Five: Out of the Pit (Five #2)

by Anderson, Holli

  “So… she could be anywhere? You realize this old truck is a total gas hog, right?”

  Joe handed her his cup. “I’ll buy all the gas. We’ll know before long if the distance is great. I have a feeling she isn’t too far, the way the tracker is reacting.”

  It was the first he’d said about being able to tell the distance from the tracker’s reaction.

  “Okay, then,” Mariah said. “I’ll give my uncle a call.”

  The camper was at least as old as the truck and smelled like dust bunnies and mold. There was a sliding window between the camper and the cab of the truck that we left open so Alec could sit there and give Mariah directions.

  The arrow on the enchanted compass pointed northwest from Moab, so Mariah got on Highway 191 and headed that way.

  I was tired, as I’m sure Johnathan and the others were. I hadn’t slept well on the floor of my parents’ abandoned house, and, they hadn’t slept well worrying about where I was and if I would be able to come back. I curled up on the small two-person seat across from the little sink and stove, laid my head on Johnathan’s lap, and took a nap.

  I slept for over two hours. When I awoke I saw that Johnathan was asleep, leaning against the window. He woke up as soon as I sat up. He smiled and stretched, pulled me into a one armed hug and kissed the side of my head.

  “Where are we?” I asked.

  Johnathan turned to look at Alec.

  Alec pulled his head back through the window to the cab. “We’re just past the big city of Price, Utah.”

  I looked out the window, not a lot there to see. “What’s the tracker doing?” I asked Joe.

  “I think we’re close. Still pointing northwest.”

  “So, do you think she’s in Utah?” Seth asked.

  Joe nodded. “She’s close.”

  Alec’s leg started bouncing up and down at warp speed and his face turned ash gray. “Close…”

  Mariah’s hand snaked awkwardly through the window and cupped his face. “It’ll be fine Alec. No matter what happens, you’ll at least get some answers.”

  He nodded and brought her hand to his lips. “Thanks ‘riah. I can’t believe how great you are to do this for me. Thanks for trusting in my crazy stories. True crazy stories.”

  Mariah pulled her hand back into the cab of the truck. “You intrigue me, Alec. And, you’re pretty darn irresistible, too.”

  We drove for another hour. The tracker had led us to Highway 89. We passed a turn off near Provo and Joe said, “Turn around when you can… I think we need to turn on that road we just passed.”

  Mariah flipped an illegal U-turn and headed back to where the tracker had changed course. “Right here, 900 East. Turn left,” Joe instructed.

  “We must be getting close,” Halli remarked.

  Alec stood, then sat, then stood again. Then sat. “I think I might throw up.”

  Halli handed him a pot from one of the small cupboards. He leaned over the pot and heaved into it. Hot chocolate colored vomit with chunks of food spewed into the pot and splashed over the sides.

  “Dude! You really need to chew your food better,” Seth said, moving as far away from Alec as he could get in the small camper.

  “Pull over for a minute, ‘riah,” Alec choked out.

  Alec shoved open the camper door and jumped out before the truck even came to a complete stop. He dumped the pot on the side of the road and then completed the emptying of his stomach. He walked a few steps away and sat, head in his hands. I jumped down from the camper, followed by Johnathan, Seth, and Halli. Mariah exited the cab of the truck and reached Alec first.

  She squatted next to him and put an arm around his shoulders. “It looks like you’ve got a touch of the jitters.”

  He leaned into her.

  “You okay, Alec?” I asked. “I’ve never seen you get like this before.”

  He swallowed. “Yeah. Anyone have some water? I really need to rinse out my mouth.”

  Halli dug in her backpack and handed him her half empty water bottle. He swished it around in his mouth and spit, wiping his mouth with his arm.

  “You don’t have to do this, you know.” Halli said. “Or, we can wait a while, give you a chance to get used to the idea. This all came about quite fast, I mean, you only found out this morning that we could track her.”

  Alec stood. “No. I’m ready. Sorry guys. I don’t know why I’m so nervous. Let’s go.”

  I slugged his shoulder. “We all understand why you’re nervous, ya dork. Are you sure you’re ready?”

  He smiled wanly and nodded.

  We piled back into the camper and pulled back onto the road. We made several circuits around Provo before we found the place where the tracker seemed to be leading us. After multiple U-turns and near fatal accidents, we pulled into a long drive. The sign at the entrance read Utah State Hospital.

  Mariah parked in front of one of many buildings on the campus. The door said Heninger Administration Building. We exited the camper and stood in the parking lot.

  Alec looked at Mariah. “What kind of hospital is this?”

  She looked down at the ground. “I’m not positive, but…” She met Alec’s eyes. “I think it’s a mental hospital.”

  “Like an insane asylum?” Alec whispered.

  “Yeah, like that.”

  kay,” Joe said. “We know your mom’s first name is Natalie. Do you have any idea what her last name is? They aren’t going to let you see her if you don’t even know her last name.”

  “Cheri, my case worker told me once that the scribbled signature on the hospital consent form looked like it said ‘Knight’, but who knows if that was her real name or if that’s what she goes by now.”

  Joe grimaced. “Well, that’s all we have to go by. We’ll have to hope it’s at least close.” He looked around at us. “We can’t all go barging in there. Alec, pick one of us to go with you, the rest of us’ll wait out here.”

  Without hesitation Alec said, “Paige. Please.” His face had turned a pale shade of green. He squatted on his haunches and bowed his head, breathing fast.

  I was surprised he picked me. I thought for sure he’d ask Mariah to go. I met her eyes. I swore she was glaring at me for the briefest of seconds before her look changed to one of compassionate understanding.

  I pulled on Alec’s arm. “Come on, Alice. Stand up and slow down the breathing before you pass out.”

  He did as asked. Alec slowed his breathing and squared his shoulders. “Okay, let’s do this.” I followed as he walked toward the front doors of the building. He paused at the door and took a deep breath before opening it.

  The middle aged man sat quietly behind the front desk. He greeted us with a smile. “How can I help you kids?”

  “Um…” Alec started. “I’m looking for… well, I think my… my mom might be here.”

  I had a feeling this man wouldn’t help us at all if he thought we were just digging for information. We had to trust in the tracking spell and make him think we knew she was there. “Sorry, my friend is a little nervous. His mom is here, he’s never visited before so we don’t exactly know the proper procedures.”

  The man raised his eyebrows slightly. “What’s your mom’s name?”

  I answered before Alec could. “Natalie. Natalie Knight, unless her last name has changed since Alec was placed in foster care.”

  The man started typing on the computer. Alec and I instinctively took a step away from the desk so we didn’t fry it. “Hmm,” he said. “We do have a Natalie Knight here. She’s over in Forensic.”

  “Can we see her?” I asked. Alec started to hyperventilate again.

  “I don’t know for sure. They have very strict rules of visitation. You’ll have to go talk to the administrators over there. They can tell you what steps to take for visitation.” He handed me a map on which he’d circled the Forensic building.

  “Thank you,” I said. I pulled on Alec’s arm to get him moving toward the door.

  Once outside h
e looked at me with wide eyes. “She’s here. She’s really here.”

  I nodded. I wasn’t sure what was meant by forensic, but I had an idea—and it worried me. I didn’t think it was good.

  We stepped up to the truck where the others waited inside the camper, out of the cold. They all looked at us expectantly. “She’s here. She’s in the forensic building, whatever that means,” Alec blurted out.

  Joe’s eyebrows shot up. “Forensic?”

  Alec and I both nodded.

  “What exactly does that mean?” I asked.

  Joe looked at Alec then back at me. “It’s a nice way of saying prison. Like prison for the criminally insane.”

  I watched Alec’s expression. As understanding dawned on his face I expected some sort of major reaction from him. Instead, he just frowned and shrugged his shoulders. “You warned me she might be loony. It doesn’t change the fact that I want to see her, talk to her, if possible.”

  Joe nodded. “Let’s go see what we need to do to make that happen, then.”

  Mariah drove us over to the parking lot in front of the Forensic building. There were no barbed wire topped fences or watch towers like I’d expected. I walked to the entrance with Alec while the others waited as before. There were definitely more security measures in this building. We entered the first set of doors and had to buzz an intercom before being allowed through the second set of doors.

  A young woman sat behind the counter, protected by bullet proof glass. Alec instantly turned on the charm, smiling as he stepped up to talk into the speaker. She smiled back. “Can I help you?”

  “Yes, Heather,” he read the name on the badge she wore clipped to the collar of her shirt. “I would like to visit my mother. Her name is Natalie Knight.”

  The girl looked surprised. “Oh… well, let me check her list. She doesn’t have many visitors. I didn’t know she had a son.”

  “I just found out she was here… she may not remember me,” he added.

  Heather stared at the computer screen and pushed a few more keys. “I’m sorry, but, she isn’t cleared for any visitors.”

  “Okay. What do I need to do to get cleared?” Alec asked, flashing a wide smile.

  She smiled back and handed him a visitor’s information sheet through the small slit at the bottom of the window. “The main thing is that you have to be eighteen or older…”

  Alec nodded. “I am,” he lied.

  “And you need a picture I.D. I can put in a request with her treatment team for you to visit, but they won’t meet until tomorrow so you’ll have to come back then. During visiting hours, which are from 7:00 to 9:00 PM. You can read the rules on the information sheet I gave you.”

  Alec sighed. “Okay. Will you be here tomorrow if I come back at seven?” He raised a flirtatious eyebrow.

  She blushed and smiled. “Yes, I work every day through this weekend. It’s a good thing I’m single, I guess. I have nothing better to do on the weekends I work.”

  Alec leaned down, placed his elbows on the small counter on our side of the window, and stared straight into her eyes. “I must say, I’m very surprised you’re single, a beautiful girl like you. Surprised… and pleased.”

  I rolled my eyes. Heather glanced at me, an unspoken question in her eyes. “We’re just friends,” I assured her. “I have a boyfriend.” I thought her cheeks would fold in half with the gigantic smile on her face.

  “So… I’ll see you tomorrow, then? After you get me permission to visit my mom?” Alec asked. “Oh, and how essential is it that I have I.D.? My wallet was recently stolen.”

  She frowned. “It’s required. I’m afraid there’s really no way around it.”

  Alec raised an eyebrow. “No way?”

  Heather blushed again. I could feel Alec exerting some kind of spell on her, the tickle in my head felt familiar but I couldn’t quite put a finger on it. “Well, maybe… if I’m the only one at the desk… I could make an exception.”

  Alec smiled again and I thought the poor girl would faint. “Awesome, Heather. See you tomorrow.”

  As soon as we stepped outside I rounded on him. “What did you do to that poor girl?”

  “Nothing. I just flirted a little.” The look on his face was so innocent, I almost believed him.

  “No, there was something else. I felt magic. You were doing something with magic.”

  He looked genuinely surprised. “Really?”

  I stopped in my tracks as I realized why it had felt familiar. Alec stopped a couple steps ahead of me when he noticed I wasn’t beside him anymore. He turned to me. “What?”

  “The magic you were using. It was a lesser version of the power the Incubus used on me.”

  “Are you serious? I swear I didn’t know I was doing that.” His eyes were huge. I believed him.

  I shrugged. “I guess it’s just in your blood. It might come in handy. It sounds like it isn’t going to be too easy getting in to see your mom.” We started walking back toward the camper. “Let me see the information sheet she gave you”

  Alec looked at the papers in his hand like he’d forgotten they were there, then handed them to me. I read aloud as we walked, skipping over the parts that didn’t necessarily pertain to our situation. “No food or drink is to be brought in. Patient’s Level will dictate how many visits per week—initially it is two times per week. Visitors must have a photo ID.”

  We stopped as we reached the camper. “That could be a problem,” Joe said as he opened the camper door for the three of us to enter out of the cold. He’d been waiting outside, watching the doors of the building.

  “I think that part’s already taken care of,” Alec said. “As long as Heather’s at the desk tomorrow.”

  Mariah flipped her head around so quick I was surprised she didn’t break her neck in the process. “Who’s Heather?”

  Alec slid into the seat next to her and kissed her on the cheek. “Just the girl at the desk. She was overcome by my charm and charisma and volunteered to overlook the ID requirement.”

  Mariah narrowed her eyes. “Overcome by your charm, huh?”

  “Yeah, it comes natural. You can’t blame me for something that comes natural, right? I just can’t help that I’m a supreme chick magnet, ‘riah.”

  Her eyes narrowed and her lips became a thin white line beneath her nose.

  “Or… I guess you can blame me. But, I only have eyes for you.”

  I felt the tug of magic like he’d used on Heather… like Trey had used on me. Mariah’s eyes dilated and the stern look on her face softened as her frown turned into a smile. I was really surprised she wasn’t drooling down her chin. She reached up and touched Alec’s face. “Ahh. You’re so sweet, Al.” She leaned in and kissed him in a way that wasn’t really appropriate in the middle of a group of people—not that I had any room to talk.

  Halli cleared her throat once, twice. The third time she slapped her hand on the small table in front of where the kissing was taking place, and heating up. Alec had to forcefully push Mariah’s face from his to break the lip-lock she had on him.

  I shook my head and sat on Johnathan’s lap since all the other seats were taken. He wrapped both arms around my waist and hugged me against him. He put his lips to my ear and whispered, “We aren’t that disgustingly annoying are we?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t really care if we are.”

  His breath on my ear and neck sent a shiver through me.

  Mariah laid her head on Alec’s shoulder. Alec looked at me. “What else does that paper say?”

  I found the spot I’d left off and continued reading. “Visitors must leave personal items in their car or placed in lockers provided. At discretion of staff, visits can be terminated for any inappropriate interactions.” I looked at Alec and raised my eyebrows at him. “Another thing I noticed that might be a problem was the metal detectors. Our magic could wreak havoc with those things.”

  Seth grinned. “You can’t exactly use your ‘natural’ talents on a metal detector,
can ya Alice?”

  “Ha, ha. Funny Seth,” Alec said. “We’ll tackle that problem when we get to it. Anything else, Paige?”

  “Nope, that’s about it. You just need to remember you’re over eighteen.”

  Joe leaned against the small sink, stretching his long legs as far as he could in the cramped quarters. “So, what else did you find out?”

  Alec answered. “She’s there. We can’t see her today, we had to get on a list and her treatment team has to okay the visit. We can come back tomorrow night during visiting hours and see if we’re cleared.”

  “And, if you aren’t?” Halli asked.

  Alec leveled a steely gaze out the window facing the Forensic building. “I’ll get in to see her one way or another… tomorrow. I’m not waiting any longer than that.”

  ariah had to get back to Moab because she had to work the next day. We got a couple of rooms at a hotel within walking distance to the hospital and ordered pizza delivery. Mariah hung out with us until late, when we all started talking about going to bed. She kissed Alec and lingered at the door a little longer. “Are you sure you don’t need me to come back and pick you up in a day or two?”

  “Naw. We can just portal back.” Alec gave her one last quick kiss and Joe handed her enough cash to make it back to Moab. “See ya’ in a couple days.” Alec closed the door behind her.

  Halli and I hung out in the boys’ room for a while after Mariah left.

  I sat next to Johnathan on the dresser, leaning against the mirror. “So, it appears Alec has another talent we didn’t know about,” I said.

  Joe’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh, really? Do tell.”

  I blocked the pillow that came flying at me from where Alec sat on one of the double beds. “He got a little something from his dad’s side of the family.”

  Johnathan stiffened. “What does that mean?”

  I squeezed his hand. “Relax, John. Alec just used a little persuasion on the girl behind the desk at the hospital. He used it on Mariah in the camper, too, when she was mad at him. What he has referred to all this time as his chick-magnetism, good looks, and charm, has actually been a bit of Incubus-infused spell casting.”