Unraveled

ELEVEN

GO AHEAD AND FLUSH this day down the toilet, Aden thought as he and Shannon walked home from school.

Cars whizzed past them on one side, and trees stretched on the other. They were taking the main roads today rather than the forest. Riley had insisted, and agreeing had been the only way to get rid of him.

All day, Aden had been too tired to listen to his teachers. He had no idea what material had been covered, and even if he had been paying attention, the souls had been too chatty to allow him to concentrate, having just come out of their drug-induced stupor. They’d wanted to know what had happened with the vampires, but he hadn’t had a chance to reply.

On and on they’d asked—were still asking—until he’d wanted—still wanted—to bang his head against the wall. It was probably a good thing, then, that Riley and Mary Ann hadn’t spoken to him at lunch. Actually, Mary Ann hadn’t spoken to anyone at lunch. She’d sat at the table, food untouched in front of her, frowning at everyone who passed. Aden would have asked her what was wrong, but trying to carry on a conversation hadn’t seemed wise.

Especially since she’d looked ready to throw something at Riley’s head when the wolf announced he would be walking Aden home rather than his girlfriend. But Aden had refused his escort with a firm shake of his head. Having a friend beside him, sure, good times. But a babysitter? No, thanks.

To his surprise, Riley had accepted his refusal after only a few halfhearted protests. He’d been free to go with Mary Ann, after all. Hopefully, they’d work out their problems before midnight, when their little group was supposed to meet up and head into town to hunt—and kidnap—a witch.

Aden was still reeling about that. Kidnap? Really?

Again, there hadn’t been an opportunity to discuss it. Not just because of the souls, but because of their audience. And now he had to rush to the ranch so that Dan could take him to Dr. Hennessy’s office for their emergency session.

“This sucks,” he said.

“W-what does?” Shannon asked, flicking him a glance.

The question battered against the rest of the noise inside his head, and Aden took a moment to decipher it. “My upcoming doctor’s appointment. I don’t want to go.”

If that stupid doc forces any more drugs down your throat, I’m going to shoot myself, Caleb grumbled.

Good luck with that, Julian replied dryly. I don’t think I ever told you this, but it’s always been a dream of mine to watch a soul without a body wield a gun.

Well, bodiless or not, we might wish we could shoot ourselves after today’s session, Elijah said grimly.

“Do you know something?” Aden demanded. Elijah’s predictions never failed. What the soul thought would happen, happened. Usually, he only knew when people were going to die. Yet more and more lately, he knew other things. Scary things. Like blood flowing in rivers.

“Know w-what?” Shannon asked.

This time, he didn’t have to pause to decipher the words. The different conversations were finally streamlining, becoming clearer. “Sorry,” he said to Shannon, cheeks heating. “I meant, this has just been such a crappy day, with Mary Ann’s silence, Riley’s bad mood and the doctor’s visit, like I mentioned.”

“Yeah. What was wrong w-with you yesterday, man? I’ve never seen y-you like that.”

Aden wanted to confess. He wanted to trust Shannon fully. He really did. But he couldn’t predict the boy’s reaction to vampires and werewolves and ghosts, which meant he couldn’t say a word. If Shannon told Dan, Dan would think Aden was crazy—more than he already did—and send him back to juvie or to another institution. For “help.”

“Stress,” he said, and left it at that. In a way, that was the truth.

“Know what you m-mean. Sometimes life just seems to be t-too much.”

“Having trouble?” Aden knew kids liked to tease Shannon about his stutter, and that embarrassed the boy unbearably.

“What if I t-told you that I—I…” Shannon rubbed the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable. His stutter was more pronounced now, which meant his emotions were jacked. “M-my parents, they knew I was d-different and—” He pressed his lips together, now mute.

“Come on.” Aden grabbed his arm and tugged him into the woods completely, seemingly leaving civilization behind. Yeah, he’d told Riley he’d stick to the main roads. No, he didn’t feel guilty. When a friend needed you, you delivered. “It’s okay, man. You can tell me anything. Believe me.” He’d been different his entire life. Hearing voices, talking to people who supposedly weren’t there. Now, summoning creatures from fairy tales and nightmares.

“Yeah, but I’m not d-different like you.” Horror blanketed Shannon’s expression. “I-I’m sorry. I—I didn’t m-mean that in a b-bad way. I j-just…” He pushed out a shaky sigh. “I’ve n-never really told anyone else a-and—No, that’s n-not exactly true, b-but—”

A boy Aden didn’t recognize stepped from behind a tree.

Aden and Shannon drew up short.

Another boy he didn’t recognize swung from around the next trunk over. Both were relaxed, seemingly unarmed. The first had pale hair, pale skin and pale blue eyes. Multiple shades of brown and gold colored the other’s hair, the same shades swirling in his eyes. Both were tall, stretching over Aden’s own six feet. They were leanly muscled, and both wore T-shirts and soft-looking slacks.

Not another fight, Caleb groaned.

Aden reached for his daggers.

“Riley sent us, Majesty,” the pale one said, his voice deep and husky. He held up a palm in greeting. “We’re his older brothers. Be glad you aren’t meeting the younger brothers. I’m Nathan.”

“Maxwell,” the other said with a nod.

Thank God, Julian said after a relieved sigh. Werewolves.

The horror returned to Shannon’s expression, though Aden suspected it was because he’d almost confessed his secret, whatever it was, with strangers nearby.

“Nice to meet you,” Aden replied.

Shannon tossed Aden a strange look. “M-Majesty?”

“Nickname,” he muttered. To the new boys, he said, “I prefer Aden.”

They nodded as they straightened from their relaxed poses.

“Why are you here?” More babysitting?

Maxwell waved his arm, motioning them forward. “To see you home safely, of course. Just in case you deviated from your promised route.”

He still wouldn’t feel guilty, he told herself as he surged forward, dragging Shannon with him. Nothing he could say in rebuttal, not now. Riley, though, would get an earful later.

Wish Riley would have sent a girl to guard us, Caleb said.

There are more important things in life than girls, Elijah admonished.

Name one.

A moment passed in silence.

Caleb laughed. See!

The list is so long I got lost in thought, the psychic grumbled.

Yeah. Right, Julian said, his own laughter blending with Caleb’s.

“Guys. Please.”

Shannon tossed him another strange look, and Aden motioned to their escorts, trying to pretend he’d been talking to them.

Sorry, Caleb said, repentant. My bad. I just, I miss Victoria, I guess.

Aden missed her, too. Monster and all, whatever she’d meant by that. He still didn’t fully know. Her demon-possession example hadn’t told him much. Did she morph into an actual beast or just exhibit beastly qualities? Either way, she’d been mortified to tell him.

Didn’t she realize he would care for her, no matter what? Didn’t she realize that this, whatever it was, made her better able to understand him and his differences, and offered more proof that they belonged together?

There was absolutely no way he’d date those other girls. That simply wasn’t going to happen, whether Victoria was fine with the idea or not.

The newcomers didn’t speak again, even when they reached the edge of the forest and the ranch came into view. They simply backtracked, soon disappearing. Aden didn’t get a chance to ask Shannon about his problem, though. Ryder and Seth were at the edge of the property, smoking.

When Shannon spotted them, he drew up short again. Only this time, a little color flooded his face. He was…blushing? Really? Why?

Aden closed the rest of the distance. “Why aren’t you inside?” Usually, they were doing chores this time of day.

“Mr. Thomas didn’t come in again today,” Seth said with a shrug. He raised the butt to his lips and inhaled, his wrist turned so that Aden had a full view of the fanged snake tattooed there. “We did our chores early and called it a day.”

And then they’d snuck out to smoke. Dan would rage if he saw them inhaling “cancer sticks,” as he called them.

“Want?” Ryder asked, claiming the butt and offering it to Aden.

“No, thanks.”

Shannon finally approached, though he remained outside the little half-circle. “Where’s D-Dan?”

Ryder immediately looked down at his shoes. He handed the cig back to Seth and tangled a hand through his hair. “He had to check on his cows or something and said he’d be right back.”

Maybe he’d luck out, and Dan would arrive too late to take him to Dr. Hennessy. Like you’re really that lucky.

Shannon motioned to the cigarette with a wave of his hand. “T-then maybe you should put that out.”

Ryder’s head snapped up, his eyes narrowed. “Maybe you should make me.”

“T-thanks for the invite, but I’ll pass. I mean, why b-bother?” Shannon’s hands balled into fists, and the image caught Aden’s attention—as if it were important. As if it were…life-changing. Why? “You already smell like an ashtray.”

Tension crackled between them, thick and palpable. Usually, they got along just fine. Clearly, though, something had changed.

“So, uh, what’s Dan going to do about Thomas?” Aden asked, hoping to distract them from their anger. He brushed off his uneasiness. There was no time to ponder it now.

Seth shrugged. “He tried calling the guy, but someone else answered, a Ms. Brendal. She said she was his sister and that he’d disappeared. She also said she’d be by later to talk to us. Fingers crossed she’s hot.”

Guilt consumed Aden. Guilt and fear. Ms. Brendal. She claimed to be Thomas’s sister. If she had told the truth, she was a fairy. Which meant another enemy of the vampires would be coming to the ranch. Asking questions. Would Aden be forced to kill someone else? A woman this time? He shuddered. Please, God, no.

Gravel suddenly crunched up ahead, and Aden saw Dan’s truck coming up the long driveway. Nope. He wasn’t that lucky. His stomach sank.

Seth tossed the cigarette on the ground and smashed the butt with his shoe. Ryder whipped out a tiny can of body spray from his pocket and hosed everyone down. Shannon coughed and glared, but didn’t protest.

“I better get going,” Aden said, fighting dread and trudging forward. When he was certain the wind wouldn’t carry his voice back to the boys, he muttered, “Elijah, are we coming out of this unscathed?”

Silence.

Aden stiffened, stumbled.

You might, the psychic finally said, but I don’t know about us.

“TELL ME ABOUT the voices, Aden.”

“I don’t hear voices anymore, Dr. Hennessy.”

“You’re lying to me, Aden, and I don’t like liars. Tell me. About the. Voices.”

“I don’t hear voices anymore, Dr. Hennessy.”

The same conversation had been replaying between them for over an hour. Aden was tired and fighting sleep, lying in the doctor’s plush recliner, the lights dimmed, and peering up at a plain white ceiling. His lids were heavy, keeping them open a difficult chore. Didn’t help that soft music played in the background. Dr. Hennessy sat behind him, papers rattling every so often, but even that had a lulling effect.

Bor-ing, Caleb said with a yawn.

Lame, Julian agreed.

Remain on guard, please, Elijah said, but even he sounded fatigued. I don’t trust this man.

I’m always on guard, Caleb retorted.

This time, Julian yawned. You’re a liar, and Dr. Hen is pushy. Not a good combo.

Aden agreed.

“—and as you know, I’ve read reports from your other doctors.”

Great. He’d lost track of the conversation. “So?”

“So, when you were younger, you told several of them that these voices are souls and those souls possess special powers.”

“I lied.” No way would he trust Dr. Hennessy with the truth. That would only score him more medication, more sessions like this one. “No one has special powers.”

“So you admit there are souls, then? They just don’t have any otherworldly abilities?”

He ground his teeth. “No. I didn’t say that.”

“Are you telling me that one of the souls can no longer time-travel?”

Aden stiffened. Eve had been the time-traveler, sometimes sending him back into younger versions of himself. One wrong word, and he would change the future, sometimes returning to a different reality than he’d left.

He didn’t think he could time-travel now that Eve had passed on, and anyway, he was too afraid to try. The consequences were too vast, and he was too happy with his life. Well, most of it.

“Aden,” the doctor prompted.

“Time-travel is a myth,” was all he said.

“As mythical as predicting when other people are going to die?”

“Yes,” he croaked. “Where are you going with this, Dr. Hennessy?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I must have given you the impression that it’s all right to question me. It’s not. I ask. You answer.”

Aden’s hands fisted. He’d had a lot of doctors over the years, but this one was by far the worst. As condescending as he was, Aden had to wonder if the man even had a degree. “Better yet, how about if I just don’t talk at all?”

“That’s all right, too,” Dr. Hennessy replied easily, as if that’s what he’d wanted all along, surprising the hell out of Aden. “Silence is better than lies.”

They would see about that.

One minute ticked by after another, not a word spoken. Soon Aden’s eyelids grew even heavier. The ceiling began to blur, becoming one giant white blob. He blinked rapidly, trying to stay alert, but on and on the soft music played in the background. He thought he recognized the melody. “Hush Little Baby.” What an odd song to pick for grown patients. But even the voices quieted, listening, falling…

“You’re exhausted, Aden.”

“Yes,” he found himself replying from a sea of black. Black? Yes, he thought. He was floating, the white gone, darkness all around him. His eyelids must have closed for good, then. He tried to open them, but they were glued together.

“You’re relaxed.”

“Yes.” And he was. Lost, still floating. No cares. No secrets or problems. Just…freedom.

Dr. Hennessy asked him another question, but he couldn’t make out the words. They were too jumbled. Odd, then, that he responded anyway. What he said, though, he couldn’t be sure. Again, odd. And yet, he didn’t care. Such peace.

This was heaven, he thought. All that black. So tranquil. So quiet. He wanted to set up shop and stay forever. Perhaps Victoria could even join him. Yes. How kickass would that be? Just the two of them, floating and drifting and relaxing.

Victoria.

He frowned. Here was a care. A care he liked. The thought of her caused the sea to part in a thin line, a little light seeping into his awareness. Where was she? What was she doing? When would he see her again? Tonight, he hoped. They were supposed to meet up, weren’t they? Except, what if she stayed away, like she’d done at school?

He was talking again, he realized, but again, the words were unclear to him.

He should leave the black. Victoria couldn’t come here. There were no doors, only that tiny line of space. Wait. If there were no doors, how had he gotten here? And how was he supposed to leave?

A tiny spark of panic caused the line to widen, and more white flooded that endless sea of black. Another care. This one, he hated, but still he didn’t want to shake it. This wasn’t right. Something was wrong.

Aden.

The voice called to him, echoing. He should recognize it, he thought, panic rising. Who was here? He couldn’t bridge the gap between question and answer.

Aden.

His name had been more insistent that time. Maybe…Elijah?

Aden!

Yes, yes. That was Elijah. What was Elijah doing here? How had Elijah joined him?

ADEN!

“What?” he found himself muttering, and this time he heard himself. His voice rattled inside his skull, and it was like being thumped in the brain, jolting him.

Aden, you have to wake up. I think he hypnotized you.

“What!” His eyelids popped open, practically ripping at the seams. His gaze roved, wild. Dr. Hennessy sat on the end of the recliner, one hand braced beside Aden’s knees, the other clutching a voice recorder. He was leaning forward, that recorder outstretched, mere inches from Aden’s mouth.

There was something…off about him just then. Underneath his plain, human exterior, Aden saw something soft, almost glittery. Something…pretty. As if he had longer, thicker hair. Pale, like snowflakes. As if he had eyes of sparkling brown rather than dull and lifeless ones, and full, pouty lips.

His stomach rolled. He was not attracted to his doctor.

Instinctively, Aden shoved him and the doctor fell off the chair, thudding onto the floor with a gasp. What. The. Hell? “What do you think you were doing?” he demanded.

Dr. Hennessy pushed to his feet with as much dignity as he could muster. He still clutched that recorder, but he quickly stuffed the little black device into his pocket, slid his glasses up his nose and smoothed the lint from his shirt and pants.

“I think that’s enough for one session. Mr. Reeves is waiting in the lobby for you.”

Bile rose in Aden’s throat, burning like acid. What did I say? What did I tell him? He had to get that voice recorder. And wasn’t that just perfect? His to-do list lengthened every day.

Dr. Hennessy must have sensed the direction of his thoughts because he strode to his desk and punched a button on his phone.

“Yes?” a female voice asked from the speaker.

“Please let Mr. Reeves know Aden and I are finished. He can now collect the boy.”

Well played. Aden’s eyes narrowed as he sat up. There was nothing he could do now. Not without causing a scene. He would be back, though. And he would get that recorder. No matter what he had to do.