The Departed (19 page)

Chapter 20

I was checking the answers on my homework assignment for the third time when I heard a clicking sound from outside in the hallway. I also heard voices, like a group of people were talking. I knew Shane had left with Richie and Milo after dinner. He’d said he’d be home by nine.

I checked the bedside clock. It was quarter ’til.

Maybe Miss A just had her television on really loud.

I tried to focus on my assignment when the voices grew louder. I set my book aside, went to the door, and opened it. Miss Akin’s door was shut. I knew she crashed at nine o’clock. I walked toward her room and listened for any sounds. I didn’t hear a television.

The unmistakable feeling of being watched made me turn. From the corner of my eye I caught sight of a woman with light-colored hair, and once again I heard voices. Had it been the lady I’d seen sacrificed? I wondered why she would show herself now when she’d been so scarce lately.

I needed to go to my room and stay there until Shane got home. I was anxious to tell him what Maddy had told me about walking in the cemetery.  I could tell him what I had just now seen and we could investigate together.

Walking back down the hall, I quickly passed by the staircase and went into my room. I started to shut the door when I heard children giggling.

I stepped back into the hallway. A million different reasons why I should stop came to mind as I took a left and walked slowly toward the sounds. I couldn’t stop from putting one foot in front of the other. The giggles came again, louder this time, and from the last door on the left, a room that was used to stockpile my dad’s computer equipment.

I opened the door and walked in. The boxes were stacked six feet high, and in the corner there was a door to what looked to be a closet.

“What am I doing?” I said under my breath, and turned when something moved past me, the scent of vanilla so strong. My heart missed a beat. It smelled like my mom.

The blonde woman walked in, looked at me, then turned and walked through the door of the closet.

I felt the unexplainable urge to follow her.

I opened the closet, and there was a steep staircase of about twenty steps.

Come.

The next thing I knew, I was standing in a small attic room.

How in the hell had I ever gotten up here? I didn’t remember walking up the steps.

No light guided my way, and yet I didn’t feel fear—just a strange pull. Even though it was dark, I seemed to know where I was going…

Hurry.
The single word made my heart miss a beat.

I frowned. Had that been my mom’s voice I’d heard?

The now familiar sensation of being slightly dizzy filled me, but I fought through it. Out of the blackness, I saw a light filtering in beneath the doorway. A light from where?

I pushed the door open easily, a creak following its movement.

A gust of wind whipped my hair and drops of rain pelted my cheek. The door led outside? Up to the roof, to be precise. A small flat landing that looked out over the town.

My mom stood with her back toward me.

“Mom,” I said, taking a step closer to her, desperate to feel her loving arms around me.

***

I heard my name being called from what sounded like far away.

“Riley, do you hear me?”

I opened my eyes, blinked, and found myself staring into the blue eyes of my brother. I could see the concern on his face. He leaned down, hands on my shoulders, face inches from mine. “Riley, you need to fight her. You can’t let her win.”

What the hell was he talking about?

In the hallway, just beyond his shoulder I saw Miss Akin talking with Milo and Richie. Miss A dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. Every one of them looked terrified, making me wonder what had happened.

The last thing I remembered was working on my homework.

“What’s going on?” I asked, noticing for the first time my wet hair.

The clothes I’d worn earlier were tossed on the floor in a pile, and I had on sweats and a black tank top.

Shane opened his mouth, then closed it as quickly. “You don’t remember?”

“I was doing my homework.” Whatever had happened, had been enough to scare everybody.

“Who’s Peter?” he asked.

“Peter’s the spirit of a little boy I met at the school.” He was making me really nervous. “Why?”

“You said his name. Right before you were ready to jump off the roof…you looked back over your shoulder and you said his name. Then you were yanked back so hard, you ended up on your ass like ten feet away from where you’d been standing.”

Chills rushed up my spine.

“I mean, we all saw it.” Shane ran a trembling hand through his hair. “Didn’t we guys?”

“Yeah,” Milo and Richie said in unison.

My heart was pounding so loud it was a roar in my ears. “Jump off the roof? I wasn’t even on the roof.”

“Riley, when we pulled up to the inn, you were standing on the very edge of the roof, staring straight ahead. We were screaming your name but it’s like you didn’t hear us. You were somewhere—or someone—else.”

Milo shifted on his feet. “Ri, he’s telling you the truth. This is insane. Bloody hell, if I hadn’t of seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t believe it.”

“I gotta get home,” Richie said to Milo. He couldn’t even make eye contact with me.  “I was supposed to be home thirty minutes ago.”

“I’ll take you right now,” Milo said, then glanced at Shane. “I can stay over if you need me to. I don’t mind, honestly…”

“Thanks,” Shane said absently. “But it’s probably best you go home now anyway.”

Milo actually looked relieved. “I’m glad you’re okay, Ri,” he said, yanking Richie by the arm.

They were out of the house in seconds.

My mind was racing. How could I have almost jumped off the roof, and yet I couldn’t remember anything?

A shiver rushed through me. Kind of like I didn’t remember walking through the cemetery the other night either, but Hanway had seen me, and now tonight my brother and his friends had, as well.

And I had absolutely zero recollection.

There was no denying that Laria
was
possessing me.

“You’re under a spiritual attack,” Miss Akin said matter-of-factly.

I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “I never thought it would get to this point.” I honestly had thought I would be stronger than Laria, and that I would be well aware of what was happening if she did take me over.

I thought back to when Shane had been possessed, how tormented he’d been by the things his friends had told him. I so understood how he felt. What else had she done that I wasn’t aware of? I was terrified to learn the whole truth.

Shane glanced at Miss A. “Will you watch her? I’m going to call Kade and see if he can come over for a while.”

I didn’t argue with him. I needed to see Kade’s face…to hear his reassurance.

“I’ll call him, my dear. You stay with your sister. Can I get you anything, my love?” Miss A asked, lingering at the door.

“Maybe a cup of lavender tea.”

She nodded. “You got it,” she said, closing the door behind her.

The second the door was closed, Shane looked me in the eye. “Riley, you have to do everything you can to push her away. She has a serious foothold on you. You would have died tonight if it hadn’t been for Peter.”

I have no idea why I laughed, but I did, the sound surprising me.

It surprised Shane, too. He sat back on his heels, his brows furrowed into a frown.

Horrible thoughts abruptly flashed through my mind. I heard the words
Do it
, seconds before I grabbed Shane around the neck and started choking him.

Do it.
The words repeated over and over again in my ears.

Shane’s eyes widened in shock. He grabbed my hands and pulled hard, his face turning red with the effort that it took to break free. Normally, he was much stronger than I was, but I felt like I had the strength of ten men inside me.

Chapter 21

I heard the clock ticking on the wall. I slowly opened my eyes. I was still on the bed, but now Shane was on his knees and he was crying, tears falling, leaving wet marks on his T-shirt. He sniffed and released a breath.

I tried to move, but I couldn’t. Not even a fraction. I remembered both Megan and Shane saying that they were held down by an invisible force. That’s exactly what was now happening to me.

“Mom, help us,” Shane whispered. “God, or whoever is up there.
Please
…” This last came out on a groan.

Even when Mom had died, I hadn’t seen him this distraught and it rocked me to the core. I wanted to reach out to him, to say something, to try and reassure him as best I could…but invisible hands continued to hold me down. I couldn’t even speak.

An intense laughter vibrated throughout the room.

Apparently Shane could hear the laughter as well, because he clamped his hands over his ears.

Minutes later, with the laughter still lingering in the room, his shoulders sagged. Slowly his head fell back on his shoulders and he stared at the ceiling, palms turned up. “God, do something, damn it. Prove that you’re here, because I am five seconds to losing what little faith I do have.”

I could tell he held his breath…as he waited for something. For a sign, for someone to come and rescue us. The minutes crept by so slowly, and still I couldn’t move.

Shane’s jaw clenched tight, his hands tightening into fists at his sides. “I am on my
fucking
knees and I am begging you for help.”

I felt his anguish, his frustration, his fear, his anger—all rolled into one wave of despair—and I could do nothing. Tears rolled down my face, into my hair.

A low, guttural moan sounded from him. I felt that cry tear all the way to my soul.

Like Shane, I prayed for help.

Slowly he stood, and with a primal yell, swiped the lamp from the table and threw it against the wall. “Where the fuck are you?”

I heard footsteps on the stairs, and then Kade rushed into the room, and Miss A was right behind him.

He took everything in on a glance. “What’s happening?” he asked at the same time my upper body came up off the bed, vertically without any effort from me. Kade, Shane, and Miss A’s eyes went wide. From their expressions, the movement must have looked as bizarre as it felt.

I was pushed back a second later…hard, and then lifted up again in the same fluid motion.

Kade was beside me a second later. “Why is her nose bleeding?” He swiped the blood with his thumb. The blood flowed over my lips and I had to blow out to keep from swallowing it.

“I called a local shaman who is on his way,” Miss A said from near the door. “He should be here any minute. Hang in there, Riley.”

It actually helped me from gagging on my own blood when my upper body lifted off the bed again, but this time I was yanked right back down, only to be hauled up again.

Kade tried to hold onto me, but he was thrown across the room, and hit the wall with a sickening thud.

“Stop it!” I screamed, relieved when I could finally push the words past my lips.

Kade scrambled to his feet and came back toward me, but was immediately thrown against the wall again.

I barely had time to catch a breath before I was lifted up again and slammed back down again.

You belong to us now,
I heard the words plainly, seconds before the room went black.

Chapter 22

When I opened my eyes, I saw a man about sixty years old staring down at me. “Hello, Riley, my name is Angus, and this,” he said, pointing to a short, plump woman, “is my wife, Dot. She is my helper, and also has the gift of second sight.”

Kade sat beside me, holding my hand, Miss A was at the foot of the bed, and Shane was on the phone. “Here you go,” he said, handing the phone to Angus.

“I have your permission then, Mr. Williams?” Angus said. “All right, thank you. Yes, indeed, I will. Thank you, sir.”

Angus handed the phone to me.

I swallowed hard. “Hello?”

“Riley, I’m on my way home,” my dad said. “Angus and Dot know what they’re doing, and I have entrusted them to help you. You’ll be okay, sweetheart.”

Hearing his voice brought me relief. “Okay.” My voice cracked. “I’ll see you soon.” I handed the phone to Shane, who squeezed my shoulder and walked into the hallway.

“It’s okay,” Kade said, brushing his free hand over my forehead. “Soon all of this will be a memory.”

I was so nervous. Actually, I was terrified, and I couldn’t explain the many emotions rushing through me.

“Let’s begin,” Angus said, and I saw Shane step back into the room. He was still on the phone, so apparently Dad wanted a play-by-play on what was happening.

Angus placed crystals on my forehead, and then on certain points of my body.

Immediately I heard a loud growling in my ears. Beads of sweat rolled off my forehead onto the comforter. I felt deeply depressed…like when Mom had died. The feelings rocked me, and I started to cry uncontrollably.

“You’re all right, Riley,” Kade said. I could hear the strain in his voice.

“It is completely normal for the victim to experience different emotions of the spirit,” Dot explained.

I began trembling, and heard a voice calling to me. At first it sounded right next to my ear, then far away. It was so bizarre, and disorienting.

“Riley, is the one who is haunting you here?” Angus asked.

I nodded, knowing the reason behind my sudden depression. I hadn’t expected such a deep sadness from Laria.

Angus ran his thumb over my forehead and I smelled a rich, earthy scent, followed by burning wood. He pushed the smoke at me with a feather and started saying a blessing.

Pent-up anger raged within me, charging up my spine, and coming out in a scream that sounded inhuman.

Beside me, Kade held tight to my hand.

I tried to pull away, but he held me firm. “Come back to me, Riley. Please…I need you. Your family needs you. We all love you so much.”