by Jill Sanders
Instead of responding, the shadow turned towards the bedroom and disappeared. Frowning, she yanked open the doors just in time to see her mother disappear into the bedroom.
Jess must have screamed, because less than a minute later, Jacob and her father ran in.
“What?” Jacob said as she wrapped a towel around herself.
“She was here,” Jess said, pointing towards the bedroom door. “She went in there.”
“Who?” Jacob said, but then anger and fear crossed his eyes. His entire body and appearance changed. He pushed into the bedroom again as she wrapped his bathrobe around her.
“She’s not here now,” Jacob said a few moments later. He came back into the bedroom, gun in hand.
“Why would she come here?” Larry asked.
Jess looked at Jacob, and they both said, “The book,” at the same time.
Jacob tossed the mattress aside. Sure enough, her hiding spot was now empty.
“No!” Jess said, stomping her foot down.
“Hey, it’s okay.” Jacob moved to her side. “At least she was just after the book.”
“How did she know where I hid it?” Jess asked, her anger growing.
“You always hid things under the mattress,” Larry said. “I remember when you hid some of your Halloween candy under there.” He chuckled. “The chocolate bars were not only melted but squished into your mattress.”
Jess rolled her eyes. “Okay, note to self, find a new hiding place.” She turned to Jacob. “What do we do know? She has the book.”
“Didn’t you send a picture of the page you needed to Xtina?”
“Yes.” She brightened up then rushed over to her phone and punched Xtina’s number.
“Morning.”
“Can you translate the page from the picture?”
“Yes, I’ve got it—”
“Good, we’re coming over.” She tossed her phone down, then rushed back into the bathroom and was dressed in record time.
“I’m going to drop you off, then head over to the lake house,” Jacob said on the way to Xtina’s place.
“Do you think she would return to the house?” Jess asked him.
“It’s worth a shot. I’m getting tired of this cat and mouse game.” She could tell he was frustrated and focused.
“Be safe.” She leaned over and kissed him before climbing out of the car. “Are you coming or staying?” she asked her father.
“I think I’ll go with Jacob. I left a few things at the house.” He waved to her as Jacob drove away.
“So?” Xtina said from the doorway. “What’s up?”
“Rachelle has the book,” she said, climbing the stairs.
“How?” Xtina asked, opening the door for her.
“I assume the same way I got the paper plates yesterday. Tell me you had some luck with translating the page I sent you.”
“Yes and no.” Xtina walked over to the coffee table and handed her a page as she sat down. “I printed a copy out. My translations are here.” She handed her another page.
From what she could understand, the page talked about a spirit, older than the world, who had been locked up as punishment.
“So, it’s basically the devil.” Xtina sighed. “At least that’s what it sounds like.”
“So? The devil has Brea?” Jess felt her stomach roll.
“Or the legend of the devil came from this.” She tapped the paper. “Either way, whatever this is, we need to make sure we don’t tangle with it.”
“I found a binding spell last night,” Jess added.
“Binding?” Xtina asked. “Show me.”
“Not on you.” Jess frowned.
Xtina smiled. “Mike?” she called out. “Can you come in here for a minute?”
“Xtina!” Jess giggled.
“What? I’m sure he’ll want to see this too.” She smiled.
“Yeah?” Mike came jogging down the stairs in a pair of worn jeans and a hoodie.
“Jess wants to try something on you,” Xtina blurted out with a smile.
“Okay,” he said slowly. “What?”
“It’s a binding spell. I accidently used it on Jacob last night. It won’t hurt…”
Mike smiled. “Shoot.” He waved his hands towards himself. “I’m game if it will help.”
“Okay,” Jess said, then thought about the words instead of saying them out loud to test if she could make it work. Terminus. She thought clearly.
Xtina and she watched as Mike froze in place.
“Can he breathe?” Xtina asked.
“No, I don’t think so,” she said a moment before releasing him with the second word, Liber.
Mike took in a deep breath. “Whoa.” He sat down. “That was something.”
“Are you okay?” Xtina asked him, moving closer to him.
“Yeah, just…” He shook his head. “Strange.”
“Do you think it will work to bind the devil?” Xtina asked.
“What?” Mike turned and looked at her.
Jess laughed. “Yeah, looks like we’re up against the baddest of the bad boys. The big enchilada himself.”
Mike shook his head. “I’ll leave you two to it. I’m heading out to the field with Ethan. He wants to…” Mike sighed. “I shouldn’t be gone long.”
“I thought we were on house arrest?” Xtina asked.
“We’re only going to be in the field.” He nodded towards the back door. “I think if you lock the doors, you should be okay.”
Once Mike left, Xtina looked over at her. “You know, I was thinking…”
“Yes?” Jess said after a moment of silence.
“Well, couldn’t you…”—Xtina made a motion with her hands—“poof the book back to you?”
Jess thought about it. “I guess I could try.”
She stood up, then held out her hands, closed her eyes, and thought about the book. Thought about it being in her hands.
When she opened her eyes, she was no longer in Xtina’s living room. Instead, she was at the lake house, looking directly into her mother’s eyes.
Jacob and Larry drove to the lake, but instead of parking in the long drive, he pulled the car to the main boat ramp and got out.
“What are we doing here?” Larry asked.
“I’m going to ask around.” He nodded to a group of fisherman. They were backing their small boat into the water and he recognized the group. “Stay here,” he said, then started walking towards the group.
“Morning.” He nodded when he stopped in front of them.
“What are you doing out this way?” Howie Dale asked. The man was in his late eighties but acted like he was still in his teens. Jacob only wished he could be like Howie when he grew old.
“Just looking around. We’ve had some problems.” He nodded to the house almost a mile away. “Kids breaking in. I’m hoping you guys can help me out.” He ran through his planned story and the group promised to give him a call if they noticed any lights or anyone hanging around the lone house.
He walked back to Larry. “How about we take our time heading over there. I think if we leave the car here…”
“She won’t see us coming?” Larry finished. “She see’s everything coming. From the moment you made up your mind to stop by, she knew.”
“Still,” Jacob said. “It’s worth a shot.”
Larry nodded. “I could use some fresh air.”
As they walked, Jacob went over in his head what he wanted to ask Larry next. When they reached the water’s edge, he finally worked up the nerve to get the most unpleasant conversation he’d ever have out of the way.
“So, um.” Jacob wiped his hand on the back of his neck. “I was hoping to ask you… that is.” He took a deep breath. “I was hoping you’d…”
Larry stopped walking and smiled at him.
“Son, I’ve been in a controlled coma for the past twenty some years. That doesn’t mean I’m blind.”
“O…okay.”
“I see how you look at my dau
ghter.” Larry smiled. “She’d be lucky to have you.” Larry looked towards the water and Jacob watched sadness rush over him. “I don’t think I really qualify, you know, as a father, but…” He turned back to him and held out his hand. “I’d be honored to have you as a son.”
Jacob took a deep breath and took the man’s hand in his. “I won’t let anything bad happen to her,” he promised.
“She’s nothing like her mother,” Larry said, starting to walk again. “I mean, I don’t think you have to worry about…”
“I’m not,” Jacob finished for him. “I’ve known Jess my entire life. I know she would never hurt anyone.”
“I wish I could have been here for her. Even though I was controlled and manipulated into a relationship with Rachelle, I loved that little girl with everything I was, everything I am.” Larry glanced over at him. “I can see the same behind your eyes.” He smiled.
“Yes, sir.” Jacob felt his heart skip and his eyes burn, so he turned them towards the house. Then he stopped and put his hand out to stop Larry. “Someone’s there,” he said in a low tone. “Stay put.” He pulled out his service weapon and moved closer to the house.
Instead of climbing the back stairs, he moved around and climbed over the side of the deck, where he wouldn’t be seen from the large windows.
He crept towards the glass to get a look inside. When he heard Jess’s voice, his heart stopped. Then he heard her scream and he flew into motion. Using all his strength, he busted through the glass door, his gun drawn and ready.
Rachelle used the distraction to rush forward and grab hold of Jess, who held onto the book with a death grip. They faded fast in front of his eyes and he noticed a smile on Rachelle’s lips and fear in Jess’s eyes.
Chapter 20
Jess took a deep breath and, before her mother had a chance to react, she called the book to her and gripped it to her chest. She closed her eyes and imagined Xtina’s face, to pop back, but her mother spoke.
“It won’t help you,” Rachelle said, interrupting her thoughts.
“Why are you doing this?” she asked, taking a step back. “We can stop this together.”
Rachelle laughed. “You don’t see it.” Her mother took another step towards her. “You are the ones causing it.”
Jess shook her head. “No, I’ve seen it. It’s here, because of what you did years ago.”
“No.” Rachelle moved closer again. “It’s here because you woke it. Now, it’s hungry for life.”
Jess remembered what Brea had said to her in the dark place and she questioned herself.
“I’m trying to set things right,” Rachelle said, moving towards her again. Jess could feel her mother demanding the book come to her, but blocked it easily. She knew her mother had to speak in order for the book to move.
“Why should I believe you?” She raised her chin and held her ground. “You imprisoned my father, forced him to be with you. Forced him to abandon me.” She raised her voice slightly when she remembered that Jacob and Larry were supposed to be at the lake house looking for Rachelle.
“I did what was best for everyone.” Rachelle stopped less than five feet from her. “Only I know how to fix this.” This time it was Rachelle’s voice that rose.
Both of them jerked around as the glass back door shattered and Jacob jumped through.
She couldn’t even get a breath out before her mother jerked her forward a step and the room and Jacob disappeared. The bright light from the lake house was replaced by darkness. The air was filled with dampness and instantly she knew where she was.
The thick, overhead silo doors were still closed enough that most of the morning light didn’t reach them at the bottom.
She blinked her eyes a few times until they adjusted. Where had her mother gone? She wasn’t holding onto her anymore and the book was still tucked tightly to her chest.
She knew she wouldn’t have another chance, so she thought about Jacob’s face, but once more, she was interrupted.
“You can’t leave, not with the book,” Rachelle said. “It’s my only hope to fix what you’ve done.”
Jess turned around and her mother stepped out of the darkness.
“I stopped listening to and caring what you thought I could or couldn’t do years ago.” Jess smiled as she disappeared in front of her mother, her screams of anger echoing in her ears.
In the next moment, she was standing in front of Jacob and Larry.
Without saying anything, Jacob rushed to her and wrapped his arms around her. “Are you okay? She didn’t hurt you?”
“I’m fine, what about you?” She ran a hand over his arm and noticed the blood. “You’re cut.”
He smiled as he glanced down. “It’s just a scratch.”
“How did you get away from her?” her father asked.
Jess smiled as she looked over at Jacob. “It was easy.”
“Let’s get you back to the house. You’ll have some explaining to do on how you ended up here,” her father said.
“Jess,” Jacob started, but then sighed heavily and shook his head. “Okay.”
Jess nodded. “I’ll meet you there.” She took a step back, then closed her eyes and thought of Xtina.
When she appeared in Xtina’s living room, Mike and Ethan were there as well.
Xtina immediately rushed towards her and closed her arms around her.
“You scared me,” she said quickly before dropping her arms away. Jess knew she was trying to avoid having a vision and tried to keep her thoughts locked to herself. “You were supposed to bring the book to you, not the other way around.” Xtina put her hands on her hips and frowned at her.
“Yeah, well, I guess it doesn’t work like that.” She looked down at the book in her hands. “I guess I should have practiced that before jumping in with both feet.” She shook her head and sat down. “Jacob and Larry are on their way back.”
“How do you…” Xtina gasped. “Did you… see your mother? Was she there?”
Jess nodded. “Thankfully, it appears I’m stronger than her. She tried to stop me, but…” She smiled. “Tada.”
“So,” Ethan jumped in, “the question is, why does she want the book so badly?”
Jess sat down on the sofa. Using so much power caused her to feel weak. Thankfully, her drink from earlier was still there and she took a sip.
Just then her phone chimed. She’d left it sitting on the coffee table.
“Did you make it okay?” the text from Jacob read.
“Yes, I’m here,” she typed back.
“Okay, heading your way now.”
Ethan moved over and sat next to her. “Do you think there’s something to help Brea in there?”
“I’ve looked, but I did discover new pages.” Her hand hovered over the book, as she opened it.
Then she carefully pulled the leather cover off and pulled out the hidden pages.
“I’m not leaving here until we’ve gone over everything.” She glanced up at Xtina, who in turned looked over at Mike.
“I’ll go grab us some food and drinks.” Mike left the room as Xtina sat down next to her.
“Ethan, can you grab my notepad?” Xtina asked. “It’s up in my room on my nightstand.”
Ethan glanced towards the kitchen, but then nodded and disappeared up the stairs.
“I wanted a moment alone with you,” Xtina said, then held out her hands. “You trust me, right?”
Jess smiled. “With my life.”
“How about with…” She nodded towards Jess’s stomach, causing Jess to frown.
“Yes, why? Is something wrong?” Worry flooded her.
“No.” Xtina shook her head. “But I was thinking. None of us have been able to see… beyond that night. How about you?”
Jess slowly shook her head. “No, I… I’ve believed it’s because…”
“We all die,” Xtina finished for her.
“But after what you gave me to translate last night, I’m curious to try something.”
<
br /> Jess could see it in her friend’s eyes. The need to have answers. She took a deep breath, then reached out and touched Xtina’s hand. Her friend was instantly lost in a vision.
Moments before Ethan came back down the stairs, Xtina was freed and smiling at her.
“So?” she whispered.
Xtina shook her head and then thanked Ethan for getting her notebook. “Maybe you can help your brother?”
“Sure,” Ethan sighed and walked out of the room.
“He’s worried about Brea.” Xtina frowned after him.
“Xtina.” Jess drew out her name, showing her frustration.
Her friend turned back towards her. “He’s fine.”
“He is?” Jess put a protective hand over her belly.
Xtina nodded and smiled.
“So?” Jess said slowly. “It doesn’t end?”
“I don’t know.” Xtina opened her notepad. “But we’re going to do everything we can to make sure he has a full and happy life.”
When Jacob and Larry arrived at Xtina and Mike’s place, Jess and Xtina were deep into translating the hidden pages she’d discovered. Mike and Ethan had made some sandwiches, but the ladies had kept working while they ate.
Jacob had a few cuts on his arms and face, and Ethan wanted to see if his healing powers would work on him.
Jacob looked on in shock as his cuts healed up. The pain he’d had in his back for a few days was gone as well.
“You could go into practice,” he joked with his brother. “Make a million dollars healing the wounded.”
“Does that work for the sick?” Larry asked after his initial shock retreated.
“You know, I don’t know,” Ethan said. I suppose I should try. It’s funny, I don’t think I was able to do this before.”
“Yeah, remember the time I broke my arm or the time you busted your foot jumping rope? I mean, why couldn’t you do this back then?” Mike added.
“When did you first find out about your abilities?” Larry asked.
“Just a few weeks ago,” Ethan answered, rolling the shoulder that had been wounded in battle. “But something had changed before that.” He frowned. “I’d been… seeing things. Visions of Brea.”