Fifteen minutes after calling Alex, I heard the door open, and she called my name. Blinking in an attempt to clear away my conversation with Daniel, I looked up then smiled as she appeared around the door. “Thanks for coming.”
“Did you expect me to say no? You’re my friend.”
“I know. I’m just glad you came…glad you’re so freaking awesome to care like you do.” I took her bag from her and started toward the stairs. “We don’t have to spend all night working on this. I don’t want you to feel like…”
“You’re using me for my knowledge? That you only call when you need a favor?”
“Yes.”
“I know you better than that, Clare. Finding Amanda is important.”
“It is…very.”
She followed me upstairs and down the hall. “Clare? What’s really going on? There’s more going on here…I can tell.”
I stopped walking. We were at the foot of my bedroom stairs. I could hear Ellen in the bathroom, humming along to a different song, earphones blocking out our voices. I was alone in this. I couldn’t blatantly lie to Alex, but could I trust her with the truth? I couldn’t help wanting to protect Daniel, and I knew if I told her the truth it would put him at risk…it would put us all at risk.
“I can’t tell you,” I said honestly.
“Is it because you don’t trust me?”
“I trust you. It’s just that not everything in this world falls into the realm of simple. Some things are just…complicated. Telling you is complicated.”
“That is the most ridiculous thing I think anyone has said to me all year,” she said, walking around me and starting up the narrow stairs.
“It’s the most honest thing anyone has said to you all year,” I retorted, following her.
She spun around, her eyes bright with emotion. I tried to listen to what she was thinking, but it was going by too fast. “What would it take for you to tell me?” she asked.
“Um.”
“I just want to understand and help find Amanda. Is that so wrong?”
“You don’t understand…” I sighed. “It could get you killed.”
She tensed at the warning in my voice. “You mean by Daniel?”
“No. He would never hurt you. But there are…others.” I shook my head. “I shouldn’t even be saying that. You could be found and killed for knowing. Knowledge is deadly in my world.”
Her face transformed in slight fear. Whatever she was thinking – and she’d carefully not thought about it around me – must have been a lot nicer than the truth. Controlling her panic, she stared me down in a typical Alex expression that meant she was trying to understand everything in the universe all at once.
“What if I proved myself to you? What if I did something that linked me to you forever?”
I started laughing. “You’re being way melodramatic.” I laughed as a shudder ran down my spine. “If you get all teen-angsty on me, I’m leaving and not coming back. That’s a promise.”
She ignored my comment. “I know you can’t trust me like you can trust Daniel. That’s different. He’s your soulmate. But I’m your friend. No,” she shook her head, “it feels odd to say this, but I feel as if I’m your sister. It’s like we’ve spent our younger years apart. We were meant to be sisters, Clare, can’t you see it?”
I stepped back, a little startled. Alex had never been like this. She got mad at me, sure, but she was always so cool and collected. She was the calm in the storm. Her composure was falling apart like a house on fire now. I wasn’t sure how to respond.
“You’re meant to tell me the truth!” she added.
“I don’t believe that things are meant to be,” I scoffed.
“That’s a load of horse crap, and you know it.”
Her eyes, if possible, grew even wider and brighter. I wasn’t sure what she would do next; her thoughts were moving too quickly. From her expression, I gathered she was about to lead a massive army against a raving horde of lunatics in a drastic final stand to preserve the country she loved, or she was going to do something just as reckless, like make me swear on my love for Daniel to tell her the truth.
“I have an idea,” she said as if she’d heard my thoughts. “There’s this tradition in Native American culture where two people bind themselves together through a blood pact. To betray that pact is to betray your honor and your soul.”
“Blood pact?”
“Yeah. You know…blood brothers. It’s been in a million movies. Chuck Norris had a Native American blood brother in Walker, Texas Ranger.”
“I’m not even going to ask how you knew that.” I paused. “What does this blood pact really do, beyond hurting a lot?”
“It makes us blood sisters…It makes us family.” She threw me a funny look. “You tell everything to your family, and they keep your secrets, because they love you.”
I went over to the bed and sat down, my head heavy. A sister? I could have a sister? Was it a trap? “I’m not sure I should have gotten out of bed this morning,” I muttered.
“If you don’t want to I’ll understand, but…” She shrugged.
“You’ll forever doubt if I trust you?” I finished. She nodded, and I started laughing. “You’re almost as good at backing people into corners as I am.”
“Then you know you can only back people into corners if they are willing to be backed into them,” she said pointedly.
I knew in my heart that I’d already said yes, maybe even before Ellen and I moved here. “You can’t tell Sam. Not yet. He should get a chance to fall in love with Ellen first.”
“Please! I’m not new to keeping parents in line.”
I stood, feeling excited suddenly. The notion that we were teetering on the edge of something big hadn’t faded, but I wanted to believe this oath would be the beginning of a resolution. If not, at least I would get a sister out of it.
“So, what do we have to do?” I asked.
“We have to cut our hands and share blood,” she replied.
“Our whole hand?”
She pursed her lips. “I think I remember a story or something where they just cut the thumb.”
“So, we’ll be thumb sisters? We could hitchhike in perfect unison?”
“Ha. Ha,” she said dryly. “You’re not scared of blood, right?”
“No.” I uncurled the hand I had clenched. “You don’t have any sort of diseases do you?”
Alex rolled her eyes scornfully and retrieved her bag from beside the chimney. She pulled a tiny pocketknife out of it.
“Did you have this whole thing planned?” I asked indignantly as I eyed the knife.
“Nope. I always carry a pocketknife with me. You never know when you’ll need one.” She turned to me and flicked it open with a deft move. “You learn to be prepared when you’ve been on as many hikes as I have.”
I looked at the knife and swallowed. “I take it back. Can’t we be blood sisters without actually spilling any blood?”
“You are afraid!”
“I am not! It’s just…what if you slip or something?”
“But you have a piercing!” She pointed to my nose.
“Done by a professional.”
She flipped the knife around, offering me the handle. “You can do it yourself.”
I reached for the handle slowly. I could see how serious she was about this. From brief flashes of her rapid, confused thoughts, I saw how badly she wanted a sister. She’d wanted one ever since her mother had died and she realized she wouldn’t have any other women in her life. Seeing that truth in her eyes, I knew I could do what she asked.
I put the knife against my thumb and pushed. Bright red blood oozed out of the wound. Grimacing to hide the pain, I offered Alex the knife. She took it from me quickly and did the same, her face contorting with pain. She held her thumb out to me. After a second of hesitation, I pressed my thumb against hers. We stood with our thumbs pressed together and looked at each other seriously.
We were silent for a second, then I start
ed laughing. “Now what? Do we find an animal to sacrifice and do a traditional dance to the moon or something?”
“We do have to bathe naked in a lake at midnight, but other than that…” She laughed at my shocked expression. “I’m kidding! You just have to promise to be my sister forever, and I do the same.”
“Okay.” I fought the giggles that were threatening to consume me. This felt so corny movie moment-ish. “I promise to be your sister forever.”
“I promise to be your sister forever, too,” Alex said firmly.
As soon as she said it, a tingling started from the wound, as if I’d stuck my thumb into an electrical socket. Alex shook her head, and her eyes glazed over with a white film. They cleared and she smiled at me, like nothing had happened. Was she unaware of what her eyes had just done? I was freaking out, but I pushed the feeling away, not wanting to alarm her.
She dropped her hand. “There.” She looked at her wound that smeared blood trickled from. “Do you have a Band Aid?”
“I think so.”
I went over to my nightstand and dug around for the emergency first aid kit. I found two and handed her the one that didn’t have Mickey Mouse on it.
“Thanks.” Alex cleaned off the tip of the knife and put it back in her bag as if nothing had happened, as if we hadn’t just promised to be sisters forever. Wrapping her thumb, she sat down on the window seat and looked at me expectantly. “Okay. Explain.”
I took a deep breath. Pacing in front of her nervously, I started talking, trying to phrase things in a way that wouldn’t make me sound as if I belonged on an express train headed for crazy town. It was pretty difficult.
When I finished, Alex stared at me intensely for a long minute. I couldn’t tell if she thought I was crazy or telling the truth. I wasn’t certain which would be worse for her. She kept her thoughts scrambled, and I realized she was doing it on purpose. I frowned then concentrated. It took a minute to make sense of everything.
It all sounds so crazy. I mean she couldn’t have made that up…who would make that up? I just…it would be so lovely if it were true. It would be proof…I can’t believe all this time I thought she’d been exposed to radiation or something…And these people that are after her! No wonder Daniel has been so serious lately…He’s probably been worrying himself sick. Poor guy! I can’t believe no one else in town has seen the truth! She paused thoughtfully. No, I can see why. He’s very good at charming people. But this! She looked at me. I trust her, though. She’ll be one of the good ones.
I backed away and sat on the bed. Why was she taking this so calmly? Why was her first inclination to worry about Daniel? I took in her face, which was dim from the darkness creeping across my room. I knew the truth. She was a good person, and good people don’t waste their time placing blame or accusing people of being liars.
“I…” she started to say. “I believe you.”
I ran a hand through my hair trying to come to grips with her calm. “I…I am not sure how I feel about that...”
She smiled smugly. “If you think fate doesn’t exist, then you’re a fool. You come to the one town with another one like you, and you just happen to fall in love with him! Ha! Now, that’s fate!”
“What is this, fate night? Is there a discount for advice on fate that I missed? Do they keep it at Wal-Mart between the detergent and the scary prophecies?”
“Where’s Daniel?” she asked. “Is he trying to find those others?”
“Yes…I think he’s preparing for a fight. He keeps acting so…he’s been beating himself up, and I think it’s because he doesn’t like killing. They’re forcing his hand, though,” I answered fiercely.
“Of course they are.”
“I just wish I could figure out why!” I said in exasperation.
Alex shook her head. “Right now, we need to do what Daniel asked and concentrate on finding Amanda. Let him worry about the other stuff.”
There was a knock on my door, then Ellen walked up the stairs dressed in her pink bathrobe and carrying two cups.
“Hey guys! I brought you tea!” she said, proud of herself.
“You figured out how to turn the stove on?” I asked lightly, in an attempt to clear the air of tension and intensity of our conversation.
“Yep!” She glanced between Alex and me sensing the intense atmosphere she had walked in on. “Is everything okay here?” she asked.
“Um,” I glanced at Alex.
Hadn’t I promised Ellen not to tell anyone? Would she be mad? More importantly, would this ruin her chance with Sam?
“Clare told me the truth,” Alex said rising from the seat to walk over and accept the tea.
“Oh!” Ellen paused. She was calm…a little too calm. “Okay. So, what do you think?”
Alex shrugged. “It’s kind of cool.”
“To you, maybe,” I said darkly.
Ellen joined me on the bed. “Is that what you were talking about?”
“Actually, we had just moved on to trying to figure out where Amanda could be,” Alex said.
Ellen turned to me. “Clare.”
“Ellen,” I replied.
“You’ve shared some of Amanda’s thoughts over the past couple weeks, right?”
“Of course,” I answered. “It’s hard not to.”
Ellen continued, “I know when I’m stressed out, or feeling down, I like to think of a calming place. I think about that place and shove everything else out. Maybe, Amanda’s thought is about an actual place she goes to? It might be a place where she would hide.”
“That’s a great idea!” Alex said jumping up to go and rummage through her bag again. “Can you think of anything?” she asked as she pulled out a small map of the area and shook it open.
I went over all the thoughts I’d heard from Amanda. Most of them had been sad and depressed and far from any kind of retreat. “I don’t think there’s anywhere,” I said.
“Are you sure? Maybe, it was only a brief image.” Ellen’s eyes were intense. The part of her that liked mystery movies was enjoying the hunt.
“I don’t know, Mom. I’ve seen a lot of thoughts...”
“There are a couple of places where they could camp. Or at least places I would camp at,” Alex said as she studied the map. “If they’re hiding and want a place that is strategic, one where they could see around them and have a barrier to their backs, I would think they’d be here.” She pointed at the Nantahala River. “It’s within walking distance of their house, about three miles.”
“But what if they were taken against their will?” I asked.
“Then why would that other dude come and warn Daniel off?” Alex asked.
“Because they’re tired of playing games?” I suggested.
“Or their spy disappeared on them and they’re out of options.”
“Alex could have a point,” Ellen said swiveling her head back toward me like the lone audience member at a very strange tennis game.
“Or maybe they just got impatient,” I countered.
“Maybe.” Alex bit her lip. “But last time we saw Amanda, she acted cornered. I would bet my Jeep she ran away.”
I sought a compromise. “What if she ran away and her father went looking for her? That would explain why they both fell off the grid, and matches your theory that the Seekers have lost their spy and are getting desperate. I got the impression their boss is putting pressure on them for results.”
“That doesn’t tell us where Amanda went, though.”
“Are there any bridges over the river you mentioned?” I asked slowly. I did know a place! The mention of a river helped me remember.
“I think there are four or five major ones near town and possibly two or three near the preserved land Amanda lives next to.”
“Any littered with graffiti and next to a dirt road?”
“Most of the bridges are littered with graffiti – there’s not a lot for kids to do on a Saturday night around here – but only two are next to dirt roads. Why?”
>
I got up and paced next to the chimney. I thought over an image Amanda had unintentionally left in my brain. It was during gym and she had been silently asking what the point of living was. Then she’d imagined that bridge. What if, instead of running away, or being taken somewhere against her will, she’d given up? I stopped in my tracks. What if she’d decided to do something stupid? What if her and her father’s disappearances weren’t related? What if they were two separate things? But that meant… I pressed my hand to my chest.
“I need Daniel,” I muttered.
What could I do? Was I too late? I hoped beyond a fool’s hope that I was wrong. Maybe Amanda had gone there to gain perspective. Maybe it wasn’t the place that she was plotting to…I couldn’t think it. Alex and Ellen exchanged frightened looks.
Ellen stood hesitantly, twisting her fingers in worry. “Clare, sweetie? You need to catch us up to speed. We’re not Daniel, but maybe we can help.”
“The disappearances are two separate things,” I said. “We know that Amanda’s dad doesn’t care about her, and we know Amanda has been really depressed. What if they both took off, but in different ways, and for different reasons?”
“I’m still not there,” Ellen said.
“Amanda’s dad might have just gotten tired of working for those evil people and decided to go his merry way. Or he got lost on a drinking binge. Who cares? Amanda, though…she’s lost touch with all her reasons for living. She’s given up. I think she gave up a long time ago, and now something has pushed her over the edge.” I glanced at Ellen. “You were right, she does have a retreat. I saw…I saw one day a place she imagined after thinking that the world was pointless. It was a river with a beautiful view, surrounded by woods on all sides. It was next to a bridge and an old dirt road. She went there to kill herself. Don’t you see?”
Alex gasped, while Ellen stared at me in shock. My fear turned to resolution. I wasn’t going to sit here and do nothing. I would have to find Amanda. “She’s been missing for a day, but maybe, she’s waiting, maybe, a part of her hopes someone will come looking for her.” I pointed at the map. “Alex, narrow down the possible bridges and give me directions.” My authoritative tone brought her back to her senses. She nodded and poured over the map. I went and dug through Daniel’s jacket for the cell phone. “I need to call Daniel, see if we can’t get a ride from him.”
“I could take you.” Ellen said hesitantly.
“No. It’s too dangerous.” I spoke crisply to hide my fear. It reminded me of Daniel when he had ordered everyone about. Maybe he’d been more scared about those Seekers than he’d let on. I looked at Ellen apologetically realizing she wasn’t geared the same way Jackson and Margaret were. “Sorry…”
She waved a hand. “I get it. What can I do?”
“Call Sam, and go over to his place for the night.”
“Excuse me?” Her face turned bright red.
“Alex and I are going to be leaving to look for Amanda. I don’t want you here alone. Not right now.”
“Will that make looking for Amanda easier?” she asked huffily. “Me being with Sam all night?”
“Please, just do it. As a personal favor?”
“Fine.”
She started to stomp away, her embarrassment making her regress to adolescence, but stopped immediately. I stared at her back, wondering what she was doing, wondering why her thoughts sounded cut off as if she had shoved them into a black hole.
“Mom?”
Ellen turned. It reminded me of a thousand horror movies where the victim slowly turns and you find out they’ve just been murdered or they were actually the bad guy all along. When she looked at me, I didn’t recognize her. I took a step back. “Clare?” she said.
“Yes?” I exchanged a worried glance with Alex, who had finally looked up from surveying her map.
“Clare, Daniel has disappeared. We can’t contact him.”
I frowned at Ellen. Her voice didn’t sound right. I realized it was because it wasn’t Ellen’s voice. It was Beatrice’s. I gulped. She could do that? I remembered my conversation with Jackson earlier this afternoon. He hadn’t been lying… I froze as her words registered.
“What do you mean he’s disappeared?” I asked.
“He was out hunting for the Seekers. Margaret was hunting in a different part of the forest. Jackson was hunting the human. The others have called me, but he hasn’t. The only reason he wouldn’t is if something has happened.”
“He can’t have been gone that long,” I said. “He only dropped me off two hours ago.”
Ellen smiled sadly. It was creepy, because it was Beatrice’s smile.
“Our time does not flow like yours. When we set out to accomplish something, we do it very quickly. In a second, we could have changed a lot or changed little, but, either way that second would have meant something.”
“Our bodies slow down, so everything can speed up. Nice,” I muttered.
“Besides, I can feel something is wrong…I know it like any mother would know if their child was in danger. We are coming for you. It was wise to tell your mother to stay with Sam. We can only leave one behind, and even that is dangerous.”
“What are you planning? We’re going to look for him, right?”
“Yes, but first, we must protect the girl you were talking about. I know Daniel would want it.”
I cursed my inattention. If I had just listened to what my gut had been telling me, and had insisted he stay with me, he wouldn’t be in this predicament. This was my fault.
“I will release your mother now. Tell her she must come with us.”
“When will you be here?”
“Now.” The doorbell rang right on cue. I jumped at the unexpected sound.
Ellen blinked several times as her eyes cleared. Her eyes focused on my face. “What’s wrong?”
I started towards the door. “Daniel’s gone missing, you were used like a puppet, and, apparently, we have to save Amanda, if she’s still alive, find Daniel, if those Seekers haven’t killed him already, and save the world before midnight.”
Ellen gapped at me, dumbfounded, as I headed down the stairs. A cool blanket of reason wrapped around me as I walked. I just needed to think about this logically, like a math problem or a science experiment. What was the next step in the process to get the desired outcome?
My eyes narrowed dangerously as I bounded down the remaining stairs. Forget reason. My next step was to find a way to get rid of those Seekers, to end the terror for good. Even if it meant a fight. There was no way on earth I would let them take my family from me. They had messed with the wrong person – they just didn’t know it yet.
Chapter 18