Perennial (26 page)

William smiles. “You can’t kill me again, Mr. Keener. I’m already dead.”

“Stop it, Dad!” I bring my gun around and aim it at my father just as he’s about to squeeze off another shot. “Drop the gun, Dad. Please, drop the gun.”

My father looks at me for a moment, stunned. Then he lowers his gun and stares at William in disbelief.

“What’s happening?” Dad says.

William turns to me and says, “Congratulations, Alix. You passed.” Then he smiles at me with those perfect teeth and stares at me with those aqua-green eyes. “I love you. Good-bye.”

He’s leaving for good.

“William, no!” I say. “Not yet!”

The front door crashes inward and flies off its hinges into the living room. Four bodies enter the house in a blur. When I look back for William, he’s gone—vanished without a trace.

Then chaos.

A female voice: “Alix, drop the gun!”

Dizzy and in shock, I look away from the kitchen and see London Steel staring at me from a few feet away. She has no weapon that I can see, but the government man and woman from the Group have their guns drawn and aimed at Dad, the two agents saying things about what Dad is being charged with. The fourth person surprises me. It’s Mr. Dobbins, the big guy who took over for Mr. Watkins, but the sight of a gun in his hand convinces me he’s not actually a substitute teacher at all.

I drop the gun and fall to my knees. My father drops to his knees but doesn’t drop his weapon. We’re staring at each other, father and daughter. Less than ten feet separates us. The room is silent.

“Why, Dad?” I ask one last time. “Why?”

“I’m sorry, Alix,” he says. “I have nothing left.”

He’s bringing his gun up toward his open mouth when another loud blast fills my ears and makes me scream. Dad’s gun flies out of his hand and lands on the other side of the room. Three people pile onto my father and subdue him.

I’m wailing and crying. The room is spinning. The last thing I see is London Steel opening her arms and wrapping them around me. The last thing I
hear
is her voice close against my ear. “Let it out. Let it
all
out. It’s all over now, Alix. It’s all over.”

Then I drift into silent blackness.

The next thing I know, I’m moving through an endless sea of cottony white nearly identical to the one that started all of this only four days ago. The only difference is the presence. William is gone, but Vagabond has kept his promise. My mother is here.

I come to a sudden stop. The cloudy white gives way to clear, crisp white light. I’m barefoot and wearing the same white summer dress I wore in the nightmare, but this time there isn’t a speck of purple in sight. This is no nightmare. I know it the moment she appears in front of me. Martha Keener wears a white dress identical to my own. She’s barefoot too, her long, dark hair combed straight back over her delicate shoulders.

Words aren’t necessary. We simply smile and then cry as we embrace. I feel her cool skin for the first time in more than a year.

“I’m so sorry, baby,” she says, kissing my cheek. “But I’m here right now and this is real. You need to stay strong for me, Alix. Can you do that, honey?”

“I think so.” I dry my eyes and hold her hands. “It’s just so awful, Mom. I’ve lost you, and now I’ve lost Dad. You knew he was doing bad things, didn’t you? That’s why you gave me the combination all those years ago.”

“I suspected he was hiding things, but I never dreamed it was as serious as it was.” She gives my hands a good squeeze. “You did the right thing, Alix. Never second-guess yourself.”

“It’s so hard,” I say. “Knowing your own father could do such horrible things. I always thought of him as a perfect king.”

“For a long time he was.”

She gives me a look that makes it clear our time together is short.

“I don’t know what to do now, Mom.”

“That’s part of the reason Vagabond allowed us to meet,” she says. “Alix, you’ve been given rare gifts that can help keep people safe. By destroying Perennial, you’ve already saved countless lives. You’re seventeen and have your whole life ahead of you. You’re destined to slay demons and all the evil they bring for a long time to come.” She smiles. “I mean, how cool is that?”

“I guess,” I say, allowing myself a quick laugh.

“Join the Group, Alix.” Mom pauses. “The Group needs you. We
all
need you. Your father’s actions will haunt you for as long as you live. There’s nothing I can do about that. My advice is to always use your Light to guide you.”

I nod. “You’re leaving now, aren’t you?”

“I am.”

“Will I see you again?”

“That depends on Vagabond.” She smiles. “I think he has a thing for me. Maybe I can pull some strings for us.”

We smile and then cry as we share a final hug.

“I love you, Mom.”

“I love you too, Alix.” Still hugging me, she says, “Actually, I’ve already pulled a string for you.”

“Huh?”

“Look.”

Mom is gone. Just like that. Vanished. I’m alone again, standing in the cottony version of the white light, expecting to awaken at any moment.

And that’s when William Weed emerges from the cloudy white and stands directly in front of me. I can’t help myself. The incredible hair, face, eyes, and body are too much for me. I should be pissed at him, but how can you be pissed at something so wonderful?

“Just one question,” I say. “Did you know about my dad when you were alive?”

“No. I had no idea who he was. But he obviously knew all about me.”

“Are you lying right now?” I say. “Because you’ve been known to tell a lie or two.”

“I’m not lying.”

“I know,” I say, allowing a slight smile to cross my face.

We stare at each other.

“Vagabond’s not so bad after all,” William says. “I can’t believe he allowed this.”

“He likes my mom.”

“I see.” He pauses. “It’s time for our last kiss, Alix.”

“Then we better make it the best one ever.”

“I love you, Alix Keener.”

“I know you do.” My smile widens as he places his palms on either side of my face and leans toward me. “I love you too, William Weed. I better get to see you again sometime soon.”

The kiss we share makes me feel like a bomb ready to explode.

The voice makes William disappear, leaving me alone again in the white light, but I feel it slipping away. Yes. The white is definitely fading to black.

“Alix? Alix, wake up. It’s time.”

I open my eyes. London Steel is standing beside my bed. She hands me my glasses. I slide them on, not knowing how I got here. At first I’m thrilled, thinking about my encounter with Mom and my surprise last kiss with William, but then I remember everything that happened with Dad.

“What time is it?” I ask, sitting up in bed and squinting from the brilliant sunlight slicing in through the window.

“It’s seven o’clock,” she says. “Saturday morning.” She squeezes my hand. “Let’s go. The car is waiting. Don’t worry about a shower.” She smiles. “You’ll see what I mean when you get there. For now, I’ll just say that demon slaying has its perks.”

London leads me out of my bedroom and downstairs. I close my eyes as we pass through the living room, not wanting to relive anything that happened the night before.

Mr. Dobbins stands in front of the passenger-side door of the dark US government sedan. The windows are rolled up, but I know the same man and woman from last night are in the front seat.

“Where’s the Yukon?” I ask. “Aruna’s body was in the—”

“It’s okay, Alix,” London says. “Everything’s been taken care of. Aruna is in a much better place now.”

I nod. “Are you coming with me?”

“Of course.” She puts an arm around me. “Remember the last thing I said to you when we first met?” She doesn’t give me time to answer. “I said we’d see each other soon under very different circumstances.” She shrugs. “Well, here we are. We’re partners now, Alix.”

“I’m glad,” I say, stopping in front of Mr. Dobbins. “Give me your hand,” I say to him.

He gives London a look.

“It’s okay,” she says. “You know Alix has the skills.”

He gives me his large, meaty hand. White light floods my head. I welcome it and smile.

Moments later, I open my eyes and say, “Your real name is Harrison Foster. You were the guy who grabbed me and shoved me in that custodial closet on Tuesday. You also planned the car accident that gave me a killer case of whiplash. You told me to stay away from Perennial.” I pause. “It didn’t work, did it?”

“All part of the test, Alix,” he says. “We had to see how far you were willing to go. Sorry if I was too rough. I was told to make it as difficult as possible.”

“It’s okay,” I say. “No hard feelings.”

The back door opens automatically. London motions for me to get in first. When I climb inside, I’m surprised to see Vagabond sitting on the opposite side, looking fresh and crisp in his perfect dark suit. His shaved head has a healthy glow, and his piercing blue eyes remind me of the fact that he knows far more about the world than I ever will.

“Hello, Alix,” he says. “Before you even ask, the answer is yes, I knew all about William crossing over as Lewis. It was a clever move. I have to give him credit. The risk he took shows how much that boy truly loves you.” He squeezes my shoulder in an almost fatherly way. “It’s time to say good-bye to Beaconsfield and hello to the Group.”

London sits beside me. Harrison “Frank Dobbins” Foster closes the door from the outside and walks toward the porch. The female agent gives me a slight nod from the driver’s seat. The male agent does the same from the passenger seat. It’s quiet as she backs the car out of the driveway and proceeds down Maple Grove.

The silence is welcome.

Ryan
Potter has had numerous stories and novels published since he began writing in
2003, including the young adult novels
Exit Strategy
and
Roman King
and the Armies of Fire and Light
, the adult novel
The Cleaner
, and
the story collection
Welcome to Detroit
. He lives in the Detroit area
with his wife and enjoys baseball, yoga, and routinely suffering through
Detroit Lions games.

This book was originally released in Episodes as a Kindle Serial.
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books. Kindle Serials allow readers to enjoy the story as the
author creates it, purchasing once and receiving all existing Episodes
immediately, followed by future Episodes as they are published.
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selection of Serials titles, visit
www.amazon.com/kindleserials
.