Last Time She Died Page 17

  Cali reached for her necklace out of habit. “What’s going on?”

  “I think it’s pretty clear what’s going on.” Alexia was shaking.

  “But we can’t be…There has to be a mistake.” Cali choked on her words, unsure what to say. “We didn’t just see that, not really. It can’t be. Can—can it?”

  Alexia looked back to the doorway and away again. She searched all around them, but Cali wasn’t sure what she was looking for.

  Cali opened her mouth to speak, but when she looked at Alexia she choked on her words and spit out a yellow cloud. The face formed in the cloud and turned to Cali and laughed as it swirled all around her. She felt herself being pushed down and she was helpless against it. She tried to reach out, but all she could see was Alexia’s grave. All she could see was death.

  The cloud swirling around her had vanished. “How are you doing this?” Blaine hissed from a distance.

  She said nothing. She was doing nothing.

  Unless she’d actually been escaping Blaine. She thought she’d been retreating deep into her mind. She began to wonder if the reason she couldn’t smell, see, or hear Blaine when she visited all those people, and all those places was because she’d escaped him. Hope surged through her, washing some of the fear away.

  Blaine rounded the corner of stark white hallway as the walls began to fade. “You can’t do it forever.”

  ***

  Darkness—churning with sand grains and reeking of sulfur—encircled Alexia as soon as she stepped through the opening in Leland’s kitchen. She had to pass through the thickness into what she hoped was Dustin’s mind. If she hadn’t felt the pressure of Leland’s hand on her shoulders, she would have been convinced she was alone.

  “So,” she said in a shaking voice, “we made it?”

  “I think so.”

  “So how do we find Dustin? What’s with the sand cloud?”

  “Who are you?” A voice across from Alexia made her jump.

  “Dustin?” She hoped.

  “Who are you?” he repeated.

  “Alexia. You remember me?” Her voice was tentative.

  There was a long silence.

  “Cali’s dead friend?” His voice was weak. “I’m dead?”

  Alexia shook her head. “No. We’re here to stop that from happening.”

  “Who’s we?” he asked with a shaky voice.

  Alexia wished it wasn’t so dark. “Friends. We don’t have a lot of time. Cali still needs us. Will you come with us?” Alexia heard a wailing sound in the distance. “What is that?” The room started to lighten, ever so slightly.

  The swirling cloud of yellow dust brightened, but it wasn’t the source of the light seeping in. The dust cloud grew and whipped around the room. It stung Alexia’s face as it grazed her cheek. Leland’s grip was all that kept her in place. Something cold pushed through her, but it wasn’t a bad cold. It felt like power. She focused on it and the cloud slowed. It let out an inhuman groan before cracking apart. The cloud turned into thousands of tiny pebbles as it crashed with a deafening racket to the floor.

  She collapsed to all fours like the wind had been knocked out of her. The sound grew, hurting hear ears with crashes, and creaks and scraping like nails on a chalkboard. The sound was replaced by a loud whine. A house faded into view and Alexia realized for the first time she was by a river. It was cool in the grass and either it was raining on its own, or she’d brought it with her. Flames shooting from the roof danced to avoid the drops, one lashed out toward the sky. It was hauntingly beautiful.

  “Sirens?” Dustin said, making Alexia realize what the whining was. “What happened?”

  “They’ll save your body. We have to get out of here.” Leland beckoned him with a wave.

  Dustin hesitated. He looked down at the yellow particles on the floor and they seemed to make up his mind. He moved toward them. He was older than she remembered him. His hairline had receded a bit and he had dark circles under his eyes.

  Leland took hold of Dustin, supporting his weight.

  “Get us back to your Ether, Alexia,” Leland told her.

  Alexia closed her eyes and thought about how to do that. Exhausted, she forced herself back to her feet and, again, took Leland’s hand in hers. She felt a pinch, followed by a slight whooshing sound.

  ***

  “No!” Blaine let out a horrifying cry and ripped away from Cali. She wasn’t sure why; she’d done nothing, but he was gone. No smell. No sound. The hallways lost their flagrant brightness. She relaxed, though she wasn’t sure what was happening.

  She was pulled out of the strange white hallway and stood on a sidewalk next to a sprawling building. The parking lot to her right covered a whole block. Everything looked wrong. She was watching things happen from the wrong angle. She’d found herself standing by an ambulance pulling up to the hospital. Everything she could see was different shades of yellow. The ambulance, the hospital, the sky, everything was yellow. The paramedics looked like bad cartoons with their yellow skin and hair. They wheeled a stretcher out from an ambulance.

  Realizing, with a jolt, the girl was her, she looked around. She recognized the Jaydee Hospital. She’d visited it before. She was being wheeled into the emergency entrance.

  The Cali on the stretcher was yellow too and she looked awful. Her face was bloody and covered in dark swirls of soot or dirt. Her hair had been singed and most of it was gone. Her hand and arm, up to where a sheet covered, looked melted.

  I’ve died, she thought. Blaine suffocated me. Fuck.

  She saw that the yellow version of her being wheeled to the hospital doors was breathing. As the paramedics pushed her into the hallway.

  Maybe I’m still alive. The thought compelled her to follow the paramedics.

  She looked down at her hands as she walked. She wasn’t yellow, but her skin wasn’t normal. Like the version of herself on the stretcher, her skin was melted and damaged. Her clothes were charred and parts were melted into her skin, but she couldn’t feel it. The dream-like atmosphere felt too soft, the sound too sharp. Everything was too detailed and too yellow.

  After a quick walk, the paramedics pushed Cali into a room and next to a hospital bed. She watched as they lifted the yellow version of her onto the mattress. She heard the yellow Cali moan as her hands clenched into fists. The paramedics took some time setting up an IV while Cali watched. As the IV was inserted into her arm, Cali felt herself being pulled back into her body. She wondered if the world around her was still yellow.

  She smelled rotten eggs.

  Screams bounced off the walls. Wherever Blaine had gone, he hadn’t stayed long. And he was pissed.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Alexia fell through the portal and back into Leland’s kitchen. Dustin, supported by Leland, tumbled through on her heels. The portal closed with a faint pop behind them.

  “No,” Alexia screamed. “Open it back up. We have to go get Cali.”

  Leland’s voice was hollow. “She wasn’t there. We have to find her.”

  As soon as Leland laid Dustin on the couch, Alexia grabbed Leland’s shoulders. “Find her,” she pleaded.

  His eyes glazed over and darted around. Alexia watched. She reminded herself to breathe and not squeeze Leland too hard.

  “Anything?” Alexia tried not to sound impatient.

  “I can sense her. Barely. I can’t figure out where she is.” He opened his eyes and shook his head. “I can’t lock onto her.

  Alexia stood and her head swam with pain, but she ignored it. “Open a doorway, Leland. I’ll find her.”

  Leland chewed on his lip. “That’s not how it works.”

  Alexia clenched her teeth.

  “What is going on?” Dustin’s voice came from behind them.

  They both turned to face him. Alexia tried her best to wipe the worry from her face. “We have to find Cali or he is going to kill her.” Alexia realized how tired she was but was afraid to sit in case she fell asleep. She turned back to Leland.
“Why can’t you just open a window like you did for Dustin?”

  Leland sighed. “I can’t. I don’t have the energy and I don’t know where she is.”

  “And who are you?” Dustin asked, looking at Leland.

  “I’m Leland. We’ve met.”

  “Really?”

  Alexia snorted. “It was a lifetime ago.” She glared at Leland. “Dustin, I promise we will explain everything once we find her.”

  “She was right there with me.” Dustin rubbed his face. “And then she was gone. I was gone. What the hell happened?”

  “There was a fire,” Leland started to explain.

  “I remember that part. I mean with the smells and the fucked up colors,” Dustin said.

  Alexia and Leland looked at each other and shrugged.

  Dustin nodded. “Is it just you two?”

  “Well, yeah. We don’t really—”

  “Wait,” Alexia interrupted. “Where’s the guy that told you what you know?” Alexia asked Leland.

  “Who?” both Dustin and Leland said in unison.

  Alexia looked at Leland. “The other guy that saw Blaine. You said he was a powerful tracker.”

  “Gregory?” His voice was hollow. “Uhh, let me look.” Leland’s eyes glossed over again. Alexia vibrated with anticipation in the silent space. He stood with his open, empty eyes for, seemingly, an eternity. “In the Cetteri.”

  “Go get him. Go now.” Alexia stood as she spoke. “We need some idea of what we’re up against.”

  He didn’t move right away, as if unsure he wanted to go. He let out a sigh and circled one arm in front of her. A shimmering thread followed his fingers and once the circle was completed, a shiny, transparent disc appeared in the air. It reminded Alexia of heat rising from hot blacktop, but much glossier.

  He looked at her and smiled. It didn’t touch his eyes. “I’ll be right back.”

  Alexia nodded. She could feel her own tired smile. She touched his hand just as the shimmer opened. She could see through to bright green grass and tall trees. The sweet fragrance of flowers drifted to her.

  He nodded and stepped through and the opening closed slowly behind him. He turned and watched her until it popped shut.

  Dustin sat bolt upright. “What the—?” He let the question dangle.

  “Well, Dustin. I don’t know an easy way to tell you this. We are magic. And dead. I mean, you’re not dead. I am, Leland is.” She sighed and held up a finger while collecting her thoughts.

  Dustin cradled his head. “You explain things just like her.” He snorted a laugh, but the smile was genuine. “No wonder you and Cali got along.” He laid back down on the couch. “How long will he be gone?”

  “Hopefully not long. He went to get someone to help us find Cali.” She took a deep breath before explaining where they were and what she knew.

  Dustin swallowed hard. “Okay,” he said slowly. “I keep telling myself this is a dream, but I know it’s not. My gut says to trust you. My mind says I’m insane, but I’m trusting my gut here.” A giddy laugh trailed his words. She saw a tear break free and slide down his cheek. “That thing...What if it gets her?”

  “We’re going to make sure that doesn’t happen,” Alexia said in the least shaky voice she could manage.

  “What if it already did?”

  Before she could answer, Leland’s portal reappeared and he popped through with a young black man.

  “Gregory?” Alexia asked.

  He nodded. “Good to see you again. Leland filled me in.” He paused and looked around the room. “But you didn’t tell me it felt like this?”

  “Like what?” Leland asked.

  Gregory studied Leland’s face. “Like the walls are closing in.” He looked into each pair of eyes and shuddered. “This block. It’s horrible. I can feel it pressing in. And the Ether itself feels like it’s breaking down.”

  “It feels like it always has,” Alexia said.

  Gregory nodded. “Well, that doesn’t make me feel better.”

  “Can you help?” Leland asked.

  Gregory swallowed hard. “If I do anything, Blaine will know I know. If he’s done this to you…but, I can’t just do nothing. He could do this to anyone.” He paced around the room while talking to himself. “We’re looking for Cali?” He looked to Dustin but everyone nodded. “What do we think?”

  “Well, there was the fire. We heard sirens.” Alexia rubbed her forehead and closed her eyes. “Just a guess with the fire, but I bet they will take Cali to the hospital.”

  “She moved outside of her body and you don’t know where she is. Knowing where her body is won’t help us.” Leland sounded patronizing.

  “Let’s start there. At the hospital,” Gregory said. “If Blaine put the block on this Ether, it is very likely he is also blocking her. But I might still be able to find her if we can find her body.”

  Alexia closed her eyes and rain poured into the room. She tugged on her half of her ‘best friends forever’ necklace, hoping it could lead her to Cali.

  Dustin let out a choking sound. “Is there a hole in your roof?”

  “No,” Alexia said.

  A picture started to form in the murky window Leland had been trying to open. “Look! That ambulance is at the ER entrance.”

  “What if it isn’t Cali?” Leland asked as the picture focused.

  “We can search the rooms and find her.”

  The stretcher rattled out of the back of the white ambulance, but it wasn’t Cali on it. It was Dustin. He let out a shocked breath from the couch. It was the only sound in the still, silent house. Alexia watched them wheel the charred Dustin in. Doctors yelled, the wheels of the bed squeaked against the damp tile floor, and a bloody sheet covered Dustin’s ruined flesh.

  Dustin moved off the couch and stood behind Alexia. She turned to him, but he watched the blackened body under the white sheet move into a small room.

  “You’re sure I’m not dead?” His voice was serene and oddly detached.

  “They wouldn’t be moving you to a bed if you weren’t alive.” Alexia sounded sure. She hoped she was right.

  She looked back to the window and tried to focus on the doctors. A short, round woman, whose dirty blonde curly hair was trying to escape the pins confining it, was talking as she pulled on a pair of blue latex gloves. “I think once we get him cleaned up, it won’t be so bad. He may lose the finger. We need to stabilize him. It doesn’t look like he was in the fire long.”

  “He was outside the house when we got there. It looks like he carried her out before he passed out himself,” a young man said.

  “He saved her,” the middle-aged woman told him. “Please clean him while I go look at the woman.”

  “Yes, Doctor Frost.” The man was joined by two other people and there was a flurry of movement around Dustin’s body.

  Alexia let out a sigh. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

  “Leland.” Gregory broke Alexia’s concentration. “You should follow the doctor to Cali.”

  “Oh, right.” His voice was thick. The picture in the air zipped backward out of the room and caught up with Doctor Frost. It followed closely on her worn, off-white, canvas shoes as she entered another room toward the end of the hallway.

  “What’s her name?” Doctor Frost asked.

  “Cali Fox.”

  The doctor nodded. “What happened to her feet?”

  “We stitched her up a couple days ago. Her face too, see that cut under her eye?” The thin blonde nurse waved toward Cali. “Her boyfriend brought her in that night. I remember them.”

  “D.V.?”

  The nurse shrugged. “I wondered since he brought her in all bloody and said she’d just shown up that way, but she was pretty delirious and kept saying something about hitting a wall and finding him. When she woke up, she said someone had attacked her and she’d run away.”

  “You reported it to the P.D.?”

  The nurse nodded.

  “That’s some bad luck.” Doctor
Frost knitted her eyebrows together and made a clicking sound with her tongue.

  She leaned over Cali and Alexia felt like she’d been kicked in the gut when she got a good look at her friend. Cali’s hair had caught fire and looked like a melted clump of plastic. Alexia tried to focus on the pink, unburned flesh, and Cali’s steady breathing as the doctor said she would likely need a few skin grafts.

  “Emma,” the doctor said without looking up. “Give me the clippers, please, I’m going to cut her hair off to check her scalp. Right now, it looks like the male is worse off. We will have to call in a burn specialist.”

  Alexia stopped listening. “They won’t be able to save her if Blaine has a hold of her, right?”

  “No.” Gregory looked at the floor. “There will be nothing they can do.”

  “Who’s Blaine?” Dustin asked.

  Alexia answered without looking. “The one trying to destroy us.”

  ***

  The world pounded its way into Cali, but while hidden, she was safe. Blaine hadn’t found her yet.

  There were people all around her, but not with her. She could hear them talk, she could touch their hair, but none of them noticed her. It felt like watching television, but it surrounded her instead of just being right in front of her. As if she wandered on stage at a theater.

  The people all seemed familiar, but she didn’t know who they were. The places felt familiar, but she didn’t recognize her surroundings. A forgotten, but vaguely familiar memory. The strangest part was that all the people looked the same. Dustin and Lexi were there. And so was Cali. A second Cali. A clone walking around and talking.

  Cali’s feet didn’t hurt. No one chased her. She could breathe the fresh air without smelling rotten eggs. There was no constant yellow cloud hanging over her. No hissed words. No threats. She could feel her energy returning and she followed the people appearing in front of her with detached fascination.

  The backdrop kept changing, but there was always a Cali-clone. The smells were different. Baking bread in an oven, the earth after a rainstorm, the flowers of spring. Like a switch, different places, different smells, different looks. But always a Cali-clone.