Infestation

by Heidi Lang

  42. CADEN

  Caden tripped over a root and dropped Ava. She fell like a sack of potatoes, all boneless weight and no grace. He scrambled to her side. “I’m so sorry,” he said, even though he knew she couldn’t hear him. She had a scrape on her cheek now, and dirt caked into her T-shirt. He winced. “So very sorry.”

  She didn’t move. And for one heart-stopping second, he worried that she was well and truly dead. But then he noticed her chest rise and fall. Relief surged through him, and he pressed a hand against his own chest, his heart aching. He wasn’t sure what to do.

  His mom would know.

  He wished he knew where she was. Part of him had thought his parents would be in the cabin with Aiden. Or that they’d be in the Other Place. Now he didn’t know where to look for them.

  A bird called in the distance. One of Whispering Pines’s infamous whippoorwills, welcoming the coming of night. Caden shivered and pushed himself to his feet, then bent and hauled Ava up, slinging her over his left shoulder like the sack of potatoes he’d imagined.

  He flinched at his own callousness, then continued his slow, steady progress through the woods. It was a warm evening, the air heavy with moisture. He ignored the mosquitoes, occasionally stopping to pull his phone out of his back pocket and check the cell reception. Always, there was nothing.

  He wasn’t even sure he was going the right way. The Watchful Woods was a confusing place even in the best of situations. Now, with panic eating him from the inside out, his head throbbing, and the branches closing around him like the clasping hands of some gnarled creature, he could be walking in a giant circle.

  It was a terrible thought.

  Caden wasn’t sure what, exactly, Aiden had done to Ava, but he suspected he had somehow severed the connection between her spirit and her body. Which meant if there were any chance at all of restoring that connection, Caden would have to do it quickly, before her spirit moved too far away. He couldn’t waste all his time wandering in the woods.

  He stopped walking, leaned against a tree, and closed his eyes, Ava still slung over his shoulder. He did his grounding exercises, the ones his mom had drilled him on ever since he could remember. He imagined roots bursting from his feet, digging deep into the soil, wrapping around rocks and sending tendrils out in all directions. Above the ground, he pictured a bubble of white light forming delicately around him, reflecting that light back into him.

  You really need to expand your repertoire.

  It was the same thing his mom had been telling him. She’d insisted he had other abilities, and Caden had pretended not to believe her. But the truth was that he knew he could do more. He was just afraid to try. Afraid of what it would do to him.

  Afraid fully using his powers would turn him into his brother.

  He pushed those worries away and focused on his mom, picturing the way she’d looked that afternoon just before Aiden showed up, with her long black braid and the amethyst earrings, the smell of her favorite sandalwood incense clinging to her shirt. He painted the colors of her aura in his mind, a soft lavender ringed with green… and felt something. A gentle tug, similar to the sensation he got from the warding circle around his house when something moved through it. His mother was searching for him too.

  He opened his eyes and resumed walking, letting the pull of his mother’s aura carry him forward.

  * * *

  The trees thinned out, opening up on a slice of familiar street. And rushing toward him—

  “Mom! Dad!” Caden ran. Despite the heavy weight of Ava on his numb shoulder, his sore legs, his exhaustion, he ran. For a second he felt like he were five years old again and secure in the knowledge that whatever was out there, his parents could take care of it. They would protect him.

  His dad reached him first. He lifted Ava down, then threw his other arm around Caden and hugged him hard. Then his mom was there, hugging him too.

  “… trapped at Green On!” his dad was saying. “We couldn’t leave!”

  “… Patrick tricked us,” his mom babbled at the same time. “I knew he was up to something—”

  “—Audrey eventually let us out. Even dropped us off at home. I think she feels terrible. Poor woman is under a tremendous amount of stress,” his dad finished.

  Caden kept his arms around his parents for a few more seconds, and then he pulled back. “Aiden is trying to set her free.” Caden looked at his mom and saw that she understood who he meant. “He convinced me to open the rift, or he was going to hurt Ava.”

  His mom cupped Ava’s face in her hands, frowning.

  “Can you help her?”

  “I… don’t know.” She rubbed her temple. “I’ll try.”

  “I’ll call Rae, see if she can help.”

  “Is that wise?”

  Caden nodded. “Blood calls to blood.” He’d been mulling it over on his hike through the woods. “I think we’ll need her.”

  “It will be a dangerous ritual. Do you trust her?”

  Caden didn’t hesitate. “With my life.”

  43. RAE

  Rae climbed out of the tunnel just in time to see a Green On! van taking off down the street, green lights flashing. Vivienne stood watching it go.

  “Did Patrick take Blake?” Rae asked.

  Vivienne turned. “Rae-Rae!” She rushed over, her arms wide, and Rae remembered the cavern and her certainty that her friend was about to attack her. She flinched. She didn’t mean to, but Vivienne immediately dropped her arms and stepped back, looking crushed.

  Rae angrily shoved that fear away. This was her friend. “Vivi.” She gave Vivienne a quick hug and was rewarded by her relieved smile.

  “I was so worried about you!” Vivienne said. “I smelled the smoke.”

  “The queen is dead. Pretty sure everything else in there is too,” Rae said grimly. “The infestation is over.”

  They both looked down at the open mouth of the tunnel.

  “Patrick didn’t take Blake,” Vivienne said at last. “I called an ambulance, and Green On! sent a van out here for him instead.” She sighed. “Patrick was actually gone when I got out here.”

  “What?”

  “Nate too. I tried calling him, and he didn’t answer.” Vivienne scowled. “I can’t believe they just left. This mission was important!”

  “I’m beginning to wonder if Patrick wanted us to succeed.”

  “Why would you wonder that?”

  Rae debated about pushing it. She knew how Vivienne felt about Patrick and Green On!. “It’s just,” she started, feeling her way. “This bug spray. It was so effective.”

  “Good thing, too.”

  “Yeah, good thing. But… how long does it take to invent a new kind of bug spray?”

  “I have no clue.”

  “I think it would take longer than a few days. And we only told Patrick about the bugs on Wednesday. Yet”—she gestured at her discarded pack—“here we are.”

  “What are you trying to say?” Vivienne crossed her arms.

  “I don’t know. Just that something doesn’t line up. He sends us—kids, like Nate said—into a tunnel to clear out a deadly infestation and doesn’t even stick around to make sure we’re successful. Like it doesn’t matter to him. Because… because if we fail, and the bugs spread all over town, then at least Green On! has their fancy new spray. A spray that everyone will need. I mean, these bugs are taking pets and children, and now even adults, too. People will pay anything for protection.”

  Vivienne’s eyes narrowed. “You sound a lot like Caden, you know that?”

  “Thank you.”

  “Not a compliment.”

  Rae winced.

  Then Vivienne sighed. “Actually, I quite like Caden. And… I think you’re wrong. But I can understand why you might be suspicious. It is weird that Patrick left while we were still in there.”

  Rae wasn’t sure “weird” was the word she would use for that. “A terrible act of betrayal” would be more accurate. “I guess I’d better call A
va, let her know where I am.” She thought of the bike ride home, and her sore body. “Maybe she’ll give us a ride.”

  “I thought your mom had the car.”

  “Dang it. Maybe your mom will give us a ride?”

  “I already tried her,” Vivienne said. “Went to voicemail.”

  Rae pulled her phone out and dialed Ava. Her sister didn’t pick up. “Apparently no one answers their phone anymore,” she grumbled.

  Her phone rang.

  Rae almost dropped it, she was so startled.

  “Who is it?” Vivienne asked.

  Rae glanced at the name. “Caden.” A sudden heavy sense of foreboding enveloped her. It was like seeing that shape in the darkness of the cavern all over again and knowing it would be a body. Hesitantly, she answered her phone. “Is everything okay?”

  “I’m sorry, Rae.” Caden took a breath. “It’s Ava.”

  44. CADEN

  Caden finished drawing the final line of chalk, then sat back on his heels to study the design.

  A pentagram inside a circle, each point marked with an unlit tea candle. It looked just like the one Aiden had drawn out, minus the maimed kids. A Summoning ritual.

  “Are you sure about this?” his mom asked him quietly.

  Caden felt a brief surge of anger. She wouldn’t be questioning Aiden. She would trust him to know what he was doing. Caden took a deep breath, trying to bury those emotions, but he could feel their sharp edges pressing against his layer of calm. It reminded him of the bug corpse Gary had hidden under a rug. “I’m sure,” he said.

  “Because you don’t have to be the caster.”

  “I have the best chance,” Caden said. “You were the one who told me that.” Since he had been included in the original spell that had severed Ava from her spirit, he still had a small tie to her. A sort of magical echo that he could call upon to help her two selves reunite.

  His mom studied him, her expression unreadable. “You have the best chance at succeeding, true, but this spell will require a lot of magic. And it will be very dangerous. All of us will be tied to the outcome. Do you understand that?”

  “I do.”

  “It means if this goes wrong, Ava will not be the only lifeless husk—”

  “I said I understand!” Caden snapped. “You don’t trust me, do you? You don’t think I can do this?”

  Her eyes widened. “Oh, I’m sure you can.” She put a hand on his cheek. “I trust you more than anyone. It’s why I want you to take over Paranormal Price.”

  Caden’s smile was small and twisted as he pulled away from her touch. “I’m your only option now that Aiden’s gone… well. Wherever he went.”

  She sighed. “You were my first choice all along, Caden.”

  Caden snorted. He couldn’t help himself. It was just so ridiculous. Obviously he was the runner-up.

  “You have always looked up to your brother. Even when you were afraid of him, he’s been the yardstick you use to measure your own success. You are both my sons, and I love you both. But you have been given very different paths to walk.” She took his hands in her own, her fingers icy. “Because you spend your life comparing yourself to Aiden, you believe everyone else is too. But we’re not. I hope someday you’ll understand this.” She squeezed his fingers, then let go.

  Caden wasn’t sure what to think of that. “Aiden is much stronger than I am.”

  “Not true. Aiden’s magic comes from here.” She tapped her forehead. “Yours comes from here.” She laid a hand on his chest. “That can be very powerful indeed, when fully harnessed. Use it. But be careful.”

  “I thought you said you didn’t compare us.”

  She laughed. “I said I didn’t always compare you. Now, stop being insecure. We have a major spell to perform.”

  Caden smiled weakly, then went to get the others.

  * * *

  Caden sat cross-legged at the top point of the star, his parents across from him in each of the legs, Rae and Vivienne across from each other in the arms. And Ava in the center, lying flat on her back, palms turned up. Caden closed his eyes and grounded himself, then started chanting the mantra of summoning.

  The emotions of everyone in the room swirled around him in one interconnected haze. Rae’s love, Vivienne’s concern, his mom’s pride, and his dad’s resignation. And below those emotions, he felt their power.

  He was tapped directly into it. He could take whatever he wanted.

  Caden tugged at the magic nestled deep inside his mom and used it to light the candles placed at each intersection of his pentagram. It was as easy as flicking a switch; the candles burst into flame.

  Why just candles? He let those flames spill over, dripping along the lines of chalk, felt the alarm growing around him. Fear was powerful, giving him even more energy, and he drank it in. For once in his life, he felt strong and competent. Unstoppable. He could do anything he wanted.

  Was this what Aiden felt like when he was in the middle of a powerful spell? Was this why he loved it so much?

  Caden hesitated. He felt like he were going down a steep slide, trying to grip the sides with greased fingers. All the power in the room flooding through him made it hard to concentrate, to remember who he was, why he was doing this.

  Rae.

  He was doing this for Rae. To save her sister.

  He focused on her, sensing her terror as the flames in the room crept higher, and abruptly he felt sick. He pulled back some of the power in the spell, allowing the flames to trickle down lower.

  He centered his attention on Ava next, using the emotions of the others to build a tower that could slice into the spirit realm and send out a beacon.

  This was the tricky part. Too narrow a beacon, and you risked it going unheard. Too wide, and anything might pick it up, and take it as an invitation.

  Ava Jan Carter, he called, gentle but commanding. Return to us.

  He felt an answering call almost immediately. And then a rushing feeling, as if something were coming at him very fast and—

  “Watch out!” Caden flung his hands up, yanking all the power he could from everyone in the room and throwing it out in an invisible net.

  The candles sputtered, went dark.

  Something laughed, high-pitched and girlish. Caden felt a wave of pure terror, as black as the deepest night, colder than anything, and knew he was in the presence of true evil. It crawled down his skin, tore icy claws through his heart, and whispered, gently, insistently, into his ear: You are mine.

  And then it was gone, and the candles were lit, and everyone was staring at him.

  “—den?” Rae said. “Caden? Are you okay?”

  He blinked. “Did it work?” he croaked.

  “Shouldn’t you be the one telling us?” Vivienne asked.

  “I…” He stopped, stared at Ava. Her fingers twitched. Then her leg trembled. And suddenly her eyes flew open and she sat up and screamed.

  Caden clapped his hands over his ears.

  “Ava!” Rae lurched forward, but fire erupted between them, sending her flinching back. “Ava!”

  Cursing, Caden began taking down the protections.

  “Wait!” his mom said. “Caden, be cautious.”

  “I need to see my sister!” Rae yelled. “Let me see her!”

  And through it all, Ava was still screaming, screaming, and Caden couldn’t think, couldn’t concentrate, but he knew his mom was right. He couldn’t rush this part. He had to make sure it was really Ava who had returned.

  “Ava Jan Carter,” he intoned.

  She fell silent, only tiny gasps escaping.

  “Ava?” Rae said.

  “It’s me,” Ava sobbed. “It’s me. Oh, God… I saw her. She said… she said she wanted me to give a message to the Prices.”

  “Who?” Caden asked.

  “She said you’d know.”

  And of course they did.

  “What’s the message?” Caden’s mom asked.

  Ava swallowed. “She said… she’s comi
ng for you.” And she put her face in her hands and sobbed.

  Tentatively Caden reached out his awareness, brushing it against Ava. It was definitely her. He allowed the protections to flow away. “You can go to her now,” he told Rae. “It’s safe.”

  Rae threw herself across the chalk line and put her arms around her sister, both of them hugging each other and crying.

  Caden sank back. He was suddenly completely exhausted. His mom and dad both hurried over. “Oh, Caden, you were so good!” His mom hugged him. “See, Vincent? He can handle it.”

  “You were very brave,” his dad said, putting his own arm around him. He hesitated, then put his other arm around Caden’s mom, the three of them forming a small huddle. Caden relaxed into their embrace and let his worries drift away. There would be time enough for them tomorrow.

  45. RAE

  Rae wrapped her hands around her mug, enjoying the warmth. She was so tired, and still gross from the tunnels, all covered in bug goo and dirt. But it felt nice to sit here at Caden’s kitchen table and drink his dad’s fancy tea.

  “The secret is plenty of honey,” his dad told her. “If you think you have too much, you’re wrong.”

  Rae took another sip, enjoying the sweetness of it.

  “See what I mean?”

  “It’s really good, Mr. Price. Thank you.” Rae turned to Mrs. Price. “Is Ava going to be okay?”

  “She’s going to be fine, darling. She just needs plenty of rest. And she’ll probably have nightmares for the next several nights.”

  Rae nodded. She was pretty sure she’d have her own share of those as well.

  “I can go check on her, if you’d like?” Mrs. Price suggested.

  “Thank you,” Rae said.

  Mrs. Price looked a lot like Caden when she smiled, the expression softening her face. “You’re very welcome. Vincent? Care to join me?”

  “That’s okay,” he said, leaning against the kitchen counter.

  Mrs. Price narrowed her eyes. “I would really appreciate your assistance.”