Chad Michaels's Arc

Chapter 9 of 9

Chad runs back toward the pond with the journal clutched tight. He has to burn it. He has to throw it in the water. Anything to keep Adam away from that contract. But when he breaks through the glowing flowers and reaches the clearing, his steps falter. Adam is already there. The contract is in his hands. A thin glass pen rests between his fingers, poised above the page. Chad screams Adam's name, but no sound crosses over. He runs to the willow at the pond's edge and slams his hands against the trunk. The ravens scatter from the glowing branches. Pink and blue light shivers across the water. Adam does not look up. His thumb traces the edge of the ornate page. His shoulders are thin under his coat. The witch stands quiet beside him. She does not stop him. She watches Chad with steady eyes and says nothing. Chad reaches Adam and shoves at the contract with everything he has. The page does not move. His hand passes straight through. Adam's pen touches the paper. A line of ink curls into the first letter of his name. The blank gravestone behind the pedestal begins to glow. Chad sinks to his knees in the wet grass. He arrived too late. Adam signed. Whatever comes next, a name will be carved into that stone, and Chad will be the reason.