“We wait.”
“How long?”
“Until she decides she has the ability to take control. Could be minutes or it could be days. She has been away from her body for such a long time.” Max reached out and ran his hand over the top of Prudence’s body, being careful not to touch the dry flesh.
“This is uncanny,” Shawn said over my shoulder, and I turned to look at my brother.
“What is?”
“She looks so much like you it is almost as if you could be sisters.” Shawn peered down at the body and frowned.
“I hate to ask this but we need you to go ahead and leave,” Max said, looking back at us.
“But I want to be here when she wakes up,” I interjected, hoping that the plea in my voice would be enough to convince them to let me stay.
“I’m sorry, Dawn, but we have to finish the incantation and you cannot be in here for this. We do not know what it would do to you. Plus, just in case, we don’t want her having to take refuge in your body again.” Max led us to the door.
I looked over my shoulder at her several times, just hoping she would open her eyes before we were on the other side of the doorway. Sadly there was no such luck. When the door closed, blocking my view, I had no idea if Prudence was alive or dead.
Chapter Twenty-Two: Sweet Lucidity
“How do you feel?” Wesley asked as he walked me back into the house.
“All right I guess.” I shrugged. I had tried several times to call out to her telepathically but in none of those instances was there a response.
“You don’t look well. Your eyes have dulled and you seem paler.” Wesley put his hand on my back.
“I just had a second soul ripped from my body. I doubt anyone comes out looking like a supermodel after an experience like that.” I was meaning it to come out as a joke, instead it took on a new tone.
“I don’t like this look.” Wesley pulled my face towards his. “Your eyes are pale. I think something is wrong.” He was concerned about me, I knew that. I just didn’t care one way or the other about what he was saying. “Maybe we should go and see your father,” Wesley said, trying to figure out what was wrong with me by scanning my face for any other changes.
“Why are you always trying to impress him? It’s not going to change the way he feels about this.” I pointed between him and me.
“Where did that come from? I’m not trying to impress anyone. This just looks like something your father would know about.” He let me go and put his hands to his side.
“I’m sorry, Wesley. This day has been one thing after the other since I woke up this morning. I just want to lay down and go to sleep.” I tried to sound sympathetic.
“Yeah. That’s fine. I think I’m going to go for a walk.” He turned and left me standing in the kitchen.
I put my head in my hand and growled. Of course this would happen. I would relinquish the one soul that was probably keeping me healthy. If I was like my father in any way this meant that I needed another contract, otherwise I was going to waste away.
I had a feeling this was what Aaron had been talking about. I hadn’t noticed that I was malnourished. I just knew that my carnal urge to possess someone had come to a head on prom night. If it had not been Aaron it could have been anyone.
I wasn’t going to make another contract with a random person. I was going to have to talk to my father about this. He was the only one that could explain to me the other ways that one could solidify a contract without having actually to try to possess their body.
Tonight wasn’t the night, though. So I crawled up the stairs and into my room. I didn’t even bother turning on the light; I walked straight towards the bed and collapsed.
She was gone. She was no longer a part of me. I had missed her before but now it was worse. This was like losing a part of me that I had created. Only I hadn’t created her. She had put the thought in my head and she was what I became. The mannerisms weren’t me, they were her.
I closed my eyes to stop the memories. I didn’t know where Wesley had gone, either. That just made the whole thing worse. Was she the reason that this second chance had even happened? For so long I said that I couldn’t be with him because of the change in him. Yet I had proven that part of me to be wrong. I could be with him.
Yet all this shit with Adam and Aaron, then Wesley, and hearing how I was a prime target because of the love I had for all three. It was really making me think. I didn’t want to think, I wanted to forget. I laid there in the dark trying to keep my thoughts straight. I didn’t even notice that I had fallen asleep.
***
I woke up the next morning and instantly felt alone. Wesley wasn’t lying next to me and I felt the absence of the being that had been in my body. I rolled onto my back and put my hands in my hair.
“Why the long face?” I heard a female voice and I shot up into a sitting position.
Standing at the end of my bed was a woman who looked so much like me it was ridiculous. I gave her a smile as I jumped off the bed and ran at her, throwing my arms around her.
“You lived!” I exclaimed.
“Yes,” she laughed. Her voice held an accent that I could not place. I suppose in our own minds we let go of what people really sounded like.
“I am so happy for you.” I felt my heart pounding.
“I’m just glad to have my body back.” She touched her chest. I hadn’t even noticed that someone had given her a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt to wear. The old vintage dress was probably bug-infested and fell apart easily.
“I do miss our conversations,” I joked.
“Well, once you knew I was there…I have to admit that I’ve been missing them as well.” She touched my shoulder. “Dawn, I think we need to talk.”
“What about?” I asked as I sat down on the edge of the bed and my doppelganger sat next to me.
“You,” she said, her blue eyes penetrating mine.
“What about me?” I let out a nervous laugh.
“You love this boy. I know that; you know that. Is he the one that you want?” She eyed me suspiciously.
“Of course.”
“What about Adam?” She raised her eyes at me.
“Adam made it loud and clear that we are and will only be friends. Best friends,” I said. The one thing I had forgotten was that she was there through all of the last few months of jumping between Adam, Aaron, and now Wesley.
“I was present for all of that,” she winked. “What I’m asking is what you want.”
“I want Wesley,” I said.
“Then you need to let the others go.” She touched my head. “The memories I saw in your mind had so much emotion. You care so deeply for these three. Now, I know that Aaron wasn’t supposed to become one of these but he managed to wiggle his way into your heart. I just think that you may be settling for Wesley because Adam isn’t available.”
“I don’t think that,” I said cautiously. Even though, right at that moment, that was exactly what I had started to question.
“When you first came back, Wesley called you codependent. Yet he has been hell-bent on getting back into your heart. Now, because you have always loved him, you allow it since it isn’t something new. He already knows you,” Prudence sighed. “At the camp you did well keeping your emotions under control. You didn’t slip up and let it be known that he was the reason you were there.”
“I am sure I had help with that.”
“Very much. Your demeanor for the persona you chose was all wrong. That, my dear, was all me.” She gave me a crooked smile.
“Why are you so concerned about me?” I fidgeted.
“You took care of me. You may not have known I was there most of the time but you still took care of me.” She flashed me a smile. “I have visions like your Wesley, you know.”
“You do?” I asked, my eyes lifting.
“Yes. I am the priestess, my love. I am the protector of the earth commonwealth
.” She laughed.
“Are his visions true?” I asked. “Wesley never told me what he really saw, he just told me the pieces that he thought I needed to know.”
“Yes and no. His visions are warnings. He can see a current or past action and then instantly foretell the outcome. He found loopholes, however. On how to fix an image before it could happen.” She put up her finger. “For instance. When he was with Miranda he could get through the vision process and provide for her a favorable outcome. However, if he warned the victim prior to the vision coming true, he could alter the path.”
“Like he did with Helen.”
“Helen wasn’t warned until the day. She wasn’t told until she was in the hands of the neutralizer. The fact he said your name is what saved her.” Prudence winked at me.
“So you think, because he’s telling me these visions, he’s trying to alter the true outcome?” I asked.
“No, I would be more worried about the ones he’s not telling you about.” She looked concerned.
“You think he’s hiding something?” I asked.
“No, not at all,” she sighed. “I’m just saying that you need to be careful.”
“You think he’s going to hurt me? Go back to Miranda?” I couldn’t take the implications of what she was suggesting. Then again, I didn’t understand them.
“No, that boy loves you. There is no question there. He just has a power to control a lot more than you think. Everyone is treating him like he’s just a simple harbinger, that his mother wasn’t as powerful as me.” Her eyes were wider and her mouth snapped shut.
“You said with age comes power.” I was even more lost.
“Yes. I may have said too much in one sitting. I have a meeting with your mother to discuss other matters concerning my work here.” She leaned over and hugged me.
“Thank you for coming,” I said as she stood up.
“I will be here always, Dawn. Where you go I shall follow.” She gave me a bow and left the room.
So while Prudence’s visit was a welcome one it also opened up a lot of questions. I felt like something had been unlocked. So Wesley was far stronger than any of us thought. This also explained why Sheridan wanted him back. If things didn’t go the way she wanted, she could use him to alter the timeline to create a beneficial outcome.
“What are you thinking about?” my father asked, walking into the room.
Today seemed to be the day for visitors.
“Nothing, Dad,” I lied.
“Oh, well I thought maybe you were trying to figure out why you are getting sick.” He put his hands on his hips and walked towards me.
“I’m not sick,” I stated.
“Yes you are. I should have known this would happen,” he grumbled.
“That what would happen?” I asked.
“That your body would instantly go into shutdown if you didn’t have a soul to claim.” He sat down and grabbed my face.
“I went over 18 years without having this issue,” I groaned, trying to get free.
“Then you went off and started claiming souls,” he grumbled, then let me go.
“I’m fine,” I said again.
“No you are not,” my father stated.
“Then what do you suggest?” I was happy to have my face free from his grasp.
“I suggest we get you another claim,” he said sadly.
“I don’t want another claim,” I growled.
“You don’t have a choice. You’re unbalanced. This is what did it to the last girl. She thought she could go without a claim and wound up dead.” He glared at me.
“I don’t want to do it again. Twice is enough for me.” I crossed my arms.
“You may not want to but you need to. You and Krista are the only two that have had to make contracts. Krista’s was in blood while yours was in emotion. I can get you a blood contract,” he frowned.
“No, Dad!” I yelled at him.
“You don’t have a choice.” He was getting irritated with me.
“Yes I do, Dad. I can choose not to claim another person’s soul.” I stood up and paced the room.
“Then you should have thought about that before you did it the first time,” he seethed.
“I didn’t even know what I was doing. You and Mom were hellbent on not telling me what I was. Like not telling me was going to make none of this happen.” I shot him a death glare.
“You are out of line.” His voice was becoming deeper. His eyes were changing.
“I’m out of line! I seem to recall that all of this happened because I didn’t know what I was.” I felt the fire prickling at my fingers.
“So I should just let you die?” he asked, his body shaking.
“If that is what it takes not to claim another soul.”
The fireball hit me in the chest, hard. I flew backwards, my back connecting with the wall. Landing on my feet, I turned on him. The fire that shot from my hands was weak compared to his attack and shortly after I shot it I fell to the floor in a ball. My dad’s hands were on me in a heartbeat, lifting me up and placing me back on my bed.
“I wish you would just listen to me,” he groaned.
“No more souls!” I said harshly.
“You need something,” he insisted.
“Just let me die,” I growled.
“Stubborn girl.” He sighed at me before leaving my room.
I assumed he went to find help. Or to see if someone knew any way to trick my body into going back to normal. When he didn’t return for hours on end I did become concerned. However, that one single fireball had drained me and I was down for the count.
Chapter Twenty-Three: The Quest
It would seem that I was trapped in my own mind. I saw the house outside of Midvale. There were creatures lurking around, waiting for someone to exit the home. Did they not know we were gone?
“They are perfectly aware that you are not here.” Sheridan’s voice echoed through the depths of my mind.
“Then why am I seeing this?” I asked.
“It would appear that I had no need for a weakening agent this time. You were able to weaken yourself all on your own,” she laughed.
“That doesn’t explain why I am here.”
“I called you here because I have something that you may want.” I could hear her but I could not see her. It was as if she was part of the air around me.
“How could you possibly have what I might want?” I questioned the universe around me.
“You see, you may have tied up the loose ends with your incubus and protector but you forgot about one tiny little blonde detail.” Sheridan’s voice was full of hatred.
“She is nothing,” I said, as normally as I could.
“She is human,” Sheridan corrected me. “A blind human at that.”
“What have you done with Nadine?” I demanded. I was angry but the weak state of my body was not allowing me to feel any of the fire within.
“I have her in a safe place.” There was a hanging silence. “For now.”
“What do you want from me?” I clenched my fists together.
“I no longer care about the harbinger or the protector. After much observation on my part I think you would be a better hostage than any of them.” Sheridan’s image flickered in front of me.
“I do not understand what you are asking.” I felt worthless. What could I ever do to save Nadine?
“You must find me, dear princess. Find me and the human is yours. Until then the attacks on your people will not stop. If you are not on your way by morning, I will make sure that your camp falls.”
“How could you possibly pull that off?” I growled.
“As your people grow fewer, mine grow larger.”
“Because you threaten their families and kill those that do not wish to join you!” I screamed at the apparition.
“It works, doesn’t it?” Sheridan shimmered.
“It’s dirty. Then again, what
do I expect from a woman like yourself?”
“Dearest Dawn. How you break my heart.”
She made a sour face.
“I will be watching you,” she said, and I felt like I was falling.
I fell through darkness with the images of those that I loved flashing before my eyes. I had to do this, there was no option. She would kill Nadine if I ignored it. I couldn’t tell Wesley, he would try and stop me.
I woke with a jump, my body hurting from head to toe. I growled as I rolled around in pain. I needed strength if I was going to do this. I needed sustenance. I needed a soul.
***
“Your mother said you needed to see me?” Marshall asked, walking into the room. I was sitting up, writing frantically in my journal.
“Yes, Marshall. I have a huge favor to ask of you.” I patted the bed beside me and he walked in and sat down next to me.
“I have to go on a journey,” I frowned. “I am not well as you can tell.”
“What journey do you need to go on?” He asked, looking at me.
“Sheridan has Nadine. I have to be gone by morning or she’s going to launch a full-out assault.” I blinked at him a few times.
“So what do you need from me?”
“I need a claim. I need to be holding onto something very important.” I was trying to talk myself out of this.
“Anything.” He grabbed my hand.
“Will you give me your soul?” I asked, then closed my eyes. That sounded so incredibly stupid.
“Will it hurt?” He raised his eyebrows at me.
“Not you. Everything goes on as normal. It just means that, if you are killed, I will be able to make sure your soul is not reaped or sent to the wrong place.” I coughed.
“I will do this on one condition.”
“And that is?” I frowned.
“You have to take me with you,” he said, looking me straight in the face.
“I couldn’t do that.” I shook my head at him.
“Yes you can if you want my soul to protect.” He was persistent.
“If I take you I’m going to have to take Kelly,” I grumbled.
“You are smart. Where I go, she goes.” He smiled at me.
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