“Kill me if you must,” she dared. “But I’m not telling you anything.”
“Oh, my God. Maggie, no.” I was shouting at her. “Don’t say that, please.”
She couldn’t hear me through my clouded vision.
A jolt of familiarity coursed through me sharply as the man she was talking to, drew into focus. His dark hair, strong jaw and large dimple in his chin, was the man I almost hit with my car on the first day of school.
Another voice spoke that made my spine tingle, sending sensations up my vertebrae from the small of my back to the nape of my neck.
“She’s not going to tell us, so what should we do with her?” Logan hissed, glaring at Maggie like she was prey.
The stranger I almost ran over days before, was stalking Maggie. He paced around her, speaking to her slowly.
“Maggie, you know we’ll find her, so make this easy on all of us and tell me where she is?” he persuaded, stopping to glare at her.
Maggie spit at him in the most un-lady like manner – so not Maggie – like a woman possessed by a more feral creature. “Never. I will never tell you,” she shouted.
She swore without any self-interest, glaring at him hatefully. She knew he would hurt her, but Maggie would never betray me.
The dark stranger leaned in very close to her, attempting to manipulate her into telling him where I was. He managed a soothing tone, looking menacingly into her eyes.
“Maggie, you seem like a lovely person. I don’t want to hurt you, or Claire. I just want to speak with her. The Agents and I had a misunderstanding and I need her help. That’s all. You see, if you tell me where she is, we can clear all this up, a happy ending for all. That’s what you want, right, Maggie?” he finished, cocking his head, waiting for her to reply.
“Go to hell, Kace!” Maggie spit at him once again.
Kace! Is that what she just said? He was here and he was going to hurt my aunt to find me. I had to stop him. Abhorrence controlled me now, allowing me to move. I looked around in my mind for a clue to help me find them. The walls were planked wood on three sides. I saw only water on the fourth wall with stairs leading into the room. I made out glass, trimmed in chrome, resting at the bottom of the stairs – a boat. There must be a boat house on the water.
“I’m coming for you, Maggie,” I shouted, running toward the water furiously.
Another vision hit me and my knees buckled, launching me forward. Logan’s voice was deep and cruel. “She isn’t going to tell us, Kace. We’ll have to find another way.”
Kace leered at Maggie. “You made your choice,” he told Maggie and turned to Logan. “Kill her,” he dictated.
The vision ended and I threw my face into my palms.
“No! No!” I hollered. The frantic return of my voice echoed through the trees, providing the strength I needed to get to my feet. I assumed the boat house was on the water, so I began running in that direction. The overwhelming need to save her kept me focused until the boat house was visible. I heard Brent and Reece’s footsteps racing towards me. They must have left the house when they heard me scream. They were shouting for me to stop but I refused. I had to save her.
When I finally reached the boat house, I swung open the door quickly, expecting to be confronted by Kace and Logan and prepared myself for the assault. It was completely quiet. I entered watchfully, alert, prepared to be startled, clutching my chest and trying to stay calm. It was dark in the room and I skimmed the walls with my palm in search of a light switch. I finally found one and flipped it on.
“Oh, God. No,” I wailed. The vision I had was one of the past.
I rushed to Maggie who lay lifeless on the ground. Brent and Reese stormed in behind me and I heard both of them gasp. Falling down next to Maggie, I reached my arms around her, and pulled her to me. Tears escaped my eyes continually as I rocked her body with mine.
“Why? Why?” I shouted, looking at the two of them, both approaching cautiously.
The pictures in my brain returned with Logan straddling Maggie. His fingers were around her neck just as they had been around mine, days before. His face was mocking her, and he was pleased as he stole the last breath of air from her lungs, laughing at her without any hint of remorse, as though he enjoyed himself.
The feeling of Maggie struggling to breathe, dying, lingered around me, but it didn’t hurt. Maggie was okay, she was actually happy. It had not been painful for her to give her life to save mine. Instead, it brought her peace. She had accepted this fate years ago. She knew that things might come to this one day and her acceptance removed her from feeling any pain that came with it. I continued to watch as an apparition form of Maggie left her physical body, smiling. The hazy form appeared to be watching me.
“It’s all right, Claire,” she cooed in my ear, clearly as though she was right beside me, and then she was gone.
I went limp as tears gushed uncontrollably. My body collapsed with grief. I lost my parents but not like this, violently and needlessly. I had not seen it happen. Rage and hate threatened a hostile takeover of each and every cell in my body. Then I heard Maggie’s voice again, in my head. “Don’t give into hate, Claire. You’re so much more than that.”
I saw her again. She was looking at me through the old mirror in her house, just the same as I had envisioned my mother so often before.
“You know what to do, Claire,” she hinted.
More tears spilled, leaving a small puddle on my hand. I released Maggie, slumping into Brent’s arms as he joined me at some point. I didn’t have any idea what to do.