by G. Bailey
“Humans?” My brow furrows. “Wait, are you saying you had something to do with the people who run the Academy?”
“Not exactly,” Mollie replies, “but that’s a long story. How about we get you kids somewhere safe? You look like you could use a change of clothes, too.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Shade pipes up. His grey eyes narrow as he sizes up my former caretaker. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, people. How do we know this lady is who she says she is?”
“I…” My voice trails off as I turn back to Mollie. He has a point.
“I mean, you have to admit, it’s awfully convenient that your mysterious contact just happens to be your old foster mum,” reasons the wolf shifter. I can feel him shift protectively next to me as he straightens up, his fingers brushing mine.
“I can understand your skepticism,” Mollie says, her expression kind. “I wouldn’t be so quick to trust me either if I were in your shoes. You folks have been through a lot these past few days, haven’t you?”
I swallow, unease settling into my stomach once more. I’m aware that highly trained witches have ways of changing their appearance, creating fetches and illusions of other people, but it’s not an easy skill to master. Still, if this was someone sent by the Academy… Squaring my shoulders, I cross my arms. “My… friends are right,” I say. “This is a hell of a coincidence, if you’re telling the truth.” Biting my lip, I think for a moment. What’s something only the real Mollie would know? “What made us friends in the first place?” I ask her, raising an eyebrow. “I mean, what specifically?”
“Our names,” Mollie replies without missing a beat. “One letter difference. I remember when I pointed that out, that was the first time I saw you smile.” As if to drive her point home, she nods down at me. “Do you still have that pendant I gave you?”
I can’t help but break out in a smile. “Of course,” I reply. “The cord broke, but I keep it in my shoe.”
“Hence the name,” Mollie says, nodding her approval. “It’s all starting to make sense.” She glances around at the others. “You keep handsome company too, I see.” I can feel the colour rising in my cheeks at that, and she laughs. “I’m just teasing you. Come on, we should get out of this park. People are starting to give you weird looks. What the hell happened to you guys, anyway?”
“It’s a long story,” I reply before turning to the others. “Guys, this is one of my foster parents. Mollie.”
“Pleasure,” she says, extending her hand to each of my friends in turn as they introduce themselves. “Are you all shifters, too?”
“Yes,” answers Landon. “We had a bit of a near-miss back in Boston. The Academy has the whole city on watch.”
Mollie sighs as she beckons toward the path, and we follow in a cluster, like a group of baby ducklings trailing behind their mother. “I’m not surprised,” she admits as we walk, putting her hands in her pockets. “I heard about what happened at the convention centre. Bad business, and it’s not going to stop any time soon.”
“Speaking of which,” I say, “how on earth do you know about… well, any of this?”
“It’s a long story,” Mollie echoes my earlier words. “The truth is, I’ve known about shifters since I was a little girl. My parents were on the committee managing human-shifter relations in the U.K. That was before I realised just how corrupt the organisation was.”
“So you… what, keep tabs on us?” asks Hunter, sounding incredulous as we come to a stop beside the main road.
Mollie chuckles. “Hardly. Although I’ve spent enough time sheltering shifters on the run that I have a decent network of contacts.”
“Is that why you took me in?” I breathe, staring up at her.
She turns to me, fondness in her eyes. “When I found out they were using innocent children to create hybrids, my heart went out to you. A little girl experimented on as a baby, with no parents to speak of and no understanding of the world she lived in…” She shakes her head sadly. “I thought I could keep you safe. I just wasn’t expecting the humans to take you away from me.”
“So they reassigned you, is that it?” asks Silas.
“They knew I sympathised with the shifter community, yes,” replies Mollie. “When they caught wind of the fact that I was fostering you, Millie, they were fit to be tied. I think they wanted you kept in the dark as long as possible, so that you would be malleable, susceptible to their propaganda.”
“Why didn’t you tell me any of this when I was living with you?” I ask.
“I wanted to,” admits Mollie. “God knows I wanted to. I planned on it, too, once your powers started to manifest. Looking back, I could have saved you a lot of grief if I had come clean earlier.” She sighs. “At any rate, when I found out they were dragging you kids to the U.S. for some bullshit peace talks, I had a bad feeling. I texted you from a burner phone. I had hoped you would at least be able to keep yourself safe…”
“Well, none of us has died so far,” Landon observes dryly.
We continue to weave our way east, towards the centre of the city. The sun is warming me up a little, although my muscles are still fatigued; I end up having to lean on Landon for support as we go, and I’m not oblivious to the curious glance Mollie gives me when she sees the physical affection.
“So, tell me,” she says as we turn onto a quiet street, “just how do you kids know each other?”
“We’re friends,” Xander supplies. “Well, at least Ruby, Hazel, and I are. As for the others…”
“We were the original test subjects,” Silas explains quietly. “For the hybrid experiment.”
“Then you haven’t had an easy go of it,” Mollie observes. “For whatever it’s worth, you are all welcome to stay at my flat as long as you need to. I can’t promise I can keep you safe, but I’ve done a decent job with the other shifters who have passed through.” We arrive outside a pristine-looking apartment, following Mollie inside and up to the second level. She unlocks the front door and we file in one at a time, finding ourselves in a sprawling, well-lit, multi-room flat.
“This place is huge,” breathes Hazel.
“The perks of having friends in high places,” Mollie says, grinning. “Make yourselves at home. Although, I have to say, this is an interesting situation.”
“How so?” asks Shade incredulously.
“All six test subjects under one roof,” marvels Mollie, putting her hands on her hips.
“Six?” I ask, my eyes going wide. “You mean, there’s another one?” I’ve always known that there must be, since I have access to the witch form, but so much time has passed that I was starting to think I would never meet her.
“Damn right, there’s another one,” Mollie says, peering down one of the hallways. “Edith!” she yells. “We have more guests! Come out and say hello!”
“Just a second,” comes a muffled female voice.
Moments later, a door opens, and I find myself face to face with the last piece of the puzzle, the last ingredient in my strange past.
Chapter 8
To describe her as “pretty” would be an understatement. She was radiant, almost ethereal, like I might picture a fairy, if fairies existed. Her stature is svelte and petite, her skin pale and pearlescent, contrasted by her jet-black pixie cut and vivid green eyes. The girl smiles, and although it only takes a second for her expression to shift from vague distrust to jovial friendliness, a second is all I need to feel a brief pang of unease.
For a moment, neither of us speaks, and I can’t shake the feeling that she’s sizing me up as much as I’m sizing her up. This is the last test subject, the girl responsible for giving me my witch powers. I’m expecting to feel happy, reassured, even, now that the last question has been answered. By all accounts, it should be cathartic, especially considering the danger our little posse is in…
But.
Something about her gives me pause, and the frustrating thing is that I can’t even put my finger on it. She’s gorgeous, that’s obvious,
and I can feel the others watching me expectantly, no doubt curious about how I’ll react to the new addition, but something still feels off.
You’re being ridiculous, I tell myself, forcing myself to smile at her. There’s literally no reason to be suspicious. If anything, you should be happy to have finally met her. So why the hell do I have this strange feeling in the pit of my stomach?
The girl breaks the silence, her voice tinkling with the hint of an Irish lilt. “You must be Millie Brix,” she says, extending a delicate hand to me. “My name is Edith Conaway. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
I blink, my movements stiff and rusty as I accept her proffered hand, half-wondering if I’ll break it if I shake it too hard. “You know who I am?” I ask with dull surprise. It’s a stupid question, considering who she’s been living with, but it takes me aback just the same.
Edith laughs, a bell-like sound that is half-beautiful and half-grating. “Of course,” she says. “It would be a bit strange if I didn’t at least know your name, considering…” She gestures vaguely around. “Well, everything.”
“I… guess that’s a fair point,” I admit.
“Mollie told me about what happened at the peace convention,” Edith goes on, sidling up to my former foster mother with a familiarity that makes me bristle in spite of myself. “It must have been dreadful. For the humans to attack like that…” She shakes her head. “Well, you’re safe here, at any rate.” I glance over at Hazel, who clears her throat. “Oh my god, I feel like a buffoon,” exclaims Edith. “Here I am, acting like you’re the only one here. Are the rest of you shifters as well?”
“That’s right,” Silas replies stiffly, indicating the rest of the guys. “Believe it or not, we’re the other shifters who the humans experimented on.”
“Is that so?” Edith asks, her eyes going wide as she sweeps her gaze from one face to the next. The corner of her mouth twitches, and her eyes linger on each of the guys a little longer than I’m comfortable with .
Landon shifts uncomfortably from foot to foot, coming to stand beside me and slides an arm around my waist. “Boots here is the common denominator,” he announces, clearly trying to inject some levity.
“Boots?” asks Edith, tilting her head to one side.
“It’s sort of our nickname for Millie,” Shade explains, nodding in my direction.
“Their nickname, not ours,” Hazel adds dryly.
“Well, it’s good to meet you all,” says Edith, beaming around at the assembled shifters. “It looks like we have more in common than I thought.”
“You could say so,” Hunter replies, and the witch shifter turns to look at him once more, her expression unreadable.
“Well,” says Mollie, clapping her hands together, either unaware of the tension or simply not caring. “There’s no need to stand on ceremony, folks. My place is your place. Make yourselves at home.” She points first towards the hallway on the left, and then the one on the right. “My bedroom is the last door on the left. There are two other empty rooms, although I’ve been told the couch is quite comfortable, too. Edith has taken one of the spare rooms, but…”
“I would be happy to share with someone,” the witch shifter hastens to assure us, giving me another one of those coy half-smiles. “After all, we might as well be family.”
“Ah, right,” I say, rubbing the back of my neck before turning to the others. “Guys? Thoughts?”
Landon shrugs his shoulders. “You’re the one calling the shots here, Boots.”
I snort, rolling my eyes, and make my way to the opposite hallway, pausing to peer into each of the unoccupied bedrooms. In spite of its size, the flat is sparsely furnished, with few accessories and even fewer decorations. As if reading my mind, Mollie says, “I know the trappings aren’t much, but I’m afraid we can’t get too comfortable here. There’s no telling when we might need to leave in a hurry.”
“So you’ve spent all this time sheltering shifters?” Silas asks as he comes to look around with me.
“More or less, yeah,” Mollie replies. “Most humans would call it insanity, but I would call it doing the right thing. Anyone who says things between us and the shifters are fine clearly hasn’t been paying attention.” Turning to address the others, she announces, “I’m going to go out and get some supplies -- we’ve got a full house now. You guys make yourselves comfortable, but don’t let your guards down. As far as I know, the Academy presence in London is pretty high.”
“What about wards?” asks Hunter, looking from Mollie to me. “I don’t want to pressure you, Boots, but it might be worth fortifying this place.”
“I…” I furrow my brow, biting my lip. The basic protection enchantments I can remember from my time at the Academy might hold against humans, but shifters are another story, and I barely passed that practical. “I mean, I could try… I’m still pretty beat from the teleportation, but maybe if I eat something first…”
“No need,” Edith announces. “Not to gloat, but I’m pretty skilled at warding.”
“Plot twist,” jokes Landon, crossing his arms.
“Have at it, Edith,” Mollie says, already pulling on her coat. “Don’t exhaust yourself. I’ll be back in a bit, everyone. Don’t get up to too much trouble while I’m gone.” She tips me a wink, the friendliness on her face bringing me momentarily back to a simpler time of my life, and I can’t help but rush back over to her, embracing her tightly.
“Thank you, Mollie,” I tell her, meaning it. “Seriously. We would’ve been fucked if you hadn’t found us.”
“Oh, hardly,” she laughs, “although I appreciate the compliment.” With that, she grabs her handbag and walks out the front door, leaving the rest of us to take in the new dynamic.
“Well,” says Ruby, putting her hands on her hips, “I guess we should probably --”
“Wards first,” announces Edith, already moving towards the door.
“Wait,” I protest. “What about when Mollie gets back?”
“Relax,” the witch shifter tells me. “She understands our magic. If it makes you feel better, though, I’ll make it semi-permeable.”
“I… didn’t know you could do that,” I mutter, feeling sheepish. Edith doesn’t respond. Instead closes her eyes, and when she transforms, it’s controlled and precise -- nothing like the struggle I always have when I change forms. Green eyes now onyx black, skin ruby red, she extends her arms, and within seconds the room is pulsing with magical energy.
I exchange a look with Shade, who looks incredulous, and Hunter, who looks dumbfounded, as a bright blue glyph manifests against the door, glowing more and more intensely until its power is nearly blinding. Almost as soon as it appears, it fades away, leaving behind an afterglow that I’ve come to identify as a sign of enchantment.
“Damn,” Hazel says, crossing her arms. “That’s impressive. Can you do that, Millie?”
“Not a chance,” I admit, swallowing hard. I can’t help but feel a twinge of envy at the ease with which she cast the spell -- how long did that take her to learn? I’ve been practising for almost two semesters and I still have trouble just getting into my form. Sour grapes, I tell myself. She’s on your side.
For some reason, that doesn’t make me feel much better.
With the flat secure, the rest of us are left to spread out and explore the place. I’m reminded of our time at the American Academy, but don’t find myself missing it all that much; at least there are no asshole RAs getting in our way this time.
“Ruby, Xander and I will take the room next to Edith’s, if that’s all right,” Hazel says, turning to the twins for confirmation.
“Of course,” I assure her listlessly. “Go for it.”
“I volunteer for the couch,” Landon announces, putting a sombre hand to his chest with a tone of mock-seriousness that gets a laugh out of me. “It’s a rough job, but someone has to do it.”
Shade elbows him. “Good luck getting away with anything squatting in the living room.”
“Unlike you, Ivis, we’re not all delinquents,” Landon fires back.
“Okay, okay,” I say, laughing. “Shade? Silas? Hunter?”
“The far room is fine with me,” Silas says. He turns to the wolf shifter, who shrugs.
“Fine by me,” Shade agrees. “Boots? Wanna join?” He raises an inquisitive eyebrow, making my face heat up.
“I mean…” I glance over at Hunter, the odd one out. “Hunter? What do you think?”
“Hunter can stay in my room,” Edith offers, coming to stand next to the vampire shifter. “There’s plenty of space. We can set up a sleeping bag on the floor, maybe.”
Hunter looks torn, glancing with uncertainty from me to Edith. Something passes over his face when he sees me -- a combination of melancholy and frustration -- and then he nods. “Um… yeah, sure,” he says, giving the witch shifter a small smile. “That sounds good. Thank you.”
“My pleasure,” Edith purrs, brushing past him as she saunters back to her living quarters. Hunter shrugs sheepishly before trailing after her.
I’m left to watch him go, brows knitting together. What was that about? I wonder. At the risk of sounding vain, I was expecting him to put up more resistance, if not because he got last dibs, then because he’ll be rooming with a virtual stranger. I swallow hard, telling myself not to overthink things. I’m tired and I’m not thinking clearly.
The others begin to disperse, Landon flops down on the couch, and it takes me a moment to realise I still don’t know where I’ll be sleeping. As if on cue, Silas puts a hand on my arm. “Do you want to bunk with me and Shade?” he asks tentatively. “No guarantees he won’t set the room on fire, but…”
I turn to him, relieved. “That would be awesome, Silas. Thank you.”
The dragon shifter smiles, hesitating for a moment before pressing a brief kiss to my hairline. “I’m going to go change,” he announces. “I smell like seawater, and not in a good way.”
Shade unceremoniously barges into our room, and I follow him, dragging my bag behind me. “Silas is right,” I say, dropping my stuff onto a chair by the window. “We’re disgusting. I think I might take a shower.”