Thrall (31 page)

“Family.” Dad said.

“As I was telling your daughter, visitors aren’t permitted in Ward B.”

“I see. Thank you.” Dad pulled me away from the nurses’ station.

“I need to see him,” I said, struggling in his grip. “I need to see him!”

“This way,” Dad murmured in my ear. He was leading me down a hall where a sign directed visitors to Ward B. “You want to tell me why I’m getting ready to break into a restricted section of the hospital?” I glanced at him, startled.

We approached a set of locked doors. The sign for Ward B listed only one department, in small, even letters: ‘Psychiatric.’ It turned out to be relatively easy to break into the ward. We only had to wait for a distracted orderly to hurry past, and then slip in before the doors closed behind him. Inside, the patient’s names were listed outside their rooms. Parker’s room was the third on the left. We scanned the hallway, and then slipped inside.

We weren’t the first ones there.

Gretchen and Thane turned as we entered. Thane smiled a chilling smile. Gretchen tensed, but Thane lifted a hand, stopping her from making a move.

“I told you this would happen,” Thane said softly. He was standing next to Parker’s bed. Parker was unconscious, hooked up to a variety of machines that were monitoring his vitals and administering medication through an IV drip. His skin was pale, almost gray, and covered with a sheen of sweat. His black hair was plastered to his face.

“It was an accident,” I whispered. Chaos broke out. Gretchen lunged for me. Dad shoved me behind him, shielding me from her. Gretchen tried to dodge around him, but Dad caught her roughly, pinning her arms to her sides.

“Stop!” Dad said. “What the hell is going on?!”

Gretchen struggled in his arms. “Ask your daughter.” Gretchen’s eyes found my face. “Just when I was starting to trust you,” she spat. Gretchen gasped as Dad’s grip tightened on her. She stopped fighting him.

“Braedyn?” Dad’s voice was tense.

“It wasn’t supposed to go this far,” I said helplessly.

“What do you... What did you do?” Dad’s composure was starting to crack as he struggled to keep from freaking out. “Honey? What did you do?”

“He hurt Cassie,” I said. My voice sounded weak, thin.

“She pushed this boy to take his own life.” Thane spoke matter-of-factly. Dad tore his eyes off Parker’s unconscious form and looked at me. I met his desperate eyes but could only shake my head. Dad released Gretchen. She rubbed her arms.

“Karayan said,” I started. Thane took a step toward me and I choked. “I didn’t know,” I managed. “I just wanted him to feel what he’d done to Cassie.”

“Go to school,” Dad said. “Do not go home. Call Royal for a ride.” I opened my mouth to argue but Dad grabbed my arm and pulled me back to the door. “Get away from here.”

“No!” Gretchen moved forward. “I’m not letting her out of my sight!”

“You have other responsibilities,” Dad spat. “Or do you want to throw everything away to babysit a teenage girl?!”

“She’s a demon!”

Dad spun on Gretchen. She darted back, alert. But Dad turned back to me. “Go. I need to find Hale. Explain.” He studied me, eyes twisted with worry.

“Dad?” I asked, eyeing Thane and Gretchen. They’d drawn closer together, standing in front of Parker like a shield. Like they had to protect him from me.

Dad lowered his voice. “Let me try to salvage this.” He held my eyes, and I nodded. He was on my side.

“I’m sorry,” I said, my voice quavering. Dad nodded and gestured for me to leave. Thane glared at Dad coldly. Standing beside Dad, he didn’t look like much of a threat. But his wiry frame was rigid with self-righteous anger.

“She’s a demon, Murphy. If you let her go, I’ll see that you answer to the Field Marshal for it.”

Dad opened the door for me.

I slipped out of Parker’s room, and found myself face-to-face with Amber.

Her eyes were as wide as saucers. She stumbled away from me, backing into a gurney parked in the hallway.

“Amber.”

Amber was rigid with shock. I don’t know how much she heard, but it was clearly enough. Without a word, Amber ran to the emergency exit stairs, flew through the doors, and vanished down the stairwell.

As I waited for Royal to pick me up from the hospital, fears multiplied in my mind. What would Gretchen and Thane do now? What if Hale thought I was losing control? What if the Guard couldn’t stop Ais? My immediate future was a vast, clouded mystery.

By the time Royal arrived, I was a nervous wreck. He pulled to a stop in front of the hospital and I got into the car.

It seemed insane to be going to school at a time like this. I had no idea how much Amber had heard, or what she might tell people. But even if none of her friends believed her, Lucas might hear. With cold certainty, I knew if he heard the truth, he would recognize it. He would realize why I’d featured so often in his dreams. He would see me for what I was. Worse. He would see me as the enemy.

“You look almost as bad as I feel,” Royal said. I shook my head silently. “Oh, good,” Royal murmured sarcastically. “For a minute I was worried you’d be wanting conversation with your transportation.”

I forced myself to meet his eyes. “Thanks for the ride.”

“Coronado Prep shuttle, at your service. One more stop before our final destination.” He saw my surprise. “Cassie’s coming back to school today.”

“Today?”

“I haven’t figured out how to tell her about Parker yet,” he said, gripping the steering wheel.

I nodded, biting my lip. And I’d have to find a way to say goodbye.

We made the drive to Cassie’s apartment in silence. Royal put the radio on, but neither of us paid much attention. We let the manic morning banter of radio show hosts wash over us. When we pulled up outside her apartment, a very sedate Cassie came down the stairs, clutching her backpack like a shield. I gave her the front seat. Royal engaged her in light conversation most of the way to school.

As we pulled into the parking lot, Cassie turned around in her seat to study me. “Okay, guys. Seriously, I’m fine. Stop being weird.”

Royal caught my eye in the rearview mirror as he parked and killed the engine. Cassie glanced between us, confused. I took a deep breath, trying to figure out the right words, when I saw Lucas. He was standing at the edge of the parking lot, scanning the cars. Searching, I realized, for my Firebird. He looked anxious, but not guarded or angry. Cassie followed my gaze. Lucas spotted her, surprise flashing briefly across his face. He headed toward us.

Cassie was starting to look a little unsettled. “Something’s going on.”

“It’s Parker,” I said. Cassie’s jaw tightened in anger. “He tried to kill himself last night.”

“What?” Cassie’s face changed, the tension leaching out of her jaw as this news sunk in.

“He’s at the hospital,” Royal said. Lucas joined us, catching the last of this. He gave me an urgent look, but didn’t interrupt.

“Oh,” Cassie said faintly. We all watched her for a moment, then as one, seemed to realize we were staring. Royal got out of the car. Lucas opened the door for Cassie. After she climbed out, Lucas turned to me and lowered his voice.

“I need to talk to you,” he whispered. “Thane thinks a Lilitu got to Parker.” I stumbled, and Lucas caught me. “Don’t worry. They’ll find her.”

All day I waited for the bomb to drop. Royal and I shadowed Cassie, escorting her from classroom to classroom and making sure she was never alone between periods. I was waiting for her as she came out of second period. Royal and I had agreed to meet at her locker so he could walk with her to the third period class they shared. Before we reached the locker bay hall, a group of guys from the soccer team spotted us. A few of them elbowed each other and pointed toward Cassie. Their cold leers told me they were in the mood to torment someone.

When two of them started forward, I took hold of Cassie’s elbow. She glanced at me, alarmed. As the group approached, I felt a wave of defensiveness rising through me. I locked eyes with each of them in turn, and they seemed to falter. They stopped in the middle of the hallway, looking around like they couldn’t remember what they were doing. We shouldered past them, and escaped the rest of the dumbstruck soccer team without incident.

Royal, waiting at the end of the hall, looked just as surprised. But when we met up with him, he smiled at Cassie. “Ready for some pre-calculus?”

“You guys don’t have to babysit me,” Cassie said, giving us both a weary look. “I can take care of myself.”

With one last curious look at me, Royal led Cassie away.

I glanced back at the soccer team, unsettled. Lucas found me and I turned to him, desperate to escape. “Ditch morning classes with me,” I said.

“I thought you’d never ask,” Lucas said. He was just as tense as I was. We waited for the bell signaling the start of class, then edged out of the locker bay and slipped outside. We walked back down to the soccer field, hand in hand.

“I had a feeling you’d come to school today,” Lucas said when we’d reached the bleachers. “They’re good friends.” I knew he meant Royal and Cassie. I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. Lucas read my expression and wrapped both his arms around me. “I know how you feel,” he said after a long moment. “I’ve said more than my fair share of goodbyes.”

“You don’t think we’re coming back here, do you?” I asked, stricken. Lucas didn’t have to answer. I felt the sting of tears welling in my eyes. We sat there, holding each other in the cold December light, until the bell rang for lunch.

Cassie and Royal were waiting for us. For Cassie’s sake, Lucas and I tried to shed our gloom.

“I can’t believe I’m going to say this,” Cassie said between bites of grilled cheese. “But it feels good to be back.” I could barely smile at her. We’d been through so much together. I wasn’t ready to give up this part of my life. I wasn’t ready to lose Royal and Cassie. Lunch was over too quickly.

I made my way to the bathroom, looking for a private place to get my emotions under control before gym. Someone followed me inside and locked the bathroom door. I turned around to face her.

“You did something to Parker.” Amber said it like a statement of fact.

I felt a thrill of fear, but I kept my face neutral.

“These last three months, I’ve been looking for anything that could explain how little Mousy Murphy transformed into the five-alarm fire that’s burning my life into ashes,” she said. “Parker wasn’t suicidal until he messed with your little friend. I don’t know what you did to him, but I know you’re responsible.” Amber watched my face for a reaction.

“What do you want from me, Amber?” I said, refusing to give her the satisfaction of showing my fear.

Someone tried the door, discovered it was locked, and knocked. “Hey! Open the door!”

“For starters?” Amber said. “Stay away from my friends.” Amber left, opening the door on her way out. I turned to the sink and started washing my hands so whoever entered wouldn’t see my face.

I’d wanted to go to gym and English to have more time with Royal and Cassie, but all through English, I could feel Amber’s eyes boring twin holes in my back.

It was the longest day of my life.

Dad wasn’t answering his cell phone. I spent final period in the grip of my run-away imagination. In some scenarios, I got left behind when the others took the plane out of town. In others, Dad was arrested by the Guard. In still others, Gretchen took Lucas away and I never saw him again. When the end of the school day came, I was sick with anxiety.

I walked to the parking lot with Cassie, looking for my dad’s truck. It wasn’t there. Lucas and Royal joined us.

“I assume I’m giving you a ride home.” Royal said. “Lucas, care to join us?”

“Please. Gretchen isn’t answering her phone.”

We piled into Royal’s car. He dropped Cassie off first. As she got out of the car, I jumped out and caught her hand. This might be the last time I ever saw her. There was suddenly so much I wanted to say. Cassie misunderstood. She hugged me tightly.

“Thanks for being there today,” she said. “I don’t know what I’d do without you and Royal.” Guilt threatened to choke me, but I forced a smile.

“Take care of yourself,” I said. Cassie rolled her eyes, and for a moment I saw a hint of her old, mischievous self.

“I’m not a china
doll,
” she said. “I’ll be okay.” She walked up the stairs to her apartment and waved at us from the top of the stairs, then made a
shoo!
gesture and disappeared inside her house. As I leaned back, I felt Lucas’ hand on my shoulder. I knew he understood. I felt a cold comfort; if I did have to leave my old life behind, at least Lucas would be going with me.

“Not bad for her first day back,” Royal said. “All in all, Parker may have done her a favor. At least she wasn’t the current scandal of the day.” I nodded, unwilling to contradict him. When we finally pulled up to my house, I couldn’t make myself get out of the car. Royal gave me a strange look. “Everything okay?” he asked.

“You know how important you are to me, right? You and Cassie?”

“Of course I do.” Royal smiled, but his eyes still held more than a little worry.