More than he realizes, I add to myself.
Tanner clearly doesn’t approve, but he sits back against his chair and keeps his opinions to himself. Tonight was supposed to be fun. Tanner and I were supposed to work on our relationship, close some of the distance between us. Now, I just feel anxious and heavy, like the dreams are weighing me down. All I can do is try to share the burden and hope it means more answers and not more fighting.
“The dreams I started having were warnings that something bad was going to happen,” I say. “I didn’t learn until later, but one of my ancestors made a terrible choice a long time ago that cursed the women in my family. Not a single one of them lived past their sixteenth birthdays.”
“And you were about to turn sixteen,” Bas finishes.
I nod and continue. “The more we learned about what was happening, the more I understood why it was happening. The woman who caused it was being punished. I thought the only way to stop the curse was to willingly give up my own life in the hopes that no one else would die.”
I don’t miss the way Bas’s arms tighten or the way his chest stops moving for a moment before releasing the trapped air slowly. Judging by the agitated shifting of Tanner’s position, he didn’t miss it either.
“As it turned out, my life wasn’t the one that could end the curse. It was Kivera’s, the woman who started everything. She gave up her life and saved mine, and I thought the dreams and danger were over…but I was wrong.”
Silently, I add to myself that I was more wrong than I ever could have imagined.
“Let me guess, you know all this stuff about Sibeal and her family because you’ve dreamt about them,” Bas says slowly.
My head bobs up and down. I hold my breath, waiting for him to call me a liar and walk off shaking his head. Even Tanner looks nervous. Bas will easily recognize that Tanner believes everything I’ve told him. If he thinks we’re both crazy, it will only drive them further apart.
“So, what do you think is going to happen to Sibeal?” Bas asks. His words are calm, but I’m not sure if he believes us.
“We don’t really know,” Tanner says, surprising me and Bas. “We can only guess that this thing is pretty serious, which most likely means she’ll die if we don’t figure out how to stop it.”
Bas closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. “How could you possibly stop it?”
“If we can figure out what really happened to Darcy and where the sisters got their power from, we may be able to figure out what they’re supposed to learn, if anything.” I pull the blanket around me a little more snugly. “There has to be something we can do. I have to try.”
“You’ve tried talking to Sibeal?”
My mouth turns down in a frown. “I tried. She wouldn’t tell me anything, but I think she will soon.”
“What makes you say that?” Tanner asks.
“Because she’ll be desperate. She knows a lot more about this than we do. I can guarantee she knows she’s running out of time, and despite everything Darcy has done to her, she still loves her and wants to save her.”
Neither of my companions tries to argue with me. I’m sure they can both imagine being in a situation where a sibling needed their help. They wouldn’t give up no matter how insane it sounded or how dangerous it might be. Darcy seems like a horrible person, but to Sibeal, she’s still her sister.
Silence falls on our little group, and it begins to suffocate me. Bas has listened and asked questions, but he has yet to actually say what he thinks. I need to know.
“What are you thinking?” I ask Bas quietly.
Bas smiles and chuckles to himself. “I’m thinking that this isn’t even the weirdest story I’ve heard. Close, but not that strange when you’re a part of a family that wholeheartedly believes in magic, curses, druids, and leprechauns.”
“Are you laughing at me, or do you actually believe what I’m telling you?” I demand.
“It’s a lot for a person to wrap their head around,” Bas says, “but I believe you. I’m just wondering why you didn’t tell me about Sibeal’s creepy, independent reflection.”
A huge sigh of relief escapes me. I laugh. “I was trying to give you the Cliff’s Notes version.”
“You’ve seen it too then?” Bas asks.
Tanner and I both nod. “I saw it in the first dream, but we’ve both seen it happen in real life, too. It scared the daylights out of me.”
“Definitely not good for a person’s heart,” Bas agrees.
I look back and forth from Bas to Tanner. Some of the tension has receded, but I don’t know how long that will last. For now, at least, they’re willing to talk and try to help figure this out.
“We need to get Sibeal to talk to us,” I say, breaking the silence, “but I don’t know how to convince her that she can trust us.”
“You made a good start with the pictures,” Bas says. “Maybe you could ask her more about her photography, go back to her house where she’ll feel more comfortable and ease into it.”
Tanner perks up at the mention of the pictures. I forgot he hasn’t seen them yet. “Did you get them back already?” he asks.
“Yeah, she gave them to me that day. They turned out really nice.”
“Nice is an understatement,” Bas mutters. Tanner’s eyes narrow, and Bas continues. “Sibeal is really talented. All the seniors are going to be hitting her up for pictures soon.”
If she doesn’t die in two days. The same thought must occur to the others, because the night falls quiet again. I try to stay focused on Sibeal. This time, Bas is the one to break the silence.
“Well, we can’t do much about it tonight. Sibeal didn’t even come. You can call her tomorrow,” Bas says to me. “For right now, it’s my birthday and there is a massive Halo marathon going on inside.”
Tanner grins. I laugh quietly. If all else fails to mend a friendship, try shooting at each other with virtual guns. Bas helps Tanner up and slings an arm around his shoulder. “What do you think? Up for a beating?”
“Hardly. I beat you the last three times,” Tanner says as he shoves Bas away from him. “And don’t think I’m going to let you win just because it’s your birthday, either.”
“I know you better than that.”
Bas shoves him forward toward the house. I think they’ve both forgotten me until Bas offers me his hand. I take it, pushing the blanket aside as he yanks me up. “Thanks,” I grunt, pulling my arm away and rolling my shoulder.
The three of us make our way inside, battling through the crowd of spectators. I’ve never been into video games—much to Tanner’s dismay—but I do have fun watching them play. Two other gamers have control of the system at the moment, but Tanner and Bas call dibs on the next turn. No one argues, and when Bas asks someone on the couch to scoot over, the group moves out of his way. I still don’t understand it, but I am glad I don’t have to sit on the floor amid empty pizza boxes. The three of us claim the couch and wait for Nico to die an embarrassing death at the hands of Travis.
Suddenly, I am the sole occupant on the couch. Tanner and Bas clamber over the coffee table and snatch the controllers as soon as the Game Over screen pops up. I shake my head and settle in to watch. It’s not so much the game I am entertained by, but the antics of Bas and Tanner as they guide their avatars around the screen and try to kill each other. They’re both so good, it goes on for quite a while. My eyes are getting heavy by the time Bas finally admits defeat and flops back down on the couch as the next player jumps in beside Tanner.
I try to stay awake and watch Tanner, but my head falls to the side and sleep claims me a few minutes later.
Chapter Twenty
Her tear-stained face looks over her shoulder. Fear is etched on every inch of her body. She only makes it a few more steps before her eyes dart back again to make sure she isn’t being followed. A sound from somewhere nearby sends her heart into overdrive and her feet scurrying away. She is breathless and terrified by the time she reaches a nondescript door. Her p
ale, trembling hand reaches up and raps on the weathered wood.
When she hears no sound of movement from inside, she knocks harder. Panic is forming in her eyes. Again, she knocks even louder. Her eyes flit from the door to the street a dozen times in a matter of a second. Her fist rises again, but the sound of a bolt being slid away makes her gasp and pause. She stumbles back a step. Her wide eyes latch onto the door. Her hands tighten on each other as she holds them under her chin in fear.
Finally, the door cracks open. A weary looking woman pokes her head out. Surprise blossoms on her face at the sight of the pale girl quivering on her doorstep. “Sibeal?” she whispers. “What are you doing here?”
“I need your help. I have to stop her. I have to make her pay for what she’s done.” Tears stream down Sibeal’s cheeks. Her hands come up to press against her face, as if they will stop the downpour.
“Does anyone know you’re here?” the woman asks.
Sibeal shakes her head. “No, I had to sneak out so no one would know.”
“And no one followed you?” the woman pressures.
“No. I made sure of it.”
The woman’s eyes dart around the street. A moment, later, she ushers Sibeal into the house and locks the door behind them. Once they are safely inside, she whirls on Sibeal angrily. “It isn’t safe for you to come here!”
“I know,” Sibeal cries, “but you have to help me, please! I can’t stand by and watch her ruin my life, steal everything I love. She has to be stopped. Please, you have to help me.”
Sibeal’s pleas soften the woman’s stance. “What has Darcy done this time?”
“She took Colin from me.” Sibeal tries to maintain some semblance of control, but her chin starts to tremble, and soon, the rest of her body follows suit. She collapses into a nearby chair and sobs uncontrollably.
The last of the woman’s hostility falls away. She walks over to Sibeal and holds her gently. Her patience doesn’t waver as Sibeal cries. Only when her tears have dried does the woman push her back and force her to meet her eyes.
“What have you come here to ask of me?” the woman questions.
Sibeal swallows and firms her posture. “I want Darcy out of my life, for good. I have tried to love her and help her, but all she does is hurt me. She is determined to take everything. She’s already taken Colin. I know my power will be next. She can’t hold both of our power. No one would be able to control her then.”
The woman nods thoughtfully. “What are you willing to give up to see this done?”
“What do you mean?” Sibeal asks.
“I know of a way to stop Darcy and lock her power away, but you know that the power she possesses is a part of you also. I cannot lock away one half without the other.” The woman turns to meet Sibeal’s eyes and finds her pale and trembling.
The fear her words have inspired show clearly in Sibeal’s eyes, yet her head nods slowly. “I’ll give up my power if it means Darcy won’t be able to hurt me or anyone else again.”
“That is very brave of you, Sibeal, but it is not so simple.” The woman watches Sibeal carefully as she moves in a slow circle around her. “I can give you what you need, but it will not be permanent unless you make it so.”
“How long will it last?” Sibeal asks. The panic is returning quickly.
The woman’s eyes narrow. “You will have one year to either make it permanent or prepare to face Darcy again.”
Sibeal’s eyes double in size at the thought of having to face her sister after being the one to imprison her. “How do I make it permanent?”
“That, my dear, is something only you can determine.”
“What?” Sibeal shrieks.
The woman nods slowly. “I can tell you no more than that.” She pierces Sibeal with her gaze. “Do you want what I am offering?”
There is a moment of hesitation before Sibeal stands. Every ounce of strength she has is poured into her answer. “Yes.”
“Very well,” the woman says. She walks past Sibeal to another room, and when she returns, she is carrying a small wooden box. “I prepared this for you, knowing you would one day come to me and ask for my help.”
Sibeal approaches the woman cautiously. When they are face to face, the woman opens the lid of the box and tips it just enough that Sibeal can see its contents. The plain gray stone could have been picked up anywhere, but the delicate symbol etched deep into it was not forged by tools, but by power. Sibeal feels the energy within resonating from its depths. Her hands reach out for the box, closing the lid and slipping it inside her jacket.
Not another word is exchanged between Sibeal and the woman. They part ways, the woman back to her bed and Sibeal out the front door on a mission to derail fate and take her future into her own hands.
***
The sound of Bas’s voice breaks through the haze of my dream. The words are meaningless to my ears. It is the sound that comforts me. My grip tightens, my body nestling closer.
“Arra,” Bas says sharply, “Tanner is about to die.”
That snaps my eyes open. I look up at Bas in a panic. “What?”
“In the game,” he says, gesturing at the TV.
I glance toward Tanner and breathe as I sort out my confusion. “Why did you have to wake me up?”
For some reason, Bas blushes. It’s faint, but not faint enough to escape my notice. I’m not sure for the reason until he glances down at my arm draped around his middle. “Sorry,” he says, “I should have pushed you off, but ….”
Now I’m the one blushing. I sit up quickly and glance nervously around the room. Luckily, everyone seems to be more interested in the game than me. “It’s okay. Sorry for laying all over you.” I brush my tangled hair out of my face. “You could have moved me. I would’ve understood.”
“I know,” Bas says low enough that only I can hear him.
When I look over at him, not sure I heard him right, he looks away guiltily. He turns back a moment later, though, his expression bare and vulnerable. It’s not the kind of look I usually see on his face, and it leaves me breathless.
The weight of another body flopping onto the couch bounces me forward and almost pitches me into the coffee table. My head swings over to Tanner, who is wallowing in his defeat.
“I was so close!” he grumbles.
Bas chuckles, but it seems strained. “Three wins in a row, you had a good run. The skills of a twelve year old were just too much to handle.”
Curious, I look back toward the TV and see Bas’s little brother, Charlie, parked in front with his eyes glued to the screen. I can’t help laughing. “Charlie beat you?”
“Thanks, rub it in,” Tanner whines. “Were you even watching? I almost had him.”
“Oh, sure. Of course I was watching.”
Tanner’s eyes narrow at me playfully. “You fell asleep, didn’t you?”
“Sorry.”
Given how little I usually get into video games, Tanner just laughs. I get passed by then as Tanner leans forward to argue with Bas about the reason for his ultimate failure. I check out of the conversation entirely at that point, my mind going back to the dream. I want to tell them both about what I saw, but this isn’t the time or place.
I take advantage of the fact that I seem to have become invisible and try to figure out what I really saw happening. As I consider the events I witnessed, I begin to realize that this dream changes everything. The more I think about it, the colder the room seems to get.
Darcy, from what I can tell, is one sick chick. I don’t know what’s wrong with her, but there is definitely something that isn’t right. What I saw tonight, though, showed Sibeal as the one to seek out something dangerous. I have no idea what the rock was for, or what it was meant to do, but it wasn’t good. It was going to hurt Darcy in some way.
It’s hard to feel too bad for Darcy after what she did to Sibeal, but I’m beginning to think that Sibeal really is the one being punished, not Darcy. I still have no idea what happened to Darcy. The wo
man said it would lock her away, but it would only be temporary. Sibeal had to find a way to make it permanent. Did that mean killing Darcy?
Even as horrible as Darcy is, I can’t stand by and let Sibeal kill her. I have absolutely no idea what I’m supposed to do now. Will saving Sibeal save my life, or am I supposed to be protecting Darcy?
“Hey, what time is it?” Tanner asks. “I told Arra’s dad I’d have her back by midnight and I do not want to be late.”
“It’s eleven-forty-five,” Bas says. “Before you go, though, my dad wanted to talk to you about your fence.” Bas shrugs. “He said your mom asked him if he could fix part of it, but she was a little sketchy on the details.”
“That’s because my mom doesn’t know the difference between a hammer and a screwdriver.” Tanner rolls his eyes. He pats my knee and says, “I’ll be right back. Promise.”
I watch as he dashes away from the living room in search of Bas’s dad. The couch is very comfortable, but I suppose I should get up and get ready to go so I’m not late getting home. If Tanner doesn’t hurry, I’ll have to head back without him. I’m not likely to get a pass on breaking curfew tonight.
As I push off the couch and stand, Bas comes with me. We walk to the door and Bas opens it for me, but before stepping out, he turns to one of our classmates standing next to him. “Tell Tanner Arra’s on the porch waiting for him when he comes back, okay?”
He doesn’t wait for a response because he knows his request will be granted. The door is pulled shut behind him as he steps out onto the porch with me. Thoughts of how safe and comfortable I felt waking up next to him creep into my mind. I panic, trying to push them out by talking.
“So, you and Tanner seemed to be doing better tonight,” I say, “once the video games got involved, anyway.”
Bas shrugs. “Yeah, but I don’t know how long it will last.”
“Why wouldn’t it last?” I ask, half afraid to hear the answer.
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