Atoning (Darkness Rising 3.1)

"Who then?" I said.

"Victoria."

"Tori? Seriously?"

"Exactly what I said. I mean, there's nothing wrong with Tori..."

"Of course there's nothing wrong with her," I said.

"Nothing a frontal lobotomy couldn't fix," Derek said, and Rae snickered. I gave them both a look. Tori might have been the token "mean girl" at Lyle House, and I won't say she turned out to be a misunderstood nice girl, but, as with most people, there was more to it than that. We'd become friends on the run, and while we weren't quite as close these days--the Salmon Creek kids offered us both more suitable companions, in Maya for me and Hayley for her--we were still friends. Derek, as usual, was a different matter. He no more forgave Tori her trespasses against me than he did Rae.

When I gave them a look, Liz said, "It's okay. I know Tori's not always easy to get along with. And she is powerful--that witch and sorcerer combo means she kicks serious spell-casting butt. But, well, it's not special, right? You're just as powerful as a necromancer. Derek's just as powerful as a werewolf. And the Salmon Creek kids are unique. So, why Tori?"

"Could you have misunderstood?"

"Maybe," she said. "Is there another Victoria in the group? Someone new?"

I shook my head. "They keep telling us one of the other Salmon Creek kids showed powers and will be joining us, but nothing's happened. It's the exact same group it was from day one."

"Huh. And they said Victoria not Tori, so I couldn't have mistaken it for Corey. Either it's really her or I need my ears cleaned out."

"Let's not worry about that," I said. "If you can help me get free, Rae and I will sneak down and get her mom while Derek waits for Maya and Daniel to make their move."

The next few steps went without a hitch. Liz helped me get free, and I untied Rae and Derek. Then Derek snapped the lock on the door. Next he Changed forms while Liz scouted the hall. She'd already checked for cameras. There weren't any--this was just a temporary holding spot, not a remodeled jail site.

When all was clear, we slipped into the hall. Derek used his jaws to jam the doorknob, so our kidnappers wouldn't be able to get inside, and it would take them a while to realize we'd left. He was still waiting for Maya and Daniel's signal, but he'd do it from a better vantage point, using his nose and ears to make sure his own way was clear.

With Liz leading, Rae and I snuck down to Jacinda's holding cell. Liz had confirmed the door locked from the outside, meaning we didn't need brute strength to open it. Five minutes after initiating our escape, we were freeing Rae's mom.

I'd never met Jacinda. Rae had grown up thinking she was dead. Then, the Edison Group hinted she wasn't, and, I'll admit, I thought they were just saying that to keep Rae happy and content in captivity. They weren't. While we'd been out on our adventures, preparing to strike back against the St. Clouds, Jacinda had rescued her daughter and gone on the run.

Jacinda looked...well, like Rae in twenty years. That wasn't unexpected. Half-demons might have a demonic father, but they don't inherit any of his appearance--whatever that is.

I explained what happened, as quickly as I could, but there was little need. Jacinda had figured out they'd been tricked. Being tied up in a dark room tipped her off.

"I'm sorry," she said to me. "I could say a lot more than that, but for now, I'm sorry. We really did think--" A sharp shake of her head. "No excuses. That's just to say that we thought we were doing the right thing. But one look at you, Chloe, and I can see we weren't." She managed a smile. "You remind me of your mom, and you obviously inherited more than just her looks, so I'm going to leave this escape plan to you. Just tell me what to do."

I did.

Twelve

"It's past time, isn't it?" Rae whispered as we crouched behind a huge, rusted industrial saw in the main building.

"It's fine, Rae," her mom whispered. "You can't time these things down to the second."

Except we had. At exactly one o'clock, we were supposed to hear the signal that told us Maya and Daniel were in position. The signal? Maya's cat scream, guaranteed to echo unmistakably through the building. She'd yowl, Derek would get to her, and, between the two of them, they'd take down our captors while Daniel went through a bag of zip-strips tying them up.

It was now 1:10.

"It's a slight delay," I whispered. "But as long as everything's quiet, that's all it is: a delay. If something went wrong, we'd hear it. And we do have a backup plan."

"Which is that if we see trouble or it goes past one-thirty, we get out. Any way we can." Jacinda squeezed her daughter's shoulder. "It's okay, baby. Chloe has this--"

Footsteps pounded down the hall. We simultaneously dove under the old saw. That's why we'd been waiting there--the big hunk of machinery was conveniently raised just far enough off the floor to provide a good--if tight--hiding spot.

"Sorry!" Liz whispered as she crouched beside the machine and peered under it at me. "I was checking the other direction and didn't see him coming. It's one guy heading straight this way, so don't move."

I nodded and whispered something to Jacinda. She agreed and passed on the message to Rae, on her other side.