesh,” she huffed. “It’s five, eight, one, three. What the hell’s going on?”
My fingers trembled as I typed in the numbers. I waited impatiently for the shelf to swing wide and when it did, I wasted no time in running down the steps. So much for a week before my dad attacked. Did Mom have any clue, or were we sitting ducks?
I froze at the bottom of the steps, indecision holding me captive. Left or right? The corridor was dark and cool and eerily quiet. I started to yell for Nora’s help, but a sudden whisper of energy stopped me, prompting me left. I could feel them. A buzz of electricity that made the fine hairs on my arm stand on end. When I turned left, it grew stronger. I saw no guards as I moved down the corridor, the energy growing with each step closer I took.
It was a familiar energy…someone I’d felt before… my mom. It was as if we were connected now. We shared the same power; the same source that flowed from her to me. I supposed I’d always felt it, but only just now did I realize who it was; where it came from.
“Do you know where she is?” Nora asked, appearing in the corridor, looking as confused as I felt.
“I do.” I raced down the hall. The stone floor was cold against my feet, the air chill against my bare arms, but I hardly noticed. My father was coming. Even now they were moving. I could feel it…a pulsing energy that burned through my body; that made my stomach roil.
It had been no dream.
“Are you sure you know?” Nora was watching me curiously. “I can call her.”
“I know.” I froze outside a door. They were behind that steel, I knew it as fact. I started raised my fist, intending to knock, when Nora reached out, grasping my arm.
“How do you know?”
I sighed. “I just know. I can sense them.”
She released her hold. “Oh.”
Oh?
That’s all she had to say? I couldn’t help but notice that things were growing more strained between us. Nora knew I had power, more than most, but I had a feeling this was another arrow in her target of jealousy. I didn’t have time for petty emotions. Seriously, did these people not realize the direness of the situation? Annoyed, I lifted my fist to knock, but was interrupted again, this time by Lewis.
“When will he arrive?” Lewis asked moving down the hall toward us, unfortunately fully dressed. Still I admit that I felt some relief at seeing him. I knew Nora was my sister and all, but I still wasn’t quite sure I could trust her.
“I don’t…”
The soft murmur of Aaron’s voice interrupted me. I snapped my head toward the door. Solid steel. I shouldn’t be able to hear through it, should I? I inched closer, attempting to decipher the words. His voice came out warbled, in and out of focus like a murmured conversation through the water.
“You hear that?” I asked Nora and Lewis.
Nora frowned. “What?”
They were watching me with confusion and wariness in their eyes, wondering if I’d gone off the deep end.
“Cameron,” Nora started.
I held up my hand in silent command for them not to speak.
Cameron…
Won’t let her go…
It would be best if she didn’t have the powers…
The words wavered in and out of focus like bees buzzing in a hive, a soft drone that vibrated through me. Had I suddenly developed super human hearing, or was I actually reading their thoughts?
“Come on.” Nora punched in a code on the keypad, tired of waiting.
Too freaking bizarre. Who knew what I’d be capable of a week from now, if I was still alive to find out. I frowned, shaking the haziness from my brain. There were things I needed to say to Lewis before it was too late, and I had a feeling once I told my mom about Dad’s plan to attack, Lewis and I would have no more time together. “Give us a minute?”
She shrugged and pulled open the door, disappearing inside. Alone, I waited for the silence to settle; savored this last moment. Lewis still smelled like the shower and his aftershave. He’d dressed in cargo shorts, and a blue T-shirt that matched his eyes.
“What is it?” he asked.
“I think you should leave. There’s no reason for you to stay here.”
His brows snapped together. The hurt and anger that crossed his face made me flush with guilt. I started to turn toward the door, but he pressed his palm to the wall, blocking me. “Why would you say that?”
When I didn’t answer he stepped closer to me. With my back pressed to the wall, I had nowhere to look but at him. The annoyance had faded and his gaze had taken on a softness. “What’s this about?”
His breath was warm upon my lips and worries about my father and the others selfishly took a back seat. “You don’t remember me. You’re in this situation where your life is in danger. You had an uncle once. You might have other family. You could find them. It’s not like me…every family member I know is stuck in this hell.”
“
You
are my family.”
My heart melted into a bloody puddle. Seriously, the guy knew exactly what to say to get to me. Frustrated, I ducked underneath his arm, needing space. “You don’t remember us, any of us, why are you so loyal?”
“I told you, I remember you in here.” He pressed his hand to his chest. “Now stop expecting me to abandon you.”
Yeah, I suppose one could say that I might have abandonment issues. I looked at the floor, the heated shame of guilt creeping into my cheeks. “I abandoned you.”
He reached out, taking my hand and pulling me close. “That wasn’t your fault. Nora—”
“No. Not just in the field. When we were at Aaron’s I didn’t agree with your beliefs. I was going to leave you there, but Aaron caught me trying to escape. I thought you had betrayed me, but you saved me. You held them off so Maddox could help me escape. I had no idea; I hadn’t trusted you. It’s because of me that your memory is gone.”
His thumb rubbed against the sensitive spot of my wrist. “It wasn’t your fault. None of this is. My memory is gone because of Aaron; because I trusted someone I shouldn’t have. Not because of you.”
But our time in Maine wasn’t the only issue. “Lewis, it’s because of my father that your parents are dead. My father betrayed your parents. They were friends, and he betrayed them. They died because of him.”
He pulled me close and cupped the sides of my face. “I know, but you’re not your father.”
“Maddox…”
He frowned, dropping his hold and stepping back. A sliver of jealousy whispered through my body, a feeling I knew well. But this time it wasn’t coming from me, but from Lewis. Okay, so maybe it was a bad idea to bring up Maddox.
“What about him?” Lewis asked warily.
Before I could come up with some explanation, the door opened and my mom peeked outside. “What’s going on? Nora said you’re worried about something.”
I glanced at Lewis. He was upset, but it would have to wait. “I had a dream… or vision.”
She nodded and stepped aside, holding the door wide. “Come in.”
It was a small room with a couch and two chairs. A flat screen T.V. hung from the wall and a coffee station was set up in the corner. It looked like a lounge of some sort. Aaron, Nora and Mom weren’t the only ones in the lounge. Father Myron, looking quite peeved, stood by the far wall in deep discussion with Aaron.
“We have sent the children to a safe house,” Aaron explained, his movements desperate almost. “Deborah will go with them; they’ll be protected.”
My relief was immediate.
“Your island is hardly safe,” Father Myron stated. “He knows about it.”
“We have nowhere else to take them! Dragging five kids across the U.S. would be a little noticeable.”
“Only five?” I blurted out, drawing their attention toward me. No, that couldn’t be. We’d left Deborah with at least ten kids. “Who? Who is with her?”
“I don’t know,” Father Myron said, shrugging in apology.
I looked at my mom. “Is Caroline?”
“Yes,” Aaron answered for her. “Caroline is headed to the island home.”
I pressed my hand to my racing heart. Thank God for small miracles. At least she would be safe. One debt paid. Some of my guilt actually eased.
Aaron turned back to Father Myron. “If we had a little more time to find a safe haven—”
“We can’t wait any longer,” I blurted out. Everyone turned toward me again. Aaron looked annoyed. Father Myron shocked. Nora and Lewis merely looked curious. My mom was the only one who didn’t look surprised by my outburst.
Maybe she already knew.
“Why?” Aaron asked.
I took in a deep breath. “Because he’s coming here now.”
The day was cloudy as a storm brewed off the coast, threatening Savannah. Seated on the back stoop, I tucked my knees to my chest, hidden in the tiny lot that claimed to be my mom’s overgrown backyard. She wasn’t a cook, and she sure as heck wasn’t a gardener; the place looked like some unexplored Amazon jungle. But I supposed Mom had more important things to deal with, like saving the world.
Thunder rumbled in the distance, shaking the very earth at my feet. I’d needed to get away and this was the furthest I could go for safety reasons. I wasn’t used to being around so many people, I craved my alone time; time to think. The scary thing wasn’t that I’d had my vision, and that somehow I had seen my dad, heard him, but he hadn’t sensed me.
No, the scary thing was that when I’d told Mom and Aaron about the vision, they’d believed me. Not one person had questioned the authenticity of my dream. Instead they had immediately fled, each one preparing for the attack in their own way. I’d been left to sit and wait, and to realize that my dream hadn’t been a dream as I’d hoped, but had been real.
I picked up a pink azalea blossom that reminded me of the island, warm weather and even warmer water. A place where there was no such thing as time. Where reality was almost an illusion. A place where my life had paused.
But here my life came crashing back; all too real. Reality here meant my dad was coming. Reality meant Maddox had become a prisoner. And reality meant that at any moment the war would begin.
A cool breeze whispered through the maple tree, the only tree in the small backyard. The wind rustled the gardenia bushes and sent their fragrant scent through the warm air. The town was preparing for the storm. Shingles on the house next store flapped in the wind, threatening to tear from the roof. I shivered, drawing my arms around me. The weather matched my mood.
It wasn’t fate, but most likely Dad’s planning. As Mom had explained, the storm would be the perfect opportunity to sneak in undetected. Not to mention we’d be holed up in the tunnels and our homes. Sitting ducks. He wanted to attack when we’d least expected it, like a snake coiled, just waiting to ambush prey. The thought creeped me out.
The door screeched open. I knew it was Lewis before I saw him.
He settled next to me, his body warm, comforting, but I also knew he was upset about something; I could sense his unease. I glanced up at him. Those blue eyes seemed more intense than normal, darker in some way. “What is it? Did they talk to our spies? Did they find out why Dad’s leaving sooner than they’d expected?”
“No. There’s no word from any of them.” He glanced away, staring at the wavering tree. When I was about to ask him what was wrong, he finally spoke. “Do you love Maddox?”
It was such a funny question to ask me in the middle of a war. We were preparing for life or death, and he was worried about another guy? Yet, at the same time I welcomed the normalcy. I was in a relationship that was totally and ridiculously normal.
I wanted to laugh. Instead, I managed to hide my smile. “No.”
I felt his relief like a cool breeze. I admit it was nice being able to read his moods; we’d certainly never have to wonder what the other person was thinking. “I did…do…like him.”