Justin was going to drown himself.
“Do you see where he is?” Nicholas asked from behind me.
I nodded. “Yes. He’s way, way out in the water…really far. I can’t tell where, exactly. It’s all water, except I could see the pier. But it was really far away.”
“What direction is he from the end of the pier?” Nicholas asked, moving beside me.
“If I was standing at the very end of it looking at the ocean, he’d be at about two o’clock, maybe two, three miles out. Maybe more...” I said, holding my right arm out at a slight angle.
I spun around, and locked eyes with Nicholas. “Please hurry. He looks like he’s ready to plunge off the board any moment! If he does he’ll drown for sure.”
Nicholas inched closer to me, and a quiet look of anguish flickered across his angelic face. “I’m going,” he said in a hushed voice. “Be safe while I am gone. I don’t know how long I will be.”
My heart felt like it was being squeezed dry. I hated that Nicholas was leaving again so soon. And it was me who was sending him away.
I wanted to hold him tight…to kiss him and touch his face. I wanted to whisper in his ear and have him run his fingers through my hair once more. I wanted to feel his arms around me. I wanted to feel the warmth of his breath on my face…
“Do you know where you’re going?” I whispered. Now that the moment was here, I couldn’t let him go. I needed one more moment to look at him. “I mean, if you can’t visualize exactly, will it still work when you shimmer?”
Nicholas leaned forward and tilted his face down to mine. His eyes, not the hard glass of before, flickered with a secret memory, sending hidden signals to my heart. He was trying to tell me something. But all I felt was fear, despair, and the deepest grief that I might never again see the one I loved.
“Yes, I expect to get wet,” he said quietly. “But I’m a good swimmer and an even better flier. It will be okay. I will find him.”
“Okay,” I mumbled. “Be safe…please…”
He held my gaze for a moment longer, and then glanced over at Ana and nodded. “Ma’am.”
He gave me one last fleeting look before his body trembled, swayed, and then faded away.
Nicholas was gone. Again.
A second later I collapsed in a heap on the floor, my body and mind completely and utterly exhausted.
Chapter 29. Sleep
When I’d finally recovered enough to stand on my own, Ana and I joined the others downstairs. My whole body felt numb. I wobbled down the staircases holding the banister with one hand, and gripping Ana’s arm tightly with the other.
My perfect dream of last night was completely shattered by the cruel reality of today.
Sophie’s and Lily’s parents had already arrived. They stood talking to one another, and looking on their daughters with concern. When Ana and I entered the room, they immediately hushed and looked at us expectantly. Lily and Sophie had obviously filled them in about our plan to save Justin. I saw wary, disapproving looks from the adults and hopeful glances from the girls. I responded with a small shrug to their silent question, “So, what happened?” My mind and body spent…I had no energy to speak, even in my head.
Everyone started talking at once about Justin and Nicholas. Lily’s parents looked positively alarmed at the new developments, but I didn’t care anymore. I didn’t care about anything. Even when Mrs. Daniels gushed about my new, and apparently improved, hair color.
I just shrugged and curled up on the corner of a couch.
Sophie and Lily snuggled beside me, but that didn’t make me feel any better. They hadn’t been as concerned about Justin as I’d been, and of course they had no idea how the thought of Nicholas’s indefinite absence slashed me up inside.
Even when Henri brought in his famous tea, I refused the cup handed to me, and ignored Ana’s troubled look. Whatever it was concocted to do, I wanted no part of it. I didn’t want to feel okay about the fact that two people I deeply cared about were on a life or death mission.
I supposed I could try to find them on the Looking Stone, but even the thought of trying to do that again pained me. It was as if my earlier Seeing had completely drained me of all my strength, and I was left with only a spongy mass of worthless fatigue where my brain had once been.
Since the immediate threat was over, Lily and Sophie returned home with their parents, with promises to return later that evening. Given the circumstances, Lily’s parents granted her and Sophie special permission to shimmer to my house if necessary, seeing as she had done it so well before.
I mumbled my goodbyes and trudged back to the guesthouse. There was nothing I wanted more than to fall into bed and surrender to my despondent mood. Fortunately, my father was still away. I couldn’t face him or any of his questions right now, least of all about my stupid hair, which at this point I was half-tempted to shave off anyway.
After pulling the curtains tightly across the glass wall of my room to prevent the winter sun from peeking through, I curled up in my bed and wrapped the heavy blanket around me protectively. Its thick weight did nothing to stop the cold that radiated from inside me. Too exhausted to think of anything at all, I fell into the dark and empty void of sleep.
*****
It was early in the evening when I awoke. Although I should’ve known better, my initial reaction upon waking was bitter disappointment. For the first time in a long time, I’d slept dream-free and alone.
The sun had set and the sky was dark— the house, unnaturally still. Surely my father would be home by now, I thought, as I padded my way out into the other room. There was a note from him on the counter. He was playing poker with the guys, and if I needed him he was at Ana’s.
A sick feeling churned in the pit of my stomach. I knew it was because of Nicholas and Justin, but I also knew not eating anything all day wasn’t helping, either. I grudgingly opened the refrigerator and settled on some yogurt. Hopefully it wouldn’t make my stomach any more upset than it already was.
In a zombie-like trance, I was spooning the bland yogurt into my mouth when I heard the call.
“Calista. You there?” It was Lily.
I debated ignoring her, and then finally decided to respond.
“Yeah.”
“What are you doing?” This time it was Sophie’s voice in my mind.
I sighed. “Eating yogurt.”
“We want to see you. Is the coast clear?” asked Lily.
I looked around the splendidly decorated guesthouse. I was alone. Only now I wasn’t sure if being alone was really what I wanted. Maybe it would help to talk to them. If not, I could make up some excuse about not feeling well and send them away.
“Sure. My dad’s gone.”
A few seconds later I heard voices coming from my bedroom.
“In the kitchen,” I called out listlessly. I used levitan to swirl the spoon around the empty container. The yogurt helped to stave off the hunger pains, but not the pangs of worry that still fluttered unimpeded in my stomach like a swarm of angry bees.
Sophie and Lily emerged from my room and eyed me apprehensively.
“How’re you doing?” Lily asked, concerned.
“Fine,” was my short reply.
Sophie looked uncomfortable. “Um, are you mad at us or something?”
“No – I’m just tired.”
“Callie, I wish you would talk to us…tell us what’s going on. We can tell something is upsetting you,” Lily said.
I spun around. Lily had taken a seat next to the fireplace. She flicked her hand casually, igniting a sea of embers in the brick enclave.
“Are you seriously asking if something is upsetting me? You’re kidding, right?” I snapped at her.
Sophie sighed and leaned against the counter. “Cal, we’re all upset. This situation with Justin is horrible. But we thought that you’d be at least a little happy, knowing there might be a way out of this for him…and us,” she said.
“Yeah…maybe,” I muttered.
; I swished my hand, sending the empty yogurt container crashing into the trashcan. Lily perched stiffly on the hearth, gazing into the dancing flames she’d just created. I knew they were waiting for me to explain my foul mood, but how could I when I couldn’t make sense of it myself?
“Talk to us…please,” thought Lily, still staring into the fire.
I paced around the kitchen, biting my nails.
“Callie, come here, sit down,” Sophie’s voice suggested softly.
With a deep sigh I crossed the room and took a seat beside Sophie on the overstuffed tan couch.
“Tell us what’s really wrong,” Lily whispered.
“I guess… I guess it really upset me that you guys were willing to give up on Justin so easily. Like it didn’t matter if he died or not,” I finally said.
Sophie opened her eyes wide and shook her head, but it was Lily who responded.
“Calista, nothing could be farther from the truth. We swear!”
Sophie bobbed her head in agreement.
“You see, we just thought that it was completely impossible to ever hope to ‘undo’ a Gypsy curse. It’s never been done, at least never that we have ever known of—” Lily continued.
“This is where you being a new witch is a real advantage,” Sophie interjected. “We’ve always been told our whole lives how there are some unbreakable laws in magic, so it never even crossed our minds to think the way you did—”
“That there was any option other than having a Hunter killed,” Lily said.
“And then Nicholas just happens to know someone who maybe can help?” Sophie went on, amazement coloring her cherubic face. “That’s pretty powerful stuff. No one here has even heard of any such magic.”
“I mean honestly, Calista, if it comes down to your life, or Sophie’s life, or my life over Justin’s…well, I’m going to choose us every time! Yes, it’s horrible. He was our friend. But the reality is as long as he is a Witch-Hunter, he is not our friend.”
“But why would Nicholas know of a way to help and we don’t?” I wondered.
They exchanged uneasy glances. “Well, he did say he knows wizards from all over the world,” Lily began. “Most of us…well, there are many covens everywhere, but not all see eye-to-eye. In fact, many covens in different parts of the world don’t get along at all, so communication isn’t exactly easy. Some are mortal enemies and have been fighting each other for centuries.”
“The fact that Nicholas knows others, and even has some sort of relationship with them… it’s unusual to say the least,” Sophie said.
I thought about what they were saying. Perhaps being raised hearing the same thing over and over did lead them to believe we had no choice. And Nicholas having connections they hadn’t anticipated certainly changed things.
But our conversation wasn’t making me feel much better, because it wasn’t apparent indifference that had bothered me the most. Deep down, I knew they cared for Justin just as I did. I knew that.
I took several deep breaths and tried to compose my thoughts.
“Yeah…um…well, there is something else, also,” I hemmed.
They looked at me openly. “You can tell us anything, Calista. Anything. We’re your sisters,” Lily said quietly.
Sophie nodded slightly and gave an encouraging smile.
I didn’t know why I was so afraid to talk to them about this. Maybe I was afraid they wouldn’t understand why I’d kept my feelings for Nicholas a secret. Why I didn’t trust them enough to share.
“Whatever you want to say, we won’t be mad at you, in case that’s what you’re thinking. We love you unconditionally, and nothing can change that. So do your worst!” Sophie said with a goofy smile.
I already felt a little better. Sophie had such a knack for knowing how to lighten the mood when things got too tense, and their love for me radiated from them in warm, powerful waves.
“I don’t really know where to start.”
“The beginning usually works for me,” Sophie said with a wink.
I sighed. “Okay...here it goes. It’s about Nicholas. I wasn’t totally honest with you guys when I told you I didn’t really know him.”
“NO!” Sophie clutched her chest dramatically, feigning great shock.
Lily rolled her eyes at her. “Shush. Let her talk.”
“Well, I wasn’t really dishonest either. I didn’t, and still don’t, know what was really happening with us. The day after I moved here, I met him down at the beach. When I saw him…it’s like…I can’t even explain. I mean I know he’s insanely gorgeous…”
“Uh, yeah! That boy is sexy like it’s his job,” Sophie muttered under her breath. Lily shot her another look.
“But it was something more than that. Like…like a piece of me had been missing…only I didn’t know it before. But once I saw him…stood next to him…it’s like nothing in my life had mattered before that moment. Like everything suddenly clicked into place. And anything that had ever happened in my life that was bad was suddenly okay, because it’d brought me to that exact time and place. To have Nicholas look in my eyes the way he did…Ugh, it sounds so crazy, I know. How can I feel this way about someone I don’t even know? It’s impossible! It’s insane! It’s…so unbelievably corny,” I said, noticing their enraptured expressions.
“No, it’s not,” Lily breathed. “Keep going.”
I shook my head. “Okay, well, so, that day we only talked for maybe ten or fifteen minutes— I don’t know. But then he tells me he’s leaving for New York that night and will be gone for months—I mean he doesn’t even really live here.”
“And you had no idea he was a warlock?” Sophie asked.
“None! I didn’t even know what I really was yet. Ana told me about being a witch right after I met him.”
“Quite a day,” Sophie murmured.
I raised my eyebrows. “Right? So, anyway, he’s gone and I can’t help but think of him...like all the time. I felt so stupid obsessing over some guy who’d certainly forgotten about me in minutes.”
“You thought it was just a silly crush,” Lily said.
“Yes! And as much as I tried to stop thinking about him it was impossible…” I broke off as I remembered how my haunting visions of him hadn’t been entirely in my mind.
“So that’s why you didn’t want to say anything to us,” Sophie said softly, nodding. “Understandable.”
“But wait, that’s not all. I start school, meet you guys and Justin. Everything seems normal, but I kept feeling him all the time... thinking he was close by me. Out of nowhere I would think I saw his face out of the corner of my eye, and I would look and he would be gone. And then there were the dreams…”
This seemed to really get their attention as they both leaned forward with great interest.
“I...I’d never really had dreams before. None that I remembered anyways. Not until recently—right when I moved here actually. All of a sudden I start having these incredibly vivid dreams about Nicholas. And in my dreams…” I stopped, too embarrassed to continue.
“Go on,” they said in unison.
I took a deep breath before continuing, dropping my voice to just above a whisper. “In my dreams…it’s like we were in love. He was holding me, kissing me...just loving me. The feeling was so real! I’d wake up still feeling where he’d just kissed me.”
Sophie and Lily exchanged a quick look I was unable to decipher.
“Crazy, right? So I think I am just having these horny, lustful dreams, and...”
“It’s not…crazy. Keep going,” Lily said, her elbows resting on her knees, her chin in her palms.
“But that’s how I felt, don’t you see? Like I was crazy! I was imagining seeing and feeling him everywhere…having dreams about him almost every night. I basically let myself fall in love with someone who didn’t exist! Not really anyway…just in my fantasy world. Or so I thought.”
I stood up, shook my arms, and walked over to the patio door. The ocean was quiet tonight, the wat
er pitch as the night.
“And then there was Justin,” I continued, fighting back the tears that threatened to form. I kept my gaze firmly fixed on the inky water below. “Sweet, adorable, awesome, sexy, Justin. Such a good guy. And he liked me. Me. Before I moved here no one even talked to me, let alone let me know that they liked me! I just kept wondering… maybe I’m really making a huge mistake, not allowing myself to give this guy a chance. But I couldn’t…because I was already in love with someone else!”
“And you thought whatever was happening with Nicholas was just all in your head,” Sophie said.
I nodded, and turned to face them again. “There’s more. There were odd things…hearing my name being called…feeling I was being watched when no one was there. I thought I was one step away from the mental ward.
“But then at the dance, when Justin changed and suddenly everything fell apart, and Nicholas was there, and he shimmered me home, and Healed me. Well, you guys were there. You saw what happened.”
“We sure did,” Sophie said breathlessly. “And if you thought you were fooling us by saying that you didn’t know him very well you are sorely mistaken. That Healing he did for you…I don’t know if you have any idea how romantic and sweet it looked. The connection between the two of you was crystal clear. It was very powerful. There was no way you’d known each other for only a few minutes.”
“Right.” I looked down. “Well, at that point I didn’t know what was real and what was in my head. I just assumed that he happened to show up there for whatever reason, and that he happened to be a magical warlock…”
“Naturally, ‘cause those sorts of things just happen every day,” Sophie quipped. I couldn’t help but give a small chuckle.
“Well, my naiveté was short-lived. He came back later after you guys were asleep and shimmered me somewhere.”
They both gasped at the same time, “He did?”
I nodded. “He took me somewhere so we could talk. Obviously we needed to.”
“Even though Ana told you not to see him until we knew more about him?” Lily scolded, flipping her long hair behind her shoulder.
The Complete Spellbound Trilogy Bundle Page 22
