“A what?” Heather asked, and the others exchanged confused expressions for different reasons altogether. He’d had his hand on that phone the whole time they’d been in there, so if he’d had a text before, he would’ve seen it. This had to be new.
“What does it say?” Brandon asked, looking over Dax’s shoulder.
Tears were streaming down the kid’s face again. “Hey, babe! I’m so glad you thought to text me. I’m not sure if or when you’ll get this, but you all should know we’re doing everything we can to get you out of there. So just be strong and be careful. I love you so much, and I can’t wait to see you again. I know it’ll be soon. You’ve got some savage protection in there with you. You’re going to be just fine. Don’t worry about me. I love you!”
Dax read it again; Aaron could see his eyes wandering back over it. The second he was done, the rest of them pulled out their cell phones, even Alex, and Aaron wondered who he might be texting, surprised he even had a phone at all. It wasn’t even a flip phone.
Aaron had no texts, which didn’t surprise him. Cadence would’ve never thought this would work. No one else had thought to send one, but Brandon had gotten one from Cassidy, which he was still reading. As Aaron took in the rest of his friends’ faces, he could tell Jamie was holding back tears. “How’s Ash?”
The sound that came out of his mouth was a cross between a chuckle and a sob. “She’s okay. She’s panicked, of course. She said about the same thing as Tara, be strong, they’ll get us out, all of that stuff. So... yeah... good to know.” He looked at the message one more time, sent a response that didn’t go through, and then put his phone away.
Brandon said, “Cass’s message was short, but they are working on this. We’ll be out of here soon.” He was trying to look brave, and Aaron nodded at him, hoping they were both right.
It seemed to Aaron that sending a message to Cadence was probably a good idea. If Dax’s message had gone out to Tara the first time the portal opened, and she’d responded the second time, it could be a while before it sent, but it would be better than nothing. He typed it in and slipped his phone back in his pocket, noting everyone else was doing the exact same thing, except for Heather. She’d wandered off, back toward one of the tunnels, and was sitting on the ground, her legs crossed.
Aaron approached her cautiously, knowing she was upset, and she was even more of a firecracker when she felt that way. “Are you okay?”
“Fine. Never better.” She wasn’t, obviously. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Jamie and Alex discussing what the rotation meant and trying to figure out how the tunnels where the portal had opened were related. He sank down next to Heather, doing his best to avoid the sharpest shards of rock. He said nothing, just let her know she wasn’t alone.
“I guess them damn things is some sorta magic boxes that lets you talk with people you can’t see?”
“Yeah, something like that.” He pulled his out of his pocket and offered it to her. She glanced at it and waved it away. “It’s called a cell phone.”
“I heard of a telephone, but ours was stuck to the wall, and ain’t hardly no one who had one where I lived.”
“I remember.”
She looked at him and nodded. “Whole world’s gone and changed on me, huh? I guess it’s just as well. I didn’t get along too well in the world I lived in.”
He was under the impression someone had stuck her here to get rid of her. Perhaps that was because she was a Hybrid, or maybe it was because she was a pistol. Either way, he could see good in her, even when she tried to hide it, and he couldn’t imagine how it must’ve felt to be trapped her all alone for all of these years.
“You guys is all good friends, huh?”
“We are. Jamie and I have known each other since the Ripper case. Elliott’s been my best friend for... forty years. Yeah, we’re all good friends.” There seemed like no reason to explain that he’d just met Alex and Dax recently.
“Must be nice. People I thought was my friends threw me in here.” She looked at him sideways and kind of snickered. “I’m a real peach, ain’t I?”
“Heather, what Brandon said earlier was true. Cassidy has been looking for you ever since she found out she wasn’t the only Hybrid—that’s what we call her. Anyway, she would love to meet you.”
“Yeah, the kid said somethin’ about his girlfriend bein’ a screwup like me. That true?”
“It’s true she’s half Vampire, half Hunter, but she’s not a screwup, and neither are you. Can you use telepathy like a Vampire?”
“Not in here.” Her answer came quickly. Then, she paused for a long time before she added. “I could before. I could read minds. One of the reasons the Hunters didn’t want nothin’ to do with me. Of course, my fangs mighta had somethin’ to do with that, too.”
“Cass is one of us. We don’t treat her differently than any other Hunter, except we utilize her ability to get into other Vampires’ heads. When we get out of here, I’m sure we’ll have a spot for you, too, if you want it.”
Her eyes widened for a moment, and he thought she might say something grateful. Instead, she started chuckling. “You’ll regret sayin’ that. Besides, I already told you, we can’t all go. And if you folks figure out how to get out without me, you will.”
“No, we won’t. We’ll figure out how we can all go. One way or another.” He smiled at her, but the fact that she was certain one person had to stay behind would be a problem. He wouldn’t let it be her. She’d been in here long enough. No, there was just one logical answer to who should stay behind, and as much as he hated it, he’d have to get used to the idea.
“Aaron!” Jamie shouted. “I think we’re on to something.”
Pulling himself to his feet, he offered his hand to the girl on the ground. “Come on, Heather. We need your help.”
“My help?” She didn’t seem convinced, but she took his hand anyway.
“No one knows this place like you do.” He pulled her up, and they headed over toward the rest of their party, the howling and hissing intensifying behind them, letting him know they’d have another battle on their hands soon enough.
