Glow (18 page)

“She’s got a bad concussion, kids. Take it easy on her.”

“Right.” We awkwardly patted her on the arm.

“Honey,” Mrs. Vargas called from the front desk, “I need your insurance card. I can’t find mine.”

“Be right back, sweetheart.”

Claire watched her dad go and then motioned for me to get closer. “Was I, or was I not, possessed by Grandma Rachel?” she whispered in my ear.

“You were,” I whispered back. “Don’t tell.”

She took a deep breath and blew it out. “Thank God. I thought I had brain damage.”

I kissed her on the cheek. “No more than usual.”

Avery poked me in the shoulder and mouthed, “sorry?”

Was this his first time meeting us? Claire and I had our ways and those ways included joking as a form of apology.

“You know I’m sorry and that I never intended for you to get hurt, don’t you?”

“Of course I do.” She smiled at me. “Remind me to never bitch about not being included in the rewinds again, though. Consider my curiosity squelched.”

Claire’s parents came over to collect her. Our dads shook hands. “Let us know if you need anything,” Dad said.

We all took turns giving Claire gentle hugs. I was beyond relieved that she’d come away from her kidnapping and Grandma’s possession relatively unharmed. As her dad wheeled her out to the parking lot, everyone began packing up their belongings.

“Who’s up for an early breakfast at the See-Saw?” Dad asked.

“Me! Me!” I said. I needed pancakes desperately before my painkillers wore off and all I’d want was to be drugged up and sleeping.

We all headed outside.

Chapter Twenty

“You catchin’ a ride on the shuttle bus?” Avery called out to Ben.

“Yeah,” he answered, following Connor across the hospital parking lot. “We’ll see you there.”

Ben wasn’t exactly in the mood to go sit in a diner with Zellie and Melody at the moment, but everyone else was really hungry, so he figured he’d go and watch them all eat.

Maybe it would give him some time to figure out just what the holy hell had gone on at Claire’s house. Zellie wasn’t stupid and Frank had said lots of times that Melody was becoming a Lookout to be reckoned with. So, why no call to the police? Why did they allow Claire to be taken from her bedroom with her hands and feet bound? It made no sense. What should have been a pretty straightforward rewind had gotten way out of control. They’d had the element of surprise on their side and it seemed like they’d been the ones that were confused and unprepared.

Christopher came up next to him. “There’s something they’re not telling us, right? You’re getting the same vibe too?”

“No doubt. You think you can get Melody to talk?”

“I’ll sit next to her at the See-Saw.” Christopher stopped and turned. “Marcus, get a move on.”

Ben’s eyes snapped shut.

A VW bus came barreling into the parking lot. The driver had his head turned, talking to someone in the backseat. Marcus was bent over in the path of the van, tying his shoe, lost in his thoughts.

Ben spun around and sprinted toward Marcus, passing Zellie with her hand extended on the way. The bus slowed just as he reached Marcus, and then backed up to a complete stop. The side of the van opened and a drunk guy missing all the toes on his bloody right foot  yelled, “Zellie! Here. Hurry!”

The instant his eyes opened Ben spun and ran. He heard the screech of the van’s tires and saw Zellie out of the corner of his eye. He knew he would make it. Zellie’s glimpses were never wrong.

Placing himself between Marcus and the van, Ben crouched and put both hands out behind him, helping Zellie rewind the reckless vehicle.

He heard the door open, heard the injured man yell to Zellie. Ben looked over his shoulder and watched as she grasped the man by the forearm and closed her eyes.

Was he transferring a vision to her? Were the girls working with someone else?

Fuck that.

Ben sprang to his feet, leaving Marcus with Christopher, and walked toward Zellie determined to get some answers.

Melody got in his way.

She put her hand on his chest. “Leave her alone. This is important.”

Ben grabbed Melody’s hand and flung it off. “What are you two up to?” His eyes widened when she looked away from him. “Shit. You all aren’t working with Mildred are you?” He reached out and took hold of Melody’s face, forcing her to look at him. “Are you?”

“Jesus! No, are you kidding me? How could you even say anything like that?”

Avery put his hand on Ben’s shoulder. “Chill, man. Let her go. She’s about two seconds from kneeing you in the balls anyway.”

The van door shut and pulled into the ER entrance. Zellie came up behind her sister.

Ben shoved Melody away and glared at Zellie. “You’re going to tell me what the hell is going on. Now.”

Zellie waved the group over to her; everyone had been standing on the sidelines not knowing what to do, just gawking.

“Mel and I aren’t going to be able to go to breakfast.”

“Why, honey?” their mom asked, switching Wyatt from one hip to the other. “Did that glimpse take too much out of you?”

“No,” she looked at Ben and then Christopher. “Because I know where Mildred is.”

Chapter Twenty-One

It took exactly one second before everyone started freaking out. Christopher looked at Zellie like he wanted to do her bodily harm. Melody and Avery inched over in front of her.

“Show me the visions now!” Ben demanded.

“This is what you’ve been keeping from us?” their mom asked.

“You two have a lot of explaining to do,” their dad said.

Wyatt hollered. Frank’s face turned a deep shade of super-pissed-off red. Connor and Marcus stood back from everyone, looking utterly confused and a little bit scared.

Aunt Hazel held her hands in the air, silencing the group. “We should not be discussing this in the middle of the hospital parking lot.” She lowered her hands and clasped them together at her waist. “I would like to suggest that everyone get their asses in the shuttle bus. Lickety split.”

They moved en masse to the shuttle bus, grumbling at Zellie and commiserating with each other the whole way.

“Wy and I can wait out here,” Mrs. Adams said, when her mom tried dragging him and his stroller onto the bus.

“Thanks, Beck.” She handed Wyatt over and climbed up the stairs.

Aunt Hazel stood at the front of the bus waiting for everyone to take a seat. Zellie and Melody sat up front on the right with Avery behind them. Their parents and Mr. Adams took up the third row, followed by Christopher and Frank in the fourth and Ben, Connor and Marcus in the fifth. Then she shut the door. “That’s better.”

Zellie stood up, so Melody stood up. “This is a waste of time.”

“Hazel Grace Wells, you sit down in that seat until I’m finished talking.”

They both sat.

“Now, I think I’m safe in saying that not a single person here is going to let you two go after Mildred alone.”

Zellie looked around the bus impatiently. “Fine. Can you drive while we talk? We don’t have much time.”

Bold move, Zel
.

Aunt Hazel inhaled deeply. “Sure.” She held out her hand. “Christopher, the keys.”

Christopher stood, taking the keys from his pocket. “I can dri-”

“The keys!” Aunt Hazel jabbed her hand at him. He came forward, gingerly placed them in her palm and sat back down.

She slid behind the steering wheel and started up the bus. “Where am I going?’

Zellie leaned over the front of the seat. “Summer Lake Hot Springs. Do you know it?”

Aunt Hazel nodded. “Roger and I have been there a couple of times.”

Mrs. Adams banged on the door, giving her Dad a questioning look.

He held up his phone. Mrs. Adams gave him the ok sign and backed away from the bus.

“Are you sure about our destination, Zellie?” Frank asked. “Sometimes the visions are confusing.”

Zellie sighed. “I’m glad you guys have so much faith in me.” She turned in her seat, sat on her knees and stuck her thumb up. “Vision number one: foothills, clear blue sky, desert, boulders, brush, marshland, water, a sign I couldn’t read and a teepee.” Her index finger joined her thumb. “Vision number two: a Highway 31 scenic byway sign and a river with another sign next to it that said Chewaucan River.” Up went her middle finger. “Vision number three: This time I could read the sign from the first vision. It said, ‘Summer Lake Hot Springs.’ Then I saw a group of three cabins next to said hot springs and Mildred walked out the door of one and into another.”

Frank looked out the window and muttered, “Sounds good.”

Aunt Hazel pulled out of the hospital parking lot.

“Now, are you going to tell us what the hell has been going on?” Ben asked, only a touch of anger still left in his voice.

Zellie gave him a sympathetic look. “Yes.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Everyone sat quietly, staring out the windows. We were almost there.

After I’d spilled about the events of the past two days, Ben had instantly forgiven me, saying that he didn’t think he’d have done anything differently.

Christopher was another story. He’d launched into a twenty minute rant covering such subjects as,
Melody is a Piss Poor Lookout
,
Zellie is a Vision-Grubbing Gloryhound Who Thinks She Can Do It All Herself
, and my personal favorite,
Why Didn’t You Let Christopher In On The Plan Since He Has the Mind Control Prowess to Obtain a Shuttle Bus?

I didn’t even blink an eye. Between Mom, Ben and him, I knew an abandonment issue rant when I heard one. And, it wasn’t like
I
could’ve gotten us a shuttle bus. The rest of the three hour drive had been filled with tense silence.

“We’re half an hour away,” Aunt Hazel announced. “It’s time to start talking strategy.”

“Yeah, Melody, what’s the big
plan
?” Christopher sneered.

Dad glowered at him. “Cool it, Chris.”

Melody and I looked at each other. I’d been dreading this question.

Avery reached his hand over the seat and I took it.

“There isn’t one,” I said.

“You mean we’re just going to wing it?” Ben asked.

Avery rubbed his thumb over the back of my hand. “Bad things happen when Retros don’t go with their guts.”

Guts, please don’t fail me now.

Aunt Hazel parked the bus on the shoulder of the highway before the turn-off to the hot springs. “I insist, at the very least, that we don’t just drive up to the door and park in front of the cabins.” She tsked at Melody. “No plan.”

“I should have given Wyatt a kiss good-bye,” Mom said, her voice shaky.

“You don’t have to do this,” I said. “You and Dad should stay on the bus.” I looked at Connor and Marcus. “You guys too.”

“And let my other two children go into danger without me?” Mom squared her shoulders. “Mildred killed my mother and has already tried to kill you. No way am I staying on the bus. She has to pay.”

“Thatta girl, Gracie,” Aunt Hazel said.

Dad stood. “You’re not going without me.”

“Us either,” Connor stood, pulling Marcus up. “If Mildred wants to kill us, she’ll have to do it in person.”

“Here we go.” Aunt Hazel opened the bus door and we all filed out.

It was ten in the morning, broad daylight. The land was barren, hard-packed desert. There were no trees. We didn’t really have anywhere to hide. The only thing between us and Mildred was the distance we had to travel along the gravel road.

As we got closer we instinctively got into formation. I was up front with Ben on my right and Christopher on my left. Melody, Frank, Aunt Hazel and Avery were behind us. Dad, Mom, Mr. Adams, Connor and Marcus brought up the rear.

Ben gave me a sideways glance. “I can feel Mildred’s powers building up in me. If things get really bad out there, I need you two to promise me your objective will be to protect. Leave the killing to me.”

“I promise,” Christopher and I whispered in unison.

The teepee came into view to the left of the road, with the sign reading Summer Lake Hot Springs just behind it. A little beyond that on the right were the hot springs. The cabins sat on the other side of the water. We followed the perimeter of the hot springs, the gravel road growing narrower, the land surrounding it on either side giving way to marsh. The tall plants around it provided some cover.

“Last chance to back out,” Christopher said. “After this bend, we’ll be in the open.”

No one spoke up. We moved forward.

My heart slammed in my chest. I looked over my shoulder at Avery.

“I love you, Zel.”

“I love you,” I answered back.

“Me too,” Melody said. “I love you, sis.”

“I love you, Benjamin,” Frank said getting choked up.

“Right back at ya, Uncle Frances.”

I love yous volleyed around the group. I opened my mouth to tell Christopher I loved him, since I didn’t want him to feel left out, but Marcus spoke up.

“Thank you for easing my mind, Christopher.”

He grinned.

We rounded the corner, the road spreading out into a gravel parking lot in front of three cabins.

I held my uninjured hand up to signal that everyone should stop. The front door of the cabin on the left opened and Mildred stepped out with her head down. I lowered my hand into Retroact stance as Ben and Christopher raised theirs.

Mildred looked up, staring blankly forward. The right side of her face was grey and drooping. My eyes trailed from her messed up face down the length of her body. Her right arm was slack, the fingers frozen in a clawed position. She took a step forward, but her right foot dragged.

“I thought you said she recuperated?” Ben asked. He dropped his hand.

Christopher and I followed his lead. This woman that we had built up in our minds as some diabolical entity looked like a stroke victim on the verge of death.

“That’s what Candace told Wes, that Mildred was recuperated and stronger than ever,” I explained.