More Than Just Luck

by Jaclyn Weist

  “Stay. Please dance with me.” He pulled me closer.

  I glanced up at the clock and realized thirty minutes had gone by since I’d arrived at the pub. Relieved that I had an excuse to break away, I moved toward the door. “I’m sorry. I’m supposed to check in with my mom. I’ll be right back.”

  His eyes flashed in annoyance, but he let me go. I ran toward the entrance and pulled out my phone. I dialed Mom’s number and waited for her to answer. It took a few rings before she finally answered.

  “Hey, Mom. I’m just checking in.” I moved closer to the door to get some fresh air. It was too muggy in here.

  “Thank you. Go have fun. Talk to you in half an hour.”

  “Bye.” I put my phone in my pocket and headed into the pub. I hoped the song was over and we could forget the slow dancing, but another song came on.

  Jakob swooped in and put his arm around me. “Now, will you dance with me?”

  “Sure.” I tried to keep my distance, but he pulled me closer. I kept telling myself it was just a stupid dance, and that Jared would understand. I really hoped that was the case. I soon relaxed and enjoyed myself. The music pounded in my head, numbing it so I could stop thinking about everything that had happened.

  We went through a few more songs before I finally begged to sit down. My sandals weren’t meant for so much dancing. I found a bench and dropped onto it. Jakob sat next to me and had me rest my head on his shoulder. I was relaxed—until I saw the time. It had been nearly an hour since I’d last called. That couldn’t be right. I jumped up and texted Mom while I went to find Shelby and the others.

  “We need to go. I was supposed to check in half an hour ago.” Where was Mom’s response? She was usually quick.

  “My mom’s right there. We’re fine.” Shelby turned back to the guy she’d been flirting with.

  I grumbled and hurried outside. I called Mom and waited for her to pick up, but it went to voicemail. Where was she? I called again, and then a third time. She was fine, right? I mean, she was with the other moms. And she could’ve been asleep. After all, it was eleven thirty. But that didn’t stop the pounding in my chest. I needed to get back.

  Shelby’s mom sat at the bar, watching the other girls dance. I ran up to her, hoping she’d listen to me.

  “Hey, I think we should get going.” My senses were screaming at me to leave.

  “I’m just going to give them another half hour. It’ll be fine.”

  “No, I really should go now.” I forced myself to yawn.

  “The others aren’t ready to leave yet. Could you wait a little longer?”

  “Look, my mom hasn’t answered her phone. The hotel is down the street. I’ll just run home.” I walked away and ignored her calling out to me.

  Jakob was waiting near the door, but I managed to slip out before he saw me. I wasn’t about to try to explain why I needed to leave.

  I sprinted to the hotel, pulling on my luck. Everything needed to be okay. I didn’t care about any stupid revenants. I needed my mom.

  I burst through the doors of the hotel and slowed to a stop. No need to make a scene here. I walked quickly through the lobby to the elevators, trying to catch my breath. Every second I waited could be bad for her. The elevator door finally opened and I jumped in, pretending I hadn’t just heard Jakob yelling my name. I couldn’t believe he’d followed me.

  I got to my floor and ran down the hallway. After trying the key card three times, I finally made into the room. “Mom?”

  No answer. Her bed had been slept in, but it was empty.

  “Mom?” The word came out as more of a sob. I heard the bathroom door open and nearly collapsed in relief. “There you are.”

  “What’s wrong, Megan?” She hugged me close.

  “You didn’t answer your phone. I didn’t know where you were.”

  She laughed. “You were gone for so long, and I couldn’t sleep, so I took a long bath. I’m sorry for scaring you.”

  “I’m just glad you’re okay.” Stupid boys. They just needed to go away. I should never have gone to the dance club.

  “It’s good you got back when you did. Next time, pay more attention to the clock. Why don’t you go shower and get some sleep?”

  “I think I will. I’m exhausted. And I’m sorry.” I grabbed my pajamas.

  “Did you at least have fun?” she asked.

  “Yes. This guy named Jakob kept asking me to dance.”

  “Sounds fun.” She smiled and crawled under her blankets.

  The hot shower felt good after dancing all night. I stayed in until the water started running cold, then quickly changed and blow-dried my hair. It was then I felt something very, very wrong in the room. And I had no sword.

  I slowly opened the door, not knowing what I’d find. All I knew was that my mom was in there with something bad. I peeked around the corner to find the revenant standing over her while she slept.

  “Oh, no, you don’t. Get away from her!” I dove and took him down. His skin was clammy and nasty. I stood quickly and wiped my hands. So much for the shower. I’d need to take another one.

  The revenant stood again and moved toward me. I had no idea what would stop it. Eoin had never gotten back to me. In fact, I hadn’t seen him for hours.

  I raised my hand and reached toward it, hoping to make it trip like I’d done before. I felt a strange pull from his heart. He growled and lunged for me. I jumped back and fell onto my bed.

  I heard a yelp from Mom. “Get out of here! Now!”

  Mom scrambled into the bathroom, while I tried to figure out how to kill this thing.

  The golem from the year before came to mind, and I wondered if pulling at the revenant’s heart would kill it like I had the golem. It was the only thing I could think of to do.

  The revenant moved forward, its lifeless grin giving me the chills. I pulled on him, but had to roll over and jump off the other side of the bed to get away from him. This thing wasn’t going to go quietly!

  I went for his chest again, and pulled as hard as I could with my luck. Suddenly, his heart burst out of his chest and flew toward me. I ducked out of the way, and it hit the wall, making a squelching sound. The revenant fell to the ground and disappeared. I stumbled to the bathroom and gagged. That was by far the nastiest thing I had ever done.

  Eoin suddenly popped in by me. “Quick! Grab the heart and throw it in this bag.”

  I didn’t stop to ask questions. I didn’t want the thing in my room anyway. I grabbed the slimy, lifeless heart and threw it in the bag. Eoin opened the bathroom door and squeezed my mom to drop the bag into the tub. He threw a fireball at it, burning the whole thing. As soon as there was nothing left, I turned on the shower to get rid of the ash—and the smell.

  “Did it touch you?” Eoin asked.

  “Well, I kind of dove at it, so I touched it.”

  Eoin groaned. “That was the worst thing you could’ve done.” He pulled out a flask. “Shower and use this soap.”

  “But why?” I took the flask from him.

  “Do you want to turn into a revenant?”

  My eyes widened. “No.”

  “Then you better get its germs off you or that’s exactly what will happen.” He backed out of the bathroom and took Mom with him.

  In case anyone wondered, I was totally done with Germany.

  JARED

  Megan had been gone for a few days now, and Jared was ready for her to come home. He didn’t like that she was in danger in a different country, and there was nothing he could about it. He also hadn’t seen Eoin for a couple of days, and he was starting to go crazy. He had to concentrate on his daily routine just to stay somewhat sane. Get up, eat, work all day, come home, and crash.

  It was late in the afternoon when Mrs. Lincoln came into the store. “Hello, Jared. I’d hoped to see you here.”

  “Every day.” He pulled out her favorite cupcake.

  “Oh, not that one today, dear. I need a carrot cake for some guests.” She smiled with
a twinkle in her eye.

  “Excellent. I love that one. I made it myself.” He pulled out the cake and set it in a box. “Here you go. That’ll be seventeen dollars.”

  Mrs. Lincoln handed Jared a twenty-dollar bill, then leaned forward. “I’d like you to meet my guests as soon as possible.”

  Jared perked up. “Who are they?”

  She smiled mischievously. “You’ll just have to come find out. Bring Beth and Adam. They’ll want to hear this.”

  Jared grinned. “Adam might have to work, but I’ll be over later.”

  Mrs. Lincoln picked up her cake and headed toward the door. “See you soon.”

  Jared texted Beth to let her know what Mrs. Lincoln said. He figured she wouldn’t pass up meeting something magical.

  She replied quickly, letting him know she’d be there. The last hour seemed to take forever to pass. Uncle Jerry finally announced it was time to close, and Jared helped him clean things up before taking off.

  “And you’re sure there’s someone exciting there?” Beth asked again.

  “That’s what she told me.”

  Beth stared at Mrs. Lincoln’s house. “Okay, I hope so. I’m missing a date with Adam for this.”

  “I thought you were supposed to be working. Besides, you’re here with me. That’s just as good.”

  Beth rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I’m here with my best friend’s boyfriend.”

  Jared laughed. “Better than your best friend’s brother.”

  “Touché.” Beth went up to the front door and knocked.

  Mrs. Lincoln opened the door and smiled widely. “Hello, you two. Come on in.”

  Jared followed Mrs. Lincoln into the kitchen, and he stopped short. Biddy Early and Megan’s grandma sat at the table, along with two other women he’d never met.

  Beth gave a little squeal and hurried over to sit with them. From what Megan had told Jared, Beth had been beside herself with excitement when she met Biddy Early while they were in Ireland. Supposedly, Biddy was almost burned at the stake for being a witch.

  “Jared and Beth, you of course know Mrs. Crenshaw and Biddy. This is Tenyanye and Rhoslyn. They’re dear friends of ours.”

  Biddy Early was graying and old, but these women looked ancient. They were stooped, and their faces had more wrinkles than Jared had ever seen on a person.

  “It’s nice to meet you.” Jared shook their hands, then took the piece of carrot cake from Mrs. Lincoln. “Thank you.”

  “What a nice young man.” Tenanye beamed up at him.

  “Don’t be fooled by those dimples.” Biddy cackled. “Come, sit down. We have much to discuss.”

  “What do you mean?” Jared took a seat by Beth.

  “I asked these ladies to help me figure out a way to stop the festival from happening. We will be met with resistance. Eighteen years is a long time to wait to party.”

  Megan’s grandma shook her head. “I really don’t like this. And you’re sure it’s happening?”

  Mrs. Lincoln pursed her lips. “Oona is on the move again.” The women gasped, and Mrs. Lincoln turned to Jared and Beth. “Oona is the queen of the fairies. She has ruled for a few centuries. She’s generally kind, but when she sees something she wants, nothing will stop her from getting it. I’m not sure what she hopes to accomplish, but I don’t think it’s anything good.”

  Mrs. Crenshaw sighed. “I’m afraid you’re right. I’m relieved Megan is nowhere near this right now.”

  Jared leaned forward. “How do we know she’s okay where she is? I can’t get through to her.”

  “She’s only texted me a few times, and she doesn’t say much,” Beth said.

  Rhoslyn studied Jared and Beth for a moment. “Is this normal for her?”

  Beth shrugged. “She’s usually too busy with life to hang out on her phone. But this is different. I mean, I realize she’s in Europe and stuff, but I would think that would make her want to text more to tell me how things are.”

  Jared ran his fingers through his hair, flustered. “It’s not the texting that worries me. It’s Eoin showing up to tell me something’s wrong. If they’re going after his parents, that usually means Megan is the real target, and they don’t want her to have help.”

  “What about Maddie? Doesn’t she have a connection to Louie?” Mrs. Crenshaw asked.

  Jared groaned. “You’re right, and I totally forgot about that. We were over there and didn’t even ask if she’d heard anything.”

  “Oh, don’t beat yourself up over it. I’m her grandma and haven’t asked her yet.”

  “I was going to hang out with Adam anyway. I can ask when I go over there,” Beth said.

  Mrs. Lincoln smiled. “Wonderful. Let’s see what you and find. And we can put out feelers. We only have a couple of days to stop whatever they’ve planned.”

  Jared stood. “Sounds good. Thanks for your help.” He shook their hands one more time.

  “See you later.” Beth left the room, and Jared caught up to open the door for her.

  “Want me to come with you when you talk to Maddie?” Jared asked.

  “No, it’s fine. I’ll just text you when I have the chance to talk to her.” Beth climbed in her car and pulled away.

  Jared got in his truck and drove home. His parents were watching TV, and Abby must have been asleep. He headed upstairs and flopped on his bed. There was nothing worse than sitting around, waiting for something to happen.

  “Eoin?” He knew it was a long shot, but figured he’d try it anyway. He lay there, waiting for an answer, but his eyelids grew heavy.

  “Yeah?” Eoin asked.

  Jared jumped. He must have dozed off. “Hey, what’s going on over there? I haven’t heard from Megan yet.”

  “She’s kinda busy running from things like revenants and mermaids. Oh, and playing volleyball. And dancing with boys.”

  Jared felt like he’d been punched in the gut. “Boys?”

  Eoin’s grin turned sheepish. “Oh, I probably shouldn’t have said that. She was invited to a pub with her friends. There was this guy who kept asking her to dance.”

  “Oh.” Jared wasn't sure how to take that. Of course people liked her. She was Megan. But still.

  “Then, she killed a revenant. She didn’t seem to like that much. Not that I blame her.” He shivered.

  Jared jerked up out of bed. “What? A revenant? How’d it find her?” He’d heard of them from old movies.

  “How do any creatures find her?” Eoin shrugged.

  Jared shook his head. “I don’t like this at all. I wish I could have been there to help her.”

  “That would have been helpful. What have you been doing here?”

  “Working. Trying to figure out how to help Megan. Oh, hey, do you know much about Queen Oona?”

  “Not much. Only the name. Should I?” Eoin asked.

  “She’s the queen of the fairies. Apparently, she wants to start the celebrations up again.”

  Eoin shrugged. “I don’t know anything about her. But if she’s causing problems, that could be what’s making the fairy world go crazy.”

  “Great. That’s exactly what we need.” Jared cleared his throat. “So, um, do you think you could give Megan a message for me?”

  “I guess.” Eoin snapped his fingers, and a piece of paper and crayon appeared.

  “Tell her we’re doing what we can from here. And that I hope she’s doing okay. And that I love her.”

  Eoin made a face when he wrote down the last part. “Got it. I’ll do what I can.” He snapped his fingers and disappeared.

  Jared turned off his light and rolled over. He was determined not to let this bother him. Megan was in a different country. It’s not like he owned her. He just hoped she was safe so far away.

  MEGAN

  Mom and I woke up early to get everything packed. We would be going to Schloss Charlottenburg before heading off to the airport. Breakfast was quick, but the yogurt, bread, and jam were to die for. I took some of the bread with me on the bus s
o I’d have something to snack on.

  When we arrived at the castle, we stopped and stared in awe as we looked up at the architecture. The Schloss Charlottenburg was a palace that had been built back in 1699, and had been added onto several times. The inside was filled with porcelain from China and Japan. It was a good thing I hadn’t come here when my luck had been stolen. It would have been a disaster.

  The décor was from the Baroque period, and my favorite of what I’d seen so far. We could only go into a few parts of the castle because of time restrictions, but I left with tons more pictures to show Jared when I got home.

  Once we were done with the tour, I was anxious to leave Germany. After the revenant, I wasn’t too fond of the country. At least we’d won the game the night before, right?

  On our way to the airport, Eoin popped in next to me. He looked exhausted.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  “Talk … to … Jared.” He breathed heavily. “He wants you to know this.” He shoved the paper in front of my face.

  I took it, read it, and smiled. Man, I missed him. I pulled out my phone and texted I love you too.

  “Do you know why he’s not texting me?” I asked.

  “His cell phone isn’t working right or something. He’s tried.”

  “Ah.” Knowing that helped me feel better, and made those few messages that had gotten through that much more special. “Thanks for the message.”

  “You’re welcome.” He curled up on the seat next to me just as we pulled into the airport.

  We climbed out and dragged our luggage through security. Eoin popped in on the other side of the scanner. When it was time to board, we climbed on and found our seats. The plane was full, so Eoin climbed up into the one empty carry-on storage bin. Within a few minutes, I could hear him snoring.

  The flight was uneventful, which I was grateful for. I read one of my books while we flew. I could hear the other girls talking about the guys from last night. I did my best to stay out of the conversation. I preferred to keep Jakob out of my mind. There was something about him that bothered me. Not that he was creepy or anything. It was more like … Cam. It was more of an enchanted gorgeous, and not like Jared gorgeous.