Timespell

by Diana Paz

  Pirate-guy moved to the gate, separating the two sides as far as the chain let him. “You can squeeze through,” he repeated, his silver gaze resting on her a moment.

  “No offense,” Julia said, sliding easily through the gates, “but this is weird.”

  “Is it?” He fell into step with her as she headed down the block.

  “Yeah. Aside from the fact that you can disappear, which is also weird, how did you know where I go to school?” She studied his face, but he remained quiet as they got to the park. Indira’s words crept into her memory. His time in your life is nearly here.

  She skidded to a stop. “Indira sent you.”

  “Indira? No.”

  “Then who?”

  “The only person who can send me anywhere is you.”

  What is he talking about? She shook her head, pushing her hair away from her face. “I’m sorry, did I miss something?”

  “The Fates gave me to you, Julia. I’m your Wanderer.”

  She stared at him. “Gave you to me? What does that even mean?”

  “What else could it mean?” His eyes flashed as he raised his voice, bitterness embedded in every word. “I’m yours, Daughter of Fate, whether I want to be or not. Your guardian. Your protector. Like some kind of slave you summon up whenever you need me. Now do you get it?”

  “Chill out.” She dropped her backpack under a cluster of trees. This was as good a place as any for a nap, and she was ready to lose the pirate with the attitude problem. “I didn’t ask for a Wanderer and I’m pretty tired. If it’s all the same to you, I’ll ditch school without your help, thank you very much.”

  He came so close she took a step back, bumping into a tree. “Ouch,” she said, rubbing her head where it hit. Did this guy not know about personal space?

  “Look at me,” he said, his voice low and deep.

  She had been looking everywhere except at him. Looking at him gave her a few too many butterflies for a girl with a boyfriend. She let out a shaky breath. What was so wrong with looking at him? Maybe a few things. First, he was being a jerk. Second, he was close enough that the wrong move might lead to bodily contact. Third, he was gorgeous. His black hair fell into his eyes in a way that made her itch to pull it back. And those eyes ... wow. The contrast of curling black lashes made his irises gleam as bright as metal. She couldn’t look away. She should look away, because she was breathless now, and because he was reaching up to touch her face.

  She shut her eyes.

  I have a boyfriend. I have a boyfriend. I have a boyfriend.

  “Julia,” he murmured, his fingers brushing her jaw.

  She felt his warmth at her lips.

  Holy cow, he was going for the kiss. Was that such a bad thing? What am I thinking? “No-no-no,” she said ducking out of his arms.

  Pain and confusion played across his features. She frowned up at him. Had she been leading him on? She rubbed her eyes, her head completely fuzzy. Brian was awesome and he didn’t deserve this. Kissing a random stranger at the park? Okay, not completely random since they had a magical connection, but still—ew.

  “Listen,” she said, her voice shaky. “I don’t know what magic words made you appear, but you need to go. Now.”

  “You may be able to summon me, but you don’t get to send me away.”

  “Geez, man, all I wanted was a nap before fifth period,” she muttered, turning away. “If this is some kind of lesson about how ditching doesn’t pay, it is seriously working.”

  He sat on the grassy ground with his back against a tree. “Take your nap,” he said, his voice harsh. “Don’t worry, I won’t bother you anymore.”

  Julia stomped to the opposite side of the tree, not such a fan of wavy black hair anymore. “You can tone down the attitude. It’s not my fault the Fates forced you to be my Wanderer.”

  He made a noise that almost sounded like a laugh. “Trust me. It’s completely your fault.”

  Had she almost let him kiss her a minute ago? That would definitely not be happening again.

  It took a few minutes before she calmed down enough to notice how tired she felt. She lay on the grass with her backpack as a pillow. The cool ground smelled fresh and earthy. The warm air wrapped around her like a blanket. It seemed the entire world’s rhythm slowed, as though something reached through her agitated mind, calming her, lulling her.

  “You don’t know my name,” the guy said softly from his side of the tree.

  Julia’s eyes slid closed. “Ethan,” she murmured. Indira had told her his name. For some reason, that wasn’t why it seemed familiar.

  “I miss you, Jules,” she heard him say.

  For a few moments she struggled to understand what he meant, and why it seemed to make sense. She saw him in her mind, but he was different. Smiling. It felt like one of those half-dreams. The kind she could semi-control right before she drifted off to sleep.

  “How can you miss me?” she finally whispered. “I’m right here.”

  Chapter 4

  Angie

  The lunch bell rang. Angie let her gaze drift around the nearly empty locker room, hoping she had missed Julia somehow. After her antics during French class, Angie had thought something was wrong. She had even raced to the locker room as soon as the bell rang, knowing Julia had PE.

  But Julia never showed up.

  Whatever she needed to talk about must not have been that urgent after all.

  Angie pushed thoughts of Julia from her mind.

  She exhaled a breath of mildew and disinfectant-laced air, pulling her hair free of its ponytail. The long, straight strands fell over her shoulders. David always liked her hair this way. She realized she was leaving her hair down to impress him and almost put it back up again. She wasn’t fooling anyone, though. She wanted him to like the way she looked. Even the thought made her happy.

  She double-checked her locker, stalling. Her deodorant, mini brush, two ponytail holders, and a clean sports bra rested neatly on the top shelf. Her practice clothes lay folded on the bottom shelf, a pair of red shorts and a white T-shirt that said Vikings Cheer.

  There was nothing left to do except go to lunch.

  Thoughts of David crowded her mind. His voice, rich with the remnants of laughter. The warm, soft touch of his hand on her cheek. The way his lids lowered when he wanted to kiss her.

  She triple-checked that her locker was the way it should be and slammed it shut.

  Meeting him was a bad idea.

  Going to prom with him was a bad idea.

  She left the locker room. The rhythm of her new dance routine repeated itself in her head, with each step forming part of an eight-count. The repetition rocked her mind like the hum of a wordless lullaby. A girl from French Club waved at her. The girl was really nice, and Angie forced a smile. She didn’t doubt for a moment that her eyes sparkled and her dimples showed, because hiding her magic from the world had taught her a few things. She had her mask of normalness down to a science.

  She swallowed thickly. This month had been misery without David. She couldn’t stop herself from going to the glen for lunch. Not now that they had broken the silence.

  David glanced up from his spot beneath their tree, a sandwich halfway to his mouth.

  It was impossible to keep her heart from leaping.

  She had missed him.

  She slowed, but continued toward him. He put his sandwich in its wrapper, his eyes never leaving hers. He stood and his smile— half disbelief, half pleasure—grew by the second.

  His hand reached out as if to take hers, then moved up to rub the back his head. His smile became hesitant. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  It felt good to be near him. Why should she let Kaitlyn be a factor in her happiness? She could put it behind her. She would put it behind her. She smiled, unable to contain herself. She was so tired of feeling sad.

  “I missed you, David.”

  There. She had admitted it. Her feelings were out in the open.

  He grabbed her hands.
“Angie.” The word was a breath of air.

  She wanted to step into his arms, but she wasn’t quite there yet and urged him down to sit with her instead.

  “I know this is going to take time,” he said, his words rushing out as if he could barely contain them. “And I know how lucky I am. I know it. I promise you, Angie, if it takes me rest of my life, I’ll make it up to you.”

  “Angie! There you are!”

  David looked up and Angie followed his gaze.

  Julia, her auburn hair flying free, raced through the courtyard with wild, flinging arms. “Oh my gosh, this is so crazy,” Julia panted, fanning herself. “Man, I hate running. What’s going on? You saw me at third period, but you didn’t answer any of my texts.”

  “My phone is off. They’re not allowed in class, remember?”

  Julia rolled her eyes and Angie heard a distinctive, “Whatever,” under her breath. “Hi David,” Julia added, as if just realizing he was there. Angie caught the way Julia’s honey brown eyes hardened. “Mind if I steal her away for a sec?”

  His gaze faltered.

  Angie’s heart constricted at the sight. “Can it wait a minute?”

  “No. It can’t,” Julia said. She tapped a finger against her arm and mouthed, Come on!

  Angie kept carefully still, weighing what her words should be. She understood that it was about the magic, but the things happening between her and David were important too.

  He made the choice easy. “It’s okay, Angie. I’ll catch up with you later.” He squeezed her hand lightly and let go. “I love you.”

  His blue eyed-gaze hit her straight in the heart, but he left quickly, making her decision not to say ‘I love you’ back less painful. She turned to Julia, feeling a ball of anger roll up inside her. “This had better be urgent.”

  “It is! Look at this.” Julia pulled out a piece of paper from her backpack.

  She took the folded up sheet. “A painting. For your history paper? Did you really need to interrupt—”

  “Look at the girl in the picture.”

  She took a second look. The printout was black and white, and the image was grainy, but it was definitely a girl who bore an incredible resemblance to—

  “Oh my goodness.”

  Julia slumped. “I know.”

  Angie’s tongue became glued to the roof of her mouth. Her stomach turned as the air left her lungs.

  “She’s the third Daughter of Fate,” Julia said, her voice sullen. “She has to be. And there’s more.” She unzipped her backpack, digging around for something.

  Angie stared at the picture, her hands tightening on the sheet of paper. She couldn’t do anything except picture Kaitlyn and David. Together. The look of satisfaction on Kaitlyn’s face as she broke off her kiss with David. His horrified expression as he saw her and pushed Kaitlyn away. Her stomach bottomed out and the paper crinkled in her hands.

  “Angie?”

  She glanced up. She was going to be sick.

  Julia held her history book against her chest. Her brown eyes shone with worry. “We don’t have to do this.”

  Angie pressed her fingers to her eyes. Kaitlyn-David. David-Kaitlyn. Tears moistened her lashes as pain lanced her chest, tearing open the wound that had just begun to heal. “I need things to stop for a sec.”

  “Really stop?” Julia asked, her voice hushed. Angie nodded and Julia touched her arm. The power formed between them, warm and bright as it always was. Comforting. In another second, everything became silent and still.

  Angie released a deep breath. Kaitlyn and David ... Kaitlyn, the third Daughter. Angie couldn’t bring her spinning thoughts under control. She tried counting, but she couldn’t find anything to count. She thought of kittens. Three little kittens they lost their mittens, and they began to cry ....

  “Are you okay?”

  The nursery rhyme repeated itself in her mind. She willed the muscles in her face to relax. “Yeah, thanks,” she said, forcing her lips into a smile. Even through tears, she knew she could fool everyone if she just smiled.

  Everyone but David. No matter how perfectly she crinkled her nose, David could see right through it. But she couldn’t keep thinking about him. And she couldn’t think of anything else.

  Julia put away her history book. She glanced up, her eyes too wide. “I don’t need that book after all.”

  Angie sniffed. Julia was the worst liar she knew. “You’re acting strange.”

  “Don’t I always?”

  She let out a breath. Secrets, lies, Kaitlyn-Kaitlyn-Kaitlyn-Kaitlyn-Kaitlyn. Every beat of her heart seemed to pump out the name like a vicious stab. “We found the final Daughter. We can keep our powers forever,” she whispered. “You were right, Julia. A lot can happen in two days.”

  Julia’s eyes were steady as she watched her.

  “I like the world this way. Everything stopped. Nothing moving forward or taking us to places we don’t want to go.” She wrapped her arms around her middle and began pacing the still earth. “You have the best power out of the three of us.”

  “We don’t even know what Kaitlyn’s power is,” Julia said, dropping her gaze as she trailed off. “Not that I care what her power is.”

  “Her power is going to be seeing into the future,” Angie said, trying very hard to keep the gloom out of her voice. “The ancient texts have our powers outlined, remember?”

  “Yeah, I guess,” Julia said, pulling out a binder.

  Angie braced herself against a tree. Frozen students dotted the lawn, midway through their lunches or walking or making out. She had asked Julia to freeze time so she could give her thoughts a chance to catch up with her emotions. It wasn’t for selfish reasons. It was to determine whether she could go through with marking Kaitlyn and releasing her magic.

  And because her heart was on the brink of shattering.

  “We don’t have to tell Kaitlyn anything,” Julia whispered.

  “Yes, we do,” Angie said, hearing the woeful tone of her voice but unable to curb it. “We have no choice.”

  “We have a choice. We can choose to let your birthday come and go. Just let our powers fade away.”

  “Fade,” she murmured. She couldn’t let the magic fade. It was her birthright. Her destiny.

  If they brought Kaitlyn to Indira, they would keep their powers. Then Kaitlyn would be sealed with her and Julia forever.

  Angie let the idea settle over her mind.

  “But then the creatures of Mythos will roam through time for another generation. Just because I don’t get along with one of the Daughters.” She shook her head. “I can’t be that selfish.”

  Julia blushed. It made the glints of red in her hair seem brighter. “Well, it doesn’t have to be today. Your birthday’s on Saturday, so mark her tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow is prom,” Angie answered, surprised she could breathe through the ache in her chest. “I don’t think we’ll be able to mark Kaitlyn, find Indira, ask her to seal us, and get ready for prom all in one afternoon.”

  “Sure we could, if we froze time. Do you even think about our powers at all?”

  Wait until tomorrow. Maybe Julia was right.

  “It’s the best thing,” Julia said, taking out a math book. “Sleep on it. If you still want to mark her tomorrow, we’ll find her at PE and then freeze time and go after school to Indira’s.”

  “All right,” she relented. One night to sleep on it. One night to reconcile herself to the fact that Kaitlyn would become a permanent part of her life. She would need a lot of cookies to make it through.

  Her eyes rested on Julia, whose hair spilled in a wild mass as she bent over her book. Something came back to her mind, something Julia said right after she told her about Kaitlyn.

  And there’s more.

  She sat on the grass beside her friend. “What else did you have to tell me?”

  “Hm?” Julia flipped through her book without looking up. She unsnapped her binder and took out a sheet of paper. “Oh!” She bit her lip. “No
thing.”

  She watched Julia’s pencil as her friend scribbled barely decipherable numbers across the page. “You said there’s more. Is it something to do with the Fates?”

  Julia’s pencil hovered a moment above her paper. Her face turned a nice, deep shade of red, but she shook her head. “It doesn’t matter right now. All that matters is you deciding whether to be sealed with Kaitlyn.”

  Angie blinked at her dismissive tone. Julia had never kept anything from her before. For a moment she thought about establishing a connection to Julia’s mind and peeking into her thoughts. She shook her head at herself. “We should unfreeze time,” she said softly.

  Julia didn’t pause in her writing. “Can’t. I have to finish my homework.”

  “But—” Wasn’t that cheating?

  “I was too busy finishing that stupid history paper to do homework last night. I was going to take a zero in math, but now I have all the time I need.”

  “That doesn’t really seem ... right.”

  “Don’t care.”

  “I’ll bet if you unfreeze time you can still finish before the bell rings.”

  “Not a chance,” Julia murmured, flipping to the back of the book to copy the answers to the odd-numbered questions.

  Angie placed a hand on her friend’s arm and sent her some magic. She meant to encourage her friend to unfreeze time, but Julia’s thoughts flowed alongside hers. She had been hiding something, and Angie ached with the desire to figure out what it was. The magic was right there. She could dive into Julia’s consciousness, search out her thoughts. Lies were so easy to find. They stood out, feeling different than the normal thoughts in a person’s mind. Curving out of place. Wayward.

  Before she realized she was doing it, Angie brushed against the edge of Julia’s consciousness. The membrane separating them was almost nonexistent. She could feel her friend’s worry over something. Her uncertainty.

  A wave of icy shock washed over her mind. Julia glanced up, locking gazes with Angie. Surprise shone there, mixed with accusation and disbelief, all echoing in their shared emotion. She let go of Julia’s arm. That had been wrong. Much more wrong than working on homework during frozen time.