by R L Medina
“I’ve seen this seal before.” Gloria’s gravelly voice caught my ear.
My body tensed at the grim look on her face. There were lines on her forehead that I didn’t think had been there before. Had the spell aged her?
“Luna Negra?” Shiloh finished for her. She clung tightly to Javi’s hand, distress written all over her features.
Gloria’s eyes scanned the room before landing on me. “Yes. This is their seal.”
5
The contents of the creepy jar had stilled. A silence hung heavy in the air. Gloria’s revelation left me reeling. Luna Negra had Brady.
“Are you sure?” Javi questioned the witch, breaking the silence.
“Yes. This is definitely their work. But the location… it shows up hazy. Like there’s another spell layered on top of the first. We need more time to find it.”
More time? We didn’t have time. They had Brady. Guilt swamped me along with the questions. How and when had they captured him, but more importantly, why? Was it part of a ploy to get to me?
Javi’s face hardened. “Rehab, huh?”
Shiloh bit her lip. “Why do you think he lied to us? Do you think he knows?”
“He’s the mole,” I blurted.
The others gaped at me. Even Javi looked skeptical.
Ignoring their looks, I turned to the witch. “Can you look for Grayson now? Please.”
Panic welled inside me. If Luna Negra had Brady, did they have Grayson too?
“But we have to find Brady’s location.” Shiloh frowned.
“How long will that take? Is there any way to work on both spells at the same time? Grayson needs us too.”
Gloria motioned her coven closer. “We can take a quick look, but we can only break the shields of one location first.”
“Okay,” I readily agreed.
Gloria picked up Grayson’s crumpled shirt and set it next to the jar. She closed her eyes. The others began chanting once more while I waited, holding my breath.
Please be okay, Grayson.
After a moment of quiet, she opened her eyes and shook her head. No. My heart sank.
Shiloh squeezed my hand. “That doesn’t mean he’s not still out there.”
“If he is, he’s being shielded by something far stronger than I could break. Not Luna Negra though. I don’t recognize this seal. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”
Grayson’s words came back to me. The Wizard. He had said something about knowing who the wizard was. Is that who he was with?
“What’s stronger than a witch?” I asked her.
Gloria shrugged. “Depends on the witch, but fae for example or a powerful extraordinaire. Something that doesn’t require a conduit to hold a spell.”
“What about a wizard?” I asked.
One of the witches scoffed. Gloria frowned before turning to me.
“I suppose so, but there are no more wizards.”
“You have the GRIMM to thank for that,” another witch added.
I looked to Javi and Shiloh for clarification.
Javi tensed, eyes darting across the room as if searching for more shadows, his mind seeming to be elsewhere. Footsteps sounded outside the little bungalow.
Everyone froze.
“How did they get past our runes?” one of the guy witches asked.
Gloria held a hand up to silence him. Fear snaked up my spine. Luna Negra?
She left the room, Javi close on her heels. Shiloh and I followed as the other witches trailed us. The front door burst open, and a familiar figure stood, filling the doorway, moonlight streamed in around him.
Tío. He looked pissed—beyond pissed.
Everyone was dead silent. Some of the witches had their hands up, faces scowling. They were upset and I couldn’t blame them. How had he shown up inside their coven despite their runes?
They looked to Gloria who gave them a slight shake of her head. Telling them to back down?
Javi straightened to full height and stepped forward. “Dad, I can explain. We have a reason for being here. Just let me—”
Tío silenced him with a lethal look.
Javi’s fists clenched by his sides, “This was all my idea. I take full responsibility for this.”
“Javi, no.” Shiloh and I spoke in unison.
I faced my tío. “How did you even find us here?”
Anger flashed in his eyes. “You don’t think I’m tracking you after what happened last time you ran away?”
I froze. “What do you mean tracking me?”
The memory of the compulsion bracelet was all too fresh for me. My heart pounded in my ears as the anger came rushing back.
He ignored my question and turned to Gloria. “I know you cast multiple locating spells. You know the penalties for practicing such magic without written permission. And involving GRIMM students? You’re lucky I don’t take you in right now.” An angry-looking vein popped in his neck as he lashed out at her.
Her face was a mask of calm. “Yes. I understand the penalties.”
“Your sorry excuse of a coven will be broken up. There will be an investigation and the council will see to it that your witches are brought to justice.”
Murmurs erupted among the coven and eyes narrowed in anger at his words.
I bristled. “Justice? That’s not fair! We asked for her help. She’s on our side. She’s helping us find Grayson, and she found Brady.. Without her we wouldn’t have found out the truth. The headmaster is lying. He’s the mole. It’s—”
Tío cut me off with a jerk of his hand. “Enough, Rosa. I thought you learned your lesson about running off and putting yourself and your friends in danger. This isn’t a game.”
Anger burned through me. “Are you serious? What do you think I’m doing here? If the GRIMMs could actually do their job and find Grayson and Brady, I wouldn’t even have to be here.”
He inhaled, nostrils flaring as he glared at me. “Outside. Now. All of you.”
I didn’t budge.
“Rose—” Javi hissed.
“I’m not leaving until you agree to leave Gloria out of this. She was only doing what I asked her to do. It’s not right.”
Gloria shifted, eyes darting from me to my tío. “It’s alright, Rose. I know the consequences of my actions.”
Tío kept glaring at me.
“You of all people have no right to accuse her of breaking the law.”
His eyebrows knitted together. “Enough. I won’t press charges this time, but you won’t get a second chance.” His gaze flitted to the witch.
She bowed her head in acceptance.
He turned back to me. “Now. Get outside.”
Javi sheathed his sword and held Shiloh’s hand, already moving forward. I glanced back at Gloria who gave me an encouraging nod before I followed. The little beach house vanished.
Tío brought up the rear, ushering me forward.
Sand crunched beneath our shoes as waves crashed loudly in the distance. Despite the cold autumn breeze, I was burning hot.
The walk to his car parked on the road and the following ride home was filled with tense silence. It was obvious Tío was still angry, but so was I. The fact that he was still tracking me left me boiling. How was he doing it? Was he spying on me too?
I looked out the window, turning the questions around in my mind.
Tío interrupted my thoughts. “I will drop you off at the academy, Shiloh. Javi and Rose, you two will be coming home with me.”
Javi stiffened beside me. “But, Dad—”
“Do not fight me on this, Javier. You and Rose are grounded for the foreseeable future.”
I scoffed. “We went to Gloria’s for help to find Grayson and Brady. What were we supposed to do? Just sit and wait for them to be hurt or killed? You’re training us to be GRIMMs, but when we actually do something, we’re in trouble?”
His eyes met mine in the review mirror. “Training, that’s right. None of you are actually GRIMMs. It’s not your job to do your
own investigation. If you’re told to sit and wait, then that is exactly what I expect you to do.”
“That’s bullshit. I’m not going to just—”
His hand slammed against the steering wheel, making me jump. “It is your fault Grayson was taken in the first place. If you had listened and done what I told you, he wouldn’t be gone.” His voice softened. “When will you stop, Rose? How many more lives will it take before you listen? We are on the brink of a war. Now is not the time to be a rebel.”
The stinging words left me raw. Angry tears welled in my eyes, but I blinked them back furiously, refusing to cry now. Shiloh reached across Javi for my hand, but I withdrew it before she could touch me.
“That’s not fair and you know it. She never asked for this, but she’s doing her part. We’re not kids anymore, Dad. This fight is going to be our fight soon. In fact, it is our fight now.” Javi rose to my defense.
They stared at each other through the mirror. Shiloh and I exchanged glances, feeling the tension. It hadn’t been that long ago when Javi would have been too scared of his father to talk back like that. The maturity in his tone was startling. When had my cousin turned so serious?
It was the upcoming war, I realized. War made everyone grow up too fast, wasn’t that what they said?
“Not yet it’s not, Javier. You are not ready for this.”
“I’m more than ready. You just can’t see it because you’ve never paid attention. You don’t even know what I am capable of.”
“Enough. I will not discuss this further here. We will talk at home.”
Javi shook his head and fell quiet. I felt the same frustration. Tío wasn’t going to change his mind. His word was final. There would be no convincing him that we were in the right and he was wrong. Maybe that’s why all the teens in the movies and books I read were always orphaned. They were able to save the world because there were no adults around to stop them.
We stopped outside GRIMM Academy. Shiloh shot a worried look from me to Javi. My cousin hugged her and whispered something in her ear that made her flush. After promising to text, I said goodbye to my friend before she disappeared behind the academy gates.
Javi and I spent the quick ride back to his house in stony silence. Tío didn’t say another word as he drove, but it was clear the tension hadn’t cleared.
Was Mama just as stubborn and arrogant as her brother was? Was it being GRIMM that made my family so unbelievably difficult or was it just a trait that ran in our family? I fought down the wave of emotions as we pulled up to the giant mansion.
Tía met us at the front door, forehead creased in worry. She wrapped her arms around us and pulled us close to her. The smell of her floral perfume hit my nose as guilt pricked my skin. I never meant to scare her.
Javi rolled his eyes as he pulled away. “Mami. Estamos bien.”
She withdrew and looked from me to him. “Los brujos? The witches? What were you thinking, Javi?”
He shrugged out of her hold. “They offered to help us. It’s not a big deal. Nothing happened.”
Her lips pursed. “Breaking the law? That is a big deal, Javi.” Her accent came out thick in her anger.
Maybe it was because I’d never had a real motherly figure in my life, but her reaction unnerved me. Her anger felt far worse than my tío’s.
She turned to me and the disappointment I saw in her face made me flinch. I looked away. Was she regretting taking me in? I couldn’t blame her. It was after all my fault Javi had been in danger… again.
But they were GRIMMS. Wasn’t this the life they’d signed up for, anyway?
“Rosa.”
Her softened voice caught my attention. I met her gaze.
“I know you are worried about your friends. I know you want to help, but you must promise me you will not put yourself at risk like this again. It’s too soon. You are not ready.”
A lump grew in my throat. I wanted to make the promise to her, to assure her she had no reason to worry about me, but I couldn’t. Ready or not, the witches would be back, and we were running out of time. Luna Negra wasn’t going to wait for my skills to improve.
“I promise.” The lie came easily.
The relief that flashed across her features only made me feel guiltier. Had my mom once felt like her—trying to shield me from the dark reality?
She sighed and turned around. “You two are supposed to be in bed.”
I glanced up to see the twins in their matching PJ sets, spying on us. Their eyes widened as they got caught.
“Bed, nenas. Ahora mismo.”
They scampered away and hurried upstairs, their bare feet bounding up the wooden stairs.
“You two also.” Tía Teresa turned back to us.
Javi folded his arms across his chest and looked to his Dad. “What are you going to do?”
Tío’s eyes flickered from him to me, his face hardening. “Not now, Javier. Every day the witches gain an advantage. I have enough to deal with trying to find them and help the council.”
“I thought they kicked you off the council,” I interjected.
His brow furrowed. “Yes, but I am still an active GRIMM. Doing my duty. I don’t have time to babysit you two. You’re going to stay here. I’m considering having all your work brought home so there will be no reason to leave here.”
“What about my training?”
“And mine too,” I added.
Tío glared at us. “You can train here just as easily as you can at the academy.”
“No, we can’t. This is completely unfair. Please, Dad. We won’t leave the campus again without your permission. I promise.”
My eyes slid to Javi. I wasn’t going to make that promise.
“I haven’t decided yet. But you will not be in contact with those witches again, and this will not happen again, do you understand? You are children. You will do as your told.”
Javi’s fists clenched by his side. There was no way he could agree to this bullshit. We needed to get answers. I watched him, waiting for him to speak up. To stand up to his dad. Instead, he stormed off, dodging his mom’s outstretched arm.
Anger flashed in Tío’s eyes. “I did not dismiss you, Javier. Get back here!”
He moved toward the stairs, but Tía Teresa stopped him.
She looked tiny compared to him, but her eyes were just as fierce. “Déjalo en paz, Javier. Leave him.”
His head snapped toward me. “You will obey me this time, Rosa. Unless you want to see your cousin dead. Because that’s what happens when you throw yourself into danger.”
“Dios Mío, Javier. Don’t say that.” Tía Teresa shuddered.
He glared at me and looked to her before storming away. I watched him go, my chest tight. His words rang in my head and though I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong, guilt swamped me.
Tía’s soft sigh caught my ear. She looked at me and shook her head. “I’m sorry. He’s just—”
“An ass?”
She frowned. “Por favor, Rosa. He is trying. He just wants you both to be safe.”
I bit my lip, fighting the urge to argue with her. What was the point? Nothing I said would change her mind. If she wanted to make excuses for him, that was on her. But I didn’t owe him my obedience or anything for that matter.
“We both want to keep you safe. I know things haven’t been easy since—”
“I’m going to bed,” I cut her off, not wanting to hear the rest of her sentence. I couldn’t think about Papi or anything else at the moment.
I started for the stairs, tears burning my eyes.
“I’m here, Rosa. When you want to talk or if you need anything. Estamos en familia.”
Her voice faded away as I marched up the long, winding staircase. We’re family. Bitterness filled me. They were blood relatives, but it wasn’t the same. I wanted Papi. His smile flashed in my mind. A sob escaped me as I made it to the landing. What would he have thought of my actions? More than anything I wished I could run to him and ask him for advice.
It wasn’t fair that he was gone.
The hall was dark and though I was used to sleeping in my dorm, I couldn’t help but be relieved I didn’t have to share a space with anyone that night.
Shiloh would have wanted to comfort me and discuss Brady and Grayson, but I just wanted to be alone. Guilt, anger, and grief rolled through me as I replayed the day’s events. My mind spun. There were so many questions and try as I could, I couldn’t help but feel the weight of hopelessness.
My friends were in trouble and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to help them. Trying to push away the dark thoughts, I turned on the light and made my way to the room they’d reserved for me.
6
I still couldn’t consider it my room. Maybe in time, I would be able to accept it, but I wasn’t ready for that yet. In the back of my head, I still thought of my old house with Papi as home. Images of my old room flashed before me. A lump grew in my throat.
Switching on the light, I looked around at the fancy room and sighed. My mind and body were exhausted, all the stress and worry had taken its toll on me. After a good night of sleep, maybe I would be able to face the day with a better mentality. I could think up our next step and strategy.
There had to be a way to find Grayson and Brady. We had only established that Luna Negra had Brady and they didn’t have Grayson. Had Gloria and the other witches been able to figure out Brady’s location after we’d left? Besides finding her at the Shack, I didn’t have any other way to contact Gloria to find out.
But they had the rocks. They could find them. Though that presented another problem of how we were going to get them back and returned to Cassiano before he noticed them missing.
Gloria’s confession replayed in my mind. It wasn’t Luna Negra that had Grayson. Then who? Or what? Could it be the mysterious wizard everybody claimed didn’t exist? By the time I figured it out would Grayson still be alive?
Taking a steadying breath and a quick shower, I tried to put the horrific scenarios out of my mind and concentrate on something positive.
