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We drove for half an hour before anyone spoke. I was the one to finally break the silence, not able to take the aimlessness of our direction anymore.
“Can you still feel my father’s energy?” I asked Ryan.
“Yes, it’s pretty much the same strength as before, which means he’s tracking us somehow.”
“I think we should stop running,” I said. “We need to face him and end this.”
“Do you feel strong enough?” Simon asked, looking concerned. “You spent a lot of energy destroying those vardogers.”
My strength had returned rapidly and I wanted nothing more than to finally end things with my father. “I feel strong enough to face my father,” I reassured Simon, but I couldn’t help frowning. “I’m just pissed that I don’t have the palladium and iridium disk anymore. It was the key to winning against my father, I’m sure of it. But we can’t wait around until we can find another piece of palladium to melt down. We can’t afford the collateral damage.” I took a deep breath before continuing. “Let’s go to my aunt’s house. I’m sure it’s still vacant and it’s a good enough place as any to wait for my father.”
Simon frowned at me. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
I nodded determinedly. “I want him to be able to find me easily. I’m ready for him. I’m much stronger than before and I know what he’s capable of. As long as I don’t have any palladium on me, I’ll be able to fight him. And this time, I’m not willing to lose the fight.”
Simon looked grim as he gave Ryan directions to my aunt’s house since he knew his way around Connecticut much better than I did. Ryan didn’t comment on our destination and just followed Simon’s directions.
It was eerie to see my aunt’s house again when we pulled up in front of it. The exterior of the house still looked neat and tidy, at odds with the horrors I had witnessed and experienced inside. But I reminded myself that it was also the place where I had met Aunt Brenda for the first time. For all the bad memories the house held, I refused to let it ruin the moment when I had met my aunt who had embraced me with open arms and an open heart. She died risking her life for me, and in a way the house was a memorial to her. I promised myself that I would make her self-sacrifice worthwhile.
“It’s locked,” Ryan said when we tried the front door. I walked around to the side of the house and they both followed me. Simon looked resigned as he helped me through the small basement window without me having to ask. I wriggled through, trying to tamp down the fear that someone would grab my legs from the other side. I was relieved when I finally made it through. Besides being dustier, the basement looked exactly as I had remembered it. I quickly made my way up the stairs and opened the door leading to the first floor. There was a stillness to the house that was unsettling, as if it had died along with its owner, which made no sense since it was inanimate. I avoided looking into the living room as I walked to the front door and unlocked it. It was more than a little reassuring when Simon and Ryan joined me inside.
“Nothing’s been touched,” Simon said as he made his way into the living room. “It’s exactly the same.”
“I’m not sure who owns it now.” My mouth twisted at my next thought. “I wouldn’t be surprised if my father is the owner, since he’s her brother.”
I followed Simon into the living room, trying to fight the rush of memories that swamped my mind of all the awful things that had happened in this room.
“Are you okay?” Ryan’s voice behind me was gentle and I nodded, although my emotions were feeling a little unsteady. I glanced at him as he walked past me towards the kitchen carrying a bag of groceries that we had picked up on the drive over. It seemed so banal to go through the motions of normal life, but I couldn’t deny the grumble in my stomach.
“I’m assuming the kitchen is back here. I’ll play chef and make us something to eat,” Ryan suggested and disappeared.
“I wouldn’t put it past him to poison my food,” Simon grumbled but there was no heat behind his words. When he announced that he was going to search the house to make sure we were alone, I just nodded, not feeling the need to go with him. As he bounded up the stairs, I looked out the front window of the living room. It was still morning and the street was quiet with no motions of life. Earlier, Ryan had said my father’s energy was getting closer and that he wouldn’t be surprised if he arrived by nightfall. I wondered if Marie would be with him. The more I thought about it, the more I was convinced that Marie had stolen the metal disk. There was no other reason for her to run. I just wished I knew why she had done it after going to such lengths to help us. The thought of her reporting details of our activities to my father the whole time was a bitter pill to swallow.
I turned around as Simon came back downstairs and sat down on the couch. “It’s all clear,” he said. “Nobody’s here besides us.” He studied my face when I didn’t comment. “What are you thinking about?”
I sighed heavily. “I know the logical conclusion is that Marie stole the palladium and iridium disk, but I’m having a hard time accepting it. She hates my father. You didn’t see the look on her face when she told me about how they killed her sister. I just can’t believe that she would betray us like that.”
“We don’t know for sure that she did.” Simon jerked his head towards the kitchen. “For all we know, he could have it stashed away somewhere.”
“But that still doesn’t explain why Marie ran.”
Simon raised an eyebrow. “Did she? I was totally focused on you when the vardogers attacked so I have no idea what was going on with either of them. You didn’t see her run either. We’re just going on Ryan’s word.”
I crossed my arms against my chest and tried to see past Simon’s bias against Ryan. He wasn’t completely wrong that we couldn’t rule out Ryan as a potential thief, but I didn’t want to believe it. As much as Marie had helped me, Ryan had been by my side helping me fight vardogers. He was continually encouraging me to become a stronger seer and to believe in my own powers. Why would he make me stronger only to tear me down?
“Sandwiches are the best I could come up with,” Ryan announced as he strode back into the living room and I had to stop myself from jumping guiltily, hoping that he hadn’t overheard anything. He was carrying a plate piled high with sandwiches and seemed oblivious to our conversation.
“That’s fine,” I said. I thanked Ryan and took a sandwich gratefully, my stomach growling again at the sight of food. I watched as Ryan offered the plate to Simon and was relieved when he simply took one without comment.
I sat next to Simon on the couch and Ryan sat in the armchair opposite us. We were silent as we ate, each of us lost in our own thoughts. Simon and Ryan ate several more sandwiches but I couldn’t stomach anymore after the initial one. Now that my hunger had been satiated, I was feeling jittery with nervous energy.
“Do you feel my father getting closer?” I asked. Ryan finished the last bite of his sandwich before answering.
“He is, but he hasn’t picked up speed. I still expect him to make it here by tonight.” Ryan paused before continuing. “He’s not alone. I can feel the energies of other vardogers with him.”
I tried not to panic by his revelation. “We need to have some sort of plan.” I rubbed my forehead, trying to push myself to think strategically. “We can’t just sit around waiting for him. We know he’s coming with other vardogers. We need to think of a plan of attack.”
“Not only is your father going to come with vardogers in overtaken bodies, he’s probably going to bring bodiless vardogers as well,” Simon said. “You and Ryan should focus on the unattached ones since I can’t fight them. I’ll focus on the vardogers in physical bodies.”
