by Kaitlyn Hoyt
Liam laughs quietly. “It was priceless.”
Ryanne gasps and jumps off of my lap. “We have to go.” We all just stare at her. “Now! Dravin knows where we are. The enchantment is down, and I don’t have the strength right now to put it back up. He’s incredibly mad, and we need to go.”
“How long do we have?” Tom asks.
“Thirty minutes. An hour tops.” Everyone gets up and starts to head upstairs to gather their belongings. We are the last two in the living room. She is still looking at me like she doesn’t believe I am really here. I can understand that, but I don’t like the scared look in her eyes.
“Ryanne,” I start. We need to talk. Before I can get anything else out, she stops me. Her hazel eyes glisten as tears threaten to fall again. My heart breaks when she starts shaking her head and backs away from me.
“Not right now, Colton. I need to make sure we get out of here safely before I dwell on everything that just happened.” She sniffs her nose and slowly walks up the stairs.
My eyes follow her upstairs before I head up there as well. Hopefully, I’ll have time to tell her later. Once she calms down and we are safe, I’ll tell her. She needs to know. I can tell that the time is finally right.
Twenty minutes later, we are all waiting in the kitchen. Tom, Bragden, and Larkin are helping pack the car, while Emma and Ryanne walk through the house making sure that we have grabbed everything we need. We’ll be able to buy stuff when we get to our new location. I am sitting down in a chair in the kitchen with Liam. Sudden movements hurt my side. It’ll take a couple hours for my mage healing to kick in and finish the job.
Ryanne and Emma come into the room with empty hands. We’d apparently packed everything. Ryanne pulls a chair up and sits down at the table, next to Liam. Her wet hair falls forward, hiding her face as she rests her head on the table. Emma and Liam both look over at me and glance back at Ryanne. I shake my head. She doesn’t know yet. I haven’t had a chance to tell her.
Soon.
“Okay, the car’s packed and ready to go,” Tom announces. Ryanne pushes herself away from the table and silently walks out of the room.
“She’s just shocked by everything. She thought you were dead, Colton. I wouldn’t know how to act either if I watched you die,” Emma says as she stands up and leaves the room after Ryanne. I stand up and grab the small green pet carrier with Olive in it and follow the girls out.
This is going to be an interesting ride.
Chapter Two
The atmosphere in the car is a lot more tense than usual. I’m sitting in the back between Liam and Emma, but no one says anything. The car is silent. Everyone keeps glancing between Colton and me. I still can’t believe he is alive. He is sitting in front of me…alive. Breathing. He is here.
I feel like I’ve been pushed through a sand storm in the middle of the desert during a heat wave. My body is exhausted. During the last…day? Has it really only been a day? I’ve been through a roller coaster of emotions. Thinking back, I remember how we all acted in the kitchen on Colton’s birthday. Emma and I laughed, sang, and danced. We were having fun. Then there was forest. I was comfortable walking through the forest with Colton. He made me smile. He made me feel safe. For that short period of time, I forgot about the mess I was in. I was just Ryanne, and he was just a boy I liked. He was just Colton. Then, we saw Adam and Natasha, and it all came crashing back down.
I’m supposed to be this prophecy girl. I’m supposed to help end a supernatural war…with mages…against Dravin and the Gadramicks. I’m full of all this power that I don’t know what to do with. Everyone seems to be out to get me and those that I love. Dravin will do anything to get to me, and he did get to me.
A lot of people are depending on me. I feel like I’m drowning under the waves of pressure crashing into me. Because of the prophecy, I can barely go to sleep without getting attacked. For the past couple of nights, both Dravin and Adam have invaded my dreams. The only way I’ve figured out how to get out of them is by getting knocked out or knocking them out. It’s usually me that gets knocked out. Then, I wake up with the injuries. I’m afraid to sleep anymore. It feels like I can’t do anything without the risk of getting attacked.
When I got captured the second time, I didn’t know that Liam and Colton were there too. I thought that I had changed the vision. When I saw Colton being dragged into my cell, I panicked. I had changed something, but it wasn’t enough. He still ended up there. He still ended up dying…right in front of me. All my efforts had been for nothing.
But somehow, I healed him. Somehow, he is sitting in front of me. Somehow, he’s here. Alive. I don’t know how to wrap my mind around it. I want to run up to him and jump into his arms, but another part of me is afraid of doing anything that’ll put him in even more danger. I mean, he died. He died because Dravin wanted information. Will I be able to protect him if that happens again?
I don’t want to push him away anymore. I want him. Really bad. But I want him to live even more so. He keeps turning around and watching me. He’s holding the pet carrier with Olive in his lap. I want to pet Olive and have her comfort me, but I don’t want to talk. I don’t want to answer any questions, so I let her stay with him.
Do I want to be with Colton? Yes, I do. Ever since I first met him, I have felt a pull toward him. Sure, he’s incredibly good-looking, but there are so many other reasons. He helped me feel again. After my mom died, I shut myself off. I didn’t want to open up to anyone because I was afraid of getting hurt. Ever since I met him in the bookstore, I’ve unlocked the door, and he pushed it open, cracking my walls in the process.
He can be stubborn, frustrating, and just about every adjective you can think of, but it shows that he cares. He doesn’t look at me as the prophecy girl and never has. He sees Ryanne. I’ve tried so many times to convince myself otherwise, but I can’t because I know the truth. He sees me for me and nothing more.
When I saw Dravin plunge that dagger into his side, it felt like I was the one who was stabbed. When I ran over to him and realized he was gone, it felt like part of me left with him. He broke down the wall and left me broken. I lost it. I don’t know if I can survive losing him again.
I keep picturing him lying there, blood pooling around his body onto the cold hard floor. His skin already looked so pale. Death works fast. I can feel the tears welling in the corners of my eyes. I’ve cried too much lately. I didn’t know it was possible to shed so many tears. I turn around and look out the back window. For some reason, I expect Dravin to show up behind us and find a way to take me back to that cell or to take Colton away from me again.
The only thing behind us is road. There are other cars following. Biting my lip, I turn back around. Colton’s watching me again. My gaze meets his momentarily before I look away. I honestly have no idea what to do right now.
Liam must have guessed my thoughts because he wraps an arm around my shoulder and pulls me toward him. I rest my head on his shoulder and let a few tears fall. Burying my face in his shirt, I let the movement of the car and the steady rise and fall of Liam’s chest lull me to sleep.
Opening my eyes, I look around. The high beam ceiling extends upwards to a point. The walls are painted a soft yellow. The lighting from the small lamp to my right casts long shadows throughout the room. A large brick fireplace extends up the length of the wall. Blinking, I sit up and look around. I am lying down on a large sectional couch. This navy blue fabric couch is large enough to fit all of us. I hear voices behind me. Turning around, I see everyone seated at a large wooden oval kitchen table. I rub my eyes with my large sweatshirt sleeves and fix my clothing.
I don’t know whose sweatshirt I am wearing, but I was cold this morning. Rummaging through the laundry room, I found it folded on top, so I threw it on. I pull the sweatshirt down. It almost completely covers my shorts. When my arms are straight, the sleeves hang past my hands, so I know that it’s one of the guys’.
Standing up, I drag my feet and walk into the
kitchen. I am still tired, but my body is stiff which means I’ve probably been sleeping for a while. I run a hand through my hair as I enter the kitchen. I sit down in a chair next to Logan and stare down at the table. Squinting, I try to adjust to the bright lights above the table.
Someone elbows me in the sensitive area under my ribs. I jump back. “Huh?”
Logan, Liam, and Colton all laugh at me. “Did you hear what I asked you?”
“Umm…” I try to remember if I heard anyone ask me any questions, but I don’t remember anything. “No.”
“How are you feeling?” Logan asks me.
“Oh. Fine, I guess. I’m just a little tired. Not sleeping much at night is starting to get to me.” I yawn into the sleeve of the sweatshirt. “Hey, whose sweatshirt is this?”
Logan, Colton, and Liam all shrug. I lean forward on the table. I ask Bragden, David, and Larkin, who are sitting on the opposite end. “It’s mine,” Larkin says.
“Oh, I’m borrowing your sweatshirt,” I tell him with a smile.
Larkin starts laughing and replies, “Thanks for the heads up.”
“I realized earlier that I don’t own any actual sweatshirts. I have t-shirts and shorts. That’s about it. So, if any of you are ever missing a sweatshirt, I probably took it. Just letting ya know.” All the guys nod their heads, accepting my warning.
“You could always borrow one of mine,” Emma suggests.
“Emma, you only wear pink sweatshirts. And if they’re not pink, they’re covered in pink. I’d rather wear one that’s way too big than be covered in pink.”
“Your loss. You’d look cute in pink.”
“You’d probably look cute in a banana suit, but I don’t see you wearing one.”
Emma looks over to David and shakes her head. “She’s impossible.”
Crossing my arms on the table, I lean forward and rest my head against my forearms. I can’t believe how tired I still am. A few hours ago, I was in Dravin’s cell. “Thank you guys for coming to rescue us,” I mumble against my sleeves. “I got your note Larkin.”
“That yellow piece of paper?” Colton says.
“Yeah, I’m assuming that someone working for Dravin isn’t totally loyal to him.” I lift my head and look toward Larkin, who is nodding in agreement. He has friends inside the compound that could possibly help us from time to time. “How did you know it was…oh, wait the mirror…?”
“Yeah, that was a two-way mirror. We could see you, but you couldn’t see us. We saw and heard everything,” says Colton.
“Everything?”
“Yeah, we heard your sarcastic retorts to Dravin. We saw each time one of them hit you or Dravin used his power on you. We heard you singing and doing those little flips. Why were you talking back to him, Ryanne? That could have been dangerous,” Liam says.
“I don’t know. Last time he kidnapped me they’d try to get information out of me until I passed out from the pain or they knocked me out. I could barely move. This time, I could move around. They didn’t hurt me that much. So, I tried a different approach. I wanted to show Dravin that I wasn’t afraid of him. I wanted him to know that I’ll take whatever he dishes out, because I know he’s too much of a coward to face me when I can use my magic. I wanted him to know that I’m not going to cower in the corner from fear when I see him and that I’m not helpless. I can defend myself.
“When I saw those men carry you guys in…I don’t know. I kind of flipped. I was so mad at him for involving others when it’s me that he wants. It makes me mad that he’s trying to use you guys against me. I panicked and started yelling at him.” I laugh. “What did I call him? A psychotic lunatic?”
“You called him a freaking crazy psychotic lunatic who is obsessed with power,” Colton says.
“And he is. And it felt really good to call him that. Just like it felt really good to kick Adam upside the head, even if he did slap me so hard that I saw stars. I wanted to make an impression. I’m not going to let them get away with hurting me anymore.”
“Oooh, angry Ryanne is hot,” Larkin says and flashes his arrogant smile.
“Since you’re letting me wear your sweatshirt, I’ll ignore that comment and not knock you out of your chair like I really want to.” I let a piece of magic flow toward him. Not enough to do anything, but enough to prove that I will do it.
His grin widens when he feels the magic around him. David and Liam start laughing. “Hmm, I think I might want my sweatshirt back. Do you have a shirt on under there?”
I sit back in the chair and shake my head at him. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“It doesn’t matter. I’ve already seen everything before.” He winks at me. I stare at him, mouth hanging open. I know that I am blushing. David knocks his head on the table when he leans over laughing. Colton looks angry, while the others try to hide their laughter. That’s it. I call more magic to me. Larkin’s grin falters a little when he realizes what I am doing. I push the magic toward him and crack up when he falls out of his chair, landing on his butt on the linoleum tile.
“And it’ll never happen again,” I say.
Larkin pushes himself off the ground and grins at me, “It’s a good thing I have a photographic memory.” He transports out of the room before I can do anything else.
“What exactly happened?” Emma asks me.
“Nothing really. He just transported into the room while I was changing. I had shorts on and was looking for a shirt, so I was just standing there in a bra.”
“A black lacy bra,” Larkin says behind me. I turn around to hit him, but he transports again.
I turn around. “Gosh, he’s annoying.”
“That’s what I’ve been saying from the beginning,” Colton says. I don’t look over at him when he speaks. Instead, I pull my knees up in my chair and pull the sweatshirt out and pull it out and over my knees. I make sure to pull it extra hard to try and stretch it out. David knows what I’m doing. I smile innocently at him, but continue pulling on the end of the sweatshirt.
Leaning my head down on my knees, I listen to everyone conversing around me. I hear the sound of a chair scraping back, but I don’t move. Emma laughs at something David said. Logan is talking with Liam and Bragden about training techniques. I notice that Colton is really quiet. I am about to look and see what he is doing when someone grabs my arm. I recognize his cologne the second he stops near me. “I need to talk to you,” he whispers to me.
As soon as I feel his breath on my ear, I get goosebumps. Because the sweatshirt is covering my arms and legs, they aren’t visible. Somehow I suppress a shiver. I look up and let him guide me out of the room. Emma smiles at me as we walk past. He leads me upstairs to one of the bedrooms.
After pulling me into a room, he closes the door and leans against it, watching me. This scene is too similar to the one where he kissed me. I try to make myself look interested in the room’s furnishing. A large bed is centralized against the closest wall with a white duvet cover. It looks very soft. I wonder if my room has the same one. A small wooden nightstand is on the right side of the bed. It is furnished with a small lamp and an alarm clock. There is a mahogany armoire in the corner of the room.
“Ryanne.” I slowly turn around and face him.
Absentmindedly, I say, “That is my name, yes.”
“Don’t you want to know what happened?”
I cross my arms and lean against the bed post. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
“Yeah, I don’t know.” I look around and focus on the window. I don’t want to look at Colton when I say this. “I’m afraid,” I whisper. When he doesn’t say anything, I glance up at him. He’s watching me. Thousands of emotions are crossing his face. I can’t decipher between any of them.
Looking toward the ground again, I continue, “Before I met you, I closed myself off. I shut everyone out. I didn’t let people get close to me or get to know the real me. I built up this wall around me so no one could get in. And no one even t
ried. No one can hurt you if you don’t let them too close.
“Then you came along. Ever since I met you, you’ve been breaking down that wall, brick by brick. Just being around you weakened the foundation of my erected wall. It scares me how good it feels to finally let someone in. I don’t want it to feel good. I like my wall. It’s the only thing protecting me. Keeping me sane. But it literally crushed me when I saw those guys bring you and Liam into the room because I realized that I couldn’t change it. I couldn’t change the vision. Everything I tried to do to change it, failed. When I finally got away from Adam and ran over to you…you were…” I bite my lip and take a deep breath. I need to remain calm. “Dead.”
“You were gone, Colton. And the onslaught of emotions that I felt freaks me out. I don’t like feeling that much. I didn’t even know it was possible to feel that many emotions at once. I screamed at you, but you didn’t hear me. I pounded on your chest waiting for your heart to beat again, but it didn’t. You left me. You promised to wait for me, and then you left. And I wanted to give up. I didn’t want to fight anymore.” I choke as the tears start streaming down my face. Gosh, when did I become such a crier?
“I can’t go through that again. I realized then how much you mean to me. I use my head because it’s easier to think logically. If I were to think with my heart, I’d end up with a heartache or heartbreak. I can handle the physical pain, but a person can only handle so much emotional turmoil, Colton. I’m pushing the limit already. When I saw that you were dead, it felt like I was suffocating under the pressure of those emotions. There’s only been one other time in my life when I felt that much at once. It scared me that I may never see you again or that you’d never tell me that I was being stubborn or that I had a death wish. But above all that, I was afraid I’d never see you smile at me or get to train with you…or…or tell you that I love you,” I whisper the last part. I’ve never said that to anyone else before. But I know I love him. I can’t imagine being without him.
