Thank you. He was a little embarrassed that shed done so much for him. He was the guy and she was the girl. He was supposed to take care of her. Did you get in trouble with Riley?
No. I returned to him when I promised and he, in turn, took me home. He went back to Mary Ann and I snuck out to return to you. Im so sorry I took so much of your blood, Aden. She gripped his wrist, her strength enough to crush him. He didnt complain. Any touch of Victorias was welcome. I should have pulled back, would have pulled back, but you tasted so sweet, better than anyone, everyone, and all I could think was that I wanted, needed more.
Despite the ache inside him, he shivered in remembrance. His mouth dried and his muscles jerked.
I told you I was an animal, she cried.
No, youre not. Whatever shed pumped into his veindear God. He wanted more. He pried her fingers from his arm and twined his own through them. What you didId be lying if I said I didnt like it.
Yes, but
No buts. You need blood to survive, and I want to be the one to give it to you. As long as Im alive, I want to be the one you come to, the one you feed from. His thumb traced the smooth skin of her wrist. Her pulse raced.
She sniffled. You speak as if you wont always be around, as if you know youll be leaving soon.
Should he tell her about Elijahs vision?
He anchored his free hand under his head and stared up at the ceiling. If he told her, she could decide to leave himfor good. A doomed teenager was not exactly good boyfriend material. She could decide to try and save himwhich would do her no good and only cause her anguish. Trying to change Elijahs visions was like trying to stop a tidal wave. With the right tools, you could build a dam, but eventually that dam would break and the damage would be a thousand times worse.
Only once had Aden tried to save a person hed known was going to die. Hed kept one of his doctors from getting into a car hed seen crash in his mind. Sadly, shed escaped the crash only to die later that same day. A pole had fallen from the top of a building and slammed its way through her chest, hed been told. Rather than die instantly as she would have in the car, shed died slowly, painfully. He shuddered.
Whether Victoria would leave him or not, she deserved to know the truth. Shed stood up for him to her father, had given him the best days of his life, laughing with him in the water, kissing him, drinking from him.
Come here, he said. He released her hand and held out his arm in open invitation. Eagerly she stretched out beside him, her head burrowing in the hollow of his neck. I have something to tell you. Something you wont like, something that will probably scare you.
She stiffened against him. All right.
There was nothing left to do but say it. Ive seen my own death.
What do you mean?
He heard the horror in her voice and wished he could take back the words. Instead, he plowed ahead. Sometimes I know when people will die. Sometimes I know how theyll die. Awhile back I saw my own death, the same as Ive seen a thousand others.
Her palm flattened on his chest, just over his heart. She was trembling. And youve never been wrong?
Never.
When is this supposed to happen? How?
I dont know when, only that I wont look much older than I do now. Ill be shirtless and there will be three scars on my right side.
She sat up, silky hair tumbling down her shoulders and back, and gazed down at his stomach. Without asking permission, she lifted his shirt. There were scars, but not the three parallel lines hed seen in his vision. To have scars you must first be injured, and that injury must have time to heal.
Yes.
Her expression hardened with determination. Once youve rested, you will tell me everything you know about this vision and we will do everything in our power to stop it. For what is the point of knowing something in advance if you cant change it?
Aden reached up and caressed her cheek. She closed her eyes and leaned into the touch. Some other time, he would tell her the consequences of trying to prevent someones death. Hed given her enough to deal with for one night. Here, now, there were a thousand other things to talk about, a thousand other things to do.
Have you noticed anything different about my room? he asked. Anything different about the people here at the D and M? Maybe Ozzie was as sweet as an angel now that the past had been altered. A guy could hope.
She eased back down and once again curled into his side. This time, she wrapped her arm around his middle and held on tightly, as if afraid to let him go. The only difference Ive noticed is the array of pills on your desk. I dont recall ever seeing those before.
Pills?
Amid her protests, he rose from the bed and crossed the room to the desk. At first glance, everything looked normal. There was his iPod. A few weeks ago, someone had left it on a park bench and hed snatched it up. He swept his gaze across the rest of the desk. Pill bottle after pill bottle greeted him. He picked them up one by one and read the labels. No wonder his companions had been silent since his waking. They were totally and completely drugged.
Guys?
No response.
Guys! he said to jolt them. What if the drugs had done irreparable damage to them? What if they never returned? He thought hed taken every kind of medication there was, but hetheyhad never reacted this way. He glanced at the label. He hadnt heard of the drug names. Experimental, maybe?
He wanted them out of his head, yes, but he also loved them enough to want them to have lives of their own, fulfilled lives, happy lives. He would rather live with them than see them destroyed.
Elijah had told him one of them would leave him in this new, altered reality. Hed assumed that meant one of them would find a body. What if it meant one of them would be killed inside him? Aden almost threw up then and there. What the hell had he done?
He looked at the name of the doctor printed on the bottles. No longer Dr. Quine, but Dr. Hennessy.
Guys!
Finally, Eve spoke. So tired, she said.
Cant think, Caleb said.
Just want to sleep, Elijah added.
Julian remained quiet.
Julian, he demanded in a fierce whisper. Nothing. Julian! Louder.
Still quiet.
Julian, I swear to God if you dont start talking Im going to
Too loud, Julian slurred. Keep it down.
His shoulders sagged. Thank God. They were all here and they were all alive and well. As well as they could be, anyway.
What happened? Eve asked.
He explained about the drugs. Like him, they retained the memory of their former selves, not changing even when the past did. They wouldnt know what had happened to them, either.
Aden turned toward the bed, but Victoria was no longer there. He hadnt heard her move, but she was suddenly beside him, arm wrapping around his waist, holding him tight.
I have to get back, she said, head nuzzling against his neck. My family is awake this time of night and expects me home. There are werewolves out there, besides Riley, that is, surrounding this property to keep you safe. Mary Anns house, too.
Aden cupped her cheeks and pressed a soft kiss against her lips. Will I see you to He stopped dead. There was someone at his window, glaring into his bedroom. Glaring at him. He shoved Victoria behind him. Hide, he told her, gaze searching for his blades. Where had she stored them?
Whats She stepped around him, gaze following his. A breath hissed between her teeth. No. No, no, no, she said on a moan. Not him. Anyone but him.
Why would the wolves have allowed someone Victoria disliked this close to the ranch? Do you know him? Aden couldnt stop a tide of jealousy from swimming through him. The man, whoever he was, was tall with blond hair and golden eyes. Who was he? What was he? Adens gaze sharpened, going deeper, and he froze. A vampire. With skin as pale as Victorias, his fangs peeking from his lips, gleaming white, thats all he could be.
She moved from behind Aden. He reached for her, planning to draw her back.
Dont touch me, she said, her voice colder than hed ever heard it.
Victoria?
She glided to the window. I told you to stay away from me, Aden, and I meant it. With that, she disappeared in a blur of movement.
WHEN RILEY LEAPT through Mary Anns window at one oclock in the morning, she was sitting at the edge of her bed, surrounded in darkness, arms hugged to her chest, rocking back and forth.
She didnt say a word as he trotted into her bathroom. Didnt say a word when he emerged fully clothed and crouched in front of her.
Mary Ann, he whispered. He traced a fingertip over her cheek. You okay?
His skin was warm, his hands callused. Comforting. She couldnt stop herself from leaning her head onto his shoulder. At first, he stiffened. Why? Then his free arm wrapped around her waist, tugging her even closer, and she forgot all about that momentary rigidity.
He wore the same shirt and jeans he always wore when over at her house. And no underwear, her mind supplied, causing her to blush.
He chuckled, which caused her blush to spread. Hello, excitement.
What are you doing back here? she asked, changing the subject. She did not want to tell him what had caused that excitement.
I took Victoria home. My time is now my own.
What if she sneaks out again? Thered been something in Victorias expression earlier that said such a thing was highly likely. Besides, to be with Riley, Mary Ann would have done just that. Who are you becoming? She didnt want Riley in trouble.
He smiled wryly. Theres someone else in charge of her care tonight.
Who? Why?
That is Victorias secret to share. Not mine, he said, his tone suddenly flat. Now. Tell me what you were thinking about when I arrived.
She leaned back and looked down at her hands. My father knew Aden. I just mentioned his name and my dad started acting weird. He locked himself in his office and hasnt come out since.
Well, at the moment hes asleep.
Her gaze lifted. Youre sure?
Very. I peeked in on him and his aura is white, serene. Plus, hes snoring. Once more, Riley traced a fingertip over her cheek.
Her skin tingled.
More excitement, he said, lips curling in a grin.
She wanted to pull out her hairor maybe hisin frustration. Stop reading me.
That grin faded. Why?
Its unfair. I never know how youre feeling.
He arched a brow. In that case, allow me to share. At any given time, its safe to say Im thinking about you and equally excited.
Oh. Wow. The frustration drained. Youlike me like me, then?
Why else would I hang around like this? Why else would I sometimes want to destroy your good friend Aden? Too good a friend, if you ask me. And what about your feelings?
She watched him, incredulous. Cant you guess?
Just say it, he growled.
Fine, she said, suddenly wanting to laugh. Yes. I like you.
His harsh expression evened out. Good. Thats good. He stroked her hair and sighed as he glanced at the alarm clock on her nightstand. Much as Id like to continue this conversation, we have to find those files Aden wants. Victoria has insisted I must do what I can.
I have a feeling theyre with my dad.
Frowning, Riley pushed to a stand. There is only one way to find out.
I know, she said on a sigh. Its what shed been debating for hours and had finally decided to do. Wait until her dad fell asleep and then go down there and search.
Dont worry, he said. I can get them on my own. You wont have to be involved.
Was that what she wanted? Shed promised to help Aden. And as her history teacher was fond of saying, A successful future is impossible if you dont know your past. Maybe her dad had seen something in Aden, something that could point them in the right direction.
Their birth certificates hadnt arrived yet, so they didnt know who his parents were and couldnt even visit the hospital where hed been born to retrieve his medical records. Their only hope at the moment lay in her dads files.
I am not a coward. I do not welsh on my promises. Besides, it would be better if she took the files rather than someone else. She would be keeping them in the family, so to speak.
She stood, squared her shoulders. Well do it. Together. And then she did something that shocked them both. She rose on her tiptoes and pressed a swift kiss on his lips. Thank you for returning to help me.
When she tried to move away, he latched onto her forearms and held her in place. His eyes were gleaming. Next time you decide to do that
What? she said, stiffening. Give you a little warning?
No. He grinned. Linger.
CHAPTER 17
From the case journal of Dr. Morris Gray
January 23
SUBJECT A. What can I say about him? First time I saw him, I was reminded of my daughter. Not in appearance, of course, they look nothing alike. Not in demeanor, either. Where my daughter is wild and carefree, laughter so easy for her, A is quiet and shy, afraid to look people in the eyes. I have never seen him smile. My daughter is happiest when surrounded by people. A is happiest in the shadows, alone, unnoticed. But I can see the longing in his gaze. He wants to be part of the crowd. He wants to be accepted. That he isnt breaks my heart. And that is where the two are most similar. The love I feel for them, in one case understandable, in the othernot.
Love is exactly what A needs, though. No one has loved him since his parents gave him up, while my daughter has been coddled her entire life. That is why she smiles and he does not. And yet, despite their different pasts and opposing natures, they both possess a bone-deep vulnerability that radiates from them. Something that strikes the heart, like claws digging in and refusing to let go. Something that imprints them in your mind so that you can never forget them.
Ive noticed the way some of the other patients look at A. They, too, feel those claws. They, too, are drawn to the young boy without knowing why.
Funny, though, that the only patients concerned with him are those who are here because they see things that arent there, talk to people who arent there and think they are spawned from hell itself.
During therapy sessions, Ive asked a few of them why they watch A so intently. The answers were the same: he draws me.
That shocked me each time I heard it because I had felt drawn to this institution with the same intensity they were drawn to the boy. Id driven past it and had been filled with a need to work here, even though Id already had a job. A well-paying job at a private practice Id had no intention of leaving. I could have risen up the ladder and eventually become a partner. But none of that had mattered after I drove past Kingsgate Psychiatric Hospital.
Id wanted tohad togo inside. Id wanted to be there, to stay there forever. What surprised me most about my determination was that my daughter, also in the car, had cried when we passed it. Shed been perfectly happy there in the backseat of my sedan, applying her favorite flavored ChapStick, when shed suddenly burst into tears. I asked her what was wrong, but shed just rubbed her chest as if it hurt, unable to explain.
I never took her back, but I myself went. The feeling of belonging, of needing to be there had increased. And when I saw A for the first time, Id been filled with the urge to hug him. To welcome a beloved family member home. Was I going crazy?
February 17
Subject A was beaten up today. The patient responsible claimed hed only wanted the urge to be near A to disappear, that he couldnt live with the invisible tether that bound him to the boy anymore.
I was finally able to give A a hug. He wont remember it, of course, because he was unconscious and drugged with sedatives, and thats best for both of us. I cant really give him what he wants, a place to belong. Still, I hadnt wanted to let go. Tears had even filled my eyes.
Again, I have to wonder whats wrong with me.
February 18
Subject A is recovering nicely. I spoke with him briefly, but the pain medications made him groggy and hard to understand. At one point I think he called me Julian, but I cant be sure.
There has to be a way to help him. There has to be something I can do. Hes a good kid with a kind heart. Another patient had visited with him and had eyeballed his Jell-O. Without any hesitation, A offered up the Jell-O, though it was the only thing he could eat and he wouldnt be given another. Well, shouldnt have been given another. I brought him two an hour later.
February 21
My first true session with Subject A. Hes been diagnosed with schizophrenia by several doctors and frankly, though its highly uncommon in children under sixteen, I understand why. He has a tendency to retreat inside his head during conversation, mumbling to people who arent there.
Do I believe that myself? Im not sure. And its not just because the illness is rare in children. To be honest, my doubt upsets me. Only one other time have I felt it, and that ended in a disaster I have yet to overcome. Grief still eats at me, in fact. But thats a story for another journal.
Before the meeting with A, I perused his file and found something interesting. Since his admittance three months ago, he has escaped a locked room twicejust disappeared from it, leaving no trace of how he managed the feat. In both instances, he reappeared in rooms he shouldnt have been able to access. Everyone thinks he has simply learned how to pick locks and he himself probably thinks its a fun, harmless game. But Im upset by it. Ive dealt with that before. Not with him, but with someone I love.
I guess Im not going to wait for another journal entry to veer in this direction after all. My daughters mother used to do the same thing. Before her pregnancy, that is. She would walk into a room one moment, headed in my direction, and then simply vanish before my eyes. I would search the house but find no sign of her. This happened six times. Six hellish times. Usually she would reappear a few minutes later. Once, though, two days passed before she returned.
Each time I asked her where she had gone, how she had gone. Each time, she gave me the same sobbing answer: into a past version of herself. Time travel. I knew it wasnt possible, but she insisted that it was. When I asked for proof, she could give me none.
She is the reason I entered into this field. Id wanted to understand her, to help her. Oh, did I love her. Still do. I cant hide that, though I should. Too bad I failed her. The only time she claimed to feel normal was the nine months she carried my precious baby girl. And after that, well, I wasnt given a chance to help.
Mary Anns hand was trembling as she flipped to the next page of her fathers journal. She and Riley had pilfered it from the study while her dad slept, head resting on the keyboard nearby. Hed fallen asleep going over his notes about Aden, or rather Subject A, so theyd had to pry them out from under his head. That hed kept them here, and so easily transportable, was shocking, but it proved how much they meant to himand perhaps how often he read them.
Shed been poring over them ever since, nausea churning faster and faster in her stomach. At first, the term Subject A had bothered her, but then shed realized that had been her fathers way of retaining Adens privacy, even in his personal journals. But she knew it was Aden, and the things hed enduredthe grief her dad felt for some mysterious doubt about the young boys illnessthe way her dad had written of her mother as if she were already dead at that time, only speaking of her in past tense all left Mary Ann reeling.
At the time hed written these journals, her mother had been alive and well and caring for Mary Ann at home. And why couldnt he let others know that he loved her, his own wife? Wasnt that something husbands and wives were supposed to be proud of?
Trembling, Mary Ann read on.
March 1
My second session with Subject A.
A fight had erupted the day before, all of the patients in a frenzy. Seems A told one of the patients he was going to die that day with a fork to the throat. That patient became angered and attacked A. The patients around them jumped into the fray. The hospital staff rushed to the group and began pulling them apart, injecting them with sedatives. But at the bottom of the pile, they found the patient A had predicted would die. Hed had a fork buried deep into his throat, blood pooling around him.
A hadnt done it, that much we know. Hed managed to work himself out of the flailing throng and press himself against the wall, forked himself, in the side. Plus, another patient still had his hand wrapped around the utensil, shoving the metal prongs deeper. Had the patient committed murder because of what Aden had said? How had A known the guy had hidden a fork in his sleeve, though? Had he seen it and hoped the guy would use it the way he described? A self-fulfilling prophecy?
When I asked A these questions, he gave me no answers. Poor kid. He probably thought hed get in trouble. Or maybe it was guilt. Or pain. I have to reach him, have to gain his trust.
March 4
After my prior encounter with Subject A, I was still a little shaken. Maybe I should have waited to see him again. Maybe then this third session wouldnt have proven to be our last.
A was different today. There was something about himhis eyes had been too old for his age, filled with knowledge no eleven-year-old should have. I had trouble looking at him.
At first, everything progressed as Id hoped. Hed begun to answer my questions, not evading as usual, but finally allowing me a peek inside his mind and why he does the things that he does. Why he says the things that he says. What he really thinks is going on in his head. His answerfour human souls are trapped inside him.
I dismissed the claim as his way of coping with what was happening to him. Until he mentioned Eve. That intrigued me. Eve was a person who can supposedly time travel. Just as my wife claimed to be able to do.
Everything A said meshed with her accounting. They didnt simply venture to the past, but into their own lives. They changed things. They knew things. Add in their similar disappearances and the fact that As eyes had flashed to a hazel-brown when they were usually blackfor a moment it was as though I was talking to Mary Anns mother.
The sensation disturbed me, I admit it, disturbed me so much I went a little crazy myself. I even threw A out of my office. The only way he could have known about my wife was by raiding my office, unlocking my file cases and reading my private journals.
Either that, or he was telling the truth.
Part of me, the part that had always longed to prove my wife had not been mentally ill, had wanted to believe him. But how could I believe A when I hadnt believed her? I had hurt her, each and every time shed tried to explain her experiences to me. I had destroyed her confidence, made her think she was crazy. To believe A, a relative stranger, was to admit shed been right and Id hurt her for no reason.
How could I live with the guilt of hurting the woman I loved? I couldnt, and I knew it. So I kicked A out and left the institution. I even quit my job. I mean, the kid mentioned my daughter. Had spoken of her with utter confidencehad spoken of things he couldnt possibly know. Or shouldnt know. Ive never been so stunned and upset in my life.
To believe hes rightI cant. I just cant. And even if the things he told me come trueI cant.
May 8
Its like my wife has died all over again. I cant get A out of my head. I find myself thinking about him, wondering how he is, what hes doing, who is treating him. But I wont allow myself to pick up the phone and check on him. Im not objective about that boy. I couldnt help the love of my life, so I certainly cant help him. A clean break is best. Isnt it? I used to think so. Now, two powerful words haunt me.
What if
My current wife sees my preoccupation and believes Im thinking of another woman. One I love more than her. I try to tell her that isnt true, but we both know it is. I have never loved her the way I should. Ive always loved another.
I never should have gone to that institution. I never should have taken on As case.
So many questions, Mary Ann thought, dazed. And so many things no longer made sense. This time her dad had spoken of both a wife and a current wife. One was a mentally ill woman who had given birth to her. The other was perfectly sane and had raised her. They were one and the same, though, so two wives shouldnt have been possible. Unless
Had the woman who raised her not been her birth mother? Again, that didnt make sense. Mary Ann looked like her mother. They shared the same blood type. There was no doubt they were related.
And there was no doubt her mother had loved her more than anything in the world, as a real mother would. The woman had nursed her when sick, held her when shed cried. Had sung and danced with her when she was happy. Theyd had tea parties together and raced Barbie Corvettes. If Mary Ann knew nothing else, she knew shed been loved.
Was it possible her dad had married two different women whod looked just alike? The first had given birth to her, and the second had raised her? It was a possibility, she supposed, if far-fetched. But if so, why had he never told her?
Though she didnt want to, she gave the journal to Riley. He stared at the bound leather for a long while before focusing on her. He didnt say anything, just leaned forward and pressed their lips together. Soft, sweet, offering comfort.
Tears burned her eyes. Take it back to the office, please. I dont want him to know I took it.
Riley nodded and left, his gaze staying on her until he disappeared around the corner. He didnt return to her bedroom. The sun was already rising, and he had to get back. She knew that, but she missed him anyway. Hed held her while shed read, offering what reassurance he could.
She couldnt go to school today. She was too raw inside. She needed solitude. Thats not the only reason. Being away from her dad, away from Aden, even away from Riley, would give her the time she needed to think. Again, youre evading. This mystery surrounding her mother disturbed her. She needed time to process it. Liar.
She wiped a budding tear from the corner of her eye. Fine. She needed Riley. Wanted his arms around her again. Wanted to talk to him, present her questions and hear his thoughts. Why had he gone? Where had he gone? To collect Victoria and escort her to school? Wasnt he supposed to protect Mary Ann now? To protect her, he needed to be with her.
At the very least, he should have said goodbye.
God, when had she become so needy?
That doesnt matter right now. Only one thing did, and that was Aden. Hed been right, she thought. Her dad really had thrown him out of his office. Because hed loved her momher real mom? A woman who had been a little bit crazy? and Aden had awakened memories of her that had sent him into a tailspin of uncertainty?
Pot and pans began banging downstairs and she knew her dad was up. She rose from bed, showered and dressed as if she planned to go to school. In the kitchen, her dad had breakfast prepared and waiting on the table. Scrambled eggs and toast. He was in his usual chair, hidden behind a paper. The thing that proved how upset he was was the colorlessness of his knuckles as he clutched the sports section.
There was nothing she could say to soothe himnot without admitting what she knew. And if she began talking to him, she knew she would ask questions he wasnt yet ready to answer. Questions with answers she would be better off finding on her own. He was hiding something from her, and she didnt want him to have the chance to lie to her.
It was odd, knowing her dad had secrets. Odd, disappointing and yeah, upsetting. Hed promised to be open and honest with her always. You promised the same, she thought, but look at her now. Lying about study groups, sneaking around, reading patient files. Guilt was suddenly swallowing her up.
I dont want you hanging out with that boy, Mary Ann.
The out-of-the-blue statement surprised her; the sternness of his voice jolted her into speechlessness.
Aden Stone is dangerous. He set the paper down and stared over at her, his eyes devoid of emotion. I dont know what hes doing in Crossroads or how you met him, but I do know hes no one you should trust. Are you listening to me?