It would be a big night. Serena had planned to try and contact Skylar.
Chapter Twenty-‐‑Seven
SKYLAR
I walked around the nearly deserted high school, but found only abandoned lockers, notebook paper drifting in the breeze and some stray kids wandering around the back of the bleachers, surreptitiously smoking cigarettes, and thinking no one would catch them. They couldn’t see me. I had cloaked myself. They could have been dangerously close to being killed, but I wasn’t interested in them, and besides, I’d come alone. I never did any of the real killing anyway. That had always been Christophe’s thing, him and his goons. I wasn’t like that and that has always angered Christophe. He had tried and failed to make me into his image.
Somehow, I could never embrace his ideals. Even now, when they were busy turning the town upside down, my thoughts were nowhere near that. I only had interest in the girl twitch, Serena.
Here, her scent had been the strongest so far. I caught it faintly at that drive-‐‑in where Christophe and the others had snatched the little twitch and her boyfriend and again near those houses at the edge of the forest. But for some reason, I couldn’t get near those buildings. Some kind of shield protected them. Christophe and Cyrus said it was a spell of protection, one of the strongest they had ever encountered.
I didn’t care about that. I had more interest in something I had overheard. In something I’m certain I wasn’t ever to know.
That the twitch, Serena could be my sister? Not just my sister but my twin? We all knew Christophe and Cyril and the others had been plotting for weeks, something about a takeover from a strong and powerful coven that had been convened and had been growing more powerful and directed by the minute. Dante opined that the leadership of the Council would be challenged. Gerard claimed to have seen the twitches. He said they were beautiful. Pietro said if we were twins, it would be a biological miracle. Ha-‐‑ha. Even demons could have a sense of humor. Sometimes it was so tedious living with the cursed.
I continued wandering the halls of the school unmolested. In a couple of the classrooms her scent overwhelmed me. It smelled like flowers from the mortal world, quite pleasant. I wondered what she must be like. I walked out into the lunch area and picked up her scent even stronger. I followed it to a table where it collected and pooled. She must sit here quite frequently, I thought. I wondered again about her. Could she be like me? Did she resemble me? Despite what Pietro thought, I didn’t think my human appearance that unpleasant. I had blond hair, which I wore longer than most, shoulder length, and it had a tendency to curl at the ends. I had a peachy complexion and my eyes were two different colors, sort of green with flecks of blue in them. Sometimes I would catch Christophe looking at me in a way that said he didn’t like me much. Dante spoke of a rumor that I may be some kind of special warlock, or something, but I told Dante he must be clearly mistaken, since I had never done anything special to confirm this fantastic gossip.
I walked out to the parking lot and found another spot where the scent lingered strongest. I lingered there another minute.
Soon, I knew, I would be missed. I would have to get back. I leaned against a fence where I thought she and her mortal friends must gather every day, and almost left, when the voice came to me. It was so faint at first that I thought my wishful thinking and wandering mind had conjured it up. But no, it came back, a little stronger next time and then I knew. It was her. Serena the twitch, my alleged twin, had made an attempt to communicate with me.
****
Minor demons can’t mindjump, so I knew this couldn’t be Gerard or Pietro or Dante. I listened inside my mind as hard as I could until her voice came to me again, softly, questioning.
Skylar? If you can hear me, answer or give me a sign.
I wasn’t sure what to do. I didn’t think she would trick me.
Everything in my being told me she wouldn’t, this was my twin, Serena. But, I didn’t think I wanted to answer her just yet. I decided I would send her a sign. But what kind? I wasn’t even sure if I could be powerful enough to send her a sign she would receive.
And I didn’t even know where she might be. She resided beyond that shield surrounding those houses I couldn’t get beyond. How would I send a sign over that? Finally, I came up with one. I sent a small cyclone to the outside of the shield in front of her house. I hoped she would welcome it. Wait! I knew how she would! I made the cyclone turn pink.
I held my breath waiting for some kind of response. Seven minutes, eight, eleven minutes. It didn’t work, I thought. I thought I might uncloak myself and leave when I picked up her again.
Skylar? I got your sign. It whirled and sparked beautifully, thank you. I’ve actually always loved the color pink. She sounded excited and nice. I’m so glad to meet you.
Yes, I’m glad to meet you too.
I have to ask…did you know about me?
Well, I’ll be honest. I’ve only become aware of you recently. I didn’t want to admit how I learned about her. I am certainly interested to learn of you.
I imagine you are. And I learned of you only recently as well. Ah, so we were both hedging on the truth, it seemed. I took the first leap. Serena, I want you to know something. I never accepted Christophe as my father.
I know that, Skylar.
And I am not like him.
I know that too. I can feel it.
I know you can’t believe me. She had to mistrust me, and I understood that. It didn’t make it any easier. I had to be careful not to get too upset. If I let her get to me, I could let my guard down and Christophe or Cyril might get inside my head, and he might know where I had gone. If he knew I might try to leave the Council, he would just kill me. No one had ever left the Council alive. Ever.
Chapter Twenty-‐‑Eight
SERENA
We couldn’t believe it. Eden and her coven sisters were crowded around me sitting on the sofas in the back den of my house and we could not believe I had communicated with Skylar. I had promised to try, but truth be told, I didn’t have much faith that I would reach him. After all my sermonizing to Logan in the car that same afternoon, I wasn’t able to practice what I preached. I didn’t actually think I would make any contact. But, I had dutifully gathered Eden and the sisters together and made the attempt. I was beyond shocked when I reached him, and shocked even more still when he sent his sign, the beautiful colored cyclone which whirled gloriously just outside the protective barrier of the invisible shield in the front of our house. Lily spotted it first, from her studio window across the street and alerted us to it.
Following that, the rest of my conversation with him just became even more astonishing. He wanted to leave the Council! He hadn’t said it exactly, but he had intimated that he wanted to join with us, I think. He knew we were twins and he had many questions about the beginning of our life together. I filled him in with as much as I could. At least as much as Eden and the others had told me. At some point we had to stop because he became afraid that his absence would be noticed. The best part had to be when I got to ask him about Jade and Sully! He couldn’t tell us where they were because he claimed even he didn’t know. I believed him. When I told Logan later, he was less than convinced, but I truly believed Skylar told me the truth. He had such a sweet innocence to him. When I said that to Logan, he said that sounded exactly like me! Skylar also told us that Jade and Sully were unharmed and uninjured. That had to be the best news ever. I watched Logan’s shoulders visibly un-‐‑tense. Before we ended our first communication, he promised to stay in touch with me telepathically and to try and get some more information on Sully and Jade. He instantly understood the connection we had to them and how important they were to Logan and me. And we also promised to try and work out a meeting for tomorrow.
We spent the rest of the evening working with Logan to hone and improve his warlocking skills. It made it difficult to put aside the excitement of contacting Skylar, but we managed.
Training Logan had more importance th
an ever because Logan had been right in his early musings in the car. The dynamic had changed; we now had three loved ones to rescue, Jade, Sully and Skylar.
****
The next day was finally Friday. All week long, I had been subjected to talk of Saturday’s St. Patrick’s Day party. Dave and Logan both were so worked up about it, it surprised me they even still showed up at school. And poor Tamera had all but abandoned her wedding planning because no one paid her any attention. Even dependable Patty had forgotten her lines and was drinking their Kool-‐‑Aid, trailing along behind Dave now, instead of Tamera.
Logan and I arrived early for school this morning, as we had all week. He hustled Tabitha and me out of the car, anxious to join everyone lounging in our regular area. Today, the only topic of conversation was the party. Dave, in particular, seemed not to be able to wait until the festivities began in earnest the next day. In fact, he already sported a green baseball shirt, green socks, and a green baseball cap. He greeted us enthusiastically.
“Hey guys! Top ‘o the morning to ya!”
Tamera groaned. Clearly, she had heard this line a few times already today. Logan laughed out loud and I couldn’t help but be charmed by Dave’s obvious love for this holiday. It made me think for a second about Sully. I remembered Logan telling me how much he loved the annual Irish celebration and especially this party.
“Hey, Dave. Nice shirt. But a leprechaun called and he wants his clothes back.”
“Don’t hate me ‘cuz I’m beautiful, Bro.” Dave clapped Logan on the back and the two of them chuckled over their joke and camaraderie. Tamera just rolled her eyes and groaned again.
“I think it’s great he’s so in the spirit,” chimed in Patty. “I mean, seriously, who else is so into this?”
“Oh, I will definitely give you that,” said Tamera. “There is no one person more dedicated to this party right now than Dave.”
She tried to sound annoyed, but it came off sounding more amused than anything. She even smirked a little. Dave caught it and grabbed her up in a bear hug. She feigned protest but didn’t fight him off too hard, I noticed.
The group surrounding our area grew larger than normal. I knew this was because most kids had decided that geographic proximity to Dave and Tamera guaranteed admittance to what the rumor mill billed now as The Party to Be At and Be Seen At. We found it funny to watch them jostle for position. If they only knew.
Dave came from the school of thought of the-‐‑more-‐‑the-‐‑merrier. He literally would not turn anyone away from that party door. The bell rang and for a moment, not one person budged. Only when the second bell rang and we were all close to being late to class, did the crowd begin to disperse. Logan walked me to my first class, talking about the party, but honestly, my thoughts were elsewhere. I blocked them from him and in his preoccupation with the party, he never noticed. He kissed me and we promised to meet up at lunch, as usual. I waited until the class settled, then quietly cloaked myself and slipped from the room. I had an errand.
During morning classes, no sports took place on the backfield. Most of the gym classes all happened in the afternoon. At this time of the day the fields were deserted. I had chosen this area for this exact reason. I uncloaked and walked around the back of the school and under the stadium bleachers. Immediately I spotted Sage, Charlie and Zena on the edge of the field. They noticed me, but hung back after they confirmed I would be safe from harm. In their own way, I thought maybe they knew what I was about to do as well.
Suddenly, from the other side of the field, the air began to blur. The edges of the disturbed area moved inward, narrowed and lengthened. It began to take shape. Colors filled in, light, then dark, and the form began to resemble the shape of a man. I could make out a human form in the blurred air and then a young man, well—a teen, really, stepped forward from the visage. With a few sure steps, he strode toward where I stood. This had to be Skylar. I held my breath as he approached and took that few moments to inspect him. He had hair the same color as mine, which he wore longer than anyone in the whole school. It even seemed to have the same curl tendencies as mine. We appeared to have the same build, long, lean, and slender. Elizabeth always told me I had a swimmers body, with lots of upper-‐‑body strength. I never knew what that meant until now. I could recognize it in my mirrored twin’s body as he walked toward me. He had a strong physique, with built, buff arms. His clothes only hinted at the strength beneath. His legs were lithe but muscular and he moved with a cat-‐‑like grace.
“Hello, Serena,” he said, when he reached me. His voice matched his outer beauty, warm and welcoming.
“Hello, Skylar. Thank you for coming.”
“No. It’s me who should be thanking you. You trusted me.
Thank you for that.”
“You’re welcome. And don’t worry. I am protected at all times.” I indicated the guard dogs, which were still lurking at the end of the field, closer now, and far more interested since Skylar’s arrival. “Yes, I get that. I am still grateful to you for allowing me to meet with you. I have wanted to since I learned of you. Of us.”
“I have as well.”
“I have to admit to you, I can’t get over how alike we are.”
I nodded. The similarity astonished me. Skylar leaned in and took my hands earnestly.
“Serena, I don’t have much time. Again, thank you for meeting with me, but I asked you here for a specific purpose.”
“What is it, Skylar?”
“To warn you. The Council is preparing to come for you. It’s you they want, Serena. You and your chosen one. They intend to make their move soon. You must be aware. You must be ready.”
“We know, Skylar. We have known for some time. A member of our coven is blessed with the gift of sight.” I referred to Prudence and her clairvoyance. “I have concerns about you, Skylar.
Are you safe? Is meeting me here today safe for you?”
“I must say I don’t know the answer, Serena. But I must go for now. May I….” he hesitated, as if what he were about to ask would change everything and simply uttering the words would change the course of his life. I had to encourage him to continue.
He did. “May I ask a favor?”
“Of course you can, Skylar. Anything. You are my brother, after all.”
“It’s good you feel that way. Because I don’t want to be in the Council anymore.” He stepped back and measured my reaction.
Wow! He actually said it. I needed to speak to Eden about this. It didn’t seem like a trick. Everything in me felt like he had been honest and truthful, but I wasn’t so naïve as to not understand that I might be a little prejudiced. I needed to run this by Logan and Eden both.
“Skylar, you are my brother. You are welcome in my world.”
That little statement may get me in a cauldron of hot water, but right at the moment, I never meant anything more.
Skylar’s face lit up. He reached for me and gave me a tight hug and quickly released me.
“I best go now. I don’t want to push my luck. Thank you, Serena. Thank you, my sister.” And he gave me his beautiful smile again, spun around and walked into a wavy blur that had materialized behind him.
I stood there for a while, feeling the breeze in my hair and the sun on my face and just enjoying the space where Skylar had been. I stood there until I knew the bell would ring. I cloaked myself and hurried back into the classroom and slid into my seat in the back. When the bell did ring, lunch couldn’t have happened soon enough for me.
Chapter Twenty-‐‑Nine
LOGAN
I would have woken up excited about the party on my own, except I’d been awakened by my cell phone and on the other end was Dave, who had been even more excited than anyone.
“Logan! It’s Dave! Today’s the big day, man! Get pumped!”
“Dave. It is 8:30 in the morning. There is literally nothing to
‘get pumped’ about at 8:30 in the morning. Do not even try.” I rolled over and peeked through th
e curtains at Serena’s house outside my bedroom window like I did every morning. I don’t know what I expected to be there, but I always felt a huge relief when it looked the same as usual, untouched, maybe covered up more than before with the man-‐‑eating rose bushes, but otherwise as normal as ever. In my ear, Dave would not be easily deterred.
“Dude! It is the day we have been waiting for!” The volume of Dave’s voice threatened to rapidly ruin my just-‐‑begun day. I had to try again.
“Dave. It is the day you have been waiting for. We are all just along for the ride.” The roar from my cell phone in response got so loud I had to hold it away from my ear.
“Are you nuts? Are you insane? Are you certifiable? Do you need to be reminded of the magnitude of this gathering?” Dave became now close to making my ear bleed. If I did not get off of this cell phone soon, I would be in danger of needing medical attention.
I nearly informed him of that fact when, blessedly, the call waiting beeped.
“Dave. I have another call. I have to go. We will be there later, Buddy.” Without waiting for his response, which still blared when I clicked over, I took the incoming call.
“Hello?”
“Hi, sleepyhead. I thought I would rescue you from Dave. I almost couldn’t because I’m laughing so hard.” She snorted as proof. It became apparent to me that Serena had heard my exchange with Dave in her mind and found it hilarious.
“Oh, nice,” I said. “I’m so glad you’re finding this so humorous. Just remember, in a few hours, what you just experienced in a bottled version on the cell phone will be unleashed in the live, unbridled edition in person, all over the place at the party. Nothing like it exists in like, four counties, at least.”
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