by J. C. Hart
He scanned the bus, his eyes latching onto a young woman with dark blonde hair about halfway back. The seat beside her was empty, her crossed arms and restless green eyes no doubt deterring anyone from sitting there. Anyone but him. He made his way down the aisle and carefully slotted his duffle bag into the overhead storage; his load was fragile, but perhaps not as fragile as the girl now sitting beneath it.
"Mind if I sit here?" He kept his voice casual, exuded calm and security from his pores. Her body lost some of its tension and he smiled wider, knowing his magic had worked.
"I guess not. I mean, you've already stowed your gear." She quirked her eyebrows.
"Great." He nodded, aiming to look totally relaxed as he slid into the seat beside her. He gave it a second before turning towards her. "Where you off to?"
"Home," she said, that single word torn with conflict.
"Me too. Heading back to K Bay."
"K? You mean Kotahi?" She leaned forward slightly, a frown marring her forehead.
"One and the same. Have you heard of it? Not very well known." He glanced at her and then away. He could sense that she was fragile but hopefully his 'charms' would work on her. At another time in his life he might have pushed harder with his abilities, but not now. He was a changed man, though a girl like her might well force him back into some bad habits.
"Yeah, well, that's home..."
He gave a little laugh. "The world is a very small place, some days, anyway."
"Too small, way too small," she muttered, glancing out the window.
"Are you sure you're a local? I haven't seen you around."
"I could ask the same thing of you." She turned back to him, lips pursed, that eyebrow quirked again. She shrugged. "I've been gone a few years, thought it was time I see what's been going on in my absence."
"You'll have to let me know whether it's changed for the better or not. Only been in town a few years myself. Name's Noah Kahu." He held his hand out and after a few seconds she shook it.
"Melody Richmond."
His eyebrows shot up before he could mask his surprise. "You're Jake's runaway sister?"
She recoiled as though he had slapped her. "I guess that's one way of saying it." It looked like she was grinding her teeth or something and he felt bad for his momentary lapse in manners. "How do you know Jake anyway?"
"He's my apprentice, took him under my wing about six months ago. He needed some direction." He shook his head, stunned that the magical girl he was sitting beside was Jake's sibling. He'd never said she was magical, let alone a Godchild. He and Jake were going to have words when Noah got back to town. "How long have you been gone for?"
"A few years." She fidgeted in her seat. "And I didn't run away, it was just time to move on, you know?"
"Better than you might think," he admitted. "I guess you could say that was how I ended up in Kotahi Bay."
Melody gnawed at her bottom lip and then finally asked, "How is he?"
"He's pretty good. Loves his work, still living at home with your mother. I note you didn't ask about her." He wanted to say more, but even that comment looked like it cut Melody deep. He'd known the Richmond family for two and a half years now, knew how much they had suffered when Phillip died, and then when Melody had run away. "Have you told them you're coming back?"
"No..." She looked so fragile, and he had to remind himself that she'd lost her father too, though there was speculation in the town that she was the cause of his death. He would love to know the details, but Melody was probably the only one who knew the true story, and he didn't think she was going to tell him any time soon.
"Do you want me to—"
"No." She shook her head vigorously. "I'll do this my way."
"Was only trying to help." He shrugged. "Sorry."
"No," she said, gentler this time. "I've just had a really rough day and I'm a bit stressed. Sorry for biting your head off."
"It's okay. Hey you look a bit tired, why don't you have a rest? We can talk more later. I could give you a ride into town if you want?"
She paused before nodding. "Yeah. Yeah okay." She put her head against the window and stared outside, oblivious to the fact the he was still watching her. He brushed his leg against hers, pushing fatigue towards her until she closed her eyes and slept.
Chapter Three
Melody lurched forward, banging her head on the seat in front of her as the bus pulled to a stop. "Shit." She reached out to steady herself and glanced to the side. Yup, Noah was still there, his eyes were closed, which saved her from the pull of his deep brown pupils.
Melody reached for her throat, realizing for the first time that it was probably bruised. She found the cord of her necklace and followed it down to the koru pendant that sat at her collar bone. Despite the fact that Robbie had made it for her, she gripped it for comfort.
"This is our stop," Noah said, his eyes pinging open. "You still want that ride?" He slid from the seat effortlessly, straightening his tall, muscular frame as if he'd slept on a bed of feathers rather than a stiff old bus seat.
"Yeah, I guess it would be nice." She moved into the aisle beside him, slipping her backpack on and waiting as he removed his duffle from the overhead. He held it slightly away from his body, as if not wanting to bang it against his legs. "Got something fragile in there?" she asked.
"You could say that." A wry smile crossed his lips, but he wouldn't say anything more.
For some reason, they were the only two getting off. The bus pulled away quickly, leaving them at a dead looking intersection with only a beaten-up bus stop to mark it. Melody scanned around, taking in the rise of the ranges. She could smell the sea from here, but couldn't see it yet.
"Where is the sign?" She frowned. Nothing looked like it had when she'd left.
"Things have changed a little," Noah said, turning away from the road and heading for the treeline. Melody followed behind him, scrambling to keep up with his long, confident gait.
"I thought you said you had a car. We're not walking, are we?"
"It's in a shed behind those trees. If you'd stop wasting time, we'd get there a bit quicker." Noah huffed out a chuckle as he pulled the keys from his pocket and rounded the corner of the trees, spreading an arm as though he were a magician. "Your chariot awaits."
Melody stopped short in front of the beaten-up station wagon, glancing back at the road. The shed should have been obvious from there, and yet it hadn't been.
While she had been staring stupidly, Noah had gotten into the driver's seat. "You coming or not?" he called out the window.
"Yeah, I guess I am," she muttered, making her way to the passenger's side and getting in. The belt was stiff, as though Noah didn't often have company, but it finally clicked into place and he pulled out of the shed and onto the narrow road.
"Are you going to tell me now? It's like the Bay just dropped off the map."
"It was never really on the map to begin with, but if you grew up here, I guess you might not know that."
"Has anyone ever told you how annoying you are?" Melody let the words slip, not caring that she was being rude.
"Has anyone ever told you how much fun it is to annoy you?" Noah laughed. "I'm not trying to be cryptic on purpose, I swear. I just think that you should talk to your mother. She'll do a better job of explaining things than me." He glanced at her briefly before refocusing on the road. She'd caught a glimpse of something in his eyes, but she wasn't sure what.
Melody rolled down the window and pretended that Noah wasn't there. Wind whipped against her face, pushing her hair behind her. It was a fresh blast, a touch of ice and salt, her skin tingled under its touch.
She'd missed the living essence of the wind here. Everything about city life had been insipid, nothing to feed her soul, her magic. And to think that for all those years she'd let Robbie convince her to stay within the city limits, keeping her powerless against him.
"Kotahi Bay is New Zealand's best kept secret." Noah's words drew Melody's gaze. He
was handsome, when he wasn't being an ass. His warm brown skin matched his eyes, his short black hair was spiked and the stubble on his face kind of made her want to scrape her fingers against it.
"What's so secret about it?" She looked away, focusing on the road, which was as much gravel as tar now.
Noah exhaled a laugh and shook his head. "Birthplace of the Gods,” he said cryptically.
"You might be aware that my mother and I don't have the best of relationships," Melody offered up. "I'm not sure I really want to talk to her about anything."
"And yet here you are, heading home." He flashed another look at her, though this time she could see he was watching her face for an emotional response. She wouldn't give him one.
"I have my reasons, one of them being my little brother. I missed him." She looked back out the window, hoping to see some sign of her old town. The sooner she was away from this man and his questions, the better. There was no way she was going to tell him why she'd really come here.
She stuck her hand out the window, swimming it through the air like she had when she was a kid—recalling vividly how her mother would tell her off, how her brother would snigger, how her father would add his own command and how Melody would pull her hand back inside, knowing that if she didn't, she'd feel her father's hand later, and it would sting more than the last time.
They'd begun to pass farmhouses and her heart jumped to see that some things hadn't changed. There was the Fraser's farm, the old yellow sign still hanging over the gate, the house still the same tired green.
"Do you want me to drop you home?" Noah's question drew her attention back inside the car. It wasn't dark yet, but it wouldn't be long. Melody could picture the two of them—her mother cooking dinner, Jake watching TV on the couch. It hurt to think they were carrying on with their normal lives while she had been living like a ghost in the city. A smile played across her lips to think of how they might react if she came in and sat down at the table like nothing happened, but she knew she wouldn't do it. She wasn't ready.
"No, I'll see them in the morning. I want to take a walk around town first, get reacquainted."
"You can sleep on my couch if you want," he offered.
"What? You barely know me..."
"But I know your brother, remember? And your mother. I'd feel better if I knew you were safe tonight."
Melody laughed, a dry cackle. "You owe me nothing, and you certainly don't owe my mother."
They passed the 'Welcome to Kotahi Bay' sign and she relaxed a little. Soonest chance, she was getting out of the car. She didn't like the weight of Noah's scrutiny. Didn't like the knowledge that he was more familiar with her family now than she, and couldn't fathom that he cared enough for her mother to want to keep Melody safe. Her own mother had never been worried about that. If she was still the seventeen year old she'd been when she left, she would have let him know just how little her mother cared.
"Just thought I'd offer, don't get snooty about it." He shook his head, and she felt like a child after all.
"Sorry, I'm just not used to people being so nice, I guess." She licked her lips, wondering if she could get him on side before she bailed on him, or whether she'd blown her chances. "Look, please, don't tell them I'm back. I'll see them tomorrow, first thing, but right now I just need to get my head clear. I need you to promise me you won't tell them." She reached across and put her hand on his thigh. The muscles were firm beneath her fingers and stiffened at her touch. Too much from her, perhaps. But the physical connection had never failed her before.
"Yeah, okay. I won't say anything, but if I don't hear Jake mention—"
"You will. I swear. Would be a pretty terrible person if I came back to town and didn't stop in to see my family, right?"
He laughed and she smiled, feeling safe that he'd heard the self-mockery, and knew she would follow through.
And she would. She would. After she found somewhere to get drunk and erase the day from her mind so that maybe, maybe tomorrow, she could pretend like everything was alright.
Chapter Four
Noah had let her out on the edge of the town square where she had taken up position against a shuttered building, surveying the shops and trying to decide what her next move was.
She had no phone; she'd never needed one in the city. There was probably no point dying her hair or cutting it, or trying to change her appearance any other way. She'd watched enough crime shows to know that it never made enough of a difference. And if Robbie actually managed to find her, here, in the middle of nowhere, a town she had never mentioned to him before, well then perhaps it was better he be able to find her quickly so that she could get it over with.
Melody pushed off the wall, settling her pack before wandering down the street. The lights were just flickering on above her and darkness was beginning to encroach around the edges of the town, shadows lengthening and pools of lamplight taking solid form as she walked. There was too much light in a big city to give this effect, and she hadn't realized she'd missed it until now.
A gust of icy wind sprung up from nowhere, pushing her further down the street and forcing her to hunch her shoulders and scan the shops for shelter. Just a few stores down there were still lights on.
A bell tinkled as she pushed the door open and the smell of incense hit her nose, the kind that burned, not the plug in kind. Whoever owned this shop liked a little authenticity.
"Hello?" Melody called as she glanced around. An assortment of treasures could be seen; globes, vases and antique plates alongside coffee mugs and modern abstract art.
"Be right there!" A voice came from behind a curtain of beads. Melody headed for the counter and tapped her fingers against the glass of it until a woman with long blonde hair came through to the front, a smile on her face. She looked vaguely familiar, but Melody couldn't place her.
"Hi, what can I do for you?" the woman asked.
"Um, I'm not sure. I... Ah..."
"You're not new in town, are you?" The woman's eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
"No, I've just been gone for a few years." Melody nudged her tongue at her jagged teeth and the woman's eyes widened, a smile broke across her face.
"Melody? It's Samantha Jackson. I had no idea you were back."
"Samantha? Wow, I never would have recognised you, you look..." Melody cocked her head.
"Normal. You can say it." Samantha grinned. "You on the other hand..." She raised an eyebrow.
Melody couldn't help but laugh as she ran a hand through her hair. "Yeah, you can say it. I'm looking a little worse for wear at the moment." She and Samantha hadn't been friends. No-one had really been friends with Samantha though, she'd done the Goth thing back in high school, and Melody hadn't needed the extra attention. She'd been too intent on just surviving home life. So it was a total surprise to see Samantha looking wholesome, owner of a business and all.
"Going through a rough patch?" Samantha asked, brow creasing in concern.
"Something like that." Melody nodded.
Samantha looked her over, as if she were trying to assess the situation, then she moved around the counter and locked the door, flicking the sign to 'closed'. "Come out back, you look like you could do with a coffee."
"Coffee sounds amazing. Thanks." Melody smiled and followed Samantha through the curtain. They emerged in a little kitchenette, and Samantha switched the jug on and gestured to a chair. Melody sat, feeling strangely at ease in this place. "Thanks," she said again.
"No worries. I thought it was probably better this way. No interruptions."
Melody quirked an eyebrow, but Samantha didn't say anything more until she'd set their coffees on the table.
"You look like a sugar-no-milk kind of girl," Samantha said as she slid the cup towards Melody.
"How did you guess?" She lifted the mug, letting its warmth filter through her fingers and into the rest of her body.
"I have a knack for these things." Samantha shrugged. "I can tell from your energy, and when I'm near
things, when I touch them, I can tell even more. Kind of like I can tell you're in trouble."
Melody's jaw stiffened and she scraped her tongue against her teeth.
"Tell me, who is he?" Samantha reached across the table, placing her hand on Melody's. "I can feel his energy, radiating off you. It’s okay. You don’t have to be afraid with me."
"Robbie. My ex-boyfriend." She glanced into her mug, unable to meet Samantha's gaze. She didn't want to be pitied, didn’t want this girl that she liked but barely knew to see inside her. But what other choice was there? She was alone, and Samantha was here, listening.
"And do you know what he is?"
"Aside from a manipulative, aggressive asshole? He's an artist."
"So you don't know." Samantha frowned. "Look, there's no easy way to say this, but he's magical."
Melody let out a sigh. "He is, huh?" Of course he was magical. Of course. That was just her luck, and it explained why he'd known about her, why he wanted her magic.
Samantha opened her mouth, closed it, then got up from her seat and rummaged around in the cupboard before returning with chocolate. "I think this situation calls for my emergency supply." She cracked the wrapper open and held it out to Melody, who took a couple of chunks.
"Thanks," she said, smiling despite the situation. "This is just what I needed." The chocolate melted in her mouth, it was so rich and dark. She didn't even want to think about how long it had been since she'd eaten. "My life is such a mess. Seriously, Samantha, you have no idea."
"I have a little." Samantha shifted in her seat, her voice low and secretive. "I know stuff."
