“For what?” Twan asks.
“For battle,” Sasha says.
Then Jenny Lewis, who works at Maggie’s part-time after school and on weekends, comes over asking if she can take our order. For once we don’t order pizza, just a huge basket of fries and smoothies all around. The tone at the table is quiet and contemplative as Jenny walks away.
“Wow,” Twan says finally. “I’m sitting here with kids who look normal just like me, but they have superpowers. That is so wild.”
“You can’t tell,” Sasha says quietly. “If this gets out, people will think we’re all crazy. Maybe lock us up or something.”
“Or try to exploit us,” Krystal says. “Let’s not forget the Majestic 12 project. Somebody knows about our kind, they just haven’t figured out how to find us yet. But when they do it’ll be like open season. Some will want us dead and others, well, they’ll want to see how much they can get from us, be it money or fame.”
“True,” Lindsey chimes in. “That’s the American way.”
“He’s not gonna tell,” I say, looking at Twan.
He shakes his head. “Nah, I won’t say anything. I’m just glad I know now. I was starting to think I was going crazy.”
“What gave us away?” Sasha asks. “Was it that night with the birds?”
“The birds?” he asks. “Oh, yeah, you mean like the ones outside right now?”
When he says that all of us shift so we can see out the front window of the sub shop. Twan’s right, there’s about twenty birds lined up on the cars and sidewalk right out front.
Lindsey shivers. “Ewww, it’s like they’re watching us.”
“Or waiting for us,” Krystal says.
I keep quiet, because I know deep down they’re doing both. And they’re doing it for Charon. He wants to know what we’re doing, what we’re talking about, how we plan to stop him. He has no idea that we don’t know what to do about him. That actually the girls and now Twan don’t even know he exists.
I’ve gotta figure this out because I’ve got a feeling things are about to go downhill, real fast.
fourteen
It rained all day. I mean a dull-gray, icicle-looking rain that smacked against the windows of my house like angry spikes. It was Sunday, and on Sundays I mostly hung around the house doing stuff with Pop Pop. Dad didn’t work on Sundays unless he was called in, which he was today. And every other Sunday for the last couple of months. That’s because people on his job liked to crap on him, too. I don’t think these social wars get any easier as you get older, just a whole other set of issues to deal with. So there’s these guys on Dad’s job that are supervisors over him even though he’s been in the maintenance department at the electric company for as long as I’ve been on Earth. The guys, his supervisors, two of them just graduated college last year. And the other one, he’s been at the company for like a hundred years. In fact, I think his father helped institute the company. So whatever, they always need to change their shift so that they don’t come in on Sundays. Then Dad has to. It’s really crappy, but Dad doesn’t complain so I guess I shouldn’t either.
Pop Pop and I played two games of Sorry and three of Uno. We just had dinner, frozen fish sticks and French fries. I cooked. Now Pop Pop’s watching some reruns of an old black-and-white on television. Ms. Tompkins, Pop Pop’s nurse, just came in for her evening shift. She comes every day at some point for a few hours to make sure Pop Pop’s had all his meds and is basically doing okay. That’s another reason Dad goes in on Sundays without a fight, a private nurse isn’t cheap. I’m just sitting here, looking out the window at the rain, until my cell phone vibrates.
B by to pick u up in 15
It was Twan. I’d been hoping the Harvest Hangout would have been canceled due to the bad weather, but obviously I’m wrong.
K
I respond, thinking of the fact that Krystal will also be there. Twan had said yesterday that he’d get me, then we’d pick up the girls. I hadn’t talked to her since last night because she went to church this morning. I wondered how she was doing with that—going to church and learning to be godly all the while knowing at some point she’d come face-to-face with real-life evil.
Running upstairs, I pull off the old sweats I’d been wearing since my afternoon shower. Digging into the back of my closet I find a pair of jeans with the tags still on them. I don’t know when Dad bought these but I’m hoping I can still fit them. In the past few weeks I’ve put on a few pounds, even though to look at me right now you wouldn’t notice it. I felt it in the snugness of my T-shirt mostly. Anyway, I pull a clean navy blue T-shirt from my drawer and reach into my closet for my black hoodie. I don’t plan on pulling the hood up like I used to, but it’s gotta be chilly out with the rain and all.
Stopping in the living room I say to Pop Pop, “Going to some hayride thing with some kids from school. Be back in a couple of hours.”
He turns and leans over the arm of his recliner. Ms. Tompkins is standing right beside him as she’d just been taking a thermometer from his mouth. His eyes roam over her stocking-clad legs and even look a little excited when he finally focuses them on me. Good to see there’s still some life left in him.
“You going out with them?” he asks.
I know what “them” he means because he whispers the word like we’re sharing a secret—which we are I guess. “Yeah, and a few others,” I say and feel confident that it’s not a lie. Twan is an other. And so are all the kids from school that will probably be there—Alyssa and her crew and so on.
Since the sun had never made an appearance, it was full dark by the time we made it to the Cantwell farm. It was south of the town, close to yet another forest border. Actually, the Cantwell house sat in the middle of a huge piece of land, half of which was covered in grass and other vegetation and the other half currently housing the corn maze we’re supposed to conquer. The whole place looks eerie, with fog so thick you can barely see the ground reaching up to almost touch my kneecaps. The fog sort of matches the dark, dismal sky but not the celebratory mood of the kids from Settleman’s High.
Twan parks on the dirt-covered lot where all the other cars are lining up and we walk toward the front entrance. Krystal and I hold hands, so do Twan and Sasha. Lindsey is there but she’s back to her freaky quiet mode with her jeans and black hoodie on and black-and-white chullo hat. I don’t know what she looks like this time, just that it’s so weird the normally chatty Lindsey is turning into a sullen Goth impersonator.
Behind me some girl shrieks, and as I turn I see it’s Olivia Danville, captain of the cheerleading team, giggling and cuddling up with Pierce Haynes, the captain of the football team. Their teaming up is the biggest cliché of the town.
“Let’s do the hayride first,” Sasha suggests after we’ve walked through the front gates.
“Don’t you all look cute. Coupled up and everything.” Alyssa’s snide voice breaks through our conversation. “Well, except for her,” she says, directing her comments in Lindsey’s direction.
She’d walked up behind Sasha, squeezing between her and Lindsey so that she and Jamie Griffin were now right in the middle of the circle we’d unintentionally formed.
“I see two like creatures have found each other,” she says, looking at me and Krystal.
“And I see no creature has been able to stomach you yet, hence the reason you’re alone tonight,” Krystal shoots back.
Jamie Griffin, a Richie with long honey-blond curls that look alarmingly like Camy Sherwood’s, Alyssa’s former sidekick, gives Krystal a dirty look.
“Let’s just go,” Lindsey says, not looking at any of the girls but off toward the corn maze.
In the center between the maze and the pumpkin patch and veggie garden are two huge tents where hot apple cider and candy and caramel apples are being sold. There are some other things over there, but so far all I’ve seen anyone walk away with are the apples and cider. We’re standing a few feet from there, contemplating where to go next.
/> “Don’t forget I’m in charge here tonight, so no funny business,” Alyssa says, eyeing each of us.
I wonder if, like Twan, she’s seen or heard strange things from us before. Something about the way she’s looking at all of us, accusing us, makes me think she has.
“There’s something funnier than this whole Halloween show you’ve set up?” Twan asks, then laughs, which makes Sasha laugh. Krystal joins in, I think just because she can see it’s pissing Alyssa off.
“Lindsey’s right,” I say to stop this uncomfortable scene. “Let’s just go.”
As I start to walk the others follow me, except for Alyssa and Jamie. They stay behind, staring at us probably. I say that because that’s how I feel, all jittery like I’m on a stage in front of hundreds of people and somebody just pulled my pants down. I guess you could say I feel like I’m being watched. It’s eerie. Creeping me out more than the tall stale corn husks that make up the corn maze.
We stand in a crowded bunch that serves as the line to board the tractor trucks pulling beds of hay. Krystal threads her arm through mine as I stand with my hands in my pocket. The girls seem excited about the night’s activities. Me and Twan, we just go with the flow.
Our turn comes quickly enough and we all take the three skinny steps up to the flatbed where we find seats on bales of hay. Krystal and I sit next to each other with Twan and Sasha right across from us on the middle row of hay and Lindsey right beside Krystal. A lot of the girls are giggling and shrieking, as it’s pretty dark out here and the path ahead of us isn’t lighted. Guys are taking full advantage of the dark, making growling and ghoulish sounds. I guess if I relax a bit I could find the fun in this, too.
The tractor gets started with a loud engine and some bumps along the road. As we ride more of the guys start to tell ghost stories.
“Really, this one is true,” Pierce is saying. “My grandparents used to tell me this one, said it happened right here in Lincoln.”
I don’t know why but his words pique my interest, and as Krystal settles her head on my shoulder and I pull her even closer to me, I’m listening intently.
“A long, long time ago, this town used to be nothing but forests and hills. There was Main Street and a couple of log-cabin houses, but that was all. In one of the houses, the one all the way at the end of the town, they say a witch lived.”
Krystal goes still beside me. Lindsey had already stiffened, since the house at the end of Lincoln’s town limits is the one she now lives in with Mrs. Hampton. I can’t see Sasha’s expression real good but I know she’s listening, too.
“So this witch, she had a lot of freaky powers, like she could bring dead people back to life and she could command spirits to walk the Earth. So on the night of the autumn equinox—”
“The what? You sure this is a true story, Haynes? Sounds like you’re making this up.” One of the other jocks started laughing but a few others shushed him.
“You’re such a goof. If you paid any attention in science class, the autumn equinox is the one day of the year when there’s equal night and day hours all over the Earth.”
The jock was right, I guess they aren’t all about sports and girls after all.
“Anyway, on this night the witches have unlimited power, so this witch unleashed like a whole army of demons and they all hid in the forests so even after the equinox they wouldn’t be seen.”
“Ooh, demons living in Lincoln,” somebody says.
Another girl makes a squealing sound.
“And even after the town like came into the twentieth century and got real roads and houses and cars and stuff, some still believe the demons are living right here with us.”
My stomach turns with that thought, my temples starting to throb lightly.
“He’s making that up,” Krystal whispers.
“But what if he’s not?” Sasha asks.
We continue the ride in silence, none of us really wanting to talk about what we’d just heard. Me, I’m thinking about every word Pierce just said. The Haynes family has been in Lincoln forever, they’re actually one of the richest families here. I heard my dad talking to Pop Pop once and they were wondering why the family had never left this small town. Now I’m wondering why, too.
The hayride was finally over and I helped Krystal down.
“To the corn maze!” somebody behind me yelled.
And with a shrug our little group followed.
Two seniors, who I recognize from Settleman’s but don’t know their names, are passing out maps of checkpoints to be found in the maze and tiny flashlights. Krystal grabs one for us and Sasha and Lindsey grab one, too. Twan and I are just along for the ride.
About ten minutes and dozens of curves and turns and dead ends later Lindsey yells, “Here’s checkpoint one!”
We all follow behind her using the pen on a string tied to a pole to mark our maps.
“Great,” Twan sighs. “Only nineteen more to go.”
“Oh, hush,” Sasha says, elbowing him playfully in the ribs. “It’s fun.”
“Sure it is,” I say, then move a safe distance from Krystal and her elbow.
Deeper into the maze the sky is completely dark now, a chilly breeze blowing just enough to make the corn husks sway and crackle. Around us I hear other kids chatting and laughing as they go along their own paths through the maze. My shoes are squishing against the soggy ground, making a slapping sound that’s getting on my nerves. The atmosphere seems laid back, seasonal, fun. But then there’s something else. It’s in the air and as it tickles over my skin I think I know exactly what it is.
Lindsey keeps looking back at me, then around all of us like she feels it, too. If we were alone I’d just ask her what she knew, because I’m tired of feeling like she’s reading my mind already. I’m also tired of holding the secret of Charon and my visit to the Underworld.
Last night, after I hung up the phone with Krystal—we did that now, talked on the phone for long periods about everything and nothing and sometimes just listening to each other breathe—anyway, after I hung up I felt like crap. Krystal had just told me all about why she doesn’t really like her stepfather and now she thinks he’s keeping something from her mother. She’s confiding in me and I’m lying to her. It didn’t seem right. I plan to tell her everything. Soon.
Just as we turn another corner there’s a lot of rustling and we all stop, looking to our left where the noise is coming from. Barreling through the husks come Mateo, Pace and a few other jocks they hang with.
“Jerks,” Twan says, then grabs Sasha’s hand to keep walking.
I don’t say anything but follow Twan with Krystal right beside me. Lindsey’s in front of Twan but she stops.
“Anger.” She starts to talk, her voice soft compared to the laughing and jostling coming from the jocks behind us. “Dark and putrid. It’s so angry, ready to strike.”
Feel it. Own it.
The voice echoes in my head right behind Lindsey’s words.
“Lindsey, are you okay?” Sasha asks, reaching out for Lindsey’s arm.
“No!” Lindsey yells. “Don’t touch me!” She lifts her hands to cover her ears, or more likely the flaps of the hat that hang down over her ears.
Sasha jumps back just as Krystal is yanked away. Her fingers slip through mine as I turn to see where she’s going. All around the wind starts to blow, the icy rain from earlier returning to fall in quick sheets.
“Come here, sexy.” I can hear Pace talking. “You can walk with me.”
I can just barely see him dragging Krystal along. She’s trying to fight him off, her feet slipping over the muddy ground.
“Leave her alone!” I yell and head in their direction, but I’m quickly stopped. Actually, I’m knocked back with such force I fall into Sasha and Twan, all three of us hitting the ground.
“He’s here.” Lindsey’s above us whispering. Her lips are chattering, rain dripping from her face. “He’s here for Jake.”
As I struggle to stand up, the rain
pelting my face grows painful. It’s not rain anymore but hail. Dropping against the ground with loud plops, it attacks. I don’t see Krystal anymore but I can hear her screaming. The sound pierces through the dark night, stabbing into my heart.
Lindsey’s still chanting, but Sasha and Twan are quickly at my side.
“What’s going on, Jake?” Twan asks.
“Where’s Krystal?” Sasha says. “Something’s not right.”
I’m already shaking my head. Sasha’s words are an understatement.
“It’s here,” I say, echoing Lindsey.
Twan grabs Sasha, pulling her closer to his side. “What’s here?”
“He that brings the darkness,” I say, but it doesn’t sound like my voice, at least not to me.
I’m taking steps forward, not really knowing where I’m going or what I plan to do once I get there. Corn stalks are bending and blocking my path but I just push through them. Hail’s falling all over, like somebody in the heavens opened a huge box of marbles and dumped them all out. The wind has this hissing sound, but all I know is I’ve got to stop it.
Through the storm I see spirals of black coming up from the ground. The silhouettes of darkness I’ve seen before. Just as I see them I hear screeching from above. My raven is here.
What I don’t see or hear anymore is Krystal.
Where is she?
You do not need her. I have all that you need.
No.
Come to me.
No.
I am the one who understands you. I am the one who can save you.
“No!” I yell. Holding my head back I look to the sky, hail smacking me in the face, wind ripping through my clothes. “No!”
Fight it you cannot. You will not win!
As if in response to my cry, a funnel appears right beneath my feet. I’m no longer on the ground. Swept up in the center of this…vortex, I’m being lifted. Power seeps through every pore of my body and I feel like my bones are cracking, my skin stretching to accommodate its force.
Bright streaks of lightning break through the monotonous darkness of the sky. In the distance I hear more yelling and screaming but I’m trapped here, inside this storm of my own making. It’s gray all around me and I’m spinning, spinning, out of control. When I finally fall to the ground, landing on my feet but bending at the knees, I no longer feel like me. I am no longer Jake.
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