by Kaitlyn Hoyt
“I don’t know when she’s going to do something. I want to be prepared.” he says.
“You won’t know when she’s going to do it until she does it,” I tell him.
“That girl…” Bragden says while shaking his head. I laugh at him and turn as Olive runs into the room, going straight for her food bowl.
“Emma forgot to take her off the bed this morning. It’s too high for her to jump down.”
Emma cringes and looks down at Olive. “Sorry sweetie.”
“She said it’s okay, but she’ll use your legs as a scratching post next time it happens,” Ryanne tells her.
“Evil kitty,” Emma mumbles. “She reminds me of someone.” Emma whips her head around and glares accusingly at Ryanne.
“I don’t know who you’re talking about,” she says while leaning back against me. A couple seconds later, she gets back up and walks out of the room.
“Now, where is she going?”
“I don’t know,” I tell them. I really don’t. She returns to the room a couple seconds later, holding the sketchbook I bought her. Sitting back down in the chair, she opens to the first page and starts drawing. We are all watching her. She is acting strange and that usually doesn’t turn out well. After a minute, I start to recognize the image she is drawing—another door.
“Ryanne, don’t finish that drawing.”
“I can’t. You don’t understand. I’m not really drawing this. My hand is doing all the work. I can’t stop it.” She looks toward me while her hand continues to draw the door. “There’s something happening right now, and I’m needed where this door is located.”
“Can you follow me there? Just in case I need help?” she asks Larkin. He nods and walks behind me, waiting for her to finish.
“I don’t like this,” I tell her right as her hand stops moving. She doubles over and grunts in pain. Why does it have to cause her pain? A couple seconds later, she disappears. Larkin grabs the notebook and studies it before transporting out of the room, following Ryanne.
I get up and start pacing, waiting for her to safely come back to me.
*****
I don’t recognize the house I am transported to. It looks familiar, though I’m not sure why. Since it’s dark outside, I can’t effectively assess my surroundings. I slowly walk up to the navy door and knock. Tuning out all the environmental sounds around me, I listen for what is on the opposite side of this door. No one answers, but I think I can hear talking inside the house. I twist the golden doorknob, but it’s locked. The sound of glass shattering filters outside and then someone screams. Larkin blinks in behind me. “It’s locked,” I tell him.
“No problem.” He grabs me and pushes me behind him. Larkin takes a step forward and kicks the door down. It slams into the wall with a loud bang. That’s impressive. I try not to jump at the sudden sound, but I do. Larkin smirks when he sees my reaction. I roll my eyes and look back towards the door.
What I see when we enter the house surprises me. The room is a mess. Broken pieces of glass are all over the ground from the fallen lamps. The couch is overturned and pushed against the wall. I feel my eyes widen when I see the three people in the room. Natasha is asphyxiating Conner and Natalie. She’d attack her own family? Her own twin? Without thinking, I run and tackle Natasha while throwing up a shield around Conner, Natalie, and Larkin. I place a small one around myself. “Larkin, get them out of here!” I yell to him.
“I’m not leaving you here,” he tells me.
“Take them now!” I scream as Natasha shoves me off of her. I do a backward roll and stand up. “Now!” Larkin grabs onto Natalie and transports her out of the room. Conner remains on the ground, coughing, trying to catch his breath. I understand what it feels like as I’ve experienced it a few times myself. Natasha runs for me. She is trying to use her magic on me, but because of my shield, it isn’t working.
I duck her attack and swing around, slamming my body weight into her. Knocking her to the ground again, I try to knock her out, but she throws me off of her. I roll to the side, hitting the edge of a display case. It shakes and sways. I roll out of the way as it starts falling. The case hits the ground with a loud thud and glass from the windows on the doors shatter and fly in all directions. I cover my head to keep from being hit with the fragments.
Glass embeds itself into my forearms and legs. Though my arms are covering my face, I feel a shard knick my cheek. Warm, wet blood starts dripping down the right side of my face. Natasha comes toward me again. I jump back up and swing my leg out, knocking her in the head. She falls to the ground but doesn’t stay there for long.
Larkin blinks back into the room and grabs Conner. He glances over at me but leaves again. I drop the shield around the room, since it is no longer necessary. I call magic into my limbs right as Natasha pushes herself off of the ground and faces me again.
“I’m getting really tired of you,” she tells me while trying to punch me.
I duck to avoid her fist, and then swing my leg out, knocking her off balance. “I’m not too fond of you either.” I grunt as she punches me in the stomach when I stand back up. Without pause, she leans back and kicks me in the shoulder, throwing me into the wall. I hiss as my head cracks against its surface and I slump to the ground. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a lamp on a small side table. I blink the dizziness away as she starts stalking toward me again. With my magic, I reach out for the lamp beside me and picture it knocking Natasha out.
I push more magic toward it as she gets closer. “Dravin will love to know that I found you. He’ll be here any minute.” I glance over at the lamp which is now vibrating on the table. Pushing a little more magic toward it, I turn toward Natasha. Since I am focusing so much on the lamp, I drop my shield. Natasha smiles at me as I start to lose my breath. I still concentrate on the lamp. It is shaking more violently now. Why is this taking so long?
I fall to the ground, trying to remain conscious long enough to push more magic toward it. I thrust all my remaining magic at it. Though I can’t breathe, relief floods through me when the lamp leaves the table. It flies forward and hits Natasha in the head. She screams and slumps to the ground. Coughing violently, I call out for Larkin.
Larkin blinks back into the room a couple seconds later. He glances over at the unconscious Natasha but picks me up and transports me out of the house. I blink, and we are back in the living room. Logan and Colton run over to me. Larkin lets go of me, and I sway on the ground. My head is throbbing from hitting the wall, and I can’t get oxygen into my lungs fast enough. Logan grabs me and starts to heal me.
I blink rapidly as the hazy stupor begins to fade. “Why did you drop your shield?” Larkin asks me.
When Logan finishes, I turn toward him. “Because the table lamp was freaking heavy and took more magic than I was expecting to pick it up. I could push more magic toward it when I wasn’t trying to keep the shield up.”
“What did you do with the lamp?” Colton asks me.
“I hit Natasha in the head with it. I’m getting really tired of that female dog.”
“Oh my gosh, did Ryanne just cuss?” asks Emma. I can’t help but smile as she looks at me with wide eyes. I don’t cuss. It just doesn’t feel right coming from me, so I come up with other things to say when I’m upset or angry. Sometimes I get creative; sometimes I come up with literal alternatives.
“Indirectly,” I say as I walk past everyone and over to Natalie and Conner, who are sitting on the couch. They look shocked. “Are you guys okay?”
“She tried to kill us,” Natalie mumbles. Conner stands up and pulls me into a hug.
“Thank you so much, Ryanne.” I hug him back, but release him when Colton grunts behind me.
“You’re welcome,” I say, and then step away from him. “I’m sorry about Natasha.”
“I knew that she was working for Dravin, but I never thought she’d come after us,” Natalie says. “We’re family.”
“You knew, and you didn’t tell me?” Conner ask
s.
“Of course I knew. She’s my twin. I thought that she’d realize how crazy she was being and leave, but obviously her hatred for Ryanne is pushing her farther to their side.”
“I’m sorry.” I know that Natasha hates me, but I still feel bad for Natalie. Natasha is her twin, and I know that it can’t be easy to be on opposing sides.
“Oh, it’s not your fault. Natasha’s a little unstable. She hates everything that stands between her and what she wants. And she wants Colton.” Natalie looks over toward Colton and smiles. “Though, I see that that is never going to happen again. He loves you.”
Colton stares at her. “How can you tell that?”
“Magic. I can sense emotions, feelings, and tell what people’s intentions are. It’s been a while since we talked last, Colton.” She turns back to me. “You love him too. Just like you love everyone in this room, which is why you risk your life to protect them.”
“Everyone already knows that,” I tell her. She gets the gleam in her eyes that all mages get when you question their power.
“Colton and Liam hate how you have to go on these things alone. They understand, but they don’t like it. Logan hates how you keep getting injured, but he’s glad that he’s around to heal you. Bragden and David love you like a sister and hate seeing you hurt all the time. Larkin feels like he owes you for something. Emma wishes that she could help you, and she also loves you like a sister and doesn’t want anything to happen to you,” Natalie tells me. “That’s just a really basic explanation of everyone’s feelings toward you. I could go into more detail, but that would take a while.” Natalie yawns, and I notice how tired she looks. Conner doesn’t look much better either.
I glance over toward Tom and see him watching them as well. “You guys are welcome to stay here with us. We can make room. David, can you move your stuff into Colton’s room? Natalie and Conner can use your room,” Tom tells them.
“Ryanne’s staying with me,” Colton says. Tom and I both look at him at the same time.
“I am?” I ask.
“Colton, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Tom says.
“Tom, Dravin and Adam can’t get to her when she’s with me,” Colton tells him.
“Are you positive?” It is obvious that Tom doesn’t like the idea of me sharing a room with him. I’m not sure how I feel about it, but I know that he is telling the truth. The past couple of nights, when I’ve fallen asleep near Colton, I haven’t been attacked in my sleep.
“I’m sure of it.”
Tom watches Colton for a few moments, before slowly nodding. “Okay, well Emma, would you be okay with sharing a room with Natalie?”
“As long as she doesn’t try to kill me like her sister did, I’m fine with it.” Tom nods and turns toward David.
“Are you okay with sharing a room with Conner?”
“Yeah, that’s fine.” I glance over at Colton, while Tom continues talking. He’s watching me—most likely trying to decipher my reaction to this new arrangement. I’ll be sharing a room with Colton. I bite my lip; I don’t know if I’m excited or scared.
“Ryanne,” someone pokes me in the ribs, bringing me out of my thoughts.
“Huh?” I turn and look around the room; everyone is watching me.
“How did you know that we needed help?” Conner asks.
“I don’t really know how it works, but I see this image of a door in my mind, and I have to draw it. When I finish the drawing, I’m somehow transported there. What I think happens is that I go into a vision in a way, but it’s happening in the present. I just know that someone needs help at that location, so I go.”
“Well, thank you.” Conner reaches out and places a hand on my shoulder. I am going to tell him again that he doesn’t need to thank me, but I am pulled into a vision. Similar to the last time, I don’t have time to warn anyone before I fall.
Chapter Five
Colton
That actually makes sense. She can’t go into a vision in the present, so her power compensates for that. She’s had visions literally seconds before an event happened, but these drawings are different. Something is already happening, and she feels like she needs to be somewhere else. I watch as Conner reaches forward and thanks Ryanne. She smiles at him, before her eyes roll into the back of her head. “Catch her!” I yell at Conner as Ryanne starts falling to the ground.
Time seems to slow down as she falls. He reaches out and catches her before she hits the ground. “She’s going into visions much quicker than she used to,” Emma says with a frown. Conner picks up Ryanne and carries her to the couch.
“She’s in a vision?” he asks us as he puts her down. I walk over to the couch and sit beside her, moving her hair out of her eyes.
“Yeah, she used to be able to warn us before she went into them, but now it happens very quickly,” Emma says. “I wonder what she’s seeing.”
I watch Ryanne as she is experiencing the vision. What is she seeing? Will she be injured, angry, upset? Anything can happen in these visions.
“Are you guys together now?” Natalie asks me. Now isn’t really the time, but I nod anyway. Emma decides to explain.
“They’re soulmates,” she says. Usually when she says that, she is grinning widely, but because Ryanne is in a vision, it doesn’t come out as happy as usual.
“Are you serious?” Natalie asks with a surprised expression. “You know for sure?”
“Yeah, they’ve both healed each other. Though, he just told Ryanne last night,” Emma answers for me.
“You’ve healed each other?” Natalie whips towards me.
“Well, we’ve both died, and we’re still here.”
“Oh, wow. That’s amazing. I bet it’s nice knowing for sure that you’re destined to be together,” she says while looking down at Ryanne. I never really noticed Natalie before. Natasha was the loud one. But looking at Natalie, she is so much prettier than her sister. Not in looks, because they’re identical but in personality. She has a kindness in her expression that Natasha lacks.
My eyes move from Natalie to Liam. Shoot. “Where?” I ask him as I catch his slight grimace.
“I can’t even tell. My side, leg, and back. She’s being attacked by something. Logan, be ready,” he warns. Ryanne is being attacked again. Liam leans forward and puts his hands on his legs, his hair blocking his expression, but from his posture, I can tell that he’s in pain. I clench my fists and close my eyes. I need to concentrate to remain visible. I get so angry during situations like this because I know there’s nothing I can do.
“Wait, how does he know that?” Conner asks.
“Liam’s her protector.” Liam gasps and grabs onto his side just as Ryanne starts moving. She cries out and rolls off the couch. I jump down and help her stand up. She leans all of her weight on me. Blood is dripping down her leg from a large gash, and she has a giant bruise on her cheek. She leans down and grabs onto her side. When she removes her hand, it is covered in blood.
“Logan!” She whimpers again as she starts to fall. I grab onto her, supporting her full weight as she starts to lose consciousness. Her head lolls backward, and Logan grabs onto her hands. If she goes unconscious, he’ll have to wait until she wakes up to heal her…if she wakes up.
Logan closes his eyes and concentrates on healing Ryanne’s injuries. Her black eye disappears and the gash on her leg seals together. She gasps and starts breathing heavily as Logan continues to heal her. She whispers a thank you before collapsing in my arms. “Is she healed?”
“I think so.” Logan lifts the edge of her shirt to check the wound. Despite a long scar under her ribs, the skin is smooth and healed. I’ve never seen that scar before. How did she get that? He pulls her shirt back down and nods up at me. Bending down, I lift Ryanne in my arms and cradle her against my chest. I want to go put her in bed, but I need to know what happened. I sit down on the couch with Ryanne in my arms and turn toward Logan.
“What happened?” I can feel my magic bubbling to the s
urface.
He instantly starts shaking his head. “I have no idea. The vision started with her standing in this field. Alone. Adam and Dravin jumped out of the woods and just attacked her. She didn’t stand a chance.” She was alone with Adam and Dravin? How the heck were they always able to find her?
“Where were we?” I ask.
“I don’t know. Like I said, she was alone. I have no idea where we were,” he whispers.
“Could you tell when it happens?” Liam asks.
“I don’t know for sure. Ryanne would know, but I don’t think it happens for a little while,” he says. I glance between Conner and Natalie and find them staring down at Ryanne with worried expressions. They’ve never witnessed her going into a vision, let alone one that resulted in her being hurt. “She looked scared. I don’t think she knew what was happening until it actually happened. She kept looking around like she was lost…or didn’t know how she got there.”
With an exasperated sigh, I stand up and carry Ryanne upstairs. Nothing can be done right now, especially since Ryanne is out. I gently place her in the bed and pull the comforter around her. Grabbing some clothes, I go into the bathroom to change and get ready for bed. When I am finished, I slowly walk back into the room and turn the light off. When the room plunges into darkness, I hear some light scratching on the outside of the door. I open the door and let Olive in. Picking her up, I move back over to the bed and place Olive at the end of it, where she curls up into a ball. I crawl into the bed and quietly move the covers back, lying down beside Ryanne. I glance over at her. Her head is rolled to the side away from me, so I can’t see her expression. Her shallow breathing lets me know that she is asleep. I hope that one day she’ll be able to go to sleep without worrying about attacks.
Rubbing my eyes, I slowly wake up. I feel more tired now than I did before I went to bed last night. Sleep just isn’t as easy to come by anymore. I’m about to get up, when I feel a weight against my chest and slight movements. Ryanne is pressed against my side; her hand sprawled across my chest. She is still asleep, but starting to move, so she’ll wake up soon. I gently push her hair out of her eyes. I don’t see any obvious injuries. Her long eyelashes fan across her cheekbones, and her lips are slightly parted. She sighs quietly before her eyelids flutter open. Blinking rapidly, she rolls onto her back and groans. “I’m too tired to be awake,” she grumbles.
