Edgewood Series: Books 1 - 3 (93 page)

I saw his lips move. I didn’t hear a sound, but I felt the words as they came out.
I love you, Nadia.

When
I left his side I intended to go home, but at the last minute, I had a sudden thought.
Mallory.
Back home Mallory had said my astral projecting to her had creeped her out, but since she now was in a strange place on a stressful mission, it would be different, I thought. Who wouldn’t want to hear from a friend in a difficult time? Just to stay on the safe side, I decided not to reveal myself until I was sure she was up to having a visitor. If she wasn’t alone or was showering or whatever, I could just slip away and she’d never know the difference.

Take me to Mallory,
I thought. Like smoke drifting through an open window, I slipped into Mallory’s suite. The place was dark except for a light shining through a slightly open door. Doors, slightly open or otherwise, never held me back. I slipped into the room and saw Mallory sitting on the floor of the bathroom in front of the toilet. The room was dimly illuminated by the light above the shower. I saw she was only wearing a camisole top and matching underwear, both lacy and dark pink in color. It was a very personal scene and I almost drew back, the equivalent of saying, ‘oops, sorry!’ but I stopped when I noticed what she was doing. Mallory had some kind of pamphlet or notebook in her hand and she was burning the pages one by one. She’d tear off a page, hold it over the toilet, light it with a match, and then let it drop into the water when it was nearly consumed by the flame.

She hummed as she did this little ritual. The song was nothing I knew and I didn’t recognize the look in her eyes either. Mallory was most definitely not herself. She didn’t look tired or scared or angry. Her gaze was vacant, but focused. She’d tear off a page slowly and carefully, set it on fire, then drop it into the water with a flourish. I moved forward and saw that the pages were from a comic book, but it wasn’t one I knew. Once I was closer I could see it wasn’t a traditional comic book. It looked homemade, the kind small presses put out by indie artists. Alternative comics, I thought they were called. Mallory hummed and ripped and set pages on fire and dropped them into the toilet and flushed. She did this over and over again, sitting on the tile floor of a bathroom wearing only her pink underwear. I had no idea what to make of this.

When she was done, she brushed the soot off her front and gave the toilet one final flush, watching in fascination as it swirled downward. Before leaving the room, she washed her hands and stopped to check her face in the mirror. When she brushed her hair and smiled in a satisfied way, she looked like her old self again, my friend, the one who had befriended me at the homeschooler’s social during the time I had no friends at all. I sighed with relief. Mallory wasn’t possessed after all. There had to be a plausible explanation.

I thought I’d wait until she got dressed or into pajamas or whatever and come into view then. Maybe she’d explain about the burning pages, or maybe not. I’d let her bring it up. I went into the bedroom area and waited for her to come.

Before long, she came strolling out of the bathroom, right through me and into the arms of a man who stood in the shadows. I felt a jolt of shock, my own personal horror show moment.

“I did it,” she announced, resting her palms on his chest.

“Good girl.” His voice was a purr of approval. I tried to see his face, but it was hidden in the dark. It wasn’t Jameson, I knew that much. This voice was older and deeper. Familiar too, but I couldn’t place it.

Mallory said, “Every page destroyed.”

“You’ve passed the test of perfect obedience,” he said. “And you know what you need to do next? At the Bash?”

“I know what I must do,” she said.

“And you’ll do it?” His hands slid over her shoulders and from the light coming from the bathroom I saw hairy knuckles and a gold watch.

“Yes, I’ll do it.”

“Don’t let us down, Mallory, we’re depending on you.”

“You can depend on me, Commander.”

I did a double take. Commander? I realized, with a start, that I only knew of one commander, and that was the head of the Associates. But that couldn’t be right. Why would she be half naked and hanging out with the enemy?

“Good,” the commander said. “Now go get the necklace you were given at the airport.”

Mallory walked out of the room in slow, measured steps and headed toward the bedroom. Again I strained to see the man’s face, but he hadn’t moved an inch and was still hidden in the dark. I followed Mallory into the bedroom and watched as she turned on the bedside lamp before going to unzip a compartment in her suitcase. By the time she looked up, a necklace dangling off her fingertips, I’d decided to confront her.

Hello Mallory.
I was right in front of her, but I purposely didn’t become visible. She could hear me, but she couldn’t see me.

I thought she’d jump out of her skin, but she didn’t. Her eyes were dull, her voice nonchalant. “I can’t talk right now Nadia,” she muttered, very quietly. She gestured to the other room with a nod of her head. “I’m doing important work right now. Come back later.”

Mallory, what is going on?
She ignored me and kept going. Her deliberate, slow pace reminded me of the way sleep walkers moved in movies. And that’s when it hit me. Mallory had been brainwashed. Someone in the Associates had used mind control on a girl who had incredible mind control powers herself. And as a trusted member of the Praetorian Guard, she could work against the rest of us, giving the other side secrets and using her powers for their side while pretending to be on ours.

Still hiding my presence, I followed her back into the other room. I saw now that it was a sitting area almost exactly like the one in Russ’s suite. “Here it is,” Mallory said, handing over the necklace, a white rose dangling on a chain.

The commander did something to the rose and I heard a click. “When you press on this side and hold it,” he said, “a tiny needle pops out. Like this, see.” Mallory leaned over and watched as he repeated the motion. He asked, “Do you understand?”

“Yes,” she said robotically.

“And you know what you need to do with it?”

“Yes.”

“Just one quick prick, that’s all it takes.” He turned the necklace around. “When you press on the opposite side a different needle comes out. That is the antidote. You won’t need that. It’s for emergency purposes only. Understand?”

“Yes.”

“After you use the first needle the way we talked about, you’ll need to distance yourself from the necklace. Put it in another lady’s bag or leave it under a napkin or whatever. Just get rid of it.”

“But Mrs. Whitehouse gave it to me.” Mallory’s confusion came to the surface. “She said I could keep it always.”

“I know, I know,” he said, like soothing a small child. “But we’ll get you another one. A much better necklace than this one. I’ll even let you pick it out. Any necklace you want. Would you like that?”

She smiled. “Yes, I’d like that.”

“Now let’s go over the plan one more time. You know how to use the needle in the necklace?”

“Yes.”

Don’t listen to him, Mallory!
I sent a message right to her, but she showed no sign of hearing me.

“Wait until you see the Specteron,” he said proudly. “I’m unveiling it that night. Some say it was impossible, but I’ve managed to improve on Tesla’s design. The particle beam is most impressive. If you want to live, you’ll manage to get behind it. Those in front of it will be getting a not-so-nice surprise. Do you understand?”

“I’ll need to get behind it if I want to live.”

Oh Mallory, how can you be part of this?

“Have you gotten control of Jameson?”

“Yes, I think so.”

No! Jameson is your friend. Do not involve him.

“Good girl!” the man said. “And what about Russ?”

Oh, not Russ. Leave Russ alone, Mallory…

“I keep trying but my mind control doesn’t work on him. It’s like he’s got a shield over his brain,” Mallory said.

“Keep trying. Use your feminine wiles, do a lap dance, just do whatever you need to do to get him up next to you.”

“I’ll try. But...”

“But what?” he asked, his voice stern.

“I don’t think it will work. He won’t let me get too close because he loves Nadia.”

I held my breath thinking that next she’d tell him that she’d just seen me a minute ago, astral projecting to her in the other room. But either she forgot or else her loyalty to me as a friend had survived the brain washing, because she didn’t say anything else.

“Teenage boys are notoriously fickle. Nadia’s not here. You are. Make it work. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I understand,” she said. “I will make it work.”

“I’m going to leave now. You need to go to bed and when you wake up you’ll forget I was here. You will, however, remember all your instructions and you will carry them out to the letter. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Commander.”

“And Mallory?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t answer the door in your underwear ever again. If it had been anyone but me you could have encountered big trouble.” He leaned out of the shadow then and I got a full view of his face: the high forehead, receding hairline, and glasses. Behind the dark rimmed glasses and beard and mustache, his facial features had a familiar look. I puzzled over this for a split second until he took another step and his button-down shirt and sweater-vest came into view.

The commander was Mr. Specter.

“One last thing, Mallory,” he said, pushing his glasses up his nose.

“Yes?”

“I need to know Russ Becker’s room number.”

“Two-oh-eight,” she mumbled.

“That was last night, at the hotel.” Mr. Specter sighed and rubbed his forehead like he had a headache. “You’ve moved remember?” And then quietly, almost to himself. “Probably to shake our trail.”

“We moved from the hotel to the luxury suites,” Mallory said, her voice lifeless and flat. “I put the ribbon on my doorknob like I was supposed to.”

“Yes, that’s right. But I need to know where Russ’s room is because I have to speak to him.” He reached down and patted his pants pocket where I saw, to my horror, the bulge of what looked like a gun.

Mallory’s mouth twitched. “I don’t remember the number, but he’s two doors down from here.”

“On the same side of the hallway?”

“Yes.”

“Not the next room, but the one after that?”

“Yes.”

“In which direction, dear?”

When Mallory hesitated he said, “Remember that wonderful session we had in Peru trying out my Deleo?”

“I remember,” Mallory said, nodding.

“It was such a pleasant feeling having the Deleo rays wiggling into your head sending soothing messages to your brain. Remember the beautiful feeling?”

“Oh yes, I remember.” Mallory’s chin lifted heavenward. She closed her eyes and the expression on her face said she was recalling something wonderful.

“What is the number one thing you were told to do?” he pressed.

“Always do whatever Mr. Specter tells me to do,” she said.

“Now I’ll ask you one more time. What direction is Russ’s room?”

Mallory’s arm rose in one swift movement pointing to the left. I almost showed myself then and confronted Mr. Specter, but stopped when I realized I’d be as threatening as a dust mote. There was nothing I could do to stop him, but I wasn’t going to wait for him to hurt Russ either. “That’s my girl!” he said patronizingly, but I was out of the room before he said another word.

Take me to Russ Becker.
I was like the wind only better, because the wind couldn’t go through walls. In a second I was next to Russ’s bed, and once again I tried to wake him up.
Russ! Russ! Russ! Please, open your eyes. Mr. Specter is on his way to your room with a gun
. I pleaded. He didn’t move, not even a muscle. Again, what I wouldn’t have given to have a real body in the room with him at that moment. So frustrating not to be able to reach him.

Panic swelled inside of me. Astral projecting, I could travel hundreds of miles in seconds and move invisibly through walls. I was as big as the world and as small as a microbe. I heard conversations without being detected and could get past locked doors. But I couldn’t stop a man with a gun.

I wished myself into the hallway. Once there, I needed a half a second to get accustomed to the sudden brightness. When I’d adjusted, I realized I’d landed about ten feet behind Mr. Specter who now stood in front of Russ’s door. From behind I watched as he patted the pocket that held the gun.

I struggled to make myself visible to the world. It was easy to do when I was with Russ, but I found it harder to achieve when alone and terror-stricken. I pushed to burst out of my shell of anonymity until I finally felt my shape develop like a Polaroid picture. As I forced myself into view, I noticed Mr. Specter swiping a plastic card key in the slot above Russ’s door knob. Instinctively I screamed out
No!!
and surged toward him. At that moment I heard a ding and saw a man in a waiter’s uniform pushing a cart through open elevator doors and down the hall. Room service for someone. The linen covered cart held domed plate covers, a bottle of wine chilling in an ice bucket, and one red rose in a silver bud vase.

The man pushing the cart didn’t notice me or Mr. Specter at first. His head was down as if he were determined to get to his destination. But something made him glance up. Maybe he’d heard my “No,” ringing in his head, or maybe he caught a glimpse of Mr. Specter standing in the hallway. It really doesn’t matter. What matters is that he looked up and saw as I rushed at Mr. Specter. I knew he’d spotted me when his face went from confusion to horror. “Dear God, what is that?” the waiter screamed, picking up one of the covers off the cart and throwing it at me.

It didn’t hit me, of course. I was still at home in my bed with my eyes closed, fingers laced together on top of the covers. Mr. Specter, however, was very much there and the cover came right at him. “Get out of here,” the waiter yelled, clearly terrified.

The metal cover bounced off Mr. Specter’s front but before it even landed on the floor, he turned and ran down the hall. The speed with which he took off made me think he didn’t want to be identified.