“Not unless I actually hand it over myself. And you can’t get to The Afterlife without dying.” I zip up my jacket, pull up the hood, and retreat for the door. “I’m going to have to find a way in without being detected. It’s the only way.”
She hurries across the room and blocks the doorway. “Yeah, you make an excellent point.” Her eyebrows furrow at her own words. “I think you need to call Alex first.”
“Why? So he’ll answer and it will prove he’s over at Stasha’s on his own freewill.” I shove past her. “You go ahead and bring him back. I’m going after Laylen, who’s actually in trouble.”
But as I reach the threshold, an unknown force draws me back, like a dog on a leash. “Never mind, I’ll go get Alex with you.”
Aislin’s green eyes shadow. “Now there’s a plan I like.”
“Are you possessed?” I corner her, examining her eyes. “Did a Lost Soul take you over? You’re acting strange.”
She shakes her head and her eyes water. “No. I just feel so sick, like my brain’s fuzzy.”
“Does it feel like a sprite’s in there?” I peek at her ear.
She waves me away. “What kind of insane question is that?”
“One that fits your insane behavior.” I watch her closely. “Are you sure you don’t mind Laylen waiting around in The Afterlife for a little bit longer while I go save Alex?”
She bobs her head up and down. “Of course I don’t mind. Laylen can be there as long as he has to. He’ll be fine.”
“Good.” I exhale, feeling bad, but knowing it’s got to be done. “Let me go get Nicholas and then we’ll go.”
She intercepts my path. “Why does he have to go? He’s a weirdo.”
“I need his moral support.” I pat her arm and scoot by, leaving her perplexed. I trot down the stairs and to the library. Nicholas is waiting from me with his shoes kicked up on the table. “There’s a situation going on upstairs.”
“What? You have more faeries frolicking in your bedroom?” He smirks. “You know that portal’s still open.”
I rub my temples. “I forgot about the portal… that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m pretty sure Aislin’s possessed by a Lost Soul.”
He lowers his feet and shakes his head. “That’s not possible. Nothing’s wrong with Aislin’s soul. And Helena and her Lost Souls aren’t free yet, so the chance of her being possessed is low.”
“Alex was possessed,” I point out.
“Yeah, but his soul’s connected to yours. So he’s more susceptible.”
“Well, she’s possessed by something.” I sigh. “Or she’s lost her mind. She wants me to leave Laylen in The Afterlife. In fact, she almost seems happy about it.”
He scratches his head. “So what do you want me to do about it?”
“I don’t know… we can’t just let her wander around though. She’s a very powerful witch. Mix that with evil and we’re in a lot of trouble.”
He stands. “Just because she could be evil, doesn’t mean she’ll hurt us.”
“Well she’s never liked you.” I turn for the door. “So an evil Aislin just might want to hurt you.”
I climb up the stairs. Seconds later, he chases after me.
“Fine, I can drop her off in the Foreseer’s holding cell.” He guides his hand on the banister as he steps up the stairway. “But if she’s not possessed, she’s going to be super pissed when I bring her back.”
“Well, you shouldn’t care about that,” I say. “You don’t care about anything, remember?”
“Who doesn’t care about what?” Aislin appears at the top of the stairs, her hands on her hips, a giant smile on her face. “This is a great day, isn’t it?”
“She isn’t possessed by a Lost Soul.” Nicholas laughs, shaking his head. “But something definitely has hold of her.”
“I know.” I gesture at Aislin. “Be careful with her, okay?”
Nicholas presses back a smirk, stepping toward Aislin. “I’ll be as careful as I always am.”
I jerk on the hem of his shirt and glare at him. “I mean it. Don’t hurt her. She’s my friend.”
His eyes soften. “I won’t.” He smiles at Aislin and touches her hand. “You want to go somewhere really cool?”
“Like an amusement park?” She jumps up and down, her sanity fading.
“Sure.” Nicholas loops his arm with hers and takes the ruby-filled crystal ball out of his pocket. “Now hold on real tight.” Clutching the traveling crystal ball, he blinks them away.
Moving on to my secret plan, I dash up the stairs and recover my cellphone out of my dresser. I highlight Alex’s number and hit dial.
He answers after three rings. Laughing. “What’s up?”
I bite down on my tongue until blood floods my taste buds. “It’s me. Gemma.”
Silence.
“Why are you calling me?” He sounds annoyed.
“Why are you at Stasha’s?” I reply, equally annoyed. He doesn’t answer. “I thought you were dead. I thought Helena had you or maybe a Lost Soul possessed you again. Is that what happened? Are you some freaky Lost Soul with no control over your actions?”
A pause. “Look Gemma, I’m really busy right now, so I’ll call you back later, okay?”
I begin to object, but he hangs up on me. I toss the phone against the wall and it shatters. I scream into a pillow until my throat burns. Then I turn off my emotions, regain my composure, and proceed with my plan. Unlatching the window, I step onto the sill. Morning is arriving and the sky is a shade of pastel watercolors. My knees knock together as I stare horrified at the grass two-stories down. Just how bad of a death is a fall from this height?
“If Alex wants to be with Stasha,” I mutter. “Then let him be with Stasha. Laylen needs my help more than him.” I just hope my mom’s right and I have a free pass to and from The Afterlife. And that I’m still immune to death.
Bailing on Alex is like cutting my arm off—the Blood Promises that bind us are so strong. But forcing my feet forward, I take a breath and willingly leap for my death, hoping I’ll die long enough to make to the Afterlife.
Chapter 19
“Gemma Lucas, what have you done?” My mother’s voice soothes my aching body. “You can’t be here. She can’t have you.”
Opening my eyes, I push up from the grass. The willow tree branches are like veil of cotton and a tepid breeze lulls my skin. My mother’s near the tree trunk disappointment chilling her features while strands of her brown hair whisper in the wind.
“I had to come here.” I brush wisps of grass and fluffs of cotton off my knees and arms. “To The Afterlife anyway.” I glance from left to right. “Why aren’t I in The Afterlife?”
My mother’s pale skin conveys a ghostly glow. “You can’t go to The Afterlife, Gemma.”
I step toward her. “But I died and Lucinda said that’s where I’d go. Are you telling me she lied?”
“Would you be surprised if she did? She’s the Queen of the dead.” She moves away from the tree trunk and sighs. “She didn’t lie to you, but you can’t go there. Helena will find a way to keep your soul this time and Annabella’s not around to save you anymore.”
I gulp at the distant memory of the dream. “Because Helena ate her?”
“Not necessarily ate,” she explains with an edge in her tone. “But more or less. Annabella is trapped in Helena’s body, which makes Helena very powerful at the moment. That’s why you can’t go there.”
“What did Helena do to the Essences?” I ask. “In a dream I had, she went after them. Did she get them?”
She glances around anxiously, links arms with me, and we stoop under the curtain of cotton branches. We stride for the garden, blooming with red and white roses. Hedges fence the towering trees and leafy flowers. Cotton and petals sail through the air. We find a corner, encased by thick rose bushes and tuck ourselves behind them.
“For the most part, the Essences are okay. Annabella is trying her hardest to protect us.” Her voice is hushed, her eyes skimming the trees. “But there are some Essences that Helena’s possessed.”
“Aren’t Essences just light?” I lean in, my voice low. “They actually have bodies?”
She motions at herself. “I’m here, aren’t I? And Nicholas, you’ve seen him as a ghost.”
“But I thought Essences were a ball of light,” I whisper, cupping my hands together, demonstrating. “I held Nicholas’ essence.”
“The ball of light and our bodies are one and the same. The light is just our life, which Annabella keeps after we die.”
“So there are Essences walking around here, possessed by Helena?”
She nods. “Which means we must be careful. If the wrong Essence sees you, they’ll take you straight to her.”
“But you said she can’t take my soul,” I point out. “That I have to give it to her, which I’m not planning on doing.”
“Helena will find a way.” She peeks over the rose bush. “She’ll find your weakness and use it against you.”
“My weakness,” I deliberate. “Like Alex?”
She urges me toward the egress of the garden. “Let’s not find out. You have to go back to your body, Gemma. And never come back here, not until things with Helena are smoothed over.”
My feet root to the ground. “Mom, I can’t leave Laylen there. What if she turns him into one of her creepy mummies or something?”
“Gemma.” Looking like she might cry, she takes my hand, her eyes pressing. “Gemma, if Laylen is there, he’s already dead. You do understand that, don’t you? You can’t enter The Afterlife without being dead.”