Common Ground (The Common Ground Trilogy Book 1) (40 page)

“What are you doing?” I asked, confused. “Shouldn’t we pull her up before you cut her free?”

“Why would I do that?” he said, glaring at me with his frightening red eyes.

My mouth dropped in horror. “No. Please no…”

“Are you really surprised?” he smiled.

“Why?” I asked, while tears started falling down my face.

“All of those doubts you had about me this year were all for good reason Zoe. That stupid bitch down there really should have listened to you. You’re much smarter than she gives you credit.”

“But she trusted you,” I said weakly.

“I know she did,” he chuckled. “Even you started to trust me here the past few weeks too, didn’t you?”

I stood there silent while my tears flowed freely. I couldn’t understand why, but my heart was breaking into millions of pieces with every word he said. Realizing I wasn’t going to respond, he continued.

“I can’t say I wasn’t surprised though that you caved in the end. I thought it was going to take months, maybe even the whole school year for you to let me in, but like the rest of them, you just couldn’t resist.”

“I don’t understand why you’re doing this,” I sobbed.

“Let’s just say that my mission was supposed to be on a much more intimate level than Steph’s,” he said. “Steph was supposed to be your friend, get you to trust her and all that nonsense. I, on the other hand, had a sweeter goal. You were supposed to be my greatest conquest; the shy and innocent virgin that couldn’t be seduced. My job was simple and just when I was about to succeed, he pulled me back.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. The smoke and mirrors act that Liam and Steph had pulled was going to cost me everything I loved. For the first time in my life, I’d let my guard down and the results were more than I could bear.

“I should have let you do it,” I mumbled. “Then I wouldn’t have to deal with this anymore.”

Liam let out a loud, maniacal laugh. “That’s exactly why my master reeled me in. There’s demon blood in you Zoe and he knows it. As long as Annie is around, you’ll never embrace the darkness. Once she’s out of the picture, you’ll have nowhere else to turn. Woodward’s time is almost up and his little band of loyal fools will be disposed of easily when he is gone. You’ll have no choice and my master will be waiting patiently. He’s just dying to meet you.”

His words were exactly what I needed to hear to snap me from my depressed reverie. The initial shock of Liam’s betrayal had faded completely and all that remained was a renewed sense of purpose.

“He’s going to have to wait a little longer,” I said, my voice regaining its strength. “You’ll never get what you want. As long as I’m around, Annie isn’t going anywhere. She’s my link and I’ll protect her forever.”

Liam pursed his lips together and glanced around the vast canyon that surrounded us. Dawn was slowly approaching as a dim sunlight started creeping over the horizon.

“Tell me then,” Liam said, grabbing the rope tightly with one hand. “How can you protect her when she’s falling to her death?”

In one fluid motion, his other hand that held Damien’s knife rose into the air and slashed through the rope with one effortless swipe. Liam’s demonic laugh resonated through the air while he disappeared into the remaining dark.

Without hesitation, I sprinted towards the barrier, leapt over it and started falling swiftly through the cold desert air. Annie’s terrified face was looking helplessly up at me while I darted down towards her. Her wrists were still bound tightly above her head and her hands were reaching up for me. The bottom of the Dam was rapidly coming into view, but Annie’s hands kept coming closer and closer to my outstretched reach. With all of the effort I had left, I shot myself down even quicker until I felt the warmth of her hand clasp around mine.

Once she was safely in my grasp, I couldn’t think of anything else but surviving and getting Annie home safely. I closed my eyes and imagined the two of us home in Seattle, enjoying the holidays and being free from all of the dangers that led us to that point. A soothing sensation unexpectedly overcame me and I felt a noticeable change in our speed. I cracked open my eyes and almost dropped Annie in shock.

Instead of falling, we were gliding high in the air, far away from the dangerous water that almost took our lives. We were finally safe. The beauty of an early morning desert sunrise greeted us and the light was rapidly encompassing the mountains and Dam below. I looked over at Annie, who was staring at me with the widest eyes I’d ever seen. I gave her an encouraging smile and started descending down towards where I had parked her car. 

We came to a soft landing next to her car and I finished untying the rope that still restrained her. The moment her bonds were released, Annie slowly stepped away from me, still looking horrified.

“What the hell was that?” she panted.

“Annie, I need to you calm down,” I said, reaching out to hug her.

She took another sharp step back, as though my touch would burn through her skin. I pulled my hands back instantly.

“Please, let me explain,” I added.

“You can fly Zoe, how can you possibly explain that!” she sneered incredulously. “What? Are you some kind of superhero or something?”

We stood there for a moment in the early morning sun, studying one another. I felt a deep sense of remorse while I stared into her eyes, wishing more than anything I’d told her what I was when Professor Woodward first explained everything to me. Maybe it would have prevented everything that happened. Maybe it would have spared Annie the pain I so desperately wanted to shield her from feeling. There was nothing left to do but tell her everything.

“I wouldn’t say superhero necessarily,” I resigned.

“What would you call it then?” she asked, still sounding a bit frightened.

I took a deep breath. “What do you know about angels and demons?”

It had taken the entire car ride back home to explain everything I knew to Annie. Surprisingly, she sat there patiently while I recalled as much information as I could about Common Ground, Professor Woodward and my parents. It wasn’t until we got to Liam when she finally broke the silence.

“So he used me?” she asked blankly. “This whole semester he used me to get to you?”

I nodded slowly. “I’m so sorry. He and Steph have been planning this for months. They both used us.”

Annie closed her eyes and shook her head. “I can’t believe this, I just can’t believe this. I’m just supposed to accept that my ex-boyfriend is a psychotic demon and you’re some type of freakish hybrid angel and demon? That sounds insane!”

I chuckled. “Imagine being the freak.”

I made the final turn onto our street and the comforting sight of our apartment came into view. We were almost home. The sooner we could get in, out and on an airplane back to Seattle, the better. The Johnsons’ home felt like the only place left in the world where life was seemingly normal. I glanced over at Annie, who had stopped talking and was fighting a losing battle against the drowsiness that had set in. It wasn’t until we pulled into the driveway that I realized our night from hell still wasn’t over and home would have to wait a little longer.

I slammed on the brakes and put the car into park, which jolted Annie awake.

“What’s the matter?” she stuttered.

“Stay in the car,” I said coldly, slamming the door shut behind me.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I spat.

“I just dropped Hope off and was waiting for you guys to get home,” Liam said, looking back and forth between me and Annie. “Are you okay?”

“I’m going to give you five seconds to get out of here Liam before I hurt you.”

His eyebrows scrunched together and confusion spread across his face. “What? Why?”

“Why?” I bellowed, stepping dangerously close to him. “After what you just did to us, you should be lucky I’m not breaking every bone in your body!”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said sternly. “I literally just left Hope’s apartment. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

The look on his face was a mix of bewilderment and pain. He genuinely looked like he didn’t know what I was talking about.

“You just tried to kill Annie!”

“Are you insane? I would never hurt Annie!” he retorted, looking around me into the car.

“Don’t you dare look at her!” I yelled. “I’m giving you one last warning. Leave now or else.”

Liam’s eyes set back on me. “Zoe, please. I don’t know what happened out there, but Steph is behind it. Believe me when I tell you that I’d never do anything to hurt either of you. You have no idea how worried I’ve been ever since Annie got that medallion. She means just as much to me as she does to you.”

I wavered for a moment, caught off guard by the genuineness in his voice and face. For a moment, I actually started to believe him. But when I turned around and glanced at Annie, who looked utterly terrified, the visions of Liam cutting that rope flowed right back into my mind.

“You’re a liar. Always have been, always will be. I never want to see you again,” I said sharply before turning towards Annie’s door.

“Wait a second,” he snapped, turning me around with a quick pull of my elbow. “You want to know why Annie’s life means more to me than my own? I can prove it to you.”

“Prove it? How?” I laughed uncomfortably.

All of the sudden, Liam grabbed the base of his shirt and pulled it over his head, revealing his perfectly toned physique.

“I don’t get it. What am I supposed to be seeing?”

“This,” he said. He then pulled the left side of his jeans down slightly, revealing a random looking spot on his hip.

“So what?”

“It’s a birthmark,” Liam said. “Didn’t Woodward explain birthmarks to you?”

I shook my head, unable to take my eyes away from the mark on his hip. The longer I looked at it, the more familiar it became. I couldn’t explain it but I felt like I’d seen that same mark before, but I couldn’t remember where.

“Once an angel or demon loses their immortality, a birthmark appears somewhere on their body. That same exact birthmark can also be found on only one other person in this world, a human. The appearance of a birthmark is supposed to symbolize that we are born again as mortals and have a lasting connection to humans. Basically, it’s how we find our link,” he finished.

My eyes finally pulled away from his mark and rested squarely in his eyes. After everything that had happened over the course of the day, the last thing I wanted to hear was more lies.

“You aren’t Annie’s link,” I said coldly.

“Why do you think I freaked out and left at Thanksgiving?” he urged. “I guarantee that if you looked at this exact same spot on Annie, you’ll find the same mark. It all adds up Zoe, you’re just too blind to see it.”

“Stop it!” I said, pushing him away. “I don’t care what you say or try to prove. I know what I saw this morning and if you really were Annie’s link, you never would have tried to kill her. As far as I’m concerned, you’re nothing more than a lying, backstabbing demon. If I ever see you around Annie again, I’ll find your real link and kill you both.”

Liam bowed his head in defeat. “Zoe, you don’t know what you’re talking about. I warned you not to let Steph play with your mind. She’s trying to tear us apart, can’t you understand that? I’ll leave you alone, but I promise that you’ll discover the truth. You have the power to see for yourself, and when the day comes that you do find out, I’ll be waiting.”

He then turned on his heels and took off in an all out sprint down the street. I watched him go until he was around the corner and out of sight. I walked over to Annie’s door and opened it for her.

“What was he doing here?” she asked, stepping hesitantly out of the car.

“Don’t worry about it,” I said, slamming it shut behind her. “I’ll explain later. Right now, let’s just get upstairs, grab our bags and get out of this place. We’ll feel a lot better when we’re on the plane back home.”

Annie nodded lazily and headed up the staircase. The day from hell had finally ended, and all I wanted to do was get home to Seattle and escape the misery that surrounded me.

Chapter 19: Confessions

“This is so boring!”

“It’s important Ann,” a slightly younger version of me warned.

“But I always thought we’d just go to the same school together,” she sighed, looking aimlessly around the crowded convention center. “Why did we have to burn a Tuesday night coming to this thing?”

The younger me smiled widely. “Of course we’ll go to the same school together. We just have to find the place that fits best. That’s what this is for, to find our school.”

I glanced around at the booming scene that surrounded the younger Annie and Zoe. Hoards of high school kids and their parents were walking eagerly between hundreds of college booths, carrying many brochures and fliers. Everywhere, adults and students alike were talking casually with college admissions officers, trying to find out as much information as possible. After I finished studying the scene in front of me, my gaze rested back on the younger versions of Annie and me. They were standing in a vacant lot, away from the hectic scene that surrounded them, just feet away from my invisible body.

“I already told you my requirements,” she groaned. “Why is it taking so long?”

The younger me smiled. “You know how many schools are in places with sun? We’ll need to come back next year just to talk to them all.”

“But that’s senior year! I’m not stepping foot in another one of these Zoe, I swear.”

“I’m kidding!” Zoe replied defensively. “Just calm down-”

“Girls! Hey girls! Come over here!” Marie’s sweet voice rang out from a booth at the end of the row.

Both girls stopped talking and looked over at Annie’s mother. I glanced over too and saw all four of our parents huddled around a specific school’s table. The two girls exchanged curious looks before walking briskly towards their parents, with me in tow behind them. While we approached the table, the familiar scarlet and gold colors blended into a Spartan logo, came into view.

“Ladies,” my father beamed, “we’d like you to meet Alan Andrews. He’s an admissions counselor for the University of Las Vegas.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” Mr. Andrews said, extending a hand out.

Both girls extended hands out, Zoe looking more apprehensive than Annie. Annie’s eyes had grown double in size while she stared at some of the pictures that were plastered over the brochures that lined the table.

“Your parents have been singing your praises and I’ve been looking forward to meeting you,” Mr. Andrews said. “If it’s okay with your parents, I was hoping the two of you would like to take a seat and talk with me for a few minutes?”

He looked up at the four adults that stood behind the girls, who all nodded enthusiastically, with smiles spread across their faces. Mr. Andrews then escorted both girls behind the table and sat them in two chairs opposite of his. When he finally started talking to both girls, I turned my attention back to the adults, whose smiles had waned. They turned their backs on the ULV table and huddled around each other again, similar to their meeting on the Space Needle. I moved in a little closer in order to hear what they were saying.

“Reyna,” Mark said in a hushed voice, “you guys are sure he can help Zoe?”

My mother nodded once. “Eli’s been writing back and forth with him lately and he’s expecting both girls on campus after next year.”

“But Las Vegas,” Marie sighed, “it’s so far away. What if something happens? We won’t be around to help them.”

“Trust us Marie,” my father reassured her. “If there’s anyone on this earth that can keep the girls safe, it’s him. You know that we wouldn’t send Zoe anywhere that could possibly put her in any danger. And since we know how close Annie and Zoe are, we have no choice but to have Annie go with her. Besides, the girls want to stay together and this way, we know they’ll look out for each other and be safe.”

“I don’t know about this,” Mark shook his head. “I don’t like the idea of sending our girls all the way down to the desert when there is a madman hunting them. I’ve never met this guy, how am I supposed to trust him?”

“You guys know what we’ve been through,” my mother replied, standing up a little taller. “Even though he left Seattle when Zoe was born, he has remained at our side and helped us plan the best ways to keep Zoe safe. There’s nobody else in the world we trust more, outside of you two.”

Mark and Marie both exchanged sympathetic glances.

“Are we ever going to meet him?” Marie asked.

“You will,” my father said in a low tone. “When the time comes for Reyna and me, he’ll be right there to help. You won’t hear from him until we’re gone, but yes, you will meet him sooner than later.”

“Wake up Zoe,” a booming voice said from all around me.

Before I could hear anymore from Annie’s and my parents, everything became hazy. The voice repeated itself again while things grew more and more blurry. In a flash of light, instead of seeing the convention center around me, a bright light was shining in my slowly opening eyes. I glanced over towards the aisle of the airplane and saw Annie wearily staring at me, her hand still resting on my shoulder.

“What’s going on?” I yawned.

“We’re home,” she said.

I looked around and noticed the thinning plane around us. Annie stood up and waited for me to grab our bags out of the overhead bin. Once I pulled them down, we trudged through the plane and into the terminal, where we went to wait for our bags. The whole time, my already exhausted mind was running through what my parents were talking about with Annie’s parents. Even though they didn’t reference him by name, they had to have been talking about Professor Woodward. But the more I thought about it, the less sense it made. Marie had told me that she didn’t know about Professor Woodward, which made it more of a mystery.

“There they are,” Annie said, snapping me out of my reverie. I looked up and saw our two massive bags tumbling towards us on the luggage rack.

We finally pulled our bags out of the carousel, headed outside and were greeted by a light, but consistent rain and sharp breeze. My eyes squinted into the storm, looking for any sign of Marie or Mark. Within a few seconds, the comforting sight of their station wagon came pulling into the curb, right where we were standing.

“I’m sorry I’m late girls,” Mark huffed, leaping out of the driver’s side.

He rushed over to the two of us, gave us quick hugs and quickly loaded everything into the back of the car. Annie jumped into the front seat while I took the back while we waited for Mark to finish loading. It took another minute but he finally finished and plopped down into his seat with water dripping from the edges of his gray rain jacket.

“Have a good flight?” he said while we pulled away.

Annie mumbled something that resembled a yes but said nothing more. She had barely spoken since earlier in the morning when Liam almost killed her. I couldn’t tell if she was in shock or just flat out lost in disbelief. Either way, she was gone in her own world and Mark saw it. He didn’t push or question anything. He looked back at me in the rear view mirror, but my expression couldn’t have been any more pleasant than Annie’s. Keeping my eyes open had become a difficult assignment and going through the events from earlier in the morning just seemed too hard to handle. Instead of having a pleasant drive home, it was the most quiet and uncomfortable ride of my life.

After what felt like an hour, we finally pulled into the Johnsons’ driveway. At first, I wasn’t sure it was the correct house because there was an unfamiliar white sedan parked there. But it was the Johnsons’ home and Mark pulled up right next to Marie’s SUV, which had been parked in front of the mystery car.

My shoulders slumped even further as the idea of having a visitor didn’t sound like fun, given the circumstances. Both Annie and I exited the station wagon together and gave each other the same, dreadful look before we stared at the guest car. I could tell that the last thing either of us wanted was to be around other people. We hadn’t even been able to tell Mark and Marie what had happened yet and, if anything, visitors would have just made it that much more of a challenge.

We grabbed our carryon bags and followed Mark, who was towing our suitcases into the house. When we entered, I could hear Marie’s soft voice speaking casually to an unknown visitor in the TV room around the corner from the front door. Without a word, Mark quickly rushed up the stairs with our bags, leaving the two of us alone in the foyer.

“I can’t deal with people right now,” Annie mumbled.

“Me too. Hopefully your parents won’t make us talk long. I just want to go upstairs and sleep forever,” I nodded in agreement, closing the door behind me.

“Girls?” Marie asked suddenly.

“Yeah Mom, we’re here,” Annie said with much effort.

“Oh thank goodness!” she exclaimed as she came bustling around the corner and threw herself into our arms. “I was so worried!”

Both Annie and I had confused looks from behind Marie’s back while she continued to hug us tightly. There was a comforting emotion that came from her embrace and it made me feel much calmer. It was then I understood that my life was about to be quiet and normal, even if it was only for a couple of weeks.

“I’m sorry I didn’t meet you at the airport,” she sniffed, wiping away tears as she pulled herself away from us. “Are you two okay? Are you hurt?”

She looked us up and down like she was trying to find any visible signs of injury. The more she studied us, the more uneasy I felt. The mix of concern and relief etched in her face made me realize that she knew something. But how she knew anything was the mystery. There was no way she had a clue as to what had happened earlier in the day. After a moment, she started to physically search Annie at a frantic pace.

“Yeah,” Annie said with an annoyed tone, repelling her mother’s advances. “We’re fine Mom.”

“Marie,” I asked, interrupting her, “why didn’t you meet us at the airport?”

“Huh?” she asked. “Oh, about that. I’m sorry Zoe. We have guests and I decided to stay behind.”

“Guests? Who’s here?”

Her expression shifted in an instant. Instead of looking concerned and worried, she appeared somber. There was an edge to her glare, something I’d never seen before.

“Perhaps you two should come into the living room, there’s a lot we need to discuss.”

Annie and I both exchanged confused looks. Neither one of us was in the mood to talk to anyone, but the shift in Marie’s attitude had made me reconsider. We each took a deep breath and followed Marie into the room to greet our unknown guests. When we turned the corner and entered the living room, my jaw fell to the floor when the faces of our guests came into view.

“Good evening Zoe,” a man nodded, putting down a cup of coffee and standing tall from the love seat.

“Professor Woodward?” I gasped. “Annabelle?”

Professor Woodward gave a lazy half smile, which was the only pleasant emotion I could register in his face. He appeared completely exhausted. His kind and energetic face was much darker than normal. There were traces of red in his eyes and his chin was covered in unappealing stubble. It looked like he had been awake for days.

Annabelle looked the exact opposite. She appeared fresh and awake, but still had a serious expression. It was the first time I’d ever seen her look fazed. I couldn’t figure out who I was more surprised to see.

“I don’t believe we’ve met,” Professor Woodward said, stepping forward towards Annie with his hand out. “I’m Leo Woodward. It’s a real pleasure, Zoe’s told me quite a bit about you.”

Annie looked uneasy, glancing from Professor Woodward and Annabelle, towards Marie, before finally settling on me. I returned her worried expression with a slight but encouraging smile. She reached her hand out and shook his briefly and the moment their hands locked together, all of the muscles in her face and body seemed to relax at once.

“And this is Annabelle,” he finished, extending his arm out towards his secretary. “My wife.”

Annabelle stood and shook Annie’s hand too. Seeing Professor Woodward and Annabelle standing in the middle of the Johnsons’ living room made for a fitting end to a disastrous weekend. Of all the emotions I felt, confusion was at the top of the list. As though the pressure of the entire semester had come boiling over, I decided it was time to take a stand.

“Your wife?” I asked, a little more forcefully than planned.

“Perhaps you ladies should take a seat,” Professor Woodward said calmly, motioning to the couch where Marie had already sat down. “We have a lot to talk about…”

Annie’s and my bags were each placed at the foot of our beds when we entered the bedroom. I immediately collapsed in my bed and started massaging my head, wondering how it hadn’t exploded yet from overload. I glanced over at Annie who stood at the foot of her bed, staring blankly at her pink suitcase. There had been an uneasy silence that lingered between the two of us ever since Professor Woodward and Annabelle left the house.

“So,” Annie said, finally breaking the quiet. “Do you believe him?”

“Believe what?” I asked, thinking of about a million possibilities.

“What Woodward said? About Liam?”

I sighed impatiently. “We both saw the same thing Ann. There’s no question about what Liam did. Professor Woodward can say whatever he wants, but he wasn’t there. He didn’t see Liam cut the rope that almost killed you. He didn’t hear Liam admit to betraying us. He didn’t-”