by K. J. McPike
Dang. I wasn’t looking forward to spending two hours in a car with Solstice, but I couldn’t project to Delta when she was wearing her stupid block.
“Listen to me.” Solstice’s expression was suddenly tense. “I can get Delta to tell me anything she knows about where to find the others, but she can’t know I’m working with you and Cade—at least not yet.”
“Okay.”
“And Cade can’t know anything either. Let him stay put at Delta’s thinking she might still come home. I don’t want him interfering before I get an idea of what she knows.”
I huffed. I was already lying to my uncle too much for my liking, especially when he had always been brutally honest with me. But his way of doing things wasn’t working, and if he found out about Delta, he would demand to come along. He would just have to stay in the dark until we got what we needed. Then I’d fill him in. If we got Delta to tell us something useful, he would be grateful.
Or so I hoped.
“I won’t say a word,” I promised.
Solstice smirked. “Good. We’re going to do this the right way this time. I’m not going to let anything screw it up.”
Solstice drove like a bat out of hell. There were hardly any other cars on the road, which wasn’t surprising considering we were driving in the wee hours. Using the GPS on my phone, I helped navigate until we got to the parking lot of the motel where Delta was staying.
Apparently, she had a backup credit card that she’d used to book the room. It was like she was the queen of contingency plans. Then again, if I’d been abducted and taken to another realm as a teenager, I’d probably be the same way.
“Okay,” Solstice said once we pulled into a parking space. “Take a look at whatever you need to see to come back here, but then you have to go. She can’t know you’re with me.”
We had already agreed on the way over that I would scan the motel’s exterior so I knew I could come back to the area and go inside in person if I needed to. I hated how dependent I was on Solstice telling the truth, but she had proven more than once that she was as invested in getting back to Alea as Cade and I were. Besides, it wasn’t like our plan to round up the other members of XODUS would go anywhere if Solstice couldn’t get Delta to talk. Delta had already proven she wasn’t going to tell Cade or me anything.
“I’ll call you when I get something useful from her,” Solstice said, already opening her door. She hopped out of the car and slammed it shut behind her.
I watched as she raced up to the dimly lit building and took the cement steps two at a time. Maybe it would have been smarter for me to burst in and threaten Delta at gunpoint until she took off her block. It wouldn’t take more than a quick second to flash over to Cade and take the gun. But with the block in place, I was virtually a regular person. The gun would be my only advantage, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if Delta had armed herself with one of her own by now—especially after Solstice fed her that story about Cade and me coming after her.
Letting out a long breath, I told myself I was doing the right thing by letting Solstice try and get Delta to talk without threatening her. Delta was already messed up enough as it was. Not to mention, it meant one less person I’d have to lock in my basement.
Speaking of…
I hadn’t let Xiomara out of the in-law all day. Previewing Lali to make sure she was sleeping first, I showed up at home and opened the door to the basement.
Xiomara poked her head into the stairwell a moment later. “Time for my walk?” she asked, not quite managing to sound enthusiastic.
I nodded, swallowing another bout of guilt. I couldn’t wait until all this was over and I didn’t have to hold her hostage anymore—not just for my conscience, but also for Lali’s peace of mind. I could only imagine how much more relaxed she would be when she had her mother back.
Telling myself I’d make sure that happened as soon as possible, I projected to my room. I opened my door and waited for the sound of Xiomara coming back into the house so I could make sure she locked the basement door before I went to sleep.
When she was finally back inside, I checked the door, hurried up to my room, and took a shower. Then I fell into bed, dreaming of the moment Lali would find the transposer and get us one step closer to Alea.
Chapter 40
Determination
The text from Lali came just before nine the next morning. I projected straight to her room, where she sat waiting on her bed. She was already dressed in her white puffy coat, blue hat, and blue scarf. I’d finally gotten my own coat and scarf earlier that morning, so I was ready to face the cold air of San Francisco, too.
As soon as she saw me, Lali jumped up and grabbed my hand. I squeezed it twice, and she mimicked the gesture. It was our unspoken way of saying everything was good to go. We’d come up with plenty of ways to communicate silently during the last few weeks of sneaking out together. I had to admit, it was nice having that connection with someone. I’d almost forgotten what it was like.
We showed up on the ledge overlooking the San Francisco Bay, the same one Cade and I had come to after I’d gotten my ability under control. It was just before sunrise, and everything was touched with gray. The usual coat of fog had settled over the bridge and the water. Wind whipped past us, sending Lali’s hair splaying up into a blue-streaked fan. Shivering, I shoved my face as far inside my coat as I could.
Lali tiptoed forward to peek over the edge of the cliff and let out a soft gasp.
“You got this, Laliwood,” I said through my coat’s zipper.
Her nod wasn’t convincing.
“You got this,” I repeated, making my voice sound more authoritative. If this was going to work, she needed to believe it as much as I did. The key to permeating was confidence, and at this point, she didn’t seem to have any.
“You’re sure this is the right spot?” she whimpered, looking over the edge of the rock again.
“I’m sure. Cade walked me to this very spot back when we thought I might be able to reach the transposer. I marked the lighthouse and everything.” I dipped a shoulder in the direction of the tall white building behind us, pushing away the memory of my uncle’s disappointed face that day when I hadn’t been able to get into the tunnel. “You remember what Solstice said about the entrance, right?”
I’d meant it as a joke after Solstice made Lali say it so many times last night, but Lali sighed and recited, “Circular, hardly wider than a manhole cover, and buried inside the curve that extends out toward the rest of the bay.”
I decided to let it go. Maybe jokes weren’t a good idea right now. “See, you’ll be fine,” I said. “You know exactly what to look for.”
She took a deep breath in response.
“Come on, Lali. I can tell by your face you’re psyching yourself out. Just go.”
She didn’t move.
Lifting my head out of my coat, I smiled in hopes she would, too. Grandma Naida always told me fake it ’til you make it, and right now, Lali at least needed to act confident.
“You can do it,” I insisted. “I know you can.”
“Thanks.” Her face softened for a second before hardening again in determination. “Here goes nothing.”
She closed her eyes, and I bounced up and down in an effort to stay warm. I didn’t need my attempt at moral support to give me pneumonia. I studied Lali’s bundled up form and wondered how the cold would affect her while she was traveling. The way she’d described projecting to me, it sounded like she couldn’t feel anything in her physical body. If I weren’t afraid I’d snap her out of her projection, I’d run my hands up and down her arms to keep her warm.
I settled for stepping as close to her as I could, careful not to touch her. My eyes landed on her mouth. Her lips were full and smooth, just barely parted. The thought of kissing her appeared uninvited, and I felt my heart stutter.
No. That was the last thing I should be thinking about.
Taking a step back, I wrapped my arms around myself and rever
ted to hopping up and down. I closed my eyes and visualized Lali finding the transposer as best I could without knowing exactly what it looked like. I’d read about the power of visualization, and though I didn’t know if it was supposed to work with another person doing it for you, I had nothing better to do at the moment.
Wait. Actually, I did.
I’d almost forgotten I had promised Lali I would check on her brothers and sisters every so often while we were out here. I knew they’d be fine, but Lali worried about them, and it was sweet that they meant so much to her. In truth, I couldn’t help but envy that she had a family to worry about in the first place.
Previewing each of her siblings, I saw—unsurprisingly—that they were all still sleeping. I even previewed the dog and found him lying on the sofa. If he wasn’t alarmed, I figured I didn’t need to be either.
As I pulled out of my preview, a strong burst of wind made my eyes fly open. Part of me worried it would jar Lali out of her projection, but she still stood with her eyes closed, her features relaxed. I wondered if she had found the tunnel opening yet, if she was inside it now on her way to the transposer.
The thought set butterflies loose in my stomach. Whatever Lali was going through didn’t show on her face, though. She stayed perfectly expressionless, breathing like she was in a trance.
Then, just like that, she vanished.
I jumped backward, too stunned to process what it meant at first. My mind raced to catch up, and my heart almost beat itself out of my chest as the realization hit. She had switched into her physical body at the transposer.
It worked!
Chapter 41
Reckless
She did it! She really did it! The thundering in my ears was so loud I could barely picture Lali’s face to project to her. Finally, I felt the pull, but instead of appearing the way I usually did, it felt like I hit a wall. I dropped to the ground and toppled backward, but I was too pumped to care. Sitting up, I let my gaze dart around the narrow tunnel until I found Lali’s grinning face.
She and I beamed at each other in the golden light from the glowing ring above us. The next thing I knew, she dove at me. Her arms found their way around my neck, and we fell backward together. “I did it!” she squealed.
“I knew you could,” I said with a laugh. “That was awesome!”
Lali pulled back, still smiling, and it was like something shifted inside me. I’d never seen her smile so openly. Even lying on my back, I was grinning like an idiot.
“Sorry,” she gasped. “I didn’t mean to tackle you. I just got excited.” She scooted back to let me get up, and I hoped the disappointment didn’t show on my face. Even though I hadn’t hugged anyone in years, holding her felt almost natural.
Stop it! Now is not the time to get caught up.
I pushed onto my elbows, determined to keep my voice from betraying me. “As well you should have. That was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. One second you were standing there with your eyes closed, and the next, you were gone. Just like that.” I snapped my fingers.
She giggled, a light, jovial sound that made my mouth pull up at the ends. “Kai, you do that all the time,” she reminded me.
“Yeah, well. What can I say? I’m a bad Ast.”
We both cracked up, and she got lost in a fit of laughter. Seeing her so carefree was like watching a stranger. I committed the sight and sound to memory.
“Now, all you have to do is find the portal,” I said. “We could be in Alea today.”
She nodded excitedly. “Then let’s get going.”
Knowing there was a good chance Solstice was still with Delta, I didn’t want to attempt projecting to her and risk hitting the block—or worse, scaring off Delta. After taking a moment to memorize the space around the transposer, I projected Lali back to her room. While she sat on her bed, I moved to the corner near her easel and called Solstice.
As soon as the ringing stopped, I blurted out, “Lali did it! She found the transposer, and it worked!”
“I’m kind of busy here,” Solstice hissed. I could picture her scowl just from hearing her tone, but I didn’t care.
“You can take five seconds to talk to us,” I said. In the back of my mind, I couldn’t help but wonder how things were going with Delta, but that would have to wait. If Lali could get us to Alea today, we needed to focus on her. “I’m coming over there.” I hung up, and, not wanting Lali to hear, I sent a quick text that said, If you’re not in your car in five minutes, I’m coming into the room to get you.
I met the eager gray eyes across the room. “Solstice isn’t home. I’m going to go pick her up and bring her to her apartment, and then I’ll come back for you, okay?”
“Okay,” Lali said breathlessly.
I previewed the parking lot where I’d last seen Solstice to make sure it was okay to appear in the car. Now that the sun was out, there were a handful of people around. Thankfully, none of them seemed to be looking in the direction of her green Honda. I projected to the passenger seat, angling my body to keep as much of myself out of view as possible, just in case someone happened to glance toward me.
Scanning the rooms along the motel corridor, I saw Solstice make her way out of the one at the end of the second floor. She hurried down the cement steps, climbed into the driver’s side, and slammed the door so hard the car shook.
“You’re going to ruin everything,” she scolded under her breath.
“Hardly. You just have to tell Lali how to get to the portal, and then you can go back to grilling Delta.”
“It better not take long.” Solstice shoved her purse between the seats and jammed the key into the ignition. “I told Delta I had to run to the store for emergency feminine supplies.”
I shuddered at the thought.
Solstice started the car and sped out of the parking lot. I didn’t know where we were going, but I assumed she was driving so Delta wouldn’t ask questions later.
“Your uncle was right, you know,” Solstice said, keeping her narrowed eyes on the road.
I frowned. “About what?”
“About going back to Alea without our abilities. It’s crazy.”
Where did that come from? Now that Delta was in the picture again, Solstice was suddenly changing her mind? “Well, this isn’t about you guys going back,” I countered. “This is about getting my sister out.”
“What’s wrong with accomplishing both?”
“Nothing. But I’m not going to put off finding Kala if I don’t have to.”
“So, what, if you find Kala, then you’re not going to try and help Cade get his ability back?”
I sighed as we turned onto an uphill road that led to a Wal-Mart we’d passed on the way to Delta’s motel. I did want to help my uncle get back to Alea if that was what he wanted. I owed him that much.
“I’ll try,” I replied. “But my sister is always going to be my first priority. If things don’t work out with restoring Cade’s ability, I don’t want to hold people hostage for the rest of time.”
“You’re not the only one who has something riding on this, you know.” Solstice pulled into a parking space at the far end of the lot and cut the engine. Before I could ask what she was trying to say, she grumbled, “Let’s just go.”
Fine by me. I projected us to her apartment, and then went to get Lali from her room.
“Good morning,” she said to Solstice when we appeared, ever the master of manners. “Thanks for—”
“Sit down,” Solstice snapped, plopping onto the sofa. I shot her a look. Why did she have to be rude? I knew she was mad that I interrupted her time with Delta, but good grief. We only needed ten minutes.
Lali didn’t say anything, though, and we both sat down next to Solstice.
“You made it to the transposer?” Solstice sounded more annoyed than relieved as she scooted to put more space between her and Lali. “And it changed you into your physical form?”
“Yes.” Lali looked at me as if she needed me to confirm it really
happened. I hardly believed it myself.
“That’s actually quite impressive,” Solstice admitted, though she sounded like someone had forced her to say it.
Lali thanked her anyway, and said she couldn’t have done it without Solstice’s help. She turned to meet my eyes, as if to say the same went for me, and I couldn’t stop myself from smiling.
“Have you told Cade yet?” Solstice asked, patting her braided hair as she looked at me.
I shook my head. “Nah, I’m keeping him out of it until we make it to Alea. I’m over his lectures about wasting time.”
Thankfully, Solstice didn’t ask what I meant. I needed to stick to the story I’d given Lali, and I didn’t have the energy to come up with more lies on the fly.
“So what’s the next step?” Lali asked, unable to sit still. “I’m getting a little antsy here.”
“Well, keep your pants on,” Solstice grumbled. “You can’t do anything until nightfall. You have to wait until the stars are visible.”
“What?” Lali looked between us, horrified. “Why?”
“Because you need the stars to find the portal,” Solstice replied.
Wait. What? Had I missed something? Cade never talked about needing to see the stars to reach the portal. Then again, he had no reason to; he’d given up on my chances of getting to Alea shortly after discovering how my ability worked.
The disappointment in Lali’s face sucked the animation out of my own. This was my fault. I should’ve gone over all this with Solstice last night. Then I could have mentally prepared Lali instead of getting her hopes up about getting to Alea today.
“But we can go over what to do now, right?” I asked. “Then we can get started as soon as it’s dark.”
Solstice let out a breath and got to her feet. “I guess. I’ll get the star map.” She walked down the hall and came back with a rolled-up poster. Moving into the dining room, she gestured for us to follow her. Lali and I went over to where Solstice was spreading the paper across the table and taping down the corners.