As we parked and walked up to the house, déjà vu tapped its wicked nails on my skull and the hairs on my neck stood on end. Same creepy walkway, same creepy screen door.
“I can’t believe she’s here.” Sam’s grip tightened on my arm.
“Maybe we shouldn’t do this,” I whispered.
“No. We need to go. I have that feeling.”
I had it, too, but I wouldn’t admit it. I needed some concrete answers just as much as Sam did.
“Wonder if I should ask about Todd first.” Sam giggled nervously as if she was excited to be here. I wanted to puke.
“What if she gives the same advice?”
“Then we’ll know she doesn’t know anything.”
“Then we promise we’ll never come back. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” she whispered.
Last time, the fortune teller totally lied to Sam (I could tell with my gift), and I thought we’d get away the same as before. Only she freaked after touching me. I didn’t want to waste ten-dollars over another warning to stay far away from Nicholas.
Then I had an idea. Maybe changing the set-up from before would jar something new.
“Let me go first,” I offered.
“Really?” Sam shrugged. “Okay, if you want.”
My powers would have come in handy right about now, but we could at least listen to what she had to say. We entered the house and like before, the bells tinkled to alert our presence. I immediately scanned the armoire looking for a black cat with blue eyes. There was nothing there.
“Hello,” a leathery voice said. “Come in dears.”
The same old lady appeared and Sam grabbed my arm. Luckily, there was no recognition in the lady’s eyes and she directed us to the same rickety chairs. As we sat down, I purposely sat closest to the door this time.
“What can I do for you?” she asked, squinting at us.
“We’d like our fortunes read,” obviously. I withheld my eye roll.
“Oh, of course. I just need my glasses first.” She pressed her weathered hands on the table and stood when a small girl, maybe eight-years-old appeared in the doorway. “Would you get Nanna her glasses, please, Love?”
My eyes locked with the little girl’s electric blue-eyes and a shiver bolted down my spine. Long, black hair spilled over her shoulders in glossy waves. Button nose. Chiseled jaw line. Heart shaped face. She quirked a knowing smile.
“Sure, Nanna.” She darted away, then reappeared with the glasses. The girl hovered behind the curtain, waiting.
“Go on. I’ll be there in a moment. Check the soup.”
The girl pouted, but watched me, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away. After her Nanna told her to go again, the girl obeyed and disappeared. Sam didn’t seem to catch the resemblance. Scarlett had been a cat that was hundreds of years old and couldn’t possibly be this woman’s grandchild, or could she? Nicholas’ reincarnation path was just as far-fetched.
The woman’s cold hand latched onto mine. “Oh, my,” she said, studying my palm. “So much danger surrounds you. More than you should have to bear.”
“Tell me about it,” I wanted to say. I wake up from the dead just to find I’m still in hell with memories I shouldn’t have.
“Hmmmm…”
My hand remained trapped in her clutches, and I wondered why she hadn’t asked for the money yet.
“Don’t you need this?” Sam passed over a ten-dollar-bill.
“Oh, yes.” The woman smiled, and snatched up the bill with her free hand. Then she froze, horror crossing her little cheeks. She dropped my hand to briefly touch Sam’s.
“No.” She blinked rapidly and pulled away as if Sam’s skin burned hers. “Get out!”
“What?” I leaned backward in my chair.
“Both of you! Get out now!” She made the sign of the cross and took a stick from the corner, pointing at us. “Abominations! Out!”
I scurried toward the door with Sam on my heels, and couldn’t get out fast enough. The door slammed shut behind us.
“What was that?” Sam grabbed onto me as we stumbled down the steps onto the path.
A chilling scream came from inside, followed by the old woman yelling for something. Or was it someone?
“Don’t give it to him,” a girlish voice said.
I squealed and turned around. The dark haired child stood just behind the bushes.
“What?”
“You know.” The girl eyed the both of us carefully.
“Who?”
“You’ll know when it’s time.” Her small voice was ethereal, soft yet lethal. “Don’t do it.”
Sam tugged my arm and made me follow her down the path. Within moments we were running.
“Scarlett? Scarlett!” the old woman called in a frantic shrill. “Where are you?”
I took one look at Sam, who was white as a sheet.
“Was that…?” she started to ask.
“Holy crap,” was all I could say as we ran to her car.
CHAPTER FIVE
Sam sighed again and pushed the grapes around her plate. We hadn’t spoken much of the girl’s cryptic warning and more than anything, I wish we hadn’t of visited. The good part was that weeks had passed and no one else remembered. We’d dodged the bullet. Sort of.
Her sad eyes met mine. Phil’s laughter filtered over the cafeteria hum, haunting her. It was almost as if he purposely flirted with the girls on the cheerleading squad to punish me. I was hoping he’d pursue Sam, but he hadn’t, the idiot.
“Holy crap!” Katie slammed her book on the table, startling us, and slid into her normal seat. “I’ve got the best news ev-ah.”
I smiled. Any news was welcomed at this point.
“Yeah?” Sam asked.
“Well, you know how I’ve been helping Horace? I mean, Mr. Cruor?” She beamed as if he’d just asked her to be his girlfriend. My hope deflated the instant she said his name, but I listened all the same. “Well… Principal Brewster recommended this amazing idea for a charity fundraiser and Mr. Cruor is in charge of it. Well, I am actually.”
“A fund raiser?” Sam faked a yawn. “That’s what you’re all excited about?”
“Oh, you’ll be excited all right.” Katie’s smile broadened. “And it’s not a ‘beg your parents for money’ kind of thing, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“And what charity could possibly not beg for money?”
“It’s a secret, but just know, that if our class wins, which we will, we’ll get an automatic A on our winter final next month.”
I couldn’t help my curiosity from peaking, but I still pretended I didn’t care. Reverse psychology worked best on Katie.
“I bet you it’s a jog-a-thon.” I winked at Sam.
“No-wah.” Katie’s lip quirked up at the corner. “It’s way better than that.”
“Oh, come on. What’s better than a jog-a-thon?” Sam chuckled and I joined her.
Katie eyed the two of us and smirked. I didn’t need my gift to know she was about to crack. She couldn’t let us joke when her secret was this juicy.
“Okay.” Katie leaned in. “But I’m swearing you to secrecy. You can’t tell Nicholas.”
I smirked. Of course I’d be telling Nicholas after he returned from the office about fixing his transcript.
“We’re doing a—” she paused for effect and looked around as if everyone was listening in. “A blood drive,” she whisper squealed.
I blinked in surprise, then studied Sam’s face. She was just as pale as she was the night we’d left the psychic’s house.
“Well, don’t look all disappointed.” Katie huffed, then snatched up one of Sam’s grapes and popped it into her mouth. “I hate needles, too, and don’t get me started on the sight of blood. It makes me all queazy. Actually, I’m going to schedule Tyler’s draw just after mine so he can catch me if I fall.”
I spotted Tyler from across the room as flashbacks of their prior interactions zipped through my mind, then chuckled before I caugh
t myself. “Sorry. I was thinking of something funny,” like how you couldn’t keep your teeth off of him, little Ms. Blood Sucker.
Katie gave me a hard look, then snatched up her book. “That’s friendship for you. I thought of anyone, my two BFF’s would be in. I see I was wrong.”
Before either of us could say anything, she darted off in a huff.
Sam’s eyes rounded. “That’s what the girl warned us about, isn’t it? We’re not supposed to give him our blood.”
I swallowed hard as the two things connected. “I don’t know.”
Could that be it? Our blood? Telling Sam my apprehension was the last thing I wanted to do, especially when she was finally doing better. This could shake her up again.
Sam shot me an evil eye. “You cannot deny this.”
I sighed and looked away from her. “It’s just another coincidence.”
Sam crossed her arms. “No! It isn’t. Admit it.”
Nicholas walked up from behind Sam with his cute whisper of a grin, but after spotting me, his smile vanished. “What’s wrong?”
I blinked up at him, attempting to refrain from letting anything show on my face. Denial or not, this train wreck was headed our way and no matter how hard we tried, we couldn’t stop it.
CHAPTER SIX
The next day, sitting in History, my heart thumped wildly as I watched the clock. Maybe Katie was kidding. Maybe Mr. Cruor decided on another fundraiser. All I knew was Sam wasn’t speaking to me again and the rumor mill was in full swing.
“Okay, class.” Mr. Cruor wrote something on the whiteboard, but I couldn’t see what yet. “I’m going to deviate a little from our regularly scheduled program of History, and talk about the upcoming blood drive—”
My stomach fell.
“—specifically our contribution.”
Mr. Cruor continued about depleted blood banks and sick people who couldn’t live without our help, especially those with universal red cell donor blood, which was mine: O negative. The class listened on every word as if he was about to announce we were going to Disneyland on his dime.
“So,” he continued, “I’m challenging you all to a friendly class competition. Whichever class donates the most blood wins a pass on the final.”
Katie turned and locked eyes with me, giving me a smug smile. All I could think of was the little girl’s warning. Could she mean this? And what did he want with our blood anyway?
Phil spoke up, startling me, “Don’t we need parental consent?”
My hackles rose when the ex-vamp tramps turned and shot death daggers our way as if they knew he’d object. I crossed my arms and glared back at them. How was that a ridiculous question? Of course we’d need parental consent.
Yeah, Phil.
“Good question.” Horace gave that sickeningly sweet smile of his before answering and the cheerleaders softened like magic. “If you’re not seventeen yet, then yes you do. I have permission slips here for those who—”
Hands shot up from all over, flapping for the coveted slips. Everyone but Nicholas, Sam, Phil and me. Why was everyone so eager? Then I knew. Katie had spilled her secret in order to get buy-in early.
“We can opt out, if we don’t want to give, right?” Phil said a little too loudly, then laughed under his breath. Tension in the room spiked to epic levels, and I slunk down in my seat. I wanted to kill Katie—again.
Mr. Cruor laughed. “It’s your decision, ultimately. But it’s disappointing that you don’t want to help the cause.”
“Well, I’m not doing it just to win a contest.”
I bit my lip, wanting so badly to jump in and say something, to let Phil know Sam, Nicholas, and I were on his side. However, after everything, I had to remain indifferent, especially for Sam’s sanity. Everything would blow over. It had to.
Horace’s eyes tightened. “You’re setting a bad precedent for the others, Mr. D’Elia. Everyone knows the ultimate value in participating, as will you.”
Mr. Cruor had that look, the one he had before biting my neck. Entranced, I couldn’t look away. Then he turned around and wrote out the stipulations of the contest. Phil blew out his breath behind me, and I turned slowly. Was he suddenly entranced too? I couldn’t help that my heart went out to him. Then like magic, our sighs mirrored one another, and I tried to console him with a smile. His eyes darted away.
“My dad’s a lawyer,” he said darkly, glaring at Mr. Cruor.
“Detention, Mr. D’Elia,” Horace said angered. “Another outburst and you’ll be escorted out of my class.”
I swiveled around and felt my pocket vibrate with a text. Hoping either Sam or Nicholas stole a moment to send me a message, I looked at it quickly. It was a broadcast message to everyone in Katie’s contact list at school:
Katie: I bet Phil’s not in ‘cause he’s got a disease.
One by one, people chimed in, laughing and heckling, and I could barely contain my shock at how low Katie would go. This was awful. Anger coursed through me as I typed in a reply to defend Phil. Lacking the courage, I couldn’t hit send.
This will blow over, I told myself.
Phil didn’t have a disease. He had street smarts and was the only one with enough balls to stand up to the Father of Lies. Katie, eager for Cain’s approval, would use anything to ruin anyone who stood in her way. I wanted to strangle her.
Once class ended, Phil left first. Katie snagged my arm and led me out. “See? He’s running away in guilt.”
“You didn’t send that to him, did you?”
She laughed evilly under her breath.
“You’re all sheep!” Phil yelled from further down the hall as he busted through the double doors leading outside.
“Told you,” Katie said with a smirk.
Crap.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Encapsulated within the peaceful haven of Nicholas’ arms, I closed my eyes and inhaled, trying hard to forget the drama at school. The salty wind whipped my hair as we cuddled on top of the sea cliff. Down below was our beach, the one we couldn’t enjoy anymore. I tried not to think of that and just be thankful that Nicholas was with me. That was good enough.
“Do you ever wish for your powers back?” I asked softly.
Nicholas hummed and kissed my temple. “Maybe sometimes.
“Like now?”
He chuckled in my ear and squeezed me tighter. “Now would be nice.”
I turned to meet his smiling lips and kissed him. He obliged and finished by sucking on my bottom lip. My toes curled, and I giggled uncontrollably. “I love you.”
“I love you,” he whispered.
I reached up and touched his beautiful face. I’d never get tired of this, of his smell, his lips, his arms around me, of how good he tasted. The stupid blood drive kept invading my worries, though.
“So what do you think of Cain’s charity event?”
“I don’t want to think about that right now.” He gripped my hips and pulled me onto his lap. Then he traced his lips lightly over my jaw and moved down my neck, sending a tingle up my spine. His lips stopped at my necklace. I leaned in as an invitation to keep going, to be so distracted that I didn’t have to think about anything but him and how delicious he made me feel.
“We can’t ignore it,” I thought aloud, and then immediately I wanted to take it back.
His lips disappeared and he wove his hands around my waist. “You’re right.”
“I am?” I squeaked, wishing he’d just kiss me again and tell me to forget it.
“I actually need to tell you something.”
I stiffened and he smiled reassuringly, brushing the hair from my eyes. “It’s nothing bad.” He tugged on my shoulder and pulled me toward him while he rubbed my neck. “I need to check on my parents, that’s all.”
My eyes slid shut again as his strong hands turned my muscles into clay. The logical side of me tried to fight his all-powerful touch and ask the important questions. “You do?”
“Yes.” He sighed and his hands stopped
moving.
I leaned away to look at him, scared to death of the real reason. “Why? What’s wrong?”
“I haven’t heard from them. I need to make sure everything’s okay.” He pulled me close and put his chin on the top of my head. I tried to relax, but my heart did jumping jacks. This wasn’t good. What if they’d remembered? Nicholas squeezed me tight, and I closed my eyes. If only I could feel his peaceful aura I’d know for sure what he was feeling.
“It’ll be okay. I’m sure nothing is wrong,” he finally said, but he didn’t sound convinced.
I sighed, but before I knew it, he leaned over and kissed me so deeply, my head was spinning. This was all I wanted. Him. For the blissful moment, I let myself forget. As long as we were together, we could conquer anything. Right?
The next day brought with it big red banners across the hallways that read, “Love to Give Blood,” and I thought I’d be sick. Before I could give Mom a heads up, Mr. Cruor had emailed her for permission and she agreed without asking me first.
Nicholas’ timing to visit his parents paid off in spades. I pinched my lips together and kept my head down as I strolled to my locker alone, unfortunately.
Katie bounded up with a clipboard in hand. The streak in her hair was dyed blood red to match her nails. “So, according to my lists from Horace, I see you’ve gotten the necessary permission. Would you like an appointment?”
Horace? Seriously? I wanted to bust up laughing until I saw she already had an, “I gave,” sticker on her shirt.
“Yeah, I’ll go after PE,” I lied.
“Oh, about that. Good news.” Katie smiled broadly. Any more of her good news and I’d puke on her new hairdo. “Coach isn’t making us dress down today in support of the drive. I have openings in 15 minutes.”
I pressed my lips into a straight line.
“How nice of Coach,” I said flatly. “Yeah, I’ll be there in 15.”
“Great.” Katie marked something on her clipboard. “I’ll put you down. Just meet at the trailer out front. You can’t miss it. Don’t be late.”
Blood Wars: Book 4 (The Talisman Series) Page 3