Nicole saw Austin here and there—they almost never talked, but his occasional smile lifted her spirits greatly. She knew he was listening as she was, gathering information, trying to understand as much about the Tarians as possible.
The biggest thing they needed to figure out was just how many people were helping the group. Nicole was getting all sorts of impressions and answers. The numbers ranged greatly—anywhere from a million to a billion.
She hoped a million people was closer to the truth, but even that would be difficult to go up against.
The convention was normally a week-long event, but this time, in preparation for the big war to come, it would span two weeks with a break over the weekend.
By the time that weekend came, Nicole was positive everyone was ready for it. Tempers flared and moods were sour.
It was with excitement that she packed her things, eager to get out of Vegas and return to Seattle, even if only for a day or two.
Nicole finished doing up her suitcase and rolled it into the main area of the hotel where Dad and Tiffany waited. She smiled at the pouty expression on her mother’s face.
“School is still important, Mother. It shouldn’t take long to figure out what was wrong with my project, and I’ll join you and Dad in Dallas as soon as possible.”
She turned to her carryon and pulled out a stack of papers, glad she’d thought of this during the week. “Would you two be okay with going through my notes and making sure I’m understanding things? I’ve marked questions in blue in the margins. You both know far more about the group than I ever will.”
Tiffany’s eyes lit up and she hungrily snatched the stack from Nicole. “We’ll do our best.”
Nicole knew they would, and she also realized they’d turn their findings over to Rebecca if it looked like Nicole wasn’t competent enough. Good thing she’d been aware of this while taking notes. There wouldn’t be anything incriminating in that stack.
“I’ve made comments on people I need to contact for clarity on some of their projects. Feel free to contact them, if you’d like, and to add your own notes. When I get back from Seattle, we can talk over the progress of the group.”
Nicole was grateful that neither parent put up a fight when she left to catch her plane. Theirs wasn’t leaving until later that evening, and they didn’t want to sit around at the airport for several hours.
She really couldn’t wait to be away from their always-watching eyes.
***
Nicole only stopped by her apartment in Seattle for a couple of minutes to drop off her luggage before heading to Coolidge’s house, where Austin would be meeting her. Lizzie was home in Texas now and they would only see each other briefly in Dallas after Nicole’s trip to Seattle and before she returned to Vegas.
Coolidge’s wife, Hayla, invited Nicole in warmly, offering her homemade cookies. Nicole accepted two, then Hayla directed her to Coolidge’s study, where Austin and Coolidge were waiting.
“So, what’s this assignment of mine you had questions about?” Nicole asked as she stepped through the door to the study.
“It’s nothing we couldn’t have resolved over the phone,” Coolidge said. He pushed her paper toward her. “But I needed you here for other reasons.”
Nicole glanced over the papers, saw what Coolidge was curious about, and gave him the information he needed. He was right—she could have answered him through a phone call.
She took a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk. “What else did we need to talk about?”
“We found a better way for me to carry the blocker,” Austin said from where he opposite the door. He lifted his shirt, revealing a tan, well-sculpted chest and abs. Straps running down from his shoulders and around his chest held the weird-looking device in place against his upper stomach. “No risks of me dropping it now,” he said.
Nicole nodded, saving the image of a near-shirtless Austin for later retrieval. “Good thing, too. I was getting nervous at the conference. Especially when you wore the same shirt at least three times. I hope I’m the only one who noticed.”
Austin held up his hands. “Hey, I only have a couple of shirts with pockets.” He smiled. “I doubt anyone but you noticed anyway.”
Coolidge asked them to update him on anything new they’d learned from the convention, which they did. It wasn’t a lot—just more specifics about what they’d already heard.
Just then, a spider ran along the edge of Coolidge’s desk, startling Nicole. She casually picked up her homework assignment, flipping through it, wondering if the spider was announcing Rebecca’s arrival or if it was simply a creature living in Coolidge’s house.
Rebecca appeared next to Nicole, answering her question.
“Rebecca!” Nicole said, giving what she hoped was a warm smile.
“What are you doing?”
Nicole held out her papers. “My professor had a question about my assignment. I figured I’d answer him while I was in town.”
“In his personal study? Why not at his office on campus?”
“School’s out. He doesn’t teach during the spring and summer terms.”
“Ah.” Rebecca wandered the room, inspecting things without touching them. She looked exhausted. How long had she needed to sleep after the energy it took to announce Nicole’s role with the Tarians?
Watching Rebecca’s investigation, Nicole was glad that everything she, Austin, and Coolidge had done so far had only been talk. If they’d had something out that showed what they were talking about, it would’ve been a problem.
Rebecca glanced at Austin, sitting on the couch, reading a book. Nicole was grateful he was wearing a baseball cap and the elderly woman wouldn’t be able to see his new hair color—that would ruin their spying plans. “How are you able to be in the same room with him?”
Nicole shrugged. “We haven’t dated for months, Rebecca.”
“I was under the impression that you loved him.”
Nicole laughed. “I’m eighteen. What do I know about love?”
“People married at younger ages than that in my day.”
Nicole looked at Rebecca earnestly. “He needed to ensure that I was okay, so he came here when my professor wanted to meet with me. Rebecca, our goal—yours and mine—is so much more important than a boy.”
That answer seemed to satisfy the elderly woman, and she took a seat next to Nicole. “Give me an update on the week—how did it go? I wasn’t able to attend.”
Nicole leaned back in her seat. “It was great—I’m so impressed with the amount of organization represented there.”
Rebecca nodded. “It’s hard work, running such a large group.”
“What’s going to happen now? I mean, I know the Tarians are planning to kill all Aretes in July . . . do I ever tell them that I don’t intend to follow through with that?”
“No, you leave that to me. When the time is right, I’ll make the announcement. Then I’ll show you as an example of how Tarians and Aretes can work together without malice.”
“What else should I do while waiting?”
“Tiffany says you’ll be meeting with chapter presidents and such? That’s a great idea. I expect you’ll be pretty busy, keeping tabs on everything and everyone. And in the meantime, continue getting to know your leaders and helping them accept you. Trust, Nicole, is incredibly important for us to succeed. If they don’t feel like they can confide in us, they’ll never see the folly of their ways.”
Nicole scoffed inside. Trust? Was Rebecca really preaching the importance of trust? All while lying through her teeth? Nicole couldn’t believe she’d ever listened to this woman.
Outwardly, and glad that Rebecca couldn’t read her thoughts, Nicole nodded, agreeing. She sighed, leaning back in her chair. “I can’t believe how overwhelming it’s been. While yes, I’m up to the task, Tiffany is right—I have no real-world experience leading a group like this.”
“According to Tiffany, you’ve done a fantastic job so far.”
&nb
sp; Nicole waved her off. “She was pretty upset when I didn’t let her be in charge.”
Rebecca chuckled. “I can imagine. She doesn’t cede power easily. Never has, even as a child.”
Nicole was silent for a moment, trying to figure out how to ask her question without coming across as distrusting. “So, I’ve frequently wondered this, especially now, here in my professor’s house. How do you know where I am, when you come to visit?”
“I reach for your magical pulse through time and space. I used to struggle finding it at first, and sometimes appeared where you weren’t. But living in that tree for so long before dying helped me get to know you.”
“It makes me feel more secure,” Nicole said, “knowing you can locate me, regardless of any situation I find myself in.” She sat up, leaning toward Rebecca. “Please promise you’ll keep a little bit of spare energy in case I’m ever in trouble.”
Rebecca nodded. “I will.”
She said goodbye, then disappeared. Coolidge looked up, a surprised expression on his face.
“She was here, wasn’t she?” he asked.
Nicole nodded. Rebecca didn’t exactly make time freeze for other people when she was visiting, but she was somehow able to make them not notice that Nicole was engaged in conversation with another person.
“I can sense her magical print. I think I’ve been able to since Moses Lake, but haven’t had her around to know for certain. What did she want?”
“She was checking up on me. She’s suspicious. Do you have a way to alert us when she’s about to come? Things are going to get dangerous now.”
“I have something even better. Something that’ll prevent her from appearing, watching, or listening in on our conversations, based on her personal magical print.”
Nicole thought that over for a second. “That sounds great . . . but will she figure out she’s being kept out?”
“Yes. It’ll have to be a last resort because she’ll know you’ve betrayed her. And I’m afraid that as soon as she does, she’ll turn on you.”
Nicole slumped in her chair. “I hate being in this position.”
“I would too.” Coolidge got up and pulled a file out of a cabinet near Austin. “Here are the people I’ve contacted so far, and those who have pledged help.”
He opened the file and started pulling out sheets of paper. Austin joined Nicole at the desk, and the three of them looked over the papers.
“Have you had anyone say no yet?” Nicole asked.
“A few, but not because they don’t want to help. Everyone I’ve talked to has been expecting the Tarians to make a move soon, but none of them thought it would be something as big as this.”
“So, why have they said no, then?” Nicole asked.
“One of them is in the hospital, and anothers’ spouse just passed away. They’re all unable to help for health or emotional reasons.” Coolidge leaned back in his chair. “And as you know, the more emotionally unstable an Arete is, the more powerful they are, yes, but the more they struggle with controlling those powers.”
Nicole nodded.
They spent the next twenty minutes going through the people Coolidge had talked to already, and those he planned to connect with over the next week. Stephen Nielsen was one of the Aretes who’d agreed to help—rather enthusiastically, according to Coolidge.
“Has he come up with any ideas where Anna Morse is concerned yet?” Nicole asked.
Coolidge shook his head. “I hope he will soon, though. He’s trying to get his hands on a device that is rumored to indicate when another dimension is opening up nearby. Once he has it and knows it works, he’ll contact me.”
Coolidge leaned forward, steepling his fingers. “But I do have good news. I’ve found a way to help you eavesdrop on important conversations. Our biggest goal right now is to gather as much information as quickly as possible. We can’t have you poking around, asking questions that’ll make people suspicious of you, because the moment they feel you’re being dishonest with them, they’ll do anything they can to destroy you.” Coolidge motioned to Austin. “Remember what happened to his siblings.”
Nicole didn’t need the reminder. Austin’s older sibling’s situation had popped into her head nearly the moment Coolidge had said something. They’d been tortured for hours before finally getting beheaded. Their bodies were on display somewhere, reminding everyone what would happen if people ever turned their backs on the group.
Coolidge gathered the papers back into the file, replaced it in the cabinet, and pulled a flat white box from a shelf. He returned to his desk and opened the box, pulling out a sheet of paper with different-colored circular spots on it. He peeled one off that was the only spot similar in color to skin, and handed it to Nicole.
“Wear this behind your ear at all times. It bypasses the senses and relays information directly to the brain through waves that replicate sound. You won’t be physically hearing anything, but your brain recognizes the waves as if you are.”
“What sort of information will it relay?”
Coolidge motioned to the other spots on the sheet. “Whatever these pick up. They’re bugs, so to speak. Plant them in places where you want to overhear conversations.”
Nicole stuck the flesh-colored circle behind her ear. “Is there a way to turn this off?”
Coolidge nodded. “Tap it twice for on, three times for off. Oh, and it’s waterproof.”
Nicole accepted the sheet of bugs, placing them back in their box and tucking it into her purse. “Is there anything else we need to talk about?”
“I don’t think so. Good luck in Vegas. Let me know when it’s over, and if you learn anything new. I’ll do the same when I hear from Professor Nielsen.”
She nodded and gathered her things, then left. She didn’t turn on the radio during her drive home—she wanted to think about everything she’d been learning recently.
***
The rest of Nicole’s stay in Seattle, along with her flight to Dallas, went quickly. She eagerly drove to Lizzie’s house, not wanting to wait any longer before finally seeing her best friend again.
Brenda, Lizzie’s mom, opened the door and invited Nicole in with a hug. “She’s upstairs in her room.”
Nicole took the stairs two at a time and opened Lizzie’s door without knocking.
Lizzie was lying on her bed, listening to something playing on her phone. Her eyes popped open and she gasped, jerking to a sitting position and pulling out her earbuds. “Nicole! You freaked me out. What are you doing here?”
Nicole laughed and sat on Lizzie’s bed. “I’m on my way home. Had to stop by and update you on everything.”
Lizzie put away her phone. “Spill.”
So Nicole did. She told Lizzie about the convention, Greg, Rebecca, and Austin’s surprise visit. Lizzie laughed out loud when she heard about Austin’s disguise.
“I can’t believe he bleached his hair!”
“I know. You’ve got to see it. It’s insane.”
“And guyliner. That’s crazy.”
“Okay, what’s with you two calling it that? It’s eyeliner!”
Lizzie sighed in exasperation. “Only when girls wear it. The moment it touches a guy’s face, it becomes guyliner.”
Nicole shook her head. “Whatever. Weirdo.”
“So, what else happened?”
“Not much. I went back to Seattle, as you know, and Coolidge gave me listening devices—bugs—so I can eavesdrop on conversations easier.”
“Easier? Have you been doing it already?”
Nicole laughed. “No, I haven’t. Okay, so I can start eavesdropping. Happy, Ms. English?”
“Of course. Who are you supposed to spy on?”
“My parents. Always my parents. Coolidge gave me tons of the devices, so I should be able to get all the major places in my house.”
“Need help?”
Nicole smiled. “Sure!”
Lizzie jumped off her bed and grabbed her purse, shoving her phone in it. They left
the house after saying goodbye to Brenda, and Nicole led the way, with Lizzie following in her own car.
Nicole dumped her suitcase in her room, then the girls set out, finding places to plant the bugs. Tiffany and Dad were in Tiffany’s office, so they’d have to get to that room last.
They started in Nicole’s parents’ sitting room, matching the color of the bug to Dad’s armchair and Tiffany’s couch. Not knowing the range of the things, Nicole placed a couple extra just to make sure she caught everything. Then they went to Dad’s study and did the same thing there.
“Only need access to Tiffany’s office now,” Nicole said.
Lizzie sighed. “I’d better get going,” she said. “If they find me here, they’ll have a lot of questions. You’re supposed to be turning your back on Aretes now.”
Nicole nodded. “You’re right.” She gave her friend a hug, then said goodbye.
Deciding she’d better tell her parents she was home, Nicole knocked on the door to Tiffany’s office.
Tiffany and Dad were both distracted and didn’t have any questions, so, after hanging around for a couple of minutes, Nicole returned to her room, hoping they’d vacate the office soon.
Two hours later, she heard them enter their bedroom, discussing plans for the evening, and Nicole snuck into Tiffany’s office. She quickly bugged the room, glad to know that the ones in her parents’ room were working.
Early the next morning, the three of them returned to Vegas. Nicole placed a couple more of the sticky circular things in her parents’ section of the hotel room and one in Tiffany’s purse for good measure.
Then the convention started and she had to concentrate on other things.
After three days, Nicole noticed that someone was hanging around Austin. He wore glasses and had bleached hair just like Austin’s. It didn’t take long to figure out that it was Coolidge—he was Austin’s closest friend and the only person who would risk coming. Which meant he’d created another blocker. Good.
Wednesday evening, Nicole overheard her first important conversation. She was in bed, trying to fall asleep, when she recognized Rebecca’s voice coming through one of the bugs in the adjoining room.
Observe, Mosaic Chronicles Book Four Page 15