Zoey cursed and examined her hand. It had an angry red mark. Before she had time to think about what had just happened, she realized that a cloaked figure stood in the snow beside her.
Chapter 4
A Secret Message
Zoey stiffened. At first she thought she was seeing things in the glare of the snow. She blinked, but the black figure was still there. And then she knew. She recognized the figure as the same black silhouette she had seen in the field yesterday.
It must have stood nearly eight-feet high and was draped in a heavy weather-worn black cloak, like a dirty Venetian costume cape. She couldn’t see any eyes, nose, or mouth under its black hood. Where its face should have been, she could only see a blank white façade like a mask. She could see pointy black leather boots through a gap in the drape of the cloak. They looked like the sort of boots a witch would wear. It had surprisingly thin and delicate white hands that peeked from the sleeves.
Whatever this thing was, it was definitely female. Strangely, Zoey didn’t feel frightened. Somehow she knew it wouldn’t hurt her.
“Who are you?” asked Zoey.
The cloaked figure didn’t answer. It just stood there. Its cloak bellowed around it in the cool winds.
“Why have you been following me?” pressed Zoey. “I saw you. It was you, wasn’t it?”
The figure reached into the folds of its cloak and produced a small gray rectangular case. It raised its hand to Zoey, urging her to take it.
Reluctantly, Zoey reached out and took the case. She brushed her fingers over it. It was cool, smooth stainless steel. She could see a single button the size of her thumb on top.
Zoey looked at the creature and shook the metal case.
“What is this?” When it didn’t respond she asked again. “What is this? What’s the matter? Don’t you talk? No. Well, you don’t have a mouth, so I’m guessing you don’t.”
Zoey stared at the contraption in her hand. “And now you want me to press on this button, don’t you?”
The creature gave a single nod.
“Well, at least we’ve got this great communication between us,” said Zoey. Something nagged her. “Was it you? Did you make my DSM burn just now? Was that you?”
The creature gave another nod.
“I’d ask you how and why, but I’m guessing I’m about to find out.” Zoey exhaled loudly.
She reached down and made sure her DSM was cool before she pocketed it.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this. Well, here goes nothing.” She pressed down on the button with her thumb…
A flash of white light blasted out of the metal case where her thumb met the button. It fanned out and created a white screen that hovered in the air like a movie projection. And in the white screen Zoey could see the image of a woman with bright green eyes and fiery-red hair.
Zoey dropped the case and sat back into the snow. Tears welled in her eyes.
“Hello, Zoey,” the woman in the screen smiled.
She wore a long black traveling coat, which made her red hair stand out even more. Her face was flushed and sweaty, like she had been running. Her voice was throaty and had a sense of urgency to it. It was not at all like the soft, soothing voice Zoey had imagined she would have.
“The orphanage chose a pretty name for you; I like it.”
The figure paused, and then she said, “I’m not sure if you recognize me, but I’m your mother.”
The world wavered around Zoey. She felt like she was dreaming. She forced herself to speak.
“M-mom? Is that really you? I—I can’t believe it. Is this real? I’ve been looking for you for so long.”
The woman didn’t seem to hear her.
“I know you must have so many questions for me. Why did I give you up?”
Her mother’s eyes filled with water as sadness washed over her face. Her smile disappeared, and she continued.
“It was with a heavy heart. You must know it was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make. It’s still hard when I remember you crying when I put you on their doorstep. But I took comfort in knowing it was the right decision. It was the only one.”
Tears flowed freely down Zoey’s cheeks as she stared, bewildered, at the woman before her. Her lips trembled. She wanted to run into her mother’s arms, and yet she couldn’t move.
“Mom…mom…”
Her mother’s projection wavered and she turned abruptly, as though she had heard something coming from behind her. After a moment she turned back around with a terrified look on her face.
“Mom, what is it?” Zoey raised her head and looked behind her mother, but there was only a wall of trees and snow.
“I don’t have a lot of time. They’re coming.” Her mother looked at Zoey, but not directly at her, like she couldn’t focus on her exact spot. It was almost as though she couldn’t see her.
“I hope one day you’ll find it in your heart to forgive me. I only wanted to protect you, to keep you safe, and the orphanage was the safest place. I knew you’d be safe from them there.”
Zoey watched her mother carefully. “You mean from the Alphas? From Mrs. Dupont? Mom? Can you hear me? How does this thing work? Is this a one-way thing only?”
Again her mother seemed not to hear her. Her form flickered like a light bulb losing power, and then it refreshed again.
“You’re probably wondering what this is,” said her mother as she looked down at herself. “How I’m standing before you now like this - how it’s even possible after all these years. As you can see, I’m not really here; I’m merely a shadow of myself - a recording.”
Zoey struggled to her feet. “You’re some sort of hologram, aren’t you?”
Zoey realized that this figure wasn’t actually her real mother. Although her chest ached, she blinked her eyes dry and pulled herself together. She stepped closer. When she was face to face with her mother she reached out. Her fingers passed through her mother’s figure as though she were nothing but a ghost.
Her mother looked straight past Zoey again. “By now you will have met my dearest friend, Muttab.”
Zoey turned her head and looked at the hooded figure with the inscrutable white face.
“She’s a Minitian,” her mother continued. “You might call her a sorceress. Minitians are shy creatures, and mute. They spend their lives mostly studying their arts. She’s been my friend and ally for many years and is one of the few I can trust. I asked her to give you this recording when she felt it was time - when your life was in great danger.”
“My life’s in danger?”
Zoey felt a dark weight on her shoulders. She looked at Muttab, but without a face she had no idea what the creature was thinking. She turned away and stared transfixed at her mother, waiting to hear more.
Her mother stopped talking and looked over her shoulder again, as though she had heard something. She turned back and continued.
“I wish things could have been different for us, for you. I wish I could have given you a real childhood, a real family, but it was impossible. Your father changed. He betrayed me. He’s not the same man I fell in love with. That doesn’t matter now; he doesn’t know about you. He’s with the others now. He’s dangerous, Zoey; you can’t trust him.”
How can I trust him? said Zoey to herself, I don’t even know who he is—
“This recording is the only way for me to contact you without risking exposing you to the wrong people,” interjected her mother.
“If you’re watching this recording, then I can only assume that Muttab felt it was time, and that you’ve figured out by now that you’re different from the rest of the Sevenths. Only two Sevenths in the world can manipulate the M-Mat and the anchors—you and I. But your abilities far outweigh mine. I could never do what you can. When you were just a baby I noticed how the portals shifted only by your presence. I knew then how much danger would follow.”
She paused and drew in a shaky breath.
“You are a target because you’re different.
By now you’ve probably found your way to the Agency or the Agency has finally found you. Either way, I cannot pretend that I’m happy about it, because I’m not. If the Sevenths know about you, then the Alphas know, too. And it won’t be long before the others find out. Hopefully, they haven’t yet learned who you are.”
Her mother cast a worried glance behind her again and lowered her voice.
“They’ve found me, I don’t have much time.” Her voice was rushed.
“Who’s found you? God I hate this! I wish you could hear me,” growled Zoey.
Her mother’s emerald eyes sparkled with tears.
“Zoey, listen to me carefully. You must leave the Agency at once. You’re not safe there.”
Zoey’s jaw dropped.
“But—but that’s the only place I feel safe! Why would I want to leave? It’s the first place that actually feels like a home to me. I know you can’t hear me, and I’m babbling along like a fool - but you have no idea what’s it’s been like for me - living from foster home to foster home, not knowing where to belong, feeling like a freak. I like it here, I don’t want to leave—”
“I know this must sound crazy to you, but there are double agents in the Agency.”
“Yeah, I know, like Agent Stokes.”
Her mother brushed her tears away with her hands.
“You can’t trust anyone, even if you feel they are your friends—they’re not. They’ll want to use you and kill you. You must do as I say. Leave the Agency! Hide amongst the Mutes. You’re much safer there. It’s your only chance. You must leave!”
Zoey shook her head like a stubborn child. “No. I won’t leave. Why would anyone at the Agency want to kill me? I haven’t done anything!”
Her mother’s voice rose and cracked. “Leave the Agency, Zoey! You must leave now!”
A bone-rattling growl interrupted the projection. A shadowy figure, a great beast, appeared behind her mother.
Her mother stumbled, whimpering in fear. “Get away, Zoey!”
“Wait! What is that? Mom? Wait! I don’t know where you are! I want to help you! MOM!” Zoey threw out her arms in a desperate attempt to grab her mother, but they only flapped in the empty air.
Her mother fell to her knees.
“Run Zoey! Get as far as you can from the Agency! You have to hide! You must do as I say!”
Her mother’s green eyes were wide with fear. Her image started to falter. “I love you.”
The dark shape rose behind her mother, and the projection shimmered like a mist caught in a breeze. Her mother screamed, and the image vanished.
“MOM!” cried Zoey.
She leaped to the spot where the shadow of her mother had stood moments before. She turned on the spot frantically.
“Mom, come back! I don’t know how to find you. Please come back! Tell me where you are!”
But it was useless. The only mother she’d ever spoken with was gone.
Her knees buckled as a great sadness washed over her. She searched the snow for the recording device.
“Muttab? Where’s the recording thing? Muttab?” But the Minitian had disappeared, too.
Zoey’s eyes burned. She sat abandoned in the snow.
A gasp sounded behind her.
Claudia had been hiding behind a tree. She stood there, half hidden, and watched Zoey for a moment. Zoey saw a little smile of triumph on Claudia’s face, before she turned and ran back towards the Hive.
Chapter 5
Mishap in New York
Zoey wasn’t sure how long she sat in the snow, waiting for her mother to come back, and she didn’t care.
“Zoey!” Tristan rushed over to her and fell beside her on his knees.
“Zoey, what happened to you? Your lips are blue. How long have you been outside? Your cheeks have frostbite. Zoey?”
Zoey looked into his eyes, but it was too painful to speak.
“She looks exactly like a zombie,” Simon leaned forward to examine her more closely.
“Even her skin’s gone gray. Maybe she is one of the infected. Which reminds me, we need a zombie plan—everyone needs a zombie plan.”
Tristan ignored Simon and grabbed Zoey by the shoulders and shook her.
“Zoey,” he said gently, “Zoey, what happened? Why are you out here in the cold like this? Does this have something to do with what you’ve been hiding from us? Zoey? Why won’t you answer me?”
“She looks bad, Tristan,” said Simon looking grave, “We should get her in before she dies of hypothermia. She’s been out in the cold too long without moving.”
Tristan scooped Zoey into his arms as though she weighed no more than an infant and marched towards the inn.
“I’ll get Aria.” Simon snatched up Zoey’s red mittens and ran ahead of them in the knee-high snow. He slipped, fell, and finally made an awkward jump up to the slippery porch. Moments after he disappeared inside, Aria came rushing out.
“What happened to her?” Aria grabbed hold of Zoey’s hands. “She’s frozen stiff! Quick, get her inside!”
Aria yanked the front door open, ushering Tristan inside. “Set her down near the fire, I’ll go and fetch her some tea and a blanket.” Aria disappeared towards the kitchen.
Gently, Tristan set Zoey on the couch nearest the fire. The warmth from the fire slowly woke her up. Her fingers and toes started to burn, as her freezing flesh started to warm.
“Zoey, what is it? What’s wrong?” Tristan sat beside her on the couch, his face twisted in worry.
“Hurts,” was all Zoey could muster. Her fingers felt like they were about to fall off.
“Quick, rub her hands,” said Aria, as she settled a cup of tea on the side table and pulled off Zoey’s boots. “I’ll rub her feet to get the blood going again.”
Tristan and Aria went to work on her hands and toes, while Simon sat in the chair next to them, squeezing her red mitts.
After a few minutes, Zoey revived a bit. She felt like she was waking up from a long sleep.
“I’m feeling better,” she croaked finally. “Thank you.”
She felt a little foolish and pulled her hands away from Tristan, who didn’t seem to want to let go. She looked around. The inn was quiet.
And then she remembered Claudia.
Had she heard everything? How long had she hidden like a snake behind that tree, listening to her private conversation with her mother? Would she tell someone?
Aria wrapped a wool blanket around Zoey’s shoulders and handed her the tea. “Here, drink this. It’s mystic tea. It’ll warm you up and give you some strength back.”
Zoey wrapped her hands around the warm cup and took a sip. “This is really good, thank you. It tastes like honey. I love honey.”
Aria shook her head sadly.
“This is all my fault. I shouldn’t have been so hard on you, Zoey. I never thought I’d drive you away. You could have died in the cold. I’m so sorry, Zoey, can you ever forgive me?”
Tears welled in Aria’s big yellow eyes, and Zoey instantly felt guiltier about concealing the truth than ever before.
“It’s not your fault, Aria.” Zoey swallowed some more tea, letting the warmth soothe her frozen body and feeling stronger with every sip. “This is all me. Trust me. You had nothing to do with this.”
“I don’t understand,” said Aria, with her four hands on her hips. “Then why were you out there in the cold for so long? Why didn’t you come back inside if you weren’t upset with me?”
Zoey lowered her eyes. “You wouldn’t understand. It’s over. Don’t worry about it.”
But Aria didn’t look convinced. “Keep your secrets then. But I promised the Agency that I would look after you, so I am worried. Now, I’m going to fetch you some of my famous Ghoul Ginger Soup. You boys keep an eye on her until I get back.”
Zoey watched Aria disappear. Tristan and Simon watched her in the awkward silence.
“Are you going to tell us what happened,” said Simon finally, “or do we have to beat it out of yo
u?”
Zoey smiled. Simon could always make the tension go away. She let out a long, shaky breath and began retelling her story. First she told them about her special abilities, and how Mrs. Dupont was the one who first made her aware of them.
Their faces were expressionless when she explained that she had hidden away in her room for the past weeks because she had been trying to recreate her mirror-port skills.
Finally, she told them about the Minitian, and the secret message from her mother.
When she was done, she sat back and waited. She watched Tristan and Simon nervously.
“Well then,” said Simon, as he sat back and smacked his chin with a mitt. “Slap me silly and call me Sally, but that’s some seriously wicked stuff. Man, what I’d give to see the look on Aria’s face when you landed in her super clean sink…must have been awesome. She kinda scares me.”
He pulled the red mittens over his hands and started to play hand puppets.
Zoey looked at Tristan, and he smiled. “I always knew there was something different about you, Drifter,” he teased. “I was right. You’re special.”
Heat rose to Zoey’s face and she stared at her fingers. She wished she could melt into the couch and disappear.
“Well, I’m not sure it’s a good thing. Whatever I have, or whatever I am—it’s made me a target.”
Tristan leaned forward. “So, your mother hid you in the orphanage because she knew you’d be in danger.”
Zoey nodded. “That’s right. She gave me away out of love, not because she didn’t want me.” Even as she said it, she felt a comfort she had never felt before.
“She knew if the Alphas and Mrs. Dupont knew about me, they’d be after me because of what I can do.” Zoey frowned. “But she also told me that the Agency wasn’t safe and that I should leave.”
“What? You can’t leave the Agency!” cried Simon.
He lowered his voice when he realized he was shouting.
“I mean, that’s crazy talk. It’s a lot safer here than out there with the Mutes. And we still don’t know the exact magnitude of the illegal mystics that crossed over. They’re just dying to kill an unsuspecting agent. Nope, you’re safer here with us.”
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