Not Your Average Happy Ending

by Chantele Sedgwick

  “Dude. Is that a banshee?” Sam lifted his hands as if preparing for an attack.

  She was dressed in white, her wild red hair stuck out in every direction. Like how I pictured Medusa looked, but without the snakes. Her dark eyes glowed and her mouth was turned up in a smirk. She was quite beautiful, and looked more like a human than anything. Well, except for the sharp claws where her fingernails should have been. I didn’t know a lot about banshees, but I did know to steer clear of them. They were dark creatures.

  “Yes. Yes it is,” I said. I recognized her. She was at the Academy for a few months when we were younger. I knew she left in a hurry, but every banshee I’d heard of lived in Ireland. Not Washington.

  She cocked her head to the side, studying us. We didn’t move. If we didn’t piss her off, maybe she’d leave us alone. I really didn’t want to hear about a death omen.

  Her eyes focused on me and her smile widened. “Ash Summerland. I’ve been waiting for you.”

  “Gizelle,” I said, giving her a small nod. I heard Sam’s gasp of surprise, but kept my eyes on her. “What can I do for you?”

  “I’m flattered you remember my name. I was only at the Academy for a few months.” Her voice was airy and higher than I remembered, with a slight Irish accent.

  I nodded. “I’m surprised you remembered mine as well.”

  She floated a few inches toward me, her white dress rolling in wispy waves around her. “Everyone knows you, Ash. There are many people looking for you.”

  I started at that. “What do you mean?”

  “There’s a price for whoever finds you.”

  “Obviously I’m not too hard to find.” Why would people be looking for me?

  She raised an eyebrow. “You wish to be found?”

  “I wish to find Dax. If he’s here, tell him to show himself.”

  “Your brother is not here.”

  “Then who put a price on my head?” My hands clenched into fists, my whole body on edge.

  She laughed. “Who else? Your father.”

  “My father?” Perfect. Just perfect. The one person I never ever wanted to meet was out to get me. When Shenelle first told me my father was a djinn, I didn’t want to believe her. But somehow, deep down, I knew it was true. “What does he want with me?”

  She shrugged. “No one knows. He just wanted to find you. Says you have something he needs.”

  “I don’t have anything he would want.”

  “What about Kendall?”

  I shifted, feeling a slight breeze flow around us. “What about her?”

  She lifted a hand, watching it as she moved it through the air. “You care for her safety don’t you? You care for her life? You wish her to stay far away from harm?”

  I clenched my jaw. I wasn’t sure if she was testing me or not. “Yes. More than anything.”

  “Then you come with me.” She looked at Sam. “But only you. Your friend will stay.”

  “What?” Sam said, his eyes narrowed. “Not part of the plan, babe.”

  She hissed at him.

  I shot Sam a look to stop talking. Banshees and elves didn’t get along. Elves were beings of healing and life. Banshees were bringers of death. Obviously she knew exactly what he was.

  “Where would you take me?”

  She shook her head. “Secrets can’t be shared. You’ll find out, but only if you follow.”

  “And what if I don’t?” My fingertips grew warm. I could feel my magic simmering beneath my skin, waiting to be released.

  Her eyes flared red, but changed back to normal just as fast. “Things may get messy. I do not wish to harm you, but if I must…” She smiled.

  I was sure she knew exactly where my father was, but I wasn’t about to fall into a trap. There was too much at stake. I wasn’t even looking for him. I was looking for Dax. The one person I hated more than anyone else. I wasn’t going to let a banshee get in my way of finding him.

  “Bring it on then,” I said. I thrust my hands in front of me, sending a blast of light toward her. She jumped, high into the trees, though it singed the bottom of her dress.

  “Great. You just pissed off a banshee,” Sam yelled.

  “We need to get her down on the ground again.” The wind whipped around us and I took deep breaths, trying to calm my emotions. I heard her before I saw her. Her haunting scream of death. “Sam, get down.”

  Gizelle’s shadow fell on both of us and I raised my arms to block her attack. Tendrils of darkness flew from her hands, heading straight for my face. She barely missed me as I flattened myself to the ground.

  Sam wasn’t so lucky. Gizelle’s claws dug into his shoulders as she lifted him off the ground. He shouted a few profanities before I lost sight of him.

  Cursing under my breath, I ripped my shirt off and straightened my wings. I didn’t hesitate, just stretched my wings a bit before launching myself into the sky.

  I’m not going to lie. I wasn’t a good flyer. I wobbled and almost fell twice before I reached the treetops. Maybe I should have practiced before I tried saving someone’s life.

  My feet skimmed a few leaves as I hovered in the air and searched the sky for Sam. I heard him swear a few more times, but he sounded like he was below me.

  Before I made my way to the ground again, Gizelle burst through the treetops, still holding on to him. When she saw me her eyes widened in surprise. I’m sure she didn’t expect me to be flying as well. We stared at each other a moment before her anger was back and she shot up toward the sky and without warning, dropped Sam from her grasp.

  All I could do was watch as he fell, knowing whatever I had to do to save him was going to hurt.

  And I was right.

  I reached out, grabbing his hand as he passed me and something snapped in my shoulder.

  Then—we were falling.

  “Ash, use your wings!” Sam’s voice was panicked.

  “I’m trying!” I focused on keeping both of us in the air and to my surprise, my wings kept us up. They were stronger than they looked. Besides getting a few scratches from the tree branches, I lowered both of us to the ground unscathed. Well, sort of. My arm was killing me. And Sam pretty much looked like crap with blood dripping from his shoulders.

  Gizelle screamed again. And I whirled around to see her furious face a few yards away and coming fast.

  Sam jumped to his feet as she passed and vines shot out of the ground around him. They wrapped around her ankles and pulled her down toward the earth. “I can’t hold her very long,” he said. His brow was etched with sweat and by the look on his face I knew he was in a lot of pain.

  Gizelle hissed, threw back her head and screamed again. Sam and I both covered our ears at the sound and sank to our knees.

  The vines held, but a few snapped as she struggled.

  For a terrifying moment, Gizelle’s eyes met mine. “Know this, Ash Summerland. She will die. And there is nothing you can do to save her.”

  The wind picked up again and I welcomed it. “Hang on to something!” Sam nodded and wrapped his arms around a tree trunk. I focused the wind on Gizelle. Her eyes widened as a small whirlwind formed around her. It spun faster and faster and a smile crept to my lips. Darkness engulfed my mind and I shook my head, knowing the djinn part of me was taking over. I tried to push it away, but couldn’t. The wind picked her up off the ground like a leaf and I sent a stream of light into its wake. The tornado shot into the sky, Gizelle in its grasp. I could still hear her wailing, even after I lost sight of her.

  The darkness left as quickly as it came and I sank to my knees, exhausted.

  “Well, that went well,” Sam said.

  “I should have gone with her. Then you wouldn’t have gotten hurt.” I frowned, remembering her death omen. Kendall’s death I was sure. Who else would she be talking about?

  “That would have been stupid. You have no idea where she would have taken you. Did you see her crazy eyes? And I thought sirens were scary. Banshees are insane.”

  I nod
ded, knowing it was true. We were lucky she didn’t do anything more.

  We both sat in silence as our breathing slowed. My shoulder throbbed as the adrenaline wore off. I was pretty sure Sam had pulled it out of socket. Or maybe it was broken.

  “Dude. I think I need a healer.” He touched the wounds on his shoulders and sucked in a breath. “She had wicked claws. And I’m pretty sure they were rigged with something. Poison maybe? I feel all tingly. Remind me never to go up against a banshee again.”

  Poison. That did sound familiar, though I wasn’t sure if banshees were poisonous or not. I couldn’t remember. “I think my shoulder’s out of socket,” I said, wincing.

  “Sorry about that. I didn’t know she was going to drop me.” He touched his shoulder again and closed his eyes.

  “Neither did I. I’m surprised my wings held us up since I had no idea what I was doing.”

  He smiled and glanced at me. “That was pretty sweet, though, how you shot out of the trees like that. I didn’t know you actually knew how to use your wings. I thought they were more for decoration.”

  “I don’t know how to use them. But I’m going to have to practice now.”

  “Well, whatever you did, it was awesome. And thanks for saving my sorry butt.”

  I nodded. “You’d do the same for me.”

  We sat there in silence, each lost in our own thoughts. After several minutes, my eyes wandered to a darker portion of the forest. Instead of seeing mist, black tendrils of what looked like smoke crept through the foliage toward us.

  “I didn’t know banshees even had magic. Besides you know, the whole telling you about your imminent death and all that,” Sam said.

  “Me neither,” I said, still watching the smoke creep closer to where we sat. I got to my feet, holding my injured shoulder in place.

  “Ash?”

  “I see it.”

  A dark figure appeared in the midst of the smoke and my breath quickened. He looked just like me, only older with Dax’s golden eyes.

  “Ash, my son. What a wonderful surprise.”

  Chapter 8

  Kendall

  It was hot on the football field. I took a few gulps of water before I turned on the music for the fifth time and watched my team dance. Ellie was in front of course, and everyone kept looking at her for the right steps. After two dancers messed up, I switched the music off again.

  “Girls, you need to memorize these steps. You can’t rely on Ellie every time. What if she made a mistake?”

  “Like that would ever happen,” she said with a grin.

  I had to smile at that, since she rarely made mistakes. “I’m just saying, if Ellie ever messed up, you would all mess up with her. You would have no idea how to keep going.” They all looked at me, most of the nodding in agreement. “Let’s try it again.” I pushed play and went to join them.

  As soon as the music started, I felt strange. My head was cloudy. I tried to focus on the dance, but right when I moved a horrible pain shot through my side. I screamed and fell to the ground, my arms around my middle.

  “Kendall? Kendall, what’s wrong?”

  Ellie’s frantic voice rang in my ears, but I couldn’t do anything but lay there. Her face went in and out of focus until darkness overtook me.

  ***

  “Kendall? Kendall, can you hear me?”

  My eyes fluttered open and I frowned at all the people looking down at me. “What am I doing on the ground?” I asked. I didn’t remember falling. Did I misstep?

  My advisor, Michelle, knelt next to me and put a hand on my shoulder. “Just stay calm, dear. The ambulance is on its way.”

  I sat up so fast I knocked Michelle backward onto her butt. “Ambulance? I don’t need an ambulance!”

  “Kendall, you had a seizure.”

  “I did?”

  “Yes. You were out for a few minutes. Have you ever had one before?”

  “No.”

  An ambulance pulled into the parking lot and two medics came running toward us, carrying a bunch of equipment. I tried to stay sitting up, but Michelle pushed me back down.

  “Really, I’m fine,” I insisted.

  “We need to get you checked out.”

  Misty’s voice. When did she get here? She stood a few feet away from us. Her face was etched with worry as she looked me over.

  “Where’s Ellie?” I asked, wincing. My side ached. That’s when I remembered the pain. It must have made me pass out.

  Misty pointed to Ellie who stood a few feet away, hanging onto a few of her friend’s arms. Her eyes were red and puffy like she’d been crying. She saw me looking at her and ran over to me.

  “Are you okay? I was so scared. I didn’t know what to do.” Fresh tears began to fall and she wiped them quickly away. “Are you sick? What do you need?”

  “I’m okay, El. Really.”

  The medics reached us and pushed everyone out of the way. I sat up, since Michelle wasn’t holding me down anymore. One of the medics pulled some kind of monitor out of his bag and put it on my finger. Another shined a flashlight in my eyes.

  “Can you tell me your name?” he asked, writing something down on a clipboard.

  “Kendall Corrigan.”

  “Do you have any pain?”

  “Uh…no.” I wasn’t about to show them my side. That would bring up a ton of questions I really didn’t want to answer.

  The medic turned toward Michelle. “So, she had a seizure?”

  She nodded. “The girls were out here practicing and said Kendall was fine one second and was on the ground the next. They said she screamed and her body shook. They came and got me and I was here when she woke up.”

  “Do you remember anything?” he asked me.

  “I remember turning on the music and then waking up on the ground.” I took a shaky breath. “I’m fine now. Really.” He gave me a strange look and wrote something else on the clipboard.

  “Let’s check your vitals and make sure everything’s fine.”

  They asked me several more questions about myself and I answered every one of them right. After what seemed like forever, they said I was okay. All of my vitals were fine and I seemed perfectly healthy. I still sat on the grass as they cleaned up their equipment. One of them headed back with the bags and the other stayed by my side. He wrote a few more things down on his clipboard and looked up.

  “You seem fine, but we’re going to take you to the hospital, just in case. They’ll need to run a few tests to make sure you’re really okay,” he said.

  Great. “Okay.”

  “Practice is cancelled for today,” Michelle said. “Everyone is dismissed. Kendall, do you need me to call your mom?”

  “No. Ellie will.”

  The medic handed his clipboard to his partner and looked at me. “Can you stand?”

  “I think so.”

  He wrapped an arm around my waist and got me to my feet. I assured him I was fine, but he held on all the way to the ambulance. “Have a seat and we’ll get you to the hospital.”

  “I’m coming with you,” Misty said.

  Ellie still had tears in her eyes. “Do you want me to bring your car?”

  “Yes. Why don’t you call Mom on your way? Maybe she won’t freak out as much if she knows I’m coming.”

  Then again, probably not.

  ***

  After two hours in the ER, I finally got the okay to go home. Mom totally freaked out when she saw me getting out of the ambulance. After I managed to calm her down, she stayed back while the doctor checked me over. When he was done, she had two other doctors check me, but they all said the same thing. It wasn’t a seizure. Everything was normal. I was fine.

  By the time Ellie drove me home, I was starving. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I walked in the door. Even the bananas sitting on the table looked good enough to eat. Though I knew I’d die a horrible death if I ever ate one of those.

  “I thought Mom was going to have a heart attack when she saw you,” Ellie
said.

  “Me too.”

  ”I hope she doesn’t go crazy again.”

  “Why would she do that? I’m fine.”

  Ellie shrugged. “Just sayin’. She went crazy after Dad. Just don’t be surprised if she’s a little more anxious for a while.” She grabbed a water bottle from the fridge. “I’m going to call the girls. I’m sure they’re worried about you.”

  “Tell them I’m fine.”

  She went upstairs and left me alone with Misty.

  As I searched the cupboards, Misty watched me in silence. She hadn’t brought up my episode or the ambulance and I was glad. I didn’t want to talk about it. I knew it was bothering her though, but I wanted to put off talking about it for as long as possible.

  “Ah ha!” I pulled out a bag of chips and went over to the fridge to grab a bowl of cheese dip. I sat down by Misty at the counter and dug in. “Want some?” I asked, as I shoved my face full of chips. Eating always made me feel better. Unfortunately.

  She wrinkled her nose at me and shook her head. “Can I have a banana?”

  “You can have all of them.”

  That got a small smile from her. I could tell she was worried about me, but it really wasn’t anything to worry about. At least I didn’t think it was. I wish I could have said it had happened to me before, but it was the first time I’d ever passed out in my life. And the pain. Oh, the pain. It brought back memories of the horrible night when Dax tried to kill me.

  I could feel Misty’s eyes on me still. “We need to talk about this,” she said.

  “I’m fine. I promise. You heard the medic. He said I’m healthy as a horse.” Stupidest saying in the world. Why did I even say it?

  “That wasn’t normal, Kendall. And it wasn’t a seizure. You were screaming.”

  “I…I know. But, I’m fine. It was just weird. I swear I’m not hurt or anything.”

  She snorted. “Sure you aren’t.”

  “Really. My side hurt, but it was only for a minute.”

  “The place Dax stabbed you?”

  I avoided her eyes. “Sort of.”

  “Why didn’t you—”

  “You think I should have told the medics about my side? What would they have done, Misty? It’s just a scar.”