The Reverence of One: Book Three of the Shadow Series (14 page)

“Now,” said Cliff, “everyone just take a deep breath and try to relax. We’ll be to
Lincoln
soon enough.”

Questioning himself as to whether or not he should ask the question that’d been on his mind since leaving
Kansas City
, Thad stretched in his seat as he spoke. “So why are we going to
Lincoln
anyway?”

Cliff smiled as he looked out the windshield. “To see an old friend.”

The sight of
Lincoln
on the skyline gave Cliff’s mind some peace. While the ride had been quiet since his scolding of the others, the tension in the car had made for a long trip.

In a drug induced sleep
since leaving her apartment in
Kansas City
, Nicole righted herself in the seat and rubbed her eyes. “Where are we at?” she asked, the slurring of her words telling the others that she was still under the influence.

Lauren looked at her
with disgust
and then turned away.

“Who are you?” asked Nicole bluntly.

Continuing to look out her window, Lauren replied. “I’m the bitch that helped save your life.” She glanced over her shoulder to Nicole. “If you need anything else answered, ask the old man or
Thadeus
.”

A crooked smile appeared on Nicole’s face. “Who shit
i
n your oatmeal this morning?” she asked with a giggle.

Lauren rolled her eyes. “Look, I’m trying my best to turn over a new leaf, but if you’re gonna try to push my buttons, I…
.
”

“Alright,” interrupted Cliff. “Nicole, this is Lauren. She’s a friend of Test’s.”

Nicole tensed
instantly as she stared blankly at the old man.

“Friend
i
s
n’t
really
the right word there, Cliff,” Lauren spouted.

It was the old man’s turn to roll his eyes. “Fine, she’s
….
”
H
e paused for a moment searching for the words. “Lauren is like Test, she has gifts and abilities, too.”

Slowly, Nicole began to slide away from Lauren, but her movement was stopped by the door. Still, she tried to push herself farther, almost climbing onto the arm rest.

Lauren smiled slyly. She’d always enjoyed the sense of
dominance
that overcame her when a human discovered her power.

Cliff reached over the seat towards Nicole. “It’s okay. Nothin’s gonna happen to you, sweet heart.”

“Yeah right,” replied Nicole under her breath
while keeping an eye on Lauren
. “So is anyone going to answer my question? Where are we at?”

From the driver’s seat, Thad answered. “Just getting ready to pull into
Lincoln
.”

Continuing to stare
uneasily at Lauren, Nicole replied. “Why are we going to
Lincoln
?”

“We’re going to see Marcy,” answered Cliff with a wink. He watched as a sudden
light washed over Nicole’s face
,
a touch of color seeming to return to her cheeks. “Does that make you happy?” he asked.

She nodded her head lightly and grinned, her expression and demeanor almost child-like. “Yes. It’s been a long time. Why though? Is she in danger too?” she asked.

Cliff did his best to keep the cheerful tone that had suddenly lightened the mood inside the car. “I don’t think so,” he replied. “But I want to be sure. I’m hoping Thad here will see anything if she is. Regardless, I think it’s a good idea to give her a little warning.”

“Are you sure?” asked Nicole, the subject seeming to bring around a little more sobriety. “You could just be making her worry about nothing.”

Cliff angled his head. “True,” he replied, “but I’d rather her be aware and alive than oblivious and dead.”

A silence took over once more, and after a few minutes, Thad interrupted it. “Where
are we going, G
randpa?”

“Keep goin’ a few miles,” replied Cliff. “You’ll see the hospital just off the side of the highway.”

It was another fifteen minutes or so before Thad took the exit ramp that led to the hospital. The sight of the building brought an obvious sense of panic to Nicole as she tried to push her legs straight, forcing her back into the seat. She began to pat her thighs and her breathing had become erratic.

“You gonna be okay there?”

Nicole, surprised at Lauren’s voice asking the question, turned and nodded her head in a series of short, quick bursts. “I saw enough of this place last year. I didn’t think I’d be back again so soon.”

With a sigh, Cliff turned to comfort the girl. “I’m sorry, Nicole. I hadn’t thought about that. I suppose you and me both seen enough of this place.”

It took her a moment, but Nicole slowly realized that this must have been where Cliff had died. The feeling of regret now mingled with every other emotion that swirled inside her. “No, it’s okay. I get why we are here. It’s just…
.
”

Silence gripped the car once more, and after moving through several stop lights, Thad pulled into the hospital parking lot and quickly found an empty stall.
With a deep sigh of relief, he put the car into park, but before he could turn off the ignition, Nicole exploded out of her door and began to run through the parking lot toward a line of trees on the opposite side.

“Nicole!” shouted Cliff.

The three of them watched as she ran clumsily through the lot, weaving in and out of the parked cars and bouncing off of every third one.

“Lauren,” said Cliff sternly as he turned in his seat. “You have to get her.”

Rolling her eyes, Lauren opened her door and stepped out onto the black top. She could still see Nicole running, and was actually surprised at how far she had gotten. Slamming her door, she walked to the front of Thad’s car and did a quick scan to make sure that there was no one else in the parking lot. Just as she was ready to pulse into the air, she heard the sound of an ambulance approaching and instinctively lowered herself to the ground.

The ambulance raced into a different entrance with lights flashing, but it was the light emanating from with
in
Lauren that had Thad in a trance. It was like nothing he could have ever imagined. For a moment, none of it seemed real. As he stared, Lauren stood and glanced into the car, gave him a naughty little smile, and then shot straight up into the air and out of view. The car shook from the shockwave and Thad threw one hand to the dash as the other gripped the steering wheel tightly.

“Amazin’, ain’t it, boy?” asked Cliff.

Thad looked to his grandfather in disbelief. “That’s putting it mildly,” he replied.

Lauren had propelled herself straight up into the air about one hundred feet and then, after locating Nicole, shot off towards her. In a matter of seconds, she let herself fall from the sky and landed in front of the trees
to
which Nicole was racing.

“And just where do you think you are going, sweetheart?” asked Lauren devilishly
, her knees bent slightly as her hands rose towards Nicole
.

Nicole froze, staring at Lauren but seeing the image of Test
within her mind
. The power of a Shadow was something that she hadn’t seen for some time
.
T
he combined beauty and horror of
Lauren’s display
was more than her already fragile mind could take. She felt her legs giving way, and struggled to stay upright as her vision faded.

Lauren reached out and took Nicole into her invisible grip just before the damaged girl’s body hit the ground. With both arms outstretched, she
guided Nicole gently to the ground. As she took
a step
towards her
, Thad’s car pulled up and stopped just behind Nicole
’s
limp form
. The use of her power gave her
the feeling of invincibility and she closed her eyes for a moment to relish the pulses as they radiated through her body. A sudden and shrill voice knocked her from her trance.

“Tone it down, Lauren!” shouted Cliff. “We’ve got her!”

Her eyes snapped open and, for a moment, she wanted to fly away from all that was before her. Suddenly a voice came from behind.

“You are not the monster,
remember?
.”

Startled, Lauren turned and could see a shadowy figure standing behind her. Steadily the form came into view. It was Maggie.

“These people need you. Remember who you are—who you want to be,” said Maggie
gently
.

The
surge of energy
within her began to fade, and Lauren watched her hands as the light began to
dim
with it.
She continued to let weak pulses release in order to aid Maggie in holding solid form, and stood motionless as the woman
readied to pass towards the car
. Holding out a hand, she
stopped her momentarily. “How did you know we were here?” she asked
respectfully
.

“Cliff shared his
concern for Marcy
just before you two left,” replied Maggie, glancing past Lauren to Nicole as she lay on the ground. “I thought I might be of help.”

Watching as Maggie walked past her, Lauren
turned back towards the car to see Thad carrying Nicole to the already opened
car
door
.
She rushed to him, hoping that she could somehow help
.

Having watched the interaction between Maggie & Lauren from the opposite side of the car, Cliff spoke softly to Maggie as she approached. “Looks like you’ve got a good effect on that girl, Ms. Davis,” he said with a grin.

“She’s a good kid
. She just needs
some
love
,
” replied Maggie
, a look of concern on her face as she
bent over,
glanc
ing through the window
to Nicole who was now lying across the back seat. “That poor girl; what on earth has happened to her
?
”

“What hasn’t
?
” replied Cliff solemnly. “We’ll make it right
,
though.
As long as we hang t
ogether
,
we’ll get through all of this.”
Cliff watched Maggie’s face as she glanced to Thad.

“Cliff,” she asked, “is that—Elijah?”

With a chuckle and a proud smile, Cliff replied. “No, I’m afraid I haven’t got to see him. That there is my grandson, Thadeus.”

Maggie raised a hand to her mouth. “My God, Cliff, he looks so much like you.”

“Thad,” spoke Cliff over the top of the car, “come here a minute. I’d like to introduce you to someone.”

Thad looked over top of the car to the two spirits standing on the opposite side. He walked around the front of the car and stood to Maggie’s side.

“Thad, this is Maggie Davis,” said Cliff motioning to Maggie. “She is Test’s mother.”

With a polite smile, Thad reached out his right hand to shake Maggie’s. “It’s a pleasure to meet you ma’am.”

Maggie looked down to her hand, concerned as to whether or not her form was solid enough for a handshake. She reached out and tried to take Thad’s hand into hers, but pulled back embarrassed when it passed through his.

“I’m sorry,” she said with a slight blush on her cheeks. “It is truly a pleasure to meet you.”

Thad stared at his hand, mystified by the cold, tingling sensation left in his hand.

“Please, no apologies needed, Mrs. Davis,” he replied cordially, though his voice was filled with awe. “It’s a sincere pleasure to meet you as well.”

Maggie glanced to Cliff. “So polite,” she said. “Looks like your son did a fine job in raising him, Cliff.”

A proud look once again
took
over the old man’s face
as he watched his grandson
. “Yes, I’d say so.”

Mildly embarrassed from the praise, Thad replied with a weak smile. “Well, I don’t think Dad can take all the credit. My guess is that the visions aren’t the only thing that I inherited from Grandpa here.”

With a gasp, Maggie replied. “What? You can…
.
” She paused with a hand partially covering her smiling face.

“Yes ma’am,” answered Thad. “I have it, too. Though I don’t yet know if I’m as excited about it as you seem to be.”

The smile slowly melted from Maggie’s lips. “Oh, Thad—if I may call you that—you have an incredible gift. You should cherish it.”

“Oh, I do Mrs. Davis,” replied Thad.

“Maggie. Please, call me Maggie.”