“We’re here!”
Here, as in Tampa, Florida. Our new home. The one my father hadn’t wanted to tell me about until my birthday. Happy birthday. We’re moving out of state in three days.
Actually, I wondered when he had planned to tell me at all. It was my little brother, Bentley, who’d let it slip. Three whole days later. To say I was livid was an understatement. New hometown, new house, new stepfamily.
I groaned louder than was appropriate and adjusted my black aviators into place. Tampa so far wasn’t at all as I expected. For some reason, I’d pictured a hillbilly town with alligators running amuck and old people in wheelchairs beating people with canes.
I slid out of the truck and gazed around at our new suburban neighborhood lined with sprawling oak trees and adorable little one-story houses. It was early in the afternoon, and the sun shined bright in the cloudless sky above us. Sunny days in South Carolina never had skies this blue. I finally understood that crayon Sky Blue. It looked like this.
A few women chuckled nearby. They pushed strollers with children of various ages around in them. There had to be four or five people out walking their dogs and even a young, shirtless guy jogging down the street.
Hold up, now. I stepped forward, but by the time I turned, I only saw the back of his long, dark, wavy hair bouncing as he ran. His suntanned skin stretched tight over lean muscles that glistened with sweat and flexed as he moved. If I hadn’t known better, I would’ve thought it was him. The guy from The Gathering. For the eight hundredth time, thoughts of him ran through my mind. I saw his smile, those mismatched eyes, and felt the heat of his fingertips on my skin.
Stop it, Tegan. Be Elsa—let it go.
I sighed and leaned onto my heels. “Maybe I can get used to this move after all.” I grinned and looked over my shoulder to find my father scowling at me.
I turned and took in the house I now had to call home. The light olive one-story was set up on a lavish green, raised lawn, with a natural-colored stone walls at the sidewalk that connected to a matching stone walkway up to the red front door.
“Well, not too shabby, right?” Dad asked. He probably understood where my attitude came from and knew I’d give up and go back to acting like myself eventually.
Annoyingly understanding. I groaned. “It’s stupid bright out here.” I refused to play nice just yet. I’d need a few days. “Are my stepmonsters here yet?”
There it is again! That look where his mouth smashed into a straight line and his eyes got glassy. That emotion. What is it, and where did it come from? Every time I mentioned my soon-to-be stepmother and stepsister, my father made the strangest faces. Expressions I’d never seen on him before. His golden eyes darkened with emotion, but I still hadn’t managed to put my finger on what kind. So, naturally I purposely mentioned them as often as possible. I’m either paranoid, or onto something.
Dad narrowed his amber eyes into little slits. “Drop the attitude, Tegan. I’ve let you act out for the past few days, but that ends now.”
“When will they be here, Dad?” Bentley asked. He bounced around the living room so fast his shaggy brown hair never stopped moving.
“Too soon,” I grumbled. I turned and plopped onto a beige leather sofa to mope.
My Uncle Kessler lived down the street and furnished the house for us. I had no recollection of meeting the guy since I was an infant the last time I saw him. He never came to visit, despite not having children or being in the military like Dad. But yeah, so gracious.
“Oh, and Tegan?”
I looked over my shoulder and arched one eyebrow. “Yes, Vader?”
“Don’t get used to that hairstyle. You’re dying it back as soon as we get settled in.”
I shook my head and shot a quick text to Bettina. Twenty comments on my hair today from Dad. I counted.
Bettina answered immediately. Dang. You better get pics before he makes you change it back!
I grinned and met my dad’s angry stare. He was so predictable. I told Bettina he’d freak out. I knew it. My naturally almost black hair now faded into a vibrant violet halfway down. From my shoulders to my elbows was bright purple. Eventually it would wash out, and those strands would be blonde. I could dye it back to black easy enough. But Dad didn’t need to know that.
I sighed extra loud and dramatic. “I don’t know, Dad. I guess we’ll see what my new mother thinks about it. If she likes it… Well, you want us to get along, don’t you?”
“They’re here!” Bentley screamed and bounced up and down.
Panic surged inside me like a tidal wave. I forced myself to stay still, to remain calm at least on the outside. On the inside, it was chaos. I licked my lips and swallowed the unease down. You can do this. I rubbed my sweaty palms over my jeans. The creak of the front wooden door echoed through the house, or maybe it was just my imagination.
Sunlight poured in, blocking me from seeing them.
“MOM!” Bentley screamed, followed immediately by a woman’s shriek of happiness.
My stomach rolled. You can do this, Tegan. You’ve known this was coming for nine years. The woman my brother called Mother dropped down to her knees and swallowed Bentley into a big hug. I couldn’t see her face, but I didn’t miss the fact their hair color matched. Behind them, someone lingered in the doorway. I leaned forward, wanting to see this new stepmonster of mine, but with the sun pouring in, all I saw was long, Rapunzel-like hair.
I glanced over to my left at my father, curious to see his reaction. Dad smiled so wide both cheeks dimpled. He laughed and folded his arms over his flannel-covered broad chest. I wondered what my new stepsister would think of him. Would she be startled by his six-foot-four, very muscled frame? Would she ask about the tribal tattoos on his right arm, like I always had? Would he actually tell her what they meant? I was still waiting for that myself. Would she think it funny they both had blonde hair? Because I didn’t think it was funny.
The girl walked forward, right toward my dad. His smile faded, replaced by that same expression I’d been seeing for three days, but it quickly morphed into a cheek-splitting grin as he stepped forward and grabbed her into a giant bear hug.
I bit down on my bottom lip to stop myself from saying anything. My dad was allowed to be nice to my stepsister. It was encouraged, even. I supposed. Less drama that way, right? Right? I cursed and rubbed my face with my palms. My chest tightened, although I didn’t know if I was about to flip out or cry. Be cool. You’re not that drama queen. You’re laid back. Chill. You can handle this.
He’s not going to like her more. He’s not. He wouldn’t replace me. I just…hadn’t expected him to accept her so quickly. Like he’d been excited about meeting her. Surely there was supposed to be that awkward adjustment period, right? Right? But there he was, hugging her like a long-lost friend. I forced myself to look away and took a few deep breaths.
“Emersyn, welcome home.”
My head snapped around so fast I heard a crack in my neck. Emersyn? No, I didn’t hear that right. But when my eyes refocused on the blonde beaming up at my father, I saw her with new light. My jaw dropped. How the hell…? This can’t be happening. I had to be dreaming. Emma was Emersyn?
“Thank you.” She smiled up at him.
Emersyn. The stranger turned friend turned stranger again…turned stepsister? I looked her up and down, searching for a clue she wasn’t the same girl. But she was. She looked exactly the same. Same long, platinum blonde hair. Still rocking cowgirl boots. She’d switched out the leggings she’d worn at The Gathering for little white denim shorts that had lace on the sides. She was pretty and feminine, and in that moment, I envied her ability to do so seemingly effortlessly.
“Emma!” Bentley shouted and ran straight toward Emersyn with his little arms stretched wide. I couldn’t see his face, but I knew by the skip in his step he was happy enough to burst.
I watched in confused silence as my brother tackled Emersyn to the ground. He called her Emma. Because Emma was Emersyn. Emers
yn was Emma. They were one and the same. My new, soon-to-be stepsister was the same girl I’d met at The Gathering. I opened my mouth to say something, but what could I say? My brain struggled to handle this revelation. My mind was utterly blank. I couldn’t process what was happening in front of me. I’m about to wake up, right?
Dad cleared his throat, pulling me out of my mental tailspin. “Tegan, come meet your mother.”
I flinched and glanced over at the woman in question. Devon, my new stepmother, looked just as startled by my father’s statement as I was, though she quickly smiled and shrugged it off. I, on the other hand, just blinked in silence. Devon was beautiful, standing a little bit taller than my five-foot-eight. She had shoulder-length, wavy dark brown hair and pale greenish-gray eyes that bounced around like she was watching everything at once. She was absolutely nothing like I expected. I’d predicted either a tough military looking chick with short hair and muscles or some frumpy-looking woman with outdated clothes and a bad haircut. I knew both were horribly stereotypical and unfair, but alas, I’d still pictured it.
The real Devon was actually a knockout. Major cool points, Dad. Nicely done. She had a slim figure, and her dark skinny jeans showed off slender, muscular legs. The riding boots were a classy touch. She had a simple white, long-sleeved crew neck shirt on, but the shoulders were bedazzled. I couldn’t decide if I loved or hated the outfit, but at least I knew where Emersyn got it from.
The weirdest thing, though, was that she, too, looked eerily familiar. It didn’t feel like I was staring at a stranger. Did I meet her before somewhere? I took a deep breath. What was I supposed to do? Did I hug her or shake her hand?
Dad cleared his throat again. Move, Tegan. I jumped to my feet and stumbled across the living room to where she stood. My stomach turned. I hadn’t realized I was that nervous to meet her. I’d been solely focused on my resentment. Now, standing in front of my new mother, I wished I’d prepared myself for it. I never had a mother. How was I supposed to act?
In a panic, I stuck my hand out in greeting and gave what I prayed was a smile. “Hi.”
Devon pulled me in for a hug and squeezed tight. It lasted longer than I expected, but I didn’t push her away. I’d never been hugged by a grown woman before, by someone so very…maternal. Her perfume was feminine and soft…and completely unfamiliar. So, this is what moms feel like? Was this my future? Perfume, makeup, and sparkly jewelry instead of WD40 and a rusty toolbox? I was in uncharted territory. I wanted to hate the idea, but the flutter in my heart made me pause.
“Hello, darling. It’s nice to see you after all these years,” Devon said softly. Her voice sounded like a lullaby. For a moment, I imagined being a little girl unable to fall asleep after a nightmare and her talking to me with her sweet voice until I calmed down.
I blinked a few times and nodded. Smile, Tegan.
When Devon stepped back, she had barely contained tears in her eyes, but she grinned brightly. She tucked her wavy hair behind her crystal-studded ears. “Tegan, I’d like you to meet Emersyn.”
I froze in place. Emersyn and I have met. At The Gathering. I knew I stood in my new living room, but in a flash, I saw darkness, with fog lingering on my feet and a cold breeze sweeping across my face. Fire crackled, the smell of burning wood tingling in my nose. My ears drummed with the sound of a low, rhythmic chant. No, no, no, no. This isn’t real. It’s just a memory. I shook my head to clear the thoughts away.
“Emersyn, sweetheart, come meet your sister,” Devon said. Her soft voice was replaced with a tremble, what I thought might’ve been a tinge of anxiety. “This is Tegan.”
I turned and met Emersyn’s stare.
“We’ve met,” Emersyn whispered. Her eyes didn’t move, her body seeming as frozen as mine.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the reaction on our parents’ faces. Their eyes widened and their jaws dropped. Fear was unmistakable as they stared at each other. Something ain’t right here. Shouldn’t they be excited and a little nervous about their teenage daughters meeting each other for the first time? Any normal parent would pray we’d get along. The fact we’d met before becoming family shouldn’t be a bad thing. It shouldn’t warrant the locked, heavy stares between the only adults in the room.
Unless their story wasn’t true?
I watched my father and Devon, more specifically the way they looked at each other. They were communicating silently. Don’t ask me how I knew it. I just did. They looked like two people who’d known each other a long time and had dark secrets, not like two lovers who lived hours away from each other.
I narrowed my eyes. “Yeah, we met at The Gathering.”
Devon’s eyes widened a fraction, but stayed locked on my father’s face. Her face looked paler, like she’d received tragic news. My father, on the other hand, ran a hand through his hair—his nervous tick. His face was set in a deep scowl. His eyes bored into the hardwood floor for a long moment before returning to Devon’s. When he did look at her, there seemed to be a million questions in his eyes, begging to be asked.
Yeah, I know the feeling, Dad.
But Devon just closed her eyes and shook her head once.
What the hell? My heart sank. What was happening? I’d said we’d met at The Gathering intentionally, though I wasn’t so sure why I thought it important. All I knew was I needed to see the reaction on their faces when I said it. I may have gotten more than I bargained for.
There are secrets in your eyes, and I’m going to find out why.
Chapter Five
Tegan
“Which bed do you want?”
Emersyn frowned and chewed on her bottom lip. She cocked her head to the side.
I smirked and spun in a circle, looking over our modest-sized new bedroom. The door opened up right in the middle of the space, directly across from a welcoming large bay window. Uncle Kessler had stocked our room with two twin beds, each pushed into the corners on either side of my future reading nook. The bed on the left sat under two windows with white wooden blinds. The one on the right was cozier and farther from the invading sunshine.
After a long minute, Emersyn pointed one perfectly manicured finger toward the bed on the left next to the windows. “Can I have that one?”
I chuckled. “Here I thought I’d have to fight you for the other one.” I winked then walked over and plopped down on my new bed.
Emersyn smiled brightly and skipped over to sit on her bed. “Well, that was easy.”
“Guys,” Bentley said from the open doorway. He sighed and I hated how heavy it sounded. “Mom and Dad are arguing in the kitchen.”
Emersyn and I looked at each other. She turned a warm smile to our brother. “I’m sure it’s fine. Adults argue sometimes when they’re stressed or tired.”
“They seem pretty upset.” He looked over his shoulder again. “Mom was crying.”
Somehow, the idea of Devon crying struck me as odd. I patted the bed next to me and smiled. “Come here, B-man.”
The hardwood floors squeaked as he crossed the room. He jumped onto my bed and crossed his legs. “Yeah?”
“Emersyn and I are gonna go check it out, but I want you to stay right here, okay?”
He nodded.
I hopped off my bed and waved Emersyn along with me. The second I cleared the doorway of my room, I bolted down the hallway to where it opened up into the living room where our parents’ voices carried from. Why would they be fighting on the day they finally reunited permanently? It didn’t make sense.
“But we aren’t allowed to tell them,” Devon said, her voice heavy with frustration. Like maybe she’d already said this a few times. “We’ve known this.”
Dad sighed. “It’s not going to go over well with Tegan. You don’t know her like I do.”
“That’s not fair.” Devon’s voice cracked as she snapped back.
Maybe she is crying.
“Hunter, I understand why you want to tell…but we mustn’t. If we tell them now, then everything else
has been in vain.”
“I know but—”
“No buts,” Devon interrupted. “Once they figure it out, then we can help them.”
Figure it out? What the hell? Help us with what?
“Tegan’s smart and untrusting. She already knows something isn’t right. I saw it in her eyes earlier.” My dad’s voice was strained, like he was pleading with her. I’d never heard so much emotion in his voice before. I didn’t understand what he wanted of her.
But he knows me so well.
“Then she’ll figure it out.” Devon replied, her tone firm and unwavering.
If I hadn’t known better, I’d almost think she sounded…proud of me. A million questions raced through my mind, but I tried to ignore them enough to hear.
Dad sighed again, and I could almost hear him scratching the back of his head. Or maybe I knew him well, too. “And what about the theme park? Do we keep them away, or let them go?”
Devon groaned. “The idea of them going there… It terrifies me.”
“But it might be the fastest way,” Dad whispered.
The theme park? Fastest way for what? Why is it so terrifying? If Devon feared us going there, then there had to be a reason why. I was going to find out. Dad was right about that. I leaned closer to the opening and turned my head so my ear got a clearer shot.
“Come on, Hunter. Let’s not worry about this tonight. It’s been far too long since we’ve slept in a bed that was ours, under one roof. Let that be enough for tonight.”
When have they ever had a bed that was theirs? Sure, they met at a military base, but they never lived together. We lived in Charleston my whole life. Maybe she meant when they used to travel to see each other? I shook my head and sank back against the wall. This has been the weirdest day ever.
Well…second to The Gathering.
Wait… The Gathering. That ghost that grabbed me… In an instant, a crazy idea popped into my mind, and it rattled my nerves. I grabbed Emersyn by the elbow and dragged her back to our room.
Bentley’s head snapped up when we entered. His eyes were half closed and red, and his shaggy brown hair hung halfway into his eyes. “Mom still crying?”
The Lost Witch Page 4
