The Underworld (5 page)

what he always says. Besides, the question of

whether or not Alex was lying about what had

happened back at the cabin was stil a big giant

question mark. So for now, at least until we knew for

sure what was going on, it was probably best to keep

our plan a secret from Alex.

Laylen got down on the floor. “Just pretend I’m not

here,” he whispered. And with that, he slid underneath

the bed.

I waited until he was completely under before

unlocking the door and opening it. “Hey, what’s up?”

Real cool Gemma. I sounded way too casual.

He gave me a suspicious look. “You’ve been up

here forever. What are you doing?”

“Um…changing?” It sounded like a question, and I

wanted to slap myself on the head for sucking so

badly at playing it cool.

He looked down at the pajamas I was stil wearing,

and I realized my answer had been even more idiotic

than I’d original y thought. I needed to think of

something to tel him. And quick.

“Wel …I was going to change, but I couldn’t…um…

figure out where the clothes are.” Not my best lie, but

hopeful y it would do.

He looked unconvinced as he walked into the room

and over to a dresser. He pul ed open the top drawer

and pointed inside it. “The clothes are in here.”

Ignoring the heat the electricity caused by him

being in the room, I made my way over to the dresser.

“Oh. Okay. Thanks.”

He gave me a strange look and then glanced

around the room, as if he were looking for something

that shouldn’t be there. Like maybe a six foot four

Keeper/Vampire hiding underneath the bed.

Final y, Alex gave up on looking for whatever it was

he was looking for and stuffed his hands into the

pockets. “Wel , come downstairs when you’re done.

Adessa made dinner.”

“Alright, I wil ,” I told him, again sounding way too

laid-back.

“Okay…” He raised his eyebrows at me, before

heading to the door, shooting one last look over his

shoulder, before stepping out of the room.

I let out a breath of relief, shut the door, and spun

around as Laylen army crawled from underneath the

bed.

He stood up and dusted off his jeans “That was

close.”

“I know. It was like he knew you were here or

something.”

Laylen laughed, and I felt like I was missing out on a

joke.

“What’s so funny?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Nothing…so yeah, I think we

should sneak out tonight and talk to a few people I

know. See if anyone has heard anything about your

mom. You up for it?”

“I…uh…yeah?” Why did I suddenly feel hesitant?

This was my mother we were talking about. But for

some reason, it felt wrong—keeping what we were

doing from Alex.

I shook my head at the absurdity of my own

thoughts. I had to keep my head clear and not think

about Alex. “Yeah, I’m definitely up for it.”

He gave me a funny look. “Are you sure you want to

go? I’m not going to tel you what to do—you’ve had

that done to you way too much—but I feel I should

warn you it may end up being kind of dangerous.”

I considered what he said, but stil wanted to go. At

this point in my life, I felt I needed to hear things for

myself. “I’m stil up for it.”

“Then I’l come here tonight after everyone’s

asleep.” He started for the door.

A thought popped inside my head. “Wait a sec.”

He turned around. “What’s up?”

“Why do you think Stephan wants the star’s

power?”

“I don’t know…But if Stephan wants it, and he’s

working with the Death Walkers…” He trailed off,

worry slipping onto his face. “Wel , if our plan does

work out, and we find out your mother’s alive maybe

she’l have some of the answers to what the heck is

going on.”

***

could find—a pair of shorts and a purple tank top—

and pul ed my long brown hair into a ponytail, I went

downstairs. It took me a little bit to find the kitchen,

which was a dimly lit room that had blue and black

striped wal s, black countertops, and indigo tiled

flooring. Everyone was there by the time I entered.

Alex and Aislin were sitting at a smal oval table in the

corner of the room, and Adessa and Laylen were over

by the counter. Adessa was stirring something in a

steaming pot on top of the stove.

Aislin’s bright green eyes lit up when she saw me.

She looked like her normal, perfect self. Her golden

blonde hair was curled up; a pair of diamond earrings

twinkled in each one of her ear lobes. She had on a

lacy pink tank top and her smile was as bright as

ever. “Oh my God. It’s so good to see you awake,

instead of unconscious.”

“I already told you she’d woken up.” Alex rol ed his

eyes and shook his head. “I don’t know why you’re

getting al excited about it.”

“Because she’s awake, Alex.” Aislin gave him a

firm look. “Need I remind you that for awhile we

thought she wasn’t ever going to wake up.”

If looks could kil , Aislin would have been dead by

the invisible daggers shooting from Alex’s bright

green eyes. I don’t know why he was getting mad at

her, though. I’d already thought I was dead when I’d

been trapped back in the black emptiness.

They continued to scowl at each other as I sat down

in an empty chair at the table. They eventual y stopped

having their little stare down when Adessa came over

and placed what looked like a pot of chicken noodle

soup down on the table, her metal bangle bracelets

clinking together as she moved her hands away. Like

Aislin, Adessa is a witch, so I wasn’t going to

automatical y assume what was in that pot was food.

My knowledge about witches was limited, so whether

or not they brewed pots of potions was beyond me.

But in this new world I’d been thrust into only a few

days ago, I was never going to assume things again.

Or at least try not to.

Adessa’s golden-cat eyes landed on me, and she

gave me a welcoming smile. “Hel o, Gemma.”

I forced a smal smile, just so I wouldn’t seem rude.

“Hey.”

She smiled again, tucking a strand of her black

wavy hair behind her ear, and then went back over to

the stove.

Aislin grabbed the spoon in the pot, and began

stirring it until Adessa took a seat at the table. Laylen

did as wel , carrying a stack of bowls in his hands. As

I glanced around at the five of us, I couldn’t help but

think how strange this was. And I wasn’t just saying

strange because I was sitting at the table with two

witches, a vampire, and a Keeper, but because I was

sitting at a table, getting ready to eat. Something I’d

never done before in my life.

“So who’s hungry?” Adessa asked, taking a bowl

and scooping some—hopeful y—chicken noodle

soup into it. When no one answered, she set the bowl

down in front of Alex, who slid it in front of me.

“Ladies first,” he said with a charming smile.

How gentleman-like of him, which made it al the

weirder.

“Thanks,” I muttered. I stared down at the bowl of

hot soup, watching the steam rise up as I thought of

my mother and how, in just a few short hours, I might

find out that she’s stil alive. After spending most of my

life thinking she was dead, the idea seemed strange

and unfamiliar.

So how are you feeling?” Aislin asked me.

I tore my gaze away from the soup, and my

thoughts. “I’m fine.”

Her forehead furrowed over. “Is something wrong?”

I shook my head. “No. Not real y….I’m just a little

confused stil . That’s al .”

“About what?” she asked.

I shrugged. “Everything real y.”

She shot Alex a stern look. “Didn’t you explain

anything to her?”

“I explained to her that none of us know anything,”

he said, aggravated. “Not real y. anyway.”

Aislin’s bright green eyes pierced into him as if she

were trying to burn a telegraphic message into his

mind. Although I didn’t mind Aislin—I mean, for the

most part, she’d been nice to me—I knew she was

almost as good of a liar as Alex, which put the count

up to two people sitting at this table that I couldn’t

trust. And Adessa, wel I knew nothing about her, and

the whole trusting strangers’ thing had never gone that

wel for me. (Think City of Crystal, where an overly

friendly half-faerie lives). The only person I felt I could

rely on was Laylen.

I glanced over at Laylen, who was sitting there, with

no food in front of him, because…wel , because he’s

a vampire and he doesn’t eat food. Everyone else

was slurping away, and I hoped they didn’t notice

when Laylen locked eyes with me. It was as if he was

whispering a secret to me with his eyes.
Tonight
.

Yes. Tonight.
I thought back. Tonight, maybe we’l

get some answers.

The rest of the conversation at the table

consisted of a bunch of slurping. This was okay,

though, because here in just a short while, Laylen and

I were going to be setting out on our endeavor to try

and find out about my mom.

After I’d finished eating, I pretended to be tired and

told everyone I was heading up to bed to go to sleep.

And yeah, I got that saying I was tired sounded a little

odd, since I’d just woken up from a two day nap. But I

couldn’t sit stil , and I was afraid that al my

bounciness was going to give away that something

was up.

So for the sake of not getting Laylen and I busted

before we even got the chance to try, I went up to my

room to get some sleep. I never actual y intended to

fal asleep, but when I laid down on the bed, my

eyelids suddenly felt heavy, and before I knew it, I’d

dozed off.

It was dark. And I was cold. Water dripped on my

head.

Painful Screams filled the air. I shivered as I crept

through the darkness, the air feeling damp against

my skin.

“Gemma,” a voice whispered.

I knew that voice. It was my mom’s.

“Mom,” I called out, turning in every direction,

“Mom,” I called out, turning in every direction,

searching for her.

“Gemma,” her voice sounded so far away and I

started to run, my feet hitting the ground with a thud

that echoed all around me. “Come find me.”

“I’m trying,” I said, searching through the dark for

her.

Just then, a soft light filtered through the darkness,

and I saw it. A figure, white and bony, floating in the

air like a ghost. I screeched to a halt, a deathly

feeling choking me so strongly it nearly sucked the

wind out of me.

The white figure glided toward me. I spun around

and ran in the opposite direction, my feet

hammering against the ground

“Gemma!” My mother’s voice screamed from

somewhere behind me.

I kept running, contemplating what I should do.

Turn around and face the ghostly figure—try to get to

my mother. Or run like a coward.

I skidded to a stop and whirled back around,

deciding I needed to try and save her. But I let out a

scream at the sight of the hollowed out eyes that

were only inches away from my face. The ghostly

figure’s bony hand reached for me, and I let out

another scream, feeling more afraid then I’d ever felt

in my life.

“Gemma, run,” I heard my mother say. But I

couldn’t—I was too terrified to move.

This strange feeling passed over me as the

ghostly figures fingers moved to my mouth. I felt

something being sucked away from inside me…and

then I just felt empty.

***

hitting the inside of my chest about a mil ion miles a

minute, the fear I’d felt in my dream stil rattling at my

nerves.

It took my eyes a second to adjust to the blackness

that had fil ed the bedroom, and for my heart to settle

back down. God, I hated when I had nightmares like

that. I could never be certain if they were
actually