Common Ground (The Common Ground Trilogy Book 1)

by Barry Chaison

  Once my two finals were over for the day, I decided it was a good idea to head home and see how Annie had done with her Economics test.

  “You home?” I shouted when the condo door shut behind me.

  “I’m out here!” Annie yelled from what sounded like the living room.

  The sliding glass door to our balcony was wide open and Annie was lounging on one of the two cheap beach chairs we had purchased to give our balcony some pizzazz. She had her sunglasses on and was sipping what looked like water, but didn’t smell like water.

  “A little early to be drinking, isn’t it?” I asked, taking a seat in the other chair. She had her feet kicked up on the ledge, and had the first full smile I’d seen in weeks.

  “The test went awesome!” she squealed. “Every single thing I studied for was on that test. I was the first to finish!”

  “Unbelievable!” I exclaimed. “I’m proud of you Ann. Really I am. You’ve come a long way this semester, and I knew you could do it.” I gave her a wide smile and kicked my feet up to join hers on the ledge.

  “Thanks, want a drink?” she asked.

  “No thanks, I’ve got Professor Woodward’s final tomorrow, so I should be ready for that. You go ahead though.”

  “More for me,” she said happily. “Speaking of Woodward, how have things been with him? Since we weren’t talking much before Thanksgiving, I never got a chance to find out if you figured out anything else about him and your parents?”

  It was a strange feeling to be talking with Annie about Professor Woodward and those connections. Part of me wanted to tell my best friend everything that I knew; the special world of angels and demons, my unbreakable bond to her and all of my unknown abilities were on the tip of my tongue ready to come out. But, I remembered that Professor Woodward talked about secrecy and how important it was.

  “Still nothing. All I know is what you know. He and my dad went to school together and that’s about it.”

  “Have things gotten weird between the two of you then?” she asked.

  “Not at first, but lately he’s been distant,” I started to say.

  “How so?”

  “Right after we got back from Thanksgiving, I emailed him about something and he never responded. Then, anytime I’ve been in class with him, he’s been bolting the room as soon as class finishes, not giving me any chances to talk with him,” I finished.

  That was the only truth I could tell Annie about Professor Woodward. His distance since Thanksgiving had started to become annoying. There was never a response email about the medallion, and he had yet to speak with me since the break had ended. Both he and Liam had been avoiding me since then, and there was no explanation or reason why.

  “That’s weird,” she said, looking thoughtful. “I’m sure he’ll come around.”

  “Whatever, it’s no biggie,” I replied. And with that, there was no more mention of Professor Woodward or any other man for that matter. We sat outside for a good portion of the afternoon just talking and catching up. It felt great to have Annie back, and doing well on her finals was the perfect cure to her boyfriend ills.

  The final day of the semester started with a surprise. My entire Yoga class received an email from Mr. Himani saying that our final session of the semester had been cancelled and for everyone to have a happy holiday. Luckily, it gave me extra time to prepare for Professor Woodward’s final and also to get some packing done for the camping trip.

  “So, I need you back by four this afternoon,” Annie said from somewhere behind an enormous pile of camping stuff scattered around the living room.

  “For what?” I replied, trying to find a clear path to the kitchen.

  “To leave for the mountain!” she panted, finally popping up next to the stereo by the TV.

  “Shouldn’t be a problem. What are you up to today?”

  “I’m just going to finish packing, maybe take a trip to the store. Need anything while I’m out?” she asked from the living room.

  “Yeah, get some OJ and some munchies for the road,” I shouted back towards the living room.

  “Will do,” she responded. “I’m gonna go shower, good luck on the final!”

  **************************************

  Campus was a ghost town while I walked towards the Pit. Only a few random students, a majority that were in Professor Woodward’s class, seemed to pop up here and there. When I entered the Pit, I noticed two very familiar people standing by the juice machine, talking covertly.

  “Good morning Professor,” I said politely, approaching the two of them.

  “Oh, uh, good morning Zoe, you startled me!” Professor Woodward said, almost spilling his coffee.

  “Zoe!” Simi added, looking just as surprised. “How are you?”

  It was the first time I’d ever seen the two of them together. I couldn’t help but feel they were discussing something having to do with me. The look of surprise and awkwardness they displayed was too obvious.

  “I’m sorry I surprised you guys,” I laughed, reaching between them for a cup.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Professor Woodward replied. “Are you ready for the semester to be over?”

  “Yeah,” I said loudly over the juice dispenser. “Just have to finish your test this afternoon then I’m heading up to the Spring Mountains with some friends. I can’t wait,” I smiled.

  Professor Woodward and Simi both exchanged concerned looks. He lowered his cup slowly while Simi gazed around the empty cafeteria. Only the checkout girl was standing there looking extremely bored.

  “Is there something wrong?” I asked surprised.

  “We need to talk,” he said quietly.

  “Why? What’s the matter?” I asked amused. “I’m ready for your test, I promise.”

  He turned his back on me and walked to the cashier and handed the girl some money. Simi, waiting next to me, softly grabbed my arm and followed behind Professor Woodward. My frustrations and annoyance with both Simi and Professor Woodward made it easy to dismiss any concerns they seemed to have. After a month of practically being ignored and betrayed, there was nothing they could say that would make things worse.

  “What do we need to talk about?” I asked nonchalantly, while the three of us started to walk out of the Pit. “I don’t have any questions for your final if that’s what you wanted.” Instead of responding, he just continued to walk silently until we were out of the cafeteria and outside, not within range of anyone or anything.

  “Zoe, you need to be careful,” Simi finally said when the door of the Pit closed behind us.

  “Be careful?” I asked, feigning surprise. “About what?”

  I knew exactly where they were going with their concerns, but my anger had taken over.

  “Liam told us about the talk you two had about the medallion,” Professor Woodward said. “It is very important that you understand the severity of this situation. Your friend is in grave danger.”

  “Well,” I started to say sternly. “How serious can it really be? You guys have been keeping your distance from me lately. If it was that important, I would have thought you would have been keeping me in the loop.”

  “Zoe,” Simi interjected. “There’s a reason for that.”

  “Oh, can’t wait to hear the latest explanation,” I jeered.

  I was getting angrier by the minute. They were trying to backtrack and make up for their actions, but I wasn’t going to have any of it.

  “Please Zoe, listen to me,” Professor Woodward started. “I misjudged how helpful Liam would be to you.”

  My eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Misjudged? What did you expect from him? He cares about nobody but himself! The fact you allowed him to be the one to tell me that my best friend’s life is in danger is unforgiveable. It should have been you.”

  All politeness and respect had left my voice and been replaced by frustration. All of the aggravation that had built up from both his and Liam’s futile attempts to help me boiled over at that moment.
/>   “Zoe, Liam is more important to your situation than you know,” he said, keeping his voice calm.

  “How? Why? Please, just give me some real answers for once!”

  Before he could speak, Simi jumped in. “Zoe, do you remember what we talked about before Thanksgiving? When I told you I had a bad feeling?”

  I nodded.

  “Well, that same feeling is taking over again. But, this time, all I sense is pure evil and it’s more powerful than I’ve ever felt. The problem is that I can’t sense who it is coming from. My powers still aren’t strong enough to fully sense who is feeling what. All I can sense is general feelings, I can’t associate them with specific people yet.”

  “And this all has to do with Liam how?”

  “We’re not sure we can trust him,” Professor Woodward finally said. “There is very little we know for sure, but what we do know only creates more questions. Liam told us that it wasn’t possible for you to be Annie’s link, which makes me wonder who Ignacious is really hunting. My guess is that since the medallion was sent recently, the real link is somewhere close. Usually when these medallions are sent, it isn’t more than a couple of weeks before people start dying.”

  “But you’ve trusted him so far, haven’t you?” I asked. “Why the sudden change?”

  “Like I said, I’m not sure it is him,” Simi replied. “We have no choice but to trust him for the time being. The problem is that Liam is a very powerful demon and he has a history that wouldn’t support his case. So it’s your job now to be as vigilant as possible. Going on this camping trip with your friends is a big risk. You’ll be up in the mountain, far away from any help. I know how special you are, but with Annie being marked for death, and your powers still not developed, it could be a dangerous mix.”

  It was frustrating enough not being able to utilize any abilities I apparently had. Hearing it again made it even worse.

  “I’m tired of hearing how special and unique I am!” I argued. “You said it yourself Simi, my powers aren’t even developed. Maybe if you guys actually told me how to use them, we wouldn’t have to worry so much?”

  “It’s not as simple as explaining how to use them,” Professor Woodward said. “Your abilities are a direct result of your connection with Common Ground. Until you are put in a situation where you truly realize the necessity of having them, you’ll remain weak. That’s why your dreams have been mere glimpses of the past and future, because you aren’t fully developed yet. Already time traveling once is an enormous accomplishment, but meeting your full potential takes time and experience. ”

  None of what he said made any sense. My powers were only going to work when I truly needed them?

  “He’s right,” Simi added. “I’ve known about Common Ground for over a year, and am still trying to embrace it all. You have to be patient.”

  “I can’t be patient when my best friend’s life is in danger,” I snapped back.

  Before I knew it, we were approaching Professor Woodward’s building. The two of them stopped dead in their tracks and I followed suit. The three of us stood in the middle of the sidewalk, with nobody within earshot.

  “Zoe, I’m not sure what is happening, but like Simi said, you must remain vigilant,” Professor Woodward said. “I’ve already told you that Ignacious has spies all around us, and without Simi having her full abilities, it’s impossible to detect who it is. I still believe going on this trip is a horrible idea, but if you decide to go, remember everything we’ve told you. You’ll survive it undoubtedly, but I know how close you are with Annie.”

  After weeks of being in the dark, I had another tidal wave of information dumped on my brain. Liam’s loyalties, my slow developing abilities and Simi’s deepening fears were all too much. I wasn’t ready to accept any of it, but they made it sound like I had no choice. I’d never felt so alone in my life.

  “But if Liam’s a demon, can’t he see into the future and make sure everything is going to be fine?” I asked.

  Professor Woodward looked uneasy. “The mind is only as strong as the angel or demon it belongs to. Until we know for sure that Liam is on our side, we can’t trust what he says.”

  I looked over at Simi.

  “I’m sorry Zoe, I wish I could be more help,” she apologized. “But, my last final is this evening. If you want, the earliest I can meet you guys is tomorrow morning to give you an extra set of eyes. Even though I don’t know how much help I’d be, that’s the best I can do.”

  Even though I knew in my heart Annie was in danger, a random camping trip with friends for one night didn’t seem worth all the effort they were making. I trusted everyone that was going.

  “No, it’s alright,” I said, my anger slowly fading. “It’s only for one night and I know my friends well enough that they aren’t demon killers. We’ll should be back tomorrow during the day, then Annie and I are heading back to Seattle for Christmas on Sunday. We’ll be fine, but thank you.”

  “Okay, well, have a good vacation and we’ll talk when you get back,” Simi said, smiling weakly. She waved goodbye to the both of us and walked away.

  Professor Woodward then turned back to me. “Zoe, I apologize for everything unfolding the way it has. It was not my intention. But, all we can do now is work with what we’ve got. Simi sensing danger coming, Liam’s recent and questionable behavior, and Annie getting the medallion are not coincidences. Something beyond my understanding is happening, and you and Annie are at the center of it.”

  “It’s because she’s my link,” I said shortly.

  His eyes got very wide. “Zoe, Liam was pretty-”

  “I know it’s true,” I interrupted. “We’ve been through so much together, she’s my best friend and I don’t care about anyone else as much as I do her. Whatever you think you know is wrong.”

  “Those are not all the determining factors in creating your link,” he replied sternly. “It’s much more complex than that.”

  I started to get frustrated again, similar to when Liam implied the same point. There was no doubt in my mind that Annie was my link, but everyone else was too stuck in their beliefs.

  “Then how do you figure out who your link is?” I asked, attempting to maintain civility.

  His eyes traveled the space around us nervously. Then, he leaned in a little closer and whispered.

  “Birthmarks.”

  He leaned back and stared into my eyes. Of all the words I’d expected him to say, that was the furthest from my mind. How birthmarks would create a link was beyond anything I could possibly put together.

  “Birthmarks?” I asked, confused. “What-?”

  “Excuse me Professor,” a sweet voice came from behind him. I leaned around him and noticed Annabelle standing on the top step, looking concerned.

  Professor Woodward’s eyes darted to the side before he turned around. “Yes Annabelle?”

  “I hate to interrupt but there’s an urgent call for you upstairs,” she said, smiling lazily at me. “They’re waiting on hold.”

  He turned back, looked at me and released a sigh. “Zoe, I’m sorry but I need to get back upstairs. I know I’ll see you in a few hours, but there won’t be time to talk. Please be careful this weekend and remain watchful. Keep your friend Annie in your sights as much as possible.”

  With that he turned and walked into his building, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Anyone who could help me make sense of what was going on had abandoned me, without giving me any concrete evidence to stand on. Outside of Annie, my faith and trust in anyone was at an all time low.

  Chapter 16: The Spring Mountains

  The rest of my day went by uneventfully, with the only thing resting on my mind being Professor Woodward and Simi’s stringent warning about our trip and the strange mention of birthmarks.

  “Annie?” I yelled, tossing my keys onto the side table by our front door.

  “In here,” she shouted from somewhere down the hall. I took a right turn after the door closed behind me and walked stra
ight into her room.

  “What’s this?” I asked, astonished.

  Annie was standing at the foot of her bed and her face was contorted in a helpless expression. Tons of clothes were sprawled all over her bed and floor, and a suitcase was flipped open, half full with random outfits.

  “Did a hurricane fly through here?”

  “I know, I just can’t figure out what to bring,” she sighed frustrated, putting both hands on her hips.

  She then looked up at me.

  “Are you alright?” she asked.

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” I stammered, walking in and sitting on the bed. “Just been thinking about this trip.”

  “What about it?” she replied, taking a seat next to me.

  “I don’t know. Maybe we should reconsider going,” I exhaled.

  Professor Woodward and Simi’s warning wouldn’t get out of my head. I wanted to forget it and enjoy the trip with my friends, but their intense opposition to the trip was too strong. Risking Annie’s safety wasn’t worth an evening up in the woods.

  “What? Why?” she asked in surprise.

  “Well, we just finished finals. We’re leaving in two days and haven’t even packed yet. I’m not sure it’s the best idea to go all the way up there for one night and then scramble to get out of here on Sunday morning.”

  Annie studied me intently for a moment before she released a heavy sigh.

  “We should still go,” she said quietly. “I need to get away from this place.”

  “But it’s going to be a bunch of couples up there, and I know you still aren’t over Liam yet,” I replied. “And, with you and Steph having your issues now, I don’t know if being stuck on a mountain and being forced to see all of that is something you should put yourself through right now.”

  “What’s going on?” she asked suspiciously. “Last week, you were gung-ho about going on this trip. Now all of the sudden you’re backing out at the very last minute?”