Scattered Ashes

  After I eat a sandwich, I take a shower, and the water feels really odd against my wings. When I try to put on different clothes, though, the corset and boots appear on my body.

  I pass the time by scrounging through Marco and Sophia's room, looking for signs that I missed growing up. How could I have not known all that time what I was? Who they were?

  I flip open a trunk at the foot of the bed and take out all the photos, none of which include me. I look at my birth certificate and think of my father trapped in his own mind, perhaps with the Death Walkers. My mother sneaks into my thoughts, her life spent in The Underworld. And now she's dead, and I have no idea where her ghost took off to.

  "Mom," I call out to the empty room. "You're going to have a granddaughter. You have to come back; if not for me, for her."

  The only answer is mine and the baby's heart beating.

  I curl up in a ball, curl my wings around my body, and cry until my eyes run dry.

  ALEX

  I've never been a fan of the City of Crystal or the Foreseer leader, Dyvinius, so being back here fucking sucks. It's not just the place itself that I dislike, but what the place's power represents. The people here know everything about you: your pasts, the sins you've committed, when you're going to die.

  But as Laylen, Nicholas, and I walk up the glass path above the river and past the crystallized walls, I have a sudden, crazy-ass urge to turn, march up to Dyvinius's throne, and demand to know if Gemma and my unborn daughter survive. But I fear what I might see, fear looking ahead might mess up the future more, so instead I follow Nicholas to the massive crystal ball that flames in the center of the city and feeds power to the Foreseers.

  Laylen sighs as Nicholas reaches to open the door. "I was hoping I'd never have to come back here again. This place gives me the creeps."

  "Me, too, man," I agree, glancing around at the crystal columns and icy path behind us, searching for signs of Dyvinius or anyone else who might be pissed off that we're here.

  After Nicholas opens the door, we step inside the room where the fireball of energy burns fiercely. Lifeless bodies are chained to the massive orb with tubes running from their skin to the crystal ball.

  Nicholas strolls up to the crystal, crossing his arms while whistling, acting way too casual for the situation. "It's such a fascinating thing, watching the crystal drain life from humans."

  "It's a pointless sacrifice," I snap, shielding my eyes as the crystal balls blazes brightly and blinds me. I skim the faces of the people, looking for my mother, but it's been so long since I've seen her I'm not even sure I'll recognize her. "No one needs to see what happens in the future, and if it hadn't been for a Foreseer fucking around with stuff, we wouldn't even be in this mess to begin with."

  Nicholas tugs on one of the chains securing the bodies. "Oh, your father would have found another way."

  "That might not be true," I say. Where the hell is my mom? "Without Foreseers, my dad would've never found out about the star to begin with."

  Nicholas lets go of the chain and steps back. "Well, maybe one day someone will free all of them and destroy the crystal ball."

  I have no idea why he's being agreeable, and honestly, I don't like it. It makes him seem even more sketchy and untrustworthy than he already is.

  "Where's my mom?" I ask Nicholas.

  He gives a shrug. "How should I know? She's your mother. I just know she's here, not what she looks like."

  Shaking my head, I turn to Laylen. "Do you want to look left, and I'll take the right?"

  Laylen nods then disappears around the left side of the crystal ball while I head right.

  "What about me?" Nicholas calls out after me. "What should I do?"

  I ignore him, scanning the features of each person I pass. The longer I search, the more I question if this is just another one of Nicholas's games, some stupid trick like the ones he used to pull when we were kids.

  When we were younger, I always hated when he visited the Keepers' castle. Everything was a joke to him, and he constantly teased Gemma. There was one specific time when he almost convinced her to go swimming in the lake when she couldn't swim. That day, I lost it and made a plan to get rid of him. Gemma and I had stolen the Cruciatus diamond--the Queen of The Underworld's diamond--and when my father went looking for it, I blamed Nicholas, said he took it. My father was so furious he never allowed Nicholas back into the castle. He's had a grudge against me ever since, but the feeling is completely mutual.

  I abruptly slow to a stop as I catch sight of someone who resembles my mother. Her skin is much paler than I remember, and her dark hair has thinned, but beneath her weakened state, I can see it--the person who used to take care of me.

  I hurriedly yank out the tubes and snap the chains, catching her weight as she slumps against me.

  Her eyelids lift open. "Is it time?"

  "Yeah, it's time. I'm going get you out of here." I shift her weight, leaning her against my shoulder as I wrap my arm around her. "Just hang on."

  Blood drips from her skin where the tubes were. "But it's time, right? For Gemma to go to the Afterlife?"

  I almost drop her on the floor. "You know about that?"

  "Of course I know," she says, her voice feeble. "That's what I've been waiting for. It's kind of the whole point of all of this."

  I have a ton of questions, but I shove them away for now. "Let's get you out of here, okay?"

  Laylen races over and drapes my mom's arm around his neck. Then the three of us all head for the door.

  Nicholas bows his head as we approach him. "Alana."

  My mother smiles weakly at him while I shoot him a death glare.

  "Wait? How can you see him?" I ask.

  "I'm part of death now, Alex," she answers, her head slumping to the side.

  "Oh, yeah, I guess that makes sense." I balance my mom against me, and we follow Nicholas out of the room.

  Once we get far enough away from the enormous crystal ball, Nicholas takes out the miniature traveling ball. "Do I need to ask where we're going?"

  "You already know," my mother replies, leaning against me. "To Gemma. Take us to Gemma now before it's too late."

  "Too late for what?" I ask.

  "Let's hope you don't ever have to find out," she says.

  Nicholas sticks out his hand with the crystal balanced in his palm. "All right, who wants to go--?"

  "Put the crystal down," Dyvinius's voice echoes through the cave.

  When I look over my shoulder and spot him hurrying up the path toward us, I quickly place my mother's hand on the crystal ball. "You know where Gemma's old house is, right?"

  She nods, and then she's sucked into the crystal.

  "I ordered you to stop!" Dyvinius cries out, his silver cape swishing behind him as he picks up the pace.

  Laylen hurries and dives through the crystal. Then I reach for it, but Nicholas moves it behind his back.

  "I should just leave you here, let them tie you up to the crystal again."

  "That's fine," I say. "Enjoy your death."

  He glares at me and I glare right back.

  "I hate you," he says, moving the crystal back in front of him.

  "Trust me, the feeling's mutual." I place my hand on the crystal ball right as Dyvinius reaches us.

  "Finally," Nicholas says as he drops down into the living room. He puts the crystal away in his pocket then dusts off his hands. "My work is done."

  My mother collapses onto the sofa, her head bobbing back. "Would someone please get me a glass of water?"

  I head for the kitchen, but Laylen cuts me off. "I got it. You should stay here with her."

  Nodding, I flop down on the sofa and try to think of what to say to her. I've spent so many years thinking she was dead that it seems like I should have a lot to say, yet not a damn word comes to mind.

  "Alex, relax." My mom places a hand on my knee to stop me from bouncing my leg up and down. "Everything's okay now."

  "Why were you down there?" I as
k, leaning back.

  "It was part of the plan." She massages her arms and wipes dried blood from her skin. "It was the safest place for me to wait until the time was right for me to take Gemma to the Afterlife."

  "You keep saying it's what you were supposed to do, like it was pre-planned."

  "That's because it was pre-planned, from a vision."

  I yank my fingers through my hair, making the strands go askew. "Why does it always come back to the visions? Seriously, they're becoming the bane of my existence."

  "Visions are our guidance through life," she says, her eyelids drifting shut. "There had to be one told in order for us to all end up here, at this very moment."

  "It still doesn't make sense. At first, we're told a vision was fucked up, and Gemma had to fix it. Then she did, and mad chaos happened. And now you're saying a vision got us to this exact point."

  "Each instance you mention happened because a vision was told. If there hadn't been multiple visions, then Gemma would've never changed Julian's mistake. Plus, the world is always changing, Alex. Each time something changes, so does a vision. And when things like the apocalypse happen, sometimes it takes seeing multiple visions in order for things to be made right again." She pulls her legs onto the cushion, tucks her feet under her, and yawns. "I know it's confusing, but life in general is."

  I study her face as she rubs her eyes.

  "You said you were part of death now. Are you . . . Are you a Banshee?" It's so weird sitting her with her, asking such an insane question. But anyone who's heard of my mother has said she is a Banshee now.

  "I'm sorry, but yes, I am." She swallows hard, rubbing her hands up and down her arms as if she's cold. "I know that's not what you want to hear, but it has a positive side, like the fact that I'll get to be the one to take Gemma to the Afterlife."

  I grab a knitted blanket that's on the back of the sofa and hand it to her. "It's not going to be Gemma." I don't mean for my voice to sound as cold as it does, but I can't help it. "It's going to be me."

  She covers herself with the blanket. "I'm sorry, honey, but it has to be her. It's part of the vision. She's the one whose soul was detached. She has the gift of foreseeing and changing visions. All of this centers around her and plays a part in a much larger picture. She's going to be the one to free the souls, and then you two will go to the lake and destroy the star, just like the vision has foretold. The portal will remain sealed, and with some effort, Stephan, Demetrius, and all the Death Walkers die. Then life will go on as it should." She slips an arm out from under the blanket to clasp my hand. "Your part is to protect her, to carry the other half of the star, and to be there for her when she needs you the most."

  "But it's not just her I'm worried about." I slide my hand out from under hers and scoot away, grinding my teeth. My mind is racing with ideas on what I can do to change all this destiny shit, because I can't let Gemma take all these risks, especially when . . ."She's pregnant."

  "I know." My mother draws the blanket up to her neck, shivering. "The baby will be fine. I promise you, Alex. That spell Gemma had done will make it so your daughter lives a happy, healthy life."

  "How did you know about the spell?" I shake my head, bitterness creeping into my voice. "Never mind. I think I already know--a vision."

  "Don't blame the visions, Alex," she says. "It's people's choices and decisions that map destiny, too, like your father's."

  That's the last straw that pushes me over the edge.

  "And this is such bull!" I slam my fist against the armrest, causing her to flinch. "You sit there and say all this like it is her destiny to die. Like it's fair. It's not fair. It's my father's fault all of this shit started."

  "Life sometimes isn't fair, sweetie. I'm sorry, but that's just how it is."

  "This isn't fair." I grind my teeth, restless and angry, on the verge of exploding. "There's got to be a way around her dying."

  "There's no way around it," she says. "The portal's opening unless the star's power is destroyed." She tosses the blanket off her and stands, gripping onto the armrest for support. "Have you ever wondered why Stephan is so focused on you two, but not Aislin, Laylen, and Aleesa, even though they play a part in the ritual of opening the portal? Because Malefiscus has the power of the star in him, too."

  I look down at my hands where I can see the faint lines of my veins that carry blood through my body and the same power that's apparently inside Malefiscus. It makes me hate myself for being connected to him.

  Sucking in a deep breath, she lets go of the armrest and stands straight. "There are three ways this could go. Either Stephan can bleed you two out, mix your blood with Laylen, Aislin, and Aleesa's, and free everything inside that portal. Or you can run and hide, let the portal open, Malefiscus will be trapped inside it because the star's energy still exists, but all the Death Walkers inside the portal will be freed to enter the human world. Or you can destroy the star, destroy Malefiscus, and stop the portal from opening."

  "But you already know which way it goes, don't you?" I ask quietly.

  She presses her lips tighter and nods her head once.

  "This isn't fucking fair," I say again, adrenaline coursing through my body as my anger nearly hits the roof. "You sit here and talk about life and how it's hard and how some people just have it tough, but Gemma hasn't even had a chance to have a life. She's spent most of her time walking around half dead and out of it, with no memories, no emotions, no nothing. That's not just a hard life; that's no life."

  Not wanting to hear any more of what she has to say, I storm out of the room and up the stairs. When I reach the top, I rest my head against the wall and take a few measured breaths, trying to settle the fuck down. But then I hear someone crying from Marco and Sophia's room.

  Worried, I rush toward the open door to find Gemma curled up in a ball with her wings wrapped around herself. My heart splits in two as I kneel down beside her and touch her shoulder.

  "What happened?"

  Her body tenses under my hand, and she wipes the tears away before she turns her head and looks at me. "Nothing happened. Everything's fine."

  "Nothing's ever fine." I look around the room. "Where's Aislin?"

  "Stealing some witch's power." She sits up, tucking her wings back behind her. "Did you find your mom?"

  I nod, still sensing something's wrong. "She's downstairs."

  She perks up. "Is she okay?"

  I nod again, examining her from head to toe, trying to figure out what's wrong. "She's tired, but yeah, I think she's okay."

  "Does she know how to help us?"

  "Yeah, she's got a plan and everything."

  "Why do you sound so mad about that?"

  "Because I hate the fucking plan."

  "Alex, I know you don't want me to do this, but--"

  I cover her mouth with my hand. "Let's talk about something else for a bit, okay?"

  She nods and then I remove my hand, not ready to accept this vision destiny crap just yet

  My mom told me my job is to be there for Gemma, to protect her. And that's exactly what I'm going to do until I take my last breath.

  GEMMA

  After Alex finds me crying, we go downstairs so I can meet his mother. Alana doesn't seem that shocked by my wings, like she already knew I was going to end up with them.

  We chat a little bit about what's going to happen, and then Alana takes a moment to touch my stomach. The whole belly-touching thing seems to be happening more and more, but I'll admit, it still makes me uncomfortable, mostly because I'm not used to people touching me.

  The longer the four of us sit together talking, the more exhausted I become. I don't know why, but the energy buzzing around inside me has dulled to a low hum. It has me nervous.

  "Where's Aislin?" Laylen eventually asks, looking concerned as he glances at the wall clock. "I know you said she went to get a witch's power, but hasn't she been gone for a while?"

  "She has." I look down at my watch. "Nine minutes left."


  "Nine minutes?" he questions, slouching back in the chair. "That's pretty specific."

  I absentmindedly rest my head against Alex's shoulder, feeling incredibly tired. "I gave her a timeframe, and if she's not back by then, I go looking for her."

  Alex's muscles tense underneath my head, and I start to move away, realizing I shouldn't be doing this. But he quickly wraps an arm around me and places a hand on my cheek, securing me there.

  "Why didn't she just steal a witch's power from one of the ones hanging out outside?" Laylen kicks his feet up on the coffee table

  "She said something about needing to do it with a witch that won't know where she's hiding out," I explain. "I guess they're going to get pissed off and chase her down."

  Laylen chews on his lip ring. "That worries me."

  "It worries me, too." I check the time again. "In seven minutes, we'll go looking for her." I don't bother to mention we'll have to look for her in Vegas, because I don't want to worry him more.

  Silence encases us as the clock ticks, and Alana starts to doze off.

  "I hate to interrupt such a good time," Nicholas's voice flows through the living room, "but you owe me one life."

  My gaze skims the walls, the furniture, and the mantle, but without the ring, I have no clue where he is. "No one owes you a life."

  "How can we suddenly hear him?" Laylen asks, planting his feet on the floor.

  "It's one of the many talents of a Banshee," Alana says without opening her eyes. "We have connections through the ghost world, and I'm channeling it to all of you."

  "Where is he?" I whisper to Alex.

  He pulls me against him and brushes my hair out of my eyes. "Too close to you."

  Nicholas clears his throat, startling me. "We have a bargain to attend to, and you can thank Alex for that."

  I angle my head up to look at Alex. "What's he talking about?"

  Alex shrugs. "It was the only way I could get him to tell me where my mom was. I told him, if he helped me find her, I'd make sure his soul was freed with the other lost souls."

  "Give me the ring back," I say, ducking my head out from underneath Alex's arm. "I want to talk to him."

  Alex promptly shakes his head. "No fucking way."

  I shove my hand at him. "I'm going to need it back for the Afterlife, anyway, so you might as well give it back now." When he shakes his head again, I reach over and wiggle the ring off his finger.