She pursed her lips. “Boys are not so skilled in these things, at any age. Give him time and space if he wants it, but don’t shy away from him. If you see him, make sure he knows it.”
My stomach tightened into knots. “Like…flirt?”
“I don’t think you have much to lose.” She winked then jumped back up. “I better go, don’t want to dampen your street cred, and I finally found a bathroom without a line.”
She started to walk away when I heard myself say, “do you think I actually like him?”
She froze and turned back to face me. “Why do you ask that?”
I bit my lip and shrugged. “Well…I realized this morning while I was obsessing over him and looping over why he seemed to be avoiding me…I wondered…well…if maybe my mind is just enjoying having something else to worry about. Other than my memory.”
“That’s an amazing question, Saffie.” She smiled and stepped closer. “It’s a very intelligent question. You’re quite introspective, it’s wonderful. My answer is…are you obsessing over anyone else? You’ve met a lot of other students at school. Any of them? What about this Cooper boy you told me about? What do you think of him?”
“Cooper?” I frowned and thought about that. “I like him a lot. He’s kind and funny, and he’s very handsome.”
“But you don’t think about him the same way you do Riah.”
“No, definitely not.”
“Then there’s your answer.” She grinned. “You ask anyone, male or female, when they have a new crush it is all they think about. Amnesia or not. This is normal. It just so happens that you don’t have anything else to obsess over that could distract you.”
I took a deep breath. “So I just…really like him and it’s slowly destroying me?”
She laughed and nodded. “Yup. Congratulations.”
I groaned. “Thanks.”
She winked. “There are far worse things, of that I assure you. Enjoy this stage, this feeling.”
Then she waved and walked into the bathroom and out of sight.
My mind went…weird. I had so many thoughts bouncing around that I couldn’t keep any of them straight. It was just this buzzing noise in my head.
“Okay, I feel so much better now!” Savannah shouted, making me jump. “My bladder did not explode.”
Gigi rolled her eyes. “Hey, Saff. Ready for lunch?”
I nodded and jumped to my feet. Gigi held out the paper map we’d collected at the front of the park and guided us around the corner into an area with an old French vibe. It was a massive courtyard lined with restaurants that all had tables outside. In the center was the largest fountain I had ever seen. I stopped and stared up at it. There was something about it that felt familiar to me. I let my gaze wander over the intricate stone sculptures of fairies that made up the base of the fountain…I knew this fountain. Maybe it was in the pictures we saw last night?
“YO, Earth to Safferella!”
I jumped and spun around to find Savannah a few feet away and Gigi farther behind her. “What?”
Savannah narrowed her eyes at me and cocked her head to the side. “Are you okay? I’ve been calling you for like two solid minutes.”
“Oh.” I frowned. “Sorry, I don’t know.”
“C’mon, let’s eat. You’ll feel better.” She hooked her arm around mine and led me toward Gigi. “This heat is unreal, right? I do not miss it from back home in Tennessee.”
“I actually kinda like it.”
“See, I know that’s the heat talking.”
As we caught up to Gigi, I smiled. “You like this heat right? You hate the snow?”
She sighed. “I’m a damn penguin. I have mixed emotions about it. Come on, this way.”
I followed her point toward a group of tables. “I thought we were going in to buy food?”
“Cooper is a gentlemen and got it for us.” Gigi fanned herself. “So hot.”
And then I spotted him. Cooper had a table for four up at the front of the cluster of tables, right along a black railing with perfect view of the fountain. On the table were two whole pizzas, three baskets of French fries, and four drinks. Cooper spotted us then. He stood and smiled and I noticed how much I liked his smile.
“Cooper!” I gave him a hug. “How’d you get all this by yourself?”
“Magic.” He gave me a wink.
I didn’t know if he was serious or not, but I loved that he could have been.
The four of us dug into the food and conversation flowed naturally. I kind of just let myself sit back and listen, enjoying their presence. There was just something about this place that made me feel…I didn’t even know what the word was. I felt happy and comfortable, but there was a strange edge to it that I couldn’t place.
I was watching the fountain that was made of stone fairies when I spotted something move. I frowned. At first I thought it was a bird or squirrel, but then I saw color. Bright color. Wings. I gasped and sat up straight. There were little fairies about a foot-tall flying all around the courtyard. Their little colorful wings fluttered as they flew. They had neon colored hair and eyes half the size of their face. They were actually quite pretty looking.
They were zooming all around the courtyard, flying in between the people and making utter chaos. Yet none of the humans paid them any attention. The fairies knocked things over and stole food off plates. They dug in the trash cans and splashed water from the pool of the fountain.
I blinked and shook my head. “Um…guys? Do you see those too?” I pointed.
“See wh— oh.” Savannah gasped. “OH MY GOD.”
“Whoaaaa,” Gigi mumbled. “What are they?”
I sighed. “Oh good. Not just me then.”
“Not just you, no.” Cooper said but when I glanced to him I found him glowering. It was the first time I’d seen a not-happy expression on his face since meeting him. “Those aren’t supposed to be out here right now.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
Cooper glared at each one of them as they flew around. “There used to be a small gap here, but our magic prevented them from coming in during the day.”
“A gap?” I narrowed my eyes. “What is a gap?”
“Oh um…” Cooper shrugged. “There’s a dimensional wall that surrounds our world, separating our realm from others. Sometimes, for various reasons, a small hole is made in that wall. Those are referred to as gaps. Through those gaps, creatures from other realms can slip in, albeit not super easily. And definitely not in the daylight.”
Savannah nodded. “Just like demons. They can’t come out in the daylight.”
“Or vampires,” Gigi added. “But they’re a different story.”
“But we, The Coven, closed the gap here back in October,” Cooper said with a low growl. “I can’t say I like that they’re here in the middle of the day. I need to make a call.”
My stomach tightened. Butterflies danced around. Something isn’t right here. I couldn’t put my finger on how I knew that, I just did. It was a gut feeling. This meant something.
“Benny, can you explain to me why I’m sitting in front of the fairy fountain at Hidden Kingdom and am seeing those damn little fairies flying around?” Cooper whispered, jumping to his feet and starting to back away from the table. “At noon. Should I be telling Tenn or not?” He nodded, then looked to us. “Excuse me one moment, ladies.”
Then he walked away.
Savannah sighed. “So hot.”
“I wonder if he’s single.”
Savannah grinned. “He is. I asked Nadine.”
“Who is Nadine?” I asked.
“She’s a witch who works at Coven Headquarters, keeps the place running and stuff.” Savannah leaned forward, her eyes sparkling. “Apparently, Cooper’s parents are soulmates. His uncle has a soulmate. Both of his twin sisters have soulmates. Only him and his little brother, who’s only like nine, don’t have one. Yet.”
My eyes widened. “Soulmates? Wait…like…those are real?”
“They’re not super rare for shifters, but ya know, it’s an animal thing.” Gigi popped a fry in her mouth.
Savannah frowned and shoved a whole handful of fries in her mouth. “But alas, I am not Cooper’s soulmate.”
“Why not?”
“It happens at first sight for witches, and I’ve clearly already seen him.”
Gigi scowled. “It’s at first touch for shifters, and yes, I’ve touched him. I had to check.”
I’d also seen him and touched him, though I was not disappointed to not be his soulmate. Cooper was great but I didn’t feel the same way about him as my friends did. Not like Riah. My stomach turned just thinking about him and what happened earlier. The embarrassing myself on the plane and then his fleeing at first chance.
Wait.
I’ve seen AND touched Riah.
So, he’s not my soulmate. Wait. I’d just realized I didn’t know how to know if someone was your soulmate—
“Ten bucks says she’s wondering if Riah is her soulmate right now.”
I jumped.
“Oh my God, YOU WERE!” Savannah threw her head back and laughed. She slammed her palm on the table.
My face went hot and I knew I was blushing.
“Saffie and Riah sittin’ in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G—”
I gasped. “GIGI.”
Savannah snorted then covered her mouth with her hands.
“Sorry, Saff. I couldn’t help myself.” Gigi giggled.
“Oh my God.” I tossed a french fry at her then buried my face in my hands.
“Well, I mean, you did sleep on his lap for like two hours this morning…” There was something in Savannah’s voice that made me look up at her. She wagged her eyebrows. “I mean, he let you. And lemme tell you, he didn’t look mad about it.”
“He didn’t?” I heard myself whisper over the heavy thumping of my heart.
Gigi tossed a French fry back at me. “Yeah, girl. Spill it. Because what the hell was that and where did it come from? What happened on your little field trip yesterday?”
I groaned and pushed my hair back from my face. “I don’t know. He’s so confusing. Hot and cold. He was so sweet on the plane. Held my hand during take off then let me use him as a pillow, but then he runs away once we land and has avoided me since. Makes no sense. Oh, and he gave me this bracelet.”
They both leaned in to look at the bracelet.
Savannah whistled. “That’s gorgeous. And those are some powerful crystals.”
Gigi cocked her head to the side. “We need to find out. Because he can’t keep giving you mixed signals—”
I choked on a scream as one of those little fairies landed on top of my head. It grabbed fistfuls of my hair and pulled. I hissed and swatted at it – and a cloud of golden glitter exploded around me. The fairy shrieked as it was thrown off of me by my magic. It landed on the railing next to Savannah and glared at me with big inhuman blue eyes. I flicked my wrists and more of my magic poured out, slamming into the fairies chest.
It squawked and hopped back. Then it looked me in the eye and pushed over Savannah’s drink.
“GET!” Savannah screamed and swatted at it. She snatched her leather-bound notebook off the table and swatted at it again with her book. “I’ll smush you like a bug, ma’am. I’m from the south, we don’t play! Mama didn’t raise no bitch!”
The fairy dodged Savannah’s swing then zoomed out of sight.
I glanced around at all the not-concerned humans. “What do the humans see?”
Savannah was still glaring at the sky while hugging her book to her chest. “Birds or squirrels or some human shit.”
Gigi shrugged. “Human minds can’t handle reality, so they process it with what they can. Like demons are usually bears or wolves and such.”
“Oh. I guess that makes sense.” I watched the fairies tormenting other humans nearby. They went completely unnoticed except for a few kids feeding them fries. I wonder how many times I’ve seen a squirrel or bird but it was really something magical?
The world is so much more than I realized.
Chapter Forty-Four
Saffie
I stopped short as a weird sense of Deja-vu came over me. It made no sense, but I felt like I’d been here before. I just couldn’t put my finger on it. The ride line moved up to where a stream of black carts moved along an electric track. A tall lanky boy stood there loading them with tourists.
“Saffie?” Cooper stepped up beside me and put his hand to the small of my back. He ducked his head to meet my eyes. “You okay?”
Am I okay? I nodded even though I really didn’t know. Something inside me said no and I didn’t know why. I hated that.
“It’s super creepy in here.” Savannah looked around. “I like it.”
I don’t. With every step closer to the ride we took, my deja-vu grew stronger…and it wasn’t a good feeling. I cleared my throat and nodded ahead. “So, um, how many people can ride on each doom wagon?”
Gigi turned to face me and frowned. “Doom wagon?”
“Yeah, the black cart thingies.” I pointed to the ride as a cold chill slid down my spine. “That’s what they’re called.”
“It is?” Gigi scowled and glanced around. “How do you know that?”
“The ride attendants said it a few times, you probably just missed it.” Cooper smirked and eyed me curiously. Something flashed behind those green eyes but it was gone before I could process it. “And the answer is two.”
I definitely had not heard someone say it. Or did I? I wrapped my arms around myself and tried to ignore that eerie feeling tingling against my skin. Part of me wanted to bail on this ride immediately, but the bigger part of me wanted to ride it even more. Never had I ever felt like this – like I’d been here. Even if it made no logical sense, I wanted to follow up on it. I needed to.
But as we stepped up to the moving sidewalk that carried people to their doom wagons, I looked ahead into the ride and realized it was nearly pitch black. My stomach tightened into knots. Ever since that séance, I’d been a little unsettled in the dark. “Hey, Cooper? Ride with me?”
“Of course.” He smiled and gestured for me to go in front of him. “After you.”
“Watch your step,” the ride attendant said and pointed to the next open doom wagon.
I jumped in the black cart and slid onto the seat, making room for Cooper who was right behind me. He was a big guy, so he took up most of it. If I had been any bigger it would’ve been too cramped. Yet, I wasn’t uncomfortable at all. There was something super calming about him. I felt at ease around him.
The cart moved toward the big black hole ahead and the safety bar lowered down onto our laps – or his lap. It was several inches above mine so I could jump out and run if I needed to. Why did I think that? Why would I need to run away from a ride?
Our cart crept toward the black hole in front of us and my pulse quickened. My stomach tightened into knots. I wrapped my arms around my stomach and fisted my shirt between my fingers.
A few seconds later, flickering dim lights filled the room as the ride crept through an old haunted mansion. The wind howled through the speakers in the doom wagon. Every few feet cold air brushed over my skin. Thunder roared and lightning cracked, flashing against eerie hallways with floating candlesticks. Paintings on the walls changed with each blink of the eye, from something serene and innocent to something that went bump in the night. The ride moved through a dimly lit hallway where doors lined each side. Each wooden doorframe was enhanced with a spooky effect, like something ghastly lurked behind it.
The car turned to the side and I saw Savannah’s hands holding on to the handlebar in the cart to our right. We slid into a room that was only lit by a neon purple light that made my fingernails glow. In the center, a crystal ball glistened with swirling colors while neon-painted objects floated above my head. Fake musica
l instruments chimed, a woman’s voice echoed all around me, and something clapped softly.
Bright white light flashed and I jumped, my heart lodged in my throat.
“No flash photography, dickwad,” Savannah yelled.
Cooper chuckled and shook his head. I exhaled a shaky breath and smiled. Thank you, Savannah.
The light flashed again and I saw the dark outline of Savannah’s doom wagon jostle.
“Boy, ruin this ride for me and I will ruin your day.”
Laughter echoed all around the room. Someone whistled. Another person thanked her.
My pulse was just starting to slow down when we moved into the next room full of holographic dancing ghosts. I gasped and sat forward. “I’ve seen this.”
“What’s that?” Cooper whispered.
“I’ve seen this,” I whispered back. “I know this.”
My gaze bounced around, taking it all in at once. The ghosts spilling in through the open doorway. The ghosts playing chess in the far right corner. The ghosts sitting at a grand dining table.
“The drunk ghost on the floor,” I heard myself say. I pointed to a knocked over chair. “See, any second, his feet will be there.”
I blinked and then there they were. I gasped. A chill slid down my spine. Why did I know that? I didn’t know but the thoughts kept coming. I knew what was coming.
“What Saffie?”
“There’s ghosts hanging from the chandelier.” I pointed. “Oh, and watch those paintings. Two ghosts jump out and shoot each other. Oh, and the organ! Dozens of tiny ghosts faces—”
I gasped as each and everything I’d just named happened right in front of me.
“Saffie?” Cooper leaned closer to me. “Are you okay?”
“Why did I know that? Why have I seen this?”
Before he could answer the ride turned then slid us down a little hill and we were back in the dark. The room grew colder. My breath left my mouth in little white clouds. I leaned forward and glanced around – my breath left me in a rush. It was a cemetery.
The Cursed Witch Page 27