The Secret (27 page)

My heart pounded faster inside my chest. He knew. He’d known this whole time.

His eyes raised in curiosity. “Ya know, I wasn’t sure if your mother had that coin until just…now. I knew your father had created something. Luth had suspected it. The spell had been ripped out of the front part of the book. I didn’t know who took it. Honestly, I thought it was Drake. But…I guess not.” He still had the book in one hand, but he held his other hand out. “Give it to me.”

I backed away from him. I couldn’t give it to him…it was the only way to stop him. “No.”

He didn’t move. “Lanie, I hold all the cards—haven’t you learned that?”

I stopped. My hands trembled—my whole body trembled.

He flicked his fingers at me. “Hand it over. You’re not going to let your boyfriend die. And we both know I won’t tell you how to bring him back until I have Molly.”

I ripped the coin from my pocket and flung it at him through the air.

He reached out and easily caught it, pulling it close to him and turning it inside his hand. He sighed. “Let’s get started then.”

I knew I couldn’t trust him. There had to be another way. None of it made sense. “How could you kill Alana? I thought you needed all of us?”

Nicholi moved away from me. He stuffed the coin into his pocket and moved in front of Marsha—who continued to simply stare into the fire. He moved to Reed and paused to look at me. “Ya know, I thought I needed everyone, too. But it turned out she didn’t have any powers. There was nothing to take. It was all for show. Luth and I discovered that she was part of an elaborate act.” He glanced at Sam and Marsha. “They set me up. They knew something. I underestimated them.” He shrugged. “So she was dispensable.”

Another wave of anger boiled inside of me. “And tonight—you had to wait for the rest of us.”

He smiled. “It was infuriating to have to wait until the right phase of the moon. It would have been much easier if you’re powers had matured…like your parents.”

My mouth went dry. “But you didn’t wait for our parents, did you?”

Nicholi moved down the line to Mr. Drake. He reached out and took the gold orb out of his hand. “I wouldn’t have waited for
him
, either,” he said, nodding toward Drake. “He was good at evading me, but then, when I realized he was in Boulder…after you and Rob found him for me…it was like it was meant to be.
All
of it. You and Jake falling in love. Getting Molly back. It all fit into place. And I knew it would work. I knew deep down that the powers that be…wanted me to get my Molly back. That was the only thing it could all mean.”

The information whirled inside my mind like strands of DNA woven in an intricate pattern—something I didn’t understand, but something that held the lives of all the people I loved. He was evil. Everything inside of Nicholi was evil—and so wrong. I had to focus on pushing down the sickness inside of me to stay standing.

Nicholi threw the orb into the air, a loping softball type of throw. “Hold this for a second, will you?”

I caught it. The blood from Jake’s shirt making it slippery in my hands.

“All of their powers are in there—sealed with their lives. Sealed in using the power that was gifted to me.”

My heart raced. “Are you going to kill all of them to get their powers? Is that the plan?”

Nicholi let out a snort. “Silly girl. I’m way past that now. I don’t need to kill them to get their powers. Once I realized you were the only one who could bring her back to me, I knew I needed you alive.” He shrugged. “So I had to figure out a different way.”

He pulled a dagger from his pocket and gave me a wicked smile, holding it over Mr. Drake. “But he doesn’t need to be alive. The original seven have to die.”

“No!” I started to run to stop him. I tried to think of Nicholi flying against the wall. But nothing happened.

Suddenly, Rob materialized beside Nicholi and pushed his hand away from Mr. Drake.

Rob!

Rob kicked Nicholi to the ground and the dagger released from his hand.

Nicholi clutched the book to his chest. “I thought you might use your nice little invisibility power to escape.”

Rob glared at him. “You’re not doing this.”

Nicholi laughed.

Rob instantly leaned forward and tried to rip the book out of his hands. He succeeded at loosening Nicholi’s grip, but the book went flying through the air and fell next to the fire.

“Get the book, Lanie!” Rob called.

Nicholi turned and flung his body toward the book.

I grabbed it.

I tried to make Nicholi fly through the air.

It still didn’t work.

Nicholi kicked Rob away from him and stood, moving behind the hypnotized group.

Rob glowered at him. “If you knew I was here, why didn’t you just say so?”

Nicholi eyed the book in my hands. “I was pretty sure, but I had to be one-hundred percent before I started the real action. Couldn’t have you interfere during the important part.”

Rob stopped moving and crossed his arms.

Nicholi copied him. “We can do this all day. But if you don’t let me get to work, Jake will die. Time’s ticking. That’s the thing—if you want to bring Jake back, we have a time table.”

Rob glared at him. “Liar.”

Nicholi matched his glare. “Are you so sure?”

Seething hatred flared Rob’s nostrils.

I stepped next to Rob. “I can’t lose Jake.”

Rob turned to me. “You believe him?”

I looked at Nicholi, then turned to Rob and felt a lump of emotion in my throat. “I don’t have a choice.”

Nicholi took advantage of our acquiescence and moved back inside the circle. He took the book out of my hands. “After I have Molly back, I’ll tell you what you need to do. You don’t even need a spell for it.” His eyes softened. “I will have what I want, and I promised Ruth I’d bring him back. I
will
do that. And it will all be over.”

I nodded. “Okay, let’s do this.”

“No.” Rob touched my arm. “No, Lanie.”

I moved to the center of the circle next to Nicholi. I had to get Jake back. And this all had to end. “Yes.”

Nicholi opened the book. “I am going to give you your powers back, Lanie. But just remember, he will die for sure if you don’t help me.”

I paused and glared at Nicholi. “I get it.”

He closed his eyes and mumbled something I didn’t understand.

Electricity surged through me. I realized I hadn’t felt right—not quite like myself—since he’d messed with my powers earlier.

“I’m going to gather the powers from the rest of them, and then give you the orb.”

I nodded.

He held the book open with one hand and the orb with the other, lifting it into the air. He started speaking in a language I did not understand. The wind surged around us. He kept talking and I saw each of my friends fall to the ground.

“No!”

Nicholi moved to me. “They’re fine. They’re not hurt. Hold this. Their powers are in it now.”

I held the orb in my hand and knew there was no looking back.

Nicholi moved to the fire and I noticed the melted mixture in a small, Dutch oven-looking pot. He looked up at me. “Put the orb in here, Lanie, when I tell you. It holds the coins. This is the conductor.”

I looked down. The coins he’d worked so hard to acquire—the coins he’d killed for. I moved in front of the pot.

Nicholi started spewing more words out that I didn’t understand. The air rushed by me and flung my hair into the air—my whole body shook. I closed my eyes and braced myself against it.

“Now, Lanie!”

I opened my eyes and dropped the orb inside the molten mixture.

“Draw her in your mind, Lanie. Now!”

I closed my eyes and pictured Molly in my mind.

Throbbing pain surged through me and ripped inside of my chest. “Ahh!”

“Lanie!”

I heard Rob yelling my name, but I couldn’t do anything. All I could do was try to keep the pushing, plying of every cell of my body from bursting out of me. It was like being in a tornado and feeling your body try to hold itself together.

Then it stopped.

I fell to the ground.

The fire was gone and the blackness of the cave surrounded me.

“Lanie.”

I tried to move but I couldn’t budge any part of my body.

Then the fire lit and I saw them. I saw Nicholi standing next to the fire. The girl from the photograph lay on the ground at his feet. But she was…older.

I’d never seen happiness—true happiness on Nicholi’s face—until now.

He put his hand on her shoulder. “Molly—is that you? You’ve come back to me. You’re here.”

The girl sat up and reached out into the air. The dagger that lay on the ground in front of Mr. Drake flew to her hand. Her red eyes burned against the shadows of the cave’s walls.

Nicholi’s eyes widened with shock as Molly plunged the dagger into his heart.

Her face contorted into rage. “How does death feel, Daddy?”

Episode 31: Sacrifice

The way she looked at me gave me the kind of chill I’d only experienced when I’d feared for my life at The Foundation. Her eyes a dark, velvet-stained red that told me she wasn’t a creature from this world. Her whole essence lit the room in a horror movie kind of fluorescent light. She wore a long, white dress that was eerily beautiful.

She stared back at Nicholi. “Mommy wanted me to send you home.”

I didn’t move. I didn’t breathe. I wondered if I was in some kind of nightmare that I wouldn’t be able to wake up from.

Molly turned around and suddenly looked confused and afraid. She moved toward me. Her black hair flowed around her like she had a permanent fan blowing on her. A smile transformed her entire face into something picturesque and happy…except for her eyes…they stayed red.

She looked down at me. “Thank you, Lanie.”

Every ounce of self-preservation inside of me went into overdrive. I held my breath. What
was
she?

Molly looked around the cave and then lifted her arms into the air. A sudden pull of air sucked everything around it into her like a vacuum. The fire went out.

And she was gone.

And there was nothing, but the burnt stench of smoke and death.

I wanted to…I didn’t know what I wanted. It had all gone wrong. Everything had been wrong for so long. I gripped the moist dirt in my fingers and released a growl. Jake. Now I would lose him, too.

“Please tell me that demon chick isn’t coming back.”

Reed. Relief coursed through me.

“Are you okay, Lanie?” Rob’s panicked voice called out into the darkness.

“Yes—but Jake.”

“Daddy?” Tim’s childlike voice sounded through the air.

“Tim. Tim—come here.”

Shuffling noises and then the click of a flashlight. Mr. Drake stood, holding a small pocket flashlight. He gathered Tim into his arms, making “shh” noises. “It’s okay, son. You’re okay.”

“Daddy?” It came out as a sob.

Mr. Drake pulled him to his chest. “The bad man is dead, son. You saw him die.”

“Was that a ghost, Daddy?”

My chest pounded and I sat up. That was a good question.

“Let’s not worry about that, okay. You’re safe now, that’s all that matters. Let’s get you home to mommy.”

I stood. “Wait. Mr. Drake. What do we do? How do we save Jake?”

Marsha, Reed, Karen, Sam, and Rob all stood and looked around.

Marsha moved to stand over Nicholi and spat down at him. “Justice—the daughter he brought back kills him—he deserved it.”

Mr. Drake’s face turned sad. “All I can tell you is that the mark acts as a conductor for all of you. He needed the coins from the original seven—but I think you all can use your powers together—like Nicholi said.”

I was on hyperdrive. I couldn’t think. Everything was happening too fast.

Karen looked at Nicholi and then tapped the side of her head. “I’m pulling information from everyone right now. I’m working on the problem. Hmm—yes.” She nodded her head and I was reminded of some kind of robot processing information. “Yes. I think linking up will work.” Her eyes grew sad. “Jake discovered the link had power from his mom’s journals just before we came here. He was planning on using it against Nicholi.”

Sam moved next to me and he looked down at Jake with concern. “Let’s try it.”

Tim’s wails increased in volume.

“I have to go.” Mr. Drake’s voice cracked. “Sheila will be beside herself. If I don’t get home soon, she’ll call the police.”

Rob put up his hand. “Wait—do we need you to do this? Do we need Tim?”

Mr. Drake shook his head. “Tim hasn’t manifested powers…yet. And I don’t have a mark—or a coin—so I’m of no use.” He started toward the cave entrance and turned back, throwing the flashlight at Reed. “Good luck.”

I looked over at Ruth. She still lay crumpled in a heap. Sam’s eyes followed and we both moved next to her. “Are you alright, Ruth?”

A whimper escaped her. “My son. He killed my son.”

I bent down and saw her face soaked with tears and dirt. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders. “We’re trying to save him, Ruth. Do you know anything? Do you know what Nicholi was going to do?”

She sat up and let out another whimper. Her blue eyes met mine. “He kept telling me he would save him. Even though I was trapped by him, by his mind control, he kept telling me that it was our choices in this life that kept the ones we love the most alive—or sent them to their death.”

Her body shook and I pulled her closer. “I’m sorry, Ruth. I’m sorry he did this to you.”

She wiped her face and pulled away from me. Her eyes blinked profusely. “We have to try. If there’s a chance we can save my son, we have to try.” She stood.

I heard voices by the cave entrance and turned to see Sheriff Boyle holding Mr. Drake’s arm. He had another officer with him and they all moved toward us.

I couldn’t believe this was happening—not now.

Sheriff Boyle looked slowly around the cave. “What in tarnation has been going on?” He pointed to Nicholi and Jake. “Two people dead?” His eyes found Rob and he sneered at him. “I knew you were trouble. You and your whole posse here.”

Ruth fell back to the ground and cried out.

Sheriff Boyle went to Ruth’s side. “Are you alright?” He looked up at me. “What is going on?”