Thoughtless

by Jacqueline Gardner

  "Where's Emma?" I looked around the dark, dusty room. Candlelight was all I had to see. I couldn't even tell if Terrence was nearby.

  "I'll take you to her." Dru looked pleased by my question. She reached for my hand with a welcoming smile, like the two of us were dear friends. I leaned back. "Fine." She searched through a few pages and smiled. She grabbed my hand so quick that I didn't have time to react. Her reflexes were amazingly fast and unexpected.

  Dru whispered a few words to herself. I listened carefully but I couldn't understand. A rush of wind burst through the door and surrounded us. I was completely engulfed in a harsh twister that tugged at my clothes and made my hair swirl around my face. The wind blew something into my eyes. It felt like sand. I blinked but when my eyes opened, I wasn't at the abandoned Allen House. I was at my school.

  Dru laughed and skipped around the hallway. It was the same hallway where I'd found Stacy's body. I was speechless. I gulped and looked around in terror. I was alone with no backup. Rory wasn't just outside the door and neither was Agent Squires. I could feel strength draining from my chest. I'd been fooled again. Why didn't Rory factor in this possibility?

  "Someone looks sad," Dru whispered. She looked me up and down and smiled. "Is Bridget sad that we left all her FBI friends behind?" I stayed quiet. Dru looked even more amused.

  "Emma," I finally said. "Where is she?" Dru frowned.

  "Yes, yes, come on." She skipped down the hallway and didn't look back, not even once.

  "Overconfident freak," I murmured. I slowly followed her, afraid of what I might find. The entire school was empty. The halls were dark except for a light shining under one of the classroom doors. Dru stopped and pointed.

  "Through there, my darling." She waited for me to turn the doorknob. It was difficult. I was scared of what I'd see inside. Dru was ecstatic. It seemed like the more I suffered, the happier she was. I tried not to stand too close to her.

  The knob was cold. I pushed the door open and squinted as light filled the hall. Dru nudged me inside. My anger returned when I saw Terrence waiting. His enormous smile looked the same. He was even dressed for a normal day at school, but he didn't fool me in the least. If only I could've read his thoughts, I'd have known right away what a pig he really was.

  "Bridget," Terrence said still smiling. He acted as if nothing was wrong – like this was our second date or something. I swear he would've kissed me if I had let him.

  "You're sick," I replied. Terrence laughed. He walked closer like he wanted to hug me. "Back off, witch boy. Yeah, I know all about you and your little club." Terrence still didn't look offended or surprised.

  "So what does that make you?" Terrence replied. "You're no different from us."

  "I'm not a killer!" I protested.

  "Don't kid yourself. Every mind-reader is a cheater. We can't help it. It's only a matter of time before the wants of other people drive you crazy. I chose to do something about that."

  "No amount of sanity is worth six innocent girls."

  "Seven," Dru added. "It's actually seven when you count the nosey cheerleader that walked in during our altar prep."

  "Stacy," I muttered.

  "Who said those girls were innocent," Terrence continued. "They all had vulgar, unclean thoughts just like you and me."

  "Are you referring to my daydreams about kicking you in the teeth?" I asked. Terrence smiled. I was starting to see the similarities between Terrence and Dru, besides the blond hair. Both of them were insane. Dru happened to wear her crazy on her sleeve. Terrence was a poser. He kept his crazy inside, hidden behind a wall.

  "There's the real you," Terrence laughed. He kept moving closer. And though I detested him, he was still handsome. I smelled his cologne and thought about a life without mind-reading or killing sprees. Terrence and I could've been happy together, maybe even high school sweethearts. But all chances of that had been destroyed before Terrence and I ever met.

  "We have the book, dear brother." Dru stepped in Terrence's way. She was excited to complete the ritual. "Quit playing with her."

  "First," I interrupted. "We had a deal. You said you'd let Emma go free." Dru laughed to herself.

  "She's free to leave whenever she wants," Dru replied. I looked around the room and saw nothing but empty desks and Terrence's backpack. I scanned the room again, this time catching movement in the corner. Emma was curled up and shaking. I hadn't even noticed she was there. Her eyes were wide and watery. Her face looked colorless like she wanted puke.

  "What are you?" Emma whispered. She held back tears. Not knowing what to say, I froze. I looked to Terrence and his humungous smirk. He had planned this. He knew what Emma's friendship meant to me.

  "Oh dear," Dru sighed. "You mean you didn't tell your best friend about your gift? Naughty, naughty Bridget." She rubbed the spell book again. I think it gave her comfort. She let it rest in her arms like a sleeping kitten.

  "I . . . well, of course I didn't . . . Emma," I stammered. Emma wouldn't look me in the eyes. She was scared of what I might do. She was so confused that she didn't know what to believe.

  "Yes, precious Emma." Dru dropped down to her knees and played with a strand of Emma's hair. Emma kept her face buried. She had the same thoughts about Dru as me. She didn't trust her, mostly because she acted like a mental patient. "Bridget has been keeping a secret all these years – one that you might not like."

  "Emma," I gulped. I needed to clear the air now, especially if this was my last night alive. "You have to understand. I was trying to spare you the disappointment." A tear formed in my eye. I'd dreaded this day. "I knew if I told you, you might hate me." Emma was still distracted by Dru's presence. I got impatient, and my cheeks went red. A boiling feeling of anger overcame me. I walked right over to Dru and grabbed her shoulder. She looked surprised, and even more so when I pulled her to floor. She was so light that it was easy – like pushing over a piece of cardboard.

  "Emma," I said ignoring Dru. "Look at me." She looked up with puffy, wet eyes. "Yes, it's true. I've been able to read minds since we were kids, but I've always done my best to respect your privacy. And I know you have questions right now, but you need to leave." Dru grabbed a piece of my hair and pulled. I was so annoyed with her games that I swung around, slapping her in the face. I grabbed Emma's arm and nudged her towards the door. She still looked shocked.

  "It makes sense," Emma whispered. She was upset but I felt reassured that if I managed to live, we'd move past this. I smiled, ecstatic to know that I might at least do one good thing before I died – save my best friend.

  But Terrence killed that hope when he slammed the door in Emma's face. I heard Dru clapping. Terrence grabbed Emma's arm. She was too stunned to resist.

  "Now that we got that over with," Terrence said. "How about we say some spells?" Dru jumped up and down with excitement.

  "Wait! I thought we had a deal?" I eyed Terrence then Dru. The both of them just smirked. "You two disgust me." The more I stared at Dru, the less frightened of her I was. She was just a psycho in a lacy dress. Dru must have read my thoughts because she stopped jumping. Her eyes flickered and her facial expression changed. My heart jumped.

  "Don't think it unless you mean it, stupid girl." She walked closer to me, and this time I felt overwhelmed. She looked into my eyes, bringing to life my worst fears – my mom dying, being alone, being locked up for life in an insane asylum. I felt complete and utter doom. My breathing got heavy and I felt like curling up in the corner. Dru had turned hostile.

  I fought my own thoughts. They consumed me as if they were real. Struggling with internal torment, I barely noticed when Terrence pulled me to a few desks in the middle of the room. They'd been pushed together. Ropes to bind my hands and feet were waiting. Terrence pushed me onto the table and then I saw it, the Energy Stone. Dru pulled it out from under her dress and held it in her hand. It was a so dark that at first glance, the stone looked black. But when it shone through the light, I could see a tint of green.

>   "Beautiful isn't it," Dru said. She broke eye contact and walked over to Terrence's backpack. "I have one for you as well." I blinked and realized that Terrence had already tied together my hands and feet together. I didn't even get the chance struggle. I sat up. But Terrence was holding a long, polished blade. He was holding it to Emma's neck.

  "I think not," Terrence said still smirking. I laid back down. The only thing I could hope for now was a spell that would backfire. Dru pulled another necklace out from Terrence's bag, the Soul Stone. It was prettier than the other stone. Dru smiled.

  "That's because it's filled with life," Dru said in response to my thoughts. She danced over and placed it around my neck. "Hold on." Dru paused and her eyes darted to the door. "A friend of yours?" I heard it too. Rory should've kept his thoughts to himself. Dru ran to the door. She excitedly turned the knob and found Rory listening on the other side.

  "Have you come to see the show as well," Dru said to Rory. She pulled him inside and shut the door. She grabbed Rory by his shirt. His face went white when he saw me. Rory's apologies entered my head. Bridget, I'm so sorry. I should've known that they'd pull a trick like this. I gave Rory a desperate look but there wasn't much he could do to help me. "I think I have another bundle of rope somewhere."

  I stared at Rory, waiting for him to stare back. He couldn't look at me. Whenever he did, his feelings opened up too many avenues in his mind. He didn't want to give Dru or Terrence that chance. Dru pulled out more rope. She looked into Rory's eyes and immediately he was scared stiff. His face got sweaty and he looked like he was ready to faint. He must have been fighting his own fears like I had. Dru tied the rope as tight as she could before kicking Rory's knee. He hit the floor and winced.

  Dru opened the spell book. She took out a bag full of red vials. Rory was getting his vision back. He watched Dru and made a disgusted face. She opened the first vial, it was one of six, and dipped her finger in the red liquid. It took a few minutes to realize that it was blood. She smeared some on her arm like it was scented lotion.

  "Sick," I muttered. Dru's delighted face made me want to gag. She dipped her finger in the vial a second time and smeared the blood on me. I wanted to puke.

  "From each girl," Dru smiled. She put the first vial away and proceeded to do the same with vial number two. "The last girl actually did throw up, you know. It was quite the mess." I rolled my eyes. She smeared more blood on my arm. It dried up quick leaving a weird crust on my skin. Instead of gagging, I took a new approach. I ignored Dru's comments and instead starting telling myself that the spell wouldn't work. Dru concentrated on her task until she'd removed blood from each of the six vials.

  "Where is . . . everybody?" I muttered. Rory was near my feet. He looked at me and shrugged. The second I had disappeared from the Allen House, Rory was confident that the ritual would take place where it should've taken place a week ago – the high school. But Agent Squires didn't like the idea of putting all his eggs in one basket. He made his team scout every possible location in case Rory was wrong. Rory had come on his own.

  "They could be anywhere," Rory whispered.

  "But they'll be too late I'm afraid," Dru replied. She was ready to repeat the spell. I had an arm full of blood that wasn't mine and the Soul Stone was around my neck, but I smiled proudly. The spell in that book was useless. Dru paused and studied the page in front of her. I waited for a cry – an accusation or another strange trip inside my own thoughts. Dru's smile didn't leave her face.

  "Very clever," she said in a wistful voice. "Changing the words to the spell was a magical idea. Did you think of it?" She looked down at Rory. Then she glanced at Terrence and the two of them laughed. "Oh, it's a shame you put so much time into this Rory."

  "Wait what?" I was confused now. Why weren't they angry? Their plan was about to fall to pieces.

  "Silly girl," Dru replied. "The spell is right here." She pointed to her head. "After six ceremonies, I know it by heart of course." Rory and I looked at each other. My heart sank. I had failed and now I was going to die along with my friends. It was all my fault. Dru opened her mouth and started reciting the spell. I could feel myself getting weaker. My energy was slowly being drained. Pretty soon I wouldn't be able to move. The Soul Stone burned into my chest. It felt like a hot iron, and I yelled.

  Rory yelled when I yelled. He was suffering just as much as me as he watched. I felt his hand grab my ankle. The pain in my chest was so great that my body crashing to the floor didn't seem like a big deal. Rory had pulled me off the table. Dru stopped mid-spell. She looked annoyed but when she bent down to smack Rory for his disobedience, Rory yanked her hair so hard that she fell on top of me. Dru looked nervous and continued reciting the spell.

  That's when a thought entered my head – my own thought. I sat up screaming and grabbed Dru's neck with all my strength. She spoke even faster. Rory glared at me. She has one sentence left, Rory thought. Rory held Dru's shoulders as I ripped the Energy Stone from around her neck.

  Chapter Nineteen

  It's Complicated

  I fought for my life. The Soul Stone was leached onto my chest like a ball of fire. All the strength I had was being diverted to my arms. My legs were like jelly. They couldn't move. As Dru spoke the last few words of the spell, her eyes went wide. I'd grabbed the Energy Stone and put it around my own neck. I could feel its energy instantly. It gave me the strength I needed. My fingernails dug into the Soul Stone. I tried pulling it off. Terrence dropped his knife as soon as he realized what was happening.

  I ripped the Soul Stone off my neck. It felt like I was ripping flesh from my own body. I screamed again. The pain was excruciating, the most I'd ever felt. As soon as the stone parted from my skin, fresh air entered my lungs. I could move my legs, and the only pain I felt was from the tightness of my ropes. Rory looked relieved. Everything had happened so fast but to me it seemed to last forever. Terrence was shouting and ready to throw Rory against the wall. Dru was still on the ground next to me. I knew what needed to be done.

  My hand thrust the Soul Stone forward. It soared through the air, landing on Dru's chest. Her eyes started watering as she wrestled with the pain. Half her body went lifeless, and the shock caused her stop speaking. Terrence looked furious. He'd pushed Emma to the floor and ran to his sister's rescue but I'd already done the damage. He knelt by Dru's side and gave me a look that sent chills through my body. He was angry, really angry.

  Rory gulped. He saw me panic and clutch my chest. There was a red mark where the Soul Stone had been. He eyed the Energy Stone around my neck, knowing that even though my soul was safe that wouldn't stop Terrence and Dru from killing us all out of rage. Rory sat up straight. He opened his mouth.

  "Infinite!" Rory yelled. It was the last word of the spell, the only thing left that needed to be said. I felt the Energy Stone lock into my skin. It made my chest tingle and my heart pound. A bright light filled my eyes. It engulfed me, giving me strength and opening my brain to possibilities I'd never thought of. I almost felt invincible. It was the greatest feeling in the world to finally be in control.

  I could hear Dru's violent screams but I couldn't see her. She was suffering my fate and it didn't sound pleasant. I was grateful that I could see nothing but white at the moment. The terrifying scene that matched those screams was sure to be gruesome. No one would want to carry around that image with them. It would've haunted me even more than the image of Stacy's body.

  The light left my eyes and the warmth surrounding my body faded. Rory was grinning, proud of his decision. He'd spent all night with the stupid spell book, staring at the words. He knew that eventually, one of us would have to fight. At first, I didn't know what say. When the light left my eyes, all of a sudden I saw everyone in a completely different way. Terrence was kneeling and breathing heavily. His sister's body was sprawled out in his arms. Dru's pale skin was now gray. She was dead, and her face looked like she'd been tortured in her last moments.

  For once, I could concentrate on a
single person. I could shut off access to Rory's spinning wheel of thoughts. I could dive into Terrence's mind and knock down the wall he had up. I could even concentrate on Emma, and aid her in feeling more cheerful. She was still on the floor, not sure what to do next. I stood up and looked around the room. I could focus on people that were a mile away if I wanted. I smiled.

  "Agent Squires is outside," I said quietly. Rory let out a huge breath. He was still studying my strange behavior.

  "How do you feel?" he asked.

  "Well, I can't really describe it but it feels good." I crossed the room towards Emma. She had a few bruises but she was all right. Her greatest scarring would come from what she'd just witnessed. Terrence closed the eyes of his dead sister, accepting that there was nothing he could do now to bring her back. He finally looked at me. There was a slight flicker in his eye. He no longer saw this as a game, mostly because he hadn't won.

  "You," Terrence muttered. Rage was building in his chest. He wanted to pummel me to the ground. I knew the feeling. It was the same feeling I had towards him.

  "What's the matter?" I asked. "Things didn't go the way you had hoped?"

  "You killed her!" Terrence was furious. His face turned red. "You are a killer!"

  "That was an accident!" I protested. "But honestly, I'm glad it happened. It was either her or me. You know that. There's nothing wrong with fighting to survive." Terrence didn't care about my reasoning. He was just angry that he had to return to London a failure. Dru wouldn't even be there to protect him. The Coven would mock him, maybe even kick him out. Terrence took a few steps closer. I broke apart the walls in his head and finally read his thoughts. I wish I hadn't.

  Terrence's brain had twisted the concept of good versus evil. He only thought about himself. He looked at me and I felt disgusted. Terrence did in fact have feelings for me but they were not loving, caring feelings. They were nothing like the way a normal boy felt for a normal girl. They were disturbing.