by Carla Thorne
“Goodnight, Jacob.”
“Goodnight, Mary Angel.”
There were others all around me as I stepped on and off the elevator and into the hall. Teens from other trips scurried back and forth to get to their rooms on time, and adults carried supplies and made notes on their phones and clipboards as they marked each kid alive and present.
I stepped into the small room on my floor with vending machines to find a candy bar.
And that’s when everything went cold and dark.
I didn’t even need the warning of a cold puff of air on the back of my neck like I’d had in the beginning to know when something was off. Seemed that each new event heightened my instincts.
I leaned into the intuition and tried to think. A threat was near. Why?
Was it because Jacob knew what he was? I figured the Destroyer didn’t like it when the Creator’s best and brightest came into their destiny.
I tapped out a text to Deacon and Scout who roomed with him. Jacob is a Protector. Keep your eyes open. Someone may not like it.
Better safe than sorry.
I rummaged in my pocket for uncrumpled dollar bills as the door came unwedged and slammed shut.
Gavin.
“What are you doing here, Gavin? You’re going to miss room-check.”
“I need to talk to you.”
“Since when? And why now? You could have talked to me any time we crossed paths today.”
“Your goon’s not with you now.”
“Do you have a point? Because I need to get to my room.”
He stepped in front of the door. “I want to talk.”
“I don’t have time to talk now, Gavin, and really, I don’t have anything to say to you.”
“I want to say I’m sorry for the way everything went down between us. It wasn’t supposed to happen that way.”
“You mean there was another way you had planned to grope me and then break my nose?”
“You know that’s not what I mean. I love you, Mary. I always meant for us to be together. I still think we should be together. I want you back. I want to try again.”
“Are you delusional? We haven’t been together for months, and it was never about love. I don’t know what it was, but it wasn’t love. You made me feel bad about myself, you tried to force me into things… You hit me out of anger in front of everybody. That’s not love.”
“I was wrong about a lot of things. I’ve been talking to a counselor about my anger. I have more control. I can prove to you I’ve changed.”
“Gavin, you are not listening to me. We are not supposed to be together. We are never going to be together. Yes, you need to get better about some things, but that won’t change anything between us. Your behavior even broke up our parents’ friendship. Do you know how awkward it’s been for them? Do you think they’d even allow me to be alone with you again?”
“We’re alone right now.”
“What’s that mean? Is that some kind of threat? Because it sounds like a threat.”
His expression shifted. “No. I would never threaten you. I really do love you.”
Tears pooled in his eyes and exposed a possible red-eyed explanation that a non-partier like myself easily missed. I was an idiot.
“Are you drunk? Or high? Or is it both?” I stormed toward him and tried to reach around to grab the door handle.
He caught my arm and spun me till my back was against the door. My elbow smacked the steel doorknob with a thud.
I refused to cry out as I shoved him far away.
I turned, but he sped back and used his body to pin me face-forward on the door.
“Did you really think I was going to let you go so easy?” he spat in my ear. “I’ve put my life on the line for you. I’ve made sacrifices so we could be together.”
“There is no we, Gavin. And what do you mean sacrifice? Was it a sacrifice to have sex with Corey in hallways and make trouble for Jacob? How can you claim to love me? There is no love in you. Everything you’ve done has been to hurt or control me or others.”
“You have no idea what I’ve done for you.”
A terrible thought entered my mind. “Where is Corey? Is she OK?”
“This isn’t about Corey. We’re done. It’s you I want.”
“But I don’t want you.”
“Oh, Mary. Don’t you realize we are destined to be together? It’s going to happen.”
I gathered enough energy to buck him off my back and grab for the door in the small space.
Someone had the handle on the other side. The door popped open with a whoosh and barely missed my face.
Char stood in the doorway. She pinned Gavin with an icy glare. “Step off, Agent.”
Agent?
My gut twisted and plummeted into my shoes. Physical pain gripped my chest as the word continued to ring in my head. Deacon had been right. He knew someone was an Agent.
It’d always been Gavin.
“Mind your own business,” Gavin snapped.
“Not gonna happen. I’ll tell you one more time.” Char stepped sideways to expose the door. “Step off. You have no power here.”
Gavin passed between us in a swirl of dark energy and disappeared down the hall.
I regained my composure. “I have to go find Mr. Parrington. The girl he’s been seeing is not safe. He’s been drinking or something. And I should check on the others.”
“Everything is fine,” Char said.
“How do you know?”
“He was already out of control at the skating rink. Your people were on top of it. Mr. Parrington is aware.”
“My people?”
“C’mon, Warrior, keep it together. Don’t let that Agent keep you rattled. Focus.”
“All right. I’ll text everybody as soon as I get to my room and ask my chaperone if I can see Mr. Parrington.” I paced a short line in front of the candy machine. “Am I your assignment? Are you here because of what just happened?”
“No. You can take care of yourself.”
“How do you know that?”
Char smiled. “Every Warrior knows that. You’re the special one. I could see it as soon as I looked at you.”
“Then why are you…? Wait. You’re here for Deacon. Is he OK?”
“He’ll be fine. I’m only here for backup.”
“Does he know?”
“Not yet. You guys are all new to this. You’ll get stronger and stronger at reading the signs and identifying your allies. One step at a time.”
“But Deacon’s really in to you. Do you like him at all, or is he just a job? Don’t lead him on like that.”
She dropped her gaze as a touch of red hit her dark-brown cheeks. “I do like him. We’re havin’ a blast, but this is a ski trip. We may not ever see each other again. Get some sleep, Warrior.”
“Wait! Has the threat passed?”
Char put the wedge back under the door. “I don’t know. You know how these things work. Sometimes you don’t know you’re on assignment until you’re right in the middle of it. I would tell you if I knew.”
“Have you talked to Deacon about this?”
“You mean have I revealed myself? No. And he hasn’t said anything either. All I know is he’s coming back from an injury and something about a fire at your school. My guess is I was drawn to him because of that. He has power abilities, but he can’t use them if he’s hurt. And hurt Warriors are sometimes doubting Warriors.”
That’s exactly what was going on. Deacon had been out of sorts since the fire.
“C’mon, Mary. Everyone is safe right now, and remember, we’re the good guys. We’re not the ones who live in fear.”
She gave me a friendly hug. Warmth and energy coursed between us. She passed strength and confidence to me through her embrace. I called out for Sebastian in my head. Help me… Show me…
The scent of frankincense wafted from somewhere in her puffy jacket. Either that, or Sebastian was literally in our presence—in the midst of our embrace.
>
My mind was in a complete whirl, but I knew the truth when I saw it—and smelled it.
Char was one of us.
“Let’s rest so we can kick that mountain’s butt tomorrow,” she said.
I turned to leave. “’Night, Warrior.”
She smiled over her shoulder. “Back at ya, Warrior.”
Chapter 38
Ivy
I got dressed to ski and left my room before the others were ready, and found Corey’s door.
After several sharp knocks, she answered. “What do you want?”
“Good morning to you too.” I shoved my way in. “Are you OK?”
“Yes.”
“Why aren’t you dressed? Everyone is going down for a quick breakfast before we ski.”
“I’m not going.”
“Are you sick?”
“No. I’m not allowed.
I shed my jacket and made sure my goggles and mitts didn’t escape my pockets. “Why not?”
Corey unplugged her curling iron and crammed it into the side of her bag, then yelped when she accidentally touched it. She yanked her hand back and almost cried. “I’m being sent home, that’s why! Happy now? I know you and the others didn’t want me here anyway.”
“What do you mean we didn’t want you? You didn’t want us! You’ve refused to talk to me since you came back to school.”
She rolled up her thermals and punched them into one of the lodge’s plastic laundry bags. “I know, all right? I’ve been a jerk. A stupid, stupid jerk. Why did I think I could be in charge of anything? Why did I think Gavin was serious about me?”
“You were struggling to find your place, Corey. You wanted to get back to school and feel better. Gavin made you think you were a part of something with him.”
“What a nice warm fuzzy way of saying he used me. Well, thanks for reminding me of that.”
“I’m not trying to hurt you, Corey. That’s the last thing I want, but I’m angry. I almost lost you to suicide. Do you know what it was like to think I might have to attend your funeral? And then you came back to school and poof! Not only were we no longer friends, but you’d become the very thing that sent you over the edge.”
She dropped on the bed to pull on her boots. “OK, stop. I’m sorry for the way I acted when I came back. Gavin and some others started visiting me while I was away, and I got things turned around for a while. I forgot who my real friends are, and after Gavin and Mary broke up and he showed an interest in me… Well, I was a first-class idiot.”
“You’re not the first girl to fall for a guy like Gavin.”
“I’m, by far, the dumbest.”
“Don’t say that about yourself, Corey. Gavin can be persuasive and controlling.”
“And I walked right into it.” She stood and straightened her pants. “But I can tell you this, no one will ever make me feel that way again. I am not a weak person. I am nobody’s doormat.”
Pure joy sailed through my heart. “I’m glad to hear that.”
“And I know you want to ask, so go ahead. Do your duty. I know you. You won’t feel right unless it’s all out there.”
She was right.
“Are you having suicidal thoughts right now?”
“No. I am not. I know I need to keep seeing my counselor, but I also know dying is not the answer. Now listen, I may or may not be back at school next semester, but I’m going to be OK.”
“Wait. Why would you not come back to school?”
“You have to ask that after last year and this? I’m being sent home in disgrace from a school ski trip. Sometimes you can’t stay well in the same environment that helped keep you sick, Ivy. That’s a simple fact. I need to start over.”
“Oh. Here.” I handed her a mascara that rolled out of her makeup bag. “Don’t forget this.”
“Thanks.”
“What exactly is the reason you’re going home? I obviously missed something.”
“You saw the fiasco at the skating rink last night. Gavin had alcohol. I was with Gavin.”
“Were you drunk?”
“I had a drink or two—something else I’m not interested in doing anymore—and I had to admit to bringing several of those little bottles of vodka from my house. My mom had a bunch from divorce party gift bags she made for her friend. They weren’t even bachelorette bottles of vodka. They were to celebrate a divorced woman’s freedom. Who celebrates that?”
“Sorry, girl. Wish you could stay and try to ski with us today.”
“I’m not sorry. It’s a fitting end to a ridiculously stupid infatuation.”
“What happens now?”
“Erin’s mom is going to drive me and Gavin down the mountain and into the next town by the nearest highway to meet our ride. We’re under house arrest until we leave. Gavin’s mom and my dad drove all night to get us.”
“Ooof. That is going to be one long awkward drive home.”
“You have no idea. But anyway, you should go. I’m on restriction and the warden should be bringing breakfast any second. And then I wait.”
I gave her my best friendly and supportive hug. “Good to be your friend again, Corey.”
“Thanks for taking me back.”
“Always. Text me if you need moral support on the ride home.”
She rolled her eyes. “There must be a thousand funny gifs for situations like this.”
“I’ll find them all.”
As I clicked the door closed behind me, Mr. Parrington stood in the hall with a tray of food from the cafeteria-like restaurant downstairs.
“I only wanted to check on her, sir. I didn’t know she was on restriction.”
“How is she?”
His question surprised me. I would have betted on a move along any day of the week.
“She seems OK with the situation and the consequences.”
“Any other concerns?” He pounded on the door. “Breakfast!”
I stepped away as Corey opened it and contritely took her tray and said thanks.
He motioned me farther away. “Other concerns?”
“No, sir. I came right out and asked her if she was having suicidal thoughts. She said no and I believe her, but I’m not a doctor, and I can’t read her mind.”
“But you often know more than you say.”
“Sometimes. It helps when I can get people to listen to me.”
“Noted.”
We stood there and looked at each other. I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to respond to his sudden newfound interest in my opinion. Perhaps Deacon’s unusual info dump in his office had struck a chord, but if he wanted more information from me that day, I had no idea what was about to happen.
There’d been no visions, no words in my ear, no warning bells in my head.
I saw movement at the end of the quiet hall, beyond Mr. Parrington’s right bicep. I stepped to the side and caught a glimpse of a man I recognized. He stood at the fire exit on his phone. He hadn’t seen me.
I stepped back in front of Mr. Parrington.
“What’s wrong, Ivy? You just turned whiter than that fresh powder out there.”
“There’s a man at the end of the hall and…”
I snuck another peek
He caught me looking.
I took off running toward him. “Wait right there!”
Mr. Parrington spun in my wake and followed. “Ivy, stop! You can’t just chase strange men down the hall.”
I could and I did. Especially when I knew the guy was a threat.
He bolted through the fire exit doors and onto the stairs.
He had a big head start and took the levels much faster than I could keep up. Mr. Parrington huffed and puffed behind me. I scrambled for my phone, but there was no way to watch my step and get a picture at the same time. At one point I shocked myself by doing a movie-type thing as I sailed over the end of the rail and onto the next set of stairs without hitting the landing. I think it was the padding of the ski jacket and pants that upped my confidence.
Both things also rapidly slowed me down, and the other problem was, the guy ahead of me hit that move every time.
I lost my goggles in the chase.
At the bottom floor, he crashed against the door. It stopped him when it wouldn’t open. He appeared to do his best not to turn around and look at us. He jammed at the bar on one side then the other until it finally broke loose and he disappeared into the massive crowd of skiers on the ground floor.
Mr. Parrington gasped beside me and bent to catch his breath. “Do you know who that was?” He kept his gaze on his phone.
“Yes. That’s why I chased him.”
“Don’t do that kind of thing. It’s dangerous.”
“Who are you calling?”
“The police, I guess. I don’t know who to call about spotting a guy here who the authorities are looking for in Texas.”
“Maybe call your Texas contact and they’ll get in touch with Colorado?”
“Maybe.”
I trekked up a level to retrieve my goggles. “I couldn’t get my phone out to snap a pic.”
Mr. Parrington smiled. “You didn’t think I was that out of shape, did you?” He turned his phone my way. “I was slower because I filmed the whole chase.”
I took a closer look. “I was right. That’s him.”
Mr. Parrington got serious. “Why did the electrician from the Stonehaven Gym Fire follow us to Colorado?”
Chapter 39
Deacon
Char took my hand after I managed another ugly stop. “I think that was our best one yet. What do you think?”
“I didn’t fall as much that time, but I think it’s because I’m not going very fast.”
I wasn’t about to tell her the practice the day before and the skating had rendered me unable to move from the moment I’d gotten back to my room. I honestly didn’t know how many more runs I could make.
She wrapped her arms around me and I prayed she both would and wouldn’t hold me as close as she could. “This mountain might make a skier out of you yet.”
“I’m not holding my breath.”
I was totally holding my breath—because it hurt to breathe. I may not have been as honest as I should have about my injuries. I was feeling bad I wasn’t truthful with the others. The doctor warned me I could easily aggravate breaks that hadn’t completely healed. Rolling end to end or being impaled by a ski pole couldn’t help.