Voices

  “Good for Reizo,” Mom mutters.

  “Zeke left, but ten minutes later a nurse, the hospital security guard, and the police came into my room to arrest Reizo. Zeke said he’d hurt both of our families if we didn’t do what he said. You have to stop him. Call Hank—”

  Mom composes herself, just like I’d seen her do on the mornings before she goes to court to argue a case. “Take a breath, honey. The doctors want you to stay calm. I promise you, I’ll get to the bottom of this.”

  “But what are we going to do? Zeke and his father have power in Franklinville.”

  “I know. But listen. I went to school with a Justice Department attorney, a federal guy with high-level connections in Washington, D.C. He has good friends at the FBI and DEA. I’ll call him. In the meantime, I need to file a restraining order against Zeke for threatening you.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  “Just promise me you’ll stay calm. You’re surgery isn’t for a few more days. The doctors need you to stay in bed.”

  I nod my head, but I’ve already started making a plan.

  Mom continues. “I’ll let hospital security know. They’ll keep an eye on you while I’m at the office or in court. Will you be okay?”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  I will be, once I know Reizo made it to the pond.

  chapter thirty-two

  After moving the bush hiding the shelter’s entrance, I climb down its ladder.

  A battery-powered lantern is on the floor. Aimee must have borrowed it from her uncle. Once I have the light on and the hatch closed, I feel safe in the smelly shelter.

  My head spins and I’m shaking as I catch my breath. Zeke. I barely know the bastard. He’s determined to put me away. One moment I’m enjoying Aimee’s company, the next I’m running from cops. What the hell is going on?

  Maybe I’ll wait a day and let things cool down, then get word to Mom. I need time to chill. But at the moment, I can’t sit. I pace around the small space, peering at the shelves full of old books and wondering what the hell I’m going to do.

  It’s hard to believe Aimee found a shelter that’d been buried for a hundred-and-fifty years. It’s like the entire thing was transported directly from the 1800’s. I search around the place to take my mind off the cop’s massive search back in Franklinville, peering past stacks of books and searching the open safe. Empty. She’d cleaned it out already.

  I remember the coins Aimee had found earlier and wonder if more gold coins could be stashed somewhere else inside the shelter. I’d need money to get out of Franklinville before Zeke’s paid-off cops find me. Leaving the city seems to be my only option.

  Half-open desk drawers appear to have been searched. Small chains, rusty nails, paper pieces, old coins, fountain pens, a variety of small books, a bible, and worthless odds and ends had been spread over the top of the desk. Aimee had obviously searched the drawers.

  I see the drawer she told me about with the false back, where she’d found the combination note. Did Aimee check the other drawers for secret compartments?

  It doesn’t take me long to find another drawer with a false back. I push through the thin piece of wood and find gold coins. Awesome. Money is what I need.

  What other treasures might be hiding?

  I pull the lever on the Symphonion music box and listen to it play.

  Aimee. It feels like a dream when I’m with her. It’s like we’re connected. She makes me feel amazing. Then I remember that I’m hiding and my warm feeling runs cold. All because of Wesley’s Last Will and Testament.

  After a while, searching the shelter loses its appeal. I sit down on the cot and lie back. Ames.

  I make two fists, searching for a glimmer of hope that never comes.

  I've decided.

  I'm not running away.

  chapter thirty-three

  A policeman asks me an hour of nonstop questions before Mom tells the older policeman I need a break. He shrugs off my suspicions about Zeke as if he could care less and leaves my room.

  “I’m staying the night,” Mom insists, pushing the nurse call button.

  There’s no sense arguing with her. She’s worried.

  The duty nurse recruits security guard Steve, who brings in and sets up a portable bed.

  At 10 p.m. the nurse dims my lights. Mom falls asleep in ten minutes.

  I toss and turn until Nurse O’Connor walks in, carrying her plastic tray of needles and blood vials. I call her VampiraOC. She visits my room every morning at 3 a.m. for artery blood—her midnight snack. She says artery blood is sweeter than blood from veins. Whatever.

  It’s not fair. One minute I’m enjoying Reizo, the next Zeke ruins everything. Is he protecting his father?

  VampiraOC digs past the layer of my wrist veins until she hits an artery. I flinch and clench my jaw until my face hurts. She says sorry every night and pats me on the arm.

  Thoughts of Reizo spin in my head as VampiraOC probes deeper.

  Did Reizo make it to the shelter? I try not to make any noise to avoid waking up Mom, but a groan escapes as blood floods the vial.

  Mom starts to sit up, but I motion for her to turn over. Luckily, she doesn’t hesitate. She goes back to sleep.

  After ten minutes, my wrist is throbbing, VampiraOC is gone, and Mom is snoring again. The hospital is quiet, except for VampiraOC feasting in a room down the hallway.

  It’s time.

  I quickly retrieve the keys from Mom’s purse, put pillows under my bed covers, grab my clothes and shoes, and scribble out a note just in case Mom wakes up and finds me gone: “I went to check on Uncle.”

  It’s a white lie. Okay, it’s a total lie. But I have to make sure Reizo made it. I leave the note on the bed stand so she’ll see it if she discovers I’m not in bed.

  I tiptoe into the dimly lit hospital hallway, disappearing into the room next door, where an elderly man snores like a freight train. I lock myself into his bathroom and change into my clothes.

  Moments later, I turn off the bathroom light and open the door.

  “Hello?” the old man in the hospital bed croaks. He speaks as if he’s been chewing tobacco in his sleep. “What—? Who are you?” He fumbles for his glasses.

  My heart lurches. I hesitate, but snap out of it. “Sorry to wake you, sir. I’m just checking to make sure you have enough towels for tomorrow.”

  “Ah, oh,” he replies, clearly confused. “I could use another towel, I suppose.”

  “I’ll get you one, sir.” I wave and dart into the empty hallway where I stop, stand against the wall, and scan for Vampira OC.

  Coast is clear.

  I take in a deep breath and make my way to the stairway exit, then on down the stairs. My heart sputters like a car that’s running out of gas. I breathe deep and focus, as if I’m getting set to run a relay race. Dig.

  When I enter the lobby, a young man in a security guard uniform is helping a family move a woman from a car into the emergency room. She’s crying and obviously in pain. I’m sad for her, but happy for me; the ruckus creates the distraction I need.

  I bolt out a side entrance into the parking lot, realizing I have no freaking idea where Mom has parked. I hadn’t thought about this part. I press the lock button on the clicker over and over as I jog around the parking lot.

  I need to find the car before the security guard gets back to his desk and checks the parking lot cameras. He’ll surely see me.

  After another couple of minutes, a horn finally begins to honk.

  Mom’s car lights blink.

  Found it.

  Scratches. Three loud thumps. Scraping. Knocking. Weird sounds come from the shelter’s entry hatch.

  What the hell?

  I sit up wide-awake and switch on the lantern. My wristwatch shows 3:45 a.m. Who could it be?

  Another thump. The hatch jiggles. My heart is racing. Two quick knocks and the hatch moves. What if someone else knows about this place? Damn it. There’s no escape. I
’m so screwed.

  Maybe I can hide. I switch off the light. The hatch opens a few inches, then stops.

  “Reizo?” asks a small voice through the opening.

  “What the—Ames?”

  “Yeah, Reiz, it’s me,” she whispers.

  I switch back on the lantern, haul ass up the ladder, and push open the hatch.

  Aimee’s smile fills me with excitement. “Oh man. You freaked me out.”

  She steps onto the ladder and I help her down into the shelter.

  “What are you doing here?” I ask. “Is everything okay?”

  She nods.

  When we’re both off the ladder, Aimee throws her arms around me and we kiss until the world fades away.

  I lean back and take in a breath, searching her eyes. “What are you doing here?”

  Tears cover her cheeks. “I was so worried.”

  I try to dry her face with my hands. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m fine. See . . . but what are you thinking? You’re supposed to be in bed.”

  “I had to make sure you made it. I couldn’t wait in a hospital bed to find out. Besides, I brought you supplies in a couple bags up top. I thought you’d need some food and water. I borrowed it from Uncle’s kitchen. He doesn’t hear a thing once his hearing aid is turned off for the night.”

  The girl is fearless.

  “Here,” I say and point to the cot. “Sit down. Catch your breath.”

  “I wish I could, but I can’t. There’s no time. I have to get back before Mom wakes up. I borrowed her car.”

  “What? You didn’t tell me you drive.”

  “Of course, don’t you?” She pushes my shoulder. “Driver’s Ed was a requirement for all of us.”

  I shrug. “True. But I never took the test.”

  “How come?” Aimee asks.

  “They don’t allow mascot attacking teenagers to drive.”

  Aimee chuckles and shakes her head. “I better go. No way do I want to explain the note I left for my mom. You’re safe and that’s all I wanted to know.”

  I thought about arguing with her, but I get it and she needs to be in a hospital bed. “Let me walk you back to the car. It’s still dark outside.”

  She doesn’t object.

  As soon as we walk past the oak trees, the voices start in on me.

  “What the hell are you doing brother man?” asks Bouncer.

  “You better get out of town,” says Honesti. “Aimee shouldn’t be out of the hospital.”

  “I know. But she’s doing better—”

  “Huh?” Aimee asks, chewing on her bottom lip.

  Oh man. I hesitate.

  “The voices?”

  “Yeah, sorry.” I concentrate on her lips, and then shift my gaze to her eyes.

  “What’s your next move?” she asks, as if I’m playing chess.

  “I’m still working out a plan.” I shake out both hands. “Can you call my mom and tell her I’m okay? Tell her I called you from a payphone and you don’t have any idea where I am.”

  “Okay.”

  I tell Aimee my home phone number again as we walk to the car. Just being near her fills me with excitement. It’s as if nothing can pull us apart.

  “You better go,” I whisper, holding her close.

  “I’ll touch base in a day or two. Promise you won’t leave the hospital again until after your surgery?”

  “I promise.” She climbs into her mother’s car. “I’m worried. The rumors about Zeke and drugs must be true. Do you think Zeke would really—?”

  “I’m pretty sure he’ll do anything he needs to do. Bummer for him, though. He’s made a big mistake.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He’s pissed off a crazy person.”

  With no traffic on the road, it doesn’t take long to get back to the hospital. I ease into the empty parking space where Mom had originally parked.

  After a quick walk from the car, I watch the windows from outside for a minute to make sure the security guard is done making his rounds. Once I know the coast is clear, I fast walk through the lobby and on up the stairs.

  When I reach my floor, I peer into the dimly lit hallway. The duty nurse is nowhere in sight. And Vampira OC has apparently moved on to another floor. That means I still have time before a shift change.

  I tiptoe back into the old guy’s room and retrieve my so-not-sexy-backless-hospital-sleepers. Then I continue to my room.

  It’s 4:50 a.m. and Mom is snoring. I pulled it off. Yay me!

  Soon, I have my PJs back on and return my street clothes into the dresser drawers. Just as I crawl into bed, Mom rubs at her face and sits up.

  “Honey? Are you okay?”

  Oh no, I forgot the note. I glance over to where I left it. Luckily, it’s still on the table next to her.

  “Honey?” she repeats.

  “Yeah, Mom, I’m fine. I just needed to use the bathroom. Go back to sleep, okay?”

  She rubs her face and heads for the bathroom. “Good idea.”

  When she closes the door, I get out of bed and palm my note. Before I return to bed, the duty nurse scurries into my room.

  “Now young Miss De Lucca,” she says. “You know you’re supposed to be in bed.”

  “Just getting some water,” I reply.

  “Ah huh,” says the nurse, fluffing my pillow.

  I hold the note behind my back and climb back into bed.

  Mom saunters out of the bathroom, yawning and stretching her arms.

  “My, my. Y’all are up early this morning,” the nurse says. “Guess I don’t blame ya. We’re not exactly a five-star resort ’round here.”

  I don’t respond. Neither does Mom as she stretches and rubs at her neck.

  It doesn’t take long before the nurse has taken my vitals. She declares me to be in reasonably good shape, all things considered. She does point out that my pulse rate is higher than it should be at such an early morning hour. But she doubts it’s a problem.

  “Do you mind if I run to the office for a few hours this morning, dear? Hank will be here to sit with you before noon.”

  “Sure Mom, no problem. I’m feeling pretty good.”

  In fact, I’m great. I can still feel him. My face warms when I think about the softness of Reizo's lips.

  “Good then. I need to proofread the legal brief we’re submitting to the federal court today. Then we’ll serve the Isak Sarov Corp. with the papers. No one messes with my little girl, especially some teenage bully son of Isak Sarov. I don’t care if his father is the richest man in Arkansas.”

  “Just be careful, Mom. Zeke means business. He’s dangerous. I mean it. And remember, the police are probably on his payroll, okay?”

  “Sure, sure,” she says, freshening up her face. She gives me a kiss. “Everything will be fine, Aimee dear. It’ll all be fine.”

  5:30 a.m. When Mom walks out of my room, I rip my note into confetti and toss it in the small metal trashcan near the door.

  I’ll wait until 7 a.m. before calling Mrs. Rush to tell her about Reizo.

  I lie back on the hospital bed.

  How long does Reizo have before the police catch him?

  chapter thirty-four

  Book shelves. Old desk. A cot. The storm shelter glows in the bright light of the LED lantern.

  It’s easy to think without voices haunting me.

  So many things have happened since that first day I met Aimee.

  We discovered the storm shelter built by a long-dead relative. Found artifacts inside the shelter. Found a diary. Wesley’s Last Will and Testament document. Gold coins. Silver coins. Books. There's probably more treasures to be discovered.

  Wesley’s Last Will and Testament could cause a huge change in land ownership in Franklinville.

  I stare upward at the old railroad ties with steel rails with so many questions.

  How do Zeke’s drugs and land ownership relate?

  Everyone at school knows Zeke is a drug dealer, but
what if he supplies drugs beyond Franklinville?

  What do drugs have to do with Grandpa Wesley’s Last Will and Testament?

  If the court finds the will to be valid, could it threaten Zeke’s ability to distribute drugs?

  My head hurts.

  I need answers.

  chapter thirty-five

  I stare at the light panels on the ceiling covering florescent tubes. I don’t feel like reading. I don't want to watch television. I don’t feel like doing anything except thinking about Reizo and his dreamy hazel eyes.

  Butterfly chills tickle me from the inside. It’s only been a handful of hours since I’ve seen Reizo, but I miss him. I long for his energy. The way he makes me feel.

  Questions spin around in my head. How can I feel so connected to him in such a short period of time? How could I fall for the 3D tagger guy who flattens mascots and hears voices?

  We’re like two magnets pulling on each other. He doesn’t crush me, he gets me, and I’m excited when he’s near. Suddenly, I feel a surge of anger that breaks me out of my romantic trance. A crushing energy, as if the air around me has instantly become heavy and weighs a million pounds.

  Zeke walks into my room with Josh the hulk. “This is way too easy.”

  He stretches his neck above his buttoned-up shirt and pushes back his black-framed glasses. “Good morning, Aimee De Lucca. How was your hospital breakfast this morning?”

  I scramble to sit up and search the doorway for help, but the hallway appears deserted. I reach for the nurse button.

  “Don’t do it,” says Zeke. “We’ve been through that already. I wouldn’t press it if I were you.”

  He lifts up his baggy shirt, revealing a small handgun tucked discreetly in his belt.

  “One of my boys is following your mother, another following her boyfriend, and one is watching Rush’s mom. The only problem now is finding lover boy.”

  I’m freaking out. His intense darkness crushes me and his piercing eyes burn. I try to hide my trembling hands until my entire body begins to shiver.

  I search again for an escape route, but Josh is blocking the door. I’m trapped.

  For a second I pray Zeke is bluffing, but I recall how the police showed up to arrest Reizo not long after Zeke’s last visit. Somehow, law enforcement is working with Zeke or for him. Probably bribed. I’m in trouble.

  “Checkmate,” he says. “Ex-track star. Girl with the broken heart.”

  “Yeah, ex-track star,” says Josh, acting like a six-foot-tall parrot with a large crooked nose for a beak.