“They obviously want her to go somewhere,” Paris said. “They’re trying to lure her out of the house for a reason.”
“That means someone is close,” I said, shifting my eyes to the thick trees surrounding the house. “Someone is out there trying to get her to come to them. How did they manage to get control of her, though?”
“I can’t be sure, but most people attempting this type of mind control use a magically imbued talisman,” Paris replied. “It could be something as simple as a stuffed animal … or bracelet … or even an article of clothing. Has she brought anything new home in the past week?”
“She’s brought several new things home because of her birthday,” Aric answered. “We haven’t paid much attention to all of it.”
“Well, we need to go through her stuff,” Paris said. “I should be able to sense if anything has a spell on it.”
“If we find it, can we figure out who is trying to lure her away?” I asked, anger bubbling up. “I’d like to have a talk with that individual.”
“You and me both,” Aric growled.
“We’ll have to wait to see what we find,” Paris said. “Whoever it is, they can’t be far. You’re in the middle of nowhere and they cannot expect her to walk miles in a trance without risking falling into a rut … or accidentally wading in the river … .” She left the implications hanging.
“She could die because she doesn’t even realize what’s going on,” I said. “The river is still cold. If she wandered into it she could get hypothermia before we even realize she’s out of the house.”
“It has to be whoever I scented last night,” Aric said. “It was a human and he or she was close to the house. Whoever it was watched us for a reason. I was worried that reason was Zoe, but now I’m thinking it’s Sami.”
“We’ll check that out when it’s light,” Paris said. “For now, I think the best thing to do is engage the security system.”
“I would change the code, too,” Heath offered. “She doesn’t realize what she’s doing and if she knows the code someone could force her to disengage the security system without her realizing it. If you change the code and don’t tell her … .”
“Yeah, that’s a good idea.” Aric rubbed his chin as he glared at the trees. He loved the house and surrounding woods, but I could tell what he was thinking. It was too big now. There was too much area to cover. “Okay, everyone inside. I’ll change the security code and double-check all of the locks. Tomorrow we’re figuring this out. I won’t risk someone coming onto my property and taking my kid.”
Eight
“Blueberry pancakes?” Sami’s eyes were suspicious as they locked with mine in the kitchen the next morning. “What’s the special occasion? Are you going to ground me for another month just to be mean?”
She looked normal, her skin glowing the way only youth allows. She didn’t appear tired or pale – for which I was thankful – but she also didn’t appear to remember the dream conversation.
“You said you wanted pancakes last night.” Aric clutched the spatula as he stood next to the griddle. “That’s why I made them.”
“I didn’t say that,” Sami said. “I would remember saying that.”
“You did so.”
I put my hand on Aric’s arm to still him and gave him a small shake of the head. Freaking Sami out now would backfire on all of us. “I think your dad just wants to smooth things over,” I said. “He knows they’re your favorite.”
“Well, as long as I’m not in more trouble, I guess that’s good,” Sami said, reaching for the juice carafe. “What are we doing today?”
“What do you mean?” My guilt ratcheted up a notch. Could she know what we were planning to do?
“I mean Aunt Paris is here, so we usually do stuff together,” Sami replied, making a face. “What’s with you guys? You’re acting weird.”
“We’re just hungover,” I lied. “We were up late drinking.”
“Oh, I’m so proud.” Sami pressed her hand to the spot above her heart and adopted a falsely bright tone. “My role models, ladies and gentlemen.”
“Who are you talking to when you do that?” Aric asked, glancing around.
“She’s playing to her audience,” Paris supplied, shuffling into the room and smiling as Sami happily skipped in her direction. “Zoe used to do it, too.”
That was a gross exaggeration. “I did not.”
“Oh, please,” Paris scoffed, rolling her eyes. “You did it all the time when you were dealing with Professor Blake, and it drove him crazy. Don’t bother denying it. You used to hurry home and act out the scenes for me.”
“Who is Professor Blake?” Sami asked.
We’d been careful to tell her the truth about me – and her by extension – but we’d left out some of the harsher stories about our time at Covenant College. She knew that’s where Aric and I met, fell in love and fought the occasional monster, but she had no idea how insidious the place really was.
“He was one of my journalism professors,” I replied. “He was a real jackass.”
“Nice,” Aric said, shaking his head. “What your mother means to say is that he was a jerk, but you should always respect your teachers and not … do that … when dealing with them.”
“That’s what I said.” I’m a terrible parent sometimes. I admit it. “As for what we’re doing today, your dad and Heath are taking you mushroom hunting.”
Sami frowned. That was the last thing a twelve-year-old girl wanted to do. “Mushroom hunting? Ugh. You mean those morels that Dad likes on his steaks?”
“That’s exactly what she means,” Aric replied. “Heath has never had them and we’re going to grill tonight.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” Heath said, patting his stomach. “I don’t spend a lot of time in the woods. It sounds exciting.”
“Then he’s telling you how it’s done wrong,” Sami said, turning to me. “Can’t I stay with you and Aunt Paris? I don’t want to hunt for mushrooms.”
“You’re with me,” Aric replied. “We’re going to spend some quality time together. You used to love hunting for mushrooms with me.”
“Yes, but … I want to spend time with Aunt Paris,” Sami whined.
“Aunt Paris is here all week, so that won’t be a problem,” I said.
“But what are you two doing?” Sami was suspicious by nature. She couldn’t be my daughter and grow up without a fair bit of cynicism. “Why can’t I hang out with you guys?”
“We’re … .” What? Going through your bedroom looking for a cursed object because someone is trying to steal you? That wouldn’t go over well.
“They’re hanging out alone so they can gossip without young ears making them be nice,” Aric finished for me. “You’re too young to listen to what they’re going to say.”
Sami snorted. “I’ve heard the stuff they say,” she said. “Aunt Paris still wants to know if you look good without your shirt on and whether or not you and Mom still do something with magic fingers.”
My cheeks colored as Aric slid a look in my direction. “We talk about more than that.”
“For the record, Paris, I look even better without my shirt on now,” Aric said. “As for the rest of it … don’t worry about your mother’s magic fingers. You’re going mushroom hunting with us and giving your mom and Paris a little time alone together. It won’t kill you to get some exercise and fresh air.”
“Fine.” Sami didn’t look thrilled, but she knew better than arguing with Aric. “Wait a second … I thought you were the one with magic fingers, Dad. I heard you telling Grandpa that everything about you was magic.”
Aric pressed his lips together. “Hmm.”
“Yeah, we really need to pay better attention to what we say in front of her,” I said.
“We both have magic fingers,” Aric said finally. “You’re going to have a magic social calendar – as in nothing is going to be on it for the rest of the year – if you’re not careful. Sit down. Your pancakes will b
e ready in a second.”
Sami heaved a dramatic sigh as she sank into the chair next to Paris. “They’re really strange.”
“I think they’ve mellowed,” Paris said. “You should’ve seen them when we were all in college together. They were really strange then.”
“Gross.”
“Gross indeed.” Paris’ eyes sparkled as they locked with mine. “It was all still a lot of fun, though, and it was always memorable.”
“THIS FEELS wrong.”
I lifted the comforter covering Sami’s bed and glanced beneath it. The items accumulated there showed the imminent convergence of two age groups. I picked up her worn stuffed dog and held it against my chest. Aric bought it for her when she was three and she refused to go anywhere without it for years. Even now she slept with it nightly – although she didn’t want anyone to know it.
“I know it feels as if you’re violating her privacy, Zoe, but you’re really not.” Paris sat at Sami’s desk and booted her computer. “This is your house, so technically everything inside it belongs to you.”
“That’s a pile of horse manure,” I argued. “This is her room. She should be able to trust that she has at least a modicum of privacy.”
“You’re not doing this to invade her privacy,” Paris said. “You’re doing it to protect her. She has to understand that.”
I was pretty sure I wouldn’t have understood that at Sami’s age. “Let’s just see if we can find whatever we’re looking for and get out of here.”
“What do you think we’re doing?” Paris’ face was blank.
“I think you’re going through her computer. That thing is a year old, so there’s no way it’s the enchanted object.”
“Yes, but perhaps she met someone without you realizing it, and she actually knows the person doing this,” Paris suggested. “Aric said he scented someone in the woods. What if it’s some kind of pervert?”
I had no idea if that was better or worse than an individual trying to steal her magic, but it made my stomach constrict. “Fine. Don’t read her emails with her friends, though.”
“You’re so old,” Paris scoffed. “Kids don’t email now. They text.”
“You’re older than I am,” I shot back, miffed.
“Young is a state of mind,” Paris argued. “I think having an almost-teenager makes you older because the kid is young in a way you don’t exactly remember or understand. A baby makes you feel young.”
“You’re only hoping that’s true,” I said. “You’re worried that you’re almost forty and having your first baby and you’re not going to be able to keep up with the pressure.”
“Or I’m more mature and won’t be running around like a crazy person who doesn’t understand how to diaper a baby like you and Aric did for that first year.”
“Yes, but at least we had the energy to run around.”
“Stop it!” Paris took me by surprise when she raised her voice. “I’m already worried enough. I don’t need your chatter in the back of my head.”
My heart went out to her when I saw the fear reflected in her eyes. She’d spent years being Sami’s “cool” aunt, flitting in and out and boasting about her bohemian lifestyle. Of course that was intriguing to a child who only knew her parents as homebodies. I didn’t think she’d ever marry, fear of being burned by another man – she had tragic taste in men for a time – causing her to keep to herself. Then she met Heath, and her world shifted. He was a good guy, concerned and doting. In fact, he was everything I had ever hoped for her. The baby coming so late compared to everyone else’s birthing plans had to be cause for worry.
“You’re going to be a great mother,” I said. “You already know what you’re doing because you watched us do everything wrong before doing anything right with Sami. It’s going to be okay.”
“I want to believe that, but … what if it’s a girl and she turns into me?”
“I had the same fear and Sami did turn into me,” I reminded her. “You’ll learn to live with it … to deal with it … and eventually you’ll overcome it.”
“You haven’t overcome it,” Paris pointed out.
“No, but she can’t live here forever.”
Paris laughed. “That’s kind of funny.”
“No, she literally can’t live here forever,” I said. “Aric swears he’s bringing naked days back the second she’s out of the house.”
Paris burst out laughing. “You guys are so funny. It’s nice to see you’re still in love with each other after all of this time. It gives me hope.”
“I love him more now, and I didn’t even know that was possible,” I said. “He’s the best friend I’ve ever had.”
“He loves you, too,” Paris said. “I know Heath loves me now, but I hope he loves me as much – or even more – when we’re yanking out our hair because we have a twelve-year-old.”
“He will. He’s a good guy. You finally picked someone I didn’t have to kill.”
“Yes, I thank my lucky stars every day,” Paris deadpanned, turning back to the monitor. “Look for something you don’t recognize. If you think you have a viable item, bring it to me. I should be able to sense if there’s a curse on it.”
She was a witch, although she didn’t practice nearly as much as she used to. “Okay. Let’s see what we find.”
We lit into our task with a purpose, Paris keenly staring at the computer screen while I tried to pretend I wasn’t bothered by her invading Sami’s privacy. I searched the closet, under the bed and even lifted the mattress. Nothing struck me as out of place.
“I don’t see anything.”
“What about a jewelry box?” Paris asked. “Does she have one?”
“Yeah, she’s got this ceramic thing Helen got her,” I said, knitting my eyebrows as I scanned the room. I found the item in question on her bookshelf and grabbed it. When I opened it I found nothing out of the ordinary. “It’s just the ring we got her … and the necklace my parents got her … and a boatload of earrings that Aric threatened to toss in the garbage if she didn’t start taking care of them.”
“So what else could it be?”
That was a very good question. “I don’t know,” I said. “Did you find anything on her computer?”
“Just normal stuff,” Paris answered. “I had no idea how much homework kids did online now. I mean, we used email and stuff, but she gets actual assignments online and has to take part in discussion groups and stuff on Skype.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s a pain.”
“Think about it, though,” Paris prodded. “Most of the kids today do the bulk of their work in front of a computer instead of in a classroom. When our kids go to college it won’t be close to the same experience we had.”
“That’s not a bad thing.”
“I’m not talking about the monsters and murderous professors,” Paris argued. “I’m talking about simple interaction. Don’t you remember going to class and raising your hand? Participating when the professor called on you? It was interactive and stimulating.
“Kids today are stuck in front of computers instead of living their lives among others,” she continued. “It’s no wonder Sami is so socially inept. She doesn’t know how to interact with others.”
“She knows how to interact with others,” I said. “She’s just at a difficult age. It doesn’t help that we’ve spent twelve years watching her as closely as possible, waiting for some big magical melodrama to manifest. It’s as if she’s living in a bubble and we’re watching while expecting the worst, and that has to be an emotional drain on her.”
“I hear you blaming yourself for a lot of this stuff,” Paris said. “You’re not to blame. You gave that child life and you’ve done everything in your power to protect her. What more do you think you could’ve done?”
“I don’t know. Part of me thinks she deserved a normal childhood. Maybe we shouldn’t have told her about the magic.”
“That’s exactly what your parents did and it blew up in your face.”
>
“I know that,” I said, pressing the heel of my hand against my forehead as I felt a headache building. “I just can’t be certain I’ve done right by her. She deserves the world.”
“And you’ve given it to her,” Paris said. “Zoe, nobody has a perfect life. I know you want to pretend you’re all-powerful and knowing, but … you’ve done the very best you possibly can by Sami. She’s grown into a beautiful young woman, and she’ll even be a tolerable human being once all of the hormones are under control.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “You always know how to make me feel better.”
“That’s my job,” Paris said. “Now, come on. Let’s give this room one more good look and then get out of here. I would hate to still be here when the guys get home with Sami.”
“Yeah, she’ll have a fit if she finds out we went through her stuff,” I said. “Make sure everything looks as if a tornado swept through when we leave. She’ll notice if something is clean.”
Nine
To my utter surprise, Sami was all smiles when she came back to the house, a canvas shopping bag gripped in her hand as she happily chatted with Heath and her father.
“Did you see that big load I found in between those two trees? That was a pound of mushrooms easy.”
“I think you get your math ability from your mother,” Aric said, shaking his head as he took the bag from her. “It was a nice haul, though.”
“I’m good at math,” Sami argued.
“Yeah, that’s why I saw you and your mother Skyping with Grandpa Ted last week when you couldn’t figure out how to finish your homework.”
“Hey, that new math stuff is crazy,” I said. “I could’ve done it the old way, but Sami said she wouldn’t get credit if we did it that way.”
“That’s because math is a man thing,” Aric said, puffing out his chest.
“Only a man would be stupid enough to create that new math thing,” I argued. “You’re right about that.”
Aric flicked the end of my nose and then handed me the bag of mushrooms. “The mighty hunters have returned, and we bring you gifts.”
Dying Covenant: The Complete Series Page 8
