Between

by Kirstie Keatings

  In this series:

  Ancestral

  Between

  This book is dedicated to my parents, without whom

  I would be moderately saner, but motivationally bereft.

  To my mother, whose tenacity inspires me to reach for more even when the world is offering less, whose intelligence drove my desire to learn, and whose honesty and steadfast belief led me to belief in myself, I have so much gratitude I cannot express. Thank you. You always saw more in me than you had the chance to witness, and I hope that I can make you proud.

  To my father, whose humour has driven me to recognise the clichés in the world and whose wisdom is reflected in my choices every day; you have loaned your voice to this novel in more ways than I can count. I admire your strength against adversity every day and am humbled deeply by the sacrifices you make.

  I love you both deeply.

  Chapter One

  Lila Raegan was growing uncomfortably accustomed to the fact she was not a typical teen. She wasn't even a typical witch, for that matter. No, she was more than the sum of her parts, and far more important than she had ever intended to become.

  As the newly elected supreme leader of a super coven, she was expected to show a maturity and wisdom beyond her years, even beyond the years of experience her coven had and it was more than a little exhausting, to say the least. If it hadn't been for the unusual powers she and her peers possessed, she would wonder why the job hadn't gone to one of the true elders of the covens. The one place Lila could really breathe was at school, somewhere she would be leaving in just a few short weeks. For years, Lila had seen this place as pointless. She had known almost since birth that she was going to be coven leader, and very few coven leaders had time to get a job in the civilian world.

  Now, far sooner than intended, that the job was hers. Now that her life was so consumed by everything witch related, she found that a little bit of human normality was a welcome distraction from being an adult, an occupation which was far less enjoyable than listed.

  Two and a half months had passed since the events at Waterloo, and for the most part, everyone had settled into their new roles. The dynamic between them had changed somewhat, but mostly they'd kept things the same while they attempted to sort out the technical aspects of merging five large covens into one. It wasn't quite as simple as just getting everyone together, like she'd thought, and the only coven site big enough to hold even half of them was in Waterloo, where most of them were loathe to visit again. It was a place of loss felt so deeply that it had the power to taint their magick, and would doubtless need to be cleansed before they could use it

  Today, all-powerful coven leader Lila Raegan was facing a new challenge; Exams.

  It was easily the most terrifying experience of her life so far, though it was also true that this was an exaggeration believed through sheer force of will. Extra-curricular witch duties had occupied most of the time she usually spent studying, and she was extremely unprepared. It was likely that she would fail her history exam, which was perhaps not the end of the world. After all, the only thing she intended to do with it was to attempt not to repeat it, particularly the parts involving creepy spirits who wore her friends like meat suits. For the moment, she allowed herself to believe the situation was finished with, but a part of her would always know that the world around her shimmered too eagerly, and the air felt heavy, like a bitter medicine on her tongue. Spirit imbalance was something which tasted of colours and sounded like smells – like the world had turned upside down and inside out, and nothing made sense. Least of all civilian exams.

  Tying her long hair back off of her face, Lila put down her pencil with a grimace, then looked around the room to see who else was finished. Her eyes met those of her best civilian friend, Grace, and she smiled, mouthing to her that she'd see her outside. A warning glare from the examiner made her purse her lips together and face forward, staring determinedly at the clock ticking away the seconds of her already threatened lifespan. The only reason she'd attended at all was the coven rule of maintaining the appearances in their local community.

  Eventually, the bell rang to let them know time was up, and she let out a breath she hadn't realised she was holding. Scraping her seat back with a screech akin to a prey bird's whoop of freedom, she collected her backpack from the front of the room and made her way out into the packed hallway, bustling through the crushing crowd to escape the building. As soon as she was outside, she sucked in lungfuls of clean air, absent the musty, suffocating sense of other people. In some aspects, school was crippling since the incidents of a few months prior, which had increased her power exponentially. She could sense spirits all around, but was unsure if this was merely an echo of the dead who had walked freely or if they were actually present somewhere nearby. It was a situation which had never (to her knowledge) been experienced in the world, so there were no references to tell them about the after-effects, or what to expect. They simply had to live it and figure it out as they went along.

  Catching up to Grace, she hitched her khaki green backpack higher on her shoulder and called out for the other girl, who turned, her eyes lighting up when she saw Lila. Grace was gorgeous, and few could dispute it. She was blessed with flawless ebony skin and flowing black hair which rippled like water when she walked. Her doe-like almond brown eyes were full of kindness, and it was incredibly endearing. It was easy to see why so many guys at school had spent the last few years falling over their own feet to ask her out. Not that Grace had ever entertained any of the potential suitors, unless you counted her ninth grade boyfriend, who had broken up with her after she'd beaten him at curling, the sport they shared. After that, she had always proclaimed in false loftiness that she was above the childishness of high school boys, and that she could look out for herself. It may have been intended as a joke, but it was extremely accurate. Grace was strong and fast, and even now, Lila had trouble catching up to where Grace's long legs had carried her to in the few minutes since leaving the building.

  “Hey!” Lila smiled, arriving at her side in a half trot which almost tripped her as she stilled. Grace was there to catch her and hugged her tightly; it was the first time she'd seen her since the fiasco, other than brief words in the hallway as they passed each other to go to class. Lila had been caught up in her other world, one which Grace was not a part of – she had no idea that her best friend was a witch.

  It wasn't exactly conducive to an open and honest friendship.

  “Lila! I was beginning to wonder if you were still with us.” Grace teased, releasing the shorter girl. Tall and athletic, she could easily have been a model, but had swapped glam clothes and high heels for winter wear and a sweeping brush – she was now a professional junior athlete. In Lila's opinion, it was a little unfair that Grace also happened to have one of the highest intellects of anyone she had ever known. If ever someone were to successfully take over the world, she could see Grace being the one to do it.

  “Yeah, I've just been – busy.” Lila replied, rather defeatedly. She knew it was a terrible excuse, and she didn't blame Grace for the eye roll she had to cut off in fear of rudeness. The silence around them was awkward, and she scuffed her foot anxiously. It was so hard to talk to her when her whole life was a secret.

  “I'm sorry about your parents.” Grace added gently, and Lila looked up in surprise. She'd thought often about her parents passing on, but it was no longer laced with the pain of their death. She knew for sure that, wherever they were, it was a better place, and they were probably bringing a new family joy in their new lives. Reincarnation was a comforting belief, one that some civilians embraced, but almost none knew the truth in it.

  “Thanks. I'm doing okay though.” A smile, just enough to make her think she was still mourning them the way a c
ivilian would, in painful ignorance of what came after. Often, Lila would wish that she could spill the beans, let them in on the secret, but it was a huge decision to make, and would rob whoever she told of their illusions, both terrifying and comforting alike.

  She was spared the painful silence which was creeping up on them when a hand wrapped around her wrist and yanked, causing her to yelp out in shock. Grace leapt into immediate action, swinging her bag at the perpetrator and whacking them – him – around the shoulder and back, yelling at him to get off of her friend.

  “Ow!” Liam yelped, throwing up his hands in self-defence, momentarily releasing Grace. “Easy, easy! I come in peace.” He sounded genuinely worried that Grace might bludgeon him to death. It was an easy assumption to make, since the look on the other girl's face was nothing short of murderous, and Lila felt a rush of warmth for her friend, who was defending her against someone twice her size.

  “Down, girl.” she teased, putting her hands up to call a time out. “He's a friend.” Grace still looked worried, but her shoulders relaxed, tension seeming to leech out of her stance.

  Liam continued to eye her warily, before finally turning to Lila again, his eyes full of urgency.

  “I'm sorry to interrupt, I know you were doing exams, but this couldn't wait. It's about the... merger problems.” he added cryptically. Lila cringed slightly. Liam was making it sound like she was the owner of some kind of business instead of a teenager, and there was no way to make it sound less odd. What was worse, she was fairly certain that his concerns had nothing to do with merging the covens, and that he was only making it seem that way because he thought Grace was a witch.

  Despite the fact that it had been months, not all of the coven members had met, and there was no physical marker to tell who was a witch and who wasn't. It was a natural assumption that witches would only befriend their own kind, precisely to avoid situations like the one they were in right now.

  “Come on.” he insisted, and Lila made no attempt to argue that she was in a conversation already. Coven leadership came first; she'd sworn to this, and so she began to follow him. Turning to say goodbye to Grace, she found her following that the other girl was following her, a set, stubborn look on her face. Instantly, her eyebrows shot up – how was she going to explain anything they could possibly throw at her? Before she could say anything, however, Grace was speaking, and the moment passed.

  “What? I'm pretty sure you're about to go do something dangerous, despite your attempts at code. There's no way I'm leaving you to do that alone.” Grace asserted.

  Given that Lila had no idea what was going on, she couldn't exactly insist that she wasn't about to step into danger, and nothing less would convince Grace to cease and desist. She had a sharp mind, and something in the brief interaction had set her on edge – Lila cast a worried glance at Liam, mouthing 'civilian', and saw his eyes widen momentarily as he read her lips.

  “Dangerous? We're just going to meet an old friend.” he began to lie, seeming effortless in the application, a fact which made Lila vaguely uncomfortable inside. No one wanted to find out that someone they trusted was an easy liar.

  “What's their name?” Grace asked, hands on her hips.

  “Troy.” Liam answered.

  “Where'd you meet Troy?” Grace was relentless, and nothing short of perfect would convince her.

  “Uh—“ Liam froze, unable to come up with an answer which would fit both himself and Lila in one; their age difference and current location ruled out college, and he wasn't quite quick enough to come up with 'family friend'.

  “Do you want to try again?” Grace didn't quite sound condescending, but there was an edge of triumph in her voice which meant that she knew she had won. “Or do you want to keep going down the path of old friends and 'mergers'?”

  Watching the exchange thoughtfully, Lila realised that if they wanted to get out of here quickly, it could make or break her friendship with Grace – either she would have to be so rude the other girl would slam a door in her face later, or she would have to let her in on the secret. It was a difficult decision, and she only had a split second to make it; Let Grace in, or let her go?

  “Okay, you can come, but it's about to get weird.” Lila promised. Weird was putting it mildly, considering she was about to rock Grace's whole world view. She could only hope that her friend as well put together as she assumed that she was, because news like this had the potential to drive someone to insanity.

  Chapter Two

  Sitting in the bed of Liam's truck as he drove, Lila explained everything she could about being a witch from her own experiences, with Liam chipping in from the cab to fill in the blanks in her explanations. Grace's expression had changed from incredulously unsure to a slack realisation that Lila wasn't joking, right around the time Lila explained the circumstances surrounding her parents murder and the events which followed. She took Lila's truth at face value, which took strength, but this didn't stop Liam from flicking fire at his fingertips and demonstrating his skill with it.

  Show off.

  Nevertheless, it had the desired effect, and far from screaming, Grace looked impressed, though something in her eyes told Lila the girl was thinking about the biochemistry involved in creating people like them, with abilities. Lila couldn't help but think that maybe her analytical mind would help them think outside the box when they inevitably wound up in more trouble. Sometimes, there could be civilian answers to witch problems.

  They drove for around three quarters of an hour, pulling up in a densely forested area, with water stretching out in front of them. Lila recognised it instantly, Luther Marsh. It was one of her favourite places in the world right now, as an untravelled individual. Its natural beauty was incredible to her, as a witch in touch with the natural vibrations of the Earth.

  Liam was already at the foot of the truck when she went to climb down, and she took his offered hand to steady herself as she got down. Grace refused his hand graciously, reminiscent of the Queen of England herself. She chuckled softly; clearly the jury was still out on Liam as far as Grace was concerned, and that was fine; it meant that she hadn't been blind-sided to the point of reverence with the revelation of their powers.

  They walked down to the water, approaching two forms with their backs to them. Lila recognised Troy instantly, but his companion was a complete stranger. Liam called out to Troy, who turned and grinned, looking almost like a new man – gone was the weight of the world on his shoulders, and if the way the other male leaned towards the blonde was any indication, it was likely that he was the source of this newfound happiness.

  “Hey, guys! This is Noah.” Troy was exceptionally perky, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet, a huge grin plastered on his face. Instantly, Lila knew that her assumption was correct, even before Troy confirmed it. “He's my boyfriend.” Troy was practically squirming. Clearly, Troy had never had such a public relationship with a man, if he'd had one at all. Noah wrapped an arm around his shoulders, shaking his head in quiet amusement at Troy's excitement.

  “Hey.” he greeted them simply, obviously unsure of himself in front of Troy's friends, which showed that he cared about their opinions. He appeared to be in his early twenties, with brown hair which fell just below his ears, the barest hint of scruff gracing his jawline. She was reminded of the time Troy had told Adam to shave, and had to bite back a grin, thinking about a scruff-to-hotness ratio in her friend's mind.

  “Hey.” Lila replied, giving him a small smile as she addressed the whole group. “I'm Lila, this is Grace.” The other girl took an over-dramatic bow in response to the introduction, and the others greeted her warmly. She had a way of breaking the ice in any situation, and Lila knew she would never be as easily likeable as the other girl was, no matter the situation.

  “Resident civilian, checking in.” she joked, clearly unaware that introducing a civilian to the witch world was a huge deal, and that you were supposed to discuss it first. Unfortunately, Lila had lacked the time
to do so, so she was throwing them all in at the deep end – hopefully they'd forgive her for it.

  The others cast concerned glances at Lila, who tried to reassure them as best she could without words. She knew that they trusted her, but theirs was a dangerous world, and many thought that bringing the civilians into it would only put them in harms way. In Lila's opinion, the civilians were more in danger if they didn't know what was going on, but leaking their secret to the masses was never a good idea; that was how witch hunts began.

  “So, where's Adam and Sadie?” Lila asked, quickly changing the subject. The others gave a shrug which made no attempt to mask their worry. Instantly, Lila felt a sense of dread settling over her like a blanket – their little group wasn't exactly known for its nonchalance.

  “They didn't check in when they were supposed to.” Liam added, frowning harshly. “That's why we're here. We need to combine our powers to track them; our individual attempts have been blocked somehow. I mean, maybe they ran off together, but after everything we've been through, I doubt they'd fail to check in and cause us that worry.”

  So they had a genuine worry, Lila thought. At that moment, Elsie materialised right beside her, causing Grace to scream out loud in shock. Lila mentally smacked herself – she really should have explained about Elsie, should have suspected that she would be attending. She also kicked herself for not asking about their ghostly companion who could have been listening in all that time. Lila didn't want the girl to think she was less important because she happened to be dead.