Cryostorm (8 page)

“Hi. May I help you?”

A tall, skinny girl stared down at me.

“No thanks. I’m looking for someone. Mind if I walk through?”

“Sure, hon. Just holler if you need anything.” She whirled around and went back to the register. People hemmed in the long bar-like counter, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder on red leather-topped stools, eating their food like there wasn’t a care in the world.

They had no idea I was there to find a lost person, hopefully before Agents started showing up, shooting darts everywhere. A twinge of anger and jealousy ripped through my stomach. Or was that a hunger pang?

I moved forward, passing filled booth after filled booth on my left. The tables to my right were full. Ahead were the restrooms and to the right, on the wall, were a row of pay phones. Yep, that’s how tiny this town was.

I hadn’t seen payphones in years, but it turns out someone still used them, because sure enough a person leaned forward, their upper body disappearing behind a thin, brown divider.

Black combat boots with jeans tucked into them was about all I could see. Dribbles of melting snow lay around the shoes. The backside was kind of big, and I saw the beginnings of a red shirt, but a down vest swallowed that up. Lois was much bigger and frumpier than that, so I turned around to scan the restaurant a second time.

Shit. We’ve missed her again, haven’t we?

Georgia strolled through the front area. Our eyes met immediately, and she shook her head. I huffed and mouthed the word, “Sorry.”

Her shoulders slouched, and she backed out of the entrance. I hurried forward, waving goodbye to the waitress who’d greeted me. “Thanks. We’ll be right back for dinner. Four of us, please.”

She nodded.

I burst through the heavy doors and found Georgia sitting on the bench off to the right. “Hey, girl.”

“Hey.”

I slumped into the seat with her. The cold radiated through my jeans. Despite the sun’s rays finally taking command of the snowy day, it was still freezing. White plumes of air formed in front of my face as I exhaled the frustration that’d been building in my chest.

“Doesn’t mean she’s gone-gone,” I said. “There’s still more of the town we can look through.”

“Yeah, like all the other times.” Georgia shook her head. “This is getting really old. I’m about ready to tell Tim to whisk me off to some deserted freaking island and live there. No nothing. Eat berries and live off the land and not have one other person around.”

“Even me?”

“You and Nate would be welcome. But that’s it.”

“Sounds pretty good.”

“Yeah, well…” I glanced up and down the sidewalk, looking for the guys. “Let me pile on a little more while we wait for Nate and Tim.”

“Oh great.”

“I know. Sucky timing, but you should know.” I told her about my conversation with Nate while her and Tim had been sleeping and about Jasmine and Scott getting married.

“I can’t believe you’re telling me about Jasmine and Scott just
now
, Mandy. That’s freaking great. Just great.” Georgia stood and started pacing away from me. “First it’s Nate keeping secrets, now you.”

“No. It’s just that we kind of got distracted with Melanie showing up, busting out of there, you incinerating her body.” I put my hands up in surrender, ready to get up and chase her down. “Then, we fell asleep right away in the car. Look, I’m sorry. Okay?”

“I know. Still sucks.” She whirled around. “And I’m starving, tired, and plain sick of—”

She stopped, focus lasered over my shoulder. That scared the ever-loving crap out of me, and I jumped to my feet and whirled around.

There stood Lois.

Chapter 12

“M
om?” Georgia shook her head. “Er—Lois?”

Lois looked back into the restaurant, to Georgia, then around to her left. Nate and Tim were heading down the sidewalk in our direction. They were only a block away.

Lois locked gazes with Georgia again and opened her mouth, but then it snapped shut. She took a step back, but her knee buckled and down she went. Before she hit the ground, Nate appeared and caught her.

She flinched and pushed away from him.

Georgia stood there, mouth open. Paralyzed. Tim came in beside her and touched her shoulder. “Georgia.”

She finally blinked.

“We should get inside.” Nate guided Lois to her feet and then led us into the restaurant Georgia and I had just left.

It had been the person standing at the phone booth. Same red shirt and black down vest. Only the Lois that I knew was about fifty pounds heavier, at least. The woman standing, well almost standing, was different. No wonder I’d missed her. Sure, I hadn’t seen her face, but still. Georgia’s mom had always been roly-poly.

This woman standing before us had black, short, braided knobs of hair jutting out from beneath a black skull cap. The eyes were distinctly Lois’—bright green. High cheekbones were more pronounced now with the weight loss. Her behind was still wider than the average person’s, but Lois looked great.

“How?” She finally managed to say something.

Nate guided us to the bar side. “Lois Kelsey?”

She fixed her stare on Nate, then Tim, who still hadn’t let go of Georgia. Georgia stared at Lois, like she was torn between strangling the woman or hugging and kissing her.

Couldn’t blame Georgia, though. Thinking Lois was her mom for over eighteen years only to find out it was all a lie, then to disappear only to resurface months later, appearance considerably changed and possibly an Agent.

“Georgia,” she whispered, then lurched forward and yanked her into a hug, completely bypassing Tim. “Georgia, you’re alive.”

The woman fell into sobs.

“You’re alive.”

Georgia didn’t return the hug, just stood stiff armed within her former mother’s grasp. Total confusion flickered over her eyes, along with a hint of orange. That told me she was struggling to keep her power in check. Despite the control we’d gotten over the last handful of months, intense emotions still challenged us sometimes.

And I’d say finding Lois after all this time qualified as an intense emotion.

“Lois. It’s me, Amanda Smith.”

“You both died. I saw it. I read—how?”

“I know what you read and heard, but we’re not safe here. We should leave. Right now.” I stepped forward. “Agents probably got tipped off to where you were like we did.”

“I’ve gotten sloppy, I know. When I lost my Georgia, I—or thought I’d lost you—I almost didn’t care anymore. I—”

Sobs rocked through her body again, but she managed to step away. She looked at me from red-rimmed eyes, and then to Tim and Nate. “Who are these men?”

“They’re helping us. They’re the ones who staged our deaths to get away from the Agents. Come on. We need to go.”

She nodded. “I was on my way out of town, just needed to stop here to check the net.” She pulled out a smart phone. “To find out where to go next.”

“Well?” I said, stepping toward the door. “Where were you headed?” I nodded at Georgia to follow me.

“North.”

“What’s North?” Nate asked, coming by my side.

Lois eyed him with a cautious glance. “Someone who knows the head of The Center and is willing to talk.”

“Like I haven’t heard
that
before,” I said.

Lois nailed me with the motherly glare I’d seen before any of this had come to pass. She’d not liked me since I’d shown up in Trifle. Looks like it hadn’t changed any.

“Tim, check it out.” Nate nodded to the front.

“Are you guys back for some food already?” The waitress that helped me earlier approached, a smile splitting her face. “Oh, it’s five now? I saved you a seat.”

“Sorry. No thanks,” I said, nodding for Nate and Tim to keep moving. “Looks like we’re going to head out. Thanks.”

I nudged Georgia into Lois.

“Bye.” The waitress waved, but regarded us with narrowed eyes. I could imagine how dumb we looked, but still, we needed to hurry. Agents could—

“Shit,” Tim said. He backed us into the restaurant. “Um, actually, ma’am do you have a back way out of here?”

“Why? What’s—”

“We’re in town to surprise a friend of ours, and I see him coming down the street. Please? We’ve traveled all the way from New York I wouldn’t want to ruin it now.” Tim smiled.

How did he think of that so fast?

“New York, huh? Sure. Come on. It’s through the kitchen here. I love surprises. Who y’all visiting?”

“Where’s this exit?” Nate asked.

“Oh. Through the kitchen here.” She pushed the swinging doors. “Just don’t touch anything. Codes you know.” She laughed. “Hey Paul. We’re sneaking through quick, no worries.”

A double-chinned, tall dude nodded and saluted us with a butcher knife, non-lethal end to the forehead.

The waitress led us past two freezers. I recognized them from Scott’s smoothie shop. That ignited a pang of longing to see him right there.

“There you go,” the waitress said. “Hurry on out. If you go to the right, it’ll bring you out on the east side of the building. Next to the Java Hut.”

“Thanks.”

We moved toward the door, but Tim stopped us.

“What’s he doing? We need to move,” Lois said.

“He’s checking things out, hold on.” I grabbed Georgia’s hand. She still hadn’t uttered a word. Was she really that mad? Or confused as hell, like I was.

“Looks clear,” Tim said. Didn’t sound as confident as I would have hoped.

“Tim, stay with me,” Georgia said. “Just in case.” She reached for his hand.

Lois watched with questioning eyes, but didn’t say anything. Nate led by pushing the door open, and a sliver of light shone through. Not sunshine, just brightness, which was a change from all the sunless days we’d seen.

After my eyes adjusted, we inched forward.

“Yep. Clear.” Nate stepped out, and I followed behind him with Georgia, Tim and Lois trailing. Nate held the door open as we all filed out, then brought up the rear.

We were in the alley behind the restaurant, snow packed five and six feet high from where someone had snow blown. Hints of a green dumpster, by the smell, were hidden beneath the banks.

“Move,” Nate ordered. He’d turned into the Job Nate again. “Car’s parked three buildings south of the shelter.”

“Can you get to it fast and bring it in our direction?” I asked.

“Don’t want to leave you.”

As I turned to face him, two figures appeared at the back end of the alley, dart guns raised.

“Blaze!” I yelled as I iced down.

Tim pushed Lois to the ground. Nate zoomed toward the two coming at us, and as I turned to see Georgia’s flames, I saw four more approaching us from the front of the alley.

Lois lay prone on the snowy ground, mouth open as she stared at her former daughter. She was flamed from head to toe, palms up with fireballs hovering inches above her flesh.

Something tinked off my ice armor. Three more on the top of the building. Are you kidding me? They got organized that fast? Expecting us?

“Mom!” Georgia yelled, then I saw a stream of flames shoot up toward the two leaning over the edge of the roof.

Georgia squatted down, in front of Lois, aiming her hands upward. Lois lay motionless, a small dart protruding from her neck.

Ping.

I moved forward, deflecting the darts coming from the four entering the alley. Hands pointed outward, I streamed their feet with ice, instantly stopping them. Pointing my hands at their weapons, I shot bullets of ice at them until their guns clattered to the snowy-icy ground.

I whirled and saw Georgia streaming flame toward the sky. Her flames weren’t reaching the Agents leaning over the roof. Three stories up, I could manage that.

Hopefully.

Palms open, facing the ground, I ignited a blast of snow and slush, and it darted me into the air. I bolted up, higher than the wall, then cut my stream and I landed on the roof. Two sprays of ice over their mouths muffled their surprise. I froze their hands to their weapons, then hammered my ice fists in their temples.

Both lay at my feet within seconds. I leaned over the edge and saw the threats clear—for now. Nate sped to Georgia’s side. “Where’s Mandy?”

The panic in his voice sliced through the distance and went right to my heart.

Georgia flamed down and reached for Lois. She looked up at me and Nate followed her line of sight.

I stepped up to the ledge. Okay, going up was definitely easier. I jumped off.

“Mandy,” Nate yelled.

My hands didn’t fail me, though. A steady stream of ice and liquid spewed out and softened my landing as my feet hit the ground.

Nate leaned forward and scooped Lois up. “Come on. Before they wake up. I’d rather not have to kill anyone else today.”

Chapter 13

“L
et’s stop here,” Tim steered the car into a parking lot of yet another hotel.

At least this one was different. Had separate cottages, too.

“You guys stay here. I’ll go get us registered for a couple of rooms with kitchens.” The car jostled as Tim slid out, and I watched him hoof it to the registration building.

We’d driven about two hours from the town, more west and south. Lois stayed unconscious the entire time. I remembered, all too well, how potent those darts were, but even I started to worry.

Lois sat between Georgia and me in the backseat. Georgia constantly held her former mother’s hand.

“I can’t believe we finally found her. She looks so different,” Georgia whispered. Her fingers brushed against Lois’s smooth forehead. “Did you see how she looked at me when I flamed up?”

“I did. She was shocked.”

“I figured she knew, you know? With the book and stuff.”

“She hadn’t been able to see the DVD, though, because it was coded, remember? So, she might have known you had a power, but not what kind.” I shook my head. “God only knows what she knows.”

“I hope she wakes up soon so we can get some answers.” Georgia’s eyes welled with tears as she nailed me with a wide, blue-eyed stare. “What if she’s one of them?”

“She’s not.”