Thirty-one

It felt ridiculously early when the lights came on and someone started to clap. Grace sat up and gave Cam a peeved look.

“You don’t clap to wake people up.”

He gave her an amused look, “Be glad I didn’t wake you all with a bucket of ice water. That was what Fitz wanted to do.”

She rubbed her eyes as Genevieve grumbled something and rolled over covering her head.

“What time is it?”

“Three am. Rise and shine. I let you all sleep longer than Fitz wanted to.”

“That’s not even a full six hours of sleep.” She gave him a sour look as she climbed out of bed and he laughed.

“You can sleep in the car, Gracie. Go on, get dressed.”

Coby had sat up and was rubbing his eyes.

“What’s that on your wrist?” Cam stepped toward him as Grace scooped up her clothes off of the night stand and headed toward the bathroom.

“A gift.” Genevieve spoke up and Grace hurriedly closed the bathroom door. 

She pulled her clothes on making sure to hide her bracelet under the socks before using the bathroom. Luckily, the pajama pants were long and loose and had kept it hidden. He’d probably been distracted by Coby’s bracelet and hadn’t been looking at her feet anyway. Dressed in her clothes from the day before, she washed her face, ran the brush through her hair, and clipped in the tiny sparkly hair clip Coby had gotten for free with the brush. Genevieve hadn’t wanted it, and she’d said it would offer her some extra protection. Something about glass being a void.

When she was finished she stepped back out.

“Gracie, come here.” Cam called her over and touched her face making her feel oddly fuzzy.

“Yes?”

“Do you have one of those black bracelets?”

“No, he only bought two.” The words bubbled out. 

“They didn’t give you anything for protection?” 

“My hair clip is protection…” She frowned trying to think of why she offered that.

He reached out and unclipped it looking at it curiously. “She said glass is a void, I remember that.” Cam turned to give Genevieve a cool smile, “That will keep Fitz from hurting her?”

“The glass flecks will absorb anything he throws at her. She’s protected from ill intent as is Coby.”

“They can keep them as long as you behave yourself. If you send Fitz out of a room again, or put him to sleep, they both lose their protection and you’ll be helpless to do anything but watch what happens.”

Genevieve inclined her head grimly and Cam put the hair clip back into Grace’s hair. 

“Go get ready, Nev.”

“Coby gets ready first so that he can pack while I dress.” 

“That’s fine, Gracie, go to the room next door and get Nev’s traveling restraints.”

She was moving before she thought about it. Fear bubbled up and then calmed immediately, for the moment it was safer to obey. As long as they didn’t see her as a threat she was safe. Or as safe as she could be in the circumstances.

Fitz was seated cross-legged on a bed with his eyes closed. She didn’t disturb him, instead looking around for whatever it was she was sent for. He was pointing when she glanced back to him. Next to their old clunky TV was a travel sleep set and what looked like kinky hand restraints. Grace picked them up and walked back to Cam.

Coby was in the bathroom and Genevieve and Cam were looking at each other coolly. 

“Get up and get dressed, Nev.” He took the sleep set and the restraints from Grace. “I’ll let you go to the bathroom before I put these on you.”

“What are they?” Genevieve got up slowly.

“Something to cover your eyes and block out all sound. We can’t have you flailing around, blind and deaf, you might get hurt, so my friend took some restraints out of the lost and found for us. You’d be surprised at what people leave at hotels.”

Grace frowned. “Why are you-”

“What she sees her brother sees. I heard her tell you that.” He gave Grace a sly smile. “He’s been sending her help and even though we can drug her it doesn’t cloud his judgement. All she had to catch a glimpse of was a receipt or a sign-”

“They’re coming.” Fitz was standing in the hall outside of the doorway. “I followed their connection and they’re closer than I want them to be. We’re going to need to keep her blind and deaf and find a different place.”

“We go home first. They don’t know where that is, and then we’ll have options to go from there. I have an idea.”

Coby came out of the bathroom and Genevieve sighed going toward it. “I’ll be a lamb as long as they stay protected, but the Sibyl doesn’t like chains. I advise against the restraints.”

“You should have advised against sending me out of the room,” Fitz snapped.

“I advised against further threats, that was a consequence.”

“So are the restraints.” Cam laughed. “Hurry up. Valet, pack things up and take them to the car.

Grace wanted to insist they use his name Cam rubbed her shoulder and everything went fuzzy around the edges. 

“Put your shoes on, Gracie. Help the valet take things to the car.

Wordlessly, she was slipping on the sneakers and moving to help. Coby looked almost tearful.

“She’s a sweet girl, you shouldn’t-”

“When we leave the house you’ll be bleeding out in the shed. If you want to spend your last days with the sweet girls you should keep your mouth shut and do what you’ve been told.”

Genevieve came out of the bathroom much more quickly than Grace expected. She was folding her pajamas and carrying the brush. Coby looked relieved as the dark-haired woman ran a hand down his back, laying the clothes and brush in the small suitcase. 

I was about to give up and that's no lie

Cardinal landed outside my window, threw his head back

Sang a song so beautiful, it made me cry

Took me back to a childhood tree, full of birds and dreams

From this one place I can't see very far

In this one moment I'm square in the dark

These are the things I will trust in my heart

You can see something else, something else

I don't know what's making me so afraid

Tiny cloud over my head, heavy and gray with a hint of dread

And I don't like to feel this way

Take me back to a window seat with clouds beneath my feet

From this one place I can't see very far

In this one moment I'm square in the dark

These are the things I will trust in my heart

You can see something else, something else

From this one place I can't see very far

In this one moment I'm square in the dark

These are the things I will trust in my heart

You can see something else

You can see, you can see

Something else, something else

You can see, you can see something else

You can see something else

He just threw back his head

(Take me back, take me back, take me back)

And sang a song, it was beautiful

(Take me back, take me back, take me back)

(Groves, Sara . “From This One Place”. Fireflies and Songs. 2009, Sponge Records. Track 2.)

The song raised the hair on the back of her neck. It sounded like a hymn or something sacred. And at the end it seemed as if more than one person was singing.

“I thought Fitz said you sang pop songs?” Cam sounded amused. “That’s more my taste.”

“The Sibyl sings the words that have purpose.” 

Genevieve gave Coby a reassuring smile and approached Cam. Her movements were eerie and Grace shivered, her skin covered in goosebumps. 

“It was not for you. But there is one-”

Genevieve lifted her head with a peculiar smile and a song spilled out.

You can run on for a long time

Run on for a long time

Run on for a long time

Sooner or later God'll cut you down

Sooner or later God'll cut you down

(Cash, Johnny. "God's Gonna Cut You Down". American V: A Hundred Highways. 2006, American Recordings. Track 2.)

As she got close enough, he lashed out striking her across the face. Grace shrieked. She couldn’t help it. 

“If I die you die too, Genny.”

“Descendant on uncertain legs. Twisted lines, love and loss. The scales will fall from your eyes.”

“You think I don’t see things clearly?” His smile was malicious. “I see more than you do.”

“Your mother told you to temper your arrogance. You’re just like your grandfather. She was afraid it would get you into trouble. You should call her. She’s ill and wants to hear from you.”

“Get a gag, Fitz!” Cam tossed the leather manacles on the bed and tore open the package of the sleep kit.

“Coby? Please take Grace and the things down to the car.”

Grace shuddered and Coby put the bag on its roller, pulling it along and reaching out his hand for her. They left Genevieve standing and smiling strangely at Cam. The bag went into the trunk and Coby opened up the door for her. She took the middle seat and waited.