The Knowledge of the Hidden

Chapter 18

"You can't keep coming here." My mom paces the floor of the invisible house, her arms crossed tightly against her chest. She keeps glancing toward the stairs, keeping her voice low. "You have to go. Now."

"Not until you tell me." I cross my arms and plant my feet, staring her straight on. She glances again toward the stairs, her eyes lingering at the top. "Is someone here?" I ask.

She doesn't answer, nervously shifting back and forth. "I've already given you my answer. You're just not happy with it."

"So what, you're just planning to leave Luke alone in Eximius forever?"

"He's not alone," my mom snaps. "He's with your father. And he's a gifted. He'll have a good life, never want for anything..."

"Anything but freedom," I say, earning me the kind of tired glare I used to get all the time as a child.

"I don't expect you to understand..."

"Well explain it to me! Why don't you want him here?"

"It's not that simple."

There's a noise from upstairs. My mom spins around, scanning the area, but no one appears. She grabs my arm and begins to usher me toward the exit.

"You have to go."

I yank my arm out of her grasp. "No," I say. "I need answers." The noise comes again from somewhere upstairs.

"Who's here?" I ask.

My mom shakes her head. "Lilly..."

"Is it Erica?"

My mom pulls up short. "Erica?" she asks, "Why would you ask that?"

I am about to answer when Griffin's voice calls from upstairs.

"Nay? Is everything all right?"

My mom quickly shoves me to the side, where I duck beside the stairs just as Griffin appears at the top of the hall.

"Everything's fine," my mom says quickly.

"I thought I heard voices," Griffin says, looking around. "Is someone here?"

I hear him begin to descend the staircase. My mom rushes up to meet him.

"Don't be paranoid," she says. I peer through the railing. She has her hand on his arm. He's watching her with narrowed eyes.

"You've been keeping watch?" he says. She nods.

"Did you take care of it?"

"Yeah," Griffin says shortly, still glancing around nervously. "Let's go."

"Wait, I want to check something first." My mom pulls him back upstairs, kicking the railing as she goes. I take my cue and dart out before they can return.

I run straight to the school tent and find Josh laying on the ground, a book clutched tightly in his hands. I launch straight into telling him what happened, pacing the tent nervously as I speak. He glances up from his book, his eyes following me as I move, waiting patiently for me to finish. When I do, he carefully shuts the book, sets it in front of him and sits up with his hands folded neatly on his lap.

"So your mom brought Griffin into the house for something," he says slowly. "That doesn't seem too unusual. He's a leader too, so he probably needs access to the house from time to time."

"But why was he so paranoid about someone being there?" I continue to pace, my mind running a mile a minute. "And what did she mean 'take care of it'."

"Could be anything, really," Josh says. "I imagine they do all kinds of things in that house."