Fall From Grace (19 page)

The light turned golden and shone brighter.
White large blisters covered her palms. Salty tears slid into her
mouth.

She blinked twice and blurry headstones shot
up on all sides. Nameless grey sheets of concrete.

She dug her knees into soft dirt and managed
to reach one of the stones. A spark ignited, and a line formed,
circling down and around to form a G. She traced it with her
finger.

“Are you telling me I’m going to die?” She
choked out. “Tell me!”

No response. Another spark ignited and drew
a straight line. She held her breath waiting to see her own grave
being marked. The smell of pumpkin pie and fresh baked bread
soothed her nerves, and before the next flame ignited she knew.
“Grace.”

Yes.

“But you’re trapped between two worlds, you
can’t reach me.” Gaby clawed at the soft dirt, ignoring the
blisters popping and oozing on her hands. Four or five handfuls of
dirt flew between her legs, yet the ground looked undisturbed.
“Help me. I don’t know what to do.”

Free us.

“How?”

You are the key to free trapped souls.

The tombstone fell to the ground and cracked
down the middle. All the other stones slammed to the Earth in a
foreboding cadence. A shiver took hold of Gaby’s body and wouldn’t
release. Her legs and arms seized; icy pain shot through her
veins.

The dark green light returned. Wind blew.
The ground split, and a creature shot ten feet above. Serpents
covered its monstrous frame. Smoke erupted from the deep crevice
below, and the demonic creature reached down and lifted a young
girl from the depths of hell.

The body lying limp in its grasp was a
reflection of Gaby. Blonde hair, same frame. A shot of fear
transfixed her eyes on the body.

The creature narrowed its black, soulless
eyes on her.
Accept your fate.
The voice matched the
baritone notes. Its hand grasped tighter, and Gaby could feel rough
fingers tighten around her own neck. She clawed at her own skin,
trying to free herself from the beast’s clutches, but there was
nothing to grab.

Her windpipe closed, trapping the air below.
Crunch…crack. Her neck snapped and she fell to the ground, all
ability to move gone, except her eyes and mind.

Grey circled once more and the body the
demon had been holding was flung to the ground, rolling to a stop a
foot away. Gaby’s eyes stared back at her, lifeless.

****

“Gaby.” Alexander held her arms up by her
head and threw his body over her. Bloody scratches lined her
throat. He tried to ignore the iron scent and focus on soothing her
dream instead of healing her self-inflicted wounds.

Bruce busted into the room, David on his
heels.

“Hold her legs. She’s burning up, and I
can’t calm her down. We can’t afford another…”

The sight of David made him shut his mouth.
All they needed was him finding out about the episode she had
before.

Bruce shot him a glare and held his
daughter’s feet. Boon and Sammy appeared in the doorway. “What
happened?”

“Don’t know. I sensed something and looked
out the front window, turned and she was having a vision.”

“Has she had them before?” David sauntered
around the bed inspecting her wild thrashing.

Alexander didn’t answer.

“She’s practically on fire. Can’t you do
something?” Bruce pleaded.

He focused on calming her dream and pushed
against the invisible barrier but hit darkness. The same darkness
that surrounded her the day of the fire. His heart thrashed his
chest. They’d all be dead if this followed the same pattern as
before. He forced his energy further into the darkness. The barrier
wrapped around him, constricting tight until it snapped and sent
him flying back. His shoulder blade slammed against the desk. Art
pencils went flying in all directions. Gaby grabbed her throat and
started tearing her skin. Boon grabbed her arms.

“Alex, her bottom drawer. Bottle of pills.”
Bruce ordered.

Alexander hesitated. “Gaby hated those
pills. Said they made her feel like a walking dead person. She’s
not psychotic.”

“Just do it, or none of us will be around to
fight the war. Gaby didn’t have nightmares when she took them. It
must close her mind somehow.”

Gaby writhed under their confinement. “Die.”
Inhuman growls filled the room, urging him to follow Bruce’s
instructions despite the gnawing agony of their betrayal. She’d
hate him for this.

He yanked the drawer out, and it hit the
floor with a bang. The pill bottle rolled to the back. He opened
the container, shook a green capsule out, and raced to her side.
“I’m so sorry, Gaby.”

“What the hell’s going on? She possessed?”
David hovered over them.

“No, not exactly.” Bruce grunted.

Smoke filled the air and Alexander caught a
glimpse of flames licking at the curtains before David ripped them
from the window and stomped them out.

Sammy pried Gaby’s mouth open and Alexander
shoved the pill to the back of her throat. “I’m so sorry.” He hated
himself for what he’d just done, but what choice did they have? If
she lost complete control, they’d be flame broiled within
minutes.

“What the hell is she?” David yanked a shirt
from the back of her desk chair and stomped out flames.

Sweat poured down Bruce’s face.

Gaby coughed and choked. Hopefully she
wouldn’t get sick and expel the pill. If it didn’t work, they’d all
be sent to the darkness forever.

She bucked and cried out, and the
temperature rose a few more degrees. Condensation ran down the
window.

“Get some cold rags and ice, she’s burning
up.” Bruce ordered David. Sammy raced out on his heels. They
returned with several wet towels and a large bowl of ice.

Alexander dumped it around her neck and put
the cold towel over her head. Bruce’s eyes rolled back, and
Alexander caught him, taking another towel and placing it behind
his neck before he completely passed out.

“You and David wait outside. We’ve got
this.” Boon said.

“No, I’m staying with my baby girl.” Bruce
shot back, but his flushed face betrayed his words.

Sammy took his hand. “She’s going to need
you when she wakes up.”

Boon shot Alexander a sorrowful look.

“She’s going to be okay. The pills will
work.” Alexander heard the doubt in his own voice. “They have to. I
can’t lose her now.”

“You won’t.” Boon restrained Gaby’s
arms.

She continued to fight for over twenty
minutes until her body fell silent. “We need to figure out what’s
going on if we’re going to get her powers under control.”

Alexander sat at her side stroking her arm
with a damp towel, willing her to open her eyes. Even though he
knew it was best she slept. The room was like a furnace.

Boon went to the window and opened it. Sammy
brought in some more damp towels and took the now steaming ones
away.

“Is she going to survive this without any
permanent damage?” Alexander couldn’t bear to think of her being
anything less than perfect.

“Her powers protected her. Even though her
skin is burning up, her brain and other internal organs remained
cool. At least that’s what happened last time; no reason to think
it would be any different this time.”

Only a few minutes earlier they held each
other in bed. Totally connected and happy. “Why now?”

“Demon. I’m going to track it now.” David
stood at the door. “You two make sure she stays unconscious, or
I’ll turn her over to the hunters. No way I’m letting her fall into
the hands of the underworld. That girl is too powerful. A great
asset to our side, as long as she remains here.”

Alexander shot up from the bed. Boon blocked
his path. “Don’t worry. I won’t let anyone harm her. I’ve sworn to
protect the divine warrior. Even if we don’t fully understand her
purpose, I will not break my vow.”

Boon turned on David “Know one thing. Her
powers may be out of balance, but Heaven sent her to save us all.
You murder a creature of God and all of Heaven’s wrath will come
down on you.”

For the first time since Alexander met David
a flash of fear shot through his eyes. His nostrils flared, and he
jutted his chin out. “I’m going to scout for the demon. If we can
catch a glimpse of its human form, we stand a chance of defending
ourselves.” He snarled at Gaby. “Since our divine warrior is strung
out on crazy meds.”

Alexander shoved forward to throttle the man
and send him to the darkness, far away from Gaby, but Boon pushed
back. “Focus on Gaby. She needs you.”

David disappeared down the stairs. Gaby
groaned, drawing his attention back to her.

“I’m here.” He kissed her hand and wiped the
plastered blonde strands from her forehead. “I’ll never leave
you.”

“W-what happened?” Gaby muttered.

His heart soared at her voice. “You’re okay
now.”

Gaby swallowed and her eyes fluttered open.
“I smell smoke. Did I… My dad, is he—”

“He’s fine. No one got hurt.” Alexander took
in a long calming breath.

“How’d you?” Gaby shook her head. “I
feel…woozy. Like—”

He clutched her hand tighter and wanted to
beg her forgiveness. “We had no choice. You were having
another…episode.”

She looked around the room. “Pills? No. I
don’t want that again.” Tears pooled and fell from her eyes taking
his heart with them.

Alexander swiped them away and placed his
head on her chest, listening to her pulse. Her body lay limp and
weak beneath him. “Shh…I’m here. Everything will be okay.”

Boon rested his hand on Alexander’s
shoulder. “I don’t mean to intrude, but we need to know something
Gaby.”

Gaby blinked several times, fighting the
drowsiness and exhaustion the pills undoubtedly caused.

“The vision. It was a powerful one. What did
you see?” Boon walked around the bed and sat on the other side. “I
hate to ask you to remember, but we need to know if there is a clue
to your powers, or this master demon.”

Alexander sat up and stroked her arms.

“I-I’m not sure.”

“Take your time.” Boon shot Alexander a
sideways glance.

Alexander cupped her cheek. “I’m here.
You’re not alone.”

Her chest rose and fell. “A graveyard. There
were thousands of gravestones.” She rubbed her forehead and took
another deep breath. “I-I thought I was at my grave, but it wasn’t
mine. It was Grace’s.”

“Grace spoke to you?” Boon asked.

“No. I’m not sure. A voice kept hissing at
me.”

“Hissing?” Alexander kept a constant surge
of soothing energy to keep her calm. It couldn’t hurt, even with
the pill who knew what could happen.

“Yes, there were serpents and a large
creature. The voice was in my head. Deep music that turned to a
voice and it kept repeating
free us
.” Her hands trembled and
he clasped them between his. Wishing he didn’t have to make her
remember the awful nightmare she’d just experienced.

“Everything else is fuzzy.”

“It’s the drug.” Boon stood from the bed.
“I’ll leave you two alone for awhile.”

Boon left the room, and he sat by Gaby’s
side. She looked at him with accusing eyes. “Why? You knew.”

His insides twisted with grief. “I know. I
didn’t want to, but I had no choice. It was the only way to calm
you.”

“You mean numb me.” She pulled her hand from
his and rolled over.

“Gaby, please. I love you.” Alexander stoked
her hair.

She yawned and closed her eyes. “You don’t
get it. I feel nothing now. I won’t as long as you continue
drugging me.”

“Alex, we’ve got trouble.” Bruce stuck his
head in the door. “Principal Mastema is back.”

Chapter Sixteen

Two days passed before Gaby woke and faced
the world. Granted, it didn’t look the same. The sun was there but
didn’t brighten her day. They’d reduced the meds once already, but
still she was on a monster dose. She understood and was willing to
do anything to keep her from frying everyone. Still, she hated it.
The nothingness of it all.

Gaby walked to school through the woods
alone, not wanting anyone around. Solitude was the only treatment
for a drug-induced fog. It took too much energy to even concentrate
on what someone was saying, let alone respond. Sure, she’d get used
to the dosage after a while, but she didn’t want to feel numb
anymore. She’d done that before, and it didn’t work.

Alexander had insisted he walk her to
school, but she waited for him to go check on the contractor’s
progress, at his house, before she managed to escape. She stopped
at the edge of the school parking lot and watched a piece of trash
roll across the asphalt. There was a scent in the air, but it was
too dull to make out. She lifted her arm and saw the hair wave in
the wind, but couldn’t feel it.

Cars pulled into the parking lot, and people
shouted and laughed, but it was just noise. It didn’t mean
anything. She maneuvered around a couple of cars, reached the
building, and shoved the silver handles down to open the side door
to the school.

The smell of cleaning chemicals usually made
the building feel sterile, but not today. It was only a smell,
nothing more.

Prim stepped out from the office hallway.
“Ms. Moore, it’s great to see you’ve returned. Your father said you
were ill.”

Her cover story. Yes, she needed to follow
it; not that she cared, but just knew it would end the conversation
quicker. “I…yes.” She managed and continued walking.

“Gaby, I’d like to see you in my
office.”

That wasn’t good. She had no desire to
continue the lie, just to go find a quiet corner to hide in where
the world didn’t move.

“This way.” Judy, yeah, that’s right. She
told her to call her Judy.

“Okay, Judy.” Gaby followed her gesture and
shuffled to her office.