Alex couldn’t wipe away her smile. She was still alive, well, dead … whatever. She looked at the boy sympathetically. “Can they fix you?”
“They said they’ll just inject something into my head.” He craned his head to look through the doorway. “Do you want me to go get your nurse?”
Alex shook her head. She still existed in this afterlife, yes, but what about Chase? Why could she feel him if he wasn’t here? “Has anyone been here to see me?” she asked the boy.
“No, but I’ve only been here for a few boring hours.” He rested his head against the back of the chair.
Alex began to worry.
“Oh wait; there was one girl who popped in for only a second. She didn’t tell me her name.” He seemed upset by this.
“Was she pretty?”
He looked at his lap. “Well, yeah.”
Alex smiled. “Tall with really long red hair?”
“Yes.”
“Skye Gossamer. That’s her name.”
That meant someone had remembered to pull Skye from the rubble. Jonas must have escaped the battle because besides Chase and Alex, he was the only one who knew where she was hidden.
“A Gossamer, huh? I should have known. I think she said she was going to check on your friend.”
“Do you know which direction she headed?” Alex asked, swinging her feet over the edge of the bed.
“Um, I think that way.” The boy pointed to the right, looking alarmed. “Are you sure you’re okay to get up? From what the nurses were saying, you were pretty much comatose.”
“I feel fine,” Alex assured him. “If the nurse comes while I’m gone, just tell her I didn’t want to catch—” Alex waved her hand at him “—whatever it is you have.”
He might have objected, but instead he rocketed straight up out of his chair again. This time his feet flew up behind him, flipping his body upside down so his toes smacked into the ceiling first and sent him nose-diving back down.
Someone should tie him to the chair, Alex thought merrily.
She padded down the hallway a bit clumsily, a sailor without land legs. She had a slipper on one foot and a sneaker on the other. Her mind must be all sorts of frazzled. Moments from the battle blazed into her head like flashes of lightning: Kaleb bursting through the glass, Reuben thrusting his arms in the air like an insidious puppeteer, Chase’s face coated in black ash.
Alex desperately needed to find him. In that field, they had both been losing what they had left of life—of that she was sure. She didn’t know what had saved them, what had kept them here, but she wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t. She had succumbed to death in those final moments, allowing her mind to think it was suffocating since her heart could no longer feel him, because she believed that Chase was doing the same and she refused to let him leave without her again.
Alex roamed the hallway, keeping her head down. She turned a corner, and warmth overcame her. She took a few more steps before her mind was completely revived, and suddenly she was encased in Chase’s arms. He tucked her deep into his chest, wrapping himself around her again and lifting her from her feet.
The pain in her mind floated upward like the dried seeds of a dandelion. Wishes she didn’t need any more. “I thought you were gone.”
Alex could feel his chin moving back and forth when he shook his head. “You saved me. I don’t know how. I was there, and then I wasn’t. I was alone. Then a second passed, and everyone came back,” he said. “And the pain returned with them. I heard you scream, and I don’t remember anything after that.”
Alex blinked, surprised. “Me too. How long do you think we’ve been here?”
Chase didn’t get a chance to respond before Alex heard familiar voices echoing against the walls. “They’re awake!”
Alex turned to see Gabe and Kaleb frozen in shock, each with an outstretched arm holding back the other, before slinging into motion, barreling down the hall, shoving visitors and dodging patients in their hurry.
Alex ducked inside the huddle so they could embrace her and Chase together. Kaleb stepped back to beam at them, and Gabe lowered his head to his hands, covering the scars the banshee had tattooed on the projection of his face. “Do you know what you’ve put us through? And it would have been my fault if you guys were gone.”
Kaleb smacked Chase playfully. “You have no idea how horrible it was for me to have to peel your lifeless bodies off one another to carry you here.”
“You carried both of us?” Chase asked.
“You didn’t weigh anything, and besides, Alex was wrapped around you like a koala bear.” He shook his head as if to discard the memory. “But, eventually Jonas took Alex.”
Chase’s eyes narrowed. “Where is Jonas?”
Gabe and Kaleb mirrored identical expressions of reservation.
“What?”
“We’ll talk about it later,” Gabe said, gently pushing them all back down the hallway.
“No,” Chase insisted. “We’ll talk about it now.”
Kaleb began to walk. “Let’s at least head back to your room.”
Chase didn’t budge. “Where is he?”
Kaleb sighed. “He’s gone.”
“What do you mean, gone?”
“He took off.” Kaleb shoved his brother into movement. “I’m sure he didn’t want to face the Patrol. We can start looking for him now that you two are okay.”
“I’m sure he didn’t want to face us,” Chase said in a low voice.
Gabe scrunched his brow, and the scar on his forehead bunched together. “What do you mean?”
“It was because of him that we were there in the first place. He admitted that he led me to that field willingly, knowing those newburies would arrive.”
Gabe took a clumsy step back as Chase’s words struck him. Kaleb said nothing but his expression showed no surprise.
“He thought they were taking me, not Alex.”
“No way.” Gabe shook his head adamantly. “He couldn’t have known that.”
“He didn’t deny it,” Alex added gloomily. “He just kept trying to get me out of there.”
“Do you know that for sure?”
Alex stared at Gabe wide-eyed, gesturing to the three of them, who had been victims of the “innocent” experiment to give Jonas his own clout. Now who was naïve?
“Maybe he brought you there to join the alliance,” Gabe said softly, but it sounded like he didn’t even believe his own words.
Kaleb pursed his lips skeptically. “Why would he think that after what happened to you, Gabe?”
“Maybe he thought it would protect you.”
“You’re reaching,” Chase said, shaking his head.
Gabe rubbed his finger over one of his scars absently. “The Patrol didn’t take Jonas with the others, though.”
“They came?”
Kaleb smirked. “Yeah, right after you decided to use yourself as a shield.”
Alex couldn’t help but think that the Patrol had absolutely horrible timing. Again, they arrived after damage was already done.
“How long have we been out?” Chase asked.
“A few weeks.”
Alex gasped. How could so much time have passed? Her fatigue implied the battle had happened only yesterday.
“Yeah,” Kaleb grinned at a passing nurse and twisted to watch her leave. “You woke up once. Both of you, on the same day, but neither of you regained complete consciousness, and then at exactly the same time, you both went out again. Some of the doctors went all berserk about it, and others seemed really excited.”
“Why?”
“You were doing everything in synchronism. Kind of like when you were little. If one of you moved, the other one moved. I overhead the doctors saying that your brain waves were identical.” Kaleb stopped in front of a doorway. “Do you remember anything?”
Alex shook her head.
“No,” Chase replied, and she wondered if he was lying too, if, like her, he couldn’t explain the feeling with words.
Gabe’s curls were standing on end. He put a hand on Chase’s shoulder. “I’m going to go see about getting you guys out of here.” He hurried away, but he stopped halfway down the corridor and leaned against the walls, resting his hands on his thighs.
“He always wants to believe the best in people, doesn’t he?” Kaleb said.
“At least the best in Jonas.” Chase held out a hand to indicate that Alex should enter the room first. “Gabe wasn’t the only one.”
Jonas used to joke that Alex’s innocence, though he deemed it stupidity, would be the death of her, not her disease. He’d used it against her.
“I can’t deny what happened there in that field,” Chase said. “Or the look on his face. I know it’s hard to believe. I don’t want to believe it, and I was there.”
Alex stopped at the center of the room, not quite sure where to go. With one strong scoop, Chase swept her up and placed her on the bed. He fluffed the pillows behind her and kept one hand around her arm as if someone might snatch her away.
Kaleb loitered in the doorway, staring at the floor, like he needed permission to interrupt them.
“Sit down, Kay,” said Chase, and chairs appeared by the bedside. “So, how did you know we were in Parrish?”
Kaleb shrugged. “I didn’t know, but I knew someone had used the parapets on the roof. I was told if I got up there, the waves would take me to wherever you were.”
“How did you know that?”
“The Darwins.”
“What?” Chase and Alex exclaimed simultaneously.
Kaleb shook his head and plopped into one of the chairs. “Believe me, I was shocked, too. They found me wandering around wondering where everyone had gone, and I almost told them to shove it, but something about them seemed so genuine it made me stop and listen. They knew what had happened to Gabe, and they said they wanted to warn me about the rest of us.”
“Wait a minute. Do you think that means they were in the league, too?” Alex asked skeptically. “Why else would they know all of that?”
Kaleb shook his head. “They weren’t a part of that. The way they were talking sounded like they were disgusted by the league. You know what I think? I think their family knew, and I think a lot of other people knew what was going on. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I got to the Eskers. I thought it was another prank or something but then I saw them attacking you.”
Chase scooped his hand under Alex’s. “If you think the Patrol or whoever knew what would happen, why weren’t they there? Why wouldn’t they stop it?”
“You’re missing my point. I think they were there.”
“Watching?”
“Maybe.” Kaleb sat back in his chair, crossing his arms angrily. “Waiting to see how bad it would get.”
“How did the fight end?”
“It ended right after Alex fell on top of you.” He laughed humorlessly. “Do you remember screaming like a damn banshee, Al?”
Alex stared into nothing, tasting the moment of hopelessness again. “Kind of,” she whispered. “But I don’t remember anything after that.”
Kaleb tugged at his ear. “That scream was awful. I knew you had a loud mouth, but that was insane. Your damn yelling was so loud that most of the spirits fighting had to stop and cover themselves. That gave me a clear shot at the newburies who were still jabbing at you. I dove into the air and tackled three at once, and I just started wailing on them.”
“Throwing punches?”
“I was so, so angry. I lost my head. I don’t know what I was thinking, because once your scream ended, I was like a deer surrounded by hunters. I blocked some blows, but most were aimed at my head. I was the new target. And they had those stones.”
“What were those?” Alex asked, remembering the stings and flinching.
“Copper. Thankfully, they split the rock into small pieces, the morons. It wasn’t too powerful. And then the Patrol came flying in like a meteor shower. I don’t think you understand how loud you were. Scream isn’t even the right word for it. And they didn’t pin down those newburies until after you stopped.”
“I really don’t remember doing it, so I have no idea if I could ever do it again.”
Kaleb’s hands flew to his ears. “Don’t try it,” he warned her. “I think I have permanent hearing damage. It’s been horrible trying to listen during workshops because it feels like one ear is pressed against the wall.”
He stood. “Brigitta’s been nuts since the fight.” He walked to window, glancing out.
“Everyone knows?” Alex asked in surprise.
“Well the Patrol arrested twenty-five newburies. Someone was bound to notice. People were asking so many questions that some spirits even starting writing gossip columns and positing them electronically in the vestibule. Guess whose picture was on the first copy?”
“Who?”
“Sephi Anovark.”
“No!”
Kaleb nodded. “Cat’s out of the bag. The teachers were pissed, but what could they do? Everyone had already seen it. That first copy really got everyone’s attention. There were all these theories about witchcraft and mind control.”
Alex didn’t miss the knowing glare Chase gave her.
Kaleb leaned back against the windowsill. “I was there when they were questioning the Eskers kids. They took me back to the Dual Tower to report my statement. Every single one of those kids mentioned ink appearing in their law notebooks.”
Alex suddenly felt nauseated. Was that why Duvall had been circumspect when she’d questioned the ink? And Jack had mentioned Eviar. Her thoughts rearranged themselves over and over, searching for a solution.
“The messages told them what to do. Joey admitted to the copper in the fountain. Jack and Calla admitted to luring in the banshees.”
The door creaked open, and Gabe entered with a grin. It made the scar on his cheek look like a half-moon. “Doc is on her way,” he announced. “Dr. Blaise will take good care of you.”
The doctor who had treated Gabe burst through the doorway with her white coat billowing behind her. “Well, you certainly gave us a scare.”
“Why?”
“You went missing! You!” She gawked at Alex. “Almost had to pull the alarm. We’ve had Ardor Service members, teachers, and government officials breathing down our necks for weeks!”
“Government officials?” Chase asked.
The doctor peered over her glasses and nodded. “The case was turned over to the Service.”
“I just went to find Chase. That’s all.”
The doctor attached something to Alex’s temple before moving over to Chase. “Whatever you do, just don’t scream.”
Kaleb screwed up his face and pulled at his ears.
“Not that I was planning on it,” Alex said sardonically, “but why?”
“You started wailing one night about a week or two ago in your sleep. Thankfully no one was in your room at the time, but you broke every piece of glass within a twenty-foot radius. The joke around here is that you’re half banshee. I had no idea you were the girl who survived the scream.” Dr. Blaise tipped her pencil towards Chase. “You started screaming at the same time. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that you both woke up simultaneously. I’ve never seen anything like this. The research staff is going ballistic.”
Chase tightened his grip on Alex. “Does that mean we’re going to be here for a while?”
“We do need to make sure that you’re allowed, er, I mean strong enough to leave. Not to mention that legally, we cannot let you go until the Ardor Service clears it.”
“Why?”
“Because you were found at the scene of a crime, that’s why. They need your statements.” Dr. Blaise turned to Gabe. “I need to run a few tests on these two. Visitors are going to have to leave. And I’m sure you’re sick of being in this building.”
“It’s like home,” Gabe stopped in the doorway. “Do you have an idea of when they may be discharged?”
“You can come ba
ck tomorrow. I’ll have more news for you then.”
“Good to see you two conscious,” Kaleb said, smiling faintly. They exited, and he began to whisper heatedly in Gabe’s ear.
Thankfully, Dr. Blaise allowed Alex to remain in Chase’s room. They wouldn’t have been able to sleep even if they’d wanted to. A continuous stream of doctors bustled in and out, interrupting their recounts of what had happened during the battle, and in the middle of the night, they were visited by Ardor Westfall.
“Has Van Hanlin been found?” Alex asked quietly.
Westfall let out a sigh. “He’s neither turned up dead or alive.”
“Jonas said he saw his body.”
“If that's the case, he's still alive. Without a mind, a spirit can't formulate the projection of a body. We can’t exactly question Jonas Lasalle, but, we’ll keep searching. You’ll make us aware if he tries to make contact, I’m sure.” He glanced at them warily. “None of the other newburies we detained claim to have seen Professor Van Hanlin attacked.”
Alex shared a look with Chase. “What will happen to those newburies?”
“They’ll be detained for a while. Questioned. Analyzed. That ink didn’t appear in their notebooks exclusively. The residue of the ink is actually in every single law notebook on campus.”
“What?” Alex exclaimed.
“The only spirits who could see the words were the ones who were looking for it. I’m sure you’ve discussed this during your therapy sessions, but young spirits are often searching for acceptance, and those particular spirits needed it more than others. And they found it. They found camaraderie and a sense of belonging within their recruitment.”
“How is ink like that possible?” Chase asked, shooting Alex a look that screamed I told you so. “Sounds dangerous.”
“The mind is a fascinating thing. There’s much we can’t see even when we know what we’re looking for … and there’s much we’re blind to when we don’t.”
“Do you have any idea who the group may have been?” Chase asked, digging his elbow into Alex’s side.
“I’ve seen this kind of ink used before, and the user had the ability to sway the decisions of others. The recruits who read the ink were not possessed. They never blacked out doing the things they did. They knew what they were doing when they did it, but they didn’t understand why.”
Of Breakable Things Page 29