The Counterpart (The Mindbender Series Book 3) - C.S. Luis

The Counterpart (The Mindbender Series Book 3) by C.S. Luis

Book excerpt

Saturday night.

Claudia was nowhere to be found as I drove up and down the street. Looking up towards Claudia’s bedroom, I got out of the car and walked up to the house but stopped.

Could she still be there? No. She wasn’t. I could sense that.

The night before, I recalled watching John go to Claudia’s window and meet with her. Could she be with him? She wouldn’t have forgotten the party unless John Slater had come for her first. Claudia was smitten with the new, hot guy in school.

She was supposed to wait for me to pick her up. That was the plan. We were to meet on the street at this time, and then, head to the party.

Walking back to the car, I got in, and sat there for a few minutes. If Claudia isn’t here, where was she? With John Slater, no doubt. She had good reason, he had the face of an angel and the body of a football player. That made me fidget, stirring a glimmer of desire I missed.

Yet, I feared the worst. Quinn could have delivered with his threats. Not knowing where to go, I headed to the party.

When I arrived, the street was already crowded with vehicles. Cars lined the side of the street, packing the road. Some vehicles double-parked behind one another on the driveway of the house.

The driveway was wide and extended far into the back so there was plenty of room for vehicles to pile up. It was amazing what people would do to find parking when they wanted to.

The music was muffled, but I could hear it from down the street. It was a surprise the neighbors hadn’t called the cops. Yet. But it was only a matter of time.

The party was in full swing. Some kids were coming out of the gathering drunk, while others carried out friends. Kids I knew from school were standing outside with drinks and cigarettes in their hands.

Walking towards the entrance of the house, I clutched the pouch in my hands. The crystals clashed against one another as I held it close.

The music was louder now as I walked inside. Screaming teens moved along with the beat of the music hitting the walls of the large home. A crowd of sweaty teenage faces, half-baked and all drunk, mashed against each other, moving in a wave of distorted bodies whose arms and heads connected briefly into something scary and alien. The music seemed to grow louder and overbearing, as I moved and pushed along the screaming crowd.

There was a mess of bottles and trash, stains, and spilled drinks everywhere I looked. I felt sorry for the person who had to clean up the mess and happy it wasn’t my house. The house belonged to a girl named Jennifer Scotts, and her parents were out of town on some stupid European cruise or something.

Boy, they are going to get a surprise when they return.

I made my way to the back of the house. A few kids I knew waved at me, and a boy from English, Jason Thompson, came over to talk, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying over the noise. I barely made out a few screamed sentences.

“Where have you been for three days, man?” he asked. He looked drunk and out of his mind already, like most everyone in the house.

I regretted coming. It seemed like there was a slim chance that Claudia was even here. I wanted to tell her the truth and give her something that would protect her before it was too late.

“Why aren’t you drinking?” Jason asked me over the loud music.

“Have you seen Claudia?” I asked, screaming into his ear, and ignoring his question.

He leaned forward, and I repeated the same line but added Claudia’s full name.

Who didn’t know that name by now? Students either knew her because her grandfather had been principal, or because she was pretty.

“Claudia Belle? No, I haven’t seen her…but I’ve seen your friends. They’re over there.”

Jason pointed.

A girl’s eyes were focused upon me when I turned to look over. It was only Tina, eyeballing me from the other end of the hallway.

She gave me a smock smile and walked away in the other direction. I left Jason talking to himself and followed Tina.

I turned the corner catching sight of Sean with Tina, they both looked back at me. I ducked away, then cautiously looked around the corner again, but they had gone. My heart was beating violently, and my hands were trembling. What are they up to?

At a distance Sean entered the crowded party and slowly made his way through the mass of people. Where were the others? The crowd was thick, and I could hardly get by the multitude. I lost him when I finally came from out of the mass of dancing people.

Claudia wasn’t there. That was a big relief. Pushing back through the crowd, I headed for the front of the house, where Tina, Ruben, and Sean were blocking the doorway.

“Look who’s here.” Tina was the first to say.

Ruben and Sean smiled.

Puppets …

“Get out of my way.” I demanded.

“You tried to hurt her by sending the other.” Ruben accused.

“You stay away from her.”

“And now you must pay for that.” Sean added ignoring me.

“Where is she? What have you done to her?” I yelled.

“She is safe. Safe from your wicked hands and the hands of the other you sent to hurt her.” Tina angrily said.

“Other?”

Quinn?

Why hadn’t I heard him before? Then I realized they were the interference I sensed.

With a waved of my hand, Tina stumbled back against Sean knocking them into each other, giving me time to escape.

I ran out of the house towards the car in tears; dropping the keys as I collapsed.

He has Claudia. He has her. Am I too late to save her? Have I failed my son and now, my granddaughter?

Why can't I remember everything?

But I remembered enough.

A wind blew through the night. Quinn? Quinn was calling for me.

Looking around, I swore I wasn’t alone. I wanted to return for Claudia, but I couldn’t, she would be with him.

My hand curled around the crystal dangling on my wrist. I must stop him.

Gathering my strength, I rose, only to find the proxies waiting for me.

Backing away instead, I climbed into the car, their images disappeared from view as I sped away. The blue color on the crystal faded.

“Claudia?”

She was alright, I could sense it. Quinn had failed.

“Quinn?”

He was hurt but had fled. He was the other the three spoke of. He had tried to hurt Claudia. But it was the other truth that I feared. He was here.

“Quentin? No … it can’t be. You’re—” But I didn’t want to say it.

Quinn warned me.

I slammed on the brakes. Sitting in the car, I looked straight ahead at the empty road and the row of houses on each side of the street. They were pretty houses, white houses, some with picket fences and beautiful yards. This was suburbia, the pie slice of America. This was modern-day life, and yet, I never knew it until now.

“I have to protect her. You will not have her.”

I slammed my foot on the gas and sped off into the night.

My feelings guided me right to the doors of Milton High. The car came to a sudden stop at the side of the street, a good distance from the parking lot. There was a hole in the pavement. I grabbed at my phone and spotted Claudia at the entrance of the school. Quinn was nowhere to be seen.

“Quinn …”

He had tried to attack Claudia. Quentin had come to stop him. I meant to race over, but I knew there was no way to do anything if Quentin was there. I would be no match for him. He vanished so quickly with Claudia before I could even release my breath.

Have I failed?

I didn’t want to believe it …