The next morning, Winston and Prudence weren’t at the farmhouse when they got there. Winston had left a note for Orson, saying he’d gone to town to visit his old friend.
Albert shook his head in frustration. “His ‘old friend’ is alcohol. He’s been off it for years. Why would he start drinking now?” He shook the note. “And did he take Prudence with him? How irresponsible. She’s only seventeen!”
Austin rubbed his chin. “At least he’s not drinking well water.”
Nicole, who’d been looking out the window, grabbed Austin’s hand. “Speaking of which . . .’” She pointed to Orson, who’d just walked around the side of the house and was staring into the well. “What’s he doing?” He’d been in his bedroom when they’d first arrived.
Albert stepped up alongside her. “Who knows? The poor kid has been through so much.”
Austin seemed to hesitate for a moment, also looking at Orson, then he opened the door and strode out toward the wagon. “We’d better get some of that water and take the kid before Winston comes back.”
Nicole and Albert followed. Albert started helping Austin pull water up from the well, and Nicole knelt by Orson’s side.
“How are you doing?” she asked him.
He shrugged in response. Like his father, he was lucid at times and totally out of it the others. Today, he seemed more lucid.
“Want to come with us to visit Sterling? He’s at the hospital.”
Orson blinked, his eyes going out of focus, and he stared out over the well toward the field next to the farmhouse. Nicole took that for a yes and led him to the wagon, surprised when he came.
They took Orson to the hospital and checked him in. The doctor came as soon as he heard another Gardner family member was there and assigned himself to Orson’s case. He took the water from Austin, then turned to Nicole, a serious expression on his face.
“The water is probably too late for Sterling—his system is too damaged. He’s just getting worse.” The doctor sighed, looking into the room where Orson was strapped up to IVs and monitors. “But I hope it’ll be enough for this one.”
Nicole stepped into the room to say goodbye to Orson and was surprised to see that his eyes tracked her movement. She sat next to him and rubbed his arm. “How are you feeling?”
“The dogs jumped into the well.”
Nicole grimaced. “Are you sure?” Maybe they shouldn’t be having Sterling and Orson drink that water after all.
Orson didn’t respond, but his eyes didn’t leave her face until she’d turned and joined Austin and Lizzie in the hall, where she told them what he’d said.
“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Austin said, folding his arms and leaning against the wall. “They’ll test the water for all sorts of bacteria and contaminants.”
Nicole nodded, then the three of them went to Lizzie’s hotel to watch a movie.
Lizzie fell asleep almost immediately, not having slept much the night before, and Nicole snuggled up next to Austin on the couch, enjoying the feel of his arm around her.
“How are you holding up?” he whispered, rubbing her back.
She shrugged. “Better with you two here. And especially now that we’ve got Sterling and Orson out of the house.” She sighed. “I only hope it’s not too late.”
“Doc doesn’t seem too encouraged about Sterling’s condition.”
“I know.”
They were silent for several minutes, watching TV without paying attention. Nicole didn’t even remember the name of the movie they’d picked.
“You’re getting stronger,” Austin said. “Your Arete powers, I mean.”
“You can sense it?”
He nodded. “It’s pretty obvious, actually. How are you doing with Channeling?”
Nicole grinned, straightening so she was facing him. “I’ve perfected my sub-ability. I can silence pretty much anything.”
“That’s wonderful, Nicole,” Austin said, smiling at her.
“Albert wants me to learn how to Channel without the cello, but I just haven’t been able to grasp it yet.”
“It’s a little weird at first.”
Nicole playfully smacked his shoulder. “Says the guy who never used a focus to Channel in the first place.”
Austin grabbed Nicole’s arm. “Did you really just hit me?” he asked, a grin coloring his voice.
Nicole laughed. He was flirting! “Of course n—”
Austin pulled Nicole to him, placing a kiss on her mouth. She relaxed, sighing inwardly, her eyes closing as his lips softened against hers. Austin threaded both arms behind her back, pulling her closer.
Lizzie mumbled in her sleep, rolling over, and Austin pulled away, a twinkle in his eye.
“You were saying?” he whispered.
“I can’t remember.”
They decided not to wait for the movie to end before heading out and letting Lizzie rest. Nicole left a note on the table, though, in case her friend woke up and wondered where they’d gone.
Lizzie and Austin would be returning to Seattle the following morning for classes on Monday and Tuesday, then school would be out for Thanksgiving break. Nicole still wasn’t sure what she would do for the holiday—go home, drive to Seattle, or stay with Albert. Part of her wanted to be with Albert. All his plans had been ruined, his pseudo family in tatters.
But another part of Nicole longed for the comforts of home and her family. She hadn’t seen her older brothers in months, and it would be nice to catch up with them. Even if it did mean spending time with Tiffany, her mother, it would be worth it.
She shook her head at herself—these thoughts were probably a waste of time. Especially with the situation at the manor. She probably couldn’t risk leaving, not now.
***
The next morning, Nicole sent Austin off with freshly baked muffins and a baggie of bacon. They’d spent the better part of thirty minutes hugging and kissing, and she felt ready to endure another separation from him.
Sometime during the night, Nicole’s phone had started receiving voice messages from her mother. Tiffany was insistent that Nicole come down for the week, and Nicole still wasn’t completely opposed to the idea. But what would happen if she left? She really needed to talk to Rebecca.
Sunday and Monday went by in a blur as Nicole and Albert visited Sterling and Orson in between making trips to the farmhouse. Prudence and Winston didn’t seem to have noticed Orson’s disappearance, and Iona was unresponsive to any conversation. She rarely moved from her spot in the center of the attic room, staring at the wall.
Neither Orson nor Sterling were improving. But it didn’t seem like they were getting any worse, which was encouraging.
Tuesday morning while Nicole was doing her hair, Rebecca finally showed up. But she brought news with her that Nicole didn’t want to hear.
“There’s a reason the portal still hasn’t finished growing,” she said.
Nicole put down her brush and looked at Rebecca through the mirror. “What’s that?”
Rebecca sighed, sitting on the edge of the bathtub. “Please understand that we’ve only just learned this. I’m still upset and I know you’ll be even more upset than I am.”
“Well?”
“It can’t complete the process until a human sacrifice has been made.”
Nicole blinked, turning to the older woman. “Are you serious? And do they actually think we’re going to let that happen?”
“It’s the last sign. We can’t prevent it, I’m afraid. Someone in the Gardner family must die.”
Nicole felt the blood drain from her face. “Why them? Why can’t it be someone else?”
“You mean, like you?” Rebecca raised her hand to silence Nicole’s retort. “As valiant as that would be, it’s impossible. You, Nicole, must be the one to receive the elixir. Otherwise, all of this will have been in vain. And don’t think anyone other than the Gardner family will work. It has to be someone who has been feeding the portal, and you and the Gardners are the only ones who have been doing that.”
“This is so sick, so disgusting,” Nicole said. “I can’t believe I’m taking part in it. I can’t believe you’re okay with it!”
Rebecca closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m not okay with it, Nicole. I simply see no other option, especially when looking at the broader picture. I want you and everyone else to have a brighter future.” She got to her feet and approached, placing her hand on Nicole’s arm. “It’s not much longer. Possibly a week’s time, maybe a week and a half. Oh, and this is with your trip home for the holiday being considered.”
Nicole frowned. “How did you know about that?”
“It’s Thanksgiving week. And you already know that I watched you grow up. You may not get along with your parents and they may not appreciate you, but they do love you.”
“So, I’m supposed to be totally okay with dropping everything here, abandoning Albert and the Gardners, and going off to celebrate? To show thanksgiving? For what?”
“For everything you’ve been blessed with, Nicole. And if you don’t know that you’ve been extremely well-taken care of throughout your life, then you need to take a step back and do some very deep self-scrutinizing, because it shows a strong lack of character and appreciation for what you’ve been given.”
Nicole looked at her feet. “I know I’ve been lucky.”
“Not lucky—blessed. Family is important. Spend some time with them.”
“But what about Albert? And the portal? Doesn’t it need me near to keep growing?”
Rebecca shook her head. “It’s nearly finished borrowing powers from you. A few days apart won’t be a problem, not when it’s so close already. And I think you already know this—you did stay with your friends for a couple of days.”
Nicole nodded and thanked Rebecca for the visit. The moment the older woman left, she raced to the only computer in the house. It had a dial-up connection that had only been disturbed a couple of times by the portal so far, and she prayed it would work, realizing that buying tickets this close to Thanksgiving Day might not be a possibility. Even if they were available, they’d be incredibly pricey.
She was in luck. There were two tickets from Seattle to Dallas on Wednesday afternoon. She shot off an email to Lizzie’s phone, asking if she’d bought a ticket yet, then sat back and waited for a response. Lizzie answered nearly immediately. She hadn’t. She’d planned to figure something out that evening, if she finished her reading for Whitman’s class on time.
Nicole chuckled to herself, grateful she could predict her best friend’s habit of procrastinating so well. She hurriedly bought both tickets, looking forward to spending time with Lizzie.
Later that day, Albert and Nicole went to visit Winston. They found him in his room, sitting on his bed, sobbing uncontrollably.
“Orson disappeared!” he said, glancing up at them with puffy eyes.
Nicole and Albert looked at each other, then Nicole stepped closer to Winston and touched his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
“I found his toys next to the well. He’s fallen in, and I won’t ever have him again.” The man put his head into his hands and continued crying.
Nicole felt her heart break just watching him. She opened her mouth to tell him where Orson was, but Albert shook his head.
“Come with us, Winston,” Albert said. “Please? We can help you. We’ll help your family.”
Winston shook his head. “I can’t, I can’t.”
They left not long after that, checking in on Prudence and Iona. Iona still hadn’t moved from her spot, and Prudence was back to scrubbing the table. Some of the food Nicole and Albert had brought the day before had been touched—opened, crumbs falling to the floor. Hopefully, someone had eaten it.
During the trip back to the manor, Nicole talked to Albert, helping him come up with a plan to get Prudence out of there, along with her parents.
“I think it’s too late for Iona,” Albert said quietly.
Nicole didn’t say so, but she agreed. She couldn’t help but wonder why Winston had been so much more resilient than his wife, why he hadn’t fallen completely apart yet. Was it sheer force of will? Was it the fact that he’d been out working with the animals and the land while Iona had been in the house the entire time since the meteor had come and gone?
Nicole realized she might never have answers to these questions.