The Rising (32 page)

“Thank you for sharing,” Derek muttered.

She grinned. “You're welcome.”

Chloe grabbed paper towels from the counter. When I realized she was going to clean up, I hurried over, saying, “No, I'll get that.”

“You look after your friend,” she said as Derek went to help her.

I was going to protest again, but Corey doubled over, groaning, and I returned to him.

He had his eyes squeezed shut. “Trees,” he said. “I'm seeing trees. Which better not mean we're going to end up in another forest, because I am so damned sick—” He gasped as if hit by another wave of pain. “Yep, it's a forest. Trees, trees, and more trees.”

“Deciduous or coniferous?” I asked.

He opened one eye. “English?”

“Leaves or needles?”

He closed his eyes but didn't flinch or gasp this time, just leaned back against the fridge, as if he was seeing the vision play out behind his eyelids.

“Mostly leaves. Changing color, like they are here.” A pause. “I think it is here. I see a mark on one of the big trees. Blue paint. I saw some with that.”

Chloe nodded, walking back with Derek. “It's a woodlot behind us. The owner marked trees for cutting.”

Corey winced and jerked forward again, eyes squeezed shut. “People,” he gasped. “I see people. In black and camo. There are two women. They're doing something. Casting spells, I think.”

I described the two witches we'd seen—the St. Cloud one and the Nasts'. Corey was seeing both. When I realized that, my stomach plummeted.

“You led the
Nasts
here?” Derek said.

“No,” Daniel said. “Obviously the St. Clouds did. Somehow they knew we were coming here—”

“Somehow?” Derek turned on me. “Your father told them. He set this whole thing up.”

“What for?” I said. “If he wanted the Nasts to know, he'd have told them without sending us here.”

“Let's not do this,” Chloe said. “If Corey's telling us these people are in our back woods, we can't sit around flinging blame.”

“No, he's saying they
will
be there,” I said. “It's a vision.”

“We don't know that for sure,” Daniel murmured. “When you were taken, he had a vision of that and, according to Ash, the timing was pretty much dead-on. It was happening simultaneously.”

“So there
could
be people in our backwoods?” Derek grabbed Corey's shoulder. “What else do you see?”

“Hold on.” He closed his eyes.

“We don't have time to ‘hold on.' Tell me what you—”

“Oww!” Corey shoved Derek's hand off his shoulder. “That hurt, asshole. I'm doing my best here.”

“I didn't mean—”

Corey silenced him with an angry wave, then rubbed his shoulder with one hand and his temples with the other.

I took Corey's elbow, leading him to a chair. “Daniel? Can you check his bag? See if you find his meds?” I crouched as Corey sat. “Did you see anything else?”

He glowered at Derek. “I'm sure I would have if Teen Wolf hadn't tried to dislocate my shoulder. The vision's gone now and once it's gone, it doesn't come back.”

Derek mumbled an apology, then went to the window and peered out. Chloe walked up behind him.

“If anyone
is
out there, let's not give them a target, okay?” she said. “We should tell your dad.”

“Right.” He paused. “Is Liz around?”

“I've been trying to contact her.” She turned to us. “That's not easy if she isn't here.”

I wasn't sure exactly what that meant. I guess just that we didn't have ghostly help for scouting the situation.

Derek strode out the door without so much as a glance our way. Chloe paused to ask if we wanted to come, but I said no, Corey still wasn't feeling well. If Kit wanted to talk to him, we'd be here.

“Are you sure about that?” Corey muttered once they were gone. “Chloe is nice enough, but that Derek? Real charmer. If anyone busts through that door, he's liable to throw us to them as cannon fodder.”

I wasn't sure I disagreed.

“Their dad seems okay,” he said, “but I'm not convinced he takes us seriously. The aunt definitely doesn't. I can't get a read on the brother, but the sister?” He rolled his eyes. “A bigger diva than Hayley.”

“I know,” I murmured. “As soon as Daniel brings your meds, we'll get Hayley, Rafe, and Ash, and if these guys don't decide to run, we will. It's not exactly shaping up to be the partnership I hoped for.”

“Let's focus on the others, not my meds, okay?” Corey said. “Daniel's right. My last vision seemed to be a glimpse of the present, not the future. I don't want to hang around here hoping this one's different.”

I agreed and we went to gather our group.

We found Ash first. He was in the front foyer, sitting on the floor, as if guarding the door. I wouldn't have noticed him if he hadn't seen me passing and asked if something was up.

When I told him what had happened, I think he was almost happy. Relieved, at least. He hadn't wanted to stick around and this gave him the excuse he needed. He said he'd head outside and scout. I tried to stop him, but he ignored me, so I settled for telling him to be careful, which only earned me a disdainful glower.

Up to Chloe's room next. We met Daniel in the hall. He had the meds and passed them to Corey, who dry-swallowed one as we kept moving to the bedroom.

When we walked in, Tori squawked.

“Um, I don't know how you do things,” she said, “but around here, the guys knock before they walk into a girl's room.”

“The door was open,” Corey said. “Wide open.”

“No excuse,” Hayley said. She was now sitting on Tori's bed, where they must have been chatting away, as if this was a sleepover party.

I told them about Corey's vision.

“And what do you want us to do?” Tori said.

“You? Nothing. Hayley? If Mr. Bae doesn't decide to go, we're leaving.”

“If Kit doesn't decide to go, why would anyone go?” Tori said. So she called her father by his first name? I wasn't surprised.

Hayley glanced at Tori. “She's right. He's the grown-up and the Cabal expert. That's why we came here. If he doesn't want to leave, I don't see the point.”

“Then I guess you're staying,” Corey said.

“What's going on in here?” said a voice from the doorway.

It was Dr. Fellows. As I repeated my explanation, Simon appeared behind her. When I got to the “we may be surrounded by Cabal hit men” part, Simon took off, thundering down the stairs.

When I finished, Dr. Fellows said, “And this was a vision you had, Corey?”

“Right.”

“Are you sure?”

“Huh?”

She lowered her voice. “Is it possible that Derek . . . influenced this vision of yours?”

“What? No.”

“Absolutely not,” I said. “Derek's the one who cut it short. Accidentally, but still. And if by influence, you mean ‘talked us into telling a lie to get everyone out tonight,' then I don't appreciate the insinuation, Dr. Fellows.”

Her brows shot up to meet her hairline. Tori smirked and leaned back onto her pillow.

“Well, Maya, I don't know you yet, so you'll forgive me if I question you.”

“I don't blame you. You don't know us. But you do know Derek and, sorry, but persuasion doesn't seem to be the guy's strong suit.”

“She has a point, Lauren,” Tori said.

Dr. Fellows shot her a look, which Tori met with a cool gaze.

“Also,” Tori said, “I really think you'd know your niece better than that. I wouldn't put it past Derek to lie to get us out of here, but no way would Chloe let him pull others into the scheme.” Before Dr. Fellows could answer, Tori turned to me. “I don't doubt tall, dark, and seriously cute had a vision, but I'm still going to wait for Kit's call on this one.”

“Did she just call me cute?” Corey said.

Hayley turned on Tori. “Did you just flirt with my boyfriend?”

“Boyfriend?” Corey said.

“Are you coming?” I asked Corey. “Or staying to flirt back?”

“Bossy, isn't she?” Tori said.

“Yeah, I think it's hot,” Corey said with a grin.

Daniel prodded me along before I could retort. Corey fell in beside us and we were at the bedroom door when Ash came running in.

He stopped in front of me. “There's definitely someone out there.”

Tori stood. “Um, don't you think you should tell the person in charge here?”

Ash gave her a cold look, then stepped to the left, so he was addressing both me and Daniel. “There's definitely someone out there.”

“Not really what I meant,” Tori said.

“Don't really care,” Ash said. He caught my sleeve and tugged. “Forget them. We're going. Now.” He looked over at Hayley. “You coming, blondie?”

She hesitated.

“Whatever,” he said, waving her off as he herded me out the door.

“Hold up,” Hayley said, and hurried after us.

“I really don't think—” Dr. Fellows called.

“Really don't care,” Ash called back.

“You guys are definitely related,” Corey said as we jogged down the hall. “The only difference is that Maya is polite when she's getting in your face.”

Ash snorted and started to reply.

“Wait!” I skidded to a halt halfway down the steps. “Where's Rafe?”

“Already outside,” Ash said. “I took him scouting. He's standing guard on the porch. Now stop talking and move!”

I
TURNED LEFT AT
the bottom of the stairs and headed for the living room.

Ash caught the back of my shirt. “The exit is this way.”

Daniel brushed past us. “Yes, but we're going to take the extra minute to tell Kit and the others that we're leaving.”

“Fine, go,” Ash said. “Maya, stay with me.”

I followed Daniel into the living room.

“Hey!” Ash said. “Both of you don't need—”

The back door banged open. Shoes pounded down the hall as Rafe raced in.

“They're coming,” Rafe said. “I saw someone around the side of the garage. They shot out the lights on it.”

Daniel was now in the living room doorway, hands braced on either side as he leaned in, talking fast. Then he jogged back to us.

“Daniel!” Kit shouted. Daniel didn't stop. Kit swung out the door. “Hold on. They'll have the house surrounded. There's no place you can run.”

“We're sure as hell not surrendering,” Ash said.

“No,” Chloe said. “There's an escape route in the basement.”

“You guys take them down.” Kit pushed Derek, Simon, and Chloe toward us. “I'll get Tori and Lauren.”

When Chloe and the guys caught up, they started waving us down the hall. Ash didn't move.

“Come on,” I said. “There's a way out.”

“You really think so?” He tugged me aside, out of Derek's path. “A secret escape in the basement? Like hell. It's a trap.”

“Why would they—?” I began.

“They're going to use us. Lock us in the basement and negotiate with the Cabals.”

“We wouldn't do that,” Chloe said.

“Why not?” Derek said. “It'd work.”

“Really not helping, bro,” Simon muttered.

“I'm being honest,” Derek said. “It's a good plan. It isn't what we have in mind, but they don't know that. They don't know us. I don't blame them.” He looked at Daniel, then me, his gaze shifting between us. “It's not a trick. I don't know how to convince you of that, but we can't stand here and argue.”

“Split up,” I said quickly. “Ash, if you have another idea, you do that with . . .” I hesitated and looked from Rafe to Daniel to Corey. “Take me. Guys—”

The back-door window shattered. Something dropped, hissing, on the floor, spinning, smoke swirling out.

“Gas!” Ash yelled. “Everyone down!”

We all dropped. I told them to pull their shirts up over their mouths, and a second canister crashed through a front window, then a third someplace else, only the explosion of glass reaching us. Smoke from the first canister filled the hall.

“Stairs,” I said. “Where are the—?”

Fingers clasped my upper arm. It was Chloe, mouth covered, her slitted eyes already tearing up. Daniel reached over and grabbed a handful of my shirt hem.

“Everyone grab somebody,” he called. “We're moving.”

And so we did, a slow, awkward, blind snake crawling along the hallway. Someone bashed into a wall. I told them to move slowly and hold on—and to make sure whoever had them was still holding on. My words came out slurred, and I could feel myself blinking hard, not just against the smoke, but against a numb, floating feeling.

“It's a sedative!” I yelled. “Try not to breathe it and try to stay awake. We're almost there.”