CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Cierra shook her head stubbornly. "There must be a way to prevent this," she insisted.

"I hope you're right," Spencer replied, "but somehow, I think this is set in stone."

"Prophecies can be changed, Spencer. That's why we've been able to prevent the world from ending before."

"You know how difficult it is to change something like a person's time to die, Cierra."

"Difficult, yes, but not impossible, Spencer. We can't just sit back and let this happen. We're a family. If one of us were to die... I can't even imagine what would happen to the rest of us."

"Let's not focus on this right now," Spencer said gently, realizing how upset Cierra was becoming. "We need to find the information on the key and how to destroy it. That has to take priority right now."

Cierra sighed. "Right. One emergency at a time. Let's get back to work." She took a deep breath and struggled to ignore the fear that threatened to overwhelm her.

~*~

Keither Lincoln was still shaking when he reached his family's summer home. The cult had decided to send some of its members out to Cape Cod, Massachusetts for the week to try and find the key to the tomb everyone was searching for. Although Keither was one of the least impressive of the cult members, he had been sent because, at twenty-one years old, he was the oldest son of one of the leaders. He was certainly not the bravest or strongest of them, but Keither was handsome, with blonde hair and eyes that were a shade of blue that was generally reserved for Reapers. Keither wasn't sure where his soul came from, but if he was a Reaper, he certainly didn't demand the kind of respect he should have.

Renee Karson, who was his twenty-year-old cousin, was moving up in the cult quickly. She was smart, but seriously overconfident, a combination often found in the devil worshippers who gained power. She was very pretty, with blonde hair that she let hang around her shoulders and eyes so dark that they were almost black. She wore red lipstick and stiletto heals at all times, and today, she wore her leather jacket over a red blouse that showed off her cleavage. She also wore tight black jeans. Renee was a corrupt slayer, and she enjoyed dressing the part. As an inside joke, the corrupt slayers had a "uniform." They didn't have to wear it, but a lot of them chose to. It generally consisted of leather jackets, and red and black clothing. Red and black were the official colors of the corrupt slayers. The style had become popular most likely not for the sense of unity and evil, but for the fact that the combination of red and black often provided a very attractive look.

"Where's the brat?" Renee asked her younger sister, Moira, who was sleeping on the couch.

"He was right there..." Moira said, trying to wake herself up.

Renee slapped Moira across the face. Moira put her hand to her cheek and tried to process what had just happened.

Renee started yelling at her. "You fell asleep? He's a smart kid, Moira! You knew he could get away! We'd better find him," she said. Renee dragged a reluctant Keither back out of the house.

Moira tried not to cry. Her perfect sister was angry with her again, and if that got back to the cult, she'd be in trouble. Renee had already earned a lot of respect from the other cult members, and if she told them that Moira had managed to misplace the key to their future, she'd be sacrificed for sure.

Moira twisted a couple of strands of her dark brown hair around her finger, taking a moment to examine her badly bitten nails. For most of her life, Moira had felt she'd never be good enough to compete with Renee, and had been content to be her lackey. Renee excelled in school without needing to study, while Moira had to study nearly constantly just to get B's. Renee had the blonde hair, the thin, curvy figure, and the breasts and legs that drove men wild, while Moira was short, with stringy brown hair and almost no chest to speak of. Renee had men worshipping her, while most men only noticed Moira if they wanted to ask the time of day or something insignificant like that. Renee was popular and witty. Moira was shy and nearly invisible. Renee was athletic and a trained slayer. Moira was clumsy and couldn't throw a punch to save her life. And now, Renee had gained power in the cult they had grown up in, while Moira had merely remained one of their favorite punching bags.

Just once, I want to do something that Renee can't do, Moira thought. She needed to find the child before Renee did, or she'd never hear the end of it. Suddenly, though, something else occurred to her.

"I know how to be something Renee can never be," Moira said softly. "I'll be one of the good guys." She made up her mind that if she could find the child first, she'd make sure he made it back to his family safely. She knew what it was like to be tortured, and she didn't think this child should have to go through that.

~*~

"Randal Schwartz, what are you doing coming in at this hour?" Darla Schwartz demanded.

"Sorry, Ma," Randy said as he entered the living room. "I didn't know you'd still be up."

"Well, I was going to go to bed, but imagine my shock when I checked to see if you were sleeping alright and you weren't in your room!"

"I'm really sorry, Ma. I didn't mean to scare you. I just went out for a walk," Randy said quickly.

In truth, Randy had been out slaying, but he couldn't very well tell his mother that. She was mortal and had no idea what her son did most nights. This was the first time she'd caught him sneaking out. He must be slipping.

"Well, you're home now, which is what matters... Just don't do this again, young man," Darla said. "It's nearly two in the morning, and it's a school night."

"Of course not." He'd need to put a spell on his room to discourage her from checking on him at night from now on.

"Honey, you haven't been... drinking... have you?" Darla asked hesitantly.

"What? No way, Ma! You know I don't drink. I'm not going to risk ending up like him." Randy's father had been a drunk. He'd been extremely abusive to both Randy and his mother, and Randy was determined to never turn into him. It had been a relief when the drinking had finally killed his father.

"Good," Darla said. "That's my good boy." She hugged him. "Go on up to bed, honey. You've got a test tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Ma," Randy said. He kissed her on the cheek, gave her a hug, and headed upstairs and into his bedroom. He closed his door before plopping down onto his bed. Sleep sounded so appealing, but what slayer had the time, especially when there was an apocalypse approaching?

Randy stripped off his clothes and examined his wounds from his activities that night. His shoulder was bloody, but thankfully, the blood had not soaked through his letterman's jacket, so his mother hadn't noticed it. His throat had narrowly escaped being torn out by a lycanthrope. Randy wished Jesse had been with him to help with that, but Jesse's beast had taken control and he'd gone running instead of patrolling. If Cassandra had not shown up with silver bullets, Randy would have been someone's dinner.

His muscles ached from the battle. He waited until he was sure that his mother was asleep before he silently walked into the bathroom and ran warm water in the bathtub. When it was perfect, he slid into the tub and allowed the water to cleanse his wounds and soothe his aching body.

"You're so stupid, Randy," he scolded himself. "The first rule of slaying is not to do it alone. I should have known better." He shook his head and tried to clear his thoughts. He'd made a mistake, but he was too exhausted to beat himself up for it right now... That could wait. Right now, all he wanted to do was rest and try to get his body to a functional point again.

~*~

Jade did not sleep that night. Beth had nearly been sacrificed. She couldn't risk falling into a deep sleep and leaving Beth vulnerable. Instead, she stayed awake and watched Beth sleep, making sure that her chest continued to rise and fall as she breathed. Jade couldn't shake the feeling that this had somehow been her fault.

The two cult members had been from New York. Jade recognized their accents, as well as their energy. Most New Yorkers had a very specific energy to them. It was a city with a lot of supernatural activity, and that left a mark on people.

She didn't know them, but they could have been from Brooklyn or Queens. Jade had been from the Manhattan chapter, which rarely mingled with the other two unless it was necessary. Although there was a small chapter of devil worshippers in Staten Island, that was generally vampire territory and Jade knew all of the devil worshippers who were part of the chapter. The Bronx had no cults. The cult members from the Bronx generally joined one of the other local chapters, because the Bronx was so overrun with gangs that none of the supernatural bad guys wanted to try and take over the territory.

Regardless of which borough they were from, these people were from her neck of the woods, and that meant that there was a good chance that they had been drawn to Beth because of her. She couldn't stand that idea.

Don't let anyone in. If you let them in, if you love them, you get them killed, Jade reminded herself. All cult kids knew that letting outsiders in got them killed. They usually learned that the hard way. What had she been thinking, staying with these people? She was putting their safety at risk, and their kindness was going to cost them their lives.

Jade was not willing to endanger Beth or her parents or even the members of the Unit and the Silver Society any further. She began quietly packing her few possessions. She was an expert at running away. She knew what she needed to do.

"It's the only way to keep you safe," Jade whispered softly to Beth's sleeping form. "You'll be okay. Alex and the others will take care of you... Thanks for everything, Bethany. I'm sorry."

When she had finished packing up her things, she put Bastet in her bag and silently slipped out of the house.

~*~

Alex was startled when he opened his door to find Beth looking lost and terrified on the other side.

"Beth? It's the middle of the night, honey. What's wrong?" Alex asked. He led her inside.

"Jade's missing," Beth said.

Alex was instantly on alert. "Missing? What happened?" He demanded.

"She packed her stuff and left... She even took Bastet." Beth sniffled and wiped a single tear from her eye.

"She ran away?" Jesse asked, hearing the conversation from his spot on the couch. He'd returned home a few minutes earlier.

"I think so... I don't know why she'd do that! She was just starting to fall into the routine of things." Beth started to openly cry.

"It's okay, Beth," Alex said soothingly as he led her inside. Jesse grabbed a box of tissues off of the coffee table and joined them near the door. He silently handed Beth a tissue.

"No it's not. She could get killed, Alex! She's got enemies," Beth replied after she blew her nose.

"I know, but Jade's tough. She'll be alright," Alex insisted, even though his instincts were telling him that Jade was in danger. He knew he needed to stay calm or he'd overwhelm Beth. 

"She's in trouble, Alex. I can feel it," Beth insisted.

"She probably left because of what went down last night. Jesse told me what happened, and knowing Jade, she thought they were after her and that she put you in danger."

"I think he's right," Jesse chimed in. "It's just a general feeling."

"We can't let her do this. She needs us, Alex," Beth said. "And... And I need her. She's the only protection I've got, and she's my friend, whether she likes it or not."

"We'll find her, Beth. I promise," Alex replied. He wished he felt as sure as he sounded, but at least his words seemed to comfort Beth for the moment.

~*~

Moira found the child asleep in the woods, hiding inside of a log. "You scared us, little one," she said gently.

"No! Go away," the child replied. His young voice was confident, but his face betrayed how nervous he actually was.

"I won't hurt you," Moira promised. "I'm going to help you find your mommy."

"Liar," he said.

"No, it's true, Joey. You and your mom should be together," Moira insisted.

"Why?" Joey asked as he studied Moira's face.

"Why what?" She asked in confusion.

"Why you change?" He clarified.

"You're just a little kid, even if you don't act like one. You don't deserve this." She scooped him up in her arms and carried him to her car. Sensing that she was telling him the truth, Joey didn't fight her.

~*~

Spencer had gone off on his own to search for Jade. He tried to follow her energy, but she was masking it. She didn't want to be found. He continued his search, fairly certain that he would be unable to sleep until he knew that she was safe.

I have to find her, he thought. My soul is meant to protect hers. He might be the most practical one out of his friends, but right now he couldn't stop thinking of a thousand worst-case scenarios.

Any number of things could happen. A vampire could feed on her. A lycanthrope could maul her. Warlocks could kidnap her. The devil worshippers might find her. This was Salem. For all he knew, zombies might have attacked her.

Jade's a necromancer, he reminded himself. If zombies attack, it won't be a problem for her. Stop being ridiculous.

He forced himself to calm down as he took a deep breath.

Find her, Spencer, he told himself as his instincts told him it was urgent. You can do this... Just focus and find her before it's too late.

~*~

Jade wasn't sure how, but she'd gotten very, very lost. She was wandering along a road that was abandoned and next to a wooded area. As her psychic senses tingled out of control from the energy nearby, Jade began to grow nervous. Bastet meowed softly, and Jade was fairly certain that the kitten was saying that she was nervous, too.

"This wasn't one of my better ideas," Jade admitted aloud. The sound of her own voice was comforting in the silence. "What the hell am I going to do now?"

Suddenly, a car came speeding out of nowhere. Jade barely had time to jump out of the way before it sped past her.

She lost her balance and began falling down the hill that led into the woods. Bastet jumped to safety, escaping from the bag as Jade tumbled toward the bottom of the hill. Her arms were badly scraped as she fell over the rough earth, and her legs bent at odd angles. She knew she was going to be in serious pain when she stopped moving, but right now, all she could focus on was the fact that the hill was steep, and she was still falling. She landed at the bottom and hit her head on a rock right before everything went black.