The Stand

by Lila Kane

  “We should get the stars together and see what happens.” She nodded as she sat, glancing at Riley and Maddy by the counter. “That’s probably all it’ll take, don’t you think?”

  Nathan met her eyes for a long moment. His gut reaction was to tell her they’d deal with it later. After the excitement of yesterday had faded a few weeks. After Grace’s foot had healed some. He knew she’d want to get this done, though. To get the stars out of their lives for good.

  “We need to get rid of them,” he said.

  “I think so, too. The sooner the better.”

  “How soon were you thinking?”

  She looked over with an almost apologetic smile. “Today?”

  “I thought you might say that.” His sigh mingled with a reluctant chuckle. “I don’t think everyone else will agree.”

  Voices sounded behind them and Elliot and Kara came in, shedding light jackets and making their way into the cafe. Thunder grumbled outside and lightning flashed through the window.

  “You two look way too serious,” Kara said, dropping into the closest chair. She ran a hand through her hair. “Please tell me this isn’t more about the star. Not that I don’t love you all, but I’m kind of tired of these meetings.”

  Grace smiled at her. “Sorry. I don’t really want to deal with it either. But I want it to be finished for good. I want to be able to focus one hundred percent on the youth center.”

  Maddy joined Grace at the table. “I agree.”

  “Of course you do,” Riley said, folding his arms across his chest.

  She looked at him with her brow raised. “You don’t?”

  Elliot looped his arm over Maddy’s shoulder, distracting her. “Can I weigh in here?”

  “Sure, Elliot.”

  “So, yesterday was a little…intense. I’m cool with giving it a rest for a while.”

  “I’m going to have to agree with Elliot.” Riley nodded.

  “Of course you do,” Maddy mimicked his comment from earlier. “I disagree. We need to make sure this is finished.”

  “So where does this leave us?” Grace asked, looking around the group.

  Nathan gripped her hand. They were divided like usual about how to approach it, but ultimately, they were all on the same side. “I don’t know about today, but I agree it needs to be finished.”

  “If me finding the last piece of the star was the end and it’s that simple, then we should get the stars together and get rid of them. It will be over, and we can enjoy the rest of the evening and never think about the stars again. But if there’s still more…it would be best to get rid of the stars as quickly as possible. So we don’t have to worry about them anymore.”

  Kara pursed her lips and tapped her toe on the ground. “That’s sort of hard to argue with. But I feel like…after last night…I’m worried.” Elliot squeezed her shoulders and she cast him a small smile. “Grace, you can barely even walk.” Grace opened her mouth to protest but Kara continued. “I’m not trying to be mean. I don’t want you to get hurt more.”

  Riley nodded. “She’s right. Let’s have lunch and relax. Please, Grace.”

  Nathan recognized the reluctance on her face. Saw her struggle not to argue. He understood exactly where she was coming from, but he couldn’t fault everyone for being wary. For wanting a day away from all this.

  If only it were that simple.

  Grace sighed. “Okay.” She attempted a smile and Nathan reached out for her hand. “Let’s have lunch. We’ll take a break for now.”

  ~ ~ ~

  They took cars two by two to Nathan’s house, deciding to barbecue if the weather held out. Before Elliot started the engine, rain began to pour down. He watched for Nathan to pull away, flicked on the windshield wipers, and backed out.

  “Are you doing okay?” he asked Kara.

  She sat in the passenger seat, hands squeezed together in her lap. He glanced over at her slight nod, but he couldn’t see her expression. Her gaze fixed out the window.

  He stepped on the brake. “What’s wrong?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Kara.” He squeezed her arm gently and she looked away from the window. “What’s wrong?”

  “Something doesn’t feel right.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She took a deliberate breath and blew it out. “Last night…that didn’t feel like the end of it. Even though Grace found the star.” She met his gaze and uncertainty clouded her green eyes. “I’m worried.”

  “We’ll take care of it.” The rain pounded harder on the roof and windows. Lightning flashed and thunder followed immediately, causing Kara to jump in her seat. He put the car in park and reached over to give her a hug. He brushed his fingers down her hair. “Don’t worry.”

  “I can’t help it,” she whispered, clinging tightly to him.

  “What do you want to do?”

  “Maybe Grace is right. Maybe we should get rid of the stars.”

  Elliot shifted back into his seat, stomach clenching. No. Now wasn’t the time. He wasn’t ready to risk someone else getting hurt. He’d rather prepare for it as much as possible and then ease into it. But he hated to see that worry in Kara’s eyes.

  And…in the end, it was up to her, Maddy, and Grace.

  “Let’s get to Nathan’s,” he told her. “We’ll talk to everyone when we get there.”

  Riley pulled up next to him and Elliot unrolled the window. Rain splattered his arm.

  “Everything okay?” Riley asked. Maddy’s anxious eyes peered at them from the other side of the car.

  “I think so.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah.”

  “All right. I’ll follow you.”

  Elliot closed the window and left the parking lot. He could barely see through the rain and he kept a slow pace. At the first stop sign he glanced back over at Kara. Her fingers tensed on the armrest.

  “Honey, don’t worry,” he soothed, reaching for her hand.

  “Be careful.” She pulled her hand away. He set it back on the steering wheel and she frowned. “I’m sorry. There’s just so much rain.”

  The water rushed in wide rivers that seemed too deep for his car. Elliot steered clear of those and drove closer to the side of the road. The next stop sign came into sight. A pool of water sat in the middle of the intersection.

  “Elliot.”

  He swung wide to the edge of the road, water splashing from his wheels, but the car slowed.

  “Elliot,” Kara said again.

  Sheets of rain fell so heavy he couldn’t see Riley behind him. His car stalled in the midst of the puddle. Elliot gripped the wheel tighter. “The water wasn’t that deep,” he said when she turned to him.

  Without warning, water started to seep through the doors, pouring over the floorboards, rushing over their feet. Lightning struck and thunder shook the car.

  “Elliot…” Kara’s eyes widened. “The water’s coming inside.”

  “Get out,” he snapped.

  He tossed off his seatbelt as the water reached past his ankles. Kara fiddled with her own. “I can’t–help, Elliot!”

  He reached out and brushed her hands aside. He jammed his thumb down on the button but it wouldn’t budge. Water waved up to his knees and he punched the button again. There was no way the water could be coming in that fast. No way that much could already be in here.

  “Elliot, hurry!”

  He yanked at the seatbelt again and it finally popped free. He jerked the door handle.

  “Unlock the doors, Elliot–”

  “I’m trying.”

  A quiet sob escaped her throat. After nearly drowning as a kid, water still terrified her. “Hurry–please.”

  Elliot caught the tremble in her hands, saw her face drain of color. “Wait–” He caught her arm. “Kara, look at me. Stop!”

  She met his eyes. “What are you doing? We have to get out.”

  Water rushed up over their thighs, over the console. “Kara.” He caught her face be
tween his hands. “Stop, honey–calm down. This isn’t real. You were right, things aren’t finished with the stars.”

  “Elliot.” Her breath caught. She moved up further in her seat, leaning away from the water. “It’s getting too high–please help–”

  “Close your eyes and take a deep breath.”

  “No–”

  “Do it.” He pulled her close, wrapped his arms around her. “Close your eyes.”

  Elliot waited for her to oblige and he did the same, whispering against her ear, telling her it would be okay. Keeping his hold tight.

  His door jerked open and Riley appeared. A wall of rain greeted them and suddenly the car was empty. Free of water.

  “What’s happening?” Riley asked, shielding his face from the rain.

  “It’s gone,” Kara murmured. “What–”

  “Kara, come on.” Elliot gripped her arms and dragged her through the door. “The star.”

  Riley nodded. “Come on, get in the car.”

  They rushed to Riley’s car and jumped into the back. Elliot slid against the seat and he pulled Kara close to him. Maddy twisted in her seat. “Are you guys okay? What happened?”

  “We have to get to Grace and Nathan.” Kara’s teeth chattered. “Something’s going to happen.”

  “What?” Riley asked.

  “I don’t know,” she whispered. Her eyes closed briefly.

  “The star,” Elliot concluded. “Something with the star.”

  Chapter 35

  Nathan pulled as close to the door as he could get. “Wait,” he told Grace as she reached for the handle. “I’ll help you.”

  He opened the door and looked back toward the road, hoping to see headlights. The rest of the group. But the rain was so thick he could hardly see past the driveway. He ran around to the other side, already drenched, and tossed open the door. “Come on.”

  “Nathan.” Her gaze traveled over several feet of rain and puddles to the front door.

  “It’ll take too long to get your crutches out and you’ll get all wet.”

  “You’re already getting wet.”

  “I don’t want you to get hurt.” He looked apprehensively to the sky when lightning flashed again. He reached in and lifted her from her seat.

  Nathan jogged quickly to the door, setting her down under the eave. She leaned against the bricks while he searched for the right key.

  “My crutches,” Grace said.

  He found the right key. “I’ll get them.” He shoved the key into the lock and pushed open the door, helping Grace limp inside. “Sit down.”

  She held onto his arm but peered out the door. “Did you see them? Are they still coming?”

  “They’re coming,” he assured her. He tried to cover the sudden flicker of worry that went through him. “Stay inside, I’ll get your crutches.”

  Nathan ran into the rain and to his truck, grabbing Grace’s crutches from the cab. Grace stood at the door waiting. Her fingers clenched at the doorframe and her eyes remained wide with worry.

  Something didn’t feel right to him either. He reached the porch, stepped toward the door and just as he reached it, it slammed.

  “Grace?” Nathan grabbed the handle and tried to twist it but it wouldn’t budge. He banged against the door. “Grace! Open the door!”

  He heard quiet thumping on the other side and her muffled voice. “Nathan?”

  Nathan dropped the crutches and went for his keys again. He dropped them, scooped them up and found the right key. He shoved it into the lock and twisted but nothing happened. “Grace?”

  He stepped back. Adrenaline chased all the way through his body. Grace had been right about the star. It wasn’t over.

  He put more distance between him and the door, searching his mind for some other way into the house. A car pulled up behind his in the drive and he glanced back. Riley emerged, along with Maddy. His eyes swung back to the car when he saw Elliot and Kara step out of the back seat. Why were they all in the same car?

  “What happened?” Riley shouted. He splashed through the rain and the rest of the group followed. They huddled together at the front door.

  “I can’t get in.” Nathan yanked the handle. “Grace is in there.”

  “The star.” Kara gripped his arm, echoing his thoughts. Echoing his worry. “Something happened with us on the way. We have to get inside.”

  Nathan looked to Riley, hoping he had a better idea.

  “It’s not real,” Riley said. “As long as we don’t believe it’s real, it’s not.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Grace’s hand ached from banging against the door. She flipped the lock several times and tried the handle, but the door still wouldn’t open. She spun around at a noise further back in the house. The sound of glass breaking.

  Her ankle throbbed but she took a deep breath and ventured toward the kitchen, limping slowly away from the door. Her eyes flashed up at the next sound. Motion came from the kitchen. She froze near the stairs, water dripping to the floor and pooling around her shoes. Dan propped his shoulder in the doorway.

  He gave her a lopsided grin. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

  Grace’s breath caught in her throat at the flash of metal in his hand. He tapped a gun against his thigh.

  “No…” She backed up. Her shoes squeaked, giving her away.

  He couldn’t be here, he was supposed to be in jail. Why wasn’t Nathan coming?

  Grace stumbled over her feet when Dan came at her. She glanced toward the stairs, realized she couldn’t escape fast enough and hurried into the living room.

  He came right behind her, light on his feet. She scooted back against the couch. Thunder rumbled outside, and she saw the flicker of lightning through the window. He lifted the gun and it glinted in the light.

  Scenes from last night flashed through her mind. Lewis fighting Dan for the gun. Her mother huddled by the window. The star…she’d found the star in Nathan’s jacket pocket. Grace closed her eyes and released a sharp breath.

  I know you’re not real, this isn’t real…

  A loud bang sounded at the front door. Grace’s eyes popped open. Dan wasn’t there. Riley rushed into the house with Nathan at his side.

  They both saw her in the living room and Nathan was at her side in seconds. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded.

  “You were right about the star.”

  She nodded again.

  “Grace?”

  She met his eyes. “Let’s get all the pieces. We have to get rid of it.”

  She limped into the entryway and joined the rest of the group, all dripping from the rain. Leaving a trail across the hardwood floor.

  “The piece from last night is here,” Nathan said. “Where are the rest?”

  “At the guesthouse,” Maddy answered. “How are we supposed to get rid of them?”

  “Put the pieces together,” Kara said. “Like they were before we took them apart.”

  Grace nodded. “And throw them over the Falls.”

  Nathan looked toward the door, still open from their entry. More thunder and lightning came from outside. “You can’t get to the top of the Falls, Grace.”

  “We’ll worry about it when we get there.”

  “But–”

  “We don’t have any other choice,” she murmured, meeting Riley’s eyes. “Right?”

  He let out a deep breath, slid a hand across his face. Water sprinkled to the floor. “Right. But this is it. We stay together and finish it.”

  “We should take the truck, then,” Nathan said.

  Grace didn’t question how they’d all fit inside. They had to stick together. They waited in the entryway for Nathan to grab the star they’d found in his jacket last night and then faced the storm outside again.

  “Your crutches,” Riley said when they’d moved out the door.

  “There’s no room.”

  “Stick them in the back.” Nathan took her hand. “Just in case. Ready?”

  She met his
eyes and nodded. Nathan half carried her as she struggled to keep up. He helped her into the cab and she wedged herself next to Kara. Elliot squeezed into the back as well. The trip down the hill was as bad as it had been on the way up. They passed Elliot’s car on the side of the road. Her eyes swung to Kara’s in question, but Kara only shook her head.

  “Where are the stars?” Riley asked when they turned down the muddy road toward the guesthouse.

  “In a box on the top of my closet,” Grace said, teeth chattering. “I can go in–”

  “No, I’ll go in.”

  “Not by yourself,” Maddy said. “I’ll go in, too.”

  “Maddy–”

  “We stick together,” she said firmly. “Grace–your ankle. You should stay here.”

  “I’ll come too, then,” Kara said. “So there’s more of us.”

  Grace saw her squeeze Elliot’s hand. He nodded.

  Nathan slowed in front of the guesthouse and got them close to the door. Grace shifted to let Kara out. “Be careful,” she said, reaching for her shoulder.

  “You too.”

  ~ ~ ~

  They burst inside the house and Maddy pushed hair off her face. Riley held her hand in a vice-like grip, staying in front of her. Kara hovered close on her other side.

  “Grace’s room.” Riley headed down the hall. “Stay close.”

  Maddy shuffled behind him. Grace’s bedroom was dim and Riley flicked on the light. He reached the closet in two long strides. He tossed open the door and fumbled on the overhead shelf.

  A voice behind Maddy made her made her jump. She turned and immediately cringed, stumbling back into Kara.

  It was her father.

  “Nice of you to come back.” He smiled at her, so close she could see his two crooked teeth on the bottom.

  “Maddy.” Kara’s voice couldn’t pierce her shock. “It’s not real.”

  She heard Riley mutter something and grab her firmly by the shoulders. “Don’t look at him, honey–it’s not real.” He pulled her to his chest. “Hold on, okay? Kara, can you reach that box?”

  Maddy gripped his jacket and fought back a shiver. Her stomach turned and she slipped a protective hand over her belly. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “It’s okay.”

  Riley looked down at her. “Are you okay?”