Enchanted Secrets

by Kristen Middleton

  Rebecca stared at us for a minute and then nodded. “Okay, but just this once.”

  Tyler turned back to me and smiled. “You’re in for a wonderful surprise.”

  “Swell,” I mumbled, not really digging his surprises anymore.

  He grabbed my hand and dragged me through the store, into their small public bathroom.

  “Don’t tell me… we’re going to teleport through the toilet and end up at your house?” I asked dryly.

  He shook his head. “No, silly… that’s too gross. We’re going to go through the drain.”

  I looked at the sink and studied the drain hole. It didn’t appear any less gross or absurd. “Seriously?”

  He burst out laughing. “No, I’m just messing with you.”

  I tightened my lips, not really in the mood for jokes. “Tyler…”

  Sighing, he pulled me to him and circled his arms around my waist. “I’m sorry,” he whispered into my hair. “I keep forgetting how new all of this is for you.”

  “It’s okay,” I said, inhaling his delicious smell, which seemed to comfort me somewhat. I looked up at him “Um, has anyone ever told you that you smell like vanilla bean ice cream?”

  He smiled. “Hold onto me, tightly, and don’t let go, for anything.”

  Although everything was crazy at the moment, being in his arms was better than anything I’d experienced in a long time. I certainly wasn’t about to let him go. Not if I could help it.

  Tyler closed his eyes and began chanting something under his breath. I shut my eyes, too, and held on as tight as I could, even when I felt his body temperature begin to rise at an alarming rate. Just when I thought I couldn’t bear the heat radiating from him, there was a loud popping noise and I felt like we were being pushed through some type of spinning tunnel.

  “Hurry, open your eyes,” he said.

  When I opened them I gasped in awe. Multiple colors of light, almost like a beautiful rainbow at the end of a storm, engulfed us as we moved through some type of twisting vortex.

  “Wow…” I whispered, stunned by the beauty of the colors intertwining and bouncing off of each other.

  He tightened his hold on me. “Almost there, get ready.”

  A second loud popping noise and we were pushed out of the traveling tunnel with such force that we both landed on plush, white carpeting, with me, lying right on top of him.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Well, hello there,” he said with a sly grin. “Come here often?”

  I groaned and stood up.

  “What?”

  I shook my head and looked around in amazement. “So, this is your home?”

  He stood up and smoothed down his shirt. “Yes, our humble abode. At least the one we feel the safest in.”

  I was surprised to find that they lived in such a contemporary-styled home. Since they were witches, I thought they’d live in something old and mysterious. This place was white, spacious, and from where I stood, appeared to have all of the modern luxuries.

  “This place is beautiful,” I said, looking up, admiring the tall vaulted ceilings and sky lights.

  “Check out the view outside,” said Tyler.

  I walked over to a tall window that extended from the floor to the ceiling and looked out.

  “Whoa, where in the world are we?”

  “I told you it was a nice view,” he smiled.

  “A nice view? We’re in the middle of nowhere.”

  Well we were somewhere, somewhere high up in the mountains and surrounded by snow.

  “We’re in Vail,” he said. “It’s a good place to hide. Vivian hates any kind of arctic weather.”

  My mother was the opposite. She dragged us skiing and ice skating every winter. My sister loved the cold months as well. I, on the other hand, didn’t really care for winter. If it were my choice, I’d live in Florida all year long.

  “So, you’re hiding from her, too?”

  He handed me a cup of cocoa, which seemed to have just appeared. He nodded. “Something like that, We moved here after she murdered my father.”

  I touched his hand. “I’m really sorry, Tyler,” I said softly. “How did it happen?”

  He sighed and then walked over to the white leather sectional facing the window. “I should probably start from the beginning,” he said, sitting down. “My father worked for Vivian years ago, he was the head of her security.”

  “Security?” I snorted. “Why would she need bodyguards if she’s so powerful?”

  He scratched his chin. “Mostly for appearances. You see, she’s also a famous pianist and doesn’t always use her magic.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Oh, yes. She’s very vain about it, too,” he said, his lips thinning. “I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of Vivian Reynolds, but she’s your aunt.”

  My eyebrows shot up. “Vivian Reynolds? Although I’ve never actually seen her, I know that my mother has some of her CDs. She doesn’t listen to them, which I always thought was a little strange, in fact, they’re actually still in the wrapping. Wow, I just can’t believe that’s her.”

  “She’s probably too afraid to listen to them. Anyway, my dad worked for Vivian before he met my mother and then something happened. Something she didn’t expect.”

  I leaned forward. “What?”

  “Well, one night, Vivian paid my mother a visit and took my dad along with her, probably to try and scare her into telling her where Adrianne was. It didn’t work. In fact, Vivian left in such a huff when my mother refused to tell her where Adrianne was that she demanded my dad go back that same night,” his face darkened, “and kill her.”

  My eyes widened. “Vivian told your dad to murder Rebecca?”

  “Yes. But my dad wasn’t a killer. In fact, something drew my dad back to mom’s shop, but it had nothing to do with murder.”

  I smiled. “Your mom is a very beautiful woman.”

  “Yes and she has a heart of gold. I’m sure that’s what really drew my dad to her in the first place. Anyway, all I know is that he and my mother disappeared together that night.”

  “And Vivian freaked?”

  “You could say that. I’m sure it’s why she spent all of those years searching for them, as well as your mom. Obviously, she found my parents first and…” he looked down at his hands.

  “Killed your dad,” I said, softly.

  He looked back up at me and his eyes were burned with hate. “She did and I’m not going to let her get away with it. I don’t care if I die trying, I’m going to make sure she pays.”

  “I understand,” I said, thinking of my father. If someone had killed him, I’m sure I’d feel the same way. “I just can’t believe how evil that woman is,” I said. “Thank goodness you and your mom survived. How long ago was this?”

  “It happened almost two years ago,” he said, his voice cracking. Embarrassed, he looked away.

  “I’m so sorry, Tyler. I wish there was something I could do.”

  “There is,” he said, standing up. He walked over to the window and put his hand on the glass. “Help us talk to your mother.”

  I moved closer and put a hand on his shoulder. “I will. I promise.”

  The snow began to fall and we both stared out of the window in silence, watching the flakes.

  “It’s amazingly beautiful here,” I said.

  He smiled. “I love it. You’ll have to go skiing with me sometime.”

  “I’m not much of a skier,” I snorted. “I suck, actually.”

  He grabbed my hand. “Maybe you just need the right guy to show you how to ski.”

  I smiled. A guy like him could make a girl forget all about the cold. “Maybe.”

  He bent down and kissed my lips, taking my breath away once again. “Kendra,” he whispered, resting his forehead against mine.

  I smiled. “Tyler.”

  He let out a ragged breath and stepped back. “I’d better watch myself. My mom would kill me if she knew…”

  “Knew wh
at?”

  He smiled, darkly. “That I was kissing you when I was supposed to be feeding you.”

  “I won’t tell.”

  He raised his eyebrow. “Are you flirting with me?”

  Oh, my God, I was.

  I put a hand over my mouth. “Yes, sorry.”

  He threw his head back and laughed.

  “What?”

  “You just looked so flabbergasted there for a minute. Like flirting with me was so… horrific.”

  “No, I just don’t want to be one of those kinds of girls.”

  “What do you mean ‘those’ kind of girls?”

  I looked down. “You know – a tease.”

  “Listen,” he said, tilting my chin back up. “You’re unlike any girl that I’ve ever met.” Then he brushed his lips against mine.

  “Is that good or bad?” I whispered, when he pulled away.

  He nodded. “Very good. Now,” he stepped back and patted his stomach. “I’m starving. Let’s eat”

  “Okay. Um, one more thing, though – I was just wondering, did your dad have any special abilities?”

  He smiled proudly. “My dad was also an Enchanter.”

  For some reason, his answer didn’t comfort me one bit. “So he was a pretty powerful guy, but still couldn’t beat Vivian?”

  He sighed. “To tell you the truth, Vivian is already so fierce that if she finds your mother and steals her power, we’re all doomed.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  I followed Tyler to the kitchen and he grabbed a frozen pizza from the freezer.

  “What, no magic involved in making lunch?” I teased, sitting down at the counter.

  “You heard my mom, no more magic, except for the teleporting and maybe a cup of cocoa. So, until this thing with Vivian is over, I have to do almost everything the hard way,” he answered as he removed the wrapper from the pizza. He licked his fingers. “You like pepperoni?”

  I nodded. “So, why can’t you perform magic? Will Vivian know?”

  “The stronger the sorceress, the easier it to sense the energy created by magic, whether it’s hers or someone else’s.”

  “I hate to change the subject,” I said, looking around the immaculate white tiled floor and marbled kitchen counters, “but your house isn’t anything at all like I expected.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, your mom’s a witch and you’re an Enchanter, right?”

  He nodded.

  “Well, this place is so white and crisp; it’s just too contemporary for a witch’s pad. I’d have expected something more mystical and I don’t know… old school, I guess? I mean, where’s your herb garden for creating potions or steaming witch’s cauldron? I haven’t even seen a black cat or any pickle jars containing creepy things to make potions. I mean, come on!”

  Tyler chuckled. “You really do read too many books.”

  “Maybe, but your mom’s shop seems a little closer to what I’d expect to find under a witch’s roof. This place, though, it’s like something out of an architectural magazine, I’d never suspect the homeowners were… magical beings. More like yuppie interior designers or something.”

  He smirked. “Well, then we’ve covered are tracks pretty well. My mother didn’t want to draw any unwanted attention. So this is kind of our hideout when things get bad.”

  “Well,” I said, nodding, “if Vivian is aware of my family being in Bayport, then she’ll find ‘Secrets’ blindfolded.”

  He shrugged. “It was a risk we had to take.”

  “Is your mom safe in the shop by herself?”

  “She’s used a spell for protection and we have some friends that are helping to keep any eye on things, just in case. She’ll definitely know if Vivian is getting close.”

  “Friends…like Trixie?”

  He nodded. “Like Trixie.”

  “Well, then I think it’s time my mother knows you’re here.”

  He let out a long, drawn-out sigh. “Believe me, she probably already does.”

  ~~~

  Tyler teleported us straight to my house after lunch. We landed on the floor in my bedroom, this time, with him on top of me.

  “We have to quit meeting this way,” he said, his eyes smoldering.

  “Off,” I said, pushing him away.

  “Sorry, you just have this effect on me. Being a gentleman is getting harder by the minute,” he said.

  Pleased, I smiled. “Really?”

  “Really, so let’s get what we need from your bedroom and then find your mom.”

  I looked at my alarm clock and it was just after one o’clock in the afternoon.

  “Okay. Turn around,” I said, moving to my sister’s underwear drawer.

  He nodded and turned around.

  I grabbed a pair of Kala’s new panties and rushed to the bathroom. After slipping them on, I walked back into my bedroom and froze. “Do you hear that?” I whispered.

  He shook his head and stared at me in alarm. “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s too quiet,”

  I walked out of the bedroom and he followed me downstairs. “Mom runs a daycare and nobody’s around crying or screaming their head off.”

  The kitchen, which was usually stacked with dishes and chaotic children, was spotless and empty.

  “Could she have taken the children outside?” he asked.

  “I hope so.”

  We hurried to the backdoor and I opened it. The yard was filled with outdoor toys and the new jungle gym we’d recently installed. Other than that, it was also empty.

  “Okay, this is weird,” I said, stepping back inside. “Where in the world is she?”

  He rubbed his chin. “Does she ever take the kids on field trips?”

  “Sometimes, but she usually lets me and my sister know ahead of time, in case of an emergency.”

  “Then this is very bad. I think we should be prepared for the worst,” he said.

  I stared at him in horror as I realized what he was suggesting. “Do you think it’s too late?” I asked in a strangled voice. “That maybe... Vivian’s gotten to her?”

  “I don’t know,” he said, avoiding my eyes.

  A sudden knock at the door startled us and we both jumped.

  “I’d better get that,” I whispered.

  “No, let me do it,” he said, already heading towards the front door.

  When we opened the door, a pretty blond woman stood beaming at us. “Oh, hello. My name is Michelle Evans and I was wondering if your mother is home? I sell Beauty Life Cosmetics.”

  “Um, no,” I answered, eyeing the woman suspiciously. “She’s not home, sorry.”

  “Oh, that’s too bad,” she said, pouting. “I spoke to her on the phone earlier and she told me she’d be here all day. She sounded really interested in trying our new line of lipsticks.”

  “We’ll let her know you stopped by,” said Tyler as he began to close the door.

  Michelle stuck her foot in the doorway and her eyes narrowed. “Aren’t you kids supposed to be in school?”

  I cleared my throat. “Actually, we’re homeschooled.”

  “Well, how nice,” she said, studying my face. “Would you mind if I wait for your mother inside? It took me almost forty minutes to get here and she promised me she’d be around. Would it be okay if I just waited ten minutes?”

  “No, I’m sorry. My mother is very adamant about not letting strangers into the house when she’s not home.”

  Her lips curled into an ugly scowl. “Is that so?”

  My breath caught in my throat when our eyes met. Not only were they the same color as my mother’s, but they were now filled with such malice, that I instinctively took a step back.

  “We’ll let her know you stopped by,” repeated Tyler firmly.

  Michelle, who looked like she was going to explode just a moment ago, regained her composure and smiled sweetly at us. “Yes, of course. Well, I’m sorry to have bothered you. Have a nice afternoon.”

  As she turne
d away, Tyler shut the door and locked it quickly.

  “What’s happening?” I whispered. “Who was that?”

  He looked at me. “That, my dear, was death knocking at your front door.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  “We have to get out of here,” stated Tyler, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the backdoor. “She’s going to be watching for your mother and we need to warn her before she gets back home. Do you have any idea where she might be?”

  I shook my head. “Honestly, Tyler, I don’t know. She’s normally home right now. This just doesn’t make any sense. Actually, nothing about today makes sense.”

  “Does she have a cell phone?”

  I shook my head. “No, she says they give you brain cancer. She refuses to even allow them into our house.”

  Tyler nodded. “They are also an easy tracking device, probably the real reason she doesn’t allow them.”

  Now that made much more sense.

  “Is it possible that the school called my mom and she’s there looking for me?”

  “I guess it’s possible. I did persuade the attendance clerk to forget about contacting your mother though.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “How did you do that when you were with me the entire time?”

  “If I told you how, I’d have to kill you.”

  My eyes widened in shock.

  He laughed. “No, I’m just messing with you.”

  I smacked him in the arm and then pushed him out the back door. “Let’s go back to school, just in case she’s waiting around there.”

  As we snuck away from the house towards the back alley, he looked up into the trees. “Vivian’s probably watching us right now,” he said in a low voice.

  “From the trees?” I whispered in horror. I thought about how dangerous this woman was and it chilled me to the bone. Now, as I watched the wind blow the leaves around on the trees, everything seems so much more ominous.

  “The birds, usually ravens or crows. She’s been known to manipulate them to do her bidding.”

  I swallowed the lump in my throat and grabbed his hand. “I’m scared. I mean really freaking scared. Are you?”