by Fletcher, MJ
I crouched down and slid along the side of the building. I thought about everything my dad had ever taught me about misdirection and how to blend into your surroundings. Sometimes I really loved the fact that Dad had been a magician. How many six year old girls were taught how to pick locks and hide in shadows?
Val stayed right by my side as we passed one building after another. There were only two remaining between us and where Nightshade and the woman were talking. I stopped at a stoop and hid behind the stairs peering through the metal hand rails to get a better look at the scene.
The woman had her back to us. I had to admit she was in good shape and something about the way she moved seemed familiar. Her dress looked as if it had been painted on and her heels made her closer to Nightshade’s height.
She was laughing at something he had said and leaned her head coyly to one side. Val could see part of her face and arched her neck trying to get a better view. In her eagerness to get a closer look, she took a step and her foot caught on something in the dark. She careened forward, letting out a yelp as she fell. I snatched my hand out and just missed her as she crashed into the trash bins.
The sound echoed all around the street and I dropped down to my belly as Val scrambled backward on her hands and knees to avoid being seen.
“What was that?” Nightshade’s voice carried across the street.
I slapped my hand over my mouth to stop any noise from coming out. My life flashed before my eyes as I imagined him finding me on my stomach trying to hide under garbage. This night was turning out perfect.
Val stopped right beside me and we both remained as still as possible. The sound of approaching footsteps on the pavement made my heart race and my mind did the same. If I opened a portal and ran he would give chase not to mention recognizing my power signature. I was trapped.
The meow of a cat sounded beside me and I turned and almost choked when I saw Val making cat noises. I kept my hand over my mouth to stifle the laughter bubbling inside of me. Val sneered at me and kept up with a series of authentic meows and hisses that actually impressed me.
“It’s just a stupid cat.” The woman’s voice stopped the sound of footfalls.
“I guess,” Nightshade said, though didn’t sound convinced, but his footsteps retreated. The two of them began talking, their voices drifting off as they walked away and turned off the street.
I let out a strangled laugh as I removed my hand. Val punched me in the shoulder and we both pulled ourselves up and dusted ourselves off.
“You’re terrible.”
“Me? I’m not the one making cat noises.”
“Shut up, it stopped him didn’t it?”
“Yeah, I’m going to have to remember that the next time the First Kind has me cornered.”
“Where did they go?” Val craned her neck trying to see around the corner.
“Not sure but that voice sounded familiar.”
“You know her?”
“Maybe, I just can’t place it.”
“What do you want to do?”
“The smart thing to do is to go meet Jess and Slade and forget we ever did this in the first place.”
“So we’re going to keep following them then?”
“Of course we are.” I shrugged giving into my own insanity, may not be the best choice, but I had to know who the woman was and if I knew her. Though I didn’t think it would make me feel any better, at least then I would know who it was I should hate for no good reason.
We slinked from behind the stoop and quickly made our way across the street. Stopping abruptly, I craned my neck around a building and looked down the block to see Nightshade and the woman entering a pub. I waved to Val and ran across the street and crouched behind the row of cars and moved along them until the pub was directly across from us. I leaned back against the vehicle and took a deep breath.
“Want me to check?” Val offered.
“Sure.” I nodded and bit my lip. Val twisted and looked through the window of the car. Her head bobbed up and down like a baby bird in a nest looking for something to eat.
“I can see them; they’re sitting at a table near the window. She looks familiar but I can’t place her.”
“Okay.” I cricked my neck and glanced through the car’s windows to where Val was looking “Oh no.”
“What?” Val asked as I dropped to the ground and put my head in my hands.
“Do you know her, who is she?”
“Her name is Darla.” As soon as I had seen her face I recognized her. She was a member of the Skeleton Key Guild. Darla had been with Jessica the day we had fought in the Library at Paladin Academy two years ago. Darla and I had also fought months ago at the Diesel Factories when she tried to take Nightshade’s leather jacket from me. Of everyone he could be on a date with, why did it have to be her?
I ran my hands through my hair and dropped my head back to look up at the star-filled night sky. What the hell was I doing? Had I really managed to fall that low that I was sneaking around spying on Nightshade? I hated sneaky, manipulative women and now I was one of them. I shook my head and turned to Val. She gave me a faint smile and patted my arm.
“Sorry.”
“Not your fault, Val. Let’s get the hell out of here; I think I’ve embarrassed myself enough for one night.”
“You got it.” Val snuck along the cars retracing our steps.
I took one last look across the street at Nightshade. He was sitting at the table and laughing as he talked with Darla, my stomach roiled for a third time tonight and I realized that the roller coaster I was on was named Nightshade. I turned and crept along after Val... moving on in more ways than one.
Chapter 9
Status: I am busy hating myself.
“Darla? Are you serious?” Jess folded my shirt and placed it alongside the others in my suitcase. I hadn’t told her what I had done last night after Val and I had met back up with her and Slade. But when she showed up at the house to help me pack for my move, I couldn’t stop myself from confessing.
“I’m serious alright.”
“I mean, I know Darla always had a thing for him, but wow, dating him?” She shook her head and sat down on the bed.
I continued to pillage through my clothes trying to decide what was worth taking to London. It wasn’t as if I couldn’t come home and grab stuff, but I figured if I was working in London that’s where I should stay. It didn’t hurt that I needed some time away from Cape May. I was a vagabond my whole life and this place held a few too many painful memories for me.
“Well she certainly seemed cozy with him last night,” I huffed and tossed aside one of the many hoodies I decided not to bring.
“Wow, just wow.”
“That’s really helpful, Jess.”
“Sorry, Cuz, it’s just I’m surprised is all.” She pulled the top of my suitcase closed and zipped it up.
“You and me both,” I said not wanting to think about it anymore.
“I guess it’s a good thing that you’re both moving on then.”
“What’re you talking about?”
“Declan.”
“What about him?” I tried to remain calm but my face felt like it was on fire. I was probably glowing like a red hot ember.
“Don’t even try to tell me you’re not going out with him.” She walked right up to me and practically stuck her face in mine to stare-dare at me.
I bit my lip and couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. “Okay you caught me.”
“Nothing to be ashamed of, Cuz. He’s cute as hell, though you might want to watch having that many men around one another who are interested in you.” She wagged her finger as she walked back over and picked through my boots.
“What are you talking about? Nightshade doesn’t remember anything about us.”
“What about Slade?”
“What about him?” The image of Slade’s eyes narrowing in on Declan flashed in my mind.
“He isn’t entirely over you and you know it.”
“We’re just friends.”
“Right, sure you are, and have you made that clear to him?”
“Yes, we talked about it.”
“With no wiggle room, so that he thinks it is totally over between you two?”
I remembered our hands touching for a brief moment and lowered my head. “I think so.”
“Thinking so isn’t good enough. If you two are done for good let the man know so he can move on with his life. Otherwise, he will keep pining for you. You don’t want to be one of those girls who collect ex-boyfriends just in case you happen to need one.”
“Ugh, never.” I hated women like that, always keeping a man on the hook just in case they needed something. But I also had to consider that maybe I still had feelings for Slade. We’d been close once, though I didn’t know if I could ever get past what he had done or rather what he hadn’t done.
“Come on, let’s get you finished and moved into Val’s place. I’m dying to see it. It’s all she could talk about last night.” Jess hefted my one suitcase off the bed and I threw a duffel bag full of boots over my shoulder. She activated her Skeleton Key and created a portal back to London to the address Val had given us.
We stepped through the portal and into my new apartment. Val hadn’t been kidding when she said that she had gotten the deal of a lifetime. Her grandparents had been wealthy and had left her a small fortune for college. She was apparently putting it to good use.
The building was like many in London older with lots of character but inside was something else entirely. We entered the flat into a massive, modern open great room with a large black and white kitchen running along the back wall. A sleek, modern fireplace rested in the middle of the wall to the right and was flanked by comfy couches and mocha colored chairs that resembled cupped hands. Above it was mounted a flat screen TV. On opposite sides of the room were doors leading into our respective bedrooms. Jess started off for my room and pushed the nine foot door open.
I was awed as I walked in, the ceilings were at least fifteen feet high and two massive windows looked out on the city. The one window with a fire escape was partially open letting in some fresh air.
“I hope you don’t mind taking this one, I was too scared about someone sneaking up the fire escape and into the room.” Val stood in the doorway smiling at me.
I rushed toward her and threw my arms around her neck. “Are you kidding me, I love this place!” If I had to be anywhere other than my attic bedroom in Cape May this was it.
“Good,” Val beamed happily.
“The only thing is how much do I owe you for rent?” I loved the place and though she wasn’t hurting for money, I always paid my own way. I wouldn’t mooch off my friend.
“We can work something out.” She shrugged and I knew it was going to be a fight to get her to take anything from me.
“This place makes my flat in Paris look like a hovel.” Jess was leaning out the window looking down on the street below.
“You’re welcome to stay too, Jess,” Val chimed in and Jess poked her head back in the room.
“Trust me, I’ll be here plenty, but I need to stay close to my mentor for my lessons. Otherwise, he might actually strangle me.” She rolled her eyes and I had the sense that DeAndre was no joke as an instructor.
“You’re always welcome.” Val sat on the bed beside me as I laid back testing it and found it to be unbelievably comfortable.
“You two are going to have a blast here,” Jess said with a trace of envy as she closed the window.
“It’s nice, though I’d like it better if Edgar was here.”
“We’re going to get him back, Val.” The words came out quickly, my guilt for feeling a moment of joy while my friend was being held captive by a lunatic group overriding everything.
“I know you will,” she said with confidence.
“Now the question is just who is going to be visiting my cousin here?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I grabbed a pillow from the bed tossing it across the room at Jess. She jumped out of the way letting it harmlessly hit the window.
“Declan is rather nice.” Val giggled.
“Not to mention Slade is still hanging around like a lost puppy.” Jess shook her head.
“You guys call yourselves my friends?” I asked jokingly.
“Of course we are. Who better to remind you of all the crazies hanging around you trying to be your one and only than your friends?” Jess waved around the room theatrically and I shook my head.
“I take it she told you about Nightshade?” Val asked.
Jess nodded eagerly. “I can’t freaking believe it honestly, I mean Darla?”
“You two used to be friends right?” Val asked.
“You could say that, though Darla was always looking out for Darla. After Lauren died and Nightshade and I kind of hooked up as best buds, she always seemed to have a reason to be around us.”
“Sounds like a true friend.” Val rolled her eyes.
“I know. The Guild is filled with people looking out for their own best interests. Honestly, I’m used to it and I have to admit that I’m not shocked she went after him.”
“Why would he be with her though?” Val asked.
“Familiarity maybe?” Jess shrugged.
“Or maybe he likes her,” I said as I rolled off the bed to stand.
“I doubt it,” Val said confidently.
“Why not, Val? He barely remembers me. Who knows what’s going on inside his head or what else they put in there? For all we know he thinks she’s the greatest thing ever.” I kicked at the floor and crossed the room to the window leaning my forearms against it and resting my head on them to stare out at London. “He probably still hates me or blames me for Lauren’s death.”
“Chloe.”
I heard Jess approach behind me and I turned and held my hand up to stop her. “It’s nothing, okay, just give me a little time alone. I need to think.”
“Sure no problem,” Val said her hand wrapping around Jess’s elbow and pulling her from the room, leaving me alone. At the sound of the door closing, I let out a deep breath. I hadn’t wanted to say all of that but it had been running through my head since last night.
The sad part is that I was most likely right about everything and while I sit here and whine about it one of my best friends is being held captive by my psycho mother. I wanted to punch the window, but I didn’t feel like spending a night in the emergency room for being an idiot or having to repay Val for costly damages.
Nightshade was moving on with his life and I was doing the same. Hadn’t I just accepted a date with Declan? Who the hell was I to say he couldn’t find someone new? I balled my hands into fists and wanted to scream, I hated even thinking about all this crap. I had bigger damn problems to worry about.
I shook my head to clear it and walked out of the room to join Jess and Val sitting on the couch watching Doctor Who. That was it; I was done with this whole man thing. I was going to concentrate on finding Edgar and not worry about any more damn men.
The buzz of the doorbell stopped me in mid-stride and I swung around to the door and pulled it open.
“Hey, Chloe,” Slade smiled down at me.
“Crap.”
Chapter 10
Status: I am not a bad person, really.
The next few days were a whirlwind of activities as I tried to get used to my new digs as well as traveling back and forth from London to Cape May to help Gran with her own move into the house on Mission Way. Dad’s parents had okayed the temporary move and since they rarely ever used the place they were happy to have someone there to watch over it.
I found myself walking around London visiting places Dad and I used to stop at whenever his magic act was scheduled here. Piccadilly Circus, Big Ben, and the Tower of London, I especially enjoyed the ravens that where there. Their black eyes followed your every move as you walked passed them perched on posts. But those were only a few of my favorite places. The mem
ories made me feel like he was right there with me even though he was gone. I had loved our vagabond lifestyle, always on the move and having only each other to answer to. I missed it terribly, the weight of responsibility hanging much too heavily over my head these days.
I’d been avoiding calls from Uncle Archie for a few days. I wanted to acclimate myself to my new digs, my new life before I started training. Gavin continued slamming me regularly with Polymorph sessions and now I needed to add even more to my schedule. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to have a few days to myself.
Gavin continued his search for Edgar, Val was busy with school, Jess with training, and Slade was working on some project for the Impossible Engineers. So I was all on my own, a perfect chance to explore.
Walking down Leicester Street I saw the billing for Prince Charles Cinema and couldn’t help but smile. They were having a double bill of Casablanca and Key Largo. Dad used to drag me to all the old movies and I loved Humphrey Bogart flicks. I could hardly contain myself as I got in line for tickets.
“Are these movies even in color?” the irritated female voice asked a few spots ahead of me.
I craned my neck to see who was complaining but all I could see was the back of her. She was dressed as if she was going to a nightclub instead of a movie. Her short skirt and tight jacket with her stiletto heels didn’t leave much to the imagination, other than screaming I’m a dirty tramp.
“No, they’re in black and white,”
I nearly bolted as soon as I heard Nightshade’s voice. There he was a few feet away from me with Darla whom I should have recognized but her hooker outfit threw me off. I couldn’t believe it... of all the movie joints in all of London he had to come here.
“Do we have to see it? Can’t we just watch it at your place?” she whined.
“It’s not the same as seeing it in the theater.”
“I guess, I mean at least we’d be alone at your place.” She leaned against him looping her arm through his. “Pleeeease.”
I cringed at her childish plea.
“I told you I wanted to see the two movies, if you didn’t want to come, you didn’t have to.”