CHAPTER THIRTY
We got back into the car shortly after his last bit of information. I never shared who I was or that I was going to get all of them out of there one way or another. I just nodded and asked more questions. He was a smart boy. Probably too smart for his own good. However, his intelligence is not what I was questioning. I was starting to wonder if Miranda was onto us. Then again if she was she never would have asked me to take charge while she went to her mother.
I had originally thought it the perfect opportunity to get everyone out of there. On second thought I figured the time wasn’t right yet. I had to get word to my mother that there was a spy in the camp. Someone working for Miranda and supplying her with information.
Who could it be?
That is one question that I wasn’t sure of at this moment. However, the repeat of the text message I had received stated that “beware the false prophecies”. The only one that I could think of that would share was Nick. I couldn’t understand why I thought instantly of him. We were family for the longest time. Would he really put what my mother and his uncle to the side in order to make a red head demon happy?
“Ms. Prudence, what is on your mind? You’ve been silent.” Marshall handed me one of the bags in his hand so that he could push his bangs from his eyes.
“I’m just thinking about all the things you said to me.” I smiled at him as he fought with his hair.
“Oh?” He raised an eyebrow and scratched his nose.
“I am just am trying to figure out how you have managed to play her for this long.” I said softly. I had purchased the boy some new clothes and a pair of new shoes in hopes that he would feel a little more appreciated. The boy had next to nothing and even though I knew he bathed his clothes were just revolting to the senses. I had full intention of torching them at the first moment I found it possible.
“I’m not playing her really. I do as she tells me so that she won’t kill me or my sister. Lilly has my sister convinced that the Purebloods want to slaughter all of us. If I was to be imprisoned like my mother I would hate to know what they would do to her.” He shook his head and frowned.
“You love your sister don’t you?” I stated pointing towards a high end store in the mall.
“Yes with all my heart. She’s sixteen, she doesn’t know any better. Plus she’s innocent so she is easily brain washed.” He followed my lead as we stepped inside the store.
“I have a brother by blood and a sister by marriage. While I get along with my brother my step-sister and I have some pretty bad issues.” I walked back towards the jeans on the back wall. I had worn a hole in the knee of the pair Miranda had given me. Because I had to maintain my sense of high style I decided I would get several pairs just in case this happened again.
“Issues huh? Let me guess she’s pissed that her mother is married to your father.” He laughed. “I had a friend that had that exact same issue.”
“I lost a good guy to her so you would think she would be happy. However unless I’m miserable she’s not.” I grumbled. I hated talking about Rose that way but it was the only way I could get the aggression out. She had won a battle that she never knew had been waging the day she pulled Adam from me.
“That sucks.” He pulled a pair of jeans from the stack and looked at me. “You are about a size seven right?”
“Yeah in or around.” I laughed as he handed me a pair of jeans.
“You said you can shift into anything.” I remembered one of our first conversations.
“Yes. You name it I can shift into it. As long as it has a heart. We tried to see if I could do it with inanimate objects and it wasn’t exactly successful. I looked funny for a week.” He chuckled.
“How long can you hold the shift?” I had an idea forming.
“Depends. Animals are easier than humans. I can be a cat for much longer than I can be another person.” He shrugged.
“Let’s say you skin shift. What’s the longest you have held it?” I asked softly as I grabbed another pair of jeans and started walking towards the dressing room.
“Three days was the longest.” He wasn’t understanding the reason for my questions and I knew that.
“That’s not too bad.” I shifted my head to the right and handed him back the bag he had given me outside the store. “I’m going to try these on.”
“Why are you so interested in this Ms. Prudence?” He asked me through the door of the dressing room. I was pretty sure an attendant was going to be in here soon pulling the boy away believing him to be a peeping Tom.
“I have my reasons Marshall.” I laughed as I pulled the denim up my legs.
Looking in the mirror I was impressed. However, these jeans didn’t do anything different to my body. There was no butt lifting device or tummy slimming mechanism. For two hundred dollars they pretty much did the same as the twenty dollar jeans I got from Walmart.
“Are you really a Priestess?” He was getting bold.
“Of course.” I said pulling off the first pair of jeans and putting on the second pair.
“Where are you from?” His voice was tense.
“Maine.” I said simply without hesitation.
“Have you ever met the Queen?” I seriously thought he was getting even for all the questions that I asked him.
“No. Have you?” I asked turning my body to the left and right.
“No. She calls Lilly to her but never comes to see the camp. At least not that I know of.” I pulled off the second pair of jeans and put back on the pair that I had received from Miranda. I frowned at the tear in the knee.
“I don’t think she leaves her castle very often.” I laughed.
“Nobody knows where she is. Even Lilly has to be summoned to her.” He took the jeans from me as we returned to the floor.
I was going to need to purchase more down to earth shirts. The silks and satins that Mona had packed for me were nice and all but I didn’t want to tear or stain them in the woods.
“Being summoned is a pain.” I said hoarsely as I started picking through racks of high dollar t-shirts.
“You’ve been summoned?” He looked at me astonished.
“Not in a very long time. With age comes power in my world. It would take someone older than me to bring me to them.” I smiled at him. Though I was asking him questions I never once let it slip that was someone other than who I said I was.
“If you found all of this blasphemous you would have struck me dead on the side of the highway. I wonder why you haven’t done it yet.” He grabbed a shirt and held it up for me. I shook my head no to the odd pink color.
“I like you Marshall. The one thing you will learn is that I am not bound to either side. I’m like Switzerland.” I laughed.
“Switzerland is a neutral country. You are in a prison camp which says to me that you have picked a side.” He said flatly.
“Marshall. If I felt that you were a threat I would have struck you down yes. However, I think that we can work together to achieve a common goal.” I grabbed a gray shirt and smiled, adding it to the stack.
“How so?” He asked me taking the stack.
“I want the Harbinger.” I stated and he smiled.
“I already knew that.” He dropped his head.
“I also want to get you, your sister, and your mother out of there.” I didn’t look at him.
“How do you plan on doing that?” I could feel his eyes penetrating into the side of my head.
I looked at him and smiled innocently.
Wild Fire Page 59