Psychic Visions 08-Now You See Her... (2 page)

So she wanted to be seen.

Therefore, she was waiting for someone.

He’d have to wait. See who it was.

But energy vibrated through his fingers. Anger. Hate. He had a lot of reasons for not liking this stage of his life. Especially knowing the answer – the ability to fix all that had gone wrong – was right across the street.

Only he didn’t want to wait. He wanted action. Now.

He turned his head and stared back toward the alley. And smiled.

*

Tia, her leather
jacket tugged up high on her neck, her long hair pulled into a high ponytail, leaned against the brick wall at the city park. She hadn’t been back in Portland in years, and this area was new to her. She wasn’t afraid but found it hard to settle comfortably into her surroundings. She didn’t fear the night or the others in the world, just the one man and the organization that pandered to his every whim. Combined they were a deadly force. One she’d like nothing to do with ever again.

As far as she could see, she was alone. A cop walked the other side of the street. A few single women scurried through the almost empty area. A couple of men strode confidently along. The profile of one caught her eye, but she couldn’t get a clear glimpse of him. She kept an eye on him but he walked past. She didn’t feel safe but neither did she sense imminent danger.

That spidey sense of hers was not accurate in all situations and she hadn’t figured out why, but the thought that the predator might have a new tool to help knock her spidey sense out of commission had kept her senses turned on and humming in the background – for years.

Now…such a different life.

Her ribs ached, the old faded scars quivering with long submerged memories of life before her escape. She’d survived those long years, barely. And only because of Simone.

Simone hadn’t been able to turn Tia away.

Thank God.

From such things great friendships were born.

She owed Simone her life. And her very sanity. She’d seen things when working on Tia that no one had ever seen. That no one would ever know or suspect were possible. And she’d kept quiet, protecting her.

Tia knew that damn asshole still wanted her, still searched for her to take her back to his lab. Rat that he was.

And she’d do a lot to avoid his cage.

A couple strolled by, holding hands, heads together wrapped up in an aura of new love. Behind them, slower and not as wrapped up, was an older couple strolling by, still holding hands after decades of marriage, still in love.

The thought made her smile. Then she remembered where she was and why. How anyone could stay innocent of the evil in the world she had no idea.

Still, like a movie on the big screen, it was a nice bit of fantasy.

The sky was eerie in the moonlight with the clouds drifting in and out. She thought she recognized a man across the street. As he stepped into the lamplight, she realized it was a stranger.

She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. She’d promised Simone she’d return to her house at ten if her meeting didn’t happen.

Stefan had better show. She needed him.

The street light across the road flickered.

She tensed.

And closed her eyes. She reached out with her spidey sense to see what was disturbing the energy of the lamp.

And found…nothing.

She frowned. It could have just been a flicker in the power grid from the city center. Dirty power being an issue in many cities. But here? Not so much. At least it hadn’t been a problem ten years ago. She’d left soon after and was surprised at the sprawling mess the city had become. Either it had grown or her memories had shrunk. Either way it wasn’t great.

She’d become a small town girl. There, she could be who she wanted to be and ditch the personas she had to create every time she picked up and started over.

And if she told herself that often enough she might believe it, because in truth it sucked. You had to remember the lies that were the flavor of the week and over time the lies grew and had to be built upon until you started to believe some of them yourself. After all there wasn’t much of a choice once you started down that path.

It was also lonely. She always had to play a part. She could never be herself. Only with Simone. But it was dangerous to stay close to her. And she’d do anything to keep her safe. She was the only person in Tia’s life who cared about her.

At least until she’d ended up at Land’s Edge, a small town close to the Canadian border. She’d figured that if she was found there, she might be able to slip across the border and get lost in the northern wilderness. Instead, she’d found a place to call home. At least temporarily.

It was a place of misfits. Travelers. People who’d arrived in the town and ended up staying, putting down roots. Probably thinking along the same lines she had.

Tia had parents somewhere, but when her talents had shown up they had taken her from doctor to doctor to “fix” her.

Only there’d never been anything wrong, nothing to “fix.”

Her parents had taken a hard line and their actions at that point forever divided her from them. Her baby brother had arrived soon after. Her parents, wanting the taint to stay contained with her, isolated her from him while they tried to deal with Tia’s problems.

Of course the problem never was resolved so she never got a chance to get to know her little brother. A decade younger than her, she wouldn’t be surprised if her parents had erased her existence from his memory. An easy thing to do in one so young. Especially after they put her in that program.

She shifted restlessly as the evening cooled down. The bricks were uncomfortable on her back. She deliberately removed some of the energy from her shoulder blades, minimizing their ability to scream in pain.

The lights flickered again.

Shit.

She tensed and slid a little further down the wall. Deeper into the shadows.

He’d found her.

No, she argued silently. He couldn’t have. No one knew. Just Stefan, and he’d never tell. Not the Stefan she’d heard so much about. He had almost a cult-like following. People loved him.

But that didn’t mean he didn’t accidentally tell someone.

Maybe his phone line was bugged.

Maybe his own security had been breached.

All things were possible.

But not likely.

She closed her eyes as pain suddenly slammed into her heart. There was only one other person who’d known where she was coming and when.

Simone.

Shit. Shit.
Shit.

Had something happened to her? She slid her cell phone out of her pocket, and shielding the light from the screen, she checked for messages.

There was one from Simone.
Someone broke in tonight.
Run.

The hair on her skin rose up straight and her breath caught up in her chest.

Her instinct said to pick up her feet and go. And keep running. She took a deep breath and fought against the urge. She’d been at this point too many times in her life. No more. When did this ever stop?

She texted Simone.
Protect yourself.

The danger, whatever it was and whatever form it was taking, approached from the left. She slipped her phone into her pocket, closed her eyes and went still. Very still.

As in sinking her bony frame into the hard bricks. As in letting the sensation of her feet sinking into cracked cement become real. Becoming one with her surroundings. Being one with the universe. Old energy at her feet. Newer energy at her back. Fresh energy in front of her from those who passed by in the last day. This was an old area. She frowned, hating the fear that spiked. Had she been set up?

Old energy was one thing. Ancient energy was something else altogether. She couldn’t do ancient. Yet inside she knew she should be able to. Energy was energy, supposedly. It could be used for good and bad. That rule at least applied to most energy.

As she stood still sinking in sensation, her foot trembled. She shuddered.

No, this couldn’t be happening. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

It couldn’t be.

She tried to lift her foot, tried to step away, but tentacles, faint tendrils of energy lifting and sliding up over her shoe stopped her. She couldn’t move it.

She hadn’t had time to react. But knew inside it didn’t matter. This force of the ancient earth had already taken place. She’d felt it before, once.

She’d escaped that energy – once.

The energy moved up her ankle.

She was caught.

Damn right you’re caught, bitch
.

She shuddered as panic overwhelmed her. This shouldn’t be happening. She couldn’t be imprisoned like this. She wouldn’t be. Her life couldn’t happen in this way. Not again.

She needed help.

She’d never be a lab rat again.

Never be a test subject for them to work on.

She’d die first.

And if that happened now, at this moment, fine. She had no life worth missing. No friends to love. Nobody to miss her if she were gone. Only Simone. And if this asshole had hurt Simone…

Death was the best answer.

But instinct just didn’t give way to passive nothing. Her will to live didn’t just roll over and wait for death.

Her body still fought for survival, still fought to survive this horrible scenario.

She couldn’t go out this way.

How completely undignified.

How completely ironic that she who dealt in energy was going to die by an older and more skilled energy.

A cosmic joke.

Go
.

A new voice slammed into her brain, making her groan out loud. She had no idea where it came from or who it was.

Still, she tried to fight the restraints on her feet. She struggled, hearing a horrible laughter in front of her. She didn’t know who was laughing.

Now. I said go.

Damn it, I can’t,
she screamed at the intruder in her head.
I’m caught
. But they obviously didn’t understand what was going on. She couldn’t “go” anywhere.
Who are you?

Stefan
.
And
you are not caught. You can’t be caught.

I am a prisoner. My feet are stuck.
She trembled with panic as the binds holding her fast to the ground climbed higher and higher up her legs. Her feet were cold and numb, but the leading edge of that horrible energy burned hot, scalding her with the heat of its moment.
I’m chained to the earth, I can’t get free.

The volume of the voice rose to the point it pounded at a pitch she couldn’t stand.

Go, I said
, he roared.
Now!

She screamed back.
I can’t.

Of course she can’t, she’s mine now. I don’t know who the hell you are, but get lost.

Tia froze, the bile rising up her throat, and she knew she was done. This was it. There was only a small ball of regret. For the things she hadn’t done. For the pet she hadn’t been able to have. The friends she’d never know. The family she could never have.

Do you want a future?
Stefan asked.
Or do you want to give up and die?

Damn it,
she cried out.
I don’t have a choice, can’t you see that?

I see an exquisitely powerful woman who has no idea what she can do and right now, if she doesn’t do something, she’s going to die. Or worse.
Stefan’s voice hardened.
She’s going to wish she were dead.

She closed her eyes again at his words, her body buffeted by a weird sensation. That creeping feeling of having been caught in a spider’s web. That horrible sensation of being spun into a cocoon saved for a better day.

Only there were two people here.

Who was the spider and who was her rescuer?

Or were they both out to get her?

She couldn’t tell friend from foe.

Of course not, you don’t know me,
Stefan said in her head.
But what are you going to do about it. Will you believe me when the vehicle pulls up and they throw you, now fully paralyzed into it? Or will you have to wake in a padded room, tied down to a metal bedpost to realize what’s happened?

She groaned, her body trembling in fear, that horrible burning edge of paralysis climbing higher and higher.
I can’t live that way again.
She pulled at her legs desperately to lift them, desperate to get away.

That’s your future if you don’t move,
Stefan urged.
Now.

I’m trying,
she cried out.
I can’t. The energy is too strong. Too old. Don’t you get it? I’m not stuck here by any normal energy, this is ancient energy. I can’t…move.

Stefan gave a heavy sigh.
Die then.

There was a horrible sound, a burning in her gut, then a horrible flash of heat as her spine turned to burning ash.

What’s happening
she screamed. She twisted and twisted but couldn’t escape from the pain. She was going to die.
I’m so sorry
, she sobbed.
I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve this but if there is anything – anything I can do to get away then help me. Please
.

Damn it.
Stefan’s voice whispered through her.