Becoming

by Dakota Brown

"Yeah. It's still warm enough that everyone wants ice cream."

  I studied the menu and decided to go with cookies and cream. Despite how long the line was, it didn't take much time for us to get to the counter.

  Alex ordered a double scoop of mint chocolate chip, and I got a single of the cookies and cream.

  He ached an eyebrow.

  "I'm still full from eating half a pizza. Otherwise, I'd get more."

  He grinned and paid before I could offer. "My treat."

  We got our cones and went outside. I took a deep breath once we had some space around us.

  "Let's find a bench, and we can eat before we head up," I said.

  "Good idea."

  We sat, and I put some very serious attention to my ice cream. It was some of the best I had ever had. "I'm guessing this isn't the ice cream to eat if you're counting calories."

  Alex laughed. "No. We can always go for a hike later, if you want. It's pretty safe up around the observatory, even after dark."

  "That would be good. Even without the ice cream, I would like to stretch my legs. I feel like I've been sitting a lot this week, with classes and all."

  "How do you like it here?"

  I hesitated, not sure how much I should say. I needed to warn Alex. It was so farfetched that there was a pretty hard-core criminal element in such a peaceful mountain town. Supernatural, or otherwise. I wasn't sure I would have believed it if someone else had told me until I experienced it myself.

  My thoughts strayed to Doc and the brothers. I really didn't need to be thinking about them while I was here with Alex. What would I do?

  "Sofia, are you okay?"

  "Hmm? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

  "You sighed pretty heavily there."

  "Sorry, just thinking. I guess I do miss home a little. It's so beautiful here, and it's nice to already have friends. Victoria is great. I'm enjoying my classes so far. I guess I like it pretty well." I just couldn't think of how to say anything about the magic mafia without sounding completely crazy, so I stayed quiet.

  "That's good. Think your parents will come up any time soon? Or anyone else in your family?"

  I shrugged. "Dad's pretty busy with the oil field. He always takes either Thanksgiving or Christmas off. The dorms are closed, and they talked about renting a condo or something for a week or two up here, but they didn't say when yet. Mom may come sooner. She likes mountain towns." Did he want to meet my parents? It was a normal enough question. I was so on edge that it felt weird.

  "Well, if you end up with a holiday alone, you're welcome to spend it with my family."

  That was so normal, and kind, that it made my vague fears feel stupid.

  "Thanks. I really appreciate that. Between you, Victoria, and the guys I'm sure I'll not have to spend a holiday alone."

  Alex's expression darkened slightly before he shrugged. "Likely."

  I wondered if I shouldn't have mentioned the other guys. Probably not. It also probably didn't hurt to remind him that I had more than one interested party. Choices... At least I didn't have to make one right now.

  I finished my cone, and he stood. "Ready?"

  "Yeah, thanks."

  We walked back to his car and he opened the door for me. I grinned and slid into the leather seat. It folded around me, and I relaxed when Alex got into the driver's seat.

  Alex didn't say anything while he drove. He glanced at me once and smiled.

  The light faded completely as we drove, leaving only a faint glow illuminating the mountain tops to the west. We wound out of the valley in the opposite direction of the lodge Alex had taken me to the weekend before.

  We followed a paved road all the way up the ridgeline, and before long, we pulled into a parking lot lit with a few lights. A couple of other cars were there, and Alex parked near the building.

  "We'll go up on the roof. They should have several telescopes set up."

  I followed him into the low, square building. It looked like it might be two floors, and was constructed of local stone, like some of the buildings on campus. The inside was sparsely furnished with a few stone benches and had a gas powered firepit in the center. Around the walls were stations describing something space related, like satellites, or planets and those sorts of things. I was passingly interested in the subject and would have to come back up sometime on my own to investigate. It looked like there were a bunch of classrooms off to one side. The stairs up to the roof were wrought iron, and fairly ornate, especially for school buildings I was used to. The building reminded me that this particular college had quite a lot of funding and it wasn't cheap. My parents didn't mind spending the money, and I would feel like I was wasting it if I went home early. They would let me, and it would be okay, but I didn't want to disappoint them. Of course, I didn't really want to get kidnapped by the magic underground, either.

  Alex took my hand while I pondered and walked with me up the stairs to the roof.

  I thought about telling my parents what was going on. They probably would go to the police. That wasn't necessarily bad, but I really didn't know if that could affect Dad's job or not.

  Maybe someday, Victoria and her parents and all the other activists would solve the legal status of the supernatural beings. Until then they...we needed to hide.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  An attendant sat on the roof near another gas-powered fire pit. A couple of students used one of the telescopes that was out, and we went to another. Alex looked through and made a few adjustments before leaning back and gesturing for me to take a look.

  I leaned forward and put my eye up to the lens.

  "Is it in focus?"

  "Yeah. Wow, that's amazing."

  "That's the Andromeda galaxy."

  "Beautiful," I whispered.

  Alex put his hand lightly on my shoulder but didn't try to pull me away. I straightened and stepped closer to him. He grinned.

  "Next one? They're set up in stations."

  "Sounds great." I smiled back and moved close so that when we went to the next station, he kept his arm around my shoulders. I enjoyed his closeness, and tried not to think of anything else, while he showed me the various sky objects the observatory had chosen to highlight that evening.

  We spent a couple of hours peering through telescopes and occasionally standing by the gas firepit to warm ourselves.

  "Did you want to stretch your legs before we head back to campus?"

  "That sounds great."

  Alex took my hand, and we went down the stairs next to each other. He seemed on the verge of saying something all the way down, and I expected him to say something once we were outside. He just tugged my hand and led me toward a path.

  Low lights illuminated the concrete walkway enough to make it relatively safe, but not so brightly that the light damaged night vision for people still hoping to see more stars.

  The clear night and high altitude made the sky spectacular, even without the telescope, and I stared upward as we walked. I kept bumping into Alex as I gawked at the heavens, and he kept me going down the trail.

  "Pretty neat, huh?" he whispered when I bumped into him again.

  "Yeah, it's really cool."

  Alex slowed, and I looked around. I hadn't paid any attention to our path, but I could see a few of the parking lot lights behind us, so I thought I could find my way back if necessary.

  "Sofia."

  "Yes?" I turned to face him.

  He took a step forward and put his hands on either side of my face, brushing my short hair back.

  My heart sped up, and I met his gaze, though I left my hands at my sides, not quite sure what to do. This was a date, and I had no reason to pretend otherwise. Maybe he wanted to kiss me?

  "I wanted..." He trailed off, and he looked over my shoulder, frowning. Alex muttered something under his breath and caught my hand in his. "We'll talk later. Let's get you back to campus."

  "What's wrong?"

  "Not sure."

  Now my heart raced for another reason. W
ere they still after me? Should I call Doc? Not that Alex would appreciate that, but it might be worth it.

  Before I could slide my backpack off so I could get to my phone, three men stepped off the path in front of us.

  Alex stepped in front of me. "What's going on?"

  One of them stepped forward, and I recognized Ash. He wasn't looking at me, his attention focused on Alex.

  Alex took a step back and bumped into me.

  Ash sneered and brought up his hands, holding them in front of himself as if he were cupping the air, before thrusting his hands toward us. What on earth was Ash doing here?

  Alex swore as a ball of orange energy slammed into him. He gasped, before crumpling to the ground.

  "Alex!" Was he dead? Though he didn't get up, his chest rose and fell. I didn't know how hurt he was, but at least he wasn't dead, though the expression on Ash's face indicated the other man wished he was. What did I do? They probably wouldn't be interested in Alex. He was only human. Right?

  "I enjoyed that way too much," Ash growled before turning his attention to me.

  I was already running. I jumped off the path and careened wildly down the gradual slope, knowing I needed to make it into the trees. Panic tried to steal what little breath I had left, but I fled anyway. Though I couldn't see well, I had been in the darkness long enough that I managed to avoid the random assortment of boulders. My legs and back jarred as the ground dropped, and I lost my balance, which probably saved me. I screamed as colorful lights zoomed over my head as I fell to the ground.

  I protected my head as I tumbled down the slope, propelled by my momentum. I wasn't going so fast that the rock I ran into hurt me badly, but it didn't feel good. Gasping, I hoped my phone was still intact in my bag. I scrambled to my knees and looked back up the hill. My heart raced, and I could barely think of what to do. Call Doc. I had to get my phone.

  One of the men was in sight at the top, the other two I didn't see until I caught movement further down the slope. I had a tiny head start.

  The trees weren't far. I had to get to them. I wouldn't be safe, but maybe I could hide long enough to call for help. Trying to stay low, I dashed for the trees. I couldn't hear much over my harsh breathing. At least I was running downhill, or I would have been completely screwed.

  The trees enveloped me just as everything behind me lit up. I hoped they hadn't seen my movement before I reached the shelter of the trees. Of course, they could probably hear me.

  I had to slow. Branches I couldn't see tore at my face, at my clothing, my sweater snagged, and I ripped it free. One of the men chasing me shouted. He was far enough back that I thought I might be okay to slow down. They knew I was headed down hill, so I altered my course and hoped they didn't have some sort of magical way to track me.

  After a few more minutes, I sank down next to a tree and hoped the shadows would continue to hide me. I didn't hear the men chasing me, but knowing they had magic made me wonder what all they could do, and if they could sneak up on me.

  I took a few deep breaths and tried to calm myself. I didn't have long, but I had a minute. How the fuck had they found me? How the hell was this actually happening to me?

  I slid the strap of my backpack purse off so I could get to my phone. I dug it out and said a quiet prayer to whoever might be listening that I hadn't broken it beyond use. I touched the screen and it came on. I unlocked it, fingers fumbling in my haste to find Doc's phone number.

  A small red exclamation got my attention. The battery was almost dead, and I had only a single bar of reception. Crap.

  The phone rang, and I put it up to my ear.

  "Sofia?"

  I almost wept when I heard Doc's voice.

  "What's wrong?"

  "They're chasing me," I whispered.

  "Where are you?"

  "I don't know. My phone's about to die. We were at the campus observatory. They did something to Alex. I ran. I'm in the woods."

  "Sofia, we're coming. I need you to keep moving as quietly as you–" the rest was cut off as my phone died, letting out a way to loud chime.

  "Fuck." I slipped it into my bag, put the strap over my shoulder, and listened.

  I thought I heard a branch snap, but I couldn't be sure.

  After another moment, I knew I had to move, I just didn't know where to go. Down was the easiest at the moment, so I set off mostly heading down. I added a slight angle on my travel so I would hopefully put more distance between me and my pursuers. Especially if they thought I had gone straight down.

  Wolves or coyotes howled in the distance. I shivered, hoping I wouldn't have to deal with wild animals, too. Though, if I had to pick, maybe the wild animals would be a better fate.

  I heard a branch snap clearly behind me and a muffled curse. Knowing what a hunted deer must feel like, I bolted, trying to do so quietly, but desperate to get away.

  "There!"

  Whimpering, I pushed through dense pines, barely noticing the sap that stuck to me. Some instinct warned me, and I dove to the ground as orange colored energy slammed into the tree next to me. I lay on my side, pine needles digging into the right side of my body.

  I wanted to scream, or swear, or something. I froze instead. I couldn't do anything. They were so close, they would see me if I moved. If I didn't, they'd find me anyway.

  "She's around here somewhere," one of the men said.

  Tremors shook my limbs, and I tried to press myself into the bed of pine needles I lay in.

  Howls filled the night close by and something ran past my hiding spot.

  "There!"

  Whatever raced through the underbrush caught their attention, and they went after it.

  My heart pounded in my ears. I didn't dare move.

  A strong hand clamped down over my mouth. Someone grabbed my shoulder.

  Fuck.

  Chapter 11

  Sofia

  "It's me."

  Doc's breath tickled my ear, and I gasped in relief.

  "Shh," he whispered. "Slowly, get up."

  He helped me stand, but once I was on my feet, my legs shook so badly, he had to hold me up for a minute. His strong arms wrapped around me and held me while I shook.

  "Ed and Allan are drawing them off. We need to move." His lips brushed against my ear as he spoke.

  I could barely hear him over my pounding heart, but I nodded.

  "Stay behind me." He took a hold of my hand and led the way through the dense pines. Somehow, he found a path that let us avoid crashing through trees and stepping on noisy branches.

  He moved like he could see. I focused on his back, as best I could in the darkness, and followed as quietly as possible.

  We went like that for a small eternity before we came out of the trees near a road.

  "We're going to have to walk for a while," he whispered.

  Not trusting my voice, I nodded and followed when he led me across the road, my hand still grasped tightly in his.

  The moon was full, and the only lights were from distant homes. Doc held my hand tightly and led me down a grassy slope.

  We came to a wooden fence, and he slid through it and tugged me after him. For a minute, I worried about trespassing, then decided I had bigger problems.

  A few cows mooed softly at us as we passed close to their herd. I couldn't even worry about stepping in patties. If it happened, I'd survive it. My shoulders were so tense, I was starting to get a headache, and everything ached from my tumbles. Other aches were making themselves known. I tried to ignore them.

  Doc hesitated at the bank of a stream I hadn't noticed until we were almost on top of it.

  He glanced at me, though I couldn't see his expression well.

  "It's a little deep," he murmured, and before I could tell him I didn't care, he had swept me up into his arms.

  I was in shock, but not so out of it that I didn't notice how effortless he had made picking me up seem. I wasn't that big, but I wasn't light either.

  The water went up to his kne
es in the middle, and soon we were on the other side. Though I didn't think he'd be able to carry me long, I was almost sorry when he put me down as my abused leg muscles screamed at me.

  "You okay?" he asked when I stumbled. He still spoke quietly, though not in the whispers he had earlier.

  "Everything hurts."

  "Only a little bit farther. Do you want me to carry you?"

  I almost said yes. A small shred of pride, or stupidity, or maybe simply disbelieving that he could carry me that far, kept me from saying it, though. I shook my head. He took my hand again, and we continued on through the darkness.

  "Doc," I whispered.

  He glanced at me.

  "Are there wolves in Sunnyglade?"

  He tilted his head, and I was pretty sure he arched his eyebrow.

  "Only two?"

  This time, I knew I saw him smile.

  "Only two," he echoed quietly.

  "I'm glad they're on my side."

  Doc didn't reply. He did drop my hand and put his arm around my shoulders, holding me close. I inhaled his freshly cleaned leather scent and leaned into him, hoping he got me somewhere safe soon.

  "Alex..."

  I felt Doc stiffen for a brief moment. "He's probably fine."

  "Are you sure?"

  "Yeah."

  I had to trust him. I couldn't do anything for him right now anyway.

  "Can you teach me magic?" I asked hesitantly.

  Doc glanced down at me before shaking his head. "I'm not a mage. We'll figure something out, though."

  I almost asked what he was, but held back. If he wanted to tell me, he would. Right now, I just needed him there.

  "We're almost back at the truck. I wouldn't be surprised if they tracked us there, however, so stay behind me."

  He let go of my hand, and I fell in as close behind him as I could without hindering his ability to walk.

  This sucked so much.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  We came up a small grassy rise, and I saw Doc's truck parked by the side of the road. He was right, we weren't alone. Two men–neither of them Ash–leaned against the front, arms crossed.

  "Cassidy," one of them growled.