by A. D. McLain
Unexpectedly, a bright light blinded her and a strange tingling sensation spread over her limbs. Her entire body seemed both weightless and heavy simultaneously.
The strange sensations dissipated, and the bright light dissipated, revealing that Nicole was on the opposite side of the road. The speeding car had already driven well past where she’d been when she first saw it. She sank down onto the ground dropping her face into her hands.
The first cohesive thought she had was when a hand came down to rest on her shoulder.
She looked up to discover Meg watching her worriedly. “Are you okay? You don’t look so good,” Meg stated.
“I think so. Did you see what happened?”
“Nope, you were already sitting over here when I came out of the diner.”
“Oh,” Nicole sighed, disappointed.
“What happened?” Meghan sat beside Nicole on the grass.
“I’m not sure. One minute, I’m about to get hit by a car. The next, I’m standing over here on the other side of the road.”
“Oh, my God. You mean, you had another near miss?”
“Yeah, and I’ve made a decision. I think I’ll stay at David’s for a while.”
“What do you mean you couldn’t kill her?” Rodney jumped up from his chair and leaned his fists on the desk. “You’re supposed to be a professional, and you couldn’t kill one measly girl?”
The man dressed in black moved nervously from the door to the chairs positioned in front of the desk. “That wasn’t just some measly girl you asked me to kill. She isn’t human, I tell you. I waited for her outside the diner, just like you said I should do, but when I was just about to hit her, she changed into some kinda animal. It was a wolf, I think.”
“She changed into a wolf?” Disbelief was evident in Rodney’s voice.
“That’s what I’m telling you! Look, you explain it. One second she was standing in the middle of the road. The next, a white wolf was jumping out of a blinding light, landing on the other side of the road. And when I looked back in the mirror, it was the girl who was standing on the side of the road.”
“You idiot! The girl didn’t change into a wolf. You were just seeing things!”
“I didn’t just see nut’in,” the man responded. “There are paw prints on my car.”
Rodney was momentarily shaken. He shuffled some papers on his desk and tossed them into a drawer to try and disguise his nerves. “Look, my guys have reported seeing a wolf around her. That’s probably what you saw. Now, get out of here,” he snapped.
The man left Rodney’s office quickly, seeming none too convinced by Rodney’s explanation. Rodney plopped down into his chair and propped his feet up on the desk. Pushing the man’s story from his mind, he turned his thoughts to what he was going to do about Miss Cameron. She was proving far more difficult to eliminate than he had first envisaged.
A figure moved in the shadows in the corner of his office. “If you truly want to rid yourself of these nuisances, you cannot allow your emotions to cloud your judgment.”
The menacing voice reached Rodney from across the room, even though it was barely speaking above a whisper. Rodney shivered. Not for the first time, he wondered at the wisdom in listening to this shadowy man. He didn’t trust him, not one bit, but he couldn’t get out of this situation without some help. He was in too deep this time.
“And you’d best remember that.”
Rodney’s eyes widened. Was the voice just adding to his earlier words, or had he responded to Rodney’s thoughts? It wasn’t the first time Rodney had asked himself that question. It was eerie the way the voice always seemed to respond to unspoken words.
Although he was hidden by shadows, barely visible in the dark office, Rodney could see the corners of the stranger’s lips curve up in an unnerving grin. It only served to underscore his belief that this man could read his mind.
“What am I supposed to do? I’ve tried every way I know to get rid of her! I don’t even know why you’re so focused on that. Even if I do get rid of Nicole Cameron, there’s still the pictures to get rid of.”
The figure clucked his tongue a few times and shook a dark finger. “Oh, ye of little faith.” A small object came flying out of the shadows, landing on the edge of Rodney’s desk. It rolled across the desk, stopping in front of Rodney.
He stared at it in wonder. It was a film canister. Turning it over in his hand, he read the word ‘Evidence’ printed on a sticker which had been placed on it. “How did you get this?” His luck might be turning, after all.
“That is not important. What is important is that you get the girl. Now, if you can’t handle that simple task on your own, I’m afraid I’ll have to take care of that myself as well. And if I have to do everything on my own…” He let the threat hang in the air.
Rodney understood precisely what he was saying. If he couldn’t kill the girl, he was of no use. He didn’t know why this man had taken such a keen interest in Nicole Cameron, but it wouldn’t be wise to disappoint him for much longer. Rodney would much rather face court than this dark man’s wrath. He thought carefully. He had to find a way to take care of this, and quickly.
A thought occurred to him – maybe he could kill two birds with one stone! He chuckled to himself. Soon, one way or another, Nicole Cameron would be out of his way – forever.
“Artemis.” The voice echoed in his head and he turned toward the nearby shadows, seeing the almost imperceptible movement.
A moment later, a figure took shape in the shadows beside him and the usual shiver ran up Artemis’ spine. In his many years, he’d never met anyone who moved as quickly or stayed so easily hidden from perception.
“What’s wrong?” the figure questioned.
“Nothing, I’m fine.”
“Really? You seem a little on edge.”
“I’m just a little anxious to be done with the whole thing. If anyone found out —”
“No one is going to find out, unless you tell them. The girl doesn’t remember, and Richard isn’t talking.” He laughed quietly.
“But if someone did find out, I’d be dead. You know how everyone cared about Richard. He was some kind of hero to them all.” Artemis spat out the words. He’d never understood why everyone always clambered to Richard. What had made him so special?
“Richard stood in front of you. He prevented others from seeing what you could really do. Soon, you can take your place of honor. You’ll have the power you always deserved.”
Artemis almost licked his lips at the thought. He would be the one in power, he would be the one people turned to for advice. He would get all the attention. He had a few more things to take care of, and it would all be his.
“You know what you must do.”
Yes, he knew what he had to do. He just had to convince the girl to trust him, before it was too late.
18
David knocked on the door and waited. When Mark answered the door he seemed surprised. “What are you doing here?”
“You invited me to come over. May I come in?”
“Of course.” Mark focused on the smile on David’s face for a second before he led him into a small den. Sketches lined every wall and covered every flat surface.
David studied the many faces the drawings portrayed. Some he recognized, others he didn’t. One thing was certain, they were extremely realistic. “I’m glad you haven’t given up your sketching. You’re very good.”
“Actually, I did give it up for a while.” Mark surveyed his sketches. He’d stopped after the funeral, not being in the mood to sketch after that. He didn’t really know why he’d finally decided to sketch again, one day he’d just decided to pick up a pencil. Now, he spent every free minute – of which there were few–sketching. “I only recently picked it up again. So, what’s up?”
“I wanted to let you know Nicole is going to be staying with me for a while.”
“Really? So, the prodigal daughter had returned home.” Mark had wondered how long it would take
, although admittedly, he hadn’t thought it would be so soon
“Yeah, it seemed like the logical thing to do, considering all the threats.”
Mark nodded. David’s house was the safest place for Nicole to be, the house and grounds were like a fortress, and thanks to David, it had one hell of a security system. “You know, you could have told me this over the phone or through telepathy, now that you’ve gotten the hang of it again. Why the visit?”
“I wanted to see how you were doing.”
Mark stared at him dubiously. “And?”
David laughed. He’d never had been able to keep anything from Mark. “And Nicole kissed me.”
“Really?” Mark grinned. This news explained the good mood David was in.
“Yeah, she kissed me the other morning. She was excited about something she figured out and she just suddenly kissed. We haven’t really talked about it since, but she finally seems to be comfortable enough around me.”
“How do you feel?”
David couldn’t help the grin which lifted his mouth. “Good. Nervous, but good. It was amazing. I’ve never felt like this before, it’s like the air was charged between us. Is that normal?”
Mark shrugged. “Does it matter?”
“I guess not. I guess I’d better go.”
“It was good seeing you.” Mark held out his arm, but David unexpectedly pulled him into a hug, instead. Mark stood stock still, unaccustomed to such physical contact.
“Thanks for being such a good friend to me.”
“No problem.”
“Nicole? Nicole!”
Nicole came to a stop at the door of the library and turned as John came rushing toward her.
“Hey Nicole, where are you headed?” He glanced around the library foyer nervously.
“I’m going by the SES meeting hall, then, I’m headed back to my apartment.” She’d already taken some of her things to David’s the day before, but there were a few more items she needed if she was going to be staying with David for a while.
“Why are you going by the meeting hall? There isn’t a meeting today.”
“I know, but I had a message on my machine saying I’d left a notebook there.”
“A message?” John seemed puzzled. “Who from?”
Nicole shrugged. “I don’t know, to be honest. I didn’t recognize the voice, and he didn’t say. He just said to come by at five, so there’d be someone to let me in.”
“I’m coming with you,” John announce decisively.
“John, that’s not nec—”
“Nicole, the film has been stolen from evidence.”
“What?” The color drained from Nicole’s face.
“Susan called me about an hour ago and told me. She wanted to warn you. I’ve been searching for you ever since. Given what I’ve just told you about the film, I think this entire situation with the meeting hall sounds a little too strange.”
“Yeah, maybe you’re right, but we’re both probably being paranoid.”
“If you’re going, I’m going,” John announced firmly
Nicole held up her hands. “Hey, you’ve got no argument from me.”
It only took them a few minutes to reach the meeting hall. Nicole glanced down at her watch as they reached the steps and saw it was 5:01.
A wave of nausea hit her abruptly. John took a step forward, ready to mount the stairs, but Nicole’s hand shot out to stop him. It might just be extreme paranoia, but so much as a single step further made her feel sick.
“This isn’t right. We’ve got to get out of here, right now.” Nicole backed up a couple of steps.
One look at the panic in her eyes, and John was swiftly following her. They started to run from the building but had only gotten a few feet before a rumbling sound erupted inside. They glanced at one another and simultaneous ran faster.
A blast of heat knocked Nicole to the ground. She lifted her head, searching for John and realized he’d made it a little farther than she had and been knocked to his knees by the blast. She watched him lift his arms to protect his head from a shower of debris. Her ears were ringing and if she’d been able to piece together a single coherent thought, it would have occurred to her that she was also in danger of being hit by the debris. Instead, she watched as the fragments of the building landed all around her, until a sharp pain at the back of her head made everything go black.
Nicole was sore all over, especially her head. “Is she going to be okay?” she heard someone ask. The voice sounded familiar, but with her head throbbing, she couldn’t place it.
“Yeah, she’ll be fine.” This voice was closer to her. Even with the throbbing, she knew it was David’s voice. “You hear that Nicole? Be fine.”
His words echoed softly in her head, and she was sure, with an absurd level of certainty, they hadn’t been spoken aloud. Nicole slowly became aware of small gravel rocks, biting into her back and legs. Through a haze, she could recognize that her head and shoulders weren’t on the ground. Something gently rubbed the sides of her head and the headache began to decrease. A warm sensation began to spread through her body, slowly easing the pain. Once her head had cleared considerably, she attempted to open her eyes. She blinked several times at first, blinded by bright light until her eyes adjusted. David’s face slowly came into focus. “Welcome back,” he said, smiling.
She smiled back. She was already feeling a lot better and being in David’s arms definitely helped. His arms were warm, strong, and comforting. She surveyed the surrounding area as much as she could without moving her head. Pieces of brick, shards of metal, and slivers of glass were everywhere. “Where’s John? Is he okay?” she demanded.
“He’s fine, he has a few cuts and bruises. He filled me in on everything that happened, and he’s gone to call the police. His phone is lost somewhere in the rubble.”
Nicole heard footsteps and tried to locate their source, catching sight of John before dizziness overwhelmed her for a minute.
“Are you okay?” she heard John ask.
“I’m fine.” Nicole propped herself on her elbows, ignoring the pain. “Just a few bruises and a headache.”
The worst of the dizziness passed, and Nicole started to stand. Four hands instantly reached out to help her. She accepted the help without complaint, knowing that despite her bravado, she probably couldn’t stand without it.
“Can you walk?” David asked.
She tested her balance, leaning her weight on one foot, then the other. “I think so.” Resting a hand on David’s arm, Nicole slowly took a few steps. Her balance was a little shaky, but everything seemed to be in working order.
“Hey, your glasses are here.” John bent down and picked them up.
Nicole was stunned. Her hand flew to her face, where her glasses should be. Sure enough, they were missing. Her eyes grew wide and she turned her head from the billboard sign at the end of the street, to cars which were driving a couple of streets down, then to the crowd of people gathering, and finally to John and David’s worried faces.
It was all completely clear. Everything was as clear as if she was wearing her glasses – clearer, in fact. Her gaze returned to David and she saw the expression in his eyes. It was as if he had already known what she’d only just discovered.
Silently, David took the glasses from John, without taking his eyes from Nicole’s. He needed to get them away from this place, away from all these people.
He was still a little unnerved by the strength of Nicole’s emotions which had been pounding him ever since he’d got here. He wasn’t used to feeling someone else’s feelings so strongly. She was confused and terribly scared. He needed to get her back to the house and let her rest and regroup. “I’m going to get Nicole out of here,” he told John. “When the police arrive, I want you to find Officer Mark Stevenson, and tell him everything you told me. Don’t talk to anyone else but him. Do you understand?”
“Yeah,” John responded immediately. It was obvious he was confused, but the tone of David�
�s voice didn’t leave room for discussion.
David led Nicole to his car.
Almost all the pain and dizziness had gone, but Nicole was on edge. Her skin tingled, and her senses were heightened, just like they’d been in the forest. And strangely, she could see. “Where are we going?” she demanded.
“We’re going to my house. I think you should lie low for a few days.”
“I need some things from my apartment.”
David glanced over at her. Her eyes were wide, her gaze darting back and forth as if she couldn’t settle on anything. She was holding herself stiffly, as if she suspected if she moved, she could shatter. He couldn’t tell if she was in shock or terrified right now. Her emotions seemed to be incredibly confused. He finally decided she was probably a mix of both. “Okay, the apartment is on the way.”
Nicole waited for the car to stop before she opened the door and rushed out. “I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll come with—”
“NO!” Nicole interjected. She took a deep breath, tried to calm herself. “Please. I just need a few minutes to think. I’ll just be a few minutes, I promise.” Nicole rushed up to her apartment and started grabbing anything she thought she might need. After all, she didn’t know when she’d be able to come back here again. She surveyed the room for a minute and sank down onto her bed. What was happening to her?
“Going somewhere?”
Nicole jumped. The man with the strange eyes strolled into her bedroom, but instead of being afraid, Nicole got angry. “What the hell are you doing in my apartment?”
“Such hostility. I’m here to help you.”
Nicole stood up. “I don’t know what you know or think you know about my father, but I’m tired of all these games.”
The man’s smile faltered. She shouldn’t have remembered meeting him before. If she managed to remember that, she might remember… well, he’d have to make sure that didn’t happen. It would ruin everything. He took off his sunglasses and stared into her eyes.