by Wendy Knight
“Okay… it looks like they have both been excused from school today. I’m sorry, Quin. Is there anything else I can do for you?”
He shook his head even though she couldn’t see it. “No. Thanks, though. Have they been to school at all since the attack—er… this week? Have they been to school this week?”
“Hmm. Let me see...” More click-clacking of keys. The office was quiet now, most kids off to class. “Fate has. Destiny came for a while yesterday before the cross country meet.”
“Is Destiny the gorgeous new girl with the black hair and blue eyes?” A boy’s voice Quin didn’t recognize asked in the background.
Ms. Kearsty laughed. “That’s her.”
“Yeah,” Quin answered tersely. “That’s her.” And she made sure every stupid guy at their school knew it. But at least she was alive for them to know it. Some of the stress coiled in his stomach let go.
“Yeah, she collapsed yesterday at the meet before she even got to run. She left with the school doctor,” the kid in the background again.
Quin’s stomach dropped as dread recoiled itself around his small intestine.
“Oh no. I’ll call her mom and make sure she’s okay. Quin, can you call back in a bit?”
“Yeah. Sure.” Because what choice did he have?
“Great. Give me ten minutes. And Quin—” Ms. Kearsty hesitated, as if trying to form difficult words. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here before. When your mom needed help. I was south with the rest of them.”
Quin had no idea what she was talking about, but clearly she couldn’t elaborate with the other kid there. “Uh… thanks?”
“I just thought you should know. We didn’t abandon her. I’ll talk to you in a bit.”
She hung up and Quin could only stare at the phone, puzzled.
He wished he had Destiny’s phone number, but since they hated each other, he’d never gotten around to asking for it. At least he had their address, but he didn’t want to wait several more hours to talk to her. He had to find out what she knew — the sooner, the better. His mom was lying in a coma and Destiny could save her.
If he could find her.
His phone buzzed, jerking him out of his own head and he reached for it automatically. It was the school. That was fast. “Hello?”
“Quin, Fate said her mother isn’t well, and she herself sounded really upset. I usually don’t do this, but given who you are, I thought maybe you could call and talk to them. Make sure everything’s okay. Do you have a pen to write down the number?” Ms. Kearsty barely paused for a breath.
Quin immediately pulled the jeep over to the side of the road and dug through his glove compartment for something to write on. Finally, he found a half-used napkin and a pen he didn’t remember ever putting in there. “I’m ready.”
Ms. Kearsty rattled off the number and he wrote it down and hung up. His fingers shook just a little while he dialed, the thought of talking to Destiny making him jittery, which annoyed him to no end.
She’s just a girl, after all. One he didn’t even like. No matter how gorgeous she was. But she did save his mother’s life, so…
Still. Just a girl. No reason at all to be jittery.
“Hello?” It was a man’s voice and Quin’s throat closed. He hadn’t expected that.
“Uh. Yeah. Hi.” Smooth, Quin. “Is Fate or Destiny there? It’s really important. I’m—I’m a friend from school.”
“Now isn’t a good time. Perhaps another day—”
“Please!” Quin interrupted, nearly yelling. “Tell them it’s Quin. Please.” Yep. He was begging.
“Quin?” Fate’s voice now, but flat and emotionless. Her voice was muffled when she said, “Luca, this is the boy who helped Destiny fight the warlocks. His mother was injured.” There was rustling on her end and then she said, “How is she, Quin?”
“She’s not well. That’s why I need Destiny. Ancient and Eldest said—”
Still no emotion in her voice. “Who?”
The man, Luca, assumedly, said in the background, “Ancient and Eldest are the leaders of the Coven, Fate.”
“Oh.” She didn’t seem that impressed.
“They said Destiny could wake my mother. I mean, I think they did. They talk in riddles, especially Ancient. They said night would wake my mother—”
“Well, maybe while she’s at it, she can wake my mother.”
“What?”
“My mother took Destiny’s pain — pain she was in because she tried to fight the stupid warlocks with you. And you left her. And they were sucking her magic through her blood and the spell almost killed her, and then my mother took her pain and we thought we were saving her by putting her to sleep, but we weren’t. There’s no way to wake her up because the root we need went extinct a gazillion years ago.” Fate promptly burst into tears.
In the background, Luca said, “It’s been a rough night.”
Quin was shocked at the pain he heard in those words.
So shocked it took him several long seconds before he could remember what he was going to say. “Well, maybe Destiny could wake them both. If I could just talk to her—”
“Destiny’s gone,” Fate wailed. “She snuck away in the middle of the night. No note. She didn’t take her stupid phone. She didn’t even say goodbye. She didn’t take me with her. Why didn’t she take me with her?”
“I wish I knew, Fate. I’m sorry,” Luca said, pain still lacing every word.
“She’s not there?” Obviously, Quin. Stupid question.
Fate’s voice shook. “No.warlock It has to be the warlocks. They did something to her. They took her or something,” Fate mumbled.
“You—you don’t know where she went?”
“No,” Fate snapped.
“We have to find her. I’m sorry she left without you, Fate, but we’ve gotta find her. Isn’t there a—a scrying spell or something you can do?”
“Don’t you think I’ve done all that?” Fate bellowed.
Quin swallowed. He wasn’t fond of being yelled at by women. “Sorry. I should have known. I’m just desperate. My mom—and your mom—Destiny was my last hope. I had this voice in my head last night that kept telling me everything would be fine if I could just—”
“Voice. In your head.” Fate’s voice was suddenly alive and full of hope. “Voice in your head! Let me grab my coat. Luca, you’ll stay here with mom?”
Luca hesitated. “I don’t know if you should go running off, too, Fate. What if there’s an emergency? I was actually — I was actually going to take her to the Coven. Where they’ll protect her…”
“Good,” Fate said. “That’s the way we’re headed. We’ll make her a bed in my truck.”
“You’re—you’re heading back to the Coven? I just came from there.” And it was a long freaking drive.
“Destiny is going to tell me where she is. In my head,” Fate said and if Quin didn’t know her like he did, he would think she was crazy. Heck, he didn’t know her at all. Maybe she was crazy. Maybe the attack and everything since had driven her out of her mind.
But then he remembered Ancient and Eldest. The look they gave each other when he’d been positive they were talking without saying a word. “It’s a twin thing.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
DESTINY FINALLY GOT CONTROL BACK SOMEWHERE around southwestern Idaho. She immediately pulled the truck over with shaking hands and put it in park, dropping her head to the steering wheel. “Holy crap.”
She hadn’t eaten anything since lunch the day before. She’d stopped for gas once, done it automatically while she screamed for help from inside her head, and she’d been on the road ever since. She hadn’t slept. She was completely physically and emotionally exhausted.
Just to be safe, in case she lost it again, she sat up, put her seatbelt on, and then dropped her forehead back to her steering wheel and let herself cry until she couldn’t anymore. The last two days had easily been some of the worst of her life. That wasn’t saying much, though. Up until las
t week, she’d lived a pretty charmed life. Sister for a best friend, awesome and sarcastic witch mom. Yeah, she’d been expelled, but because of their little experiment, she’d made enough to pay for her first year of college. With Fate’s Etsy store, they were pretty much set.
She would give anything to go back to that life.
Now, she’d lost her mother, lost her magic, and clearly, she’d lost her mind.
Although she had gained a father. So there was that. For all the good he’d do if she had no mind to remember him with.
She hadn’t grabbed her phone and she wasn’t sure pay phones even existed anymore. She’d have to beg.
Slowly, she sat up and put the truck in drive again. She checked her blind spot, pulled onto the freeway and drove to the next exit. Still safely in control, she found a gas station and pulled in, staring at the convenience store. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this far away from Fate. Or her mother. Probably never. Her bottom lip trembled. The warlocks must have done something to her brain. One of their spells must have done this — and it was driving her to them right now. She felt so small and alone.
But you’re not small. You’re above average height. And a witch. You’ll be okay. She checked the rearview mirror, groaned when she looked like a bed-headed zombie, and unbuckled her seatbelt.
“Destiny! Where are you? You’re in so much trouble. I’ve got Luca with me and he is mad at you.”
Destiny nearly wept with relief. “Fate! I don’t know what happened. I don’t know where I am. I just got off exit 215. I think I’m in Dillon? Or Idaho Falls?”
“We’re coming. Don’t move. Luca’s not really mad.”
It hurt her head to try to talk to Fate from this far apart, and she could feel Fate’s pain, too. But she had to tell her everything, just in case. Summoning more energy she didn’t know she had, she closed her eyes. “Something happened. I think the warlocks are controlling my mind and I can’t control my body. Right now I’m at the gas station just west of the exit. I don’t know how long I’ll be here.”
“Just stay there. I’m driving way over the speed limit.”
“Where’s mom?”
“She’s safe. Don’t worry about mom right now.”
Right. Like that was possible. She curled up on her seat, arms tight around her knees, and closed her eyes. Her entire body shook, and she wasn’t sure if it was from fear, or from exhaustion, or from lack of food.
Probably fear. She was freaked the heck out.
It had only been about twenty minutes when there was a light tap on the window next to her head. Destiny screamed like a banshee and threw herself across the truck, scrabbling like a crab, certain the warlocks had found her.
Except it wasn’t a warlock. It was Quin.
“Destiny? Are you okay?”
Destiny just stared at him. Quin lived hours and hours away. What in the world was he doing here, tapping on her window, scaring her out of her mind?
On one hand, that was so like him.
On the other, what if he was a warlock in disguise? Did warlocks even do that? Why had she not paid more attention to all those books?
When Destiny continued to stare at her with wide, terror-filled eyes, Quin yelled through the window, “I talked to Fate! She’s on her way.”
“Fate? Have you talked to Quin recently?”
The answer took too long and Destiny didn’t know what to do besides stare. Her exhausted brain wouldn’t work, and her body wasn’t up to trying to run for her life.
Quin ducked his head for a second, staring at something beyond Destiny’s sight. Was it a magic wand? Were his eyes going to be red and glowing when he looked up? She tensed, terror shaking her entire body.
Quin looked up, his eyes brown and beautiful and definitely not glowing with evil, and held up his phone. “Luca’s on the other line, sweetheart. Can you talk to him?”
Destiny shook her head frantically. All she’d have to do was open the window to take the phone and Quin would change to a warlock and rip out her heart.
Or something.
Also, did Quin just call her sweetheart? Something in her chest swooned.
“Yes! And he found you! Answer his phone.”
Destiny crumpled with relief, unaware that she’d even been holding herself so tense until her muscles gave out and she sank to the floor of her truck. Slowly, she climbed back up, over the console and back into the driver’s seat. She opened the door and slid out, nearly collapsing.
Quin caught her. “There. It’s okay now. Here, let’s just sit down for a minute.”
Destiny shut the truck door and took the phone, letting Quin lead her to the curb.
Quin. Of all people.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered before she put the phone to her ear.
Quin shrugged. “Luca said you’ve had an awful couple of days.”
Destiny nodded. “Hi Luca.”
“Hey, sweetie. Are you okay? Can you tell me what happened?”
Sweetie. She’d never had a father call her that before. Her mom did all the time and she expected to feel annoyed, but instead it just felt warm when her entire self was so, so cold. “I—I don’t know.” She glanced at Quin, wondering if he’d think she was crazy.
Well, crazier.
“Okay. It’s all right. Quin is going to take care of you until we get there, okay? You can rest. We should be there in about seven hours. He’ll protect you.”
“The only one I need protection from is myself,” Destiny mumbled, trying her best not to cry. She failed.
“We’ll figure this out. Don’t worry, Destiny, okay? Just stay with Quin.”
“I don’t know if I can. I might not have a choice.”
He was silent for several long seconds. “Right. Let me talk to Quin.”
Destiny handed the phone back to Quin without raising her eyes. Of all people to have an emotional breakdown in front of, he was last on her list. “He wants to talk to you.”
“Hey.” Quin listened for a second. His eyes widened as he glanced down at Destiny, and then he nodded. “Will do. See you soon.”
He hung up the phone and squatted in front of Destiny. This close, Destiny could see the circles under his eyes, the tight set of his lips. “Do you want to ride with me or follow me in your truck?”
“I’ll follow you.” There was no way she was going to leave her truck here, all by its lonesome.
Quin nodded and stood, offering his hand. “I figured you would say that. My mom has a witch friend that doesn’t live far from here. Just stay close.” He jogged back to his jeep.
One day, she would explain to Quin that she was normally a talkative, friendly teenager and didn’t do the whole sullen moodiness. That they had somehow gotten off on the wrong foot and she wasn’t sure why. But right now, it took too much energy and with every word and every passing minute, she was afraid she’d get locked inside her head again.
It took way too much effort to climb into her truck and for the first time ever, she cursed how high the lift was. Once behind the wheel, she quickly put on her seatbelt, so that at least if she went crazy again, she’d be safe.
Well, safer.
Quin drove slowly until Destiny had caught him, and then sped up a little. From the looks of things, this was a farm town, and houses were few and far between, until they went across a super long bridge overlooking what might have been a raging river, except Destiny didn’t dare peer over the side, afraid her brain would decide it would be fun to drive right through the guardrail and into the chasm.
Once safely across, they drove on for nearly an hour. When Destiny was sure she was going to collapse or die or fall apart completely, Quin made two right turns and pulled into a square, brown-bricked apartment complex. Each one had a cute little balcony with a white wrought-iron fence.
“You doing okay?” Quin asked as soon as Destiny slid out of the truck. She didn’t collapse this time, so that was good.
Destiny nodded.
�
��Uh… Luca asked me to take your keys. I’m sorry. I don’t mean anything by it—”
Destiny thrust the truck keys at him gratefully. “Please. Please do. Don’t give them back until my sister gets here, no matter what I say.”
Quin’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, but he nodded. “No problem. Let’s get you some breakfast and a nap, huh? They said you haven’t slept for a while.” He led the way up the sidewalk, past one building and on to the next. When he started up the stairs, Destiny stopped at the bottom, staring helplessly.
There was no way she’d make it up those stairs.
“Do you want me to carry you?” Quin came back to her side, but Destiny shook her head. How pathetic could she be, not able to even walk up a staircase?
Resolutely, she planted one foot on the first step and pushed off with her other foot. She kept the momentum going until she’d made it to the second floor, and then prayed like crazy that was as far as she’d have to go. When went straight to the door and knocked, Destiny nearly cried with relief. “I’m not even sure she’s home. I heard most of the witches are going back to the coven for training or protection or something.”
“Are you—” Destiny struggled to find words that would cooperate with her mouth. “Aren’t you supposed to be at school? Or—or with your mom?”
No one answered the door. Destiny sank down on the steps and put her head on her knees. Quin pulled out his phone and started pushing all kinds of buttons, probably texting. He didn’t answer her, though, because his phone immediately rang.
“Hey. I’m at your apartment and I really need a place to stay for a few hours. Are you in the area?” He paused, listening. His eyes flicked randomly to Destiny and then away when she would meet his eyes.
“Yeah. That would be great. I do have a witch with me.” He snorted, his cheeks coloring just a bit. “No. It’s not like that. She’s in trouble.”