"Is something wrong?" Jared asked, holding open the passenger side door of his sports car.
Brianna shook her head and got into his car. "No. Everything is perfect."
A few minutes later, Jared drove up the steep winding driveway and stopped when he reached her house. Facing her, he said, "I had a great time tonight, Bri. I'd love to see you on Friday, if you don't have other plans."
Brianna nodded. "Friday sounds great."
"I'll think of something special for us to do."
Her heart raced as Jared leaned forward. His soft, full lips brushed hers. When he started to back away, Brianna impulsively leaned in and kissed him again. His fingers entangled in her hair and caressed the back of her neck as they kissed over and over again. Brianna felt heady when she finally pulled away.
"I'll see you on Friday." She said, getting out the car.
"Okay, I'll call you tomorrow after I get out of class, if you want."
"Yes, I'd like that."
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Licinia watched the kiss from her vantage point atop the McKinney rooftop. Disgust and jealousy burned like venom beneath her skin. For days, she had been trying to figure out what he saw in the McKinney girl, but she just didn’t get it. She was so plain, so ordinary, so human, a sad excuse for a witch.
Licinia watched as the silly girl practically skipped out of Jared’s car and into her home. Using her supernatural senses, she could hear as Brianna ascended the steps and closed the door to her bedroom. Licinia effortlessly levitated two floors above the ground, hovering outside Brianna’s window. The dope was curled up in bed cuddling her dumb stuffed tiger. Licinia smirked, and touched the window frame. It was a shame that she couldn’t come inside without an invitation. Without stupid vampire limitations, Brianna would have never seen the morning light. Although it wouldn’t be tonight, the time would come. Brianna would pay.
Jared deserved someone so much better. Someone stunning, charming, sophisticated, charismatic, and powerful. It was a tall order, but Licinia knew someone who fit the bill. She would have Jared.
For decades, Licinia had studied the prophecies. She was prepared for war. When the time came, she wanted her man at her side. Where she could stand beside him as his queen, and they could rule together, in darkness.
Chapter Forty
Valerie hadn't returned Brianna's innumerable calls and texts. Every day at school, Brianna had searched for the power thief to no avail. On Thursday, a massive crowd at Valerie's locker indicated that she was in attendance. Brianna pushed her way through the swarm of admirers.
"Hey, watch it," a dark-eyed girl complained as Brianna jostled her.
"I'm sorry. I need to talk to Valerie."
"Wait your turn!" a blond guy said, sounding aggravated.
At the front of the horde, Valerie spoke with a tall, dark-haired boy. Her green eyes sparkled and her skin was tan and dewy.
"We need to talk," Brianna interrupted.
"Not now. Can't you see I'm busy?"
"This is important. I need to speak to you alone."
"Not going to happen," Valerie slammed her locker shut. "I don't have time for you."
"Leave her alone," a red-headed guy said.
"Go away." The tall boy glared at Brianna before returning his attention to his captivator. "Anyways, Val, you're looking beautiful today."
"Oh, thank you." She fluttered her lashes at her admirer.
"I'm serious," Brianna said, but was interrupted by the late bell. The crowd began to disperse to their classrooms. Still surrounded by her entourage, Valerie sauntered toward her next class.
****
After school, Eva, Dave, and Brianna piled into Pat's jalopy. As usual, they were on their way to band practice. They had been working hard every day and making fabulous progress. No one ever mentioned the events of that strange night, and Brianna was grateful.
Pat pulled out of the high school parking lot and onto the main road. A shiny blue convertible was ahead of them. The convertible weaved in and out over the double yellow line. A dark glossy head of hair reflected sunlight above the driver's seat. Tufts of red hair just peeked above the passenger side. Giselle and Penny, Brianna thought. Why is Giselle driving so erratically?
Again, the blue car crossed the double yellow line, driving into oncoming traffic. Holding down her horn, a woman driving an SUV in the opposite direction swerved onto the shoulder, just avoiding a dangerous collision.
"Did you see that? That car is out of control," Pat said.
"Oh, man!" Dave shouted as the blue convertible careened off the road, slammed into a tree, and flipped over.
"Pat, stop!" Brianna's heart jumped into her throat. He immediately pulled over to the shoulder. "Call 9-1-1!" Brianna shouted. Eva dialed as Brianna, Pat, and Dave hurried to the overturned vehicle.
"Are you okay?" Brianna peered inside the totaled vehicle. Giselle dangled upside down, her seat belt holding her bottom against the seat. Bright red blood dripped down her pretty face and onto the shattered glass of the windshield.
Brianna helped Dave lift the car, making a larger space between the ground and the smashed metal. Unbuckling Giselle's seat belt with his right hand, Dave held her body stable with his left. Pat held the vehicle steady as Dave slid Giselle out of the window. After gently placing Giselle on the grass, Dave moved to help Penny.
Blood poured from a huge gash across Giselle's forehead. Brianna removed her black zip-up hoody and used it to wipe away the red body fluid. Putting pressure on the wound helped lessen the bleeding.
"Are you okay?" Brianna asked over the din of rapidly approaching sirens.
"I think so," Giselle mumbled. "What happened?"
Dave removed Penny from the passenger seat and placed her beside Giselle. Blood coated the side of Penny's head.
"An ambulance will be here any second," Eva said.
"You've been in an accident. Help is on the way," Brianna said. The blaring sirens gradually increased.
"When I was driving, the car started swerving as if it had a mind of its own! I don't understand how it happened. The steering wheel moved on its own!" Giselle had become hysterical.
Two ambulances and a police car arrived. Penny had lost consciousness, a pool of red liquid surrounding her. A paramedic lifted her limp body onto a foldout stretcher. The ambulance sped away.
"The car steered itself!" Giselle was crying, tears mixing with the blood streaked across her pretty face.
An older police officer asked, "Have you taken any drugs today?"
"No! I'm not on drugs! It's true! My car crashed itself! There was a ghost turning my steering wheel!"
The paramedics worked together to gently roll Giselle onto her side. They strapped her to a plastic board and lifted her onto a stretcher. As she was wheeled into the back of the ambulance, Giselle continued babbling about the possessed steering wheel. Before the ambulance doors closed, Brianna heard a patronizing paramedic replying to Giselle's hysterics. "Oh, honey, you knocked your pretty little head. You're imagining things. Now, now, lie down and take a rest."
Pat and Dave described their observations and actions to the police officers.
"That's so crazy. Giselle lost it. Do you think she's on something?" Eva asked.
"Maybe she's having a nervous breakdown," Pat said.
In her mind, Brianna considered an alternative explanation. She desperately hoped she was wrong. The police officers left the scene, and the four friends returned to Pat's car. Glancing out the back window, Brianna thought she saw the front fender of a gold sedan peeking out from behind a bush on an adjacent side street.
Brianna couldn't focus during band practice. She felt responsible for what had happened. The memory of Giselle's bloody face continued to invade her thoughts. It was difficult to take a full breath.
"I need a break. You guys continue without me. I'll be back in a few minutes." She put down her guitar and stepped outside onto the driveway.
Even in the open
air, her lungs felt like they were collapsing. She dialed Valerie's cell number. Brianna's heart drummed in her chest, the pulsation loud in her ears. Please, please, let there be another explanation for this. Please let Valerie have a convincing alibi. Please let my gut be wrong this time.
"Hello, you have reached Valerie Baron. I can't get to the phone right now…" Brianna hung up on the voicemail. Valerie was ignoring her.
Brianna's heart felt as if it were sinking into her abdomen. The idea that she could be responsible for Giselle and Penny's injuries made her nauseous. If either of the girls didn't recover, she would be to blame. Brianna dry-heaved and clutched her stomach. She heard footsteps and looked up. Eva came toward her with a concerned expression.
"Hey, Bri, you okay?" Eva sounded worried.
"I'm feeling a little sick. I think I should head home."
Eva offered Brianna a ride. Once safely delivered to her front door, Brianna immediately went upstairs to her room. Lying in her bed, she stared at the ceiling, fuming with anger at herself. Why had she ever transferred power to Valerie? She was so, so stupid and gullible. Please, please, let Giselle and Penny be okay, she thought over and over.
Night fell, and she hadn't moved. Realizing that lying around and torturing herself wasn't going to help anything, Brianna decided to do something nice for her twin, instead. She tapped on Mandy's door, but there was no answer. Brianna went downstairs, opened the top drawer of the kitchen desk, and removed a tan folder. She browsed through the laminated recipe cards until she found the one she was looking for: Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Mandy's favorite. After collecting the ingredients, Brianna mixed the batter in a large stainless steel bowl. Her cell phone beeped three times, indicating a new text message.
Hi Bri, I'm in class. Just wanted to let you know I'm thinking of you. I'll call you when I get out.
Brianna's heart fluttered with excitement. Thinking of you, too, she texted back.
Once the cookies were finished, Brianna left four in the kitchen for her parents, wrapped two in a napkin for herself, and put the rest inside a big bowl for her sister. She wrote on a pink slip of paper. For Mandy—Hope you enjoy. Love, Brianna. After sticking the note on the plastic wrap covering the bowl, Brianna placed it in front of her twin’s bedroom door.
I hope Mandy appreciates the effort. I hope she sees that I miss her and I'm sorry. Brianna stepped inside her own bedroom as her phone rang.
"Hello," Brianna answered.
"Hey, Bri," Jared said.
The sound of his voice sent waves of warmth down her arms and back. It was too soon. She couldn't like him this much. What if he didn't like her as much as she liked him?
Even though it was only nine-thirty, she shut off the lights and climbed into bed with her phone. There was something about being in darkness that was like shutting out the whole world. Brianna wouldn't allow any outside influences to distract her. All she wanted was to immerse herself in Jared. She didn't want to see anything except a vision of Jared's face, hear anything but his voice, or feel anything other than the memory of his touch.
Wrapping herself under her blankets, she cuddled with the stuffed white tiger, nuzzled her face against the soft fur, and pretended it was Jared's smooth skin. For over three hours, she hung on every word that emerged from his lips. They talked, laughed, and shared stories and memories. As Brianna learned more about him, his struggles and the way he'd changed his life, her feelings grew. He had gone from a poor, troubled kid who had turned to drug dealing for survival to a hard-working student scoring straight A's in college. He was funny and intelligent, though still a little rough around the edges.
When they hung up, her mood was sublime. At least for the moment, all that had troubled her earlier was forgotten.
The following morning, Brianna hit the snooze button several times. She groaned as she finally forced herself out of bed. She was so tired. Maybe she shouldn't have stayed up so late. No, she would do it all over again in a heartbeat. That conversation had been worth any amount of sleep deprivation. Brianna showered, dressed, and rushed downstairs to the kitchen. There wasn't any time to eat, so she grabbed a bottled smoothie for the bus ride.
"Thanks for the cookies." Mandy appeared underneath the archway into the kitchen. "They were delicious."
"You're welcome. I'm glad you liked them."
"My new friend, Emily, has a car. She offered to pick me up today on her way to school. She said she has room for one more. So if you want a ride…"
"Absolutely. Thank you for including me."
Happiness shown in both sisters' eyes, and the moment was so genuine that Brianna could almost feel the bond they had shared as children.
A few moments later, a white vehicle pulled up the driveway. Mandy held the front door open, letting her twin walk through first. Brianna nodded politely as she stepped outside.
A short, slim girl wearing big sunglasses and a Red Rapture tank was seated behind the steering wheel. She pushed her sunglasses on top of her straight black hair, revealing her Asian eyes. The passenger seat was occupied by a voluptuous blonde.
"Hi, guys," Mandy said, opening the back door. "This is my sister Brianna. Bri, this is Kerri and Emily."
"Hey Emily, nice shirt. I love Red Rapture." Brianna slid into the back seat.
"They rock! My friend Alise and I are going to see them in concert on Saturday," Emily said.
"No way! That's awesome! I tried to get tickets, but they were sold out."
"I was online, waiting to order them from the moment they went on sale. Adam Payne is so worth it."
"Totally."
"I'd love to make out with him," Kerri said, "but I prefer country music. What kinds of music do you like, Mandy?"
"I don't know. Whatever is popular, I guess," Mandy said.
"What? There's so much great stuff out there that was never on the top forty. I'll download some songs for you if you'd like," Emily said.
"I'd appreciate that."
"Mandy, how are things going with Logan?" Kerri asked.
"Wonderful! He's so amazing."
"Oh wow! You're dating Logan?" Brianna said.
Mandy nodded, her deep blue eyes glowing.
"I called that years ago! That's so awesome!" Brianna said.
The girls engaged in lighthearted conversation for the remainder of the ride. With everything going so well, Brianna should have felt on top of the world, but the knowledge that Valerie was still in possession of great power and evil objectives put a damper on her joy.
Wednesday and Thursday passed. Despite multiple attempts, Brianna didn't find the opportunity to confront Valerie. At school, the power thief was surrounded by throngs of idolizers. Brianna stopped by Valerie’s house twice after school, but she hadn't been home either time.
On the upside, Brianna's relationship with her sister was improving. They'd laughed and chatted as they'd traveled to school together both mornings. The tension between them had dissipated so quickly that Brianna couldn't believe they had allowed it to linger for so long.
Thoughts of Valerie's malicious intentions continued to plague Brianna's mind. Giselle had returned to school in good health, and Brianna wanted to make sure it stayed that way.
Thursday night, Brianna and Jared stayed on the phone until the wee hours of the morning. Before they hung up, he said, "I'm excited about tomorrow night. I have something special planned. I'll come pick you up at seven."
"I can't wait!"
On Friday, Brianna was determined to track down Valerie. She didn't want her date spoiled with worries of Valerie's lunacy. In between classes, Brianna overheard a conversation in the hallway.
"Giselle said it felt like a ghost grabbed the wheel from her. That's so spooky!" Sharon Miller exclaimed in her squeaky voice.
"That is creepy. I'm glad she's alright. Do you know if she's going to play tonight?" Sara Sullivan asked.
"This morning she said she's fine to play. She's lucky to walk away from the accident with a few bru
ises and scratches. Penny is still recovering from a concussion, but she's going to be fine."
"Thank goodness they're okay," Sara said.
"Hey, have you noticed how much Valerie has improved lately?" Sharon asked.
"Who hasn't?" Sara asked.
A softball game tonight. Valerie would be there. After the game, Brianna would make her talk.
When the last bell rang, Brianna went to the school library to work on a research paper. After finishing most of it, she walked out the back door, through the basketball courts, and made a left toward the baseball field. The girls' softball game was in the third inning.
Brianna sat on the metal bleachers that faced the field. Giselle stood on the pitcher's mound. Other than the deep cut across her forehead, she was as perfect and beautiful as ever. Even the plain black-and-white softball uniform was runway worthy on her tall, curvy figure. Her gorgeous blue-green eyes were focused on the upcoming batter.
An extremely large girl, in both height and girth, approached home plate. Her green jersey was tight around her protruding stomach. Eyes narrowed, she dug her cleats into the dirt while moving her bat in furious little circles above her shoulders.
"Go Sally!" her teammates shouted from the dugout. "Slam the ball out of this galaxy!"
Giselle wound her arm in a full circle and delivered the pitch, fast and down the center. The batter stepped into her swing, using all the force of her strength and weight. Wham! The bat walloped the softball, a bang resonating through the dusky air. The line drive moved at lightning speed, right up the middle.
Brianna's mouth opened in horror as the scene unfolded before her. Giselle's eyes widened when she realized that the ball was headed straight for her face. There wasn't time for her to get out of the way. The first boom was followed by a loud cracking sound as the ball smashed into her skull.
Everyone seemed to be moving in slow motion. Giselle's slender figure dropped to the ground like a ton of bricks. Her teammates rushed the pitcher's mound, surrounding her, screaming her name. Some were already crying as Sharon Miller wailed, "She's not responding, Coach!" A few agonizing minutes later, sirens blared as the ambulance arrived. Paramedics whisked Giselle's unmoving form away on a stretcher.
In Shadows of Magic Page 16