by K. J. McPike
Lali was still talking to Ulyxses as I tried to work the tension out of my neck. I had to focus on something that didn’t involve my moonlighting as a kidnapper. I could already feel beads of sweat forming along my forehead.
Turning to Lali, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “Why don’t you stay here and help them figure out how projecting works for them? I’m going to see if I can get some answers from Delta.”
“Okay,” she said. “Hurry back.”
I vanished without another word and dropped onto my unmade bed. What a disaster. If Salaxia could read my mind, how was I ever going to get any of them to help? I couldn’t risk those kids realizing I’d had their mother this whole time. I would have loved to ask the girl to read Cade’s mind for the sake of figuring out where the other transposers were, but there was no guarantee he wouldn’t think something about Xiomara in the process and blow my cover.
Groaning, I pressed my fingers into my temples. Recruiting Lali’s siblings to help had backfired, and following Lali back to Alea was out, thanks to my uncle’s refusal to cooperate. I was going to have to do things Cade’s way after all. I didn’t have a lot of faith that Ori would know where to find Ursula, but any chance was better than nothing.
Cade was still in the kitchen when I appeared downstairs. “Okay,” I said, pulling out the seat next to where he sat at the counter. “You win. Where can I find Ori?”
Chapter 52
Opening
It turned out that Delta knew where Ori worked. Apparently she’d slipped up and mentioned it in front of Solstice, who then told Cade. The problem was, Ori—or Miss Jennifer as her students called her—was a preschool teacher, and I couldn’t exactly nab her in front of a classroom full of three-year-olds. The child care center where she worked in Wisconsin had a nice collection of photos online, so I’d been able to get there unnoticed. Pretending I was a soon-to-be teen father, I followed the center director around for a quick tour of the school.
In the preschool room, I’d been introduced to Ori and her two coworkers. Thankfully, Solstice knew Ori’s fake name, and Ori was the only “Jennifer” in the classroom. It was easy enough to commit her wide face and long strawberry blonde hair to memory, but now I had to play the waiting game. Despite Cade’s impatience, he’d agreed it was too risky to grab her in public. We decided I would preview Ori periodically until she got home.
In the meantime, Cade was back at Solstice’s apartment with Delta. I was sure Delta was cowering in a corner somewhere, but Solstice and Cade were supposed to be figuring out the best way to get Ori to spill what she knew when we finally got her.
I told them I needed to get some sleep, but the truth was, I wanted to revisit my talk with Xiomara. Things were going to come to a head soon, and I was determined to get her to agree to keep Lali in the dark about the kidnapping.
“Kai?” she called out as I made my way down the stairs.
“Yeah,” I replied, reaching the bottom of the steps. “I want to—” My phone buzzed in the pocket of my shorts, and I sighed as I dug it out.
Lali.
It had been over an hour since I’d let her and her siblings think I was trying to get answers from Delta. What was I going to say about it? And how was I going to make sure the little one didn’t read my thoughts? Then again, what if Lali had checked the transposer and it was clear? The last time she called me and didn’t get an answer, she ran off to Alea by herself. I had to see what she wanted.
“What’s going on?” Xiomara asked.
“Just…hold on.” I turned and headed back upstairs. Closing and locking the basement door behind me, I projected to Lali instead of wasting time calling her back.
“Hey,” I said, frowning when I saw her. She was on the wood floor, her hair wild as she reached under her bed. What was she doing?
“Kai!” She scrambled to her feet and hobbled over to me, holding her arm like it was hurt. “What the heck?”
“What? You called. I figured it was easier to come here instead of calling you back.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about,” she hissed. “Why did I just hit a block? Were you in Alea?” She pushed something at me, its smooth surface sliding against my palm. I looked down to see the clear quartz I’d used to trigger her siblings’ powers. Crap.
“And what is this doing here?” she demanded.
Good question. “Slow down,” I begged, my brain racing to remember the last time I’d had it. I felt my breath seep from my lungs. I’d never taken it back home after I used it to awaken her siblings’ astral energy. I must’ve dropped it that night when I tried to project to Lali and hit the block.
The block.
Oh, no. I’d been in the basement with Xiomara just before coming here. Lali must’ve tried to project to me and hit it. That was why she was on the floor. That was why she asked if I was in Alea.
“What block?” I blurted out, hoping I sounded confused.
Lali huffed. “I tried to project to you and went flying across the room.”
My mind stalled, giving me nothing to work with as an explanation. Lame as it was, the best I could come up with was telling her that I didn’t go to Alea. Her face told me she wasn’t buying it, and I couldn’t blame her.
“Then why did I bounce off a block?” she asked, studying me.
I glanced at the rumpled bed behind her and reached for a believable story. I came up short. “How should I know?” I hedged. “Maybe you tried to project to me at the exact same moment I projected to you.”
Wow. There was no way she wouldn’t see through that.
A low voice called her name, saving me from my bad lie. Dixon stood in the doorway. “Is everything okay in here?” he asked. His tight expression suggested he already knew the answer.
“Everything’s fine.” Lali’s voice was a complete contradiction to her words, and I could tell her brother knew it.
“It sounded like the opposite of fine from the hallway,” he said.
“Just give us a minute,” Lali replied, her tone pleading.
The kid narrowed his eyes at me before closing the door, and Lali stayed quiet for a moment. Now was my chance to smooth things over. It was stupid that we were fighting in the first place. We should have been figuring out how to get to Alea. If there was any chance for us to get back there before I had to kidnap Ori, I wanted to keep trying.
“Look, Lali.” I tugged the quartz out of her hand and went with the first story that came to mind. “I came by with this the other night because I wanted to tell you what Delta and Solstice were attempting.” Oh, that was good. “But when I got here, you were gone, and I knew you’d gone after the portal again. When I tried to project to you, I hit a block.”
I tensed, watching her closely to see if she was buying my explanation. “I must’ve dropped this,” I continued. “But I forgot all about it. I panicked. I knew you’d gotten to Alea, and I was more concerned with making sure you were safe.”
“Oh.” Her face softened, and I had to fight to keep my expression from faltering. I still hated lying to her, but I was grateful she seemed to believe me.
“Listen,” I said, eager to switch the focus. “I don’t know about you, but I want to get one of those necklaces. Can you stop hating me long enough to check and see if they’re still guarding the transposer?”
Letting out a sigh, she closed her eyes. A second later, her face smoothed into the peaceful expression that made her appear to be asleep on her feet.
Sure she had projected, I let out my own breath in a loud whoosh. I couldn’t believe that fake explanation about the crystal had worked. Maybe I would be able to get her to believe a crazy story about what happened with her mom after all, especially if Xiomara went along with what I said. But after that, I was done lying to Lali. I pressed my lips together, making a silent vow of honesty once we got everything sorted out.
Tossing the quartz between my hands, I set it on her desk. I turned around and stepped back toward Lali just as her
eyes snapped open.
“The coast is clear!” she cried.
My face went numb. This was it. “Then we have to go. Now.”
She nodded, closed her eyes, and vanished.
Chapter 53
Stone
I dropped to the ground with the same sudden jolt I’d felt when I followed Lali to the transposer under the San Francisco Bay. A similar glowing ring hovered in the air above our heads, lighting up the silver dome around us. I rubbed my eyes. Was this really Alea?
Lali got to her feet, reminding me I didn’t have time to gawk. She pointed at the dome’s wall in front of me, and I turned to follow her finger. There was a thick rectangular outline carved into the metal.
A door.
“Let me look first,” I breathed, pushing myself up. “It could be a trap.” And we don’t need you getting caught again. At least if something tried to snag me, I could disappear in an instant. I briefly considered taking Lali to her house, but knowing her, she’d project right back, make a scene, and draw attention to us. This was dangerous enough as it was.
I felt a gulp move down my throat, and I silently assured myself that nothing bad was going to happen. I just had to get a look outside. Then we were out of here to come up with a plan of attack. Even with my attempt to reassure myself, my heart was trying to pound its way through my ribs.
“Stand back,” I whispered. Lali stepped away so that opening the door wouldn’t leave her visible to anyone outside. At the same time, I moved to the opposite side of the outline. Once we were both in position, I pushed the center of the door.
A fog of thick, hot air rushed in, and I nearly gagged as it traveled down my throat like a billow of smoke. How did anybody breathe here? I held my breath, waiting for someone to move or fire a weapon, but it stayed eerily silent.
Moments that felt like years passed, and my lungs burned with a need for oxygen. Not wanting to cough, I only allowed myself small inhales through my nose when I couldn’t take it anymore. I looked across to where Lali stood, and I could see her cheeks were flushed. There was already a sheen of sweat over her skin.
Another minute of pure silence passed before I spoke. “I think we’re good.”
I hope we’re good.
Peering outside, I did a double take. Countless white tree trunks big enough to fit three-car garages inside went on as far as I could see. Red and yellow grass grew at their bases, the combination of colors blending to appear orange. I realized in that moment that I’d never heard Cade describe what Alea looked like. From all the negative things he’d said about it, I pictured it as a dark and ominous place. But this was…beautiful. And bright.
I stepped toward the opening, and Lali caught my arm.
“Be careful,” she urged. “This is where I got caught in the trap.”
The small gesture sent a rush through me. I couldn’t help the hint of a smile that hijacked the side of my mouth as I looked over my shoulder at her. “So you do care,” I said.
She scowled. “Shut up and memorize a landmark.” As unpleasant as I knew she meant to make those words sound, they reminded me of the first day I’d brought her to Lanai, when she told me she couldn’t shut up and tell me if she could travel at the same time. We’d come a long way since then, literally and figuratively. I hoped that would be enough for her to want to keep me in her life when this was all over.
Focus! Pushing aside my rogue thoughts, I looked back out at the strange forest. I just had to get a good view of a tree branch big enough to support me. Then I could use the vantage point to look out on the rest of the place without being spotted, and appear whenever I wanted without alerting any guards.
At least, I hoped so.
I gazed up at the collection of branches tipped with red and yellow leaves. I meant to search for any distinctive feature that would work as a landmark, but I got distracted by the bits of soft, milky orange that showed between the tops of the trees. Was that the sky?
A blow from behind knocked me off balance. I hit the ground hard, and the added weight of Lali landing on top of me sent my chest slamming into the ground. I felt my lungs lose their limited air, and black spots danced in front of my eyes.
Before I could ask what was going on, metal clinked somewhere above me. Another clink, and Lali shouted my name. Facedown, I couldn’t tell what was happening, but the panic in her voice told me I had to get us out of there fast.
I reached behind me, blindly grabbing until I found her arms. Sucking in a breath that felt like thick steam, I yelled, “Hold on!”
The first place I thought of was Lanai. The next second, I felt the sand against my face. Lali rolled off me, and I swallowed a deep lungful of salty air. It felt like a cool drink of water after the exhaust-like atmosphere in Alea.
“Let go of me!” Lali cried. Her body jerked beside me. I rolled onto my side, frowning. I was barely touching her.
Then I saw him. Moonlight sparkled off a transparent form clinging to Lali’s leg. A guard! One of them had come with us in his astral form.
My body reacted before my mind could catch up. Springing to my feet, I launched myself at the intruder. His astral form was like a block of ice. My shoulder slammed into his, sending spikes of pain straight through me as we toppled into the sand.
He writhed beneath me, and questions rushed through my head. How had he come with us? Could I project astral bodies, too? He shoved me back, putting just enough space between us for me to notice the long stone in the middle of his chest.
Every part of me froze. That had to be one of the crystals Lali was telling me about, one that allowed Astralii to break through astral energy blocks. I reached to grab it, but a frosty fist connected with my eyebrow. I fell sideways, my already sore shoulder crunching in the sand. I inhaled the shout that wanted to burst out of me.
Rolling over, I saw the silver form drift upright, as if lifted by an invisible board beneath his back.
No! I’d forgotten he would be able to fly. I couldn’t let him get away with that stone. I dove at him again. Closing my fingers around his neck, I took him to the first enclosed space I could think of that would guarantee he couldn’t float away from me so easily—Solstice’s car.
Unfazed by projecting with me, he continued to thrash as I pushed him against the passenger side door. He threw his forehead into mine, sending a burst of sparkles through my vision. I landed a swift punch to his face, and my knuckles split open against his stonelike jaw.
He didn’t even flinch.
Biting through the pain, I pinned his arms and reached for the purple crystal at the base of his throat. Closing my fingers around it, I pulled with all my strength. The chain popped, sending me backward with the stone in my fist.
My opponent kicked and shouted, but I hardly heard what he said. I didn’t care. I had the necklace.
Grabbing for the door handle, I tugged it toward me and toppled onto the asphalt. Before he could come after me, I sprang up and shoved the door closed.
His face slammed into the window, and I grinned at him from the other side of the glass. From what Lali had told me, these guys could permeate, too. I knew it wouldn’t be long before he would focus and move through the car. Squeezing the stone in my palm, I quickly projected back to Lanai before he could touch me again.
Chapter 54
Caught
Lali’s eyes bugged out when I appeared on the beach in front of her. “Are you okay?” she gasped.
“Peachy.” I used my empty hand to wipe the beads of sweat above my mouth and tried to hide the smile that came at the concern in her voice. No matter how much she tried to pretend she didn’t care, her body betrayed her. As excited as I was about the necklace hidden in my palm, I knew showing her would make her forget all about my injuries, and I couldn’t bring myself to do it just yet. It was nice to have her fussing over me instead of at me for once.
She scanned me from head to toe as if looking for additional confirmation that I was okay. “What just happened?”
&
nbsp; “The guard and I had a little disagreement.” I shrugged, keeping my voice nonchalant. Maybe it was stupid, but I wanted to impress her. “You know, I’ve never fought someone who can’t feel pain. I kind of impressed myself just now.”
In truth, I didn’t know for a fact the Astralis couldn’t feel pain, but his lack of reaction to my fist hitting his jaw was evidence enough. I knew from experience how a feeling person would react—I’d been in my share of fights in middle school.
Lali rolled her eyes. “Why were you fighting in the first place? You should’ve just dropped him somewhere.”
“Well, if I did that,” I said, my excitement about getting the necklace finally bubbling over. “I wouldn’t have been able to get this.” I opened my hand to show her the stone, and her mouth almost hit the sand.
She stared at the crystal for a long moment, like it might disappear if she looked away. Her fingers trembled as she reached out to touch it. “How did you—” Her voice broke, and I felt a twinge of pride at having made her so happy.
“I have my ways.”
She giggled. “I can’t believe you got it.”
“We got it, Lali,” I corrected. She needed to know that I would never have been able to get the necklace without her. And now I was going to see Kala again. All Lali had to do was use the stone to project to my sister and find her way out of the lab. Then I could follow her instructions to get to Kala. I’d be able to appear and disappear quickly enough that I was confident no one would be able to catch me—especially when they weren’t prepared for me.
“Kai,” Lali whispered, breaking me out of my thoughts. “Can we—” She met my eyes, and I immediately knew what she was asking.