Falling (The Falling Angels Saga) (28 page)

“I know,” I whined again. I really do hate whining, especially when it’s coming out of me.

“So what’s next?”

It was a sobering question. Was I going to cave to the demands of the devil, or was I going to finish what I’d started? “It looks like the plan is working, so I guess we wait.”

“I agree. We wait,” she replied. Soon after, we each signed off.

What a day
, I thought as I lay back on my pillow. I hugged Amanda and sighed. “Thank you for rescuing me, Amanda,” I said, allowing my eyes to drift shut.

*

I was once again in the church. Aunt Jaz’s funeral was in progress. Maudrina was at the front of the church, her anguished cries ringing out above the sound of the organ music.

My heart went out to her. Aunt Jaz was Maudrina’s rock, and Maudrina was
my
rock. I moaned audibly and the person to my left squeezed my hand. I glanced over and discovered Guy was by my side. I immediately felt a sense of relief. I leaned over and rested my head on his shoulder. “Oh, Guy. It’s so horrible.” He stiffened against my touch. I lifted my head and looked over at him. His eyes were forcibly straight ahead.

“Guy?”

“Yes,” he said softly, his gaze never wavering from the front of the church.

“Look at me,” I whispered. Slowly, reluctantly his eyes moved to me. “Is everything okay?”

He was eying me with an annoyed expression. “Aunt Jaz is dead, Megan. How can everything be okay?”

I knew this was about more than Aunt Jaz. This was about Orthon. This was about intimacy. This was about his questioning his commitment to me. The thing that bothered me most about his annoyed expression was the deadness in his eyes. It seemed any love that had once been in them was gone.

I looked back toward the front of the church. I knew if I looked at him any longer, my eyes would start to tear. If I were going to cry, it would be for Aunt Jaz and not myself. Maudrina was moving back toward the pew, being helped down the aisle by Erin. That didn’t make any sense. Maudrina hated Erin. They moved slowly in our direction. Erin looked over at me and gave a woeful shake of her head before her attention was back on Maudrina.

As they got closer, Maudrina looked at me. The whites of her eyes were inflamed. “I’m so sorry,” I mouthed.

“It didn’t have to be this way,” she said.

“I know,” “I wish there was something I could have done.”

She arrived at my aisle and stopped. “She didn’t have to go.
You
could have stopped this.”

“Me?” I replied, suddenly feeling as if the world were closing in around me. It was as if I were in a baggie and someone was squeezing all the air out.

“Yes, you. Of course you!” she replied, her tone turning bitter.

“Don’t worry about her,” said Erin in a comforting tone. She tugged at Maudrina’s elbow and they continued up the aisle.

I watched their backs as they moved away, guilt rising in me. Erin turned and looked at me over her shoulder, a tiny smile of triumph on her lips.

Click click click click

I awoke to the sound of the blinds smacking against the window. An evening breeze had kicked up. I got up to close the window and realized my top was sticking to me, wet with perspiration.

I looked at the clock. It wasn’t even seven. I’d only been asleep for fifteen or twenty minutes. Still, it was long enough for Satan to have paid me a visit. He was turning up the heat. It didn’t look like I was going to have to wait long.

*

You ever have those days where your body is present, but your mind is elsewhere? You know what I’m talking about, those days where you feel like an actor because you’re just going through the motions, yet no one around you seems to notice because your performance is that good. That’s how the next few days were for me. My body was on some form of auto pilot while my mind was elsewhere.

At school I smiled when I was supposed to smile. I laughed at all my teacher’s jokes. I raised my hand in class at the appropriate times just so the people around me wouldn’t think I’d checked out.

Mr. Percival showed up in class Wednesday morning as if nothing had happened. After class, he called me up and told me he was changing my grade to an A.

“I’m sure you can do better than this, Miss Barnett. You can start by being on time for class from now on,” was all he said.

“Yes, sir,” was all I said.

Later, I gave Tran a pep talk to calm his nerves over running for office. He was nervous yet excited over the idea that he could become junior class president. That was a far cry from President of the Mathletes. Jenny looked over and smiled at me for the first time in weeks.

Maudrina was unusually quiet, which was good since I wasn’t looking for conversation. She must have sensed my mood. There were times during the day that we were physically together, yet we were islands. Guy was around—the dutiful boyfriend—but he remained distant.

I thought Orthon might turn up outside my house in the morning, or after school, but he didn’t. For Guy’s sake I pretended not to notice his absence. I did notice, and that bothered me. It made me feel as though I were cheating.

Waiting for the other shoe to drop.

That old phrase had recently gone in regular rotation on my mental playlist. It’s because that’s exactly what Guy, Maudrina, and I were doing as we waited to see what would happen next. We were biding time, treading water, and it was taking a huge emotional toll on us all.

Thursday, when I got home from school, the other shoe dropped.

When I arrived home and saw Suze’s car in the driveway, I could feel the shoe falling along with my stomach. It was as if I were experiencing the first big drop on a roller-coaster, my insides going all wonky.

I found Suze in the kitchen, at the island, sipping a cup of tea. She had a far-off look in her eyes. From her expression, she was wishing she were somewhere else. When she saw me, she tried to hide the concern percolating on her face behind a smile, but it was obvious there was something wrong.

“What is it?” I asked, with no pretense at polite banter. I moved to the island and stood alongside her.

“Nothing,” she replied, her voice a few octaves too high, searching for a relaxed, friendly tone and not finding one. “How was your day?”

“Please don’t treat me like a child, Mom. I know there’s something wrong. I can feel it. Is it Tony?”

She smiled. It was a weary smile. “You know me too well.”

“Or, maybe it’s that you’re sitting in the kitchen at four o’clock in the afternoon having a cup of tea,” I said.

She chuckled. “Smart
and
observant. That’s my kid.”

“I’m not a kid. So can you please tell me what’s going on? You’re scaring me.” I was leveling with her. Time for her to level with me.

“Suppose…” she started, stopped, gathered her thoughts, then started again. “How would you feel about moving to Florida?”

Clunk! The sound of the other shoe hitting the floor.

I shuddered as a chill settled over me. The satanic vision I’d had several nights ago was starting to play out right before my eyes. “Let’s begin with why we’d be moving to Florida in the first place,” I said, struggling to keep my tone even.

She sighed. “The man who bought the fake Kinetoscope seems to be out for blood. I told him we’d give him his money back plus a penalty, but that doesn’t seem to be enough. So I’m afraid we’ll have to sell the house.”

Clunk!

“What does he want?” I asked, my heart racing because I knew exactly what he wanted.

“Seriously? He seems to want to ruin my life. My lawyer—yes, I had to hire a lawyer—is trying to get a face-to-face with him now, but he doesn’t seem interested. He’s very wealthy, so I can’t believe it’s the money. He recently bought and totally renovated that old Tavares castle.”

Clunk!

“Dagenhart.” The name drifted from my lips involuntarily, as the earlier chill now spread across my body, raising goose bumps along my arms, legs, and back. I fought the urge to shiver.

“You’ve heard of him?” She seemed surprised. She had no idea Dagenhart and I were old pals, so to speak.

“I think I read something in the paper about him buying the castle not too long ago,” I said, trying to sound matter of fact as I continued fighting the urge to shiver—or scream.

Suze stared into my eyes, the windows to my soul, and knew in an instant something was upsetting me. “Com’ere,” she said, extending her arms for a hug.

I moved in without hesitation and she held me close, the way she’d once held me when I was afraid to go in the deep end of the pool, or when I’d had a bad dream. She was trying to shield me from feeling her pain, when I knew I was the one causing the pain.

“Sorry, babe,” she said softly. “A few weeks ago I was talking to you about college. Now I don’t know how I’ll be able to pay for it.” Her words were awash with emotion.

“We’ll manage,” I said, hoping to tone down the avalanche of feelings. “We always do. The two musketeers plus one.”

She laughed. “Wouldn’t that be
three
musketeers?”

“I know. But I didn’t know if Tony had earned musketeer status yet.”

“He has,” she said with a long, grateful sigh. “He feels so guilty. He’s offered to cover all our legal bills. Of course I can’t let him do that. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without him… or you.” She pulled me in closer.

Tony couldn’t have felt half as guilty as I did. Was all this heartache really part of my master plan? Unfortunately, it was.

We spent the next several minutes consoling one another. I couldn’t tell which one of us needed it more. Despite my telling myself how grown up I’d become, it felt good having my mom to cling to. Every woman needs to feel like a little girl every now and then.

When I finally went upstairs, we were both feeling better. It’s amazing what a little mother/daughter bonding can do. As I exited the staircase and started for my room, I spotted something small and white on the floor leaning against my door. As I got closer, I could see it was an envelope. My name was on it, written in calligraphy. Something told me my mother hadn’t placed it there.

My fingers were tingling as I stooped and scooped it up. There was a note card inside that read:

We can fix this whenever you’re ready

Cyril Dagenhart

My wait was over.

*

The cab was waiting for me on the corner.

I slipped quietly out of the house after Suze and I said our goodnights. It was just past ten, but she was drained from all the recent drama in her life. I told her I had a feeling Dagenhart was going to come around.

“From your lips to God’s ears,” she said and hugged me good night. Not exactly.

Guy hadn’t shown up in my room to watch over my dreams yet. I was glad about that. I knew he wouldn’t want me to go, and the last thing I needed was another argument. By the time he arrived, this whole thing would be set in motion. I also knew that he and Orthon would both sense if I were in danger, but I didn’t think I would be. I was precious cargo: Satan’s bride to be.

The ride to Dagenhart castle was long and lonely. Several times I pulled out my phone to text Maudrina. But each time, I gathered up my courage and placed my phone back in my purse. I had to do this part alone. I had to keep everyone I loved out of it—at least for now. I kept reminding myself I was nearing the end of my ordeal. One way or the other, it would be over soon.

When the castle came into view, a lump the size of an egg lodged in my throat. This trip was the scariest of them all. In the past, I’d been in disguise, blending into the crowd unnoticed. Tonight there’d be no crowd, no disguise, no blending in. This time I was expected.

Light poured from the castle’s many windows, illuminating the hill like a jewel in the night. It should have been a beautiful sight to behold. Instead, it was the most unsettling vision of all, knowing the castle’s welcoming glow was for me—just me.

“Should I drive you up, Miss?” the cabbie asked as we stopped at the gates. They were swung open wide just as they’d been on my previous visits.

“Yes, please,” I said, the words barely squeezing past the goose egg in my throat.

“Excuse me?”

“Yes,” I said a little louder, digging inside myself for a handful of courage. “Drive me up.”

When we reached the crest of the hill, I could see that the doors of the castle were also open wide, more welcoming light spilling from within, casting long oblique shadows on the flagstone steps. As we pulled up to the front, a dwarf of a man, dressed in tails, stepped from inside and ambled down to the bottom of the stairs, where he waited.

“Should I wait?” the driver asked.

“No. I’m good.” I paid him and got out.

It’s almost over.
I kept repeating the refrain in my mind as I moved toward the little man at the foot of the stairs. I was hoping the thought would comfort me or at least bolster my failing courage. Not a chance, not with the sound of the cab retreating back down the hill. I was alone, about to enter a demon castle, and I knew it.

It was a beautiful Arizona fall night, with the slightest chill in the air. A tapestry of stars illuminated the night sky. Up here they seemed bigger and brighter than ever. If I’d been with Guy, I’d have called it a night filled with possibilities. Instead, it was night filled with the possibility of terror.

“Miss Barnett?” the little man asked in a Munchkin voice as I arrived at the foot of the stairs. He had elfish features, like the elves in Christmas movies, but this elf’s skin had a reddish glow, and his smile revealed spiky teeth jammed into jagged gums. The little creature was not an elf. He was a demon.

“Yes,” I replied. “I’m Megan Barnett. I’m here to see Mr. Dagenhart.”

Upon hearing my name, the little demon’s smile widened. “The master is expecting you. Follow me,” he said delightedly, then turned and started up the stairs.

My heart rate quickened as I started up after him. I realized there were probably more demons inside. I hoped that Amanda would heed my warning and not come to my rescue.
Just another reason to have even more anxiety.

On the inside, the house was unnaturally quiet. In my past trips, there’d always been music playing. Not tonight. Tonight the silence in the large house was ominous. I couldn’t help but feel that something was about to happen, and with that thought, a chill wiggled up my spine.