Most likely, the bulk of us would be sent to live with relatives—aunts, grandparents, family friends, not all of which were magically inclined—who would all happily take us in. I was nearly eighteen and figured I could probably duck the authorities until I was able to take care of myself. And with Asher and his sister right down the block, it wasn’t like I was going to be alone. I could finish up my last year of high school, maybe apply for colleges, cheer. All my plans from before were sort of up in the air considering what I’d been through. The way I looked at the world was different now. I was going to need to do some serious soul searching now that I didn’t have to look over my shoulder anymore.
“What’s the first thing you’re going to do when you get home?” Asher asked me on our drive back from the cabin.
“Take a bath, sleep for about a year, and then go to cheer practice,” I said, not even having to think about my answer before saying it.
“You’d rather hang out with a bunch of cheerleaders than spend time with me?” he asked, in mock shock. Then he thought about it and shook his head. “Never mind. I’d choose cheerleaders over me too.”
“Har-har,” I said as we pulled into the driveway. Just being in close proximity to my house made my heart both quicken and ache at the same time. It was so weird to be back after all that had happened and doubly weird to come back to an empty house. The only thing that was different, though, was that I no longer felt alone. I’d talked to my mom in my dreams and then with the spell… well, just knowing it was possible to still be able to communicate was enough to make it all more bearable. Now I was just going to have to create a new normal.
I went to put my key in the door but paused when I noticed that it was already slightly open. Not much, just a crack. I looked back over my shoulder. Asher had already started to follow his sister as she walked over to their aunt’s house, but he slowed down and called out to me.
“Everything okay?”
I listened for a noise that would alert me to someone being inside. But there was only silence. I let out the breath I’d been holding and told myself that not every weird thing that happened meant I was still being stalked by Samuel. In fact, the last time I’d been home, I’d left pretty abruptly and hadn’t exactly stopped to lock up. The whole damn place was probably unlocked.
“Yeah. It’s nothing,” I said, my initial fear subsiding. “I’ll see you in a few hours?”
“It takes you that long to destinkify yourself?” he asked, walking back toward his aunt’s.
“Well, isn’t that the pot calling the kettle smelly?” I answered, pushing the door open.
“Ha!” he said. “I’ll see you soon.”
“You too,” I said, walking into my house.
A look around the living room showed that nothing had changed since the attack the night of the football game. The place looked like a tornado had swept through it, upturning furniture, breaking lamps and vases, and collapsing tables and chairs. Black char marks covered the walls, while mud and dirt appeared to be permanently etched into the carpet. I stood just inside the door for a minute and replayed the events of that night in my head, still amazed I’d gotten out of there alive.
If things had gone just a little bit differently, the house would be completely empty right now. The thought filled me with sadness and I trudged the rest of the way inside, kicking the door closed as I went.
Part of me knew that it was just a matter of time before I broke down, but in the meantime I was too exhausted to care. Dropping my bags in the entryway, I headed upstairs to take a bath and then lie down for a much-needed nap. At this point, though, I couldn’t be positive I wouldn’t just crash right away. Sleep sounded very good at the moment.
Arriving at the door to my bedroom, I pushed it open, longing to crawl under my covers and disappear for a while. But when I looked inside, I froze.
There, standing across the room and staring out the window, was a man. His back was to me, but I could tell he was strong and tall—both traits I wasn’t so psyched to see in an intruder. He didn’t turn around right away, even though I was sure he’d heard me. I resisted the urge to scream or run; I was too tired to fight anymore. Giving up, I surrendered to the fates and waited for him to make a move.
“I’m so sorry,” he said.
Confusion washed over me as I recognized the man’s voice.
It couldn’t be… could it?
Suddenly I was running toward him and before I could think about what I was doing, I flung my arms around his body and hugged him as tightly as I could. I squeezed so hard I thought my arms might break and let loose the tears that had been building up for weeks now. As he turned around to face me, I collapsed, allowing him to catch me as I fell. Slipping to the floor, he held me in his arms and stroked my hair while shushing me quietly.
When I’d stopped sobbing, I dared to look up at him, fearing that I would find he’d disappeared. But he was still there, and that got me crying all over again. Finally I dried my eyes with the back of my hand, sniffled, and managed a wobbly smile.
“They ambushed me on my way to the hotel and took everything I had. I was told you and Mom were dead. They said there was nothing to come back to. Then they tried to get me to join the Parrishables. When I refused, they tried to kill me, too. Eventually I got away and headed straight here. I had to see if they’d been telling the truth. And then I saw the house,” he said, his head dropping to touch the top of mine. Then, more quietly, he added, “I got your note. I’m so sorry I couldn’t get to you sooner, Had.”
“It’s okay, Dad. You’re here now,” I said, cradling my head against his neck, enjoying the realness of the touch.
“Tell me what happened.”
“Where do I start?” I asked absently, truly unsure how to describe all that had happened since he’d left.
“Why don’t you start at the beginning.”
Epilogue
I ran through the night as quickly as I could, branches hitting my face and arms as I raced against the clock. The crackle of something being broken put me on edge. I couldn’t tell whether the noise was coming from me or something else lurking in the darkness. Either way, I wasn’t scared. I’d learned by now that things that go bump in the night are nothing compared to real evil. And real evil? Well, I’d vanquished it.
For now.
I squinted and fought to see as I dodged trees while making my way to my destination. I knew that if I slowed down, even just a little bit, I wasn’t going to make it there in time. And that wouldn’t be good.
“Come on, come on,” I whispered, propelling myself forward, trying to see what lay ahead.
When I caught sight of a glow of light in the near distance, I slowed my pace and chose my steps carefully, so they wouldn’t hear me coming. Sneaking closer, I peered through a few branches into the clearing.
There they were. Six bodies, gathered around a roaring fire, with their heads covered by hoods. The light cast shadows around the clearing, making it look like the whole place was teeming with spirits. They were talking in low voices now, and I strained to hear what they were saying, almost expecting the worst.
As time passed I knew I had to act, so without hesitation I burst through the bushes, landing in a fighting stance just a few feet away from the group. Several of the figures jumped, turning around quickly to stare at me in surprise, while the others just looked on with murderous expressions as they tried to decide out what to do next.
“Okay, Had. The whole jumping-out-and-scaring-us thing was fun the first hundred times, but now it’s just getting old,” Jasmine said, crossing her arms over her chest. “You’re lucky I haven’t hit you with a stunning spell yet. And trust me, it wouldn’t be pretty.”