I held my hand out and steadied myself. “Please God,” I prayed, “you blessed me with this power that has so often felt more like a curse. If you could please, please help me out and let Mom and the baby live, you’d be doing me a huge favor.” With everything I had in me, I forced my energy onto Mom. For several minutes, nothing happened, but I pushed forward, digging deeper. I believed my abilities came from God, but they were housed in my spirit and that’s all I was now, pure spirit and energy.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Avery slide from the truck. He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me the best he could, whispering in my ear. “You can save them, Zellie. You’re the most amazing and strong person I know. I loved you when I was alive, I love you now, and I’ll love you forever. I know you can do this. Save them.”
The energy surged within me, coming to the surface of my skin and wrapping itself around us until we were both encased in its glowing blue light. I directed it all at Mom.
The truck’s windshield evaporated, freeing Mom to fall back onto the seat, before it materialized again as one whole solid piece of glass.
Avery broke from me, rushing to her side. He bent into the door, getting as close as he could to inspect her. “She’s breathing!” he called, “And she’s not cut anywhere. I think she’s just passed out!”
“And the baby?” I asked.
Avery laughed, astonished. “I can see him kicking. Zellie, you did it!”
Assured that Mom and my baby brother were going to be okay, I went with my instincts and turned my focus to Avery’s body. The blue light around me that had ebbed with the force of rewinding Mom out of the windshield grew brighter with my newfound concentration. “I love you, Avery and I will always be with you.”
His spirit caught onto what I was doing and only had time to give me a sad, relenting smile before it disappeared.
In the truck, Avery’s head snapped up straight with a sickening crunch and then his body thrashed violently back and forth twice, uncrashing his face into the steering column, before he came to rest, also appearing to be passed out. I lowered my arm, but held my power close to the surface, watching Avery’s chest, waiting for his lungs to expand with air. When he inhaled, I crumpled to the ground, the blue light fading, leaving me trembling.
Mr. Adams sprang up beside me, bending down next to me. “Everyone is on their way, Zellie. They’ll be here any minute. Ben had Melody call an ambulance.” He glanced up at the truck. “Oh, God,” he moaned, trying to take me into his arms, encircling me in a pseudo-embrace. “You did that? Avery and your mom?”
I nodded my head numbly.
“He was safest with you after all,” Mr. Adams said, shaking his head.
I just nodded again. I guess he was right. Although I’m not sure “safe” would be the word I would have chosen.
The sound of screeching tires jerked me out of my haze. Ben frantically raced from Frank’s car before Frank had a chance to slow it all the way down. I stood up to greet him. He ran past the truck, coming at me with open arms, but then backtracked and flung the driver’s side door open, putting his fingers to Avery’s neck and checking his pulse. He whipped his head around, staring at me, his eyes wide with shock. “You were able to bring him back?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know how?”
I shrugged. “If I had to guess, I’d say it’s because I’m dead. Because I’m pure energy. It made me powerful enough?”
A devious smile spread across his face. He put his head back, cackling up to the sky. “There’s your loophole, bitches!”
“Except I’m dead,” I said.
Ben’s smile faded, his expression turning serious, considering. “Well, that is some bullshit I’m not gonna let stand.” He shut the truck door and shouted to Christopher. “Hey, Chris, get your ass over here with a quickness.”
Melody, Claire, and Frank, who had all been anxiously hanging back, came running over. Melody went directly to Mom, climbing up into the truck trying to wake her. When she had made sure Mom was okay, despite remaining unconscious, she realized I wasn’t there. “Zellie?” Melody questioned, searching for me, tears seeping into her eyes.
“She’s here,” Ben and Claire said at the same time, he pointing to my spirit and she kneeling next to my body on the ground.
Melody shot a menacing look at Ben. “Do something, now.”
Ben nodded and then spoke loudly, “I’d be happy to rewind your sister back to life before the ambulance arrives if Pastor slow-ass could get over here and help me out.”
Christopher sauntered over, barely flicking a glance my way. Guess he didn’t make it to the church service after all. Dad was gonna be pissed. “What?” he said, sounding bored.
“What do you mean what?” Claire yelled at him, getting up from the ground and charging through me and Mr. Adams. “Freaking knock it off with your emo crap and start helping.” She put her hand on Ben’s back and nodded at me.
“Well, I don’t know what he thinks he’s going to do,” Christopher said, directing everyone to look at Ben.
“We are going to band together and bring Zellie back,” Ben said, reaching for Christopher’s hand. “She brought Avery back because she’s made completely of energy now. I need your power to help me.”
He slapped Ben’s hand away. “If you’ll recall, last night I banded together with you two, got burnt to a crisp and knocked over the head for my trouble. I think I’ll sit this one out.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Ben glanced at me, desperation in his eyes.
“Dang it, Christopher,” I screamed, “you leave me over here and I will send every spirit I encounter to haunt your ass!”
“Starting with me and I’ve got a horrible singing voice and all the time in the world,” Mr. Adams said.
That got Christopher’s attention. “Ugh. Fine. Zellie will probably end up brain dead anyway.”
“All right,” Ben said, taking charge. “Let’s get Avery and Mrs. Wells out of the truck and out of the way. Claire and Chris, you guys get Avery. Mel and I will get Mrs. Wells.”
Christopher pushed Claire out of the way, opened the truck door and dragged Avery out. Hoisting him up over his shoulder, he then unceremoniously dumped him in the brush along the side of the road. Claire rushed to Avery and rolled up her jacket, placing it under his head, all the while giving Christopher searing looks. Ben gently lifted Mom in his arms, stumbling a bit from trying to balance her odd weight distribution. He laid her down next to Claire and Avery, Melody right behind him, taking Mom’s head into her lap.
Ben walked over and stood next to me, motioning for Christopher to join us. “You got anything left in you, Zel? I could use a boost of Retro power to get the truck off of your body.”
“I’ll give you everything I’ve got left.” I smiled, sinking my hand into his.
Christopher took his other hand.
“Wonder twin powers, activate!” Ben said, giggling nervously.
“Really? That’s what you’re going with? There’s three of us.” Christopher asked, cracking a smile.
“Concentrate, guys! I hear the sirens from the ambulance,” I said, a faint blue glow rising to the surface of my skin.
Ben put his hands out, palms up, each of us attached to him, channeling our energy at the truck. Slowly, it rolled off of my body, my crushed rib cage reforming before our eyes. The truck jerked back violently and then spun around, landing with a thundering jolt on the asphalt twenty feet away.
I felt the sensation of being pulled, ripped from Ben’s grasp, and then complete stillness. My eyes were open and I was standing, arms at my side. I saw the empty truck before me, idling in the middle of the road, facing toward Rosedell. My entire body inhaled; cold, biting oxygen filling my lungs. The siren from the oncoming ambulance blared in my ears as it swerved to avoid the truck and came to a stop, parking sideways a few feet in front of me. My hand shot out, pointing to the side of the road where a now awake Mom and Avery sat.
I couldn’t make out the conversation Avery and Ben were having, but whatever had passed between them ended in one of those awkward bro hugs that started out as an attempted handshake and ended with vigorous back slapping. I swear if I hadn’t been as dehydrated as an alligator handbag in the middle of the Mojave Desert, I would have shed a few satisfied happy tears.
The paramedics hoisted Mom up onto a stretcher and rolled her into the back of the ambulance. Melody and Mr. Adams got in with her. “We’ll see you guys at the hospital,” Melody called, sticking her head around the door before the driver of the ambulance swung it closed.
Avery walked over and took my hand, leading me in the direction of the cars. Ben followed behind, aided by Claire and Frank.
Christopher stood away from Frank’s car as we approached. Frank deposited Ben in the front seat and then took his place behind the wheel. Claire and I climbed into the backseat. Avery got in my car and pulled up behind us.
“Hey, Christopher,” Frank said out the window as he started up the car, “can you drive Avery’s truck back to the Adams’ house? We shouldn’t leave any of the vehicles behind. The keys are in the ignition.”
“There’s no way I’m getting into that dea-”
“Thanks, Chris!” Frank rolled up his window and drove away.
Chapter Eighteen
Approximately forty-five minutes after they arrived at the hospital, my little brother, Wyatt Thomas Adams was born. He was blessed with a head of thick brown hair and a strong desire to sleep, so Avery and I both instantly had something in common with him. Wyatt was the sweetest person I’d ever seen and I couldn’t believe that I’d doubted I would feel anything for him.
Dad and Avery’s mom called Melody’s cell from Portland and spoke to Mom, explaining that they were stranded due to the storm, but that the pass would be cleared by the next morning, so they would see us all tomorrow evening. Mom said that she looked forward to their visit, that she had one heck of a story to share with them, and that she was letting Avery drive me home to the cabin. I could hear Dad putting up a mild protest over the phone, but Mom politely reminded him that she’d just given birth and was tired as hell.
Frank, Ben, and Melody all went to Claire’s house for the night. We made plans to call each other in the morning and meet up at the hospital again. There was still so much to discuss. Ben was formulating a new plot for recovering the spirits that Mildred had locked away. I was put in charge of bringing Mom her bag. After everything that had happened, she still wanted it. That must have been one cute coming home outfit she’d picked out for Wyatt, but probably not risk-your-life cute. I kept that thought to myself.
We got out of the Legacy and lumbered up the cabin stairs. Avery opened the door for me, resting his hand on the small of my back, guiding me inside.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever been this tired in my entire life,” I said, kicking my high heels off across the floor.
He pulled me to him, kissing my forehead. “You wanna take a shower? I can start it for you.”
“That is exactly what I want to do.”
We walked into my bedroom. I went to the chest of drawers and pulled out my most comfy and unflattering outfit, a pair of dark green sweats and a huge gray sweatshirt that used to be Dad’s, and hung them over the end of the bed.
Avery got the shower going and then came back into the bedroom. “Are you hungry? Or thirsty? Mel told me to make you drink lots of water.”
I reached back to unzip my dress, my muscles aching and tender. “Argh. Can you get this stupid Barbie dress off of me, I can’t do it myself.”
He came up behind me and swept my hair up off of my neck, pushing it over my shoulder. “Jesus,” he whispered, “you’ve got sand and asphalt ground into your skin, Zellie, you should have had the nurses look at you.” Gingerly, he peeled the edge of the material from my skin and slowly unzipped my dress.
“Thank you.” I exhaled, finally able to breathe easily. “That dress was like a satin strait jacket.”
“No problem.” He looked toward the bathroom. “The water’s probably hot by now.”
I winced trying to wriggle out of the dress. Avery rushed around to the front of me and grabbed my hands, putting them on his shoulders. “Here, let me help you. You probably bruised some ribs. Being run over by a truck can do that.”
“Ha,” I said, wincing again. Avery’s hair brushed my face as he gently pushed my dress down, letting it drop to the floor. “You’re okay, though, aren’t you?” I asked.
He nodded his head.
I grinned. “Turns out, I am a better Retroact than Ben. Who would’ve thought?”
“Me,” he said, putting his hands on my hips and helping me step over the wadded up dress.
For some reason, it hadn’t occurred to me that Avery helping me get undressed would mean that I would be standing in front of him in my underwear and a strapless bra. I mean, he’d seen the goods before, but it’d been a while. He looked down at the floor, but left his hands on my hips. “Are you good? Can you make it to the shower?”
I stepped to the side. Walking I could do, but my back was throbbing with pain. “Can you, uh, help me take the other stuff off? I promise I’m not trying to seduce you or anything, I just don’t think I can get....especially the bra...” I tried looking up at the ceiling.
Avery chuckled. “You’re not trying to seduce me, huh?” He reached around my back and unhooked the bra, sliding it forward and throwing it in the general vicinity of my laundry basket.
I grinned, bringing my gaze down and looking into his eyes. A bit of the awkwardness between us was fading. It kinda had to under the circumstances.
Abruptly, Avery moved away from me and whipped his shirt off over his head. He stepped on the backs of his shoes, almost falling over, catching himself on the edge of the bed.
“What are you doing?” I asked, frozen to my point on the floor.
He unbuttoned his jeans and pushed them down. “I’m gonna help you take a shower.”
Standing there in his boxers, the sight of his body made me lose my breath all over again. “Okay,” I managed to say and turned to walk into the bathroom.
“Unless you don’t want me to,” he said.
I held my hand out behind me in response, hoping that he took it.
Without hesitation, he reached forward and grasped my hand. I led him into the bathroom and pushed the shower curtain back, steam escaping and engulfing us.
“Underwear off?” he asked.
“Yup,” I whispered.
He slipped out of his boxers and threw them over his shoulder.
“I meant mine,” I giggled, to the detriment of my ribcage.
“Oops.” Avery smiled wickedly and then slid mine down my legs.
He took hold of my arm and we got in the shower, facing each other. I stood directly under the stream. The water was soothing and hot, relaxing my muscles.
“Turn around, let me wash the dirt off of you.” I obeyed, turning my back to him and pulling my hair forward. Next I pulled the ribbon out and undid the braids. I grabbed the shampoo from the rack hanging over the showerhead and squirted a large dollop into my hand. I would have to wash it twice, since Giselle had loaded it with so much product.
Avery leaned around me and took the soap from the rack. “Okay, tell me if this kills. I’m going to try and be very gentle, but some of the rocks are in there real good.”
“Okay.” I held my breath in anticipation. He placed his soaped up palm against my skin and rubbed in a light circular motion. It wasn’t so bad, considering. I concentrated on washing my hair when I saw that the water rushing by my feet was tinged with red.
I’d rinsed the shampoo from my hair, shampooed again, washed my face, and applied conditioner by the time Avery was done cleaning my back. I was sure to have a whole mess of scars. He put his arms around my waist and kissed the nape of my neck. A whole mess of totally worth it scars. I turned in his embrace, putting my head back and letting the water flow through my hair. He moved closer to me, planting light kisses across my collarbone.
“I love you, Zel,” he whispered.
“I love you.” I kissed him like I was starving and he was bread.
When our hands started roaming all over each other’s bodies, I had a brief moment of clarity. “Avery, we gotta get out of this water before we fall and give ourselves concussions.”
“Right.” He turned the shower off with his foot and hopped out.
I pushed back the curtain. With my muscles more relaxed, the getting out was much easier than the getting in. Well, that, and a dripping wet, naked, oh-my-frickity-fracking-God beautiful Avery was standing before me, waiting to wrap a towel around me. I did not lack motivation.
Stepping onto the bath mat, I took the towel from him and dried my hair. Then, to his amusement, I dried his.
“Here,” he asked, holding his hand out for the towel, “let me dry your back off and see what we have to bandage it with.”
Once again I obeyed, turning away from him. I glanced over my shoulder, trying to get a look at myself in the mirror. Not a pretty sight. I had a six inch patch of raw, scraped up flesh between my shoulder blades. At least the bleeding had stopped.
Avery dabbed my skin dry and then set about rummaging through the vanity drawers for first aid supplies. “Ah-ha,” he said, pulling an Ace bandage, a small bottle of Bactine, a roll of white tape, and some scissors from the cabinet under the sink. “This should work pretty well.”
He disinfected the area and then covered it with sections of cut-up Ace bandage, taping it along the sides.
“All done,” he said.
I admired Avery’s handiwork in the mirror. He’d done a good job. “You should be a doctor.”
Zellie Wells Trilogy Page 32