Sisters of Blood and Spirit
Page 44
“Josiah Bent,” I said with a triumphant grin. “Got you now.”
His face twisted into something no one could ever mistake for human. This was Bent’s real face. I saw it for a split second before he lunged at me.
Then I turned and ran.
LARK
Kevin swayed unsteadily on his feet. His eyes had rolled back into their sockets so that only white remained.
“That is so not right,” Gage murmured behind me.
Suddenly, Kevin’s head turned so that he stared right at me with those sightless eyes. “Third floor,” he said in an old woman’s voice. “Room 314. That’s where you’ll find him.”
“Bent,” I whispered. “You mean Josiah Bent?”
Kevin’s shoulders slumped and his knees sagged. Ben stepped forward and grabbed him before he fell. Mace quickly took his other arm, and the two of them pulled their friend upright.
“You okay, man?” Mace asked.
Dark curls bobbed as Kevin shook his head. Then he lifted his gaze. This time I could see the bright blue of his eyes when he looked at me. “What the hell just happened?” he demanded.
“You were possessed,” I replied. “Don’t you remember?”
He glared at me. “Yes, I remember. I remember an old woman’s voice telling me she was sorry and that it would only take a minute. That she would have gone right to you, but that you scared her.”
I blinked at that. “I scared her?”
He just kept glaring at me like I was the villain. “Any idea why she would be afraid of you?”
Now I frowned. I shook my head. “No. And it’s really not important right now. She told us where to find Bent, and hopefully Wren.”
At the mention of my sister, Kevin’s expression softened. “Let’s go, then. Where is it?”
Weird that he didn’t remember actually being possessed, but maybe that was normal. Whenever Wren or another spirit had hitched a ride with me I remembered all of it.
I turned on my heel and hurried in the direction of the stairwell. I hadn’t felt Wren’s absence so completely since Bell Hill. I couldn’t sense her anywhere—it was as though she’d ceased to exist—something I refused to accept. I ran up the stairs to the second floor, then rounded the corner and sprinted to the third.
I was in pretty lousy shape.
There was a set of double doors at the top of the stairs—the kind they used to lock to keep the patients from getting out. They slammed shut the second I started for them—so hard the floor seemed to tremble beneath my feet. I grabbed the handles and pulled, but they wouldn’t budge. I knocked like I had on the entrance door, then pounded with my fists when nothing happened.
“Let me in!” I shouted. “Open the damn door! Wren! Wren!”
The others stared at me like I’d lost it. They didn’t know crazy. I knew crazy, and I wasn’t even close. Not yet. I pressed my forehead against the cool, reinforced glass panel in the door. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the scar on my right wrist. I pressed it, and the one on my left wrist, against the wood.
“I’m one of you,” I whispered. “I’ve cut myself, wanted to die. I’ve been drugged and told that I’m too wrong to be around normal people. I know that you’re real and that you hurt, and you should know that I’m not leaving without my sister. Don’t make me burn this place to the ground and salt the ashes. You know I’ll do it. Open. The. Door.”
“We’ve got to get the hell out of here,” Gage said. “She’s losing it.”
I gave the door a knock with my forehead. “We’re not leaving her.”
“Fuck that,” Gage said. “Something already possessed Kevin, and you’re sister’s gone. We’re next. I’m outta here.”
I straightened and turned with the intention of punching him in the face. I even had my fists balled. Ben grabbed Gage by the arm, and Mace put himself between Gage and the stairs.
“We leave together,” Mace said.
Gage shoved Ben, but the taller boy only moved back a step. “You’re not leaving, G.”
“Gonna stop me?” Gage demanded.
Ben just looked at him. “Yeah. Yeah, I am.”
“Me, too,” Mace added.
Roxi and Sarah joined them. They all stood by Mace, blocking the exit. Kevin came and stood by me, which was oddly touching. “We’re in this together,” he said.
Gage looked at his friends. I could see how scared he was, but their determination to see this through seemed to calm him. “Fine. So, what now?”
“We go back downstairs,” I said. “There has to be another way to access this floor. Stick together, and if you see Wren, don’t approach her.”
“See her?” That was Sarah.
I so did not want to have this conversation, but it had to happen. “She might manifest. If she does, stay the hell away.”
“What does she look like?” Sarah again. Really? Did she miss the part where Wren was my effing twin?
Kevin looked down at me. “Do you really think we’ll be in danger if she manifests?”
My jaw tightened. “Yes.” Sweet hell, yes. “Let me deal with her.” And if she didn’t tear me apart we might survive.
Mace jerked his head toward the stairs. “Let’s go.”
I took one step, that was it. Just one step before I heard the thunk of a heavy-duty lock slipping out of place, followed by an ominous creak. I glanced over my shoulder.
His face twisted into something no one could ever mistake for human. This was Bent’s real face. I saw it for a split second before he lunged at me.
Then I turned and ran.
LARK
Kevin swayed unsteadily on his feet. His eyes had rolled back into their sockets so that only white remained.
“That is so not right,” Gage murmured behind me.
Suddenly, Kevin’s head turned so that he stared right at me with those sightless eyes. “Third floor,” he said in an old woman’s voice. “Room 314. That’s where you’ll find him.”
“Bent,” I whispered. “You mean Josiah Bent?”
Kevin’s shoulders slumped and his knees sagged. Ben stepped forward and grabbed him before he fell. Mace quickly took his other arm, and the two of them pulled their friend upright.
“You okay, man?” Mace asked.
Dark curls bobbed as Kevin shook his head. Then he lifted his gaze. This time I could see the bright blue of his eyes when he looked at me. “What the hell just happened?” he demanded.
“You were possessed,” I replied. “Don’t you remember?”
He glared at me. “Yes, I remember. I remember an old woman’s voice telling me she was sorry and that it would only take a minute. That she would have gone right to you, but that you scared her.”
I blinked at that. “I scared her?”
He just kept glaring at me like I was the villain. “Any idea why she would be afraid of you?”
Now I frowned. I shook my head. “No. And it’s really not important right now. She told us where to find Bent, and hopefully Wren.”
At the mention of my sister, Kevin’s expression softened. “Let’s go, then. Where is it?”
Weird that he didn’t remember actually being possessed, but maybe that was normal. Whenever Wren or another spirit had hitched a ride with me I remembered all of it.
I turned on my heel and hurried in the direction of the stairwell. I hadn’t felt Wren’s absence so completely since Bell Hill. I couldn’t sense her anywhere—it was as though she’d ceased to exist—something I refused to accept. I ran up the stairs to the second floor, then rounded the corner and sprinted to the third.
I was in pretty lousy shape.
There was a set of double doors at the top of the stairs—the kind they used to lock to keep the patients from getting out. They slammed shut the second I started for them—so hard the floor seemed to tremble beneath my feet. I grabbed the handles and pulled, but they wouldn’t budge. I knocked like I had on the entrance door, then pounded with my fists when nothing happened.
“Let me in!” I shouted. “Open the damn door! Wren! Wren!”
The others stared at me like I’d lost it. They didn’t know crazy. I knew crazy, and I wasn’t even close. Not yet. I pressed my forehead against the cool, reinforced glass panel in the door. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the scar on my right wrist. I pressed it, and the one on my left wrist, against the wood.
“I’m one of you,” I whispered. “I’ve cut myself, wanted to die. I’ve been drugged and told that I’m too wrong to be around normal people. I know that you’re real and that you hurt, and you should know that I’m not leaving without my sister. Don’t make me burn this place to the ground and salt the ashes. You know I’ll do it. Open. The. Door.”
“We’ve got to get the hell out of here,” Gage said. “She’s losing it.”
I gave the door a knock with my forehead. “We’re not leaving her.”
“Fuck that,” Gage said. “Something already possessed Kevin, and you’re sister’s gone. We’re next. I’m outta here.”
I straightened and turned with the intention of punching him in the face. I even had my fists balled. Ben grabbed Gage by the arm, and Mace put himself between Gage and the stairs.
“We leave together,” Mace said.
Gage shoved Ben, but the taller boy only moved back a step. “You’re not leaving, G.”
“Gonna stop me?” Gage demanded.
Ben just looked at him. “Yeah. Yeah, I am.”
“Me, too,” Mace added.
Roxi and Sarah joined them. They all stood by Mace, blocking the exit. Kevin came and stood by me, which was oddly touching. “We’re in this together,” he said.
Gage looked at his friends. I could see how scared he was, but their determination to see this through seemed to calm him. “Fine. So, what now?”
“We go back downstairs,” I said. “There has to be another way to access this floor. Stick together, and if you see Wren, don’t approach her.”
“See her?” That was Sarah.
I so did not want to have this conversation, but it had to happen. “She might manifest. If she does, stay the hell away.”
“What does she look like?” Sarah again. Really? Did she miss the part where Wren was my effing twin?
Kevin looked down at me. “Do you really think we’ll be in danger if she manifests?”
My jaw tightened. “Yes.” Sweet hell, yes. “Let me deal with her.” And if she didn’t tear me apart we might survive.
Mace jerked his head toward the stairs. “Let’s go.”
I took one step, that was it. Just one step before I heard the thunk of a heavy-duty lock slipping out of place, followed by an ominous creak. I glanced over my shoulder.
