by Alicia Rades
He stood, and I noticed a collection of green leaves in his hands. When it hit me, a wave of heat washed over me, and my hands turned to fists. He was stealing from Grammy!
I quickly reached for the window and flung it open. “Hey, jackass!” I shouted across the lawn.
He turned and started walking toward the park.
“Hey!” I yelled again, louder this time. He just kept on walking, ignoring me.
Excuse me!? No one stole from my grandmother and got away with it!
I quickly turned from the window and ran out of the room, hurrying toward the back door in the kitchen. Grammy was still at the front of the house, talking to whomever was at the door, but I didn’t hear what they were saying.
By the time I got outside, the guy was almost to the trees. The sky had darkened as storm clouds rolled in for the night.
“Stop!” I called to him. “What do you think you’re doing?”
I knew I should’ve turned back and just let it go. I mean, it was only a couple of leaves, right? But I was curious to a fault and wasn’t the kind of girl who avoided confrontation. I’d set anyone straight if they needed an ass whooping.
Besides, this was Grammy’s livelihood. You couldn’t just walk into someone’s yard and compromise the health of their crop.
My breath grew hot, and my chest started to burn as I ran across the lawn. Screw the pain. This asshole wasn’t going to get away with this.
I hurried into the trees behind him, but once I stepped inside the forest, it was like he'd vanished. I glanced around, looking for any sign of movement, but the forest was still. All I heard was the rustle of wind through the trees and the distant sound of an owl.
It was the time of day between sunset and nightfall, which left the forest cast in a dull light. The air felt chilly, and goosebumps broke out across my arms. It was class-A spooky-movie creepy. Most girls would turn around and run back home, but I wasn't most girls.
I continued forward, staying on high alert. My pulse thumped loudly in my ears, as if warning me to turn back—which only made me want to push on.
The narrow dirt pathway took me deep into the forest and past a steep ravine. And then I heard it—the sound of sticks breaking in the distance, like a pair of footsteps traveling off the path. The crunch of leaves came then, picking up in pace and intensity. I quickly realized I was listening to more than one set of footsteps.
I threw myself behind a thick tree as the footsteps came closer. One guy I could deal with. A whole group of them? Probably not.
I peeked around the tree to see four girls walking my way. They all looked my age, but they seemed anything but the kind of girls who would be walking in the woods after sunset. The vibe they gave off suggested they frequented the mall more than the outdoors.
The first girl was gorgeous, with sleek black hair and rich red lips. She wore a skin-tight black dress and low-cut boots with a heel to them. In her hands, she held what looked like a mini witch’s cauldron the size of a softball. She had this look her face that said get out of my way, bitch, even though she faced nothing but trees. She was definitely the leader of the pack.
To her right walked a girl with porcelain skin, ruby red lips, and long white curls. Her legs went on for miles. The girl on her left had full lips and stick-straight dark hair cut just above her shoulders. It shimmered a deep red and had clearly been done at the salon.
The three of them looked like they could be Instagram models. They were enviously beautiful, with perfect hair and thin bodies. I was pretty sure if I got close enough, I’d see that their nails were done to perfection, too.
“Amy, get up here,” the first girl snapped.
The final girl hurried forward. She looked the most down-to-earth of all of them. She was pretty, but in a different way than the Instagram-model chicks. She had jet-black hair and almond-shaped eyes, but she dressed more casually in jeans and a burgundy top.
“Sorry, Chloe,” she said quickly, not meeting the main bitch’s eyes. “I was just—”
“Shut up and grab the toad,” Chloe snapped. “It’s right there, or are you too blind to see it?”
Amy’s eyes went wide for a second at Chloe’s insult, but she quickly followed her instructions and bent to catch a toad I couldn’t see from here.
It was clear Amy didn’t fit in with these girls. She seemed timid around them, while they held up their noses at her. I wanted to cut in and rescue her, but I was too curious to break things up now. What the heck was going on? Was this some kind of hazing ritual, where they made the sorority pledge eat a live toad or something?
Amy caught the toad, and Chloe held out her mini cauldron. She nodded toward it impatiently. “Well…?”
Amy hesitated. “We really shouldn’t be doing this.”
Chloe rolled her eyes. “It’s harmless. It’ll wear off in twenty-four hours.”
I furrowed my brow. What would wear off?
Amy bit her lower lip. “Yeah, but it’s complicated. What if something goes wrong?”
“Will it?” Chloe asked, making it sound like a threat—like if something went wrong, Amy would be the one to blame. “Remember what we’re doing here for you, Amy. You do this for us, and we’ll help you find your cat.”
The way she said it suggested Chloe knew exactly what happened to Amy’s cat.
Amy looked torn. She glanced to the cauldron but held the toad close to her chest, like she was protecting it.
I watched curiously. What exactly was it they were asking her to do?
“It’s not like we’re going to hurt Mandy,” the blonde girl said, though I didn’t sense honesty in her tone.
“Gwen’s right,” the third girl added. “We just want to teach Mandy a lesson.”
Amy swallowed hard. “What… what did she do to you?”
Yeah, I’d like to know that, too. It was like I was watching a drama TV show. I couldn’t tear my gaze away.
Chloe pursed her lips, looking angry at the mention of this Mandy chick. “She’s dating Ryan. This is her one and only warning.”
“I thought you and Ryan broke up,” Amy said.
Chloe took a swift step forward so she was up in Amy’s face within an instant. Amy breathed heavily, like she was a little scared, but she held Chloe’s gaze.
“You’re not here to ask questions, Amy,” Chloe snarled. “You’re here to do the spell. I have eight months until my ceremony, so until I get my powers, you’re going to help me. Now finish it.”
Hold up. Did she just say spell?
Amy took a step back and straightened a little. “No. I won’t help you do this to her.”
Chloe’s featured hardened by the second. “You wouldn’t want Mittens to… meet an untimely end.”
“That’s not her name,” Amy mumbled, but Chloe ignored her.
“Besides, it’s not like we’re turning Mandy into a toad forever,” Chloe said. “It’s not permanent.”
Turn someone into a toad? Was she serious?
Amy’s jaw clenched. “You’re a real bitch, you know that?”
Chloe tilted her head and sighed. “You say that like it’s supposed to hurt my feelings.”
Amy rolled her eyes. “Fine. I’ll do it. But just know that I’m not here to be your on-call Alchemist.”
Huh? Spells? Alchemy? Maybe I wasn’t so far off with that cult idea. That, or these bitches were straight-up bat-shit crazy.
Amy gently placed the toad in the cauldron, then took it from Chloe’s hands. She started mumbling words under her breath that I couldn’t hear. I didn’t know what to think at first, until I saw a dark blue light swirl out of Amy’s hands, lighting up the cauldron. The tendrils of light swirled around it like some CGI shit, until they reached the open top and sank into the contents inside.
My eyes widened as I stumbled back from my tree. What in the living hell did I just see? A trick of the light? A hallucination? Swirling light didn’t just come out of people’s hands like that!
The girls hadn�
�t noticed me, but I knew it was time to hightail it out of there regardless. What kind of crazy ass shit was going on here?
I ran away so fast that I lost track of the trail. I glanced behind myself to see if they were following, but they weren’t. When I turned back around, my heart shot up into my throat as I stumbled over a rock. My body flew forward, and I went tumbling head over heels down the side of the ravine.
“Whoa!” I cried as I tried to catch myself, but my momentum didn’t slow until I hit the bottom.
I lay on the ground, aching from the bruises I’d accumulated on the way down. The trees swayed in the wind above me, but I didn’t move right away. I was half cursing myself for not watching where I was going and half just waiting for the initial shock to pass.
Finally, I pushed myself to my elbows—only to find a tall shadow standing over me, holding out a hand. He came as a beacon of safety. I didn’t know what possessed me to take the stranger’s hand, but I found myself reaching up to him. He pulled me to my feet, and I finally got a glance at his face.
Time seemed to slow when I looked into his mesmerizing green eyes. The sounds in the forest disappeared, and it felt like the world was spinning around me. For just the briefest of moments, my heart seemed like it was floating in my chest. It was a welcome change to the heavy weight I’d been carrying around lately.
It was him, the guy in the gray hoodie who’d been stealing from my grandmother’s garden. He was hella attractive, with dark hair and cupid’s bow lips, but his eyes were hooded in a darkness that both terrified and intrigued me.
I took a breath, and the world became normal again as time once again sped up. The weight on my chest returned, and the whistling of the wind became audible again.
I cleared my throat. “Um, thanks.”
Above us, the sound of hurried footsteps rustled the leaves on the ground. He brought his index finger to his lips, signaling for me to be quiet.
“Follow me,” he whispered. His voice was smooth, like a beautiful song.
Since he was still holding my hand, he kind of dragged me behind him. We ducked behind a large boulder that was big enough to conceal us both. We crouched low, our bodies almost touching. My hand tingled from where he held it. I could feel the heat coming off him in waves, and my heart pounded so hard I could feel it.
“What is it, Chloe?” I heard one of the girls ask—the one with the short brown hair.
The footsteps stopped at the top of the ravine. “Shut up, Camille,” Chloe snapped. “I’m trying to listen.”
“Listen to what?” Gwen asked.
“Didn’t you hear it?” Chloe growled. “Someone’s out here.”
“Well, whoever it was is gone now,” Camille said.
Chloe huffed. “I swear to our goddess, if Mandy is following us, I’ll—”
“She wouldn’t do that,” Amy cut in.
“Whatever,” Chloe said dramatically. “We got what we came out here for. Let’s go.”
Their footsteps faded as they distanced themselves from us. I didn’t move until I could no longer hear them—and even then, I remained put for nearly a minute longer.
Finally, I relaxed, as did the stranger beside me. It wasn’t until he helped me to my feet that I finally let go of his hand.
I crossed my arms and faced him. “Care to explain to me what’s going on?”
He eyed me curiously, and I felt a blush rise to my cheeks. “What do you want to know?”
“Who were those girls? And why were you stealing from my grandma’s garden?” I pursed my lips, waiting for his answer.
“You’re Helena Turner’s granddaughter?” he asked, sounding a bit surprised.
“Yeah, I am. So tell me why you were stealing from us.”
He crossed his arms and leaned his backside up against the boulder. “I wasn’t stealing. Your grandma said I could take some leaves from her matus shrub whenever I wanted.”
“Matus shrub?” I asked skeptically. I’d never heard of such a thing.
“You chew on the leaves to help relieve anxiety,” he explained. “Anyway, will you be staying long?”
I hesitated, reluctant to give him too much personal information. “As long as I have to.”
He pushed himself off the rock, then started for the edge of the ravine. I followed and climbed behind him.
“In that case, you’ll want to steer clear of the Lucky Three,” he said.
“What’s the Lucky Three?” I asked.
He reached the top and held out a hand again. I almost didn’t take it, because he seemed to be acting a little too helpful, but the ravine was super steep, and I didn’t want to embarrass myself by falling down it again. He helped me onto level ground and quickly found the trail. We fell into step side by side as darkness began to envelop the forest.
He shoved his hands into his pockets, and I noticed a pair of earbuds hanging out of one. That must’ve been why he hadn’t heard me earlier. “The Lucky Three are those girls you just had the pleasure of meeting.”
“Seriously?” I asked. “Their gang has a name?”
He shrugged. “It was a nickname they got in high school that stuck. They always got lucky when it came to the popular vote. You know, student council, prom court, that kind of thing.”
They got lucky, or they cheated. Something told me they were the kind of girls who’d stuff the ballot box.
“Are they, like, in some sort of cult or something?” I asked him.
He chuckled lightly and looked a little surprised. “A cult? What makes you say that?”
“They used some pretty cult-ish sounding words,” I explained. “They were talking about spells and alchemy. And Main Bitch talked about our goddess.”
He sputtered, like he was choking on air. “Main Bitch. I’m going to have to remember that one. It’s a pretty accurate description of Chloe.”
I smiled proudly.
We reached the edge of the trees. Grammy’s house stood in front of us with the lights inside illuminating the garden.
“Anyway,” he said, turning to me. “You should probably ask your grandma about the rest of it.”
Way to stiff me on the details. I couldn’t just leave my curiosity unchecked.
“Well, you’re a big help,” I said sarcastically.
He shrugged. “What can I say? It’s a blessing.”
I rolled my eyes at him. Fine. If he thought I should talk to Grammy, that’s exactly what I’d do. I started across the lawn toward the house. “See you around.”
“Wait,” he called.
I stopped in my tracks and turned to him. I was once again taken off guard by the enchantment in his eyes. I didn’t get it. I mean, yeah, he was a total hottie. But like, he was just standing there. What made him so special?
It was a rhetorical question, but a little voice inside my head told me I was going to find out eventually.
“What’s your name?” he asked curiously.
I placed a hand on my hip. “Yours first.”
“Lucas,” he told me without hesitation. I half expected him to play back and demand mine first. He’s no fun.
“I’m Nadine,” I said.
An emotion I couldn’t quite read crossed his eyes when I told him my name. I almost thought it was surprise, but there was a sense of familiarity there, too. I must’ve been reading him wrong, because it didn’t make any sense.
“Anyway…” I broke the silence and gestured to my grandma’s house. “I’ve gotta go. It was nice meeting you.”
He nodded. “Yeah, you too. Stay safe, Nadine.”
I laughed. “No promises.”
I wasn’t really the stay safe kind of girl. I was the run into danger kind. Life was more fun that way.
When I got back inside, I found Grammy standing at the kitchen window, looking out over the back lawn. Cornelius sat in her arms, purring. She raised a curious eyebrow that made me want to crawl into a hole.
“I see you’ve met Lucas Taylor,” she said lightly, obviously teasin
g me.
I shrugged. “I guess.”
“And…?” she pressed.
“And what?” I asked innocently. “He was fine.”
“He’s a nice boy,” Grammy said. “Just be careful.”
“Careful how?” I sensed there was more she wanted to say.
She shrugged, like she didn’t have a real answer.
If she was trying to drive me away from him, she was doing it wrong. I liked a little mystery.
She sighed. “You look really tired. Why don’t you turn in for the night and we’ll move in everything in the morning?”
She was right. I was absolutely exhausted and wanted to crawl into bed and sleep for three days. But at the same time, I had questions that needed answering.
“Didn’t you have something you wanted to talk to me about?” I asked. “Besides, I’m curious about a few things, and Lucas told me to talk to you.”
Grammy waved her hand. “It can wait.”
“But Grammy—”
“I’m not taking no for an answer, Nadine. You need to take care of yourself.”
I really didn’t need a babysitter, but Grammy was a little overprotective. Even though I tried to protest, she insisted I needed my rest.
I crawled into bed that night with a hundred burning questions on my mind. One thing, however, was very clear. There was something weird going on in this town.
And I intended to figure out what.
Chapter 3
Lucas
Her name was a warm light within my cold, dark world. Nadine.
Of all the thoughts I’d collected over these past few months, there was one that stuck out. Stay safe, Nadine. I love you. There was more to it than that, but that was the part that hit me the strongest.
I didn’t know who had died and why they mattered to her, but somehow I instinctively knew—there was no other Nadine. This was the girl who someone had dedicated their dying thought to.