Embrace (14 page)

Chapter 12

The Plan

“S
O
, W
HAT’S
T
HE
P
LAN
for today?” Kaylee asked. She looked rested; the pink was back in her cheeks, and her eyes no longer had the haunted look of a person afraid of everything around her. She took a big bite out of a bagel.

Isaac, Josh, and I had worked out the details of our plan while we’d practiced the previous night. The key was to act natural and move through the day as if we were worried sick about Kaylee. We didn’t know if everyone at school would know she was missing—like the doctors and police believed—or if they’d think she was still at the hospital and not allowed visitors, so we were left playing that piece by ear.

“Madison and I are going to school,” Josh said. “Isaac’s going to tell his parents he’s not feeling well. He’ll stay here with you.”

“Josh and I will get the things we need for the spell and hurry back here after school.”

I hated having to wait until the entire school day went by, but the guys had insisted it would look suspicious if Josh and I drove to school together, yanked out Mark’s hair, ripped his shirt to pieces, and left. I felt we could claim temporary insanity. Whatever.

Kaylee nodded.

We set our plan into motion after that. Josh dropped me off a few houses down from mine so that it would look like I was walking home from Sarah’s. My dad was in the shower, and Chase was eating breakfast in the kitchen when I got in. I hurried to my room and stuffed a clean pair of jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt, socks, and sneakers into Kaylee’s backpack before opening my window. The cool morning air rushed in.

Josh was already standing below and looked up at me. “Just let go of it.”

I dropped the stuffed backpack along with Kaylee’s purse down to him.

“I’ll be back in thirty.” He cut through the backyard and out of sight.

As soon as my dad was done in the bathroom, I brushed my teeth, showered, and tried to get a brush through my tangled hair. I couldn’t help but curse—a lot—as the brush got caught on knot after knot. My dad’s voice bellowed up the stairs as he yelled for me to watch my mouth. It was comforting to know some things were still normal; it made me want to run up to my dad and give him a hug for just being him. A giggle bubbled up my throat as I imagined the surprised expression I’d get for thanking him after he’d yelled at me.

Before I went downstairs, I placed a few loose threads into the folds of one of my dad’s handkerchiefs and tucked it in my purse for later.

Dad looked up from the morning paper when I walked into the kitchen. “How are you doing, sweetheart?”

“I’m holding it together.” I poured myself a glass of orange juice and took a seat next to Chase.

“Is Kaylee home?” Chase asked. He knew Kaylee was sick, but none of the details. My dad and I didn’t know how to explain to a six-year-old that someone who was young and happy one day could be seeing things that weren’t there the next.

“Not yet, but we’re hoping she will be soon.” I ruffled his hair and forced a grin. My dad had no idea I knew where Kaylee was. He only knew the police had stopped by looking for her.

“Any word?” he asked, his question cryptic.

“No.” I finished my juice and rinsed the glass out in the sink, purposely making my hand shake so I’d seem rattled. If I were too calm, my dad would be sitting me in a chair, shining a bright light in my face, and insisting I ’fess-up and tell him where Kaylee was. I had to keep up the act. “Josh is picking me up. I’m hoping he’s heard something.”

As if we’d synchronized our watches, Josh’s horn sounded with one long blast.

“I’ll see you later.” I waved over my shoulder as my dad and brother said goodbye.

Outside, I ran down the walk to the curb where Josh had parked and got in his car. His dark hair was slick and shiny, still wet from his shower. He had a latte waiting for me. It smelled of pumpkin spice, heavenly.

“Thanks.”

“No problem.” Josh pulled away from my house. “Kaylee wanted me to thank you for the clothes and her stuff. She feels a whole lot better not wearing Isaac’s sweats.”

“I knew she would. What are they doing today?”

“Isaac is going to explain the powers to her. The more she understands them, the safer she’ll be. Even without any of her own, she’ll know what to watch for and what can protect her.”

I nodded and took a sip of my latte, instantly feeling a little better about the day ahead.

It was harder to be at school than I had expected, though. Everyone asked about Kaylee. The good news was that no one knew the nurses had lost her. That meant the hospital and police were keeping it quiet.

In English, I didn’t even make it to my seat before Natalie Parker cornered me.

“How’s Kaylee?” She chewed on the nail of her index finger.

“She’s about the same,” I said, sticking to the words Josh and I had agreed to use.

“I’m really sorry.” Natalie paused for a moment, looking as uncomfortable as I felt, then took her seat.

I recited my line several more times before Mr. Chapin called the class to order. When there were only five minutes left to first period, he called me to his desk.

“I heard about Kaylee,” he said. “I know how difficult it can be when a friend’s in trouble, but as a friend, it’s our responsibility to help them.”

I wasn’t sure what he expected me to say to that, but he watched me expectantly, so I said, “I know.”

“Do you?” He paused, giving me one of those looks adults like to give when they don’t believe you: eyebrows raised and mouth in a thin line. “Sometimes it means telling a teacher or a doctor something you may have promised you’d keep a secret.”

I opened my mouth then closed it. He thought Kaylee did drugs. That meant most of the staff thought she did drugs. How was Kaylee supposed to face her teachers and classmates if everyone thought she was a junkie? It wasn’t fair.

“She didn’t take anything, Mr. Chapin,” I said, fighting to keep my voice calm. “I’m sure she’ll be okay.”

“You’re a good friend, Madison. Still, if you need someone to talk to, I have fourth period free, and I’ll be in my classroom.”

I turned on my heels and stormed back to my desk. Even after we bound Mark, his reputation would be unscathed. To everyone else, he’d still be that awkward but sweet freckled-faced boy. No one would know he had caused Kaylee’s hallucinations.

I tossed my things in my backpack and headed to Foods. Several “Kaylee’s about the same” and “I’ll tell her you said hi and to get well soon
”
were said as I made my way to class.

I followed two chatty sophomores into the classroom and almost lost what little control I had left over my emotions when I saw Mark sitting at our table. I was sure my face turned a few shades of red as I fought the urge to throw something at him and snarled, “Hello.” I should have asked Josh and Isaac to show me how to create a glamour. It took me a few seconds, but I managed to pull myself together after that. This would be my only chance to yank out Mark’s hair. The thought cheered me up.

“How’s Kaylee?” he asked when I sat down.

“Like you care,” I hissed, too quietly for him to hear. I forced a smile, hoping he’d mistake my anger for worry. “About the same.”

“I heard what happened.” He was wearing that stinky cologne he’d had on the other day,
Essence of Jerk
. “They’re saying she was on acid or something, but—”

“She didn’t take anything,” I snapped.

“That’s what I was going to say, that I didn’t believe them. Were the doctors able to figure out what’s wrong with her?”

“No.” I could taste my anger building, literally, as if I’d sucked on a mouthful of pennies and spit them out. I stuck a stick of passion fruit gum in my mouth.

Then I made a mental note that passion fruit was not a good mix with copper.

Mark kept a straight face, never letting his act waver. I took a few slow breaths to rein in most of my anger. In the meantime, I removed an inch-long thread from inside my dad’s handkerchief and kept it hidden in my hand. When I was sure I wouldn’t punch Mark—or kick him, bash his face in with my Foods book, set him on fire, or otherwise give away that I knew what a slime he was—I looked at him.

He pulled at the collar of his T-shirt. “I would have visited, but her parents said she wasn’t allowed anyone.”

“They’re keeping it to only family and a couple friends.”

He nodded.

“You have something in your hair.” I reached up and plunked a few strands from the back of his head.

“Ouch!” He leaned away from me and rubbed the sore spot.

“Sorry,” I lied and wiggled my thumb and index finger over the floor, pretending to be getting his hair off my hand. What I managed to nab from him was pressed between my palm and two fingers. I feigned embarrassment. “My nail must have caught. You have a piece of thread in your hair.” I reached up with my other hand and ran a few strands of hair through my fingers—no yanking this time. I then showed him the thread I’d brought from home.

When he wasn’t looking, I wrapped the hair I’d nabbed in the handkerchief.

The absolute worst class to be in was History, the room Kaylee had lost it in.

Paige got to class after me. She stopped at my desk and asked, “Is Kaylee still jumping on desks?”

Emma, who was standing next to her with her arms wrapped around her books, snickered. “I wish I’d gotten that on film.” She laughed harder as she pushed Paige toward their seats behind me.

“Nice.” I hung my purse over the back of my chair and faced the blackboard, hoping Paige would continue with her usual tradition of pretending I didn’t exist. Unfortunately, it seemed like the only time Paige didn’t ignore me was when I wanted her to.

She tapped my shoulder, which left me no choice but to turn in my seat and face her. “What?”

“I was only kidding.”

“Oh, please. Like you suddenly care about Kaylee or me.”

“I don’t have anything against Kaylee.”

Which pretty much confirmed she did have something against
me
, but I was so past caring.

“How’s she doing?” Paige asked, more civilly this time.

“We’re all concerned,” Emma said. She rested her elbows on her desk and leaned toward me. “Really. Have the doctors been able to help her?”

Several of our classmates watched us, waiting to hear about it. I sighed. “She’s about the same.”

Sarah sat in front of me and rested a hand on my arm. She looked around us. “I’m sure Madison has been asked about Kaylee all morning. Let’s give her a break.” When the others went back to pulling books and pens out of their backpacks and talking amongst themselves, she whispered, “Was last night about Kaylee? Is she better?”

Sarah was one of Kaylee’s oldest friends too, and the concern etched across her face made it impossible for me to let her believe Kaylee hadn’t gotten any better.

I leaned even closer to her. “Yes, but don’t say anything. Not yet.”

Sarah nodded, and in a normal voice, said, “Tell Kaylee to get better and that I said hi and we miss her and not to worry about the festival.”

No problem on the last item. I hadn’t given it a moment’s thought since the last week.

Sarah went on. “I talked to Mrs. Sheppard, and she’ll have her classes bake a mix of chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, and sugar cookies. I’m going to tape up fliers in the halls at lunch asking for volunteers to bring other baked goods or work the booths. Mark and Ben said we’re all set on the decorations.”

I nodded.

Mrs. Parris started the day’s lesson, and I did my best not to stare at the clock. That was pretty much what I did for the rest of the day: tried not to notice how very slowly the minute hand on every single clock at school ticked forward. When it was finally over, in my rush to get to the student parking lot, I tripped down the stairs and would have been kissing the floor if I hadn’t landed in someone’s arms.

Chapter 13

The Visitor

I T
RIED
T
O
M
AINTAIN
some sort of dignity and get my feet under myself so that I could see on whom I’d just fallen, but that was easier said than done. My purse strap had ended up under the sneaker of my yet-to-be-seen savior, and my backpack twisted oddly around my arm.

“Are you okay?” asked a familiar voice.

He helped me regain my balance. His deep blue eyes met mine.

“Kevin!” My arms were around his neck before he had a chance to respond. “Why didn’t you call?”

He laughed and hugged me back. When we let go, I took a step away. The last six months had been good to him. He’d grown: I’d have bet he was six feet now, and he’d lost the roundness in his cheeks, which contoured his face in all the right places. His hair was still a disheveled mass of russet brown. His smile reached his eyes.

“I called a couple weeks ago, on Saturday. Chase said you were out with friends.”

That would have been the night of the party, the night I’d met Isaac. I hadn’t heard from Kevin in a few weeks, and he decides to call me the night I meet someone else. I didn’t miss the irony in that.

“When I didn’t hear back from you,” he continued, “I decided to come to Gloucester and surprise you.”

I shook my head. “Chase forgot to tell me.”

We stood there a moment. Kevin was right in front of me, close enough that I could have put my arm around his waist, and even though we weren’t going out anymore, I couldn’t get myself to tell him I was dating someone else—not after he’d come all this way to see me. Meanwhile, Isaac was waiting for me at his house. I was so screwed.

“Do you still hang out with Kaylee and Josh?” he asked.

“Um, yeah.”

Damn, this wasn’t fair. Two weeks earlier, I would have been thrilled to death to see Kevin. I would have been talking his ear off. This day, well, it left me confused. I liked Kevin. He had been my first real boyfriend, yet seeing him after all this time didn’t make my heart race like when I saw Isaac. I really, really liked Isaac. Maybe it was because our relationship was new. Maybe he had bewitched me with his powers. I didn’t know, but I wanted time to figure that out. Besides, we had pressing business to take care of. We had to bind Mark before he realized Kaylee was missing. Before he realized we were onto him.

“Kevin, I really wish you would have called. I have somewhere I’m supposed to be.”

He kept his eyes on his shoes. “Can I give you a ride?”

I looked toward the exit. “Josh is waiting for me.”

“Oh.” Kevin rocked back and forth, heel to toe. “I’ll walk you to the parking lot.”

“That’d be great.” We headed toward the double doors to the parking lot. The silence between us seemed louder than a roused-up crowd at a basketball game. It drove me crazy, so I asked, “Will you be in town for a while? Maybe we can get together another day?”

Kevin’s mood seemed to perk up. “For the week. I’m at my grandparents’ house.”

He grabbed my backpack, fished out a crumpled piece of paper from its depths, and held it up. “Need this?”

It was a worksheet I’d completed last month for History. “No.”

“Great.” He found a pen next and scribbled across the back of the paper before tearing it in half. “My new cell phone number. Call me when you get home.”

He stuck the pen back in my backpack and handed me the number. “Don’t lose it.”

“I won’t.”

Josh was leaning against his car when we approached.

“Dude.” Josh gave Kevin one of his playful slugs in the shoulder that he reserved for his good friends. Kevin smiled and slugged back. “I didn’t know you were in town.” Then, as if Josh had just realized I was standing here, he added an uncomfortable, “Oh.”

“Yeah, isn’t it great?” I giggled nervously. “He wanted to surprise me.”

“Yeah. Great,” Josh repeated, his eyes wide.

“Am I missing something?” Kevin tensed and looked from Josh to me. “Are you guys dating now?”

Josh choked out a “What?”

I had to pick my jaw up off the asphalt. “Of course not! He’s dating my best friend.”

“Well, you guys are acting awfully strange.” Kevin shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

“It’s been a strange couple of days,” Josh admitted. He then explained, “Kaylee’s been sick.”

“I’m sorry.” Kevin’s shoulders relaxed. “Is it serious?”

“Doctors haven’t been able to say,” Josh replied. “Her parents aren’t allowing many visitors. We’re heading over to see her.”

“I’m sorry Kevin, really,” I said, resting a hand on his arm. “Your timing’s just bad.”

Boy was it bad—two-weeks-late bad. There was a time I would have told Kevin anything, and I felt horrible not telling him the truth now. But how could I? The truth included Isaac. How would I word that?
A lot has changed since you left. I discovered I have magical powers. Josh does too. Kaylee was cursed, but Josh managed to break the curse by destroying a necklace. Now we’re putting together a spell of our own to bind the jerk that did this. Oh, and by the way, the person who did this likes me, and I have a new boyfriend, who has powers too.

You just didn’t have conversations like that. Men in blue coats would come take you away in a white jacket with extra-long sleeves, and I had it on good authority there was a vacancy on the fifth floor at the hospital.

“You around awhile?” Josh asked. “It’d be nice to catch up.”

Kevin nodded. “I’m at my grandparents’. Madison has my new number.”

I held it up as proof.

“Do you need a ride?” Josh took his keys from his pocket. “I could drop you off before we go to see Kaylee.”

“No.” Kevin tilted his head toward the other side of the parking lot. “I have my grandma’s car.”

“I’ll call you,” I promised. And I would. Not because my powers made my word unbreakable, but because I wanted to know how he’d been and what life in Minnesota was like. I gave him a hug, minus a kiss—which was weird considering our history—and got in Josh’s car. Josh said his goodbyes and got in next to me.

“That was awkward,” Josh commented.

I groaned. “He must think I’m a jerk.”

“He couldn’t have picked a worse time to visit. We can’t tell him about the powers or what happened to Kaylee.”

My head fell back against the seat. “I know that.”

“Sooo…” Josh let the word drag on while he started the car. “You and Isaac are dating, right? I mean you guys seemed to really hit it off, and The Grill was a date, wasn’t it?”

“Yes,” I moaned. Why couldn’t life be easy? Why couldn’t it leave old doors closed after new ones opened?

Josh ignored the pained expression on my face and continued, “And now Kevin’s back, and you promised to call him.”

“Josh. Stop. Please. Kevin and I had a lot of great times. I can’t tell him to get lost. To answer the question you’re not asking, yes, I like Isaac.” An understatement, really—I was falling hopelessly in love with him, but I didn’t need Josh relaying that to Isaac. “I’d like to spend more time with Isaac once we get this situation with Mark under control. I will call Kevin because I told him I would and because he came all this way to see me. I’m screwed, okay? I don’t want to hurt Kevin, and I don’t want to lose Isaac. Ugh! My head’s spinning just thinking about it.”

Josh studied me. I crossed my arms over my chest and frowned.

“O-kaay,” he said. I wished he’d started driving already. “We’ll talk about something else. Did you get what you were supposed to?”

I held up my purse with the handkerchief and Mark’s hair tucked inside. “How about you?”

Josh pulled a not-so-white sock from the pocket of his jacket. “Nabbed it while he was in the shower after Gym. You should have heard him when he went to get dressed. He was still swearing when I slipped out of the locker room.”

I was anxious to get back to Isaac’s. Josh put the car in reverse, made it about a foot out of the parking space, and slammed on the brakes. I looked behind us in time to see a yellow hatchback speed past. Then, when we were a couple of blocks from the school, a guy in a blue minivan ran a red light at the exact moment we were going through the intersection. It was like the van had come out of nowhere. Josh threw his right hand up, and his power streaked past me. The van suddenly moved in slow motion. I could have reached out and plucked the Toyota logo off its grill; we were that close. A series of brakes screeching and car horns blaring rang out behind us as I tried to get my fingers to unlock themselves from around the door handle.

I looked over at Josh in amazement. His hands clenched the steering wheel as he took several slow, deep breaths. We should have been dead or at least in critical condition, like Kaylee should have been last week. The day her car had acted up, if Josh hadn’t been following her home, the semi-truck would have turned her MINI Cooper into a pile of mangled metal with her inside. I would have thanked him for saving her and us if he didn’t look like he needed a few minutes to let what had just happened sink in.

Josh’s full attention remained on driving, which left my mind to wander back to Kevin. It was good to see him, even for just a few minutes, and knowing he came here to see me made me feel like a loser for not dropping everything to spend the afternoon with him. But I couldn’t, not until we took care of Mark. I figured I’d make it up to Kevin. Maybe invite him over for dinner; Chase and Dad would love to see him. And with Kevin only being here a week, there was no reason for me to mention Isaac.

I had the entire dinner planned—right down to the chopped nuts and whipped cream for the hot fudge sundaes—before I realized I’d been so lost in thought I hadn’t paid any attention to where Josh was driving, so it took me by surprise when he stopped the car in the middle of nowhere. We were on a dirt road. Off in the distance, surrounded by untouched countryside, an abandoned barn leaned against the horizon. One glance at the clock told me I’d managed to zone out for close to twenty minutes.

“Why are we here?” I didn’t like the feel of the place. It was desolate, and the air was wrong. Chilled. Not your normal autumn chill, but a deep-down-in-your-soul chill. Maybe only those who have embraced the powers would feel it. I wished I couldn’t.

“Isaac texted. We need dirt from a crossroad.” Josh grabbed some paper out of the glove compartment and went to open his door.

I grabbed his arm. “Don’t you feel that? It’s not safe.”

“I feel it. It’s safe enough. Just don’t go burying a box of personal items and asking for a favor.” His tone was as serious as a priest’s at a funeral.

I nodded, remembering an old myth—maybe there was some truth to it—about burying personal items in the middle of a crossroad and making a deal with the devil in return for your soul, to be collected at a later date by the hound dogs of hell.

Josh used the heel of his shoe to loosen the dirt, and then he scraped it onto the paper with his school ID. I scanned the countryside, looking for the eyes I could feel watching us. The one minute we were there was the longest sixty seconds of my life. I didn’t feel safe until we turned into Isaac’s driveway and passed under the red and gold web of maple branches extending from his yard.

Isaac’s mom answered the door. She had a dishtowel in her hand.

“Hi, Mrs. Addington,” Josh said. “Is Isaac home?”

“He’s in his room.” She stepped aside to let us in. “Go on down.”

“Thanks,” I said.

Josh and I made it to the top of the basement stairs and stopped. An inky void, blacker than the darkest night, loomed before us. The air smelled musty like an old crawlspace and seemed to moan and groan. I didn’t want to go down there, which turned out to be the same feeling the basement had about us. I could have sworn I heard a low guttural growl say,
Go away
.

Josh went to step down on the first step, but paused and brought his foot back up to the hallway. He held his arm out to the side. “Ladies first.”

I looked into the darkness. “No way.”

“Josh, Madison.” Isaac’s voice drifted up through the void. “Come on down.”

An amber glow reached up toward us. Vanilla and spice replaced the rank smell. The candles in the nooks came alive all at once, lighting the stairway. I let Josh go first; this way, if the candles went out, I’d be closer to the first floor. My nerves were on edge. I made it a few steps, tripped, and slammed into Josh’s back with all my weight. He grabbed one of the nooks in the wall to keep from falling.

“Sorry,” I said, more embarrassed than anything else.

“It’s okay.” Josh helped me steady myself and asked, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” And to get the attention off my clumsiness, I asked Isaac, “What was that darkness all about?”

“I added an unwelcome ward,” Isaac explained. “I have to invite you down before you’re able to see what the basement really looks like. Once you’re invited, you always see through the spell.”

“Didn’t your mom ask why you’d need that?” Josh inquired.

“Kaylee hid in my bathroom while I asked my mom if she could bring me some aspirin, which essentially invited her down here. I’ll come up with a way to invite my dad when he gets home. Did you get everything?”