They laughed harder than the moment warranted, desperate for levity.
“I have the leader of 17th Company watching for you. His scouts have been patrolling all night, just in case Meg was wrong about Williams and Arkdone standing down.”
Theo smiled wryly into the disposable phone he picked up at the airport. “Meg’s not wrong,” he said definitively.
“We know that, but he doesn’t know Meg like we do. Besides, he’s a soldier just doing what he’s been trained to do.”
“I’m just thankful he sided with us.”
“Oh wow, yeah. What a blessing! Thank God Meg was here to meet them. If anyone was going to sway them to join us, it was her.”
“There’s something pretty amazing about that girl,” Theo shook his head, glancing back at Cole to see if he was listening. He wasn’t. Cole was deep in conversation with Sloan, and Kylie was dozing against the window. Danny and Maze were sharing whimpers in their sleep.
“I wonder if she’ll ever know how special she is.” Theo checked his side mirrors as he slowed to take the turn onto the two-way road that would eventually lead to the house’s long gravel drive.
“Maybe Creed will help her. Maybe she just needs some peace and quiet—time to redefine herself separate from her meta-humanity—separate from the responsibilities of her gifts.”
“I think we need some peace and quiet,” Theo said, fighting back another yawn.
“She’s always taken the role of leader so seriously. She always made the tough calls and beat herself up when she thought she’d let anyone down.”
“She sounds a lot like her mother,” Theo mused.
Margo smiled and shook her head. “No. The truth is, I wish I were more like my daughter.”
“It’s going to be okay, Margo. We’ll get through this,” Theo tried to reassure.
“We have to, Theo. We—we just have to.”
“I see the scouts. They’ve pulled up beside me. Looks as though we have our escort.”
“Thank God.”
“I’ll be home in a few minutes. Okay?”
“Okay.” Margo heard the call disconnect and hurried to the restroom to wash her face. She may have kept the tears out of her voice as she spoke with the man she’d loved, but it would take just one look for him to know how scared she really was.
67 Staring into the Abyss
Her eyes flew open. Meg felt his body shudder for the second time under her hand. She stared at the love of her short life sleeping beside her. He was having a nightmare. His strong arm that had been holding her as they dozed sitting up, pulled her closer protectively. Meg allowed herself to be of comfort to him.
He moaned anxiously. His heart rate quickening by the second.
Meg closed her eyes and reached out to his psyche.
She swallowed hard at what she felt there.
Death.
Creed was dreaming of his death.
Meg concentrated on the negative thoughts, unfurled her shimmering white blanket and tossed it out into the blackened, churning sea of sadness. Her abilities were so sharpened, she could even hear the blanket slap the waters of his dreamscape.
She felt an angry, stinging spray splash her face as she leaned over the edge of her humble craft. She never flinched. Instead, she dove into the cold currents beside her blanket. She focused on spreading the blanket impossibly wide as she treaded his emotional waters.
Diving beneath the layer of iridescence she propelled herself to each faraway corner. She artfully gathered edge after edge until she had secured Creed’s sea of death.
She prayed with every underwater breath for the strength to ease his pain. The collected blackness fought to escape, but Meg’s grip was firm, her resolve, her faith absolute. She prayed a simple prayer—a simple, powerful prayer and pushed the bundle up into the inky black sky. The white bundle floated up and out of the water. Soft raindrops of pure faith dripped down from the mass, caught on Meg’s lashes and slipped down her pale face like teardrops. She whispered a prayer of thanks to God for allowing her to use her gift to bring peace.
When her eyelids fluttered open she saw the results of her efforts written clearly on Creed’s serene face. He sighed deeply, his heart lightened, as his body was finally able to relax.
Meg smiled at the joy her heart felt in that moment, though it didn’t last.
He can’t die! Her body felt instantly feverish as she took a moment to process Creed’s dream. My family has been through enough, she breathed a slow, calming breath punctuating her sense of resolve, and I just don’t see any other way.
Carefully she slipped out from Creed’s embrace, kissed him on the soft skin at the corner of his mouth, and slipped back into her bedroom.
In her room, she could hear Farrow breathing deeply. Quickly Meg slipped into her boots before gathering her weapons and gear. Her eyes swept the room, looking for anything she may need.
This is it. You have everything you need. Get moving! she prodded herself.