Leland rushed to Lexi. “We need to get her out of here.”
“He’s frozen,” Dustin said. “Guys, help me push him in.”
Dustin reached toward Blaine as his hand broke free of the ice. He whipped his hand and cracked Dustin in the face. He staggered back and Cali rushed to him. Blaine struggled but wasn’t able to get his feet free of the ice.
His hands were enough. He waved them in the air, summoning wind so strong, Cali’s hands were pulled from Dustin’s.
“Get outside,” Gregory yelled.
Leland pulled Alexia toward the doorway and Gregory pulled Dustin off the floor. Lightning crashed around the room. Cali could feel her hair standing on end.
“Cali! Run!” Dustin grabbed her hand and dragged her toward the door.
She squeezed Dustin’s hand and ran, with Gregory and Leland carrying Lexi right behind her. The storm in the room didn’t follow them once they were down the stairs. Gregory and Leland sat Lexi on the ground, propping her up against a tree. Leland whispered something in her ear and pecked her on the cheek. She didn’t stir.
“Get us out of here, Cali,” Gregory told her.
Her heart pounded, but the portal wouldn’t open. She panicked, grabbed Leland’s hand, and grimaced. She took in a deep breath and when she let it out, the air from her lungs tore through the field and a giant doorway gaped in front of them.
They moved through as one, carrying a wounded Lexi.
The doorway shut behind them like the crack of a whip and Cali jumped at the noise.
“What power did he get?” she asked as soon as they were through.
“Healing. And he won’t feel any pain now. That’s why the ice didn’t hurt. It stopped him but didn’t cause him pain,” Gregory answered.
“Fucking perfect,” Dustin said with a sigh.
“How long will Lexi be out?” Cali asked.
Gregory shrugged. “I’m not sure.”
“I almost killed her. Why did my portal shut?”
Gregory shook his head. “It’s not your fault, Cali.”
“Bullshit.”
“That storm was the stuff of nightmares.” Dustin sat in the grass. “How do we beat someone like that? That’s just one of the things he can do.”
“But his powers aren’t complete.” Gregory wrung his hands. “They have weaknesses. Ours don’t. So, we need to teach you two how to use your abilities. Leland, we need to figure out what you got from Blaine. That’s twice we’ve faced him. And twice we lost. We have to do better.”
“My face hurts. Cali’s upset. Lexi is unconscious. Leland looks like he’s about to have a panic attack.” Dustin pointed to Leland who sat with Lexi’s head in his lap. He didn’t even look up at the mention of his name. “I think we’re done for today.”
Gregory clenched his jaw and looked around him. Cali locked eyes with him and he seemed to decide something. Cali realized she was chewing on her fingernails, a nervous habit she’d given up years ago.
“Let’s go to bed. In the morning we’ll feel better,” Gregory said. “Leland, I’ll help you get Alexia to her room.”
Leland nodded and the two of them headed into the house leaving Cali and Dustin alone in the backyard.
“We slept on the floor of the living room last night. You think there is a room in there for us?” Cali asked Dustin.
He looked up at the house. “Cali, this place is a mansion. I’m betting we can find a room.”
Cali looked up. “What even is this place?”
Deciding they weren’t ready to go inside, they took a walk around the grounds. The door off the garage led to the parking lot of Tom’s Diner. The lights in the diner were on but the windows were broken and the cars in the parking lot were rusted and several were on blocks.
“I guess a cinnamon roll is out,” Dustin said, eliciting a laugh from Cali.
The front of the house faced the Rocky Mountains. They circled back to the backyard and watched the sun set over the vast open space.
Everything about the house was impossible.
None of the landmarks around the house were anywhere near each other. And the house they stood outside of existed nowhere in Jaydee.
Both lost in thought, Cali and Dustin went inside. They walked up the stairs together and picked a room at random. It was unoccupied. It had a large bed and that was enough for the two of them. They crawled into bed together and held each other.
The week before, Cali had been haunted by her dead best friend. Now, she lived in a fake Jaydee with her. She wondered if anything could be real in a world that wasn’t.
***
Alexia woke in her soft bed. She sat up after remembering her confrontation with Blaine. Looking down at herself, she confirmed she was still in one piece.
Light breathing drew her attention to the chair by the window. Leland curled into a ball and snored softly.
“Leland?” she whispered.
He woke with a start. “How are you?”
“I feel fine. You saved me?”
“I didn’t do anything except almost let you get killed.”
“I feel fine.”
He watched her from the chair. “You look much better.”
“I’m hungry.”
“Of course you are,” he said with a laugh. “Come downstairs, I’ll make breakfast. Gregory wants to start training today.”
Alexia nodded. She did too.
Leland proved he deserved his cook position at the Diner. Breakfast was a feast. Scrambled eggs with cheese, paper-thin pancakes, crispy hash browns with onions, and a fruit salad.
Alexia made coffee so she could say she contributed.
Everyone wandered downstairs, but besides pleasantries about how everyone was feeling, they ate in silence. It was surprisingly comfortable, and Alexia felt herself relaxing.
And then Gregory ruined everything. “We need to practice. Is everyone ready?” he asked.
Alexia swallowed a bite of egg and it sunk down her throat and landed in her belly with a thud. She nodded and stood.
Gregory stood in front of them as they lined up in the backyard as if he were their schoolteacher and was about to teach a lesson.
“How do we do this?” Alexia asked. “Where do we even start?”
“How about we start with what our abilities are?” Dustin said. “Let’s make a list of what we’ve got and we can focus on what’s most likely to help us.”
Gregory nodded. “Good idea.”
“Alexia is getting quite good at the rain—”
“But not the ice block thing, which seems more useful,” she interrupted.
“Fair enough,” Gregory continued. He put a hand on her forehead “We can focus on that and I think your ability to compel people will be useful. Blaine has a similar one. We should work on yours.”
Alexia felt her gut tighten. She’d seen Blaine use that power and had been the victim of it. She wasn’t sure she’d ever be as good at it.
Gregory moved his hand to Cali’s forehead. “Okay, your portal ability is very strong. I think—”
“What are you doing?” Cali interrupted him. She grabbed his wrist and looked up at the hand that had been on her forehead.
Gregory looked to his hand and made a face. “Sorry. I can sense abilities. If I touch you, I get a clearer idea of how they work.”
“I thought you were a tracker?” Cali asked.
“I am. I track powers though. The stronger an Essence, the easier it is for me to find them. That’s how I found you. But I don’t always know what the power is. Just that it’s strong. A little contact gives me clearer info.”
“I see,” Dustin said.
“May I?” Gregory asked Cali, raising his hand again.
She nodded and he placed his palm against her forehead again. “Your portals to different dimensions is going to be the most helpful, I believe.”
He moved to Dustin and raised his hand in question.
“Okay,” Dustin said.
“Oh, grea
t,” Gregory said.
Cali and Alexia locked eyes and shrugged.
“You can sense danger. You’re pretty good with it already too.”
Dustin cleared his throat. “What do you mean?”
“When someone you love is in danger, you know, don’t you?”
Dustin nodded.
“It’s not like Leland’s, but I think the two of you can work together and we’ll be able to cut down on a lot of surprises.”
“Leland’s?” Cali asked.
“He can see the future,” Alexia said.
“Kind of. In a sense,” Leland replied defensively.
“I think the two of you together will be pretty powerful though. Let’s see what else you’ve got.” Gregory placed his hand on Leland’s forehead. He took in a sharp breath. “Wow. There is a lot here. Telepathy, weather—mostly wind and lightning, maybe you can fly?” Gregory went on listing abilities. “We’ll have to figure out what’s easiest for you to access and go from there. Blaine was busy.”
Leland reddened and Alexia grabbed his hand and squeezed it. When he looked over to her, she felt herself blush and dropped his hand.
Gregory backed away and they all stood at attention watching him.
“Alexia, make it rain, but only above Leland and no one else.” He pointed and turned. “Cali, open a portal to the top of the Grand Canyon.”
Cali shook her head. Gregory leveled a look at her and she took a deep breath, closed her eyes and Alexia watched as the swirling colors took shape.
“Leland,” Gregory said. “Convince me to walk through.”
“To the Grand Canyon?” he asked.
Gregory nodded.
After twenty minutes, he almost did. Gregory almost walked through. But almost wouldn’t be close enough with Blaine.
The afternoon wore on and they practiced both alone and together. Alexia’s main focus was trying to keep the rain going while freezing the trees. It worked once.
They were clearly the JV team going up against an All-Star Varsity player.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Cali’s dreams were filled with fire, and melted flesh, and the bones of her long-dead best friend. She and Dustin struggled with strange hours and exhausting training. Sometimes she thought all the things around her were a surreal dream, but when she stood at the side of her best friend, she wanted more than anything for it to be real. It had only been a few of Cali’s days since the fire, but it felt like a month in Lexi’s Ether. Dustin was despondent at night and told Cali he worried about what waited for them when and if they returned to their bodies and their lives. They couldn’t live in Lexi’s Ether, though they were physically capable. They were not willing to abandon their lives.
“Cali?” A voice broke her concentration.
She turned.
“If you focus a little more on the details, the window will be easier to sustain,” Gregory called to her.
“I just want a nap,” Cali grumbled after another hour of not much progress.
“Just a little longer and we will take a break.”
Cali was improving. She hardly had to try to open windows to other places. They were easy because she was just looking at the space beyond. Doorways or portals took only slightly more effort. They had to be open and big enough for a person to get through.
Her teeth ground together as she focused on turning two windows on opposite sides of the yard into portals. Leland and Lexi both stepped through one. Her skin warmed and the colors in the doorways sharpened. Lexi’s auburn hair glistened as she stepped through. Leland’s was a little foggier and she could see him pushing against the plastic-like barrier. There was a slight pop as he broke though and reappeared though another portal facing the one Lexi had just stepped through. Her skin cooled as the portals closed.
Dustin got the hang of his power quickly and could sense far off and unlikely danger. He helped form the attack plan and he made it look like it took no effort. Cali wiped the sweat from her brow and watched him work.
Lexi was still remembering past lives and every so often, in the middle of whatever they were doing, she would become still. Her eyes would go vacant and she would stand or sit wherever she’d been. Sometimes it was only a couple of minutes. The longest was over an hour. The more past lives Lexi visited, the closer she was to completing her memories.
Cali hated the thought of her moving on. Selfishly, part of her wanted to stay here forever with this group of people. Safe and together.
But she knew that was stupid. It would never work and they weren’t actually safe.
“Hey, Cali.” Lexi plopped next to Cali on the side of the house, snapping her out of her thoughts. “He’s the worst. A few more breaks wouldn’t kill us.”
Gregory sighed from the kitchen doorway. “I can hear you.”
Both girls snickered. He handed each a glass of water.
“I know you think I’m mean, but we are making progress. Lexi, you’re getting the hang of your ability to compel others.”
“Am I?” Lexi laughed. “It makes no damn sense to me.”
“Me either, if that makes you feel any better,” Cali added.
Gregory took a long drink before he said anything. “Maybe it’s just because you’re thinking about it too much.”
Lexi pinched the bridge of her nose. “I feel like I’m never getting any better.
Really though, Leland was the only one who struggled like Cali. She wasn’t comforted by that fact though—Leland struggled because he had about a hundred new powers. He was busy sorting through his new abilities and figuring out how to make them work. Some of them could be useful. Since he was a mirror, he already had the same, albeit weaker, versions of Cali’s, Alexia’s, and Dustin’s abilities. Some of the powers he got from Blaine augmented the powers he already had. He got a few mind powers like making people forget or getting into their thoughts. Those made his visions of the future stronger. Blaine had weather powers and with those Leland could almost keep up with Lexi.
The break was short, and Cali couldn’t focus. “I can’t keep doing this. I’m too tired. It’s too much for me,” Cali cried out and her multiple windows all closed together. “I’m done for today.”
She stomped away, slamming the back door behind her.
***
Alexia watched Cali storm off.
“I’d like to do a little more work,” Gregory said.
Dustin started toward the house.
“Why don’t you guys stay out here and work and I’ll go in and check on her?” Alexia suggested.
Dustin paused, looked at her, and nodded. He rejoined the group as Alexia went inside. She found Cali in her room, sprawled across her bed.
“Wanna hang out?” she asked from the doorway.
“Yes please.”
Alexia sat next to Cali, grabbed a pillow, and set it in her lap. “What’s on your mind?”
“At the moment? This insane house. It’s literally in the parking lot of Tom’s, where you worked every day for the five years you were dead. Which is its own kinda nonsense. A mansion appearing in the parking lot should have raised a bunch of red flags, don’t you think?” She laughed.
Alexia shrugged. “I suppose a career as a detective is out. Both because I’m unobservant, but also, you know, because I’m dead.”
“I don’t know. A ghost on the squad sounds pretty badass. You could be pretty stealthy. As long as you don’t show up and spew blood on them or some shit.”
“I think I’ll just retire after Blaine. Hard to top him, right?”
“He is quite the asshole.”
“Indeed. Why couldn’t he just want to fill the place with puppies?”
“So,” Cali asked, interrupting a fit of laughter and pointing at Lexi. “What is going on with you and Leland?”
Alexia cleared her throat and felt herself blush. “Nothing. Why?”
“Why not?” Cali asked. “He’s crazy about you.”
“Why would you even say that?” Lexi fidg
eted. “We really have bigger things to worry about. Don’t you think?”
“Uh, no. We could all die. Don’t you at least want to see if there’s something between you two?” Cali playfully punched Lexi. “Hell, Lexi, you’re already dead. I say live a little.”
Alexia pursed her lips. “There was something between us. I remember it. I loved him. I know I still do.”
“Then, what’s the problem?” Cali asked.
“I don’t know.”
“It’s so obvious how you two feel about each other.”
“How do we feel about each other?” Lexi’s voice had a slight edge. “He didn’t even come back to be reborn with me. I know I love him, but do I know he loves me?”
“Don’t be stupid. I don’t know why he wasn’t reborn with you, but I’m sure there was a reason.”
There was a knock on the door. Both girls jumped.
“Yes?” Cali asked.
Alexia looked out the windows and realized it was dark out.
“You two gonna be a while?” Dustin called from the other side of the door.
Alexia stood. She hugged Cali. “I should turn in. We have to get back at it tomorrow.”
“Kill me now,” Cali groaned and flopped onto the bed.
“Not too loud.” Alexia smirked. “Blaine just might take you up on that.”
They laughed, but Alexia could feel the fear in the air.
In the hallway on her way to her room, Leland bumped into her on his way to the bathroom.
“Oops,” she said.
“Sorry,” he said at the same time.
She looked up at him, unsure what to say. He smiled awkwardly.
“So,” he asked. “How’s Cali?”
“I think she’s okay. Just stressed.”
“I get that feeling.” He brushed his hair from his face, revealing a cut on his forehead. It was the last of his wounds from his confrontation with Blaine.
Alexia reached up and touched the cut. Leland flinched, though he tried to hide it. When Alexia pulled her hand away, he took it in his and put both of theirs to his cheek. He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch.
He was so warm. Alexia ran her fingers down his face and onto his chest. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. She tilted up and kissed him, softly at first. Then she pulled him to her and he pinned her to the wall and kissed her again, more fiercely.
Last Time She Died Page 21