by M. Lathan
“It’s okay, dear. I know you’re not her.” She sat in the seat next to me and snapped herself up a plate. “You are more like your father. She says that all the time.”
“When can I leave?” I asked, because I didn’t want to cry today.
“I don’t know yet. She found the camera in your closet and the picture of you and Nathan. We know it was a part of Remi’s plan. You came close to being turned over to someone very dangerous, and Lydia is very upset about that. We’ve done some digging, and it seems like Liam is more dangerous than I thought. All this time of keeping you away from this life could be wasted if she doesn’t clean up the mess I made by bringing Remi into your life. You’re powerful. These hunters would give anything to have you. Own you.”
“Why?”
“Because of the things you could do. Influence thoughts, create wealth. And they would believe that you’re capable of killing without leaving a trace, even though I know that you’re not. That’s not even considering Lydia and what some would do to hurt her or extort her. Taking you would give someone a lot of power, dear.”
She didn’t have to say that they would breed me. That fact clogged the air along with everything else. I was still in danger.
I couldn’t hide my fear. My fork trembled on the way to my mouth. We ate in tense silence, and she cleared the plates when we finished.
“This place is very safe. She wants me to leave you here while I take care of some things.”
“Of course she does.”
She hugged me then obeyed her boss’ orders to leave me alone in her home.
As I brushed my teeth and hair, I stared at myself in the mirror, seeing a lot of him and glimpses of her. I made a mental note to avoid my reflection for the rest of my life.
I stuffed my arms with snacks and drinks and went in the most interesting room in the apartment. “CC,” I said and activated the system again.
I dumped my snacks in Lydia’s white chair and rolled it into her real office. I watched the screens for hours. It was kind of cool being in several countries at once. I had to stop watching the Kamon tracker. He moved around so much and so fast. It freaked me out. My heart jumped all three of the times his red dot flashed near Paris.
I heard my phone chime in her room, and I ran to answer it.
“Hi, Emma,” I said.
“Chris, are you alright?” she asked. I stretched out on Lydia’s bed and sighed. I was so far from alright.
“I’m fine,” I lied. “How are you guys?”
“We’re okay. Well … Paul and I are. Nathan isn’t really talking to us. I’m sorry we left. He scared me, so I went along with it. I don’t want you to think I feel differently about you now. Paul either. We know you’re not evil.”
“Thanks,” I said, wishing Nathan would’ve been this cool about it. They also hadn’t kissed me countless times. He had a right to be more disgusted, I guessed.
“I was calling to see if you’ve heard from Sophie. We’re getting worried. She isn’t answering and we saw you on the news.”
“What?”
“The news. It’s saying you’ve been found.”
I ran to the TV and clumsily mashed buttons on the remote. It kept switching between white noise and the DVD menu for the cheer-off movie. “Emma, what’s it saying? I don’t know how to work the TV … maybe because I’m in Paris.”
She tried to help me navigate it, but it was no use. She ended up just telling me since I wouldn’t be able to understand the news here anyway. My face was on most of the channels out there. The story was that I’d been found alive and unharmed and was in a safe place. Apparently, I reported never seeing a witch and couldn’t recall much from that night.
“Sophia is fine,” I said, when she finished. “I saw her a few hours ago. She’s probably working.”
… With her long time boss and rival Lydia Shaw.
“Thanks. If you speak with her, please tell her to call.”
“I will. Oh, and … Emma, could you tell Nathan I said hi and that I’m sorry?”
“Sure.”
I decided to watch the teen movies instead of surveillance. The next one on the stack was the same as the last two, just with a soccer team and kissing at the state championship. I couldn’t lie. I liked them all. I changed it out for the next movie about the antics of the ghost of a homecoming queen. I called Sophia while the previews rolled.
She answered on the first ring.
“Hi, love. Did you eat lunch?” I um-hummed slowly. I shouldn’t have been surprised that I could reach her when they couldn’t. “How can I help you?”
“Emma called. They’re worried. Where are you?”
“In California getting your house ready.” She sighed and paused. “No more lies. I was getting your house ready, but now I’m trying to locate Remi. We are having trouble finding her and Liam. All we know is that they’re looking for you. Obviously there’s nothing to worry about since you’re safe at your mother’s house.”
I groaned. “Don’t call her that. Please, call her Lydia.”
“Okay, love. I will. And I’ll be done soon and will be there to make you a nice dinner. You aren’t scared, are you?”
“A hunter is after me … besides that and everything else, I’m fine. Don’t forget to call Emma.” She agreed, but it felt like she wasn’t about to call her. I heard the worry in her voice. She was too focused on work right now to answer the phone for her family.
I put my phone on the table, trying to forget about everything but the movie on the screen.
The newly crowned homecoming queen hopped into her pink convertible and sped down a dark road. Poor thing. As her car flipped, my cell phone beeped.
One new message from Nathan.
I took a deep breath and flipped the phone open. My thumbs shuddered, trying to get to the message.
Hey, Chris.
Chris! Not Leah. I exhaled loudly and smiled. I replied, Hi. I’m so sorry. Are you still mad? I almost died waiting on his response.
No, baby. Where are you? he texted back, two minutes later.
“Thank you, God!” He’d realized like Sophia had said he would, and of course I would forgive him for running away from me. No question.
Paris. Long story. I love you.
I love you too. I miss you like crazy. I’m dying. I need to see you right now. It can’t wait.
I looked around and rolled my eyes. I wanted to see him too, but I knew Sophia wouldn’t bring him here.
I replied: Sophia will be here before too long. I’ll ask her to bring me to you.
No. I’m in New Orleans. I just had Paul bring me to the house to see you. I thought you were still here. Please come see me. I’m going crazy from being away from you.
I stopped the movie, smiling. At least something could go right in my life. I could still have him, the first person to love me. Well, the first person I knew to love me.
Okay, baby. I’ll see you in a sec, I replied.
I ran to get dressed up, even though he’d mostly seen me in sweats. I pulled on nice jeans and a black lace shirt I’d never worn. I rolled my eyes when I slipped my feet in the pumps from yesterday. I was doing way too much. He already seemed over it, but I needed to make sure I’d get my boyfriend back.
I brushed my hair into a ponytail. Searching for pins to make it tighter, I found a tube of lipstick. Red lipstick. I slicked it on and smiled. Hopefully, I was about to smear it all over his lips.
I closed my eyes and opened them in front of the mirror in my bathroom. Well … Cecilia and Vincent’s bathroom.
“Nate?” I called as I walked down the steps to the second floor. CC met me instead. I shook my head at her. “Later,” I whispered. “We can talk later.” I knocked on his door. It was open but empty. “Nate?” Now Vincent was behind me, I could feel his taller chill as he grabbed my hand. “I know we need to talk, but I’ll come back after I handle this, okay?”
He followed me down to the first floor. I thought maybe the doors were
locked and Nate couldn’t get in.
I went out to the patio, alone now. The sun was setting on a quiet and normal day here. Calm and easy like I needed my life to be.
“Nate?”
He didn’t answer. I’d forgotten my phone in Paris, so I couldn’t call him to see where he was or reread the text to make sure I hadn’t misunderstood him. While I waited, I planned what I would say to him. I walked around to the pool, remembering my birthday night. Maybe I’d bring that up. I just needed to convince him of how much I loved him. Well, that I could love at all.
Or maybe I could write him a letter telling him I was glad he was born like he’d told me. That was the moment I realized how deeply I was in love with him. Or maybe, since he was a goofball, I’d get some eggs from the fridge and pretend to scramble them on the concrete. Maybe it would ease the tension. Then we’d kiss, hopefully.
I heard whispers and smiled. He had to be walking this way, maybe on the phone or talking to Paul too softly for my ears.
“Hey, babe,” said the wrong voice. I jumped and spun around. Remi smiled, decked out in black leather. “Don’t you look nice. Got a date or something?”
“Where’s Nathan?”
“You’ll see him soon enough,” she said. “This was too easy. All I had to do was use Sparky’s phone and you came running to me. Well to him, because you’re a slut. What kind of girl comes over from a text?”
She took one step forward, I took two back, and she laughed.
“So you turned yourself in, but you still wanted to see your boy-toy, right? I’m so happy. You almost ruined things for me.” Her tone seeped into my ears, speeding my heart, and awakened my darker side, my furious side. She stepped up again. I didn’t move this time. “Oh! There she is. I’m tempting you, like you told me not to. Show me what you got, show me some magic.”
She did not want to see what I had.
She shoved my shoulder. I shoved right back, but harder. Then she had the audacity to slap me. Me … the girl who could debone her.
For the quickest second, I considered restraining Leah or Lydia or whoever the villain inside of me was, but I’d done that enough over the years. Suddenly, Remi had long blonde hair like Sienna, then short black hair like Whitney. Then her face and hair changed to the countless other girls who’d joined in on the Leah bashing. Everyone who thought being called a lesbian was hilarious and loved to see me fall and scream.
My hands clutched her throat before I felt them move. I brought her to the ground easily; I used more than my hands to get her there. I grabbed a fist full of her hair and slammed her head against the edge of the pool for the slap. Then again for bringing the hunter to my house and ruining my life. Then harder for those girls who I’d never get to punish.
It looked like she was screaming. I couldn’t hear it, but I did see the blood running into the pool. I thought about pushing her into the water and holding her under, but I didn’t. I guessed Lydia hadn’t made me a killer. When it came down to it, I didn’t want Remi to die.
I just wanted to beat her ass.
Considering what I could have done, I’d taken it easy on her. I’d been moving things since I was an infant. I supposed I could have moved her heart out of place. I had a lot of power packed in my little body, according to Sophia, so really Remi should be grateful that I only busted her face up.
But I still wasn’t prepared for her to smile as she rolled over, blood slithering from her nose to her mouth, coating her teeth. She laughed. Before I could react to the new whispers in the air, a needle pierced my neck.
“She’s going to be pretty useful once we get this magic out of her,” Liam said.
I couldn’t move. Every muscle in my body stiffened. Like if I fell, I’d shatter like glass.
“I want to drown her. Just kick her in. I’ve already brought in three today,” Remi said. She got up and reached for me. I couldn’t feel her hands. I couldn’t feel my own.
“No, I like this one,” Liam said. “And you promised four.”
She dropped me by the pool. I tried to open my mouth to scream, something, but I couldn’t. I was numb, shackled there, this weak, vulnerable body on the pavement. As they argued over Remi killing me or not, my vision blurred.
It felt like I was dying … and that felt nothing like what I’d dramatically called death before. This was quiet and slow. It didn’t burn. It felt empty. Like everything was drifting away from me.
And all I wanted, of all things to want, was my mother. I wanted her to hold me. Sing to me. I wanted to smell the most calming scent there was in the world. I wanted to tell her what I hadn’t before. That I missed her. Even though I didn’t remember her face, the moment I smelled her I knew I’d been missing her for a long time.
I remembered that feeling, of wondering where she was, of hoping if I screamed enough she would come back to me. I remembered when that hope faded, when she faded from my infantile brain, only leaving whispers of herself behind – her scent and her song.
Tears poured from my eyes, but I couldn’t wipe them. I still couldn’t move.
To say I couldn’t feel any part of my body, I’d never been so in touch with myself. I knew what was wrong with me now. Why I’d been so quiet as a child, what had made me so sad and lonely. I could call it depression, or an inherited personality, or both. But I was overwhelmingly sure that at the heart of it, I was just a girl who really missed her mother.
Liam ordered Remi to pick me up. For a moment, I thought I was going into the pool, about to meet the exact death she’d saved me from – a hunter drowning me – but we moved from my backyard instead.
It was darker where we landed. Bricks raced passed my eyes as she carried me down a hall. A squeaky joint told me a door had been opened.
“Remi, you need to get to the infirmary. You can’t go in his quarters looking like that,” Liam said. His quarters? “Especially not when you have four offerings. He won’t be pleased.”
Offerings?
She slammed me down on the cold brick floor. I heard gasps and some commotion. “Get back!” Liam screamed. “Remi, insert her needle. I won’t be here to do it for you every time.” Remi kneeled in front of me, her face still bloody. “You don’t have time for a stare off. Get it done.”
I barely felt her grab my dull arm. She fumbled around on the ground, and Liam smacked his lips. It sounded like several things made of glass dinged on the floor but didn’t break.
“You need to be smarter than what you are if you’re going to make it here,” Liam said. “This is a simple blood test needle. Something you’ll do every day. No one asked you to do anything difficult … yet.” He sighed, and Remi scrambled to find a vein on my arm. “I see several, Remi. Hurry!” I felt a prick. Remi bit a piece of tape off and secured the needle in place. “Clean this mess up when you come back. We need to rush to get you fixed since you let this tiny girl beat you up.”
The door slammed, and I tried to roll over to my back. I felt too heavy to move.
“Christine!” Emma said.
She pulled me up and propped me against the wall. I could see the room then. The walls were made of old red bricks with chains coming from them. One was attached to Emma’s ankle. Paul’s too. There was a pale, almost blue, man asleep and chained in the corner. Next to him was a dark skinned woman with a little girl in her arms. She couldn’t have been older than five. And in the last corner, Nathan. He stared at me with sad eyes. I had to look away.
“How did she find you in Paris?” Emma asked.
I pried my mouth open against the immense pressure.
“I came back to the house because … I thought Nathan texted me to come see him.”
“I don’t have my phone,” he whispered. I nodded. That would have been nice to know before I went to New Orleans like an idiot. “You beat up Remi?”
I wanted to deny it, but I nodded again. He looked at the ground. Still disgusted by me, I guessed.
Whatever Liam stabbed me with was wearing off. I coul
d feel the stinging needle more. Then I saw the needles in all of their arms except the sleeping man. Even the little girl’s.
“What are they doing?” I asked.
“I heard them say they need to blood test us before we can be offered since the lead hunter doesn’t hurt humans. Just us,” Paul said.
That would work well for me, but they would find magic in their blood.
“Are they watching us?” I asked. They all shook their heads. “No cameras?”
“None,” Paul said. “I don’t think these humans need things like that. They only need our blood and a flame.”
“But Remi knows you guys,” I said. “Why would she need to test you?”
“She knows us, he doesn’t. He needs proof,” Paul said.
I saw the glass vials Remi had spilled on the ground, and I got an idea that could keep us alive, at least until Sophia noticed we were missing. Or Lydia. “I’ll give you my blood. Those are empty. We’ll fill them up and use them for your tests.”
“You can’t do that. You’ll pass out,” Nathan said.
“Someone, hook a few up to my arm. Quick,” I said, ignoring him.
“You’re human?” the woman asked. I nodded. “Please, do one for my daughter. I won’t even ask for me. Please.”
The woman crawled to me, her daughter curled and afraid in her lap. She took one of the empty vials from the ground and hooked it to my arm.
“Do one for yourself, too,” I whispered. “If she makes it, and you don’t…” I paused, about to choke on my words.
“I feel weird asking,” she said and I … snapped.
“So you want to sacrifice yourself so you can be her hero? You’re not a hero because that’s stupid! You would rather risk your life than raise your daughter? You’d make her grow up without you? It will be your fault that she won’t know who she is. Hearing about conditions and creatures and just accepting it as fact. And she’ll miss you, even if she doesn’t remember everything about you! You’ll turn into a terrible feeling, deep in her heart, and it will never go away. You can’t…”