I didn’t have to look over my shoulder to know that Damien was gone. “He was trying to intimidate me,” I answered. It was mostly the truth.
Cody eyebrows pinched. “What did he mean by infraction? I thought the three weeks was the punishment.”
“I’m sorry, Cody,” I said. “I shouldn’t have freaked out.”
“Why did you?” Aidan asked, his voice low.
Taken off guard I answered him with a strained stretch of my lips. I could only hope it looked like a smile. “He makes me nervous. Let’s get this over with. I don’t want our friends to be trapped any longer than they have to be.”
Aidan didn’t press his issue any further and shouldered me aside—without seeing my glare—he twisted the handle and pushed the door in. The door scratched along the floor, stopping short. It didn’t reveal much through the two-inch crack.
We paused, using every sense to locate signs of immediate danger on the other side. The seconds ticked by. I started to move when Aidan blocked my way. He leaned his shoulder into the door, forcing it to scrape the already scuffed floor.
Cody stayed behind Aidan and me. He’d be able to see over both of our heads anyway.
Inside there was darkness, though that didn’t surprise me.
Dismal and dark…Just the way Damien liked it.
I was reminded of the tentacles that shot from the darkness for Phoebe and took a deep breath. Ducking, I pushed past Aidan to get inside first. If someone were to go missing, it would be me. I was being tested after all, wasn’t I?
“Wait!” Aidan hissed before snatching my wrist hard enough to make me flinch. He followed close, his eyes darting left and right, his cool hands moistening.
The light from the room behind us revealed the narrow walls on either side and a dark wood floor.
Muttering, Cody stepped in behind Aidan. The door slammed shut, making me jump. I kept my free hand close to my body, tugging at my damp camisole, as if it could keep me safe.
We froze at first, not daring to move, and listening to our collective breaths.
I inched forward, one foot testing the ground before the other. There was nothing but darkness above, below and ahead. I started swinging my arm from side to side when Aidan let go.
Gasping, I opened my mouth to say his name. A fluorescent light began to flicker overhead. Wheezing out the fading word, I looked back to see Aidan standing next to a standard, everyday light switch. His eyes were looking up at the ceiling in relief.
We stood in a hallway. It had warm-brown walls with a mural of cherry blossoms gracing every inch of free space. The hallway felt welcoming.
Perched on white pedestals on either side of the door were two white, Chinese-style vases.
“The door hasn’t disappeared,” I whispered.
Cody twisted to inspect it before shaking his head and saying, “Doorknob.”
I had to do a double take, but he was right. The doorknob was missing.
That meant we could only go one way.
Turning, I noticed the sign above the archway ahead. It would be the only thing to mar the warm atmosphere. In large, uneven letters, dripping crimson, it read: Museum.
Aidan asked Cody. “Any nightmares about museums we should know about?”
Cody gaped in confusion. “Should I have?”
My insides were still reeling from my encounter with Damien and I wanted to get this over with quick. Without waiting for them, I started forward, my sneakers squeaking on the polished floor.
As I approached the gruesome museum letters I could hear the boys trailing after me. I tried to prepare myself for anything. This could be a museum of horrors. Maybe there were monsters that would spring to life or stuffed animals that would be waiting to devour and skewer us on horns and teeth.
Alright, first look for exits and try to herd everyone toward them, I thought.
I stopped just before the archway and peered inside, straining to see as far as I could. Dim overhead lights illuminating the gigantic room.
There weren’t any windows that I could see, or doorways, but they could still exist amongst the obstacles.
The displays were like any others in a museum; warm colors, pleasant, with titles, captions, tags and all closed off by red rope or glass. I was surprised at how normal it was.
Cody peeked over my shoulder and breathed out slowly. His breath was atrocious and I leaned away from him. He didn’t move past me, but was close enough I could feel his body heat at my shoulder. He swallowed and whispered. “At least it isn’t a museum on wolves or the history of witchcraft.”
I smiled wide. “Or Ouija boards.”
“Or spiders,” Aidan contributed dryly.
I couldn’t help myself. “Or a killer Maserati.”
Looking back I saw Aidan looking away, eyes narrowed in thought.
Bewildered, Cody glanced between us.
Feeling the tension coming off of Aidan, I patted Cody’s shoulder reassuringly. “It’s nothing,” I said more softly and stepped through the threshold.
Veering to the left, I found myself amongst busts of ancient goddesses and gods as white as bleached bone. Tables with pale cloth showed off spotless golden discs, intricate jewelry and pottery reciting ancient stories from Greece or Rome.
I ran a finger along the edge of a glass which held golden jewelry. Bracelets, necklaces and rings, each carved with a meticulous hand.
Aidan stopped at one of the busts. It was of a warrior-like woman. She wore a helmet with a Mohawk top. On her right shoulder, holding up her garments was a decorative disc. He read the tiny golden plate at the base of the glass casing. “Pallas Athena, Patron of Athens.”
This was only the first section and as interesting as it was, it didn’t reveal anything of our Challenge. Each area was separated by thin, temporary walls taller than Cody.
“Come on,” I whispered to them, “we need to find a way out.”
Agreeing mutely, Aidan was closest to the next opening and stepped through.
Following close behind, we ended up in an Egyptian-themed area. The centerpiece of the room, which caught everyone’s attention, was the open sarcophagus. The golden lid depicting a pharaoh’s noble figure leaned against the casket. Stone-faced and holding a scepter close to his body, it was vibrant with colors even in the dim light.
Aidan hobbled around the glass casing without us.
I wanted to stop him, but knew I’d be too late if something were to leap out and nab him.
Shuffling to a stop on the other side of the sarcophagus he breathed,“Woooooowww.”
Cody and I scrambled to catch up.
I’d never seen a half-covered mummy that wasn’t on TV before.
The face was partially revealed, showing the dark, paper-like skin stretched over the cheekbones and forehead. The eye sockets were empty but weren’t gaping holes, instead they were two slits that were too dark to see inside. The lips had decomposed and peeled back to reveal a row of crooked, yellow teeth. One hand was wrapped tightly to the chest while the other was free, revealing not just the browned, dead flesh, but brittle bone as well.
Cody recovered first, reading the gold plate on the glass casing out loud. “Ramses II, third king of the Nineteenth Dynasty.”
“Come on,” Aidan said as if he wished he didn’t have to. We backed away into the next room, unwilling to tear our gazes from the mummy until it was out of sight.
Cody backed into something metal.
Slapping a hand over my mouth to stop a scream, I jumped and turned to see shiny medieval armor on a mannequin; a lance held firmly in one metal hand.
Aidan and Cody studied a display of long, broadswords while I peeked at all the heavy crusader stones with crosses carved out of them. Still there didn’t seem to be a clue about our Challenge.
We had separated in the small flimsy room, drawn to all four corners and I started to think about Damien’s visit. He’d mentioned he’d be testing me and there’d been something about me and Aid
an…
Pinching my lips together I saw Aidan pressing his face to a glass case filled with deformed and twisted stones that didn’t look like anything I’d seen in our world.
He wasn’t supposed to know about my past, but I remembered the spark in Damien’s eyes when Cody called him Birket. The house we’d been in had belonged to the Birkets.
“Aidan?” I whispered, glancing over my shoulder to make sure Cody was still distracted.
“Hm?”
I took a deep breath, remembering how we’d felt that strange shock when our hands touched outside the Victorian house. “Have you ever felt strange around me?”
“Hm?” He scratched his head until his hair spiked in its usual, wild fashion.
I nudged him and hissed. “Like when our hands touched at your house. You don’t remember that? I know you felt that. I mean like before that. Have you ever felt like…like maybe you knew I was coming, or close, or just weird?”
Tearing away from the glass case looked difficult but he paused before asking. “What are you talking about?”
This was useless. Maybe Damien had told me that to throw me off. Perhaps this was the test. “Nothing,” I muttered.
“Is that what you guys were talking about? You and Damien?” Aidan straightened, keeping his pale eyes level with mine.
Kind of. I shrugged.
Aidan’s shoulders sagged as if I’d insulted him. He looked away, peering over his shoulder to see where Cody was before taking a deep breath. “I don’t know.”
Before I could ask further, he turned his back to me and walked away, head down.
He’s shutting me out, I realized.
Shaking my head to clear my thoughts I tilted my chin up to see the back wall of the large room. The display areas which were the size of two of my living rooms had taken us farther away from the black door than I’d expected.
Inching into the next display room I saw it was mainly Celtic. There were pictures of the Stonehenge tacked to the walls while displays of tools, stone and an assembled hut took up most of the space. There were displays of the Green Man and items featured in druidism.
Despite all the fascinating items, my attention was drawn to a door just beyond the exhibit. I was about to shout back to the boys when something stopped me.
The door was cracked open. It wasn’t the traditional Damien-black-door and no symbols decorated the front.
As I slipped closer to investigate, I could hear the boys approaching the Celtic room behind me. They whispered back and forth, though I couldn’t hear what they were saying.
Unwavering, I clasped the doorknob and pulled it toward me. This was wrong too. Damien’s door always swung in.
Blinking I tried to make out the details of the new room but it was too dark, like staring down a well. I’d have to call the guys to help me investigate. It would be stupid to go in alone.
Before I could turn to call, a faint lime-colored glow flickered to life.
Like a switch, it revealed a little of the new room. It wasn’t much but enough for me to make out a metal examiner’s table, like something I’d seen in vet clinics before. The glow blinked, but didn’t go out before resuming a steady rhythm: on, off, on, off.
After only a second a large, the light hovered over the metal table flashed on. It was bright, probably the brightest I’d seen in the Challenge yet. I squinted back the pain and lifted an arm as a shield.
To my relief, nothing happened. Nothing jumped out of the shadows or roared to life. Everything was still, except the hum of the powerful lamp reflecting off the metal table.
A thin, beige curtain surrounding the tiny room like a mask.
The glowing light was on a smaller surgical table. It was the size of a D-battery, and shaped in a cube. As it flashed the green light steadily, I realized it was calling me. I felt a tug in the center of my stomach that was like pulling.
I began to feel light-headed but my eyes didn’t leave the enticing little light. It wanted me to go and pick it up. Something that small couldn’t be dangerous, I thought dreamily. It was rather pretty and wouldn’t it be nice to have something like that with me? We could have something to show us through the dark. Maybe then Aidan would stop doubting me, stop pushing me away and trust me a little.
I heard Aidan and Cody’s voices getting closer but neither seemed to notice the door. If I didn’t hurry, they’d get the crystal before me. The idea sent a pang of jealousy so sharp and fierce that I bolted into the room without a second thought.
My head was a haze, like walking into a dream with only one focus: I had to have that little light.
Taking three leaping steps around the empty examiner’s table I scooped it up.
It was cool in my warm palm, calming, perfect in every way.
Elated, I could barely take my eyes from it as I hurried back to the doorway. I knew I should have waited for my partners but I couldn’t help it. Clutching the cube in my hand I dared to inspect my new prize.
Uncurling my fingers one at a time, I savored the little light as it flickered on, off, on, off.
My heart ached at the idea of losing it, leaving it behind, letting anyone else see it. I would have to hide it from Aidan and Cody. Especially, Aidan, he had it in for me from the beginning, I thought panicked. If he saw this he would try to take it away. I knew it. We weren’t meant to be friends, we both knew that from the very beginning. I glanced up, hearing the two of them whispering just out of sight, in the Celtic area.
I should hide it, but I wanted to look at it one last time.
The color had changed from the brilliant lime to a pink, which darkened to a blood red. Blinking I transferred it to my fingertips, holding it up to the light. Each flash darkened the color. It began to fall into a deeper and deeper red until it was almost black.
I half expected it to gradually heat up in my palm, but it remained cool.
This didn’t seem right. I wouldn’t have to give it to Aidan and Cody; just have them take a look at it, right?
Maybe they’d know what it was doing, but I’d make them promise not to touch it. Sighing in defeat I took a deep breath. “Ai…”
A cold, steely hand clamped over my mouth from behind.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
My cry was muffled when a second arm wrapped around my stomach, trapping my arms to my sides.
As they dragged me back into the room, my spine crashing into something hard that creaked and clattered like…metal?
I twisted and struggled but it felt as if the arm were squeezing me tighter until it was too painful to twitch.
My chest heaved against the constriction and my head swam. I felt hysteria settling in for a visit. If I hyperventilated, I’d pass out and that would mean losing the cube.
Concentrating on my increasing heartbeat, I closed my eyes, daring it to slow. Each deep breath against the metal hand made the fingers against my cheeks slick with condensation.
The bright light over the examiner’s table snapped off and my eyes opened. The light shone from the museum outside, shadowing Tin Man and me.
Inhaling deeply, I knew I had to warn them. I screamed against the hand. Twisting my head at the same time, the fingers almost slipped away before digging painfully into my jaw.
It whipped me around, my feet left the floor and my head couldn’t keep up. Darkness twirled and heated nausea struck the back of my throat, stiffening my jaw and strangling the scream. Tears sprang to my eyes and I tried to blink them away.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the door to the museum close on its own. It locked out the light so only a sliver crept in beneath. I tried to focus on the little light, otherwise I wouldn’t know if I were upside down or right-side up in the dark. If Tin Man wasn’t holding me, I would have fallen.
The cube warmed my sweaty palm, a small comfort that showed I was still alive. It marked divots into my palm, but I was determined to conceal it. Holding it to my thigh, I hoped the light didn’t peek through my fingers.
Screaming against the steely hand, I breathed through flaring nostrils to stop the room from spinning. I needed more oxygen.
I’m going to die, I thought. Right here with Tin Man, he’s going to wait for Aidan and Cody to leave and then take the cube. I somehow hoped Damien would steal me and let me join Phoebe, Read, and Robin, but that didn’t seem to be happening.
At the same time, the thought made me angry. I had to wait for a demon to save me? What is wrong with me? I have a chance to help save them and I was giving it up so easily. There were Challenges harder than this.
Lifting my right foot, I kicked back for a leg. Won’t take me down so easily, I thought.
The clang echoed against my soggy sneaker, but my attacker didn’t react. There wasn’t a grunt of pain, a flinch or a step back. Only the metallic ring still hung in the air.
Somewhere to my left, I think, metallic footsteps could be heard approaching.
There were two?!
Breathing deeply and frantically through my nose, I sensed the air grow sharp as something frayed touched the fabric of my shirt. Something sharp.
As I twisted in the anaconda grip, the point rose up and caressed the edge of my collarbone. It was a pointed, wooden tip from something held by Tin Man Number Two, though he stood several feet back. In an instant I remembered the knights from the medieval display. One of them had held a lance.
My captor leaned me into the tip of the lance. It was surprisingly dull, but pressed to my skin, scratching the splinters beneath my collarbone.
Raising my foot I struck at the loud shin behind me, frantic for noise—a lot of noise. Pounding at it, the room vibrated with the echo until the door flung open.
“Nora?” Aidan’s voice shouted through the blinding light.
Hope split into fireworks inside my head and I screamed to warn him.
I was such an idiot! I wanted to drop the little cube of light, but I couldn’t. I wished I could say that I wouldn’t, but my fingers couldn’t uncurl around the object no matter how hard I tried. The corners dug so deep in my palm I wondered if they were breaking skin.
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