That evening, as promised, Nicole was visited by a dead Arete. She’d just changed into her pajamas and was writing in her journal when he appeared at the foot of the bed, wearing a burnt orange polyester running suit.
“Hi, Nicole,” he said.
Nicole gasped, dropping her pen. “You freaked me out.”
He flushed, his face looking pained. “I’m so sorry—I wasn’t sure how to alert you to my presence without startling you.”
“Well, Rebecca always has a spider appear. Can you do something like that?”
He shook his head. “I’m afraid not. I don’t have any ties to creatures in that way.”
Nicole picked up her pen, setting it and the journal aside and curling her feet under her. “Well, I guess I’ll just always be freaked out when you come. Unless I call you first, of course.”
“Of course.” He walked around the room, inspecting Nicole’s furniture. “Things haven’t changed much since I was alive.”
“When did you die?”
He glanced back. “About thirty years ago. I was twenty-five.”
Nicole chuckled. “There have been a few changes in the past thirty years.”
His face brightened, a smile crossing it. “Like what?”
“Well, technology. We have computers now.”
He scoffed. “Computers existed before my death.”
“I know . . . but not like this.” Nicole got off her bed and crossed to her desk, opening her laptop. “They weren’t this small, were they?”
The ghost joined her, staring down at the machine, an expression of wonder on his face. “Oh, no. Nothing like this.” He glanced at Nicole. “May I?”
She shrugged, then grinned. “Go ahead. Just don’t download any of my bank information.”
“Bank . . . information? You can access that from your computer?”
“Yes.”
He looked stunned for a moment, then pulled out the chair and had a seat. His hands hovered over the keyboard, but he didn’t touch the machine.
Nicole grabbed her phone from her nightstand. “And that’s not all. This is a computer too.”
She set the phone next to him on the desk.
He raised an eyebrow. “This little thing?”
Nicole pushed a button on the side, and the screen came to life. She chuckled when he jumped. “It’s called a cell phone. It’s like a telephone, but it doesn’t need a cord and it works pretty much anywhere I am.”
He stared at it for several seconds, obviously struggling to take that in. Then he shook himself, stood, and turned to her. “I’m sorry, I got distracted. And I’m taking up precious energy satisfying my curiosity.” He extended a hand. “I’m Trevor. It’s nice to meet you.”
Nicole shook his hand and smiled. “I’m Nicole, as you know. Do you have anything to report today?”
He nodded. “Monsters have begun gathering in Jack’s dimension. From what we can tell, they plan to come through the link and protect the Tarians while they worship the Great Ones.”
He sat on the chair again and continued. “Aretes are also gathering under Elizabeth’s command.” He looked at Nicole. “That woman is shrewd and knows how to lead. She’s been quite successful in riling everyone up.”
“Good. We need someone like that.”
“Yes. We’ll take care of the monsters in Jack’s dimension, but any that come through the link will be up to earth Aretes. I especially feel bad about that, but it requires far too much power for us to return to our home dimension. It wouldn’t be a good use of our energy.”
“And you won’t be participating in the fighting?”
Trevor looked crestfallen. “No, I won’t. I wasn’t strong enough with my powers—it never seemed like a high priority to me.”
Nicole still couldn’t understand how someone could be born with this magic and not do everything in their ability to develop it as much as possible. But she knew and loved Lizzie, and Lizzie wasn’t very interested in pursuing magic. Obviously, others felt the same way.
“But coming here is okay?” Nicole asked.
“It’s all I’ll be doing—I’ll be conserving my powers in between visits with you. Jack and Anna will continue updating you through their note system, and when you need to alert them to something, call me and I’ll come.”
“Okay, that works.” Grateful for the reminder, she closed her eyes, memorizing his magical print, then looked at him again. “I’ll let you know when I need you. About how much time should pass between visits, though?”
He shrugged. “A few hours. I’ll try to conserve enough energy so if you need to call me back immediately, it might be possible. But I don’t know if that’ll work. We’ll see.”
Nicole nodded. “Thank you, Trevor, for your willingness to do this. Please let Anna and Jack know that we appreciate everything they’re doing. And same with Elizabeth, if you see her.”
Trevor blanched. “I’d rather not approach her, if it’s all right with you. She’s . . . intimidating.”
Nicole held back her chuckle—she knew what he was talking about. “Oh, I understand. Believe me, I do.” She frowned, wondering something. “Why don’t more Aretes come back and visit loved ones after they pass on?”
“It takes many, many years to start generating power again—it doesn’t function or flow the same as it does when you’re alive. By the time we’ve built up enough, most of us choose not to see anyone we knew while alive. It wouldn’t be fair to family who’ve said goodbye so long ago. And it’s painful for us, too, since the visits don’t last long.” Trevor got a far-away expression on his face. Then he shook himself. “Well, it’s time for me to go now.”
He waved goodbye, then disappeared, and Nicole finished writing in her journal.
After pondering over Trevor’s visit for a few minutes, she turned off the light and went to bed.
***
Early the next morning, Nicole received a phone call from none other than Austin’s father, Dave. She almost dropped the phone, expecting that contact with the man to make her sick, but nothing happened.
“I’ve heard you need to purchase some land in Idaho.”
“Yes, I do.”
“I’ve been looking over the map Austin’s professor forwarded. Some of the property is owned by the government, which does pose a problem. I’ve purchased government-owned land before, so I’m not saying it’s impossible, but it might be a bit difficult.” He cleared his throat. “I’m not quite comfortable asking this, but how much money would you be willing to throw toward the purchase? The government is notoriously slow in these sorts of transactions, but I’ve found they step up their speed when large funds are involved.”
“Money isn’t an issue—at least, it shouldn’t be. I’ve accrued over two billion.” Nicole had no problem sharing this information with him, especially due to what she’d learned about him from Austin. He could be trusted.
Dave chuckled. “That should be plenty. Don’t worry—I’ll have my Realtor rein things in. But we won’t hesitate to toss in a little more cash if things don’t move fast enough.”
“Thank you—I appreciate it. When can we expect the transactions to be finalized?”
“Within the month. And we’ll need you to fly out here to sign the paperwork. I don’t do things over fax machines and you really should meet my Realtor in person before signing. Just to make sure you’re comfortable with him.” Dave hesitated. “And besides, I’d like to meet my future daughter-in-law.”
Nicole blinked. Wow. That was forward. “Um . . . that would be fine with me. Thank you, Mr. Young.”
“Oh, call me Dave. And later, Dad, if you want.” He chuckled. “I’ll be in touch.”
They ended the call and Nicole sat on her bed, staring at her cell. It was so weird she’d just talked to him. Did Austin know the conversation would be taking place? How would he feel about his dad’s forwardness? It would probably make him uncomfortable.
Nicole finished getting ready and joined Lizzie in the kitchen.
“Need help practicing any magic?” Lizzie asked. “Oh! And I’ve got the day off.”
“Wow—that’s a miracle. You’ve been working a lot of hours lately.”
Lizzie put her face in her hands. “I know. I swear, that doctor really has no ability to organize. Or hire people who know how to organize. Good thing he’s such a great boss.” She hesitated. “And besides . . . school is expensive. I’d like to pay for it instead of having my parents help out.”
Nicole tilted her head. “Lizzie, there’s nothing wrong with parents helping. College is expensive. I’m only taking care of it myself because of how manipulative my parents are.”
“Speaking of them, have you heard from them or Greg recently?”
Nicole shook her head. “Not one word. I’m pretty sure they know I’m not returning. And Greg . . . I don’t know what’s going on with him. Last I heard, he was still working with the Tarians.”
“Even though they tried to sacrifice him? That’s ridiculous!”
“Tell me about it.” Nicole grabbed the book Coolidge had loaned her a few months earlier. She sat at the counter and Lizzie joined her.
“The reason I got today off was so we could go to Portland.”
“Oh, that’s fantastic. I was thinking we’d go after you got home from work . . . but that’s really leaving things late and I’d rather not drive in the dark, if we can avoid it. So this works well.” Nicole opened the book. “I’d like to practice for a while before we leave, since I was planning on doing so anyway. We can leave around two or three in the afternoon. That’ll give me several hours to practice. And you’re serious about helping me?”
Lizzie’s eyes brightened. “Definitely!”
“Good. Because I still can’t figure out how to work with dirt that isn’t separated.”
“Hmmm. That’s a problem. Right?”
Nicole nodded. “It’s rare to find dirt that isn’t composed of lots of different things.” She sat on a stool, grabbing a bag from the corner of the counter. “I can control the different materials on their own, but haven’t had a lot of opportunity to practice on anything more complex. Would you mind focusing on my magic and seeing if you can sense what I’m doing wrong?”
“Sure!” Lizzie pulled a stool around to the other side and watched as Nicole took several Ziploc bags out of the larger bag.
One of them had bits of bark in it. Nicole emptied that onto the counter. Then she grabbed another bag—this one with sand—and made another pile with that. She did the same for the remaining Ziploc bags until there were also piles of rust-colored dirt, icky-smelling manure, and a fine sand that was greenish in color.
“This is all I could get my hands on,” Nicole said.
“Manure, Nicole? Really?”
Nicole chuckled. “Hey, you find it pretty much everywhere. At least this is horse manure and not dog byproduct.”
“Good point.”
Nicole bit her lip and stared at the piles. “Let me make sure I can still work with them individually before we try anything more complex.”
She focused on each material separately, asking the stuff to shift around just a bit. The easiest was wood—of course—with the hardest being the red dirt. She couldn’t remember what it was—the store owner had said it was a common ingredient. It barely moved when she nudged it.
“Yeah, that one obviously doesn’t like having you tell it what to do,” Lizzie said.
“No, it doesn’t.”
Nicole spent over an hour working on each material until it responded quickly to her bidding, making sure to take frequent breaks. She wore the bracelet Coolidge had given her—the one that electrocuted her to help her know if she was still feeling pain—as a way to measure how much she was exerting herself.
Finally, after three hours, she decided she was ready to start blending and separating the materials.
As before, the red stuff was the most difficult to work with. Nicole attacked it first, hoping to get past it fast. But it still wasn’t molding to her wishes, so she went on to the other materials.
She continued working for another two hours.
By the end of the study session, and with lots of hysterical and exhaustion-induced giggling, the two girls decided it was time to quit. Nicole had successfully combined and separated up to three items at a time, not including the red. She felt good about her progress and hoped that the next time she needed to work with Earth Arete stuff, she’d be able to do so without needing help.
Lizzie helped Nicole clean up, putting each material back into its marked Ziploc bag, then the girls rushed to their rooms to gather things for an overnight stay in Portland.
Out of habit, Nicole checked the laminated slip of paper for a note and was surprised to find one. It was much longer this time, taking up both sides of the paper. Jack had gotten his hands on a list of cities where the Tarians planned to attack. Mrs. Morse gave it to Nicole in alphabetical order.
Beijing
Berlin
London
Los Angeles
New York
Paris
Toronto
The note continued and Nicole felt the guilt return that she’d finally been working past.
Nicole, we know how much you and Austin love each other. Judging by how the monsters have been acting over the past few days, we’ve figured out that you and Austin have, well, broken a few rules. We care for you a great deal, Nicole, and we know you probably feel horrible about what has happened. But you need to know that such actions have consequences.
The Great Ones have become alerted to you and Austin on a more personal basis. They’re no longer coming at the end of July, but have decided that an earlier appearance would be more prudent. Expect them to come through the link at the beginning of next month, regardless of whether you’ve destroyed the machines or not.
As you can imagine, this has caused a number of problems. Hordes and hordes of monsters are gathering now and the Aretes on our side are maxed out, fighting them. As you already know, at least one variety of monster becomes invisible. This is causing a lot of issues, and our Aretes are running out of energy.
Elizabeth is furious. You’re lucky that she is no longer in contact with you. We’re doing our best to protect you and keep her happy, knowing that you’re in control now and are mature enough not to increase the danger of the situation.
One good thing about all of this is that it seems to have really upset Rebecca as well. She worries that your heart won’t be purified in time for the procedure they plan to perform on you. The lesser beings—the monsters gathering here—have reported that the Great Ones aren’t concerned about this, though.
Another problem, which you may have already spotted, is that you no longer have surprise on your side. We know that you and yours had planned to arrive in Salmon, Idaho, long before the Tarians got there. But with the Great Ones coming in only two weeks, we don’t believe it will be possible for you to do so. Not unless you’ve already gathered your own army. The Tarians plan to head to Salmon soon too.
As always, we love you. Keep up the good work. Keep us posted.
Nicole took a shaky breath, setting the paper on her nightstand. She rubbed her temples, wishing for the umpteenth time that she and Austin had been more careful. How long would it be before they got past the embarrassment of their actions?
And how much longer before they were finally able to express their love for each other without strings attached and feeling the accompanying guilt?
She couldn’t wait for all of this to be over.
Nicole exhaled loudly, realizing she needed to deliver the bad news to Coolidge. He wasn’t going to like it, and she hated bringing up something that they were finally getting past.
Deciding now was the best time, Nicole called her professor. He answered on the first ring.
“Nicole, what’s going on?”
“Um . . . I have some information for you. And it’s not going to make you very happy.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s a note from Anna Morse. And, well . . . here, I’ll just read it to you.”
So she did. Coolidge was silent the whole time and then didn’t say anything for several moments after she’d finished. She nearly asked if he was still on the line when he finally responded.
“I’d hoped something like that wouldn’t happen. But since it has, the only thing we can do is go forward.”
“How, though? Only two weeks to plan? Is it even possible to spread the word that quickly?”
Coolidge sighed. “I hope so. I’ve just finalized the meeting for tomorrow. We’ll ask for speed and hope for the best.”
Coolidge ended the conversation and Nicole finished packing, thinking about what would happen the next day.
She knew he was talking about the meeting that was with all the most powerful Aretes he’d been able to contact over the past few weeks. He would be showing the presentations his students had given to the university authorities and had asked both Nicole and Austin to be in attendance, in case anyone had questions.
Nicole snapped her bag shut, then joined Lizzie in the kitchen.
“Uh-oh,” Lizzie said. “Something happened, didn’t it?”
Nicole nodded. She told Lizzie about the note and calling Coolidge.
“At least he didn’t flip out, huh?” Lizzie said.
“He figured something like this would happen.” It made Nicole feel even worse, knowing he’d thought that far ahead.
“You know what?” Lizzie said. “Just ’cause we’re going on a potentially dangerous mission doesn’t mean we can’t have fun.”
Nicole raised an eyebrow. “Define ‘fun.’”
“Listening to good music, all of that. And if it goes fast with the guy, we could even see a movie.”
Nicole shrugged. “I’m good with that.”
The two girls headed out to Nicole’s car and piled in, buckling up. Soon, Lizzie had “happy tunes” blaring through the speakers, and the girls sang along at the top of their lungs.
It felt good to spend time together. They’d both been so busy lately, and Nicole didn’t have other friends at the moment. She forced herself not to think about Austin, instead enjoying the rare moment of simply being with her best friend.
***
About three hours later, Nicole and Lizzie pulled into Portland. It was nearly five in the afternoon. They decided to check into a hotel, then go visit the supplier. If they needed to visit him more than once, staying in Portland would be the easiest, but Nicole hoped they’d get away with just dropping by once. Maybe she and Lizzie really could go see a movie or do something else fun.
She still didn’t quite understand why platinum was such a hard-to-find metal, but supposed the kind you got in rings wasn’t pure enough or something. In either case, it most likely would require a lot of work to get it in the correct form for the recipe.
While at the hotel, the girls made plans, poring over the maps on their phones. It was hard to tell if the neighborhood would be safe or not . . . Nicole would need to keep her magic close by, just in case.
Not wanting to leave Nicole’s car in front of the guy’s place for any amount of time, they decided to take a taxi.
As the cab driver pulled up in front of the house, Nicole was immediately glad that they’d left her car at the hotel. She checked the address several times, just to be sure. Most of the house’s lower windows were boarded over. The small amount of grass in the front was dead, with garbage strewn across it. The neighbors’ places were all the same. The trees and flowers were dead, the street mostly deserted. Only a group of men a few houses down were outside. They sat on the porch, smoking and leering at Nicole and Lizzie as they got out of the car.
Nicole definitely did not want to be there after dark.
She poked her head back into the cab. “Would you mind waiting? We’ll tip extra.”
The cab driver agreed to do so, and Nicole turned back to the house.
She quickly pulled up Coolidge’s notes on her phone to make sure she’d be doing this right, then they walked around to a window on the side of the house and knocked on it three times. Without waiting for a response, they returned to the front, scaling the stairs to wait by the door. They were supposed to stand there for five minutes. Awkward.
Exactly five minutes later, one of the men down the street approached. Nicole felt a shiver of fear stab up her back. They’d followed Coolidge’s notes exactly. Where was the supplier? He was supposed to open up five minutes after the knock to the window came.
“How can I help you ladies?” the man said, leaning against the only section of chain-link fence still standing.
Nicole eyed him. “You can’t.” She turned back to the house, folding her arms, refusing to show any sign that she was incredibly intimidated.
“I think I can,” he said. “This is my house. You’re obviously here to get something.”
Lizzie tossed her head, sending him a glare. “Right. And we’re supposed to believe you?”
The man laughed. “What do I need to do to prove it? You knocked on the window, then waited here. I came at exactly five minutes. If you really don’t need something from me, I’ll just go back to my friends, and we’ll call it good.”
Nicole rolled her eyes, exhaling in exasperation. “You’re Julius?”
The man tipped an imaginary hat. “Pleased to meet you.” Julius stepped closer, walking past the girls, and opened the unlocked front door, holding it for them. His eyes strayed to Nicole a few times. She tried not to dwell too much on that, noticing the beer and tobacco stains on his shirt and trying to ignore the smells coming off him.
The interior was dusty and dark. The little light that streamed in had so many dust particles in it that Nicole sneezed just looking at it.
Julius ignored her reaction and flipped a switch. An old fixture above them, hanging precariously by a thin cord, flickered into life. One of the bulbs burst, showering sparks on the people below it.
Nicole and Lizzie met eyes, then followed Julius deeper into the house. He shoved a few boxes out of the way, clearing a path through massive piles and mounds of stuff.
They entered a dark office. Julius tried to open the blinds, growling in annoyance when they broke away from the window, falling to the floor with a puff of dust.
He sat at the desk and leaned forward, abruptly very businesslike. “What can I do for you?”
Nicole was supposed to do all the talking. Suddenly, she had a very strong impression not to mention Coolidge’s name. She nearly ignored that feeling and opened her mouth, then realized it would be better to follow her gut instincts.
“I need a specific metal. I’ve been told you have it in stock.”
Julius nodded. “What metal is that?”
“Platinum.”
“How much do you need?”
“At least three and a half ounces.” Nicole glanced at Coolidge’s notes, wishing she’d memorized them completely before coming. It said two ounces. Oh, well. Perhaps asking for a different amount than what Coolidge would ask for would protect her and Lizzie.
Julius leaned back, putting his hands behind his head, and studied Nicole. He seemed to have forgotten that Lizzie was there.
“Who needs it?”
Nicole rushed through her thoughts as quickly as possible, trying to come up with something that made sense. “A man I work with.” She was grateful that Lizzie didn’t react to her pseudo-lie.
Julius didn’t answer. Nicole held her breath. She heard a clock ticking somewhere but resisted the urge to look for it.
Julius kept his eyes on Nicole, his hands still behind his head. What was he waiting for? Why wasn’t he saying anything? He just stared, not even blinking.
Nicole did her best not to fidget or look away.
Finally, after what felt like ten minutes, he dropped his arms, resting them on the desk. “I know who you are.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re Nicole Williams.”
Nicole blinked. “Do I know you?”
“No. But I recognized you immediately. What Tarian wouldn’t? You’re our new world leader. The person who is supposed to lead us to victory against Aretes everywhere.” He leaned forward. “And yet, you’re an Arete. Why would you give up your own people?”
Nicole nearly slumped in relief. This, she could handle. “You do know who my parents are, right?”
He waved her off. “One’s parents don’t change a person’s goals in life. Look at how many serial killers didn’t have serial killers for parents.”
Nicole didn’t know enough about murderers to know if they came from a long line of them or not. The Mafia, maybe, but . . .
She pushed those thoughts away, not wanting to get distracted. “You make a good point. I haven’t always gotten along with my mother. In fact, it would be safe to say that she and I rarely see eye-to-eye on anything.”
Nicole relaxed in the chair, trying to look casual. “But I do agree with her on this—it’s not fair for Aretes to have all the power and no one else anything. Aretes didn’t do anything to deserve it. And simply being a Fourth isn’t enough, obviously.”
Nicole narrowed her eyes. “Take my mother, for example. She had an identical twin sister. Neither was conceived before the other. Tiffany was raised believing she might be the Arete. Well, when she hit eighteen and didn’t Restart, it was difficult for her. Very difficult. As you know, only an Arete—and a descendent of Rebecca and Captain Price—can use the elixir to destroy Aretes. Tiffany wanted that honor herself. She was pretty upset that she wouldn’t get it.
“This might be why she and I never got along—she resented me for being the Arete who would be so honored.”
Julius’s eyes strayed to Nicole’s necklace, and she put her hand on it. “Yes, the elixir. In only a short while, I’ll use it to destroy Aretes. And be destroyed myself.” She released her necklace and looked him in the eye. “We need the platinum.”
“We who?”
“My chapter in Seattle. On Rebecca’s orders. You don’t need to know what we plan to do with it.”
Julius shrugged. “And I really don’t care. I never do. All I care is that I get my money.”
Nicole nodded. “How much?”
“Two thousand an ounce.”
She didn’t bat an eye. “Is payment due now?”
“Sure.” He grinned when Nicole opened her purse to pull out the bills. “But it won’t do you any good to give me your money, much as I’d appreciate it.”
Nicole put the money back. “Why not?”
“Because I sent all the platinum to Headquarters on Tiffany’s demand.”
Nicole rolled her eyes. She recognized she was on fragile footing, though, since she, as the Tarian world leader, should know why the platinum was at Headquarters. She glared at Julius. “And you did it?”
He held his hands up. “Hey, I had no choice. She was pretty implicit.”
“She came here?”
“She didn’t need to.”
“And you don’t have even a little left.”
He pulled open a drawer behind him and took out a large plastic container without a label. “This is where I keep my platinum. See for yourself.”
Nicole pulled the top off the container, looking inside. Only a smudge of metal remained, a worthless amount. “You don’t lock this up?”
Julius snorted. “Don’t need to. Everyone on this street knows me. They keep an eye on me and I do the same for them.”
“How long ago did you send the platinum to Headquarters? And what else were you required to send?”
“About a week ago. I also sent gold dust and sodium carbonate.” He steepled his fingers. “If it wasn’t for that professor of yours, I would’ve been able to keep it.”
“Who, Coolidge?”
“Yes.”
Nicole sighed in exasperation. “The idiot.” She hoped she’d never have to tell Coolidge about this meeting and what she’d just called him. “What’s he up to now?” she asked.
“It seems he’s found a way to block Andrew Meyer’s Alerter. No one wants that. It isn’t good for us not to know when an Arete is around.”
“Yeah, no kidding.” Nicole leaned forward, preparing to leave.
Julius raised an eyebrow at her. “For being in charge, you don’t seem to know much about what’s going on.”
Nicole waved him off. “I’ve asked Tiffany to take care of the details, as I’ve only been in charge for a couple of months and have needed to get up to speed. I’ve got plenty of other things on my plate right now, working directly with Rebecca.” She stood, slinging her purse over her shoulder. “Okay. We’ll head to Romania next, then.”
Romania was where Headquarters was located. Nicole really hoped Lizzie had a passport.
Julius shook their hands, wished them luck, then the two girls returned to the thankfully still-waiting cab.
“To our hotel,” Nicole said. She leaned back, wishing they could have just called Julius to find out about the platinum. Three hours to Portland and three hours back for a ten-minute meeting? Ridiculous.
***
Rather than drive back to Seattle right away, the girls decided to have some fun and see a show after all, spend the night there, then head back early Wednesday morning.
On the way to Seattle the next morning, Lizzie turned to Nicole. “So, Romania. Are you sure?”
“For as long as I’ve been world leader of the Tarians, that’s where it’s been.” Nicole smiled so Lizzie would know she recognized the irony of the situation. She’d only been world leader for a couple of months.
“But why Romania?”
“Probably because it’s desolate while still being accessible.” Nicole glanced at Lizzie. “Do you have a passport? Please, please tell me you do.”
“Yeah—I got one when my family went to the UK four years ago.”
Nicole slumped in her seat. “Good. You’re coming with, then. On my—er—Rebecca’s dime.”
Lizzie grinned. “You couldn’t make me stay home. When do we leave?”
“When we get a free moment—perhaps this weekend. We’ve got the meeting today, and I’m expecting to hear from Dave any time now. How about we set up the trip for maybe Friday or Saturday?”
“Sounds good,” Lizzie said.
She turned the music up and sang along while Nicole focused her thoughts on the meeting that would be taking place later that day. She wondered if any Aretes would show up. She hoped they would—their help was absolutely necessary.
***
As soon as the meeting had started, Coolidge pushed play on the video presentations. While they were going, Nicole glanced around the large auditorium, wanting to know if she recognized anyone.
She didn’t, other than her friends—Lizzie, of course, and Austin, who was about as far away as he could get while still being on the stage. His presence still made her stomach twist and turn. She kept her eye on the people, wanting to see how they responded to the presentations.
The reactions at first were mostly disbelief. Some people even got up and left. But as the presentations continued, Nicole noticed less and less disbelief and more outrage, frustration, and anger.
After the recorded presentations were over, many hands shot in the air when Coolidge asked if there were questions. Most of them were directed to him, and the few that were directed to her wanted more specifics about the Tarians.
“How did you get this information?” one man asked. “You’re an Arete—surely they knew that.”
Nicole took the mic from Coolidge and addressed the man. “I joined them for several months.”
The man chuckled, standing. “I knew you looked familiar. Do you remember me?”
Nicole squinted, trying to see his face past the bright lighting focused on the stage. “Not really . . .”
The man removed his shirt, waving off the people who exclaimed in shock. He was wearing a tank top underneath. Nicole’s jaw dropped and she raised the microphone. “Yes, I do remember you.” She laughed, then looked out over the audience. “I met this man while I was recruiting for the Tarians. He thought I was insane and didn’t know I was spying on their group. I spent a lot of time with the Tarians and gained quite a bit of respect from people before I left. In fact, I was supposed to be their leader.”
“The one they’ve been talking about for years?” a man called out.
Nicole nodded, though she wasn’t sure how the guy knew about that. Tarians weren’t very secretive regarding their plans for world domination, but Aretes tended to ignore everything the group did.
“I was introduced at their last world convention as the leader who would destroy Aretes everywhere.”
The man in the tank raised his hand. “And they actually believed you’d do it, being an Arete?” he asked. “Or did they not know you were one?”
“Oh, they knew. They have a device that alerts them to the presence of all Aretes. I was completely honest with them—well, as honest as I could be without them finding out I don’t want to destroy Aretes.”
A woman in the middle of the auditorium got to her feet. “How do we know you’re not on their side?”
Nicole half smiled at the reactions from her friends. All of them were shaking their heads, upset at the woman’s question. It didn’t bother her.
“You don’t need to know—I’m not leading you. Professor Coolidge is. And after watching my reports, if you don’t know by now where my loyalties lie, nothing will convince you.”
Nicole knew her response was a little on the harsh side, but she was positive others in the audience had the same doubts. It was best for them to know her position now. The woman looked disgruntled, but she seemed satisfied enough to sit down.
Coolidge took the mic from Nicole. “We’re not here to prove loyalties—we’re here because we have lives to defend. The Great Ones will be arriving in two weeks. And thousands, if not millions, of Tarians around the world will be attacking major cities.
“If you are interested in helping us fight, contact me or Professor Nielsen in Ohio. And if you know of anyone who would want to join us—and I hope you will—please have them do the same.” He pointed to the back of the room. “We’ve got printouts for you. Take as many as you need—we’ve printed thousands. Distribute them. Go door to door, if necessary.”
He started pacing, running his free hand through his hair. “We’ll need Silvers who are natives in all of the elements, and as many of them as possible. They’ll be taking up guard at the key cities.”
The man in the tank top raised his hand. “How many will you need per city?”
“At least twenty. Four over Wind, four over Fire, and so on. Once every location has at least that many Silvers, we’ll increase the number in each place.”
“What about Aretes who aren’t Silvers?” the lady from earlier asked.
“Personally, I’d like a hundred at each location and a thousand at Salmon, Idaho.” Coolidge raised his hands at the murmurs. “I know gathering this many people in only two weeks will be difficult. But we need to try, at least.”
The man in the tank raised his hand again. “How many Silvers need to be in Salmon?”
“As many as possible.” Coolidge pinched the bridge of his nose. “Though, our powers will pale compared to what the Great Ones can do. This is why we’re doing everything we can, including recruiting Aretes who’ve passed on.”
Several people in the audience scoffed. “Have you lost your minds?” a man called out.
“Recruiting dead people—what are they going to attempt next?” another responded.
“Is it possible?” the man in the tank top asked, his face open, no sign of scorn there.
Coolidge nodded. “Yes, actually. We’ve been in contact with Aretes who’ve passed on multiple times. For some reason, their magic allows them to visit us and be seen where a regular human doesn’t seem to have that opportunity.” He pointed up at the blank screen behind him. “And for those of you who still doubt, how do you think Rebecca has been getting in contact with Nicole? Or was, before Nicole started blocking her? She’s been dead for several months now.
“Believe us if you will, or don’t—it’s up to you. But those of you who do believe, if you have Arete family members who’ve passed on, get their names to us, and we’ll have our representatives in the other dimensions contact them. We need as much help as we can get.”
Coolidge motioned to Nicole. “I’ll turn the time over to Nicole to talk about our international plans.”
Nicole nodded and walked to the mic. “There are several countries that never allowed the Tarians to infiltrate them. Unfortunately, most of them aren’t powerful and don’t have access to funds. But they can still provide manpower, and they still have Aretes who will most likely be interested in helping out, as long as their government allows it.
“We’ll have to be discreet about this. The Tarians have been organizing and preparing for this war for over a hundred years. They’ve got the upper hand in every area. But we are more powerful than they are, literally. If we’re united, we’ll defeat them.”
Coolidge joined her. “Also, the USA was one of the countries that resisted infiltration as much as possible. I’ve been in contact with the Secretary of Defense. He’s an Arete and is very anti-Tarian, as most of you probably know. He and I worked on a government contract several years ago. We’ve spoken about the current dilemma, and he’ll be contacting militaries around the world.”
Coolidge stepped back and Nicole continued addressing the audience. “During the world convention, I learned that the Tarians really struggled with getting any militaries on their side. Instead, they ended up procuring weapons and warheads illegally. We believe we’ll be able to convince a lot of military personnel to help, even if we can’t get their entire organizations on board.”
She put her hands on either side of the podium. “Please remember that we won’t be fighting just Tarians—we will be fighting monsters too.”
Several people groaned, and a general sound of murmuring swept over the audience. Nicole could tell that this was the tipping point—most people seemed okay with fighting regular humans, but fighting creatures that were stronger and more magical? This didn’t encourage them. In fact, many got to their feet and were heading out of the auditorium.
Austin jumped up and strode to the microphone. Nicole barely got out of the way in time. She had to back up all the way to the other side of the stage to avoid throwing up in front of everyone.
“Do you want the alternative instead?” he asked. “All Aretes destroyed? Anyone who opposes Tarians cut down? Great Ones on earth, ruling over everything and everyone, with Rebecca acting as their pet? I definitely don’t.”
The people who were leaving turned and looked at him. He continued.
“Yes, this will be hard. But what isn’t? Even inconvenient things are difficult to go through, like running out of hot water. But what we’ll receive if we work and fight together is our lives. Our freedom. Aren’t these things worth fighting for?”
Most of the people in the audience clapped, shouting their approval.
After Nicole and Austin returned to their seats, Coolidge tied the meeting up, directing people to the handouts by all of the doors.
Almost immediately, the man in the tank—now wearing his shirt again—jumped onto the stage and approached. Nicole thought at first that he was headed toward her, but he stopped at Coolidge instead, giving the professor a big hug.
“It’s good to see you, Rick,” Coolidge said.
“Same.” He and Coolidge turned and walked away, their voices low.
Lizzie chuckled. “So, you ran into him while recruiting for Tarians?”
Nicole nodded. “Super awkward. He said something like, ‘Aren’t you on the wrong side?’ and the only thing I could think of doing was handing him a flyer and telling him to learn more about us.” She leaned back in her seat and rubbed her eyes. “The Tarians with me then were weirded out by the exchange. And I almost blew my cover. Glad to know he’s not holding it against me.”
“Apparently not. And he and Coolidge seem to be good friends.”
Nicole glanced over. Rick and Coolidge were laughing about something. “Yeah, they do. It doesn’t surprise me—his magical print is stronger than many others’. They’ve probably worked together before.”
“He’s a Silver,” Austin said from where he sat several chairs down, head resting against the back of his seat with his eyes shut. “Naturally a Water Arete.”
Lizzie scowled. “How can you tell? He doesn’t have any hair.”
Austin peeked at her. “That’s because he shaves it off. And you can tell which is his native power just by the magical print around him.”
“No, I can’t. Maybe you can.”
Austin chuckled, but didn’t say anything more, shutting his eyes again.
Nicole thought over what he’d said, though. She’d been unaware that a person’s native ability could be sensed. She’d need to learn how to do that.
***
Later that day, right when Lizzie and Nicole were sitting down for dinner, Dave Young called.
“We’ve arranged for the land to be purchased. You’ll need to come meet to sign the papers, as already discussed.”
“Whoa! That was really fast.”
Dave chuckled. “My Realtor is very good, but your money was even more persuasive.” He hesitated. “But you need to know something. You’re not technically buying the land—you’re loaning it from the government for a few years. They understand that it might be destroyed, but they’d rather have their grubby fingers on it again anyway.”
Nicole snorted. “That’s ridiculous. But fine—a few years ought to be long enough for everything to resolve itself. So, when do I come out?”
“There’s a flight from Seattle to Boise first thing tomorrow morning. I’ll meet you at the airport, and we’ll head to the offices together.”
They ended the call and Nicole looked at Lizzie. “So, um . . . that was Austin’s dad.”
“Why’s he calling you? Awkward!”
Nicole smiled. “He’s buying the land where the machines are located, just in case. And yes, it’s a bit awkward. Last time we talked, he said he couldn’t wait to meet his future daughter-in-law.” Nicole looked at Lizzie earnestly. “Is it weird that I’m nervous to meet him? Especially without Austin there to shield me?”
Lizzie chuckled. “I think you’re looking too deeply into this. Is Austin’s mom going to be there too?”
“I don’t know—I doubt it, though.”
“Then don’t worry about it. It’s just a business transaction.”
Nicole groaned. “It would be, but he’s already told me I’ll soon be calling him Dad.”
Lizzie laughed outright. “And what would it harm you if you did? Your own dad is a bit of a dud.”
Nicole smiled. “You’re right. I’ll stop freaking out.”
“No, you won’t,” Lizzie said, shaking her head. “I know you too well. But you can stop panicking about it. Just go with the flow.”
That’s what Nicole would do. She hoped.