Indelible (19 page)

I refused to let her win. Forcing my brain to concentrate, I parted the curtain of snow with my hands and lifted my arms straight above my head, assuming a fighting stance, just like Brent had taught me. The air in the room responded and formed a vortex around me, the wind intensifying. As Sophia howled, water flooded upward out of the pool and towards the ceiling. It hung in the air for a moment, before giving way to gravity, and crashing over us in a violent downpour.

Sophia shrieked, her eyes darkening. She pounded against the glass, opening spider web cracks that continued growing, covering the glass. I trembled as I held my stance, shivering with cold and fright, like the valiant last autumn leaf trying to fight off the coming winter. Her deafening scream left a ringing in my ears and I dropped my hands to cover them. I gritted my teeth, forced my hands back up, and gaped in amazement as the entire remaining mass of water in the big pool lifted into the air. Still in its rectangular shape, the water rippled in the air, separating me from Sophia.

It lowered slowly, teasing my upraised fingers, lapping them, as if it were a gentle pet rather than a terrible force capable of suffocating me, drowning me. Again.

I wouldn’t let it happen. I shoved my hands to command the wind upward, and the water rose. As I spread my hands, the water parted cleanly in half, the wind forcing its way through the center.

The edges of the halves started to crystallize, chunks of ice forming in patches. Snow drifted around me, melting on my cheeks and nose. My arms trembled, my muscles burned. With my last bit of strength, I threw my arms wide and each half of the pool slammed against the walls of the room, echoing a deafening boom, as the glass shuddered, groaned, and cracked. The water rebounded in every direction. Sophia’s image fluttered in the ruined glass, her furious cry lost in the raging of the water.

DJ grabbed me around my waist and hunched over me as the water broke over our backs, swiping our feet out from under us and pulling us in a rip-tide across the room. We rolled along, bouncing into each other, tables and chairs awash around us.

Still with one arm around my waist, DJ stretched out the other and grasped the handrail at the side of the pool, hooking his elbow and clinging on as our feet were washed over the edge into the fast-filling pool. When the current slowed, DJ tried to move, but I grasped him tightly, afraid to lose his solidity.

“It’s okay, Cupcake, I’ve got you,” he said in a gentle voice. He reached down and put his hand over mine, loosening my death grip so he could heave me up and out of the pool. I sat up, bringing my knees to my chest, sobbing and sputtering water out of my mouth and nose while tears rolled down my cheeks. Blood ran freely from a cut on my knee.

My hair pasted itself to my face, my bangs dripping into my eyes. I pushed the wet hair off my forehead, clearing my vision. My mouth fell open as I peered around the room. The tiny fissures had spread, shattering the walls, but still they remained in place; the safety glass had kept us from a glass-shard shower. Water crept down the ruined panels as Sophia’s image quivered, fading behind the shattered walls. Her mouth moved but I couldn’t hear her words. The look in her eyes, however, put my courage in a deep freeze. She vanished completely, but her unheard threat stayed with me.

With Sophia gone, the sun beat down on us, its warmth sliding through the cracks. The broken remains of the big icicle bobbed in the pool, while the others melted, raining down on us.

My hands hung useless on my knees. “She’s gone,” I mumbled, staring out into the distorted landscape.

“Let’s get out of here.” DJ pulled himself out of the water and lifted me to my feet, where I swayed, unable to move. He wiped the water from his face, his pupils dilated in shock. He took hold of my upper arm and led me to the door, which opened easily for him.

“You first,” he said, shoving me towards our escape. “Quick, before someone sees us.”

I felt numb, void, and incapable of action. DJ pushed me out the door into the bright afternoon.

“Come on,” he said, grabbing my hand and running as fast as he could, pulling me away from the pool house and toward the groves. I kept tripping, but he held on tight and dragged me up, not stopping until we were immersed in the cooling shade of avocado trees. Only then did he let me go and doubled over, panting.

“What . . . what was that?” he asked. He ran his fingers through his wet, shaggy hair.

“My life,” I answered, resigned. I wrung out the bottom of my black sweater. “Congratulations, you’ve just been initiated into the craziness of Waker life. Remember how you said Sophia was a harmless ghost?”

“Okay, I was wrong. Haven’t I apologized enough for one day?”

It was late October now, and even in California the intense summer heat had faded. I could really have used it. The adrenaline was wearing off and I was freezing.

DJ’s hands beat out a rhythm on his knees while he studied me. “I think you’re in shock. I have some candy in my. . .” his voice trailed off as he looked around. “Oh crap.”

“What?”

“Our bags are still at the scene of the crime.”

I moaned and sank down onto the grass. “I don’t think I can move right now.”

DJ patted the top of my head. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

I nodded numbly and stared into the groves. DJ ran off to retrieve our things. He returned a few minutes later carrying both of our backpacks.

“Everything was quiet,” he said, plopping down on the grass beside me. “And nobody’s realized that anything has happened yet.” He pulled something out of his backpack and showed me what was left of Taffy.

“Our baby is sort of a mess,” he said, holding out the sodden bag that was now flour-paste. Taffy’s plastic head dangled sideways, her baby eyes closed. It looked grotesque and I couldn’t help but make a face.

“It’s okay,” DJ said, mistaking my disgust for concern. “I’ll steal another one from the supply closet tomorrow.” He grinned. “One of the benefits of being paired with a TA. Ms. Converse will never know.”

I nodded again.

“Um, how did you do that?” he asked casually, sitting down next to me.

“Do what?” I stared into the tree line.

“The tidal wave with the pool-water thing.”

“Oh.” I shook my head. “I didn’t do that. That was Sophia.”

“Um, no, that was definitely you.”

I stared at him.

“It followed you,” he said. “The water. It followed your every move. It scared the crap out of me, but it was also pretty amazing.” He paused and gave me an appreciative look. “You have serious power. It was sort of a turn-on, Cupcake.”

He wrung out his sopping shirt, the excess water wetting the ground. “The pool is pretty empty, just so you know, the majority of the water is now on the floor.”

I shook my head at the picture he painted. “No, I couldn’t have done that. Brent’s been working with me to help me learn telekinesis, but I really suck at it most of the time. There’s no way I’d be able to do something that powerful.”

“Well,” he said, pulling off his shoes and dumping out the water, “you were certainly powerful in there.”

My forehead crinkled. “I have no idea why.” I didn’t care, either. I felt drained, weak. I only wanted to curl up in my bed and sleep. I tried to stand, but DJ pulled me back down.

“You’d better wait till you can walk. I think you’d keel over after five steps. I can only carry you so far, you know.”

I knew he was right because I didn’t even have the strength to argue.

He leaned back on his hands and tilted his head up toward the sky, the sunlight highlighting his freckles. “I can’t believe the damage you did to the pool house. That is some serious destruction of property, Cupcake.”

“Cupcake,” I mumbled, finally placing the origin of his absurd nickname. “That’s right. You used to call me that because of my obsession with the My Little Pony character.”

He grinned. “I knew you’d put it together eventually.”

I nodded, my teeth still rattling together. “Do me a favor, DJ. Don’t call me Cupcake.”

We rested about half an hour, until I could move again. DJ insisted on walking me back to my dorm. He walked silently beside me, clearing his throat a few times like he planned on saying something, but never did. We were almost to the dorms when we saw Brent.

“There you are,” Brent said. “I was looking for you.” I ran into his arms, while DJ trailed behind. He pulled me into a hug. He was so warm—a stark contrast to me. Even though my clothes were starting to dry, I was still chilled to the bone. Brent was more than warm though, he was almost hot. I swear steam rose between us.

“You’re wet. And freezing,” Brent said as he took my hands into his own. They flooded instantly with heat. He buried his head in my hair, breathing in my scent, sniffed, stiffened and pushed me away with a frown on his face. “You smell like chlorine.”

“I had a run in with Sophia in the pool house.”

The creases on his forehead deepened. “You were in the pool house? Why were you there?”

“It’s where Doogie—I mean DJ insisted on talking to me. He dragged me in.”

“Doogie?”

“Yeah, in elementary school we called him Doogie, but his real name is Doug Stout. He gave me this.” I pointed to my scar. Brent stared at me for a moment and then glared behind me. I followed his expression and saw DJ standing there, staring at us.

“Speak of the devil,” Brent muttered.

“Sophia attacked us. She can appear in windows too.” Then I told him about the whole attack.

My knees felt weak as I recounted the fight. Brent gathered me in his arms and ran his fingers through my tangled hair.

“I’m sorry about taking you into the pool house. That was a mistake.” DJ must have moved closer to us because he his voice sounded much closer. “But Brent, you should have seen it,” he continued, admiration infusing his words. “Yara was amazing. She emptied the entire pool during the fight.”

Brent whistled. “No joke? That’s my girl.”

I shook my head. “It wasn’t me.”

“I was there, remember? It was all you.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “And after watching that much power at work, I’m very glad you accepted my apology.”

My lips curved into a smile. He winked at me.

“I’ve got to go,” DJ said. He looked at me more affectionately than I was comfortable with. “I really wanted to help, Cupcake. When they contact you, remember what I said. Run.”

“That’s all you have to say?” Brent interrupted. “Run? You’re the reason we’re involved in this at all and that’s the best you can do?”

“You were already involved.” DJ shrugged his shoulders. “Plus, it’s more of a warning than anyone gave me.” He spun on his heel and walked away.

Brent’s gaze followed him until he had disappeared around the corner. “Did you get what he stole?”

“No, he never intended to give it to me.”

“Figures. What did you learn at the meeting?”

Brent took my wet backpack and led us away from the dorms, toward the administration building. I quickly summed up what I had learned about the Pendrell family, the stolen key, and DJ’s inability to talk about it. Brent pursed his lips thoughtfully as he listened to me, holding my hand as we climbed up the administration building steps.

“So if they are so eager to recruit us, what are they waiting for?” I asked.

“The right moment? A full moon? Who knows?” Brent dropped my backpack at the base of the statue. “How does DJ know all of this anyway?”

“I’m not sure, exactly. He warned me again about that group being interested in the two of us, and told me why. It’s because they know we can project, specifically because we can project off campus.”

Brent looked as if he’d been hit in the face with a frying pan. “Because we can project?”

I nodded. “DJ can too, but only on campus.”

Brent eyes widened and his expression became unreadable. Was it anger? Fear?

“What’s with the look?” I asked. “You’re making me nervous.”

“Maybe we should be nervous.” He chewed a nail. “I’m wondering how they know so much about us.”

“I don’t know, but they do seem well informed.”

Brent pursed his lips. “I think I need to call my dad.”

“Your dad?”

Brent ripped off a piece of his nail. “Yeah. I—” Brent swallowed hard. “I told him the whole story over the summer. Neal wanted me to tell him how he really died. I think I need to talk to him.”

“You think your dad’s involved in this?”

Brent ran his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know, but he’s the only person I told. Maybe he told someone else.” He looked like he wanted to say more but didn’t.

“I told my parents, my sister, and Vovó. Should we find out if they told anyone?”

The sun had started to drop low in the sky, casting long shadows, darkening Brent’s eyes. “Let me talk to my dad first.”

v

“Doogie goes to school here?” Cherie asked, fluffing the pillow behind her head. “And your teacher is forcing him to be your baby daddy?” Cherie’s grin widened. “Should I make him a batch of my famous laxative brownies?”

I laughed. “Maybe later. Today at least he passed along some useful information. DJ said the compartment held a key.”

“What do you think it opens? A safe? Maybe a bank vault?” Cherie grabbed her laptop, settled it on her lap and started typing. Her fingers flew over the keyboard. “We’ll start by checking out if any banks have been around that long. Hotels too. I’ll look into it tomorrow at my internship.”

“Thank you for your help.”

“Anytime.”

“Any luck on the whammy situation in the bathroom?” I still smelled like the pool, and I needed a shower.

Cherie smiled so brightly she could have powered all of southern California. “Taken care of. I even checked with your grandma to make sure it would work. I worked on it all day. Didn’t you notice?”

I hadn’t.

“What’d you do?”

She pointed toward our mirrors and windows. She had glued jewels and various stones along the edges of the mirrors. Cherie didn’t have my handicap in crafts and her work made the mirrors look designer.

“Do you like it?”

“Yes, but how is it going to help?

“I used the jewels that had Pankurem in them. I know it might not be able to keep her from appearing but it should weaken her if she gets too near it, right? I did it to the mirrors in the bathroom too and all the ones you usually pass by during the day. I’ll start working on the windows next. I hadn’t even considered them till your attack at the pool.”