Velocity (The Gravity Series) Read online

  “You are all dismissed. Prepare well for the evening ahead,” Phillip said, gliding off.

  The Thornhill members turned and filed into a line, heading out the exit. I slid out of the aisle and joined them. As I passed, one of the hooded figures caught my eye. They stared at me as I passed. I kept walking, not slowing down or acknowledging them, but my heart beat hard against my chest.

  Everyone remained in their robes as we exited the building. When I got into the parking lot, I started to walk back to the car, trying not to draw attention to myself. Most of the others went to the parking lot. When I turned onto the next street, I broke into a run.

  The van that Callie and the Taylors had been in was now parked beside Hugh’s Mazda. Hugh and Mr. Golem were already standing beside it, having shed their robes. Hugh looked visibly relieved when he saw me.

  “That was intense,” I said, catching my breath.

  “They’re going to move in a week,” Hugh said. “I would assume on Saturday. That means we don’t have a lot of time to plan. We need to get everyone together and make sure they’re ready.”

  “What did you think of that brainwashing thing? Did you close your eyes?” I asked. Both Golem and my father nodded.

  “I was almost too late, though,” Golem said. “I didn’t realize what was going on at first. I have a pretty bad headache now. The only part I caught were some flashing lights.”

  “You don’t suddenly want to turn all of us in, do you?” Hugh asked.

  Golem thought about it for a minute. “Nah. A lifetime full of being demon Phillip’s lackey does not sound like my idea of paradise.”

  He and my father handed Mrs. Taylor their microphones and recording equipment.

  “Did you get anything?”

  “He was mostly speechifying,” Hugh admitted. “There wasn’t much in the way of solid information. He didn’t say anything about the murders, even though he hinted at the sacrifices and the ritual.”

  “So, what do we do now? Just wait?” I asked.

  “Yep. And get some sleep,” Hugh said. “Thank you all for helping us. I will talk to you tomorrow.” He and Mr. Golem shook hands, and Golem went back to his car. The Taylors got back into the van, and Hugh got behind the wheel of the Mazda, scrolling through his phone.

  I took off the robe and folded it in my hands, preparing to get in beside Hugh. Callie came up and stood beside me. “Take this. If it comes down to it, use it,” she whispered. In one swift gesture, she grabbed my hand and pushed something hard into it. I slipped whatever it was in my pocket and got in the car with Hugh.

  I didn’t sneak a peek at what she’d given me until we arrived home. I went into the bathroom and pulled it out of my pocket. It was the grounding stone.

  CHAPTER 22

  WITH THE GROUNDING stone back, there were some many possibilities for what I could attempt to see. I wanted to go back and see the rest of the original Thornhill Society’s ritual. But I had to wait until the time was right. I stowed the stone away in my underwear drawer, knowing it was the last place he’d want to invade.

  Hugh spent the rest of the next day in deep concentration, when he usually would have been asleep. At five, he ran out to get some dinner and some things from the store .

  “I might be gone for a while,” he said, kissing my cheek. “I was going to run by Callie’s and see what her opinion is about next week.”

  I bid him goodbye at the door. As soon as I shut it I went and got the grounding stone out of my underwear drawer. I planned on going to see part two of the ritual. But there was another point in time that I just had to see while I had the chance.

  Pouring myself a glass of water, I took small sips from it to settle my nervous stomach. I left it on the counter and went into my room.

  I laid on my bed, turning the lights low, and placed the stone on my chest. Before I could lose my nerve, I shut my eyes, and visualized my mother and Rachel Reed standing across from each other. Standing in the middle of them was Phillip Rhodes, holding a coin. I tried to imagine the shiny surface of the coin. I felt the familiar slither of falling, and I focused hard on what my mother’s expression would be.

  Then I was standing in the past. Just like I’d envisioned, Claire was standing on one side, Rachel on the other. Phillip was getting ready to toss the coin―a quarter―in his hand, an amused smirk on his face. I wanted to punch him like my father had, just to get that smile to go away.

  “What is it that we’ll have to give up?” Claire asked nervously.

  “Why does it matter?” Rachel said defiantly. “You of all people should have to give up a lot to get back into Thornhill.”

  “I mean, it’s not anything like last time, is it?” Claire asked. “Sacrificing a girl. You said you found another way to maintain your power. The magic…”

  “Claire, you’re a sap,” Rachel said.

  “Bite your tongue,” Phillip snapped at her. He looked at my mother. “Nothing that can’t be replaced once we meet our goals. We’ve changed. We’re moving towards a noble future, now.”

  There was a moment when Claire and Phillip caught each other’s eyes. I saw him soften, just a small bit, but it was unmistakable. Rachel’s eyes flicked suspiciously between them.

  “How do I know I can trust you?” Claire said softly.

  Phillip reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. She didn’t shy away I wanted to scream at her, shake her, tell her that she was being deceived, and that she was deceiving herself. “You trusted me once. That can’t have all been a lie. You’ve always meant a great deal to me, and I’d like to have you back…with us.”

  Rachel looked like she was steaming. Claire nodded. Phillip tossed the coin in the air.

  “I’ll do whatever it takes,” Rachel muttered aloud as the shining silver circle flew into the air and landed back on Phillip’s palm.

  “Heads.”

  Rachel’s face blanched a little. Obviously she wasn’t as completely unruffled as she’d acted. She knew something bad was up.

  “That settles it. Rachel will be the one to give us an offering.”

  “Does that mean I can’t pledge now?” Claire asked, the spell broken.

  Phillip seemed bored now. “Exactly. Now get out. Both of you.”

  Claire dipped her head down. The two women headed for the door. I couldn’t tell which one of them felt worse.

  I didn’t want to be here anymore. Although it seemed like my mother hadn’t known what was at stake, I couldn’t change the fact that she’d allowed the coin to be tossed. She’d still gotten back with Thornhill eventually. As much as I loved my mother, I had to accept that she’d made a lot of mistakes.

  And that just because she made those mistakes didn’t mean that I had to stop loving her.

  When I came back, I felt gross and slimy, like I was hungover. I hadn’t spent much time in that past moment, but emotionally it had taken a lot out of me.

  As I stood up from the bed, I sensed that someone else was there.

  “Dad?” I called, feeling out my shaky legs. “Are you there?”

  Still feeling disoriented, I padded into his bedroom. It was dark and the bed was still made.

  I checked my phone, but there weren’t any new texts. I tried to call him, but it just rang. Doubts nagged at me, but I didn’t want to panic yet. It was still relatively early, not even dark yet. He hadn’t been gone for that long, and maybe he had stopped by Callie’s after all.

  I sat on one of the dining room chairs, my legs pulled up against my chest, bare feet against the seat. I still had the eerie feeling that someone else was in the apartment with me. I eyed the shadows in the corner. Then I looked at the front door. I’d never locked it in my rush to use the grounding stone.

  Rushing over, I locked it now, feeling a chill creep up my spine. Was there someone there? I peered into the kitchen, not seeing anyone. I reached down for my water, but it wasn’t there. My glass sat on the opposite counter. I must not have been paying attention when I set it do
wn. I picked it up and took a hasty sip. It tasted like it had been sitting too long, kind of off. I traced the wet circle of condensation on the spot where it had been before.

  Still unable to shake my paranoid feeling, I did a tour of the living room and both bedrooms. It wasn’t a huge apartment, and I didn’t see anything amiss. I let out a breath and tried to relax.

  “I need a bath,” I said to the open air. “That will help me relax.”

  I gathered a towel and my bath items and went into the bathroom. Turning on the water, I sat on the edge of the tub as steam filled the room. I yawned, starting to feel pretty tired. Using the grounding must have taken more out of me than I thought.

  I stood up, wobbling on my legs, and grabbed onto the shower curtain. My legs suddenly felt like they were made out of jelly, but I managed to stand. I looked into the mirror, and my face looked pale. I contemplated skipping the bath and going to bed, but the water looked so inviting.

  I stripped and lowered myself in the tub. I couldn’t help but shut my eyes and lean my head back against the porcelain. A thought crept into my mind…I hadn’t checked in Hugh’s closet. I was going to get back up, but my legs were too heavy to even move.

  Then I was drifting. Suddenly, I felt a sting on my wrist. But my eyelids were too heavy to open. I went farther and farther into unconsciousness, and I felt another sting on my opposite wrist, and the tiny voice of a girl talking. She sounded frantic and angry at the same time. I finally fluttered my eyes open and saw a flash of pink. Then I was looking and veins, like trees, blue and red, the liquid that kept me alive and if it spilled would mean I was dead. The girl spoke again. She was an enemy, a stranger. I couldn’t make out her words, and although I struggled against the sleep overtaking me, I lost the battle.

  ###

  Beep, beep, beep.

  I heard it for a long time in my sleep before I woke up. I thought I’d left the timer on the microwave on or something. I kept thinking I had to get up and check it. But my eyelids felt so heavy, like I’d never be able to lift them. I heard voices that I knew would be familiar if I could think more clearly. Let them get the damn microwave.

  Then I thought about how I’d used the grounding stone. I’d seen my mother and Rachel during the coin toss. In my head, I watched the silver coin spin over and over. Then I thought about where I was now. I must still be in the bathtub, floating under the water. I would prune up, but I was too tired to lift myself up and get out of the cold water.

  Eleanor leaned over me, peering into my face. Her cold, black eyes expressed concern. “This won’t do. We’re running out of time. Come on. Wake up.”

  I realized that I’d been hurt. Pain, far away but insistent, was calling to me. I opened my eyes in the hospital again. Both of my wrists were bandaged, and I was hooked up to all kinds of machines. Saline dripped into a line in my hand. I couldn’t lift my head from the pillow without difficulty, but then it became easier.

  A nurse came in, a short, middle-aged woman I’d never seen before. She was carrying a tray and a clipboard. She glanced up with a disinterested expression, which turned to surprise when she saw I was awake.

  “You finally woke up,” she acknowledged gruffly, setting the tray down. “I’m here to check your vitals.”

  “What’s going on?” I asked. I sounded like an old woman with an ashtray for a throat.

  “Your neighbor found you after you…after you did what you did. Said he heard a commotion.”

  “What did I do?”

  Her eyes darted to my arms and then away. Just a flicker. I looked down again and stared at my bandaged wrists.

  “I didn’t do anything to myself,” I insisted. “I don’t know what happened, but I didn’t do it.”

  She could tell I was flustered. She gathered her things together. “I’ll go get the doctor,” she said, and left.

  What seemed like just a second later, Dr. Briggs strolled in, his face set in a smooth, professional expression. A wave of fear bathed my nerves. He had been the one to prescribe my mother the pills that sent her off the deep end, and had also pretended to be my ally when I knew now that he had actually been working against us.

  “I see you’re awake, Ariel,” he said. “Good. I’m going to be transferring you to the psychiatric ward for a 48 hour hold.”

  “What?” I asked, alarm bells going off inside my head. “You can’t do that. Honestly, I didn’t hurt myself. I wouldn’t do that. Where’s my dad?”

  “You tried to kill yourself,” he said flatly. “You’re seventeen, still a minor. As far as your father, I know for a fact that he was arrested early today.”

  “What are you talking about?” I tried to scramble out of the bed, but he put a hand on me, holding me down. He was much stronger than his wiry frame would suggest.

  “You are not leaving this hospital,” he said, a cold, mean edge to his voice. “A suicide attempt is not something we take lightly here.”

  “I didn’t try to kill myself!” I shouted.

  “Your injuries suggest otherwise,” he said simply. “And you have a strong family history of mental illness. Your mother just killed herself, after all.” The bastard was smirking, actually smirking.

  “I know that you drugged my mother,” I continued. “You made her crazy.”

  “No one is going to believe you,” he said evenly, without a trace of emotion. “You’re just a messed up, emotionally disturbed kid.”

  “I’ll tell them everything!”

  “Be happy that Phillip hasn’t taken a knife to your throat.” He adjusted his silver glasses. “I’ll get you a sedative to calm you down. Now that you’re awake, I’ll alert the transfer nurse to take you down to the psych ward.”

  He went out of the room without another word. I knew I had very little time to get out. I had to think fast. I didn’t even know what hospital I was in. I looked around at the walls and saw University of Michigan stickers on several pieces of equipment.

  I immediately threw off the blankets, pulled out the IV, and detached my leads. The monitor screamed in protest, but I shut it off. I went to the door, but there was a guard standing right outside.

  Looking around my room for any clothes, I saw my pants and my sweatshirt. The EMTs must have dressed me at some point. I swiftly put them on, and feeling in my pocket, felt the grounding stone. I flipped my hair up and peered down at myself. There were splotches of pink blood all over the shirt. I grimaced. I’d have to find a change of clothes.

  In the bathroom was a sink, a toilet, and a large cart of supplies. I pulled the cart out and saw a shared brown door with a lock free handle. I scrambled through the door into a room with several beds. The only patient there was fast asleep across the room, half-concealed behind a curtain. I raced out to the main corridor.

  There weren’t many people out in the hall, just nurses rushing to their various stops. No one paid much attention to me as I hunched over and rushed away. I checked which floor I was on―three. Alex was upstairs on five. I went to the elevators, hit the button for that floor, and slouched against the wall. I kept my bandaged hands over my middle as other people crowded into the elevator, hoping no one would see the blood. Not that the bandages were better.

  If I could just get up to Alex’s room, I was sure that someone could help me. I watched the numbers shift to five and got out, walking swiftly. His parents were part of our opposition, after all, and Theo would probably be there, too. I saw by the clock that it was past visiting hours, but I was sure I could figure out some story.

  At the nurse’s station, I rapidly tried to figure out what to say to explain myself. The head nurse was on the phone, her back to me. I was close enough to hear her speak. “So let me get this straight, she just jumped up and got out of her hospital bed? Well, I think I’ll be able to recognize a girl with her wrists bandaged. Black hair, hazel eyes, 5‘5”. Seventeen. Got it. If she comes up here, Dr., we’ll send her right back to you.”

  I was out of there and on the elevator to the bott
om floor before she could hang up. Again I crouched beside the wall. There was nothing else I could do but get out of the hospital. And fast.

  I made it down and out to the patient waiting room. Most of the people inside were sleeping in their seats. A few people glanced my way, and I felt exposed. Surely they’d notice the bandages on my wrists. But no one tried to talk to me. I peered behind me to make sure that I wasn’t being followed.

  The hospital was already seeming too familiar, the smells of hospital gloves and antiseptic. A girl left her backpack and phone on her chair, going off to the vending machines.

  Forgive me, I thought as I snagged the backpack and kept moving. I felt bad for stealing but I had no idea what else to do. Across the way was a bathroom. Inside was a neatly folded bunch of clothes. I dressed quickly in the baggy shirt and jeans, leaving the backpack in the bathroom. I wrapped my hair into a ponytail, then jogged back out.

  I walked as swiftly as I could without drawing attention to myself. Code Red. Code Red. A robotic woman suddenly alerted over the speakers. I knew that it meant my escape had been found out. I rushed my steps and ran out through the revolving door into the cool April night.

  CHAPTER 23

  I WAS ALONE on the road with no idea what to do. I was in Ann Arbor, and I didn’t have any money, or a way to get home. College students and hospital workers rushed around me on the sidewalk to dorms and home. I touched the bandages on my wrists, running my fingers along the white cloth. I wanted to look underneath them, see the damage that was done, but I was too scared to even peek yet.

  I stopped at a restaurant, where there were quite a few people having a late dinner and drinks, and called Henry.

  “Ariel,” he breathed into the phone. “Thank God. I heard something on the news about an ambulance at your apartment building. I tried to go there, but they wouldn’t let me in. Are you okay? Whose phone is this?”

  I curled into the booth I was sitting in. “I’ll tell you all of it when you get here. I was the one they called the ambulance for. Someone attacked me, and my dad is supposedly in jail. I’m in Ann Arbor, can you come get me?”