Chapter Twenty-Nine – An Unsuspected Alliance Forms
The next day, after feeding the twins, I run into Nicholas as I approach the terminal building. “Good morning Nicholas. Have you seen Jackson this morning?”
“No. Have you tried beeping him?”
“Not yet, I’ll catch up to him later.”
“Can I do something to help?”
“No. It’s nothing important.”
“I have to go and pick some vegetables to give the cook. How about you come with me and give me a hand, then we can look for Jackson. I could really use the help.” Despite his innocuous words, he sounds concerned about something.
We make fast work of picking. Nicholas comes over to me to put his vegetables in the basket. “Have you heard from Andrew yet? What condition was the hospital in when they arrived? How many were hurt?” His questions are fast and his voice full of concern.
“He called last night but the reception was bad and they rushed him off the line so he didn’t really say. Did you hear from anyone?”
“No, but that’s typical. They get focused and can’t see past what needs to be done. I tried calling Serena, but it kept going to her voice mail. Mia, can I ask you something very personal?” The intensity of his stare reminds me of our first encounter, but without the anger.
“I suppose.”
His eyes shift down as he fidgets with the pepper in his hand and his tone sounds strained. “One night when you were in Katrina’s room I heard you say that you wished that you could have traded places with her and that it should have been you there instead. Did you mean that? Would you have traded places with her knowing that you would no longer exist if you did?”
My stomach flips and I feel unnerved knowing Nicholas heard me. I knew Andrew had, but knowing he did too, I can’t help but wonder how many others heard that and other conversations.
Remaining mute as I consider this, I see Nicholas’ eyes shoot up to mine. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up.” He mutters apologetically, his features are torn, and his stare bores into my eyes, pleading with me to answer.
I shake my head. “Um…No…You just caught me off guard. I didn’t realize anyone else heard. Even now, I feel responsible for taking away the twins’ mother. When the accident occurred if I could have been the one destroyed, I would have gladly traded places. We didn’t always agree, but I never wanted to see her hurt, especially not because of me. I just hope that she is with David and my mother and that they are able to watch their children grow without being too disappointed at the choices I make in raising them.” I hesitate, but then continue. “Can I ask what brought this on?”
His eyes shift down again. “I was just curious.” His tone is laced with anxiety and I know there is something more to it. “People are always worrying about themselves and saying things they really don’t mean.”
My mouth opens, I want to say more, but know he still doesn’t trust me enough to tell me what is going on. I close it before his eyes shift back to me knowing it would be unwise to push it with everyone gone, and fearful that our uneasy relationship could turn negative or even dangerous again. We search for Jackson, but no one has seen him since yesterday. As we continue through the buildings, I’m nervous but try and talk with Nicholas. “Is there something bothering you Nicholas? I can be a good listener. With all the mistakes I’ve made, I try not to pass judgment on anyone and…from our earlier conversation, you seem like you need to talk.”
“What makes you say that?” His tone waivers and he appears nervous.
“Your questions…they..um..they sound as if something is troubling you” My tone becomes softer. “I suspect that you and Jonathan are on the outs by the way he looked at you yesterday.” I can’t help but stare down at my ringing hands and my tone is now almost inaudible. “I just want you to know that you can talk to me.”
I can tell from his features he is shocked. “You mean that don’t you?” In those five words I can also hear his need to talk to someone about whatever is going on with him and find that I really do want to be there for him, to help him.
Unwinding my hands, I shakily reach for his to stop him from walking. He turns to me. “I do mean it! You can talk to me.”
In that moment, all of the trepidation, anger and unrest I have seen him hold regarding me seems to dissipate and in this unguarded moment, his voice fills with wonder. “Andrew is right about you, you are special. I can see why he has fallen for you. He is very lucky because you will fight for him no matter what.” He smiles shyly. “Mia, I appreciate everything you did for me. I want you to know that my hesitation is not because I am up to anything. I’m not.” I can hear his sincerity. “It’s just…I’m not sure what’s happening, so I can’t really say now.” His voice turns serious. “We need to find Jackson, he has never disappeared before. We should split up. I can move faster on my own and you could check the remaining buildings. Keep calling him, but promise me you won’t leave this area, leave the outside to me.”
I start for the next building, but he places his hands on my shoulders turning me to him. “Mia, I’m serious, don’t leave the buildings!”
“Nicholas what’s going on? What do you think happened to Jackson?”
He shakes his head, and I can see his worry. “I don’t know, but I know what happened to me when I disappeared. I don’t want you to be caught up in the middle of something like that so promise me!” His voice is laced with concern and from the way he looks at me, I know it’s not just for Jackson; he is truly concerned for me too.
“I promise.”
“As you go along, tell the staff that the patients are restricted to the courtyard area and inside.”
“I’ll tell them now. Do you want me to find Jonathan?”
“No! Not yet. Let me see what I can discern.” He’s gone before I can ask why.
Sure that Jonathan could move as fast and they could cover twice the ground, I’m confused as to why he wouldn’t ask him to help, but then as I think about his tone when he said “no” I wonder if he suspects Jonathan of having something to do with Jackson’s disappearance. I close my eyes to calm my raging thoughts and hope he will return soon so I can ask him and hopefully with Jackson.
I go to the psychiatric building knowing the patients there will be the first ones out. I see William and tell him personally. When he questions me as to why, I don’t want him worrying so I say that one of the attendants saw a bear a little too close last night. I tell the same story to the others. I keep trying Jackson, but each time it goes to voicemail, my heart becomes heavier and heavier. What if they captured him and are torturing him like Nicholas? Fear grips my heart and is squeezing it like a vice. I become lightheaded and need to sit for a minute. Jackson wouldn’t have strayed far from the grounds, I know it. What if they are close and what if they get Nicholas too?
I dial Nicholas and am relieved when he answers. “Mia, is everything alright?”
I can feel the air returning to my lungs and answer breathy. “I’m worried about you! You’re out there alone, what if someone is out there? What if they get you too? I think you should keep this line open so I could hear if anything happens to you.” He chuckles and I know why. I am not strong or fast. What could I possibly do to save him if he does run into trouble? “Humor me. You never know, maybe I could help or find someone who can. Please leave this line open!” I plead.
“Alright, I’ll place it in my pocket.
Placing the earpiece in, so I can hear Nicholas, I go to check on the twins, giving Martin and Suzanne the same story to ensure they stay in the residency. Martin and Suzanne are watching television and feeding them. I go through the buildings again, my attention never diverting from the whooshing wind at the other end of the line.
Nicholas yells. Grabbing the phone, I scream. “What’s wrong, are you alright?” I know he can hear me despite having the telephone in his pocket. Relief washes through me and I fall onto a nearby bench as he answers me.
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“I’m fine. I just stumbled into a deep gorge I wasn’t expecting. I’m sorry I worried you. I’m going to keep looking.” When he returns the telephone in his pocket, it’s as if someone has covered the mouthpiece. I can’t hear the wind and find myself straining to hear any evidence that he is alright. It isn’t helpful that my heart is now pounding in my ears as I grow even more anxious for him. Finally, to my relief, whatever was interfering must have shaken loose and I can hear again. My heart slows to just overanxious and at least I can get back up and move.
My phone beeps. The caller ID reveals it is Andrew. I desperately want to talk to him, but am afraid to leave Nicholas on his own. Something is going on. I can feel it, an eerie feeling of something dangerous that causes the hair on the back of my neck to stand on end.
I would never forgive myself if I click over and something happened to Nicholas. I decide to wait until I get to another line and then I will try Andrew. I slip the phone back into my pocket and start toward the contagious building.
The angel on my shoulder shouts. You promised Nicholas you wouldn’t leave the courtyard. She halts me in my tracks, but then my devilish side appears. You said you’d check out all the buildings and warn everyone not to leave the area. You haven’t gone down there and you haven’t been able to contact them. What if Jackson is down there and his phone died. All this fuss would be for nothing and Nicholas is wasting time or may even be at risk for nothing. I push off my angel and walk with determination down toward the building.
I’m almost there. The trees rustle behind me. I freeze, turn my head and then force myself to continue moving, looking over my shoulder. When I see nothing, I face forward, running right into Jonathan. His face is wrought with a murderous glare. I step back. The ferocity of his features startles me and is more frightening than Nicholas’ the day I spilled coffee on him.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t see you.” I force the words, feeling strangled.
He continues staring, saying nothing.
My eyes widen, there is something in his features that is not right, something all consuming. He’s never seemed to hold animosity toward me before, but at this moment, he looks as if he wants to kill me. My angel slaps me across the face hard and I blink. There is no time to dwell on why he is looking at you this way. Move! Move now!
“Jonathan, I have to go.” I squeak, but he doesn’t budge. “Please excuse me. I have to get to the contagious building.”
He moves toward me, blocking my way. With each step, his features become more determined, his eyes fiercer, darker. I gasp, knowing I could lose my life in the blink of an eye. Stepping back into a set of hot hands which grasp my shoulders, I scream. I jump, whoever has me jumps, but Jonathan remains immobile. Turning my head, my eyes meet Nicholas’. He drops his hands, positioning himself between us.
“Mia, I told you not to leave the courtyard area!” His voice is anxious, his eyes boring into Jonathan’s who is now staring at him, angrily.
With each passing second, my heart rages wildly, fear constricts my throat and I struggle to answer. “I…I was going to check the contagious building in case Jackson was there.” Nicholas’ body tenses as if ready for battle. What could have transpired between them to go from working together to deceive me to this?
Before I can contemplate this further, Nicholas places his hand around my back. “Come. I’ll go with you.” As he moves me around Jonathan, he steps between us once more, keeping his head turned and Jonathan in his sight.
Although I once thought of Nicholas as my enemy, I’m glad to have him with me now knowing Jonathan would not have let me pass without his interference. I want to ask Nicholas how he knew where I was, but he is moving us so quickly, he practically carries me into the building quickly. Once inside, “What is going on with him? How did you know…”
“Mia, I heard you on the phone and it was a good thing you told him where you were headed. I thought I told you to stay on the grounds!” His embrace surprises me. When he releases me, his features reveal his relief. “Are you sure you’re alright?”
“I’m fine, but what is going on with Jonathan?”
A staff member moves toward us and Nicholas asks about Jackson. “He was here about two yesterday.”
We head out. I stop between the double doors. “Nicholas, you need to tell me what’s going on!” I beg.
His voice is low and serious. “I’m not sure myself, but there seems to be a lot of activity in the woods, shadows and more of us, but not the half-breeds! That’s why I keep moving so fast and don’t want you past the main buildings!” He states strongly. He opens his mouth again, closes it, and then opens it once more, speaking with a hint of trepidation. “Mia, I have to tell you something, but I don’t know what it means and I am not doing it intentionally, I promise you. Since I came back and realized how wrong I was, Jonathan has fought with me, warning me that my reform will bring about my destruction and destroy our family.” This surprises me, but does explain the noticeable strain between them. He clears his throat, bringing me from my introspection. “That’s not all. I have a stronger connection to Andrew. I can feel him more, what he’s feeling and even thinking.” His voice trails off and his eyes shift to the floor. “It’s like he is an extension of me or I’m an extension of him. We had a connection before and affected each other, but I have never felt him as intensely as I do now.” He becomes distracted, talking more to himself as if he’s trying to work something out. “I feel and hear it all. The same must be happening to him as well. It’s as if I am having a second conversation in my head that’s not mine and living two lives at once.” He’s back from wherever he was and looks at me. “I don’t know why it’s happening, what started it or how long it will last, but right now, it is the strongest, most powerful pull I have ever felt between us!”
“You’re telling me you feel everything he’s feeling and have for a while!” I yelp aghast. The heat rushes to my face. Did he know what Andrew was thinking when we were together or when we shared… I can’t let myself go there.
His face registers understanding. “Mia, there is nothing to feel ashamed of. I can see how much you love Andrew and I can feel how much he’s fighting to keep what he feels for you from coming to the surface, like in the...” He pauses and I flush crimson. He’s seen them too. “You have to know! Fight for him no matter what happens!” His voice is pleading. He touches my hand and his gray-blue eyes sparkle like blue diamonds, like Andrew’s eyes. I gasp. He drops his hand immediately. His eyes shift downward, not wanting to meet my look. “I have to keep searching. Stay in the building area. Does everyone know there is no going out?”
Taking his hand, I don’t want him thinking I gasped because he touched me. “I’m sorry, your resemblance to Andrew seems even more pronounced and it catches me off guard sometimes. It wasn’t you! Everyone is staying inside.”
Reaching the psychiatric building, he turns to leave, but I grasp his wrist. “Nicholas, please be careful. Open the line again! I’m worried for you and need to know what’s happening.”
He looks surprised, probably from my earnestness. “You mean that don’t you. You’re worried for me.”
“I do mean it! I don’t want anything bad to happen to you!” My hand brushes his cheek and I can feel my oncoming nervous tears.
He smiles. “It’s funny how far you and I have come. Thank you Mia.” He reaches into his pocket, opens the phone, and dials my number. As I reach to get the earpiece, he is gone. I hear the air pass through the line and know he’s traveling quickly.
Knowing he can hear me, I whisper in the mouthpiece. “Nicolas, be careful and stay away from Jonathan. I’m afraid for you. I need you to come back!”
My hands are shaking and the tears are now rolling down my cheeks. I wipe them, secure the earpiece and go upstairs.
Martin and Suzanne are retiring for the evening. I’m surprised to learn that the news never mentioned the collapse.
Entering th
e kitchen, I call Andrew, but it goes straight to voicemail. Concerned that something’s happened to Jackson and the danger Nicholas is in, I leave a message for him to call the spare phone.
Checking on the twins, Nicholas is up, but not crying. Picking him up, I sit in the rocker.
My anxiety level and quick rocking doesn’t seem to bother him. I’m concentrating on the whooshing sound in my ear. Every so often, as if he can sense my heightened concern, Nicholas mutters a quiet reassurance. “Mia, I’m still moving. I’m fine, but I haven’t found him yet.”
Nicholas falls asleep. Putting him in his crib, I move toward and stare out the window straining to see any signs of movement. I am not prepared for what catches my eyes. Marcus, dressed in his hospital gown is crossing the courtyard. The window reverberates as I violently shove it open, shouting out to him, but he doesn’t even shift his head. His pace quickens as he reaches the edge of the woods.
Slamming the window shut, I run out. I can’t see Marcus but run into the woods where he entered, shouting his name. Looking around frantically for any signs of him, I wish I brought a flashlight. It’s a new moon, the forest is pitch.
Finally, I catch sight of a white cloth moving far ahead of me. “Marcus, stop! Wait for me!” He doesn’t even hesitate. Picking up the pace, I fall over the uneven ground which is impossible to maneuver blind. Rising again, I push on and finally begin gaining ground. The area is getting brighter. I gasp. Marcus is heading toward the lake. It is all aglow. I can’t make sense of what I’m seeing. Fire appears to be rising from the rippling water. I’m frozen with fright and feel as if shards of ice have replaced the blood flowing in my veins. The flames move, traveling across the water’s edge inching over the surface toward the middle of the lake as if forging a path for Marcus to follow. I can’t breathe as my eyes now focus on two people standing in a boat in the center of the lake beckoning him. His father and brother are engulfed in the approaching flames, but don’t burn.
My icy blood finally shocks my brain and I realize the flames are not flames at all but blazing shadows.
I scream and begin moving again. “Marcus, stop! We can go together. Please wait!” He quickens his pace, forging toward his beckoning family. The glowing water allows me to astutely avoid the rocks and I almost close the gap when something hits me from behind and I go flying forward, hitting my head on the thick roots protruding above the ground. Unsure of whether I lost consciousness and lost precious time, I stand up quickly, my head spinning wildly.
Forcing my head to move, I see the scene has shifted. The flames are not as bright. The area around the lake is overrun by shadowy pale faced creatures. Marcus is half way through the fiery path. I blink wildly, not believing what is in the distance. Jackson and Nicholas are fighting with several very muscular creatures whose faces appear maddened and burning with the desire to kill. There are too many of them on Nicholas and Jackson. They can’t break free and Marcus is going to drown heading to what he believes is his family, but it’s just an illusion. I’m taken aback as my mind grasps the reason for such an illusion. They won’t just grab him; they need him to kill himself to hold his soul.
“Marcus, stop! It is not them, Marcus please turn around!” I scream, torn between running after him and the scene behind me. Looking at Jackson and Nicholas, I try to concentrate on what I’m seeing, hoping it is a mirage too, but their image does not shift, it isn’t a mirage, it’s a nightmare!
They shout. “Go after Marcus!”
I run, trudge through the water and swim. The water’s glow turns blinding as I forge through the heatless fire. I’m close to Marcus and reach for him. He is just out of my grasp. As the shadowy figures of his family encircle him, I hear his brother’s kindest little boy voice. “We need you, please come join us.” I grab his arm, but he shrugs free, thrusts his arms under the water, then his head.
Diving under, I open my eyes, the shadows’ glow lights up the underlay. Marcus is pushing himself down by raising his arms in an upward motion with his palms open. With each stroke, he descends further. I’m bridging the gap. My peripheral vision spies my father, his unconscious body sinking toward the lake floor. I gasp losing the last of my air supply. Closing my mouth, I’m forced to rush toward the surface. Spitting out the last of the water, I take in two deep breaths before re-submerging. Searching for my father and Marcus, my mind reels. My father left with Stephan. Why didn’t he call me and let me know something happened? I see my father and swim quickly toward him, then through him. It’s a mirage! My distraction costs me precious time. I should have known better. To make things worse, my lungs protest the lack of oxygen and I have to resurface. Struggling, I fear if the blazing glow extinguishes, I won’t be able to tell which way is up, I pray it doesn’t.
My sluggish arms grasp the water engulfing me, tearing through the watery curtain that threatens to consume me. Breaking free, I inhale deeply and submerge myself again. Frantically searching, knowing if I don’t find Marcus soon, the watery grave which claimed his brother will claim him too. Deep down I go. Marcus is laying on the bottom, his eyes open and no sign of movement. My lungs wither from the lack of oxygen, I feel lightheaded and disoriented, the surface lights are dimming and there is no possibility of my being able to surface for air and find him again. My time is running out. I fight compelling myself downward, my lungs fighting each descending movement as my oxygen deprived muscles contract. Reaching him, I grab his arm hoping I can muster enough strength to pull us both to the surface which seems further away and dimmer. Every muscle in my body cries out in excruciating pain, craving relief that only a new influx of oxygen can cure.
The water turns black. Disoriented, I panic not knowing if I am heading up toward air or down into a watery abyss that will forever claim us both.
Breaking through the surface, I inhale deeply while holding Marcus’ chin above water, searching for his carotid artery, there is no pulse! Grateful for my teenage lifeguard training, I pull him to shore and start CPR as soon as his torso is far enough out of the water. I push down over and over again; hear a brief intake of air, but then nothing. Desperate for any sign of life, my compressions become more forceful, but after another one hundred repetitions, there is nothing. He was under too long. If I only hadn’t gone for the mirage, maybe I could have saved him. “Marcus I’m so sorry.” I stroke his cheek as tears stream down my face.