Twisted Sisters (The Orion Circle Book 2) (23 page)

I won’t let you!
I scream in my head, unable to speak the words aloud.

You have no choice.
The voice echoes in my mind.
Your body is mine now. Thanks.

Frigid ooze spreads to my head, and I try to thrash around, to fight it, but my body refuses to move. I let out a muted sob when my body pushes up to kneel before the floor-length mirror. My hand picks up the flashlight, shining it at the mirror. I relive that moment in my vision when I… I mean Tracy… couldn’t move due to the paralytic, trapped completely in my mind. But this isn’t a medicine that will wear off. This is a complete possession. I can’t. I won’t allow this.

Get out! Get out! GET OUT!
I visualize pushing the slimy ooze away. Picture it receding to disappear completely. Nothing. A malevolent cackle echoes in my head, bouncing around and rattling my teeth.

You can’t stop me. You can’t stop me.
Over and over she sings the taunt. I stare into the mirror, trying to twitch a finger, my nose, my lips. Nothing. Complete darkness envelopes me as I’m pushed into a small corner of my mind, trapped within my own body. Though terror tries to seize what’s left of me, I force myself to remain calm. I start counting backwards from one hundred, gathering my will and strength. From my dark corner, I watch Tracy test my body, flexing my arms and legs before twirling on my toes. She laughs and I wait in silence.

I keep counting, slowly pulling on her psychic energy which she seamlessly merged with my body‌—‌just a tiny bit at a time so she won’t notice. Doubts plague my mind, what-ifs swirling around like vicious eels prowling in the dark waters. I tamp down my rabid fear and concentrate on the slow count backward. Eighty-two, eighty-one, eighty… When I reach “one” she
will
be evicted. I warned her. Bigger baddies have tried to possess me and failed…

Logan

It’s so damn quiet up there. I pace the floor, not bothering to kick the shattered pieces of glass out of the way. The crunching of my footsteps is oddly soothing. Maybe I shouldn’t have left her alone with Tracy. What if this is all some plan to get Kacie alone? I limp up a few stairs. Kacie appears at the top, a look of relief on her face.

“What happened? Everything okay? You okay?”

She laughs, bright and cheery. “So many questions.” Giggles erupt as she bounds down the stairs, jumping into my arms. I catch her, barely keeping my footing.

“Crap.” I cry out as my ribs scream in protest.

“What’s the matter?” she asks, wrapping her arms around my neck.

“Injured. Remember?”

“Hmm, my poor, injured knight,” she whispers against my lips, pulling me into a kiss.

The moment her lips meet mine, I know for sure. This isn’t my Kacie. A war rages in my brain as I allow Tracy to kiss me. How did this happen? My stomach roils. Though it’s Kacie’s mouth on mine, the mere fact that it isn’t really
her
makes me want to push her away, but I can’t let on quite yet that I know. When she tries to deepen the kiss, I pull away, pretending to need a desperate breath while trying not to gag.

I stare into hazel eyes that I know so well, furious to see a light in them that isn’t right. As she leans in for another kiss, I pull her into a hug. Blake moves in behind her, and I meet his disturbed gaze. He sniffs the air, his lips pulled back in a grimace. I nod my agreement.

“Kacie?” Blake says, tapping her back with his finger. He holds his arms open like he wants a hug. Tracy pulls away from me and throws herself into Blake’s waiting arms.

She snuggles against him for a moment, but when she tries to pull away, he doesn’t release her.

“Get out of me!” Kacie screams as she thrashes in Blake’s iron grip. “Out. Out! OUT!”

A good sign. Kacie is fighting the possession. The adults all run into the room together, staring, mouths agape as Kacie struggles in Blake’s arms.

“We need to perform an exorcism,” Pastor Emilio says, clutching his Bible to his chest.

“No,” Mom says, stepping between him and Kacie. “It’s too dangerous. Kacie is strong. Let her fight.” She turns to me. “How did this happen?”

I tell her about the psychic barrier, the booming wave of energy, and how our psychic powers were drained away.

“We thought Tracy was drained too, I mean, she acted like she was,” I say, hanging my head. “She… Tracy looked so sad. We left them alone together when Tracy said she’d only talk to Kacie. I thought she was safe, and we were just around the corner on the stairs.”

“It’s my fault,” Blake says in a strained voice as he wrestles with Kacie. “I wasn’t as drained… I should’ve been—”

“Stop.” Mom shakes her head. “It’s no one’s fault. We all take on risks with what we do.”

“
Argh!
” Kacie screams. “Get out of my body!”

An explosion of psychic energy erupts from her, sending Blake flying backward still holding her in his arms. He slams against the wall and collapses to the floor. Kacie crumples against him, her eyes closed. Seconds tick by in silence as we wait to see what will happen. Blake sits up, cradling Kacie’s limp body on his lap. Moaning, she rubs her forehead with her hand before trying to push away from Blake.

“Hold on, princess.” Blake cups her cheek, turning her face so he can look in her eyes. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine. Let me go.”

He grins. “How about a kiss first.”

“In your dreams, wolf boy,” Kacie says, mimicking Raven.

I fall to my knees beside her, ignoring the pain throbbing up my thigh. “You’re back.” She holds her arms out, and I pull her to me, cradling her face in my palms. “I was worried.” Her lips meet mine, and I almost cry in relief. The kiss is sweet and tender, nothing like the aggressiveness of that harpy who possessed her.

“How did you know?” she asks, leaning her forehead against mine.

“Your eyes, your kiss. She just wasn’t you.” I kiss her cheek then her lips one last time. “It was awful seeing someone else looking out of your eyes.”

“Glad you’re back,” Blake says, patting her shoulder. His lips curl into a smirk. “Just kidding about the kiss. I wouldn’t poach your girl.”

I laugh. “No, you were right. Great way to tell if Kacie was back in control.”

“Enough fooling around,” Pastor Emilio all but yells. “This isn’t a playdate. We need to exorcise this ghost.”

Mr. Kincaid clears his throat. “Pastor, would you mind checking on your assistant and the kids outside? We’ll call you back if we need to start an exorcism.”

“If you had listened to me to begin with, that evil being would be gone by now,” the pastor says, his face turning dark red.

“Please, Emilio, let’s head outside.” Mr. Kincaid heads to the front door without looking back. Mom gives the pastor a little push on the back when he doesn’t move. With a loud, obnoxious exhale, the pastor follows Mr. Kincaid out of the house.

“I think our dear pastor has become a bit overzealous,” Mom says once he has left the room. “Now, Kacie, what do we need to do to move this poor girl on?”

“She’s hiding and really weak now.” Kacie’s eyes dart around the room, searching. “I think she’s ready to move on.”

“Take the lead, dear,” Mom says, motioning to Kacie.

I feel Kacie try to extend her aura, but she’s too weakened by the psychic blast and the possession. She releases a loud breath and closes her eyes.

“I feel you nearby, Tracy,” Kacie calls out. “When you possessed me it went both ways. I got all of your memories, your fear, and your guilt. I forgive you. For hurting Logan and Daniel, for what you did to me. I can’t speak for your friends, but if they could forgive Angela, I think they’ll forgive you too. You were young and in love‌—‌under the hypnotic spell of a very evil man. I felt the pull he had on you. It wasn’t natural. He used you.”

“I helped.” Tracy’s voice echoes around so it’s impossible to pinpoint her position.

“You were coerced and used. You were a victim in so many ways…” Kacie trails off, her voice breaking a bit. She sniffs and her eyes fill with tears. “I was there, in your head, your memories. I felt the betrayal and the pain, but I also felt the love. It’s time for you to move on. You’ve suffered enough. Forgive yourself. Go into the light.”

Tracy gasps. “Oh, I see it. It’s beautiful. Light green. Shouldn’t it be white?”

“It’s different for everyone,” I say, taking a few steps forward. What I wouldn’t give to see that light. “Move toward it.”

“It’s so warm. I hear water rushing. It smells clean and fresh.” Her voice is filled with wonder, and my heart aches just a bit. Jealousy?

“Goodbye, Tracy,” Kacie says, waving. “May you finally rest in peace.”

“Thank you, all of you,” Tracy says, her voice thick as though she’s crying. “I don’t deserve your kindness, and I don’t think I deserve this beautiful light.”

“If you didn’t deserve it, it wouldn’t be there,” I call out, willing her to move on.

“Goodbye,” she calls out.

Then she’s gone. The heavy pressure in the house dissipates like it just exhaled. Kacie turns to me, silent tears trickling down her cheeks. I pull her into my arms, whispering soothing platitudes. There’s nothing I can say to ease her pain right now, so I say a bit of everything. Possession is painful, and I’m sure Tracy’s memories were much more traumatic than most.

She trembles in my arms, violent tremors. Though Poe lands on her shoulder cooing softly, she doesn’t seem to notice the presence of her familiar. My cats wind around her ankles, mewing in unison. Even Blake steps forward and leans into her back, massaging her shoulders with rhythmic motions. We’re a team; we’ll help her through this.

Chapter Twenty-Six — Revelations

Chapter Twenty-Six

Revelations

Kacie

Though I managed to avoid a trip to the ER, Dr. Hayes still prescribed bed rest for two days. No ifs, ands, or buts. That means Dad and Gavin hovering by my bedside for a full forty-eight hours. At least we learned something important from this whole fiasco. Extreme psychic drain causes dehydration, so I have to suffer an IV drip as well. Dad was distraught because I got hurt in the line of duty again, and he carted the TV from my room‌—‌like I let the ghost attack me on purpose and need to be punished or something. No satellite, no Netflix, no Playstation, only time to sit and relive Tracy’s memories over and over again.

Since Dad’s blaming Logan and Blake for my condition, they’ve been temporarily banned until he settles down. No amount of pleading or whining will change anything so I revolt with the silent treatment. Nighttime is the worst. Whenever I close my eyes, I see what happened to the girls like a horror movie in my mind. The nightmares once I’m asleep are even worse.

“No!” I awaken to my own fevered shout, thrashing around beneath my covers. Cool fingers brush the hair from my forehead. I gasp in a breath ready to fight.

“Shh,” Logan whispers, brushing a kiss on my cheek. “It’s okay, I’m here now.”

I throw my arms around his neck and nuzzle against his shoulder. My breathing slows as he holds me in a tight embrace, driving away the shadows lurking in my mind. He buries his hand in my hair, massaging my head and the nape of my neck. The rest of the panic subsides, and I sag into his body, relief flooding me. After a few more minutes, he unwinds my arms from his neck and checks the IV stuck in my left hand. Lucky for me, I didn’t pull it out. Dim light shines from the open bathroom door, enough that I can make out his features and the concern etched all over his face. Our eyes meet. I reach up, running a light caress across his cheek, and his deep frown lines disappear.

“How’d you get in here?” I thought Dad and Gavin had this place on lockdown.

“Your brother was worried,” Logan says as he eases me back down on the bed. “He said you’re having nightmares. You woke up screaming five times last night. I’m going to hold you tonight while you sleep. Keep the nightmares at bay.”

“Thank you.”

Tears fill my eyes, and I swallow hard. I won’t allow them to fall. Not again. I roll over onto my side, and Logan curls up behind me, pulling me back against his chest. Closing my eyes, I fall asleep listening to his steady, rhythmic breathing.