Intrinsical - Lani Woodland [106]
“What do you want to do with your power?”
“I don’t crave power, only freedom, the ability to leave this cursed place.”
“Some people would say it’s only cursed because of you,” I said before I could stop myself.
“Well, my plan was to leave, which would have made everyone happy, but now you’ve robbed me of my body, so after I capture you— and Brent— I’ll have to kill one more Pendrell student. And that death’s on you.” Thomas licked his lips; a horrible grin grew across his face. “You can still come willingly you know.”
“Why would I do that?” I lifted my hands in front of me and took a step away from him.
“It’ll be easier for both of us if you do.” Thomas cracked his knuckles.
“I’m not really interested in making it easier for you.” I could feel the comforting weight of my necklace under my shirt and I resisted the urge to touch it.
He intertwined his fingers behind his back, the spirits inside him pressing out against his skin, one clearly defined hand reaching for freedom. “Still, if you choose to come with me, I’ll let Brent live and I’ll release you, too. After you’ve joined my ranks, I’ll be strong enough to leave. I’ll even let all these other spirits go. Pendrell will never hear from me again and neither will you. Everyone will be free.”
“You’d leave Brent alone? You’d free me and your captive spirits?” I asked, understanding that a lot of good could come out of the bargain.
Thomas smiled, his white teeth gleaming. “Yes.”
I took a step toward him before I realized what I was doing. “I don’t believe you,” I snapped, shaking my head.
He raised his hand to his chest. “I won’t take that personally.”
“Assuming I was crazy enough to agree to this, what would happen after you left here and freed us all?”
“I’ll still need to find bodies.” He held up his finger. “But they won’t be boys from Pendrell. I can be more selective with who I choose.”
“How would that be different than what you’re doing here?”
He continued on like he hadn’t heard me. His eyes were wild, his tone desperate. “I can find out what it means to be older than sixteen, go to the movies, to the beach, have a serious relationship with a girl. I can visit my parents’ graves. Denny’s grave,” he said, his voice suddenly soft.
The name Denny brought me back to the board in Cherie’s room. There was a Dennis on it; could that be Denny? “Denny? He was your best friend, wasn’t he? And yet you killed him.”
He bent over, placing his hands on his knees for support. There were actual tears in his eyes when he looked up at me. “I didn’t mean to do that.” He collapsed on the ground and reclined against a tree. “I was dying. There was so much pain, I could barely get out of bed or think straight. The only relief I felt was when I projected.” He looked into the groves toward the old pool house, rubbing his hands up and down his arms, setting off a cascade of ripples. “I found Henry one night— he was trying to kill himself.”
“Henry, the third victim, was trying to kill himself?” I asked despite myself.
Thomas wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. “Yes, I walked in on him weighing himself down with sandbags. He begged me not to stop him.” Thomas’s eyes looked lost in the past. “I jumped in to save him as he sank to the bottom and dislodged the sandbags. When I got him to the surface, he still fought me. He didn’t want to be rescued. I couldn’t believe it; he was throwing away what I wanted the most. I realized as he struggled against me a way to please us both. I pushed him under and held him there. I gave him what he wanted— I made sure he died. He didn’t want his body anymore, so why not take it for myself? He wanted to die while I wanted to live.”
“So that’s how all this started?” A hawk swept