After dinner at our house, Genevieve and Riley went back to their house to finish preparing for the storm. It was supposed to start in the next hour or so when the front pushed in. Cora and I would wait out the storm at their house. With all of the modifications that Riley had made to the design of their house, it would be an ideal place to ride out any storm. Cora and I went around our house to make sure all of the windows were locked and secured, closing all of the blinds.
Cora called me into the third bedroom, which we used for storage. She was having trouble locking one of the windows in there. The latch wouldn’t budge. We both tried loosening it, but we weren’t able to.
“We don’t have time to deal with this right now,” Cora said. “We’ll take care of it later.”
She gathered all the stuff we would need. I made sure our fireplace was ready to go in case we had to come back here. That was the only thing Riley didn’t have built into their new house, because with a generator, they didn’t need a fireplace.
A loud knock came from our front door. Cora was closest to the door, balancing a pile of supplies in her arms. I was still attending to the fireplace, filling up the log rack next to it. Cora opened the door and I heard a familiar voice—it was Ester. What was she doing here?
“What a surprise, Ester. Is everything all right? Shouldn’t you be home getting ready for the storm?” Cora asked, bringing her inside.
Ester walked into our hall. Cora took a couple of steps back to give her room.
“Everything is fine, Cora. I’ve come here to see Nicholas.”
I walked into view.
“We have something to say to him.” She said, “we,” but she was the only one standing there. Our front door was cracked open just enough to see James Caldwell standing on the porch. The fire in me flared.
“James, if you would?” Ester said loudly.
He walked in and cleared his throat. He pulled out of his pocket a very old, worn, small, leather book. He opened it and began to read. “The Divine Council was formed to protect and manage the Thusian population, whose sole purpose is to protect mankind from unseen dangers. You have been called to serve on the Council by one of the members as his or her Death Rite. That member has just passed, fulfilling their honorable Final Sacrifice.”
He closed the book and held it down by his side. I noticed a strange symbol on the spine that looked like a broken diamond surrounded by a jagged circle. The word “Thusian” was printed within it. The symbol looked familiar to me, like it was something from a different life.
“Nicholas, one of the members of the Council died last night, Mr. Reed Godfree. He was the one who explained The 7 to you at the Council meeting. He picked you as his first Death Rite recipient.” She showed me a list of names—mine on top—on a piece of worn-out, yellowed paper. The same symbol that was on the book was stamped over my name.
“This is a great honor and we look forward to seeing you at our next Council meeting in two weeks. We will get you all settled in and discuss your new responsibilities. Nicholas, we are so excited for you,” Ester said, giving me a big hug.
I didn’t know what to say. Neither did Cora. I guess it could be good for us if I was part of the Council. At least I could keep an eye on them.
“Ester, James, I look forward to seeing you both at the next meeting,” I said, my voice full of honesty and integrity, like I was talking to a judge. I hoped I was giving them what they wanted to hear.
Cora looked at me with concern. Ester looked pleased at my answer. She gave Cora a hug and they both left.
“Are you crazy? You should’ve turned it down, just like I did when I took you into hiding,” she said after closing the door.
“Wait, you were on someone’s list to serve on the Council?” I asked, shocked.
“Yes, but I had to take you into hiding, so I refused it.”
“Who picked you for their Death Rite list?”
“Your mother did.”
I was stunned. Why didn’t she serve? I would think the Council could have better prepared us for this life, rather than being on the run for all of these years.
“Cora, we need to keep an eye on the Council and what better way than from the inside?”
“They are bad people,” Cora said.
“Not all of them. This is a way for us to find out who is bad, right?”
“We need to talk to Riley about this, first.”
I was so tired of her having to talk to Riley about everything. “No we don’t, Cora. I am going to be on the Council no matter what anyone says. This is my decision. I don’t need Riley’s approval or anyone else’s. And why do you need Riley’s input on everything? It’s annoying.”
“Because I . . .” She paused, becoming very quiet. “I haven’t been able to keep you safe lately. I don’t trust myself. That’s why I’m counting on Riley.” She turned away from me.
I took her hand, making her look at me. “Cora, your decisions are the only ones I trust. You have kept me safe from all these dangers for a long time. That was you, no one else.” She didn’t say anything. She had her eyes shut. I wasn’t sure what she was going to say or do.
After a moment, she opened her eyes and said, “Thank you. I needed to hear that.”
We loaded up all of our supplies into her truck. We drove over to Genevieve and Riley’s house and unpacked. We got there just in time. You could hear the powerful cold front starting to move into the area. The wind sounded like a stampede coming right at us through the trees. Then an intense rain began to pour. Outside their large window, it looked like it was raining sideways, with large water droplets chasing each other. The roar of the winds grew louder and louder, making a terrible, high-pitched howling sound that rattled the house. The large trees in the front yard were all swaying back and forth, twisting violently. We were busy putting away our stuff in the spare bedrooms when I heard the rain change over to ice pellets that pinged against the windows. We all settled into the family room, right when the snow began to fall. The change over from rain to snow only took thirty minutes, leaving behind a thick layer of ice coating everything. The trees creaked and groaned from the weight. Fifteen minutes after the complete changeover to snow, there was a bright flash out by the road. The lights flickered off, and then came back on. I heard the generator turn over and begin to power the house.
“The transformer must have exploded because of the ice. That weatherman was right. This storm is going to be a nasty one,” Riley said, kicking his feet up and resting them on the coffee table.
From the couch, we all watched the storm rage outside. The snow and wind were impressive. We could barely see out the window.
“I have been chosen to replace Reed Godfree on the Thusian Council,” I said.
Nobody said anything at first.
“Did you say Reed Godfree?” Riley asked.
“Yes, why?”
“He was a very good friend of my parents. He was on the Council for forty years. He joined when he was in his teens. His talents were in finance, just like Ester’s. My parents considered him to be extremely trustworthy. It figures that they would kill him off also,” Riley said.
“Nicholas, it’s way too dangerous for you to sit on the Council,” Genevieve said. “You can’t put yourself in that type of danger.” She sounded truly worried, like Cora had been earlier.
“I know, but it’s the best way to find out who the Seekers are working with,” I said. Riley nodded his head, agreeing with me.
“You may be right, but it’s still too dangerous,” Genevieve said, crossing her arms and frowning.
“You don’t have to pout. I will be careful, I promise.” I leaned forward and patted her knee. I didn’t expect to feel anything when I touched her, but I did. It was a strange sensation. It felt like light was filling all of the dark places inside me. I pulled away, like I had received an electrical shock. I didn’t want to feel anything like that. Dancing with Genevieve was what led to Elle and me breaking up, so any emotion triggered by touching h
er was unwelcome.
The storm continued to pound the house. My mind, too, was being bombarded by thoughts of Genevieve and Elle. I began to replay everything that had led to our breakup over and over again in my mind. This was all my fault. I danced with Genevieve. Nobody forced me to—I just did. But that still didn’t answer the question of who actually put in that bid for me. My mind raced, going through all of the people it could have been, but the only name that stuck out to me now was Riley. Oliver wasn’t there and Genevieve said that she didn’t and I believed her, so that left him. He’s the one who told me that Cora had gone after Elle and that I needed to let her calm down. Why would he interfere like that unless he placed the bid? But why would he want Elle and me to break up? Maybe he didn’t want me to have any distractions when Bryce joined the group. Elle would be in the way. But if that was the reason, what about Cora? She wasn’t really part of the group either. That answer was obvious: he had feelings for her.
“So does anyone know who placed the bid for me to dance with Genevieve?” I looked right at him.
“Good, Nicholas, you are trying to talk about it. That’s a great start,” he said.
I would let Riley think what he wanted if I could get the truth.
“So, does anyone?” I repeated.
Cora and Genevieve said, “No.”
“Riley, do you know who would have done it?”
“No, I don’t. It was probably someone who wanted you and Elle to break up,” he said, continuing to look out the window.
“That’s a great point. I thought the same thing. But each person I came up with either wasn’t there or wouldn’t do it. It left me with only one conclusion. It was one of you.”
I had everyone’s attention now. “You see, once Bryce is part of the group, we will need to concentrate completely on Xavier and the Seekers, right? So there should be no distractions for me. Cora would never do that to me because of her loss of Marcus. And Genevieve looked shocked when I asked her at the dance if it was her. So that leaves you, Riley.”
He laughed. “You think it was me?”
“Well, you are the one out for revenge, aren’t you? You don’t want anyone to mess up your big plans.”
He stopped laughing.
“Maybe you are working with Xavier somehow to get rid of the Council.” I was filled with rage. Cora went to Riley and Genevieve to me, just in case there was going to be a fight.
“Yes, of course I think Elle would be a distraction,” he said, “but I would never do that to you. I consider you a friend, a brother. Elle might be a distraction, but she’s your inspiration. She is why you will be able to fight and win against any Seeker. The four Thusians will have to have a reason to fight, which will make us indestructible, unbeatable. This reason, and our bond, will add to our talents, making us the perfect weapon to fight Xavier.”
I could see that he was sincere.
“I would never do anything to break our bond or take away our reasons to fight. And, yes it has been about vengeance for me, but now it’s about protecting the people we love.” He looked at Cora. “And I would never work with Xavier, even if he wanted to kill the Council.”
I felt really stupid. My emotions were getting the best of me again. How could I accuse him of trying to break up Elle and me, and then accuse him of working with Xavier?
“Riley, I’m not thinking clearly.”
“No problem, Nicholas. You are full of raw emotion. You’ve had a difficult couple of days.” He smiled. “Besides, I haven’t exactly been thinking too clearly myself.”
The snow was really coming down now, covering everything. The windows were starting to freeze over. The frost was climbing up the windows, branching out from the base and creating long, complex patterns. Their large window thermometer showed the temperature falling into the single digits. The wind chill had to be below zero now.
There was a loud cracking sound outside. I looked out the window to see if I could tell what it was. Maybe another transformer exploded. Then a split second later, a tree entered into my view as it fell toward the house. Everything around me slowed to a near stop. The large tree was falling toward the picture window with all of its branches spread out like it was getting ready to grab us. I turned the coffee table in front of me onto its side. Riley grabbed Cora and pulled her behind the table. Genevieve was already in front of me behind the table when the tree crashed through. I pulled Genevieve to my body and ducked down behind the table, wrapping her up so she wouldn’t be hurt from any of the glass.
The sound of the tree hitting the window was like an explosion. A wave of snow and glass slammed up against the table. The cold air rushed into the room. The tree was halfway into the house. We scrambled quickly into the bedroom where our winter gear was waiting. It was still warm in there but soon it would be cold. The four of us put on our jackets, pants, gloves, hats and goggles. We grabbed our backpacks that we all had prepared earlier.
“We can’t stay here, the house is compromised. We won’t be able to protect ourselves and if we go to the basement, we will be sitting ducks. It will be too difficult to drive to your house in the snow. We’ll need to walk. If we stick together, we’ll be fine. But keep your eyes open; it could be a trap,” Riley said loudly over the whistling sound of the cold air rushing through the house.
He was right. With all of the snow and ice, our trucks would already be buried. Riley had clips that he securely attached to our jackets, and he ran a rope through them, connecting us.
“This will make sure that none of us get separated in the snow. People have died just yards away from their houses in blizzards. I will follow my GPS unit to get us there safely.” We ventured out into the family room. I was able to really see the extent of the damage. A tree that was at least four feet in diameter lay in the middle of the room. The family room was now covered by an inch of snow. Some places in the room already had small snow drifts. We walked through the house and left by the back door, linked together and carrying our backpacks. The wind outside was powerful, making it difficult to walk. On the side of the house there was more visibility because it shielded us from the full force of the wind and the snow. But I could still barely make out the shape of the trees that separated our two houses.
Riley checked the generator and then turned toward our house. If I hadn’t walked back and forth a hundred times, I would never have known that it was right next door. When we got farther away from the house, the wind and snow intensified. The normally short walk was taking a lot longer. We had to cling to the trees so that the wind wouldn’t knock us over. I could barely see Genevieve in front of me. Riley was leading us, I was in the back and Genevieve and Cora were in the middle. Genevieve was struggling. A couple of times, I had to help her regain her balance and get her to the next tree. The sounds of cracking and falling trees were the only things I could hear over the howling winds. The longer we were out here, the greater the possibility of being hit by a falling tree or limb.
Something moved off to my side. I turned to see what it was, but all I saw was snow. There’s something there, I thought. I peered harder to see what it was, but still nothing. The snow was beginning to slow as the fire in me began to intensify. Then I felt the rope being tugged. I quickened my pace to catch up to Genevieve in case she was in trouble. She was face-down in the snow, not moving. I grabbed the back of her coat and backpack and pulled her up. She was struggling to stand. I put her arm around my neck and helped her the rest of the way, which turned out to be just a couple more yards. Both Riley and Cora were against the side of our house, pulling the rope to reel us in. We moved along the side of the house and in through the back door.
Once inside, I let go of Genevieve and she collapsed to the floor. I stripped out of my snow gear quickly. I began to unzip Genevieve’s jacket as fast as I could. Cora joined in, taking off Genevieve’s goggles, gloves and hat, even though she didn’t know why I was doing it. Genevieve’s cheeks were red and she was listless.
“Are you okay
?” I pleaded, hoping she was. My pulse quickened, anticipating her answer.
“Yes, something hit me,” she said. That got Riley’s attention.
“What hit you? Nicholas, did you see anything?” he asked.
“I thought I saw something, but that’s when you started to pull the rope. Then I found her face-down.”
“I think it was a branch, because it felt like I was hit by something swinging.”
Genevieve rolled over, regaining some of her strength. She grabbed her jacket, which was on the floor next to her, and flipped it over. There were several large rips running across it. She put her hand in one of the holes and retrieved a piece of a branch. Relieved, we all started cleaning up our stuff. Genevieve and Riley took their backpacks into the family room. Genevieve refused any help from us. Cora and I hung up the snow gear to dry. Cora then went around to each of the rooms, turning on the lights. Riley’s generator was doing its job. I was glad we had run the cords on the ground earlier so there was no chance of falling trees or limbs knocking it offline.
Genevieve and Riley had already laid out sleeping bags on the floor when Cora and I came back in.
“We had the perfect house for anything but a falling tree. Why didn’t I have those cut down?” Riley said. “The storm glass was supposed to stand up to anything.” He shook his head in disgust.
Then the lights flickered and went out.
“What happened to the power?” Genevieve asked.
Riley turned on a lantern that he had in his backpack. “Not sure. I checked it before we came over here. It had enough fuel to last through the night.”
While they discussed what could have happened, I started a fire. At first smoke poured into the room because of the paper I used to start it. The wind gusting over the chimney was not allowing the smoke to escape. But then the smoke diminished after the paper burned out and the logs caught fire. It cast a warm, orange glow over the room.
“I’m going to check the generator,” Riley said.
“No, you’re not.” Cora entered the room with a couple of candles in hand.
“I’ll be quick. I have the GPS to find my way back if I get lost.”
“Not another word about it, Riley Moore,” Cora said, sounding like a mother lecturing her son. It had been some time since I had heard that motherly tone and, luckily for me, it was directed at Riley.
“We have plenty of firewood to keep us warm for days and I have a lot of food here. You may check in the morning when the storm lets up.”
“We will need to keep these doors to the family room shut at all times so we can keep the warmth in here. Nicholas, can you come and help me get some of the stuff that we’ll need?” Cora asked.
I followed her upstairs. She pulled out a couple of brand new sleeping bags and pillows from the shelves in the closet. She also grabbed the comforters off our beds. I helped her down the stairs and back into the room. I could already feel the cold seeping into our house. It wouldn’t be long until all of the heat in the house was gone.
Cora picked up the hand-crank weather radio and gave it a couple of turns, bringing it to life. The recorded message this time didn’t reveal anything different than the news had earlier. The room quickly became cold, even with the fire blazing.
Cora put my things on the couch. I climbed over Riley and Genevieve’s stuff and sat on top of my down comforter, which was over my sleeping bag.
“Since we have all of this time with nothing to do, we should talk about how we are going to tell Bryce,” Riley said.
Cora and Genevieve must have been thinking about the same thing because they both had their own ways of telling him. Cora’s way was a gentle, motherly approach. First show him the Thusian Vault, just like she did for me. Genevieve had a more direct approach, hitting him over the head with it. Neither of those approaches seemed right to me.
“Are we sure he’s the one?” I asked. No one spoke. I continued, “If we aren’t 100-percent sure, we shouldn’t tell him. We should put him through some sort of final test.”
“Like what?” Genevieve asked.
“Riley, you said the 4th would display several different talents, kind of like us, right?”
“I did.”
“If so, we should put him into a situation where he can demonstrate those talents for all of us to see. If he passes, then we tell him.”
“What type of test?” Riley asked. “He has already shown several traits of a Thusian. What more do you need to see?”
“Something that is physical in nature, but it has to have a thinking component too,” I said.
“You’re right, Nicholas. You should challenge him to the rite of passage at the last quarry party of the year,” Cora said. I was stunned at what she suggested. She went on.
“The physical part of the challenge is clear, going down the hill without getting hurt. Nicholas, if he doesn’t show the physical talents he needs, you can help him like you did Chad. If he doesn’t need your help, you can try to win this time. If he’s the one we are looking for, he would have to use some of his mental talents to try to figure out how to beat you to the end of the hill.”
“I guess that would work,” Riley said with a stunned look on his face. I think he was shocked by what Cora was recommending I do. Then he added, “Cora you’re right. He would have to show different physical talents during the challenge: balance, strength, and endurance. But he would also have to figure out how to beat Nicholas using his mental talents. That would definitely display all the things we need to see to prove once and for all that he’s the one we’ve been searching for,” he finished.
They were right. I knew deep down inside that this was the only way to know for sure. But if I had any chance of getting Elle back, I would have to make sure that she knew about it well in advance so it wouldn’t be another shock. I didn’t even know if that was a possibility. I wanted to call her just to hear her voice, but I couldn’t. I was sure she would just screen my call so she wouldn’t have to talk to me.
As time went on, it got colder inside the room. Even the lasagna that Cora made got cold before I could finish it. The fire helped, but only the ones closest to it could feel the direct effects of the heat. Sitting on the couch, I could start to see my breath. Small puffs of clouds formed as I breathed out. Was Elle cold? I thought. I started looking for anything to distract my mind from Elle, but it was no use. I was concerned about her. I knew that they had a fireplace in their basement if their power went out. They had plenty of firewood, because I had cut and stacked some up on the back of their house in the beginning of winter. Even though I was sure she’d be okay, I longed to be there taking care of her right now. Even if she didn’t want me there, it would at least give me more time to try to explain myself and make things better, because the hole in my chest was still there.
After we were all finished with dinner, we settled into our sleeping bags. Cora was nearest to the fireplace with Riley next to her. I was on the couch and Genevieve was on the floor between me and Riley. I had offered the couch to both Cora and Genevieve, but neither wanted it. I watched the ominous shadows from the fireplace dance around on the walls. Outside was pitch black. I couldn’t see the storm any longer, but I could hear it raging. I concentrated on the crackling of the wood in the fireplace, which helped me fall asleep rather quickly in the cold. I had a couple of Tic Tacs in my mouth just in case any nausea set in during the night. I was shivering so hard, I felt like I was going to come out of my skin, filling my dreams with being cold. No darkness, just the cold.
Halfway through one of my dreams, it became warm. I looked around and there was Elle. She was holding me, saying, “Shh, Nicholas, everything will be all right. You’re safe.” I knew it was a dream, but she felt so good. I held on to her tightly. Her warmth radiated through me.
I awoke to the sound of a tree falling outside and found I was not the only one on the couch. Genevieve was right next to me, fast asleep. She was warm, like a little heater. I pulled down the comforter a
nd instantly felt that it had become freezing cold in the room. Riley had moved closer to Cora and the two of them were now sharing the large down comforter in front of the dwindling fire. Genevieve and I being just a few feet away from the fire made such a big difference in temperature. She must have climbed up with me to stay warm. Even though I didn’t want her there, I didn’t wake her. The guilt of being this close to her was nothing compared to the cold we were experiencing, so moving would be foolish. We had to stay warm, just to get through the night.
Genevieve’s eyes fluttered and she groaned. She was having a bad dream. I held on to her and whispered, “Everything is going to be all right,” just like Elle had whispered to me in my dream. Her body relaxed. I put my head down and drifted back to sleep.
The next morning, I found myself alone again. Genevieve, Riley and Cora were already up. I heard them out in the kitchen. I was relieved that Genevieve was gone, because it would have been awkward to wake up next to her. Maybe she was hoping that I wouldn’t know she was there with me. It was impossible not to know because my sleeping bag and shirt smelled like her sweet perfume. The aroma was nice and comforting.