My whole body goes cold. “Missing?”
She lowers her head in sadness, but I see the glimpse of a grin. “Yes, she disappeared yesterday.”
“I’m sorry.” I give her a small bow. “We will pray for her safe return.”
“Thank you.” She holds out her hand. “If you leave your name and phone number, I will call for the details as soon as we’ve chosen someone for your event.”
My brain goes into overdrive as I try to come up with a name and number. But the wheels inside my head are stuck.
Thankfully, Vicky’s brain works just fine. She takes a piece of paper and a pen from her pocket, scribbles something down and hands it to the nun. “Thank you so much for your help.”
“Any time, my child,” the nun says, and for a second, there’s a red glint in her eye. “Let me escort you out.”
I walk past her and beckon the others. “That’s okay, I’m sure we can find our way back.”
“I am happy to take you,” she says, not sounding happy at all. “After all, we wouldn’t want you to get lost.”
Once again, cold creeps up my ankles and onto my neck. Something is very wrong here, and I can’t wait to get out of this building. But I know we’ll have no choice but to come back. The way this woman speaks about the building and the missing sister tells me enough. The soul we need to save is still in here, and if we don’t find her soon, she’ll be lost.
We all let out a relieved sigh when the nun closes the front door behind us. It takes us all some time to recover. Meanwhile, I study the outside of the monastery and try to think of a way to get back in without anyone noticing. This might be hard, because all of the sisters appeared to be under some kind of evil spell or something.
I’m about to suggest googling a floorplan of the building when there’s a frightened shriek, followed by the slamming of a door.
My eyes move over our group, praying that I heard it wrong. That the shriek only sounded like someone I know.
When I see we’re one person short, I curse under my breath.
“That was Dylan,” Jeep remarks redundantly.
I turn and raise my hand to open the door.
“Don’t,” D’Maeo says, grabbing my arm. “We can’t go back in unprepared. You saw her eyes. All of their eyes. They are possessed.”
I grit my teeth. “All the more reason to go in now. If we don’t, they’ll possess Dylan too. Or worse…”
There’s no need to finish my sentence. D’Maeo lets go. “I see your point but going in without a plan would be foolish. Harsh as it may sound, if we lose Dylan, we can still win. If, however, we lose one of us…”
“That might be true, but I’m still not leaving a friend behind.”
“I’m not saying we should. But we need a plan.”
I throw my hands up in desperation. “Thinking of a plan will take too long!”
Jeep steps up between us. “Bickering about it will take even longer, guys.”
Kess raises her hand as if she’s in school. “I might have an idea.”
D’Maeo and I nod at the same time.
“I can disguise myself as one of them. While I distract them, you guys can try to find Dylan and get him out.”
I slam my hands together. “Works for me.”
D’Maeo frowns at Kessley. “Have you thought of a way to get out again? And a way to escape in case you’re exposed?”
“Yes, and no.”
I lower my hands. “I’m not trading you in for Dylan.”
She smiles brightly. “I’m glad.” She tilts her head. “How about I just holler if I need help? You can be my distraction then. If it comes to a fight, at least we’ll all be together.”
I glance at the old ghost for approval, and he scratches his beard. “I guess that’s the best we can do in such a short time.”
Kessley steps forward. “Okay, wish me luck.”
“Good l―”
Suddenly the front door swings open. The next thing I know, I’m lifted off my feet and pulled inside by an unseen force. The others are flying next to me, equally helpless. Maël clutches her staff tightly and opens her mouth to work her magic, but before she can utter a single syllable, we’re all turned upside down so abruptly that my breakfast rises to my lips. We spin several times before coming to a halt outside a closed door near the ceiling. I expect everyone to pull out their weapons or activate their powers, but no one moves. When I try to lift my hand and conjure a lightning ball, I understand why. We’re paralyzed. I can’t even blink anymore. But even if I could, the chilling scream that comes from the other side of the door would make me freeze now. I can tell by the muffled moans of my friends around me that I’m not the only one who recognizes Dylan’s desperate voice.
“No, please! I’m telling you the truth! I don’t know anything about a plan! I didn’t even know about… ouch! Please, stop! I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just met them!” His words are followed by a loud scream and sobbing.
Anger rises inside me. I can use my powers without moving, and I will.
I focus on the door, take in every detail of it, every carving made into it. My eyes follow the outline of each carved-in flower and branch. Inch by inch I imagine them filling up with ice. More and more ice until they burst apart. The wood groans in protest, and in my mind, it’s torn to pieces.
“You found her,” a raspy voice says from behind the door when Dylan finally stops crying. “You found the soul you were searching for. But she will be the last thing you see. As you will be the last thing she sees.”
I start to shake, and my concentration is broken. I’m hit by a roaring tornado and slam into a wall. The sound of breaking bones reaches my ears before my brain registers the pain. Then everything goes dark.
CHAPTER 15
“What is it?” Vicky sits up when my hands frantically check every bone in my body. I know I‘m still in one piece, I know that it was a premonition, but my brain keeps sending pain signals to my limbs.
Vicky rubs my back and waits patiently for me to calm down.
After about a minute, I lean back against the head rest of the bed and take a couple of deep breaths. “That was intense.”
Vicky shoots me a worried look. “I can tell. What did you see?”
I pull her closer to me to comfort my shaken body. “We were at the monastery. The nuns were all possessed. The soul we were searching for was missing, according to them. I guess Dylan didn’t believe them, because he snuck off when we left the building. He went through a door, found the nun there and got caught. We heard them torturing him.” My voice trembles at the thought. “We were pulled back inside, immobilized, and then…” I move my hand back to indicate my flight. “We were thrown against the wall by a tornado demon. Or several, I’m not sure, it happened so fast. The impact with the wall broke most of my bones.”
I shiver, and Vicky rubs both my arms.
“It’s okay, you got the premonition in time. Now we know what to expect and we know where to find the soul.”
“And we know we should listen to D’Maeo when he tells us we need a plan,” I mumble.
We sit still like this for a while, and slowly my heart and body settle down. Then I remember my plan to leave early and shoot upright. “What time is it?”
“It’s half past two.”
“Good… good.” I turn back to kiss her before jumping out of bed. “That leaves us an hour to come up with a plan.”
Vicky slides out of bed too. “I’ll wake the others while you get dressed.”
“Thanks, babe.”
I’m surprised at how alert my brain is when I go downstairs and join my Shield at the kitchen table.
“Sorry to wake you all so early, but I had a premonition.”
I wait for Mona, Dylan, Charlie and Gisella to join us before telling them the whole story.
“Are you sure it wasn’t a dream?” Dylan asks as soon as I finish.
“Yes,
I’m sure. Premonitions feel different than dreams; not just more real, but also more haunting. Besides, in dreams, things often don’t make sense. One minute it can be the middle of the night, and the next it’s dinnertime. Or I’m talking to Mona, but she has Mom’s face. Things like that. In my premonitions, everything fits.”
He shakes his head. “Not everything. I can’t imagine sneaking into a room in a monastery run by possessed nuns.”
“Maybe not, but you were going to do it anyway.”
Vicky slaps him on his back. “You must be braver than you think!”
“That’s unlikely,” he mumbles.
I lean onto the table, closer to him. “I’ve done some things I wouldn’t have considered possible myself lately. Fighting the Devil changes you. Trust me, you are brave.”
“He’s right,” D’Maeo says from the other side of the table. “You probably heard something behind that door, had to make a split decision and decided to check it out.”
“And that didn’t end well,” Dylan finishes gloomily.
I smile at him. “No, but thanks to my premonition, we can change that. We now know what to expect and where to look.” I slam my fist onto the table. “So let’s make a plan to save these sisters and ourselves.”
To my surprise, we manage to come up with one fast. Maybe it’s because we’ve seen so many battles already. We’re getting better at this. If only my nerves would get used to it too. The dark eyes of the nun keep swimming in front of me, and Dylan’s screams are on repeat in my head. Every time I move, the pain of all my broken bones shoots through me again.
I feel a bit better when I’ve devoured another one of Mona’s legendary breakfasts. Eggs and bacon on toast with a pinch of sparkles. I add two cups of coffee to wake myself up completely and get to my feet. “Right, everyone in the cars in five minutes.”
“Aye, aye, sir,” Charlie says, saluting before stuffing the leftovers into his mouth.
While Mona’s sparkles clear the table, the fairy godmother herself pulls herbs and snacks from the cupboards and hands them to Vicky.
She winks at me when I watch her with wide eyes. “I did some shopping. With a new soul to save, I knew you’d need new supplies.”
“Thanks, Mona.” I smile at her. “What would we do without you?”
“It’s nothing, really. I’m glad I can help.”
Jeep is frowning at the card we put in the jar. “If only we knew what that boomerang meant.”
I slap my forehead. “I forgot to tell you! In my premonition, we knew what it was. Kessley mentioned it to the nun.”
Kessley looks up from the dishes. “I did?”
“Yes, it’s not a boomerang. It’s a croissant. We need to save a nun that bakes croissants.”
“I like her already,” Charlie mumbles with his mouth full.
“She’s a nun,” I say, emphasizing the last word.
He stops munching for a second. “So?”
“So, you’re not exactly a model citizen.”
He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. “What do you mean? I’m spending my whole summer break fighting demons to help save the world!”
I roll my eyes. “Yes, but before that.”
He lowers his voice. “Before that, I tried several things to find enlightenment.”
I punch him on the arm. “You’re so full of shit.”
He pats his belly contently. “Full of eggs, bacon and toast actually. Thanks to Mona.”
Jeep stands up and places his hat on his head in a graceful motion. “The five minutes are almost up.”
Charlie pushes the last of his second breakfast into his cheeks and rises too. “Mm dun.”
Gisella shakes her head at him. “You should’ve been done ten mouthfuls ago.”
Taylar snorts, but Kessley defends my best friend. “It’s not his fault he needs so much fuel for his power.”
“I know, I still love him.” Gisella kisses him on the cheek so enthusiastically he spits pieces of egg.
Jeep pushes past them. “Can we please stop the smooching and get going?”
I follow him to the front door with a smile on my face. “Great idea.”
We file into the two cars and wave goodbye to Mona. Charlie follows me out of the forest and then out of Blackford. As soon as my hometown is nothing but a speck in the rearview mirror, I repeat the plan to my Shield.
“Do you think it will work?” Vicky asks, resting one arm on each seat in front of her.
“I think it’s a good plan, but…” I hesitate.
“Tell us,” Jeep urges me.
“I’m a bit worried about the tornado demons.”
Jeep adjusts his hat, but half of it still merges with the roof of my car. “You don’t think Dylan’s idea is a good one?”
I shrug. “He said himself that he wasn’t sure it would work. How did he explain it again?”
D’Maeo repeats Dylan’s words. “Wind is caused by air flowing from high pressure to low pressure. Areas of high and low pressure are caused by ascending and descending air. If the pressure is the same everywhere, there will no longer be any wind.”
“Right…” I say slowly.
“As air warms, it ascends, leading to low pressure at the surface,” he continues. “As air cools, it descends, leading to high pressure at the surface.”
I groan. This is like being in school again. And although I’m a meteokinetic, meteorology is obviously not my strong suit.
Jeep fumbles with his hat again. “Which means you need to cool down the lower part of the demons to the same temperature of the upper part.”
“Okay, okay, I got that.” I rub the steering wheel, trying to envision how that cooling down would work. “The thing is… how do I know up to which height I need to cool them? And how much?”
Vicky squeezes my shoulder. “Try not to worry about the details too much. Just start from the lowest part and work your way up. You’ll know when you’ve reached the spot where the air is already cool because the tornado will cease to exist.”
Briefly, I turn my head to her. “You understand this stuff?”
Her eyes sparkle. “I’m smarter than I look.”
“Then you must be ridiculously smart,” Kessley comments from the back seat.
Vicky blows her a kiss over her shoulder.
Phoenix roars contently as I put my foot a little firmer on the gas. John Hiatt sings to me on the radio to have a little faith. And I decide that I will. After all, Dylan came into our lives with a reason. Even if I can’t defeat these demons with my powers, we’ll find another way. We always do.
Since I don’t feel like worrying for the rest of the way, I turn up the radio and let the music take me back to the fifties, sixties and seventies.
CHAPTER 16
When we arrive in Cottonwood, the streets are starting to fill up with morning traffic, and my stomach is rumbling. I guess all the singing we did on the way here made me hungry again. We stop at a diner for some pancakes, and Charlie walks up to us with a big smile after parking his car behind mine. “Are we having second breakfast?”
“More like third for you,” Taylar jokes.
I put my arm around him as we walk to the door. “I need some more coffee. Let my eyes adjust to something else than the road. Besides…” I glance at the others following close behind. “I want to go through the plan one last time.”
Dylan and my Shield turn solid, and we sit down at a large table in the corner. Suddenly it feels like a day out with the family, and that feeling is strengthened when the waiter brings us two giant plates of pancakes.
Of course, it doesn’t taste nearly as good as something with fairy godmother sparkles in it, but it’s still a treat. While we all enjoy this feast, we quietly go over our plan again.
When the waiter comes to pick up our empty plates, I feel a lot better. I actually have a good feeling about this. We’re well-prepared for once. I wipe some sugar from my mout
h and stand up. “Okay, let’s go do this.”
Charlie refuses to let me pay and walks to the cash register. When he steps outside, he holds up a cupcake with a broad smile.
Kessley’s mouth falls open. “Where does he leave all of that? There can’t be any room left.”
I grin. “I have no idea, but at least he’s prepared for a fight.”
“True.”
We all get into the two cars, and I lead the way to the monastery.
The closer we get, the darker the sky becomes. With each street we drive through, the newly built houses all around the monastery seem older and more neglected, even though I know they aren’t. We found some pictures of the neighborhood, and it showed light houses and a beautiful monastery with flowers blooming all around it and bright green trees. Now it looks even worse than it did in my premonition. It’s as if a shadow has fallen over the building. Even over the whole street. All traffic goes around this block. We’re the only ones driving on the street, and there are no pedestrians, even though it’s been busy all along the way from the diner. I’d think the street was invisible if it wasn’t for the many parents urging their children to hurry past the dark place to the new school. The houses here all have their front windows covered, and their cars must be parked out back because there’s not a single one in sight. Two blocks back, the plants weren’t too healthy, and the colors of the flowers were dull, but here, everything green has died. All color has been drained from flowers and houses, and the trees are nothing more than dry sticks.
I slowly drive past the monastery to check it out. It looks the same as it did in my premonition, except darker. I park at the end of the street, and Charlie stops behind me. Without a word, we all get out and sneak up to the gloomy building.
I turn to Jeep. “Are you ready?”
He nods and cracks his fingers.
“Good luck.”
He, Maël and Kessley slip between the outer wall and the dead trees.
We wait quietly for the tattooed ghost to attract the attention of the nuns inside.
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