by Diana Paz
The costume shop wasn’t far. She spent the entire time-frozen walk ignoring Ethan. It actually wasn’t that hard to do. She couldn’t wait to get the task over with. The sooner she did, the sooner she could forget about him and live like a normal human being for a change.
“Can we get on with it?” Kaitlyn pushed the sleeves of her princess gown down off her shoulders.
“These clothes are all wrong,” Angie said. “Your dress is definitely Renaissance and mine looks medieval—”
“I’m not changing again,” Kaitlyn declared.
Julia drew up her knees. “Let’s just go.”
Angie and Kaitlyn sat down beside her, their gowns fluffing around them like melting scoops of ice cream.
“I guess it’s the best we can do,” Angie said.
Julia held out her hands. As soon as the other two took hold of her, she recognized the pull of magic, grateful for how smoothly it blocked out her thoughts, flowing through her veins as thick and sweet as warmed honey. She saw Kaitlyn’s eyes shut briefly. The magic felt so good she almost closed her eyes too, but she was aware of Ethan, leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. His face was laced in shadow, his head lowered, even as his gaze remained fixed on her in the semi-darkness.
She tore her gaze away.
“Kaitlyn, you start,” Angie whispered. “Use your sight. Show us the threads of time.”
Kaitlyn tossed back her dark hair and began drawing out their magic. Julia didn’t resist, allowing her as much as she wanted to take. Kaitlyn’s emotions surprised her, though. Her longing to be in control was overwhelming. Julia almost took back her hand, but the golden threads spread out in front of her.
“I did it,” Kaitlyn said, triumphant.
“Help me search through the different possible futures. Maybe we can figure things out.”
“Okay,” Julia said. She chose the thread closest to her. Colors swirled, forming shapes and a soundless world.
She saw a beautiful room filled with people wearing masks, laughing and dancing. She chose another thread at random and found everything fast forwarded to a room of angry people. They kept pointing at Kaitlyn. A man dragged her to her knees, while a woman sneered and ripped her dress. Jewels spilled out, bouncing across the gleaming floor.
“No, no, no,” Julia repeated, backtracking out of that future and into another. In this one Julia and Angie didn’t leave Kaitlyn’s side. The dancing went on as they looked through room after room. The last room down a long corridor overflowed with dancing slippers and wigs, a dressing room. Angie’s eyes grew wide. She reached out and grabbed a golden goblet.
“I see it,” Julia cried. “The second jewel!”
Angie shook her head. “There are some really terrible futures here if we separate.”
Julia kept searching through the future, confused by the new sets of choices in front of them. No matter which thread she chose, she kept finding them in the center of an enraged mob.
“I can’t anymore,” Kaitlyn said, the words coming out in a rush. The golden threads evaporated into a glimmering mist.
“That’s okay,” Angie said. “I know which one to follow.”
Julia waited as Angie built up her magic. Fleeting sensations coursed through her. She could tell that Angie was trying not to share her emotions, but she could only hide so much, and her love for David pumped through her like a pulse. Could the others sense her feelings for Brian and Ethan? She tried not to think of anything, especially not Brian or Ethan. Hurry up, Angie.
It takes a lot of magic to time travel, Angie said.
Julia sensed Kaitlyn’s curiosity probing against her mind. Stop it.
Kaitlyn was fully in Julia’s thoughts now, an overwhelming presence. She felt her memories being unlocked—embarrassing moments, private moments—and she sensed Kaitlyn’s cruel humor like an echo of laughter through her memories.
“Get out of my brain!” Julia yelled out loud. “I’ll break the connection if that’s the only way, I swear it.”
Wait, Angie said. I can Voyage us. I’m so close.
Julia shoved back against Kaitlyn’s presence as jealousy consumed her mind, burning more with every thought Kaitlyn touched. She almost probed back into Kaitlyn’s emotions to see what that was about. She didn’t. Instead, she focused on sending Angie every ounce of magic she could. Hurry up!
The pull became a harsh force as Angie succeeded, and Ethan’s startled face was the last thing she saw before the world disappeared.
She held tight to Angie’s hand as vicious wind blew them around and around the spinning universe. Angie cried out. She opened her eyes. “I think I did it.”
Julia looked around. No fancy-looking people, no masquerade ball, just dark, shadowy bushes and a massive, star-filled sky. She got up, shaking the top layer of her heavy gown. “Where’s the palace?”
“Julia, you should seriously be a blonde,” Kaitlyn said. “We’re still in Santa Monica from stupid-hundred-years ago.”
“Remember?” Angie said, looking like a storybook heroine in her medieval gown. “Kaitlyn Reveals the threads of time, I Voyage us, then you Journey us to where we need to go.”
“Write it down for her next time.”
“Shut up,” Julia shot back.
Angie’s shoulders slumped before her gaze settled on Julia “Did you see where we needed to go? It was a masquerade ball.”
She nodded. “I’m ready.”
She closed her eyes. The masquerade ball spread out before her, with women laughing, people dancing, and couples kissing.
She squeezed the other girls’ hands, drawing their magic inside herself.
“Let’s go.”
Chapter 24
Angie
The ballroom glittered below them. Angie braced herself for the tumble, certain that Julia would lose control of her magic. But Julia’s brown eyes remained focused, her upper lip tucked beneath her lower one as she landed them lightly on their feet in the center of the frozen ballroom.
Angie sent Julia a surge of pride before breaking their connection. “Good job.”
“Thanks.” She sat in a graceless heap on the floor. “Man, I need a breather.”
Kaitlyn tossed back her hair, her gaze sweeping the ballroom. “Let’s look for the jewel.”
“Shouldn’t we worry about the portal first?” Julia asked.
Both of them turned to Angie. She blinked a moment, realizing that she was meant to be the tie-breaking vote. Who knew what kind of havoc the creatures had been wreaking in their absence? But the jewels ... what would happen if Indira got hold of them?
“Well?” Kaitlyn demanded.
“Hold on a second,” she murmured, wishing she had some way of knowing the year. The costume ball made it difficult to figure out by the style of dress.
“Angie, you’re zoned out again,” Julia said.
“Sorry.” She stilled her fingers, which she had been tapping against the skirt of her gown. They needed to figure out who the creatures were targeting and, if possible, cast a spell of protection over them, but searching for the jewel might prove easier with time frozen. What if they spent all their time accomplishing the task, only to have Indira find the jewels and gain the power of the Fates? If only everything were laid out to accomplish in a specific order. She should have made a list—
“Kaitlyn, get back here,” Julia said, shoving herself to her feet.
“Chill,” Kaitlyn said, weaving through the motionless crowd with someone else’s elegant mask across her face. “This is badass. I’m so making my next party a masquerade.”
Angie clenched her skirts, worry overcoming her as she saw how far ahead Kaitlyn was going. “You shouldn’t—you shouldn’t take someone’s mask. When we unfreeze time they’ll realize it’s gone.”
“Spare me the lecture.”
“It’s not a lecture—Julia!”
Julia spun around, her face hidden behind a mask of her own. “Okay, before you say anything, I totally
found this one lying around. It’s not like I took it out of someone’s hand like Kaitlyn did.”
Kaitlyn twirled her mask by the long, beribboned stem. “Am I supposed to feel bad?”
Angie pressed her fingers to her eyes.
“You two can hang out with all the stiffs. I’m sure it’ll be a blast,” Kaitlyn said, tugging down her dress until her cleavage was on display. “I’m searching for the next jewel. Laters.”
“Wait, we have to stay together,” Angie said. “Let’s start with trying to sense the creatures’ presence so we can trace them back to the portal.”
“Should we unfreeze time?” Julia asked.
“Only if you want to be stupid,” Kaitlyn said. “It’ll be a pain in the ass to sneak out a jewel with all these people watching.”
Kaitlyn’s hand lingered on her bodice, right where she kept the necklace hidden. Angie caught Julia’s raised eyebrows, but averted her own eyes. She didn’t like Kaitlyn’s preoccupation with finding the jewels, but she didn’t think it wise to make her feelings obvious.
“After we unfreeze time, we’ll look for the jewel,” Angie said. “Remember to stick to the story. We are cousins, wealthy Americans, or Colonists, depending on how far back in time we are.”
“Okay,” Julia said. “That worked last time.”
Kaitlyn watched her through the shadowed hollows of her mask’s eye slits. “Fine,” she muttered.
They found a dark corner and Julia unfroze time. Noise rushed into the air, laughter and music and the jumble of a hundred different voices. Angie took several deep breaths, orienting herself.
“Now what?” Julia asked.
Kaitlyn sauntered out into the ballroom. “Now we have fun.”
Angie’s fingers tapped the side of her skirt again. She watched Kaitlyn weave through the crowd. “Come on,” she told Julia as she followed. They caught up to her as she wound through tables loaded with gambling chips and playing cards. Champagne glasses dotted the tables and glimmered in the jeweled hands of the ball’s attendees.
“Kaitlyn, get back here,” Julia demanded. “You looked through the threads of time. You saw what could happen!”
Kaitlyn paused, tossing a glance over her shoulder. “I did.”
Angie’s heart turned to ice at the menacing glint in her eyes. What did the threads of time show her?
“She’s up to something,” Julia muttered.
“I know,” Angie said, her throat burning at the words. What would happen if Kaitlyn held all three jewels? Could she harness the power of the Fates alone?
She watched as Kaitlyn paused in front of a pair of young men who lounged nearby. One said something to her and Kaitlyn smiled at him from behind her mask. Kaitlyn could never pass up an opportunity for male admiration. For once, Angie was grateful for the distraction.
One of the men had jet-black hair tied at the nape with a blue satin bow. The other was tall and slender, with wavy brown hair. “You must forgive me again, Mademoiselle,” the tall one said, taking Kaitlyn’s hand. “My mask emboldens me.”
“Pardon, monsieur,” Angie said, “but my cousins do not speak French. We are recently come from New York and, sadly, they could never be persuaded to their French lessons.”
“Ah, Americans,” he said in heavily-accented English, his eyes lingering on Kaitlyn. “It is no wonder France is sending aid to your new country, when Mademoiselles as lovely as you await within its borders.”
“You speak English!” Julia said.
“I do, Mademoiselle,” he said. “I am Marcel, and this is my companion, Jean.” Jean, the darker one, nodded, his blue eyes plainly admiring Julia behind his simple black mask. “Jean shares the same unfortunate lack of education as your cousins, I fear. He speaks no English.”
Jean lifted a hand to his heart and said, “Je suis tres desole, mais je comprendre seulement un peu.”
“Poor Jean,” Marcel said, “he understands but a small amount of l’Anglaise. It shall be my duty alone to entertain you this evening.”
Kaitlyn’s sultry smile appeared on cue. “What do you have in mind, Marcel?”
“Many things, Mademoiselle.” His eyes seemed to trace Kaitlyn’s form. “Perhaps later you would consider sitting for me.”
“I’d like to do more than sit,” Kaitlyn said.
He laughed. “I meant for a portrait.”
“You’re an artist?” Angie asked.
“I am,” he replied, though his eyes remained trained on Kaitlyn.
Understanding dawned on her. This moment would ensure that Kaitlyn would appear in his artwork someday. Julia would see the painting. She exhaled a pent-up breath. If Kaitlyn hadn’t walked ahead—if they had managed to convince her to stay together, she might not have come upon Jean and Marcel. Would they have still found out that she was the final Daughter of Fate?
“Is this your first visit to a Paris Opera Ball?” Marcel asked, trailing a finger along Kaitlyn’s bare shoulder. “They can be most diverting.”
“Dear cousin,” Angie said. “Our aunt will miss our company if we do not return directly.”
Kaitlyn tossed her head back. “Didn’t you hear? Our aunt said we should have fun and check in with her later.”
Angie’s lips parted as Kaitlyn laughed and went ahead onto the dance floor. Marcel followed her.
If Angie gripped her dress any tighter it would rip at the seams. She glanced around the crowded ballroom. There were hundreds of people in here. Why had the Fates shown her this thread? Where was the portal?
Julia pulled her hand away from a very interested Jean. “I’ll be right back,” she whispered to Angie.
“Where are you going? We’re supposed to stay together.”
She touched Angie’s arm and her mark tingled immediately. To get Ethan. We—I left him in the costume shop.
Angie shut her eyes. Was she the only one thinking of the task? Just find somewhere that won’t make a scene.
Julia nodded and blended into the crowd.
“Forgive me,” Jean said in French. “I must have offended your cousin in some way.”
“No. I must apologize for my cousin. She recalled a matter of great importance.”
“Of course,” he said softly. “Shall I escort you to your relations now?”
Angie clutched at her skirts. “Yes, thank you,” she replied, not knowing what else to say. There weren’t any relations waiting for her, but she couldn’t let that fact become public knowledge. Three girls alone in Paris? This could end very badly.
Jean offered her his arm. The ballroom overflowed with color and light. Drunken men and women laughed, dancing and chasing each other through the crowd with their masks askew. Kaitlyn was nowhere in sight. Finding out more about their situation would be up to her, as always.
“I am quite intrigued by everything French,” she said to Jean. “Your new queen, especially, captures my imagination.”
“As she does to us all,” he said. “It is rumored that she attends masked balls during Carnival. Perhaps even this very night.”
“How daring. Maybe we shall be so fortunate as to see her.”
“If gossip can be believed, she arrives incognito with but a small entourage.” They stopped beside a seating area surrounded by flower-filled vases. From this vantage point, Angie could watch the dancers twirl in the candlelight. “Perhaps,” he said in a low tone, “you would care to sit?”
She spotted Kaitlyn. She wasn’t dancing ... she was talking to someone behind her mask.
A woman.
Angie stepped forward, hardly believing her eyes.
“Mademoiselle, is everything all right?” Jean asked.
Angie barely cast him a glance, deserting him to rush through the crowd. The woman turned, her small frame overshadowed by billowing black hair that cascaded down her back, well past the backs of her thighs.
Indira. The woman stiffened. Her hand lifted and people surged ahead of Angie, blocking her path. Angie countered with her own spell. “Divert,�
�� she whispered, and dancers twirled away. Indira’s smooth brown face remained emotionless, her eyes revealing nothing. Angie held up her palms as Indira thrust her hands down. An icy wind blew through the overcrowded ballroom.
Laughing faces crowded her vision. Voices rang in her ears.
And Indira vanished.
“Where is she?” Angie demanded as the crowd parted at last. “What did she want?”
Kaitlyn stared through the holes in her mask. “Who?”
“Indira! She was right here. You were talking to her.”
“I wasn’t talking to anyone,” Kaitlyn said. “Why don’t you go bother Julia for a while and get off my case?”
Lies! Whatever Indira told her must have been powerful information. Angie schooled her features, feigning belief. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m so worried about everything that I guess I was seeing things. She did look just like her, though.”
Kaitlyn watched her for a moment. “She did.”
“I’d better go find Julia.” She gave Kaitlyn a small smile. “Then we can decide what to do next.”
“Okay, then.”
She felt Kaitlyn’s eyes on her as she walked away, and waited until she was behind a pillar before turning and watching Kaitlyn’s next move.
Kaitlyn pulled out the first Jewel of Time and clasped the necklace around her neck. Her eyes slid closed.
Angie sucked in her breath as her mark shot a bolt of heat up her shoulder and through her chest.
Kaitlyn disappeared.
Angie glanced down at her own arms.
So had she.
Kaitlyn had harnessed her power without them.
Chapter 25
Julia
Julia gave up trying to find a place in the ballroom to summon Ethan. Every dark, hidden space had a couple making out in it.
She shoved aside a curtain to find yet another pair of lustbirds. Beyond them stretched a deserted corridor.
“Excuse me.” The couple didn’t notice her, too wrapped up in their slobbery kissing. As soon as she was out of sight she held out her hands and whispered, “Find me, Wanderer.”