Chapter Twenty-two
Three bracelets, six rings, four necklaces, and four anklets later, I was surprised I hadn’t exploded yet. I was running out of time, quite literally. The black lines were making their way up my chin and along my fingers. The burn came and went.
Worse yet, I couldn’t even pretend to hide the jolts of pain that were constantly increasing in intensity.
I was leaning more and more toward taking the cure.
I was lying on the couch, unable to even walk.
And when no one was around, I found myself sobbing.
Which was what I was busy doing . . . again.
Except this time when I wiped my tears away with the back of my sleeve, it came back bright red.
Well, damn. “Um, Kevin?”
He’d been reading newspapers to keep up with the happenings. He looked up from the table and sprang out of his chair as soon as he saw me. “Oh shit! Your eyes.”
“Help me get to the lab.”
He picked me up and ran me to the lab where Dr. Ryder was busy staring at the ceiling. It was the look that often brought the biggest, most miraculous discoveries.
“Oh, look. There you are.” He tilted his head and stared at my eyes as Kevin helped me sit on the bed. “Well, that answers the question, doesn’t it?”
“Ah, which question?” Kevin asked.
“Well, young man.” Dr. Ryder patted Kevin on his back. “Whether I try to hold her off with something unprecedented or give her the full cure?”
“Neither,” Kevin said. “Knock her out for now, and we’ll discuss once she’s rested.”
“I’m afraid that will not help, young man.”
“I’m not ready for the cure, I don’t think.” My hands trembled as I wiped more blood from my face. “What’s the other option?”
David handed Kevin a small towel. “For her eyes.”
“A small transfusion of Gabby’s dampened blood, perhaps?” Dr. Ryder said.
“Won’t that be worse?” I asked. If just wearing the dampeners did this to me, I couldn’t imagine what having her blood pumped straight into my veins would do.
“No, young lady. I’ve made new discoveries, but I believe it will help you long enough until Gabriella returns.” He smiled. “She may yet find a good location to use her force field and get you the release you need.”
“Good enough,” Kevin said. “Go ahead, give her the transfusion.” He looked at me. “You want it, right?”
“Yeah. I can’t do this anymore. But I’m O-negative—she’s probably not a match.”
“Uh-huh! Not to worry. You’re a Luminary. You’re all O-negative.”
Kevin frowned. “All of us?”
“Yes, young man. Did you not know this?” He watched us both shake our heads, then lifted his hands in disbelief. “It was always there in your veins!”
“It was a lot of experimentation,” David said, thankfully coming to our aid. “But eventually we found the Luminary formula only worked on O-negative blood type. The transfusion will be safe.”
“David, my friend,” Dr. Ryder called out. “Set up the IV line. I’ll prepare the blood with the . . .” He turned to look at me. “A rather minute dose of the cure. But not to worry. It is safe. Very safe.”
“Okay.”
I woke up with what felt like the worst hangover I’d ever had. But I felt more like myself than I had in a long time. My skin was almost back to normal, I could walk, and I was done crying blood. For now, at least.
I went out and found that Gabby and Chris were back. Good thing I hadn’t waited for them to find a bubble-free zone because they didn’t find one. What they found instead was an envelope with my name on it at the abandoned movie theater.
“What does it say?” Kevin asked.
I used my pinky finger to run along the seam and opened it. “How come you guys didn’t read it?”
“It has your name,” Gabby said, shrugging.
“And it was just there?”
“Yep. No one in sight.” She yawned. “So don’t worry, we weren’t followed.”
“But how did they know where to leave it? Who left it?” Chris asked, turning to look at Robert. “Did you tell anyone anything at all?”
“Chris, come on. Behave.” She shook her head apologetically at Robert. “I think whoever left it must be a friend.”
I pulled the piece of paper out of the envelope and read it aloud:
Hello Alexa,
I promised I’d be in touch. Your window is closing. If you want the boy back, be at the coordinates below by March 26. After that, he vanishes somewhere you’ll never find. Do not come alone.
PS: No one suspects Agent Pine. I disabled his access so I could follow his breadcrumbs to you. He’s free to live his life as a normie. I have no more use for him.
~R.
I felt a lump in my throat. “Annie . . . that’s in two days.”
“It’s fine,” she said, trembling. “We’re almost ready to go.”
“But is this ‘R’ person helping us? Or is it a trap?” Nick rubbed the back of his neck.
“Does it matter?” Annie asked. “We have to go.”
“She’s right.” I sighed. “But this guy—I mean, the last bit of planning requires technology. I think it’s the same guy from the elevator, right, Jay? He’s the Luminary techie? ’Cause if he is, we can be sure he’ll be on the lookout for our movement.”
“Why do you think it’s the same guy?” he asked.
“He said he’d be in touch.” I lifted the note. “And this literally seems to be it.”
“Yeah, but why do you think he is the techie?” Jay asked. “I thought he was controlling you.”
“Oh, he was. He released me and the elevator at the same time.”
“No, but . . . never mind. I don’t know.” He frowned. “I guess I only knew about him controlling you . . . Well, some Luminaries.”
“What else do you know about him? Does his name start with the letter ‘R’?” Nick asked.
Jay shook his head. “I can’t say.”
“I guess we’ll find out,” I said. “I’m only mad that we don’t have time to figure out the broadcast problem.”
“You’re so silly, Aunty Ryan!” Elisa said, chuckling. “Become an influencer.”
“I’m an amplifier, honey. But Aunty Gabby is the influ—”
“No, Aunty Ryan!” She shook her head. “Influencers on social media, you know? They go live and talk to people, post videos, pictures, and things like that?”
“Oh, sorry. I thought you meant Luminary. But I can’t be seen, remember? I’m trying to stay hidden.”
She rolled her little eyes. Wow. Okay.
“No, Aunty. For the people you need! You wanted to do a broadcast and call them to fight with you, right? This is how you do it. It’s how you fix everything.”
I sat up fast. “But you need followers for that. I wouldn’t get anyone to see it, not on time. People only know my face because it’s on the news.”
“Duh! They know you, Aunty Ryan,” she said. “So invite some popular influencers to co-stream with you, and I bet they’ll take care of the rest. They’ll want the views, and your face is too good to pass up.”
“Which social media you think is best?”
“All of them! Tons of phones for the different platforms.” Jay placed a bag on the table, opened it, and pulled out about ten phones. “I’m ready when you are.”
I stared at the stash. “You’re just carrying that around? We’re not supposed to have them.”
“She told me I’d need them.” He winked at Elisa. “And don’t worry, they’re powered off. I just have to charge them and we’ll be ready to go.”
“I can’t believe I didn’t think about social media.”
“If it makes you feel better, I didn’t either,” Gabby said. “We’ll invite everyone we can, or we’ll tag them when you go live.”
“That’s what I’m saying,” Elisa said, shrugging as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
I hugged her. “You just solved one of our biggest problems. Thank you.”
“Yep. I already knew it was gonna happen.” She gently traced the bruised lines on my hand. “But I’m glad you didn’t think it was a stupid idea.”
“I could never,” I said.
She turned to Jay. “I’m going to miss you, you know.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll be back.” He smiled. “We all will.”
“You’re so silly.” She laughed. “It won’t be the same. Right, Aunty Ryan?”
“Um, right,” I said, wondering what else she’d seen before we blocked her growing powers.
I was suddenly really worried about Jay’s future but didn’t think I should put that heavy burden on Elisa by asking.
She was just a kid. “Now, go help Dr. Carson with Gracie and Robbie, and tell Dr. Ryder we need him here.”
She ran off, and I felt like I could breathe much easier than I had in a long time. “Well, we have some answers at least.”
“We only have one chance,” Nick said. “What if it’s the wrong location? What if Jack is not there?”
Robert shook his head. “Even if it is. With all the fuzz you’re going to create, it wouldn’t matter where you are. They’ll find you. And knowing Park, she’s going to taunt you with Jack. You will see him.”
“I don’t know,” Chris said. “Social media isn’t reliable. And don’t forget everyone is scared. We might not get any help.”
“It’s a risk we have to take,” Annie said. “But not you and Gabby. In fact, neither of you is coming. You stay here, and if we make it out, we’ll find you.”
Gabby shook her head. “I won’t ask others to fight while I’m out here refusing to do it myself.”
“But the kids—”
“We talked about it,” Chris said. “And we are in complete agreement. Gabby will go with you guys, and I’ll take care of them.”
“Oh, yes,” Dr. Ryder said, walking into the room, sticky notes in hand. “You will need my daughter to keep you hidden. And more. Much more!” His eyes lit up.
“I’ll take her powers. Keep her here,” Jay said.
“No, no! She is needed there,” Dr. Ryder said, placing a sticky note on Gabby’s shoulder. Then he handed me my own. “I do not know where you want this.”
“Right.” I took the sticky note and turned it over, only to find it was blank. “Um . . . why would I want this?”
“Indeed. Indeed. I’m working on it,” he said, giving Annie two halves of one sticky note.
“Two combinations. Two solutions. Both need Mrs. Logan’s boost.” He snatched my sticky note, ripping it in two, and handed the pieces back to me.
“But the reach for the kill chips . . . very limited without the twins. We will need you, Mrs. Logan, possibly for—no, never mind.” He shook his head. “It is time you knew.”
Annie frowned. “Know what?”
“We do not need the injections anymore. Because of the blood combination, of course. Yours and my daughter’s.”