Not Your Average Happy Ending

by Chantele Sedgwick

  I decided to start at the beginning. “The first week, nothing happened.”

  She put her hands on her hips and stared at me.

  I raised my hands. “Honest. Nothing happened the first week. We didn’t see any sign of Dax anywhere. We just kept wandering around in a bunch of trees.”

  “I thought you said Sam had a lead.”

  “He did.” I shoved an Oreo in my mouth and ignored her stare as I chewed. After a swig of milk, I continued. “Which brings us to today.”

  “The whole banshee episode,” she said. “I didn’t know they were even real.”

  I grimaced. “They’re real all right.”

  “Why did she attack you guys?”

  “Actually, I’m not really sure. The only thing she said was she knew my…uh…biological father. And he was looking for me. I don’t know if she’d get a reward or something for finding me, but we didn’t really get that far into the conversation.” I left out the part about Kendall’s impending death. I wouldn’t allow it to happen. And I’d never tell her about it.

  A slight breeze filled the room and I told myself to keep it together. No need to lose control of my power at the kitchen table in front of Kendall.

  “Your father, the djinn?” she asked, dipping an Oreo in her glass of milk.

  “Yep. That’s the one. Let’s not call him my father though. His name is Linkin.”

  “So, what happened?”

  “Well, I banished the banshee, as Sam said…and then Sam and I woke up in a cave. I don’t know how we got there, but we were tied up and we couldn’t teleport or use our magic. We did end up escaping, obviously, but not before running into Linkin and Shenelle.”

  She set her glass back on the table. “You saw your dad? And Shenelle?”

  “Yes.” I wanted to correct her about the whole “dad” thing, but seeing the terrified look on her face, I decided against it.

  “How did you get away from them?”

  “I’m not sure. It was too easy, actually.” I thought about teleporting away with Sam. If they wanted to stop me, they would have.

  “I’m so glad you’re okay. What happened to your shoulder?”

  “Sam pulled it out of socket. And snapped some muscles and stuff. Leif didn’t really tell me all the details. When the banshee got a hold of Sam, she flew up past the trees and dropped him. He was falling and I flew up and caught him. It hurt like crap.”

  “Wait. You flew up and caught him?” She looked like she was going to laugh.

  “Yes. I used my girly fairy wings to fly for once.” I wasn’t going to admit it was kind of cool. I was supposed to hate my silvery wings, not like them. Still…it was kind of an adrenaline rush. Not that I was planning on doing it again anytime soon.

  “So, you saved Sam’s life.” She smiled. “You’ve saved mine. You save people a lot.”

  “It’s not like I look for people who are in trouble. Trouble always seems to find me.”

  She reached across the table and placed her hand on mine. “I was worried about you.”

  I brought her hand to my lips and gave it a small kiss. “I’m fine. I promise.”

  She blushed, but didn’t pull away. “Will you take me flying sometime?”

  “Never.”

  She laughed. “I’ve always wanted to fly.”

  “I haven’t.” I grumbled.

  She pulled her hand away. “You never told me what Linkin wanted with you.”

  I hesitated. “Um…nothing. He just wanted to chat.”

  Her eyes narrowed and she put her hands on her hips. She always knew when I was lying. “To chat? He could have called you on the phone to ‘chat’.”

  I shrugged and looked away. “Djinn’s don’t really use phones.” I made myself busy, counting out the Oreo’s in front of me. I didn’t want to tell her why he wanted me. Why he actually wanted her.

  “Don’t do that. Don’t keep things from me because you don’t want to scare me. I’m a big girl, Ash. Out with it. I know you know.”

  “Kendall—”

  “Just tell me already!” Her eyes were wide as she stared me down and I knew she wouldn’t let it go.

  I pointed to her neck. “He wants the necklace.”

  She dropped the cookie she was holding. “What?”

  “That’s what he said. He wants your necklace. He didn’t say why, but for some reason it’s important.”

  She touched the necklace and frowned. “If I give it to him will he leave us alone?”

  “You’re not giving it to him. You can’t even take it off. There’s a reason he wants it so bad, and I’m thinking that’s a bad thing. If he gets it, I have a feeling things will go from bad to worse.”

  “All this for a necklace? I don’t get it.”

  “Neither do I.” I reached across the table and touched the blue stone on the end of it. It was warm. Like always. “We’ll figure it out. My mother left it with me for a reason. There’s something she wants me to protect. And in the meantime, I’ll protect you.”

  She gave me a shaky smile. “How will you protect me if you leave again?”

  I opened my mouth to answer and Sam and Misty appeared next to Kendall in the kitchen.

  “Let’s get this party started,” Sam said. “You have Oreo’s? Awesome!” He reached for the bag and popped two of them in his mouth.

  Kendall laughed, but it sounded forced. I knew she was worried about me leaving again. I didn’t know what else to do though. Dax was still out there. He could hurt her again. And who knew what Linkin would do. The thought of him being anywhere near Kendall scared me more than I wanted to admit.

  “So, what’s the plan?” Sam asked as Kendall set a glass of milk in front of him.

  I glanced at Kendall, but she wouldn’t meet my eyes. “I’m not sure yet.”

  Sam raised an eyebrow, looked at Kendall for a second, then looked back at me with a nod.

  “We still need to find Dax,” I said. “We know he’s not with Linkin, but I’m sure he’s somewhere close. I don’t think he’d go far, since I’m positive he and Shenelle are helping him use his djinn powers.”

  “Well, I’m not going back to Washington. That’s for sure.”

  I glared at him. “That’s the only lead we have, Sam.”

  “Dude. I just got schooled by a banshee. Scariest moment of my life. I guess breaking up with Melody was pretty scary too…but that’s beside the point.”

  “If you don’t want to come, that’s fine. I’ll go by myself.”

  A strangled cry echoed through the room and I looked over at Kendall to see her bent over in pain. She dropped the mug she was holding and it shattered on the floor, a few pieces of glass slicing into her bare feet.

  “Ash,” she gasped, clutching her side.

  “Oh, no. Not again,” Misty yelled.

  “Kendall!” I jumped off my chair and ran to her, just as she screamed and passed out in my arms.

  Chapter 12

  Kendall

  A voice. A light, beautiful voice was the only thing I could focus on. Like a string, it wrapped around me and pulled me out of the darkness. It was the same voice that had spoken to me during Dax’s attack. I didn’t know who it was, but I knew it belonged to someone good.

  The voice spoke again, her sweet cadence guiding me back toward the light.

  Fight it, Kendall. Stay with me.

  Even though I was exhausted, I held on to whoever was guiding me. My body grew warmer and the pain lessened. It was still there, but only a dull throb. Voices rang in my ears. Voices I recognized. Ash. Sam. Misty, too. I felt myself returning to consciousness and slowly opened my eyes.

  “Kendall?” Ash’s voice was panicked and he looked paler than usual. “Kendall, can you hear me?”

  Ignoring the throbbing coming from my side, I managed a nod. “Yes,” I slurred.

  “I’m going to move you, okay?” He lifted me into his arms and before I knew what was happening, we were back inside Sam’s house in Ash’s world. A
sh set me on the couch, an arm wrapped tight around me. I leaned my head against the cushion and a tear rolled down my cheek. What was happening to me?

  “Did Dax attack her again?”

  Ash looked over at Leif, who strode toward the couch looking worried.

  “No. At least…I don’t think so.”

  I glanced up into Leif’s bright green eyes. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

  I looked at Ash and hesitated. He met my gaze with a worried expression. I should have told him about my episodes earlier. “It’s my scar. The one Dax gave me. It’s fine most of the time, but then it’ll start hurting out of nowhere. It usually makes me pass out the pain gets so bad.”

  “How many times has this happened?”

  “Three times.”

  “Three?” Misty glared at me. “I thought it was only two.”

  I shrugged. It happened before bed one night. I never told her.

  “Kendall…” Ash trailed off. He didn’t look mad, just hurt. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “May I see it?” Leif asked.

  I blushed, but lifted the side of my shirt, exposing my scar.

  He frowned. “Well, this isn’t good.”

  “What’s wrong?” Ash asked.

  “The blade Dax stabbed her with was cursed. There’s magic inside of her. Dark magic. See these black veins around the wound?”

  “What?” I shifted so I could see my scar and sure enough there were little black veins forming around my scar. “I’ve never seen those until now.” How could I not notice them? They were so dark. Maybe I was losing my eyesight as well.

  Leif sighed. “Ash, can I speak to you for a moment?”

  “If it’s about me I want to know.” I pulled my shirt back down and folded my arms, ignoring the annoyed look Ash gave me. It was my body. My life. I wanted to know how bad it was.

  He looked at Ash, who shrugged. “It’s fine. She can handle it,” he said.

  “What’s wrong with me?” I asked.

  Leif met my eyes and took a deep breath. “You’re dying, Kendall.”

  The room went silent and cold dread swept into my chest. I couldn’t be dying. I felt fine. And I was only seventeen. There was no way I could be dying. I was healthy. Active. I didn’t feel sick at all. Maybe a little tired, but other than that…

  “What do you mean she’s dying?” Ash said, his eyes wide. “That’s not possible.”

  Leif ignored him and kept his eyes on me. “The dark magic inside of you is killing you. You didn’t possess any magic before, good or bad, so your body can’t fight it off. It’s like a bad infection like you humans get sometimes. I’d compare it to a disease like…cancer or something.”

  “Cancer?” So, it was eating me alive from the inside out. I wasn’t expecting that.

  “She can’t be dying,” Ash said, standing up and running a hand through his hair. “Is there a cure?”

  To my surprise, Leif nodded. “The only way to stop the curse is to destroy the blade that stabbed her.”

  “Dax’s knife,” Ash said with a frown.

  So that meant Ash would go after him again. And possibly get himself killed, saving me. Great.

  Ash looked at me a second before turning toward the others. “Sam, let’s go. We need to leave right now.”

  “No! I’m not going to let you go after him again. You’ll be killed.”

  He whirled around, his silver eyes darkening as a breeze slid through the room. “I can handle myself, Kendall. I’m stronger than Dax.”

  I glared at him. “You don’t know that. You said it yourself he’s learning dark magic from your dad. How can you go up against someone so powerful?”

  He clenched his jaw. “Don’t call him that. He’s not my father.”

  “It’s the truth and you know it,” I said. “You have the same blood he does. I’ve seen your eyes, Ash. They’re changing and turning gold. The more you want to kill Dax and use your darker magic, the more you change.” I stood and Ash grabbed my hand so I wouldn’t fall over. “I won’t lose you to that, Ash. I see how scared you are every time you use your magic. It’s like it’s controlling you.”

  His body stiffened and he let go of my hand. “I’m fine.”

  “You’re not!” My head was swimming, but I made myself keep it together. I couldn’t pass out again.

  He let out a frustrated breath. “I’m working on controlling it, Kendall. It’s just…complicated.”

  “How so?”

  “I have two different types of magic trying to overtake the other. My djinn magic has been stronger lately. It’s darker and more potent so it pushes my fairy magic away. I’m trying to control it and I think I’m doing a pretty good job.”

  “Pretty good could still get you killed.” I knew I should have kept my mouth shut, but he needed to know how I felt about the situation. I wouldn’t lose him to Dax or his own magic. I couldn’t.

  His eyes narrowed. “I’m glad you have such faith in me.” He let go of my hand and walked toward the door.

  “Ash…” I said, but he didn’t stop. The door slammed closed and all I could do was stand there in silence as Sam, Misty and Leif watched.

  Talk about awkward.

  Chapter 13

  Ash

  I needed to clear my head. Kendall’s words had hurt me more than she knew. And the worst part? She was right. About everything. My magic was getting harder to control. I wasn’t sure what to do about it. The logical thing to do would be to find a djinn and ask a bunch of stupid questions. The problem with that? The only djinn I knew of was Linkin. And there was no way I was going to go to him for help.

  The campus grounds were quiet. No one was around, so I made my way to the only place I could think of that felt like home. Night Hall.

  I entered the familiar building and the slew of memories that came rushing back in helped comfort me a little. I made my way up the stairs to Logan’s home. Since he was under the Sleeping Death Curse, they moved him to his own place. They couldn’t do anything at the hospital for him anyway.

  When I reached the top of the stairs, I was greeted by an elf and a centaur. They looked like they were guarding Logan’s bedroom.

  I didn’t recognize the elf, but I did know the centaur. His light coat was just as shiny I remembered and he had a long bow with a pouch of arrows strapped to his back. I wondered why he was armed.

  “Cornelious,” I said.

  He smiled and clapped me on the back. “Ash Summerland. What are you doing back here?”

  “Came to visit an old friend.” I motioned toward Logan’s room.

  “Go ahead and go in. There hasn’t been any change since you left, so don’t be surprised.” He moved out of the way and nodded to the elf to let me pass.

  “Thanks.” I was going to ask him about the arrows, but decided to wait. I’d see him on the way out anyway. I turned the doorknob and walked inside. My mood dropped again, seeing Logan asleep in his bed. He looked exactly the same. His long hair, lines on his forehead from living so long. My oldest friend. He’d practically raised me after my mom disappeared and my adoptive dad died.

  I went around and sat on a chair next to him. I couldn’t help but feel guilty as I looked at him. It was my fault he was under the curse in the first place. If I wouldn’t have pissed off Shenelle, he wouldn’t have jumped in front of me and blocked her spell. It should have hit me. I knew it and so did everyone else.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, knowing he couldn’t hear me. Or maybe he could. That would be kind of weird. Either way though, I was going to get him out of this. I wish he would have made a mention to who his true love was, since only her kiss could break the spell. Or maybe he never had one. I shook my head. I had to think positive. Master Time said he’d look through all of his personal items. Maybe something would be in there.

  I don’t know how long I sat there before Kendall entered my thoughts again. I had to talk to her. Make her understand why I had to find Dax. I wasn’t about to let hi
s curse kill her. I’d rather die myself.

  The door opened and Cornelious entered. His hooves barely made a sound on the wood floor and I had to wonder how he carried himself so light. “Same as before, right?”

  I nodded. “Right. I wish we could find a spell to heal him instead waiting to find the right person. Has anyone found any leads on a girlfriend or past love? Anything?”

  He shook his head. “Nothing. Logan’s a pretty private person. No one seems to know anything about his past. It’s kind of weird.”

  “Great.” I looked at his sleeping form again before standing. “You still sparring?”

  He nodded. “Still haven’t lost a match.” He flexed his arm muscles and I had to laugh.

  “It’s been like four years. I think we need a rematch.”

  “It’s true, you put up a pretty good fight, but I still kicked your butt.”

  Yes. Yes he did. “Well, name the day and I’ll be there.” I reached out and shook his hand again. “Good to see you. Take care of him for me.” I nodded toward Logan. “Let me know if you get any leads.”

  “Will do.”

  I left the room and started down the stairs, dreading what came next.

  Apologizing to Kendall for walking away from her during a fight. That would be fun. Pretty sure I’d be doing some major groveling when I got back.

  As I made my way across campus and back to the woods, a movement caught my eye. I sighed. I really didn’t have time for this.

  “Ash,” a sultry voice said.

  “Sinna, how are you?” I asked.

  Her willowy form sidled up next to me, her white blonde hair blowing near her feet. I couldn’t figure out why dryads were so freaking skinny and white. They were very beautiful, but they kind of reminded me of ghosts. Besides the whole see-through thing. She definitely wasn’t see-through. Unless you looked at her from the side. Then she sort of disappeared. “I’m great now that you’re back.” She smiled, her face lighting up.

  “I’m not staying. Just tying up a few loose ends.”