by W. J. May
Beth stood undeterred. “You looked after my girl for me?” she pressed again.
Jennifer’s face tightened. “I did. I had to. She was yours—”
The next second, Beth had Jennifer in her arms. A look of complete shock paled Jennifer’s face as Beth squeezed her tight. “Thank you,” she said simply.
“Any time,” Jennifer gasped.
Molly swooned again and even Rae had to admit it was almost funny. Jennifer was the hardest, most guarded person she had ever met. Not exactly prone to fits of hugging and deep emotional reunions. It looked like she honestly didn’t know what to do with all the love.
Eventually, she pried Beth’s hands loose and wriggled free. “So you really remember nothing about the fire?” she asked seriously, searching Beth’s eyes. “You have no idea who did this to you?”
“No.” Beth shook her head. “I keep trying, but no. I don’t remember a thing.”
Jennifer’s eyes burned with rage. “We’ll find out,” she swore. “We’re going to find out exactly who did this and I’m going to hold them personally responsible.” She gritted her teeth together, but as she stared back at Beth, her face slowly crumbled. “Beth, you have to know… You and Simon…the fire…? Nothing went according to plan.” She hung her head in remorse and shivered as Bethany hugged her again.
“I know.” She patted Jennifer’s back sympathetically. “I volunteered to spy. I knew the risks. There was nothing you could have done.”
When Jennifer said nothing, Rae stepped forward. “You can’t blame yourself,” she volunteered softly, “you taught me that. It was beyond your control.”
Jennifer pulled away again and shot Rae a peculiar look. Rae blushed and stepped back. She guessed that Jennifer would never in a million years blame herself for a mission gone bad. This was hate and revenge, not regret she was feeling.
“Or…” Rae amended quickly. “We could just hunt them down and kick some arse. Make things right.”
For the first time, the corner of Jennifer’s mouth twitched up. “That…sounds like a plan.”
Beth tilted suddenly and both Rae and Jennifer reached out to steady her.
She held her hand up to her head and offered the two of them a shaky smile. “I for one might need to get a little rest before we charge into battle. Using that tatù for the first time really took it out of me and…” She stroked the side of Rae’s face with a soft smile. “I feel like my world’s still spinning.”
Rae nodded quickly. “Absolutely.” She wanted to check in on Luke but felt hesitant to say it. She looked at Devon, who had stood off to the side watching the interaction.
“Why don’t you take your mom to the hotel I set up for us? It saves heading to Heath Hall.”
Rae stared out the window and then pointed across the street. “Is that the one?”
“I believe so. Carter booked a block of rooms when we arrived the other day.” She looked at Beth with a worried frown, hesitant to let her go. “Why don’t I come with you? Make sure you settle in okay?”
Devon stepped forward. “Why don’t we let these two have some time alone? Mother-daughter time,” he suggested. “Beth’ll be fine with Rae, and they’re right across the street if they need anything. Rae,” he said and tapped his temple, “can get a hold of me here if there’s an emergency. Which there won’t be.” He turned back to Jennifer. “Or she can call us if she needs one of us.”
A rush of gratitude welled up in Rae’s chest and she smiled warmly. “But what’ll you do?”
“I’m going to stay with Luke,” he said automatically. “Sit with him in case he wakes up.”
Molly raised her eyebrows in amazement, but Rae simply nodded. She was bowled over by the generosity of his actions, but not all that surprised. Devon was one of the good guys. One of the best. She would expect nothing less.
“Thank you,” she said sincerely before turning back to Beth. “Come on, Mom, let’s go rack up Carter’s room-service tab.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?” Jennifer asked in a rush. “Keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary?”
Beth laughed. “This whole thing is out of the ordinary. We’ll be fine, Jenn.”
Jenn had just found her best friend, she didn’t seem ready to let her go. “I can stand outside your room and guard it.”
Rae smiled. “I appreciate the offer but I think I can protect my mom right now. I have been taught by the best.”
Beth grinned. “And if memory serves, I can take care of myself.”
The group chuckled as she and Rae walked back outside and headed to the hotel. When they were across the street, Beth leaned over and said, “But it doesn’t serve—not at all. How can I not remember anything that happened the day I lost everything?”
“Don’t worry about that,” Rae said with a faint grin. “I’ve come up with a bit of a plan…”
* * *
“Say again?” Beth asked with a slightly disturbed frown. “You’re going to probe my mind?”
“For Pete’s sake, Mom, anyone can hear you.” Rae bolted up off the bed and shut the curtains on the window. They were on the ground floor and people were wandering casually in and out of the parking lot just beyond. “It’s not as bad as it sounds,” she continued. “I’m not going to probe your mind, I’m going to search your memories. One memory in particular.”
“The day of the fire,” Beth finished.
Rae nodded. “That’s the idea. Curtis’ power doesn’t let me change the past—not really—but I can see it and re-live it just like I was standing there.”
Beth frowned. “Is it dangerous for you?”
“I don’t think so,” Rae shrugged casually. “After all, my body stays right here. It’s more like a shared trip down memory lane.” She said it with confidence, but Beth got up and began pacing.
“I don’t know, sweetie. There are a lot of variables to consider.”
Rae threw up her hands. “Like what?”
“Like who the other body was,” Beth said seriously. “You said they discovered two bodies in the fire, and contrary to popular opinion, I can say with complete certainty that one of them wasn’t me. That means I didn’t burn up in the fire that killed me and my husband, someone else was there. Probably the same person who smuggled me off to France.” She took Rae firmly by the shoulders. “The same person that let two people die.” A crease formed in the center of her forehead and she dropped her fierce gaze. “Not to mention, no matter how bad he was, I don’t think I want to send you back in time so you can watch your own father die.”
Rae hadn’t considered that, and for a moment, she froze. How would it feel to see the burning corpse of her dad? Would she feel satisfaction? Relief, even, that he was removed so quickly from her young life? No. Despite her misgivings, she didn’t think she was that heartless. When he died that day, a part of her died as well. He was her dad, after all. Crazy or not, he was still family.
But who killed him? Who was lying beside him as he burned? Who was the mystery person who got Beth out of the house? Was it Simon’s own brainwashing device that was used to erase his wife’s memory? Why had Beth been taken while Rae was left behind?
All these questions needed answers. And now, for the first time in her life, Rae finally had the chance to find them. “I don’t care.” She tilted her chin upwards and looked her mother straight in the eye. “I want to do it, Mom. We deserve to know what happened that day. To both of us.”
That caught Beth off guard and she took a step back. She frowned for a moment, studying Rae carefully, before slowly inclining her head. “You’re right,” she acquiesced. “We both need some answers.”
“Really?” Rae exclaimed, unable to believe her luck. She had been prepared to argue it out for the next hour or so.
“Really,” Beth said firmly. “So how do we do this?”
“I’ll show you,” Rae said eagerly.
Beth chuckled. “No, baby girl. I guess I’ll be showing you.”
They stood in the center of the room and held hands. At Rae’s prompting, Beth closed her eyes and let her mind go blank, clearing the way for Rae to search for the memory. When it looked like Beth was relaxed, Rae took a deep breath and dove inside.
It was unlike anything she’d experienced before—completely different from the times she’d used it on Philip and Devon. Instead of sinking down into a blur of colors and sounds, the world around her was blank. Completely void of anything to stimulate the senses.
For a moment, Rae stared into the gray nothingness with rising panic. What if she couldn’t get back out again? She remembered this was the same premise that Curtis was using to help Maria remember who she was. If he could do it, so could Rae.
Squeezing her eyes shut, Rae tried to draw from any memories she herself had of the day, any detail that could help bring the image to light. She remembered the faded yellow paint on the wall by the calendar; the sweet, spent smell of withering roses in a crystal vase. She could see her mother there, smiling nervously as she prompted Rae to go outside. Rae remembered the checkered sundress she’d been wearing.
Then, all at once, the world around her was lit with color. Just like the fire inside her had sparked her mother’s tatù—her memories had activated her mother’s as well.
When she opened her eyes, Rae was standing in her old childhood kitchen. The day was exactly as she had remembered it. Sunny and warm, but with a hint of a breeze. The house looked warm as well, lived-in. Neat, but covered in scattered toys and finger-paintings pinned to the wall.
Rae had just reached out to touch a picture of a ladybug, when a person ran into the room, and her heart almost stopped in her chest.
“But Mommy, I don’t want to go outside!” the little girl complained.
Her messy, raven curls had been held at bay with a headband and there were huge grass stains on her white tights. Her lower lip trembled with the injustice of being sent away and when she threw up her tiny hands in exasperation, Rae saw paint from the ladybug still under her little nails.
That’s me, Rae thought with a silent gasp. Twelve years ago.
Then the reality of the situation smacked her in the face and her heart started beating double time.
I’ve got to get out of here!
Using Jennifer’s tatù for speed, Rae blurred through the kitchen and crouched down behind the counter, silently panting for breath.
How could she have been so stupid? This wasn’t going to work if little Rae grew up with a memory of big Rae in the kitchen with her the day of the fire. She might grow to believe she’d started it herself! What kind of guilty, suicidal feelings would that be sure to cause?!
Mind racing, Rae scrambled to see if she felt any belated guilt for the death of her parents. But before she’d gotten very far, another set of footsteps walked into the kitchen. Rae watched the shadow of two long legs come to a stop in front of the little girl, and when she was sure it was safe, she peeked the tops of her eyes out from her hiding spot.
It was her mother. Bent over Rae’s past self with a smile. A smile that teenage Rae saw through quickly to the panic beneath, but little Rae thought was absolutely fine.
“You have to go out, sweetheart. Mommy needs to have some grownup time to talk to Daddy. You go enjoy the sunshine. Take your new markers and paper. Why don’t you draw me a pretty picture?”
“But I don’t want to,” little Rae complained. “I could be a grownup. Can’t I stay inside and have grownup time too? Remember, you said I was very mature for my age…”
Her mother laughed softly but shook her head. “Always the little bargainer. Tell you what, after I’ve talked to your father, I’ll take you to the park for some ice cream. How does that sound?”
Rae’s little face brightened in glee. “Perfect!” she squealed, bounding out the door. “I’ll be in my treehouse.”
Beth watched her go with a sad look on her face, knowing things and fearing things that her blissful little daughter did not. With a deep sigh, she shut the door to the yard silently behind her.
“I love you,” she whispered to no one but herself.
Rae watched with tears in her eyes as her mother stared out into the yard, jumping in fright when a door slammed somewhere behind them.
“Beth? Where the hell are you?!”
Rae jumped as well as she recognized the voice of her father. She would have known it even if she hadn’t been forced to sit through his indoctrination video just a few years prior. The angry, volatile tone had been burned into her mind years before.
“I’m in here,” her mother replied. Beth spoke calmly, but there was a fire beneath the surface, as real as the sun burning on her back. “Just waiting for you, honey…”
In a rush of air, Simon Kerrigan swept into the room.
Rae’s mouth dropped to the floor when she saw her father. While she had remembered her mother’s face with perfect clarity, her father’s had always been a bit of a blur. Fuzzy mouth, disjointed eyes—she could never quite piece together the entire puzzle. Looking at him now, she was glad she’d forgot. He strode forward and she crouched further behind the counter.
“You’ll never guess who came to see me today,” Simon raged.
Beth sighed wearily. “Who?”
“Jonathon Carter! He and the rest of the Council seem to think I’m building some mysterious weapon to use against them. It was all I could do to get away!”
Beth’s eyes flashed but she smiled calmly. “And you think I have something to do with it?”
All at once, Simon grabbed her arms. “Don’t play dumb with me Beth! I’ve known there’s been a spy in my organization for years. I’ve run through everyone except one person.”
“How could you even consider?”
“That my wife is a traitor?” He shook his head. “I trusted you. I loved you! You were all I wanted since the first time I met you! I tried to convince you about what you and I could do. The powers we could create! But no, you refuse to have more than Rae. You stupid whore, I need a boy! I want more!”
“That must make you so frustrated, sweetie.” She put her hands lovingly on top of his, but he pulled them away with a yelp—nursing a burn. “Now keep your voice down. Rae’s playing in the yard. Don’t hurt her feelings.” She must have believed he would never touch Rae. He had no idea what her ability was yet.
Simon got right up in her face and sneered. “I should just throw her in the car and take her with me. She’d be better off—better off with people who will appreciate her talents.”
Beth brought herself up to her full height. “I’d like to see you try.”
Simon raised up his hands and a sudden gust of wind knocked Beth back a few steps. Rae looked on in horror, but when Beth straightened up, she was laughing.
“Really? You come to fight me and that’s the best you got? David’s power?”
Simon snarled as another gale-force gust of wind stirred the air. Rae’s nose wrinkled up as it blew her way. Was that smoke? Impossible. Her mother was standing right here. She must just be imagining it.
But Beth smelled it too. “Is something burning?” She frowned out towards the yard, and for a moment, Simon followed her gaze.
“It’s probably just the Padgetts having another barbeque.” The surprisingly banal domesticity of the answer surprised Rae. “Or it could be my scorched flesh,” he finished.
Yeah, that was more like it.
He straightened up until all six foot two of him was baring down upon her. “Of all the people to betray me, Beth. Why did you do it?”
“Why did you do it?” she countered fiercely. “Why did you decide to put your crazed delusions of power in front of your family? You never wanted more children so we could be a family! You want a house full of scientific experiments! Little lab rats running about. Honestly Simon, you left me no choice.”
“Delusions of power?” he yelled. “Beth, we have the ability to have more power than you could possibly imagine. When Rae turns sixte
en—”
“You leave her out of this!” For the first time, Beth raised her voice. “I’ll kill you myself before I let you lay a hand on our daughter!”
“Is that right?” Simon’s eyes gleamed as he took a step forward. “Well if you insist…”
Rae’s hand flew up over her mouth. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. It was getting harder and harder to breathe. Her skin was dripping with sweat and it was only seventy degrees outside.
Before she saw her father and mother actually come to blows, the front door slammed again. Both Beth and Simon froze in their tracks and stared at each other.
“Did Carter follow you back here or—”
It wasn’t Carter who stormed into the kitchen. It was a woman Rae had never seen before, yet she suddenly had a good idea who she was. Tall, curly brown hair, and a cocky strut about her, even when she was standing still.
This had to be Kraigan’s mother.
“I knew I’d find you back here,” she shrieked at Simon before pointing a finger at Beth. “I knew you’d go running back to her!”
Beth’s eyebrows shot up. “Excuse me? Simon, who the hell is this?”
The angry woman leaned around Simon and jabbed a finger in Beth’s direction. “I’m the love of his life and the mother of his child. Who the hell are you?!”
Rae couldn’t tell if the roaring in her ears was real or if it was all in her head.
For a second, Beth looked utterly astonished, gazing between her husband and the furious woman standing in her kitchen. Then her face broke into a huge laugh. “You have got to be kidding me!” She wiped hysterical tears from her face. “Of course you are. Well lady, he’s all yours.”
“Beth!” Simon held up his hand to stop her as she headed out to the yard. The temperature in the room seemed to be rising and he wiped a drip of sweat from his forehead. “I love you, Beth. Always have. This woman means nothing. It’s for the greater good—”