“No. Not easier,” Nick says. He looks up and is caught off guard by the expression on Keely’s face. He has watched her for a long time and that is a look he has never seen her wear before. “Keely? Are you-”
But Nick doesn’t get a chance to ask his question. Keely crushes herself into him. Her body against his body. Her mouth against his mouth. Her hands are on his neck, sliding into his hair. Nick hesitates for only a moment. Just long enough to remind himself there is no more of the Leech Demon in her. This is the action of Keely herself. He kisses her back. His hands lock into the thick waves of her hair. For a moment, they both forget. There is only each other.
It is over too quickly. The buzzing of Keely’s cell phone causes them to pull away. Keely’s lips tingle as she pries the phone from her pocket and checks the caller I.D.
“It’s my mom’s number.” She pushes the speaker button and holds it between them. “Hello?”
“Keely? Oh thank God. Thank God you’re all right.”
Keely’s hand shakes. “Mom?”
“I’m here, baby. I haven’t been given a lot of time. I was told I have to give you a message. You’re supposed to go to Pandora this Friday.”
Nick shakes his head. Drops his eyes. He can’t look at the confusion and hope on Keely’s face.
“What time does he want me there?”
Nick’s head jerks back up to look at her. She can’t possibly be considering actually going.
After a moment’s hesitation, Keely’s mother replies dryly, “He says eight O’clock. He says don’t be late.”
“I won’t be late, Mom. I promise. How is Daddy? Is he o.k.?”
“He’s fine. He’s right here.”
Keely closes her eyes, relieved. “Can I talk to him?”
After a long moment, as Keely is beginning to think her mom lied, when she is losing hope that her dad is really all right, he speaks softly into the phone. “Keels? Are you there, Honey? How are you holding up?”
“I’m o.k. Daddy. It’s so good to hear your voice.”
“Yours too, Honey.” She can hear him breathing into the phone. It’s the most wonderful sound.
“I miss you.”
“I miss you too kiddo. Keels? You walk the dog.”
Keely is silent for a second. Goosebumps raise across her arms as tears sting her eyes. “O.k. Daddy. I’ll walk him.”
“Good girl Keels. I love you so much.”
She inhales a trembling breath. “I love you too.”
Before the line goes dead, there is a crisp, deep voice on the other end. Not her father’s gentle intonation. “Friday,” Apophis says.
The cell phone swims in front of Keely as she stares at it though her tears. Nick pulls it from her fingers and presses the end button. “Keely…”
She slides off his lap. Sits on the floor. Doesn’t want to talk to Nick right now. All that fear she wasn’t feeling minutes ago is now back. She is drowning in it. Remembers she hasn’t had her pills. Standing up so quickly makes her head spin. She pushes past it and moves to her back pack. Kneels heavily in front of it.
“You can’t go. It’s a set up. You have to know that.”
Keely rolls her eyes as she rummages through the bag for her medicine bottle. “I know it’s a trap.”
“So you understand that you can’t go?”
She picks up the bag and flips it, dumping everything out. “I have to go, Nick.”
Nick shakes his head. Stupid, reckless girl. “You’re not going.” He begins to pace behind her. “What are you looking for?”
Keely has shaken every single last thing from the bag and is now flicking through the pile. “My medicine.”
“You don’t need it.”
“Yes I do,” she cries.
Nick stops, startled by the desperation in her voice. Moves to his knees beside her. Begins pushing her belongings back inside the book bag. “No, you don’t.”
“You don’t have the first clue as to what I do and do not need, Nicholas Wallace.” She glares at him. All her anger focused on him at the moment.
“I know you do not need those pills. I know that you have been doing perfectly fine without them.”
“Do I look fine to you?” Her hands are in fists. The tears finally spill over. Slide down her cheeks.
“You look scared.”
“I am scared.”
“We will figure something out. I’ll keep you safe.”
“I’m not worried about me. I’m scared for my parents.” She is more than scared. She is terrified she will never see them again. “After the attack, I was scared of everything. My dad and I went over several different scenarios. Things I could do in the future to keep me safe. Mostly he had turned it into a joke trying to make me feel better. During that time, we had come up with a code, like you do with little kids when a different adult picks them up or something. It was all stupid at the time. Neither of us ever thought we would really use it. Take out the trash if everything was all right. Walk the dog if it wasn’t.” She gazes at Nick. “He told me to walk the dog.”
“Then we walk.” Nick crosses his arms in front of his chest.
“I can’t, Nick. I can’t just walk away. I’m going Friday. I’m going to do whatever it takes to ensure my parents safety.” She closes her eyes. She doesn’t expect to come back with her parents. But it is all for the best. Her parents will be safe and Nick will be relieved of this obligation he feels towards her.
Twelve:
Silence clogs the room. Nick’s toxic mood spills over Keely. Seeps into her skin. Runs through her veins like poison. Inches its way into her heart and fills her full of venom. Acidic bile makes its way into her mouth, tasting of wrongness, of cold, of fear and of pain.
It’s been hours since he has uttered a word. Keely can’t stand it a moment more. Can’t stand him being mad at her. She opens her notepad and begins sketching the small television. She can make out her reflection in the screen. Her features appear morphed. Fuzzy. She imagines that is probably fairly accurate.
Keely’s hand sweeps across the paper and the familiar swoosh of her pencil calms her nerves. She nearly sighs. If she didn’t have this, if she had never picked up a pencil as a child and drawn on every scrap of paper she could get her hands on, she’d have nothing right now. This is it. Her one constant she can return to over and over again. Her pencils will never be angry with her. Her paper will never tell her what to do. They will never hurt her. Never abandon her. Never make her feel bad.
Nick pulls a laptop from underneath the couch and opens it. Keely watches as he crosses his legs under him and props the computer on his lap. Her cell phone sits ominously between them. It will never again just be a cell phone for her. It will always hold more meaning than that now. The phone on which she may have spoken to her parents for the last time.
Keely turns the page in her notebook and begins etching Nick’s profile as he bends over the computer. He has such an intense look on his face. Keely struggles to capture it because she is so busy wondering what is responsible for causing this expression.
Leaning nonchalantly to read over Nick’s shoulder, the explanation is clear. He has searched the number twenty-two. Twenty-two fallen Watchers, twenty-two of their children. It is so much more than a simple number, she knows. Many options have popped up, but one catches Keely’s eye as well as Nick’s.
Psalm 22.
Nick clicks on it and they forget they are angry with each other as she moves closer. He adjusts the screen for her to see as he reads.
“A cry of anguish and a song of praise. The psalm in which a crucified Jesus makes reference. Mathew 27:46; Mark 15:34.”
“Look that up.”
Nick’s fingers move, tapping at the keys. “Here. At the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, translated to mean, ‘My God, My God, why have you forsaken
me?’”
“What do you think the connection is?”
“I’m not sure, but there must be one. That is too big of a coincidence. I mean, in Jesus’ case, he wasn’t forsaken. Your father, however, is.”
“And his children. But I was born normal. I mean, pretty much. I’m not a giant. I only have five toes on each foot.”
“So was Asmoday. Apophis was born with the extra toes, but that’s all; though he cut them off one foot. I guess he wanted to appear normal too. Now he limps. And you weren’t exactly born normal, you’re a girl. That’s never happened before. Eventually girls joined the line, a grandchild or great grandchild, but never a child of direct blood. You are more special than you can even understand, Keely. You shouldn’t exist. So why? That is what I think we need to figure out. If we can get the why, then all the rest just may unravel.” Nick grabs his binder and flips it open. He pulls a blank sheet of notebook paper out.
“Yeah. Just that little thing. No sweat.” Keely sighs in defeat.
“We need help.”
“I agree.”
Nick pulls his cell phone from his pocket but hesitates. He knows he can rely on Lila, but beyond her, he isn’t sure.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m just thinking. I don’t really know who to trust with this. We need a way to figure this out without anyone else.”
“Yeah. O.k. How?”
“Give me a second. Can I see your pencil?”
As she hands it to him, the binder slips from the couch, the contents spilling across the floor. Among Nick’s schoolwork are several of Keely’s discarded sketches from the past couple of days. Her mouth opens as if to say something, but Nick’s eyes flash, full of embarrassment, so she remains quiet. Her hands skimming over the pages as she helps him pick everything up. They’re all there. Everything she’s drawn this week. He must have been taking them from the trash cans of her classes without her knowing.
“Thanks,” Nick says quietly. She doesn’t know if he means for helping him or for not questioning him. She nods her head unable to meet his gaze.
Keely watches Nick’s feet as he paces the small open space in front of the couch. “While you think, I’m going to make food.” Nick nods without looking at her. She washes shrimp and cuts the tails off of them. Places them in bowls with lettuce and several other vegetables. She’s curious as she brings a bowl to Nick if he’ll actually eat it. He takes it easily and finally sits. Then he looks at it.
“Ugh. Really?”
“Shut up and eat.”
Nick dumps the contents into her bowl and heads to the kitchen where he opens a can of beef stew, plops it into his now empty bowl and shoves it into the microwave.
“That’s so gross. Do you know how bad that stuff is for you?”
“Do you know that I am not a rabbit? I need sustenance. Meat. Protein.”
“Whatever. Don’t be healthy.”
“I’m healthy.” Nick takes his stew from the microwave and heaves himself down next to Keely. “Why are you so obsessed about it anyway?”
“I am not obsessed. I’m just health conscious. There’s a difference.”
Nick grunts. “You’ll ingest those stupid pills, but this makes you sick?” He spoons some meaty stew into his mouth.
Keely doesn’t even answer. That is precisely why she worries so much about what she puts into her body, but there is no way she’s telling him that. If she did, he’d tell her not take the pills and that would just start another fight. That’s not something she wants to risk since he’s actually speaking to her again. Somehow, even if she didn’t take the pills, she still cannot see herself eating that stuff. It looks and smells like Lively’s dog chow.
“So, do you have a plan yet?”
“Not really. You got anything?” he asks, looking at her hopefully.
“Nothing. I’ll call Bryon. You call Lila, have her bring Dustin. We’ll see what the five us can come up with, then we’ll take it to Mr. Giordano tomorrow. He’s sure to know more than any of us right? I mean, he is a teacher.”
Nick nods as he fishes his cell from his pocket. The two of them make their calls. Only Nick is successful. Keely has to leave a message for Bryon, stressing the importance of speaking to him immediately.
“Lila and Dusty are on their way. No luck with Bry?”
“Nope. Left a message. I’ll send him a text too.”
Nick runs another search on twenty-two while they wait. It is more of the same and a lot that seems insignificant. He glances through everything anyway, just to be safe.
Just as Nick is beginning to get frustrated, feeling as if he is going nowhere, a soft knock sounds at the door. At the same time his phone vibrates with a text message. Lila letting him know it’s her at the door.
“It’s Dustin and Lila,” Nick says, answering Keely’s question before she asks it.
“I’m going to try Bryon again.”
“All right, Icky. We’re here. What do you need from us?” Lila says as Nick let’s them in.
“Have you heard from Bryon?” Keely asks quickly before Nick can begin.
“I haven’t. Not since yesterday,” Lila answers, then turns to Dustin.
“No, me neither.”
“We can’t get a hold of him,” Nick explains.
“Well, it’s not the first time,” Dustin grunts.
“Yeah, but at this point in the game, it is pretty careless,” Lila sighs.
“Yes, that’s true.” Nick starts pacing again and Keely leans her head against the back of the couch.
“You’re doing it again, Nick.”
“Doing what?”
“Pacing. Driving me nuts.”
“Sorry.”
Nick leans against the wall and squeezes his eyes shut. It really is careless and stupid of Bryon not to be returning calls and texts. Keely could have needed him. She could have been in trouble. And technically, Nick is his superior on this job. Bryon is supposed to be there when Nick needs him. Nobody on his team has ever done anything like this before. And just like that, a little light clicks on in his head. A light Nick doesn’t want to acknowledge, but cannot ignore. Bryon is the traitor. He must be. A shiver runs down his spine and his eyes sting as if he could cry. It can’t be true. He must be wrong. But what other explanation is there?
“What’s wrong?” Lila demands, worry clear in her voice and posture.
Nick opens his eyes and takes a deep breath. He stares at Keely for a moment, trying to decide what he should tell everybody. He knows this theory will hurt her the most. She has already felt betrayed by Bryon. He knows he will have to tell her soon, but he decides it will not be right now. Right now, there are more pressing issues.
“Keely has agreed to meet with Apophis,” he says. “This Friday.” He pushes off the wall. “On her birthday.”
“What? Keely, you can’t do that,” Dustin scolds. “He’ll kill you for sure. And it’s dangerous for all of us to go into a situation like that. You need to stay out of trouble where we can better protect you.”
“That isn’t important right now. I think something happened to Bryon. He isn’t answering his phone. He hasn’t even text me back,” Keely explains in a rush as she checks her phone again for emphasis. “I’m really worried. He’s never not text me back.”
“Bryon does this all the time,” Lila tells her. She makes her voice sound light, unconcerned. “He’ll call later. He’s probably hooking up with some girl right now. Don’t worry.”
Nick and Lila share a look. Keely is too distracted to notice, but Dustin doesn’t miss it. His brows merge for a moment before turning back to face Keely.
“So, now that that’s resolved, what’s this about you being a complete moron and trying to sacrifice yourself?”
“He has my parents,” Keely seethes. “I don’t understand why none of you
get that. I am fully aware of how stupid it is. I know Apophis has no intentions of letting me get away. But if there is even the slightest chance that it will save my mom and dad, I have to do it. So now that we got that out of the way, help me come up with a plan.” Keely crosses her arms in front of her and looks at each of them, one by one. “I understand if you don’t want to get involved. It is risky, but I’m doing this with or without you.”
“She’s impossible,” Dustin grumbles.
“Completely,” Nick agrees. If he weren’t terrified of losing her, Nick would respect her bravery.
“There’s not a lot we can plan. Pandora is huge. And all those underground tunnels… It’s too risky, Keely. You need to try to change the meeting,” Lila interjects.
“I agree. There are too many places we could lose you. Far too many hiding places. We need a place we can secure.” Nick moves to sit next to Keely. “We need to pick the place and time. I think we should try for the day time as well. Apophis is weakest in sun light.”
“The park is open and public. Plenty of sun light,” Dustin suggests.
“That’s good.” Nick nods his head. Looks at Keely. “Give me your phone.” He sends the text: CHANGE OF PLANS. TOMORROW, NOON, HUNT PARK, then closes his hand around the cell phone as he waits for a response.
In the minutes following, everyone remains eerily quiet. There isn’t even the sound of their breathing. They all must be holding their breath in anticipation. Keely’s stomach churns. She feels like she could be sick.
The lights flicker several times before going dark. Keely pulls her legs off the floor. Grips the arm of the couch. Her ears strain to listen. Nick’s hand finds her almost immediately and squeezes her fingers. She moves closer to him. Could it be Apophis? She’s sure they must have made him mad. Is he here to collect her now? This is his game and they didn’t follow the rules. What will be their punishment? A dozen different scenarios run through her mind in the seconds it takes the others to respond.
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