CHAPTER EIGHT

Wendy

"You're sure this is it?" Alec asks.

I check the address on the scrap of paper. Check it again.

"Yep." Nodding at the mailbox, I stuff the paper into my pants.

Alec rubs his head. "I don't know. This seems off."

It's hard to disagree with that. The address the old woman gave us brought us to an old warehouse. The place is definitely abandoned, and the whole place has a creepy vibe.

The fence surrounding the warehouse is twisted like a pretzel. The chain link has tarnished with age, the metal corroding and warping. A tree has found purchase on the fence and grown halfway over, branches reaching out towards the warehouse as if to throttle it. The old warehouse has been abandoned for a long time, with smashed windows and a cracked sign.

It looks like no one has stepped foot in this place for years.

So, why would Igor Rhodes be here?

Anger rises in my chest. "We came all this way for nothing," I grumble.

That woman must have been lying. She tricked us into giving her that ring, and she gave us a bogus address.

But then I remember the way she looked at me. The way her eyes seemed to see beyond what was there. Could she really have known where Igor was?

I take a deep breath and steel myself. "Let's just check it out," I say.

Alec frowns. "I don't think it's a good idea."

I get that he's being cautious, that he just wants to keep us safe, but screw that. We've gone too far down this road to turn back now.

"We don't have any other leads," I point out. "It's worth a shot."

Nothing stirs, even when I push the gate open to step onto the driveway.

We walk up to the building, and I can feel Alec tensing up beside me. I can't blame him—the place looks creepy. The windows are all boarded up, and the door has a big, old lock on it.

I take a deep breath and try the handle. To my surprise, it opens.

"What the ...?" I whisper.

Alec steps in front of me, pushing the door open all the way. He takes a step inside, and I follow.

The inside of the warehouse is creepy too. The floors are covered in dust and cobwebs, and all the furniture is overturned and broken. But despite the mess, it's obvious that somebody is living here.

There are candles burning in the corners, and there's a mattress in the back corner. I can see clothes draped over an old chair, and a pile of books stacked against the wall.

"Hello?" I call out. My voice echoes off the walls.

No response.

There's a sound to our right, and Alec and I both jump back. Alec actually snarls, his red eyes flashing in the dark.

A rat emerges from the shadows, its tail dragging along the dirty floor.

I sigh in relief. "I thought that was something much worse."

Alec studies the candles. "These have been burning for a while."

"You think someone was here and then left?"

"Hello?" I call out. My voice echoes off the walls.

There's a shuffling sound and then a tall figure steps out of the shadows. He's wearing a heavy coat and a fedora, and his face is hidden in the shadows.

My breath catches. "Igor Rhodes?"

The man doesn't respond. I feel Alec step close to me, his protective aura settling around me like a warm blanket.

I try again. "Are you Igor?"

"I've got the crystal ball," the man says. "Jamming on it, they want it all. Big time muscle men, toss it up and start again."

I frown. What?

"We're looking for Igor Rhodes," Alec says.

The man stares off into space and shakes his hand. "I don't know what the birds say. They're up, up, and away."

I sigh. "He's not going to help us. He doesn't understand what we're saying."

Alec steps forward and holds out his hand. "We don't want to hurt you. Just tell us where Igor is, and we'll be on our way."

The man looks at Alec's hand and then he steps back into the shadows. "Go away," he says. "Leave me be."

Alec and I exchange a look.

"You don't think ..." I don't even want to finish the thought.

"That he's Igor?" Alec suggests.

I chew on my lip. If this guy is Igor, then we're screwed. It's game over for us.

But if he's not, then Igor is still out there somewhere, and we still have a chance.

"Let's go," I say finally.

We turn and leave the warehouse, our footsteps echoing in the empty space. We don't say a word until we're back outside.

Alec looks at me. "What do you think?"

I take a deep breath. "I think we just got cheated. She took my ring and gave us nothing."

Alec frowns at the quiet warehouse. "Maybe."

I cock my head at him. "What do you mean?"

He snaps his fingers. "What else did the woman tell us?"

When it comes to me, I gasp. "Nothing comes for free."

At the time, I thought she was just being rude. Maybe she was trying to tell us something, though.

I race back into the warehouse, Alec on my heels.

"Hey," I shout to the homeless man.

He looks up from where he's seated on the edge of his bed. "Hay is for horses, but of courses."

I dig around in my pockets, searching for something to give the man. "Nothing comes for free," I mutter.

"Here." From his pants, Alec pulls out a pack of gum.

I try not to look disappointed. It's great effort, but will the man really give us information in exchange for some gum?

The man takes the gum, unwraps a piece, and pops it into his mouth. He looks like he's considering what to do.

I take a deep breath and step forward. "We need your help. Please," I say. "If we don't find Igor Rhodes, our whole school will die."

That is, if they're not dead already.

The man stares at me for a minute and then he slowly nods and crooks a finger. I glance at Alec.

"Stay aware," he mumbles.

We follow the man across the open warehouse and down a dark hallway, not saying a word. Street light comes in through tall windows, but still I step carefully, not wanting to put my foot in somewhere I'll regret going. When he reaches a door at the end of the hall, he stops and turns to us.

"The hole might go on forever, but if you don't step, you don't sever the fabric between here and there."

My stomach drops, and I squeeze my eyes shut. O-kay, so maybe the old woman was just yanking us around, and this man is nothing but a homeless guy who has lost all touch with reality.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I ask through tight teeth.

He's harmless, and I don't want to be short with him. None of this is his fault; I'm just frustrated.

The man smiles, revealing a few missing teeth. He opens the door and gestures for us to go inside, but neither Alec nor I make a move.

"It's time to rip the band-aid off, take the chicken, and make the broth." The man rubs his hands together and shuffles back down the hallway towards the main part of the warehouse.

"Well, that was a waste of time," Alec mutters.

"I know." I press my fingers to my aching temples. It's been so long since I've slept properly, and with the constant adrenaline now gone, I'm crashing.

I almost want to curl into a corner and give up.

But then I think of everyone at Hawthorn, and I know I need to keep going.

Taking a deep breath, I push the door open. "Let's just look. Maybe there's something in here."

"You mean, maybe that guy's not a total loony?"

I'm not so sure about that. I just know that we can't afford to leave any stone unturned.

The room we step into is small and dark, only a thin window at the top of the wall letting in the light from the street. I shuffle across the floor, squinting.

Suddenly, Alec throws his arm across my chest. "Don't move!"

I freeze. "What is it?"

"There's a hole right in front of you."

"What?" I study the floor in front of me, but I can't see it.

Thank goodness for his heightened senses. I would have walked right into the hole if he weren't here.

"Is there anything else in here?" I ask.

He makes an irritated noise. "Other than some mice? No. I'm sorry."

My heart drops. At this point, I should be used to being disappointed, and yet I'm not.

I sigh and turn to leave, but then I stop.

"Wait a minute," I say, my voice barely a whisper.

I take a deep breath and try to think clearly.

"Maybe the hole is a clue," I suggest.

Alec lifts his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"Maybe it's a way to get to where Igor is."

"I don't follow."

I lick my lips, my excitement growing. "What did he say earlier?" I snap my fingers. "Something about a hole."

"Uh, he said ... the hole might go on forever, but ... but ..."

"If you don't jump you won't sever ..." I struggle to remember the rest.

A silence falls across the room.

"You don't think ..." My chest tightens. "That he was giving us a riddle?"

"Really?"

"I mean, I don't know." I wave my hands in the air. "Are portals a thing? I'm new to all of this."

In the dim light, I can just make out Alec's head bobbing. "Yes, they're a thing. You think that was a riddle for us to figure out?"

"I don't see why not."

The riddle I heard in the well—the one that was spoken by my mother's voice—comes back to me. I still haven't had time to process what happened, but I know I wasn't crazy. Even though I don't remember my mom, somehow, I know that was her voice. I know it like I know the sun rises every day.

But now's not the time to mull over that. We have more immediate things to tend to.

I take a deep breath and turn to Alec. "So, if this is a portal, do you think we should jump?"

"Er ..."

"What? Can you sense something down there?"

"No," he says. "That's just it. I can't sense anything. There's no basement down there. It just goes on and on."

I take a single step forward. "Let's jump."

"Hold on. We can't just—"

But I'm tired of waiting around. We've been looking for Igor all night, and if we're not going to take chances—no matter how scary they are—then what are we even doing out here?

"Come on." I take Alec's hand and pull him forward.

"We can't jump without any idea of where we're going," he protests.

"Yes, we can," I insist. "We don't have to know where it's going to lead us. We just have to trust that it's going to lead us somewhere. Somewhere we need to be."

I take a deep breath and nod. "Ready?"

Alec grumbles, but I can tell he's starting to come around. He takes a deep breath and nods. "Okay. We jump."

I reach out and take his hand.

"On the count of three," I say.

I take a deep breath and close my eyes.

"One ... two ... three!"

We jump.

And fall.

And fall, and fall, and fall.