With each inch closer, the boy matured, growing slightly taller and his face becoming wiser. As he morphed from a ten-year-old to more of a teenager, I stumbled back in terror.
I knew I was seeing a ghost of some kind, but that wasn't what scared me. My horror came from the fact that the boy's eyes matched Shane's perfectly, and as he got closer to Shane, he grew into an adolescent version of him.
A strange gasp came from Shane's throat as he reached for the strange version of himself. Just as their fingers were about to touch, the boy spoke.
"Help me," he muttered.
Shane cried out as if in pain and swiped his hand out to grab hold of the boy. Right before they touched, he faded, and his presence blended into the colors of the room. And he was gone.
"Ach," Shane gasped as he buckled to his knees.
He dropped his head into his hands and wept.
His shoulders trembled as he sobbed, and I lowered down to him. With my eyes searching every corner of the room for any sign of the boy, I reached my arm around Shane and held him as he cried.
His pain and sorrow moved through him and into me. The emotions crushed me, causing my insides to implode, as I felt everything Shane felt. As torturous as the devastating feelings were, they also held beauty within them. To feel that connected to other people was a gift. The pain that came with it was proof that it had once existed.
"I can't believe it," Shane murmured, shaking his head in his hands. "I thought I'd never see it again."
I sat up slightly, wondering what he was talking about.
He lifted his gaze to mine and wiped at his eyes.
"My soul," he stated.
My breath caught in my neck, and I choked on it. Shane's words punched me in the face, leaving me gasping.
We'd just caught a glimpse of his soul. It was out there searching for him, seeking his help. And now we were closer than ever.
I stared at Shane with more questions than I could process. The lost look in his eyes proved he'd had all the same ones, but then he stood tall and pushed his hair back from his face.
"We can do this," he said, blowing out a huge breath of air. "I've never been more sure of anything."
I nodded, speechless, in agreement. Something profound had just occurred, and I'd witnessed a crossing over that neither of us could have been certain of until this moment.
Shane's soul was within reach.
My trembling hands moved down my face, and I held them at my jaw. Why here? How was Shane's soul able to reach out to us here?
"It makes sense," Shane murmured. "It's exactly what they say of ghosts."
"Hmm?" I shook my head in confusion.
"You know, when their life ends traumatically, they remain in that place, in a state of limbo."
I swallowed hard, listening.
"But you didn't die that day," I whispered.
"No. But in a way, I did." He shook his head. "I sold my soul to the Dark Witch. To the darkness. And for several years, I remained under her control. It was only when I'd discovered the portal that I'd been able to escape her. Temporarily, anyway."
I stared at him in shock. I'd never processed the piece where he had to give his allegiance to her. That part made me sick to my stomach.
"Don't judge me, Brynn. Please," he begged. "I was young and foolish. I had no idea what I'd gotten myself into."
I gave a quick nod, closing my eyes. I couldn't help but think of the things he had to do while under her control.
"You have to believe me," he said. "As soon as I was old enough to understand what was happening, I escaped."
Pushing all of my uncertainty aside, I reached my hand for his. Taking hold of it, I squeezed. "I know. I believe you."
He exhaled in relief.
Of course I knew he would never serve the Dark Witch if he had any other choice. As soon as he was old enough, he broke away from her. That must have been the moment when he came to this time, through the portal, just like my father had done with me.
My breath stopped short.
"Do you think my father could be in the same place as your soul?" I asked.
Shane nodded slowly. "I think so. Maybe. I can see his face in my memories. I know I've met him before or crossed paths at some point."
I pursed my lips together and blew my air out through them.
If only we hadn't destroyed the portal. It seemed like our only means of reaching the in-between.
Shane held my gaze and searched my thoughts. His slow blink proved he agreed with my questioning, searching for an answer and a means for crossing back over.
Then I remembered Ms. Harrison's recent contact with Ms. Kelly. It gave us hope in the fact that it might be possible. Something was beginning, and we needed to latch onto it.
Ms. Kelly called it a loop, something about rebuilding or repeating.
I rubbed my eyes, attempting to process the scattered details.
"Is anyone there?" A far-off voice shot my attention back to the immediate moment.
I jolted in surprise from the jarring sound.
"What the hell is that?" Shane spat.
"Hello?" The distant voice teased our ears as we searched in every direction.
"Is it coming from outside?" Shane asked.
"I can't tell," I murmured. "It sounds like it's coming from... everywhere."
Frozen in place, we listened with every fiber of our being, desperate to hear the voice one more time.
And then, like clockwork, it came again.
"Hello? Is there anybody there?" The voice trailed from every direction, echoing as if caught in a vacuum.
I was certain it wasn't the apparition of Shane. The sound just didn't match in any way. It wasn't that of a young boy, but I couldn't be sure what it actually was. Maybe someone was lost in the woods or at the labyrinth.
Its distant echo made it impossible to trace.
"Outside," Shane gasped. "Come on!"
We hurried out of the secret room, and Shane locked it behind us.
Darting through the upstairs rooms, we made our way to the stairwell and bombed down into the kitchen.
"Helloooo...." The voice was more distinguishable now, that of a young man.
The hairs on my neck prickled.
"Who's there?" I called out, sure the voice was coming from somewhere inside the house.
Shane and I stopped and stood perfectly still. We listened for another call with every fiber of our being.
I wasn't sure if I hoped to hear it again or if I prayed for it to go away.
With only our eyes moving around the room, the silence kept us frozen in place.
"Is it gone?" Shane whispered.
"I don't know," I breathed.
With my heart pounding in my ears, I strained to hear anything.
The longer the silence lingered, the more my breath released from me.
And then it came again.
"What is your name?" The voice echoed all around us.
"Holy shit," I gasped. "What's going on?"
My eyes filled with heavy tears as terror rooted itself deep within me. I'd never believed in haunted houses until this very moment. And now there was no escaping the reality of it.
Someone was trapped and searched for an escape. They begged to be heard, and we had the ability to hear them. I wasn't sure if it had to do with our psychic gifts or if this voice would have been noticed by anyone nearby.
Shane held his hand out to calm me. I panted in my spot, wishing for it to all go away.
"Who's there?" he called out, searching in every direction.
We waited in stillness, as I tried to hold my breath.
With my heart pounding in my ears, I allowed the muffled sounds to buffer whatever was out there.
And then the voice broke through again, sending me into a panic.
As the young man's call filled the space within the house, and within our heads, my mind exploded in shock. Before his words even registered in my thoughts, I'd recognized the voice wi
thout question.
The voice was so familiar in its tone, a slight gasp escaped my trembling lips.
Shane's jaw dropped as the sound echoed all around us. His wide eyes met mine in search of confirmation of what we were hearing.
As he watched a heavy tear fall from my eye, he swallowed hard in understanding.
And then its searching cry called out again from all around us.
"Hello? Whoever is there. My name is Dominick."
Chapter 10
My knees buckled beneath me, and I stumbled to the side table. Holding my balance with my wobbling muscles, I felt my throat constrict as I tried to speak.
"Shane," I squeaked. "Is it Dom?"
I searched all around the kitchen for any sign of Dom and listened for his voice again.
Shane's hand covered his mouth as his wide eyes darted around the room.
With a huff, I straightened myself up and cleared my throat.
"Dom?" I called out. "Is that you?"
Holding my breath, I listened without blinking.
Shane remained unmoving in his rigid stance.
And then it came again.
"Is anyone there?" The echoing voice resonated through the house as if it were a million miles away.
"Dom!" I screamed as tears trailed down my cheeks.
I forced my muscles to move and bolted toward the narrow stairwell. Charging up the stairs with pounding steps, I raced to follow the sound of his voice.
"Wait!" Shane called from behind me.
But I didn't slow. My racing heart powered my legs to a near sprint as I barreled through the halls in search of our friend.
As I entered the room with the hidden door, I stopped and listened.
The sound of Shane's running feet filled the back of my mind, but all other energy focused on my search for Dom's voice.
"Can you hear me?" The voice sent terror through me, rattling my bones.
"Dom!" I screeched again.
But the voice was farther away now, muffled by time and space.
I turned and ran out of the room. Passing Shane, I flew down the stairs again as he tried to grab me.
Practically falling down the steps, I landed at the bottom and regained my balance. I turned toward the kitchen, but then my attention moved to the small passage that led to the crypt.
Without hesitation, I whipped the door open and charged down the uneven steps.
"Brynn!" Shane called to me. This time, anger laced his voice.
But I couldn't slow. I couldn't stop.
If I was hearing Dom's voice, it meant he needed us. He was in trouble. I had no idea why or how this was happening, but my response to his voice was frantic.
I had thought I'd never hear it again.
And now that I did, the only thing in the world that mattered was finding him.
I jolted as Shane grabbed onto my arm.
"Jesus, Brynn. Don't freak out on me," he said, keeping hold.
My wide eyes darted to his.
"It's Dom, right? You heard him, too, right?" I stared into his face praying for his acknowledgment.
His worried gaze held mine, and then he nodded. "Yes."
I knew it.
"Oh my god, Shane. He's trying to reach us," I gasped. "What's happening? How do we find him?"
Shane released my arm and rubbed his hands over his face.
Then his eyes narrowed in thought, and his head fell back as if realizing something.
"What?" I pressed. "What is it?"
His face grimaced, and he turned away with a strong exhale.
"We won't reach him down here," he murmured.
I watched him, waiting for more information.
He turned and moved up the first few steps. Without a word, I followed him until we reached the kitchen area.
My breath continued to rush in and out of me as panic coursed through my veins.
"I don't hear him anymore." My head tipped as I listened.
"He'll be back," Shane said.
My gaze shot to him as my eyebrows pulled together. "How do you know for sure?"
Shane walked to the back of the kitchen and gazed out through a crack in one of the window boards. He stared out into the woods toward the secret garden.
He turned to me then and said, "He's rebuilding."
My chin pulled in. "What are you talking about?"
"The portal, Brynn. Dom's rebuilding the portal."
My jaw fell open at the realization.
Dom was rebuilding the portal from the other side.
It made perfect sense. Just because he had blasted back to the past didn't mean his gifts would cease to exist. It didn't mean everything would stop and be normal again.
It only meant that he was living in the time he was meant to be in.
But not that he couldn't reach us ever again.
So, of course he would try.
"But how would he know how to rebuild it?" I mumbled in confusion.
Shane stepped back from the window and looked at me.
"He was the original builder," he stated. "It was his design."
My air sucked in.
Shane continued. "It's the loop. He's building it again, probably thinking it's his first time." He hesitated in thought. "Something has created the need for it again."
I ran my hands into my hair to hold my head together.
"So, events are going to repeat?" I cringed.
If Dom rebuilt the portal, then the Dark Witch would be able to use it again. It would be her passageway back to us. I balled my fists as my teeth clenched. All our earlier efforts would be destroyed.
"Not if we can help it." He pressed his lips into a thin line.
I could tell he was pissed. What I didn't know was if he was angry about the risk of the Dark Witch rising again, or if it was Dom's return.
I had to believe it was likely both.
"What do we do?" I asked. "We stop him from completing it. He has no idea what he's starting."
Shane nodded in deep thought.
"There's one place I think we can make contact with him," he said. "The place where it all started for me."
"The labyrinth," I stated.
He nodded.
My stomach twisted into a knot.
Going back to the labyrinth was the last thing I wanted to do.
Our first visit there had already left scars of terror on my soul. There were forces within the maze that were unsettled and powerful. I didn't understand it enough to know how to use it to our advantage.
But it made sense.
If there was anywhere we could make contact with Dom, it was in the labyrinth.
I watched Shane's face as it turned pale. The labyrinth held disturbing memories for him. At first, it was his sanctuary, but now it symbolized the violent turning point in his life—the point in time that changed him forever.
Shane took a deep breath. "If we're doing this, I want to be prepared."
A shiver ran through me as I considered whatever it was that worried him. The death curse returning? Losing control of his mind again, as if possessed? Learning something else about his past that would change him again? The reasons for his discomfort were immeasurable.
"Okay, prepared for what?" I asked.
He ran his hands back through his hair and looked up.
"For anything and everything to go wrong."
"Come on. Let's get out of here," Shane moved toward the grand foyer, keeping his focus toward the front door.
I listened one last time, to see if there was any other sign of Dom. Knowing that he was out there within our reach excited every part of me. I'd thought we'd never see or hear from him again. And now, just the thought of knowing that he was rebuilding the portal was a thrill that gave me new hope.
Shane's response made sense, though. He was worried that rebuilding the portal would cause a repeat of the all of the events that, first of all, ruined his life, and second, caused a death curse to pursue those he cared about.
But there was one thing Shane hadn't considered.
"We could help him build it," I murmured.
Shane stopped short by the sweeping staircase that curved up toward the remains of the chandelier. I wished I'd kept my mouth shut until we were beyond the morbid location where his parents had been killed.
"Are you insane?" he spat.
His words cut me, but I knew his defenses were high, and my suggestion only poked the hornet's nest.
"Shane, I know you want to end the cycle, and keeping the portal closed seems to make the most sense, but think about it. If the portal doesn't exist, then we wouldn't exist here." I stopped to organize my thoughts. "We'd remain trapped by the curse with no means of escape. The existence of the portal is the only reason we're still in the game."
Shane balled his fists as his jaw clenched.
"You don't know that for sure."
He stepped toward the door and opened it.
"You're right," I agreed. "But I know we need help to figure this out before we do anything too crazy."
Moving out onto the porch, Shane closed the door behind us and gave it an extra tug to seal it tight.
"All I know is, my soul is searching for me. You saw for yourself. It's right there, practically within my reach." His voice cracked as his throat tightened.
I couldn't imagine what he was going through.
Being in his family home. Reliving the horrors of his past. And then coming face to face with the soul that was torn from him so very long ago.
We had to figure this out. We had one shot at doing it right.
I only wished we knew what we were doing.
As we stepped away from the manor and walked toward Shane's house, my mind lit up like fireworks exploding in every direction.
The force in my head widened my eyes as the flashing bright light awakened me to a new level.
Shane reached for his head and held tight. His squinted eyes fought against a similar eruption, and he leaned over to steady himself.
As we stopped to regain control, the buzzing chaos within our minds separated into individual parts that could be heard more clearly. That was the moment when we understood the upheaval.
"Poorva?" I whispered. "Blake?"
Shane stumbled back. "Everyone's here," he gasped.
We stood facing one another and held our gaze in tight focus. Within our minds, the UMA's thoughts raced with ours. Poorva, Blake, Ms. Reed, and Ms. Kelly, and Tommy. They were all there within our consciousness.
Urban Mystic Academy: Graduation (A Supernatural Academy Series Book 6) Page 8