Common Ground (The Common Ground Trilogy Book 1) (34 page)

“Good morning Professor,” I said politely, approaching the two of them.

“Oh, uh, good morning Zoe, you startled me!” Professor Woodward said, almost spilling his coffee.

“Zoe!” Simi added, looking just as surprised. “How are you?”

It was the first time I’d ever seen the two of them together. I couldn’t help but feel they were discussing something having to do with me. The look of surprise and awkwardness they displayed was too obvious.

“I’m sorry I surprised you guys,” I laughed, reaching between them for a cup.

“Don’t worry about it,” Professor Woodward replied. “Are you ready for the semester to be over?”

“Yeah,” I said loudly over the juice dispenser. “Just have to finish your test this afternoon then I’m heading up to the Spring Mountains with some friends. I can’t wait,” I smiled.

Professor Woodward and Simi both exchanged concerned looks. He lowered his cup slowly while Simi gazed around the empty cafeteria. Only the checkout girl was standing there looking extremely bored.

“Is there something wrong?” I asked surprised.

“We need to talk,” he said quietly.

“Why? What’s the matter?” I asked amused. “I’m ready for your test, I promise.”

He turned his back on me and walked to the cashier and handed the girl some money. Simi, waiting next to me, softly grabbed my arm and followed behind Professor Woodward. My frustrations and annoyance with both Simi and Professor Woodward made it easy to dismiss any concerns they seemed to have. After a month of practically being ignored and betrayed, there was nothing they could say that would make things worse.

“What do we need to talk about?” I asked nonchalantly, while the three of us started to walk out of the Pit. “I don’t have any questions for your final if that’s what you wanted.” Instead of responding, he just continued to walk silently until we were out of the cafeteria and outside, not within range of anyone or anything.

“Zoe, you need to be careful,” Simi finally said when the door of the Pit closed behind us.

“Be careful?” I asked, feigning surprise. “About what?”

I knew exactly where they were going with their concerns, but my anger had taken over.

“Liam told us about the talk you two had about the medallion,” Professor Woodward said. “It is very important that you understand the severity of this situation. Your friend is in grave danger.”

“Well,” I started to say sternly. “How serious can it really be? You guys have been keeping your distance from me lately. If it was that important, I would have thought you would have been keeping me in the loop.”

“Zoe,” Simi interjected. “There’s a reason for that.”

“Oh, can’t wait to hear the latest explanation,” I jeered.

I was getting angrier by the minute. They were trying to backtrack and make up for their actions, but I wasn’t going to have any of it.

“Please Zoe, listen to me,” Professor Woodward started. “I misjudged how helpful Liam would be to you.”

My eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Misjudged? What did you expect from him? He cares about nobody but himself! The fact you allowed him to be the one to tell me that my best friend’s life is in danger is unforgiveable. It should have been you.”

All politeness and respect had left my voice and been replaced by frustration. All of the aggravation that had built up from both his and Liam’s futile attempts to help me boiled over at that moment.

“Zoe, Liam is more important to your situation than you know,” he said, keeping his voice calm.

“How? Why? Please, just give me some real answers for once!”

Before he could speak, Simi jumped in. “Zoe, do you remember what we talked about before Thanksgiving? When I told you I had a bad feeling?”

I nodded.

“Well, that same feeling is taking over again. But, this time, all I sense is pure evil and it’s more powerful than I’ve ever felt. The problem is that I can’t sense who it is coming from. My powers still aren’t strong enough to fully sense who is feeling what. All I can sense is general feelings, I can’t associate them with specific people yet.”

“And this all has to do with Liam how?”

“We’re not sure we can trust him,” Professor Woodward finally said. “There is very little we know for sure, but what we do know only creates more questions. Liam told us that it wasn’t possible for you to be Annie’s link, which makes me wonder who Ignacious is really hunting. My guess is that since the medallion was sent recently, the real link is somewhere close. Usually when these medallions are sent, it isn’t more than a couple of weeks before people start dying.”

“But you’ve trusted him so far, haven’t you?” I asked. “Why the sudden change?”

“Like I said, I’m not sure it is him,” Simi replied. “We have no choice but to trust him for the time being. The problem is that Liam is a very powerful demon and he has a history that wouldn’t support his case. So it’s your job now to be as vigilant as possible. Going on this camping trip with your friends is a big risk. You’ll be up in the mountain, far away from any help. I know how special you are, but with Annie being marked for death, and your powers still not developed, it could be a dangerous mix.”

It was frustrating enough not being able to utilize any abilities I apparently had. Hearing it again made it even worse.

“I’m tired of hearing how special and unique I am!” I argued. “You said it yourself Simi, my powers aren’t even developed. Maybe if you guys actually told me how to use them, we wouldn’t have to worry so much?”

“It’s not as simple as explaining how to use them,” Professor Woodward said. “Your abilities are a direct result of your connection with Common Ground. Until you are put in a situation where you truly realize the necessity of having them, you’ll remain weak. That’s why your dreams have been mere glimpses of the past and future, because you aren’t fully developed yet. Already time traveling once is an enormous accomplishment, but meeting your full potential takes time and experience. ”

None of what he said made any sense. My powers were only going to work when I truly needed them?

“He’s right,” Simi added. “I’ve known about Common Ground for over a year, and am still trying to embrace it all. You have to be patient.”

“I can’t be patient when my best friend’s life is in danger,” I snapped back.

Before I knew it, we were approaching Professor Woodward’s building. The two of them stopped dead in their tracks and I followed suit. The three of us stood in the middle of the sidewalk, with nobody within earshot.

“Zoe, I’m not sure what is happening, but like Simi said, you must remain vigilant,” Professor Woodward said. “I’ve already told you that Ignacious has spies all around us, and without Simi having her full abilities, it’s impossible to detect who it is.  I still believe going on this trip is a horrible idea, but if you decide to go, remember everything we’ve told you. You’ll survive it undoubtedly, but I know how close you are with Annie.”

After weeks of being in the dark, I had another tidal wave of information dumped on my brain. Liam’s loyalties, my slow developing abilities and Simi’s deepening fears were all too much. I wasn’t ready to accept any of it, but they made it sound like I had no choice. I’d never felt so alone in my life.

“But if Liam’s a demon, can’t he see into the future and make sure everything is going to be fine?” I asked.

Professor Woodward looked uneasy. “The mind is only as strong as the angel or demon it belongs to. Until we know for sure that Liam is on our side, we can’t trust what he says.”

I looked over at Simi.

“I’m sorry Zoe, I wish I could be more help,” she apologized. “But, my last final is this evening. If you want, the earliest I can meet you guys is tomorrow morning to give you an extra set of eyes. Even though I don’t know how much help I’d be, that’s the best I can do.”

Even though I knew in my heart Annie was in danger, a random camping trip with friends for one night didn’t seem worth all the effort they were making. I trusted everyone that was going.

“No, it’s alright,” I said, my anger slowly fading. “It’s only for one night and I know my friends well enough that they aren’t demon killers. We’ll should be back tomorrow during the day, then Annie and I are heading back to Seattle for Christmas on Sunday. We’ll be fine, but thank you.”

“Okay, well, have a good vacation and we’ll talk when you get back,” Simi said, smiling weakly. She waved goodbye to the both of us and walked away.

Professor Woodward then turned back to me. “Zoe, I apologize for everything unfolding the way it has. It was not my intention. But, all we can do now is work with what we’ve got. Simi sensing danger coming, Liam’s recent and questionable behavior, and Annie getting the medallion are not coincidences. Something beyond my understanding is happening, and you and Annie are at the center of it.”

“It’s because she’s my link,” I said shortly.

His eyes got very wide. “Zoe, Liam was pretty-”

“I know it’s true,” I interrupted. “We’ve been through so much together, she’s my best friend and I don’t care about anyone else as much as I do her. Whatever you think you know is wrong.”

“Those are not all the determining factors in creating your link,” he replied sternly. “It’s much more complex than that.”

I started to get frustrated again, similar to when Liam implied the same point. There was no doubt in my mind that Annie was my link, but everyone else was too stuck in their beliefs.

“Then how do you figure out who your link is?” I asked, attempting to maintain civility.

His eyes traveled the space around us nervously. Then, he leaned in a little closer and whispered.

“Birthmarks.”

He leaned back and stared into my eyes. Of all the words I’d expected him to say, that was the furthest from my mind. How birthmarks would create a link was beyond anything I could possibly put together.

“Birthmarks?” I asked, confused. “What-?”

“Excuse me Professor,” a sweet voice came from behind him. I leaned around him and noticed Annabelle standing on the top step, looking concerned.

Professor Woodward’s eyes darted to the side before he turned around. “Yes Annabelle?”

“I hate to interrupt but there’s an urgent call for you upstairs,” she said, smiling lazily at me. “They’re waiting on hold.”

He turned back, looked at me and released a sigh. “Zoe, I’m sorry but I need to get back upstairs. I know I’ll see you in a few hours, but there won’t be time to talk. Please be careful this weekend and remain watchful. Keep your friend Annie in your sights as much as possible.”

With that he turned and walked into his building, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Anyone who could help me make sense of what was going on had abandoned me, without giving me any concrete evidence to stand on. Outside of Annie, my faith and trust in anyone was at an all time low.

Chapter 16:  The Spring Mountains

The rest of my day went by uneventfully, with the only thing resting on my mind being Professor Woodward and Simi’s stringent warning about our trip and the strange mention of birthmarks.

“Annie?” I yelled, tossing my keys onto the side table by our front door.

“In here,” she shouted from somewhere down the hall. I took a right turn after the door closed behind me and walked straight into her room.

“What’s this?” I asked, astonished.

Annie was standing at the foot of her bed and her face was contorted in a helpless expression. Tons of clothes were sprawled all over her bed and floor, and a suitcase was flipped open, half full with random outfits.

“Did a hurricane fly through here?”

“I know, I just can’t figure out what to bring,” she sighed frustrated, putting both hands on her hips.

She then looked up at me.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I stammered, walking in and sitting on the bed. “Just been thinking about this trip.”

“What about it?” she replied, taking a seat next to me.

“I don’t know. Maybe we should reconsider going,” I exhaled.

Professor Woodward and Simi’s warning wouldn’t get out of my head. I wanted to forget it and enjoy the trip with my friends, but their intense opposition to the trip was too strong. Risking Annie’s safety wasn’t worth an evening up in the woods.

“What? Why?” she asked in surprise.

“Well, we just finished finals. We’re leaving in two days and haven’t even packed yet. I’m not sure it’s the best idea to go all the way up there for one night and then scramble to get out of here on Sunday morning.”

Annie studied me intently for a moment before she released a heavy sigh.

“We should still go,” she said quietly. “I need to get away from this place.”

“But it’s going to be a bunch of couples up there, and I know you still aren’t over Liam yet,” I replied. “And, with you and Steph having your issues now, I don’t know if being stuck on a mountain and being forced to see all of that is something you should put yourself through right now.”

“What’s going on?” she asked suspiciously. “Last week, you were gung-ho about going on this trip. Now all of the sudden you’re backing out at the very last minute?”

For a brief second, I considered telling her everything. Keeping up the charade of lies wouldn’t hold up forever. But, Professor Woodward’s comment about secrecy was too important to break so I ignored the desire.

“I, I’m just burned out from finals,” I lied with an uneasy chuckle. “Don’t listen to me, just toss a pair of jeans, a sweatshirt and jacket into your bag and let’s get going.” 

She continued to look at me warily until I finally stood up.

“Okay,” she said. “I’ll meet you out front in five minutes.”

Once I entered my room, the realization that I had yet to pack hit me. Scrambling, I threw open my closet door and pulled down one of my small duffle bags and zipped it open. I grabbed a pair of jeans and my gray ULV sweatshirt off their hangers and changed quickly. Then, I rushed over to my dresser and pulled out a pair of old sweatpants and some mittens and threw them into the bag. Finally, I went back to the closet and found the massive ski jacket Marie had sent down to me. I quickly rolled it up and jammed it into my bag. It took a minute to actually fit it into the bag with all the other junk that had been shoved in there.

“Come on Zoe!” Annie yelled from the front door.

“Just a minute!” I impatiently yelled back.

My eyes made one final scan of the room, making sure nothing got left behind. Seeing nothing, I exited my room and stopped in the bathroom, grabbing my toothbrush and deodorant. Once everything was tightly packed and zipped up, I threw the bag over my shoulders and met Annie at the front door.

“That’s a good idea,” she said, looking at me. “Give me a minute, I’m going to put my warm clothes on too.”

After another minute of waiting, we finally left the apartment. When we reached the bottom of the stairs, Hope was standing alone with a single bag next to Annie’s car.

“Where’s Steph?” I asked, approaching the car. “She didn’t leave you, did she?”

At that point, Annie pulled the bag off my shoulders and stormed towards the trunk. She heaved the bags in swiftly and slammed the door shut.

“No, she took off with Damien earlier today,” she muttered uncomfortably, looking terrified from Annie’s outburst.

“Good,” Annie spat, pulling open her door and completely ignoring Hope’s apology. “I wouldn’t want her in my car anyway!”

I looked at Hope, whose eyes had gotten as wide as mine.

“I’m sorry; I should have come and asked you guys for a ride instead of assumed,” she said.

“That’s stupid, you don’t need to ask us for a ride,” I said.

I opened the passenger door and pulled the seat forward, allowing Hope to climb into the back seat. The moment the door closed, Annie turned the ignition and the engine roared to life. Right when my seatbelt clicked into place, Annie threw the car into reverse and shot down the street in a rush, which caused a few on-lookers to stare in confusion.

“Whoa, slow down Ann, we’d like to get there in one piece,” I laughed nervously. Hope followed suit with a nervous laugh behind me.

“You just tell Steph to stay away from me this weekend,” Annie yelled at Hope, who looked both confused and frightened.

“I think she already knows, but I’ll remind her,” Hope said timidly. I noticed her hands were shaking slightly when she grabbed her headphones and then lost herself in music.

“Ann, I know that you’re upset but I don’t think she meant any harm by it,” I started, hoping to calm Annie down enough to enjoy our trip. “Steph was worried about you, she just wanted to help.”

Annie’s hands started to turn white when she continued to grip the wheel harder and harder. The odometer crept uncomfortably close to 70 while we approached the on-ramp for I-215, which took us out to the highway and towards the mountain.

“Yeah, well, she should’ve got the hint when I didn’t answer her the first time. She just had to keep pushing it,” she said, not taking her eyes off the road.

“I understand that-” I started.

“Look, Zoe,” she cut me off gently. “I know what you’re trying to do and I love you for it. But please, let me deal with it, ok? I won’t cause a scene this weekend, I promise,” she said with a kind smile, apparently reading my mind before I could request it.

“Okay,” I said, hoping against hope that she would hold true to her word.

Outside of the heat, if there was one thing I despised about living in the desert, it was the lack of scenery. In the Northwest, there were trees everywhere scattered along the freeways and highways, which gave passengers something to look at during long car rides. The desert was the exact opposite. Once the towering hotels and offices of Las Vegas were out of sight, the only thing that surrounded us was a vast land of dirt, mountains and cacti. Even though I found the desert landscape to be rather unappealing, the cacti added a pretty element to the scene. The green complimented the tan and brown of the desert perfectly. The cacti lined the road while we sped towards the mountain.

After 45 minutes had passed, the scenery started to shift while we slowly began to climb the mountain. Eventually, the empty vastness of the desert was gone, only to be replaced by pure and luscious forest area. When we finally reached the entrance to the Spring Mountains Recreation Area, snow covered trees lined the mountains that surrounded us on all sides.

We continued to drive for a few minutes before we finally pulled up to a gate, where a friendly looking ranger greeted us.

“Good afternoon ladies,” he said in a very husky voice. “Where you headed?”

“We’re meeting some friends for a camping trip,” Annie said politely.

The ranger’s smile slowly faded from his face. It was replaced by a look of distrust. “You’re part of that ULV group of kids, eh?” he asked sternly.

“Um, yes sir,” Annie said, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

He stared and surveyed us for a minute. “That’ll be $30 for the night,” he finally said.

“Thirty bucks?!” Annie choked. “For what?”

“It’s the standard weekend fee with a vehicle and two passengers,” he said, pointing to the huge sign next to his window.

“But we’re only here for one night!” she demanded.

“I’m sorry ma’am, but it’s a flat rate for the weekend.”

Annie mumbled something inaudible under her breath as she pulled her purse out from the backseat. While she handled the payment, my eyes gazed around the area. There were some parked cars in an adjacent parking lot, and in front of us, right before the road turned into the trees, there was a fire danger sign with that friendly looking fire bear. The danger for the weekend was low.

“You ladies be careful up there this weekend,” he said, collecting Annie’s money. “And please make sure to remind your friends to be careful too. I know the fire danger is low, but you can never be too cautious. If you need anything, we have ranger cabins scattered all over the woods. Here, take this map, it will show you where the stations are located and also help you find your campsite.”

“Thanks,” Annie said, taking the map and tossing it on my lap. “Our friends have been here tons of times, so I’m sure they know where it is.”

His eyes squinted at Annie’s remark. “Enjoy your trip,” he said, slamming the door of his window behind him.

“Wow, what a jackass!” Annie said, driving forward into the park. “By the way, you both owe me ten bucks.”

I unfolded the map while Annie started up the long and winding road towards the mountain. It was a very easy map to read. We were to meet everyone at the Black Lake campsite, which Steph and Damien had reserved right after Thanksgiving. It was the furthest campsite from the entrance to the park, and it seemed as though it would take us a while to get there. Fortunately, the directions were simple.

“Alright Ann, just take this road all the way up,” I said nonchalantly, not taking my eyes of the map.

My eyes continued to scan the map, looking for the ranger station we’d been told about. Even with all of the fun and excitement of being on vacation, Annie was still in danger and I had to take every precaution to make sure she remained safe. Once I found the station icon located about a half mile west from our campsite, I exhaled deeply in relief and folded up the map. If something happened to Annie, the only place where she could get medical help was going to be a half-mile away. The thought of possibly having to use that cabin made me shiver.

While we continued to drive up the curvy road into the mountain, an extremely unfamiliar sight caught my eye. It was one of the more beautiful sights my eyes had ever seen. The ground had transformed from a natural blend of green and brown to a flawless white. Everything was blanketed from the grass to the trees. There was something so pure and innocent about the snow, it made me feel at peace. All of my worries and fears about Annie and her safety seemed to be blanketed with the rest of the woods.

Hope was sitting in the back seat, staring with her mouth half way open at the passing landscape. If snow was something uncommon to me, what would someone from Arizona think of it? She looked more in awe than I did. Annie, on the other hand, had focused more on the car. We didn’t have chains or four wheel drive on her car, so she was taking extra precautions to make sure we survived the drive.

“Stupid snow,” she mumbled from under her breath.  

After another half an hour, we finally reached our destination. As we pulled into a relatively vacant parking lot, I could see a bushel of blazing red hair blossoming out of a familiar black truck. I looked over at Annie whose eyes had widened and fallen on me.

“Did you know about this?” she asked almost inaudibly.

I just shook my head and stared back at Liam’s truck. Did Steph really invite Liam? Was Steph that angry from Annie’s scolding that she’d devise such a nasty revenge? Granted I didn’t know Steph as well as Annie did, but she didn’t seem to have an evil bone in her body. If Liam really was there, it was probably Damien who invited him. My heart sank into my stomach while the thought of the weekend going from potentially relaxing to utterly uncomfortable started to sink in.

Annie slowly pulled into a spot next to the truck, and stared a hole right through Steph, who was unloading camping gear out of the trunk. I turned to look at Hope who was also staring at Steph. She looked nervous and was biting her lip.

“It’s about time you guys made it up!” Steph panted, throwing a random bag off the truck bed.

“Yeah, traffic was pretty bad on the freeway,” I said over the top of Annie’s car.

“How was the trip?” she said, not even glancing at Annie who had also gotten out of the car.

“Just a bunch of desert, pretty boring,” I shrugged.

Steph laughed and unloaded the last piece of her gear from the truck. Hope had gotten out of my side of the car and was already walking towards Steph. When she got there, instead of hugging each other, Hope just picked up a majority of Steph’s gear and appeared to wait for further instructions from her.