The Dark Divine (17 page)

I’d never felt so free.

I almost forgot where I was until Daniel leaned into me. “Almost there,” he said. He let go of my hand and slid his fingers up my arm. In one fluid movement, he gripped me tight underneath my arms, and lifted me up off the ground and onto his back. “Hold on!”

I latched my arms around Daniel’s neck and wrapped my legs around his almost-nonexistent boy-hips. James giggled and tugged on my hair. I’m sure I did look funny. Daniel picked up a sudden burst of speed. We shot forward, and I opened my eyes just in time to realize that he was running headlong into the ravine wall. He jumped onto a fallen tree and leaped.

Daniel grabbed at a root, but he barely touched it. He kicked off the wall and flew another six feet up the slope. His feet touched down on a rock outcropping. He jumped again. I slipped on his hips. My fingers dug into his throat. James clung to my arms. Daniel grabbed a tree branch that sagged over the top of the cliff—with only one hand. And then we were up and over the top. Safe.

Daniel jogged a few more paces into the trees and then leaned forward, panting. I slipped off his back, and the three of us went tumbling onto the dirt-packed ground. I lay next to Daniel for a moment, my body shaking with shock and a whole lot of awe. “That … was … was …”

I’d spent two weeks once watching parkour videos
online because my art camp roomie, Adlen, had been totally in love with a French free-style runner. But compared to those films, the things Daniel had done today—while carrying two people, no less—weren’t
humanly
possible.

Daniel looked at me, his eyes twinkling in the moonlight.

James clapped and squealed, “More!”

Daniel drew in a deep breath. “But we’re home, little guy.” He pulled James out of the sling and pointed through the woods to where my neighborhood’s lights called like a beacon in the distance.

James pouted with disappointment, and I felt the same way.

Daniel rolled over onto his stomach, still breathing hard. I fingered the tear in his T-shirt and realized that even though the rip was matted with blood, there wasn’t a cut in his skin. Only a long, jagged scar where a bleeding wound should have been. I brushed my fingertip down the warm, pink mark. Daniel started to flinch away, but then he sighed, as if my touch was soothing to his skin.

“How …? I mean …
What
are you?” I asked. Daniel laughed—a real laugh. Not a snort or sarcastic snicker. He stood up and offered me his hand. “I think it’s best if we walked from here,” he said, and pulled me to my feet. He picked up James and motioned for us to keep going toward my house.

I frowned. Did he really expect me to just walk away?

“Tell me, please. That was so not normal. How did you do all that?”

“Let’s get your brother home first. We’ll talk when this is all over. I promise.”

“Don’t promises always get broken?”

Daniel reached out and brushed my cheek.

James coughed. His breath fogged out of his lips. I was so hot from running so fast, I’d completely forgotten that it was cold. I felt a chill creeping up my sweaty arms, and knew James must be even colder. But I also knew once we passed through the fence into my yard, the magic—the connection—I’d felt while running with Daniel would be gone. And my chance for getting answers might never come.

What if Daniel decided to disappear again?

But I knew James had to come first, so I swallowed my questions and followed Daniel through the woods until we came to the fence behind my house. I climbed through the gap.

BACK IN THE YARD

Blue and red lights flickered from the street, illuminating the patched roof of the house. Beeping and shouting and a lot of movement filled the shadows cast by the light. It seemed like half of Rose Crest, including the sheriff
and deputy, had converged on the neighborhood.

“Looks like they organized a search party anyway,” I said.

Daniel stiffened as he came through the fence. “I should go. Take James. Tell them you found him yourself.”

“No way.” I grabbed his hand. “You’re the hero here. I’m not taking credit.” I dragged Daniel toward the front yard. “Mom, Dad!” I shouted. “We’re here. We’ve got James.”

“James!” Mom pounded down the porch steps.

“How did you …? Where did you …? My baby.” She tried to take James from Daniel.

James squealed and locked his little arms around Daniel’s neck. Daniel went pink. But that might have just been the glow from the flashing police lights.

“Daniel saved him, Mom.” I touched Daniel’s elbow. “I think Baby James is a bit attached to his hero.”

“Okay, little guy. Let me breathe.” Daniel pulled James from his throat. “I bet you’re hungry. You want some turkey and a piece of pie?”

James nodded.

Daniel passed James to my mom. She hugged him so tight he whined, and she kissed him all over his face. “James?” Dad came up the driveway. The sheriff followed. Daniel moved slightly behind me.

The deputy tried to bar our neighbors from entering the yard, but he let Dad and the sheriff pass.

Dad grabbed James and swung him around. He looked at Daniel. “Well done,” he said, and wrapped his arm around Daniel’s shoulder. “Well done, my son.”

“I don’t mean to bust up this little reunion,” the sheriff said, “but I’ll need to get your statement.” He looked at Daniel.

“There’s not much to state.” Daniel shrugged. “I found him wandering in the woods, and I brought him home. He must have knocked over his playpen and decided to go on a little adventure.”

I stared at him. That’s it? I guess I didn’t expect him to tell the truth—he followed the baby’s scent through the forest, caught James midair when he fell off a thirty-foot cliff, and then used his very own superhuman powers to get us out of the ravine—but he sounded so nonchalant. No drama at all.

“That’s not all that happened!” I practically shouted. Daniel shot me a wide-eyed look, like he was afraid that I’d tell everyone his secrets—which I totally wouldn’t. My mind latched on to the first plausible, but furthest from the real scenario, lie I could think of. “He stopped James from falling in the creek!”

Mom cried and pulled James out of Dad’s arms.

I was glad it was too dark for anyone to see the “lie marks” spreading up my cheeks. “Daniel’s a hero. He saved James’s life.” I wanted people to know that truth, even if Daniel didn’t want them to hear the real story.

“And the baby was alone? Uninjured?” The sheriff
raised his eyebrows and motioned to the bloody tear in Daniel’s makeshift shirt-sling. Daniel and I nodded.

“So how do you explain the blood on the porch?” Daniel’s face went blank.

“That’s not his job to explain,” said Dad. “It could have been anything—probably one of the neighborhood cats. Don’t you have a forensics lab to tell you for sure?”

The sheriff snorted. “The Rose Crest Sheriff’s Department is a trailer behind the Gas ‘n’ Go. I’ll have Deputy Marsh take a sample and send it to a lab in the city. It’ll take a while before we hear anything.” He looked at me. “And there’s nothing more you’d like to add? Nothing else you can remember?”

“Daniel saved my brother’s life,” I said. “That’s all there is to it.”

A car whipped into the driveway, scattering a gaggle of spectators onto the lawn.

“Mom. Dad.” Jude jumped out of the minivan and pushed through the crowd. Not even the deputy could stop him. “I’ve brought the cavalry! I’ve got half the volunteers from the shelter coming to help us—” He stopped. The look of triumph on his face shifted into stony nothingness. I followed his hardened glare from James in my mother’s arms to the sight of Dad holding Daniel in a fatherly embrace.

“James is safe,” Mom said.

“Thanks to Daniel.” Dad squeezed Daniel’s shoulder. “James would have been lost without him.”

The sheriff extended his hand toward Daniel. Daniel flinched—then stared back in disbelief as the sheriff gave him a hearty handshake.

“Well done,” the sheriff said. He shined his flashlight along the back fence. “You should get that fixed,” he said to Dad. “You’re lucky this case turned out for the best. If it hadn’t been for your son here …” At first I thought he was talking about Jude, but then I realized he was smiling at Daniel.

Dad did not correct him.

“We’ll wrap up a few things here and then get out of your hair.” The sheriff clapped Daniel on the back. “My wife had a conniption when I left dinner early. Her parents are in town…. They wanted her to marry an accountant.”

“We’ll get to work on that fence right away,” Dad said, and shook hands with the sheriff. “Daniel, you’re handy, aren’t you?”

Daniel nodded.

“I’m going to take James inside.” Mom smiled slightly and squeezed Daniel’s arm. I think it was her way of saying thank you.

I couldn’t help smiling. It may have taken some twisting of the truth, but my plan to help Daniel get his life back was working—the lifeline I’d offered seemed to be reeling him in.

But then I heard a deep rumbling coming from the direction of my older brother. He was positively shaking.

“Ju—”

Jude lunged at Daniel. “You did this!” he shrieked, and smashed his fist into Daniel’s face.

Daniel fell back, knocking me to the ground with him. Jude went in for another blow, practically stepping on me to get to Daniel. But then the sheriff was on top of him. He pulled Jude back. Mom shouted.

Jude flailed and screamed, “He did this! He did this! Don’t you see?”

Daniel scrambled up from the grass. “Jude?” He reached for his former best friend. “I swear I didn’t do this.”

Jude wrenched out of the sheriff’s grasp and tried to fly at Daniel again. Dad stepped between them. The sheriff grabbed Jude from behind.

“Calm down,” Dad said.

“He did this. He stole James.” Jude looked up the sheriff. “Arrest him. Get
him
before he runs away!”

Daniel stepped back. I knew he could be a quarter of a mile away by now, but he made no attempt to escape. He let Deputy Marsh seize his arm.

“Stop it,” I yelled at Jude, and tried to stand on my aching legs. “Stop lying. Daniel
saved
James. He saved him from drowning in the creek.”

“You stop lying!” Jude’s face looked twisted like
it had the night he found Maryanne’s body and then couldn’t find me. I was afraid he was going to punch me, too—even though I hadn’t known he was capable of hitting anyone until just now. “The creek’s dried up and you know it,” he said.

Mom gasped. The noise was echoed by the bystanders who’d edged closer to us when the deputy left his post. The sheriff must have loosened his grasp because Jude pulled away.

“Arrest him,” Jude said. “Arrest that
monster.”
He lunged at Daniel.

“Stop!” Dad grabbed Jude’s arm and swung him away.

Jude stumbled back on his heels and fell to the ground.

Dad stood over him, one foot planted on each side of Jude’s prostrate body. I’d never seen Dad look so domineering. “Back down!” he commanded. “Stop these lies now.”

Jude moaned and rolled onto his side. It was like hitting the ground had knocked some sense into him. His face and fists relaxed.

“What do you want us to do?” Deputy Marsh asked. He still had Daniel by the arm. “We can take this one down to the station if you want.”

“On what charges?” Dad turned to the crowd, his voice raised. “The baby simply wandered away. Daniel brought him back to us. That’s all there is to it.” He
inclined his head to the deputy, telling him to release Daniel. “Thank you, everyone, for helping us in our time of need,” he said in his best pastor voice. “I’m sure you all have festivities waiting for you. And if you don’t mind, my family has a few things to attend to.”

Dad turned to my mom. “Meredith, take James inside. I’m going to see what I can do about the fence. Daniel, Jude, come with me.”

Jude was standing now, but he cowered from Dad’s touch. He shook his head and then jogged into the house. April appeared from the crowd and padded after him.

“Daniel?” Dad asked.

Something was very wrong with the look in my father’s eyes.

Daniel gave a slight nod and went with him.

Dad must have sensed my longing to follow. “Gracie, go help your mother,” he said. His voice was so strained it sounded like he was holding his breath as he spoke.

I stood in the grass and watched them go around behind the house. The deputy and sheriff grumbled and trudged over to their car. Our friends and neighbors trickled away—just like my hope for fixing Daniel and Jude.

IN THE HOUSE, ABOUT TWENTY MINUTES LATER