by Julia Crane
Keegan and Anna rushed towards her, both of them throwing their arms around her. Confused, Lauren returned the embrace.
“We were so worried about you!” Keegan said into Lauren’s hair.
“Why?”
“What do you mean why?” Keegan jerked back, staring wide-eyed at Lauren. “You told us you were going to the pharmacy and coming right back. That was early this morning! What happened to your face? It’s swollen.”
“I did?” Lauren paused, touching her face and trying to collect her thoughts. Standing in her doorway, she tried again to remember something—anything about the day. Just thinking about it made her head ache even more. “Sorry—I went to Tristen’s and stayed longer than I thought. I must have fallen asleep.”
“You didn’t leave Tristen’s house?” Anna asked carefully.
“No. I don’t think so.” Lauren hung her sweatshirt up and walked to the kitchen to get a soda. She felt parched, much more so than usual. Maybe because she’d slept for such a long time?
Anna and Keegan followed closely behind her. As Lauren reached into the fridge for a can, Anna said, “We went to Tristen’s looking for you, but Galen said you went out with Tristen to his father’s office.”
“What?” Lauren spun around and stared at Anna. Behind her, everyone else piled in around the doorway, watching the exchange silently. Lauren felt like she was on display.
Why couldn’t she remember anything? She tried not to let on how much it bothered her. Everyone seemed to be overreacting enough on their own.
“I’ve never been to his father’s office,” she told them firmly as she popped the top on the soda. “Galen was obviously mistaken.”
Keegan stepped forward and placed a hand on her arm. “Do you remember what we told you earlier about Tristen?”
Lauren stared at them blankly.
Keegan turned towards the guys, a look of fear crossing her face.
“Lauren, come sit down,” Calvron said as he entered the room and pulled out a chair for her at the kitchen table.
They were all acting so weird. Why were they even here? As long as they hung around, she couldn’t just crawl into bed and sleep.
It would be a waste of time to argue with them, so she made her way to the chair and plopped down. “I’m really tired, so make it quick.”
Calvron took the seat beside her, his gaze steady. “I don’t know what’s going on, but we’re going to figure it out. What happened when you were at Tristen’s? Tell me exactly what you did.”
Lauren dug deep, trying to remember. She dropped her head in her hands. “I don’t know…”
“You don’t remember anything?” Anna probed.
“I remember we’re going on a road trip. I know I went to see Tristen, obviously. I don’t know what happened between then and now. Maybe I fell asleep or something.”
“Someone swiped her mind,” Donald chimed in.
“What? Swiped my mind? What is wrong with you people?” Lauren turned to Donald. He just stared back at her, his blue eyes serious.
“Okay, let’s go back to the beginning.” Keegan walked over and stood at the head of the table. She went over everything that happened from what she overheard at the party to Lauren running off when they told her to stay away from Tristen.
“You’ve lost your mind,” Lauren said when she was done. “Tristen would never hurt anyone. Calvron, what have you been filling their heads with?”
“Nothing.” Calvron leaned back in the chair. “Don’t you find it suspicious that you don’t recall anything that happened today?”
“I’m sure there’s an explanation that doesn’t involve mind swiping. I just need to go to bed.” Lauren stood up, but Anna pushed her back down into the chair.
“No,” she said. “We need to figure out what’s going on.”
Lauren rolled her eyes. “Nothing is going on. We’re supposed to be on a road trip, but I’m too tired to leave today. We’ll go tomorrow.”
“Did you just hear anything Keegan said?” Spencer demanded, his arms crossed.
“I heard her. It’s just ridiculous.” Lauren rubbed her eyes; her vision blurred. “You guys are overreacting. I need to go to sleep. I’m going to bed.” Lauren scooted the chair back and stumbled for the hall.
“Lauren!” Keegan took her by the arm and gently pulled her to the living room, pushing her to the couch. “You can’t go to sleep. Did you hear what we said? Tristen might have used your gift and we have to figure out if anyone is in danger.”
Lauren laid her head on the back of the couch. “He didn’t use my gift. I would have remembered.” Her head lolled to the side, and her breathing became regular. She was out.
“Do you think she’s drugged?” Anna sat down on the other side of Lauren. She picked up her best friend’s head and moved it from side to side like a doll’s.
“Well, she’s of no help to us passed out,” Calvron growled. “How are we going to get any answers this way?”
“It’s not like we were getting any answers before, either,” Audrey pointed out kindly.
“We can’t force her to stay awake. Whatever happened to her was very draining.” Keegan pulled the afghan off the back of the couch and placed it over Lauren. “When I overheard the conversation at the party, Tristen and that girl said something was happening at the end of this week. So we should have time. We’ll let her get a little rest.”
“They could have moved their timeline up,” Donald said, saying what they were all thinking.
Calvron’s face darkened. He looked like he wanted to throw something. “We have all these powers in one room and none of us can figure out what in the hell is going on.”
“We could take a trip back to Tristen’s and force it out of him,” Spencer said, cracking his knuckles.
“I like that idea.” Donald rubbed his hands in front of him.
Calvron didn’t even hesitate. He headed towards the door. “Let’s go.”
Audrey caught Donald’s arm as he moved to go with the guys. She gestured to Keegan and Anna. “I think I’ll stay here with the girls in case Tristen shows up or Lauren wakes up.”
He nodded and followed the rest of the crew, the door shutting firmly behind them.
“And once again, we’re left behind.” Keegan crossed her arms and leaned back into the couch, kicking her feet up onto the coffee table.
“It’s more important to be here when Lauren wakes up,” Anna told her.
“I know. I just feel so useless. If we knew what we were dealing with, it would be easier.”
Anna reached forward and grabbed the remote, flipping on the news. “Just in case.”
The three of them settled in for the wait, hoping that nothing terrible would cross the television screen.
Chapter 26
Lauren floated in darkness, calm and rested, dreams just out of reach. Then the distant peal of a doorbell broke through.
She shifted in her sleep. Voices? Not ready to wake up, she thought.
“I’ll get it.” Audrey’s voice.
Then a familiar Irish brogue. “I need to see Lauren. Now.”
Lauren frowned. Was she dreaming?
“Who are you?” Audrey demanded.
Anna’s soft footsteps, followed by her voice, saying, “Galen. What do you want?”
“You know him?” Audrey asked.
“Yeah, he’s Tristen’s right-hand man.”
“Please, it’s important,” Galen begged. Even in dreamland, Lauren flushed at the sound of his voice. “I need to talk to Lauren right away.”
“She’s asleep.”
Lauren heard the door squeak as if it were closing, and then a loud thunk.
“Wake. Her. Up.” Galen sounded dangerous.
“She’s passed out,” Anna told him angrily. “She has been for hours. Ever since she got back from Tristen’s.”
Not ready to wake up, Lauren thought again.
There was a flurry of activity.
“What do you think yo
u’re doing?” Audrey growled.
Silence hung in the air.
A moment later, Lauren felt the soft touch of fingers on her face. She shivered.
Lauren, wake up.
Her caramel eyes fluttered open. “Galen?”
Galen sat beside her, so close she could feel the heat of his skin. “I need to talk to you alone. It’s about Tristen.”
Lauren sat up and looked around the room. Anna and Audrey stood nearby, staring, and Keegan sat stiffly to her left. Lauren suddenly snapped wide awake. “They can stay.”
“I’d rather they didn’t.”
She rubbed her face. “I’ll tell them anyway. What’s going on? Is Tristen okay?”
“Lauren, look at me.”
“I am,” she said, perplexed. He looked harried, his dark hair mussed, his khaki cargo pants wrinkled. Lauren wondered what on earth had happened to him—he usually looked so put together.
“No, really look at me.” A moment later, pale blue incandescent wings sprang open behind him and his skin glowed from within.
The revelation hit Lauren like a wrecking ball, and she sucked in a deep breath. “You’re a light fairy?”
“Yes,” he said simply. “This is going to be a lot to take in, but hear me out. We have been after Tristen’s family for a long time now. I’ve been working undercover. I used my power of mind control to convince them I was a dark fairy. I’ve been infiltrating his organization for the last year and a half.”
Lauren pushed herself up straighter. “What are you talking about?”
Ignoring her question, Galen went on. “Tristen has gone too far this time—with the use of your gift.”
“What do you mean? I didn’t do anything!” Lauren practically screamed.
“You didn’t do it willingly,” Galen assured her. “He forced you to allow him into a secure facility, and they now have a virus that could kill a large population of humans.”
Lauren shook her head belligerently. “I did no such thing!”
“You did. You just don’t remember. Tristen made me erase the memory.” Galen was shamefaced. “I’m so sorry. I couldn’t tip my hand, so I had to do it. I came here as soon as I could get away.”
Lauren searched his face, hoping for a sign he was kidding, but he looked completely serious.
Lauren pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. “I don’t believe you.”
Galen closed his eyes and opened them. “Look in my eyes, Lauren. I hate to do this, but it’s the only way you’ll believe me.”
Her eyes met his; her world dropped out from under her. She relived the nightmare. As if she watched a movie, the scenes missing from her mind flashed before her eyes. Eventually, the pictures stopped. Lauren felt a tear drop on her leg. She hadn’t even realized she’d been crying.
“Oh my gods. What have I done?”
Keegan sat down beside Lauren and grabbed her hand. “Tell us. What’s going on?”
“I can’t. It’s horrible. I’m horrible.” Lauren’s own words prompted a fresh round of tears.
“That’s ridiculous. There’s no way you could have known. You’re a good person, Lauren.” Galen stood up. “But now, we need to stop him.”
Lauren sniffled and wiped her nose with the back of her sleeve. “What can we do?”
“The virus is airborne,” Galen addressed the entire room. “Thankfully, they only secured one container. They plan to release it into Los Angeles. If we don’t stop him, the fatalities will be staggering.”
“A virus? I thought they planned on using Lauren’s gift?” Audrey asked.
“They did, but Lauren’s impromptu trip changed things. They originally planned to use Lauren to cause disasters that couldn’t be explained, bringing fear to the public.”
“But he changed because of our trip plans?” Keegan clarified.
Galen nodded. “This was the next best thing. Tristen struggled to find something that would make his father happy and save Lauren. They believe if they can kill untouchable movie stars, the impact will be greater.”
“So what kind of virus are we talking about?” Lauren asked, her heart pounding.
“A small facility has been testing vaccines for a mutated version of H5N1. We have been keeping an eye on the place, but weren’t ready to protect it, because there wasn’t a lot of the virus on hand yet.”
“The bird flu?” Lauren scrunched up her nose.
Galen’s face darkened. “Yes, but a much deadlier mutated version. It could virtually wipe out a whole city if it went airborne. Who knows how far it could spread.”
“Are you serious? Why haven’t I heard of this?” Lauren asked.
“Not many people have. The government was trying to keep it a secret so people didn’t panic. Google it. You’ll find out that it really exists.”
Lauren saw Anna tilt her head to her laptop, and Audrey started tapping on the keys. Galen stayed silent until Audrey murmured, “Holy shit. It’s true.”
“How did Tristen find the location of the facility?” Lauren asked. “Wouldn’t it have unbeatable security?”
“His father delivers goods to the lab.”
“Goods,” Lauren scoffed. She’d always thought it was so weird that she didn’t know what Tristen and his dad did at work.
Galen nodded in acknowledgement. “They knew this facility was top secret, but it took them a while to figure out what was going on inside. Once they did, they realized the security was mostly electronic rather than human.”
“Like everything nowadays,” Anna grumbled.
“Right,” Galen agreed. “A physical presence brings attention to the place. Often the best place to hide something is in plain view—with no security detail, people don’t look twice at the facility. Once the security system was disabled, it was actually rather simple for Tristen’s men. They were in and out in minutes.”
Lauren looked away, out into the dark night beyond the living room windows. “All because of me.”
“They must have realized by now that the virus is gone?” Keegan asked. “It’s not like that’s something they can miss.”
Galen shook his head. “Probably not. Tristen’s men replaced the container with an empty one. It might take days for the facility to figure it out, and by then it could be too late.”
“Obviously, these dark fairies are beyond mad. Don’t they realize it could kill magical creatures, too?” Keegan asked, her eyes wide.
Galen shrugged. “We’re immune. Just like the common cold.”
“I’m not,” Anna said quietly. “I’m half human.”
They all turned to stare at her.
“Is there a vaccine?” Audrey asked.
“Not that I’m aware of,” Galen answered, running a hand through his hair in agitation. “Anna, you should go home. Where do you live?”
“Seattle.”
“Shit.” Galen clenched and unclenched his fists. “I don’t know if that’s far enough. Can you go somewhere else?”
“You could go to Tennessee and see your family,” Lauren suggested.
Anna shook her head. “I’m not leaving.”
“You have to, Anna,” Lauren spoke up. “If you died because of something I did, I could never forgive myself.”
“When is this supposed to happen?” Anna directed her question to Galen.
“Friday. It’s the Bacchanalia. They’re sacrificing to Bacchus.”
“What?!” Anna screeched. “They really are nutcases.”
“You don’t know the half of it.” Galen held out a warm hand to Lauren. “I should go before they realize I’m missing.”
Lauren let him pull her up, but turned immediately to Anna. “Please. Please tell me you’ll go home. I couldn’t stand it if you were hurt. Or worse.”
“I’ll stay,” Anna said firmly. “But, if it looks like we can’t get it contained before Friday, I’ll jump on a plane.”
Relieved, Lauren relented. “Deal.”
“Do you know exactly whe
re they plan on releasing the virus?” Audrey asked Galen.
“I do, but we need to thwart the plan before it gets that far.”
“Where?” Lauren insisted.
“The Metro.”
She groaned. “That place is already a hotbed of sickness. It will spread like wildfire.”
Galen nodded. “Exactly.”
“So we need to steal the virus back,” Lauren said thoughtfully. “Do you know where Tristen is keeping it?”
“No idea. But I’m sure I can get the info with a little mind control.”
“Let me know as soon as you find out,” Lauren told him as she followed him to the door. She touched his arm. “Be careful.”
“You, too. Tristen thinks you’re gone on the road trip.” He shook his head in disgust. “That idiot really thinks everything is okay between you two.”
“We are more than through.” Lauren shuddered.
Galen’s face broke into a slow smile. “I’m glad to hear that. I’ll get back to you tomorrow, hopefully with the location of the virus. I’ll need your help to get to it.”
“Of course. Anything to stop those loons. Thank you for coming here.”
“I have to say, I thought you would be pissed at me for messing with your mind.”
Lauren waved her hand dismissively. “You had to or break your cover. You did the right thing by coming to me. We’ll sort this out. If anyone is to blame, it’s me for falling for the jackass.”
He laid a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t blame yourself. The only people at fault here are the extremists and their movement. If they hadn’t used you, they would have found another way.”
“Thanks for saying that,” Lauren murmured.
Galen pulled open the door and slipped out into the night.
Chapter 27
The next day, warm, late afternoon sunlight spilled through the windows, making Lauren feel groggy and comfortable, despite her inner turmoil.
She lay facedown on the couch, trying not to think of how many people could die if they didn’t stop the release of the virus. No matter how she looked at it, the whole thing was her fault. If she’d been strong enough to stand up to Tristen, if she hadn’t given in and disabled that security system, they wouldn’t be in this situation.