“Thanks. I’ll see you when I get back.” I think hard about Katie’s house and slide on the bracelet. I close my eyes and imagine that I am standing in her bedroom. I can see the rainbow lights she has strung up on her wall and the fluffy pink rabbit I won for her at the fair last year sitting on her bed. I can see her dresser, piled full of books, and a mirror that has photos all around its edges, most of them of her and I.
I open my eyes and what I had imagined is now in front of me. Katie’s room looks exactly the same as I remembered it. I shove back the urge to cry. I don’t have time to get lost in memories, I have to get back to save her.
I rush to her dresser where her jewelry box is and pull out every drawer. I check them all twice, but her necklace isn’t in any of them.
Where could it be?
Suddenly, a sharp pain shoots up my arm starting at my wrist. I look to where the bracelet sits and notice a spike piercing my flesh. Liquid fire alights in my veins and I clench my teeth together to stifle the scream fighting to get out. What the hell? I try to pull the bracelet off, but it doesn’t budge, and each pull stimulates the pain more.
I turn my attention back to finding the locket. One problem at a time. I start searching under the books until it hits me. I remember Katie’s mom came to my house to tell me the news about her death and she gave me the locket back. My heart was so broken at the time I forgot about it until now.
The necklace is at my house.
I try to think about my room in as much detail as I can, but I don’t teleport there. The bracelet must only go back and forth between the Kingdom and Earth. It would take too much time to go back to the Kingdom and then to my room and if Amanda has already distracted Michael once I can’t be guaranteed she can do it again without raising suspicion. I’ll have to run to my house myself.
I go to Katie’s closet and pull out a black hoodie. No one can see my face. There’s no way I can explain my way out of this one. I strip the hoodie over my head and creep downstairs. Katie’s parents must be asleep. The house is dark and quiet. Anna, Katie’s golden retriever, is asleep beside the door waiting for her to come home. “Sorry girl, she isn’t ever going to come home,” I whisper as I try to open the door quietly.
Anna jolts awake and starts barking loudly. I have to get out of here before I’m caught. I slip out the door and close it. I begin running and when I look back behind me lights are coming on all throughout the house.
I duck down an alleyway and pull the hood over my head. I have the route between our houses memorized so I don’t miss a beat and keep running.
It takes only four minutes for me to be standing outside my door. I pat my pockets. No key. Mom’s gardening gloves lay on the bench beside the door. I slip my hand in one and pull out the key we keep hidden there in case one of us gets locked out.
We don’t have a dog, so I unlock the door and open it without hesitation. My house is dark and quiet too. I move silently down the hall and into my bedroom. It’s just the way I left it; clothes on the floor, paint and brushes strewn all over the desk, pictures of Katie and I taped to the walls. There’s just one thing wrong.
Mom is lying on my bed.
I freeze. Has she seen me? I listen closely and her heavy breathing assures me that she’s asleep. Why is she sleeping in here? It never really occurred to me until now but since Dad left, I am all Mom has. Until I died that is. Now she’s all by herself.
This time I can’t stop the tears from coming. I want to run to her side and hold her. I can’t even imagine how lonely she must feel.
I don’t have time for this.
As painful as it is, I have to stick to the task at hand and that’s getting Katie’s necklace and returning to Amanda. There’s nothing I can do for mom here. I run over to my desk and start sifting through its drawers. Where did I put it? I move everything lying on top of the desk.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
I look over at my bed. The necklace is hanging on the bedpost next to mom’s head. I tiptoe over, thankful I don’t have a heartbeat or need to breathe and lift the necklace off the post and stick it in my pants pocket. Mission accomplished.
I look down at mom. Even asleep she looks exhausted. There are bags under her puffy eyes and her black curly hair lays tangled and unbrushed. I wonder to myself just for a moment what would happen if I stayed here. She needs me.
But that’s not a possibility. I’m dead. But maybe I can give her a sign that I’m okay. I grab a paintbrush from my desk and dip it in the purple paint, her favorite color. I swipe my brush a few times over the wall near her head leaving an abstract rose. I reach down and very gently touch her cheek. “Everything is going to be okay, Mom. Hang in there. I love you.”
I start to think about the Kingdom and Michael’s mansion with the small control room. As I feel myself begin to fade, I watch mom’s eyes slowly lift open. She looks directly at me. “Scotty?’
But then she’s gone.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Back in the control room I stare blankly at the wall. Mom saw me. Or at least she thinks she saw me. She’s probably crying now. My heart breaks at the thought of it. I hope the painting will calm her down.
I look around and whisper, “Amanda?” No answer. I wonder where she is. She probably had to lead Michael away with a silly question. I should get out of here before he gets back.
Walking out the front door of the mansion, I slip my hand into my pocket. It’s still there. The cool metal of the necklace makes my hand tingle with excitement. I’m finally going to have my Katie back.
Up ahead I hear voices. Amanda must have lost their attention. I duck behind a tree and listen hard.
“But how did she recover her memories?” That’s Matthew’s voice.
“I pushed her through the gate same as everyone else. Something is going on and we need her to tell us what so we can put an end to it.” That voice belongs to Michael.
I hear the front door to the mansion shut and their voices disappear. They know about Amanda. They’ve done something with her. They’re going to try to make her talk. I don’t even want to think about what kind of torture these magical beings are capable of, especially with their ability to manipulate emotions.
And it’s my fault. I told Amanda to stay behind and distract them. She was caught while protecting me.
But we both would have been caught had we come back together. After I free Katie, I’m coming back for you, Amanda. I will not let these angels hurt you.
I take off in a sprint. My feet pound on the ground beneath me. If the angels have Amanda, then there’s no telling how much time I have. She won’t give me up willingly but who knows what they’ll do to her.
I push myself harder.
In town, it’s quiet and empty. When the people here don’t have to sleep anymore, why wouldn’t they be as lively as they are in the day? It must just be habit to sleep at night.
My legs begin to ache, but I keep running. I can see Katie’s house. I bound up the steps but then stop myself from knocking. I haven’t thought about what I’m going to say to her. She told me to leave her alone and to not come back. How am I going to convince her to open the door? She could call angels to come take me away.
I bend over and put my hands on my knees. I’m exhausted from the run and clueless about Katie. And then the idea strikes me. I pull the hood of Katie’s jacket that I’m still wearing over my head and tuck my hands into the sleeves.
I walk off the porch back to the path and face the house. I hunch down into a running stance. I’m so done for if this necklace thing doesn’t work.
I take off running towards the large window on the side of the house where her living room should be. At the last minute I duck my head and jump, smashing through the glass.
I push myself up off the floor and brush most of the diamond-like shards off. I run to Katie’s bedroom and throw open the door. She’s huddled on the bed clutching a kitten tightly to her chest. She’s physically shaking, startled by
the intrusion.
I approach her slowly, one step at a time, and pull back my hood. I keep my voice low and steady. “Katie, I know what you’re thinking. I know you’re scared but if you give me a minute to explain everything will be okay, alright?”
When she realizes it’s me, she becomes angry. “What are you doing here? I told you to leave me alone!”
“I know but listen. I have something that will help you remember. Please just calm down.” I’m only a foot away from her bed. I reach my hand into my pocket and pull out the necklace.
“Even if it’s possible for me to ever remember you, I hope I never do! You’re crazy! And I’ll scream if you come near me.”
That hurt.
I need to stay calm. If I show I’m not a threat maybe she will relax and trust me. “Katie, let me show you this necklace. If this doesn’t work, I will leave you alone, but you have to see that this place is wrong. Do you remember your grandmother? She died. Have you seen her here?”
I don’t know if I fully mean it when I say I’ll leave her alone because I could never give up on her, but I try to look genuine. She thinks about it and I hold my breath. Hopefully the thought of her grandmother earns me some points.
“You better mean it,” she says, and I let the air out I was holding and rush to her side. She flinches at my sudden movement.
“I do mean it, try to focus okay?” I hold the necklace in the palm of my hand in front of her.
“I’ve never seen this before,” she says flatly.
“Please, Katie, try. Look, that’s our birthstones. And here on the inside.” I open the locket. “See? That’s us at senior prom.”
She’s quiet for a long time. I wonder if the memories are awakening in her. I sit still and stay silent, so I don’t distract her.
Finally, she speaks. “Alright, I’ve given you my time. Now, leave.”
I can’t believe it. It didn’t work. “You didn’t feel anything?” I try not to let my voice crack under the heartache. I thought for sure this would work. Amanda’s sacrifice was for nothing.
Or was it?
“Put it on.” I extend my hand with the necklace still in it toward Katie.
“I did what you asked, and you said you would leave. I’m through with your demands. If you don’t leave right now, I am going straight to Michael.”
I don’t think so. I unclasp the necklace and lunge forward. Her eyes widen with shock. I reach for her neck with the necklace trying not to hurt her by accident. Her hand shoots up to block me, but her fingertips skim the chain of the necklace.
At that moment of contact a bright light blinds me and a force trusts me away from the bed and my back smacks into the wall on the other side of the room.
PART THREE: KATHRYN
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
I sit up in my bed and put my hands on my head to stop it from spinning. Disoriented, I look around and try to figure out where I am and what just happened.
I’m sitting on my bed in my new house in the Kingdom. The bright red comforter is balled up at my feet and one of my small black kittens is cowering under it. I pick her up and stroke her silky fur to soothe her.
I glance up when something shiny catches my eye at the end of my bed. I crawl towards it.
It’s my locket.
The last few minutes return to me. I remember seeing a bright light and getting knocked backwards after my fingers touched that locket. That locket that Scotty was trying to put on me.
Scotty.
I whip my head around, searching the room until my eyes lock on his body slumped on the floor.
I clamber out of bed as quickly as I can and rush to his side. “Scotty? Can you hear me?” He groans as I lift his head. “Scotty, please wake up!” A tear slips down my cheek.
Scotty’s eyelids lift heavily. He looks at me and lifts his hand to brush the tear that has made its way to my chin away. “Don’t cry anymore, Katie.”
My heart lifts and I clutch him to me tightly. He makes a painful sound but wraps his arms around me.
“Does this mean you remember?” he asks as I help him stand on his unsteady feet.
I think about it; the blissful three years I have been with Scotty, the chaotic couple of weeks that lead to my death, the peaceful fool I have been living here, and the cowardly jerk I have been to Scotty because of his attempts to remind me. Yes, I do remember it all.
I smile at Scotty. “Can you forgive me for forgetting?”
His eyes light up and he grabs me and holds me as if I might disappear. “It’s not your fault. But I’m so glad to have you back.” His voice cracks and my heart goes out to him for his persistence against my stubbornness.
“Come, lay down. You hit that wall hard.” I lead him to my bed.
“Lay with me?”
“Of course.” I shift Scotty onto the mattress and help him lean back against a stack of pillows. Once he’s comfortable, he opens his arms to me, and I curl up at his side and lay my head on his chest.
“That’s better.”
We lay there in silence for a long time, not wanting to ruin the moment with the inevitable conversation of what is really going on around us. Now that Scotty has reawaken the memories inside me, it does make me wonder why they were ever taken to begin with. Scotty sighs deeply and I know he’s about to bring us back to face reality.
“This is wrong.”
My chest tightens. What’s wrong? Us? No, he means the memory stealing, right? “What do you mean?”
“I mean this place. It’s wrong. The Kingdom is not Heaven and those things out there are not angels. They’re killing people, Katie.”
I have never felt so confused. “Slow down, Scotty, you’ve lost me.”
“It’s a bit of a long story.”
“That’s one cliché I don’t like. You have all the time in the world to tell me.”
“No, we don’t have any time. We have to go and save Amanda. Michael is evil and we have to stop whatever he’s doing.” Scotty climbs out of bed, straightening his hoodie. Isn’t that mine? Or maybe it’s one that looks like mine.
My head begins to hurt from trying to keep up. “You need to start at the beginning. I have no idea what you’re talking about. And who’s Amanda?”
“Amanda is a girl I met here who kept her memories like I did. She has a theory that it’s because we refused to pass through the gate. We were pushed through so our willpower made the magic not work, or something like that.”
“So how did you bring my memories back? I walked through the gate willingly.” I get out of bed and sift through my closet for clothes to replace my fuzzy pajamas.
“Amanda and I followed Michael around at his mansion and these angels can travel back and forth to Earth with these gold bracelets.” He flashes the bangle hanging on his wrist. I’ve seen that bracelet before. I reach for the memory but Scotty continues talking. “When they left, I took one and went to Earth to get your locket. Since it was something that hadn’t passed through the gate it was able to let you remember again. I’m still not sure how all this really works.”
So that is my jacket? “I’m trying to keep up. What happened to Amanda?”
“She was supposed to stand guard while I was on Earth and when I got back, she was gone. I overheard Michael say they were going to make her talk.” Scotty shifts from one foot to the other and glances toward the living room every few minutes.
My stomach starts to twist in knots. This is a lot to process at once. “Okay, I can buy that this isn’t Heaven. This memory suppression is too deceptive for angels, but what do you mean they’re killing people?” I pull a white sweater over my head and slide into a pair of blue jeans.
“Everyone is here because they killed themselves,” he states, and I involuntarily flinch. “And the angels helped with that. They have this -” A knock at the door stops Scotty from what he was about to say. I look at him as he rakes his hand through his hair and tries to compose himself. “What if it’s Michael?”
“He doesn’t know either of us have our memories. Let’s answer the door together and play it dumb.” I reach for his hand. He doesn’t hesitate to take it and stands by my side.
We walk to the front door and when I open it, I am met by a face I had pushed away and was glad to briefly forget.
A face with deep green eyes.
Matthew stands on my porch smiling broadly. His body is draped in a long white robe and wings protrude from his back. “Katie, I came to see if you were alright. I see your window is broken. I was also looking for Scott, but it looks like you already found him.”
I’m too frozen to speak and Matthew raises one eyebrow.
Scotty squeezes my hand to remind me to play dumb. I blink a few times then force a smile. “Scott’s been here hanging out.”
Scotty rescues me from blowing our secret by acting flawlessly. “We don’t know what happened to the window. We were thinking maybe one of the pets knocked something through it on accident. We plan to get it fixed but right now it’s very early and we were still in bed.” Scotty hides his wrist with the bracelet still on it behind his back.
Matthew looks at our questionable bedtime attire but seems to accept Scotty’s performance and dismisses the broken window. “I also have a few questions for you if you don’t mind.”
“Ask us anything.” Scotty’s grip tightens on my hand and I try not to make a face.
Matthew launches into his interrogation. “You’ve been seen with a girl named Amanda. Do you deny that?”
Scotty feigns puzzlement, furrowing his brow and tilting his head to one side. “Yes, I have spoken with her a few times.”
“Did she say anything strange to you?”
“She has a rebellious attitude but other than that no.”
“She has broken some rules here and is being dealt with. I was sent to ensure that you were not working with her.” Matthew stares hard at Scotty.
Scotty doesn’t break composure and I am in awe at his strength. “I didn’t know she was breaking rules. What are you going to do with her?”
Sacrificial Lamb (The Other Angels Book 1) Page 12