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Zoe
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As I walked home with Kieran, a great weight lifted from my heart. We didn’t speak since I was wrapped in thoughts of Shay. He was back and in one piece, though I’d have to wait and see if his mind was still the same. I couldn’t imagine what being kept in Hell would be like, but I’m sure if it had been me, I’d be a changed person.
“Be safe, Zoe,” Kieran said as I unlocked the front door. I noticed the table wasn’t set, and the kitchen was cleaned. My family’s rule was dinner would be served at five-thirty, and if you weren’t there, you were on your own. I broke an English muffin apart and popped it into the toaster. The few minutes it took felt like a lifetime for my grumbling stomach. In all my haste to practice my powers and tend to Shay, I’d forgotten to eat. Rummaging through the fridge, I took out jelly and cheese, and when the toaster chimed, I made a sandwich and sprinted to my room. After dropping my backpack on the floor, I went to the window and peeked out. Aiden’s shades were open, but he wasn’t there.
I sat at my desk and ate my measly dinner. The rest of the house was empty, which meant my sister probably had soccer or volleyball or some other school event. I was glad of that, because I needed quiet so I could process everything that had happened. I also had to start thinking of a plausible English project topic. I dug out my homework, pushed my empty plate aside, and booted up the laptop. When the homepage opened with the cursor blinking, waiting for me to enter something in the search engine, I stared blankly at the screen. Each flicker reminded me of Shay’s heartbeat. After a few minutes of staring at the cursor, I conceded that I wasn’t going to get any homework done.
I cleared a space between my bed and dresser, unrolled my purple yoga mat, popped in a video, and stretched. After an eight-minute warm-up, including a few downward facing dogs and warrior poses, a familiar tink hit my window. I paused the DVD, opened my white wooden blinds, and saw Aiden’s smiling face. He motioned that he wanted to talk, so I pushed up the window and sat on the ledge. Recalling the brush-off he’d given me earlier, I crossed my arms and glared at him.
“Yes?”
“Hey, Zoe,” Aiden said. “How’s it going?”
“Fine.”
“Are you mad at me?”
“What gives you that idea?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe it’s your tone, or maybe it’s your posture.” He leaned against the windowsill. “Maybe you feel like I blew you off after gym class.”
Precisely. “Did you need something?”
“Nothing important. Just got back into town and wanted to see a familiar face.”
I couldn’t keep quiet, though. “What’s with you flirting with Quinn then buddying up to Morgan?”
“Morgan’s not so bad once you get to know her.”
“Yes, she is. I’ve known her since grade school, and she’s always been horrible to me. But Quinn is special. I couldn’t care less if you like Morgan, but don’t string Quinn along.”
He shrugged. “I’m testing the waters. Calm down. I’m not dating either of them. Quinn’s going to the prom with Caden, so they might have a thing going on anyway.”
“All I’m saying is that you better watch yourself. Quinn doesn’t play dating games, so you’re either with her or you’re not.”
He grinned. “Aren’t you feisty today?”
“Gotta go. I have to get back to yoga, unless you have some other pressing matters?”
“Nah, it’s all good.”
I closed the window and blinds and resumed my workout, lying on the carpet in pigeon pose then moving to the plank position. A few more stances, and my body was coated in a shiny layer of sweat. Yoga was supposed to have a calming effect, and usually it did, but not tonight. Instead, perspiration dripped onto the mat and my anger flared. I huffed and stopped the video.
I needed to shower. After that maybe I’d try to get some sleep. Since we were going into Fairyland tomorrow night, who knew when I would be back in my familiar bed. I grabbed fresh boy shorts and a tank top and ran into the bathroom for my nightly ritual. When I was done, I checked my cell phone for any messages. The tiny blue light indicated I had a text.
Shay: Howdy
Squealing with joy, I jumped into bed with my cell phone in hand and typed.
Me: Hi
Shay: I miss you.
Me: I miss you 2. You should be resting!
Shay: I am. Sidelle says the X mark is, and I quote, “SO not worth calling you Bull’s Eye anymore.” It’s fading fast.
Me: Does your shoulder still hurt?
Shay: I barely feel pain. Can move my arm well enough.
Me: You must heal faster 2?
Shay: Yes.
Me: Good. Glad you’re better. I want to stay up and chat, but you need rest, and I need sleep. Loves ya
Shay: OK. Love U 2. CU tomorrow
The next morning, I awoke with a jolt. I couldn’t exactly remember what I’d dreamt, but a shudder vibrated through me. After stretching across the bed, I started my morning routine—checking for all my books and homework, setting out clothes and coordinating shoes—then I hopped into the shower. After all, Shay might be coming back to school.
When I was done, I meandered down to the kitchen where my parents waited for me.
“So, now you don’t even bother texting us that you’ll be late for dinner?” Mom demanded. “Where have you been?”
“Honey.” Dad patted Mom’s shoulder then sat at the table.
I was startled by her unexpected outburst, but she was right. I’d been a little ... distracted.
“I’m sorry. I got caught up with a new game simulator at Kieran’s house. I lost track of time.”
She sighed and pulled me into a tight hug. “Zoe, I worry about you. When you don’t call, I get all these bad ideas in my mind. I mean, have you seen the news lately? I’m sorry I snapped, but please call or text one of us and let us know you’re okay and where you are.”
I kissed her cheek. “Sorry, Mom. You’re right.”
“Spending more time at his house these days, huh?” Dad said. “I remember when you kids were little and played leaf houses in the backyard for hours.” He shook his head. “Where does the time go? It seems like only yesterday you were a baby. But now, you’ve grown into a somewhat responsible adult.”
“I have? I mean ... I am.” From behind, I wrapped my arms around my dad’s shoulders. “I love you guys. I can still go to Sidelle’s this weekend, right?”
“Yes,” Mom said. “But remember to keep your phone on so we can reach you.”
“Okay. Thanks.” I grabbed my backpack, kissed them both, and headed out the front door.
Kieran waited in the driveway, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. As I neared, my chest pounded along with the bass of the stereo. When I opened the door, classical music blared from the speakers. Not what I’d expected. I knew Kieran listened to all sorts of music, but even for him this was rather odd.
“Hi,” Kieran said, turning down the volume. “You ready?”
“Yep. Let’s go. Last day before a long weekend.” I shut the door and tossed my bag in the back seat.
“You ready for that, too?” He backed out of the driveway and glanced in the rearview mirror at Aiden’s house.
I shrugged. “I’ve kinda grown used to just rolling with the punches and not expect anything.”
“Not a bad plan.”
“Is Shay ... He’s probably resting today, right?”
“Yes, he’ll go back to school next week. He seems pretty much healed, but he’s probably being stubborn and lying about the pain. He wants to come with us this weekend.”
“What do you think? He has to be one hundred percent just in case—”
“I know. I told him that, but he still insists on going with us.”
I’d seen a little of that stubbornness last night before I’d gone home. He was determined to be with me, and while I wanted that more than anything, it was more important that he recovered first. “Let’s see how he is by this afternoon,” I said. “At the rate he heals, maybe he really is fine.”
Kieran pulled into an open parking spot at Coffee Grind. “Speaking of Shay’s healing ...”
I’d been wondering if he was going to ask. “Yes?” I stepped out of the car, needing a few extra seconds to gather my thoughts.
“Anything you want to share about that?”
Busted. “Well, actually, I tried using my Angel Light on him.” I twisted my hands together, oddly nervous. “Sidelle had me practice angel stuff instead of doing the Silico, so I thought I might as well try it on Shay. Oh, hey. I forgot to show you. Look!” I turned my palm up, so he could see the silver Mark.
He grinned, looking impressed. “Congratulations. Did you get wings, too?”
“Bo wings, yet, but it was so cool how I got the tat. There was this white light pulsing in my body, and then it shot out my fingers and darted all over the room. I was scared it would escape, so I trapped it.”
Kieran laughed as he held the glass door to the shop open.
“What’s so funny?” I stared at his profile.
“It can’t escape. It’s a part of you.”
I frowned. “Well, I didn’t know that, and you weren’t there to tell me about it. And I still did just fine.” I inhaled the buttery aroma of freshly baked treats inside, lowering my voice. “Anyway, the light shot back into my wrist, and then this appeared. We were working on telekinesis when we heard you guys in the kitchen.”
“Telekinesis? Why that?”
“It’s just something I wanted to try.”
I ordered my usual chai and waited in the pick-up line with Kieran beside me. He was my anchor in life. We’d had our ups and downs these past weeks, especially when he declared his feelings for me a few weeks ago. But I’d explained to him the strange phenomenon that happened between Shay and me. Kieran said that it was because Shay and I were soul mates. And now as we stood in line at my favorite local spot, it felt good. As if all was right between us again. When we had our drinks in hand, he looked for a place to sit. We spotted Vash, Cali, and Jackson.
“Hey, guys,” I said, sitting with them. “You ready for the weekend?”
“It’ll be a learning experience,” Cali said. “And I’m up for it.” Vash looked unhappy, so she kissed his cheek. “Jackson will be great company. Besides, eventually I’ll live there with them, so I might as well get the swing of things now.”
It didn’t look like her kiss had helped him much. “I’m sorry, Cali,” I said. “I don’t mean to take Vash away from you. He could stay, and Jacks could come with us.”
Jackson’s eyes widened. “Yeah, I could go—”
“No,” Vash said. “It’ll be how I said. Cali and Jackson will be at the compound with Era, and I will escort you this weekend. I honor my promises. On the rare chance that DKs or Marqs break into the fairy realm, you’ll need a more experienced fighter with you since you can’t control your powers.”
“Thank you, but I’m just—”
Vash held up his hand.
“Okay,” I conceded. “Is Sidelle meeting us at school?”
“Yeah,” Jackson said. “She said something about double checking the conference stuff.”
“I see.” I didn’t miss the fact that he knew where Sidelle was. “Well, let’s get the day over with, so our mission can start.”
We filed out of the coffee shop and loaded into our respective vehicles. It was a somber drive to school since the gravity of the situation was really sinking in now. Leaning my head back against the car’s soft leather, I closed my eyes and said a silent prayer.