She laughed. “I haven’t dished out any pain—yet. Your mother isn’t here. That doesn’t mean she’s dead. She just had the sudden urge to run to the grocery store for some milk. Like just about everyone else on this street. What a shame,” she laughed, “that the lines will be so long! What a shame she won’t get home in time to help you.”
Thank gods Mom was okay. I let my anger cool for an instant, and then I whirled to face Rochelle, raising my hands above my head as I spun. I had the satisfaction of seeing the shocked look on her face in the instant before she was blasted backward twenty feet. While she was on the ground, I quickly bound her with air, tying her hands first before sealing her mouth with the same spell Aphrodite had used on me. Part of me wanted to slice her throat and watch her bleed on the lawn, but I fought the impulse. I had sworn I wouldn’t use Red magic to be destructive, and I certainly didn’t want the guilt of my best friend’s death on my hands. Still, I couldn’t resist sending a little zap of energy at her, giving her a tiny magical shock.
“This isn’t over, Rochelle. I’m still alive. You haven’t finished your work.” I tied off my spell, using a burst of magic that left me staggering and seeing double. Rochelle glared at me from the ground as I passed her.
I took off down the street at a run. The sky above me had turned inky black, and the wind was whipping through the neighborhood, bending trees in half. I hoped Mom stayed put at the grocery store. If she tried to drive in this wind, I didn’t think she’d be able to keep the car on the road.
I was out of breath by the time I reached Justin’s house. I pounded on his door, but no one answered. Where was he? Didn’t he realize how much I needed him? Desperate, I turned back to the street.
“Aphrodite!” I screamed into the wind. “Goddess, hear me! Please! I need your help.”
The only sound was the screeching wind, and the only response to my plea was the pelting rain that began to fall. I started back toward my house, moving in a daze. I barely noticed that Rochelle was nowhere to be seen as I raced up the driveway. The sliding door in the back was open, and I slipped inside. My mind was a mess, and thoughts kept slipping in and out of it like fish. There was something important I needed to remember, but I couldn’t quite grasp it. It was maddening.
The sounds of the storm were only slightly muffled once I was inside the house, and I stood there, dripping on the kitchen floor for a minute, trying to get my bearings. Xerxes came around the corner but stopped when he saw me. His fur stood on end and his eyes looked wild.
“Xerxes, buddy, it’s just me.” I took a step toward him, and he took off like he’d been shot out of a gun. I could hear his claws scrabbling up the stairs. Cautiously, I started to follow him. I didn’t want to give the cat a panic attack, but I needed to get to my room. I didn’t know why, but I had the overwhelming sense that I would be safe there.
Upstairs, I didn’t see any sign of the crazed cat, and I was grateful. Poor old guy had already been freaked out enough, and I didn’t want to scare him anymore. The Red sparks had faded, but I could practically smell the magic pulsing off my hands; that was probably what had scared the cat. When I opened my door, I jumped back, startled by the electric shock that bit my fingertips as I touched the door handle.
My room was pitch black, and nothing happened when I flicked the light switch. The wind must have knocked the power lines loose. In the dark, I felt my way across the room to my desk. I groped around for a moment, and then felt a sharp pain as my hand closed around the unsheathed blade of my knife.
“Shit.” I quickly sucked the blood off my finger. My tongue began to tingle and go numb, but I was distracted by the squishy shapes I felt under my left hand. The pomegranate seeds.
Time slowed down. I couldn’t hear the wind outside anymore. I couldn’t even hear the frantic beating of my heart. Everything was quiet and still, as if the world were waiting for me to decide.
Without thinking, I put the first seed in my mouth and felt the sharp sweetness explode on my tongue. I had never tasted anything so bitter and sweet; it was better than lemonade on a humid summer day. Quickly, I popped the second seed in my mouth, swallowing greedily. My hand slowed when I reached for the third seed, and the enormity of what I had done washed over me. Actually, I still didn’t know what I’d done, but I knew that my actions had just changed everything irrevocably. Persephone had made that much clear when she gave me the seeds. I gulped and stared into the darkness, but nothing happened.
“In for a penny, in for a pound,” I muttered, smiling slightly at the memory of my grandmother those words evoked. Deliberately, I picked up the last seed and plopped it on my tongue, savoring the flavors that were gone too quickly. When a bolt of lightning struck close to the house, I shivered.
Well, I thought, what’s done is done. But the trouble was, I didn’t know what I had done. Had I reversed the events since I declared to Red magic? Was I still bound to Aphrodite? Was Rochelle still waiting somewhere outside to attack me? The door to my bedroom creaked, and I turned in time to see it swing open.
The darkness in the hall made it impossible to discern any features on the shadowy figure that stood before me. I reached toward the desk and grabbed the athame, holding it point-up toward the door. I felt a twinge of guilt—ritual knives weren’t weapons—but I pushed my guilt to one side. I didn’t want to face whatever it was unarmed, and I didn’t think I’d be able to use magic for a while; the fight with Rochelle had drained my strength.
“Darlena?” Justin’s voice was laced with worry, and I sighed raggedly as soon as I recognized his voice.
“Justin! What are you doing here?” Hurriedly, I set the blade down.
“What do you mean? You called my house and left a crazy message on the machine.” He took a step forward, glancing around nervously. I reached for a candle and matches on the top of my desk.
“I didn’t call you. I can’t find my phone.” The smell of burning sulfur filled the room as I lit the stub of candle that I had grabbed. I held it cautiously in my hand, watching Justin’s face sway in the candlelight.
“But what’s going on?” Justin sniffed the air cautiously. “It smells like Black magic in here.”
I took a whiff, but all I could smell was the lingering scent from the match. “I don’t know.”
He looked at me strangely. “I had a weird dream,” he finally began, “about us.”
“Oh?” I shifted my weight, not wanting to let my guard down, but suddenly desperate to sit down.
He took a step closer, shadows bouncing off his face. “I dreamed we got back together.”
I exhaled loudly and looked away. “Was it a good dream?”
He shook his head, and his words were sharp. “You used magic. I felt helpless.” The light from the candle made his head look like a grinning skull, and I swallowed.
“Would that be so bad?” I ventured, setting the candle down on the desk.
“Are you kidding?” He exploded. “Darlena, come on! Who wants to be forced into something against their will?” He clenched his fists. “It was just a dream, wasn’t it?”
I looked down, passing my hand over the candle in a nervous motion.
“Darlena.” I had never heard Justin sound so serious, and I looked up. I didn’t say anything, but he held my eyes for a moment before he began to shout.
“Is that who you’ve become? Someone who would use magic to manipulate another person?” I couldn’t answer, but he wasn’t waiting for my response. “That’s disgusting, Darlena! The fact that you would use me like that—” He spun toward the door.
My heart felt like it was imploding. “Justin!” I finally snapped out of my daze and took a couple of steps toward him. He stopped, but didn’t turn around. I drew a deep breath. “What if I told you I only did it because I had nothing left? My parents couldn’t help me, and you had stopped wanting to.” My rushed words sounded pathetic, and I realized that he wasn’t going to forgive me. My heart sank to the floor like a stone, and I reached for him, desperate.