Ashes to Ashes Page 14

  “She’s always been a fighter,” Cecily said behind me. “A bit thick-headed at times, but a fighter.” Her tone was not lost on me, but I ignored it to nose in on what the others were doing.

  The schematics of one of the museums was spread across the table, but it had been scribbled on in a dozen different colors. I observed the notes on the security systems and guard rotations, wondering why Felix wasn’t in on the planning since it was probably more up his alley than anyone else’s—except maybe mine.

  “When are we doing this?” I asked.

  “We?” Ely asked, eyebrow arched and a look of amusement on his face.

  “Yes, we. You don’t think I’m going to sit here while you break into two museums in Philadelphia?”

  “I’m sorry, but yes. This is complicated enough as it is, Sierra. I can’t worry about you at the same time, or I’ll end up getting buried under a jail for grand theft,” he replied.

  “Exactly why you need me,” I said, glancing at Jack who grinned.

  “What? What does that little look you’re sharing with Jack mean?” Jemma asked.

  “I may or may not have broken into this museum before, maybe or maybe not because this one bet me I couldn’t do it.” I pointed to Jack and heard Cecily gasp behind me. Felix and Brody chuckled, the revelation of my delinquency a bit surprising to them. Jemma and Fiona gasped while Heidi stared at me in awe. Ely simply shook his head.

  “Of course, you have, because fate is fickle, and she wants me to be on edge twenty-four seven,” he said, then rolled up the papers. “Go on and change. We’ll wait.”

  I was happy to have a way to redeem myself for messing everything up, so I jogged to my room and changed. I grabbed my phone, noting that I had a message. I entered the passcode and waited, only to be angered by the message from my horrid aunt.

  Unknown: Don’t forget the items promised, dear. I’ll be waiting. If you don’t deliver, you’ll regret it.

  I ran straight to Ely and handed him my phone.

  He sighed and addressed Felix. “I think it’s best if we move Cecily and Jack tonight. We can’t be sure Ella won’t try something while we’re divided, and they will be much safer in Schwarzwald with my siblings.”

  “I agree,” Felix said, but looked to Heidi for confirmation.

  “As do I. Brody, dear—”

  “I’m on it. I’ll book the flight now.”

  Neither Cecily nor Jack argued, but it did take fifteen minutes and a lot of tears to say goodbye. I convinced Cecily I would be fine, that the worst thing Ella could do to me would be to hurt her, and if I knew she was safe, I could focus on the mission. Once it was complete, I’d be on a plane to reunite with her in Schwarzwald, which, ironically, I was excited to see.

  I left my loved ones in capable hands. I realized I trusted them wholeheartedly, especially Felix. He seemed completely in tune to every move my sister made, even anticipating what she would do next, which was well-exhibited when he beat her at her favorite game a dozen times.

  At nightfall, we parked the car in an abandoned lot a few blocks from the museum, prepared to commit a felony to keep my friends and family safe. I pushed my fears about them being in danger to the back of my mind and focused on what I was about to do.

  “I’m quite sure this was not what you had in mind when you said I should see the museum,” Heidi joked, still finding humor to ease the tension.

  “Not really, no,” I laughed and looked to Ely. “Ready?”

  “Ready as I’ll ever be to commit a felony.”

  He looks incredibly attractive dressed in all black but assessing his fashion choices is not the reason I was allowed to come along.

  “Thanks, and no it wasn’t. Stop thinking and let’s get this over with,” Ely said, eliciting a deep red blush. Thank goodness it was too dark for him to see it. First thing after Cinderella’s curse was broken in Goldene Stadt, I was finding someone who could end that pesky habit of mine.

  Our first task was getting onto the roof. Once on it, we planned to drop into the museum, not unlike Jack’s favorite heist movies. Our target was the wand which Fiona informed us was the key to the enchanted books, but also wielded great power itself. It made sense to grab it first since the books wouldn’t work without it.

  We left Jemma in the car as a lookout, not that anyone would casually walk by the museum at two in the morning. Heidi’s ability to manipulate nature was astonishing, especially when a lovely, hundred-year-old oak tree bent down to hoist us up to the roof. I spent an inordinate amount of time staring at the tree, half expecting it to sprout eyes and a mouth and carry on a conversation with me.

  “Come on,” Ely said, dragging me away from the tree. “Now what?” he asked.

  “The ventilation system has a motion sensor on it, at least it did the last time. All I had to do was aim this at it, and it disabled it long enough for me to get in.” I showed him the infrared flashlight.

  “First, why do you have an infrared flashlight? Second, how do you even know this stuff?” Ely asked.

  I shrugged. “Let’s just say I’ve lived with a few less-than-trustworthy foster families. I have no idea why I have this light, but is that really the issue right now?”

  “No, go for it and say a prayer,” he said, crossing his fingers.

  I flicked the light on and aimed it directly at the sensor, then ran my hand in front of it. It remained silent. I was a bit surprised it was still that easy, but I thanked my lucky stars it was. We had no time to waste.

  Ely unscrewed the cover, so we could fit through it and placed it quietly beside the air conditioning unit. It clicked on, freaking him out. His hand flew to his mouth while Heidi stifled a chuckle.

  “Shh... come on,” I whispered, then eased myself into the ventilation shaft. It was a bit cold with the air conditioner on, and I wondered why it was running in the middle of winter. I slid quietly, inch by inch without a sound until I reached where I thought the break room was. I remembered it from my last visit and was sure it was the best place to have a little drop in.

  I peeked through the vent and found it was, in fact, the break room. The lights were off, and there was no sign of anyone on patrol. I unscrewed the plate and sat it just inside the vent. I wasn’t sure Ely would fit through, but I knew I would, so I eased myself down. Once my hips were through I steadied myself and prepared to drop. I fell straight down and landed like a cat on the floor. Heidi came through directly after me, then Ely managed to contort himself to fit through. When he fell, his cell phone rang.

  “Shh! Ely!” Heidi scolded in an angry whisper.

  He juggled the phone and finally answered it though I had thought he was going to silence it and move on.

  “What?” he asked, annoyed. Someone spoke on the other end of the line, muffled and distant.

  “Marcus, I’m a tad busy with breaking into a museum, so if you could get to the point.” His eyes grew wide, and his mouth dropped open. “Please tell me this is a joke. You’ll have to send someone else, obviously.”

  More hushed voices, more foot tapping by Heidi, followed by Ely rolling his eyes and turning his phone off.

  “What now?” Heidi asked, seemingly forgetting we were in the middle of one of the most famous museums in the country well after closing, dressed all in black under a giant hole in the ceiling. But no matter, whatever Marcus wanted was apparently more important.

  “As a matter of fact, it was rather important, Sierra,” Ely said, stressing my name. “A villager found a woman wandering in the woods just like my... just like... like the last time. She said her brother was cursed by a witch, turned into a troll or something. I have no idea, Marcus was losing his mind. He’s going to send Caleb and Julianna with Henry to check it out.”

  “You think it’s another curse like this?” I asked.

  “Probably, but as you accidentally stated aloud, we need to get the wand and get out of here.”

  I pointed toward the left. “The guard station is that way, jewelry is thi
s way,” I said, pointing to the right. “I’m going on a limb to say it’s probably pretty flashy and would be categorized as jewelry?”

  “Didn’t think to ask, honestly,” Heidi said, then followed Ely as he ducked low and crept along the wall.

  Flashy did not begin to describe what we came across. Behind a very thick glass case was the glitziest wand I’d ever seen. Actually, I’d never seen a wand before, but I imagined if I had, this one would top them all. Heidi placed her hands close to the glass, careful not to touch it. It seemed to melt and mold to her will, and when it was soft enough, she split it open wide enough for Ely to reach in. He was quick, which was good since we heard a noise in the hall leading into the room.

  Just as we were about to sneak away, Ely tripped a hidden motion sensor, and it squealed like a big tattle-tale. A guard ran into the room and caught us red-handed.

  “What are you doing in here?” he yelled angrily. He looked rather surprised but bounded toward us all the same.

  “Uh... run!” Ely screamed.

  Heidi grabbed the wand from him and took off in one direction. I ran in the other, but the guard chased Heidi, naturally. Ely didn’t know which way to go—with his love, or with the wand. In the end, he just decided that scaring the bejesus out of the poor man was the best way to escape without harming him. He shifted and ran straight toward the guard. The guard, a very well-built man about the age of forty, squealed like a child and ran away from Ely.

  I darted across the room to where Heidi stood in shock, urged her to go, then followed her back to the break room. Once inside, I realized our grand plan had a fatal flaw—the ceiling was too high to reach even with a chair to stand on. I had forgotten I used a ladder from the janitorial room the last time I toured the museum after hours. In all, I’d guess we were the worst burglars in the history of burglary.

  “What now?” Heidi asked as if I knew what to do when stuck in the middle of a museum while my boyfriend chased a guard around in a sadistic game of fetch.

  “I’m sorry. I’ve managed a lot of nonsense with Jack around over the years, but this just takes the cake. I have no idea what to do,” I panted heavily.

  “Front door it is,” she said, then whipped her hands around a few times. The front doors shattered, and she ran through them as the alarms blared overhead.

  We ran full-speed to the car. Jemma pushed the car door open, and I dove into the back seat. Heidi landed on top of me forcing the air right out of my lungs. Her elbow was in my ribs, but I couldn’t tell her because her other elbow was over my mouth. She shuffled around and sat up, scanning the area for Ely, but he wasn’t there.

  “Go,” she said to Jemma.

  “But, what about—”

  “He’ll be here, just go!” Heidi shouted again.

  Jemma floored the gas pedal and sped down the street. She turned left onto a side-street and continued speeding.

  “Maybe not so fast if you don’t want to be pulled over by a cop!” I shouted.

  She slowed slightly, then a dog darted in front of us. Not a dog—Ely. Jemma barely dodged him as Heidi rolled her window down. Ely leaped through the window and landed across my lap and Heidi’s. He panted heavily and rolled onto the floorboard where he stayed until we were a reasonable distance from the museum. Heidi removed her coat and tossed it over him.

  Once he shifted, he sat straight and slid into the seat with the coat over him. He was still breathing heavily, but I was impressed by his agility as a wolf. I was pretty good at being a wolf, but I was never that good. I was sure I hadn’t said that aloud, but as if reading my mind Ely turned to me with sad eyes.

  “Being a wolf is a part of me, a big part. You let Ella take something from you that was very special—”

  “Oh my gosh! You’ve been shot!” I yelled, ignoring the speech he began to address the oozing wound on his shoulder.

  “Yes, well, he was an armed guard, and I was chasing him around the museum. It was bound to happen, but this does exhibit my point. Watch.” I did as told and observed the wound. It was like watching one of those time-lapse videos from science class. The wound stopped bleeding then sealed and scarred over. The scar faded, and within a few seconds, it was gone entirely.

  “What the...” I began as I ran my fingers over his shoulder.

  “We’re invincible in wolf form, Sierra. Any injuries we sustain as wolves, heal at a superhuman rate. So, you see, Ella really did a number on you. Now, do you understand why I was so angry earlier?”

  The full weight of what I allowed Ella to do sank in, but there was nothing I could do to change it. What was done, was done. However, that didn’t minimize the feeling that came over me. It felt like there was a part of me that was missing but I hadn’t noticed until Ely mentioned it. There was a wolf-shaped hole inside that made me feel as if I’d lost an entire part of myself.

  “My mother can fix it if you wish,” Ely said, reading me well. I knew, again, I had not voiced my concerns aloud. He was merely tuning in to me with each passing moment, and I with him. I leaned forward and kissed him, finally able to do so without fear of lighting him on fire, which was probably the only benefit of losing round one with Ella. He returned the kiss, but briefly.

  “We’re here,” he said as Jemma pulled to a stop at our rendezvous point. Fiona waited patiently in a darkened corner of a late-night diner. It was the biggest competitor of the diner I worked for, but that was of little consequence to me anymore.

  “Did you get it?” Fiona asked hastily.

  “Yes, and you failed to mention it was covered with... jewels,” Ely said, whispering the last part so the nonexistent occupants of the diner wouldn’t hear.

  “Diamonds, to be exact, every color of the rainbow,” Fiona replied, tucking the wand into a towel and then into her bag discreetly.

  “Diamonds? That thing must be worth... what’s the Hope Diamond worth these days?” he asked, looking to Heidi. She shrugged with a confused look on her face.

  “Don’t be silly. It’s not worth that much. Only about nine or ten million American dollars, but quite priceless to me.”

  “Nine or ten million? Wonderful, the exact number of years we’ll spend in prison if they catch us,” Ely said with a scowl. “And we have to repeat that insanity to get the books!”

  Fiona thought for a moment. “Perhaps not. Let’s try something. Take me to the museum, and I’ll see if I can lure them out now that I have the wand,” she said.

  None of us bothered to question exactly how she hoped to lure inanimate objects out of a highly secured building. We got into the car and rode without a sound until we arrived at the history museum. I assumed we had all reached the point that nothing much could shock or surprise us any longer, but that was a poor assumption on my part. Turns out, watching a fairy godmother lure her magical books from the depths of a museum is not only surprising and shocking but downright mesmerizing.

  “Come, come my darlings,” she whispered as she stood on the walkway leading to the museum, her wand emitting a pinkish glow that amplified the tinkling of her voice. “I know you missed me. I’m here for you darlings, come to me.”

  After about ten minutes of begging, two books literally flew—with wings—into Fiona’s grasp.

  “I give up,” Ely said behind me. “I just give up on reality in general.”

  All I could do was nod my head beside him and pray we’d seen the last of the unordinary for a while, at least until we made it to Schwarzwald. There was a widespread lookout for the burglars who’d trashed the art museum, so once the books were safely tucked away, we made our way to the airport. I sincerely hoped no one paid attention to the news while standing in line to check into their flight. It would be a miserable time trying to get to Schwarzwald any other way, not to mention the idea of crossing an ocean in a ship freaked me out beyond words.

  Luckily, fate wasn’t too fickle and let us board the flight with zero hassle, except for Fiona who spent ten minutes convincing the security guard that her wand
was not a weapon, but was a priceless antique passed down from her great, great, great—however many greats—grandmother. Luckily, the TSA agents were unaware the wand had just been stolen from the art museum, and eventually let her pass.

  I didn’t relax a bit until the plane was in the air. I knew my sister was still in the middle of her own flight, but I felt confident Jack and the others were keeping her safe. I settled deeper into the seat beside Ely who had fallen asleep two seconds after flopping his butt into his assigned chair. Heidi sat quietly reading the peculiar books Fiona had managed to lure from the museum while Fiona and Jemma whispered in the seats in front of us.

  I sighed. Everything was okay... for now.

  Chapter Ten

  A little more than an hour into the flight, Jemma moved one row back so she could talk with me. Ely was still fast asleep beside me as were the others. I was glad she approached me because I wanted to speak with her, but couldn’t come up with a good way to start the conversation. She offered me a weak, forced smile when she sat—a guilty smile if I read her correctly.

  She coughed and glanced around the cabin of the plane. The red-eye flight was bare but had enough people that the wrong words could trigger a few crazy looks at the very least. She looked back to me and whispered, “I’ve been thinking a lot about when we first met in the library, and I wanted to say I’m sorry.”

  “You’re sorry? For what?”

  She gnawed on her lip a bit before responding. “I usually follow Fiona’s orders exactly, mostly because she’s kept me alive since the day she found me, but also because she’s the only mother figure I have now.”

  “Now? Did... have your parents...”

  “Car accident three years ago. I just keep thinking...” she paused, averted her gaze to the back of the seat in front of us, then exhaled deeply. “I keep thinking if I’d gone against her, if I’d insisted she let me tell you and Cecily the truth when we were kids, maybe my parents and yours would still be alive? Maybe the two of you wouldn’t have suffered for so long in foster care? I just should have come for you, and I am truly sorry I didn’t. I should have... I just should have.”