“This,” he said, waving a hand, “is your room. The door on the left is your bathroom. The hot water takes a minute. Everything else is self-explanatory.”
“Yeah. Desk, chair, laptop, and lamp. Got it.”
“Good.” Jordan stuck his hands in his pockets and stared above my head. “Uh, if you need anything, just ask someone.”
“Who?”
The man might have choked me unconscious, but he also carried me because I’d been crying. I didn’t understand him. Somehow it seemed he was my only ally.
He shrugged. “No idea. Well, have fun.”
Cecilia stared daggers at his retreating figure. “Asshole,” she hissed.
“Ah, solnyshka,” Mikael said, rolling his eyes at her. “You never fail to impress me with your good manners. Jasper, please excuse Jordan and Cecilia. They devolve into poorly behaved children when they disagree.”
“Okay,” I said slowly. “I won’t claim to understand, but my brother and I are…” I turned away. These strangers didn’t deserve to know anything about Jude. They didn’t deserve anything.
“Grief comes in the most unexpected ways, Da? You have no reason to believe anyone here. If you trust nothing else, please know that you will be given the time and opportunity to honor your family’s memory.”
“Get out.” The lump in my throat grew. I couldn’t handle the pain much longer.
Mikael bowed his head and walked away, whistling a sad tune to himself.
✽ ✽ ✽
“Well, this has been delightful,” Cecilia drawled. “Unfortunately, I have other obligations, so I’ll make this quick and tell you what Jordan refused to share. You can’t escape. This door can only be opened from the outside at the moment, and the windows are shatterproof. I suggest you shower and nap. Someone will deliver your meal shortly.”
I pressed my lips together and nodded. Cecilia had to have been the third or fourth person to suggest a shower, so either these people were hideously rude, or I reeked. A warm shower and nap sounded heavenly.
“Great. Fantastic. Anything else I should know?”
Cecilia smiled, the corner of her thin lips notched to the right. “Yes. Don’t trust anyone or anything. It’s naïve to think the man who rendered you unconscious will hold your hand.”
“Got it.”
We took one another’s measure, a staring contest, the first round of what I imagined would be several pissing matches.
She broke first.
“Wonderful. Someone will retrieve you later. Tomorrow. Whenever.”
The door shut, and I was blessedly alone, away from the strong personalities and overbearing physical presences of these insane people who knew what I was. For a moment, I’d been naïve enough to think I’d been found by my mother’s people, those mysterious protectors.
But protectors didn’t imprison people they swore to protect.
Or did they?
I was laughably out of my league, unprepared, ignorant, and physically inferior. I quickly realized I should have been spending my time devising some ingenious escape plan or crafting some MacGyver-like weapon. The room had to contain clues about my location. Something.
I prowled the room like the super-sleuth I was undeniably not, turning over the mattress. Underneath was a simple frame with a note attached.
Stop wasting your time. If we wanted to harm you, you’d already be dead.
Fear and anger hit my system, rousing Her from her slumber.
“About time,” I grumbled aloud. “Where the hell have you been? Why didn’t you save me from tall, blond, and scary? And do not tell me you’re curious about him.”
Don’t be an idiot, Jasper. One of us had to handle this with some detachment. I’m curious about him and everyone else here. Didn’t you feel it? The hum of electricity? Power?
I did not.
Everyone in this building is like us. They have abilities that I don’t dare mess with, not yet. Tall, blond, and scary? He’s packing major power. Mikael, too.
“What about the two women who didn’t speak?”
Speaking out loud to myself did nothing to make me appear sane, but She was the only connection I had to my reality. She saw what I was too emotional to process and was our best bet of survival.
Powerful, but not a threat. I’m inexplicably drawn to the rest of them: Cecilia, Daniel, Jordan, and Dakarai. Stay alert.
“Lie to me. Tell me everything’s going to be okay.”
I’m sorry, Jasper. Truly. Stay strong. And for cripes’ sake, take a shower, woman. You look like a three-day stale hooker.
“Ouch.” I replaced the mattress and dumped my camping bag on the bed. Somehow, it was still meticulously organized, so I fished out my toiletries and a new outfit and entered the bathroom.
Holy crap. My own bathroom is bigger than the one I shared with Jude. The sole ray of sunshine in the midst of this nightmare. Deciding it would be poor form to whoop at the small pleasure, I stripped and jumped in the shower.
The icy cold water hit me with the force of a fireman’s hose. I shrieked and jumped right back out. “Son of a… damn piece of… all lies. I hate them,” I growled at my reflection in the mirror above the sink. “I hate the lies, the secrets, and the freezing effing water. I should punish them with my stench and insolence. I’m good at insolence.”
My tirade lasted as long as it took for the hot water to arrive. I stepped back into the shower under the protest of my inner crybaby, then moaned from the perfect temperature and pressure. The crybaby disappeared.
She was gone. Hell, my anger and indignation had fled in their wake. For the first time in recent history, I was alone in my head. My father used to call moments like that “where the rubber meets the road,” the true test of a person’s character.
I wasn’t afraid of much, or at least I hadn’t been until a few days ago. I was smart, clever and in good shape. I also knew something they didn’t — this prison wasn’t my last stop. Grief crippled, I’d learned. But revenge motivated.
✽ ✽ ✽
When the knock at the door came, I was ready. I’d scrubbed my skin pink, washed my hair until it was squeaky and brushed my teeth until my gums hated me.
The shower comments bothered me. I was vain and didn’t care if they thought poorly of me.
“Jasper,” Mikael called softly. “I brought food.”
He did me the courtesy of not entering unbidden and waited for me to open the door. In his hands was a tray with burgers, fries, onion rings and milkshakes.
“I can’t eat that much.”
Mikael tilted his head to one side. “Da, da. I hoped you would tolerate some company.”
“Sorry.” So not sorry. “You seem kind enough, but it seems like a terrible idea to share a meal with one of my captors.”
“I argued against that plan. Jordan and Dakarai as well. But we’re only three voices amongst many. Have patience, Jasper.”
He placed the tray down on the small bedside table and stepped back into the hallway.
“Thank you for the meal,” I said, then gently closed the door in his face.
I pressed my ear against the door and waited until his footsteps faded before turning my attention to the tray.
The big, juicy bacon cheeseburger drew me in with its siren song. Intellectually, I knew there was a chance that the meal was poisoned and would kill me. Emotionally, I needed comfort food. Being a vegetarian wasn’t a luxury I could afford.
The burger was everything. I cut the monstrosity in half and bit down. Flavors burst into life on my tongue — the sharpness of the cheddar cheese complemented the saltiness of the bacon and the sweet ketchup. The meat, cooked to a perfect medium rare, dripped its juices down my chin. It might have been the best burger I’d ever tasted.
The entire meal was gone in less than ten minutes. Once I was comfortably full, my eyelids began to droop. The bed called my name, and since I’m no fool, I listened for once. The sheets smelled like sunshine, that fresh smell that can only
be achieved by drying them on a line. It reminded me of home.
✽ ✽ ✽
“Jasper,” Cecilia called through the door. “Wake up. We have preparations to deal with, the least of which is your appearance.”
I sat up with a scowl. My appearance? Cecilia thought that was a priority. History couldn’t have provided weirder captors.
“Go away.”
Cecilia knocked again. “I’m being polite. Open the damn door.”
Sighing, I climbed out of bed and opened the damn door. “What do you want?”
“To prepare you.” She stared at me. “Did you not hear me? Anyway, we should get started. Time’s ticking.”
“Holy crap, can you be any vaguer? Someone needs to start speaking in some sort of coherent language, or I’m going to lose my shit.”
“The High Council is ready to see you. One does not meet with the High Council in wrinkled jeans and a t-shirt. Neither does one use foul language. Therefore, I’m here to make sure you’re dressed appropriately and briefed.”
The tightness around her eyes hadn’t faded, nor had the lack of warmth in her smile. The only other woman I’d encountered was my stylist.
“This is such bull.”
She raised one of those perfect eyebrows and crossed her arms. “Exactly what part is bull? The fact that you’re here? Or that I’ve been relegated to being your babysitter? Trust me; I’m not happy about it either.”
“Oh, good. At least we’re on the same page.”
Cecilia’s shoulders relaxed. “For now. I had to guess your sizes, but I have an appropriate outfit in your closet.”
How had I missed the closet?
Inside, I found a pair of classic black pants, a crew-neck black shirt, and sensible flats. “You can turn around now.”
She smirked and closed her eyes. “Modesty is highly overrated. Besides, the human body becomes less interesting the more you study it.”
“And you do?” I asked as I slipped on the shoes. The mirror in front of me revealed someone different — a confident, proud, dangerous young woman. I wished I had claws like Wolverine or mind control like Jean Grey or my sister.
“Among other things, I’m one of the librarians here. A library is a place where books are cared for and stored.”
“Thank you, Captain Obvious. You can open your eyes.”
Cecilia took in my appearance with a single, sweeping glance. “Sit down so I can do your hair and makeup.”
“How d’you go from a librarian to my personal stylist? Don’t get me wrong; your style is fantastic. But I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that something is off.”
I wasn’t lying. Cecilia was gorgeous in her unique way. She was model thin with mousy brown hair cut into a sleek bob and pale skin. She reminded me of Anne Hathaway without the benefit of her own beauty squad. She wore a black sheath dress and five-inch heels with enviable grace.
“Men are idiots. There are layers of leadership here. I belong to one of the upper echelons, as do Jordan, Mikael, Dakarai, and Danny. There are a few others, but we comprise the core group. Despite their collective intelligence, which I question some days, they have the misguided belief that we’ll be best friends right away because we’re women.”
“Morons.”
She grinned at me through the mirror and attempted to tame my hair. “Exactly. Yesterday wasn’t a fair representation of our relationships. We disagree on how to handle you.”
“Yet again, we’re on the same page, since I haven’t decided to handle you. I have so many questions.”
“Ask anything you’d like. Should you ask something you’re not ready to hear, I won’t answer.”
I closed my eyes and allowed myself to enjoy the sensation of the brush running through my hair, untangling the knots, and giving it a healthy sheen. She poked at my consciousness.
Enjoy the simple things, buddy. We both know this is the last moment of normality you’ll have.
“How many layers of leadership exist? Do you have to donate obscene amounts of money to progress?”
“This isn’t Hollywood, Jasper,” she snapped. The tightness in her voice returned. “I’ll let the High Council explain but suffice to say that we are a large… an organization with a strict mission. The top layer of leadership is the High Council. Underneath is the Circle, which I described.”
“The High Council is like a board of directors, and you’re division heads?”
“Something like that.” She patted my shoulders. “Hair’s done. Makeup time.”
“Fabulous, dahling. Transform me into a star.”
“Your sarcasm isn’t appreciated.”
Cecilia took a deep breath and unzipped a large makeup kit. Primer, foundation, concealer, blush, eyeshadow, mascara, and lipstick covered the desk like an explosion of the beauty counter in a department store. She tapped her chin.
“Light olive. It will bring out the natural rosiness in your cheeks. Pretty eyes, by the way.”
“Thanks. So you’re a division head. Does that mean people report to you? What do they do? What is this place?”
“All good questions, none of which I’ll answer.”
I clenched my fist and, for the first time since the explosion, my hands warmed and glowed. Although it was accompanied by the usual pinprick sensation, it felt good. I felt alive and in control.
Cecilia looked down and stifled a laugh. “Ooh, the glow worm thinks she’s a badass. You may have been a big deal in the outside world, but here you’re just another person.”
She snapped her fingers and emitted a faint glow. It was nowhere near as effulgent as mine, but it was there.
“What the hell is this place?” I asked breathlessly.
“This place may very well be your new home. Welcome to the headquarters of the Order of Vespers.”
✽ ✽ ✽
Vespers. I’d heard that word before, possibly from my mother. I vaguely remembered hearing it a few times within the context of a boogie man story.
“My mom… she said there were people like me. They were supposed to help me. I was waiting for someone to pick me up when my family was… when the explosion happened.”
I wrapped my arms around myself and rocked.
“I’m sorry, Jasper.”
“You never showed up. It’s your fault that my family’s gone. If you’d been there, you could have stopped all of this.”
“It’s time,” Cecilia said gently and held out a hand. “Time for you to get the answers you deserve.”
CHAPTER SIX
DANNY MET US AT the elevator and gave me a curt nod of acknowledgment.
“Is she ready?”
“As prepared as one can be for this kind of shock. She didn’t know about us, Danny.”
“That’s not possible.”
“Hi. I’m standing right here. It would be groovy if you’d talk to me directly. Please.” I tucked my hair behind my ears self-consciously but maintained my badass posture.
Ooh, you’re so tough, Jasper. It’s the perfect image considering the last time he saw you; you were bawling like a baby. Time to put up or shut up.
Danny reduced me to a child in trouble with a single, withering glare. “When I need your opinion, I’ll tell you. Otherwise, shut the hell up.”
“Oh, screw you,” I exploded. “Enough with the secrecy, the talking about me like I’m not here, and the judgment. Tell me what’s going on, or I’m walking.”
He let out a derisive laugh. “Really. Exactly where are you walking? You have no idea where you are, and you have no idea how to exit the building. No one intends to hurt you unless you give us a reason.”
“Danny!” Cecilia slapped his arm, her lips pressed in a thin line and nostrils flaring. “Stop it.”
“Don’t give me a reason to hurt you, Jasper.”
The elevator’s timely appearance may have saved us from an imminent brawl, but its confines made for some thick tension. I flexed my glowing fingers.
It did nothing to impre
ss them.
Danny rolled his eyes and ignored me.
She showed up and was murderous.
Don’t show weakness, Jasper. He’s a predator and will exploit your fears. Take him out before he hurts you.
“Thanks, but I’ve got this one,” I muttered to myself. Or Her. Lately, it was hard to keep track of who was in charge.
When the elevator doors opened, I pushed past them and exhaled. Danny reminded me of Jordan with his intensity and presence. I needed air that wasn’t drenched in testosterone and animosity.
“Let’s go,” he said. “We’re not there yet.”
I wished I had a single ally in this place, someone who would show an ounce of compassion. Hell, I’d take a pat on the back or a Xanax. I wasn’t picky.
Cecilia patted my shoulder sympathetically and smiled. “This place is huge, almost overwhelming. I’ve been here for years, and I still get lost on occasion.”
I frowned, my eyebrows nearly meeting at the bridge of my nose. What kind of madness was this? I wished for a friend and Cecilia’s attitude changed.
Livie used to influence kids in school. Even though she was snotty and cliquish, she was the most popular student in her year. When we were young, she explained it by saying she wished really hard and things just worked out for her.
Try it again. I have a theory, but we need more evidence.
“We’re going to a sub-level. It houses the High Council’s chambers, the Circle’s meeting rooms and the — ”
“Interrogation rooms.”
Danny’s tough guy act didn’t intimidate me. I did not doubt that he could hold his own in a fight. His physique indicated that he worked out regularly; his flat eyes hinted at a lack of restraint. But I had one thing he didn’t. I was a loose cannon, untrained and even I didn’t know what kind of damage I could cause.
Great. Find a way to mimic the school explosion, and we should be groovy. Try some mind voodoo.
I wished Danny would shut up and hold doors like a gentleman. I wished that they’d tell me exactly where I was and point out the exits. The universe, or whatever higher being, laughed at me.
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