The Beckoning (Entangled Series Book 2) Read online

  “I’m sorry,” she said, reaching out and touching his hand. She’d never thought of how her leaving made him feel each time.

  “Where’d you go?” Ethan finally asked.

  “I guess I was in the silo. The night my aunt disappeared.” She shivered remembering what had happened.

  “Can you tell us what you saw?” Xtina said.

  “You time traveled?” Ethan asked, interrupting.

  “Yeah, I guess so. I mean, everyone was there. All of our parents and my aunt.” She pulled her hair away from her face.

  “And?” Mike asked.

  “Why don’t we wait until the others show up,” Xtina said. “That way she can get some rest.” Xtina stood up and took Mike’s hand. “Let’s head back to the house, give them some time before everyone else shows up. We’ll see you in a few hours.”

  “You okay?” Ethan asked once they were alone. His hands went into her hair as he pulled her close.

  She didn’t get a chance to answer, before his lips were on hers.

  “You scared me,” he said between kisses.

  “I’m sorry,” she said again, pulling back slowly.

  “You broke the eggs.”

  “What?”

  “When you did your whole vanishing act, you had the grocery sack with the eggs in it.” He chuckled.

  She laughed. “So, I don’t take everything I’m holding with me then.”

  “It would appear not.” He kissed her again. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”

  “They were hanging out. Partying. My mother…” A tear slipped from her eyes. “They were so young.” He reached up, wiped the tear with his fingertip. “My father and aunt were together. My mother sat in the corner, her nose buried in a book. My father always said that he’d never really noticed her until Misty was gone.” She shook her head.

  “What else did you notice?” he asked.

  “Your parents were there. Your mother must have already been pregnant with Jacob.”

  She felt him tense, his eyes turning towards her.

  “What happened next?” His voice shook.

  “Jess’s mother stepped forward. She asked if everyone wanted to have some fun.”

  “And?”

  “And, then I came back.”

  Several hours later, Ethan sat in Xtina’s living room, listening to Brea retell her story. Everyone in the room was on the edge of their seats.

  When she was done talking, everyone turned their eyes to Jess.

  “Where are your parents?” Mike asked.

  “Gone,” Jess said, walking over to the fire.

  “Any clue?” he asked.

  “None.” She turned to the room. “Listen, I’d love to be of some help, but if I knew where they were hiding, I would have kicked their asses long ago.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

  “Right,” Xtina said. “So, let’s lay out the facts, shall we?”

  She pulled out a large folder and set it on the coffee table. “Did you bring everything?” she asked Brea and Jess.

  “Yes,” both said in unison. Jess pulled out a thick book, while Brea took out her tablet and flipped it open.

  Another hour later, they stopped working to eat the Chinese food that had been delivered.

  “Okay, is anyone else’s head hurting?” Ethan asked his brothers when the ladies went into the kitchen to get fresh drinks. He glanced down at the charts and calendars they had made.

  “I know they think that all of this”—he motioned to the scattered papers around the coffee table— “is supposed to make things clearer, but I’m just not seeing it.”

  “Neither am I,” Mike said. “And this is what I do for a living.” Mike ran a hand through his hair.

  “Listen, I know they want to find answers, but I think it’s all just a big waste of our time,” Jacob added quietly.

  They all turned when the women came back into the room.

  “We’ve been talking,” Xtina said, glancing around the room.

  Jess walked into the room holding a tray of six crystal glasses.

  “What is this going to accomplish?” Jacob asked as Jess set the tray down on top of all the papers on the coffee table.

  “At least it’s something,” Jess said.

  Everyone was quiet for a moment. Then one by one, they sat down around the coffee table.

  “May the best of our past be the worst of our future,” Jess said, holding up her glass.

  “Do you have a whole library of those in your head?” Jacob asked, before holding up his own glass.

  Jess smiled and shrugged.

  “To answers,” Xtina said, sealing the toast with a clink.

  Just like before, the light blinded them.

  And like before, he stood in the field with the waxing moon overhead. Unlike last time, he made a point to notice everything. Every detail.

  The night was oddly warm, considering the last few weeks had been chilly.

  Brea was wearing a large hoodie, jeans, and boots. Her hair was tied back in a long braid.

  He was walking towards her, and like before, he watched her disappear. Slowly. She screamed no, like before.

  But this time was different. After she’d gone, instead of returning, he stuck around the field longer. Suddenly time sped up and he saw himself, night after night, returning to the same spot, until the full moon hung low in the sky over the field.

  He saw a flash and heard Brea’s scream as her image blinked in and out in front of him. Something caught his eye and he looked skyward, and what he saw made his skin crawl. It appeared as if a comet was falling from the sky. He looked again and realized it wasn’t a comet. It was the moon.

  Seconds later, he was back in Xtina’s living room, along with everyone else.

  Chapter 17

  Brea leaned back on the sofa and felt the blood drain from her face. Everyone else in the room was silent as they looked around at each other.

  “What was that?” Mike asked. “What did I just see?”

  Jess stood up and walked to the window and glanced out. “That was the end of the world.”

  “My god!” Jacob stood up and walked over to lay a hand on Jess’s shoulders.

  “How do we stop it?” Xtina said, reaching over and taking Mike’s hand. “What can we do?”

  Everyone looked around at each other.

  “There has to be a way,” she said when no one spoke. “Why would we be seeing all this? What other reason than to stop it.” Her voice had risen slightly.

  “The moon is going to fall in less than a month,” Jacob said, putting his arm around Jess, who turned and started sobbing into his shoulder.

  “There has to be a way to stop it,” Xtina repeated. She set the tray aside and started going through the papers again. “It’s got to be here.”

  “Xtina.” Mike took her hand, stopping her. “We’ll find a way.”

  “There is.” Brea stood up slowly. “Only one way,” she said, moving to the fire. Her entire body was freezing, right down to her soul.

  “How? What did you see?” Ethan asked, moving over to her.

  “Everything,” she whispered. “Everything that’s supposed to happen. Everything that shouldn’t.”

  “And?” Jess asked.

  “And, I have to learn how to control this…power.” She looked down at her hands and closed her eyes, remembering the pain and suffering she’d seen. The pain and suffering she’d caused because she’d screwed up.

  She couldn’t stop her tears from sliding down her face.

  By the time they walked back across the field towards the house, she was exhausted. Every ounce of her body ached, like she’d run a marathon and then another one.

  “Are you okay?” Ethan asked as he shut the door behind them.

  “Yeah, I just need some rest.” She toed off her shoes, then peeled off her jacket.

  “How about a hot bath instead?” He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her.

  “That actually soun
ds amazing.” She rested her head against his chest. She took a moment to listen to his heartbeat against her cheek.

  “Why don’t you head in there. I’ve got a call to make.” When she looked at him in question, he sighed. “My folks. I think it’s about time I got some answers.”

  Since her head was throbbing, the idea of escaping into the bathroom for an hour by herself sounded amazing.

  Taking a step back, she took his hands. “Go easy on them.”

  His chuckle stopped her. “From what we just saw, we have less than a month before the end of the world and my folks may or may not know something about it.” He ran his hands through his hair and walked to the fireplace, putting both hands on the mantel.

  “I meant about your brother.”

  He turned to her. “That’s the last thing on my mind.”

  Brea walked over and kissed him.

  “I’ll be in in a while.” He turned away and pulled out his phone.

  She walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. When she leaned against it, she closed her eyes as images of what she’d seen flashed behind them.

  She started running a bath and peeled off her clothes. When she stepped into the water, she sighed at how wonderful it felt to have the warmth spread through her.

  Her muscles relaxed slowly, releasing the pain in her head and shoulders. Dipping her head under the water, she tried to keep her mind off what she’d seen.

  So many question ran through her mind. Should she tell Ethan and the others what she’d seen after she’d disappeared in the field?

  Something told her she had to keep it quiet. At least until she could work out some of the details for herself.

  She sat up from the water and rested back. There were too many things to think about. Did she really believe she could control her powers?

  She looked at her hands, her arms, her entire body. In the past few weeks, she’d tried everything, silently willing her body to move through space and time to another location.

  Nothing had worked. What had she done before? What had she been thinking or feeling each time she’d vanished?

  Her mind raced over every time she’d vanished from one place and appeared another, trying to tie something together. Find some pattern.

  By the time she climbed out of the lukewarm water, her headache was completely gone. Her body, thankfully, was gloriously loose.

  Wrapping a towel around her, she wiped the fog from the mirror so she could stare at her reflection.

  She’d lost weight, which caused her hips to stick out farther than before. Great, just what she needed.

  She reached for a brush but stopped when she saw the figure move behind her.

  “How did it go with your folks?” She turned around, only to feel every ounce of warmth she’d just gained from the bath leave her.

  Her first thought was that her aunt Misty had changed. She took a step back, and a scream caught in her throat.

  The woman floated towards her.

  Her gray eyes bore into Brea’s silver ones.

  “Leave what’s been done alone,” she said, moving closer until Brea backed up against the sink.

  “Who are you?” she asked when she’d found her voice. But as soon as she asked, she knew.

  “Leave the past alone,” she said, taking a step back and fading in front of Brea’s eyes.

  “The world is going to die,” Brea said, causing the woman to stop and look at her.

  “Fate has been written,” she said before disappearing. When Brea was alone, she heard one final whisper. “You can’t stop it.”

  Ethan punched in his parents’ number the second Brea went into the bathroom.

  His mother answered on the second ring. “Hi, Ethan. How are you feeling?”

  “Much better,” he said, running his hand over his forehead. “Mom, I need you to get dad on speakerphone.”

  “Has something happened?” His mother’s voice turned concerned instantly.

  “Just get him.” He moved over to the cabinet that held his brother’s hard liquor.

  By the time his dad got on the phone, he had swallowed two fingers of some very good bourbon. He made a mental note to remember the brand name.

  “What’s up son?” His father’s voice stopped him from taking another sip.

  “I need you both to be completely honest with me for the next few minutes.” He swallowed the drink. “Can you do that?”

  There was silence, then his mother asked. “What’s this all about?”

  “Mom, just answer yes or no.”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “Dad?”

  “Son, I’d like to know what—”

  “Dad, just give me a few minutes. I’ll tell you what this is all about soon.”

  He heard his dad sigh and then clear his throat.

  “Sure, fine.”

  “What happened the winter before your senior year?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The winter you found out you were pregnant with Jacob.”

  Once again, the phone was silent. He waited, knowing his mother would talk soon enough.

  “How do you know about Jacob?” his mother finally said.

  “Susan,” his father said, stopping her. He heard the phone switch off from speaker. “Listen Ethan, things were different back then.”

  “Dad, I don’t care about what you did about Jacob. I’m talking about what happened the night you all threw a party in the silo.”

  He heard his father hold his breath then release it.

  “The night Misty disappeared,” he added, growing more frustrated.

  “Misty drowned,” his father added.

  “Don’t pull that bullshit with me.”

  “You watch your language, son.” The tone in his father’s voice made him take a deep breath to calm himself down.

  “If you’d just seen what I did, you’d be pissed too. Tell me what you guys did.”

  “We didn’t do anything,” he added.

  “You must have done something. What?” He growled it out.

  “Rusty, let me talk,” his mother said.

  “Honey, talk to Rachelle. She knows everything. We just wanted to have one last party before…”

  “Rachelle?” he asked.

  “Baker. Rachelle Baker and Larry Sorenson.”

  “Jess’s parents? Why ask her? Don’t you know what happened?”

  They were quiet for a moment, then his father said, “Not exactly. We were—”

  “We don’t really remember,” his mother broke in. “Rachelle’s the only one who didn’t… black out.”

  He sighed and closed his eyes.

  “We lost track of everyone from back then,” his father added. “After…”

  “Do you have any clue where they are? We’ve looked,” Ethan added, figuring he wasn’t going to get any further with his parents.

  “No, like your father said, we haven’t talked to anyone from Hidden Creek in years.”

  He hung up the phone more frustrated than before.

  He tossed his phone on the counter and made his way to the bathroom to check in on Brea.

  When he walked into the bathroom, she was standing at the sink, wrapped in a towel, crying.

  He gathered her into his arms and held her until she stopped crying.

  “We can’t stop it,” she cried into his chest. “I’ve seen it. There’s nothing we can do to change what happens.”

  “We’ll figure it out,” he said, but deep in his heart, the darkness was almost too much to bear. “Somehow, we’ll figure it out.” He pulled back, taking her face in his hands, until their eyes met. “Together. All of us.”

  “What if we don’t?” she asked, and he wiped a tear from her cheek.

  “We will.” He leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips. “We will.”

  Chapter 18

  The next morning, Brea felt a little steadier. She’d gotten a few hours of sleep, with the help of Ethan. He’d held onto her all
night and just hearing his steady breathing helped calm her.

  He even made them blueberry pancakes and scrambled eggs with bacon. She felt almost human after dressing for the day.

  She wasn’t surprised when she walked out of the bedroom and found Mike and Xtina in the living room with Rose at their feet.

  “Ethan asked us to come over to talk about his conversation with our folks,” Mike said, wrapping an arm around Xtina’s shoulders.

  Ethan waited until Brea sat down in the chair closest to the fireplace. Ever since last night in the bathroom, she was finding it hard to get warm.

  “What have you found out about Jess’s parents?” Ethan turned to Mike.

  “Not much. After doing some research, I still haven’t been able to track them down. It’s like the second Jess turned thirteen, they pulled a vanishing act.” Mike shook his head.

  “What do you remember about them?” Ethan asked Xtina.

  “Not much. I was too busy trying to grow up and not stand out too much. From what I do remember, they were never very protective of Jess. They pretty much let her run around on her own. Then, poof, they disappeared.”

  “What did the town have to say?” Ethan asked.

  “What do you mean?” Xtina asked.

  “Well, from what I’ve learned, the people in this town do a lot of chatting. I can’t see a couple leaving their teen alone without the town saying something.”

  “Sure, there was talk.” She glanced around. “Some rumors had them moving to Tahiti, others said they were running from the law.”

  “The law?” Mike asked.

  “Yeah, they used to own the coffee shop. Actually, Jess’s parents used to own half the town.”

  “What exactly happened?” Ethan asked.

  “Well, no one really knows anything except that they high-tailed it out of town with all their money, leaving their thirteen-year-old with nothing but a beat-up truck and a suitcase full of clothes.”

  There was a lot of anger in Xtina’s voice when she talked about what Jess had been through.

  “Why would they leave?” Mike asked. “Don’t get me wrong—from the sounds of it, they wouldn’t have won any parent of the year awards. But hightailing it out of town so quickly?” He shook his head. “That doesn’t sound right.”