Ok so now we are going to find out exactly what's going on with Madison.
Evelyn stopped the car and the three got out. It took a bit of consideration but they decided to just magically shut off the doll for the while and leave it in the car. They walked into the colony house and Maddie led the way down the stairs. As she and Tyler descended, different candles lit up. The place wasn't as bright as it usually was with the other three being there but it worked well enough. Evelyn sat in Caleb's spot while the other two sat in their own. With a quick look at Tyler, Maddie made the book slid from the shelf and float to the middle of the circle. It flipped open to the section about the girls.
"Ok so what's all this for?" Maddie asked.
"Read." Evelyn said.
"Alright…" Maddie said. She and Tyler leaned forward to read better. "This is where I stopped last time, the part about the fifth son."
"Yeah." Tyler said. "Oh…our families are bad."
"Why?" Maddie asked.
"They should have told us about the fifth son making appearances." Tyler said. "Look…each time one of the girls ascends, around that time, her powers are great enough to practically summon any witch or warlock to her in the hour of her ascension. Usually, according to this, it draws the fifth son."
"Well they didn't verbally tell us but they did in writing." Maddie said. "Each of the times the fifth son does arrive, usually he finds a way to trap the daughter."
"Well this is just great." Tyler said. "We have…"
"A year still Tyler." Maddie said. "My birthday may be Halloween but I'm only turning seventeen then."
"Umm…actually…Maddie…there's something Caleb doesn't want you to know." Tyler said.
"What?" Maddie asked. Tyler nodded at the book. Maddie read silently then stood up quickly. "I ascend at seventeen!!! How is that fair?!"
"Well with the seduction powers advancing now…I guess your other powers feel the need to keep up so they don't get out of hand." Tyler said.
"Mom you knew all this and didn't tell me?" Maddie said, turning to her mother who had remained silent the whole time.
"Yes." Evelyn said. "For your own good."
"My own good?" Maddie asked. The book slammed shut and fell the floor. Her cell phone went off. Maddie took it from her pocket and flipped it open. "What?"
"Maddie…are you guys ok?" Pogue asked.
"Yeah, fine. Why?" Maddie asked.
"We just had a run in with Chase." Pogue said.
Twenty minutes later Maddie, Tyler and Evelyn ran into the Danvers estate. Caleb was out cold on the couch with a nasty looking cut on his head. Pogue looked exhausted, slouching in the chair nearby. There was no sign of Reid.
"Where's Reid?" Tyler asked.
"I don't know." Pogue said. Maddie fell to her knees on the floor, her eyes locked on her brother. The other three talked but she just couldn't hear them. One of the boys was gone, like her dream, and it was her fault. She felt pain in her arm, as if the wound was opening up again, but she paid no attention to it.
Which was probably the reason why everything went black a moment later and she woke up in an empty hospital room. Her eyes slowly traveled around the room. Maybe it wasn't so empty after all.
"And Sleeping Beauty awakens." Chase said, leaning against the wall by the window. Maddie sat up slowly. "You had everyone quite worried, princess."
"Where's Reid?" Maddie asked.
"Oh he's fine." Chase said, waving a hand. "You know he's just…hanging around." The far wall changed and Maddie could see that Reid was literally hanging around, his hands above his head. Out cold, in what looked like the basement of the colony house but there were differences. She made a noise and the scene vanished. Chase was right next to her now, his face very close to her own, forcing her to lie back down to put some distance between them.
"If you hurt him or any of the others I swear to god, once I ascend I will rip your intestines out." Maddie said, her eyes going black.
"Bring it on." Chase said, his eyes darkening as well. "Of course…if you can get out of my hold by then that is." Maddie narrowed her eyes and sent Chase flying into the far wall. He got up, chuckling. "Face it sweetheart, the longer my control stays on you, the stronger it gets. By the time you ascend, you'll be all mine." Both of their heads snapped to the door as it opened. Maddie looked back at Chase but he was gone.
"Hey, you ok?" Caleb asked, walking into the room with a bandage on his head. "I heard a slamming noise or something."
"Chase was just here." Maddie said. She relayed everything to her brother and he got more pissed off by the second.
"Don't listen to him, Maddie." Caleb said. "He's just trying to get to you."
"Yeah well he's doing a good job." Maddie said. "Where could he have Reid?"
"I don't know, sis." Caleb said, walking over and sitting on the bed. "When we checked Putnam barn, we couldn't find anything."
"It was in the middle of a clearing which seemed to be the only spot where grass grew." Maddie said. "How could you not have found anything?"
"We just didn't." Caleb said. "Maybe you were seeing things."
"Why would Chase have wanted to keep me from it then?" Maddie asked.
"I don't know, Madison." Caleb said. The door opened again and Evelyn entered this time.
"Can I talk with your sister alone, Caleb?" She asked.
"Yeah, sure." Caleb said. He got up and left.
"What else is there to know mom?" Maddie asked.
"If the daughter never gets trapped by the fifth, then you would think she would get married and have children, right?" Evelyn asked. Maddie nodded. "Which would mean there would be six lines."
"Maybe they marry someone else in the Covenant." Maddie said, absently.
"Exactly." Evelyn said. "The last recorded female with the power was a Garwin…and then married into the Danvers family. And before her it was a Perry, then married into the Garwin family."
"So…whatever family they marry into, the next daughter is going to be in that family?" Maddie asked.
"It appears so." Evelyn said.
"So what…you're saying that if I survive through this, I'm gonna marry Tyler?" Maddie asked. It didn't seem to be an impossible notion. She really liked him and could actually see herself with him for quite a while to come surprisingly enough.
"More or less." Evelyn said.
"This is sorta like an arranged marriage…except for the fact that I get three people to choose from." Maddie said. "Well…technically four but there is NO way I'll wind up with Chase after all he's done." Once again, the door opened, and this time it was Tyler. Evelyn kissed Maddie's forehead and left. Tyler walked over to the bed and sat down. "Apparently we're betrothed."
"We're what?!" Tyler asked, eyes widening.
"If the daughter survives through…whatever the fifth son does, they marry someone from one of the other families." Maddie said. "So I practically get lassoed into an arranged marriage with one of three guys."
"Oh." Tyler said. "Wait, what do you mean 'if'? You'll survive through this." Maddie just shrugged and looked at her heavily bandaged arm. She decided against telling Tyler about Chase's visit.
She was in the hospital until Pogue's birthday. It felt empty, the four of them walking to an open space away from prying eyes, without Reid. The three boys formed a protective shield around Maddie and they watched Pogue ascend then test out his new powers a bit before heading off to the party Kate had thrown at Nicky's. They made up some excuse that Reid was sick to avoid questions. Maddie didn't even feel up to dancing, just sat at the table and played with her straw, staring at the drink in front of her.
Reid was captured and it was all her fault. She made a silent promise to herself to do whatever necessary to keep all of them safe.
Well…we still have two weeks to go until Maddie's birthday. And you can just bet there's gonna be trouble in those weeks.