Untainted Magic

by Karen DuBose

  I sure hope Lex and Chase are ok. I hope they make it here before we leave. Mom is right about them going outside Starburn to find me. They don’t let anyone leave without permission. I always thought they thought they were king and queens or something. Their kindness is without a price. I’m starting to think they are worse than the dark source himself. Headlights brings my attention back.

  Thank goddess mom hid the car away from the lights and road. It’s not hard to miss it. I watch the car go by. Releasing the breath, I’m holding, I now know how fugitives feel when they are hiding. The only difference is I didn’t do anything but hold a coven leader down with my powers. I watch out the window a little while longer. The worry is only eating at me. If they did something to Lex I swear they will live to regret it.

  Mom reaches over and puts her hand on my knee. I didn’t even realize I was bouncing it. “They are being smart. They would never lead the coven leaders to you. We will give them a few more minutes.” I turn back to the window and just nod. My nerves are going crazy. I’m fighting myself from going back there and making sure they are ok. I need to get my mind off the negative thoughts. It’s not helping me any.

  Lights come from road and I duck down, but not enough to where I can’t see who is pulling into the hotel parking lot. When the lights are off us I can tell it’s Lex and Chase in her mom’s car. Why would they be in her mom’s car? I don’t get out right away until I know it’s really her and not a set up. I watch them turn the corner to go in the back-parking lot. What are they doing?

  Mom turns the key to start the engine. “Don’t go back there! This could be a set up. Let them come to us or at least let’s make sure its them. I have a funny feeling about this.” She lets out a soft breath. “I’m thinking the same thing. I just want to get the car started just in case we need to leave in a hurry. I don’t want them to get a lead on us.” She starts the car and waits. My nerves are shot at this point. I’m so coiled up I’m likely to strike at any movement.

  It’s seems like forever before we see the people walk around the corner. There are three of them. “There is Lex and Chase. Who is the third one? Can you see who it is?” Talking out loud just to keep from freaking out any more than I already am. When they step into the light I see who the third person is.

  “Why the hell is Quentin with them? Why would they even bring him?” I am completely lost for the reason why they would even think it was a good idea to bring him. When they get close to the car, I jump out to meet them.

  Lex is the first to see me and she comes running over. “I was hoping we didn’t miss you. It took us forever to get away from them. We even took different routes and back tracked to make sure we weren’t being followed.” Chase walks up next to Lex. “There was no one following us in vehicles anyway. I don’t know about magic. I suggest we get moving.” I bring my gaze over to Quentin.

  “You are here for what reason?” I couldn’t help my rudeness. I’m on edge and I hate not knowing why he is here. He looks at the ground. “I just came to take Lex’s mom’s car back. I promise to keep your secret, and I wanted to say goodbye. I don’t know if I will ever see you again.” That makes sense, but still I just have this bad feeling in my gut.

  “Thank you for taking her car back. I’m sure she is going to need it. I guess this is goodbye. I don’t know if I will ever see you again either, so have a great life and follow your dreams.” This isn’t awkward at all. What do you say to guy that has been crushing on you for I don’t know how long.

  He clears his throat. “Stay safe. I will be thinking about you. I will do my best to follow my dreams. You do the same.” With that, he walks back towards where they parked. I don’t hesitate. We need to leave now. We have been here too long and who knows if the coven has spies here. Jumping back into the car. I just give my mom a nod. We have a destination in mind. Now it’s up to us to get there in one piece and without trouble.

  Chapter 5

  The car is silent. I look at Lex and Chase a few times. They fell asleep a few hours after we left. I know I should be sleeping to, so I can help my mom drive, but every time I look over there her eyes are getting more and more sleepy. “Do you want me to drive for a while. I can let you get some rest. My mind won’t let me sleep. I might as well help out.”

  She gives me a small smile. “How about you talk to me for a few more hours and if you feel the same I will let you drive for a while.”

  I shrug my shoulder. “What do you want to talk about?” I could tell her about mystery man, but I don’t want to freak her out for no reason. I will never see him again anyway. Her answer brought me back to the present.

  “What do you want to see on our way to Tennessee? I’m sure there are a few places you would like to stop at.”

  She’s right. “There are a few shops I would like to visit. We need herbs and crystals. Did you bring our family Grimoire? I haven’t had a chance to really look at it. Plus, it doesn’t need to be in the coven’s hands. Who knows what they will do to it.”

  Mom giggles. “They can’t read it even if they did get their hands on it. Only our blood calls to it. The words will only appear for us. Yes, I did grab it a long with a few other family heirlooms that you will need. Stopping at those shops sounds like fun. Where is the first one?” I’m glad they couldn’t use our grimoire. I grab the map from under the seat and look at the route we are taking again.

  “It looks like the first one is in Sunnyside, WA. There is a little wiccan shop there that carries dragon’s breath and eye of newt. I’m sure there are other shops we can visit. We just can’t stay long. I want to get out of Washington State as fast as we can.” Mom nods her head. “I agree. How far is Sunnyside?”

  “It’s about four more hours from here. It will be around 7 a.m. by the time we get there. I’m sure we can find a place to get gas and eat. By the time we get done, I hope it will be open.”

  We drive in silence again. My mind keeps going back to mystery man. Why wouldn’t he let me see who he is? If you ask me, that is not only creepy, but rude as well. I still don’t understand what he was saying. It doesn’t matter I will never see him again. There is no point in trying to figure out his riddles. I should have asked Lex and Chase if they cleared out their bank accounts. The Coven won’t just know where we are, but they can freeze their accounts. Yeah, they have that much control over that town. I wonder if things would be different if we left sooner. No point in wondering the what if’s now. I just hope they don’t put out an APB out for me. That would really suck.

  I felt the car slowing down. I must have dosed off. I pry my eyes open to see that the sun is peeking up behind the mountains. I sit up from the uncomfortable position I’m in.

  Lex’s voice startles me. “Where are we?”

  Mom’s voice is hoarse. “We are in Sunnyside. We need gas, food, and Skye wants to check out a shop close by. Plus, I need some fresh air and someone else to drive so I can take a nap.” I stretch my arms and legs the best I could. When mom pulls into the gas stations I’m ready to get out.

  “Mrs. Shadow, why don’t you let me fill the car up. I’m sure you need to stretch and use the bathroom.”

  “Thank you, Chase. I do indeed need to stretch. Do you want anything while we are in the store?”

  Chase thought for a few seconds before he answered. “Cheese puffs and a Dr. Pepper would be great thank you.”

  I wrap my arm around my mom’s and Lex’s arms. We walk into the store and head straight to the bathrooms. My bladder feels like it’s going to explode. I bring Lex’s attention to me. “Lex, did you get enough sleep to drive. I feel like I haven’t slept at all.”

  She nods her head. “Yeah, I’m good. If I get tired Chase can drive for a while. That way you and your mom can get some rest. Just tell us which way to go.” The bathroom comes into view and she skips off into it. I wish I had that much energy right now. I shake my head and walk in after her with mom right behind me.

  When we finish with the bathroom we went out
into the store. I didn’t realize how hungry I am until now. My stomach makes a loud growl. I can feel the hunger pains joining it. I grab my stomach to try and release the pain that is now clawing at me. I look around to find something to eat before we find a dinner or café. Everything looks so good at this point. I grab a snickers bar and head to find something to drink when I bump into a tall man. “I’m so sorry for my clumsiness.”

  The man turns around and smiles at me. “That’s alright. Nothing beats getting bumped into by a good-looking woman this early in the morning.” I feel awkward with his statement. Good thing Lex saves me.

  “There you are! We are ready to leave. Did you get everything you need?”

  I turn around to face Lex and mouthed thank you. “Yeah, I just have to grab something to drink.”

  She walks over to me and puts her hand on my shoulder. “I will go with you. I forgot to get me something to drink too.”

  She has no idea how thankful I am to her for doing this. I don’t know how to act around strangers, or people I’ve known all my life for that matter. I always feel awkward towards people. Lex, Chase and Mom are different. They already accept my weirdness. I love them for that.

  We grab our drinks and head to the front of the store where Mom and Chase are waiting for us. “I thought you got lost and was about to send a search party for you.” Mom says with a smile on her face. I can see the tension in her shoulders relax a little at seeing me. I’m glad she will always find a way to make a bad situation better. Her smile makes my own grace my face.

  “Nope, no search party for me. I tend to always find my way back.”

  Chase bumps my shoulder. “You know, we are in need of some shenanigans soon.” The smile on my face grows even more. I love the way he thinks.

  “Yes, we do. Let’s get out of Washington though. We have all the time in the world to plan something cool.”

  Mom pays for our stuff and we walk back out to the car. I notice movement in the corner of my eye. I whip around to see what it is, but it’s gone before I could see. I know I’ve seen something, there is no way my mind is that screwed up. As those words went through my mind, I got a chill that runs down my spine. I have a really bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.

  I’m about to say something when a car comes flying into the gas station almost hitting the car that is leaving. We are only a few feet from the car at this point. I didn’t need to say anything. We all fly into the car with Chase behind the wheel and start the car before he squeals the tire to get out of there. I turn around in my seat and see the car is now following us. How the hell are we going to lose them? I don’t know who is in that car, but it’s clear they are after us. I’m sure the Coven sent them, or it could be some of the Coven leaders. I didn’t want to find out. I need to get rid of them using as little magic as possible. Words form in my head without thinking about them. I don’t hesitate to use them.

  “Per potentiam deae sententia liberatum.

  Defendat nos a malo.

  Abscondentur ab oculis emissitiis.

  Mote it be!”

  (Through the power of the goddesses. Protect us from evil. Hidden from the prying eyes.)

  There is a shimmer and a soft pop. It’s a simple invisibility spell. I turn around to see if anything has changed. I watch as the other car slows down and comes to a complete stop on the side of the road. We really need to get a new car, this one sticks out like sore thumb.

  Chase chuckles. “Time to ditch this bad boy and get some new wheels. Sorry Mrs. Shadow but your car will be found even in the dark.” He shrugs his shoulders when he caught my mom giving him the evil eye in the rearview mirror. I couldn’t help the laugh that came out of me. Mom looks at me giving me the same look making me laugh harder. I try to speak between laughs. “I told you this car sticks out.” She sticks her tongue out at me and rolls her eyes. I swear she is more of a teenager than the forty-five-year-old she is. I love that about her.

  Mom crosses her arms across her chest and pouts before she gives Chase an answer. “Fine! But I am picking it out. Good thing I brought all of us new ID’s and new names. Before you ask, I plan ahead.” She pulls a large envelope out of her bag, taking the contents out. “Here are your new names and ID’s” She says as she passes them out. “Skye you’re now Amber Russell. Lex yours is Marie Chiffon. Chase yours is Alex Brooks and mine is Ann Russell. Keep repeating this over and over again until it sticks. We don’t want to mess up. Also, here are new phones. That gas station had some before you ask.” I look at my mom stunned. When did she even get this done and how? “Skye why are you looking at me like I just grew another head?” I try to answer her, but I’m lost for words. So, I just shrug and look away.

  With the adrenaline gone, I realize I have no idea where we are or if we are even going in the right direction. “Chase, when you get to the next town we need to pull over and see where we are. Hopefully they will have a car lot with cheap cars.” We aren’t poor, but we aren’t rich either.

  Chase looks at me in the rear-view mirror. “Ok, I saw a sign a little bit ago. We should be coming up to the next town in about twenty minutes or so.” I nod at him and look out the window. I still can’t believe this is our life now. Running for who knows how long before they finally give up or catch us.

  Chapter 6

  We came up to the so-called town. It looks more like a ghost town. There is no one walking around. The cars here look like they haven’t run for some time now. I’m about to say something when mom beat me to it. “Chase, we will find another town. Just keep going. When we get pass here we will pull over and look at the map. I don’t like the feeling of this town.” As soon as she said that last part, I got a cold chill down my spine and got goose bumps all over.

  What happened here? All I feel is depression and anger. We need to get out of here before it has a chance to grab our souls. “Chase, you need to go now. I don’t care how fast you go to do it but do it.” I’m slammed back into my seat when he punches the accelerator. I’m just glad he listened to me without asking why. I can’t get rid of this feeling we are being watched and I don’t want to find out by who or what.

  We were almost out of town when a figure jumps out onto the street blocking our way out. This cold empty feeling washes over me. Like whatever us here sucks the life out of you and leaves you fir dead. “Chase, if you slow down bad things are going to happen. I don’t know how I know this, I just do. Run him over if you have to, just don’t stop.” Did I just really tell him that.

  “Skye, I can’t hit someone on purpose. There has to be another way.” I watch as we get closer and Chase is slowing down. I did the only thing I could think of.

  “Aer circumstans nos

  Commodo commoda mihi tua virtus”

  “Please let us have your advantages of air power”

  I felt the air around me lending me its power. I throw my hands forward and knock the figure out of the way. I couldn’t believe it worked as good as it did. I’m expecting a fight from the figure. “GO CHASE!” When we pass the person, I see him get up and try to get back in our way. I slump in my seat. My heart is pounding so hard I’m afraid it’s going to break through. No one says a word. We are pretty much in the same boat with the emotions coursing through us. Mainly fear. I have determination as well coursing through me.

  I don’t know how long we drove before Chase finally pulls over. The car bounces on the rough shoulder of the road before it comes to a complete stop. No one says a word for a few minutes. I think we are all lost in our own thoughts and trying to calm ourselves down. Mom is the one to break the silence. “Skye, how did you do that? How did you know if we stayed there it would be bad on all of us?” How did I know?

  “I just had a feeling is all. I asked the air to lend me it’s power to get that person out of our way. I just went with my gut feeling.” That is the best way to describe how I knew. I lean forward and took the map off the seat. “Did anyone get the name of that town?”

  Lex turns in her
seat. I can feel her looking at me. I look up to meet her terrified eyes. “Coastal Ruins.” Her voice trembles. I reach for her and wrap her up in my arms the best I could since I’m sitting in the back seat. I can feel her shaking. She isn’t used to the terrifying things in this world. She has been sheltered her whole life. I, on the other hand, haven’t. Not only in my nightmares, but with the Coven leaders. They are not all happy go lucky behind closed doors.

  “I’m sorry you had to go through that. I can’t promise you, you won’t experience that again. All I can tell you is to be prepared. It’s ok. We got away. Everything is going to be ok.” I whisper into her ear. I could feel her shaking calm down some. I hate that she has to go through all of this. She ran away from everything she ever knew, all for me. I’m thankful for her for doing that, but also makes me feel like a shitty friend at the same time. I release my hold on her and Chase takes my place. I give her one last look before I look over the map to see where the hell we are. Opening the map, I try and find Coastal Ruins. The only problem is, it’s not on the map. I look in every direction from Sunnyside as far as three hundred miles. Maybe it’s just that small of a town.

  “Does anyone know what highway we are on or the name of the next town?” I don’t stop looking at the map, I know we haven’t been more the three hundred miles. We have only been driving for about two hours.”

  Lex wasn’t trembling as bad when she answers me. “I saw a sign that said Highway twenty-six before we got to that town. Does that help?”

  I look up from the map with a smile. “Yes, that helps out a lot. Chase do you know which way you went? East or West?”

  He turns in his seat to look at me. “I think I went East.” He looks confused as to which way he went. I look back to the map. I follow twenty-six with my finger. We should be close to Dusty.