Hades (40 page)

study them properly and the waitress looked first shocked

and then distinctly annoyed at having four new customers to

attend to. Like Denise, she was clearly used to having time

on her hands.

I took a moment to look around the diner; it was simple

but clean and welcoming. A counter ran along the length of

one wal where plump round stools were arranged in a line.

The floor was black-and-white linoleum and the booths

were upholstered in a burgundy vinyl. A blown-up poster of

Elvis Presley was displayed on the wal above the counter;

he smirked down at us wearing an upturned col ar and a

wicked gleam in his eye. The far wal was papered with a

col age of newspaper clippings relating to local Fairhope

news. The four chose a booth farthest away from prying

ears and settled down.

“So are you going to tel me what’s going on?” Xavier

asked immediately.

“Michael didn’t tel us much.” Ivy sighed. “We’re going

into this blind so we real y need to focus now.”

“There’s something in that convent,” Gabriel spoke

almost to himself. “Something he expects us to find. He

wouldn’t send us al this way unless it was a surefire lead.”

“Are you saying there could be a …” Xavier hesitated

and lowered his voice. “A gateway we don’t know about?”

“Even if there was, there’s no way to get it open without a

dem—” Gabriel broke off as he cast a glance around the

deserted diner. The waitress was busy chatting to a friend

on the phone. “Without a demon. They’re the only ones who

know how.”

“But we’re going to hit up the abbey tonight?” Mol y

asked, sounding like a character in a spy movie. It was

clear she felt left out and wanted to make some kind of

contribution, no matter how inane. Xavier rol ed his eyes at

her choice of words, but made no comment. I could see he

wanted to avoid another sparring match.

“We’l go after dark,” Ivy replied. “We don’t want to be

seen.”

“Won’t it be kinda creepy at night?”

“Feel free to stay at the motel,” my sister said calmly.

“Though the convent is probably less frightening.”

“Can we please try and stick to the topic?” Xavier was

growing exasperated. “You stil haven’t told me what the guy

at the gas station was going on about.” He leaned forward

and rested his elbows on the tabletop. “What did he mean

about the lightning storm?”

Ivy and Gabriel exchanged glances. “It might not be the

best time to discuss it,” Ivy said, looking pointedly at Mol y.

“In fact, it might be better if you both stay at the motel

tonight. Let Gabriel and I deal with this.”

“Like hel I’m staying behind,” Xavier said. “What are they

hiding?”

“You don’t have to worry about me,” Mol y said in a

practical tone I’d never heard her use before. “I’ve seen

enough freaky supernatural stuff by now. I can handle it.”

Gabriel pressed his hands flat against the table and

regarded them both with a measured look.

“This is definitely not something either of you have

encountered before.”

“Gabe … ,” Xavier said earnestly. “I know you’re worried,

but we’re in this together now. I’ve got more riding on this

than you understand. You gotta trust me …” He glanced

across at Mol y and grudgingly rectified, “Trust
us
.”

“Fine,” Gabriel said quietly. “The lightning storm, the

howling, the scratches on the porch … it al points to one

thing.”

“No human could cause that sort of damage on their

own,” Ivy added grimly. “We’re talking about nuns here,

sisters who’ve devoted their lives to servitude. Think about

it, what could possibly make these women lock themselves

away from the world? What would be the worst thing

imaginable in their eyes?”

Mol y stared vacantly, but I could almost see the wheels

turning in Xavier’s head. His clear, turquoise gaze widened

when the pieces final y fel together. “No,” he said.

“Seriously?”

“Looks that way,” Gabriel replied.

“Then, we
have
dealt with this before,” Xavier said. “Isn’t

that exactly what Jake did last year?”

Gabriel shook his head. “That was mild compared to this.

They were just spirits; temporarily harnessed to cause

damage. This is the real thing and it’s a hundred times

stronger … and more vicious.”

“Can somebody please tel me what you’re talking

about?” Mol y demanded, clearly fed up with being treated

as though she were invisible.

Gabriel sighed heavily. “What we’re dealing with here is

a case of demonic possession. I hope you’re ready.”

A weighty silence settled over the table, broken only by

the soft tapping of a pencil against a pad as the waitress

waited to take their order.

“What can I get for y’al ?” she asked. She was pretty in a

nondescript way with limp blond hair and too much

foundation. Her expression told me she dreamed of a more

glamorous life than being stuck in a dead-end diner with

nothing to do but watch traffic on the highway.

The somber mood of my family failed to lift, and the

waitress raised her eyebrows impatiently.

Mol y was the first to snap back to normality and plaster a

fake smile across her face.

“I’l have the fried chicken and a Diet Coke,” she said

sweetly. “Can I get ketchup with that?”

25

Get Thee to a Nunnery

I was surprised when Gabriel and Ivy decided to change

and head straight to the abbey after dinner with Xavier and

Mol y in tow. It was close to ten o’clock and I’d assumed

they would cal it a night and wait until morning. But

something must have made them feel they shouldn’t delay

any longer.

Outside, the night air was crisp and the sky was a cape

of royal blue velvet scattered with stars and wispy clouds. If

it wasn’t for the threat that lurked behind the woods

opposite the highway, I would have felt entirely at peace.

The sound of cicadas fil ed the air and a mild breeze

played gently with Ivy’s hair before drifting off to ruffle the

treetops. There was something about this place, a quiet

dignity and a grace from a forgotten time. It held an air of

mystery, as if the weeping wil ows knew something we

didn’t.

Mol y shivered as they crossed the highway and let

themselves meld with the shadows dancing among the

trees. She pul ed her jacket tighter around herself and drew

instinctively closer to Xavier. He slung an arm around her

shoulders and gave her a reassuring squeeze. I was

relieved to see a flicker of his former self beneath the

brooding exterior. I knew the stress was getting to him

more every day, eroding his usual easygoing manner. It

was part of the reason he and Mol y were always at each

other’s throats. He was at odds with himself, I realized. Half

of him saw Mol y as a connection to me as wel as a

reminder of our old lives at Bryce Hamilton. The other half

couldn’t help but let his concern for my safety overwhelm

him. At times like these I knew he both resented Mol y for

the seance and blamed himself for not being able to

change the turn of events.

“You’l be al right,” he told her. “We’l al be al right.” I saw

the faraway expression in his eyes and knew he was

thinking of me. He had to believe I’d be okay in order to

keep going. I needed him to believe it too. It was his faith

that was keeping mine alive. I wondered if I should try and

make my presence known to him, but I was too drained

from the recent ordeal to be anything other than a passive

spectator.

The woods grew thick and fast, but Gabriel’s finely tuned

senses managed to quickly locate the dirt road Denise had

mentioned. It was just wide enough to al ow cars to pass

through, but had been neglected over the last few months

and bordering shrubs were already weaving their way

across it. Tree branches hung low, drooping over the road,

and clumps of sodden leaves muted the footsteps of

visitors. The moonlight shining through the trees bathed the

path in a milky gray light. A crescent moon dipped

periodical y behind the treetops plunging the path into

occasional darkness. It was a good thing Gabriel and Ivy

radiated light from their skin. It was faint, like the glow of a

cel phone in a darkened room, but better than nothing.

When an owl hooted from somewhere above, Mol y

stumbled and cursed under her breath. Almost

imperceptibly, Gabriel dropped his pace so he fel into step

with her. Although he didn’t say a word, she seemed

soothed by his presence.

Soon the trees thinned and the looming shadow of the

old convent became visible. The Abbey of Mary Immaculate

was a three-level, whitewashed Gothic Revival building. It

had an adjoining chapel with spires rising to pierce the

night sky, a reminder to onlookers of the Lord’s lofty

presence. There were rows of pointed windows across

every floor, cast-iron gates and a gravel path leading to the

front door. A lamppost il uminated the front garden with its

grotto housing a statue of Our Lady as wel as kneeling

saints positioned among the tal grass. What was most

disturbing was the derelict air of the place—the weeds that

had sprouted up and overtaken the entrance to the chapel,

the leaves that clogged the path and the boarded-up

windows on the attic floor.

“I wonder how many sisters live here,” Xavier murmured.

Gabriel closed his eyes and I knew he was reaching out

and tapping into the history of the place, its life before

recent events. He was always careful not to intrude too

deeply on the private thoughts or feelings of individuals; he

only brushed the surface to ascertain their identity. “There

are twelve sisters in total,” he said eventual y. “Including the

one who is afflicted.”

“How did you know that?” Mol y asked. “It looks like no

one lives here at al .”

“Now is not the time to ask questions,” Ivy said patiently.

“You wil witness many things tonight that cannot be

explained.”

“I find it’s easier if you don’t overthink it,” Xavier advised.

“Just how am I supposed to do that?” Mol y complained.

“I feel like I’m waiting for someone to jump out and tel me

I’ve been punk’d.”

“I think they only punk famous people,” Xavier said under

his breath.

Mol y looked annoyed. “That’s not helpful!”

“Look.” Xavier turned to face her. “Let me try and help

you out here. You know when you’re watching a horror

movie and the character always decides to go into the dark

room where the kil er’s waiting?”

“Yeah?” Mol y said blankly.

“Do you ask why the character’s dumb enough to go into

that room?”

“Wel , no, it’s a movie. You just go with it.”

“Exactly,” Xavier said. “Think of this like a movie and

don’t ask questions. You’l only make things harder on

yourself if you do.”

Mol y looked like she wanted to argue, but a moment

later she bit her lip and nodded hesitantly.

The locked gates opened easily at Gabriel’s command

and the group slowly approached the steps of the abbey’s

front porch. I saw the concern on Ivy’s face intensify—deep,

uneven grooves were etched into the timber boards, at

least half an inch deep. They extended along the front and

veered sharply off toward one of the windows as if