Crushed

by Kasi Blake

  Kristen disagreed with both of them. The truth was that Brittany could be dangerous to them. Morgan had been controlling her for weeks. If Morgan found a way to get to her again, Brittany could turn around and kill them all. It would be a lot better for them if Brittany lost her magic.

  Brittany said, “I don’t see you giving up your powers. Why should I? It’s your worst nightmare come to life, but you want me to live it. Right. Talk about selfish.”

  “I would do it in a heartbeat if it would protect someone I love.”

  “That’s because you’re little miss perfect.”

  “Don’t start that crap with me, Britt.”

  A scream ripped through the night air. It came from upstairs. Cyndi! They looked at each other with wide eyes before darting up the stairs. Zach took the lead. He raced up the steps two at a time. Kristen was on his heels with Brittany taking up the rear.

  They raced down the hallway to Cyndi’s closed door. Zach thrust it open. There, inside the bedroom she shared with Brittany, was a terrifying visitor. Cyndi stood next to her bed with Morgan behind her. Morgan’s hand was tangled in Cyndi’s hair, holding her hostage. A nasty sneer twisted the evil familiar’s mouth.

  Zach shoved Kristen behind him to keep his sister from hitting her with a fatal spell, but that wasn’t Morgan’s plan. She laughed, her dark eyes flashing with malicious humor. In the blink of an eye, she and Cyndi disappeared together. There wasn’t time for anyone to do anything. There wasn’t even time for them to think about doing something. The two girls were gone in a flash.

  Brittany shoved Zach and Kristen out of her way. She charged into the room, a startled cry fading on her lips. Standing where the girls had been half a second ago, she looked around. Her eyes widened. She lifted her hand and pointed at the wall. Zach and Kristen entered the room all the way to see the damage. Written on the wall, scratched into the paint by a magical finger, was a message.

  School. Midnight. Cyndi for Kristen.

  “Just like in my dream,” Kristen said. “We have to go to the school.”

  “She took my sister!” Brittany yelled. “We have to stop that witch now!”

  Zach shook his head. “We are not doing anything. You are going to stay out of this, and I’m going to take care of Morgan.”

  “You can’t do it alone,” Kristen said. “She’s my sister, and I’m going with you. Don’t try to stop me. I’m going, and that’s final.”

  “Fine. Stick close to me.”

  “I’m going, too,” Brittany said.

  Both Zach and Kristen blocked the doorway. Brittany glared at them and tried to push past, but they held her back. Kristen said, “You can’t go. You are still under Morgan’s power. If you want to help, let us accuse you. We can go somewhere public right now and do it. Morgan will die, and Cyndi will be safe. How badly do you want to save Cyndi?”

  “Forget it. I’ll do it myself.”

  One second Brittany was standing there yelling, and the next, she was gone. Kristen stared at the empty space. For a moment, she thought Morgan had taken Brittany, too. Then she saw the unchanged expression on Zach’s face. Brittany’s vanishing act hadn’t surprised him in the slightest.

  Kristen gasped. “What the… how did she do that?”

  Zach rubbed the back of his neck, looking sheepish. “I kind of told her how.”

  “What? Why?”

  He quickly filled her in on the rest of his story, telling her how Brittany had rescued him from Morgan’s trap by popping them back home. He told Kristen how desperate he had been to reach her, feeling helpless and certain Kristen would be dead before he got out of there, so he’d told Brittany how to pop. He finished with, “It was the only way for me to get to you.”

  “I hope she didn’t go to the school. She’ll wind up killing Cyndi instead of rescuing her.”

  “I don’t think she’s that stupid.”

  Kristen wasn’t so sure.

  ###

  They spent the next half hour preparing for their life-and-death mission. Zach waited at the bottom of the stairs for Kristen while she finished getting ready. When she finally descended, dressed entirely in black, his breath caught in his throat. She looked incredible in her snug pants, sleeveless shirt, and short boots. She could have been a sexy spy in a late-night movie.

  She carried a dark gray bag. Tossing it to the sofa, she said, “It’s my dad’s. There are flashlights, extra batteries, rope, a knife, and a few other things we might need.”

  “Good deal.” He grinned and tried to lighten the mood a little because he knew how worried she was about both of her sisters. “Have you done this before? Do you sneak out on secret missions in the middle of the night after doing your homework?”

  “You bet.” She tried not to look at him, probably wanting to hide the tears glistening in her eyes, but he saw them.

  He pulled her into his arms and stroked her back. “It’s going to be okay. I promise you. I won’t let Morgan hurt Cyndi.”

  “How are you going to stop her without magic?” Her jaw tightened, and her hand went to her forehead. Lowering her voice, she added, “I’m sorry. I know you’re only trying to help.”

  “And you’re only worried about your sister. I get that. It’s okay. Even without powers, I am going to make sure you get Cyndi back safe.”

  “I don’t know what I would do without you.”

  More than anything, Zach wanted to comfort Kristen, wanted to make sure she was in the right frame of mind to do this. If she were too worried, she might make a mistake. Morgan would take advantage of that, and Kristen could get hurt. The mere thought nearly drove him to his knees. How was he going to protect her?

  Putting on a brave face, he pushed hair out of her eyes. “We can do this. Together. We have something Morgan doesn’t—love.”

  “In my dream, Grandma told Brittany that love is her strongest weapon.”

  “It’s ours, too. Believe it.”

  She nodded, meeting his gaze with a strong one of her own. “I do.”

  Zach watched in awe as Kristen straightened her spine and blinked the tears back. In a matter of seconds, she pulled herself together. Her expression turned cool, becoming the professional face of someone who did this sort of thing for a living. She checked her watch before saying, “We should go. If we can get there before Morgan, maybe we can set a trap for her.”

  He nodded his approval. “Good idea.”

  She bent at the waist to pick up the bag, but Zach got to it first. Slinging it over his shoulder, he followed her to the door. They had to take her car because his was still in the parking lot at school.

  Kristen walked out the door. He took one last look around the house, hoping all three girls would return to it in one piece. He made a silent vow. If someone had to die tonight, it would either be Morgan or him.

  Zach held one of the flashlights while Kristen tried to use magic to open the school’s glass doors. He had shared a spell with her that could do the trick, but since it was new to her, she was having a difficult time with it. Feeling helpless, he stood to the side and watched. Giving up his powers while Morgan was running around loose had been a stupid idea. How was he supposed to protect Kristen?

  Kristen slowly enunciated each word of the spell he’d given her. She waved her hands in front of the doors, but nothing happened. The sides of her mouth turned down in frustration. Groaning, she tried again. Still nothing. She kicked the door, swore beneath her breath, and tried it for the third time.

  Zach watched with pride and awe. No matter what happened to her, the girl never gave up. His father would have said she had steel in her bones. She never ceased to amaze him. His sister was trying to kill her, but instead of running away and hiding, she was headed for a confrontation with the familiar.

  Kristen sighed. “I can’t do it. I can’t get the door open. Any other ideas?”

  One of the glass doors swung open as if it had heard Kristen’s complaint and decided to comply. She looked at him with wid
e eyes. “Wow. That’s kind of creepy.”

  He hoped it didn’t mean Morgan was inside waiting for them. There wouldn’t be any chance of surprising her with a trap if she’d set one up for them. She’d continue to have the upper hand.

  Kristen started to go inside, but he caught her arm just below the elbow. Dragging her close, he whispered, “I don’t like this. It doesn’t smell right.”

  “Totally. But we don’t have a choice. She has my sister, and I’m not letting Cyndi die.”

  He released her arm and followed her through the door.

  Being inside the empty school at night was eerie. The farther they went, the less he liked the whole thing. While they walked to Kristen’s locker, he tried to come up with a new plan. There had to be something he could do if they got in over their heads, a last-ditch effort to stop Morgan and save the girls. He would die if he had to, as long as dying protected Kristen from his sister.

  Their soft footsteps echoed in the empty hallway, sounding like thunder to his ears. He hoped Morgan wasn’t close enough to hear them. He needed more time to find a plan without any flaws.

  Kristen opened her locker. She stood there for a moment, staring into the metal box until he began to think something was wrong. Had someone taken the medallion?

  “Is it still in there?” he asked.

  She pulled the gold chain and shiny medallion out. “It’s here. I was just thinking about what my grandma told me in the dream.” Kristen closed the metal door before locking eyes with Zach. Her lips barely moved when she spoke. “I have to go to the gym alone.”

  He shook his head emphatically, mouth tight. “There is no way I’m letting you do that.”

  “Grandma Noah told me I have to go alone.”

  “It was a dream.”

  “It was more than that, and you know it. She didn’t have time to explain why it has to be me or why I have to go alone, but I know it’s the right thing to do. Cyndi is in Room 210. Go get her. Then you can both meet me in the gym.”

  He stubbornly folded his arms and glared down at her. “Read my lips—no. You are not going to the gym by yourself. Forget about it.”

  “Don’t be difficult, and don’t make me bind you. I need your help. Please go get Cyndi.”

  She would do it, too. She would bind him to the floor so he couldn’t stop her. Then he wouldn’t be able to save her when the time for saving arrived. He started walking backwards so he could hurry, grab Cyndi, and get to the gym in time to save the only girl he’d ever loved. He pointed a finger at her and said, “Do me a favor and walk slow.”

  She nodded.

  He bolted like a horse out of the gate at the racetrack. Running up the stairs, taking them two at a time, he went after Cyndi. But as he reached the top, he found himself face-to-face with her. She wasn’t tied up or locked in a room. What was going on?

  The girl was wearing a dark gray T-shirt with some band on it he’d never heard of. Shining the flashlight on her, he said, “How did you get loose?”

  “Get that damn light out of my face!” She lifted her hands and squinted. After he did as she demanded, she rolled her eyes and said, “If you’re going to date my sister, you need to learn to tell us apart. I’m Brittany.”

  Although the last place he wanted Brittany to be was anywhere near his sister, he thought it was great news. Now he could go help Kristen. He said, “Cyndi is in Room 210. Get her.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “To the gym to save Kristen. Whatever you do, do not go to the gym. Morgan might be there, and the last thing we need is for you to join the dark side against us. Take Cyndi and go home.”

  “Got it.”

  Zach turned around and darted back down the stairs, praying he wouldn’t be too late. He still didn’t have a feasible plan. Hopefully something would come to him when he needed it most. One thing was for sure—if a witch died tonight, it was not going to be Kristen. If it was the last thing he ever did, he was going to destroy Morgan.

  ###

  Kristen entered the gymnasium with the medallion swinging from her left hand. She went over the dream again and again in her head, searching for clues. What did she need to do to defeat Morgan? She came up empty. If her grandmother had told her, it had sailed over her head.

  She stepped into the gymnasium and looked around. The large room was dark with only a tiny bit of light spilling in through the skylight. As she walked to the middle of the basketball court, memories of her days as a cheerleader came flooding back. It was hard to believe now that she’d ever thought being a cheerleader was important. A lot of the things she’d held onto back then were meaningless now.

  She promised herself that if she survived this night, she was going to be a different person. She was going to devote her life to something meaningful and find a job she loved instead of chasing money and prestige.

  The sound of soft clapping drew her attention to the southeast corner. Morgan Bevian stepped out from behind a row of bleachers. The girl smirked. “I didn’t think you would have the nerve to show.”

  “Where is my sister?” Kristen knew exactly where Cyndi was via the dream, but she didn’t want Morgan to know that Zach was on his way to rescue the other girl. It was better for Morgan to think she had outsmarted them.

  “Don’t worry about her. Worry about yourself.”

  “That’s the difference between you and me. I love my family. You kill yours.”

  “Speaking of my family.” Morgan grinned. “Have you heard from Zach lately?”

  The stupid witch thought she had Zach locked up in their home. Kristen played along. “Take your own advice. Don’t worry about Zach. Worry about what I’m going to do to you.”

  Morgan laughed, and a light of admiration hit her eyes. “Whoa… Look who thinks she’s all that. I’m impressed. Maybe I chose the wrong sister to link myself to.”

  “You chose the wrong family to link yourself to.”

  “Brittany hates you, you know. I might have put the idea of killing you into her head, but she couldn’t wait to do it. She has always hated you. Did you know that?”

  “My sisters both love me, and I love them. Sometimes Brittany might think she hates me, sometimes she might think she wants to kill me, but in the end, she’ll always have my back.”

  “That’s what you think.”

  Morgan crossed the floor until she was only a few yards from Kristen. They circled each other, two powerful forces on the verge of fighting to the death. They took their time sizing each other up. Neither was ready to make the first move, and Morgan seemed to be in a talking mood.

  “I knew you were trouble from the moment I saw you.” Morgan’s gaze, filled with loathing, raked down Kristen’s body. “The way you looked at Zach? Sickening. The way he looked at you? Pathetic. I knew sooner or later you would convince him to kill me so the two of you could be together.”

  “That isn’t what happened, and you know it. You forced us to make the decision to take you out when you crushed my sister and tried to kill me.”

  Morgan smirked. “I am really going to enjoy this. You have no idea.” The girl lifted her hands and flung them at Kristen in a sudden attack that caught her off guard.

  Before Kristen had the chance to brace herself, a huge, invisible tidal wave hit her. It knocked her backwards and sent her sliding across the floor on her bottom. She quickly rolled onto her hands and knees, looking up through a curtain of blonde hair. She had to keep her eyes on Morgan. The girl was tricky, powerful, and deadly.

  Kristen didn’t bother to wave her hands. She thought of a spell and jerked her head to the side as if she had a nervous tick. The power of it blasted Morgan off her feet. Thanks to the medallion, Kristen’s powers were extreme. The familiar blew backwards, rolling feet-over-head in a succession of tight somersaults. She stopped when she hit the wall on the opposite side.

  They both stood at the same time.

  Kristen pushed her sleeves up and steeled herself against the coming atta
ck. With the medallion clutched tight in her hand, she was stronger than a normal witch. She just wished she knew how to properly use the power. It was too bad the medallion hadn’t come with an instruction manual.

  The dark-haired girl waved a hand at the ceiling, and the bright lights snapped on, momentarily blinding Kristen. She tried to keep her eyes on Morgan, but she couldn’t see. Using one hand, she shielded her eyes and tried to open them beyond a slit. She saw something dark rush past her. Pow! She was hit from behind. The hard blow to the head knocked her on her knees.

  The girl had actually hit her with a fist.

  Kristen’s eyes adjusted to the light. She flicked her empty hand at the running Morgan. A wave of power shot from her fingers and blew Morgan clear across the gymnasium. The girl hit the wall again, falling to the floor with a loud grunt.

  Kristen ran at Morgan, hoping to get to her before she recovered. If she could reach Morgan in time, she could rip the locket from her throat. Then it would be lights out for the psychotic familiar.

  On hands and knees, Morgan looked up and her eyes turned solid black. She jerked her head at Kristen, a smug smile on her mouth.

  An unforeseen force lifted Kristen off her feet. She flew up and slammed against an overhead beam, just missing a row of lights. The force released her, and she fell. It was a long way down.

  A cry burst from her lips. She tried to brace herself, tightening her muscles for impact. Bam! A blast of pain shot through her. Every inch of her body screamed in agony.

  Luckily, nothing seemed to be broken.

  Beaten and bruised, Kristen slowly pushed to her feet. The coppery taste of blood was on her tongue. She’d bitten it on the way down. The excruciating pain added to her anger, giving her strength. With the back of her hand, she wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth. “My turn now.”

  She delivered the next spell with a theatrical motion as if she were sweeping dust from the air. Morgan flew backwards, but she stopped in mid-air and hovered three feet above the floor like a demented Mary Poppins. A nasty grin spread across her face.

  Morgan landed softly on her feet and said, “Play time is over. Now you die.”